FORT BRAGG, 2/9/21 — A short-lived brouhaha over who gets to pick up Fort Bragg’s trash appears to have given the Fort Bragg City Council the upper hand moving forward with three different garbage collection companies. City residents will get no rate increases after a council vote to extend its contract with Waste Management (WM) by one year. That option had not been on the table until the city proposed a controversial quick switch to a new garbage collector.

Also discussed at the meeting were the development of a protocol for selecting a replacement city councilmember, and confirmation of a tsunami map.

“In the beginning we were in the position of not having very many choices based on what was presented to us and having very little, if any, leverage. I feel like we have gained a lot of leverage,” said Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell at Monday night’s City Council meeting. 

“The benefits include no rate increase and sitting back and watching what the county does and learning from what they do. Now we are in a very good position to do what is right for the city of Fort Bragg,” Norvell said.

At a late January special meeting, the Council considered switching its garbage collection services from WM, with its facility on Pudding Creek Road, to C&S Waste Solutions of Ukiah which would have used an unidentified location south of the city.

Gibney Lane residents figured that the secret location was the former Louisiana Pacific lumber mill at the end of Gibney Lane, and though technically not constituents of the council, they vociferously challenged the council about the plan. At the same special meeting, Brad Cea of WM offered the city a one-year contract renewal with no rate increases in order to prevent the city from making the switch from C&S.

After that meeting, Solid Waste of Willits also made a pitch for the Fort Bragg garbage collection contract. No action was taken and a follow up special meeting was canceled. 

So, why the whole idea to switch?

The city government had wanted a short term contract of 12-18 months after more than a decade with WM, but WM had not presented such a contract, which is what led to the proposed switch to C&S.

“Part of the challenge is that it has been in WM’s best interest to delay negotiations as long as possible in order to prevent another provider from having sufficient time to establish a local facility, purchase the trucks and other equipment necessary to establish an operation on the coast, and hire staff,” the city staff report for Monday’s meeting stated. “Six months is considered the time typically needed to make such a transition. On January 31, five months remained before the WM Agreement expired,” the staff report stated.

Monday’s meeting went forward without any more controversy. The C&S pitch was not on the agenda for action this time, only the plan to renew short term with WM.

“All along we have tried to get the best rates and the best contract we can for ratepayers. I apologize for the political uproar over the possible site location of Gibney Lane,’’ said Councilmember Lindy Peters.

“It was completely unintended by the council and the ad hoc committee,” said Peters. He said C&S found the location entirely on their own and didn’t involve the city.

“It didn’t have our blessing from the start. We didn’t know, we did not know, we just found out that people were right about that location.”

(See our previous coverage here)

Both the city and Mendocino County trash collection contracts for the Fort Bragg area expire July 1. This dual timing was done intentionally so that the city and county could better work together to find a new transfer station on the Coast, a process which has been ongoing for a decade.

Mendocino County is in a bidding process called a “request for proposals” (RFP) to collect the trash from south of Westport to south of Albion and also for the inland unincorporated area from Potter Valley to Hopland. WM has been collecting trash from that area, plus the city of Fort Bragg. Three other companies collect the trash in the other areas of the county. The county bidding process for the other areas currently served by WM ends in March.

It is unclear why the county has not been in the same rush as the city has been. Fort Bragg City Manager Tabatha Miller said the city will benefit by observing the county pick its garbage company and taking the time to put together its own process for awarding a new contract beginning July 1, 2022. In a separate meeting last week, Solid Waste of Willits proposed to the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Parks District the idea of using a five acre parcel on SR-20. The MCRPD appointed a two-person subcommittee to study the matter.

The Council meeting lasted three hours, with the garbage matter taking up less than an hour of the meeting. Much of the meeting was dedicated to a discussion of the best way to select a new member of the city council. Nine people have applied for the open council seat. (See our previous coverage here with complete list of names)

The council hammered out a plan to choose a new member. Each of the nine will get up to five minutes to speak. A council committee composed of Peters and Tess Albin-Smith will come up with five questions to be asked of each candidate, with the candidates given a minute and a half to answer each, to be chosen in random order. There will be up to three “wildcard” questions to come from the audience or council. If all this takes too long, the council will extend the meeting from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18. 

The council also heard about and saw new tsunami warning maps with Mendocino County Emergency Services Coordinator Brentt Blaser making the presentation along with two representatives of state agencies. The council approved adopting the updated tsunami hazard maps.

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FORT BRAGG, 2/1/21 — Nine people have applied to fill the open seat on the Fort Bragg City Council, left vacant by former mayor William V. Lee, according to a Fort Bragg city press release. 

All nine have been confirmed to be current registered voters, and Fort Bragg residents living within city limits, a city press release stated. The nine applicants are:

1. Mikail Blaisdell
2. Nathan Maxwell Cann
3. Katherine A. Hart, Ed.D. 
4. Robert J. Jorgensen
5. Mary Rose Kaczorowski
6. Marcia Rafanan Meadlin 
7. Scott M. Menzies
8. Scott Taubold, Ph.D. 
9. Eva von Bahr 

Read the press release below:

The City Council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 to conduct public interviews of the nine applicants. The Council is required to appoint someone prior to March 31, 2021. The appointment term is just under two years and will expire after the Nov. 2022 election. As Town Hall remains closed due to COVID-19 health orders, the special meeting will be held by video conference and members of the public are invited to attend via Zoom. A link to the meeting will be included in the agenda packet which will be posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Anyone interested in receiving notifications for City Council agendas can subscribe to the “City Council Agendas” Notify Me list by visiting this web page: https://city.fortbragg.com/list.aspx.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to June Lemos, CMC, City Clerk at (707) 961-1694, jlemos@fortbragg.com

City of Fort Bragg

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FORT BRAGG, 1/28/21 — A representative of Waste Management (WM), publicly asked the Fort Bragg City Council Wednesday night not to switch to a new provider and instead accept a one-year contract extension on trash collection services without a rate increase. The Council took no action and instead postponed the meeting until Monday due to a staff emergency.

Waste Management’s Brad Cea said the company was baffled when they heard about a city proposal to dump WM in favor of Ukiah-based trash services provider C&S Waste Solutions. The council also got an earful from county residents who live about 3 miles south of the city, who said they believe a as-yet secret site that C&S Waste Solutions has a lease option on is actually the old Louisiana Pacific Lumber mill at the end of Gibney Lane.

In short, the Fort Bragg City Council had one of its briefest and most contentious meetings in recent months on Wednesday afternoon. (See our previous coverage here)

The remainder of the meeting was postponed until Monday afternoon after Mayor Bernie Norvell announced that the staff member who was going to give the report on the matter (City Manager Tabatha Miller) could not make the meeting due to a personal emergency. Norvell said later that everything should be fine as to the emergency. The council did take public input from the audience for twenty-two minutes, then Mayor Norvell recessed the meeting until Monday, with the time of that meeting still not finalized.

The matter drew strong opposition from half a dozen people, some of whom live in the Gibney Lane area. 

“This neighborhood will never allow this to go through. There are hundreds of people who live in that area,” said Eric Gutnick. 

“There will be demonstrations. There will be suits and the city will be part of it because you haven’t done your homework. I think it’s completely inappropriate that C&S is demanding an answer in 30 days. This is potentially being railroaded through. It’s the wrong thing to consider at this time. Most people don’t even know about it,” said Gutnick.

The location, landlord and rent to be paid are all redacted in the staff report for the meeting. The public documents only reveal that it is an industrial site that includes at least 11 acres and is located somewhere south of Fort Bragg, outside the city limits. 

“Assuming we are guessing correctly, perhaps you can confirm or deny…You are deciding the fate for people who live outside the city. We don’t vote for city council. It seems way off base,” said Gutnick.

After hearing opposition from several speakers who attended the virtual meeting through Zoom, Councilmember Lindy Peters said the location is truly secret at this point.

“The City Council members do not know the location of the property. Like many who have checked in here, we have heard rumors,” Peters said.

Peters said C&S had found the property where they have the lease option all on their own.

“For reasons known to them they don’t want to divulge where it is right now,” said Peters.

“That’s correct,” said Mayor Norvell.

The secrecy of the location upset several people who said the location should be made public before being considered. 

“As a resident of the Gibney Lane area, we are all under the assumption that’s where the transfer station would be located,” said Rick Davis.

“I’m all shocked to find out this is all coming about…That a lease has already been signed. We are already being mitigated for environmental damage that the mill brought out here,” he said. 

“So to bring a transfer station in here with all that accompanies it, with traffic up and down our small road is unbelievable…Why would we be allowing another transfer, another waste facility to be built when we already have that substructure in place?” Davis asked, referring to the Waste Management transfer station on Pudding Creek Road in the city of Fort Bragg. The proposal is for a truck parking facility for now, with no plans for a transfer station.

Cea, of Waste Management, expressed disappointment with the city for not giving the incumbent garbage collector a chance to present its proposal. He attended the meeting by Zoom.

“I’m compelled to say how baffled we were to see the agenda and subsequent report from the city manager. In all our years of providing excellent collection services we have never seen a negotiation where an incumbent provider has not been afforded an opportunity to present a new agreement,” Cea said.

Cea said the company was even more baffled by how the council had given Waste Management a positive review at a meeting on December 14 and said they would draft a letter committing to negotiate with Waste Management. “Only to have that letter altered on Dec. 22 via the consent agenda,” Cea said.

WM was counting on presenting their plan well ahead of the expiration date of the contract, said Cea. But the city has insisted time was running out.

“We are asking the council tonight to put a pause to this new direction. We are proposing to partner with council and staff to amend the contract, provide a one year term without an increase in rates to insure the process of staying or selecting a new provider is transparent, competitive and provides the community with the best service offering. It is in the best interest of the community to have open competition which WM welcomes. If after a year the decision is still the same the new provider will have more time to fully insure minimum disruption,” said Cea. He asked the council not to change providers but grant the one year term. Cea didn’t say why WM had not yet made a presentation of its own plan, when its contract with the city expires in just over five months.

Realtor Paul Clark had heard Waste Management employees were upset by the move and hoped they would speak out.

“This one seems to be something happening without public views and it’s a huge issue. My guess is there will be litigation if this is passed. I suggest this be tabled and more information put out to the community than just the emails,” Clark wrote to the Council

Jenny Shattuck said trash collection for the city should not impact those who don’t.

“The address is redacted but by description looks to be the old LP millsite on Gibney Lane. This neighborhood has already been poisoned once. Why should they bear the brunt of our city trash hauling trucks, noise, debris?,” said Shattuck.

Steve Shamblin, operations manager for Empire Solid Waste (Waste Management subsidiary) said the coast would lose vital services during a quick transition.

“The level of dedication and teamwork at Fort Bragg Disposal is not something you can guarantee with just a contract. If we are doing our jobs right no one outside our team knows what goes into it. That concerns me as a customer and someone who calls Fort Bragg home, that the level of service we have gotten accustomed to would fall off even for a few months.”

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Editor’s note: The Mendocino Voice will follow this story and follow up as it develops. The special meeting will be held tonight, and we’ll update after that.

FORT BRAGG, 1/27/21 – The Fort Bragg City Council is set to vote Wednesday night on whether to switch to a different garbage collection contractor for city residents, with C&S Waste Solutions already having negotiated a lease option at an undisclosed location south of Fort Bragg. For the unincorporated areas around Fort Bragg, from Cleone to Albion, an entirely different process is underway with Mendocino County expecting three different contractors to bid on trash collection for those areas and unincorporated areas around Ukiah now also served by a different Waste Management contract.

Both Waste Management contracts expire at the end of June, other companies collect the trash around Willits, Leggett, Westport, Boonville, on the South Coast and in the cities of Ukiah and Willits and have separate contracts, which are not currently being discussed.

The City of Fort Bragg vote, needing to be decided because of the short time frame needed to switch companies on the Coast before the current contract with Waste Management ends on June 30, is on the agenda at the Wednesday, Jan. 27 special meeting at 5 p.m, to be held remotely by Zoom.

C&S has offered to step into the Waste Management contract, meaning rates likely wouldn’t change much if at all for city residents, depending on what action is taken Wednesday afternoon. C&S Waste Solutions has a lease option for 5 acres and an industrial bay at the undisclosed location, with the option to lease another 6 acres in the future, said a city staff report prepared for Wednesday’s meeting.

The plan before the council would waive the current requirement to maintain an office, yard and recycling center within the city limits and provides that a coastal facility near the city will meet the terms.

C&S, which already collects the trash in the city of Ukiah, has also committed to hire Waste Management employees who meet their criteria if the deal goes through should that become necessary. The address of the possible new facility to be leased and the name of the landlord of that property has been redacted in city documents. Just last month, the city had appeared to be all ready to sign up with Waste Management again and had even passed a resolution promising to negotiate with them for the renewal of the garbage contract. Then, an item came back on the Fort Bragg City Council consent agenda changing the language to say that negotiations with Waste Management would not be exclusive. The city then began to look for a second bidder.

“After the City Council Special Meeting on December 22, 2020, where the Council approved the letter to Waste Management indicating that negotiations would not be exclusive, the City Manager reached out to C&S Waste Solutions, based in Ukiah, to inquire about whether they would be interested in discussing the Solid Waste Franchise Agreement,” a staff report to be presented to the council Wednesday by City Manager Tabatha Miller said.  Things happened fast.  By Jan. 6, the C&S had signed a lease option agreement to use an undisclosed location on the Coast.  C&S can also simply non option the lease, depending on how the council vote goes. 

The report details that the city must act quickly if it wishes to change garbage providers. The county is taking more time and has more options for its contract, which is simultaneous with the city’s but is an entirely different process.

The city staff report said the challenge with making a switch, should that be the decision, was “having sufficient time to establish a local facility, purchase the trucks and other equipment necessary to establish an operation on the coast, and hire staff. Six months is considered the time typically needed to make such a transition. On January 31, five months will remain before the Waste Management Agreement expires,” the staff report states.

The city has been working furiously behind the scenes to make this happen.

“The City Council Ad Hoc Solid Waste Franchise Committee (Mayor Bernie  Norvell and Councilmember Linday Peters) and City Manager Miller met with representatives of C&S Waste on December 31, 2020. A key aspect of that conversation was the time necessary to transition to a new provider. There was agreement between the parties that if the City was interested in changing providers, that decision would need to be made before the end of January 2021.”

Hence Wednesday’’s meeting, with a decision to be made that will impact Fort Bragg residents for many years to come, as the discussion is about a 10 year garbage contract with C&S. City council members and staff have spent the last few weeks checking into the services already provided by C&S.

“Each Councilmember has toured the C&S facility in Ukiah. The facility includes the large Material Recovery Facility (MRF) which can process commingled paper, aluminum,…plastics, glass, cans and cardboard. The facility also houses the green and wood waste processing facility. Both operations have the capacity to add the City of Fort Bragg to their processing. C&S also operates transfer stations in Ukiah and Lake County. Staff has checked references with each of those jurisdictions and were provided strong reviews,” the staff report states.

What about the unincorporated areas?

County supervisors will wait until March to pick a new provider for the unincorporated areas around Fort Bragg and Ukiah, the contract for which expires at the same time as the city contract. Howard Dashiell, Mendocino County’s director of Transportation, said the county has heard it will get three bids for the Request for Proposals it currently has out They expect to get bids from C&S, Solid Waste of Willits and Waste Management. The county’s Request for Proposals to get bids for the trash collection services on Coastal areas from Cleone to Albion and around Ukiah opened on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and closes March 12.  It can be seen here: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=40133 On the Coast, Waste Management covers the area from south of Westport to Albion, Dashiell said. 

It was unclear why the city and county processes were moving at such different paces. Dashiell said he was working through the RFP process and couldn’t speak for what the city was doing.

Councilperson Lindy Peters said the city had also met with Solid Waste of Willits and remained open to all the different proposals at Wednesday’s meeting.  C&S has said it needs to get going before the end of January, hence the meeting.  Peters said C&S could pick up the trash from Ukiah if they had to at the start of the contract.  “The carbon footprint wouldn’t be very good but they could do that if they had to.” He said the company would have all new trucks for Coast pickup if they get the contract.

He said they had showed up in Uiah unannounced and were impressed at how clean and  well run the operation in Ukiah worked. They have also said they would have all new trucks for the Coast contract.   

Who is C&S?

C&S Waste Solutions (C&S), based in Ukiah, is a group of companies with more than 20 years of experience in Northern California. The group of companies provide integrated waste services, including collection, transfer and disposal, recyclable collection and processing, green and wood waste collection and processing, landfill operations, sanitation services and scrap metal purchasing and marketing. They also have presence in southern Nevada. Locally, C&S currently provides services to the City of Ukiah, Lake County and Clearlake.

“Staff has checked references with each of those jurisdictions and were provided strong reviews.”  Positive references from the City of Ukiah and the City of Clearlake are included in the packet. 

“Additionally, staff spent approximately 50 minutes in a phone conversation with staff from Lake County inquiring about the level of services provided by C&S and the County staff’s relationship with C&S. The responses received were very positive but also provided honest feedback. Consistent in both the discussions with Lake County and the response from the City of Ukiah is the strong support provided by C&S to those jurisdictions for compliance with the state mandated diversion programs,” the staff report states. 

How will this impact the Pudding Creek Waste Management facility?

“The City Council Ad Hoc Solid Waste Franchise Committee was concerned for loss of employment by Waste Management employees laid off as a result of the transition. C&S has committed to hiring all displaced Waste Management employees essential to the Fort Bragg operations that meet their hiring criteria. C&S provided a list of the current Employee Benefit Package and will honor seniority dates for current Waste Management. employees,” the city staff report said.  The staff report gives no reason for the change from Waste Management to C&S, but does mention retroactive increases, which have been very unpopular locally.

Waste Management currently delivers trash and recycling collected in the City of Fort Bragg and surrounding unincorporated areas of Mendocino County to the Willits Transfer Station. Solid Waste of Willits sets the rates for disposal of trash at its facility. Those rates are factored into the rates WM customers are charged, said Paul T. Rosynsky, Communications Specialist, Northern California/Nevada for Waste Management.

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FORT BRAGG, 1/25/21 — When does a yes vote equal a no? One place was at Monday night’s Fort Bragg City Council meeting to decide the fate of a proposed new cannabis business.

Cannabis entrepreneur Brandy Moulton won a 2 to 1 Council vote Monday night, but that wasn’t enough to get approval for her plan to create a retail, manufacturing and plant-start microbusiness operation on Franklin Street in downtown Fort Bragg.

The council took the vote to overturn the Fort Bragg Planning Commission’s December decision to deny Moulton’s proposal. Moulton had envisioned a business, Moulton’s Sunshine Holistic, which would have used the old Floor Store building across from the Post Office and Purity Supermarket, constructing new facilities and even giving a worker a place to live onsite.

After losing at the Planning Commission Moulton appealed to the City Council — but because the city requires three votes to overturn a Planning Commission decision, no matter how many councilpersons are present, the 2 aye to 1 nay vote amounts to a “no.”

The Fort Bragg Council has five seats, but one is currently empty. Vice Mayor Jessica Morsell-Haye recused herself based on the fact she is an owner of the Golden West Saloon, located nearby and thus could have a conflict of interest. That left three councilmembers to make the decision about the dispensary-growing and manufacturing operation. So, the vote had to clear 3 to 0 for the project to move forward.

Mayor Bernie Norvell and Councilmember Lindy Peters voted in favor of the dispensary (to overturn the planning commission’s denial). But Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith voted no, killing the proposal. Norvell and Peters had attached conditions including a smell test, to have a way to control the permit based on odor, Moulton had detailed plans on how there would be no odor, but smells often come up as a question for cannabis operations. The plants would have been limited to small starts, commonly called clones. Norvell and Peters also attached a condition that clones grown on site be sold on site, not used off site, which was one of the primary concerns of the Planning Commission.

Moulton already owns the dispensary Sovereign, located in the “Henry’s Meadow” building south of Fort Bragg on Highway 1. She characterized the effort as basically a relocation at the meeting, albeit to a larger facility. In an interview after the meeting, Moulton said she hadn’t decided for sure whether she would reapply, and whether Sovereign’s location might be kept open regardless of what might happen with Sunshine Holistic. She currently rents the old Floor Store building. Albin-Smith encouraged Moulton to reapply, covering the conditions ahead of time that the planning commission had rejected.

The planning commission had denied the application mainly based on an extensive discussion about which use was the “primary” use, among retail, manufacturing and growing — and which two were subordinate. Moulton said the retail business was primary, while the other two, which are not generally allowed as primary uses in the downtown area, were subordinate.

This led to a discussion of whether the growing part of the business would sell cloned starts only at the retail store or would use them on Moulton’s other operations. Selling or transferring the starts for offsite use might mean that the primary business was really the growing operation. Moulton said the primary use would be selling in store, as there are no other nurseries within 60 miles and she anticipated strong demand, but couldn’t be sure, as is the nature of business. If all the plants grown onsite were being sold onsite, the growing operation would be a subordinate use to the retail store, Norvell and Peters reasoned. Moulton was ready to compromise and not take any of the clones off site.

“Bernie and Lindy are always objective. I don’t know Tess all that well,” said Moulton, in the interview. Moulton added that she felt the planning commission had been “very biased” against her. The council is scheduled to pick a new council person soon. That person could be key in preventing the council from being stuck in similar future situations where unanimous votes are needed. 

In an unrelated matter, Moulton is also the person who has sued Fourth District Mendocino County Supervisor Dan Gjerde in a free speech case over being banned from Gjerde’s county supervisor Facebook page. The case is still active in federal court, she confirmed. 

In other business, the council also heard that the city probably won’t have to provide a building to house a winter homeless shelter after all. Mayor Norvell reported that the Mendocino Coast Jewish Community Shul in Caspar has stepped up with an offer to give the homeless winter shelter a location for at least the last two weeks of March. The winter shelter is scheduled to close at the end of March. 

The temporary winter shelter for the homeless, operated by the nonprofit Hospitality Center, had itself been homeless until first the local Lutheran Church and now the Jewish Shul stepped forward. Norvell reported that Trinity Lutheran Church Pastor Randy Knutson spoke to his board and the church gave approval for running the winter shelter through March 15. The church first took on housing the shelter when it opened in January. The city had been scrambling to find a location within city buildings should it be needed to host the winter shelter, first looking at the C.V. Starr Community Center, then crossing that off the list and hosting a meeting last week about hosting the shelterin the old gymnasium behind city hall. The Shul is located on the grounds of the Caspar Community Center.

The council also approved by a 3 to 0 vote a transportation study for the Dollar General Project with consultant Fehr & Peers not to exceed $49,935. Councilperson Peters emphasized the money is from the developer, not from city bank accounts. See our previous coverage here:

Mayor Norvell recused himself from the Dollar General item based on a relative’s ownership of a nearby property. Vice Mayor Morsell-Haye then took over the meeting for the last two items, each of which related to the Dollar General proposal.

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FORT BRAGG, 1/12/21 — Fort Bragg’s Trinity Lutheran Church may once again step in to provide the Coast with space for an emergency winter shelter for the homeless. 

With no other place available, the church, at 620 E. Redwood Ave. in Fort Bragg, stepped in late last year to offer its own facility to house the homeless nightly from 5 p.m to early the next morning.

The church has been running the overnight shelter nightly since Jan. 1, with an average of about eight guests per night, the Fort Bragg City Council heard at its Monday night regular meeting, held by Zoom.

Also discussed at the meeting were new evacuation maps for the city, the Mayor’s Well Done Awards, which were dedicated to the resilience and togetherness of the entire community during difficult times and the so-far unsuccessful search for a new council member.

For now, the Lutheran church plans to run the shelter through Feb. 14 .The hope for the city going into Monday’s meeting was to find a home for the winter shelter from Feb. 15 through the end of March. Now the  church may step up for another month and the city may only need to help with two weeks of shelter use at the end of March.  Last year the winter shelter’s time was extended past March.

The winter shelter is an annual project of the non-profit Hospitality Center, which provides a variety of services for the unsheltered, including the year round Hospitality House facility and transitional housing opportunities. Winter shelter clients are overflow people from the Hospitality House or people who don’t meet the requirements to stay there. The idea of the winter shelter is to allow as many people as possible to avoid the frigid streets, even those who don’t normally qualify for help.

Mayor Bernie Norvell told the Council he  visited the church prior to the meeting and found Pastor Randy Knutson and the church might be willing to do even more. Knutson told Norvell if final approval comes from the church’s ruling council, the church might be able to run the shelter through March 15, leaving only the final two weeks of March for the city to find another home for the seasonal facility. The church council meets on Jan. 19, with Knutson telling the Council he was about 80 percent sure the church would say yes to running the shelter through March 15, but would want the city to find another home for the last two weeks in any case. He said the church has Holy Week celebrations planned in late March that the church might want to use the hall now being for the homeless for. 

Councilmember Lindy Peters recused himself from the discussion, saying he had a conflict of interest as he lives near the C.V. Starr Center, one of four locations being considered for whatever timeframe is left after the Lutherans are done. With William Lee having departed the council at the end of 2020, that left only three members of the council. The C.V. Starr recreational facility had been the original proposed choice for the site of the emergency winter shelter if the city was  going to be the host. But  Monday night all three councilmembers opposed using the C.V. Starr Center as the winter shelter. If the city itself is going to host the winter shelter for those two weeks or possibly longer, Vice Mayor Jessica Morsell-Haye, Mayor Norvell and Councilmember Jessica Albin-Smith all favored the use of the old gymnasium in the back of City Hall.

Use of the C.V. Starr Center for the winter shelter was nixed after the council heard the Fort Bragg Unified School District was using the space intended for the shelter during the day to connect students to the internet for certain classes. Another location, the Hospitality Center’s own headquarters at Oak and Franklin Streets was also taken off the list. Hospitality Center Interim CEO Paul Davis had told the council prior to the meeting that the facility could not be used because people in the upstairs transition housing have the legal right to downstairs common spaces where the shelter would be, the council heard.

Norvell said the city should encourage the Hospitality Center to go back and explore some of the locations that were not available late last year. In those cases, some faith houses had said no because they hoped to use their own facilities, which have seen limited use due to COVID-19 restrictions. Norvell said with the state of the pandemic making reopening seem unlikely, they could be asked again. He also brought up the Caspar Community Center,  which had been discussed as an early site for the winter shelter. He said one of the facilities might benefit from the $1500 that two weeks . A rent of $3000 per month is being paid for the winter shelter. The city has kicked in up to $15,000 to increase the wages of winter shelter employees by $4 per hour, with employees making $18 to $20 per hour.The Hospitality Center could not find enough staff for the shelter prior to the pay hike.

Public input on the winter shelter included no complaints about its operation so far. Jacob Patterson, who lives near the Lutheran Church said there had been no problems he was aware of and he didn’t mind if the time for the winter shelter was extended at the nearby church.

Other items

City Manager Tabatha Miller said that the city is accepting applications for the vacant seat on the city council through January 29. So far through Monday, nobody had applied for the position, Miller told the council.

Unanimously extended an emergency ordinance waiving certain zoning requirements so that businesses can adapt to operate under the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restaurants such as North Coast Brewing have set up tents for people to eat outside, while the local Chrysler Dealership has shifted its sales lot. The ordinance was passed last July to give businesses pandemic relief and flexibility, with a new ordinance passed Monday night basically extending what has been going on since July.

Miller told the council that water and sewer rate increases of 3 to 4 percent are set to go into effect Jan. 1, with the increases being shown on the February bill. Those had been set to start July 1 but had been put off during the early days of the pandemic and budget revisions that went on at the time.The Council may revisit the increases at a future meeting.

Approved spending an additional$13,400 to pay LACO Associates for planning services for the Grocery Outlet proposed project, bringing the new contract total to $38,044. Grocery Outlet has deposited $45,000 and will be invoiced for the services as well as city staff time. A Grocery Outlet chain store to be sited at 851 S. Franklin Street (formerly the site of the Social Services Building) is currently in the planning stages. The store is expected to be the subject of public hearings in late March. Mayor Norvell declared he has a conflict of interest in the Grocery Outlet matter, saying he lives only a block away from the site. He then turned the meeting over to Vice Mayor Jessica Norvell-Haye and left, as it was the last item on the agena.

Mayor Norvell used the annual “Mayor’s Well Done Awards,” which usually name local individuals for exemplary accomplishments in the city, to award the entire working community for coming together during difficult times. He said the awards this year are for “everyone in our community who gets up and goes to work every day to keep our community working, healthy and safe.” He said this also includes parents who stay home so their children can attend school. “With no one being more important than the others.” Norvell described the tremendous courage and unity of the community and praised all those who serve in these difficult times. Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall pulled over next to a cow pasture to call into the meeting and thank the mayor for the award, saying the strength of the community should be recognized at this unprecedented time in history. “This is much appreciated,” said Kendall.

City Manager Tabatha Miller told the council about a citywide by-zone evacuation map to aid in the event of an emergency evacuation. Maps have been created for each lodging business within the city limits for visitors who are not familiar with the area. These maps were created with the intention to provide Fort Bragg residents and visitors who are lodging within city hotels with options to exit the City in the event of an emergency as a preparedness effort. Emergency evacuation maps are available to each lodging facility and are also be accessible through the City’s website Emergency Plans and Evacuation Maps:

https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13320/Fort-Bragg-Evacuation-Map

The post Lutheran church may extend Fort Bragg’s winter homeless shelter; Ft. Bragg Council also talks evacuation maps, search for councilmember appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

FORT BRAGG, 12/15/20 — By unanimous vote of the Fort Bragg City Council, Bernie Norvel was appointed mayor and Jessica Morsell-Haye vice mayor, at Monday’s night’s meeting. They took over Monday night and will serve two-year terms. 

The protocols that come with the occasion were a little bizarre in a meeting held by Zoom, although outgoing Mayor William Lee and City Clerk June Lemos provided laughs and smiles that kept the virtual signings and swearings-in moving along.

Norvel is an owner of his family’s local paint store, has been a local coach and just completed four years on the council, including the last two as the city’s vice mayor, according to his online biography. Morsell-Haye was raised on the coast and returned in 2015 with her husband Mikael, who was born in Fort Bragg, to raise their children. They purchased the 130-year-old downtown Golden West Saloon with partners and have restored and revitalized the historic building and business. She has been on the council for two years. She is an artist and textile designer by trade.

The meeting started with the official swearing in of Lee to a new four-year-term on the city council, despite the fact this would be Lee’s last regular meeting. Lee was reappointed to the council along with then-Vice Mayor Norvel when nobody else ran in the November election for the two seats. Before he could be sworn in, Lee took a new job and relocated to the Bay Area, which was where he was during Monday’s meeting. He resigned effective Dec. 31. This gave him a role in choosing both the new mayor and vice mayor. He also participated right to the end of the two and a half hour meeting. In the council-manager form of government the city operates by, the mayor and vice mayor are chosen by fellow councilmembers and do not require a separate swearing in to their new positions on the council.

“This is going to be somewhat different than our usual procedure because we are not face-to-face with our hands raised in town hall,” said Lemos. After the swearing in to the council with hands raised, Lee and Norvel each took a swearing in document they had printed out and signed it. Lemos told them they must show the official document. Lee signed his with a flourish, saying he needed a different pen for each letter, like the president. Then he twirled the signed document and held it over his head for the Zoom audience of fellow city Solons and 10 people in the Zoom audience, with full “current president” flourish. “Look everybody!” then adding, “There is nobody in here.”

Typically, the next step in the ceremony would be to turn the signed document over to the city clerk. However, the distant Lee said he would deliver it the next time he was back in Fort Bragg. She said she could then stamp it and everything would become official. The next step in the prescribed ceremonies was for Lee to turn the meeting over to City-clerk Lemos, so that a new mayor could be nominated. Lemos took the invisible gavel across Zoom from Lee, who promptly nominated Norvel to be his replacement, seconded by Morsell-Haye, with a unanimous vote following. The symbolic gavel then went to new Mayor Norvel. 

“Thank you all very much. It’s both an honor and a privilege to have your vote of confidence. I promise to do my due diligence to fulfill all the duties of mayor to the best of my ability. I’m sure I will be leaning on all of you,” Norvel said.

Councilmember Lindy Peters then nominated Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith to be vice mayor, but nobody seconded the motion. Norvel then nominated Morsell-Haye as vice mayor, seconded by Lee. Albin-Smith said she would have liked to do the job but would vote for Morsell-Haye. Peters, in joining the unanimous vote for Morsell-Haye, reminded Albin-Smith she could have provided the second. Peters promised 100 percent support and said he believed both the new mayor and vice mayor would do a great job. 

Lee also was awarded a plaque virtually for his four years of service by City Manager Tabatha Miller, who waved the award in Zoom with the flourish and smiles of the evening, asking Lee to pick it up and perhaps pose for a photo on the steps of city hall, with masked fellow councilmembers.

“We need one more photo-op,” Miller said.

Staff and fellow councilmembers all gave parting salutes to Lee.

“I never would have done this if it weren’t for you,” said Morsell-Haye. “You can make anything look fun. I’m so grateful to be here. You have been an incredible leader. I’m impressed with how you have stood up and weathered this incredible time. I’m impressed with the culture you set up on this council, how you made it okay to disagree and important to disagree. How you have made space for everybody’s voices and for your incredible leadership,” Morsell-Haye said.

Peters’ praise for Lee included for being the best dressed mayor.

“There is a certain sartorial sense you bring to the council that is classy,” Peters said.

Norvel and Morsell-Haye have worked together on the council on a regular basis to get things done, such as on the issue of changing Fort Bragg’s name, despite clear disagreements and obviously different political perspectives. The council is officially non-partisan and its members don’t express party affiliations or party politics at the meetings, at least in the last six months while this reporter has been attending by Zoom.

The council also discussed the process of appointing someone for the seat being vacated by Lee. Current plans are for a special meeting on Jan. 19 to interview candidates. 

“This gives us a great opportunity to appoint someone for my seat. I would encourage people to apply and to serve on the city council. It would be great to have another female serving. It would be amazing to have someone from the (Latino) community to serve,” said Lee

The council’s ad-hoc appointment committee, composed of Peters and Albin-Smith, has developed a one-page application that will be reviewed by city staff. With nobody applying to run for the seat the last time, the council is looking for ways to show the fun serving on the council can be. There will be advertisements on Facebook and likely in the Fort Bragg Advocate-News.

Lee might not get away so fast.  A special closed session only meeting was announced Tuesday afternoon for Wednesday, Dec 16 to consult with legal counsel and deal with anticipated litigation.

Council members are paid a stipend of $3600 per year.

The post Bernie Norvel takes over as Ft. Bragg mayor, Morsell-Haye as vice-mayor — council solicits applications to fill vacant seat appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

FORT BRAGG, 12/15/20 — By unanimous vote of the Fort Bragg City Council, Bernie Norvell was appointed mayor and Jessica Morsell-Haye vice mayor, at Monday’s night’s meeting. They took over Monday night and will serve two-year terms. 

The protocols that come with the occasion were a little bizarre in a meeting held by Zoom, although outgoing Mayor William Lee and City Clerk June Lemos provided laughs and smiles that kept the virtual signings and swearings-in moving along.

Norvell is an owner of his family’s local paint store, has been a local coach and just completed four years on the council, including the last two as the city’s vice mayor, according to his online biography. Morsell-Haye was raised on the coast and returned in 2015 with her husband Mikael, who was born in Fort Bragg, to raise their children. They purchased the 130-year-old downtown Golden West Saloon with partners and have restored and revitalized the historic building and business. She has been on the council for two years. She is an artist and textile designer by trade.

The meeting started with the official swearing in of Lee to a new four-year-term on the city council, despite the fact this would be Lee’s last regular meeting. Lee was reappointed to the council along with then-Vice Mayor Norvell when nobody else ran in the November election for the two seats. Before he could be sworn in, Lee took a new job and relocated to the Bay Area, which was where he was during Monday’s meeting. He resigned effective Dec. 31. This gave him a role in choosing both the new mayor and vice mayor. He also participated right to the end of the two and a half hour meeting. In the council-manager form of government the city operates by, the mayor and vice mayor are chosen by fellow councilmembers and do not require a separate swearing in to their new positions on the council.

“This is going to be somewhat different than our usual procedure because we are not face-to-face with our hands raised in town hall,” said Lemos. After the swearing in to the council with hands raised, Lee and Norvell each took a swearing in document they had printed out and signed it. Lemos told them they must show the official document. Lee signed his with a flourish, saying he needed a different pen for each letter, like the president. Then he twirled the signed document and held it over his head for the Zoom audience of fellow city Solons and 10 people in the Zoom audience, with full “current president” flourish. “Look everybody!” then adding, “There is nobody in here.”

Typically, the next step in the ceremony would be to turn the signed document over to the city clerk. However, the distant Lee said he would deliver it the next time he was back in Fort Bragg. She said she could then stamp it and everything would become official. The next step in the prescribed ceremonies was for Lee to turn the meeting over to City-clerk Lemos, so that a new mayor could be nominated. Lemos took the invisible gavel across Zoom from Lee, who promptly nominated Norvell to be his replacement, seconded by Morsell-Haye, with a unanimous vote following. The symbolic gavel then went to new Mayor Norvell. 

“Thank you all very much. It’s both an honor and a privilege to have your vote of confidence. I promise to do my due diligence to fulfill all the duties of mayor to the best of my ability. I’m sure I will be leaning on all of you,” Norvell said.

Councilmember Lindy Peters then nominated Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith to be vice mayor, but nobody seconded the motion. Norvell then nominated Morsell-Haye as vice mayor, seconded by Lee. Albin-Smith said she would have liked to do the job but would vote for Morsell-Haye. Peters, in joining the unanimous vote for Morsell-Haye, reminded Albin-Smith she could have provided the second. Peters promised 100 percent support and said he believed both the new mayor and vice mayor would do a great job. 

Lee also was awarded a plaque virtually for his four years of service by City Manager Tabatha Miller, who waved the award in Zoom with the flourish and smiles of the evening, asking Lee to pick it up and perhaps pose for a photo on the steps of city hall, with masked fellow councilmembers.

“We need one more photo-op,” Miller said.

Staff and fellow councilmembers all gave parting salutes to Lee.

“I never would have done this if it weren’t for you,” said Morsell-Haye. “You can make anything look fun. I’m so grateful to be here. You have been an incredible leader. I’m impressed with how you have stood up and weathered this incredible time. I’m impressed with the culture you set up on this council, how you made it okay to disagree and important to disagree. How you have made space for everybody’s voices and for your incredible leadership,” Morsell-Haye said.

Peters’ praise for Lee included for being the best dressed mayor.

“There is a certain sartorial sense you bring to the council that is classy,” Peters said.

Norvell and Morsell-Haye have worked together on the council on a regular basis to get things done, such as on the issue of changing Fort Bragg’s name, despite clear disagreements and obviously different political perspectives. The council is officially non-partisan and its members don’t express party affiliations or party politics at the meetings, at least in the last six months while this reporter has been attending by Zoom.

The council also discussed the process of appointing someone for the seat being vacated by Lee. Current plans are for a special meeting on Jan. 19 to interview candidates. 

“This gives us a great opportunity to appoint someone for my seat. I would encourage people to apply and to serve on the city council. It would be great to have another female serving. It would be amazing to have someone from the (Latino) community to serve,” said Lee

The council’s ad-hoc appointment committee, composed of Peters and Albin-Smith, has developed a one-page application that will be reviewed by city staff. With nobody applying to run for the seat the last time, the council is looking for ways to show the fun serving on the council can be. There will be advertisements on Facebook and likely in the Fort Bragg Advocate-News.

Lee might not get away so fast.  A special closed session only meeting was announced Tuesday afternoon for Wednesday, Dec 16 to consult with legal counsel and deal with anticipated litigation.

Council members are paid a stipend of $3600 per year.

The post Bernie Norvell takes over as Ft. Bragg mayor, Morsell-Haye as vice-mayor — council solicits applications to fill vacant seat appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

FORT BRAGG, 12/8/20 — The Fort Bragg City Council and a local church came together at Monday night’s special council meeting to forge a plan to try to open a winter shelter for the homeless. 

“This is not a normal year. We are in a humanitarian crisis in our community this winter,” said Mayor William Lee. Lee said when the freezes and cold rains come, deaths from exposure could happen if the city doesn’t help get a shelter open.

The Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC), a charitable nonprofit which provides year round services to the homeless, had planned to open a winter shelter on Dec. 1, but has been unable to find enough qualified employees to staff the facility. The Council’s Monday night Zoom audience heard good news on the winter shelter location. Rev. Randy Knutson, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, told the Council the church is ready to provide space for the winter shelter for January and the first two weeks of February.

But that still won’t happen without the staffing.

In light of this, the Council voted 4 to 0 (with one abstention)  to add $4 per hour to the pay of MCHC winter shelter staff, with the hope that higher pay will enable MCHC to hire the needed seven staff members. The church would put the shelter in a large dining and meeting room with a kitchen that is entirely separate from the sanctuary. In brief, if MCHC can hire overnight supervisors with the additional city funding, MCHC  will operate a shelter in the Lutheran church beginning in  January.

The council also authorized City Manager Tabatha Miller to negotiate a February and March winter shelter lease with MCHC for one of two city properties, either the C.V. Starr Community Center or the gymnasium in the back of Fort Bragg City Hall. As a third option, MCHC’s own headquarters at the northwest corner of North Franklin St. and Main St. will also be considered in the discussions between Miller and MCHC. The lease deal will not be final until the council has an opportunity to review all the options and vote at a future meeting. That will likely take place in January, unless a special meeting is called in later this month.

Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell was against using the MCHC’s downtown headquarters, also known as the Old Coast Hotel, for the winter shelter.

“For me it would be a hard sell to do one more thing to that neighborhood that we promised it would not do,” Norvell said, after the idea of exploring the location was brought up by Councilperson Jessica Morsell-Haye. The 2015 purchase of the Old Coast Hotel by MCHC, using city-obtained grant funds, led to a bitter division of the town, including an unsuccessful ballot measure to block non-profits in the downtown area in 2016. 

“This is a crisis situation. I understand the vice-mayor’s concerns. But we need to consider all the options that might be available to us,” said Mayor Lee. Lee also asked the public to come forward with any suggestions for a location.

Councilmembers seemed to favor the C.V. Starr location Monday night but said they would like to have the gym in city hall as a backup. Exhaustive searches for a location had been done by the city and MCHC, without result until Trinity Lutheran stepped forward. Due to distancing requirements mandated during the pandemic, other houses of worship and some other locations were not large enough for the winter shelter. Additionally, other owners expressed concern about pandemic liabilities, or the inability to move back into their own facilities if the COVID-19 crisis lessens.

Councilmember Lindy Peters recused himself from the discussion because he lives within 500 feet of C.V. Starr Community Center. Lee is in his final month on the council, having announced his resignation effective Jan. 1.

Paul Davis, interim executive director of the MCHC, attended the Zoom meeting and answered questions from the Council and public. This drew him praise from Vice Mayor Novell, who said getting such cooperation and good answers in the past from MCHC has not always been possible.

The winter shelter houses overflow from the MCHC’s Hospitality House at 237 N. McPherson Street. The winter shelter also intentionally provides a “lower bar” to entrance than does the Hospitality House to protect as many people as possible from frigid winter conditions. One thing this means is that people who are “slightly inebriated” can be admitted, if they otherwise behave, the Council heard from Davis.

Davis said the rules for the winter shelter will be much tougher this year due to COVID-19. He said if someone were to leave the winter shelter during the night this year, they would likely be banned from coming back for the remainder of the year, because of the current safety concerns. The winter shelter has always required people to stay on the premises, providing two staff to make sure such rules are followed. The guests are never allowed to congregate outside. Guests must go to the Hospitality Center headquarters to register and be qualified for the winter shelter. Then they are driven to the winter shelter location at 5 p.m and driven back to the hospitality center by 8 a.m., with two supervisors being present at all times during the evening and overnight. 

Regrettably, local law enforcement will likely not be able to drop people off at the winter shelter this year, Davis said. In the past, people newly released from jail or simply found cold and vulnerable downtown have been brought to the shelter by law enforcement agencies.

“I don’t see how we can make that work, how we can try to squeeze another cot into a place that has been socially distanced,” Davis said.

Norvell, who often worked as a volunteer at the winter shelter in past years, was confident that Miller could come up with a lease plan for safe use of the winter shelter that would protect the community. 

“It is a tough demographic. I have seen people try to bring alcohol in. I have seen a fight. These are people who don’t quality for the Hospitality House because they don’t want to follow the rules,“ Norvell said

While only 17 people can now shelter at Hospitality House due to COVID-19, the MCHC provides outside meals, showers and laundry facilities for anyone else who needs them at no charge. The MCHC also provides housing navigation, vocational and wellness programs at the Hospitality Center on Franklin Street, in addition to access to mail delivery for those with no address, plus access to a phone and computer. 

The majority of those who provided public comment urged the council to act and open a winter shelter as soon as possible.

Linda Jo Stern, who works with Fort Bragg Street Medicine, told the council the winter shelter was badly needed for the health and safety of those living on the street. Anna Marie Stenberg, who lives on Wall Street behind the C.V. Starr Center said she was 110 percent behind using the location in her backyard.

“We need to do something and do it now. These are our people. It’s always ‘not in my backyard.’” Stenberg said.

City Manager Miller said having the proposed lease come back to the council for a future evaluation and vote would also give more people the chance to provide input, considering the relatively short notice the special meeting provided. She said it would also give the city time to fully hear the concerns and ideas of C.V. Starr staff.

Miller said people could provide comments to her email tmiller@fortbragg.com.

The post Lutherans open doors for Coast’s homeless winter shelter — Ft. Bragg Council fattens paychecks of shelter workers to attract applicants appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

FORT BRAGG, 12/6/20 — As days get shorter and nights colder, Fort Bragg still hasn’t found a place to establish its usual winter shelter. Homeless people who have no place to sleep are spending their nights walking around Fort Bragg and Mendocino or huddled under bridges, or in camps in the woods. To make things worse, the non-profit Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC) has announced it can’t open the winter shelter even with a location, due to an inability to find qualified staff. MCHC had planned to open a winter shelter on Dec. 1. 

This dismal situation could all change as early as January if the Fort Bragg City Council makes the decision to help at their special meeting this Monday night. At that meeting, the City Council will consider having the city lease part of the closed C.V. Starr Community Center to MCHC for the months of February and March — an action recommended by its Ad Hoc Homelessness Committee. The proposal is likely to be controversial, as issues involving the homeless and MCHC usually are in Fort Bragg.

In addition, the city will consider whether to boost the pay of MCHC’s winter shelter employees by as much as $4 per hour for “pandemic hazard pay.” The current wages range from $14 to $16 per hour for overnight supervisors and up to $20 per hour for the boss, according to online information about the jobs. The cost to the city of the wage subsidy and lease would be about $15,000, city documents state. 

If the Hospitality Center can find the seven staff members they need, the shelter will open in January at a location not yet disclosed, said Carole White, president of the MCHC board. The winter shelter is scheduled to end at the end of March, but was extended last year for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As darkness fell on a relatively warm Dec. 4 with the thermometer at 49 degrees just after 5 p.m, two unsheltered men walking the streets of Fort Bragg were interviewed. 

Walking past the Fort Bragg Food Bank was a 25-year-old man who left Indiana in June driving a bus, with the goal to come to the California Coast and live by the beach. He made it to Fort Bragg but things haven’t been easy here.

“Sleeping outside isn’t that bad,” he said.

He wasn’t sure where he would sleep the night. Sometimes his bed is a recycling or garbage bin. 

“The garbage bins are better because the bags are softer,” he said. A trim, powerful man with a large heavy pack and several layers of clothes, he looked ready for any adventure. 

He had not heard about plans for a winter shelter and wasn’t sure he would utilize the service. He has used the Hospitality Center for phone calls and other services and likes what he has seen.

Whether or not there is a winter shelter, unsheltered people are out there in 2020, occupying alleys or even dumpsters. Estimates of the homeless population of Mendocino County from point in time counts have varied between 800–1200 over the past several years. The Marbut Consulting report of 2018 estimated the homeless population of Fort Bragg to be 81 people inside city limits, but estimates have gone as high as more than 200, when the surrounding areas are included. Robert Marbut, controversial locally, later became Donald Trump’s homeless czar. Lots of homeless people never use any shelter. Some homeless people can’t be around lots of other people, some won’t go to the Hospitality Center and some can’t stand to be indoors, MCHC board president White said. For most, sleeping outside in frigid temperatures is a nightmare.

On the opposite end of Fort Bragg near Harvest Market, a 51-year old man was concerned about his safety outside at night. He said he knew where he would sleep that night but never tells anyone his sleeping spot. He grew up in Ukiah and worked his whole life there. After the Ukiah man lost his job due to COVID, he came to the Coast to stay with relatives but that didn’t work out. “Sleeping outside is great on a camping trip when you are a kid. At my age, it hurts all the way to the bone,” he said. He also hadn’t heard about plans for a winter shelter, but would definitely use it. The man was thin, carried nothing with him and was lightly dressed, although all in black.*

The Council special meeting is on Monday, Dec. 7, starting at 6 p.m, to be held by Zoom. The Council’s ad-hoc homeless committee, which has recommended the rescue plan to the full council, includes Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell and Councilperson Jessica Morsell-Haye working with City Manager Tabatha Miller. 

Fort Bragg already has a year-round homeless shelter, so why is the Coast Winter Shelter needed?

The Coast’s winter shelter is intended as overflow for the usually full facilities of the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. MCHC can house a total of 45 people, with 17 people now fitting into MCHC’s Hospitality House at 237 N. McPherson and the rest in various transitional housing programs, White said. She said there were 17 people currently wait-listed to be housed in a winter shelter, if only such a shelter existed. While only 17 people are currently able to shelter at Hospitality House, the MCHC provides outside meals, showers and laundry facilities for anyone else who needs them at no charge. The MCHC also provides housing navigation, vocation and wellness programs at the Hospitality Center on Franklin Street, in addition to access to mail delivery for those with no address, plus access to a phone and computer.

For the month of December, MCHC says it will be able to offer motel vouchers to a small number of homeless families and individuals at higher risk of COVID-19 complications. 

Many critics have asked why the winter shelter cannot be held inside the headquarters in the Old Coast Hotel at Franklin and Oak Streets downtown, which currently houses a cafe, mental health services and administrative offices. There have already been objections on social media to the C.V. Starr idea, many focused on the MCHC’s offices as being better suited.

“We thought about it. Could we do this here? We really wouldn’t be able to because of COVID,” said MCHC board president White. Much of the interior is too narrow to set up socially distanced cots, she said. People live upstairs, as part of the mission of the MCHC. Much of the overall space is taken up by an outdoor courtyard in the center of the property.

“People have this story in their heads about how big it is. It’s really not, it’s all broken up,” White said.

Others say the winter shelter should be located in the industrial areas of Fort Bragg such as the north end of North Franklin Street or in the area on the south end of town housing the local hospital, medical buildings and other nonprofits. The city and MCHC both report making exhaustive searches and only coming up with two possible properties outside those owned by the city, although those have not been identified.

The Council’s Ad Hoc Homeless Committee considered the gymnasium inside the old recreation center in city hall, but that was ruled out due to the impact it could have on downtown businesses.

“At a time when we have seen many small businesses close, the burden of hosting a Winter Shelter in this district is too much to ask of our businesses. We depend on those businesses to attract visitors and support our tax collections,” the committee’s recommendation to the Council states.

Homeless issues and the MCHC have been consistently controversial in Fort Bragg and in area media. Officials investigated whether a new provider of homeless services could be found, but came up with no other options for the 2020–2021 season. The MCHC has been willing to provide intake for the Winter Shelter if another entity were to run the facility, White said. 

Last season, a winter shelter was rotated between houses of faith all winter, ranging from 8 to 24 people. The city’s permit allowing the shelter to operate contains many conditions and there are rules such as that guests are not allowed to bring drugs or alcohol into the winter shelter. 

MCHC employees would drive the homeless people from where they sign in at 5 p.m. to the winter shelter. Last year, clients signed in at the Fort Bragg Food Bank, allowing the process to be taken out of downtown into the industrial area. Due to COVID-19, that won’t be possible this year. Check in will be at the Hospitality Center in downtown, an idea which has raised renewed criticism. The guests would be awakened early and driven back to the Hospitality Center no later than 8 a.m. This year, MCHC officials say the operation of the center will be much more difficult, due to COVID-19. Extensive cleaning will be required under the proposed plan. Much effort must be made to make sure that same supplies go to the same clients each night to avoid spreading COVID — something made difficult by the fact that the same people rarely show up one night to the next, White said.

The C.V. Starr Center is in a residential neighborhood and located next to an elementary school. 

“We have a very quiet, low crime, tight-knit neighborhood, and have an organized neighborhood watch. I see trouble right now,” said Junice Gleason, who lives near C.V. Starr. 

“At least downtown there are garbage receptacles and public restrooms. I do not feel it will sit well with a lot of my neighbors. I understand the need, but consider the consequences,” Gleason said.

The city’s report says a winter shelter has been operated successfully in residential neighborhoods in the past.

“Most of the faith-based facilities are in residential neighborhoods and with proper permit and lease conditions, interference with the neighbors is minimal. Any activity at the school and district offices[sic] to the south[sic] would happen between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. The shelter hours would be limited to 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m and shelter guests would be transported to and from the Center,” the recommendation to the council states.

Gleason sees special problems with the CV Starr property, where the skate park continues to operate.

“I just do not feel mixing our homeless population and our at risk teens is a very good idea. I’m for protecting the kids on that stance,” Gleason said.

Guests are supposed to stay inside or around the entrance, in an area of CV Starr away from staff offices. When this reporter worked at the winter shelter last year, the guests almost all were exhausted and went to sleep right after dinner. There were disabled people and several elderly people, along with those suffering from mental health or with substance abuse issues. I saw fellow staff perform what appeared to be lifesaving acts for ill and disabled people and the guests mostly work hard to help, rather than cause problems.

A rate increase for Waste Management’s Fort Bragg residential, commercial, multifamily and roloff services will also be on the agenda for Monday’s special meeting.

The agenda, and Zoom sign-in are available here: https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=819866&GUID=384B7F72-BB22-4FBD-8333-4A15CEFE08DC

* Both homeless men interviewed provided their names but we have withheld for their own privacy.

The post Ft. Bragg Council to consider housing winter homeless shelter at C.V. Starr Center appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

FORT BRAGG, 11/24/20 — Fort Bragg city councilmembers decided to appoint, not elect, a replacement councilmember, a move which would save the city the $15,000 cost of a special election. The decision also comes in light of a dismal 2020 election, in which no Fort Bragg citizen decided to challenge either incumbent in the city council elections, resulting in the election just being cancelled.

The council formed a two-person ad hoc committee to lead the appointment process and find ways to broaden the appeal of city service to those who have traditionally not been involved, such as Latino people and families. Lindy Peters and Tess Albin-Smith will serve on the ad hoc.

The Nov. 23 council meeting was held via Zoom, visible on the city website, Facebook and public access television Channel 3. Mayor William Lee, who has resigned effective Dec. 31 to take a new job in the Bay Area, presided over most of Monday’s meeting, taking perhaps his last opportunity as mayor to express gratitude to city residents, city staff and fellow councilmembers. A mayor and vice mayor to serve for the next two years are set to be selected at the council meeting, on Dec. 14.

No formal vote was held, with Monday’s meeting serving to chart a plan of action for appointment of a new member. Lee did not participate in the discussion about his replacement. The other four councilmembers favored appointment and creating the ad hoc committee to lead the appointment process so that it brings forth a broader cross section of the Fort Bragg population. The council technically could still change its mind but all indications were that everybody favored appointment, with nobody supporting calling a special election.

Although the council liked the $15,000 cost savings, they seemed more concerned about going until Nov. 2, 2021 with only four members, while waiting for that first possible date for a special election. “Last time when we actually had open elections, nobody stepped forward other than the two incumbents,” Councilmember Lindy Peters said. “Process-wise an election would be the proper way to go. But with only four people on the council and some important decisions coming up, I don’t think it would be a wise decision to put off for that long when nobody ran the last time.”

Lee and Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell were appointed to retain their council seats back in August, when nobody else filed papers to run for council. Two months later, Lee announced his resignation.

An election is generally considered the better choice in a democratic system, to avoid any appearance of an insider choice and to have voters pick their own representatives. In the past, some members of the Fort Bragg public have insisted council choices should always be left up to the voters, but not at Monday’s meeting. Indeed, though turn out was high this year, likely due to increased ease of voting with all voter receiving a mail-in ballot, enthusiasm was low and no citizen stepped up the challenge incumbent councilmembers in Fort Bragg, Willits, or Point Arena.

Only two members of the public commented at the meeting, through email, neither pressing for a special election. Judith Valadao encouraged the council to appoint, “With the pandemic getting worse and positive numbers going up daily, the highest priority should be given to the health and safety of our community. While the cost of an election might seem small, it could very easily be that these funds may be needed as things continue to get worse,” Valadao said. “You aren’t going to make everybody happy. So you might as well save some money and not have campaigns going on during this time,” she said.

Attorney Jacob Patterson said if appointment is chosen it could be a way to increase diversity.

“It could prove beneficial to take this opportunity to increase the diversity of the city council by recruiting and appointing a Fort Bragg resident with indigenous heritage or a Latino/Latina member of the community who could provide additional perspective, viewpoints and life experience,” Patterson commented.

Most important to the council was to broaden interest in city service and to appeal to a more diverse population. Hopes were expressed that an appointed person might be someone who wouldn’t normally run for office because of the hassles involved in electioneering. Ideas for what the committee could explore included advertisements in two languages, finding a way to provide child care services to the council and audience and even changing meeting times or holding day meetings if that would broaden the appeal of city service.

“I like the idea of an ad hoc committee, particularly tasking them with looking at ways to increase getting the word out to a more diverse section of our population,” said Councilmember Jessica Morsell-Haye. She favored Albin-Smith’s idea of providing childcare, once the council returns to live meetings, as a way to increase participation.

When it came time to create the ad-hoc committee, Mayor Lee turned the meeting over to Vice Mayor Norvell, who then appointed Peters and Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith to comprise the committee. Action on the seat is required by March 1, if Lee does indeed serve until Dec. 31 as planned. The appointed person would serve only until November of 2022. If a special election was called for, the winner would serve until the end of Lee’s new term in November of 2024.

Ad hoc, or temporary and single subject, committees are not required to be open to the public according to the Brown Act, but can be if a council so desires. Nothing was said about that at the meeting. Standing committees are required by law to be open to the public and are routinely noticed and held online by the city of Fort Bragg. 

The idea is for applicants to be formally interviewed for the job only by the full council in open session, not the ad-hoc subcommittee. No names have yet been put forward publicly for the seat but there was some discussion that indicated some names have come up.

Peters pointed out that if a woman was chosen for the open seat, it would be the first time in the history of Fort Bragg that the council would have a female majority.

Other Business

In other business, City Manager Tabatha Miller gave an update on two disaster planning efforts now underway, one county-wide, and one in the city. She said the new Mendocino County Multi Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan is up for a vote at the Dec. 14 City Council meeting

“This is an update of the 2014 plan, It’s been 10 months in the works. They will be asking the city to adopt that at the Dec. 14 meeting. Basically it’s working with Mendocino County — the four incorporated cities — and the Mendocino County Office of Education. It’s our response to emergencies and trying to mitigate the loss of property, lives and resources,” Miller said. 

The Hazard Mitigation Plan can’t be accessed at this point from the county website about it (only available to those with a password). There is little information in an executive summary, which says the grant-funded plan is a prerequisite for getting certain funds during an actual disaster.

“The 2020 MJHMP Update will cover each of the major natural hazards that pose risks to County infrastructure and residents. Recognizing that successful mitigation planning efforts must be communicated and understood by the public, the county approach will include stakeholder participation and input with the use of cutting edge GIS technology to map and update the hazard information for each hazard profiled in the 2020 MJHMP,” the executive summary states. 

Also, the city’s department heads have been working on an evacuation plan and maps for the city of Fort Bragg. “We will be bringing those to you on Dec. 14 just as a preview. We basically have created zones throughout the city,” Miller said.

Miller said maps will be placed at local hotels, so that guests can know what zone they are in during an emergency. Miller said this came about based on a story that Councilman Lindy Peters told the council about being at The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa during a fire emergency and having difficulty translating the Sonoma County system or knowing just what to do. He drove home safely.

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FORT BRAGG, 11/21/20 — The Fort Bragg City Council will soon be tackling the question of how to fill the vacancy that’ll soon be left by Mayor William Lee, when his resignation becomes effective in the new year. Tomorrow, Monday, the council will discuss whether to replace Lee by simply appointing someone to fill the council seat — or hold a special election. 

Lee announced his resignation Oct. 26, effective on Dec. 31. The city estimates the cost of a special election at $15,000, according to a staff report prepared for Monday’s meeting. An appointment would result in one more name on the ballot at the next regular election in two years (instead of in four years), at negligible cost.

Whoever replaces Lee is highly unlikely to be named mayor anytime soon, a choice to be made December 14, by the five current council members. Lee and Vice Mayor Bernie Norvel are slated to be sworn in for their new terms on the council at that meeting.

Mayor Lee was appointed to his second four-year city council term on Aug. 13, 2020, when nobody chose to run against him or Vice Mayor Norvel on the Nov. 3 ballot for the two open city council seats. The City Council has up to 60 days to fill the position, starting Jan. 1, but is expected to act more quickly, once the decision is made on how to proceed. Action must be taken by March 1.

Under the leadership of Lee and Norvel, the council has shown little visible strife or internal controversy, despite differences of opinion. Such comity was evident during the national brouhaha over changing Fort Bragg’s name. Councilmembers don’t talk over top each other during meetings and voices are seldom, if ever, raised. Lee has a scrupulously polite style as mayor, keeping meetings moving briskly. 

The question of diversity on the council has been mentioned. Two of the current city council members are women — Jessica Morsell-Haye and Tess Albin-Smith. Fort Bragg had at least two women mayors in the 1990s, Patti Campbell and Michele White (who served into the early 2000s), but has not picked a woman as mayor so far in the 21st century. Meg Courtney served as vice mayor and Heidi Kraut was a councilmember.

There has apparently only been one Latino person on the city council, at least in recent times, and none in the top job. Brian Balteirra served in the early 2000s. The lack of any other Latino councilmembers comes despite the fact that about one third of the city is composed of Latinos, mostly Mexican and Mexican-American. The U.S Census shows 32.2 percent of the 7,291 residents in July 2019 in census area “Fort Bragg City” as “Hispanic or Latino.” Voter registration percentages for Latino people were not available from the U.S Census for the City of Fort Bragg.

The council can either appoint someone to serve for two years, with that person facing election at a regular council election in November 2022 or call a special election to elect someone to fill the vacancy through the end of Mayor Lee’s term in November 2024.

If an appointment is made, in November 2022, three City Council seats would be up for election for four-year terms plus the newly appointed person–for a two-year term. That means almost the entire council will be on the ballot in that election (minus current Vice Mayor Norvel’s seat). 

The Council is scheduled to pick someone new to the city’s top job at its meeting on Dec. 14, as well as picking a vice-mayor. In some (mostly large) California cities, mayors are elected by popular vote, not picked by the council. Lee served a full two-year term as mayor, succeeding Lindy Peters, who is still on the city council and is its current longest standing member, having also served in the 1990s.

The regular election in November 2018 cost approximately $10,500 with about 3,000 voters participating, the staff report from the council stated. Currently, there are 3,938 registered voters in Fort Bragg and the cost of a special election would be about $15,000, the staff report said.

The process of appointing someone would be expected to be similar to the recent appointment of two people to the Noyo Harbor Commission, according to the staff report. If so, qualified applicants, those residing in the city limits who are at least 18-years-old and registered to vote, would complete an application. The City Council would invite candidates to be interviewed for the position. Candidate interviews with the full council must be conducted in public to avoid Brown Act violations, the staff report stated. The staff report, visible on the city website, gives pros and cons for both appointment and a special election.

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FORT BRAGG, 10/26/20 — Fort Bragg Mayor Will Lee announced his resignation from the City Council this afternoon, in a press release issued just before the Monday council meeting. Because no election will be held this year for the Fort Bragg City Council, due to lack of interest, this may leave the council with a vacancy.

County supervisors Dan Gjerde and Ted Williams attended virtual the meeting, to participate in choosing the new Noyo Harbor Commission chairman.

Lee’s departure will be effective December 31. He is leaving to take a job in another community, the press release states. Lee works for Adventist Health, which runs the local hospital. He is a long-time employee of the hospital. Lee is pictured above driving in the 2018 Paul Bunyan Days Parade. Lee is Fort Bragg’s first openly gay mayor.

Lee was elected to the council in 2016 and chosen mayor by the council in 2018, succeeding Lindy Peters. Lee had faced reelection in the November election, along with vice-mayor Bernie Norvell. When nobody else entered the council race to cancel these two incumbents, the city council chose to cancel the election, saving the city $10,000.  Lee’s departure leaves the council in the position of having to appoint an unelected person, or hold a special election.

In announcing his resignation effective Dec. 31 Monday night, Mayor Will Lee praised his colleagues and city residents while also saying personal criticism from a small number of people “hurt” especially when directed at city staff.

After a brief opening announcement, Lee waited until near the end of Monday’s City Council meeting to discuss his move, not wanting the meeting to become a “Willfest”. Lee said he was proud of all the decisions he had made in the past four years and was having a hard time with goodbyes.

“As most of you know I’m an emotional person and I can’t help that. It’s been a very difficult week for us here at the hospital and having to announce to the people of Fort Bragg who have been so good to me,” Lee said.

Lee said personal attacks hurt, especially when directed at staff members.

“Our political culture is so toxic. I just want to ask people to be kind to each other and be considerate of those serving in public service. We withstand a lot of attacks on social media. It seems worse than when I got elected in 2016 and I just think that is a national discourse that is troublesome.”

He said a young person wanting to get into public service might have second thoughts about it due to attacks perpetrated by a small handful of people.

“That’s been the hardest thing for me is to watch our staff be attacked while they are on the clock. I guess we get that because we are elected…We have to stick together in this community,” said Lee.

“I think this is one of the best councils we have had here in many years. In all the hundreds of hours I have worked with these four colleagues I want to say I am so impressed.”

Other council members and staff heaped praise on Lee at the meeting.

“I have to commend you for all the hours you have put in and all the hard work,” said City Manager Tabatha Miller. “As a boss I have to say you are extraordinary. You really have stood behind us. You are innovative and ambitious and it really has made a difference.”

“You have been a great mentor. You will hear more from me before you leave,” said Councilmember Tess Albin-Smith 

“One thing that can’t be missed is you make things fun. Will, thanks for making things fun, I think that is a character plus that a lot of elected officials don’t have,” said Councilperson Lindy Peters.

“I’d like to second that you make things fun. I ran for city council because of you, it’s your fault.. Being in local government with Will how bad can it be? Thank you for all you have done.I too will wax on as the time gets closer,” said Councilperson Jessica Morsell-Haye.

In another matter, city clerk June Lemos announced that 3501 ballots have been dropped in the box in front of City Hall and sent to Mendocino County election headquarters. The total voter registration in the city of Fort Bragg is 3938, which is up by 464 persons since the last election, she said.

“We have had almost as many ballots come in as registered voters. But of course, the ballots are coming from all over,” Lemos said. She said ballots had been dropped off from as far away as San Diego.

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FORT BRAGG, 10/14/20 — “These businesses have already proven to us they are good neighbors. I welcome them to Fort Bragg,” said Mayor Will Lee at Tuesday night’s regular council meeting.

The council started a process expected to last until April, 2021 in which a consultant will be hired to help prepare an ordinance that would allow commercial cannabis cultivation on inland industrial parcels, such as those north of Pudding Creek and east of Highway 1. Councilperson Jessica Morsell-Haye suggested a 1 percent tax on grower revenues, but relented when other councilmembers insisted that no special fees be imposed on cultivators.

Councilperson Lindy Peters pointed out the fees and taxes that the state already charges cannabis producers. Those costs are in addition to the 2.5 percent tax rate on gross income from the county of Mendocino.

“They are businesses like anybody else. I am 100 percent against giving them any kind of special tax,” said Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell.

“I found the vice mayor’s argument compelling. I can get on board with this.  I think it’s important we don’t get greedy here,” replied Morsell-Haye.

The plan is for growers to pay regular fees like building permits, but no extra fees because they are in the cannabis industry.  Each grower would have to go through a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process.  The city didn’t want to make the investment of doing a blanket CEQA for the entire town when there are so few parcels that qualify.  Thus the plan is to exempt the ordinance from CEQA . Then each applicant would need to deal on a case-by-case basis with odor, water use, and other questions addressed by CEQA. This approach differs from the county’s cannabis cultivation ordinance, which attempted to exempt applicants in the initial stages from going through individual CEQA processes, subsequently resulting in complications for applicants seeking permit approval on the state level.

Cannabis cultivation is actually already legal under the city’s microbusiness cannabis ordinance. The current effort is intended to regulate larger growing operations.

A local published cannabis scholar, Evan Mills, PhD, provided comments as to why outdoor cultivation is more natural and uses far less energy with the associated environmental costs of high electrical use that characterizes indoor grows. Peters said the city had considered outdoor grows, but after public comments in the initial process of a year ago, decided to go only with indoor growing in the forthcoming ordinance.

The council did not discuss why a consultant would be needed or the cost of hiring someone from the outside. One person providing public comment criticized the use of an outside contractor.

“This is overkill for what can be a simple staff project, especially at a time when the city is adding planning staff,” commented Jacob Patterson “We are better served by doing this work in house…This project is fiscally irresponsible. We can and should do better with the city’s limited resources.”

Cannabis cultivators said they need new legal places to grow. Area grower “Michael,”commenting live on Zoom, said if the city had a place where cultivation would be allowed, he would be there “tomorrow.”  Michael said the state may require all water used by an indoor grow be recycled and reused.

“It would be a bit of an extra fee on cultivators, but having a place to cultivate would be worth it,” said Michael.

Jon McColley, who runs the city’s first marijuana processing business, Root One Botanicals, said the company had processed over a ton of cannabis over the past year while following the rules set forth by the council. The company had applied for a cultivation permit, prompting the plan being considered Monday night, but later withdrew the cultivation application. McColley cited information that every guest in a hotel uses about 40 gallons of water, which multiplied out over all the guests has far greater water use than a cannabis grow would have.

The council did not vote but the consensus discussion gave direction to Sarah McCormick, of the city’s community development department, to move forward with a process that will include drafting a request for proposals to bring a consultant on board and reviews at subsequent council meetings.

Some 30 people attended the Tuesday night meeting by Zoom, where most meetings have just a handful of persons. 

Other business taken up by the council:

1. Budget: Reports of improved transient occupancy tax revenues means the city was able to readjust its budget, which it has done several times since revising the budget downward at the start of the pandemic. The Council approved a budget amendment that provides an additional $50,000 to Visit Fort Bragg, provides $25,000 for  the Noyo Center for Marine Science and $5,000 for the community garden project. 

2. Council members gave special recognition for City Clerk June Lemos for seven years of service to the city. Lemos was appointed by the City Clerks Association of California (CCAC) as a mentor to four Northern California city clerks. She was  also chosen by the CCAC as a member of their Membership and Inclusivity Committee to help make new city clerks feel more welcome and prepared at conferences and trainings.

“Thank you June, you are truly there every step of the way. You do make my job easier, thank you,” said Norvell during the meeting. Peters said Lemos has worked harder than any other clerk has ever had to work, because of a barrage of public records requests that has been going on this year, especially from one individual, whom he did not identify. “We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents.  You are there many late nights processing these requests from city residents,” said Mayor Lee.  Lemos thanked the council for the proclamation. 

3. Later in the meeting, Lemos provided details about the extensive security the city is providing for the ballot box in front of city hall and for the delivery of ballots to the county (read more about the county’s elections here).

4. A closed session was held to discuss the city’s purchase of property at 90 W. Redwood Avenue, which does not include the building at that location. The city is now involved in price negotiations with Georgia Pacific for the property, according to the closed session agenda. City Manager Tabatha Miller said there was no announcement out of closed session about the negotiations.

5. Councilmembers heard that the Mendocino Coast Dog Owners Group (MCDOG) recently provided labor and improvements to the dog park at CV Starr Community Center, upgrading the dog park.  

6. Councilmember Jessica Morsell-Haye said she is feeling more optimistic about the Citizens Commission (for name change) after the third meeting of the group of local residents. The initial group was composed of 17 members, with two new members added at last week’s meeting.  Morsell-Haye said Vice Mayor Norvell attended and has agreed to join the group of community members going forward. The Citizens Commission sprang from a nationally publicized controversy over changing the name of Fort Bragg in an effort to rid the city of its namesake, former slaveholder Braxton Bragg (see our previous coverage here).

6. Heard a special presentation by Lia Holbrook of Project Sanctuary about activities happening as part of Domestic Violence Awareness month.

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MENDOCINO Co., 10/13/20 — On Tuesday evening, tonight, the Fort Bragg City Council will consider how to create new regulations for growing cannabis to accompany its existing rules that govern both retail dispensaries and processing/manufacturing of cannabis products.

The Oct. 13 council meeting will be held by Zoom at 6 p.m.

A council subcommittee has presented a plan that suggests the council consider allowing cannabis cultivation in all inland industrial parcels zoned industrial, rather than just those north of Pudding Creek, as had been the original plan.

The council began working on plans for cannabis cultivation regulation in January 2018. In June 2019, the council gave direction to staff to develop an ordinance to allow and regulate commercial cannabis growing. 

“Several factors delayed said ordinance, including the withdrawal of a development application for a proposed commercial cannabis cultivation project (Root One Botanicals), staffing changes in City Hall, and the challenges involved with the associated environmental document, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),” the staff report for Tuesday night’s meeting states.  Root One Botanicals launched the first cannabis processing facility in Fort Bragg, located in the industrial area on the north end of Franklin Street. Two cannabis retail dispensaries have been launched this fall in Fort Bragg.

The plan under consideration sets a target date of April 2021 for implementation. The plan, as suggested by the Community Development Committee, suggests that no sales tax, or additional taxation specifically for cannabis, be collected. “Standard fees, as identified by the City’s Fee Schedule, in addition to fees associated with building permits as determined by Mendocino County will apply,” the report states.

The staff report states it would be appropriate to be found exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

“Staff has determined that environmental review should be conducted on a project-by-project basis to accurately assess the environmental impacts of each proposal. The adoption of the proposed ordinance does not allow construction of any building or structure or establishment of a new land use, but sets forth the regulations that shall be followed if and when a building, structure or land use is proposed to be constructed or a site is proposed to be developed,” the staff report states.

Water is identified as the key environmental issue created by cannabis cultivation in the report.

“Cannabis cultivation, similar to other agricultural land uses, is a high-water user and therefore may have individual or cumulative impacts on the City’s water supply. The individual and cumulative impacts on the City’s water supply will in part depend on whether well water is available for cultivation uses.

The availability, quantity and quality of well water is unique to every property and therefore, are appropriate for a site-specific evaluation. In order to address the specific impacts of cannabis cultivation in the City, staff is proposing that a water supply assessment be required as part of the use permit application submission to ensure the potential impacts to water supply are adequately addressed,” the report states.

Staff is suggesting that a request for proposals be circulated so that a private contractor can prepare the ordinance for the cannabis cultivation.

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FORT BRAGG, 9/25/20 — Less thirsty plants in the forest combined with cooler weather have improved Fort Bragg’s water shortage situation, and the city council will consider rescinding the the declaration of a “Stage 2” water emergency which came with demands for a citywide 20 percent water use reduction.

At Monday’s Fort Bragg City Council meeting, the Council will consider a staff proposal to take a step backward to a “Stage 1” water conservation situation, with residents then asked to cut water use by 10 percent over base year use.

With the lowest Noyo River water levels on record emerging, the council first declared first Stage 1, then Stage 2 water conservation measures in August, with residents being asked for a 10 percent and 20 percent water use reduction, respectively. City residents stepped up and were able to make a big cut in water use.

“September proved to be challenging during low flows in the Noyo River paired with high tides. Fort Bragg’s water sources have kept up with the demand of our water users during this time,” the staff report for Monday night’s council meeting states.

“The residents of Fort Bragg have answered the request for conservation by reducing use by 12 percent according to weekly averages this month. During this work by the public, the Noyo River flow increased to 1.86 cubic feet per second,” the report adds.

While the public helped, it was nature that kept the situation from getting any worse. Climate change is credited with helping create the higher summer temperatures and ongoing drought that led to the situation.

“The [river flow] uptick is due to the seasonal change in weather causing reduced plant uptake in the watershed and cooler temperatures slowing evaporation,” the staff report states.

While the worst of low water flows may be over, the city is planning for drought to continue through November.

“With October quickly approaching, the City plans for the dry spell to continue into the middle of November, similar to the 2015 drought. October will bring another round of high tides lasting seven days. During this time, we expect short pump run times at the Noyo River Station and more than likely reserves will be used from our reservoir to bridge the gap in demand. Once again, the Fort Bragg community is being asked to come together and see us through a difficult period of limited water availability,” the staff report states.

The City of Fort Bragg’s water supply system relies on three surface water sources: Waterfall Gulch (tributary to Hare Creek), Newman Gulch (tributary to Noyo River), and the Noyo River (diversion at Madsen Hole). The city has no wells and does not use groundwater.

To keep the public informed about current and historic water levels, information is updated on the City’s website at least weekly: https://city.fortbragg.com/474/Water-Conservation#liveEditTab_widgets.

Other matters on the Sept. 28, 6 pm Monday meeting agenda include:

1. A resolution approving a $3.25 million loan agreement with Fort Bragg South Street LP, and Danco Communities to assist with the development of The Plateau, an affordable housing project at 441 South Street.

2. A resolution endorsing the countywide Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness in Mendocino County as adopted by the Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care.

3. A public hearing on revising the city’s fee schedule for various building permit fees and services.

The council meeting will be held by Zoom at 6 p.m. Monday. Here are the details for logging on:

Click this link to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/98845971783

On iPhone one-tap : US: +16699009128, 98845971783# or +13462487799,,98845971783#

Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656

Webinar ID: 988 4597 1783

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FORT BRAGG, 8/31/20 — Facing the lowest Noyo River water flows ever recorded, the Fort Bragg City Council voted unanimously to declare a “stage 2” water emergency at a special meeting held by Zoom webinar Monday night. Residents of Fort Bragg are asked to reduce water use by 20 percent and refrain from watering outdoor landscaping, among other measures. 

Three weeks ago, the city moved to a Stage 1 water advisory, asking residents to reduce usage by 10 percent — that wasn’t enough.

Although the city has increased its water storage greatly since the drought of 2015, river flows are now lower than even the driest years of the past. When river flows become too low, the water can become brackish and too salty to use, especially when very high tides come, which will happen in mid-September.

“Currently the Noyo River is flowing at 0.90 cubic feet per second (cfs). This flow level has dropped below the 2015 low flows and has surpassed 1977 flows,” the staff report presented to the council stated.

“Staff has not experienced flows as low as these. With this in mind, we expect flows to continue to decrease through September and into October. Our average water demand is 838,000 gallons per day. Currently, sources are providing 758,000 gallons per day,” the staff report states.

“This is a difference of 88,000 gallons per day. The numbers don’t lie. There are no two ways around this. We have to respond,” said Councilmember Lindy Peters.

Public Works Director John Smith, who brought the matter to the council, said the amount of shortfall depended on the tides and the variability of the river flows the city relies on.

“That was a snapshot,” said Smith. He said the city never expected to go below 1977 levels and that dropping water levels have come as a shock.

The City of Fort Bragg’s water supply system relies solely on three surface water sources: Waterfall Gulch (tributary to Hare Creek), Newman Gulch (tributary to Noyo River), and the Noyo River (diversion at Madsen Hole). The city has no wells and does not use groundwater.

In 2015 the City’s water supply system could only store small amounts of water that provided enough to maintain proper water system pressure and to provide a safety margin for fire-fighting flows. Five years later, the City has added two major sources of water storage, including an additional 1.5 million gallon water storage tank and the Summers Lane Reservoir, with a raw water capacity of 14.7 million gallons. This brings the city’s total water storage capacity to 22.6 million gallons, more than triple what existed in 2015. Still, the alarming drop in river flows had the council discussing the idea of a desalination plant as a solution.

“Eventually that is going to be our water source,” said Peters, who has long championed the idea. “If we can get ahead of it, it would be a good thing,” Peters said.

Smith said the desalination plant would be very expensive to maintain and would require a partner capable of footing the bill. There is currently no active proposal for a desalination plant.

 “It would be really interesting and important to know where that tipping point is, how much demand do we need to truly justify moving  forward with a desalination plant?  Do you have a sense of that already?” Councilmember Jessica Morsell-Haye asked Smith.

Smith said he did not have an exact number, saying it would be nice to have the customer who suggests the plant come up with the number.

“Are you confident that stage 2 is going to suffice? The chart is a little scary,” Morsell-Haye asked.

“I am confident that if we can actually save 20 percent — yes — I’m very confident,” responded Smith.

Hotels and motels must ask guests not to request new sheets and towels every day. Restaurants must serve water only when it’s asked for under stage 2. Stage 3 would require a 30 percent reduction and has stronger enforcement, according to the discussion. Jacob Patterson provided a comment pointing out the role of climate change and rising sea levels in the future poses a serious threat into the future.

There was some discussion about enforcement, with Smith saying there were different levels of enforcement with Stage 2 including major and minor offenses.

“We are not looking at everybody’s bill and hammering somebody for not reducing by 20 percent,” explained Vice-Mayor Bernie Norvell.

“The fines and penalties come in when you violate conditions of stage 2 like defective equipment or watering lawns with overflow. That is where we are going to penalize somebody,” said Norvell.

Smith said he was aware that not watering landscaping is a challenge, as many people have invested much effort in gardens during the long summer of shelter in place.

“They are going to have to be creative and use their bathtub water, (as an example) and take it out to water the garden,” Smith said.

The City is counting on residents to pull together to conserve, as happened in 2015.

“While we’ve made major water storage improvements, we are now in uncharted territory. It is anticipated that the most challenging period for meeting water demand will extend from now through mid-October. Once again, the Fort Bragg community is being asked to come together and see us through a difficult period of limited water availability,” the staff report stated.

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FORT BRAGG, 8/11/20 — A citizens commission established to deal with the suggestion that Fort Bragg should change its name (in order to eliminate the name of the confederate general and slaver, Braxton Bragg) plans to hold mostly private, not public, meetings to start.

In a second unusual move for a city council sponsored effort, the chosen panel includes people from both inside and outside city limits—- who will ultimately advise the city council.

After a contentious and nationally publicized five-hour meeting June 29, held to deal solely with the name change issue that divided the town, Councilmembers Jessica Morsell-Haye and Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell were appointed as an Ad Hoc Council Committee. The committee was tasked with gathering community input on issues like race and inclusive history surrounding the question of whether the town’s name should be changed.

That subcommittee at Monday’s NIght’s Fort Bragg City Council meeting  presented the names of a 16-member “Citizens Commission” which plans to hold regular meetings for at least one year. The council exercised no authority over the group and contemplated no action or vote. (The 16 names are at the end of the story).  

The council did vote on other matters, such as  to ask city residents to voluntarily conserve water by 10 percent as part of  stage 1 water conservation request. Mayor Will Lee declared Monday Fort Bragg Police Department Appreciation Day and the council discussed a Thursday special meeting that will likely cancel the November council election.

Although no formal start date for the work of the Citizens Commission was identified at the Council meeting, the committee hopes to meet twice monthly to start and then once a month, Morsell-Haye said.

The original desire to have a community member as chair evolved into the whole group wanting a council member to be chair, to provide a neutral voice to likely strident discussions. Morsell-Haye is that proposed chair. The Citizens Commission includes at least six Indigenous people, although it wasn’t stated who they were. The list includes people known for both liberal and conservative views. Morsell-Haye said working through “hard conversations” will be a big component of the effort.

“Our recommendation is it not be Brown Acted so that deep dive conversations can happen. A certain level of privacy is needed in the first phase,” she said. The Ralph M Brown Act is California’s law that allows the public be granted access to meetings set up by public agencies. The Brown Act gives the council the right to demand openness in any area of public business where councilmembers are involved.

Although the city name change ad hoc committee’s work appears to be done and the council has no authority over the new citizens commission, there was no opposition from the council to either the idea of closed meetings or having people from outside the city limits serve on a panel that will make eventually recommendations to the city council. Councilmembers approved of the hard work done and the direction presented.

Norvell and Morsell-Haye met with 24 people between June 30 and Aug. 4 (by phone, email, Zoom and in person). The committee will want public funds to pay for a professional facilitator. The facilitator would help the group establish ground rules at the first meeting and a statement of problems at the fourth. Morsell Haye presented a commission meeting schedule, although the committee itself will decide exactly where it goes. She said the meetings are now planned as closed, not public.

The recommendations from the committee does include an open public process to follow the work of the Citizens Commission. Morsell-Haye said it’s her hope that the public be looped back in through public meetings by the time a formal recommendation on name change and other issues is made to the Fort Bragg City Council.

Something that eclipsed the whole name change issue and pretty much everything else was the need for more and richer education of the local populace of all ages.

“The key feedback we heard, the thing that kept coming up was the educational component,” Morsell-Haye said.

“Across the board we heard people voice the need for more local history in our schools and a more comprehensive kind of history,” she said.

Mayor Will Lee asked about whether members were required to be from the Coast or the City of Fort Bragg.

“We weren’t checking addresses but we were mindful in our conservations that they were truly invested in our community,” said Morsell-Haye.

“We also knew who we were talking to,” said Norvell.

In the only public comment on the issue of whether Commission members should be city residents or not, Paul McCarthy, publisher of Mendocino Sports Plus, provided a jocular objection.

“If they aren’t city voters they wouldn’t be able to vote on any possible name change… I ask that you table the agenda item so there is time for the city council to look over a list I can send of people from Albion and Mendocino who would like to serve…. (And) I have some unemployed friends back in New Hampshire that like to share their unsolicited opinion on any topic.”

Councilman Lindy Peters hoped that the work could lead to a big community-wide celebration of Native American history similar to Paul Bunyan Days, perhaps to be held on what is now called Columbus Day.

Morsell-Haye mentioned the Native American members and said the Commission would work through any such ideas.

“If that is something they view as meaningful action, that would have a place in the discussion,” said Morsell-Haye.

“I’m happy with the start of this and the progress you have made so far in the midst of a pandemic,” Mayor Will Lee told Norvell and Morsell-Haye.

Fort Bragg Citizens Commission Members

• Proposed Chair- Council Member Jessica Morsell-Haye

Proposed Commissioners:

• Melanie Rafanan (Chair of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians)
• Ed Murrell
• Ryan Bushnell
• Bernadette Rafanan
• Keily Becerra Sanchez
• Tara Larson
• Ray Richards
• Javier Silva
• Cesar Yanez
• Lucy Stanley
• Marshal Carr
• Scott Taubold
• Gabriel Quinn Maroney
• Misty Dawn Cook
• Elena Gonzalez
• Nicki Caito Urbani

 In other business:

By a unanimous vote, the council enacted a stage 1 water conservation request for the city, which asks city residents to voluntarily lower their water use by 10 percent over the same time last year. Although some river flow measurements are lower than 2015, when the city last endured a severe drought, the city now has three times as much water storage, due primarily to the construction of the Summers Lane Reservoir. The city hopes by getting started early on water conservation, mandatory reductions can be avoided entirely. Stage 1 is a voluntary phase which asks residents to do the following (and more):

a. Don’t allow irrigation water to run off the yard into the streets. b. Use hoses with fittings on the end that allow shutoff, not requiring one to return to the outlet. c. Don’t wash driveways, sidewalks, and similar hardscapes. d. No fountains except where the water is part of a recirculating system. e. No watering within 48 hours after measurable rainfall. f. No watering other than before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m.

City of Fort Bragg

A special city council meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. to determine if the November City Council election will be canceled. Mayor Will Lee and Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell are up for reelection, but nobody else filed for the two seats by the deadline last Friday. The city said in a press release cancelling the election could save the city $10,000. The special meeting is needed to cancel the election.

In closed session, the council was set to confer with legal counsel and consider initiating two potential legal cases. City Manager Tabatha Miller said there was no reportable action taken out of closed sessions.

Mayor Will Lee proclaimed Monday as Fort Bragg Police Department Appreciation Day, reading his proclamation to start the meeting. The proclamation detailed the courage, commitment and service the local police, CHP and sheriff’s deputies provide every day.  

“The Fort Bragg Police Department bravely encounters potentially infected Covid-19 patients daily; assists with mentally ill and homeless individuals; interacts with drug abusers and others under the influence of illegal substances; and de-escalates many violent situations regularly, the proclamation read.

 “The Fort Bragg Police Department had nearly 20,000 documented calls for service in 2019 and many hundreds of those calls resulted in positive contacts with members of the community,” the Mayor read.

 “The Fort Bragg Police Department recently banned the use of choke holds and the Fort Bragg City Council recently adopted a Resolution requiring a hiring policy for police officers to disqualify any applicant based on prior acts of misconduct, which includes but is not limited to: use of excessive force, racial bias, sexual assault, discrimination against race, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or dishonesty relating to the reporting, investigation, or prosecution of a crime,” the mayor read.

A presentation was held last Tuesday which included the California Highway Patrol, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department and the Fort Bragg Police Department. “Members of our community have been showing their appreciation since, mostly by food,” Lee said, listing Harvest Market and a list of restaurants that have treated local peace officers over the last week.  Judy Valadao of Fort Bragg, who is involved in many civic matters, commenting by email, thanked the city for making the recent community “blue light” celebration a success.

“The support for our local law enforcement was awesome. You are appreciated not just today everyday,” she wrote.

Here is the meetings schedule proposed:

Meeting 1: Professional Facilitator — Establish ground rules – Create statement of values
Meeting 2: Chair – Local history deep dive — Presentations & Discussion — Meeting 3: Chair — Who are we now? Look at current state of racial equity in Fort Bragg — Presentations & Discussion
Meeting 4: Professional Facilitator — Create statement of problems
Meeting 5: Chair — What does meaningful action look like? — Vision for Fort Bragg’s future — bring individual writing exercises — Brain storm meaningful actions
Meeting 6: Chair — Statement of Vision — Create citizens commission’s recommendations to Council and community partners — Break into working groups to assess logistics, feasibility and cost of recommendations
Meetings 7-?: Work groups — Public Meetings: Seek public engagement and feedback

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FORT BRAGG, 7/28/20 — So far just one person has been cited for not wearing a mask in all of Mendocino County, (including all four cities) the Fort Bragg City Council heard Monday night — but that may change quickly. At the July 27 meeting, the City Council voted to give City Manager Tabatha Miller the power to create an immediate executive order to impose what the council agreed on: eliminating a 24-hour warning period for those caught not wearing a mask publicly indoors, or within 6 feet of a non-family member. That ordinance will likely go into effect today or tomorrow.

The actions bring the city into alignment with the other cities and the county in how to deal with the unmasked. Most of the changes to align and sharpen enforcement in the four cities have also happened in the past week.

The Council also extended renter’s protections from eviction, an action enable by the governor; and there was a progress report from the renaming ad hoc committee. 

The new masking regulation will also increase fines to roughly match those on the books in the county and now Ukiah, Willits and Point Arena as infractions, not misdemeanors. By making these violations infractions, rather than misdemeanors, the various municipalities are bypassing the need for judges and jury trials that a misdemeanor might entail, and allowing the violations to be delt with administratively, like with a parking ticket.The city’s new fines will be $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second and $500 for the third. Fort Bragg police officers will still have the discretion to issue a warning. The council left it up to the police department whether to use community service officers to issue those citations.

The first ever $100 county citation happened Saturday in the village of Mendocino when an unidentified person was warned by a Mendocino County law enforcement agent. When the person was encountered again a few hours later, still not wearing a mask, a citation was issued, the council heard. 

The council ceded some of the public process and its own final authority by allowing the city manager to issue the order. Such orders have been used in Southern California to quickly respond to the COVID crisis, the council heard. Under normal conditions, the council would bring back an urgency ordinance to review the language and conduct a second vote. In this case, the city manager, following the council’s wishes, will write an order to go into effect as soon as Miller can write it, which she said would be Tuesday or Wednesday.

“I like what I’m hearing. It’s time to remove the 24-hour warning period. I think people have had enough time to be educated on that,” Councilman Lindy Peters said.

“We can’t wait. We can’t put this off anymore. We have to act immediately to protect the people of our city. I support giving authority to the city manager to issue the order immediately,” said Mayor Will Lee.

 “Let’s go with the county ordinance and be consistent that way,” said Councilwoman Tess Albin-Smith.

Masks are not the only worry of local jurisdictions about violations related to COVID. The county will soon be considering hiring a private security firm to monitor people in quarantine, supervisors heard this week. Other examples would be large backyard parties or indoor gatherings, which have been reported happening all over the county, despite health orders banning them.

Monday’s council meeting started with a bang. A 2.6 magnitude earthquake, centered just north of Fort Bragg, hit at 5:30 p.m, just as the council was gathering from home on Zoom for the 6 p.m. meeting. The council also heard about a terrible four car injury crash downtown on Monday in which one driver rear ended another car, with three cars ahead also being rear ended, a fire hydrant being broken off, hospitalizations and emergency repairs.

Police Chief John Naulty referenced the crash and the hours of post crash investigation needed as an example of the kind of thing officers might be doing when calls about masks come in.

Nautly said he was comfortable with the new order and said the council had “nailed it.”

“The infraction is another tool for us. It creates a lot of work for city hall and the administration to deal with this paperwork that is going to come to them,” Naulty said during the council discussion with staff.

Nautly explained that the citation would be dealt with administratively, not in the court system. He said if mask citations were sent to the district attorney it could involve jury trials, defense attorneys and be expensive. Instead, city hall would have to deal with it like other city citations, such as parking tickets.

Officers from the County Health Department’s Special Investigations Unit have gotten more involved in enforcement across the county and came to the coast over the weekend, investigating reports of people not wearing masks on the Coastal Trail, but not finding any violators. Naulty was pleased that SIU officers will take a leading role in helping enforce the public health orders in all the cities and county. 

“They are the experts in this field. They are health officers,” Naulty said.

The Council, city manager and chief advocated for a plethora of education efforts about mask wearing —  from proposed new commissioned artwork featuring Paul Bunyan (or a seagull) in a mask to possibly getting a roadside police message trailer to greet tourists with a brightly lit message about the local mask law. The “Mask Up Mendocino” education program features educational ambassadors who will give out masks and hand sanitizer provided by the state. The county’s Chambers of Commerce and Visit Mendocino are involved in the effort.

Masks are now required statewide, but each county has different health orders and each city has different punishments. Miller described West Hollywood’s fine structure of $300 for the first infraction going up per violation to $1050, $2050, and $5000. 

Chief Naulty described many difficulties with enforcement, from confusing aspects of the local and state health orders, to police officers having to figure out whether people closer than six feet from each other are family members or not because one can legally be as close as desired in public to those with whom one lives, with but not strangers.

Renter Protections

By a 4-1 vote, the council extended through September eviction protections for renters unable to pay because of COVID economic conditions. In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave cities the previously unavailable right to protect renters from eviction orders as the COVID crisis began. Fort Bragg was a city which took advantage of this and has extended protections monthly to match the state’s extension of these provisions, such as giving an extra 60 days for renters to respond to court evictions. 

Councilmembers discussed the difficulties for both landlords and tenants. Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell, who cast the only “no” vote, pointed out that the county had elected not to extend its ordinance protecting renters from eviction — the council had just finished saying it needed to be consistent with the county in the mask ordinance. Norvell expressed worries from landlords that the city might be contributing to the debt load of its property owners. Councilwoman Jessica Morsell-Haye said she is a landlord, who is also eating the cost of utilities included in rent and is sympathetic to the position of landlords.

“I’ve heard from tenants as well, who are terrified. People are scared. People feel really vulnerable right now. Being able to tell them the ordinance is in place gives them some degree of comfort and that the City Council realizes the difficulty of the situation,” Morsell-Haye said. A practical result of the extension means protections will likely last through the end of 2021, a staff report said.

Renaming

Morsell-Haye gave an update on the ad-hoc citizens commission set up to come up with ways to form an independent board to address the city name change issue and involve the Native American community as well as other possibilities. The ad hoc committee was created on June 29’s meeting as a way to establish a commission run by the community, not the city, to create social justice solutions. The move was made during the nationally publicized debate over changing the name of the town to disassociate from slaver and Confederate general, Braxton Bragg.

“We are still putting together our proposal. We hope to bring it to council at the next meeting. If anybody we have not spoken to feels strongly about what this commission should look like or is passionate about participating, please reach out before we bring it to council,” Morsell-Haye said. She and Vice Mayor Norvell compose the ad hoc council committee working on the issue.

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FORT BRAGG, 6/23/20 — Although the Fort Bragg Police Department is currently five officers short of full staffing, Chief of Police John Naulty supported a new city policy that prohibits hiring officers with one sustained serious charge or two serious complaints by different citizens that were not sustained. The council voted unanimously for the resolution that creates the new policy at Monday night’s June 22 meeting at Fort Bragg Town Hall.

“I know it’s costly to run people on overtime,” Naulty told the council. “I would rather run people on overtime than lose the trust with the community that we have right now.”

Naulty said the new policy is basically what the city is already doing; the last three officer candidates were disqualified after stringent background checks. City Manager Tabatha Miller said Vice Mayor Bernie Norvell introduced the idea at the last meeting, resulting in the late addition to the agenda of a meeting otherwise entirely about the proposal to put the city’s name change on the November ballot.

“The recent incidents of police brutality across the nation has raised this issue to the forefront, “ Miller told councilmembers. “If you think about it, one of the most effective ways to stop police misconduct is to hire the right individuals,” 

Norvell said the city manager, COP, and fellow councilmember Jessica Morsell-Haye came up with the resolution. Norvell said there is not a current problem with hiring unqualified officers, but police departments can find themselves in a pinch to hire when they become understaffed: “This council won’t be here forever, this police chief and city manager won’t be here forever. This is addressing the need that we will be only hiring good people going forward, with this resolution in place.”

Councilmember Lindy Peters wondered if the department could really find out what is in protected personnel files. Naulty explained the extensive process his background check expert goes through. In a recent case in which an officer was disqualified, the investigator went to the community where the officer had worked, pulled the files, and read them page by page, then prepared a thick binder for the chief to review with pros and cons. This is done for each candidate. “I don’t want to have to babysit anyone. What they do out there reflects on all of us,” said Naulty.

City Manager Miller said, “Other cities, including San Francisco, have implemented similar policies for hiring law enforcement officers. Widespread implementation of such policies will regain trust in law enforcement agencies.”

In an interview, Naulty said officers are currently getting six to ten hours of overtime in a week. The amount of hours varies, with some officers picking up entire 12-hour overtime shifts due to summer vacations.

Naulty said the police department has not had a serious allegation from the public since he took over as chief in February. Naulty has fired one officer, but that was not related to an allegation.

There have been instances in which force was used when someone resisted arrest. Those instances are investigated each time. Naulty said the department has an extra layer of documentation on use-of-force allegations. The department currently uses a restraint that wraps people up who resist arrest.  “It’s like a mummy thing and protects them so they can’t get hurt,” Naulty explained.

Naulty said the department budget covers 14 sworn personnel, ten officers and four supervisors, but currently has nine working. One is out on medical leave, and one is in the police academy. Naulty could hire three officers right now if he could find quality people to fit with the existing staff. There is also a school resource position but due to school closures, that officer has been helping out in other areas.

Two members of the public spoke in favor of the resolution, but didn’t give their names in a way this reporter could hear. Identifying speakers is a special trick in the age of Covid, with everyone at the meeting fully masked.

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