Crews are making progress on California’s biggest wildfire of the season. At last check, they have it half contained east of San Francisco. Flames sparked Saturday near a test site for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and spread to 14-thousand acres outside Tracy. This triggered evacuation orders but those were downgraded to warnings last night. PG&E has found at least six electric poles damaged so far.
California is taking new action during this Wildfire Preparedness Month. Three tribal nations are now participating in the state’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System. Governor Newsom says they understand the land and how to respond to it better than any other community. He explains the partnership may be called upon during disasters to increase local capacity by moving resources, which will serve to protect more people, animals, and sacred lands.
Extreme heat is in the forecast for California this week. An excessive heat watch is in effect from Tuesday morning through Thursday evening for much of Northern California, with Wednesday expected to be the hottest day. A system of high pressure is coming from the Pacific — mainly from the tropics — and moving into the West Coast. The National Weather Service says we could see some potential cooling with temps dropping into the 80s beginning Friday and Saturday.
The state is reopening a spot to see epic views of the Big Sur coast. A restaurant on Highway One closed three years ago and is now owned by a billionaire. He recently struck a deal with the California Coastal Commission to allow public access on the property. This means the real estate company must remove locks and signs so visitors can reach a viewing area on the bluffs. The agreement is expected to be finalized next week.
California healthcare workers will be seeing a bump in their paycheck, but they’ll have to wait a bit longer. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the one-month delay to California’s new 25-dollar hourly minimum wage for health care workers on Friday. Under the new law, the pay increase will take effect July 1st instead of June 1st as originally planned. The change aligns with the state government’s budget year.
Two people who were separately reported missing in Sonoma County have both been found safe. A 62-year-old hiker who was reported missing in the Occidental area on Saturday night was found at noon Sunday, 15 hours after the report came in. The person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. A 28-year-old woman was also reported missing on Saturday night, along the Russian River near Healdsburg. She was found about three-and-a-half hours after she was reported missing. Authorities say she got “turned around” while headed to her car.
It’s a busy week for the Ukiah City Council. They’ll hold two special meetings today and tomorrow, followed by a meeting of the Airport Commission. Today’s City Council special meeting will be held at 3pm and include a budget hearing. Tomorrow’s special meeting is scheduled for 3pm, the agenda includes a look at the 5-year Capital improvement plan. Tuesday’s meeting of the Airport Commission will be held at 1403 South State Street in Ukiah at 6pm. The agenda for that meeting has not been posted yet. For the full agendas and meeting details visit CityofUkiah.com
Fort Bragg City Council will hold a Special Budget Workshop this week. It’s scheduled for Wednesday at 2pm at Town Hall and on Zoom. Agenda items include discussion of the proposed Budget for fiscal year 2025. The meeting is open to the public and comments will be accepted. If you’d like to join the meeting virtually, here’s the Zoom link.
Former Mendocino County Sheriff Tony Craver has passed away. According to a release from the MCSO, Craver, a 34 year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, died Saturday morning at his home in Idaho. Craver’s career included a several years as the Coastal Commander. He’s remembered for his service as Sheriff of Mendocino County from 1990 until his retirement in 2005. Before going to work for the MCSO Craver served his country in the United States Marine Corps. He was 85 years old.
Fire Fighters responded to a vegetation fire near Gualala yesterday afternoon. Reports started coming in to dispatch around 5pm Sunday, sending a response from air and ground firefighting units. The fire was spotted on Pacific Woods Road in Gualala. When responders arrived, they found the fire had burned about a quarter of an acre. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
A motorcycle rider had to be airlifted after a crash in Lake county. California Highway Patrol responded to the crash just before 7pm on Friday on Golf Road near State Route 175. The motorcycle was down and blocking the roadway when the first responders arrived. The rider was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial to be treated for their injuries. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
