Dec. 26-28: Cali Soul in Sebastopol and Novato

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Dec. 26-28: Cali Soul in Sebastopol and Novato


Orgone began with two teens, keyboardist Dan Hastie and guitarist Sergio Rios, hanging out at the boardwalk and record stores of Los Angeles. Fueled by a common love of the soul of the ’60s and ’70s, the two steadily recruited friends and like-minded musicians. Now the band is a massively popular collective, eight members strong, and rejuvenated by the recent addition of powerhouse singer Adryon de León Orgone takes up a mini-residency in the North Bay, performing Dec. 26–27, at HopMonk Sebastopol, (230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol; 9pm; $20; 707.829.7300) and Dec. 28, at HopMonk Novato (224 Vintage Way, Novato; 9pm; $20; 415.892.6200). 

Dec. 30: Days on Earth Film in Napa

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Dec. 30: Days on Earth Film in Napa

Alt-rock star Nick Cave has been stretching the limits of creativity in music, writing and film for over 30 years, and recently celebrated a unique milestone in a signature surreal way with his quasi-documentary ‘20,000 Days on Earth.’ Cave gives frank insights into his life and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process in the dreamlike film, which melds the real and imaginary in a fictitious portrait of Cave’s 20,000th day, with appearances by the likes of writer Warren Ellis, actor Ray Winstone and singer and actress Kylie Minogue as well as Cave’s family and friends. 20,000 Days on Earth screens on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at City Winery, 1030 Main St., Napa. 7pm. $10. 707.260.1600.

Out with a Bang!

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Out with a Bang!

SONOMA

Ring in the new year with lots of laughs at the all-comedy cabaret with Sandy and Richard Riccardi at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa. The Riccardis riff on menopause, social consciousness and their cracked road to marital bliss at 7pm ($25) and 10pm ($40–$50). 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.3544.

The Petaluma Museum hosts its sixth annual New Year’s Eve gala from 7pm to 10pm. Celebrate with a concert by violinist Yun Chu, cellist Shu Yi Pai, pianist Elizabeth Walter and Nancy Severance on viola will perform selected works of Beethoven and Dvorak. Petaluma Creamery and Russian River Vineyards’ fine wines and cheeses will be served complimentary. Guests also have the option to purchase preferred tickets with “elite beverage service.” Prices go up as the event nears. $35–$70. 20 Fourth St., Petaluma. 707.778.4398.

Dance in the new year at the Flamingo Resort. Party in two rooms of music and dancing, with a special reunion performance of Crossfire in the Grand Ballroom. Top DJs include DJ Don Dada and DJ JMag in the Lounge, spinning continuous dance tracks before the countdown ball falls. The event features a cash bar, and tickets are available online or at the door for $55. Doors at 8pm; show starts at 9:30pm. 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.8530.

Get bluesy this New Year’s Eve with Tommy Castro and the Painkillers at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma ($41). This guitar-driven blues band is known for putting on a great show, and there will be a special guest performance with Keith Crossan and Nancy Wright. 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. Doors at 8pm; shows starts at 9pm. 707.765.2121.

Get a leg up on your New Year’s fitness resolution with the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen on Jan. 1. As a part of the national “First Day Hikes” movement sponsored by America’s state parks, the free event will be offering a series of hikes for all fitness levels this year that take hikers through the mixed evergreen forest up to a summit offering sweeping vistas of Sonoma Valley for the more experienced. 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707.938.5216.

For those looking to end the year with some serious groove time, swing by HopMonk Sebastopol for “Brainstorm New Year’s Eve: The Time of our Minds” event from Daniel K Presents. The event will feature multi-genre dance music, hip-hop and dub-step with performances by Wick It, Stylust Beats and more. This high-energy celebration starts at 9pm and is 21 and over. $30 early bird; $35 advanced purchase; $40 at the door. 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. 707.829.7300

Hip-hop is not forgotten in Sonoma County this year with New Year Steeze at the Whiskey Tip in Santa Rosa. A-Plus and Casual from Oakland’s legendary Hieroglyphics crew will perform, and well as M.C. Radio Active and more, killing it with conscious hip hop, indie rap, and electronic music all night long. With a complimentary whiskey toast at midnight, the event is $20 pre-sale online and $30 at the door. 8pm–2am. 1910 Sebastopol Road. 707.495.9351.

Jazz lovers, ring in the New Year at Guerneville’s Main Street Station with artist Frankye Kelley, a Grammy-nominated singer who will perform a series of jazz standards as well as a few familiar blues tunes. $20–$35. This venue also has a dining option before the show. 16280 Main St. 707.869.0501

There’s sing-a-long music at Redwood Cafe in Cotati. The evening starts with the crowd singing Beatles hits at 8pm with lyrics provided (free), and at 9:30pm the dancing starts with the GrooveMatics ($10). Get ready for classic rock, Motown, and the blues. 8240 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati. 707.795.7868.

Enjoy some R&B and rap this New Year’s Eve at the Tradewinds in Cotati. DJ J.Lately will be headlining, and getting everyone ready for a midnight toast. No cover charge. 8210 Old Redwood Hwy. 707.795.7878.

For something different, explore the life and times of Edith Piaf in Cinnabar Theater‘s play Edith Piaf: Beneath Paris Skies. This performance recreates Piaf’s unlikely road from the brothels of Paris to stardom in the 1930s. Musical accompaniment by a five-piece band completes the experience. On New Year’s Eve only, enjoy desserts before the show, party favors and a Champagne toast at midnight. $55–$65. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.763.8920.

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MARIN

Dance and laugh into the new year with Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs and Jude Johnstone at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley at ($40–$70). Keep the fun going on New Year’s Day with some of the funniest comedians around: Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Debi Durst, Michael Bossier, Mari Magloni and Arthur Gaus at 8pm. $21–$25. 142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 415.383.9600.

The New Year’s Eve extravaganza at 19 Broadway in Fairfax is the ultimate funky dance party in Marin ($35–$40) with versatile band Vinyl, and featuring local soul diva Cathleen “Sweetie Pie” Ridley, starting at 9pm. 19 Broadway Blvd., Fairfax. 415.459.0293.

Laughs abound at the Fifth Annual New Year’s Eve StandUp Comedy Celebration at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael. This year the event boasts five comedians in one night, including headliner Don Gavin. The night kicks off at 7:30pm with a no-host cocktail party and continues on to a NYE Champagne toast at midnight with the comedians. The event doubles as a canned food and coat drive for SF-Marin Food Bank and One Warm Coat, so bring along nonperishable foods and warm lightly used or new coats. $33–$37. 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 415.444.8000.

There are even more opportunities to laugh at the annual Best of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition at the Marin Center in San Rafael. Featuring a variety of performances by the comedy competition alumni, the show starts at 9pm. $35. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 415.473.6400.

Brooklyn-based band Pimps of Joytime play at Sweetwater Music Hall in Corte Madera at the annual NYE celebration. Their sound is completely their own unique blend of including Afrobeat, rock, hip-hop and electronica. Tickets include a Champagne toast at midnight, and VIP tickets include a dinner of locally sourced, seasonally driven and organic foods sure to delight the palate with worldly flavors. $47–$102.
19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill
Valley. 415.388.3850.

Get ready to rock with the Unauthorized Rolling Stones at George’s Nightclub in San Rafael. This New Year’s Eve bash not only has good tunes but a Champagne toast at midnight and a guaranteed good time with the club’s two-drink minimum. (Does the Champagne count?) $35. Check out the reserved seating option. 842 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.226.0262.

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If you love good beer and classic rock, spend your last hours of 2014 at HopMonk Novato, listening to the sweet sounds of Rock Candy as they treat the audience to some classic rock covers. HopMonk also switches things up by treating guests to an IPA toast at midnight. $25–$30. 224 Vintage Way, Novato. 415.892.6200.

Beso Negro rings in the new year with style and passion as they perform their gypsy jazz and “swing gigante” covers. This will be a band to dance to well into the night at Peri’s Silver Dollar in Fairfax, starting at 9:30pm. $20.
29 Broadway, Fairfax. 415.459.9910.

If the sounds of Prince are more your style, spend New Year’s Eve at Fenix, where the Prince cover band the Purple Ones will be performing and the prix-fixe menu will be available for two separate time slots. The early bird seated dinner and show goes from 5:30pm to 7pm with a Champagne toast ($75), and the all-night version runs 8pm to 12:30am ($125). There are also options for seating at the Back Bar for both performances. 919 Fourth St.,
San Rafael. 415.813.1234.

Rancho Nicasio heats things up for its 12th Annual New Year’s Eve Party with the Zydeco Flames, playing an upbeat danceable blend of traditional Cajun music. $35–$45. 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio. 415.662.2219.

NAPA

Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead in St. Helena celebrates the new year with a special evening featuring executive chef Stephen Barber’s annual four-course farm-to-table dinner menu paired with delicious wine, festive cocktails and Long Meadow Ranch’s very own grappa and live music. Join the evening’s delicious events at 5pm ($65) with optional wine pairings ($20). 738 Main St., St. Helena. 707.963.9181.

The Harvest Inn‘s New Year’s package with Goose and Gander provides a guaranteed reservation at the annual party, this year featuring pianist Bob Ringwald, and a late-night DJ. Upon arrival each guest receives a bottle of sparkling wine and five-star accommodations within the hotel. 1 Main St., St. Helena. 707.963.9463

La Toque‘s five-course “Red Tie Dinner” ($274) is a New Year’s delicacy. At the Michelin one-star restaurant inside the Westin hotel, enjoy dinner with full access to the Red Tie Party ($75) at BANK Cafe and Bar. 1314 McKinstry St., Napa. 707.257.5157.

The 2015 New Year’s Eve Champagne tasting menu at 1313 Main is bursting with delightful pairings. $185. 1313 Main St., Napa. 707.258.1313.

Silo’s brings us back to the 1980s with SuperHuey, the Huey Lewis and the News cover band. This New Year’s celebration features either a dinner option at 6pm ($75) or the later 9:30pm show complete with a glass of Champagne and dessert ($100). 530 Main St., Napa. 707.251.5833.

Silverado Resort offers an array of celebrations to ring in 2015, including a four-course meal at the Grill or a prix-fixe menu at the Royal Oak, the Gary Mule Deer music and comedy show and finally the fourth annual New Year’s Eve Extravaganza. The final event will feature dancing, party favors, a balloon drop and a cash bar. 1600 Atlas Peak Road, Napa. 707.257.5431.

Do it up big this New Year’s Eve with Celebrate! Napa Valley’s all-inclusive event in Calistoga. This means your choice of a $50 voucher to a variety of Calistoga restaurants, a shuttle service from downtown to the Napa Valley Fairgrounds where the party gets going with an open bar, a dessert bar, late-night snacks and music from Night Fever. Enjoy a glass of Shramsberg sparkling wine at midnight before the shuttle delivers you safely to your Calistoga destination. $150 for the package, $100 for party only. 1435 N. Oak St., Calistoga. 707.942.5111.

The Meritage Resort and Spa celebrates New Year’s Eve with plenty of options including a multi-course meal at Siena ($95), a ballroom celebration, a Champagne toast at midnight and live music by the Brian Cline Band ($60). A VIP Lounge upgrade option with bottle service and small bites, or even a combination of all of the above is also available. 875 Bordeaux Way, Napa. 844.993.9628.

Grace Under Fire

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Grace Under Fire

For the North Bay, there is but one easy way to access San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge has long been a source of intrigue, excitement and admiration. But what about the darker side of the bridge, the dangers of crossing with no median barriers for those many cars that commute everyday?

From Jan. 10–12, the bridge will shut down to allow the construction of a movable median that will make the bridge a little safer for those who travel across it. This change is just a few yeas too late for
Dr. Grace Dammann.

Dammann’s story of a near-fatal head-on collision on the bridge in 2008 is the focus of the 2014 award-winning documentary States of Grace, which shows how her life changed over the years due to this one moment, and how it could have been prevented.

A great humanitarian notable for her work instituting HIV/AIDS clinics for underprivileged individuals, Dammann was lucky enough to survive to tell her story, though she was left physically and mentally shattered. The film also follows the demanding task of working with her partner to continue to care for their disabled teenage daughter, while concurrently rehabilitating herself. The film intends to be a story of resilience over despair, and in Dammann’s own words, “a teaching tool for medical students, for physicians, for physical therapists, and for family members who are dealing with caregiver and care-receiver issues—to that extent, my goals were totally met.”

In honor of the new movable median barrier, States of Grace is returning to the Bay Area with multiple showings, including a special screening at Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center on Jan. 8 at 7pm, including a Q&A with Dammann, her partner Fu Schroeder, and the filmmakers.

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.454.1222.

It’s High Time

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It’s High Time

The Emerald Cup’s 2016 marijuana legalization panel last weekend may have been in the only hall of the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds not smelling of skunkweed, but there was still plenty of buzz among the half-dozen speakers.

For the first time, competitive factions of the state’s cannabis movement were at the same table to discuss what a legalization measure might look like. The good news for the California economy and the millions who enjoy the state’s largest cash crop? A 2016 legalization measure will likely pass.

In 2010, Proposition 19 failed with 46.5 voting in favor. But a poll from last year following legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington found that
65 percent of Californians are now likely to vote to end marijuana prohibition.

So the big question for panelists was not when but how—how will a legal cannabis industry work? The panel brought together representatives of the nation’s largest legalization organizations and leading statewide activists and attorneys.

Steve DeAngelo, founder of Harborside Medical Center and the uncrowned king of California cannabis reform, took lead role as consensus builder.

“We’ve got to put our histories aside and come together,” DeAngelo said. “The only way we get this done is if we do it California-style. We all sit down in a circle and we talk to each other until we’ve figured it out. If we don’t, our California values of respect for nature, caring for our neighbors and diversity will be crushed.”

DeAngelo warned that without a “collaborative consensus” document that represents advocates, growers, consumers, the incarcerated, industry workers and the state, then lobbyists for Big Tobacco, casino and agribusiness could create a legalization bill that would dominate and transform the industry.

“If we don’t do it, they’ll do it their way,” DeAngelo said. “We’ve got to make damned sure that regulations protect the people who built this industry.”

DeAngelo wants to adopt Colorado’s policy of banning out-of-state investors and growers for three years, post-legalization. He believes small growers should be taxed at lower rates than large corporations, and that size limitations for cannabis farms might be useful.

This approach finds wide support. “We need to be politically active and come up with a solution, so that the people who are now doing what they’re doing at least have a chance to be grandfathered in,” said a Northern California grower in the business for decades. “We shouldn’t have to be buying a $250,000 cultivation license. That’s a consolidation of wealth; that’s not a free market anymore.”

Omar Figueroa, a prominent attorney based in Sebastopol, is an independent leader in the effort to craft a bill that benefits growers, whose expertise has made California cannabis the most sought-after on earth.

“It’s good that a purple state like Colorado took the lead in legalization,” Figueroa explained, “because neither party in a presidential election wants to alienate these voters. But now California has the most dedicated people, the most experience and the best strains. We need to regain our leadership with the best legalization law.”

San Francisco civil rights attorney Matt Kumin, who helped California pass its medicinal marijuana bill in 1996, agreed. “We need to take the lead like in ’96,” Kumin said. “It’s great that we can learn from the mistakes of others, because this group is going to make it right.”

In 2010, California’s Proposition 19 was panned as the poorly written product of a noncollaborative process. Lindsay Robinson, director of development for the Marijuana Policy Project, believes the 2016 California bill should follow the messaging road paved by Colorado. She says calling the California measure the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” act could cut through the opposition’s often-deceptive pushback.

Dale Sky Jones, chair of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, will likely play a key role in 2016 legalization negotiations and suggested the measure might borrow a page from the recent push to release 10,000 low-level offenders from California prisons.

“I liked the ‘Safe Communities, Strong Communities’ title, and we might want to use something like that,” Jones said.

Solid Fare

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Solid Fare

Perry’s Inverness Park Grocery is your basic West Marin gourmet deli. Which is to say that there’s nothing basic about it. For every grocery staple, there’s another that’s hooked into the magic market of West Marin. One fridge is loaded with Mary’s Chicken, and around every bend there’s another locally sourced product—Shorty’s Produce included.

Last week the deli opened an eat-in room adjacent to the main store. The gist: family-style benches and a wooden counter along the window upon which to rest your weary hams.

Enjoy the views. There’s big ol’ Elephant Mountain yonder-ways and sheep bumbling in a field across the street. When you’re at Perry’s, you are deep at the edge of the fringe of the center of pure wilderness.

Order at the deli and enjoy your snack in the fresh-painted room, whose walls are filled with prints from photographer Daniel Dietrich. Chef Ed Vigil’s fresh on the scene here, and he’s cranked up a choice selection of new salads, specials and sammies.

I ordered an $11 Cubano off the deli chalkboard. It’s a dense, pressed sandwich and appears to be a new addition, since it’s not on the printed menu. The verdict? That is one good and meaty Cuban policy, and the sandwich is pretty good too.

I also tried Perry’s $6.75 breakfast burrito: bacon, potatoes, melted cheese, eggs, green chilies, your mama. Total rib-sticker.

I munched that burrito with a big coffee and tuned in to the locals and their chit-chat: the tides, the weather, alien sightings on Inverness Ridge.

There’s a sign in the new room that says, simply, “Gather.” And so we gather, wearing muddy boots, drinking coffee, expecting rain and appreciating solid fare in a sweet new spot.

Perry’s Inverness Park Grocery,
12301 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Inverness
Park. 415.663.1491.

Twelve Days of Debriefer

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Twelve Days of Debriefer

On the first day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: A SMART train and a white dwarf redwood tree.

On the second day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Two Pliny the Elders, and a jury for that guy in socks and skivvies.

On the third day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Three counties raining, two reservoirs straining and a parched state not quite yet drought-free.

On the fourth day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Four buds of chronic, three Kush colonics, two grams of hashish and some parchment from hemp that grows free.

On the fifth day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Five coho streams, four meats recalled, three meth labs, two Airsoft guns and a sheriff’s dep who got off scot-free.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Six Drakes Bay oysters, five eco boosters, four tule elk carcasses, three kale-leaf weirdos, two hippie nudists and a parked car where people can live free.

On the seventh day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Seven sheep a-grazin’, six cows a-lazin’, five lumpy gnomes, four rockfish, three Dungeness, two steelhead trout and a bumper crop on the Bolinas Ridge.

On the eighth day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Eight seals a-fishin’, seven whales for glimpsin’, six lethal injections, five kayak douches, four fracked wells, three cyclone swells, two Delta Tunnels, and a failed electoral bid from Neel Kashkari.

On the ninth day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Nine windmills spinning, eight cyclists grinning, seven horns honking, six lanes brimming, five Kaiser plans, four more years, three IPA beers, two coyote turds and al fresco dogs allowed at the French Laundry.

On the 10th day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Ten feet of river, nine drones that deliver, eight pints of Pliny, seven pounds of diesel, six geese for foie gras, five PETA hugs, four vegan pimps, three wheatgrass nymphs, two bearded imps and a meth-lab in or around Dillon Beach.

On the 11th day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Eleven Waldorf schoolies, 10 whiffs of patchouli, nine full-sleeve ‘tats, eight weird bobcats, seven homeless camps, six sloppy winetastings, five moldy buds, four DUIs, three tie-dies, two henna scams and a trained raccoon scamming all your weed.

On the 12th day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Twelve rent increases, 11 purple fleeces, 10 stinky sandals, nine quails roasting, eight baguettes toasting, seven sharks attacking, six weirdling crafters, a five-chambered bong, four luxe homes, three yurt domes, two beach bums and some parsnips in your pickled goat soup.

Vive Cuba

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Vive Cuba

To the extent most people outside of Florida are familiar with Cuban cuisine, it’s the Cuban sandwich.

A Cuban sandwich is made with pork and/or ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, pickles and Cuban bread. The bread is a key ingredient. Cuban bread is a flat, French-like loaf that’s cut square and pressed on a griddle to make it hot and crispy and delicious.

The genesis of the sandwich is murky, but the popular story is that it began as lunch fare among cigar factory and sugar mill workers in 19th- and early 20th-century Cuba. Before the Cuban revolution and the embargo and travel restrictions that followed, Cubans traveled to Florida frequently, and they brought their sandwich with them. The Cuban sandwich flourished in Tampa’s Ybor City.

Now that President Obama has moved to normalize relations with Cuba, the day may soon come when Americans can travel to Cuba with ease. Will the Americanized Cuban sandwich repatriate back to Cuba? For now, the closest you can get to Cuba in the North Bay is Windsor’s five-week-old Rumba Cuban Café.

The restaurant is owned by the Tormo family. They moved from Florida seven years ago, and brought their love of Cuban food with them. Cuban-born Reina Torma does the cooking. She was born in Cuba as was Elizabeth Tormo, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Isaac.

The Cuban sandwich ($11.95) is the best seller, and for good reason. I told myself there was no way I could finish the hulking pressed sandwich, but a few minutes later, it was gone. The bread is shipped in from Miami and finished in the oven at Rumba. It’s wonderfully crisp and crumbly. The best part is the tender pulled-pork shoulder pressed between the slices of bread. It’s great with a side of mojo sauce (lemon juice and garlic) for dipping, garlic breath be damned.

There are other sandwiches on the menu, like the Little Havana (roast pork, Swiss cheese and garlicky aioli, $10.95) and the Frita/Cuban burger (seasoned ground beef and chorizo served on a sweet roll, $5.50). But the Cuban sandwich is really what you want.

There’s also a list of daily specials that reads like the greatest hits of Cuban cuisine—lechon asado (roast pork, $15), picadillo (spiced ground beef with olives, $11), chicken fricassee ($11) and shrimp creole (e$16.95). I tried the Monday special, picadillo. It’s a simple but satisfying dish. Add in soupy black beans, white rice and fried plantains, and you’ve got a classic Cuban meal. It’s Caribbean soul food.

Inside, Rumba is light and bright. There are half a dozen or so tables, and a bar with chairs made out of wine barrels. An old, black rotary phone on the wall emits a muffled ringtone that sounds as old as Fidel. Rumba and son cubano tunes play from the speakers, and Caribbean-inspired art hangs on the wall alongside a large framed map of Cuba. No images of Che here.

Cafe con leche ($.95) is another well-known Cuban specialty, and it’s great at Rumba. Sweet and creamy, it’s made with Café Bustelo espresso ground coffee from Miami. Beer isn’t yet available.

I’ll get to Cuba someday, but I’ll be visiting Rumba Café a lot sooner—and more frequently.

Rumba Cuban Cafe, 8759 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor. 707.687.5632.

Letters to the Editor: December 24, 2014

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Letters to the Editor: December 24, 2014

Giving and Receiving

Like most everyone, you’ve got a full calendar for December: shopping, presents, parties, plans, preparations, cooking, cleaning, hosting, visiting. But stop for a minute and reflect: Why am I doing all this? Who am I trying to please—or just impress?

This holiday is meant to be a celebration of the purest, simplest and most complete love ever known—the love of a heavenly Father who sent His Son to live among us, to teach us how to love, to make our lives better and happier. He eliminated the need for complex rules and rituals, and taught us that we didn’t have to be perfect, get everything right and live up to unrealistic high expectations. All we had to do was love Him and love our neighbor, and with that, we’d please Him and find happiness.

Why not try something different this year and strive for simplicity in your Yuletide celebrations? Clear out some of the unnecessary clutter of events and expenses. Leave yourself time to concentrate on the things that will have lasting meaning for you and others: spend time with the people you care about; give gifts that will show not merely your good taste, but your care and concern; find someone with fewer blessings than you, and reach out to fulfill some need he or she has.

—Ted Rudow III

Palo Alto

Gimme Your Lunch Money

Torture. Sadistic, immature bullies with badges and Tazers and guns but no training to de-escalate situations and empathize, as with the responsive mentally ill inmates deposited in jails and prisons in lieu of treatment.

Honor, integrity, restraint, empathy, respect for humanity, civil liberties and life are abundantly rare in law enforcement. Screening new applicants for law enforcement jobs ignores “character” and “ethics.” Training could be summed up as “We, the Blue Badges, are brothers and sisters. It’s us against the citizens. At all times, back your fellow law enforcement officer, get your stories straight, lie and fudge if needed. You are part of a team. Everyone up and down the chain, including the district attorney and FBI and internal affairs, has your back. You are better than the riff-raff, which is why you have a badge and a gun and a license to kill. And your culture doesn’t just disdain officers snitching on fellow officers, it resolutely demands lying to cover the lies of your colleagues. Best of all, you will be rewarded for lying and never held accountable.”

When I grow up, I want to be in law enforcement. Now hand over your lunch money.

—’Hiredgun 56′

Via Bohemian.com

Little Dictators

How many of you remember the ill famed movie that came out around 1941 called The Great Dictator, a satire of Hitler and his close associates? Well, Jesse Owens, a track and field star from Cleveland, captured many gold medals. The crowd at the Munich Germany stadium (1936 Olympics) was stunned. Hitler and his cronies walked out boycotting the games and events. However, nothing infuriated Hitler like the movie The Great Dictator. And so if he ever disliked Jewish Hollywood, he sure did after screening the movie at his compound. He wasn’t very fond of Charlie Chaplin, either, the talented comic playing the dictator.

So we can offer this: Why infuriate someone who is already infuriated?

—Michael Bobier

Santa Rosa

Dept. of Corrections

Last week’s “Feeling the Pinch” got a little confused over the details of a refinanced loan offer made to commercial fishermen. We said the bill would drop interest rates from 5 percent, but we were wrong. Our sources at NOAA wrote in with the correct info, and here it is: the bill lowers the interest rate charged on the loan (currently
6.97 percent) and lowers the maximum fee amount that can be collected from
5 percent to 3 percent.

Also, in “High times at Emerald Cup,” we errantly reported that a recent cannabis conference in Las Vegas was hosted by the National Cannabis Industry Association. It was not. The Marijuana Business Daily sponsored that conference.

—The Ed.

Sipping hot buttered rums by the water cooler

Write to us at le*****@******an.com.

Buon Bubbles

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Buon Bubbles

Glass of Prosecco? You’re not likely to be offered Champagne at a local winery, but Prosecco is popping up all over.

Wine tasters at Kenwood’s VJB Estate may start with a pour of Prosecco Extra Dry ($28) imported from Italy’s Valdobbiadene district before sampling VJB’s own Italian varietals. In Healdsburg, Fritz Underground Winery has imported Prosecco for three years, and although they’re making a Russian River Valley sparkling wine for their 35th anniversary, they’re sticking with Prosecco in the long run. And now the heavies in Napa are getting involved. If this isn’t a trend, it’s more than a one-off.

Villa Giustiniani Prosecco Extra Dry ($27) Fritz imports this wine from the Order of Malta, a 900-year-old outfit that turned their swords to grape shears along the way, explains winery owner Clayton Fritz, and now organize humanitarian relief efforts around the world. A pale, platinum blonde hue, the wine shows a subdued bead of tiny bubbles. There’s something tropical in the aroma, with faint hints of pear and green grape, and the freshness of sliced jicama. Fritz says he likes it because it’s a dryer style of Prosecco. “A lot of the sweeter styles have garnered attention,” he says, “this is more on the refined side.” It seems more full-bodied than the others. Available at Station 1870 wine bar in Santa Rosa.

Ménage à Trois Prosecco ($14.99) More of a menagerie than just trois, this Napa producer added Prosecco to the lineup in October. Sold in the tasting room and in stores, it simmers attractively in the glass with plumes of very fine bubbles. Faint notes of marzipan, maybe powdered sugar, pear and honeydew melon rind, too, are just background to the sea-foam sensation that fills the palate. I can see the utility of starting with this wine on a dinner date—it’s pleasantly innocuous, not showy, but has enough fresh, sparkly charm to lubricate a session of yackety gab.

Korbel California Brut ($10.99) Which one is not like the others? Prosecco gets its sparkle in a tank, resulting in a fresher, less yeasty note to the wine. Indeed, the Korbel, an inexpensive but solid blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard and Pinot Noir that’s made in the traditional méthode champenoise, shows just the faintest hint of apricot scone, giving itself away amid the Proseccos, made by the Charmat process from the Italian Glera grape.

Avissi Prosecco ($14.99) The biggest bubbles, but the least aromatic. All that effervescence subsides, leaving a steely sparkling wine on the dryish side. On the plus side, it’s available in some stores in a fancy bag with bow tie as a holiday promotion.

Dec. 26-28: Cali Soul in Sebastopol and Novato

Orgone began with two teens, keyboardist Dan Hastie and guitarist Sergio Rios, hanging out at the boardwalk and record stores of Los Angeles. Fueled by a common love of the soul of the ’60s and ’70s, the two steadily recruited friends and like-minded musicians. Now the band is a massively popular collective, eight members strong, and rejuvenated by the...
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Dec. 30: Days on Earth Film in Napa

Alt-rock star Nick Cave has been stretching the limits of creativity in music, writing and film for over 30 years, and recently celebrated a unique milestone in a signature surreal way with his quasi-documentary ‘20,000 Days on Earth.’ Cave gives frank insights into his life and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process in the dreamlike film, which melds...
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Out with a Bang!

SONOMA Ring in the new year with lots of laughs at the all-comedy cabaret with Sandy and Richard Riccardi at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa. The Riccardis riff on menopause, social consciousness and their cracked road to marital bliss at 7pm ($25) and 10pm ($40–$50). 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.3544. The Petaluma Museum hosts its sixth annual New...
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Grace Under Fire

For the North Bay, there is but one easy way to access San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge has long been a source of intrigue, excitement and admiration. But what about the darker side of the bridge, the dangers of crossing with no median barriers for those many cars that commute everyday? From Jan. 10–12, the bridge will shut down...
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It’s High Time

The Emerald Cup's 2016 marijuana legalization panel last weekend may have been in the only hall of the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds not smelling of skunkweed, but there was still plenty of buzz among the half-dozen speakers. For the first time, competitive factions of the state's cannabis movement were at the same table to discuss what a legalization measure might look...
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Solid Fare

Perry's Inverness Park Grocery is your basic West Marin gourmet deli. Which is to say that there's nothing basic about it. For every grocery staple, there's another that's hooked into the magic market of West Marin. One fridge is loaded with Mary's Chicken, and around every bend there's another locally sourced product—Shorty's Produce included. Last week the deli opened an...
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Twelve Days of Debriefer

On the first day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: A SMART train and a white dwarf redwood tree. On the second day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Two Pliny the Elders, and a jury for that guy in socks and skivvies. On the third day of Christmas, the North Bay gave to me: Three counties...
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Vive Cuba

To the extent most people outside of Florida are familiar with Cuban cuisine, it's the Cuban sandwich. A Cuban sandwich is made with pork and/or ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, pickles and Cuban bread. The bread is a key ingredient. Cuban bread is a flat, French-like loaf that's cut square and pressed on a griddle to make it hot and...
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Letters to the Editor: December 24, 2014

Giving and Receiving Like most everyone, you've got a full calendar for December: shopping, presents, parties, plans, preparations, cooking, cleaning, hosting, visiting. But stop for a minute and reflect: Why am I doing all this? Who am I trying to please—or just impress? This holiday is meant to be a celebration of the purest, simplest and most complete love ever known—the...
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Buon Bubbles

Glass of Prosecco? You're not likely to be offered Champagne at a local winery, but Prosecco is popping up all over. Wine tasters at Kenwood's VJB Estate may start with a pour of Prosecco Extra Dry ($28) imported from Italy's Valdobbiadene district before sampling VJB's own Italian varietals. In Healdsburg, Fritz Underground Winery has imported Prosecco for three years, and...
Read more
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