A man was found with Fentanyl and a gun in Ukiah yesterday. Police spotted the suspicious man in a parked car near South State Street at about 9:30am on Monday. Ukiah Police began talking with 29-year-old Tobias Wood as pulled out a tin foil packet with the illegal powder inside of it. Police searched the car and found a rifle and a bullet proof vest. Wood has a list of prior arrests, including felony convictions that prohibit him from having a gun. He was booked into Mendocino County Jail.
A man arrested fort a hit and run earlier this year appeared at Lake County Superior Court. Al S. James entered a not guilty plea. James is charged with a hit and run that injured a woman on North Main Street in Lakeport last January. The woman was seriously injured and was air lifted to a hospital out of Lake County, according to the Record Bee.
PG&E helicopters will patrol power lines in parts of Sonoma County as part of a company-wide drill today. The Press Democrat reports the aerial patrols are part of a public safety power shutoff preparedness exercise. The drill today will not actually effect the power. During actual public safety shutoffs, power lines are de-energized to reduce the risk of wildfires during severe weather. Crews inspect the lines to identify and repair the damage before the company restores power to the effected areas. The drills help crews in response timing, helping them prepare for real emergencies.
A coalition of cannabis firms, who represent almost half the sales in California started an effort to address credit problems in the state’s cannabis market. Cannabis operators issued a public letter in support of Assembly Bill 766, or “The Cannabis Credit Protection Act” The legislation would establish regulatory safeguards around cannabis sales made on credit. Because marijuana remains federally illegal, banks don’t service cannabis companies. Businesses have been forced to work with cash only, which increases the likelihood of being robbed. The bill would allow cannabis companies to access supply chains with credit terms. According to Reuters, the bill will go to the California’s Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.
Robert Sedlar, called a predatory lender has been convicted of 100 felony counts for operating a mortgage fraud scheme in Mendocino County and throughout California, in an announcement from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Between 2015 and 2019, Sedlar ran Grand View Financial LLC, and conspired to steal money and homes from distressed homeowners. Sedlar was found guilty of conspiracy and multiple counts of Filing False Documents, Grand Theft, Elder Abuse, and of Prohibited Acts by a Foreclosure Consultant. Grand View Financial LLC operated in Mendocino County and the scheme resulted in a combined loss of over $7 million to elderly Californians. He goes back to court July 21st for sentencing.
Mendocino National Forest officials have lifted the off-highway vehicle and Deer Valley campground closure order on the Upper Lake Ranger District, effective at 9 a.m. today. Crews have been clearing trails after severe storm damage this winter. Visitors and riders should use the park with caution, as fire-injured trees may continue to fall. Road access is still limited across the forest due to storm damage with some temporary fixes are in place for emergency vehicles. To access the OHV trail system or Deer Valley Campground people will need to take the longer alternate route via Potter Valley. The gate above Middle Creek Campground will remain closed. A permanent repair to Elk Mountain Road is still under construction. Officials are asking everyone to obey all posted signs and use caution.
An ATV rider died over the weekend. California Highway Patrol reports that E. Rodriguez Vizcarra was riding an ATV on Mexico Ridge Road south of Mendocino Pass Road when he lost control Sunday afternoon. The ATV threw him off and down a steep embankment. The CHP, Cal Fire and Covelo police all responded, but the rider died at the scene. An investigation showed the rider misjudged his speed and condition, and crashed down a hill, throwing him down a steep hillside were he was found dead by first responders. The investigation into the crash continues.
The May revision to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal is garnering praise from the higher-education community – but also some criticisms on what it would cut. The higher ed budget is stable, despite a projected budget deficit of 35-point-1 billion dollars. Officials with the Campaign for College Opportunity says the revise fully funds promises made to the U-C, C-S-U and community college systems. By law, the core budget must be balanced and passed by June 15th so lawmakers and interest groups will be busy hammering out a final package over the next few weeks. The governor’s plan puts money toward a program that would require UCLA to set aside slots to guarantee admission for students transferring from a community college. Lawmakers are also currently considering Assembly Bill 1749, which would require the U-C Schools to develop a guaranteed system-wide community college transfer pathway.
The Clearlake City Council is set to meet this Thursday. At this week’s meeting, the council will consider a $4.6 million contract with Argonaut Constructors for the 18th Avenue Improvement Project. The work will connect 18th Avenue to Highway 53, crossing the city’s former Pearce field airport property. They will reconsider the contract after delayed funding from the California Transportation Commission. In Lake County News, the council will also discuss litigation for the Clearlake Middle Management Association, the Koi Nation of Northern California v. City of Clearlake. The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Clearlake City Hall.
The nonprofit Mendocino Study Club which created and originally staffed the Mendocino Community Library, will be ending after over a century. The club meets for the last time this Friday, May 19th. The scholarship fund will now be handled by the Community Foundation of Mendocino County. In MendoVoice online, the group that awarded scholarships to girls from Mendocino High School Women’s clubs is dissolving. Members say times have changed and with increased opportunities for females have grown. The Study Club, founded in 1908 was the oldest civic organization on the Mendocino Coast. Other clubs aimed at improving women’s lives are around, and the scholarship opportunities will continue.
Title 42 ended, immigration is as confusing as ever. In the Sacramento Bee today, advocacy groups are pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection into creating better conditions in encampments as more people seek to enter the U.S. The COVID-related migration rule authorized officials to quickly expel migrants ended Thursday. The Biden administration has introduced a new policy that will make it harder for migrants seeking political asylum. Those who arrive seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border must prove that they unsuccessfully sought asylum in one of the countries they traveled through. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Biden administration in a federal court in Northern California over its new policy last week. Migrants can schedule asylum appointments through the CBP One smartphone application. But technical issues, poor service, have slowed the process.
Monkeypox may be on the rise again in the state. Health officials are renewing a push to vaccinate those who may be vulnerable, including the LGBTQ+ community ahead of Pride month. MPox, as its called, is rarely fatal but can cause rashes and flu-like symptoms. It is spread skin to skin, and via sex. As of last Friday, nearly 250 Californians were hospitalized with about 30,000 cases across the country and 42 deaths. Numbers have fallen since last summer, but more recently have been found on the rise. Public health officials in San Francisco are renewing their mpox vaccination efforts, according to the LA Times.
The California Office of Traffic Safety is launching the “Go Safely Movement” campaign today. The campaign hopes to build a strong safety culture in the state by raising awareness. The office has sent out a survey, in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities across the state and includes questions about texting and driving, DUI, street racing, and speeding. The Community Call to Action Survey results will help officials in planning for safety and community involvement traffic safety initiatives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022, twelve people were killed in crashes in California every day.
More than half of the country’s voting-age population voted in 2022, the second highest turnout for a congressional election in twenty years, according to Lake County News today. Despite lower turnout in 2022 than in 2018, the number of voting-age Americans registered to vote was just over 69 percent. Newly released data based on a Voting and Registration Supplement survey shows voting and registration behavior in the 2022 congressional elections. In the survey, some people say they were too busy with work or school to vote. More registered voters say they forgot to vote last year, up a couple of points from 2018. Of the many that did choose to vote, about half voted early or by mail.
This winter’s heavy storms have made California’s rivers ripe with chances to pan for gold. The atmospheric rivers caused lots of erosion, with rain pounding the ground and rinsing gold downstream. In the Record Bee, the heavy spring flows are churning up river bottoms, causing gold to be dredged up. Rivers are shifting gravel bars and stirred up easier access for miners. The news is increasing the numbers of amateur prospectors, as the price of gold rises and hit a near-record of more than $2,000 an ounce this week, up from $1,700 last November. However, officials are urging caution, with fast and cold running rivers it’s not safe for panning yet. Gold pan enthusiasts are headed for the smaller streams and creeks for now.
A new study links emissions from the world’s major fossil fuel producers to 37% of acres burned by wildfire in the west between 1986 and 2021. The report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they say those emissions are also responsible for drying out California forests. Researchers hope these findings translate into corporate accountability for damages wrought by past and future disasters. This is the first study in the world that attributes wildfire impacts from climate change to specific fossil fuel producers, according to a scientist and author of the study. The group wants to see hope a shift in the narrative for the public and policymakers in California toward one in which we broadens corporate responsibility.
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