Mendo Local Weekly Roundup — August 15, 2026

🏛️ Mendocino County

Two Mendocino Soccer Coaches Faced ICE Detention. Then Their Cases Diverged.
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · August 13
Two Mendocino County youth soccer coaches who faced federal immigration detention saw their cases reach the same appellate court in July with opposite results. Juan Jose Cienega-Arenas was deported to Mexico despite pending court dates, while Otis Ffriend won a court order blocking his removal to a third country.
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Local Officials Report "Stunning" Results From Water Diversion Models
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal · August 12
New Sonoma County Water Agency modeling shows the proposed New Eel-Russian Diversion Facility would deliver a surprisingly large water supply — even in drought years — after the Potter Valley Project dams come out. Officials cautioned that capturing that water depends on new storage, most importantly raising Coyote Valley Dam.
Read more (Subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal required)

"Super El Niño" — A Glimpse of the New Normal?
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal · August 6
State Sen. Mike McGuire drew roughly 5,700 viewers to an Aug. 4 virtual town hall where climate scientist Daniel Swain outlined the risks of a potential "Super El Niño" for California. Swain described the pattern as a temporary warming of the tropical Eastern Pacific that can drive large-scale weather impacts.
Read more (Subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal required)

Romero Seeks Court Order Removing Hart From the November Ballot for District 3 Board of Supervisor's Open Seat
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · August 5
Clay Romero has asked a Superior Court judge to strike Eric Hart from the November ballot for Mendocino County's 3rd District supervisor seat, contending Hart lacked proper domicile in the 3rd District when he filed nomination papers. A hearing is set for Sept. 1.
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⛰️ Covelo

Gunman at Illegal Covelo Grow Pleads No Contest
Willits Weekly · August 13
Edher David Lozano Arena, 22, of Ukiah and Clearlake, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in an armed robbery at an illegal Covelo marijuana grow. One of the assailants was killed by friendly fire during the incident.
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A Failed Solar Inverter Has Covelo's Award-Winning Library Passing the Hat
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · August 12
Covelo's Round Valley Library Commons, named the best small library in America two years ago, is raising money to replace a failed solar inverter. The Friends of the Round Valley Public Library are seeking about $6,000 through Facebook, in-person collections, and this weekend's Blackberry Festival.
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🐟 Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg Eyes $8.5 Million Grant to Rebuild Aging Timberwolf Stadium
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · August 14
The Fort Bragg City Council voted unanimously to pursue an $8.5 million state grant to modernize Timberwolf Stadium, which has served the community since 1999. The project would replace the dirt track with an all-weather surface, add synthetic turf, and upgrade facilities that now limit athletics during the rainy months.
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Who Built That Fence? The Highway One Mystery Has an Answer
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · August 14
A new wooden fence along Highway One in Fort Bragg that fueled local speculation turns out to be tied to a Caltrans sidewalk-widening project. Robert Pinoli of Mendocino Railway, which owns the land, said the fence replaced one removed for ADA-compliant sidewalk work.
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Fort Bragg City Council — Full Report for August 10, 2026
By MendoLocal.News · August 14
Mendo Local Public Media is rolling out full city council coverage, starting with Fort Bragg. These reports are available on the web and as a special opt-in newsletter for subscribers. If you are a free or paid subscriber and you'd like to receive coverage of the Fort Bragg City Council meetings in your inbox, please log into your account at MendoLocal.News and select the Fort Bragg "Full Report" newsletter. If you have difficulty accessing your account, please email editor@mendolocal.news. We've switched our backend infrastructure and sometimes there's an extra step we need to take to connect you.
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Celebrates 33rd Annual Art in the Gardens
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · August 13
Hundreds gathered at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in early August for the 33rd annual Art in the Gardens, one of the nonprofit's marquee fundraisers. The event paired music, wine, and artwork with the gardens at peak bloom, supported by dozens of local sponsors.
Read more (Subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal required)

Forest Reform Bill AB 2494 Moving Along; Cutting Ready to Start in Jackson
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · August 10
CAL FIRE is preparing to resume logging in Jackson Demonstration State Forest under the AMEX timber harvest plan as activists press for stronger protections in the pending state forest-reform bill AB 2494.
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New Telehealth Site in Fort Bragg Brings VA Health Care Access to North Coast
By Mary Rose Kaczorowski, The Mendocino Voice · August 9
A new VA ATLAS telehealth site opened in Fort Bragg on Aug. 6 after two years of planning, giving North Coast veterans local access to expanded Department of Veterans Affairs care. The station connects patients to the San Francisco VA Health Care System without the long drive south.
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Salmon Season Closes Tomorrow — Join the Pink Rush Before It's Too Late
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · August 8
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife closed the recreational ocean salmon season off Fort Bragg a week early, ending Aug. 9 instead of Aug. 31. Fishing stayed active out of Noyo Harbor despite a small craft advisory, with party boats offering the safest option for anglers.
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🏎️ Gualala

Cars & Coffee Raises Funds for Grange Roof Repair
By David Torres, Independent Coast Observer · August 13
Dozens of car enthusiasts gathered behind the Gualala Hotel on Sunday morning for a Cars & Coffee meetup raising money for the Manchester Grange roof project. Former Fort Bragg Police Chief Neil Cervenka showed his yellow 2001 C5 Corvette, and Bruce Khanvali drove from Portland to present his 2012 Lotus.
Read more (Subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)

County's Broken Promises to Maintain Bower Park Discussed at GMAC Meeting
By Karen Elowitt, Independent Coast Observer · August 13
Renovations at Bower Park in Gualala are inching forward, but whether the county will honor a maintenance agreement remains an open question. The matter came up at a recent Gualala Municipal Advisory Council (GMAC) meeting.
Read more (Subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)

🌲 Laytonville

Lawsuit Challenges Logging in Dutch Charlie Creek
By Willits Weekly · August 13
Friends of Dutch Charlie Creek filed a lawsuit against CAL FIRE seeking to halt the "Hot Tuna" and "Lincoln Logs" timber harvest plans west of Laytonville. The group calls the area one of the most critical endangered coho salmon habitats left in California.
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💧 Point Arena

Point Arena's Wastewater Treatment Plant Burglary Represents a Significant Loss
By Alessandra Rizzo, The Mendocino Voice · August 15
Thieves broke through a fence and window at Point Arena's wastewater treatment plant on Aug. 3, making off with about $14,000 in maintenance equipment. The haul included chain saws, weed whackers, extension blades, and socket sets.
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⚖️ Redwood Valley

Redwood Valley Crisis Call Ends in Elder Financial Abuse Arrest
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · August 10
James Hoffman Jr., 35, was arrested Aug. 6 on felony counts of elder financial abuse, grand theft, and embezzlement after deputies responded to a crisis call in Redwood Valley. He was booked into the Mendocino County Jail and released the same day on a $25,000 bail bond.
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🏙️ Ukiah

Mendocino Spirits Wins Distillery of the Year, and More
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · August 12
Tamar Distillery/Mendocino Spirits, owned by locals Tamar Kaye and Crispin Kane, was named 2026 Craft Distillery of the Year at the New Orleans Spirits Competition. The distillery also took a Double Gold and Whiskey of the Year for its Low Gap Straight Bourbon "Old Fussbudget," aged eight years.
Read more (Subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal required)

City of Ukiah Makes Changes to Proposed Annexation Map
By Savana Robinson, The Mendocino Voice · August 7
The City of Ukiah released a revised annexation plan, dubbed "Sapling 2.0," that would add about 70 acres north of the city near the Brush Street Triangle while dropping 15 acres of protected farmland to the south. The proposal still needs approval from the county Local Agency Formation Commission and environmental review.
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Dogs, People Escape Plane That Crashes on Main Street Downtown Ukiah
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · August 7
A small plane apparently lost engine power and came down on Main Street in downtown Ukiah around 10:34 a.m., and everyone aboard — including dogs — got out safely. The crash knocked down power lines and caused outages in the surrounding area.
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🪵 Willits

Former Willits Respiratory Therapist Sentenced to 11 Years for Rape, Drugging and Distributing Intimate Photo
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · August 13
A former respiratory therapist at a Willits hospital was sentenced to 11 years in prison for drugging an incapacitated coworker with prescription sleep medication and raping her in 2020. He was convicted on three counts, with the judge saying he "deserve[s] every year of the eleven."
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Willits Grocery Outlet Reopens
By Savana Robinson, The Mendocino Voice · August 11
The Grocery Outlet in Willits reopened last week after more than a month closed for repairs to warehouse damage from the magnitude-5.6 earthquake that struck June 24.
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🐻 CalMatters

Medicaid Cuts Stand to Hit Everyone (Yes, Even You). Here's Why
By Kristen Hwang, CalMatters · August 7
Federal legislation known as H.R. 1 is expected to cut roughly $1 trillion in health care funding, potentially pushing about 2 million Californians off Medi-Cal. The story traces the ripple effects, noting how a single hospital closure in Los Angeles strained every neighboring facility.
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California Nearly Achieved Universal Healthcare. Now, Millions Are Losing Coverage
By Kristen Hwang, CalMatters · August 4
California's insured rate hit a record 95% two years ago after the state extended coverage regardless of immigration status or income, but that progress is now reversing as millions lose coverage. Analysts project the state's uninsured rate could nearly double to almost 15% by 2030, hitting undocumented and low-income residents hardest.
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