Meanwhile City officials in Ukiah defended annexation at a packed town hall Thursday night. 

Sequoias of the Sea is a documentary about this bull kelp disaster. Directed by Natasha Benjamin and Anna Blanco, it will be featured at a long list of film festivals and climate conferences, nationally and internationally. And it's showing at the Mendocino Film Festival on May 30th.  It looks back at the last seven years and what amounted to an emergency response from the local community. Most of the people featured in the documentary live and work on the coast in a variety of professions. They all have one thing in common: bring back the kelp. 

Benjamin and Blanco spoke to KZYX about the film and their inspiration. In the film, they cover many aspects of the story and engage with scientists, local tribes, fishermen, and sport divers.  

For more information, you can access their website at sequoiasofthesea.org

For years, KZYX news has covered the devastation of the bull kelp forest off the Mendocino Coast, and its resulting impacts, including purple urchin barrens, the loss of the abalone and red urchin fisheries, the economic impacts on coastal businesses and local communities, and the related demise of the sunflower sea stars. 

Sequoias of the Sea is a documentary about this bull kelp disaster. Directed by Natasha Benjamin and Anna Blanco, it will be featured nationally and internationally at a long list of film festivals and climate conferences. And it's showing at the Mendocino Film Festival on May 30th.  It looks back at the last seven years and what amounted to an emergency response from the local community. Most of the people featured in the documentary live and work on the coast in a variety of professions. They all have one thing in common: bring back the kelp. 

Benjamin and Blanco spoke to KZYX about their inspiration for the documentary. In the film, they cover many aspects of the story and engage with scientists, local tribes, fishermen, and sport divers.  

For more information, you can access their website at sequoiasofthesea.org

In addition to best dressed, there was doggie finger painting, a photo booth, and opportunities to show off your best trick. A nutrition counselor and a dog communicator were on hand to help dogs and their owners better meet each other’s needs.

At the April 28th Fort Bragg City Council meeting, the City’s independent auditor gave Fort Bragg the highest rating for audits.  Whippy’s annual financial report was also good news.  The city spent less than it took in for 2024, resulting in a 2-million-dollar surplus.

Council approved debt financing for the broadband project totaling 6.93 million.  Economic Devwelopment Manager, Sarah McCormick explained how residents can track the project, including ongoing press releases and a city web page.  She also explained why the contractor hit a water main in the first week of construction and the City's plans to mitigate this type of disruption going forward.  

Assistant Director of Engineering, Chantell O'Neal presented on four upcoming construction projects at Fort Bragg city facilities that will disrupt public access.  A new floor is being installed at the city offices on Franklin.  Efforts will be made to accommodate public needs, but there may be some inconveniences. The long-promised upgrade of Bainbridge Park will disrupt its use through November.  The children’s play area should remain open most of that time. At Town Hall, the public restrooms will close through July to be remodeled.  During this time, Town Hall will not be available for rentals, however, official meetings will continue to be held there.   At the police station, a security upgrade in the lobby will restrict public access.   

Mayor Godeke provided an update from the ad hoc culture and education committee, highlighting the ongoing improvements of the old Fort building on Franklin.  The building will be an educational resource about local tribes and their culture.  It will have rotating displays and will host the public.  The Council approved a land acknowledgement that addresses the original Pomo tribe’s loss of their land.  

The Executive Director of the Noyo Center for Marine Science, Sheila Seimans, updated the council on the aquaculture program and the la bonatory. The la bonatory is scheduled to break ground on the headlands this summer.  The aquaculture program, which is part of the city's blue economy initiative, is still a work in progress.  Permitting issues have held up some studies, but Seimans remains hopeful that they will be able to grow bull kelp and abalone at the Noyo Harbor field station.

Under consent, the Fort Bragg City Council authorized the donation of surplus IT equipment to local non-profits.  Approved a change order to Akeff Construction for the EV installations at the police station, increasing the approximately $160,000 contract to $182,000.  And they approved a 1-year contract with Lumos and Associates for on-call engineering and surveying for up to $72,000.  

Finally, Whippy announced that the CV Starr Center will now be open on Sundays starting May 18th and that the first annual Blues Festival, which the City sponsored, is sold out, netting the City $40,000.  A free concert is planned for Saturday, May 3rd, on Laurel at Franklin from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. 

The April 14th City Council meeting was lightly attended. It's not clear if an error on the agenda itself was partially to blame.  The Zoom meeting link was missing the passcode, making remote participation impossible, although streaming was available.  Emails to the city clerk were responded to with the correct link.   

Two annual reports, one from the Fort Bragg Police Department and one from the Mendocino Coast Humane Society, provided insights into crime rates and the number of stray animals.

Chief Cervenka provided crime statistics for 2024. The police responded to over 15000 calls, which resulted in 1166 reports, 514 arrests, and 315 traffic citations.  They seized 8.75 pounds of illegal drugs and 26 firearms.  There were 106 vehicle collisions, of which 8 were due to DUIs.   In general, crime decreased locally except for domestic violence, which increased by 53%.  Chief Cervenka said the increase was due to better training of his officers, who are making more arrests, and the victims’ access to post-pandemic assistance.

Chief Cervenka also provided an update on the extreme weather shelter for this past winter.  The extreme weather shelter is run by the police department through their Crisis Response Unit (CRU) program, which facilitates helping houseless individuals off the street and into housing.  The extreme weather shelter operates from November 15th to March 31st and is opened based on precipitation and temperature as predicted by the National Weather Service.  The shelter operated 83 out of the possible 136 operational days, provided beds 644 times for 107 individuals.  The emergency shelter handles overflow from the hospitality house, which maintains 25 beds.  Although there was an increased need for beds this past winter, there was a 15% drop in individuals needing help.  Cervenka attributed that to the police department's homeless housing program, or CRU.  

Judy Martin, the Executive Director for the Mendocino Coast Humane Society provided an annual report on the animals in their care.  They currently have 97 animals, of which 44 are available for adoption.  In 2024, they took in 631 animals and adopted out 504.  According to Martin, the coast shelter takes in animals from Leggett to Gualala, provides basic veterinary care to low-income families, and works with Fort Bragg police on impounds.

The City of Fort Bragg provides the Humane Society with $60,000 in funds and leases property to them for the shelter.  The Humane Society is primarily funded by sales at the Arc Thrift Store, donations, and grants. 

The City declared May 1st through 7th as Rhododendron week to recognize the many hybrids developed in Fort Bragg.  The 46th annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show is scheduled for May 3rd and 4th.  It is held adjacent to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and is open to the public. Admission to the Rhododendron show is free.

Under consent, the council approved updates to the purchasing, bidding, and signatory requirements, affording City Manager Isaac Whippy the authority to sign off on purchases of up to $60,000.  All contracts over $5000 require a minimum of three bids.  Contracts over $60,000 require council approval.  The council also adopted changes to the municipal code, reducing parking and altering parking lot landscaping requirements for multi-family housing developments, and approved a four-year lease with Toshiba for printers and copiers.  

Earlier on the meeting agenda, the council honored Jason Balassi for his thirty years of service in the public works department, received a presentation from the Fort Bragg Library, and honored volunteers during National Volunteer Week, which is April 20 – 26 this year.

Under, items from the council, Councilmember Lindy Peters provided a report on the FBFD financials.  According to Peters, the Fort Bragg Fire Department is in good shape financially.  It currently has approximately $954,000 in the bank and expects additional funding from Mendocino County soon.  Lindy thanked the staff and many volunteers who keep the fire department operational.  

The first hearing focused on changes to ordinances that were previously approved and sent to the California Coastal Commission for review.  They codified standards for tiny home communities and set regulations for tiny homes, RV parks, and mobile homes.  The third ordinance established a 10 pm curfew for restaurants with outdoor dining.  The three ordinances will now go back to the Coastal Commission for final certification.  

The second hearing focused on regulations for alternative dwelling units.  The City’s previous ordinance which was approved in 2023, did not meet the changes made by the state in 2024. The new ordinance was modified to meet state law.  Some of the most notable changes were; 

·         Changes to the maximum square footage of a second unit, which is now 50% of the primary. 

·         The ability to convert storage rooms, garages, attics, barns, sheds, and basements to ADUs as long as they meet state building standards for dwellings. 

·         The requirement for a separate bathroom for a Junior ADU has been removed.  

·         ADUs cannot be restricted to the backyard.  

·         Multifamily properties can add up to eight ADUs depending on the number of existing units.  

The third hearing was for a 49-unit senior apartment complex to be located at 860 Hazelwood.  The project developers intend to make the entire complex affordable making units available for households that make between 30 and 60% of the area's median income.  Council was asked to provide concessions from the developer including making it a three-story building and allowing for a height variance to accommodate an elevator shaft.  This is the second three-story multi-family complex that is working its way through the city.  The preliminary approval was for the concessions only.  The project will go before the planning commission and will need Coastal Commission approval to proceed.  

The Council also increased the signature authority for City Manager Isaac Whippy from $25,000 to $60,000, confirmed the results of the annual police services salary survey, which resulted in pay raises for three classifications, and approved a contract to continue services from Palni Inc. for the Municipal Broadband Utility Project.  

Whippy provided an update on negotiations regarding the acquisition of the Mendocino Coast Network or MCN which is on offer for $500,000 and efforts to access additional funding for the broadband network.  He expects to wrap up these efforts by the end of June this year.  

Two studies were approved by the council to review rates and fees.  One will focus on water services. The second study is on fees at the CV Starr Center. 

The council also noted that plans to open the CV Starr Center on Sunday are in the works and informed the community of efforts being made by the Mendocino Coast Regional Park District to appropriate monies from a sales tax initiative that was intended for CV Starr for other projects.  The council asked residents to attend MCRPD public meetings in March.  Mayor Godeke will be at CV Starr on Thursday the 27th, to talk to CV Starr regulars about the center and its programs.  

Several upcoming events were mentioned by the council, including a Pomo event on the headlands scheduled for April, 26th, and a blues festival scheduled for May 2nd through 4th.   

Councilmember Tess Albin Smith was appointed as chair for the Mendocino Transit Authority and plans to focus on expanding services on Sunday and to look into providing transportation to local hospitals.  

Before the Noyo Center, animals stranded on Mendocino beaches fell to teams from Humboldt or Sonoma.

Since 2014, the Noyo Center has documented the stranding of 18 whales, 8 dolphins, 6 porpoises, and hundreds of pinnipeds.  

In 2024, one of the more notable strandings was a juvenile female Fin whale.  Fin whales are on the endangered species list.  The whale was first sighted on the beach between Ward Ave and Ten Mile River.  Later it washed up a second time at Ward Ave.  

There was evidence to suggest the whale died from a ship strike.  A NOAA report on Fin Whale populations along the Pacific Coast estimates that between 43 and 95 fin whales die from ship strikes each year.  The estimated total population on the Pacific Coast per NOAA is approximately 11,000.

There were 40 pinnipeds identified on Mendocino beaches.  The pinniped family includes California Sea Lions and various types of seals including Harbor, Elephant, and Fur Seals.   

Finally, three dolphins and one porpoise washed ashore, including a Pacific White-sided Dolphin.  

Each stranded animal is documented and many undergo necropsies to inform the scientific community.

The live dolphin did not survive the transport to the Marine Mammal Center. Another particularly sad incident involved a California sea lion pup named Pipoca. Pipoca had been rescued earlier in the spring and rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Center. He was released back into the wild, but unfortunately, he lasted only about six weeks before washing ashore. 

Sue Pemberton, the stranding coordinator for Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo talks about the importance of California Sea Lions as an indicator species for the Pacific Coast and the troubles they had this year with births and undersized pups.  

Photo of a Noyo Center presentation slide

Vice Mayor Jason Godeke who is in his first term was nominated for mayor and approved with a five-zero vote.  Godeke then nominated first-term Councilmember Marcia Rafanan as Vice Mayor.  During her comments, Albin-Smith expressed her opinion that Rafanan was not qualified to be mayor.  Peters had previously suggested that he was the best candidate for mayor because he’s retired and does not have kids. 

Rafanan defended herself refuting both Albin-Smith’s claims and Peters’ view of his superior candidacy. Rafanan pointed out that she was elected to represent the poor working class in Fort Bragg and that she can do a good job.  

Rafanan was voted in four to one with Albin-Smith voting no.  During public comment, several members of the audience objected to Albin-Smith’s treatment of Rafanan. The statements and arguments can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Fort Bragg website.  Mayor Godeke immediately called a recess after public comment.  

The council returned and continued the City’s business. Newly elected Councilmember Scott Hockett nominated Ryan Bushnell to fill an empty seat on the planning commission, which passed 3 to 2, with Albin-Smith and Peters voting no. Rich Neal was reappointed to serve another term on the planning commission.  

Two public hearings were held that passed and established the option to recover fees for code enforcement and costs related to building permit inspection services.  The council also decided to run a pilot program that would use the outside consultant Four Leaf for inspection services in place of the county for large projects to reduce delays.  Smaller projects and standard permits will still go through the county process. 

A pro-housing initiative that was briefly discussed in November came back before the council with more detail.  The initiative is still preliminary, but as it stands now it could eliminate planning commission review for multi-family housing and place the onus on city staff.  City planning consultant, Marie Jones explained that the City’s current program adds months to the review plan and does not meet current state law.  The City has to choose between selecting an administrative review or eliminating the review of large projects.  Per Jones, eliminating review could lead to ugly cheap buildings, while administrative review will create more challenges for City staff.

The council then approved a small increase in garbage rates.  The average homeowner will see their bill go from $38.11 to $38.84.  

City Manager Isaac Whippy provided a budget report that shows the City is currently below budget and provided data on the CV Starr Center's efforts to increase membership and expand programs. Since the City took over CV Starr memberships have climbed steadily.  A chronic issue with staffing lifeguard positions has kept the center closed on Sundays.  CV Starr recently held additional lifeguard classes and the discussion of opening on Sundays is ongoing.

Finally, local contractor Akeff Construction was awarded the contract to install EV Fleet Charging stations at the Fort Bragg Police Department.  The council approved a contract with Telcion for network equipment, confirmed pay rates for the city manager, and approved a pump repair for the Noyo River Intake. 

Photo of Noyo River November 22, 2024, by Michelle Blackwell

The Fort Bragg City Council provided preliminary, conceptual approval for a three-story 68-unit apartment complex on Highway 1, situated between the Fort Bragg Outlet Store and the Emerald Dolphin Inn, during its Nov. 12 meeting.

The council also set a range of in-lieu fees for inclusionary housing developments from $4 per square foot for small developments to $8 per square foot for large developments.   

The council discussed a pro-housing zoning amendment that could alter developers' requirements for parking, environmental review, and neighborhood input.  These changes are expected to come back to the council in December.

Fort Bragg High School students gave a presentation about their exchange program with the City’s sister city, Otsuchi, Japan.  Mayor Norvell read out a proclamation for Veteran’s Appreciation Day. 

The City Council reappointed Jim Hurst as the Harbor Commission Chair pending approval of the County Board of Supervisors. It appointed Domenick Weaver to fill a vacant position on the Harbor Commission.  

Council approved the spending or ARPA funding that will include new wayfinding signs in the downtown, a business improvement grant program, additional funding for downtown murals, and fortbraggbiz.com, a new website for businesses to access city resources.  

Under the consent calendar, the council approved agreements with PG&E for relocation and upgrade to facilitate the solar project at the CV Starr Center, authorized change orders for the City Hall roof replacement, accepted federal funding in the amount of 10.3 million for the municipal broadband project, and approved a professional services contract for administration services of the broadband project.

Image by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, licensed under Creative Commons 

El concejal de Ukiah, Juan Orozco y Jackie Orozco, editora del periodico Al Punto, explican el proceso de registración de votantes, fechas de votación y las propuestas en la balota electoral.

Many controversies and lawsuits revolve around the relationship between Mendocino Railway, the local government, and the community of Fort Bragg.  Fixing Tunnel 1 between Fort Bragg and Willits is typically not one of them.  The tunnel initially collapsed in 2013.  During repairs in 2015 a secondary failure shut down construction.  The railway has set several goal lines to get it repaired, but it is still not usable.  In the interim, the Skunk altered their offerings to tourists running a short trip from Fort Bragg to Glen Blair and a longer ride from Willits to Northspur. They also added rail bikes and made several improvements at Glen Blair that created a destination, including trails, a picnic area, and an event space.

In January of this year, Mendocino Railway was included in a $31.4 million loan with the Sierra Northern Railway from the US Department of Transportation.  At that time, neither the railway nor local officials were willing to be interviewed in part due to the lawsuits.  Although, Mayor Norvell of Fort Bragg, commented last February that he couldn’t think of anyone who doesn't want to see the tunnel repaired.

Robert Pinoli the president of Mendocino Railway sat down with us to talk about the tunnel, both local opposition, and local support for their mill site plans, and the most recent lawsuit the railway filed against the City of Fort Bragg over polluted stormwater.  Today we will talk with Pinoli about the tunnel.  We hope to provide additional pieces about the lawsuits and mill site with the City’s comments and other local input in the coming weeks. 

In other City news, the Biggest Time originally scheduled for October of this year on the Noyo Headlands has been pushed off until next spring. Police Chief Neal Cervanka was elected to the board of the State Police Officers Association and the council approved the emergency repair of a storm drain on North McPherson. Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith was not in attendance.

Since that time, abalone season has been closed, the red urchin fishery was declared a national disaster and purple urchins blanket the sea floor consuming everything in their path. Today over 96% of the kelp forest has disappeared.

The Nature Conservancy was recently given 1.6 million to develop kelp restoration programs along the coast. Tristin McHugh, the kelp restoration coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, provides an update on what's working to restore kelp forests at Big River and Albion and talks about how the restoration efforts are helping the decimated fishing industry.

In other fire-related news, the Ukiah City Council closed a loophole in the city code to prohibit setting fires for cooking or recreational use — unless the owner of the property sets the fire. Meanwhile, a Ukiah man accused of setting fire to vegetation in the area of the McClure Subdivision Road is being held in the county jail with a bail set for $527,000.

The Redwood Empire Region of Northern California developed this specific kind of sheepdog trial in the 1940s due to Mendocino County’s rough terrain.
During the event herding dogs show their skills by moving sheep around fences and gates while directed by their handlers. A judge assesses their performance to see how well the dogs can guide the sheep into different enclosures.

For the first time, the Mendocino Winegrowers did not invite wine experts but instead held a “people’s choice” competition. "It's great to have consumers, the people who buy the wine, judge the competition," said Executive Director Bonnie Butcher.

Blackberry Festival took place in Round Valley, as it has been on the 3rd weekend in August since 1983, folks gathered at the festival grounds in the center of town to listen to live music, shop from the vendors and enjoy blackberry desserts and of course blackberry wine. 

City Clerk Diana Sanchez updated the council on applications for the two open council seats that are up for election in 2024.  As of the initial deadline of August 9th, the City received three applications, however, as Mayor Norvell is not seeking reelection the deadline was extended to August 14th, and Sanchez expected additional applicants.

1 - Albion residents responded to a Caltrans call for community comment on a draft environmental impact report at a meeting Tuesday night at the Whitesboro Grange in Albion with a demand that Caltrans include the rehabilitation option in the EIR. “For a good ten years plus, Caltrans has been talking about this being a rehabilitation or a replacement program,” said Jim Heid, a member of Albion Bridge Stewards, a local group that has carried out its own studies of the bridge’s structural integrity. “All of a sudden the words rehab, rehabilitate, and rehabilitation disappeared from the project description.” 

2 -What does a white male folk singer born in 1912 in Oklahoma have in common with a 23-year-old Mexican American female educator born in 2001 in Fort Bragg? Only the things that matter most: resilience, respect, the ability to remember, and a steadfast belief in the power of song. Listen to our interview with Maria Ramos, who plays multiple roles in Woody Guthrie’s American Song, playing at the Mendocino Theater Company through August 25.

existing campgrounds that are currently operating without a permit in residential areas said the amended rules are at best a work in progress and should not be passed. The public will have another chance to comment on August 15, when the commission meets again.

The Ukiah Recreation Center, which the City of Ukiah Recreation Department manages, serves hundreds of children every day. Students from Ukiah Unified elementary schools are bussed to the center to participate in the Boys and Girls Club. The Family Resource Center provides free bilingual programs for toddlers and their parents. Recreation centers can also help young people discover healthy and safe ways to have fun in their communities.

Because of a decline in student enrollment, the Ukiah Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to close the Redwood Valley campus in 2010.

The next step is for Ukiah Unified to get a waiver from the California State Board of Education.

The next Ukiah Unified Board of Trustees meeting is on Thursday, August 8th. It starts at 6:30 pm at 511 South Orchard Avenue in Ukiah.