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Culture Crush: Four Live (and One Virtual) Events This Week

Arts & Entertainment

Jun 16, 2021

Culture Crush: Four Live (and One Virtual) Events This Week

Live Art Reception

North Bay photography lovers and collectors are about to get a new space to view and purchase both classic and contemporary photos in Marin County this month when the Collectors’ Photography Gallery celebrates its grand opening. The 2,500-square-foot space in Corte Madera Town Center welcomes the public to view works by featured contemporary photographers Jane Olin, Wilton Wong, Bob Kolbrener and Anna Rotty. In addition, the gallery displays historic photos from several top photographers that were originally part of a private collection. Collectors’ Photography Gallery opens on Thursday, June 17, at 105 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera. 3–6pm. Collectorsphotographygallery.com.

Live Event

After closing its doors more than a year ago due to the pandemic, the Napa Valley Museum welcomes in-person visitors when it reopens all galleries to the public this week. In the main gallery, the museum will resume its U.S. premiere exhibition, “Lucy Liu: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others,” which opened a month before the pandemic hit the North Bay. The museum will also exhibit “The Yates Collection,” currently on long-term loan to the Museum, and a new permanent exhibition, “Land and People of the Napa Valley” beginning Friday, June 18, at 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville. Fridays–Sundays, 11am to 4 pm. Napavalleymusuem.org.

Virtual Reading

Scotland-born journalist and author Cal Flyn has an affinity for places that many people find eerie and desolate; those places that were abandoned by humans due to war, disaster, disease, or economic decay. Each time that Flyn visits these locations, she finds an “island” of teeming natural life that fills the cracks and the voids in concrete and metal with flora and fauna faster and more thoroughly than even the most hopeful projections of scientists. Flyn captures these places in her new book, Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape, and she reads from the book in a virtual event hosted by Point Reyes Books on Friday, June 18, at noon. Ptreyesbooks.com.

Live Concert

After spending the last year online, Healdsburg Jazz Festival presents four days of in-person shows this week featuring award-winning local and national artists performing musical, spoken word, theatrical and visual art commissions and collaborations. The festival’s centerpiece event is the Healdsburg Jazz Juneteenth Celebration, featuring the Dynamic Miss Faye Carol and Her Trio performing a specially commissioned Juneteenth performance, as well as several other acclaimed bands, visual artist Malik Seneferu, comedian and emcee Donald Lacy, and poets Tongo Eisen-Martin (2021 San Francisco Poet Laureate) and Enid Pickett (2021 Healdsburg Jazz Poet Laureate) on Saturday, June 19, at 164 Healdsburg Ave. Healdsburg. Healdsburgjazz.org.

Live Event

A longtime cornerstone of West Sonoma County’s art scene, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts returns to hosting live events and exhibitions this month, and the center welcomes patrons back with a grand reopening party. The event includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony, live music and light refreshments. Additionally, the center’s galleries, classrooms and studios will all be open, and party-goers can see the exhibitions, sign up for classes and check out the center’s new schedule of upcoming events, concerts, exhibitions, lectures, classes, workshops and performances. Join the party on Wednesday, June 23, at 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. 5pm. Sebarts.org.

Novato Curtails Homeless Camping

Nikki Silverstein

Jun 15, 2021

After a year of relative stability during the pandemic, residents of a Novato homeless encampment will soon face eviction and criminal penalties due to new ordinances severely curtailing camping on public property.

The Novato City Council unanimously passed two ordinances last week seemingly in response to about 25 homeless people living in an encampment in Lee Gerner Park. Public outcry about the camp was loud and fierce at council meetings during the past year, but the city was reluctant to act due to Covid-19.

The camp represents only a portion of the people who will be impacted by the new ordinances. The most recent count, conducted in January 2019, estimated that 310 people in Novato were experiencing homelessness. Many suspect the number of homeless people increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ordinances prevent camping within 50 feet of “critical infrastructures” and bodies of water. While safeguarding critical infrastructure and water sounds mighty important, it appears Novato believes almost every square foot of the city qualifies for protection.

The list includes, but isn’t limited to, government buildings, schools, fire stations, police stations, hospitals, antennas, bridges, roads, train tracks, drainage systems, levees, computer networks, public utilities, electrical wires, natural gas pipes, telecommunication centers and water sources.

In addition, camping is only permitted between the hours of 9pm and 7am. Violations of the ordinances are punishable as a misdemeanor.

The Lee Gerner Park encampment, dubbed Camp Compassion by its residents, is occupied 24/7 and borders a public library and a creek, all verboten according to the ordinances. The campers, who would prefer to stay together, clearly need to move.

Perhaps they could relocate the camp to Novato open space? Nope. The city council covered that by prohibiting camping in a wildfire risk area.

Jason Sarris, the encampment’s de facto leader, fears the city’s new restrictions leave no place for the homeless to lawfully camp, either in a group or individually. The daytime camping ban also presents problems. Several of the campers are disabled, including one who is wheelchair bound. They will have difficulty pitching and striking their tents daily.

“They’re basically giving us no options,” Sarris said.

An outspoken Novato resident, Nancy Abruzzo, has lobbied for months to shut down the encampment, claiming crime and the environment as her chief concerns. Still, she was surprised by the content of the ordinances.

“I was expecting the city council to suggest an alternative location for the residents which might have included tiny homes or safe sleeping areas,” Abruzzo said.

Novato City Manager Adam McGill said in an email to the Pacific Sun that the city is discussing options such as safe camping areas, shelter beds and permanent housing, yet no plans for these alternatives were mentioned during the city council meeting. In the same email, McGill refused to identify any specific locations where the homeless could camp until these potential options become a reality.

“Anywhere it’s not illegal would be legal,” McGill said.

Though McGill’s explanation is not particularly helpful to those trying to find a new place to sleep, it does serve to underscore the city’s attitude towards its homeless residents. Instead of enacting sweeping anti-camping ordinances, the city could have balanced the demands of its housed and unhoused residents by designating a sanctioned encampment in an area less visible than Lee Gerner Park.

The nearby City of Sausalito, experiencing a similar predicament, offered their campers an alternate site. A federal court judge recently signed off on the relocation of the Sausalito encampment.

It remains to be seen whether a federal court will agree with Novato’s course of action. The residents of Lee Gerner Park plan to challenge the legality of the ordinances.

Martin v. Boise, a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, affirmed people cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property when a city cannot offer them an adequate shelter option. Marin County has a shortage of available beds for the homeless.

“A violation of the Novato ordinances is a misdemeanor, and that clearly violates Martin v. Boise,” Legal Aid of Marin Attorney Lucie Hollingsworth said. “There is case law, apart from Boise, that further defines why these ordinances are invalid. The city council is giving unhoused residents no choice but to leave the City of Novato or face a criminal misdemeanor.”

McGill stands behind the legality of the ordinances and says the city is prepared to enforce the new laws.

“The City Attorney’s office carefully crafted these ordinances and is confident they are fully compliant with the case law established in Martin v. Boise and other related legal precedents,” McGill said.

Encampment residents are frustrated and confused. Not only are they unsure of where they’ll be allowed to sleep within Novato city limits, they also don’t know when they’ll be evicted from Lee Gerner Park.

The ordinances go into effect July 9, but the city won’t begin enforcement until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revokes its Covid-19 guideline for homeless encampments to remain intact or Marin County reaches a 90% vaccination rate for residents 16 and older, whichever comes first.

As the city awaits the green light from the CDC or the county, Lee Gerner Park residents are bracing for the loss of their security and community. Over the past year, they helped care for each other and shared donated resources, including food and camping equipment. Case workers knew where to find their clients and were able to provide them with consistent services, tasks which will become more onerous when the homeless are forced to disperse from the encampment.

“The people in our camp have gone forward in life,” Sarris said. “When you’re told to move every two weeks, you can’t get a leg up.”

Ironically, at the same meeting where the Novato city council passed the ordinances restricting camping, they also voted unanimously to spend up to $240,000 to hire new case workers for the homeless. The money will go into a pool of funds from Marin municipalities and the aim is to take advantage of federal dollars allocated for housing.

Even with Novato’s contribution to the county pool, no homeless person from the city is guaranteed a housing placement. The most vulnerable receive housing first, which leaves many Lee Gerner Park residents out in the cold.

Daniel Hobbs, 65, is able-bodied and likely won’t receive housing from the county anytime soon. Until he became homeless six months ago and moved into the encampment, he lived in a home in Novato’s Bahia neighborhood for 18 years. Although Hobbs prefers to stay in Novato, he doesn’t want to run afoul of the law and acknowledges he may have to leave when the city begins enforcing the camping ordinances.

The Lee Gerner Park campers experienced a brief respite from their nomadic life during the pandemic. They’ll soon be on the road again, in search of places to sleep where they won’t be rousted on a regular basis and criminalized.

“Most of us who are homeless have had some bad things happen or made some bad choices,” Hobbs said. “We’re just normal people who have gotten into a challenging situation.”

Marin Symphony Plans Live Concerts for 70th Season

Charlie Swanson

Jun 15, 2021

Marin Symphony Plans Live Concerts for 70th Season

Established in 1951, The acclaimed Marin Symphony Orchestra presents classical Masterworks and Pops concerts in the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium and other venues in the North Bay.

Last year, the orchestra was forced to cancel in-person performances due to the pandemic. Now, as the state reopens the economy, Marin Symphony is ready to return to the stage for a packed 70th season of live shows, beginning in November 2021.

“Thanks to the overwhelming loyalty and generosity of our patrons and musicians, we have weathered the pandemic and look forward to a glorious return to the concert stage in the fall,” says Marin Symphony Association Executive Director Tod Brody in a statement.

Under the musical direction of Maestro Alasdair Neale, who marks his 21st season at the helm of the orchestra, Marin Symphony will offer four Masterworks programs. In addition, the orchestra will perform three Pops Concerts (Holiday, Valentine’s and Spring) that will be led by Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz.

“The programs we had to cancel (last season) were really good programs, and I’m happy in the knowledge that we will be bringing back many of the artists and much of the repertoire that we missed,” Neale says in a statement. “Marin favorites Orli Shaham, Joyce Yang, and Vadim Gluzman will be here, at long last, on our stage! I couldn’t be more enthused about these programs, and about the prospect of making music again with the marvelous musicians of the Marin Symphony.”

The season kicks off on November 6 and 7, 2021, with the symphony’s first masterworks program, Schumann & Brahms, featuring Shahman on piano and bookended by rising star Jessie Montgomery’s illuminating take on the American national anthem and Brahms’s masterful First.

Marin Symphony then ushers in the holiday season with two Holiday Concerts by Candlelight performances on December 4 and 5, 2021, featuring the massive Marin Symphony Chorus and an instrumental ensemble performing in the Church of Saint Raphael in downtown San Rafael.

Next up is the ever-popular Holiday Pops Concert on December 14. Now in its 9th year, this concert has become a holiday tradition in Marin, and the orchestra presents a program of holiday-inspired music with accompaniment from soprano vocalist Dee Donasco.

The symphony’s second Masterworks concerts will take place on January 29 and 30, 2022 with Yang–a Marin favorite–returning for Tchaikovosky’s beloved 1st Piano Concerto, along with works by Jennifer Higdon and Igor Stravinsky.

From there, a Valentine-themed concert commences in February; Beethoven’s violin concerto is featured in early March; Peter and the Wolf plays out in late March, Carmina Burana takes the stage in April and a tribute to Aretha Franklin concludes the 2021-2022 season in May.

Subscriptions to the entire season can be ordered now, and single tickets go on sale September 1, 2021. Get more information on shows, tickets and Covid-19 health and safety protocol online at Marinsymphony.org.

Breaking: Huffman Town Hall Disrupted by Angry Anti-Vaxxers

Peter Byrne

Jun 9, 2021

Breaking: Huffman Town Hall Disrupted by Angry Anti-Vaxxers

In early June, Rep. Jared Huffman invited 100 constituents to register online to attend his first in-person town hall since the pandemic struck. Attendees were told to wear face masks and bring proof of vaccination to enter the San Rafael Community Center on Tuesday evening. Chairs were spaced six feet apart. “Large signs” and “banners” were declared verboten. Questions for Huffman were to be submitted online or on written forms prior to the show.

The town hall was a carefully planned effort to control not only the possibility of Covid infection, but the content of questions and the media presence. Shortly before the event, Huffman aides barred a television reporter from EnviroNews from entering, according to EnviroNews. They allowed a cameraman from Fox News KTVU to enter, however.

This reporter had scored a seat online, and submitted a question asking Huffman to explain why he has banked more campaign funds from weapons manufacturers and agribusiness corporations than from environmental groups. But half of the spaced seats were empty and most of the attendees appeared to be eligible for Medicare. It looked to be a dull event.

Huffman’s effort to control the venue backfired in a big way when minutes after the meeting commenced about 200 enraged, shouting anti-vaccination protestors stormed into the room. They were mask-free, some wore buttons proclaiming unvaccinated status. Flags included the Stars & Stripes, and banners stating, “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Fuck Joe Biden”.

Placards announced, “Marin Voters Against Vaccine Segregation,” “No Medical Apartheid,” “My Body, My Choice,” “Jab Mandate is Fascist,” “Vax Passports Illegally Discriminate,” “Freedom of Movement is a Human Right,” “Huffman, brought to you by BioMarin.”

After the anti-Vaxxers took the hall with putsch-like fervor, about a dozen people who had stood outside the center with signs protesting Huffman’s support for the culling of Tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore edged into the hall. Wearing masks, the elk-supporters took seats, quietly, obviously astonished that they were inside, especially with large placards criticizing Huffman’s stance on the elk.

The politically adrenalized crowd flowed crazily around the room. A protestor jumped on the stage and sat down in front of Huffman waving a sign proclaiming, “All the ferrets died.”

Huffman did not call on the police, even though a squad was staged a few blocks away. He told people who were wary of getting Covid from what was just transformed into a probable super-spreader event, that they might want to exit. And then he gamely proceeded to conduct his town hall, which was streamed on Facebook. The congressman methodically answered a series of preselected questions, (which, sadly, did not include this reporter’s campaign fundraising query).

Despite the chaos, Huffman waxed professorial, seeming to delight in relaying the technical details of his legislative efforts to his few, seated, mask-wearing supporters. But faced with unremittent and loud chattering, chanting, and outbreaks of booing, the congressman paused to tell the crowd, which appeared to be local to Marin County, that they were “disrespectful of democracy, the law, and science.” They jeered.

At one point the “All the Ferrets died” protester tried to rip off the mask of an elderly man, but stopped when Huffman called her out. There were no placards or flags bearing the Trump logo, but as the meeting progressed it became clear that most of the anti-vaxxers were fervent supporters of the disgraced, white supremacist, electorally-defeated ex-president, who transformed denial of Covid-19 into a test of political fealty and the Republican Party into a fascistic mob unmoored from empirical reality and human decency. But we digress.

After Huffman criticized the U.S. Senate’s refusal to formally investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection with a commission, sections of the crowd booed, yelling, “Biden is an illegitimate president” and “no segregation” and “we want the filibuster.”

In a hallucinatory moment, a smiling woman shepherded several children wearing blue-tinged fairy wings and bearing anti-Vax signs in a march around the room to much applause.

As Huffman doggedly used the power of his microphone to explain his stances on the political issues of the day, the crowd, as if it shared an animalistic mind, repeatedly chimed in with its views. It opposed peace with Iran, universal Medicare, taxing the super rich. A snarling murmur of discontent roiled through the room as Huffman praised Biden’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The masked elk supporters, however, cheered that effort, and Huffman thanked them for being polite. At which point the friends of the Tule elk began chanting pro-elk slogans and jumping up and down trying to ask more questions.

The hormonally-charged crowd calmed a bit when Huffman announced obtaining a total of $24 million to extend the SMART train to Healdsburg and to fix local infrastructure and to prevent wildfires with improved forest management. There were no snarls and chants when he spoke of improving the Postal Service. But when he noted that the population of California is growing, the crowd booed madly, presumably supposing that the growth is not of white middle class people such as themselves, but of Latino immigrants from Venezuela or Mars.

In fact, there was not a brown or black face to be seen in the anti-Vaxxer throng. Outside the center, however, a young woman wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt, held a singularly distinctive placard. One side noted that “we are standing on land stolen from the Miwok people”. The other side asked people to wear masks, because Covid is killing her people. When I photographed this brave person, a white woman accosted me with her suddenly realized grievance, demanding, “Why are you only taking pictures of her?”

As the town hall wound down, the anti-vaxxers gathered outside for a conspiratorial talk about how scores of ferrets injected with Covid vaccines have died from the treatment, which is not true. And then, satisfied with the pseudo scientific foundations of their cause, the mask-less mass marched through downtown San Raphael waving their cursing flags, chanting incoherently about the greatest hoax in the history of humankind.