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You would almost think it was synchronized, but Clif had five letters of support in the Independent this week (still haven’t read the Redwood Times). None for Estelle, but I would expect a responsive torrent of Estelle supporting letters over the next few weeks. I’m sure they got a pile by the deadline of 12:00 this morning.
There are only two candidates this time around. There will be no run-off. There will be no whining from the losing side about how someone won with less than a majority (well, I can’t promise there won’t be whining, but it will be less compelling). Basically, if Clif takes 60 percent of the northern votes, and Estelle takes two-thirds of the southern votes, and assuming both areas vote at the same rate, you have an even election. The information I have suggests that Clif will take the majority of northern votes and Estelle will take a significant majority of the southern votes. I could, of course, be completely wrong on one or both counts, but I’m pretty confident of those loose numbers. If so, this could be a close election, and it’s going to be all about GOTV. Both campaigns have some seasoned veterans, so all bets are off on GOTV.
There are already some very strong feelings in this race, and I’m going to pull back a little in my participation in the arguments. This means that in any disagreement with me, you will always have the last word. I will, within the next couple of weeks, explain my support for Clif (there are some very articulate arguments in the above-mentioned letters), and I will probably leave it at that. I would urge participants to remember that the candidates and their supporters are human beings, and either Estelle or Clif will be just fine if she or he loses (and hopefully the county as well). This isn’t a death match. And there will always be music.
Read Kym Kemp’s account at the Lost Coast Outpost.
I am informed that Clif is also submitting a My Word piece to the Times Standard. I’ll also keep an eye out for any responses from Estelle’s team. Will this resolve the issue? Ernie posted a dissenting opinion in Kym’s thread. Plenty more debates on calendar. Let’s see how it plays out.
I haven’t read Kym’s post yet, but I’ll do so and comment later.
Addendum: Okay, I’ve skimmed through her post. Basically, there are credible social servants quoted in the article, who agree that in rough fiscal times the STIP money will be prioritized for state highway projects, and that sometimes you can get them to dribble in some more for local roads. Clif’s vote was based on a strategy, and a desire that the county not lose all of the funding because we are fixated on the ideal. It is a complicated issue, not easily dealt with in milibites. Ernie suggests, I think, that we should have gone for broke and asked for what we really wanted anyway, but public servants have to operate with real world probabilities, and as Clif said on Sunday, we may end up with even less money because of the fiscal realities in Sacramento. By all accounts, he was not happy with the choices at the fateful meeting, but did the best he could with the information presented, and it was an 8-2 HCOAG vote.
And if I understand it right, it’s not that Clif “gave away” any money. We didn’t have the money. The point is that we are trying to get money for Humboldt County during very lean times, and he voted for what he believes to have been the best strategy to obtain it.
Kym posts a trancript of the subject portion of Sunday’s debate (and corrects minor errors made by both candidates). Kym also made some disclosures to be found at the end of the post (she’s biased for everybody!). Anyway, wade through it and the the very long thread which I’ve also only skimmed, and let us know what you think.
One thing is clear though – the meme that Clif voted to screw over Sohum to benefit his Arcata-Clique backers or whatever; it’s really inappropriate. Nothing’s ever that simple, and there’s nothing simple about this issue.
So says the guy who sent this link to me, and I agree. Even better than Zappa’s.
I know it tends to be feast or famine for my posting on anything lately. I hadn’t posted in almost a week, but today I’ve posted three times. I’ve a fairly full schedule, so I have to make hay when the sun shines.
First of all, tonight on the HumCPR show Charley will host a discussion with both Clif and Estelle about General Plan and other land use issues. That’s on KMUD at 7:00 p.m., and it’s a call-in show.
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Don’t miss the debate at the Mateel this Sunday, with all of the information through this link. I am billed as a moderator, but Ed will be handling it alone as I’m committed to coach an Indoor Soccer double-header due to changes in scheduling. Ed is more than capable, and it should be a great debate. It will be simulcast on KMUD beginning at 3 p.m.
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A little bit of controversy with the Democratic Central Committee last night, at least as far as Richard Marks is concerned. I wasn’t there, and I haven’t heard anything other than what is reported by Richard, but he seems to feel that Estelle was denied an endorsement because of her affiliation with HumCPR. Clif doesn’t qualify for endorsement as a member of the DTS Party, and Richard feels that as the only Democrat in the race she should have received the endorsement.
In the thread he complains that Roy Curliss was denied the endorsement several years ago (when running against Carlos Quilez, a liberal Republican (a dying breed) for the same reason (and I don’t recall Carlos getting the Republican endorsement – probably over the same issue).
Policies around development are a source of division in counties around the state, and Democrats tend to favor controlled growth advocates in their endorsements to the disappointment of union reps who emphasize jobs. It’s not a new issue locally or statewide, but I expect that HCDCC elections to become a little more politicized for awhile.
Cheryl Seidner and Mark Lovelace each received endorsements.
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Lastly, although I’m now thoroughly bored with the topic, the billboard controversy is apparently covered in the Beacon-insert of today’s Times Standard. I can’t find it online, but if I do I’ll link to it. From what I’ve heard, it adds nothing new to the story.
Kym reports on a report that the deer population across the state has halved since 1990. The article attributes the increase in rural development and forest fire suppression (which is related as it is often intended to save rural homes). It cites high declines in the coastal range.
I post this at the risk of being accused of demonizing rural dwellers, and I expect that this thread, like Kym’s, will contain numerous “I see plenty of deer in my yard” posts.
And once again, I’ll emphasize that I do not oppose all rural development. I just believe that we need to slow down, step back, and assess the situation. But that means that someone’s dream of rural living might be delayed a few years and that doesn’t sit well around here. I suggest a policy of no further large subdivisions until we can figure out what is happening, work out some appropriate mitigating regulation if necessary, and develop policy with input from all stake-holders. But to suggest that rural development is anything but beneficial, because all rural residents are effective “stewards” by definition, seems to evoke serious anger and defensiveness. People moved here to be left alone after all. They know what they’re doing.
Anyway, those are my thoughts, for what they’re worth.
Apparently there’s some sort of controversy in which a liberal pundit named Hilary Rosen made a silly comment about Ann Romney not working (for which she has apologized), and the conservative Catholic League saw fit to minimize the value of adoption-based parenting in their Twitter response.
Lesbian Dem Hilary Rosen tells Ann Romney she never worked a day in her life. Unlike Rosen, who had to adopt kids, Ann raised 5 of her own.
I guess adoptive parenting isn’t real parenting and our kids aren’t “our own.”
To their credit, the RNC responded appropriately.
But the Catholic League was clearly playing dog-whistle politics here. As an adoptive parent I’ve met people who don’t view adoptive relationships as being as valuable or deep as biological relationships. I was even treated to a biological theory one time as someone told me that he knew a parent who had child by birth and another by adoption and the parent admitted to having a “closer connection” to the natural born child. I’ve yet to meet similar “mixed” family parents who will admit to the same thing, though I suppose it’s not something a parent would want to admit, even to him/herself if true.
All I can say is that I love my kids so much it hurts. I have no basis for comparison as I have no children by birth (well, actually my children were in fact born, but I’ll rant about the terminology some other time), but it’s impossible for me to imagine a closer or “deeper” connection.
Literally, there are people out there who will tell me I’m living in politically correct denial. Probably not many, but I’ve encountered enough of it to know that they aren’t extremely rare. Certainly a larger percentage of humanity than represented by AB- blood type.
Somebody once told me about this, but words didn’t quite capture the essence. But if this is what it takes to keep two nuclear powers out of war – I won’t knock it!
Friends of the Eel River to host symposium on science, law, and future of the Eel River
April 14 at the Riverlodge, Fortuna
Fortuna, CA – Friends of the Eel River is celebrating the work of the organization’s founding director, Nadananda, with an educational gathering at the Fortuna Riverlodge this coming Saturday, April 14. Seven distinguished experts will address a wide range of subjects in brief presentations meant to build public understanding of the Eel River’s outstanding values and potential for recovery.
A century ago, the Eel River was one of California’s greatest salmon and steelhead rivers. Today, the Eel presents one of the state’s best opportunities to restore and maintain healthy, harvestable runs of wild salmon and steelhead.
“Everyone on the North Coast has a stake in the future of the Eel River and its fisheries,” said Scott Greacen, Executive Director of the Friends of the Eel River. “This symposium offers an extraordinary chance to hear from some of the world-class experts who have focused on the Eel River and its fisheries.”
Leading scientists will present on geology, hydrology, frogs, salmon, lamprey, and beavers, and the relationships between different life forms in the watershed. Other experts will present on successful dam decommissioning and removal, and the laws governing the Eel River.
Informational tables and posters will provide additional information about groups and projects working for river and fisheries restoration in the region.
The Eel River symposium will run from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Lunch will be served for those who preregister. You can register online at www.eelriver.org, by calling (707) 822-3342, or email foer@eelriver.org. This event is free with a suggested sliding scale donation of $20-$60 to help cover costs of the event.
Presenters include:
Mary Power PhD, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, faculty manager and lead researcher at the Angelo Coast Range Reserve on the South Fork Eel River, and Director of the California Biodiversity Center. Professor Power’s key research interests include freshwater ecology and food webs, but she has published widely for more than 30 years. For more information see http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/power/
Bill Dietrich PhD, is a professor of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley (and married to Professor Power). Professor Dietrich’s research focuses on the processes that underlie the evolution of landscapes, including sediment dynamics in rivers, and landslides. He is collaborating in an intensive field investigation to identify, quantify, and model the processes that will control the co-evolution of climate, vegetation and water availability in Northern California forested landscapes.
Dietrich co-founded the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. As part of the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics he is co-developing a digital terrain model for predicting salmon populations from digital terrain data. For more information see http://eps.berkeley.edu/development/view_person.php?uid=1164
Sarah J. Kupferberg PhD, a post-doctoral research fellow in the Power lab, studies the effects of hydropower facilities on aquatic resources in California rivers. The river breeding Foothill yellow legged frog, Rana boylii is a sentinel species in this effort. She focuses on flow velocity and water temperature as the key abiotic conditions influencing frog populations. Her approach combines field experiments, long term monitoring, and population modeling. Dr. Kupferberg is also working with Questa Engineering in analyzing the proposed removal of the Benbow dam.
Bill Trush PhD, is one of the North Coast’s leaders in the applied science of river preservation, management, and restoration. Dr. Trush has worked for more than two decades at improving river ecosystem health in regulated rivers; assessing impacts of land use and water development activities on stream ecosystems; and developing mutually beneficial management strategies that improve those ecosystems. Dr. Trush specializes in integrating river ecosystem processes, salmon life history, and cumulative land use management practices.
Brian Cluer PhD, has worked in the Habitat Conservation Division of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region since 2000. Dr. Cluer has worked on sediment-related issues over the entire Southwest Region and in the Northwest Region. His work for NMFS has included authoring Sediment Removal Guidelines for salmonids in California streams; expert witness testimony on Klamath River hydropower relicensing; co-development of new sediment transport software (DREAM) to assist in dam removal decision making; and field investigation of the effects of forestry and vineyard development on a small salmon stream. His current focus is designing, in coordination of other sediment scientists, studies to support dam removal decisions. Major projects include the four Klamath River dams, and the San Clemente Dam on Carmel River. These efforts build on his participation in past dam removal projects such as the Matilija Dam in the Ventura River watershed, and the Elwha River dams on Washington’s Olympic Penninsula.
Kevin P. Bundy, Senior Attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, works with the Center’s pathbreaking Climate Law Institute. Before joining the Center, Mr. Bundy represented public-interest and citizen groups, including Friends of the Eel River, in environmental and land-use cases as an associate with the well-respected law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP. He also served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Procter R. Hug, Jr., of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and the Honorable David W. Hagen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Between graduating from Oberlin College and attending the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law, Mr. Bundy spent several years advocating for ancient forests and endangered species on California’s North Coast as a staffer with the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC).
Brock Dolman, co-founder of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and nationally recognized for his dynamic presentations on building sustainable culture, will be the keynote speaker. Mr. Dolman is Director of OAEC’s WATER Institute (www.oaecwater.org) and Permaculture Design Program, and co-directs their Wildlands Biodiversity Program. Mr. Dolman’s experience ranges from the study of wildlife biology, native California botany and watershed ecology, to the practice of habitat restoration, education about regenerative human settlement design, ethno-ecology, and ecological literacy activism towards societal transformation.
For more information, see http://www.regenerativedesign.org/brockbio.
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