Resources for undecided voters: video, forums and previous coverage of Election ‘22

By Dave Brooksher, Contributing Writer | November 8, 2022

Update: Our most recent Election Day coverage and results (when available) can be found here.

MENDOCINO Co., 11/7/22 — Tuesday morning is Election Day, and by this point many voters have already cast their ballots by mail. The polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m., however, and The Voice has compiled a roundup of our previous 2022 election coverage to assist the undecided. A full list of polling places, as well as ballot drop box locations, is available from the county here.

Mail-in ballots were shipped in early October. Anyone who did not receive theirs is invited to call the county election’s office at (707) 234-6819, per instructions issued by Registrar Katrina Bartolomie.

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There are three local measures on the ballot, all of which fund government services:

Measure N is a special tax of $85 per parcel, plus $85 per residential unit and\or 10 cents per square foot of commercial space within the Hopland Fire Protection District. Measure N would raise an estimated $542,000 per year to hire firefighters, maintain rapid response times and replace outdated equipment. If passed, the tax will remain in place until repealed by voters.
Measure O would raise an estimated $4.2 million per year for public libraries using a countywide 0.25% retail sales tax, with 40% of proceeds earmarked for investment in library facilities, that would replace a current tax of 0.125% set to expire 2027.
Measure P would continue a 0.25% sales tax currently set to expire, sponsored by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, to pay for essential services like fire prevention and firefighting. Measure P will raise an estimated $4 million annually for 10 years before expiring. *”Neighbors for Fire Prevention + Protection – Yes on Measure P” is a paid advertiser of The Mendocino Voice.

No formal arguments were submitted to the county elections office against Measure N or Measure O — but Measure P has been contested.

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“Measure P will reallocate a ¼ cent of an existing, sunsetting sales tax to be distributed 90% to our local fire departments and 10% to ramp up fire-prevention services for 10 years. Your current taxes will not increase,” proponents wrote in a statement from the Mendocino County Fire Chiefs Association and the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council.

“Measure P would continue a tax at a time we can least afford it,” Steven L. Gomes wrote in a formal rebuttal for NO on Measure P. “If Measure P does not pass, the local sales tax rate will go down.”

In Fort Bragg, there are a total of 10 candidates running for four seats on the city council. Incumbent Lindy Peters is running unopposed for a two-year seat, after the informal withdrawal of Alberto Aldaco — who bowed out of the race after the ballots had been printed. His name does appear on the ballot, but he’s urged voters to support Peters. Incumbent Tess Albin-Smith will not appear on the ballot, but she is running as a write-in for a four-year term.

Voters can find The Voice’s roundup of Fort Bragg City Council candidates here. Our coverage of the League of Women Voters forum is available here. Interested parties are also encouraged to check out the full video of the forum, as well as the city’s election page — which contains short bios for each candidate.

We also carried coverage of the Ukiah City Council and Willits Unified School district candidate forums, in which candidates took questions from the moderators and the audience, and which also included brief overviews of Measures O and P. Our coverage of the Ukiah City Council forum is available here. We suggest watching the video footage from those events, which is available here.