Report from Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department
Fire Marshall Matt Keizer announced that the new Fire Chief Marty Creel, sworn in November 2025, is no longer with the department. Justin Ebert is the Acting Fire Chief. When asked about Creel’s departure, Keizer said he was unable to comment.
(We followed up after the MAC meeting. A review of the Fire Department board agendas and minutes reveal that Chief Creel’s performance review was discussed in private session at three special board meetings in January and February, and that per the draft minutes, as of February 19, Creel was put on paid administrative leave. We telephoned and texted with the members of the department in an attempt to find out more. Board Chair Stephanie Dunken texted on March 16 that “an official press release will go out no later than tomorrow morning.” By the time you read this story, the press release may have been posted on the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department website.)
The department will be getting a new light rescue vehicle at the end of April, plus one other vehicle, and will be selling a Type 1 engine that it no longer needs. The department has an open position for a duty officer.
MAC Chair Dolly Riley commented that the Roads A & B Firesafe Council will apply for a micro-grant to purchase reflective house address numbers so that fire fighters can see your address in low visibility conditions.
Report from First District Supervisor Madeline Cline
Correction:
Cline provided clarification to last month’s MAC report that said she was not prioritizing the draft county noise ordinance. She IS working on the noise ordinance, and it will come back to the Board of Supervisors soon.
The Board of Supervisors heard a presentation from the Planning and Building Department regarding the County’s possible approval of low-impact camping on private property. (Note: The dominant player in the field is Hip Camp, which is similar to AirBnB, but for camping.) Host properties would need to be at least two acres. Only one campsite per acre would be permissible, with a limit of nine campsites per host license. The County would follow the provisions for low-impact camping set forth in AB 518, passed by the State Legislature on October 1, 2025.
The discussion concerned possible low-impact camping inland, as the coastal zone is subject to oversight by the California Coastal Commission, and will have different rules than the inland part of the county.
Hosts living on private roads would need to get sign-off from other residents on the road before being issued a license. If passed, the county anticipates a pilot program with a cap of 99 total hosts. If a host has 3 complaints, their license will be revoked. If the manager does not live on site, they must be available to arrive within 20 minutes if there is a problem. The supes also discussed short-term rentals. They are reviewing how neighboring counties are handling short term rentals and low-impact camping.
The County financials show that $10 to $12 million is available to be used for one-time funding. The additional money is largely due to catching up on back property tax collections. $1 million was allocated to road maintenance. This will not be enough for repaving, but will be used for patching potholes. Redwood Valley is in line to get some actual repaving done in 2027. The BOS discussed whether to put a one-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot, with the revenue specifically allocated toward road repair. (Note, after the March 11 RV MAC meeting, the BOS did approve putting the sales tax increase on the ballot.)
Community member Gabriel Baca commented, “To expect working class families to pay for that is not fair,” as a sales tax hits lower income people harder than the affluent. He urged the supervisors to find other funding sources. Supervisor Cline pointed out that in 2017 the California legislature passed a bill to reallocate gas tax revenue, giving less money to rural counties. The state considers counties that raise sales taxes to be “Self-Help Counties.” Self-help counties decide how to use the funding from sales taxes toward transportation, and may be eligible for additional state funds.
The use of electric vehicles has lowered the gas tax revenue, and California is looking at a mileage tax that would capture revenue from electric vehicles. Cline pointed out that a mileage tax is unfair to people in a rural county who have to drive long distances, and for farmers who might be driving on their own property. MAC Member Chris Boyd suggested that the county might consider a half-cent rather than a full cent sales tax.
Supervisor Cline will travel to Sacramento to be a witness at the State Senate Public Safety Committee’s hearing on SB-936, a bill brought forth by State Senator Catherine Blakespear to ban the retail sale of nitrous oxide statewide for abusive purposes. The MAC voted to send a letter in support of the nitrous oxide ban to the Public Safety Committee.
Supervisor Cline recently made a trip to Washington, DC for the National Association of Counties (NACO). She connected with California legislative representatives and advocated for Mendocino County, specifically for raising Coyote Dam at Lake Mendocino.
Cline commended Assemblyman Chris Rogers for holding multiple town hall meetings in Mendocino County. Rogers’ next town hall will be Saturday, March 21 at Potter Valley High School from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Report from Sheriff Matt Kendall via Zoom.
Sheriff Kendall is going over the punch list with the contractors at the new wing of the jail to ensure everything is completed correctly.
Sheriff Kendall attended the National Sheriff’s Convention in Washington, DC, where he sought grants for cannabis and human trafficking enforcement. He will ask the BOS to approve four more positions in his department. 12 employees are out on family and medical leave, and that has put a dent in staffing.
Mendocino County is being hit by a crime wave of scammers. The criminals call or email pretending to be law enforcement and asking for money to clear outstanding warrants. Please report any scammers to the Sheriff’s office. Mail theft is a continuing problem. Kendall said, “People are worried about their Amazon packages, but they really should be worried about documents that could lead to identity theft. … If you have a rural mailbox, please check it every single day.”
When asked about recent reports of gunshots fired on Laughlin Way and West Roads, Kendall had no information to report.
Water Matters.
Water rate increases were approved by the Ukiah Valley Water Authority in April. Another water rate increase will be coming in July.
Grange Update.
Alternate MAC Member Marybeth Kelly reported that proceeds from the Grange flea markets have raised enough money to fund four scholarships for Ukiah high school students. Awards are prioritized for students who are going on to study agricultural or animal science. Flea markets are every second Saturday.
The Grange Adopt-a-Road cleanup will take place from 9 am to 11 am on Saturday, March 21. Meet at the Grange to help with trash pickup from the Firehouse to Held Road.
Report on Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG).
Gizmo Henderson reported that the MCOG has not decided on the location of the proposed transit mall, a hub for public transportation. The MCOG board discussed whether to put it next to Kohl’s, or at the new courthouse. Henderson prefers the north end of town at the Masonite site, because this will be a transit hub for the entire county, there is no need for every bus to travel into downtown Ukiah, and he feels that the new courthouse location will be congested.
Report on the Redwood Valley Recreation Center Steering Committee.
Marybeth Kelly said they haven’t heard anything yet from the school district in response to the proposal submitted to acquire the Redwood Valley School property. This matter is not on the agenda for this week’s Ukiah Unified School District Trustees meeting. A decision is expected by the end of March. The School District has been discussing the matter in closed session at previous board meetings. Kelly said, “We have a lot of momentum behind us.” The steering committee asked the District Attorney to contribute $100,000 out of the pool of over $1 million in asset forfeiture funds to help acquire the school property. The District Attorney and the Sheriff manage the asset forfeiture funds, some of which are supposed to go to organizations that support keeping kids out of gangs, something a community recreation center could accomplish.
Redwood Valley Community Action Plan.
On February 24, the BOS approved community specific policies for Redwood Valley to be incorporated in the County’s General Plan. Some of the highlights: redevelopment of Redwood Valley Middle School; improved pedestrian access in the downtown corridor; support agro- and eco-tourism; support use of local native species for landscaping; prioritize cluster development for homes, leaving open space for the community; prioritize outdoor versus indoor cannabis grows; promote green energy in new commercial developments; and try to attract non-polluting light industry to Redwood Valley.
Public Comment.
Gizmo Henderson reported on the State of the Community Summit meeting presented by the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance on February 26. Plans were announced for a solar farm at the south end of Ukiah. The event was attended by representatives from Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.
Moratorium on New Gas Stations.
The MAC submitted a proposed resolution to the BOS on October 8, 2025, advocating for a moratorium on new gas stations in the county. The BOS have not replied.
There has been no action on the Faisan Corporation’s application to build a 10-pump gas station at the shopping center it owns on North State Street.
Cannabis Standing Subcommittee.
The County General Government Committee meets on March 25 to discuss cannabis. Subcommittee members Chris Boyd and Patricia Ris-Yarbrough will monitor the General Government Committee meeting.
Member Reports.
The Redwood Valley MAC has an open position for a member. The MAC census will be shrinking from 7 members to 5, with two alternates.
The MAC hopes to get the principal from Eagle Peak, or someone from the school district, to speak at the April Board meeting to discuss solutions to the traffic gridlock in front of the schools during drop off and pick up.
The next MAC meeting is April 8.
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