Opioid settlements are helping pay Mendocino County’s bills. Though Mendocino County and other NorCal regions have the highest rate of overdose deaths in the state, county leaders have used the funds to help with budget deficits. KFF Health News reports the board plans to continue to use the settlement funds on projects going forward that don’t necessarily target the scourge of opioids. There have been two payments in the two years since the county started getting paid and the Board of Supervisors have used over $63,000 of funds received to help fund employee health insurance premiums, and other payroll gaps. Though there are programs the county funds that are directly related to substance abuse treatment, the majority of the settlement funds have helped the county balance the books. Local nonprofits want to see the opioid settlement money go directly to addiction prevention and treatment.
State employees in California are in a labor contract dispute over staff shortages at prisons and hospitals that workers say endangers staff and patients. CalMatters reports the union that represents doctors and other medical staff in correctional facilities said that over 90 percent of members authorized a strike on Monday. It’s one of many strikes throughout the state, from Hollywood to Mendocino County. Members say salaries are noncompetitive and working conditions are stressful. The union’s contract with the state expired a month ago and both sides are far apart. The union says temporary contracted staff made about twice as much as normal contracted workers, increases the vacancy rate of on-site staff. Psychiatric staff are short about 35 percent of normal staff sizing, with doctors saying about 20 percent of positions are unfilled.
Clear Lake Police are investigating after a car veered off State Route 20 and landed in Clear Lake. It happened yesterday afternoon when a vehicle flew down a steep embankment 50 feet off the roadway into the water between Nice and Lucerne. MendoFever reports there was a female driver in the car, and emergency crews were responding to get her out. An air ambulance was called to the scene. Authorities are investigating the accident, with no further details released at this time.
A high speed pursuit is being investigated after Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies tried to pull over a car on Crawford Road in Round Valley. The driver pulled away and sped off at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour, when deputies lost sight of the vehicle around 9:30pm, according to MendoFever.
Nine people are doing fine, after a tangled traffic crash on Highway 101 yesterday afternoon. CHP information shows a car and two semis were involved in a collision yesterday afternoon near Nelson Ranch Road.
State health officials are warning residents of a potential increased risk for valley fever. The California Department of Public Health notes the state’s dry conditions after heavy winter rains could result in more valley fever cases, according to Lake County News. Officials say to know the symptoms of the fungal disease that affects lungs. Respiratory symptoms include cough, fever, chest pain and fatigue. People who have symptoms, that are similar to COVID, should test for that first, then test for Valley Fever with their physicians. Valley Fever happens when someone breathes in the fungus from dust in outdoor air. New research shows that after heavy rains follow a drought, the fungus can grow and increase infection. Cases are usually the highest in the Central Valley and Coast regions but the fungus has widened as climate change triggers more extreme weather events. August is designated as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
The first woman to become a sergeant in 153 years is sworn in at the Lakeport Police Department. Sergeant Sarah Hardisty was sworn in with officers Jonatan Moreno and Austin Eldred took their oaths this week. Lake County News Reports the three new hires have worked locally in the area before and are helping fill the ranks in Lakeport. The department is now fully staffed with 14 officers.
Representatives Mike Thompson and Doug LaMalfa along with Senator Diane Feinstein are introducing the Agricultural Emergency Relief Act as a permanent policy at the Department of Ag to relieve farmers who lost crops in natural disasters. Lake County News reports farmer relief is routine, this will be a permanent program that will help speed aid to farmers and cut the administrative delays. They say climate change is forcing continued support as natural disasters worsen. The Act would become part of the USDA’s Emergency Relief Program. The Act broadens the scope of what counts as a natural disaster to include wildfires, floods and more. It would require farmers to buy crop insurance. It lets Congress appropriate supplemental disaster funds more efficiently.
California is well on it’s path to decrease gasoline powered engines and move to zero emissions vehicles. One quarter of cars sold in the state in the last quarter were zero-emissions, or ZEVs. California set a goal of selling 1.5 million ZEVs, and surpassed that number two years ahead of schedule, according to Lake County News. The announcement comes as automakers vow to build a public ZEV charging network in a new partnership across the country. Governor Newsom said, the proof is in the numbers. Residents have incentives from the state in the form of rebates and grants for low-income Californians. In addition, the California Climate Commitment has allotted over $10 billion for ZEV cars, trucks, busses and infrastructure.
Water quality improvement in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties is being criticized from wine grape growers. New regulations aimed at 1,500 commercial grape growers include annual fees, well and groundwater monitoring, ground cover requirements and more, according to the Press Democrat. Vintners and agricultural community members say the regulations are overkill for an industry already aimed at improving the environments they work in. Small growers have already small margins and new permitting reporting and fees will be costly. Staff at North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board who are creating the new rule structures, say the new rules are needed to slow soil disturbance and chemical use that harms local ecosystems including fish habitat in rivers. The board did say that about 80 percent of vineyards on the North Coast already have best practices in place voluntarily.
In a new ballot initiative, state government could be required to be more transparent with its records. The initiative filed yesterday would overhaul the Public Record Act and the Legislative Open Record Act to require state agencies be more responsive and quicker with public records requests. It also would require increased reporting of state lawmaker meetings with lobbyists and allow misconduct investigations to be public. KCRA reports the initiative author with a consumer watchdog group says failures in government transparency can be hazardous to our health and to the health of out democracy. The proposal would give new protections to those who sue agencies for records. It would also ban agencies from deleting or destroying public records within five years.
Consumer groups are fighting a proposal in Congress that would fast-track installation of 5G high-speed wireless internet equipment, by limiting local government input on permitting. House Resolution 3557 would require local governments to process many permit applications within 60 to 150 days depending on the size of the project. If they don’t it would be automatically approved. According to the California New Service, Supporters of the bill say local objections are slowing down the rollout of 5G high-speed wireless internet. The Biden administration prioritizes laying fiber over wireless, and advocates say it is future-proof and costs less in the long run because it doesn’t need to be constantly upgraded like wireless. So far, the bill has passed one House committee but has not gotten a floor vote.
There’s only a few days left of the recreational Pacific halibut fishery season. Tomorrow at midnight, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will close the season statewide. IN a release issued in KymKemp, the department expects this years quota to be about 40,000 net pounds. Fish and Wildlife staff along with the National marine Fisheries Service and more worked together to set the closure deadline. The Pacific Halibut on the California coast are found from about Point Arena to the north and west.
Non-farming community leaders and other residents are getting ready for this year’s AgVenture Program, preparing for sessions from August through November. The Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture, CWA, has 14 organizers to be part of the program. Lake County News reports sessions will focus on specific Lake County crops, like pears, wine grapes, walnuts and more and feature guest speakers on the agricultural topics. The group will hear about the history, water and land use, pest management, sustainability and more. The group will go tour local packaging and crop production. The AgVenture program focuses on advocating agricultural practices in the area and is going into its 13th year.
There is an opportunity to get rid of your junk, with the Willits Dump Day on Sunday at the Willits Transfer Station. Residents can drop off large items for free. The event was created through the Governor’s Clean California Initiative. It’s a $1.2 billion multi-year clean up program led by CalTrans to keep roads and waterways free of garbage. The event begins at 9am and will go until 1pm, or the capacity of the station is reached. Acceptable items include furniture, appliances, off rim tires, mattresses, green waste and other large items. Hazardous waste, construction debris and commercial tires won’t be accepted. Officials are asking that you separate your recyclables from trash and other large items to facilitate an efficient process.
