The following is a press released from Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
During December of 2020, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office responded to and addressed ongoing trespass violations occurring on privately owned land located within the Hare Creek drainage in Fort Bragg, California.
These properties totaled just over 150-acres, bordered by Hare Creek Beach on the west and by California Jackson State Demonstration Forest to the east.
These properties had a long history of non-permitted use by the homeless, mainly because they provided an out of sight location. The associated encampments and activity generated numerous health and safety concerns and conditions.
Aside from large accumulations of garbage, biohazards, and fire risks, the centralized location of these properties contributed to other criminal activity that went beyond illegal drug use and negatively impacted neighboring residents and nearby businesses.
Accounting for the severity and long-term impacts these issues carried, the Sheriff’s Office sought out the assistance and participation of other agencies and organizations to support the strategic and successful response that followed, which was aimed at providing a long-term solution to the trespass issues, addressing needs of the homeless, and restoration of the properties.
The following people, agencies, and/or organizations participated and provided their services to meet these goals and their involvement and the collaborative approach and response taken was instrumental to improving the quality of life in our community.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Fort Bragg Police Department, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mendocino County Code Enforcement, the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency Advocacy & Collaboration Team, and the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center for their participation and services provided during this project.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to give special thanks to the Rotary Club of Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg Fire Department, and Friends of the Hospitality House, the Mendocino Land Trust, and Sovereign, for volunteering their time to collect and remove approximately 60 cubic yards of garbage from these properties on 12-21-20.
The Sheriff’s Office also thanks the California Department of Transportation for furnishing trash collection equipment and for disposal of all the collected garbage.
