Summary of Our Advocacy Activities
Who are we?
Employers Council of Mendocino County, now DBA Mendo Matters, supports businesses, employees, and engaged citizens across the region. Originally founded in 1996 and serving until 2018, the organization has returned stronger, broader, and more inclusive than ever.
What is our mission?
Mendo Matters advocates for reasonable, balanced public policies that allow private enterprise to flourish. The organization is committed to ensuring that entrepreneurs, small business owners, and working individuals have a seat at the table and a say in the decisions that impact their livelihoods. By promoting a stable, predictable, and business-friendly environment, Mendo Matters helps drive job creation, economic development, and community resilience. Mendo Matters serves as the unified voice of its members in local government, while keeping them informed and empowered on the policies, regulations, and issues that affect their businesses and everyday lives.
City of Ukiah Proposed Annexation (Annexation is how an existing city extends its boundaries)
Public issue/concern: In the Spring of 2025, The City of Ukiah announced the consideration of a proposed annexation plan that would significantly expand the city's boundaries and potentially triple its current size by incorporating substantial unincorporated areas, including portions of the Willow and Millview regions.
This expansive proposal would impose considerable strain on critical city services, particularly law enforcement, as well as other essential public infrastructure and resources. The increased demand for these services would affect not only the newly annexed areas but also existing residents within the current city limits, potentially compromising the quality and responsiveness of municipal operations.
The process the City utilized in developing the annexation plan overlooked property rights and preferred lifestyles of residents who have deliberately chosen to reside outside city boundaries to maintain an agricultural or rural way of life. These individuals now face the prospect of involuntary inclusion under city jurisdiction—without adequate consent, due process, or meaningful representation.
Steps taken: Mendo Matters has asserted that the process the City of Ukiah utilized in rolling out this annexation plan lacked transparency and community involvement. The imposition of city-level regulations would severely restrict or prohibit long-standing rural practices which are integral to rural living and agricultural operations. Mendo Matters has worked closely with the “No Ukiah Annexation” community group to advocate for prioritizing community input, preserving the area’s rural character, and ensuring that any future boundary changes are both fiscally responsible and supported by residents.
The City of Ukiah was encouraged to reconsider the proposal and either significantly scale it back or pursue alternative, more collaborative approaches to growth and service delivery in the Ukiah Valley. While the annexation plan has not yet been finalized, City officials have revisited the proposal and committed to addressing the concerns raised by the community.
Impacts of Homelessness in Mendocino County
Public issue/concern: Homelessness creates real operational and economic challenges for businesses, but the severity depends heavily on local conditions and how effectively communities, governments, and businesses work together on solutions.
There are measurable costs and operational challenges for businesses resulting from homelessness in our County: reducing revenue, raising expenses, damaging reputation, and straining public services. Sustainable relief for businesses depends mainly on housing availability and coordinated health, outreach, and municipal responses, supplemented by local business collaboration and targeted safety/maintenance measures.
Steps taken: Mendo Matters has committed to partnering with municipal and county leadership to refine enforcement protocols, enhance law enforcement training, and deliver high-impact support services to vulnerable populations. Mendo Matters had advocated for strengthening the bridge between local government and law enforcement through specialized training and the expansion of essential outreach services.
Mendocino County Property Assessment & Taxation Delays
Public issue/concern: The County of Mendocino has fallen behind in assessing properties for taxation. Several factors have led to these delays, including short staffing, and transitioning to a new enterprise software system. These delays have created a ripple effect that impacts their stability, individual taxpayers, and the broader real estate market. The primary issue is a "lag" between current market reality and the values used for taxation. These impacts include: Financial impacts on local government; inequities and "tax shifting"; consequences for taxpayers; real estate market distortion; lagging values in declining markets; and disincentives for improvements, to name a few.
Steps taken: Mendo Matters proposes to collaborate with County officials on forming a Citizens task force on property assessments to review tax equity, evaluate relief programs, and ensure fair, transparent valuation methods. This citizen-led group would analyze assessment disparities, recommend policy adjustments to governing bodies, and bridge communication between taxpayers and assessors. This task force would include residents, real estate professionals, and landlords—with a mix of legal, financial, or housing expertise and would assist the County by auditing existing assessment methodologies, propose improvements for fairness, and evaluate tax relief programs for homeowners.
Water /PV Project
Public issue/concern: The Potter Valley Project is a collection of water infrastructure components, including two Eel River dams (Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam), a powerhouse, and water diversion facilities. The Project facilities are proposed for decommissioning and removal, resulting in the water supply that flowed into the Russian River for more than 100 years is in jeopardy. PG&E has proceeded toward decommissioning, with plans to remove dams on the Eel River to restore fish habitat, a process expected to conclude around 2028. However, this plan faces opposition, with the USDA intervening in late 2025 to protect agricultural water supplies, arguing that removing the dams will devastate local farming and communities.
Historically, the Project has generated clean hydropower and delivered water that is used by more than 650,000 people downstream of Potter Valley in Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin Counties. For about 100 years, PG&E held a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to operate the facilities, but the company chose to let the license expire in 2022. The water diverted from the Eel River into the Russian River system helps sustain water supplies during dry months, especially in drought-prone years.
Reduced or eliminated diversions could lead to lower river flows, affecting local water availability, agriculture, recreation, fire suppression, and wildlife habitat. The pending decommissioning raises questions about long-term water reliability for over 700,000 citizens, prompting regional planning efforts to find alternatives.
Steps taken: Mendo Matters has collaborated with members of our community, state and federal representatives, water agencies, and decision-makers to ensure our voices are heard at the highest levels of government.
Federal Intervention: In Dec 2025, the USDA intervened in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings, aiming to protect water for farmers and ranchers against the removal plan. This collaboration has resulted in meetings with local, state and federal officials. As a result, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins filed a notice to intervene in the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project proceedings currently being considered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This action will allow USDA to ensure that the interests of the National Forest Service, local farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, communities, and other stakeholders are represented.
The fight to save the Potter Valley Project is about protecting both people and place. Community leaders, residents, and local organizations have come together to push for solutions that preserve Lake Pillsbury and the resources it provides. This is not just a local issue - it’s a regional challenge with far-reaching consequences. By standing together and engaging directly with those in power, we are working to find a balanced, long-term solution that safeguards our water, our land, and our future. https://www.savepottervalleyproject.org/
Environmental Health / Community Development
Public issue/concern: Dysfunctional community development permit processing, especially when paired with operational inequities, can create a cascade of problems that affect residents, businesses, and local government. These problems are exacerbated in rural Mendocino County, where limited staffing, large geographic areas, and economic constraints amplify the impacts of dysfunctional permitting and operational issues: Some of the key issues that typically arise include: Suppressed local economic growth, housing constraints & rural displacement, agricultural & land use impacts, increased non-compliance, community trust & governance, and long-term rural development consequences.
Steps taken: Mendo Matters has collaborated with County officials on a range of community development issues and has strongly encouraged the County to convene stakeholder meetings to foster meaningful input and discussion. Stakeholder meetings are among the most effective tools available to governments for navigating complex community development challenges, particularly when multiple interests, regulatory requirements, and local impacts must be carefully balanced.
Mendo Matters is confident that robust community engagement through stakeholder meetings will yield several key benefits, including: more informed decision-making by bringing together residents, business owners, developers, nonprofits, and agency staff; increased transparency and public trust; early identification and resolution of potential conflicts; improved project design and implementation; and stronger interagency coordination.
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