Crowds of people gathered on the front steps of the Capitol protesting the state’s vaccine mandate for kids to go to in person learning. The mandate won’t officially start until vaccines receive full FDA, not emergency, approval. So probably next year. Still thousands of parents protested yesterday across the state shouting, “mid kid, my choice”. Many parents brought their kids with them too, keeping them out of school to make the point. The governor’s restrictions are some of the harshest in the country. He ordered the first stay home order after the pandemic first struck in March of 2020. He’s also requiring health care workers and state employees get vaccinated. Those against the student vaccination order were egging other parents on to stay home yesterday and sit out the day of school.
A man from Ukiah’s been accused of tossing Molotov cocktails into a home saying the victims in the home confronted him after his car broke down on Highway 101. Francisco Tafolla-Rivera is charged with attempted murder, arson and animal cruelty and possessing methamphetamine. Police say Tafolla-Rivera was told he had to move out of a home in Covelo because of suspected drug use, but then he went back to the home last week and tossed the explosives inside where eight adults, a 3-year-old and an infant were living. They say he was on the 101 when his car broke down by Willits and while waiting for help, he was approached by two of the men from the home and they got into a fight. So he called 911. One of the people from the home also reported the highway altercation. Tafolla-Rivera’s was arrested and held on $250,000 bail.
A man from Covelo’s busted after a probation search of the guy’s home turns up drugs and a gun. The Mendocino County Sheriff Dept reports contacting Luiz Gonzalez who they say seemed to be under the Influence of drugs. They also found a gun without a serial number on it. He was arrested for being in possession of a loaded firearm while under the influence of a drug and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and held on $15,000.00 bail.
The state had its driest year in 100 years. Experts at the Western Regional Climate Center say average precipitation reported at each of its stations found under 12 inches of rain and snow fell in California in the 2021 water year which is about half what they say we should have in an average water year. The center looks at rainfall by measuring precipitation at the end of a water year, from Oct. 1st to Sept. 30th. So this is the second driest year since records were kept. The last time it was this low in 1924. And the hottest summer on record, was this year.
A body that was found in the trunk of a car along Mendocino Pass Road northeast of Covelo has been identified as a man from Mexico, Marco Antonio Barrera Beltran. The Sheriff’s office says he was a 51 year old man from Ceres, Calif., who hails from southwest Mexico. Deputies have not said why he was in Round Valley and they continue investigating. His body was found in an abandoned vehicle October 3rd. Detectives in Covelo searching for information that may have been connected to the death. The Sheriff’s office described the case as a “body dump type of murder.”
Police in Fort Bragg say there was a vehicle of interest in the case of a hit and run case, but not a lot more info. Police investigating the case of Brandon Brazor hit on October 12th and receiving serious injuries. The vehicle of interest was called a white car, but then Sunday they said they no longer considered that car involved. Damages on the vehicle were reported to be “consistent with the hit and run collision” but officers spoke to the driver and will continue to do so. The sister in law of Brazor says he’s home from the hospital after four hours there and most of the injuries were to his head and face. The Fort Bragg Mayor has set up a donation account with the Savings Bank of Mendocino for Brazor’s medical expenses.
A car that crashed off Highway 101 has burst into flames outside Hopland. The CHP reports it was a solo car crash north of Hopland on the 101 about 2:30 p.m. yesterday. The car caught fire and spread to surrounding brush. The driver was reportedly critically injured. Firefighters put the fire out and an air ambulance was called for the victim. No other info was made available.
Economic development is on the agenda at this morning’s Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting. West Business Development Center and the Economic Development Financing Corporation will be at the meeting this morning. West Center has a proposal for the county which outlines that over a third of the county’s small businesses closed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. So they’re working on post-pandemic recovery and resiliency in case there are more economic downturns in the future. The board will also consider the budget for the Sheriff’s office to add a full time employee in information technology.
Congressman Jared Huffman has co-hosted a town hall with Californians and New Yorkers along with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. The two touted the President’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill, Build Back Better and talked about how it can help address climate change. Huffman said it could be the last time in our lifetime we can do something historic about the changing climate. Huffman said there’s a false narrative about how his party is handling the negotiations. He says his colleagues, including Ocasio-Cortez, are fully behind the bill and there’s not a huge divide among Democrats. Although there are reported holdouts including West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema. Huffman said they’re standing in the way of doing something “really transformative”.
A man accused of carrying a firearm has pleaded no contest in a plea deal. Michael Anthony Dore was in court in Lakeport and entered the plea, admitting a special allegation. The court accepted the deal which now goes to the probation department for a sentencing suggestion. They will all be back in court next month. He was charged with carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, occupant carrying a concealable weapon in vehicle, maliciously shooting from a vehicle at a person and assault with firearm on person, all but the last charge were dismissed. This is the case where another man said guns were stolen and that Dore shot at someone at the Highland Springs Reservoir in Sept. of last year. He’s no longer in custody and will be back in court November 15th for formal sentencing.
Consideration of lifting the mask mandate is being mulled in eight counties of the Bay Area. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Mendocino County Public Health Officer said she had been following along with what the counties were doing. But no such announcement has been made. Just the same Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma have set protocols for when they will fully lift the mask mandate, with Marin the closest to hitting the requirements. The county has one of the lowest COVID-19 case rates and the highest vaccination rates in the region. The earliest they are considering is Nov. 3rd if things stay status quo. They have to be in the CDC’s yellow or moderate tier for three weeks to move forward. San Mateo is in yellow after Marin. The rest in Orange and Napa in red.
A white van that had several tanks of Nitrous Oxide aboard has overturned on Hwy 101. The accident at mile marker 75.9 north of Laytonville crashed into an embankment. The California Highway Patrol reports the driver left the scene but ended up somehow at the Leggett Fire station where he was then arrested for a DUI. There was one way controlled traffic in the area as Mendocino County Health went to the scene to evaluate and the vehicle and its chemical contents could safely be removed from the crash site. The van was seen off the side of the road and traffic was creeping through the area.
The CHP is still searching for someone they tried to stop on the northbound 101. They say the driver took off, driving too fast through roads and ended up crashing into a tree in the 6000 block of Branscomb Road near Laytonville. The car was reported stolen from Walnut Creek. Witnesses say the suspect went into a wooded area. He was described as a Black man with a bald or shaved head, about 6 feet tall, in his 20’s, wearing a navy blue hoodie, blue jeans and tennis shoes. The California Highway Patrol reports local residents were notified to lookout for the guy as he’s still on the run.
Two people traveling in Redwood Valley have crashed and burned a jeep. The pair in a 2017 Jeep Cherokee headed north on West Rd west of [Zahadoom] Way when the driver lost control and hit a tree. The CHP reported due to the fast speed and impact, the jeep burst into flames. A passing motorist got out of their car and helped the passenger out of the jeep, but because of the intense heat from the fire, they couldn’t rescue the driver. Firefighters came to the scene and put the fire out, but the driver died. The crash was being investigated and the name of the driver was not released by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office until their family was notified.
A woman from Lake County has been arrested in Jenner after driving a stolen car down an embankment then sleeping inside a stranger’s home. The CHP reports searching for the woman Sunday after a stolen Mazda 6 was driven off the side of Highway 116 along the Russian River. They say she got out and ran to the river. The Monte Rio Fire Chief jumped into help find the woman who they say was hiding in some bushes. They called off the search Sunday night. But the next morning someone found her asleep in their home in Jenner. She was identified as Miranda Swint and was arrested on a vehicle theft charge, but the homeowners didn’t pursue a trespassing charge. She was checked at a hospital, then booked into the Sonoma County Jail.