Podcasts about supervisors

NEW: A breakthrough in the vehicle smash-and-grab epidemic; police commissioners may ban minor traffic infraction stops; former SFPD communications director appointed to Board of Supervisors; Supervisor wants public parking lots opened to unhoused vehicle dwellers; School District rescinds nearly all lay off notices. NEXT: Supervisors ask state to help beleaguered City College; hearing on shutting down juvenile hall; hearing on funding shortfall for affordable housing; town hall with city's homelessness officials; proposal to protect wrongly evicted tenants.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has adopted a new definition of "woman" that will allow transgender women to request inclusion as women in jails, homeless shelters, and domestic violence shelters.  Within the news story Dennis discovered a priceless sentence: "'Intersectional' shall mean the interconnected nature of social categorizations and individual characteristics that overlap as interdependent and compounded systems of discrimination.”  The European Union has agreed to give $500 million in arms, aid to Ukrainian military as it battles Russia's invasion.  That is just a fraction of what the US House has passed, $40 Billion… a bill Dennis finds hard to believe isn't rampant with environmental pork.  If you think life is going to be easy, you're going to have a hard time being happy — because life is anything but. Is this a big mistake parents are making today — making life too easy for their kids.  Per usual, callers set the agenda. Issues raised include: a challenge to you… why can't go swimming in a baseball pool; I can't convince my wife that the election was stolen which has caused problems in my marriage. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire three hours of my radio show as a podcast, commercial-free every single day, become a member of Pragertopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives, as well as daily show prep. Subscribe today at Pragertopia dot com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donna Price of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and Quinton Beckham, Principal Broker/Owner of Keller Williams Alliance, joined Keith Smith and me on “Real Talk With Keith Smith.” “Real Talk With Keith Smith” airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:15 am – 11 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Real Talk With Keith Smith” is presented by Ally Property Management, American Pest, Charlottesville Settlement Company, LLC, Closure Title & Settlement Co., Fincham & Associates, Inc., Free Enterprise Forum, Intrastate Service Co, Keller Williams Alliance, Pearl Certification, Ross Mortgage Corporation, Sigora Solar, Stanley Martin Homes and YES Realty Partners.

Rex Scott stated on the Buckmaster Show yesterday that COVID Bonuses paid to Pima County high level "Unclassified" employees were not paid or approved during his tenure on the Board of Supervisors. Based on documents reviewed with JoAnn di Filippo on Wake Up Tucson this week, it seems that Supervisor Scott is misinformed. Violent crime around Tucson...machetes, guns, drugs....and an understaffed Police Department. And more pedestrian danger.

Lots of high-profile jobs in San Francisco have opened up lately — whether it's because of a recall, a corruption scandal, or a simple job promotion. And as a result, Mayor London Breed has been able to appoint a lot of people. Most recently, Breed was tasked with filling the District 6 Board of Supervisors seat left vacant by the election of Matt Haney to the state Assembly. She picked Matt Dorsey, an openly gay, longtime political insider who most recently served as a spokesperson for the SFPD. Today, we talk about Dorsey's appointment and what it could signal for the city's politics. Guest: Scott Shafer, KQED senior editor of politics and government and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript

May 12, 2022 — The Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council held a hybrid meeting last night on zoom and at the grange. The council agreed to form a committee that would educate community members about local water issues, and advocate for Redwood Valley's interests as water resources dwindle. The council decided to recommend that a cannabis grow not be allowed to increase its area of operations, due in part to a lack of information about where it would get its water. Lieutenant Jason Caudillo from the Sheriff's Department warned of a possible increase in criminal activity as the Redwood Trail progresses. Caudillo also said the future of the sheriff's sub-station at the Measure B-funded training center in the former Jehovah's Witness church on East Road appears to be uncertain, as the cost of repairing extensive water damage to an outbuilding mounts. Asked when the sheriff's sub-station would open, Caudillo said damage caused by a broken pipe would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, so “I do not have an answer for you.” The Sheriff's Department paid one-third of the $389,000 purchase price of the property in 2019. Too much water is rare in Redwood Valley, where ag water has been shut off, and the community only has rights to surplus water from the much-reduced Lake Mendocino. The water district has rationed water use to 55 gallons per person per day. Council member Adam Gaska talked about why he's joining the committee on water issues, in a town that overlooks the lake. “Redwood Valley has zero right to that water,” he emphasized. “Twenty years ago, when Russian River really started signing up people for contracts, I remember Danny Thomas had written up this missive that had said, whisky's for drinking, water's for fighting. And I think I was like twenty at the time, and I'm like, it's gonna get serious.” Supervisor Glenn McGourty filled the council in about how much water is coming through the controversial Potter Valley Project, which is limping along with a missing transformer that curtails the amount of water that comes into the Russian River from the Eel through a diversion tunnel in Potter Valley. “You will see Lake Mendocino come up a little bit, primarily because of the water that's coming through the Potter Valley Project, even at the low rate that it's flowing in at the moment, it's still coming in, and will continue through most of the summer, but at a reduced rate,” he said. “Normally, we'd expect about fifteen to sixteen thousand acre feet to come through, and it'll be more like four to seven thousand.” The Municipal Advisory councils, or MACs, were formed in unincorporated parts of the county so that community members could have a venue to form cohesive approaches to planning concerns. They generally have the ear of their county supervisor, and they receive alerts about certain kinds of permits, so they can make comments to various governing bodies. They are not legislative bodies, themselves. Gaska thinks the MAC is the best local venue to educate community members about a variety of complex issues, including water policy. “Our business is communication. It is people having a voice,” he said. “RVMAC, we can't promise you anything. But we allow you the space and the time to be heard. Which is important, because then we also decide who else needs to hear that. Is it Glenn? Does Glenn need to hear that? Does Jason Caudillo from the sheriff need to hear that? And they're here. That's what our board does.” Water played a significant role in the council's lack of enthusiasm for a request from a cannabis permit holder to double the grow size to 10,000 square feet of outdoor cannabis. A map showing 14 hoop houses led to confusion about whether the request was to change the whole grow site to outdoor or grow some outdoors and some in the hoop houses. Council members Chris Boyd and Marybeth Kelly had additional reasons for opposing the permit's approval. “All of a sudden, we'll see huge increases in water trucks going up the road,” Boyd said. “And with all of these problems we're having with water, we don't need to add noise pollution and diesel pollution to the picture. So I'm not for this.” “Not to mention the state of the roads,” Kelly added. “Road E is one of the worst.” McGourty reported some of the things that the Board of Supervisors is considering as the county works on an ordinance to regulate water hauling. He favors requiring permits and business licenses for wells that are the source of water for water trucks, and giving Code Enforcement the responsibility of checking water truckers' documents. But, he pointed out, many people with some illegal cannabis also need water for legitimate domestic uses. “So how do you separate that out?” he asked. “Do you say no to health and public safety because they have a cannabis grow? So those are some of the things we have to work through.” Council member Sattie Clark said she believes that regulating water use, through policies based on rigorously gathering information, isn't all about busting illegal cannabis growers. “We all need to be looking at our water in a more holistic sense,” she opined. “Because it's kind of like, whoever takes it, gets it. And this conversation that we're having about hydrological studies for new wells, et cetera, is really just good management of our water resources…we need clarity about where this water is going and whether it's sustainable, whether it's healthy for our community as a whole.” McGourty encouraged the council to seek state money, saying that, while the county is broke, the state is flush with cash, and likely to spend some on small disadvantaged communities. Redwood Valley has gotten some relief for a major disaster. After the fire of 2017, PG&E awarded the MAC a $10,000 community planning grant. Boyd said the MAC decided to spend $5,000 of that grant on a new heating and cooling system for the grange, which became a hub in the wake of the fires. “Part of what we discovered in going through the fire and the emergencies is that the grange is a central locus for the community when we go through any emergency,” she declared.

Kelly Carden is a lifelong 3rd generation Kern County resident. He is a family man with 4 children, ages 10,8,6 and 5. He has had a successful career in Hotel and Restaurant Management culminating as an Operation Supervisor at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. His career has led him to serving some of America's biggest stars. His family has owned a small business since he was 7 years old and he has worked in it off and on ever since. He lives in Rosamond with his children, longtime girlfriend and mother.  He hopes to be the first Filipino-American elected to the Board of Supervisors in California history. John Duffield sits down with Kelly Carden as he tells us what led him to run for Kern County Supervisor 2nd District. He explains that he is running under the Libertarian party and how he has spoken directly to the voters to hear what issues matter the most to them. Kelly tells us how inspirational his mother has been to him since a child and how he will continue to carry those values into office if he wins.  LEARN MORE ABOUT KELLY CARDEN:  Website: www.carden4kern.com/ Email: kelly@carden4kern.com Instagram: @carden4kern Facebook: Carden_4_Kern    

The Henrico Board of Supervisors implements the first part of a plan to mitigate higher-than-expected personal property taxes; four Henrico County high school students receive a national academic honor; The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen announces its summer class schedule; your chance to participate in an adult field day.Support the show

May 10, 2022 — Incumbent Ted Williams and challenger John Redding are vying for the Fifth District Supervisor's seat in next month's election. They presented their positions at a League of Women voters event last week, fielding questions about healthcare, fire preparation, drought, and economic development. A major issue on the coast is the uncertain future of the Mendocino Coast Healthcare District, and whether or not to dissolve it. Redding, who is Treasurer of the district board, fears that the county, which is struggling to balance its budget and has failed to collect millions of dollars in cannabis tax revenue, could take charge of healthcare on the coast. At stake is what he believes is local control over the decision to bring the existing hospital into compliance with seismic codes, build a new hospital, or rely on clinics. “What I'm not in favor of is dissolving the Healthcare District,” he said. “That would mean the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) would, without a vote of the people, dissolve the Healthcare District, and the successor agent would be the county. And they would seize our money, our taxes, our land, and there would be no representatives anywhere close to the coast to provide governance,” Williams countered that local control involves a lot of dysfunction on the district board, and doubled Redding's estimate of $50 million to build a new hospital. “I tune in to those meetings,” he said. “I see a lot of bickering. I don't see much progress. There's complaints going to the Grand Jury and FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) and questions about was an attorney hired…and I think it's casting a shadow over the real discussion that needs to happen. A new hospital could cost $100 million, plus. Might only generate $2 million revenue… It's really a challenge for the segment of our population that can't afford to go to Ukiah or Santa Rosa for regular healthcare.” When it comes to abortion rights, Williams is a staunch supporter, saying restrictions on abortion limit a woman's right to participate in society. Redding said that, while he is pro-life, he does support the right to choose. He said that when the Healthcare District board was presented with a proposal to allow the clinic to perform chemical abortions, he voted in favor of it. “I would not in any way limit a woman's access to abortion, and I think I've proven that with my vote,” he said. Fire and drought are region wide issues that are top of mind as summer approaches. Though he is dubious about relying on the state, Redding thinks huge wildfires are largely the state's responsibility. He cited the state's years'-long policy of preventing wildfires by clearing and logging, saying, “This is really a state problem that affects us…we really need to put pressure on the State of California to follow through on its commitments.” Williams, a volunteer firefighter, invoked historical factors as well. But he also advocates a local response, saying, “”It's our problem, because we live here, and fire may be in our backyard.” He highlighted defensible space and chipper programs, adding, “There are also opportunities to coordinate the funds that are available to get local workforce out, putting people to work, who desperately need work.” Both candidates support the idea of water storage, which is emphasized in the governor's drought strategy. But while Williams touted the county's success at winning a $5 million state grant to build water storage in the town of Mendocino, Redding tied storage into his emphasis, which is encouraging private economic development. “To rely on government grants makes me uncomfortable,” he said, recalling a former boss who told him, “hope is not a business plan. And when you're hoping that you're going to get a grant from the State of California or the federal government, that's not a business plan.” Redding suggested hiring an economic development coordinator and supports funding West Business Development Center, which the Board of Supervisors agreed to continue doing last week. Williams agreed that economic development is a glaring need, but opined that, “the county's role in that needs to be to provide infrastructure where businesses want to exist, where people want to live.” He added that he is reluctant to shift financial resources away from core services like road maintenance, public safety and social services, “all of the services that the most vulnerable people rely on, and the services that would attract businesses to our area.” The candidates differed on the nature of the board's relationship with the sheriff's office, with Redding associating Williams, and an attempt at a system-wide audit of the sheriff's department, with efforts to defund the police. Sheriff Matt Kendall has since endorsed Williams. KZYX will have more election coverage this month. This Thursday, May 12, from 3-4 pm, we'll hear from Assessor/Clerk/Recorder Katrina Barolomie and Pat Dunbar, from the League of Women Voters. On Monday, May 16, from 6:30-8pm, we'll host a debate with Fifth District candidates Ted Williams and John Redding. And on Monday, May 23, frome 6:30-8pm, we'll host a debate with Third District candidates, incumbent John Haschak and challenger Clay Romero.

May 9, 2022 — The Faulkner Park crisis has subsided for the time being, in the wake of a community meeting and a consent calendar vote at last week's Board of Supervisors meeting. About a dozen members of a group called Friends of Faulkner Park gathered on a sunny Friday morning to hear from high-level PG&E representatives about company plans to remove dozens of large redwood trees that are near the power lines running along Mountain View Road just outside of Boonville. Faulkner is a much-loved county park, and the Friends, county workers, and Fifth District Supervisor Ted Williams had already succeeded in extracting an agreement from PG&E to hold off on tree removal and look into what it would take to bury the quarter mile of power line. A government liaison also provided assurances that she would maintain communication about the company's vegetation management plans. The original slew of yellow X's indicating which trees were slated for removal were part of the company's enhanced vegetation management program, which involves aggressively clearing the lines. PG&E North Coast Regional Vice President Ron Richardson told the group that their advocacy had paid off, saying, “We've paused on the removal of these trees…part of that is a thank you to you. Because when you guys seen the X's, it got our attention, we got out here, we looked at it, we brought leaders out here to look at it, and that's what drove us to say, hey, we need more data points.” Richardson also said that Faulkner Park is not at the top of the list for areas in this region that are risky enough to underground power lines right away. Currently, Middletown in Lake County and Wallace Creek in Sonoma County are first up for burying lines. He estimated that the cost of undergrounding the quarter mile of line that runs through a section of the thirty-acre park would cost $750,000 to a million dollars. The county plans to repave the road in the next few years, which he said was valuable information, indicating that the underground option is not completely beyond consideration. Richardson said the company does have plans to harden the lines with Enhanced Power Safety Settings, a sensitive circuit breaker that lowers the arc if the lines are damaged, which is supposed to reduce the risk of fire from sparks. That program is scheduled to start this summer. PG&E also plans to start using a new risk-assessment tool to determine whether contractors will take a tree down or trim it. The tool, which is still in development, is supposed to take into account the species of the tree, the angle of its lean if it is not standing up straight, and whether it is stressed or dying. But the assessment seems to be based only on characteristics of individual trees. It is unlikely to take into account the role each tree plays in its environment, or how its removal would affect the other trees around it, possibly making those trees more vulnerable to falling down or even creating conditions that could make fires worse. The length of the pause and what would precipitate ending it were also not clearly laid out. The new tool is expected to start being used in about a month. Community members were skeptical about the efficacy of the new tool, laughing heartily when Williams asked if they could wait for the next iteration in the event that the new one doesn't work. Anderson Valley Fire Chief Andres Avila wrote an analysis of fire behavior in Faulkner Park, explaining why he believes the trees should stay standing. But he also implored PG&E to consider additional values when making its decision, like its importance to kids in the community, its history, and its unique environmental qualities. He spoke about how Faulkner Park, which is mostly cool and heavily shaded by large redwood trees, is at low risk from active fire behavior caused by an incipient fire, the kind that would start inside the park from a power line. He argued that removing the trees would allow new, smaller, oily brush to flourish and present more of a fire hazard than the large trees. “It's much easier for a line strike to come down and take off into those and then ladder fuels going into the bigger fuels,” he said. While acknowledging that no solution is 100% guaranteed to offer perfect safety, he stated, “I disagree with tree removal here.” PG&E pledged not to remove redwood trees from Faulkner Park, but clarified that contractors will continue to perform routine vegetation management, which could involve removing smaller trees. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a notice of tree work to trim 16 trees of various species and inspect three others to determine if they are to be topped or felled. Two of those trees are doug firs under two feet diameter at breast height, and one is a large redwood.

May 5, 2022 — During a third-quarter budget workshop this week, the Board of Supervisors hashed out where to make cuts in a county budget with significant projected shortfalls and very little information about the cannabis department. While county staff estimates that $6.8 million in cannabis tax revenue has been uncollected, the cannabis department was one of three that has not yet turned in its projections. Another installment of cannabis taxes is due at the end of May. The combined health plan deficit for this year and last year is $6.2 million. The Executive Office presented an operational budget that would have been balanced if not for that deficit, and asked supervisors to decide where to make adjustments. Interim CEO Darcie Antle summarized the basic cuts she was seeking. “We're looking for $3.3 million,” she said. “And if you close the museum, that reduces it, and then if you don't fund the parks at $1.6 (million), that would reduce the $3.3 (million) even further. So at that point, you're down to needing an additional $2 million, and so then we sort through these other items as you would like.” The museum, which costs over half a million dollars a year to run and brings in $20,000, appears to have been spared. Even if it were closed, preserving artifacts and maintaining the building would continue to incur costs. Supervisor Dan Gjerde offered some suggestions for adding more money to the museum's coffers, like tapping those who have donated artifacts for monetary donations, or offering the option of contributing to an endowment. He noted that he found it “a bit radical” to cut the museum, but that, “I think we do need to have, as a full Board, a better understanding of what the long-term strategy is for the museum.” Supervisors also considered cutting parks, which would entail laying off staff. Supervisor Maureen Mulheren laid out the quandary regarding the parks, saying, “It's my understanding, from having served on the ad hoc and then bringing that item back twice to this Board, that there were no parks that we wanted to close. So if we don't find a way to fund them, they have to be closed. We can't have it both ways.” General Services Agency Director Janelle Rau said her department is asking for $4.8 million for parks over the next three years, based on a needs assessment of the parks and what it would take to restore them to a safe condition. She said the county's more than sixty parks have been fiscally neglected since the 1980's. Bower Park in Gualala is currently closed due to a number of hazard trees. Supervisors discussed other funding mechanisms, like special districts and assessing which parks could bring in revenue by offering concessions. But parks are unlikely to generate revenue for the county. Half a dozen departments are projected to come in more than $100,000 over their net county cost assignments, with the sheriff in the lead at $1.4 million. Antle told the board that the county reserve, which includes designated funds, comes out to $20 million. She added that an ideal reserve would be three months' worth of county expenditures, which would be $48 million. The one-time American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA funds, are likely to be used for a variety of purposes, from parks to funding the sheriff's hiring bonuses and backfilling the District Attorney's budget. Deputy CEO Sarah Pierce told the board about plans for the $16.8 million award, which was intended to alleviate the long-term impacts of the pandemic for hard-hit communities. The county has already obligated $4.8 million, leaving about $12 million. “Of that $12 million, ten can be used on county core services, and then the remaining can be used on staffing to pre-covid levels, and parks is an eligible expense,” she said. Mulheren asked her colleagues if they would consider setting aside some of the ARPA money for grants to community organizations, and Gjerde said he would only support that if it were divided among the five supervisorial districts. Supervisor John Haschak suggested using some for community health workers, but the board did not give direction on either suggestion. Antle told Haschak that the only other possible source of revenue is the cannabis tax, some of which is not yet due. “At this point, we have met with all the departments, per your request on the 19th,” she said. “And the departments that I mentioned, which is a couple of handfuls, were able to come back with some money. At this time, there are no areas that we are aware of that could be reduced. The only other is if the cannabis revenue does come in,” by May 31st. Supervisor Ted Williams summarized his view of a few budget scenarios, saying that, after cutting $1.5 million from parks, the county would need to cut $2 million from its budget if it does use ARPA funds, and $7 million if it does not. And he said it's time to stop relying on cannabis tax. “This strikes me as a structural deficit,” he said. “I don't see this as a one-time. We were living on cannabis revenue, average about $5 million a year. That game is over. Cannabis is now in the legal market, where the price will just be set by marginal revenue intersecting with marginal cost, in a county ordinance that only allows 10,000 square feet, figure 28 grams per square foot, at declining market price. That revenue is not coming back. And so the past couple of years we've lived on revenue that we should have treated as one-time, but instead it's been used to augment the county for staffing. This coming year we don't have that revenue. We're probably not going to have it again.”

May 4, 2022 — Two Measure B-funded facilities opened last week. The Regional Behavioral Health Training Center on East Road in Redwood Valley opened on Tuesday, after being remodeled. Some pieces of equipment, like a media cabinet for hybrid meetings, a virtual reality training program, and gun lockers, are expected to arrive soon. The Critical Residential Treatment Center on Orchard Street in Ukiah is now fully licensed and opened last Monday, serving three clients. The facility has eight beds that will be available for 30 to 90 days by adults who are in a mental health crisis but have not received a 5150, the designation that would lead to an involuntary 72-hour hold. Sarah Livingston, the crisis program director for Redwood Community Services, which is operating the CRT, said the facility fits smoothly with respite care. She said the facility will include peer support, case managers and rehab specialists, many of whom come from the RCS Madrone House, which is a respite center. “A respite house is set up to be immediate respite for someone who is just on the other side of a 5150,” she explained. “And so that's been used for immediate stabilization, ideally for up to seven days. The CRT is where we take it one step significantly further. That 30, 60, 90-day model where we're doing significant psycho education and other programming and allowing people to really get back on their feet as they stabilize.” Livingston said clients will be encouraged to take part in daily life outside the facility. “I think there's this misunderstanding by quite a bit of the community, where they thought it was a locked facility,” she noted. “It is not a locked facility. Ultimately we want people to choose to be there, and they do have 24/7 support.” Livingston added that there will also be therapists available, though not always on site. “We can get folks into a pretty quick psychiatric appointment,” she added. She expects the facility to be fully staffed in another thirty days. “And I am certain we will fill those eight beds very, very quickly,” she predicted. Once it is fully staffed, RCS plans to contract with Lake County to offer a bed to one of its crisis patients. The CRT was designed and built by architecture firm Nacht and Lewis for $2.6 million, a combination of Measure B funds and a $500,000 grant from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. The training center in Redwood Valley, formerly the location of the Jehovah's Witness Church, was the first facility purchased with Measure B funds. The purchase price was $389,000, a third of which was covered by the sheriff's office. A small building and a garage have been dedicated as a sheriff's substation. Sheriff Matt Kendall said he is waiting for the floor and drywall to be repaired after water damage caused by a broken pipe. But when he is able to use the building, he'd like to use it as a terminal for a dual response team with a deputy and a mental health specialist. Dr. Jenine Miller, head of the county's Behavioral Health Department, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting and a tour. She expects that the new training center will allow county departments to send more staff to more trainings nearby, rather than sending a limited number of people to be trained outside the county. As far as how sustainable the center will be, Miller said, “this really is the first year to look at how does the facility sustain itself, how much are we getting from the trainings versus how much are the costs to maintain the facility.” She plans to work with the General Services Department to present a plan to the Board of Supervisors, detailing the ultimate yearly costs of all the county's Measure B-funded facilities, including the CRT and the Psychiatric Health Facility, which the Board decided to build at 131 Whitmore Lane in Ukiah. Retired Sheriff Tom Allman, an original Measure B Committee member who remains the sheriff's representative on the committee, said he hopes a $100,000 piece of virtual reality training equipment, paid for by the state, will be available by the end of June. He is looking forward to using the venue for trainings that he hopes will raise the standard of local law enforcement officers. The Measure B sales tax will drop from a half-cent to an eighth-cent next year. “That money can be used for training and improved mental health services,” Allman said. “But there will still be costs to the departments.” One of the three-day trainings cost $12,000, but Allman said, “We want to spend that money. So we can have the best-trained first responders out on the street.”

May 3, 2022 — The Board of Supervisors is holding a budget workshop today in preparation for budget hearings on June 7th and 8th. At the hearings, community organizations will have an opportunity to make a case for why they should receive a portion of a $16.8 million award from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), intended to alleviate the long-term impacts of the pandemic. Though the United States Treasury Department urged local governments that received the funds to engage the public in deciding how to allocate them, public outreach has been minimal so far. And although the deadline for allocating the money is a year and a half away, organizations providing direct services to those who've been hardest hit may have only a few leftovers after the budget hearings, according to Interim CEO Darcie Antle, who spoke to KZYX on April 27. “Currently, we're under the Board's direction to look internally first,” she said. “And then when the Board considers the 22-23 budget, if there's funds available and left over, depending on how they want to spend this ARPA money, there could be opportunities. And I know obviously one of their priorities is public safety, which includes fire.” Close to five million dollars of the award has already been obligated, some of it to the Community Foundation and North Coast Opportunities, which used it to provide food and childcare during the pandemic.* A little over $60,000 went to upgrade the audio and telecom systems in the Board of Supervisors chambers to allow for more accessible hybrid meetings. But another $266,000 was spent on remodeling the chambers, plus $40,000 for an automatic door system,and $35,000 is slated for the purchase of seven metal detectors. Eduardo Garcia is the senior policy manager at the San Francisco-based Latino Community Foundation, a statewide organization that advocates for the civic and economic power of Latinos, many of whom continue to be disproportionately affected by the fallout of the pandemic. The Foundation awarded $1.4 million to smaller Latino organizations around the state advocating for transparency and a public process for the equitable distribution of the one-time funds. Garcia says Mendocino County is not alone. “A lot of these decision makers are using these funds in very questionable ways,” he said. “One troubling trend that we've observed across the state is that city and county leaders are spending these dollars, these flexible, unique dollars designed to help California speed up its health and economic recovery, they're spending this money on police. Which is very concerning, because we know that what our communities need is access to resources to help overcome the hardship that has been the last couple of years.” Antle said with inflation and the loss of cannabis tax revenue, the county budget is lean. “We're currently trying to work with all of our departments to see how we can keep them full,” she said. “Full meaning fully funded for the coming year, without having to take cuts in certain areas. And it is likely that the Board will have to make some difficult decisions.” Garcia wants the public to participate in those decisions, including organizations like UVA, Vecinos en Acción, an inland Mendocino County Latino advocacy group which is the recipient of one of the Foundation's grants. “This is not a simple civic engagement process,” he acknowledged. “And so Vecinos en Accion and non-profit organizations can work with city and county leaders to design a process in which they can collect community input. Obviously providing translation across outreach strategies is critical to reach the hardest to reach communities. There could even be workshops. We have partners in Calexico that helped design community workshops to engage members of the community about ARPA budgeting. So there are a myriad of different outreach strategies that city and county leaders can employ to collect community input. But these processes have to be designed with trusted community members.” Juan Orozco, co-chair of UVA and a Ukiah City Councilman, says UVA is poised to do just that. “We look into health equity, and what is it that the community needs, and we do surveys, and then provide the information to people,” he said. Garcia has seen organizations advocate successfully. “There are city and county leaders in certain parts of the state that have adopted, or that are trying to create more transparent processes,” he said. “And some of that has been the result of community organizing led by Latino non-profit organizations. For example, in Merced, in the city council, an organization called 99 Roots successfully advocated for a one million dollar youth jobs program, designed to essentially invest in the workforce development of young people. Knowing that Latino workers during the pandemic were overrepresented in industries that were considered essential; that maybe weren't paying the very best wages; that were putting workers in very vulnerable situations, right? Earning low wages, taking care of families…Latino women had to drop out of the workforce in really high numbers, because it's very expensive to send your children to childcare when schools are closed.” Garcia expects local governments can look forward to more awards soon, from the federal infrastructure plan and the Community Economic Resilience Fund, a covid recovery program that's still being developed. With a participatory process in place, he believes, “There's so many opportunities to engage the community so that every Californian has an equal opportunity to share in the state's prosperity.” *Molly Rosenthal of North Coast Opportunities provided more detail about the sources of the ARPA funding NCO received and what it was used for. While NCO did receive $1.7 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding, some of it came from state and federal sources to support Head Start and Rural Communities Child Care. The County of Mendocino provided $587,560 of ARPA funds that NCO used the funds to rally more than 250 volunteers for the vaccine clinics, quarantine food delivery, and other pandemic response activities; deliver fresh food boxes to households through the MendoLake Food Hub; and provide financial assistance to households economically-impacted by the pandemic. While applications are now closed for financial assistance, The City of Ukiah's Utility Bill Assistance Program is providing support for Ukiah residents with past-due utility bills of up to $1,000. Visit cityofukiah.com for more information. Photo of a walk-through metal detector courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walk-through_metal_detector.jpg

May 2, 2022 — The Board of Supervisors will hold a budget workshop on May 3 to prepare for next month's third quarter budget hearings. Inflation is up, but revenue seems to be available — if there were enough staff to collect it. Supervisor Ted Williams gave a preview of tomorrow's meeting. “We've been meeting with each department, and looking at if they have any outside contracts that they can cut, kind of nickels and dimes,” he said. “Frankly, I don't think we're finding a lot. A lot of those departments already came in with lean budgets. There may be some services that we can halt, but not without a real impact on the services provided to the public.” Patrick Hickey, the field representative for Local SEIU 1021, which represents most of the county government's unionized workers, suspects the situation is not quite so dire, and cautions that more information is needed before making big financial decisions. “What their information showed is that the majority of their revenue streams, property taxes, sales taxes, transient occupancy taxes (ToT), are increasing,” he said. “They're projecting that the cannabis tax may drop significantly. So that's certainly a concern. But they don't have a handle on it, as far as we can tell, on the numbers and on the data. They still haven't released their audit from last year, which normally for counties comes out in the fall. So we really need to have a look at that before we start setting our budget for next year.” Hickey especially wants more detailed information about the reserve funds, which he believes are robust. The county is in negotiations with all its bargaining units, which always advocate for filling vacant positions with qualified people, and paying them a competitive salary to keep them on the job. Hickey listed a few of the departments he thinks could generate revenue if they were fully staffed. “Environmental health specialists are a fundraiser for the county, basically,” he said. “Positions in the treasury or tax collector and auditor-controller's office that make sure that we're collecting all the funds that are due to the county. A number of those department heads have said they're not able to necessarily do an effective job at tracking down all the taxes that are due because they don't have the staff to carry out those assignments.” Union president Julie Beardsley added that some other key positions are funded mostly by state and federal money. “In behavioral health, there are clinical positions that don't offer a competitive salary, so it's really really difficult to hire people,” she argued. “In public health, nurses, social services, social workers.” “I'm actually with the union on this,” Williams said. “I think if we do any hiring, first it should be in the areas that are revenue generating. If there's money that we're not collecting, maybe that staff will be more than paid for by the revenue that they're able to collect.” But he said there is a bit of a general fund match for the state-funded positions. “Some of the non-general fund departments still have a hit on the general fund,” he said. “It may not be much, but when you have zero dollars to work with, if we're paying ten or twenty percent of that overhead, we just don't have it.” He added that the lack of competitive wages results in the county not having “a pool of applicants showing up, eager to take on those jobs. If we were to pay more, that would be out of the county general fund.” And Williams said that if the county raised the wages for an analyst in a mostly state-funded department, it would have to raise the wages for other workers with the same designation in departments that are funded solely by the general fund. At the Board of Supervisors' meeting on April 19, the board agreed to make paying cannabis taxes a requirement for renewing permits, and to consider lowering the minimum tax rate. Interim treasurer tax collector Julie Forrester said delinquent cannabis taxes hadn't been pursued, and made some suggestions for how to go about doing that. Williams said the tax collector is elected, and the Board of Supervisors does not direct her how to run her department. “My personal view is, we need to have a process that doesn't have finger-pointing,” he opined. “It needs to be collaborative.” The county doesn't have exact numbers on how many properties are not on the tax rolls, “but we know some are. We know some that are charged vacant land rates, versus the tax on a three-bedroom house built in the last decade.” The protocol for updating the tax rolls has not yet been established. And Williams is leery of taking action that could cost people their homes if their living situation involves a zoning violation. “And we're broke,” he said. “We have less revenue that's projected for the coming year than we had last year.” Hickey remains skeptical of the sense of emergency that often characterizes budget discussions. “So much of these projections that the county's talking about are speculative,” he said. “It's really over the next number of months, as the county goes through its budgeting process, that we'll get a little bit more clarity on where we're really at,” he predicted. “And I think it's going to turn out to be better than some of the gloom and doom numbers that the county has been bandying about. I think the county is in a much better and healthier position than they're letting on.”

Steve Cooley on 400k Gascon recall signatures More on Chappelle charges Board of Supervisors put together homeless partner plan Latest from Ukraine

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors took aim at Attorney General Mark Brnovich over his recent report on the 2020 election.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest for this episode is Ron Gonzales. Ron's personal philosophy is to help improve the quality of life for others. This philosophy has guided his 45 years of technology, public policy, and non-profit professional experience. Currently, Ron serves as President and CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. The Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Silicon Valley Latinos. From 1999-2006, Ron served as Mayor of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley and the nation's 10th largest city. His achievements included nationally recognized initiatives for strong neighborhoods, improved public education, and effective solutions to affordable housing and regional transportation projects. Ron served for eight years (1989-1996) on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and was a two-time mayor and member of the Sunnyvale City Council (1979-87). He is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Presencia, LLC which provides marketing and sales consulting services. Additionally, Ron worked as an executive with the Hewlett-Packard Company, in the areas of marketing, human resources, and corporate philanthropy. Ron currently serves as Chair of the Silicon Valley Capital Club Board of Governors, Board member and board Chair for SV@Home, and Board Member of KIPP Northern California Public Charter Schools.  Here's what to expect during the episode: How do you attract and retain diversity on nonprofit boards? What are practical ways to improve board diversity? How can a culture of inclusion foster board diversity? What are the methods that can be employed to implement board diversification? What is the most crucial factor in having an effective board? Connect with Ron! Website: https://www.hfsv.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HispanicFoundationSV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hispanicfoundationsv/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hfsvpage LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hispanic-foundation-of-silicon-valley/ Go to: https://hilandconsulting.org/trustbuilding to get your free: Trust Building Action Plan. Mary's book is available on Amazon or wherever books are sold: Love Your Board! The Executive Directors' Guide to Discovering the Sources of Nonprofit Board Troubles and What to Do About Them. Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!   Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that, and follow us, on Facebook. Connect with Mary! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryhiland Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Facebook Group: https://tinyurl.com/inspirednonprofitleadership Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilandconsulting Website: https://www.hilandconsulting.org

Here's your morning news: L.A. County Supervisors backing state legislation that would help make county a so-called "abortion access safe-haven"; Abortion rights demonstrators took to the streets of DTLA; Prosecutors in Sacramento file murder charges in mass shooting that left 6 people dead last month; Starting June 1st, millions of southern Californians won't be allowed to water their lawns more than once a week; LAUSD launches program that will pay for wired internet connections in students' homes. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.   Support the show: https://laist.com

On the latest episode of Chesterfield Behind the Mic, we talk about the Central Virginia Transportation Authority with chair Frank Thornton of Henrico and vice chair Kevin Carroll of Chesterfield. In this installment, we discuss what the CVTA is, the goal in its formation, how the group goes about doing its work, and how projects are coming along including the Fall Line Trail.   Credits: Director: Martin Stith Executive Producer: Susan S. Pollard Co-Executive Producer: Teresa Bonifas Producer/Writer/Host: Brad Franklin Director of Photography/Editor: Matt Boyce Camera Operator/Promotions: Vernon Freeman Graphics: Debbie Wrenn Promotions and Media: J. Elias O'Neal    Music: Hip Hop This by Seven Pounds Inspiring Electronic Rock by Alex Grohl   Guests:  Frank Thornton, Chair, Central Virginia Transportation Authority (Henrico Board of Supervisors) Kevin Carroll, Vice Chair, Central Virginia Transportation Authority (Chesterfield Board of Supervisors)   Filmed in-house by the Department of Communications and Media   Chesterfield.gov/podcast    Follow us on social media! On Facebook, like our page:  Chesterfield Behind the Mic. On Twitter, you can find us at  @ChesterfieldVa and on Instagram it's @ChesterfieldVirginia. And you can also watch the podcast on WCCT TV Thursday through Sunday at 7 p.m. as well as on weekends at noon on Comcast Channel 98 and Verizon Channel 28.

Here's your morning news: After leaked SCOTUS opinion, LA County supervisors prepare  state legislation to create an "abortion access safe haven"; Supervisors set to consider  recommendations from Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness; Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant set to fully close by 2025; President Biden signals openness to canceling some student loan debt; With COVID cases going up, L.A. County tells employers to use "common sense strategies" to increase workplace safety; Jimmy Kimmel infected with COVID and taking a break from hosting talk show; Long Beach-based space company uses helicopter to snag rocket booster as it parachuted down to Earth. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.   Support the show: https://laist.com

John Bennett, CEO of Sunny Days In-home Care in Pittsburg, PA breaks down his company org chart and shares the reasoning behind hiring on-call supervisors for answering calls after hours and on weekends versus using an answering service. 

Two large oil refineries in the Bay Area want to switch from processing crude oil and instead turn vegetable oil and animal fats into biofuels. Phillips 66 in Rodeo and Marathon in Martinez say their plans to convert the refineries to create renewable diesel advances California's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel reliance. But some environmental groups and communities close to the refineries oppose the plan, saying a reliance on biofuels contributes to deforestation and other environmental problems that actually accelerate climate change. As the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors considers an appeal to the plans next week, Forum looks at the local, state and global ramifications of California's push toward biofuels.

New land owners, this one is for you!If you're new to the area, haven't experienced a heavy rainy season before and aren't sure what to expect in a reclaimed swamp area with no sewer system, do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast.On this month's edition of the Jupiter Farms Resident Podcast, Matty, Jillian, Kristen and producer David sit down with Mike Dillon, manager of operations of SIRWCD. What is this group? Who is this guy? Before you call him when you discover your shed has flooded, we've got you covered.The daily operations of the South Indian River Water Control District are overseen by the Manager of Operations who manages a crew of ten skilled operators that maintain the roads, canals and swales with graders, back hoes and other heavy equipment.Michael Dillon has worked for the South Indian River Water Control District for twenty years and was named Manager of Operations in March of 2011. He moved to Florida from Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1991 and was Supervisor of Field Operations for C&L Hawthorne from 1991-1996. In 1996, Mr. Dillon came to work for SIRWCD and in 2000 was promoted to Shop Supervisor. Three years later, he advanced to Operations Superintendent and worked closely with the General Manager on the day-to-day operations of the District.Mr. Dillon was instrumental in establishing the District Safety Program and headed the Program from 1998-2011. In 2000, he was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to sit on the Board of Supervisors of the North Palm Beach Heights Water Control District and was then elected for a two-year term through 2003. Mr. Dillon completed the Florida Institute of Government Management Development Program in 2002. He has been a board member of the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council since 2010.Mr. Dillon maintains a working relationship with South Florida Water Management District, the Safety Council of Palm Beach County, FEMA, and the National Resources Conservation Service, as well as various departments of Palm Beach County, including the Sheriff's Office, Road and Bridge, and the Department of Environmental Resources Management.ONLINE: https://www.sirwcd.org/index.html The District is open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Landowners are welcome to visit or call 561-747-0550 during office hours or email: sirwcd@sirwcd.org Support the show (http://www.jupiterfarmsresidents.com/donate-to-jfr/)

San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney recently was elected to the California state assembly, after battling a negative campaign that labeled him "the Tenderloin supervisor." Haney sat down in the Tenderloin with Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight one day after his last Board of Supervisors meeting — where supervisors approved making a stretch of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park permanent. Haney talked about his commute to Sacramento, his cats and city redistricting. Haney and the hosts also offer a spirited defense of the Tenderloin — a neighborhood with very visible challenges, that is also vital to the past and future of the city. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb. Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 28, 2022 – The Youth Leadership Coalition, a teen program of Redwood Community Services' Arbor Center, successfully lobbied Ukiah's City Council to pass an ordinance banning the commercial sale of nitrous oxide canisters, known as whippets, within the city limits. Whippets, which have become a popular party drug among young people, deprive the brain of oxygen and can cause strokes, leading to death or lifelong disability. The nonbiodegradable canisters are also an environmental nuisance. The ordinance went into effect in March, and prohibits Ukiah city businesses operating under a tobacco retailer's license, from selling the drug. The Youth Leadership Coalition is now staged to assess the success of the mandate and plans to address the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors in an effort to bring the ordinance to a county level.

April 27, 2022 — In August of last year, Mendocino County received about eight and a half million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, which the President signed into law to help local governments recover from the economic toll of the pandemic. The county will receive the other half of its s$16.8 million award this summer. The funding can be used to cover a broad array of costs, from paying essential workers to providing government services to investing in infrastructure. The guidelines urge local governments “to engage their constituents and communities in developing plans to use these payments,” much as the PG&E settlement funds were distributed last year. But thus far, the public has not had the opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process about how to allocate the ARPA funds. $4.8 million has already been allocated for infrastructure, public health and direct assistance. During the fiscal review last week, the Board of Supervisors heard suggestions to use the remaining funds to provide county services and hire new staff to pre-covid levels. But Juan Orozco, a Ukiah city councilman and co-chair of UVA, Vecinos en Accion, an advocacy group for the Latino community, thinks the money should be used for much more basic needs. “With not having a job, with not having income, you lose housing,” he pointed out. “If you're renting, of course, and even if you're buying a home and you don't have any income, how are you going to pay your mortgage? People don't even have food.” Sarah Marshall, the UVA coordinator, agrees. There's some organizational heft behind this position. “The ARPA funds are supposed to go to support communities that have been most impacted by covid,” she declared. “So UVA hasn't received any ARPA funds yet, but we did just receive funding from the Latino Community Foundation that is meant to be spent to advocate for the transparent distribution of ARPA funds in our community.” Marshall added that more than 100 grassroots organizations applied for the grant, which is called the Latino Power Fund, and 35 were selected, with awards totaling $1.4 million, all working towards trying to secure a fair share of the ARPA funds. UVA Program Coordinator Maria Avalos explained what UVA plans to do with its portion, which is about $50,000. “We hope to hire someone to become an advocate,” she said, “that will be looking into where ARPA funds in the county are going to, and making sure that it is being equally dispersed and going toward the Latino community and Spanish-speaking communities.” Julie Beardsley is President of Local SEIU 1021, which represents most of the county government's unionized employees. She's open to broader uses for the ARPA money, but she wants transparency, too. “I know that there's been some talk about using the $16.8 million to backfill the deficit,” she said. “It can be invested in things like improved water systems and sewage, broadband infrastructure. It can include assistance to small businesses and households in hard-hit industries to help with economic recovery. So I'd like to see some community input on what happens with these funds, rather than having the county say, we have a deficit so we have to backfill.” The ARPA award is just shy of the $18 million the county budgets for one month. Supervisor Ted Williams, who has spent the last few weeks in budget meetings with county department heads, says the money is vital to the county's core mission. “I think a lot of the ARPA funds will be used to balance the budget, to make ends meet,” he said. “The alternative is we could give that money to community groups that probably have really great projects, or we could allow potholes to develop…we could stop road maintenance altogether. The ARPA funds, whether you're looking at the $10 million or the full $16 million, if that's not used to plug the financial situation at the county, the cuts and services would be severe. I wish we could treat the ARPA funds like we did the PG&E funds, but I don't think that's what the public wants, when we look at the services that would be lost.” One local organization that's still providing pandemic-related economic relief is North Coast Opportunities, which got $1.7 million in ARPA funds to offer direct services like keeping all eight of its Head Start child care centers open during the shutdowns. It also rallied volunteers to deliver food boxes to people in quarantine and work at vaccination clinics. Molly Rosenthal, the NCO Communications Director, says part of the money is now being used to restart an essential service that's lost a lot of providers in the last two years. “Our rural communities childcare program supported providers who have closed and are working toward reopening and connecting working families with affordable childcare,” she said, which is “particularly important as things open up and parents head back to work…those families do need access to affordable childcare.” The economic fallout from the pandemic continues to be severe, particularly for those who were on shaky financial footing to begin with. To hear more about ARPA funding, you can check out a special edition of today's 9:00 am public affairs on jukebox and on the kzyx news podcast, where we heard more from UVA and spoke with Interim CEO Darcie Antle and Laura Diamondstone, a retired epidemiologist and public health advocate. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel ended her three-year tenure as the county's top prosecutor in a hospital amid concerns that she was losing her battle with alcohol abuse and after her top section chiefs noted they didn't think she was up to the job.  Adel's resignation sparked a dash to qualify for the election to replace her and a lightning round of interviews for an interim boss. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has appointed Republican Rachel Mitchell as the interim county attorney to finish out Adel's term, which ends this fall. Candidates to run for the office in the 2022 election had just two weeks to file paperwork and gather signatures to qualify for the August primaries in their bid to take over one of the largest prosecutorial teams in the country. All this begs the question: What's next for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office?

San Francisco Supervisors are hearing hours of public comment as it prepares to vote on whether to permanently make JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park a car-free zone. For more, KCBS Radio news anchor Patti Reising spoke with KCBS Radio Insider Phil Matier. 

April 26, 2022 — The Board of Supervisors voted last week to require payment of cannabis taxes to renew permits, and asked the Executive Office to come back at a future meeting with more numbers about what it would mean to lower the tax rate. In 2016, Mendocino County voters passed Measure AI, an ordinance stating that growers are liable for a 2.5% tax on their gross receipts, which amounts to a yearly minimum of $1200-$5000, depending on the size of the grow. With the price plummeting, the cannabis business sector across the state has been clamoring for tax relief. Supervisor Ted Williams argued for a reduction, saying, “It almost doesn't matter if theoretically, the arithmetic of however many cultivators we have times about $5,000, what that would generate for us, if we put them out of business.” County staff estimates that currently, $6.8 million in cannabis tax revenue has been uncollected, but between calendars not aligning, a software system that requires an expensive update, and a few missing pieces in the procedure for collecting, hard numbers are hard to come by. Supervisor John Haschak summarized the knowledge gaps, telling his colleagues that, “I'm just trying to figure out the implications to our budget if we do this. We have so many unknowns that it's really hard to say what's going to happen with it. And then if we require tax compliance, at this point, we don't know how many people we would make pay who aren't paying right now.” Williams asked Acting Treasurer-Tax Collector Julie Forrester how many people in the cannabis program are currently delinquent on paying their taxes. She told him that for the calendar year 2021, there are 551 cultivation permits that are unrecorded, 97 flat tax payments that were unrecorded, and eight dispensaries — or about half of the permit holders. Forrester said operators will have another tax bill at the end of May, in what's called a true-up, “Which amounts to a little over $3 million. In my understanding, historically we've collected about half of that true-up. We have that, and then…we have about $185,000 in the flat tax that's unpaid.” Forrester added that “there hasn't been any further delinquent collections of defaulted cannabis taxes to date. There's been so many changes to the program. There's been no actual pursuit so far of the defaulted.” Forrester told the board that collecting the cannabis tax would not be easy, cheap, or fast. With an audit, she said, her department could estimate which taxes were due, record a lien, and implement collections processes. She added that she would need to know if a lowered tax would be categorized as a reduction or a credit against the taxes due, because that would affect the kind of update she would need to request for the property tax software system. “And I would expect that to be quite a complicated program and with a hefty cost, and not a quick turnaround,” she cautioned. But idiosyncratic software is not the only obstacle. Forrester requested more board direction for her department, which she calls the TTC. She said she had requested clarification on the ordinance, particularly what it means that the TTC is allowed to increase the tax; what it means for the TTC to assess penalties and interest; and if it can also waive them. County Counsel Christian Curtis explained that since the cannabis tax was a voters initiative, the board can tinker with it to a degree. “As long as you're keeping the same basic structure, you're allowed to go lower,” he said. “You can't go above the maximum that the voters approved, and then if you change the tax structure so you're no longer going on gross receipts, you know, excise per pound, but if you're going lower, you're fine,” he assured the supervisors. Monique Ramirez, of Covelo, thinks it's time for the voters to revisit the tax. “I just think it makes sense to base it on what you've actually sold, and that's the percentage that you pay,” she said. “Just to give you a glimpse of what it's like for me, as a specialty cottage operator, I have only sold six pounds of flower in the market so far, from my 2021 harvest. I am living off my savings. Thank God we have chickens.” Michael Katz, the Executive Director of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, supports a reduction before agreeing that paying taxes should be a condition of permit renewal. When Williams asked him if MCA supports requiring tax compliance; “in other words, in order to get your permit renewed, you have to pay your taxes;” Katz replied, “I think MCA would support this reduction for 2021 through 2023, and with that reduction, I think we would be willing to discuss that…we should be talking about how to keep people in this program, and not fine them out of it or structurally policy them out of it or overlay them out of it. Let more people in.”

In the June 7 primary election, North Coast and Santa Cruz residents will choose a new District 3 representative on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. We hear from residents about their priorities for the election. Then we meet candidates Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Justin Cummings and Ami Chen Mills and press them on residents' concerns. We hear from the candidates on their plans to: Develop affordable housing. [21:17] Expand rent assistance programs. [27:47] Address homelessness. [34:59] Attract employers and create higher-paying jobs. [43:25] Repair roads, expand law enforcement and improve cellphone service on the North Coast. [50:10] Prioritize bike and walk projects and improve public transit. [57:07] We also press Justin Cummings and Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson on their voting records on the Santa Cruz City Council. [1:03:40] Read the transcript with links to our related stories. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-transcript Read Santa Cruz Local's Elections Guide with information on this and other races. https://tinyurl.com/SCL-guide Santa Cruz Local is supported by its members. Join us! Keep local journalism strong with a membership today. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-membership Make a one-time donation to Santa Cruz Local's newsroom. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-donate Support Santa Cruz Local on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/santacruzlocal Subscribe free to Santa Cruz Local's email newsletter. We're in your inbox twice a week. https://tinyurl.com/ep-97-newsletter Editor's note: This podcast has been updated to correct the year that Ami Chen Mills left the executive director role at the Center for Sustainable Change.

April 11th 2022In this home security audio you will hear Stan.County District Attorney  Concealing Child Sexual Abuse Under the Color of Law. June 2nd 2021, the second report was made after Juliet's  girls ran away seeking safety and reporting more sexual abuse in the fathers home. What you'll  hear and see is the following day , June 3rd 2021, Modesto PD  threatened Juliet's girls and forcing them back to their abuser. This sexual assault  case has been opened for 10 months with the courts knowledge and evidence of the sexual abuse, physical abuse and fathers drug use, as well as evidence of his plan to traffic their children to San Diego.  Juliet has petitioned the court requesting an emergency domestic violence expartè, Judge Jacobson of Stanislaus County Family Court denied Juliet's request stating “allegations pertain to minors only.” This is a play book for our family courts to only traffic children for profit under the color of law. This has become a national epidemic. In upcoming episodes, Juliet with BrokenGirl Unchained and her investigating team joins mothers across the nation and  puts the Attorney General, their local judges, local  law enforcements,  State Governor, local Board of Supervisors and their malicious ex's on Legal Notice. Stating “STAND DOWN AND RETURN OUR CHILDREN” Per the Department of Justice this is one of many crimes“•Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. For the purpose of Section 242, acts under "color of law" include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim.The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242 Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, ... shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.”

Karen Paz Dominguez is the Auditor-Controller for Humboldt County. She is currently running for re-election. The election will take place on June 7th 2022. Link to documents currently published from PRA: https://www.thcoalition.org The Board of Supervisors meeting will take place Tuesday April 26th at 9am.

ICYMI: The Mo'Kelly Show Presents – An in-depth conversation with Actress and Mother, Roxanne Hoge; discussing her vision for Los Angeles in her bid the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to represent District 3 in California…

ICYMI: The Mo'Kelly Show Presents – Thoughts on Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a law to revoke Disney's ‘self-governance privileges' over the companies stance on the controversial “Don't Say Gay” bill…PLUS - Actress and Mother Roxanne Hoge joins the program to share her vision for Los Angeles in her bid the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to represent District 3 in California on KFI AM 640 – Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app

Councilmember Karbassi joins the show to discuss his "no" vote on the decision for Fresno to buy the Tower Theatre for $6.5m. A new law in CA requires law enforcement agencies to disclose their lists of military equipment. The Clovis City Council and the Kings County Board of Supervisors are concerned that it gives an advantage to criminals. Listeners comment on the sale of the Tower Theatre. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony O'Brien and Chris Fairchild of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors joined Keith Smith and me on “Real Talk With Keith Smith” powered by YES Realty Partners and Yonna Smith! “Real Talk With Keith Smith” airs every Tuesday and Friday from 10:15 am – 11 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Real Talk With Keith Smith” is presented by Ally Property Management, American Pest, Charlottesville Settlement Company, LLC, Closure Title & Settlement Co., Fincham & Associates, Inc., Free Enterprise Forum, Intrastate Service Co, Keller Williams Alliance, Pearl Certification, Ross Mortgage Corporation, Sigora Solar and YES Realty Partners.

This week, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed an interim county attorney, filling the position held by former county attorney Allister Adel. And more contention brewed over the state budget and handling its $5 billion surplus as the July 1 deadline inches closer. To discuss these stories and more, The Show spoke with Stacy Pearson, co-founder of Lumen Strategies, and Paul Bentz of consulting firm HighGround.

April 21, 2022 — The Board of Supervisors went over budget priorities in a preliminary fiscal review this week, where they learned details about the projected deficit and discussed belt-tightening measures. Interim CEO Darcie Antle summarized the most significant projected shortfalls, saying non-departmental revenue had had to be cut three percent, or $4.3 million, to meet the revenue projections for 2022-23. The health plan deficit is $5.7 million, not including the $2.5 million that have been incurred but not reported. “And as you know, there has been a decrease in cannabis tax revenue,” Antle remarked. The county got a significant cushion last year from ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act, a nearly $17 million grant intended to aid those most hard-hit by the pandemic. Instead, the board agreed last year to consider using ten million dollars of the grant to provide county core services and infrastructure, with $1.7 million of it to hire new staff, in the hopes of increasing staff to pre-covid levels. Almost one and a half million has already been allocated to vaguely defined support for public health covid response, and another $1.1 million to address negative economic impacts. The fiscal team suggested using further ARPA funds to alleviate the health plan deficit. Supervisor John Haschak expressed some misgivings, saying, “The original intent of the ARPA money was to have real community input into the process. And it doesn't sit well with me that we haven't done any community outreach with the ARPA funds and how they're going to be spent. Obviously we're in a time when we need to fix our budget. But I think we should have been doing community outreach and seeing how the community wanted to use this. Because it was meant for covid relief.” Deputy CEO Tim Hallman painted an overall picture that was not encouraging. Actual year-over-year revenues are down, he said. “From last year to this year, just in the budgeting alone, we're looking at a $1.4 million decrease, which does not include cost of living increases… So even though our costs have gone up, our revenues have gone down,” he concluded. And Deputy CEO Cherie Johnson spoke about the projected $5.7 million deficit in the health plan. “We are researching plan changes and potential increases to premiums,” she told the board. The projected $5.7 shortfall is based on end-of-year claims that will be coming in, and it does include last year's $1.1 million deficit. Hallman elaborated on the projected shortfall in cannabis tax. “It is showing close to a $4.5 million dollar decrease over what was collected in the 20-21 fiscal year,” he reported. “This of course is going to have a huge impact to the net county cost and its allocations.” Michael Katz, the Executive Director of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, took the opportunity to highlight the contributions of the cannabis industry to the local economy. “I'm drawn to the information provided in the budget document that shows that in fact the cannabis tax for the year 2020-21 wound up coming in at about $6.4 million, which is about $800,000 more than was previously projected,” he said. “It just goes to show that if you look at the trajectory of the consistent increase in cannabis tax revenue up until this point, that despite the challenges that we've had, our community continues to contribute more and more to this county, in the tiniest footprint imaginable, only 290 acres of licensed cannabis cultivation. And so when you're talking about the budget and how can we identify items that are revenue generating, it's pretty clear that doing everything in our power to save the existing licensed operators in the cannabis program…is the best immediate chance that this county has to maintain the revenues that it has come to expect from this community.” Patrick Hickey spoke on behalf of SEIU 1021, which represents most of the unionized county workers, to request a big-picture view of the budget. “From the presentation, we can't determine if we have a structural deficit, or are just experiencing a routine shortfall,” he declared. “There is no mention of the county's general fund reserve. The reserve is specifically for these sorts of situations. How much is currently in the general fund reserve? These funds are supposed to smooth out the dips and bumps along the way. The ARPA monies are not the only funds the county can access. The Board has identified a number of promising sources of ongoing revenue for beefing up property tax and TOT (transient occupancy tax) enforcement. The county has a number of unfilled positions that are revenue generators. Filling these should be a top priority. We need to remember that a large part of the county's budget is not covered by the general fund, but comes from other sources.” Antle provided more detail on the county's reserve funds, informing the public that the general fund reserve is at $12 million, while monthly expenses are $18 million. “And then the overall reserve is close to $20 million,” she added, which includes the HHSA and other restricted uses. The budget workshop and the third quarter report will be on May third, with the budget hearings taking place over two days on June seventh and eighth.

Jesse Rutherford of The Nelson County Board of Supervisors joined me live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show headlines (Thursday, April 21) UVA Health: 0 Adults With Covid Chili's To Be Seoul Korean Restaurant Jesse Rutherford Interview Public Transportation In Central VA Nelson County Sports Complex Short Term Vs Long Term Rentals 5th District Congressional Race Political Temperature In Virginia Viewer/Listener Comments The I Love CVille Show airs live before a worldwide audience Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network.

Many travelers heading north on Interstate 5 or Highway 99 only get a fleeting glimpse of the Sacramento Valley. However, those who know this region understand and appreciate how unique and valuable it is. The Sacramento Valley is an impressive patchwork of farms and communities, living and working in harmony with the environment. A worsening drought has led to major water cutbacks. Farmers will grow less and the communities with agriculture as their foundation will be impacted. Local officials are concerned about how lost farm production will impact their communities. “Those impacts are actually huge,” remarked Colusa County Supervisor Denise Carter, who farms with her husband, Ben. “You can just measure the magnitude in dollars, revenue to the county, and that revenue to the county and to the growers is there's a trickle-down effect. You have the equipment companies, you have the chemical companies, you have the fuel suppliers. You have also the people. In a drought like this, none of us can afford to hire as many people as we normally hire.” Colusa County has an annual value of all crops produced  of more than $900 million and is America's top rice growing county. Cutbacks from the Sacramento River this year are unlike anything experienced before. Concern for drought impacts is pervasive throughout the region. “Butte County, like many rural counties throughout America and California, is the economy revolves around agriculture,” said county supervisor and farmer, Tod Kimmelshue. “The farmers make money, but also the support services that serve agriculture, also do very well when things are good. Now, if land is going to be fallowed this year in Butte County and Northern California, we're concerned that some of those support services will also not do as well. So it has quite a ripple effect going through the whole county.” As this season plays out, the Sacramento Valley will be tested. Even with a difficult year ahead, optimism remains for the long haul. “We care deeply,” remarked Yuba City City Councilmember Grace Espindola. “The diversity of community is in our blood.” Espindola said building Sites Reservoir would be an excellent step to help California weather future droughts. Jim Morris: It's late April in the Sacramento Valley and, at least here along Highway 99 in Butte County, things appear somewhat normal. The recent rain is unusual, but unfortunately the lack of rain in the winter months is an all too familiar occurrence. What we're left with is unprecedented drought, which has extended for three years and it's causing uncertainty and concern like never before. Denise Carter: Quite honestly, no one has ever seen it this bad. Jim Morris: Welcome to Ingrained, the California Rice Podcast. I'm your host, Jim Morris, proud to have worked with farmers and ranchers throughout the state for more than 30 years to help tell their stories. During that time, there have been all too many dry years, but what's happening this time has never been experienced in the Sacramento Valley. Concerns are real and rising. Butte County is one of the state leaders in agriculture, with a crop value of well over $600 million a year. Farming is the foundation of this county and of our valley. Tod Kimmelshue is a family farmer and a retired ag finance banking advisor. He's now serving on the Butte County Board of Supervisors. Tod, for someone who isn't familiar with your area, how do you convey to them what farming and ranching mean here? Tod Kimmelshue: Butte County has always been a very strong farming community and we're very lucky also, to have an agricultural university here, Chico State, which trains farmers and agricultural people. We grow several different crops here, mostly almonds, walnuts and rice, and agriculture has a great deal of impact in this area. Jim Morris: I think many from afar think California weather is absolutely perfect. And we certainly have some perfect times, but we're in a bit of a rough stretch right now to be sure, not only the winter freeze for almonds, but also the awful drought entering year three now. Prime examples of how this has already been an agonizing year for many. What are your concerns about drought impacts? Tod Kimmelshue: The drought has had a huge impact on our water supply in this area. Much of Butte County rice is grown with surface water. And, when we have a drought, the reservoirs don't fill up, and so there's not enough water for the rice crops in this area. The other water source we have in Butte County are aquifers. And most of the orchardists in this area use the aquifers. However, those aquifers have been declining as well during the drought. Jim Morris: When land is idle and crops aren't abundant, what is the effect on non-farmers in your area? Tod Kimmelshue: Butte County, like many rural counties throughout America and California, is the economy revolves around agriculture. The farmers make money, but also the support services that serve agriculture, also do very well when things are good. Now, if land is going to be fallowed this year in Butte County and Northern California, we're concerned that some of those support services will also not do as well. So it has quite a ripple effect going through the whole county. Jim Morris: I've lived in Butte County, and I know Butte Strong is more than a slogan, it's a way of life. Looking back to the Camp Fire in Paradise, several years back, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. This region struggled mightily, but came through and rebounded. How much will your area need to rely on its resiliency to whether this latest setback? Tod Kimmelshue: Well, this is just another setback in many that has affected Butte County, and we consider ourselves very resilient. We've made it through some of these really terrible disasters. Drought is just another disaster that may impact us here in Butte County and probably will impact us economically. So we believe that we will weather this storm, just like farmers weather many different storms and weather conditions, and we will come out of this in the next couple years when we get more rain. Jim Morris: Colusa County is America's top rice growing county. Its crop values usually exceed $900 million a year. There are legitimate concerns about how this year will play out due to water cut backs. The biggest drought impacts are along the Sacramento River. Denise Carter and her husband, Ben, farm in this county. She's also a county supervisor, a role she served for nearly 15 years. Her background includes an engineering degree from UCLA. Denise, can you convey your concerns about the drought from the perspective as a grower and someone who's working on behalf of your county? Denise Carter: As a grower, I would say the cutback is significant. For us in our situation, since we are a settlement contractor along the river, with our 18 percent of Sacramento River water that we are going to receive, we are dedicating that to our rice crop. So we will grow basically half of what we normally grow. It's a small quantity and we grow organic rice, and obviously there's a real need in that market. So we're doing our little part with the water we have, to grow a little bit of rice. Jim Morris: How about your community that you represent and your concerns about those impacts? Denise Carter: Those impacts are actually huge. You can just measure the magnitude in dollars, revenue to the county, and that revenue to the county and to the growers is there's a trickle-down effect. You have the equipment companies, you have the chemical companies, you have the fuel suppliers. You have also the people. In a drought like this, none of us can afford to hire as many people as we normally hire. So quite frankly, that's my biggest concern is having jobs for people. And if we don't have jobs for people, what are they going to do? Are they going to leave their area? So, eventually maybe we will have more water, hopefully next year, will those people come back? Many of these employees have been in this county for years and have lived here and farmed here for years. And in Colusa County, agriculture is the number one industry. We are an agricultural-based county. So consequently, it's going to have a big hit on our county. Jim Morris: You mentioned economics, but I caught a bit of emotion, too. People know each other here, they're concerned for each other. So how emotional is this year going to be? Denise Carter: I think everybody knows each other in this community and there's going to be significant job loss in the county. People in this county do really take care of others in this county. I truly, truly believe that, and I've seen that so many times, but the magnitude of this job loss is going to be significant. And we have farmers who aren't going to be able to afford to hire as many people. And they're also not going to get the hours that they're used to getting. I was actually talking to someone about, at a tomato processing facility and they say, "People aren't going to be working 12 hour days. They'll be working 8 hour days." Denise Carter: Because again, you can hire more people at 8 hour days or maybe you don't even have enough product, but you can hire more people if they have less hours, and maybe that's enough to keep people, at least, going. I had a conversation a couple days ago at our local paint store. And I asked him how things are going. And he said, "They're going okay. The big projects are still happening, but what I'm not seeing is the walk-in traffic, the people coming in who want to just paint a bedroom." And I think it's because people can't afford to, quite honestly. There are priorities, food, shelter and transportation. Jim Morris: Agriculture, by nature, is cyclical. Have you seen or heard from other people, anything like what's happening this year? Denise Carter: No one has ever seen it this bad. And, you couple the lack of surface water with the strain on our groundwater and it's kind of a perfect storm right now. And it's very frightening from a lot of different aspects. Jim Morris: Grace Espindola legally immigrated at the age of two and has been a trail blazer, including becoming the first Mexican-American elected to the Yuba City, City Council. And Grace, can you tell me a little bit about your background and also the diversity of this area? Grace Espindola: I came to this country at a very young age. I was two years old, carried by my mother with one luggage and we were destined to come to Colusa. My father was working there in Colusa with Mayfair Packing Company. So he had established a place for us to live. So here we are, I'm now a City Council member. Jim Morris: That is so awesome. And reading from your biography at the age of 12, you began working in the orchards of Sutter County and your work has evolved into a variety of jobs, including fast food, a waitress, dishwasher, housekeeper, retail, insurance, home health, clerk, secretary, counselor, and many other jobs. So you have seen many different sides of this Sacramento Valley economy. How much is agriculture intertwined with all of the people here? Grace Espindola: One hundred percent of our community is connected to ag business or ag industry. One of the things that my mom said to me when I was 12 years old, that the reason that she thought I was going to be successful, is because I knew how to pick walnuts faster than any other kid. So having that kind of experience, working out in the orchards and knowing the value of the farm worker, working with the farmers and within the city of our city, who purchase a lot of consumer goods, it is a relationship. It is a community and that's what the value is. Jim Morris: And the Yuba Sutter area is amazing for agriculture when you look at walnuts, peaches, prunes, of course, rice. And so, what are your concerns specifically for agriculture, as we look at a year that we haven't seen before, a third year of drought? Grace Espindola: The biggest concern is having enough water for all of us. As a city, as an ag business, as a community, do we have enough water? Well, fortunately we are in a better situation than other parts of our state, that is good. But in the future, what would that look like? So we, as a community, part of my mission, part of my priority, working with farming community, working with local businesses, working with the farm workers and their families is to be able to come up with solutions that we can both live with. And I'm also working with the State Water Board, DWR, for that voice to be heard from local community members. Jim Morris: How much do people care for each other in this region? Grace Espindola: We care deeply. The diversity of community is in our blood. That in a farmer when you have, there's a family, and sometimes farm workers in that farming industry become part of the fabric of family. My family, working for Mayfair Packing Company, we had that connection and I have continued to utilize that philosophy in my work as an elected official, but, at the same time, as just another person who is trying to do the right thing for all of us. Jim Morris: I can feel your positivity and it is a very challenging year. How positive are you that through perseverance, this region is going to make it through? Grace Espindola: I have everything to believe that we're going to make it through. We have to be much more mindful on how we utilize water. We have to connect all of this, in order to be able to live amongst the needs of how we're going to utilize the water when it becomes less. But, when we have extra water, we also have to know how to store it, how to keep it, to utilize it for those times when we have droughts, like we are in now. Jim Morris: Sites Reservoir would be an excellent addition to California moving forward. Grace Espindola: I completely value Sites Reservoir. I went up there and did a tour and seen firsthand, and I see the entire benefit of all of our community. It will offer many jobs, it will bring economic boost, but most of all, what we all need, is we need to reserve water and be prepared for when those moments of drought, like we're living now, so let's get this built. Jim Morris: That will wrap up this episode, but you can find out more on the drought and on our podcast at calrice.org. We will keep you updated as the year progresses. I appreciate Tod Kimmelshue, Denise Carter and Grace Espindola for their time, comments and concerns for our region. Thanks for listening.

April 20, 2022 — Attendance was low at the first hybrid in-person zoom Board of Supervisors meeting in two years yesterday. After public comment, which ranged from unresolved issues in the cannabis department to dissatisfaction with the covid response, the Board received an update from state officials on the scientific review of Jackson Demonstration State Forest, which the Board requested last year. At the close of the presentation, the board voted unanimously to request representation on the Jackson Advisory Group, or JAG, though it hasn't been determined if that means an appointed representative or a supervisorial liaison. The JAG advises CalFire and the Board of Forestry on the management of JDSF. Last month, two new members joined the group. Reno Franklin is the chairman of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians in Sonoma County, and has served on the National Indian Health Board and is a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Joanna Nelson, the director of science and conservation for the Save the Redwoods League, joined the JAG with the intent of advising “on the development of improved, science-based restoration management practices,” according to an announcement by the conservation group. There was no written material accompanying the presentation by Deputy Director of California Natural Resources Jessica Morse and Demonstration Forest Manager Kevin Conway, of CalFire. Morse spoke about who will be involved in the scientific review. Dr. Elizabeth Forsberg, who is a PhD scientist with the Nature Conservancy, was appointed to the Board of Forestry in September. She will be running the management sub-committee of the Board of Forestry. “As to this board's request specifically around reviewing the science, the forest and wildfire resilience task force at the state has a science advisory panel made up by PhD forest scientists from the UC's and other institutions, and we've asked them to do a scientific review of the Jackson,” Morse said. “That study is underway right now, and they'll be reporting back to us in the coming months.” Marie Jones, a member of the Mendocino County Climate Action Advisory Committee and a county planning commissioner, wanted more detail. “I would love to actually see what the proposal is for the scientific study of JDSF,” she said. “It sounds a little haphazard, and like the advisory group will actually be doing some of the work. Is it possible to provide us with an outline of the proposed study so that we can look at it and be sure that our issues will actually be looked at?” Morse reminded supervisors that the board of forestry voted last year to review the JDSF management plan with an eye toward tribal co-management. But David Martinez, a longtime activist with Winnemem Wintu heritage, said he hasn't seen evidence of it yet. “I've been out into the forest many times, especially in the Caspar 500 and Soda Gulch,” he said. “What I see is the road building and the destruction of sacred sites, cultural properties, and I see the proposed destruction of cultural gathering zones. And it's all been approved and okayed. It is not okay to destroy the historical properties of the Pomo people. And the Yuki peoples. Everything in their management plan says they can do these things because it is necessary for forest product production. This has to change,” he insisted. That might be possible, with a different funding stream. Morse said this year there is a $10 million budget for the demonstration forests, “so that there's not any pressure to be able to harvest trees. We've asked for additional funding in this year's current budget before the legislature so that these demonstration forests can just have a steady income, so that their costs are covered and that they can be these world-class forests that we need them to be.” She added that, “There are some studies happening on carbon sequestration and climate resilience that these new investments are going to be focused on.” Conway said Calfire plans to use some of the money for a fuels reduction project on road 408-409 near the Caspar scales; improve trail signage; and conduct fire resiliency work, like completing a long-planned fuel break along Three Chop Ridge, and re-introducing prescribed fire to the forest. “We're also going to be engaging with some scientists to try to answer some of the questions that the community has about our forest management and climate change,” he said. He also reported on CalFire's efforts to engage the community, including the activists who have brought the logging to a standstill. “We have not entered into any timber sales in 2022, in order to give us an opportunity to give a public tour of the sales prior to going out,” he said. “We have also been slowing down our submittal of new plans…we had three members of your climate action advisory committee come out and look at the forest. We've done five community tours.” But Jones remained dubious about what she called the mission of the forest. She said that, “The climate action committee was taken on tour of the site by the Mendocino Redwood Company,” a prominent lumber company in Mendocino and Humboldt counties. “The fact that CalFire notes this as a project that they did illustrates to me the lack of separation of the forest industry and CalFire's management of JDSF. A lot of the talk this morning was about, seems like CalFire thinks there's a problem in communication. And I don't really think that's the problem. I think the problem is much more fundamental than that. And it's the mission and the role of this publicly owned property that composes 50,000 acres in our county, and the value that it can provide in terms of addressing climate change, providing jobs in the tourism and recreation industry. And those things are negatively impacted by the relentless focus on cutting down trees.”

Zach debriefs the City of Tucson Council meeting and Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting from the day prior, then talks with syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette about immigration policy and conversation.

This week, we MIX THINGS UP by starting OFF with a guest, Manchester modern artist Brandy Patterson - before we circle back with some updates on PETERBOROUGH TOWN MEETING ISSUES. First, our guest: * Brandy's exhibit, "The Color of Music" is on display at the Peterborough Town Library from April 2-May 28 * APRIL 22 FROM 5-7 IS THE LIVE RECEPTION WITH BRANDY and MUSIC FROM CHAD * Brandy has synesthesia, meaning that she sees colors associated with music and emotion; the paintings in the exhibit were inspired by the colors produced by the sounds of her husband Chad's songs * Each painting on exhibit displays this process - the practice paintings that eventually gave birth to the completed work, as well as a QR code to Chad's song that inspired the work (you cannot buy a practice painting) * Chad is our sound lord Brandy is at: https://www.bmpatterson.com/ Friday's Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/650093749391948/ AND THEN * Updates on #freebritany - our own local unwilling murder accomplice is finally being freed (just the facts, awful story, outside of Peterborough) * Returning to the imperial center of the region, we discuss the responses we've received from our opening coverage of the Peterborough Town Meeting 2022 (especially the big $30,000!! Which is actually now only $15,000) * We aren't sure this is worth a debate but IF THE PEOPLE WANT A DEBATE ON THIS SUBJECT, WE WILL HOST IT * We review comments people have sent in, which leads us to some original meeting notes (was there a bid to begin with?) * There ARE 5 years' worth of numbers on this (but can you measure peoples' hearts?) * Some truly big names are SAID to have come here due to Instagram (we really are living in an unfinished novel) * LET'S TRY TO KEEP THIS IN PERSPECTIVE * OK, but IS there something controversial about the Supervisors of the Checklist Race?? * We will be having a debate at the Library May 5 - Details to Come * We know a lot of dirt about what goes on in Temple but we can't talk about any of it Contact us: Hate mail and information about how to send us your awesome calendar photos: diloreto@monadnockunderground.com Submissions: submit@monadnockunderground.com AgEx Farm Listings: zoe@monadnockunderground.com Advertising/Sponsorship: sam@monadnockunderground.com www.gomonadnock.com/ www.monadnockunderground.com/ This episode was produced by Sound Lord Chad Patterson of Studio 117. GO TO Studio 117 - www.studio117.net/ - for ALL your mixing, mastering, and recording needs in 2022 AND BEYOND. He is a hero. PLUS he's got a band now and you can BOOK THEM: www.facebook.com/DownByTen/

On Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that would limit how police store and use DNA profiles obtained from evidence and kept in their labs. The changes happened after the district attorney's office found the San Francisco Police Department had used DNA from a survivor's rape kit to link her to an unrelated crime years later. It's hard to know just how many people's DNA was used in this way, raising concerns about what power law enforcement yields with advancements in DNA technology. Guest: Alex Emslie, reporter for KQED This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Christopher Beale, hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and edited by Kyana Moghadam

Adam opens the show talking about a chat he had with 22-year-old industry kid before a TV hit last night. Then, Adam plays an audio clip of an inmate on murder charges praising Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. Adam talks about the White House being “disappointed” that a federal judge struck down the mask mandate for travelers, which leads to a rant about how defiance angers politicians. LA County Board of Supervisors candidate Kevin Dalton joins the show and talks about ways to improve some of LA's issues including rolling back unnecessary regulations and solving the rampant homeless crisis. Before the break, we play a clip of Gavin Newsom giving a horrible interview answer and Kevin talks about wanting to represent LA's district #1. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING TODAY'S SPONSORS: SimpliSafe.com/ADAM FastGrowingTrees.com/ADAM Apartments.com MasterSpas.com enter ADAM Lifelock.com enter ADAM Geico.com Pluto.TV

Ned Gallaway, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and General Manager of CarLotz, and Neil Williamson, President of Free Enterprise Forum, joined Keith Smith and me on “Real Talk With Keith Smith” powered by YES Realty Partners and Yonna Smith! “Real Talk With Keith Smith” airs every Tuesday and Friday from 10:15 am – 11 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Real Talk With Keith Smith” is presented by Charlottesville Settlement Company, LLC, Pearl Certification, Intrastate Inc., Scott Morris – Home Loans and Sigora Solar.

On this episode of WTF California Podcast, Hayward Police Sergeant Scott Lungers killer gets at least 50 years after a 7-year case. California delays coronavirus vaccine mandate for schools while we get into several City of Antioch items from new city department to booting out non-profits to homeless trailers collecting dust in the yard. We also find out Contra Costa County Assessor Gus Kramer defeats Board of Supervisors in court and judge rules BOS violated The Brown Act. Plus more.   Articles From the Show Hayward cop killer Mark Estrada sentenced to at least 50 years California delays coronavirus vaccine mandate for schools California delays coronavirus vaccine mandate for schools FDA authorizes first breath test to detect COVID-19 New Antioch city department has only two new services, takes five services from other departments PD: Officers arrest person in Folsom after pursuit, gun battle in Sacramento neighborhood SFPD make their case for staffing increase before board of supervisors' committee GameStop victim of repeated mob-style thefts; community calls it a crisis in the Mission 'They are going to keep on doing it': Store owners considering arming themselves amid crime surge Man arrested after allegedly pushing woman into path of moving train during argument in Riverside

Rant and Rave chat about the secular assault on our core values, families and children and what you can do about it. Examples discussed include paying a living wage of $1000/month to transgender and non-binary queers in Palm Springs; CO and OK abortion laws just passed outlaw it in one place (OK) and incent it in another (CO), no big surprise as CO has been colonized by and destroyed by CA Lib Tards over last 20 years; Disney and the radical attack on the family from a CA woke corporation to try and push pedophilia and alternate lifestyles on young children; Judge Jackson, the Supreme Court and her soft on child rapists and pornographers; the Hunter Biden laptop from hell and his depraved lifestyle and ties between the Biden Crime Family and the CCP; and how the LA County Board of Supervisors has banned business travel for its employees to FL and TX because they don't like their laws! Now that last one I love ! Stay out! 

California has millions of acres of overgrown forestland. It's raw fuel for potentially catastrophic wildfires. In late 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new program to dramatically speed up the state's wildfire prevention work. But an investigation from CapRadio and The California Newsroom found the program hasn't resulted in a single completed project. Reporter: Scott Rodd, CapRadio California's push for green energy could inadvertently harm one of its most famous species. As more and more wind turbines go up in the state, the companies behind them are looking to prevent unintended deaths of critically endangered California condors.  Reporter: Matt Guilhem, KCRW  Where oh where have California's school kids gone? The state's K-12 public school enrollment is down again this year by 110,000 students. That's on top of a drop of 161,000 last year.  Reporter: Julia McEvoy, KQED San Francisco tenants now have the right to organize, under legislation that took effect this week. The Board of Supervisors approved the protections for tenants to form associations like labor unions. Reporter: Maria Fernanda Bernal, KQED

Lucy Han comes on the show to talk about LA finally starting to tow RVs. The LA County Board of Supervisors voted to give the county personnel director the power to fire any county worker that didn't get a COVID-19 vaccine. Peter Doocy & Jen Psaki had another back and forth today.