- How To Stay Married
- Remembering Jerry Cox
- Supes Delay Class K Decision
- The Mullens Reply
- Animal Control
- What The Hell Is Going On?
HOW TO STAY MARRIED
(For Valentine’s Day)
Getting married is all about
Finding that piece of chocolate you like
more than all the others in the box.
But staying married is all about
Picking up that piece of chocolate and brushing it off
Every time it falls on the floor and gets covered in crap.
–Justine Frederiksen
REMEMBERING JERRY COX
Editor,
I am subbing for Nat in the Senior Seminar class. Ernesto Macias did an interview with Jerry, the last months of 2017. When Jerry first went to the hospital, now a week ago, I had just read that interview myself, marveling on the richness of Jerry's life. The next day, I was able to share with the whole Senior class, with Ernesto's permission, and I am sure Jerry's blessings, parts of his interview with the class. 'What would you say to someone my age asking you what they can do to make themselves a better person?'
Jerry's answer: 'Be educated, participate in many organizations, pick good friends, be spiritual, have some form of religion or faith, be a good person, follow your dreams, go to college, save money, keep your family close, and look for chances to make the world a better place. '
Ernesto reflected, 'Hearing everything that Jerry had to say inspired me to try to help out the community a lot more. I've always been motivated to help out the community, but after seeing how much he accomplished in his lifetime, it made me realize that there's a lot more I could be doing to help.'
Mostly, his words of wisdom for the younger generation, how to live a good life, be a good person. We then did a silent meditation with Jerry Cox in our hearts.
For me, it was a true gift, to sit with Jerry, his words, and a lot of young people, in prayer/silence (even if it was only 1 minute). I have also been reflecting, Jerry, how I think you were the best and kindest friend my dad ever had. As we all know, my dad had a way of being such a goofball that he was easy to make fun of. Jerry just never did that. He just accepted my dad for who he was. If I could see you right now, I'd give you a big hug for that. For the true friendship that you gave to so many. I'm glad you are home. I love you all.
Kira Brennan
Navarro
SUPES DELAY CLASS K DECISION
Editor
Update on Class K Status
The Board of Supervisors changed the date of when they’ll be discussing Class K. Instead of February 6th, they’ll be addressing it on Tuesday, February 27. Their meetings start at 9am, though where Class K will be on the agenda is anyone’s guess.
With all the talk that’s been going on about Class K, one detail that hasn’t gotten much attention is why changes to Class K have come up at all. According to the California Building Standards Commission in Sacramento, the revision push came from Mendocino’s Planning and Building Department, not from the State. There’s been talk (unverified) that when Sonoma County inspectors find themselves inspecting Mendocino Class K structures, they find the dual system irritating and have been leading the charge to make Class K code as similar as possible to conventional building codes. All of this is hearsay, but it’s interesting that NO ONE seems willing to step forward and take responsibility for proposing these changes.
The other prime point is that none of the changes are in any way required. There is no California State law or mandate that necessitates any changes to the Class K Ordinance. The Board of Supes could, if they chose, leave Class K entirely untouched.
You may wonder what you can do about this, if retaining affordable, alternative housing options is important to you. Top of the list would be to attend the BOS meeting on Feb. 27. You can also call and/or write to your supervisor. The more people who get involved, the more attentive the supervisors will be!
Captain Rainbow
Boonville
THE MULLENS REPLY
Hello AVA,
Holmes Ranch Tower
Thank you for featuring our story in the AVA this week. I am Lynn Mullen - my husband, Sean, and I are the ones who have a proposal to install an AT&T tower on our property, located in Holmes Ranch.
Since this matter was brought forward to the community at-large, we would like to clarify some details. The proposed tower is not "just" a cell phone tower - it will also offer broadband internet, as well as FirstNet equipment (special technology for first responders). The tower is a part of Connect America Fund, which designates federal dollars to bring technology to rural areas. Below is a letter that we sent to the HOA this week, addressing some of the concerns that have been raised by some in the Membership. We hope that it will give you more details and insight into our proposal.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or need additional details. We are happy to help.
Kind regards,
Lynn and Sean Mullen
* * *
Hello neighbors,
Thank you for all of the discussion surrounding the proposed cell/internet tower. We wanted to check in with you all to share some additional information, as we have not communicated to the Membership at-large since our initial letter on the project.
Our proposed site is a part of an Obama administration program called Connect America Fund, which is focused on increasing services to underserved rural areas, and designates federal funds to establish new services. Mendocino County is one of these underserved regions, with coverage and internet speeds that fail to meet federal public utilities guidelines, as a recent report by the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley outlined in this article. <http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/article/NP/20170506/NEWS/170509901>
For those who do not know us well, Lynn is a scientist (geneticist and biochemist) and worked more than two decades in the biotech industry, studying diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Sean has spent his entire career in software and technology, helping state and local government with emergency preparedness and response across all 50 states. We apply research, logic, and reason to just about every aspect of our lives, and assessing this tower was no exception.
In September 2016, an agent of AT&T, approached many neighbors about placing an infrastructure tower on the Ranch by sending a letter by mail. Having noticed the Valley's lack of services and options, particularly running two virtual businesses from our home, we responded. We spent many months considering different issues internally before we made our decision to proceed. To date, the Membership has not raised any unexpected issue, or something that we had not already considered. So, we thank you for these ongoing discussions, as they are important! As stated in our initial letter to the Membership, we see our proposal as a way to contribute to the safety infrastructure of our Valley, for residents and tourists alike.
A few points have been raised that we'd like to address, and we will do our best to keep our comments concise.
1) Our application to the County is not in violation of the CC&Rs of the HRA. According to the notes that Duncan sent to the Membership, the HRA's own attorney, quite familiar with our CC&Rs, suggested this course of action for the Board. Further, something that does not yet exist cannot be considered a nuisance.
2) FirstNet equipment: It is worth emphasizing in writing that the proposed tower is not only housing optional services like voice and data. It will be housing important FirstNet Radio equipment. FirstNet is a nationwide public safety program to equip first responders with needed communication tools, and is only available on AT&T towers. We encourage you to take the time to find out more about this program, and consider the impact it would have for the first responders in our small community.
3) Physics — it’s the law: Understand that Radio Frequency does not travel downhill in waves that blanket the landscape. It is simply untrue. Rather, RF travels in a focused manner straight out to the horizon by line-of-sight propagation, directly from transmitting antenna to receiving antenna. RF is also easily interrupted by trees, hills, and buildings. These are some of the reasons that towers located at higher elevations (closer to the horizon) are desired. When a cell phone makes a call, its transmitting signal travels directly up to meet with the receiving signal in the atmosphere.
4) Safety: The World Health Organization, American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and the Federal Communications Commission - among others - assert that RF exposure from towers that adheres to FCC standards is not a health risk. We recognize that some individuals may have a general mistrust of government agencies, or disbelief in a consensus of scientific results — we can’t address those issues and recognize we won’t change anyone’s mind.
5) More safety: The FCC has established acceptable limits of continuous RF exposure for general population. It is 5 times more restrictive than occupational limits. The proposed tower was assessed by a third party compliance firm called Waterford. They found that the proposed site's RF emissions on the ground at the antenna site will be 2.1% of the FCC standard. This is significantly below federally-recognized safe limits for general population. Neighboring buildings in the immediate vicinity will be at 0.31% or less of the FCC standard, decreasing substantially with distance.
6) Europe is safer: Many members have brought up European standards for RF exposure as being below those in the USA. That is true. Fortunately, the proposed tower would be below even the European standards for RF exposure! Additionally, we've attached an Executive Summary from a study by the independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR), based in the United Kingdom, entitled “Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields.” We encourage all members to read this short summary. To quote the final sentence: “In summary, although a substantial amount of research has been conducted in this area, there is no convincing evidence that RF field exposure below guideline levels causes health effects in adults or children.”
7) Towers on buildings: Articles and studies that focus on cell towers mounted on top of schools and fire departments (such as the KPIX article sent around) are not relevant to this situation. Our proposed tower site is more than 800 feet away — about 3 football fields - from the closest residence other than our own. Further, the closest residences to the site are separated by topography and vegetation.
8) Property Values: If there were to be a property to see a decrease in property value, it would be ours. As part of our initial due diligence, we spoke to local realtors to gain more information on their perspectives. They were unanimous about the fact that people moving to the Valley desire quality service options. One of the realtors herself installed a cell phone tower on her own property to help meet the demand for services. In their eyes, due to extremely limited inventory in this Valley, properties are continually in demand. They did not feel that the presence of a cell phone tower would have a negative impact on property values, so long as the tower was not in close proximity to a residence, or did not interrupt the property's view. The claim by George D’Amato that the presence of a tower would drop property values $100,000 overnight is pure speculation and not substantiated by any data.
9) Eye-sore: The images of the "monopine" construction sent by Christina Jones are not representative of our proposed tower. You may review several renderings of our location [on line], to see how the proposed tower would blend in with the existing landscape. Aesthetics was one of our first considerations.
If any neighbors, after reviewing the email notes and documents from the community meeting in December, have any questions for us, please let us know. We are happy to field what we can, and help information source for those that we can't. While we understand that this proposal is contentious for some, we believe that it will serve the greater good of Anderson Valley for residents and tourists alike.
Respectfully,
Lynn and Sean Mullen
Philo
ANIMAL CONTROL
Editor,
There are an estimated 83,000 domestic animals residing in Mendocino County according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Mendocino County Agriculture 2007 Census. With all those animals, come the 87,841 people who own them. Mendocino County is clearly an animal loving community.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department holds the responsibility to keep all those beings in line. Yes – both animals and humans need policing at times. Any animal related issues are handled by Animal Control, a department within the Sheriff’s department.
Despite our strong love of animals, our County does not appear to respect the Animal Control Department commensurate with the level of responsibility they carry.
According to Lieutenant Jason Caudillo, Central Operations of the Field Division for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department, our Animal Control department is woefully understaffed and grossly underfunded. With just three officers to cover 3,878 square miles, it is the busiest division within the Sheriff’s department – every single day of the year. Mendocino County is not unique in this regard. The National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) has determined that, nationwide, Animal Control Officers make four (4) times as many public contacts as Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers do during the same time period.
An animal control officer is a law enforcement officer and this officer must stay informed regarding all animal-related laws and have innate leadership and communication skills. The officer is responsible for animal safety and public safety regarding animals. He/she must respond to calls of stray or dangerous animals and investigate animal cruelty. The officer provides education to the public about laws regarding pet ownership and the proper treatment of animals. It is not uncommon for an Animal Control officer to discover human abuse and neglect while in the field. There is a strong link between animal neglect and abuse and elder abuse, child neglect and domestic violence. According to our County, the officer must do all of this while being paid $13/hour.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisor’s states their mission is to create and maintain a responsive and responsible government that enhances the quality of life of the people of Mendocino County. The County’s mission is to deliver services that meet: Public safety, health, social, cultural, education, transportation, economic, and environmental needs of our communities”.
Whether the County can maintain a responsive and responsible government with underpaid, understaffed departments is in question. With so few officers, our Animal Control Department is working on a reactive rather than a pro-active level. Animals in dire situations must take a number and wait until there is staff to help them. Sometimes it’s a long wait. In order to cover the animal control needs in our vast County, Caudillo says the department needs double the number of officers we have now. Attracting, hiring and maintaining quality employees can be a challenge. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an Animal Control Officer’s annual mean wage in the State of California is $23.67/hour. Mendocino County is attempting to attract job applicants who will pass the psychological, medical, and background checks required to become an animal control officer with a wage that is just over minimum wage.
How the animals in our County fare going forward depends on how insistent the public is about animal welfare. With almost one animal for every resident in Mendocino County, the need appears to be great. But for any changes to happen there needs to be a conversation between the residents of Mendocino County and the Board of Supervisors.
Angie Herman
Willits
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Editor,
I can see that those liberal bastards are at it again. I don't call them liberal Democrats anymore, I just call them liberal bastards. That's what they are. Now they have hired some phlegmatic child molester whiskey drinking cigar smoking dandruff on his shoulders judge to try to block Trump’s border wall, which we desperately need to keep I don't know how many different countries from sending people to our country to do whatever they please.
Jerry Kim Jong Un Brown, that rotten – Anyway, all these guys can come into California and do whatever they want, illegal aliens, get free money every month no matter who they are, get driver’s licenses, welfare, Medicare, it's all coming out of our tax money. Brown doesn't care. It's a sad situation, ladies and gentlemen. President Trump should declare martial law in California, bring the military in, kick every political assassin democrat liberal out of office, and run the state until they get things calmed down and then let a decent party happen. That's the way it should happen. And we should be divided into two states. Send all liberals down to the southern part and we, the good folks, will stay in the northern part.
My son drives a Uber car down in the Bay Area. He picked up some people from Russia for a ride. They were over here in the United States on some kind of grant or some kind of vacation and they can't understand what's going on with the American people. You have one group of people that's trying to do the right thing and then you have another group of people that's just off-the-wall crazy.
The crazy people don't believe in the Pledge of Allegiance, they don't believe in the National Anthem, they don't believe in our historical monuments, they don't believe in the Constitution, they don't believe in border walls, they don't believe in law enforcement, they don't believe in free speech, they don't believe in the American flag. They teach our kids rotten stuff in school, from grammar school to middle school to high school and college.
The visiting people from Russia feel that agree with me that there are a lot of anti-Americans in America. They can't understand what is going on with the Liberal Democrats. They said there's no room for them in Russia. I think it's time we did something about it. They love President Trump and think he's a good man who should have been in office 20 years ago!
The illegal alien that killed those two deputy sheriffs over in Sacramento had his trial. In the trial he said that he enjoyed killing them and he said when he breaks out of jail he will kill more. Why is that son of a bitch even having a trial? When they caught him they should have taken him out in a field with two horses, tied his ankle to one horse and the other ankle to the other and spooked them. Running in opposite directions. That's what he needed to have, the rotten bastard. He killed two of our nice deputies and he was laughing about it in court and they were sitting there and letting it happen. What's happening to our American people? They've got no balls! They have got to get rid of people like that. Not just put them in jail and spend millions of dollars on them. It makes me sick. I'm sorry.
Why do we have to have trials for these criminals that openly kill people? They killed those two sheriffs in Sacramento. Why do we have to have a trial for them? Now two more sheriffs just got killed back in Ohio. They were responding to a 911 call. What's going to happen when our officers quit responding to 911 calls because they are going to get ambushed? What's going to happen then? What's going to happen when our police who have hearts as big as a radiator in a car willing to do a job to protect the American people can't respond to a 911 call because they get ambushed? When is it going to happen that the American people are going to wake up? These people that do this don't need a trial, they need to be executed right away. That guy in Sacramento is going to be on death row for 25 years. It will cost us probably $5 million! Over the years! He's guilty. He did what he did. Get rid of the son of a bitch. And those two policemen that just got killed in Ohio, what's going to happen to that guy? Nothing. Isn't it a joke? Our law enforcement people can't even respond because they are afraid of getting ambushed. I think it's time that the citizens started helping out the sheriffs, the policemen, in any way they can.
God bless Donald Trump.
Jerry Philbrick
Comptche
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