The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office says Cal Fire crews put out a wildfire on Highway 20 last night before 6:30. The fire burned an area between Potter Valley Road and the buffalo ranch east of Calpella. The Mendocino Voice reports no evacuation orders or warnings were needed, but folks should avoid the area for now.
If you’re a client of State Farm, you should know the company got the greenlight to raise homeowner and other rates beginning next month. They are the first insurance company to get approval to raise rates on an emergency interim basis in California, including right here in Mendocino County. State Farm claims the emergency rate hikes are necessary due to the more than 7 billion dollars they’re on the hook for in claims due to the January wildfires in Los Angeles. The Mendocino Voice says State Farm can raise rates on homeowners an average of 17%, 15% for renters and condominiums and 38% for rental dwellings starting June 1.
Looking for more help regarding vegetation management and home hardening? Do you have concerns over your current insurance coverage? Monday’s Ukiah town hall at Mendocino College will teach you what you need to know in order to stay fire safe. Monday’s topics will also include prescribed burns and regulatory changes from a variety of speakers who are experts in their fields. The Mendocino Voice says you’ll also hear from 1st District Supervisor Madeline Cline and get updated on the latest goings on region wide.
Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit, along with the California Department of Transportation (CALTrans) and nearby local government fire agencies, are planning a vegetation management prescribed burn along the 101 beginning at Nelson Ranch Road south of Ukiah. The project will finish at the top of Ridgewood Grade, which is south of Willits. Officials say it will treat 400 or so acres of grass within CalTrans’ Right-of-Way along the 101. The goal is to keep motorists and emergency responders safe when it comes to roadside fires. It will also help reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfires in the future, while at the same time, it’s providing firefighters with live fire training opportunities.
Heads up if you’re a Pinot noir connoisseur or you just like to drink wine and eat great food. This weekend is the annual Pinot Noir Festival in Anderson Valley featuring pinot noirs from Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties. Besides wine and food, the festival includes seminars about the state of the pinot noir industry in the North Coast region. The Mendocino Voice says there will also be a tour of Husch Vineyards, a family-owned sustainable winery and vineyard. Tickets start at $76 and are available online at avwines.com.
Mendocino County officials say they are happy to receive another nearly $40 million in grant funding for a project that could eventually provide another evacuation route for the people living in the hills east of Ukiah. It’s for the Redemeyer Road Extension Project. Howard Dashiell, director of the Mendocino County Department of Transportation, says the county received the grant funds through Cycle 2 of the Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program, although construction is still years away. The Mendocino Voice says next steps for the project are completing the California Environmental Quality Act requirements, which will take as long as one year.
