Whichway to thewelfare office?

California can’t manage its homeless, can’t build freeways and can’t educate its children, has at least found a way to screw up its workforce.

Starting Jan. 1, small-time parttime workers like Uber drivers and newspaper writers have a choice of either A) having their jobs and hours reduced, or B) moving to France.

The law, AB-5, is designed to protect unions in California, who contribute all their politicalmoney to Democrats, and thus Democrats are obligated to bend over backwards (or forwards, whatever the unions say) in payment.

The new law, halfway baked, poorly analyzed and badly flawed, puts me and other Daily Journal writers and columnists out of work after 35 stories a year

Would your elected rep, Jairhead Huffman (D-UNIONS) please explain how this helps whom, starting with low income workers, average citizens and the economy?

MITEYMITES

Did you know the very best, Number One and undefeated football team in the entire nation is Ukiah’s very own?

Please raise your hand if you’re aware of this mighty triumph on the gridiron, or more accurately Mitey Mite triumph, because the Ukiah MiteyMite football team took on all comers and walked off the field unbeaten in a series of December games played in Canton, Ohio. Note: Canton is home to the NFL Hall of Fame.

There was an evening of pizza at City Hall following their incredible feat but the story has sunk from sight. Other than a story by David Taxis in the Daily Journal sports section, recognition has been nonexistent

Where is the parade? Where is the banner across State Street? Where is the city proclamation honoring them? Number One in the nation and all Ukiah can do is yawn.

Council rep Maureen Mulheren was the lone city official I saw at the modest, under-attended Welcome Home Champs! event.

Hats (and helmets) off to Mo, and a roar of thundering cheers for the players who represented Ukiah in the national championships!

You kids did your hometown proud.

ANOTHERMYSTERY

Whatever happened to Calistoga Water?

SKATINGRINK

The city puts up a temporary skating rink in the winter, but must the experience include the relentless thudding and shrieking of.rock n roll as a nonstop soundtrack?

Why are six year olds subjected to deafening music while trying to concentrate on the hard business of learning to ice skate?

How can they communicate with each other, or a parent, or a proficient skater, while being battered by 97 decibels of Ozzy Osbourne, the Eagles and Mariah Carey?

Also, let’s do downtown merchants a favor next year and put the rink somewhere else. Bringing would-be shoppers to School Street is hard enough without the sudden appearance of a forced, awkward detour and the removal of all those parking spaces. Plus loud, bad music.

Why not put the rink on the front lawn at City Hall? WHATNEXT?!?

Departing Safeway the other day I walked past those little tables set aside for the Starbucks crowd, when what to my wondering eyes should offend but three or four rough-looking fellows slouching low and drinking beer out of big bottles.

They did not appear to be Eagle Scouts, nor did they appear to be sober.

We all hope this is not a trend that continues or (eek!) escalates. Sullen drunks inside a grocery store can only end in one way, and that’ the removal of the tables and chairs near the front (eastern) doorway.

IS IT JUSTUKIAH?

I’m peeved at Gillette in part because it charges 10 cents for a razor kit but then charges $40 for a few replacement blades, and also because its advertising blames boys for being males and males for being toxic. So I use Harry’s blades and shavers.

But there’s a problem. Despite ads from the Harry shaving company advising people to buy their product at Walmart, you can’t buy Harry’s equipment at the Walmart here in Ukiah.

I asked Why, and a nice Walmart lady said they quit carrying Harry’s products because they were subject to extreme rates of shoplifting. She suggested I visit other Walmarts which continue to stockHarry’s goods.

Is it possible Ukiah is not just home to the finest football team in the land but is also Numbah One in shoplifting? Are there more thieves per capita here than across the land?

Not toomany years ago Ukiah was named Best Small Town in California; is this the direction progress is taking us?