The Ukiah City Council voted unanimously, 5–0, to terminate the City’s Annexation Ad Hoc Committee, marking another important step in bringing the annexation effort to a close. The committee, made up of Councilmembers Mari Rodin and Doug Crane, helped lead the City’s annexation push over the past several years — an effort that moved forward despite sustained opposition from residents, property owners, and businesses throughout the Ukiah Valley.

August 31, 2026 - Ukiah, CA - After more than two years of community opposition, the City of Ukiah has announced that it is suspending its annexation initiative and will not move forward with further revisions to the current proposal.

In its announcement, the City acknowledged that public feedback made clear the proposal “does not have the foundation of public support and shared understanding needed to proceed constructively.”

The City of Ukiah’s Sapling 2.0 annexation proposal suffered a significant setback Wednesday night when the Ukiah Planning Commission voted 4-1 to deny recommending the prezoning and related land-use actions associated with the proposal, following hours of public testimony and pointed criticism from commissioners over the map and the way the annexation process has been handled.

The next major public hearing on Ukiah’s annexation proposal is this Wednesday, August 26th. The Ukiah Planning Commission is scheduled to consider Agenda Item 12.A, which asks the Commission to recommend that the City Council move forward with several land-use actions connected to the 2026 Ukiah Valley Reorganization Project.

Ukiah, CA – August 3, 2026 – The City of Ukiah can call it "Sapling 2.0," but changing the name doesn't change the reality.

This is essentially the same annexation proposal the community has already rejected. Aside from adding the Brush Street Triangle at the request of those property owners and removing a small area of Williamson Act land that should never have been included in the first place, the proposal remains fundamentally unchanged.

An independent survey of property owners within the proposed Ukiah annexation area found that participating residents overwhelmingly oppose the City's proposal. Among those who participated, 77% said they opposed being annexed into the City limits.

Despite months of public concern and continued opposition to Ukiah's annexation proposal, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 this week to table consideration of terminating the Master Tax Sharing Agreement (MTSA).

We have prepared sample letters that can be personalized and sent directly to members of the Board of Supervisors. Even a brief email can help demonstrate the level of public concern surrounding this proposal and encourage supervisors to vote in favor of ending the agreement.

Tuesday, June 23 could be one of the most important days yet in the fight against the City of Ukiah's annexation proposal. The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will consider a resolution to terminate the Master Tax Sharing Agreement (MTSA) between the County and the cities of Ukiah, Willits, Fort Bragg, and Point Arena. The item is expected to be heard at approximately 1:30 p.m. at the Board Chambers, 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah.

Last Thursday, the City of Ukiah hosted an annexation workshop, with the city continuing to downplay the financial consequences annexation would have on Mendocino County and county taxpayers.

At this week's budget hearings, Supervisor Maureen Mulheren delivered an impassioned speech about transparency, warning that government shouldn't present "selected facts," "talking points," or "narratives" to the public. According to Mulheren, residents deserve the "full picture" on major policy decisions.

The City of Ukiah is currently conducting environmental review for its proposed annexation project, and residents have an important opportunity to make their concerns part of the official record.

Over the past year, the City has pursued aggressive annexation proposals while providing shifting explanations about costs, benefits, service impacts, and the long-term consequences for affected property owners. Rather than dismissing public concerns as "misinformation," City leaders should recognize that skepticism is the natural result of a process that many residents feel has lacked transparency and meaningful public engagement.

At the May 26th City Selection Committee meeting, a troubling message came through loud and clear: City of Ukiah leadership appears to believe Mendocino County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) should serve Ukiah’s interests first.

The County of Mendocino is raising concerns about the long-term financial impacts of the City of Ukiah’s proposed annexation, warning that the proposal could shift millions of dollars in tax revenue away from the County while leaving many county service obligations largely unchanged

The City of Ukiah is already moving forward with the formal CEQA environmental review process for annexation, despite many residents feeling there has not yet been a real, transparent public process about whether annexation should move forward in the first place.

No Ukiah Annexation is sounding the alarm over the City of Ukiah’s continued attempt to fast-track annexation without the transparent, community-driven process residents were promised.

From the beginning, our position has been simple: any annexation must be an annexation of the willing, shaped by the people who will actually live with the consequences, not dictated by City Hall.

A public workshop on the proposed Ukiah annexation will take place on Thursday, April 30 at 5:30 pm at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, located at 200 South School Street. The meeting is part of the ongoing process surrounding the City’s proposed boundary expansion and comes as community interest and questions continue to grow.

Ukiah, CA – April 23, 2026 – From the very beginning, No Ukiah Annexation has supported an annexation of the willing, one that follows a full, transparent, and inclusive public process. That standard has not changed.

At this time, No Ukiah Annexation has not taken a formal position on the proposal. We will make a determination only after the workshop and after reviewing feedback from the public. 

At their meeting on Monday, February 9th, the Ukiah Valley Water Authority (UVWA) adopted new water rate increased that will begin in March. The adopted plan includes increases of up to 30 percent this year for some districts, followed by additional double-digit hikes each year through 2029.