Mendocino County Today: Sunday, July 23, 2017

• Marijuana Future
• Lake Mendocino
• Little Dog
• Going Legal
• Pets!
• Cyanobacteria Warnings
• Yesterday's Catch
• Culture Pop
• Student Loan
• Marco Radio
• Marine Sanctuaries
• Whitesboro Breakfast
• Dawkins Snubbed
• Hollow Brown
• Travelogue Part 1
• The Internet
• Sex Drive
• Mega Grows
• Library Events
• PA Meeting

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO on her Cannabis Hour program on KZYX, Jane Futcher hosted a fast talking young couple representing a mammoth marijuana operation in Redwood Valley called Flow Kana. Basically their pitch was, "Give us all your dope, Mendo, and we'll do the rest — label it, market it, distribute it, keep the cops off." The young couple, complete with the fashionable uptalk flourish at the end of each sentence, were obviously experienced sales people. If they were locals we'd get Stuttering John, as in, "Like, you know, if you like, uh, well, give us like, all your dope, we've got this old dude who drives dope east for us in like a Winnebago with all his Good Sam decals and like golf clubs and a Mitt Romney bumpersticker. This old dude like cruises right past the cops because the cops are like looking for black guys and like white dudes with dreads...."

GIVEN the downward plummet of pot prices, after the Flow Kana slicksters took their cut, and you can be sure it would be a big cut, the saps who hooked up with them would be left with much less per pound than they'd get selling on their own, which hundreds of Mendo growers already do to their established customer base. (Speaking of saps, count me as one; never in my wildest imaginings would I have thought more than 600 local growers would sign up for the county's preposterously complicated and expensive pot licensing program. Of those 600-plus only two have made it through the labyrinthian process, but the County of Mendo has banked a cool mil or two in application fees.)

AND EVERY TIME pot licensing is before the Supervisors, we see the future of marijuana in Mendocino County, and it appears in the form of at least one earnest, scrub-faced young un-hippie who introduces himself something like this: "I'm from Silicon Valley, and I'm a little confused about your processes here in Mendocino County." These guys, and we note that they all seem to look like Ted Bundy's twin brother, are the fully capitalized mega-grow people who are in the process of destroying traditional mom and pop pharms in the county.

YO! SILICON! You've just stepped behind the Green Curtain where the efficient reality you apparently are accustomed to in the now grotesque Santa Clara Valley ends at the Mendocino County line, and doesn't resume until Ashland. You can buy a pound of good dope in Boonville for $500. Lots of people haven't put in a crop this year because prices no longer make it worth the effort. But the corporate boys will make money. Count on it.

MEANWHILE, just as the bud ripens on the weed, we hear rumors of a raid on a large-scale grow in the area of the Hanes Ranch, roughly halfway between Boonville and Manchester on Mountain View Road. These police raids are good for the local economy, always have been, because they took off just enough dope every year to keep prices up. But now that everybody and his Mexican cousin is growing the cops can't possibly keep up.

UNSOLICITED PLUG. Anderson Valley Construction can help you wannabe legal growers get into building compliance. Highly (sic) recommended. They built the deck on our office, and a thing of beauty it is, too. Robbie Lane can be reached at (707) 489-2915.

SHERIFF ALLMAN ON LAKE MENDOCINO

Lake Mendocino is a crown jewel for our county. Recreation, economical benefits, water storage and beauty are all parts of the enjoyment. Yes, it is true that the lake has not been given the attention it needs but things are improving. The litter problem has been greatly improved thanks to the PACOUT group, organized by Pacific Outfitters and many local residents who have spent hundreds of hours picking up litter/garbage. The Ukiah Rotary club has really helped also. THANK YOU! The transient/homeless situation has been improved by increased law enforcement patrols by the Corps of Engineers, MCSO and the CHP. The damaged buildings are being repaired and bathrooms are getting reopened.

I ask everyone to realize these improvements and turn their anger into recreation. Boating, skiing, hiking, swimming are all activities which are enjoyed at the lake. The South Boat Ramp will soon be reopened and the brown bagging lunch crowd will soon be able to enjoy the view, ducks and geese.

Retired Sheriff Jim Tuso will once again take a large work crew from the jail to work on improvements this weekend. (Thanks Sheriff.)

I realize that not everyone can help improve the situation, but I ask that instead of publicly criticizing it, take a look at it yourself. Maybe go camping again at the lake and see how beautiful it really is. Rent a kayak and see if this new sport is something you like. Buy a fishing license and go enjoy a day of no worries. Pack a picnic and take your family or friends.

We are lucky to live in an incredibly beautiful county. Ocean, snow, redwoods, a nice lake and only 87,000 citizens live in our 3500+ square miles. We are lucky. Let's try and be positive about the improvements at the lake.

On a philosophical point, the glass is either half full, half empty or the glass is too big. In this case, the lake is full, the weather is perfect and the time is right. Go enjoy your Summer (with a life vest of course).

I will give a lot of credit of these improvements to a group of concerned citizens who vented on social media. This venting caused action and the results are being seen everyday. So, there is a time to gripe and a time to enjoy. Let's slow down on the griping, realizing that it worked, and enjoy the rest of the Summer at Lake Mendocino.

Thanks for reading this rant. I send a huge shout out to everyone who made things so much better.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “I feel pretty secure these days. Lots of people stop in to see me. A nice guy even brought me a nice new leash to replace this choke chain they tie me up with. Another guy sent me some snacks. These people try messing with me — all I gotta do is woof once and my backup will come running!”

THOUSANDS APPLY FOR CANNABIS PERMITS IN EMERALD TRIANGLE, BUT FEW IN SONOMA COUNTY

by Julie Johnson & Glenda Anderson

---

Sonoma County applicants for cannabis businesses:

• Outdoor cultivation 10,000 square feet or less = 10
• One acre outdoor cultivation = 3
• Manufacturing = 2
• Distribution = 1
• Mixed light greenhouse 10,000 square feet = 3
• Indoor cultivation 22,000 square feet = 1
• Indoor cultivation 5,000 to 10,000 square feet = 1

---

In California’s famed Emerald Triangle marijuana growing region, cannabis farmers by the thousands have stepped out of the shadows to apply for permission to do business in the state’s newly regulated marketplace.

The rush of applicants, totaling nearly 3,000 between Humboldt and Mendocino counties, marks the clearest answer yet to the question posed last year before and after the state’s landmark popular vote on recreational use of marijuana: Would growers and others in long-illicit parts of the trade come forward and participate in the new legal marketplace?

So far, at least in the northern parts of Cannabis Country, the signs are encouraging, officials said.

“It is a staggering number,” said Bob Russell, acting deputy director of Humboldt County’s planning and building department. “It is an unprecedented volume of applications for our department and likely for any other department.”

Plenty of issues are cropping up even in that formal process, including complaints of burdensome regulations and cost that growers fear will hobble them at a key time, when the competitive field is taking shape.

Still, the Emerald Triangle may already have a head start on operators in Sonoma County, where the stampede of interest has yet to materialize, prompting talk among industry leaders concerned the area’s longtime cannabis producers may be opting out of the newly regulated market, at least for now.

Only 18 potential cannabis cultivation projects have submitted permit applications since they were available July 5, in addition to two manufacturers and a distribution plant, according to Sonom County staff.

The slow start has local cannabis advocates concerned a dearth of permitted cultivators could foreshadow a low supply of locally produced cannabis and be an indication that farmers are taking a wait-and-see approach, maintaining their black-market sales.

“It’s incredibly low compared to the number of operators we have in Sonoma County,” said Tawnie Logan, board president for the Sonoma County Growers Alliance and a member of the county’s newly created cannabis advisory group. “It’s primarily because there’s no incentive.”

The alliance estimates there are about 5,000 growers in Sonoma County.

Big hurdle without incentives

The cost to secure a permit — from permit fees to environmental studies and building improvements — is a formidable hurdle without incentives like grant programs or other funding sources available to emerging industries, Logan said. The basic fee to apply for a permit is between $2,000 and $13,000 not including the upfront costs of upgrades and consultants to meet requirements.

A local permit gives applicants priority when seeking state licenses to operate cannabis businesses, available starting next year. A state license will in theory give cannabis businesses access to a wider marketplace, including sales to dispensaries, and a sense of protection from the federal government, which still considers marijuana an illegal drug.

So far, 651 applications for cultivation have been turned in over the past two and a half months in Mendocino County, where the county has attempted to give so-called “mom and pop” farmers an edge by barring newcomers from the permit process until 2020. The county has granted one license so far.

In Humboldt County, more than 2,300 entities sought permits for marijuana ventures over an 11-month period ending December 2016, the county’s initial window to apply. The vast majority were for cultivation.

In Sonoma County, 13 applicants came from existing farms or other operations, and the remaining eight are new projects, said Tim Ricard, Sonoma County’s cannabis program manager.

Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin acknowledged at Tuesday’s board meeting that officials were surprised by the low number of applicants so far, but said she expected the pace to pick up.

“We didn’t have the stampede on day one of the permit process, but they will come, I know they will,” Gorin said.

Applications expected to jump

The number of permit applications filed in Sonoma County will likely jump before Aug. 31, a deadline for avoiding exposure to certain land-use penalty fees. Ricard said he expects a flurry of applicants to come into the permit department before that date.

Sebastopol attorney Omar Figueroa said he is helping a handful of clients who plan to start a cannabis venture in the county, and he expects to file several permit applications in the coming weeks. “There are not as many as I was thinking but that’s because growers are between a rock and a hard place,” Figueroa said. “It’s just not worth it to grow legally in the county.”

Erich Pearson, executive director of SPARC and Peace In Medicine with dispensaries in San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, said it will cost SPARC about $15,000 to file an application for a greenhouse on his farm in Glen Ellen, and that’s just the first of several permits he and his collaborators hope to acquire.

Under the blazing sun Wednesday afternoon, farmworkers were trimming the undergrowth of 2-foot potted plants in rows of hoop houses at an old turkey farm off Highway 12 that had languished for years until Pearson’s project moved in earlier this year.

They have hundreds of plants and clones in pots on the property and a half-acre of cannabis plants in the ground.

“The regulations are too stringent, the application fees and taxes are too high,” said Pearson, standing near a team of gardeners trimming plants. “The preconception is the growers have financial means, but they don’t.”

His organization is well positioned to dive into the new regulated realm, with resources, experience and political savvy to engage in the system. Pearson sits on the board of the National Cannabis Industry Association and his team of staff and consultants include people with policy experience with Americans for Safe Access and horticultural experts from Oaksterdam University in Oakland.

Those first in line and out of the gate, with capital to support their business, will have the advantage, he suggested.

“The supply (of regulated cannabis) will be driven by millions of square feet of cannabis being produced in Southern California and Humboldt County,” Pearson said.

One of the first operations given conditional use permits in Humboldt County was a nearly 7-acre cannabis farm and processing center, Honeydew Farms, proposed by a husband-and-wife team.

The county has issued 46 permits so far and have another 900 in progress as county staff work with business owners to identify outstanding requirements. The remaining 1,400 applications are inactive with the county waiting for additional information from the applicants.

About 70% of Humboldt applicants are already involved in cannabis production in the county, mostly in cultivation, with about 20% of applicants seeking to start new cultivation projects, according to Russell. In response to a lawsuit, the county must finish an environmental study of its ordinance before it accepts more applications.

“For every applicant in Humboldt County we probably have 10 people who will likely sell in the black market,” Russell said. “I don’t think California will have a problem with supply.”

Backlog in Mendocino County

In Mendocino County, the backlog in approving applications is a factor in a number of flaws in the program that need fixing, county officials and cannabis cultivators say.

“It’s a long process. There are a lot of steps and a lot of waiting,” Interim Agricultural Commissioner Diane Curry told county supervisors during a public hearing aimed at collecting and considering complaints about the permit process, which her department oversees.

The single approved permit, as of Tuesday, was on property that had no buildings and no environmental issues to deal with, Curry said. Four other permits were imminent, Curry said, and she expected as many as 10 to be approved by the end of the week.

There are an estimated 10,000 cultivators in the county, but Curry said she expects only about 1,500 of them to apply for permits. Those growing in areas smaller than 100 square feet are exempt from permits.

In the county’s most northern region on Bell Springs Road at a cannabis farm called Mendo Hideout, Todd Franciskovic watched as a helicopter flew overhead Wednesday afternoon. His group has applied for a 10,000-square-foot outdoor garden.

“We’re getting a flyover right now, which is OK. We talked to the sheriff yesterday,” said Franciskovic, farm cultivation manager. He was among many cannabis farmers number who urged the Board of Supervisors to streamline and improve its application review process. Without those changes, small-scale growers fear they will be driven out of business by industrial pot operations and heavy-handed regulations.

“I feel like in Mendo, people want to comply,” Franciskovic said.

(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

PETS O' THE WEEK

Maggy is a 2 year old, spayed female cat, who gets along with other cats. She’s also very friendly with people. Laggy currently lives in the cat colony room with a few very playful kittens. Maggy is perfectly content sitting on a lap getting lots of love. Can't adopt? Feel free to come to the Shelter and spend time with our many cats.

This handsome dog is Posey, a 1 year old, neutered, male, mixed-breed dog, weighing in at 52 pounds. Posey has very good canine social skills, and enjoys a good romp with other dogs. A home with a friendly canine housemate would be a bonus for both dogs. Posey has made great progress at the Shelter; when he first arrived, he was nervous and shy but now he is outgoing and excited to be around people and go out for walks. Posey also enjoys playing in the water. An active home, with lots of TLC, will make Posey one happy dog.

The Ukiah Animal Shelter is located at 298 Plant Road in Ukiah, and adoption hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 10 am to 4:30 pm and Wednesday from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Lots of great dogs and cats are waiting here to find their new homes here. To view photos and bios of the shelter’s adoptable animals, please visit online at mendoanimalshelter.com or visit the shelter. Please join us the second Saturday of every month for our "Empty the Shelter" pack walk, and help us get every dog out for some exercise! For more information about adoptions please call 707-467-6453.

GREEN SLIME IS HERE TOO

Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

Cyanobacteria warnings issued for local rivers, lakes Local Public and Environmental Health officials are warning recreational users of all bodies of fresh water to avoid contact with cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae).

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in cooperation with the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Mendocino County Environmental Health and Lake County Public Health Division issued a warning to avoid contact with cyanobacteria and algal blooms. Although commonly referred to as blue-green algae, following the lead of the state, jurisdictions are using the term cyanobacteria as it is not algae, but bacteria.

Typically, cyanobacteria warnings come out between late July and early August, coinciding with low flows and sustained high temperatures in the inland areas which may contribute to cyanobacteria growth in the river.

Human activities have an effect on nutrient and water flows in rivers, streams and lakes. Nutrients found in fertilizers, animal waste and human waste can stimulate blooms. Excessive water diversions can also increase water temperatures and reduce flows. People can take the following measures to prevent algal blooms in our waters:

(-) Be conservative with the use of water, fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn, garden or agricultural operation.

(-) Avoid nutrient runoff by recycling any “spent” soil by tilling it back into gardens, or protecting it from rainfall.

(-) Create shade and filter out nutrients by planting or maintaining native plants around river banks.

(-) Inspect and pump out septic systems every three to four years.

(-) Prevent surface water runoff from agricultural and livestock areas.

(-) Prevent erosion around construction and logging operations.

Cyanobacteria can be present in any fresh water body. It looks like dark green, blue-green, black, orange or brown scum, foam or mats on the riverbed or floating on the water. Warm water and abundant nutrients can cause cyanobacteria to grow more rapidly than usual causing “blooms.” These blooms are termed “harmful algal blooms.” Most cyanobacteria does not affect animals or people, however, a small number of cyanobacteria species are capable of producing toxins that can be harmful to animals and humans. Dogs and children are most likely to be affected because of their smaller body size and tendency to stay in the water for longer periods of time.

The presence of cyanobacteria has been previously confirmed in some water bodies within Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties including the South Fork Eel River, Van Duzen River, Trinity River, Clear Lake and Lake Pillsbury. It is difficult to test and monitor the many lakes and miles of our local rivers. Most blooms in California contain harmless green algae, but it is important to stay safe and avoid contact.

Officials recommend the following guidelines for recreational users of freshwater areas:

(-) Keep children, pets and livestock from swimming in or drinking water containing algal scums or mats.

(-) Adults should also avoid wading and swimming in water containing algal blooms. Try not to swallow or inhale water spray in an algal bloom area.

(-) If no algal scums or mats are visible, you should still carefully watch young children and warn them not to swallow any water.

(-) Fish should be consumed only after removing the guts and liver and rinsing fillets in tap water.

(-) Never drink, cook with or wash dishes with water from rivers, streams or lakes.

(-) Get medical attention immediately if you think that you, your pet, or livestock might have been poisoned by cyanobacteria toxins. Be sure to tell the doctor or veterinarian about possible contact with cyanobacteria or algal blooms.

(-) Join or support one of the many watershed and river organizations.

To learn more about cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms, visit the state of California’s website.

To learn more about cyanobacteria and algae on the South Fork Eel River, visit www.eelriverrecovery.org/algae.html.

To report a bloom, e-mail CyanoHAB.Reports@waterboards.ca.gov or call 844-729- 6466 (toll free). Blooms can also be reported via the “bloomWatch” app which is available for free download on iTunes or Google play.

For information on conditions occurring within Humboldt County, contact the Division of Environmental Health at 707-445- 6215 or 800-963- 9241. Photos of suspected blooms can also be emailed to envhealth@co.humboldt.ca.us.

CATCH OF THE DAY, JULY 22, 2017

SHANNON ARNOLD, Goleta/Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

STEVEN FREITAS, Ukiah. Petty theft, probation revocation.

SAUL GALINDO, Ukiah. DUI.

TRAVIS JOHNSON, Ukiah. DUI, possession of toluene.

BRETT KELLY, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

BRANDON LAWSON, Willits. Taking vehichle without owner’s consent, controlled substance, probation revocation.

DENA MORRIS, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

BRENDON SCHIEFER, Petaluma/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

HEATHER SCHMIDT, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

DUSTIN WOOD, Ukiah. Controlled substance, probation revocation.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I remember Grandparents who lived in small Minnesota towns who were obsessed with making sure everybody had enough to eat and were doing all right. New people in town were welcomed with invitations to dinner and home made pies. In those days if someone needed help all they had to do was knock on a door. These days pies don’t get made at home.

Do better people not concern themselves with others and spend all their time looking at brilliant colored pixels behind gorilla glass in a state of perpetual distraction and self obsession. I think not.

As an individual we get better. I know I have and you probably have too. But a new crop of clueless is born every year and they don’t have the citizenship examples we had in fifth grade. They have the example of Columbine to emulate instead. So yes I have been snarky; the pre-tranny lesbian lies were actually better than the perverted truths we have now.

Back in the day, flesh and blood relatives would take care of children when parents went to work. Now the substitute parent is made in China and has a very flat screen. That is not a better culture. The culture we have is about to pop like a balloon.

WHITE PUNKS ON DOPE.

"Oy! A cat made of lead cannot fly!"

The recording of last night's (2017-07-21) KNYO Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is ready to download for free and enjoy at any time of the day or night, via http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

Besides that, as usual also there you'll find a fresh batch of links to other interesting things I collected for you while putting the show together, that might not necessarily work on the radio because of being mostly visual. Such as:

Eclipses explained right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNH3akWXaV8

Another frenetic French jazz dance meet. So happy and fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpeUnWrteQM

"But because the cameras are programmed to capture the 30 seconds prior to activation, the officer’s actions before returning from the alley were recorded." So from now on officers must stand there hopping from foot to foot and count to thirty before planting incriminating evidence. That will act as a subtle deterrent without tying the hands of law enforcement.

http://boingboing.net/2017/07/19/video-appears-to-show-baltimor.html

And the way whales sleep. It's just like the 1927 USS Los Angeles (dirigible) docking mishap, but underwater and made of meat, and not a mishap but just the natural way, holding their breath the whole time in lungs the size of a studio apartment.

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2017/07/the-way-sperm-whales-sleep.html

–Marco McClean

SAVING THE COAST ALL OVER AGAIN

Save Our Coast Now Now Now!

Comment Deadline July 26th On Our National Marine Sanctuary:

From Rachel Binah (rachel@mcn.org, 937-3227):

Please act now to help us save our coast from offshore oil development. I know you may have thought we already did that, but that was before Trump. This video will show you what is at risk: https://vimeo.com/223687357

As you know, the Trump Administration, by Executive Order, is “reviewing" Marine Sanctuaries to reduce them in size -- or eliminate them. The Plan is to encourage offshore oil drilling, mining, and other industrial activities offshore. We spent decades trying to get an extension of the Farallone Sanctuary which was finally established with the help of our Congressmen Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman through the Obama administration.

If you care about protecting our ocean, its endangered species, the fragile marine environment, please make an official comment to tell our government what you think. Explain how the actions would effect you, personally.

Here are some general issues to discuss. (It is not effective to copy other people’s comments.)

1. Environmental protection: for endangered species, marine habitat, and difficulty (or impossibility) of cleaning up the mess from unintended consequences of ocean industrialization.
2. Economic: including tourism, fishing -- state parks-- local businesses which would be compromised or effected.
3. Emotional Connection: Beauty, spiritual, inspirational, religious, recreational, personal renewal, universal appreciation and/or responsibility for protecting God's Creation.

Here is the link to enter your comments on to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) site. http://saveourmarinesanctuaries.org/

Those wishing to comment can also just simply send a regular U.S. Mail letter to: EO 13795 Review, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring Metro Campus Building 4 (SSMC4), Eleventh Floor, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

WHITESBORO GRANGE PANCAKE B'FAST this Sunday July 23

A traditional pancake breakfast will be served at the Whitesboro Grange on Sunday, July 23th. Breakfast includes orange juice, pancakes with maple and homemade berry syrups, ham, eggs your way, and coffee, tea or hot cocoa. The public and visitors are invited to join neighbors and community for a hearty pancake breakfast. Adults $8, ages 6-12 half price, children under 6 eat FREE. Breakfast is served from 8 to 11:30 a.m. The Grange is a non-profit community organization and supports local families in need, the Albion-Little River Fire Department, Project Sanctuary, Redwood Coast Senior Center, 4-H, Hospitality House, Veterans, food banks and other community based organizations. Whitesboro Grange is located 1.5 miles east on Navarro Ridge Road. Watch for signs just south of the Albion Bridge.

Ronnie James <ronnie@mcn.org>

THE CANDY-ASS ‘LEFT’

Shocking that KPFA's stupidity happens in Berkeley, the birthplace of The Free Speech Movement.

From the Friendly Atheist:

Richard Dawkins Canceled Due To His “Abusive,” “Hurtful” Words

by Hemant Mehta

July 21, 2017

Richard Dawkins has a new collection of essays coming out next month in a book called Science in the Soul. Naturally, he’ll be visiting the U.S. on a book tour.

One of the stops was going to be in Berkeley, California on August 9. It was sponsored by KPFA, a progressive radio station in the area, in a city known for being the hotbed of liberal activism.

But that talk has now been canceled.

While that website doesn’t offer any reason for the cancellation, Jerry Coyne notes that people who had bought tickets received a more detailed email with this explanation:

We regret to inform you that KPFA has canceled our event with Richard Dawkins. We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didn’t know he had offended and hurt — in his tweets and other comments on Islam, so many people.

KPFA does not endorse hurtful speech. While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech. We apologize for not having had broader knowledge of Dawkins views much earlier. We also apologize to all those inconvenienced by this cancellation. Your ticket purchases will automatically be refunded by Brown Paper Tickets.

The world’s most famous atheist criticized Islam and upset people, so he can’t give a talk about science?

…Which tweets about Islam were the people at KPFA so offended by? We never find out. They don’t say. But remember that people at Berkeley (the school) once rescinded an invitation to Bill Maher to deliver a commencement address for the same reason — before eventually reversing course. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was going to get an honorary degree from Brandeis University until she, too, was accused of anti-Muslim bigotry. (Yep, a victim of female genital mutilation and an advocate for the reformation of Islam was considered an anti-Muslim bigot. Makes you wonder which version of Islam is acceptable to these critics.)

So much for free speech in Berkeley. If Dawkins is too bigoted for their tastes, the list of people who are allowed to discuss controversial topics must be incredibly thin.

And remember: All this is over a book — talk about the beauty of science. That means speakers are being invited and canceled over issues they’re not even talking about.

It would’ve been far better for KPFA to let Dawkins speak — and hear what he has to say — before condemning him in advance for vague reasons and not allowing ticket buyers the opportunity to make up their own minds about it.

Since Dawkins’ travel schedule has likely already been planned out, I’ve reached out to his team to find out if he’ll plan another event in Berkeley on that same date.

On a side note, a couple of days after the Dawkins event was supposed to take place, KPFA is sponsoring a speaker who will talk about how to “access the mind through the body, and the body through the mind for creativity, resilience and self-healing.” Pseudoscience is acceptable to them. But criticism of irrational religious ideas is apparently too mean.

They’re also sponsoring a talk by the legendary black comedian Dick Gregory, who is known for challenging accepted beliefs, pushing boundaries, and making people uncomfortable. I hope someone asks him for his thoughts on de-platforming controversial speakers.

Update: The Center for Inquiry has issued a statement calling the de-platforming “baseless” and “unconscionable”:

“Richard Dawkins is one of the greatest intellects of our time, with a wealth of wisdom and insight that he looked forward to sharing with his Berkeley audience,” said Robyn Blumner, President and CEO of the Center for Inquiry. “For KPFA to suddenly break its commitment to Richard and the hundreds of people who were so looking forward to seeing and hearing him is unconscionable, and the baseless accusation that Richard has engaged in ‘abusive speech’ is a betrayal of the values KPFA has, until now, been known for.”

“The idea that I have engaged in abusive speech against Islam is preposterous, which even the most rudimentary fact-checking by KPFA would have made clear,” said Prof. Dawkins. “I have indeed strongly condemned the misogyny, homophobia, and violence of Islamism, of which Muslims — particularly Muslim women — are the prime victims. I make no apologies for denouncing those oppressive cruelties, and I will continue to do so.”

Last year, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science merged with the Center for Inquiry, and Prof. Dawkins joined the CFI board of directors.

“In its 41-year history, the Center for Inquiry has fought proudly for human and civil rights, and Richard Dawkins is an invaluable ally for our cause.” said Blumner. “We (including Richard Dawkins himself) strongly opposed President Trump’s misguided and discriminatory Muslim ban. We have been at the forefront of the major civil justice causes of our time, and we have devoted ourselves to countering the outmoded, dogmatic prejudices and misinformation aimed at marginalized groups. It is one of the many reasons why we were proud to be the sole secularist organization invited to join the Know Your Neighbor interfaith coalition, launched in 2015 at the White House.”

“We understand the difference between a people and the beliefs they may hold,” said Blumner, “All of us must be free to debate and criticize Ideas, and harmful ideas must be exposed. It is incredibly disappointing that KPFA does not understand this.”

THE FIX IS IN: BROWN ADMINISTRATION APPROVES ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS FOR DELTA TUNNELS

by Dan Bacher

Governor Jerry Brown poses as the “resistance to Trump” and vows that he will “defend science” against the Trump administration, but the Brown administration today revealed the hollowness of that vow as it approved flawed environmental documents that clear the path for the construction of the Delta Tunnels.

Today’s announcement follows recent biological opinions issued by the Trump administration claiming that the project, considered by opponents to be potentially the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history, “meets” environmental and wildlife protection standards under federal law.

During a press conference call today, the California Department of Water Resources announced the certification of the environmental documents for the California Water Fix under the California Environmental Water Quality Act (CEQA).

Cindy Messer, Acting Director of the Department of Water Resources, called the certification a “milestone” and a “ benchmark” in the campaign to build the two massive 35 mile long tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The project would divert Sacramento River water to agribusiness interests, Southern California water agencies and oil companies conducting fracking and other extreme oil extraction methods. Project proponents claim the project will create both water supply reliability and ecosystem protection.

“Today, we have reached our next important benchmark in moving California towards a more reliable water supply,” said Messer. “With this certification, our state is now closer to modernizing our aging water delivery system in a way that improves reliability and protects the environment.”

Messer noted that DWR, the operator of the State Water Project, screened more than 100 different proposals before “analyzing these 18 alternatives in depth” in the 50,000 page environmental impact report under CEQA . She said the combined public comment period on these environmental analyses lasted nearly a year.

She claimed the project was “refined several times to shrink its footprint, minimize impacts to Delta landowners, and consider a shift in the regulatory approach under the US Endangered Species Act and California Endangered Species Act.”

She also said DWR today filed a “validation action” with the Sacramento County Superior Court regarding DWR’s authority to, among other things, issue revenue bonds to finance the planning, design, construction, and other capital costs of the California Water Fix.

“The validation action will provide the requisite assurance to the financial community for the sale of the California Water Fix revenue bonds,” she explained.

Delta Tunnels opponents weren’t surprised that DWR today issued the Notice of Determination (NOD) for the California Water Fix — and said they are “considering all possible legal and political options” to fight the project.

“We are not surprised that the Notice of Determination has been issued,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta (RTD). “The Brown Administration will celebrate this document as a type of victory regarding the advancement of CA WaterFix. But it’s not. The EIR and the plan for the tunnels are deeply flawed as the project will not create water supply reliability in a world with increased and prolonged droughts, but perhaps up to 75 years of debt to be paid back by water ratepayers as recently proposed by Goldman Sachs representatives.”

“We, other environmental organizations, and other parties in the Delta are preparing for litigation. We will expand our fight in the court of public opinion. We are considering all possible legal and political options to stop the project,” she stated.

Adam Scow, California director of Food & Water Watch, said the certification “is very troubling, though hardly surprising, for Governor Brown to approve of building massive new tunnels that won’t fix any of California’s water problems.”

“This project would waste $25 to $67 billion, with interest, of taxpayer money and devastate the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. It would unfairly burden Southern Californians with higher water bills at a time when we must repair the aging and crumbling pipes under our homes and streets. What’s more, the tunnels would mostly benefit corporate agribusinesses that have over-planted water-intensive crops in the desert,” said Scow.

Scow urged local water districts, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, to prevent their ratepayers from being “unfairly burdened by this destructive project.”

On June 29, fishing and environmental groups filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's biological opinions permitting the construction of the controversial Delta Tunnels.

Four groups — the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Defenders of Wildlife, and the Bay Institute — charged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service for violating the Endangered Species (ESA) a landmark federal law that projects endangered salmon, steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt and other fish species. The lawsuits said the biological opinions are “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion."

Rachel Zwillinger, water policy advisor for Defenders of Wildlife, said, “The proposed Delta tunnels could be the nail in the coffin for native fish like Chinook salmon and Delta smelt, causing them to disappear from the San Francisco Bay-Delta forever."

Public trust advocates say the California WaterFix project would not only hasten the extinction of Central Valley steelhead, winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, but would also imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers that have been an integral part of the culture, religion and livelihood of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes for over thousands of years.

“By green-lighting the WaterFix, the federal government is green lighting extinction,” concluded Zwillinger. More information: www.dailykos.com/…

I predicted on election night that President Donald Trump and Governor Jerry Brown administrations would make a deal to fast-track Brown’s legacy project, the Delta Tunnels. That is exactly what has happened over the past several months. Now you can expect to see a series of lawsuits filed against both the state and federal governments to follow the June 29 litigation.

FEW COMFORTS FOR OLD MEN, A TRAVELOGUE. PART 1 OF 4

by Jake Rohrer

I call it a pilgrimage, a journey that includes destinations and people I very much look forward to seeing and being with. Tempering somewhat my enthusiasm and desires surrounding such excursion is the fact that it requires that I step into the world of commercial travel as offered up by the business-driven culture and society in which we live. The older I become, the more I discover that the act of travel for commoners is woefully bereft of the comforts and well being I have become accustomed to in my stationary life and that the cost of first-class accommodations is beyond my budget, not to mention conscience. Travel was once a joyful and exciting adventure, always longed for and looked forward to whenever time and money allowed. Now that there seems to be enough of both (time and money), I find that travel, especially by myself, is a lonely undertaking more difficult and challenging than ever, a sometimes disconcerting endeavor that requires forethought and focus throughout lest I become reduced to a non-entity by the digital machinery that rules over every aspect of my journey. It's a good idea not to get too relaxed about any of it, take nothing for granted.

When you live on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, travel options are limited. The choice of travel by car, bus, train, thumb, or even boat, doesn't exist until I negotiate the first 2,500 miles or so in what to me has all the character and style of a cattle car that flies. It is boarded only after I have been herded through loading aisles and ramps packed with hundreds of my travel-kind, all of us subjected to search and steely-eyed examination by authoritarian police, some of whom, admittedly and occasionally, are actually pleasant human beings. They nonetheless issue stern orders and I produce my papers (boarding pass and ID), remove my jacket, shoes, watch, belt, the contents of my pockets, and the toiletries from my carry-on, and load everything onto an inspection conveyor. I remember fondly the old days when I could bring along my Swiss Army Knife, a pair of manicure scissors, a bottle of water, a corkscrew and a bottle of wine, and other personal comforts, without being subjected to rigid rules and search.

Having made my way through the initial steps, I am then directed into a chamber where, arms held high overhead, my private parts and the rest of me are scanned by a robotic x-ray machine with a great sweeping arm, searching for contraband, weapons, explosives and the like. Following this indignity, I step from the enclosure and am told to stand on footprints painted on the floor while another officer further scans my person with a handheld device as though the robot, occupied with my personal dimensions, might have missed something. In the hurried confusion to reclaim my jacket and personal items from the conveyor and cinch my belt before losing my pants while searching for a place to put on my shoes, I realize that someone is trying to get my attention: I have neglected to reclaim my shoulder bag, still on the conveyor and holding up progress. Who, me?

Soon enough I realize I am way early for my flight, having planned ahead and allowed time for unforeseen delays, crowds and emergencies, conditioned and bullied by travel industry warnings that instruct early arrival so that they will have the extra time to make their agenda work for them. You, however, risk being locked out of your flight should you arrive at the gate later than 15 or 20 minutes before scheduled departure.

Now I must spend the next two hours among a milling, grazing, murmuring drove of travelers, most of whom are occupied with handheld personal devices that draw their attentions into a world other than the one they physically occupy. Finally I am again herded into a loading aisle and onto an inclined passageway that leads me to my assigned and limited corral space, thinking it a miracle that I have reached my allotted confine without having been prodded with an electric stick, branded, inoculated, or moreover, castrated. Once seated I discover there is a metal box mounted under the seat in front of me having something to do with the distribution of the passenger media network, easily taking up half of the limited foot room. I'd like a word or two with the design engineers who decided this was a good idea. Only then do I register that my regular morning routine has been shuttled asunder by travel anxiety and I haven't been able to move my bowels, heralding a possible onset of constipation that, together with the coming change of diet, might require days to return to normal. Immediately following wheels-up, the seat back in front of me is reclined into my lap while an unruly child kicks at the back of my seat. I try to relax. It's only six hours to Seattle.

And so my pilgrimage gets underway. Bon voyage!

* * *

What is it that would make a man of advancing years voluntarily undergo such deprivation? As pointed out, I have only a single travel choice if I am to see and visit with friends and loved ones who don't share my island. I convince myself that these are small sacrifices when measured against human interaction in the flesh and I will brace myself to the lack of comforts in order to keep personal connections alive and thriving so long as I am physically able. I well remember the days when virtually everyone in America smoked cigarettes (I do not excuse myself as once a participant in this lunacy), in airports, planes, bathrooms . . . everywhere people breathed, people smoked. Airlines eventually graduated to smoking sections within the aircraft as though you were somehow protected from smoke contamination if you were seated a row or two away from the smoking rows! I would not trade the lack of comforts, the target of my plentiful bitching, for an airplane filled with cigarette smoke.

My wife on the other hand was born to travel, whether with me, alone or with a group, and is only mildly bothered, if at all, by the modern processes I rail against. She refers to our bank account as “wings,” giving her the freedom to fly, and further believes that money is not much good for anything else. A keen researcher with an advanced degree in the packing arts, she is able to conquer space allowances, websites and rules; she makes everything work within a designated framework and manages to deal with whatever obstructions present themselves. She is also a scholar when it comes to interpreting, preparing for, and dealing with bureaucratic nonsense, in our country and others (try dealing with the state of Hawaii when you travel with a dog). She is unfazed by the specter of a 12-hour (or more) flight, seated in coach, eagerly awaiting those rewards that come to her when she travels. That she packs my bag and handles travel arrangements for me—calendar, flights, airline miles, cars, maps, hotels—the full catastrophe—gives me the courage to step into this world when I travel by myself. Still, there is no anti-anxiety drug that will compete with the reassuring presence of my wife by my side on a journey.

It was my old pal, Harry, a true friend for many years, now pushing well into his eighties without apology, railing against convention and shaking his fist at the vagaries of encroaching age, who all but demanded that I come for a visit at Raven's Haven, his rustic home on the Olympic Peninsula. Situated on a cliff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and distant Vancouver Island and surrounded by forest, it is Harry's perfect scenic hideaway. I purposely put off a visit as long as I could, knowing how cold it can be up there until well into springtime. I of course tried to turn the tables, urging Harry to come enjoy the blue waters and sun drenched beaches of Maui. But, sadly, Harry lost his mate some years ago and has no one to ease his well entrenched vision of travel as a sheer horror experience. I think he'd sooner vote Republican or do 30 days jail time rather than board an airplane. Older and wiser than me, and knowing well the lack of comforts one must put up with, the possibility of travel for Harry was not open for discussion. He has spent his professional life practicing law in San Francisco, the Napa Valley and Washington and stays occupied by continuing to practice today, albeit he keeps his calendar scaled back considerably from what it once was.

My wife pushed me along, warning that I should go and get it while it's still there, at the same time easing her own conscience about our travel inequities, though doubtless she would plan her next journey in my absence. We would prefer to travel together, but that requires we have a capable surrogate at home that we are currently without, meaning one or the other of us has to be here to see to the smooth running of the farm and to provide for our animals. In the meantime she is simply more courageous than I, more demanding when it comes to a change of scenery, and less concerned with a temporary abandonment of daily comforts.

* * *

If I am going to travel to the mainland of these United States, I am also going to visit my daughter, Tracy, a doctor of veterinary medicine who lives in Napa, California. She is my favorite daughter, okay, my only daughter, and I dote on her like the president does his Ivanka. It is the single virtue I've found worthy of celebration in the remarkable swine, our only link in common: he appears to love his daughter, which, by the way, does not qualify her as a key presidential adviser.

In her early 50's Tracy still possesses all those things I saw in her when she was growing up, a love of people, animals, music, beauty and order. Always bright and capable, she applies herself diligently to whatever occupies her attentions, whether a doctoral thesis or the construction of a new back gate to her patio. She plays a 5-string banjo, harmonica and a mandolin, and to some extent she embraces the same music she grew up with, much of which, of course, spilled over from me. Imagine my surprise when, a little over a year ago, she bought herself a new Fender Stratocaster, an amplifier and all the accouterments, and took up the study of electric guitar so she could play in a rock and roll band. I planned my journey to include a gala club performance by Tracy and her band in Napa.

* * *

The journey will start with a flight to Seattle where I will rent a car and find my way to the ferry that will deliver me across Puget Sound, heading west to Raven's Haven, about ten miles beyond the town of Port Angeles. I will pass through Sequim, a town whose name requires no “e” in order to spell it as it is pronounced, but there it is anyway just to puzzle and give visitors from afar something new to think about. If it's not yet plain on the face of things, I am, indeed, a confirmed and practicing Luddite, declining attachment to social media and the modern digital devices new to my generation. It is beyond my any notion or appreciation to think I would need the assistance of a global positioning satellite in order to find Raven's Haven, a place I have visited on multiple occasions. I immediately disprove my hypothesis by choosing a freeway out of Seattle that does not intersect with my initial destination, Edmonds, where I intend to catch the ferry. I am instead headed to Canada, a pilgrim in the great Pacific Northwest, beset with anxiety over my first directional fuckup, cursing my home computer for providing a document with graphics too small for these aged eyes to clearly make out. Miles later there is an intersecting highway that seems at least to head in a direction other than Canada and I blindly take it. I luck out. After another five miles or so I encounter signage for the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry. Sweet relief floods my being, replacing the lost-in-the-woods anxiety. I am saved.

The ferry ride is a delight, an abundance of room, decks and sitting rooms to prowl. The fog horn lets out a terrific blast just overhead and gives me a fearsome start. I watch a harbor seal play in our wake and enjoy a cup of the best Boston-style clam chowder I've had in many a year. It all adds to the feel of new surroundings and a journey through an invigorating and enchanting land. A couple of hours later I was able to find Raven's Haven with only one more misstep, convincing myself I had traveled too far west before taking a turn to the coast, doubling back and doing it again.

THE INTERNET

When the internet first became part of everyday life in the late 1990s, it was celebrated as a wondrous new publishing machine, an amalgam of printing press and broadcaster that would radically democratize the means of communication at virtually zero cost. As any blogger or YouTube star can confirm, this dream didn’t die altogether, but neither did it capture what would turn out to be a more distinctive characteristic of the emerging technology. Twenty years on, it has become clear that the internet is less significant as a means of publishing than a means of archiving. More and more of our behavior is being captured and stored, from the trace we leave in online searches, the photos we share and ‘like’ on social media platforms to the vast archive of emails and tweets to which we contribute day after day. This massive quantity of information sits there, ready to be interpreted, if only something coherent can be extracted from the fog. It makes possible a new, panoramic way to assess people, now that evidence of their character can be retrieved from the past – a fact that hasn’t escaped consumer credit-rating firms or government border agencies.

YouTube, Spotify, Google Books and so on put decades’ worth, sometimes centuries’ worth, of ‘content’ at our fingertips. One effect of this is the compression of historical time. ‘Is it really fifty years since Sergeant Pepper?’ you may ask. But the time lapse feels immaterial. The internet turns up a perpetual series of anniversaries, disparate moments from disparate epochs, and presents them all as equivalent and accessible in the here and now. ‘In 1981,’ the late cultural theorist Mark Fisher wrote in Ghosts of My Life (2014), ‘the 1960s seemed much further away than they do today.’ Facebook extends this logic to people’s own personal history, informing them of what banal activity they were engaged in this time last year, or eight years ago. The archive isn’t merely available to us; it actively pursues us.

William Davis, London Review of Books

A READER WRITES:

I have closely observed my cats and dogs my entire life...I do not think an active sex life is a happy thing for them, just a drive that rules them. I am happier by far not being lead around by my hormones, and most older guys might feel the same if they had the balls to admit it. Intact tom cats also spray an awful musk in your house. The first cat I had, in NYC, sprayed a pal's fur coat while mating with it while we smoked hash...the cat had already eaten part of the hash brick...the smell never came out of the coat even after multiple dry cleanings, that I paid for....lesson learned. Tom cats, with balls, also kill kittens whenever they can, not a nice death. If they manage to attain old age, they are at the mercy of predators. Intact dogs roam more, get lost, hit by cars, get attacked by other males, pee in the house, and produce usually unwanted pups. Please oh please do not encourage this neglect. The guys strutting around town with rotts or pitts sporting huge balls usually have small dicks and are wanna be tough guys....

ON-LINE REACTION to massive Trinity County pot raid: "I used to hunt in the area of this eradication, but stopped after repeated confrontations with large grows. Couldn’t believe the damage these things cause – creeks pumped dry, chemical containters everywhere, poaching, etc. – not to mention the risk of getting killed. Keep it up LEOs and Forest Service (and if you see one of these type grows, report it directly to the Forest Service field office, they do respond)."

LIBRARY EVENTS

Adulting 101: Everyday Life Skills for Ages 16-25

Friday, June 23^rd 2 pm: Finance Know-How

Friday, July 7^th 2pm: How to Get that Job!

Friday, July 14^th 2pm: How to Shop & Cook for Yourself

Friday, July 21^st 2pm: How to Succeed at your New Job

Friday, August 11^th 2pm: Everyday Adulting Skills

Adulting is hard work! Teens and new adults (16-25) are invited to the Ukiah Library to learn everyday life skills in a hands-on, interactive fun atmosphere to better prepare them for the world of adulting. Get ahead this summer and learn some tips and tricks for making it on your own in the world.

The Ukiah Library is proud to partner with Financial Educator Greg Gates Jr. @CashChatSnap to present this class series. Registration is required; please call 463-4490 to sign up!

All classes and events are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library. For more information about the Ukiah Library Summer Reading Program, please contact: Melissa Eleftherion Carr at 707-467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us.

Free Jiu-Jitsu/ Self-Defense Classes

for Teens @ Mendo Training Center

Tuesday, June 20^th 2:30 pm

Tuesday, July 25^th 2:30 pm

Tuesday, August 8^th 2:30 pm

The Ukiah Library is proud to partner with Mendo Training Center to offer free jiu-jitsu/self-defense classes for teens this summer as part of the Library's Summer Learning Program! Classes will be taught by Nate Montano.

The class schedule is as follows:

June 20^th @ 2:30pm

July 25th @ 2:30pm

August 8th @ 2:30pm

Registration is required, please call 463-4490 to sign up! For more information about the Ukiah Library Summer Reading Program, please contact: Melissa Eleftherion Carr at 707-467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us.

* * *

4 Shillings Short Concert

On Saturday, August 5^th at 3pm the Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch is hosting a concert with musical duo “4 Shillings Short.”

Formed by international husband and wife pair Aodh Oh O’Tuama and Christy Martin, 4 Shillings Short performs a mix of traditional and original music from the Celtic Lands, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, India and the Americas. The audience will be able to hear a range of instruments from the Hammered and Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Tinwhistles, Recorders, Medieval and Renaissance Woodwinds, North Indian Sitar, Andean Charango, Medieval Psaltery, Banjo, Bodhran, Guitar, Ukelele, Percussion, and even a Krumhorn.

This concert is family-friendly and free to the public!

Aodh Og O’Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians and writers. He received his degree in Music from University College Cork, Ireland and received a Fellowship from Stanford University in California in Medieval and Renaissance performance. He plays Tinwhistles, Medieval & Renaissance woodwinds, Recorders, Doumbek (from Morocco), bowed Psaltery, Spoons and sings both in English, Gaelic & French.

Christy Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. From the age of 15, she studied North Indian Sitar for 10 years, 5 of them with a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar. She began playing the Hammered Dulcimer in her 20’s and has studied with Maggie Sansone, Dan Duggan, Cliff Moses, Robin Petrie, Tony Elman and Glen Morgan. In addition she plays Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Banjo, Guitar, Bodhran (Irish frame drum), Charango, bowed Psaltery and sings in English, Irish, Spanish and Sanskrit.

* * *

A GENE PALENO BOOK SIGNING

On Thursday, August 3^rd at 6:30 pm, local author and UDJ columnist, Gene Paleno, will read excerpts from his new book, The Wish Machine.

“In the 35 years he’s been writing, he has written books about history, science-fiction and fantasy. “To know our past is to be prepared for our future. Science -fiction and fantasy give us a ringside seat on the future,” says Gene.

Science fiction has always been Gene’s first love. He’s written a score of novels and stories about parallel worlds, the meaning of time, time travel, artificial intelligence, intelligent alien life and fantasy. The Wish Machine has just been released.”

THE WISH MACHINE

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and change a part of your life? With Dr. Samson Candella's Wish Machine you can. The Wish Machine is a doorway to your past. The Wish Machine can transport you to any past moment you wish. You will have your same body but at the younger age you were in that past. What is more, you keep your present awareness and knowledge.

You enter an alternate reality. It's a near perfect duplicate of this world and every bit as real as this one. Once there, you can change anything you wish. You may be there for years but you will return to the present within an hour, none the worse for wear and tear.

After a dozen trials with volunteers Dr. Candella enters his own invention. He, like most of us, wants to right a mistake he made when he was young and foolish. He succeeds… but at a cost not imagined.

* * *

LOBA: a Poetry Reading Series

featuring Sharon Coleman!

(Open Mic follows)

Saturday, July 29^th 3 pm

Join us for a reading with Berkeley-based poet Sharon Coleman! A writer for Poetry Flash, Sharon will be visiting the Ukiah Library to read from her recent books, Half Circle and Paris Blinks. Open mic follows. Teens & adults are invited to share poems in any form or style.

A feminist epic by Diane di Prima, LOBA is a visionary epic quest for the reintegration of the feminine, hailed by many as the great female counterpart to Allen Ginsberg's Howl when the first half appeared in 1978. Loba, "she-wolf" in Spanish explores the wilderness at the heart of experience, through the archetype of the wolf goddess, elemental symbol of complete self-acceptance.

Sharon Coleman's a fifth-generation Northern Californian with a penchant for languages and their entangled word roots. She writes for Poetry Flash, co-curates the reading series Lyrics & Dirges and co-directs the Berkeley Poetry Festival. She is the author of a chapbook of poetry, Half Circle, and a book of micro-fiction, Paris Blinks, that came out from Paper Press in 2016.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information – please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us

POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 25, 2017

Mayor Scott Ignacio ~ Vice Mayor Barbara Burkey ~ Richey Wasserman ~ Anna Dobbins ~ Jonathan Torrez

Agenda - July 25, 2017

Regular Session - 6:00pm

REGULAR SESSION

6:00 P.M.

I. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL

II. READING. Councilmember Wasserman

III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

IV. MAYOR’S REPORTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

V. COUNCIL REPORTS

1. City-Related Travel Reports

2. Council Committee & Commission Reports+ Independence Weekend Celebration Report(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=e31056c95a&e=d0e3cdc057)

VI. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD)

VII. CONSENT CALENDARA. Approval of Minutes-1. Regular Council Meeting of June 27, 20172. Treasurer’s Report for June 2017

VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS - Public Hearings are scheduled for a time certain of 6:00 P.M. or soon thereafter unless noticed otherwise, or as soon thereafter as possible. All items listed under IX are for discussion and possible action.

A) CASE: CDP # 2017-01(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=c4572b198a&e=d0e3cdc057)DATE FILED: June 30, 2017

* OWNERS/APPLICANTS: 610 LLC/Jeffrey Hansen

* AGENT: Jeffrey Hansen* ZONING: Core Commercial (CC)

* REQUEST: Convert existing first story commercial offices/retail to restaurant; add exterior deck and place required water storage tanks for fire suppression.* APN: 027-121-25-00.

* ADDRESS: 153 Main Street, Point Arena

* LOCATION: In the Coastal Zone, in the City of Point Arena, Mendocino County, located on the west side of Main Street, approximately 90 feet south west of its intersection with Mill StreetRecommendation:

1. Determine Proper Notice

2. Hold Public Hearing3. Consider approval of CDP #2017-01IX.

PRESENTATIONS & ACTION ITEMS. All Items in this Section May Be Action Items

A) Cal-Trans Presentation on Garcia River Floodplain Engineered Feasibility Study (EFS)(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=15b884e131&e=d0e3cdc057)Recommendation: Receive and discuss presentation

B) Report on the Annual Review of Sewer ESDs per Connection

(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=85f9726cd8&e=d0e3cdc057)

Recommendation:

1. Take affected property owner’s input.

2. Approve ESD adjustments or Direct Staff to make revisions.

C) Capital Projects Discussion(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=ade706f7c7&e=d0e3cdc057)Recommendation:

1. Review & Discuss the preliminary Capital Improvement Project (CIP) List2. Direct staff for further work to be presented as part of the Final2017-2018 Budget adoption at the August 22 City Council Meeting.

D) Report on City Treasurer Position Recruitment(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=33cc031552&e=d0e3cdc057)Recommendation: Implement staff recommended Policy

X. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS - All Items in this Section May Be Action ItemsA) Resolution 2017-14 Designation of Applicant’s Agent for Non-StateAgencies(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=a20bc167db&e=d0e3cdc057)

Recommendation: Approve Resolution 2017-14

B) Resolution 2017-15 Resolution Commenting on Review of the National Marine Sanctuaries(http://cityofpointarena.us14.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=c164a8c82a2a5af8db4de85b1&id=6660179095&e=d0e3cdc057)Recommendation: Discuss & Approve resolution 2017-15

XI. CITY MANAGER/CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS

XII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS (next 45 days)1. Next Regular Meeting Date: August 22, 20172. Final Budget approval for 2017-20183. Capital Projects Approval4. RFP for Pier piling repair

XIII. CLOSED SESSIONA) Conference with Real Property Negotiators pursuant to GC §54956.8:Property: APN 027-10-113. Negotiator: Richard Shoemaker, City Manager.Negotiating Parties: City of Point Arena and Verizon California, Inc.Subject Matter: Instructions regarding terms of potential lease agreement.B) Conference with Real Property Negotiators pursuant to GC §54956.8:Property: Tidal Lands at Arena Cove. Negotiator: Richard Shoemaker, CityManager. Negotiating Parties: City of Point Arena and State LandsCommission. Subject Matter: Lease of tidal lands in Arena Cove.C) Performance Evaluation pursuant to GC §54957: City Manager.

XIV. ADJOURNMENT