Meeting Time: May 07, 2024 at 9:00am PDT

Agenda Item

2. PUBLIC EXPRESSION

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    Laura Quatrochi 7 months ago

    May 7, 2024

    Mendocino County Board of Supervisors
    501 Low Gap Road, Room 1070
    Ukiah, CA. 95482

    RELOCATE AQMD AND RETURN VSO TO OBSERVATORY!

    Dear CEO Antle and Members of the Board:

    It’s May 7th and Air Quality Management District (AQMD) remains on Observatory and Veterans Service Office (VSO) on Dora. It’s incomprehensible (after the Board of Supervisors (BSO) agreed in late February to return the VSO to their home on Observatory) that finding a new location for AQMD could take over 2 months and counting!

    On May 6th, we visited AQMD at their office on Observatory and met with Deputy APCO, Efraim Lopez. To our disbelief, the Observatory office is woefully inadequate for the needs of Air Quality. Why did the County think evicting the VSO from Observatory and moving Air Quality to an inadequate space on Observatory was a responsible idea for anyone? Air Quality needs about 2500 square feet and Observatory is not even close to meeting their needs. Efraim Lopez is working diligently to find a new location and efficiently run the office at the same time. Currently Air Quality is in lease negations for another location owned by a private party. Until a lease is signed, Air Quality remains on Observatory and VSO on Dora. We will continue to monitor the lethargic progress of the move. It’s clear that Air Quality must relocate not only for the veterans but for their own needs.

    Finally, the veterans desperately need another service representative and the Country continues not to advertise for this position. During a previous CEO report, Antle made a weak and meaningless excuse that it takes 4 months of training but without a job listing it clearly will take much longer! In the meantime, the VSO rep continues to work in a windowless, non-ADA compliant cubbyhole without a mandated co-rep to assist with the increasing workload. We will also continue to insist that the County publish a job listing for another service rep to bring additional funds to the failing coffers of the County.

    Sincerely,
    Laura Quatrochi
    Don Shanley
    Philo, CA 95466