The following is a column submitted by Mendocino County 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the Mendocino Voice.
With the budget based on future cuts to staff and resources ($6 million this year and a projected $16 million next year), the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors directed all departments to cut their budgets by 6%. I proposed that the board take the lead and make cuts of 6% to its budget, by both cutting expenses and rolling back the raise that took place in July. The board did not approve the proposed cuts to out-of-county travel, communications, special department expenses and so forth. The board also voted down my proposal to roll back raises for the supervisors.
It will be difficult to tell departments to cut budgets that will affect all county services, including public safety and social services. When I was a teacher, the mantra was always, “Keep cuts away from the students.” As a county supervisor, the mantra should be “Keep cuts away from the health and safety of the people of Mendocino County.” Unfortunately, reductions and cuts will become more difficult the longer we wait.
Kudos to Cal Fire. They have done prescribed burns along Hwy. 101 from south of Ukiah to the Ridgewood Grade. This reduces the risk from vehicle-induced fires. We have been blessed by a relatively cool July at this point, but fire danger is always present. I also appreciate that Cal Fire was able to knock down the fire in Covelo quickly and efficiently.
The Office of Emergency Services along with Cal Fire, the Sheriff’s Office, CalOES and others have been performing training exercises. Earlier in the summer, one exercise simulated a wildfire igniting during a Red Flag Warning, creating a complex and high-risk scenario. These keep everyone on their toes and show the strengths and weaknesses of all-out collaborations.
The Office of Emergency Services is providing Spanish language interviews and trainings. They are also working with HAM radio operators to ensure various methods of communication during disasters.
Since Phase 2 of the federal BRIC grant for the Brooktrails/Sherwood Road area was eliminated, the county has been working on a Hazard Mitigation Grant application for the Sherwood Corridor area. It is a hazardous fuels reduction program aimed at reducing the risk of loss of life and property. I appreciate the effort put into developing the applications by county staff and other agencies.
The board will hold a series of workshops on healthcare issues and the impacts of recent legislation and budget cuts on our local providers and services. The first workshop will be on Sept. 10, focusing on the fiscal impacts to the county, health clinics, hospitals, and public health. The winter and spring workshops will address impacts on people, health-system pressures, and future cuts that are coming to Social Services, Home Support Services, and Public Health. With 47% of the residents of Mendocino County on MediCal, healthcare is a critical issue.
There will be no Talk with the Supervisor this month. You can always contact me at email haschakj@mendocinocounty.gov or call 707-972-4214.
Official sources say about 50% of children and 15% of adults are on medicaid/medical, about 23% overall. Not 47% overall. Get your facts straight.
Cite your source, Wally.
Time and place of Sept 10 workshop?
Supervisor Haschak says the meeting will likely be held in the Board of Supervisors Chamber at 9 a.m. The agenda will be published on the county’s website on Sept. 4. The Mendocino Voice will post a preview of the meeting after the agenda is published. That preview will contain confirmed details of the time and meeting location. Thanks for commenting.
The days of healthy 26 year old trimmers and others working for untaxed and unreported cash, getting free healthcare is over. Also for the millions of healthy people refusing to work or even look for work, taxpayers who work so they have healthcare are not going to work to pay for your healthcare so you can stay home. Because of the millions abusing the system, the masses will be impacted and harmed. For those couples who have a bunch of kids together but don’t get married so mom & kids can all get government benefits and not report dad’s income; it’s fraud and it’s over. Our healthcare prices will go up, our insurance will go up, rural clinics and hospitals will close. Nursing homes will close.
That’s one way to look at it. And there’s a certain amount of truth there. On the other hand, “the system” is abusing almost everyone with fees and costs that often make no sense, legitimate insurance coverage or not. The corporate profit-uber-alles model is not compatible with true healthcare, which is something we all need eventually. The pharmaceutical sector is a glaring case in point. It’s literally a rip-off.
Kick out the profit sector, the health corporations, the pharmaceutical leeches, the obscene fees and overpriced charges for everything from tissues to aspirin, and cover everybody! No more Emergency Room primary care but instead fund drop in community clinics. Providers bill straight to the government administrator. No more health insurance scams! That’s where your fraud lives.
If you’re worried about 26 year old trimmers and others working for unreported cash (presumably not paying their share of taxes), penalize the employers who are doing this instead of sending masked brutes to kidnap brown people and drive them off in unmarked cars to concentration camps. Why are employers let off the hook? Hmmm… I wonder…
Do you realize what you just posted?
🤔
“Our healthcare prices will go up. Our insurance will go up. Rural clinics and hospitals will close. Nursing homes will close.”
But that’s okay because some people that have been working the system need to be cut off.
Have you ever given a baby a bath?