April 12, 2021 — The regional behavioral health training center in Redwood Valley, which was purchased with Measure B funds, could open after the pandemic as an emergency operations center and hub for public safety trainings.
The Board of Supervisors held the first of four listening sessions with entities making a pitch for some of the $22 million PG&E settlement money last week.
One petitioner was Brentt Blaser, the Office of Emergency Services director, who reports to the sheriff. He asked for $500,000 to remodel and equip some offices in a building on the county campus in Ukiah.
A significant portion of the money, he said, would go toward buying a generator and hooking it up to the building. But the space he had his eye on is already slated for the cannabis department and fiscal recovery. Supervisor Dan Gjerde suggested using the justice center in Willits, and CEO Carmel Angelo proposed using the training center in Redwood Valley. The mental health community, she said, has not embraced the training center, which is now equipped with various law enforcement training tools. The state provided a firearms simulator for use of force training, and the board approved an $8000 gun locker where officers can store their weapons during workshops.