California Voting Rights Act, At Large Voting Schemes, Eureka

There is another potential huge lawsuit in Eureka’s future unless the Eureka City Council acts now and fixes the unconstitutional at large voting scheme here. The council needs to establish a true ward system and run off voting (either instant or 2nd election) or a lawsuit is inevitable.

Please read this article. Failure to act on the part of those in office will be held accountable by the voters.

From the SacBee article:

 

“The California statute targets commonly used “at-large” elections – those in which candidates run citywide or across an entire school district. Avila said that method can result in discrimination because whatever group constitutes the majority of voters can dominate the ballot box and block minorities from winning representation. As a remedy, the law empowers state courts to create smaller election districts favoring minority candidates.”

http://urlet.com/writer.occurrence

http://www.sacbee.com/827/story/2327032.html?mi_rss=Latest%20News

have a peaceful day,

Bill

The Enterprise Zone Scam

The “Enterprise Zone” program that is referenced below is a scam that has been actively promoted here in Eureka for a few years now by the Chamber of Commerce and City Hall. It financed the Chinese takeover of the Pulp Mill. It is possible that some of the mill machinery that is about to be sold off by Freshwater was purchased by the taxpayers. It is possible that a large portion of the former mill jobs were subsidized by the taxpayers. Two years ago there were more than 600 enterprise zone employees, now there are about 450. It is time for this scam to come to an end, and it is time for all involved to tell the truth. Being the “company of the year” is great work if you can get the taxpayers to pay for it.

have a peaceful day,

Bill

Dan Walters: It’s time for a hard look at California tax dodges from SacBee — Capitol and California by dwalters@sacbee.com (Dan Walters)

Last June, the Public Policy Institute of California released a highly critical report on California’s “enterprise zone” program that provides big tax breaks to businesses for supposedly hiring workers in areas of high unemployment. PPIC’s study of the 42 zones, which are created by local governments with approval from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, concluded that state and local governments were losing about a half-billion dollars in revenue each year without any discernible impact on joblessness. “The state can ill-afford to continue the enterprise zone program without clearer evidence of its benefits or a well-defined plan to make it more effective,” said Jed Kolko, co-author of the PPIC study. There were three reactions to the densely sourced study: • The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business quickly re-released a study by Dr. Charles Swenson declaring that California’s enterprise zones had “statistically significant” positive impacts on employment and incomes of affected households – without revealing Swenson’s affiliation with a company, National Tax Credit Group, that advises firms on how to obtain government tax breaks; • The state certified or recertified enterprise zones in Kern and Tulare counties and five cities; and • The California Chamber of Commerce and other business groups ramped up a public relations campaign to defend the enterprise zone program. As California’s fiscal crisis deepens, the competition for ever-scarcer public funds is growing more intense. Spending programs and tax breaks – “tax expenditures” in fiscal parlance – are facing closer scrutiny. The PPIC study is potent ammunition – as it should be – for those who question whether enterprise zones and other corporate tax breaks should remain untouched while health, education and welfare programs face deep spending cuts. Michael Bolden, a lobbyist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, cited the PPIC study during a legislative hearing on enterprise zones last month. “There hasn’t been any sort of proof that the enterprise zone program works,” Bolden said. “It’s been a boon for business, but we don’t necessarily see the return on investment coming back to the state.” Like many loopholes enacted on the premise that they would enhance employment, including a new batch approved just this year, enterprise zones have received little objective evaluation on whether their purported benefits have materialized. The dueling studies from PPIC and USC frame the vacuum. And if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are serious about navigating through the sea of red ink now engulfing the state budget, they’ll divert the energy they now expend on dreaming up gimmicks to making some hard decisions on how taxpayers’ money is being spent – or squandered.

http://urlet.com/runs.spring

http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2314093.html?mi_rss=Capitol%20and%20California

Is There Oil in Eureka?

Is there oil in Eureka?  I mean has anyone ever drilled a test well or performed seismic testing for the presence of oil in Eureka?  Maybe there is a little oil patch on the west side of town, in the tidelands area.  It wouldn’t be the only tidelands area in California that is oily.

Would an oil well or two be considered “mixed use” or “light industrial?”

Just askin’.

Because I found this from the Eureka Development Agency, about a 5 acre parcel just west of the small boat basin:

Eureka Redevelopment Agency

The property shall be developed in accordance with theadopted Local Coastal Program which designates the propertyas Coastal Dependent Industrial (MC). The following uses arepermitted in the MC Districts:(a) Boat repair and ship building(b) Commercial fishing facilities(c) Docks, piers and  wharves(d) Marine services(e) Marine oil terminals(f)OCS service bases and offshore pipelines(g) Seafood processing(h) Waterborne carrier import and export facilities

http://www.ci.eureka.ca.gov/civica/bids/inc/blobfetch.asp?blobID=3438

Natural Gas Resources in Humboldt County23There are natural gas deposits present in Humboldt County. Active gas wells areconcentrated in the Tompkin Hills Gas Field. Of the County’s 39 gas wells, 31 are currentlyproducing and 8 are considered shut in, meaning they cannot produce gas at their currentdepths and are sealed off in order to maintain the pressure on remaining deposits.3 In 2000,net gas production was 1,337,796 million cubic feet (mcf); this represents a 31 percentdecrease in gas production since 1992, when net production was 1,927,787 mcf. Also in 23

1992, 34 gas wells were in production and 5 were shut in.4 Humboldt County contains threeinactive oil wells and has not produced oil in at least the past ten years.FOREXCO, Inc. of Greensboro, NC, recently secured a 20-year lease (through 2022) toengage in the exploration of natural gas in Humboldt County on the east and west side of theEel River near Alton to determine potential natural gas reserves. As part of this lease, theyhave the rights to the exploration and operation of up to five previously developed well sitesthat have the potential for up to five wells per site. FOREXCO has proposed to construct anatural gas collection and transportation system that would cross the Eel River andinterconnect with the existing gas sales delivery point at the Pacific Gas and ElectricCompany’s (PG&E) natural gas meter station in Alton. The pipeline will be designed tooperate at a maximum allowable operation pressure of 1,360 pounds per square inch (psi). The design of the project allows for greater capacity for possible future development ofnatural gas reserves west of the Eel River.

http://www.co.humboldt.ca.us/planning/gp/meetings/natl_res/nr_report.asp

North Coast

The last proposed lease sale in 1987, thwarted by the moratorium, would have opened 6.5 million acres off the North Coast. Off Mendocino and Humboldt counties, the tracts for sale lay from 3 to 27 miles offshore, and some of the 24 planned platforms, some of them 300 feet tall and each with dozens of wells, would have been visible from land.

Tourism and commercial fisheries would have been affected, according to an environmental review then, while as many as 240 new oil tanker trips from Fort Bragg and Eureka to San Francisco Bay refineries were predicted under the full development scenario. The probability of one or more spills occurring would be 94 percent for accidents involving 1,000 barrels or more, according to documents.

Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/28/MN4G14QMVE.DTL#ixzz0WKVRptL0

have a peaceful day,

Bill

I Am Looking For Candidates for Next Year

I am looking for candidates to support in next years city council ward elections.

There will be three wards up for election next year,  and you must reside in the ward that you are running in.  I am looking for candidates that can support most or all of the platform below.

You should be prepared to run a Pitino styled campaign.  Previous political experience is not needed.

In fact it is a plus.

There are serious flaws in the election process in Eureka and it would behoove the Democratic Party in Humboldt to fix these problems NOW.  The absolute worst problem is the lack of a run-off in city elections.  This often results in a minority party candidate winning election as the majority party splits. If this is not fixed by next year there is a serious chance that more Republicans may win office.  If we keep electing Republicans then our city’s problems will never be solved.

The issues below are serious to me.  I think these are things the city must do.  If you are interested in running for city council next year and you live in one of the participating wards please email me at bill@eurekaworkers.org

I am not an absolutist, if we agree on most of the below we can work together.  We will do our best to win.

have a peaceful day,

Bill

City support for clean industrial development in Eureka.

City built affordable low income housing in Eureka.

Termination of the current city manager’s contract.

Implementation of a true ward system in Eureka with instant run-off voting.

Taxation of cell towers, big box stores and high fructose corn syrup.

A complete clean up of the Balloon Tract and preservation of “public use” zoning for that parcel.

A $12.00 per hour minimum wage in Eureka for businesses with over 100 employees.

Decriminalization of marijuana in Eureka.

A city owned and operated very low cost medical and dental clinic for the people of Eureka.

A city owned and operated free detox center for the people of Eureka.

A city owned very low cost dignity campground for poor people who find themselves without shelter.

A city owned and operated very low cost food kitchen for poor people.

 

 

Harvest Time in California’s Emerald Triangle (PICS)

http://urlet.com/hawthorn.dinner

http://hailmaryjane.com/harvest-time-in-california/

Sac Town Battle Over Toxic Railyard Development

Tempers flare as disputed Curtis Park railyard development plan nears Sacramento City Council hearing

By Jim Wasserman

jwasserman@sacbee.com

It may be 2020 before Sacramento developer Paul Petrovich finishes building his proposed Curtis Park Village project on a toxic, abandoned railyard, but at long last his colorful, almost unprecedented, journey to get it to City Hall for a vote is nearing the finish line.

Neighborhood opponents, specifically board members of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association, have worked equally hard, seeking changes to a design they consider too suburban, too commercial and too car-friendly for their traditional, century-old walkable community.

A constant theme: What he’s proposing – even if not perfect – is far better than existing conditions at the site, which has sat vacant for years, a weedy field dotted with puddles and filled with toxics-laden dirt.

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2297198.html

Humboldt County California Online Scanner

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=194

Humboldt County  Sheriff — Eureka Police/Fire — Arcata Police/Fire — CHP — CAL-FIRE — City and Mad River Ambulance

Dioxin Sources in the Humboldt Bay Area

DIOXIN IN PENTACHLOROPHENOL: A CASE STUDY OF CANCER DEATHS IN THE LUMBER INDUSTRY

By Richard Alexander

Mr. Kirby from March 1962 to March 1984 worked continuously in the Arcata mill of Simpson Timber Company. He worked on the paint line continuously between 1962 and whenever the paint line shut down in 1972. In 1963 he was a helper on the paint line. After two years as a helper he became the operator. Mr. Kirby recalls brushing Woodlife when he was the operator during the period from 1968 through the shutdown. Mr. Kirby recalls using Woodlife on the paint line for clear siding, occasionally as back prime for white paint, and that a brush was used to coat the ends with Woodlife. In addition, it was sprayed in the booth.

During the two (2) months Lloyd Taylor worked on the paint line in 1967, he recalls a curtain-coater was used to apply Woodlife.

Tim Skaggs testified at his deposition that he began work at Simpson on March 8, 1971. He started on the night shift as a laborer and would be assigned to work where he was needed. An hour lunch break would take place between 9:00 and 10 o’clock and Skaggs would eat where he was working that shift, in the dry sorter shack, the planing mill, or on the paint line.

Tim described the paint line as having curtain coaters which would spray the lumber with paint or Woodlife, it included three dryers and two curtain coaters. One would do one side and flip the board over and then send it back to the other one. One of Skaggs’ jobs on the paint line was to work where the lumber came off the paint line itself and he would stack it by hand. On the paint line he was handling lumber without gloves that was almost always dry but sometimes, when the sealant wouldn’t permeate, “it would be wetter.” Very few people wore gloves on the paint line handling the warm treated wood, according to Skaggs. Another job he did in the paint line room was to trim lumber with a small trim saw located on the south wall. He also was assigned to work on the paper wrapper in the paint line room. The boards that were handled at the paper wrapping machine had been coated with a sealant. Of all the times Skaggs worked in the paint line room, half the time was spent on the trim saws, a quarter of the time was spent off loading at the paint line and a quarter of the time was spent on the paper wrapper.

Alan Glaseroff, M.D. testified at his deposition that Tim was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia at Stanford University. He first learned from Dr. Neil Water that Dr. Water had three people who had some type of leukemia and all worked at the same place. It was at that time that Dr. Glaseroff contacted the State of California to explore a cancer cluster.

Dr. Glaseroff was aware of Woodlife prior to this case. It contains a chemical within it known as dioxin which is a “big issue up here.” There have been a number of dioxin concerns with dumping in the bay and two pump hill plants having to change their process of bleaching wood from a non-chlorine process to get rid of dioxin contamination. The statement that is generally attached to dioxin is that it is “the most potent carcinogen known to man.” In Dr. Glaseroff’s opinion, Tim Skaggs’ cancer was secondary to his workplace exposure to PCP (pentachlorophenol).

Dr. Gardner reports that a study of of saw mill workers in southern Oregon reviewed hospital admissions in three counties where there was a three-fold increase in leukemia suggesting that chlorophenol could be a cause. He confirms that Dr. Hardell’s 1981 article in the British Journal of Cancer studying 105 non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in patients exposed to chlorophenol and toxic acids shows an association between pentachlorophenol and tumors of the B Cell Lymphocytic line and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, as similarly occurred at the Arcata Mill. In summary, Hardell’s investigation suggests that exposure to organic solvents, chlorophenols and/or phenoxy acids constitutes a risk factor for malignant lymphoma. In addition a case study from the Mayo Clinic in 1963 show an association between pentachlorophenol and leukemia.

http://web72345.ntx.net/article/lumber.shtml#simpson

JH Baxter and the LD McFarland wood preserving facility on Highway 99N emit pentachlorophenol to air. Penta is also contaminated withhexachlorobenzene and chlorinated dioxins and furans—some of the most toxic chemicals known.

http://www.oregontoxics.org/railyard/rr_ap.html

earthquake offshore petrolia

Magnitude 3.2 – OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

2009 October 20 19:10:45 UTC

DetailsMapsScientific & Technical

Earthquake Details

Magnitude

3.2

Date-Time

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 19:10:45 UTC

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 12:10:45 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location

40.419°N, 124.601°W

Depth

25.3 km (15.7 miles)

Region

OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Distances

29 km (18 miles) WNW (291°) from Petrolia, CA

34 km (21 miles) WSW (238°) from Ferndale, CA

43 km (27 miles) WSW (244°) from Fortuna, CA

55 km (34 miles) SW (222°) from Eureka, CA

339 km (211 miles) NW (309°) from Sacramento, CA

Location Uncertainty

horizontal +/- 0.8 km (0.5 miles); depth +/- 0.7 km (0.4 miles)

Parameters

Nph= 26, Dmin=23 km, Rmss=0.06 sec, Gp=230°,

M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=1

Source

California Integrated Seismic Net:

USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR

Event ID

nc71297115

• Details
• Maps
• Scientific & Technical

antiwar rally today…eureka

Rally

Rally

Sat. 1:00 Oct. 17

Begins at The Eureka Courthouse 5th /I St.

The Eighth Anniversary of

The Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan

Fueling The Surge Of Resistance To Re-ignite And Build A Non Violent Anti War movement.

Stopping Wars As An Absolute Necessity For Helping Our Most Critical ‘ Issues

Act now to end War and Racism ….A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition

We must have real solutions for Afghanistan:

Eight years of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan,war, American military force further de-stabilizing an already devastated country, making enemies of those who were friends.

Our true objectives should be helping restore their lives and take care of our own at home.