The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors in a pickle. They can’t decide, it seems, whether or not to go back to in person meetings. Supervisor John Haschak says they have to meet in person, but Supervisor Dan Gjerde said it should be optional. The outgoing CEO, Carmel Angelo said if the entire board didn’t show up in person, it would look bad. It all has to do with the continuing COVID pandemic. The board took up the matter for a short stretch of the meeting. It was just at the beginning when Haschak spoke out during the affirmation of the consent agenda that all should get back to the board chambers in person, but there should be a hybrid option where people can still call in, saying the public wanted to be together again as case numbers continue to decline. But the board chambers are being renovated anyway and the CEO reminded they couldn’t open back up to the public until about April. They’re set to consider reopening in person again in a couple weeks.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reports trying to find someone who escaped law enforcement and was on a mental health hold. Yesterday afternoon the patient got away near the Mendocino/Humboldt County line. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office says an ambulance was taking the patient for care and escaped, showing a knife in the area of the Cooks Valley Patriot Station, running into a wooded area. The patient, described as a 19 year old man, around 5 foot 9, 212 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes, last seen in a dark blue hoodie, blue jeans and a camo hat.
The temporary moratorium on new cannabis dispensaries in Fort Bragg has been extended. The City Council voted Tuesday to extend until only April for a total of six months. It comes after city staff wanted to study the issue longer after a couple of applications for Sunshine Holistics to set up shop but were turned down by the planning commission. The applicant already has a dispensary outside city limits. She was at the meeting and reportedly tried talking the council out of extending the moratorium, reminding them there were loads of empty buildings about town. The mayor even said that extending the moratorium showed the public and local businesses, the council is not business friendly and agreed there were too many empty storefronts.
State and federal fishery scientists have shared the projected abundance report for salmon for the season. At their meeting yesterday they went over the 2022 ocean abundance projection for Sacramento River fall chinook, the main salmon stock in most California waters. They pegged it at just under 400,000 adults, more than last year. And the Klamath River fall chinook abundance forecast was also higher than 2021 with just over 200,000 adult Klamath River fall chinook, but still way below the stock’s historical levels.
A man mostly living in Ukiah is going to prison for eight years after pulling a knife on a couple of people outside a restaurant last year. 49 year old Gabriel Patterson reportedly lunged at a restaurant owner and cook last November in downtown Ukiah. But a couple of DA investigators happened to be nearby and defended the businessman and cook. Patterson, known as a local transient was quickly arrested. He already had two strikes against him dating back about thirty years, but the three strikes law has been amended, so he only got 96 months.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident where they say a parent became upset about a school policy, they have not named, but ended up in an investigation into the parent. The Sheriff’s office says on Tuesday a parent supposedly recorded a private chat with a school superintendent without the superintendent’s consent. So yesterday they got a search warrant and served it, taking several items. They have not said from where. They say they’re trying to figure out if there was a crime committed and are continuing to look into the matter.
A young man from Ukiah has been arrested for drug dealing and possession. Ukiah police say 21-year-old Matthew Riley was seen in a car, seeming to be selling marijuana. A caller gave a description of his car which was found at E. Gobbi St. and Waugh Ln. At the same time a patrol officer saw a vehicle code violation on the guy’s car and stopped him. He had other people in the car who were minors. The officer says he could see marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia, so everyone in the car was ordered out. The cop found an assault rifle, with the serial number scraped off, other weapons, three one-pound bags of pot, nearly 80 grams of Cocaine, a bunch of pills, a drug known as Molly, or MDMA, and some CBD. Riley was charged with various crimes including possession and transportation for sale of narcotics, possession of a loaded firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and an assault weapon.
Congressman Mike Thompson says he’s working to make sure Californians who have installed solar panels don’t get slapped with a higher tax on the panels. Apparently, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed cutting net metering and adding a new tax on solar panels, at a rate of about $90 more a month, but taking back some of the financial returns from selling excess energy. Thompson says the net metering rate while raising taxes would disincentivize folks from getting solar panels and it would result in penalties for folks trying to do the right thing for the climate. He’s asking the CPUC to reevaluate the proposed changes to protect the solar panel industry and ensure the financial benefits remain for those who transition to solar energy.
While conducting their regular meeting, the Lakeport City Council has agreed to a new Local Roadway Safety Plan. The city’s Public Works Superintendent says the plan allows local agencies to prepare safety plans which would create a framework to identify and analyze any problems, then recommend how to fix them. As of this past January, agencies must adopt the Local Roadway Safety Plan to be able to get grant money. So, the city can then get Highway Safety Improvement Program money and use city funds on other projects and improvements.
A fire starts after a burn pile gets a bit out of control. The Ukiah Valley Fire Dept. showed up Monday to deal with the pile of vegetation that got away from those burning slash on Sanford Ranch Road. What started out as a four-by-four foot pile rapidly blew up to a 200-foot-by-40-foot fire in a creek bed. Firefighters were able to coral the burn pretty quick. The Battalion Chief says how quickly it burned was definitely concerning this time of year with months of fire season ahead, reminding the public to be very cautious when burning vegetation. A reminder too, to be in the vicinity when the burn pile is active so there’s someone to contain it or quickly call firefighters, the sooner, the better.
