LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council will next meet on Monday, April 25.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. via Zoom. The public is invited to attend.
The meeting ID is 986 2616 1748, pass code is 173031. The meeting also can be accessed via phone at 1-669-900-6833 or +16699006833,,98626161748#,,,,*173031# for one tap mobile.
Under old business, the group will get an update on the request to clear a portion of Scotts Creek.
Under new business, Council Member Terre Logsdon will discuss new use permits.
There also will be updates on the city of Lakeport’s proposed annexation of the South Main Street area, the Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Committee and the Multi-Tribal Fire Prevention Grant Application to Cal Fire to support the Scotts Valley Firewise Community, broadband coverage for Scotts Valley and the South Cow Mountain Management Area Implementation.
Scotts Valley Firewise Committee Vice Chair, Greg Scott also will give a report.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Partnerships, collaboration and entrepreneurs will be featured during the fourth Lake Leadership Forum to be held in person on Tuesday, May 10.
The event will take place at The Mercantile, 4350 Thomas Drive, Kelseyville.
The program begins at 2 p.m. with networking at 5 p.m.
Presented by the Lake County Economic Development Corp., or Lake EDC, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Lake County Tourism Improvement District, the Lake Leadership Forum is open to the public with tickets available at https://tinyurl.com/LakeForum22 for $20 per person which includes a glass of wine or other beverage.
The first leadership summits in 2014 and 2015, coordinated by the ad hoc Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee, were conducted at the then-Marymount California University in the Lucerne Hotel, with the third summit in 2019 at the same location under the auspices of the Lake EDC.
These early sessions were designed for Lake County’s small businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and interested citizens to inspire, collaborate and envision a stronger economic climate.
The 2022 event will build on this framework with presentations about community initiatives and opportunities that are generating economic momentum.
A panel discussion regarding innovations in agriculture and tourism will include Joy Merrilees, vice president of production for Shannon Ridge, and Melinda Price, co-owner of Peace and Plenty Farm, growers of organic saffron.
Speakers will demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Lake County through presentations by Catherine Reese, Reese Ranch Retreat, winner of the 2021 1Team1Dream competition, and Kejhana Taylor, a participant in the LCCC’s youth mentorship program.
Industry updates and discussion of a realistic path for cannabis in Lake County will be addressed by Bobby Dutcher, Wine Country Land and Ranches, and Alicia Russell, Lake County Cannabis Alliance.
Forward growth in energy technology and healthcare will be shared by Jenn Gregory of Downtown Strategies, who will discuss the latest information on developing a network of electric charging car stations, and by Jamey Gill, executive director of the Blue Zones Project in Lake County.
The presenting organizations represent people from all over Lake County who love our community and want to see it prosper. You are invited to participate in this leadership forum and connect with like-minded citizens.
Tickets may also be purchased with a check payable to and sent to Lake EDC, P.O. Box 1257, Lakeport, CA 95453. Shannon Family of Wines is the corporate sponsor for the event.
More information is available from Nicole Flora, executive director, Lake EDC, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County saw a significant drop in its unemployment rate in March, a development that mirrors economic gains across the state and nation.
Lake County’s March jobless rate was 5%, down from 5.9% in February and 9% in March 2021, the California Employment Development Department, or EDD, reported.
California’s unemployment rate in March was 4.9%, down from 5.3% in February and 8.4% in March of last year.
The report said California’s employers added 60,200 nonfarm payroll jobs, with the state now having regained nearly 90% — or 2,463,400 — of the 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 431,000 nonfarm jobs the nation gained in March, California accounted for 14% of those gains, surpassing the state's 11.5 percent share of employment in the U.S., the report said.
The EDD said California has enjoyed month-over gains in nonfarm jobs in 13 of the past 14 months totaling a 1,380,100 job gain over that time period.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the report was “more good news for California’s continued economic recovery, representing thousands of new opportunities for workers throughout the state,” adding, “We’re committed to building on these gains and our progress toward creating a stronger, fairer and more prosperous state for all Californians to live and work.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate in March was 3.6%, down from 3.8% in February and 6% in the year-over comparison. The March national jobless rate is the lowest it’s been since February 2020, when it was 3.5%.
California’s payroll jobs totaled 17,338,900, while the number of Californians employed in March was 18,197,600, an increase of 141,400 persons from February’s total of 18,056,200, and up 997,700 from the employment total in March 2021.
Total nonfarm jobs increased by 1,041,900, a 6.4% increase, from March 2021 to March 2022 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 6,494,000 jobs, a 4.5% increase.
The number of unemployed Californians was 933,700 in March, a decrease of 78,300 over the month and down 648,000 in comparison to March 2021. That’s the first time since February 2020 that there have been fewer than one million Californians unemployed.
Lake’s neighboring counties’ jobless rates and ranks in the latest report are Colusa, 12.5%, No. 58; Glenn, 5%, tied with Lake County for No. 36; Napa, 3.2%, No. 9; Sonoma, 3%, No. 7; and Yolo, 3.7%, No. 20.
Comparisons in industry sectors
The number of jobs in California’s agriculture industry decreased by 600 from February to 413,900 jobs in March. The agricultural industry has 3,600 more farm jobs in March 2022 than it did in March a year ago.
In Lake County, total farm jobs also were down by 4.3% in a month-over comparison, totaling an 80-job reduction.
Leisure and hospitality was once again the sector with the largest job increase statewide, with 14,800 jobs added. That growth had as its main driver limited-service eating places.
In Lake County, leisure and hospitality saw an 8% increase, totaling 90 new jobs in March.
Professional and business services also posted a good-sized gain of 10,400 jobs statewide thanks to strength in employment services, as well as accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping services.
Lake County had a 5.7% increase in that sector in March, with 40 new jobs.
State and local numbers for other industry sectors are as follows:
• Education and health services: Statewide, increase of 9,000 jobs; Lake County, 20 new jobs, growth of 0.5%.
• Mining, logging and construction: Statewide, increase of 8,900 jobs; Lake County, loss of 10 jobs, reduction of 1.2%.
• Trade, transportation and utilities: Statewide, increase of 5,300 jobs; Lake County, 80 new jobs, increase of 2.6%.
• Other services: Statewide, increase of 4,900 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 1.9% increase.
• Financial activities: Statewide, increase of 3,600 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 3.1% increase.
• Manufacturing: Statewide, increase of 2,900 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 2.9% increase.
• Information: Statewide, increase of 200 jobs; Lake County, loss of 10 jobs, 11.1% reduction.
• Government: Statewide, increase of 200 jobs; Lake County, 40 new jobs, 1% increase.
In other employment news, the state said there were 398,638 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the March 2022 sample week, compared to 425,221 people in February and 680,279 people in March 2021.
Concurrently, 39,185 initial claims were processed in the March 2022 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 4,517 claims from February and a year-over decrease of 57,027 claims from March 2021, the EDD said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported this week on the property tax payments it is making to cities and counties this month.
The company, which serves more than 16 million Californians, is paying property taxes and franchise fees of over $464 million this spring to the 50 counties, 246 local cities and one district where it owns and operates gas and electric infrastructure.
The company reported that it paid approximately $1,101,814 to Lake County. In 2021, Lake County received payments totaling $961,632.
“Property tax and franchise fee payments are one of the many important ways PG&E helps drive our hometown economies and support essential public services like education and public safety. These payments reflect the substantial local investments we are making in our gas and electric infrastructure to create a safer and more reliable system and to better mitigate against wildfire risk,” said Chris Foster, executive vice president and chief financial officer for PG&E.
On April 12, PG&E paid property taxes of more than $310 million to the 50 counties in which it owns property. The payment covers the period from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2022.
Total payments for the tax year of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, are more than $621 million.
This is an increase of $84 million more than the prior tax year.
PG&E pays franchise fees to cities and counties for the use of public streets for its gas and electric facilities. The energy company completed payments on April 15.
PG&E’s franchise fee payments totaled nearly $154 million — nearly $106 million for electric service and more than $47 million for natural gas service. This is an increase of over $15 million from the prior year.
PG&E’s second installment of property taxes paid on April 11, 2022, is broken down by county in the following list.
Alameda — $39,173,605 Alpine — $86,777 Amador — $1,288,405 Butte — $6,415,167 Calaveras — $1,391,602 Colusa — $4,471,246 Contra Costa — $23,764,492 El Dorado — $2,204,039 Fresno — $21,143,559 Glenn — $1,131,060 Humboldt — $5,368,088 Kern — $11,198,327 Kings — $1,964,772 Lake — $1,101,814 Lassen — $67,314 Madera — $2,946,421 Marin — $5,880,776 Mariposa — $389,784 Mendocino — $2,220,860 Merced — $4,848,364 Modoc — $240,912 Monterey — $4,833,954 Napa — $4,893,029 Nevada — $1,722,089 Placer — $7,521,579 Plumas — $2,937,972 Sacramento — $8,542,713 San Benito — $947,500 San Bernardino — $1,803,434 San Diego — $864 San Francisco — $16,328,296 San Joaquin — $15,336,683 San Luis Obispo — $8,645,580 San Mateo — $17,380,941 Santa Barbara — $1,414,425 Santa Clara — $38,716,789 Santa Cruz — $2,487,566 Shasta — $7,289,376 Sierra — $163,908 Siskiyou — $107,691 Solano — $7,770,183 Sonoma — $10,623,581 Stanislaus — $3,254,843 Sutter — $1,673,284 Tehama — $1,831,363 Trinity — $239,288 Tulare — $702,334 Tuolumne — $1,116,036 Yolo — $3,362,125 Yuba — $1,805,813
Increasingly large and intense wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are altering the seasonal pattern of air pollution and causing a spike in unhealthy pollutants in August, new research finds.
The smoke is undermining clean air gains, posing potential risks to the health of millions of people, according to the study.
The research, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, found that levels of carbon monoxide — a gas that indicates the presence of other air pollutants — have increased sharply as wildfires spread in August.
Carbon monoxide levels are normally lower in the summer because of chemical reactions in the atmosphere related to changes in sunlight, and the finding that their levels have jumped indicates the extent of the smoke’s impacts.
“Wildfire emissions have increased so substantially that they’re changing the annual pattern of air quality across North America,” said NCAR scientist Rebecca Buchholz, the lead author. “It’s quite clear that there is a new peak of air pollution in August that didn’t used to exist.”
Although carbon monoxide generally is not a significant health concern outdoors, the gas indicates the presence of more harmful pollutants, including aerosols (airborne particulates) and ground-level ozone that tends to form on hot summer days.
The research team used satellite-based observations of atmospheric chemistry and global inventories of fires to track wildfire emissions during most of the past two decades, as well as computer modeling to analyze the potential impacts of the smoke. They focused on three North American regions: the Pacific Northwest, the central United States, and the Northeast.
Buchholz said the findings were particularly striking because carbon monoxide levels have been otherwise decreasing, both globally and across North America, due to improvements in pollution-control technologies.
The study was published this week in Nature Communications. The research was funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, NCAR’s sponsor. The paper was co-authored by researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder; Columbia University; NASA; Tsinghua University; and Colorado State University.
Increasing impacts on air pollution
Wildfires have been increasing in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of North America, due to a combination of climate change, increased development, and land use policies.
The fires are becoming a larger factor in air pollution, especially as emissions from human activities are diminishing because of more efficient combustion processes in motor vehicles and industrial facilities.
To analyze the impacts of fires, Buchholz and her collaborators used data from two instruments on the NASA Terra satellite: Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere, or MOPITT, which has tracked carbon monoxide continually since 2002; and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, or MODIS, which detects fires and provides information on aerosols.
They also studied four inventories of wildfire emissions, which rely on MODIS data.
The scientists focused on the period from 2002, the beginning of a consistent and long-term record of MOPITT data, to 2018, the last year for which complete observations were available at the time when they began their study.
The results showed an increase in carbon monoxide levels across North America in August, which corresponded with the peak burning season of the Pacific Northwest.
The trend was especially pronounced from 2012 to 2018, when the Pacific Northwest fire season became much more active, according to the emissions inventories. Data from the MODIS instrument revealed that aerosols also showed an upward trend in August.
To determine whether the higher pollution levels were caused by the fires, the scientists eliminated other potential emission sources.
They found that carbon monoxide levels upwind of the Pacific Northwest, over the Pacific Ocean, were much lower in August — a sign that the pollution was not blowing in from Asia.
They also found that fire season in the central U.S. and the Northeast did not coincide with the August increase in pollution, which meant that local fires in those regions were not responsible.
In addition, they studied a pair of fossil fuel emission inventories, which showed that carbon monoxide emissions from human activities did not increase in any of the three study regions from 2012 to 2018.
“Multiple lines of evidence point to the worsening wildfires in the Pacific Northwest as the cause of degraded air quality,” Buchholz said. “It’s particularly unfortunate that these fires are undermining the gains that society has made in reducing pollution overall.”
Risks to human health
The findings have implications for human health because wildfire smoke has been linked to significant respiratory problems, and it may also affect the cardiovascular system and worsen pregnancy outcomes.
Buchholz and her co-authors used an NCAR-based computer model, the Community Atmosphere Model with a chemistry component, to simulate the movement of emissions from the Pacific Northwest fires and their impact on carbon monoxide, ozone, and fine particulate matter.
They ran the simulations on the Cheyenne supercomputer at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center. The results showed the pollutants could affect more than 130 million people, including about 34 million in the Pacific Northwest, 23 million in the Central U.S., and 72 million in the Northeast.
Although the study did not delve deeply into the health implications of the emissions, the authors looked at respiratory death rates in Colorado for the month of August from 2002 to 2011, compared with the same month in 2012 to 2018.
They chose Colorado, located in the central U.S. region of the study, because respiratory death rates in the state were readily obtainable.
They found that Colorado respiratory deaths in August increased significantly during the 2012-2018 period, when fires in the Pacific Northwest — but not in Colorado — produced more emissions in August.
“It’s clear that more research is needed into the health implications of all this smoke,” Buchholz said. “We may already be seeing the consequences of these fires on the health of residents who live hundreds or even thousands of miles downwind.”
This material is based upon work supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a major facility sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: "New seasonal pattern of pollution emerges from changing North American wildfires" Authors: Rebecca R. Buchholz, Mijeong Park, Helen M. Worden, Wenfu Tang, David P. Edwards, Benjamin Gaubert, Merritt Deeter, Thomas Sullivan, Muye Ru, Mian Chin, Robert C. Levy, Bo Zheng, and Sheryl Magzamen. Journal: Nature Communications.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — On March 17 and 18, Kelseyville High School student Diego Lopez joined other Native American basketball players from Lake County to represent their communities in the 21st annual American Indian Youth Conference and Basketball Tournament at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The event is one of many such events nationwide that allow Native American boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to come together to share their love of sports while learning about each other’s cultural experiences and being exposed to different regions of the country.
“These tournaments expose our Lake County youth to city life,” said Kelseyville High Native American Club Advisor Katie Ray. “They have the experience of walking around college campuses and seeing what they’re up against, what it would be like to be on their own. They also get a feel for what it would be like to play [basketball] at a collegiate level.”
Lopez agreed and said he was certainly more interested in attending UCLA after touring the campus, attending conference workshops, and playing basketball there.
He was surprised and pleased to find that UCLA has resources to help Native American students with their studies and some of the other challenges associated with higher education.
Lopez and his teammates came together thanks to Kristin Amparo, education director and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Big Valley Rancheria, and advisor to the Native American Club at Clearlake High School.
“Our children shouldn’t miss out on opportunities because no one is willing to step up and take on the challenge of helping them,” Amparo said. “Every child deserves an opportunity, but it is up to them as an individual to accept the challenge. All I want to do is provide an opportunity for our children to have a chance to change their lives.”
Amparo offered to coach the basketball team and identified tournaments for them to play in.
“Our basketball program started a year ago with four Big Valley youth jumping on an opportunity to be exposed at a collegiate level in Arizona, Diego being one of the four; from there, we grew,” Amparo said. “We were fortunate enough to receive grant funding to keep our program going and have all their trips 100% paid for, including team bonding activities. That’s an opportunity of a lifetime for our kids. It doesn’t come by often and it won’t last forever.”
The players have four more tournaments planned in the months to come, including the Native American Midwest Tournament of Champions in Wichita, Kansas; the Third Annual Native American Nationals in Mesa, Arizona; the NABI Educational Youth Summit and Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona; and the Indigenous Elite Summer Championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ray explained that there are many ongoing activities for Native youth, noting that “basketball is huge, and so is youth leadership.”
Through these shared experiences, kids from rural and urban backgrounds have an opportunity to discover both shared experiences and how very different growing up on a reservation can be from an urban or suburban setting.
“Having an outlet is crucial, especially to our teens in a county that doesn’t have much for them to do,” Amparo said. “It brings good feeling to my heart knowing that we have a team who is willing to work hard, work together, be leaders, and go after what they want.”
She continued, “Around here, our kids fundraise to go everywhere. In urban areas, kids often have sponsors and scholarships. On the other hand, urban kids are not as connected to their culture as the kids around here. Our youth are rich in culture with lots of big times and gatherings. These aren’t as common in urban settings because of the Relocation Act, when Tribal people were taken from their culture and homelands,” she said.
Lopez said he would recommend that fellow Native American students get involved in these types of youth activities.
Although he is a bit reserved when it comes to meeting new people, he said enjoyed connecting with other students and learning new ideas.
He was happy to represent KHS and Big Valley Rancheria, and said he had fun participating in workshops like learning archery and making homemade ice cream. Mostly, he loved the basketball.
Amparo said, “Diego is one of the leaders on our team. He plays with heart, passion and emotion. He is constantly working to better himself, as both a person and an athlete. It is an honor to help guide our youth into positive light and I’ll do whatever I can to help them achieve their goals.”
Ray said that if anyone is interested in supporting local Native American students, they could consider donating to Big Valley Boys & Girls Club or the Native American Club at Kelseyville High.
Robert Lempert, Pardee RAND Graduate School and Elisabeth Gilmore, Carleton University
The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change discuss changes ahead, but they also describe how existing solutions can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help people adjust to impacts of climate change that can’t be avoided.
The problem is that these solutions aren’t being deployed fast enough. In addition to push-back from industries, people’s fear of change has helped maintain the status quo.
To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change.
Fear of change can lead to worsening change
From the industrial revolution to the rise of social media, societies have undergone fundamental changes in how people live and understand their place in the world.
Other transformations have had both good and bad effects. The industrial revolution vastly raised standards of living for many people, but it spawned inequality, social disruption and environmental destruction.
People often resist transformation because their fear of losing what they have is more powerful than knowing they might gain something better. Wanting to retain things as they are – known as status quo bias – explains all sorts of individual decisions, from sticking with incumbent politicians to not enrolling in retirement or health plans even when the alternatives may be rationally better.
This effect may be even more pronounced for larger changes. In the past, delaying inevitable change has led to transformations that are unnecessarily harsh, such as the collapse of some 13th-century civilizations in what is now the U.S. Southwest. As more people experience the harms of climate change firsthand, they may begin to realize that transformation is inevitable and embrace new solutions.
A mix of good and bad
The IPCC reports make clear that the future inevitably involves more and larger climate-related transformations. The question is what the mix of good and bad will be in those transformations.
If countries allow greenhouse gas emissions to continue at a high rate and communities adapt only incrementally to the resulting climate change, the transformations will be mostly forced and mostly bad.
For example, a riverside town might raise its levees as spring flooding worsens. At some point, as the scale of flooding increases, such adaptation hits its limits. The levees necessary to hold back the water may become too expensive or so intrusive that they undermine any benefit of living near the river. The community may wither away.
The riverside community could also take a more deliberate and anticipatory approach to transformation. It might shift to higher ground, turn its riverfront into parkland while developing affordable housing for people who are displaced by the project, and collaborate with upstream communities to expand landscapes that capture floodwaters. Simultaneously, the community can shift to renewable energy and electrified transportation to help slow global warming.
Optimism resides in deliberate action
The IPCC reports include numerous examples that can help steer such positive transformation.
For example, renewable energy is now generally less expensive than fossil fuels, so a shift to clean energy can often save money. Communities can also be redesigned to better survive natural hazards through steps such as maintaining natural wildfire breaks and building homes to be less susceptible to burning.
No one group can enact these changes alone. Everyone must be involved, including governments that can mandate and incentivize changes, businesses that often control decisions about greenhouse gas emissions, and citizens who can turn up the pressure on both.
As Western states continue to experience intensifying drought conditions, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday visited Lake Oroville to highlight efforts to advance long-term water resilience and bolster the state’s drought response.
Though storms returned to Northern California this week, the small amounts of rain and snowfall expected will not make a significant dent in the water deficit the state faces.
“With the climate crisis threatening communities across the West, we must double down on our work to build water resilience in our communities for the long haul,” said Newsom. “All of us must do our part to tackle the intensifying drought conditions felt across the state. We’re investing critical resources to battle the drought’s impacts on our communities and ecosystems and finding innovative solutions to deal with these new realities.”
Dry conditions resulting from extreme weather impact multiple aspects of state operations, including increased fire risk and reduced energy production capacity.
On Tuesday, the governor visited Hyatt Powerplant at the Oroville facilities, which produces enough hydroelectric power to supply a city the size of San Francisco.
Last year, State Water Project operations managers took the powerplant offline due to falling lake levels, but the facility resumed hydropower operations again in January.
The governor and the Legislature have invested $5.2 billion over three years to support the immediate drought response and build water resilience statewide, and the governor is proposing $2 billion to spur clean energy projects across the state and bolster grid reliability.
The budget includes funding to secure and expand water supplies; bolster drought contingency planning and multi-benefit land repurposing projects; support drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities; advance Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation to improve water supply security and quality; and support wildlife and habitat restoration efforts, among other nature-based solutions.
“As this drought persists into a third year, we are experiencing drier and hotter weather than ever before,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “These conditions diminish our water supplies but also threaten energy reliability. We are adapting to these unprecedented conditions and working to find flexibilities where possible to safeguard both water supplies and grid reliability.”
“We are now in a third consecutive year of drought, driven by climate change. We’re seeing the realities of our warming climate on our water supply and our power supply as evident by conditions at Lake Oroville,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “The state is taking action to balance the water supply needs of residents, businesses and agriculture, and the environment. We are stepping up our policy efforts and educating the public about the need to make water conservation a way of life to stretch our water supply as much as possible.”
The governor last week announced the expansion of the state’s Save Our Water campaign to encourage Californians to reduce water use as drought conditions worsen.
The campaign rolled out new multilingual ads across several media platforms as part of their ongoing efforts, and briefed more than a dozen influencers and content creators calling on them to support the statewide education campaign.
The state has also launched the California WATER WATCH website to inform Californians about hydrological conditions in their own communities and connect residents with local water suppliers to learn about available incentives and rebates that support water-saving upgrades in the home and yard.
Gov. Newsom, through an executive order last month, called on local water suppliers to move to, at a minimum, level two of their water shortage contingency plans, which require locally-appropriate actions that will conserve water across all sectors.
The executive order also directed the State Water Resources Control Board to consider a ban on the watering of decorative grass at businesses and institutions.
In March, the governor advanced an additional $22.5 million to bolster the state’s drought response.
Of this funding, $8.25 million will be used to increase educational and outreach efforts, including through the Save Our Water campaign, which is providing Californians with water-saving tips via social media and other digital advertising.
Gov. Newsom’s California Blueprint proposal includes $750 million in additional drought funding, $250 million of which was set aside as a drought reserve to be allocated in the spring, based on conditions and need.
In 2020, Newsom released the Water Resilience Portfolio, the administration’s blueprint for equipping California to cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, over-reliance on groundwater, and other challenges. The administration released a progress report in January 2022.
For more tips on saving water, visit www.saveourwater.com. Learn more about current conditions, the state’s response and informational resources available to the public at the state’s drought preparedness website.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Behavioral Health Services has announced the grand reopening of the Circle of Native Minds Peer Support Center.
On Friday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the community is invited to Circle of Native Minds’ new location at 525 N. Main St. in Lakeport; the entrance is at the rear of the building on Forbes Street.
Circle of Native Minds is a cultural healing and resource center for members of all seven Lake County-connected tribal nations.
It is dedicated to supporting and preserving Native American culture, especially the healing capabilities of cultural activities, gatherings and events.
Center lead Thomas Leon Brown, the Pathfinders group of local tribal elders and the entire Lake County Behavioral Health Services Department are honored to announce and celebrate the center, its new location and the people it serves.
Highlights of the grand reopening include free Indian tacos, the Elem Pomo Dancers, blessings and messages of hope for our community. The center’s staff will also be in attendance to answer questions or just chat.
“Heckathama” is a powerful word in the Elem Pomo language. Elder Brown explains, “It means ‘How are you?’ and is used to welcome people into our space. The Circle was created to meet the needs of the Native American community through our culturally-enriched traditional ways, using traditional songs, blessings, ceremonies, prayers, medicines and language.”
Elder Brown continues, “You are invited as we provide a place to open your heart for peace and harmony from the great spirits of our ancestors for wellness and goodness. OH!”
The Circle is funded by the Mental Health Services Act, and is a program of Lake County Behavioral Health Services.
For additional information, or questions regarding this event, please contact Thomas Leon Brown or Carrie Manning at Lake County Behavioral Health Services, 707-263-4880.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will hold a public hearing as part of considering authorizing a plan to fund millions of dollars of roadwork.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, April 21.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday, Finance Director Kelcey Young will present to the council the options for Measure V road improvement projects financing.
Last month, Young presented a report to the council that looked at a plan to expedite the needed road work in the city through debt financing directly with a bank. The council directed staff to move forward with identifying financing options.
That financing plan will allow the city to do millions of dollars worth of work up front, rather than doing smaller projects yearly based on the $2.5 million in annual revenue from the Measure V sales tax that’s dedicated to road improvements.
Under business, council members will consider the first reading of the Clearlake Police Department’s military equipment policy ordinance and set a second reading and adoption for the May 5 meeting.
The council on Thursday also will get a presentation about an adoptable dog from the city shelter and hear a presentation from Local Initiative Support Corp. representatives regarding the Distressed Cities Technical Assistance Program regarding Clearlake projects.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; minutes of the March 16 and 28 Lake County Vector Control District Board meetings; review of the 2021 Annual Housing Element Progress Report; adoption and authorization to implement the Local Road Safety Plan; and authorization for the city manager to execute an amendment to the license with Mudslingers Coffee for a term from April 21, 2022 through April 22, 2032.
After the public portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss property negotiations with Burbank Housing Corp. regarding 6820 Old Highway 53, hold an evaluation of the city manager, hold a conference with legal counsel over a lawsuit against the county of Lake and the treasurer-tax collector, and discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association and Clearlake Police Officers Association.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Nurses and health care workers at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport and 14 Sutter Health facilities across California held a one-day strike on Monday after last-minute contract negotiations late last week broke down.
The California Nurses Association and Sutter Health are at loggerheads in ongoing contract negotiations in which the union says the company is refusing to enforce nursing ratios and is not prioritizing patient safety.
“We’re striking for patients’ safety. Sutter is short staffing the nurses,” said Yvette Neil, who has worked for Sutter Lakeside for 18 years and is the union steward.
Neil — who is part of the nurses union’s bargaining team — said nurses have been working on an expired contract since June 2019. Negotiations started in June but have not made much headway.
She said corporations like Sutter Health are cutting labor costs by short-staffing hospitals, which is leading to a great exodus of nurses while increasing medical errors and poor patient outcomes.
“We remain focused on reaching a shared resolution,” Sutter Health said in a Monday morning statement. “Just as Sutter’s commitment to safe, compassionate care remains unchanged, so does our goal of reaching an agreement that reflects the good and important work of our nurses and maintains our strength and stability as an organization. As we continue with negotiations, our patients will continue to receive uninterrupted, quality care.”
The striking nurses had only planned to be off work for one day for the strike but they were informed of a five-day lockout by Sutter Health officials.
Sutter Health, in turn, said “lockout” was the wrong term.
“When the union threatens a strike we must make plans that our patients, teams and communities can rely on,” the company said in a written statement provided to Lake County News on Monday afternoon. “Part of that planning is securing staff to replace nurses who have chosen to strike, and those replacement contracts provide the assurance of 5 days of guaranteed staffing amid the uncertainty of a widespread work stoppage. As always, our top priority remains safe, high-quality patient care and nurses may be reinstated sooner based on operational and patient care needs.”
Neil said on Monday the hospital notified the nurses union of the “replacement period” — the term being used rather than a lockout.
“It’s totally retaliatory,” said Neil, explaining that the hospital is refusing to let nurses use their paid leave time to cover them while they are not being allowed to return to work.
“We’re completely willing to go to work tomorrow and the whole week,” Neil said.
The last strike held at Sutter Lakeside was in September 2011.
Neil, who said no one ever wants to strike, described a workplace at Sutter Lakeside with poor morale, where numerous nurses — including many who have been at the hospital for more than a decade — have left, and everyone is working 12-hour shifts and picking up additional work.
Neil said the nurses are exhausted. “It’s been this way for a year and a half.”
She said Sutter Lakeside has been short-staffed since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
“There wasn’t very much COVID in our hospital,” said Neil, noting about half a dozen nurses came down with the virus. The Delta variant, in particular, caused a lot of illness.
Staffing wasn’t an issue due to COVID-19, said Neil. Rather, she attributes it to Sutter putting skeleton crews on duty throughout its facilities statewide.
The situation led the union to hold an informational picket in March, which resulted in a good turnout, Neil said.
However, with no progress made on the negotiations, the union held a March strike vote at the hospitals it represents. Neil said union members had to go to the hospitals to vote in person.
At Sutter Lakeside, 61 of the 100 nurses came to vote; the others couldn’t get away due to work. She said all of those who came voted in favor of a strike. Similarly high percentages favoring the strike were reported at the other hospitals.
Neil pointed out that Sutter said the nurses union canceled further negotiations, “and that’s not true.”
The union gave Sutter Health and the federal government the required 10-day notice of a strike. She said they had until Sunday night to come to the bargaining table.
On Friday, a federal moderator came in and Neil said Sutter was forced to come to the table. Negotiations began at 5 p.m. and went until nearly midnight.
While it was unlikely a contract could have been settled after just one day of negotiating, “They failed to show us that they were serious in negotiating,” Neil said.
She added, “So we went forward with the strike.”
The striking nurses were stationed at the entrance to Sutter Lakeside, on Hill Road East, to hold their one-day picket during what turned out to be a rainy Monday.
Music and regular honking on the busy road created a festive mood. Some of the striking workers brought family members, such as their children. They were dressed in bright red, holding signs and waving to passersby.
Lakeport Fire Chief Jeff Thomas drove into the hospital flashing his lights and greeted the nurses on his way out of the facility.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it is attempting to identify and locate a man who broke into a Kelseyville home on Sunday night and assaulted a woman who lived there.
The sheriff’s office said the home invasion assault occurred at 10 p.m. Sunday in a neighborhood on Edgewater Drive in the Kelseyville Riviera.
A male subject forced his way into a residence and assaulted an adult female until he was confronted by the woman’s husband, according to a report from sheriff’s spokesperson, Lauren Berlinn.
Berlinn said the assault victim’s husband was able to physically restrain the intruder and remove him from the residence. The intruder then ran away on foot.
The subject who broke into the home is described as a white male adult with short hair, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt.
Berlinn said the man was reported to have a tattoo on his upper chest, but no description of the tattoo could be provided.
The motive behind the assault is unclear and the man who committed it is still at large, Berlinn said.
The sheriff’s office is asking those living in the Edgewater and surrounding neighborhoods to review any cameras or video doorbell cameras for footage of any suspicious subjects.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Det. Dean Preader at 707-262-4231 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The sheriff’s office reminds everyone to remain vigilant, lock their doors at night and be aware of strangers in the neighborhood.
To report suspicious activity, contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 707-263-2690.