It doesn’t look like a lot will change for women who want an abortion after today’s historic U S Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade. California WILL likely experience more women from out of state coming here because abortion is illegal where they live. The state has been anticipating the influx of patients by budgeting services for the uninsured, programs to increase the number of providers, and to help with the cost of traveling from other states. Just today, lawmakers passed a bill that would shield providers from civil lawsuits if they care for patients from states where abortion is banned. Governor Newsom is likely to sign it.
The Bureau of Land Management has an updated fire prevention order prohibiting numerous activities on public lands. It now includes Lake County an earlier ban that covered Mendocino County and several others in Northern California. The order basically bans ANY burning on federal land—including cigarettes as well as target shooting, target practice, and welding torches. The Bureau says most wildfires have a human spark, so it is important to be proactive to STOP fires before they even start. That ban went into effect today.
It’s a no for a proposed water and fire tax for the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. At Tuesday’s meeting the Board considered a proposal for a three-eighths of a cent sales tax, where 40% of it would pay for water resiliency projects and the other 60% would go to fire services. Altogether, the projection was that would bring the county $7 million a year. One supervisor was vehemently against the water tax and came with backup information on money spent on the Potter Valley Project which cost the county a bundle. A couple of local news sites report they’re against the tax, but Mendo Fever reports fire chiefs around the county are all for it. And there are others supporting the proposed tax, but no matter, the board instead asked the county’s lawyer to draw up an ordinance with a quarter cent tax for fire services alone. The tax would last a decade.
A woman from Willits has been arrested after being found with a bunch of drugs that looked to be for sale. Amanda Sizemore was stopped by Deputies who say she was alone and they noticed a plastic baggie with more than an ounce of marijuana in it. They searched the car and also found meth, two more pounds of marijuana, LSD and drug paraphernalia associated with selling illicit drugs. They also say she was not allowed to have pepper spray, but they found some of that. She was arrested and held on $25,000.00 bail.
A man in Hopland’s arrested after Deputies got a report of a drunk guy on Highway 101. Deputies found Mark Pivec standing in front of the Hopland Tap House and say he seemed drunk. They also noticed a café across the street had shattered windows and a car was parked in front of it. They say there was mustard splashed over the outside of the car, and blood in front of the broken window and on top of a newspaper stand. Pivec also had a severe cut on his hand, so he was detained. They say Pivec threw the nearby newspaper stand through the window of the Blue Bird Cafe, and threw mustard on the car, causing damage to the paint and dents in the body panels. He’s charged with Felony Vandalism and Misdemeanor Public Intoxication and held on $15,000.00 bail.
Awards for those growing Cannabis are a thing. And for the first time at the California State Fair cannabis cultivators were honored. Mendocino County was a big winner with local farms winning more than half of the 19 awards, including “most unique” and five out of the top 10 all-around winners, for ten awards in all. And also in the Emerald Triangle, no surprise, farms in Humboldt and Trinity counties took home prices, as did others in Lake and Sonoma counties. The inclusion of the flower awards at the California State Fair was announced in Sacramento last fall. Those who won get to go to a special awards ceremony next month and will go on a promotional tour. They will not be selling cannabis at the fair though. Farms from Redwood Valley, Laytonville, Hopland, Willits, and others listed simply as “Mendocino County” were honored.
Attorney General Rob Bonta has his Republican competitor for November’s General Election. Nathan Hochman will compete against the incumbent after he won 18% of the vote in the primary. He’s also the candidate the Republican party was supporting. Bonta was the only Democrat running in the June 7th primary. The top two vote getters, no matter what party they’re from move forward to the General, Bonta won nearly 55% of the vote. The favorite of many law enforcement organizations Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, running without party affiliation, only received 7.7% of the vote.
Congressman Mike Thompson, a gun advocate, says the Supreme Court overruling a NY carry conceal law “dealt a blow” for states to protect residents against gun violence. Thompson commented to the Press Democrat after the ruling was announced that he felt “troubled”. The NY law requires people who apply for a license to carry in public show why they need to. And just after several mass shootings, including one in NY in the City of Buffalo, just weeks ago. Thompson said the NY law had been on the books for more than a century and the Supremes “extreme ruling undermines the authority of states to responsibly regulate the use of firearms and will lead to more gun violence.” He says he’s committed to passing legislation to respect Second Amendment rights at the same time, protecting kids, schools, and communities.
The Lake County Planning Commission just said no to a proposal for cannabis growing quite close to a vineyard in Clearlake Oaks. The Commission was looking at Monte Cristo Vineyards cannabis project yesterday with only three commissioners at the meeting, so all of them needed to support the idea. One voted against it. There were complaints from neighbors who said the grow would be too close to small neighborhoods. The owners were proposing 40 acres of their vineyard be separated and 22 acres be dedicated to cannabis growing. They also said they would be planting the farthest they could from their neighbors. Neighbors were concerned about noise, dust, traffic, fire danger and crime, and especially the amount of water to be used.
Independence Day celebrations are on for the Lakeshore Lions Club. Their annual parade, carnival and fireworks show will happen next Saturday. The group’s 64th annual Redbud Parade and Festival starts at 11 am July 2nd with the theme this year, “Rocking Lake County.” There will be a marching band, floats, vintage cars, fire and police vehicles and more. The fireworks display is on at dusk after a free concert at 7pm. It’s the Lakeshore Lions Club’s largest fundraiser. Money goes to support eyeglasses and vision care for the needy, high school sports, sober graduation, scholarships and many other school activities, the fire and police departments, the senior center, South Shore Little League and many other causes.
A former resident of Covelo is going to prison as part of a plea deal on two counts of murder. The DA reports Samson Musselini Little Bear Joaquin was supposed to go to trial last Monday, but there were not enough jurors for jury selection, but this week while the two sides gathered witnesses before a new trial date could be set, they settled and Little Bear Joaquin admitted he intentionally killed Kyle McCartney and Traci Bland with a splitting maul/fire axe in November of 2020 in a remote area north of Covelo. They agreed to the 31 years to life sentence, the maximum allowed by law. There was no credit for time already served and he will be sentenced next month. He had five co-defendants, who were all convicted for different roles in the double murder.