Private developers eye Albion Headlands
Private developers are conducting due diligence on the Albion Headlands, an 84-acre coastal property that has been on the market for three decades.
Real estate agent Justin Nadeau told a community meeting Monday that several developers are currently exploring potential maximum development on the land. The Mendocino Land Trust has also made offers, but raising public funds remains a challenge.
“The challenge here for us... is to find a way to engage with the seller, get them interested, but we have constraints,” said Emily Griffin of the Land Trust. “Raising public financing through grants takes time and has uncertainties.”
The headlands, currently used as pasture, have been owned by the Smith family for 38 years.
Ukiah town hall will consider annexation proposal
The city of Ukiah will host a town hall June 19 to discuss a controversial proposal to annex nearby county land.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center.
County supervisors have expressed concerns the annexation could worsen the county’s financial strain. Businesses in the targeted area fear economic harm, and county residents worry about assuming responsibility for the city's debt.
The city, however, would benefit from additional sales and property tax revenue.
Venue change request in Cubbison civil case raises eyebrows
Attorneys for Mendocino County are seeking to move a civil case filed by Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector Chemise Cubbison out of the county — a move observers call unusual.
A status conference was held Monday, and arguments on the venue change motion are set for June 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Ukiah.
Independent journalist Mike Geniella said such requests are typically made early in a case to protect jury impartiality. But this case will be decided by Judge Ann Moorman, not a jury.
“What the county’s lawyers are saying is they didn’t like Judge Moorman’s ruling in the criminal case and her comments, and they’re trying, oddly at the last minute, to get this civil case shifted out of Mendocino County,” Geniella said.
Moorman dismissed the related criminal case earlier this year.
