3rd District Supervisor Report
July ’22 Update
With the election over, I want to thank the people of the 3rd District for re-electing me as your supervisor on the Mendocino County Board. It is truly an honor to be a public servant in such a beautiful part of the world and to such great people.
As I said in the campaign, we need to work on the economy, safer communities, and a more transparent and better functioning county government. Together we can make progress on all fronts.
Before the board this week, there is discussion on a sales tax. The decision has probably already been made. Supervisor Gjerde and I proposed limiting the tax to a quarter cent which would not be an overall increase. This would be up to the voters to decide in November. Ninety percent of the revenues would go to local fire departments. The other 10 percent would go for fire prevention, resiliency, and readiness. The tax would finance programs such as community chipping services, defensible-space assistance, and home-hardening assistance.
As our three-year drought continues on (despite the late spring rains and early July sprinkles), a group has been working on the regulation of private wells extracting groundwater to sell for commercial purposes. I have been working on this with Supervisor McGourty for about a year.
Together we are proposing to protect our valuable water resources. When someone drills a well and pumps water to fill up a water truck that then hauls and sells the water to oftentimes illegal cannabis grows way out in the hills, this can leave neighbors without water for health and safety. There need to be regulations in place in order to mitigate the immediate and long-term consequences. We have proposed an ordinance that will require oversight on these operations and compliance to ensure sustainability.
Thank you again for your confidence in me and please reach out to me at haschakj@mendocinocounty.org or 707-972-4214.
John
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