TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Supervisor Haschak
MEETING DATE: September 9, 2025
DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Supervisor Haschak
PHONE:
707-463-4221
ITEM TYPE: Regular Agenda
TIME ALLOCATED FOR ITEM: 30 Minutes
AGENDA TITLE:
title
Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction to Staff on Modifications to the Code Violation Complaint System to Require Complainants to Provide Verifiable Contact Information While Continuing to Maintain Complainant Confidentiality in an Effort to Prevent Abuse and Protect County Resources
(Sponsor: Supervisor Haschak)
End
RECOMMENDED ACTION/MOTION:
recommendation
Direct staff to modify the Code Violation Complaint System to require complainants provide verifiable contact information while continuing to maintain complainant confidentiality in an effort to prevent abuse and protect County resources.
End
PREVIOUS BOARD/BOARD COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
None.
SUMMARY OF REQUEST:
The Board of Supervisors is asked to direct staff to revise the Code Enforcement complaint system to require that complainants provide their real name and verifiable contact information, while maintaining confidentiality protections within the limits of the law. Although the anonymous complaint system was originally established to protect community members during the peak of non-permitted cannabis cultivation, it has increasingly been used for retaliatory and vexatious purposes. Transitioning to a non-anonymous system will align Mendocino County with the practices of many comparable jurisdictions, protect community members from retaliation, and ensure limited resources are focused on the highest life-safety risks and the violations that most affect community quality of life.
Under this direction, staff would indefinitely suspend all active investigations initiated from anonymous complaints, with the exception of any recorded Notice of Violation Liens. Affected property owners and responsible parties would be notified that the suspension does ...
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