Call to Order and Approval of Minutes of 11-10-21.
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm Present: Dolly Riley, Marybeth Kelly, Zoe Bigelow, Gizmo Henderson, Cathy Monroe, Christine Boyd, Marybeth Kelly, Tom Schoeneman, Bree Klotter, Brentt Blazer, Christian Curtis, Glenn McGourty, Laura Diamondstone, Mary Ann Petrillo, Patricia Ris-Yarbrough, Sattie Clark, Sheriff Matt Kendall, Travis Killmer, Jini Reynolds, Adam Gaska Unanimous vote to continue remote meetings with Katrina absent. Minutes approved unanimously with Chris abstaining.
Public Comments
Marybeth- Gizmo and I attended the town hall meeting on the County's five-year strategic plan. It was three days on three different topics. They found it extremely difficult to give real-time feedback because the comments over zoom were disabled. It was a town hall meeting where you could not be seen or heard. I guess they're putting out a spreadsheet of public comments submitted by email. Gizmo- There was direction to the meeting but it was difficult to communicate. Maryanne- In relation to Marybeth/ Gizmo if anyone wants to write in their public comments I can submit them. Maryanne- In regards to our last meeting with the CEDS documentation. One of the things we put together was a grand portal that is updated every 15 minutes. If there is anything you would like to publish, send me an email and I’ll put it up there. The analysis, action plan, and funding opportunities are located on the move 2030 website. It shows close dates, and they are all linked. We were trying to decide a way for people to connect with each other. More collaboration means a higher chance of getting that grant award. This is still in the preliminary stages but as soon as it’s released it will be available. Laura Diamondstone- How we can advocate for the spending of pandemic recovery funds? We have about 16 million dollars, some of which has already been spent. The treasury department explicitly states that it’s for the recovery of the community that has been most impacted by Covid. There was a CSAC meeting regarding community engagement, but we want to look for the best ways to spend this money. I have a link to a document with more info if anyone is interested. Dolly requested the links. Laura said she would forward it. Pien- Can you give us some examples of spending? Laura- It would be assistance with food, home repairs, job training. Anything that would be a benefit to the community. You should be asking for an allocation of those funds. Sattie- How much has been spent of the allocated funds? Laura- As of August, there was still 11 million left. We would really like for these funds to get to the people who need it.
Report from County and Agencies on Current Events A vote was held to send Adam Gaska's letter to UUSD. Member Katrina was absent, so Marybeth voted. County Counsel Christian Curtis spoke about the PG&E funds. Counsel Curtis- These are the settlement funds from the 2017 wildfires. There were a lot of various groups that sued PG&E. The County government itself was also a victim of the wildfire due to loss of revenue and damage to county properties. We ended up going to the coalition of multiple other government agencies. They weren’t all the same fire and they weren’t all the same time but they were all due to PG&E maintenance issues. Shortly after PG&E filed bankruptcy and we were then able to settle. Among the entities, we split the money and we received about 1 billion, and it was actually the smallest of settlements for the fire victims. It ended up being 14 or 15 billion paid out in wildfire cases. The County's allocation was about 30 million dollars before fees and expenses. We got fairly close to the loss of revenue. There was a lot that went into the recovery. The evacuations debris removal and over-excavation, handling of hazardous waste and more. I don't know all of the math but things like direct response was a large percentage. We were able to get a pretty sizable chunk of that back. The County Auditor decided that the funds would be used to start some projects because it's so rare to have such a large amount available. Some of it was given to agencies. Dolly- The money was given to agencies such as the Sheriff's Office? Counsel Curtis- No, these funds are ”special funds” and need to be spent on specific services. If it was determined as general funds, then it would be going places such as the Sheriffs or Planning and Building. Sattie- It sounded like a lot of the departments are already taken care of by State funds. This money was given in the regard to lost funds such as fee waivers. Chris Boyd- We couldn't find anyone with waived fees in Redwood Valley. So can you explain this, please? Counsel- This money wasn't paid for direct harm, the vast majority was coming from resources that were going into other things. People were pulled off of their existing assignments to work on things related to fire recovery. That took a lot of office time and resources. We were missing out on programs that were planned and grant opportunities that were missed due to being pulled away. We are being reimbursed for services already paid out. Chris Boyd- In regards to the fee waived for the trailers. If we can say that planning and building were reviewing plans, the revenue they are missing out on has to be made up somewhere. The real fees like the rebuilding fees were not put aside, they were only temporarily set aside. I wonder if the county got double reimbursed. Counsel- I do not have the breakdown in front of me however we went through and spent a fair amount of time to make sure that we did not double-dip. Because we were working on the fire we did not have the chance to apply for the grants that we would normally be receiving. The people's time also becomes a cost that would be paid by the grant. people still need to be paid their salary they are just being paid from something else. We did a lot of work to make sure we did not double dip or step on toes. Pien- Thank you for being patient with us we have a suspicion with our County because we have a feeling that we have not been dispersed as much as we should have been. Counsel- All funds are public records, and the allocations were all done at public meetings and the final meetings. Was there some specific information you are looking for? Chris Boyd- There was a payout for permit fees however we have been told that residents did actually have to pay permit fees. Counsel- If there was a program that didn't get funded or something else that needed to be addressed it might have been pulled but I would have to refer you to the Planning and Building director as to why it went that way. Adam- According to proposition 13 if you lose your house to calamity you're not supposed to get assessed at a higher rate even if you rebuild your house and it has add-ons or it is a nicer house. So why have residents' taxes gone up after rebuilding due to the fires? Adam noted that Prop 13 requires the freezing of property assessed values when a home has been destroyed, and some people were erroneously assessed. Chris Boyd commented that persons experiencing this should contact the County Tax Assessor Office directly and that office has been easy to work with. Sattie noted she actually did call the County because our taxes went up and still hasn't been able to rebuild. They said that they can charge two percent interest as a payout, and all the permit fees have still not been waived. All those permits have raised the value of her property even though not yet able to rebuild. Dolly thanked Counsel Curtis for coming to the meeting as a guest speaker. Update on the CPUC letter regarding 2021 clearcut. Dolly- The California PUC sent a message over to PG&E to weigh in. Then Julie Steele from PG&E called me 12-15-21. She wanted to tell me PG&E's response to the CPUC. She said that PGE wanted to do covered conductors in areas without trees. The cost was too high and the power safety settings within the grid are being worked on. There are certain areas that will de-energize in the event of fires. Ms. Steele held that clearcutting was 50 feet on either side of the fire lines, to which Dolly Riley stated she disagreed, because that was not true. Ms. Steele held that there had been no clear-cutting without a timber plan or an environmental impact report. Dolly reported she disagreed with this as well because earlier PGE said they did not need a timber harvest plan and this was a change in the story. Supervisor Glenn Mcgourty reported on any BOS response to the MAC's October 2021 letter asking for intervention to the PGE clearcutting. Supervisor Mcgourty- I've tried to follow this through RCR but I have nothing to report. The County has expressed outrage on it but we are not getting any answers back. We are really getting stonewalled. The CPUC says they have a minimum of 45 days to respond which is public information as well. Redwood Valley School update. Adam Gaska wrote a letter, given the fact that the tennis court was funded with government money in which case it can't just be abandoned. He stated that there is a process to be followed if they wish to do so otherwise, complaints can be made. If the school is going to be moved then they are going to owe us a tennis court somewhere in the community which was intended to promote outdoor activity. Dolly- We need to put the logo at the top of that letter to disclose it is from the MAC. Sattie- This needs to go somewhere in the community? Gizmo- Thank you for the updates, one of my pet peeves is that the school grounds just continue to be pushed to the back burner. Pien- I would consider leaving them and using them as part of the development that's going in. Marybeth- Those tennis courts are literally sliding into the river, but there are plenty of spaces that could be revitalized. The leach field had always been used as a soccer field. Pien- Glenn you really encouraged us to make sure that this property is used to the benefit of the community. I was wondering how you would go about reclaiming this? Glenn- It was promised that the grounds would be maintained but around 2010 when the budgets went bad they kind of stopped. It's a bad deal to see that surplused off. Is it sold or pending or what's happening with it? Marybeth- A well has been drilled but the same investor is interested; Mr. Green. Gizmo- The Sheriff's Department is still using it as training grounds. Why are they allowed to use it but none of us are? That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Sattie- Are you available or interested in writing a letter to the school board? Marybeth- I was more interested in finding the old minutes to see the upkeep deal. Pien- I think we should invite someone from the school board. Chris motioned to pass Adam's letter, Jini seconded, the vote was unanimous. Adam will work with Sattie to get a letterhead on the letter. Jini- I have personally invited Bea Arkin to join us as the next guest speaker but she has not responded. Redwood Valley water issues. Dolly- I attended a meeting with Congressman Jared Huffman, with Farm Bureau and Julie Golden of the Hopland MAC. Congressman Huffman favors taking down Scott Dam, which impounds Lake Pillsbury, for fish health. That means there would be no Lake Pillsbury. Afterwards we met without Congressman Huffman and discussed forming a coalition to inform the folks who use Russian River water of Huffman's planned actions because we need water releases to Lake Mendocino which then fills the Russian River. Others were in favor of preserving water in the Russian River. Tom Schoeneman from the Redwood Valley County Water District- Lake Mendocino is at 40 percent. We are pushing 70 degrees and we far from filling the Lake. We've been lucky the last couple of months, we finished the major pipe repair under the river, no catastrophes only minor leaks and repairs. We're not getting the water that would be coming from Scotts Dam. Huffman wants to see it come down, and with a lack of rain, he might be on the wrong side of this. This is our future and this is how we have to deal with water from here on out. When Lake Pillsbury dries up who is going to deal with the lack of water? We were going to take over the power permit but it's difficult and PG&E won't fix it. What are we going to do when we can't sell hundred-dollar bottles of Pino without water. In regards to the new wells, they hit gravel and it's gonna be a while before we see the tests from that. We have a water meeting a week from tomorrow. Our PG&E money has already been allocated. Dolly- I appreciate the update it's incredibly important to know what's going on with the groundwater and the aquifer under Ukiah. Redwood Valley Grange update- Next meeting will be January 20th. Marybeth- There's a lot going on at the Grange, we're putting in new heaters and building an office in the entryway. We've been dealing with the homeless man who has taken our porch on as a home. Jini- The Redwood Valley Grange will be hosting a seed exchange. We're doing it in Willits on February the 19th and Redwood Valley on March the 12th. There have been several requests for donations because we are low on finances due to the lack of rentals, because of Covid. We're moving along. Pien- Can we send that donation link to all members? Marybeth- The next Adopt-A-Road cleanup is March 19th. Chris- When we did the last road cleanup there were about 8 of us and it was looking pretty good up there. Member Chris Boyd motioned to approve. Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor 0 Opposed
Abstained 1 Absent Recused
Cannabis Policy Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Patricia, Sattie Dolly- On December 7,2021, the Board of Supervisors met to discuss funding to licensed cannabis farms. Supervisor Mcgourty- The equity grant has been moving slowly due to confusion about being able to use it to pay taxes. Another impediment was a requirement that cannabis farms maintain a million dollar insurance policy but that isn't usual in regards to cannabis growers. The cannabis program as its own department is functioning very well but it still has a way to go. We're making good progress, two focused committees are working on the farmer web 'portal' but farmers have many requirements, and P&B staff needs to hire more people, both of which is making progress difficult but they're working as fast as they can. The next step is for the letters to get sent out and everyone will have a month to consider what is missing. The cannabis program intends to have clear communications and we want to schedule a meeting with some growers to answer some questions. We are doing our best but many people are struggling. Pien- There have reportedly been a lot of problems with the portal making it hard for some of these smaller growers. What's happening with the equity grant and the enhanced enforcement? Glenn- We could contact John Burkes of P&B. Sattie- Would like John Burkes and Sheriff Kendall to come to a MAC meeting and talk about enforcement. The MAC cannabis committee drafted a letter to take to the Supervisors to remind them of what it is we are looking for. Is there a willingness to allow us to send this letter out? Jackson County declared an emergency to bring in state help in regards to the problems the underground cannabis market accidentally invited in. This is an option we are still very interested in because we are in a very similar situation given we are having issues with finding new hires for the Sheriff's Department. What's the plan? The MAC cannabis committee wants to send another letter. Dolly- We’ll have to wait to discuss it until the next meeting, but please make sure to have any letter written and to send it to the members so we can have the information for an informed vote to support the letter. Glenn- We should hear from the Sheriff and John Burkes to figure out what's going on in regards to the illegal front. Dolly- Does the group prefer to hear from Burkes and the Sheriff more than Maryann Petrillo? Sattie- Yes. Dolly- Sattie will be in charge of contacting them. I will let Maryann know she will be on for March.
Development Review Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Marybeth, Jini, Patricia A vote was taken and members voted unanimously to recommend denial of the proposed 101 gas station project. Marybeth stated she finally got through to the planner after talking to Alex Degrassi and asked if there was really a demand for another gas station and convenience store given that Coyote Valley is so close and so cheap. There was concern that that putting in a gas station will increase accidents from Uva Drive. The planner said I am not alone. It would be approved only on the grounds that left turns would be prohibited, and the large sign was straight up denied by P&B. There has been plenty of pushback on this. Chris- We went to a public hearing at the Board of Supervisors and there were protests. They withdrew the proposal earlier because it was controversial especially for the nearby residents. Jini- At first we thought the Chevron station on Lake Mendocino Drive was closing down but they aren't, they're just rebuilding. I think we need to advocate for charging stations and well-functioning businesses there. Gizmo- I think that we should require at least some kind of electric vehicle charging station. We need to change the County code to make young people want to stay here. Cathy Monroe- We don't need more fossil fuel stations, we need electric charging. It's urgent. This is the decade that we need to make a big shift. This could be a great opportunity to leave a little money in the County. Dolly suggested that Marybeth note to P&B that we want charge stations, not gas stations, and note the truck air brake noise complaints as well. This could be from the community as well as from the MAC. Is there a space to make a public comment? Marybeth- Are we recommending approval or denial? Chris motioned to vote against approval, Sattie seconded. Unanimous vote recommending denial. Member Chris Boyd motioned to approve. Member Sattie Clark seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor 0 Opposed
Abstained 1 Absent Recused
CAP: Interim Community Action Plan and Design Review: Chris, Sattie
Discussion of the noise element moved to next month.
Officers and Members Reports and Announcements Vote for Officers for 2022. Chair- Sattie nominated Dolly, Chris seconded vice-chair- Sattie nominated Jini, Chris seconded Treasurer- Chris nominated Katrina, Sattie seconded Secretary- No member wishes this office. Vote for keeping the status quo the vote was unanimous. Member Sattie Clark motioned to approve. Member Chris Boyd seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
7 In Favor 0 Opposed
Abstained 1 Absent Recused
InterMAC Engagement Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Sattie, Adam, Jini
Dolly- I could think many issues that the surrounding MACs could work together on. Adam- It would be good to collaborate on water to mitigate the impacts on the community. Jini contacted Una Wirkbau to get the different individual names from each MAC that were previously the 'Big MAC' for MOVE 2030. Sattie- Hopland has assigned a person to work with us, Laytonville is on a case by case basis, I think once they see we're doing good work and they don't worry we could be disbanded by the Supervisor they will join us. Dolly- I would encourage our inter-MAC work to be issue-driven. We are appointed by the Supervisors and they do not wish to disband the MACs. Sattie- I agree we also discussed sharing resources such as templates and tools and the workload of the advocacy work we all want to do. Jini- I've been working with Granges and everyone is saying that MACs are especially important to improve the towns we spend our time in.
Adjournment. Next meeting 2-9-22.