Why Does the City of Ukiah Think LAFCo Belongs to Them?

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 City Selection Committee, composed of city mayors and responsible for appointing city representatives to regional boards and commissions, including LAFCo, met to select the city member to serve on the commission through December 31, 2029. Present at the meeting were Ukiah Mayor Susan Sher, Fort Bragg Mayor Jason Godeke, and Point Arena Mayor Barbara Burkey. Willits Mayor Tom Allman was not present.

During the meeting to select the city representative to LAFCo, a commission that is supposed to evaluate boundary changes and annexations fairly and independently, Ukiah Mayor Susan Sher nominated Ukiah Councilmember Mari Rodin for the seat.

In public comments, Councilmember Rodin emphasized that LAFCo decisions should be handled in a “neutral and thorough way” and insisted the role “isn’t about any favoritism for Ukiah.” But those comments immediately collided with statements from Mayor Susan Sher herself, who openly argued that Ukiah needs representation because “Ukiah has the most business in front of LAFCo” and that it is “of the utmost importance” for Ukiah to have representation more than any other city.

Despite concerns about neutrality and the appearance of favoritism, Mari Rodin was ultimately appointed to the seat, with Fort Bragg Mayor Jason Godeke dissenting, a notable sign that not everyone on the committee agreed that Ukiah should further consolidate influence over a commission tasked with independently evaluating controversial proposals.

That raises a serious question: is LAFCo supposed to represent all communities equally, or become a vehicle for Ukiah’s political priorities?

If the justification for appointing a commissioner is that one city has the most pending business before the commission, that sounds less like impartial governance and more like an attempt to secure influence over a body that is supposed to independently evaluate controversial proposals, including annexations.

For residents already concerned about the City of Ukiah’s aggressive annexation efforts, this should be a wake-up call. The same city pushing one of the most controversial local boundary expansions in recent memory is now arguing it deserves outsized influence on the very commission tasked with reviewing those kinds of decisions.

You can view the full meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I471SiFDtQs&t=537s