County supervisors discuss virus, logging Jackson, mental health

UKIAH >> The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors held backto-back meetings March 22 and 23, where the board discussed the county’s mental health status and related services, as well as how Mendocino County plans to start sending children back to classrooms and begin reopening in the Red Tier.

During public comment at the March 23 meeting, multiple members of the public called on the board to issue a moratorium on timber plans in Jackson State Demonstration Forest, as submitted by CAL Fire. Commenters argued that the process is both harmful to the environment and could potentially result in higher fire safety risks.

“I would like to remind everyone here that you are leaving this planet to my generation,” said a sixth-grader from Montessori del Mar Community School in Fort Bragg, who called for the moratorium in order to prevent further environmental damage. “My generation will pay, some of us with our lives, for what your generation has done.”

The board approved the entirety of Tuesday’s consent calendar before moving into their recurring COVID-19 update.

Public Health Officer Dr. Andrew Coren told the board that the county has officially reached the Red Tier and that case numbers show that there is a possibility of moving into the Orange Tier in the coming weeks.

Places of worship, museums and restaurants, as well as breweries, wineries and distilleries that serve food, can open indoors at 25 percent capacity. Retail stores can open at 50 percent capacity, gyms at 10 percent and grocery stores at 100 percent.

Coren reported that about 40

percent of eligible adults in the county have received first doses of the Coronavirus vaccine, and that the count is continuing its efforts to vaccinate high-risk populations.

“Our efforts are paying off with lower case rates, entering the Red Tier and allowing the opening of schools and many businesses — but we still have to be vigilant and disciplined, since variants are coming,” Coren said.

Mendocino County Superintendent of Schools Michelle Hutchins told the board that most grade and middle schools will be back to partial in-person learning by the end of spring break.

“As the pandemic wanes, the CDC will continue to adjust the guidelines, and the will reflect those changes,” Hutchins said.

Every school will have individual COVID-19 safety plans posted to their website, she said. The state has also provided the Safe Schools For All Hub website where parents can find information and resources, as well as voice concerns.

Hutchins also said that in addition to the increased cost of in-person learning, schools really need support from the county on mental health services for students and their families.

Continuing the discussion around mental health, Behavioral Health Advisory Board Chair Michelle Rich gave the board a 20192020 report, saying that the county overall has struggled with mental health and access to services within the last year.

“The world shifted really dramatically in 2020,” Rich said. “I don’t want to diminish the work the board did in 2019, but the landscape really shifted in 2020 for behavioral health in Mendocino County. It was a very difficult year for children and families.”

This item followed a continual discussion of the mental health services offered within the county, which was also discussed during the Board of Supervisors meeting the day before.

The board received a Measure B Status update during their Monday meeting which overlooked all of the projects in progress.

Mendocino County’s Behavioral Health Director Dr. Jenine Miller told the board that the Crisis Residential Treatment facility is still under construction and is on track to start receiving clients by November.

The Measure B committee submitted a proposal to approve a remodel of the Behavioral Health Training Center property in order to update its ADA compliance and make it better suited to the center’s needs, which the board approved Monday.

The committee has also begun hiring for a Mobile Crisis Response Team, who will work closely with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department and the Ukiah Police Department. According to Miller, the committee is also in the process of developing and finalizing other supportive mental health and crisis programs.

In terms of the Psychiatric Health Facility, the committee is looking at a 16-bed model but is still exploring options for its location. The location, as well as the hold on a feasibility study, continue to be an issue for the development of the projects, according to Miller.

Now in the fourth year since Measure B was passed, Supervisor Ted Willams, along with other supervisors, expressed their disappointment and frustration with the lack of progress on the project.

“Measure B was passed without a financial plan and overpromised,” Williams said. “I don’t know if we can fulfill all of the promises that the community feels were made.”

The board concluded with direction to staff to prepare proposals for the

PHF location, and to conduct an annual independent audit of the Measure B funds.

During the Monday meeting, the supervisors also approved a handful of other program presentations including MOVE2030, which focuses on economic development in the county, and plan goals from the North Bay North Coast Broadband Consortium and the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County.

A brief discussion of the county’s Hemp Pilot Program during the March 23 meeting explained the twoyear program and how it will evaluate growers, in order to begin hemp cultivation.

Supervisor Glenn McGourty said the program could serve as a case study for large-scale cannabis cultivation and permitting, which the county has struggled with in the last year.

“Sun-grown, larger-scale hemp, gives you an idea of what a larger scale cannabis would look like and it gives us a chance to work with it on a limited scale which is what I like about a pilot project,” McGourty said.

In the final item of the two-day meeting marathon, the board discussed the possibility of terminating their Cooperative Services Agreement with USDA Wildlife Services and opt for the implementation of the Mendocino County Non-Lethal Wildlife Damage Management Program with the Mendocino County Animal Care Services.

Many public comments both strongly supported and opposed the item, and the board ultimately resolved to bring back a separate item that analyzes the cost of the proposed program, as well as the cost of alternatively transitioning the services from the Sheriff’s Office to other animal care services.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will meet again at 9 a.m., April 6 via virtual webhost. For more information, visit mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors.