Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018

• Hamburg Condition
• More Rain
• Camp Dampened
• Little Dog
• Cannabis Statements
• Ed Notes
• Renaissance Redneck
• Triplett Honored
• Fish Habitat
• Cannabis Hour
• PCFA Phonies
• Authors Reading
• Bridge Operations
• Nepal Project
• Weather Shelter
• Goldilocks Assailant
• Unhappy Vet
• Quizless
• Wolf Bombed
• Yesterday's Catch
• Monopoly
• Ocean Protection
• Partisan Dems
• Money Pelosi
• Political Discourse
• Tax Rates
• Bad Interview
• Thanksgiving Prayer
• Good Farm
• Fire Relief

COUNTY CEO CARMEL ANGELO issued this presser Wednesday morning: “Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Dan Hamburg has been under medical care since October 28th. His wife Sara asks for the public’s understanding and patience during this difficult time. Further information will be released as it becomes available.”

I RESPONDED: “Dear Ms. Angelo: Regarding this morning's press release from you on Supervisor Hamburg your simple assertion, without medical confirmation, that he's ill raises the obvious question: What exactly is wrong with him? The second question: Is he still being paid by the County of Mendocino as if he were a functioning County official?"

MS. ANGELO referred the question about pay to County Counsel Elliot.

Ms. Elliott wrote: "My apologies for not responding sooner. I was out yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. I am in the office today but have had several last minute priority requests. The answer to your question regarding Supervisor Hamburg, 'Is he still being paid by the County of Mendocino as if he were a functioning County official?', is yes he is.”

MS. Elliott soon fleshed out her response:

“As a follow up, the County has no additional information about Supervisor Hamburg's medical condition than what was stated in the press release today. Regardless, the County is prohibited by law from sharing any medical information of an employee. (HIPPA & CMIA - Cal. Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.)

Concerning your question regarding salary, the pay and benefits of County elected officials, like all other County employees, continues as long as they remain County employees. Supervisor Hamburg remains a County employee at this time. (See Gov't Code below.)

We expect the County will be notified as to Supervisor Hamburg's availability for future meetings as soon as that information is known. In the meantime, speaking on behalf of the County, we wish Supervisor Hamburg and his family the best during this difficult time.

Cal. Gov't Code § 1770: An office becomes vacant on the happening of any of the following events before the expiration of the term:

... (g) His or her ceasing to discharge the duties of his or her office for the period of three consecutive months, except when prevented by sickness, or when absent from the state with the permission required by law.

Katharine L. Elliott

Mendocino County Counsel

I PUT IT TO YOU, dear readers: Should I demand medical confirmation? Is Hamburg really sick? Should we take the County's word for it?

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND FORECAST: "Heavy rain and strong winds will impact the region today and again Friday. Drier weather is expected during the weekend, with wet and windy weather redeveloping during the early to middle portions of next week." (National Weather Service)

BOTH BOONVILLE & YORKVILLE are reporting an inch of rainfall during yesterday's first pass.

CAMP FIRE REPORT (Thursday morning): "Precipitation has minimized fire activity and all fire lines continue to hold. Firefighters and resources continue to be deployed throughout the fire area to patrol and remove hazards. Search and Rescue crews and US&R teams continue to secure buildings and conduct a methodical search within the fire area for missing victims. Fire suppression repair has been temporarily suspended in areas that are inaccessible due to precipitation." (Calfire)

CONTAINMENT is now listed at 90%, and the body count rose to 83. Structures destroyed: 13,906 residences, 514 commercial and 4,232 other buildings.

 

FURTHER SOUTH, the Woolsey Fire is now 100% contained at 96,949 acres. There were three fatalities, with 1,500 structures destroyed and 341 damaged.

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “Yessir, warm and dry in my igloo. Skrag? Who cares? He camps out most days in the greenhouse while his domestically violated girlfriend, Alice, never moves more than twenty feet from her food bowl.”

SHERIFF TOM ALLMAN took to the podium Thursday at the Board of Supervisors special cannabis rules update meeting to say that opening up rangeland to pot growers would be a bad idea.

“I would like the four of you to write down a couple of numbers for me. I wish there was a fifth [supervisor; Hamburg was absent]. 85,000, 15,000, 25, 80, 12. Those are very important numbers. We have somewhat of an ordinance that was passed last year and these numbers are people who have been thumbing their nose at you. The Sheriff's Office is complaint driven as far as marijuana and honey oils. We respond to complaints. Those numbers: We eradicated 85,000 plants this year on complaints from neighbors, from people who were saying this is getting out of hand. And this is when we have our rules. 15,000 pounds of processed marijuana was seized this year. Unheard of! 15,000 pounds of the processed marijuana was seized this year because of honey oil. 25 people were arrested and we have seized 80 guns from people involved with marijuana this year in 12 honey oil labs. I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but if you or we as a society think that we are going to get rid of crime by allowing things such as rangeland to be used and so forth, the problems are going to stay except government won't have a way to take care of the problems because we've sanctioned it. We said it's okay. This is the tightrope you are walking here. There are politics involved. There are people involved. Our economy is involved. All these things are involved and you have asked for these positions and you are here to make some incredibly tough decisions. There are no easy decisions today. Rangeland should be taken off the mat. It should be taken off the agenda today. There should be no discussion on this. There may be a time for rangeland to be used, but now is not the time. Now is not the time to introduce more crime into our county. We have the same number of deputies today, you’ve heard me say this before, as we did during Richard Nixon's first term of office. So be very careful today. Please don't say that you are getting less objection to certain laws and so let's pass those ordinances. Think of where you are setting the compass for our county. There is a time to say we have regulations in place and if you're not following them, then tough!”

(Applause from the cannabis audience.)

* * *

DA DAVID EYSTER had a more specific complaint:

“You don't often see me coming here talking about the marijuana rules and the regulations you're trying to enact. I haven't been involved that much. I've had input. A long time ago I said you shouldn't have any BHO [honey oil] labs. That was ignored. I said that because we are a rural county and public safety should take priority over profit. At the back of the room I had a reply to the staff report that you have received. The staff report was pretty good but it mischaracterized some of what I said to County Counsel. Not intended to mislead but I wanted to clarify. So I put copies in the back. It will be posted to the DA website under news releases. This has to do with ineffective criminal background checks that are basically being done right now by the county but they are incomplete. The discussion we had was whether the DA could assist the Department of Agriculture to get a more comprehensive review. I would be willing to do that but we would want it to be a comprehensive check. It has to be in compliance with other state laws. I ask you to consider my reply memorandum. I agree with the people in the room who talk about the public safety risks involved. In Santa Rosa they have it [honey oil labs] down in a warehouse by the airport. They put some of that there because the airport has foam trucks and they can respond to incredibly hot fires and put them out. I don't think our producers have a foam truck where they live. I doubt it. I have to now go back and take care of a case we call the Laytonville Seven, the final defendant; it was a murder in the course of marijuana cultivation. A very sad situation. You have to understand what the Sheriff just said. This was that despite the rules that you are trying to put in place there are still people out there who are going to refuse and are refusing to follow the rules. One person I'm prosecuting right now for marijuana is a convicted felon. We all know they are not allowed to have firearms. He had 20, including assault weapons. There was other environmental damage. There are folks under the cover of what you're trying to do that are violating the law. We have to be careful who we let in, and as far as I'm concerned, we have folks here who have never violated the law. They should be given the first entry into this new process, this new economy. Folks who have been cheaters, and stealers and environmental degraders should go to the back of the line.”

DA's Memorandum: mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=24700

ED NOTES

MISS MANNERS. Or missed manners? A disturbing pattern has developed lately regarding the County’s replies to questions they don’t like. When Wendy Escobar asked the Board to give uninsured fire victims a break on permit fees, Acting Board Chair Georgeanne Croskey replied only, “Thank you.”

When KZYX reporter Sara Reith asked where Supervisor Hamburg was and when he was coming back, Supervisor Croskey replied, “Thank you.”

When the AVA asked CEO Carmel Angelo about Supervisor Hamburg’s status she replied, “Mr. Anderson, I am referring your questions to County Counsel for a response. Thank you." Thank you, in these contexts, translates as, "Go away and die painful deaths."

Answering simple questions is apparently impossible.

* * *

AS THE LATEST in dna technology leads police to malefactors of yesteryear, no police agency from the FBI to the Oakland Police Department are applying the latest science to the "mystery" of Who Bombed Judi Bari? The Press Democrat says it "lost" a key evidentiary letter but there are others possessed by the feds who declared the case closed years ago. Meanwhile, authorities in Santa Clara County arrested a suspect this week in the 1973 killing of 21-year-old Leslie Perlov in Palo Alto — the latest Bay Area cold case to be cracked by investigators submitting a suspect’s DNA to a public genealogical website. The Bari case is unlikely to ever be solved because, I think, solving it would embarrass the FBI and reveal the entire Bari fundraising effort as the scam it was from the very beginning.

* * *

ONLY DAYS after Interior Secretary Ryan Zeinke told burnt-out Californians that it’s not time for “finger pointing” as to the cause of the state’s wildfires, he blamed “radical environmental groups” for getting in the way of sound forest management.

* * *

AV HIGH SCHOOL AG DEPARTMENT IS READY to take your Christmas wreath orders. Please fill out this Goggle form to place your order. Wreaths and arrangements may be picked up starting Nov 30th through Dec 12th.

Last day to order is Dec 8th.

Thanks for your support.

* * *

THE NBA HAS FINED Warrior forward Kevin Durant $25,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward a fan.” The Texas fan was yelling “Cupcake!” at him more than three years after he left Oklahoma City, when ex-teammate Russell Westbrook tagged Durant as Cupcake, a reference to a cupcake business owned by Durant, and hardly the worst insult suffered by a pro athlete. Durant told the fan to, “Just watch the fucking game and shut the fuck up.” Basketball players, because they're so close to the fans, are routinely showered with obscenities to which they occasionally respond to by climbing into the stands to slug the offender. I heartily approve. Some of these loudmouths act like total psychos, yelling abuse the entire game, wrecking the event for everyone around them. Durant should not have been fined; Cupcake is pretty mild as insults go, but if you hear it for an entire season wherever you go, and understand the context, well, I can understand Durant's pique.

YEARS AGO, and I mean years ago, circa 1950 or so, I was mildly traumatized, I guess, because I still remember watching a Pacific Coast League baseball player named Carlos Bernier dive into the grandstand at the old Seals Stadium to whale away on a white man who had been heckling him. I couldn't hear what the heckler said but Bernier wasted no time going after him. In the 1940s and through the 1950s, the insults, as all black or hispanic ballplayers have testified to, were viciously racist. Bernier would have been risking his livelihood by climbing into the stands, but it took millions of Berniers standing up for themselves that we've made the tenuous race relations progress we've made. I was saddened years later to learn that Bernier had committed suicide by hanging. He was a wonderful outfielder and a terrific hitter who finally got to the bigs with Pittsburg.

A READER WRITES:

As one gains some miles upon his or her shoes, one must finally realize that all of this may be naught for all. I mean, what the heck? Do you really know where you are going in the final end? Is the In-n-Out the reward of a daily retreat from traffic, and with ear buds all the rewards worth it all? No, Bros, it is a real cup of coffee, a good and trusty can of two stroke mix, and a chainsaw that really works with all the attachments that will get you through Fish Rock Road, Mountain View Road, or Skaggs Springs Road. No Matter all the YUPS being up here growing their dope and such, there is still a way to get from here to there.  Kunstler would have you believe it is by mule. I cannot disagree, but, you know even though the neighbors might resist, I haven't the room. All the rednecks here in Gualala support Jerry Philbrick. Whoa, all I can say is that he is a true Kamikaze pilot. Poor guy who cannot get out of his own way. I am what is referred to as a renaissance Red Neck, and I aspire to the old ways of sustainability, and I know that all the fire damage will change with the upcoming rains, but for that asshole to come and tell us to rake leaves, all I have to say is “Kamikaze Philbrick and Dear President Trump you are really FUCKED UP.” There is no glory going down in a garbage scowl with these Assholes in charge.

— Richard T. McCurly, aka, Rick Rocky

SANTA ROSA JC SOPHOMORE LUCAS TRIPLETT was named the most valuable offensive player of the Bay 6 league for his dominant performance for the football team this season.

Triplett, who prepped at Fort Bragg, scored 11 touchdowns in nine games while averaging 113 yards per game. He caught 62 balls for 1,022 yards, an average of 16.5 yards per catch.

He was joined in the all-conference honors by defensive back Richie Hardwick (Vintage High), defensive lineman Soni Misi (Rancho Cotate), defensive lineman Alu Taito (Kalihi, Hawaii), defensive back Allante Leapheart (Detroit), quarterback Jake Simmons (Rancho Cotate), offensive lineman Kaulano Ako (Cardinal Newman), wide receiver Graeden Monahan-Sharpe (Rancho Santa Margarita), punter Seth Vernon (Maria Carrillo) and linebacker Mike Ross (Rancho Cotate).

The No. 4-seeded Bear Cubs will travel to Sacramento Dec. 1 to play No. 3 seed American River in the Gridiron Bowl.

— Courtesy, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

WHEN HISTORICALLY all the rivers around here were deep, rocky channels (and by historically, I mean before the old growth was logged), and there is no debate over whether fish need deep, cool pools to thrive, and what is filling those deep, cool pools is sediment (rock and sand) from logging, how the hell can anyone deny that removal of said gravel could do anything but benefit the fish?

You can do studies that measure water temperature, turbidity, blah, blah, blah, but the fact remains, sand and gravel from logging is filling the holes and killing the fish, and I don’t care what some college educated idiot has to say about it, getting that gravel out of there is the only remedy, especially in times of low rainfall.

* * *

WHAT HAPPENED to the fish, a reader writes:

"I read somewhere where a fool with a degree was saying that too much gravel removal destroys the natural riparian habitat. That habitat is buried under five feet of gravel, and if he’d got his head out of his books long enough to see the real world, and talk to some of the old timers who remember what it was like before sedimentation, he would have realized how foolish that statement was.

I believe that since it’s the behavior of man that has choked the rivers, we are morally obligated to clear them out, and the hell with any “environmentalist” who claims to be protecting the rivers by blocking the one thing that could restore their health."

DECEMBER 13 CANNABIS HOUR

(Thursday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m., KZYX)

Do You Have a Clue? What’s in Mendocino County’s cannabis ordinance? Can you guess which regulations cultivators hate the most?

Attorney Hannah L. Nelson, who probably knows more about this county's cannabis ordinance than anyone on the planet, will unravel some of its mysteries on the Cannabis Hour, Thursday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. on KZYX.

AN OLD FISHERMAN WRITES: "That PCFA offering and lawsuit claiming that global warming is producing toxicity in crabs has as much scientific validity as the Catholic Church's position in relation to Galileo Galilei. Long ago, the PCFA became an environmental front funded at the behest of the Democrat Party with the use of State money. It was once funded directly by fishermen, but Zeke Grader (may he rest with the fish) made a course change towards the political elites and attorneys who currently are paid well to run this phony, front organization. Want to find out who’s on the staff or the board of directors of the PCCFA? Google them and discover that: Opps! that page can’t be found. One thing’s for certain, they're not down at the docks working on their gear."

SPOONER’S NEW CHRISTMAS STORY

In a rare joint appearance, Judith Ayn Bernhard and Byron Spooner will read at Bird & Beckett Books, 653 Chenery, on December 3 at 7 PM. Judith will read new work and some old favorites. Byron will read his new Christmas story.

Judith Ayn Bernhard is a writer, poet, translator and teacher. She is a founding member and past chair of the Marin Poetry Center and a current member of the Revolutionary Poets Brigade. Her book, Prisoners of Culture (introduction by Jack Hirschman), was published by CC. Marimbo in 2014. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Byron Spooner, where she teaches writing and occasionally give public readings of her work.

“Judy Bernhard is a voice packed with both insight and irony in the face of social and political injustice, and a deeply compassionate sense of humor that belongs with the people of the world suffering under its current reign of corporate fascism.” –Jack Hirschman

Byron Spooner is the Literary Director of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. With his wife, Judith Ayn Bernhard, he co-edited Arcana: A Festschrift for Jack Hirschman (Andover Street Archives Press, 2014). His writing has been published in the San Francisco Examiner, the Anderson Valley Advertiser, Autobiography and Isis. His short story, A Book for Christmas (AKA A Child’s Christmas in Hackensack) was published by Red Berry Editions in 2011. Byron serves on the San Francisco Poet Laureate Nominating Committee and the One City, One Book Selection Committee of the SFPL and on the Advisory Boards of Litquake and the Beat Museum.

THE ALBION RIVER BRIDGE is the last remaining timber trestle highway bridge in California. Built during WW II when metal was needed for war materiel, all of the structure was built from timber except for the center section spanning the actual river channel where it meets the Pacific Ocean.

Now Caltrans plans to replace the historic bridge with a wider concrete and steel one. Despite local opposition, Caltrans is going ahead with a geological test drilling program that required the removal of a large stand of eucalyptus trees at the north end of the bridge. A helicopter will ferry drilling equipment to the bridge site from the nearby county airport.

The bridge is a choke point on Hwy. 1, the Coast Highway, the only north-south roadway connecting the string of small towns and communities along the Mendocino Coast. Work on the bridge project requires one-lane traffic control, with full closure during helicopter operations, causing up to 20 minute delays.

Helicopter operations are expected to begin Monday, November 19, unless delayed by smoke-limited visibility and forecast rains beginning Tuesday night and lasting through the next weekend.

Nick Wilson, Albion

OUR NEPAL PROJECT

by Pete Gregson, Advance Power, Calpella

Just got back from Nepal. When we arrived we landed in Kathmandu, arranged our hotel room and went directly to the monastery to discuss the project. The monastery is building a school in Samagaun Village and asked us to design and install the energy system. Samagaun Village is located in a valley just below the seventh tallest peak in the world. A five-day trek from Kathmandu, most everything in the village is brought up on the backs of the men in the village or horses and mules. It is a famous trek; people from all over the world do it. While we were there, we ran into people from Russia, Europe, and the US. One lady from Sonoma, another from the Bay Area. The five day trek usually allows the body to acclimatize to the severe conditions, high altitude, cold, lack of oxygen. The day before we arrived two trekkers had to be medevaced out. They fainted and hurt themselves when they fell. We took the 45 minute helicopter ride. The helicopter ride is very dangerous. Many high-altitude peaks and valleys to cross. Last month a helicopter crashed. Sasag, originally from Russia, now living at the monastery, is in charge of design and construction of the school. Jiuxia has worked for us for almost 10 years. She is head of all of our Asian operations and runs our China office. Both these women accompanied us. Sasag and Jiuxia got sick the first day and spent the remainder of the time in bed. Down sleeping bags and many blankets. Jiuxia, was serious. But being a proud Chinese woman, when asked, how are you?, she would always say, “I’m fine.” We knew better; she was in serious trouble and we might have to medevac her out prior to our scheduled departure. The rest of us were light-headed and dizzy. We had to pace ourselves. When we walked around the village and looked at the school site, we could only walk 15, maybe 20 minutes before we had to stop, and take many deep breaths to calm the dizziness enough so we could continue.

(To be continued…)

AFTER 15 CONSECUTIVE FRIGID DAYS, WE'LL OPEN OUR SHELTERS IN THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER IF YOU PASS MUSTER. (SEE GUIDELINES BELOW.)

Subject: FB extreme weather shelter cutbacks

In 2017, the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC) operated an Extreme Weather Shelter (EWS) for the coast in partnership with seven churches and the Food Bank. The City Council approved a Limited Term Permit for the operation of the EWS last year with a number of special conditions, which along with expanded staffing by Hospitality House ensured that the shelter operated effectively without significant impacts on neighboring businesses at the Food Bank, neighbors of the churches or downtown businesses.

In October of 2018, MCHC received notification that Mendocino County will provide less funding than last year, which will further constrain the hours of operation of the Extreme Weather Shelter. This amount is considerably less than the amount of funding that was requested. In October the MCHC Ad Hoc Committee met and discussed the operations proposal for the EWS and this report includes the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendations for operation of the EWS.

Details:

https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=642479&GUID=6327192F-1CEB-426D-84F2-D67822D3EDDE

(Click on Item 7a)

Due to the reduction in funding, the MCHC would like to begin operating the EWS on December 15, 2018 and would close the EWS when funding sources are expended. The MCHC proposes the following operating strategy for the EWS:

The EWS will open the EWS when the weather parameters based on NOAA weather service forecasts drop below an average nighttime temperature of 40 degrees and/or 30% chance of precipitation.

MCHC staff will screen potential EWS guests at 101 N. Franklin Street during normal business hours from 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-3:00pm.

A list of approved EWS clients will be developed by 3:00pm.

MCHC staff will provide case management, tracking and reporting EWS client progress towards stabilization and permanent housing and develop a case plan to include goals of safe and permanent housing. All data will be collected and input into the Homeless Management Information system (HMIS) within 24 hours of contact with EWS client along with VI-SPDAT[1] within 72 hours of contact with client.

Staging of EWS will be at MCHC’s 101 N. Franklin Street facility starting at 3:30pm and 6:00pm. The Franklin Street courtyard gate will have a staff person at the gate until all registered EWS guests are checked off the list. All EWS clients will remain in the MCHC courtyard or facility and managed onsite by EWS staff until 6:00pm. All belongings taken to the faith community facility will be checked before being placed in van.

EWS guests will enter a county van parked behind the MCHC in the alleyway. They will be driven by EWS staff to the designated faith community facilities no earlier than 6:00pm on evening of operation and shall vacate the EWS faith community facility no later than 7:00am the following day.

EWS paid and trained staff will be on-site at the shelter for security and supervision during all EWS operating hours.

EWS guests will be required to remain at the EWS facility overnight; guests who leave the shelter property shall not be permitted to return to the EWS that night.

All EWS client pets will be kenneled during EWS operating hours.

Only one guest at a time shall be allowed outside the faith community facility to relieve pets or smoke. Any guest outside the shelter will remain on the shelter property.

Faith Community members may provide evening snacks and drinks and “to go” morning snacks and coffee.

EWS guests shall be driven to locations of their choice when the EWS closes at 7:00am. No more than three guests will be dropped off at any location.

Details:

https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=642479&GUID=6327192F-1CEB-426D-84F2-D67822D3EDDE

(Click on Item 7a)

A GUY COMES HOME AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK AND…

On 11/21/2018 at approximately 2:59 AM, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the 2400 block of Mill Creek Road in Talmage, when a 51 year old Male adult returned home from work and located the windows to his residence broken and his front door ajar.  Numerous household items had been removed from the residence and strewn about the yard. Daniel Naumann, 51, of Talmage, looked inside his residence and found the interior had been severely vandalized and an unknown subject was sleeping on his couch.  The home owner armed himself with a small caliber handgun, called 9-1-1 and began checking the interior of his residence. When he returned to his living room, he was ambushed by the assailant, who struck him in the head with a large book, knocking him to the floor. The assailant, later identified as Marcus D’Angelo Davis, 37 years old of Oakland, grabbed Naumann and began to pull on him by his lower legs.

The homeowner fired several rounds from his handgun, striking Davis in the upper torso and arm. The homeowner then held Davis at gunpoint until Deputies arrived.  Deputies arrived minutes later and took Davis into custody without further incident. Davis was transported via ambulance to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries, which were found to be non-life threatening. Davis was medically cleared and booked into the Mendocino County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and vandalism. Davis is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.  According to the home owner he did not know and had not seen Davis prior to this incident.  Anyone with information concerning this incident is encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Tip-Line at (707) 234-2100.

DEPRIVING A VET OF MEDS?

To the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco

My name is William Roosevelt Robinson. My reason for this letter is to show that I had done nothing wrong with my veterans medication. I am retired from the Sacramento City Parks and Recreation Department in 1979. I retired due to my back injuries. I moved to Mendocino County in 1979.

I carried Kaiser Permanente medical insurance from 1962-2014. Then I began going to the VA clinic in Ukiah. My provider there was Dr. D. Shepherd. He is the only doctor I've seen at that clinic. My last appointment with him was on the day before he left.

For me to get my pain medication I was to get it from Dr. Shepherd only. Which I did. We had a fine relationship. I was sorry to see him leave. Whenever I saw another provider outside the VA it was for lab tests or x-rays. He was informed first of their results. He told me to get a private doctor where I lived. If I needed to see an orthopedic doctor I should get one and inform him which I did. I have problems with my knees, both shoulders, eyes and heart. I am 10% disabled.

I would like someone to go through my records with Dr. Shepherd to see that I have never abused anything.

My disappointment started in February of 2014 when I got a call from Jeff at the Ukiah VA. He told me Dr. Linda Mulligan wanted him to tell me when I used up my pain medication. I would no longer be getting it from the VA. When I asked him what was going on he stated there would no longer be a pain clinic in Ukiah. I couldn't believe what this man was telling me. I have never abused any medication. Dr. Shepherd always told me I was one of his best patients. He had also given me his private cell phone number in case I needed to call him after four o'clock. I never thought I would ever have to write a letter like this explaining how the Ukiah VA outpatient clinic is being unfair at this time.

After talking to Jeff I told him I didn't want to talk to him again because he didn't know what he was talking about.

They told me Dr. Mulligan wanted to see me on February 18, 2014. A day later it changed on February 11, 2014. When I saw her she explained to me that she would be my provider. I told her I have a doctor at Fort Bragg, Dr. Anne Smith, as my primary doctor. I didn't like the way Dr. Mulligan treated me. At first she asked me to take off my socks so she could examine my feet. Then she washed her hands. She wasn't wearing gloves. Then she looked at my shoulders and gave me four shots in my shoulders never saying what she had used or when or if I would have any other shots. Dr. Shepherd always told me to see an orthopedist to get my shots as does Dr. Smith. Those shots have left me in great pain since then, 17 days ago.

Since I have never abused my pain medication or any other medication I don't understand what is going on. Dr. Mulligan called me after talking with Jeff. She said she didn't want it to go this far. I told her if she cuts off my medication I will notify my lawyer, the newspapers and the NAACP. She has been ordering medication for me that I know nothing about and ordering lab tests that Dr. Smith had already done which can only be done every three months. She ordered a vitamin D test that I am on now for Dr. Smith. I have already told her about that.

There are not many Korean or black veterans if any at this clinic. I am a black man married to a white woman. We get a lot of stares when we go there. One time when I went to the clinic there was a large poster of President Obama on the wall with his throat slashed from ear to ear. I was totally disgusted. I told three different people in the office about this. One person told me, "Don't worry about this. He won't be here much longer." That happened during Obama’s first term. Finally it was taken down and replaced.

William Roosevelt Robinson

Fort Bragg

NO QUIZ THURSDAY. Tonight, for reasons that seem rather vague, apparently most of you will be giving thanks for your forebears forcing the Brits out of your country many years ago and are unable to attend the General Knowledge and Trivia Quiz, which has therefore been canceled this week. One would think that a little gratitude would be in order for all that the Brits did for you. There’s just no pleasing some people.  Meanwhile, I can announce that there will be two Quizzes in December - on the 13th and 27th. Eat, drink, and be merry. God Save the Queen. Steve Sparks, Quizmaster

TRUMP ISN'T ALWAYS WRONG. He tweeted yesterday, “So called comedian Michele Wolf bombed so badly last year at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that this year, for the first time in decades, they will have an author instead of a comedian. Good first step in comeback of a dying evening and tradition! Maybe I will go?"

MICHELE WOLF is painfully unfunny, as is the annual event where millionaire "journalists" laugh at lame jokes and lamer presidents. The White House Correspondents ought to go for America's best nuzzlebum, Scott Simon from NPR. He'd be the perfect host for the event. And if Simon isn't available, there's always David Muir of ABC News. But this year's host is historian Ron Chernow. I'm surprised a serious guy like him would even want to attend, but I recommend his biographies, especially the one on John D. Rockefeller.

CATCH OF THE DAY, November 21, 2018

MARCUS DAVIS, Ukiah. Burglary, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, vandalism.

DANIEL ESCAMILLA, Ukiah. Vandalism, resisting, offenses while on bail.

JEREMY JENSEN, Ukiah. Grand theft, trespassing, vandalism, conspiracy, resisting, failure to appear, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer)

ERIC KOTILA, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

ALFREDO ORTEGA, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

ARLEY OSWALD, Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, failure to appear.

DUSTIN WOOD, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

THE GAME OF MONOPOLY was invented by a woman named Elizabeth Magie in 1903, to demonstrate to people the evils of capitalism and the tendency of the system to produce tremendous inequality. She originally created two versions of the game, one in which capitalist style competition based on winners and losers prevailed, and another version based on players sharing the wealth that was being produced. In the end, only the first version survived and became the game of Monopoly as we know it. Monopoly’s story is thus one about presenting an alternative to an inequality generating capitalist system, not one to illustrate its inevitability.

— Wouter Hoenderdaal

OCEAN PROTECTION COALITION MEETING

Dear folks,

The next Ocean Protection Coalition meeting will November 29 at 310 N Harold Street in Fort Bragg at 6 p.m. The criminal Donald Trump may soon be attacking our coast by granting drilling rights to the fossil fuel corporations. We need to connect with other groups to fight this coming danger to our beautiful coast. I hope to see you there.

Ed Oberweiser, OPC Chair, Fort Bragg

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

You have a rich fantasy life, don’t you? Either that, or the IQ of a doorknob. What kind of idiot would believe the laughably silly accusations of Christine Ford? I mean come on, she lies about a fear of flying, while she soars off to New Zealand, and other places. Lies about having two front doors because of claustrophobia. Lays out accusations that have zero friends to corroborate. Not to mention being a Democratic Party activist sort. Yet, that is who you believe. With gusto! Talk about a schmuck! You wanna know why? Because you are a shallow individual who will believe whatever confirms your bias against Republicans. As a faithful partisan Democrat, you think you are supposed to believe whatever ludicrous bullshit is the Democratic narrative du jour. You are like those silly Christians who pretend to really believe the Earth is 8,000 years old, because they think they are supposed to believe that. Sad. Pathetically, laughably, morbidly ironically, sad.

I HAPPEN TO STRONGLY BELIEVE in civil political discourse. The vast majority of people in Congress who hold views different than mine are not liars. It is critical we have strong, fact-based debates on the important issues facing our country and that we respect people who come to different conclusions. In a democracy people will always have honestly held different points of view.

But the fact is we have a president who has complete disregard for reality and who makes assertions heard by billions of people around the world that have no basis in fact, and that is an international disgrace.

Senator Bernie Sanders

I’M WHAT’S KNOWN in the biz as a “bad interview.” Every once in a while, somebody will be having such a pathetically slow news day that they’ll try to interview me. At least half of my answers will be, “I don’t know anything about that.” And you hear this little catch in the reporter’s voice, like, “Why is this guy being such a jerk?” But the truth is, I really don’t know anything about that. I’m not playing the game right. If I was a “good interview” I would make something up. One time a reporter asked me what I thought of Jerry Garcia. Until that moment, I hadn’t ever thought about Jerry Garcia. I knew who he was. I saw him one time. So I said, “Nothing.” He said, “Does that mean you don’t like him?” I replied, “I don’t like him or dislike him. I like his beard.” And so the guy used that in the article. He actually informed the reading public that Joe Bob Briggs liked Jerry Garcia’s beard. And he wrote it in such a way that this was some hysterically funny comment I had made. What really happened is that I was searching through my brain, thinking, “Is there anything in there? Anything at all? Any opinion about Jerry Garcia?” And all I saw was this smiling guy with a great beard. My mind had been totally empty, and so it had produced a printable interview comment that someone, somewhere, had to waste five seconds of his life actually reading. Now look at a publication like, oh, Entertainment Weekly, and multiply that experience by 9,000. Then add in all the people being interviewed who think, “Oh my god, they want me to comment on Bosnia. If I don’t say something about it, I’ll look stupid.” Then add in all the bimbos and dimwits who actually spend time trying to get interviewed, and.... Let’s give those reporter’s notebooks a little rest, you know what I mean? If I want this kind of wisdom, I’ll just go down to Denny’s and turn on a tape recorder.

— Joe Bob Briggs

“Let us bow our heads and pray that the turkey is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a food thermometer.”

GOOD FARM FUND CELEBRATES LOCAL FOOD AT 5TH ANNUAL WINTER FEAST

The Good Farm Fund is pleased to announce its Fifth Annual Good Farm Fund Winter Feast at Barra Winery (7051 N State St) on Tuesday, December 4 from 5-9 pm. This always-popular event includes a family-style farm-to-table dinner from Black Dog Farm Catering and many friends, featuring locally raised meat, fruits, vegetables, wild mushrooms, artisan cheeses and grains; local beer and wine available for purchase; a silent auction perfect for holiday shopping; and live music from the Gibson Creek Band.

This year's event will also feature the announcement of Good Farm Fund grant award selections for 2018. Come help the winners celebrate!

Good Farm Fund, fiscally sponsored by North Coast Opportunities, Inc., is a volunteer driven organization supporting local food & agriculture. Founded in 2015, the Good Farm Fund provides funding to support Market Match, a program that provides funds for EBT/CalFresh customer to increases their purchases of local fruits and vegetables at certified farmers' markets. Good Farm Fund also provides economic development support to small farmers in Mendocino and Lake Counties in the form of small, capacity-building grants. This is the fourth year the Good Farm Fund is awarding grants, which are made possible by farm-to-table dinners like this one, as well as from the generous support of this year’s foundation sponsors, Frey Winery & Sonoma Clean Power, and Harvest Sponsors, Ukiah Adventist Health and Flow Kana.

“These grants have a real, tangible impact for local farms,” says Good Farm Fund Co-Founder Caroline Radice, a farmer herself. “As a kid, I used to go berry-picking with my mom and then she’d come home and make jam, which is how I learned about food preservation. My parents would stop at the farmers market or a roadside farm stand to pick up fresh green beans or corn for dinner. So many of us have wonderful memories like that, and Good Farm Fund is about honoring and continuing those traditions, about creating a community with economic opportunities for small farmers, with thriving farmers markets, and lots of delicious, nutritious food easily available to people who live here.”

Tickets to the Winter Feast are available on a sliding scale from $35-$50 in advance, $45 at the door, $15 for kids 12 and under. This event always sells out. Tickets are available on line at https://gffwinterfeast.brownpapertickets.com/, at the Westside Renaissance Market, Mendocino Book Company and the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op.

Proceeds will support the Good Farm Fund’s Farm Grant Program & Market Match Program. The event is sponsored by Sonoma Clean Power, Frey Winery, Flow Kana, Adventist Health, North Coast Opportunities, The MendoLake Food Hub, Black Dog Farm Catering, the Mendocino College Culinary Arts Management Program, Patrona Restaurant, Visit Mendocino, Ukiah Brewing Company, Ukiah Natural Foods, Cold Creek Compost, and Community First Credit Union. Through fundraising events like the Winter Feast, Good Farm Fund and everyone who supports it can continue to help local farms thrive.

For more information, visit www.goodfarmfund.org.

Caroline Radice
cradice@ncoinc.org
(707) 467-3238

COASTAL STORYTELLERS - FIRE RELIEF FUNDRAISER

The Coastal Storytellers event this month will be done as a fundraiser for fire relief efforts. Proceeds will go towards the Nye Ranch fundraiser that is already in effect to help those affected by the devastating fires. Your $5 admission will go the cause and there will be additional donation options at the event.  Come hear from local storytellers and support and celebrate community. Every bit helps! True tales will be shared on the theme of "Expect the Unexpected" on November 29th from 6:30-8:30pm at the Community Center of Mendocino.

If you are interested in telling a story please email nlaumbccm@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!

-Nicole