The Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is actively seeking three new members to help amplify local voices and influence county government decisions. With only ten meetings a year, this is a prime opportunity to represent Redwood Valley’s needs while learning about the inner workings of local governance. At the March 12 meeting, updates on everything from budget concerns to road repairs were discussed, along with ongoing efforts to enhance fire safety and address community issues.
The Redwood Valley MAC is in need of three new Council Members. In Mendocino County, Municipal Advisory Councils are a way for citizens in unincorporated areas to make their voices heard by the County government. The time commitment required to serve as a MAC Member involves attending 10 meetings per year. The MAC meets on the second Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Redwood Valley Grange. The MAC takes a break in July and December. If you have never worked with local government this is an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding of how the County operates, and to represent Redwood Valley’s needs to your County Supervisor, the Sheriff, and other officials who regularly speak at MAC meetings. Here is a link to the application to become a member of the RV MAC.
District 1 Supervisor Madeline Cline gave an update on the County Board of Supervisors.
The Supervisors are developing the next fiscal year’s budget. There is a structural deficit due to decline in tax revenues. About 50% of the County’s general fund goes toward employee salaries and benefits.
There is a strong need for economic development in the County. Officials are hoping to attract more industry. The County is holding a series of economic development meetings. The first meeting was on March 3, on the topic of Behavioral Health. The next session will be in Willits to discuss cannabis, on March 27 at 10:00 am. The meetings focus on different types of businesses, and are tailored towards people who are in that industry, although the public is invited to participate.
In January PG&E released its draft surrender application to abandon the Potter Valley Project. The final surrender application will be filed at the end of July with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Inland Water and Power Commission, chaired by Janet Pauli, has been working with Sonoma Water and Round Valley Indian Tribes to maintain the diversion tunnel in Potter Valley. PG&E did include the plans to keep the diversion in its surrender application. In the future, water from the diversion tunnel will only be available during the high flows in the winter.
Redwood Valley is scheduled to receive 17 miles of road maintenance in the 2027/2028 fiscal year. Corrective maintenance for Roads A and B are on the schedule. Potter Valley will be scheduled after Redwood Valley’s improvements are finished. The improvements in Redwood Valley are expected to cost $5.57 million.
Cline spoke to school district representatives regarding the problem with nitrous oxide cannisters, known as Whip Its, that are for sale in Redwood Valley. Cline was told that the district is aware of the problem and that it is not happening on campus during school hours.
Supervisor Cline holds monthly Coffee with Constituents meetings on the first Monday of each month. The next meeting will be held on April 4, from noon to 1:00 pm at the Testa Coffee shop in Redwood Valley.
Dan Grebil, Interim Fire Chief for the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department, reported that he accepted the position in order to help recruit a new Fire Chief. Grebil observed that managing a volunteer fire department is the same as managing a department of unionized firefighters. The website has been revised and includes more information about board meetings and budgets.
The Fire Department Board has drafted a fleet replacement plan for the fire engines. Currently, there are 12 vehicles, which is more than they can fit in the fire station bay, leaving two to sit out in the weather. The replacement plan calls for 10 vehicles. Grebil said, “There is no need to have more vehicles than people to put them in.” A new fire engine costs approximately $1 million. Removing two vehicles will save on insurance and maintenance.
Grebil has been researching the PG&E settlement fund paid to the Fire Department, and found that there might be $500,000 left in the fund. There is one vacancy for a paid position, in addition to the new chief’s position. It is difficult to find rural fire chiefs because of the cost of living compared to the salary. There are four paid firefighters in the department, allowing for 24/7 coverage at the station. The cost of volunteer equipment is expensive, and much of it is not interchangeable, as it has to fit each volunteer.
CalFire recently changed the coverage areas of responsibility. Some areas in Redwood Valley are designated State Responsibility Areas, where firefighting is paid for by CalFire, and some are Local Area Responsibility, paid for by the Redwood Valley-Calpella District. There are three levels of fire hazard zones, moderate, high, and very high. Properties designated as high and very high will have more restrictive building codes. This is an unfunded state mandate that will add to the cost of rebuilding in the high and very high zones. You can find the zone for your property on this CalFire map.
Chair Dolly Riley inquired about the sirens. Two years ago, a demonstration of the newly purchased high tech siren was rolled out to the public at the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department, with the promise of more sirens to cover the entire valley. The siren program was never instituted. Grebil is reviewing the situation, and he expects to have more information by May or June. Currently, all emergency notifications go through the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. All the fire vehicles and law enforcement patrol cars have high low sirens, which are very loud. During an emergency, these vehicles drive through the affected areas with high-low sirens and loudspeakers. There was a discussion of Ham, CB, NOAA, and GMRS radios. GMRS radios are low cost, and they are used in rural areas of Sonoma County.
Alternate Member Marybeth Kelly announced upcoming Grange events: Family Game Night on March 21. The quarterly roadside cleanup will be on Saturday, March 22 at 9:00 am. Flea markets are held every second Saturday, with the next flea market set for April 12.
Alexis Pedrotti and James Sookne, from the Mendocino Council of Governments spoke about the twenty-year Regional Transportation Plan. There is an interactive map on the MCOG website, where the public can click on a location to note concerns or comments regarding biking, transit, pedestrian, safety, or pavement conditions in locations that need attention from regional traffic planners. For example, if you would like to see a traffic circle at a particular intersection, leave a comment on the map.
This year MCOG funded repairs to Mountain View Road, connecting Anderson Valley with the coast. There was an audience question about bringing the Smart Train from Cloverdale to Willits. The tracks are under the administration of the Great Redwood Trail, which currently does not plan to have the Smart Train continue to Willits, even though the Great Redwood Trail runs alongside the Smart Train tracks in Sonoma and Marin Counties. Sookne answered a question about speeding traffic, which he said is the CHP’s responsibility. MAC Member Erin Moynahan said she had success getting the CHP’s attention by commenting on the Ukiah CHP’s Facebook Page. After she commented, the CHP enforced speed limits for a week in front of Eagle Peak School.
The Redwood Valley Recreation Center Steering Committee continues its planning efforts to turn the Redwood Valley School campus into a recreation center. Kelly said that the Ukiah Unified School District has not yet found a realtor to write the RFP for the property. The Steering Committee is investigating the possibility of submitting an application for a County block grant to help them plan the response to the RFP.
Member Patricia Ris Yarbrough reported on the Cannabis Subcommittee. The MAC members voted to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors objecting to the reinterpretation of the cannabis ordinance allowing commercial growing space to expand from 10,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. This issue is being reviewed by Supervisors Mo Mulheren and Bernie Norville on the General Government Committee, which will next meet at 9:00 am on March 26.
Chair Riley reported on Faizan Corporation’s resubmitted application for a gas station on North State Street. Faizan’s latest application attached a copy of a 40-year old “Freeway Agreement,” between the State and the County, regarding funding for changes to county roads that need to be closed for freeway construction. It is unclear how this agreement supports Faizan’s application to build a gas station, as the Freeway Agreement is between the State and the County, and no private businesses are parties to the agreement. The MAC will monitor progress of Faizan’s application as it works its way through the Planning Commission.
The MAC is looking to persuade the County to institute a moratorium on new gas stations for the next five years. The Grassroots Institute has been working on this. The RV MAC will contact other county MACs to see if they would like to join the RV MAC in asking the BOS for a gas station moratorium. In October 2023, the BOS voted not to permanently ban new gas stations. A moratorium, rather than an outright ban, may be easier to obtain.
Chair Riley reported that she communicated with Russ Ford in the County’s Planning and Building Department on February 26. Riley is hoping he can review and approve the Community Action Plan in the next couple of weeks.
The MAC Members voted to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors asking for a county-wide ban on retail sale of nitrous oxide cannisters. Nitrous oxide is abused by people trying to get high, and the empty cannisters are a big cause of litter along the roadways and waterways. Dr. Marvin Trotter wrote a letter explaining how dangerous nitrous oxide is to people who abuse it, and the MAC will send a letter to the BOS, concurring with Dr. Trotter’s position.
Form Energy has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for the battery storage project next to the PG&E substation on East Road. The MAC will monitor building permit applications to track the progress of the installation. The MAC is hoping that Form Energy will agree to camouflage the 128 stark white shipping containers that house the batteries with murals, or a paint color that blends with the landscape. Form uses iron-air batteries which are not flammable. It is as yet unknown how much noise the fans in the containers will generate.
Chair Riley announced that she wants to add wildfire awareness and home hardening as a regular agenda item for the MAC.
The next meeting will be on April 9 at 5:30 pm.
Many of those considerations seem incredibly reasonable. On a massive level the Whip its and the smoke shops. 100% when are we going to put a cap on those we should not be having smoke shops on every corner more orolific than STARBUCKS. We should not be having Whip its sold everywhere. Dumped on the sides of the roads and people huffing em behind the laundromat while they’re clothes wash. They’re meant for food industry they’re not meant to be sold at smoke shops as an intoxicant HELLO!