IMDC General Meeting August 13, 2020
Carre Brown has served as 1st District Supervisor since 2009 and will retire from three terms in office at the end of the year. She began by stating it had been quite a journey.
Going into office the Great Recession almost put the County into bankruptcy. The County greatly reduced its budget and imposed a cut of 10 percent to all employees’ salaries. Three of the 5 supervisors also took the pay cut voluntarily. Many constituents were losing their homes. Carre worked with Mike Thompson's office and Heidi Dickerson to find solutions.
In 2010 the Ukiah Valley was in a drought with the residents in Redwood Valley suffering the most. All the conservation measures learned and taken prepared all of us for what was to come. In 2013-14 the County went through a severe drought that reduced Lake Mendocino to a puddle. Gov. Brown appointed a State drought task force and asked the Counties to stand by. While the State focused on the Central Valley and seemed to forget us, Carre pushed the Supervisors to declare a Drought Emergency at their first meeting in January. We were the first to move forward to declare a Drought Emergency. The State and other counties followed. Carre chaired the County-wide Drought Task Force.
Then there was the Pension Fund crisis and a "minor" flood (minor in that it was less than the 1962 flood). In 2017-18 we had major fires in the First District, followed in 2020 by the pandemic. Only one year we didn't have an emergency! Now the Board of Supervisors is dealing with the Potter Valley Project, which is complex and critical. They work with water people, Native Americans, Cal Trout and other Counties in the region. FERC has accepted the application submitted by the Planning Group when PG&E abandoned the relicensing process; now there are deadlines to meet and studies to be done on water supply, fisheries restoration, and power generation.
In response to a question Carre declared the cannabis situation a "disaster." Mental illness, homelessness and housing are big challenges. Carre emphasized the need to get people to participate in the Census, saying that the County lost millions in federal funding for roads, schools, and social services over a decade from being undercounted in 2010. Carre said it is hard to find common ground on many issues but we must do it, and prioritize our needs. Groundwater Sustainability is an important issue for the future. Several people thanked Carre for her years of service.