Bob Chevalier, a 67 year old Willits resident, locked himself to an excavator this morning and stopped Caltrans work. He did this to protest and bring attention the Army Corps of Engineers’ (ACE) failure to hold Caltrans accountable to the conditions ACE set forth for Caltrans to begin work. Bob and a 73 year old woman were subsequently arrested by the California Highway Patrol and taken to jail in Ukiah.
Mr. Chevalier took action this morning so that you will know the following:
In a February 2013 letter, ACE granted an unusual exemption and conditional approval for Caltrans to begin construction activities. One of the conditions for beginning construction was that Caltrans could provide assurance that they would receive full funding for their mitigation plan at the May 7th CTC meeting. At that meeting last week, Caltrans received less than the full amount they need to carry out their mitigation plan. Mr. Chevalier and SOLLV are calling on the Corps to maintain their integrity and hold Caltrans accountable for the success of the mitigation process.
Below are some pictures of CHP first arriving on the scene. More pictures from later in the action to follow.