Michelle Blackwell

September 18, 2023 — Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) is the default public power provider for most of Mendocino County. They deliver power and bill customers through PG&E. They also provide multiple rebate programs to residents who switch to energy efficient appliances or electric vehicles. They are currently seeking seven citizens to serve on a Community Advisory Committee for a four-year term starting in 2024. The application deadline is October 2nd and appointments will be made at the November 2nd SCP Board Meeting.Claudia Sisomphou, Communications and Engagement Manager at SCP explains the committee’s role and why it’s important for Mendocino residents to get involved.The committee meets once per month in Santa Rosa. If you are interested in representing Mendocino, you can find an application for the Community Advisory Committee at sonomacleanpower.org. You can request future agendas in advance or review past meeting minutes and agendas on their website.

September 15, 2023 — Over one hundred residents packed the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to support outdoor dining and the retention of the tents that many restaurants and bars constructed to provide social distancing during the pandemic. The tents were allowed due to the state’s public health emergency status. Now that the state’s emergency has expired there has been an effort to pressure the restaurants to remove the tents. Supervisor Williams asked the board to extend the tents use for one year to consider both the lack of a reliable water source and the historic aspect of the village of Mendocino. Multiple restaurants stood up and spoke about the impacts of the pandemic on their business and the effort required to stay open and keep people employed. As well as their efforts to save water.Still, the support was not unanimous. Several residents also spoke about dry wells and the specter of wildfire as reasons for being conservative with the water table. The Board of Supervisors granted the one-year extension. But the real work is yet to be done. Water is a shared resource and that includes both human use and the natural environment. It will be up to local government and the community to ensure that they can have both outdoor dining tables and a healthy water table.

September 12, 2023 -- How much will Fort Bragg’s innovative Care Response Unit save the county’s general fund? Supervisors Ted Williams and Dan Gjerde brought Fort Bragg Police Chief Neil Cervenka to the Board of Supervisors Meeting on September 12 to provide an overview of the innovative homeless response program initiated by the city and managed through the police department. The program known as “CRU” or Care Response Unit utilizes a non-enforcement type of interaction to help the homeless get what they need and hopefully get them off the street.The CRU team has served 321 individuals and successfully reconnected 22 homeless individuals with family or friends, persuaded 18 into rehab programs and moved 7 into permanent housing.The program which was initiated by Mayor Norvell got its start with grant funding from the State of California’s Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services Project. Funding for the program through grant and city funds will only last through mid-2024. Cervenka asked the BOS to fund the program for four years at a cost of 1.72 million using Measure B dollars. Measure B is tax money that was designed to fund the construction of psychiatric and behavioral health facilities, operation costs, and services to treat mental illness and addiction.So how does the program save the money in the county’s general fund?According to Chief Cervenka it costs a minimum of $107 dollars per day to incarcerate an individual in the county jail and goes up based on health and psychiatric needs.Since the CRU program’s implementation there has been a sea change in how the Fort Bragg Police Department deals with the homeless and spends its officer hours. There has been an overall 27 percent decrease in calls for service involving homeless from the 21/22 fiscal year to the current fiscal year. The most dramatic being 242 calls in December of 2021 versus 58 in December of 2022. There has been a 20% decrease in arrests of homeless and an increase in overall arrests.The program also includes contract staffing for Project Right Now, which helps youth with substance abuse disorders fight addiction.The Board of Supervisors directed staff to determine if current funding for homeless services, that is not as effective, can be redirected to CRU and agreed to send Cervenka’s request to the Measure B Committee for consideration. Williams also asked staff to determine how much money the CRU program has saved the county, presumably, due to reduced jail expenses.

January 12, 2023 -- For 49 years, bird enthusiasts have gathered in Manchester to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. The Fort Bragg Bird Count has been around for 12 years. Dave Jensen and Tim Bray lead the counts under the umbrella of the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society. And it’s not just about counting birds. The count information is shared with the National Audubon Society and joins over a hundred years of scientific data that tracks the health of our winged neighbors. This data is used by researchers, conservation groups and governments to better understand how the birds of North America are faring in modern times. Dave and Tim talk about the numbers and some interesting finds.

January 9, 2023 -- On January 4th 30-foot waves overtopped the cliff at Point Cabrillo and slammed into the light house. It was the worst damage on the coast from the major storm that walloped California, bringing torrential rains, gales, floods and high surf. State Parks Superintendent Loren Rex explains the damage at Point Cabrillo and other local parks. Photo provided by California State Parks

December 13, 2022 -- On Monday December 12th the Fort Bragg City Council swore in their newly elected and re-elected members. Three of the current council members will continue to serve, Marcia Rafanan, Lindy Peters and Tess Albin-Smith. Albin-Smith ran as a write in candidate and won by just three votes. Jason Godeke, a local artist with several prominent murals in Fort Bragg and a middle school art teacher is the only new council member.We sat down with Godeke and Albin-Smith to get their thoughts on the election.

December 06, 2022 -- An interview with Sarah Grimes, the stranding coordinator for the Mendocino Coast about the five deceased whales spotted in 2022. Twice the number Grimes normally sees. Grimes talks about the unusual species that stranded this year, including a Sperm whale and a Hubbs beaked whale.

November 21, 2022 -- MCOG Executive Director Nephele Barrett and County Supervisor Dan Gjerde answer questions about the purpose, processes, and efficacy of the Mendocino Council of Governments.

The City of Fort Bragg is looking at an innovative way to set up a second desal plant that uses ocean waves for power. John Smith the Director of Public Works is with us today to talk about the pilot project.

Cemetery Districts can easily fall into the category of unseen government. On the Mendocino Coast we have two Cemetery Districts with volunteer boards of directors appointed by the County Supervisors. They’re funded by a combination of property tax, donations and revenue from plot sales. The property tax is not listed on your tax bill as a line item so you might not know if you are in one.