LAKEPORT, Calif. — A community meeting this month will look at the opioid crisis in Lake County and solutions for addressing it.
Overdose Lifeline Inc., in collaboration with the city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Police Department, will host the event from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
The event is free and open to the public. Dinner and beverages will be provided by the Lakeport Unified School District.
Overdose Lifeline Inc. is a nonprofit leader in addressing the opioid epidemic through harm reduction and educational programming.
Justin Phillips, founder of Overdose Lifeline, Inc., will be present along with staff from Lake County Behavioral Health Services and law enforcement representatives to provide information on substance use disorder services available locally.
A panel will answer questions regarding the opioid crisis and how it affects Lake County residents.
Organizers said Phillips will provide valuable insights on substance use disorder, overdose and harm reduction techniques.
The goal is to provide education and resources to those affected by the opioid crisis in Lake County.
“This multiagency involvement underscores our commitment to addressing not only the immediate concerns regarding substance use in Lake County, but also providing ongoing education and reducing the stigma attached to substance use disorder,” the city said.
During the week leading up to the main event, representatives from Overdose Lifeline Inc. will visit local schools to engage with students and educators.
The presenters and sponsors encourage everyone in the community to attend the event and participate in the collective effort to combat the opioid crisis.
“Together we can make a positive impact on the well-being of our community,” city officials said.
For additional information, contact Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen at 707-263-5491, Extension 101.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Planning Commission will hold its first meeting of the year this week and consider a project to allow for a new bridge over Forbes Creek as part of a housing development.
The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here; the meeting ID is 814 1135 4347, pass code is 847985.
To join by phone, dial 1-669-444-9171; for one tap mobile, 16694449171,,81411354347#,,,,*847985#.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
The commission will start off the meeting with electing its officers for the new year.
The main item on the agenda is consideration of an application from Peter Schellinger and Waterstone Residential for an environmental review that would allow for the installation of an emergency vehicular access bridge spanning across Forbes Creek connecting Wrigley Street to Craig Avenue.
The project is located at 1297 Craig Ave.
Schellinger is proposing the Parkside Residential Project, which includes apartments and small homes on a portion of the 96-lot Schellinger Subdivision that was approved in three phases in 2005 next to Westside Community Park.
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 five candidates running for the District 1 supervisorial seat in the March primary will take part in a forum next week.
The forum will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The District 1 candidates on the ballot for the March 5 presidential primary are Bren Boyd, a chef and proprietor; John Hess, who serves on the Lake County Planning Commission; Sean Millerick, a small-business owner who serves as vice president of the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District Board; rancher and business owner Helen Owen; and small business owner and winemaker Bryan Pritchard.
All five candidates have confirmed they will participate.
District 1 represents the south county, from Middletown up to a portion of the city of Clearlake. Incumbent Moke Simon is not seeking reelection.
The forum is being presented by the Lower Lake Community Action Group, the city of Clearlake and Lake County News.
Lake County News Editor and Publisher Elizabeth Larson will moderate.
Questions may be submitted ahead of time to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., to members of the Lower Lake Community Action Group or the city of Clearlake, or at the event.
The forum will be broadcast on PEG TV, Channel 8.
The District 1 candidates also will be featured at a forum during the Middletown Area Town Hall meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Middletown Senior and Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission this week will start off the year by deciding whether to allow a cannabis project next to the historic Kelsey Creek School.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 834 4717 0315, the pass code is 986758.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,83447170315#,,,,*986758# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.
In an untimed public hearing, the commission will consider staff’s recommendation to approve a major use permit and mitigated negative declaration for Higher Ground Farms, proposed by John Oliver, based in Las Vegas.
Oliver wants to cultivate 22,000 square feet of cannabis canopy inside eight greenhouses and is seeking a Type 13 cannabis distributor transport only, self-distributor license for the project, located at 3545 Finley East Road, Kelseyville, on property owned by Leo Cortina of Ukiah.
The project sits next to the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse, which has been in its current location since 1882. The property it sits on is owned by the Kelseyville Unified School District.
Initially used as a school, it has also been used as a community center and event site. It’s currently being restored by the Lucerne Area Revitalization Association as part of a 50-year agreement with the school district.
The association, founded by Lake County News owners Elizabeth Larson and John Jensen, along with the school district and many community members have filed numerous objections with the county over the Higher Ground Farms project since it was first circulated last summer, citing its negative impact on the school site, which the association and school district intend to use for community and school events.
The full agenda follows.
AGENDA
Approve minutes from the Dec. 14, 2023, Planning Commission meeting.
6a: Public hearing: Presentation from county counsel regarding policies regarding gratuities.
6b: Public hearing: Consideration of proposed major use permit (UP 20-71), and mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-86), for cultivation of 130,680 square feet of outdoor cannabis canopy; 36,000-sf of greenhouse commercial cannabis canopy; and one distributor transport only, self-distribution license. Applicant: Cruz Family Farms LLC, located at 8300 Old Dirt Road, Kelseyville (APN: 007-023-05).
6c: Public hearing: Consideration of proposed major use permit (UP 20-40), and mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-50), for cultivation of 22,000 square feet of cannabis canopy inside eight greenhouses within a fenced 47,040 square foot enclosure; and one Type 13 cannabis distributor transport only, self-distributor license. Applicant: Higher Ground Farms/John Oliver, located at 3545 Finley East Road, Kelseyville (APN: 008-026-07).
7a: Election of chair and vice chair of the Lake County Planning Commission.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many adult dogs and a puppy waiting to be adopted.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of border collie, boxer, bulldog, German shepherd, Great Pyrenees, hound, Labrador retriever, pit bull, Queensland heeler, shepherd and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
Those dogs and the others shown on this page at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Town Hall, or MATH, will gather this week to hear from the District 1 supervisorial candidates and elect the MATH Board for the new year.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, in the Middletown Community Meeting Room/Library at 21256 Washington St., Middletown. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the meeting via Zoom click on this link; the meeting ID is 832 1989 2440. Call in at 669-900-6833.
A forum for the candidates in the District 1 supervisorial race will be held beginning at 7:02 p.m. Lake County News Editor and Publisher Elizabeth Larson will moderate.
Candidates are Bren Boyd, a chef and proprietor; John Hess, who serves on the Lake County Planning Commission; Sean Millerick, a small-business owner who serves as vice president of the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District Board; rancher and business owner Helen Owen; and small business owner and winemaker Bryan Pritchard.
At 8:30 p.m. MATH will hold its annual board election.
Candidates running for the 2024 to 2026 term for the MATH Board include incumbent Bill Waite, Nanette DeDonato, 2023 alternate Julia Bono and Lisa Kaplan.
Each candidate will have three minutes to speak. Voting will be by written ballot collected and counted by the MATH secretary. Alternates will be nominated and elected immediately following the election.
Once the board is elected, its members will nominate and elect the officer positions of president, vice president and secretary.
All elected candidates must complete the application for BOS appointment.
MATH’s next meeting will take place on Feb. 8.
The MATH Board includes Chair Monica Rosenthal, Vice Chair Todd Fiora, Secretary Ken Gonzalez, Rosemary Córdova and Bill Waite, and alternates Julia Bono and Tom Darms.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting of 2024, with updates and elections for its leadership.
The committee, or LEDAC, will meet via Zoom from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The meeting ID is 842 2886 1335, pass code is 594383 or join by phone, 1 669 900 6833.
The meeting is open to the public.
Chair Wilda Shock said there will be reports from organizations and agencies, and elections will be conducted for chair, vice chair and secretary.
The group also will discuss the annual business walk and plan for the presentation to the City Council, and get updates on the status of Vista Point shopping center, seaplanes, programs and activities for 2024.
LEDAC’s next meeting will be March 13.
LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
Members are Chair Wilda Shock, Vice Chair Denise Combs and Secretary JoAnn Saccato, along with Bonnie Darling, Jeff Davis, Candy De Los Santos, Bill Eaton, Monica Flores, Pam Harpster, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Bob Santana and Tim Stephens. City staff who are members include City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Department representatives.
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.
Wet snow pelts my face and pulls against my skis as I climb above 8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California, tugging a sled loaded with batteries, bolts, wire and 40 pounds of sunflower seeds critical to our mountain chickadee research.
As we reach the remote research site, I duck under a tarp and open a laptop. A chorus of identification numbers are shouted back and forth as fellow behavioral ecologist Vladimir Pravosudov and I program “smart” bird feeders for an upcoming experiment.
I have spent the past six years monitoring a population of mountain chickadees here, tracking their life cycles and, importantly, their memory, working in a system Pravosudov established in 2013. The long, consistent record from this research site has allowed us to observe how chickadees survive in extreme winter snowfall and to identify ecological patterns and changes.
In recent history, intense winters are often followed by drought years here in the Sierra Nevada and in much of the U.S. West. This teeter-totter pattern has been identified as one of the unexpected symptoms of climate change, and its impact on the chickadees is providing an early warning of the disruptions ahead for the dynamics within these coniferous forest ecosystems.
Our research shows that a mountain chickadee facing deep snow is, to borrow a cliche, like a canary in a coal mine – its survivability tells us about the challenges ahead.
The extraordinary memory of a chickadee
As Pravosudov calls out the next identification number, and as my legs slowly get colder and wetter, a charming and chipper “DEE DEE DEE” chimes down from a nearby tree. How is it that a bird weighing barely more than a few sheets of paper is more comfortable in this storm than I am?
The answer comes down to the chickadees’ incredible spatial cognitive abilities.
Cognition is the processes by which animals acquire, process, store and act on information from their environment. It is critical to many species but is often subtle and difficult to measure in nonhuman animals.
Chickadees are food-storing specialists that hide tens of thousands of individual food items throughout the forest under edges of tree bark, or even between pine needles, each fall. Then, they use their specialized spatial memory to retrieve those food caches in the months to come.
Conditions in the high Sierras can be harsh, and if chickadees can’t remember where their food is, they die.
We measure the spatial memory of chickadees using a classic associative learning task but in a very atypical location. To do this, we hang a circular array of eight feeders equipped with radio-frequency identification and filled with seed in several locations across our field site. Birds are tagged with “keys” – transponder tags in leg bands that contain individual identification numbers and allow them to open the doors of their assigned feeders to get a food reward.
The setup allows us to measure the spatial memory performance of individual chickadees, because they have to remember which feeder their key enables them to open. Over eight years, our findings demonstrate that chickadees with better spatial memory ability are more likely to survive in the high mountains than those with worse memories.
However, chickadees may be facing increasing challenges that will shape their future in the high mountains. In 2017, a year with record-breaking snow levels, adult chickadees showed the lowest probability of survival ever measured at our site. This exceptionally extreme winter came with recurrent storms containing cold weather and high winds, making it difficult for even the memory savvy chickadees to forage and survive.
Nevertheless, triumphant populations have persisted in high-elevation mountain environments, but their future is becoming uncertain.
What’s the problem?
“It’s weather whiplash,” says Adrian Harpold, a mountain ecohydrologist. Harpold works to understand variations in climate patterns within forest environments, and one of his field sites lies alongside our chickadee research site.
The Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges in western North America have been experiencing more extreme snow years and drought years, amplified by climate change. Extreme snow linked to global warming might seem counterintuitive, but it’s basic physics. Warmer air can hold more moisture – about 7% more for every degree Celsius (every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that temperatures rise. This can result in heavier snowfall when storms strike.
In 2023’s record winter, over 17 feet (5 meters) of snow covered the landscape that our chickadees were using every day. In fact, these intense storms and cold temperatures not only made it difficult for birds to survive the winter but made it almost impossible for them to breed the next summer: 46% of chickadee nests at our higher elevation site failed to produce any offspring. This was likely due to the deep snow that prevented them from finding emerging insects to feed nestlings or even reaching nesting sites at all until July.
The cascading harms from too much snow
Even in years of tremendous snowfall, chickadees can still use their finely honed spatial memories to recover food. However, severe storms can shorten their survival odds. And if they do survive the winter, their nesting sites – tree cavities – may be buried under feet of snow in the spring.
It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you can’t reach your nest.
Extreme snow oscillations also affect insects that are critical for feeding chickadee chicks. Limited resources lead to smaller chickadee offspring that are less likely to survive high in the mountains.
Snow cover is good for overwintering insects in most cases, as it provides an insulating blanket that saves them from dying during those freezing months. However, if the snow persists too long into the summer, insects can run out of energy and die before they can emerge, or emerge after chickadees really need them. Drought years also can drive insect population decline.
Extremes at both ends of the spectrum are making it harder for chickadees to thrive, and more and more we are seeing oscillations between these extremes.
These compounded effects mean that in some years chickadees simply don’t successfully nest at all. This leads to a decline in chickadee populations in years with worse whiplash – drought followed by high snow on repeat – especially at high elevations. This is especially concerning, as many mountain-dwelling avian species are forecasted to move up in elevation to escape warming temperatures, which may turn out to be hazardous.
Lessons for the future
Chickadees may be portrayed as radiating tranquil beauty on holiday cards, but realistically, these loud, round ruffians are tough survivors of harsh winter environments in northern latitudes.
Our long-term research following these chickadees provides a unique window into the relationships between winter snow, chickadee populations and the biological community around them, such as coniferous forests and insect populations.
These relationships illustrate that climate change is a more complicated story than just the temperature climb – and that its whiplash and cascading effects can destabilize ecosystems.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With the director of Lake County Water Resources and Public Works planning to retire this summer, the Board of Supervisors’ first meeting of the year includes a discussion on next steps for recruitment and how to structure the departments.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 875 8314 6224, pass code 275445. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,87583146224#,,,,*275445#.
In an untimed item, the supervisors will discuss what measures to take to find new leadership for Water Resources and Public Works now that Scott De Leon has announced his plans to retire as of June 30.
A staff memo to the board from county administrative staff said that De Leon notified the board on Dec. 5 of his plans to retire.
“Some restructuring of County Departments may be necessary, as it has been challenging to recruit an individual with both Public Works and Water Resources leadership experience to fill a joint role,” the memo explained.
The memo said De Leon is recommending reclassifying the vacant deputy Water Resources Director position as Water Resources director, and separate this position from the Public Works Department.
As recently, Water Resources has been a freestanding department.
“Should your Board choose to separate these Departments, it seems intuitive the Water Resources Director would supervise technical and program staff (Water Resources subject matter experts, those heading groundwater, invasive species, stormwater and other programs),” the memo said.
Staff said De Leon recommended continuing shared fiscal/administrative positions to serve both Departments.
They are seeking direction from the board on what option to take.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve continuation of emergency proclamation declaring a shelter crisis in the county of Lake.
5.2: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to low elevation snow and extreme cold.
5.3: Approve continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.4: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to pervasive tree mortality.
5.5: Approve continuation of proclamation declaring a Clear Lake hitch emergency.
5.6: Adopt proclamation designating the month of January 2024 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Lake County.
5.7: Approve long distance travel for Supervisor E.J. Crandell from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, 2024, to Santa Fe, New Mexico for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Farm Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee meeting as an appointed member of the committee.
5.8: Approve reissuance of property tax refund check from FY 14/15 in the amount of $363.42 issued to Catherine Orloff Trustee.
5.9: Adopt resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors deferring implementation of the changes made to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5008 by Senate Bill 43 (2023-2024 Reg Session).
5.10: Approve request to hire extra-help OAIII, Denise Danae Bowen, at Advanced Step 4.
5.11: Approve agreement between Human Resources and ExamWorks LLC to provide professional services to arrange and facilitate medical assessment services including independent medical examinations and peer review services with an amount not to exceed $25,000 per fiscal year for a five-year term, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.12: Adopt resolution of intention and set a time for public hearing on February 6, 2024, at 9:25 a.m. to name existing unnamed roadway in the county of Lake.
5.13: Adopt Resolution Amending Position Allocations for FY 23-24, Budget Unit 1908 - Engineering and Inspection, to fund the assistant engineer senior position.
5.14: Adopt resolution setting rate of pay for election officers for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election.
5.15: Approve late travel claims for the period July 30, 2023, to Aug. 2, 2023, and July 23, 2023 to July 28, 2023 for Correctional Deputy Sara Vierra.
5.16: Approve first amendment to contract between county of Lake and Lake Family Resource Center for differential response services, in the amount of $112,000 from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024 and $134,200 per fiscal year from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.17: Approve first amendment to contract between county of Lake and California Department of Social Services for quality assurance case review, in the amount of $130,434 per fiscal year from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Sitting as the Board of Directors for the Lake County Watershed Protection District, a) approve the purchase and sale agreement with Christine Reck for property within the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project in the amount of $650,000.00 and b) authorize the chair of the board of directors to sign the purchase and sale agreement.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Election of chair of the Board of Supervisors and vice chair of the Board of Supervisors for 2024 (outgoing chair conducts election).
6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County Board of Equalization, election of chair and vice chair of the Lake County Local Board of Equalization for 2024.
6.3, 9:03 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County In-Home Supportive Services, election of chair and vice-chair of the Lake County In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority Board of Directors for 2024.
6.4, 9:06 a.m.: Public input.
6.5, 9:07 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.6, 9:15 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of January 2024 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Lake County.
6.7, 9:45 a.m.: Public hearing, continued from Dec. 12, 2023, consideration of an ordinance amending the purchasing ordinance: Article X of Chapter Two of the Lake County Code to include increased purchasing limits, additional definitions, modify a requirement for exemptions from competitive bidding and additional procedures for informal and formal bidding.
6.8, 10 a.m.: Consideration of presentation on the California Tribal TANF Partnership.
6.9, 10:30 a.m.: Consideration of resolution requesting extension of Community Development Block Grant Microenterprise Program.
6.10, 10:45 a.m.: Public hearing, a) consideration of resolution making findings necessary to authorize an energy services contract for design, installation, and commissioning of energy conservation facilities serving the Lake County Courthouse Campus; and b) consideration of agreement with staten solar corporation for design, installation, and commissioning of energy conservation facilities serving the Lake County Courthouse Campus.
6.11, 11:15 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District, Board of Directors, a) consideration of presentation on proposed project with SCI Consulting Group; and b) consideration of contract agreement with SCI Consulting Group to conduct a water quality outreach study and assessment evaluation in an amount not to exceed $100,000 and authorize the Water Resources director to sign the agreement .
6.12, 1 p.m.: Presentation and consideration of the housing work plan and proposed Lake County Housing Trust Fund.
6.13, 1:30 p.m.: Consideration and discussion of quotation with High Level Enterprises Inc. for the design and build of a medical mobile vaccination clinic, for an amount not to exceed $407,200, and authorize department head to sign.
6.14, 2 p.m.: Consideration and discussion of an agreement with black dog DESIGNS and Camoin Associates for economic development design services, for an amount not to exceed $44,289.97, and authorize the chair to sign.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of letter of commitment to Cal Fire for a grant application to provide funding for the LiDAR derivatives from the recent North Coast LiDAR Acquisition project and authorize the chair to sign.
7.3: Consideration of appointment of county supervisor as non-voting member of Commercial Cannabis Ordinance Task Force.
7.4: Consideration of presentation and overview of the Cannabis Equity Program.
7.5: Consideration of a Letter of Support for AB 817 (Pacheco), which proposes changes to the Ralph M. Brown Act to enable indefinite use of two-way teleconferencing by members of non-decision-making advisory bodies.
7.6: Discussion of structural considerations surrounding the Water Resources and Public Works Departments, and consideration of direction to staff to initiate recruitment for relevant leadership roles.
7.7: Sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, reappoint Cameron Reeves to the LCAQMD Hearing Board pursuant to Health and Safety Code.
7.8: Consideration of 2024 committee assignments for members of the Board of Supervisors.
7.9: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Central Region Town Hall, Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee, Lake County Ag Advisory Committee, Lower Lake Cemetery, District Lower Lake Waterworks District One Board of Directors, Scotts Valley Community Advisory Board, Western Region Town Hall.
7.10: Consideration of request for appointment of members to the Building Board of Appeals in Compliance with 2022 California Building Code, Appendix B.
7.11: Consideration of board direction regarding size and member categories for the General Plan Advisory Committee.
7.12: Consideration to: (a) Waive the competitive bidding procedures pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-39.2 and Section 1.C.2 of the county's consultant selection policy; and (b) approve amendment one to retention agreement between Friedman & Springwater LLP and the county of Lake increasing the contract amount by $15,000, not to exceed $40,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
7.13: Consideration of letter of support for Public Health Officer Noemi Doohan, MD, PhD, MPH, as an applicant for the 2024 American Academy of Family Medicine’s (AAFP) Public Health Award.
7.14: Consideration of long distance travel for Chief Probation Officer Wendy Mondfrans to attend the American Probation and Parole Association Executive Summit in Seattle, Washington in February 2024.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(2), (e)(1) – One potential case.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1) – FERC Project No. 77, Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Earthways Foundation, Inc. v. County of Lake, et al.
8.4: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) County negotiators: S. Parker, S Carter, P. Samac and Crystal Markytan; and (b) Employee Organization: LCEA and Management Employees.
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. — California is starting off 2024 with rain but not much snow, which could create issues for water supply as the year progresses.
The first manual measurement of California’s snowpack took place on Tuesday.
It shows a snowpack that’s a fraction of what it was at this time last year, which is raising concern for water supply and fire risk.
As of Saturday night, the California Department of Water Resources’ statewide snow water content report showed that the snowpack is at 33% of normal.
That breaks down as 37% for the Northern Sierra, 33% for the Central Sierra and 25% for the Southern Sierra.
At this time last year, the Northern Sierra was 145% of normal, the Central Sierra was 188% and the Southern Sierra was at 200%, for a statewide average of 188%.
Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate in climate science for Climate Central, said there are important differences in conditions to remember when comparing the start of 2024 to the beginning of 2023.
Late 2022 and early 2023 were marked by heavy winter storms — driven by a series of atmospheric rivers — that dropped both heavy rain and snow across Lake County and the region.
Trudeau said during that time there were nine major atmospheric rivers which is what resulted in the big snow amounts in the Sierras.
In Lake County, snow hit particularly hard in late February after still more atmospheric rivers hit.
“Last year was really exceptional, and those storms were just packed with moisture,” she said, adding they also were colder.
Those bigger storms also led to massive flooding in some areas.
Another key difference between this year and last, said Trudeau, is that none of California is now in drought, while at the start of 2023, all of the state was in drought.
This year, the reservoir levels also are a lot higher at the start of the water year. As a result, Trudeau said the state has less pressure for water supply on it this year than last.
The Department of Water Resources is reporting that as of Saturday night, nearly all of the state’s reservoirs are above their historic average for this time of year. On the same date for 2023, reservoir levels were far lower.
Due to El Nino conditions, Trudeau said Lake County and the rest of California can expect more warm storms, and heavier downpours, with more rain and less snow.
Not only will that lead to less of a snowpack, but she said it could contribute to earlier snowmelt.
While last year’s storms lasted well into the spring, Trudeau said forecasters aren’t sure about this year. There is no parade of atmospheric rivers on tap.
“We would really like more snow,” she said, adding she’s not giving up hope that more may arrive this season.
“We probably will see more warmer storms. It’s going to make it harder to have snowpack at the same levels,” she said.
Trudeau said it’s important to think about the long-term, and to plan for the potential for multiple stretches of drought conditions.
Unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, Trudeau said there will continue to be increasing impacts from climate change.
“We can’t keep using the past to guide us into the future,” Trudeau said.
She has also focused on fire weather for the last several years, looking at trends over the past 50 years.
In the West, there has been a massive increase in weather with hot, dry conditions, and that sets the stage for extreme fire weather. Trudeau said the changes have led to the Southwest having two more months of fire risk.
Trudeaus said it’s really important that Californians and people in the West don’t let their guards down.
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This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features a richness of spiral galaxies: the large, prominent spiral galaxy on the right side of the image is NGC 1356; the two apparently smaller spiral galaxies flanking it are LEDA 467699 (above it) and LEDA 95415 (very close at its left) respectively; and finally, IC 1947 sits along the left side of the image.
This image is a really interesting example of how challenging it can be to tell whether two galaxies are actually close together, or just seem to be from our perspective here on Earth.
A quick glance at this image would likely lead you to think that NGC 1356, LEDA 467699, and LEDA 95415 were all close companions, while IC 1947 was more remote.
However, we have to remember that two-dimensional images such as this one only give an indication of angular separation: that is, how objects are spread across the sphere of the night sky. What they cannot represent is the distance objects are from Earth.
For instance, while NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415 appear to be so close that they must surely be interacting, the former is about 550 million light-years from Earth and the latter is roughly 840 million light-years away, so there is nearly a whopping 300 million light-year separation between them.
That also means that LEDA 95415 is likely nowhere near as much smaller than NGC 1356 as it appears to be.
On the other hand, while NGC 1356 and IC 1947 seem to be separated by a relative gulf in this image, IC 1947 is only about 500 million light-years from Earth.
The angular distance apparent between them in this image only works out to less than 400,000 light-years, so they are actually much closer neighbors in three-dimensional space than NGC 1356 and LEDA 95415.