Mendocino County Today: Friday, Jan. 20, 2017

• Second Storm
• Trial Delayed
• More Candidates
• Ward Hopeful
• Little Dog
• Kane Surrenders
• Adderall Huff
• Mikey Legislates
• Pot Regulation
• Yesterday's Catch
• Kevin Starr
• Oxfam Report
• Trump Protests
• The Unraveling
• Tribal Identity
• America's Shadow
• Hippy Queen
• Position Opening
• Everyone Covered
• Potter Night

RAINSTORM #2 OF 3 to hit North Coast Friday-Saturday bringing another inch of two of rain to the area starting early Friday morning with a chance of thunder and lightning. Clouds brought half-an-inch to an inch on Thursday. The third in this nearly continuous series of rain systems is expected to drop another inch or two on Sunday, Monday and into Tuesday. Clearing is possible Tuesday and into Wednesday.

AS THE RAIN SYSTEMS move through, the Navarro River peaked first a few feet below flood stage for system #1, but may now get close to flood stage early Friday with system #2, followed by a partial drop off and then another smaller peak on Sunday with system #3.

REYNOLDS CASE POSTPONED

(Previously... — 12/15/2016) Charles Reynolds, the tough guy who sucker punched Ken Fisher and killed him outside Boomer’s Bar in Laytonville, appeared at his pretrial conference Wednesday morning and confirmed, as did prosecutor Luke Oakley, that the trial would go forward as planned for January 23rd. He faces charges of assault with great bodily injury (i.e., death), not manslaughter and not second degree murder — charges that Fisher’s family and others say are insufficient for the killing of Fisher. Judge David Nelson voiced some annoyance that there had been no negotiations in the case, and Mr. Reynolds’ lawyer, Macci Baldock reported that there had been no offers. Mr. Deputy DA Oakley confirmed that this was the deal: “plead to the sheet,” as the lawyers say: “You have two choices. 1: Take it. 2: Leave it. (Apparently the DA thinks that the charges are not subject to further reduction.) Ms. Baldock, after a consultation with Linda Thompson in the foyer of the courtroom, conveyed her professional opinion and the offer to her client, and he rejected it. Ms. Baldock, however, indicated there might be some wiggle-room by asking for another pretrial conference, January 10th 9:00 am, pretrial motions on the 19th, jury trial on Monday, the 23rd.

* * *

UPDATE 1/19/2017): The jury trial for Charles Reynolds was postponed late Thursday afternoon When Judge John Behnke granted a motion to substitute defense counsel. Attorney Macci Baldock was put in the unenviable position of having to argue for her own replacement against prosecutor Luke Oakley who objected to the motion. Ms. Baldock said her client wanted a more experienced lawyer and had retained Justin Petersen for the job; Mr. Petersen was however out of town and could not comment. The Marsden motion does not apply, since Ms. Baldock was retained, not appointed by the court. Judge Behnke said that when a request for substitution comes on the eve of the trial it enters his mind that it is being done for delay, but in this case he didn't believe that was the case. "Though it grieves me to do it, I'm going to allow it," said Behnke. "It doesn't sit well with me, but I don't believe this was done for the purpose of delay, so I'm going to grant the motion. Mr. Reynolds, you're ordered back on Wednesday at 9 am for resetting the jury trial."

(— Bruce McEwen)

PINCHES, DRELL ALSO SEEK SUPERVISORIAL SEAT

by Mike A’Dair, Willits Weekly Reporter

Two longtime Third District residents, former Third District Supervisor John Pinches and Willits Environmental Center board member Ellen Drell, have announced they are applying for the position of Third District Mendocino County supervisor.

The Third District seat became vacant January 3 with the resignation of former Supervisor Tom Woodhouse. Woodhouse’s replacement will be appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The announcements by Pinches and Drell bring to five the number of Third District residents who have publicly announced they will seek the position of supervisor. The other applicants are former Willits City Councilwoman and Mayor Holly Madrigal, local school teacher and union representative John Haschak, and Willits Unified school board member and large animal veterinarian Georgeanne Croskey.

Pinches, a north county rancher, served on the board for 12 years, from 1995 through 1998, and from 2007 through 2014. He did not seek re-election in 2014.

Pinches said there are three reasons why he is applying for the position. First, Pinches said, a lot of people have called him up and asked him to do it. Second, the heart condition that plagued him in recent years has improved. “The medications they have been giving me have me lined out. I feel pretty good, and I’ve got my strength back,” Pinches said.

The third reason is to improve representation in the Third District. “The reason I got involved in politics 20 years ago was because I thought we could get better representation in the Third District,” Pinches said. “Now, you know, we don’t have any representation. That’s not acceptable to me.”

Pinched acknowledged his chances of being appointed are slim because he is not a Democrat. “I’m registered ‘No Political Preference,’” Pinches said. “For Brown to appoint me, I figure I got about as much chance of winning the lottery.”

Drell has been a Mendocino County resident since 1975, and has lived in Rock Tree Canyon, northeast of Willits, since 1977. In 1990, she and her husband, David Drell, were founding members of the Willits Environmental Center. In 1994, Drell ran against Pinches for supervisor. In the November runoff, Pinches soundly defeated Drell 62.8 percent (3,746 votes) to 37.2 percent (2,217 votes).

Since 1994, Drell has worked locally on transportation, sustainability and land use issues. In recent months, she has become interested in marijuana issues, and opposed Measure AF, the “Heritage Initiative,” which voters rejected in November 2016 by a wide margin.

“I have been involved for the past four to six months with the development of the county’s cannabis cultivation ordinance,” Drell said. “I am very committed to seeing the county adopt an ordinance that makes it possible for small, responsible local growers to make a living, while protecting the environment.”

Any such ordinance “must respect the desires of the majority of county residents, as expressed in the resounding defeat of Measure AF, which would have allowed cannabis cultivation in every zoning district in the county,” Drell said. “I think this issue will be a major focus of the supervisors for the next several months, and I am committed to seeing this through.

“I am not aware that any of the other applicants share this view,” she added. “That is why I have thrown my hat into the ring.”

(Courtesy, the Willits Weekly)

SWOW’s WARD HOPEFUL AFTER AD HOC MEETING

by Mike A’Dair, Willits Weekly Reporter

Jerry Ward, president and CEO of troubled waste-hauler Solid Waste of Willits, seems cautiously optimistic after attending a Monday (January 16) meeting with an ad hoc committee of the county board of supervisors.

“I’m a little gun-shy about this,” he said, because in the past, agreements he thought were a done deal had not been approved later.

Ward told Willits Weekly he presented committee members John McCowen and Dan Hamburg with a five-step plan to reverse the financial fortunes of SWOW and to put it on a sound financial footing.

The first step of his plan, which includes five subcomponents, will save SWOW $264,000 a year, which will be enough to make his bankers smile and keep the lights on at the company over the short term.

Ward also will seek a larger rate adjustment for all the contracts under which SWOW is currently operating. To determine how much of a rate increase might be appropriate, Ward and ad hoc committee members agreed SWOW would be the object of a rate-setting study, which will analyze the company’s 2016 financial records and determine how much rates will need to increase to provide SWOW with an acceptable rate of profit.

Ward said he and committee members agreed the cost of the rate-setting study would be borne equally between SWOW and the county.

Any set of plans or steps agreed to by the ad hoc committee must be approved by the full board of supervisors before any steps can be taken.

The first step of the plan includes approval by the county of a Ward proposal to raise the collection fees in the South Coast franchise area – Supervisor Hamburg’s district – by 12 percent. That issue is slated for discussion by supervisors sometime during next week’s January 24 board meeting. The agenda for that meeting will be posted on Friday.

One of the most contentious elements in the long stalemate between Ward, the county, and Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (the countywide garbage agency), is to accurately determine SWOW’s rate of profit.

New MSWMA General Manager Louisa Morris believes SWOW’s rate of profit for its Mendocino County operations, including profits from SWOW’s Willits Transfer Station, is 12.23 percent, and the company is bleeding because of losses associated with Ward’s operations in Humboldt County. On December 20, in a discussion with supervisors, Morris said a profit rate of 12.23 percent was good, and a few points higher than the industry standard.

Ward says Morris’s numbers are wrong, because they don’t include interest adjustments and income tax expenses. They also do include earnings from the Willits Transfer Station, which is profitable, but not the numbers from the materials recovery facility in Willits, which Ward says lost money last year, which is also providing services under a contract with the county.

Additionally, SWOW has contracts with the City of Willits and the City of Fort Bragg – not just with the county – for both facilities in Willits, the transfer station and the MRF.

“If you’re going to include the Willits Transfer Station in the equation, add them all in there,” Ward said; otherwise, Moore’s numbers are “cherry-picked,” he said.

With interest payments and income tax expenses included, and transfer station numbers removed, SWOW’s Mendocino County operations have a profitability of only 5 percent, Ward argues.

Asked why Ward believes the Willits Transfer Station shouldn’t be included in the calculation, Morris said she couldn’t think of a reason. “It’s one of the contracts he has with the county, so it should be included,” Morris said.

Morris said ad hoc committee members also don’t agree on this point. “We will be hiring an independent, objective, professional auditor to make that determination,” she said. “That is part of what the rate-setting study will do.”

Ward said he had to take unorthodox financial steps to make his payroll during the week of December 25 through 31, raiding company savings socked away to pay the franchise fees due to the county to pay salaries. Then, he cashed in his own life insurance policy, to pay back what he had borrowed from the franchise fee account.

Willits Weekly’s phone call on Friday last week to Ward found him in his truck, picking up garbage. He was filling in for a driver who had recently quit.

(Courtesy, the Willits Weekly)

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “Trump? I'm kinda worried. A friend showed me this horrible thing — I’m not even sure if it’s real. But that’s the only sign of a dog around the guy. That can't be good.”

ANOTHER ONE DOWN

(Previously) On 11-11-2016 at 3:39 PM, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were summoned to a reported man who had been murdered on a remote property located in the 49000 block of North Highway 101 in Laytonville. The property was a rural parcel approximately 5 miles from Highway 101, on a dirt road that traveled in a westerly direction. Deputies responded to the scene confirming there was a male adult who was obviously deceased as a result of what appeared to be a violent assault. Mendocino County Sheriff's Detectives were summoned to the scene, along with Investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office and Criminalists from the California Department of Justice. During the investigation it was determined the deceased male adult, Jeffrey Quinn Settler, was operating a commercial marijuana growing operation on the property. In the early morning hours of 11-11-2016 (Thursday), multiple subjects who had been recently employed by Settler as marijuana trimmers returned to the property in the middle of the night with the intent to commit robbery of processed marijuana. The investigation has revealed the subjects knew the marijuana was stored in the same structure where Settler slept and the subjects violently assaulted him during the robbery, causing his death. The subjects were believed to have fled the property in at least two vehicles and were believed to have stolen over 100 pounds of processed marijuana. The suspects were believed to have fled to Southern California or out of state. In all, seven suspects were identified and subsequent felony arrest warrants were sought. Previously, three of the seven suspects have been arrested and are currently being prosecuted for homicide and robbery.

Update: On 01-16-17, Suspect Michael Andrew Kane, 26, of Pleasantville New York, surrendered to Customs and Border Patrol at the California Mexico Border on a felony warrant for homicide in this case. Kane had been a fugitive in Mexico, when he contacted his family and advised he was "tired of running" and wanted to surrender. His arrest was facilitated through the US Marshals Office and the US Border Patrol. Mendocino County Sheriff's Detectives responded to San Diego to interview Kane where he was being held. Kane has since been transported and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a charge of homicide and is being held on $650,000 bail.

Gary Lynn Fitzgerald, 23 years of age, out of Roanoke IL, is currently in custody. He surrendered to custody on 11/23/2016 at the Mendocino County Jail. Currently three suspects are still at large and are believed to have fled the state of California. The remaining suspects are identified as Frederick Gaestel, 27, of Clifton New Jersey, Gary Blank III, 34, of Garberville CA and Jesse Wells, 33, of Laytonville CA. Any persons with information about the location of the outstanding suspects are encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Investigative Services Unit at 707-463-4421 or the Sheriff's Office Tip Line at 707-234-2100.

GIANTS FANS will understand this confession from Aubrey Huff as it relates to his schizo performance his last year with the team: “People think steroids are the biggest performance enhancer, but I think it’s Adderall,” Huff said. “You feel invincible. It helps your mind so you’re more focused, the air is crisp, my eyesight was amazing. ... Then I got off it, and look how bad I was.”

OUR DEEPLY SUPERFICIAL Senator Mike McGuire has teamed up with San Francisco's middle of the road extremist, Scott Wiener, "to introduce their legislation which would require that any future presidential or vice-presidential candidate must make their tax returns public to appear on the California ballot....“

THE SCRAPPY Healdsburg second sacker, says: "Donald Trump claims that no one besides the media cares about the transparency and accountability that comes with the release of tax returns. That’s not true. I care, and my constituents care."

I ASKED the next five people who walked into the office if they, as Mikey's constituents, "cared" about Trump's tax returns. Replies ranged from "No" to "Hell, no," one guy going completely off with, "Why doesn't that little press release clown do something real for a change!"

WE'RE STILL TRYING to figure out what Mendo’s new "medical" pot regulation really means for Mendocino County.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION is set to consider the new rules and approval regime on (insert date and link to agenda summary)

Date: January 19, 2017

To: Planning Commission

From: Mary Lynn Hunt, Senior Planner

Re: Amendments To The Mendocino County Code To Add Chapter 10a.17- Medical Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance And Chapter 20.242 - Medical Cannabis Cultivation Site Regulation Of The Mendocino County Inland Zoning ordinance, Collectively Called MCCR.

Introduction:

Request: Provide its Report and Recommendation to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors (Board) regarding the establishment of the Medical Cannabis Cultivation Regulation (MCCR) to govern the commercial cultivation of medical cannabis in unincorporated Mendocino County, outside the coastal zone (as defined by the County’s Local Coastal Program), consistent with the State’s current medical cannabis laws by adopting two proposed Mendocino County Code amendments: (1) Chapter 10A.17- Medical Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance of the Mendocino County Code, administered by the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office (ACO); and (2) Chapter 20.242 - Medical Cannabis Cultivation Site Regulation of the Mendocino County Inland Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Department of Planning and Building Services (PBS).

Summary: A public meeting before the Planning Commission was held regarding the MCCR and the associated Initial Study on December 1, 2015. At this meeting public comment was received and direction was given to staff and the CEQA consultant (LACO Associates) regarding information to report back on.

At a public hearing held before the Planning Commission on December 15, 2016 staff and LACO Associates presented written and verbal staff reports describing the MCCR and a supplemental staff report summarizing responses to the Planning Commissions direction based on public comments at the previous meeting.

The following (below linked) discussion summarizes changes recommended by staff and the consultant team, memorializes direction received from the Planning Commission and provides additional information requested by the Planning Commission.

Cannabis Staff MemoPC1-19-17

AS IT STANDS, about a hundred growers have submitted themselves to the onerous and expensive County "legalization" process while another hundred or so have simply paid for licenses and ignored the paperwork part of the process. Apparently these growers are “existing” growers, i.e., sites that existed prior to January 1, 2016.

AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, the largest single medical pot garden to be allowed will be 10,000 square feet or about a quarter of an acre, and only on parcels that are at least ten acres in size. Smaller parcels means lower maximum garden sizes. On average you can probably get something like a thousand medium size plants on 10,000 square feet, depending on spacing and plant size.

IF YOUR PARCEL is zoned ag, upland residential, or rangeland you can grow the 10,000 square foot garden with a simple “zoning clearance” permit (i.e., verification that the proposed site is in the proper zoning and no other review) as long as you promise to comply with the many requirements in:

https://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/agriculture/pdf/DRAFT_zoning_ordinance_20.242-cannabis_cultivation.pdf

IF YOUR OUTDOOR GARDEN is "small," less than 2500 square feet (25 x 100 feet which seems much bigger than "small" to us), and your parcel is at least 2 acres you can grow your pot with nothing more than the “zoning clearance” on almost any zoning (except new grows on timberland or forestland).

ABOUT HALF THE COUNTY, i.e., most of inland Mendocino County, is zone ag. Most of the rest of the non-timber inland acreage is zoned upland residential and rural residential. Therefore most of the eastern half of Mendo will be eligible for pot grows with nothing more than a verification of zoning and a promise to play by the rules.

ONE OF THE WRINKLES that seems to be drawing attention is the intersection of ownerships and parcels. Apparently one owner of multiple parcels can grow multiple sites, one grow per legal parcel, meaning larger ranches with certificates of compliance (i.e, multiple legal parcels) could see much larger grows.

AND NOW, with the Planning Commission’s input, there’s another proposed new variation on that wrinkle allowing multiple owners of one parcel to each have their own garden as long as it stays under the square foot maximum for the parcel size. It doesn’t take much imagination to see what kinds of pot arguments and disputes might ensue under such conditions. (“Oh no, Mr. Code Enforcement Man, I didn’t’ exceed the size limit, that guy over there did! See? All those plants are his!”)

THE RESTRICTIONS would be reasonable if people volunteer to abide by them after they apply and get permission, and if there’s any real enforcement. Both of which are highly unlikely.

OF COURSE there are still all the “outlaw” grows by people who don’t choose to try to get legal, a process which can cost between $50k and $100k depending on the size and nature of the permit required and the associated costs such as advisors, consultants, water board permits, etc., according to the Small Farmers Association. Pot growers who want to be legal must agree to stay relatively small and be able to put up quite a sum, then be subject to taxes if they want to be fully legal to sell their product.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION has proposed a few other minor changes in what would be allowed as described in the planning department’s “staff memo” linked above.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS regarding the “Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation Regulation” (MCCR) have been dominated by dozens if not hundreds of pot growers. We are not aware of a single non-grower attending those meetings and we are not aware of any serious opposition to the proposed pot growing regime.

THE NEW POT CULTIVATION REGIME also moves the approval authority out of the Sheriff’s office and over to the Ag Department and the Planning Department. But don’t expect much serious review or enforcement out of them; they’re understaffed and swamped, and the new state and county rules are extensive, complicated, paperwork heavy, and disputable. To force compliance from a non-cooperative grower would require so much staff time that only the most egregious cases would even rise to consideration of enforcement action.

https://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/agriculture/Cannabis.htm

IT ALL SEEMS dependent on voluntary compliance, which in Mendocino County pot history seems optimistic to the point of naive. And, of course, there’s no mechanism in place to verify a grower’s claim that his crop is “medicinal.”

AND WHO KNOWS how Orange Man will instruct his battalions of federal drug warriors where devil weed remains a Class One drug and a felony federal offense?

CATCH OF THE DAY, January 19, 2017

MATTHEW GORDON, Auburn/Ukiah. DUI.

MICHAEL KANE, Pleasantville/Ukiah. Murder.

DONNIE MILLER JR., Potter Valley. Controlled substance, witness intimidation, probation revocation.

DENA MORRIS, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

SHANE ROORK, Potter Valley. Drunk in public.

DAYLEE WATSON, Ukiah. Brandishing weapon (not a gun); probation revocation.

KAREN WILWAND, Willits. Under influence.

HISTORIAN KEVIN STARR, LONGTIME CHRONICLER OF CALIFORNIA, DIES AT 76

by David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton

Kevin Starr entered this world in 1940 in a rare fraternity — a fourth-generation Californian whose family's roots dated back to the Gold Rush era.

After a rough-and-tumble childhood in San Francisco, he found himself a graduate student at Harvard University, where he perused Widener Library's vast collection for books about California. He realized something was missing.

“I thought, ‘There's all kinds of wonderful books on California, but they don't seem to have the point of view we're encouraged to look at — the social drama of the imagination,’” Starr told The Times.

Filling this gap would become his life's work, making him the state's foremost historian and one of its most revered public intellectuals. For half a century, he chronicled the greed, cruelty, enlightenment, innovation, vanity and sacrifice that took California from a place of Native American hamlets through Spanish colonization, entry into the United States and growth into a diverse powerhouse of technology, culture and trade.

Starr, a professor at USC and the former California state librarian, died of a heart attack Saturday at a hospital in San Francisco, according to his wife of 53 years, Sheila Starr. He was 76.

Starr captured the state’s rise in influence, and its singular hold on the public imagination, in “Americans and the California Dream,” a sweeping book series that moves from the Gold Rush into the Progressive Era, the 1920s, the Great Depression and other distinct chapters of California’s past.

Throughout his work, Starr celebrated the state’s creativity and its openness to new ideas. And he demonstrated a familiarity with a vast range of topics central to the state’s development and its image of itself: architecture, agriculture, literature, water infrastructure and the entertainment industry, among others.

“He was the greatest historian Los Angeles and California ever had and ever will have,” said former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who hosts a book club that counted Starr as one of its original members.

Starr graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1962 and went on to earn his PhD in American literature seven years later at Harvard University. He taught at an array of colleges, ultimately becoming a professor of history and policy, planning and development at USC.

Starr’s death drew tributes from writers, academics and both current and former politicians. USC Provost Michael Quick said California had “lost its eminent biographer.” Gov. Jerry Brown said Starr "captured the spirit of our state and brought to life the characters and personalities that made the California story.”

“His vision, like California itself, was bigger than life," Brown said in a statement.

Over the course of his career, Starr served as an aide to San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto and later became that city’s librarian. He was appointed state librarian in 1994, holding that post for a decade. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named him state librarian emeritus in 2004.

Starr “loved every inch of the state” and wrote about it enthusiastically, said Los Angeles author David Kipen, founder of Libros Schmibros, a Boyle Heights lending library. But he also managed to wield influence, bringing in funds for the state’s library system.

“He wasn’t just a historian, not that that isn’t God’s work,” said Kipen, who knew Starr for nearly two decades. “Behind the scenes — and as a librarian, not so behind the scenes — he was a player.”

Starr was born Sept. 3, 1940, in San Francisco. At age 6, he and his younger brother were sent to Albertina Orphanage in Ukiah, more than 100 miles north of San Francisco, after his parents divorced and his mother suffered a nervous breakdown.

His mother eventually brought her two sons back to live in the Portrero Hill housing project in San Francisco, where the family lived on a monthly welfare check of $130.

To “emancipate” himself from the hardscrabble upbringing, he worked two newspaper delivery routes. Starr also credited the Catholic Church’s strong educational mission. He attended St. Boniface School in the Tenderloin district, and later, St. Ignatius High School, before completing his high school studies at a seminary and enrolling in the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco.

After serving two years in the Army, Starr attended Harvard on a fellowship. At that institution, he found himself increasingly interested in telling California’s history. For his thesis, he started work on what became the first volume in a multi-part series on California history.

Starr’s first entry, “Americans and the California Dream, 1850-1915,” was published in 1973. Twelve years later, he moved deeper into the 20th century, publishing “Inventing The Dream: California Through the Progressive Era.” Five years after that came “Material Dreams: Southern California Through the 1920s.”

More books, written at a rapid clip, reached as far as the 1960s. Throughout those volumes, he made sense of the state by introducing readers to influential figures such as California novelist Jack London; A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America; studio mogul Walt Disney; and scores of others.

“He was a storyteller. And his interest primarily was in people’s lives. He understood the power of biography to tell the story of history,” said Richard Rodriguez, an essayist who lives in San Francisco.

Starr’s sprawling series stopped at 1963, skipping the period that included the Watts riots, the Summer of Love, the Manson murders and the passage of Proposition 13, which restricted property taxes. He picked up again with a book that focused on the 1990s. Starr, said his wife, “couldn’t wrap his mind around the ’60s and ’70s.”

“He was a ’50s guy,” she said.

Starr viewed California as a special place and celebrated it like no other author, said journalist Peter Schrag, author of “Paradise Lost: California’s Experience, America’s Future.” But his upbeat outlook was tested in later decades, as California leaders confronted growing poverty and inequality.

“I think he began to have doubts later in his career, as things got more complicated and more difficult, but he never lost his enthusiasm,” Schrag said. “He was saying, ‘I see the challenging things, but I’m not going to join the crowd of naysayers.’”

That message can be found in one of Starr’s later books, “Coast of Dreams: California on the Edge,” which looked at the years 1990 to 2003 — the period when the state struggled to recover from earthquakes, riots and a steep economic downturn. In the introduction to that book, Starr said it would be “seductive” to view California as a failed experiment.

“But if I succumbed to this temptation, I would not be seeing the full truth about California and its people,” he wrote.

In addition to his wife, Starr is survived by two daughters, Jessica Starr and Marian Starr Imperatore; and seven grandchildren.

“He loved life, and he lived life in a beautiful and grand way — to the fullest,” Jessica Starr said. “We’re sorry he is no longer with us. He was taken too soon.”

(The Los Angeles Times)

* * *

THE LOCAL ANGLE: The late and justly celebrated historian of all things California, Kevin Starr, spent five years of his childhood at the Catholic orphanage in Ukiah called the Albertinum. Starr's parents had separated, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown, but when she had recovered herself she retrieved Starr and his younger brother from the nuns and took them home to San Francisco. Both Starrs went on to lead productive lives, Kevin Starr a notable one.

THE ALBERTINUM was on the West Side of Ukiah. It became a home for troubled children presided over by the Greek Orthodox Church, then lay abandoned until recently when it was purchased by the Buddhists based at Talmage.

MANY GRADUATE of the old orphanage retain fond memories of their stays there and still keep in touch via a kind of on-line alumni association.

https://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=5125&p=topics.adoption.bfamilies

BEFORE AMERICA lost its way, orphanages throughout the United States provided safe, stable homes for children whose parents were unable to care for them. In the late 1960s, that same pool of essentially orphaned children either became fodder for unstable, serial foster homes, or were declared "disturbed," warranting an expensive array of helping professionals to steer them on into chaotic adult lives.

https://www.theava.com/archives/28973

THE RICH GET RICHER, and the poor get … Trumped. That’s the message of the latest Oxfam report on the growing chasm between the super rich and the rest of us. We’ve now reached the stunning point where just eight men — eight! — own as much wealth as the poorest half of humanity. Bay Area billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison, as well as their fellow tech moguls Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, are among these eight — which sort of calls into question the whole notion of the tech boom as the great spreader of wealth that we keep hearing about from the likes of Mayor Ed Lee and other corporate-friendly politicians.

The Oxfam report sent shudders through the World Economic Forum, the elite conclave of international business and political leaders and their celebrity courtiers that is holding its annual conference in Davos, Switzerland, this week. The privileged gathering already had its bubble burst by the populist uprisings that have rocked the United States and Europe.

For years, the exclusive Davos club — which includes such regulars as Bill Clinton and the Wall Street crowd that dominated his and President Obama’s administrations — clung to the belief that globalism would produce rising benefits for all sectors of society. But these benefits never materialized for millions in Britain who voted to leave the European Union and those in America who tipped the Electoral College to Donald Trump. ...

— David Talbot

BAY AREA EVENTS CENTERED ON PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S INAUGURATION FRIDAY.

Thursday

The Ghostlight Project: More than 100 theatrical organizations are holding actions in front of theaters and art spaces nationwide to “protect the values of inclusion, participation and compassion.” In San Francisco, a ceremonial illumination of electric candles and mobile phones, and a short program with speakers will be held at 5:30 p.m. outside the Geary Theater, 415 Geary St.

The 48-Hills Pre-Trumpocalypse Happy Hour: A fundraiser for alternative media will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Stud Bar, 399 Ninth St., San Francisco.

Love Trumps Hate: The Throwback Party for America: A ticketed dance party at 9 p.m. at the Rickshaw Stop at 155 Fell St., San Francisco. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, La Raza Centro Legal and Earthjustice.

Friday

Oakland protests: Demonstrators plan to gather at 7 a.m. outside the Ronald Dellums Federal Building, 1301 Clay St. Teach-ins and workshops start at 9 a.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th Street and Broadway. At noon, a labor-themed rally and march will be held at Latham Square, Broadway and Telegraph Avenue.

San Francisco protests: A rally and march will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at Justin Herman Plaza and continuing into the Financial District. An evening rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. at U.N. Plaza.

Bridge Together Golden Gate: Participants will form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge in a “peaceful demonstration and performance art piece” beginning at 10 a.m.

San Jose protest: A protest and march will start at 11 a.m. at the Plaza de César Chávez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio.

San Leandro protest: A march will begin at 11:30 a.m. outside the San Leandro BART Station, San Leandro Boulevard.

Marin protests: Marchers will gather at 1 p.m. at Creek Park at the Hub in San Anselmo and at Pickleweed Park in San Rafael, then join up for 3 p.m. rallies at San Rafael City Hall and the B Street Community Theater, 618 B St.

Just Sitting on Inauguration Day : An afternoon of sitting and walking meditations will be hosted from 1 to 5:15 p.m. by the San Francisco Zen Center, 300 Page St.

Screening of ‘You’ve Been Trumped Too’: Presented by the San Francisco Green Film Festival as part of its First 100 Days series, the film follows a Scottish family whose home water supply was cut off during construction of the president-elect’s golf course. Free with RSVP, noon at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth St.

Sidewalk protests: A protest will be held from noon to 1 p.m. along El Camino Real in Peninsula and South Bay cities through which it passes.

Bang the Pots, Raise a Din: In keeping with the Latin American tradition of Cacerolazo, residents throughout the Bay Area are being encouraged to step outside their homes from 6 to 6:05 p.m. and bang on pots and pans in protest.

The Sonoma County Inaugural Ball: A ticketed dinner and dance in celebration of Trump’s inauguration begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Flamingo Conference Center, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.

Not Our President with Hadley & the Hippies and Los Bros: Speakers, poetry readings, live music and a dance party at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. The event begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15.

The Blue Ball: A fundraiser for reproductive rights, environmental protection, racial justice and immigrant and LGBTQ rights, 8 p.m. at Home on Treasure Island, an event space, Avenue D and 12th Street on Treasure Island.

Saturday

Redwood City rally: Rep. Anna Eshoo and singer-activist Joan Baez headline a rally for the environment, education, health care and other causes, at 11 a.m. at Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway.

Resist Trump — #OccupyInauguration: Advertised as a family-friendly event to protest Trump’s inauguration. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th Street and Broadway, Oakland.

Grace For All: A meet-up for marchers joining the Women’s March in San Francisco, 2 p.m. at Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St.

Women’s March Bay Area: As part of the national Women’s March movement, events will be held in several Bay Area cities. In San Francisco, a 3 p.m. rally at Civic Center Plaza will be followed by a march at 5 p.m. to Justin Herman Plaza. A march in Oakland begins at 10 a.m. in Madison Park at Eighth and Jackson streets. In San Jose,a march will begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. In Walnut Creek, marchers will gather at 10:30 a.m. at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive, and walk to the Walnut Creek BART Station. In Napa, marchers will gather at 10 a.m. at the Oxbow Public Market parking lot on First Street and walk to Veterans Memorial Park, Third and Main streets.

Sonoma County Stands Together for Women: Advertised as a sister event to the Women’s March. Rally begins at noon at Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.

Sunday

Freedom Fest : A pancake brunch with music, dancing and talks about taking local action, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Natoma Cabana, 90 Natoma St., San Francisco.

— Sarah Ravani (SF Chronicle)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Most of the ‘vile lefties’ I hang out with aren’t reflexive pullers of the straight ticket option. I voted for Hope and Change in ’08. But with the Wall Street boodle boys unpunished and still in charge, perpetuation of war and other compromises to numerous to count, I voted 3rd party in 2012. And again in 2016, because Hillary Clinton was basically Obama redux – the sort of candidate my stodgy GOP grandfather would have been delighted to vote for in 1970 – pro-big business, internationally interventionist and guaranteed to diligently serve the corporocracy. To call her (or Obama for that matter) or her supporters leftist demonstrates a complete lack of familiarity with the concept. Trump is going to be a trainwreck. But there are aspects of him I approve of. What the hell do we need 17 separate intelligence agencies for? Brinkmanship with Russia, a country that still has thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at us, enriches only the Neo-cons and armament manufacturers. Shitty trade deals like the TPP deserve to die. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. But I agree that sitting down with a cup of coffee and friends would be a nice way to watch the unraveling…

WHO DECIDES WHO COUNTS AS NATIVE AMERICAN?

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/magazine/who-decides-who-counts-as-native-american.html?referer=http://longformapp.com

TRUMP IS AMERICA'S SHADOW

by Bernard Guenther

Considering the hype around the latest celebrity statement about Trump by Meryl Streep and the upcoming ritual to put “the man” into “power” officially (which will most likely result in protests by moral, upstanding patriotic citizens), I thought to repost what I wrote (trigger warning!) right after the election.

Here’s the thing from a basic Jungian perspective: Trump is your shadow, America, a reflection of your unconscious, especially concerning people who identify themselves as Leftist, Liberals, and Progressives, their own shadow which they never deeply acknowledged, and hence project outwardly at the “other side” in their “holier than thou” political correct attitude, over-estimating themselves and dreaming to be awake.

The self-inflation, narcissism, greed, the “bigger is more,” the “quantity over quality,” the entitlement, the hypocrisy, the drive for recognition and fame, the “best” in the world, the bully, the “money can buy everything,” the racism and sexism, etc…..or anything else you despise in the man….it’s all you, buried in your unconscious. It’s also the shadow side of the “American Dream” and obviously reflected in America’s Imperialism.

It’s About You!

Anyone who identifies him/herself as “Liberal,” “Progressive,” “Leftist,” and projects disgust, hate, or anger on to this man, (really anyone who is triggered/irritated by Trump beyond political identifications), or reacts with fear, sadness, worry: you are looking at your own shadow and it won’t go away if you keep up with these reactive projections and look for external solutions or a different “leader” to follow or project your “hope” onto while still believing in the religion of government (which feeds off of the polarization and perpetuates separation consciousness) based on illusory tribal/national identification and adherence to/worship external authority constructs.

Moreover, nothing will change but will in fact reinforce the schism as long as you keep identifying with any side because it defines the other side. One cannot have the one without the other as long as you feed and play into this game of fabricated false duality which is exactly how Empire controls you – all entirely based on illusory socially/cultural conditioned identifications and beliefs which you are so attached to and define yourself by. It’s the basis for population control and social engineering, reinforcing the Stockholm Syndrome and “invisible” slavery/prison out of your own “free will.”

But here’s the real “shocker.” Trump is actually your “teacher,” for he creates more friction and shadow triggers, hence more potential to wake people up from an esoteric alchemical perspective (Clinton would have been the sleeping pill for most people, even though she’s the more dangerous psychopath, hidden behind the mask of a “woman”), but only if people take back their projections and engage in some serious and sincere soul searching cutting through their programed socially/cultural conditioned identifications to ignite the alchemical fire within.

Any negative reactive emotion you have towards the “man” (including his silly tweets) or his supporters is a sign of giving away your power and life energy (literally). It shows you where you work is when it comes to basic Jungian psychology of shadow work until you can come to a place of non-reactive zero-point consciousness rising above fabricated duality and tuned into your true inner power and guidance, connected to Spirit and the wholeness of nature: a sovereign embodied Individual.

If you do that sincerely and go deep, you will finally stop believing in and supporting this religion of government (that was never, ever in place for the people and never, ever can give you true freedom), and realize that it was never about Trump, Clinton, Sanders or any other authority statist puppet to begin with, stop this silly idea of “voting for change” and fragmented mechanical/programmed search for “external solutions” and “leaders, worship of authority and then really, really question everything you believe in and have been told/taught, and most of all drop and let go of your identification, which just feeds the polarization. This the path towards a true shift and evolution of consciousness. Anything else is just going in circles, re-arranging the furniture and tapestry of your prison cell (you are not aware of), instead of breaking out of it.

And that is not a comfortable (internal) process at all for it entails utter disillusionment and taking full responsibility without blame and externalizing. Nobody can do it for you and nobody is going to save you. It takes tremendous humility and sincere self-honesty facing the lies within, which make up your conditioned personality, which is not who YOU truly ARE but mistake for you real Self. It’s much easier to project outwardly, protest, look for the next leader and keep up with the futile idea of fragmented “activism,” new “systems” and “external solutions,” all based on the fragmented male aspect of consciousness (your inner unconscious tyrant projected on Trump) removed from the wholeness of the feminine aspect of consciousness (nothing to do with gender) that is tuned into the wholeness of nature.

In the end, America got the president it “deserved” and when you act like slaves, looking for a leader/savior to follow, you get masters…and always will, as long as you support and believe in the religion of government, regardless what system is implemented. Also “democracy” seems like such a good idea until you don’t get your way, right? (oh, I forgot, it was the Russians messing with the election…right, of course….whoever you want to blame and keeps you from looking deeply within into your own shadow).

That’s just on the surface 3D level. From a hyperdimensional perspective, all the anger and disgust, anything projected on the “man,” the polarization, protests, revolts, hypocritical speeches of statist celebrities about “empathy,” “equality,” and “protecting truth,” engaging in this unconscious shadow dance and reacting mechanically (and programmed) is exactly what the occult Matrix overlords and Empire want you to do and feed upon. In fact, that frequency is all they are after for it strengthens your slavery and sustains them, no matter what puppet they put in place for you to identify with or project anger on. It’s the old game of divide and conquer…and the Matrix has you.

* * *

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. Everyone carries a Shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.”

~ Carl G. Jung

* * *

“At every turn, the synthetic culture of Empire implores us to throw our hearts and minds into unconscious polarization. It wants us to radicalize ourselves to either patriot or terrorist, believer or atheist, white or black, liberal or conservative, strong or weak, and then embark on an endless crusade to reform, condemn, or destroy the other side. This one-way polarization renders all participants impotent, regardless of which side they pick. This subtle but devastating trick deactivates our will and we automatically forfeit our capacity to rule ourselves. Lost in unconscious polarization, we serve Empire.

Mass culture is a control mechanism that devalues the individual. It is aimed solely at promoting collectivism. It seeks to enforce the dependence of the individual human on a collective group and the priority of group ideologies over individual life paths. It is, at the base level, the very heart of socialism, communism, fascism and totalitarianism. It employs nationalistic impulses to setup polarities of antagonism that exclusively benefits a set of ruling elites. At the top level, the elites fully comprehend that there are no distinct nations, ideologies or cultural imperatives to speak of. To them, there is only power and no power.”

~ Neil Kramer

* * *

“[Look] at what happened in 1914 – or for that matter at all that is and has been happening in human history – the eye of the Yogin sees not only the outward events and persons and causes, but the enormous forces which precipitate them into action. If the men who fought were instruments in the hands of rulers and financiers, these in turn were mere puppets in the clutch of those hidden [hyperdimensional] forces.

When one is habituated to see the things behind, one is no longer prone to be touched by the outward aspects – or to expect any remedy from political, institutional or social changes; the only way out is through the descent of an [embodied] consciousness which is not the puppet of these forces but is greater than they are.”

~ Sri Aurobindo

* * *

(Bernhard Guenther has had a lifelong interest in exploring the mysteries and hidden knowledge surrounding our planet and humanity’s origins, questioning the roots of what constitutes “reality,” and how social (and spiritual) conditioning impacts upon our collective search for the truth in all aspects of life.)

(www.collective-evolution.com)

CHAPTER THREE, THE HIPPY QUEEN, PART THREE

by Thomas Cahill

Sedonia's birthday was February 12, mine on the 14th. Please no cracks about Vallentine's Day. It's been stickey wicket with me since childhood. About this time in 1970, Sedonia invited me to move in and play family with her. I was spending so much time there and had so few belongings that the transition was easy and natural. Teresa my sister the Sister was a tad hurt but gregarious as she is she already had a circle of friends and quickly had a roommate and a cat. Don was disturbed because the final divorce papers were months away. But it was no biggie with the kids. They probably assumed I had been living there all along. They missed there daddy but hadn't been seeing him that much for months, even years. As a salesman, he always seemed to be on the road somewhere. The PTSD from the divorce hadn't made it's effect on them yet and we were getting along fine.

From the beginning, I tried to make it clear to the threesome I wasn't trying to take over their father's role. The position I tried to assume was that of an older brother or uncle or just a friend they could count on. They called me "Tom" at least to my face. Years later, Gray told me they sometimes called me "Popeye" because of my bald dome, my sailor outfits, and the corncob pipe I sometimes smoked full of a mix of Panama Red and mango-flavored pipe tobacco.

I was still working in Berkeley at the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. But I was getting fed-up. The place was full of retired military and I didn't like the direction in which the research was going.

We needed money and from past experience in Texas, Sedonia knew where it grows. One Saturday, she borrowed a van from a friend, we loaded it with her expendables, some folding tables, chairs and the two youngest kids and off we went to the best flea market in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was at a drive-in movie theater in Alameda not far from the Naval Air Station.

As the van kept breaking down, my stress level kept climbing. By the time we arrived and set up, I was fit company for only nasty, mean-spirited, right-wingers who spout the Bible and act the opposite.

"Mr Humbug, will you please mind the store while I do some shopping," Sedonia asked.

"Yeah," I growled and off she went with some empty bags.

In minutes she returned with a big smile on her face.

"I bought you something, Admiral Grouch," she said pulling out of a string bag a musty, frayed, very old naval officers coat with rows of brass buttons like John Paul Jones may have worn when he engaged the "Serapis" in the English Channel a few centuries back.

"Turn around," she said as she helped me on with the coat.

DAMN ! It was like I had just smoked a super fat doobie. The coat was magic. My spirits lifted as if filled with helium. A new persona--Admiral of the Royal Grand Fenwick Navy--was born. Sedonia could always read me like a comic book.

Years later, Stephen Donaldson, my friend and colleague in an organization trying to stop the rape of prisoners tried to talk me into changing the name of our navy which he eagerly joined since he was as zany as me and was a real US Navy vet to boot while I was sorry I had ever joined the Air Force and had throughly enjoyed a trip to Germany on a troopship despite a storm most of the way. Beside that I had devoured the entire Hornblower series three time in quick succession and San Francisco had a great maritime history.

"Grand Fenwick is a Grand Duchy so we should call it the 'Grand Ducal Navy.'" he said.

"NOOOO," I roared, "I refuse to change the name," I said reminding him that although he was technically correct and he was an admiral too (we all were), I had more than ten years time-in-grade than he. Then pointing to my veins, I argued, "We are ALL bluebloods. We are ALL 'royals.' God is our king and that makes us ALL princes and princesses," I huffed.

"You're right Admiral. Absolutely right," Donny caved, saluting me and surprising me because his IQ and education was twice mine. But he was also a Buddhist monk and understood me right off.

* * *

As generous as Gino was, his van was unreliable. We needed our own and I set my sights on one of those beautifully maintained Fed Ex delivery trucks. I told Sedonia with a step-in van, we could also use it for camping since there would be sleeping space for all of us. Sedonia agreed. I even liked the color of the Fed Ex vans. I would just have Michael paint our own sign or a psychedelic mural over the Fed Ex logo, I fantasized. But Fed Ex, I learned, doesn't part with their lorries. They just keep replacing worn parts of which they have a century's worth and a large, competent maintenance department.

We settled for a 1950 "Parisian" bread truck with a newly-overhauled motor for $500. It still had all the steel bread racks inside and Gross Gary promised to help me cut them out with an acetylene torch.

One evening I rented all the equipment and was amazed I didn't have to show any kind of license or permit or proof of competency with such dangerous gear.

Next morning I waited for Gross Gary, and I waited, and waited and waited some more. After an especially nice lunch that Sedonia made in partial payment to Gary, I figured my life wasn't worth the aggravation of waiting for that stone freak. I made all the connections between tank and gun, donned helmet and gloves, lit-up and had all the bread racks out on the sidewalk by dark. Hey, no big deal for you. But I am not a multi-talented Renaissance man. I have two talents. I can feed myself and tie my own shoe laces. Not bad for a guy with an IQ of only 137 in this day and age.

Now the van needed a new transmission which I bought used but overhauled.

Scott Bradley was half Hippie since he had a regular job as a mechanic at a service station down 25th Avenue where we lived.. Sedonia was renting a spare room to him and he was paying Brad to walk Rotunda and clean-up after the huge St. Bernard. He was such a good mechanic his boss would do anything for him and agreed to let me park next to the station but not on station property for Insurance purposes. Every chance he got, Scott would come out to the van and supervise me installing the new transmission.

"You did it, Admiral," Scott said when we were finished.

"We who, white man," I replied with that tired old Lone Ranger/Tonto joke. "I just did the grunt work. You performed the operation," I told Scott.

"Bull. Fire it up and lets go for a ride around the block," the surgeon ordered.

"Okay Doctor, but you drive," I responded.

"No way," he insisted.

"But if it blows up and you survive, please tell Sedonia I died bravely with her name on my lips," I pleaded.

"Okay," he promised. "Let's roll."

Next came the fun part that still overwhelmed me but nothing like cutting out the bread racks or the transmission transplant.

I wanted to paint the van purple with flat black bumpers and trim.

"NOOOO," Sedonia roared at me. "We'd have every police officer in Northern California following us, waiting for us to make a false move," she argued wisely. So we painted it a golden yellow with flat black trim. And Cousin Michael promised to paint on the bow, errrr front of the van a life ring with an image of Prince Albert inside instead of a British sailor like on the Players's cigarette pack. The prince would wear a sailor hat and around the life ring Mike would print "H.M.S. Prince Albert," the name the family unanimously and quickly agreed on for the van. Michael never did the painting and all these years later I have never sent him a Christmas card although I do telephone the old fart from time to time.

On the forward half of the roof, I built a rack for overflow cargo including fire wood for the small wood stove we bought. A ladder made, stained and shellacked the same as the roof rack, I bolted onto the passenger side.

I had seen a huge bubble on a Hippy bus at the Alameda Flea Market, and had gotten the name and address of the factory in South San Francisco that manufactured it for what purpose I never asked or learned. With an electric hack saw I cut a big hole in the roof in the rear of the van, made a rubber gasket out of an inner tube and bolted it all down to the roof. And as God's my witness, it never leaked.

Inside under the bubble I built a double bunk on which four adults could fit in the bubble and look out. Well, maybe three. And Sedonia found a round lace-edged white table cloth that fit perfectly over the exposed bolts that kept it in place on hot summer days. On the walls and ceiling I bolted beautiful Belgium and Oriental rugs with insulation stuffed behind. On the passenger side I bolted to the floor the wood-burning stove with the chimney going straight out a hole in the ceiling. Next to the stove but a few feet away, I bolted a beautiful oak ice box that Sedonia stripped of many layers of colored paint. On the other side of the Prince, we placed a large metal-covered chest in which Sedonia kept dry food, eating utensils and a great Army camp stove that burned any kind of liquid fuel that had been in her family since before WW II.

On the rear of the Prince, I attached large eye bolts through which I could tie "Agapanthus," our tender ( a Honda 305 Superhawk motorcycle) securely to the jutting rear bumper if we needed her.

Over the driver's compartment, I placed a wide shelf that contained radio, tape player, speakers, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc. Sedonia glued pieces of multi-colored leather to the engine cover, then sewed a similar patch work leather seat cover for Agapanthus that matched her new camouflage paint scheme. Then to separate the bridge, errrr driver's compartment from the rest of the vessel, errrr van, she sewed a large curtain made of burlap on which she sewed bells, beads, sea shells, bunches of tiny dried wild flowers, etc. Lastly I bolted to the wall over the oak ice box a crucifix used for last rites. We replaced the paraphenalia inside and with our stash. Sedonia then arranged peacock feathers behind it .

Prince Albert wasn't the most outstanding Hippy home on wheels at the Alameda Flea Market, but she was cozy with lots of character and love aboard. She was flagship of the Royal Grand Fenwick Navy with which we were waging peace with the United States of America as well as the Soviet Union. Leonard Wibberly, author of "The Mouse that Roared" would have been proud of us for carrying on the struggle of the country he invented to humanize humankind with the healing power of humor.

When not in use, Prince Albert was a play house for Annie-Laurie and her friends and all our pets except Captain Nemo who would have flown away for sure.

POSITION OPENING AT THE CANCER RESOURCE CENTERS

The Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County is seeking a Client Services Manager/Patient Navigator to work in our office in Mendocino.

Position Requirements Include:

• Compassionate individual with medical knowledge and experience in social work or patient navigation
• Supervisorial experience preferred
• B.A. preferred
• Strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of local resources
• Ability to build positive relationships with local providers and the community
• Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply

The opening of Client Services Manger/Patient Navigator is a rewarding, full-time position for the right candidate who wishes to positively serve those in our community who are going through the experience of a cancer diagnosis.

(A job description is available at: www.crcmendocino.org - http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/b98581e588/d19c12bacf/8c7a851a75 )

To express interest, please email a cover letter and resume to Karen Oslund, Executive Director at karen@crcmendocino.org .

The Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County is a grassroots organization serving our communities since 1995 by providing information, advocacy, and support services free of charge.

www.crcmendocino.org

45040 Calpella Street, Mendocino (707-937-3833)

590 South Dora Street, Ukiah (707-467-3828)

HARRY POTTER BOOK NIGHT AT UKIAH LIBRARY

Thursday, Feb. 2nd

4:30 pm-7 pm

Harry Potter Book Night: A Night of Spells (cosplay encouraged!), Thursday, February 2nd * 4:30-7 pm

Witches & wizards of all ages are invited to attend Harry Potter Book Night at the Ukiah Library. Step onto Platform 9 ¾ , just through the brick wall, & enter A Night of Spells. Let the sorting hat decide your fate, make wands and shrinky-dink house crest pins, & discover hidden Horcruxes during our scavenger hunt. Concoct a polyjuice potion & transform! Cosplay is encouraged! Please reply by owl or call us at 463-4490 to sign up. For more information, please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us