The Mendocino Board of Supervisors will meet this morning at 9am for the open session and meet with the Mendocino County Water Agency, Public Facilities Corporation, In Home Supportive Services Public Authority and the Air Quality Management District. The board will continue at 1pm in a closed session. In their agenda, the board plans to meet with labor negotiators. The board plans to confer with legal counsel on existing litigation with Your Town Online, Inc vs. the county.
PG&E is reporting some customers power in Northern Mendocino County went out last night just before 11pm. KymKemp reports some people said they were experiencing windy conditions that may have caused the outage. From Leggett to Richardson’s Grove, some power was returned before midnight. Most of not all power has since been restored, with only a small amount of outages on the PG&E Outage Map this morning in Sonoma County.
The Mendocino National Forest is announcing general season for B zone hunting opens this weekend, and they are expecting increased traffic. In a release this week, the Forest Service is reminding hunters that several trails and campgrounds are closed, including the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness because of the Slide Fire. The Sheet Iron Mountain State Game Refuge is not open either, but most of the public land within the Mendocino National Forest is open to hunting. Visitors can use firearms safely in compliance with state and county laws. Hunters are asked not to field dress deer in campgrounds so as to not attract bears. Hunters are urged to be knowledgeable on the area, the weather and be aware of hazards of burned areas.
The Russian River Water Update is noting an upcoming project for the Ukiah Valley Russian River Cleanup on September 23. The aim of the group meet up is to pick up trash in tributaries before it enters the Russian River this winter. The group will meet at the Low Gap Park at 8:30am on the 23rd for morning coffee and snacks before heading to locations around Ukiah.
This is National Suicide Prevention Week, part of National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness of the problem, and ways to prevent it. The California Parent and Youth Helpline reports a dramatic increase in calls about suicide, making up about 60 percent of the calls, texts and live chats received since May of last year. The California News Service reports suicide deaths increased in 2021 and 2022, whereas they had been going down in prior years. Statistics show that 20 percent of children and adults in America suffer from some kind of serious mental health condition. Look online at ‘CAParentYouthHelpline.org’ to connect with a trained counselor.
The City of Fort Bragg is canceling its Finance and Administration Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday). The city’s Public Works and Facilities Committee will meet tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. In the City Council meeting Monday they approved a Public Works Administrative Assistant. A Scope of Work for a Collections Systems Master Plan was approved. Projects were approved to apply for a Community Resilience Center Grant to help improve the community response to emergencies and adapt resiliency efforts for Climate Change. The council approved work for Bainbridge Park and approved payment to the Fort Bragg Unified Schools District for repairs to the tennis courts and new pickleball courts.
The Museum of Sonoma County has a new exhibit. The $1.2 million permanent exhibit opened last weekend, and includes “Sonoma County Stories.” The show includes interviews recorded by former Press Democrat columnist Gaye LeBaron as part of the area’s history. The concept has been in the works for over 15 years, according to the Press Democrat. Museum officials wanted to tell the story of the community starting with the area’s Native Americans. Santa Rosa’s Chinatown is a focal point in the exhibit with interviews, objects and even song. The exhibit covers post-World War II growth and timber industry.
Billions of dollars are heading to the Bay Area and throughout the state with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Bay Nature issued an article on how to find grants related to nature-based solutions in NorCal. There is a wide pool of funds available through federal agencies like the EPA and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has funds related to coastal resilience and the health of fisheries and habitats. Though the funds have restrictions and eligibility requirements, not all fund seekers need to meet specific guidelines. The California Coastal Conservancy and other groups have collaboration techniques that can help with technical and funding assistance.
Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall is dealing with dangerous pesticides. In a social media post, the Sheriff notes the legalization of marijuana did not end crimes in growing cannabis. Kendall notes working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks and other state and local agencies, they’ve noticed dangerous pesticides banned due to their toxicity. Polluted waterways, illegal grading, water diversions, dammed creeks, and other dangerous activities seem to be a constant in the area. Last month, 20 locations were targeted with serious environmental crimes suspected. Over 70,000 plants were eradicated in August. Kendall says come of the chemicals found during the raids include highly toxic pesticides smuggled into California that can create a circle of death, meaning the chemical kills several times.
Caltrans says local roadway development will be based on a survey from area residents. In a meeting last week at the East Region Town Hall, a Caltrans District 1 Region spokesperson asked residents of Clearlake Oaks, Lucerne, Upper Lake are more on what they’d like to see developed. The Record Bee reports the presentation focused on pedestrian and bicyclist safety on roadways. Pedestrian crossings were a topic residents brought up with a need for safer pathways. Narrow turns on Highway 20 were discussed surrounding the Glenhaven area. The District 1 transportation engineer noted a draft proposal is expected to be complete by next spring for future work. Caltrans officials say they’ll hold more town halls with events in Nice and Upper Lake.
The state may lift a ban on state-funded travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws and refocus on a campaign to advertise anti-discrimination messages. The AP reports California started banning official travel in 2017 and since then the list of banned states grew to 26. The ban negatively affected sports teams at colleges and universities, leaving teams to find alternative funding. Yesterday, California lawmakers passed legislation to end the travel ban. The bill also establishes and ad campaign to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues. The bill is now headed to the Senate before heading to the governor’s desk.
The Middletown Area Town Hall is meeting this Thursday, the 14th at 7pm. This week’s agenda includes speakers from South Lake County and Cal Fire on this fire season’s update. Lake County News reports there will also be a discussion about creating a committee for area projects as well as an update from the District 1 Supervisor.
Nearby, the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee is meeting tomorrow, the 13th from 7:30 to 9am. The meeting will include information presentations and planning for the Business Walk Program and updated city projects.
The Mendocino County Cannabis Department is announcing approvals can be made via DocuSign. The department says all applicants and agents are encouraged to use the software for permit approval and more. The department also noted phase 3 applicants may have some tax issues to deal with. They may be taxed without having the chance to grow yet. The department noted tax appeals can be filed as they verify license status. As the department works to streamline policy and procedure, they’ve announced a workshop next week on September 19th from 9am to noon. The streamline workshop will be held at the UC Coop Extension Conference Room in Ukiah. The meeting will also be available virtually.
The Senate Education Committee is advancing the ban on California State University from using Native American remains and cultural artifacts in a vote yesterday. The legislation mandates CSU to follow recommendations given by the State Auditor to repatriate the remains and artifacts to the tribes. Lake County News reports AB 389 was changed after a report last spring revealed CSU had nearly 700,000 human remains and more despite federal and state deadlines to return the artifacts to the appropriate tribes. In the bill, CSU efforts to review their collections should be monitored and complete by December of 2025, with full time repatriation coordinators.
A Maui Strong fundraiser is planned for this Sunday, the 17th. The event will be at the Caspar Community Center from noon to 9pm, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to recovery efforts in Lahaina. There will be live music, Polynesian dancers, vendors and more. People are asked to bring their own chair to enjoy the entertainment. Kids can get in free and enjoy activities in the kidzone. The Ukiah/Mendo Community Group on Facebook issued the notice for the event bringing the community together to help with the Hawaiian disaster relief support.
An environmental champion in Mendocino County is being remembered. Richard Wilson lived in the northeastern part of the county where he worked hard on environmental causes, including the Eel River. The Press Democrat reports he effectively stopped the Eel River from being dammed at Round Valley. Wilson promoted logging regulations and was the director of the California Department of Forestry. He passed away on August 16th at his ranch. He and his wife had 4 kids; daughter, Sarah says “Buck Mountain and Round Valley were always the center of our lives.” Wilson was one of the state’s leading conservationists. There was a celebration of life at a Catholic Chapel in Covelo and he was buried at the family cemetery on Buck Mountain.
