Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
Last Monday, Fort Bragg’s city manager asked the city council to approve negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mendocino Railway to build hundreds of housing units and commercial/industrial buildings on the contaminated former Georgia-Pacific Mill Site. The city manager also asked the council to approve a “Mill Site Strategy Report” to guide negotiations with the railway.
The Strategy Report is a long, poorly written, jargon-saturated document filled with disputed & contradicting assertions. It embraces controversial proposals such as heavy industry locomotive & rail car maintenance/repair activities and significantly expanded train operations being exempted from state and local coastal zone land use and environmental regulation.
It is the product of eight months of closed-door city and Mendocino Railway negotiations that excluded public observation or participation. Yet this very controversial report was only released to the public five days before the council’s action.
That is an entirely insufficient time for public review and is completely inconsistent with the public involvement promises the city made to the community.
Several community members asked the council to postpone action until after the city holds a public headlands workshop later this month. But in their haste to act, a three council member majority (Hockett, Rafanan, Godeke) out-voted the minority to proceed immediately before the public workshop.
The actions of the three council members demonstrates a callous lack of respect for public involvement. Voters should keep this in mind in the upcoming 2026 council election.
Peter McNamee
Peter McNamee continues his weekly criticisms of the Fort Bragg City Council and Mendocino Railway, often presenting selective information while omitting key facts.
First, he has referenced a past disagreement between the City of West Sacramento and Sierra Northern Railway, one of our affiliated companies. What he failed to mention is that this matter was resolved years ago to the City’s full satisfaction. In fact, just this past Saturday, West Sacramento awarded us its 2025 Civic Leadership Award—a clear testament to our ongoing, constructive relationship with the city.
Second, he has pointed to a similar disagreement between Sierra Northern and the City of Fillmore, again ignoring the fact that the issue was resolved—also to the satisfaction of the City—several years ago.
Third, and now McNamee claims that the City and Mendocino Railway have finalized development plans for the former Georgia-Pacific millsite behind closed doors. This is simply false. As explained by multiple speakers at Monday’s Council meeting, the vote was to establish a PROCESS for collaboration between the City and Mendocino Railway—not to approve any plans. City Manager Isaac Whippy confirmed that this process will include public workshops and regular updates at Council meetings.
McNamee also criticized the inclusion of industrial zoning, claiming it was inappropriate and secretly decided. In fact, light and heavy industry have been part of the City’s long-term vision for the site for years. Draft planning documents from 2017 through 2021 frequently included industrial uses in the southern portion of the millsite as part of a broader strategy to create higher-paying jobs in Fort Bragg. These discussions occurred during publicly noticed meetings. If Mr. McNamee is only now raising concerns, it suggests a lack of engagement or concern about the public process.
His broader opposition to Mendocino Railway also raises questions. While he has not disclosed it publicly, his home is located just above Tunnel #1. In 2022, his wife, Donne Brownsey—then Chair of the California Coastal Commission—filed a lawsuit against Mendocino Railway and started a multi-year campaign that blocked funding to repair the tunnel near their residence. The absence of disclosure regarding this apparent conflict of interest is troubling.
Today, the City, Mendocino Railway, and the Coastal Commission (now under new leadership) are working in good faith to resolve a long-standing legal dispute. Yes, some meetings have been held in closed session—as is standard in legal negotiations. But the aim is resolution, not secrecy.
As City Manager Whippy noted Monday, Fort Bragg has already spent approximately $500,000 in taxpayer funds on this legal fight and continues to spend $40,000 per month. Mendocino Railway is incurring similar costs. This level of spending is unsustainable and detracts from the resources that could be used to improve the community. Thankfully, progress is being made. But while others are working toward a resolution, McNamee continues to escalate the conflict. As a non-resident of Fort Bragg living in a nice house in the country, he may not feel the financial toll—but Fort Bragg’s residents certainly do.
The current court-approved legal stay—which temporarily paused litigation to allow for negotiation—expires at the end of this month. It is the second such stay, and the court may not approve a third. If no agreement is reached, litigation will resume in July, and each party will be required to reengage its legal teams. McNamee appears unconcerned with the legal or financial urgency, or with the fact that the millsite has now sat unused for 23 years.
The redevelopment proposals Mendocino Railway has submitted are designed to meet Fort Bragg’s long-term needs, including housing, employment opportunities, and public open space. Key elements include:
Northern section: More than 50% is expected to remain open space. Based on public feedback, a proposed railroad line has been replaced with a quiet, electric trolley and moved significantly further inland.
Central section: A proposed 60-acre nature preserve, with the potential to daylight historic creeks.
Southern section: The Railway’s illustrative plan largely aligns with the City’s draft zoning concepts and includes substantial open space. Importantly, Mendocino Railway has offered to work with the City to limit rail operations to the trolley and to give the City veto power over any final route—a significant concession.
Despite these efforts, McNamee accuses the City of moving too fast. Yet he appears unaware—or unconcerned—with the court-imposed timeline. Every week of delay costs each party approximately $10,000 in legal fees. While no one expects a final resolution this month, our hope is to achieve one this summer. Given the financial stakes, every week counts.
Recently, McNamee also announced that he intends to challenge sitting Councilmembers in the 2026 election if they do not adopt his position. This follows the 2024 election, during which his organization, the Grass Roots Institute, made last-minute accusations that were later proven false—though not before votes were cast. That level of political gamesmanship is disappointing, especially from an organization claiming to represent the community’s interests.
And now, that same organization has announced it received a $150,000 grant to inform the public about millsite revitalization. We sincerely hope that taxpayer dollars are used to support honest, fact-based public engagement—not a continuation of anti-growth and anti-Councilmember messaging.
Rather than create division, issue threats, and spread misinformation, we urge Mr. McNamee to participate in a good-faith effort to reach a resolution. Fort Bragg deserves better. Our community needs housing, jobs, open space, and long-term economic vitality—not more lawsuits, delays, or political grandstanding. Let’s move forward—together.
Christopher G. Hart
Sierra Railroad Company
Vice President Business Development
It’s time to stop wasting city funds on lawyers and start focusing on progress. We need to move forward with the mill property in a way that brings jobs, housing, and tourism while preserving our natural resources. Our future depends on making smart decisions that benefit our community, not just prolonging disputes. Let’s work towards a solution that will actually benefit our children and grandchildren.
I wrote the email. Hopefully everyone reading this will also send an email to the Fort Bragg city clerk. This transcends any political beliefs, it affects all of us. No matter what you think of the railroads executive staff it is a local treasure. The Railroad is trying to do good. The Roundhouse rebuild is beautiful. Building should have been torn down. They just brought out a rebuilt rail car that is so stunning!! Looks brand new 1923. A few people’s egos are keeping this from happening. 95% of locals and all the tourists want the tunnel open!! Get off your butt and write the letter!! I did!! And it’s a great letter. Made tears come to my eyes writing it.
As you know, tourism is all we have to sustain our economy at this point. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come through our town annually and we must shift with this change. Almost half come for the Skunk Train, making it a cornerstone of our economy. Moving forward on the development will provide benefits to our entire community, so let us let our voices be heard. This isn’t just a tourist attraction; it’s a cornerstone of our identity.
We will be attending the meeting on the 26th of June, feel free to join us, in fact, we strongly encourage it. The last meeting held was disappointing and only had 20 people show up and all of them opposed to growth. It will be held at 6:00 pm and these letters need to be in by the 25th, no later.
Let’s ensure Fort Bragg’s future is shaped by unity, inclusivity, vision, and primarily action for the benefit of all residents, not just a select few.
Regards,
Address emails to cityclerk@fortbraggca.gov
Essential request: please write the letter asap
Include your desire to extend the stay of the lawsuit
Include that you want negotiations on part 2 of the MOU to continue and be resolved.
Include that you want them to prioritize the creation of jobs and affordable housing
Include that you would like work on the tunnel to commence ASAP
Hello….
I’m a long time Fort Bragg resident who first came to the coast in 1969 when I was stationed at the Point Arena Radar Base in the US Air Force.
In 1972 I was discharged and became a Fort Bragg resident. I have been heavily involved in the fishing industry as boat owner and boat builder, and at this point I keep all the refrigeration running in the harbor and on the boats.
One of my greatest loves here is riding the Skunk train. My wife and I raised 2 children here who went through the local school system.
A great memory of mine was my 3 year old son (who is now 35) dressing up like an old fashioned engineer and we rode old 45 out to Northspur and back. I took a bunch of pictures of him and I cherish them.
I believe that there is some decision in the works about the tunnel being opened up again. I would LOVE to see this happen. I used to live on Sherwood Road not far from the tunnel in the early 70’s and after work building fishing boats
I would run up the road about a quarter of a mile and go down the trail just above the tunnel and wait for the train to come by. (Also tried and usually succeeded in getting the engineer to blow his whistle) I believe this is sorely missed by
95% of the local residents and all the tourists.
I know there is friction between a couple of the city council member and the local railroad executive. I feel the ego trips of a small amount of the local citizenry should not stop the tunnel from being reopened.
No matter what you in local government think about the railroad what I see is the dilapidated roundhouse that should have been demolished turned into a thing of beauty at an enormous cost.
I walk my dog almost every day by the railroad station as I love the sound of the big Electromotive Diesel engine running, and if we are lucky we get to see the little steam engine running.
Also I love talking to the tourists who love coming up to the coast, and me walking the dog makes it easy to strike up a conversation. Seeing the kids on the observation car when the train come in being very happy. Memories
that they will keep their whole lives.
Also there are rumors that a member of the Coastal Commission is gummy up the works as she has a beef with the railroad that runs from LA to San Diego and that in turn pertains to all railroads.
Please, Please, Please do what you can do to reopen this local treasure. A little trip down Pudding Creek is zero compared to that trip my son and I took to Northspur.
Thank you so much….
John C. Ruczak
Ever pee your pants while waiting at a railway crossing for the Skunk to pass? I have. Are emergency vehicles delayed on this lifeline while an excursion train goes by? Is this an acceptable burden to be borne by the public?
It’s not all to the good side of the community ledger.