Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Aug 14, 2016

• Clayton Fire
• Fire Investigation
• Next GM
• Taxing Marijuana
• FFA 2016
• Mayor Scalmanini
• Modest Kiosk
• Prayers Please
• Olympic Coverage
• Mr Buzzkill
• Tanoak Use
• Yesterday's Catch
• Powersuits
• Gone Insane
• Stop Act
• Women's Retreat
• Coulda Beens
• Action Nomads
• Marco Radio

ANOTHER DANGEROUS FIRE HITS LAKE COUNTY

This one near Lower Lake near the Clayton Creek area is being called the ‘Clayton’ Fire.

Evacuations ordered.

The fast-moving Clayton fire near Lower Lake was up to 80 acres (and growing fast) by early Saturday evening when the Lake County Sheriff sent out this alert:

“Additional evacs ordered in Lower Lake area. Evacuations are ordered for the following areas in Lower Lake: Cantwell Ranch Road, Morgan Valley Road, Riata Road, Teklas Road Hale, Daly Hill, Teklas, Spruce Grove Road to Noble Ranch Road and Ellen Springs. Instructions:
 Residents should leave area immediately. Middletown High School designated as evacuation center. Coordinating with Red Cross now.”

UPDATE 7:31 p.m.: Lake County Sheriff sent another alert, “Middletown HS has declined to open their facility for evacuees. Evacuated residents are now directed to respond to the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake.”

UPDATE 7:57 p.m.: “The fire is now estimated to be 400 to 450 acres with 200 structures threatened and only 15% containment.
”

UPDATE 8:29 p.m. Lake County Sheriff sent another alert, “Evacuations ordered for Stahle Road and Morgan Valley Road to mile marker 7.1.”

A wildfire that started south of Lower Lake near the Clayton Creek area has prompted evacuations.

A shelter was also being established at Twin Pine Casino.

Firefighters worked from the ground and air late Saturday to prevent a fast-burning wildfire from spilling into the community of Lower Lake, just north of where last year’s deadly Valley Fire roared through Lake County.

Dozens of residents south of the town were given evacuation orders shortly after the blaze began about 5 p.m. in oak-studded hills south of Clear Lake, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire, along Highway 29, had grown to 400 acres within two hours.

Six air tankers were dropping retardant surrounded by a plume of smoke that could be seen for miles.

More than 200 firefighters from state and local strike teams attacked the blaze from below, in hope that the fire would remain south of Lower Lake and not move into more populated areas to the north.

As of 8 p.m., Cal Fire officials say they had contained 20 percent of the blaze. Still, homes in the Ellen Springs and Clayton Creek areas, near the fire’s origin, remained threatened.

* * *

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5968021-181/evacuation-orders-issued-for-wildfire

* * *

CALFIRE UPDATE, Aug 13, 11:59 pm: 900 acres, 10% contained, 1 structure destroyed.

Fire crews are working a 900 acre vegetation fire, with a rapid rate of spread and volatile fire activity. Crews are preparing for a challenging and intense fire fight. Structures are threatened and currently mandatory evacuations are in place. Structure protection became activated from the beginning of this fire. Terrain is grassy oak woodland, heavy brush and difficult access in some areas.

Evacuations: Clayton Creek, Morgan Valley to Dam Road (all streets east of Hwy 53), Spruce Grove Road, Ellen Springs Drive, Lake Ridge, Black Bass Pass, Staehle Lane and Oak Haven Rd.

Advisory Evacuations: Jerusalem Grade Road

Road Closures: Clayton Creek, Morgan Valley Road to Sam Road, Spruce Grove Road off Hwy 29

* * *

CALFIRE UPDATE, Aug 14, 8 am: 1400 acres, 5% contained, 4 residences destroyed.

LAKE COUNTY HOMEOWNER BLAMED FOR VALLEY FIRE FAULTS STATE INVESTIGATION

by Paul Payne

The Lake County homeowner blamed for causing last year’s devastating Valley fire with faulty hot tub wiring questioned state investigators’ findings Friday and pointed to a suspicious vehicle he claimed a witness saw in the area just before flames broke out.

John Pinch and co-owners of the Cobb Mountain residence identified as being at the source of the third most destructive fire in state history filed legal papers in Sacramento County Superior Court demanding Cal Fire turn over evidence seized from their High Valley Road property.

The legal maneuver came to light two days after Cal Fire announced the results of an 11-month investigation into the September blaze that killed four people, destroyed nearly 1,300 homes and burned more than 76,000 acres.

Pinch, a retired Sebastopol house painter, and his wife, Cindy, are claiming the physical damage at their property is not consistent with Cal Fire’s theory of how the fire started. They and co-owners Laura and Parker Mills are asking to see evidence they say investigators have so far declined to turn over such as the melted wiring investigators determined sparked the blaze, said Ken Anderson, an attorney for the Pinches.

“We have reviewed Cal Fire’s conclusions on the cause and origin of the fire,” the Pinches said in a written statement released Friday by Anderson’s San Francisco-based firm. “Unfortunately, there remain many unanswered questions and, through no fault of our own, we have been denied the ability to do our own independent investigation.”

The property owners could not be reached for an interview Friday. Their legal papers were filed July 27, two weeks before Cal Fire unveiled its report.

“They are devastated this happened,” Anderson added in an interview. “Whether or not they caused it is still an open question.”

Citing privacy concerns, Anderson would not identify the witness he said reported a vehicle entering the property and parking within feet of where investigators say the fire started. He said the person was on Cal Fire’s published witness list.

“We’ve talked to that eyewitness,” Anderson said. “It’s solid evidence. We don’t know why the heck that vehicle would be on the property.”

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Friday the agency chased down numerous leads to determine the cause. An out-of-code electrical connection rigged up by Pinch overheated and ignited dry grass. Investigators said the faulty connection was the only plausible cause of the fire. Their report ruled out various other leads ranging from arson and lightning to a report of a neighbor using a lawnmower on the hot Sept. 12 afternoon.

No one was home at the High Valley Road property at the time the blaze started. The residence suffered little damage but flames ravaged the Cobb Mountain neighborhood and spread to other communities in Lake, Sonoma and Napa counties, causing an estimated $1.5 billion in damage.

“At this point we’ve conducted a thorough investigation to determine exactly how this fire started,” Berlant said.

He said physical evidence would be held for use in any subsequent legal proceedings.

The matter has been referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges. If the homeowners are found to be negligent, they could be liable for up to $57 million in fire suppression costs, Berlant said.

(Courtesy, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

GENERAL MANAGER OF MENDOCINO COUNTY RADIO STATION KZYX STEPS DOWN

by Justine Frederiksen

After seven months in that role, Lorraine Dechter has stepped down as general manager of Mendocino County Public Broadcasting, also known as the radio stations KZYX&Z.

Dechter said the job she left Monday was unsustainable, as she had been working “15-hour days, seven days a week” since accepting the position in January.

“It’s frankly a job for more than one person with what needs to be done for the station’s success,” she said Friday.

Dechter was first hired as a news reporter, and was working to expand the news coverage after the station recently opened a news bureau in Ukiah.

Dechter said it is still unclear if she will be staying with the station and what her job might be.

“I was promised a different job with the organization to move on the great momentum we have built,” she said, adding that she and her future with the station are “in limbo” right now.

“I only want the best for the station,” she said. “I am pleased with the astounding amount of positive work that was accomplished over the past six months.”

A KZYX board member confirmed earlier this week that Dechter was no longer general manager, but described it as a “mutual decision,” and that Dechter would likely stay on with the station in a role that had yet to be determined.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

* * *

To the Editor:

Lorraine Dechter just announced her resignation as General Manager from KZYX. This is a very unfortunate development. Lorraine was doing a good job opening up the Gulag that KZYX had become after the oppressive years of mismanagement by former General Manager John Coate and former Program Director Mary Aigner.

Lorraine's resignation almost certainly means that former KZYX Board President, and current Board Director, Stewie Campbell will be KZYX's next General Manager. The problem is Stewie Campbell is the protege of est Training con man, Jack Rosenberg, a.k,a. Werner Erhard.

Stewie Campbell had been Erhard's "trainer of trainers" at est Training -- part of Erhard's inner circle.

Remember est Training?

"Est" is short for Erhard Seminars Training.

From 1971 to 1984, Rosenberg, a.k.a. Erhard -- a man with no formal experience in mental health, self help, or theology, but only a background in retail sales -- was able to con about two million baby boomers out of over $1 billion in course fees. The training itself was nothing more than a hodge-podge of philosophical bits and pieces culled from the leftovers of existential philosophy and motivational psychology stolen from real philosophers and psychologists.

Social critic John Bassett MacCleary called Rosenberg, a.k.a. Erhard, "a former used-car salesman" and est Training was "just another money making scam." NYU psychology professor Paul Vitz noted that est Training "was primarily a business" and that its "style of operation could be accurately labeled as fascist."

Indeed, the style of trainers at est Training was to bully, intimidate, and insult participants in workshops. And Stewie Campbell trained those trainers. He blurted that factoid out during his interview for the KZYX General Manager job last December -- he was passed over for Ms. Dechter.

Keep in mind that est Training folded in 1984 when Rosenberg, a.k.a. Erhard, vanished amid reports of tax fraud and allegations of incest by his daughters.

To think all of this New Age scandal has now landed right here at our doorstep at KZYX.

I'm going to puke!

John Sakowicz

KZYX Board of Directors (2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014)

TWO MEDICAL POT BILLS VOTED DOWN

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5962822-181/two-north-coast-legislators-medical

FFA 2016

Editor,

It was nice of Bob Dempel to talk to you about the AV FFA members who showed at the Redwood Empire Fair. The picture you published is from 5 or so years ago at a Lion's Club Easter breakfast. I have attached a picture of this year's AV FFA exhibitors at the Redwood Empire Fair. They are a great group.

Thank you,

Beth Swehla, AV High, Boonville

A UKIAH READER hopes her fellow citizens will permanently retire Steve Scalmanini, a default appointment to the Ukiah City Council and an ongoing disaster. As Ukiah adds two more fast food franchises, some Ukiahans remember that it was Scalmo and a handful of his allies led by his girlfriend, Annie Esposito, who continue to block the franchise everyone wants — CostCo:

"When the City Council first certified the CostCo EIR, Scalmanini waited until everyone else was done asking questions and the issues had all been discussed. With everyone else ready for a motion, Scalmanini finally started asking questions. After the first hair-brained series of questions was over, and it was obvious Scalmo had nothing to add to the conversation, the Mayor suggested it was time for a motion. Scalmo bristled that he was "just getting started" and wasted another couple of hours of everyone's time with a series of increasingly irrelevant questions. Only Scalmo, Esposito and three other old hippies think CostCo coming to a half-built out shopping center next to the freeway is somehow a threat to the natural environment and the aesthetic beauty of Ukiah. The looks of Ukiah would be improved if every commercial building was demolished with only the derelict Palace Hotel left standing as a witness to the decay of a once functional town. Scalmo is up for election this year. When Mari Roden resigned a couple of years ago, Scalmo was the only one to file for her seat and was elected by default. Ukiah is doomed if he gets back in."

THIS MODEST KIOSK, the Crow's Nest, is supposed to serve as a kind of guide to the Coastal Trail at Fort Bragg.

But it's seldom open.

For those of you who are unlikely to ever see the interior, David Gurney sends along these photos.

LOCAL COAST GIRL WANTS TO BE IN YOUR PRAYERS

MSP received this message from a viewer:

"Can we do a prayer? Can you post it please. I am a local girl. Melinda Buckner. I have two small children Paige, age 6 an Tyren 23 months and a wonderful husband.

I just got diagnosed with a brain tumor. There is a Gofundme page for help but mostly I want prayers. I am a hard working mother. I am only 26-years-old. I work at McDonalds and do child care. My husband works at Thanksgiving coffee."

(Courtesy, MendocinoSportsPlus)

CAN THE OLYMPIC'S coverage be any worse, any more focused on marginal sports like volleyball, diving, the women's hammer throw? Track and field, goddamit, get me the track and field! Er, the hammer throw is track and field. Well, yes, but I want the running events. I hoped to see Galen Rupp run the 10,000. I want to see the 400 and the 800. I want to see Usain Bolt beat the doped guys. I want to see the USA boxers. I don't want to see Spain playing Lithuania in men's basketball, I wouldn't watch diving if it was in my back yard, and volleyball is, for me, one of the most boring games ever invented. It takes less than ten seconds for the hundred yard dash. NBC couldn't interrupt men's volleyball to show us the heats, cut back and forth to the distance events, stop everything for the 400 and the 800? Whoa! In the nick of time, a young person shows up to live-stream the running events! Saved from NBC!

MR. BRING DOWN goes to Fairfax for a cup of coffee, almost certain to be an irritating half hour. I am beginning to suspect that annoying people are lying in wait at Good Earth. "Here comes Anderson. Get ready to piss him off." Sure enough… The guy in front of me in the coffee line was quizzing the clerk about the allegedly varying practice of Central American coffee plantations. The clerk seemed just as interested in the question. I eventually got a cardboard container of Guatamalan, although I could have sworn it was Costa Rican.

IN FRONT OF GOOD EARTH, two young women were signing people up to give money to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They said the Center was working against bullying in schools. Mr. Bring Down just had to say, "A friend of mine wrote an article years ago that said the Center sat on big piles of money and didn't do much good at all other than build a great big building for itself and pay the people who ran it a lot of money. You can probably google the story, but the Center is basically a scam that doesn't do much of anything."

THE YOUNG WOMEN looked mildly shocked and just stood there looking at me. "You'd never heard that?" I followed up. "Is bullying that bad at your high school here in Marin?" One of the girls said, "We just graduated from college." The other girl said, "We've never heard that about the Center." They looked totally deflated. I regretted saying anything, but if they were college grads they were too old to be naive. I piled on. I said when I was a kid I got smacked around practically on a daily basis and the advice I got from the school and home was, "You probably asked for it. Hit them back." When I came back out of the store the girls were gone. I'd not only curbed their enthusiasm, I'd destroyed it. But hells bells, a multi-million dollar "non-profit" gulls kids into sidewalk solicitations for them?

TANOAK: MOSTLY AN ARTISANAL PRODUCT

http://www.willitsnews.com/general-news/20160802/tanoak-mostly-an-artisanal-product

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 12, 2016

SKYLER BAILEY, Willits. Under influence, dirk-dagger, probation revocation.

RAMON GASTELUM, Boonville. DUI.

JUAN GONZALEZ, Covelo. Misd h r prob re

ARMANDO GUTIERREZ, Hopland. Drunk in public.

EUFEMIO HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

ERREON JACKSON, Ukiah. DUI, probation revocation.

JAMES JENKINS, Ukiah. Assault with firearm.

STEVEN MORALES, Willits. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, child endangerment.

DENA MORRIS, Redwood Valley. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

BENJAMIN PERRY, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JOSE RAMIREZ-GARCIA, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

DANNY RAY, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

CARLOS SANCHEZ-KU, Fort Bragg. DUI causing injury.

THOMAS SANDERS, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

EVAN TAYLOR, Fort Bragg. Unlawful sexual intercourse with minor more than three years younger than perpetrator.

PATRICK TAYLOR, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JOHN VARNEY, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

A READER WRITES: What to wear... when trying to run the world. (or: who wears it better?)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

For what it’s worth, I’ve been listening to right wing radio for the last week, just out of curiosity. What a revelation. It turns out that Hillary Clinton has been up to just about every evil thing you can think of, and more besides. Understand that I am no fan of Hillary, however, the right wing propaganda that is pumped out on a daily basis, makes me understand how Donald Trump got to be the Republican nominee. The propaganda has gone insane. It actually makes me worry about the future of this country. As near as I can see, the Republicans have created their own monster, and now are condemned to live with it. Trump is bat shit crazy to the point where People of his own party are doing the unthinkable and are coming out openly against him, a situation unthinkable before now. I have truly reached the stage where I fear for the future of our Republic. Are we that easily manipulated where we can be convinced that Trump is the solution to our problems? I don’t like Hillary even remotely, but compared to Trump, she comes off as the best choice by far, & she’s the last person I would pick to be president. This is by far the worst two choices I have ever been offered for president. The current situation shows me that we have a lot to worry about. I gotta tell you, after “W” was elected (twice), I lost my faith in the collected intelligence of the people in this country. There doesn’t seem to be that many options left for the average guy out here in the boonies except to burrow in & wait for the shit to blow over. I could say more, but I apologize for my long winded post. I try to keep them brief so people aren’t bored by them, and scroll over them, but this time I felt that There was much to be said.

CONGRESS: AWOL AND OUT OF CONTROL

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/08/13/congress-awol-and-out-control

WILD MOON MAGIC — dancing in the light & shadow, within & without

There is magic in the air here, there and everywhere and at the 8th Annual Mendocino Women’s Retreat. Join us, during this powerful full moon, Equinox time, September 16-18th as we create our own Wild Moon Magic and dance together in light & shadow, within & without. Under the Pisces moon, we’ll gather together in circles of sharing and explore our lights and shadows in the safe embrace of our sisters. Here’s a sampling of some of the magic we’ll be conjuring up: Friday night June will send us into dreamland with a Magic Moon bedtime story Raven and her magic flower essence potions will take us on a magic carpet ride to connect with the magical beings we truly are. Liza offers us an opportunity to manifest our own personal Magic Wand MossRock in her Sacred Sound Sanctuary will lead us on a journey into the dimension of healing sound Iris will lead us out into the magical landscape of Mother Earth in a wonderous design in and with Nature reflecting each of us & all of us. On Saturday night we’ll share an Evening of Enchantment emceed by the ever-funny Karin Uphoff and MossRock. And we’ll drum and dance and sing and laugh and maybe cry and visit and explore and, every meal, we’ll eat fabulous organic, local food prepared with secret ingredients and much love. And as if that weren’t enough, we will give and receive amazing things at the Silent Auction. All this magic will take place at River's Bend Retreat Center, a beautiful secluded site on the Navarro River. Accommodations range from lovely private rooms to shared rooms to camping. The cost for 3 days varies according to accommodations and includes 6 delicious catered meals and all activities. Some limited scholarships are available. The women who present and attend the Mendocino Women’s Retreat are a diverse group who all share, for a few short days, in the company of other women. Many know each other from associations in the community, some are circle sisters, some are meeting for the first time. Inclusiveness is our most cherished value. Old friend or new acquaintance, all women are (literally) embraced, welcomed and included.

For more info and to register online @ www.mendowomensretreat.com or call 707-734-0461 or 707-964-2742

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTERS could have picked George Pataki, the long-forgotten former governor of New York, who appeared out of nowhere for a moment and then vanished again. They could have picked someone named Jim Gilmore, but nobody knew who he was. They could have picked Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin, who kept repeating that he was the son of a preacher man, had never gone to college, and that he would be tough with Isis because he had stood up to the local teachers union when he slashed the education budget in his state. (The Twittersphere enjoyed juxtaposing photos of hooded executioners wielding scimitars with sneakered grayhairs holding protest signs.)

They could have picked Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey and widely characterized as the Tony Soprano of American politics — unfairly: Tony was more effective — known for his impressive girth (despite stomach-stapling), his vindictiveness towards his enemies, his legislative largesse towards his campaign contributors, and his bullying insults on the campaign trail. Like the other candidates, Christie is opposed to the admittance of any refugees from Syria, but, in perhaps his most symptomatic moment, he said he would also forbid orphaned toddlers to enter. (After dropping out, Christie weirdly turned himself into Trump’s poodle, or St. Bernard, staring blankly in a corner of the television screen as Trump pontificated.)

— Eliot Weinberger

NOMADIC ACTION ANYONE?

Hello America, Anybody Goin' Beyond "Drinking Beer and Accepting the Situation"?

Please appreciate the fact that I am seeking others to form a spiritually based nomadic action group, for now being active in the United States of America. I offer this as an alternative to the default choice, which is to "drink beer and accept the situation". Considering the stupidity of the 2016 American presidential election, (starting with the fact that neither major political party has an environmental plank), what is the point of going along with this spectacle? How about instead we form groups and bring in our mojo, work our magic, and create a reality to live in on earth which is satisfactory. If this strikes you as being superior to "drinking beer and accepting the situation" for the rest of your life, then go ahead and contact me at CraigStehr@inbox.com. I will be at a San Francisco travel hostel until August 22nd, and then am ready to hit the road, can get on an airplane or train and meet others anywhere, have sufficient money to maintain myself, and all that I am asking for is cooperation to intervene in history. What are we waiting for? Thank you very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Craig Louis Stehr

August 13, 2016

San Francisco

INGLOOND AXPICTS. As do Woolz and Scootlund, laddy-me-boy.

"I like the relationships. I mean, each character has his own story. The puppy is a bit too much, but you have to overlook things like that in these kinds of paintings. The way he's /holding/ her... it's almost... filthy. I mean, he's about to kiss her and she's pulling away. The way the leg's sort of smashed up against her... Phew... Look how he's painted the blouse sort of translucent. You can just make out her breasts underneath and it's sort of touching him about /here/. It's really... pretty torrid, don't you think? Then of course you have the onlookers peeking at them from behind the doorway like they're all shocked. They wish. Yeah, I must admit, when I see a painting like this, I get emotionally... erect." [View widens. The painting is revealed to be a solid red rectangle.] -Steve Martin, L.A. Story

The recording of last night's (2016-08-12) KNYO and KMEC Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is available to download and keep and skip around in via http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

Besides the usual six-hours-plus of stories and poems and educational fulfillment, including the saga of con-man/spy/Oriental mystic Ignácz Trebitsch of the Royal Hungarian Academy of Dramatic Art... let's see– Scott Peterson called to blow the lid off the lucrative Fort Bragg after-market murdered-whale racket. Stuart Cohen dropped by, sang a few songs, lamented the loss of a treasured childhood New Jersey trombone, recited a paean to radio-controlled toys. (You might recall the stirring line, "A paean! A paean!" in Henry Purcell's /Dido and Aeneas/, whose stage design was the model for Jabba's sail barge.) Sean and Naomi came in; speaking of which, I repeat: Naomi can pay $100 for a deejay with his or her own equipment to play music, that Naomi will provide, for her sister’s wedding in a couple of weeks in the Caspar Community Center. If you can do that job, or you know someone else who can and will, call her and work out the details: (707) 367-7338.

Also at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com you'll find links to a superlative selection of not necessarily radio-useful things to read and play with and learn about, such as:

Our greatest delusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKR-HydGohQ

A long, interesting, very visual article about museums and virtual reality.

http://tinyurl.com/z4uqnoe

And, "Up yours, Coleman Sweeney. You’re not an asshole anymore."

http://boingboing.net/2016/08/09/the-worlds-biggest-asshole.html

Marco McClean

memo@mcn.org

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com