A ceremony to mark the future Great Redwood Trail is set this week with State Senator Mike McGuire. This Friday the official opening of part of the trail in Ukiah which will be part of a 300 mile long recreational mixed-use trail running from the San Francisco Bay Area to Eureka. When it’s done, there is supposed to be bike and foot trails, a long forest like area stretching from Cloverdale, or Willits, to Eureka where the old Northern Railroad used to be. Senator McGuire will be there for the ribbon cutting with Ukiah officials. McGuire sponsored the legislation to make the trail happen. It all starts at noon at the corner of Clara and Mason Streets.
A new Undersheriff has been named in Mendocino County. After former Sheriff Tom Allman retired, his former Undersheriff Matthew Kendall was promoted to Sheriff. Now Kendall has named Darren Brewster. He’s been with the department 30 years, starting at the jail, then he was a lead training officer. His last position before becoming the new undersheriff, was in the major crimes unit. So now he will be running the department including operations over clerical work, jail operations, dispatch and budget and finance. Brewster says they’re focusing currently on property crimes, burglary, violent crimes, and getting deputies out on patrol.
The Native American tribe who owns the Graton Resort & Casino says they’re donating $1 million to help renew the SMART train sales tax. They’re putting up money to go against the opposition who don’t want taxes. The Press Democrat reports the tribe is supporting Measure I, their single largest political contribution since they opened their casino. A developer in Windsor is reportedly giving hundreds of thousands to the opposition, NotSoSmart.org. Others who support the tax renewal have also donated $125,000 more.
Some illegal marijuana vapes confiscated in LA had additives in them blamed for lung disease. State officials say the illegal vapes taken in raids last month in Southern Calif. were also not as potent as advertised, with just a fraction of the THC noted on their labels. The Calif. Bureau of Cannabis Control’s chief says dirty or dangerous vape pens turning up at unlicensed cannabis stores shows consumers should stick to legal retailers instead because they have to meet state requirements. The state ran tests on a random sample of thousands of illegal vapes finding thickening agents and added potentially dangerous and undisclosed additives.
A man accused in the shooting death of another man in Rio Dell has been arrested in North Dakota. Police say Demetrius Coleman has been caught, but another person suspected in Johnny Mack Renfro’s murder last August has not been caught, Miriam or Alma Ahumada. Apparently Rio Dell police got word Coleman might be in North Dakota and called local police who found him in the town of New Rockford. He was with a woman who ran from police. Coleman refusing to be extradited back to Calif., so it could take several months to transport him back.
Unemployment numbers staying steady both in the state and in Lake County. Lake Co News reports Lake County’s December number was up to 5.1% from the 4.5 percent it was in November. A year ago it was 5.6 percent. California’s number at a record low of 3.9 percent where it hasn’t been since the late 1980’s even though there are a lot more people living here. The nation’s unemployment at 3.5 percent for a second month in a row. Mendocino County was at 3.7%, Napa at 2.9%, Sonoma at 2.4%.
A proposal to annex some Middletown Rancheria land has been approved by the Lake Local Area Formation Commission. Lake Co News reports more than 109 acres of land going to the Callayomi County Water District as a safe, reliable source of water. The approval a couple weeks ago at the Commission’s meeting. The commission has members of the Board of Supervisors, city councils for Clearlake and Lakeport, special district representatives and members of the public. The news site reports the rancheria property has the Twin Pine Casino and Hotel on it, along with a government administration complex, homes for tribal members and commercial property. Besides the safe drinking water for tribal members there will also be water for fire protection.
Population down in Lake County, but a lot more people in California overall. More than a dozen counties had less people living there, but more than 141,000 moved to the state from July of 2018 to July of 2019. The State Dept. of Finance increased the population number in the state to just under 40 million, 39.96 million. Some of the other counties with a loss in population include Nevada, Shasta, Sierra, and Trinity. The next census is happening this year, and since the last in April of 2010, the state’s population has been steadily rising at a yearly rate of about 0.75 percent.
The Governor moving to the next phase of a promise he made while campaigning to end euthanasia of adoptable pets. There’s $50 million set aside in the latest budget for five years for shelters to keep pets alive. About twenty years ago the state passed a law so all healthy and medically treatable animals in shelters could be adopted, not put to their deaths, but the state didn’t set aside cash for it. Then the state cut shelter money in 2009 due to the recession. The Governor has named a vet from UC Davis to head the program, Dr. Kate Hurley, who says there’s no spay and neuter services at some shelters, which could now change. The state is not making euthanasia illegal, just looking to help shelters so they can adopt more pets out.
The Governor’s new budget includes spending billions on the environment. The Natural Resources Agency stands to receive as much as $6.7 billion for departments including Cal Fire, where about half of that money looks to end up. The budget sets aside money so almost 700 new Cal Fire staffers can be hired. More than half of them would be full-time firefighters. The budget also sets aside money for investments in the Department of Fish and Wildlife for ecosystem diversity, expanding oil and gas production regulations under the Department of Conservation, creating at least one new state park and a proposed climate change resiliency bond.
