The Redwood Credit Union wants to move into the vacated Savings Bank of Mendocino County branch on East Perkins Street in Ukiah–even though they have been fighting to put a branch in a different spot at Perkins and Main. The Daily Journal reports The City Council has already voted to allow the Perkins and Main location at the former site of the Dragon’s Lair. That has some planning commission members scratching their heads. The report says the Credit Union has always wanted to use the old bank building anyway but couldn’t reach a deal. The planning commission says the application to renovate and move into the former bank branch is still incomplete. NO comment yet from the RCU or Bank of Mendocino County,
The US Geological Survey is out with a prediction map about earthquakes, and it has some scary news for Mendocino County. The Seismic Hazard Map suggests the county has a 95 percent chance of what the USGS calls a Significant Quake causing major damage in the next 100 years. Most of California is actually in the hot zone. The survey says a map is a tool to help engineers and others mitigate how earthquakes affect the most vulnerable communities by showing likely earthquake locations and how much shaking they might produce. The release of the map comes on the 30th anniversary of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge quake northwest of LA, which killed around 60 people and did billions of dollars in damage.
Your PG&E bill may go down this winter. The utility says lower natural gas prices and a warmer winter should lead to a lower rate. PGE&E says it’s been working on storage facilities for natural gas to keep a supply in reserve when cold weather demand spikes. A lower bill would be a relief after an almost 13% rate INCREASE this month. PG&E says its goal is to keep future rate increases to between 2-4 percent a year.
The Kelseyville Riviera Community Association is looking into the future with a strategic plan for the community. Members are working on a plan that will guide decisions about issues like safety and quality of life while providing a roadmap charting their vision. The association is holding a public meeting next week to outline that plan so far. The session will be at the Associaton’s Clubhouse on Highway 281 starting at 6 PM Wednesday.
The California attorney General wants to stop annoying robocalls, generated by AI.
AG Rob Bonta is joining with his colleagues in 26 states in a letter to the FCC that AI voices that sound human are against the law under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. There have been more and more complaints from people who got those calls without a live person at the other end. Bonta and. He and the others argue that the law needs to keep up with the bad guys who are already using the new tools to annoy–and swindle–people over the phone. The letter says that faked voices qualify as “artificial intelligence" under the TCPA and should be illegal. Phone fraud is the method used most by scammers, who stole more than 1.1 BILLION dollars in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The Dungeness Crab could soon have a special recognition in California. State Senator State Senator Mike McGuire whose district includes Mendocino County, is co-sponsoring a bill to name the Dungeness as California’s official Crustacean. He says it makes sense because Maine has Lobster and Louisiana has Crawfish, so why not the tasty Dungeness?
