And The Sentinel Endorses...

Pitino, Clendenen, Smith for Supervisor



Humboldt County Board of Supervisors

After extensive research and discussion amongst our editorial board pertaining to the prosperity and future development of Humboldt County, and how to move the county forward in a manner beneficial to all who reside here, we decided to extensively review the qualifications and political philosophies guiding the candidates running for supervisor.

We made these endorsements based on the prospective candidates' views and solutions on a myriad of issues involving land use, code enforcement, economic stability, transportation infrastructure viability, law enforcement oversight and the direction of the new General Plan.

3rd District Supervisor
(Arcata, Manila, Bayside, Freshwater)

Paul Pitino

If we were to sit down and write up the sketch of a perfect candidate to represent Arcata on the Board of Supervisors, it would strongly resemble Arcata Councilmember Paul Pitino. His endorsement was the easiest decision we had to make.

For a town increasingly dominated by intolerant yuppies who seek to overturn Prop. 215, freeze out marketplace competition and generally make life a living hell for the poor and homeless populations, Pitino's ethic of compassion and respect have repeatedly borne out in Arcata affairs. His consistently reasonable stances on the Arcata Council on behalf of the people, not the powerful, have demonstrated real Green values when fake progressives whither in the face of contention. While the establishment media (especially in Arcata) have uniformly dismissed him as an also-ran, not-ready-for-prime-time candidate overly focused on pet issues, Pitino's specific pledges of change on issues of transportation, transparency and fiscal restraint would be a breath of fresh air in the overly-stuffy Supervisors' Chamber.

Our decision was made even easier given the paltry competition Pitino faced. Bryan Plumley hauls the baggage of backing from the Arkley wing of the local Democrat establishment, a sure kiss of death in Arcata politics. Plumley's record of failed leadership as the President of Arcata Mainstreet, especially his treatment of their Executive Director, the late Michael Behney was none-too-impressive to the Plaza merchants we spoke with, and it's difficult to see what positive changes he would bring to the Board of Supervisors.

Even with this said, we'd be hard-pressed to come up with a decision should Plumley make a run-off with Mark Lovelace, who seeks to continue the dynastic tradition of the yuppiecrats running Democrat Central Command, where each officeholder gets to dub their successor who gets to hold on to the position until term limits, retirement or death-in-office opens up the seat for yet another royal coronation. Lovelace essentially promises business-as-usual in the vein of the outgoing John Woolley, and this is just unacceptable given the growing problems Humboldt County faces.

Neither Lovelace nor Plumley are willing to stand up to the police lobby on the issue of civilian review, nor the merchant lobby on the issue of helping homeless people instead of persecuting them, nor the bureaucrat lobby on the tide of overspending, mostly on themselves, which is driving Humboldt County into yet another budget crisis which will be felt the most by those who can afford cuts the least. Pitino is running an ultra-grassroots campaign expressly to avoid undue influence from the moneyed interests, and for this he deserves the highest of praise, not the mocking snipes of jackals who profit off of status quo dirty politics. Paul would make an outstanding supervisor.

2nd District Supervisor
(Fortuna, Rio Dell, Garberville, Shelter Cove)

Clif Clendenen

Although subject to lengthy discussion, the Sentinel eventually opted to endorse Fortuna business owner Clif Clendenen as the best candidate to bridge the gap between "SoHum" culture and the more conservative Eel River Valley. He was born and raised in Fortuna, is raising a family there, and runs his family orchard business, a community institution for over a century.

Clendenen knows how important it is to protect local small businesses, and his work with Fortuna's General Plan update gives him the experience needed to take an in-depth, detail-oriented approach to the county General Plan update in progress. He also recognizes the importance of civic pride and to this end was instrumental in starting Fortuna's Apple Harvest Festival and Summer Concert Series, which provides him valuable connections across socio-political lines. Clif also impressed us with his logical approach towards problems facing the Eel River, and we're confident in his ability to stand up to the forces which have prevented it from becoming once more an environmentally healthy fishing destination.

Estelle Fennell could potentially be a fine representative given her hard work for 17 years at KMUD as a radio news director, a position which gave her an insurmountable array of knowledge on district issues. We appreciate her hard work and her continued support for local fire suppression and health care institutions, and we certainly appreciate her stance on protecting property rights and providing more accountability for local law enforcement. When it came to our decision, however, the editorial board felt Clif's vision of a supervisor as mediator would in the end make him a more effective representative of the public.

The death of Roger Rodoni was a horrible shock to the comunity, and we offer our condolences to all who loved him. Johanna Rodoni, to her credit, immediately stepped up and showed interest in his seat, to which she was appointed through the end of the year. Johanna should have run as a write-in candidate if she was interested in her late husband's position in the next term, but instead is running under his name, which lingers on the ballot due to a loophole in state election law. We could not in all good conscience advocate voting for a dead man with the unverifiable expectation that his wife would simply slide in to his place. While we respect Johanna's work in the community, we're fairly unaware of where she stands, and if her platform is a carbon-copy of Roger's, then we can only voice our respectful disagreement with many of the late supervisor's positions on social justice and environmental quality issues. Besides, who can say what Arnold Schwarzenegger will do with the authority voters may grant him? It's far too much of a risk to take with what's at stake for the people of Humboldt County. Clif deserves support and the 2nd District deserves a change of pace.

1st District Supervisor
(Cutten, Humboldt Hill, Ferndale)

Jimmy Smith

With some reservation, the editorial board gives the nod to incumbent Jimmy Smith's re-election bid. His wide array of knowledge on a variety of issues involving port stability and infrastructure has been a key force in ensuring the necessary funding needed to revitalizing port development. Smith's leadership has led to the opening of Pedrazzini Park, which will provide for various forms of waterway use for years to benefit prospective businesses and the general public. His pragmatic view of the General Plan and his concern about improperly researched development impressed us.

Smith is truly dedicated to finding a middle ground, sometimes to our frustration when issues like poverty, police review and election reform demand a more definite stance. Yet we must give Smith credit for standing up against the golden parachute pay-off of the incompetent former County Counsel, Tamara Falor, and we hope this sense of fiscal restraint will emerge once more as county staff push for more pay and benefits for themselves.

John Vevoda could have potential for a future run at the 1st District seat. We agree with him on protecting farmland, creating jobs, and defending property rights. However, we weren't impressed with his ability to provide succinct solutions to his most revered concerns, and we found his stances on economic development a bit timid. We hope John continues to work hard for the community on issues where his expertise is self-evident and build towards another bid. For now, Jimmy Smith has our backing and that of his community.

State Propositions

No on 98, Yes on 99

This summer’s state ballot is really just a battle of dueling special interests. Specifically, rich property owners hoping to get richer vs. a group of renters, business owners, labor and environmental activists and local government officials -- in other words, people representing the rest of us.

Prop. 98 has been written by and for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., the people who brought you 1978’s Prop. 13 and every state budget crisis since then. This time the Jarvis-heads want to ban rent control. But they can’t say that, since almost nobody would vote for it. So instead they’re saying they just want to stop government from using eminent domain to take your home to make room for a new shopping mall.

That sounds nifty, but it’s something people really don’t have to worry about ­-- states and local governments very rarely take single-family homes to make room for anything. Eminent domain is almost always used to clear away abandoned or blighted eyesores to make room for something new.
That’s where Prop. 99 comes in. It bans exactly what the Jarvis-heads say they want to ban -- ­using eminent domain to take residential homes. But it doesn’t do anything else -- ­there are no hidden agendas, just a rule against something that almost never happens anyway.

At a time when people are losing their homes because they can’t make mortgage payments, nobody needs landlords taking advantage of them with the threat of higher rents. So vote No on Prop. 98, and Yes on Prop. 99.

U.S. Congress

Mitch Clogg (Democrat)

Mitch's campaign is the first primary challenge in a decade to the pesticide industry's best friend in Congress, Mike Thompson, founder of the wine caucus and all-around corporate-friendly Blue Dog. It's thanks to right-wing Democrats like Mike that the war continues to be fully funded by Congress, and it's thanks to Mike that toxic pesticides like methyl bromide continue to pollute groundwater, poison farmworkers and destroy the ozone layer. Mike's new position on a counter-terrorism subcommittee may have brought him fat contributions from war profiteer Lockheed Martin, but have brought our nation no closer to confronting the counter-Constitutional behavior of an out-of-control unitary executive bent on shredding the Bill of Rights and international human rights law.

Mitch Clogg stand for ending the war, ending the war profiteering and ending the sale of Congress to the highest bidder. It's about time one of the few progressives left in the Democrat side of the isle prove that this persuasion of their party still actually exists, even if most of them are too cowardly to stand up to a five-term incumbent who shows no sign of respecting the concept of term limits, much less the ethic of campaign finance reform. Anybody but Mike.

Douglas Pharr (Republican)

For a Republican Party dominated by denial of the mounting health care and environmental catastrophes partially brought on by their policies, criminal defense attorney Doug Pharr appears as a voice of change. While hardly taking a brave stance for universal health care, Pharr's embrace of the Divided We Fail pledge from the AARP show him to be at least moderately interested in health care reform. His stance on massive public investment in clean energy is far more impressive and goes way beyond what McCain or Hagel are offering in terms of holding government, as well as industry, accountable for making real progress -- although we hasten to differ with his Obama-like support of the inconceivably wasteful and unsustainable nuclear power industry.

Pharr contrasts sharply with Davis business owner Zane Starkewolf, who delusionally declares the Iraq war as a "victory." His pro-serfdom stance on agricultural labor and immigration reform issues fit just right with his background in the wine industry, specifically Rombauer Vineyards. Oddly enough, Joan Rombauer has contributed thousands of dollars to Thompson's re-election campaigns over the years. Is this a case of the polluting industry of choice in the southern part of the district placing bets on both sides of the D.C. establishment? The last thing the North Coast needs is one politician in the pocket of the wine industry replacing another. Vote for Douglas.