Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, August 4, 2021

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IT WILL BE ANOTHER HOT AND DRY DAY INLAND with areas of smoke, while cool, cloudy conditions continue at the coast with limited afternoon sun. A deep marine layer will bring cooling well inland on Thursday, with a stray thunderstorm possible in far northeast Trinity County. Seasonable temperatures and more dry weather are expected for the weekend. (NWS)

YESTERDAY'S HIGHS: Ukiah 102°, Yorkville 100°, Boonville 93°, Fort Bragg 62°

31 NEW COVID CASES reported in Mendocino County yesterday afternoon.

COVID-19: MENDOCINO COUNTY PREPARING MASK REQUIREMENT, VACCINE VERIFICATION RECOMMENDATION

Supervisor McGourty: ‘We’ve been screwing around with this long enough’

by Justine Frederiksen

With 42 new cases reportedly recorded on Monday alone, Mendocino County is experiencing a new surge of Covid-19 that Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren said is causing hospitalization rates to approach the levels seen last winter.

“In May and June our average daily case rate increased from 3 to 6 per 100,000, then in July it jumped to 14.6 per day, and in the last week we had 21 cases per day,” Coren told the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. “In Lake County, the average case rate is about 55 per day, and Mendocino County could be there in two to three weeks.”

“We had 42 new cases (Monday)” Coren continued, explaining that since increases in hospitalizations follow increases in case numbers, “we are seeing hospitalization rates approaching those of last winter. In July, hospitalizations hovered around 11, “but on Sunday (Aug. 1) we had 14 people in the hospital, six of whom were in the Intensive Care Unit. Also, last week there were two new deaths, bringing the total to 52.”

In response to this latest surge, Coren said he was planning three responses: 1. Ordering universal masking for all indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status; 2. Requiring that firefighters, EMS and other first responders either verify vaccination status or undergo frequent Covid-19 testing if unvaccinated; and 3. Urging all employers to require either verification of vaccination status or frequent testing for their employees, including Mendocino County.

“The true consequences of not doing this is again having to close schools, recreation and businesses, as well as having increased illness and death,” he said, and most supervisors Tuesday expressed support for Coren’s masking orders and vaccine verification recommendation.

“We’ve been sort of screwing around with this long enough,” said 1st District Supervisor Glenn McGourty, referring to Coren as his family doctor “who raised me and my kids, health-wise, and I think that’s the most important source we’ve got — people who have actual knowledge.

“The longer we screw around with this, the more likely we are to get a variant that may create resistance to the very good vaccines that we have, because these things are just extraordinary in the adaptability they have,” McGourty continued. “It’s time for us to get this over with. I know some people will feel personally offended that we’re violating their rights, but I have a right, too. I have a right to stay healthy, and to not have people around me who can’t take care of themselves.”

“I’m a little caught off-guard by the request from Dr. Coren, and I think there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for public comment,” said 2nd District Supervisor Maureen Mulheren. “I understand fully Dr. Coren’s request of the board, but I am concerned that there wasn’t a lot of public outreach in advance of this conversation.”

Two people then addressed the board, both in favor of the board taking further action. One of them was a woman who said she has a 17-year-old child who is now working as a cashier on the South Coast, and she was hoping that PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as masks and face shields could be distributed to essential workers, such as cashiers, “because this virus is very contagious and protecting our essential workers should be a priority.”

When asked for clarification on what Coren was asking of Mendocino County employees, particularly when County Counsel Christian Curtis expressed concern about “circumventing labor unions,” Coren said, “My intent is to create guidance strongly recommending that all employers develop and implement HR policies to require vaccine verification or frequent testing for their employees, and that would include Mendocino County, but it would be general guidance.”

“I think we can also record that as a directive of the board?” said Board Chairman Dan Gjerde, and the board was on record as supporting both the universal masking order, and recommending enacting “a policy requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination and/or frequent testing for unvaccinated employees as an example for all other employers within Mendocino County.”

In terms of total Covid-19 cases in the county, Coren said that 88 percent of them are occurring in the unvaccinated, and 95 percent of the people needing to be hospitalized with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. He described cases among the unvaccinated as “seven-times more likely, and hospitalizations 12-times more likely.”

He said there were no current outbreaks, but several “high-risk exposures,” such as at least one employee testing positive last month at both the Starbucks on East Perkins Street in Ukiah, and at Raley’s Supermarket in Ukiah. People who visited the Starbucks at 704. E. Perkins St. “between July 20th, 21st and 27th,” or visited Raley’s on North State Street the weekend of July 23-25 “may have been exposed to Covid-19, and are advised to seek testing if unvaccinated, or seek testing if exhibiting symptoms while vaccinated.”

Coren also described the Delta variant as more “sticky” than other strains of the Covid-19 virus, with a shorter incubation period, “passing as quickly as the Chicken Pox does, which is very, very transmissible.”

He also described “nasal viral counts (as) 1,000 times greater with this (Delta) virus than with other variants, and this is both in unvaccinated and post-vaccinated people. So fully vaccinated people have been shown to pass the virus on to others even without symptoms — this is new. Also new is evidence that (Delta) is more virulent, with an increase in hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths.”

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

NAVARRO RIVER FLATLINES

Marshall Newman reports: The Navarro River flow hit zero on 8/3 2021. 'Nuff said.

Noyo down to near nothing too.

FACING ‘DIRE WATER SHORTAGES,’ CALIFORNIA BANS DELTA PUMPING

In an aggressive move to address “immediate and dire water shortages,” California’s water board today unanimously approved emergency regulations to temporarily stop thousands of farmers, landowners and others from diverting water from from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed.

lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/aug/3/facing-dire-water-shortages-california-bans-delta/

NEW COVID CASES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS

Lake County: 474

Mendocino County: 297

THE STATE OF COVID ON THE COAST

by William Miller, MD; Chief of Staff at Adventist Health – Mendocino Coast Hospital

As we start into a new surge of cases in California fueled by the delta variant, it seems appropriate to briefly summarize the response taken here on the Coast since the pandemic began and bring us up to date on what the current situation looks like locally.

We started preparations for the pandemic in March of 2020 by developing an emergency response plan. This plan was revised in November and updated again this week to reflect considerations for the new delta variant. The plan details resources needed at various levels of a surge in cases and strategies for meeting those needs. It includes policies around isolation to protect other patients and staff from infection. This plan was reviewed by the state health department and I am proud to say that they used it as one of their model examples for other hospitals. 

Our hospital has 25 beds of which four are ICU. Our surge plan increases the total number to 30 with 6 being ICU. Initial projections back at the start of 2020 were fairly dire. Fortunately, we never experienced anywhere near those predictions. This can be attributed to many factors, but probably the most important was the statewide shelter-in-place mandate at the start of the pandemic. A question often asked is, “How many ventilators do we have?” The answer is four with a backup supply from Adventist Health. Two of these were purchased for us by the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation. However, the limitation of managing very sick patients on ventilators is not dependent upon the availability of ventilators as much as on staff (ICU nurses and respiratory therapists) to care for such patients. Going into the pandemic there was already a national healthcare shortage and that has only worsened.

The first local case of COVID was identified in June, 2020. Shortly thereafter, there was an outbreak in Sherwood Oaks nursing home. During the outbreak, 24 of the 58 residents became infected along with 3 staff members. Eight residents died. Ending the outbreak involved a collaboration between our hospital, the nursing home, the county health department, and local city officials. The approach taken was to bring all new COVID cases from the nursing home to the hospital as a means of helping isolate them from other residents. The total number of residents brought over under this plan was 14, all of whom survived. It was considered a successful example of how the community worked together to meet the challenge, without which it is felt that more lives would have been lost.

In 2020, our ER treated a total of 38 COVID patients of which 15 were admitted to the hospital. Adding the 14 Sherwood Oaks patients, the total admitted here was 29 during 2020. Only two became seriously ill and required intubation and placement on a ventilator. Two patients were transferred to a higher level of care, with one of those patient’s unfortunately dying. To date, there have been no COVID related deaths in our hospital. 

In 2021, we have admitted 18 COVID patients with 11 of those being in January through March, thus comprising the tail end of the winter cases. All of these have recovered and were discharged home. None required intubation or transfer to a higher level of care. Except for the nursing home outbreak when we reached 7, we have never had more than two COVID patients at any one time. The age range has been 27 to 99.

During the beginning of 2020, we experienced significant shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE). However, after our affiliation with Adventist Health (AH), we have had a good supply of PPE. Shortage of COVID testing supplies was a major challenge across the US. Initially, we had to rely on sending the swabs sent out. This continued to be a challenge until the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation gave the hospital a $100,000 grant to purchase a new Cepheid machine so that tests are now run in-house with a turnaround of one hour.

Similarly, vaccinations were initially in short supply. Mendocino Coast Clinics (MCC), the county health department and AH collaborated on a mass vaccination effort. To date, MCC has given over 9,000 shots leading to 4,461 persons being fully vaccinated. AH has given over 6,000 shots on the coast leading to 3,145 fully vaccinated persons. MCC continues to provide drive through vaccination to the public without appointment every Thursday from 4-6 PM at 205 South Street in Ft. Bragg. The MCC FaceBook page also lists pop-up vaccination clinics in the area.

Responding to the challenges of COVID requires the community to work together. The community’s Foundation buying the Cepheid, the collaboration around containing the nursing home outbreak and the vaccination efforts of MCC and AH with the county are all examples of how this has worked well.

The new delta variant is now further challenging us as a community. Cases are rising here on the coast and disturbingly we are seeing some who are vaccinated becoming ill, although generally not seriously ill. As of this writing, we have one patient in our hospital with COVID. In the past 10 days, MCC, the ER and the AH clinic have run approximately 245 COVID tests with 39 being positive. Of those, 8 were fully vaccinated.

Next week’s Miller Report will look more deeply into what is being referred to as “break through” cases and examine the questions of how much of this is unexpected and what this means in terms of where we are in controlling the pandemic.

You can access previous Miller Reports by visiting www.WMillerMD.com. 

(The views shared in this weekly column are those of the author, Dr. William Miller, and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or of Adventist Health.)

POTTER VALLEY SUMMER DAY

MENDOCINO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER presentation to the Board of Supervisors 

Dr. Andy Coren, Mendocino County’s Public Health Officer, gave a presentation to the Board of Supervisors today which he asked the Board of Supervisors for their support combating the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus in Mendocino County. Dr. Coren proposed the Health Orders and Guidance as follows: 

 ORDER: Resuming universal masking indoors in public settings for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated (August 10st). 

 ORDER: Extending California Department of Public Health’s Vaccinate or Test Policy to include Mendocino County Fire, EMS and Law Enforcement (September 1st). 

 GUIDANCE: That employers implement a Vax or Test Policy for their employees; that Mendocino County Board of Supervisors act as a health leader and direct Human Resources to develop and implement that policy for its County employees. 

Dr. Coren and Mendocino County Counsel are currently in the process of drafting these orders, official Health Orders will follow. 

After discussion, the Board of Supervisors directed Human Resources to implement Dr. Coren’s Vax or Test Policy. After the specifics are defined, County employees who are not vaccinated will be required to take a COVID test at regular intervals. 

Mendocino County Lodging Owners and Operators voiced their support: 

“Our community businesses cannot sustain another shutdown so please take preemptive action now” 

* * *

The Mendocino County COVID-19 Department Operations Center has confirmed positive COVID-19 case at the following location: 

Lucky’s Supermarket 

504 E Perkins St, Ukiah, CA 95482 

Members of the public who visited this facility on the dates of July 23rd, 24th and 25th 2021 may have been exposed to COVID-19, and are advised to seek COVID-19 testing if unvaccinated, or seek testing if exhibiting symptoms while vaccinated. Covid-19 Testing 

Lucky’s management is responding quickly to the positive case. They have sent their employees to be tested and have contacted the specific customers they can identify. We appreciate Lucky’s cooperation to find those who could be exposed, and Public Health only publishes this business’ name and location because it is impossible to specifically identify everyone in the public who could have been exposed. 

* * *

The Mendocino County COVID-19 Department Operations Center has confirmed positive COVID-19 case at the following location: 

Sherwood Valley Casino 

100 Kawi Pl, Willits, CA 95490 

Members of the public who visited this facility on the dates of July 27th and 28th 2021 may have been exposed to COVID-19, and are advised to seek COVID-19 testing if unvaccinated, or seek testing if exhibiting symptoms while vaccinated. Covid-19 Testing 

Sherwood Valley Casino’s management is responding quickly to the positive case. They have sent their employees to be tested and have contacted the specific customers they can identify. We appreciate Sherwood Valley Casino’s cooperation to find those who could be exposed, and Public Health only publishes this business’ name and location because it is impossible to specifically identify everyone in the public who could have been exposed. 

Public Health is prepared for the possibility of outbreaks due to increased close contact during the summer months. Public Health still urges members of the public to exercise their best judgment when making decisions that might affect their health and the health of the community. We appreciate the cooperation of the above local businesses to find those who could be exposed, and Public Health only publishes their names when we are unable to specifically identify everyone in the public who could have been exposed. 

Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren would like to emphasize the importance of staying home from work when exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19. Common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or new loss of taste or smell. 

We ask that the community stay vigilant and follow the guidance outlined by the California Department of Public Health and Mendocino County Public Health. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and masking, contact the Mendocino County Public Health COVID19 Call Center at (707) 472-2759 or visit our website at: www.mendocinocounty.org/covid19. 

SUNSET ON THE BOONVILLE HILLS

COVID MATH

Editor

I have been greatly disappointed that no one to my knowledge has explained the basics of pandemic math. Let’s start with the way diseases spread by exponential growth: Early in covid the virus spread in a way that on the average each person with covid would give it to two other people and then each of them would give it to two people and those four would give it to eight and so on. The sequence of numbers looks like this (^n is an exponent):

1 (2^0) 2 (2^1) 4 (2^2) 8 (2^3) 16 (2^4) 32 (2^5) 64 (2^6) . . . 4096 (2^12) . . . 2^n

The Delta variant is more contagious in that for each person they will on average give covid to four other people. The exponential growth, or in this case the spread of covid looks like this:

1 (4^0) 4 (4^1) 16 (4^2) 64 (4^3) 256 (4^4) 1024 (4^5) . . . 16,777,216 (4^12) . . . 4^n

It is easy to see that when it comes to exponential growth the numbers get big in a hurry, and it is important to note that the Delta virus has a much better chance of survival since it is infecting many more people in a shorter amount of time. Because viruses replicate so quickly they give us an opportunity to watch mutations and natural selection in action. The Delta virus is a classical example of "the survival of the fittest". Of greatest importance is the fact that given enough time mutations and natural selection will produce even more contagious, vaccine resistant, and deadly new variants. Then we go back to ground zero.

Also of great importance is the mathematics of mask wearing and it is pure probability. Lets take the case of N-95 masks and to make the math simpler lets assume they are 90% effective. This means that a person wearing this mask has a 10% chance of getting covod from someone, or a 10% chance of giving it to someone else. The person has a one in ten (1/10) chance of getting or giving covid. But, what are the odds if other people encountered are also wearing a mask that is 90% effective? You take the odds of each and multiply them:

1/10 X 1/10 = 1/100. So if everyone is wearing a mask then the chance of getting or giving covid is 1/100 or a 1% chance.

Suppose the masks are 80% effective or a 20% (2/10) chance of getting or giving covid. If every one wears a mask the chances are 4/100 or 4% chance. It is easy to see that masks work well if everyone wears them.

The math of vaccines is even more definitive. Like any other drug there are some side effects to the vaccine. After both of my Moderna shots I ran a fever and was a little weak. But, after millions of Pfizer and Moderna shots no one has died. One person has died from the Johnson and J shot. Meanwhile, over 600,000 people have died from the virus in the United States alone. Which risk do you want to take here?

Vaccination will protect the individual but, has another purpose of greater importance based on the premise that the pathogen will have trouble spreading when a significant part of the population has immunity. This is called "herd immunity" and theoretically happens when about 70% of the population is immune. However, this percentage depends on how contagious the disease is. It would have been easier to reach herd immunity with the alpha virus then with the Delta variant. Also complicating things is the fact that vaccinated people can still get and spread the delta virus. In any case, the anti-vaxers are putting us all in greater danger, and especially a large group of unvaccinated children.

Remember that covid has presented us with the opportunity to watch natural selection at work. It is thinning out the human population by killing the old, the weak, and the cognitively deficient. Unvaccinated people are offering themselves as a willing host to what could be a mutated variant that is vaccine resistant and more deadly. The result could be millions of deaths more. Hardly a Christian thing to do.

Don Cruser

Little River 

TRACEY'S DOING WELL

Tom Towey: You are all so amazing, yesterday Tracey received her perfect heart, and is back in ICU at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles doing “very well” recovering from the successful surgery, but the next few days are critical while her body is forced to make nice with the new heart, as well as to insure against infection, but also because she is being given medications to ward off any rejection, and at the same time disables her immune system. 

The entire Towey family wants to thank you all so much for your prayers, and support, because without that love, and energy, we would have been lost in a sea of despair, so thank you all for saving us, and may God Bless and Love us all.

SIGN UP TIME

Hey all! Here’s the fall 2021 schedule for the Anderson Valley Adult School / Escuela de Adultos de Anderson Valley state funded classes. Some classes will be in-person (with masks/distance), others with online options (we loan computers). We will try to meet your learning needs based on where you’re at. Free childcare provided for in person classes.

If you have questions or want to register call 895-2953 or message our inbox! You can also email adultschool@avpanthers.org. 

See you in the classroom or online! 

SPREAD THE WORD

Free Community Produce Exchange

Calling all home gardeners, fruit tree enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys eating local produce!

Do you have extra fruit, herbs or veggies in your garden that you would like to share? Maybe you don’t have a garden, but you would love to get your hands on some locally grown food? The AV Wellness Coalition and the Anderson Valley Health Center will be kicking off a free community produce exchange on August 24th, from 5-6 pm. Starting that evening, and then every other Tuesday evening through October 5th, we will be setting up in the Community Park, by the Health Center. We invite you all to bring any extra produce you have and/or bring a bag to fill up on produce you can bring home. 

If you have any questions about the produce exchange, if you would like to be involved, or if you just want to let us know you are interested in participating (this will be helpful in setting up tables, etc.), please reach out to Rachel Williams (rachel@livingheirloom.com or 707-303-5950) or Cyd Bernstein (cbernstein@avhc.org or 707-367-1831).

Please help spread the word! We look forward to sharing with you all!

REGULAR MEETING OF THE WATER PROJECTS COMMITTEE (Anderson Valley Community Services District)

To be held via teleconference Phone # 669 900 6833 Zoom Meeting ID 845 5084 3330 Password 048078

Public comments must be submitted by 10:00am on July 1st, 2021 electronically to water.avcsd@gmail.com

Thursday August 5th, 2021 at 10:30am

• Call To Order And Roll Call:
• Recognition Of Guests And Hearing Of Public:
• Approval Of July 1st, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes
• Changes Or Modification To This Agenda: 
• Report On Drinking Water Project
• Report On Wastewater Project
• Public Outreach
• Concerns Of Members:
• Adjournment:

VAUGHAN WATCH

South Side Sox 2021 Player of the Week (ending July 31): Andrew Vaughn

by Mitch Ransdell

The 2021 White Sox are a chess game with too many pieces. 

It’s a blessing and a curse, but the sheer amount of talent on this ball club means that some players are going to have to sit sidelined every few games, regardless of what they contribute. With Eloy Jiménez back in the lineup, and the imminent return of both Yasmani Grandal and Luis Robert, there’s a lot of flip-flopping and platooning coming down the pipes.

Up until now, the injury gaps have been filled by players going above and beyond expectations, a few of them just getting their feet wet in the major leagues. Andrew Vaughn has not only been an offensive success, but when sent to left field he also cuts the metaphorical mustard. Last week in Kansas City, Vaughn swapped gloves and played middle infield, another role that he’d never touched in the minors or majors. 

Dependable, flexible, powerful. That’s a bundle of talent that you don’t want wasting away on the bench. 

But where does Vaughn fit in once the White Sox outfield is at full strength? His one-game career as a second baseman is likely at an end, after infielder César Hernández arrived from Cleveland. Likely, Vaughn will continue to see action all across the board. Bubble Boy Eloy needs an occasional break from left field, and Vaughn can also spend some time at DH, where he’ll get a chance to flex his power and prowess behind the bat.

Every time Tony La Russa fills up his lineup card, he plays a chess game. Andrew Vaughn is a valuable piece of this team; arguably, the moment that he showed up at second base, the injured Madrigal became expendable. 

It all goes to show that Vaughn’s potential is sky-high. Whether in left field, at second base, or in the batter’s box, the California Kid will give his all.

SUPES NOTES 

by Mark Scaramella

A BELATED BUT WELCOME BUDGET STATEMENT from Supervisor Mulheren Tuesday morning.

SOUNDS LIKE Supervisor Mulheren got some significant pushback on the question of holding Department heads personally responsible for budget overruns, especially the Sheriff. 

SUPERVISOR MULHEREN began: “I have an item for public expression. The five of us represent different geographies and different experience. It is important to work together and be professional. We need to normalize not all voting the same and we need to normalize accepting responsibility when decisions that we make affect other people. During the budget hearings we saw a slide about a state code that holds department heads personally liable for expenditures over their budget. The five of us are responsible for making sure we know when departments may be going over and, whether that is monthly or quarterly, we should be made aware of possible overruns before they actually happen. Accountability is our job. I am requesting that the referral of this item to County Counsel and the General Government Committee instead be brought back to our August 17 Board of Supervisors meeting for a vote. We have department heads who are afraid of losing their houses or not being able to pay for college tuition and I don't think that was the intention of this Board. But that's where we are at now. I realize that this is a state law and if we need to lobby for that to change, then that is an option. But I am concerned that the department heads that are required to provide state mandated services are unclear about how this affects them personally. We all know that revenues and reimbursements do not all come in at the same time and I think there are multiple other ways to make sure that we are being held accountable for the budget to the taxpayers of Mendocino County. I am happy to work on a budget ad hoc committee with anybody that is interested. But I would like our department heads to know that they are supported and we are committed as a board to work through any budget issues as they arise.”

SUPERVISOR WILLIAMS agreed: "I agree. And I think that one of the underlying problems is that none of us, not the department heads, not the Board of Supervisors nor the public knows how much has been spent year to date per department. I think we need to fix that. I don't think a department head would be concerned if they saw that they are spending well within their budget and there was adequate budget for the months ahead. We don't have that. We haven't had it since I've been on the board. I think it's just a changing time. The county wants to perhaps catch up with modern accounting standards. I agree to bring it back on the 17th.”

There was no objection to bringing the item back on August 17.

MULHEREN seemed to be trying to set the stage for some kind of actual budget reporting. If so, she’ll face the usual resistance from CEO Angelo and staff. 

As AVA readers may recall, even the simplest budget questions are seen by CEO Angelo as an annoyance or intrusion. When we asked for a few routine clarifications of the CEO’s first-ever End-of-May 2021 monthly departmental budget status report, as the Supervisors should but don’t, on July 9 CEO Angelo replied snappishly, “The very nature of your questions is the reason the County budget team has been hesitant to present a ‘budget to actual’.”

INSTEAD OF WELCOMING an opportunity to clarify the budget status of departments which were overrunning their allotted expenditures, CEO Angelo prefers to staunchly resist monthly budget reporting on the grounds that she might have to actually answer some questions! (PS, the Supes still have not seen a final end-of-year departmental budget vs. actual report for the last fiscal year.)

WILL SUPERVISORS MULHEREN & WILLIAMS bring up the need for monthly budget reporting on August 17? If so, will CEO Angelo continue to resist it or shine it on? Will it make any difference to the ongoing dispute between the Sheriff and the Board since Sheriff Matt Kendall has made it clear that a large part of his objection is the possibility of losing his house if he overruns his overtime budget?

SUPERVISOR MULHEREN is moving in the right direction, but as usual, it won’t do much good unless there’s follow-through with long-overdue monthly department budget reporting and associated monthly Q&A.

LATER in Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor Williams asked Water Agency pointperson Josh Metz whether there was any chance of getting a pipeline to pump water over the hill to the Coast (as former Supervisor John Pinches suggested here recently).

METZ replied that that would require a water source and would probably not happen this year. In fact, nothing much is going to happen this year but dwindling water. If you could drink water money from the many “funding agencies,” though, we’d be in flood stage 1. Mr. Metz apologized for not having any hopeful information, adding that there’s “more state and national press” about the drought, then rolling out his favorite cliche, “The only bad press is no press.”

WILLIAMS said the situation “looks pretty bleak,” adding, “I’m just trying to be realistic.” “We probably won’t be able solve even 1% of this problem without state or federal assistance,” said Williams, continuing, “I may be asking Glenn [McGourty] if I can take a shower at his house when I’m over the hill.”

MCGOURTY thought “our best option is to set up a contractor to haul water from Ukiah to Fort Bragg and people south of Fort Bragg. Maybe ten truckloads per day, which is doable. … But other agencies have to kinda weigh in on this. I don’t know if we have the availability of trucks to haul water. The wine industry has similar trucks, but they have to be certified by the Department of Public Health. … We will have a solution, but it’s not happening as quickly as we’d like. You won’t have to come over here to take a shower, I’m pretty sure, Ted.”

WILLIAMS asked about the cost.

MCGOURTY: “That’s a good question. We may have to start this program with our own emergency money. Payment is always in arrears, so we will have to pick up the tab if we’re going to do this.” McGourty worried about the logistics of keeping track and billing. 

Assistant CEO Darcie Antle observed, “It would be logistically challenging. We would need the towns to help in making this happen. There’s a lot to be worked out.”

METZ said he “sensed” that state and federal funds might someday come in to help “folks in need.”

SHERIFF SHOWDOWN PART 3 – Down the Rabbit Hole

On July 20 County Counsel Christian Curtis told the Board of Supervisors that a conflict existed between County Counsel and Sheriff Kendall. Curtis said the Sheriff was entitled to independent legal counsel that the Sheriff had confidence in. But the attorney that Kendall had confidence in was Duncan James. Curtis objected on the grounds he thought James would be too expensive. Besides, he was suing the County on behalf of fired Ag Commissioner Harinder Grewal who alleged wrongful termination.

Kendall stood his ground, indicating that Duncan James was his first and only choice. Curtis told the Board the dispute would have to be resolved by the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, in this case the Honorable Judge Ann Moorman. Last Friday the parties were in Judge Moorman’s courtroom but she wasn’t willing to accept Curtis’ representation that there was a conflict. Her reading of the law required a vote of the Board of Supervisors and she issued a court order requiring the Board to take such a vote.

Tuesday, after being in Closed Session for two hours, Curtis and the Board emerged into another patented rambling open discussion to declare there really wasn’t a conflict. Neither individual Board members nor Curtis seemed to have any recollection of a specific budget dispute or specific threats to hold the Sheriff personally liable for any budget overruns. Kendall kept a poker face but must have thought he had dropped into an alternate universe, as strange and absurd as anything encountered by Alice in her legendary trip to Wonderland. 

Last Friday, in his official brief filed with the court, this is what Curtis had to say about the conflict: “In this case, there is no dispute that a conflict of interest exists as to two discrete issues involving (1) the Sheriff’s ability to spend funds outside of his budget and (2) the Board’s obligation to provide Sheriff Kendall with computer infrastructure separate from the County IS department. During the course of the meeting [the BOS meeting of July 20] both County Counsel and Sheriff Kendall indicated a belief that a conflict exists, no one involved disagreed with the determination and the Board members repeatedly acknowledged the existence of the conflict.”

It must have been a surreal experience for anyone who watched the July 20 meeting or read the court filings to hear the Board declare there was no actual conflict on the budget, just an ordinary administrative hiccup, or a threat to merge the Sheriff’s IT function into the County’s computer operation. The Board wanted to know from Kendall why he thought there was a dispute. He referred back to the Budget Hearing in early June where the CEO presented a recommended budget for the Sheriff that was $2 million out of balance compared to the Sheriff’s requested budget. 

On Tuesday Board peppered Kendall with questions at length alternately attempting to cajole, shame or persuade him to drop his legal challenge, insisting there was no conflict and everything could be worked out if Kendall would just sit down with the Board. Maybe over a beer Haschak, suggested at one point. Kendall several times told the Board that he was very uncomfortable having the discussion and being put on the spot to answer legal questions when the Board was represented by an attorney and he was not.

At length the Board directed Curtis to report to Judge Moorman that there was no legal conflict but the Board (Haschak dissenting) was willing to have legal counsel appointed on one narrow point. The Board was willing to furnish Kendall an attorney to provide Kendall with an opinion on whether he could spend funds outside of his budget. And of course the Board still wanted to pick Kendall’s attorney for him, not Duncan James. 

Kendall requested an opportunity to respond, telling the Board he was “not happy we’re going down this road. I truly am not. But I didn’t pick the music. I didn’t put the quarter in the jukebox. But we are dancing this dance now. We just need to get clarity and get this behind us. I didn’t pick this fight and everybody knows that. I deserve to have someone I trust represent me. Not someone from Los Angeles or San Francisco.”

Kendall and Curtis are due back in front of Judge Moorman Wednesday afternoon. Will Judge Moorman accept Curtis’ and the Board’s revelation that there’s no conflict? Will Moorman ask for details of the vote? Who made the motion, who seconded the motion, what did it say and what was the vote? Or will she accept Curtis’ vague and rambling explanation that no, the Board didn’t vote, but after a couple of hours of Closed Session verbal Rope-a-Dope they realized there really was no conflict. 

Instead of a clear statement and vote that the Board had no intention of holding Kendall (or any other department head) liable for budget overruns and had no intention of merging the Sheriff’s IT, which would have allowed the Board to truthfully say there was no conflict, the Board is choosing to go farther down the rabbit hole, sliding along on a cascade of taxpayer dollars. 

Meanwhile, CEO Carmel Angelo, the likely instigator of the conflict that suddenly (according to the Board) isn’t a conflict, sat quietly by with no questions asked of her. It’s as if the Board is more worried about upsetting their domineering CEO than they are about facing the wrath of the voters, most of whom, if offered a choice, would simply support the Sheriff and whatever reasonable funding and computer system he needs. 

GIMMEE A RIDE OR ELSE

On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at about 11:19 AM, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a location in the 16000 block of Black Bart Drive in Willits.

Deputies were advised Martin Soto, 31, of Redwood Valley, was threatening another person with a knife. (Booking photo unavailable.)

Deputies arrived and found an adult male, hiding behind a tree near the location. Deputies learned the adult male came to check on Soto at the location, when Soto attacked him.

Deputies were told Soto had grabbed Perez by the throat and then by his shirt. Soto then began to pull Perez around the location.

While doing this Soto was demanding Perez give him a ride to the Bay area. Perez pulled away from Soto and told him to calm down. This is when Soto pulled out a pocket knife and threatened to kill Perez. Perez fearing for his safety ran away and contacted the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies contacted Soto at the location. Soto was continually placing his hands behind his back, acting bizarre, crying, and chanting.

Soto was not communicating but after sometime began following the Deputies verbal deescalation instructions.

Soto was placed in handcuffs without incident and arrested for Criminal Threats, Kidnapping and Brandishing a Weapon.

Soto was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

ED NOTES

MENDO RE-MASKS. I think. The directive today from Dr. Coren, County Health Officer, is equivocal enough to continue the confusion reigning most places in the United States, but authorities from Fauci to Coren are recommending that we resume masking.

OLD TIMERS and not-so-old timers will remember that Cloverdale has experienced bans on new construction before over concerns about the town's finite water. But both Cloverdale and Healdsburg, over the past decade, have seen building booms, as has Ukiah, especially in "visitor accommodations" as Hotel Groznys sprout the hundred miles of 101 from Willits to Petaluma. (Healdsburg's Groznys are more expensive but architecturally pretty much indistinguishable from Ukiah's pace setter.)

THREE GENERATIONS of elected people in both Healdsburg and Cloverdale have known that there were water limitations on their towns as they kept on approving more and more.

AS THE TEMPS slowly rise beneath the water containing all us frogs, as the metaphor for global death puts it, it seems obvious that the carrying capacity of our region has been reached, and over-reached.

NOW that the state has turned off the Russian River taps for 1,500 individuals and civic entities in the Russia Russian River watershed the long predicted water reckoning has arrived and, as we all now know, if the rains are light this winter, 2022 will see real desperation take hold, with dry homeowners selling out and Hotel Groznys abandoned.

SHORT OF HIKING long stretches of the Russian River, I wonder how the great shut-off will be enforced. Ranchers, grape growers and other beneficiaries of God's bounty have always resisted metering, operating on the wildly hubristic assumption that the natural world is theirs for the taking.

KEEPING anecdotal track of Anderson Valley homes already out of water, there are about thirty Valley homesteads I've heard of who are buying water at prices ranging from $500 to $600 for 2500 to 3000 gallons of non-potable water. Potable water is going for a minimum of $500-$600 per if you're not too far off the beaten path and can find a trucker not too booked up to haul it to you. As supplies dwindle, demand grows and prices rise, households of average means will go dry, assuming the usual absence of government rescue.

THIS DELIBERATE dump of household debris on Anderson Valley Way is the most brazen in a public area I've seen in some time around here. I pawed through the trash early this morning to see if I could find some indication of the perp, but found no identification, meaning whoever did it probably culled the evidence prior to deposit. It's visible from the Filigree Farm stand and has been in place now for three days. So why don't you haul it to the dump, Mr. Civic Clean? If it's still there in a week, I will, but in the meantime in this increasingly mean time, I urge any of you who catch illegal dumpers in the act to shoot to kill.

UKIAH PHOTOGRAPHER CHRIS PUGH’S HAPPY ENDING

by Tom Hine

Just another day for Chris Pugh volunteering at the art gallery, hauling equipment over to clean the back room, parking his car, grabbing the compressor, in the door and out the door and back to the car.

Total elapsed time: Three seconds.

(NOTE: Time estimates vary. A nearby store owner suggested three seconds; Chris himself said “No more than 30 seconds, max.”)

Whatever. When he got back to his car everything was there except the things he needs the most: his camera, lenses and a laptop computer. Somebody reached in, snatched his black nylon camera bag, snuck off and maybe felt proud of himself. But Chris Pugh is a professional photographer, and a photographer without a camera is like a carpenter without a hammer or a saxophone player without one.

In the good old days in Ukiah some public spirited citizen, Buddy Eller for instance, would organize a benefit. The Saturday Afternoon Club would then be rented, Hansen & Raitt would play music, money would be donated and a bad situation would be made a little better.

In 21st century Ukiah a public spirited citizen, Carole Brodsky for instance, organizes a GoFundMe account. Donations hopefully roll in and bring in enough money to make a bad situation a little better.

Chris was reluctant to go along with the online plan. “I honestly didn’t want to do it,” he said. “I don’t like asking for help. I griped a little online, putting out a Be-On-the-Lookout for things that were taken, letting pawnshops know what might turn up. But my feeling was that it happened, you deal with it and you move on.”

Chris figured it would take several thousand dollars to replace what the thief had stolen, which also included his press pass, a police scanner, flashlight and pocketknife. Carole prevailed, and the GoFundMe call went out for contributions.

Maybe local citizens would raise money for any Ukiahan in need, but it couldn’t have hurt Chris Pugh’s case that for a long time he’s been a big part of what goes on around town.

(courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

ON HIS TRAVELS, A.O. Carpenter (Grace Hudson's father) recorded scenes of Pomo peoples — the ancestral people of today’s Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma Counties — who continue their traditions on this land today. His daughter Grace used some of these images as the basis for her magazine illustrations while his wife Helen, son-in-law John, and others used them to illustrate articles they wrote for various publications.

Here you can see John, Miller, from Pinoleville Rancheria as he drills a hole into clamshell discs to create clamshell disc beads. In “Poma Indian Dancers”, Henry Hale (left), Charley Brown (center), and Butler Miranda (right) dance, likely outside of a roundhouse ceremonial structure.

• 

• 

• 

And in the final image, John Scott climbs a ladder to an acorn storage basket. A traditional healer from Pinoleville, he often provided ethnographic information for John Hudson (Grace Hudson’s ethnographer husband). John Hudson commissioned this acorn storage basket for an exhibit at the Brooklyn Art Museum. The basket was specially designed to keep acorns safe from critters, rain, and mold.

(Grace Hudson Museum presser)

PLANNING CANCELED AGAIN

Dear Interested Parties,

The Planning Commission meeting cancellation notice for August 19, 2021 is posted on the department website at: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/planning-building-services/meeting-agendas/planning-commission

Please contact staff with any questions.

James F.Feenan

Commission Services Supervisor

Mendocino County Planning & Building Services

860 North Bush Street, Ukiah CA 95482

My Direct Line: (707) 234-6664

Main Line: (707) 234-6650

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 3, 2021

SAMUEL CORIA, Willits. Robbery, battery with serious injury, domestic battery, false imprisonment, criminal threats.

MICHAEL JAMES, Willits. DUI-alcohol&drugs.

LEVI LAMOUREUX, Laytonville. County parole violation, resisting.

CHRISTINA LANCASTER, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

TROY MCELROY, Willits. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

KRISTO OUSEY, Ukiah. Petty theft-merchandise with priors, trespassing/refusing to leave.

COLE PARKIN, Ukiah. Protective order violation.

ERYCKA SMITH, Willits. Shoplifting, trespassing/refusing to leave.

MARTIN SOTO (5’7” 250 pounds), Willits. Kidnapping, drawing firearm on care center grounds, criminal threats. (No booking photo available.)

TRAVIS WEATHERLY, Arbuckle/Fort Bragg. No license, suspended license for DUI, false ID, resisting, probation revocation.

JESSICA WHISMAN-FRIDAY, Santa Rosa/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

TRUMP & JIM JONES?

Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who is a survivor of the Jonestown massacre, has compared Donald Trump to cult leader Jim Jones.

Both leaders, Ms Speier claimed, were “merchants of deceit” who influenced their followers to “not look at the facts” and instead told them lies that were “indeed destructive”.

The congresswoman went on to state that she was hesitant towards comparing the two men, but that comparison became more apparent to her following the 6 January Capitol riots, which saw Trump supporters storming the building in an effort to overturn the presidential election results.

independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jackie-speier-jonestown-massacre-trump-

LAST WEDNESDAY, I wrote a column about the superstar gymnast Simone Biles. She'd just quit on her Team USA teammates in the Tokyo Olympics, and I didn't share the widely held view that this was an act of incredibly inspiring heroic courage. Indeed, she was praised more for quitting than she would have been had she dug deep, battled on and helped her team win Gold rather than the silver medal they ended up with in Biles' absence. And I found that ridiculous, so I said so. Then I discovered something shocking; Google, the tech behemoth at the center of the internet universe, had quietly put an advertising block on my column eight hours after it was posted on DailyMail.com. This meant they banned all adverts from appearing alongside it, so the Mail would receive zero revenue from the column appearing on Google. This is a big deal. Google and Facebook have a virtual monopoly on online advertising revenue, hoovering up 80% of the entire market between them. Google said the column contained “dangerous or derogatory content.” How could anything I wrote be considered “dangerous”? I just said that I didn't find Simon Biles' decision to quit on her teammates to be either heroic or inspiring. Google's punitive action also represents a disgraceful attack on free speech. In a democracy, I'm allowed to say that Simone Biles wasn't a hero for quitting. 

— Piers Morgan

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

There’s a great lot of stuff than doesn’t add up, plus stories that don’t compute, and configurations that make no sense, the preponderance of these head-scratchers pointing to a monumentally corrupt and incompetent American ruling class that’s been foisting stupid shit now on the USA and the world for at least a couple of generations. Hardly matters where you look, it’s so thick on the ground you don’t know where to start shoveling.

But maybe start big instead of small and so look to where there’s numbers that we can look at and that would be the national coffers, stuffed to the brim with Fed Funny Money because it seems that the people most able to pay tax really don’t want to. 

If Bezos who is supposedly worth 200 bil, give or take, had to cough up let’s say 199 bil he’d still be worth a billion. IOW still a billionaire. He could cough up hundreds of millions more and still be a centimillionaire.

And then look at the other obvious guys like Gates and Buffet – or you could just go down the donor list for the Democrat and Republican parties – and scrape up some serious loot. And then put the gun to the heads of overseas banks and leaders of tax havens where a lot of rich Americans stash their money and see how much more you can rake in.

I know, I’ve heard it said many a time, that there aren’t enough rich people to fund the annual deficit never mind the national debt. But has it ever been tried? In any case we have to start somewhere. And that’s where the money is.

BEWARE THE TIDES ON THE LOST COAST

Backpackers planning a visit to the Lost Coast Trail within the King Range National Conservation Area may face unfavorable tidal conditions in August and September. When traversing the Impassible Zones along the Lost Coast Trail, visitors must always ensure that tides are receding and are below three feet in height.

On the following dates, tides will not be safe to pass during daylight hours:

August 4, 17, 18, 19, 30, 31.

September 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 15, 16, 27, 28, 29, 30.

For up-to-date tide predictions, use the NOAA.gov Tide Calculator

For accurate trip planning, use the King Range NCA Topo Map

For more information on the Lost Coast Trail call the King Range Project Office at (707) 986-5400.

MOTORIZED NUISANCES

Editor,

This is an appeal to help us all with the loud, louder, loudest cars that now go up and down our street all day and night. We used to love our home; where we live is close to shopping, a park and a hospital. We have great neighbors and bought our home in 1997 thinking it would be our forever home. Now we spend time looking at homes in states with quieter places to live due to the stress of living anywhere in Santa Rosa.

A police officer told us there are so few of them they are unable to take the time it takes to write noisy car tickets and that there are only five officers assigned to traffic enforcement for all of Santa Rosa.

That is crazy and not at all the officers’ fault. We support local law enforcement. We are grateful for the difficult tasks they handle. We know they aren’t responsible for the incredible lack of traffic enforcement officers needed to maintain law and order with regards to the insane flow and extremely loud cars with modified exhaust systems that nobody seems inclined to do anything about.

Laurie Seale

Santa Rosa

TALKING WITH JONAH RASKIN

Experiment August 2, 2021

I experimented today while walking from my place to Gus’s Market, about 20 minutes away. The experiment was to initiate conversations and to see what if anything happened. Something always happened. In the back and forth below I am the first speaker. 

“Nice Bike!” Me to young woman biker, wearing black leather.

“Thank you!,” she says.

“Flowers smell great.” Me to large man, pacing back and forth at entrance to the beach.

“Yeah,” he says.

“How’s it going?” Me to short, young man wearing sunhat.

“ Good, thank you,” he says.

I give a thumbs up to an older man, walking toward me on the footpath that follows the Great Highway. He nods to me.

“Yo. How’s it going?” Me to a young couple with a dog on a leash.

“Hi,” the man says.

“Hello,” the woman says.

Is your dog a thoroughbred or a mutt? Me to a white woman and an Asian man walking together.

“Boxer/ shepherd mix,” she says.

“The sun is good.” Me to older Japanese woman sitting on a bench in the sun, rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand. Cane at her side.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Ronnie Lott, he’s my man.” Me to Black man wearing a jersey that has the name Lott on the back. 

“Yes, sir,” he says.

“How ya doin’.” Me to guy in his 30s with a dog.

“Howdy.”

“Yum, Yum.” Me to young woman leaving Judehlicious on Judah with boxes and containers of take-out.

“Yum, Yum,” she says. 

“Good surf?” Me to young woman surfer in wet suit, bare feet, water glistening in her hair, two blocks from the ocean.

“Yeah. It was fun out there,” she says and smiles like she’s happy.

CHRIS CALDER: Did you know that hydroelectricity in Northern California was supposed to be publicly owned, with power sold to the taxpayers who paid for the dams that make it, at cost? And that farms receiving Central Valley Project water and power were supposed to be limited to 160 acres so they would stay family farms and the Central Valley wouldn't become a vast serfdom of migrant labor working on plantations and living in barracks and shacks, or ten to a shtty apartment? With kids going to piss poor schools (when they weren't working in the fields themselves) and growing up, not hoping to be farmers some day, but watching their parents work themselves to the bone for survival wages and then get discarded when they break? By absentee owners who make vast profits off of taxpayer-provided water, as well as human blood, sweat and tears? 

But that would have been communism. 

Luckily, PG&E survived that madness so it could make billions for its executives and shareholders by neglecting longterm infrastructure and fire safety just in time for climate change to hit us all while the company declared bankruptcy. Phew. Dodged a bullet on that one. 

The roots of our exploitation - Golden Parachutes at the top, FEMA tents at the bottom - run deep. 

From "The Great Thirst - Californians and Water: A History": 

"The dispute over hydroelectricity generated by the Central Valley Project was nearly as intense as the battle over acreage limitation. The private firm of Pacific Gas and Electric, with a virtual monopoly over power distribution in northern and central California, adopted a strategy similar to the one it followed in the conflict over Hetch Hetchy power and waged an aggressive campaign to prevent the Reclamation Bureau from competing with it.

"At first PG&E concentrated on securing the right to distribute all the power generated in public facilities, even that destined for the Bureau's own water-pumping plants. This was a struggle that the utility waged in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C. In California it drew upon strong Republican and grower support in the late 1930s and early 1940s to defeat bills that would have enabled public agencies to build local government-owned facilities to receive power from a federal distribution network.

"In Washington, PG&E lobbied with uneven success against appropriations allowing the Reclamation Bureau to construct its distribution system, but the private utility received a major boost with the outbreak of World War II, which deprived the Bureau of Reclamation of materials and priorities for transmission lines. To meet the wartime demand for electricity, PG&E obtained temporary short-term arrangements to deliver power (at a profit) to its own customers and to public agencies.

《Note: that's known as war profiteering.》

"In this struggle, PG&E found a powerful ally in big agriculture. Though the company and the growers had battled one another over initial approval of the Central Valley Project, with PG&E opposed because of the public power provisions, the growers now joined the utility in fighting the government attempt to market power. 

"The reason, paradoxically, lay in the Reclamation Bureau's low-cost power policy. On the one hand, the Bureau's intention to sell the electricity cheaply would result in little revenue for reducing the cost of - and hence the farmers' payments for - their government-constructed irrigation systems. PG&E, on the other hand, would charge higher rates, thereby producing not only profits for the company but also more revenue for reducing the costs of the farmers' systems. 

"The possibility of higher rates did not bother the large farmers, since their lands were mostly in the San Joaquin Valley, where there were currently no plans to transmit project power. Most power sales were planned for the farms, cities, and industries of the Sacramento Valley and along the delta. 

"Thus, the fight over hydroelectricity was not only a struggle between public and private power, but also among valley residents, with the large growers of the south speaking primarily through the California Farm Bureau Federation, and the small landowners rallying around the Grange, an organization especially strong in the north. Boasting a membership of 25,000 "dirt farmers", the Grange declared itself at war with monopoly in general and the "huge octopus-like power companies in particular". 

Score one for the octopus.

WOMEN BE WISE

Women be wise, keep your mouth shut, don't advertise your man
Don't sit around gossiping, explaining what your good man really can do
Some women nowadays, Lord they ain't no good
They will laugh in your face, Then try to steal your man from you
Women be wise, keep your mouth shut, don't advertise your man

Your best girlfriend, she might be a highbrow, she changes clothes 3 times a day
What do you think she's doing now, while you're so far away
She's loving your man in your own damn bed
You better call for the doctor, mama, try to investigate your head
Women be wise, keep your mouth shut, don't advertise your man

Women be wise, keep your mouth shut, don't advertise your man
Don't sit around, girl, telling all your secrets,
Telling all those good things he really can do
If you talk about your baby, you tell me he's so fine
Lord honey, I just might sneek up and try to make him mine
Women be wise, keep your mouth shut, don't advertise your man

Don't be no fool, don't advertise your man (baby don't do it)

— Sippie Wallace

EXECUTIVE OFFICE ANNOUNCES Appointment of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Leadership Changes within the Organization

Post Date: 08/03/2021 4:00 PM

Appointment of Bekkie Emery as Mendocino County’s Director of Social Services, Appointment of Janelle Rau as Mendocino County’s Director of General Services Agency, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Steve Dunnicliff Accepted Special Assignment with Mendocino County’s Information Services Division, and the Appointment of Judy Morris as Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

The Mendocino County COVID-19 Department Operations Center has confirmed positive COVID-19 case at the following location: 

Sherwood Valley Casino 

100 Kawi Pl, Willits, CA 95490 

Members of the public who visited this facility on the dates of July 27th and 28th 2021 may have been exposed to COVID-19, and are advised to seek COVID-19 testing if unvaccinated, or seek testing if exhibiting symptoms while vaccinated. Covid-19 Testing 

Sherwood Valley Casino’s management is responding quickly to the positive case. They have sent their employees to be tested and have contacted the specific customers they can identify. We appreciate Sherwood Valley Casino’s cooperation to find those who could be exposed, and Public Health only publishes this business’ name and location because it is impossible to specifically identify everyone in the public who could have been exposed. 

Public Health is prepared for the possibility of outbreaks due to increased close contact during the summer months. Public Health still urges members of the public to exercise their best judgment when making decisions that might affect their health and the health of the community. We appreciate the cooperation of the above local businesses to find those who could be exposed, and Public Health only publishes their names when we are unable to specifically identify everyone in the public who could have been exposed. 

Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren would like to emphasize the importance of staying home from work when exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19. Common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or new loss of taste or smell. 

We ask that the community stay vigilant and follow the guidance outlined by the California Department of Public Health and Mendocino County Public Health. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and masking, contact the Mendocino County Public Health COVID19 Call Center at (707) 472-2759 or visit our website at: www.mendocinocounty.org/covid19.