PG&E is giving an update to the power outages last night that affected 369 homes. The outage was caused by an equipment issue around 3:30pm and some places were restored a few hours later at about 5:30pm in central Gualala, Sea Ranch and Stewards Point. The utility reported over 3,800 customers were still without power last night on the south Mendocino Coast, they’re investigating the situation. The estimated time of power returning is 3:30pm today, according to the PG&E power outage map online.
The first baby born in Mendocino County this year is a little girl named Mila born just before 4am on New Years Day. Mother Shelby McGlothlin and Dylan Gilbert welcomed their first child into the New Year and the world with a full head of hair. Mila weighed about 7 pounds and is 19 inches tall. Little Mila was actually making a dramatic late entrance, making her parents wait an extra nine days. Baby Mila was welcomed to special blankets and gifts including a handmade giant stocking crafted by the nurses at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley’s Birth Center.
A second round of community workshops is scheduled with the Mendocino Transit Authority and the Mendocino Council of Governments and other agencies on the Short-Range Transit Development Plan. The public is invited to attend and give feedback and in put. The first community workshop is set for next Tuesday, the 9th from 4:30 to 6pm at the Fort Bragg Town Hall. A second meeting will be virtual on the 11th from 5:30 to 7pm via Zoom. The plan is a comprehensive study aiming to evaluate the current transit systems in the county. Officials want to identify the best way to meet the public’s transit needs and decide where current transit resources should be focused now and in the future.
The Department of Water Resources did the first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station with a sparse snowpack. The survey showed only about 30 percent of the average for the area this time of year with over 7 inches of snow and a water equivalent of about 3 inches. Lake County News reports statewide, California is looking about only about as quarter of its average for this time of year. After one of the most prolific snowpacks last winter into spring the start of this water year has been very dry even with the recent storms. This time last year, the snowpack was at nearly 200 percent of the average. While reservoirs remain above average for this time of year, strong El Nino conditions are likely to affect the state, but the outlook for the rest of the winter is uncertain.
Pork sold in California will now have to comply with Proposition 12. The law bans some types of extreme confinement of farm animals, specifically gestation crates, which are metal cages, often so small that sows can’t turn around. Some provisions of the 2018 law have already gone into effect, concerning egg-laying hens and calves raised for veal. California News Service Reports the pork industry appealed Prop 12 to the U-S Supreme Court, which upheld states’ right to regulate the meat industry. Opponents say the law has raised egg prices and caused shortages over the past six years. Several large pork producers, including Hormel, have said they will produce Prop 12-compliant meat.
Next week there will be a Ukiah Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency Update with a public workshop on a Rate & Fee Study. The Agency is holding two public workshops this year related to the GSA’s Fee Study. The first workshop is on Thursday January 11th, at the Behavioral Health Regional Training Center on East Rd. in Redwood Valley, starting at 6 pm. The next Board meeting is the same day from 1:30 – 4:30 pm at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers.
Lake County is looking for the next Poet Laureate in their 12th annual tradition. The county is taking applications through the first of February. The role of a Poet Laureate is to represent and promote poetry and literacy in a two year voluntary term. The Lake County Board of Supervisors began the tradition in 1998 and since then have had 11 Poets Laureate. In 2020 the most recent Poet Laureate, Georgina Guardado was appointed, and during the pandemic, her term was extended, is expiring this year. Applicants must be 18 years old and a resident of Lake County. Qualifications include published literary works and a track record of literary based community engagement. Send a mission statement, four original poems and more to apply.
The Clearlake City Council will meet for the first time this year tomorrow at 6pm at City Hall. At the December 7th regular meeting, they appointed Councilmember David Claffey as mayor for 2024. Lake County News reports Councilmember Joyce Overton was appointed vice mayor. Mayor Claffey will take his seat for the first time tomorrow and give a presentation. The council plans to declare January 2024 as Human Trafficking Awareness month. The council will consider appointing members to vote for the city at the CalCities, Redwood Empire division business meetings quarterly. They plan to consider the new mayor’s proposed appointments to committees, boards and commissions. In closed session, they’ll meet with legal council on a liability claim ad well as a couple cases of anticipated litigation.
Former Regional Parks Director in Sonoma County Caryl Hart is the new chair of the California Coastal Commission. She’ll supervise land-use decisions along 840 miles of California coastline and address issues like coastal erosion, sea level rise, and climate change. Hart tells the Press Democrat that all their decisions are based on the law and they’ll listen to everything the public has to say and more. Parks and other public lands exposed to coastal change are vulnerable, and there are no real plans about how to ensure public access for all income levels. Hart says the commission is probably the most powerful group of people not elected, so it’s critically important that it’s obvious we are there as public servants.
The First Friday of the New Year in Ukiah will also be the opening for the “Winter” show at the Art Center Ukiah. Artists from the Mendocino County Art Association will be ready to conduct monthly classes in oil painting, pastels, watercolor and more. The “Winter” show opens on the 5th from 5 to 8pm with live harp music.
California legislators are back at work today in the capital and face a seven-month session with a large budget deficit and the election of top concern. All 80 Assembly seats and half of 40 Senate seats are on the ballot, according to CalMatters. The $68 billion deficit means less money for programs that support healthcare, education, housing and the environment as priorities shift to address the budget shortfall. They face issues like AI, wildfire insurance, and maternity wards that are shutting down. Retail theft, homelessness and climate change are also heavy issues the legislature will continue to discuss and plan solutions for.
The finalized annual audit of the Redwood Valley County Water District Board is expected to be done this month. They’ll need to decide water use to report to the Russian River Flood Control by the end of this year. MendoFever reports Lake Mendocino is up almost two feet from the recent storms. Redwood Valley got about five inches of rain in the final weeks of December. During their December 21st meeting, decisions and challenges of water management were the topic of most concern. Expenditures for backflow testing meters to the Masonite Site they worked on many important issues. They discussed the December Russian River Water Forum Planning Group, and went over the decommissioning of Scott and Van Arsdale dams, the restoration of the Eel River and more. They voted to support the New Eel Russian Facility. Local water districts are anxiously looking at how the new diversion will affect Lake Mendocino. They’ll go over a $7 million loan from the Bureau of Reclamation in next month’s meeting.
Check the forecast before you head out this week. The National Weather Service published the outlook for storms this week. Valley showers and mountain snow is expected today, with snow levels around 3,500 – 4,000 feet. They say tomorrow should be a dry and calm day before rain returns on Friday. This weekend, Valley showers and more mountain snow is expected with less rain than earlier this week. Coastal areas north of Fort Bragg may get another inch or so of rain, and roads are predicted to be slick. Chain controls are in effect on major highways in the Sierras.
