Board of Supervisors discuss emergencies, homelessness, cell towers
UKIAH » The Mendocino Board of Supervisors opened their Oct. 20 meeting at 9 a.m. with a full agenda of emergency updates, items involving the use of a state homelessness grant and the hemp cultivation pilot program, as well as a drawn- out cell tower project appeal.
Starting off, the board pulled two items from the consent calendar, the first being an item that approves the appointments of various county district positions in lieu of the Nov. 3 general elections.
Supervisor Carre Brown pointed out that there are multiple vacant positions which the board may appoint themselves prior to Nov. 3, and she requested the vacant seats be addressed in the next meeting.
“Our special districts can’t really function without full boards,” she said.
Supervisor John McCowen pulled the second item, 4R, for clarification. The item approves an amendment to a Community Development Services agreement, increasing its cost to $ 500,000, and extending the term by two years.
The board voted unanimously to approve the entirety of the consent calendar, with the exception of item 4R. After brief discussion, the board also approved it with Supervisors Ted Williams and McCowen voting against.
County’s COVID-19 progress
Public Health Officer Dr. Andrew Coren informed the board that Mendocino County continues to be one of the 10 counties in California still in the purple tier.
As of Monday, Mendocino County has had 1,020 coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and only one person currently hospitalized — outside of the county — according to Coren.
Mendocino County’s most recent case rates are reportedly low, but the county will have to continue to report low case rates in the coming weeks in order to drop down into the red tier and begin the reopening process.
Coen also said Mendocino’s Department of Public Health has been meeting with Latinx leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, North Coast Opportunities, as well as other organizations, to ensure essential health information is being provided in Spanish. The board is also funding the hiring of bilingual and bicultural community health workers.
“I just want to encourage people to hold the line,” Coen said. “We need to encourage the masking, distance and hygiene.”
Wildfire news and updates
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Darcie Antle then gave the board an update on the county’s fire status. According to Antle, Mendocino county and local agencies will be offering a local assistance center at 390 Commercial St. in Willits Oct. 26, from 2- 6 p.m.; and in Covelo, Oct. 28, from 2- 6 p.m.
Antle also noted that since the Oak Fire was declared a federal disaster Friday, the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency will also be on location in Willits from Oct. 26 through 29 for individual assistance. Since the August Complex Fire is not yet considered a federal disaster, FEMA representatives will not be in Covelo on the 28.
The board then moved to approve the formation of an ad hoc committee in order to interview applicants for the Noyo Harbor Commission Chair position, as well as address an item brought to the board as a public comment last meeting — which questioned the methods which the sheriff’s terms were determined in special cases.
The board voted unanimously to disclose the County’s council legal analysis regarding the duration of a county sheriff’s term.
This was brought forward regarding Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall’s appointment in December 2019, in response to former sheriff Tom Allman’s resignation, prior to the end of Allman’s term. County Council Christian Curtis explained his legal reasoning and will make the written analysis public.
After a brief Employee Relations Ad Hoc Committee report, the council moved on to revisit an ordinance that adopts the Industrial Hemp Cultivation Pilot Program to the county code. Multiple public comments expressed the same concerns brought up previously, including issues regarding pesticides and cross-pollination between other cannabis farms.
The board moved to adopt the item, with recommendations for staff to collaborate with the Agricultural Commissioner and adapt the ordinance to address the concerns of the public.
The item was approved, with Supervisors John Haschak and Williams dissenting.
Project Homekey could help homeless problem in Mendocino
After a closed session, the board went on to discuss the approval of a purchase agreement which would acquire a 56- unit property on South Orchard Ave. in Ukiah. The property will be adapted into affordable housing units and funded by the Project Homekey grant.
Prior to this item’s discussion, California State Senator Mike McGuire spoke to the board about Project Homekey and his efforts to address opioid abuse, unemployment and homelessness in rural California.
McGuire explained his efforts to work with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Project Homekey, which offers $600 million in grant funding, in order to direct funding for housing and wraparound services towards rural areas.
“Behind the beauty of the north coast, I think we need to talk about some really ugly statistics that are simply unacceptable and why we need this homelessness grant funding,” he said, pointing out that Mendocino County has the third highest homeless population in California and twelfth highest in the nation.
McGuire proposed a November “kick- off town hall” meeting in Ukiah to begin community discussion around management and services provided by the grant.
Multiple public comments both supported and expressed concern against the purchase of the Ukiah property. When asked, representatives of the project confirmed that there are no other plans to provide permanent, affordable housing options through the county.
“There are legitimate concerns, I don’t want to brush those off. It’s just, given the choice, the richest nation on earth has people sleeping below bridges,” Williams said. “On a local level, we have limited options to work with and if the two options I have in front of me are to put people in beds out of the rain, or leave them under bridges, there’s only one obvious choice.
The board adopted the item unanimously, along with a second item which approved funds for renovations to the property.
Broadband tower going up inWillits
The meeting moved on to a public hearing to appeal a wireless communication permit for a broadband and cell tower in Willits. The project had been delayed several months due to the pandemic and has faced a lot of public opposition during that time.
Members of the appellant group argued that AT& T provided misinformation regarding the tower and did not notify the residents in the area, who argued the tower would be an eyesore and is unwanted. They also noted that the tower would be built near a faultline. Multiple public comments opposed the location of the tower as well.
According to representatives from AT& T however, the tower would provide wireless and emergency services to a remote, underserved, rural area. It would also provide First Responder Network Authority which provides communication services to first responders and emergency services.
Both AT& T and Mendocino Planning & Building Services said the towers are engineered and tested for safety standards.
The board unanimously voted to deny the appeal, with the intent to revisit the project and explore options to camouflage the tower.
Three additional items passed by the board include an item which allows off- street parking spaces to be used by businesses for outdoor services, one which allows trailer coaches to be temporarily used as emergency shelters due to local fires and an itemwhich revises the county’s unlawful camping ordinance.
At 6: 20 p. m. Brown called the “5:30 rule” and themeeting was adjourned without the Supervisors’ Reports, which will be held at the board’s next meeting, via virtual webhost, Nov. 3 at 9 a.m.