“The only people for me are the mad ones. The ones who are mad to love, mad to talk, mad to be saved; the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!” – Jack Kerouac
Tiburon is the last place I would expect to meet a guy like criminal defense attorney Jon Rankin. I am parking next to boutique shops that quietly hawk overpriced glassware, jewelry and high end chotchkies. I enter his office at the bottom of the stairs in the middle of the deserted shopping strip.
I call out and he enters from an adjoining office welcoming me. I am immediately struck by his jewelry and the gurgling sound of half empty fish tanks. He ushers me into his office where I notice a corner dedicated to flamingos and even more fish tanks in various stages of evaporation. He says “I collect them,” pointing to the flamingos. Everywhere I look is vivid detail about this guy’s life. He’s an extrovert in this quiet Marin county hamlet and I have to struggle to pay attention to him as he’s talking to me.
He’s telling me about a guy named “Nazi Low-rider,” currently doing time in Pelican Bay in the SHU as they call it (Special Housing Unit). Mr. Low-rider wants to replace the Arian Brotherhood and sends Rankin artwork from time to time. Rankin tells me some of it he has to keep in a drawer because it is too offensive.
I get him to pose with a polar bear skin rug. He points at his ’58 caddy and that’s where we head next.
Imagine yourself buried in Concord, in a quaint house on a half acre lot and you dig in for 26 years. Later you find yourself squaring off against MediCal in a fight for your home with everything but the ONE you moved in with. Meet Donald Townes. He’s got garden gnomes scattered across his back lawn, roses adoring a trellis and a nearby thriving vegetable garden.
This 1,000 square foot home in the hot Concord baking sun is something worth fighting over. He’s a quiet guy, a sensible guy. Donald tells me he is heading out to Mexico for a getaway in the morning. He needs to clear his head with the trouble from MediCal.
