MENDOCINO CO., 7/23/26 — On Tuesday, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors approved a $1,164,000 contract to Visit Mendocino County, the nonprofit that markets the county to travelers. That money comes from a 1% charge on rooms in the unincorporated parts of the county—lodging other than in Fort Bragg, Willits, Ukiah, and Point Arena, cities that collect their own taxes.
The county collects the money and then contracts it back — minus a $36,000 handling fee — to the tourism bureau to promote Mendocino County as a vacation destination. This June, a group emerged called the Inland Mendocino Tourism Council and asked for 25% of that money to advertise inland businesses and attractions.
Arguments ensued over what areas generated the most tourist dollars, whether Anderson Valley is inland or the coast, and more. And while Visit Mendocino County said that few inland lodging owners supported the carve-out to a different entity, it couldn’t be denied that many remain unhappy with coast-centric advertising.
Supervisors John Haschak and Madeline Cline, both representing inland districts, formed an ad hoc committee to study the issue. On Tuesday, that committee came back with its answer: no percentage would be awarded to a separate entity, but from now on, reports must break down actual expenditures and program accomplishments into two categories, Inland Mendocino County and Coastal Mendocino County.
The contract also puts Visit Mendocino County on the hook for a yearly contribution to the North Coast Tourism Council, “including the minimum $10,000 matching funds for the California Welcome Center” — the state-designated center at 200 S. School St. in Ukiah, where the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance is the local partner.
It passed the full board on consent, unanimously, with no separate debate.
‘A step forward’
Supervisor John Haschak told the board he and Supervisor Cline had been meeting with the tourism commission, and that the changes came out of those talks.
“The issue came up because the inland hoteliers that we were talking to were not happy with the representation from the VMC,” Haschak said, “and so we think that this is a step forward.”
Cline said the two sides didn’t start out agreeing. “There wasn’t necessarily agreement at the onset, but I think we’re in a good place now,” she said, “and we’re going to continue the conversation and make sure that we’re getting the best results for our community.”
Later in the meeting, in her board report, Cline put the outcome more plainly. The ad hoc committee, she said, “did find a middle ground to keep the contract the same for this year with some tracking of how the funding will be spent as they transition away from advertising county as a whole to a more tailored approach of coastal and inland.”
Neither supervisor mentioned the carve-out proposal of 25% to the inland group, and no one on the board raised it.
Haschak had done that math publicly earlier this month. ZIP-code data obtained by The Voice showed inland lodging paid 17.4% of the $1.13 million collected in fiscal 2024-25. Told that figure, he said: “They’re asking for 25, which, I guess, if it turns out 17.4 is the consistent number, then we’d have to reassess that. Right?” (Haschak writes a monthly opinion column for The Voice.)
Who defines inland
The reporting requirement has a catch nobody mentioned Tuesday.
The clause makes Visit Mendocino County supply “a clearly stated definition of what areas of the County constitute Inland Mendocino County and Coastal Mendocino County.” The county doesn’t draw the line. The commission does — the same body whose inland-versus-coastal spending started the argument.
Where that line falls decides how big the inland share looks. The contract sets no deadline for the reports beyond “a reasonable amount of time.”
It also doesn’t say what the $10,000 matches — whose money, or how much. The contract leaves the total commitment to the North Coast Tourism Council up to Visit Mendocino County.
What else is in it
The contract requires an outside audit every year, filed with the county auditor-controller within six months of the close of the audit period. And it says the commission’s governing board is subject to the Brown Act.
The agreement runs through June 30, 2027. The one it replaces ran out June 30, and the county went three weeks without a signed contract.
Supervisors don’t meet in August. Their next meeting is Sept. 1.
You’d have to be insane to choose to visit the Ukiah valley for tourism purposes. Come for the abandoned store fronts, stay for the charming locals rolling coal through every stop light.
Ukiah is the last point of stability for Mendocino County. It has the courthouse, the county offices and services, the hospital, and the many major business retailers along with many local businesses.
Let’s not forget the largest water reserve sits under the Ukiah valley and the city of Ukiah has the most modern water infrastructure system in the whole county. Cal fire’s first base of operations starts in Ukiah when fire strikes the region. It sits on the main commercial highway artery and at the cross section of incoming and outgoing traffic into and out of the county. Sure, it doesn’t have the scenery or weather of the coast but it still acts as a huge support system for the whole county.
You won’t have tourism on the coast without a robust Ukiah Valley. The county increasingly struggles to keep county roads intact, which only exposes how vulnerable these coastal areas really are when they are cut off from larger networks. Remember when Mendocino city’s wells ran dry and FB couldn’t keep the coast flush with water? Ukiah picked up the slack to keep the TOT revenue flowing in so guest could wash their hands and take showers. The county should take into account Ukiah’s stability and ease of access to commercial centers and services as an asset to the nearby coastal communities. You know many of these folks on the coast shop in Ukiah, may even visit the hospital in Ukiah, do jury duty in Ukiah, request water diversions from Ukiah when their wells run dry. I think sharing the funds should also consider the underlying support Ukiah gives to the coast to being a viable tourist attraction. Ukiah, like any business, is the face of your county and it’s the first thing people really see of your community of any large scale. The more appealing Ukiah valley can be the more people will explore Mendocino as a whole county. Some call it the 1st impression sets the tone.
The financial numbers for sharing the tax dollars generated by coastal motels etc reads like a Soprano episode. When they took over the degenerate gamblers Business. Like the thief in charge of this country .
Ukiah can only spend money it gets from the harbor, bed taxes, sales taxes etc. To believe that Ukiah is the seat of unlimited tax funds is to believe the DA doesn’t use Mendocino funds for his personal bank account.
Good coffee this morning.. Oh yeah coastal business
Good Luck
Ukiah needs to take a better look at its assets. There is the Grace Hudson Museum, which could have a better outreach. The Native American culture here could be very interesting if there were more support for it. Likewise, there is a very large population of artists here, which should be better displayed by an art center of some kind. Also, there is a beautiful Buddhist community which supports a well-known and loved restaurant, which is entirely vegan, also a rarity that goes unexploited, as Ukiah also has many vegetarians and vegans, and that, if made available to tourists through more vegetarian and vegan restaurants, could draw people in. There is also quite a bit of beauty here, in the surrounding landscape, the vintage homes and still cute downtown area. All of this could be sharpened to attract visitors. Part of the budget could go to helping start some of these businesses, as well as magnifying the unique character of the inland area.
Just so I am clear, the North Coast Tourism Council is located in Ukiah? Really? Which area of the coast is there?
There has been a long-standing battle over tax revenue expenditures between the Coast & Inland. The Coastal areas typically get the short end when it comes to tax monies spend for repairs and/or improvements eventhough a large majority of the TOT is generated from the Coast. At a bare bones minimum the County really needs to look at the disheveled amenities or lack of here on the Coast that will discourage visitors from returning and spending their money.