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MCT: Friday, January 18, 2019

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THE STORM WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY was, in its violent winds and heavy rains, emphasized by the thunder crashing down on us about 3am. The deluge closed 128 at Flynn Creek Road to the coast, as it always does with the big rains. 175 Hopland to Lakeport was closed and the Garcia ran too deep over Highway One between Manchester and Point Arena to permit through traffic this morning but was passable early afternoon. Rancho Navarro lost power, residents informed by PG&E's robo-messenger that an estimate for power restoration might be available by late Thursday afternoon. Veteran outback dwellers reconciled themselves to low priority status when they bought in. Most are prepared to lose contact with the great world outside, while an intrepid minority welcome it. Local Caltrans crews did their usual efficient job keeping the Boonville-Ukiah Road and 128 from Navarro to the Sonoma County line free of the inevitable mudslides and boulders. Ditto for PG&E crews who labor in all kinds of weather and rugged terrain.

Our cat, Skrag, must have been terribly spooked by the thunder clap directly overhead at 3am Thursday morning because he missed his breakfast and his light lunch, only reappearing for dinner late Thursday afternoon when the coast seemed to be clearer.


HIGHWAY 128--CHP closed the road Thursday @ 1:07 am. The river has crested and is dropping as of 7:30 am.


ROADS CLOSED IN MENDOCINO COUNTY

HWY 1 REOPENED 12:15 PM

HWY 128 OPENED 4:00 PM

HWY 175 OPENED 4:00 PM

MSP will keep this pinned to the top of the page giving the status of the road closures - and re-openings. News updates will appear below it:

***HIGHWAY 175 HOPLAND - CHP closed this roadway Wednesday @ 11:23 pm. It was closed for about 16.5 hours.

***HIGHWAY 128--CHP closed the road Thursday @ 1:07 am. The river has crested and is dropping as of 7:30 am. The road was closed for about 15 hours.

***HIGHWAY 1 GARCIA RIVER (Milepost 18.5) The CHP closed this road Thursday @ 5:36 am. It was closed for about 11.5 hours.

HIGHWAY 1 OPEN 12:15 PM

SCHOOL CLOSURES

The Albion & Comptche schools are closed due to a power failure. Mendocino High & the K-8 school are OPEN.

(MendocinoSportsPlus)

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JUDGE KEITH FAULDER’S CRUSADE

by Jonah Raskin

Is there anything that Judge Keith Faulder can’t do in a courtroom? No, probably not. After all, he’s been a crusading lawyer for the defense and a crusading lawyer for the prosecution. For eight years, he served in the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, including a stint as the interim DA, after the death, in 2006, of Norm Vroman who was elected to the post.

Now, as nearly everyone knows—at least everyone who has run afoul of the law in northern California or read about crime and criminals—Faulder is a Mendocino County Superior Court Judge. Five days a week, he holds forth in Department A on the second floor of the courthouse. Under his black robes he wears a shirt, a tie and a jacket.

In his chambers—which boasts a mandala from Nepal and a large, eye-catching sketch of Don Quixote—Faulder ponders the cases on his docket. “I thought if anyone would be the patron saint of court attorneys it would be Don Quixote,” Faulder said on an afternoon when he thumbed through a copy of the California Judicial Handbook. He stopped at the section titled, “Rules Concerning Media Interviews” and read the salient passage: “Make sure you know what the reporter intends to cover before agreeing to an interview.”

This reporter explained that he wanted to cover Faulder’s life in the law, no holds barred, but no down and dirty questions, either. “I’m not doing an exposé on you or the court,” this reporter said.

Like Quixote, Faulder is on a kind of crusade. Indeed, he believes in the Rule of Law—which is no small matter these days—though he also knows that laws aren’t sacred or written in stone. Roe vs. Wade, he pointed out, is a good example of how laws change because of something called “political climate,” which seems to shift every time there’s a national election.

Faulder remembered that the men closest to Richard Nixon argued that if the president did it, it had to be legal — and that Nixon was forced out of office.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to talk about President Trump or Governor Gavin Newsom,” he said.

Faulder believes in The First Amendment, though he does not condone hate speech. He also defends civil disobedience in the tradition of MLK and Henry David Thoreau, the author of Walden, who went to jail to protest US military intervention in Mexico in the 1840s. In law school, Faulder wrote and published an essay about the duty to practice civil disobedience. But he also believes in civility in and out of the courtroom.

The whole time that he’s been in the thick of the California criminal justice system he’s seen harsh sentencing in the wake of the “Three Strikes Law,” which was adopted in 1994, and less harsh sentencing after the repeal of “Three Strikes Law” in 2012.

He’s also watched as Mendocino County marijuana cultivators went to jail and to prison, and he’s observed the decriminalization of cannabis offenses and a reduction in sentencing. “Felonies have been dropped to misdemeanors and more emphasis has been placed on drug treatment not on punishment,” he said. In fact, in the nearly three decades that Faulder has been a lawyer and a judge there’s been a quiet revolution in cannabis law, not only Mendocino County, but all across California.

As a criminal defense lawyer he played a part in a revolution that has been engineered without guns or bullets, though some cannabis growers, lawyers and activists risked their livelihood and their freedom to alter and amend the law.

“I like to think that I’ve made a difference as a lawyer and as a judge in the lives of some people,” Faulder said.

In high school he wanted to be a ski bum. In college at UC Santa Cruz he studied philosophy. He still remembers the work of the French philosopher, Michel Foucault, the author of Discipline and Punish. Faulder still has a philosophical cast of mind, though as a judge he can’t indulge in philosophy. “I have to pay close attention to the facts and the evidence in each and every case,” he said. “I have to listen not only to what is being said, but how it’s said. I also have to think about possible exceptions that the attorneys on both sides might make and anticipate what’s coming next in every trial.”

Faulder’s romance with the law began in San Diego where he and an older brother ran a Private Investigator firm, “Faulder Et Al.” Keith was one of six brothers whose parents were both schoolteachers. At home nearly everyone in the family watched “Perry Mason,” though not “Dragnet.”

“I had a hard time identifying with Joe Friday,” Faulder said.

Working as a PI, provided Faulder with his first taste of the nitty-gritty legal system. To this day, he remembers the Perry Mason-like case that he pursued when a wife hired him to snoop on her husband and thereby help her win a divorce and freedom from an impossible marriage. “She had to prove infidelity on the part of her husband,” Faulder says. “I drove an ordinary dark gray pick-up truck. The husband had no idea I was tailing him all the way to his mistress’s house in LA.” He added, “As a PI, it helps to have stealth.”

What he learned as a PI, he said, was “persistence and patience,” two lessons he has carried through his life. “My PI work also got me a court job as an investigator working on death penalty cases after I graduated from law school.”

Faulder has also had a life beyond the law; the mandala on the wall in his chambers is a memento from an excursion to Nepal where he climbed Mount Everest in 2014. Well, not to the very top of the world’s highest mountain. But about 25,000 feet above sea level. On his computer, Faulder showed images of himself climbing the Khumbu Ice Fall on the Nepali side of Mount Everest. “It was scary and exhilarating and beautiful,” he said. He has also climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa and the highest peak in South America.

Still, there are few parts of his life that are separate from the world of the law.

“I met my wife because of two murder cases, one of which I was handling,” he said. “She handled the other one. In my case, the accused—6' 8" and 300 or so pounds—strangled five prostitutes who didn’t pay their debts for drugs. After he killed them, he stuffed their bodies into dumpsters and set them on fire.”

Faulder’s wife-to-be defended a man accused of killing seven women; he stabbed them to death ritualistically. “Those cases brought us together,” Faulder said. He added, “There are extremely dangerous people out there. I’m not surprised that Richard Pryor once said, ‘Thank God for prisons.’ We do, indeed, need them.”

Later that afternoon over lunch, a short walk from the courthouse, Faulder recounted the history of the criminal justice system in California, the construction of San Quentin and its pivotal role today as the “reception center” for all people in northern California entering one prison or another.

“In terms of human history, prisons are a relatively new invention, and so are trials in which the defendant has the right to a lawyer,” he explained. “When kings had absolute power, they demonstrated that power by ordering men condemned to death to be drawn, quartered and disemboweled.”

This reporter asked, “Are we more civilized now?”

Faulder replied, “I don’t know.”

What does he know?

“After twenty-five years in this community I know its perimeters,” Faulder said. He added, “I know that I want to use the law to help people break the cycle of criminal behavior. I want to give people the opportunity to correct their own mistakes.”

“Have you regretted any sentences you meted out to convicted criminals?” this reporter asked.

Faulder paused for a few moments and replied, “Nothing comes to mind.”

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DR. BUZZ GRAHAM ON COAST HOSPITAL

RE: Dr. Miller’s Critique Of Coast Hospital

The philosopher J Krishnamurti one said: “If you ask the right question, you get the right answer.”

Dr. Miller raises the question whether MCDH’s (Mendocino Coast District Hospital’s) present CEO should be allowed to continue in his job. Our new Board of Directors will make that decision. But I would submit to you that merely changing the captain of the ship will not prevent our hospital landing on the rocky shoals of financial disaster. So, the question we need to ask is “what do we need to do to preserve the long-term sustainability of our hospital?"

How bad is the financial situation at Mendocino Coast District Hospital? Well, pretty dire. Statements show—and this is with the parcel tax added—a loss of $331,000 to date. Well, OK, maybe with a few tweaks we can break even, maybe even make a bit of money. But what about our physical plant?

Mike Ellis, our CFO says, “We don’t have the cash to buy new carpet or tile. We only do what we have to do to keep our license.“ (Jan 10th Board meeting).

Bob Edwards, our CEO, says (at the same meeting), We need $19 million just to keep the doors open and the rain out. On top of that by 2030—rapidly approaching—we need to be in compliance with the new State seismic requirements. That means either an expensive retrofit (does that make sense for a hospital built in 1971?) or a new building---$25 million? $50 million? $75 million? Who’s gonna lend us the money, when we’re not even in compliance with the requirements of our measly $6 million existing bond?

Sometimes it falls upon physicians to be the bearer of bad news. I was on MCDH Board of Directors from 2010 to 2014, and when I joined the Board, I had a strong feeling that we did not have a sustainable financial path as an independent hospital. We needed to affiliate with some entity that would provide capital for our physical plant and produce economies of scale in running our operations. However, as with many of my former patients, giving up independence is a difficult thing to accept and no Board member would support me in my quest for affiliation. Subsequent Board members have entered full of enthusiasm to “save the hospital.” But none — as far as I can determine — have looked in any significant way for outside help, and our financial situation has continued to deteriorate.

What about our neighboring hospitals? What are they doing?

[x]Sonoma Valley Hospital finalized an affiliation agreement with University of California San Francisco Health to create an integrated health network. “We plan to be the Diagnostic Center for UCSF patients in the North Bay with our new affiliation, and already attract patients from outside the district for pain management and other procedures,” CEO Mather said.

[x] Sonoma West (formally Palm Drive Hospital) after considerable financial struggle, has transformed into Sonoma Specialty Hospital (a long term care facility) under a new management services agreement with Advanced American Management Group. It plans to have Urgent Care, bundled with outpatient surgery and long-term acute care.

[x] This year St. Joseph Health (owner of Santa Rosa Memorial) and Healdsburg Hospital (a 21 bed district hospital) agreed to begin formal discussions about St Joseph Health taking over operations and management. “Small hospitals are impossible to keep afloat without a strategic partner to help with financial issues,” said Sue Campbell, board chair, Healdsburg District Hospital.”

If you look at Mendocino and our surrounding counties — Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, Napa — there are 18 acute care hospitals. Of those 18 hospital only ourselves, Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata, and Phelps Community Hospital in Garberville (9 beds) are independent.

“Nobody wants us,” I’ve heard it said. According to Bob Edwards, “Early in its passage through bankruptcy Coast Hospital asked five hospitals about possible affiliation. No one was interested.” (quoted in Advocate 1/25/18).

Well, I was on the Board at that time, and that’s not a true statement. (In pursuing affiliation options, one must be careful with existing management. Since affiliation may mean administrative changes, management can see this as a job security issue.) Hospitals in worse shape than ours have gotten partners: Colusa Hospital, which closed due to financial collapse, has reopened its doors under American Advanced Management Group. Healdsburg Hospital, noted above, has an $8 million operating loss, only partially offset by $6 million parcel tax and intergovernmental transfer funds.

One day an elderly patient of mine came in for a routine appointment. Prior to her visit, I received a call from her daughter — her Mom was driving on an expired driver’s license, her house was a mess, and she was surviving on cat food. When the patient came in, I suggested, as gently as I could, that she needed a different living arrangement. “No,” she replied, “I want to remain independent.”

Yes, it’s hard to give up autonomy, and admit the fact one can’t go it alone, but here on the Coast do we want the health care equivalent of surviving on cat food?

Benjamin ‘Buz’ Graham, MD

Fort Bragg


Dr. Graham,

I was pleased to be under your care, in both the clinic and hospital. And as a community member, I appreciate your thoughtful and positive assessment and response. I hope the MCDH Board and community members, follow your lead and look for positive solutions to the complex issues facing OUR hospital now and in the future. Alliances could, indeed, be part of the solutions to our medial needs and fiscal viability. Our new Board had come on, not just with an agenda of fire and replace, rather look for the needs-fiscal and medical, and then let the broad spectrum of potential solutions drive the actions required. I hope community members move past anger, to specific problems and creative solutions. Appreciate your wisdom and insight.

Greg Scnellnase

Fort Bragg


Dr. Graham Replies:

Like us Petaluma Valley Hospital is a district hospital, but larger at 80 beds. It has an interesting history: In 1997 PVH entered into a 20 year lease with St Joseph's to operate the hospital. In 1997 PVH decided not to renew the lease, and other candidates emerged, finally signing with Paladin Healthcare. However, the complexities of unravelling the electronic medical record that was joined to the hip with Santa Rosa Memorial proved too formidable, and the agreement was rescinded. PVH has re-engaged with St Joseph, but under the newly formed (and still awaiting regulatory approval) joint operating company with Adventist Health.

This new joint operating company would certainly present an opportunity for us at MCDH. There is a strong secular population in our district that is wary of any relationship with faith based entities. However, this new entity seems to be able to offer assurances to PVH about its concerns with reproductive services.

I was a hospitalist for many years at MCDH, and what you describe is a common problem. Indeed, insurance companies will not pay for hospitalizations without “medical necessity,” and there are written criteria for that. However, a clever and creative hospitalist who puts patients first often can find ways to deal with that. Frequently I would put IV’s in patients and treat for “dehydration.”

One tip: as a family member, you can refuse to take the patient home. It is important to state quietly and clearly that it is “unsafe.” Examples why are helpful. The fear of medical liability should the patient have trouble at home often prompts reevaluation, and doing the right thing.

Buz Graham, MD

PS. I should clarify my letter a bit.

If you refuse to take your relative home, they may indeed put the patient in the hospital, but make him/her responsible for the cost of care. Yes, necessity can be appealed to the insurance co, and the bill can be disputed with MCDH, but that's a prolonged and unpleasant process.

There is also observation status — which is short term and does not require medical necessity screening. Problem is that insurance companies treat that different from a hospital admission. For example Medicare covers it not under part A, but part B—no deductible but a 20% co-pay.

Yes, insurance companies can be difficult, but I try to see all sides. Too many movie stars admitted for "exhaustion," and other inappropriate utilization. In theory, it's reasonable to set standards for admission—in practice hard to do in a way that’s fair for everyone. Seems to me 98 year-olds should get a free ticket, no matter what.

Buz

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ATM STOLEN FROM FORT BRAGG RESTAURANT

The Fort Bragg Police Department is asking for the public’s help in investigating the theft of an automated teller machine from a local restaurant on New Year’s Day.

According to the FBPD, officers responded to Lee’s Chinese restaurant on East Redwood Avenue around 10 a.m. Jan. 1 after it was reported that a burglary had occurred the previous evening. Officers found that an ATM inside the business was taken, as well as a small amount of cash.

The following day, the ATM was found on Little Valley Road, along with evidence “potentially leading to the identity of the suspects in this case … including DNA and latent print evidence (which) has been forwarded to the Department of Justice in an attempt to confirm the suspects’ identity.”

The FBPD is requesting that “anyone who may have witnessed suspicious persons, vehicles, or activity around Lee’s Chinese during the early morning hours on Jan. 1, 2019,” contact the FBPD at 707-961-2800. Investigators believe “there were multiple suspects present and that at least one pick-up truck was used during the burglary. Additionally, the suspects would have used power and hand tools which would have created a lot of noise.”

(Fort Bragg Police Press Release)

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FLOW KANA: The weed middleman that expects to make billions as the Sunkist of pot.

“Like many startups, Flow Kana is bleeding red ink. According to its internal projections, the company is set to lose roughly $1.5 million a month for an annual operating loss of $18.2 million; it estimates 2018 after-tax recurring cash losses of $21.4 million.”

marketwatch.com/story/the-weed-middleman-that-expects-to-make-billions-as-the-sunkist-of-pot-2019-01-11

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THE ANDERSON VALLEY FFA is hosting a public speaking contest on Wednesday, January, 23rd. Ten FFA chapters from Mendocino and Lake Counties will be participating in the FFA Opening Closing Ceremonies Contest. The Opening Closing Ceremonies Contest has FFA members taking on one of the 6 parts of the FFA officers and presenting from memory a short piece. The ceremony is used at the beginning and end of every meeting.

I really need help judging the contest. I could use 6-8 people. There is a script and a score sheet to follow. What I need from you is to be a fair judge.

The contest is being held at the high school Wednesday, January, 23rd. We plan to start the contest at 4pm. If you can help I would like you to be at the high school at 3:30 for a judges meeting. The contest will take 2-2.5hrs.

Thank you for considering. If you know of someone else who would judge please let me know.

Beth Swehla

bswehla@avpanthers.org

895-2514

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DAVID KING WRITES:

Due to our soil being Franciscan shale we are prone to slides and the roads giving way due to saturation. Comptche Ukiah road is prone to these problems and huge amounts of our tax dollars have gone into repairs. What concerned me is between Tom Bell flats and the town of Comptche some government agency installed cables on some logs to create a log jam. Log jams themselves don’t concern me because at first glance it seems like a great idea to slow down the water so salmon have a place to rest. My concern is in the location of the log jam. They have chosen to put it right next to the road. In turn it substantially raises the water level on the high side and add saturation to the ground. So naturally we see the road starting to give out. Majority of the river is well off the road except for this one location. For the life of me I can’t see why they would jeopardize public safety and stick us with the costly repair of the road. Besides the safety issue I don’t think it is right that we have use our tax dollars to fix the road that a non county agency undermined. As for the salmon safety I feel it is a bad idea to be so close to the road. I have seen some shady characters parked there walking towards the low side of the log jam. The low side is where you will find the salmon trying to get past the log jam. I have no proof but one of the shady character I witnessed is a frequent flyer on our sheriff booking logs and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was poaching salmon. Let’s not remember this is the same kind of stream Nixon paid people to pull everything out of the streams so they would run faster so I may be having some trust issues in regards to government ineptitude.

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THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING AGENDA for the January 22, 2019, meeting is now available on the County website:

mendocino.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

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BAIL OF 15 GRAND?

In late December of 2018 the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was summoned to a reported robbery of approximately 40 pounds of processed marijuana from a resident of Redwood Valley California. During the investigation it was determined that Brian Craig Cresci, 39, of Clearlake, was responsible for the robbery at gunpoint.

This was Mendocino County Sheriff's Office case #2018-37387. Detectives from the County of Mendocino Marijuana Enforcement Team were able to obtain a search warrant for Cresci's residence located in the 3900 block of Villa Avenue in Clearlake. Due to the nature of the crime and the fact that Cresci is a convicted felon, the Lake County Sheriff's Office SWAT team conducted the primary service of the warrant, supported by the Clearlake Police Department and Detectives from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. During the service of the search warrant MCSO Detectives located ammunition and firearm accessories, including several high capacity magazines. Due to Cresci's status as a convicted felon, he was subsequently arrested by MCSO Detectives for the charges of felon in possession of ammunition, and possession of high capacity magazines. Cresci was booked into the Lake County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $15,000 bail. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Clearlake Police Department for their assistance in this investigation. Any persons with knowledge of this investigation, or the prior robbery investigation are encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office by calling the Sheriff's Office tip line at 707-234-2100 or the WE-TIP anonymous crime reporting hotline at 800-732-7463.

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CALTRANS DISTRICT 1: ROAD INFORMATION BULLETIN

Mendocino County

Route 1 (62/65) - AT & T has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work from Pudding Creek to Mill Creek Drive will begin on Friday, January 18. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.

Route 1 (75) - Emergency work at Blue Slide Gulch will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays.

Route 20 (34) - City of Willits has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work at Redwood Valley Undercrossing on Wednesday, January 23. Lane closures will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

Route 20 (39.7/40.9) - Emergency work from Road 262 to Cold Creek Bridge will begin on Tuesday, January 22. One-way traffic control will be in effect 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Route 101 (34.5/39.4) - Emergency work from Reeves Canyon Road to Ridgewood Ranch Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Route 101 (67/81) - Pavement work from Steele & Davidson Lane to Bell Springs Road & Road 324 will begin on Wednesday, January 23. One-way traffic control will be in effect 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Route 101 (101/101.9) - Bridge work from Bear Pen Undercrossing to Route 271 will begin on Monday, January 21. Lane closure will be in effect 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

Route 175 (8.5/9) - Emergency work at Lake County Line will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours a day. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Route 271 (17.9) - Bridge work at McCoy Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

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GET YOUR FRESH MILK & ONION STARTS!

Fresh Milk Shares

Hello Anderson Valley. Got Fresh, Golden, Cream-Top, Raw milk? Well we do! It is delicious and we are excited to share. Our flexible cow herd-share allows locals to join as members of our farm and pick up milk from our farm, 2 block out of downtown Boonville. We will also have eggs, olive oil, yogurt, cheese, and other treats available from the farm. Please see the flyer below for more information. Thanks and we hope to hear from you and see you on the farm soon.


MENDOCINO PERMACULTURE’S 36TH ANNUAL WINTER ABUNDANCE WORKSHOP


Saturday, February 9, 2019 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

at the Fairgrounds in Boonville — Rain or Shine

Seed, Scion, & Cutting Exchange, 
Classes + Hands-on Fruit Tree Grafting
 Clinics

Free classes all day on tree & vine propagation; how to grow your own food; how to save seeds of all kinds of food plants. You can purchase fruit tree rootstocks cheaply here and then graft your own trees from our free scions. Please bring seeds, scions, cuttings, and your love of plants.

For more information go to https://mendolocalfood.org/ (scroll down) or call Barbara/Rob at (707) 895-3897, Richard 459-5926, or Mark at 463-8672. 

 See you there!

If you can and want to volunteer this year, please contact Barbara at bgoodell@mcn.org or 895-3897.


ONION STARTS FOR SALE

Bunny Bill will be selling onion starts at the Feb. 9th Winter Abundance Fair. He will have Red River, Copra and Silver Star. Due to low demand, if you want Walla Walla or Leeks, you are strongly encouraged to call him at 895-2609. He may not order them this year. Get your beds ready!

* * *

CATCH OF THE DAY, January 17, 2019

Cornejo, Hawthorne, Jones

JOSE CORNEJO, Ukiah. Burglary, probation revocation.

KARLY HAWTHORNE, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

LAMONT JONES JR. Ukiah. Probation revocation.

Silva, Stone, Tucker, Young

MANUEL SILVA, Willits. Probation revocation.

EVELINE STONE, Crescent City/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

RODNEY TUCKER, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

STACEY YOUNG, Ukiah. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, failure to appear.

* * *

RUNNING FOR SUPE

Swirling up from the whirl of unrelated early images from Wild River. Early seventies. A few friends -- I don't remember who -- visiting around a picnic table, near the old campground volleyball court. What if Bruce ran for county supervisor? The idea went far enough that something like $25,000 was committed to a campaign before the dishes were washed.

Then I remembered just how much I hated meetings. They would likely go extinct if complicated organizations could actually masturbate. A county supervisor spends a good deal of time at meetings or traveling to or from them in cars, usually driving, or sometimes planes. In my vaguely Thoreauvian best judgement, this is no way to live. It's no wonder so many of their decisions are — well — weird, taking little account of the world outside the lines, no matter how deeply they're scribed.

Almost fifty years ago I unexpectedly interviewed Mendocino county's DA, Joe Allen. A car holding one of my students and her boyfriend had been forced into the river by another vehicle stopped by CalTrans for freeway construction. He broke his neck. She died at the scene. The DA said that the case could not be prosecuted as murder. Another weird decision.

Even allowing for the possibility that Joe Allen's decision might be correct, arguing from outside the mostly local media coverage seemed much more useful than simply repeating another's similar opinion. True sons of our native land, the great spirit says that some reactions, no matter how historically justified are, like this one, too much. Across the mountains, beyond even the flyover states, the Orange One steps to the mic.

(Bruce Brady)

* * *

* * *

THE CRAZIEST OPINION PIECE THAT I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME

Editor,

Has the PD ever published a piece more idiotic than the one by David Von Drehle on January 10? The author warns us not to, "fall for the doomsday 'population bomb' warnings," as if the daily deluge of horrors coming from all around the world where human life has become 'nasty, brutish and short' as a direct result of the unsustainable growth of population and its effects on the habitability of the planet, were not happening at all!

Mr. Von Drehle must be in thrall to one of the several religions which, it seems, yearn for overpopulation to the point of famine. That famous bet that he and his ilk always hang their hat on, between Paul Ehrlich and that overpopulation fan, had to do with commodities whose production could easily be ramped up or down. To extrapolate that because human ingenuity solved those particular supply problems, that it would, of course, be able to solve all problems that arise as natural systems come under human assault, is absurd.

Take, for instance, the two most important commodities upon which human life depends; clean air and potable water. Does anyone really believe that either of those is going to be fixed by ingenious engineering?

Sincerely,

John Arteaga

Ukiah

* * *

REPORT: Average Person Spends 27% Of Lifetime In The Way

The study also determined that 65% of the average person’s life is spent not paying attention to where the hell they’re going.

theonion.com/report-average-person-spends-27-of-lifetime-in-the-wa-1819576771

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* * *

MY TURN: SELL PG&E FOR PARTS AND BUILD COMMUNITY ENERGY INSTEAD

"WHY WOULD THE PUBLIC want to re-invest in a company that has failed twice over? It does not have to be this way," says UC Davis assistant professor of human ecology Catherine Brinkley.

calmatters.org/articles/commentary/my-turn-sell-pge-for-parts-and-build-community-energy-instead/

* * *

* * *

STILL VACANT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Boards and Commissions Vacancies as of January 15, 2019

The list of vacancies, due to term expirations and/or resignations, for County Boards and Commissions has been updated. A list of all new and existing vacancies is available on the County Website at:

https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/boards-and-commissions

The attached document contains a list of the vacancies that are new.

Please contact the Clerk of the Board office at (707) 463-4441 if you have any questions regarding this message.

Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and Executive Office

501 Low Gap Road, Room 1010. 463-4441

https://www.theava.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/VacancyNotice1-15-19.pdf

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TRUMP POSTPONES PELOSI TRIP TO WAR ZONE AFTER SHE POSTPONES STATE OF THE UNION

mprnews.org/story/2019/01/17/npr-trump-postpones-pelosi-trip-to-war-zone-after-she-postpones-state-of-the-union

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PRE-ORDER LARGE TREES AND SHRUBS

If you’ve been in the market for some plants that aren’t readily available, now is a great time to place special orders with the Nursery at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. An extensive selection of trees and shrubs are available, including plants in large sizes. We only order from this vendor once a year, so don’t miss out… Just send your lists to nursery@gardenbythesea.org or call 707-964-4352 x 12 for more details. Just to spark your imagination, some stunners you can order include Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica), Strawberry Trees (Arbutus unedo 'Compacta'), and Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina dometica). If you’re looking for a screen or hedge, Pittosproum, columnar Junipers, and other large shrubs are available. Or go with California Natives such as Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) or Coffeberry (Frangula californica). Special order should be arriving within the next few weeks!

Roxanne Perkins (Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens) marketing@gardenbythesea.org

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ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

How about a Wall that has the equivalent of deposit boxes, where the baby or small child is otherwise safe until agents arrive?

An intercom system will allow thorough vetting of the adult.

I really can’t express how easy this could be.

Since the Mama never crosses, legally, the child is set for appropriate receivership. Whatever mandate America determines is now available to perform to the child. Vaccination, rabies shots, bar tags, the works.

Then (in the current context of our Bozo government) a hand-off to one of these random religious organizations (Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, Episcopalian, Mormon, Buddhist, etc.) for general life support to at least a first world standard (running water, 3 meals a day, septic system, and administrative oversight.)

Thus, the solution:

A second drop box, where we place the child after a thorough vetting, that deposits her on the other side, directly into one of these private, religious facilities, staffed by (of course) competent Roman Catholic Nuns, Monks, Imams, Templars, what have you.

Trump, I hope you’re listening.

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EDGAR ALLAN POE BIRTHDAY, Jan. 19

“No other American writer has had as enduring and pervasive an influence on popular culture.”

smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/edgar-allan-poe-became-era-premier-storyteller-180971001/

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"I GOT ON A PLANE ONCE, and this couple comes up to me as we're boarding. There's an empty seat next to me, and this woman says to me, ‘Would you mind moving so my husband and I can sit together?’ And he's behind her and he's like [motioning 'no']. I didn't know what to do. I don't wanna upset him. But I don't wanna sit with his f—g wife. So I just got off the plane. And then the plane took off. And it hit the World Trade Center."

— Louis C.K.

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THERE ARE GOOD AND GREAT MEN, no doubt, who put an initial for their first name and spell their second out in full — but the awful majority of men who do that, will lie, and swindle and steal, just from natural instinct.

— Mark Twain

15 Comments

  1. Harvey Reading January 18, 2019

    I find ATMs convenient, but stealing one has never entered my mind. Thinking about it, it’s too much effort for a relatively paltry reward, even if a person got away with it.

    I cannot help wondering what it would be like to arrive home one day only to discover a box of Flow Kana resting on my doorstep.

    States of the Union should ALL be submitted as written reports from the chief executive to legislators. The hoopla surrounding speeches costs too much taxpayer money and is always no more than bad theater, complete with a lie-filled ramble by a president who is always controlled by the wealthy rulers. For a few years, I used to long for a state-of-the-union address like the Martians made to congress in Mars Attacks. Now THAT was a GREAT address! And it rid the country of a lot of its vermin. Too bad it was just a bad movie.

    Is that a verified Mark Twain quote, or just another misattribution? I’m too lazy to research it.

    • Bruce McEwen January 18, 2019

      A pseudepigraph is a literary device wherein the author attributes his own epigraph to somebody of higher authority in order to give it more credibility, such as when Mark Twain puts the epigraph “A little learning makes the whole world kin” at the beginning of his essay, The Awful German Language” and attributes it to Chapter 32 of the Book of Proverbs – of which there’s only 31 in the Bible. (It’s actually from Alex. Pope)

      I do the same thing with my epigrams by attributing them to “Grandpa McEwen,” because a grandfather is an older and thereby presumably wiser entity than myself, and I know instinctively that nobody gives me credit for very much mother wit. Am I being dishonest? Not entirely, since I am a grandfather in my own right several times over; but there is such a thing as modesty, and I think that a lot of this business of blowing your own horn, like our friend James Marmon does, actually does more to discredit his credibility than to improve it.

      Now, as to this particular quote, I believe it is from another essay in the same volume, Innocents Abroad, as the Awful German Language; specifically, “Concerning The American Language” where a backwoods American and a Londoner have a discussion on a train about names – if memory serves, he (Twain) also derides an Englishwoman named Cockburn who pronounces her name “Coburn, the silly, smarmy thing.”

      • Harvey Reading January 18, 2019

        Thanks.

        • Bruce McEwen January 18, 2019

          Clarification: When I said the quote is actually from Alexander Pope, I really meant it’s a corruption of the universally popular line from his poem A Criticism of Man, “A little learning is a dangerous thing,” and just so you don’t jump to any conclusions that Mark Twain was a plagiarist, keep in mind that all of this business of referring to the Bible and Pope and paraphrasing and misattributions is what in literary criticism is called “Intertextuality,” because as Professor Thomas C. Foster teaches “there’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature” and all of the corrupted quoting and paraphrasing done by authors is very like modern painters “quoting” (read copying) the Great Masters.

          • Harvey Reading January 18, 2019

            Sometimes, it gets carried a bit too far, in my opinion, as with attributing to Huey Long the quote about fascism arriving here carrying a Bible and cross, or however that one goes. When presented as a quote of the named person, the words quoted should be accurate, or else identified as a paraphrase of something the person actually said. When things get really out of hand, as in purposely using misattributions as political rhetoric to sway the masses, it becomes potentially harmful.

            An Internet source (ya, you got me to look), can’t remember the address, claims the words appeared in a letter from Clemens to his wife, in 1864 or 1874, as I recall, but don’t swear to.

            Incidentally, to the best of my knowledge, Einstein did NOT say words suggesting that repeating failed actions over and over is a sign of insanity. He was really good at explaining the nature of what we call gravity, though. And not too bad at explaining the photoelectric effect, for which he was awarded his Nobel.

            • Bruce McEwen January 18, 2019

              Oh, sure, I agree. As Grandpa McEwen used to say, “Leave the intertextuality at the library with the literati when you go about quoting politicians, or any other pokerfaced literalist. For even Sweet Honesty is a poor policy to the breed of pragmatic prig that runs for office. Misquote ‘em at thy peril!”

  2. james marmon January 18, 2019

    RE: NEXT WEEK’S MEASURE B MEETING

    It appears that ole Jed Diamond still wants to cherry pick Kemper’s Strategic Finance Plan, most likely move the ole Howard to the top of the list. Jan McGourty will try to shut him down. She and Donna are the only two on that committee that are rational in their thinking. If the Orchard Street Project maintains itself as number one on Kemper’s list, Jan is recommending the operation of the facility be put out to bid. Angelo and the Board will probably not follow that recommendation and risk upsetting the Schraeders.

    Donna Machetti (NAMI) and Jan McGourty (BHAB) are the only ones putting the clients first. Otherwise they don’t have a dog in the fight.

    Mental Health Treatment Act Citizen’s Oversight Committee

    MEETING AGENDA

    3e) Discussion and Possible Action Including Review of Kemper Report, as Recommended by the Behavioral Health Advisory Board and Adoption of Recommendations Contained Therein

    (Sponsors: Committee Member McGourty and Committee Member Diamond)

    The Committee will review the Kemper Report and “identify key recommendations” for adoption.

    • james marmon January 18, 2019

      Who remembers that Allman told the BoS at their first meeting after the Kemper Needs Assessment, that he believed his committee members knew more than Kemper about what Mendocino really needed. It upset half the committee, especially Jan McGourty, and especially after the committee had just spent 60 thousand tax payers dollars to get it.

      My vote for this year’s chair would be Jed Diamond, LOL

      • Lazarus January 18, 2019

        Yes, I remember what Chair/Sheriff Allman told the BoS about the Kemper report. He also has said the county is not in the business of saving money, it cost what it cost, in other words, Who Cares…
        Typical stereotypical institutionalized government employee mindset.

        And “Breaking News”, the Buzzfeed story about Cohen and Trump is “not accurate” according to Mueller office…Never let the facts get in the way of a good story Buzz.
        As always,
        Laz

    • james marmon January 18, 2019

      If they move the ole Howard to the top, there will not be any money left for anything else. 15 + million will just about put and end to it all. Then whatever it costs for the lease each year. Then the operational costs, all gone, end of story!

      • Lazarus January 18, 2019

        I noticed Dr. Barash is moving forward with the Ukiah deal, I like that for starters.
        Diamond has exposed himself nearly as obviously as Chair Allman has. Do you really think he carries any clout with the committee or anybody else?
        I did find it interesting that ole Howard was not openly mentioned in the agenda, perhaps just sneaky…and obviously, you’re correct with your assessment of ole Howard, aka the money pit.
        As always,
        Laz
        https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/mental-health-oversight-committee/agendas-and-minutes

        • james marmon January 18, 2019

          Most likely Allman’s crew will try to eliminate the Ukiah Project, get it out of the way. Notice they asking her for a biddable design to go out for a RFP. If I recall right, I don’t think Schraeder had one, not biddable anyway. Maybe she does now. I don’t trust anyone on that committee but Jan and Donna.

  3. Bruce McEwen January 18, 2019

    As to the Edgar Allen Poe post, may I add that the figures that come alive in the picture frames at Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter films, the idea of animating the portraits hung on the wall at the school, this is a “quote” from Poe’s “The Portrait in the Oval Frame,” which was a quote from, well, I won’t take you all the way back to Plato’s Cave, but you get the idea that everything is still not explained completely to everyone’s satisfaction by science and reason.

  4. benjamin graham January 18, 2019

    Thank you for printing my remarks. However you mixed in two different threads 1. The financial state of Mendocino Coast District Hospital 2. “Medical necessity” qualifications for hospital admission, so things become rather incomprehensible. Below is the thread for #2. Thanks.

    From: Daney Dawson
    > Subject: Re: [MCN-Announce]- [MCN-Discussion]- MCDH-Dr Miller’s letter
    > To: A Community List for Discussion ,

    Thanks for your letter, Dr. Graham. I’d like to add to the conversation about what is happening to our hospital by way
    of describing an experience my family had recently. I’ll try to keep it short.

    98 YO father, falls down and breaks an arm. To the ER, but instead of admitting him to the hospital to stabilize and immobilize him for a day or a few, he was sent home with his 98 YO spouse. Just like that. A 98 YO with a broken bone, unable to walk or care for himself. Arm put in a sling, and packed into the car. ?(Of course for an additional $600, he could have had a ride in the ambulance.) It was determined that it was not “medically necessary” to hospitalize him that in fact to be hospitalized, one has either to be in extreme pain, or at risk of death. He was neither, so off he went, after several hours in the ER, with phone calls to see if the all powerful insurance company would allow him to be admitted. No, because it wasn’t “medically necessary”. This is the buzzword. It is keeping insured people from getting the care they need, and KEEPING THE HOSPITAL BEDS EMPTY. The hospital is being underutilized. If you’ve been in the hospital lately, you’ll notice that there aren’t that many beds filled, and some wards completely shut down. Any business, to succeed, needs customers, turnover. But the insurance requirements are keeping people who need the care out of the hospital. They are banking the savings, but the hospitals are going under for lack of clientele.

    ……………………………………………………
    Thanks for your letter, Daney.

    I was a hospitalist for many years at MCDH, and what you describe is a common problem. Indeed, insurance companies will not pay for hospitalizations without ”medical necessity”, and there are written criteria for that. However, a clever and creative hospitalist who puts patients first often can find ways to deal with that. Frequently I would put IVs in patients and treat for ”dehydration.”

    One tip: as a family member, you can refuse to take the patient home. It is important to state quietly and clearly that it is”unsafe.” Examples why are helpful. The fear of medical liability should the patient have trouble at home often prompts reevaluation, and doing the right thing.

    Buz Graham, MD

    On 1/17/19, 1:26 PM, “daneyd@mcn.org” wrote:

    I wish I had known then what I know now. A 98 YO with a broken arm, unable to walk or care for himself should qualify. But since he wasn’t in extreme pain or at risk of death, they would not admit him. That is scandalous. I don’t know whow these parasites in the insurance industry sleep at night. (average salaries for the honchos are probably a million or more)

    Anyway, had we refused to take him home, we’d have been liable for the costs of hospitalization which are, as you know, sky high and out of reach for most people. In this case, they also said there were “no beds available”, and he’d have to stay in the ER hallway. What about all those empty beds? They won’t fill them because they’d have to increase staff levels.
    They won’t do that unless the traffic warrants. Insurance geeks are deciding who gets medical care, not doctors or patients. It’s criminal.

    ——————————————————————————

    Yes, I should clarify my letter a bit.

    If you refuse to take your relative home, they may indeed put the patient in the hospital, but make him/her responsible for the cost of care. Yes, necessity can be appealed to the insurance co, and the bill can be disputed with MCDH, but that’s a prolonged and unpleasant process.

    There is also observation status-which is short term and does not require medical necessity screening. Problem is that insurance companies treat that different from a hospital admission. For example Medicare covers it not under part A, but part B—no deductible but a 20% co-pay.

    Yes, insurance companies can be difficult, but I try to see all sides. Too many movie stars admitted for “exhaustion,” and other inappropriate utilization. In theory it’s reasonable to set standards for admission–in practice hard to do in a way fair for everyone. Seems to me 98 yo’s should get a free ticket, no matter what.

    Buz

  5. james marmon January 18, 2019

    I may have read that wrong, it isn’t clear if the motion will be for a RFP to have a biddable design created or for a construction RFP based on a biddable design. I don’t see how either one should be moved on before approving the Kemper Plan recommending the Orchard Project as the first course of action. ??????? Another circle jerk meeting?????? They have to approve a plan first. The only plan proposed so far is to remodel the ole Howard and screw the rest?

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