There could be more changes coming in Mendocino County for the cannabis cultivation permitting program. The Planning Commission is meeting on the issue today, which you can catch on the county’s YouTube channel. Mendo Voice reports it may mean a new permitting process from what 1,100 applicants already went through. Right now new growing businesses are capped at 10,000 square feet. But on Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors agenda, they’re considering a delay for any changes to the cultivation permit ordinance. The Planning Commission though is taking up public comment at their meeting today, then will send their report over to the supervisors. There are no new permit applications being accepted in the county.
Stormy oceans. The National Weather Service is warning we could get larger than 20 foot waves along the North Coast this morning. The warning says the biggest will be west to northwest bringing larger breaking waves. It’s a reminder for anyone on the beach to be cautious and stay off rocks and jetties, or a good distance away from waves, and not to turn your back on the ocean. There have been sneaker waves or falls off rocks during these types of events, just this January, there was a death during a high wave event near Mendocino.
2 hour delays are expected on Last Chance Grade. Drivers are being warned from 9am to 6pm today there are just 30 min delays, but after those hours, there could be 2 hour waits as work continues on the 101 south of Crescent City. They’re taking out some trees, and that could continue over the weekend.
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A stabbing’s been reported in Upper Lake and deputies are searching for the stabber. A victim ended up at Sutter Lakeside, then was taken to an out of county hospital. But they had non-life threatening injuries. Wednesday afternoon deputies got a call to a gas station where they say the suspects, Jerrica and Moses Reeves, both from Nice got into an argument with the victim, which turned physical with Jerrica assaulting the victim. They say then Moses jumped in. Soon after the victim ran inside the gas station with pain in his back. They say Moses Reeves stabbed the victim. Deputies say they don’t know what the motive was. They’ve arrested Jerrica, but she was released due to the pandemic and Moses is still on the run.
Over a foot of snow blanketed the Brooktrails Township this winter. Fallen trees and other debris left behind was the topic of the Sherwood Firewise Communities special meeting last week. It was discussed it could take years to cleanup the mess left behind by 14 inches of the white, fluffy stuff. But it also took down trees and messed with public roads. The Mendocino County Department of Transportation has cleared the way on an easement sitting on both sides of the public roads, but apparently have to plan to take out downed trees. The County is reportedly working with Cal Fire and the Resource Conservation District to clear away a lot of dry fuel. They may also try for a grant to help pay for the work. And they discussed using volunteers like Team Rubicon, a disaster response group or Americorps to help.
A new scholarship has been announced by the Mendocino College Foundation. The Ricardo Stocker Scholarship comes through a donation from the Stocker family. Ricardo was a drug and alcohol counselor who offered bilingual counseling through Nuestra Casa, Anderson Valley School District, Project Sanctuary, the Youth Project and Neuesta Alianza; he was also a storyteller at Juvenile Hall and at elementary schools in the area too. He was part of the team at Mendocino College for more than two decades, and very popular with students.
It’s official, we have a new state Attorney General as Xavier Becerra has joined the Biden Administration as the new Health and Human Services Secretary. Becerra tendered his resignation yesterday. He chose Matthew “Matt” Rodriquez to be his chief deputy attorney general and now he’s the interim replacement until the Governor’s nominee is confirmed. Becerra says it was an honor to serve the people of Calif. and he was proud of what his team accomplished. Chief Deputy Rodriquez was also interim chief deputy attorney general for former Attorney General Kamala Harris when she became a US Senator.
The Ukiah Police Dept. has honored several members of their staff for their outstanding achievements in 2020: including the Officer of the Year – Officer Chase Rigby, Dispatcher of the Year – Dispatcher Christopher Pittman, Life Saving Award – Officer Patrick Infante and Officer Alex Cowan. They had to cancel their yearly awards dinner again due to the pandemic but awarded the team with social distancing protocols in place. The department was also recognized last year by the Lexipol Connect program in the Gold level for consistently and effectively disseminating policies to officers, issuing timely policy updates as laws change, and ensuring officers are trained on policies.
Some state colleges and universities desperate to keep students in the state and not traveling, encouraging staycations with incentives. Spring Break is next week or the week after, there are some local events for students including outdoor hikes and scavenger hunts, so students stay local and don’t hop on an airplane to faraway places. Because public health officials say it could mean another surge of Covid-19. The UC Berkeley Chancellor sent a message to students to do their part not to spread the virus. UC Santa Cruz is offering Grubhub gift cards to students who go on their on-campus scavenger hunt. UC Davis is giving students who stay in town $75 gift cards. The CDC Director pleading with students not to gather in large groups and noted pictures circulating of revelers in Florida maskless enjoying spring break festivities.
The Gov. and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction have announced work with the California COVID-19 Testing Task Force and the California Department of Education to get 3 million rapid COVID-19 antigen tests to return to in person learning in the most disadvantaged school districts. Gov. Newsom and Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced the tests will go to the hardest hit regions of the state as there are more high-risk students and families there. Like households dealing with poverty, farmworkers and communities of color. Thurmond will help coordinate the effort. The tests are the size of a credit card and turn up results in 15 minutes.
Congressman Mike Thompson joining colleagues to change the current federal government payback in disasters to states and communities from 75% to 90% instead. Thompson, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter De-Fazio of Oregon, Reps. Lucille Royball-Allard, Doug LaMalfa and Jimmy Panetta, all from California together introduced the Increase Federal Disaster Cost Share Act. It would be for any federally declared disasters in 2020. The representatives all represent districts hit hard by bad fires during the Coronavirus crisis, what Thompson calls a double crisis.
The Gov. has admitted he made mistakes while dealing with coronavirus last year. The Gov. says when reflecting back he realizes when communicating with counties and businesses and the public, they could have done a much better job informing the public exactly what the restrictions on activity meant. He says he also will be expanding the list of who’s eligible to get the COVID19 vaccine in coming days as organizers for the recall against him say they have enough signatures to get the effort onto a ballot. The last Gov. to be recalled in the state was also a Democrat, Gray Davis. He was replaced by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Newsom was interviewed by the Associated Press yesterday ahead of the one year anniversary, today, of the state’s stay home order, the first in the country after the pandemic took hold.
Lawmakers have voted to expand paid sick leave. Nearly 10 and a half million workers in the state could get up to two weeks paid time off if they have coronavirus symptoms, need to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or care for someone, like their child, who is distance learning. If it becomes law, it would only go until the end of Sept. but would also be retroactive from January 1st. It’s only for companies with at least 25 employees. Many can get reimbursed by the federal government thru things like payroll tax credits of up to $500/day for every employee who takes the paid sick leave. It’s for those who make $60/hr or less.
A man wanted for the stabbing of another man at a gas station in Upper Lake’s been caught. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports on the arrest Moses Reeves for public intoxication to start with after the assault at the Pomo Pumps Gas Station Wednesday night. He was arrested by a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy and taken to jail and booked on Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Battery. A woman with him was arrested the night the stabbing was reported. A victim says Jerrica and Moses Reeves attacked him. When he ran into the gas station for help, he had pain in his back. He was flown to an out of county hospital with a stab wound, that was described as non-life threatening. Jerrica was released for her part in the incident due to the pandemic.
