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A MAINLY DRY DAY is expected Saturday. More heavy rainfall returns Saturday night into Sunday. Monday is expected to be relatively dry, however the active storm track continues to bring additional heavy rainfall and a flooding threat, strong winds, and lowering snow levels much of next week. (NWS)
STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): 1.66" of new rainfall all falling yesterday morning, foggy & cloudy since then. A cloudy 44F this Saturday morning on the coast. Rain returns this afternoon then LOTS of rain tonight, then some rain Sunday. Off & on periods of rain thru next week, occasionally heavy at times.
A FLOOD WATCH is in effect for all of Mendocino County as a weekend storm moves in. The National Weather Service warns heavy rain could lead to flooding, landslides, and hazardous travel from Saturday afternoon through Monday.
NICK WILSON (MCN-Announce): In the Northern Hemisphere, the 2025 winter solstice occurs on Sunday, December 21, at 10:03 AM EST, 7:03 AM PST (15:03 UTC). It's the real reason for the season.
AV UNIFIED NEWS
As we head into our three-week winter break, I want to extend my warmest holiday wishes to you and your loved ones.
This time away from school is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and reconnect. I sincerely hope the coming weeks provide space for rest, relaxation, and meaningful moments with family and friends. Our students, staff, and families have worked hard this year, and this break is well deserved.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Anderson Valley Unified School District. We are grateful to serve such a caring and resilient community.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and our entire district team, I wish you a joyful holiday season and a healthy, peaceful start to the new year. We look forward to welcoming students back refreshed and ready to learn on January 12th, 2026!
Upcoming District Events
Dec. 11 - Jan. 9 Winter Break
Jan. 5-9 AVES Winter Camp
Jan. 12 First day back after Winter Break
Jan. 13 at 4:45 School Board Meeting
Jan. 20 at 4:00 AVJrSrHS Exhibitions
Jan. 29 at 4:30 AVJrSrHS School Site Council & ELAC
Feb. 09 at 4:00 AVES School Site Council
Feb. 10 at 4:45 School Board Meeting
Feb. 19 at 5:00 Districtwide DELAC (with fun activity TBD)
Winter Assembly and Volunteer Appreciation at AV Elementary
On Friday, AVES had two small concerts, Student of the Month awards, and an appreciation event for their volunteers. The festivities were fun and the musicians were fantastic! Many thanks to Mr. McMath for teaching our littlest musicians, to Mr. Corey-Moran for serving as emcee, and to all our volunteers for your tireless commitment to our students. We love all of you!
Community Engagement Initiative Team
Community Schools Coordinator, Nat Corey-Moran brought the CEI team to a Peer Learning and Leading Network conference in San Diego right before Winter Break. This is a group of students, parents, and staff, who will set goals and identify with new ways to involve our parents and community in our schools. Many thanks to Nat, Tere Malfavon, Ali Cook, Lili Chavez, Michael Nemeth, Nicholas Espinoza, Sharon Korn, Darlyn Barosa, Heath McNerney, Jenny Bailey, Analee Gatlin, Blanca Mendoza, Harlow Jette, and Noor Dawood for your commitment to this work. Together, we will do great things for the school community!
Instruction & Learning
Our teachers and staff have a lot going on in the coming months and we are excited about continuing to improve our student learning outcomes. Our educators are continuously refining their craft in order to keep learning fun and productive in AVUSD! We are deeply grateful for our educators’ commitment to teaching & learning.
The AV Jr/Sr High math department will be working with math specialists on Monday, January 12th. They are planning engaging lessons that require students to think critically.
At AV Jr/Sr High departmental teams (English, Math, Social Science, Science, Arts) will be working collaboratively on half-days, Jan. 26-30. These teams will endeavor to select essential or “focus” standards for each course. This ensures the entire departmental team is on the same page about key concepts learned in each course, in order to maximize student learning.
On Jan 27, AV Elementary teachers will work with math specialists as they take next steps in planning engaging lessons, with a special focus on student-to-student discourse as they persevere through solving challenging math problems.
Construction Updates
The AV Elementary Kitchen will be up and running when we return from Winter Break! This means the school will now be serving regular breakfast and also second chance breakfast, starting in January. Many thanks to Architect Don Alameida and Cupples Construction for their hard work troubleshooting through the challenges that arise with older buildings.
The New Caltrans Clean California Track and Field are already being used by the school and community! We have posted signs to remind visitors that animals and wheels should stay off the field, and that cleats or wheels should not go on the track, as they could damage it. Thank you for helping us keep the track in excellent condition for the whole community to enjoy for years to come!
The AV Jr/Sr High Gym project is still underway. Our architect is working with DSA to try to get the outdoor canopy over the walkway included as part of the project for the funding we will receive from the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC).
A New AV Elementary Construction Project will be going out to bid soon. We are excited to replace several very old windows in the main building. We also hope to create another adult restroom and to complete the mitigation of the mastic in the main cafeteria area, likely over summer break.
The AV Elementary Garden is the next area we’ll be working on at the elementary school; stay tuned for an invitation to another Family Work Party soon. We look forward to cleaning up the area and installing a strong fence, so students and classes can use the area when the weather is nice.
We in AV Unified look forward to a bright and wonderful 2026. Thank you for being on the journey with us!
Sincerely yours,
Kristin Larson Balliet, Superintendent
Anderson Valley Unified School District
MARIA DIAZ MEDINA (Laytonville/Branscomb): We had quite a day. Came home from the kids' winter performances and this guy was fleeing our property. We tried to get him to stop and after that failed, we followed him until he spun out into a field on Winchester Flats.
After having some words with him and the sheriffs being called, we came home to find that he in fact did enter our home, though he denied it but the boot prints and blood stains from him cutting himself on our two gates say otherwise. We just wanted to make the community aware that he was around and might plan on coming back to town because he says he's "looking for his friend Vanessa" who he thinks has been abducted. The sheriff's did state that he is 5150 and have run into him the last couple weeks.
DA EYSTER’S DEFIANT 27 PAGE RESPONSE TO STATE AUDIT
DA questions whether State Auditors have ‘gone rogue.’
by Mike Geniella
For two years Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster has refused to publicly address his controversial practice of using public criminal asset forfeiture funds to pay for a series of annual year end staff dinners under the guise of “training.”
However, a defiant Eyster privately offered up a detailed 27-page written response to the California State Auditor. Dated Dec. 5, the document was obtained from the state agency via the California Public Records Act.
DA Eyster wrote his response before the state officially released its report, contending that it was unclear to him whether “state auditors have gone rogue” and seek to limit “the discretionary authority and/or the constitutional independence of the Office of the District Attorney.”
State Auditor Grant Parker’s audit team replied that “To provide clarity and perspective, we are commenting on the excerpt of the District Attorney’s Office response to our audit report.”
The state office believes Eyster’s use of asset forfeiture funding has violated state and federal prohibitions, that his office “has not accurately summarized our findings regarding the presence of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement with respect to the office’s expenditures,” and that its recommendations for corrective measures was made not to him but to the Board of Supervisors and county executives.
Eyster’s combative response is aimed at state auditors’ conclusions that his string of annual steakhouse dinners, launched after he took office in 2011, is “a gift of public funds.” The annual dinners, attended by 75 or more people, fail to meet the standard for legitimate training expenses because staff guests, including spouses and friends, are not public employees, state auditors determined at the end of a year-long probe of county fiscal practices that cost taxpayers statewide $800,000 under terms of special legislation.
The state findings specifically cite $3,600 that Eyster spent earlier this year to cover the cost of his latest “End of the Year Debriefing and Training” at a local steakhouse. Similar amounts have been spent since 2011, when Eyster launched his annual events.
The findings support the questioning of the annual dinners in recent years by elected County Auditor Chamise Cubbison, whose challenge of the DA’s internal spending practices ended in a bitter political brouhaha. In October 2023, Eyster attempted to criminally prosecute Cubbison on a felony charge of misuse of public funds relating to an unrelated pay issue in her office. The case was tossed before going to trial, and Cubbison returned to her elected position as the Auditor/Controller.
Eyster’s failed prosecution has cost county taxpayers at least $400,000 in outside legal fees for an outside special prosecutor, and for a San Francisco law firm hired to defend the county in a subsequent civil lawsuit Cubbison filed for damages and compensation for the 18 months she was suspended by the Board of Supervisors before the criminal case was dropped.
Eyster has repeatedly refused to publicly comment on his dinner practices, or his failed bid to criminally prosecute the County Auditor. The high-profile battle between the two elected officials ensnared key county executives and members of the Board of Supervisors. It also led to the forced merger of the county’s two key fiscal offices, which is now being undone.
Eyster lectured state auditors in his Dec. 5 objection to their draft report.
The DA reminded them that as the county’s “chief law enforcement officer” he serves as “the de facto head of the executive branch” of county government. Eyster contended that he relies on a “highly qualified” in-house financial team, which had to “interact with the time-consuming information requests and remote conferencing discussions with the state Auditor.”
Eyster said his internal financial team handles on average more than 1,200 financial transactions annually and that “no secret payroll codes were found to have been used in DA transactions, no DA financial hanky panky was uncovered, and, “most importantly, neither the District Attorney nor any DA employee was found by the state auditors to have been personally enriched through misappropriation or hidden financial manipulation.”
The DA complained that state auditors did not have a qualified representative “with prosecutorial experience that would allow the Sacramento team to understand the long-standing public safety mission – and discretion – afforded all elected California district attorneys.”
He alleged that state auditors created “unnecessary stress on the local team by creating unrealistic and arbitrary deadlines.”
Eyster argued that his office is following guidelines assuring financial safeguards in relation to asset forfeiture spending. No collaborating data was provided in the 2024 state report on the amount of asset forfeiture funds managed in Mendocino County, according to state records.
The DA went on at length defending use of the asset forfeiture funds to spend $572 for personal water bottles for DA employees because of questionable water supplies in the downtown county courthouse. He also defended the $70 purchase of an antique Lake County evidence collection kit from a Sonoma County store and its eventual return to the DA’s office in Lakeport, citing “mutual aid to a neighboring and allied law enforcement agency.”
Eyster defended his $5,000 contribution from his state asset forfeiture account to the church-operated St. Mary of the Angels School in Ukiah.
“Apparently relying on discriminatory misinterpretations of the U.S. Constitution and California state law, the state auditor wrongly opined that a donation of $5,000 … was constitutionally defective and constitutes a prohibited gift of public funds to, in their pointed description, a local ‘religiously affiliated school’.”
Eyster concluded that his asset forfeiture spending complies with state guidelines.
The state auditing team in response took exception to Eyster’s allegations.
“The District Attorney’s Office assures that its use of asset forfeiture funding has been lawful. However, as our report notes on pages 30 and 31, the office’s use of asset forfeiture funding has violated state and federal constitutional prohibitions of direct funding for religiously affiliated schools, as well as the California Constitution’s prohibitions on gifts of public funds.”
Also, “The District Attorney’s Office has not accurately summarized our findings regarding the presence of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement with respect to the office’s expenditures.”
UKIAH CHP: The Ukiah Area is proud to welcome our newest officer, Christopher McDougal, to our squad. After 26 weeks at the CHP academy, Officer McDougal begins his rigorous field training. The ultimate goal is to prepare all newly promoted officers for the challenges they will encounter on a day-to-day basis so they can provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California. If you ready for a great career opportunity. Visit us at www.chpmadeformore.com and see how you can make a difference in your community!
$800,000 FOR THIS?
State Auditor Tells Mendo What It Already Knows
by Mark Scaramella
Did we really need an $800,000 audit team of made up of Mr. Grant Parks, California State Auditor, and his overlarge team of green-eyeshaders: Bob Harris, Audit Principal, Grayson Hough, Senior Auditor, Brandy Roberts, Dominik Baer, Julie Magana, Roxanna Jarvis, plus Legal Counsel: Heather Kendrick, and Assistant Chief Counsel Michael Sorich to tell us:
- Mendo has a worsening structural deficit?
- The DA should have paid for his Broiler staff dinners out of his own generous salary rather than using Asset Forfeiture funds?
- That Mendo is behind in collecting taxes due?
- That a few accounting procedures need to be added or tightened up?
- That the Supervisors and the DA made an already-bad post-Covid financial mess worse by rashly consolidating the Treasurer and Tax Collector offices, getting rid of its most experienced staff and then filing bogus charges against their elected Chief and suspending her without pay mid-consolidation?
Of course not.
Did the State Auditor demand that the DA repay the asset forfeiture fund for his “prohibited” Broiler dinner spending?
Did the State Auditor highlight the DA’s and the Board’s role in bringing Mendo to the point that the State legislature determined that Mendo needed an expensive audit?
Did the State Auditor recommend anything new that could be done to fix Mendo’s financial deficiencies?
Again, no, no, and no.
The high-powered nine-member Sacto-audit team basically produced a glorified Grand Jury Report complete with Mendo’s usual empty promises to do better where possible someday.
Granted the audit highlighted a few things that need attention, things that have needed attention for years, as we — ahem — have pointed out on multiple prior occasions to no avail. Fixes for some of the problems identified by the State Auditor were already underway by the time the Audit finally appeared, as well. (cf the belated “deconsolidation” of the Auditor and Tax Collector offices. But there’s nothing in the State Auditor’s lengthy report that Mendo didn’t know or should have known and could have acted on if they were paying attention. Nor did the State Auditor identify any specific “waste, fraud or abuse,” saying only that Mendo was “vulnerable” to waste, fraud or abuse, especially regarding asset forfeiture fund spending.
Here are the State Auditor’s main less-than-original recommendations:
- Increase reserves a little.
- Prepare an “aging report” of assessed properties to keep them from becoming uncollectable.
- Conduct some long-overdue tax lien sales to recoup delinquent property taxes.
- Tighten up asset forfeiture policies. (Despite the fact that the DA has made it clear that he has no intention of changing his asset forfeiture spending or allowing the County Auditor to restrict it in any way.)
- Tighten up contracting procedures to be sure competitive bids are obtained where appropriate.
- Make better use of existing accounting software and review financial reports monthly.
- Prepare for upcoming new federal accounting rules.
- Make sure election related contracts spell out what happens when a mistake is made.
- Fix a few remaining voter roll errors to reflect voters’ proper Supervisorial districts.
Sound familiar?
To all of these recommendations Mendo earnestly agreed and promised to do better in the coming months. (Do we believe they will? Hah.)
Our favorite State Auditor recommendation: “…take steps to address the stagnant tax revenue and increasing expenditures. This should include board meetings or town halls with the express purpose of discussing the spending areas the county wishes to prioritize for reduction and options for the county to increase revenue, such as by increasing tax rates…”
County Response: “The Board of Supervisors agrees the County needs to address stagnant revenues. The Board of Supervisors is concerned about the feasibility of increasing taxes for various reasons. The first reason is the fact that two of the four cities within Mendocino County are capped on max allowable tax that can be charged to residents and narrowing a tax to the unincorporated area would not likely generate significant revenue . A second reason is that a voter-initiated ballot measure may not be politically feasible as indicated in recent polling by the Mendocino Council of Governments. A third concern is there are potentially competing tax initiatives which are already being discussed publicly, one measure being for public safety, and another being for Fire/Emergency Medical Services.”
Translation: There’s nothing Mendo can do or will do. (Not true, but outside the scope of the Audit or this article; to be addressed in an upcoming article.) Mendo is always happy to hold more meetings and workshops. Mendo loves meetings and workshops, most of which produce the need for more meetings and workshops. Accordingly, the Board of Supervisors plans to hold a public workshop in mid-January to discuss the audit and its recommendations.
Over the holiday we will dig into some of the State Audit report’s specifics to make sure they’re on the record for potential follow up and point out that there’s nothing new or significant — and to note some areas that the State Auditors conspicuously overlooked.
LOCAL EVENTS (this weekend)
$39M OVER 10 YEARS FOR FORT BRAGG WATER SYSTEM UPGRADES
by Michelle Blackwell
During the December 8th Fort Bragg City Council meeting, the city received a report with a wish list of improvements for the water system over the next ten years at a cost of $39 million. The report will be used as a basis to discuss water rates at upcoming public works and council meetings. The report was presented by HDR consultants. The study outlined the existing deficiencies and codified the life expectancy of the water systems.
Per HDR, much of the system is older than sixty years old, and parts of the system are reaching the end of their designed lifetime in the next few years. The good news is that Fort Bragg’s water system is adequate to serve its current needs, is well-maintained, and has fewer breaks per mile of pipe than a long list of water agencies that were used for comparison.
However, the city’s water system no longer meets fire standards. It was designed in the 1960s to pump 1000 gallons per minute. Current standards are 2000 gallons per minute. The highest priority project is the Willow Street Pump Station adjacent to the CV Starr Center. The pump station upgrade is needed to meet fire flow capacity and will cost over $8 million. New valves along Oak Street are the second most important project at a cost of $93,000. And replacing the Cedar Street pipeline at over $3.3 million. Close to 25 million in projects were recommended for the first five years. With the remainder being pushed out for ten years. Sources of funding were not identified, although it was pointed out that the public works department would likely apply for grants as they are available and that the city is looking at water and wastewater rates in upcoming meetings.
The city also finalized plans to charge vacant building owners for monthly inspections. The fees were set at $150 per month for buildings and $100 per month for vacant lots. There are also one-time registration fees. The city outlined how the fees are for cost recovery and are not a tax. The vacant building and lot ordinance drew comments from several citizens. Two supported and two opposed. One indicated that this ordinance was anti-business. A fifth was opposed to the vacant lot portion of the ordinance. Councilmember Albin Smith reminded those present that the majority of citizens surveyed clearly supported resolving the issue of vacant buildings. City Manager Issac Whippy said the city’s focus will be on buildings in the downtown and will fan out to other commercial areas over time. He says vacant lots will not be the focus; however, the ordinance does give the city leeway to go after vacant lot property owners in commercial zones in the future.
The city also passed a resolution for dealing with disruptive behavior at council meetings. Meeting attendees, either in person or online, who are disruptive will be removed.
In a reversal from last month, the council sent the automatic fire sprinkler installation requirement back to the public safety committee for fine-tuning. Mayor Godeke pointed out that the impetus for changing the ordinance was to make it easier for property owners to improve their buildings and that what they ended up with did not seem to meet that goal. He asked that public safety spend time codifying the details of when a remodel required a fire sprinkler upgrade.
The first quarter budget numbers provided by Whippy show that the city is basically on track to stay in budget this year; however, a large insurance payment skewed the expenditure side. This was also true for the separate numbers provided on the broadband network. The city is currently installing fiber optic cables to expand broadband services in Fort Bragg.
During public comment, two local businesswomen derided the council over the food truck that parks on the 200 block of Redwood Avenue. According to one businesswoman, it creates parking, noise, and pollution issues, and its location hides storefronts and signage. The second added that it contributes to a dead zone on the block, which discourages pedestrian shoppers. She also derided the council for abandoning Redwood Avenue businesses while showing a preference for shops on Laurel. Councilmember Hockett said the issue of food truck generators will be addressed at an upcoming public works meeting. The council did not address the other complaints.
Under consent, the city also accepted a notice of completion for the stopgap paving contract. They also increased Lumos and Associates’ budget by an additional $14,500 for a total of $131,602. Lumos is hired for on-call engineering and surveying services. This is the second increase this fiscal year; the city originally budgeted $80,000 and previously added $37,000.
Chief Eric Swift announced that the public safety meeting scheduled for December 17th will be focused on dispatch concerns. A representative from Ukiah dispatch will be present. The January 21st meeting will focus on the Flock cameras. Both issues have created controversy within the city, and many residents have spoken about them during public comment in the past.
From Public Works, Chantel O’Neal announced that the construction at Bainbridge Park is scheduled to be completed in February of next year, after weather delays slowed progress. And that the problems associated with a paving project on Franklin will be corrected by the contractor at no cost to the city.
Whippy responded to an email and provided an update on the next Mill Site public meeting. Previously, the city planned a meeting in December. Per Whippy, it has been delayed until next year due to legal developments in the case. The CV Starr solar construction is expected to be completed in January; however, the City Hall and Wastewater Treatment solar installations will continue into March.
Whippy also provided dates for the upcoming closure of the pools at CV Starr. The pool will close on January 5th and is expected to reopen on February 1st. The CV Starr Center will be getting a new HVAC system in the pool area. The gyms and classrooms will remain open during the installation.
(Ukiah Daily Journal)
ELISE COX (Mendolocal.news):
Good news! Mendo Local Public Media has been accepted into the current "Advancing Democracy" cohort by the Solutions Journalism network.
On that theme, I wanted to see if any volunteers want to work on a project related to the California State Audit (see the two stories we published yesterday).
One of the facts revealed by the audit that surprised me was that the county did not maintain a contract with its elections vendor. I've never heard of a public or private company doing business without a contract, and I'm under the impression that a nonprofit risks its nonprofit status if proper record-keeping policies are not in place.
I've asked the CEO and auditor for the vendor management policies.
I've also put in a public records request to the Elections Department for the equivalent of their ledger of expenses for 2024. I'm interested to understand what other payments were made that were not backed by a contract or a statement of work, or other required documentation.
The auditors did a spot check. Given what they found, the citizens need to do a more thorough review.
This request is going to yield information that will, in turn, need to be followed up on. I'd like to invite people concerned about good government to a working group.
The election division is small and we know there is a problem there, so it seems a good place to start. Please email me at [email protected] if you'd like to participate in this working group.
DA CONVICTS ANOTHER BARREL FISH
A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned from its deliberations Thursday afternoon to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty of second offense DUI driving.
Defendant Brian Axel Martinez, age 32, of Ukiah, was found guilty of misdemeanor driving of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and misdemeanor driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater.
Defendant Martinez was found not guilty of an alternative charge of misdemeanor driving of a motor vehicle while under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.
This was the defendant’s second trial stemming from a roll-over crash on Vichy Springs Road and his subsequent arrest by the CHP in October 2024. The defendant's first trial in October 2025 ended in a mistrial, setting the stage for this week’s retrial.
This is a second offense for defendant Martinez. He suffered a conviction for driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater in 2018.
The law enforcement agencies that provided testimony at this week’s trial were the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice Forensic Laboratory.
The prosecutor who presented the People’s evidence to the jury was Deputy District Attorney Nathan Mamo.
Retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Janet Clark, sitting on temporary assignment in Ukiah, presided over the two-day trial.
This is the last Mendocino County Superior Court jury trial to go out in calendar year 2025.
On-Line Comment
First offense DUI should result in seizure of the vehicle and mandatory substance abuse treatment. (If you’re driving drunk, you have an alcohol abuse problem.)
Second offense DUI should be a felony. The driver should face mandatory incarceration and should not be licensed to drive for a substantial period of time (like 5 years). If found driving during that time, penalties should be severe.
Offenses beyond 2nd need to carry long prison sentences. People who repeatedly and willfully jeopardize the lives of others should be removed from society.
Treating DUI seriously is the only way to reduce it.
INLAND WATER RATE INCREASES PROPOSED
As water rate increases are proposed for most of the water customers in the Ukiah Valley, First District Mendocino County Supervisor Madeline Cline urged residents to stay informed and engaged.
“The Ukiah Valley Water Authority, which is the consolidation of Redwood Valley, Willow, Millview, Calpella and the city of Ukiah, (recently) discussed rate increases, which they are asking for due to the need for upgrading aging infrastructure,” said Cline as part of her report during the Dec. 16 meeting of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, referring to a press release from the organization that had been sent this week.
“I would encourage everyone to check that out, to ask questions of the individual boards, and to be involved in the process,” Cline said.
According to the press release sent by the city of Ukiah, “member agencies of the Ukiah Valley Water Authority are advancing proposed water rate increases to ensure they can continue to operate safe, reliable water systems and address years of deferred maintenance and underfunded infrastructure needs.”
The rate increases are reportedly being proposed following “a financial study launched earlier this year by four of the five UVWA member agencies who all had expired rate studies and were due for updated analysis and rates.
This includes the city of Ukiah, Millview County Water District, Redwood Valley County Water District, and Willow County Water District. The study was conducted by Hildebrand Consulting, an expert in utility financial plans; it analyzed revenue requirements and existing debts, and projected operating and capital costs.”
The release notes that “each district separately reviewed the rate study, evaluated its system needs, and will pursue adoption of its new rate schedules through the publicly noticed Proposition 218 process.”
More details on each district’s proposed increases below:
Millview proposes increasing water rates by 15% on March 1, 2026, followed by 14% increases on July 1 of 2027, 2028, and 2029.
For a typical single-family home (using about 7,500 gallons per month), the monthly bill will rise $7.15 in 2026 and the monthly increase will be $9.91 in 2029. The last increase to Millview’s water rates was in 2011.
Redwood Valley proposes a 30% increase on March 1, 2026, followed by 12% on July 1, 2026, 6% on July 1, 2027, and 3% on July 1 of 2028 and 2029.
For an average customer that amounts to a monthly increase of $23.95 in 2026, but by 2029 the monthly increase is only $3.81.
Willow proposes increasing rates by 19% on March 1, 2026, followed by 12% increases on July 1 of 2027, 2028, and 2029.
For an average customer that amounts to a monthly increase of $8.08 in 2026 and a monthly increase of $7.61 in 2029.
The city of Ukiah proposes increasing water rates by 6% on March 1, 2026, followed by 4% increases on July 1 of 2027, 2028, and 2029.
For an average single-family home that amounts to an increase in the monthly bill of $5.588 in 2026 and a monthly increase of $4.27 in 2029.
Calpella County Water District, also a member of UVWA, is already implementing its own 5-year rate schedule adopted in 2023 and therefore did not participate in the current rate study.
In compliance with Proposition 218 requirements, a public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2026 at 5 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. Under Proposition 218, water rates cannot exceed the actual cost of providing service, and customers must receive 45-days’ notice, an opportunity to protest, and a public hearing before any increase is adopted.
The city of Ukiah also noted that “separately from this rate adjustment process, it is pursuing a state planning grant to fund engineering and design work needed to connect infrastructure across the UVWA member agencies — an effort that would improve system flexibility, drought preparedness, and long-term reliability. The SAFER Program, “Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience,” would fund infrastructure improvements to connect the agencies, including pipelines and interties, storage tanks, booster stations and wells.”
For more information about the Ukiah Valley Water Authority and ongoing regional water efforts, visit cityofukiah.com/uvwa.
(Unbylined, Ukiah Daily Journal)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENTERS FIGHT OVER POTTER VALLEY PROJECT, EEL RIVER WATER
Press release from the USDA:
Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins filed a notice to intervene in the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project proceedings currently being considered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This action will allow USDA to ensure that the interests of the National Forest Service, local farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, communities, and other stakeholders are represented.
“If this plan goes through as proposed, it will devastate hundreds of family farms and wipe out more than a century of agricultural tradition in Potter Valley,” said Secretary Rollins. “Water is the lifeblood of farming. Without it, crops fail, businesses close, and rural communities crumble. For generations, farmers here have put this water to good, productive use. But under California’s radical leadership, the needs of hardworking families are being ignored while the needs of fish are treated as more important. That’s simply wrong. This plan would put countless USDA investments at risk and leave families even more vulnerable to drought and wildfire. This is why I’m intervening in the FERC proceedings and urging them to reject the pending application.”
Secretary Rollins also filed comments urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) current application to surrender its FERC license for Potter Valley Project Hydroelectric Project. Secretary Rollins’ comments urge FERC to reject PG&E’s application unless significant deficiencies are addressed. Her notice of intervention guarantees USDA’s ability to actively participate in the proceedings, protect its programs, and advocate for the farmers and communities who depend on the project’s reliable water flows. You may read the full comments (PDF, 610 KB).
Background:
The Department has serious concerns with Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) current application to surrender its FERC license for Potter Valley Project Hydroelectric Project because of the profoundly negative and irreversible impact on local farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, communities, and USDA equities. USDA maintains a large number of programs across different mission areas that will be negatively impacted; namely, the National Forest System (NFS), the Risk Management Agency, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Rural Development, and the Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS).
For perspective, according to the last census of agriculture the counties of Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Humboldt, and Marin have a combined total of over $1.4 billion in sales of agricultural products. That’s well over $4.2 billion in extra economic activity due to agriculture if you assume a standard multiplier of $3 to $1 which is standard in the nearby Central Valley.
Recently the Secretary received a letter (PDF, 1.9 MB) from over 920 residents with grave concerns about the proposed surrender and decommissioning plan for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
The Secretary also penned an op-ed, highlighting concerns.
(KymKemp.com)
RETIRED MENDO DEPUTY SHERIFF RON PARKER:
When Tim Shea was sheriff I used asset forfeiture money to purchase 5 televisions, 5 TV rolling carts, and 5 VSH players, one for each substation and the main office to play law enforcement legal updates from DOJ and the Alameda DA, who was better than DOJ. I also purchased a FATS machine for $63,000. Fire Arms Training System. It helped indemnify us some as it was a “Shoot Don’t Shoot” program. And it also had a pistol that helped train trigger pull for people who had a hard time or weak hands. I also purchased a couple CPR Annies for CPR Training. I don’t think anyone complained.
CATCH OF THE DAY, Friday, December 19, 2025
JULIO DEVILLAR-ACEVEDO, 29, Ukiah. Probation revocation.
DEVIN MALLONEE, 34, Willits. Burglary, resisting, unspecified offense.
RICARDO MANZO, 25, Redwood Valley. Failure to appear.
SVEN NOSTRAND, 36, Ukiah. Controlled substance/narcotics with prior, unauthorized entry of dwelling without owner consent, resisting.
PETER SAARI, 62, Ukiah. Parole violation.
MAXIMILIANO VILCHIS-ARELLANO, 60, Ukiah. Corporal injury to spouse by strangulation or suffocation, false imprisonment.
THE 2026 PROFESSIONAL PIANIST CONCERTS
Presented by Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova, and Ukiah Community Concerts, the 33rd annual Professional Pianists Concerts are coming to the Mendocino College Center Theatre on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 PM, and on Sunday, January 25 at 2:00 PM
The Concerts benefit the Mendocino College Recording Arts and Technology Program, the Allegro Scholarship Program, and the Ukiah Community Concert Association.
Tickets are $25 general admission, $35 “I Wanna See the Hands” seating (limited), and $30 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah, Mazahar in Willits, and online at www.UkiahConcerts.org.
For more information: 707.463.2738
HOBBY LOBBY’S DISCRIMATORY HOBBY
To the Editor:
I want to thank Janet Rosen for her letter to the editor in a recent Ukiah Daily Journal regarding Hobby Lobby. It’s always good to know who in the community is a white Christian nationalist. Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the dissenting position on Hobby Lobby Stores vs Burwell in 2014. Hobby Lobby didn’t want to include contraception in their health insurance for employees due to religious beliefs. Didn’t matter what the beliefs were of the employees. Michael’s is a very nice store.
Raleigh Page-Russell
Ukiah
A FLASHBACK TO A U.S. INVASION IN ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD
Editor:
With the recent deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and its escorts, plus over 15,000 soldiers and Marines, to the Caribbean, Donald Trump is implementing the largest non-disaster-related military buildup in the area since the U.S. intervened in Haiti in 1994. Trump has indicated that this activity, along with extra-judicial killings of alleged drug smugglers, seizing an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast and bombing threats are intended to pressure Nicolás Maduro into leaving office and force Venezuela to stop supporting “narco-terrorism.” Maduro is not a good guy, but is this really about drugs?
I was interested to see a social media post on this question from Fox News’ chief national security analyst, Jennifer Griffith. Griffith wrote, “When people suggest the looming war vs Venezuela is about drugs, remember that 99 percent of the world’s cocaine comes from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, not Venezuela. No fentanyl is made in Venezuela. But it does have the world’s largest oil reserves.”
Fascinating. I’m having the strongest feeling of déjà vu. Something from 20 years ago, Middle East, lies about the existence of weapons of mass destruction, regime change, a country with huge oil reserves, name begins with an “I.” Give me a minute, it’ll come to me.
Mike Beavers
Santa Rosa
ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
Some people - men and women - are capable of taking on the institutions. They should go and do so. Meanwhile, someone needs to keep the lights on, the water flowing, the food in the grocery store, the fuel at the gas station. And fix the plumbing, the air conditioning, the cars, and everything else. We are experiencing a shortage of skilled people in the trades and I would much rather see a young man in an apprenticeship or training program for a trade than doing video games or dark social media because he hasn't got anything else to do.
MEMO OF THE AIR: Good Night Radio all Friday night on KNYO and KAKX.
Soft deadline to email your writing for tonight's (Friday night's) MOTA show is six or eight. If that's too soon, send it any time after that and I'll read it next Friday.
Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio is every Friday, 9pm to 5am PST on 107.7fm KNYO-LP Fort Bragg and KNYO.org. The first three hours of the show, meaning till midnight, are simulcast on KAKX 89.3fm Mendocino.
Plus you can always go to https://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com and hear last week's MOTA show. By Saturday night I'll put up the recording of tonight's show. You'll find plenty of other educational amusements there to educate and amuse yourself with until showtime, or any time, such as:
Rerun: Timelapse shots of Earth from the ISS going around the night side. Lightning, cities, auroras. We're all down there, making the best of our tiny lives and some of us trying to be kind to our fellow microscopic noisy mobile bags of water. Some of us not. (via Mark) https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251208.html
A list of fictional elements, materials, isotopes, subatomic particles, and units of measure, such as /thaum/, from the Discworld series of books. "A thaum is the basic unit of magical strength; the amount of magic needed to create one small white pigeon or three normal-sized billiard balls. The thaum has been shown to be made up of Resons in the Unseen University's High Energy Magic Building." And Akiva: "Radiation linked to prayer and divine intervention. A place with high levels of Akiva radiation has been visited or touched by a god, while a place with low Akiva radiation may be considered forgotten or forsaken by the gods." Trellium is listed, but not the trellium from Star Trek, which drives Vulcans emotionally mad, and which T'pol becomes addicted to. Though that's trellium-D, with different properties, perhaps, than plain trellium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes_and_subatomic_particles
And some Jews telling jokes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1wqPwvLFMU
Marco McClean, [email protected], https://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com
HOW MUCH SWANKY MILL VALLEY WILL PAY YOU TO HOUSE THE MARIN CITY’S WORKFORCE
by J.K. Dineen
Mill Valley is giving property owners 14,000 reasons to rent their empty or underused apartments to local workers.
The woodsy Marin County suburb is offering up to $14,000 in a one-time payment to property owners who agree to sign a one-year lease with someone who works in Mill Valley, following a model that has successfully converted vacant second homes in high-cost vacation destinations into workforce housing.
Mill Valley is hoping that the cash incentive will encourage property owners to rent to the teachers, cops and shopkeepers who can’t afford the city’s average rent of $3,500 or home cost of $2 million, according to Zillow.
Mill Valley Mayor Stephen Burke said the program is a response to the fact that virtually no employees live in town and the flight of families to more affordable cities has lowered public school enrollment. The Community Housing Foundation of Mill Valley, which is funding some of the one-year pilot program, estimates that 91% of the city’s teachers, first responders and small business owners and employees live outside town limits.
“We have to make every effort and turn over every rock to see what we can do,” he said.
The “Lease to Locals” program is being administered by Placemate, a company started in Tahoe early in the pandemic by Colin and Kai Frolich. The couple were living in Truckee at the time — they have since relocated to Maine — and saw the disconnect between a workforce that was being priced out and thousands of condos that were empty the vast majority of the year. Meanwhile the cost of housing was skyrocketing as Bay Area workers, no longer expected to go to the office, relocated to the Sierra in droves.
“The idea was, ‘Hey, there are a lot of empty second homes in Truckee — maybe we can peel some off with a one-time cash incentive,’” Colin Frolich said.
Since then about 250 property owners, who received a one-time payment of up to $18,000 to join the program, have leased their empty or underused homes to Truckee workers. The program has expanded to more than a dozen vacation towns, including Mammoth Lakes, Incline Village and five communities on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Across 15 markets, the program has placed about 2,000 locals in 850 units.
“It’s been a real proven model that works in a place where you have a big enough pool of potential rental properties that people are not doing anything with or they are doing short-term rentals,” said Frolich.
But the Mill Valley program is a departure for Placemate because the town is a wealthy inner suburb, not a vacation spot. Frolich said in the past Placemate has turned down inquiries from non-vacation communities but Burke, the Mill Valley mayor, convinced them to take a look.
Placemate estimates that there are between 1,000 and 1,200 homes in Mill Valley that are either totally vacant or used sporadically for short-term rentals. Some are single-family homes where the previous owner passed away and descendants have not decided what to do with the property. Some are garden apartments or backyard cottages.
So far it seems to be working. Placemate sent postcards to 5,600 property owners and letters to short-term rental operators. In the first 10 days since the program launched, 13 property owners inquired about the program. Five are seriously pursuing it.
One of them is Sally Strike, who has a 350-square-foot cottage under renovation. A retired Mill Valley teacher, Strike has lived in town for 30 years and has seen how the cost of housing has fueled longer commutes and snarled Marin’s roads. Mill Valley teachers commute from Vallejo, Novato, San Rafael and other parts of the region.
“Anything I can do to reduce traffic, pollution and energy use in this town, I would like to try to do. It’s really getting bad,” she said.
The cottage would be a great fit for a young teacher, she said.
“It’s kind of like a cabin in the woods. You have to walk up a lot of steps to get there but if somebody wants solitude, as opposed to sharing a wall with somebody, it would be perfect,” she said. “They could have their own garden. It would be a nice alternative to an apartment building in San Rafael.”
To qualify, tenants have to work in Mill Valley and earn less than 120% of area median income, about $150,000. While the units can be leased at market rate with a cap of $4,500, many are small and would likely be well below that. To qualify, the property must be located within city limits and the tenant must work at least 20 hours a week in the 94941 ZIP code. Incentives range from $3,500 to $14,000 depending on rental type. Property owners can’t lease the unit to a relative.
While property owners like Strike may be motivated by a desire to help alleviate the housing crisis, the $14,000 makes a pretty good incentive as well. Offering money is more effective than vacancy taxes, which voters in South Lake Tahoe rejected last year.
“There are carrots and sticks — I like carrots,” Frolich said. “Money motivates people.”
Katie Brodie, who owns a one-bedroom condo on Miller Avenue that has been vacant for six months, said she is hoping to be accepted into the program.
“I have a tiny little condo that I absolutely love and would have lived in for the remainder of my life, but I recently got married and moved to San Rafael,” said Brodie, a Mill Valley native who does marketing for a real estate brokerage.
She said she didn’t want to sell the condo because she would love to end up back in Mill Valley and considered turning it into a short-term rental. But the idea of leasing it to a local worker is more appealing.
“I love the idea of doing something positive with my home and being able to offer it to just Mill Valley folks,” she said. “I know a lot of people who work in Mill Valley and live far away. The people who are providing services in Mill Valley do not live here.”
(SF Chronicle)
FLAMES
Smokey the Bear heads
into the autumn woods
with a red can of gasoline
and a box of wooden matches.
His ranger's hat is cocked
at a disturbing angle.
His brown fur gleams
under the high sun
as his paws, the size
of catcher's mitts,
crackle into the distance.
He is sick of dispensing
warnings to the careless,
the half-wit camper,
the dumbbell hiker.
He is going to show them
how a professional does it.
— Billy Collins (2006)
‘THE BLUE ROAD’: Author Norman Solomon Warns of Democrats' Missteps in New Book
by Nina Schmidt
Norman Solomon has spent decades watching American politics unfold through the vigilant lens of a media watchdog and journalist.
Throughout his career, the West Marin-based author has documented the ways what he terms “corporate media” have degraded the political landscape, as well as how the priorities of establishment Democrats have helped shape the country’s current political moment. In his new book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy, released this month, Solomon compiles nearly a decade of writings and reflections on the willful missteps of Democratic Party leadership—and is making his work available to readers completely free of charge.…
https://pacificsun.com/blue-road-author-norman-solomon-warns-of-democratic-
LEAD STORIES, SATURDAY'S NYT
Redactions and Unanswered Questions: First Look at the Epstein Files
Lawmakers Criticize Justice Dept. for Not Releasing All Epstein Files
Epstein Files Include 1996 Child Porn Complaint That F.B.I. Ignored
U.S. and Venezuela Jam Caribbean GPS Signals to Thwart Attacks, Raising Flight Hazard
U.S. Strikes Islamic State Targets in Syria
Justice Dept. Will Appeal Dismissal of Comey and James Indictments
R.F.K. Jr. Is Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s
Immigration Officials Deport Queens 6-Year-Old and Father Who Fled China
“I'M NOT INTERESTED in absolute moral judgments. Just think of what it means to be a good man or a bad one. What, after all, is the measure of difference? The good guy may be 65 per cent good and 35 per cent bad—that's a very good guy. The average decent fellow might be 54 per cent good, 46 per cent bad—and the average mean spirit is the reverse. So say I'm 60 per cent bad and 40 per cent good—for that, must I suffer eternal punishment?
— Norman Mailer
EPSTEIN RELEASE REVEALS NEW PHOTOS BUT MANY FILES ARE WITHHELD
The material includes thousands of documents and hundreds of images related to Jeffrey Epstein. But the Justice Department held back thousands more files despite a law requiring their disclosure by Friday.
by Devlin Barrett, Alan Feuer & Michael Gold, et al
An initial review of a thousands of government files and hundreds of photographs related to Jeffrey Epstein and released by the Justice Department on Friday produced new images, old investigative files and more questions about a scandal that has dogged the second Trump administration.
The full significance of the latest disclosure of Epstein files was unknown, given the volume of the material and the Justice Department’s acknowledgment that it had chosen to withhold many more documents, citing the privacy of victims and an ongoing investigation. Given the incomplete picture — as well as the huge public interest in Mr. Epstein, his crimes and those who traveled in his orbit — the release is as likely to revive the furor over the so-called Epstein files as quell it.
Disappointed. Frustrated. Suspicious.
Several of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said Friday that Justice Department failed them with its partial release of files related to the federal investigations into Mr. Epstein’s decades-long sexual abuse of teen girls and young women. They said the release of thousands of pages of photographs and heavily redacted documents did little to shed new light on the investigations and the scope of Mr. Epstein’s crimes or conspirators.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, one of four Republicans who publicly broke with President Trump’s wishes to force a vote on the law to release the Epstein files, said she “couldn’t be more proud” of her efforts. In a social media post, she suggested she was vindicated by the release of a complaint that Maria Farmer, who once worked for Epstein, filed with the F.B.I. in 1996 about his interest in “child pornography.”
Right-wing Trump supporters have traditionally been among the most ardent voices calling for the release of the Epstein files, often surmising that the materials would expose a cabal of powerful deep-state figures. But at least so far tonight, the reaction on the right to the released files has been notably muted.
Lawmakers from both parties on Friday accused the Justice Department of failing to comply with a law requiring the release of all of its material on Jeffrey Epstein, citing extensive redactions and the department’s acknowledgment that it had not finished reviewing or making public some files.
Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky and one of the lawmakers who wrote the statute, said in a social media post that the release of the files “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.”
In a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said there were challenges and tensions in the redaction process of the documents released on Friday and that any such review “of this size and scope is vulnerable to machine error, instances of human error,” insufficient information about a victim and the possibility the media or others will piece together information to identify a victim.
In his letter, Clayton said victim privacy interests counseled in favor of “redacting the faces of women in photographs with Epstein even where not all the women are known to be victims” because he said it was not practical for the Justice Department to identify every person in a photo. “This approach to photographs could be viewed by some as an over-redaction,” Clayton added, “but the Department believes it should, in the compressed time frame, err on the side of redacting to protect victims.”
Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has filed a sworn declaration with the federal judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases who had ordered the release of the grand jury and other investigative records with redactions to protect victim privacy. He confirmed his office “rigorously reviewed” the released materials after the process was completed, and found none contain “personally identifiable information” of victims or other information that would “constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
A woman who once worked for Jeffrey Epstein filed a complaint to the F.B.I. about his interest in “child pornography” in 1996, about a decade before investigators began scrutinizing his predatory behavior.
The woman, Maria Farmer, has for years said that she had called federal investigators in the summer of 1996, but the F.B.I. had never publicly acknowledged her original report, even to Ms. Farmer. Some people following the Epstein case had accused her of inventing the story. After the release of thousands of Epstein files on Friday, The New York Times contacted Ms. Farmer about a report stamped with the date of Sept. 3, 1996. She broke down in tears.
President Trump’s name is rarely mentioned in the batch of Jeffrey Epstein files that his Justice Department released on Friday, based on a preliminary New York Times scan of thousands of documents and hundreds of photographs.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein were close friends for years, The Times has reported, and Mr. Trump’s initial refusal to release federal files related to investigations into Mr. Epstein sparked speculation about whether those files featured Mr. Trump. His allies have previously confirmed that his name appears in the files about Mr. Epstein.
The first tranche of documents released by the Justice Department from its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein appeared to focus significantly on material connected to former President Bill Clinton, at a moment when Republicans have fought to shift public attention away from Mr. Epstein’s friendship with President Trump.
The dozens of photos released on Friday include one of Mr. Clinton in a hot tub and another showing Mr. Clinton swimming in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell, who conspired with Mr. Epstein to operate his sex trafficking operation, along with a second woman. Another shows a woman seated closely with Mr. Clinton on what appears to be an airplane. There is also what appears to be a candid shot of Mr. Clinton speaking with Mr. Epstein and pictures of him with the musician Mick Jagger.
One of the redacted files, containing 119 pages and entitled “Grand Jury NY,” is entirely blacked out. The Justice Department went into federal court twice in Manhattan seeking the release of grand jury materials arising from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Even though a judge agreed to the department’s second request, it appears as if the grand jury materials remain shielded from the public.
Almost two hours after the Justice Department made public thousands of documents from its Jeffrey Epstein files, President Trump has not yet commented on their release. The case has long haunted him politically.
The files contain a set of phone message notes written years ago for Jeffrey Epstein. One message, dated Nov. 8, 2004, from a caller whose name was redacted, said: “I have a Female for him.” The following January, he got another message with identical wording: “I have a female for him.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, called for more information on the redactions in the files released by the Justice Department today.
“Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” he said in a statement. “For example, all 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out. We need answers as to why.”
The law that required the release of the files allowed the Justice Department to redact some information. The department is required to file a report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in 15 days that details the legal basis for the redactions that it made.
A large portion of the investigative files are redacted, including what appear to be case files connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s multiple female victims. At least so far, the unredacted materials have not disclosed any major new revelations.
The trove of documents also contained a large number of undated, mostly uncaptioned photographs of Epstein with celebrities, including Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger. There are also several photos of former President Bill Clinton, including one that shows him reclining in a hot tub with a person whose face has been blacked out.
(NY Times)
Merry Christmas, ☃️🎄
The fleeing dude,
When law enforcement tells community members that someone “is 5150,” what does that really mean? Either it’s being used as shorthand for “he’s crazy,” which is stigmatizing or it means this person is experiencing a mental health crisis, in which case it requires an intervention and evaluation. If this is how the term is being used, it’s hard to see how the CIT training used by our law enforcement is reducing stigma or improving approach and intervention.
Using “5150” loosely blurs the reality of the process. A 5150 is a formal psychiatric hold, not community contact or transport, and is typically initiated after clinical evaluation at the hospital.
I respect Law Enforcement.
mm💕
So a county with NO money is going to cough up $800k to find out that they’ve been running their county poorly?