Mendocino County Social Services says it is continuing to follow the status of CalFresh benefit distribution, but that there is no news about when and how much those benefits will be paid. The department says in the meantime, it is open and continuing to take applications for CalFresh–and make changes for any current clients. The government shutdown is now in its fifth week.
The Mendocino County auditor-controller-treasurer-tax collector’s office is splitting up. The Board of Supervisors has approved dividing the office into two departments is more efficient and increases transparency. Current Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison is among those supporting the change. She will oversee the transition until her term ends next year, when an open election will pick the leaders of the two departments. Cubbsion says she may–or may not–be one of the candidates. Supervisors say there shouldn’t be any financial impact on the county–and that community feedback has been positive. The vote to divide the positions was unanimous.
The Clearlake City Council is considering a $3.2 million contract for a road rehabilitation project in the Burns Valley Area. The work on Arrowhead and Olympic Drive involves prepping and paving, and associated work by the winning bidder is Lamon Construction. That’s one of several items on the council’s upcoming agenda for this evening’s meeting. Also up for discussion–renaming two public streets of Burns Valley Road: Sandlot Drive and Corporation Way, next to the Burns Valley Shopping Center, and a draft climate adaptation plan. Members will also take up routine proclamations and meet in closed session to talk about legal matters. The open session starts at 6 PM at the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall. If you’d like to make any comments, you can submit them to City Hall by 4 PM.
A group that works against human trafficking is concerned about conditions on illegal cannabis growing operations. The Norcal Coalition is made up of representatives from Law Enforcement, DA’s offices, and victim services organizations in Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and other Northern California Counties. A They say as colder weather and crop trimming season begin, many laborers on those illicit farms are forced to live on‐site in unsafe, makeshift housing without proper heating. Several of those laborers have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, living and working in sealed greenhouses in remote camps. The coalition is urging people who notice signs of potentially unsafe conditions at illegal grows you report them through the group website, norcalcoalition.org
There’s a new member of the Mendocino County School Board. David Strock will represent Area Three after his appointment to replace former trustee Michell Hutchins, who can no longer serve on the board after she took a job in the Willits School District. Strock ran against Hutchins last year, and he’ll now serve the rest of the term through 2026. Strock works for the Planning and Building Services Department and has experience as a substitute teacher. His district includes the city of Willits and the unincorporated communities of Covelo and Laytonville in the northeastern part of the county.
Tuesday is Veterans Day–a state and federal holiday–to honor those who have served our country. Government offices will be closed. Veterans groups are also planning observances.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is hoping the anniversary of a young man’s disappearance will generate new clues in the case. It was 20 years ago today– early in the morning of November 6th, 2005 –that a friend reported 19-year-old Tom Thurston borrowed a flashlight, stepped out of the tent, and didn’t return to their campsite at the Mayacamas Campground in the Cow Mountain area east of Ukiah. Searchers were out for days in the rugged terrain but found no trace, and have no new reported leads. His family, including his Mom, Barbara, has gone two decades now without closure, and the Sheriff’s office says any information could help solve the mystery, saying–Tom deserves to be found. More info on the case on their website.
