Sonoma County Granges’ status in question
BY ROBERT DIGITALE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
October 2, 2015, 7:53PM
California’s community granges, 19th-century agrarian institutions that in Sonoma County have enjoyed a revival among sustainable food enthusiasts, now face a high-stakes decision on where to place their allegiances.
For the past few years, the granges on the North Coast and around the state have operated apart from the National Grange and under the umbrella of a group that used to be called the California State Grange. But a federal court this week issued an order prohibiting the use of the word “grange” in the name of the breakaway state group, now rebranded as CSG, and of its 165 chapters.
Now those local groups, which include a dozen in Sonoma County, must decide whether to return to the national group or risk losing both their names and any assets, including their grange halls.
“We hope they will come back and rejoin the grange fold,” said Ed Luttrell, president of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, as the group is formally known.
The local chapters are free to remain independent, but in so doing “you’re not going to use our name and you’re not going to use our assets,” said Ed Komski, president of a group that the national grange reorganized in July 2014.
Both Luttrell and Komski insisted that grange halls and related property remain part of the national organization whenever a local chapter ceases to exist as an official grange.
Bob McFarland, president of CSG, didn’t respond to phone and email requests for comment Friday. But on Friday afternoon he sent an email to local chapter leaders in which he said that many aspects of the recent court case went in his group’s favor and CSG will appeal the ruling.
“Do not be intimidated by Mr. Komski’s and Mr. Luttrell’s threats and demands,” McFarland wrote in the email. “Our freedom is not for sale at any price.”
{snip}
On Friday, a few county grange leaders demonstrated caution in discussing what comes next.
Ned Lewis, secretary at the Hessel Grange, wrote in a email that his group has not made any decision about its name.
“Right now we are waiting to see what happens and what advice we might receive from the original California State Grange (CSG),” he said. “I’m sure this will be a topic of much discussion at future meetings.”
Jerry Allen, president of the Sebastopol Grange, said his group intended “to continue to use our name.”
He declined to say much more, except that “we are going to follow all the court orders and rulings and remain a community grange.
Full article here.