(AVA’s current preferences are in bold type — subject to change.)
Supervisors
Third District: Haschak v. Pinches
Fifth District: Williams v. No one
Pinches because he's frugal, creative, truly independent.
Williams, although so far it's unclear why he wants to be a supervisor beyond the usual lib platitudes.
Fort Bragg City Council: Lindy Peters, Ruben Alcala, Tess Albin-Smith, Bobby Burns, Jessica Morsell-Haye, Mary Rose Kaczorowkski, (Three seats up) Incumbents Cimolino and Turner are not running.
We think Peters deserves another term, Alcala and Albin-Smith seem like likely likelies.
Point Arena City Council: Incumbent Barbara Burkey is the only candidate running for two seats.
Ukiah City Council: Jim Brown and Maureen Mulheren (incumbents) plus Chon Travis, Ed Haynes, Matt Froneberger and Juan Orozco running for three seats. Incumbent Kevin Doble is not running.
Haynes for sure, probably Orozco as we hold off on the others because we don't know them, but we do know that Haynes will be an asset for good government on a weak and fiscally irresponsible council, and second in general dereliction only to the County Board of Supervisors in pathetic ineffectiveness.
Willits City Council: Incumbent Larry Stranske, Greta Kanne and Jeremy Hershman are running for two seats. Incumbent Ron Orenstein is not running. We're still in research mode re Willits but hear good things about candidate Kanne. Willits’ city government seems to cook along competently enough given the dearth of complaints about it.
Coast Hospital Board: Incumbent Kevin Miller, John Redding, Jade Tippett, Amy Beth McColley, and Jessica Grindberg are running for 3 long term seats (Incumbents Kitty Bruning, and Peter Glusker are not running). Also, Karen Arnold and Rex Gressett are running for incumbent Tom Birdsell’s short term seat (appointed incumbent).
People we trust recommend Arnold, Redding and Grinberg. We're of course partial to our ace Coast Correspondent, R. Gressett, but want him to focus on his journalo-responsibilities.
Coast Parks & Rec: Bob Bushansky (incumbent) is the only candidate running for three seats.
County School Board: Incumbents Don Cruser and Mary Misseldine, plus Tarney Sheldon are running for three seats. Incumbent Camille Schraeder is not running.
Fait accompli. The three candidates are the winners of this cozy little paid sinecure. We only hope the County School Board will not join the gutless wonders already working surreptitiously to undermine newly elected superintendent, Michelle Hutchins.
Mendo College Board 3 seats up. Incumbents Ed Haynes and Janet Chaniot are not running. No incumbents are running. Ed Nickerman, Camille Schraeder, Donald Burgess, Patrick Webb, Giny Chandler, Xochilt Martinez, John Pegan, Larry Lang and Jerry Eaton are running for three seats. We thought Nickerman was dead, an assumption which is a measure of the college's invisibility, and we have no idea of the issues involved here, if any. Also: Robert Pinoli Jr., incumbent is running against William Daniel for one short-term seat. (Nickerman for sure, at least while he remains upright.)
A READER NOTES re candidate Lang: “This guy was the theater tech staff person, one of the highest paid classified positions at the college. He was an inch away from impossible to work with and finally after years of complaints from outside and inside the institution, he was fired. He then got his union to help him sue the college, a move that cost tax payers lots of moola. And eventually, he won a settlement. This is not a surprising event at the college, it was the way the well-paid higher-ups dealt with problematic employees. Instead of doing their job and conducting actual evaluations, the problematic person was paid off to just go away.”
LOCAL MEASURES
Fort Bragg Measure H - Shall the measure to enact a three-eighths (3/8th) of a cent general purpose transactions and use tax to provide the City with an estimated $623,000 per year for a limited period of fifteen years be adopted? YES
Willits Measure I - To fund general municipal expenses such as police, fire, roads and recreation, shall the City of Willits tax cannabis (marijuana) businesses at annual rates not to exceed $10 per canopy square foot for cultivation (adjustable for inflation), 6% of gross receipts for retail cannabis businesses, and 4% for all other cannabis businesses; which is expected to generate an estimated $250,000 to $400,000 annually and will be levied until repealed by the voters or the City Council? YES. (About time the stoners coughed up.)
STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES
Proposition 1 — Authorizes Bonds to Fund Specified Housing Assistance Programs. Legislative Statute. YES
Proposition 2 — Authorizes Bonds to Fund Existing Housing Program for Individuals with Mental Illness. Legislative Statute. YES
Proposition 3 — Authorizes Bonds to Fund Projects for Water Supply and Quality, Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Water Conveyance, and Groundwater Sustainability and Storage. Initiative Statute. YES
Proposition 4 — Authorizes Bonds Funding Construction at Hospitals Providing Children’s Health Care. Initiative Statute. YES
Proposition 5 — Changes Requirements for Certain Property Owners to Transfer their Property Tax Base to Replacement Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. NO
Proposition 6 — Eliminates Certain Road Repair and Transportation Funding. Requires Certain Fuel Taxes and Vehicle Fees be Approved by The Electorate. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. NO
Proposition 7 — Conforms California Daylight Saving Time to Federal Law. Allows Legislature to Change Daylight Saving Time Period. Legislative Statute. YES
Proposition 8 — Regulates Amounts Outpatient Kidney Dialysis Clinics Charge for Dialysis Treatment. Initiative Statute. YES
Proposition 9 (On July 18, 2018, Proposition 9 was removed from the ballot by order of the California Supreme Court.)
Proposition 10 — Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute. YES
Proposition 11 — Requires Private-Sector Emergency Ambulance Employees to Remain On-Call During Work Breaks. Eliminates Certain Employer Liability. Initiative Statute. YES
Proposition 12 — Establishes New Standards for Confinement of Specified Farm Animals; Bans Sale of Noncomplying Products. Initiative Statute. YES
The college does not need another “nearly dead” trustee dozing off in meetings after the free meal. The college needs new leadership to better address the education and workforce needs of our community.
Speaking from personal experience, Ms Greta Kanne is intelligent, quickwitted, and incisive. I intend to vote for her, and urge my fellow Willits voters to do the same.
I support Prop 12 and I’m glad to see a YES from the AVA. With Prop 12’s cage-free housing requirement, California is taking the next logical step in farm animal welfare, significantly improving the living conditions of egg-laying hens, pregnant pigs and veal calves. So many major, credible organizations like the ASPCA, HSUS, Sierra Club California, and the Center for Food Safety all endorse the measure. It is also supported by over California family farms and farmworker organizations. I encourage voters to go to the polls in support of Prop 12 next month.