OK, Doug, fess up

The Doug LaMalfa-Jim Reed contest to replace Wally Herger in Congress is becoming more interesting by the day. Look to your right, and you’ll see a letter from Pete Stiglich, a bedrock Republican conservative from Cottonwood, endorsing Reed, a Democrat. As far as Stiglich is concerned, LaMalfa has committed far too many “misbehaviors”—such a quaint term—to warrant support.

Stiglich doesn’t say what those “misbehaviors” are, but we can assume they include the phony website attacking former state Sen. Sam Aanestad during the primary and LaMalfa’s hypocritical acceptance of millions of dollars in rice subsidies while spouting the usual blindly reflexive Republican anti-tax rhetoric.

Stiglich ran in the 2010 primary against Herger and again this year in the open primary, coming in fifth with just under 6 percent of the vote. He’s ex-military and known in the district as a man of principle, and his backing of Reed could persuade some Republicans to join him.

Meanwhile Reed, in an effort to make lemonade out of a lemon, has sent out a statement acknowledging that the Federal Election Commission fined his campaign $505 due to a clerical error made by a former campaign employee. He then noted that the FEC is currently investigating LaMalfa “for far more serious and potentially fraudulent violations.” He noted too that Aanestad had filed a civil complaint against LaMalfa, and he challenged LaMalfa to do what he’d done—come clean on these matters “as well as any other wrongdoing his campaign may have committed—willfully or mistakenly.”

What should the jury do? My friend Dave Waddell is on the 2012-13 Butte County Grand Jury, and because he’s a journalist he’s gotten PR duties, or so it seems. He recently sent out a notice that the jury is looking for advice from the public on what to investigate this year. So if you know of something fishy or otherwise troubling in local government, go to www.buttecounty.net, click on “grand jury” and fill out a complaint form.

Shameless non-self promotion: Forgive me if I use this space to promote a pet cause. This Saturday, Oct. 20, from 4:30-7:30 p.m., the Sky Creek Dharma Center is having an open house and blessing ceremony celebrating the purchase of its building, and anyone interested in seeing this beautiful facility and learning what the center offers is invited to attend.

The center is shared by several Buddhist groups from different traditions. They practice in unique ways but all have a focus on meditation and mindfulness practice as vehicles for personal transformation.

Please join us. Meet and mingle, share a light meal and music, and participate in a blessing ceremony for the building. All we ask is that you tell Lakshmi, at ariaratnamla@gmail.com, that you’re coming so we can know how much food to prepare.

The dharma center is located at 120 Three Oaks Court, which is off Marauder on the north side of the airport, just south of the Westside Little League ball field. Go to www.skycreekdharmacenter.org for more information.