Justice and Firepower: Mendocino’s New Judge and the Emergency Response You are not hearing about
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new appointment to the Mendocino County Superior Court last week. Here comes the judge! We scored an interview with his about to be your honor.
FredRicco McCurry, 56, is set to don the black robes as Mendocino County’s newest Superior Court judge, stepping into the seat vacated by retiring Judge Jeannie Nadel. A seasoned legal professional, McCurry began the year serving as a Deputy in the Mendocino County Alternate Public Defender’s Office, following a three-year tenure as a Deputy Public Defender. The Alternate Public Defender’s Office typically represents indigent clients in cases where the Public Defender’s Office faces a conflict of interest.
Had McCurry always wanted to be a judge?
“Like many attorneys, I’d considered becoming a judge at various points in my career,” McCurry shared in an email interview with Mendocinocoast.news. “But I got serious about the idea about a year or so after arriving in Mendocino County. The timing felt right, and I was ready to take on the challenge.” McCurry has been practicing law since 1995.
He’s not sure when he gets to work yet or in which courtroom.
“Certain things are still up in the air so far as start date and my court assignment.“I’ll confirm those very soon,” he said.
FredRicco McCurry’s name was incorrectly listed on two sources I reviewed, including the governor’s press release—likely due to confusion over a missing middle name. According to his State Bar record, McCurry has maintained a clean professional history throughout his legal career. The only note is a brief pause in practice during 2004, which he resumed within the same year.
How does one become a judge?
“I submitted the official application and went through the vetting process, which included interviews with the JNE Commission and the Governor’s Judicial Appointments Secretary’s Office. I was then appointed by the Governor,” McCurry said. (JNE refers to the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation., which assesses the qualifications of judicial candidates.)
I mentioned to McCurry that I’d already broadcast his appointment on KOZT last week while filling in for news director Joe Regelski. Oddly enough, the story didn’t seem to gain traction elsewhere—no other outlets picked it up that I saw, even though there was a press release.
“It may not be the most exciting story, but I am very proud and grateful to have been chosen,” McCurry said.
Originally from Van Nuys, FredRicco McCurry brings a diverse background to the bench. He served as Chief of Staff for the 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command from 2019 to 2021, adding military leadership to his résumé. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Paralegal Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration, gaining experience in federal legal operations.
McCurry earned his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law and is registered as a Democrat. A review of his State Bar records reveals a clean disciplinary history, with just one notable detail: his law license was briefly inactive during part of 2004, but he resumed practice later that same year. He passed the California Bar in 1994 and holds license number 170373.
The Mendocino County Superior Court bench consists of eight judges and one commissioner. For the 2025 calendar year, the Honorable Keith Faulder serves as Presiding Judge, with the Honorable Carly Dolan as Assistant Presiding Judge.
McCurry’s appointment was part of a broader judicial announcement made last week by Governor Gavin Newsom, who named 15 new Superior Court judges across California. The appointments included two in Alameda County; one each in Contra Costa, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, and Siskiyou counties; and two each in Riverside and San Francisco counties.
The Firefighting Story having big results but zero publicity
While reporting for KOZT last week, a friend tipped me off about a fire in Covelo—one that never showed up on MendoReady and seemed to fly completely under the radar. No official alerts, no chatter, just silence. I’ll admit, I’ve long avoided using police and fire scanners, a deliberate choice after witnessing how often premature or inaccurate reports from scanner traffic can cause harm. I’ve always believed it’s better to get the facts the right way—even if it takes a little longer.
Covelo Fire Response: All Hands, No Headlines
I received an on-the-ground report of a massive response to two lightning-sparked fires in Covelo that quickly spread across six acres. Air tankers were deployed, ground crews mobilized—it looked like a Camp Fire-level operation. Full response, all hands on deck to Foothill Blvd for a fire up high on a hill-mountain. And they had it out in about an hour. Yet, no press release. No official acknowledgment.
Digging deeper, I learned that Governor Gavin Newsom, following a recent blitz of lightning-induced wildfires, directed Cal Fire to respond to every blaze with maximum force until the rains arrive. I reached out to multiple PR contacts—no callbacks. What I did get was confirmation from two people who know. That’s how this story surfaced
Sherwood Road Fire: Silence, Sirens, and Swift Action
Monday afternoon, the sirens started—one after another. Then a plane flew overhead. The dogs howled like mad while we were down at the boat ramp, teaching Caesar to swim. I checked my phone. Nothing. No alerts. No updates. It sounded close.
Later, the scanner hounds pieced together what had happened: a fire on an off-the-grid property way out Sherwood Road, deep in the part that has locked gates BUT ONLY IN WINTER- CORRECTION FROM AARON VARGAS. Sherwood used to connect Fort Bragg and Willits, and you can still find the stubs on both ends—AARON SAYS ITS PASSABLE IN SUMMER.
One building burned down, but the response was fierce. Air tankers hit it hard, ground crews somehow got in fast, and the fire was out in under an hour. Again—no press release, no official word.
If this is the new fire strategy, it’s working. So why isn’t anyone talking about it? Stories matter. The smartest man in the world is nothing if he never tells anyone what he knows. Plus, if one of these does get away, it would be a shame if we were all in the dark as media relations were not part of the plan. And these huge attacks where full wildfire response are bound to freak out a lot of people, then no news, nobody calls back.
Where’s MendoReady When We Need It?
It’s been over a week since anything new appeared on MendoReady. That’s troubling—especially when we had a lightning complex forecast to hit last week. Sure, it veered north and spared Mendocino County aside from one fire, but that’s not the point. We still need to be Mendo Ready. Mendo Ready! The silence is deafening when preparedness is the promise.
Mendoready describes itself as Mendocino County’s one-stop source for disaster preparedness and emergency information.
Click here to checkout Mendo Ready Curious if these fires didn’t rank because they were put out too fast but how can a site like this have zero info when people are hearing all these sirens from all directions?
We need to be Mendo Ready. Mendo Ready!
Because when lightning strikes and sirens wail, when air tankers roar overhead and ground crews vanish into gated roads, the public deserves more than silence. These rapid, coordinated responses are saving lives and land — yet they’re happening in the shadows. If this is the new strategy, it’s working. But a strategy that works in secret isn’t a strategy the public can trust.
And in fire season, silence isn’t just a missed opportunity — it’s a risk we can’t afford. Check out the list of big fall fires. Fires are given idiotic names. This is a practice that MUST change but here they are with the ridiculous names assigned by a tradition long ago way outdated.
