Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, June 27, 2018

• Skyhawk Down
• Pawnee Evacuees
• Firefighting
• Parkland Forum
• Planning News
• Eureka Demise
• Little Dog
• Green Waste
• Pilot
• Ed Notes
• PG&E B-word
• Yesterday's Catch
• Child Separations
• Light Green
• Writing Workshop
• Hoppertime
• New Teacher
• New Photographer
• Presidente AMLO
• Book Review
• Ukiah Speedway
• Peace Talk

JUST IN: Candidate for 5th District Supervisor, Chris Skyhawk, has suffered a stroke, and has been medi-vacced out of the County for treatment. We all hope he recovers and is able to return to the campaign trail.

PAWNEE FIRE INCIDENT UPDATE (June 26, 7pm)

Visited the two evacuation shelters responding to the Lake County “Pawnee” Fire (Spring Valley area) today.  Moose Lodge (in Clearlake Oaks) is well populated with small families and individuals in various kinds of outdoor accommodations (trailers, tents, and the like); indoors the main hall houses a number of cots with linens and supplies, a bustling kitchen and assistance group tables.  In the lounge, the occupants were quietly clustered around personal computers, and a special quiet area was set aside for respite from the crowds.  People showed up continuously bringing supplies for the evacuees and their animals, numerous support groups were volunteering under the direction of the Women of the Moose (I met some terrific Moose ladies, about whom more later).

At the American Red Cross shelter, in the Lower Lake High School cafeteria building, a calmer scene prevailed.  Staff from the Northern California Regional Red Cross (based in Santa Rosa), supported by on-call regional Disaster Response Team volunteers, screened all entrants and properly directed us to our official destinations.  Lake County Department of Social Services staff, Behavioral Health Department staff, and other local agency members were on site, but some folks were napping, and the atmosphere was sedate.  There was even a tiny little birthday celebration — an evacuee family's cot-cluster was presented with a wee desert and a single lighted candle (from a thoughtful Red Crosser who went to some trouble of his own) while the delivery team sang the traditional wishes for many more.  Not a dry eye in the place.

CalFire’s Pawnee Fire Incident Command Center has been established at the Lake County Fairgrounds, and their Public Information Office dispatched a radio-friendly professional to KPFZ’s live program at 11:00 a.m. this morning, which is to be followed by a daily visit at 5 p.m. every day (as long as necessary).  We’ll be on deck Thursday evening, where our regular “Senior Moments” time slot appears, and bring our listeners a local (up close and personal) report as well.

CalFire’s official status report, can be seen on their website: fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2080. They reported containment at 17% as of Tuesday evening, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?

[Wednesday morning report: 13,500 acres burned, 25% containment.]

We also note that the question of re-energizing the community (PG&E) will include the obligatory exclusionary period while post-fire security operations are in place by our Sheriff’s Office.  A meeting was held with PG&E this morning, but I have no info on the results.  Will let you know whatever we can in that regard.

For those as yet unscathed by this kind of a crazy event, get your “go-kits” together.  Frank Zappa sang “it can’t happen here,” but we know better.

Betsy Cawn, Upper Lake, CA

PARKLAND FORUM

Greetings,

MCRPD will be holding a Public Forum this Thursday, June 28 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Cotton Auditorium to present information about their proposed Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) park on their property up Hwy 20, just east of Summers Lane.

As we approach the Thursday Forum date I thought it would be helpful to see one of the messages that the California Recreation Alliance is putting out to its constituency:

Thursday is the Public Forum for the OHV Park.  Please come and show your support at Cotton Auditorium at 6:30.  It is up to all of us to make this OHV Park a reality.  If you can't be there, send Dan Keyes (District Administrator of MCRPD) an email stating that you support the development of an OHV Park at the Regional Park Property.

If the idea of building a motocross racetrack on a piece of property that is covered in sensitive and endangered habitats seems like the wrong idea to you – and by covered we now know that means 89 percent of it –” then please come to the forum. In addition, Newman'™s Gulch, one of the main sources of municipal water for the City of Fort Bragg, bisects this property, which also includes the head waters of the extremely rare and endangered Sholars Bog. Also of note is the proximity of the Summers Lane reservoir. All of these water-related features will likely be adversely affected by the petroleum products used in OHV and the dust that will be stirred up by OHV activity.

Attached is a flyer prepared by Renee Pasquinelli of the California Native Plant Society, which summarized what is at stake. If you can not be there, please send Dan Keyes an email <dkeyes@mcrpd.us> explaining what a poor idea this is. If you can attend, then please do so and complete a comment card opposing the proposal.

Leslie Kashiwada, on behalf of Citizens for Appropriate Coastal Land Use

Pasquinelli Flyer: WHY OHV USE IS NOT APPROPRIATE

LAST YEAR a Fort Bragg distiller named John Schnaubelt proposed “an exciting new addition to Noyo Harbor in 2018, Schnaubelt Distillery will be located in the [converted] historic building formerly known as the Noyo Ice House,” basically a clever remodel of an old warehouse which has been abandoned in the Harbor for years.

https://schnaubeltdistillery.com

Schnaubelt and his dad first came up with the idea back in 2012. It’s been in the planning process ever since.

We thought the Schnaubelts should have been encouraged every step of the way, that the Harbor would be a great place for their business. Comprehensive permit details are at: mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=21338 which is the County’s planning website because Noyo Harbor is not in the Fort Bragg city limits.

Summary: “The property owner requests a Coastal Development Use Permit to allow five land uses in the Ice House, which is a building located in Noyo Harbor: a distillery with tasting room, office, and storage; fish smoking or processing; boat charter office and ticketing; and storage of fish emulsion and fertilizer … In the Fishing Village District, Coastal-Related Industrial land uses, e.g. storing fish emulsion and fertilizer, would require a Coastal Development Use Permit. The applicant proposes development (a change in building occupancy, a deck, and painting off-street parking spaces…”

Basically, Schnaubelt wants to make “salmon-infused vodka.” (Sounds odd, yes, but we’re told it makes a killer Bloody Mary).

“… the distillery occupies 3,143 square feet of building floor area. In subsequent business years, the property owner intends to make other distillates, including brine-aged whisky…”

“The four businesses proposed for this location are: Wholesaling storage and distribution for Sea Pal Fish Fertilizer; Ticket window for Charter Boat business (Telstar); Fish Smoking; Distillery of Salmon infused vodka and brine aged whisky.”

“… The application proposes ten off-street parking spaces that would be 9 feet x 20 feet…”

Apparently the somewhat cramped lot on which the old warehouse sits doesn’t have quite enough space for the original permit application’s ten parking spaces (including an oversize ADA space) as originally proposed and as called for in the semi-sacred Mendocino County Code.

So the day before the Planning Commission met last Thursday in Ukiah, Mr. Schnaubelt’s planning consultant, Ms. Blair Foster of Wynn Coastal Planning in Fort Bragg, told the Commission they [the applicant] had to eliminate a few spots on the west side of the building “for traffic safety” because the County’s transportation engineers thought those spots encroached a bit on a roadway area.

So Ms. Foster proposed squeezing in some bicycle parking spots as substitutes so that there would be six parking spaces including one ADA space, plus a half dozen bicycle spots instead of the three former parking spots. She also proposed a “reciprocal agreement” with an agreeable owner of a neighboring vacant lot to the north of the old Ice House site which apparently has room for several dozen parking spots.

Unfortunately, this quite reasonable compromise didn’t go over well with Planning Department planner Juliana Cherry:

“We only got this information yesterday and County Counsel is advising that staff take a deeper look at it and come back to the Planning Commission when we have had time to endorse, so we request the Planning Commission consider continuing the item. … We have directed the applicant to do a parking study. We told him that we would be willing to consider some science behind the demand for parking at the site, maybe using something like the Institute of Transportation Engineers tables for parking for warehouse uses and studies looking at parking next to warehouses because this is mostly a warehouse use. Those kinds of facts could inform deviating from our schedule of parking in our zoning code because our schedule is based on the number of employees within the building. For warehouses it is one per 500 square feet within a building. So there's almost six parking spaces just for the warehouse use and then there are two employees so there ends up being nine or 10 parking spaces being required using our zoning code. We have suggested that they do research and provide some standards like the transportation standards for on-site parking.”

Mr. Schnaubelt had run face-first into The Department of UnReason, the double obfuscators of the Planning and Building Department and the County Counsel's Office.

A couple of Planning Commissioners didn’t like the idea of holding the project up for months to deal with two or three parking spaces. Commissioner Greg Nelson suggested approving the application and dealing with the parking later.

But County Planning Director Nash Gonzales said that his department still has parking “concerns” regarding “adequate parking on site,” which they have to independently establish and that his department could not “segment” the application by separating out the parking for a few weeks later.

Gonzales then suggested a possible variance be considered (although pointing out that he’s never heard of a variance being granted in all the years he’s worked in Mendocino County).

But Ms. Foster said a variance involves considerably more work just to prepare a variance request and a variance application fee and more time.

Gonzales suggested they could get easements with adjacent parcels. But, again, the applicant would have to come back with proposals and applications.

Or maybe Schnaubelt could propose boundary line adjustments to increase the lot size. But that would also require more time, money and paperwork.

All this for basically three parking spaces, mind you.

Planning Commission Chair Molly Warner said she wanted to figure something out and be more flexible using ideas like reciprocal agreements.

Director Gonzales: “Our ordinance is antiquated. It goes back to the 80s. … But we still are dealing with code the way it is. We can look at some alternatives that may work. But the parking has to be adequate. We have to make findings to approve parking. We will look at reciprocal easements. We are all in favor of something that will work, but we need to have a ‘finding’ that parking is adequate.”

Ms. Foster pointed out that anything that went in to the old Ice House building would have a problem meeting current parking requirements unless parking could somehow be allocated nearby, but off-site.

Ultimately the item was postponed to July 19th to allow staff to consider parking alternatives.

Prediction: Mr. Schnaubelt will either pull his application out of utter frustration or the project will be delayed until 2019. Or later.

And some people say enviros and nimbys are what hold up reasonable development in Mendocino County?

* * *

IN OTHER PLANNING NEWS, Director Gonzales reported on the rebuilding in Redwood Valley since last fall’s catastrophic fires. “So far we have issued 73 building permits, 18 are in queue. I always talk about manufactured homes and stick built homes. 38 of them are manufactured homes for single families and the rest of the permits are for garages and outbuildings. So every day we continue to see more and more permits coming in.”

According to Calfire there were 546 homes destroyed in the Redwood Complex fire, so that still leaves 508 to go just to recover lost housing stock — and lost property taxes.

* * *

ANDERSON VALLEY RESIDENTS might be pleased to know that a Valley forester named Michael Howell from Philo has taken his seat on the Planning Commission. June 21 was his first meeting and he took a few minutes to introduce himself:

“I have been a resident of Mendocino County now for 40 some years. It seems like a long time but time flies. I have been in the forestry business for that entire time. Ten of those years I was with Masonite. I don't know how many of you remember Masonite. Masonite had a timberlands division based out of Calpella. There was a group of staff foresters and I was one of those. Ten years down the road Louisiana-Pacific gobbled us up and I decided it might be time to go on my own and go into the consulting business. And that's what I did. You know the old saying, things are meant to be. It was a great move for me. Right away I became very busy. And now I'm still in the consulting business. I have a lot of clients who have been with me for 25 or 30 years. I have a great love for this county. I feel very honored that Roger [Krueger, former timber rep] called me and said he was ready to retire and asked me if I would be interested in the forestry position. My first reaction was no, I don't have time to do this stuff. Then I thought, no, I can't say that because I was instrumental in getting Roger on the Planning Commission back when he was on. Because I knew Karen Calvert and Karen came to me and said, I need to retire, who do you think would be good? And Roger’s name was the first one to pop into my mind. So that's kind of a brief summary of what I do and where I came from.”

(Mark Scaramella)

GOODBYE, EUREKA, an on-line comment: I don't hate it here but I am one of the ones leaving soon. Even though I have done reasonably well financially and in every other way, the economy here is marginal at best. The best and brightest of our young people have been leaving for years. The drug culture here is out of hand. Yes it is a beautiful area but the homeless issue is out of control, as is the crime. It is embarrassing to drive down Broadway. No end in sight either. Yes, I will miss some things about this area but this county has been going downhill for years. I am heading to greener pastures.

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “These guys are always talking about how hard they work, and they made me sign a non-disclosure contract, but I'm telling you the truth, which is that mostly they watch ballgames and Crime Watch Daily. (I'm a Nancy Grace dawg myself.) They call it, ‘Staying in touch with the national vibe.’ I call it dicking off, but who am I to judge? After all, they do get the paper out every week.”

CHARGING FOR GREEN WASTE?

Letter to the Editor:

In consideration of the fire danger we have been warned about (see Willits Weekly front page, June 14), it seems counter-productive that Solid Waste of Willits is charging to accept green waste. I had to pay $10 today! As a Brooktrails resident, I am allowed to dump one yard (small truck load) of yard waste per month. I have many yards to dispose of, as my property is overrun with huckleberry bushes, tan oak branches, madrone leaves, and much more flammable foliage. Solid Waste of Willits and the Brooktrails Fire Department “reminded” me that I could burn piles during burn season. Even if I had a proper and safe place to burn, I am a senior citizen on a fixed income and am unable to perform such a task. It's all I can do to get everything cut, lopped, raked and loaded into my truck and then unloaded at SWOW. Considering the number of senior citizens who live in Brooktrails AND the fires of last year, this issue needs to be addressed with utmost urgency.

Mary C Pappadakis

Willits

ED NOTES

HAD TO LAUGH at NBC TV'S interview with the head moose at the Lake County Moose Club, again pressed into service as a fire refuge: "The Red Cross wants us to close our bar down. That's not going to happen," declared the head moose. He's of course correct. What's a Moose Club without a bar?

* * *

RECOMMENDED READING:   “Grant,” the new bio of Ulysses S. Grant by Ron Chernow. It's too bad Grant didn't directly succeed Lincoln, because under Johnson much of what had been won in basic human rights for black people in the Civil War was steadily undone by Johnson. When he was elected, Grant deployed the Army to beat down the Klan and generally behaved in the principled manner utterly lost under recent American presidents, although a case can be made, kind of, for Jimmy Carter. Grant almost died a pauper, saved by his memoirs written while he was dying of throat cancer, which became a best seller, bailing him and publisher Mark Twain out of financial ruin. (Clinton-Obama emerged from public "service" as multi-millionaires.) Grant's hardscrabble life was as exemplary as Lincoln's, and oh mother save me look what we have now.

* * *

SERVICE. There's a word wayyyyyy past its pull date, especially as applied to government officials and professional officeholders, as if these people haven't profited mightily from their "service."

* * *

CHRISTIAN HIRAN CAMPOS, 30, was arrested Monday afternoon when a Lakeport police officer spotted Campos driving through an area under mandatory evacuation carrying two pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun. Campos said he was working in Spring Valley but couldn’t name who he was working for or say what he was doing there. He was also cited for driving without a license.

* * *

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT the two Central American countries with leftist governments — Costa Rica and Nicaragua — are never mentioned as contributing to the northward immigration crisis?

PG&E MOVE HINTS AT B-WORD

by Jim Shields

For some time I’ve been preparing folks for the eventuality when Pacific, Gas and Electric (PG&E) would openly talk, i.e. threaten, to seek bankruptcy protection if and when ongoing wildfire investigations found the utility responsible for causing last fall’s record infernos in Northern California.

Two major Cal Fire investigations concluded in the past month that PG&E equipment caused 12 wildfires that killed 18 people and burned hundreds of square miles in NorCal.

Last Thursday, PG&E and its subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric,  made a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it will record a $2.5 billion pre-tax charge related to the wildfires. That number is expected to grow when Cal Fire wraps up other investigations still underway.

According to PG&E, that loss is “solely tied to liability for the damage from 10 wildfires, but does not include potential government penalties or fines, or the impacts of seven other fires where PG&E does not believe it will take a loss.”

Aside from yours truly, some real experts in the electrical utility sector, are now openly speculating that PG&E may be preparing for bankruptcy.

PG&E’s CEO and President Geisha Williams didn’t do much to counter B-word speculation when she said, "Liability regardless of negligence undermines the financial health of the state’s utilities, discourages investment in California and has the potential to materially impact the ability of utilities to access the capital markets to fund utility operations and California’s bold clean energy vision."

In a separate corporate statement, the utility explained, "The ($2.5 billion) charge does not include any amounts for potential penalties or fines that may be imposed by governmental entities … in the future it is possible that facts could emerge that lead PG&E Corporation and the utility to believe that a loss is probable, resulting in the accrual of a liability at that time, the amount of which could be significant.”

Several months ago, insurance industry analysts estimated that costs for all autumn wildfires was in excess of $12 billion. Since then I’m sure that total has been adjusted upwards. PG&E realizes that the $2.5 billion liability they are now looking at is a number most likely subject to augmentation. They know they are in a big hurt locker.

Presaging a potential date in bankruptcy court, the statement warned that "in the future it is possible that facts could emerge that lead PG&E Corporation and the utility to believe that a loss is probable, resulting in the accrual of a liability at that time, the amount of which could be significant."

Those with long memories will recall that PG&E previously declared bankruptcy in 2001, when Enron master-minded the California electricity crisis that featured brownouts and rolling blackouts. A growing number of state legislators are now declaring that PG&E is is raising that spectre again.

State Sen. Jerry Hill, author of legislation that would prohibit PG&E from passing on wildfire uninsured costs to customers said, "They keep talking about the sky is falling, that they’re going to go bankrupt and what are we going to do, and they're creating a lot of fear in the Capitol."

They’re also creating a lot of fear in the people — PG&E ratepayers — who have the most to lose in this high stakes street fight among politicians, regulators and a state electrical utility giant.

It’s anybody’s guess just how long tough-talking politician will stay the course and see this fight carried out to the end where PG&E is brought to heel.

Of course, it was the state legislature that paved the way for today’s mess when back in 1996 they voted unanimously to deregulate California’s electrical market.

In a large sense what we’re seeing now is one of the consequences of that bone-headed decision.  Deregulation allegedly ushered in open and free competition in the marketplace that was supposed to benefit ratepayers. That hasn’t happened.

We don’t have competition, we have what we’ve always had:  Monopolistic control of the electrical market by the Big Three (PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric).  Until we resolve that dilemma, we’ll continue to deal with situations like we find ourselves in now: Being held hostage by a bad-behaving electrical giants.

Don’t ever forget, we had that problem pretty much under control for nearly a century in this state, but all that came to an end in 1996.

Big Changes In Immigration Impacts California’s Workforce

With much of the nation’s attention riveted on California and President Trump’s efforts to deal with the escalating political fiasco over separating migrant families who cross the border illegally, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), an independent, non-partisan research institution, has just released some very interesting information about changing trends in immigration affecting the state’s workforce.

According to the PPIC report, not only are immigrants essential to California’s workforce, but in the past 20 years as labor market needs have shifted, “the composition of recent immigrants (those arriving in the last five years) has changed dramatically. Today, recent immigrants to California are much more likely to hold a bachelor’s or more advanced degree than in the past—and in fact are now more likely than US-born Californians to do so.”

Other immigration changes to take note of include:

• While the number of recent immigrants to California fell by 24% between 2000 and 2016, the number of highly educated immigrants rose by 41%.
• In 2016, about half of recent immigrants held at least a bachelor’s degree. Highly educated immigrants work in every major industry in the state and comprise about 30% of the highly educated workforce.
• A large portion of the decline in immigration to California can be attributed to the falling numbers of immigrants arriving from Mexico. For example, in 2000, over half a million recent immigrants came from Mexico. By 2016, that number fell by more than 70% to less than 150,000 people.
• China has slightly edged out Mexico as the leading country of origin, and these top two countries are followed by India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Immigrants from China and India tend to be highly educated: in 2016, 47% of recent immigrants from China—and around 80% of recent immigrants from India—had at least a bachelor’s degree.

The report wraps up with this rather startling prediction:  “The sharp increase in highly educated immigrants and the decline in less-educated immigrants reflect the changing labor market in California … With California expected to face a shortfall of 1.1 million college graduates by 2030, highly educated immigrants are a key component to helping the state address the workforce skills gap.”

That forecast raises all sorts of unanswered questions about what’s going on with higher education in California. What are the reasons that we may be facing an employment deficit because the state is not expected to turn out enough highly educated individuals to fill what I presume are well-paying skilled and professional positions?

Obviously, the PPIC report raises some very critical questions without providing any answers.

Time for me to do a little research. I’ll let you know what I find out.

(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, and is also the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at 12 noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org)

CATCH OF THE DAY, June 26, 2018

HEATHER CHANEY, Fortuna/Fort Bragg. Taking vehicle without owner’s consent.

JOHN CUNNAN, Covelo. Protective order violation, probation revocation.

MICHAEL DONAHE SR., Ukiah. Failure to appear. (Frequent flyer.)

LEE FERRELL, Santa Rosa/Fort Bragg. Trespassing/refusing to leave, probation revocation.

JUSTIN MALUGANI, Ukiah. Concealed dirk-dagger.

JACKIE MONTIETH, Elk, Under influence.

AMELIA RAMIREZ, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation.

LILA VANMETER, Willits. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

NOT YET

Editor:

While the president’s new executive order may temporarily stop some of the child separations involving those seeking asylum in this country, it is clear that it won’t stop all of them. Nor is there any assurance that all of the children already separated will ever be reunited with their parents, many of whom already have been deported to the countries (mostly Central American) from which they fled.

The U.S. government does assign a number to each child at the time of separation. As far as I know, they are not yet tattooing these numbers on their forearms.

Richard Salzman

Arcata

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

If someone feels it’s hopeless or too late, I can’t really argue with them, but until I know it’s totally hopeless I’ll support trying.

I limit my CO2 emissions to a fair extent but am nowhere near hair-shirt level, so can claim no virtue. My life is still comfortable. And I know full well that if it comes to lifeboat time, when push comes to shove people pushier and shovier than me will get in the lifeboat before me, even though I’ve tried to put their need to get into a lifeboat at all back as far as possible, but that’s life. You can only live it the way you see fit.

Changes need to be made at local and national level – some of us doing without cars and planes, keeping our heating turned down or off as much as we can in winter, and buying less stuff isn’t going to save the world. It’s very ‘light green’.

I can look at a wealthy person with half a dozen children I know will all grow up to have fancy houses, fancy cars and fancy holidays and I might ask myself why I’m bothering, but I’d feel a hypocrite if I didn’t (bother).

As the late Prof. Mackay used to say (author of ‘Renewable energy without the hot air’), every little helps – but only a little.

FREE WRITING WORKSHOP

The Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Branch is hosting a new program:

Writing Workshop for Teens & Adults

Instructor: Rena Rocford (YA author & SCBWIA member)

Idea Sets: How to Generate Story Ideas out of Thin Air

Thursday, June 28th, 5:30-7 pm

In this workshop, Rena will lead the group in the generation of a story, covering many of the basic aspects of storytelling, such as plot, conflict, and tension. Attendees should be ready to think up ideas and share with a group.

Like most mad scientists, Rena Rocford has made an art form of living as a muggle. Today the bills, tomorrow the world. She writes science fiction and fantasy for all ages from her secret base in wine country. When she isn’t planning for world domination, Rena creates nerdy art and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She unleashed her first book Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon on the world. The companion novel, Prom, Magic, and Other Man-Made Disasters has been released on the world with more to follow.

If you are interested in the program or want to find out more, please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@mendocinocounty.org

“Sarah, Stephen, Kirstjen, I hate to say this, but . . .”

INTRODUCING…New writer and teacher in town teaching at Mendocino College

Coming this August, I am a new transplant to the Mendocino Coast. I've loved and been lucky to spend a great deal of time in your beautiful area for many years now, and am delighted to make my dream of living here full-time a reality.

I am the new Executive Director of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, and will be teaching two courses at the Coast Campus of Mendocino College this fall. I come to Mendocino from Wesleyan University, where I am currently finishing a visiting position as a professor of creative writing.

I have also taught graduate and undergraduate students at UCLA, the University of Southern California, New York University, Colorado College, and Mount Saint Mary's University, as well as at the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. You can learn more about me at my website, www.lisalocascio.com.

I write to invite you to join and spread the word about the two courses I will be teaching, English 200: Reading and Composition (Monday and Wednesday, 2:30-3;50 PM), and Creative Writing (Saturdays, 9-12:20 PM). In English 200 we will read a selection of literature classic and current and develop our writing and critical thinking skills. In Creative Writing, we will explore fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid forms through a curriculum of readings across genre and a supportive, thoughtful workshop. The fall semester runs from August 20 to December 14. I would be delighted to have you in my class!

Here’s official Course # and Sections and Schedule:

ENG 200-0023, MW, 2:30-3:50pm in Room 112

ENG 210-0565, S, 9:00-12:20pm in Room 111

ENG 212-0566, S, 9:00-12:20pm in Room 111

ENG 503-0567, S, 9:00-12:20pm in Room 111

Students can register online through Mendocino College website or physically register at the College center: 1211 Del Mar Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437.

Registration hours until July 26th are M-Th 8am-5pm. Closed Fridays. Starting July 30th, hours are M-TH 9-6 and F 9-2.

I am also available for individual manuscript consultation and editing and college and graduate school application help. If you think I could be of help to you, please feel free to ask!

I will be holding a launch party for my first novel, *Open Me*, at Gallery Bookshop on August 31 and hope to meet many of you there.

My best,

Lisa Locascio

lisa.locascio@gmail.com

PHOTO SERVICE, ANYONE?

Hello Boonville Friends! I would like to introduce myself, my name is Hannah Brock, and I am Vickie and Mike Brock’s daughter. I grew up in the valley and now live in Sacramento. Like Julia Brock, my sister, who offers her videography services to the valley, I too would like to offer a similar service:

It has been my dream for a while to pursue a career in photography. You can blame the wonderful Patty DeFaveri for letting me borrow her awesome Canon DSLR in high school, which sparked my interest. I love to photograph landscapes and nature, children and events, people IN nature, but currently do not have much experience as I am an amateur - thus I would like to offer my services in the hopes to gain experience: Quinceañeras - events - weddings - festivals - engagements - family gatherings - anything!

Photography by the hour: $40 / hr (under 4 hours add $30 travel fee), unlimited images

8 hr day: $300 / unlimited images

Full weekend - 16 hrs - $500 - unlimited images

My photos are edited with presets and/or manually in Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop.

I can do WEEKENDS ONLY as I reside in Sacramento and obviously the journey down is a long-ish one!

Images are mailed or delivered (depending on the frequency of my visits home) via a CD (or USB/other device provided by the client) within two weeks of event.

Please private message/comment if you are interested! Thank you!

Below are images from Lily Leighton's wedding I most recently photographed, in addition to some of my landscape photography.

My goal is to share love, through pictures.

— with Julia Brock.

https://www.facebook.com/indiekittie

https://inspicks.com/user/hannahjbrock/7004574120

(Or contact Hannah through her parents in Boonville, Mike & Vicki Brock, 895-3407.)

HOPE FOR MEXICO: The candidate of the radical left Andrés Manuel Lépez Obrador, known in Mexico as ‘AMLO’ is set to win the presidential elections on July 1st, consistently over 20 points ahead of his nearest conservative rival. White House foreign policy analysts are frantically worried that he would reverse “one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world”. What worries them most is AMLO’s plans to reverse the privatisation of Mexico’s oil and build refineries. Though more importantly for the wider region, his foreign ministers friendliness to Venezuela and the rest of the Latin American left that could derail Trump’s policy of isolating Maduro and Castro in the region. (CounterPunch)

HOW OAKLAND GOT ITS NAME

From George Stewart's book:

“Across the bay from San Francisco was a stretch of flat land scattered with magnificent California live oaks. In Mexican times it had been known as Encinal del Temescal, ‘oak-grove of the sweat-house.’ The Americans who planned a town there may not have known Spanish, but they could see the trees. In simple description they called it Oakland.”

Rob Anderson's comment:

Interesting to note that the review by Colm Toibin of Tommy Orange's book in the hard copy of The New York Times Book Review had "Way Off the Reservation" as the hed, while the online version was changed to Yes, Tommy Orange’s New Novel Really Is That Good. We have a right to suspect that the change was made because an editor realized that a consideration of the historical context of the phrase "off the reservation" made it problematic and perhaps demeaning to Native Americans.

(Rob Anderson, District5Diary)

TELLSTROM COMES HOME AND DOMINATES AT HOMETOWN TRACK

Ukiah Speedway was a packed house with a full day of racing. Saturday June 23rd, featuring the North State Modifieds, Bombers, Bandoleros, Legends and Pro 4 Modifieds.

Ukiah Speedway results for 6-23-2018.

The action on Saturday started out with the Bandolero division. In the trophy dash, #51 Justin Sabol was able to hold off #44 Lane Anderson to take home the trophy. Sabol was also able to take home the heat race win with #5 Charles French on his tail. #3 Trey Daniels finished 3rd, #44 Lane Anderson finished 4th, #66 Ethan Imperatrice finished 5th and #01 TJ Sorrels finished 6th. In the main event, Anderson was able to take over the lead with #51 Justin Sabol fighting hard in 2nd with #66 Ethan Imperatrice following behind in 3rd. #3 Trey Daniels finished 4th, #01 TJ Sorrels finished 5th and #5 Charles French finished 6th.

#44 Lane Anderson excited about taking home the main event win for the Bandolero division.

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR REAL PEACE WITH NORTH KOREA

by John Lewallen <avoidingnuclearwar.com>

President Trump's June 12 peace agreement with North Korea, and his commitment to end "war games" around North Korea, need peace movement and public support to be effective. It is vital that we insist that the "tremendously expensive" and "provocative" (Trump's words) annual U.S. and South Korea military exercises completely cease.

The executive accord signed by President Trump and Kim Jong-un declares peaceful relation between the two nations, and calls for prompt beginning of peace talks to discuss the "complete de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and other issues. As Trump mentioned somewhere along the way, there won't be any military confrontation leading to war while these talks continue. Soon may they start, and long may the peace talks run, until a complete peace treaty ending the Korean War is reached!

The personal meeting between the two leaders clearly acknowledged, for the first time, that the North Korean government is a legitimate government, not a "regime" needing "regime change." Before June 12, the stated U. S. strategy was to impose economic sanctions on North Korea until its people overthrew its government. Now we must insist that these efforts to starve North Korea into submission cease!

Ending the Korean "war games" is going to cost the military-industrial complex a lot, so I believe they will continue to sabotage peace efforts for economic reasons. We need an "Industrial Conversion Commission" to transition from these very threatening exercises to, hopefully, better ways to employ people and spend money on U.S. infrastructure and other good projects.

At least the insane game of "nuclear chicken" between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, which terrified me in 2017, now is over, hopefully forever. Nuclear weapons are weapons of suicidal omnicide. All sane nations have signed the treaty banning them.

Peace and friendship with North Korea!