ADD LOOK ALIKES:
MENDO STICKS WITH ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’
MENDOCINO CO., 1/8/26 — After months of debate, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved using the term “climate change” in a county document to take a stance on its environmental perspective during President Donald Trump’s administration.
MAZIE MALONE:
The reported 9% decrease in homelessness sounds great, but it’s inaccurate. Many counties in California only participate in the PIT count every two years (here in Mendocino County it’s done annually), so the data is not consistent statewide.
The count also takes place in February, which means it represents a single moment in time, in the middle of winter, when people experiencing homelessness are often harder to find. Because the PIT is done at the beginning of the year, that leaves 11 months for people to lose housing and remain unaccounted for. And of course, there are ongoing challenges with who is actually counted in the PIT count, and those who are missed altogether.
This is why we cannot rely on these numbers as proof that homelessness has actually gone down.
ERIC GRUNDER:
I spent 44 years hanging around newspaper newsroom, reporting, helping edit and generally trying to hold a mirror up to the communities we served. As with any career, there were good days and bad days. But when you write for the media almost every day is a frustrating day, almost always because of the tsunami of information coming at you and need to constantly shift from one story to another. Complete follow through can be rare. Thousands of times over those years, I was left to ask, but what happened? How did it resolve? Most of the time I never found out. Most of the time there wasn’t time, there weren’t enough newspaper column inches available, or another story was coming at me.
We see that played in the national news every day. Remember the Epstein files? I know, it’s hard. That was so last week. That was before the abduction in Venezuela, attempts to discredit and demote Capt. Kelly. the new aggressive threats to Greenland, federal agent shootings in Minneapolis and Portland. If the lack of follow-through is frustrating to news consumers, I can assure you it at least as frustrating to news reporters. And in this case, you've got to ask yourself. is this just the nature of the beast or is there something more nefarious going on, especially given that denial, deflection and blame passing has long been the MO of this administration.
I don't hold much with conspiracies. But, when it comes to the Epstein files, how potentially damaging they could be, and the administration's constantly shifting narrative, you’ve really got to wonder. And that’s hard for the most jaded reporter or news consumer given the ambient noise surrounding us.
MIKE GENIELLA:
Eric Grunder and I started our careers in journalism at the same newspaper and in the same era. He nails it.
MARILYN DAVIN:
Marketing News Flash! Sales of women's cosmetics, especially of the more unsubtle and garish kind, skyrocketed following DHS Secretary Kristi Gnome’s much anticipated CNN interview about the Minneapolis murders. Due to the cloying weight of Gnome’s mascara she was unable to bat her eyes, but otherwise looked like her usual self: a resplendent icon to slutty, “your place or mine” chic. (Sorry, Cory Lewandowski, you’re evidently not the only stud in her stable, where she shoots her horses in the head for fun when the spirit moves her. Here’s to Christian family values! Sales of pancake make-up, which have languished for decades, also roared into the black; Gnome’s new line, guaranteed to conceal all facial features, comes with a trowel. Crying discrimination, manufacturers of over-sized cowboy hats were bitter that Gnome didn’t wear her usual topper. One cowboy-hat store owner cried foul at the slight; fearful that an ICE storm trooper would ram his house with a tank, where he lives with his tow-headed American-citizen wife and children, he only spoke to us on background, in a heavily synthesized voice. Long live Gnome and all gnomes-in-waiting for their key support of this critical market segment!
MAZIE MALONE:
I was disheartened to see Rest Padd as the operating agency for the PHF. I have personal experience via my loved one, with them and the reviews are less than thrilling. Not a good start a 1.3 million a year contract equates to bare minimum care, 16 patients, at about 225 a day. Did you know the Psychiatrist gets 275 dollars an hour?
A READER WRITES: News (Rumor) From Ukiah.
I heard today that Dunkin' Donuts is coming to the old Carl's Jr in Ukiah, and Chick Fil A (a fried chicken franchise) is being planned for Jensen's Truck Stop. So far I would consider this just a rumor, but my source is pretty reliable.
WE WERE SURPRISED to learn that Mendocino County has 865 pesticide operator permits for people who apply pesticdes in the County, and 19 more with “restricted material” permits, which, the Ag Department explained on Tuesday, are for “pesticides that are, um, a little more hazardous than the other ones.” County Ag Biologist Matt Doherty added that his Ag department is trying to reduce those “restricted materials” permits. He said that his department issued 148 pesticde application permits in 2025. “These numbers are usually higher,” he said, “but we’ve been short-staffed. We would like to see around twice that amount in a normal year.” (Mark Scaramella)
MENDO, WHERE MEETINGS ARE OUR MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCT
by Supervisor Maureen Mulheren
At the meeting on Tuesday the Board approved the following roster for Board Assignments. I have attached each Supervisors assignments here along with their contact information. Over the next year I will highlight the committees and Boards that I represent the County on and share the work that we are doing on behalf of our community.
Supervisor Maureen Mulheren, 2nd District Supervisor
Standing Committee
• General Government Committee – Chair
Board & Agency Appointments
• Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB) – Appointee
• Economic Development & Finance Committee (EDFC) – Appointee
• Eel-Russian River Commission – Appointee
• Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) – Appointee
• Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) – Appointee
• Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (MSWMA) – Appointee
• Russian River Watershed Association – Appointee
Alternate Appointments
• Area Agency on Aging JPA Governing Board
• First 5 Mendocino
• Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC)
• Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA)
• North Coast Resource Partnership
• North Bay–North Coast Broadband Consortium Oversight Committee
• Remote Area Network (RAN-MCSO)
• Solid Waste Hearing Board
• Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency
• Workforce Alliance of the Northbay
Supervisor John Haschak, 3rd District Supervisor
Standing Committee
• General Government Committee – Member
Board & Agency Appointments
• Area Agency on Aging JPA Governing Board – Appointee
• First 5 Mendocino – Appointee
• Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) – Appointee
• Mendocino County Employees’ Retirement Association (MCERA) – Appointee
• Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) – Appointee
• North Coast Resource Partnership – Appointee
• North Coast Resource Conservation & Development Area Council – Appointee
• Remote Area Network (RAN-MCSO) – Appointee
• Sonoma Clean Power Authority – Appointee
Alternate Appointments
• Eel-Russian River Commission
• Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA)
• Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
• National Association of Counties (NACo)
• Policy Council on Children and Youth
• Russian River Watershed Association
Supervisor Madeline Cline, 1st District Supervisor
Board & Agency Appointments
• California State Association of Counties (CSAC) – Appointee
• Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) – Appointee
• Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC) – Appointee
• Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) – Appointee
• Mendocino County Resource Advisory Commission (RAC) – Appointee
• National Association of Counties (NACo) – Appointee
• North Coast Resource Partnership – Appointee
• Public Policy Facilitating Committee (PPFC) – Appointee
• Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) – Appointee
• Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency – Appointee
• Workforce Alliance of the Northbay – Appointee
Alternate Appointments
• Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA)
• North Coast Resource Conservation & Development Area Council
• Sonoma Clean Power Authority
Supervisor Ted Williams - Vice-Chair, 5th District Supervisor
Board & Agency Appointments
• California State Association of Counties (CSAC) – Appointee
• CASPAR Transfer Station Coordinating Committee – Appointee
• Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) – Appointee
• Mendocino Fire Safe Council – Appointee
• North Bay–North Coast Broadband Consortium Oversight Committee – Appointee
• Public Health Advisory Board – Appointee
Alternate Appointments
• Mendocino County Resource Advisory Commission (RAC)
Supervisor Bernie Norvell – Chair, 4th District Supervisor
Board & Agency Appointments
• California State Association of Counties (CSAC) – Alternate
• CASPAR Transfer Station Coordinating Committee – Alternate
• Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (MSWMA) – Appointee
• Policy Council on Children and Youth – Appointee
• Solid Waste Hearing Board – Appointee
Chair Appointments
• North Coast Air Basin Control
• Juvenile Justice Commission
• Domestic Violence Counci
Another Important Mendo Product Is Vague Mendo Blather, aka “Stuff We’ll Never Do,” as demonstrated by the Board’s “2026 Board Priorities”:
(From the January 13 Board Workshop Agenda)
District 1 (Madeline Cline)
- Long term water supply reliability and storage infrastructure
- Improve road maintenance
- Proactive emergency preparedness and response
District 2 (Maureen Mulheren)
Completing a smooth and transparent annexation and service coordination process
My priority is to continue moving annexation discussions forward in a way that is clear, collaborative, and fiscally responsible. This includes clear data on the tax-sharing and service agreements, improving public understanding of annexation impacts, and ensuring that surrounding communities such as Potter Valley and Redwood Valley are supported as city boundaries and service areas evolve.
- Housing production tied to economic stability
Housing remains a top district priority, with an emphasis on moving approved projects into construction. This includes market-rate housing, affordable and senior housing, tribal housing, and supportive and sober living. Projects such as Bella Vista, Vineyard Crossings, the Pinoleville housing project, the Intertribal Village on Cooper Lane, and the now-completed Ukiah Recovery Center sober living are critical to stabilizing our workforce and community.
- Community wellness and public safety through prevention and care
Community wellness continues to be a district priority, with a focus on behavioral health, substance misuse recovery, homelessness response, and safety. This includes maintaining effective crisis co-response, expanding access to treatment and recovery services, improving trash and encampment cleanup coordination, and reducing recidivism through better behavioral health and reentry support.
District 3 (John Haschak)
- Economic Development
- Cuts to the Safety Net
- Emergency Preparedness
District 4 (Bernie Norvell)
- Continued support of public health, developing a structurally sound budget
- Support social services and behavioral health with improving outreach to those suffering from street level homelessness.
- Assessing the barriers between planning & building, and environmental health.
- Creating an easier and less costly path for the public
District 5 (Ted Williams):
- Roads (requires more money or a different approach)
- Staff time for in-district maintenance/projects
- Fair share of meetings in district (especially the coast) based on population/revenue
(At their last board meeting, Williams said that improving financial reporting should be the board’s top priority.)
Mark Scaramella notes: None of the Supervisors mentioned collecting the tens of millions of dollars of delinquent taxes as a priority.
ON-LINE COMMENTS OF THE WEEK
[1] We have become a soundbite electorate. There are ways to feed curiosity, multiple sources to read, multiple opinions and possibilities to engage. We have lost the will to wrestle the difference between truth and fiction. We have lost the desire and ability to think independently. We seem determined to live our lives as children curled in the arms of daddy.
[2] And, while we're at it, bring back real shame. Political figures and their minions have always been shameless operators. The shift of journalism, to the "feel no shame" for lying column, is even more destructive. Now, when exposed, instead of apologizing for their dishonesty, they offer invigorated attacks, a Cheshire cat grin and nonsensical excuses. It's amazing how many "journalists" are just misunderstood victims of (fill in the blank __)ism.
[3] I'll never understand why adult humans are required to eat or drink dairy to be healthy. I understand why we might need protein, even in the form of some meat, but it defies logic that we need cow milk. The obsession with beef and dairy in the nutrition recommendations seem like pandering to special interests. Recommending people use beef tallow over other, probably heart healthier, fats IS crazy.
[4] The wood bat is superior to the aluminum one for self-protection.
Even better if you drill out the end of the bat and insert around six ounces or so of lead at the tip for swing weight.
If you are going to buy one gun, make it a shotgun.
My preference is a Remington 870 Magnum Express six in the pipe one in the chamber, and do some combat training, fire load type training, so it never runs empty.
Get really good at this, it could save your life.
[5] Rude And violent behavior by adults and parents can really discourage people from wanting to coach and referee. I’ve been to countless games and had my kids in sports. For example, one guy I know was a ref at one of the hoopsters’ city games years ago and was levelled at half court by a drunk dad that didn’t like his kid getting DQd from the game for using taunts, various obscenities and a couple of personal fouls. The dad was told to leave the building after being previously told to STFU for being obnoxious. A couple of minutes later, he came back in and tackled my friend. The game was called, and cops arrested the guy. Even the mother was losing her mind, so the whole family got tossed from the game.
Don’t get me started on some of the pee-wee football and little league games. Parents can be seriously obnoxious, and if you add a little alcohol (or…they bring their own pre-game mixes), they get vicious.
All in front of the kids and other parents. And there can be more than one of them. N-words getting tossed around is just the tip of the iceberg. Take a trip to kids’ games in the valley or the east Bay. It is worse, as in, police departments have to staff officers at games because of previous altercations.
[6] The Minneapolis shooting is just the latest skirmish in The Cold American Civil War we are in, which was declared when Kelly, et al, urged members of the military to disobey orders from Trump. The Cold American Civil War: let's name it, and deal with it, before it gets hot.
[7] There are 330,000,000 Americans.
Even if there was any desire on the part of China, Russia, or any of the Islamic groups to conquer the US,
that anybody would ever have the slightest hope of being successful is beyond ridiculous.
But, I’ve noticed that Right Wing groups have no problem inventing all kinds of cockamamie conspiracies to rile up their base.
Terrorists (and now apparently the PLA) is sneaking across the border!
Transgender for everyone!
They’re Eating The Dogs!
[8] The nose rings or coke carbs a small earring in the side of the nose, I find very repulsive. Does snot shoot out of the little hole when you blow your nose?
Is the bull ring so your boyfriend or girlfriend can tie you down at night or lead you around BY THE NOSE?
[9] Something like 90% of recent deportations are those who have no criminal history. Miller set a high quota and they are roaming around in public accosting people in parking lots and work places because there simply aren’t enough criminals to meet the quota. Those are the facts.
So please don’t assert something that I can see with my eyes isn’t true.
Let me be perfectly clear: I support the right of ICE to do whatever is necessary to deport anyone with a criminal record or lawful deportation order. Neither me nor frankly the vast majority of protesters are disputing that. That is not what we are upset about. We are upset about thugs harassing people in the street asking for papers. That’s not the kind of country I want to live in, and if that’s what it takes to track down every last illegal, then it isn’t worth the cost.
Spare me your law and order and only enforcing the law. Violating the constitution, the supreme law, in the name of law enforcement is an outrage.
If one examines a climate change graph covering the last several hundred million years, the fact that the climate has been fluctuating enormously over time can’t be missed. Long before the first internal combustion engine sputtered to life. We’re currently near the historical bottom for both temperature and CO2.