Mendo Local Weekly News — March 18, 2026
A new culvert cum fish ladder in Gualala, an ADA project in Hopland, and a fiscal emergency in Willits
🗳️ Mendocino County
Local Office Candidate Update: June 2026 Ballot Shaping Up
By Mark Scaramella, Anderson Valley Advertiser
The June 2026 ballot is taking shape with several notable developments. Assistant Assessor Tonya Mounts is running unopposed to replace retiring Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie. The county has also completed the “deconsolidation” of the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector office. Megan Hunter is the sole candidate for Auditor-Controller, while current officeholder Chamise Cubbison is running for the newly recreated Treasurer-Tax Collector position.
The Third District Supervisor race includes Russell Green, Buffey Wright-Bourassa, Clay Romero, and Eric Hart. In the Fifth District, incumbent Ted Williams faces Kevin Evans and Todd Lyly.
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💰 Proposed Sales Tax Pits County Residents and Businesses Against Residents of Incorporated Cities
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.news
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted to place a 1-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot that would generate an estimated $5–6 million annually for road maintenance in unincorporated areas of the county. The measure is sparking debates over fairness and which roads get repaired.
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🌲 California Attorney General Challenges Federal Forest Plan; Local Panel Planned
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.news
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined eight other states opposing a federal proposal that would cut public comment periods by more than half and eliminate neutral review of national forest decisions. The coalition argues the rule would weaken transparency in the management of California’s 20 million acres of national forests.
Locally, the Mendocino County Vision Workgroup and the League of Women Voters will host a March 19 panel on Assembly Bill 2494 and the future of Jackson Demonstration State Forest.
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🌉 Caspar
🚗 Three-Vehicle Collision Closes Caspar Creek Bridge for Hours
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.News
A three-vehicle crash on Highway 1 at Caspar Creek Bridge shut down traffic Monday afternoon. Authorities say a white sedan attempting to pass traffic struck a pickup truck before colliding with a Pacific Towing tow truck. The sedan and tow truck remained stuck together for several hours, leaving the highway blocked during the response.
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🐟 Gualala
New Culvert Could Reopen China Gulch Salmon Habitat
By Elise Cox, Independent Coast Observer
The Gualala Municipal Advisory Council unanimously recommended approval of a coastal permit for the China Gulch emergency culvert replacement project. Caltrans says the project would restore fish passage that has been blocked for decades, reopening upstream spawning habitat for salmon.
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🚧 Hopland
Hopland ADA Improvement Project Begins
Caltrans
Caltrans has begun work on an $11.2 million project to upgrade curb ramps, sidewalks, and driveways in Hopland to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Hopland Public Utilities District cited the project when it voted last year to triple water rates.
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🏫 Point Arena
Point Arena Advances Windy Hollow Road Rehabilitation
By Chelsea Randall, Independent Coast Observer
The Point Arena City Council approved a professional services agreement with engineering firm Lumos & Associates to complete design work for the long-delayed Windy Hollow Road Rehabilitation Project.
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Kashia Elementary Faces Closure as Enrollment Collapses
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News
The one-room Kashia Elementary School District, serving the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, could be ordered to shut its doors after enrollment fell from 15 students to just 6 in seven years. During the same period, operating costs climbed from $340,000 to nearly $1 million annually.
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🎓 Willits
Willits Declares Fiscal Emergency, Lays Off Seven Workers
By B.B. Kamonoff, Willits Weekly
The City of Willits declared a fiscal emergency and permanently laid off seven employees during a special meeting Monday. Workers were released without severance.
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$20 Million Plan Would Turn Mendocino College Willits Campus Into Career Training Hub
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal
Nearly $20 million in state and federal funding will support construction of a new 18,843-square-foot career training facility at the Mendocino College Willits campus, expected to open in spring 2029. Programs will include construction trades, lab service technology, and fire science, including a new Fire Academy.
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Willits Indivisible Prepares for “No Kings” Protest
By Savana Robinson , The Mendocino Voice
More than 20 members of Willits Indivisible took part in a nonviolence training workshop Saturday in preparation for the group’s planned “No Kings” protest on March 28.
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🔥 CalMatters
State Farm Settlement Could Save California Policyholders $530 Million
By Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters
A settlement between State Farm, the California Department of Insurance, and Consumer Watchdog could save policyholders roughly $530 million following emergency rate hikes tied to the Los Angeles County fires. The agreement lowers proposed increases for condo and rental property owners and temporarily prevents certain wildfire-area policy cancellations. A decision from an administrative law judge is expected April 7.
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San Diego County Sues Trump Administration Over ICE Facility Inspection
By Wendy Fry, CalMatters
San Diego County has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Trump administration illegally blocked a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center, a privately operated ICE facility. County officials say inspectors were initially cleared to enter but were turned away upon arrival.
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