Why Do We Have Two Pasty Restaurants in Grass Valley?

 During the first few years after our arrival in Nevada County, California, from the Midwest, I pondered a few questions in connection with these pasty restaurants in Grass Valley.  First, I wondered what in the world is a pasty?  Second, why are there two restaurants in Grass Valley where you can buy them?  Finally, why are there no pasty restaurants in Nevada City, California, which is only five miles from Grass Valley? 

Eventually after being here for some time, I asked a local friend what is a “pastey” (“a” as in waste)?  After giggling for a second, my friend politely told me that it is pronounced “pasty” (“a” sounds like apple) and that it is a flaky meat pie with origins in Cornwall, England.  His answer seemed quite random yet quite specific at the same time.  Meat pie? Cornwall?  California?  So, I pressed him further and asked why there are two “pasty” restaurants in Grass Valley.  His response was very simple.  Miners from Cornwall, England, immigrated to the Grass Valley during the gold rush after 1849, and their wives made them pasties to be eaten in Empire Mine while working.  Being observant, I inquired of my friend as to why there are no pasty restaurants in the old mining town of Nevada City just a few miles away, and he had no idea.  In truth, I am not a fan of the pasty, as they are pretty bland and not very flavorful.  Yet, the pasty supports two separate restaurants in Grass Valley, and the tradition of the Cornish miners lives on.  Grass Valley even has a Cornish Christmas, but why do the Cornish mining traditions remain in Grass Valley and not in Nevada City which is quite literally just over the hill. 

One must understand the nature of mining in California and in the old Empire Mine.  In 1848, John Marshall discovered flecks of gold in the south fork of the American River at Sutter’s Mill located in Coloma, California, about 30 miles southeast of Grass Valley.  Marshall discovered these alluvial gold nuggets in the riverbed and sparked the California Gold Rush.  Thousands and thousands of people emigrated from the east coast of the USA and thousands and thousands also immigrated from Asia, South America, and Europe to partake in the gathering of these gold nuggets laying the rivers of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Over the next couple decades or so, all of this alluvial gold was scooped up by “placer miners.” 

Once the rivers were empty, the miners started mining the actual mountains from where the alluvial gold had originated thousands, if not millions, of years ago.  The problem for the miners was that the California gold is trapped within the granite and quartz of the Sierra Nevada.  Such gold entrapment required knowledge of hard rock tunnel mining, and the Cornish of Cornwall, England, had this mining knowledge which was developed from mining in the Cornwall region since the early Bronze Age.  The Empire Mine was a quartz mine which mined tons of quartz smashing the quartz with giant “stamps” thus freeing the gold from the quartz.  The average yield was about $30 per ton of quartz.  In 1866, and according to the Report on Precious Metals form the Paris Exposition in 1869, Grass Valley had 292 stamps dedicated to gold mining operating in the town while Nevada City had only 147 stamps.  That said, of the 147 stamps in Nevada City dedicated to gold mining, most of the stamps were associated with hydraulic mining and not quartz mining.  According to statistics published by Ralph Mann and in 1860, twenty-two percent of the miners in Grass Valley were from England while only 13% of Nevada City miners were from England.  By 1870 and after quartz mining began to accelerate as alluvial gold disappeared, a whopping 60% of the miners in Grass Valley were from England while only 18% of Nevada City miners were from England. 

By the time Empire Mine closed in 1957, the Cornish miners had created miles of tunnels some even as deep as 11,000 feet and had removed over 5,800,000 ounces of gold had been separated from the quartz fissures.  Not only did the Empire Mine Company become one the greatest mining businesses in California, the mine became the central hub for the creation to the little town of Grass Valley, California, and the Cornish deposited their culture in California along with the pasty and Cornish Christmas.

The Political Implications of Measure V Going Down

Earlier this week, I got a bunch of emails from people informing me that, two weeks after election day, the election office was almost done counting ballots and that the local media called Measure V a failure.  If the local media were journalists who really paid any attention to local politics, they would have known this fact after the second drop of ballots.  People who support limited government drop off their ballots on election day, because (shocker) they don't trust the way the local government runs our elections.  So, once Measure V was losing on Tuesday night, anyone who pays attention to politics would know that it was only going to get worse for Measure V as more and more ballots were counted and that the margin would only get wider.  That is exactly what happened.  Not only did the measure go down, but there will also be serious consequences for the County's mishandling of Measure V.

That said, Measure V brings up some broader local questions.  For instance, why do some many people not trust their local election office and bring ballots on election day and not mail them?  Seriously, three weeks to get election results is some third-world shit.  Lol.  Can we please just all go vote on election day like normal countries and get our election results that night like every other developed nation?   Damn.  The elementary school kids electing student council have more secure and efficient elections than their parents.  It is seriously embarrassing.

Also, there is also a huge underlying sentiment locally against government, period.  When it comes to government in California, there is no room for wimps.  California's overbearing government is legendary outside of California and is palpable to its residents.  So many of our friends have left for freer pastures like Tennessee, Idaho, Kentucky, South Carolina, and, yes, Florida.  I say jokingly to my friends that you are all wimps!  Instead of fighting these government assholes, you bailed and left us alone in the California wilderness with these morons!  In reality, however and truth be told, many of us want to leave California but just cannot do it.  Whether it be our children, our dearest of friends without whom we simply cannot live, or our hopes for our local community and our state, we just cannot pull the trigger and leave.  

Close your eyes and imagine 30 years ago your best friend looking you dead in the eyes and actually saying, "Dude. I am out. California sucks."  You would have smacked him upside his head.  There was no place cooler to live.  Period.  Full stop.  Everyone wanted to be here.  It is freaking gorgeous, and the weather!?  Please.  I grew up in Chicago, so on the weather angle alone, California is bomb.  Now, imagine at Thanksgiving dinner today your friend looks you in the eyes and says, "Dude. I am out. California sucks."  Instead of smacking him in the melon, you are likely gonna be a little jealous.  The dichotomy is crazy.  Between 2021 and 2022, more people left California than moved here.  That's insane.  How bad is it if people are leaving arguably the most favorable and beautiful geographic area on the entire planet?  Yep, it is that bad, but what does that have to do with Measure V, you ask?

There is a huge swath of our local population that believes that $367,000,000 a year is too much for ineffective local government, and it has to stop.  Seriously.  The County billed Measure V as $12 million magic bullet to prevent the tragedy of Paradise from ever happening in Nevada County.  I call bullshit.  How is that local homeless problem that you have not fixed yet which has been dragging on for 20 years and getting worse instead of better?  Can we please have normal elections like real democracies?  How is the meth problem in town that you apparently have no desire to fix?  My wife and I saw an epic tweaker at the gas station today in the Brunswick Basin.  Dude's upper body was all curled up has he shook and tweaked across the parking lot.  Way better tweaker than the guy that is always jumping between cars at the corner of Sutton and Brunswick.  How is the affordable housing problem?  Yet, we try to raise our children here, and we give the County $367,000,000 a year, and they don't fix shit?  How about the County and the state let us keep our tax money if you cannot fix anything?  Despite not fixing shit, the executives at the County will all be wealthy people when they retire.  Not comfortable or just able to make ends meet.  Wealthy.  Nobody should derive wealth off of the taxpayers.  It is frankly disgusting.  Our County's chief executive officer makes over $410,000 a year including salary and benefits.  How much do you make?  If you had as much "success" at your job, would you still have one?  

Until we start electing strong leaders who will get rid of these incompetent rubes, our friends will continue to abandon us.  Such is where we are.  We are here in this California because of our own choices.  We can make California great again, but we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result.  

On that note, all is not lost.  We live in a wonderful community that takes care of each other and loves each other.  If you ever need to be reminded of that, go to Hooper Stadium on Thanksgiving for Mike Bratton's Turkey Trot and feel the love.  Love that will bring tears to your eyes.  We have a wonderful community - a wonderful community that could do with a lot less ineffective government.

Fair Political Practices Commission Investigating Nevada County, Yes on V for Campaign Finance Violations

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."  In order to have such "consent of the governed" and as an American people, we demand fair and honest elections and campaigns, for true consent of the governed cannot be given if would-be politicians conduct their campaigns dishonestly and in violation of the laws established by the state legislature.  Always believing the best in people, we assume that our local officials are honest and play by the rules until proven otherwise.  The coordinated campaign by Nevada County and the proponents of Measure V clearly demonstrates the "otherwise."

While we have discussed the historical underpinnings of Nevada County's misuse of taxpayer dollars to send the electorate campaign mailers in support of Measure V here, it turns out that, indeed, the use of taxpayer dollars for campaign material is also illegal.  In fact, the Fair Political Practice Commission ("FPPC") is investigating both Nevada County and the political action committee supporting Measure V ("Yes on V") for violations of the California Fair Political Practices Act.

In short and in violation of the law, Nevada County has used taxpayer dollars to send mass mailers to the local electorate in support of Measure V, to air advertisements on the radio, and to place additional advertisements in local print media. In fact, the County and Yes on V are unethically (perhaps illegally) coordinating their efforts in support of Measure V.

In addition to these campaign violations by Nevada County, the proponents of Measure V and Nevada County have printed campaign material without proper disclosures.  The law requires political action committees to disclose on all campaign material the name of the committee who paid for the campaign material and their unique FPPC number.  Neither Nevada County nor Yes on V have complied with this statutory requirement.  In fact, both the County and Yes on V printed yard signs without these required disclosures.   An opponent complained to the enforcement agency, the FPPC, who is now investigating Nevada County and Yes on V for these campaign finance violations.  See letter from FPPC to the left.

On the very same day that the FPPC notified Nevada County and Yes on V that they are being investigated for campaign finance violations, Yes on V issued a press release falsely alleging that opponents of Measure V are stealing yard signs which support the measure and that the opposition to Measure V is racist.  Yep.  If you oppose the additional sales tax to the general fund effort known as Measure V, then you must not like people of color and are a racist.  Linking racism to an effort to oppose a sales tax clearly demonstrates the desperation of Yes on V.  They are losing.  They know that they are losing.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the hopeless scream racism about a sales tax measure.

As far as Yes on V's missing signs, we have far more important action items than stealing yard signs from the ill-informed.  Bless the hearts of those who blindly support the scam known as Measure V without understanding anything about the true nature of the measure and have a yard sign in their yard advertising their ignorance.  That said and if someone was stealing signs, shame on you for not respecting our electoral process.  Folks are free to express their support of or opposition to political matters, and it is not for others to infringe upon another's rights to free speech.  On the other hand, I have seen tons of Yes on V signs located not on someone's property but placed in the right of way on our local roads.  Supporters of Measure V have been placing yard signs on such right of way, because most of us know what Measure V is and would not put a sign in our yard in support of it.  When these signs are placed in the right of way, Caltrans regularly takes such signs down, because they are an obstruction.  Above is a picture of their signs at the Caltrans warehouse off LaBarr Meadows.  I would advise the Yes on V folks to head over to Caltrans in order to pick up their missing signs which were illegally placed on our local right of ways.

As has been proven again and again in connection with Measure V, neither Nevada County nor Yes on V has been honest in conducting their campaign in support of Measure V.  In fact, both Nevada County and Yes on V have coordinated their messaging and violated election and campaign finance laws repeatedly over the past months.  Like you, we stand proudly against an out-of-control local government and a campaign committee that both struggle to follow the law and to be honest with the voters.  Send a message to the County that we will not tolerate being lied to and will not be manipulated by the coordinated campaign of Nevada County and the proponents of Measure V.  Vote NO on V.

17th Century and Nevada County's Measure V Collide

What in the name of Hades does Measure V have to do with the 17th Century?  Well, it is the old English common law allowing members of the House of Commons to send correspondences without paying postage, I tell you. 

The U.S. Senate's website provides as follows:

Franking privileges—the ability to send mail by one's signature rather than by postage—date back to the seventeenth-century English House of Commons. The American Continental Congress adopted the practice in 1775 and the First Congress wrote it into law in 1789. In addition to senators and representatives, the president, cabinet secretaries, and certain executive branch officials also were granted the frank.  

Even though the title of the U.S. Senate's article is "Senate Ends Franked Mail Privilege," and as we have seen with Nevada County and Measure V, the title to the article on the Senate's website is highly misleading and does not match the text of the article.  In fact, at the end of the article, the Senate admits that, in 1891, "Congress restored full franking privileges. Since then, the franking of congressional mail has been subject to ongoing review and regulation."  Note the words "congressional" and "regulation."  "Congressional regulation" is also commonly known as "the fox guarding the hen house."  Next time you receive a mailer from an elected representative, double check the required disclosure on the mailer and determine who mailed it to you.  It will surprise you that, often times, the fluff mailer about your elected representative that you received in the mail came from your elected representative, but he used your tax dollars to send it to you instead of his campaign funds.  It is the privilege of incumbency.  Congress codified this self-serving use of taxpayer dollars in 39 U.S. Code sec. 3210 which provides, in part, as follows:

It is the intent of the Congress that mail matter which is frankable specifically includes...mail matter which constitutes or includes a biography or autobiography of any Member of, or Member-elect to, Congress or any biographical or autobiographical material concerning such Member or Member-elect or the spouse or other members of the family of such Member or Member-elect...

So, in short, Congress made it legal for a congressman to send mass mailings to you using your taxpayer dollars in order to provide you with a biography of his wife!  That is what congressional regulation looks like.  Sounds shady and self-serving, right?  It is shady and self-serving, but it is legal both federally and on a state level.  Elected representatives and government officials abuse this codified and very old common law privilege on the regular by using taxpayer dollars to pay postage for these mass mailers which tend to support an incumbent or support the government in general.  

Our ancestors, the progenitors of western freedoms, and in a time without telephones or the internet, understood that our representatives need to freely communicate with the electorate and other people by mail in the course of their representation.  The intent of the common law was not to self-servingly send out tens of thousands of mass mailers to voters on the back of the taxpayers, but rather to necessarily communicate as needed in the regular course of one's representation.  Fast forward to today, communicating with others in the regular course of one's representation is no longer a problem.  Just pick up the phone, send an email, or a text.  Yet unsurprisingly, we still have laws on the books that allow the abuse of the original intent of these laws for the benefit of the government winning elections and not for the general betterment of the people.  

Assuming that Nevada County sending out mass mailers in connection with an election is legal (not sure if it is), it is these very principles which Nevada County self-servingly violated when the County sent a mass mailer using taxpayer dollars to all of the registered voters of Nevada County "informing" them that Measure V is a wildfire prevention sales tax increase.  See mass mailer to the left.  Double check the mass mailer on the bottom right-hand corner and determine who mailed it to you.  The County of Nevada paid for that.

First of all, and as has been discussed here before, Measure V is not a wildfire mitigation sales tax as they pretend; it is, by the County's own admission, a general tax with which the County can do as it pleases.  As such, the County's mass mailer is highly misleading to the electorate and downright dishonest. Second, and relevant to our discussion herein, your Nevada County government (the Office of Emergency Services) spent your taxpayer dollars on a misleading mass mailer which misrepresents Measure V in order to self-servingly try to convince you to give Nevada County another $12 million to be deposited in the County's general fund.  Sounds shady and self-serving too, right?  That's because it is shady and self-serving.

When it comes to elections in this country, the will of the people rules.  The government which results from these elections should be as neutral as Switzerland and completely silent when it comes to the public debate.  The government should never take partisan positions, because they have no vote and no say in how the people decide to administer such government.  Yet as we have seen in Nevada County, time and again, whether it is recalls, election transparency, and Measure V, our local government is not only vocally taking partisan sides but using your taxpayer dollars to do it.  It is wrong and is a gross mismanagement of public funds to spend taxpayer dollars on partisan positions especially when the partisan positions are self-serving to the local government administrators themselves who wrongfully spent your money for their benefit.  Tell the Nevada County government that enough is enough.  Vote No on Measure V. 

Dude. What is going on?

Balancing work and family sometimes makes it difficult to sit down and write.  I write all day at work, and usually by the evening, I am all written out and headed to the gym or to play softball with my friends.  Lately and despite not writing too much, many of my friends have seen my name in the paper or on the radio and laughingly ask me, "Dude. What is going on?"  And my stock answer is "Dude. F___ those guys," and then we die laughing before I explain.  For those who know me well, I am one of the most calm and unshakable people out there.  There is freedom in only truly caring about that which is important and then letting the rest go.  Being the son of one of the biggest shit talkers on the south side of Chicago, what other people think does not bother me.  Go ahead, talk shit.  It motivates people like me.

In addition, you are instantly my friend until you are not by your choice and by your actions.  I believe that all people have an inherent value simply for being alive and always deserve respect until they have proven otherwise.  That said, I gravitate towards people who have sound moral foundations and are strong in their convictions.  Understanding that there is always a gray area around truth, I cannot tolerate outright dishonesty.  Outright dishonesty causes the loss of my respect almost instantly with little prayer of allowing myself to be fooled twice.  So then, the explanation to my friend's question becomes one of honesty.

After my first wife and I divorced in 2015 and because she works for Congressman McClintock, I removed myself from local politics in order to give her space in her world to heal.  We both needed it, and now things are very good.  Remarkably, my wife and my ex-wife celebrate Mother's Day together with all of our children.  My ex-wife is, in some respects, still a part of my life, and it works and is good.  So, when 2022 rolled around, I had not spoken to anyone in local politics aside from comments on blogs for nearly seven years and apparently most of these folks thought that we had moved back to Chicago.

Then at the beginning of 2022, the election office in Nevada County started playing politics with a group of citizens and with COVID, bullying them, and lying to the public about it.  I was given outrageous videos demonstrating how county elected officials and employees were treating its own citizens about whom the County was telling bald-faced lies.  I told all of my friends that helping these folks was a one-off, and I was going to finish my PhD when the mess was finished.  Inevitably, and after seeing firsthand the demeanor and foul character of some of the elected officials and employees, I went a little further and asked Gregory Diaz for a public election record - a copy of Natalie Adona's check indicating that she paid the filing fee for her candidacy for his office.  He straight up refused to give me a public record which he was legally required to disclose.  As I walked out of the election office and after being treated in the same bullying manner with which he treated his constituents in January earlier in the year and in my head, I said to myself, "F___ those guys."  Absent that moment, I would likely be enjoying my life working and studying history, as I had been.  The problem is that I cannot.  Our country is sick.  Our government does not seek the betterment of those whom they serve, but its own betterment.  Our government bullies and mistreats those whom they serve and lies about it.  At that moment on one hand, I was done, and on the other hand, I was just beginning.  So, I sued Gregory Diaz arguing that, if he did not give me the check, his chosen successor could not be on the ballot.  What happened in court?  Simple.  He coughed up the check, because it was required by law.

Salaries and Pensions for Nevada County Executive Staff are Outrageous

A dear friend of mine read about the Measure V litigation in The Union and asked me why Nevada County needs another $12,000,000 in the general fund?  As we know, Nevada County officials are sounding an alarm in an effort to scare voters into believing that the county does not have enough money for wildfire mitigation despite its over $330,000,000 budget.  They are telling you that they need you to pay another $12,000,000 a year because $330,000,000 is not enough to operate our small, quaint county.  As of 2020, the population of Nevada County was only 102,241.  Doing some quick math, Nevada County states that it needs about $3,300 per person to operate our little county.  For a family of four, they need to pay about $13,000 for county services.  For nearly all of us, $13,000 is a lot of money unless of course you actually work for Nevada County in its executive offices.

Let's take a look at the top six non-elected money earners at the County and their combined salary and benefits package from 2021.

The Chief Executive Officer, Allison Lehman, made $409,437.

Chief Information Officer, Stephen Monaghan, made $338,209.

Assistant CEO, Mali Lagoe, made $336,788.

County Counsel, Kit Elliott, made $314,794.

Community Development Agency Director, Trisha Tillotson, made $308,350.

Health and Human Services Agency Director, Ryan Gruver, made $306,109.

In total, these six unelected government officials made a combined $2,013,687 and individually made more than any elected official in the County.  How many people in Nevada County make over $300,000 per year?  I would bet that it is only a handful of the 102,241 people that live here.

I would posit to my dear friend that Nevada County does not need another $12,000,000 per year in the general fund to maintain county services and to pay county salaries and pensions.  It appears that Nevada County needs to better manage the $330,000,000 that they already have and maybe cut some bloated executive salaries and bloated executive pensions.  The hardworking people of Nevada County deserve a local government that serves their interests and not the self-interest of the executives of the very same government.

Nevada County's Measure V is a Scam with Revenue to be Used to Pay Pensions and Salaries

Proponents of Measure V, such as most of the Board of Supervisors, Terry McAteer, and Kit Elliott, county counsel for Nevada County, keep telling the public in the local media that Measure V is a sales tax increase in order to "prevent" wildfires, reduce brush countywide, improving evacuation routes, maintain defensible space, and "for general government use."  The only item above that is guaranteed to happen is that Nevada County will spend the revenue from Measure V "for general government use" including for pensions and staff salaries.  Don't believe me?  Let's look at rare moments of honesty from Nevada County in pleadings filed with the Nevada County Superior Court and the auditor's report.

In their Response to the Writ of Mandate on September 6, 2022, Nevada County argued to the Court that, despite touting in the local media that Measure V is a sales tax increase to be used to prevent wildfires (which is impossible), the county can literally spend the money on anything they desire.  "Here, Measure V is nothing like the tax in Monterey because there are no specific projects that are earmarked for the funds, and the County has discretion to use sales tax revenues to fund “general government services.”  See Response, 12:20-23.  "Measure V is similar to the tax considered in Mendocino because the future sales tax revenues are not earmarked, and can be used for any general county services..."  See Response, 13:4-6.  

Contrary to the misrepresentations to the media by Nevada County and by the proponents of Measure V, revenue from Measure V is not "earmarked" in any way.  The idea that Nevada County will only spend the revenue from Measure V on wildfire prevention is a farce.  It is one thing for the government to lie to the public and to the media, but it is entirely another thing to lie to the Court, hence, the rare moments of honesty from Nevada County.  Indeed, Nevada County will be spending the revenue generated from Measure V on (you guessed it) pensions and salaries for County staff.  Unlike the admissions in court pleadings, this undeniable truth can be found in the Nevada County auditor's fiscal impact statement of Measure V admitting that revenue generated from Measure V will be spent on pensions and staff salaries.

Don't be fooled by the rhetoric coming from Nevada County.  As Rahm Emanuel said in 2008, "never let a good crisis go to waste."  Nevada County seeks to, as found by the Nevada County Superior Court, "play upon the heart strings of the public” in an effort to pass the general fund tax measure.  In addition, the Court also found that the County is counting on higher-than-expected inflation in order to generate even more revenue from local taxpayers creating an even higher tax burden on our local residents.  So, Nevada County is "play upon the heart strings of the public” in order to take advantage of the crisis related to wildfires and also capitalizing on the national inflation crisis to generate more revenue for pensions and administrative salaries.

Based upon the Court’s ruling and the County’s admission during the litigation and the auditor's report, it is clear that Measure V is a scam upon the taxpayers.  Don't be fooled by the rhetoric, because none of it is true.  Vote NO on Measure V.

Enforcement Policies of Nevada County Mask Mandates Need to be Clarified

Last night, we watched the Los Angeles Rams defeat the San Francisco Forty-Niners in the NFC Championship game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.  Currently, California is under an executive order signed by Gavin Newsom requiring citizens to wear a mask in all public areas.  To the left is a maskless governor with an already ill and maskless Magic Johnson in a public place (yet again) violating his own mask order.

Twitter @MagicJohnson

At this point the mask mandates, and those who enact or support them, are just silly.  Nobody is following these ridiculous orders, not even the governor who signed the executive order.  Further, neither the state nor Nevada County has an articulated enforcement mechanism at all.  Finally, and based upon these haphazard policies, the Nevada County election office has resorted to enforcement by physical force.  In fact, when asked Gavin Newsom was asked by media about enforcement of his mandate, he responded that he had “faith” in residents to follow the dictate. The lack of enforcement policies is inexcusable and leading to little government dictators changing policy on a whim thus leading to physical harm of constituents.

It is time for the Nevada County supervisors to lead on this issue.  They need to make clear what their enforcement policies.  If the supervisors value liberty, they would enforce the governor's mask mandate in the same manner which he enforces it.  We trust our fellow man to do the right thing.  I frankly rarely agree with Gavin Newsom on any topic, but in this instance, I agree with him whole-heartedly.   As Newsom has made clear, he has purposefully executed an emergency mask mandate with no enforcement mechanism and has commented to the media that we should trust our fellow man to do the right thing.  Regardless of the efficacy of masks and, for argument purposes, conceding that they are 100% effective in preventing infection, it is about a mandate which dictates to the public rather than the request which the governor has plainly made. 

At this time, the Nevada County supervisors need to lead.  Sue Hoek, as chairman of the board of supervisors, should direct staff to draft a resolution indicating that the county will follow our governor's lead and simply ask our local citizens to wear a mask in the county office.  While the supervisors may think that they work for the staff at the county, that fact of the matter is that staff works for the supervisors who work for the people.  If staff refuses to draft the resolution in the manner dictated by Sue Hoek, a template can be provided to her by a number of citizen groups who are sick of these mandates, and she can put it on the agenda.  That is her job.

As discussed in yesterday's post (and I know Sue Hoek agrees with this axiom because she is a strong, patriotic, freedom-loving woman), we are constantly on a journey from ancient authoritarianism towards true freedom and liberty.  Sometimes while on this journey, we as a society take two steps forward (the Declaration of Independence) and then take one step back (Dredd Scott).  In order for freedom and liberty to succeed, all of our collective steps must always be forward and towards freedom and liberty.  Any government mandate is a step backward towards ancient authoritarianism and away from our American way.  If we are a people that value freedom and liberty, and as Gavin Newsom said, we have to trust our fellow man to do the right thing, and the Nevada County supervisors should do the same thing and tell the county citizens that the county will not be enforcing these silly mask mandates and tell the public that they trust them to do the right thing for their neighbors.

"Nevada County Ballots and Sample Booklets - What really happened?" - Yubanet

Pascale Fusshoeller, YubaNet, wrote this balanced article today. I was going to write something about the inconsistencies among statements to the Court during the Measure S hearings and statements to the public in connection with multiple delays in getting voting information to folks. That said, Pascale says it better than I would have and in less time!

"A news release, sent late this afternoon by Nevada County's Clerk-Recorder appears to contain several inaccuracies and statements contradicting earlier explanations, possibly even omissions in declarations made to the court. At issue is the delay in mailing the vote by mail ballots and the sample ballot booklets for the November 4th election."

This rest of this fair and balanced article on Yubanet is here.

This morning, The Union also did a balanced article on the election debacle.

"'I’m very concerned about the integrity of the voting process,' Lamphier said in a statement issued Monday. 'People need to have confidence in government and this kind of thing hurts us all. Candidates spend thousands of dollars to have a timely official candidacy statement before the voters to help them make informed choices before they vote,' he added."

 

"'There is also the issue of candidate mailers sent to voters to coincide with ballot mailings,' he said. 'These also cost thousands of dollars. With local elections often very close, these kinds of mistakes can make all the difference in who gets elected or how people vote on ballot measures,' Lamphier said.'"

 

The rest of the article in The Union is here.

 

Outdoor Events Ordinance Approved In Final Reading

"Nevada County Supervisors have narrowly approved an outdoor events ordinance that will go into effect in December. In the second reading of the ordinance at their meeting today (Tuesday), the board voted 3-2 to limit outdoor events to four per year in residential areas. Permits will also be needed. District Four Supervisor Hank Weston voted in favor, and says it’s the smaller events that have gotten more complaints."

The audio and the remainder of the KNCO report is here.

For some reason, I cannot find the audio that heard on the radio last night in connection with Ed Scofield's and Nate Beason's comments about the ordinance. Supervisor Scofield stated that the ordinance is more far reaching and effects our local wineries - something that was not supposed to happen. Beason stated something to the effect that the ordinance is not complete, yet Beason wanted to pass the ordinance anyway. Beason stated that the County will amend and fix the ordinance after it is passed, but before it is to go into effect in December.

Logic dictates that any ordinance should be soundly reasoned and carefully tailored to create the effects desired. Passing an imperfect ordinance which has a greater than necessary reach and knowing that the ordinance is too broad is completely counter intuitive and not a proper action of county government.

Let's be very clear. This ordinance will negatively impact the local economy. As we have been told by local businesses and as a direct result of the ordinance, outdoor event coordinators will move operations out of the county in order to avoid the ordinance. The ordinance, as written, negatively and wrongfully impacts our local wineries. The businesses that supply these outdoor events and the winery events, such as SRC Party Rentals among others, will see a decline in sales as a direct result of this ordinance. Such negative impacts will trickle through the entire local economy.

Kudos to Ed Scofield for having the vision to understand how such government actions can negatively impact our local economy and how passing an overbroad ordinance (that is admittedly not ready for primetime) is not a proper action of county government.

At a time when our local economy is weak and our local unemployment is high, an ordinance that further contracts the local economy is imprudent an ill-conceived.

Newcomers Integrating into a Small Town

Having moved here from bigger cities as newcomers, Kim and I have a little perspective on how one integrates into a small town, and Nevada County is certainly a small town. Our children hate to go to the grocery store with us, because they know it will take an half-hour longer than it needs to, because we stop and talk to our friends no less than three times per trip. When our children go to the Fair, we warn them not to act up, because we live in a small town and someone will see you and they will tell us and you will get busted. In 2007, I was the best man in the wedding of one of my best friends (a Bear River grad), and I was reminded of the story of him driving home from school up 49 at about 100 miles per hour. His mom knew about it before he got home. Everybody in this community knows everybody...and everybody's business.

We love our wonderful small town community...it is why we moved here - twice. We moved here originally in 1998 and owned a gymnastics gym. In 2002, we went to law school in Valparaiso, Indiana, and after working in northwest Indiana, we chose to move back to our favorite lovely, small, quaint town. We love our tight-knit community. We love the Fair. We love knowing our neighbors. We love our coffee group at Pete's. We love our Rotary group. We love the business community. We wanted to be part of it for the rest of our lives.

Most of all, we love our friends. We play softball on teams which are composed almost entirely of people that went to high school here, and they treat us like family and no different than anyone else. From Darrell Tripp, to Guy Selleck, to Carl Cookson, they are my high school buddies that would have been if we had grown up here.

"In the end, we want to make sure our newcomers feel welcome and are integrated into our politics, culture and economics. It leads to vibrant economies, innovation and collaboration. We need that, because our population is aging and declining."

Yesterday, I read this comment on Pelline's blog and the comment got me thinking. What are the obstacles to integrating in a small town? Is there a systemic problem in this community for newcomers integrating?

In our relocation experience, there were no obstacles. We've owned two businesses here - going on three. We are very active politically. We are members of many local philanthropic groups in town. We have friends who grew up here that would give us the shirt of their back if we needed it. We did not move here and try to change this small community; we moved here to be a part of this community as it currently exists. I think that is the obstacle for certain newcomers.

Most people who end up relocating here either came here for a visit and loved it or had family here. During visits, they find out what we already know, Nevada County is awesome and amazing from the people to the activities. They find out that Nevada County is a rare gem in the world, and then, they decide to move here and be a part of this wonderful community.

That said, there are others that move here and decide that they know more about the way things should be than the people that have lived here for generations. Starting out a new relationship with a new community by treating them as unworldly because they live in a small town does not lend itself to charity. In order to properly integrate into any small town, it seems that one must accept those small town values which make the community wonderful. In order to properly integrate into any small town, it seems that one must become a part of the community and not the newcomer who lectures the community at-large what they are doing wrong all the time. Those small town values are the very reason why people stay here and why people move here. Those small town values are the very fabric of the community. A failure to integrate in this small town by those who reject those small town values is to be expected.

In conclusion, it seems that the obstacles to integrating into this small town are not systemic, they are individual and based upon the person and not the community. This community is very inviting and accepting of newcomers, but you have to share the commonality of small town values or it simply becomes difficult to integrate due to a lack of common vision.

Nevada County Fair Starts Tomorrow!

Yesterday as we drove from Grass Valley to Penn Valley, our kids caught glimpse of the rides for the Nevada County Fair coming up the highway. Of course, they freaked out. Since we moved to Nevada County, the Fair has been a scheduled event every single year; we never miss it. In fact, the Nevada County Fair was the frst of the multitude of reasons that we returned to Nevada County in 2008. It truly is the best fair in California - hands down.

Last week, Kim and I attended the Amador County Fair. Amador County has a smaller fairgrounds than Nevada County which is to be expected with a smaller population of Amador County. It was a really nice county fair (in spite of the forest fire nearby), and the visit served to get us more excited about the upcoming Nevada County Fair.

Fair time in Nevada County serves multiple purposes in the community at-large. The children of FFA and 4H have the opportunity to showcase their wonderful summer achievements, and countless non-profits fundraise by hosting various food booths during the Fair. Our favorite part of the Fair (aside from the corn dogs) is having the opportunity to see all of our friends with whom we do not get to spend as much time as we would like considering our very busy schedules. The Fair is truly the best community event the Nevada County has to offer. Sandy Woods, CEO of the Nevada County Fairgrounds, continues to do a wonderful job as does the Fair Foundation and the Fair board. Kudos to Sandy Woods, the Fair board, and the Fair Foundation for keeping our county fair a vibrant, shining light for our community.

This year, I took on the arduous task of scheduling the volunteers for the Knights of Columbus food booth on treat street. Make sure to come by Treat Street (and specifically the Knights of Columbus booth) and support the community! See you all at the Nevada County Fair!

Rotarians Take on Production of Demolition Derby at 2014 Fair

"It's back – the Destruction Derby at the Nevada County Fair! The popular Derby, held on Sunday of the Nevada County Fair, will be locally produced by five of Nevada County's Rotary Clubs – The Rotary Club of Nevada City, Rotary Club of Nevada County South, 49er Breakfast Rotary of Nevada City, Penn Valley Rotary, and Rotary Club of Grass Valley."

"This year's Destruction Derby is sure to be a crowd favorite! Watch as drivers put their cars to the ultimate test and crash, smash, and ram other vehicles while trying to keep their own vehicle running! That's demolition at its best."

"'The Nevada County Fairgrounds is extremely pleased that the Rotarians, who are leaders in our community, are taking on the production of the Destruction Derby at the Fair,' said Sandy Woods, CEO of the Nevada County Fairgrounds. 'This event will be a truly locally produced event, and we are excited to be able to offer this entertainment to our community.'"

"The Destruction Derby is held on Sunday, August 10, at 7 pm at the Nevada County Fair. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for kids 12 and under."

"In addition to the Destruction Derby, this year's Fair has a full line up in the arena, including the Flying U Extreme Rodeo (produced by Cotton Rosser and Flying U Rodeo) on Wednesday and Thursday night, and Tuff Trucks and Monster Trucks (produced by Scott Miller Paving, Inc.) on Friday and Saturday night."

"For tickets to Rotary's Destruction Derby or any of the arena events, visit NevadaCountyFair.com. This year's Nevada County Fair is August 6- 10."

The simple fact is that the so-called "good ole boys and girls" get community service projects done for our local community, because they deeply care about the people that live here and the quality of life in rural Nevada County. They get off their butts and git 'er done...not talk about it from behind a computer. It is that simple. Thank you to all of the Rotarians that made this demolition derby happen this year. You know who you are!

State of Jefferson Supported by Prominent Democrats

Editor’s Note: I apologize to the regular readers of this blog, as I have been too busy this summer with work (I will never complain for having too much) and travel to write at all. Our daughter won her gymnastics national championships in Florida and subsequently received emails from Ohio State and Illinois among others, so it has been a good summer. Thank you for all of your concerns about my failure to write and your congratulations to our daughter. I truly appreciate the support and promise to dedicate a little more time to reporting.

The local buzz about the State of Jefferson has been pretty loud. Yesterday, George Rebane posted a very good summary on Rebane Ruminations. There will be a townhall in connection with the movement for the creation of the State of Jefferson held at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley on August 2nd at 3:30pm.

While many liberals locally attempt to categorize the different ideas for splitting California into more manageable, smaller states as an extreme rightwing conservative position, the truth of the matter is that the idea of splitting California is a bipartisan movement.

Jim Reed, a Democratic candidate for the California Assembly from the 3rd District, supports the idea and is even using the State of Jefferson as a prominent position in his current campaign.

The following is directly from Jim Reed's campaign website linked above.

"Water rights and pushing to end fracking will be important themes for Reed. But the case for splitting California in two or three states is likely to be a centerpiece of his campaign."

"He said California has become increasingly difficult to govern. It is not getting the representation it deserves on Capitol Hill, and it could do better if there were more local control, Reed said."

"More people are warming up to the idea of dividing the state. The movement is finding support among Democratic Party leaders, like Willie Brown, Reed said, adding that passing a measure in the state Legislature is doable before sending it off to Congress."

"'It might be the thing Congress would pass if done in the politically correct manner,' he said."

"Reed, 62, said the former lawmaker Stan Statham has invited him to be part of a committee that would explore prospects. Statham is noted for being a strong proponent of the so-called state of Jefferson, a concept of carving out the 51st state from the largely rural southern part of Oregon and northern part of California."

"'I’m not saying it’s completely out of the question,' Reed said of the Jefferson proposal, though he would advocate dividing the state, north and south. 'The debate is where the dividing line will be. It'd be nice to have Silicon Valley in the north state.'"

So the notion professed by our local leftist bloggers that the idea of dividing California is a uniquely conservative position is poppycock.

The bipartisan movement (nobody has ever accused Jim Reed and Willie Brown of being Republicans) regarding the State of Jefferson is not a problem - it is a symptom of a problem. Increasingly, citizens of California are disenchanted with their state government. Once the golden state, California is in substantial decline and is now the punchline for jokes originiating east of the Sierra. Further, the urban/rural divide in California is stark. The entire state is led around by the nose succumbing to the whims of representatives in Los Angeles and San Francisco. How can a representative from Los Angeles possibly understand the issues in Redding or Nevada City?

The fact of the matter is that California is simply too big and amazingly unmanageable. How big you ask? California is so big that, if it were divided into six equally populated states, each of the new states would be about the size of Ohio! Los Angeles County itself has a population comparable to that of Virginia!

Now that a ballot initiative has been proposed and living in a free society, the idea of dividing California will be a prominent issue in the state for sometime. Debate in a free society is good and healthy, but we need honest debate and not the empty rhetoric of those who (in an effort to divide) mischaracterize and misrepresent what is truly going on.

Be sure that you are an adequately informed voter. To that end, do not trust me or anyone else. The internet provides endless sources of information for you. Use this great tool and learn the issues for yourself.

Louisiana Gov. Jindal Claims 'Rebellion Brewing' against Washington

Editor's Note: What is really going on here in Nevada County?

Earlier this week, Brent Cole, a "sovereign citizen" and 9-11 truther, shot at law enforcement officials in sleepy Nevada County. All of the sudden our local leftwing blogger leaps to the ridiculous conclusion and with no evidence that Cole (a 9-11 truther who likely believes George Bush bombed the World Trade Center) shot at law enforcement, because he was influenced by conservative speakers in Nevada County. Nevermind that there is no evidence that Cole ever attended one of these events. Nevermind that the "sovereign citizens" movement (which I did not even no existed until this week) is dominated in Chicago by African-Americans. Nevermind real facts...let's just make them up as we go in order to advance a liberal hate agenda.

The answer to the original question - what is going on here is this - the liberal mindset is to wrongfully demonize conservatives (with no evidence or proof) in a concerted effort to get conservatives to self-censor their speech. Make no mistake. Jeff Pelline and the local liberals lost big in the most recent election and they are becoming unhinged. They are struggling to win local policy debates on facts and evidence, so they resort to unfounded attacks in order to demonize. Enter Bobby Jindal who sums up the censorship advanced by the leftists very nicely.

"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Saturday night accused President Barack Obama and other Democrats of waging wars against religious liberty and education and said that a rebellion is brewing in the U.S. with people ready for "a hostile takeover" of the nation's capital."

"Jindal spoke at the annual conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group led by longtime Christian activist Ralph Reed. Organizers said more than 1,000 evangelical leaders attended the three-day gathering. Republican officials across the political spectrum concede that evangelical voters continue to play a critical role in GOP politics."

"'I can sense right now a rebellion brewing amongst these United States,' Jindal said, 'where people are ready for a hostile takeover of Washington, D.C., to preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.'"

"The governor said there was a 'silent war' on religious liberty being fought in the U.S. -- a country that he said was built on that liberty."

"'I am tired of the left. They say they're for tolerance, they say they respect diversity. The reality is this: They respect everybody unless you happen to disagree with them,' he said. 'The left is trying to silence us and I'm tired of it, I won't take it anymore.'"

The rest of the article is here.

Sample Ballot Complaint Filed Against Gregory Diaz in 2014 Primary Election

Once again, Nevada County has finished an election, and once again, the election code is violated.

"[W]e have confirmed reports of voters in Nevada County that the ballot order on precinct ballots for a number of offices, including federal/state/local offices, differ from the ballot order for these offices in the sample ballots issued by your office to voters. We have confirmed these discrepancies in over a dozen precincts. Your office confirmed this was a problem in 27 precincts (These precinct numbers are on Attachment A under BT8). The County stated they had not had an opportunity to check if other precincts were experiencing this same problem. Observed variations include at least one or more offices on regular precinct ballots provided to voters in these precincts. Your office has acknowledged these discrepancies."

"The discrepancies violate Elections Code section 13112 which specifies that the ballot order shall be determined by the random selection process provided in that statute. These discrepancies may affect the outcomes of races in which the ballot order discrepancies have occurred."

The entire complaint can be read on Yubanet. In his response to the complaint and while being interviewed by KNCO, Gregory Diaz reluctantly admits that "there is a possibility that some people could have mis-voted."

The trials and tribulations of the elections office under the absent leadership of Greg Diaz has been widely documented by respectable media sources in the community including here.

The saga that is Gregory Diaz continues...

Huge Night for Republicans in Nevada County

Aside from the over 6,000 ballots not being printed correctly and several electronic voting machines not working (again), the primary election was uneventful.

In Supervisor District 4, Republican Hank Weston received over 60% of the vote in a rout of his Democrat challenger.

In Supervisor District 3, Republican Dan Miller knocked off a Democrat incumbent by over seven points.

In what turned out to be the most disgusting and dishonest local campaign in recent years, Cliff Newell (who was endorsed by the Nevada County Republican Party) disposed of his dishonest challenger by double digits.

In the Superintendent of Schools race and only starting his campaign in March, Paul Haas (who was also endorsed by the Nevada County Republican Party) made an incredible showing against the incumbent.

In the race for Superior Court Judge, Republican endorsed candidates garnered over 50% of the vote in the crowded five-person race. Anna Ferguson (the Republican endorsed candidate) cruised through to November.

In the assembly race, Republican Brian Dahle received nearly 70% of the vote.

In the congressional races, both Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock crusied to victory with well over 50% of the vote in the crowded fields.

Considering the wide margins of the victors, and absent some huge mistake by the elections official or some type of voter fraud, the likelihood that these preliminary results will change after further counting is slim to none.

Kudos to the Nevada County Republican Party for supporting our local candidates and getting out the vote. I have to say today is a good day.

Cliff Newell is a Great DA - No Honest Reason to Change

Cliff Newell has been, and will continue to be, a fierce advocate for crime victims. Cliff is endorsed by the major statewide crime victim’s organizations, namely Crime Victims United, Crime Victims Alliance, and Citizens for Law and Order. Violent crime is down 42% since Cliff took office in 2006.

In these trying fiscal times, Cliff is a good steward of your tax dollar by effectively prosecuting crime with less money, as such, he is endorsed by Supervisors Beason and Scofield.

Cliff Newell mentors aggressive talented Deputy DAs to ensure more trials on tough cases resulting in more accountability and less crime. Nevada County enjoys the lowest crime rate of any similar county in California.

Right now we have a great team in Nevada County, as Cliff works as a strong partner with law enforcement. As evidence of this fact, Cliff is endorsed by Sheriff Royal, Sheriff’s Management Assoc., Retired Police Chiefs from Truckee and Nevada City, Game Wardens, and other District Attorneys statewide.

As for his challenger, he is relying on false accusations and dishonest political rhetoric in his challenge of our DA.

We need to Keep Nevada County one of the safest places in California! We need to re-elect Cliff Newell as the District Attorney!

Message from Dan Miller to District 3 Incumbent Terry Lamphier: "You name the time and place and I'll be there"

Why is Terry Lamphier ducking Dan Miller?

Dan Miller for Supervisor 2014, April 17, 2014 - Campaigning for public office requires time away from work and family obligations, but it also requires the ability to be flexible and respond to requests for candidate forums, debates and other public appearances. As this year's Primary Election approaches, Dan Miller, candidate for Nevada County Supervisor District 3, is wondering what it will take for the incumbent to agree to a forum being hosted by Nevada County TV.

The in-studio forum, originally scheduled for April 11th, is now in limbo, because incumbent Terry Lamphier has declined to participate as of Tuesday, April 15th per NCTV Station Manager, Cheryl Noble. Miller is not surprised by the incumbent's reluctance to take part in the forum, but he is disappointed.

Incumbency often has its advantages but only when the incumbent has a record of accomplishment they want to promote. When accomplishments are lacking incumbents tend to avoid candidate forums. Miller said, "I understand the dynamic, but I'm nevertheless disappointed in Terry."

According to The Union Newspaper, a weekday series is now airing on Nevada County Television. "Nevada County Decides 2014" featuring discussions and interviews with local candidates running for various offices. An in house production done at the station's Grass Valley studio, "Nevada County Decides 2014" can also be seen on the station's website, www.nevadacountytv.org, under What's on TV. The series' debut show featured a discussion with District 4 Supervisor candidates.

Miller said that if his opponent is uncomfortable in a studio setting with lights and staging, he is prepared to participate in a forum wherever the incumbent feels more at ease.

"Assuming for the moment that the volunteers at NCTV are willing to tape a forum at a location more appealing to Terry, I will let him name the time and place –– and I will be there. Heck," Miller added, "if he'd feel more comfortable sitting on his porch with a cup of coffee at his side, I'll meet him there to discuss issues that concern the district and the county. I don't care where we meet, but ducking a forum is not the sort of thing voters expect from their elected leaders; District 3 deserves better."

Can Chambers of Commerce Legally Advocate for Candidates for Public Office?

Recently there has been a buzz in the community about whether to not the local Chambers of Commerce can legally advocate for or against candidates for public office. 

First of all, we need to look to the Internal Revenue Service as to the legality.  Chambers of Commerce are not charitable organizations which are organized under Internal Revenue Code sec. 501(c)(3).  Such charitable organization under 501(c)(3) are prohibited from engaging in supporting or opposing candidates.

Chambers of Commerce, however, are organized under Internal Revenue Code sec. 501(c)(6).

Pursuant to Internal Revenue Code sec. 501(c)(6), Chambers of Commerce, which are organized thereunder, may engage in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office provided that such intervention does not constitute the organization's primary activity.  Clearly as it relates to our local chambers, they are not organized solely to promote candidates and that is clearly not our local chambers' primary activity. 

Today and in The Union, Keith Davies stated as follows:  "'We cannot, we will not and we never will endorse any candidates.'"  As such, it is clear that our local chambers have, quite forcefully I might add, declined to exercise their legal right to support or oppose candidates for public office, but that is the free choice of the chambers and not a legal mandate.

The argument advanced by our local left appears to be that if you belong to a chamber or if you are involved with the management of a chamber, you are prohibited from exercising your individual constitutional right to support a particular candidate.  The argument is completely invalid on a few levels.  First, affiliation with any group does not preclude being involved in politics.  Second, the groups about which the local left is complaining are not even engaging in their legal right to participate in politics.  Third, nothing on God's green Earth prohibits the owner of a building that is located near a chamber of commerce to exercise his or her constitutional and individual right to hang a humorous sign in support of a candidate.

Mayor Dan Miller hit the nail on the head today when he said in The Union, "'It's the state of local politics that people are looking for anything to criticize.'"

Especially when these complaining individuals are criticizing in an effort to support their chosen candidate.  The buzz created by the local left is really one of the reasons that good people hesitate to become elected public servants and is a sad commentary on the level of the political debate. 

Let this community debate the issues and not engage in petty politics...or am I asking too much?