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