Lake County Supervisors have approved $80,000 to help residents whose CalFresh food benefits have been delayed by the federal government shutdown. The supervisors say that’s just a drop in the bucket for the 16,000 residents in Lake County who get CalFresh benefits, but that it is an important first step. The average beneficiary in Lake County gets about $287 a month. Supervisors say they will consider downgrading more if the shutdown drags on. They also say they’ll work with groups providing food to coordinate that distribution–and set up a special committee to monitor the situation.
The Lake County registrar of voters is still tallying the results from Tuesday’s special election on Prop 50. The latest numbers show more than 10,000 ballots are yet to be processed. That included around 9,800 mail-in Ballots, 386 Provisional or conditional ballots, and another 160 that are under review. They expect to have another update late this afternoon. Final results are due by the 12th. The preliminary results from election day show about a 52 to 48 percent split in favor, compared to about a 60-40 split for approval statewide.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution urging more study and debate about PG&E’s plan to decommission the Potter Valley Hydro project. The resolution, written by Supervisor Ted Williams, passed three to two, with opponents saying it didn’t express the board’s position strongly enough–but Williams says a resolution calling on PG&E to abandon plans to remove the dams associated with the project that was tabled last month could have set back the decommissioning process that’s already in the hands of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Williams’ motion passed with support from supervisors John Haschak and Maureen Mulherin, while supervisors Medelien Cline and Bernie Norvell voted No.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is changing its hours. Starting December 1, the front office at the Administration Building in Ukiah will close for lunch daily from 11:30 to 12, 30 and the Fort Bragg Substation will take a lunch break from Noon to 1 PM. Also, the Administration Building in Ukiah will close on the second and fourth Friday of the month, starting December 12th. The Fort Bragg Substation will remain closed to the public every Friday. There are phones in both places if you need help when the offices are closed.
If you’re flying anywhere today or over the weekend, you could be in for delays or cancellations because of FAA Cutbacks due to the government shutdown. Among the 40 airports with restrictions starting this morning, both SFO and Oakland. Even if you’re flying closer to home out of Sonoma County, look for ripple effects there and at any airports you’d be flying through. Experts predict travel chaos nationwide if the shutdown drags on, with less than three weeks before the busiest travel time of the year around Thanksgiving.
The state programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions seem to be working. Data from the state’s greenhouse gas emissions program shows that those gases went down 3 percent in 2023, which is the third biggest drop since they started measuring in 2000. It equals the emissions of more than 2.6 million gas-powered cars a year. The state air resources board says the results show that emissions can drop even as growth continues and that the numbers put California closer to its climate goals.
