Bonds within Pet of FORUM one homer of the Our readers write Babe Ruth week ...................................Page 4 .............Page 6 ..............Page 3 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Mostly sunny 7 58551 69301 0 MONDAY May 8, 2006 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 14 pages, Volume 148 Number 29 email: [email protected] County has Pandemic Flu plan Local activist Bird Flu movie to disaster. with infected birds may also clinics, and health department The virus H5N1, also called become ill. staff to test and improve the says building air Wednesday Avian Flu or Bird Flu, has been In the last three years, more Pandemic Flu plan. of concern since 2003, accord- than 100 infected people have “Everyone has a responsibil- The Daily Journal ing to the Health Department. died. ity for preparedness,” boom must wait Because a television movie Spread of the disease has “It is unknown if the virus Mordhorst said. scheduled to air Wednesday been tracked from Asia to will ever mutate to a form that The following Web sites might raise questions or con- Europe, Africa, and the United is easily spread from person to may be of assistance: Johnson campaigned succesfully for cerns from viewers, the local Kingdom. The major impact person. However, if it does, it www.pandemicflu.gov; marijuana legislation six years ago health department wants to has been seen in poultry and in will cause widespread illness www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss; remind citizens it has a wild birds. and death. So, we must pre- www.cdc.gov/flu/avian; The Daily Journal Pandemic Flu plan. Migrating birds spread the pare,” Carol Mordhorst, direc- www.co.mendocino.ca.us/ph; Local activist Richard Johnson has written a proposed However, even though the virus from continent to conti- tor of Mendocino County www.dhs.ca.gov. voter ordinance to prohibit new major development in risk of Pandemic Flu is low at nent and it is expected that the Public Health Department said. For more information call inland Mendocino County until stalled planning docu- this time, the Mendocino virus will be detected in Meanwhile, the Health Marvin Trotter, physician and ments are prepared, approved and go into effect. County Public Health America this year. Department disaster planning health officer, or Jennifer “The General Plan update, the Ukiah Valley Area Plan Department urges community Humans who have very staff is also coordinating drills Dutton, public health nurse, at reassessment and the grading ordinance may still be years members to be prepared for any close and prolonged contact and exercises with hospitals, 472-2600. away, along with required environmental impact reports,” Johnson said. “Meanwhile outside developers are target- ing Mendocino County for the kind of growth that char- acterizes more urbanized parts of California.” In January, the Board of Supervisors and many mem- bers of the public were so concerned about the possiblitiy Nasty winter cramped plans of of more projects like Ryder Homes, the planning depart- ment was ordered to prepare an interim urgency building local produce vendors moratorium for the Ukiah Valley. But the Board of Supervisors later decided not to discuss the moratorium further and no action on large developments has been taken. If approved by a majority of voters in the November Farmers Market election, Johnson’s proposal would enact a temporary prohibition on major new development in inland Mendocino County. Johnson says he has submitted the text to county coun- sel for a ballot title and summary, then he will begin gath- welcomed back ering signatures. Santa Rosa lettuce grower Pedro Ortiz “At that time, supervisors may ask staff to investigate By LAURA CLARK the impact of the proposed moratorium on various county The Daily Journal functions. That will give people a chance to voice opin- wet, prolonged winter may ions on the measure,” Johnson said. have impacted vegetable “This is nothing more than a tool for citizens to cut off A crops but it didn’t appear to any building boom prior to the orderly development of affect the turnout of the first Ukiah badly needed planning and environmental regulations,” he Farmers Market of the season, held stressed. Saturday on School Street. The ordinance contains exemptions similar to the one “I love having the Farmers prepared by county planning staff for Ukiah Valley. Market here,” Annette Morrison As one of the exemptions is for project applications said as she purchased some fresh made prior to the election, there is still a need for supervi- lettuce from Pedro Ortiz. sors to pass an interim urgency moratorium, Johnson “Last year I came here every emphasized. He also said supervisor Wattenburger was Saturday,” she said. “I get my let- correct in January to have proposed a countywide morato- tuce, my flowers, and other vegeta- rium. bles here. I know that (the produce) “While Ukiah Valley may be the most immediate is fresh, everything is organic, and I attraction, the rest of the county shares the same exposure like to support local growers,” she to runaway development,” Johnson pointed out. said, adding, “And, it’s tasty. It’s His moratorium would not include Mendocino Town or just better stuff.” the Coastal Zone, however. Megan Van Sant, checking out an assortment of tomato plants for See LOCAL, Page 14 sale by Elk Creamery, said she shops at the farmers market as much as possible. “I love it. I like watching the County gets change ... you start off with the tomato plants in the beginning of the season and by the end we are eating the tomatoes. ... I get flow- $2.5 million in ers, sometimes, too. We go for fruit, when they have it. There’s a melon man and I really like that guy,” Van farm funds Sant said. A few venders were selling veg- By BEN BROWN etable plants, and others were ped- The Daily Journal dling produce, Redwood planters, Mendocino County has received more than one-fifth of olive oil, goat cheese, fresh flowers, the $2.5 million in emergency funds allocated to the trees, garden seeds, apples, cider USDA’s Farm Services Agency for flood repair in and dried fruit. California, but FSA city executive officer Katy Delbar As the season goes on, more pro- said the county needs more. duce will be available. As it is, ven- Mendocino County received $650,000 Delbar said, an dors were lucky to have what they amount slightly lower than the $700,000 Delbar predicted did. when the availability of funds were announced in March “My onions, my broccoli, and and significantly lower than the $1 million Delbar said the my cabbage. ... I lost one crop from county needs. flooding,” Ortiz said. “We were lucky to get that much,” Delbar said. “We got Nate Hayward, owner of Plant a large amount comparably.” Friends Nursery, said “peppers had The $2.5 million was allocated to the state FSA office the hardest time” with all the rain. to divided among the five counties that sustained the “All the hot weather crops ... but worst damage in the New Year’s floods: Marin, the last two weeks of sun has Mendocino, Napa, Siskiyou and Sonoma. picked things up and we are ready Delbar said she hoped other counties that requested to plant.” money would not need as much as they had been given, or “It’s been a horrible winter,” that more money could be procured from a reserve held at echoed Andy Balestracci, cheese- the state level. maker at Elk Creamery. “It slowed So far, 260 commercial farmers in Mendocino County everything down ... Everything is a Photos by Ryan Garner/The Daily Journal have applied for aid. Because the funds can only be spent little bit behind,” he said, standing Doug Mosel dishes out cheese samples at the first Farmers Market of the on specific types of repair, Delbar said her office has pri- season, Saturday morning at the Alex Thomas Plaza. Several vendors were oritized repairs. See MARKET, Page 14 on hand selling plants, vegetables, and other assorted items. See FARMS, Page 14 Ukiah *FREE* We Have Individual Ask For 468-0800 Move-In Truck Shelved Storage Units Chelsea For Storage Call Now! (with driver) Available For Rent Now! More Details 2 – MONDAY, MAY 8, 2006 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C. Meadows, 468-3526 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] Council “fail in their crucial The six-day festival over Rob Moore, Paramount’s responsibility to resolve dif- two weekends drew enthusias- head of worldwide marketing The world briefly ferences peacefully.” tic crowds of locals and out- and distribution, said he did While the Iranians used the of-towners eager to support not believe Cruise’s private word “peacefully,” they were the storm-ravaged city and its life had any impact on widely seen as referring to a music. The 37th annual festi- “Mission: Impossible III,” diplomatic solution, short of a val was held at the New directed by “Lost” creator J.J. Last American survivor Security Council vote and Orleans Fair Grounds Race Abrams. possible sanctions. Course, which was under 5 “I don’t think so. There’s The U.S. is backing feet of water at the height of no question it concerns us if of Titanic dies at 99 attempts by Britain and the flooding. the press is writing about France to draw up a U.N. res- things other than the movie,” By ANDREW RYAN she shunned publicity and It was cold and the little ones olution that would declare Gene marker Moore said. “If people are Iran in violation of interna- writing about his personal life, The Associated Press rarely spoke about the events.