Community FORUM sports digest Pet of the week Our readers write ........Page B-1 ..........Page A-3 .........................Page A-4 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with rain 7 58551 69301 0 MONDAY Feb. 26, 2007 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 12 pages, Volume 148 Number 323 email: [email protected] Mendocino County homeless taking advantage of local services By KATIE MINTZ on the street and more people are was taken in May -- could have con- that receive federal funding for Gualala, Covelo and Laytonville. The Daily Journal accessing services, and that’s a great tributed to the difference homeless assistance. Each year, “We did a lot more outreach this More homeless people are access- thing,” MaryLou Leonard, Adult “More people are outside and vis- Mendocino County is granted about time than we did the last time,” ing services and fewer are living on Services program manager for ible (in May) than in the last week in $1.45 million from the U.S. Leonard said. “We’re excited about the street in Mendocino County than Mendocino County Social Services, January when it’s cold and rainy,” Department of Housing and Urban that because we feel like we’re going two years ago, according to prelimi- said. “It says to me that our services Leonard said. Development to support its programs to get a clearer picture of what’s nary results from the recently com- are working.” Altogether, 1,422 homeless peo- for the homeless, about 80 percent of going on countywide, and not just in pleted homeless census. The results also show a 25 percent ple were counted. In 2005, there which is used for the Shelter Plus Ukiah and along the coast.” Data from the federally mandated decrease in unsheltered homeless were 1,947. Leonard noted, however, Care Program, which provides rental The surveys were meant to gather count, taken Jan. 26, shows a 29 per- people, most notably, a 32 percent that due to the rural nature of subsidies for homeless people with demographic information and asked cent increase in people staying in decrease in people staying in cars, Mendocino County, it is difficult to longterm disabilities. members of the homeless population homeless shelters, transitional hous- vans and encampments. count every homeless person, and In addition to the visual count questions about what services they ing, using motel vouchers or in the Leonard noted that ordinances that the count does not capture done with the help of 150 volunteers, had accessed, what services they’d hospital, rehab or jail, than the first passed by both the City of Ukiah and homeless people who are staying in a 30-question survey was completed been denied and what they believe to countywide homeless census done in Mendocino County prohibiting others’ homes. by close to 500, including people be their reason for being homeless. 2005. camping on public property, as well The bi-annual censuses are from parts of the county that were “Proportionately, less people are as the date of the count -- in 2005, it required by Congress for all entities not accessed in 2005, such as See HOMELESS, Page A-6 Senator Wiggins Carnival for a good cause urges support for Willits Bypass Funding The Daily Journal relief for this corridor is vital (SACRAMENTO, CA) – to the economy and also the State Senator Patricia Wiggins health and safety of all (D-Santa Rosa) today urged Californians who use this the members of the California route,” said Wiggins whose Transportation Commission district spans from as far (CTC) to support the staff rec- south as Solano County to ommendation to fund the Humboldt County. $177 million needed for On February 16th, the CTC Willits Bypass project in staff recommended the distri- Mendocino County. bution of $2.8 billion of the “The Willits Bypass project $4.5 billion available for is the number one transporta- highway congestion relief as a tion congestion relief project result of Prop 1B, the trans- for the entire North Coast. portation measure passed by This is the lifeline to the North Coast. Congestion See WILLITS, Page A-6 City gives $4 million to hospital fund By MIKE A'DAIR and PepsiAmerica agreed. On The Willits News June 14, the Willits City The City of Willits present- Council voted unanimously to ed a check for $4 million to approve the deal. In the Frank R. Howard Hospital December 2006, Judge Susan Building Fund at Wednesday Illston, who oversees the con- sent decree between the City Zack Sampsel/The Daily Journal night's city council meeting. Above, Spiro Valchon whips his arm around to make cotton candy for kids at St. Mary’s carnival The check was the result of of Willits and PepsiAmerica, Sunday. Most of the workers at the carnival were either parents or former members of the school. a process that began in 2005, also ratified the agreement. Below, Students from the sixth-grade class proudly display their vineyard-themed bistro table and when Willits physicians per- At the presentation cere- stools which were auctioned Sunday. Proceeds went directly to the school’s general fund. suaded the city's legal staff mony, former city councilmen that since securing the $4 mil- Bruce Burton and Denny By ZACK SAMPSEL ible games and activities lion in funds for medical mon- McEntire were asked by The Daily Journal including a giant slide, a itoring and environmental Willits Mayor Tami Jorgensen bouncehouse and the staple repair promised in the consent to present the check to busi- Amidst the rain and of all carnivals, a dunk decree seemed to be impossi- nesswoman Margie Handley, winds Sunday, families tank. Parents and children ble, a $4 million payment to president of the Howard turned out from all over gathered around the dunk the Howard Hospital Foundation and daughter of tank for most of the after- Mendocino County to Foundation would benefit Robert Harrah, a founder and noon laughing as everyone former owner of Remco. enjoy St. Mary of the Willits in a tangible way. Angels’ 38th annual auc- took their shot at the target. “This gives me a huge While the dunk City staff then approached tion and family carnival. PepsiAmerica with the idea, See FUND, Page A-6 The event began as fam- tank had the largest crowd, ilies poured into the students at the carnival said Redwood Empire they couldn’t decide how Fairgrounds starting at 10 to spend their time between Board adopts changes a.m. for the start the carni- the dart games and the val, which ran all day. This slide. year’s theme was “Pirates When the kids needed to to CEO ordinance of the Mardi Gras” and the refuel, booths provided snacks like cotton candy By MIKE A'DAIR supervisors Kendall Smith faculty and volunteers who The Willits News and David Colfax voting in helped put together the and snow cones, which kept the carnival at a con- ingesting cotton candy and table and stools made by Without admitting it made the minority. event went all out. running from booth to the sixth-graders of St. a mistake when they changed Beltrami drafted the While walking through stant state of high energy. “These carnivals booth, some of the parents Mary’s. Another popular to “the executive model” of changes in October 2006, but the entrance, children got involved in the auction item was made by St. county governance, supervi- the board put off discussing could find their imagina- are always a great time,” said Ben Bogner, 32, who that went on in the other Mary’s seventh-graders. sors have narrowly adopted them several times during the tions begin to take off formerly had volunteered half of the building. The The iron game table fea- changes to the CEO's job latter months of that year. It amongst the sea of stream- at the carnival and was now auction helps to generate tured tiles decorated by the description proposed last attempted to address the issue ers and cardboard cutouts attending with own daugh- revenue for St. Mary’s gen- students that looked like October by Interim CEO Al in January 2007 after Third of “Pirates of the ter. “Seeing the kids have a eral operating fund, but playing cards and included Beltrami. District Supervisor John Caribbean” stars Keira good time is what it’s all most importantly, gives the checkers and chess pieces. The modest changes under- Pinches joined the board, but Knightley and Johnny about, and it all goes to a students a chance to show And holding true score the board's determina- the issue appeared late in the Depp. good cause. My daughter off their own work. to tradition, the student- tion to remain in control of day and Colfax requested it be Deeper inside, vol- thinks the jumphouse and Some of the highlights made items remained one county policy-making, and considered at a later date, and unteers helped keep excite- slide are great.” of the auction included a of the biggest attractions gives it the authority to tell the at an earlier hour. ment at a high with incred- While the kids kept busy vineyard-themed bistro for the auction. CEO that in public. During discussions that The changes were approved on a 3-2 vote, with See CEO, Page A-6 Come and Check Out Our Auction to Be Held At UKIAH And... 9:00 a.m. on Wed. Feb. 28th ® STORAGE TRUCK RENTAL 468-0800 A-2 – MONDAY, FEB. 26, 2007 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C.