Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

The internet is changing how we communicate. And the long dormant website, BarryPruett.com — once the URL for his unsuccessful race for clerk-recorder — has been spruced up, along with one for Sue McGuire, the tea party candidate for the District 1 Supervisor race. It’s all thanks to Designs by Dwight.

Barry’s new website is here. Sue’s is here. Sue’s Facebook page has 18 likes, at least so far. Barry’s legal expertise is wide-ranging, according to his website: from estate law all the way to election law.

“I redid Sue’s political campaign site: sueforsupervisor.com,” according to Dwight. “Her previous site was just a basic WordPress template placeholder site that didn’t look unique or custom to her needs. I took the same colors and theme I used on her flyer to create the look and feel for the site. Check it out!”

“So an earlier post showed Barry’s new website but now it is actually live and a little more professional looking. I made it with Mobile viewing in mind as well,” Dwight writes.

The images of Barry Pruett’s unsuccessful campaign website (“It’s time for a change,” etc.) by Dwight are here.

What do you think of the new websites? Should we start tracking them on Alexa or Quantcast? Or just ignore them?

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I happened to be headed down Broad St. around noon and noticed what appeared to be KVMR’s News Director and hard-right blogger George Rebane sitting at a window table, eating lunch and enjoying a tête-à-tête.

It was a sight to behold for a regular KVMR listener like me.

But I’m glad to see the register ringing for our restauranteurs. I wonder who paid? LOL.

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This eats at some people, but as I often write, our community is “purple” politically — not red. A recent market analysis by Buxton for the City of Grass Valley, discussed at this week’s Council meeting, confirms this notion.

In fact, “steadfast conservatives” — while noteworthy — is outpaced by “urban commuter families” and “professional urbanites.”

We are absolutely a community in transition. We need to elect leaders who get this. Businesses that want to succeed ought to get it too. Our future in this economic “cul de sac” depends on it.

“Based on the spending patterns and consumer habits of households within Grass Valley’s trade area, the following were identified as dominant profiles representing over 60 percent of all trade area households,” the Buxton Report reads.

Urban Commuter Families (22.26%). This segment consists primarily of upscale, college-educated Baby Boomer families and couples. They enjoy leisure and low-impact activities, and prefer to buy functional clothes over designer labels at stores like Sears and JC Penney’s. With a high rate of homeownership, they like to spend at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Pottery Barn.

Professional Urbanites (14.89%). This segment consists primarily of upper-middle class retirement oasis in the metropolitan sprawl containing very active empty nesting couples and older singles. With most residents over the age of 65, the adults in this cluster boast college degrees with above average incomes. They like to buy clothes at upscale boutique stores like Talbot’s and Ann Taylor and home furnishings from big-box stores like Costco, Home Depot and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Comfy Country Living (7.54%). This segment consists primarily of empty nesting couples and retirees residing in quite small-town community. Predominantly white households who are married. College-educated with an above average age are solidly middle-class from a mix of well paying white-collar and blue-collar jobs in manufacturing, retail and food services.

Steadfast Conservatives (7.93%). Home to high-school educated mature singles and couples living in middle-class urban blue collar neighborhoods. A quietly aging cluster, home to mature singles and couples living in midscale urban neighborhoods. Households tend to be white, high school-educated and middle class.

More details are here.

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Some people like to make fun of Nevada City for its open-minded politics. But the city showed its “soul” at last night’s city council meeting.

Besides endorsing a plan to keep the APPLE Center open with volunteers, reported here, the Council agreed to write a letter of support for the Nisenan Historical Cultural Preservation group.

The nonprofit is seeking a federal grant to develop a cultural center, record stories and songs from the elders and develop educational curriculum for classes.

“Go Shelly!” I wrote the other day, referring to Shelly Covert, secretary-treasurer of the group, who spoke last night. “Our son has benefitted from learning about the Nisenan culture.”

I write about the Nisenan on Sierra Foothills Report now and then, and it has helped educate the community. (The Union has done a pitiful job of reporting on the area’s Native American culture).

At last night’s meeting, artist Judith Lowry, who comments here, provided persuasive public comments in support of project. Lowry is a nationally acclaimed Maidu-Pit River artist whose work has been displayed at the Smithsonian, Crocker Museum and California State Indian Museum, among other places.

It is no coincidence that Lonely Planet, in ranking the Gold Country one of the nation’s 10 best places to visit this year, recently praised Nevada City as an “artsy town.” Arts and culture is worth celebrating. It’s good for business too.

(Photo credit: NevadaCityRancheria.org)

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I’m expecting the APPLE Center in Nevada City to remain open with volunteers.

The board meets tonight to reconsider a decision to close the Center later this month for lack of funds.

Last night the Nevada City Council gave its support to keep the Center open as a place for education about water conservation, composting, biomass and sustainability. Nevada City’s water rates have increased twice in the past year.

Two current board members were present at last night’s meeting, as well as Council Member Reinette Seneum. The current plan is to keep the APPLE Center open with volunteers instead of a paid executive director.

The group will be able to pay the monthly rent for the building with donations.

The APPLE board also is expected to get some new board members, while others will resign (some are relocating out of the area).

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“Newt Gingrich better hope voters who lapped up his delicious hits on the ‘elite media’ and liberals don’t read the Drudge Report this morning,” according to Politico.

“Or the National Review. Or the American Spectator. Or Ann Coulter.

“If they do, Gingrich comes off looking like a dangerous, anti-Reagan, Clintonian fraud.

“It’s as if the conservative media over the past 24 hours decided Gingrich is for real, and they need to come clean about the man they really know before it’s too late. This is just a sampling of what’s hitting Newt:

“• The overnight Drudge Report banner: ‘Insider: Gingrich repeatedly Insulted Reagan.’ The headline linked to a devastating takedown by Elliott Abrams in the National Review, who wrote, among other things, that Gingrich had a long record of criticizing and undermining Reagan’s most transformative policies.

“• Drudge also linked prominently to the American Spectator’s R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s similarly harsh takedown of Gingrich over character: ‘William Jefferson Gingrich.’ In it, Tyrrell writes: ‘Newt and Bill are 1960s generation narcissists, and they share the same problems: waywardness and deviancy. Newt, like Bill, has a proclivity for girl hopping… His public record is already besmeared with tawdry divorces, and there are private encounters with the fair sex that doubtless will come out.”’

The rest of the article is here.

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