Field trip to Bear Harbor.  The North Coast rolled out the green carpet and gentle sunshine.  And, this beautiful Elk watched mildly as we tiptoed past him.

A half-hour from now — 7 p.m. or shortly thereafter — your Lost Coast Outpost will join Eric Kirk on his monthly KMUD radio show, “All Things Reconsidered.” We'll be taking a deep dive on the June 5 ballot, and your calls are welcome.

If you're up in the Humboldt Bay area or yet farther north, you can tune into KMUD on the new supercharged 88.1 FM. I just flipped that baby on and let me tell you it is sweet. If you're in SoHum or Northern Mendo, you can tune into whatever channel it is you tune into down there. And everyone is welcome at kmud.org  .

Political discussion often remains confined to blogs and talk radio, the opinion pages and comic strips  – until election season hits. Suddenly, our vote is being courted. The political becomes personal as we evaluate candidates through the filter of our own lives.

Me, I’m a fan of accomplishment. When I look over all my years of raising children, working multiple jobs and volunteering for various causes, it’s the practical achievements that have kept food on the table and a roof overhead. Without concerted effort, good intentions, sweet as they may be, fall short.

While we have no lack of well-meaning candidates (or candidates, period!) in the June 5 congressional primary, only one offers a record of actual legislative success on the critical issues of equality, education, health care, job creation and environmental protection. For those of us who want tangible results from our vote, Jared Huffman is the obvious choice.

Take a look:

MORE →

From the Eureka Police Department:

On 5/15/12, at about 10:13 AM, investigators with the Eureka Police Department’s Problem Oriented Policing Unit (POP) served a search warrant at a residence on the 800 block of N Street, Eureka.  The warrant was obtained after POP received information a subject was selling heroin from the residence. 

The suspect, resident Joel Abraham Guevara (age 29), was located and detained at the scene. During a subsequent search of the residence, investigators located approximately 137.4 grams of heroin (around 4.8 ounces), 4 grams of methamphetamine, $13,358.00 cash, digital gram scales indicative of drug sales activity, drug use paraphernalia (needles, cooker spoons, burnt foil, pipes etc.), over 200 grams of processed marijuana (approximately 7 ounces or a ½ pound), and a loaded Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic handgun with extra ammunition.  The cash was seized as suspected drug sales proceeds. 

Guevara was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for possession of heroin for sale, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of methamphetamine for sale, maintaining a space for drug use/sales, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and unlawful possession of prescription medication. 

Anyone with information concerning suspected drug sales or manufacturing activity within the City of Eureka is encouraged to call EPD’s Problem Oriented Policing Unit at (707) 441-4373.

Cliff Berkowitz talks with First District candidate Annette DeModena about the general plan update, the east west rail line feasibility study and wind turbines, among other things.

Audio

A legal notice in this morning’s Times-Standard mentions that the Dimmick Ranch — one-time home to “Reggae Rising,” the rogue offshoot in the Late Great SoHum Reggae Wars — is under foreclosure. Redwood Capital Bank is scheduled to auction off the property on the courthouse steps on June 7, after owner Tom Dimmick, who once had hoped to transform his family property into a world-class entertainment venue, defaulted on a $1 million loan.

The Reggae Wars broke out in 2006, when Dimmick and concert promoter Carol Bruno attempted to wrest control of the hugely successful “Reggae on the River” festival from its sponsor, the Mateel Community Center. In the legal actions that followed, the Mateel was able to maintain control of the the “Reggae on the River” brand, but Dimmick and Bruno — who had been booking the festival for years — soon announced that they would throw a rival festival, to be known as “Reggae Rising.” 

The split triggered a civil war within the SoHum hippie community, with longtime Mateelians bitterly lining up behind one faction or the other. Dimmick and Bruno began to put on other types of concerts on the property, which lines the South Fork of the Eel near the Humboldt/Mendocino County line.

But Dimmick later acquired full control the “Reggae Rising” festival from Bruno, and in 2010 he failed to acquire proper permits from the county. Everything went downhill from there. In the meanwhile, the Mateel Community Center’s original Reggae on the River festival carries on, though much downsized from its glory days.

With the Dimmick Ranch gone under, the final outcome of the Reggae Wars seems pretty conclusive: Everyone lost.

Cliff Berkowitz interview 1st District candidate Rex Bohn.  Topics include the general plan, regulation, trails and property rights among other things.

Audio