Body Identified Near Low Gap Road
The Mendocino County Coroner has positively identified the body found last weekend near Low Gap Road in Ukiah as 25-year-old Angel Murguia-Martinez. He had been reported missing to the Ukiah Police Department in February 2024. On March 22, 2025, volunteers participating in a trash pickup discovered his body near the 1800 block of Low Gap Road.
Missing Whitethorn Man Found Deceased
David Taylor, an 84-year-old resident of Usal Road in Whitethorn, was reported missing on February 18th after last being seen at the Whitethorn Post Office on February 6th, the day after his discharge from a local hospital. A multi-agency search involving crews from Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, the California Highway Patrol, and local fire and rescue teams yielded no immediate leads. On March 25th, an overturned vehicle was discovered on Beaver Slide Lane in Briceland. A man found dead inside was later identified by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office as David Taylor. An autopsy concluded that Taylor died from a cervical spine fracture sustained in the crash. There was no evidence of foul play, and the case is now closed.
Debate Over Water Regulations and Salmon Habitat Protection
At a recent Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting, officials were asked to support an assembly bill aimed at protecting salmon habitat in the Shasta and Scott Rivers by extending emergency inflow water restrictions. Advocates argued that water levels in these rivers often fall below the minimum flows required to sustain Coho and Chinook salmon, which are critical to the Klamath River's historically robust fish populations.
On January 7, 2025, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an updated emergency regulation that maintains minimum flow requirements in the Scott and Shasta Rivers and authorizes curtailment orders in the event flows fall below those levels. This follows orders issued in October and December lifting curtailment requirements for both rivers.
Larry Aguilera, speaking in support of the bill, urged the board to consider the perspectives of Indigenous communities whose cultures and livelihoods are deeply tied to the salmon:
"When will we learn? When will we start thinking about Mother Earth? When will we start realizing that what we're fighting today is gonna affect generations down the road? You know, we gotta stop, think, start thinking about the Earth and what we're doing to it. Look at what she's doing to us all through the Midwest—all these hurricanes, all these tornadoes. When will we learn? If not now, when? Somebody has to speak up for her. You know, it's not about money anymore, it's about doing the right thing."
Adam Gaska, Executive Director of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau, expressed concerns about the bill’s impact on farmers, especially in Siskiyou County. While he acknowledged the importance of salmon conservation and adapting to climate change, Gaska emphasized the need for a transparent, consistent regulatory process:
"Yeah, we're not anti-environment, we're not anti-salmon, we're not anti-tribe. It's just that we're really into, you know, the process being very clear and staying the same and being consistent. And so this bill would just really redefine everything that we know—how things should work."
Gaska noted that Mendocino County has already undergone a lengthy process to establish permanent in-stream flow restrictions. He argued that making emergency regulations permanent could discourage stakeholders from engaging in the rigorous process of setting legally defensible standards:
"One of the reasons why the process takes so long is that when they make that determination, it has to be legally defensible. They can't just arbitrarily come up with a number. They need more studies to really figure out where that line in the sand should be—and they have to have a lot of documentation, a lot of scientific studies to back that up."
He added that the process gives farmers some negotiating power and could provide resources to transition sustainably:
"They've invested their effort and time in being part of the process. And to all of a sudden have the rules change—it's like you're playing a card game, you're negotiating in good faith, and suddenly someone says the rules have changed." Unlike a card game, however, the rule change could have a significant impact on farmer livelihoods.
Gaska also questioned the bill's representation, noting that Assemblymember Chris Rogers, who proposed it, does not represent Siskiyou County. Siskiyou is both older and more impoverished than Mendocino County, with a median age of 47 and a median income of $55,000, compared to a median age of 44 and a median income of $65,000 for Mendocino. County, according to datausa.io.
Ultimately, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors declined to support the bill. Negotiations will continue at the state level.
