The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Mendocino County District 3 Supervisor John Haschak, published here as a column, in which he updates his constituents. We encourage the other supervisors to submit letters — we will happily publish them. You can see Haschak’s previous letters to his constituents here. The opinions expressed in this letter are the author’s, not those of The Mendocino Voice.
Spring is here. As I drive around our county, I continue to be in awe of the beauty that abounds. I drove up to Covelo twice in the last two weeks and totally enjoyed the redbud, wild flowers, Eel River, and the green hillsides. Be Here Now… but we need to prepare with summer right around the corner.
The Board of Supervisors will again be open to the public starting on April 15. I am very happy that we can get back to in person democracy and that the pandemic is under control. When we reopen, the meetings will be hybrid, meaning the chambers will be open in person and accessible by zoom. Since our County is so big, it is a real advantage to offer people the choice of attending in person or zoom in to the meeting and make public comments from the comfort of their homes.
I want to thank the Willits Economic Localization (WELL) group and Madge Strong for organizing the “Fire: Are you Ready Town Hall”. Sheriff Kendall, his brother Luke Kendall who is now the CalFire Chief for Mendocino County, CalFire Battalion Chief Drew Rhodes, Mendocino County Fire Safe Council, Office of Emergency Services, and Sherwood Firesafe Community all gave their time and expertise to help us better prepare. They gave updates on what each of their groups is doing in preparation for the fire season. While each one of us needs to take responsibility for our families, homes and properties, there are many people working everyday to make our communities safer from wildfires. MendoReady.,org has sign-up information for emergency alerts and evacuation Know Your Zone information. The Town Hall will be available through Channel 3.
Pine Mountain Firewise Community organized a forum with representatives of PG&E’s Enhanced Vegetation Management program. Concerns were raised about the amount of trees being cut down around power lines, the rights of property owners, and what will happen to the debris left on the ground. Communication between PG&E and property owners has been sporadic and inconsistent. If you have issues with the PG&E program or contractors, contact the PG&E Wildfire Safety hotline at 1-877-295-4949 or [email protected]
You can always contact me at [email protected] or 707-972-4214.
John
