Mendocino County Today: Friday, Oct. 21, 2016

• Emil Rossi
• PA Nepotism
• TurnerCare
• Comfort Animals
• Little Dog
• Heater Problem
• Fire Meeting
• Swami Desecration
• Killer Bail
• Against AF
• Healthy Mendocino
• Free Movie
• The Restaurant
• Jodi Unplugged
• Weed Biz
• Hare Creek
• Against 64
• Yesterday's Catch
• Debate Illusions
• Halloween Story
• Fathom Sinks
• Prop 63
• Garden Party
• Final Performances
• 62 & 66
• Tunnels Permit
• Defunding HUD
• AquAlliance
• Benefit Concert
• Bypass Celebration

EMIL ROSSI HAS DIED. Mr. Rossi, the second generation owner of Rossi Hardware, having succeeded his immigrant father as proprietor of the oldest single-family business in the Anderson Valley, died Tuesday at his home in Boonville at age 91. A highly principled man, Mr. Rossi fought for those principles in the Mendocino County courts, as a libertarian candidate for public office, in letters to the newspapers of Ukiah and Boonville.

IT HAD BEEN CLEAR for some time that Mr. Rossi was not in good health, but he continued to work, as he had all his life, at the pace of a much younger man.

I FIRST MET Mr. Rossi in 1970 at Rossi Hardware, the kind of local business nearly extinct in the country — family-owned, family-run, with solid guarantees on all items sold. As new people in the community, we bought everything from hose clamps to refrigerators from Rossi Hardware and still lament the day when the Rossi family no longer sold appliances.

EARLY ON, Mr. Rossi volunteered to play on our softball team along with Valley old timers, then young old timers, Angelo Pronsolino and Sam Prather.

MR. ROSSI was a man of strong opinions. He managed his final letter-to-the-editor late in August. Before that, even when it was clear he was dying, he often made the long climb to our office in the Farrer Building, refusing our offer to pick up his letters at his store across the street. And he never complained about his health, an old school man until the end — never complain, never explain. We admired him enormously.

THAT LAST LETTER nicely summed up Mr. Rossi's views: "Editor. This letter is about the half cent sales tax proposed to be put on the ballot in November to create a new bureaucracy for the homeless and mentally impaired people. I am certainly not against taking care of our problem people, but what concerns me a lot more is where we are headed. This is not only a Mendocino County problem, but most cities, counties and federal governments are having the same problems. Here is the scenario that has been going on for years. Since government has no competition for cost, they are a monopoly. There is absolutely no reason to be efficient and stay within their budgets. What is really needed to be put on the ballot is a measure that would make it impossible for any of these government agencies to raise any money more than they get now. No taxes. No fees. Absolutely no more money from the public....."

MR. ROSSI deserves gratitude from all of us for his successful argument pointing out that the seatbelt fine he incurred was only partially a fine. Bail should be returned to the accused. Typically, he readily admitted not wearing a seatbelt as he traveled from the Redwood Drive-In to his store three hundred yards down the street. "I'm here!" Mr. Rossi sang out to Judge Reimenschneider. The judge agreed, and promptly adjusted Mr. Rossi's fine downward. Most of us, before Mr. Rossi's instructive stand, simply paid the whole fine.

HIS LETTERS, and his life, emphasized "accountability." Mr. Rossi certainly was personally accountable, but he didn't see much accountability in government, and he was never alone in that opinion.

FEW PEOPLE will remember Mr. Rossi's run for Congress as a libertarian, and fewer still will remember he got the highest vote ever in this area as a Libertarian candidate.

HE WAS ALWAYS willing to listen to argument, although you were not going to change his mind on his core beliefs about taxes, government and regulation.

EMIL ROSSI was a man from another time, perhaps a better time to make an unyielding man like him.

* * *

EMIL PETER ROSSI

Emil Peter Rossi, 91, of Boonville passed away on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Emil was born January 9, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York. Emil lived in Boonville for the past 76 years. He graduated from Anderson Valley High School and served in the Military in Europe during WWII where he received a Bronze Star. Emil was proud of owning a successful business Rossi Hardware for over 60 years. Emil was involved with the theatre group the "Boon't Towne Players" and the popular dance band "The Eights Balls". He would say "Go Doer". Emil is survived by his daughter Lisa Wubbolding, sons Chris and Nick Rossi of Boonville, four grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. At Emil's request no services will be held. Arrangements are under the direction of the Eversole Mortuary.

MEANWHILE, HILLARY-ON-THE-PACIFIC, Mendo branch, marches on. Richard Shoemaker, part-time city manager for Point Arena at $50,000 a year, and Hillary “liberal,” has hired an Assistant City Manager for the tiny town of fewer than 500 persons and fewer than 200 voters. (At this rate, PA’s lucky citizens will each have their own manager.) Shoemaker, who’s been hustling local government for years now, turning everything he touches into mediocre mush as he goes but big paydays for himself and select friends, has arranged for Point Arena’s easy-over city council to put Shoemaker’s old pal from Ukiah, Paul Anderson, on PA’s burgeoning payroll. Anderson, unlike Shoemaker, is a pleasant fellow on a personal level who has kicked around Democratic Party surrogate payrolls for years. He was briefly a Ukiah City councilman back in the day and has since functioned as an SEIU rep. (SEIU is another traditional Mendolib sinecure, along with local government positions, all the non-profits, much of the edu-apparatus — everywhere there are large bundles of loosely supervised public cash, you'll find Mendolib. Nothing against Anderson, but his hire is one more example of the cronyism and in-your-face nepotism characteristic of Mendocino County government.

WE LISTENED to an archived KZYX show hosted by Dr. Richard Miller (psychologist) with Fort Bragg’s mayor Dave Turner. What struck us during the slo mo hour was their shared assumption that serving on the FB City Council was a form of low intensity martyrdom. “You’re not in it for the money, are you,” Miller commented with a rueful chuckle, as Turner confirmed he and his colleagues get $300 a month and full health coverage for a task Turner said occupied him about 20 hours a week. What’s health coverage worth these days, the free luxury plans enjoyed by our selfless civil servants? Lots. I know young working people who are paying $1200 a month for the ObamaCare (minus deductibles and plus co-pays) foisted off on the rest of us by the Democrats.

SOME COUNTY EMPLOYEES are grumbling that Supervisor Hamburg brings his “comfort animal,” a tiny rat-like canine, with him to all public functions, including meetings of the Supervisors. Line workers aren’t allowed, by law, to bring their animals to work. Some wise County bureaucrat saw the Pepsi Generation coming, and put the kibosh on flagrant self-indulgence. But Hamburg has always been an entitled dude who operates on the royal assumption that rules don’t apply to him because, well, because they don’t. It would be encouraging if the County workers Hamburg is partly responsible for supervising also started bringing their pets to work to test the injunction against animals in the work place.

I’VE GOT IT! I think we can slay a couple of birds here with one dog biscuit! The County’s Animal Shelter is stuffed with surplus pitbulls. Shelter critics rightly complain that these orphaned creatures spend their days in tiny cages, unexercised, bereft of human company. If every County employee would simply pick up an orphaned dog every morning on his and her way to work….

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “DUDE! COOL SPOTS!”

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS, FORT BRAGG

Re Mr. Heater: In July, 2004, Redding police received a report that Heater attempted to get a 15 year old girl to watch him masturbate in return for a pack of cigarettes. Later the same evening, witnesses said he masturbated outside a window of a video store. Convicted of lewd conduct, Heater was ordered to register as a sex offender. On 9/25 of this year he accosted then attempted to coax a Fort Bragg teenage girl, 15, to a secluded area along the North Coast Trail. Heater was booked into the County Jail, and released on bail before it was discovered he never registered in Mendocino County as a sex offender as his prior convictions require him to do.

EXCERPTS from the “Meeting Notes” of the Mendocino County Association of Fire Districts (MCAFD) which met at Brooktrails on Wednesday:

• Cannabis related fire issues and experiences were related by several districts with BTCSD having the most numerous and varied problems. Beyond fires and illegal dumping of butane containers, there were even reports of real estate agents offering to sell lots to purchasers so they could rent them out to marijuana growers. A interesting interchange of experiences and histories took place.

• Fire’s first participation in a “scheduled” October 17 meeting of the “public safety” standing committee of the BoS was a dud. A list of proposed agenda items for this meeting was submitted to the BoS when it was learned that their inclusion required approval by the full Board. No feedback was received. After additional MCAFD followup, it was learned that no meeting would take place. No specific reason was given, but may have been related to Woodhouse’s absence. The committee is apparently being reconstituted in early 2017 with probable new members being Gjerde and Hamburg. At the last minute, Hamburg suggested that our group seek a meeting with Tammy Moss Chandler, the new HHSA director. In fact, this meeting had already been scheduled prior to his suggestion.

• As a followup discussion to HHSA representation, specific dispatch related problem examples were introduced. The statewide introduction of the CAD dispatch system some years ago was highlighted as a major factor in these problems. This system was designed to permit dispatchers to function in any ECC even though they lacked specific knowledge of the dispatch areas. Having the current RFP proceed without addressing the faulty location information in the CAD system will only perpetuate the ongoing problems. The system needs to be improved. Fire’s input is needed in the RFP process and HHSA needs to be aware of these issues. As a side note, www.broadcastify.com is a free website application which enables one to listen to live dispatches and it also provides 6 months worth of recordings at no cost. An interesting tool for training, learning, and documentation of problems.

• Questions about the County’s distribution of approved funding focused on their requirement for a contract with each agency to satisfy the Auditor’s need to document the proper use of Prop 172 funds. Despite identification of this requirement 6 months ago, the County has yet to produce this contract. A number of specific requests, unsuccessful so far, have been made to speed this process. MCAFD will request an appointment with County Counsel to spur action. Denise Rose will also attempt to get a copy of the Humboldt County contract which has been cited as an example to follow. Potentially a draft contract will then be created for submission to County Counsel.

• Elk CSD described meeting with County agencies (Assessor, Auditor, Tax Collector, and Planning & Building Services) in an effort to solve longstanding property tax roll problems. Routinely, Elk is not being included in the permit application notification and approval process. Also, there is no feedback when new tax amounts are submitted to confirm they were incorporated into the tax rolls. Problems have been found in this area. The tax collector referenced the County website which currently reports the taxes on each property but does not include District taxes. She will look into having these added which would permit this verification to occur. P&BS is looking into the permit application notification process. In today’s MCAFD meeting, it was suggested that having a specific district ordinance requiring the review/approval of all applications would add a legal requirement for the County to follow.

Attendees: Daryl Schoeppner (Chief Brooktrails CSD), Jon Noyer (Deputy Chief Brooktrails CSD), Joe Sutphin (Fort Bragg FPA), Kathleen McKenna (Anderson Valley CSD), Michael Schaeffer (Comptche CSD), Tony Orth (Brooktrails CSD), Ralph Santos (Brooktrails CSD), Alan Taeger (Albion-Little River FPD), Denise Rose (Brooktrails CSD), Lucien Long (Elk CSD), Ben MacMillan (Elk CSD). Unable to attend/reported off: Dave Roderick (Hopland FPD), John Bartlett (Ukiah Valley FPA), Claudia Hillary (Redwood Coast FPD), Judy Seymour (Redwood Coast FPD), Linda Talso (Redwood Valley CFPD)

DID SWAMI RUIN AN INDIAN SITE?

Editor,

Re: Mr. Chaitanya (AKA Swami Select), spokesperson for the Heritage initiative ("Yes on AF").

On October 6, 2016, there was a meeting at Harwood Hall to discuss the AF Initiative.

At that meeting concerned citizens were allowed to directly ask questions to the pro-AF panel which included the Swami. I informed the Swami and the panel that I have lived on the Blue Rock Creek watershed for over 36 years. I am a downstream neighbor of the Swami's. We are about three miles apart.

On the Swami's property there is a large natural prairie where trees don't grow.

I have been on this property and at that natural prairie more times than I can count, both on foot and on horseback prior to the Swami purchasing the property.

On the Swami's website (swamiselect.com) there is a photo of the Swami "creating the perfect hole" and "filling the hole." These photos can be found on the Swami's website under "journals." These photos show the Swami destroying a Native American archaeological site. The Swami and his excavator (also shown in the photos) are destroying Native American heritage so that they can grow more marijuana.

I know this natural prairie is an archaeological site because there are Native American artifacts all over the meadow. Furthermore, the soil there is extremely dark from thousands of years of Native Americans campfires.

When I confronted the Swami with this information the Swami stated that there was a previous timber harvest plan which stated that there were no archaeological sites in the forest. As the Swami must know, the harvest plans only look at area where timber will be harvested, not in an open meadow with no trees.

When we discussed this at the meeting the Swami became nervous and demanded that there it is an archaeological site on his prairie but that it is 100 yards (a mere 300 feet) from his large grow.

I stated to the Swami that I believed that the whole prairie is one big archaeological site and I asked him if he would allow the Cahto Indians to enter the property with an archaeologist to confirm that the Swami did or did not destroy a Native American archaeological site when he tore up the prairie to plant his marijuana.

I have spoken to members of the Cahto Tribe about this, including members of their administrative body. They were all very concerned. They told me that they would contact the Swami so that the they could determine whether or not the Swami destroyed a part of their heritage.

As the Swami knows under the California Environmental Quality Act Native American sites are protected. Mendocino Counties 9.31 marijuana cultivation program also requires protection of Native American sites through an environmental impact report.

The Heritage Initiative (Measure AF), which the Swami is a big proponent of, conveniently bypasses the California Environmental Quality Act which protects, among other things, Native American archaeological sites and endangered plant and animal species.

I am writing this letter so that the Swami will stick to his promise to let the Cahto Tribe access his land to inspect the archaeological site.

I urge the public to vote No on Measure AF as it does not provide any protection for Native American archaeological sites.

Chris Brennan, Cattle Rancher

Spy Rock

LET LOOSE

To the Editor,

It appears that Charles Reynolds killed another grower, Kenneth Fisher, outside a bar in Laytonville over an unpaid debt of $5000. As a grower-broker myself who is owed a lot more than $5000 by a guy who didn't live up to his part of the deal, I know what it's like to want to kill someone. But even to hold on to that feeling for long will destroy you. Because if you go there, what you are left with? Charlie Reynolds.

Reynolds killed Fisher with one punch. How can you kill a strong young man with one punch? Either you hit him in just the right place or you hit him real hard. It looks like Charlie did both. I have no doubt about the intent behind that punch. He let go to his urge.

Then he calmly walked back to the bar leaving Fisher "out there sleeping." Apparently, Charles Reynolds cried when he was told that Fisher was dead. Quite a shock, huh Charlie? My guess is you were crying for yourself, not the man you killed.

How is our DA handling this case? Here's a man of the law who tried to slap reporter Will Parrish with $450,000 for chaining himself to a Caltrans stitcher in protest of the Willits Bypass, but lets this killer walk out of jail on $50,000 bail. You can see what side of the table Eyster sits on.

Name withheld, Willits

UKIAH CITY COUNCIL OPPOSES MEASURE AF

by Justine Frederiksen

With a somewhat reluctant majority, the Ukiah City Council voted earlier this month to take a position against Measure AF, an initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot that would allow marijuana cultivation by right in all zoning districts within unincorporated Mendocino County.

“I hope that voters will see that this creates an environment that is a little too much like The Wild West,” said Council member Doug Crane at the Oct. 5 meeting. “I believe the (Mendocino County) Board of Supervisors doing their job is a better outcome than this initiative passing.”

“This is taking land-use issues out of the public forum,” said Council member Kevin Doble. “If (this initiative) is approved, and if people decide that maybe residential zones aren’t an appropriate place to have this ‘by right,’ how would that be changed?”

“It’s yet to be seen, but there is a clause of amendability,” said Sarah Bodnar, a spokeswoman for Measure AF, explaining that the clause “allows the Board of Supervisors to make changes after June of 2018,” and that aspects such as “zoning and setbacks can be discussed.”

City attorney David Rapport then asked Bodnar to point out where that clause was in the 60-page initiative document, adding that his understanding was that under the state constitution, “you can only amend an initiative in another election.”

After being pointed out the clause, Rapport said he was not prepared that evening to render a legal opinion on whether it would allow changes, since the clause states that any proposed change must be “consistent with and further the intents of this initiative,” and it was followed by numerous “whereas” statements that qualified it.

In her opening remarks, Bodnar asked not that the City Council vote in favor of the initiative, also known as the Heritage Act, but that it remain neutral.

“Thank you for opening the door to the discussion, and helping this industry move out of the black market and into the future,” Bodnar said. “The path forward is regulation, and members of the cannabis industry have been begging for it. This is the most expedient, cost-effective solution to provide that regulation.”

“Very little of what she said was true,” countered Mike Sweeney, one of the founders of the “No on Measure AF” campaign, the group that requested the City Council take a position. “The initiative wants to sweep away the Board of Supervisors’ discretion and duty, and it provides no effective regulation of any aspect of the cannabis industry. It is, fundamentally, a hoax.”

During the public comment period, former City Council member Phil Baldwin also urged the current board to remain neutral, urging council members to “question the motives behind those against this.”

“I’m not sure we have a dog in this fight,” said Vice-Mayor Jim Brown. “But I think this measure falls short, and I do have faith in the Board of Supervisors.”

“I’m leaning toward neutrality,” said Mayor Steve Scalmanini, and Doble said he felt “it was important that we not have a split,” meaning that the vote should be unanimous either way.

When Brown later made a motion that the City Council take a position against Measure AF, it briefly appeared that it might die for lack of a second, but Crane did second it.

Brown, Crane and Doble then voted to pass the motion, while Scalmanini cast the sole “no” vote. Council member Maureen Mulheren was absent.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

THE ALL-TIME MENDO BLAH-BLAH "JOB"

chip-project-manager-2016

MENDOCINO COUNTY REPUBLICANS GO DEEP. The attached letter from Bonnie Carter, wife of Republican bigwig and go-to Ukiah fixer-man attorney, Jared Carter, rallies inland troops for a primitive free propaganda movie called “Hillary’s America” at the Ukiah Theater Thursday night. This thing has been around for at least a year. I saw it in San Rafael several months ago, and paid to get in. I lasted about 20 minutes as Dinesh D’Souza, the Republican’s idea of an intellectual, smirked his way through the usual catalog of Billery’s sins, real and conjured. This thing is so dumb, so boring it’s offered free in Ukiah. I laughed when I saw the flier says, “Limited Seating” and the film described as “utterly terrifying.”

TAKE IT AWAY, BONNIE (Carter)!

Dear friends who do care about good governance for our national government,

This movie was made by a Dinesh D'Souza, a New York Times best selling author and by Gerald Molen, prize winning producer of the movie 'Schindler's List'.

If you are open to hearing what these capable and responsible gentlemen have to say about 'Hillary's America' in this movie please come tomorrow eve.

I send this to those likely Republican voters/friends whom I think have grave/serious doubts about Trump. And I also send this to other friends who are looking forward to, and expecting, Hillary to be voted in as our next U.S. President.

I personally respect Hillary for her brain, her policy wonkiness and her very focused view of her role in our national politics. And I also am not at all impressed with Trump's personality or competence/knowledge about governance which requires a leader to work with others.

So as a moderate Republican with a lot of big concerns about both of these candidates I am planning to attend and watch this movie, about which I heard about a year or so ago but have never seen.

For those of you who are free and willing to at least hear what these two men have to say about Hillary and Democratic politics I urge you to attend. Because with Hillary as our leader will come some developments that seem very troublesome to me and others.

I personally believe that there are very great dangers ahead for us Americans with an increasingly centralized and costly, wasteful and freedom threatening national government. I much prefer that our fifty states continue to find their independent answers to societal needs and not being forced by increasing regulations to have to defer to our government in D.C.

I also am distressed by the ever present connection between very rich segments of our society, their lobbyists and our easily corrupted national legislators. And most of all I think the Clinton Foundation is much more than the charitable entity it presents themselves as being.

So here is perhaps some new info for us all or maybe new ways to assess what we are pondering/evaluating now just before voting in three weeks.

A free movie at our local theater called 'Hillary's America'.

YET ANOTHER LONG TIME FORT BRAGG RESTAURANT UP FOR SALE

First "Cap'n Flint's", now the iconic "The Restaurant," - both serving up food for the past 43 years.

(from The Restaurant and MSP facebook pages)

I've got big news for all of our facebook friends - The Restaurant business and the building are for sale! It's been a difficult decision to make - but I'm ready for a new adventure - and the time seems right to start moving in a new direction.

This grand old, massively-built, solid redwood building has served us well since 1973. Built in 1895 as the first hospital in Fort Bragg, the upstairs living space is enormous: 2500 square feet, 10' ceilings, with three or four bedrooms, three and half baths, (including a separate two-room guest quarters with a private entrance and full bath), two sitting rooms, an office, a kitchen, spacious hallway. Great light from large windows, some with original wavy glass, and skylights. There's 800 sq. feet of clean, dry, lighted storage space between the two floors. A deck across the back of the building is sunny and sheltered from the north winds. The Restaurant downstairs seats 70 in two dining rooms. There are two entrances from Main Street, high ceiling in main dining room, some original/antique architectural features, cozy booths as well as separate tables, two guest bathrooms. There's a large double kitchen with two entrances from the rear, oversized walk-in refrigerator, storage room, pantry, employee bathroom. A real bonus in downtown Fort Bragg is the 12-space parking lot behind the building. All equipment and furnishings in the restaurant are included, except artwork.

All in all it's a tremendous opportunity - to live and work in our evolving, thriving, exciting Coastal community. The possibilities are unlimited for this one-of-a-kind property.

Listed at $795,000.

Until it sells, we'll be here doing what we've done for 43 years - serving great food in a charming art-filled dining room, with friendly, attentive service. Thursday thru Monday, open at 5.

Please help spread the word of this news.

Contact me by email: larsen@mcn.org

ps: we'll be closed for annual fall vacation Oct 30-Nov 11

WHERE'S JODI?

Sheriff’s Press Release:

Have You Seen Jodi Dutra?

10/19/16 about 1600 hours, 41 year old Jodi Marie Dutra removed her home monitoring device and left the area of 4400 block East Side Calpella Rd. Calplella in a white colored 2008 Honda Accord, license 6DIV994. Dutra is a white adult female, 5 foot tall about 190 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. She may have contacts in the Sacramento area. An 836 PC was issued for Dutra for 4532 PC. If you have any information on Jodi Dutra's location, please call the Sheriff's Dispatch Center at (707) 463-4086.

A STORY ABOUT the high profile marijuana operation run by the guy who committed suicide up on deep Peachland a couple weeks ago:

http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/this-marijuana-farmers-market-proves-that-weed-is-the-new-wine-7325690

HARE CREEK: BAD IDEA

Michael Baker Int. c/o Marie Jones, Com. Dev. Dir. City of Fort Bragg
416 N. Franklin St. Fort Bragg, CA 95437
re: Hare Creek Shopping Center EIR Requirements

Recent History

On July 11, 2016 the City of Fort Bragg (CFB) attempted to pass on its Consent Calendar, without public comment, a contract agreement in the amount of $66,105 with Michael Baker International (MBI), for the completion of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the proposed “Hare Creek Center” (HCC) shopping mall that has faced overwhelming public opposition. Four members of the public objected to this unaccountable Consent Calendar passage attempt, expressing concerns that the EIR would be inadequate, since the competing bid, submitted by DUDEK, came in at $224,125. The item was placed on the Agenda for the next City Council meeting.

On July 25, 2016, the City of FB passed a resolution to hire MBI as its consultant, despite public concerns over an inadequate EIR, owing to the vast difference in price between competing bidders. The public also identified conflicts of interest in the MBI plan, including the expressed intent to use the local I.L. Welty & Associates (ILWA) of Fort Bragg to do a drainage study for the EIR. ILWA has previously created grading plans for the project, and is engaged in other engineering aspects of the development. Other concerns have been identified as omissions, short-cuts and conflicts of interest by MBI and the City of Fort Bragg. Also, the NOP (Notice of Preparation) for this CEQA process was improperly filed, with significant errors and omissions, and was not adequately distributed by the lead agency, the CFB.

Significant Impacts On The Environment

There are numerous Significant Impacts on the Environment (SIE’s) that have been identified by hundreds of people, including state agencies, who have nearly unanimously expressed strong opposition to this project. These SIE’s are clearly identified and elucidated by Dr. Leslie Kashiwada, Annmarie Weibel, Ann Rennacker, Ed Oberweiser, and CACLU (Citizens for Appropriate Coastal Land Use) in their submissions for this EIR Scoping. These submissions are hereby noted in this letter as “Cited References,” or *CRs.

To reiterate some of these: The project site is obviously unsuitable. The site is not level, is not a natural building site, and construction of the project would severely impact significant geological features, including the small hillock (elev. 125 ft.) adjacent to the southwest boundary of the project, known as Hare Creek Hill. To complete the project, this natural landform would be permanently degraded or destroyed, either by being bisected or permanently cut off. This elevated hill affords unobstructed 80-mile views of Shelter Cove and Cape Mendocino to the North.

The hill, surrounding meadows, and adjacent stream and wetlands areas are habitat to endangered white-tailed kite, kestrel, red-shouldered hawk, wild turkey, deer, jack-rabbit and many other animals. The project would destroy the wildlife corridor between Jackson State forest and the Todd Point headlands, used by these and other animals, and would result in the permanent removal of wildlife from the Todd Point headlands. This wildlife is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. The project area, due to the sloping and uneven terrain, has historically been left undisturbed, and previous to Patton & "Group II" ownership, served as agricultural land for the purpose of dairy cattle grazing for

The cumulative effect of the project to include the last section of the City’s pristine, undeveloped and formerly agricultural land at its southern outskirts, into an existing commercial corridor at the entrance to town, would contribute to the type of unrestricted growth evident in many American cities and towns. This unwise and poorly planned development is known as “urban sprawl.” Such urban sprawl at this particular location is especially egregious, due to the many negative environmental, economic, cultural, geographic, safety and aesthetic impacts, as cited in the above *CR’s, as well public testimony at a Sept 19, 2016 “scoping workshop,” and in numerous previous letters, expressing overwhelming public opposition. These letters cite many of these same SIE’s. (Please see: http://tinyurl.com/jbnvgl2, http://tinyurl.com/hbj5nhv).

The cumulative effect of visual blight by the HCC project will be to add to existing structures on the West side of Highway 1 to block the last remaining glimpses of the Pacific Ocean as travelers proceed north from Highways 1 and 20 to the Noyo bridge. These views of the ocean are protected in the Coastal Zone, and the ultimate cumulative effect will be an ugly, hazardous, uphill corridor of commercial development that will be the first welcome upon entry into the city of Fort Bragg, if this unwise project is approved. The negative effects of this are incalculable. Currently, there is a brief respite of open space with the eighteen acres of Group II property. These open spaces have historically remained undeveloped, due to the uneven inclines and hillocks of existing landforms.

The project would exacerbate the extreme safety hazard of the outdated and substandard 1947 Hare Creek Bridge, approximately 100 yds. south of the project site. Traffic flow, to and from Grocery Outlet and at least two other unspecified businesses, will directly increase on this dangerous 380 ft. span as a result of the project. The bridge is approximately 25ft. wide on the road bed, with steep 12 inch curbs, elevating narrow 36 inch wide sidewalks one foot above the roadway. The demarcated bicycle lane is just 12 inches wide in both directions, making it absolutely impossible for cyclist to ride in this lane, or for for motorists to pass in compliance with California’s “3-feet for Safety” law, that requires a minimum distance of three feet between the closest part of a vehicle, to the closest part of a cyclist. Motor vehicles already illegally pass cyclists in unsafe close proximity, at a posted speeds of 40 mph.

Todd Dairy, which served the Mendocino Coast for over 40 years.

It is impossible for two cyclists to pass on the narrow 36" elevated sidewalks, it is unsafe if not impossible for a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass on these sidewalks, and it is physically impossible for motorists and cyclists using the road surface to cross this bridge at the same time while vehicles are overtaking, with traffic flowing in opposing directions.

This is an extremely heavily travelled location, and is the only access to Fort Bragg from the South. To comply with existing law, traffic on the Hare Creek Bridge would have to proceed northbound at bicycle speed, around 7-15 mph, if bicycles are present on the roadway, since opposing traffic cannot pass on this bridge in its present state. For vehicles to legally cross this structure, traffic backups to the Simpson Lane traffic circle and beyond can be expected.

The increased use of this bridge - vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian - that this project will cause will directly affect the community and visitors to the area. The close proximity of the proposed project will increase traffic on this unsafe, substandard bridge. These glaring safety concerns will be exacerbated by the cumulative impacts of the project. This will have to be addressed with a new, complete, and detailed traffic survey, to replace the outdated and incomplete survey, as noted in cited references above. (*CR)

The construction site is a significantly sloped area that will create immediate and direct runoff from the project into a wetland area and public beach. Hare Creek is a wild, former Class 1 salmon stream, as designated by the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. The intricate Hare Creek Watershed extends approximately five miles inland. A complete wildlife survey of the Hare Creek wetlands and beach area has not been done, and needs to be done, as the area will be impacted by runoff of commercial and vehicular residue and pollutants. After crossing this wetland habitat, this runoff will flow directly across a recreational public beach, Hare Creek Beach, and then directly into the Pacific Ocean. The significant environmental impact of the HCC project on Hare Creek, its wetlands, beach, and the ocean, needs to fully, completely and comprehensively addressed in an up to date, peer-reviewed report for this EIR.

The permanent alteration to soils in the last large area of undeveloped soils within the City limits, has not, and needs to be addressed in the EIR, especially since the project involves a major cut-and-fill alteration to existing landforms, on a sloping and hilly project site of undisturbed soils on previous agricultural land.

Many local Indian Tribes affected have not been adequately notified of this project, and the major alteration of landforms involved. A detailed shovel-survey, as delineated in a letter from the Sherwood Band of Pomo Indians, needs to be conducted. (*CR)

The glare from lights will adversely affect humans and wildlife, along with increased noise from the proposed project. This will adversely affect neighboring residents, pre-schoolers, and students at the nearby pre- and charter schools, and Mendocino College. This EIR must address Light and Noise SIE’ s

The project will have the SIE of generating “urban blight” - the phenomenon of deteriorating downtown areas caused by the irresponsible development of “urban sprawl” on the outskirts of town. This is manifesting before our very eyes, as many downtown business locations are now vacant, caused by cumulative impact of previous strip-mall development by the same applicant. (*CR). The current numerous vacancies in these two other shopping malls, owned by Group II, also cannot be ignored. The complex economic and socioeconomic issues generated by this project, including its cumulative impact of urban blight on the downtown area of Fort Bragg, must be comprehensively addressed as a Significant Impact on the Environment in this EIR.

Water issues – impacts on local wells, as delineated in *CR’s, could create problems for Todd Point residents, including groundwater contamination, that would open the CFB to litigation. The City water supply is not adequate, and the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife starkly admonished the CFB to abandon this project in Jan. 2015, warning that already illegal and excessive water diversions from Waterfall Gulch and the Noyo River will be increased by the HCC project, furthering the destruction of already stressed salmonid and endangered species habitat. The new reservoir does not mitigate these excessive diversions. These cumulative impacts were not logically addressed in a response by Marie Jones of the CFB to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, nor has the issue been resolved - especially in light of the CFB’s recent re-declaration of another Stage 2 Drought Emergency on Oct. 1st, 2016. (link: https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/ 5745 )

Wastewater: The cumulative impact of the HCC project on the CFB’s already sub-standard, overloaded wastewater facility has to be examined in detail in this EIR, (see *CR’s).

In addition to all of the above, the Hare Creek Center project EIR needs to address the growth inducing impacts of the project as it relates to the Mendocino College and the nearby Todd point neighborhood, adjacent to CFB city limits. The project is inconsistent with stated goals of the City of Fort Bragg's Local Coastal Plan, and is out of compliance with California's Coastal Act, as delineated in a March 20, 2015 letter from Rachel Mansfield Howlett, Esq., in an Appeal to the City of Fort Bragg. (Attachment 4). These inconsistencies need to be thoroughly vetted in this EIR.

Alternatives To Project

Alternatives to this project have not been adequately addressed by the lead agency, the City of Fort Bragg. These include the promotion of a combined interest agreement for the purchase of the 18- acre Group II property by the CFB and Mendocino College, for the mutual benefit thereof. CFB also needs to actively investigate and pursue the possibility of purchase with financial donations, and the appropriation of T.O.T. tax revenues for the purchase of this property. In addition, the negotiation of a land-swap agreement with the Koch Brothers (owners of the 330+ acre FB mill- site), seeking a better location for this project, needs to be fully researched and attempted.

It is the City’s responsibility to look after the interests of the people and the environment, not just the developers. If a project does not fit, due to an ill-suited building site in an improperly zoned area, the option of seeking a more appropriate location should be left on the table. An approach that would offer a positive resolution for all concerned needs to be thoroughly investigated and pursued by the City of Fort Bragg as the preferable alternative.

Enclosures:

Attachment 1: Jan, 2015 - Letters opposing Hare Creek Center project, 113 pages. Attachment 2: March, 2015 - Letters opposing Hare Creek Center project, 59 pages. Attachment 3: March, 2015 - Additional Letters and Petitions opposing project, 57 pages. Attachment 4: March, 2015 - Letter of Appeal to CFB, Rachel Mansfield-Howlett, 10 pages.

Submitted to: (hard copy) Marie Jones, Community Development Director, City of Fort Bragg

(email) Marie Jones, CDD, City of Fort Bragg Bob Merrill, California Coastal Commission

(cc) Dave Turner, Mayor, CFB Lindy Peters, Vice Mayor, CFB Mike Cimolino, Council Member, CFB Scott Deitz, Council Member, CFB Doug Hammerstrom, CFB Dan Gjerde, Mendocino County Supervisor

Respectfully,

David Gurney, Fort Bragg

THE CUNNAN TWINS HAVE GROWN POT FOR DECADES.

HERE'S WHY THEY OPPOSE LEGALIZATION

by Robin Abcarian

You don’t end up in Round Valley, one of Mendocino County’s finest cannabis-growing micro climates, by accident. It is well northeast of Highway 101, along a winding mountain road that follows the curves of Outlet Creek and the Middle Fork of the Eel River.

After 45 minutes, the valley comes into view. From a lookout called Inspiration Point, even in a light drizzle, Round Valley is a picture of bucolic grace, with wheat-colored fields, black cows and green orchards spreading out below.

Many of those groves conceal marijuana plants — or trees as they call them around here — which flourish in the rich alluvial soil of the valley’s fertile bottomland.

The highway through the valley is dead straight, punctuated by one town, Covelo, population about 1,200. Just past town, I pulled onto a farm owned by Robert and John Cunnan, identical 76-year-old twins who were born in Glendale and left Southern California more than 40 years ago seeking a better life.

“We came here with the back-to-the-land movement,” Robert told me as we stood in front of a shed where dozens of fragrant cannabis stalks were hanging to dry.

For $6,500, the brothers bought 10 acres with a creek down the middle. They built craftsman-style homes for themselves and raised families on food they grew in their gardens and money earned as cabinet makers for what they call “mom-and-pop” businesses — restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques. They got by, but barely.

“A friend of mine came up here in 1985, grew marijuana and sold it for $2,000 a pound,” Robert said. “And that’s when I thought, ‘You know, you might be able to make a little money doing this.’ ”

This, pretty much, is the very thought that has crossed the minds of untold thousands of Mendocino County residents, beleaguered by the crashing logging and fishing industries, and willing to flout the law to support their families.

“At one time, I sold stuff for $5,000 a pound,” Robert said. “It was worth more than gold. Now, it’s down to $1,200 to $1,500. But cannabis allowed me to finish my house and get comfortable.” (Yields vary wildly, but in these parts, each tree can produce two to four pounds or more.)

“I consider myself a teacher and a woodworker,” said John, who commutes to Ukiah once a week to teach woodworking in two schools. “The cannabis is just to fill in where the teaching and woodworking don’t pay the bills.”

I assumed the Cunnans would be strong proponents of legalizing cannabis for recreational use. As it turns out, they oppose Proposition 64, which would regulate and tax cannabis for the adult market.

And they are not alone.

Many small marijuana farmers, as it happens, see Proposition 64 as a threat to their way of life.

They believe that a legal, regulated cannabis market could open the floodgates to corporatization of the industry, pushing taxes up and prices down, perhaps forcing them out of business altogether.

“The thing you need to realize is that this is a movement that is becoming an industry,” Robert said. “The movement was organic gardening, the back-to-the-land, alternative lifestyle. We were the original generation that came out here and set up our pot gardens.”

Like mom-and-pop businesses squeezed out by big-box retailers, he said, so are pot farmers in danger of being squeezed out of business once big corporations get a toehold in the cannabis business.

Even though Proposition 64 gives small farmers a head start, banning large cultivator licenses for five years, farmers like the Cunnans aren’t especially comforted.

“Of course,” Robert said, “I will vote against it.”

* * *

After California voters legalized medical cannabis in 1996, Mendocino, among other counties, developed regulations for growers. The rules are convoluted and ever-changing — and enforced by the sheriff — but still, the Cunnans are legally allowed to grow up to 99 plants on their farm, and sell to dispensaries.

Using principles established by the famous horticulturalist Alan Chadwick, who pioneered the organic gardening movement in the U.S. and created a garden here in the early 1970s, the twins grow strains like Chronic Kush, Pink Cadillac and Orange Spice.

They are certified by the Small Farmers Assn., created to help cannabis farmers grow sustainably and to negotiate the often-contradictory thickets of local laws.

On Saturday, we sat in John’s cozy, two-story house, a wood-burning stove blazing in a corner of the living room. The season’s first heavy rains had forced the Cunnans to harvest most of their plants.

In some ways, the fate of Mendocino County’s cannabis industry lies with California’s great population centers to the south, and with voters who may care far more about the social justice implications of legalization, and their own convenience, say, than the preservation of a distant way of life.

The Cunnans, who grew up on a chicken farm, know this. And they are not especially hopeful.

“The only reason I am still riding this marijuana wave is because having worked for mom and pop for 30 years trying to help them survive, I am really curious to see how it all shakes out,” Robert said. “I want to know whether people realize in the end that it’s much better to keep as many small farmers involved as possible because that supports families.”

(The Los Angeles Times)

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 20, 2016

ARMANDO ALVAREZ, Ukiah. Court order violation, failure to appear, probation revocation.

CHARLES BIVIN, Ukiah. Under influence.

MIKAEL CRIDER, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.

KARA DAMICO, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvnia/Covelo. Interfering with business, battery of peace officer, resisting.

SCOTT EHMKE, Leggett. Failure to appear.

KIMBERLY HAMMELL, Santa Rosa/Cloverdale. DUI.

CARMEN JAURIGUE, Ukiah. Petty theft, child endangerment, probation revocation.

JARED KIDD, Ukiah. Drunk in public, resisting, probation revocation.

BRADLEY MAXFIELD, Willits. Petty theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, probation revocation.

ANGELA ROTHWELL, Leggett. Pot cultivation.

ERIC SEALE, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

ERNESTO TOSCANO, Fort Bragg Domestic battery, probation revocation.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS JR. Willits. Drinking in public, probation revocation.

DON WILTSE JR., Laytonville. Probation revocation.

EXTREME UNCTION

Illusions of Democracy At the ‘Debate’ in Vegas

by Jeffrey St. Clair

(x) Wednesday night’s debate moderator, Chris Wallace, says his role model is not his father, the frisky Mike Wallace, but PBS’s Jim Lehrer, the human sleeping pill.

(x) Trump has called for both candidates to be drug tested before the debate. Also sensible. What’s good for welfare mothers, should be good for corporate welfare dispensers…

(x) Objects in the rearview mirror may be closer than they appear: a new poll by Investor’s Business Daily (traditionally one of the most accurate polls in the predicting business) shows Trump UP one percent nationally.

(x) Reporters keep saying tonight is Trump’s last chance to “show he is presidential.” He’s already demonstrated he has the moral character of JKF, LBJ, Nixon and Clinton. What more does he have to do? Launch a drone from the stage?

(x) Fifteen years into the eternal war in Afghanistan, more children are dying than ever. From January 1 to September 30 of this year, 639 children were killed and another 1,822 were injured. That’s up 15% from last year. Not one question about this war during the debates.

(x) Press keeps demanding that Trump show “contrition” tonight. HRC’s policies have led to the deprivation and deaths of tens of thousands without shedding one public tear.

(x) Has anyone sent out an Amber Alert for Tim Kaine? He’s been missing for two weeks. Maybe no one cares enough. I don’t. Perhaps he’s on the lam with Bob Dylan hiding out from process servers from the Nobel committee.

(x) Trump is being warned not to use the Clinton campaign emails because US intelligence says they are the product of Russian hack. Same US intelligence agencies that led Clinton to vote for Iraq War (not that she needed prodding.)

(x) Bill Clinton is reportedly crushed that new debate rules prohibit him from shaking Melania’s hand tonight…

(x) Prior to the debate, Rachel Maddow informed her audience that: “It’s crazy that the Trump people say we don’t know who hacked the emails. Our government has said it is the Russians. Homeland Security came out and said it was the Russians! They don’t make these kinds of statements lightly!” Aren’t these the same people who fingered Cat Stevens as a terrorist?

(x) By the end of this campaign, the Pledge of Allegiance may be replaced by Pledge to declare war on Russia.

(x) Apparently, it’s all about “temperament.” Is Trump’s mercurial nature really more dangerous than HRC’s icy determination to force a confrontation between the US and Russia?

(x) Liberal and conservative establishment condemn Trump’s insistence that elections are rigged. They say it “undermines faith” in our Democratic institutions. Good for Trump. For proof, we don’t need to go back to the Chicago miracle in 1960, Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004. Just consider the evidence from the Democratic Primaries of this year.

(x) Trump is being ridiculed for his vote rigging rap by same people alleging that the Russia is hacking the election.

(x) And we’re off. Hillary enters as the Woman in White. (White after Labor Day? Imagine the horror in the editorial offices of Vogue! Will Anna Wintour rescind endorsement?) First debate blue, second red. Notice a theme here? USA, USA!

(x) Trump, looking a little more jaundiced than normal, seems to have changed the tone of his spray on tan–Melania’s revenge?

(x) Chris Wallace announces that none of his questions have been shared with the candidates. But did he slip Donna Brazile a copy?

(x) People already switching over to “Real Housewives of Hollywood” after the first question is on constitutional theory.

(x) Trump reiterates his encomiums for the noxious Scalia, but Hillary cowardly won’t name one person she’d name to court or one justice she admires.

(x) Liberals might do well to remember that the two most progressive judges of the last 30 years, John Paul Stevens and David Souter, both nominated by Republicans.

(x) Sniff. Trump’s nasal trauma still unresolved.

(x) Is this debate really going to be about “issues?” Come on, Wallace, cut to the sleaze…

(x) Please, PLEASE don’t let Trump plunge into a dissertation on the doctrine of Stare Decisis.

(x) Hillary swears she’s a strong supporter of 2nd Amendment and regrets that the NRA ran nasty ads against her. Awww…

(x) Trump reaches desperately for water, somewhere Marco Rubio laughs!

(x) Trump should just let Clinton drone on, reciting endless list of proposals that will never leave briefing book. She has all the charisma of my calculus teacher.

(x) Surprise! Hillary bashes China before slandering Russia.

(x) Both want to deport “bad hombres.” At last, consensus!

(x) Trump nails HRC on having voted for draconian border policies, including building border walls and slams Obama for his inhumane mass deportations. He should have hit her on detaining and turning back children fleeing El Salvador and Honduras.

(x) Hillary veers sharply from immigration policy to an attack on Wikileaks. Hillary confirms authenticity of Wikileaks documents, then blames the hack on “Putin himself…17 of our intelligence agencies have confirmed.” 17 Intelligence agencies? Must be the first time they’ve all agreed on anything since the plot to assassinate JFK. Such conformity is always a sign of dubious intelligence.

(x) Trump didn’t fall for Putin bait and turned it back on her for his most devastating counter attack of the debates. As close as he’s come to a KO.

(x) Waiting for the first “Trump-Putin 2020” yard sign to pop up.

(x) Hillary’s nervous laugh is her equivalent of Trump’s compulsive sniffing. Every forced grin a sign that a blow has landed. Full out cackling indicates a direct hit.

(x) First Bernie Sanders name-drop of the night comes on a student loan plan HRC has no intention of pursuing.

(x) In HRC’s interminable economic ramble not one mention of the poor, economic inequality, trade policy, housing, racial inequality, hunger, predatory banking, expansion of health care or offshoring, cutting defense spending. The whole laundry list was geared toward appeasing white Middle Class workers. Could have earned seal of approval from Heritage Foundation.

(x) Why are liberals obsessed with reducing the national “debt”? Even Cheney said that Reagan proved debt doesn’t matter. HRC will use deficit reduction as excuse to make a deal with Paul Ryan to slash entitlements and begin privatization of SS, long a preoccupation of the Clintons and their New Democrat allies.

(x) Economic theorizing is even more mind-numbing than these two debating constitutional law and the concept of originalism. Let’s have round 3 on NATO or Pussygate!

(x) When HRC is on the ropes she resorts to bashing China, this time on trade policy that she and her neoliberal friends have enabled.

(x) Clinton often puts herself on the ropes, as on her ludicrous contortions about TPP. Hillary lauded her own “experience,” which Trump pounced on, saying “30 years of bad experience.” But Trump is incapable of sustaining an attack and let her slither away. Trump’s narcissism is so easily manipulated that he loses focus after the slightest prick to his ego.

(x) Trump made a few energetic thrusts at Hillary regarding her email problems. She had nothing new to say in response. Too bad Bernie refused to press the issue when it might have inflicted fatal damage to her campaign.

(x) Chris Wallace scored some points of his own. HRC refused to look Wallace in the eye as she dances around his probing question about special treatment for Clinton Foundation donors by the State Department.

(x) This may be the first presidential debate where Haitian policy was even briefly debate, an indication that the vultures are circling the devastated island once again.

(x) Wallace’s big gotcha question for Trump was whether he would pledge to accept the results of the election regardless of the outcome. Trump said he’d have to wait and see, which made sense to me. Why should any candidate vow to accept the election results before seeing what they are and how they were tabulated? Al Gore prematurely conceded to Bush in 2000, retracted, then prematurely conceded again. And he was a wimp for doing so. One might argue that Gore betrayed the democratic process by conceding to Bush when he believed, with plenty of evidence, that he had won.

(x) Later, the commentariat kept saying they heard “gasps” from the crowd when Trump refused to vow to concede election results. I didn’t hear any. But if there were gasps, they probably came from all the K Street lawyers in the hall calculating the billable hours from such a protracted litigation.

(x) Hillary says she doesn’t want to “rip” immigrant children from their parents arms (despite evidence to contrary), but vows to support “ripping” of late-term fetuses from the womb. She rather bizarrely justified her position on late-term abortions by slamming Chinese one-child policy. When on the ropes, blame Putin or China. (Though never that “shoe factory called Taiwan.”) Did she run late-term abortion policy by Kaine? He signed a ban on the procedure in Virginia.

(x) Nothing gets HRC quite so animated as talking about her war plans. She reasserts her deranged plan to impose a No-Fly Zone on Syria, which she admitted in an email would “kill a lot of Syrians.” When Trump retorted that such a plan would put US in direct conflict with Russia, Hillary retreated some, saying she’d negotiate the plan with Putin and Assad. Can’t wait for Wikileaks to release transcript of those talks!

(x) Hillary really, REALLY wants Baghdadi’s head on her platter, for matching pair with Qaddafi’s, I guess. She may be one of the first presidential candidates to openly talk about assassination of foreign leaders as instrument of US military policy.

(x) After the reconquest of Mosul in Iraq, Hillary pledged to drive on into Syria to “take back Raqqa.” Take it for whom? Under what legal authority?

(x) Aleppo, Aleppo, Aleppo…paging Gary Johnson.

(x) Trump’s line of the night: “If she did nothing, we’d be in much better shape.” Sound rule for all politicians.

(x) HRC: “I’m not going to slam the door on women and children.” You certainly slammed the door on the refugee children from El Salvador and those fleeing the Hondura junta, put in power by the coup you backed.

(x) Trump is spouting a lot of nonsense on the economy. But at least he hasn’t pledged to attack entitlements (yet), which is what the national debt question is all really about.

(x) Chris Wallace, who is a registered Democrat, is obsessed with debt. But debt reduction is a really a code-word for the imposition of austerity measures on poor people. Notice there was no mention of slashing the defense budget to reduce the debt. It’s all about slashing entitlements: medicare, medicaid and social security.

(x) The Establishment is working feverishly on both sides to preserve the illusion of integrity in American “democracy.” It’s going to be a hard sell.

(x) Commentators are in a frenzy, claiming absurdly that Trump betrayed American troops “fighting for Democracy around the world” by refusing to say he’d concede election. Fighting for Democracy? The US ranks a lowly 47 on the democracy “index” and around 43rd in election integrity.

(x) One of the most agitated pundits was Eugene Robinson, who was introduced on MS-DNC as “a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Washington Post.” Is that still considered an honor?

(x) For more than half of American history, blacks and women were not allowed to vote. Were those “legitimate” elections?

(x) Should the current election be considered a legitimate election, when Greens and Libertarians are excluded from the debates? When millions are disenfranchised for legal convictions? When legislative districts are gerrymandered to ensure party dominance? When polling places and hours are redlined from poor and minority neighborhoods?

(x) The fury of the elites over the notion that the election might be rigged show how alienated they are from a country where nearly 60 percent of the electorate doesn’t bother to vote. Spend time in any bar (and even a few microbreweries) in America and you’ll hear people talking about how the System is rigged against them, from the economy to oil prices, from who goes to war to who pays taxes, from the officiating in the NBA to credit card rates, from insurance premiums to who goes to jail, and, yes, to politics from the school board to the president. The system is geared to serve the one-percent at the expense of everyone else. The people know the country doesn’t work for them and the elites are desperate to preserve the illusion as it all begins to crack apart.

(x) It’s a wrap, another 90 minutes where the most pressing issues confronting Americans were deftly avoided. Nothing on climate change, nothing on poverty, nothing on ending the war in Afghanistan, nothing on banks, on housing, on education, on campaign finance, health care, racial injustice, killer cops or the war on drugs. Nothing comes from nothing, as Lear’s fool wisely observed.

(x) So who won? The Cubs: 10-2. There’s something to cheer about.

(Jeffrey St. Clair is editor of CounterPunch. His new book is Killing Trayvons: an Anthology of American Violence (with JoAnn Wypijewski and Kevin Alexander Gray). He can be reached at: sitka@comcast.net. Courtesy, CounterPunch.org.)

A HALLOWEEN STORY

More Tales of Terror and Older Brothers from Hell

by H.P. Loverock

From time to time, nine-year old Lucky would babysit with his younger sister, six year Cherry. His parents would pay him the $10.00 they used to pay teenaged Connie or Arlene to watch the children when both children were small.

Usually Lucky babysat with Cherry on Friday nights when mother played Mahjong with her Mahjong group, and father played gin rummy with his men’s club. On this occasion, however, both parents were attending a Halloween Party on a Saturday afternoon.

Friday nights, to Cherry’s chagrin, Lucky watched horror movies on television hosted by the bizarre Zacherley. He liked to watch the movies with the lights out while Cherry cowered on the sofa.

After the movie, Lucky would regale Cherry with stories about murderers that lurked in the neighborhood and preyed on little girls, hiding under their beds or in their closets or sneaking down from the attic to get them.

Since there were no horror movies on television that Saturday afternoon, Lucky read stories to Cherry from his favorite book, *The Graveyard Reader*. He read a story about a woman whose husband had buried her alive; then, another about a grave robber who is thwarted by rats—and decides to pursue the rats by descending into the grave and crawling after them through their Labyrinthine tunnels.

When Cherry was on the brink of tears and threatened to tell mother and father that Lucky was terrorizing her, Lucky stopped the stories and proposed that he and Cherry go trick or treating.

Cherry liked the idea.

Cherry dressed up in her Tinker-Bell costume and Lucky disguised himself as the murderer and cannibal Ed Gein complementing his realistic costume with some gruesome props—plastic bloody body parts.

Cherry did not like Lucky’s costume.

Before the children left the house, Lucky called his friends Eddie, Ira, and Joey P. to inform them that Plan 9 was to be put in effect immediately.

After Lucky and Cherry had filled half their trick or treat bags by making the rounds in their own neighborhood, Lucky proposed crossing Rasputin Park to reach the wealthy neighborhood on the other side of the park. Cherry balked, but Lucky reassured her by promising to protect her.

As Lucky, Ira, Eddie, and Joey P. had planned, the children’s walk took them past Lake Lucrezia Borgia and the Lucrezia Borgia Boathouse. As they approached the boathouse, Lucky slowed down so that Cherry would approach the boathouse alone.

As Cherry approached the boathouse, three figures dressed as Killer Klowns suddenly materialized. Cherry screamed, turned, and scampered off in terror.

Lucky, watching the proceedings from behind a tree, collapsed in hysterical laughter.

Cherry was not in the house when Lucky got home. This did not worry Lucky. Perhaps she had gotten lost or fallen into the lake. Lucky called up Ira to congratulate him on the successful operation.

Ira was perplexed.

—Oh, we couldn’t get there. It seems there was a gruesome murder in the park last night so our parents wouldn’t let us go anywhere near the place.

FATHOM SINKS

Editor:

Hillary is not one of my heroes. I have always voted Peace and Freedom, Green or Socialist. However, the Bernie inspired left, the youth movement, have a better chance of flourishing under Hillary. She no doubt is a greedhead and a pal of the bosses. Trump is all those things and an evil madman. I bet my grandchildren have a better chance with Hillary.

Allen "Captain Fathom" Graham

Albion

GUN GUY SENDS FORM LETTER

Dear Editor:

Proposition 63 is a Trojan horse.

A Trojan horse ballot measure is intended to secretly produce a different result than is advertised. Buried in the 34 pages of fine print are oppressive restrictions on the purchase and transportation of ammunition by Californians. Yet, oppressive restrictions imposed against law-abiding citizens will not deter criminals. Criminals will turn to other sources to obtain their ammunition such as cartels or terrorists who are not hindered by the Obama open borders policy. This is a gotcha by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom who devised Proposition 63 to be the first step by the Democrats to disarm law-abiding Californians by suppressing the purchase of ammunition. Yet without ammunition it is still possible to use bayonets to protect our families.

Robert Dahlquist

Orange

GLORIOUS GARDENS & BLUEGRASS

A Music Festival Event Sunday Oct 23 1:30-4:30

Come join us for a wonderful autumn afternoon at the uniquely gorgeous home and stunning private garden of Deborah Whigham and Gary Ratway, owners of the renowned Digging Dog Nursery. Gary will treat you to an informative guided tour of the garden (rarely open to the public) which was featured in a 10 page article and on the cover in Martha Stewart Living. There will be a bluegrass concert by Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum who are widely regarded as being among the preeminent bluegrass and American artists of our time. They will be joined by Max Schwartz on string bass, and Nina Gerber on guitar. You will also get to enjoy edible entertainment by Assagiare Mendocino. Cider, both hard and soft, provided by The Apple Farm in Philo. Wines provided by Greenwood Ridge Vineyards. $125. For tickets and information go to mendocinomusic.org or call 707-937-2044. (No ticket sales at the door.)

THE DINING ROOM THIS WEEKEND!

Don't miss your chance to see the Mendocino Theatre Company's revival of A.R. Gurney's The Dining Room!

“Many people have stopped me on the street, in the post office, in the market to tell me how much they loved ‘The Dining Room’. It's a joyous celebration of the human condition. This weekend is your last chance to see the show. Please don't miss it.” —Director Bob Cohen

For tickets and information, please call our box office, 707-937-4477 or go to our website, mendocinotheatre.org The Dining Room plays this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, with a final performance on Sunday, October 23, at 2pm.

NO ON 62; YES ON 66

Last night, October 19, the State of Georgia executed a particularly loathsome fellow. Let me tell you about him. His name is Gregory Lawler. He's a cop killer. And he's more than just a cop killer.

I'm a progressive liberal on most issues and generally opposed to the death penalty, but, as a former member of the Mendocino County Sheriff Department, Lawler's case deeply disturbs me. Death is an appropriate sentence.

Why? Because Lawler didn't just kill a cop, and severely wound another cop, a young mother, leaving her with a permanent brain injury. No, he just didn't kill a cop and severely wound another. Lawler shot at them 15 times with an AR-15 assault rifle. And his AR-15 was loaded body armor-piercing ammo.

Additionally, neither officer had unholstered their sidearms. In fact, Lawler shot them in back as they were running away from him.

Finally, the fact that Lawler pursued the officers out of his apartment -- three shell casings were found inside the apartment and 12 shell casings were found outside of the apartment -- while shooting the whole time, seals the deal. A witness even testified that Lawler was observed standing over the dead cop as he fired repeatedly into his lifeless body.

This was barbaric slaughter.

See the opinion of Chief Justice Harris Hines of the Supreme Court of Georgia: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ga-supreme-court/1223000.html

The lesson to be learned by cops? Stand and fight. If you hear gunshots, don't run from the shooting. Run towards the shooting. Pull your gun, acquire the target, and start firing and keep firing until the threat is neutralized.

The lesson for civilians? Vote no on Prop 62 and yes on Prop 66.

John Sakowicz

Ukiah

STATE APPLIES FOR TUNNELS PERMIT

Editor,

Re “Brown’s projects doomed?” (Capitol & California, Dan Walters, Oct. 16): Gov. Jerry Brown’s legacy project, the controversial California WaterFix, is becoming increasingly unpopular among Californians, since it could be one of the most environmentally destructive public works projects in state history.

Brown and other state officials have constantly claimed the Delta tunnels project will “restore” the Delta ecosystem, but they revealed their real plans Oct. 7 when the administration applied for a permit to kill Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Delta smelt and other endangered and threatened species with the project.

The Department of Water Resources submitted an “incidental intake” application for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in alleged “compliance” with the California Endangered Species Act in order to build and operate the tunnels.

The tunnels project won’t restore the Delta, but will only drive these struggling fish populations into extinction while costing the ratepayers and taxpayers nearly $16 billion.

Dan Bacher, Sacramento

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Re the homeless: Before HUD was de-funded more than 30 years ago, there were few if any "homeless" people living on the streets in this country. People lived in single-room occupancy hotels if they couldn't afford better accommodations. They shared bathrooms. This was their own residence, and of course they could keep their own hours and come and go as they pleased. That would sound like heaven to most homeless people now. The federal government (HUD) "saved" billions by de-funding this housing, and the homeless paid dearly. Homelessness obviously exacerbates people's other problems, including mental health and drug problems. Hundreds if not thousands no doubt paid with their lives. Even though none of us want to deal with terrible behavior and filth - and especially not on a daily basis in our own neighborhoods - it is not fair to blame the homeless themselves for the current state of affairs. Blame the federal government, which gave us homelessness in the first place.

AQUALLIANCE

Water for Seven Generations

Will California Squander or Protect It?

I hope you will attend AquAlliance's prestigious conference that will be held on Thursday, November 17^th and Friday, November 18^th, 2016 at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico.

The conference is tailored to reach policy makers, activists, academics, and agencies by providing valuable historical, scientific, legal, political, and visionary information regarding current and planned threats to the Sacramento River’s watershed and the Delta's ecosystems, aquatic and terrestrial species, economies, and communities. It will also provide specific scenarios in which these vital waters can be sustained into the future.

In California’s short, 160-year history, it developed massive water supplies that propelled its economy into the global top ten, but with devastating environmental consequences. Water for Seven Generations will provide professionals and novices with a valuable opportunity to consider what brought the state to such a precarious and unsustainable position and what credible and economically viable possibilities exist that could move our collective thinking and behavior toward a Seven Generations reality.

November 17th will cover surface water and includes panels or sections that will cover Science, Flow & Fish, Climate, Drought, and Storage, Exports & Tunnels. A no host bar/reception and poster session will take place after the speakers conclude.

November 18th will cover groundwater and includes panels or sections that will cover Science, Owens Valley, Water Transfers, Law, and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

The almost complete program is found at

http://www.aqualliance.net/water-conference-2016/program-2016/

Registration/check-in starts at 8 a.m. each day with the conference beginning at 9 a.m. More information is found in the attached flier and at: http://www.aqualliance.net/water-conference-2016/.

OLAJU FUNK! (NO BOOZE)

The Mendocino Environmental Center and KMEC radio present a benefit concert for Doctors Without Borders.

Featuring funky tribal music by Oloju.

November 11th at 7:00pm.

At the United Methodist Church, 270 North Pine St. In Ukiah.

This is an alcohol free event.

WILLITS BYPASS COMPLETION & MEMORIAL BRIDGE DEDICATION CEREMONY

Who: Malcolm Dougherty — Caltrans Director

Charlie Fielder — Retired Caltrans District 1 Director

Jim Wood — California Assemblymember, District 2

Phil Dow — Mendocino Council of Governments Executive Director

Bruce Burton — City of Willits Mayor

Justin Diston — Operating Engineers, Local 3

Mike Costa — Flatiron West District Manager

Jeremy Trekon — US Navy Seal & served with Jesse Pittman

Terry Pittman Jr. — Brother of Jesse Pittman

What: Celebration for the completion of the Willits Bypass project and dedication of Jesse D Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge.

When: Thursday, November 3, 2016, at 11:00 a.m.; parking opens at 10:00 a.m.

Where: Along the new highway, at the south end of the 1.1 mile long viaduct (bridge), through the south interchange, just south of the city of Willits.

Media and dignitaries check-in at the orange tent on the south side of the Jesse D Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge prior to the event.

Crews constructed approximately six miles of roadway and 14 bridges on U.S. Highway 101 in Mendocino County. The $300 million two-lane bypass is improving safety for traffic and pedestrians traveling through the city of Willits. The project also eliminated the only stoplights on U.S. 101 between San Francisco and Eureka, relieving congestion and reducing delays for motorists. This project received $136 million from Proposition 1B funds, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. In total, more than $19 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been distributed statewide.

One of the main features of the Willits Bypass project is a 1.1 mile long viaduct. At the ceremony, the viaduct will officially be named Jesse D Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge, in honor of a local United States Navy Seal, who gave his life in service to his country in Afghanistan in 2011.

Local classic cars, representing the more than six decades that have passed since the conception of the bypass and carrying VIPs, will be among the first to cross the viaduct.

Follow the signs for "Special Event" to be directed to parking. Please see the attached map for more details.

Phil Frisbie, Jr.
Public Information Officer for Lake and Mendocino Counties
Web Content Administrator
Caltrans District 1
707-441-4678