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.
FEMA will host Disaster Recovery Centers in Willits for residents impacted by 2022-2023 Winter Storms. Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) will open from 2/18-2/24 at the Willits Community Center. A Mobile Registration Intake Center (MRIC) is open until Feb. 17 at the Willits Library rear parking lot from 9:00am-7:00pm. Residents who were affected by severe storms and flooding can register, update their FEMA applications, and learn about state and community programs and other available assistance at the centers.
Anyone interested in case status or registration with FEMA should call 800-621-3362 or on-line at www.disasterassistance.gov. The final day for a household to register with FEMA for Individual Assistance is March 16, 2023.
First 5 Mendocino works to strengthen and nurture early childhood systems. I attended the First 5 Annual Conference. It was really uplifting to be with people focused on children and families. First 5 which is funded by Prop. 10 tobacco tax revenue will have over a $100 million statewide shortfall due to the ban on flavored tobacco products. There was a thoughtful presentation on the disparities of income, home ownership, and health results that have become more pronounced in recent years due in part to the pandemic.
The majority of Supervisors sided with me in not spending $25,000 for outside counsel to tell us whether the Equity Grant the County has been administering for the last year and a half is breaking federal law. This is a state funded grant so if we are breaking federal law regarding cannabis activity, then everyone from the Governor to every county accepting these funds is guilty (which I don’t think is the case and isn’t worth spending time or money trying to figure out). The others did want to send it off to the State Attorney General for an opinion which could take a year or so.
We had the first “Talk with your Supervisor” Feb. 9 at The Brickhouse Coffee in Willits. We are going to have these open discussions on the second Thursday of each month from 10-11. In order to keep balance in our lives, whoever wants to walk for half an hour afterwards is invited to join. Bring your ideas and solutions to making Mendocino County a better place for all.
Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 707-972-4214.
John
