UKIAH, CA., 4/23/25 — Last week, a tense debate unfolded at a Ukiah City Council meeting, where city staff presented a proposal to annex the Willow area south of the city and a portion of Millview to the north. In a unanimous vote, the council agreed to move forward with the annexation proposal and allow city staff to submit an application to the Mendocino Local Agency Formation Commission.
Local farmers, community members and other concerned residents attended the meeting to voice concerns about the proposal. Many expressed confusion about how the annexation process works and how to file a formal complaint against the proposal.
Annexation is the process by which a city or town proposes to expand its boundaries to include surrounding unincorporated areas. If approved, those areas become part of the city, and residents eventually receive city services such as water, sewer, police and fire protection. Property taxes in annexed areas are then shared with the city government.
The city of Ukiah has not yet officially submitted its annexation proposal to LAFCo. The city’s Community Development Department — which oversees planning, building inspection, business licensing, code enforcement and other services — is conducting a more detailed analysis of the proposed annexation, including financial impacts, the availability of services and other factors, before submitting the application.
According to LAFCo employees, the annexation process involves much more than simply submitting a proposal. The entity seeking annexation must first complete a comprehensive application, which includes an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, a plan for providing services, and a fiscal impact study.
LAFCo considers several factors before moving forward with an annexation proposal, including whether a city, such as Ukiah, can provide resources like utilities to the property owners being annexed. The commission also assesses the impact on fire and school districts and whether the proposal is consistent with the city’s future plans.
Once the city submits the application, it takes the city about four to six months after the annexation application is submitted for LAFCo to review the documents and then solicit feedback from the public.
After reviewing the application, LAFCo holds a public hearing with the commission to consider the application, and if the commission approves it, there will be a second public hearing called the “protest” hearing.
Before the protest hearing, LAFCo sends protests forms to all registered voters and landowners in the area proposed for annexation. Residents have no less than 30 days to sign and return the forms. If more than 50% of voters oppose the annexation, the proposal is terminated. If 25-50% of voters protest, an election is required. If under 25% of voters protest it, then the annexation moves forward without an election.
The hearings are open to the public, and LAFCo posts the dates and times on its website for those who wish to attend.
For the city of Ukiah, staff will present the LAFCo application documents at a City Council meeting this summer. To move the application forward, the council must approve the documents and issue a resolution — a formal statement granting final approval for that version of the proposal to be submitted to LAFCo.
If city staff submits the annexation application by the end of summer, LAFCo will take four to six months to process it as well as conduct the protest period. As a result, the annexation, if approved, likely will not happen until the end of 2025 or later.
“It just depends on how long that coordination is,” explained Uma Hinman, executive officer of Mendocino LAFCo, in an interview. “This [annexation] would not happen until the end of the year, maybe.”
The city of Ukiah’s proposed reorganization boundary map representing which areas outside of the city are proposed to be annexed. This map was presented at a Ukiah City Council meeting in Ukiah, Calif., on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (City of Ukiah via Bay City News)
For City Councilmember Juan Orozco, the annexation proposal comes at a time when the city of Ukiah is looking to increase tax revenue to support its infrastructure. Orozco also noted that after speaking with constituents and hearing their comments at last week’s City Council meeting, he believes people are speculating about changes that are not likely to happen anytime soon.
“I don’t think people need to be concerned about having to let go of their cattle or anything like that — the kind of things the city might not normally allow within current city limits,” he added.
But some residents and business owners are concerned about the City Council moving forward with a proposal that could affect the livelihoods of local community members.
Ross Liberty, founder and president of Factory Pipe, a motorsports equipment company based in Ukiah, believes that the city is making a hasty decision that needs more careful consideration.
“I think the city’s idea to expand the boundary … is rash and ill-advised,” Liberty said in an interview. He added that annexing new areas could divert crucial tax revenue away from the county. “In five or 10 years, when the county loses that revenue, it could be in dire economic straits,” he said.
Liberty added that if city staff wants to move forward with a major decision, they need to seek more public input from residents to understand whether it’s something the community supports.
“Everybody wants to say they believe in democracy, and this is a big decision,” he noted. “They don’t do a single poll, they choose not to ask the voters how they feel. This is the biggest decision to affect the county or this area ever, voters should be involved and have a say.”
To learn more about LAFCo’s work in Mendocino County, visit their website by using this link.
Great, more Mexicans. Ugh
Why! After all these years does the city of Ukiah need more area? I was born 1945, my mom in 1912, everything has been fine with Ukiah, that we knew, and now all of a sudden, Ukiah needs more land! Something important is being left out! What?! Why the rush?what’s going on? Lots of questions need to be answered before this is approved! Slow down and give the residents a chance to understand this proposal. Ukiah has been fine all these years, so why now do they need county land and taxes? Sounds like they need to slow down and be honest .
Exactly, K. Testa. Why? Why now? What’s the benefit to Ukiah residents and taxpayers? Especially what’s the dollars and cents benefit to Ukiah residents and taxpayers?
The City of Ukiah has been unable to annex since the 1980’s when the State of California made tax sharing between cities and counties a requirement to annex. The County did not want to allow the City to expand because the belief was that it would reduce cash flows to the county. Water agencies popped up around the City creating a picket fence that prevented expansion. Now we have water agencies (Willow, Millview, Calpella and Redwood Valley) as well as the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District who all want to go out of business and have the city take over. Each of those agencies have 5 member boards and a whole set of accounting and regulatory compliance to contend with. But from what I can tell this is the excuse, not the reason. All of the areas of service for water and sewer outside City limits can be operated under a Joint Powers Agency (JPA) as they are mostly doing already; hence our bills coming from the City of Ukiah.
The reason City Staff wants this massive map is clearly power and money. They know they they will not be able to provide the services they promise for this massive area on the budget they have and because the tax sharing agreement phases in the property tax transfer over a 15 year period they must fund the expansion of service area. Their plan: Fees and enforcement. Business license fees, planning fees, building permit fees, use fees, etc would all explode. They will have to raise fees dramatically. As an unintended consequence that would shut down what little development we have in the valley. When that fails to raise the funds they will begin using enforcement actions and try to fill the budget crater with fines.
There are property owners that want to enter the City of Ukiah – Brush Street, Gardens Gate, Lovers Lane. I also see some logic in the Cross Roads Shopping Center and South of Laws to Highway 253. But the scope of the City Staff proposed map is absolute and total insanity. At this point it is clear that City Staff needs to be brought to a total halt, their map needs to be abandoned. At this point I have lost all trust in City Staff and I don’t trust them to develop another map. If people want to apply to be annexed fine; that should be the extent of the effort.
This whole annexation has turned into a total disaster and it all comes down to the empire building asperations of one person: City Manager Sage Sangiacomo.
More tax dollars for the supervisors salaries. They are going to forcing people to abandon their wells and septic systems that cost pennies on the dollar for minimum fees and not the best water. Totally BS. And no asking the residents who live there? This is California democracy at its best. A small group deciding the fate of many doesn’t sound like democracy let alone a Democratic Republic.
I am totally against becoming part of the city. This idea came up because the city wants more tax money. We are doing fine as part of the county. The city customers pay more for services. This idea was not accepted by the county people years ago and it’s not accepted now. I can’t see us receiving any better services, just paying more.
Don’t just pass this without our intake.
Let us vote.
The deep underground military base that has had documents released to the public about, has covertly moved above ground. I’m not sure why no one sees it. Why else do you think we have the “concentration camp” style fence along 101, and anything family oriented disappeared from the city in the blink of an eye. Wake up people. Do a job search for Ukiah and see just how many jobs are listed that have some sort of military connection listed. Get your family’s and get out if you can. I wish I could get mine out!!! Just can’t afford it at the moment. Wish so much that I could though. Human testing to unknowing patients at Ukiah Hospital and everything. How many others have a testing group ID and a testing group number listed on your hospital records. SMH….something bad is going on people. Really bad……