Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Chair Dolly Riley.
1. Roll call. We will record names of those present except for those who state they wish to remain anonymous.
  Present were: Chair Dolly Riley, Vice Chair Jini Reynolds, Treasurer Katrina Frey, Member Christine Boyd, Member Sattie Clark, Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough, and Alternate Member Marybeth Kelly. Also Present: Sheriff Matt Kendall, Teresa King, Dana Kornegay, Sheilah Rogers, Beth Salamone, Bree Klotter, Fred Imhoff, Supervisor Glenn McGourty, Meredyth Reinhold, Martha Barra, Alex De Grasse, Cathy Monroe
Approval of Minutes of 11-11-20. Chris Boyd shared information on the sidewalk survey. For more information contact Chris. Member Chris Boyd motioned to approve. Member Sattie Clark seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Chair Dolly Riley Aye Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds Aye Treasurer Katrina Frey Aye Member Chris Boyd Aye Member Sattie Clark Aye Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough
Public Comments
Beth Salomone requested to present for about five minutes on Agenda item #4, the Redwood Valley water supply issue. Gizmo Henderson commented about changes to the speed limit and potential consequences, Agenda item #4, stating he may have to leave. Teresa King asked if public comments are allowed during other times of the meeting. Dolly said that public comments are welcome at all times but this time is specifically designated for public comments not already on the Agenda. If the time exceeds three minutes and the item is deemed important to Redwood Valley citizens, it can go on the next Agenda.
Report from County and Agencies on Current Events The vote was for approval of a letter to Mendocino County Dept. of Transportation requesting traffic mitigation measures and requesting response. MOVE 2030 Big MAC update and recommendations for expenditure of PG&E settlement funds: Sheilah Rogers stated she wanted to remind everyone that the PG&E settlement funds will soon be at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors. She encouraged citizens of Redwood Valley to speak up and represent their needs. This item hasn't made the board Agenda yet. She said the MAC would be an excellent representation of the citizens of Redwood Valley as far as the use of those funds for Fire Councils and reconstruction. She stated that preparedness and resilience is more important than recovery. Russian River Cemetery District (RRCD) gravesite lawsuit update: Dana Kornegay, office manager for RRCD stated that recently a Mr. Pritcher has been in dispute over a 15-foot block of land. He is suing the Cemetery District for trespassing and has been trying to get them to remove the graves and fences on that 15 ft of land. Currently the district is looking for next of kin to the deceased persons in the graves in order to properly advocate to the court to decide what is to be done about the location of those graves. We need help location the next of kin in order for the community to have a say in what happens. Various actions and settlements have been issued. Chris Boyd asked if the land is proven to be his or the County’s or if it is unknown. Dana confirmed that the land is indeed his, however the land has been used for public use for over 100 years, a fact which they are hoping will take precedence in court. Marybeth Kelly noticed that this was also voiced on Facebook and spoke to several people who claim to be next of kin, whom she directed to Dana Kornegay. Dana said that family members need to be directly related. The one person whom they did find had no interest in being involved. They have spoken to several other distant relatives. Dolly Riley said that the MAC will not be involved in any lawsuits however they can help spread the word to help find the next of kin. Dana concluded that the Cemetery District has no right to the bodies in the graves but prefer they remain undisturbed. Sattie Clark asked if the MAC was allowed to take a position without allowing the court to subpoena us. Chris Boyd believes the lawsuit will swing in the direction of leaving the graves intact due to the historical and longevity aspects. Chis offered to put something on the website and asked for contact info. Dana noted she had forwarded documents to Dolly. Gizmo stated he also believes that it's best to stay out of the lawsuit. Agreeing that it is historical would be as far as the MAC could go. Dolly said that if a particular member is feeling motivated, they could write a letter however it is very likely that they would get subpoenaed. Speed limit and sidewalk issues, citizen originated letter for MAC approval: At a previous MAC meeting a minor spoke about a speeder trying to run her off the road while on her bike. Meredyth Reinhard drafted a letter and Dolly added to it. Dolly requested that Patricia Ris-Yarbrough’s additions, which include additional speed limit signs for 40 mph, solar speed limit signs, double fines in residential areas, and police-controlled ticketing. Gizmo liked the letter and suggested we get a CHP deputy to join a meeting. He also suggested a member of Caltrans join to discuss the width of the roads entering Redwood Valley. He feels that not enough people understand the valley is surrounded by freeway and that safe driving is important. Dolly noted that in the letter the MAC invited a member of the County Dept. of Transportation (DOT) to join. Katrina Frey requested Tomki Road be added to the areas being discussed. She noticed that the roads have been high-trafficked due to cannabis activity, and would like additional signs of 35 mph to be added on Tomki Road. Christine Boyd motioned to incorporate the changes made today and then send the letter. Gizmo thought that a boundary line in the road may be helpful to remind drivers of the speed limit change. He also mentioned that federally there are consequences. Dolly said she would follow up with a phone call to DOT encourage someone from their office to join the next meeting. Sattie Clark motioned to make the changes and send the traffic letter, Katrina seconded the motion. All members voted to approve. Noise complaints and Sheriff's response: Following many noise complaints on social media in December, Dolly Riley had emailed Sheriff Matt Kendall, who had responded saying that citizens should be reporting the noise complaints. Sheriff Kendal said that while the County doesn’t have a noise ordinance the State has Penal Code 415, which includes noise complaints and disturbing the peace. He said that the calls are responded to however priority will go to more urgent crimes first. Sheriff Kendall said that while a deputy might not be available the same day it is still logged and it will still be acted upon. If it's considered a public nuisance the DA can decide to pursue legal action. Marybeth Kelly said that every year around holidays explosions and gunshots seem to be getting louder. She also said she hears random explosions and gunshots. She said that she asks about it on Facebook and often the origin of the noise is unclear, with people not wishing to seek it out due to fear of retribution. Sheriff Kendal said regardless it's important to report everything because it could possibly aid in things like homicide, and more information is always better. Meredyth Reinhard described New Year’s Eve as “terrifying”. She said she didn't call 911 because it wasn't an emergency and asked if maybe there was another number to call for non-emergencies. Sheriff Kendall said 463-4086 is a non-emergency number and reminded everyone that with a lack of officers, fireworks won't always be at the top of the response list. He added that soon they will begin doing PSAs for the fire season. Sattie Clark wants to share what we learned today with the rest of the community to encourage people to be more active in reporting disturbances. Adopt-A-Road news: Meredyth Reinhard said that the December cleanup was successful and many showed up to participate. Jessie Tanning Sanchez was of particular help. The next cleanup is on March 20, 2021. They encouraged other groups to sign up and she was happy with how it united the community. Air quality around the pellet plant: Patricia Ris-Yarbrough stated she had nothing to report. Jini Reynolds stated she looked into the Brown Act and concluded that it's out of the Redwood Valley area and therefore the MAC’s jurisdiction, and that we could respond independently but not as the whole MAC. Chris Boyd said she thinks that if the pollution is affecting Redwood Valley it's within the jurisdiction, and noted that the issue was brought up by the tribal community who were directly affected by the smoke. Jini said that she will arrange to learn further however she wanted to share the info to ensure nobody gets in any trouble. Redwood Valley water conveyance issues: Dolly said that she attended the California Water Commission workshop on 1-12-21 that was supposed to discuss North Coast water conveyance but they did not, rather they only covered areas inland. Beth Salamone, Director of the Russian River Flood Control District said Redwood Valley water comes from multiple sources and is controlled by multiple entities. The rights to Lake Mendocino water are often only available to the Redwood Valley County Water District (RVCWD) three weeks out of the year and it's not considered a stable and reliable source, providing surplus water only. Groundwater is available however it is not designed to sustain the projected growth of the community in the coming years. Surplus water is not available during times of drought and is not projected to be received in 2021. Redwood Valley is currently taking drastic measures and soon all water designated for agricultural use will be cut off. Most water comes from Lake Mendocino which is mainly fed from tributaries and the Eel and the Russian rivers starting back at Lake Pillsbury which is controlled by PG&E. Local water districts and the parties requesting re-license for the Potter Valley project are trying to preserve as much water as possible to maintain water storage however we are still in a long-term water shortage which will be dramatically magnified in the future. Recently they created a task force but she believes that our best bet would be through community participation. She sent a map to Dolly showing how water moves from lake Pillsbury down the rivers to Lake Mendocino. Dolly agreed that in the future we will be facing less runoff and shrinking snowpack. Marybeth said that back in 2014 the ag water was shut off with no notice and asked if notice will be given this year. Dolly invited Bree Klotter, member of RVCWD, to speak on the topic. Bree stated she is learning a lot as she was ignorant to these issues until recently. Sattie said that farmers who lost crops to the fires have recently finished replanting but it is important for crops to have water for the first few years in order to establish them. If the water is cut off that could be disastrous. Bree agreed and stated that they have been strategizing other ways to get water; she suggested hauling water in. Member Sattie Clark motioned to approve. Treasurer Katrina Frey seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Chair Dolly Riley Aye Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds Aye Treasurer Katrina Frey Aye Member Chris Boyd Aye Member Sattie Clark Aye Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough
Cannabis Neighborhood Policy Subcommittee-Patricia, Sattie, Martha B. A vote was made to send a letter regarding complaints and suggestions around the County cannabis policy to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, with additions to the letter of a disclaimer, signature from RV MAC Chair, and MAC letterhead and logo. Sattie Clark requested members discuss and approve a letter drafted to address the cannabis ordinance. Dolly Riley asked who had already read the letter, and all had read it. Sattie described the letter containing complaints, including removal of historic vineyards which alter the landscape, light pollution from hoop houses, generators and fans crating noise, unregulated use of chemicals and fertilizers because they are not regarded as agricultural but instead commercial, unregulated water use and decreasing well production, the use of non-native soils bringing chemicals and hazardous waste which leach into the water table, erosion issues, and reduction of water also directly affect habitats. The current cannabis ordinance does not require a resident on the land in use. Unresponsiveness from fish and game has also been an issue. Gang and cartel activity has also increased which endangers everyone due to lack of law enforcement. Permits are also severely backlogged. Sattie says that extending these licenses is probably not the best idea before the consequences are sorted out. Sattie said that we are concerned that there is still no path for small family growers and that the MAC is currently working on a proposal which would include mandatory sustainable practices and require a resident on the land. She wants to be more inclusive of small family farmers. Martha Barra said Mendocino County is very different from the other counties, more mountainous, and said to be prepared for many applicants to not pass and that getting the State involved may be a good idea. Katrina Frey mentioned that no agricultural products have been approved for the use of commercial cannabis which would mean that all practices are already organic. Martha said that there is no oversight until 2022 and until then essentially any product could be used. Patricia Ris-Yarbrough offered to forward some information to Katrina to aid in her research. Dolly said that the letter would need a heading for Redwood Valley MAC, identify that it was from the cannabis Ad Hoc subcommittee, and include a disclaimer sentence that it was not necessarily the opinion of the Board of Supervisors. Chris Boyd said that if everyone was comfortable it could be signed and sent directly from the MAC itself. She also said that citing specifics would be great as well. Alex de Grassi had a conversation with Brent Shultz and mentioned that Brent's response would be very sympathetic for some of the reasons directly mentioned in the letter. He agreed that Humboldt and Lake Counties are ahead of the game in terms of ordinance regulation. Teresa King asked if there was an opportunity for people not involved in the MAC to access the letter being sent and the documents involved. Dolly said yes. Sattie asked for a vote on letter approval but also voiced that there would be benefits to doing additional research. Dolly said it's fine to make the letter from the MAC. Alex said it would be best to send it as soon as possible. Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds motioned to approve. Treasurer Katrina Frey seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Chair Dolly Riley Aye Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds Aye Treasurer Katrina Frey Aye Member Chris Boyd Aye Member Sattie Clark Aye Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough
Development Review Subcommittee: Marybeth, Jini, Patricia, Gizmo Marybeth Kelly asked if the MAC would hear only about permits, and not proposed development. Alex de Grasse said the MAC receives notice regarding pending permits. Marybeth said that there is a current permit request for a distillery at the Flow Kana site, needed to permit minimal local sales. Dolly Riley asked if anyone objected to this change and no one objected.
CAP: Interim Community Action Plan and Design Review: Chris, Sattie, Alex, Sheilah
Alex de Grasse asked about the plan which was pending last July. Chris Boyd said in August 2020 it had been sent to multiple people however there had been no response back. We can continue to update the plan however we will still be at the discretion of the County as it is still in the process of review. Alex said that specific and concise guidelines are the backbone of the plan and should be what is present, using language such as “shall” when possible rather than “should”. The process can be sped up with clarity and flexibility in terms of smaller details. This can help the County in their planning process especially with the lack of staffing. Alex also designated Marybeth as the MAC member in charge of the PO box. Sattie wanted to make sure that her comments are included in the letter, and Chris noted they were. Alex said that if the MAC ends up being the design review board then we would want the CAP to be clear. Martha Barra noted that Planning & Building is occupied with other work due to Covid 19.
Officers and Members Reports and Announcements Dolly Riley asked that we continue to recruit for 1 Member and 1 Alternate Member. Dolly presented that Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer need to be voted on. She noted that the Secretary position had already been voted on 11-11-20 for Zoe Bigelow to remain Secretary, whose vote would come up for review in April 2021. Satie motioned to approved Dolly for Chair, Jini for Vice Chair, and Katrina for Treasurer. Chris seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Member Sattie Clark motioned to approve. Member Chris Boyd seconded the motion.

The roll call vote:

Aye Chair Dolly Riley Aye Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds Aye Treasurer Katrina Frey Aye Member Chris Boyd Aye Member Sattie Clark Aye Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough
Adjournment. Next meeting 2-10-21.
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm, running over by agreement.
No Action