Angry HCDCC meeting tonight. Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District race heats up!

The HCDCC Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee meeting was packed tonight. And opinionated. We argued about a resolution against US aggression in Iran as long as they are compliant with nuclear agreements. We need to stop forcing our fears on other countries.

We had candidates from the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District race. And we argued.

Leading off in the 2nd Division, Tera Prucha gave a great speech for the second straight HCDCC meeting outlining her qualifications and justifying an endorsement by the HCDCC. "Buzz" Webb's wife had surgery so, Tina Mackenzie (Last years Democrat of the Year) read a two page, poorly written leaflet that outlined no qualifications for the job. (Buzz said he served 8 years on the Northern Humboldt Unified School District. He actually served on the Northern Humboldt Union High School District.) At least know what board that you served. IMO. Jake Pickering is the third Democrat in this race. He has the tenacity to keep running. His heart is right. Republican Ben Shepherd and No Party Adrienne Floreen are also running. A motion was made to endorse Tera. Then we argued. Then we voted and there was no majority. (A 2/3 majority vote of HCDCC members present is needed.) Endorsement failed. (I voted in favor of endorsement.) A motion was made to endorse "Buzz" Webb. We voted and there was no majority. No motion was made for endorsement of Pickering. (He did not ask for endorsement.) So there is no HCDCC endorsement for the second, YET! If both of these candidates come to the next HCDCC meeting, there might still be an endorsement.

In the 1st Division, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belnap (Green Party Candidate) was called to give her campaign update and was attacked by a fellow Democrat of why she was there wasting our Democrat time. Kaitlan reminded the crowd that this was non-partisan race and did very well at speaking her positions for the board. Stephen Davies is a past Green Party member challenging Kaitlin and is a recently registered Democrat. (It seemed he has re-registered Democrat just for personal political reasons with no promise he would not re-register Green. Give him that for honesty.) He has no issues with Kaitlin's performance on the board. (A Motion was made to endorse Kaitlin, even though she is not a Democrat, but the motion was denied because of bylaw restrictions.) No endorsement.

Kaitlin also gave an update on the Measure "T" lawsuit. Keep the faith in campaign reform!

In the 3rd Division, Republican Barbara Hecathorn is running against Democrat Robert Schultz. Robert gave a straight forward, non-partisan and non-agenda liberal speech concerning water rights. He was a unanimously endorsed candidate by the HCDCC. Go get em Robert!

This is a very strong Democratic Committee right now. I feel we are accomplishing very good policies and candidates. We may argue, but we share the same commitments and values.

Softball Next Weekend at Big League Dreams! League season done for me. Local Football observations.

Next weekend (Sept. 13th) I am hosting a softball tournament at Big League Dreams Redding. Contact me if you want to play. The Chuckster is hosting the Beer League Wood Bat Championships at Willow Creek Sept. 20th and 21st. Live music!

Tomaso's was eliminated this year from the Arcata city playoffs quickly. Out n 2 & BBQ. We did win the Blue Lake City title though. My Eureka team, R-Co Builders, did not compete in the City playoffs. There were not enough "C" division teams wanting to play. Bummer. The Senior League did not have a playoff. Thank goodness. League teams I played for this year were a combined 24 wins 34 loses. 23-15 excluding the Senior League. In Tournaments my teams have been 26-21. 50-55 total. One 1st place, two 2nds, one 3rd and two 4ths. Have probably 5 tourneys left for the year. It has been a fun year. I lose a step each year, but gain new friends. So it is all worth it.

Went to the Eureka High JV's game. Freshmen Anthony Hernandez and Rickey Higgins both grew up here in Samoa so I wanted to watch them. (I coached Rickey at Peninsula and Matt Buckman from the Logger varsity team, in Basketball.) Anthony recovered a fumble, but the Loggers could not recover from 3 blocked punts from number 88 of Foothills. You saw that right, three blocked punts by the same kid! Hey some one go stop that guy! I think the final was 22-20 foothill, but I am not sure.....the scoreboard didn't work! The biggest school in the county, and no one in maintenance did a pre-check to make sure the board works? The Eureka varsity is probably glad it didn't, as they were drubbed.

Went to the CR game with Big Union Boss (BUB) Steve Harris. He is working in the San Jose area for the Operating Engineers, but still is holding onto his house in Rio Dell. He rents it out to about a million CR students, and one (Ben Watkins) from Kodiak, Alaska plays defensive line on the CR football team. He was held and double teamed but still had a solid game. Both teams played sloppy. Best crowd I have seen in some time. Lyndon Rowells must have had 200 yards rushing, but CR still managed to lose 32-30 on a last minute touchdown by Siskiyous. Quarterback Sergio Allen made some great throws and runs, but I question why CR did not run more between the tackles. Offensive Lineman Justin Primofiore from Fortuna is 6'5" and 340 and just wipes out people. He should be playing D1 somewhere next year. CR had no luck on sweeps.

CR missed a short 22 yard FG and two extra point attempts. But still did not have a practice kicking net on their side of the field. (Siskiyous did)

Get this fact, out of the 80 some odd players on the CR football team, 24 are from Florida! Only 16 from Humboldt County! I remember a time where this team was predominately Humboldt County alumni. And what happened to our Pacific Islander player connection? Used to have many Samoan and Hawaiian players.

Drumroll...Nov. Local Candidates and their Party affiliations. By Marks! (Progressive in waiting)

I went to the Humboldt County Elections office today and asked Jenny there if I could have the current roster of candidates for this coming November election and their political affiliation. She looked at me wide-eyed and seemed upset, and told me it would “take awhile.” I don’t remember going into this office too often where I didn’t feel like a bad guy for asking for information. Like pulling teeth. And I have used this office more than most I am sure. So here is what I have for you ‘all out there who may want to know:

Humboldt County Supervisor 2nd District

Estelle Fennell-Democrat. She has been endorsed by the HCDCC and has been in hyper drive lately. She has an uphill battle still.

Clif Clendenen-No Party. Still don’t know much about the guy. He plays music. Makes cider. Ok then.

Johanna Rodoni-Republican. Write in candidate with little chance. May hand over the seat to Clif. (Taking women vote from Estelle) I was disappointed to hear her saying she was put in an uncomfortable situation when she voted for the County Supervisors large raise. Vote your conscience! And she have any solutions for county code enforcement yet?

Eureka City Council

2nd Ward-

Linda Adkins-Democrat. HCDCC endorsed. New to local politics. Retired Cal Trans worker and union member. She was in the kitchen helping at the HCDCC Chicken by the Sea. I like to see doers! This will be a tough race for her to compete.

Polly Endert-Republican. Big family and friend support. Smart young lady who took her appointment with no political agenda.

4th Ward-

Frank Jager-Republican. Nice guy. 30 years of law enforcement. Scoutmaster. Past Eureka Councilman. Can’t say anything bad about the man. Everyone seems to know Frank. Big name recognition advantage.

George Clark-Democrat. Endorsed by the HCDCC. Well known business owner of Kyoto’s. Definitely a lefty liberal. Nice friendly guy. This race will come down to which campaign convinces their candidates strengths to their constituents the best. George needs to make this a partisan race to win. Democrats out number Republicans 58% to 39% in Eureka.

Arcata City Council (Three seats available)

Michael Machi-No Party. Incumbent

Michael Winkler-Democrat. Endorsed by the HCDCC. Ran for this position and came close before. He has already knocked on around 70% of the doors needed. Should do it this time.

Jason Grow-No Party. Into clean energy. Student.

Geronimo Garcia-Green Party. Don’t know this dude either.

Susan Ornelas-Republican. Interesting. I wonder what her agenda is?

Shane Brinton-Democrat. Endorsed by the HCDCC. Political and Union history walking encyclopedia. Shane's work for social justice includes, worker advocacy, renter's rights, homeless support, campaign reform and political education both nationally and locally. Shane is currently an elected official (Youngest in the county) on the Northern Humboldt Union High School District and has made many decisions to help enhance one of the finest school districts in the state.Now go get that checkbook out and help Shane get elected! The limit for individuals to contribute to Shane's campaign is $170 for Arcata elections. (Shameless Marks endorsement)

Fortuna City Council (Two Positions open?)

Don Mayden-American Independent. Whoa! A member of the George Wallace’s party? I wonder if he even knows that he belongs to this racist party? And he wants to help Fortuna? Do what? Hunt Latino workers and chase them to the border?

Odell Shelton Jr.-Republican. Odell has helped baseball players all over the county. Good guy.

Douglas Strehl-Democrat. Incumbent. Must be tough being a Democrat on this council.

Tom Mulholland-Democrat. Are these the only two Democrats in Fortuna? Just joking!

Kenneth Zanzi-Republican. Currently on the Fortuna Planning Commission.

Rio Dell City Council

Richard Leonard-Republican. Incumbent

Marc Barsanti-Republican. Incumbent

Jack Thompson-Republican. I think this might be a past Pulp Mill worker. If it is the Jack I am thinking of, he is a hard worker and a fair man. (And a past monster softball player!)

Blue Lake City Council (2 Seats?)

Meghan Vogel-Democrat. She could be a great councilperson!

Michelle McCall-Wallace-Democrat. I don’t know her.

Karen Barnes-Democrat. Same

Patricia Falor-Democrat. I know here from somewhere.

Alexander Ricca-No Party. I know Alex. He helped me hold a couple of Softball Tournaments years back. Good guy.

Ferndale City Council

For Mayor

Jeff Farley-Democrat. Wow. All that controversy and no challenger? Must be doing something right.

For Council (Two seats)

Kenneth Mierzwa-No Party. Incumbent. I don’t know this guy.

Stuart Titus-Republican. Incumbent. I have talked with Stu. He is a nice open guy.

David Walters-Republican. Don’t know this guy.

Shannon Leonardo-Democrat. I vaguely know Shannon.

Trinidad City Council (2 seats)

Julie Fulkerson-Democrat. Julie is more than qualified. Trinidad is lucky!

Michael Morgan-No Party. Don’t know him.

Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District

Division 1

Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap-Democrat. What? I thought she was a Green Party member. This is why you have to question the information you get at the Humboldt County Elections office. Where is Dave Berman when you need him?

Stephen Davies-Democrat. I don’t know Stephen.

Division 2

Edward “Buzz” Webb-Democrat. Don’t have the “buzz” on him.

Tera Prucha-Democrat. Came and talked to the HCDCC. Very well educated and has plenty of qualifications.

Jake Pickering-Democrat. Now wait a doggone minute! He ran for the HCDCC out of Arcata. Then Water Board in Eureka. Then CR trustee. Then HCDCC in Eureka and now Water Board out of McKinleyville. Where does Jake really live? Kinda like where’s Waldo? I have not met Jake. Seems like he is everywhere and nowhere. Eerie.

Ben Shepherd-Republican. Controversy follows Ben. Will he run against Jill later?

Adrienne Floreen-No Party. Good to see many people running and getting involved.

Division 3

Barbara Hecathorn-Republican. Incumbent.

Robert Shultz-Democrat. Don’t know Robert.

Southern Humboldt Community Hospital District

Judith Gonzales-Democrat

David Kirby-Democrat

Chloe Wilson-American Independent. Why do they belong to a racist party?

Nancy Wilson-Democrat

Ed Smith-Democrat

If anyone out there has more dirt on any of these candidates, please feel free to contribute!

Who and what are the "Progressives?"

I posted on Rose's blog the definition of "progressives" as:

Progressives are Political people who are moving forward; proceeding onward; advancing; evincing progress; increasing; as, progressive motion or course; opposed to retrograde. Improving. Promoting or favoring progress toward better conditions or new policies, ideas, or methods. Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are.

That started debate that delved more into semantics.

I consider myself a "progressive" and I am more of a "Doer" or "Trier" than a "Talker." I have a record backing that.

Advocates for "improvement" is best summation. But that is just one opinion.

The "progressive" label can fit both Liberal Democrats and change minded Republicans. Just look at their agenda and record.

Obama picks Biden. McCain picks Sarah Palin. Hillary gets to watch.

I am not happy with Barack's campaign right now. How can you ignore someone who garners nearly 50% of the popular vote like Hillary did and take a cranky Joe Biden? Biden had 1% support in Iowa for his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination. I don't care how the Obama camp paints this. They were wrong.

Now McCain campaign is looking like the "progressive" forward thinking group. They will have the fringe uninformed voters who do not know of Sarah's environmental stands or her anti-wildlife positions. Oh, she is a "hotty" though, so they will get the shallow vote. This was a brilliant move for the "Rights" or conservatives. And have you noticed how far the "moderate" McCain is falling off the right wing cliff?

This race is going to be so frustrating if McCain hangs close. Please, someone tell me this is a nightmare and I will wake up soon!

Jager vs Clark & Atkins vs Endert. Eureka has tough choice!

Frank Jager is running against George Clark for the 4th Ward seat on the Eureka City Council. Both are long time residents with strong local roots.

I would say that Frank is better known in the area and will have a head start name recognition wise. His community service as past Councilman and his current public service as Humboldt County Coroner really helps his cause. Almost 40 years in law enforcement! And he is really a nice guy. One thing I find really impressive is his work in helping over 50 Humboldt County Boy Scouts achieve the ranking of Eagle Scout. Too bad I wasn't in his troop. I think I stopped at Second Class in Myrtletown. Troop 79? I loved the camping trips.

George and I were on the HCDCC at the same time in the 90's. I did not really socialize much with him, but he has always been cordial. He wrote some letters to the editor that were kinda radical in the past. I think he might be just a bit to the left of my politics. But that may work good for him because he controls the political demographics. All he has to do is carry the Democrats and Greens in Eureka, and he has a chance to win. And he has already garnered the HCDCC endorsement. Now he just needs a fancy aggressive mailer with his agenda and the HCDCC endorsement predominately splashed on the cover. And you have to admit his website is very well done.

Linda Adkins is fairly new to the area. She recently retired from Cal Trans and is a past union member and advocate. She has an uphill battle as far as name recognition. But she does have the collaborative help from the Clark campaign. And their combo website is cool. George Clark & Linda Atkins Campaign Website Her campaign needs to do the same with the HCDCC endorsement. Identify herself as the Democrat in the race and ride the tide.

Polly Endert was appointed the 2nd Ward Council seat by a community committee chosen by Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass. She has been a good addition to the Council. No web-site for her campaign as of yet. She has long time roots to the community.

I know I will hear the non-partisan thingy being spouted, but like I have said, politics in Humboldt County have become undeniably partisan. 15, count them, 15 of the last candidates that the HCDCC endorsed are in office!

Democrats outnumber Republicans by a large margin in Humboldt County. I don't make the rules, just report them.

Brinton and Winkler endorsed by HCDCC!

Shane Brinton and Mike Winkler were endorsed by the HCDCC electronically for their respective campaigns for Arcata City Council. Good luck to both! Shane will publicly/officially announce his campaign tomorrow at the Arcata Industrial Park at noon. If you have $170 laying around for a campaign, please help Shane in his endeavor. If you have anything left, please help Mike. Both these candidates are ready and willing to help Arcata.

How much for one Rail System, slightly used?

I see that the Rail and Port Infrastructure Taskforce (RAPIT) is hosting a Port Development seminar on Wednesday the 20th at 5:30pm at the Warfinger. I did not know they have formed a certifiable Political Action Committee. Good for them. It looks like most people are in agreement that you have to have Port Development to have a rail and visa verse. So I just have one question I can't seemed to get answered straight by anyone........

How much will it cost for us to have a workable railroad connecting us to the Port of Oakland and beyond? And by when? I have heard FEMA numbers of over 650 million to a BILLION for a workable rail system with probably over 5 years just for the Environmental Impact reports! But then I hear rumbling from the North Coast Railroad Authority - (NCRA) that the rail could be serviceable in 4 years at the cost of between 115-300 million. It seemed just a few years ago the NCRA floated numbers of about 60 million. Huge discrepancy. What funding limits do we have?

Someone help me here. Give me a concrete number to start the rail system back up and back it up with informational sources. Anyone! Help!

Humboldt water to Southern Cal via water bags. Coming soon!

The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water has control of the Mad River water that provides most of Humboldt County residents and businesses with services. They have the capacity to move 70 million gallons a day, yet only provide around 40 million delivered. That means the district has the capability to provide 30 million gallons to some investor in the future. In the past, entrepreneurial private sector business has "floated" this idea around. It was not well received. But what if another municipality decided to try? We have a surplus of water, So-Cal has a need. It is not "if" they are coming, it is "when."

Shane Brinton for Arcata City Council!

Shane has thrown his hat in the ring to run for Arcata City Council. I wholeheartedly support Shane's effort. Not only has Shane been successful as an elected member of the Northern Humboldt Union High School District (NHUHSD), he has been heavily involved and knowledgeable in progressive local politics. A few years ago he managed my failed campaign for County Supervisor against Bonnie Neely that had little chance for success, and we had the most cost effective campaign of the candidates and came darn close! When my wife Robin ran for the NHUHSD he was instrumental in strategy to help her election victory. His management of the Mark Lovelace campaign for County Supervisor was highly methodical and successful. Shane knows politics and how to make things happen! Shane is a champion of workers rights and supporter of living wages in Humboldt County. This is a great opportunity for the residents of Arcata to support a life long member of the community.

Times Standard promoting union busting?

The Times Standard editorial page this opinion piece "Kill the unfair labor bill" that really does not do The Employee Free Choice Act justice.

As a union organizer I have experienced the tilted scale of justice in many organizing drives toward Corporations. A company will on average spend $10,000 per employee to outside consultants or "Union Busters." What will a company do? First thing is they will try to get the workers to not trust the "union salesman" or organizer. "That Richard Marks guy hand billing this place says he is just a worker like you, have you asked him how much he makes? What does he drive and how big of house does he lives in?" When you finally do get the workers trust, and start to have them sign authorization cards, the company will convince the workers that they are basically signing a contract with the union to start charging them dues, which is a lie. (You have to have at least 30% of the workers sign the cards so that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will hold an election. If you are an organizer, you better have over 70% of the workers signed or you will lose!) Once you have the cards collected and have turned them over to the NLRB, the company is forced to cooperate and has to give the union all the names and addresses of the employees. Oh, that lie the supervisor made about the authorization cards? That is forgotten, because there are more lies to look forward too! Now the company will put out a letter saying they did not want to jeopardize their employees privacy, but the union has every ones addresses and will be invading their private lives at home! "You don't have to talk with them!" The the company will try to talk to the workers one on one, to get information about who the inside organizers are. (In Plant Committee. Usually it takes 10% of the workforce to successfully pull off a organizing drive. They are the eyes and ears of the organizers.) Then the company will either have corporate Human Resource people or even the owner of the company come and talk to the workers in a big meeting. Smaller groups will have meetings weekly as the campaign trudges on for the 45 days from the filing of the authorization cards to the actual election. Companies will show horrific strike videos, threaten to move the facility elsewhere, allude to poor financial times and have their Human Resource person tell a personal horrible union story and cry. I am not making this up! Happened multiple times. Then there is the feel good Company picnics that has not happened before and won't after we are gone. Breakfast served at the plant by management. Cool anti-union shirts to wear (You better!) on the floor. The company will put out many (almost daily) fliers handed out personally with half truths and blatant lies about unions.

And how do we organizers fight back? We can make no promises to the workers. We can only give them the hope to have a chance at bargaining with their employer as a bargaining unit for fair compensation. We have to stand outside the facility on public property and handbill the workers who have the guts to stop and grab our material, or who will come to our meetings whether at the library, pizza parlor, motel or any other public gathering place we can come up with. And the dreaded house-calls that can either be a great experience or unfriendly fiasco. And organizers have to above board on all they say and do, or they will lose!

Recent surveys have shown that well over 50% of American workers would like to be union, but in fact only roughly 10% of American workers are union. I have been on organizing drives where workers were happy with their employers and did not feel the need to organize. Good for them. But for some workers, and companies for that matter, it is better for them to have a union. Asking for 50% gathering of authorization cards for union representation will level the playing field.

Union Organizers as Union salesmen? What do they have to sell? Only hope!

Local Solutions and HCDCC in Cahoots?

You sure would think so by many anonymous bloggers out there who label any liberal progressive candidates as being joined at the hip with Local Solutions (LS) and the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC). While the HCDCC may agree with LS on some of the same candidates, such as Mark Lovelace recently, that is not necessarily the rule. In the 2nd District Supervisor race, LS is backing Clif Clendenen and the HCDCC has endorsed Estelle Fennell for this upcoming election. We may have similar philosophies, but the main purpose for the HCDCC is to get Democrats elected, while the LS supports their defined best "progressive" candidate, regardless of party affiliation. Hope that clears it up somewhat.

SAC finishes 2nd in FastPitch tournament.

I had to cancel my tournament at Redding Big League Dreams on Wednesday. I was down to 7 teams and I saw the writing on the wall. I am going to try again Sept. 13th and 14th at Redding. Metal Bat Slow Pitch "Off the Wall" Tournament. Guaranteed 3 games. E-mail me.

Since I was canceling the tournament, I had players who still wanted to come to Redding and play ball. So I told the guys we could enter a fast pitch tournament at Big League Dreams, and I would find us some pitchers to throw. One of the first I called was Billy Osborne who has played for many local fast pitch teams. He laughed at me, but said he could pitch a "few innings." I told him I would find backups for him. I could not. Local pitcher Josh Sargent was playing for the host team, Bob Annis was busy, Larry Kuwahara the same and all from here and the valley that still play were already taken. So it was Billy and I. Here is what happened:

Redding: Samoa Athletic Club finished second in the 2008 “Rumble in the Valley” men’s fast pitch softball tournament after being drubbed 7-0 by Brotherton Pipe of Oregon this past weekend at Big League Dreams. Richard Marks took the loss on the mound, giving up 3 earned runs in 6 innings. Samoa Athletic Club reached the championship game by scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the seventh against KTM of Willits for a 15-14 victory in the semi final.

Billy Osborne led the Samoa pitching staff, going 3-1 and pitching 30 innings. Sam Jaskar won the Golden Glove award. Kelly Miller paced the hitters by batting .550 with a homerun followed by Travis Wright at .421. Catcher Byron Gardner had 2 home runs. As a team, Samoa had a batting average of .335 for the tournament of highly ranked west coast fast pitch teams.

Other SAC players batting averages in the tournament were: Byron at .381, Dave Jones .318, Sam Jasker .316, Mike Brown .294, Nate Parkinson .273, Tracy Driskoll .235, Me .200, Tommy .188. Of course, some of our players were walked and Hit By Pitches that would have raised their on base percentages. My OBP was .333. I wasn't hit because "I was a baling!"

Billy Osborne was hooked up in a pitching dual with pitcher for Brotherton on Saturday night that ended with Brotherton scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th to beat us 2-1. Ugh! Billy was a Warrior and pitched masterfully to almost pull a monumental upset against a ranked "A" Fast Pitch team. Brotherton's pitcher was flown in to pitch this tournament, so you can understand the David vs Goliath thing. But we still were the #2 seed going into Sundays play for our 2-1 record and our plus run differential which must have been a plus 17. Billy shut down Yokuts from Lemore early Sunday and pitched into the 7th inning against #8 state ranked KTM. I finished up that mess and lucked out for the win.

I threw the Championship game throwing, slow, slower and slowest but I walked only 2 so I was satisfied. Ended up 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. The defense behind me saved my buttocks. If Billy had more help in the bullpen, we may have pulled off a championship.

Most of our players were slowpitch guys who have never played fast pitch, so that was good. One problem I had with some was their squirreling. Most of these people playing fast pitch were very serious. KTM has three sponsor's and three different set of uniforms and they were not happy losing to us twice and our guys were, believe or not, overconfident. And they lipped off a little too freely to some hardcore veterans playing. Not all, but just a few.

I did enjoy our team going out to Logan's Roadhouse Saturday night and getting to know each other better. Thank goodness they didn't throw us out for the peanut throwing fiasco!

Arts Alive! Remember Rob Colivas? SAC finishes 2nd.

Robin and I went Arts Alive on Saturday. Liked the art work done by Ruth Jamison. Robin saw a piece she may buy soon. Had a drink with Eureka Mayor Virgina Bass and her husband Matt there at the new bar and grill in Old Town across from Hurricane Kate's. (Starts with an O?) Frank Jager came by and said hi. Had a person come up to me and asked if I recognize him. Then he did the worst thing you could do, he wanted me to guess. I had no clue. It was Robert Colivas. I have seen his brother Sam through the years, but I was not able to put it together. I played softball, basketball and flag football with Robert back in the late 70's. He did not look the same. He had that 70's type poofy hair in back when and did not wear glasses. He was able to name our softball line-up of M & D Auto back then (Robert and his brother Sam, Sam Skillman, Mark Smith, Mike Robinson, Kurt Brungart, Mike Gomes, Mike Carroll, Frank Spicka, Ed Fregoso, Loren Price, Andy Lameroux and me of course.) Robert was hanging out in old town with Tom Corder and Richard Rummell from the EHS class of 77'. They have all moved away but said they are meeting up with each other each August, and old town was their venue of the day. How embarrassing!

Steve Coppini hosted the Wildwood Days Softball Tournament in Scotia this last weekend as a fund-raiser for the Rio Dell Fire Department. The field was great and the weather better! The last time there was a men's softball tournament at Scotia, the trains were still running! So it has been at least a decade. Samoa Athletic Club made it to the Championship game but lost 36-14 to Drink/R-Co. Ouch! We beat 12 pack by throwing out the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and then advanced to the championship game by scoring the winning run with 2 out in the seventh against the Fortuna Bombers, so we had a good tournament. (I was on base over half my at bats, but still consider mired in slump.)

Something always happens at a tourney that I have not witnessed before. This time Joe Auseillo scored from third on a pop up to the catcher and then later in the day scored on a pop up to the pitcher! He also threw the runner out at the plate to end one game. Dave Damme was hit a few times hard up the middle while pitching. I am sure he is wearing bruises today. I over ran a fly ball by Steelheads player Jimmy Smith by about 10 feet in the outfield. Comedy relief. Robin wanted to know if it was a inside the park home run or a 4 base error. I let her know I didn't touch it, so no error! I have no brakes anymore. Kelly Miller, Matt Dusel and Eric Bess were also out there messing up their hardball swings. Tim Hunt may have had the longest Home Run of the weekend. Either Dusel or Smith had the most.

Next weekend is the Big League Dreams tourney. Anyone out there wants to play, call me!

Polly Endert vs Linda Atkins? Left vs Right Part 2?

Current Eureka Councilmember Polly Endert from the 2nd Ward, has not officially announced her intention for this coming November election. She has formed a committee (North Coast Journal) so I assume she will throw her hat in the ring. I wonder who is on her committee?

Polly will have a challenge from Linda Atkins if decides to retain her position. Linda is a Democrat and past union member. Haven't heard her vision for Eureka yet. She seems to be hanging on the coattails of 4th Ward hopeful George Clark HighBoldtage.

Any other potential candidates for the 2nd Ward? I get the feeling this will be another very partisan election.

SAC ends up 4th place in Oregon ASA "C" division State Championships. We qualify to go to nationals in Seattle.

First of all, let me tell you that the US Cellular Fields in Medford are really nice. Not Redding Big League Dreams nice, but the 5 artificial turf fields are very playable. You can see them right off of I-5 but it takes some maneuvering to find them. I requested a chance from the ASA rep if we could participate and they said we could. They placed us in the "upper" division and we competed well and placed 4th in the ASA "C" division. We did not get any close calls, but that is expected when we travel. (Local teams know the umps by name and they have to deal with those guys all year. We are just a weekend fling.) The players were great, and I met some new friends and caught up with other hard line players. It was fun regardless of our losing to Southern Oregon Softball Grants Pass Storm 5-4 to knock us out of the tourney.

My batting slump continues, so I am ready for a break out weekend. Playing 4 leagues and being over 50 has caught up with me. But I love the game and the players so I keep going.

Tournament in Scotia this weekend? Stay tuned for more information.

Don't forget the August 9th and 10th tournament at Big League Dreams in Redding. Call me at 707-445-3432. Or email me.

Oregon ASA Softball State Championships! SAC invited and not doing well. Seen my niece and nephew so worth the drive!

The Samoa Athletic Club softball team is playing in the ASA Oregon state championships. We were allowed because we had no jurisdiction boundaries. Good news is I have had a hit in each game we played. Bad news is we lost all three games. We have been assigned a "C" league status which means we played State 19th ranked "Drinking Devils" of Oregon and they beat us 11-1. Then we faced " RV Holiday" from Medford who are ranked 8th in the state, and they beat us 7-4. Our last game of the day was ranked Grants Pass team, "The Swarm" whom beat us 12-9. The last two tourneys we have played we have placed 3rd and 4th. So this is not a good start.

Great news is that I was able to see my niece Colleen and nephew Darrell between games. I have not been up this way in over a decade! My great nieces and nephews are nearly adults! Wow. Time flies. It was great to see them all! The last time Colleen saw me play softball I had the number 00 on my shirt. She yelled "Go Double Zero! Go you big nothing!" Funny. All the kids and stuff were beautiful.

Medford has given me inspiration for some topics! Stay tuned!

Worst softball weekend of my life.

Wow. This weekend I totally sucked at softball. I went 2-10 and hit into a double play, struck out and for the second straight tourney, made two outs in an inning. Oh yes, I walked in two runs in and just sucked pitching.

After our win Sat. night, our team went to All Stars bar in Anderson to celebrate. Since I struck out, I paid for the beer. Damn. After we settled in to our Motel 6 rooms, we walked to Bert & Ernie's bar off of Hilltop Drive. When I walked in, a young lady walked up to me and waved her hands over me and said, "What is this going on? This is not working." I was wearing my Humboldt's Finest Shirt with brown pants and Cal hat. Wow. I couldn't even make through the door without comment. I left my teammates a little after 1am and went back to the motel.

Maybe I should pack it in. I am getting tired.

Tsunami Mountain/Sewage Plant/RV Park for Fairhaven Sandwellers?

As luck would have it, our Samoa Peninsula Fire District volunteers were called out on a fire in the woods just west of the end of the Samoa Bridge near the “Doghouse” right before our public meeting about the Tsunami “Mountain/Sewer System/RV Park” Berm being proposed in Fairhaven.

Samoa Peninsula Fire District Chair Troy Nicolini, whom is also involved with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://www.noaa.gov/, led the meeting first as a NOAA Rep who wants organized Evacuation Plans and actual drill planning for emergency situations. He made it clear that Fairhaven is not ready for a tsunami.

Then, Troy covered his shirt NOAA logo and spoke as the chair of the fire department. He said the intent or idea has been brought forward to develop a mountain that would serve as an evacuation point for Fairhaven. There are waste “spoils” near the airport that could be used to build the hill. People talked about gridlock to get off of Peninsula, environmental issues, where is the best spot and past history of tsunami warnings. There was a clear consensus from the crowd (Over 30 people) that the concept was agreeable.

Then the funding was discussed. How do we get this done? The Army Corp of Engineers will pay for the feasibility studies to see if this is even doable. FEMA money should also be available. A community private partnership, Coast Guard, BLM and City of Eureka help was also discussed. (Eureka owns the airport and other land adjacent to Fairhaven) The creation of a new service district or expansion of the Manila Community Service District to include the whole peninsula was also brought up. And what about the Harbor District and Humboldt County’s roles in bringing recreation to the peninsula without helping with emergency services? Many layers.

The real driving force for this project is also entrepreneurial. Kurt Kramer Properties has been told that he can not continue to build residential homes in Fairhaven, (He owns many parcels) unless he mitigates the Tsunami issue. He also needs to come up with a sewage plan for his parcels. In the past, Wisconsin mounds SEPTIC TANKS (basically a mound leach field in the back yards.) were deemed OK, but that has changed lately. So there is need for the community as a whole, for a new sewage system. So Kramer is willing to partner in building a Berm over 30 feet tall with a new Fire Station/Evacuation point, with a sewage treatment plant below and just for good measure, a new RV Park on the other side. Stay tuned.

$2.50 a fill up! Environmentally sound transportation.

Dave Stancliff recently wrote about vehicles that run on air. Yes, believe it or not, this technology is ready! Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 - Zero Pollution Motors - 1000-Mile Range - Popular Mechanics. Why don't we hear more about these alternatives? Let us hope for the best!

Fairhaven Tsunami "Mountain" construction meeting tomorrow night 6pm at Fairhaven.

Samoa fire officials to discuss tsunami evacuation site at Fairhaven July 17th at 6pm. I am on the Board of Directors for the Samoa Peninsula Fire District, so I will be there to hear public comment. Should be interesting. The first project of it's kind in the United States.

Democrats host Chicken by the Sea!

This Sunday will be the HCDCC hosted Chicken by the Sea at Trinidad City Hall. If you have not purchased your ticket yet, it is $20 at the door. Mix with political people from all spectrum in a beautiful setting. Robin and I will be there so should you.

Update: It is all done. Many ate. We had hundreds there and people seemed festive.

During the dessert auction, a cake went for $200!

Politically, speeches were given by 1st District Assembly hopeful Wes Chesbro. County Supervisor candidate for the 2nd District Estelle Fennell. Arcata City Council candidate Mike Winkler, Eureka City 4th Ward candidate George Clark and Eureka 2nd Ward Candidate Alice Atkins. (I hope that is her first name. Busy day.)

I had BBQ duty and it went pretty smooth. Had many compliments on the chicken. (We preboiled the chicken and then put Lawreys seasoning on first, and added BBQ sauce.) Then we used the BBQ charcoal grill to give that smoke taste. Thanks to Jaime O'Donnell for the use of grill, ice chests and advice. (Jaime was supposed to man the grill but broke his arm and had to coach from the sidelines.)

Thanks also to my fellow HCDCC member helpers: Larry Hourany, Phillis A. Taborski, Milt Boyd, Barbara Kennedy, Chuck Dewitt, Pam Service, Barbara Carolan, Chuck Harvey, Mike Winkler, Christine L. Cole and all others I may have overlooked.

Charlene Cutler-Ploss chaired this event and did a commendable job in a thankless task. She wore many hats. Thanks Charlene. (Whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger. This was a test.)

Clark vs Jager. Left vs Right?

Chris Kerrigan is terming out as Eureka city council member representing the 4th Ward. Man, those 8 years went fast!

Long time Eureka Business owner George Clark is running for the position. George is a liberal who fits the label of a local "progressive" Berkley type Democrat. I am sure he will have the resources to run a good campaign, and I think he will be tough to beat. I have not heard enough to judge his agenda yet. Back in 2000 he had a claim against the city of Eureka. Anyone out there remember what that was about? Is this one of the reasons he is running?

Frank Jager is the likely challenger for this position. He is currently leads the Humboldt County Coroners Office, but is retiring this year. He was a Eureka Councilman from 1992 to 1998. What does he think he can do now differently from what he did last time? Don't know what his agenda is yet either.

I realize this is a "non-partisan" position, but I have come to the conclusion there is no such thing in Humboldt County anymore.

Liberal vs Conservative. Democrat vs Republican. Environment vs Business. Left vs Right. Let the games begin.

HCDCC 4th of July Booth crazy! SAC places 3rd in Yuba. Old man Marks makes 2 outs in one inning!

Robin and I attended the 4th of July events in Eureka and Arcata. The Eureka fair looked well attended.......by dogs! I did not know you had to have your Rottweiler present to go. We then went to the Arcata event, where Robin and I were to man the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee Booth. Shane Brinton helped out and we registered a ton of people! We were pretty much slammed most of the time. We also engaged in much debate with passersby. It was fun banter mostly. No Republican booths in either venues.

Since my tournament in Weaverville was canceled, the R-co softball team I play on in Eureka decided to play in Yuba City on Saturday. We lost our first game (Never a good idea on the road) in the bottom of the 7th inning. We won our next game in the bottom of the 7th and seemed to have our bats going I started out 5-6 and was on base 6 out of my first 7 at bats, so I was feeling pretty good about the day. Then we had a wild game against one of the local teams and went through 12 batters in one inning. I was the first and third out. I can never remember doing that before. I hope to never do it again. The silver lining is that we won 24-20. We finished 3rd. I think the heat really took it out of us. If we won that first game, I think we could have won this tourney. The tournament director thought we had a "scrappy" team. I am over 50. My players would say my game is not scrappy, but it rhymes with it.

Weaverville July 4th softball tournament update.

As of right now, the tournament is on. The Weaverville Chamber of Commerce has canceled the 10k run and the Friday fireworks, but the softball tournament, paintball tourney, arm wrestling and horseshoe tourney are still a go so far. I have heard that some ball players rooms at the local hotels have been given to fire fighting personnel. I guess I will play it by ear. Can't predict rain or fire.

Tentatively the Nugget Restaurant of Weaverville is playing R-Co Construction from Eureka at 8pm Friday. Ray Wolfe Construction of Arcata is playing the Horsemen from Orland at 9:30am Saturday morning. The Kingmen of Redding and Mendocino of Ukiah play at 10:35am followed by Samoa Athletics and Hitmen at 11:40am.

I am getting many calls, just hang in there and leave messages! I will update you all as soon as I can.

Update: The July 4th tournament has been postponed to a later date due to air quality. Fires around the area have caused smoke and ash issues. Sorry to everyone. We will try again in August.

First tsunami berm might be built in Fairhaven!

· WHAT: COMMUNITY MEETING

· WHERE: FAIRHAVEN FIRE STATION

· WHEN: JULY 17, 2008 at 6 PM

· TSUNAMI EVACUATION SITE INFORMATION

· COMMUNITY SEPTIC SYSTEM INFORMATION

· NEW FIRE STATION OR COMMAND CENTER INFORMATION

· PARTNERSHIPS AND/OR GRANTS FOR TSUNAMI EVACUATION SITE AND COMMUNITY SEPTIC SYSTEM

The Samoa Peninsula Fire District Board of Directors will host an informational meeting at the time and place above to discuss and hear comments about the possibility of a tsunami evacuation site, community septic system, and a new fire station above tsunami flood zones. This informational meeting is focused for the community of Fairhaven. All residents of Fairhaven are encouraged to attend. All Samoa Peninsula residents invited.

What is being proposed is an artificial hill that may have a fire station built on top and a sewage system nearby. For more info, come to the meeting. This would be a pilot project. The first of it's kind in the U.S.

Humboldt County Mental Health has 100 "temporary" workers with no benefits. County Supervisors highest paid in state!

Yes, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors (BOS) are the highest paid per capita (by nearly $30,000 a year) in the state of California at $72,000+ per year. Oh, by the way, they voted themselves a huge raise on top of that recently. How does the average employee for the County do?

The disparity is stunning.

Let's take a look at the Mental Health department as an example. 100 workers are on payroll as "temporary" workers. Many of these are working for less than $10 an hour with no benefits or worker rights! With college degrees! And guess what, many of these workers are eligible for Social Services doled out by the county. But if you talk with most employees, they will tell you where there is waste in their work place from outside contractors that are ignored by superiors in each department. And this theme is continued in other county departments. There needs to be communication and accountability from the BOS through the lowest paid workers. Not happening now.

How can we justify paying our County Supervisors nearly twice as much as counties our size? We can't.

U.S. Supreme Court allows state monies to be used by companies to fight union organizing! This makes me so angry!

Supreme Court strikes down California law on unions. Basically letting companies that receive state funding use those tax payer monies for anti-union campaigns! Unbelievable. And all under the guise of free speech!

I have been in the trenches as a labor organizer and have witnessed the off balance process of workers trying to become union. The company has all of the advantages and this is going to be yet another step for workers to climb. I had an organizing campaign in Bakersfield at a plant called Dopaco. There were 160 workers there. The company held anti union one on one meeting with the workers to intimidate them individually. Then they would have group meetings and have the Human Resource person conjure up tears (Not kidding) and a bogus story of how a bad union affected their family. They had management do a buffet breakfast at the plant with supervisors dishing up food. They literally shut down production to talk to the workers as a group! Then a BBQ on the premises with Mariachi band and blow up playground for employees kids. The company put out shirts to wear on the floor expressing their non-union stance. Then at the end, a movie about union strikes. Literature was passed out at work along the way demonizing all aspects of unions. Promises of better care were made. And of course, they also focused on the big bad union salesman, me. If I was just a plant worker just like them, how come Mr. Marks make so much money? (I think I was at $63,000 a year then and living in motel rooms.)

By the time all was said and done, Dopaco spent around 1.6 million to keep the employees non union. They could have written each worker a check of $10,000! The funny thing is, a little over a year later, I was called back for a second attempt since the company did not keep their promises. That story is for later.

Operation Southern Sweep recovery plan.

I thought this was funny in the TS back page with the story on the pot raids, there is ad placement for you, Humboldt Hydroponics. So you can get those replacement gardens up and growing!

Bob Service is the "Comeback Kid" upsets Jake Pickering in final vote tally. HCDCC undefeated for June Election 2008!

The Humboldt County Election office announced their final figures for the June 3rd Election. ELECTION RESULTS Bob Service was trailing Jake Pickering for a 4th District seat on the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC) by 4 votes before the final tallies. After all is said and done, Bob won by 14 votes! So that means the HCDCC endorsed 9 candidates this June and 8 won with one pending in November! The last 2 elections the HCDCC has endorsed 16 candidates and 15 have won outright! Fennell is still pending. Congratulations to all.

Tomaso's Blue Lake Wood Bat Champions!

The City of Blue Lake hosts the Sunday Wood Bat League each year. It is a great competitive league that had a huge waiting list this year. I play for Tomaso's Specialty. Our team was the #1 seed this year going into the League Championship Tournament based on our league best 9-1 record. Only 4 teams play in the tournament, so we faced the #4 seed Breakers. They came out and beat us 10-5 to knock us in the losers bracket. We won our next game 4-1 against FB to gain another shot at the Breakers. We squeaked by 2-1 to reach the finals against the Hey Juan Barnstormers. We snuck by them the first game 4-3 to force a do or die championship game. It was a great defensive battle, and we prevailed 3-1. It is Tomaso's 6th championship in the last 7 years! Not too shabby.

Here is the age breakdown of our team: Chuck Kirsher, Tom Pagano, Steve and myself over 50. Chris Pence, Erik, Alan Schmidt, Doug Small, Dave Rhodes and Greg Alora 40's. Jerome Holbrook and Toye Johnson around 30 and Jackson Kirsher and Kris Avelar in their 20's. Over half our team at least in their 40's and still winning! Got to love Wood Bat. Evens the playing field.

Next Tournament in Weaverville July 4th, 5th and 6th.

I just might have to vote Republican.....

Why I'm Voting Republican!

Paper vs. Plastic again.

Let me preface my argument for paper over plastic by letting you all know that Robin and I recycle both paper and plastic. Our paper is done at the curb and our plastic is taken to Safeway.

If you do not recycle, I suggest you ask for paper. There are arguments on both side, and if you have time, please check out this information piece: Battle of the Bags: Paper vs. Plastic- msnbc.com Very well done. My biggest complaint against plastic is the 100,000 animals that die each year from plastic litter. And, did you know that 14 plastic bags contain enough petroleum to drive a car a mile? Can't we come up with technology to convert the bags back into usable energy? Also, the non biodegradable factor is a huge consideration. I realize it takes more energy to make paper, but I believe we can do better. One thing that could be done more environmentally conscience, is using only recycled paper and Hardwood pulp from regenerating Eucalyptus tree farms. This idea was brought up by Simpson years back when they had the Shasta Pulp mill in Anderson. They bought land around Red Bluff off of I5 to do just that. You can harvest the tree and the stump will just grow a new tree. The trees are still just sitting there to this day. Other states also need to mandate pollution control standards, like the ones we see in California. If Evergreen Pulp can make environmentally safe pulp without the use of dioxins, others should too. (Evergreen is the only pulp mill in North America without dioxins. European pulp mills in Scandinavian countries are also "Chlorine free.")

Just for the record, Robin and I do have reusable carry bags that I always seem to forget when I go to the store. Reusable Bags :: Reusable Grocery Bags. This, of course, is the best way to help the environment.

We need serious Immigration reform.

Sun Valley Floral Farms let go of 283 undocumented workers today after receiving a letter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week indicating that the employees — from flower pickers to management-level staff — were not eligible for employment in the United States.

I had just led around 700 workers at Dart Container in Corona California through the National Labor Relations Board NLRB process of becoming a union bargaining committee in 2002. Mostly Latino workers. It was their right through the National Labor Relations Act to organize without the fear of reprisal regardless of their immigration status. They were successful in their campaign and I was blessed to lead the largest manufacturing union victory in the nation in a decade.

Word got around in the Latino community and I was contacted about organizing an manufacturing outfit of 500 workers in Moreno Valley called Thor Industries that made recreational vehicles. I and Corona Latino workers from Dart had meetings with workers to lead them through the process of becoming union. When we were in the process of having union authorization cards signed, the Thor company decided to use the immigration hammer. They told all workers to bring in their "green" cards on a Monday to prove their US residence. Hundreds of workers were now out of a job, and their only recourse was to have me lead them through the process of protection through the NLRB. How many of those workers out of 500 do you think stepped forward to testify against Thor? You guessed right, 0.

The process is uneven and unfair.

Sun Valley President and CEO Lane DeVries met with his entire staff this afternoon and shared the “shocking” news with them. In a phone conversation today, DeVries described the meeting as “heart-warming and frustrating.”

As for the 283 workers who are now jobless, he said, “It really stinks. It’s a raw deal. It’s very sad for everyone. These people bought houses, bought cars, spent money at the Bayshore Mall. This is not good for this community.”

And it’s bad news for Sun Valley too. “The heart and the soul of our team is getting ripped out,” he said. “The heart and soul of our company is no longer with us.

Some of the workers who were let go today had been with Sun Valley for 17 years, DeVries said.

Mario Meza, general manager of Spanish-language radio station KNCR in Fortuna, told the Journal today that he has received a steady stream of calls from anonymous community members about the layoffs since last Friday .

I know there are many in the community who feel these workers are getting what they deserve. But when you are talking about workers with nearly 20 years of service and above the board citizens contributing taxes in the form of Social Security and Federal and State Taxes for nearly 20 years. Shouldn't we have an amnesty program in place for those? Just a bad situation.

Xochitl's Quinceañera this June 21st!

Mi mejor amigo Ed Fregoso's daughter Xochitl is celebrating Mis Quice Años. It is a Hispanic tradition of celebrating a young women's 15th birthday. For you readers who know Ed, I am passing on an open invitation for you all to come celebrate! Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church 2585 Myrtle Avenue at 1pm Saturday June 21st. A reception will follow at the Warfinger from 3pm until way late. There will be music throughout the evening with Xochitl's favorite DJ leading off, then a Mariachi band, and more assorted music into the night.

Election June 2008 Redux

Oh, come on now. I was close on most.

Thompson vs. Clogg- I thought there was a movement of discontent. I was way off. Democrats in the First love Mike. By nearly 90%. Keep on keeping on Mike.

In the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee race in the 4th District, Charlene Cutler-Ploss garnered over 90% of the votes her way. I was fortunate to have nearly 89% of the people in the fourth district blot my name. Pam Service had 88% of the Demos vote. Jake Pickering was the first choice on the ballot and had 68% of the Demos votes. He was able to edge Bob Service by 4 votes. Ouch. I hope that Jake is able to provide 10% of the work that Bob has provided for the cause of the Democratic Party. Bob has been invaluable in the Democratic process locally. Jake. Better be ready to put some substance behind those words!

1St Distrct- Jimmy was spot on.
2nd.District- Clif over Estelle. Oops.
3rd-District-Mark Lovelace easily.

Fearless Prediction June 3rd, 2008!

Here are my fearless predictions for Tomorrow’s election starting from the top:

United States Representative First District

Mike Thompson 65%
Mitchell Clogg 35%

Mike is a conservative “blue dog” Democrat who has been vocal against the war and is active in supporting worker legislation. I collected signatures to put him on the ballot for congress when he first ran and have donated to his campaign. I also have a 1995 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve bottle of Mike Thompson wine, so I am kinda beholden to him. Mr. Clogg did not present himself as a viable candidate.

State Assembly Member First District

Wesley Chesbro 95%

No competition in the primaries. Sweet. Wes has been on the state Senate, so as Patty Berg playfully jokes, “he knows where the bathrooms are!”

Democratic Central Committee Fourth District

Pam Service 23%
Bob Service 23%
Charlene Cutler-Ploss 22%
Jake Pickering 16%
Richard Marks 16%

Four will win. Jake has the best set up on the ballot. He is the first listed and his listing as a Social Worker is bound to help in a Democratic primary. Pam and Bob are listed next. I am number four on the ballot with Charlene listed last. Pam, Bob, Charlene and I have been going door to door passing out information. This is the first time in years that the Fourth District Democratic Committee has had an election. The Third District had an election in 2006 with Milt Boyd, Barbara Carolan, Sheryl Esparza, Chris Beresford and Shannon Gillespie winning and Jake Pickering in sixth. Obviously he has moved to a new resident in the Fourth.

Non Partisan Offices

Superior Court Judge

Joyce Hinrichs 95%

Nice to have no challengers. Joyce is a great pick regardless.

1st Supervisor District

Jimmy Smith 60%
John Vevoda 39%
Tracey Wells 1%

Jimmy Smith is a good man who does his best in helping constituents. He does not play partisan politics and has supporters from both side of the political spectrum. And let me tell you, he won the sign wars by a mile in the Northern portion of the district. John Vevoda didn’t leave much in his interviews to leave you wanting more. Didn’t seem up on county issues. Tracey is running some sort of stealth write in campaign. Only seen one sign. Anyone know what is up with that?

2nd Supervisor District

Johanna Rodoni 45%
Estelle Fennell 30%
Clif Clendenen 25%

Yes, I am calling it like it is regardless of Roger’s name being on the ballot. This is going to a run off. Estelle still has a big job turning Fortuna votes her way. This could be Clif’s in November.

3rd Supervisor District

Mark Lovelace 50.5%
Bryan Plumley 35%
Paul Pitino 14.5%

This should end this election. Bryan seems nice enough, but his backing by many conservatives is kind of scary. His campaign has been kind of spotty, but they have been able to get his name out there pretty good. His web site lists Dan Collen and Mike Pigg as Trustees of the Arcata Unified School District. Huh? I thought they were Trustees with my wife on the Northern Humboldt Union High School District. That includes McKinleyville High and 5 other community schools. Sloppy. And of course I am concerned that Bryan wants to keep his day time job besides serving on the BOS. $79,000 part time job? Paul is a great guy with good ideas, but he does not stand a chance without actually electioneering. Mark has my support.

BOS plays duck and cover-up! Claims ignorance in raise.

I contacted Jessie Faulkner of the TS concerning claims by some of the BOS members and county staff that they had not voted themselves a raise and they were claiming the TS "blew" the story. - Times-Standard Online Jessie got right on it and here you go. John Woolley and Jimmy Smith did not realize they were part of a pay raise they voted for even though Mckinleyville resident David Elsebush sternly chastised them during the public comment session.

County Administrative Officer Loretta Nickolaus said the matter can be confusing.
”It's complicated,” Nickolaus said, “Nothing is easy in our process.” Huh? It is Loretta's job to inform the Supes of what they are voting on so there is no "confusion." But John and Jimmy have been there long enough to know. Geist, and Bonnie knew and they voted for that raise willingly. Johanna Rodoni knew full well what she was voting for. But instead of voting her concience, she said ”I was concerned, it was my second meeting and it put me in an awkward situation.”

So the question is, did Jimmy and John really understand the process but are now blowing with the polical winds, or were they just asleep at the helm.

50 month Guarantee my buttocks! Read the fine print!

I needed my truck the other day to move garbage, so I went to the garage to start my 1985 Ford Ranger. My battery was dead. Been over a month since I last started it. So I plugged in my handy dandy jumper box and jump started my rig. I then drove it around the peninsula to charge my battery. I parked it near our house and a few hours later I tried to move it. The battery was dead once more. So I figured the battery was not charging, hence, it was dead. But lo and behold, I had the guarantee in my glove box intact! I read the guarantee and it said the battery was good for 50 months and I checked the purchase date and seen I had bought the battery at Les Schwab 48 months ago! Sweet! I would get a new battery! I left the battery for a check in the morning and came back a little over an hour later. They confirmed it had bit the dust. Then I was informed that if I look at the warranty provisions, I would only get a replacement if the battery failed within 12 months. After that, the prorated percentage of time used would be discounted for a new purchase. So, since my battery lasted 48 months out of the 50 months they guaranteed, I would only get a 4% discount on a new battery. Damn. Should have read the fine print. So those 50 and 60 month printed guarantees on a battery should be well read!

Wolfe Construction wins again. This tournament was a rain fest.

Weaverville-Jacob Kadle and Dan Nored hit back to back home runs in the 6th inning leading Ray Wolfe Construction of Arcata to a 19-8 victory over TMSA of Redding in the Championship game of the Weaverville Memorial Weekend Softball Invitational. Richard McKinnon went 2-3 with a home run for TMSA. The Nugget Restaurant from Weaverville placed 3rd and Unagi of Yreka finished 4th.

Mike Dobrec of Wolfe was named the Most Valuable Player and teammate Jacob Kadle was chosen Most Valuable Pitcher. Other all tournaments picks were, Dan Nored and David Ferres from Wolfe, Mike Taylor, Hank Penland and George Robertson of team TMSA, Todd Canfield and Jeff Malloy from the Nugget Restaurant and Justin Gerding of Unagi.

The next Weaverville men’s softball tournament will be July 4th, 5th and 6th at Lowden Park. Contact Richard Marks at 707-445-3432 or check out SoftballTournaments.com.

A few months ago Weaverville/Douglas City Parks and Recreation director Kelly Jackson contacted me with some bad/good news. Lowden park in Weaverville would not be available for tournaments in 2008 due to field renovations. I considered other venues in Trinity County and had pretty much decided to let teams know there would not be any tournaments there this year.

I probably should have left it at that, but Kelly called me back and informed me that the Chamber of Commerce was up in arms and wanted the field in working order so they could retain the revenue the tournament generates for Trinity County merchants. (Motels, restaurants, stores etc.) So I went ahead and called teams back and on was the Memorial Weekend softball.

Now the obstacles started to mount.......I had one full day off of work between May 1st and May 24th. Almost all of my shifts were 12 hours or more, and lo and behold I was scheduled for the 24th and 25th also! I was able to force my way into those days off, but then the weather reports that I had been checking out and said clear weather all week all the sudden were showing chances of rain! I went to pick up softballs from Sport and Cycle and they were out! So they had to order more from Fortuna. The awards that I ordered from Sports World were ordered at last minute and Robin had to pick them up since I had to work all days. People from here gave me reports that renovation at Lowden Park in Weaverville had left the field almost unplayable. I told teams it is what it is, and I would not be there until Friday night to evaluate. When I arrived, they were right. It was in terrible shape. Kelly and her husband Jack said they would be there in the morning with the tractor to drag the infield. Robin and I put the snack bar stuff in the snack shack, and Kelly wanted to show me how to work the new Field light and electrical system. When she went to turn the lights off after she had turned them on, it went POOF! The main breaker bit the dust. All power at the ball field was knocked out. So no lights, no refrigerator, no power for food preparation, no score board. Not good. So we canceled the snack bar and the Home Run contest to make sure to not play in the lights. Then we went to our motel room and sure enough, it started raining. I had checked out ACCUWEATHER for an hourly update and it showed only a few hours of rain. Well, they were wrong. It poured. I went to the ball park early in the morning and the field was soaked and muddy. No way to drag it with a tractor, so I did it with help from Billy Sines and Sam Jasker by hand. Lots of Kitty Litter was used to soak puddles. I had to alter the field dimensions to safely play the third base area and fend off the teams wanting to relocate the tournament to the high school, whose fields were wet also. My stress level was tested, but I have held enough of these events to stick to my intuition.

In the end, all had fun playing a highly competitive tournament. I may have actually break even money wise. Some of the snack bar items will be used at the 4th of July Tournament. Oh well, the drama and challenge of directing the event sometimes is the reason I even do this to myself. I do know all that were there will be talking about this for years.

Eureka Democrats! Please vote for Bob and Pam Service and Charlene Cutler-Ploss for HCDCC!

Democrats in the 4th District (Greater Eureka, Myrtletown, Samoa, Finntown and Fairhaven) will have 5 Democrats to choose from for the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee. I am endorsing Bob and Pam Service and Charlene Cutler Ploss who are incumbents. I have personally witnessed their commitment to the committee and have no reservations attesting to their involvement. I am also running for a position but will admit the three I am endorsing have done more for the committee than I have. I have door knocked and passed out literature on the Peninsula and Myrtletown about each of our qualifications.

In an election like this many voters will be confused what the elected HCDCC positions are, ballot placement is very important. The official Humboldt County Ballot lists Jack Pickering first, Pam Service Second, Bob Service Third, Richard Marks Fourth and Charlene Cutler-Ploss Fifth.

I have nothing against Jake Pickering and admire his steadfastness of his opinions, but I am asking the voters of the Fourth to consider Bob and Pam Service and Charlene Cutler Ploss first and then choose between Jake Pickering and myself for the fourth spot. Kind of weird endorsement I admit. But it is unusual for there to be an election for this position on the ballot.

Softball in Weaverville this weekend!

TMSA from Redding will face The Nugget Restaurant at 9:30am Saturday to kick off this years tournament. Unagi of Yreka and Wolfe are up at 10:35am. Farfumpuken of Eureka squares off with Mt. Thunder of Fall River at 11:40am then SAC will face the winner of game one at 12:45pm. Home Run contest at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

Bush saves Polar Bears from Mike Thompson!

Polar bear put on endangered list. Thank God for a little common sense. I do not support the idea of killing just for sport or trophy bagging. Why Congressman Thompson voted to continue allowing American hunters to import the heads and hides of polar bears killed in Canada is beyond my comprehension. House votes to allow import of trophies from polar bear hunts And none of his supporters have given me a decent explanation. Many of his die hard fans do not even realize he voted for the continuation of the killing of polar bears while the process was in place to put the bears on the endangered list! Check out his polar bear hunting Campaign vote.

I do realize that Mike has done good things for our District and I agree with most of his stances such as his vote to withdraw from Iraq, his support of the Employee Free Choice Act, his calling for the impeachment of Cheney and his vote to ban waterboarding.

But I do take exception of his vote to increase pesticide poisoning of corn crops used for ethanol, and his vote for the Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act [H.R. 4351] which would lower taxes on the highest income Americans and his aggressive nature to argue angrily with protesters or anyone who do not see things "Mike's" way, instead of trading dialogue peacefully.

With that said, I read Mitch Clogg: How I differ from Mike Thompson article today in the TS. This guy is a writer? Wow. He said pretty much nothing. His web site Mitch Clogg for Congress was a mess. His blog was not much better. Clogg Blog

Doesn't leave much choice for us democrats this year.

Man down. Do you save him? Tough question.

We had a safety meeting recently to go over our current Lock Out Tag Out procedure and Confined Space procedures due to our upcoming shutdown. Pulp mill to shut for upgrades. Years back we had an operator become overwhelmed by I think chlorine gas fumes and he passed out in a tank. Another operator went in the tank without safety gear and pulled him to safety, saving his life, but he endangered himself. The hero was publicly reprimanded, and Louisiana Pacific subjected all the workers to a funky corny video of workers passing out in a tank and then fellow workers passing out one by one trying to save them. That is just a tough situation to be in. There is a risk analysis assessment that has to be faced within seconds. I just hope and pray all 500 plus workers will be safe this shutdown.

Job well done HDVS. Plumley part time Supervisor?

I had just worked 28 out of 36 hours and was facing another 12 hour shift when I headed to the Warfinger to help for set-up for the HDVS: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services "Rising from the Ashes" fundraiser. I saw all that food and drink and thought we had way too much. I helped dish up some food before I had to leave for work and the line was backed out the door! Hundreds of people showed up and I heard the music was great! This event was put together quickly by the resource committee and my hats off to all of them. Too bad I had to be a party pooper and go to work. Or maybe that is why everyone showed up, they knew I wouldn't be there!

I watched the 3rd District KEET debate last night. Paul Pitino did a good job and his ideology is touching, but I just don't think he has a chance without standard electioneering. Mark Lovelace did a great job of answering the questions looking straight into the camera and not checking his notes. (It is harder than you can imagine.) It was touching and telling to hear his largest campaign donor was his sister at $2,000. Grass roots campaigning. Bryan Plumley made some good points and almost came across as the liberal of the bunch, using "progressive" and "environmental" when needed. It was interesting to hear that he would stay employed as a financial advisor. The BOS job is not part time. When you are paid over $70,000 by your constituents in a county that has a median salary of around $25,000, you better be available full time! It also did surprise me when he said he was not sure who his largest campaign contributors were. Hmmm.

Weaverville Memorial Weekend Tournament May 24th and 25th.

You softballers out there be on alert! The Weaverville Memorial Weekend softball tournament is just around the corner, May 24th and 25th. If you are interested in putting a team in, call me or e-mail me. Even if you don't have a team but are interested in playing, give me a buzz.

This weekend is the start of the Blue Lake woodbat league. Games are played on Sundays if you want to stop on by to check it out.

Overtime season is upon us.

I am working on a stretch of 15 days where I will be working over 160 hours. Lots of overtime obviously. I really don't mind that much, but it does start to wear a person out. Monday and Tuesday I had basketball games in the Eureka City Park league and then today I had a union meeting to chair and then a Samoa Fire District Board meeting AFTER work. The reason for the glut of overtime is people trying to take the last of their vacations and days off before the start of our contractual new year in June. I will probably have nearly 100 hours of OT for the month of May, and that includes me taking a week off for vacation!

Chevron announces over 5 billion dollar profit.

Chevron's 1Q profit of $5.17B marks Big Oil's latest gusher. And they just explain away. Give me a break. I have just become a cynic. Exxon Mobil Profit Sets Record Again But they have great excuses how they just so happened on this money.

HCDCC Communication and Education Committee (CEC) tackles Klamath River and Living Wages Ordinance issues.

The HCDCC CEC waded through tons of information on the Klamath River problem and came to the conclusion that we needed more input. The Agreement to this point gives Siskiyou County a $23 million dollar allocation Klamath Settlement and Humboldt County $0 dollars and a threat if they litigate a dollar settlement of entitlements they do not have? Bureaucracy at it's worse. But wait! Siskiyou Supervisors vote against removal of the dams and three of the dams are in their county! KDRV 12 And they stood to gain 23 million? And the Humboldt County Sups voted unanamously for the settlement that gives nothing to Humboldt? YouTube - Klamath settlement protests People on the Northern Klamath are protectionists for their water rights to the extreme.

So in actuality, Humboldt County and the Yurok tribe are not even considered stake holders in the process that is killing the fishing industry on the Klamath? Tear the damn Dams down dammit! This is a complex multi layered issue. Stay tuned as I try to simplify this issue so I understand it. (Dummy it down to me.)

The CEC then passed The Eureka Fair Compensation Act on to the HCDCC executive board to evaluate whether to present this ordinance to the HCDCC membership at our next HCDCC general meeting. I enthusiastically endorsed the ordinance to move forward. I feel the committee will support this movement, but I feel there is a need to step up the petition signing process.