There is a power outage in South Lake County. PG&E noted over 2,100 customers were impacted. According to a posting from Lake County Emergency Warning on Facebook, PG&E took to the skies with a copter checking lines in the neighborhood. The utility’s outage map confirmed power is still off in the area, with estimated restoration at 9am this morning. PG&E is assessing the cause at the outage location.
California State University did not go far enough to respond to sexual harassment and discrimination complaints, according to a report. It’s the country’s largest public university system and has seen problems with no accountability and a culture of distruct, according to EdSource. The 200 plus page independent report found CSU is not trusted by students, faculty and staff when it comes to reporting misconduct. The report details the need for confidential survivor advocacy, prevention, counseling and more. Staff burnout and high turnover have stifled morale as the system tries to increase personnel. Today, the California State Auditor is expected to release its official report on Title IX complaints, and is expected to show most reports were not formally investigated, according to the LA Times.
A school resource officer and traffic signal updates are what the Clearlake City Council will consider at their meeting tomorrow at 6pm. For the first time in several years, Lake County News reports the council will consider approving a school resource officer for the next school year at the Konocti Unified School. The approval would come with about $143,000 to fund a full time officer including salary, benefits, training and more. The council will also consider a traffic signal update for about $47,000 at Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53 where they’ll also consider a new video detection system. The council will consider a contract for guardrails too for about $46,000. They’ll also discuss litigation during the closed session on a liability claim against the city, the county and CALPERS.
Lack of information may push Mendocino County’s credit rating down according to Moody’s. The credit rating agency filed a public record request for a 2022 audit last month, with a due date for response on June 30th. KymKemp reports the treasurer tax collector wrote to the agency on June 23rd that an outside audit firm is still working on the audit and the county does not have a draft of the statement for review, saying they hoped to have it within a month. Last year, it was reported that the county received an increased credit rating after improving financial management. Now, with the county’s labor union in negotiations and after balancing the budget with $7 million in onetime funds, the county’s credit may drop.
Last night that was a full road closure at the Pudding Creek Bridge project in Fort Bragg. The closure tonight will start at 10pm tonight through 4am tomorrow morning. Exceptions will be made for emergency responders who will get an escort during the night if needed. MendoVoice reports one-way traffic control continues at the Pudding Creek Bridge through the end of August.
A truck and trailer going south on Highway 101 nortrh of Healdsburg crashed trying to pass a slower vehicle. The 78-year-old Cloverdale driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Wiliam Stinebaugh was pulling a camping trailer at the time, according to CHP. The Press Democrat reports Stinebaugh rolled his truck and camper off the highway as he tried to overcorrect. Highway 101 had lanes closed for hours after the crash. He didn’t hit anyone else and was not injured. He was cleared at the hospital and taken to Sonoma County jail.
The Lakeport City Council met last night with two public hearing on utility issues and more. Lake County News reports the council also chose a delegate to represent them for a statewide conference in the fall. The council approved adding about $40,000 delinquent utility bills to be included in the Auditor-Controller’s Office to be included in property tax bills. The late payments last year were a quarter as high. The council then resolved to change fees for Water and Sewer Expansion Fee Program, a separate program from regular rates paid by customers. The fees spread the cost of infrastructure for current customers and new ones, charging the developers for connecting to the city’s systems. Mayor Pro Tem Michael Froio was selected to be the voting delegate at the annual League of California Cities slated for September.
The International Student Exchange is looking for host families in Lake and Mendocino Counties. In a posting on social media, organizer Chrissy Valadez says the 8 students last year experienced an amazing time. There are 6 host families needed this school year. There are currently 4 students who are aiming to come to California by next month. Host families are allowed to choose their students who bring their own spending money, have health insurance and a phone. The foreign students must follow the International Student Exchange rules, and the host family house rules. The posting listed students from Belguim, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic. Check the Ukiah/Mendo Community Group on Facebook for more information.
The Redwood Credit Union filed an appeal with the Ukiah City Council yesterday, hoping the council’s denial for their new branch will be reversed. The branch was slated for the corner of Perkins and South Main Streets. The Planning Commission voted 4-1 to deny the permit that the Redwood Credit Union had been reworked to try to meet city codes and concerns. The Willits News reports there was opposition to the branch because of non conformity with Ukiah’s Downtown Zoning Code and they did not include a traffic analysis. RCU has now submitted a sixth version of the proposal removing their drive-thru ATM. They added landscaping and more on the property and added an “Exit Only” lane onto Perkins Street. New architectural features have been redesigned as well. City planning staff may consider overturning the denial and hold another public hearing.
California is prohibiting official state travel fore more than half of US states. AG Bonta announced states were added to the list because of new anti-LGBTQ legislation in those states. Fodor’s Travel cite reports California began their travel ban in 2016 as North Carolina approved a law restricting access to bathrooms for transgender people. AB 1887 prohibits state travel using public funds to states with legislation that is discriminatory in targeting people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender expression or identity. Exceptions to the travel prohibition include litigation, contractual obligations, the protection of public health and more. There aren’t exceptions for athletic programs, putting university systems in California in a jam. Outside funding must be found for teams to travel to the prohibited states.
California’s new mental crisis hotline, 988 has surged with usage. Crisis centers have received nearly 300,000 calls, according to CalMatters. Now, the state plans to hire even more mental health professionals and include a Spanish language option for the hotline. The hotline began after Governor Newsom signed a law to fund crisis call systems. The intention of the bill, according to its author, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan was to cut down on volatile emergency calls that lead to unnecessary force by police. She noted the mental health crisis in the state continues with more work needed.
Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors approved a revised Local Coastal Plan with new protections for the coast. The Press Democrat reports one protection may halt the building of a proposed hydropower project in the Fort Ross Area. The 1,000 page revision to the coastal plan has to be approved by the California Coastal Commission. The original plan made in 2001 has not been updated until now. The new plan prohibits desalination plants, except when needed to preserve health and safety in surrounding communities. It also at least delays industrial scale waste or storm water flows into the Pacific. The board approved the revision to the 55 mile lone Sonoma Coast planning. There still remains debate over pesticide use, public access points and development.
