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Mendocino County Today: Monday, July 21, 2014

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THE BALO WINE JUGGERNAUT is grading the property at the Philo end of Anderson Valley Way at the north end of those three crater-like empty ponds just south of the Balo project. A call to Balo assurred us that Balo isn't planting grapes on the site, but intends to build something in the way of structures. Some of you will recall that Balo, owned by a youngish stockbroker named Tim Mullins, also just bought the old Live Oak Building, which will be transformed into a gastro-shrine devoted to fancy foods and wine. Cakebread Winery now owns the crater-like ponds installed by grape scofflaw, William Hill. Old Timers will remember when the Philo end of Anderson Valley Way was planted in apples, and the Gerbers of Gerbers Baby Food built a modest home next to their orchards.

THE ANDERSON VALLEY has been transformed so fast and so thoroughly by all these mystery money people that if it weren't for a few landmarks like Gowan's Oak Tree and Anderson Valley Market, the transformation would be positively disorienting. Coulda bought the whole show, Yorkville to Navarro, for a hundred grand cash in 1970. Well, maybe not that cheap, but who possibly could have anticipated these Gatsby-like people buying the place up for millions upon millions?

* * *

THE BOARD of Supervisors, at their meeting of Tuesday, July 22nd, will discuss, “Informational Update Regarding the CEO's Response to the Grand Jury Report on the Mendocino County Free Library.”

WHICH is a lot nuttier topic than its soporific title suggests, and talk about molehills into mountains! The Mendocino Grand Jury has issued a report critical of the County’s financial handling of the Library’s funds. Boiled down, the criticism said the money should have come out of the Oink-Boink account rather than the Ook-Flook fund. The GJ's report was issued June 9, 2014.

THE COUNTY pounced, perhaps on the same day the GJ's report became public, which would be a new national record for government response time if the date isn't a typo, and if it wasn't a typo how come the County got it so fast?

BUT EVEN if you think there’s some kind of mix-up in the dates on the documents, you’d also have to wonder why County CEO Carmel Angelo, still moving at the speed of light by government standards, issued a press release on June 17, a mere eight days after the Grand Jury criticism of Library funding. Angelo quoted her old pal, then-County Auditor Meredith Ford as saying, “The Library's ‘costs of doing business’ are legitimate incurred expenses, like any other Non-General Fund department. Even after reading the entirety of this report, I am still mystified as to why they would be deemed illegitimate.” Angelo goes on to add, “The County Executive Office has 60 days to respond, and will address the claims made in this report.”

SO, SIX WEEKS LATER, ANGELO AND CO. have come up with a 49-page (count 'em!) response which the Board will discuss on Tuesday. The 49-pages strongly dispute the core allegations in the Grand Jury’s Library report, backed up by a series of bland assurances by newly elected (unopposed) Auditor Lloyd Weer who simply says everything’s hunky dory, and, basically, that the Grand Jury’s mistaken claim that the Library was a “special district” as opposed to a “Special Revenue Fund” was at the bottom of the Grand Jury’s complaints.

NOTHING will come of this wacky and tax-eating dispute, because it's insignificant and the County, i.e., Angelo and her office, is probably right.

WHAT'S INTERESTING, however, is the unprecendented urgency that surrounds this particular Grand Jury report. Why did the County feel it necessary to issue a press release denying the Grand Jury’s conclusions just eight days after the report was released? And why did Angelo rush to assemble a detailed and over-long 49-page response so it could be put on the Board’s agenda just seven weeks after the Grand Jury report was released?

* * *

COMPARE THIS LIBRARY OVER-REACTION/RESPONSE to the County’s non-response to the much more important Grand Jury report documenting a clear “appearance” of a conflict of interest of Mental Health director Tom Pinizzotto during the Mental Health privatization contracting process. That process, steered by the self-interested Pinizzotto, awarded millions of tax dollars worth of contracts to Pinizzotto’s former employer, Ortner Management Group.

THE GRAND JURY report on that extremely suspicious deal was also dated June 9. But there was no rush-job press release, no response hustled onto the Board’s agenda, and no reference to Ms. Angelo’s 60-days-to-respond deadline. (Actually, the County has 90 days to respond. Officials have 60 days).

IN A NUTSHELL: If the Grand Jury complains about confusion over what category of funding the Library revenues should be in, the County quickly issues a denial and follows it up with a lengthy, hurry-up response. But if the Grand Jury complains that millions of dollars of public money was probably illegally shoveled to a company with strong connections to the official overseeing the contracting process, the County is officially mum.

* * *

JUSTINE FREDERIKSON'S story in Saturday's Ukiah Daily Journal begins, “The Ukiah City Council did not vote on the future of the former post office mural this week, but most members supported staff continuing to negotiate with the United States Postal Service to see if an agreement could be reached that would allow the city to display it, at least temporarily…"

THE MURAL in question is a WPA job in the social-realist style inspired by then-Mendocino County's basic income producers — timber and agriculture. Booze and dope now comprise the backbone of County enterprise.

UkiahPO&Mural

THERE IS NO NEGOTIATING with the Post Office, especially if one end of the negotiations is conducted by the City of Ukiah. The Post Office will win.

THEREFORE, THE AVA SUGGESTS a pre-emptive removal of the mural for local safekeeping. It was inspired by Mendocino County, it was painted by a man who lived here at the time and it should stay here on permanent exhibit in a suitable public place. This mural belongs to Mendocino County, not a gang of incompetents employed by the USPS. Take it first, Ukiah, THEN negotiate with the Post Office.

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SAKO: HUFFMAN’S ERRAND BOY

Editor:

Lately, Will Parrish — and his coalition known as “Save Little Lake Valley” — has been getting a lot of ink in the local newspapers. Most recently, Parrish has been highly critical of Congressman Jared Huffman's intervention in getting the Willits Bypass back on track after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suspended the environmental permits held by Caltrans.

I think Will Parrish's characterization of Congressman Jared Huffman is unfair. Huffman is one of our strongest environmentalists in Congress. For that reason, when Huffman was elected to Congress in 2012, House leadership named Huffman to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, where Huffman sits on three — I repeat, three — subcommittees.

They include: the Subcommittee for Water and Power, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. Sitting on three subcommittees of any one Congressional committee is exceptionally rare, especially for a freshman in Congress, but it speaks to Huffman's environmental credentials.

Huffman was also appointed to the House Budget Committee, again another assignment which is rare for a freshman in Congress. The Budget Committee is one of the most powerful committees. Its responsibilities include legislative oversight of the federal budget process, reviewing all bills and resolutions on the budget, and monitoring agencies and programs funded outside of the budgetary process. That assignment speaks to Huffman's rock-solid credibility.

Huffman is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Huffman’s voting record and sponsored legislation during his first term in Congress is entirely consistent with the highest environmentalist ideals. Consequently, Huffman earned perfect or near-perfect ratings from environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, Environment America, the League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action California, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, Food Policy Action, and the California Park and Recreation Society.

Concerning his environmental record before being elected to Congress, from 2006 to 2012, Huffman was a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 6th district. Huffman chaired the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, and he also chaired the Assembly Environmental Caucus. Close to home, Huffman helped saved Hendy Woods and the 15 other state parks in Mendocino County threatened by closure in 2012. Understandably, Huffman was elected to Congress in November 2012 with more than 70% of the vote.

Regarding the Willits Bypass, I would have hoped that Will Parrish would have kept in mind the following six factors:

One, almost from the very beginning many years ago, Congressman Mike Thompson supported the Willits Bypass. Congressman Jared Huffman inherited the Willits Bypass. He inherited it as a legacy project.

Two, according to Mendocino County 3rd District Supervisor John Pinches, 80 per cent of the people in Mendocino County’s 3rd District support the Willits Bypass Project. Johnny Pinches is very close to constituents, so I don’t doubt this estimate of local support.

Three, also according to Supervisor Pinches, the majority of people in the counties north of Mendocino County support the Willits Bypass, including people in the Counties of Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity. The Willits Bypass is an economic development issue for them. The Willits Bypass is a project of great regional significance. Remember too, all of these north counties are in Congressman Huffman’s district.

Four, the unions and other workers involved in the project were badly hurt by work stop order for three weeks, and they became increasingly angry. They were furloughed. Out of work. No paychecks. Unions and working people are core support for Democrats. I’m sure this fact is not lost on Congressman Huffman, especially in an election year.

Five, the work stop order on the Willits Bypass for three weeks cost Caltrans and the State of California approximately $100,000 a day.

Six, opponents of the Willits Bypass had 20 years of public hearings and other opportunities to make their opposition to the project known. We are now long past that point in time.

In conclusion, I hope folks are fair to Congressman Huffman. He took a balanced and rational approach to the completion of the Willits Bypass. Huffman worked tirelessly, diligently, and in good faith, for three weeks, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Caltrans, and Congressman Thompson, to get the Willits Bypass back into compliance with its permits. Huffman advocated for environmental compliance every single step of the way.

Congressman Jared Huffman is a strong environmentalist of whom California’s 2nd Congressional District can be proud. Hopefully, the arrogance or ignorance we have come to know at Caltrans, North Region Division, with regard to environmental requirements, will mean no additional project delays, disruptions, or cost overruns in the future. If they mismanage the project again, I'm sure Will Parrish will be all over Caltrans — and rightly so. But Huffman would be all over Caltrans, too.

Parrish should have no beef with Huffman.

John Sakowicz, Ukiah

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WILL PARRISH REPLIES

Unfortunately, Mr. Sakowicz's letter reads like a press release from a Huffman staff member. Its narrative regarding the Willits Bypass is roughly this: “CalTrans made has made a good-faith effort for 20 years, as part of a democratically determined process, to design a freeway. The freeway is very popular among local people. Last month, CalTrans was out of compliance with its permits. A hard-working regional environmental hero, Rep. Jared Huffman, has worked tirelessly to rein them back in. Everything is okay; please stop objecting to this project now!”

Bypass2Nowhere

Sorry, but all of that is just absurd.

CalTrans has been out of compliance with its permits since Day One, and that's even after the permitting process was tilted in Big Orange's favor even more than it normally would be thanks to the efforts of Congressman Thompson, et al. (See: CalTrans, A Rogue Agency.)

Huffman has never made any effort to bring CalTrans into compliance with environmental regulations.

Bypassing Willits is a popular idea, of course. The CalTrans version of a Willits Bypass, on the other hand, has met with relatively deep-seated opposition. One tires of making the exact same point yet again at this late date, but here you go: The Bypass is an overbuilt boondoggle. CalTrans systematically excluded from consideration any two-lane option for a bypass, just as they exclude smaller projects from consideration in lots of other places: Willits & The Erin Brockovich Bypass.

In the midst of a global climate emergency, to use lingo Huffman could probably understand, CalTrans has appropriated roughly $300 million to move 5,000-10,000 cars a day around Willits, when the same task could have been easily accomplished for a fraction of the cost. Now, somehow, concern for taxpayers' bank accounts appears on-stage during one of the final acts.

Regarding the notion that there were previous opportunities for “public input,” Orwell wrote in 1984, “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.” If you want a picture of the present, imagine a government regulator sitting behind a name plate, wearing a plastic smile and saying in a nasally voice, “Thank you for sharing!”

It stands to reason that Huffman's friends in the Democratic Party appointed him to lead environmental committees. He is, after all, very adept at sponsoring environmental legislation that avoids discomfiting the wealthy and powerful.

Huffman helped save Hendy Woods? Please. Hendy Woods was saved by locals and by the Sacramento Bee's disclosure of the $55 million slush fund the Parks Department was sitting on, which Huffman never demanded be spent on keeping parks open.

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THERE WILL BE a public hearing on the proposed development of a 6.5 acre reservoir of 45 acre-feet of water, to be built on an 8 acre site, at 19701 Summers Lane — approximately 1.5 miles southeast of the City of Fort Bragg, and one mile north of Highway 20, at the north end of Summers Lane. This project will presumably have considerable impact on future development in the Fort Bragg area, by addressing the long standing limiting factor - lack of water. All members of the public are invited to attend this hearing, and to submit public comments, at the regular Fort Bragg Planning Commission meeting, on July 23, 2014 at 6:00 P.M., Town Hall, 363 North Main St., F.B. For more information: http://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2991

DAVID GURNEY COMMENTS on the Summers Lane project: “What I do think is interesting, is that they cc'd ‘property owners within a 300' radius/ Residents within a 100' radius’ — like a property owner needs a greater buffer of informity than someone who actually LIVES there? They also cc'd, with advance notice of the reservoir project and hearing, 22 other official agencies, and one individual. But it's not cc'd to A SINGLE media or pubic information outlet. And I just checked — The Fort Bragg Advocate has nothing in their on-line edition about the hearing. I doubt if their print edition is any different. Not even mistakenly notified. And do you think the Fort Bragg Planning Commission notified KZYX? When you stop laughing, keep dreaming. And this is obviously the first you've heard about it.

“SO IT SEEMS, de-facto, the public has been intentionally left in the dark by our county and state bureaucrats about this major project. I wonder why do these highly paid ‘public servants’ seem to think the public comes LAST — if at all? Who benefits from keeping this whole deal under the radar? Think about it.

“Bottom line: They (whoever they is...) are getting their ducks in a row for development of the mill-site property, and once the water issue is solved, it might be time for that and other development projects that a 45-acre feet of reservoir might support.”

WE'LL CHECK with 4th District supervisor, Dan Gjerde. There have been development schemes of all types dreamed of by some Fort Bragg investors, but those schemes have always remained in Slumber Land for lack of water. There was a housing development north of town that was talked about for years. And there was talk of a WalMart in the Todd's Point area south of town. The mill site, of course, is the all-time Fort Bragg development plum, but since it's owned by the Koch Brothers, Fort Bragg will wind up taking whatever the Bros shove down Fort Bragg's throat, just as Dominic Affinito had his way big time with civic Fort Bragg, especially with then-city manager Gary Milliman running interference for Affinito. (Gjerde, Michelle White and Vince Benedetti deserve eternal credit for standing up to Aff.) Given the economic givens, though, one wonders how much development might be viable for Fort Bragg even with an expanded source of water.

* * *

FAKE WINDOWS TECH SUPPORT CALLS - continue to plague consumers. More than a year after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) performed a major crackdown on fraudsters posing as Microsoft technical support personnel, consumers continue to receive calls from scammers.

The scams are based on a combination of aggressive sales tactics, lies and half-truths. Callers pose as Windows computer support technicians, often from Microsoft itself but also from name-brand computer makers such as Dell or large security companies like Symantec or McAfee, and try to dupe victims into believing that their computer is infected, often by having them look at a Windows log that typically shows scores of harmless or low-level errors. At that point, the sale pitch starts, with the caller trying to convince the consumer to download software or let the "technician" remotely access their PC.

The con artists charge for their "help" and often get people to pay $150 to $500 for worthless service and software. Frequently the software itself is not only useless, but also includes malicious Trojan horse malware that can steal online account information and passwords.

One Anderson Valley resident that admitted falling for the scam, said that the purported technician gave an email address associated with Liz Infotech, a company based in Kolkata, India, a known hub for support scammers.

I've had at least a dozen people here in Anderson Valley tell me they've received fake Windows tech support calls. Three of which paid out up to $500 and ultimately had to call me to fix their computers.

The FTC has urged consumers not to give control of their PCs to any caller, never to give out credit card or other personal information, or to simply hang up on such calls. Don't fall for this telephone scam!

[By Bob Collette, Pro-Design Communications. For computer help call: 895-3186 or send your questions and comments to: Bob@myandersonvalley.com]

* * *

I'M NOBODY, WHO ARE YOU?

I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too?

Then there’s a pair of us!

Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!

 

How dreary – to be – Somebody!

How public – like a Frog –

To tell one’s name – the livelong June –

To an admiring Bog!

--Emily Dickinson

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MEMO OF THE WEEK

Green Diamond Resource Company is pleased to announce the reopening of the Chip Dock located at Samoa. Upgrades were initiated at the Chip Dock in March of 2012 with all of the work accomplished by local contractors. The vessel Crimson Polaris will arrive on Monday morning and begin loading a cargo of wood chips representing the inaugural shipment for the newly renovated facility.

“We are pleased that our facility is part of the revitalization of the Port of Humboldt Bay and the Chip Dock is providing much needed infrastructure to support the local timber industry and creating jobs,” said Green Diamond Senior Vice President Neal Ewald. The chip facility employs 12 people on a full-time basis and 20 workers during ship loading, as well as longshoremen, tugboat operators, a local shipping agent, and local trucking jobs.

The project is the result of a cooperative effort by the company and many community leaders interested in growing the Humboldt County economy. Jack Crider, CEO of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, is enthused by the project. “The Harbor District is encouraged by the reopening of this facility,” he said. “The Green Diamond Chip Dock is an important part of rebuilding infrastructure that will provide increased ship traffic at the Port of Humboldt.”

County Supervisor Virginia Bass agrees. “It is great to see this facility reopen and new jobs being created. Hopefully this new activity signals the beginning of new opportunities for our Port.”

The Crimson Polaris is 656 feet long with a beam of 106 feet and a draft of 37 feet. The ship is expected to be loaded and on its way by the end of the week, with the cargo bound for China.

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CATCH OF THE DAY, July 20, 2014

Allen, Avants, Blackwell, Bundeson, DeLosSantos, Fischer
Allen, Avants, Blackwell, Bundeson, DeLosSantos, Fischer

ROBERT ALLEN, California. Felony domestic violence, probation revoked.

JAMES AVANTS, Drunk in public. Felony probation revoked.

ERIN BLACKWELL, Ukiah. Public intoxication of alcohol. (Frequent flyer)

RALPH BUNDESON, unlisted. Fugitive from justice.

RAMON DELOSSANTOS, Ukiah. Felony posession for sale of marijuana, felony employment of a minor in marijuana activity.

AARYAN FISCHER, Ukiah. Under the influence of controlled substance, resisting arrest, probation revoked.

Guevara-Fuentes, Hollister, Hutchinson, Lawrence, Najera-Leon, Oresco
Guevara-Fuentes, Hollister, Hutchinson, Lawrence, Najera-Leon, Oresco

ANSELMO GUEVARA-FUENTES, Willits. Driving under the influence.

ROBERT HOLLISTER, Mendocino. Felony possession of methamphetamine, altered driver’s license, probation revoked.

BRADLEY HUTCHINSON, Wilton. Possession of more than an ounce of marijuana.

DEBORAH LAWRENCE, Ukiah. Under the influence of a controlled substance.

JULIO NAJERA-LEON, Ukiah. Public intoxication of alcohol.

AARON ORESCO, California. Felony domestic violence, probation revoked.

Ouspensky, Patricko, Richter, Rockey, Rodgers, Santiago
Ouspensky, Patricko, Richter, Rockey, Rodgers, Santiago

TODDIA OUSPENSKY, Fort Bragg. Driving under the influence, misdemeanor child abuse or endangerment, contributing to delinquency of a minor, violation of court order.

JAMIE PATRICKO, Fort Bragg. Spousal abuse.

BRANDON RICHTER, Morro Bay. Possession of more than an ounce of marijuana.

DANIEL ROCKEY, Covelo. Public intoxication of alcohol.

JESSE RODGERS, Ukiah. False ID to a police officer, probation revoked (felony and misdemeanor).

ADRIAN SANTIAGO, Forestville. Felony grand theft.

* * *

WEED STRAINS

by Emily Hobelmann

The first time I smoked weed was almost twenty years ago. It was “BC bud,” as in British Colombia bud. Literally, I was in Vancouver with a bunch of “eh” sayers. The weed wasn’t spectacular. It wasn’t shwag either. I don’t remember getting high. I think all the Molson beer took precedence.

When I first got started as a smoker, my standards weren’t so high. I just didn’t know any better, really. Back then, I’d totally smoke shwag weed out of a four-foot tall neon yellow plastic Graffix bong with my neighbor. This guy was a dealer. He did a lot of business selling corners off the brown seedy bricks he kept in stock.

Not long into my smoking career, I went to a party where someone had this weed called “Trainwreck.” All of the pot smokers at the party were stoked. I tried it. Wow. The weed was bright and flavorful. What a contrast to my neighbor’s shwag. It was my first “name brand” weed experience. This was ‘95.

Then I met a guy that was growing the chronic indoor, right there in Ventura County. He was the mad scientist/Dr. Greenthumb type, very passionate about his weed. And he sold a lot of it too. Thanks to this intrepid man, I had regular access to Northern Lights, White Widow, Alaskan Thunderfuck. I have yet to see better indoor.

And so, in those formative years, I learned of the difference between chronic, mid-grade bud and shwag.

Flash forward to 2014. Today, I can assure you that I’ve tried more varieties than I care to remember, via flowers, extracts, ganja food, topicals and tinctures. Now, I’ve tried a lot of wine, beer and liquor too, from low grade to fancy schmancy. But in the wide world of alcohol, there are clearly defined practical considerations that enable people to distinguish between a superb specimen and merely good one, and a good one versus a mediocre one.

Sure, it’s easy to tell the difference between chronic, mid-grade and schwag weed, just like how any bozo knows that a Scrimshaw Pilsner from the North Coast Brewing Company is better than some macrobrew… But when it comes to the category of chronic, high-grade weed, how does one distinguish between superb specimens and merely good ones?

If you have dispensary access, then you can probably get information like the name of the strain, the potency and how the weed was grown. And if you grow your own, then you’re captain of the ship. You surely follow best practices, and you have a personal connection with your bud. You grow the bomb. That’s what’s up.

But if you’re buying your weed on the black market, then you might not have the luxury of so much info. Most of the weed I get is just handed to me, person-to-person. It isn’t labeled. Sometimes I get a strain name, oftentimes I don’t. Fortunately, I’m getting my weed from local growers and not random dealers. This is the luxury that life in Humboldt affords.

Anyway, with wine, there are pretty straightforward, broad categories to start from: red, white and rosé. Wine bottles in the market are labeled with type, alcohol content and producer. There are pretty well defined guidelines for wine and food pairings; most people have a preferred wine type.

With cannabis, we’ve got the broad categories of indica and sativa. But how does one tell, at a glance, whether a cannabis flower is an indica or sativa? Furthermore, a lot of strains are hybrids of indica and sativa strains. How does one tell whether a strain is indica- or sativa- dominant? To the average person, this isn’t as straightforward as telling the difference between a red and a white wine, or an IPA and a pilsner.

There are thousands of varieties of grapes in the world. How many varieties of cannabis are there? A lot. Just look at the ads for seeds in High Times — holy cannoli. New varieties are constantly emerging, too. It’s all illegal. How are we supposed to know what’s what?

Even though the cannabis scene isn’t as venerable as the wine scene, it didn’t emerge overnight. There are a lot of resources out there — books, websites, strain guides — about the different varieties on the market. Here’s a good primer: Jay Smoker gets into the difference between indica and sativa on The Weed Blog.

Still, the ancient booze industry has much more clearly defined and commonly known parameters for quality, for labeling and for categories and sub-categories. Plus, it boasts countless experts and enthusiasts.

The cannabis industry is totally birthing comparable tiers and parameters right now…

Case in point: Check out this website: The Ganjier. “Ganjier” is a play on “sommelier,” which is a wine steward or wine expert. You can find an in-house sommelier at any fine dining establishment.

According to the website, a ganjier is “a ganja professional with a visible passion for cannabis and who is highly knowledgeable about one or more facets of the plant, such as its history, characteristics, flavors and genetics.” Emerald Triangle people are behind this website, which features articles written by familiar experts from our region and beyond.

Oh, and what’s this?? Why, there’s information on The Ganjier about the 1st Annual Golden Tarp Awards, set for Saturday, Sept. 13th, at the Mateel in Redway. This event is a light deprivation weed competition and celebration of the Humboldt cannabis community.

(If you’re not up on the light deprivation scene, you’d better read Deps Down! for insight on this growing method from Wonderland Nursery Cultivation Director Kevin Jodrey.)

Here’s the deal: Entries for the Golden Tarp Awards are due by August 21st. There are drop off locations in Hopland, G-ville and Arcata. Growers can enter their strains in one of the following four competition categories: floral, fuel, earth and fruity. (Are those technical terms?)

All entries will be tested by the Pure Analytics lab in Santa Rosa. Entries that test positive for pathogens, pesticides, chemical growth regulators and/or fungal growth will be disqualified.

The four strains in each category with the highest total cannabinoids move on to the next round, which means they will be judged at the event by lucky “regular folk” attendees. The judgeships will be granted by a lottery on the day of the event. You gotta have a valid 215 recommendation if you want to get in on that. And if you do score a spot as a judge, be ready to sample all of the top 16 top entries!

The event itself will feature music (Potluck!), classes and speakers. Should be a good time…

Is this event an omen of things to come? Might the Emerald Triangle become a fine weed-tasting region where tourists can come to taste organic outdoor heirloom seed strains and to indulge in cannabis spa treatments and weed farm B’n’B getaways? The Napa of cannabis, complete with ganjier training schools and gold medal varieties…

(Courtesy, LostCoastOutpost.com)

3 Comments

  1. Harvey Reading July 21, 2014

    “… near-perfect ratings from environmental groups, including the Sierra Club …”

    A sure sign that the guy is a phony enviro. The Sierra Club sold out to corporations years ago.

    • Lazarus July 21, 2014

      On good authority Huffman got to the Corp first, it was Thompson that put the paste back in the tube…….CT north is nothing less than incompetent, they can’t even figure out how to game the game. Bring in the pros from LA, get the damn thing built.

  2. John Sakowicz July 21, 2014

    With all due respect to Will Parish, I repeat my earlier point that Jarred Huffman is one of the strongest environmentalists in Congress. Huffman earned perfect or near-perfect ratings from our country’s leading groups, including the Sierra Club, Environment America, the League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action California, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, Food Policy Action, and the California Park and Recreation Society.

    These groups just don’t give these ratings away. They’re earned. They’re earned with hard work over time.

    I’ll go with their collective opinion of Jared Huffman.

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