Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

•”… lies coming from the LaMalfa campaign in a recent attack mailer, and this week it has demonstrated that it has violated campaign finance laws.” – Barry Pruett, May 15

•”Doug LaMalfa will be there for his constituents.”
–Pruett, June 6

•”Sue McGuire has all of the qualifications to become our new supervisor,” and I’m voting for her, not Nate Beason.
-George Rebane, May 30

“Dammit Todd, don’t tell ‘em [we won]. Let ‘em rest in the comfort of their fabricated world.”

–George, June 6

•Russ Steele posts the results of The Union’s online poll, showing McGuire and Smyrnos beating their opponents. He gloats that it could portend a surprising outcome. -June 5

After the Election results show the opposite results, Russ quietly removes the post all together with no explanation.

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Now that the county’s June election results are out, you can see how your precinct voted in the race and analyze the returns (including the Measure B fire tax that failed in the south county).

All told, this more granular geographical approach confirms that partisanship along political party lines is alive and well in our county depending on where you live — even in supposedly nonpartisan races (AKA we are “purple.”)

I did a little legwork for you by providing links to the relevant documents, the pertinent page numbers — as well as a “cheat sheet” of precincts.

The first is the certified returns, which are here. The next is the “cheat sheet,” which lists each precinct below.

Some conclusions:

•Measure B (a fire tax) failed in the most conservative part of the county. The low voter turnout did not help. It is a reminder of how the ideological “anti-tax” sentiment can have unintended pragmatic consequences.

•Moderate GOPer Nate Beason won lots of votes from Democrats to avoid a runoff in the District 1 Supervisor race. He won by more than 50 percent of the votes in every District 1 precinct, including Sue McGuire’s, that I could tell.

•I couldn’t find a precinct where George Smyrnos beat Tom Anderson in the time I devoted to this exercise.

I encourage all of you to “dig deeper.”

Here’s how it worked for me to analyze the results online: You can open up your “cheat sheet” on one screen of your computer and view the results on another. (A good local newspaper would publish a detailed map, both in print and online).

PRECINCT CHEAT SHEET:

CP01
PEARDALE-CHICAGO PARK FIREHOUSE
CP02
NEVADA CO HORSEMENS CLUB
CP03
NEVADA CO SUPT OF SCHOOLS
CP04
MADELYN HELLING LIBRARY COMM ROOM BD A
CP05
MADELYN HELLING LIBRARY COMM ROOM BD B
CP06
SEAMANS LODGE PIONEER PARK BD A
CP07
NEVCO CONS FIREHOUSE 80
CP08
PEARDALE CHICAGO PARK FIREHOUSE 57
CP09
NEVADA CITY VETERANS BLDG BD A
CP10
NEVADA CITY VETERANS BLDG BD B
CP11
HIGGINS LIONS COMMUNITY CTR
CP12
LOP YACHT LOUNGE
CP13
PLEASANT RIDGE ELEM SCHOOL
CP14
HIGGINS CORNER FIREHOUSE
CP15
ALTA SIERRA ELEM SCHOOL – MP ROOM BD A
CP16
ALTA SIERRA C/C BD A
CP17
ALTA SIERRA C/C BD B
CP18
ALTA SIERRA C/C BD C
CP19
SIERRA PINES METHODIST CHURCH
CP20
ALTA SIERRA ELEM SCHOOL – MP ROOM BD B
CP21
FOREST SPRINGS MOBILE HOME PARK
CP22
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
CP23
GRASS VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
CP24
GRASS VALLEY VETERANS BLDG BD A
CP25
GRASS VALLEY VETERANS BLDG BD B
CP26
GRASS VALLEY VETERANS BLDG BD C
CP27
UNITY IN THE GOLD COUNTRY
CP28
CALVARY BIBLE CHURCH BD A
CP29
CALVARY BIBLE CHURCH BD B
CP30
LOVE BUILDING, CONDON PARK
CP31
LAKE WILDWOOD COMM CTR OAK RM BD A
CP32
LAKE WILDWOOD COMM CTR OAK RM BD B
CP33
NEVCO CONS FIREHOUSE 92
CP34
HIGGINS FIREHOUSE 23
CP35
PENN VALLEY FIREHOUSE 43 BD A
CP36
WILLIAMS RANCH ELEM SCHOOL
CP37
ROUGH & READY FIREHOUSE
CP38
PENN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH BD A
CP39
KENTUCKY FLAT COMMUNITY CENTER
CP40
PENN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH BD B
CP41
NORTH SAN JUAN SENIOR CITIZENS CTR
CP42
NORTH COLUMBIA SCHOOL HOUSE
CP43
PENN VALLEY FIREHOUSE 43 BD B
CP44
EMIGRANT TRAIL MUSEUM
CP45
NORTHWOODS CLUBHOUSE BD A
CP46
NORTHWOODS CLUBHOUSE BD B
CP47
TRUCKEE DONNER PUD BD A
CP48
TRUCKEE DONNER PUD BD B
CP49
GLENSHIRE ELEM SCHOOL
CP50
GLENSHIRE SWIM & TENNIS CLUB
CP51
NEVCO CONS FIREHOUSE 84
CP52
FOOTHILL CHURCH
CP53
BANNER GRANGE #627
CP54
SEAMANS LODGE PIONEER PARK BD B
CP55
LAKE WILDWOOD COMM CT

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Editor’s note: I like Chuck Shea, as I’ve written here before. We hop aboard his carriage for a horse-drawn carriage ride at Christams. We’ve eaten fresh free-range chickens and turkeys from his ranch. We don’t agree on some issues, but it’s a civil, more intellectual discussion and “issue oriented,” not personal, underhanded or marked by name-calling.

And after digesting the latest election results — a drubbing of the hard right — I figure CABPRO could use a “revitalization” too. We’re “purple” as can be around here. In fact, Democrats won the Congressional primary races within our county’s borders (Uppal — and Reed missed by a hair), and we elected a moderate Democrat (Anderson) to the Board of Supervisors. The candidates who received tea party support (Smyrnos, Aanestad and McGuire) all lost districtwide. Here’s Chuck’s letter:

June 06,1944. 68 years ago today, thousands of U.S. Soldiers & Sailors hit the beach in Normandy France, to Save and Protect our Nation. ………….Today we face a similar threat!

Never before has our Nation been under as much stress and threat to our basic well being and way of life. Never before have we had “ Government Agencies imposing Regulations without our consent that directly imperil our basic Rights as Americans. Even our basic Right to good clean water and Food is under threat!

Today, We all know something is wrong and so I ask,..”What are you going to do about it”?

CABPRO, is now almost 20 years old, and we are changing to meet the current challenges. We will be upgrading our media needs, and taking a more direct action approach to protection of Property Rights, Personal Rights, and those “Unalienable Rights” we all talk about ,but just aren’t sure what they are.

At CABPRO, as you probably know by now, we have had a few significant changes in the past few months and have set some new directions that I felt you should know about.

Two months ago I stepped in as Executive Director. We have laid out a plan to revitalize the group, expand CABPRO’s communication capability with a new expansive Website and begin firming up our relationships with our elected Leaders to re-establish our Basic Rights as citizens within our own County and be safe within our own property. Something we call “Civil Obedience.”

To meet these new goals, We have established multiple new working Committees;
1. Legislative Action
2. Agenda 21/ Property Rights
3. CABPRO News production
4. Website
5. Events
6. Speakers Bureau
7. Food Freedom & Rights
8. Statewide Support & New County Offices
9. Administration & Finance

Each of these groups have a Chairperson and they meet on their own schedule. They contributes articles, provides educational information, contribute speakers, support events and participate as needed before the County Supervisors and various County agencies.

Now is the time to Act! We invite you to join with us to help “ Save a Nation”, one County at a time”. We need your help to fix this, so please give me a call and come “ Join up”!

Best Regards
Chuck Shea, Executive Director

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Republished from the blog of SierraCulture.com: Our blog was the first to report that Willie Nelson was coming to the Nevada County Fairgrounds in September. Now here’s another celebrity performing-arts scoop: American Country Singing Star Lacy J. Dalton is going to perform at the Fairgrounds in late August, Sierra FoodWineArt magazine has learned.

In fact, I spoke directly to Lacy by telephone this morning, and she confirmed it for me: “I’m looking forward to coming down. We’ve had a ball over there in the past. I love the town.” (When I dialed her number, Lacy picked up the phone herself —a simpler form of communications that dealing with publicists).

Dalton will perform for a fundraiser for the Grass Valley Rotary Club — a benefit for Rotarian Mike Johnson, who has been ill. (See “Nita’s Notes” here).

Dalton is one of the most instantly recognizable voices in music — the woman People Magazine called “Country’s Bonnie Raitt.”

She had a number of hits in the ’80s, including “Takin’ It Easy,” “Crazy Blue Eyes” and “16th Avenue.” She still continues to record and perform and lives in Virginia City, Nevada.

Our magazine first got wind of Dalton performing here from our magazine distributor in Reno and Truckee/Tahoe, who has become a good friend and is a hands-on professional. (He doesn’t just drop a bundle of our magazines on somebody’s doorstep like competing outfits. He meets with the proprietor, whether it’s Total Wines & More or a small business owner and properly displays the publication).

This tip is what led us to track down the Willie Nelson performance that we recently reported first. Now this country western performing arts lineup in western Nevada County — Lacy J. Dalton and Willie Nelson — has come full circle. A country music “twofer.”

Lacy was glad to hear that Willie Nelson is coming to the Fairgrounds in September. “Willie has helped me so much with the wild horses,” she told us in her interview this morning, referring to the the “Let ‘em Run Foundation” to protect the horses.

Kudos to the Nevada County Fairground for expanding (and generating revenue) beyond its marquee events — the Fair and Draft Horse Classic.

This is a credit to chief executive officer Sandy Woods and her staff, who are running their business like entrepreneurs. They are becoming adept at offsetting the loss of state funding at the fairgrounds — a statewide challenge.

Here’s a video of Lacy J. Dalton and Willie Nelson performing together from the ’80s:

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According to an email that went out at the high school this morning: “The Nevada County Reads & Writes! committee is excited to announce MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD as the 2012-13 book selection. (See information about the selection below.) The general target audience for students are middle school and above.

The goal of the committee was to select the book NOW so that teachers can think and plan how Marcelo in the Real World could be used in their curriculum this coming school year. This is always a difficult process. We hope you share our excitement about the 2012-13 book choice.

Here is information to get you started:

Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco Stork: $8.90/ paperback. Artfully crafted characters. Marcelo Sandoval, a 17-year-old with an Asperger’s-like condition, has arranged a job caring for ponies at his special school’s therapeutic-riding stables.

But Marcelo is forced to exit his comfort zone when his high-powered father steers Marcelo to work in his law firm’s mailroom. Narrating with characteristically flat inflections and frequently forgetting to use the first person, Marcelo manifests his anomalies.

Readers enter his private world as he navigates the unfamiliar realm of menial tasks and office politics with the ingenuity of a child, his voice never straying from authenticity even as the summer strips away some of his differences. Stork introduces ethical dilemmas, possibility of love, and other “real world” conflicts, while preserving psychological and emotional stakes; grade 8 & up.

Curriculum materials and lesson suggestions will be forthcoming when school begins in August.

Two lists of suggested ‘companion books’ will be available: one for younger readers and the other for HS/adult readers.

Class sets will be available for scheduling as soon as school begins.”

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Here are the local “final” results for the June 5 primary election (see some of it summarized below). (Keep in mind there is still a canvas period, though results shouldn’t change).

The winners are District 1 Supervisor and moderate GOPer Nate Beason (who won without a runoff), Superior Court Judge Tom Anderson and Truckee Mayor Richard Anderson for District 5 supervisor. (Both Andersons, unrelated, are moderate Democrats).

Other winners are moderates in general or “purple politics,” and Democratic Congressional candidate Jim Reed (who garnered roughly the same number of votes as staunch conservatives Doug LaMalfa and Sam Aanestad in our supposedly “red” county). The outcome in the Congressional race was redolent of Charlie Brown’s performance against Tom McClintock the first time around.

The losers are Sue McGuire and George Smyrnos (both good people) but moreover many of their single-issue, agenda-driven supporters in our community. We’ve reported them previously — you know who they are. (The anti-Beason signs were childish).

Other losers include the local tea party who vocally endorsed these candidates, The Union’s hard-right editorial policy, the loud, hard-right blogging contingent of Russ Steele, George Rebane, Barry Pruett and Todd Juvinall. (Juvinall once was a county supervisor and Steele once was a county ERC board commissioner and transportation commissioner). Times have changed.

Also, Tom McClintock’s opponent did better than expected in our county.

My own suspicion is that social media has opened the doors to more views and voices than in the past, more accurately reflecting our diverse community and breaking the “bottleneck” of the dominant media that has long controlled communications. This trend will continue.

Placer County also is “purple.” Moderate Democrat Jennifer Montgomery won her race, as did moderate GOPer Jim Holmes. Both will continue as county supervisors.

County Supervisor District 1

Nate Beason 2,842 votes – 59.29%
Alfred “Al” Bulf: 445 votes – 9.28%
Louis Meyer: 84 votes – 1.75%
Sue McGuire: 1,402 votes – 29.25%
Unresolved Write-Ins 20 votes

Judge of the Superior Court Seat 1

George John Smyrnos 7,300 votes – 38.52%
Tom Anderson 11,584 votes – 61.13%
Unresolved Write-Ins: 67 – 0.35%

County Supervisor District 5

Richard Anderson: 1,359 votes – 66.00%
Mike Rogers: 690 votes – 33.51%
Unresolved Write-Ins: 10 votes – 0.49%

Thanks to Yubanet.com for its real-time reporting and to the county clerk-recorder’s office for its deft handling of the election.

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