KZYX News

This description was updated on November 25, 2024 at 1:53 p.m.. The original report mistakenly reported that the project was approved.The Fort Bragg City Council provided preliminary, conceptual approval for a three-story 68-unit apartment complex on Highway 1, situated between the Fort Bragg Outlet Store and the Emerald Dolphin Inn, during its Nov. 12 meeting.The council also set a range of in-lieu fees for inclusionary housing developments from $4 per square foot for small developments to $8 per square foot for large developments. The council discussed a pro-housing zoning amendment that could alter developers' requirements for parking, environmental review, and neighborhood input. These changes are expected to come back to the council in December.Fort Bragg High School students gave a presentation about their exchange program with the City’s sister city, Otsuchi, Japan. Mayor Norvell read out a proclamation for Veteran’s Appreciation Day. The City Council reappointed Jim Hurst as the Harbor Commission Chair pending approval of the County Board of Supervisors. It appointed Domenick Weaver to fill a vacant position on the Harbor Commission. Council approved the spending or ARPA funding that will include new wayfinding signs in the downtown, a business improvement grant program, additional funding for downtown murals, and fortbraggbiz.com, a new website for businesses to access city resources.

Potter Valley residents gathered at the Potter Valley school gymnasium to review options for replacing the water source they've relied on for agriculture and to fill domestic wells for more than a century.

The Willow County Water District has become the latest addition to the Ukiah Valley Water Authority, joining as the fourth member of the regional body overseeing public water services for the greater Ukiah Valley. Separately, Humboldt County supervisors agreed to suspect the cannabis tax after farmers and industry advocates said their economic struggles were getting worse.

A bomb threat to the Mendocino County Registrar of Voters’ office prompted an evacuation on Tuesday. The Mendocino Local Agency Formation Commission approved Ukiah's application to annex the Western Hills, while the Ukiah City Council adjusted parking time limits and increased ambulance service fees, among other actions.

White-nose syndrome, which has been decimating bat colonies, is confirmed in five California colonies, including Humboldt. How can Mendocino residents identify afflicted bats and help keep the bat population healthy? And, bird flu is another threat. It's been primarily identified in wild birds in Mendocino, so far. But it is spreading around the state to other animals and people. As of today, the virus has infected 21 people and is present in 259 dairies in California.

As residents of rural spaces, we know at times that these natural wide open places can feel, well, a little spooky. Author Stanley Milford Junior knows that too. And last Thursday, he joined Mendocino County residents via a virtual author’s talk to share his experiences with the paranormal and unexplained in his own rural place, Navajoland.

Voter turnout in Mendocino County in the Nov. 5, 2024 election exceeded 71%, topping the national record set in 2020. Meanwhile, Biden called on the nation to "turn the temperature down."

11 de Noviembre del 2024 -- En el programa de hoy tenemos el reporte del Condado de Mendocino con el Supervisor del Distrito 3 John Haschak y la información de la ciudad de Ukiah con el Concejal Juan Orozco.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors received the financial statements they have been requesting for several years now on Tuesday and learned of a surprise $11.2 carryforward and a $6.3 million surplus

Poll workers on election day said the biggest issue they faced was voter confusion over what to do with mail-in ballots. And Deb Hughes, chair of the Mendocino County Republican party, described how Trump's election could affect local Republicans.

Local Republicans express trust in local elections, while local Democrats say there is work to do. The Grassroots Institute will continue its series of education workshops, with the next one scheduled for November 10, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. online and at the Mendocino Community Center.

In a recent interview, Fort Bragg resident and property owner Peter McNamee voiced strong opposition to Mendocino Railway's plans to reopen Tunnel One with the aid of a federal loan granted in January. McNamee cited a Coastal Commission document that details the environmental harm the the tunnel project will cause.

4 de Noviembre del 2024, En el programa de hoy tenemos la conversación bilingüe sobre los programas del mes de noviembre de la Biblioteca Pública de Ukiah, seguido de la conversación mensual con Alma Glavan del Better Business Bureau.

Poll workers in Mendocino County are coached on common and uncommon questions at a poll worker training in Fort Bragg. But even as poll workers prepare to accept mail-in ballots and provide provisional ballots to voters who spoiled their mail-in ballots, the numbers of Americans who have already cast their ballot are climbing.

The Ukiah City Council, at its most recent meeting on Oct. 16, took action to increase financial liquidity, move the Great Redwood Trail project forward, and mitigate electric power rate increases for Ukiah residents.

The October 28th Fort Bragg City Council meeting was mostly uneventful. Two items drew interest from the public. The council approved the use of $20,000 in special funding for the purchase of a freezer and gave a nod to City Manager Isaac Whippy to hire Pam Bell to develop a Blues Festival in 2025 in conjunction with the Visit Fort Bragg Committee.Under the consent calendar, the council approved agreements with PG&E for relocation and upgrade to facilitate the solar project at the CV Starr Center, authorized change orders for the City Hall roof replacement, accepted federal funding in the amount of 10.3 million for the municipal broadband project, and approved a professional services contract for administration services of the broadband project.

The California Policy Center ranked Ukiah dead last for fiscal management out of all California cities that reported data. We dig into the analysis with Finance Director Dan Buffalo to understand why the ranking doesn't accurately reflect the city's financial health.

16 de Octubre del 2024 — En el programa de hoy tenemos la conversación mensual con el Supervisor del Distrito 3 del condado de Mendocino John Haschak, seguido de la información de la ciudad de Ukiah con el Concejal Juan Orozco.

The difference between Congressman Jared Huffman and his Republican opponent Chris Coulombe on immigration policy is smaller than you might believe — reflecting the perception gap between reality and how Democrats and Republicans perceive each other's POV on immigration and other issues.

KZYX News interviews Jared Huffman about his record, why he is running for a seventh term, what it takes to be a good Congressperson, housing, homelessness, energy, insurance, immigration, and more.

Days after the State Department of Cannabis Control removed a regulatory hurdle that was restricting hundreds of Mendocino cannabis farmers to provisional licenses, the board of supervisors discussed revisiting cannabis regulations.Image by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, licensed under Creative Commons

A proposed sales tax increase by Fort Bragg and Point Arena could be in trouble, if the views of local merchants and retail workers are any indication.

Mendocino County has taken concrete steps to address financial reporting issues that undermined public confidence and brought the county under the scrutiny of the California State Controller. For the first time, at the next monthly meeting, the Board of Supervisors will see financial statements that show how much has been spent vis a vis what was budgeted.

Chris Coulombe, the Republican candidate running for California's 2nd Congressional District, disagrees with the Two-Basin Solution advocated by Congressman Jared Huffman in Monday's KZYX newscast. Coulombe describes what he would do instead.

21 de Octubre, 2024 — En el programa de hoy tenemos una conversación con Claudía Villacorta de la Junta Regional de Control de Calidad del Agua de la Costa Norte con quién hablamos le la Orden sobre Viñedos y la calidad del agua, las nuevas normas en los condados de Mendocino y Sonoma y su impacto en los viñedos, los trabajadores y las personas que viven cerca a los viñedos.

Congressman Jarred Huffman address facts and fallacies around the Two-Basin solution — a response to the removal of the Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam — that addresses the desire for a free-flowing Eel River and Mendocino County's dependence on continued diversion.

At the Fort Bragg City Council meeting on Tuesday, code enforcement officer George Leinin described the city's complaint-driven code enforcement process. Then he described how the city was handling a complaint about the large Fort Bragg Forever sign on the Company Store.

"Highly positive" negotiations between the Adventist Health and the Mendocino Coast Health Care District are allaying concern that the coast will lose its only hospital.

Fiber optic broadband internet has come to the residents of Round Valley, helping to close the digital divide so often experienced in our rural communities.

Voters in the Albion - Little River Fire District will have to choose between a new $225 parcel tax or face reduced fire services and possibly higher insurance rates.

14 de Octubre del 2024 — En el programa de hoy tenemos una sección de información electoral en colaboración con el periodico Al Punto.El concejal de Ukiah, Juan Orozco y Jackie Orozco, editora del periodico Al Punto, explican el proceso de registración de votantes, fechas de votación y las propuestas en la balota electoral.

Skunk Train Tunnel 1 Repair Moves ForwardMany controversies and lawsuits revolve around the relationship between Mendocino Railway, the local government, and the community of Fort Bragg. Fixing Tunnel 1 between Fort Bragg and Willits is typically not one of them. The tunnel initially collapsed in 2013. During repairs in 2015 a secondary failure shut down construction. The railway has set several goal lines to get it repaired, but it is still not usable. In the interim, the Skunk altered their offerings to tourists running a short trip from Fort Bragg to Glen Blair and a longer ride from Willits to Northspur. They also added rail bikes and made several improvements at Glen Blair that created a destination, including trails, a picnic area, and an event space.In January of this year, Mendocino Railway was included in a $31.4 million loan with the Sierra Northern Railway from the US Department of Transportation. At that time, neither the railway nor local officials were willing to be interviewed in part due to the lawsuits. Although, Mayor Norvell of Fort Bragg, commented last February that he couldn’t think of anyone who doesn't want to see the tunnel repaired.Robert Pinoli the president of Mendocino Railway sat down with us to talk about the tunnel, both local opposition, and local support for their mill site plans, and the most recent lawsuit the railway filed against the City of Fort Bragg over polluted stormwater. Today we will talk with Pinoli about the tunnel. We hope to provide additional pieces about the lawsuits and mill site with the City’s comments and other local input in the coming weeks.

Republican Mike Greer from Crescent City and Democrat Chris Rogers are vying the District 2 Assembly Seat that is being vacated by Jim Wood. We get to know the candidates in this newscast.

Presidential election ballots have been mailed. Haze and smoke are expected to affect Willits, Covelo, and Laytonville through Friday, October 11. The Board of Supervisors is addressing potential increases to air quality fees and tourism taxes.

Common Ground, a new film by Rebecca Tickell, highlights the impact of regenerative practices. The film will be shown this Friday, October 11 at 7 p.m. at the Round Valley Library Commons in Covelo.

The Mediterranean Oak Borer was first recognized as a threat to Valley Oaks and Blue Oaks in Napa and Sonoma Counties is on the march. Mike Jones, the UCCE forestry advisor, reports infestations in Hopland and Potter Valley. Listen to our podcast to learn more about what you can do to protect Mendocino's oak trees.

Outtakes from KZYX reporting on the proposed noise ordinance. A representative from the Farm Bureau provides the POV of farmers — farming can be noisy — and two long-time residents talk about the impact of semiautomatic weapons and loud roosters on themselves and their neighbors.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors discuss a proposed noise ordinance and agree to move forward with creating a draft. The City of Ukiah receives a $1.4 million grant to invest in an urban forest program to help combat climate change.

October 2, 2024 — On September 23rd, the Fort Bragg City Council approved a land swap with the Noyo Center on the area commonly known as the mill site, provided direction, and approved with some caveats the conceptual design for the planned Ocean Science Center, received an update on the Municipal Broadband Project and reallocated American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funding to multiple City needs.In other City news, the Biggest Time originally scheduled for October of this year on the Noyo Headlands has been pushed off until next spring. Police Chief Neal Cervanka was elected to the board of the State Police Officers Association and the council approved the emergency repair of a storm drain on North McPherson. Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith was not in attendance.

October 1, 2024 — Round Valley Indian Days took place this past weekend in Covelo, preceded by the annual parade that traveled through the downtown, where a group of local women marched in the parade to represent Khadijah Britain, A Round Valley tribal member who has been missing since 2018, and to raise awareness for missing murdered indigenous women, or MMIW.

30 de Septiembre del 2024 — Esta semana tenemos la infomación bilingue de la Biblioteca Públcia de Mendocino, cede de Ukiah.

September 30, 2024 — Filing a noise complaint against an inconsiderate neighbor will no longer require a citizen’s arrest if Supervisor Glenn McGourty is successful in his push for a noise ordinance.

September 27, 2024 — The Ukiah City Council gave Tim Erickson the go-ahead to produce new flood maps in an effort to protect Ukiah property owners from the impact of new FEMA maps based on inaccurate information.

September 26, 2024 — Mendocino County is considered a climate haven. While figures about incoming and outgoing populations are mixed depending on which study or part of the county you are talking about, preparation is key. At a meeting hosted by the Grass Roots Institute on September 9th, Tim Robustelli from the Washington DC-based think tank, New America, and local planners from the Cities of Fort Bragg, Point Arena, and Mendocino County, Supervisors Dan Gjerde and Ted Williams, the Mendocino Council of Governments and the Coastal Commission met to discuss the impact climate refugees could have on the county.

September 24, 2024 — at Town Hall in Fort Bragg, the group "Change Our Names" monthly teaching was held, envisioned as a program to educate attendees about the issues involved in the name change, and to hear neighbors' ideas, the teach-in last about one hour and featured 2 speakers and a question/answer discussion period.

September 23, 2024 — The five candidates competing for two seats on the Fort Bragg City Council participated in a public forum on September 19, addressing key community issues such as the Skunk Train litigation, Airbnb regulations, and the possible annexation of the Noyo harbor. The event, held at Fort Bragg City Hall, was organized by the League of Women Voters.

23 de Septiembre del 2024 -- En el programa de hoy la conservación mensual con el concejal de la ciudad de Ukiah, Juan Orozco y la información para consumidores y negocios con el Alma Galvan del Better Business Bureau.

September 20, 2024 — Four years after the Hopkins Fire destroyed 30 homes in Calpella and burned 257 acres near Lake Mendocino, arson in the Ukiah area has fallen 45%. A new approach to intentional fires, put in place by Ukiah Valley Fire Authority Chief Justin Buckingham, has reduced the percent of intentional fires from a high of 66% of all fires in 2021 to 35% today.

September 19, 2024 — Ten years ago a warm water blob in the Pacific Ocean destroyed 93% of the kelp forest off the Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts. Then a wasting disease wiped out the remaining ocean predators for purple urchins.Since that time, abalone season has been closed, the red urchin fishery was declared a national disaster and purple urchins blanket the sea floor consuming everything in their path. Today over 96% of the kelp forest has disappeared.The Nature Conservancy was recently given 1.6 million to develop kelp restoration programs along the coast. Tristin McHugh, the kelp restoration coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, provides an update on what's working to restore kelp forests at Big River and Albion and talks about how the restoration efforts are helping the decimated fishing industry.

September 18, 2024 — At last Tuesday’s meeting, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to keep current limits on cannabis density unchanged. In doing so, the supervisors rejected a proposal to reinterpret the original cannabis ordinance to allow larger commercial cannabis sites.