KWINE and KMAX are working with PG&E on updates to our radio tower on Cow Mountain. Today at 8am, power will be shut off for a period of time between half an hour and 2 hours. As we proactively work on our power and resiliency efforts the radio station is updating our power supply as we transition to a hardened source of electricity. Once the upgrade is complete, power will be monitored 100 percent of the time.
There are multiple fires burning in the northeast part of Mendocino County. KymKemp reports three fires, condensed into the Bald Fire are burning between Covelo and Mina as of this morning. According to reports, one fire began in a logging slash pile and was about an acre and is getting contained. Another fire is burning a couple of acres and a third fire was slowly spreading over 4 forested acres. Firefighting resources were called to stage at Bald Mountain Road with Cal Fire equipment.
Governor Newsom is ushering in new legislation, signing bills aimed at gun violence to decriminalization of some psychedelic drugs. CalMatters reports 220 bills hit the governor’s desk Friday. Newsom has until October 14th to sign or veto the final group. Assembly Bill 421 aims to reduce confusion for voters requiring top funders of ballot initiatives to be listed. AB 28 would impose an 11 percent tax on retailers and manufacturers for sales of guns or ammo. The money estimated to bring in over $160 million annually would be used for violence intervention programs and enforcement. And AB 1078 would penalize school boards who ban books related to Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, LGBTQ people and other groups.
Ukiah Police are investigating a traffic accident. Yesterday a motorcycle and truck crashed on State Route 253 west of Ukiah. MendoFever reports it happened 10:30am Sunday morning. An air ambulance was called to land at Adventist Ukiah to take the patient for medical treatment. The motorcycle rider was conscious, according to reports.
Lake County is welcoming a new Public Health Officer this week. Lake County News reports the Board of Supervisors will meet tomorrow morning at 9am to welcome the new official. The Board will see Dr. Noemi Doohan take the ceremonial oath of office after she held the interim position for more than a year now. They expect to approve an agreement with Redwood Community Services for over $760,000 per year for the next three years. They’ll go over an agreement with state and regional agencies on illegal cannabis cultivators and more. The Board will hear the county’s final recommended budget for fiscal year 2023/2024 at its next meeting on September 19th.
CHP is investigating a fire that was started by someone’s vehicle in Cloverdale. Last night CHP reported a grass fire began just after 9pm south of Cloverdale near Dutcher Creek Road and Theresa Drive. Mendofever reports either a gunshot or a car backfiring was reported. A small fire was put out within half an hour and authorities were put on the look out for the person who sparked the blaze. Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were looking for the driver reportedly headed north on Highway 101.
The California Department of Cannabis Control is announcing updated guidelines for the Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant to increase access to local legal cannabis retail businesses. In a release in KymKemp, the department is increasing award amounts to local jurisdictions. The Director of the Department says the revisions are aimed at establishing cannabis retail licensing programs to grow access to consumers. The Funding is part of local jurisdictions permit issuance and policies authorizing retail cannabis. The changes will allow more cities and counties to pursue funding. A municipality can get up to $150,000 per eligible retailer license and more.
Mendocino County District Supervisor John Haschak is congratulating Senator McGuire who will be the next Senate President Pro Tem. MendoVoice issued the letter applauding the senator for leading the Senate and helping Mendocino County, the North Coast and the state. Haschak notes McGuire has increased funding for CalFire, housing and technical education programs at Mendocino College and more. Supervisor Haschak says county staff are postponing a strike as negotiations continue. He notes the State Controller’s audit of the County’s finances. He says the Office of Emergency Services will continue to hold resilience meetings, the next one in Covelo on 9/16. Hashchak is announcing he’ll be at the Brickhouse Coffee in Willits this Thursday at 10am for Talk with the Supervisor.
The governor is launching an interagency treatment dashboard with the state’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. The beta version will show the size and place of state and federal work with forest resilience projects in California. According to the Record Bee, state emergency officials say the platform has been working well for over a week. An official with CalFire says within the next six months, they expect more data to come from state departments including state parks, the Coastal Conservancy and more. The dashboard is providing information for communities like prescribed fires, timber harvests, and mechanical and hand fuels reductions. It uses a geographic information system using information from Cal Fire, the US Forest Service, BLM and more.
Saturday was California’s birthday, and on Sept 9th 1850 California became the 31st state. Admission Day used to be a state holiday, but it was scrapped by Gov. George Deukmejian in 1984 who said it had turned into a “flabby, floating day off work for state employees”. As now the fifth largest economy in the whole world, California has come a long way since it’s humble beginnings 173 years ago this weekend. Happy Birthday California
COVID infections are increasing in Lake County. Lake County Emergency Warnings and Preparedness posted last week’s numbers on social media. With 65 new positive results last week, test positivity is up nearly 23 percent from the prior week. Health officials say over the counter COVID 19 tests can help people know earlier if they have the virus and isolate to prevent spreading it. Lake County’s Department of Public Health is asking people to self report their test results, positive or negative to help monitor health in the area.
The City of Fort Bragg is holding a Community Workshop on Emergency Management and Community Resilience at the Veteran’s Hall on September 14th, Thursday at 6pm. It’s an informal meeting for residents to engage the public with information to increase the community response and resilience efforts following an emergency.
Firefighters are mopping up a blaze near Hopland. A fire burning in oak woodland and grass near Old River Road was around 3 acres and spreading slowly. Yesterday afternoon the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was urging people to maintain situational awareness according to a Nixle Alert. The Ice Fire was contained, according to scanner traffic with resources beginning to be released by around 6:30pm last night, according to MendoVoice.
The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday morning, September 13th. There will be presentations on the Business Walk Program and other city projects, according to Lake County News. Also planned is a discussion from the Police Chief on the homelessness and mental illness town hall slated for September 27th at the Soper Reese Theatre. The group will also go over National Night Out for later this month. After this week, the group’s next meeting is scheduled for November 8th.
Legislation in the state is focused on increasing the amount of mandated sick time. Senate bill 616 would increase sick days from 3 to at least 5. The effort comes as COVID left people unable to work for long periods and today can take five days or longer for the virus to clear the body. The Small Business Majority found SB616 is supported by small business owners and even support up to as many as 7 sick days. Proponents of the bill say missing 3 and a half days work equals a family’s monthly grocery budget, according to the Press Democrat. Seven cities, including San Francisco and Oakland are providing 9 to 10 days of sick time. If SB616 is passed and signed by the governor, California would join 14 other states to increase sick days.
