MENDOCINO CO., 12/16/25 — Mendocino County Supervisor John Haschak, who represents District 3 that covers the Covelo, Laytonville and Willits areas, has announced he will step down from the Board of Supervisors at the end of his term in January 2027.
In an exclusive interview, Haschak spoke about his decision to step down from the board and what his next steps are.
Although he said this wasn’t the top reason for his decision to leave the board, Haschak has been thinking about his family and how he would like to spend more time with his spouse. Haschak’s wife currently lives in Humboldt County, so it has been a demanding commute for the couple to maintain.
“My wife is currently living up in Arcata. This is a consideration,” Haschak said.
He said that he does plan to stay in politics but isn’t quite sure what that will look like.
“I do think that this is my time to move on to do something else in life. But whether I do stay here or I go, I am going to be involved in something because we have too much at stake to not be involved,” Haschak said.
Haschak currently resides in Willits, where he has lived for the last 50 years. He is also a former teacher and worked for several decades at schools in the Willits Unified School District. He taught Spanish in addition to several other subjects.
Haschak has served on the Board of Supervisors for about seven years. He said some of his particular passions while serving, and the efforts he is most proud of, involved enhancing emergency preparedness plans for District 3.
Haschak said that he and the county have made major progress on emergency access routes, which streamline evacuation procedures when disasters like wildfires occur.
“We’ve made major progress in Brooktrails and are working on a second access route from Sherwood Road to Highway 101,” he said. “The main thing we are concerned about is fire, to be able to get the emergency access into Brooktrails, and to get everyone out safely if that happens.”
Haschak is originally from the Salinas area. He said that although he was not born and raised in Willits, he attended junior high and high school there and has a strong passion for the small, rural town.
“I love where I live,” Haschak said. “It’s a community I am attached to. It’s been my life.”
Haschak also pointed out a trend he has noticed while serving as a supervisor. He said that he has been the dissenting vote on many important issues during his time at the county, and the board has often circled back to these topics to rescind their original decisions.
“I’ve been the lone dissenting vote on several key issues that later got turned around. One was a cannabis ordinance and the consolidation of the auditor-controller and treasurer-tax collector offices,” Haschak said.
He noted that although he has disagreed with some of the board’s decisions on these topics, he has enjoyed his time working with everyone at the county.
“The people I work with at the county are really great people. They are all trying their hardest to do what they can to make the county a better place for everyone,” he said.
When asked about what he would like to pursue after his term expires on the board, Haschak spoke fondly of his time as a Spanish teacher and as a Peace Corps member in Guatemala.
“I’m connected to Guatemala and want to do something there — there are a lot of problems I could work on,” he said. “I could also go back to teaching Spanish. I’ve always loved that.”
-A rogue DA
-Multiple botched elections from elections office
-Botched cannabis ordinace
– Uncontested elected officials running career long terms.
-Property Insurance skyrocketing
-Scott’s Valley Dam Decomission imminent
I’ve found Mendocino County is difficult to govern especially in the northern portion of the county. You did your best and your expertise will be missed. Mendo is maturing into a new version of itself with your contribution.