[Rotary] Subject: Meeting of Today 2/22/24

[Jeffry Stubbs]

Folks,
We had a great meeting today, attended by 12 members and 2 guests.
Toby began the meeting with the pledge, happy dollars, joke and thought. Matthew Kendall, Mendocino County Sheriff/Coroner, was the speaker. Matthew is a Mendocino native with roots in Anderson Valley, Navarro Ridge, Albion and the city of Mendocino. He joined the police force in 1990, and became sheriff in 1999. We were also joined by Tom Brennan, a Rotarian with credentials as a regional governor and bicycle enthusiast, from St. Lous, Missouri.  
Michael Brown  played the harmonica for us, a long-forgotten but also much-needed recognition of the need we all have for music and togetherness. 
Matthew's talk was enlightening, in that he began with comments on the need to reduce the divisiveness that is engulfing our country, the scale of the mental health and drug issues we face (the majority of accidental deaths we face in the county are from drugs) and the problems we have in dealing with the various problems, some law-related but many, for example, drug overdoses from fentanyl. He said that to cope we needed a wide range of remedies. Amongst other was a need to be able to offer those with a limited life expectation jobs and other opportunities to make their lives better.  They were also working with inmates to counsel them and train them for jobs, and were having some success.
The jail was being renovated with a facility for severely mentally ill patients among others. His resources (6 deputy sheriffs, two for the coast, two for the north county and two for the central county) were spread thin. They were hiring non-citizens who had grown up here as part of an effort to improve diversity.   
We ended with discussions of Proposition 1, and steps being needed/taken to deal with the drugs problems in the County. This was one of the best talks of the year.        
We did the drawing, won by Margaret, and thanked  Matthew and President Toby for a really good meeting. We collected  $160 in meeting fees, pin checks and happy dollars. 
Margaret will be heading off to PETS (President-elect Training) shortly.
Next meeting will be a Board meeting on March 7.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Avenue of Service Committees are meeting as we move toward the end of the Rotary year.
Cheers, all.
Jeff Stubbs
P.O. Box 1360 Mendocino, CA 95460
Home phone 707-937-6026
I phone 707-536-6190
Skype phone 707-397-5620
Skype name jeffrystubbs
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