News 3/31/20

The Gov. says he thinks the state will be able to make enough ventilators to meet how many will be needed. The Governor spoke over the weekend after touring an energy company in San Jose. The company is refurbishing outdated ventilators. Newsom did say however that the state may need to expand the capacity if people do not follow the guidelines for social distancing and the crisis gets worse. Bloom Energy is refurbishing the machines. The CEO says a week ago they knew nothing about ventilators but says now they understand them. In one day the refurbished 24 ventilators, then the next 80, the following day 120 of them. Calif. has more than 4,000 ventilators at the ready currently, but the Governor says we need 10,000.

The Governor’s trying to get inactive, retired and even student medical staffers to join the new California Health Corps so there’s more help for a potential surge in cases of coronavirus. The state wants those with active licenses to join the fight against the pandemic.

Phone systems down in Laytonville for a time causing an issue for 911 service. Mobile phones seem to be able to get through but landlines do not. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says the Laytonville Firehouse was open for walk-in reports of emergencies and calls were also going thru to the Sheriff’s office. A nixle alert went out of the landline outage in Laytonville. Callers were getting a recorded, “circuits are busy” when using a land line to call 911. Last night Patrol Deputies were being sent to Laytonville for high visibility patrols.

Some realtors may be able to go back to work in some capacity. Residential real estate sales were added to the list of essential services by the Federal Government. But some realtors in Southern California were reportedly concerned about health risks associated with the sales process of bringing strange people into strangers homes. There had been a sales ban, so now some homes that were in escrow or in contract may be completed. The California Association of Realtors says selling is possible with strict limits.

Temporary emergency orders have been put into place in Mendocino County for courts. The DA has confirmed the state Judicial Council unanimously extended directives for after the state of emergency is lifted. They include extending the 10-day period for holding a preliminary hearing and the defendant’s right of release to 30 court days, extending the amount of time between when a defendant is charged with a felony and be taken in front of a judicial officer from 48 hours to no more than 7 days, also extend the holding time to more than 30 days and bringing a case to trail also more than 30 days. And courts are encouraged to use teleconferencing, remote appearances, reporting and interpreting whenever possible. This is so essential court services continue while the pandemic continues.

There are still four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mendocino County. The Public Health Dept. says it seems they are all travel-related and not from community spread. None of them led the person to go into the hospital and they were able to isolate at home. One of them has fully recovered and the other three are being monitored by the Public Health Dept. following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention home isolation guidance. The Health Officer also says the healthcare facilities where each case were diagnosed were using the right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and handled the cases in a proper manner.

There are two grants available by Lake County Continuum of Care from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program. They are nearly identical in their amounts, one for $118,568 for Rapid Rehousing Programs only, and the other for $118,567 also for Rapid Rehousing Programs. Those applying should be a nonprofit or government agency working with the homeless, or those at risk of losing their shelter.

https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-funding/active-funding/esg.shtml

A reminder from the City of Willits after the declared local state of emergency due to coronavirus to follow the shelter in place order. They remind only essential businesses should be open at this time. The City reminds there are four cases in Mendocino County. All of the City facilities and departments are closed to the public, but there are City staffers off site working from home or isolated, if possible. It includes City Hall, the Skate Park, the Dog Park, and the Community Center.  They want to also remind you to use the City’s website and dropbox and US mail for payments and services.

The police chief in Santa Rosa says they have two more employees who tested positive for coronavirus. There are now eight employees with the virus. 107 employees have been tested for COVID-19 to date. Chief Rainer Navarro says it’s critical to flatten the curve of the virus and prevent further spread. He says if you have to go shopping, do it quickly, Get In & Get Out get only the essentials, food, medications, or supplies to make essential home repairs. And follow the Shelter in Place order because the police department will enforce it if necessary.

Following the Shelter-in-Place order, Mendocino County’s Public Health Dept. has extended the notice until further notice so the Office of Education and local public school districts have extended or modified the remote learning status thru at least May 1^st. All school facilities will stay closed, then if the situation changes, local education leaders will reassess and decide if May 1^st needs to be extended further. As of this moment, high school graduation dates remain in place countywide. The Schools Superintendent says she’s proud of teachers and administrators who’ve altered the way they’re providing instruction and deeply appreciates staffers who are keeping students fed and facilities disinfected.

Mendocino County Health Clinic Health Centers reminding they’re providing essential healthcare for residents in Ukiah, Willits and Lakeport as they try to slow and stop the spread of coronavirus. The Acting CEO says they’re adapting the way they care for people so they can get the services they need. They’re working with Lake and Mendocino County Public Health and other local healthcare providers, replacing in person visits with phone consults as often as possible. The Chief Medical Officer says they’re minimizing staff and patient exposure by continually disinfecting their health centers and doing remote care when they can.

For the latest announcements from Public Health, visit www.mendocinocounty.org/community/novel-coronavirus or www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/PressReleases.

To contact MCHC for an appointment, call 707-468-1010. For more information about MCHC services, visit www.mchcinc.org.

A new initiative has started in Calif. to recruit retired medical professionals with active licenses or medical students to get on the front line and help fight the spread of COVID-19. The Governor announced the Health Corp where they’re looking for doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, behavioral health scientists, pharmacists, EMTs, medical and administrative assistants, and certified nursing assistants. He also signed an executive order so that health care facilities could bring in 50,000 more hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. The Governor made the announcement as hospitalizations doubled over four days and the amount of people moved into intensive care tripled. He also says Facebook is pledging several million dollars to help with the cost of childcare and transportation for the Healthcorp workers.

A special board meeting has been called of the Ukiah Unified School District (UUSD) Board of Trustees. The meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss surplus properties in Hopland and Redwood Valley with updates from realtors the District is working with for the old school sites. The Governor’s Emergency Executive Order outlined that Board of Education meetings could go on, but they have to be over video conference or teleconferencing until further notice. You can catch the board meeting on the District’s YouTube channel.

A man in Clearlake has been arrested in connection to two armed robberies this month. Police say it was 25 year old man who they say was responsible for two armed robberies earlier this month. Robert Shurtlif who was responsible for two March 17^th heists, one at J&L Market on Old Highway 53, and a Valero Gas Station on Lakeshore Drive. They say money and merchandise were stolen during the robberies and that video surveillance and witnesses described the perpetrator as wearing a mask, hat and hoodie. They also say he used a handgun during the capers. Fliers went out around town in the hopes to identify the man and to alert other local businesses about him. They rounded up enough tips and arrested Shurtlif on Saturday during a traffic stop. He apparently confessed to police at that time.

If you don’t comply with stay at home orders in Lakeport you could get a ticket. The city of Lakeport Office of Emergency Services issuing an Executive Order whereby administrative citations could be distributed for violating the shelter in place orders from the Lake County Public Health officer and governor. City officials say those who don’t comply are violating the Municipal Code and will be considered a public nuisance. The city put out a statement yesterday saying it prefers voluntary compliance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and don’t necessarily want to hand out tickets but say if the need arises, the police department now has more flexibility with enforcement of the local and state orders.

Lake County Superior Court is continuing limited operations thru the beginning of May. There was a two week closure put into effect March 18^th that’s been extended to April 10^th. The California Chief Justice had issued an order last week suspending all trials in Calif. for 60 days as the pandemic escalated. Officials in the local court say social distancing directives and limits on gatherings looks to be staying in place for some time. The statutory time frames have been extended for filing court documents and conducting any judicial business from April 2^nd to May 1^st. For more info: www.lake.courts.ca.gov.

Two inmates that escaped the Eel River Conservation Camp have been caught. Special Agents from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found and arrested 29-year-old Derek Barnett coming out of an apartment building in Ukiah and Harley Colvard who was with him. Colvard was found to have outstanding felony warrants, plus he was charged with aiding and abetting the escape of inmates and harboring a fugitive. They then found more info to lead them to the other inmate who took off from the camp, 28-year-old Noah Wilson. He was found inside a car during a traffic stop and was arrested with the help of cops in Rancho Cucamonga. The pair went missing last Friday.

A man in Willits has been arrested after a call to someone who fell, but hospital staffers say it’s a suspicious fall. Sheriff’s Deputies went to the Emergency Room at Howard memorial and found the 49 year old female victim who had major head injuries which left her unconscious and unable to speak. They apparently knew her from previous visits about domestic violence. The deputies went to the woman’s home and found 21 year old Tavion Johnson and found there had been a violent encounter between Johnson and the victim, his wife. He was arrested for felony domestic violence, violation of a domestic violence criminal protective order, violation of probation and causing great bodily injury to the victim during an act of domestic violence. He’s being held without bail. The victim was taken to a different hospital for care due to injuries received during the violent encounter with her husband.

Mendocino County Tax Collectors are not changing the deadline date for the second installment of property taxes because it’s established by the state. And the County says the April 10^th date is counted on to pay for critical County services, like emergency responders, public health, schools and other financial obligations. And because of the pandemic the County Administration Building is closed, so all taxes, assessments, penalties, fines or fees must be sent thru the mail, online or by phone. There’s also a drop box in front of the County Administration Building. They also do not accept cash, only money orders or cashiers checks.

News 3/30/20

Nine cases of Covid-19 in Napa County. The Public Health Dept. reports the latest patient had a relationship with someone else who had been diagnosed with the illness. The health department is investigating any other contacts with this person. This comes after the 8^th case announced last Thursday. That person had a relationship with a case in Southern Calif.  Napa hadn’t had any cases until about a week and a half ago when 2 cases were reported.  The more cases that are confirmed are due to more testing. The nine includes four people in Napa, three in St. Helena and one each in American Canyon and Calistoga.  At the same time Napa Valley College announced they will continue online thru June 1^st.

Legislators are imploring Californians to stay at home as those who’ve died from coronavirus in the state reaches more than 100.  The Gov. said those hospitalized was at more than 1,000 and there were more than 400 people in the ICU as of Saturday. Gov. Newsom says the numbers are tame compared to NY, but that could change if folks stop practicing physical distancing and go back to things as they were before. The announcement also that 12 elderly residents at a nursing facility Yucaipa had all tested positive for COVID-19.  There have been reports of people on beaches and hiking so local governments have ordered beaches and trails to close.

Reports of a 4^th case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Mendocino County. The Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan says the patient is in inland Mendocino County who is thought to have found themselves in contact with someone else who had the virus through travel and not through community spread. They are said to be in stable condition, did not need to be hospitalized, and were in isolation at home and the public health office is monitoring them. Dr. Doohan says they pose no risk to the public. She also says the first person who got it in the County is recovered but was still in isolation for 14 days since diagnosis. This latest case, was identified in the Public Health Lab with a healthcare partner due to a lack test kits locally.

Since there are so many homeless people in the County, the Ukiah City Manager says it’s a crucial issue that puts the rest of the community at risk. City Manager Sage Sangiacomo reportedly emailed County staff for an update on plans for shelters for housing or sheltering of transients to try to curb any potential spread of coronavirus. The Daily Journal reports a representative of the Emergency Operations Center says they recognize there’s an increased risk for the homeless. The newspaper reports there may be more homeless currently due to changes of intake and release at jails. Sangiacomo says a possible shelter site could be at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds.

More meals for kids in the Ukiah Unified School District. The District is distributing meals this week adding dinner for five days. And they’re giving a sixth day of meals for Spring Break days. There is no longer daily meal delivery and pickup, so you have to go to the pick up site either today or Friday. Visit http://www.uusd.net for locations and times.

If we can do anything to support you, please let us know.  Call (707) 472-5003, M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with questions. Si habla español, llame al (707) 472-5003.

The Hope Harbor Warming Center has moved and is now located in the old Record Bee building in Lakeport on S. Main St. The move is because of regulations by the CDC on COVID-19 which says cots for those sleeping there have to be at least six-feet apart. The building is leased through April 11^th and will stay open longer too. The program coordinator says they’re open 24/7 instead of 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. They will have fewer volunteers there because of health concerns and some needing to self-isolate themselves.  Right now they have 6 people working there instead of the usual 10-30 volunteers. The director of the center says the move to the old Record Bee building allows them to have overnight guests following the CDC protocols.

Two minimum security inmates on the run from a Humboldt County jail. During inmate count Friday night at the Eel River Conservation Camp, officials found 29 year old inmate Derek Barnett and 28 year old Noah Wilson were not in their bunks. A search was done of the camp buildings and grounds. Barnett was assigned to be a porter and Wilson was a cook at the camp where they hold about 120 minimum custody inmates. The Correctional Department’s Office of Correctional Safety, Cal Fire, the California Highway Patrol and local police are helping to try to find the men.  Anyone who sees them is asked to call 911 or local police.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors had a virtual meeting to talk about the COVID-19 shelter in place order. Lake Co News reports the meeting lasted about an hour with an Ad Hoc Committee that had been assigned to the task of deciding what and was not essential reporting in. Community members had also been calling Board members concerned about new rules, but they only apply to County workers. The County Administrative Officer says the committee mostly focused on a couple of things, the safety of employees and following the countywide shelter in place order. They were focused too on those with critical duties that involved County operations or maintaining critical infrastructure. So general office workers who do clerical or support were considered by the committee to be nonessential and some could work remotely with their department heads deciding. The committee would work with the department heads through April 14^th. The Sheriff was there too and said 7 percent of his agency was nonessential, and half would be working remotely. The Lake County Courthouse was also closed for non-essential gatherings.

The Lake County Public Health Officer is having a town hall. Dr. Gary Pace looking for questions from the public so the community can make the best choices possible. Tomorrow night at 6, the Virtual Town Hall will take place where updates will also be given. There will be panelists there at the meeting too. It’s on Facebook Live, but if you’re not on Facebook you can get the town hall on public TV channel 8, or at the County’s website.

If you still have questions, send an email to MHOAC@lakecountyca.gov.  You can also call during business hours: 707-263-8174

The top emergency official in Sonoma County being called out for taking a trip to the beach as there are strict shelter in place orders that had closed parks and beaches to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Press Democrat reports the director of Emergency Management, Chris Godley, asking for mercy from the public after being spotted on the coast in a post on Facebook. The post said, “road tripping up the coast. Beautiful drive and nice views. Family beach time together. Grateful for fresh air and the ocean”. But about a week ago after packed beaches and park trails were noted the Public Health Officer said trips to the beach were a problem. She ordered all parks, including state parks and beaches closed.  Godley says it was not what he wanted to model for the community.

Temporary closure for parking lots to the state’s 280 parks to try to help slow the spread of coronavirus. There were a bunch of people out at parks again, so vehicle access was closed off to try to help slow COVID-19 for recreationalists and others. A reminder to not congregate in parks, to stay home if you’re sick, if you do go outdoors, to do it near your home and only go with people in your immediate family who you live with or others in the household. And when you do go out to practice physical distancing. State parks officials are monitoring parks and following the Governor’s orders closely.  They also go on to say if safety measures don’t work, then stricter measures could be put in place, like totally closing trails, their bathrooms and other amenities.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting virtually again. The meeting tomorrow will be to discuss matters related to the county’s response to COVID-19. There are still no confirmed cases in the County. Members of the public are asked to submit their comments over email at PublicComment@lakecountyca.gov and make sure you note the agenda item number you’re interested in. This is a special meeting with the Public Health Officer addressing the Board. And Supervisor Rob Brown will ask for a letter to be sent to the Gov. Gavin Newsom to suspend legislation introduced or enacted the last two years that could be viewed as detrimental to private enterprise jobs. This because of impacts from COVID-19.  They will also consider budget changes and a change to their yearly calendar.

Due to the potential spread of coronavirus, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has announced no more visitors at the Lake County Jail. There are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Lake County Jail, but in an abundance of caution, there will be nobody from the public admitted into the lobby of the jail to drop off money orders for inmates, they can only be sent by mail now. They are continuing the commissary program and money orders sent by mail will be credited to the inmate’s account. They’re not accepting any cash. Money orders need the recipients name, the sender’s name, their address and be signed by the sender. The Sheriff’s office says they look forward to resuming normal operations as soon as they can do it safely.

The Ukiah Food Bank says they’re staying open as long as possible.  The director says it’s their goal and as of now, they don’t anticipate closing. The food bank in Ukiah is changing the way they hand out items though. They’ve put their Saturday distribution on hold, want clients to wash their hands, and are only allowing one person in at a time. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they will have curbside pickup for seniors or someone can come retrieve their items for them so they don’t have to leave home. The food bank say there’s been a downturn in the amount of donations they’ve received and they’ve seen less seniors getting food.  The director says they’re not seeing any new faces so far, but that could change on a dime. And apparently some food banks in Arizona have been asking Governor Newsom’s office for help restocking. And the gov. sent the National Guard to help struggling food banks across the state.

 

 

News 3/27/20

Evictions in Mendocino County get a temporary ban for those who cannot pay their rent due to the coronavirus. The Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order a couple weeks ago prohibiting a landlord from evicting tenants for 30 days after a proclamation or declaration of emergency and renting to someone else for more money. Now the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an Urgency Ordinance for a temporary prohibition on evictions during the pandemic. There’s a time limit on the ordinance, but it can be extended. The same ordinance also helps those who own their home so they don’t go into foreclosure. You will eventually have to pay though, but there’s no language on possible interest, late fees, and penalties. The ordinance only applies to unincorporated areas of Mendocino County.

The Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace has some new thoughts on preparation for COVID-19’s eventual entry into Lake County. There are still no confirmed cases in the County, but Dr. Pace says it will probably be here in the coming weeks, or it already is. Dr. Pace is asking for more to be done to prevent a massive outbreak because of the county’s limited healthcare system. The Record Bee reports Dr. Pace saying he’s not sure there will be more restriction, but there needs to be more sacrifice of personal needs for the good of the community. He’s assigned someone in his office to start to research supply chains and a way to get more tests to the area.

A couple of families in Ukiah have lost their home after a fire breaks out. The fire Wednesday night before midnight looks to have started in a furnace closet in the apartment building. Ukiah Valley Fire on the scene and Mendocino Deputies and police officers from Ukiah went door to door to evacuate residents. The fire had spread to the attic of the building after the fire started in the second story apartment. The five other families living in the building were able to stay.

An update for the Board of Supervisors in Mendocino County by the Public Health Officer on the Shelter-in-Place Order. Dr. Noemi Doohan and the Deputy Health Officer Jen Banks delivered information to the board with the Sheriff Matt Kendall and Lt. Shannon Barney, the head of the county’s Emergency Operations Center. County CEO Carmel Angelo is the incident manager for the emergency event and Dr. Jim Flaherty, a recently appointed deputy health officer. Doohan stressing how serious the situation is and there are some in the community not following the shelter in place order. She says the Bay Area had an explosion of cases and there are more and more cases closer to the region. She says there’s been no peak in cases here or problems with equipment in hospitals locally, but if we don’t take serious efforts of social distancing and shelter in place, seriously, it’ll happen. Supervisor McCowan chimed in saying if we don’t take it seriously, 30,000 to 40,000 people could contract the virus in Mendocino County and 3,000 would need hospitalization. The numbers were confirmed by Dr. Doohan.

The new Deputy Health Officer Dr. James Flaherty gave an update yesterday… no change in the numbers.

Testing Numbers – Updated Daily by 8pm

• Total Tests Taken: 170
• Total Positives: 2
• Total Negatives: 131
• Total Pending: 37

No decisions will be made on a possible Hemp Cultivation Pilot Program until after the coronavirus pandemic. The program for temporary cultivation and to see if it’s compatible with cannabis cultivation and there’s no cross-pollination. It would also look to have hemp only grown from female cloned plants, male hemp plants would not be allowed and that cultivation sites have to be no less than 10 acres and located in a zoning district. There’s a ban on hemp now until next February even though Hemp is legal at the state and federal level. No date for a vote was given at Tuesday’s meeting with some supervisors saying there were more pressing issues to consider at this time.

Humboldt County has seen a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Right now there are 12 cases after just having five on Tuesday. Some of the new cases were in a group who had traveled. So a case popped up in a household contact. The Humboldt County Health Officer reminding that travel increases the risk and says it’s everyone’s responsibility to cancel non-essential travel and to heed the shelter in place orders. The new cases are in isolation and an investigation underway to see who else may have been in contact with the confirmed cases.

Because of the statewide shelter in place order, the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is closing recreation facilities at the statewide National Forests. The closures for developed recreation facilities until at least April 30^th to try to promote social distancing and not allow groups of people to come together at the recreation sites. So they’re closed to the public but the trail system is open with hiking and walking outdoors allowed. But adhering to social distancing. Forest Service asking the public to be cautious and ask yourself if your personal participation in outdoor recreation poses an unnecessary risk to others.

Police in Fort Bragg observing a moment of silence for the sixth anniversary of one of their deputies killed in the line of duty. Yesterday the department stopped their duties to remember fellow deputy, Ricky DelFiorentino who was killed just before noon on March 26^th 2014, ambushed by a man on a crime spree from Oregon to Fort Bragg. The Interim Police Chief John Naulty also on the scene of the incident and heard the gunfire and stopped the suspect, shooting him to death. DelFiorentino’s death was the first of a Mendocino County deputy since April 1995, when Deputy Bob Davis died in Covelo during a shootout. Former Sheriff Tom Allman said there were only five fatal shootings of deputies in the county since 1850.

Mayors in Southern and Northern Calif. are warning their residents to pay attention to the shelter in place orders. There are more than 3,000 cases in Calif, the 4^th highest behind New York, New Jersey and Washington. The mayor of San Francisco warning people to stay inside or the city could see a surge like New York City. She says if people continue hanging out in groups and interacting, the spread of the virus could increase and there won’t be enough hospital beds, ICU units or ventilators to support those who will need them. The Mayor of New York has had the same warning for his residents. The Calif. Health and Human Services Agency says the number of Calif. cases is doubling every three to four days comparable to New York.

Several million N95 masks are being delivered to healthcare workers in Calif. and New York. 39 million masks are being delivered to the 2 states, but not beyond. The Service Employees International Union says they want the masks to be widely distributed, but there are not enough, hospitals in Arizona didn’t respond to an offer of 2 million masks though. The union’s members work across Calif. They say they found there were more suppliers too who could produce 20 million more masks a week and millions of face shields. Those buying the masks include the State of Calif., Greater New York Hospital Association, Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford Health Care, Sutter Health, Los Angeles County, Riverside County and Santa Clara County.

Retired state workers and transferred workers are being utilized to process the more than one million unemployment claims that have come in after massive job losses related to the pandemic. Some of the first cases hit Calif after cruise ships with sick people docked and others traveled from the place where it all started, Wuhan, China. But thankfully the numbers have yet to explode like in New York. They are growing quickly here though, and about 30% of the country’s unemployment claims are in Calif. Thousands of businesses are also closed. The governor reported more than a million people filed for unemployment since March 13^th. The unemployment dept. says they’re working as fast as they can to handle the claims. The governor has also said there will soon be hotel rooms set up to help with patient loads.

Two men on a cruise ship that had coronavirus aboard have died. The men were on the Grand Princess, the ship that went from San Francisco to Hawaii in February. Federal officials say less than half of the passengers aboard were ever tested for the virus. They were both in their 60’s. One of them taken from the ship to a hospital March 9^th, after the ship docked in Oakland. The ship stayed there a few days as passengers disembarked and were taken to quarantine. The other man was one of those taken to Travis Air Force Base, then after he got symptoms he was taken to a hospital. One of them died last Saturday, the other on Monday. There were 3,500 passengers and crew from 54 countries aboard the ship. The ship infected after a man from Northern California got sick on a previous voyage on the same ship. Only 1,100 of the 2,400 passengers were tested, some declined tests. 103 of the tests were positive and 699 were negative, the rest are still pending.

 

News 3/26/20

No rate increases from the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District as planned. The Daily Journal reports there was a special teleconference Tuesday with the District’s board of directors who voted unanimously to hold off on the planned rate increases for sewer customers. The newspaper reports due to state law utility companies are required to send rate increase notices to customers, both the Ukiah City Council and District previously approved a study on rate increases and sending notices to customers because of Proposition 218 which requires notice ahead of an increase. But at the meeting this week board members decided to reconsider the rate increase at a time when the pandemic has caused a loss to so many.

The Lake Mendocino recreation areas are officially closed to the public. This is part of the revised shelter- in-place order by the Mendocino Public Health Officer, so now you cannot access the north or south boat ramps, or all day-use areas. Also, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the public should not even visit the lake and stay at home. The closure has no date certain for how long it will last. The latest order says any exercise that includes walking, running, hiking and biking need to be at home somehow and that you may not use a car to get to where you want to go to recreate. If you do go with someone else, you must maintain social distancing protocols.

The state is loosening cannabis and booze restrictions, but in Mendocino County, dispensaries and recreational retailers can only operate curbside pickup or delivery options. There are some changes to essential businesses including babysitters which are considered essential and may come to the home of a family whose parents are working at an Essential Business. Those who work at animal care facilities are also included. No vacation rentals are allowed that is not considered essential to the governmental regulations on essential business. Restaurants are considered essential businesses but there’s no customer self-service allowed. Employers may not allow a sick employee to work. The sale of clothing does not allow handling or trying on of a possible purchase. All recreational sites, including parks, playgrounds, beaches, waterways for recreational purposes, and congregational areas, picnic tables and canopy areas at recreational sites are closed.

Emergency housing for the homeless in Lake County is being looked at. Lake Co News reports various local agencies are working for a stop gap measure for those who are homeless and therefore more vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the news site, there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lake County. Pace ordered Lake County residents to do what the Governor ordered, shelter in place, the homeless had been exempted as for the un-sheltered or those with no housing options. The health officer reported to the Board of Supervisors at their meeting Tuesday about his concern for the homeless at the time of the pandemic and says it could spread into the community as there’s no social distancing, less places for hand washing and other ways to prevent the spread.

The Lake Area Rotary Club Association says they’re raising money for senior centers dealing with coronavirus. Lake Co News reports the association had been a major fundraiser for fire recovery in Lake County, but changed course yesterday, with a new mission for emergency relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization says its Fire Relief Fund will donate $40,000 to the four senior centers in Lake County who have lost income from their thrift stores because of the virus, plus they’re seeing more of a demand for home-delivered meals from Meals on Wheels.

More tests are being conducted in the state for coronavirus. The State Department of Public Health reports the amount of tests have more than doubled, yesterday saying almost 67,000 tests were done. Commercial and private labs along with the state’s 22 labs and county health labs are all currently testing. About 18,300 tests came back and another 48,600 are pending. When more tests are done, more cases arise. Lake Co News reports there were 3,185 confirmed cases in Calif. and 67 deaths because of COVID-19 in California. Dr. Gary Pace, the public health officer in Lake County says there’s been 35 tests have come back negative, and 15 to 20 more are still pending.

Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation donating four more ventilators at Mendocino Coast District Hospital as they expect critical needs patients.  The $165,000 to also cover the cost of other equipment to run the ventilators. The healthcare foundation says the hospital CEO says the funding will save lives. They report spending several weeks assessing the Mendocino coastal healthcare community’s most pressing needs and have reached out to local healthcare organizations, clinics, and practitioners about the pandemic. The foundation says its starting a special fund to protect public health and help those affected by the disease.  They’ve got more money to provide and are asking also for donations to help cover community healthcare to buy more masks and Personal Protective Equipment, supplies like hand sanitizer, wipes, and other products to clean and protect surfaces from contamination and thermometers and assessment equipment.

Some smaller shops in Ukiah want the community to know they’re also delivering groceries like the larger chains. Forks Ranch Market says they can deliver if you please pay for groceries over the phone with a credit card. They’re looking to stay in the valley with their deliveries. They’re also offering curbside pickup. Redwood Valley Market says they’re also delivering to customers but only for special circumstances like those who have to self-isolate because they are sick or elderly. Westside Renaissance Market is also offering delivery. Raleys is offering the same. Safeway and Costco are also doing curbside pickup.

Crab fishing season in Humboldt County is essentially done. The president of the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing association says the entire seafood industry has been devastated by coronavirus. The crabbing season is usually slower in March anyway, but apparently it’s much lower than ever before beginning with a total stoppage of China accepting live crabs. Then the domestic market took a hit as restaurants started closing. It comes after terrible crabbing seasons including last year when the season prematurely closed because of whale entanglements off the California coast.

No cell phone service to call for help has led to the destruction of a home by fire in a remote location in Fort Bragg. The Fire Chief says they went out to the two bedroom home Tuesday morning, finding flames “pouring out of every window and the front door”. The Chief says they couldn’t save the home after nobody there could get inside to call from a landline and there was no cell service on the inside earlier. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. But the chief says he thinks it probably started in the chimney. Nobody was home at the time. Someone was staying there but were not there when the fire broke out.

In Mendocino County, new measures at a couple local markets to serve seniors. Harvest Market in Fort Bragg and Harvest Market at Mendosa’s in Mendocino are offering senior hours, they say they will have freshly-sanitized carts, handwashing stations and blue tape on the ground in front of registers and counters to remind you to follow six-foot distancing between others for social distancing recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. The elderly and immunocompromised can shop between the hours of 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. in Fort Bragg and in Mendocino, the same group can hit the market between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. They also have signs up inside and outside the store to remind people not to enter if they feel sick, to maintain social distancing and leave reusable bags at home. You will also notice glass in front of registers as a barrier between the cashier and customer. There is also a handwashing station outside to encourage you to wash before entering and when you leave.

Plans being worked out for Lake County employees to figure out who is essential and nonessential, plus new paid leave and remote work options. The Record Bee reports employees of the county will find out if they can get emergency paid sick leave, as part of new federal legislation, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act which could cover up to three months leave for county workers who need to care for a family member. The Lake County Administrative Officer says accrued sick leave can be used for the first two weeks of leave and the rest has to be paid by the county. She also says other counties are even offering more, and they’re discussing that possibility.

Some restrictions on cannabis dispensaries and restaurants easing due to the pandemic. Marijuana retailers are being classified as essential so they can stay open during the coronavirus crisis. But as with all other essential services, there are social-distancing orders. Cannabis shops have been given waivers so clients can buy it from their cars and have it delivered to their homes without a signature required so they don’t have to knock on your door. Customers will instead text a picture of their state identification to the dispensary. There’s been reports of long lines outside dispensaries with some reporting their sales are surging.

Some local seamstresses and sewers are making face masks or repairing masks as there’s a massive shortage across the country. They don’t protect as well as professional masks according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and should only be used with caution. But the site lists bandanas and scarves as last-resort options for health care providers. In Chico a group of volunteers at Enloe Medical Center have been sewing like crazy. They have 400 volunteers who’ve been told to stop their usual workloads because of the virus.

An emergency meeting’s been called of the Lake County Board of Supervisors regarding the coronavirus. It comes after the Governor’s executive order on sheltering at home. The State Public Health Officer also recently distributed a list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” who have to keep working even though there’s a Shelter-In-Place across the state. The Board of Supervisors can define who they feel are “critical government workers.” An Ad Hoc Committee was created for that at the meeting earlier this week and that will be one of the topics of tomorrow’s emergency meeting. The Chair of the Board says they’re working with County leaders to come up with the list which has been a challenge. The other matters to be discussed cannot wait until next Tuesday’s Board meeting. The meeting is online tomorrow at 3pm. You can attend by emailing PublicComment@lakecountyca.gov, to schedule Zoom Meeting access

There are still no confirmed cases in Lake County. The County is not stating how long the shelter in place situation will go on, but the County says in China it took about a month for the viral activity to start dropping, they also took more stringent measures than we have in the states. Testing has been a challenge according to the Public Health Office, in Lake County and throughout the region.  The office is starting to research places to get a hold of supplies too. The Public Health Officer says even though we have no cases and there’s a lack of tests, it doesn’t change the preparations needed, stay home and keep social distancing.  He says it’s possible the virus will arrive in the coming weeks (if it hasn’t already), and that delays are helpful for preparations, and buy time to get needed supplies.

News 3/25/20

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer with a stronger message to residents, in alignment with the state order requiring everyone to shelter in place at home except for essential needs. Governor Newsom issued an immediate Executive Order and now the Health Officer ordered an alignment order that went into effect last night at 10, until further notice. The major changes include a stricter list of essential businesses, the closure of all parks in Mendocino County until further notice. County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan also confirmed a second case of coronavirus in the county related to high risk travel she says. She also says it doesn’t indicate community spread and they’re being monitored closely. She says where it was confirmed they used proper Personal Protective Equipment and handled the case in an exemplary manner.

In Lake County, the Public Health Order is more restrictive too. The Public Health Officer limiting residents activity, travel and business functions to the most basic and essential needs. Also lodging for out of towners is now prohibited and those who want to use shared or outdoor spaces, have to adhere to social distancing of at least six feet between themselves and others while outside their homes to protect the public form the spread of the pandemic. The Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace says violations of the order will be considered a threat to the county’s health and will be enforceable by law.

Also in Lake County, all County Parks are closed for all uses except Essential Activities. Walking, hiking or running has to be with Social Distancing Requirements, gatherings and most outdoor activities are banned, they include disc golf, golf, skate park use, basketball, tennis, guided, sport, and/or recreational fishing are prohibited. All public boat ramps, docks and other waterway entryways are blocked. All playground equipment is closed as coronavirus can live on plastic and steel for up to three days.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors Chair commenting after their latest meeting that residents have to listen to the recommendations of Public Health Officials. Moke Simon goes on to say residents need to listen to the governor and abide by a Social Contract, and do what we’ve been asked to do, at the same time he understands how it’s affecting the economy. The Board is also asking for folks to follow the Shelter in Place order, so they’ve put certain measures into place to prevent Rental Housing Price Gouging. District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown with fines attached of up to $20,000. They also adopted a temporary remote work policy and have an Ad Hoc Committee figuring out which County workers are essential and cannot work remotely.

The Farmers Market in Ukiah is staying open with some operational changes. Farmers Markets across the country are considered an essential business. The Daily Journal reports the Market Manager says there’s usually a limited number of vendors this time of year anyway, and that those and food booths will put some precautionary measures in place. The state Department of Public Health put new guidelines in place because of coronavirus which Ukiah is following, more space between booths for social distancing, two people must be on site for each vendor, one will bag and the other to handle the money. They’re also encouraging patrons to wash produce thoroughly before eating.  There will be no music, there are hand sanitizer stations, and no restrooms.

The Lake County Public Health officer Dr. Gary Pace reporting to the Board of Supervisors that more actions beyond the countywide shelter in place order are necessary to stay ahead of the coronavirus pandemic. A countywide shelter in place order went into effect last Thursday just ahead of the statewide stay at home order issued by the Gov. The countywide order’s been updated since even though there are still no confirmed cases. Dr. Pace says there are 35-40 tests out locally, they were all negative. But there are many confirmed in the region. Pace says even if more tests were done and positive cases were confirmed, it wouldn’t change how the county should handle the virus.  He also suggested more restrictions like the county controlling social movement for a month, determine which county workers are essential, get more staff at the Public Health office and quarantine those confirmed with the virus in separate facilities that are yet to be identified; and surge planning with the county’s health care facilities.

It’s a unanimous decision by the Clearlake City Council to sign a letter of intent for the sale of the former Austin Resort property. Developer Bailey Building and Loans wants the two pieces of property which the city council agreed to for just over $915,300. The City Manager says there are two properties on the lakefront land across from City Hall, one owned by the city and the other by the city redevelopment agency’s successor agency. The developer looking to put up a hotel, restaurant, marina and amphitheater.

No more intake or transfer for prisoners in Calif. The Governor issuing a new executive order for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to temporarily stop intake and/or transferring of inmates and youth at 35 prisons and four youth correctional facilities. So they have to stay in custody for the next month, with a possible extension if needed. This comes under the Emergency Services Act. It also directs the Board of Parole Hearings to find a way to do their hearings online with a start date of no later than April 13^th, continuing for two months. That way staff, parole board members, victims, families and their representatives, inmates, attorneys and others can still attend.

Clear Lake recreation shut down, as we’ve reported because apparently there were just way too many people out on waterways. The Press Democrat reports the Public Health Officer in Lake County closed Clear Lake starting yesterday, like Sonoma County, because there were crowds outside. The newspaper reports the pandemic threatens the county’s economy after about 5 years of catastrophes since the 2015 wildfire season, there have been giant, historic fires and major flooding which totally took down the sea wall at Library Park in Lakeport. The Board of Supervisors chair Moke Simon says it’s to protect everybody in Lake County and surrounding counties. There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Lake County, but 2 in Mendocino and nearly 40 in Sonoma. One local on the lake telling the newspaper people were out elbow to elbow on docks fishing last weekend with 8 or 9 people on boats at a time.

Since the coronavirus literally went viral, many urgency measures and ordinances have gone into effect across the state. The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed an urgency ordinance so that evictions in Mendocino County will be put on hold until May 31^st. The ordinance literally bans evictions but doesn’t mean you won’t eventually have to pay your rent, just that you cannot be evicted. It may be extended beyond May 31^st too, depending on when the shelter in place orders across the state and locally wrap up. The barring of evictions applies to renters of residential and commercial properties by landlords and for homeowners by banks if there may be a foreclosure. The Deputy County Counsel told the Board of Supervisors yesterday that the person owing the money, would still be on the hook to pay it. The Fort Bragg City Council has the same plan in the city, but has put their ordinance on hold. During their teleconference council meeting Tuesday, the council put together an ad hoc committee on COVID-19 after several residents called council members or emailed them regarding the coronavirus. So an urgency ordinance regarding possible evictions was put on hold. The City of Willits is currently meeting on telephone conference and was supposed to ratify their emergency declaration from last week and was also considering a moratorium on evictions as are many other cities across the state including Berkeley, and the County of San Francisco which already implemented eviction moratoriums.

CalFresh reports even though walk-in eligibility and employment services are currently suspended, you can still apply for benefits through C4Yourself.com, GetCalFresh.org, and CoveredCA.com. The application websites let you fill out paperwork and upload documents. The CalWORKs and CalFresh applications are screened immediately and expedited if necessary over the phone.

News 3/24/20

With the Shelter in Place order, law enforcement say they’re more in education mode, than enforcement. In Lake County the Public Health Officer ordered the shelter in place last week, then put in more restrictions closing down lakes and other local waterways and lodging facilities unless healthcare workers, COVID-19 emergency workers, construction workers of critical infrastructure and permanent residents living in vacation homes before March 9^th. The public health officer also released more measures yesterday to clarify the previous orders and some local law enforcement say people coming into the area from elsewhere make restrictions even tighter. The Sherriff says there were loads of cars at local motels and folks standing close together at docks fishing, and not following social distancing guidelines. Many people reportedly coming form the Bay Area where coronavirus numbers are climbing.

A generous donation by a local vineyard to help people in Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties affected by the virus. Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards says they’re donating $100,000 by way of $300 checks, 100 of them per county. It will be up to each County’s Chamber of Commerce to decide what individuals and families get the money which will mostly be for hourly workers who have no job now because of layoffs from COVID-19. That will include hotel housekeepers, dishwashers, waitstaff, busboys and others. The checks will be made out to those chosen, not to Chambers of Commerce or other organizations and there will be no administrative costs or fees.

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer is issuing a revised Health Order so it follows the state’s more closely. The state issued its order last Thursday requiring all Californians to shelter in place, except for essential needs and to maintain or access critical systems or services. The State and Local Health Order says Sheltering-In-Place means staying at home and do not leave unless necessary to slow the spread of the virus. They warn to limit your essential activities as much as you can, leaving only to get food, see your doctor, fill a prescription, go to work if it’s defined as essential, to get your children to and from childcare or help others you care for to get the things they need to live, be healthy and stay safe.

A meeting of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to talk about a possible hemp ordinance to be placed in the Mendocino County code. It would also permit a temporary pilot program to grow industrial hemp in parts of the County. It comes after the board temporarily banned cultivating industrial hemp to protect marijuana from cross-pollination and so staffers could get information and recommendations from regional counties about possible regulations and ordinances. Hemp is legal in California and at the federal level, but there’s been concern about possible damage to cannabis. The meeting tomorrow is online with some county staff at the chambers in Ukiah. There will be no in-person public participation to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

The state’s been working to get more protective gear for healthcare workers and first responders, with work across the globe and locally to get the equipment shipped her. The state’s trying to get 1 billion sets of gloves, hundreds of millions of gowns, surgical masks and face shields. The Gov. Gavin Newsom remarked yesterday it would take, a heroic effort to get the personal protection equipment for the expected surge in COVID-19 cases. The state’s looking to charter flights from China with gear aboard, there’s talk about 3-D printing of surgical masks and working with other states to get better deals on equipment and supplies. The Los Angeles Mayor says an Anheuser-Busch beer plant in Van Nuys is making hand sanitizer and another in Baldwinsville, New York, will be doing the same.

All jury trials are shut down for two months in Superior Court in Calif due to the virus. The Chief Justice announced the two month suspension yesterday. The Governor announced the closure of all parking lots at beaches and state parks to prevent the spread of the virus after reports of massive amounts of people on the beach and in the mountains the first weekend of the statewide shelter in place order. The state’s most popular beaches in Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco would be closed to curb crowds. And parks in Marin County were also closed and access restricted to the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles County. The stay at home order did allow for outdoor exercise, but social distancing has to be maintained.

A Navy hospital ship in San Diego has sailed to Los Angeles to treat non-coronavirus patients. A 1,000-bed ship, the Mercy should get there in less than a week with doctors able to perform surgery aboard the ship which contains nine operating rooms. They can also treat intensive care patients.

The Gov. Gavin Newsom says no to releasing violent inmates due to the coronavirus pandemic but has not ruled out other relief so the state’s homelessness crisis doesn’t get worse. An inmate and five employees in the state’s prison system were positive for coronavirus, so pressure was applied apparently to release some of the state’s 123,000 convicts early. The Governor says he’s got no interest in releasing violent criminals from prisons and says he’s not going to use the crisis as an excuse to create another crisis.  Some inmate advocates and lawyers say the prisoners should be released so there’s enough space for social distancing.

Intro: Local groups are springing up across the state to produce homemade face masks for medical providers if they run out of the real thing – but some experts say the masks may do more harm than good. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that health-care providers might use homemade masks as a last resort, but Ken Zinn, with National Nurses United says the N-95 respirator is the minimum protection necessary for all health-care workers.

:11  “They downgraded the guidance to allow hospitals to say to nurses and other front-line workers, ‘Well, just wear a scarf or a bandanna.’ This is absurd. Scarves, bandannas, surgical masks, none of them keep front-line health-care workers safe.”

Tag:  A 2015 study published in the British Journal of Medicine cautioned against cloth face masks, saying they may increase infections because they retain too much moisture and don’t filter out enough particles. Some doctors have warned that they may give a false sense of security. On Monday, North America’s Building Trades Unions announced that its member groups will be donating N-95 respirator masks to local hospitals around the nation.

***

Second Cut: Shelley Blume is with Coachella Valley Mask Makers, which is handing out kits that enable people to make paper-cloth masks with a glue gun. She says the group hopes to make a thousand masks a day, then sanitize them and make them available to local hospitals.

:10  “So these masks are not meant to replace the personal-protection equipment mask. They are to supplement medical staff who otherwise would not have a mask.”

Tag:  Hospitals are scrambling to see if they can accept the masks and figure out under what circumstances they might be used. Tenet Healthcare, which runs 13 hospitals in the state, says it will accept handmade items once the CDC issues guidelines. The California Department of Public Health on Monday declined to give guidance on homemade masks, directing people to call their local hospital to inquire.

There’s been $100 million set aside in emergency grant funding for California counties, continuums of care, and California’s 13 biggest cities for the homeless.  The Governor signed a Senate Bill allocating $100 million for the homeless population to be protected from coronavirus, getting homeless people off the street and into immediate housing. The 13 largest cities getting about $43 million and the state’s 58 counties will receive $27 million. And the state’s 44 continuums of Care will receive about $30 million dollars. The money can be used for medical services like testing and other services, like shelters, supplies and equipment for emergency shelter operations.

Another measure to make sure coronavirus doesn’t spread, even though there are no confirmed cases in Lake County… Lakeport announced the closure of all parks. Starting today until further notice, the parks are closed including Library Park and its public park, the public restrooms there and the dog park at Westside Community Park. This follows the city of Clearlake closing Redbud Park and Thompson Harbor, including the boat launch ramps, parking lot and other recreation facilities. Same in Sonoma County, parks closed after a busy weekend on beaches. The County ordered all parks in the city, county, state and federal parks closed, and parks on school grounds and beaches. But those that are paved, multiuse pathways outside park boundaries are open, plus the Joe Rodota Trail and the West County Trail. No change at Lake Mendocino.

Some nurses take to the streets in Santa Rosa because of a lack of masks as they tackle COVID-19. The nurses are employed at Kaiser Permanente and Santa Rosa Memorial. Apparently there have been multiple complaints filed against Kaiser because of a lack of masks as the pandemic spreads. Nurses at Kaiser in Santa Rosa picketed yesterday because of the new rules saying they could be fired or side-lined if they wear masks that are donated to them even by friends and neighbors. The chief nurse representative at Kaiser for union nurses says they’re in danger without adequate personal protective equipment. For their part Kaiser says they’re providing the right equipment and they just can’t assure the integrity of protective equipment not provided by Kaiser Permanente.

Support is being offered to Redwood Credit Union customers dealing with sheltering in place. The credit union is considered essential business so they’re open. They say they’re following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health and safety guidelines, with hand sanitizing stations, antimicrobial soaps, social distancing in the queues, and more cleaning at the branches and ATMs. They also have online options including a mobile app. They’re also offering members 0 percent interest loans up to $5,000 for both member businesses and individuals, 90-day payment deferrals on all consumer, credit card, mortgage and business loans, waiving all late fees over the next 90 days and the loans won’t be reported as delinquent to the credit bureaus during any payment deferral period, early withdrawals will not be penalized either.

Another case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Mendocino County. 42 tests are still pending as of this morning. The Public Health Office says they’re trying to release updated numbers daily and is posting them on their Facebook page. The Health Officer Noemi Doohan announced the second case at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting saying it was someone living in “inland Mendocino County” now “in isolation, not considered a risk to the public and not a health care worker.” She says they would not have exposed anyone with what they had been doing in their daily life and that they were exposed outside the County after direct contact with an infected person. The County is also working on a more restrictive shelter-in-place order including closing many state parking lots at parks and beaches.

The Governor says the social distancing measures put into play in the state could go on for two to three more months. The Governor says the state needs to get more hospital beds too because of the pandemic. Gov. Newsom says the state needs to increase by two-thirds the hospital bed capacity in the state so there are 50,000 beds for a predicted surge in infections. This as the president says he wants to reopen the government by Easter. The state also trying to get ahold of 1 billion medical gloves, 500 million N95 masks, and 200 million face shields for first responders to protect themselves from the virus.

News 3/23/20

A resident in Sonoma County has died from the virus. The Press Democrat reporting it’s the first resident to die from coronavirus and being hospitalized for serious illness. The newspaper reports the County’s Interim Public Health Officer got news of the death the same day the number of those with the virus doubled. Sutter Santa Rosa confirmed the death happened Friday. The Public Health Officer says we need to be prepared for it to get worse over the next week as each case infects three more people, but she also says it’s what they had been expected. The Chair of the Board of Supervisors says the virus is spreading throughout the community, but also says she believes they now how sufficient testing capability, so the numbers of positive tests going up is to be expected.

You may have felt an earthquake over the weekend. A 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit yesterday morning in the Pacific Ocean off Humboldt County. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake was 7-miles deep and hit about 30 miles west of Petrolia. Many shake reports coming from as far away as Chico and Crescent City, but the most coming from Eureka and Arcata. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

The governor has agreed to a deal so Pacific Gas & Electric can emerge from its bankruptcy filing this summer. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the utility company announced the deal Friday with PG&E agreeing to change the makeup of its board and operations and also agreed to move into the direction of a sale or the state taking over the company if it cannot get out of its bankruptcy by June 30^th. The filing in bankruptcy court Friday that the utility agrees to more regulatory oversight and that it will pony up billions more for wildfire prevention.  The CEO of the company says they are anticipating state regulators will approve of the final deal after the Governor supported it, so they can exit Chapter 11, pay wildfire victims as soon as possible, and participate in the state’s Wildfire Fund.

A new surge tent has been set up at Ukiah Adventist Health for coronavirus patient care. The Daily Journal posted pictures of the new tent after getting a guided tour showing the hospital is ready for what may be to come. The newspaper reports the set up is in the emergency ambulance bay, and is fully equipped with private rooms for up to six patients at a time. It’s ventilated for infection control, has lighting and heat and can be decontaminated and sterilized after every exam. If the tent reaches capacity, the hospital says there are other unused areas in the building that could also work for COVID-19 patient care.

Coronavirus cases are still rising regionally, but there are still no confirmed cases in Lake County. But there’s still been people recreating in the face of the state’s announced shelter in place order by the governor. So the Public Health Officer says he’s got an addendum to his emergency order that starts this morning and will go until at least April 10^th, immediate closure of County of Lake waterways, including Clear Lake, Blue Lakes, Highland Springs Reservoir, Cache Creek, Lake Pillsbury, Indian Valley Reservoir and any other public, navigable waterway to any recreational boating activity. He is also calling for the immediate end to lodging in hotels, motels, campgrounds, RV parks, and vacation rentals, except for medical staff, COVID 19 emergency workers, construction workers of critical infrastructure, and permanent residents who lived in those places before March 9^th.

Anyone interested in being part of the next Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting is asked to contact them ahead of time if they want to participate. The Chair of the Board Moke Simon says we’re in “unprecedented times” and that he knows “firsthand the severe effects this crisis is having on local businesses and families”, adding that residents have to adapt, and do everything to keep people safe, which includes the way the board conducts business. So the board meeting’s can be viewed online. The meeting tomorrow is moved until April 7^th.

For those interested in viewing any discussion item, Board and Planning Commission meetings will be accessible through the County website and Lake County PEG TV (TV8).  Agendas and live and archived video are available at:

https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

For needed County services, call ahead, the Department Directory is available at:

http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory.htm

Recent Press Releases and Public Health Orders from Dr. Gary Pace and more Lake County-focused information are available at http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Coronavirus.htm, and accessible through the County’s homepage, http://www.lakecountyca.gov/.  A Dashboard was recently developed, and provides key data, such as confirmed cases in surrounding California counties.

If you have public health-related questions about COVID-19, please direct them to MHOAC@lakecountyca.gov, or call Public Health’s COVID-19 line, at 707-263-8174.

Even though there’s been a reprieve given to county’s for the Presidential Primary election, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reports they will certify the results by the deadline of March 31^st, next Tuesday. Governor Newsom had issued an Executive Order that had extended the deadline for County Election Officials to complete their official canvass of the March 3rd election and certify the election results by April 24^th instead. The Lake County office says unless there are any unforeseen circumstances the official canvass won’t be delayed. There’s also a reminder for vote-by-mail voters who received a “Signature Verification Statement” or an “Unsigned Ballot Envelope Statement” that they have until March 27^th to turn in those completed forms. They can do so thru the US Postal Service, a fax, email, or in person (by appointment only).

A man in Branscomb reports a burglary in progress at his home after he left just to cut wood. Mendocino Sheriff’s Deputies went to the home and say they found there were three men who had all left before they got there. They reportedly ransacked the home and took a locked gun safe out to the driveway, damaged an expensive television set, writing on it in marker. The victim told police he dated one of three men’s mom’s and told them where she lived. They found the three men there, Winter Costa, Kameron Miller and Lucas Counts. Stolen property was found there, and they were arrested for Burglary, Conspiracy and Felony Vandalism. Plus Costa for making criminal threats. They were all being held on $50,000.00 bail.

Since the risk from coronavirus continues escalating in the region, the Lake County Public Health Officer is adding on to other emergency orders already issued. Since Sonoma County had their first death from Coronavirus Friday and there’s presumed community transmission with 11 known cases Dr. Gary Pace says most people are honoring the shelter in place order, even though there are no confirmed cases in Lake County. There are about 50 hospital beds, 11 ventilators with the potential to scale to 16 if needed for a population of 65,000. Dr. Pace says health facilities are actively engaged planning for the next phase of the outbreak, but resources are limited. He reminds not to ignore the stay at home order, not to mix with other people and ignore social distancing rules or have any out of town guests. He says churches need to cancel their in-person services and go to Facebook streaming or some other online strategy. Restaurants with indoor or outdoor dining need to change to take out, delivery, curbside and drive-through, bars and night clubs need to close. Small convenience or other stores selling mainly chips and candy are not essential and should be closed.  All entertainment venues like golf courses, gun ranges, bowling alleys, movie theaters, swimming pools, skating rinks, skate parks, batting cages indoor & outdoor, all youth or adult sports events should close, all gyms, fitness studios including yoga, Thai Chi, boxing, karate, gymnastics, etc. should close. There should be no recreational outdoor events like disk golf, golf, boating, fishing (but fishing for food is okay), skate parks, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. All convention Centers, and centers providing live entertainment should close as well as hair and nail salons, including spas, massage parlors and tattoo parlors.  Local law enforcement, Health Department inspectors, and your neighbors will be monitoring the situation.  Enforcement activities will be increased in the coming week.

If you have questions, look on the website: http://health.co.lake.ca.us

If you still have questions, send an email request: MHOAC@lakecountyca.gov.

You can also call during business hours: 707-263-8174

A man from Willits has been arrested after a fight at his home. Cops say they got a call to a brawl at a home in the city and when they got there, they say they found two men still actively fighting in a small travel trailer who had to be separated by Deputies. They say there was a woman there with a serious injury on her face and nose. So they interviewed others there, finding Shannon Henson was upset with the victim for inheriting the property they lived at. Deputies say Henson smashed the woman’s truck windshield and went to his home located on the same property. The woman confronted him and says he punched her in the face. Her husband got involved, to try to stop the assault. The victim went to a hospital and Henson, who was found to be on probation, was arrested and held on $35,000.00 bail.

Hands Up Lake County has a contest not unlike Shark Tank and Startup Mendocino to give seed money and training to startups, but in a competitive way. The nonprofit started after the 2018 Mendocino Complex fires. The two co-founders came up with the nonprofit after the River and Ranch fires. And after several businesses closed after, they started the Hand Up Lake County project. They say their new project will include a gala and monetary awards. They’re accepting applicants April 1^st to May 30^th. You have to be at least 18 years old and have an idea for a local startup or already own a small business in Lake County to qualify.

To apply (for free) to the Hand Up Lake County contest, visit http://www.1team1dream.net for an online application beginning April 1. Contact Olga Steele at 916-849-8170 for more information.

Another case of coronavirus has turned up in Napa. Napa County Public Health confirmed the case Sunday, hours after the county’s first case was found. The second case is someone in St. Helena where they are isolated and there’s no known connection between the two. The County’s Public Health Officer, like so many others across the country, says, with more testing, additional cases were not unexpected. She says it’s critical for “those who have respiratory symptoms to stay at home and isolate themselves from others, even if they still feel well enough to go out”.

More than $40 million dollars has been diverted in emergency funding so California’s health care system can get equipment and services for the response to coronavirus. $30 million is going to lease Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles for three-months. Seton Medical Center is open and will expand capacity for up to 120 COVID-19 patients starting next week and St. Vincents, which closed in January, will reopen to care for up to 366 COVID-19 patients as soon as possible. This comes after the state already went into partnership with local officials, to reopen Community Hospital in Long Beach. It can care for up to 158 patients.

PG&E has pleaded guilty to criminal acts related to the Camp Fire in Butte County. The company admitted 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter as part of what might be considered a plea agreement with the State of California and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. For that, the company admits guilt to causing 84 deaths and another count of unlawfully causing a fire. This was in writing by the utility company in a filing with the SEC. That puts the company ahead of other catastrophes including the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, where 11 people died in the Gulf of Mexico and its own deadly natural gas explosion the same year that killed eight in San Bruno, Calif. For that the company was also found guilty in court for felonies associated before and after the explosion.

Parks are still open in Sonoma County and now officials are considering closing them down after crowds were all over the beach and in recreational areas not paying any attention to social distancing guidelines. The Press Democrat reports non-essential park services were suspended and parks restrooms have been closed because of the coronavirus, but the newspaper is reporting there were massive crowds over the weekend at Sonoma and Marin County beaches and packed parking lots and jammed stretches of sand. Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins is in the district and says she’s consulting with public health officials, the county administrator and the parks director about a response to the crowds and a possible closure of parks. Marin County on the other hand immediately closed all parks after Sunday’s crowds.

News 3/20/20

More info on the first case of coronavirus in Mendocino County, a woman under 30 years old. Public Health Officer Noemi Doohan says the case was probably due to contact with someone else who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, so now they’re tracking all known contacts…

The case was diagnosed at a clinic and the patient did not need to be hospitalized. She is said to be in isolation with her condition improving. She is not a threat to public health.

Doohan says she had to call a business who was actively disregarding the order to close, Breakers Inn and the Vue restaurant in Gualala. The health order says restaurants can prepare and serve food, but “only for delivery and carry out.”

The Sheriff has reminded the public that health orders, and now, we are assuming here, that the Governor’s order, will all be enforceable by law. The Sheriff says enforcement is mostly education, to begin with.

A resolution to declare a state of emergency in Ukiah was done online, the city council meeting virtually. The meeting was streaming from council chambers Wednesday and in the physical chambers were only the City Clerk, City Manager and Council member Jim Brown. City hall has been closed to the public, but public meetings access has been allowed so far. The agendas are for routine and urgent business only with no sensitive matter being streamed. The City Manager says critical government services needed for the community will continue and that they’re focused on utility services, water, sewer and electric.

Before the Gov. ordered the statewide shelter in place, Coyote Valley Casino in Redwood Valley said it was closing until at least April 7^th. This after health experts said it was wise. But their Coyote Valley C-Store and gas pumps remain open, because they’re considered an essential business. They opened in 2016. Included nearby are nearly 50 homes, a community center, a hotel was supposed to open later this year.

Since the expanded testing in Sonoma County, another case turned up, the ninth. Now they’re dealing with a shortage of supplies, with county officials asking for state and federal help. There’s been 229 tests in Sonoma County, with nine positive results and 207 negative. Thirteen tests are pending. And local officials say they need way more tests. Coronavirus tests are being done in Sonoma County by LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, Kaiser Permanente and the county’s health lab which now says it will get some test kits from Kaiser.

The Gov. has announced a shelter-in-place mandate for the whole state to slow the spread of coronavirus. A tweet with a link to his executive order last night. The mandate starts today. Governor Newsom’s order says those in critical sectors should report to work. Also grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and other essential services will be open. Essential things you can do, get medications, shop for groceries and supplies, care for family members and exercise outdoors. This decision as the federal government announced more than $1 billion in aid to sick residents and to be able to care for patients. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in California was more than 800 yesterday after rising 21% overnight.

The Gov. warns as much as half of the state’s population could get infected with the coronavirus during an eight-week period. Newsom sent a letter to President Trump saying the case rate in the state is doubling every four days. The letter says the Governor’s office is projecting about 56 percent of the state’s population — 25.5 million people — will become infected over an eight week period.

You can get your child’s meals delivered from the Ukiah Unified School District. They’re starting a delivery service today for any child 18 years of age or younger in the district with five routes Monday through Friday until further notice. Visit www.uusd.net and click on the link next to the school bus for a list of food delivery stops and times. They’ll also continue the meal pickups at school sites from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at Frank Zeek, Grace Hudson, Nokomis, Oak Manor, and Yokayo Elementary Schools. In the Hopland, Calpella, and Eagle Peak areas, schools are one of the stops on the bus route. Students have to be present at the pickup sites.

Confirmation of more cases in Contra Costa County. Health officials confirmed a 42^nd case yesterday afternoon. But it was only up one from the day before and only three more since Tuesday.  The spread of confirmed cases there went from six March 6^th to 39 Tuesday night.

Seniors are being allowed to shop before others at some markets across some Bay Area counties. Safeway has seniors-only hours due to binge buying during the pandemic. Things like bottled water, eggs, pasta, meat, and canned goods could be seen in the early hours. A spokesperson for Safeway says the dedicated hours are for seniors and other vulnerable customers. Target and some Safeways in San Jose reported toilet paper sold out within minutes after the doors opened for the day. So those stores, Whole Foods and Walmart have either started the senior and vulnerable customer hours or announced they would start soon.

In Lake County locals are urging seniors to start using available services like getting help with meal delivery, delivery services from pharmacies and other services available through local senior centers. Volunteers working thru Meals on Wheels are bringing food in Lakeport, Kelseyville and Lucerne for homebound seniors, and anything else they’re in need of.

To find out what the current needs or ways to be a part of Lakeport’s efforts, call the Lakeport Senior Activity Center at 707-263-4218 or join the Covid19 – Lake County Seniors and Disabled Support Network Facebook group.

Cops continue with services in Lake County, but will need phone calls first for non-emergencies, as we’ve been reporting, the same in Mendocino County. Lake Co News reports the Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin is only booking felony cases into jail and closed their lobby. You can visit their website to report crimes online. The news site reports Clearlake and Lakeport have closed their lobbies to the public too. For the police departments, besides reporting crimes online, you can stay in touch through their Facebook accounts.

The Clearlake City Council conducted a meeting by phone. Lake Co News reports the Mayor Russ Cremer and council members Phil Harris, Joyce Overton and Russell Perdock were in chambers, but with social distancing in place, and the Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten attended on the phone. The public could also watch online. This comes after the city’s director of emergency services, who’s also the city manager declared the local emergency due to the virus. There are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lake County. The council ratified the emergency declaration at the meeting and will again at their next April 2^nd. The city council also unanimously voted for an urgency ordinance to stop evictions for nonpayment for at least 45 days.

The Sacramento Bee is reporting a lack of testing for coronavirus is preventing public health officials to know exactly how many people are infected. The newspaper reports there are most likely unidentified COVID-19 cases which therefore cannot be isolated. The report says the World Health Organization Director-General said testing, isolation and contact tracing are the “backbone of the response” to the pandemic, during a virtual press conference Monday, and that all countries should be able to test for suspected cases, without this, they cannot fight blindfolded and should know where the cases are. The Sacramento Bee report quotes a top health official who says testing in that region is so far behind where it should be, the actual number of those who are infected may be 20 to 100 times higher than what’s been reported.

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer is reminding that her order for businesses to close is a legal document…

Dr. Noemi or Mimi Doohan says she ordered the closure of the Breakers Hotel and Vue Restaurant in Gualala.

Dr. Doohan says it’s going to hit some harder than others, but it’s what has to be done to protect healthcare workers and first responders.

The state Attorney General Xavier Becerra sending out notice to large online marketplaces they need to do more to fight price gouging as it relates to coronavirus. Becerra says price gouging during a time of national emergency is not only disgraceful, it’s illegal. He wants the platforms and marketplaces to take immediate and vigorous steps to eliminate predatory behavior, adding that they know it’s illegal. Becerra also says anybody who feels they may have been the victim of price gouging to report it to the state. Violators could face fines of up to $10,000 and jail time.

The state unemployment office is reporting massive amounts of people filing for unemployment. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report says the week ending March 14^th showed Californians filed more than 58,200 initial claims for jobless benefits, a 34% increase and 42% higher than a year ago. The Governor says it’s going to get even worse, adding the state had 80,000 unemployment applications only on Tuesday and they normally average about 2,000 unemployment claims a day.

News 3/19/20

There’s a confirmed case of coronavirus in Mendocino County. The Public Health Officer Dr. Mimi Doohan had already announced a shelter in place directive starting last night until April 7^th. This comes after Sonoma County’s order and the confirmation, now, of the confirmed case of COVID-19. Dr. Doohan says it’s not surprising after surrounding counties had reported cases and community spread. The order to be sure the maximum amount of people shelter in their homes to slow the spread of the disease. It directs residents to stay home except for Essential Activities, Essential Businesses, and Essential Government Functions. It means social distancing if there are shared spaces to protect the public’s health. The order will be enforceable by law.

The MTA reports they’re reducing bus service in Mendocino County. Starting today buses won’t run as frequently, and there will be no Sunday service at all during coronavirus health advisories. after 4pm, temporary schedules will be updated inside all buses, bus shelters, on social media at mendocinotransit.org. the buses are equipped with hand sanitizing wipes as supplies last and they’re disinfecting interior bus surfaces whenever the buses are in service.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has ordered no visitors at the jail. The order to protect the inmate community and others from coronavirus. There are no cases in the jail though. Starting last night family visitation was being cancelled. The Lake County Sheriff’s office announced they understand and value that visitation is an essential part of rehabilitation, but at this time they have to make difficult decisions to protect the health and wellness of all who live and work in the Jail.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office commenting on their new Shelter in Place order saying they know there will be significant hardships due to the cancellation of certain events, school closures, limiting group activities, and the closing of bars and tasting rooms. The order went into effect this morning at 12:01 AM asking everyone to stay home with family, except for essential activities. It follows the big 6 Bay Area Counties and Sonoma and Mendocino County, which just announced the same yesterday, at the same time the first case arose there.  There are so far, no cases confirmed in Lake County and there have only been tests on a few dozen. The Public Health Officer reports they’re trying to get more tests and more laboratory capacity. The order goes through April 10^th.

A local emergency has been declared in the City of Willits. The City following the orders of the Mendocino County Public Health Officer and says they’re announcing a Shelter in Place order following Mendocino County. The city says the emergency order gives them the opportunity to mobilize resources, accelerate emergency planning, streamline staffing, facilitate inter-agency coordination, and allow for potential future reimbursement by the state and federal governments. The Emergency Operations Center will also open, at the lowest level, in Willits. That will allow the City to coordinate with its dispatch center. But city facilities and departments are closed except very limited hours at City Hall for essential services. They encourage residents to use their website and drop box to make payments or send them thru regular mail.

After the announcement of the Shelter in Place in Mendocino County, a group of business owners and managers got together to talk about the response. The Mendocino County CEO Carmel Angelo was in attendance. And a representative from Kwine was there with the following information, Santa Clara County is a hot spot, the first couple of cases came from there, one from a cruise ship passenger, who has since died. And they mentioned the state of other Bay Area counties not being good. They have a couple of ideas on response, either, test and isolate people who test positive and isolating anyone who had any contact with that person, or what we are currently doing, shelter in place. The Public Health Officer has warned that things could change on a dime, as they have been day by day. People will continue to be tested, but they also warned that there could be people walking around with the virus who show no symptoms.

The Public Health Officer in Lake County is issuing a shelter in place order, following several other counties, and joining with the 8 million ordered to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Gary Pace says the order as of 12:01 a.m. means no travel unnecessarily or conducting of nonessential business outside your home, of course there are exceptions including allowing people to shop for food and get medical care. The order is in effect until April 10^th to slow the entrance and spread in the community. He says the outbreak response is continually changing but due to the increased spread of the infection in the Bay Area. He says the order is to limit mixing of people so there’s less opportunity to spread the virus. They ask not to call the Sheriff’s Dept. or police or 911 for non-emergencies.

A temporary closure of California State Parks to camping has been announced. But non-campground outdoor areas of parks, including trails and beaches, are open. They remind you if visiting a park to practice social distancing with at least six feet between other visitors and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Restrooms ae staying open, and visitors are advised to take soap for hand washing and alcohol-based hand sanitizers if there’s no water available. This follows an order for the temporary suspension of all guided tours and large events and the closure of visitor centers and museums.

Lakeport has announced an emergency proclamation because of the coronavirus. The City Council declared the local emergency at a special meeting before their regular meeting Tuesday where they also approved a broadband implementation plan and upcoming infrastructure projects. The City Council will have to approve the emergency proclamation at every council meeting. After the proclamation was approved the city manager sent out a Nixle alert to start the process. As with orders in many other cities and counties in the state, it means a stop to all non-essential activities or travel and limiting activities to grocery shopping, getting gas, going to doctor’s appointments and following court orders.

Free meals are being offered to Ukiah Unified School District students during this home-schooling period. Kids 18 years old and younger can get a grab-and-go breakfast and lunch during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. They normally serve as many as 5,500 meals a day and since there was community wide interest in providing the meals during the home schooling period, it was decided to continue. Funding comes from state and federal reimbursement programs. So bagged meals are available at schools until April 13^th. But the locations could change with the new county-wide Shelter-In-Place Order which began last night at 10 p.m.

A man in Ukiah has been jailed on attempted murder charges after reportedly beating another man and leaving him at a shopping center alone. Police say they got a call to a loading dock behind the CVS on South Orchard Avenue Tuesday morning after a man was seen lying in a pool of blood. Police say he was bleeding from his head. After speaking with another man at the incident, he denied knowing anything. Then officers say the guy, identified as David Giusti starting leaving the area, but they detained him, finding he was covered in blood and had a bloody wooden dowel with his personal belongings in a shopping cart. Apparently Giusti and the victim had an argument, so he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury and mayhem (permanently disfiguring). He was held on $250,000 bail.

A couple more cases have been confirmed in Sonoma County as more tests are being done. The Public Health Officer says there’s been a shortage of test kits and that’s slowed testing. There have been about 200 tests at county, state and federal laboratories. 159 tests were completed a week ago at five local health centers to see if there was community spread.  Two new cases were confirmed yesterday. So there’s been a total now of six in Sonoma County. Health Care providers following the testing criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: fever, cough and shortness of breath, and if there’s been travel to coronavirus crisis areas like, China, Italy and Spain.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is closed to the public. The lobby will stay closed until 04/13/2020 so if you’re reporting a crime or have an emergency, call Central Dispatch or 911. For non emergencies call the main number. If you need to speak with someone at the Sheriff’s Main Office please call the office main line at (707)262-4200.

The Governor has announced a major uptick in Unemployment Development claims. Gov. Newsom reported 80-thousand claims filed Tuesday alone, compared to an average day of about 2,000 claims. The hospitality industry especially suffering. A union representing restaurant and hotel workers in the Sacramento area says it’s hit their members hard. Most hotels they have employees working at are normally about 85% filled this time of year, now they’re at 25-30% occupancy. The Employment Development Dept. says they’re working as fast as they can to process claims, even calling retired workers back in to help with the massive surge in claims.

A day after the governor commented that most schools probably wouldn’t come back this academic year, he issued an executive order to suspend standardized tests. That means regular testing for more than 6 million students will be put off, but it still has to be approved by the federal government. Gov. Newsom says it’s stressful enough for students, families and educators right now without the additional burden of annual testing. He says their main focus is to support the mental and socioemotional health of students while still providing educational opportunities like distance learning.

Federal loans may be available to businesses in Northern Calif. thru the Small Business Administration after the emergency declaration due to COVID-19. That includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Sonoma Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties. The declaration due to economic impacts because of coronavirus starting in Jan. It’s part of SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans for small, nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private nonprofit organizations of any size.
The deadline to apply for business economic injury is Dec. 16, 2020.

All Mendocino County Elected Officials and Department Heads are being allowed to close their offices to the public, to help protect the health of their employees while still providing essential public services. Essential services will stay open, but all non-essential services will be closed. The lobby and reception area for Health and Human Services will be closed, but they’ll be providing any emergency or critical services to protect and support the community. The Treasurer Tax Collector is not changing the deadline for property taxes due to state law. So they ask payments to be snailmailed in. The Assessor – Clerk – Recorder announced they’re open by appointment only and have limited essential functions. They would like a phone call first. They’re also finishing work on the primary which just happened a couple weeks ago.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is doing all work virtually and won’t be having any in person participation. You can livestream on the county’s YouTube page. The new state order effective tomorrow will suspend a Brown Act requirement for Board members for one member to be physically present and for the public to be able to access the teleconference location. This is to minimize the risk of exposure to the public. You can submit questions to the board via email instead and public comment will be attached with the latest agenda on the board’s website.

bos@mendocinocounty.org

https://mendocino.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

The manager of Angelina’s grill and bar in Fort Bragg reached out to our news department to let the public know they’re open for delivery with food runners or curb-side service between 10 AM and 7 PM.

The Mayor of Fort Bragg has posted a letter to the public online, thanking folks for their kindness. And because of the shelter in place order from the Public Health Officer, just a reminder to only conduct essential business which includes, getting any needed medications, visiting doctors, dentists and taking animals to their doctors too. You are also allowed essential exercise like walking, jogging or strolling along the Coastal Trail or at Otis Johnson Park. And a reminder too, to walk with family, but keep a six-foot distance from strangers as you exercise and get fresh air. Also to offer those in need a helping hand with the same, and to support local businesses during this time of crisis.

News 3/18/20

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer has announced a Shelter in Place stance similar to surrounding counties even though there are no local confirmed cases. Health Officer Noemi Mimi Doohan has ordered the Shelter in Place in a coordinated effort with the big 6 Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda). Since Sonoma County’s Shelter-In-Place Order, Dr. Doohan issued the local order in alignment with the region. The Health Order takes effect today at 5:00 p.m. goes into full effect at 10:00 p.m. in response to almost 300 confirmed cases and 5 deaths in the seven Bay Area jurisdictions plus community spread in neighboring counties. The Health Officer is recommending residents cancel any nonessential travel to any of the Bay Area counties. Please visit http://www.mendocinocounty.org for the latest local news on COVID-19. For general health related questions or other concerns regarding COVID-19, please call Mendocino County’s Call Center at (707) 234-6052 or email callcenter@mendocinocounty.org. The call center will be open during regular business hours, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Health Officer has also announced a three week ban on public and private gatherings of more than 50 people. This will last until April 7^th. Further, any gatherings of 10-50 people should use social distances of at least six feet from any other attendee. The order differs from a directive, in that orders allow the sheriff’s office to enforce the orders if they’re not followed. Any violation is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. The Sheriff also at the press conference yesterday. Sheriff Kendall says he consulted with police chiefs in Mendocino County and they’d educate people first before punishing. The Sheriff says there will also be more deputies on the street since they won’t be sending any personnel to training in different parts of the state.

The health officer says they’ve completed 52 tests, three by the public health lab, and 49 at commercial health labs. 19 were negative, and the rest are pending. She says there’s currently no evidence of community spread in Mendocino County and there’s a shortage of tests and a problem getting them back quickly too, like many other places across the country. Doohan says she believes they will get more tests and there is no evidence there’s any clustering of cases or any confirmed cases.

No more on site education in Ukiah Unified School District. There’s now remote learning, which began yesterday and will, for now, continue thru Spring Break on Monday, April 13^th. Also, no after school activities, childcare, or field trips. The County CEO says they’ll decide in the next few days which offices will stay open as some are larger than others. The Board of Supervisors are also holding a special meeting to deal with the crisis this Friday March 20^th at 9 am. There will also be a virtual meeting held for faith based leaders and churches coming up, but no date certain was given. They will talk about ways to provide essential services to seniors and possible food options. And the County says it’s monitoring folks returning from high-risk countries, and are checking with them daily and bringing food to them if they need it.

Hoarding is the new normal as Americans stock up on everything to clean their homes to reduce the risk. California’s state water regulators are reminding people not to flush the cleaning solutions down the toilet as they don’t break down like toilet paper. There are already reports of problems in some sewer systems. The State Water Resources Control Board says wipes, paper towels and similar products flushed down toilets will clog sewers and cause backups and overflows at wastewater treatment plants which is another public health risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some students who attend Universities in Calif. who will now switch to online learning say they want a tuition discount. The Press Democrat reports there’s now an online petition circulating after University of California Irvine freshman Rose Oganesian considered it shouldn’t be the same price. Oganesian’s petition says students should get at least a partial refund whether they start their spring quarter later this month or if they’re already in the middle of their spring semester. As of the last check there were already more than 5,200 who’d signed the petition originally just for UC Irvine, then amended to include all public campuses in California.

The interim public health officer in Sonoma County has ordered all residents to stay at home and limit all but essential business and government operations for three weeks. The mandatory directive, but not an order, due to the coronavirus. It was issued last night and continues until at least until April 7^th. There are four confirmed cases in Sonoma County from community spread. Three were healthcare workers. Dr. Mase says if they don’t have any preventative measures, there could be a peak of cases that could tax the healthcare system and put it overcapacity.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors’ Vision 2028 Statement” meeting’s first order will be to figure out ways to promote economic resilience for Lake County residents. The Board met at their regular time on Tuesday and talked about the potential for community spread of the virus. There have been no confirmed cases in the County so far. The Board Chair Moke Simon says they’re taking it very seriously and have to keep residents safe, especially the most vulnerable. The Board moved to ratify Sheriff Martin’s Emergency Proclamation and adopt a Resolution so that residents are not evicted right now if they cannot pay their rent because of COVID-19. They’re also trying to find a way so there’s electronic access to Board meetings, and are working on continuing as many County services as can be responsibly provided.

A body found along the Mendocino Coast earlier this month was a man missing for a year and a half. The Sheriff’s Dept. says it was 44 year old Lewis Compton of Westport who was out of touch with his family since November of 2018 after running from a CHP officer investigating a hit-and-run crash. Cops say the man had run from the crash, then abandoned a Jeep on the side of Highway 1. He was reported missing six days later, but deputies didn’t search because they were reportedly concerned he might have been armed. Then March 7^th, near where his abandoned jeep was first found, human remains, clothes and shoes were found. State Assemblyman Jim Wood, who’s also a forensic dentist, compared Compton’s dental records and the skeleton’s teeth, finding they were a match.

We have a shelter in place order in Mendocino County. The Public Health Officer, Dr. Mimi Doohan says, yes, the 7 other nearby counties, are not that nearby, but it’s the smartest thing to do, based on science after cases arose regionally, starting with the epicenter in Santa Clara County where a couple of cases first arose in Northern Calif. Many people at yesterday’s meeting spoke out, including some healthcare providers. Dr  Suzanne Hiramatsu, a Physician at Ukiah Valley ER says she agrees with Dr. Doohan’s Shelter in Place Order as does, Harvard Schooled, Ukiah resident, Dr. Drew Colfax…

The Public Health Officer in Lake County says testing for the virus is limited everywhere, including Lake County. Dr. Gary Pace says that means if the virus hits locally it may be too much for health care facilities to handle. The comments at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting where he updated county leaders on local developments. He told the Board he wasn’t sure how long things would go on, and that, “It’s a sobering time.” There were also two new public health orders, one about school closures, the other on limiting groups. And like other regional counties, he encouraged, but did not order residents to shelter in place.  He says testing has been a challenge after some private labs sent tests back because they were overwhelmed or it would take a week to get results. The public health lab in Santa Rosa is reportedly running tests for three counties, including Lake, the others are Sonoma and Mendocino. But those tests are only being run on very sick individuals.

The Clearlake City Council is prepared to ratify a local emergency proclamation connected to the virus. They also say their next meeting for tomorrow night will be livestreamed on PEG TV’s Youtube Channel. The streaming meeting after the Governor issued an Executive Order allowing council members to attend city council meetings telephonically. They’re also encouraging community members to do the same, saying they can observe in person, but due to current health risks, they can also watch online. The City Council will talk COVID-19, but is also going to consider the purchase of Austin Resort which is located across from City Hall.

The Gov. has announced the California National Guard is now on alert to protect local communities and to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The Guard directed by Gov. Newsom for humanitarian missions, including food distribution, ensuring resiliency of supply lines, and supporting public safety as required.