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  • Jeff Ackerman Responds on DA Office Move

    George Rebane

    I invited Jeff to correct and/or expand on my ‘Hanging Chad’ post regarding the DA office move.  The following is from Jeff’s email that I received this afternoon.
    ============

    George:

    Good seeing you today.

    No other shoe to drop really. We asked questions that needed to be asked. To be clear (and you may use this in your next post update), here are the questions:

    1.       Last August we (and others) were told the building’s use would be “retail (downstairs) and residential (upstairs).” Tintle said at the time that he had some retail businesses, “already lined up,” but did not disclose details. There were no initial plans to have office downstairs and that all of that space would be reserved for retail, generating much needed sales tax monies.

    2.       The BOS approved the lease essentially the same week it eliminated 9 positions in the Building Department, amid more concerns of a continued economic downturn. We questioned the timing of that. We also questioned the price, since it did not appear that the owners had a long line of folks waiting for the space. Where are those retailers Tintle had lined up?

    3.       We also questioned the relationship between the building’s partners and the elected BOS members who have been openly endorsed and financially supported by the “landlords” of the property they were approving a long-term lease with. Are you really suggesting we should not be asking those questions?

    4.       Finally…after having lunch with the DA, we walked down to the building for a tour. I could not help notice how much work had already been done to get the DA’s offices ready to occupy. I have been involved in several multi-million-dollar building projects and can tell you for certain that much of that work had been done BEFORE the BOS voted to approve the lease agreement. Rubber Stamp? It sure makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I always thought you got approval first and then started putting up the walls.

    This newspaper NEVER suggested the DA didn’t need better digs, by the way (although we suspect it will be a LONG time before their courthouse offices are occupied). And since Nevada City is so concerned about Real Estate offices downtown, why are government offices different? They don’t generate any more sales tax than a real estate office. Remember that debate?

    In any event, hope this clarifies things.   …

    Best,
    Jeff

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  • Hanging Chad from the DA’s New Offices

    George Rebane

    I just returned from the weekly meeting of our Rotary Club at the National Hotel.  Today’s program was a talk by The Union’s publisher Jeff Ackerman.  Jeff gave us an update on the paper’s current fortunes as it implements a plan forward in this age of the internet that is sinking many newspapers across the land.  His report was hopeful and positive – pulp readership “flat”, online daily readership under ten thousand but growing.

    Most folks in Nevada County know that Jeff Ackerman, through his columns and community activities, has been the gravitas of the newspaper and lent it a human touch.  This has served well to balance the journalistic travails of the paper’s editorial staff.

    Last week the paper published an op-ed piece that introduced the issue of the county DA’s moving to new quarters.  The three salient factors of this planned move – were 1) did the DA need to move, 2) was new office space appropriate, and 3) was there impropriety involved in the selection.

    The piece – under The Union Editorial Board byline – was a heavy hitter and drew a lot of subsequent comment from those who were in agreement and those who criticized the planned move.  Through obvious innuendo it called into question all three factors, but especially focused on the second and the third.  There it left pieces of hanging chad that implied that better locations were available and overlooked, and that the Board of Supervisors had colluded with the owners of the building in a manner that could range anywhere from cronyism to outright fraud

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  • Jeff Ackerman Call Your Office

    George Rebane

    Well, here’s a little egg on my face.  For the last couple of years I have been occasionally critical of The Union.  Jeff Pelline took me to task both publicly and privately on my transgressions, finally suggesting, in no uncertain terms, that such contributions on community matters should no longer grace the pages or website of that newspaper.  More than a little surprised at Jeff’s attitude, I nevertheless did pack up and go.  Now Q and his/her commenters shame me for the cream puff criticisms that I delivered in my scribbles.  Finally, a spade has been called a spade.

    Now if we only knew where the community meeting is being held.

    =========
    The following is taken verbatim from The Union’s website here.

    Jeff Pelline’s attitude
    10:03, 2008-Feb-6

    Well, they have censored my opinion in the forums, let us see if they will do it in the blogs too.
    I have an ‘axe to grind’ with the editor of our little paper, Jeff Pelline. His sarcasm and facetious attitude towards any among us who care to criticize his opinion or methods is extremely unprofessional. The editor of any paper is responsible to be the guiding voice, and lets the readers know exactly what positions the paper is likely to report, and through what lens their perception may be interpreted. If Jeff’s attitude is any indicator of his ‘lens’, then I question exactly how much does he benefit our community? His lack of respect for local communities, such as his issue with the Cascade Shores debt relief, can have a detrimental effect on the interaction of the many varied naighborhoods which make up our county. In the end, Jeff Pelline will not foster a cooperative attitude in our community; he will continue to muckrake and create tension between us, not unite us, like a great editor would.
    Just my two cents, hope you read it before they delete it.
    Q

    Well said
    This will be gone soon! He is the WORST thing that has ever happened to this community in the 25 years I’ve lived here.

    by sunshine&rainbows on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:03:01 PST

    Thank you sunshine
    Jeff has accused me of being so critical that he threatened to involve law enforcement. He seems to think I take this issue too seriously, and he refuses to address my concerns. Please make others aware of the damage his sarcasm is having in our community. We will see how much Publisher Ackerman wants to improve our county by his future actions regarding Editor Pelline.

    by qen23 on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:26:16 PST

    You might be interested…
    In a community meeting being held Sunday at 4 p.m. to discuss that very thing.

    by sunshine&rainbows on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:47:51 PST

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  • Ruminations – 2feb2008

    George Rebane

    • SuperBowl Analytics – we were a mite early
    • More on the DA space issue in the Union
    • How closely do the candidates match your views?

    SuperBowl Analytics – On this SuperBowl weekend Jo Ann and I will watch one of our few sporting events during the year.  We only get excited when season-long competitions come to an end – i.e. World Series, NBA Finals, …, and when on the off-chance that UCLA athletes do something notable.  Anyway, I ran across an interesting article on how rocket science (aka analytics) has become embedded in athletic decision making both on and off the field.  In the 70s when friend Gary Irving and I were doing ‘black studies’ in the defense of our country, Gary (a former world-class sprinter) suggested that what we did for Uncle Sam could be of great profit to sports like football.  We were two hotshot systems engineers and there wasn’t a technical problem in the world we couldn’t solve. 

    So after some fun noodling we had a portfolio of ideas and specific methods on applying high-falootin’ math and science to sports.  With colored pictures and graphs under our arms Gary got us appointments with a number of coaches on both sides of the country.  One, I remember, was with George Allen of the Washington Redskins.  All were genuinely interested, but all assured us sports was such an intuitive and complex field that analytics would be of little use.  Well, it turns out we were either too early or too easily turned away (we did have day jobs and families to feed).  Twenty years passed and analytics entered sports on a full time basis.  For tomorrow’s SuperBowl in this article you can read how analytics are used today in high-powered athletics.

    Good article on the new DA office space issue in today’s Union here.  The writer satisfactorily answers most people on the ‘need to move’ question.  The matter that The Union considers yet unresolved is the Supes’ choice of the new Union Street Building.  The implication by the paper and many of its correspondents is that there are better digs available and the selection job was not properly carried out, or worse, that it was done in an underhanded way to reward cronies.  The Union asked three questions to illuminate the matter (see my post on this), which, until they explain themselves,in reality posited an accusation of impropriety that still stands.  The final resolution of this will be to identify over-looked alternatives that point-by-point satisfy the county’s and DA’s specifications for new office space.  We will try to help to resolve this shortly, stay tuned.

    Finally, in this election season my daughter pointed me to a site where you can answer a few questions on issues and then be shown the candidates ranked in the order in which you agree with their positions.  Revealing and lots of fun.

    It’s been snowing all day and all week here in Nevada County, and we’re happy to be staying home huddled around a warm fire.  I’m ready to make a bigger carbon footprint if it’ll help things get warmer.

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  • The Daniel Pearl Standard

    George Rebane

    Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered six years ago in Pakistan by radical Islamists.  Danny was an exceptional person and the journalist who headed the newspaper’s South Asia bureau.  His father, Dr. Judea Pearl, a world-renowned computer scientist and humanitarian, wrote a memorial to his son to commemorate the anniversary of this tragedy.  In this reflection he raises to our attention facets of journalism and journalistic behavior that bear not only on how we see the world, but how reporting can and does put its mold on the world.

    Journalism is a tough profession and not everyone who gets a check from a media outlet can automatically call himself a journalist.  In this piece Judea Pearl offers some important guidelines for all reporters who would be journalists.  Even we commentators and ideologically colored surveyors of the local scene may find here a point or two to ponder.  This short article may be downloaded here as a pdf. Download the_daniel_pearl_standard.pdf

    (For the Record – Judea and Ruth Pearl are long-time friends of ours, and we are supporters of The Daniel Pearl Foundation.)

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  • The Union *Questions* Authority

    George Rebane

    Well, I guess this morning the local paper declared war on our county’s Board of Supervisors with a hit op-ed piece that garnered a lot of support from our progressive brethren.  Being a member of the accused ‘hacks of the Board’ and contributor to at least two of their campaigns, I immediately forgot all propriety, went into knee-jerk mode, abandoned my "watchdog status", and posted the (below) comment under the offending diatribe on The Union’s website.  It sat there in its full glory for about an hour, then it was gone.  Immediately, I thought the worst had happened and inquired about its fate.  Not to worry.  According to editor Jeff Pelline, the comment disappeared from under the op-ed and onto the "more comments" page due to a design feature of the website.  In any event, I did take the content of their well-honed piece to task and posed some questions about their "questions", which I would want people to see if The Union deems them worthy of addressing.  The holding of one’s breath is not recommended.

    ========= comment posted this morning

    Be sure you really *question* authority

    The Supes have made public statements and given data that supports their decision to move the DA’s offices to the Tintle-Robinson building. The decision is best evaluated by comparing the county’s specifications for new DA digs with the available alternatives. I have asked for and been promised the list of these specifications, and will then post them on Rebane’s Ruminations in a format that allows those of us who know of better alternatives to fill in the blanks. I’m sure the The Union will publish its own results – group decision making at its finest.

    When I read the above op-ed this morning, I was struck by the nature of the posed ‘questions’. What possible satisfactory answers could be given to these three questions that are really the journalistic equivalents of ‘Have you stopped beating your wife, yes or no?’ Perhaps The Union could give an example of a satisfactory answer to each question that would resolve this issue, otherwise we are left to conclude that they are just thinly-disguised and unfounded innuendos. Professional journalists know how to ask questions without really asking questions.

    BTW, I too have contributed to the campaigns of Sue Horne and Nate Beason, and plan to contribute more unless they screw up. And I am not a journalist.

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  • Romney vs the senators, male and female

    George Rebane

    From one of our deep-thinking and worthy correspondents, posted as submitted –

    "During the debates, Mitt Romney catches heat for laying off employees.  If a candidate from the US Senate raises  this issues he/she falls into a trap:

       1-  All the companies M Romney took over were in trouble.  Therefore he saved a lot more jobs with reorganization.  The necessity and ability of organizations/companies to adapt  makes American business the best in the world.

       2-  After leaving the Navy, Sen. McCain joined the US Government, one of the least adaptive  organizations.  During  JM’s over 25 year tenure senator (25 years? Now he owns it! ) his record includes:

          A)  The War on Poverty is now over 40 years old and has likely cost over $10 trillion.  Where is victory?  When do we withdraw the staff?  Is there a timetable?  Is poverty gone?

          B)  The War on Drugs is now 37 years old.  There are 250,000 in prisons generally less benign than Guantanamo, and the casualty rate for enforcement agencies, "turf wars," users and  bystander victims is way beyond Iraq.  Our border with Mexico is in turmoil that won’t cease for several generations (Stratfor).

    This list could go on.  The failure to adapt and perform by government is displayed every day on a local, state, and federal basis.  If  those US Senators  use their success in Washington as the basis for promotion to President, they must operate on a different reality."

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  • Nevada County Supes Hold a Workshop – Some Observations

    George Rebane

    The county’s Board of Supervisors and senior staff held a two day workshop at the local Holiday Inn away from the phones and walk-in business that usually interrupts sessions at the Rood Center.  This environment provided the right atmosphere for an informal give-and-take by the participants that was interspersed by formal presentations by department heads.  I and a few fellow bloggers and observers were welcomed guests and got to sit in the public chairs.  We all had ample opportunity to ask questions and trade ideas with the Supes and staff during the breaks.

    I was a little disappointed that more of the public did not attend.  They missed sessions of our local government at work that were not only informative but eye-opening.  Unfortunately our newspaper was able to spare a reporter for only part of one day and its meager attendance reflected that level of attention and its quality of coverage. 

    What the attendees saw and heard were presentations and policy discussions that spanned the entire spectrum of our county government’s actions, issues, concerns, and intentions.  I saw a well-facilitated gathering where department heads gave slide presentations on key areas that were followed by round table discussions – all on point and effective.  After each presentation the five Supervisors engaged and dissected topic after topic, each bringing their own perspectives and concerns into the forum.  The department heads performed superbly as resources to explicate matters of fact and process that enabled the policy makers to keep up the momentum. 

    Over the two day period I came away impressed by the quality of people we have doing the people’s business in Nevada County.  Having been involved in one or two affairs of local government over the decades, seldom have I seen such mutual courtesies shown and collegial demeanor among elected officials – there was no grandstanding, posturing, or hubris.  The staff – all having command in breadth and depth of their respective areas – joined comfortably into the discussions, always remembering who they were supporting, but never holding back from a professionally rendered correction or contribution.  More of us citizens should witness such governmental work sessions, especially those of us who have learned (with some cause) to look at government with a gimlet eye.  But enough of this grateful gushing.

    All of us in the public seats were taking notes trying to capture the more salient snippet here and there from the constant shower of information.  I’m going to list a few of my takeaways in no particular order to give a flavor of what transpired.  Perhaps one or two of these will motivate you to call your Supervisor and give him/her your take on a topic.

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  • Ruminations – 28jan2008

    George Rebane

    • fooled by the current economic stimulation package
    • hiring managers are starting to pay people for an interview

    – Even level-headed columnists are fooled by the current economic stimulation package making its rounds through Congress.  In a recent Sac Bee column Ruben Navarrette writes hopefully that “A stimulus may not work exactly as expected, but it’s worth a try. Americans are overtaxed as it is, and anything that gets more of their tax dollars back into their hands is a good thing.”  This makes it appear as if he is ignorant of how our economy works.  Those aren’t tax dollars coming back.  When a country is in debt and practices chronic deficit spending, any money, not accounted for in reduced spending, it sends back to people is money it doesn’t have.  This money it must print anew, thereby further debasing the currency and putting an added lien on taxes to be paid in the future.  There is no free lunch – as recently claimed by Hillary – in any of this, especially for those of us who get nothing, and then have to pay the lion’s share of a political vote buying spree during election year.  The wool is firmly over our eyes.

    – Readers of this blog are familiar with my rants on the growing redundancy of the workforce induced by accelerating technology, and, specifically, its division into those who can generate new wealth and those who cannot.  This process now takes another giant step as hiring managers are starting to pay people submitting to an interview (before they just covered your travel expenses).  Those paid to do so are wealth generators already employed by other companies.  Today’s WSJ reports that a new start-up, NotchUp, is helping these hiring managers “reach employed professionals who aren’t necessarily looking for a job – but might talk to a hiring manager for a price.”  Meanwhile, the memberships of unions for government workers are filling with people who couldn’t get an interview with a private sector hiring manager even if they first submitted an envelope filled with unmarked bills.

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