Weird Push Poll: HC Pot "Conservation" Tax Proposal

An illiterate and almost completely unintelligible semi-push-poll - asking whether you'd be in favor of a TAX on pot grows. Promising the moon, this tax will solve everything from child abuse to the environment. You have to hear the incredible list they lay out, would that make you support this tax?

Ummmm, no. You have to LEGALIZE it first, guys.

(And note to whoever is doing the poll, get someone who can READ. This was embarrassing)

This, and Bullock - why you don't raise your kids around drugs - lives wasted. Kailan Meserve found guilty of 15 counts

It is sad for both these families. But sadder still for the victims, who didn't deserve any of what came.

And attorney Russ Clanton no longer has a free pass, get your guy out of jail free (while raking in the bucks) card.

Pot is bad. The pot culture is bad.

◼ DA on Kailan Meserve Verdict - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ Kailan Meserve tells his family, "I will see you later. It's ok. I love you." - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ Finally, some justice for victims, particularly women and children, under District Attorney Maggie Fleming's leadership. - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ Kailan Meserve found guilty of 15 counts, taken away in cuffs after verdict - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016

Sentencing is July 1st at 8:30 a.m.

◼ Verdict in for Kailan Meserve case - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ After talking to Jane Doe #2, Jeff Groeling calls Travis Howe, another close friend of Meserve and says, "We have a problem." - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ Defense argument in Kailan Meserve case mostly speculation; prosecution rebuttal exposes defense claims - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016
◼ "We treat rape victims differently than other victims...That's what we do. We put blame on them." - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 19, 2016

◼ "She was frozen with fear... She tells him no. He doesn't stop. After that she doesn't say no." - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 18, 2016
◼ Close to verdict in Meserve case? Jury sends note says they are missing one verdict form - JohnChiv/Words Worth Apr 18, 2016

Well, where is she?

◼ Cryptic Hostage Note Left on Willow Creek Windshield Leads Cops to Grow Scene - LoCo

On 09-08-2015 at 12:20 p.m. Humboldt County Sheriff Office Deputies were dispatched to Trinity Automotive in Willow Creek for a suspicious note left on a vehicle. The note was written and signed by a female. The female indicated that her life was in danger and if she did not show up to pick up her car by Monday “To Call the Police!”

The note further indicated she may be being held against her will at an address off the 200 block of Panther Road, Willow Creek. When deputies responded to the address on Panther Road to conduct welfare check they discovered a commercial marijuana growing operation.

A Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant was obtained for the property. The female who left the note on the car was not located at the residence. Several people at the residence stated, she left a day ago on her own free will.

When deputies searched the residence and property they located 2-3 grams of methamphetamines, 160 lbs. of processed marijuana, 278 marijuana plants that were 4’ to 9’ in height. Four (4) firearms and $5,530 in cash.

Deputies arrested 44 year old, Kenneth Richard Ashe at the scene for possession of methamphetamine, cultivation and possession for sales of marijuana and for being armed in the commission of a felony. Ashe was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility in Eureka. Ashe’s bail was set at $75,000 dollars.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.
________________
So, where is she? WHO is she?

Just legalize it and "MoveOn"

Put an end to this colossal waste of time and energy.

◼ Marijuana Bills Gutted, Merged and Advanced in State Legislature - LoCo

...The newly unified bill was then given placeholder language saying, “It is the intention of the state legislature to regulate medical marijuana.”

The upshot of this is that the stakeholders from those three separate bills will now sit down with people from Governor Jerry Brown’s office to craft language for a unified bill in hopes of getting it passed in the Senate by Sept. 7....

Legalize it, relegate mass crops to AG land. Growers pony up on the taxes they've been skating on all these years.

Turnover at CCVH?

◼ Richard Marks no longer affiliated with CCVH? - John Chiv/Wordsworth

◼ Richard Marks Resigns from California Cannabis Voice Humboldt - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost

After a busy year organizing local marijuana growers into a formidable political action group, Richard Marks has resigned as executive director of California Cannabis Voice Humboldt (CCVH).

Marks told the Outpost he parted ways with the group because he didn’t have enough time to commit the effort he feels is required.

“I think I was doing them an injustice by doing something part time when [the job] really needs a lot more,” Marks said. He added that there’s no ill will from either side, and he complimented the group’s board of directors, calling it “one of the hardest-working nonprofit boards you’re gonna find.”

◼ Richard's post on CCVH: CCVH: Love us or hate us we get stuff done! - Samoa Softball
_____________
What is CCVH?

◼ Yesterday’s Pot Bust Involved Members of California Cannabis Voice Humboldt - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost June 23
◼ Despite Raids, California Cannabis Voice Humboldt to Release Draft Ordinance, Hold Rally on Courthouse Steps - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost June 25

Over the past year, local marijuana growers and activists, led by the political action group California Cannabis Voice-Humboldt (CCVH), have worked hard to legitimize the industry — drafting legislation, packing the Board of Supervisors chambers and urging “farmers” to come out of the shadows and be regulated. So when law enforcement this week raided grow operations on Island Mountain, including at least one belonging to a member of the group, activists viewed it as a betrayal of their trust.

The identity of the growers and/or property owners targeted in the raids have yet to be disclosed....

Meanwhile, CCVH still hopes to get a countywide outdoor cultivation ordinance on the books before the year is out. Local environmental leaders have pushed back against the group’s agenda and methods, comparing the situation to allowing timber companies to write their own rulebook.

Yesterday’s multi-agency marijuana raid at Island Mountain involved people currently active in the political action group California Cannabis Voice-Humboldt (CCVH), the group’s executive director, Richard Marks, confirmed this morning.

◼ ‘A Great Victory’: California Cannabis Voice Humboldt Unveils Land Use Ordinance - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost June 30
◼ Board of Supes Talk Weed Regulation, Part One - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost

Weed is littered across the agenda for today’s meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, and during the morning session the board quibbled over two main issues: First was a letter of support for Assembly Bill 243, a piece of statewide legislation written by the North Coast’s own Assemblymember Jim Wood.

The bill, called the Marijuana Watershed Protection Act, passed the Assembly last month in May and is now being considered on the floor of the Senate. Wood has said his bill is aimed at addressing the environmental impacts of medical marijuana farms, in part by creating “a structure to tag permitted medical cannabis plants with a unique identifier for each plant.”...

◼ Board of Supes Talk Weed Regulation, Part Two: CCVH Ordinance Lands With a Splat - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost

Luke Bruner, the enthusiastic young co-founder and public figurehead of the political action group California Cannabis Voice Humboldt (CCVH), spent nearly two hours this afternoon outlining the major provisions in his group’s ambitious Land Use Ordinance to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. The document, more than a year in the making and now in its seventh draft, aims not only to bring Humboldt County’s rampaging marijuana industry into some semblance of order through a series of governmental regulations but also to serve as a template for regulation throughout rural California.

It’s the product of considerable effort and organization from a group few had heard of a year ago, and the task they undertook — trying to entice a profitable black market into the bonds of regulation and taxation on the one hand while, on the other, trying to convince the government to let an industry draft its own regulatory laws — could aptly be described as Herculean....

As the Outpost noted in a previous post, the proposed ordinance hinges on the addition of “cannabis” to the county’s definition of general agriculture. Once that change was in the books, Bruner explained, cannabis could be grown on any parcel in the county where general ag is currently allowed — including land zoned for timber production (TPZ). The exception would be within the Coastal Zone since the California Coastal Commission won’t allow it.

◼ HUMBOLDT COUNTY CANNABIS CULTIVATION COMPLIANCE INITIATIVE

◼ Chiv has questions: Why should a group that won't identify it's board be trusted with input on an ordinance they seek to gain from? - John Chiv/Words Worth
◼ Chiv updates: California Cannabis Voice Humboldt's new site with board member list - John Chiv/Words Worth

The Ortiz Murder Trial: Powerful testimony in the preliminary hearing UPDATED

Updated from 5/5/15 posting

◼ Computer error, demurrer, date changes, procedure: a convoluted mess in the Vincent Ortiz case where he is charged with attempted murder and an accessory to murder - John Chiv/Words Worth May 26/2015

First Vincent Ortiz's arraignment was off the calendar. Then it is back on. Then his attorney Mr. Greg Elvine-Kreis said that he enters a demurrer to all charges except Count 2 claiming People are filing charges in the arraignment on information against his client when he was not held to answer to those charges in the preliminary hearing.

Then there was the issue that he has two files that need to be consolidated and half the information was in one file and the other half in another file. DDA Jackie Pizzo said she would file the paperwork and had discussed this with the court computer staff. That was the easiest part of the case.

◼ Judge Miles grants motion and Rodney Ortiz is not allowed to practice as a state licensed contractor - John Chiv/Words Worth May 26/2015

Rodney Ortiz's case was relatively simple. Although he waived time and was arraigned today in Courtroom 2 for jury trial, now his jury trial is set on the same day as his son, who is charged a s a co-defendant, July 20.

The state contractor's licensing board filed a motion prohibiting Rodney Ortiz from being a state licensed contractor.

◼ Unsual twist in Silverio Sanchez and Vincent Sanchez cases - John Chiv/Words Worth May 26/2015
◼ Attorney General files to prohibit homicide suspect Rodney Ortiz to practice as a state license contractor - John Chiv/Words Worth May 26/2015

◼ Rodney Ortiz's arraignment on, Vincent Ortiz's arraignment off calendar, reason? - John Chiv/Words Worth May 22/2015

Both Rodney and Vincent Ortiz were to be arraigned on August 26. Rodney Ortiz is still set to be arraigned but Vincent Ortiz's arraignment is off calendar.

_______________
Under the new DA, it's all business. A vast improvement over the pathetic tenure of Paul Gallegos. Just thought I'd throw that in here, since new readers don't know why it is so remarkable that cases are actually going to trial rather than languishing indefinitely.

For day-to-day reporting on the ongoing trials, with the full flavor and details of the proceedings, be sure to follow John Chiv's Blog, Words Worth...

◼ Rodney Ortiz held to answer on all charges, only one charge of attempted murder for Vincent Ortiz - John Chiv/Words Worth May 7, 2015 (UPDATE)

Her lawyer's nightmare

◼ Kimberly Steele Gives the Outpost Her Account of Saturday’s Homicide in Arcata - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Breaking story 5/17/15
◼ ‘The Price of Trevor’s Life’ - Kimberly Steele Talks About the Pot Deal That Left a Man Dead - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost Full Story 5/18/15

Kimberly Steele arranged the pot deal that ended with one man shot dead in Arcata. She was arrested and booked for murder, then released -- though police say they are still considering which charges to bring. Here's her story.
...“I had been working on a pot deal the whole day.”...

If I was Lost Coast Outpost, I'd print it too. But what a stupid thing for her to do. Any lawyer will tell you.

Might as well start the running coverage recap:

◼ Woman Arrested for Saturday’s Homicide in Arcata Released From Jail - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost 5/14/15

According to jail records, Kimberly Lyn Steele, who was arrested at her Samoa home shortly after the incident in Arcata’s Sunset neighborhood, was set free yesterday shortly after noon.

Hours later, the Arcata Police Department and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office raided a location at the Bear River Rancheria and took Billy Joe Giddings into custody. He and Robert Louis Huntzinger are still in jail facing murder and robbery charges.

◼ Two more arrests in Saturday homicide - Kevin Hoover/Mad River Union/City Of Arcata Press Release 5/13/15

On Tuesday, May 12th, near midnight, the Arcata Police Department arrested Robert Louis Huntzinger (age 34) at a residence located in the 400 block of Railroad Avenue in Blue Lake.

The arrest of Huntzinger was made with the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol. Huntzinger was arrested without incident.

On Wednesday, May 13th, at about 3:45 pm, the Arcata Police Department arrested Billy Joe Giddings (age 35) at a residence located in the 200 block of Brenard Road in Loleta.

◼ (UPDATED) Two Men Arrested in Connection to Weekend Homicide in Arcata - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 5/13/15

◼ Arcata Homicide Victim Named; Two Suspects Still Sought - Andrew Goff/Lost Coast Outpost 5/11/15

The homicide victim has been identified as 38-year-old Trevor Mark Harrison, of Arcata.

◼ Homicide investigation continues; one arrest made - Mad River Union 5/11/15
◼ Arcata Police Arrest Woman Believed to Have Been Involved in Saturday Night’s Home Invasion/Homicide - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost 5/11/15

One person has been arrested in connection with the home invasion robbery that ended when a man was shot dead Saturday night, according to Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman.

Chapman told the Outpost that his officers found Kimberly Lyn Steele, 28, at her home in Samoa on Sunday, shortly after the shooting. Steele was taken into custody for questioning, Chapman said, after which she was arrested and booked into jail on robbery charges.

“We are continuing to investigate her involvement in the homicide,” Chapman said.

◼ APD investigating shooting homicide - APD Press Release/Mad River Union 5/10/15
◼ Homicide in Arcata: Last Night’s Fatal Shooting Connected With Home Invasion Marijuana Robbery, Says APD - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost 5/10/15

Further investigation revealed that a marijuana related home invasion robbery had occurred and the victim was shot during the commission of that robbery. The suspects are described as two white male adults, possibly in their 20’s, wearing dark clothing and a white female adult described as being in her late 20’s or early 30’s with a possible first name of “Kim.”

◼ Shooting in Arcata; Police, Medical Responding to Sunset Neighborhood - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost 5/10/15

Incompetence moves up the chain

◼ Backers of legal marijuana face challenges in crafting a ballot measure - LA Times

Although the state’s multibillion-dollar marijuana industry does “immense” environmental harm, he said, state oversight could diminish the damage.

“We need to see this problem as an opportunity to develop a regulatory scheme,” Gallegos said.
_______________
It's no secret Paul's handlers wanted to move him up the chain. Looks like they found an opportunity. If this is the quality Gavin Newsom brings onto his team....one has to wonder who he's listening to. So now he's got a guy saying they need to develop a regulatory scheme (that's rich) who lost grants, lost half his staff, and left an ungodly mess in the DAs Office. It's comical really. Maybe Newsom ought read the Grand Jury report and do a little research.

That's a relief. Mikal X. Wilde guilty of six felonies

◼ Kneeland Man Found Guilty of Murder for 2010 Marijuana Farm Slaying - Lost Coast Outpost

From the press release: ...Evidence at trial showed that Wilde, 33, of Kneeland, Calif., began a large marijuana grow with more than 1500 plants on over 800 acres of mountain property in Kneeland, California – close to Eureka – during the summer of 2010. In the course of his marijuana cultivation operation, Wilde hired three workers to water and care for the plants, including Mr. Juarez-Madrid and Mr. Lopez-Paz, both from Guatemala. During August of 2010, Wilde provided the workers with firearms to protect against robbery of the marijuana grow. In late August, the workers became unhappy and wanted to leave with payment for the work they had already performed after Wilde altered their work conditions. Rather than paying the workers, Wilde took the firearms away from them, and on August 25, 2010, returned to the property armed, and shot them. Wilde shot Mr. Lopez-Paz in the face, but he survived, hiding in the woods all night until he found help the following morning. Wilde shot Mr. Juarez-Madrid three times and hunted him down, with the final shot a contact wound to the back of Mr. Juarez-Madrid’s head. The third worker, Christopher Bigelow, also fled into the woods and hid until he was found by a jogger the following morning. The jury found the defendant guilty of a premeditated first degree murder, in addition to the other charges listed above.

Go GREEN, baby!!

◼ 2009 zenn electric car - $5000 (mckinleyville)

On Craigslist: clean fully electric car 3200 miles does 40mph a nd has 35 mile range requires 4to8hrs charge reviews say it cost 3cents per mile on pge electric car non tier billing no penalties catch on growers cheap night time bill no penalties get your electric car now one guys bill dropped from 4800 per month to 1800 by changing to car rates. charges on 120v household current anywhere there is a cord
__________________
In other words, an electric car loophole to get cheap electricity for your grow house? Is this a thing?

Doesn't look like he drives it much. What a deal.

Pot is legal in all 50 states now

◼ Indian Tribes Can Now Grow and Sell Marijuana, Department of Justice Says - Bloomberg

◼ http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20141212/local-tribes-unmoved-by-federal-memo-allowing-pot-on-reservations - Times Standard

For now.

Driving around hunting down the victims, shooting them in the face - Insane? Or what?

◼ Possible Insanity Defense in Marijuana Murder Case - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

Allegedly, of course.

It must be crimes of 2010 day.

REMEMBER?

◼ Kneeland Man Taps Eccentric, Powerhouse Lawyer for Murder Defense - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal Jun 10, 2014

Mikal Xylon Wilde, 32, was indicted federally March 1, 2012 on six counts, including murder in the commission of a narcotics offense, for the Aug. 25, 2010 fatal shooting of Mario Roberto Juarez-Madrid, of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, on a large-scale marijuana growing operation near Kneeland. Wilde — the first Humboldt County resident to be federally prosecuted for murder in decades — began working toward a plea agreement with the feds in December, after they decided not to seek the death penalty in the case.

...The interesting about face is made all the more so by Wilde’s choice of attorney. The long-haired Serra is a bit of a cult figure in the legal profession.

◼ Shooting victim expected to testify against his attacker - Sep 14, 2011
◼ Horror - Sep 21, 2010

On Aug. 25, they went to the Kneeland Airport to call someone to pick them up, the statement reads. Later that day, Wilde came to the property and got into an argument with the two men who had protested, and said he was mad that they had left the property. Wilde left, then came back, driving up to a travel trailer on the property where the two men were standing outside. The other man was inside the trailer, according to the documents.

Wilde pulled out a revolver and fired six shots, the man who was inside the trailer told deputies, and the other two ran. Wilde ran after them, and 20 minutes later, the man in the trailer heard three shots. The man in the trailer hid in the woods the remainder of the night, the statement said, and saw Wilde driving along the roads in his truck, shining a spotlight into the woods. The next morning, the man contacted a jogger, who led deputies to him.

◼ .four gunshot victims - Aug 26, 2010

Cal Fire News: Eureka: Humboldt SO SWAT Responding, 10-20 in a remote area not accessible to patrol vehicles, nothing has been confirmed yet. #PotGrow
about an hour ago
Cal Fire News: Eureka: 3 reported deceased GSW victims have not been located, the RP was shot in face, helicoptered to a hospital #PotGrow
about an hour ago
Cal Fire News: #BreakingNews - Eureka area - LEO/EMS - 3 unconfirmed DOA gunshot vics at a marijuana grow, 4th civ victim at Kneeland Helitack base. 154.74

◼ Do you get the feeling the Feds are here to do the job Gallegos won't do? - Mar 12, 2012
◼ Mikal Xylon Wilde pleads not guilty - Sep 30, 2011

REPERCUSSIONS

◼ Study Finds Medical Pot Farms Draining Streams Dry - AP VIA DAILY BEAST

Some drought-stricken rivers and streams in Northern California's coastal forests are being polluted and sucked dry by water-guzzling medical marijuana farms, wildlife officials say ...

"People are coming in, denuding the hillsides, damming the creeks and mixing in fertilizers that are not allowed in the U.S. into our watersheds," said Denise Rushing, a Lake County supervisor who supports an ordinance essentially banning outdoor grows in populated areas.

"When rains come, it flows downstream into the lake and our water supply," she said.

Many affected waterways also contain endangered salmon, steelhead and other creatures protected by state and federal law.

Wildlife biologists noticed streams running dry more often over the 18 years since the state passed Proposition 215, but weren't sure why.

"We knew people were diverting water for marijuana operations, but we wanted to know exactly how much," said Scott Bauer, the department biologist who studied the pot farms' effects on four watersheds. "We didn't know they could consume all the water in a stream."

So Bauer turned to Google mapping technology and satellite data to find out where the many gardens are, and how many plants each contained.

His study estimates that about 30,000 pot plants were being grown in each river system — and he estimates that each plant uses about six gallons per day over marijuana's 150-day growing season....
__________________
Cue Humboldt Watershed Council suit.... crickets? CRICKETS.

San Jose pot clubs to offer voters free weed on primary day...

◼ California voters can expect to receive free weed from some pot clubs in the Bay Area city of San Jose for casting ballots in state primary elections next Tuesday that include local races and battles for governor and secretary of state. - Reuters

The city’s cannabis collectives, which have also offered up a voter guide to the races, are offering free marijuana and discounts when members show a ballot stub or an “I Voted” sticker on June 3.
__________________
Hey! Isn't that illegal???

Yep. Illegal.

Codifying the ban on voter bribery, the United States Congress has prohibited the conspiracy to encourage illegal voting and stated that anyone who "pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

And that's not just cash for votes that's outlawed there! "Not only is a direct payment for a vote prohibited, but any other 'valuable thing, to or for the use of another.'" Like delicious ice cream, which is very valuable. Or pot which is illegal....

BUT... "California...allows voters to receive incentives for voting, so long as the incentives are not offered to induce a voter not to vote, or to vote, or to refrain from voting for a particular candidate or ballot measure, and so long as no federal candidates are on the ballot." Richard L. Hasen, Vote Buying, 88 Cal. L. Rev. 1323, 1355 (2000) (citing Cal. Elec. Code. § 18522(a)(1996)).

A little pot never hurt anybody, but the bodies sure are piling up

And this is just the ones that have been found.

◼ Decomposed Bodies Found Near Laytonville Identified

Two decomposing bodies found in a greenhouse near Laytonville earlier this week have been identified by the Mendocino County Sheriff Detectives. The two are Felipe Cortez Guzman (26-years-old) and Abraham Gregorio Castillo (27-years-old.) The two men were residents of Avenal, California.... officers were not able to note any obvious cause of the men’s death due to the advanced state of decomposition....Yesterday, tattoos on the bodies were matched with descriptions provided by the families of the deceased to identify the two young men.

Earlier: Another body

◼ [UPDATED w/Information About Arrest—Found at Residence of Former SoHum Woman] Homicide Suspect Ben Carter Arrested in Arizona - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost
◼ Body Reportedly Found West of Garberville - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost (April 19)

And another:

◼ Burnt Human Remains Discovered in Cabin Near Bridgeville - Andrew Goff/Lost Coast Outpost (April)

DA Candidates At Los Marijuanos Benefit

◼ One DA Candidate Addresses Growers’ Concerns at Weekend Event - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost Update: Audio from KHUM interview with Arnie Klein at the link.

As the June 3 primary appears on the horizon, candidates for district attorney are beginning to speak publicly about their vision for the future. On Saturday, three of the four campaigns were represented at an event in Southern Humboldt. The occasion, a fundraiser for an anti-rodenticide crusade, featured the pro-pot bands Los Marijuanos and the Camo Cowboys. This allowed a glimpse of what at least one candidate, Arnie Klein, feels about the marijuana growing community and its issues.

Two candidates, Arnie Klein and Allan Dollison, were present, and Kathleen Bryson attended, representing a third candidate, Maggie Fleming. Elan Firpo did not attend. In what would seem to be a uniquely Humboldt event, Arnie Klein and his staff gave away lighters and rolling papers (see photo below). Allison Edrington, Klein’s media consultant, explained:

We gave away lighters and papers as a way to start conversations with folks who attended the event, along with flyers about his stance on cannabis and other issues. The lighters and papers were pretty popular — we completely ran out by 10 pm and Arnie got to talk with a lot of people about their concerns as a result.

While Dollison spoke first at the event, (LoCo has) been unable to access a copy of what he said.
__________________
No matter what you think about POT, must admit the lighters and rolling papers were a stroke of genius.

◼ WEB: votearnieklein.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE ◼ FACEBOOK

◼ dollisonforda.com ◼ ABOUT ◼ DONATE

Put it out in the open.

From: "Redwood Progressive"
Date: February 18, 2014 6:41:55 PM PST
Subject: DA's race - TOWN HALLS -- Trinidad 3/9 - Arcata 3/16 - Garberville 4/4 -

As most of you know by now, Paul Gallegos is not running for a fourth term as our District Attorney. You are likely well aware that prior to Paul's tenure it was "business as usual" when it came to the M.O. of the Old Guard that controlled that office. Gallegos stopped the demonization of marijuana, instituting an orderly process for discerning Mom and Pop growers from industrial grows. Gallegos was also firm that he "worked with law enforcement, not for law enforcement" and he stopped the vendetta against activists. In this year's election, the choice may come down to taking the county backwards by re-installing the Old Guard versus honoring the progress of the last twelve years and taking us forward.

Current Deputy District Attorney Élan Firpo is the candidate who will best honor the reforms the office has made under Gallegos, pursuing Justice, not Vengeance, and tackle the problems we face with justice and fairness as the goal. She is the only working prosecutor in the race and the only truly Independent candidate. Firpo is also the only candidate with a background in management. In her former career in the private sector Élan Firpo managed teams of engineers designing computer components and production facilities with over 2000 employees. Not content with working simply for monetary gain, she earned a law degree with the specific intent of becoming a prosecutor and giving back to the community.

These are the first in a series of Town Hall meetings where you can hear the candidate's vision for the future of the District Attorney's office and for her to hear your questions and concerns. Each Town Hall is scheduled to run from one to two hours and they are open to the public and the media.

If you can not make any of these public events listed below, reply to this email as there may be open seats at one of the numerous private house parties being held continually through out the county until election day, including the ones currently on the calendar being hosted by: Julie Fulkerson, Chuck Powell, Paul & Joani Gallegos or Jim Lamport. There will also be additional Town Halls scheduled shorty.

For more information, to volunteer, or to host a house party of your own, please contact Elan's campaign manager: Jaison Chand 707.496-5368 Donations may be made online at:www.ElanFirpo.com/donate (she's going to need your financial support as her primary opponent is backed by The Deputy Sheriff's Organization, The EPD Association, as well as Rex Bohn and his well-heeled backers!).

Thank you,
Richard (Salzman, a.k.a. "R Trent" Salzman, a.k.a. Sara (the dog) Salzman
__________________
By all means, let's "(honor) the progress of the last twelve years." Do you realize that the "progress of the last twelve years" means losing grant money, losing all of the county's experienced prosecutors to the point that the office is running at half staff or less? Come on, Humboldt County. Pay attention this time!

TWENTY ONE M-I-L-L-I-O-N

◼ Three raids in the area of Garberville and Benbow netted an estimated $21 million in marijuana, including nearly 24,000 plants and 600 pounds of processed pot. - Catherine Wong/The Times-Standard

Twenty One Million.

The article makes note of environmental law violations. And, if they had kids, you might find them on the 'free lunch' rolls, right, because the parents show no income. If they're in town, with an indoor grow, their PG&E bill is likely more than most people make every month, and they might be on some special low-income assistance program. Wherever they live, they might be getting Food Stamps, WEC, and whatever other programs they're 'eligible' for.

And even if they're not, they're guilty of a whole lot more than just illegal growing. There's income tax evasion, likely labor law violations, and any number of other laws and statutes they are either violating or not complying with.

Funny how people who support this behavior will also, with a straight face, pontificate with "It's the law of the land" as a new favorite phrase. When they so clearly don't care on whit about the 'law of the land.'

Shorter Gallegos: "I am ill prepared and inept...so I am glad a competent lawyer and competent office is taking over my cases."

Another glowing piece from the Times-Standard for their favorite golden boy Paul Gallegos - ◼ Suspect pleads not guilty to SoHum murder in federal court; defendants make initial appearances in 2008 case

The DA's office filed charges in 2008, over a gruesome murder again involving Pot. Most murders in the county are actually linked to that. The ugly little secret that the pro-pot crowd never likes to talk about. The case as is typical with Gallegos dithering for years and years.

Gallegos is now all but giddy that the US Attorney's Office in San Francisco is taking over the case.

"Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said he's very grateful that, in this time of scarce resources, the federal government has agreed to take on prosecuting Carroll...It seemed a case that was perfect for the U.S. Attorney's office to send a message to the region that you don't do this or the feds will get involved,” he said. “It's not a local, homegrown murder, so to speak, it's a byproduct of people coming here to do their business.”

"In addition to sending a strong message to deter the type of violence alleged in Carroll and Lee's case, Gallegos said the federal prosecution also takes a murder case off his office's plate, freeing up man-hours and resources for other local prosecutions."

This is the second Murder case that the Feds have literally taken away recently from Gallegos. ◼ (Remember: Kneeland marijuana murder case goes federal; Wilde indicted by federal grand jury, faces potential death penalty) Despite his pontificating, he shows his incredible ignorance of the law. In order to be charged with a Federal crime, you actually need to have violated Federal law. The fact that the Defendants were from out of the area does not make it a Federal crime. Most laws that are on the books are State laws. Murder for example is a state law. If you commit a murder on Federal property that might trigger a Federal prosecution. (This one wasn't.)

However, is that what is really going on here. More interesting was a Murder case that Gallegos recently tried himself. ◼ (Remember: Hung jury in Curry case; mistrial declared as jurors can't agree on murder count) At the conclusion of the People v. Limmie Curry, one juror called Gallegos inept and ill-prepared. That was what made the papers. Gallegos was again chicken and not even present when the Jury decided they could not reach a verdict. He sent one of his over-burdened attorneys to appear, and reports indicate that several other jurors said much harsher things about Gallegos' performance to that attorney than what actually made it in the paper.

It's almost time for him to face the voters again - And again Humboldt will have a choice. They can re-elect a person who is terrible in Court, even more terrible at running the office, who continues to collect 6-figure paycheck, and now his plan is to dump all of his difficult cases on another lawyer. Pathetic. Be warned. Humboldt.

...But... you were warned. You have been warned. By law enforcement. By the Grand Jury. By people who have left the office. By people who have run for office.

I hear from people who serve on juries. This time the comment made the paper. He's inept, incompetent; sometimes, they find the defendant guilty in spite of Gallegos and not because of his brilliant and skillful prosecution. I hear from families of victims. He tells the families he is going to "personally" try this case, and their reaction is "PLEASE DON'T!" It made the paper this time, amazingly enough. The story has not changed in all these years.

Except, now, your office has half the staff it had when he took office. Half. And NONE of them are experienced trial attorneys. Not any more.

He's not the one who is lucky that the Feds are taking the cases out of his incompetent hands. YOU ARE.
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Yes, this blog has been quiet for some time. Yes, I am tempted to give it up. As I have been many times. So - why not give up? One simple reason. All those people who come to me, and tell me what's going on. In despair most of the time. And desirous of anonymity pretty much all the time. But it's ongoing, it's almost daily. The pattern is the same.

And recently, it's stepped up.

So - Thad, where's the story about the 'you get to be assistant DA for a day' clusterfuck that's going on in that office?
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Odds are, they've done this before, and this girl is lucky to be alive

I'd be searching that property for gravesites.

◼ Lake County men face marijuana drug operation, sexual abuse charges - Julie Johnson/Press Democrat 7/26/2013

Federal prosecutors have taken over the case against two Lake County men accused of running a large marijuana farm on a rural tract of land and sexually abusing a 15-year-old runaway.

◼ 'Extremely disturbing'; two men suspected of enslaving runaway teen face federal pot chargesThadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard 7/26/2013

Two Lake County men suspected of raping a 15-year-old runaway, locking her in a 2-foot high metal box for days and forcing her to trim marijuana for weeks remained in the Humboldt County jail Thursday after a judge denied their release on drug charges.

Ryan Balletto, 30, of Lakeport and Patrick Steven Pearmain, 24, of Clearlake, appeared in the federal courthouse in Eureka on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nandor Vadas, who denied their release, saying he viewed both men as flight risks and dangers to the community. The two men were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Vadas said during Wednesday's detention hearing that he finds the case “extremely disturbing,” echoing the sentiments of Assistant United States Attorney Matthew McCarthy.

”This is far and away the most disturbing case I've seen in my career as a prosecutor,” McCarthy told the court.

McCarthy told the court that Balletto, a former U.S. Marine, met the 15-year-old runaway in Los Angeles and drove her nearly 500 miles to a 680-acre piece of land he owns in Ogulin Canyon near Clearlake, keeping her there for weeks against her will to help manicure marijuana buds harvested from a 1,300-plant grow.

McCarthy said both Balletto and Pearmain had sex with the girl while she was kept at the property, and that equipment “consistent with sexual bondage and sadomasochism” was found there. McCarthy said authorities searching the property also found a metal box -- measuring 4 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 feet high -- with air holes drilled in it, and that the girl later told police the two men locked her inside the box on two occasions for a total of about three days.

McCarthy said the two men referred to their marijuana operation as “their mission,” and told the girl they were locking her in the box to “teach her” and protect their “mission.”

According to a federal criminal complaint filed against the two men, the box -- located outside the trailer in which Balletto resided on the property -- had a hose attached to it, allowing the men to wash human waste off the girl and out of the box without opening it. The girl told authorities, according to the complaint, that Balletto called her a “trooper” for not screaming while she was locked in the box....

◼ Teen allegedly kept in toolbox as part of marijuana operation - News10/KXTV (image source) 7/26/2013
◼ Lake County: Three arrests, marijuana, cash and military-grade weapons seized - Daily News 7/26/2013

...Authorities allegedly found five children in the North Lakeport home they scoured.

Members of the LCSO SWAT team, narcotics task force and major crimes unit served a search warrant on Balletto's nearly 700-acre property in the area of Junction Plaza in Clearlake Oaks Wednesday, according to a department statement released Friday. Deputies also executed a search warrant at Balletto's North Lakeport home.

LCSO officials said they found 1,491 marijuana plants, more than $4,000 in cash and "the largest and most sophisticated bulk of weapons seized in recent (department) history" between the two searches.

In total, investigators reportedly discovered 22 firearms, including high-powered military-grade sniper and assault rifles, automatic assault rifles and pistols. They also recovered military-grade body armor and scopes, high-capacity magazines and ammunition, according to the LCSO statement.

The five children removed from the residence were taken into the custody of Lake County Child Protective Services, the LCSO stated....
◼ Marijuana cultivation investigation leads to human trafficking case - Lake County News

The men also are alleged at one point to have kept the girl in a large box as a punishment, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Pearmain’s attorney, Tom Quinn, declined comment at this stage in the case, and Balletto’s attorney, Mitch Hauptman, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg, who is handling the sex crimes case against the men, said they are facing charges of human trafficking, statutory rape, oral copulation on a person under age 16, sodomy, false imprisonment, annoying or molesting a child. Balletto also is charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child under age 14 or 15.

They could each face nearly 16 years in prison if convicted of all the charges, Borg said.

While the California Attorney General's Office has put increased focus on fighting human trafficking, which the agency said is the world's fastest growing enterprise, human trafficking cases are rare in Lake County, Borg said.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever charged it,” he said....

The girl has since gone into protective custody outside of Lake County, Borg said.

The situation involving the girl also involves a third suspect.

Eric George Edgar, 45, was arrested on May 16 in connection with the case, Borg said.

Edgar is charged with statutory rape for having allegedly raped the teenage girl when they were alone together on the property. He's also facing charges for making criminal threats and attempting to dissuade a witness, Borg said.

The girl was being kept in a small group of trailers on the property, while Edgar was staying in a trailer more than an hour’s hike across a canyon. Edgar is alleged to have happened upon the girl and raped her, Borg said.

◼ L.A. girl kept in metal box on pot farm for sex, authorities say - LA Times 7/26/2013
◼ Lake County men transferred from (Humboldt County) jail; former Marine is one of two men accused of enslaving runaway teen - Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard 7/27/2013
◼ Criminal complaint: Ryan Balletto...Note: This doc­u­ment con­tains con­tent that some read­ers might find dis­turb­ing. - LA Times 7/26/2013



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Lots of unanswered questions. Picking up runaways in LA, transporting them hundreds of miles to a remote location, a 'box' that indicates they solved a problem they must have had before, telling her she was a trooper for not screaming... how many screamed before her?

Just be glad this is before Federal authorities, and not Humboldt County's DA.

(U.S. Magistrate Judge Nandor Vadas and Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg were formerly with the Humboldt County DA's Office. Just some of the talent 'lost, fired, or driven away' by Paul Gallegos.)