North Bay residents this week were outraged to learn news of a lawsuit brought against the county of Sonoma on behalf of Clay Greene alleging that Greene and his partner of 20 years, Harold Scull, were separated by county officials, denied access to each other, had all living wills and executive trusts violated by the county and in fact lost all of their possessions and even their animals due to actions taken by local officials. A suit filed in Sonoma County Superior Court on March 22, 2010, cites elder financial abuse, fraud, violation of due process and civil rights, conspiracy and false imprisonment among the charges. Even though Greene and Scull had living wills and were executors of each other's estates, they were treated as "roommates" by county officials, the suit alleges. Scull was 88 when he fell down some stairs at the couple's Sebastopol home. Greene, 77, who was beginning to show signs of dementia, was placed in a nursing home apart from Scull, allowed few phone privileges and barred from visiting his partner. Scull died three months later. According to the suit, all Greene has left of his decades-old life is a photo scrapbook that Scull assembled just before his death. A trial date is set for July 16 in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Pg&e hides in the back

Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carillo convenes a Smart Meter panel tonight, April 21, at the Sebastopol Veterans Building, welcoming the public to learn more about PG&E's highly contested initiative. In looking at the slate of panel members, we wondered why PG&E itself wasn't represented. Carillo assistant Susan Upchurch candidly explains that they will be there, hosting information booths at the back of the hall, refusing to sit on the panel after public protests against the PG&E-backed Proposition 16 ballot measure were recently led by members of the Utility Reform Network, whose communications director Mindy Spatt will be present tonight. Instead, they are paying for UCLA epidemiology professor Dr. Leeka Kheifets and Enertech Consultants staffer Michael Silva to speak on their behalf. Paying. For. Them. Don't believe all you hear tonight at 5:30pm, 282 High St., Sebastopol. 707.565.3760.

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