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HUSH-HUSH, SWEET SHARLET— No, we didn’t misspell LaBelle Sharlet Pyne’s first name. We just thought it would be cute to have some fun with it. Anyway, that’s Sharlet on the left in today’s photo, pictured with the equally attractive Ruth Alves, Supervisor Jim Holmes’s good right arm, at Bootlegger’s Old Town Grill the other day. Sharlet, bless her, is due to retire late this week after nearly two decades of county service, most recently as executive assistant to CEO Tom Miller, and, of course, we dues-paying members of the Sharlet Pyne Fan Club wish her all the happiness in the world. And, man alive, will we miss that smile!
POLITICAL PALAVER — This 4th Congressional District thing is getting
wackier by the minute. For example, Mike Holmes is still solidly in the
race for the GOP congressional primary in June, with or without
embattled incumbent John Taylor Doolittle. Mike, who had the cajones to
take on JTD in the June 2006 primary, held his kickoff fundraiser at
the Auburn Country Club last week and made a nice haul from maybe 50
persons who enjoyed the food and the music of Dave Swart’s group.
Holmes also did some long-range campaigning by getting in his flivver
and driving northward with stops at all the newspapers between Auburn
and Alturas in Modoc County. After talking with the 4th CD newsies,
Holmes said he’s more encouraged about his candidacy than ever...Now
what about Assemblyman Ted Gaines and his possible run for the
Doolittle seat? I’m still betting he’ll back down, apologize to
Doolittle for the uncharitable things he said about him, and announce
his candidacy for re-election to the Legislature’s lower house (an apt
description). However, if he completely loses his mind and decides to
actually run for Congress, there’s a fellow out there who’d like to
replace him in the Assembly — Eric Hogue, a gent I’ve never met but
who’s said to be a radio talk show host with a big far-right following.
Hogue recently blogged the news that if Gaines gives up his Assembly
seat to go after Doolittle’s throne, he — Eric Hogue — will try to fill
it. He added that as of October 1, “I’m actively collecting campaign
contributions to ‘Friends of Eric Hogue.’ Your appreciated donations
will be applied to my current campaign, with the caveat that they will
be returned in full if there is no necessity of a campaign.” Hogue
claims that “it was my morning political show that started the recall
of then-Governor Gray Davis...” Good for you, Eric. Maybe we’ll meet
for a couple of cool ones some day...And let’s not forget Aaron Park, a
straight-shooting conservative and one of the many Doolittle loyalists
I know. Aaron is predicting that “John Doolittle will file his
re-election papers within one week of the filing opening (February 11,
2008). In fact, I am willing to bet anyone a steak dinner on that
fact.” Don’t look at me, Aaron. I think John will file, too, barring
the intervention of the U.S. Department of Justice....And the hardline
rightists have taken to calling Eric Egland, the Air Force reservist
with no longstanding 4th CD ties who’s announced his GOP congressional
candidacy, “Eric KERRY Egland.” They’re accusing this young lightweight
of “wrapping yourself in the flag and holding up your service as your
qualifications for congressional office” — digs at John Kerry, the 2004
presidential loser, in case you couldn’t guess. Meantime, Charlie
Brown, the presumed Democratic congressional nominee, keeps grinning
like a Cheshire pussycat.
* * *
IT’S NEWS TO ME — Thanks to Ferrin Call of Placer County
Clerk/Recorder/Registrar of Voters Jim McCauley’s staff (whatta
mouthful!), I now know that on November 6th the folks in Loomis and
Ophir will vote on the proposed consolidation of their two school
districts. If successful, Ophir Elementary School will become part of
the Loomis Union Elementary School District. So how can Ophir and
Loomis they do this with the Newcastle district smack in the middle of
them? Well, they can because a northern sliver of the Loomis district
abuts the southwest corner of the Ophir district. So where’s the Penryn
district? Penryn became part of the Loomis district some time ago. A
lot of this stuff could be simplified if we had a UNIFIED K-12 district
within the boundaries of the Placer Union High School District — one
that would include all the district’s high schools, middle schools and
elementary schools...Speaking of education matters, none other than Dr.
Don Brophy, the retired vice president of the Sierra College District,
orated eloquently this week when he went before the county charter
review committee and urged consideration of a proposal to have the
office of county superintendent of schools filled by appointment by the
county board of education. The office has been elective for eons and
still is. In case you don’t know it, Dr. Brophy holds down the old Fred
Tuttle seat on the board of education.
* * *
ROUNDABOUT — If you read this Wednesday or even early Thursday, don’t
forget that the monthly luncheon meeting of Auburn AARP will be held
THURSDAY of this week in the Multipurpose Senior Center at DeWitt
Center in North Auburn. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., bingo starts a
half-hour later. “Raspberry Jam” will provide the musical program, and
Dorcas and Cal Kokila say it’s a nifty combo... Auburn’s Steve Meade
lost his mother Pat recently and was so thankful for the Auburn Police
Department’s traffic control for the funeral cortege that he donated
$500 to the APD for the purchase of recognition awards to department
personnel. Good man, that Steve Meade. In fact, the whole Meade tribe
is terrific...A sure bet for loads of fun is the St. Joseph Parish
Festival on the church property in Downtown Auburn this Saturday the
6th...Woof-Woof Dept. — Sheriff Ed Bonner and his classy public
information officer, Dena Erwin, are still raving about the $5,000 his
department recently received from the Iams pet food folks and Raley’s
for the purchase of a German Shepherd police dog who’ll be known as
“Maverick” once he’s housebroken, trained and out on patrol. (Sodden
memory: The first sheriff’s police dog in Placer County was a big
German Shepherd whose master was none other than Deputy Paul Kovacich,
who’d just transferred up here from the Tracy PD. That was in the
mid-1970s and Paul and the pooch had some kind of run-in with
then-Judge Bob Young. Wonder whatever became of Paul Kovacich. I’m
kidding, of course. And I still think he’ll beat the rap.)
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