The Mendocino Cannabis Department has rolled out its new system in the Accela App. As of yesterday, applicants and licensees could sign on to the Accela Citizen Access Portal and create their account. The IT team set up the portal and it includes all current permit holders’ information and more. The department converted records from the old system and gathered all Cannabis Cultivation Business Licenses, formerly called permits. The licenses will begin with a C for cultivators or N for nursery licenses. The resource will help increase efficiency in the department, and will make cannabis business in the county smoothly interact with cannabis procedures and policies.
There are two new deputies in Mendocino County. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office swore in two new officers and both are local. On Tuesday Deputy Isaac Sanchez and Deputy Sierra Rogina were sworn in as deputies of Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner Matt Kendall. Deputy Rogina was raised in the Ukiah area, according to the Ukiah Daily Journal. Deputy Sanchez was raised in the Anderson Valley community. Both officers were graduates of the Santa Rosa Junior College Basic Police Academy, and graduated last week. They begin their 18-week training program that will have them on patrol throughout the county.
Next Crop Inc, Noble Vineyards management Inc and Pebble Ridge Vineyards and Vine Estates LLC were fined by the US Department of Labor for migrant violations. Next Crop Inc illegally transported workers while intoxicated in one case. In another, the company had a 14 year old working during school hours and charged workers for transportation costs and more. They paid about $36 thousand in back wages and about a $100,000 in penalties. Noble Vineyards management Inc in Ukiah violated agricultural regulations by not paying the contract rate and actually retaliated against employees who asked about their wages. The Department of Labor had them pay around $92,000 in back wages owed to 148 workers and penalized the company for about $67,000. Pebble Ridge Vineyards were found to have unlicensed and uninsured transport workers also involved in a DUI incident. They paid about $66,000 in penalties.
Homes in the Habemotolel Pomo of Upper Lake Rancheria will soon get high quality, high speed broadband services. A half a million dollar grant was given to the Rancheria through a Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. In Lake County News today, the tribe was one of only nine to get the funding. The tribal Chairwoman told the news “it is much harder to get corporate third parties to invest funding into infrastructure for smaller, remote populations, making the need for this type of funding much greater for smaller tribes.” The wireless network given through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is part of the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
An unknown substance at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley made multiple people sick yesterday. According to KymKemp, firemen, hazardous material specialists and more worked for hours searching the hospital for contamination of any kind that made six people feel dizzy, lightheaded with a scratchy throat. Ukiah Valley Fire Authority Battalion Chief Singleton said they got to the hospital grounds around 4pm and immediately isolated two suites on Hospital Drive and a portion of the ER where two patients went feeling ill. The crew, along with hazmat technicians looked for biohazards, chemicals or gasses, but didn’t find anything. Officials said the substance must have off-gassed before they arrived. Officials said the envelope that was in question was delivered by hand to medical offices. A hospital administrator said the facilities were decontaminated and cleared, with HEPA filters installed. The group effort included area fire crews, Cal Fire and Mendocino County’s hazmat team.
A fire was extinguished near Covelo yesterday afternoon, according to MendoFever. Firefighters were dispatched around 4:30pm to Round Valley for a fire that was about a half acre in size near Oak Lane and Biggar Lane. Around 5pm, a fire commander said the fire was burning slowly along a road. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office sent out an alert asking people to use caution near Rifle Range Road. Last night, there was another fire that engulfed a home in Mendocino County. A Fort Bragg home burned in a kitchen fire that got out of control last night. It happened on Old Coast Highway around 9:30pm where a home was fully engulfed. The home was deemed a total loss.
Adventist Ukiah Valley and Howard Memorial are now geriatric accredited. With about a quarter of residents in Mendocino County 65 years or older the accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians means the hospitals worked to better their protocol driven approach to treating older patients, ensuring the best care. In a press release, the hospitals announced the accreditation saying “senior who visit their emergency departments can be assured we have the necessary training, expertise, equipment and staffing to provide well coordinated care to this important population.” The hospitals had to meet specific criteria and have geriatric specialists on staff with quality of care programs.
The California Journalism Preservation Act passed the Assembly floor yesterday. The bill would make companies like Google and Meta pay for news and content from local publishers. The bill is backed by journalism unions and the California Labor Federation saying the bill would protect jobs by leveling the playing field between publishers and social media websites, according to the Press Democrat. This week, Facebook’s parent company Meta threatened to pull news content in the state. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks said it’s an empty threat, and that the bill will give support for news outlets and journalists when the stakes could not be higher yesterday. Today is the last day a bill can pass out of its chamber and get a chance to become law this year. It now heads to the senate.
Ukiah’s North State and Standley streets were closed down at the intersection when a Mendocino Transit Authority bus hit a truck in downtown yesterday. The Ukiah Valley Fire Authority reported it happened just before 1pm. In the Ukiah Daily Journal, there was one passenger injured when the bus collided with a Chevy pickup. The man’s injury was minor. No other injuries were reported. Ukiah Police are investigating the crash.
Governor Newsom, Attorney General Bonta and State Superintendent Thurmond sent a joint letter to all schools in the state urging caution in book bans. The letter emphasized educational civil rights and mandates that school administrators are required to follow to preserve freedom and ensure access to diverse perspectives, according to the Record Bee. The letter sent yesterday cited laws that restrict removal of books from libraries and schools and more. The letter warned educational agencies that if they do remove or ban books they might be asked to talk to the Attorney General’s Office.
The 16th Annual Mendocino Film Festival began yesterday and will run through this weekend. Local filmmakers and panelists will be on-hand throughout the event. In the Mendocino Beacon, local experts will also be on hand following screenings of films about whales, weed and wine, wild life and more. The film festival has a reputation for presenting thought-provoking and award winning films bringing in worldwide visitors while highlighting the local community. The film festival will have 60 films from 15 countries including documentaries, animated films and children’s programs. More information can be found at MendoFilm.org.
The Governor’s Office announced an $8 million grant to support communities, include Lake County, to address climate risks. The funding is through the Adaptation Planning Grant and was established in last year’s Climate Budget to strengthen resilience in the state as climate change increases catastrophic events like floods and wildfires. The funds will support local governments, community organizations and tribes to build community driven plans. Part of the project work will help communities find more state and federal funding in what the Governor’s office calls “cross-sector collaboration and equity.” In Lake County News, the announcement yesterday includes a project called Equitable, Climate Safe Lake to reduce risk and include adaptation planning in Lake County. About $650,000 of the total grant will support implementing actions from the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The Clearlake City Council met last night to discuss a police report on complaints about the North Bay Animal Services. Early this year, the city received many complaints about the shelter operations. Overcrowding, lack of communication and response as well as animal care and welfare were just come of the concerns brought to the city. Lt. Ryan Peterson investigated and found 10 specific allegations and more findings of concerns. He determined that the shelter is over capacity and animals are kept in small crates. The shelter does not provide adequate veterinary services to the animals, and has a giardia outbreak. More findings included expired food, lack of supplies and cleaning guidelines that are not being followed. Many of the shelter’s problems may be resolved when the shelter space is relocated at the Burns Valley Development. The meeting ended with acknowledgement that it will take time and cooperation to begin to fix the myriad of problems.
Moving on from the furry animals to the scaled, there are some major tournaments scheduled for Clear Lake. Tomorrow NewJen will hold a team event expected to include about 50 teams. Next week, WONBASS will hold the California Open with an expected 150 boats. The good news is the lake is full, so boaters will be able to get back in and work the shoreline for not only bass, but crappie, catfish and bluegill. In the Record Bee, fishing throughout Lake and Mendocino Counties looks better this year from trout on the Russian River to small mouth bass at Lake Mendocino and large-mouth bass in Lake Pillsbury.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed multiple sightings of a wolverine in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. In Lake County News, some spotted the rare animal in Mono and Inyo Counties, as well as in Yosemite. Previously a solo wolverine was spotted in the state between 2008 and 2018 in the Tahoe National Forest, before that, only one more was spotted 100 years ago. Wolverines are the largest member of the weasel family and look like a small bear. The animal is fully protected in California and is listed as a threatened species. The department plans to get genetic samples of the wolverine through hair, scat or saliva at feeding sites. If you see what you think could be a wolverine, the department asks that you report it through the Wildlife Incident reporting system.
The Fort Bragg Police Department has received a $345,000 grant from the Youth Opioid Response program. The department developed a Project Right Now operation that focuses on rehabilitation rather than repetitive arrests. The program works under the police department’s Care Response Unit to address the needs of at-risk community residents. Through the program arrests of homeless were reduced by nearly 50 percent. Organizers and leaders of the program work continuously to provide help before, during and after rehabilitation to help a patient through challenges like placement, treatment and returning home. Work with Fort Bragg Middle School and High School students, staff and parents began last fall to help prevent opioid addiction.
There is roadwork scheduled today through next week. Caltrans has a list of roadwork in the Ukiah Daily Journal today. On Route 20, tree work will begin on Monday east of Wildwood Campground and west of Three Chop Road with one-way traffic from 7am to 3pm with slight delays. On Route 253, utility work is scheduled to begin Monday west of Boonville Road from 8am to 4pm with slight delays for drivers. Bridge work continues on Route 1 in Fort Bragg from Manzanita Street to Pudding Creek Road Pudding Creek Road. On US 101, bridge work south of Willits and from the Lowell Allen Memorial Bridge to Route 271 continues with slight delays.
