SUNDAY Grace Notes

Community REMINISCE sports digest SUNDAY Grace Notes ..........Page A-9 July 27, 2008 ................................Page A-3 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Monday: Mostly sunny; H 87º L 54º Tuesday: Clouds, then sun; H 88º L 55º $1 tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 40 pages, Volume 150 Number 109 email: [email protected] ‘The financial people are always the last to leave.’ – Cal Fire Deputy Finance Chief RICH BOEHM Ft. Bragg urges water Cal Fire reductions The Daily Journal The city of Fort Bragg is asking resi- settling dents to conserve water because of lower than average storage in city reservoirs. Fort Bragg pulls its water from the Noyo River, Newman Reservoir and Waterfall Gulch, all of which are low accounts already this year because of lower than By BEN BROWN average winter and spring rainfall. The Daily Journal Mendocino County had one of the dri- Though the smoke has cleared and the est springs on record this year and incident command team is gone, one portion California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of the administration that helped Mendocino has declared a drought statewide. County deal with 129 fires that burned The city of Fort Bragg is encouraging across the county for almost a month residents to voluntarily reduce their water remains: the group that pays the bills. use as much as possible, using only as “The financial people are always the last much as is necessary for commercial and to leave,” said Cal Fire Deputy Finance domestic purposes. Chief Rich Boehm. According to city reports, there is cur- Working out of a crowded conference rently enough water in reservoirs to serve room at the Fairfield Inn, more than a dozen the community, but conservation is members of the financial team will be sort- encouraged to make sure water will con- ing bills, making calls and entering payroll tinue to be available later in the season. forms until every last bill is paid. Fort Bragg is not the only city to ask for Along one wall sit boxes filled with files voluntary conservation. Earlier this and manila folders. Each one represents a vendor who supplied something, from water month, the city of Ukiah also asked resi- tenders and private fire crews to tents and dents to voluntarily cut down on their land use rights. water use due to lower than average rain- In one corner, Betty Morgan goes over all fall. of the bills from the helicopters that flew missions over the fires. Every bill has to be checked against the helicopter crew’s time ticket and then entered into a computer sys- tem. Albertina “Everything has to be double-checked,” she said. “We spend hours on this.” Morgan has been working in the shares space Mendocino Lightning Complex’s financial division since June 24. A retired Cal Fire worker from Santa Rosa, she said she still works the larger incidents when she is need- with wildlife ed. The gate was open when I arrived at Nearby, Cal Fire seasonal Firefighter Zmarzly Family Vineyards, home of Sarah Farber is capturing all of the hours fire Albertina Wine Cellars, five miles up the crews worked on the Mendocino Complex mountain just west of Hopland. Inside the fires, a job that is both complex and impor- gate I noticed two deer munching grass tant since a fire crew cannot be moved to a and looking nonplussed as I drove past different fire until all of its time has been them. Knowing that deer are not welcome entered on the last one. in vineyards, I felt compelled to mention “We’re in the auditing phase,” she said. Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal Cal Fire employee Betty Morgan, a retired Annunitant finance tech, works on their whereabouts when I met Fred Farber lives in Laytonville and works sea- Zmarzly at his sonally for Cal Fire. She said she had just the invoices for every helicopter air hour used in the Mendocino Lightning Complex. Morgan says each helicopter form takes about 25 minutes to com- vineyard on a See CAL FIRE, Page A-13 plete. sunny morning in early July. “This is their home,” he responded easi- ly. As we walked past the pond he It’s the most wonderful time of the year stopped to look for the red wing By ROB BURGESS time around without fail: I love buying and receiving black birds that Wine Notes The Daily Journal Christmas and Presidential Christmas gifts, but spending the come every year By Heidi Cusick It was the night of Nov. 7, Elections. money it takes to buy said gifts so in January or Dickerson 2006, and I was glued to the tele- And I’m exactly not thrilled others can receive them is no fun- February to this vision. with either of them dancing merri- -especially when you have very 417-acre ranch he and his wife, Alberta, All I wanted the awesomely ly in the background for a larger little. So when I see first purchased 25 years ago. “They stay until named CNN news anchor Wolf and larger part of the year. Christmas decorations of the sea- the babies are big enough to go on their Blitzer to tell me was which polit- Don’t get it twisted though, I son butting up against the own toward the end of July,” he explained ical party had won control of the love both of them. Christmas is, Halloween costumes at Wal-Mart while looking for the mallards that are legislative branch of the federal well, Christmas. There’s being my heart doesn’t exactly sing with also on the pond. We didn’t see them and government. with the ones you love, presents excitement. he was worried that a predator might have And he did, for a while. and possibly a sporting event you And that’s pretty much where gotten the ducklings. As the evening wore on though, can sit around with those you love we are in the political season right The property was once a hunting pre- I saw that he couldn’t help him- House of and pretend to care about. now--the retail phase. serve and today wild pigs, mountain lions, self. And the presidential election, I If my patience for inconsequen- turkeys, rattlesnakes, bear and coyote still “I know this might seem a little Burgess mean, come on. I’m a political tial bickering while the parties have the run of most of the acreage. In early to talk about this,” he said, junkie to the max and I actually twiddle their thumbs waiting for 2000, the Zmarzlys planted 17 acres in while I instinctively cringed at get goosebumps every election election day were a bank account, vines, mostly cabernet sauvignon, but also home, “but we all know tonight night pretty regularly. my balance sheet would show I’m some merlot, petite verdot and cabernet represents the start of the race for full swing,” wrote Karen Tumulty The part of both these process- broke. franc, the Bordeaux varietals that do so the White House in 2008.” in Time Magazine on Jan. 25, es that keep getting stretched is With 100 days until the election well on hillsides. The vineyard is fenced No. No. No it doesn’t, I thought 2007. “There are at least 20 actual the least fun part--the part where and both parties already set on separately to give the vines a chance but to myself. The presidential elec- or assumed or wished-for candi- I’m being sold stuff. their candidates well before their Zmarzly smiles when he talks about the tion season does not have to take a dates--nine Democrats and 11 It used to be, or so I’m told, that conventions, made up scandals wildlife that gets in anyway. fifth of a decade to complete; Republicans...Most of them have the Christmas season didn’t start and snarky remarks are all they “I own vineyards and I love turkeys,” you’ve just decided it does, Wolf begun raising money, hiring staff until the day after Thanksgiving can do to pass the time. he says knowing this is a controversial (if that’s even your real name.) and lining up endorsements.” and that the presidential race did- Barack Obama has come under topic. Not everyone likes turkeys among “There’s nearly a year to go During the quarter century I’ve n’t get going until after the con- fire more than once for pretending their vines, but, “they eat weeds and before the Iowa caucuses, but it been lucky enough to be alive I’ve ventions when the nominees were like he’s president before he’s insects all year,” he explains pointing to sure feels like the 2008 presiden- seen kickoff of two national actually picked. tial-election season has reached events creep up the calendar each I wish. See BURGESS, Page A-14 See WINE, Page A-14 SaberSaber 95* Per Month FAST DSL for $11 * Terms & conditions apply. Sign up now and receive $25 Rebate on purchase of DSL Modem 800-989-8851 • www.saber.net A-2 – SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] may contact the Daily Journal FUNERAL NOTICES POLICE REPORTS once their case has been con- CORRECTIONS cluded so the results can be The following were reported. Those who feel the The Ukiah Daily Journal reserves [\ [\ Barnes, Connie Barnes, information is in error should this space to correct errors or make compiled from reports clarifications to news articles.

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