Open letter to the community opposing ukiah annexation
12/14/2024
Dear neighbor,
I am writing as a concerned citizen urging you to oppose the City of Ukiah’s land grab. As someone who has lived in this community for over 50 years, I know investing in our community is vital for growth, but businesses hesitate to invest here due to local mismanagement on issues such as homelessness, affordability, and a shortage of police officers.
Annexation will mean another layer of micromanaging bureaucracy. A quick drive down Perkins Street will show the effects of the City Planning Commission and City Council’s handywork, Denny’s, Savings Bank Pear Tree branch, Wendy’s, Curries Furniture, Perkins Street Grill (Formerly “The Lido”), Porter Street Grill, Dragon’s Lair, all out of business and vacant or burned down with no replacement.
The City of Ukiah’s plan is to annex over 1,600 acres and, as a local business owner, I am against this proposed annexation that would triple Ukiah’s city limits. Despite the City’s higher sales tax rates, the City struggles to manage its current size, we can’t expect it to serve such a dramatic expansion.
The City of Ukiah is focused on annexing land that they cannot handle and overlooking the issues that we face on a daily basis. Annexation is not the solution. We urge you to join us in opposing unnecessary and poorly planned annexation. The City is quietly looking to annex the Brush Street Triangle and Masonite areas soon. The only way for us to stop annexation is to protest if you live or own property in the area to be taken over. There is a narrow time window in which the protest must be filed and that time has not started yet. We will reach out when that time comes with the proper protest process. In the mean time, please talk to your neighbors and let them know what the City is up to.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly or at noukiahannexation@gmail.com and keep an eye out for more information at noukiahannexation.com
Sincerely,
Ross Liberty
President, Factory Pipe LLC
