Mendo Local Weekly Roundup — June 21, 2026
Approval of a new Redwood Valley gas station was based on a questionable CEQA process and rebuilding Covelo's Green Bridge could take as long as three years
🏛️ Mendocino County
.Cubbison Settlement Provokes Strong Reactions
Mark Scaramella, The Anderson Valley Advertiser June 18
News that Mendocino County paid Treasurer-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison $1.5 million to settle claims of malicious prosecution provoked speculation and anger. Last week, Anderson Valley Advertiser Editor Mark Scaramella wrote a column “DA Eyster’s ‘Get Cubbison’ Project Backfires.” The Mendocino Voice, based in Berkeley, CA, described the timing of the news — which was prompted by the fulfillment of a public records request from retired journalist Mike Geniella — as a mystery.
Read more (subscription to the Anderson Valley Advertiser may be required)
Seven California DAs Sued a Gas Station Operator, Including Mendocino County’s David Eyster. Then County Supervisors Approved His Next Station.
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · June 17
Mendocino County’s Board of Supervisors approved a Chevron gas station permit for Faizan Corporation in May 2026, despite the company having been sued by seven California district attorneys — including Mendocino County’s own DA — for systemic environmental violations, and having a prior state cleanup order for benzene contamination at a Ukiah station. The county’s environmental review omitted the enforcement history, and the adopted mitigation plan contains no hazardous materials conditions.
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Real Estate Roundup: $3.75M Ukiah strip mall sale; Laytonville ranch donated; Albion coastal parcels gifted to nonprofit
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · June 17
A Ukiah strip mall sells for $3.75 million, a 160-acre Laytonville ranch is donated to Colorado-based Christian nonprofit, and oceanfront parcels in Albion are gifted to nonprofits including Planned Parenthood and the Mendocino Land Trust.
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💧Covelo
Tribe with senior Eel River water rights shut out of White House meeting
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · June 17
Federal officials met at the White House with PG&E and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to discuss the Potter Valley Project’s future, excluding the Round Valley Indian Tribes.
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Green Bridge: $7.5 million, 2–3 years, and a 2024 inspection that rated it “intolerable”
By Frank Hartzell, Mendocino Coast News · June 15 & 17
Covelo’s collapsed Green Bridge will cost $7.5 million to replace and take two to three years to rebuild; a 2024 inspection rated it “intolerable — needs replacement” with a score of 29 out of 100, identifying 23 girders needing replacement and missing load-path redundancies. No temporary crossing is planned, forcing residents to add a 6.5 mile detour. The driver injured in the June 12 collapse, Jimmy Sausedo, remained hospitalized five days later, while county officials say an unknown external factor likely triggered the sudden failure despite no visible signs of deterioration beforehand.
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🌵Fort Bragg
Giant Agave begins “Death Bloom” at Botanical Gardens
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · June 19
The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is hosting a rare “death bloom” event as its giant Agave salmiana var. ferox sends up a 20-foot flowering spike — a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle that occurs only at the end of the plant’s decades-long life. The spike began growing in November and is expected to flower soon before the plant dies.
Read more (subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal may be required)
Child at center of major search found safe; media urged to pull identifying information
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.News · June 18
A non-verbal 10-year-old boy missing in Fort Bragg was found safe, ending a major multi-agency search.
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Fort Bragg municipal fiber project makes headway
By Mary Rose Kaczorowski, The Mendocino Voice · June 18
Fort Bragg’s municipal fiber broadband project has completed its main infrastructure installation, with the final conduit placed in the ground this week. Residential connections are expected in late summer or early fall.
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Fort Bragg City Council Nixes Contract for Fire Tax Consultants
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · June 16
The Fort Bragg City Council rejected a $60,000 consulting contract for voter polling on a proposed fire-equipment parcel tax.
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New Fort Bragg mural celebrates the coast’s slimiest hero
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.News · June 16
A new downtown mural featuring a giant banana slug and local landmarks is taking shape across from Fort Bragg City Hall.
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Art Explorers welcomes Disability Pride Month this July
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · June 16
Art Explorers has planned a full month of activities celebrating Disability Pride Month and the artists served by the program.
Read more (subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal may be required)
Salmon Season’s First Catch
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.News · June 14
Recreational ocean salmon fishing reopened June 13 after a three-year closure, with anglers permitted to keep only Chinook (king) salmon. Keeping endangered coho salmon remains illegal.
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300 turn out for Pride March; International Peace Run passes through
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.News · June 13
Fort Bragg’s second annual Pride March drew approximately 300 participants in a festive celebration of LGBTQ+ community visibility. Separately, the International Peace Run passed through the Mendocino Coast with 10 runners from 8 countries.
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🚗 Gualala
Highway 1 Traffic Study Forecasts Slight, Manageable Increase in Traffic
By Karen Elowitt, Independent Coast Observer · June 18
The SR-1 Highway Traffic Capacity Analysis Report, released May 8, concluded the coastal highway has ample capacity to handle projected traffic growth through 2025. The report recommend a new traffic circle for Gualala.
Read more (subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)
📬 Leggett
Leggett’s post office is back
By Roger Coryell, The Mendocino Voice · June 16
The Leggett Post Office reopened June 15, more than two years after it was destroyed by fire in March 2024.
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🚙 Point Arena
Abandoned Vehicle Found in Garcia River
By Karen Elowitt, Independent Coast Observer · June 18
Authorities are investigating a damaged pickup truck found partially submerged in a shallow section of the Garcia River near Voorhees Memorial Grove.
Read more (subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)
Point Arena City Council Raises Sewer Rates
By Chelsea Randall, The Independent Coast Observer · June 18
The Point Arena City Council voted to increase sewer rates after a Proposition 218 hearing. The council also discussed a November ballot measure to increase the transient occupancy tax.
Read more (subscription to the Independent Coast Observer required)
🥾Ukiah
New 3.5-mile trail loop in Ukiah set for grand opening Saturday
By Savana Robinson, The Mendocino Voice · June 20
The Gateway Trail Loop, a new 3.5-mile hiking and biking trail in Ukiah, opens Saturday as part of the larger 22-mile Lookout Peak trail network.
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Cirque-A-Palooza brings world-class performers to Ukiah
By Carole Brodsky, Ukiah Daily Journal · June 18
SPACE Performing Arts Center is hosting the first annual Cirque-A-Palooza this Sunday to Pomo Summer Arts and Circus Camp and the SPACE Scholarship Program featuring world-class circus artists, musicians, and Joan Baez.
Read more (subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal may be required)
New ballot measures likely needed to fund fire services, officials report
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal · June 17
Local officials warned that new ballot measures asking residents to fund the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority may be necessary as critical funding is set to sunset in 2030, with gaps in equipment, personnel, and facilities.
Read more (subscription to the Ukiah Daily Journal may be required)
🤠 Willits
Wilma Statue Arrives at Willits Frontier Days Grounds
By Maureen Dennison, Willits Weekly · June 18
A new fiberglass statue named "Wilma" has arrived to complement "Willy," the longtime mascot of Willits Frontier Days.
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Brooktrails Township Raises Salaries, Cuts Expenses
By Barbara O’Reardon, Willits Weekly · June 18
Brooktrails officials approved employee raises while balancing the budget through spending reductions.
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Willits City Council — June 10, 2026
By Elise Cox, MendoLocal.News · June 16
The council appointed James Connor interim city manager and proclaimed 2026 "The Year of the Sweetheart" in honor of Frontier Days' 100th anniversary.
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🗳️ CALMATTERS
Why California Won’t Speed Up Its Election Results
By Maya C. Miller, CalMatters · June 20
California’s notoriously slow vote-counting process is back in the spotlight. But state Democratic leaders are refusing to make changes that would restrict voter access — such as earlier mail-in ballot deadlines — to speed up results. The real issue? Counting mail-in ballots takes longer.
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California’s New Health Insurance Tax Could Raise Premiums by $400 a Year
By Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters · June 18
California legislators approved a redesigned health insurance tax this week to preserve billions in federal Medi-Cal funding. The new plan would raise taxes on private health insurance plans to match those on Medicaid plans, a shift required by new federal rules. If health plans pass the full cost to consumers, a family of four could pay about $400 more annually in premiums.
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California’s Job Training Programs Face Funding Cliff
By Adam Echelman, CalMatters · June 18
The California Workforce Development Board faces a potential 20% staff cut, and flagship programs like “high road training partnerships” could receive little or no new funding—threatening to shut them down within years.
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