The Clearlake Oaks County Water District will pay about $1.6 million back after it failed to repay federal and state grant funds. The US Attorney’s Office Northern District of California released a statement saying the money was sent to the Lake County Water District after winter of 2017 that brought flooding and mudslides to the state. In spring of that year, FEMA declared a major disaster for California and allowed some public entities to apply for reimbursement for disaster related costs from FEMA and Cal OES. It is alleged that the Clearlake Oaks County Water District applied for those funds after already getting reimbursed by its insurer, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority. The district kept the money instead of returning it in violation of the False Claims Act and state law.
The Department of Water Resources is awarding the City of Fort Bragg nearly $1.5 million for a pilot project desalination system. Canada’s Oneka Technologies had sought a coastal area in California in their first venture into the Golden State with demanding environmental protection requirements. The Advocate News reports an official with the Fort Bragg Public Works says the company wanted to bring their system to the coast and that they turned out to be a good match. The off-shore mobile units will be anchored to the sea floor and don’t require an outside source of energy. Fort Bragg is utilizing specialized consultants for permitting and approval as Oneka studies exactly where off the coast they’ll position the new unit. City officials are asking residents to help in a short survey on the city’s website to engage with the public on the desalination plans.
In a flurry of legislative signatures and vetoes, Governor Newsom signed a bill that would permanently allow small rural hospitals to employ physicians. In a release issued in MendoFever, Assemblyman Jim Wood is announcing the legislation allows smaller hospitals to adequately staff themselves with doctors, removing a sunset of a 2003 bill that would’ve made physician retention in those smaller hospitals harder. Woods says California will be able to hire physicians who want to practice as an employee and will be mutually beneficial to the hospitals and the doctors who want to serve patients.
Lakeport is launching an effort to work with local businesses. The Lakeport Business Walk Program aims to help the business community with available resources. Lake County News reports members of the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee along with city staff and others gathered this week to form teams who will work with local business owners this and next month. The purpose of the program is to illustrate the city’s commitment to encouraging businesses and get information about problems they may face. Findings from the foray will be presented to the City Council early next year. The Economic Development Advisory Committee meets every second Wednesday of each month; the next one is set for November 8th.
Governor Newsom signed a new law that will ban more than a couple dozen ingredients from cosmetics and personal care products. Ingredients that have risks of burns, cancer, birth defects, and more are just some of over 1,600 already banned in Europe. The Bay Area News Group reports vinyl acetate, lily aldehyde and anthraquinone are just some of the newly banned chemicals. The new law won’t take effect until 2027, to give companies time to replace and/or eliminate the harmful ingredients from their products.
Artificial intelligence is growing fast – so companies such as Google, Amazon, Verizon, Microsoft and more have come together to establish best practices in the field. They seek to foster responsible governance that prioritizes privacy, accountability and benefit to society. California News Service reports the framework is divided into six main categories: Responsible AI Values and Principles, accountability, documentation, defined processes, multistakeholder reviews, and metrics to monitor progress.
The First Appellate District Court of Appeals has found an Upper Lake man who beat his children’s mother to death is not guilty by reason of insanity. Lake County News reports Willy Timmons was sentenced in March of 2022 to 16 years to life in state prison for the 2017 murder of Vanessa Niko. A jury convicted Timmons of second-degree murder, torture, inflicting traumatic injury, aggravated mayhem and special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and more. The court ruling indicated that Timmon’s appeal filed last year said the trial court refused to allow him to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. During the 2017 trial, a psychologist found Timmons exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia, paranoid type, with delusions along with a meth addiction. The victim was a mother of six, three of whom were Timmons children.
Governor Newsom has just a few days left to sign new legislation or veto it. Hundreds of bills are on his desk. The governor is rejecting an unusually large number of the bills passed by the legislature, about 1 in 5, according to a legislative data tracker. Cal Matters reports many of the bills being vetoed are because of the $30 billion deficit; the legislature sent him bills that would add nearly $20 billion of unaccounted costs the state simply cannot afford. Legislators and more are watching for the October 16th filing deadline to see how much tax revenue the state realizes in personal and corporate income taxes. A budget analyst recently noted the current state budget should get around $52 billion. Newsom is considering the 2024-2025 budget he plans to present to the Legislature in January, where some expectations indicate a $15 billion deficit.
There will be a forum for candidates in the 1st District Supervisor’s Race at Redwood Valley Grange tonight at 6:30pm on East Road. Five candidates are on the ballot for the March 5th, 2024 primary election since incumbent Glenn McGourty will not be seeking a second term. The Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition is sponsoring the event along with the Redwood Valley Grange and Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council. The 1st Districts includes Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Calpella and Talmage.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is hosting an online outreach meeting for licensed hunters regarding hunting programs in the Bay Delta Region. The meeting will be virtual and is scheduled for next Wednesday, October 18th from 5 to 7pm via Microsoft Teams. The department will give updates on habitat conditions, wetlands and hunting access for the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area Complex and the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Hunters are encouraged to comment, ask questions and engage with department specialists as part of an annual outreach meeting.
Ukiah is prepping for some weighty pumpkins. This weekend’s Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off begins tomorrow from 4 to 7pm downtown. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports the record for heaviest pumpkin in the event was in 2008 with an over 1,000 pound mammoth pumpkin. Tomorrow’s festivities include live music, food and drinks and free children’s activities. There will be a Saturday morning PumpkinFest Parade starting at 10am, rain or shine. The contenders will be on display through the weekend. Also on tap is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, haunted house and scarecrow city.
The Yurok Tribe is saddened by the Governor’s veto of a bill that would have heightened notification and hearing timelines when a foster child goes missing. The Chairman of the Tribe says people of color and the poor are disproportionately impacted by the foster care system. The governor said Sunday the bill would have cost $10 million. Newsom noted he is directing the California Department of Social Services to work with counties to assess protocols and address needed improvements. AB 273 would have directed social workers and probation officers to look into the placement of the child and notify officials when a child is missing. The Willits News reports Newsom says the state faces economic risk and revenue uncertainty and must remain disciplined in significant fiscal implications.
