One billion dollars in funding to build affordable housing is now on hold. Gov. Gavin Newsom says local governments are not working hard enough to slow the rise of homelessness in their communities. One billion dollars was to be distributed amongst counties, groups, and public and private service providers after they showed the state plans to reduce homelessness. Now the Governor says the plans they’ve received so far are subpar. He says the approach is “simply unacceptable” and that “everyone has to do better.” The Legislature had set over $15 billion dollars aside over three years to stop homelessness, including the grant program Newsom is pausing.
A new report says more outside interests are pouring money into California elections. More mailers are being sent out across the state ahead of Tuesday’s election paid for by independent expenditure committees, they are not affiliated with candidates. A good chunk of the spending has gone to Assembly and state Senate races; and the amount of expenditures climbs each year. The committees pouring money into the state also have no campaign contribution limits. $30 million dollars has reportedly been spent on just 10 legislative races since June for twenty candidates. Next week there are 31 seats in the Assembly and the Senate on the ballot.
Failing equipment is being fixed by the Willow County Water District in the western hills of Ukiah. Massive leaks were found in a pair of storage tanks. The first leak became apparent in the Spanish Canyon Estates neighborhood about three weeks ago. The water district reported to the area and laid down over 100 feet of pipe so leaks would be diverted from one home, but then a couple weeks later, another leak. The GM of the Willow County Water District says they’ve been having on and off again problems with the tanks above one house. There was a loss of several hundred gallons of water. This week it happened again, with water overflowing out of the tanks, so they were shut off and equipment has been ordered which could take 3 weeks to repair.
Some Ukiah residents reportedly confused about the new utility bills. The city is welcoming feedback from residents. At the City Council meeting this week, the Deputy City Manager said they’re working on the bills after receiving feedback, and that the new billing system is quite different and presented some challenges. City staffers are trying to make fixes to the bills to clarify what exactly we are paying for and will update their website to have interactive explanations there soon. There were a slew of changes on the bill, including a longer billing cycle this time around, which confused folks.
A first, times two. The first female sheriff in the state of California is out. And not only that, the former sheriff can no longer hold public office again. Former Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith was tossed from office after she was convicted on all of the six charges at her civil corruption trial. A jury found the prosecutors case against Smith was true, that the 70-year-old traded permits to carry a concealed weapon for political donations. The verdict comes the same week she retired after nearly 50 years with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
The California Capitol Christmas tree has made it to Sacramento. The tree from the tiny community of Camino arrived yesterday. Over the next few weeks, the 65-foot tree will be adorned with ornaments made by children and adults with developmental disabilities. Then after Thanksgiving, they will have the annual tree lighting ceremony. Governor Gavin Newsom will help flip the switch on ten-thousand LED lights.
The State Board of Education has heard from those most impacted by policy and curriculum, students. At a presentation earlier this week students spoke up on school safety, socioeconomic equity, teacher misconduct, political literacy and peer counseling. It was part of a four-day conference with several dozen student delegates who are on the Student Advisory Board on Education. They’re the voice of almost 6 million students statewide. Those who spoke also said they need better communication between law enforcement and the schools and that there should be new safety guidelines, like posting evacuation maps in every classroom, where to assemble and when to go home. They also want low income kids to have more of a say in expenditures, and more outreach so all communities feel welcome.
A new study says more and more businesses are leaving California. The analysis from the Hoover Institution at Stanford says the amount of businesses who left Calif. in 2021 doubled from the year before. 153 companies relocated in 2021, opposed to 75 that left in 2020 and over three times the amount who split the state in 2018. The conservative think tank reported it was due to economics, like lower taxes, lower cost of living and less regulation. The study showed many went to Texas, including drug distributor McKesson, Tesla, Oracle, Hewlett Packard and Charles Schwab.
There’s a rumor circulating no charges will be coming to the former Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich. The press officer for the Mendocino County DA’s office and former reporter, Mike Geniella writes in the Anderson Valley Advertiser a complaint by a former girlfriend against the former chief doesn’t have enough evidence to convict. Geniella says a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case says the chief’s conduct in the police department was “outside of the norm”. Waidelich was fired in June. The Mendocino County Sheriff asked for investigators in Sonoma County to handle the inquiry. It comes around the same time former Ukiah officer Kevin Murray got off without jail time for a slew of criminal charges against him.
