John started Nady Systems they build the gear that lets guitar players and singers walk around on stage without the wires.
He also owned local nightclubs The Omni in Oakland and The Stone in San Francisco.
So anyway I guess he owns Rattlesnake Island on Clear Lake. It is an island on the south east end of the lake across from Clearlake Oaks, 53 acres, about twice the size of Alcatraz I guess, maybe a little bigger. It is a great fishing spot. Here is a real estate listing for it 2.5 million was the asking price...I think Nady bought it in March.
He wants to build some homes there, and the local Elem Indian Colony is putting up a fight. The Elem Indian Colony is right next to the old Sulphur Bank Mine, once used to mine Mercury. It is still a big open pit and is pretty nasty. It is the biggest reason health officials say not to eat too much fish from the lake.
here's the story
Here is some more history about Clear Lake from UC Davis.
UPDATE:
I have more information now. The island has changed hands over the years, but according to title searches it was never owned by an Indian group.
John is not building "houses" or a resort or clearcutting trees or anything like that. I think he is looking to build a small log cabin home approx 1000 sq feet. I also have heard there is an archaeologist and Indian monitor involved in the project.
Seems reasonable.
Yes, everything Nady is doing is absolutely reasonable. It's absurd and really quite sad what political crap-o-la is going on. I feel bad for the guy. Seems like he's on the losing end no matter what he does, even when he fully cooperates with what the political forces want. It's all about power, I think. Power and money. I say leave him alone...he's worked hard to get where he's at...If he wants to own property and do as he pleases with it, LET EM.
ReplyDeleteMost of Lake County is built on former Indian campgrounds, etc, and obsidian arrowhead flakes are found everywhere. In spite of all the uproar and hype, the fact is that a number of digs by archaeologists over the years at Rattlesnake has yielded NO burial sites and not much more than pieces of obsidian flakes and small shells. In fact, at the recent Board of Supervisor's meeting the county approved archaeologist who monitored the dig testified that NOTHING was found in the septic leach field trenches dug so far, even though the trenches were carefully tested with screening the whole time during the digging.
ReplyDeleteI guess that doesn't matter to those claiming treasures are being destroyed, etc. And what about the common knowledge among many who have been following the Rattlesnake saga for years: the Elem colony tried for years to buy the island (which was on the market all during the 90's up to the time it was finally bought by John Nady) for the purpose of building a resort casino on the island? When will the obviously biased local press (casino ad money?) finally let this dirty little secret out about the probable true motivation behind all the ruckus and libel, etc, being thrown at John Nady, who, if you look at all the facts, has done nothing wrong and is entitled to his minimal intended enjoyment of his investment. This is a free country of laws and not mob rule by intimidation, isn't it? Aren't property rights as sacred as the right to build a casino on supposed "sacred" land as some of the Elem members have been trying for years to do, especially when such a development would clearly cause more "desecration" than the modest minimal development sought by Nady? This scenario is being played out in various forms all over the state and country as greed for casino money and political power has totally skewed all sense of justice and fairness.