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The council unanimously approved Item 11j:
Update on Observatory Park and Adoption of Resolution Approving an Application for Land and Water Conservation Fund Competitive Grant Program for Observatory Park Development
Baldwin says he reads privatization into the study, though the council then approves it unanimously.
The council then takes up item 11i:
Discussion of City Council Conference and Training Budget
This is a reaffirmation of the $3,500 combined travel budget for the council. It was directed without a vote to continue.
Baldwin is still unconvinced that this study will give new insight into the future of the economy given the volatile nature of the "capitalist economy."
"To me there is some mumbo jumbo in here," said Baldwin.
The council is discussing item 11h:
Authorize the City Manager to Engage the Services of Government Financial Strategies in an Amount Not to Exceed $21,500.00
Item 11e was a report with no vote taken:
Report Status of Procuring Identity Verification Services for New Accounts Processing
The council then apprved item 11f unanimously:
Approval of Electronic Bill Pay Services to Payments Corporation to Provide On-Line Internet Payment Capability Allowing Customers Access from the City’s Website and a Dedicated Phone Number with Automated Phone Payment Services for Customers Paying by Phone Accessible 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
In essence, the vote means that starting on April 6, anyone paying for "Ukiah utility bills, Ukiah Sanitation District bills, Parking Citations and Parking Permits" will be charged $4.95 for the privilege.
The council approved 5-0 to approve item 11c:
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Submittal of an Application, Acceptance of an Allocation of Funds and Execution of a Grant Agreement with the California Department of Transportation, for a Matching Grant for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Approved Project Under Airport Improvement Program
The council also approved item 11d unanimously:
Adoption of Resolution Establishing a Service Charge for Returned Checks
This raises fees for returned checks.
The council has directed staff to come back within 2-3 weeks with more information on moving forward with the railroad project.
The council is still discussing what to do with the railroad station. Baldwin is trying to wrap the discussion up.
Crane asks what economic help would come from rehabilitating the railroad station building. Rodin says it is a blighted area and that alone would stimulate economic growth.
The council, especially Crane, has questions about what use the old railroad station (where the skate park was once destined to be stationed) would be to anyone in the community. "I think it could be a tremendous asset to the community...but only if we knew how to protect it," said Baldwin.
The council finished discussing the feasibility study with no action taken by the board and is now discussing item 11b:
Discussion and Direction Regarding the Ukiah Railroad Depot Rehabilitation Project
The city attorney has suggested contacting the Round Valley Indian Tribe about possibly asking them to ask the government for a diversion from the Eel River from their site should the water emergency continue.
After watching the meeting on television former supervisor candidate Ross Mayfield made his way to the council's chambers and is now speaking with the council from the podium on the current water crisis.
The council is discussing item 11a:
Discussion and Possible Action on Inland Water and Power Commission Issues
A feasibility study concerning increased storage at Lake Mendocino is under discussion including the high overhead charges of the study.
The council is currently on a break. The assembled boy scouts who came to the meeting are currently visiting with various city officials. They are reportedly here for a merit badge.
The council voted 5-0 to approve item 10d:
Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Consultant Services Agreement with Winzler & Kelly for the Preparation of Applications to State Revolving Fund (SRF) Programs to Secure Federal Recovery and Rehabilitation Act Funds for Water and Sewer Infrastructure Projects
A motion to table the discussion fails 2-3 with only Councilmembers Crane and Thomas voting "yes." Crane then made a motion to substitute "caretaker" for "guardian" in the resolution. The motion then passed 4-1, with Mayor Phil Baldwin dissenting.
Several community members have spoken in favor of tabling the discussion regarding the guardian debate, but some others have spoken out against it. Several other options have been considered including "caretaker", "defender" and "protector".
The council voted 5-0 to raise utility fees for connection and disconnection among other issues. The council is currently considering a motion to table the discussion of the change from owner to guardian.
The council voted 5-0 to continue the possible adoption of an ordinance relating to the regulation of grease traps to the scheduled joint meeting of the council and the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District.
City Attorney David Rapport is absent from tonight's meeting. Several members of the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District including Jim Ronco are present, however.
By ROB BURGESS
The Daily Journal
Mandated emergency training turned into a discussion of an impending water crisis at Tuesday’s Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The timed item was added as an addendum to the board’s regular meeting and was meant as a refresher course for the board, which was missing 5th District Supervisor David Colfax.
“For elected and appointed officials, protecting the public during crisis situations is among their most important tasks, if it wasn’t a priority before, in the wake of devastating events such as Sept. 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, it is now,” stated a portion of the item’s agenda summary. “The arrival of a disaster situation should ignite leadership to set in motion – through an understood chain of command – the actions necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the area’s residents.”
Bill Woodworth, emergency services coordinator, said that Ordinance 4168, which controls the county’s emergency organization and functions, was instituted to establish guidelines for such emergency situations.
“The ordinance was created about three years ago after the joint powers agreement was dissolved,” he said. “Roles and responsibilities were assigned.”
Woodworth said that Sheriff Tom Allman and CEO Tom Mitchell would serve as the management section of the chain of command should an emergency arise.
“I am charged with the day-to-day activities making sure this county can respond to a major emergency,” he said. “When we have small emergencies, those are handled by the local emergency responders. It’s when they are either so many emergencies taking place at one time or one big event that involves the County of Mendocino and our resources are tapped.”
Woodworth said the concept of continuity of government was essential during times of crisis.
“The daily government business still has to go on,” he said. “It is something that is very important because it gives the public the confidence that things aren’t coming apart. We still have our county government doing its job.”
Several supervisors, including Board Chair and 3rd District Supervisor John Pinches, said the county should begin an investigation into what pre-emptive steps could be taken to combat the coming water shortage.
“This drought is going to affect people’s lives every day,” said Pinches. “You can’t just sit back and wait for the federal government to send money. That doesn’t get it. There are some things we can do now…Here we are in a situation where we need to bring water in to meet basic needs.”
First District Supervisor Carre Brown said they would review a board-mandated declaration of a drought to be prepared by staff and presented at their March 3 meeting.
“I’m extremely nervous about how we go forward,” she said. “We need to have plans. If you think back to the fires of last summer what if we get those dry lightning storms and we don’t have any water?…We have a pending crisis…Plans need to be made now so we can deal with what we’re going to have to deal with. It’s not a disaster happening and then planning. We need to get very serious about this. The county has to be a leader on this; has to.”
Brown said the board would also receive a staff report at its February 24 meeting “to get a clearer picture on county participation” in the drought preparedness efforts.
“I feel it’s very timely that you came here,” she said.
Second Distrsict Supervisor John McCowen said individuals needed to have their own emergency plans in place before disaster struck.
“People do need to assume personal responsibility for their own situation,” he said.
Sheriff Tom Allman said utilizing generators and other potentially useful equipment seized in asset forfeitures required a lengthy, complicated process.
“If it was legal to use seized generators for governmental purposes, we wouldn’t have bought a new one for the jail,” he said. “Don’t consider it as free assets…There are some ways and several fire departments use generators that have been seized through assets seizure process, but don’t think about it as something free we can use…I just don’t want to venture into waters where other agencies have had their assets seizures frozen.”
Rob Burgess can be reached at udjrb@pacific.net.
Items 3 and 4 pulled from consent calendar by Board Chair Pinches. Both were then passed 4-0 after some discussion by the board. Second District Supervisor John McCowen was late to the meeting by around 10 minutes, while 5th District Supervisor David Colfax was absent from the entire meeting by pre-arrangement.
The board also received a report from Bill Woodworth, emergency services coordinator, regarding agenda addendum item 5(e):
Timed Item – 9:30 a.m.: Presentation by the County of Mendocino Office of Emergency
Services (OES) on Elected Officials Guide to Emergency Management; and Review of
Ordinance No. 4168 – Emergency Organization and functions
When the word “budget” appeared in the agenda for Thursday’s special Ukiah City Council meeting, it could only mean the news was bound to be less than great.
City Manager Jane Chambers delivered a bleak financial picture to the council, which was minus Councilmember Doug Crane.
Jane Chambers said the numbers discussed at the meeting were far from definite.
“This as everyone knows is a very unusual year,” she said. “This is based on projections we’ve made. When we get the real actual numbers it will be halfway through the year.”
Chambers said this budget time was unlike any other she had ever seen.
“This downturn has been more dramatic than anyone can remember in recent history,” she said. “I was advised that we need to tell the council that all of this is an estimate at this point. And if we come within 5 to 10 percent of guess we’ll be doing alright. Other years don’t have such dramatic changes. Those estimates are just out the window this year.”
Chambers said the projected actual revenues for the 2008/2009 fiscal year would most likely fall over $1.2 million short.
“The little bit of good news for Ukiah is that we have reserves,” she said. “We would still have 15.3 percent (of the general fund in reserve) if we did nothing.”
Chambers said cutting positions, salaries or a combination of the two would have to be explored to cover the gap
“The magnitude of a $1.5 to $2 million shortfall would have to mean some sort of payroll deduction,” she said. “The employees have asked to have some role in deciding (that)…I think we have to be very careful how we approach this or we’ll end up with a lot of scrambling to fill positions, so I think we need to look at a combination of things.”
Other cuts to general fund expenditures identified by Chambers included freezing travel to conferences and training and withholding of expenditures, among others.
During public comment, Dick Selzer said he was overjoyed that the council was considering reducing spending.
“I think we haven’t even seen what the worst of what’s going to happen yet,” he said. “I would love it if you’d consider cutting complete programs.”
By ROB BURGESS
The Daily Journal
The suspense is over.
Linda Helland, of the Mendocino County Public Health Branch, was appointed by Councilmember Mary Anne Landis to fill her newly-empty Ukiah Planning Commission seat.
“I’m deeply honored to be nominated by Councilmember Landis and I’m excited to work with a dedicated staff,” said Helland in her short address to council after her appointment was made official by a unanimous vote. “I’m excited and ready to get to work.”
Helland is a founding member of the Mendocino Partnership for the Precautionary Principle, which conducted a yearlong advocacy campaign culminating in the adoption of a Precautionary Principle Administrative Policy for the County of Mendocino in 2006, according to her profile on the Robert and Patricia Swtizer Foundation Environmental Programs 2008 Fellowship Grant Recipients Web site.
“After earning a BA in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College, Linda worked for a community development organization in Cuba, protested the biotechnology industry in San Francisco, opposed World Trade Organization rules in Cancun and battled free trade agreements in Miami,” stated a portion of the profile. “After unsuccessfully suing Walgreen’s and the City of Ukiah to prevent the cutting of a redwood grove to put in a parking lot, she decided to study land use. In 2007, she completed her Certificate in Land Use & Environmental Planning at UC Davis Extension, focusing on climate change. She now works to highlight the health and environmental effects of land use planning.
Helland obtained her permaculture design certificate at Earth Activist Training in Cazadero and was elected to the board of directors of the Mendocino Environmental Center, according to the Web site.
“As an appointee to the Mendocino County Board of Education, she works to pass environmental policies including green building, conservation and alternative energy requirements, and promotes Safe Routes to Schools to increase the proportion of children that walk and bike to school,” stated a portion of the profile.
Rob Burgess can be reached at udjrb@pacific.net.
By ROB BURGESS
The Daily Journal
Guardian? Owner?
How about guardian/owner?
During its regular meeting Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council decided to split the difference on the hotly-debated pet ordinance wording change by ordering City Attorney David Rapport to draft a revised ordinance that would state the council’s intent and replace “owner” with “guardian/owner.”
City Attorney David Rapport said the change would not have any bearing on how the ordinance was administered.
“The focus of the ordinance is on control of your pets, not on the wording,” he said.
Rapport said a firestorm of communication from the public had been received by the council on the change.
“I’m not sure that anything the council’s considered recently has generated as much correspondence as this item,” he said. “I’ve attempted to address that larger concern by providing a definition of that term in the ordinance. I think that the definition addresses the problem, at least from the point of the animal control officer, and there won’t be any question about what the term ‘guardian’ means in this ordinance.”
Vice Chair Benj Thomas said he hoped further discourse on the topic would answer questions and not be repetitive.
“I would be very surprised tonight if I hear anything tonight that I haven’t already heard,” he said.
Rapport said the reason those who advocated for the change wanted the term “guardian” to be thought of in its “more common usage.”
“I’m not sure it will completely avoid confusion,” he said. “If somebody reads the term ‘guardian’ they’re going to initially interpret that term in its common usage. So, I think it could create some confusion in that way. By defining it to mean ‘owner’ it doesn’t add anything to the ordinance itself in the usage of the ordinance…Ultimately it’s a policy decision for the council to make…Some future city council might wonder ‘why did they do that if it means the same thing?’”
Councilmember Mari Rodin said she wanted to know Rapport’s opinion on the idea of the switch being the opening shot in a war on pet-owner rights.
“One of the arguments against this proposal is the idea that this would open the floodgates to increasing animal rights; that this is just one step closer to changing our relationship with animals.”
Rapport said he didn’t see how this particular case would fit into that scheme.
“Whether it would open the floodgates to something in the animal control ordinance I don’t think it would,” he said. “As far as a long-range strategy…I couldn’t comment on that…’Guardian’ does have meanings in the dictionary and in state statutes. Those terms have very different meanings than what would be used in this ordinance. The ordinance is concerned with making sure pets aren’t a health and safety risk…It’s not focused on what the obligations are to the pet.”
John Graff, of the Employers Council of Mendocino County, said the discussion was frivolous in such a tight budget time.
“I feel like it’s a violation of a lot of things,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense why we’re here…If a husband beats his wife, it’s still bad to beat your wife…I don’t see how anything is going to get corrected by changing a name.”
Jan Allegretti said that because the change had already occurred in several other areas with no perceivable problems Ukiah shouldn’t balk at joining the list.
“I think it’s really important to recognize that we’re not venturing into uncharted territory here,” she said. “There has been no legal problems…There is no obligation for anyone to use the term guardian…Let’s move forward and be one of the progressive cities.”
Vice Mayor Benj Thomas said the target of the change was children with pets, not adults.
“I think that this is not about animal control,” he said. “I think it is about language more broadly, and I think that language does matter…It’s an emotional issue to begin with…We are emotional about our pets. We invest in them all kinds of emotions and attitudes. It starts out as a loaded topic.”
Thomas said he would prefer an addition of the term ‘guardian’ and not the deletion of ‘owner.’
“I think that that would preserve some measure of continuity,” he said.
Mayor Phil Baldwin said the council had the ability to modify the wording if it turned out to be a misstep.
“Words are declining from the image-based technological culture we’re in, so I think it’s important that anyone under 40 considers the meanings of words,” he said. “My students have been wondering if we’re wasting our time, but just by doing this it is valuable…This is not the same as ordering a bomb to be dropped or troops to be sent…I don’t think our decision is so dangerous that it’s so potentially harmful to society. If we were to make a mistake we could change it.”
Councilmember Mari Rodin introduced a motion to direct staff to draft a new ordinance that changed the wording from “owner” to “owner/guardian” and add a section outlining the intent of the change.
The motion then passed by a 3-2 vote, with Councilmembers Mary Anne Landis and Doug Crane dissenting.
“I think we had people talking across each other rather than to each other,” said Thomas. “I don’t know that we ever had a kind of attempt to get proponents and opponents to explain to each other so there might be some understanding and less divisiveness on this issue…This has been a lot of time for the council, a lot of time for the staff and there are very pressing matters for the council that need to be dealt with and I think we need to be mindful where our priorities should go.”
Rob Burgess can be reached at udjrb@pacific.net.
In the afternoon session, the board voted 4-0, with 4th District Supervisor David Colfax absent, to direct County Counsel Jeanine Nadel to review the current public records policy and bring any changes back before the board in reference to item 7(b):
Discussion and Possible Action Including a Review of County Policy No. 36, Public Access to County Records, Relative to the California Public Records Act – Sponsor: Supervisor Brown
County staff was directed to begin negotiations with Solid Waste of Willits for the South Coast Center in reference to item 5(d):
Timed Item – 1:30 p.m.: Discussion and Possible Action Regarding on a Presentation of a Cost Benefit Analysis Relative to a Proposal Submitted from Solid Waste of Willits for the Privatization of Site Operations of Mendocino County Division of Solid Waste Container Sites (Albion, Boonville, Caspar, South Coast, and Potter Valley)
Eight suggested earmarks to be sent to federal legislators were also approved, with the general government committee to be given the right to review the ranking of them in reference to item 5(f):
Presentation and Approval of Mendocino County’s 2009 Legislative Platform
The board then voted 4-1, with Board Chair and 3rd District Supervisor John Pinches dissenting, to rescind the Dec. 15 decision that took rooms from the Mendocino Arts Center and gave them to MacCallum House LLC:
Item 12(a)
Timed Item – 2:30 p.m.: Discussion and Possible Action to Rescind the Board’s Action of
December 15, 2008, Related to the Mendocino Town Plan General Plan Amendment No. GP 1-08 and Ordinance Amendment No. OA 3-08, Potentially Constituting a Reallocation of Units from the Mendocino Arts Center Pursuant to Rule No. 27, Motion to Rescind, of the Board of Supervisors Rules of Procedure and Recommendation for Rescheduling for Rehearing with Proper Notice
The board also took up an off-agenda item presented by Smith to send a letter to the governor opposing the possible closure of the local California Conservation Corps office in Ukiah.
By ROB BURGESS
The Daily Journal
To avoid “significant exposure to litigation” the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors was forced to take a page from Willy Wonka and say, “strike that, reverse it.”
Over a dozen spectators made the trip over the hill to watch the board rescind their Dec. 15 decision which reallocated units from the Mendocino Arts Center to MacCallum House LLC.
“At the board’s Jan. 27 meeting, the board directed that the Dec. 15 board action be agendized for discussion and possible action a motion to rescind,” stated a portion of the attached agenda summary. “Subsequent to the board’s (Dec. 15) action, the county received numerous challenges to the action, including various threats of litigation against the county as a result of the action taken. The bases of the challenges are that proper notice of impacted properties were not provided.”
A large number of the speakers who took to the podium considered the action unfair and a “slap in the face to the arts center.”
“I think if you do so it’s a first, but important step in unraveling and resolving chronic problems including enforcement of the code,” said Tom Kravis as he expressed his support for the undoing of the decision.
Others said they supported the arts center, but that the rooms should be used for transient lodging and thus enable them to collect bed tax.
“They need to rent these rooms,” said Barbara Reed. “The arts center is not renting these rooms…It’s better for the community if the arts center is thriving. No one wants to hurt the arts center.”
County Counsel Jeanine Nadel said the lack of proper notice was the issue at hand, not the merits of the case in question.
“The issue here today is we’ve got to fix the mistake that we made,” she said. “I try to tell the board what to do. They didn’t listen to me on the 15th. That’s why we’re here…This is a mess.”
Second District Supervisor John McCowen said it was imperative that the Mendocino Town Plan be modified so that a discussion of the particulars could take place.
“It’s incomprehensible to me that you could take an action that was not noticed,” he said.
The recommended motion to rescind the Dec. 15 board action was then approved 4-1, with Board Chair and 3rd District Supervisor John Pinches dissenting.
Rob Burgess can be reached at udjrb@pacific.net.
During their morning session on Tuesday, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors approved the following items unanimously:
Item 5(e)
Approval to transmit letter to State Legislative Representatives in opposition to
the State’s Proposed Deferred Payments to Counties.
Item 6(b)
Timed Item – 9:15 a.m.: Discussion and Possible Action Including Adoption of a Proclamation Recognizing February 15-21, 2009 as National Engineers Week in Mendocino County – Sponsor: Transportation.
Item 8(a)
Timed Item – 9:15 a.m.: Presentation of Proclamation Recognizing Russ and Sylvia Bartley for Their Exceptional Service to Mendocino County (As Adopted by the Board on December 16, 2008)
Item 8(b)
Timed Item – 9:15 a.m.: Discussion and Possible Action Including Adoption of a Proclamation Recognizing the Month of February 2009 as Spay and Neuter Month in Mendocino County
The board also directed the Health and Human Services Agency to work on a resolution concerning the following to be brought back at a later date:
Item 8(c)
Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) that
Negatively Impact Senior Citizens and Related Federal, State, and Local Entitlement
Programs and Benefits – Sponsor: Supervisor Pinches
The board also sat as the Mendocino County Water Agency and heard contingency plans to combat the alarmingly low rainfall in what is usually the wettest time of year. UDJ Reporter Zack Cinek was there to cover that discussion, so check Wednesday’s edition of the paper for the latest.
Reduced payments to struggling retirees were lambasted during Tuesday’s Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting.
During previous meetings, J.R. Rose, a senior advocate from the 1st district, spoke to the board during public expression on the topic.
“(Rose) is seeking the county’s assistance with advocating for remedies associated with Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLAs) for senior citizens which when applied, result in restrictions, and at times, denial of benefits for seniors receiving federal, state, and county entitlement programs,” stated a portion of the attached agenda summary. “An example is a 5 percent increase in a Social Security benefits can cause eligible recipients to exceed their benefit level, resulting in ineligibility for future health benefits.”
Rose returned to the podium Tuesday to advocate for the passage of the resolution opposing these denials.
“This came to my attention three or four years ago,” he said. “This has a lot to do with housing. It just seems to me that this isn’t right. I can’t see where people who get raises on their social security get denied just because they get a raise.”
Rose said he wanted to see an effort made to address senior issues from all levels of government.
“I realize the economy is going bad. It’s going to get worse,” he said. “I realize that there’s less money coming into Social Security. If we can bail out the airlines and the S & L and Wall Street…we can’t help our senior citizens. This to me is not what I fought for…Why can’t we step up and say ‘hey, there’s no reason for you to not take your pills because you can’t afford it?’”
Susan Era, director of the Area Agency on Ageing, said the idea was to go to from county-to-county to collect similar resolutions.
“We are very concerned about this,” she said.
Fifth District Supervisor David Colfax said if the movement for legislative action on the issue caught fire it could start a grassroots campaign.
“I would support this very strongly,” he said. “I would like to see a resolution with some real teeth.”
The board gave direction to the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency to help craft a resolution to be brought back for final approval at a later meeting.
The “UDJ Live” blog will be back at it again on both Tuesday and Wednesday during the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and Ukiah City Council meetings. Check www.insideudj.com/udjlive regularly for real-time updates on who voted how.
In an agenda addendum released Friday, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has announced its intentions to publicly oppose the state’s proposed plan to defer payments to counties at Tuesday’s regular meeting.
“It is requested that the board of supervisors transmit a letter of opposition to the appropriate legislative representatives relative to the severe financial impacts that the state’s proposed deferred payments would create,” stated a portion of the attached agenda summary. “The deferral of payments in such significant amounts, as proposed by the state controller and by administration, could have a devastating local impact of approximately $15 million dollars, and could make it impossible for Mendocino County to provide services to its most vulnerable citizens, as well as carry out local infrastructure projects. If the state fails to forward payments for health and human services programs and public works projects, Mendocino County will have a difficult time managing the cash-flow crisis that will result.”
On Wednesday, the California State Association of Counties released a similar statement which voiced its concerns with possible interruption.
“Rumors continue to swirl that a budget deal may be close to conclusion by the week’s end and that deferrals of payments to counties remain an element of that budget,” stated a portion of the release. “California counties will not be able to provide essential services to Californians if the proposal to delay payments to counties for seven months is a part of the final state budget--creating a disastrous situation across the state...California counties are gravely concerned by the proposal to delay approximately $3.5 billion in funding for not only health and human service programs, but transportation as well. Counties simply do not have the means to cover this significant shortfall and maintain services to needy Californians.”
A controversial measure that would redefine Ukiah dog and cat owners as "guardians" will be back in front of the Ukiah City Council next week.
The ordinance wording change was previously passed with a vote of 4-1, with Councilmember Doug Crane dissenting, and will return for final approval at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Crane and others have previously expressed apprehension about approving the change, fearing it would lead to legal repercussions down the line.
The revised wording of the ordinance provided in the attached staff report responded to these allegations.
"Since the city council received the request to make these changes to the city code, the city has received numerous written and oral comments on this proposed change," stated City Attorney David Rapport in a portion of the document. "Most of those comments are concerned that the term guardian,' as used in state statutes and court decisions, has a very different meaning than the term owner.' These comments are concerned that if the owner of an animal were held to the standard of a guardian, as defined in state statute and common usage, that could result in numerous limitations on animal owners that do not currently exist."
Rapport stated that while the change was "not necessary or useful" in his opinion, the revision should cause no confusion.
"They are concerned that these limitations could prevent owners from using animals for commercial purposes and could result in other complications and potential litigation," he stated. "The proposed amendments attempt to avoid these possibilities by carefully defining guardian to mean only owner as owner is defined in the city code...However, if the City Council elects to make these changes for other reasons, in my opinion, with respect to the administration and enforcement of the Ukiah Animal Control Ordinance, the proposed amendments should not result in the confusion and other consequences described in the referenced letters and comments to the city council."
The agenda summary report stated that the meaning of the words being used would be clearly outlined in the revised code.
"The proposed amendment would add a definition of the term guardian,' which reads as follows: The term guardian,' as used in this Chapter, means owner' as defined...and has no other meaning," stated a portion of the document. "The term owner is not replaced with the term guardian in code sections that reference animals generally or other species than dogs and cats."
With water-levels at Lake Mendocino at alarming low rates during what usually constitutes one of the wettest months of the year, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is prepared to hear contingency plans to offset the loss.
The report from Water Agency General Manager Roland Sanford is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday during the board's regular meeting as it sits as the Mendocino County Water Agency.
"As reported in the Mendocino County Water Agency General Manager's Report in January, Lake Mendocino water storage levels are at an historic low for this time of year and the prospects for significant rainfall (in the short-term) are not good," stated a portion of the attached agenda summary. "As of Jan. 22, lake storage was approximately 20,000 acre-feet lower than it was this time of year in 1977 (the second year of the record setting 1976-1977 drought.) Unless significant rainfall occurs, the Ukiah Valley and surrounding region will experience an unprecedented water supply shortfall that will create significant economic hardship."
The report went on to state that Sanford would present an update to the board "regarding local water purveyors' efforts to address this situation, and identify options and actions the county can take to help blunt the impact of a drought, should dry conditions prevail over the remainder of the rainy season."
At the same time last year, the lake level stood near 70,000 acre-feet, in contrast with it's current standing of just over 31,000.