Should I expose or out Heraldo?

I have been sitting on this for awhile. I was just wondering what you all think. Should I identify this anonymous hater, or let the prog machine just keep preaching to hugely minority fringe left?

Eureka Softball Sign-ups April 13th. Need a sponsor?

The City of Eureka is holding a managers meeting for adult men's and women's softball teams April 13th at the Adorni Center. 6pm for the women and 6:30pm for the men. So if you want to play ball in Eureka, here is your chance! And if you are a Eureka based team in need of a sponsor, please call 445-3432 and I will help you with that. So what is stopping you?

(Thanks to all the Eureka City Council for their unanimous vote to re-instate the adult sports programs!)

Sign-ups for Mad River Softball Association Spring League!

The Mad River Softball Association is hosting a Sunday Spring Softball League in Arcata starting May 1st and running through June 19th. Teams will play a double header each Sunday for a total of 14 games and then the top 6 teams will go into a playoff on Saturday June 25th. Cost will be $575 determined by amount of participants. Teams must commit by April 25th. Players without a team can call and be put in pool for free agent teams. Players must be 16 years of age or older. For more information contact Richard Marks at 445-3432 or email Samoafog@aol.com.

Gas 54 cents less 100 miles south! Who is Gouging who! Investigative Reporters to action!

I have been vacationing and traveling by auto from Eureka to Phoenix this last week and on my way back I gassed up in Willits. I paid $3.63.9 per gallon. When I entered Eureka, I saw the first station coming into town sold gas for $4.17.9 per gallon, and per our gas price history, the prices varied only 2 cents all the way through town. Every town all over the west coast I have traveled, the prices vary at least 15cents. Why not Eureka?

Oh yes, I have seen the local media reports that let us know we have the highest prices in the contiguous states and yet I see no explanation why.
I am challenging all local Northern Humboldt press! Times Standard, North Coast Journal, Arcata Eye, McKinleyville Press and how about you two, John Matthews and Hank Simms of Lost Coast Communications!

Who is screwing the general public when it comes to the gas gouging we are subjected to in Humboldt County for years?

Let me give a few observations or questions that others can add or explain:

Is this problem to be dropped on the gas station/convenience stores? Is the price they charge based on gas profit margin or food products margin?

Is this really a supply and demand issue and we are so far removed from the rest of civilization that the suppliers can justify the prices?

Why won’t a supplier that can deliver gas that can be sold for $3.63.9 a gallon in Willits go ahead and drive that 4,000 gallons to Humboldt County for $2,160 more when it would only cost about $1,000 for delivery?

Just why is it so much cheaper to deliver gas to all points all over the United States? Why are we number #1?

I can pretty much guarantee you press people that the following local issues in Humboldt County take a back seat to any of the gas price concerns, so quit reporting on these until you give us gas gouging answers:

1. The Marina Center.
2. Jefferson Elementary School.
3. Ridgewood Development.
4. Humboldt County General Plan.
5. Medical Marijuana.

Now get going!

Former Humboldt County resident sightings!

Robin and I went to Goodyear yesterday and watched the Reds against the A's. The A's won. Coco Crisp looks good, and Brett Anderson looks ready to pitch opening day. Red's Reliever Chapman was dealing though. Robin and I were sitting behind scouts right behind home plate with radar guns and Chapman was throwing 100 mph!

Saw former Arcata high sport stars Bob Mcrea and Jeff Menefee. Bob is living in Sparks and Jeff in Redding. Bob loves the Reno area and says he does not miss the mold. Bob has played no softball for 7 years now. Still probably has hundreds of more Home Runs than most.

Robin and I are staying at the base of the Camelback Mountain a few blocks away from downtown Scottsdale.

Rain following Samoasoftball!

Robin and I started our yearly trip to Arizona and drove in the rain Friday, lousy weather to Palm Springs on Saturday, car overheated on way to Phoenix......blah blah. Yesterday was the topper. We were watching the Giants and Rockies in Scottsdale and....were rained out. Looks good today though.

More oil related questions. Were we better car makers 30 years ago? 20?

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is huge subject for carmakers of all sizes. New federal requirements set to take effect for the 2016 model year require a fleet average of 35.5 mpg. As the deadline nears, which American car company can do as well as they did 30 Years ago? Here is the best gas mileage vehicles made by US companies in 1981 and earlier that topped the 2016 mandate.

1. Chevy Luv pickup 53 MPG Highway 40 City
2. Dodge Omni 50 MPG Highway 30 City
3. Plymouth Horizon 50 MPG Highway 30 City
4. Ford Escort 44 MPG Highway 28 City
5. Dodge Colt 41 MPG Highway 31 City

And there were many imports that were in compliance with the 2016 Mandate.

Even 20 years ago we had an ample American supply of cars that fit the 2016 mandate.

1. Chevy Sprint 50 MPG Highway 45 City
2. Pontiac Firefly 50 MPG Highway 45 City
3. Ford Fesitva 42 MPG Highway 35 City
4. Ford Escort 41 MPG Highway 31 City
5. Pontiac Lemans 40 MPG Highway 31 City


So why all the whinning and crying by US car producers? They don't have the technology to improve on what they have already proven they can do? In 1982 there were 18 makes of cars that got 50 MPG on the Highway or better!

Call out for CO-ED Softball players! Eureka City Hall 6pm!

The Eureka City Council will be deciding tonight on whether to reinstate the adult softball program. City staff is recommending a 28% increase in fees to cover costs. There is no plan at this time to include CO-ED softball. So I am asking all players who are interested in Softball to show up tonight at Eureka City Hall 531 K st at 6pm and when the subject comes up for softball, say your comments!

Tsunami affects on Humboldt Bay.

Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District CEO David Hull said there was no significant damage to Humboldt Bay but neighboring harbors in Brookings, Crescent City and Noyo all reported extensive damage. Crescent City and Brookings are so severely damaged that we are now receiving approximately 38 vessels from those ports at Humboldt Bay.

David complemented the Humboldt District staff on doing a great job today of implementing our emergency operations procedures and working with the vessels from other ports. They worked from about 1am until the advisories were called off.

David reported an interesting experience today as the bay experienced water level fluctuations of as much as 5’ over a 10 minute period and a complete “tide” cycle in as little as 20 minutes. This cycle was repeated approximately 10 times between 8AM and 5PM. Interesting information.

(The photos are before and after of Banda Aceh Shore, Indonesia.)

Railbanking or Trains. Not both. 9,420 sign up to support Eel River trail.

The North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA) met at the Humboldt County Supervisors Chambers today. Let me quickly summarize what went on.

When public comments started on subject not on the agenda, Environmental Protection Information Center Executive Director Scott Greacen let the NCRA Board know that he was not happy with the lack of transparency that he felt was lacking from staff. He outlined his grievances. Others thanked the board for showing up to Humboldt.

Discussion on whether to allow the Timber Heritage Association (THA) to have it's speeder on usable NCRA track for Samoa to Manila runs and Eureka runs for the Jazz festival and Blue's by the Bay became convoluted over liability issues and questions over the THA's motive for running the speeder. After much discussion, the board voted to allow the continued running of the speeder.

When discussion turned to Rail banking, Eel River Trails Association leader Chris Weston announced that he has signatures of 9,420 people who support the project of Railbanking and using the Eel River canyon as a trail! 6,000 of those signatures are from Humboldt County. He gave out his phone number and went around lobbying critics around the room after his three minutes. Many spoke in favor of the trail and trains in the future. Some landowner discussed the problems of people having access to their properties and the trash, environment and safety concerns.

Some confusion happened after Arcata City Councilperson Alex Stillman brought forward a letter (As did Arcata Councilperson Shane Brinton) to the NCRA about their Arcata to Bracut Rails & Trails project. It seems neither the NCRA Board or Legal Staff could agree on the definition of a proper Railbank. It seems the board felt it was an either or and never a combination of the two. That would once more cause a split in the community and have people having to take sides. Both Stillman and Brinton said they were pro-rail and wanted railroad rights protected for the future, but were open for railnaking discussion.

Sounds like the NCRA Board and Staff need to go back to the drawing board on this issue.

Gas goes over $4 a gallon in Eureka. Because of Egypt and Libya? MY BUTTOCKS!

Help me understand this. Our largest supplier of oil is Canada, by a long shot. Between Canada, Mexico and Venezuela we receive over 40% of all our imported oil. We buy very little oil from Egypt (Ranked 31st of Suppliers to US) and Libya (Ranked 20th of Suppliers to US). Less than 1% of our total! So if we took both off the list all together, shouldn't we just have a 1% increase in gas prices instead of 10%? Are they just used as an excuse for these inflated gas prices? Even as screwed up as Iraq is, they supply 5% of our oil supply. Someone please explain coherently.

Humboldt State Basketball Coach Steve Kinder on the way out?

Really. What can Steve do for an encore? His team is ranked 3rd in the country with a 24-2 record. (Actually ranked Number 1 in one computer ranking poll.) They will probably win a few more and be considered one of the top HSU teams of all time!

I really feel that Steve should see if there is a chance for him to be considered for a Division 1 offer. This is not to dis on HSU. It is just that Kinder should maximize his potential and he is topped out here. I watched this team early in the season and just am blown away at how good they have become as the season has progressed. And the players that have been recruited in the past by Steve such as Mark White, Fred Hooks, Austin Nichols, Cy Vandermeer, Jeremiah Ward, Grayson Moyer, Devin Peal, Kevin Johnson and Zac Tiedeman speaks in volumes of his eye for top rated talent.

I have also played Adult Basketball against Kinder and he knows how to exploit a players weakness on the court. Oh, and this is not some ploy for me to get him to move away. I really like the guy and appreciate his willingness to show up to local High School games, even though there really isn't any local players that could compete on the HSU level.

Now CR on the other hand......they need to recruit Humboldt's best so we have something to watch out there.

American workers want unions! Even the Starbuck people.

Americans strongly oppose laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employee unions, according to a new Gallup Poll. The poll found 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to such a proposal in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law.

So why are the Republican governors in Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa and other states considering similar laws? Got me. This will come back to haunt them.

And while we are on the subject of people wanting to organize, many Starbuck employees have been in the process of organizing through the Industrial Workers of the World. (IWW the Wobblies)

Eureka adult softball needs your help!

I have been approached by many in the community about the plight of adult softball in Eureka. With the passing of Measure O, there is a fleeting chance at having adult softball again in Eureka. It just has to be self sufficient. But you can't just sit on the sidelines and belly ache! (Or dugouts if you will) Call your elected City Council People and let them know you would like to see Eureka City Adult Softball leagues brought back.
Ward 1 Councilperson Marian Brady @ 441-4169.
Ward 2 Councilperson Linda Atkins @ 441-4168.
Ward 3 Councilperson Mike Newman @ 441-4170.
Ward 4 Councilperson Melinda Ciarabellini @ 441-4167.
Ward 5 Councilperson Lance Madsen @ 441-4171.
Mayor Frank Jager @ 441-4200.

Just leave a message if they are not there!

If you have the itch to start playing in the near future, the Mad River Softball Association is hosting a "Spring" league of either mens or co-ed league starting in April. League games are on Sundays, and teams play double headers at the Arcata Sports Complex. The nicest natural playing fields in all of Northern California. Our regular season starts on June 13th.

Fall River the McKinleyville of Shasta county?

Shasta County Planning Commissioners want to rezone areas of Burney, Cottonwood and Fall River Mills to create more high-density housing for very low-income families.

Residents in Fall River are up in arms over having low-income families and the perceived rise in crime. And the possibility of devaluing property values is a big concern. Residents were also concerned about little notification of the process.

There is a need for 970 low-income units to keep with updating Shasta Counties General plan. The county is about 800 units short.

Kinda sound familiar?

Ecohostel in Cookhouse? Samoa Peninsula Fire District to Morph into Community Service District?

It looks like this will happen within the next year or so. The town of Samoa will become a Community Service District through reorganization of the Samoa Peninsula Fire District. The attic of the Samoa Cookhouse is being remodeled through "green" processes and will become an "Ecohostel." The old fire department gathering hall by the Cookhouse will also become a "Ecohostel" with a "green" themed RV Park. I will update as I learn more.

Shasta County #2 in State Prison Population per 1,000. Humboldt #27.

I really don't know what to make of the numbers. Either the Shasta County DA's office is doing a better job at putting people away, or they are over prosecuting offenders. But neighboring counties Tehama and Butte are also in the top ten in the state. Hmmm. And why is it that Humboldt County has more Violent offenses per 100,000 than Shasta? (413 to 293) And Humboldt has more Drug offenses per 100,000? (579 to 308) And yet we have less people behind bars? Could someone explain what this all means?

David Elsebusch predicts Mark Lovelace, Jimmy Smith and Clif Clendenen voted out 2012.

This happened at yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting during public comments concerning the appointment of a reluctant Bruce Emad for an at large position on the Humboldt County Planning Commission. The 3 voted to ignore 19 applicants for the position. This will make for some political fall out, but I am not so sure there will be a tidal wave of animosity. David and his wife Penny won't have a big say in this. They both live in 5th District Supervisor Sundberg's district.

Union Membership takes a thumping.

If the US economy wasn't bad enough already, union membership is down to 11.9%. According to the Department of Labor there was a net loss of 612,000 union members last year. In the early 1980's, union membership was over 20%! And the future is not looking much brighter. Only 4.3% of the workers between the age of 16 and 24 years of age are union! And a real glaring reality is this; 36.2% of all union members are in the public sector. Only 6.9% of the private sector is union! Most of this is because of the uneven playing field for corporations to ignore the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the constraints in organizing through the ineffectiveness of the National Labor Relations Board upholding the bylaws and spirit of the NLRA. (I have stories galore on this while I was organizing.)

And it is not like people not wanting to be union. Over 50% of the current US workforce would like to be union. And why not. The average union worker makes $917 a week as compared to $717 a week for non-union workers.

But lets bring this closer to home. In the 1990's there were around 500 private sector union jobs on the Samoa Peninsula alone! Now there is less than 10. I know I have spewed much of this in the past. Just like to bring this up every now and then.

Humboldt County Basketball musings.

Robin and I went to McKinleyville High School to watch the Panthers face off against the Arcata Tigers. We have watched enough Arcata games this year to have expected a huge Arcata win. (The last player I coached in 8th grade basketball still playing High School is junior Matt Gulley for the Tigers. He was fun to coach and he loved my "never seen a shot I didn't like" philosophy. MHS out hustled and played tough defense to take down a team with way superior height. Tom Witzel was the only Tiger in double figures with 24 points. (Matt had 6) I have to hand it to McKinleyville. They went right at Arcata's front line that is 6'10", 6'6" and 6'6" across in the front court. The Tigers are still looking for that on the court leader that will take control. But they still will win the league.

(Dan Squire and Christian Hill do a great job on 106.3 KJNY if you just want to listen. Their post game is great!)

Fortuna High is playing Nate Ambrosini, a Freshman, at point guard. He scored 19 points the other day. Has any other Humboldt County High School Freshman ever scored that many on a Varsity squad? They have another Freshman playing. They will be tough in 2 years.

Robin and I went to a CR men's game recently and I remarked that there were less local players than I have ever remembered. (There is one.) She said to me, "if there were ever less, there would be none!" Maybe that explains the small crowd.

Robin and I went an HSU men's game early this year and I was just not that impressed. I felt they would be a .500 team compared to last years squad. I have been pleasantly wrong. I also witnessed Coach Steve Kinder and all of his staff at a recent High School game. I realize there is not much chance for any of these players to be able to play for the Jacks, but it is classy that they are there.

Kentucky Fried Chicken leaving Eureka?

I have heard from one of my grubbing buddies that the 2 Eureka KFC's are shutting down. SAY IT AIN'T SO! They had a good buffet on Broadway, but usually went to the one on the Burre Center.

Humboldt County Democrats morphing into "Progressive" Club? New Eureka Progressive Democratic Club.

A New Eureka Democratic Club called the “Eureka Progressive Democratic Club” will be meeting Thursday, January 27th at 7pm at the Humboldt County Democratic Headquarters, 129 5th St. in Eureka.

I find it kind of strange that there is a need for a “progressive” branch locally. Why? Let me outline a few reasons. First, let us compare the “Progressive Democrats of America (PDA)” platform with the “Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC).”

1. The PDA would like to stop War Occupations. The HCDCC platform on this issue is:

I. Democracy and ParticipationWe believe that...B. The United States must work cooperatively with all other nations of the world, treat all people with human dignity, and use force only as an absolute last resort.

So they are in agreement.

2. The PDA believes in Healthcare for All with Economic and Social Justice. The HCDCC platform on these issues are:

II. Social Justice

Everyone in our democracy is entitled to equal protection under the law regardless of race, gender, ethnic identification, age, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, and/or socioeconomic status.

A. Everyone has a right to live in a community, state and country that enables all to exercise their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
B. Everyone has a right to access to affordable health care.
C. Every woman is entitled to the right to make her own reproductive health care decisions.
D. Every person has the right to make her or his own health care decisions.
E. Everyone has an inherent constitutional right to protection from invasion of privacy, by government or corporations.

Again, in alignment with each other.

3. The PDA is concerned about global warming and the environment. The HCDCC platform on this issue is:

III. Environmental Protection

We believe that it is the duty of our democracy to...
• Protect and sustainably use the natural resources of our community, state, country, and world.
• Guarantee safe and healthy food, water and air.
• Enact legislation and policies that promote sustainable forms of energy and the conservation of fossil fuels.
• Protect, preserve and restore the Nation’s ecosystems.
• Prevent resource exploitation that violates public trust.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Once again the PDA and HCDCC are joined.

As far as economics, I am sure the PDA would be good with the HCDCC on the economy.

IV. Economics

We believe that it is the duty of our democracy to ensure that...

• Jobs provide a living wage.
• Legislation and policies encourage the creation of jobs that contribute to a sustainable economy and environment.
• All local, state, and federal governments and agencies of government are fiscally responsible.
• Legislation and policies promote the availability of affordable, safe housing for all.
• The deficit of the federal government is not passed on to the next generation.
• The deficit of the federal government is decreased without shrinking programs that benefit the poor, young, old or disabled.
• Fair taxation for all where all members of society pay their fair share toward the common good.
• Workers’ pensions and social security are protected and strengthened.
• All levels of government work diligently to see that no child, senior citizen or disabled person lives in poverty.

So why the need of a “progressive” chapter of the HCDCC? It is all is about the elephant in the room. The Marina Center. There. I said it. If you are for any kind of development on the Balloon tract/track you are considered an outcast to the far left liberals on the HCDCC. And now those who disagree with their “fellow democrats” want to isolate themselves further with creation of this separate Political Action Committee branch of the HCDCC. Even though both types of Democrats agree with all of the HCDCC platforms! Just sad we have to be so divided as a community of Democrats. Next meeting of the HCDCC is this Wednesday at 7pm across from Denny’s in Eureka. All Democrats are welcome. Even you with the Marina Center sweaters. We are the party of tolerance, are we not?

Melinda Ciarabellini new Ward 4 Eureka City Councilperson. First time Eureka has 3 Democrat Women on Council?

Rex Bohn gave a very classy/gracious speech about the nomination process and the choice of Melinda to the Eureka City Council. Then Linda Atkins moved for approval and a 4-0 vote sealed the deal. I know there has been 3 women on the Eureka City Council in the past, but 3 registered Democrats? Gutsy choice by Mayor Jager.

Marks unwritten rules of life.

I am sure you have heard the unwritten rule of life not drinking alcohol before noon, but what other rules of life do we have? Here is my top ten. I am sure some will not even make sense to some of you:

10. Yes. You will always pick the slowest lines at Costco, the slowest moving traffic lanes and the wrong time to do banking.

9. Never eat chicken before 11am. Unless you are having eggs.

8. Never sell a car to family or friends. Period.

7. You are not where you live, what you drive, or what you wear. (But others will judge you by these.)

6. Never give your adversaries the tools of your own demise.

5. A line of credit does not equal savings.

4. Chances are, those unruly kids coming through the restaurant doors are going to be seated next to you. Every time!

3. We all dine at the table of the consequences of our decisions. Choose from the menu wisely.

2. Before you criticize, analyze. Then have at it.

1. If you wait for someone else to take action, expect disappointment.

And yours?

Major Marks was part of the Humboldt Solution!

My dad decided to relocate us to Humboldt County after his retirement from the service. There is a story behind this that is really crazy and I am going to fill you all in with bits and pieces. Unless my family throws a fit.

What happened to Bus Shelter?

I noticed that the shelter for the bus stop at 4th and Q St. is gone. (Across the street from Big Louie's pizza) Was it ran into by a car? Or just removed for another reason?

Hoopa Valley hands Sundberg Supervisor seat.

Take away the votes from the Hoopa valley precincts, Pat Cleary wins the 5th District Supervisor seat by nearly 200 votes! Ryan went from 351 primary election votes in the Valley to 798 in the General! So the Native American vote came up big for a fellow Native American. Next 4 years should be interesting in the 5th.

Richard and Robin do "Date Night." Where is the best Prime Rib? My top picks.

I asked Robin yesterday if our relationship was in need of a "Date Night" we have heard and witnessed couples doing. She said sure, so I said I wasn't sure yet who I was going to take out on my date. She had a good laugh. We went to Bear River for their Prime Rib night. $15.95! My top Prime Rib picks:

5. Sizzler. The salad bar is good at least.

4. Blue Lake Casino. What is with this change they have going. I don't like it!

3. Adels. Always consistent at least.

2. Bear River Casino. Lots of fixings, but the smoke in the Casino can gag you.

1. Sea Grill. I know their specialty is fish, but right now they are the tops in Humboldt County that I have tried.

Anyone knows of better places out there in the County? We could use another good steak house with Prime Rib at the top of the menu!

"I will have you impeached Mr. Lovelace! No Offense." Qoute by Louie DeMartin. Jill Duffy, "I am tired of these games!" Nomination for CCC 2010.

Quite the verbiage flying around this morning at the Humboldt County Courthouse Board of Supervisors chamber. It seemed innocent enough on the agenda, "Consider Nominations for the California Coastal Commission North Coast Regional Representative." Only one person had turned in some sort of paperwork to be considered (Mark Lovelace) and there seemed to be a disconnect in distributing information to the correct public entities that was sent from the outgoing Governors office to the County Board of Supervisor clerk. Distribution to solicit other candidates seemed to be missing.

When outgoing 4th District County Supervisor Bonnie Neely made a motion to nominate Lovelace, (Jimmie Smith seconded) outgoing 5th District Supervisor Jill Duffy showed displeasure with the process and said she was tired of the "GAMES" that were being played with the nomination process. She asked Neely to amend here motion to allow other prospective candidates to come forward. Jill also chided Chair Clif Clendenan for not forwarding this information to the two newly elected Supervisors. Neely initially stood pat on her motion and waited for public comment. That is when it became apparent that the public felt the process was being railroaded and undermined by politics. Not one person from the public came forward to speak in favor of Lovelace's nomination. All spoke about the lack of due process in choosing and asked for reconsideration. A reaccuring theme was Lovelace's ties to Humboldt Baykeepers. Mr. Louie DeMartin publically viscerated Mr. Lovelace with a public tirade on how he is the problem with the lack of growth in the county and said it will be a personal crusade of his to get him out of office.

Eureka Mayor and 4th District Supervisor elect Virginia Bass came forward to the podium to express her desire to be considered for the position. Seems to make sense, as she would replace the person she will be replacing in office.

Bonnie Neely relented to Jill's request to nominate Lovelace but to consider others in a future meeting. The motion passed unaimously.

Happy Turkey day, Turkey's!

Perry Price used to yell at his ball players in all the sports he coached, yelling "Turkey's!" Here is one for you all, "Turkey's!"Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Ranked voting rank?

SF Gate:

A political candidate who forms coalitions, touts other candidates vying for the same office and brags about being somebody's third choice?

Yes, it could happen - and it's an increasingly likely campaign strategy under the Bay Area's relatively new and somewhat perplexing system of ranked-choice voting, supporters and opponents agree.

The mayor's races in Oakland and San Leandro and two supervisors' races in San Francisco all saw the candidate with the most first-choice votes ultimately lose - demonstrating the traditional campaign style doesn't always work anymore.

"The old style was it's you against me, mano a mano," said Steven Hill, the architect of the local ranked-choice voting system.

"You can now try to build coalitions around these ranked ballots by finding common ground with other opponents."

Under ranked-choice voting - started in San Francisco in 2004 and used in Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro for the first time this year - voters pick their first, second and third choices.

If nobody wins more than half the vote, last-place candidates are eliminated and their second and third place votes are redistributed until someone wins a majority.

Former state Sen. Don Perata beat Oakland City Councilwoman Jean Quan in first-choice votes for Oakland's mayoral race 35 to 24 percent, but wound up losing by a two-point margin when second- and third-place votes were counted.

In San Leandro, Mayor Tony Santos won the most first-place votes in his bid for re-election, but lost his seat to challenger Stephen Cassidy.

San Francisco's case

Similar scenarios played out in the race for two seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Janet Reilly won the first place count in District Two, but new ranked-choice voting tallies released by the Department of Elections on Monday showed Mark Farrell winning the seat.

In District 10, an eye-popping 21 candidates ran for the seat, with Lynette Sweet getting the most first-place votes. However, Malia Cohen, initially far behind, won the seat because she was the second or third choice of voters for many of her fellow candidates.

Hill said these kinds of partnerships between candidates, as well as promoting a fellow candidate or political group's second or third pick, will all become more common.

David Latterman, a political consultant who opposes ranked-choice voting, agreed but said that doesn't mean elections will be all sunshine and rainbows. He said Perata lost in Oakland largely on the "Anybody but Don" mantra of Quan and fellow candidate Rebecca Kaplan.

"They bludgeoned Perata. It was a friend-of-my-enemy thing," Latterman said. "I think you're going to see more second-tier candidates try to team up."

A diluted message

David Lee, a political science lecturer at San Francisco State University, said candidates will try to become the second or third choice of so many challengers, their platform may become diluted.

He gave the example of the San Francisco mayor's race in November, 2011 - the first time ranked-choice voting will be used in a competitive mayors' race in the city.

A straight, white, moderate candidate could try to woo Chinese voters by becoming state Sen. Leland Yee's second choice, woo gay voters by becoming Supervisor Bevan Dufty's second choice, and woo lefties by becoming the second or third choice of a number of progressives expected to enter the race.

"How do you appeal to all those voters in order to earn their second or third choices?" Lee asked. "Who are you at the end of the day?"

Mayor Gavin Newsom said ranked-choice voting "could dramatically change the face of the mayor's race."

And he said that's not necessarily a good thing because voters - including himself - remain confused by the system. He said that as a District Eight voter, he voted for the same candidate for supervisor three times. "Then they said you can't do that," he said of a poll worker.

Corey Cook, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco, said this election season's outcomes will shape ranked-choice voting in the future - perhaps by angering enough people so they try to dismantle it.

"We don't know yet whether it will change the strategy for campaigns or whether this is ultimately going to be the unwinding of the movement," he said. "Both outcomes are possible."

Heather Knight at hknight@sfchronicle.com.

RIP Mark Weatherbee

Weatherbee born October 30, 1955. Mark passed away unexpectedly due to natural causes in His Favorite Place on earth, Ruth Lake, Ca. Mark graduated From Arcata High School in 1974.

He worked at Louisiana Pacific, and later Mickeys Quality Cars, as automobiles were a great hobbie of his. Although he feared the water, Mark loved fishing, Boating and jet Skiing at Ruth Lake and also loved to hunt and anything else outdoors. He enjoyed staying busy and loved watching movies on his big screen tv. Mark found great joy and fulfillment in teaching his grandkids how to work on cars, hunt, fish, shoot guns and how to drive. Mark was a caring father and grandfather and was always there for them no matter what.

Mark was the kind of man who would and did give u his last 5 dollars and the shirt off of his back and enjoyed seeing others do their best. Mark was a grumpy and stubborn, yet hardworking and compassionate, fun person... This summer was spent with his kids, grandkids and all the other kids who call him Gramps in Ruth Lake and Redding Ca doing what he loved the most... Mark is survived by his mother Dolores Weatherbee of Samoa, Ca. His three daughters, Tiffany Weatherbee, of Redding, Ca. Nicole Weatherbee, Stewart of Redding, Ca., Sarah McCartney of Redding, Ca, his 7 Grandkids, Tyler, Brittany, Mikhayla, Devin, Ariana, Khayden, Tonie. His three brothers Eddie Weatherbee of Samoa, Ca, Bobby Weatherbee of Blue Lake, Ca., Doug Weatherbee of Eureka, Ca. His Sister Peggy Weatherbee of Samoa, Ca Nieces and Nephews Alyssa, Cody, Derek, Amber, Hayli, Sarah, Hannah and Very Dear Friends. Bill Nichols, Rick VanTassel, Tim Monson, Tom Monson, Gary Miller, Mark will be missed by everyone who knew him...

A celebration of life will be held on November 21, 2010 at The Moose Lodge 4328 Campton rd. Eureka, Ca. Starting at noon. For any other information please call Tiffany Weatherbee at 530-524-3450 Please sign the guest book at www.Times-Standard.com, click obits.

Mark was the kind of guy who would tell it like it is, whether you wanted to know or not. He didn't hold back punches. He loved his family. He lived life on his terms, not on the expectations of others. Way to young to go.

HSU Doubleheader.

HSU was a sports Meca yesterday and Robin and I went to watch Lyndon Rowells and the HSU football Seniors in their season finale. And Lyndon did not disappoint. He broke school records in yards in a season and Touchdowns in a game. And he probably only really played a little over 2 quarters! And gained over 200 yeard in the game.

Then we went to watch the men's basketball team play Bethany University. We had the best tickets I have ever purchased for a HSU game. 1st row right behind the scorers table! Got em for $10 a pop at a political auction. New coach Steve Kinder played his whole bench while Bethany only played a 7 player rotation. One of those was a Freshman player who went to High School at Impact Basketball Academy named Brett Hoisington. Robin and I were talking to each other about this when Bethany brought him in early in the 1st half. And this young kid put up 24 points and played sound fundamental ball. Anyways, HSU has a player named Brandon Sperling that may be their best player, but Kinder has all sorts of options in a deep lineup. Finding the right combination may be his uphill battle. But I think they will be a better than average team. I predict about a 18-10 record and then big things next year.

Sheri Woo in on Water Board!

Sheri Woo was appointed to out going Tera Pruscha's 2nd Division Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board seat this morning. Ben Sheppard was the other nominee. Barbara Hecathorn was the only dissenting vote. The 2nd Division district is McKinleyville and Westhaven area.

I went to the meeting to see how the process of appointment would work out and was shocked to see a compromise. Originally the board had been split over each candidate. When the vote was called to question by Aldron Laird, Bruce Rupp said he would like to comment. He outlined how the board had been working together for the good of the community. He pointed out President Kaitlin Sopoci Belknap's actions on the board as one of compromise, when he had first judged her to be a Green Party "bomb throwing" environmentalist. Bruce explained that while he agreed with Ben's basic Capitalistic business entrepreneurship and risk taking model, he would make a decision based on the good of the water district as a whole. He apologized to Ben but voted in favor of Woo. Barbara spoke on her favor of Ben. It was pointed out that Ben had publicly ran for this position so he had a track record of wanting the position.

Ben was very gracious with the decision and complimented the board for their work together. He did point out that the process was not a pleasant experience but he respected their decision.

My opinion: This is a very strong board with very diverse opinions but seem to be good at problem solving and working through their political differences. Good for them.

Bass is new Humboldt County Supervisor 4th District!

By a landslide. Nuff said.

Top Ten Political signs 2010!

1. Dave Meserve-All over Arcata you can see these individually painted signs. By far the best signs in Humboldt County.

2. Marian Brady-You might not like the Brady Bunch theme, but you have to admit that those round signs are flashy and well done. Stands to reason. Marian is a graphic arts designer.

3. Alex Stillman-Kind of quirky but it works. The old style theme, or whatever it is, just is kinda mellow.

4. Mike Newman-These signs stick out like a sore thumb! You can't miss them and the little man in the middle is different.

5. Allison Jackson-Very artsy. Nice contrast. Serves Jackson well.

6. Paul Gallegos-Repeat signs that have worked in past. I guess they are thinking, "If it ain't broke, don't mess with it."

7. Xandra Manns-Home made, grass roots, serves Green Party candidate well.

8. Larry Glass-Shouts out like a conservative, but this candidate is way left.

9. Frank Jager-Recycling signs Ala Gallegos, and these colors really force you to look.

10. Ryan Sundberg-I like them and hate them. I don't know why. They are different.

Just missed the list: Bonnie Neely signs. Soft color, and when you can just put your first name on a sign, you have big time name recognition.

Where is Bass on my list you might ask? I wanted the hook in the water but was out numbered, so we went with the red white and blue thing. They are nice, but where's the Hooked on Bass theme?

Pulp Mill Lumberjack story

Low Tide For Samoa Pulp Mill

By Scottie Lee Meyers

The tide in Humboldt Bay ebbs and flows. Last Monday, when the tide went out, the Samoa pulp mill was open for business. By the time the tide returned, the pulp mill closed for good.

More than 200 of the highest paying jobs in the county are permanently gone. News of the closure heightened concerns over the economic stability of the port and the surrounding community.

The pulp mill began operations in 1964. Since then, six different groups have owned the mill – an indication of how difficult it is to conduct a profitable pulp mill enterprise here on the North Coast.

In a pulp mill, workers manicure wood chips – a waste product of the timber industry – through a long process into pulp, which has the consistency of hot oatmeal. Workers spread the pulp onto 100-foot screens, which then travels on a conveyor belt where it is vacuumed, pressed, chemically treated, and dried into paper. Then they collect the paper into 550-pound, ready-to-ship bales.
Evergreen Pulp Inc., a subsidiary of a Chinese paper manufacturing firm, closed the mill in October 2008, but workers and community members clung to the hope that it would reopen. The mill has been out of commission since. The announcement last Tuesday that the pulp mill will close permanently meant workers let go of all hope, forever.

It was during Evergreen's ownership that some community members began to loathe the pulp mill. Evergreen Pulp racked up over 200 violations. Carol Binder spearheaded the "People Against the Samoa Pulp Mill" blog, a coalition of residents from West Eureka.

Richard Marks, the 4th District Harbor Commissioner, worked at the pulp mill since 1980. Marks understands Binder's point of view. As an employee, Evergreen's environmental stewardship disappointed him. "Our community was basically environmentally raped by Evergreen pulp."

On his blog, Marks says, "In January of 2009, Evergreen owed $463,000 in fines for non-compliance of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels for 2005 to 2007. [In] 2008, Evergreen went over permitted limits 252 times."

Problems with environmental stewardship go back before Evergreen. During previous owner Stockton Pacific's ownership, agents raided the mill because of BOD violations. The Water Board filed a suit for $700,000.
When the pulp mill was in operation, the plume from the stack invariably blew to western Eureka. Back in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s when sulfur dioxide was prevalent in the plume, the whole area smelled of rotten eggs.

After four years of ownership, Evergreen shut down the plant and "skipped" town, says Marks. A legal battle still looms between the workers and Evergreen. Marks says that Evergreen violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act and left hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee medical bills unpaid.

Freshwater Tissue Co. bought the mill for $2.8 million in February 2009 with plans to reopen the mill and rehire the previous workforce – mainly those affiliated with the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) union. Union workers had newfound hope that they would return to work, and 80 percent of them committed to returning.

Freshwater's president, Bob Simpson, initially sought $400 million to convert the pulp mill into an eco-friendly tissue plant.

With no offers, Simpson scaled down the business plan. Freshwater's revised plan was to make eco-friendly pulp and sought $30 million in financing. Freshwater got a 10-year contract for all its production. Still, no one was willing to loan the funds.

"I am disappointed in our failure to restart the pulp mill," says Simpson in a press release. "We exhausted all possible means of funding the project. Unfortunately, [Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation] regulations made it impossible for banks to finance startup projects like ours."

Economic uncertainty surrounds the Humboldt Bay area now that the pulp mill is closed.

David Hull, chief executive officer of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, looks at the harbor as the economic engine to the area. "The pulp mill closing was a big hit for the whole region," says Hull.
Hull estimates the pulp mill brought 24 ships – 700-feet long and 40,000 to 50,000 tons in weight – every year into the bay. Humboldt Bay Harbor collects between $12,000 and $17,000 per pulp mill ship.

Other entities not affiliated with Humboldt Bay Harbor make money on ships too. Tug operators receive money to pilot ships into the bay and to the dock. Longshoremen receive money to tie the ships to the docks and to load and unload cargo. Dock owners receive money to let the ships anchor.

"It could be between $50,000 and $60,000 per ship to the local economy," says Hull. "It really is significant money."

With that much money to gain in ship traffic, the Humboldt Bay Harbor -- a governmental entity --worked with pulp mill owner Bob Simpson and lobbyists in Washington D.C. to revitalize the dormant mill.

The Samoa pulp mill contributed 15 percent of the district's water revenue. Steve Fleisher, former CEO of the mill under Stockon Pacific Enterprises, says, "When they closed and stopped buying water, their portion of the bill basically had to be picked up by the remaining customers. The customers are the cities and services districts who ultimately pass on the costs to their customers. So, our water bills have all gone up."

John Palmquist, district business manager for the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, says with the pulp mill now shut down, our water rights are in jeopardy in California's use-it-or-lose-it water policy

Humboldt County Economic Development Coordinator Jaqueline Debets says the economic mentality of Humboldt Bay needs to shift. "It's not so much a port. It's a bay, and it's transitioning because we're changing how we import and export."

Debets feels the lack of transportation arteries in the Humboldt region makes Humboldt Bay unappealing for ships to import. "Once you do get to the land, you're still not close to the market."
Debets predicts Humboldt Bay will do more aquaculture – the farming of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Kurt Hippen was one of 200 employees laid off when Evergreen Pulp shut down two years ago. Hippen put in almost 30 years at the mill, mostly as a carpenter. Now, he has no health insurance. Hippen drove to a health fair last weekend where he could get his blood tested for free.

Hippen enrolled in several classes since being laid off in an effort to gain new job skills and find employment. He is in a water operations course at College of the Redwoods with 20 of his former pulp mill coworkers. Many more wait in line to take the course. Humboldt County's Health and Human Services Employment Training Division offers the classes free to former pulp mill workers.
Since the mill shut down, Hippen became certified as an energy auditor. He also earned solar power, historical building restoration, and electrical wiring credentials. Still, Hippen ca not find permanent employment. "It angered me," says Hippen after receiving an email from the vice president of his union telling him the pulp mill is permanently shut down. "What angers me the most is the fact that 215 people aren't going to have good jobs."

The history of the Samoa Pulp Mill is a microcosm of the decline of California's manufacturing industry. Gino DiCaro, spokesman for California Manufacturers and Technology Association, says that in the past decade, California lost 34 percent of its state industrial base. Businesses move offshore where wage rates, energy costs, taxes, and governmental regulations are more suitable for profit. "California is a very costly place to do business," says DiCaro.

The pulp mill starts to look like an old Chevy that's seen better days. Simpson wishes to recoup his investment by selling parts from the plant. Freshwater has an offer for its power and recovery boiler. Hippen expects Freshwater to sell the turbine, pumps, and tools. Freshwater's plans for the 156-acre site are unknown.

Marks reminisces about the way things used to be in Samoa. His adult sons moved to Sacramento and San Francisco for work. "I wish there was something here for them."

What the freak was that! (A Fisher actually)

Robin and I were driving down Lord Ellis the other day and I had to slow down to avoid running over a strange animal. This animal was nearly 6' long from tail to snout and nearly took a whole lane and looked like either a mink or a ferret. We both discussed what this could be and neither had seen this animal in the wild. I brought this up to a person well versed in animals in the North Coast wild and he congratulated me on witnessing a "Fisher". A very rare sighting he said in Humboldt County. It seems just a few years back that I had seen very few possum and now they are all over the place. Any others out there seen these "Fishers?"

D Day for Bay area teams!

The Niners have to win today to avoid an 0-4 start. Not good. Coach Mike Singletary is having a melt down of extreme sorts, and none of the offensive coordinators seem to know how to get the ball to Vernon Davis! The defense has been on the field too much. Sigh. Another long winter.

The Giants have picked a bad time to lose games. If they do not win today against the Padres, they face either having to play San Diego at Petco, or go to Atlanta to play the Braves. Let us hope it doesn't come to that!

Freshwater done.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 28, 2010 - Samoa Pulp Mill Permanently Closed

Samoa, Ca - Freshwater Tissue Company announced the permanent closure of the
Samoa pulp mill. Evergreen Pulp, the prior owners of the pulp mill, closed
the mill in October of 2008 after a global collapse of the banking industry
left Evergreen insolvent.

Freshwater Tissue purchased the Samoa mill assets in February of 2009 with a
vision of converting the pulp mill to an integrated pulp and tissue plant
that would convert forest residuals into consumer-ready, eco-friendly toilet
paper. The projected cost of the plant conversion was $400 million. The
owners anticipated borrowing the funds from the Department of Energy.
Unfortunately, DOE loans were only available to green energy projects, such
as wind energy, solar energy, and the production of electric cars.

After failing to fund the integrated tissue mill project, Freshwater scaled
down its business plan and reduced its capital requirement to $30 million.
The company's new plan was to produce eco-friendly pulp, and it secured a
10-year sales contract for 100% of its production. Freshwater obtained all
necessary regulatory permits to re-open the mill, it received unprecedented
environmental and labor support, and it had bi-partisan government support.
When the company received notice from the U.S.D.A. that it qualified for a
$25 million loan guarantee Freshwater believed a loan was certain, but it
soon discovered banks would not loan against a government backed guarantee.

In a statement issued by Robert M. Simpson, Freshwater's President, Simpson
said "I am disappointed in our failure to re-start the pulp mill. We
exhausted all possible means of funding the project with the intention of
re-hiring union workers. Unfortunately, FDIC regulations made it impossible
for banks to finance startup projects like ours."

Freshwater reported that it has received an offer for its power and recovery
boiler. When asked about the offer Simpson said "we have two groups
interested in acquiring the boiler but we are not in contract and we don't
have any expectation as to when a sale will be completed." Simpson didn't
offer any details of Freshwater's future plans for the 156 acre industrial
site.

Lumberjack requests Pulp Mill information.

Scottie Lee Meyers from The Lumberjack (the Humboldt State University student newspaper) is looking to do a story on the Pulp mill, past and present.

He can be reached at this email address slmeyers@humboldt.edu or called by cell phone: (262) 385-7518 if you would like to add your 2 cents.

Happy 32nd Anniversary Robin!

The Marks endurance race continues. We used to joke to our friends that the only thing that was keeping us together was our kids, because we wanted to avoid a nasty court battle on who would have had to take them! But both are out on their own for quite a few years now, so I guess that was not the case. She puts up with me and I her. I will be at the softball fields most the evening and I am sure she will join me. What a date!

SOP and Breakers win Tomaso's Invitational!

The former "Beer League" Championships, (which has been ongoing since 1973?) was replaced by the "Tomaso's Willow Creek Invitational." This was due to liability issues. 10 teams and over 100 participants and many hundreds of fans watched some great ball this weekend. In the "A" Division, Son of Pitches (SOP) were able to run the table and went undefeated and beat Puba's 1 for the Championship. In the "B" Division, Blondies Beakers beat Puba's 2 for the Championship. SOP won the overall Championship by beating the Breakers. All Tournament players for the "A" Division were, Doug Small and Kirk Gray Powers from Tomaso's, Wayne Wilson and Charles Barblutten from Central Station, Cam Reed and Jared Harpe from Puba's 1, Mike Menacho, Toye Johnson and Byron Gardner from SOP. Jason Mullaney was the Most Valuble Player of the "A" Division.

In the "B" Division, The Blondies Breakers defeated Puba's 2 (My Team) for the "B' Championship. Brian McNeil was the Most Valuable Player and David Thompson All Tournament from the Breakers, Marti Conti and Al Schmidt were the picks for Puba's 2. Gnash Day from the Dirt Bags made all tournament as did Rick Harding from Good Woods. Gene Joyce and Richard Wanu from the Pigs also made All Tournament. Mark Dube and Bob Davis were chosen from the Fat Bastards.

This Tournament would not happen if not for Tom Pagano, owner of Tomaso's Specialty Foods & Distributing at 201 Taylor Way Blue Lake, CA 95525. 668-1868. Tom supplied the insurance, umped many games, put out water, chips and salsa for all teams and served as good host for this tournament. For the love of the game. I look forward to next year.

Next year will be bigger and better. Tomaso's will be hosting this tournament at the same time next year and also a 10 team Blue Lake Mad River Invitational. BBQ and Bands and other Rowdiness. Stayed tuned.

(The Graphics design for this tournament was done by Jim Romick.)

LA Times does Pulp Mill. Port closing?

The timber industry has suffered a long decline in Eureka, an isolated community about five hours north of San Francisco.

Now, a group of entrepreneurs wants to restore a wood pulp mill there to its former glory. The hitch is they need someone to lend them $20 million.

If they can't get financing to reopen the facility, which closed two years ago, they say, the local port will fail, hurting surrounding lumber operations and the last remnants of a resource economy in this community of 25,000 people.
"The only thing that sets Eureka apart from Bakersfield or Grass Valley is this port, and without the mill, this port has a good chance of going insolvent," said Sid Berg, president of the Humboldt and Del Norte Co. Building and Construction Trades Council, which supports the reopening.

In its heyday, the Louisiana-Pacific pulp mill, which converts scraps from timber operations into material for paper, generated so much pulp that two cargo ships pulled into the Eureka port each month. Those ships and two others serving another pulp mill in the region would transport the material to paper factories in Asia. Three additional barges brought in gasoline for the region's filling stations.
Since the closure in 2008, a total of only three ships have entered the port. The harbor commission has been dipping into its financial reserves to keep the port running in the hope that the mill would reopen. If it doesn't, the port won't generate enough traffic to justify the expense of dredging the harbor or keeping bar pilots on staff to guide ships into the harbor, said David Hull, chief executive of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District.

If the port closes, gasoline would have to be trucked into the area over winding roads from San Francisco. That would put more trucks on the roads and raise transportation costs for the fuel, Hull said. The cost of Eureka's water could also go up, because the pulp mill was contributing 15% of the district's water revenue.
In addition, other lumber mills that traditionally sold their waste to the pulp mill — popularly known as the Samoa mill because of its proximity to the small town of that name — will have to burn it or truck it to Oregon to sell to other pulp mills.

Because of the increased expense, Schmidbauer Lumber Co. is making about half of what it did when the Samoa mill was still open, said general manager Richard Graham.
But opponents say it's time to let go of manufacturing and stop pouring money into the towering smokestacks that have chugged since the 1960s. They say the Samoa mill's backers are having difficulty raising capital because the deal simply doesn't make business sense.

Bob Simpson bought the mill for $2.8 million in February 2009. Its former owners had abandoned it abruptly the year before, leaving behind millions of dollars in debts amid a deteriorating pulp market.

Simpson initially sought $400 million in financing to convert the property into a mill that would make eco-friendly toilet tissue. When that effort failed he lowered his sights to $20 million to restart the plant as a traditional pulp mill. Requests for loans, government grants and federal stimulus money so far have gone nowhere.
He's now considering selling off the factory in pieces to recoup his investment. A Canadian company has offered to buy the mill's boiler, and Simpson has to give them an answer by Wednesday.

Without timber, he said, the hardscrabble area won't have much to sustain its economy. As fishing and logging have disappeared in the northern part of the state, many locals have taken advantage of the cool climate to venture into a more profitable business: cannabis.

"Humboldt County's economy will be dependent upon the marijuana industry for its economic recovery," he said. "I don't believe that would be in the best interest of the state or federal government."

Opponents say the mill polluted the environment and that the region would be better off focusing on tourism.

"It's time to let go of it," said Carol Binder, a West Eureka resident who can see the smokestacks of the mill from her home and runs a blog, People Against the Samoa Pulp Mill.

CO-ED softball starts in Arcata this Friday!

There will be CO-ED softball played in Arcata starting tomorrow at 6:20pm at the Arcata Sports Complex. If you are interested in playing, there is a lack of women participants. Call Kel Karges at 496-9695 or Richard Marks at 445-3432. I sent this information out multiple times to the Times Standard and they have not printed. So far we have 10 tentative teams.

United States uses 26% of all world oil! Canada our largest supplier!

“Consider that the United States, with four percent of the world’s population, consumes a disproportionate slice of the world’s oil-production pie chart. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that we import almost 10 million barrels of crude oil per day of the 74 million the world produces (up from 21 million in 1960). We use 10 million barrels of our own oil, making our consumption roughly 26 percent of all crude oil pumped out of the earth.”

“We buy about half of our 10 million imported barrels from four countries. They are: Canada (1.86 million barrels), Mexico (1.17), Saudi Arabia (1.08), and Venezuela (1.07). The rest comes from eleven other countries.”

“It is apparent, then, that we buy 3.32 million barrels of crude each day from countries that either want to repossess California, have a habit of funding Middle Eastern terrorist groups, or are led by an egomaniac who hates everything about the U.S. except Sean Penn. We could lose Canada if a bad call by a U.S. referee should cost one of its hockey teams the Stanley Cup.”

William Jeanes AOL Auto Editor at Large

Top 10 Word's Phrases that need to be retired today!

10. "So…"(starting a sentence with)

9. "Get over it."

8. "Irregardless"

7. "Know what I’m Saying?" (Or See)

6. "Ya think?" (Or ya know?)

5. "I’m just saying"

4. "It is what it is"

3. "With that being said..."

2. "24/7"

1. "Been there done that!"

Which words or phrases get on your nerves?

Broadway Taco Bell a front?

What the heck is with this place! Robin and I were driving by the Broadway Taco Bell past 11pm and there was a line around the restaurant! And every time we go by the place, regardless of what time of the day, there seems to be an average of 7 cars in the drive through line. I have been all over the west coast and have never have seen a Taco Bell as busy. Just what sets this store above all the others in the chain? There not serving crack in those tacos are they? (Joking! Thanks to Chris Rock)

Fire in the stove in August? Global warming my ass part II.

Our house has been freezing these past months. I have had to crank up the woodstove too many times. I was curious on what is going on, so I went on Accuweather and listen to this; the average High Tempature in Janurary of 2010 was 58 degrees. The total average for the month Janurary was 52. In July of 2010? Average high of 60 and total average of 55! Only a 2 and 3 degree difference! Samoa is suffering from global cooling! Refute my facts!

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