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Mendocino County Today: Saturday, Oct 17, 2015

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FORT BRAGG’S WATER SHORTAGE:

Willits asked to help

by Linda Williams

The Fort Bragg City Council declared a serious drought emergency on Sept. 30 after the Noyo River flows became too low for use. The river supplies about 30 percent of the city’s water. Fort Bragg is now looking for options to augment its water supply. One of the possible scenarios being considered, at least briefly, relied upon help from the city of Willits.

While Fort Bragg advised the city on Oct. 14, it was no longer seriously considering the Willits option, for the past week city staff had been looking into ways to send water to Fort Bragg. While this may not be the most cost effective choice for Fort Bragg in the short term, it is an example of potential emergency options for cooperation in the future.

While Willits reservoirs are at 52% capacity, or about six months supply assuming no rain, the recent completion of a 500 gallon per minute emergency well water system has given it some level of cushion in this and future droughts. The new water supply has the potential to help out neighbors in Pine Mountain or Brooktrails if the inherent issues of payment, regulations and politics can be addressed.

Willits chose to pursue the $2 million emergency water supply project in January 2014 with promises of support from many different state and federal agencies. In the end, only the Division of Drinking Water came through with a $500,000 grant, leaving Willits ratepayers with an unexpected $1.5 million bill for a system most are hoping will never be needed.

While the Division of Drinking Water has given the new system an unrestricted operating permit, other agencies have imposed a 23 day per year operating limit for emergency use only.

The city must now conduct a full California Environmental Quality Act review and assessment of the well water system and complete any required mitigations before it is free to use the system routinely.

Fort Bragg asked Willits to investigate what it would take to send the treated emergency well water to fill 25,000 gallon rail tank cars on the Skunk Train line. From there the Skunk Train would haul the cars to Fort Bragg’s Madsen Hole pump station off the Noyo River and next to the Skunk Train tracks. This pump station is on the Willits side of the out of service railroad tunnel near Fort Bragg. The tunnel is not expected to be repaired until the next summer season. The cars would offload and return for a refill.

Assuming Fort Bragg water requirements are similar to the daily September use in Willits, it would take about nine rail cars per day to offset the loss of 30 percent of the water supply.

One of the key limitations to this solution, is that there are no water tank cars in the Skunk Train system at this time.

Fort Bragg’s City Manager Linda Ruffing says “We are also looking at the possibility of supplementing our water supply with water hauled by trucks from local wells. The costs for this are substantial as well. Perhaps the biggest challenge is ascertaining if and when we need to augment our water supply and getting the alternative source in place quickly enough. We very well might eke by with ongoing water conservation and dribs and drabs of precipitation over the next month. Or we might need to secure supplemental water.”

(Courtesy, the Willits News)

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SHRIMP BOY: ‘FORMER’ MAFIA CAPO d’TUTTI CAPI

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/magazine/shrimp-boys-day-in-court.html

Shrimp Boy & his attorney Tony Serra
Shrimp Boy & his attorney Tony Serra

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ATTENTION FRISCO VOTERS. Aaron Peskin should be elected 3rd District supervisor over Mayor Lee's auto-vote and appointee, Julie Christensen. Peskin has always opposed destructive projects — a massive housing development for the rich on the Embarcadero, the dumb plan by the Warriors to build an arena just down the street from the ballpark and so on. And Peskin is a reliable vote for forward thinking generally, especially now in the new San Francisco context of berserk gentrification. There's presently a one-vote Lee majority on the board of supervisors, inevitable as it all is with the incoming tide of tech money, and inevitable as it's been since the early 1970s when money people began buying up The City. Every negative, grasping, power center in SF is opposed to Peskin, from the traditional voice of Big Money, the SF Chronicle, down through the tech billionaires supporting more of the same.

PESKIN is almost as routinely vilified in the Bay Area media as Sheriff Mirkarimi who has been a very good Sheriff. The Murk has enacted a whole lotta humane jail reforms, from an increase in visiting hours to more academic and training programs. But, you say, does it even matter who the Sheriff is? It certainly does matter even for those of you who don't ever expect to find yourself there. First off, a well-run jail is a safe jail for everyone locked up there, and a safe jail can only be guaranteed by the guy at the top, and Mirkarimi has run a good jail, an innovative jail that has helped more than a few people leave jail with some basic, marketable skills and some hope. Mirkarimi should be re-elected but he won't be. The hyenas ran him down and ate him when they painted him as a wife beater.

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WE HAVE a small pile of pine logs free to anyone who wants to haul they away. They're 40-50 feet long and easily accessed. Call the AVA at 707 895-3016 for directions.

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THE KEMPER REPORT: Due By Christmas

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING, OCTOBER 20, 2015. AGENDA Item 5(d)

AGENDA TITLE: Informational Presentation and Update on the Review Process of the Mental Health System being Completed by the Kemper Consulting Group

PREVIOUS BOARD/BOARD COMMITTEE ACTIONS: The Executive Office has updated the Board of Supervisors from time to time on progress of performing an audit and review of the Mental Health Department. In addition, during Final Budget Hearings for FY 2015-16 staff recommended the Board consider creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to review the scope of work of the contracts for mental health services.

SUMMARY OF REQUEST: The Executive Office has contracted with Lee Kemper Consulting Group to perform an audit and review of Mental Health. This review will focus on the provision of mental health services in Mendocino County and provide findings and recommendations for improvement in administrative, financial, and service delivery functions, including the contracts with administrative service organizations. Interviews with key stakeholders were started on October 5, 2015 and the analysis is on-going. Lee Kemper of the Kemper Consulting Group will provide an update on the status of the review of Mental Health. This will be a brief overview of the review process that is being conducted, and provide the opportunity for the Board to offer input to Mr. Kemper on mental health service delivery. The final report from Kemper Consulting is expected by the end of 2015, at which time a presentation will follow to the Board and public. During the budget hearings staff stated they would come back to the Board in January for approval of an Ad Hoc Committee to review the scopes of work for the administrative service organization contracts. However, based on the on-going review by Kemper Consulting, any action at this time is premature. It is recommended that additional action on formation of an Ad Hoc Committee, for review of the scope of work for mental health services, be postponed until the review by Kemper Consulting is complete. When the review is complete and has been presented to the Board, staff will ask for further direction related to the service contracts.

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KEMPER’S PREVIOUS REPORT on the Plumas County Mental Health Department (From back in April):

http://www.countyofplumas.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2227

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SUPES AGENDA ITEM 5(e): FOX THAT WAS GUARDING THE CHICKEN COOP TO BE REPLACED BY FOX’S BOSS — FOR AWHILE

(Remember Noel O’Neil? Mary Elliott? Of course not. Tom Pinizzotto? …)

Item Approval of Appointment of Stacey Cryer as Interim Local Director of Mental Health Services Pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 5607

PREVIOUS BOARD/BOARD COMMITTEE ACTIONS: September 19, 2006, Item No. 5 (1), appointment of Noel O’Neil; September 22, 2008, Item 5(11), appointment of Mary Elliott; March 13, 2012, Item 4(e), appointment of Tom Pinizzotto.

SUMMARY OF REQUEST: It is requested that Stacey Cryer, Director of Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), be appointed as Interim Local Director of Mental Health Services per W&I Code Section 5607. Since 2010, Ms. Cryer has provided oversight of Mental Health Services in her role as HHSA Director. This appointment is on an interim basis; Ms. Cryer will continue to serve as HHSA Director while HHSA conducts a recruitment process to fill the position with a permanent Mental Health Director. The recruitment process for a permanent Mental Health Director will begin immediately.

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CITIZEN ARRESTS

Geary & Masonic — Officers responded to a store where security guards were detaining a suspect who had shoplifted a cell phone. The security guards did not want to press charges, but the suspect had two warrants for previous shoplifting incidents.

Captain’s Note: Under California law, a police officer generally cannot make an arrest for a misdemeanor that was not committed in his presence (there are several exceptions). However, a private person may make an arrest or “press charges” just by signing a form and giving a statement. Since shoplifting less than $950 of merchandise is a misdemeanor, these security guards would have been required to make a private person’s arrest in this case.

Capt. Silverman, Richmond Station, SF

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Noyo Harbor's Smallest Boat?
Noyo Harbor's Smallest Boat?

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McGrath
McGrath

ON THURSDAY, October 8, 2015 at about 6:35 PM, UPD officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Ford Street, on a report of an intoxicated female who drove her vehicle into a building, causing minor damage. Upon arrival officers contacted the driver of the vehicle Gwendolyn McGrath age 64 of Ukiah. As the officers spoke with McGrath they noticed she appeared intoxicated, so they began a DUI traffic accident investigation. During that investigation McGrath was determined to be too intoxicated to be operating a vehicle and was taken into custody for DUI. A records check on McGrath found that he she was on probation, had a suspended license, and had active warrants for her, one out of Mendocino County for DUI and the other out of Lake County for domestic battery. McGrath was booked into county jail on the DUI, violation of her probation, driving suspended, and the two warrants.

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HUBBARD TO McCOY TO UKIAH PD

On Friday, October 9, 2015 at about 7:20 PM, UPD officers responded to the 400 block of East Gobbi Street, for a report of two males subjects unloading boxes of marijuana from a U-Haul van. Upon arrival officers contacted and identified Van Hubbard age 61 and Robert McCoy age 63, both from Ukiah. Approximately 135 pounds [sic!] of marijuana were located and seized and officers began a possession of marijuana for sale investigation. Hubbard and McCoy were both cited [cited!] in the field for possession of marijuana for sale. Investigation is ongoing.

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Moyles
Moyles

ON SUNDAY, October 11, 2015 at approximately 1:35 PM, as part of an ongoing investigation, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to a residence located in the 42000 block of Crispin Road in Manchester, California. The purpose of responding to the address was to serve a restraining order, and search warrant. Upon arriving at the residence, Jerry Moyles, 46, of Manchester, was contacted and detained. The search warrant was served resulting in the residence and property being searched. A large amount of live ammunition was located throughout the residence. Moyles was arrested for being a felon in possession of ammunition and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held on $15,000 bail.

(Sheriff’s Press Release)

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CHECK BOBBY'S HOUSE

Sossaman
Sossaman

Approximately two weeks ago Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a residential burglary located on Pineview Drive in Willits, California. Upon arrival at the residence, it was learned that numerous carpentry tools and a security camera system had been stolen from the residence. On 10-13-2015 Deputies conducted a probation search at a residence located in the Brooktrails community at which time they located some of the stolen items from the residential burglary that had occurred on Pineview Drive. During further investigations Deputies subsequently responded to a residence in the 200 block of Holly Street in Willits, California. Upon arrival Deputies contacted the occupant of the residence, Bobby Sossaman, 30, of Willits, at which time a search warrant was served for the residence. During a search of the residence, Deputies recovered stolen property from the Pineview Drive residential burglary, (2) two shotguns, shotgun ammunition and body armor. It was estimated that Deputies recovered more than $5,000 of stolen property. Sossaman was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property, a felon in possession of body armor, a felon in possession of a firearm(s), a felon in possession of prohibited ammunition and violation of probation. Sossaman was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

(Sheriff’s Press Release)

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SENIOR PERV

On Thursday, October 15, 2015 at approximately 12:30 PM, Detectives with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, along with an Investigator from the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office arrested Alfredo Knight, 69, of Ukiah, at his residence on a felony arrest warrant. The warrant was issued by the Mendocino County Superior Court for lewd and lascivious acts with a child and sexual battery. Knight was booked into the Mendocino County Jail to be held in lieu of $195,000 bail.

AlfredoKnight

The arrest warrant was issued after a culmination of several investigations into Alfredo Knight's contact with multiple victims. During the investigations it was learned that there were possibly several victims who have yet to be identified. Anybody with information on potential victims or witnesses is urged to call the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Tip line at 707-234-2100.

(Sheriff’s Press Release)

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AMERICA'S GREATEST LIVING ARTIST TELLS IT…

Robert Crumb Hates You

http://observer.com/2015/10/robert-crumb-hates-you/

CrumbSketch

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MENDOCINOSPORTSPLUS PASSES ALONG…

MSP'S 'An Idea Whose Time Has Come' Department

MSP-NursingHome

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BIG NEWS OUT OF CALIFORNIA!

The California Environmental Protection Agency is considering labeling the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup® — glyphosate — as a chemical “known to cause cancer.” CalEPA is accepting public comments about Roundup® and the deadline is soon. Help keep our communities safe by demanding that CalEPA classify Roundup® as a carcinogen. The World Health Organization has found that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen to humans — a finding validated by overwhelming scientific evidence from across the globe. People have a right to know that the main ingredient in this popular pesticide is harmful to humans. Submit a public comment right away to CalEPA and demand they classify Roundup® as a cancer-causing chemical. The proliferation of GMO crops that can resist toxic pesticides has caused a MASSIVE increase in the use of products like Roundup® — 250 million pounds of carcinogenic glyphosate are used every year in the U.S. In addition to causing cancer, liver and kidney disease, and wiping out more than 80% of the monarch butterfly population, Monsanto’s toxic pesticides have destroyed more than 40% of honeybee colonies last year; threatening the more than one hundred fruits and vegetables that depends on bees to survive. Can we count on you to speak out against Monsanto and Roundup®? Send a public comment today and demand that CalEPA label glyphosate as a cancer-causing toxin.

Thanks for your support,

Oregon GMO Right to Know

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CHART OF THE DAY

HedgeFundChart

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ON LINE COMMENTS OF THE DAY: GUN GUYS CHAT

FIRST GUY: Agricultural Fair, the last fair of the season in these parts, really a nice little fair in the beautiful village of Riverton along the Farmingon River, where the Hitchcock chair was made 175 years ago, (the factory still exists) and the town doesn’t look much different from what it must’ve looked like then, the Episcopal Church and colonial brick houses. I wanted to watch the ‘Oxen Pull’, the wood chopping contest, the axe throwing event, and chew on one of those enormous turkey legs that can only be had at a country fair. I parked my bike in a field next to a van that had just pulled in too; a flock of girls piled out age about 5 to 15 (all blondies) with their mom, an attractive woman of about 40. They walked ahead of me, which is when i noticed the mom had a Ruger 9mm strapped to her waist in a holster right out in the open, open carry. At the gate there was a State Trooper and a local cop who must have noticed the gun; they said nothing and she walked in with her daughters unimpeded. i have to say that sight cheered me up, along with my fellow fairgoers, many who I knew, and mostly New England country people, descendants of the Yankees who settled these hills 250 years ago.

SECOND GUY: Now that’s my type of gal. Who knows, she might have been able to throw an axe too!

THIRD GUY: On top of that, she probably homeschools the girls.

FOURTH GUY: And is a NE Patriots cheerleader!

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KZYX ROTATIONS

by Sheila Dawn Tracy

On a pleasant late summer Labor Day evening, the KZYX Board of Directors met at the Anderson Valley Grange.

All members were present with the exception of Director John Sakowicz.

The minutes of the lengthy June 29th meeting were not available as Sakowicz, in the absence of Board Secretary, Meg Courtney, agreed to take notes of that meeting but had not yet completed them.

As the first item of Board business, the current Board President, Stuart Campbell, affirmed a Board policy that criticisms of staff including programmers by Board members "will not be tolerated in open session because such are personnel matters." Any discussion of specific staff or programmers will be conducted in closed session.

That rule addressed the attempt by Sakowicz in July of 2014 to discuss an alleged spitting incident by a staff member in the driveway of the station. Kathryn Massey, one of the five people who filed an objection to the renewal of the station's license with the FCC, reported that in arriving at the station to meet with Sakowicz, she had been screamed at by one of the staff and spit at by another.

She attributed the rude reception as retribution for filing the complaint.

Asking Board members to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) was discussed. Campbell favored the signing of NDA's to insure trust among Board members that confidentiality is kept. He felt it would provide a better working relationship. Legal advice would be sought for the crafting of the specific wording of the agreement, though Campbell expressed doubts that it could be enforced. Board member Jane Futcher was concerned that the perception might be that the Board is not open and transparent in its business affairs. Campbell allowed that the agreement might be specific to personnel matters. Director Benj Thomas observed that personnel already had the protection of a closed session. He asked what consequences would there be for breaking the agreement. Although he felt the agreement would not be legally binding, he stated he would not object to the proposal.

In matters from the Board, Futcher said she was excited about hosting the new program, The Cannabis Hour. She thanked Campbell and Program Director, Mary Aigner, for mentoring her in developing the engineering skills required in producing the show.

Meg Courtney spoke of her feeling of being in a foxhole for the last two years doing nothing besides dodging the "slings and arrows from a Board member" who unfortunately was not present. She mentioned that Sakowicz had emailed Campbell about being left out of the conversation regarding Board committees and then accused Campbell of breaking the California Corporations Code. When she continued on, stating a belief that Sakowicz had done nothing on the Finance Committee when he was Treasurer, she was interrupted in her caustic comments by Director Clay Eubank who asked what point she was trying to make. She thanked him for "reining her in," stating she had needed to vent.

She then said she is ready to be positive and move forward and asked that the Board be positive along with her.

Committee Reports

Search Committee — Chair Eubank apologized for being away for two weeks in his role as a volunteer firefighter battling the Valley fire which had caused him to cancel several scheduled meetings. After settling on a job description for a General Manager, Eubank is in the process of following the committee's suggestions by advertising in local media, broadcasting associations and professional magazines. He felt the group was cordial, productive and represented disparate views. His goal was to have suitable applicants for Board and staff interviews by December and have the selection process completed before February.

Personnel Committee — Chair Benj Thomas' committee was tasked with developing a job description for the GM position. Due to a "sparsely populated committee of three "and time pressure, he suggested that Eubank use the job description contained in the contract of the previous GM, John Coate. He thought a discussion and agreement regarding the function of a General Manager could be worked out with more time.

Futcher inquired of Eubank if he had a reason for not including senior staff on the Search Committee. He responded that there had been a lot of volatility in the organization. He desired to prevent the sense that things were continuing on as they had been, and that it was preferable to choose a person who could be neutral and not act as a polarizing lightning rod.

Finance Committee — According to Chair Eubank, KZYX ended fiscal year 2015 $30,000 in the red. The one-day August pledge drive brought in $28,500. It was considered a big success, exceeding the pledge goal of $23,750. The station has over $3,000 in the bank and has drawn more than $42,000 from its credit line of $75,000 leaving a current liability of $14,000.

Old NPR debt has been paid down to just under $12,000.

Audit Committee — Campbell reported that CPA Frank Gloeggler did preparatory work for the upcoming Audit Report. He will not be continuing on as Auditor as he chose not to renew his license. A new auditor, Janie Walling, has been hired to file a report to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), to work on 1099 (independent contractors) taxes, and to continue the compilation of data for the required audit.

Action Items

The agenda called for the appointment of a Board member to complete the remainder of the District 3 (Willits) seat term which ends in May 2017. The mystery appointee failed to appear for unknown reasons. The item was tabled to the Nov.2nd meeting on the Coast.

Having attended the Search Committee meeting of August 6th in Ukiah, a latecomer to the meeting introduced himself as John Arteaga.

Currently a columnist for the Ukiah Daily Journal, Arteaga mentioned that he had been asked to be on the KZYX Board by his friend, Director Ed Keller.

Two appointments to the Community Advisory Board (CAB) were scheduled — those of former Board candidates, Tony Novelli and Tom Melcher. Novelli also did not make it to the meeting. Tom Melcher was present, nominated and approved without discussion.

The third action to be considered by the Board was the hiring of an Interim General Manager.

Campbell explained that as Board President, he had been regularly going to the Philo studio to attend to station business. Due to a change in personal circumstance, he informed some Board members that he could no longer continue to volunteer his time. It was suggested that he fill the void left by John Coate's unexpected resignation by serving as Interim General Manager.

After careful consideration, Campbell agreed to a part-time contract of three days a week and an hourly wage for a five month period ending February

8th. After that date he will return to his regular occupation as a junior college professor. The contract was written by former Board President and lawyer, Eliane Herring. At the time the contract was written, neither party was aware of the FCC requirement for a full time presence of managerial level staff at the studio during business hours. Whether special circumstances create an exemption with the FCC has not been explored.

After Jane Futcher welcomed Campbell in his new role, I called a point of process. I brought attention to the fact that public comment was not noticed on the agenda for any of the Action items as is Board policy. This seemed odd to me as Campbell in his role of Board President makes up the agenda as he did for the previous June meeting in which public comment was specifically noticed for each of four action items.

Campbell commented that a public comment period would follow the remaining Board remarks.

Public Comment

I pointed out that several items further along the agenda was the resignation of Campbell from the Board. The Bylaws state that a Board member cannot hold two executive positions at the same time which would require Campbell to resign from the Board before the vote to hire him as GM took place. Despite an interruption from Campbell claiming he didn't begin work till the following day, I continued that Board policies state the agenda must follow a logical order. To be hired before he resigned from the Board would constitute a conflict of interest.

I further remarked that as the Programmer Representative on the Board, he not only needs to talk to the programmers but is also responsible for informing Board members as well as the public on programming issues. Not only did he neglect to inform the Board and the public of the change in the No Safe Harbor policy, as Board President he was also remiss in not putting the policy change on the last meeting's agenda for public comment and Board discussion and vote. Policy change is the Board's responsibility and cannot legally be an on site decision by a staff member. I expressed disappointment at his poor performance and hoped that with his resignation from that position, someone could be found who would do the job with greater attention.

Bob Bushansky spoke next. He asked if the Board seat will be held open while Campbell is serving as General Manager?

That is a decision to be discussed at a future meeting.

After a brief discussion on how to proceed with the vote to hire Campbell, Director Eubank made a motion to table the hiring till the end of the meeting. It was seconded and approved.

State of the Station

Campbell stated that over $25,000 was raised in the one-day August pledge drive and credited its success to the hard work of the programmers as well as the coordination of Diane Hering and the KZYX staff. He announced the Fall pledge drive dates as October 31 through November 8.

The news team was commended for the outstanding coverage of the Lake County fires.

Campbell addressed the continued work by Operations Manager, Rich Culbertson in improving the infrastructure by having back up parts and systems in place to keep the signal strong and uninterrupted during the winter season.

There have been a sizeable number of program changes in the past several months. Campbell believes turnover is the nature of the business.

Clay Hawkins has stepped into the time slot vacated by Ryan O on alternate Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. His show, Dusty Roads and Dirty Strings alternates with Diane Hering's Lunch on the Back Porch.

Steve Scalamini now co-hosts the Discussion program with Stuart Campbell. W. Dan Houck has left his comedy show, The Tree House, to care for his injured wife.

Bob Vaughn has taken over the comedy spot with help from John McAllister.

Sunday afternoons are being hosted by returning programmers, John Huxsol and Catherine Hart. They are filling in for Michael Arago's Na Mele O Hawaii.

Pippa Thomas & Tony Miksak alternate with Joel Cohen in the Monday morning classical spot, 10am to noon.

Christina Gianelli has taken on the Wednesday afternoon program called Mendo Blendo, an eclectic mix of music geared to a younger ear.

Dan O'Connell occasionally sits in to host the Thursday morning jazz show when needed.

Valerie Kim, besides being part time news staff, has taken on the Friday time slot of 7 to 9pm formerly hosted by Nora Mitchell.

The Cannabis Hour hosted by Jane Futcher alternates on Thursday mornings with Mendocino

Currents news programming

Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, will remain in its monthly format on Wednesdays at 1pm until January 2016 when it will begin airing weekly. Until then it alternates with City Arts and Lectures.

Early morning programming from 4 to 5 am has had the following changes: Monday — Living Planet & Counterspin; Tuesday — Project Censored; Wednesday — The David Packman Show; Thursday — Making Contact & World in Progress; Friday-Climate One Public Comment

Bob Bushansky read from his letter to the Board about the many alleged transgressions of Director John Sakowicz. He called Sakowicz lazy for his failure to produce the minutes from the June meeting. He ridiculed Sakowicz's reasons for not producing the minutes — being on vacation and his preoccupation with falling world markets, as unacceptable. Bushansky's remark of Sakowicz not accomplishing anything tangible from his time as Treasurer closely aligned with his wife, Meg Courtney's, earlier comments. He cited Sakowicz's boycott of the station's birthday celebration a year ago as another unproductive effort that demonstrated Sakowicz's unwillingness to support fundraising activities. Bushansky called Sakowicz a liar, referring to unproven assertions made in his objection to the license renewal process.

In my comments to the Board, I referred to a data sheet made available in 2012 at the request of former Board member King Collins that shows membership support by area. I noted that memberships from the coast nearly equaled those of inland members yet the coastal community did not have parity in representation either at the Board level or on the search committee. Only one out of the current eight Board Directors lives on the coast. The search committee is heavily stacked not only by those currently working or volunteering at the station but every one of its official members reside inland. I asked where is the voice of the non-member, the community members not affiliated with the station or those who represent the diversity of the coast viewpoint? Although I take the time and go to the expense of driving to Ukiah, I am not a recognized member of the committee. When the real work of vetting applicants occurs, the committee will go into closed session and those not officially "chosen" will be shut out of the decision-making process. I asked to be recognized as the one coastal representative. I also asked to have an update on membership data to understand where membership is declining.

My final point was to have the Board respond in writing to the question of how members can call a membership meeting, as is provided for by Bylaw 10.03 without a means of communicating with each other that isn't prohibitive. I observed that the topic of membership communication was supposed to be put on the June agenda. Instead the conversation has fallen into a black hole, not included in either the previous or current meeting agendas.

Tom Melcher pointed out that the reason Clay Eubank cancelled the search committee meetings was due to his involvement in fighting the firestorms in Lake County.

Several people who did not identify themselves voiced opposition to the idea of sharing membership information. One man who experienced Oregon public radio said he is familiar with infighting. Without choosing sides, he believed that for effective governance, there needed to be a balance of perspectives and representation. He cautioned that newer members can also come with hidden agendas.

One woman said it is the nature of our culture and economics that people don't want their information shared by an unknown number of unknown people. Campbell explained in detail that the station's unnamed legal advisors had devised a way for the members to communicate without divulging member privacy by having members pay for the cost of a mailing to be sent through a third party. What was not said is that the CPB allows for stations to give members the right to opt out.

Cobb, the host of the Discussion program with his partner Angela DeWitt felt that I should not be allowed to be on the search committee due to misinformation I wrote in a previous article that Ms. DeWitt was related to a Board member. She is not. I apologized for the error to Ms. DeWitt personally.

Derek Hoyle, who spoke at the June meeting against the change of station policy to not allow adult content in late night programs said he had offered a copy of his letter to each of the Board members. The only member who approached him afterwards was John Sakowicz. He had received an assurance by Campbell that the No Safe Harbor policy would be on the current agenda and felt misled by its absence.

He stated his feeling that the Board was getting faulty advice from their lawyer. Hoyle, who has been broadcasting for 34 years, felt that governance by the Board was a train wreck. He was especially upset by the fact that the President of the Board, Campbell, did nothing to stop a paid staff member from using foul language in addressing his remarks to a Board member (Sakowicz) at the June meeting. He felt the rest of the Board was complacent in their silence and thought they should all resign and let a new Board come in.

The resignation of Stuart Campbell as Programmer Representative and Board President was accepted. Reluctantly, Campbell took a seat in the front row of the audience where he watched a flurry of activity in the election of new Board officers. Meg Courtney was nominated and approved to replace Campbell as President. In another back flip rotation Courtney then resigned her position as Board Secretary and she, in turn, nominated Jane Futcher to be Vice President, forgetting that Director Bob Page already held that office. Page, recuperating from throat surgery, could not speak up to correct the situation. Not to be interrupted, Courtney then nominated Page to replace her as Board Secretary.

She was about to adjourn the meeting when Director Keller reminded her that they had not yet hired Campbell as GM. Keller made a motion to do so. It was seconded and approved.

Because the gavel that was broken at the February meeting has still not been replaced, Courtney picked up her pink water bottle with a flourish and banged it down on the table to call the meeting to an end.

The next Board meeting will be held in Fort Bragg on November 2nd at 6pm. Location to be announced.

* * *

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 16, 2015

Aceves-Lizarraga, Arriaga, Blackwell
Aceves-Lizarraga, Arriaga, Blackwell

IRVING ACEVES-ACEVES-LIZARRAGA, Willits. Under influence.

MARIC ARRIAGA, Ukiah. No license.

ERIN BLACKWELL, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

Brandt, Castro, Corcoran
Brandt, Castro, Corcoran

MARK BRANDT, Ukiah. Pot sale, transport, furnish, paraphernalia.

MARTIN CASTRO, Hopland. Probation revocation.

THEO CORCORAN, Talmage. Burglary, vandalism, probation revocation.

Garland, Habour, S.Heidinger
Garland, Habour, S.Heidinger

WAYNE GARLAND, Ukiah. Battery.

COLE HARBOUR, Fort Bragg. Battery, entry into dwelling without consent, probation revocation.

SCOTT HEIDINGER, Hopland. Drunk in public.

W.Heidinger, Knight, Loreto-Quijas
W.Heidinger, Knight, Loreto-Quijas

WILFRED HEIDINGER, Hopland. DUI, suspended license.

AFREDO KNIGHT, Ukiah. Lewd-Lascivious by use of force, duress, menace or fear on child.

JOSE LORETO-QUIJAS, Ukiah. DUI, DUI-suspended license.

Morales-Carrillo, Munnerlyn, Piloto
Morales-Carrillo, Munnerlyn, Piloto

CARLOS MORALES-CARRILLO, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

SHALER MUNNERLYN, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public, bribing an officer, attempted escape, court order violation, probation revocation.

GREGORY PILOTO, Denver/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

Ponts, Sanders, Snyder
Ponts, Sanders, Snyder

RICKY PONTS, Fort Bragg. Under influence, probation revocation.

THOMAS SANDERS, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

ANDREW SNYDER, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

Tucker, Vionnet, Warner
Tucker, Vionnet, Warner

RODNEY TUCKER, Fort Bragg. Possession of controlled substance, paraphernalia, resisting.

MAURICE VIONNET, Laytonville. Honey oil extraction, recklessly causing a structure fire, child endangerment, battery on peace officer.

MALISSA WARNER, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

* * *

MARCO NOW ON KMEC, TOO

Sid Cooperider has taken the electronic steps necessary to add the second half-ish part of my weekly 107.7fm KNYO Fort Bragg show to KMEC's schedule. Starting with this Friday's show I'll be on the air on KNYO at the usual time (9pm) (drop by if you want to; I'll be at the station, 325 N. Franklin), then at midnight KMEC will connect and I'll be on 105.1fm KMEC Ukiah too from then till 3am. Then any leftover time will be only on KNYO again. And things will go like this every week for the foreseeable future. I've admired KMEC for a long time. I asked to be part of it; Ed Nieves said he'd find a way even though their schedule is jammed, and he did. Excelsior!

Marco McClean

memo@mcn.org

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

http://knyo.org

http://kmecradio.org

* * *

SORRY, HIL, CAN'T MAKE IT

Friend — 

I'd like to get to know you, and I can't think of a better way to do that than by flying you out to New York City later this month to spend some time with a few of this campaign's best supporters and me. 

Today, if you add your name, you'll be entered for the chance to join me — we'll take care of the airfare and accommodations for you and a guest.

 This won't be a strategy meeting or anything like that. We'll have some really good food, listen to some great music, and maybe even have something unhealthy to drink, if you're up for it.

 Add your name right now for the chance to join us later this month:

Thanks,

Hillary

* * *

"YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN" rehearsal benefits Grace Hudson

On the evening of Tuesday, October 27, the Grace Hudson Museum and the Ukiah Players Theatre team up to present a sneak preview of the musical adaptation of writer-director Mel Brooks' hilarious classic "Young Frankenstein," at the Ukiah Players Theatre playhouse at 1041 Low Gap Road in Ukiah. The evening starts at 6 pm with appetizers and wine or soft drinks; the performance (dress rehearsal) starts at 7 pm, with dessert and coffee served at the intermission. Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced "Fronk-en-steen") inherits his family's estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced "Eye-gore") and a leggy lab assistant, Inga (pronounced normally), Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors. "It's alive!" he exclaims as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather's. Eventually, of course, the monster escapes and hilarity continuously abounds. Every bit as relevant to audience members who will remember the original as it will be to newcomers, "Young Frankenstein" has all the panache of the screen sensation with a little extra theatrical flair added. Tickets are $25, $20 for youth under 21, and are available at the Grace Hudson Museum website at www.gracehudsonmuseum.org, or by calling the Museum at 467-2836. All proceeds will benefit the Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House.

Roberta Werdinger

Writer, Publicist, Editor

RWerdinger@Yahoo.com

* * *

BOARD TO GET WHIFF of new med-pot rules.

Mendocino County Board Of Supervisors To Host Presentation By The Rural County Representatives Of California (RCRC) On The 2015 State Legislative Medical Marijuana Regulatory Package

At the request of the Board of Supervisors Marijuana Ad Hoc Committee, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 26, 2015, for a presentation on the State Legislative medical marijuana regulatory package.

In the final hours of the legislative session, the legislature passed a medical marijuana regulatory package that was signed by the Governor on October 9, 2015, consisting of three bills: AB 266 (Bonta), SB 643 (McGuire) and AB 243 (Wood). The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Senior Legislative Advocate, Paul Smith, will provide an overview of all three bills. RCRC works with its membership to advocate on behalf of rural issues at the state and federal levels. RCRC provides the rural county perspective on a myriad of issues during the legislative and regulatory process, including land use, water and natural resources, housing, transportation, wildfire protection policies, and health and human services. Paul Smith represents RCRC on a variety of issues including county finance and operations, elections, labor/employment/pensions, transportation, solid waste, and corrections.

“Over the past year, the North Coast Counties have been informally discussing the possible impacts of potential state and federal cannabis policies on our economies, environment and public safety. With the passing of the recent regulatory legislations, there will be guidelines in place to allow access to medical marijuana, while ensuring a robust tracking system and a regulatory structure for the industry, including taxing and licensing," said Chair of the Board, Carre Brown.

The meeting will be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 501 Low Gap Road in Ukiah at 5:30 p.m. This event is open to the public. Interested parties are encouraged to attend.

For more information, or to reserve a spot, please contact the Mendocino County Executive Office at (707) 463-4441 or duketts@co.mendocino.ca.us.

Carmel J. Angelo

Chief Executive Officer

* * *

GOLDEN RULE MEETS THE GOLDEN GATE

GoldenRule@Gate

(Photo by Susie de Castro)

 

4 Comments

  1. BB Grace October 17, 2015

    http://kempercg.com/about/our-consulting-team/

    http://www.countyofplumas.com/index.aspx?nid=87

    RE: THE KEMPER REPORT: Due By Christmas

    Kemper Consulting report could replace the name “Plumas” with “Mendocino” and re-issue the same report as Plumas County Mental Health Services are simular to Mendocino County’s Mental Health Services situation.

    Kemper Consulting reports that Plumas is like any other rural CA mental health department, pointing out that the ACA problems are the foundation of most problems in meshing and implementing mental health services (So why does each county need to hire Kemper to find this out since it’s a trickle down to State and apparently the State was unable to trickle down to Counties?).. and what’s interesting is how the report turns to focus on Plumas Mental Health Commission, which is the same as Mendocino County Mental Health Board.

    Not only does the Kemper Consultant report show where Mendocino County Mental Health Board is “out of complience” (Prop 63) by comparison to Plumas, but the MCMHB can get a head start by adopting the Kemper Consulting report for Plumas County now. NOTE: Even though one of the Kemper Consulting’s team is from Nevada County, the ONLY County in CA that established Laura’s Law, and the only active mental health organization in Plumas County on their web page is NAMI, there is NO MENTION OF LAURA’s LAW anywhere because Luara’s Law is OUT.

    Neither is the Stepping Up Inniative mentioned, However, Stepping Up Inniative remedies and fullfills the direction of Kemper Consulting to Plumas County in how to network health services with Sheriff and Courts, especially concerning Mendocino County’s cultures, such as marijuana culture population. (Kemper is not a fan of Ad Hoc committees in the Plumas Report).

    RE: BOARD TO GET WHIFF of new med-pot rules.

    Mendocino County should contract with ASOs who accept medical marijuana consumers. The discrimination against medical marijuana consumers by the ASO’s (because of federal laws) contracted by Mendocino County Health and Human Services for transients AKA “trimmigrants”, keeping a transient population on the streets, under bridges and Mendocino County jail and courts working harder. In the Plumas Report their HHSA was upset that the Plumas County Sheriff’s wasn’t complimenting them enough. Maybe because HHSA in CA doesn’t get it that the police, courts and population is fed up with the excuses for FAILURE with a smile and a nod).

    “Finding 10”, Pages 27 – 28 (of 75), Kemper recommends the Mental health Commission hire a consultant for the Chair. This is how the state winds up telling each county how to spend it’s prop 63 money. Is Prop 63 funds paying Kemper Consulting and how much is that fee?

    RE: FORT BRAGG’S WATER SHORTAGE

    Solution: http://inhabitat.com/charles-patons-teatro-del-agua/

  2. John Sakowicz October 17, 2015

    Marco McClean — Welcome to KMEC, brother.

  3. Jim Updegraff October 17, 2015

    Gun guys chat: The pistol packing mama would probably if she tried to use the pistol would end shooting a couple of the kids and a couple of bystanders. I don’t think these people packing a pistol like some gunslinger walking the streets of Dodge City realize how stupid they look.

    • david ellison October 17, 2015

      Jim Updegraff

      Why don’t you spend some time in ” gun free zone Chicago ”
      Possibly the most dangerous city in the USA
      Only the crooks and crazies have guns, and the gun violence statistics reflect that.
      In spite of Obama’s best efforts, we still have a small portion of the Constitution being adhered to.
      Check out what big gov is doing with Jade Helm

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