The National Weather Service has issued a gale warning for the Mendocino Coast through 10pm tonight. ClimaGuard reports mariners should alter plans to avoid hazardous conditions. Boaters are urged to stay in port, seek safe harbor and secure the vessel for severe conditions in waters from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena. Conditions include southeast winds of 25 to 30 knots and sea levels of 11 to 13 feet. Strong winds are forecast to create dangerous conditions, with potential damage to vessels and reduced visibility.
Chamise Cubbison, the suspended Mendocino County Auditor will appear in court tomorrow and is expected to enter a not guilty plea to the felony charge of misappropriation of funds. The pleas of Cubbison and co-defendant Paula Kennedy, former payroll manager, have been delayed since October due to issues over Cubbison’s prosecution, and the DA’s role in it. MendoFever reports the court hearing will also include others’ handling of money. Mendocino Court Superior Court Judge Faulder will hear arguments to recuse DA Eyster from the case. Cubbison’s attorney is arguing that DA Eyster’s retaliatory behavior toward Cubbison demonstrates a personal vendetta against her, and that he is trying to prosecute her for the same misuse of public funds she alleged of him, according to court records filed Friday.
The Mendocino County Winter Holiday Department Schedules are available. Most county departments will be closed from December 26th through the 29th. Other departments like the Animal Care Services will be off on the 26th and January 2nd. County officials are urging people to call a department before the last week in December to see if services are available. You can also visit the county website for more details.
Residents of Covelo are celebrating the $1.5 million Clean California project completion. The aim of the project was to beautify the city and improve the infrastructure with safety in mind. About a mile of Commercial Street got some needed upgrades, including traffic safety features and speed table humps to slow down speeding drivers. Crosswalks, solar lighting and local tribal banners are now part of the streetscape. Caltrans worked with the Round Valley Tribes, the Mendocino Council of Governments and residents involved in the feedback and planning. The Caltrans District 1 Director tells Lake County News that the pilot features are an investment into downtown Covelo, as one of 300 statewide with the Clean California project.
Groups that fight climate change are praising the EPA’s new rules, which aim to reduce the amount of methane leaked into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations by 80 percent. Oil and gas companies will have to inspect pipelines for leaks and phase out routine burning of methane, known as flaring, from new oil wells. The California News Service reports the rule also allows for the EPA to vet data from third-party groups that monitor the atmosphere for methane leaks, and notify the companies responsible. The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group for the oil and gas industry, says it is still reviewing the rule but warns that the industry must work to “balance emissions reductions with the need to continue meeting rising energy demand.”
Ukiah’s new treatment center is not going to be expanded as much as previously planned. The Ukiah Recovery Center is developing a new treatment pavilion. The second phase of the project to increase the number of beds will not happen. Willits News reports the Board of Supervisors voted to use Measure B funds instead for the completion of the behavioral health unit at the county jail. The State Department of Health Care Services funded the first phase with a $3 million grant, but the Ford Street Executive Director says the need for more beds is intense. The community has seen an urgent need for addiction treatment, and agencies were counting on those additional beds with the original request for Measure B funds. The center says they’ve tried to communicate with the Board on the need for more funding for beds, and make Substance Use Disorder Treatment a priority.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors is seeking out residents to fill in vacancies on the Public Defender Oversight Committee. The bylaws require 2 members of the general public and one attorney be appointed to the advisory board. The board reviews reports on the County’s Public Defender Program and discusses the performance and ability to meet the needs of the county, its residents, and the courts. Applications are available at the Clerk of the Board Office in the courthouse in Lakeport. Membership on the advisory council is voluntary.
A gas station developer with plans in Redwood Valley will appeal the Planning Commission’s initial denial of the project to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. Mahmood Alam of the Faizan Corporation had planned to build a 10-pump Chevron station and store in the strip mall on North State Street. MendoFever reports during the Planning Commissions meeting last week, the public brought up concerns over the planned gas station and the $500,000 settlement the Faizan Corporation paid last year to settle a complaint brought by seven counties, including Mendocino, regarding spills, leaks, false statements and un-inspected seals on pumps. A member of the Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council said the Faizan Corporation has been a serious committer of environmental crimes and violations of the Business and Professional Code. The advisory group voted four times to deny the project starting in 2016. They plan to revisit the matter on January 4th.
The Lakeport City Council will meet tomorrow evening for the last meeting of the year. They plan to elect leadership and more. The meeting starts at 6pm tomorrow. The council plans to hold its reorganization as we go into 2024 and elect the next mayor and mayor pro tem. Lake County News reports they intend to discuss the Westside Community Park with an amendment to include future development of pickleball courts. The Chief of Police plans to ask the council to approve an agreement between the city and Lake County Behavioral Health staff to work out of the Lakeport Police Department.
In 2023, Behavioral Health sponsored or participated in 36 community wellness outreach events in ten different areas of the County, providing free prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery resources to community members. In the latest Mendocino CEO Report issued Friday, the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Update notes they’ve brought Elevate Youth and Friday Night Live prevention programs to the communities of Willits, Anderson Valley, and Fort Bragg, providing life skills, social emotional learning, and substance misuse education to improve outcomes for youth in Mendocino County.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is announcing projects that will receive millions in grant funds to protect, restore and enhance the freshwater habitats of salmon and steelhead in Northern California. Trout Unlimited was given over $2 million for the Duffy Gulch Fish Passage Improvement Project in Mendocino County. MendoFever reports work is planned to remove a railroad stream crossing along the Mendocino Railway to restore fish passage in nearly 3 miles of spawning habitat in the tributary to the Noyo River. The new railway crossing will include a 45-foot diameter steel arch to allow fish passage that is capable of handling serious flood events.
CHP is investigating a collision between a car and a deer near Laytonville over the weekend. KymKemp reports there was a car totally engulfed in flames on Highway 101 near Spyrock Road around 10:30pm Saturday night. Pictures show a car ablaze in a lane and shoulder on the highway after a reported deer versus car collision. Emergency responders and fire crews put the flames out within half an hour. There were no injuries reported and the scene was cleared by about 3am Sunday morning.
The City of Ukiah released its plans for street work this week. With some rainy weather on the way they don’t anticipate working on the project until Wednesday. The crews will be replacing sewer lines between Gobbi and Cherry streets starting on the south end and heading north. They are currently working on those sewer lines on the west side of the street. When they are done, traffic will be moved to the other side of the street so that east side lines can be laid. Both lanes of traffic will be open. Work has begun on the joint trench between Mill and Gobbi running along the west side of the street on the underground lines for electric and communication. Crews on the north side are finishing concrete work before completing construction until the spring. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports wherever possible, street parking will be restored with barriers removed as they finish.
