Bank failure concerns continue in California. Shares of PacWest plummeted more than 20% in early trading today after the lender said it faced a large withdrawal of deposits last week. ABC News is reporting that the bank lost 9.5% of deposits last week. PacWest said on Wednesday it retained $15 billion in immediately-available cash if needed to fulfill continued withdrawals. In the statement last week, they rejected concern about a run on deposits, saying deposit withdrawals weren’t out of the ordinary after the sale of First Republic days before. PacWest stock has fallen more than 80% this year, erasing hundreds of millions of dollars in value.
There was a fatal accident early this morning near Navarro. Around 1am, Tim Marino drove his box truck off of SR-128 and crashed into a tree. Ukiah CHP responded to the scene, with the truck’s front end completely smashed. A passenger in the truck was pronounced dead at the scene. Marino suffered major injuries. As of today, it doesn’t appear that alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision. The Mendocino County Sheriff is alerting the next of kin and will announce the name of the passenger. Anyone with information is asked to call CHP in Ukiah.
The Fort Bragg City Council adopted a new policy on ADA accommodations, and made changes to the budget. The council approved a budget amendment Monday to continue its contract with SHN Consulting to finish the Parents and Friends Cypress Street Residential Care Facility for the Elderly Project. In the Advocate News, construction on the building was supposed to finish in January but due to the winter storms, was delayed. The city also approved the budget adjustment for a Caltrans project that will move part of the sewer on the Pudding Creek Bridge. Fort Bragg City Council also adopted a new policy for the Americans with Disabilities Act, creating accessibility to public meetings.
Ukiah Unified School District is announcing a new principal of Big Picture Ukiah at South Valley High School. Kita Grinberg will begin July 1. Grinberg is currently a Teacher Advisor at Big Picture Ukiah. She has served as a teacher at the Mendocino County Jail through the Ukiah Adult School and at Mendocino College. Grinberg holds a B.A. in Latin American History from Brown University. She earned her teaching credentials in Social Studies and English in a Master’s at Mills College.
Fire managers at the Upper Lake Ranger District prepped space at Howard Mill burn for today. They may treat anywhere from 40 to 136 acres, depending on where it is ideal to burn. The Howard Mill unit is near Penny Pines Campground on the Upper Lake Ranger District. The M1 Road and Upper Deer Valley Road may be impacted by smoke. Fire officials will start up the burn this morning and clean up tomorrow while patrols monitor the burn. People are asked to avoid the area. Some smoke may be visible from communities around the lake, but smoke impacts aren’t expected.
A public/private partnership has joined to plant trees on school campuses to shade kids from extreme heat and improve the learning environment. Some seasons, school kids have dealt with extremely hot asphalt and playground equipment, so organizers have a plan to grow some shade. CAL FIRE says the state has allocated $150 million to fund the program. The California Schoolyard Forest System is a partnership with nonprofits Green School Yards America and Ten Strands, along with the California Department of Education and CAL FIRE. It aims to plant enough trees to achieve 30 percent shade cover at the state’s 86-hundred K through 12 schools.
The City of Ukiah will use drones to inspect power lines. City officials announced in a press release that Ukiah Electric Utility staff will be using drones to inspect the city’s distribution lines, transmission lines and substation equipment across the city. The drone inspections will st art this month and continue throughout the year, weather permitting. In the Ukiah Daily Journal today, city officials say it will be an ongoing program. Drones will fly between 8am and 4pm when conditions allow. The drones, or unmanned vehicles, will allow officials to get a close look at the lines to detect potential hazards. They say you may catch a glimpse of the new drones, and residents are asked not to mess with them.
The Clearlake City Council approved updates to a contract with Adventist Health for the operation of the Hope Center last week. The center works to transition people out of homelessness. In Lake County News, the 21-bed facility opened in November 2020. The City of Clearlake contributed $500,000 for the center to operate for 15 years. Stipulations to the funding included that within 15 years, Adventist won’t use the property for anything other than a facility for homeless resources. Adventist officials asked to change that, as the state Medi-Cal program is looking to get involved and help fund services there like recuperative care. Changing the city’s language in their funding agreement would allow the state to work with Adventist. Council members want to make sure the center remains a place for homeless and not turn into a medical facility. The council unanimously approved the contract amendment.
The state Senate has approved legislation that would improve broadband internet connectivity across the state. The bill would let the state lease property to providers for the new infrastructure. In Lake County News yesterday, under existing law, the state is limited in its ability to lease property. Organizers of the Senate Bill 387, including Senator Dodd say development would support digital equity, especially in underserved communities. The legislation was approved Monday by the full Senate on a 35-0 vote. It heads next to the Assembly.
A new trail broke ground in Covelo. According to Mendocino Supervisor John Haschak, ground was broken on the Highway 162 trail. The trail will provide a safe walking/biking pathway to town. In MendoFever online today, there’s more news for Mendocino County. A 171 unit housing development was approved for the south side of Ukiah. 39 of the units will be for senior housing and 13 will be moderate income. With housing in short supply throughout, it is needed. After approval by the Board, the developer is interested in working in Willits. Supervisor Haschak spoke with the City of Willits for approval.
We’re getting a picture of what this year’s fire season will look like. In MendoVoice online, a theme in fire safety this year is getting to know your neighbors. State Senator Mike McGuire held a town hall online to share insights from Cal Fire Northern Assistant Region Chief Jake Hess. There is $500 million in new funding from the feds, aimed at wildfire prevention on U.S. Forest Service lands in the state. By June 19, Mendocino’s Cal Fire Unit will have three battalion chiefs, one prevention officer, 16 engines, four dozers, and air attack vehicles, bringing Cal Fire MEU to full capacity with about 458 employees and incarcerated firefighters. Cal Fire has begun conducting more prescribed burns in Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Cal Fire also hopes to burn around 900 acres at Covelo Road. Residents are urged to clear defensible space around their homes and are asked to watch if the Sheriff’s Office or police departments call for an evacuation.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate yesterday after two-and-a-half-months off, due to a bad case of shingles. Her return is giving majority Democrats a much-needed final vote as they seek to confirm the president’s nominees and raise the debt ceiling in the coming weeks. Feinstein looked a bit frail, and is using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol. She missed the Senate’s first votes yesterday morning but arrived outside the Senate for an afternoon vote. In her statement, Feinstein said that the “most pressing” issue facing the Senate is to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default.
A group of in-home supportive service workers took to the steps of the Lake County Courthouse to advocate for better wages and benefits this week. In the Record Bee, the rally was in support of Assembly Bill 1672. The legislation dubbed the “Our Care Counts” bill would allow providers and employees to negotiate their contracts and wages at a state level instead of the county level. IHSS providers work in residential homes, caring for those who need assistance. According to the California Department of Social Services the workers serve over 700,000 people statewide. There are 23 counties in the state that pay IHSS providers less than $1 above minimum wage, including Lake County. Some rallied for a bump up to $20 an hour. Rally goers also marched for benefits like health insurance and paid time off. A caravan began on Sunday in the Bay Area and traveled to the capitol building in Sacramento yesterday.
Tourism in Sonoma flourished in the last several years, in the Sonoma Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday the group had some insight into California’s efforts to get tourism going. Sonoma County was the only county featured in all of Visit California’s campaigns in the last several years. California’s tourism campaign got $95 million tax dollars in 2021-22 to attract tourists as the state reopened after pandemic closures. Sonoma County rebounded to pre-pandemic tourism rates last year, with visitor spending up to about $2.3 billion, up from $2.2 billion pre-pandemic, according to the Index-Tribune.
Tick-borne illnesses continue to rise in the state. Cal Poly Humboldt faculty and students are studying potential diseases surrounding the little suckers. In KymKemp online, a report from the school announced a research team is investigating bacteria from ticks, and their ability to treat and reduce infections. The National Institute of Health’s Support for Research Excellence awarded the Cal Poly lab nearly $600,000 for the study. Some studies show that Lyme disease increased by more than 300% since 2016. Research shows that tick-borne illnesses, which peak in summer months, have increased by 60% in rural areas. Researchers are working to understand tick biology and controlling populations in an effort to prevent, diagnose and treat tick-borne illnesses.
