Linda Helland newest planning comissioner
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.