Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018

• Record High
• Cell Tower
• Darren & Ringo
• Ed Notes
• Chinese Herbalist
• Mendocino Coastline
• HSU Finances
• Mendocino Environs
• Fort Bragg Homeless
• Little Dog
• Mountain Lions
• Yesterday's Catch
• Point Reyes
• Smoking Risk
• Contrived Performance
• Oil Lobby
• Marco Radio
• Honolulu Pupu

A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE of 84 degrees was set in Ukiah yesterday, surpassing the old Feb 3 record of 75 degrees, set in 1954. The previous two days (Feb 1 and 2) Ukiah reached 77 degrees, which tied and broke the record highs for those days.

A HOLMES RANCH (Philo) couple has applied to install a cell phone tower on their ridge top property in the face of neighbor opposition and in apparent violation of the Holmes Ranch Association’s rules.

THE APPLICATION:

Sean & Lynn Mullen
15001 Kramer Ln.
Philo, CA 95466

November 27, 2017

Holmes Ranch Association Board
P.O. Box 275
Philo, CA 95466

RE: Installation of a Cell Phone Tower

Dear Holmes Ranch Board,

Over the past number of months we have been working with AT&T to explore the installation of a phone and internet tower on our property. This involves AT&T leasing a portion of our parcel (approximately 2,000 sq. ft.) for the tower and its environment. We will receive monthly rent in exchange. The goals for this endeavor include:

(1) Safety and Infrastructure: Improved phone coverage for safety within HRA and our community at large, for both mobile networks and broadband internet. The recent fires in Mendocino county have shown more redundancy is needed when it comes to coverage for residents.

(2) Better Technology Options: HRA, and more broadly our community of Anderson Valley, is in desperate need of additional, reliable, internet and data options.

(3) Responsible Installation: We’ve identified an ideal spot on our property that is easily accessed, but will leverage surrounding trees and vegetation to conceal the tower location. Additionally, AT&T will put forth a substantial investment to construct the tower to appear as a natural tree (monopine). You may view the proposed site location by pasting these coordinates into an online map program: 39.135046, -123.499638

It goes without saying there are a number of concerns that we as homeowners have about a project like this. We would never undertake a project that would damage the long-term safety of our family, or the enjoyment of our land. We have done our due diligence, weighed pros and cons, and decided to move forward. We understand that there could be questions and concerns from the Membership concerning our plans.

With that in mind, we would like to invite the Membership to discuss this project in person on Thursday, December 14 at 5:30pm, at our home. There will be a representative of AT&T on hand to answer technical questions and provide details on specifications.

Thank you for your consideration!

Respectfully,

Sean and Lynn Mullen

* * *

KATHY BAILEY neatly summarizes neighborhood objections:

Proposed 110-Foot Cell Tower on Holmes Ranch

To Whom It May Concern:

My family and I live at the corner of Nash Mill and Clow Ridge Roads on what is usually referred to as the Nash Ranch. My property adjoins the Holmes Ranch on two sides. Recently, I have become aware of the proposal to locate a cell tower on the Holmes Ranch nearby and uphill to my home where we have lived for approximately 31 years. I have had the opportunity to review many of the documents presented to the members of the Holmes Ranch Association and have spoken with several people who live near the proposed site of the 110 foot tower. Based on my review so far, I have a number of concerns.

Health: Although citations provided by the project proponents minimize the possible health risks of cell towers, a review of other information online indicates that the science on this question is not settled and that while being ½ mile away is probably OK, being less than 1500 feet away is potential concerning. We are within that distance of concern. Sleeplessness and irritability are regularly cited as problems.

According to the proposal documents, the Radio Frequency (RF) radiation from the tower will be directed downhill. This is exactly where my home is located. Our bedroom windows face in the direction of the proposed cell tower and based on the provided information, our home will be receiving a relatively concentrated dose of the tower’s emissions. The idea of being continuously flooded with these waves every night when we sleep or use the bedrooms, in addition to inevitable daytime exposure, is very disturbing for us. Additionally, as many as two additional sets of antennae could be located in the future on the same mast due to the principle of Co-location, presumably tripling the amount of RF radiation emanating from the tower. We do not wish to be in a “sacrifice zone” so someone else can have better cell reception. I am not at all surprised that property owners close to the proposed cell tower are also very concerned.

Visuals: We are unlikely to be too troubled by the looming 11-story-tall industrial cell tower apparatus because it will be somewhat shielded by patchy tree cover at many locations from our 40-acre property. However, I think the idea that this massive structure will fade into the background for Holmes Ranch residents because of the “mono-pine” design will prove to be a complete fantasy. Anyone coming around the corner below the vineyard will be very aware of the cell tower. It will be 24 feet in diameter at the base and significantly above the adjacent canopy. I am attaching some photos of other mono-pine towers and have concentrated on photos that indicate the height of the mono-pine. (See below.) While I could not find one that says it is 110 feet tall, one of the examples is 70 feet and another is 80 feet. So one would mentally add another 30-40 feet onto the photos. For height reference, the typical utility pole around here is approximately 30 feet tall, so this tower will be close to 4 times as high and much more massive around.

Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs): Although my own property is not covered by the Holmes Ranch CC&Rs I have had the opportunity to review the most current version and find it bizarre that the Association officers would not immediately recognize that the cell tower proposal is a “nuisance” for neighboring owners who object to it on very reasonable grounds, including loss of aesthetic values, loss of resale value, and significant reasonable health concerns. This is an 11-story industrial tower in plain sight. Several adjacent and nearby parcel owners object to it.

Article 3 “Use Restrictions,” Section 3.1 “Nuisance” states in pertinent part:

“No illegal, noxious or offensive activities shall be carried out or conducted upon any Lot or Common Area nor shall anything be done within the Project which is or can become an unreasonable annoyance or nuisance to neighboring Owners.” [Emphasis added.]

Even without referring to definitions outside the document, one can reasonably believe that feeling unsafe in one’s own home rises to the very low standard of “annoyance” identified in the CCRs. Further, according to Google the definition of “nuisance” is:

“a person, thing, or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance.

synonyms: annoyance, inconvenience, bore, bother, irritation, problem, trouble, trial, burden”

Does not that pretty much cover what many of the neighbors feel about the proposed cell tower?

Why, you may ask, am I interested in the Holmes Ranch CCRs and their interpretation? In addition to my concern for the well-being of those in my own home and that of my neighbors, back in the 1970s I worked for TJ Nelson and Assoc. and was one of the real estate agents who sold a number of parcels on the Holmes Ranch, including several in the immediate vicinity of the proposed cell tower. We always presented the CCRs to potential buyers as a mechanism to ensure that their property rights and property values would be protected in perpetuity. I can imagine the uncomfortable interpersonal dynamics of the tower proponent being the current head of the Home Owners Association, but this does not relieve the other members of the Board from exercising their discretion in this matter. If this were a junk-car parking lot proposal, one presumes board members would easily deem it a nuisance. Instead it is a much larger and more permanent industrial facility being proposed, which neighboring owners object to. It is most certainly a “problem, irritation, annoyance, and burden” for these owners. It is, in fact, a “nuisance,” and is not allowed under the CC&Rs.

When to Act: It has come to my attention that the HOA Board proposes not to consider the matter further until after the proposal has gone to the Mendocino County Planning Commission. Once Mendocino County approves the tower, the HOA proposes to only then solicit members’ opinion prior to signing the license agreement for the use of Association Roads. By the time one reaches this stage, ATT will have invested a very significant amount of time and trouble in trying to get their tower approved. Based on previous actions by Mendocino County it is highly likely to be approved. The only purpose served by putting off the consultation with parcel owners is to make it that much more difficult to turn down the project on the basis of “nuisance.” By taking this approach, the Board is abdicating its responsibility to enforce the CCRs.

Alternatives: Less than two years ago Verizon put up a large cell tower near the corner of Signal Ridge and Greenwood Road, which is visible with the naked eye on the ridgeline. This dramatically increased coverage, including in most of the places the Holmes Ranch ATT tower is supposed to improve. Co-location on that tower could be considered. If that is not feasible, I strongly recommend that ATT should make a serious effort to find a location that does not negatively affect the well-being, peace of mind, and property values of so many residents both on the Holmes Ranch and nearby. As it was when it first came on the market in the early 1970s, the Holmes Ranch is the most well-designed and desirable development of residential parcels in Anderson Valley, if not in all of Mendocino County. It would be a tremendous shame to allow a major permanent blight on the landscape that this cell tower will be.

Conclusion:

Now is the time for the HOA Board to consult with Holmes Ranch property owners about whether to support or oppose as a nuisance the cell tower proposal. This should not be a “majority rules” situation because those on the bottom of the ranch will not be much affected by the tower. However, if even one nearby parcel owner believes the cell tower proposal is an “annoyance,” “problem,” “trouble,” “burden,” that is, a “nuisance,” the HOA should reject the proposal and allow ATT to find somewhere else to put its tower.

Sincerely,

Kathy Bailey, Philo

PETS OF THE WEEK

Ringo is a happy dog who will welcome you home with wags and smiles every day. He’s also very smart and eager to please. Ringo is a 1 year old, neutered male, mixed breed dog. Ringo is young and energetic and will need room to romp and daily exercise. This gorgeous guy is a catch! (Photo by Rod Coots.)

Quick, what’s that? I’ll just go and investigate! Oooh oooh, what’s going on over there?! Did you hear that? This world is a very exciting place and I’m ready to check it all out! In between my playing, I’ll make time to give you plenty of love too! My name is Darren and I am a 1 year old, neutered, male, silver tabby cat looking for a home of my very own to explore.

The Ukiah Animal Shelter is located at 298 Plant Road in Ukiah; adoption hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 am to 4:30 pm and Wednesday till 6:30 pm. To view photos and bios of our adoptable dogs and cats, please us visit online at www.mendoanimalshelter.com or visit the shelter. Join us the 2nd 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.

ED NOTES

FOOTING IT UP the steepest hill in the area, the sun rising at my back, a sudden shadow approached rapidly from directly behind me, causing me, in a reaction of pure paranoia, to whirl to confront whatever it was. I've never seen another soul on this stretch of mountain. The looming shadow was a woman of about fifty. I startled her as much as she had startled me. "I'm sorry," I joked, "I thought you might have been the Reaper." As she bustled past, she asked, "The Raper?" She was already so far past me I had to shout, "No, no. I meant the Grim Reaper. You know, death?" Uh oh. The poor woman's out for morning exercise and some old lunatic accosts her with talk of rape and death. "Whatever," she yelled back over her shoulder. I took that as, well, whatever.

* * *

SHALL THE CIRCLE be unbroken! It won't be broken by me, certainly. As a candidate for the KZYX board of directors I'm like the bar drunk who starts a fight with Mike Tyson. If I'm lucky I might get in half a punch before I'm knocked out. Which is why I'm running, to get in a punch or two at what amounts to a secret society, complete with a blacklist, an unreadable budget undoubtedly hiding fiscal imprudence if not fraud, life-time programmers, virtually no opportunity for listeners to talk back, press release "news," and an administration that costs somewhere upwards of $250,000 out of annual take of about $600,000.

PAT KOVNER of Laytonville, an old friend from way back in the Cahto Mountain protests, is the other dissident candidate. We're both members but not members, you might say. We're members because we paid our dues but we're not members and couldn't possibly be members because we don't share the assumptions of The Circle. The Circle has put up shoo-in candidates of its own. One guy is a programmer whose wife, Meg Courtney, just went off the board but remains forever in spirit; another guy is a hyphenate with its implications of Scott Simon-ism, always a bad sign; and the third candidate is a lady named Vinyard, and you'll never hear a critical word about industrial booze-making on this public radio station, so who better to oversee it than a Vinyard?

HERE'S WHAT I WOULD AGITATE FOR:

1. An end to the station’s lengthy blacklist.
2. An honest, fully explained budget.
3. The combining of the positions of general manager and program director into one position for one salary.
4. A morning news hour focused entirely on local matters, thus giving locals a reason to tune in, thus expanding the membership (static for years now).
5. Increased visibility of the station beyond the in-County lib-pwog echo chamber it presently is.
6. Prompt, candid replies from management to all inquiries.
7. A requirement that each board member bring in at least one new member every month.
8. A working person’s membership at $20 a year.
9. Basic civility from all employees.

FONG WAN’S HERBS

by Malcolm Macdonald

You never know what you'll run across. While researching other matters I found this item in a March, 1925 publication, with the headline, “Woman Turned to Stone.”

Who could resist reading on to learn about a woman from Iowa: “Mrs. Mary McCormick, social leader at Charlton, Ia., died of one of the rarest diseases known to medical science, neuritis deformans, physicians say. Ossification set in six weeks before death and Mrs. McCormick's body had practically turned to stone. Her mouth was closed, and being unable to eat, she literally starved.”

Digging a bit into the life of this Mary McCormick, one finds that she had attained that “social leader” status despite having died before her twenty-fifth birthday. Her mother died in her thirties and Mary's sister passed away at twenty-one. Perhaps the ossification problems were related to genetics. There is seemingly no record of Mrs. McCormick's (maiden name: Pulley) husband's first name, so we can't rule out, “Lot.”

In the “I'm not making this up category,” on the very same page of a reputable newspaper of the 1920s, this short closing item, with a London byline: “In order to discover the action of food poisons on the human stomach, Bruce White, brilliant young English university professor, drank a test tube filled with deadly microbes.”

As it turns out Phillip Bruce White was the scientist's full name. Swallowing the test tube contents didn't kill him. In fact, the following year, 1926, he published a schema for classifying salmonella bacteria. His work would be followed up on by Danish microbiologist Fritz Kauffmann.

Though western medicine and science has made many advances thanks to people like Phillip Bruce White, in general, Brits and Americans have long been skeptical of the benefits brought to us from the so-called Far East. In the United States, and California in particular, persecution of folks with Chinese, Japanese, or other Asian ancestry has proven a time-honored tradition. Anglo-American bigotry in relation to anti-Chinese exclusionary laws from the 1870s on into the 20^th Century have been fairly well documented. One of the lesser known examples of Anglo-American greed and corruption occurred through the political processes of our very own California state government at about the same time as Dr. White's experiments with salmonella bacteria.

Fong Wan was a Chinese herbalist, who learned his trade from an uncle who had practiced in San Francisco in the late 1800s. Fong Wan had been born in Guandong province in southern China. His father bought his sea fare and seventeen year old Fong arrived in San Francisco in 1900. At first he made money on the streets hawking views of the moon through a paper telescope at a nickel a look. The instrument had cost him a seventy-five cent initial investment. Purportedly, Fong averaged $3.75 a night in profit from the telescope.

His uncle allowed Fong Wan access to hundreds of volumes of ancient Chinese books on herbology. In 1912 Fong Wan opened his first herb shop in Santa Rosa. In 1916 he moved to Oakland, then later set up a store on Stockton Street in The City as his uncle had done before. The business grew, with Anglo customers as well as first and second generation Chinese-Americans. His venture grew so popular that a group of 1925 state senators and assemblymen concocted a scheme to extort $10,000 from him.

In testimony before a legislative body investigating the matter Fong Wan stated that Oakland Assemblyman William Brackett appeared at Fong's office on January 12, 1925, attempting to secure $10,000 in order to squelch an anti-herb bill in the legislature. The money was to be divided between Brackett, Assemblyman Edward Smith, and State Senator Edgar Hurley.

Fong Wan responded to Brackett by telling him that $10,000 was too much and that he needed to see a copy of the bill. Bracket returned with a pencil copy. Fong insisted on an actual copy and repeated that he would not pay $10,000. The next time Brackett showed the extortion price had dropped to $5,000. Fong refused. The price dropped to $4,000 and still Fong Wan balked.

The herbalist viewed Brackett as a mere go-between for Assemblyman Smith and tipped Brackett off before going to the authorities. At the committee hearings, another San Francisco herbalist, Lee Schuck, gave a remarkably similar account about the lawmakers attempts to extort money from him as well.

Fong Wan went on to sell his herbs for decades to come despite battles with the state board of medical examiners, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Federal Trade Commission. He not only thrived in the world of herbal medicine but added real estate investments, restaurants and night clubs to his list of businesses. Ads for Fong Wan's herbs appeared in papers like the Chronicle through the 1950s. They often took the form of testimonials from customers past and present. The numerous testimonials served double duty, promotion and ready evidence against the next court case filed against him.

(No stone left unturned at malcolmmacdonaldoutlawford.com.)

MENDOCINO

(photo by Judy Valadao)

HUMBOLDT STATE IS HURTING

Dear University Community,

At this afternoon’s Budget Open Forum, information was shared about the challenges we face as we seek to balance our budget in coming years. Because some could not attend, I want to provide you an overview of what was presented and to let you know where you can find additional information.

Humboldt State is facing a looming financial crisis based on a combination of intersecting factors: The changing higher education landscape, insufficient state funding, looming economic downturn, increasing mandatory costs, fluctuating enrollment, and deficit spending. The campus has held a series of open forum meetings to discuss how these factors have impacted the financial landscape on the campus.

The University community is committed to our shared responsibility in promoting student success, equity and diversity, fiscal stability, and stewardship. HSU resolves to address the financial limitations of the foreseeable future while emphasizing the values of outstanding education and evidence of student learning, teaching excellence, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s linkages to local and regional communities and cultures.

In short, due primarily to ongoing deficit spending in some areas, unfunded increases in salary and benefits, a continued decline in enrollment, and projections based on the recent state budget for 2018-19 proposed by the Governor (which Chancellor White called “concerning and surprising”).

The Phase I budget reductions, which were implemented this year, and the planned reductions now being considered for Phase II are an important starting point in addressing this problem. As we entered this year, we had reduced expenditures by about $1.5 million, and progress was being made on an additional $2.8 million in reductions.

Now, based on the Governor’s budget, enrollment projections, and other factors, HSU’s Budget Office estimates we are facing a $7 million deficit during 2018-19 that would grow to a $9 million deficit in 2019-20. To put this in perspective, our overall operating budget is about $134 million this year, and we currently have just over $6 million in operating reserves.

If we do not address this deficit now, we will face a fiscal emergency. In the meeting today, the following immediate, short-term, and long-term actions were announced:

Immediate steps:

• Implement a 5% reduction in current year operating expense budgets (non-personnel)
• No tenure-line faculty position requests for fall 2019
• Hiring chill: All staff and administrator hiring requests continue to be approved by Cabinet with the intent of reducing recruitments over the next 18 months
• Academic Programs and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will assist the Colleges in building fall 2018 and spring 2019 class schedules that align available instructional resources with student course need
• All General Fund travel expenditures and other expenditures of $2,000 or more must be approved by the appropriate Vice President

Some short-term steps we will be taking:

• Cabinet will incorporate Phase II feedback into the February 22reduction plan
• University Resources & Planning Committee (URPC) is developing a budget oversight policy
• Benchmark and recalibrate our spending by category (FIRMS codes) based on CSU system data
• Reduce an estimated 40-50 budgeted staff and administrator positions
• Reduce temporary faculty appointments in fall 2018
• Reorganize or consolidate units and functions
• Identify and implement process improvements

And longer term steps:

• Complete and implement Strategic Enrollment Management plan
• Rigorous review of all programs (administrative and academic) on campus
• Integrated assessment, planning, and budget process
• Enhanced fundraising efforts

The President’s Cabinet will continue to consult and build upon the recommendations and feedback that have been part of the Phase II process to develop a proposed budget by February 22. The URPC will then review the plan and provide recommendations. I expect to approve the 2018-19 budget by March 29.

For additional context about these budget challenges, please see my prior message from July 19. For information on the CSU response to the Governor’s recent budget proposal, click here.

To view the slides from today’s presentation and additional information about the University’s budget, visit the Budget Office website. The sections on “Campus Budget Planning” and “URPC” contain updated documents and information on upcoming years.

I know it is difficult to contemplate these types of budget reductions for our campus as a whole, or for your particular area. For me, it helps to remain firmly focused on our shared values and commitments. We all want the very best for our students; we want them to have an outstanding educational experience and to achieve great success. I will do my part to keep our values and commitments at the forefront of our work as we move forward together.

With best wishes,

Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.

President

WARM MENDOCINO AFTERNOON

photos by Dick Whetstone (click to enlarge)

 

 

 

JAMES MARMON WRITES: Is the transient homeless population in Fort Bragg taking away services from more deserving local residents? Of the 49 homeless being temporarily housed in the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center’s emergency shelter or transitional housing, how many of them are actually from Ft. Bragg? Should HH be transitioning out of towners into the local Job Market when the unemployment rate among local homeless residents is so high? Should out of towners be first in line for permanent housing when there is so very little housing available for anyone?

According to Robert Marbut:

“The initial data for Fort Bragg revealed a total of 81 homeless individuals living within the city limits, 49 of whom are temporarily housed in the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center’s emergency shelter or transitional housing. The remaining 32 were adults experiencing street-level homelessness — i.e., living/sleeping on the streets, within encampments, parks, etc.”

“On average, individuals experiencing street-level homelessness have lived in Mendocino County for 18.6 years, and a median of 14.5 years. On average, 51.4% have family members living in Mendocino County and, when you add in family members who have passed on who had been living in Mendocino, the numbers move up to 61.9%. Relative to other communities, local family connectivity is very high among our street-level homeless population.”

“81.9% of the street-level homeless do not have a job now and 53.3% did not have a job in Mendocino County before experiencing homelessness. These are extremely low levels of employment both before and after the onset of homelessness.”

If the people of Fort Bragg can’t take care of their own, why in the hell would they want to take care of transients.

http://www.advocate-news.com/general-news/20180121/agencies-say-what-they-will-and-wont-do-on-mill-site-new-data-on-homeless

James Marmon, MSW

PS, If Marbut can only account for 200 homeless folks total between Ukiah and Fort Bragg, where are remainder of the 1,238 homeless people from last year’s “Point in Time” count hiding? In Willits?

LITTLE DOG SAYS, I was for sure globally warmed here in Boonville today, and me without air con in my igloo!

RONNIE JAMES OF Woodlands Wildlife began asking people to send in sightings (or sitings as the case may be) of local mountain lions in an effort to map out the various territories so people could be aware and take precautions (keep your children close, keep your animals inside, lock up your wildlife and dogs at night, don't let children walk in the woods alone). David is right that lions are constantly on the move and patrol their territory regularly, stopping to feed for a few days in one spot, then moving on to another. If you ever find a dead deer partly covered with grass or brush--get out of there ASAP. It's also impossible to know when the lion will wander through your part of its territory. Females will find a den in April or May and have their young. They do not wander far from that site for the first 4-5 months as the kittens are growing. During the spring and summer months we do get a lot of sightings, reports of missing cats, dogs and livestock centered around a few places near where the females have set up dens. My home is a part of a lion's territory and I love my cat and simply force my own standards on him by not allowing him outside. He's a house cat and he complains about that sometimes, but the neighbors have lost two cats and seen one lion walking off with their cat in its mouth, and I don't want to lose mine.

I'm the alpha cat at our house.

I doubt anyone is going to go out and shoot or hunt a mountain lion.

Firstly it's illegal to do so, and the fine is really steep. Secondly, they're very hard to find, and they don't just sit around--they are constantly on the move. Their birthing den is very well hidden in an inaccessible place--they are fairly intelligent and can figure out a safe place to hide their dens. When we post a sighting, it usually covers a rather broad area. Most sightings are made near people's homes--not a place where anyone is going to do any shooting (I hope).

There are many among us who are rightfully afraid or have suffered losses because of mountain lions. Believe me, if you happen to see one near you as you walk to your car or are out strolling on a trail--the hair stands up on the back of your neck and your blood pressure goes up really fast. If Fish & Wildlife (new name for Fish & Game) is called, they will not trap and kill it unless you can show them that the animal is killing livestock or actually threatening you in your home.

There is no such thing as trapping and releasing something elsewhere--it's illegal in California though it is a fantasy many people still like to believe. Usually we encounter a mountain lion by surprise--as much to us as to the animal. Backing away slowly is a good response, but our instinct is to run--not a good idea since they are stimulated by motion.

If it doesn't turn and run away from you, raise your arms, make yourself look large, hold your shirt or jacket up over your head, move close to other people (especially children) with you--and back away. At least this is the advice all the professionals give. I have never, in 40 years of wildlife work, heard of anyone who was stalked or attacked by a mountain lion here in northern California. Look at these beautiful creatures and enjoy them from inside your home or car. Aren't they the reason most people live here--to enjoy nature and wildlife?

CATCH OF THE DAY, February 3, 2018

SHASHANNA CAMPBELL, Ukiah. Vandalism.

DAVID CLEM, Ukiah. Failure to appear

GARY COOPER, Ukiah. Suspended license, probation revocation.

ROBERT DOUGLAS, Ukiah. County parole violation.

CHARLES HENSLEY, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

ABEL HERNANDEZ-VELASCO, Oakland/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

SCOTT JONES, Chicago/Ukiah. Pot possession for sale, pot sales/transport.

AARON KOSKI SR., Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

JAIME LOPEZ, Ukiah. Resisting.

SCOTT MAINGI, Ukiah. Under influence, parapheralia, vandalism.

JACQUELINE POLLARD, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

ALEXANDER POULIDES, Willits. Suspended license, failure to appear, probation revocation.

PEGGY RAND, Ukiah. Ukiah. Failure to appear.

JESSE RODRIGUEZ, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

MICHAEL STUMLEY, Caspar. DUI.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, Calpella. Parole violation.

JEREMY WALLACE, Richmond/Ukiah. DUI.

POINT REYES: It is not often that I travel to Point Reyes because, frankly, my mind is seldom in that place, but when I do go there I always enjoy myself. That is, if enjoy is the right word, driving down a road lined with fences that look like cemeteries lost half-vague and half-mercuric spiritual density.

–Richard Brautigan

SMOKE IS SMOKE

Editor:

It was jarring to see the large photo of the late Dennis Peron smoking marijuana, adjacent to the text of the article revealing that he died of lung cancer at the young age of 71.

Peron was apparently a tireless lifelong advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana and, no doubt, a hero to many. His passing is tragic, to be sure. However, we are reminded that, in a weed-friendly county such as ours, it is easy to overlook that smoking has its risks as well.

On its website, the American Lung Association states that “smoking marijuana clearly damages the human lung” and the AMA “strongly cautions the public against smoking marijuana as well as tobacco products.”

We should be particularly concerned when it comes to smoking and our youth (who are also at higher risk from marijuana’s potential negative neurological and cognitive effects).

Peron was a passionate man, committed to helping others. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Ann Clark

Sonoma

THE MYSTERY of the leader-as-performer is as ancient as civilization but in our time television has created a quantitative change in its nature; one of the oddest things about millions of lives now is that ordinary individuals, as never before in human history, are so surrounded — one might say, besieged — by acting. I can’t imagine how to prove this, but it seems to me that when one is surrounded by such a roiling mass of consciously contrived performances it gets harder and harder for a lot of people to locate reality anymore.

—Arthur Miller

BIG OIL'S TOP 3 SPENDERS SPENT $17.6 MILLION IN LOBBYING 'HUSH MONEY' IN 2017

by Dan Bacher

Every January 31 is a big day in documenting the play-to-pay politics that dominate politics in California, supposedly the nation’s “green leader.” That’s the deadline for all lobbyists and employers of lobbyists to file their financial reports from the previous year with the State of California.

The results are now in — and spending on influencing government officials in California amounted to a total of $339 million in 2017. That eclipses the previous record of $314.7 million set in 2015.

Big Oil dominated three out of the four top spots of expenditures by all lobbying organizations, according to documents from the California Secretary of State’s Office.

Outspending all of their competition, Chevron placed first with $8.2 million and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the trade association for the oil industry in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, spent $6.2 million. Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company finished fourth with $3.2 million. You can find the information on spending by employers of lobbyists here: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/...

That’s a total of $17.6 million dumped into lobbying by the three top oil industry lobbying organizations alone. That figure exceeds the $14,577,314 expended by all 16 oil lobby organizations in 2016.

Why was so much money spent by Big Oil?

Catherine Reheis-Boyd, WSPA’s President and the former Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create “marine protected areas” in Southern California, told the Los Angeles Times, “The spending by the petroleum association reflects ‘the enormous number of issues confronting the energy industry in California, and the potential impact those issues have on energy producers, refiners, consumers and businesses.”

Liza Tucker, Consumer Advocate for Consumer Watchdog, has a much different take on the reasons why Big Oil spent so much money last year.

“Big Oil uses its money as hush money,” said Tucker. “Donations to political campaigns, causes, and ballot measures, in addition to lobbying dollars, ensure that state investigations of crooked business practices are never launched, that scientific recommendations on banning fracking and watering of crops with oil waste water are never applied, and that something as elementary as a decent buffer zone between urban residents and oil rigs is never mandated,” she stated.

Big Oil’s big coup last year was its writing of Jerry Brown’s “cap-and-trade” (pollution trading) bill, AB 398, “so full of loopholes that it remains cheaper for companies to pay chump change to pollute than invest real money into reducing carbon emissions,” noted Tucker.

“Big Oil also banned local air regulators from regulating carbon emissions at all, and limited state regulators to regulation only through cap-and-trade, which does not work to reduce carbon emissions,” she said.

The timing of the spending documents her contention. Chevron spent $6,153,952, a record for spending by Big Oil in one quarter, in the second quarter and another $1,119,056 in the third quarter when the legislation was making its way through the Legislature.

Likewise, the Western States Petroleum Association paid $2,528,750 in the second quarter and $2,290,408 in the third quarter to lobby California officials.

Tesoro paid $2,207,655 in the second quarter and $200,855 in the third quarter to lobby legislators and other state officials.

During the same period, Chevron, WSPA, Tesoro and other oil industry interests were able to defeat Senate Bill 188, a bill authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to prohibit new pipelines or other infrastructure needed to support new federal oil and gas development.

Senator Jackson introduced SB 188 in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order last year opening the door to expanded offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters off the California coast.

The Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, held the bill in suspension during their hearing on Friday, September 1, 2017.

Then in response to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s January 4 announcement to open federal waters along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to new federal offshore oil and gas drilling, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) announced on January 5 that they are reintroducing legislation to protect the state from new federal offshore oil drilling.

Like the previous bill, Jackson and Muratsuchi’s legislation ensures that pipelines and other infrastructure cannot be built in California waters to support any new federal oil development.

In the Senate, Jackson will carry Senate Bill 834, also jointly authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). Muratsuchi will carry an identical companion measure, Assembly Bill 1775, in the State Assembly, also jointly authored by Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara).

The legislation prohibits the State Lands Commission from approving any new leases for pipelines, piers, wharves, or other infrastructure needed to support new federal oil and gas development in the three-mile area off the coast that is controlled by the state. SB 844 would also prohibit any lease renewal, extension or modification that would support the production, transportation or processing of new oil and gas, according to Jackson’s Office.

This bill faces a uphill battle to pass through the Legislature and an even bigger challenge to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown before he leaves office, due to the expected gusher of lobbying money by Big Oil to defeat the legislation.

In the bizzare type of irony that defines politics in California, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the Western States Petroleum Association President, chaired the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create questionable “marine protected areas” in Southern California, the same so-called “Yosemites of the Sea” that would be devastated by any future oil spills from the expansion of offshore drilling in federal waters. She also served on the task forces to create so-called “marine protected areas” on the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012.

At the same time, Governor Jerry Brown has already done in state waters what Trump wants to do in federal waters — expand offshore oil drilling. That’s right — Brown’s regulators have approved 238 new offshore oil wells in state waters under existing leases, an increase of 17 percent since 2012, according to an analysis by the nonprofit FracTracker Alliance.

The FracTacker Alliance report is available here: https://www.fractracker.org/2017/02/more-offshore-drilling-ca/

The California Oil Lobby was the biggest spender in the 2015-16 legislative session, spending an amazing $36.1 million on lobbying over the two-year period. Big Oil spending last session amounted to $1.5 million per month — nearly $50,000 per day.

In addition, Jerry Brown has received over $9.8 million from oil companies, gas companies and utilities since he ran for his third term as governor, according to Consumer Watchdog. For more information on Governor Brown and his so-called "green" policies, see: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2017-09/how_green_is_brown.pdf

WSPA and Big Oil use their money and power in 5 ways: through (1) lobbying; (2) campaign spending; (3) creating Astroturf groups: 4) working in collaboration with media; and (5) getting appointed to positions on and influencing regulatory panels, as in the case of the MLPA Initiative.

THOREAUVIO IN THE HOODIE HOOD.

"There is no remedy fo' love but to love mo', bitch." —Henrique David Thoreauvio, yo

Thanks to Hank Sims of Lost Coast Outpost, the full eight-hour recording of last night's (2018-02-02) KNYO and KMEC Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is available with a single click. Here: https://tinyurl.com/KNYO-MOTA-0266

IN OTHER NEWS, as usual at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com you'll find a fresh batch of links to educational activities and amusements, such as:

The V-Sauce guy explains about flat Earth theory.

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

The most beautiful motorcycle you have ever seen or imagined.

https://theawesomer.com/dmol-moto-guzzi-airforce/464327/

Why cities exist.

http://www.neatorama.com/2018/01/27/Why-Cities-Exist/

And the dreams of an inventor in the year 1420.

http://publicdomainreview.org/2018/01/24/the-dreams-of-an-inventor-in-1420/

–Marco McClean

MAHALO, POST MODERNS

Honolulu, February 3, 2018 — It is just past one o'clock on a Saturday morning. I have been to Lola's Pupu Bar in Honolulu enjoying a Japanese women's rock band, drinking high end scotch and Goose Island beer, nibbling the most extraordinary loaded tater tots. I am NOT identified with the body nor the mind, and am NOT "wallowing in the quagmire of samsara"! I kid you not...nothing could adequately convey the electric feeling of bliss of being in a Polynesian social environment. If you wish to check this out, contact the Plumeria Alternative Hostel at info@honolulu.hostelalternative.org or telephone 1-808-596-2080. The people here don't give a shit about anything related to Washington D.C. Please comprehend that Hawaii is an island chain situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from everything else. Nobody here gives a fuck about the Trump-Pence administration! If you come here and threaten the environment, the locals will kill you. Otherwise, you cannot believe how beautiful the indigenous people here are. When you are ready for a change from the stupidity of American postmodernism, I urge you to consider a visit to Honolulu, and then go beyond. ~Mahalo~

Craig Louis Stehr

Email: craiglouisstehr@outlook.com