Psychotherapist Stuart Altschuler is going back to the Ferndale City Council for a second round of verbal jousting. Altschuler was recently denied a permit for his home-based psychotherapy office.

However, it might be an uphill battle since "The decision of the City Council upon an appeal is final and conclusive as to all things involved in this matter," according to Ferndale's zoning ordinance.

In reaction to Altschuler's decision, Ferndale City Manager Jay Parrish told the Times-Standard that the City Council will consider a moratorium on all home occupation permits.

Altschuler's lawyer might file a writ of administrative mandamus with the Humboldt County Superior Court.

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In other news, Ferndale will be lighting the town Christmas tree on Sunday, Dec. 2. Ferndale claims that their spruce is America's tallest living Christmas tree, but they'll have to go fist to fist with residents of Blue River, Oregon for that coveted title.

Ferndale might also want to take a lesson from New York City, where this year's tree at Rockefeller Center is "greener" than usual. With energy-saving lights replacing old-fashioned bulbs, the 84-foot-tall Norway spruce will consume 1,297 kilowatt hours per day, down from 3,510 kilowatt hours.

Rather than stepping into the past, Ferndale ought to consider fastforwarding into the future by asking Santa for at least two things this year: LEDs and GLBTs.