Board adopts 2026 legislative platform after debate on climate, CEQA and tribal stewardship
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Summary
After public comment and edits prompted by Climate Action Mendocino and the Fire Chiefs Association, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors adopted a 2026 legislative platform with amended language on climate resilience, tribal stewardship and CEQA concerns; board members said the document can still be amended later in the year.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Nov. 18 to adopt a draft 2026 legislative platform that staff and the General Government Committee had prepared, after incorporating a set of additions from Climate Action Mendocino and a request from the Fire Chiefs Association.
Kelly Hanson of the Executive Office presented the draft and noted it reflects departmental recommendations and is intended to set county priorities for state and federal advocacy. "The draft legislative platform incorporates recommendations, identifies priority issues for legislative action, and outlines general matters to be monitored for potential action as opportunities arise in 2026," Hanson said.
Public commenters pushed for stronger hazard language and for explicit references to local energy resources. Eileen Mitro of Climate Action Mendocino praised the draft but urged adding references to extreme heat, severe winter storms, sea level rise and local energy resources (solar, geothermal, wind). "This was an incredible document... I just think that there are places that we could maybe nudge a little bit," Mitro said.
Conservative edits to climate wording — intended to avoid so‑called "trigger" phrases that could risk federal funding eligibility — prompted debate among supervisors. Supervisor Williams argued the platform should not be steered by federal funding concerns at the expense of county values: "Our job is to represent the people of Mendocino County. It is not to hide under a blanket and not mutter the word solar and renewable and climate." Supervisor Haschak and others proposed striking or refining certain words; supervisors agreed to add Climate Action Mendocino's hazard language and to accept other suggested edits with the understanding the platform can be amended during the year.
Other public commenters, including Peter McNamee and Hannah Nelson, urged retaining stronger greenhouse‑gas language and ensuring examples in the platform are not exclusive but illustrative of broader categories.
The board approved the platform "as amended" and directed staff to submit the draft to legislative contacts and to allow supervisors to propose later amendments through the regular legislative‑platform agenda item. The vote was unanimous.
