MENDOCINO CO., 1/20/26 — Clay Romero of Willits, a machinist who campaigned unsuccessfully for the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors in 2022, is taking a second run for the District 3 seat.
Romero was defeated by Supervisor John Haschak, who is not seeking re-election in June.
Romero is not the only candidate in the race. Willits resident Eric Hart has also announced a bid for the District 3 seat, and additional candidates are expected to enter the race.
District 3 covers the region including Covelo, Laytonville, and Willits.
Romero, who has lived in Mendocino County since he was 14, attended Laytonville High School. He moved to Willits in 1979, where he has lived for 47 years.
“I would like to approach this job in a way that helps people feel more unified,” Romero said in an interview with The Mendocino Voice.
He said one of his priorities would be improving meeting decorum and ensuring that community members feel heard at county meetings.
“When people come to a Board of Supervisors meeting, I want them to feel welcomed and listened to,” he said.
If elected, Romero said his priorities would be those things he believes are most important to the community: public safety, economic stability, environmental cleanliness, freedom for residents to pursue business and other projects, and fairness in how community members are treated.
“I know the world isn’t fair, and I get that,” Romero said. “It’s really important to treat people fairly. It should be obvious; you want people to understand that they’re being heard and considered.”
Romero said he would like to see the business application process become smoother for entrepreneurs in the region.
“I’d like to see that when someone goes to take out a permit, to build a house or start a business, the county actually shows a vested interest in their success,” Romero said.
“When people put money down to get a permit, that money usually just goes into the county’s bank account. I wonder if people would appreciate it more if the county didn’t get the money until all the permit requirements are met.”
Romero, who said he has written a book of poems, said his hobbies include tap dancing.
He said that he is also passionate about helping his local community.
“It just kills me when people are so divided over all kinds of things,” he said. “I know people will disagree on many issues, but at the end of the day, we are neighbors first. Let’s focus on the things we agree on so we can do good for this county.”
The election that could decide the District 3 supervisor seat will be held June 2 during California’s statewide primary. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.
As a former small business owner in District 3 I can attest to how the BoS and the County are both terrible business partners for ANY small business in this desperate county. I did say Partners and I stand on that statement. As a legacy cannabis cultivator who had every possible advantage to stay in business, WE were met collectively with a policy of “no” from the County. The BoS mishandled the situation, built a large and cumbersome bureaucracy that it routinely complains they cannot afford, over taxed the small businesses they should have supported, and stood by as land taxes went through the roof. Very few of the Candidates that have exposed themselves seem to mention this history and it is pretty sad if you ask me. I know that Covelo will get the usual treatment, which is to ignore the crime problem that is now completely intertwined with Tribal/Cartel/Opportunist who realize that the State and County won’t do a darn thing about the massive cultivation operations that are in plain site, despite the fact that they violate the same environmental concerns that ALL Regulated Cannabis Cultivators are raked over the coals for. Zero accountability has been taken. For years the County told us to report problems to Planning and Building until they realized that neighbors were just hassling their tax paying neighbors and no one did anything about the unregulated cultivators. I hope that someone in this current batch of candidates will recall how important the cannabis industry once was and how (for better or worse) it supported a very large number of citizens. As the legacy operators continue to sell off their businesses for pennies on the dollar their is going to be a fiscal cliff that the county reaches and what is the plan then? I know the coastal and southern districts get propped up by their proximity to civilization and more sound economies to the south, but the northern and interior towns and communities are becoming lawless and dangerous as the myriad tweaker thieves run amok in Covelo trying to secure their next fix by stealing what little is left to steal. There is a crisis in these communities and we need a candidate that recognizes that and puts their foot down and fights for fair representation.
There were numerous overlapping problems with this region when cannabis became legal in the state of California. One being most of Mendos cannabis legacy was built around circumventing the law and it created a culture of pirates in the community and attracted the types of people that love that way of life. Secondly, most of the cannabis farms were on non-agriculture parcels and were never intended to be farms. The BOS initially started the cannabis ordinance with good intentions, but those good intentions turned into the road to hell as time went on. The early creators (McGowan) of the ordinance made the ordinance before the state made there own which was a huge faux pas. On top of it they made a ordinance which contradicted the state laws around cannabis. Also choosing negative declaration on CEQA slowed down Mendo’s ability to have legalized cannabis. Most farms in Mendo were non-compliant at the end of the day whether by the state and/or by the county. Property taxes were always a thing in CA long before cannabis came to Mendocino. All legal businesses have to pay them just like homeowners need to pay them for their residences. Many growers invested in high quality greenhouses and hoop houses along with the equipment that went along with it. It’s unfortunate but I think the writing was on the wall back in 2018-2019. Too many growers didn’t know how to become legal and some decided to straddle the black market along with the legal market but with competition from other CA counties the price of cannabis was coming down fast. In the end, the outcome is what you have today. When the Feds legalize it, it won’t get easier for Mendo to grow cannabis. The market will be much more competitive than it is now. Oregon has huge surpluses in cannabis and I’m sure it is flooding the market. Time to move on and take Covelo in a different direction.
This is why you should vote for Buffey Bourassa! She’s currently working at the jail, and running the Restorative Justice Project. She understands the community and how the county government runs. As a Sherwood Pomo, she’d be the first indigenous Supervisor. She’s experienced, strong, smart and she’ll make a great Supervisor.
Amen to that, brother!
Definitely need someone who isn’t a lapdog for the anti everything Karens and also not subservient to a crooked narcissistic CEO. Thin skinned department heads have been steadily trying to turn the BOS into a wimpy say nothing/do nothing group because some of them don’t like being asked any questions and don’t care if they can actually do their jobs. They take their vendetta to CEO Antle and she finds a way to pressure the board through the weak board chair. With Bernie in that seat this year and a changing CEO it will be interesting what direction they go. Antle will try to influence that chuckle head Norvell as much as she can and she’ll sweet talk his GF Cline to get her to be influential too. The rotten ghost of Darcie Antle will float through the halls until June but the smell will linger. Getting Haschak out will help get the public back in the public’s business but only if the new D3 supe is strong enough to stand up to the pressure cooker that is the entrenched power structure of the county departments.
Mendo is a difficult place to govern and that is putting it lightly. You have a legacy of criminality in the culture fabric and then a large array of retirees (which may be the karen voting body). One wants a retiree economy and the other wants a wild west economy. These are innately contradictory which brings us back to the BOS where the rubber meets the road. Mendo is a basket case economically even when cannabis was in its hey day. Nothing was done to improve infrastructure when money was easier to come by. You parcels being misused all over the place.
You have semi trucks on dirt roads and a corrupt local government enabling this whole way of life all while your city centers deteriorated. Now the hey day is over and now you have to pick up the pieces of what kind of economics the county can procure given it’s situation. I think Mendo should embrace education and produce more educated people to make better overall decisions for the future of this community and make Mendo appealing place to live.
Dear Counter,
Don’t know who you think the “you” is in your comment but you make it look like you’re not from around here. Like this whole mess is someone else’s fault and problem. The problem with that attitude is that people who talk like that usually never participate in getting an idea to the table. It’s also a huge problem that the only ideas that make it to the table are the ones put forward by old friends or campaign contributors of board members. Public comments get nothing but “thank you” from do nothing supes. Do nothing supes get nothing but grief, recall efforts and lawsuits from department employees if they try to get something done. Sure, there’s retirees named Karen who are a drag but the real Karens are the long time locals whose grampa helped get their neighborhood zoned and they don’t ever want anything to change as long as Jesus hasn’t returned yet. The outlaw culture started long before weed came here. Weed brought in more money than logging ever did. Education would be great but people who don’t want anything to change are hard to educate. Nobody wants more housing density. The state wants water treatment plants for parcels with 4 houses. The cities don’t have enough jobs that pay. The hospitals are on the verge of collapse and they pay the best. 1 million acres of timberland produces only $57 million yearly. McCowan was eager to see trimmers go to work at the hotels. Well how’s that working out? Property values are down. Jobs don’t pay. Industry doesn’t exist. This county is a microcosm of rural America. It’s happening everywhere now.
Joe – I am somebody that worked in your county government and saw the under belly of attitudes and egos in your leadership. I was making way less working for your government than an in-n-out employee. I am not a local but I did live in your community long enough to see the dog (public) chasing its own tale. Missing the forest for the trees. Ironic, given you live in such a beautiful place in CA. Uneducated people in Mendo play a role in keeping Mendo in the dark ages just as much as the Karen establishment does its part to keep Mendo a NIMBY community. Change often comes from forced or coerced situations and Mendo may be crashing out after years of being doped up on cheap water subsidies and the easy margins with cannabis for both the Karens and the naive alike. Those days are done. Sobriety hurts, at first, and then it becomes the new norm. Vineyards won’t stay solvent on the new water costs and Blackbart trail will fully be uninsurable if it isn’t already. It’s not just Mendo undergoing this change but Mendo is a microcosm of this forced mentality adjustment. Mendo is undergoing the 5 stages of grief and until enough Mendo locals accept the new reality this community can get going on a new direction. I would still promote the youth (and anyone with interest) to pursue higher education, learn about the world, and grow new skills. When you learn about other places you take lessons from it back home with you. The City of Ukiah is getting Fiber Optic internet throughout the city, and applying for grants to replace the aged out infrastructure throughout the town. Ukiah is the gateway into Mendocino and central nervous system. The healthier your city centers are the more the county benefits as a whole. Economics thrives on the density of people being closer to each other and spreading ideas and progress amongst each other. Strong Civilizations come from harsh places and lessons learned.
I’ve lived here for over 20 years. Raised my child here. Built a home and a business. There is nothing I’d LOVE to see more than this county thrive. The old guard must go. It is self serving and it is holding us back from being all we truly can be. Heart, vision, and community must prevail. Mendocino County is one of the best places to live on earth INSPITE of how difficult and expensive it is to get any kind of permit. (I am a cannabis cultivator so I have had to get them ALL. It sucked. It cost way more than it should’ve. I’m still here. This is my home. Not going anywhere.) I would LOVE to see this county run in a way that cleanses the past, ends the corruption and incompetence, and gives it the opportunity to rise from all the ff’d up stuff like the glorious Phoenix it can be! With sound, community minded, and intelligent leadership, this could happen! So many departments need an overhaul. I am in Willits and I hope D3 delivers the right candidate to help usher in a new future for Mendocino County.
Anyone but Romero!
He seems very friendly & ‘talks a good game’, but he is a MAGA & will bring the same toxic energy to our BOS that is now tearing our country apart.