More cases of Covid-19 in Mendocino County. 9 more cases reported yesterday. The Mendocino County Health Office reports 107 total cases with 85 recovered and 22 on home isolation. There are also 78 people who were close contacts in quarantine. The active cases as follows North Coast: 2, South Coast: 1, South County: 2, Ukiah Valley: 10, North County: 7. The Public Health Officer reports 16 cases in 5 days including an employee at a skilled nursing facility and another employee of facility which provides homeless services. They got infected from a close contact outside of the workplace so now the county is testing the two facilities so there aren’t any outbreaks. The Public Health Officer also reported on the 14th case which was a man who attended service at the Redwood Valley Assembly of God church and died at a rehab facility in Marin County. The death is not counted here yet as they’ve not received a death certificate from Marin County.
The Mendocino County Public Health Office says they’ve been getting questions about what it means to be “recovered” from the County’s COVID-19 statistics and dashboard. They say it’s when someone is released from isolation, which is after they’ve had no symptoms for ten days; or an asymptomatic person who isolates for ten days after their positive test; or someone with symptoms who goes three days with no fever and improvement of cough, shortness of breath and other symptoms; AND at least 10 days have passed since the date of test sample collection; AND they’ve been cleared by their health care provider and/or Public Health.
An addition to the Public Health Order in Mendocino County from the state, churches or other places of worship may not engage in singing or chanting, limit indoor attendance to 25% building capacity or at the most 100 attendees, whichever is lower, and all must wear a mask. There is free testing in partnership with Consolidated Tribal Health Project and the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Mendocino County in Hopland and Willits. Tomorrow in Hopland: from 8am to 11am at the corner of Hwy 101 and 175; and Saturday in Willits, also from 8am to 11am at the Sherwood Valley Tribal Office.
The California State Treasurer has announced the office is helping more than a dozen counties impacted by wildfires to build new housing. Fiona Ma ‘s office reports applications for credits have soared after new changes by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. Congressman Mike Thompson has also secured 100 million in yearly federal tax credits, also known as recovery tax credits. Ma reports the credits will pay for the construction or reconstruction of multifamily housing projects in counties hit by the devastating fires of 2017 and 2018. 88 applications have been received for more than 6,900 multi-family housing units.
A man has been arrested in Redwood Valley after a harassment report to the Sheriff’s Dept. Mendocino deputies reported to a home Monday after a woman called to say a family member had been sending her threatening messages. The woman reported she believed the man was homeless in the Vancouver, Washington area. She also said she had a restraining order against him, and so did another family member, a woman in the Fortuna area, along with her toddler. But no matter, they say, Casey Woida was texting and phoning threats to them and their employers, starting June 24th. Then they say he told them he was headed to Calif and was going to kill them. They tracked the man thru cell phones and found he was traveling in Oregon. A warrant was put out for his arrest for stalking, making terrorist threats, and violation of a domestic violence protective order. Mendocino and Humboldt deputies along with Fortuna police pursued the man after finding out he might be at Bayshore Mall, the guy took off after a deputy arrived, and he called 911 and threatened to kill people too. He surrendered after a 20 mile chase and was arrested and held on $100,000 bail.
A man in Laytonville’s been arrested for threats, domestic violence and holding someone against their will. Mendocino Deputies got a call from a woman who says Aaron Gomez, her boyfriend, had attacked her. When they arrived they say she had visible injuries, including bleeding, all consistent with her story. She says they were arguing early July 4th and he got mad when she tried to leave, grabbing her. He then followed her when she got in her car, reached in the car, pulled her hair and hit her. She drove to get medical help. This apparently isn’t the first fight they had, including another time when he hit her with a shovel. The man was found July 5th and arrested and held on $30,000.00 bail.
A man in Willits arrested for illegally growing marijuana and trespassing. Deputies got a call last month about someone illegally trespassing in Willits. They found a man in a travel trailer, Jason Bacchi who told them he owned the property, but they say he couldn’t prove it. They say after weeks of investigating, it turns out he was trespassing there and, on another property, where he started some marijuana gardens. They say he had been asked to leave previously by the actual property owners but he wouldn’t. While investigating, deputies found two cultivation sites on Shamrock Ranch and Coastal Forest Lands property. Deputies say when talking to the man, be became confrontational. He was ultimately arrested for marijuana cultivation and criminal trespassing.
More cases of coronavirus in Lake County, 100 cases. The Lake County Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace at this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting saying he was worried about essential businesses where workers tested positive. One person recently died, but we don’t have anything more on the case. 3 people are in the hospital and one in another hospital outside the county. Dr. Pace says there were healthcare workers who tested positive or others at businesses with contact with the public. He says they’re encouraging mask wearing and social distancing, but it’s not always possible for people who are essential workers. He says they’re trying to limit indoor gatherings, identify cases and quickly do contact tracing then isolate people to slow the spread. He also told supervisors he was concerned about testing sites once again getting inundated with backlogs of results.
Senator Mike McGuire had another in a series of townhalls. This one on fire preparedness. The teleconference last night focused on the rural northern part of the state including Lake County. He says it’s more complicated this year because of the virus and, but infections aren’t as high there as in other counties across the state. Sheriff Brian Martin also on the call reminding wildfires can take off in an instant and residents have to be prepared, and households with a plan in place. The sheriff reminds to clear around your property, make sure leaves and gutters are cleaned and deal with yard work in the cool morning hours.
If you want to get involved in city affairs, you can run for City Council in Lakeport… if you’re a resident. Those interested can fill out nomination papers starting Monday. There will be three vacant seats, for four years. To qualify you must be registered to vote and live in the city limits. The deadline to apply to run is August 6th. You have to call the city clerk’s office first due to COVID-19 restrictions and make an appointment during the nomination period. The Clerk’s office can take appointments with 24 hours notice.
140 years to life behind bars for a man who killed his elderly dad and a friend a few years ago in Clearlake. Alan Leroy Ashmore worked out a plea agreement with the DA’s office before a trial which was supposed to start as the pandemic surfaced in March. He pleaded no contest to first-degree murder for the death of 85-year-old Douglas Ashmore, and his friend, Richard Braden. Plus he was charged with the attempted first-degree murder of CHP Officer Steven Patrick and he had to admit he was in possession of a firearm and discharged it resulting in death and great bodily injury. For the admissions, the DA dismissed more than a dozen other crimes against him. He might one day be considered for parole under the Elderly Parole Program after 25 years of prison time, but he would be 89 years old. He will remain in jail until a prison can be found that doesn’t have a COVID-19 outbreak.
The surge in cases in Lake County continues, with 100 cases total now. There are 18 active cases and 81 others have recovered. Last week the Public Health Office announced one death. The same day Mendocino County announced its first death. In Lake County two people are in the hospital and a total of nine have been hospitalized since the pandemic surfaced in the county. State officials say as they continue testing, more cases are confirmed, which has been expected. More than 16,000 healthcare workers have also been infected in Calif. and 95 have died.
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors have voted unanimously for penalties to individuals who refuse to comply with facial coverings guidelines. The fines include “one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first violation; two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the second violation; and five hundred dollars (500.00) for a third or subsequent violations if the subsequent violations occur within one year of the first violation.” (courtesy Red Headed Blackbelt).
