Call to Order and Approval of Minutes of 4-14-21.
Present: Dolly Riley, Jin Reynolds, Katrina Frey, Christine Boyd, Adam Gaska, Patricia Ris-Yarbrough, Marybeth Kelly, Sattie Clark. Also present: Supervisor Glenn McGourty, Gizmo Henderson, Sheriff Matt Kendall, Carre Brown, Darcie Antle, Bree Clotter, Danilla Sands, Eileen Mitro, Sheliah Rogers, Sarah Reith, Meredyth Reinhard, Granville Pool, Cathy Monroe, Sandra Berman, Estelle Clifton. The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Chair Dolly Riley. Adam Gaska has been sworn in and was welcomed as a voting member. One amendment was made to last month's Minutes, and present members voted to approve. Dolly proposed to honor former 1st District Supervisor Carre Brown with a resolution put together by MAC members. The resolution described Supervisor Brown's accomplishments in the community, highlighted her strengths, and thanked her for her guidance and support. Sheilah Rogers thanked Carre Brown for her service and her work in helping to found the Municipal Advisory Council and in helping the Redwood Valley community to gain a voice on policy decisions that affect the community. Chris Boyd congratulated her on her retirement, saying she will be missed. Katrina Frey noted Carre's dedication to the local people after the Redwood Complex Fire, she couldn't imagine what it must've been like to be the supervisor. Supervisor Glenn McGourty stated that he hears often that she was irreplaceable, her attention to detail and immaculate knowledge is difficult to keep up with and he appreciated the time she spent teaching him and talking with him. Jini Reynolds remembered the first time she heard Carre's name, and thanked her for her inspiration to all countrywomen. Sheriff Matt Kendall appreciated how he was treated and that she never stopped thinking about the little guys just trying to make it, he added that she was concerned about those around her and did her best to make sure everyone got through it. Her communication and dedication set a really good example for how It’s done. Gizmo Henderson said that he first saw Carre Brown at Lake Mendocino and thought she was someone showing tourists around because she was involved with people around the County. Dolly Riley remembered Carre as the Director of th Farm Bureau and relied on Carrie for information. Carrie said that she cares about all of those present, she's always available, and thanked all for the kind words and recognition, adding that it's been a tough year and when she first started she knew Redwood Valley was in trouble and her heart went out to those in need. She said she learned how to be a good leader, she appreciated the recognition, and thanked all for carrying on Redwood Valley's voice. Sattie thanked Carrie further.
Treasurer Katrina Frey motioned to approve. Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor 0 Opposed
Abstained Absent Recused
Public Comments
Dolly invited Eileen Mitro of Climate Action Alliance and Meredith Reinhard to speak. Eileen said she is focused on Ukiah's issues of carbon emissions and development of solar power. Meredyth said the Adopt A Road clean up will take place on June 5th from 9 to 11 a.m, meeting first at the RV Grange, and recently they started advertising on social media, and that the turnout was excellent last time. Gizmo thanked CHP for their efforts at fire prevention warnings along Hwy 101- it seems safer, and he hopes that during the fire season fewer vehicles will spark fires. The amber alert signs will be projecting “don't drag chains it starts fires” soon, especially during the high travel weekends. Danilla Sands of Disaster Resource Center stated they recently changed their name to United Disaster Relief of Northern California, to recognize their wide range of efforts. They will be relocating to an old service station near White Deer Lodge on Hwy 101 in Willits, and will be partnering with other offices to further help the communities. Dolly thanked them for their services.
Public Discussion of PG&E $22 mil Settlement Funds after the 2017 fire. A vote was taken after much discussion regarding the MAC sending a letter to the Board of Supervisors regarding the PG&E Settlement funds. At last meeting, the MAC devoted time to allowing the public to create a list depicting how the community would like the PG&E settlement funds to be spent, and Chair Dolly Riley composed a letter to the Board of Supervisors using that information. Dolly asked for discussion and ideas regarding the letter. Sheilah Rogers said that decisions would be made in late June but she is very concerned about the fire department's requests and wants to make sure they were honored. Sattie Clark stated she is not sure the Supervisors have made any indication that the money will be spent in the next few months. There are additional sources of funding for the Redwood Valley Fire Department and she wanted to know where that money has been going if it hasn't been going to the Fire Department. If there will be no action in the next 30 days, we may want to reach out to the community for further information on how this money needs to be spent. Dolly said that we could always write another letter in July. Bree Clotter is unsure what the recommendations are but she's sure that the last thing the board wants is a laundry list they might respond better to a list of top priorities only. The proposed letter from the MAC argues for the funds to stay in Redwood Valley and Potter Valley for water security, fire departments, evacuation needs. Examples are making Tomki Road passable, Redwood Valley Grange improvements, survival preparation such as brush removal and fire sirens. Chris Boyd wanted to mention emergency alert and warning as the first and foremost priority, she stated the overall cost is uncertain but it would be cost-effective. She stated that to her knowledge that cameras are already in place so it might not be as pressing. Sheilah believes that the settlement funds may not be available to individual community members. Dolly said she would remove private stipends. Bree believes that not only Redwood Valley but all the counties and agencies responding to fires would benefit from an improved emergency response system. Marybeth thanked Dolly for writing the letter but thinks she should add mention of the 2018 document Redwood Complex Fire Recovery Project Work Plan. Sheilah said that quite a bit of work went into that document. Sattie said she had skimmed the document and said that dead trees have been an immense chore that has impacted her personally. The conservation service could potentially help with half of the cost to begin removal. Chris said that often there is a huge match that needs to be presented, she wished there were people in the community who would write a grant. Glenn McGourty said that Darcie Antle is very involved in helping the County resolve the settlement fund allocation, and Glenn added that the fire engines take quite a while to be received regardless of how soon we get those funds. Darcie Antle said that several options were discussed, a list of the projects was completed. and the County was working on getting federal and state funds for the use of tree removal and the water project, and several others. Several are still pending the approval process and offered those documents to be forwarded. Cathy Monroe said that a tremendous amount of her property is dead trees ready to go up in flames which becomes a problem for all of us. She cleared some areas but she doesn't have enough money to clear the whole property. She thinks some fire breaks or prescribed burns would be helpful, Tomki Road is still full of brush and it could be beneficial to connect with property owners. EQUIP- the conservation program that reimburses for tree removal, helped her with tree removal. She said that the County is paying for grant writing. Darcie interjected LACO is and has been responsible for writing the grants. The disaster recovery team continues to come through with projects and usually, the match is about 25%. Hazard mitigation grants are available after disasters. Cathy said that the community foundation might be able to help with the matching. Adam Gaska said he supports the letter and agrees that a second one should be written. Dolly asked to let this letter go forward with an alert system as first and foremost, with the addition of improved communication. Sattie advocated for the removal of standing dead trees and feels that the money should be spent on projects relating to the fire. She offered to reconfigure the wording with Dolly. Patricia wondered if it would make sense to scratch out the things that we don't need. Darcie mentioned that the board released a rating scale that could be helpful. Dolly asked for Darcie to send that to her. Carre Brown said that the microwave facility and 911 facility needs updating. Marybeth wondered about the deadline. Glenn wanted to make sure that this decision isn't rushed but will begin to finalize soon, and we need to be sure we are making the right decision. He said he feels the pain that the community is experiencing but it's important to be equitable countywide he wants to ensure that all needs are addressed. Jini, Katrina, Chris, Sattie, Patricia, Adam, Dolly voted to approve the letter to the board with the discussed changes. Member Chris Boyd motioned to approve. Treasurer Katrina Frey seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor Opposed
Abstained Absent Recused
Report from County and Agencies on Current Events Guest speaker, Trent Taylor, who is contracted to Planning & Building Dept, cancelled his appearance, but called Dolly Riley to say that he would like to wait until the County BOS can firm up the cannabis rules, then would like Dolly to get the okay from his supervisor, Nash Gonzales, for him to speak. Trent said it would be good to include P&B Civil Enforcement John Birkes to be present, and Cannabis Program Manager Kristin Nevedal to answer questions as well. Dolly stated that this is what she will do for a future MAC. Patricia Ris-Yarbrough stated she had reached out several times to Trent, was never contacted, but was happy the MAC received a response. Patricia stated we currently are in a 'no-man's land' with cannabis rules, and she is disappointed in the lack of authority. Estelle Clifton stated she also noticed the lack of communication and believes it is a problem with the leadership somewhere along the line. Gizmo Henderson stated he noticed this which is why he's so appreciative of the CHPs efforts because we all have to use the roads and the ripple effect of having at least some laws in some places helps. Sattie Clark agreed that there has been zero cannabis enforcement and is blown away that the BOS wants to move forward. Supervisor Glenn McGourty wanted to tell everyone that with a complaint-based program we are learning code enforcement is very important. Essentially they will go down the list for who is permitted and who isn't and at that point they will be notified to disable the operation. The Sheriff can get involved if need be but it is definitely an impact in the water supply. Highway patrol is also cracking down on the illegal water trucks. The people who aren't playing by the rules will be put out of business. Sheriff Kendall said that he has spoken with as many people possible from the State however 2.5 people in the marijuana enforcement unit is no longer sufficient. The traffic citations are remedying the violators. They have seized thousands of plants this year alone, he has advocated for the National Guard but they can't write warrants and they can't write permits. A lot of people came to Mendocino County and took advantage of the good nature of the people here. He doesn't want to see Redwood Valley turn into Covelo. The only way to support those who are doing it right is to stop those who are doing it wrong. We cannot afford to be divided right now. We've seen a lot of division over this issue but he knows he will get assistance from the State because we cannot continue in the direction we are headed. A lot of programs have been shut down in the past due to public pressure and now is not the time for that. It's not going to be taken care of in 24 hours, the problem didn't show up in 24 hours. It'll take some long and hard work. Patricia stated she is already getting PTSD from the consequences of wild growth. Are we going to need to move out? Sherriff Kendall intends to remove the profit from the business because then the violators will leave. These drug cartels are multibillion-dollar operations and once they realize it isn't profitable to be here they will leave. Sattie asked if the penalties are sufficient enough to encourage those changes. Sheriff Kendall said that the most important thing is a measured response; there are some folks who are simply doing this because nobody told them not to. They’re not gonna get away with it anymore. Some people deserve a swat team, some people deserve a county official with a clipboard. Glenn said that a sizable amount of grows in Humboldt County have been taken care of due to heavy fees and authoritative action. Cathy Monroe agreed enforcement is a critical thing however she wanted to highlight that realtors have been promoting cannabis in Mendocino County and places where it shouldn't be. Redwood Valley water issues: Dolly attended a water issue meeting on May 5th with Senator McGuire and RV County Water District members. The announcement by Senator McGuire that the State has a budget for RV water pipes, it will be done this year, used water will be recycled, and it will be no cost to water rate payers; sounded like water sourcing to Redwood Valley, but Dolly learned later it was actually about sourcing water for the flushing of the newly installed water pipes after the fires. Dolly stated that Senator had added that money has been set aside for relief from the drought in California. Tom Schoeneman of the RV water district stated that lack of water is a problem and definitely deserves some of the funding from the PG&E settlement. Tom stated we have no Ag water, the AG water pond is for fighting fires and this water cannot be used to water plants. Senator McGuire's infrastructure project (flushing the water lines) is how we can draw his attention. Our water board is looking at how to tap into other sources of water but this probably won't happen incredibly soon. Tom stated we must show support for this infrastructure project because the Senator can help us with sustainable clean water from Ukiah. Katrina Frey suggested a tractor parade to show support. Tom stated it is currently illegal to pull water from a fire hydrant but this is happening every day. Sheriff added we should call 911 if you see someone pulling from a fire hydrant. Jini Reynolds mentioned that it's really important to take pictures of water trucks pulling water and Sattie Clark asked who these could be sent to. Sheriff Kendall said they could be emailed to Kendalllm@mendocinocouny.org or cannabisprogram@mendocinocounty.org Bree Klotter of the water district wanted to make it very clear that when those lines get flushed it needs to be with potable water, however, Redwood Valley does not have that water so it will be shipped in from Ukiah and reclaimed. The company running this is going to be advertising this service with signs and community members can state where signs could go. She also got a call from the Redwood Valley water district about a false Facebook post, that there are no funds for a pipeline or even an intertie between here and Millview. We are in a serious drought, we are only receiving water from Millview, they are under no obligation to sell us that water so we are particularly vulnerable. There is no guarantee that Ukiah would sell us that water, it would be municipal anyway. Somehow or another we need to become part of the Russian River district to ensure agricultural water. Fire preparedness update.
Cannabis Policy Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Patricia, Sattie This item was not discussed. At 6:45 p.m. Chair Dolly Riley stated that due to lack of time she will 'trail' (leave and go back to) Agenda items 5,6, and 7, and go now to item 8.
Development Review Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Marybeth, Jini, Patricia This item was not discussed.
CAP: Interim Community Action Plan and Design Review: Chris, Sattie
This item was not discussed.
Officers and Members Reports and Announcements The MAC voted to allow the Grange and Zoom expenses described below. Treasurer Katrina Frey said that as the end of the year is nearing the funds will evaporate and there are several expenses. Dolly Riley proposed the MAC pay for some needs at the RV Grange, since the MAC and public have and will again use it for our meeting venue. Proposed expenditures: American Disability Act signs at $345 and a conference table at $275 for the Grange. Christine Boyd mentioned that some of those funds could be used to pay for an update the website which the secretary could do. Patricia asked about the ADA ramp. Marybeth Kelly said that the Grange is far from ADA compliant and the list includes around two grand worth of fixes. Sattie wondered if those who are personally absorbing expenses like Jini paying for our Zoom service every month could be invoiced to the MAC. Jini Reynolds said she could put together an invoice for those costs. Marybeth wanted to submit a letter from the previous secretary requesting to raise the secretary’s stipend to $22/hr. Dolly stated that our secretary has not used capital letters on names but we should revisit this request. The MAC voted to allow the Grange and Zoom expenses. Patricia announced that Sandra Berman offered to be a public member of the Cannabis Ad Hoc committee. Adam Gaska was once again welcomed. Member Chris Boyd motioned to approve. Treasurer Katrina Frey seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor 0 Opposed
Abstained Absent Recused
Adjournment. Next meeting 6-9-21.
The meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m. with the next meeting on June 9th 2021.