Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Our family thoroughly enjoyed going to the grand opening of the Greenhouse School of Music in Nevada City on Tuesday night.

It was heartening to see a new venture get underway despite the recession. Not unlike the nearby Stonehouse Hospitality Academy, it is a program aimed at training our youths — the future of our aging, declining population. We’re all for that.

The school’s doors just opened March 1. The teachers are accomplished musicians and accept students wherever they are in learning to play, sing, drum or write songs.

“Music is a universal language. Devoid of socio-economic barriers, it has the capacity to soothe and stimulate, to enchant and inspire,” as the mission statement goes. “At Greenhouse School of Music we believe that the powers, passions and pleasure of music should be available to all of Nevada County’s children — regardless of financial constraints.”

The location is at 138 New Mohawk Road, not far from the county Railroad Museum. The 5,000-square-foot facilities include two practice rooms, six group class studios, two large performance studios and an early childhood music room. Artwork from Mowen Solinsky Gallery is on the walls.

The group hopes to land donations to help equip a computer lab, state-of-the-art video and recording studio and provide more instruments.

Civic, elected and business leaders were present, as well as many residents. Students played music, and tours were offered. It was a true “nonpartisan” celebration — the kind we need to bring out the best in our community.

The school noted that music education has been shown to:
•Improve the academic performance of K-college students.
•Increase critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and teamwork.
•Increase tolerance and being open.

I can’t think of a better way to help bring our community together. (Ignore Joan’s politics if you need to, and just listen to the music):

(“ribbon cutting” photo credit: The Pelline’s cell phone)

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Rotary International’s triennial Council on Legislation, meeting in Chicago, has voted to include language that precludes Rotary clubs from limiting membership based on sexual orientation.

It was spurred by the 49er Breakfast Rotary right here in Nevada City. Though you might think “it’s about time,” there was resistance among some Rotary clubs abroad, not to mention some in the United States. In fact, it was a close vote. So congratulations!

The press release is here:

“This enactment has made Rotary International, with 1.2 million members in over 33,000 clubs, the largest international service organization to adopt a non-discrimination membership policy that includes sexual orientation.

“The 531-member 2010 Council, representing Rotary districts in over 200 countries, voted 283 in favor and 231 in opposition, with 17 abstaining to add the words ‘sexual orientation’ into the non-discrimination clause of Rotaryʼs bylaws regarding membership in clubs. The existing article precludes clubs from limiting membership based on gender, race, color, creed and national origin.

“A similar amendment was proposed at the 2007 Council with 212 delegates voting in favor, 274 in opposition, with 47 abstaining.

“Legislation originates on a club level, so a proposal was submitted by the 49er Breakfast Rotary Club of Nevada City, California located in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

“Past 49er Rotary President (2006-07), John Paul, asked that his 90-member club support the proposed addition to the Rotary International bylaws in 2008. It was approved by an overwhelming majority of the club membership.

“The proposed enactment then continued on to a vote by the membership of Rotary District 5190, which covers the rural northeastern section of California and all of northern Nevada, comprising 50 Rotary clubs.

The enactment was approved unanimously during the annual District 5190 meeting in May 2008. The proposal was submitted to Rotary International in November 2008 for inclusion in the 2010 Council.

“Rotary International is the worldʼs first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.

“The triennial Council on Legislation is an important part of Rotaryʼs governance process. While the Board of Directors sets policies for Rotary International, the Council on Legislation allows Rotary clubs to have their say in the governance of the association.”

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The county’s board of supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to direct the Rood Center staff to look into the feasibility of adopting an energy-efficiency program called AB811.

Assembly Bill 811 authorized local governments to create districts to finance the installation of energy conservation improvements on existing residential, commercial, industrial and other real property.

The findings are expected in about six months. One idea was to look to Placer County to assist in implementing the program. Sonoma County also offers the program.

The supervisors raised some questions about implementing the program, but they generally supported the idea.

This is good news:

•It could lead to more collaboration among neighboring counties, something that is more important in a downtrodden economy.

•It could lead to more “nonpartisan” problem solving in our community, diffusing the polarization of the past. Members belonging to the county Contractor’s Association spoke in favor of the program at Tuesday’s meeting, as well as representatives from APPLE, supervisor candidate Terry Lamphier and Plan It Solar.

•It could help market our county as a pioneering place for adopting new ideas. Nevada City’s place as a solar-power mecca already is firmly established, as I have written before. What worked in the past won’t work now.

Some background is here and here.

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BriarPatch Co-op’s 4000 active owners received a total of $80,000 in dividends in vouchers mailed in April.

The press release said:

The distribution of profits was possible, said Board of Directors President Debbie Plass, due to “excellent leadership and staff and owner commitment to BriarPatch — in spite of a turbulent economy.”

The BriarPatch Board voted in March to distribute nearly all owner-generated profits to owners, based on store patronage. Depending on how much they spent during 2009, individuals’ dividends ranged from $330 to 1¢.

“BriarPatch owners’ return on investment was excellent, all things considered,” said General Manager Chris Maher. “For an investment of $20 twice a year, owners received a dividend, benefits including shopping trip discounts, and the pride of being part of a network of support and sponsorship benefitting community groups and events.”

The dividend was the first ever for owners of the natural foods grocery store, who received a 5 percent discount on purchases prior to 2009. In December of 2008, the cooperatively-owned business’ elected Board voted unanimously to restructure the discount program.

Speaking for the Board about the decision, Plass said, “The change to an annual dividend brought BriarPatch in line with a cooperative business “best practice” followed by food co-ops our size across the country. We ask for continued support and ideas from our owners so that the Co-op may continue to serve our growing community now and for years to come.”

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The local political campaigns are getting into full swing, with ballots going out May 10 in a county that mostly votes by mail.

I marveled at supervisor candidate’s John Spencer’s remark in The Union on Tuesday that a “key issue” was to “foster continued services to our community without going bankrupt.” Whoever said “going bankrupt” was in the realm of possibility? It sounds like a scare tactic.

Next, you can look for the letters to the editor section in The Union to get “hijacked” by what are essentially free campaign ads and slogans. It’s part of the campaign manager’s playbook: Encourage supporters to flood the paper with letters supporting their candidate. In a recession, you can expect a lot more of them.

I prefer to read letters that are motivated by independent thinking rather than an orchestrated political campaign.

With the internet and social networking, we’re getting more diverse information about our local elections from blogs and Facebook, and over time, the letter-writing tactic will become less important.

Here’s an insightful article on why newspapers need to heed Facebook: “Taken down to the local level, this means that Facebook might just already have more reach in the community than any other media outlet – especially local newspapers.”

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The far right loves to label people. Now some of them are calling George Bush a “progressive.”

It shows the identity crisis going on in the right — between moderates and extremes.

It is going on in our neck of the woods too — manifesting itself in some supposedly nonpartisan races for county clerk-recorder and assessor. Or when an energy-efficiency program called AB 811 gets framed as a “property rights” issue, reminding us of the days of NH 2020.

In 2008, far right commentator Glenn Beck likened President George Bush to Batman, going after terrorists. In 2007, he called him a man of “incredible passion and resolve.”

In his radio broadcast on Monday, Beck called Bush the “p” word: for “a progressive.”

“What has [Obama] done that is different?” he asked. “I think he’s done exactly what George Bush was doing, except to the times of a thousand. I mean we’re talking about a progressive. And George Bush was a progressive. It’s the difference between a steam train and the space shuttle.”

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