Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

We attended the Nevada County Arts Collaborative meeting at the Stonehouse Hospitality Academy on Thursday night.

After an acrimonious closing as a restaurant, it reopened to train youths in the hospitality business. It mirrors a similar, successful plan in Oroville called Checkers. Some were skeptical about youths “hanging out” around the Academy.

But that hasn’t happened. In fact, the Academy is going well and is good for the neighborhood — a tribute to county workers such as Alison Lehman at the Rood Center and the Private Industry Council in Butte County who helped put the deal together.

The service is professional and courteous at catered events. It would be cool if the Academy opened for dinner at least once a week, too. By the way, there are ongoing meetings with groups such as the Miners Foundry to make sure there is a cooperative, not competitive, relationship. I’m glad to hear that too.

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The Nevada County Arts Collaborative has relaunched its website with a new marketing campaign “Arts with Altitude.” This replaces a previous website design.

In May of 2009 the Arts Collaborative of Nevada County was designated by the Board of Supervisors as the county’s leadership and coordinating agency on behalf of the county’s arts organizations — just like Placer Arts in Placer County. It replaced another website that was independently produced.

Some more background is here.

The group’s success will hinge on its ability to collaborate, not compete, with other groups and businesses that support the arts.

An ad in a printed directory of calendar listings produced by Sierra Heritage over in Auburn — without any articles — disappointed some arts people. Most calendar listings are going online now, including ones being promoted by the collaborative itself. Isn’t that competing against your own mission? One other idea was for the group to spend its public marketing dollars on a billboard. Again, strategic collaboration will mark the success of the group.

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The Former Union Columnist Russ Steele said he has re-submitted his application to Sacramento Connect from the other day. “The only criteria we have for opinion blogs is that the author not be anonymous, and use language that is suitable for a mass audience,” writes the Bee’s editors.

•Does this mean Russ will have to stop using the word “crap” in headlines as he did here?

•Here’s some dialog from a post on Russ’s blog just this week, also apparently suitable for a mass audience. Yuck:

Dixon Cruickshank said…
WHAT? he doesn’t think windmills and worm farms are our future high technoligy – stupid bastad
and Jeff you will feel that gavel, hope they put it in slow
Reply April 21, 2010 at 08:46 PM

Jeff Pelline said…
Russ,
According to the L.A. Times on April 15: “Brian Sussman, a San Francisco radio talk show host, read a sign from the stage: “Pelosi’s gavel is the new healthcare colonoscopy.’ Oh that’s angry,” he said in mock horror. “You’re an angry mob!”
P.S.-
I watched Brian Sussman give the weather forecast on KPIX, but that’s all I remember. Kind of a sad commentary on television journalism if this is the same guy.

Steven Frisch said…
Yeah well I would characterize someone that said that Barack Obama’s father came to the US to “take advantage of some little white girl” something other than a right winger, I would call them an idiot and a racist pig. But you go ahead an enjoy your big book. I am glad he is filling all of your expectations.
Just thought your avid followers would want to know!

Russ said…
Could be? Looks like a real right winger.

Steven Frisch said…
You mean this Brian Sussman?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sussman

Let’s hope Russ’ global warming rival Anna Haynes also submits an application to Sacramento Connect for her blog NCFocus. You might not agree with Anna, but it’s more suitable to a mass audience. And she holds a Ph.D., no less.

Perhaps Russ will learn to cut the crap (to use one of his words) when he reaches out beyond his “hillbilly audience” into Granite Bay and Sacramento’s Fair Oaks neighborhoods.

In the meantime, it appears the Bee is reigning in all the independent content in the Foothills while The Union and Auburn Journal sit on their hands and contemplate the future of journalism.

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Phil Bronstein, a longtime San Francisco editor, investigative reporter and foreign correspondent, sat down with Bill Gates for a wide ranging discussion. His “take no prisoners” approach use to catch some former colleagues of The Chronicle off guard, much to their chagrin. Some of the incidents are famous journalism lore that still get discussed and laughed about.

Phil sat down with Bill Gates to discuss journalism, social media and the iPad.

•Phil: You once said Steve Jobs could see the next big thing. Do you like the iPad?

Bill: It’s okay. The scenarios aren’t that clear. But it’s good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that.

•Phil: Is there a way to narrow Twitter to verifiable information useful to journalists? Is there a technological fix for verifying information?

Bill: The trusting is hard. The sense of ‘Oh it has to get out right away’ really is a problem. What is really going on?

The interview is here.

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Memorial services celebrating the life of the late Ed Tyson — dean of Nevada County historians — will be held at the Nevada Theatre in Nevada City this Sunday, April 25, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Ed passed away at his Nevada City home earlier this spring at the age of 92. His obituary is here.

Local historians, friends and others will pay tribute to Ed, followed by an opportunity for audience members to comment on the life of a man who, for nearly forty years, maintained and supervised the collection of rare books, documents and photos at the Searls Historical Library in Nevada City.

Among the scheduled speakers is Gary Kurutz — director of the Special Collections Branch of the California State Library. Light refreshments will be served.

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It’s good to see our local newspaper get around to writing about the “locavore” movement, buying and eating locally grown food.

To provide balance, however, the former Union columnist Russ Steele wonders whether Farmers Markets are better for the environment. The discussion (which never made it into the newspaper) is here.

Some other reports on the locavore movement from earlier this year and last year are here and here. The photo refers to Riverhill and SummerThyme’s as a “fresh food team.”

“The benefits of CSA are exemplified in a partnership between Riverhill Farm in Nevada City and Summer Thyme’s Bakery and Deli in Grass Valley, just five miles apart,” reads the story from last Fall’s issue of Sierra FoodWineArt. “The two business owners—who met at the Nevada City Farmers Market—have joined forces to bring fresh, local produce to consumers from June to October.”

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“Reclaim Earth Day from socialist enviro-nuts and remind them that the industrial revolution was the foundation for the strongest economy in the world!” according to a new post on CABPRO’s website.

It directs you to PatriotShop to purchase this bumper sticker for $3.25.

“(And, did you know that the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, the 100th birthday of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин), a Russian revolutionary and communist politician who lead the October Revolution of 1917?)”

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Though a local builder was found for the Sierra College expansion, this didn’t happen for a solar energy partner to help the public campus get off the grid. The bid went to Amsolar of San Diego.

Sierra College Trustee Aaron Klein argues that you need a local partner that will “step up.” I would argue that elected officials and contractors groups also have to “step out” to help keep tax dollars local, forging new partnerships in the community. This could require some “rethinking,” as I stated in a blog post here on April 6.

Some thoughts:

•Embrace, don’t fight, the change brought about by some government rules and regulations. In Tahoe, for example, contractors have learned to make a business out of helping residents comply with “BMPs,” short for best management practices, around the lake. You could do the same to help residents comply with upcoming lead paint regulations.

•The economy that propelled private construction in our county won’t return for years. While some progress is being made in learning how to land more government work, county contractors need to embrace the change that is coming more than they do now. (A meeting with county CEO Rick Haffey and the Sierra College partnership comes to mind).

•Team up with the APPLE Center for Sustainable Living in Nevada City – formed by a $40,00 grant from the Butte County Private Industry Council — to help educate the public on “green” and energy-efficient building practices. Make it a joint effort and pass out the names of your members to help complete the job.

What worked in the past won’t work now.

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