The Forest Service has a new and final update on the Slide 1 Fire. As of Tuesday night, the blaze north of Mount Linn is 100 percent contained. The Mendocino National Forest issued a release on the containment yesterday. Firefighters were able to control the fire at 473 acres. Rain moved over the fire early this week and helped hotshot crews finish containment last night. Crews will be back to pick up supplies as firefighters work with resources on repair. Today, the type-3 incident will move to a type-4 incident. Officials remind the public that a closure is still in effect for the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness area in the Grindstone Ranger District.
The Willits Police Department is voting no confidence in the City Manager’s leadership this week. The President of the Willits Police Officers Association told the City Council that City Manager Brian Bender made “impossible odds for the police department and opened the City… to further civil litigation liability by firing a probationary officer for raising the alarm.” According to reporting in KymKemp a number of women, including the former Willits police chief, filed lawsuits against the department and city, alleging misconduct like sexual and physical violence and more. A new police chief is on the way and Bender acknowledged staffing is tight and area police departments are helping fill in until positions are filled.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors discussed communication between the Department of Public Health and the county on syringe services. Any Positive Change’s application to provide those services is a contentious issue among the board members. At their meeting this week, they decided to continue working with the state and the syringe program on a long-term solution. According to the Record Bee, supervisors talked about the program permitting process and the pros and cons of having a syringe service. The Public Health Officer noted that the groups need to share specifics on their program and are looking for a signed agreement. They plan to revisit it within a few weeks.
Kaiser Permanente is mandating staff, patients and visitors to mask up again, with a recent surge in COVID-19. The Press Democrat reports the health organization made the announcement Tuesday after an overall increase in patients testing positive for the virus. An infectious disease specialist with Sutter Health says they’ve seen a steady increase among outpatient visits. 23 percent of COVID tests are coming back positive, compared to around 15-18 percent last month. Health officials are urging people to get the latest COVID vaccines this fall, along with the flu shot. The surge may be more significant than the numbers being reported, due to home testing and less strict data reporting.
Beginning today, you can donate to the Rotary Club of Lakeport and get coupons for beer. The O’Meara Brothers Brewing Company is collaborating with the Rotary in a virtual beer booth. It’s a new way to help the community raise funds and fun with $1 coupons to the local brewery. Lake County News reports when people make direct donations to the Rotary Club the brewing company will give tokens of their appreciation via beer. People can visit the Rotary Club of Lakeport’s website to make those donations and earn coupons to spend at the O’Meara Brothers Brewpub. You can donate for those beer bucks through the end of September.
Mendocino County and the State of California have different requirements for site specific environmental reviews when it comes to cannabis cultivation. The Mendocino Department of Cannabis Control has been streamlining the process of legally permitting cultivators and more, but is still dealing with discrepancies. MendoFever reports those seeking permits have spent up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet the environmental regulations to comply with laws that are still not solid. The process had a hitch thrown in when the Cannabis Department Director resigned and a contractor was hired under the state jurisdiction. Growers and industry advocates have been faced with long waits to get to compliance, preventing legal growers from getting to work.
Adventist Health Ukiah Valley is holding a “Day of Remembrance and Hope” in honor of International Opioid Awareness Day next Wednesday. Mendocino County holds the number 1 position in the state for the number of deaths per capita due to overdose. In a release from Adventist, they note that 47 people lost their lives to overdose during the pandemic, beating out deaths by COVID that year. And with the rising use of fentanyl tens of thousands are perishing unnecessarily. At next week’s event, there will be guest speakers and their Substance Use Navigation Team speaking and sharing resources and ways to help. The community is invited to come and share stories of how opioids have impacted their families. The event is next Wednesday from noon to 1pm at the old helipad at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley.
Save the Redwoods League are announcing the purchase of Weger Ranch for conservation. The nearly 4,000 acre property is made up of coast redwood and Douglas Fir forest and will add to the growing land to be protected by the conservancy in Mendocino County. So far, the organization has acquired about 41,000 acres that are now protected. In a release in MendoVoice, the league announced the new easement will protect the property from subdivision, development and excessive logging from now on. They say it will also act as a working forest buffering the Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. Funding came in part through a $9.5 million grant from Cal Fire, with $3.4 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy and more.
School is back in session and at Ukiah High School there a new police officer. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports Officer Christopher Mann is the new School Resource Officer for the school district. After working there for his four year commitment, former SRO Brett Chapman ended his watch there last spring. Officer Mann applied for the job and is there now after shadowing Chapman. The School Resource Officer works with school administrators to discourage illegal behavior and protect the safety of the students. According to Ukiah Police the officer will be highly visible and will also patrol local neighborhoods as well.
California is considering expanding the ban of watering ornamental turf as the emergency regulation to conserve water is set to expire next spring. The Bay Area News Group reports a new bill, AB 1572, would make watering decorative grass illegal for businesses. Those who do water grass among office parks, strip malls and more could face up to $500 in fines daily. The ban would extend to road medians, public use properties, schools, universities and more throughout the state. The rule would not apply to residential homes, cemeteries or functional turf for recreational use. The bill passed the Assembly at the end of May and is now moving through the Senate.
Mendocino News Plus reports a car fire north of Point Arena spread towards brush last night. According to reporting a car was fully engulfed in a blaze in the roadway near Harris Rand Road on Windy Hollow Road. The call to emergency responders went out at about 10pm. Firefighters were able to contain the car and surrounding brush fire within half an hour.
The Care-A-Van mobile spay and neuter program is announcing their service will be aimed at shelter animals and helping other animal rescue groups as they face a staff shortage and high demand. According to California Insights, the group announced they won’t do any surgeries or vaccinations for owned animals. The program aims to help remote areas of Mendocino County in aiding animals and controlling overpopulation. The Care-A-Van is looking to hire two new staff members as their schedule is booked up for the next couple of months. With minimal county funding the mobile service depends on donations and community support. They are asking people check their website and social media pages for updates.
Marin County agencies are hopeful about the new proposal of ownership transfer for the Potter Valley Project. The century old hydropower plant in Mendocino County feeds water to Marin via diversion into the Russian River watershed. The proposal submitted by Sonoma Water, the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission and the Round Valley Indian Tribes transfers parts of the soon to be decommissioned PG&E facility into a new entity to continue Russian River water diversion, according to the Marin Independent Journal. Marin County officials are eagerly watching the complex reorganization. The new entity, according to the proposal, would upgrade old infrastructure and improve fish passage. PG&E is reviewing the proposal, but it’s ultimately up to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Uber is raising its minimum age requirement for drivers in California. Today the company upped the age to taxi people around to 25 year to keep their auto insurance affordable. The AP reports the new rule applies to drivers in Uber’s ride-hailing service. Uber Eats drivers need only be 19. Homeowners and auto insurance rates have rocketed up in the state. Uber says “personal injury attorneys have created a cottage industry specializing in suing rideshare platforms like ours… pushing costs to rise by more than 65 percent…” The company has to have at least $1 million of liability coverage for each ride. Lyft already has upped the age to 25. The companies hope to work with legislators on regulatory changes in California.
Cal Trans is announcing that the state has been moved from California’s “High Risk” List with recent state infrastructure projects. The California State Auditor is recognizing the progress California has made in upgrading the state transportations system. In a release today, the department says the progress comes after the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2017 that ushered in a new era of infrastructure investment to rebuild the state. Along with the Governor’s streamlined package and a $15 billion investment in clean transportation and federal funding, the state is in a unique position to keep making progress and accelerate our transition to a cleaner, safer, more equitable and connected transportation system. The Auditor notes that most recently, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has given the state a real boost of $22 billion while also creating nearly 48,000 jobs.
