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53-473: The Willits News is a twice weekly newspaper covering Willits, California and northern Mendocino County . It has been reporting on the community since 1903. It operates out of the offices of the Ukiah Daily Journal . The paper is owned by newspaper group MediaNews Group , a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital . In late 2017 its Willits office was closed, and the paper began to operate out of

106-636: A Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Roberts won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich. Brockovich herself had a cameo role as a waitress named Julia. Brockovich had a more extensive role in the 2012 documentary Last Call at the Oasis , which focused on not only water pollution but also the overall state of water scarcity as it relates to water policy in

159-508: A chrome plating plant, which operated in Willits from 1964 to 1995, was responsible for several local health problems. Activist Erin Brockovich , known for the eponymous movie about her work in a similar case, participated in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs. By 2003, plans were put into place to inject a solution into strategic wells at the site to neutralize the chromium and remediate the pollution on site. These plans successfully reduced

212-481: A cooling tower system to fight corrosion . The waste water was discharged to unlined ponds at the site, and some of the waste water percolated into the groundwater , affecting an area of approximately 2 square miles (5.2 km ) near the plant. The Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) put the PG&;E site under its regulations in 1968. The case was settled in 1996 for $ 333 million ($ 666.6 million in 2024),

265-498: A curbside stop at 298 East Commercial Street), Martinez to the south, and Arcata to the north. Additional Amtrak connections are available from Martinez station. Willits Municipal Airport (also known as Ells Field) is a public general aviation airport with one runway, located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the city. U.S. Route 101 is the major highway through the Little Lake Valley, passing just east of

318-550: A dry-summer subtropical or mediterranean climate . The mountains to the west along with a significant influence of mild Pacific air cause Willits to have a cool winter and hot day/cool night summer climate. Average January temperatures range from 32 to 55 °F (0 to 13 °C). Average July temperatures range from 47 to 85 °F (8 to 29 °C). There are an average of 26.9 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, and an average of 95.1 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record maximum temperature

371-464: A female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population dispersal was 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

424-630: A focus on personal injury claims for asbestos exposure, and Shine Lawyers in Australia. She worked as a consultant for the now-defunct California law firm Girardi & Keese . Erin Pattee Brockovich was born in Lawrence, Kansas , the daughter of Betty Jo (born O'Neal; c. 1923–2008), a journalist, and Frank Pattee (1924–2011), an industrial engineer and football player. She has two brothers, Frank Jr. and Thomas (1954–1992), and

477-446: A population of 4,888. The population density was 1,743.7 inhabitants per square mile (673.2/km ). The racial makeup of Willits was 3,862 (79.0%) White , 34 (0.7%) African American , 216 (4.4%) Native American , 68 (1.4%) Asian , 5 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 479 (9.8%) from other races , and 224 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,008 persons (20.6%). The Census reported that 4,794 people (98.1% of

530-621: A sister, Jodie. She graduated from Lawrence High School , then attended Kansas State University , in Manhattan, Kansas , and graduated with an Associate in Applied Arts Degree from Wade College in Dallas, Texas. Brockovich is dyslexic. In 1993, Brockovich became a whistleblower when she spoke out against PG&E after finding widespread unexplained illness in the town of Hinkley, California . She became instrumental in suing

583-462: A state epidemiologist had been investigating what residents believed were a high number of brain tumors in the area — more than 70 since 1996. The epidemiologist had stated the numbers did not seem abnormally high. In June 2009, Brockovich began investigating a case of contaminated water in Midland, Texas . "Significant amounts" of hexavalent chromium were found in the water of more than 40 homes in

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636-467: Is a city in Mendocino County , California , United States. It is located about 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of Ukiah , at an elevation of 1,391 feet (424 m). The population was 4,988 at the 2020 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and at the beginning of the county's extensive redwood forests as approached by Highway 101 from the south. An arch stands in

689-672: Is also home to the Roots of Motive Power Locomotive Museum, the Mendocino County Museum, and the Willits Center for the Arts. Willits uses a council–manager form of government with a city council consisting of five council members. As of December 2022, the current mayor of Willits is Saprina Rodriguez. In the state legislature, Willits is in the 2nd Senate District , represented by Democrat Mike McGuire , and

742-541: Is believed to be a potential cause of an abnormally high number of brain tumors around the town of Cameron, Missouri . Prior to the lawsuit, the site was investigated by the EPA and at the time, the agency found "no detections of total chromium", and added, "we would like to get any specific information from this law firm as soon as we can so we can evaluate it, and we intend to ask for that directly." The EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Health and

795-717: Is the eastern terminus of the California Western Railroad (otherwise known as the "Skunk Train"), running through the Coast Redwood forests to coastal Fort Bragg . The old redwood Willits Depot was built in 1915 by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad , a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific . It is registered as a National Historic Place. The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Willits (with

848-476: Is the potential groundwater contamination after chemicals were, as she describes it, dumped in a big hole in the ground and burned off. A recurring theme of her appearances is that the nation has, for decades, in the name of profits over people, failed to undertake infrastructure improvements, enact tighter regulations, and adequately protect the health, safety and welfare of communities from long-term bodily harm and environmental damage. Brockovich continues to cite

901-416: The 1970 Lehigh Valley Railroad derailment was the cause and conducted testing in the area. Brockovich was supposed to return to LeRoy to present her findings, but never did; in the meantime, the students' doctors determined the cause was mass psychogenic illness , and that the media exposure was exacerbating the symptoms. No environmental causes were found after repeat testing, and the students improved once

954-598: The 2nd Assembly District , represented by Democrat Jim Wood . Federally, Willits is in California's 2nd congressional district , represented by Democrat Jared Huffman . Willits is served by local and regional newspapers as well as a low-power community radio station. The community radio station is KLLG, operated out of the Little Lake Grange . Local papers include The Mendocino Voice , Willits News , and Willits Weekly . Willits

1007-565: The Conejo Valley , Brockovich received settlements of $ 430,000 from two parties, and an undisclosed amount from a third party, to settle her lawsuit alleging toxic mold in her Agoura Hills, California , home. Brockovich then became a prominent activist and educator in the area as well. Brockovich and Masry filed suit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District in 2003, in which the district

1060-630: The Redwood Highway ). It is on the west side of the Little Lake Valley, a 6-by-3-mile (10 by 5 km) area surrounded by the California Coast Ranges . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city had a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km ), 99.96% of it land. Willits is located about halfway on the future Great Redwood Trail , a multi-use rail trail project. Under the Köppen climate classification Willits has

1113-647: The Whitman Corporation of chromium contamination in Willits, California . Another, which listed 1,200 plaintiffs , alleged contamination near PG&E's Kettleman Hills compressor station in Kings County, California , along the same pipeline as the Hinkley site. The Kettleman suit was settled for $ 335 million in 2006. In 2003, after experiencing problems with mold contamination in her own home in

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1166-686: The poverty line , including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. Major employers in Willits include the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital and METALfx. Willits High School is located on the north end of Willits. The North County Center of Mendocino College is also in Willits. Every July, Willits hosts the Frontier Days & Rodeo , the oldest continuous rodeo and Independence Day celebration in California. It

1219-460: The solar capital of the world in the 1980s. The Willits area is the final home of the racehorse Seabiscuit . Ridgewood Ranch , where Seabiscuit trained, recuperated, lived out his retirement and was buried, is located a few miles south of the city. Beginning in 1996, the city and many residents became embroiled in lawsuits against the Whitman Corporation (later acquired by PepsiCo, Inc. ), alleging that hexavalent chromium pollution left by

1272-545: The 1980s. Mona Gnader, the bass player for Sammy Hagar , also resided in Willits. Stagecoach bandit Charles Bolles (a.k.a. Black Bart ) stole multiple Wells Fargo boxes and mail from stagecoaches traveling through Willits. Phil Jordon , the first National Basketball Association player ever to have played prep basketball in the Redwood Empire area (coastal Northern California & coastal Southern Oregon), did so while at Willits High School. Edith Ceccarelli , once

1325-456: The Hinkley case and Flint water crisis , as well as the 2013 Lac-Megantic, Canada oil train catastrophe . Brockovich's work in bringing litigation against Pacific Gas & Electric was the focus of the 2000 feature film Erin Brockovich , starring Julia Roberts in the title role. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards : Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing in

1378-622: The United States. On April 8, 2021, Rebel , a television series which creator Krista Vernoff loosely based on Brockovich's life, premiered on ABC . Brockovich's first book, Take It from Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win ( ISBN   978-0071383790 ), was published in 2001. A second book, Superman's Not Coming , was released on August 25, 2020. In 2021, Brockovich wrote about hormone-disrupting chemicals (such as PFAS ) eroding human fertility at an alarming rate. On February 8, 2022, Brockovich wrote an article talking about

1431-467: The Willits Bypass project opened to traffic on November 3, 2016, despite the controversy related to its route through protected wetlands. Some notable names from Willits include Judi Bari , labor leader and environmental activist, who fought to save the redwoods. Over 1,000 people attended her Willits funeral in 1997. Tré Cool , drummer for Green Day , lived in Willits during his teen years in

1484-512: The Willits city limits, connecting Eureka to the north and San Francisco to the south. State Route 20 forks off of US 101 at a point just south of Willits, enters the city on South Main Street, and then heads west, running parallel to and several miles south of the Skunk Train's route, to Fort Bragg . In an effort to reduce traffic congestion in the city, especially on all of Main Street,

1537-460: The area, some of which have now been fitted with state-monitored filters on their water supply. Brockovich said: "The only difference between here and Hinkley is that I saw higher levels here than I saw in Hinkley." In 2012, Brockovich became involved in the mysterious case of 14 students from LeRoy, New York , who began reporting perplexing medical symptoms, including tics and speech difficulties. Brockovich believed environmental pollution from

1590-423: The arrival of the circuit court judge. Following a meeting at Willits' Masonic Temple , 30 masked temple members seized the prisoners, and they were hanged from a nearby bridge. A newspaper reported there was no proof the murdered men were guilty of the charges. Willits became a boomtown due to the tanbark industry. The 1970s " back to the land " homesteading movement paved the way for Willits' reputation as

1643-420: The case of Steven Donziger , a lawyer who won an $ 18 billion judgment against Chevron before being jailed for contempt of court after refusing to turn his phone and computer over to Chevron's legal team. Brockovich has three children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Katie, from her first marriage to Shawn Brown, and a daughter, Elizabeth ("Beth"), from her second marriage to Steven Brockovich. Her third husband

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1696-517: The center of Willits featuring the slogans "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County". The arch is the repurposed second version of the Reno Arch . Reno donated the arch to Willits in 1995. Hiram Willits arrived from Indiana in 1857 to settle in the Little Lake Valley. Kirk Brier founded the settlement on Willits' land. Willits was originally called "Willitsville". Later, when

1749-453: The city was 4,247 (83.72%) White , 32 (0.63%) African American , 179 (3.53%) Native American , 59 (1.2%) Asian , 2 (0.04%) Pacific Islander , 359 (7.08%) from other races , and 195 (3.84%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race numbered 745, or 14.69% of the population. There were 1,935 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 17.4% had

1802-472: The community about the toxic chemical fires. She has been interviewed on various news outlets, from independent media to national networks. A few weeks later, Brockovich traveled to East Palestine , where she was interviewed by local media, and appeared at one of several high-profile town hall meetings on Friday night, Feb. 24th. At the meeting, Brockovich and an attorney highlighted decades of toxic chemical train derailments. Among Brockovich's many concerns

1855-605: The compound at over 1,000 parts per billion , even though, by 2021, PG&E claimed they had cleaned up 70% of the contamination. In October 2022, even though the EPA announced Cr-6 was likely carcinogenic if consumed in drinking water, The American Chemistry Council , an industry lobby group, disputed their finding. Working with Edward L. Masry , a lawyer based in Thousand Oaks, California , Brockovich went on to participate in other anti-pollution lawsuits. One suit accused

1908-573: The largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in United States history to that date. Masry & Vititoe , the law firm for which Brockovich was a legal clerk, received $ 133.6 million ($ 273.4 million in 2024) of that settlement, and Brockovich received $ 2.5 million as part of her fee. A study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry suggested that cancer rates in Hinkley "remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008". John W. Morgan, an epidemiologist involved in

1961-544: The long-running feud came to a head. A brawl turned into a shootout in front of Baechtel's store, leaving Abraham Coates, Henry Coates, Albert Coates, Thomas Coates and Elisha Frost dead on the street. Three others were wounded. In 1879, three men were charged with petty larceny , having been accused of stealing a saddle and harness. The three, it was later reported, had for years been involved in stealing, robbing smokehouses, drinking, and reckless discharging of their firearms. They were taken to Brown's Little Lake Hotel to await

2014-617: The media attention died down. In early 2016, Brockovich became involved in potential litigation against Southern California Gas for the Aliso Canyon gas leak , a large methane leak from its underground storage facility near the community of Porter Ranch , north of Los Angeles. In early 2023, within hours of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio , Brockovich started getting calls for assistance from

2067-589: The office of its mother paper, the Ukiah Daily Journal . Additionally, its editorial independence was curtailed, and it was brought under the direct control of the Ukiah Daily Journal in June 2016. The paper prints outside of Mendocino County and is trucked in for delivery. This article about a California newspaper is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Willits, California Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville )

2120-583: The oldest person in the United States, was born in Willits. Erin Brockovich Since then, Brockovich has become a media personality, hosting the TV series Challenge America with Erin Brockovich on ABC and Final Justice on Zone Reality , and became president of Brockovich Research & Consulting. She also works as a consultant for the New York law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg , which has

2173-507: The plaintiffs. In May 2007, the school district announced that it was to be paid $ 450,000 as reimbursement for legal expenses. Brockovich assisted in the filing of a lawsuit against Prime Tanning Corp. of St. Joseph, Missouri , in April 2009. The lawsuit claims that waste sludge from the production of leather, containing high levels of hexavalent chromium, was distributed to farmers in northwest Missouri to use as fertilizer on their fields. It

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2226-474: The pollution, and further injections and a monitoring plan were implemented in 2005 and 2008. In 2011, various lawsuits were combined into a single suit involving paying for the site cleanup and payouts to affected individuals; most lawsuits were resolved in 2012. Located at the center of Mendocino County in the Little Lake Valley, Willits is 23 miles (37 km) north of Ukiah and the same distance south of Laytonville on U.S. Route 101 (otherwise known as

2279-630: The population) lived in households, 52 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 42 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 1,914 households, out of which 667 (34.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 693 (36.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 320 (16.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 143 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 163 (8.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 11 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 609 households (31.8%) were made up of individuals, and 281 (14.7%) had someone living alone who

2332-430: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,579 people (52.8%) lived in rental housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,073 people, 1,935 households, and 1,230 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,813.7 inhabitants per square mile (700.3/km ). There were 2,013 housing units at an average density of 719.7 units per square mile (277.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of

2385-712: The post office opened in 1861, it was called "Little Lake". The name changed to Willits in 1874. The community incorporated in 1888. Little Lake was the scene of a legendary feud between the Frost and Coates families. The Frost family supported the Confederacy during the American Civil War , and the Coates family supported the Union . Both families were passionate in their beliefs. On October 16, 1867, Election Day,

2438-649: The study said that the 196 cases of cancer reported during the most recent survey of 1996 through 2008 were fewer than what he would expect based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer. However, in June 2013, Mother Jones magazine featured a critique from the Center for Public Integrity of the author's work on the later epidemiological studies, pointing out, for example, that the affected area of Hinkley had been bulldozed by 1996. As of 2019 , average Cr-6 levels for water from wells in Hinkley were still peaking at 100 times California's maximum contaminant level for

2491-561: The utility company on behalf of the town. The case ( Anderson, et al. v. Pacific Gas & Electric, file BCV 00300) alleged contamination of drinking water with hexavalent chromium (also written as "chromium 6", "chromium VI", "Cr-VI" or "Cr-6") in the town. At the center of the case was the Hinkley compressor station, built in 1952 as a part of a natural-gas pipeline connecting to the San Francisco Bay Area . Between 1952 and 1966, PG&E used hexavalent chromium in

2544-411: Was 112 °F (44 °C) on July 24, 1902, and the record minimum temperature was 5 °F (−15 °C) on December 9, 1972. Annual precipitation averages 49.23 inches (1,250 mm). The wettest “rain year” on record was from July 1903 to June 1904 with 86.60 inches (2,199.6 mm) and the driest from July 1990 to June 1991 with 28.08 inches (713.2 mm). The most precipitation in one month

2597-515: Was 31.41 inches (797.8 mm) in December 1964. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 8.80 inches (223.5 mm) on December 22, 1964. There are an average of 94.8 days with measurable precipitation. There are occasional snowfalls in Willits each year, with an average of 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) of snow annually. The most snow in one month was 20.0 inches (51 cm) in December 1964. The 2010 United States Census reported that Willits had

2650-408: Was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 26,283, and the median income for a family was $ 36,193. Males had a median income of $ 30,983 versus $ 22,089 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,642. About 11.6% of families and 14.5% of the population were below

2703-411: Was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. There were 2,073 housing units at an average density of 739.5 units per square mile (285.5 units/km ), of which 843 (44.0%) were owner-occupied, and 1,071 (56.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%. 2,215 people (45.3% of

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2756-407: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50. There were 1,156 families (60.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.13. The population dispersal was 1,270 people (26.0%) under the age of 18, 412 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 1,191 people (24.4%) aged 25 to 44, 1,273 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 742 people (15.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

2809-405: Was accused of harming the health and safety of its students by allowing a contractor to operate a cluster of oil wells on campus. Brockovich and Masry alleged that 300 cancer cases were linked to the oil wells. Subsequent testing and epidemiological investigation failed to corroborate a substantial link, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer granted summary judgment against

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