The Ukiah Daily Journal reports that the third annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Summit took place in Pala in Southern California this week. The two-day event, hosted by the Yurok Tribe and the Pala Band of Mission Indians, brought together tribal leaders, legislators and law enforcement officials from throughout the state, along with survivors and victim advocates. Topics at the summit included the impact of sex trafficking on Indigenous people, law enforcement topics, and Feather Alert implementation among other things. The crisis is particularly important in Humboldt County, according to Christopher Peters, president of Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, one of the summit’s sponsoring organizations.
The Willits City Council has amended its municipal code to require property owners to fix or replace sidewalks if they spend $100,000 or more on other property repairs or construction. The Mendoocino Voice says that the city previously required the property owners to fix their sidewalks if they were spending $10,000 or more in other repairs and renovations on their properties. However, this requirement can sometimes be waived if a property owner has a valid reason, such as their lots being at the dead end of a road with no need for a pedestrian path.
The Trump administration has ordered job cuts at the federal agency managing California’s water resources, which could jeopardize dam management and water delivery. Under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the Bureau of Reclamation, which employs about one thousand people, will cut around one-hundred positions, or ten-percent of its California staff. Plans for further reductions could see the workforce decrease by 40-percent, with new employees and those with the shortest tenure being the first let go.
California is awarding millions of dollars to help support access into the state’s cannabis industry. Officials announced that the 18-point-four-million dollars in grant funding will go to 18 local jurisdictions to promote "equitable economic opportunities for local applicants and licensees." According to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the grant will also help reduce the illicit cannabis market by bringing more people into the legal marketplace. Recipients of the funding include the cities of Los Angeles, Sacramento and Palm Springs, along with the county of San Diego.
The Board of Supervisors is looking for applicants to fill vacancies on the Public Defender Oversight Committee. The purpose of this committee is to receive and review reports on the County’s Public Defender Program and discuss the performance and ability to meet the needs of the County, the Courts and those who use the services. Applications are available at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, in Lakeport or online at https://www.lakecountyca.gov/1116/Board-of-Supervisors. So you know, membership on the advisory board is voluntary.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office has identified the 29-year-old Ukiah man who died in police custody last week. HIs name is Emil Redzic. To refresh your memory, police traced a call February 26 to an apartment complex, where they encountered Redzice, who they recognized from previous brushes with the law. He fled the scene in a pick up that had been reported stolen in Contra Costa County. Hours later, after 10, police responded to reports of a man yelling near the Orr Creek Bridge. Ukiah police, along with the CHP, took him into custody right out of the creek. Moments later, he lost consciousness and was given Narcan. He was transported to Adventist Health Ukiah Valley where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy has been conducted, but an official cause of death will not be made until all tests and reports are completed.
