A routine review of updated bylaws for the Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board triggers a discussion about the need for greater transparency and accountability around spending state funds.

In the wake of the pandemic, the City of Fort Bragg adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward homeless encampments — independent of the recent Grants Pass Supreme Court decision. Counter-intuitively, this has led to far fewer arrests of homeless residents. Today, arrests of homeless residents have fallen from 54% of all arrests to less than 18% of all arrests. The secret? The small Care Response Unit embedded in the police department.

For Nikki Ausschnitt and Steve Krieg, owners of Petite Teton Farm in Anderson Valley, farming is more than a livelihood — it’s an art form and a deeply personal endeavor. After 20 years of cultivating their small family farm, they continue to face economic challenges familiar to many small farmers in Mendocino County.

As the state of California races to build out an 8,000 mile fiber optic network, the City of Fort Bragg is constructing the last mile connection to a new municipal network that could go online as the spring of 2026. Also, the Mendocino Coast Health Care District and Adventist Health management have concluded their talks around restructuring the hospital lease.

A minor altercation at Fort Bragg Middle School escalated into a significant police response earlier this fall, raising questions about the role of law enforcement on school campuses and sparking community conversations about racism and safety.

On November 21st, the Grass Roots Institute held its regular meeting on sea level rise and local coastal planning.  Amber Fisette from the Mendocino County Water Agency joined the meeting to discuss county-wide drought planning, Sarah McCormick from the City of Fort Bragg reported on the difficulties of getting an aquaculture program going in Noyo Harbor and Marie Jones talked about Fort Bragg’s efforts to make multi-unit housing development easier by reducing requirements and eliminating public hearings and Mendocino County’s effort to allow transient camping on private property also without public hearings.     

Photo of Noyo River November 22, 2024, by Michelle Blackwell

25 de Noviembre del 2024 — En el programa de esta semana hablmos de inmigración con Dina Lopez, Directora de los Servicos de inmigración de las Caridades Católicas de Santa Rosa. 

More than 5,300 Mendocino County residents were without power Friday morning, the majority of them on the coast, as part two of the atmospheric river toppled trees and brought down power lines. By Friday evening, PG&E had restored power to all but 300 customers. But even as the threat of the storm abated, scammers sought to swindle county residents with a masterful ruse.

A powerful storm swept through Mendocino County late Tuesday and into Wednesday, bringing gusts of up to 80 mph near Point Mendocino and 60 mph in the coastal areas of Fort Bragg and the Village of Mendocino. The National Weather Service warns that heavier rainfall and potential flooding are on the way.