A special meeting is scheduled for tomorrow as City Council considers a project at Ukiah Municipal Airport that would force CalFire to move the Ukiah Air Attack Base out of Mendocino County this summer. According to the Daily Journal, the project is described as "critical to the operations of the airport" by staff. Everyone agrees that the repaving work is needed but unfortunately, the construction requirements will force the closure of the runway. The special meeting tomorrow is scheduled for 3 pm in the council chambers on Seminary Avenue.
Hot and windy conditions prompted PG&E to cut power to over 20,000 customers Saturday night in Butte and Yuba Counties. By about 5 pm yesterday, most of the affected customers had their power back. The outages are part of the Public Safety Power Shutoff Program, which is meant to cut down on the risk of wildfires. NBC reports that about 800 miles of powerlines in Butte and Yuba counties were inspected and repaired yesterday during the windy weather.
Spare The Air Alerts by the Air Quality Management District are possible this week. As of this morning, the Sand Fire in Yolo County was about 30% contained and had charred about 2200 acres, according to CalFire, up from 20% yesterday evening. A fast-moving brush fire in the Southern part of the state got so close it forced the evacuation of Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor over the weekend. The park was open for business this morning.
Ukiah Police say that numbers and crime have gotten so out of hand, that they are ordering campers on Airport Road in Ukiah to leave this month. The Daily Journal reports that police have been hearing about assaults, robberies and other crimes in the area. Authorities also worry about dead grass on the property creating a fire hazard. Debris removal is tentatively planned for the 17th, and officials hope to have crews clearing brush out on the 19th and 20th.
Two illegal marijuana grows on private property were shut down by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after 6000 marijuana plants were found on May 21st and another 400 on May 29th. Authorities say there were no licenses with the state, no county cultivation permits, and no Fish and Wildlife lake or streambed alteration agreement permits filed, according to Lake County News. Code violations included illegal water diversions, pesticide and petroleum products near streams and garbage near waterways. Charges are expected to be filed with the Lake County DA’s office.
The California Highway Patrol, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department, CalTrans, CalFire, Leggett Fire Department, and Percy Fire Department all responded to an accident on Friday just before 2 pm. A Ford F-250 had been heading southbound on US 101 near Arnette Drive and was getting ready to make a left hand turn into a parking lot, when a Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by a 69-year-old Stockton man approached from behind and was unable to stop, rear-ending the truck and injuring the motorcycle drivers so severely he was pronounced dead on the scene. Authorities say that alcohol does not appear to have been a factor.
