People on the Mendocino Coast woke up to power outages from Westport to Point Arena and throughout Anderson Valley this morning. As of 10 a.m., PG&E reported that over 15,000 customers were still without power. Crews are on the scene of the outage and the cause is under investigation. The outage was first reported just before 8:30 a.m., including over 9,000 customers in the City of Fort Bragg. At about 9:30 a.m. Fort Bragg Schools announced that students were being released early due to the outage. Minutes later, Pacific Community Charter School, Point Arena and Elk also announced an early closure.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook along the Mendocino County coast. The quake happened at about 4:13 p.m., around 2.5 miles southeast of Point Arena, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There was no immediate word of damage from the
earthquake, which occurred on the San Andreas Fault. The quake struck at a depth of 5 miles and was felt strongly in the Mendocino County cities of Point Arena and Gualala, according to the USGS. In Sonoma County, the quake struck 16 miles north of The Sea Ranch and 23 miles from Annapolis and was felt in both communities, according to responses submitted to the USGS.
A virtual town hall meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight for Northern Californians to discuss wildfire preparation and prevention. The meeting will be hosted by state Sen. Mike McGuire and Cal Fire. According to the senator’s office, the discussion will cover how the state responds to large fires, resources available, and what area residents should do to prepare for wildfire season. The meeting is available via the senator’s Facebook page and website.
It appeared to be business as usual Monday at First Republic Bank in Santa Rosa. In the Press Democrat today, one wouldn’t expect it had just become the second largest bank failure in the nation’s history, and the third bank fall this year. Monday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized the San Francisco-based First Republic, which has five locations around the North Bay and one in Sonoma County. JPMorgan agreed to purchase its assets. About eight weeks earlier, Silicon Valley Bank experienced its own collapse. First Republic could not sustain a sudden rush for cash from depositors. First Republic Bank is the only bank of the three that foundered this year to have a location in Sonoma County. On Monday the bank reopened as a branch of JPMorgan Chase, the FDIC said in a statement. People who banked with First Republic are covered by the FDIC’s insurance coverage of up to $250,000. About 63% of First Republic’s deposits were from businesses, and the rest were from individuals.
Wildfire season is upon us, even as record rains this winter may have dampened Northern California, and certain regions will see it sooner than others. Typically, peak Northern California fire season begins in June or July and can run through November, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, but the beginning of this season could be delayed by months compared to recent history. Tribune News Services reports that the likelihood of wildfires in an area will depend on the landscape. Areas with more conifer forests and redwood forests may have less fire activity in the summer compared to the last two years. Mid and upper-elevation forest lands, specifically, will take longer to dry out. Researchers say wildfires may reach into the foothills in May and June. Lightning fires continues to be a concern this season.
Social media companies are the target of a new bill making its way through the Legislature. It would hold companies legally responsible for using algorithms and design features that addict kids. Now, legislative activity is growing in the country, with several states passing laws that regulate how social media companies do business. In CalMatters, the bill covers social media companies that earn more than $100 million in revenue per year and have users in California. Companies that violate the law could get sued by public attorneys, and could face penalties of as much as $250,000 per violation. Last week the bill was sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee and added to a special pile of bills that the committee will analyze.
The fate of an Ukiah winery is in the hands of the court. The wine-tasting entertainment venue, Rivino, in Ukiah Valley sits on the eastside of Highway 101. In MendoFever online, a Mendocino County Superior Court judge is presiding over a complex divorce
between Suzanne Jahnke and Jason McConnell. Judge Mayfield may turn over ownership of the venue site to Suzanne Jahnke, who bought the property from her father’s estate after his death in 2013. The judge cites a provision in an agreement that when the winery site became community property in the event of divorce, Suzanne Jahnke would have the first right to possess and own the home.
In recognition of the Mendocino County “Racial Equity and Justice Committee” Mendocino County proclaims May 5th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Day. In solidarity with the victims and their families of these tragedies, Mendocino County employees and the community are urged to wear red on May 5th, to raise awareness. Also, the community is asked to support the movement by posting to social media using the hashtags #NotInvisible and #MendocinoCounty.
A mobile buyback pilot project will be in place by the end of May, a Redwood Waste Solutions spokesperson announced this week in the Mendocino Voice. Fort Bragg residents and others have been waiting for the service since the closure of the Pudding Creek transfer station. Last month, a 5th District Supervisor announced that Mendocino County and the City of Fort Bragg had been awarded one of the ten available Beverage Container Recycling Pilot Projects by CalRecycle. Mobile centers will be stationed at the Mendocino K-8 school, the Caspar Community Center, and the Fort Bragg Food Bank. All will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the Mendocino and Caspar locations open Sunday and Monday. Fort Bragg’s dates of operation are yet to be finalized. To begin with, a mobile center will offer RWS time to create a permanent one.
Four Lake County competitors qualified for state finals during the California District 2 High School Rodeo Championships at the Rolling Hills Equestrian Center last month. The top six finishers in each event will represent District 2 during the High School Rodeo State Finals this spring in Bishop. Jace Kelley, a freshman at Upper Lake High School, won the boys All-Around title as well as rookie honors. He qualified for the state finals. In the Record-Bee, Jamie Pullman, a senior at Middletown High School won the girls goat tying championship and qualified for the state finals too. Mazzi McAllister and Casey Huston, both sophomores at Kelseyville and Middletown High Schools, qualified for the state finals as well.
The 32nd annual Lake County Open Golf Championship had some young leaders over the weekend. Matt Wotherspoon shot a 1-under-par 71 to outlast Corey Huber and his round of 73. A collegiate golferat California State University San Bernardino, Wotherspoon achieved All-Conference status during his playing day at Kelseyville High School. In the Record Bee, it was his second Lake County Open win, his first title coming in 2020. He attributed his win to a game plan that focused on playing safe and smart golf. He also said his short game was solid throughout his round.
In Clearlake Oaks, the East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet tomorrow, May 3 at 4pm at the Moose Lodge. The meeting will be available via Zoom. On the agenda will be guest speaker from the Lake County Special Districts administrator, on the proposed Consolidated lighting district and additional streetlights for Clearlake Oaks. Also on the agenda, the Lake County Geothermal Project Watchlist, commercial cannabis cultivation and a cannabis ordinance task force update. In Lake County News, the council will report on proposed commercial and residential project applications, and updates on Spring Valley, the Northshore Fire Protection District, the Oaks Arm and Keys Restoration projects, and the U.S. EPA’s Sulphur Bank Mine Superfund site.
California State Parks graduated 30 cadets, including 29 rangers and one lifeguard who will work in the country’s largest state park system. In Lake County News today, the cadets spent 32 weeks in the academy, the cadets became State Park Peace Officers. As peace officers, they will serve, protect, and educate visitors to California’s 280 state parks, while protecting the state’s most significant natural and cultural resources. This year’s class of 30 cadets was chosen from a field of more than 400 applicants. Graduates of this class will be stationed in the Northern Buttes Districts, which includes Lake County and more parks in the state. State Parks is currently accepting applications for the 2024 State Parks Peace Officers Cadet Academy exam. The deadline to apply is Saturday, June 10. For more information on the academy check out Live The Parks Life.com
Some of the best rhododendrons on the west coast will be featured with the Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society and the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. The 44th annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show will be held at the Gardens this weekend. The show is the largest in the state, displaying more than 800 entries. Everyone is welcome to enter their best rhododendrons and azaleas in the show! Bring your plants to the Gardens on Friday, from 9:00am to noon. Ribbons and trophies will be awarded to top entries in a wide range of categories. Visit www.gardenbythesea.org for more information.
