Mendocino County Residents are recovering after a wet weekend with downed power lines, trees, treacherous road conditions and an earthquake in the Potter Valley. It hit around 10:30 on Saturday morning and registered as a 3.2 magnitude about 7 miles northeast of Redwood Valley. People in the northern part of the county had a power outage; about 624 customers were in the dark. Areas like Leggett and Laytonville had power restored by Saturday evening. MendoVoice reports snowfall in areas up north with snow levels down to 2,500 feet. A couple inches of snow was visible on Berry Summit and Collier Tunnel at Highway 99.
Ukiah City officials are updating residents on the work planned for this week. Crews will replace sewer laterals between Gobbi and Cherry Streets starting on the south end and working north. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports that work is happening on the west side of the street and when done, they’ll switch sides. Lanes will be open in both directions. Work has started on the joint trench between Gobbi and Mill streets and will run on the west side to house underground electric and communication lines. Weather has delayed work on the north side. Bases for the new street lights are being installed. Construction will continue, weather permitting this week from 7am thru 6pm.
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 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 Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve found a missing woman’s body. Rebecca Jones was camping with a friend near Hardy Creek on Friday, when she walked away and disappeared. She was last seen Friday around 11:30am. The sheriff’s office says they found her body trapped in rocks on the shoreline on Saturday. Recovery efforts were unsuccessful due to the hazardous surf conditions. They have plans to try again today, or when the conditions are safe with other public safety agencies.
CAL FIRE is inviting public involvement in the management of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest through participation on its Jackson Advisory Group (JAG). The JAG advises CAL FIRE and the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection on forest management there. CAL FIRE is looking for a couple of JAG applicants to provide expertise. The two applicants who are Small Private Forestland Owner and Industrial Forestland Owner. Interested persons should apply by submitting a letter of interest and resume by Friday, January 12, 2024.
California’s Attorney General plans to appear in Mendocino County Superior Court this Friday to oppose removal of DA David Eyster from his attempt to prosecute the suspended auditor, Chamise Cubbison for the charge of misappropriation of funds. The AG’s office is acknowledging the controversy over the DA’s action against Cubbison and the criticism of a pattern of conflicts between the DA and the County Auditor’s Office. AG Rob Bonta’s office says “California courts have emphasized that disqualification of an entire prosecutorial office from a case is disfavored.” Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder is set to hear Eyster’s defense Friday morning at 10, according to reporting in MendoFever. Cubbison’s lawyer is disputing DA Eyster’s version of events in his formal rebuttal in the recusal.
Fire officials are investigating a blaze in Covelo. First responders rushed to a mobile home engulfed in flames. The call came in just before 8pm last night with a member of the Tribal Police reporting a small trailer was on fire near Foothill Boulevard and Tabor Lane. MendoFever reports there was ammunition heard exploding in the heat. Covelo Fire and Cal Fire Departments responded. There’s no word on any injuries as crews continued to mop-up late last night.
California’s children are doing well; the vast majority have health insurance and access to transitional kindergarten, but the state is far behind in many other metrics. The California News Service reports the nonprofit Children Now analyzed the data and gave the Golden State a C-minus or below in 15 out of 33 categories. The report gave California a D-minus because too few of its supports for people experiencing homelessness are tailored for unaccompanied youths. The state also earned a D-minus in prevention of substance abuse, as efforts to curb abuse are seen as too reactive, primarily helping kids once they’ve become addicted rather than intervening early on.
Lake County Water Resources and Public Works will be in need of new members as they look to the Board of Directors to replace a retiree and structure the departments. Lake County News Reports the board will meet tomorrow at 9am to discuss recruitment in leadership for the Water Resources and Public Works to replace Scott De Leon as he retires at the end of June. De Leon is recommending they reclassify the vacant deputy Water Resources Director position as Director and separate the position from the Public Works Department. Also in their meeting they plan to continue several emergency proclamations. The board plans to approve a purchase agreement within the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project for $650,000. They’ll elect the chair and vice chair for the new year. The first meeting of the year is packed full of updates as they begin 2024.
The West Business Development Center is announcing the application window for StartUp Mendocino 2024. MendoFever reports the business accelerator program application process is now open. It’s in its 4th year helping entrepreneurs in the county. Participants learn about business strategies, entrepreneurial skills and develop plans for success. The 18-week program is limited to a dozen people who will each get $1,000 in the peer-to-peer business support program. The program will begin on February 29th with a reception at Medium Art Gallery in Ukiah. The classes begin on March 5th and will be weekly 90 minute sessions through June. Criteria for submitting applications include a business that’s been operational for between one and three years in Mendocino County. The closing date for applications is January 26th.
The Lakeport Planning Commission is holding its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, the 10th at 5:30pm. As with the Board of Supervisors, they’ll elect its officers for 2024. The commission also plans to consider an application for an environmental review for an emergency vehicular access bridge across Forbes Creek that would connect Wrigley Street to Craig Avenue. Lake County News reports Peter Schellinger and Waterstone Residential are proposing the Parkside Residential Project that would include apartments and small homes on a portion of the 96 acre lot of the Schellinger Sub that was approved in three phases back in 2005.
New housing bills in the state went into effect a week ago and promise to ease or eliminate burdens brought on by high interest rates, slow local approval processes and a shortage of skilled construction workers. SB423 expands a law that speeds up the approval of apartment buildings and other low income housing. Analysts at UC Berkeley say they’ve never seen this type of consensus in the Legislature before giving more flexibility to exceed or override local zoning, approvals and review and litigation. CalMatters reports another bill AB1287 gives developers permission to build denser, taller structures if they set aside additional units for middle income earners. And SB 684 makes it easier to divvy up large parcels of land for modest clusters of townhomes and more.
