The following is a monthly letter written by Mendocino County’s 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak to constituents:
Our State Senator Mike McGuire was sworn in on Feb. 5 as President of the Senate. This is the first time in 147 years that the Senate President will come from this district. I have known Senator McGuire for many years and he has always been extremely supportive of me and my work for Mendocino County. Since California is usually dominated by Southern California interests, this will be an opportunity to have a good friend who knows the North Coast in a position of power.
County Museum staff will present to the Board new models of operation including non-profit administration. Karen Mattson will present ideas on how to create more efficiencies, revenue generation, and strengthen community partnerships. Some of the benefits of going to a non-profit model are that salaries and benefits are less, insurance costs go down, maintenance and landscaping jobs will be more timely and efficient, and there will be more opportunities for fundraising. I am committed to making sure that any transition is successful in keeping the museum open and running well. This will require continued support, though less than the current amount, from the County.
In January, the Board passed round 2 of streamlining the cannabis ordinance. It came from the General Government Standing Committee which I chair. The general feeling is that the cannabis department is now running smoothly and is on track to get applicants transitioned to their state annual licenses. This has been a real turnaround. My approach has been that government oversees this industry and we must be as efficient and effective as possible. Last year the department cost the General Fund a million dollars. This year it will be much less and cannabis tax revenue was budgeted at $1.5 million and came in at $3.1 million. Those are some bright data points.
There will be no Talk with the Supervisor this Thursday. I will be at the CalCOG annual conference talking about transportation issues. I am available by email haschakj@mendocinocounty.org or phone 707-972-4214.
John
