The US Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE is reportedly planning to close the Bureau of Land Management Field Office in Ukiah. The proposed closure is part of a nationwide goal of the Trump Administration to decrease government spending by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.
The Ukiah field office manages some 270,000 acres of land and 214,000 acres of mineral properties in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Napa, Marin, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties and a portion of Mendocino County. Closing the office may impact a wide range of activities, including grazing permits for ranchers, campground and trail management, and habitat conservation projects. It is set to close by August 31.
The Fort Bragg City Council latest meeting centered around ongoing public disagreement over whether to negotiate or litigate with the Mendocino Railway, better known as the Skunk Train, over the future of the former Georgia-Pacific mill site on the Fort Bragg headlands. The Mendocino Voice reports that comments during the hours-long meeting at times were heated, and the public appears split over whether to keep talking or go to court. Ultimately, it was decided that the city will seek an additional stay in the case with the Mendocino Railway in order to keep the negotiations going. The stay will need the approval of Mendocino Superior Court Judge Clayton Brennan before it can go into effect.
California cannabis consumer and medical marijuana advocates are against a proposed regulation by the CA Division of Workers Compensation that would officially recommend against the use of cannabis to treat chronic pain in workers’ comp cases. The Redheaded Blackbelt reports that Cal Norml Director Dale Gieringer says this proposed rule flies in the face of overwhelming evidence that cannabis is effective in treating chronic pain, reducing the use of opioids and other addiction prescription narcotics. Chronic pain accounts for nearly half of all recommendations for medical cannabis. Plus, a Kaiser Health survey of patients in California with chronic pain found that 30% are using cannabis to give them some relief. The DWC is set to hold a hearing on the rule tomorrow morning beginning at 10.
The Middletown Area Town Hall, or MATH, will meet today to discuss community asset mapping and project updates around the south county area.
Lake County news says guest speakers Magdalena and Eliot Hurwitz of the Springs Community Redevelopment Association are part of tonight’s agenda. They’ll present highlights from the Cobb Mountain Area Community Resilience and Development Strategy as it relates to identifying community assets for the purpose of fire resiliency and updating the General Plan and Area Plans. Also on the agenda, updates on the Cannabis Ordinance Task Force and planning projects in the Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake areas. MATH meets tonight at 7 in the Middletown Community Meeting Room/Library and is open to the public.
A 20 year resident of Lake County has won the Hometown Hero Award. Olga Steele was nominated for her nonstop work with various non-profit organizations. Those organizations include making life better for everyone from senior citizens to women and girls through economic empowerment programs. In fact, she’s spending her retirement making her volunteer work a priority. Steele, who’s career accomplishments include two government level appointments and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, says she’s donating the $500 she received for the award to the North Shore Fire Protection District in honor of the life saving efforts of first responders.
