The following is a monthly letter written by Mendocino County’s 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak:
Happy New Year! My sincere wish that you and yours are well and looking forward to positive changes in this new year.
As the Chair of the Board for the past year, it was a year that I will not soon forget. The County response to Covid-19 had a huge impact on all of the work of the Board as well as the County. From virtual meetings to locking down the County building to nightly updates on the Covid-19 response, many aspects of the job transformed from routine to major undertakings. Some important items were delayed while other items were passed with little public input. I am continually amazed at the dedication of County staff in dealing with the myriad of issues that have arisen during this pandemic. I am looking forward to a new year with greater democratic process, vaccines, and a return to normal.
In December, the Board passed Supervisor Williams and my sponsored agenda item to fund two mental health programs. This is with Measure B funds. These two programs are needed whether we have an in-county psychiatric hospital facility (PHF) or not. These are wrap around services that the PHF will need in order to be successful. The goal is to decrease the number of people needing to go to a PHF and, once released, decrease the number who will need to be readmitted. One is the Community Education, Awareness and Support program which will provide prevention and early intervention support to the community. The other is Crisis Assessment and Psychiatric Hospital aftercare program which is for linkage, care management, and medication management services for individuals needing support to connect to a system of care. More on the PHF will be forthcoming.
As part of the cannabis ad-hoc committee, I have been working daily with Supervisor Williams trying to clarify the pathways for our local cultivators to get their annual licensure. We proposed a pathway at the Tuesday meeting. I submitted this before the meeting so I don’t yet know the BOS outcome. We are pursuing other avenues too, with the goal of getting people into the regulated market. I have also been working with Sheriff Kendall in looking at crime trends in the county. Together we will be asking for financial help from the State to deal with the increased crime.
Wishing you all the best and feel free to contact me at haschakj@mendocinocounty.org or 707-972-4214.
Stay well,
John
