Public Toilet Etiquette

Why is it that 90% of all public restrooms are such a disaster? Is it just a very small percentage that seem to have to defile a public toilet, or is this a majority thing? I have had to clean up my share of bathrooms running athletic events and I can assure you that this not just a male thing. If anything, it seems that women are even worse. I just don't get it. I really don't think people treat their own bathrooms like this, or do they?

Pulp Mill garners water permit.

The State Water Board unanimously voted to approve the NPDES permit to allow Freshwater Pulp to start the mill. This was the last large regulatory hurdle for the Pulp Mill to surpass. Congratulations to Bob Simpson and may many workers soon start back to work!

Good Bye old green machine. Ya done good.

Robin and I purchased the 98' Mercury Tracer in 1999. It had low miles and I needed something dependable to drive while I was organizing for the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers. Robin was surprised I picked out a "green" car, as I had heard they were unlucky. (Used to not see green stock cars. Urban myth?) Anyways, the car piled on over 200,000 miles between me, kids and friends (borrowing). It had been in a few fender benders along the way, and was totaled twice! (Always people hitting it, never it hitting them.) The last one left it pretty much not worth fixing so I decided to donate it to Car4Causes. They made it easy. They said they would pick it up, but I told them I could drive it to wherever they needed. They seemed surprised and they told me John's Used Cars and junkyard was their point, so I drove it over there and they seemed surprised I was donating a drivable vehicle. Anyways, I have donated cars to either St Vincent DePaul or friends in need, and this was the quickest and easiest I have experienced.

So, Robin and I are down to 5 cars, Robin's 2002 PT Cruiser, a 97' Ford Escort, two 85' Ford Ranger's and my 95' BMW 325i. (Yes, they all run.) I have been trying to talk Robin into buying a new car, but she likes her PT. We are pretty easy on cars and they last for us pretty good. But I would like to have something newer. They can only last so long.

Gang rape at Arcata Sports Complex. 50 feet away from softball play.

And none of us heard a thing. Our Uniontown used tire softball team had just finished a 12-8 win against Big Pete's pizza team and we were all in the parking lot while the field rep shut off the lights. Out of the dark came a young lady who asked one of our umps for a cell phone so she could call her dad and tell him she was raped! The ump and the field rep went running to the woods to see if anyone was around will the police were called. One of the lady players in the league who is a trained nurse tended to the upset young lady until the Arcata officers showed up within minutes. (I was over with the Betz Bombers team talking softball past and was wondering about what all the commotion was across the parking lot.) Then the Ambulance and Arcata Fire Department showed. Two of our umps and field rep found a guy spun out with a pair of women's panties next to him in the wooded area behind the fields and held him up until officers took over. The young lady said 3 men were involved. I was able to turn the field lights on so the ambulance could make it's way to the guy. He became belligerent and put up a fight. At the same time the young lady, who was waiting in the back of the police car started to try to kick out the windows, so I went and found the officer of that car who was helping with the spun dude. While they were trying to calm the guy in the ambulance he started spitting on the EMT and pissing all over. He started yelling, "Don't you know who my father is? He is going to kill you!" Then he started chanting loudly, "Beelzebub, Beelzebub, Beelzebub, Beelzebub!"

This whole thing was like in slow motion and surreal. What is going on in our world, when this kind of evil is so close to real life? Just a bunch of softballers having fun and playing ball after work within feet of druggies doing what they do, making life hell on others. When I left (just about a half hour ago) they were still looking for the other two suspects and officers were abundant. Thank God for the quick response of the Arcata police and the Arcata Fire Department.

The Mad River Softball Association Field Representative and Umpires deserve an award for their role in this craziness.

Excursion Train blast from past.

Here is an old video of the Peninsula Union School District from 1988 on the train. Many of those kids on the train played Basketball for the mighty Yellowjacket teams that I coached. It was fun seeing them as kids again.

Happy fathers day to all. My oldest son Jacob called and wants to go to a Niner’s game with me this fall. (This is hard for him as he is a die hard Raider fan.) He is an auto body repair man in El Dorado Hills just east of Sacramento. My younger son called from San Francisco. He has just moved to the Castro district and is working for Ken Cole clothing. He is hoping to climb the corporate ladder in fashion design. It is so good to hear when they are doing well and are healthy.

The picture is my father, Army Major James Marks. He was at Pearl Harbor during the attack and served in Korea. (My older brothers James, Roy and Michael all served in either Korea or Viet Nam) Once my dad passed the bar and became an attorney, he followed his Army buddy James McKittrick to Eureka and went into law practice with Al Paso and Jim. But, alas, my mother and father divorced when I was 6 years old. My dad and I were never close and he passed away in 1981 when Robin was pregnant with my oldest son Jacob. He was a great story teller and I wish we had more contact. He affectionately called me “Tooter,” which to this day is my family name, and was once the only name I was known by.

So, as a family, we went from good living on the Presidio in San Francisco to Healdsburg then Eureka and ended up in Petaluma, where we lived with my mother Mabel and 5of her children and whatever stray’s my family seemed to find in a two bedroom house in the front of a chicken farm. I went to work on a local rabbit farm at the age of 7 and was paid in vegetables! (When our family gets together we discuss how I never had a baby sitter from 7 years old on. My mom worked afternoon and nights for Western Auto. We were broke, broke.) We moved back to Cutten in the mid 60’s and my mom was able to get a union retail clerks job at Disco and then Bazar. Our living conditions changed dramatically and we ended up in Myrtletown. (And I dropped the “Tooter” name from the school rolls, but some from Cutten still didn’t get this memo)

I had the greatest childhood experience of growing up and going through Lafayette, Zane, St. Bernard’s and Eureka High and College of the Redwoods. I was so fortunate to have the Biasca family take me in and take me to their cabin in Willow Creek and teach me to fish for trout. Lee Biasca helped formed my basic working class Democratic values with his observations in the 60’s as did Paul Maisenbach, who helped me learn how to catch a baseball and welcomed me in his household. (The neighborhood used to go to Paul’s fast pitch Louisiana Pacific games, if they won he would buy us root beer floats at A &W, if they lost….we got nothing. And he stood by that!) Our next door neighbor Mark Stark was a staunch Republican who laid the foundation of my love for the 49ers and took his son Matt and I out Salmon fishing in the ocean. Fergy (Clyde) Ferguson let us immature teenagers work on his #21 stock car, and no matter the results, he always praised us. (But he won a lot!) My local Boy Scout troop also was such a blessing, Art Pope, Paul Green, Mr. Kyle and Mr. Allen were so patient and helpful. Some of the greatest memories of my life! I was raised by a village and can never express enough my gratitude.

But, I want to point out my mother Mabel, my sisters Kathy, Michelle and Mary, and my brothers Jimmy, Roy and Michael helped form my core values and living platform. And it is diverse.

Justin Kuster graduates from AHS.

Robin's great nephew Justin graduated from Arcata High School yesterday. Robin gave a speech accepting the class of 2010 on behalf of the Northern Union High School District that was really cool with Justin in garb. Below is Robin, Justin and Robin's niece April.

Son's of Pitches (SOP) win "Scatman" Memorial in Weaverville.

SOP beat The Diggin's from Weaverville 12-10 to win the First Annual "Scatman" Memorial Tournament. Long time Weaverville softball player Mike Scatina passed away this winter from cancer and the players from Trinity County decided to do this tournament in his memory.
Madden Paint from Redding tied for 3rd with the Young Guns from Weaverville. Samoa Athletics tied for 5th with the Booze Hounds of Trinity. We scored over 50 runs in 3 games and could not crack the top four! The money raised from this tournament is to help the Weaverville softball league with repair costs so they can run their league. In the bottom picture, players from the Diggin's gather at 3rd base to pay homage to the "Scatman" before their game with bitter rivals "Young Guns" of Weaverville. It was an entertaining weekend to say the least.

Humboldt County Democrats host Chicken by the Sea!

And yes, we all got along fine. I know there is a perception out there that we are all split up and fractured, but all members were active and helpful for this event. Special Thanks to our Chair Milt Boyd and Chicken by the Sea co Chair Pam Cahill for a fantastic event. Hundreds of people from all parties came out and enjoyed the day. Fourth District Supervisorial candidates Virginia Bass and Bonnie Neely were both in attendance as were all DA candidates. 5th District Supervisor Democratic candidates Patrick Cleary and Patrick Higgins gave speeches. Virginia served food side by side Eureka City Councilman Larry Glass and Councilwoman Linda Atkin prepared food as she has done in the past for the Committee. Roger Smith led the BBQ Grill with his wife Patricia with Mike Finley and I helping get in the way. Charlene Cutler Ploss, Pam Service, Robin Marks, Isabella Phipps, James Topping, Julie Timmons, Andy Bird, Matt Owens, Brendan Wagner and many others I am sure I am overlooking. "It takes a village" to do this type of event and it did. HCDCC Treasurer Phillis Seawright was ill and could not attend but took care of the "behind the scenes" financial and organizational issues that have to be dealt with. Get well soon Phillis and great job by all!

McKinleyville Little League fund raiser.

Friends, Neighbors, & Baseball Fans of Mckinleyville:
We would like to invite you all to our First Ever Baseball Fun Night: To Benefit our baseball and softball program: Raising money for batting cages at the park is one of our main targets this season.

Dinner& Auction on Tuesday June 1 at Cher Heights Casino in Trinidad:
Must be 21 or older:

Tickets are $25 ea/ BBQ Pork Ribs & Chicken
Silent / live / Dutch Auctions
Bids start at 6 pm with dinner at 7 pm.

Please help us out and come have dinner and a fun time with you friends, neighbors, family and many other baseball fans in our area. We invite former families of our program and other programs in our community of friends. Mr. Rex Bohn is hopefully going to be our MC for the night and he always makes these events a fun night for all attending!
Tickets can be bought from any player/family, board member and I always have some with me as well.
Please consider this invitation and join me and others making this a huge success!

Thanks in advance,
I hope to hear and see lots of you,

Sincerely
Carlos Avelar

Perch'n on the Peninsula! Results.

There were a total of 37 tournament participants of which only 9 returned by the deadline with fish, we had several more participants return without catching fish, approximately half of the participants did not return at all.

Two winners were awarded two $90 cash prizes to the two tournament winners.
-John Nicolini from Pacifica won the biggest fish category with a redtail surfperch measuring 15.2 inches.
-James Logan (13) of Orick won the largest limit of 3 category with a combined length of 41.9 Inches, James also caught the second largest fish.


Largest Fish INCHES
Placing name Fish 1 (in)
1 John Nicolini 15.2
2 James Logan 14.5
3 Conner & Logan Petiusita 14.2
4 Steve Harris 13.2
5 Marvin L Jones 13.0
6 Tracy McCormack 12.8
7 Gary Day 12.8
8 Marvin Jones Jr. 12.7
9 Tony Kurz 12.1


Largest Limit of 3 INCHES
Placing name Combined Length (in)
1 James Logan 41.9
2 Conner & Logan Petiusita 41.7
3 Marvin L Jones 38.5
4 Tracy McCormack 38.0
5 Marvin Jones Jr. 38.0
6 Steve Harris 36.5
7 Tony Kurz 35.7
8 Gary Day 34.6
9 John Nicolini 15.2

Thank You to all the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Volunteers who helped make the perch'n fundraiser a success!

Democrat warrior Clyde Edward Albert Jr. RIP

Clyde Edward Albert Jr., 62, died early Sunday morning at home. Ed dedicated his life to service, both to country and community, and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Ed was born in Butler, PA in 1947, and lived there until joining the Air Force at age 17. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam, where he met his wife Ann, and learned to program computers. Later, Ed was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, and then, upon returning to the States, worked as an Air Force recruiter in the Humboldt area.

He retired from the Air Force with the rank of Sergeant Major after 20 years of service. While in the Air Force, Ed completed his B.S. degree from the University of Maryland in Computer Sciences. After military retirement, he utilized the skills he learned in school and in the military to obtain employment as a computer programmer for the counties of Lake and Humboldt, and later Humboldt State University. Ed was an active member of Council 57 ASFCME.

Ed was also an active member in the Veteran's Foreign War Post Local 1872. When he retired from the state university system in 2007, Ed pursued his long-time interests in genealogy, photography, bird watching, and geo-caching. He also continued to be of service as a member of the county Grand Jury, and helped North Coast Stand Down support local veterans. Ed is survived by Ann, his wife of 40 years, his son Robert, daughter Joyce, sister Kay Neely and brother Doug. There will be a viewing at Pierce Mortuary on Thursday, May 5th from 3 to 7 PM. The funeral service is 11 AM, Friday, May 6th in the Veteran's section of Ocean View cemetery. Care is under the direction of Pierce Mortuary, 707 H Street, Eureka, California. Please sign the online guestbook at www.Times-Standard.com. Click on obits.

"Ed" helped may democratic candidates win local elections. Way too young.

$500 reward for arrest and conviction of Virginia sign thiefs! Sign wars get ugly.

NOT COOL! I know that all political campaigns have the sign attrition thing happen. Fingers get pointed and accusations fly. But we just so happened to have a person with a camera witness a sign removal and took a picture of the perpetrators. This person was threatened by these two crass offenders who were pretty ballsy to do in broad daylight. And this is after other eye witnesses seen others. One was an elderly lady that called the Bass campaign after she said someone in a black Honda pulled over, a young lady jumped out, opened her gate and took a sign and jumped in the car and drove off before the elderly lady could get the license plate number! I was texted this picture with a shopping Kart on K ST someone was collecting our signs with. Again, in daylight! And we are estimating nearly 100 signs gone! We still have many hundred out there, but that isn't the point.

Has someone put a bounty out there on the Bass signs? And if they did, how can they sleep at night? So please, if you know these people above, please call the Eureka Police at 441-4060 with information. Upon the arrest and conviction of those guilty, the Bass campaign will reward the informant $500. Maybe this will be a deterrent for future sign shenanigans.

Michael G. Laurendeau playing on that diamond in the sky.

Mike was one of those people that was so smooth and gifted on the ball field. He could run , hit and throw with the best. And he was really a good guy. He played on my softball team just a few years ago, so this is really hard to see his passing. Way too young.

Michael passed away Saturday April 24 suddenly with a heart attack at the age of 49 years. He was born in Eureka on February 25, 1961, the second son of George and Jessie Laurendeau. He attended elementary schools in Cutten and graduated from Eureka High School in 1978. He attended College of the Redwoods for two years. Michael participated in Baseball, Football, Wrestling and Basketball starting at 8 years of age, but his favorite was Baseball where he had a real talent. During his years he was involved in several serious accidents but survived. He also spent some years where drugs took him down the wrong path but was working hard to change his lifestyle as he had a cardiac disability and a desire to change.

Mike is survived by his daughter Michelle Barnes (Miles) of Ashland, parents George and Jessie, brother Daniel (Reeda), niece Shayla and Kelsy Portland, Oregon, sister Louise Pratt (Elton) and nephew Roger Jr. and niece Paige Matthews of Lauton, Oklahoma, cousin Sharon Thompson and Karen Steinblock, Jeff Klopp, Uncle Frank Klopp and Aunt Mimi Henkes, Mary Wright, alex McMillan, Denise Theodore, and best friend Sharon Delong. Mike was preceded in death by his big brother William (Bill), Aunt Joann Klopp, and Uncle Guy and Eina Laurendeau.

There will be no formal service, but a memorial will be held on Saturday, May 1 at 2520 Hubbard Lane 2:00-5:00 pm at the Community Center (The Meadows). Please come with a few stories of the good life as he called it.

Democratic Moderates vs Progressives. Central Committee wars to the south.

Moderate Democrats in San Francisco often complain that far-left politicians don't represent their values. Middle-class families are frustrated that their concerns - like safe streets - are undermined by ideologues with wild claims of a "police state." Developers are exasperated when their projects are subjected to endless delays, even when the property has been a vacant eyesore for years.

Would you like to see things change?

Then I've got some bad news for you.

You're going to have to get involved - or at least start paying attention.

The next two months will see a battle for the political soul of the city. It will pit the progressives against the moderates in a face-off that will have huge implications in the November elections and, perhaps, the election of the next mayor. The key is control of an obscure but incredibly influential organization called the Democratic County Central Committee.

Rather than complaining about the direction of the city, middle-of-the-road Democrats have to get active. They have to vote in the June DCCC election and they have to do their homework on the candidates to learn if they represent moderate values.

"If you want to see change in the city, change to the culture of the Board of Supervisors, and bring some common sense and reason back to the city, it starts with the DCCC," said David Latterman, a local pollster.

If you are not sure what the DCCC is, you are not alone.

"If you stopped people on the street and asked them what the DCCC was, most of them wouldn't know what you were talking about," Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier said.

San Francisco political insiders know. The DCCC endorsement doesn't necessarily mean a win in every election - it just seems to work out that way. In 2008, the DCCC went 6-for-6 in supervisor races (the seventh, Ross Mirkarimi, used to belong to the Green Party and was not eligible for a Democratic endorsement) and 3-for-4 in the school board elections.

That's no surprise. San Francisco is a liberal Democrat town. When the official voice of the local Democratic committee sends out recommendations in mailers - and it has a nearly unlimited budget to do so - voters listen.

"But when Mrs. Jones receives her Democratic voter guide in the mail," said Scott Wiener, former chairman of the DCCC and candidate for supervisor in District Eight, "she's thinking of the party of Barack Obama, not the party of Aaron Peskin and (Supervisor) Chris Daly."

There's the rub. In 2008, Peskin and Daly unapologetically staged a takeover of the DCCC. They ran a slate of well-known names, including Eric Mar, David Campos and David Chiu, all of whom won seats as supervisors later that year. When they won seats on the DCCC, Wiener was voted out as chairman and replaced by Peskin, the former president of the Board of Supervisors.

Now, there's nothing illegal or evil about that. In fact, a few years ago people complained about then-Mayor Willie Brown controlling the DCCC. Peskin and Daly promised to dismantle the Willie Brown machine.

They did. Then they created their own.

"Aaron Peskin is building a political machine that would make Willie Brown blush," Wiener said.

Campos scoffs at that idea.

"We don't sit around trying to figure out what we, as a machine, should do," he said. "I talk to everybody."

Maybe so, but with the DCCC's unmistakable power, a progressive voting majority will guarantee endorsements of far-left candidates in the November elections for supervisor. And remember, if Gavin Newsom leaves office as mayor, the supervisors will elect his successor. The stakes are huge.

The election for the DCCC is in June. You should be sure to vote. And you should make sure you know who you are voting for.

SFgate

Green Sturgeon in Humboldt Bay! None local?

I went to the Humboldt Bay Symposium today and was blown away by a presentation by Bill Pinnix of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Green Sturgeon monitoring in Humboldt Bay. I have fished about all sides of this bay and sloughs and have never caught or witnessed a sturgeon being caught in the bay. I have seen many from the Trinity river though. Apparently Humboldt Bay has thousands of readings of these fish that are tagged between April and October in the far North Bay near Arcata. Kayakers have witnessed them at certain tides and were asking if they were legal to catch. It sounded like fishing laws for Sturgeon are vague. These fish as adults are generally 6-7ft and over 100lbs. They live around 70 years and are very prehistoric looking.

Now get this. These fish that are monitored are from the Sacramento River, San Pablo Delta, Rouge River and other rivers north. And while we have sturgeon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers in abundance, they avoid feeding in Humboldt Bay and seem to go everywhere north! There has been no recorded readings of Klamath or Trinity Sturgeon in Humboldt Bay!

Damn those fish! Make them go local!

RIP Haley. Way, way, way, too young. Condolences to my nephew Steve.

I never had the chance to meet by grand niece Haley. I had heard about her and Robin and I have always meant to go to New Mexico to visit my nephew Steve, who owns the La Provence French Restaurant and Scalo's Italian Restaurant in Albuquerque, but time and life always seemed to get in the way. My sister Juanita has always been on me to get down their way and now I feel so bad. I wish I had words and a great speech for this tragedy. Please send contributions to Youth Matters, c/o Scalo, 3500 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Haley was involved in many youth projects.

Haley Paternoster, 16, passed away in Albuquerque, N.M. on April 9, 2010. She captured her daddy's heart the moment she was born December 25, 1993, forming a unique bond no earthly thing could break. She is remembered for her beautiful eyes, brilliant smile, sense of humor and courage in the face of adversity. She was adored as "Sissy" by her young brothers, Jackson and Jameson, and had a tight grip on the heart of "Big Poppa," her Grandpa Pat. She was a sophomore at Media Arts Collaborative Charter School, where her teachers valued her academic dedication and creativity, and was preparing to enroll in Central New Mexico Community College for dual credit. Haley was bright, artistic and technologically gifted, a teen who loved music and fashion and was considering becoming a nurse. She was compassionate beyond words and, with her father Steve, co-founded Youth Matters in Albuquerque to provide funds and services for children involved in the children's court system. Through their work, the nonprofit provides clothing and basic necessities benefiting children in three programs: SNAP, for children involved in domestic violence; Children's Drug Court; and the Program for the Empowerment of Girls. Haley was predeceased by "Papa" Jack Fertig. She is survived by her parents, Steve and Jane Paternoster and Charla D. Davis; brothers Rodorick Rubio and Jackson and Jameson Paternoster, and grandmother Waddie Fertig, all of Albuquerque. Haley also is survived by her El Paso grandparents Nita Johnson and George Johnson and James R. and Margie Paternoster; her Aunt Laurie Paternoster and Uncles Michael Churchman and James R. Paternoster, Jr. She also leaves behind her loving cousins Megan and Justin Churchman of El Paso, and Madison McCarty of Washington. Memorial services will be April 17, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church in Rio Rancho, NM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Youth Matters, c/o Scalo, 3500 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Those who wish to express their condolences may do so at www.danielsfuneral.com. Haley's care has been entrusted to: Daniels Family Funeral Services 2400 Southern Blvd SE Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (505) 891-9192

Perch'n on the Peninsula!

Samoa Peninsula Fire District
Announces the 1st Annual
Perch’n on the Peninsula
Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Pasta Feed Fundraiser!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS, GRAB YOUR GEAR AND GO FISHING WHILE SUPPORTING A GOOD CAUSE!
SPFD is in need of a new AED (automated external defibrillator) and Digital Projector for firefighter training

Entry Fee: $25.00 per person.

All Tournament Participants must Register and Agree to the Waiver of Liability Terms prior to going fishing!

When: May 8th 2010, Fishing begins at 5:36 am, Check-in (Noon-2pm) deadline is 2pm, Pasta Feed Begins at Noon and Fundraiser Raffle begins at 3:30pm.
Where: Peninsula Elementary School, 909 Vance Ave. Samoa, CA. (Directly across the street from the Samoa Cookhouse)

Tournament Entry Registration: Will be available from 5:30 am to 10 am at the Peninsula Elementary School on Tournament Day. Doughnuts, and Tee Shirts will be for sale with free Coffee. You can also pre-register at Mad River Outfitters, Redwood Marine or at Englund Marine. For more information Contact;
Ben Smith at: 707-601-0375 (davisfisherben@hotmail.com), or
Charlie Holthaus at: 707-499-7088 (cwhwts@suddenlinkmail.com)
Tournament Registration Includes: One (1) Entry into Door Prize Raffle (Limited to Tournament Participants Only, door prize tickets will be supplied upon check-in), Admission to Spaghetti Feed and Fundraiser ($5.00 value) and 5 Complementary raffle tickets ($5.00 value).

Tournament Prizes:-10% of entry proceeds awarded for largest overall fish (Up to $625.00*).
-10% of entry proceeds awarded for largest combined limit of three (3) fish (Up to $625.00*).
The more participant’s the higher the payout (*Based on 250 Participants)!
Tournament Judging: Fish will be judged by Total Length.

NOT INTO FISHING? JOIN US FOR THE PASTA FEED AND FUNDRAISER!

Admission Fee: $5.00 Per Person (Free for Children Under 6 and Tournament Participants).
Pasta Feed and Raffle Ticket Sales: Noon to 3:30 pm
Raffle Drawings*, Door Prize* and Tournament Prize Awards*: Begins at 3:30pm
-$1.00/ticket raffle will include all items donated by local sponsoring businesses *
-$5.00/ticket 50/50 raffle will consist of a single cash prize worth 50% of 50/50 raffle ticket sales.*

*DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO WIN!

Tournament Rules:

1. All California Department of Fish and Game Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations shall be adhered to. As per DFG regulation, the minimum size for Redtail surfperch is 10.5 inches, any sub-legal fish will not be accepted. All adult anglers over the age of 16 must possess and present a current California Sport Fishing License at the registration table.
2. You must fish on the day of the tournament, any fish caught before the day of the tournament will not be accepted. You must return and check in at the registration table between Noon and 2pm with your catch. Late arrivals will not be accepted.
3. Only Surfperch in the family Embiotocidae are eligible, any other fish species will not be accepted. Any frozen, freezer burned, undersized or manipulated fish will not be accepted. All fish will be measured by tournament staff and no squeezing, bending, tweaking or manipulations of any sort will be allowed (please take good care of your fish, any bent, twisted and/or rigor-mortised fish will be measured as-is and not straightened out). All measurements by tournament staff are final and no re-measurements will be allowed. If there is a tie for largest fish, those anglers’ second largest fish will be judged for the tie breaker, if the tie cannot be broken the prize money will be split evenly between all tied anglers.
4. You may fish anywhere you want within ocean waters (Humboldt Bay is considered ocean waters, river mouths and estuaries are not considered ocean waters), as per DFG regulation.
5. Samoa Peninsula Fire District volunteers and Board members are NOT eligible to participate in the Tournament.
6. All Participants shall read and agree to the Waiver of Liability Terms prior to participating in the Tournament. All Participants shall supply their Name, Phone Number, Signature and Date on the Tournament Entry Form at the time of Registration as acceptance of the Waiver of Liability Terms. Minors (under 18 years old) shall have a responsible parent or guardian sign on their behalf. Tournament Entries are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee endorses candidates April 14th, 2010.

The Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC) will be holding their endorsement general committee meeting tomorrow Wednesday April 14th, at the Humboldt Area Foundation at 6:30pm on Indianola Blvd. The meeting is open to the public and might be spirited. I requested the executive board to not endorse any candidates due to the many Democrats running against each other. My motion was voted down, so now we are going into a very ugly scenario. Why should Democrats vote for one over another in a Primary election? I say let them battle it out in those elections that aren't winner take all.

Bass signs up!

This weekend the Bass campaign went ahead and put up some signs. Hundreds actually. There were many volunteers in this process. Thanks you all! Now, back to the door knocking.