Mendo Local Weekly News — January 4, 2026
A special master is appointed to review Matthew LaFever arrest and a new hotline is launched to report local ICE activity. Plus, California continues outreach on a state-wide deer management plan.
Please note: There will be no weekly roundup for the week ending January 11, 2026.
🌲 Mendocino County
New Hotline Launches to Report ICE Activity in Mendocino County
By Sydney Fishman, The Mendocino Voice
A new rapid-response network has launched in Mendocino County, providing a hotline — (707) 621-8220 — for community members to report U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The volunteer-led network aims to verify ICE sightings, educate immigrants about their rights, and support local immigrant communities by quickly sharing verified information.
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Commitments of Mendocino County Defendants to State Prison Rose in 2025
By the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office
Mendocino County courts sentenced 118 defendants to state prison in 2025, up from 94 in 2024, a 25% increase, according to year-end figures from the District Attorney’s Office. Of those committed in 2025, 8% were convicted of violent felonies as defined by state law, while 38% had one or more prior Strike convictions used to enhance their sentences under California’s Three Strikes law. Women accounted for 6% of those sent to state prison during the year. In addition, twenty-nine jury trials went to final verdict during calendar year 2025, including 9 felony trials, with an overall prosecution success rate of 86%
CDFW Continues Public Outreach for Statewide Deer Conservation Plan
By California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is continuing a series of regional meetings to gather public input on its draft Statewide Deer Conservation and Management Plan, focused on black-tailed and mule deer.
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PG&E Lowers Rates, Extends My Match Subsidies
By PG&E External Communications
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. lowered electric rates by 5% on Jan. 1, 2026 — the fourth rate reduction since 2024. Typical residential customers will see monthly electric bills decrease by about $7, for a cumulative 11% reduction since January 2024. PG&E also extended My Match payments for customers with past-due balances of at least $100 who meet income criteria, offering up to $1,000 in assistance.
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens to Host Two-Part Seed-Saving Workshop
By the Independent Coast Observer
Victory Gardens for Peace Seed Bank Director Matt Drewno will lead an intensive four-day seed-saving workshop on Jan. 10–11 and Jan. 17–18, covering planning, propagation, selection, harvesting, and preservation of common and endangered varieties. Registration is $107 for Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens members and $117 for nonmembers.
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🐦 Fort Bragg
Albatross From Hawaii Mysteriously Appears in Fort Bragg
By Susan Wolbarst, Independent Coast Observer
A roughly 19-year-old black-footed albatross was found near Fort Bragg by Fish and Wildlife Warden Don Powers. The bird was triaged at the Bird Rescue Center in Sonoma County, where staff discovered it had been banded in Honolulu in June 2007, shortly after hatching.
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Marine Mammal Stranding Report Reveals Insights Into Coastal Ecosystem Health
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal
The Noyo Center for Marine Science’s annual What Washed Ashore? presentation highlighted 65 marine mammal strandings in 2025, including 49 sea lions amid a significant leptospirosis outbreak. Staff also investigated a juvenile humpback whale showing evidence of a killer whale attack and continued documenting marine ecosystem health from Gualala to Westport.
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🚑 Laytonville
Laytonville Woman Found Dead in SUV After Leaving Roadway
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News
A 74-year-old Laytonville woman, Colette Secher, was found dead in her Toyota SUV after the vehicle left Woodman Peak Road and entered a nearby field. First responders located the vehicle shortly before 1 p.m. on Dec. 27, with Secher still in the driver’s seat. Authorities believe the incident was a medical emergency and say no foul play is suspected. Secher was a nationally known French bulldog breeder.
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🏫 Point Arena
South Coast Daycare Expanding Options in 2026
By Kat Gleason, Independent Coast Observer
South Coast Daycare Center, the only licensed nonprofit childcare center on the Mendonoma Coast, plans to expand services in 2026, including additional toddler care options.
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⚖️ Ukiah
Judge Appoints Special Master to Review Search of Matthew LaFever’s Data and Devices
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News
Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder appointed a special master to ensure required procedures under California law and the state Constitution are followed as the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office decides whether to file misdemeanor charges against Matthew LaFever, a journalist and high school teacher. LaFever is accused of one misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a 17-year-old girl on Snapchat.
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Community Call: Native Americans and the News
By Sydney Fishman, The Mendocino Voice
The Mendocino Voice, in partnership with Mendocino College and the North Far North Regional Consortium, will host a community listening session on Jan. 13, 2026 to better understand the news coverage needs of Mendocino County’s Native American communities and to help develop a journalism training program.
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Assignment: Ukiah – Promises, Promises
By Tommy Wayne Kramer, Anderson Valley Advertiser
While politicians have long promised to bring good jobs to Ukiah and Mendocino County, real economic development has taken shape through private investment. Kramer highlights Ross Liberty, who transformed the former Masonite mill site north of Ukiah into a growing employment hub now hosting operations by Amazon, U-Haul, Rhys Vineyards, Reuser, and Liberty’s own Factory Pipe.
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🏛️ CalMatters
California Launches Safe Homes Grants for Wildfire Mitigation
By Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters
California homeowners in high-risk wildfire areas may soon qualify for grants to improve fire safety under the new Safe Homes program, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The grants will help low- and middle-income homeowners create ember-resistant zones and upgrade roofs, with an application portal expected to launch by March.
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New California Laws Set to Change Lives in 2026
CalMatters Staff
As of Jan. 1, 2026, California is implementing major new laws affecting residents statewide, including expanded IVF coverage, new AI regulations, enhanced renter protections, and automatic CSU admissions for eligible students. The changes stem from hundreds of bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2025.
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Solid weekly roundup. The special master appointment in the LaFever case is an interesting procedural move, basically adding an extra layer of oversight before misdemeanor charges get filed. I've seen similar approaches used when evidence collection procedures get contested, and it usually signals there's some legitimate concern about how the search was conducted. Good to see the court taking those constitutional protections seriously even in what looks like a relatvely minor case on paper.