Mendo Local Weekly Roundup — September 5, 2026

🏛️ Mendocino County

Mendocino County Receives $4.5 Million to Fight Illicit Cannabis Grows
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal · Sept. 5
The board of supervisors approved a plan to spend $4.5 million in Prop. 64 grant funds on illicit cannabis grows, paying for enforcement personnel and a citation system to fine repeat offenders. Sheriff Matt Kendall told supervisors his office can't keep pace with sites that are raided and quickly replanted.
Read more (Ukiah Daily Journal subscription required)

Tribal Co-Management of California's Demonstration Forests Now Rests With Newsom
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 4
Assembly Bill 2494, by Assemblymember Chris Rogers, has cleared the Legislature and awaits Gov. Newsom's decision; it would require the state to pursue co-management agreements with Native American tribes over California's 14 demonstration forests, including Jackson near Fort Bragg. The measure hardens the original language into a "good faith" mandate.
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State Recommends "Danger" Advisory at Lake Pillsbury as Toxic Algae Spreads
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Sept. 3
California's State Water Resources Control Board recommended a "danger" advisory — its highest toxic-algae level — for Lake Pillsbury ahead of Labor Day after tests found microcystin at 23.84 micrograms per liter, above the state's threshold of 20.
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Election Forums
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 3
Local groups have scheduled a run of candidate interviews and forums across Mendocino County through September and October, including Grass Roots Institute Zoom interviews with Fort Bragg candidates (Sept. 8–29) and in-person forums hosted by the League of Women Voters and others. A "Voting Matters" proposition workshop is set for Oct. 12 sponsored by CalMatters and Mendo Local Public Media.
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Supes Approve 45-Day Data Center Moratorium
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 2
The board of supervisors voted unanimously on Sept. 2 to impose a 45-day moratorium on new data centers in unincorporated areas. A public hearing set for Oct. 6 will weigh extending the freeze up to two years while permanent regulations are drafted.
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Gray Wolf Confirmed in Mendocino National Forest As the Species Returns to California
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 2
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed a gray wolf in the Mendocino National Forest on Sept. 1, the latest sign of the species' natural return to a state where it was hunted to extinction by the 1920s.
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Safety Standards Could Be Preventing Greater Safety in Mendocino County's Vineyards
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Aug. 31
Mendocino County vineyards are testing autonomous UV-light robots to fight mildew without chemical sprays, but California's safety code still requires a human operator at the controls, blocking fully driverless use.
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Judge Called Federal Farmworker Wage Cut Unlawful
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Aug. 30
A federal judge ruled in late August that the U.S. Department of Labor unlawfully lowered minimum wages for H-2A visa farmworkers but left the reduced rates in place, leaving Mendocino County vineyards operating under a $16.90 hourly floor, down from $19.97 a year earlier. Employers could eventually owe back pay, depending on replacement rates the Labor Department must still set.
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⛰️ Covelo

Round Valley Tribal Cemetery Vandalized North of Covelo; Sheriff's Office Logs Case
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Sept. 5
Vandals damaged multiple gravesites at Headquarters Cemetery on the Round Valley Indian Reservation north of Covelo on Sept. 5, scattering flowers, flags, and memorial items.
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🌊 Fort Bragg

One Person Hospitalized After Water Rescue at Jug Handle Near Caspar
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Sept. 4
One person was hospitalized after an evening water rescue at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve near Caspar, drawing Fort Bragg Fire, Fort Bragg Ambulance, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials did not disclose how the person ended up in the water or the severity of their injuries.
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Mendocino County "Not Following the Law" at Fort Bragg Mill Site
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Sept. 3
Mendocino County recommended a “Negative Declaration” for the former Caspar mill site in Fort Bragg — a written statement prepared under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) explaining why a proposed public or private project will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment. The 48-page recommendation did not mention previous contamination at the site, however, the planner did discuss that in a public hearing for a coastal development use permit.
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History in Motion: The Merlin Places the Iceberg Wave-Energy Desalination Device off Fort Bragg
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · Sept. 1
The contractor vessel Merlin was set to place the Iceberg wave-energy desalination device offshore near Fort Bragg on Sept. 1, testing whether ocean waves can turn seawater into fresh water without fossil fuels. The two-month pilot, launched from Noyo Harbor, will not supply any water to Fort Bragg during the trial.
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🏗️ Gualala

Gualala Streetscape Project Fully Funded
By Karen Elowitt, Independent Coast Observer · Sept. 3
The Gualala Downtown Streetscape Enhancement Project has been fully funded and will begin advertising for bids in September. Caltrans announced Sept. 2 that $8.5 million is allocated to the project.
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👮 Piercy

72-Year-Old Piercy Man Arrested on Child-Pornography Charges Wasn't on Megan's Law List — Why?
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · Sept. 2
John Louis Laudenschlager Sr., 72, of Piercy was arrested Aug. 19 after investigators found more than 600 sexual images of children on his phone and social-media accounts, and faces charges including possession of child sexual abuse material, firearm possession by a prohibited person, and perjury. The story examines why he was not on the Megan's Law registry, noting the law predates the internet and that possession wasn't criminalized until 1990.
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🎥 Point Arena

Point Arena's Automated License-Plate Reader Camera Out of Commission
By Chelsea Randall, Independent Coast Observer · Sept. 3
A license-plate reader camera normally mounted on a Highway 1 utility pole in front of Point Arena City Hall has been missing for weeks. Capt. Quincy Cromer of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said a work order was created in August to diagnose and repair it.
Read more (Subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)

🎨 Redwood Valley

Redwood Valley Artist Organizes "Appraiser's Art Show"
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · Sept. 2
Longtime Redwood Valley artist, potter, and radio host Knox Gillespie is organizing an "Appraiser's Art Show" to support the Redwood Valley community. The Ukiah Daily Journal profile traces Gillespie's path from a Pittsburgh childhood to New York City and, ultimately, a life as a Redwood Valley philosopher, musician, and maker.
Read more (Ukiah Daily Journal subscription required)

🏙️ Ukiah

Visit Ukiah Reports Flat County Tourism but 89% Jump in Social Media Views
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · Sept. 4
Visit Ukiah executive director Katrina Kessen told the Ukiah City Council that Mendocino County's visitor economy has stayed flat even as the agency's Facebook and Instagram views jumped 89% to 7.6 million a year. Kessen cautioned that "tourism growth will not happen automatically," pointing to a gap between online engagement and actual visits.
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Ukiah City Council Members Respond to Concerns Regarding Flock Cameras
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal · Sept. 4
Council member Mari Rodin said she has met separately with residents worried about data from the city's 14 license-plate-reading Flock cameras and with the Ukiah Police Department, and hopes to bring both sides together. Residents again voiced objections to the cameras at the council's Sept. 2 meeting.
Read more (Ukiah Daily Journal subscription required)

$150,000 Raised for Cancer Resource Centers
By Maureen Jennison, The Willits Weekly · Sept. 3
The 21st annual fundraiser for the Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County raised $150,000 at Nelson Family Vineyards last Saturday. State Sen. Mike McGuire led the live-pledge portion of the evening, rallying the crowd to give heavily to the 2026 fund.
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Ukiah Ends Annexation Push As Residents Request the County Exit Tax-Sharing Pact
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 2
The City of Ukiah announced Sept. 1 that it is ending a two-year effort to annex unincorporated county land in the Ukiah Valley, citing unresolved concerns over boundaries, costs, and public process. The same day, residents urged the board of supervisors to revisit the 2024 master tax-sharing agreement governing annexations, and the board agreed to take it up by Oct. 20.
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🚂 Willits

Willits Couple Identified in Fatal Crash
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 4
The California Highway Patrol and Mendocino County Sheriff's Office identified the Willits couple killed in an Aug. 30 crash as Phillip R. Colvard, 68, and Bernice D. Colvard, 57. Their overturned vehicle was found at the bottom of a 150-foot embankment near Mariposa Creek and Bear Canyon roads.
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Willits Moves to Extend Water Line to Mobile Home Park North of Town
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Sept. 1
The Willits City Council voted 4-0 on Aug. 26 to seek a state grant to extend city water to the Little Lake Mobile Home Park about a mile north of town, where the sole well failed in 2023 and roughly 38 residents rely on trucked water. The estimated $3.4 million project would run about 6,000 feet of new main along North Main Street.
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Young Army Veteran Seriously Injured in Highway 20 Crash
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · Aug. 31
Thomas Montaudon, a 22-year-old Army veteran, was left paralyzed from the chest down after his Ford Mustang went off Highway 20 near Willits on Aug. 22 and rolled down a steep embankment. Montaudon, recently out of the 82nd Airborne and planning to attend college, is on a ventilator, and his family has started a GoFundMe for his care.
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🐻 CalMatters

California's Community Colleges Turn Against Bills to Expand Bachelor's Degrees
By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters · Sept. 4
California's community colleges abruptly reversed course to oppose two bills, SB 960 and AB 2694, that they had backed to expand bachelor's-degree offerings, after late amendments capped new degrees based on student completion rates. Both bills — which would let colleges add two to 12 bachelor's programs starting in 2028 — passed the Legislature and now await Gov. Newsom's decision.
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Commentary: California Candidates Stay Quiet About the State's Job Woes
By Dan Walters, CalMatters (Opinion) · Sept. 4
Columnist Dan Walters argues that California candidates are ignoring a worsening employment crisis, pointing to a 5.1% unemployment rate (second-highest in the nation), a labor force down 286,300 over the year, and a 10.3% U-6 underemployment rate. He contends that with only government-dependent health care showing strong job growth, voters are being left without any real debate on how to fix it.
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