Larkspur’s The Lark Theater continues its revue, Side by Side by Sondheim, featuring a collection of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved songs, through May 25. The show includes classics like “Send in the Clowns” (A Little Night Music), “Side by Side” and “Company” (Company), “I’m Still Here” and “Broadway Baby” (Follies) and more. The songs, performed by a cast of five (Ashley Rae Little, Ken Brill, Maureen McVerry, Simon Barrad and Emma Roos), are interspersed with stories about Sondheim’s career and the shows from which the songs originate. Showtimes are Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm through May 25. Tickets are $50 and available at bit.ly/sidebyside-lark.
Petaluma
Wine & Song
Featuring Petaluma bassist and vocalist Dorian Bartley, The Dorian Mode delivers “elegance in classic American music,” from vintage jazz and swing to early R&B via bass, vocals, piano, saxophone and drums. The combo plays from 6:30 to 8:30pm, on Friday, May 17, at Brooks Note Winery and Tasting Room, 426 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. Music nights are first come, first served, and there’s no cover charge. Guests are encouraged to enjoy a glass (or bottle) of wine paired with a cheese plate, and/or bring their own dinners. More information can be found at instagram.com/thedorianmodecombo and brooksnotewinery.com.
San Rafael
Trivia Café Live
What 2020 Netflix series with the name of a game in its title has been viewed 750 million hours? What deaf performer won the Best Actress Oscar in 1986, and for her work in which film? For the answers to these and other questions, proceed to page 32. To experience Weeklys’ own trivia king Howard Rachelson’s trivial pursuits live, venture to San Rafael’s Cafe Villa for an evening of competitive trivializing (that’s the verb, right?). There, Rachelson’s unique brand of arcane knowledge becomes a team sport. No reservations required (though there is a 32-participant maximum). The games begin at 5pm, Saturday, May 18, at Cafe Villa Trattoria & Bar, 1602 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael. For more information, visit cafevilla.net or call 415.459.6161.
Sonoma
Global Tasting
Tony Moll of Three Fat Guys Winery offers a special blind-tasting of six Italian wines from different regions of Italy paired with an Italian-themed dinner catered by San Francisco’s A16 restaurant, as part of its “The Global Tasting Series.” Sonoma County’s “sommelier to the stars,” Christopher Sawyer, leads the pairing and gastronomic experience accompanied by A16 proprietor Shelley Lindgren, who recently authored Italian Wine: The History, Regions, and Grapes of an Iconic Wine Country. Wines in question will be revealed after the tasting. The dinner and tasting commence at 6:30pm, Thursday, May 23, at Three Fat Guys Winery, 20816 Broadway, Sonoma. Tickets are $135 and are available via bit.ly/sawyer-global-tasting.
A recent survey by the Leadership Now Project, a bi-partisan pro-democracy group of 400 corporations, reveals that 85% of business leaders believe a well-functioning democracy is essential to a healthy business climate, and 78% are concerned about the condition of American democracy today. Hey, no kidding.
Another way of looking at it is that 15% don’t care about democracy, and 22% are worried and don’t know what the hell to do about it. The other stuff we are all facing is disinformation campaigns managed by the Russians and others and threats of violence against poll workers and election officials, jobs that heretofore have never required riot gear, Glocks and armored cars. When one adds in some AI, the whole shebang gets really messy.
Business is often a late adopter of truth, justice and the American Way. It is tardy to recognize when shit is going wrong. And for one reason or another, business leaders are not the first ones to feel the effects of social decline. They live in nice, sheltered communities like Hillsborough, Piedmont, Woodside, Blackhawk, Ross, Kentfield, Tiburon and Belvedere. Once things erode too much, they learn that putting the country back together is tough.
Standing up for democracy is not a partisan exercise. Give your people time off to vote. This is a major signal about how you feel about earning a living versus exercising the right to vote.
Educate your people about how to avoid the profligate political misinformation machine. Voters have never been barraged by bullshit as heavily as they are now. Remind your people to stick to established, legitimate information sources.
As a company, review your political spending and trade group memberships. Too much of what’s discussed in the business community right now is about responding to trends and rhetoric, and not enough is about hardcore, sustainable democratic values.
Americans today are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy lose out to fascism and communism last century. Our single advantage is that we can learn from their experiences. Let us not ignore the legacies of Mr. Churchill and Mr. Orwell.
The PG&E-owned Public Utilities Commission approved a PG&E rate hike last Thursday that will add about $5 a month to the average bill, and it could begin as soon as next month.
Why are Californians continuing to pay for inept “leadership” at PG&E? Why is the governor packing the CPUC with compliant members at the expense of a coherent energy plan?
First, there was the SmartGrid initiative, which led to SmartMeter (not successful as rates increased), then “improvements” to the power grid (CAISO), again not successful as rates went up again, and now a “flat” user rate, which hurts the poor and those on limited incomes.
This is needed (says the CPUC), as previous efforts were not successful, and ratepayers had to pick up the shortfall from a lack of quality programs authored by incompetent PG&E and an equally ineffectual CPUC and cowardly governor, beholden to out-of-state investors who are guaranteed a posted rate of return.
California should terminate PG&E and make PG&E a state-run utility.
In a Japanese mountain community not far from Tokyo, a quiet, unassuming handyperson named Takumi (played by Omika Hitoshi) lives with his eight-year-old daughter, Hana (Nishikawa Ryô). While Hana attends the village school, her father engages in a number of back-country odd jobs, including gathering fresh water and wild wasabi for a local udon restaurant—the clear mountain stream water gives the udon a unique flavor.
Filmmaker Hamaguchi Ryûsuke’s ominously titled drama, Evil Does Not Exist, takes care to show that Takumi and Hana’s simple, idyllic family life depends on observing and interacting with the natural environment. But their lifestyle is fragile, almost too good to be true.
A Tokyo developer wants to build a “glamping” tourist attraction in the nearby forest where Takumi and Hana live, and has sent a pair of salespersons to convince the villagers it’s a bright, money-making idea. None of them are buying that argument, and the meeting dissolves into a tense standoff.
In some eco-dramas, such a disagreement might lead to vigorous protests or even open violence, but that’s not how director Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) operates. Instead, the poison represented by a thoughtlessly planned commercial development seeps into the village slowly, silently, in a careful procession of disturbing signs and symbols.
Shotgun and rifle blasts from deer hunters echo through the forest. Residents begin to worry about fire prevention and the water supply. The developer—which uses the juvenile corporate brand name Playmode—doesn’t seem to comprehend what Takumi means when he warns that the proposed luxury camping project is located on a deer trail. The main thing Playmode is concerned about is taking advantage of government pandemic subsidies to finance the development.
A member of the Playmode sales team, Ms. Mayuzumi (Shibutani Ayaka), starts to have personal doubts about tromping in the wilderness after listening to Takumi and his friends’ passionate objections. Her associate, Takahashi (Kosaka Ryûji), comes to more or less the same realization, even though it means they could both lose their jobs. However, there’s also a sinister underlying force at work in the mountains.
The director, his screenwriting collaborator Ishibashi Eiko—she’s also the composer of the haunting musical score—and cinematographer Kitagawa Yoshio install the subtlest whisper of impending dread to the story, as in the long, long Terrence Malick-style tilted-up tracking shot of trees that introduces the action. And the recurring glimpse of a decaying deer carcass. The signs are obvious to Takumi the woodsman and Hana the headstrong schoolgirl.
Hamaguchi is not afraid to quote classic Japanese films to make his point about the spiritual dangers of daring to despoil the landscape. The slyly humorous wood-chopping showdown between Takumi and Takahashi is plucked from Kurosawa Akira’s Seven Samurai.
And when Takumi takes a moment to ponder the frozen water of a pond in the midst of searching for his daughter, Hana, who has suddenly gone missing, we’re reminded of the sad fate of Anju, another lost girl, in Mizoguchi Kenji’s Sansho the Bailiff. The point seems to be that certain spirits are alive in the woods, and that they’ve always been there.
Evil Does Not Exist also shares the mood of ecological peril that filmmaker Kurosawa Kiyoshi displayed in his 1999 films, Charisma and Barren Illusions. The “Other Kurosawa” seems to prefer thoroughly supernatural origins for the bizarre occurrences that upset the environment.
For Hamaguchi, the veil of doom descends on the otherwise sweet little community as the direct result of the all-too-human profit motive. It’s a natural reaction to the thousands of tiny transgressions human beings have visited on this splendid setting.
Evil Does Not Exist, an outdoorsy chamber piece, uses its understatement wisely. For every insult toward the earth, the natural world exacts a price. Not even Takumi, the humble holy man, can stop it. If Drive My Car was the tragedy of a modern man, Evil Does Not Exist is modern man’s comeuppance, served magnificently chilled.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Polish-born author Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) didn’t begin to speak English until he was 21 years old. At 25, his writing in that language was still stiff and stilted. Yet during the next 40+ years, he employed his adopted tongue to write 19 novels, numerous short stories and several other books. Today he is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. You may not embark on an equally spectacular growth period in the coming months, Aries. But you do have extra power to begin mastering a skill or subject that could ultimately be crucial to your life story. Be inspired by Conrad’s magnificent accomplishments.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Hypothetically, you could learn to give a stirring rendering of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 on a slide whistle. Or you could perform the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Hamlet for an audience of pigeons that aren’t even paying attention. Theoretically, you could pour out your adoration to an unattainable celebrity or give a big tip to a waiter who provided mediocre service or do your finest singing at a karaoke bar with two people in the audience. But I hope you will offer your skills and gifts with more discernment and panache, Taurus—especially these days. Don’t offer yourself carelessly. Give your blessings only to people who deeply appreciate them.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When I lived in San Francisco in 1995, thieves stole my Chevy Malibu. It was during the celebratory mayhem that swept the city following the local football team’s Super Bowl victory. Cops miraculously recovered my car, but it had been irrevocably damaged in one specific way: It could no longer drive in reverse. Since I couldn’t afford a new vehicle, I kept it for the next two years, carefully avoiding situations when I would need to go backward. It was a perfect metaphor for my life in those days. Now I’m suggesting you consider adopting it for yours. From what I can discern, there will be no turning around anytime soon. Don’t look back. Onward to the future!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian basketball coach Tara VanDerveer is in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She won more games than anyone else in the sport. Here’s one aspect of her approach to coaching. She says that the greatest players “have a screw loose”—and she regards that as a very good thing. I take her to mean that the superstars are eccentric, zealous, unruly and daring. They don’t conform to normal theories about how to succeed. They have a wild originality and fanatical drive for excellence. If you might ever be interested in exploring the possible advantages of having a screw loose for the sake of your ambitions, the coming months will be one of the best times ever.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Am I one of your father figures, uncle figures or brother figures? I hope so! I have worked hard to purge the toxic aspects of masculinity that I inherited from my culture. And I have diligently and gleefully cultivated the most beautiful aspects of masculinity. Plus, my feminist principles have been ripening and growing stronger for many years. With that as our background, I encourage you to spend the coming weeks upgrading your own relationship to the masculine archetype, no matter which of the 77 genders you might be. I see this as an excellent time for you to take practical measures to get the very best male influences in your life.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Now that your mind, your heart and your world have opened wider than you imagined possible, try to anticipate how they might close down if you’re not always as bold and brave as you have been in recent months. Then sign a contract with yourself, promising that you will not permit your mind, your heart and your world to shrink or narrow. If you proactively heal your fears before they break out, maybe they won’t break out. (P.S.: I will acknowledge that there may eventually be a bit of contraction you should allow to fully integrate the changes—but only a bit.)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I would love you to cultivate connections with characters who can give you shimmery secrets and scintillating stories you need to hear. In my astrological opinion, you are in a phase when you require more fascination, amazement and intrigue than usual. If love and sex are included in the exchange, so much the better—but they are not mandatory elements in your assignment. The main thing is this: For the sake of your mental, physical and spiritual health, you must get your limitations dissolved, your understanding of reality enriched and your vision of the future expanded.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio writer Andrew Solomon made a very Scorpionic comment when he wrote, “We all have our darkness, and the trick is making something exalted of it.” Of all the signs of the zodiac, you have the greatest potential to accomplish this heroic transmutation—and to do it with panache, artistry and even tenderness. I trust you are ready for another few rounds of your mysterious specialty. The people in your life would benefit from it almost as much as you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Have you been nursing the hope that someday you will retrain your loved ones? That you will change them in ways that make them act more sensibly? That you will convince them to shed qualities you don’t like and keep just the good parts? If so, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to drop this fantasy. In its place, I advise you to go through whatever mental gymnastics are necessary as you come to accept and love them exactly as they are. If you can manage that, there will be a bonus development: You will be more inclined to accept and love yourself exactly as you are.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I brazenly predict that in the next 11 months, you will get closer than ever before to doing your dream job. Because of your clear intentions, your diligent pragmatism and the Fates’ grace, life will present you with good opportunities to earn money by doing what you love and providing an excellent service to your fellow creatures. But I’m not necessarily saying everything will unfold with perfection. And I am a bit afraid that you will fail to capitalize on your chances by being too insistent on perfection. Please assuage my doubts, Capricorn! Welcome imperfect but interesting progress.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In his book, Ambivalent Zen, Lawrence Shainberg mourns that even while meditating, his mind is always fleeing from the present moment—forever “lurching towards the future or clinging to the past.” I don’t agree that this is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a consummately human characteristic. Why demonize and deride it? But I can also see the value of spending quality time in the here and now—enjoying each new unpredictable moment without compulsively referencing it to other times and places. I bring this up, Aquarius, because I believe that in the coming weeks, you can enjoy far more free time in the rich and resonant present than is normally possible for you. Make “BE HERE NOW” your gentle, relaxing battle cry.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Two-thirds of us claim to have had a paranormal encounter. One-fourth say they can telepathically sense other people’s emotions. One-fifth have had conversations with the spirits of the dead. As you might guess, the percentage of Pisceans in each category is higher than all the rest of the zodiac signs. And I suspect that number will be even more elevated than usual in the coming weeks. I hope you love spooky fun and uncanny mysteries and semi-miraculous epiphanies! Here they come.
Homework: I dare you to utterly renounce and dispose of a resentment you’ve held onto for a while. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.
Longtime guitarists and pals Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, never ones to sit idle and rest on their laurels, embarked on their current tour on March 24th. And while their tour ultimately ends in our fair city of Santa Rosa on May 12th, fans can expect even more new music and more touring when time permits.
Their latest collaboration and single is called “The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1” and finds the two friends playing on a whole other level than their guitar peers. For those who have yet to hear the collaboration, expect some shredding over the 6-minute-plus song. Audiophiles will remember that both started releasing new music at Relativity Records and would follow one another with a run at both Sony Music and Epic Records. From G3 tours to incessant touring as headliner artists, both guitarists’ trajectory has been upward with no limit in sight.
Although known as a largely instrumental guitarist, Joe Satriani’s records have also proven him to be an able singer, helping him sell an astounding 10 million copies. Lifetime accolades include (but are not limited to) two Platinum, four Gold-certified records, and a whopping 15 Grammy nominations. And while he has hosted workshops under the G4 Experience banner, Joe has been quite prolific, releasing 19 full-length platters, with “The Elephants of Mars” (2022) being his latest offering.
We caught up with Satriani while crisscrossing the United States during what little downtime he has.
Bohemian: You’re now 67 years old and still touring like a 20-year-old. How do you do it?
Joe Satriani: Music has always been a welcome source of energy for me. It keeps me going. I’m grateful I can continue to make music and art every single day. I try to challenge myself as much as possible and improve my playing skills daily. I do follow a healthy lifestyle, so that must count for something.
Bohemian: I purchased ‘Not Of This Earth’ (1986) as a teenager and remember loving the myriad styles on the album. Was thatyou intent during your early years?
Joe Satriani: My intent in those early years was the same as now; to be as original as I wanted to be, but not affected by the current trends. I had different ideas about melody and harmony that I needed to share with the world. The opening chords of ‘Not Of This Earth’ go a long way to explain my creative state of mind back then. My engineer and co-producer John Cuniberti shared my desire to make a groundbreaking album that sounded unique. His studio chops were amazing.
Bohemian: You’ve been signed both to Epic and Sony Music and are now part of the earMUSIC family. Does being on a major mean anything today as a largely instrumental guitarist?
Joe Satriani: Being with Sony from 1995 to 2020 was a great experience, especially in the early years. They had a great national and international staff of super creative people. As the internet flourished, record companies started to scale down in size and their role in manufacturing and distributing music changed. A solo artist like myself wasn’t in need of their new, lean record company structure. It was an amicable split and we are still partners in my catalog from ‘Not OF This Earth’ up through 2020’s ‘Shapeshifting.’ Working with earMUSIC has been fantastic. They have expanded my music’s reach all around the world with their modern approach to artist relations and marketing.
Bohemian: You’re going to tour with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony playing vintage Van Halen songs. How are you managing to practice Eddie Van Halen’s parts during a national tour of your own?
Joe Satriani: While on tour, I put in an hour or so each day. It’s a joy and a labor of love. The Van Halen songs are interesting and fun, and the extra time focusing on another artist’s unique technique has had a beneficial effect on my own playing. I’ve been sneaking in some EVH stuff during the jams, getting a good rise out of the audiences for sure.
Bohemian: What do you like more about being a solo artist as opposed to projects like Chickenfoot?
Joe Satriani: It’s apples and oranges when you get down to it. Both are super fun and artistically satisfying. I love being left alone to create music with no outside influence or distraction, but the band thing is not to be missed if you’re lucky enough to find collaborators you can really click with. I like having both opportunities to explore.
Bohemian: Will we be seeing a follow-up to ‘The Elephants of Mars’ (2022) anytime soon? Any songs already written or demo’d yet?
Joe Satriani: Steve and I have embarked on a long-awaited collaboration which is a full album of new music. “The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1” is our first single from the album, and will be followed by subsequent releases as we progress with recording the album. We are looking at a Spring ’25 release date for the finished album followed by a tour.
Bohemian: As an aside, I was your Sony rep for many years based in the Sacramento Valley and ran an in-store at Skip’s Music for the ‘Super Colossal’ record some 18 years ago. Do you ever do these anymore given the state of the industry?
Joe Satriani: Skip’s Music! Yes, I remember Skip’s. I miss those days of visiting record /music stores and signing LPs, CDs, cassettes, etc., but change is a constant. Those events have been replaced by the VIP Experience at each gig. Steve and I have been doing special Q&A sessions with VIP ticket holders at the concert venues each afternoon and they are really fun. We get to spend some quality time with about a hundred fans answering all their questions and getting some photos taken. It’s a better experience for us and the fans than the crush of the old in-store appearances.
Bohemian: Why not dub the current tour with Steve Vai a G3 extension and add another guitarist as you just did with Eric Johnson? Are you playing even more songs together on this co-headliner?
Joe Satriani: The Satch/Vai tour is like no other tour Steve and I have ever done. Can you even think of another tour that focused on two different solo guitar players that have been playing together since childhood? Steve was one of my first students when he was just 12 years old, and I just 15. We’ve known each other and worked together ever since we were kids. This tour is a celebration of that long, enduring relationship. It’s truly special for us.
Joe Satriani plays the Luther Burbank Center For The Arts located at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa. Steve Vai co-headlines the night’s festivities. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts promptly at 7:30pm, Sunday, May 12. Tickets start at $79 and can be purchased at https://lutherburbankcenter.org. All ages are welcome. There’s certainly no reason you can’t celebrate Mother’s Day with a little guitar calisthenics. So good even your mother would approve.
Large scale, family-friendly theater returns to the North Bay with the Spreckels Theatre Company production of The Wind in the Willows.
Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame adapted Kenneth Grahame’s classic 1908 novel in collaboration with composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe. The musical runs at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park through May 19.
The inquisitive and perpetually positive Mole (Sean O’Brien) happens upon the river loving Rat (Nelson Brown), and a fast friendship develops. Their mutual acquaintance, the speed-loving Toad (Tim Setzer), invites them to Toad Hall. They are soon gallivanting about in Toad’s horse-drawn caravan when a new-fangled automobile causes them to crash.
Toad becomes obsessed with cars and is soon responsible for a number of wrecks and close-calls. Mole and Rat seek the help of Badger (Mary Gannon Graham) in breaking Toad of his dangerous obsession. Toad responds by stealing a car, getting arrested and being sent to prison. Soon Toad Hall is occupied by the Chief Weasel (Keene Hudson) and his minions. What will become of Toad and Toad Hall?
Director Sheri Lee Miller has mounted a bright and colorful production that lovers of the source material should enjoy. The show is well cast with O’Brien and Brown both marvelous as the fast friends. Setzer gives a very animated performance as Toad, and Mary Gannon Graham is, as always, a rock of stability as Badger.
There’s strong work from the ensemble, with special notice of the lovely vocal work done by Ted Smith and Katie Foster as Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog.
The costuming by Donnie Frank was on-point without being excessive, and Eddy Hansen’s lighting design was key in communicating some of the tougher-to-stage action.
At the opening night performance, sound was an issue. Most musicals have the advantage of audience familiarity with the songs. That is not the case here, which means hearing the lyrics delivered with crystal clarity is important. Many of Setzer’s songs in particular were overpowered by the orchestra. Either his mic needs to come up, or the orchestra needs to come down.
Sound issues led to the show actually being stopped mid-second act. Kudos to the cast for picking it right back up.
What The Wind in the Willows is really about has been debated for decades. The focus of this production is clearly a celebration of friendship. No matter what, “A Friend is Still a Friend.”
Not a bad lesson for us all.
‘The Wind in the Willows’ runs through May 19 in the Codding Theater at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder La., Rohnert Park. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $10 – $20. 707.588.3400. spreckelsonline.com.
For some feel-good local news, look no further than the Petaluma-based inspirational and philanthropic organization Humans Being Media. Through three decades of documentary filmmaking, Humans Being Media has consistently worked to change the world for the better, one movie at a time.
The transformative power of media is undeniable, and those who choose to use this power for good are the unsung heroes whose hard work holds up humanity’s most precious resources: community, charity, and, of course, hope.
Humans Being Media’s list of community collaborators includes Vivalon, which works to provide Marin’s elders with support in aging; Lifehouse, which assists citizens with physical and mental disabilities; and The Sonder Project, which empowers impoverished communities through high-impact, sustainable development.
“There are just too many wonderful clients to name here,” said Humans Being Media co-founder Vince Beeton in a recent statement. “Folks who are committed to improving the world through DEI, climate, housing, education, you name it. We work with organizations who are making an impact in impressive and broad-sweeping ways, but also in smaller ways that ripple outward. It’s awe-inspiring, and keeps us hopeful about humanity and our shared future here on this beautiful planet.”
Among these clients and collaborators is Homeward Bound, a local philanthropic group dedicated to helping eradicate homelessness in Marin. Homeward Bound began 50 years ago in 1974 and has since provided 905 people with shelter and housing. The current goal of Homeward Bound is to celebrate the organization’s half-a-century of philanthropy by building 50 new homes to match their 50 years of service.
Homeward Bound also just so happens to be Humans Being Media’s longest-standing Marin County client. And, according to the Humans Being Media press release, Homeward Bound is, “an extraordinary social enterprise who supports the homeless community with housing and so much more—job training, career ladders and opportunities to get a foothold and stay housed and employed. Since 2013 they have created commercials, capital campaign films, and mini documentaries about folks who have benefited from Homeward Bound’s excellent work.”
“I love working with Humans Being Media because of…their commitment to changing the world by telling very human stories of transformation,” said Homeward Bound co-CEO Paul Fordham.
For about a decade now, Humans Being Media and Homeward Bound have collaborated to share the touching stories of those affected by homelessness in Marin County. By interviewing individuals and allowing them to tell their truths about the path leading to and through homelessness, these organizations hope to help humanize the unhoused neighbors of our community.
“We [Humans Being Media and Homeward Bound of Marin] met accidentally,” explained Fordham. “We were creating family housing, and we wanted to document the demolition of this run-down old hotel and tell the story of its transformation…into a place to build housing for 14 families who had nowhere to go. We wanted to document the destruction and rebuilding of the site as an allegory for rebirth. So, Vince [Beeton], from Humans Being, made a short documentary for us, and folks really responded well to the video.”
“So, we came up with this mini-documentary style together and found a winning formula and have had such an amazing response,” Fordham continued. “Being able to document and share all these stories of change and transformation over this period we’ve worked together, it’s been really powerful and impactful on our work in a ton of ways.”
Fordham began his work in helping combat homelessness in England, where he was born and raised. Working in a local shelter/church basement, Fordham’s expectations and preconceptions of homelessness were shattered by his first day. When he later moved to America, Fordham brought his passion, expertise and sense of empathy to the States.
“The trends that I’ve seen in California in particular, and in the Bay Area, have really changed since the great recession in 2007,” explained Fordham. “The homebuilding industry collapsed and disappeared from California, and it never came back. There’s a small number of homes being built, but never at the rate it was before. In the past five years in California, we’ve seen a huge increase in senior citizens—people in their 80s and even in their 90s, in homeless shelters because what they saved for retirement isn’t enough for the current rental market.”
“So, we have a huge housing shortage, and we don’t have enough housing units,” continued Fordham. “When there’s not enough supply, the demand goes up. So, then there are more people renting, the price goes up and so on…then those folks at the bottom get squeezed out…”
Fordham noted that his hometown of Bath in England had about 30 unhoused individuals to care for across the entire city. When he began volunteering in California, that number skyrocketed into the thousands. He described this culture shock as the underbelly of the U.S. that one doesn’t see in Hollywood movies.
This Marianas Trench of disparity between the idealized Hollywood movie version of America and the real deal highlights just how far media, its impact and its ripple effect can reach. This is why the collaborative work of Homeward Bound, Humans Being Media and the unhoused human beings of the North Bay banding together to make movies to educate and inspire is so very important.
“These mini four-minute documentaries give a lot of information in a short time,” said Fordham. “It’s really wonderful to be able to help humanize homeless people through film. And watching these videos can help demystify homelessness and educate to make change possible.”
“If you watch these videos, you’ll see they’re just people,” concluded Fordham. “The solution is producing more housing on all ranges. Housing for sale, for rental, and subsidized and general affordable housing for everybody. We just need more of everything. And if you say no to affordable housing, you’re saying yes to homelessness.”
In a world where much of the news we see is at best rather dreary and often disheartening, media that highlights goodness and inspires it in others is increasingly invaluable. And the seemingly simple act of showcasing positive changes, like the local scale endeavors of Homeward Bound and Humans Being Media—well, it invites in us all a certain permission to dream about how we too could change the world and maybe leave it a little better before we go.
To learn more about Homeward Bound of Marin, visit the website at hbofm.org or call 415.382.3363. Those interested in more Humans Being Media content and collaborations, visit humansbeingmedia.com for more info.
WATCH Humans Being Media’s videos can be accessed using a smartphone and this QR code:
Gosh, you have to feel tremendous empathy for the heroic Rudy Giuliani, who is on the hook, so to speak, for around $150 million in defamation dough, has been indicted in Arizona for trying to swing an election in favor of his NYC buddy and is having a heck of a time living on a monthly budget of $43,000.
Plus, he’s kinda been late on disclosing his living expenses and sources of income to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and, having been disbarred in New York state and the District of Columbia, has to fall back on living off his WABC talk radio program income.
It’s a story of unimaginable suffering, and I’m counting on the Sun to create a fund to help the poor man out.
If all Marin County residents make a one-time one-dollar contribution, that’s $252,660 to get him through his ordeal, at least until he screws up another disclosure and the Feds blow up his bankruptcy deal. We owe America’s Mayor at least that much.
Napa County last week released preliminary data showing a decrease in the overall number of individuals experiencing homelessness, but a concerning increase in those experiencing it for the first time.
Currently, the data from the county shows a 16% decrease in the overall count of individuals experiencing homelessness in Napa County between January 2023 and January 2024, according to the preliminary data obtained from the 2024 Point-in-Time Count—an annual census to measure the prevalence of homelessness. Final figures are expected to be presented during a jointly held city and county event on May 21.
Of those counted, 50% (or 213 people) were experiencing homelessness for the first time, representing an increase from the 39% first-time counts in 2023, an increase county officials called “concerning.”
Napa County spokesperson Linda Weinreich explained that the first-time count is an especially important data point, as it reflects broader economic and housing market issues that are not within the scope of the homeless response system.
“Had the rate simply remained flat year-over-year at 39%, the overall PIT Count this year would have been 379, not 423—or we would have seen a 25% decrease in the total count,” Weinreich said.
However, the overall decline shows the lowest number since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, 506 individuals were counted, an increase from 2022 when there were 494 and 2020 when 464 were counted. The 423 total people experiencing homelessness in the county is 16% less than 2023’s 506.
There was no PIT Count in 2021 due to restrictions brought on by the pandemic. As PIT counts typically take place in January, data in 2020 was captured before the massive shutdowns began in March that year.
The PIT Count consists of two primary components—the count of people living in shelters or unsheltered outdoors or in cars, and a survey of more than 250 individuals experiencing both types of homelessness to capture demographic data and other characteristics. This year’s PIT Count included 40 volunteers and 10 peer guides who were matched into 15 teams, Weinreich said.
Other percentage changes to note suggest the county’s effort to expand shelter services has helped to reduce the number of those living outdoors or in cars. The number of individuals sleeping in shelters increased by 34%, and the number of unsheltered individuals declined 42% over the 2023 numbers. With renovations of the South Napa Shelter, located at 100 Hartle Ct., more than 100 new beds were added to serve those in need last year, according to the county release.
Jennifer Palmer, Napa County Housing & Homeless Services director, said the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Napa County is driven by a number of factors, and each individual’s or family’s circumstances is unique. She explained that while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a PIT Count every other year, Napa County elects to conduct one yearly.
“The data we get from the PIT Count helps us turn numbers into action to truly address the community’s needs by understanding to what degree our programs and services are helping individuals and families experiencing homelessness,” Palmer said.
Larkspur
Sondheim for a Lark
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Classic children’s tale theatrically told
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Napa County last week released preliminary data showing a decrease in the overall number of individuals experiencing homelessness, but a concerning increase in those experiencing it for the first time.
Currently, the data from the county shows a 16% decrease in the overall count of individuals experiencing homelessness in Napa County between January 2023 and January 2024, according to the...
