Fire restrictions in the Mendocino National Forest are being lifted. Effective today, park visitors with a valid California Campfire Permit can have open campfires and stoves outside of designated campgrounds. The Forest service says cooler weather, longer nights and a bit of rain have reduced the extreme fire danger. Even so, officials say people in the forest should follow common sense guidelines to prevent fires from sparking. Among them—keep flammable material away from open flames, never leave a fire unattended and make sure any fire is dead OUT before you leave. The Forest Service also says fireworks are never allowed on public lands.
The Ukiah Unified School District is doubling the number of electric buses in its fleet. The district says funding for three new buses comes from though a 1.1 million dollar grant from the California Energy Commission’s School bus replacement program. Ukiah schools already own three buses that were paid for by another state grant in 2017. Superintendent Deb Kubin says having more energy efficient transportation is good for the environment and also good for the district budget, because fuel costs will be lower. The state says it wants districts to move away from traditional diesel powered buses, especially in rural areas where they tend to be older and less fuel efficient. For now, Ukiah’s 6 electrics will be used on select shorter runs, but as battery technology improves officials hope they’ll someday be able take those buses on longer trips without stopping for a recharge.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors says development of chain retail stores in the county is best handled though a long term update to regulations and not by singling out specific stores or locations. Supervisors have been hearing from residents opposed to Dollar General’s plans to open several new stores in the county. They worry that small local based businesses would suffer once bigger national chains move in. At the board’s regular meeting this week, Supervisors decided against reviewing individual projects and instead asked the county’s community development staff to study an overall revision of county-wide and local area regulations.
The banks of the Russian River in Mendocino County will get a cleanup on Saturday. The County Resource Recovery District is teaming up with the County Water Agency for the volunteer driven project on Saturday starting at 8:30 AM as part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day and the Rotary Club’s Cleaning the Rivers of the World project. Organizers say volunteers should be prepared to walk on uneven riverbanks and deal with possibly getting wet, but those unable to do that can still get involved with base camp operations at Low Gap Park in Ukiah. You can find more information on the Resource Conservation District website. Last year, volunteers picked up more than 17 hundred pounds of trash from the shoreline.
The Trump administration is making it official that it wants to revoke California’s ability to set emissions standards tougher than federal ones. The state was granted a waiver to do that during the Obama Administration and 13 other states have since followed suit. Automakers have long objected to that waiver, saying meeting different standards for every state isn’t practical. Governor Newsom is wasting no time blasting the change. He says the state will fight as hard as it can to keep its current mileage standards in place. A lawsuit is certain, meaning the issue won’t be settled anytime soon.
Governor Newsom has signed AB5—the so called gig worker bill. It changes the rules about who can be called an independent contractor, potentially affecting thousands of people. Among them, drivers for Uber and Lyft, but the ride share companies say they plan to to keep their businesses running the same way for now. The law takes effect January 1st.
