Friday, 29 March 2024

Community

SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) has co-authored legislation to protect vulnerable California seniors from neglect and abuse.


Assembly Bill (AB) 392 was introduced by Assembly members Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Dave Jones (D-Sacramento).


The bill would use penalties paid by substandard long-term care facilities to restore critical oversight to protect nursing home and assisted living residents.


Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $3.8 million in funding for local long-term care ombudsman programs, representing about half their funding.


The programs protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from abuse and neglect through unannounced monitor visits and investigations of the thousands of abuse cases reported to them each year.


“In contrast to government agencies which may only visit or facilities every 12 months or so, the ombudsman programs provide more timely, front-line investigative services for the isolated and frail residents of long-term care facilities,” Wiggins said. “There is no other program or agency that duplicates this critical advocacy service, and these are cost-effective programs that can significantly improve residents' quality of life and quality of care.”


As a result of the governor’s veto, local ombudsman programs have been forced to lay off staff and drastically reduce services.


“These reductions have greatly compromised the programs' ability to investigate complaints from residents and monitor facilities, thus putting nursing home and assisted living residents at significantly greater risk of abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.


AB 392 would restore funding by using existing penalties paid by long-term care facilities that fail to comply with federal and state laws for the protection of residents. These penalty accounts may be used for any activity that directly benefits facility residents, including funding an increase in Ombudsman services.


“AB 392 would ensure that California’s vulnerable and isolated elderly in long-term care facilities are afforded protections from abuse and neglect through frequent monitor visits and timely response to reports of suspected abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.


Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which encompasses portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.


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KELSEYVILLE – The next general meeting of the Sierra Club Lake Group will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, in the Kelseyville High School Library, 5480 Main St.


Bear Creek Watershed Coordinator and Rangeland Ecologist Craig Thomsen of the UC Davis Department of Plant Science is going to tell us about stakeholder goals and stewardship issues in the Bear Creek watershed, which is in western Colusa County just over the Lake County line.


This presentation will highlight the region's natural beauty, ecological degradation, stakeholder concerns and a management framework for addressing stewardship problems: among other things attendees will see some horrible examples of erosion in progress (and learn about effective ways to reverse it), and learn about the ecological damage caused by abandoned mercury mines and invasive alien weeds.


Bear Valley and the rest of the watershed are also famous for their rare plants and spectacular display of spring wildflowers, so the audience can expect to see breathtaking examples of that annual showstopper.


The presentation will be followed by an update on the status of the Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Conservation Area proposal that was the subject of the Lake Group forum held at the Brick Hall in Lower Lake in January 2008.


The meeting is free and open to the public.


For more information contact Victoria Brandon at 994 1931 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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SACRAMENTO – The State Senate voted 21-8 last month to approve Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 15, a measure by North Coast Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) designed to raise awareness of global climate change and energy efficiency.


SCR 15 seeks to declare the hour of 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday in March to be “Earth Hour” throughout the state.


SCR 15 encourages city, county and state employees, and businesses to turn off non-essential lights in government buildings, public schools, public landmarks and other buildings for that hour on March 28.


In presenting SCR 15 for the Feb. 26 vote, Wiggins said, “As you may know, Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, back in 2007 to promote climate change awareness and what started as a small local effort has become an international phenomenon with over 1,000 cities and 75 countries participating around the globe in 2009.


“By promoting the worldwide event and calling on all Californians to participate, we can further contribute to reducing green house gases and help bring awareness to over 35 million Californians on how they can contribute to fighting global warming,” she added. “I encourage everyone to join me in this effort and do all you can to promote this important world wide event in your district.”


When she introduced SCR 15 in February, Wiggins said that it was imperative “that we, as a global community bring, together a diverse group of community, municipal, corporate and nongovernmental organizations to heighten awareness about climate change, and to inspire consumers and businesses to take practical actions to reduce their own carbon footprints.”


She said climate change is a global problem, requiring a multitude of solutions that must be implemented by the entire global community. “Earth Hour symbolizes a commitment towards that goal.”


In 2008, Earth Hour was recognized in more than 300 cities and 35 countries around the world. Such iconic landmarks as the Empire State Building (New York City), Sears Tower (Chicago), Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco), Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), Wat Arun Buddhist Temple (Bangkok, Thailand), the Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Royal Castle (Stockholm, Sweden), London's City Hall (England), Space Needle (Seattle) and the CN Tower (Toronto, Canada) all had their non-essential lighting turned off for one hour.


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LAKEPORT – The Lake County Bar Association will have a no-host social mixer on Wednesday, March 18.


The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Lakeport at TNT's on the Lake.

 

Membership in the Lake County Bar Association is open to all members of the California Bar Association.

 

For information about the Lake County Bar Association activities or this event, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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NORTH COAST – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around Lake County during the coming week.


Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.


LAKE COUNTY


Highway 20


– The county of Lake has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for sidewalk upgrades from Fourth Street to Sixth Street. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.


Highway 29


– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from 0.7 miles north of Bar X Ranch to 0.1 miles north of Spruce Grove Road through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.


– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from 0.1 miles north of Spruce Grove Road to Hofacker Lane Road beginning Monday, March 16. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.


– Caltrans will continue routine maintenance from Cole Creek Bridge to Hill Creek Bridge through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.


MENDOCINO COUNTY


Highway 1


– Construction of a retaining wall about 3 miles north of Elk will begin Friday, March 13. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Granite Construction of Ukiah.


Highway 101


– Roadway repair due to pavement deterioration from 3.6 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road to 1.9 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.


– The city of Willits has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to service the Willits Arch near Franklin Avenue beginning Monday, March 16. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.


– Brian Shuster of Willits has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work at California Street through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.


Highway 162


– Caltrans will perform culvert repairs near Hosea Creek on Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays.


For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).


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LAKEPORT – Everyone is invited to attend the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild's Live and Silent Auction on Saturday, March 28, at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.


Arrive at 9:30 a.m. for a preview with the live auction beginning at 10:30 a.m.


Quilting items, sewing notions, tons of fabrics, knitting and yarns, patterns, books and any items related to fiber handcrafts will be auctioned. Many silent auction items also will be available. Visa and MasterCard will be accepted.


Don't miss out on this fun event. If you have any questions, please call Julie at 349-0846 or visit the Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild Web site at www.LLQG.org.


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Upcoming Calendar

30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lakeport Community Cleanup Day
30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Second annual Bunny Brunch
30Mar
03.30.2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Lake County poet laureate inauguration
31Mar
03.31.2024
Easter Sunday
31Mar
03.31.2024 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lakeport Rotary Club Easter Egg Hunt
1Apr
04.01.2024
Easter Monday
1Apr
10Apr
15Apr
04.15.2024
Tax Day

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