No Ukiah Annexation Responds to City’s Press Release Regarding Annexation Meeting with the City of Ukiah

Ukiah, CA – October 10, 2025 – The No Ukiah Annexation group remains committed to collaboration and transparency in addressing the City of Ukiah’s proposed annexation plans. Our goal has always been to ensure that any decisions made about the future of the Ukiah Valley reflect the best interests of the entire community, not just City Hall. Our group reached out to the City to initiate a joint meeting rooted in open dialogue and community engagement. We continue to believe that productive collaboration is the only way forward.

However, we must respond to several statements made recently by the City. The City stated, “The No Ukiah Annexation group did not present specific proposals or recommendations on what considerations should inform any future annexation. The City remains open to receiving constructive input and suggestions that serve the community as a whole.” Respectfully, it is not our role to propose specific annexation boundaries or technical recommendations, that is the City’s job. Our role is to represent the community’s voice, to question, to demand clarity, and to ensure the public has access to accurate information and meaningful opportunities to be heard.

The City has stated that it has paused public discussion on annexation and is evaluating feedback received to date. Yet the community deserves to know: what has that feedback said, and who has it come from? When we asked these questions directly, including what feedback the City has gathered, from whom, and how it has informed the City’s current position, the City did not provide any answers.

While the City claims it shares our “commitment to transparency and meaningful public engagement,” the facts suggest otherwise. If transparency and engagement are truly priorities, why has there been no public update or outreach since July? Why were community members shocked when they first learned about the annexation proposal, what did the City do, or fail to do, to create that surprise? These are reasonable questions that we asked, and were provided no answers.

At no point did the City address key questions about the size and scope of the annexation map, or explain how these boundaries were determined. During our recent meeting, when Councilmember Rodin asked how the City could improve communication with residents, we suggested sending out a public survey, similar to the one used for School Street improvements. City staff dismissed the idea, saying it was “not a functionally good use of our time” due to the complexity of the annexation process. That statement captures the very problem: public engagement should never be treated as a burden or an afterthought.

No Ukiah Annexation stands ready to collaborate, but collaboration requires honesty, transparency, and equal footing. We urge the City of Ukiah to engage in an open, public, and documented process where community voices are not just acknowledged, but actively shape the outcome of any future annexation decisions.