MENDOCINO CO., 5/13/26 — On Monday, the League of Women Voters of Mendocino County held a District 5 board of supervisors candidate forum. The online discussion was meant to feature the three district supervisor candidates: incumbent Ted Williams, Gualala Municipal Advisory Council member Kevin Evans, and business owner Todd Lyly.
Notably, candidate Lyly did not appear at the forum. With the June 2 primary election date approaching, the forum was one of the last opportunities for candidates to present their ideas to the public.
The hour-long forum was moderated by Kathy Wylie, who allowed the candidates two minutes of opening statements and two minutes of closing statements. The rest of the meeting consisted of the candidates answering audience-written questions. The Q&A format allowed for direct voter interaction with the two candidates while also revealing the top issues on the public’s mind.
In his opening statement, Williams presented a list of his actions as a Mendocino County supervisor, a role he has filled since 2019. He listed some of his accomplishments, including increasing funds for firefighting and raising county wages for staff.
Evans opened by emphasizing his intent to put families first in Mendocino. He highlighted his experience on the Mendocino County Grand Jury and the advisory council as well. The advisory councils relay the concerns of unincorporated parts of the county to the board of supervisors.
The forum then switched to an audience Q&A. Standout issues, which elicited multiple related questions, regarded housing and short-term rental regulation, road maintenance, wildfire management and the Flock camera surveillance systems.
Housing and vacation rentals
Both candidates advocated for a balanced approach to the regulation of short-term vacation housing. Williams acknowledged that supervisors are not given much power over vacation rentals, which is regulated by the state. He did warn that the solution was “not as cut-and-dry as just ban…as you look at other cities and counties that have attempted that, many of them have ended in court, and a lot of those regulations have been overturned.” Instead he argued that more residential housing stock must be added to the county to balance out the number of short-term rentals on the coast.
Evans was critical of the practice of corporations buying houses for vacation rentals, arguing that it has taken housing options away from residents. “Non-resident and absentee ownership is not the way to go in our county. It has to be measured. And we have to think of our residents first,” said Evans.
Road Maintenance
Williams noted that if the state or federal government does not step in with funding for road maintenance, the only solution remaining would be an increased sales tax. “I’m not lobbying you for or against it, but that’s the most direct way to do something about the roads,” he said. He also proposed more aggressively pursuing funding from the state.
Evans believes the district must assess its finances to figure out where they may be able to find revenue for road maintenance. “I’m not in the position right now to support the idea of taxing our residents to pay for our roads until we make sure we have our house in order,” he said.
Wildfire Preparedness
To explain his stance on wildfire preparedness, Williams pointed to his record. “During my two terms, there’s been more funding for local fire departments than I think in all state history, 1855 up to 2019 combined,” he said. He pointed out that the county plan should be updated to better consider climate change, and he said he wants to explore ways to incorporate prescribed burns into District 5’s wildfire prevention strategy.
Evans expressed confidence with the fire chief association’s wildfire management plan. He also stressed that all future construction projects must have a path for emergency services.
Flock Surveillance Systems
Flock surveillance systems are license plate capturing cameras used by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office in unincorporated parts of the county as well as in Fort Bragg, Ukiah, and Willits. Though license plate tracking systems aid law enforcement, critics of the cameras worry that data on their whereabouts will be used illegally or in ways that breach their consent. Both candidates acknowledged the pros and cons of the Flock cameras, and said it was up to the voters to decide if they want the systems to remain in place.
The candidates then ended the forum with closing statements. Evans went first and took the opportunity to attack his opponent’s record.
He said that at an earlier forum, “Supervisor Williams admitted that throughout the seven years he has made mistakes. The job of supervisor is not one that you can step in and make mistakes,” he said. He then presented a list of what he viewed as transgressions, including Williams’ support of the sale of Bower Park and the county offering its employees $25,000 pay packages to leave.
When it was time for Williams’ closing statement, he seemed on the defensive. “There are opportunities where you have county departments with an imbalance. You have somebody who’s a really good employee. You don’t want to lay them off or fire them. They haven’t done anything wrong. But over time, there’s greater need in another department,” he answered.
He then listed his endorsements from numerous nonprofits and labor unions and concluded by saying, “I’m a supervisor with the most seniority next year. It’s vital to maintain continuity.”
You can watch the full 5th District Supervisor forum here.