CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a full house and is conducting a food and fundraising drive to get treats and other goodies for the animals.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association is asking for wet food and long lasting treats such as bully sticks for dogs, and wet food for mama cats and kittens as well as disposable litter boxes.
A wish list has been posted at Amazon and on Chewy. For those who wish to shop local and drop off items, call 707-273-9440 to schedule a delivery or donate at the association’s Facebook page.
Here are this week’s adoptable dogs.
‘Dusty’
“Dusty” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier with a tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4750.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 3476.
‘Blue Eyed Jack’
“Blue Eyed Jack” is a male German shepherd mix.
He is dog No. 5046.
‘Cleo’
“Cleo” is a female Doberman pinscher mix with a short gray coat who is new to the shelter.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 4865.
‘Gizmo’
“Gizmo” is a senior male Chihuahua mix with a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4902.
‘Mara’
“Mara” is a female Rottweiler mix.
She has a short black and tan coat.
He is house-trained.
She is dog No. 4628.
‘Mary J’
“Mary J” is a female pit bull terrier mix.
She has a white and tan coat.
She is house-trained.
She is dog No. 4927.
‘Mitzy’
“Mitzy” is a female shepherd mix with a medium-length black and white coat.
She is dog No. 4648.
‘Mojo’
“Mojo” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short black and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 4881.
‘Oakley’
“Oakley” is a male pit bull terrier mix.
He has a short red and white coat.
He is dog No. 4934.
‘Patches’
“Patches” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short tricolor coat.
He is dog No. 4903.
‘Petey’
“Petey” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 4963.
‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female American bully mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 4602.
‘Sissy’
“Sissy” is a female American Staffordshire terrier mix with a black coat.
She is dog No. 4964.
‘Tanisha’
“Tanisha” is a female shepherd mix with a short orange and white coat.
She is dog No. 4647.
‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male Dutch shepherd mix with a smooth brindle coat.
He is dog No. 4880.
‘Tinsel’
“Tinsel” is a female American pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle and brown coat.
She is dog No. 4433.
‘Trixie’
“Trixie” is a female German shepherd mix with a short black and tan coat.
She is dog No. 5056.
‘Yule’
“Yule” is a male husky with a medium-length black and white coat.
He is dog No. 4432.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
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.
This article is being updated with new information.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — State and local firefighters and law enforcement are at the scene of a wildland fire near Hidden Valley Lake.
The Coyote fire is believed to have begun as the result of a vehicle crash, according to early reports from the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said there was a vehicle rollover just after 5 p.m. Friday near the Coyote Grade on Highway 29 north of Hidden Valley Lake that resulted in a vehicle fire.
The fire was reported to have gotten into the brush and then jumped to the other side of the highway.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m., the fire was reported to be 10 acres, with additional firefighting resources dispatched, according to CHP and radio sources.
Caltrans was requested to help control traffic, with vehicles being turned around at Hofacker Lane.
Law enforcement was reported to be at the scene conducting some evacuations in the area.
Meantime, Cal Fire air attack was working with three helicopters and six tankers to stop the fire.
Air attack indicated over the radio that they are attempting to corral the fire to stop it from reaching homes in the area of Conestoga Road, at the north end of Hidden Valley Lake.
More engines also are being directed into the area for structure protection.
Firefighting task force engine groups from Colusa and Mendocino counties also are on the scene assisting.
Just before 6 p.m., incident command indicated that in addition to an evacuation order for Conestoga Road, an evacuation warning is being issued for Deer Hill Road north of Source Grove Road and its subsidiary roads.
At approximately 6:06 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a Nixle alert for the evacuation order for residents of Conestoga Road, urging residents to leave immediately.
At 6:19 p.m., radio traffic indicated that evacuations were being expanded to all of Zone 194, which includes the area south of the northern boundary of the Hidden Valley Subdivision, east of Highway 29, north of Spruce Grove Road, west of the Spruce Grove Road and the Jerusalem Grade intersection.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m., the size of the fire was estimated to be up to 40 acres.
Minutes later, the fire was reported to be 60 acres, with several structures impacted on Conestoga Road, with active fire on right flank with short-range spotting.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m., the size of the fire was estimated to be up to 40 acres.
Minutes later, the fire was reported to be 60 acres, with several structures impacted on Conestoga Road, with active fire on right flank with short-range spotting.
The CHP reported just after 6:30 p.m. that a hard closure of Highway 29 between Hofacker Lane and Hidden Valley Lake Road is in effect.
That was followed at 6:42 p.m. by another Nixle from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, saying that it has implemented a full evacuation warning for all of Zone 194, with an evacuation shelter being established at Twin Pine Casino.
The fire’s size was estimated to be 100 acres and 40% contained as of shortly after 7 p.m., according to radio traffic.
Several tankers were released just after 7:45 p.m., with air attack reporting the fire is looking good. Plans are to reenforce the fire’s south end fire line for the night.
Deputies also are reported to be patrolling the evacuation area.
Copter 104 reported to have mapped the fire at 137 acres shortly before being released just before 8:15 p.m. More mapping is expected to be completed to firm up the estimate.
Scanner traffic indicated that the fire is expected to continue burning through the night, with priority on the south end of the fire.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the CHP reported that Highway 29 had been reopened in both directions. However, motorists are asked to use caution while traveling through the area, as emergency personnel are continuing to work at the scene.
Just after 10 p.m., the evacuation order for Zone 194 was lifted but the evacuation warning was to remain in place for the time being.
A half-hour later, the sheriff’s office issued an updated Nixle on the reduction of the evacuation order to a warning, reporting that Conestoga Road will remain closed to vehicle traffic, as this road is blocked by fire personnel and vehicles.
The sheriff’s office said evacuation warnings for the nearby Zones HID-E185, HID-E195 and HID-E197 have been lifted.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
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.
Stella U. Ogunwole, Megan A. Rabe, Andrew W. Roberts, And Zoe Caplan
The nation’s adult population increased faster than the under-age-18 population and the U.S. population as a whole in the last decade, according to the first detailed 2020 Census data released Thursday.
In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau counted 331.4 million people living in the United States; more than three-quarters (77.9%) or 258.3 million were adults, 18 years or older — a 10.1% increase from 234.6 million in 2010.
The aging of baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, who were ages 57 to 75 in 2021, is partly driving the growth in the adult population.
The 2020 Census shows that the Northeast had the largest proportion of adult population (79.7%) and the smallest proportion of people under age 18 (20.3%).
In contrast, the South had the lowest proportion of adult population (77.5%) and the highest proportion of young population (22.5%).
By comparison, the younger population under age 18 numbered 73.1 million, or 22.1% of the U.S. population in 2020, a 1.4% decrease from 74.2 million in 2010. The slow decline of the younger population is in part due to a general decrease in fertility, ongoing since 2007.
During the same period, the total U.S. population grew at a slower rate than the adult population: up 7.4% from 308.7 million in 2010 (Table 1).
Although the adult population grew from 2010 to 2020, the growth was lower than in the first decade of the 21st century when it grew 12.2%, to 234.6 million in 2010 from 209.1 million in 2000.
Adult population in the West shows fastest growth, south had largest increase
The 2020 Census shows that the Northeast had the largest proportion of adult population (79.7%) and the smallest proportion of people under age 18 (20.3%) (Table 2a).
In contrast, the South had the lowest proportion of adult population (77.5%) and the highest proportion of young population (22.5%).
But only the South maintained growth in both age groups from 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020: The young population in that region increased by 2.2 million (8.7%) and by 0.6 million (2.1%), respectively (Table 2b).
The adult population in the South also experienced the largest numeric increase of 11.1 million, or 12.8%, between 2010 and 2020.
The figure below shows that the adult population grew in all regions during the 2000s and 2010s. The West experienced the fastest population change between 2010 and 2020, adding 7 million (13%) adults.
However, the Northeast was the only region where the adult population grew faster between 2010 and 2020 (6.8% or 2.9 million) than between 2000 and 2010 (6% or 2.4 million).
In the rest of the regions and across the country, the adult population grew at a slower pace over the last decade. The younger population also grew more slowly or declined.
Use this interactive data visualization to learn about the size, growth rate and distribution of the adult and under-age-18 populations in your state and county.
Stella Ogunwole, Megan Rabe and Zoe Caplan are demographic statisticians in the Sex and Age Statistics Branch in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. Andrew Roberts is chief of the Sex and Age Statistics Branch.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Cal Fire said Friday that after nearly a year of work, its investigators have not been able to determine the cause of last year’s Glass fire.
The Glass fire started in Napa County on Sept. 27, 2020, at 3:48 a.m., and burned a total of 67,484 acres and destroyed 1,555 structures in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Cal Fire said its investigators were immediately dispatched to the Glass fire and began working to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
“After a very meticulous and thorough investigation, which included months of follow-up on information provided by the public, not enough evidence was available to conclusively identify the cause,” Cal Fire said in the Friday statement.
Cal Fire said the fire’s cause is currently undetermined pending any additional information or evidence that could lead to the determination of the cause.
Tinder dry vegetation and strong winds combined with low humidity and warm temperatures contributed to extreme rates of fire spread which contributed to the difficulty in determining the cause of the fire, Cal Fire said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Thursday, the Lake County Planning Commission, meeting for the first time since an urgency ordinance instituted new rules for water reporting on projects, put off considering a cannabis project due to the new requirements but gave the go-ahead for the first Northshore dispensary to be approved under the county’s 2019 cannabis zoning rules.
That action had been, in part, spurred by repeated requests from the planning commission for guidance on projects, particularly as the drought has worsened.
Due to the additional reporting requirements, Planner Victor Fernandez asked for — and received — commission approval to continue a hearing for a major use permit for RMI Venture/Jerusalem Grade Farms, located at 22644 Jerusalem Grade Road in Middletown.
The meeting also was the first for new commissioner, Maile Field. Field’s appointment by District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 3. Field succeeds Lance Williams, who Pyska had appointed in January.
In her first vote as a commissioner, Field was the lone dissenter on the only other agenda item, Paul Bernacchio’s application for a retail cannabis shop in the former Driftwood Lounge at 6914 Frontage Road in Lucerne.
Bernacchio moved to Lake County from the Bay Area in 2015 and today is co-vice president of the Lake County Cannabis Alliance. He was lauded by other members of the local cannabis industry as professional, ethical and firm on standards.
He told Lake County News in a Thursday afternoon interview that his dispensary project is the second one that has gone through the county’s permit process; the first was one in Lower Lake that has not yet opened. There are others — including one on a local rancheria — that have not gone through the same process as he has.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said there are several more queued up to go through the county approval process.
Bernacchio’s new dispensary is the first on the Northshore to be approved under rules the county established for the facilities — allowed under C1 and C2 commercial zoning — in 2019.
That was a decade after the Board of Supervisors had begun taking action to regulate — and eventually to stop — dispensaries after numerous such establishments had begun opening around Lake County in the spring of 2009, at a time when the county’s zoning ordinance didn’t specifically allow for them.
Bernacchio said he also has licenses for two other cannabis projects, one for mixed light cultivation and one for a nursery. His goal is to supply the Lucerne dispensary and showcase Lake County-grown cannabis.
Assistant Planner Michael Taylor went over the details of the project, which includes the existing 1,783-square-foot building which will have 12 parking spaces, one Americans with Disabilities Act compliant parking space and down-casting lights that are dark skies compliant.
Taylor said staff reviewed the project for concurrence with the Lake County General Plan, Shoreline Communities Area Pla and the county’s Zoning Ordinance, determining it to be consistent with those plans.
He said retail sales of cannabis is a permitted use in “C1” — local commercial district — upon issuance of a use permit.
The project plan anticipates 10 customers daily with 35 deliveries weekly, according to the staff report.
Bernacchio said there will be three to five store employees, including one manager, plus two security guards who will keep a close eye on the parking lot. The building’s yard will be fenced.
In 2019, Bernacchio submitted the permit for the project, and the county told him at that point it would take about two years to get through the approval process.
“We really are looking forward to working with the neighbors and serving the county,” said Bernacchio, who has owned the building for five years.
However, it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing during the hearing to convert the former bar — which in its last years had been the scene of violence and other criminal activity — into a new business, as several neighbors would argue against it.
That would surprise Bernacchio. “They know what this place used to be and they can’t see what we’re trying to make it.”
Neighbors raise concerns; cannabis entrepreneurs offer support
No letters opposing the project were included in the commission packet and out of the five eComments submitted online, only one — containing a scanned letter from neighbor Leilani Schwartz — raised objections.
Schwartz was among six neighbors who came to the hearing to tell the commission that they opposed the project.
Bernacchio told Lake County News that both he and his wife were surprised by the neighbors’ objections, noting the people who showed up were not among those who they believed opposed the project. “I was caught off guard a little bit.”
Neighbors, including Kevin Waycik and Lani Urquiza, both members of the Lucerne Town Hall board, complained that it wasn’t the right project for the area.
Waycik said Bernacchio should have come to the neighbors and Urquiza said he should have come to the town hall. Bernacchio would state later in the meeting that he and Waycik were in regular communication — they speak and exchange texts often — and as for the town hall, he told Lake County News that he had been in regular contact with two other town hall members about the project.
Others, like Schwartz, spoke of potential traffic creating danger for children, bicyclists and walkers, and impacts on the nearby residential community. Additional concerns related to there being any businesses at all nearby, with some community members arguing the entire area should be converted to residential.
When the issue of location was brought up, District 1 Commissioner John Hess pointed out that the project is zoned appropriately for commercial use.
Several members of the county’s cannabis industry offered a counterbalance to those complaints, giving their perspective on the project’s merits and importance.
They included Natasha Sokoloski, co-founder of D&M Compassion Center in Clearlake, who has been a colleague of Bernacchio for a few years; Erin McCarrick, a cannabis business owner who also is a member of the Clearlake Planning Commission; Damien Ramirez of Lake County Grown; and farmer and Lake County Cannabis Alliance President Jennifer Smith.
McCarrick said Bernacchio has put together a good proposal, and in response to safety concerns, she said the city of Clearlake has seen a decrease in the number of cannabis-related issues because it has a commitment to security and allowing the legal cannabis industry to survive.
Ramirez said he’s worked closely with Bernacchio, who he called an honest and respectful business owner. The project is well planned and can bring in jobs, he said.
While he understands the concerns of citizens, Ramirez said they often see illegal market issues get conflated with the legal industry. “They don’t run parallel. These are completely different worlds.”
Ramirez added, “This project should be judged on its own merits and its own plans and what it abides by as far as the ordinance and the regulations go for this specific business.”
Smith said Bernacchio’s is involved in making sure industry members who are part of the cannabis alliance adhere to compliance rules, adding he is going to run a legitimate, first-class and tightly run operation.
New commissioner has compatibility concerns
During the commission’s discussion, Field — quoting from the general plan — said projects that are compatible with surrounding uses should be promoted. In this case, she saw conflicts. “How would you propose to address those and mitigate them?” she asked.
Bernacchio explained that he had spent a lot of time looking for the right location, and found it in the former bar. Many of the other properties he looked at had limitations due to distances from schools, rehabilitation or senior centers.
Noting that he wouldn’t have to go before the commission to reopen it as a bar, Bernacchio said he had spent a lot of money removing dumped cars — often after getting calls from Waycik — and that he wants to be a good member of the community.
“I want to be their neighbor. I may not live there but I own a building there, and I’m interested in the area,” said Bernacchio, who believes that in five years they will be happy he’s there.
The majority of the commissioners had no issues, believing the zoning was proper and that Bernacchio’s plans would actually address security concerns community members voiced.
Hess also referred to a University of California, Davis study released in January that found that counties with more cannabis dispensary storefronts show reduced opioid deaths as a result of providing alternative pain management methods.
Field, however, said that due to the community comments, she didn’t think the project was compatible and she wouldn’t support it.
District 2 Commissioner Everardo Chavez Perez offered two separate motions — to find the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and to approve a major use permit — with Hess seconding both motions.
Both votes were 3-1, with Field voting no each time. District 3 Commissioner Batsulwin Brown, in whose district the new dispensary will be located, was absent.
Following the meeting, Bernacchio told Lake County News that he’s aiming to open in December or January, once renovation and construction is completed and his state license is completed. “Usually, the state makes you get your local authorization first.”
His license covers both retail and delivery, and deliveries will start first.
Bernacchio said he has agreed to be at the Lucerne Town Hall meeting on Aug. 20 to discuss the project further with community members who have questions.
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.
Lilly Cheng Immergluck, Morehouse School of Medicine
With the delta variant making up over 93% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. at the end of July 2021, questions arise about how to stay protected against evolving forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Dr. Lilly Cheng Immergluck of Morehouse School of Medicine answers some common questions about variants and what you can do to best protect yourself.
1. What are variants and how do they emerge?
Viruses mutate over time to adapt to their environment and improve their survival. Over the course of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, has mutated enough to change both its ability to spread through the population and its ability to infect people.
These new strains are called variants. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently classifies variants into three categories, listed in order of least to most concerning:
Variant of Interest (VOI): Have features that may reduce your immune system’s ability to prevent infection. For example, you might have heard of VOI eta, iota or kappa.
Variant of Concern (VOC): Are less responsive to treatments or vaccines and more likely to evade diagnostic detection. They tend to be more transmissible, or contagious, and result in more severe infections. Alpha and delta are VOCs, for instance.
Variant of High Consequence (VOHC): Are significantly less responsive to existing diagnostic, prevention and treatment options. They also result in more severe infections and hospitalizations. There have not been any VOHCs identified so far.
The World Health Organization uses similar classifications, but their definitions may differ from the CDC’s U.S.-based ones, as variant features and effects may differ by geographic location.
2. Are variants always more harmful?
A variant may be more or less dangerous than other strains depending on the mutations in its genetic code. Mutations can affect attributes like how contagious a viral variant is, how it interacts with the immune system or the severity of the symptoms it triggers.
For example, the alpha variant is more transmissible than the original form of SARS-CoV-2. Studies show it’s somewhere between 43% to 90% more contagious than the virus that was most common at the start of the pandemic. Alpha also is more likely to cause severe disease, as indicated by increased rates of hospitalization and death after infection.
Even more extreme, the delta variant is reported to be nearly twice as contagious as previous strains and may cause even more severe disease among those who are unvaccinated. The viral load of those infected with delta – meaning the amount of virus detected from the nasal passages of an infected person – is also reported to be over 1,000 times higher than in those infected with the original form of SARS-CoV-2. Recent evidence also suggests that both unvaccinated and vaccinated people carry similar viral loads, further contributing to the especially contagious nature of this variant.
But there are regional variations across the country. As of July 31, the CDC estimated that the alpha variant represented over 3% of cases identified in a region of eight states that includes Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, compared with less than 1% in the region that includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The CDC tracks variants in cooperation with state health departments and other public health agencies. COVID-19 infection samples from across the country are genetically sequenced each week to identify existing and new variants.
And new variants will likely continue to appear as the virus evolves. Delta plus, for instance, is a sub-lineage of delta. The effects of this subvariant are yet to be determined.
Another factor to consider is the level of community transmission and the proportion of unvaccinated people in your local community. For example, someone who lives in an area that is below the national average for COVID-19 vaccinations may have a higher chance of encountering someone who is unvaccinated – and so more likely to spread the coronavirus – than someone in an area with higher vaccination rates.
Finally, there are still a significant number of people who are at high risk of COVID-19, including children. As of Aug. 3, 2021, only 29.1% of children ages 12 to 15, and 40.4% of those ages 16 and 17, had been fully vaccinated. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association note that 4,292,120 total child COVID-19 cases had been reported as of Aug. 5. Children make up 14.3% of reported COVID-19 cases. If your child is unvaccinated, the best way you can protect them and other unvaccinated members of your household is to get yourself vaccinated and have everyone wear a mask in indoor public spaces.
Guidelines provided by public health agencies are simply that – general guidelines. They are not tailored to be prescriptive for each individual and their personal risk assessments.
July 2021 has earned the unenviable distinction as the world’s hottest month ever recorded, according to new global data released Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”
July 2021 by the numbers
— Around the globe: the combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 1.67 degrees F (0.93 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees F (15.8 degrees C), making it the hottest July since records began 142 years ago. It was 0.02 of a degree F (0.01 of a degree C) higher than the previous record set in July 2016, which was then tied in 2019 and 2020. — The Northern Hemisphere: the land-surface only temperature was the highest ever recorded for July, at an unprecedented 2.77 degrees F (1.54 degrees C) above average, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. — Regional records: Asia had its hottest July on record, besting the previous record set in 2010; Europe had its second-hottest July on record — tying with July 2010 and trailing behind July 2018; and North America, South America, Africa and Oceania all had a top-10 warmest July.
Extreme heat detailed in NOAA’s monthly NCEI reports is also a reflection of the long-term changes outlined in a major report released this week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
“Scientists from across the globe delivered the most up-to-date assessment of the ways in which the climate is changing,” Spinrad said in a statement. “It is a sobering IPCC report that finds that human influence is, unequivocally, causing climate change, and it confirms the impacts are widespread and rapidly intensifying.”
Other notable highlights from NOAA’s July global climate report
— Sea ice coverage varied by hemisphere: The Arctic sea ice coverage (extent) for July 2021 was the fourth-smallest for July in the 43-year record, according to analysis by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Only July 2012, 2019 and 2020 had a smaller sea ice extent. Antarctic sea ice extent was above average in July — the largest July sea ice extent since 2015 and the eighth highest on record.
— The tropics were busier than average: In the Atlantic basin, the season’s earliest fifth-named storm, Elsa, formed on July 1. The Eastern North and Western Pacific basins each logged three named storms. Overall, global tropical cyclone activity this year so far (through July) has been above-normal for the number of named storms.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — During a special Thursday afternoon work session, the Yuba Community College District Board directed staff to come back with a plan for how the district can implement a vaccination mandate for staff and students in response to the growing COVID-19 caseload across the region and the state.
The Yuba Community College District Board oversees both Yuba and Woodland Colleges, with the Lake County Campus in Clearlake part of Woodland College.
The board did not take formal action as it wasn’t agendized, but board members reached consensus to ask interim Chancellor James Houpis and his staff to look at what some other districts in the state have done and to be ready to present it at a special meeting the board intends to have in the coming weeks.
Before the discussion, the board heard from three school employees about mandating vaccines.
In the case of two of them, they asked that a mandate be instituted. The third asked that it not be because of those who can’t take the vaccine.
Laura Schrettner, a member of the district’s allied health faculty, asked the board to require it for that faculty’s students, explaining that not requiring it is not doing such students any favors.
“Our students do have to have this to go to the clinical sites,” she said.
A financial aid technician who identified himself only as “Ryan” said he was concerned about the Delta variant, and he believed vaccinations should be mandatory. It’s not about rights or politics, he said. “It’s a safety issue.”
He also noted the low vaccination rates in Yuba and Sutter counties, which were 34% and 41% percent, respectively, at that point.
Another instructor, Dan Turner, asked that the district offer an exception for medical reasons, noting he takes medication that makes the vaccine unavailable to him. If it’s mandated, Turner feared that he won’t have a job and that many students won’t come back.
Turner said he’s happy to wear a mask and submit to regular testing, noting he’s been in session since the start of the pandemic and hasn’t had any problems since he follows safety protocols.
During a staff update to the board, Houpis explained that both the University of California and the California State University systems have mandated vaccines, but the California Community College system has relegated vaccine mandates to the individual districts.
Based on data district staff presented, as of Tuesday 22 community college districts out of 73 in California are mandating vaccines, with two other districts considering them.
The list of those districts either considering or implementing vaccine mandates did not include the Mendocino-Lake Community College District, the other district serving Lake County.
Additionally, as of Wednesday, 726 colleges and universities across the United States have instituted a vaccination mandate, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
During the informational update, staff indicated that if such a mandate were put in place, they would want to roll it out in time for new registration in October.
Houpis explained that such a mandate would prohibit individuals from in-person services and on-campus learning.
Staff also explained some of the anticipated work involved, including the need for human resources staff to review medical documentation and to implement new technology to monitor compliance.
Trustee Jesse Ortiz emphasized that health and safety for students and staff is important, and concern for it shows the board respects those individuals. He said most of the people who are hospitalized and dying of COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
“What else do we need to know? We need to make this mandatory,” Ortiz said, noting he didn’t want to fail at doing the right thing.
Trustee Dennise Burbank agreed. During the discussion, Burbank explained that she was vaccinated but later tested positive for COVID-19, and she supported mandating vaccinations.
Board President Susan Alves suggested putting an action item on the board’s September agenda, but Burbank wanted a special meeting before that. “This virus in this area is not getting better.”
Board members also supported requiring masking on campuses. Burbank noted that she had worn a mask for a year and a half and didn’t get the virus. After she was vaccinated, she stopped wearing the mask and later tested positive.
Trustee Bill Roderick, who represents Lake County, said that enough community college districts have done the legwork necessary that the Yuba district can readily borrow that work.
“I think we’re all on the same page,” said Houpis, adding they have already taken the first step and are requiring people to wear masks.
Houpis said masking and vaccination together are needed as the Delta variant is behaving much differently, and vaccinated people can carry it.
Administrative staff also noted they will have discussions with employee groups about the proposed mandate as part of their labor-related obligations.
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. — A blown tire led to a cement truck crash and rollover on Thursday morning near Kelseyville, but the driver escaped serious injury.
Gerardo Martinez, 59, of Kelseyville, suffered minor injuries in the crash, the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office reported.
At 9:35 a.m. Thursday, Martinez was driving a 2001 Peterbilt cement truck southbound on Highway just south of Bottle Rock Road at 40 to 45 miles per hour, the CHP said.
The CHP said Martinez told officers that the truck's right front tire blew out, causing him to lose control.
Martinez drove off the west roadway edge of Highway 29 and hit the west dirt embankment. The CHP said the truck ended up on its left side, partially blocking the southbound lane.
The CHP said the truck was fully loaded with cement at the time of the wreck, however, no cement spill was reported.
Kelseyville Fire transported Martinez to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the CHP said.
The report said Martinez was using his safety equipment at the time the wreck occurred.
This CHP said the crash remains under investigation.
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.
In a study released Wednesday, NASA researchers used precision-tracking data from the agency’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft to better understand movements of the potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu through the year 2300, significantly reducing uncertainties related to its future orbit, and improving scientists’ ability to determine the total impact probability and predict orbits of other asteroids.
The study, titled “Ephemeris and hazard assessment for near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx data,” was published in the journal Icarus.
“NASA’s Planetary Defense mission is to find and monitor asteroids and comets that can come near Earth and may pose a hazard to our planet,” said Kelly Fast, program manager for the Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We carry out this endeavor through continuing astronomical surveys that collect data to discover previously unknown objects and refine our orbital models for them. The OSIRIS-REx mission has provided an extraordinary opportunity to refine and test these models, helping us better predict where Bennu will be when it makes its close approach to Earth more than a century from now.”
In 2135, asteroid Bennu will make a close approach with Earth. Although the near-Earth object will not pose a danger to our planet at that time, scientists must understand Bennu’s exact trajectory during that encounter in order to predict how Earth’s gravity will alter the asteroid’s path around the Sun – and affect the hazard of Earth impact.
Using NASA’s Deep Space Network and state-of-the-art computer models, scientists were able to significantly shrink uncertainties in Bennu’s orbit, determining its total impact probability through the year 2300 is about 1 in 1,750 (or 0.057%). The researchers were also able to identify Sept. 24, 2182, as the most significant single date in terms of a potential impact, with an impact probability of 1 in 2,700 (or about 0.037%).
Although the chances of it hitting Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, along with another asteroid called 1950 DA.
Before leaving Bennu May 10, 2021, OSIRIS-REx spent more than two years in close proximity to the asteroid, gathering information about its size (it is about one-third of a mile, or 500 meters, wide), shape, mass, and composition, while monitoring its spin and orbital trajectory. The spacecraft also scooped up a sample of rock and dust from the asteroid’s surface, which it will deliver to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, for further scientific investigation.
“The OSIRIS-REx data give us so much more precise information, we can test the limits of our models and calculate the future trajectory of Bennu to a very high degree of certainty through 2135,” said study lead Davide Farnocchia, of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’ve never modeled an asteroid’s trajectory to this precision before.”
Gravitational keyholes
The precision measurements on Bennu help to better determine how the asteroid’s orbit will evolve over time and whether it will pass through a “gravitational keyhole” during its 2135 close approach. These keyholes are areas in space that would set Bennu on a path toward a future impact with Earth if the asteroid were to pass through them at certain times, due to the effect of Earth’s gravitational pull.
To calculate exactly where the asteroid will be during its 2135 close approach – and whether it might pass through a gravitational keyhole – Farnocchia and his team evaluated various types of small forces that may affect the asteroid as it orbits the Sun. Even the smallest force can significantly deflect its orbital path over time, causing it to pass through or completely miss a keyhole.
Among those forces, the Sun’s heat plays a crucial role. As an asteroid travels around the Sun, sunlight heats up its dayside. Because the asteroid spins, the heated surface will rotate away and cool down when it enters the nightside. As it cools, the surface releases infrared energy, which generates a small amount of thrust on the asteroid – a phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect. Over short timeframes, this thrust is minuscule, but over long periods, the effect on the asteroid’s position builds up and can play a significant role in changing an asteroid’s path.
“The Yarkovsky effect will act on all asteroids of all sizes, and while it has been measured for a small fraction of the asteroid population from afar, OSIRIS-REx gave us the first opportunity to measure it in detail as Bennu travelled around the Sun,” said Steve Chesley, senior research scientist at JPL and study co-investigator. “The effect on Bennu is equivalent to the weight of three grapes constantly acting on the asteroid – tiny, yes, but significant when determining Bennu’s future impact chances over the decades and centuries to come.”
The team considered many other perturbing forces as well, including the gravity of the Sun, the planets, their moons, and more than 300 other asteroids, the drag caused by interplanetary dust, the pressure of the solar wind, and Bennu’s particle-ejection events.
The researchers even evaluated the force OSIRIS-REx exerted when performing its Touch-And-Go, or TAG, sample collection event Oct. 20, 2020, to see if it might have slightly altered Bennu’s orbit, ultimately confirming previous estimates that the TAG event had a negligible effect.
“The force exerted on Bennu’s surface during the TAG event were tiny even in comparison to the effects of other small forces considered,” said Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “TAG did not alter Bennu’s likelihood of impacting Earth.”
Tiny risk, huge gain
Although a 0.057% impact probability through the year 2300 and an impact probability of 0.037% on Sept. 24, 2182, are low, this study highlights the crucial role that OSIRIS-REx operations played in precisely characterizing Bennu’s orbit.
“The orbital data from this mission helped us better appreciate Bennu’s impact chances over the next couple of centuries and our overall understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids – an incredible result,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and professor at the University of Arizona. “The spacecraft is now returning home, carrying a precious sample from this fascinating ancient object that will help us better understand not only the history of the solar system but also the role of sunlight in altering Bennu’s orbit since we will measure the asteroid’s thermal properties at unprecedented scales in laboratories on Earth.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Kelseyville Fire Protection District Board of Directors will meet next week to discuss moving forward with the creation of a new community facilities district.
The board will consider the resolution of intention to form the proposed fire community facilities district during its regularly scheduled meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18.
The meeting will take place via GoToMeeting. Join here.
You can also dial in using your phone at 1-872-240-3311. The access code is 989-817-133.
The meeting will include the first public hearing for the intent to establish the new community facilities district and to authorize the levy of a special tax to finance the district.
Discussion items will include the boundary map, special tax rates and other related documents.
The board will set the date and time of the public hearing that will follow the intent meeting, which is expected to be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15.
A map displaying parcels subject to the proposed district and corresponding annual special tax amount can be found here.
Additional information about Kelseyville Fire’s process is here, with FAQs here.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County educational administrators are evaluating how to implement new state rules for vaccinating or regularly testing teachers and school staff for COVID-19.
The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday issued a public health order requiring all school staff to either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week.
The state said the new policy takes effect Thursday, Aug. 12, and schools must be in full compliance by Oct. 15.
“It is a surprise,” Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said of the new vaccination and testing mandate.
“We as educators are planners, and we like to just follow the plan,” he said.
In this case, there was little time to plan or prepare for the new rules the state handed down this week.
Falkenberg told Lake County News that, normally, when such orders or mandates are about to be released, he’ll get several days’ worth of warnings.
However, in this instance, he got the first notice about the impending public health order announcement at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
“We are still trying to look at the details of what was said and what is the California Department of Public Health order, because that’s really what counts,” Falkenberg said Wednesday evening.
“We’re still trying to really understand that language,” and understand how it will impact the Lake County Office of Education and all of the county’s districts and schools, he said.
Once they get a better understanding of the mandate, Falkenberg said the Office of Education will provide guidance and support to the county’s school districts.
The state’s new health order comes as Lake County schools are welcoming students back to class for the new academic year.
Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Elementary and Upper Lake Unified had their first day of school on Wednesday, with Konocti Unified and Middletown Unified set to return on Aug. 16 and Kelseyville Unified on Sept. 7.
Falkenberg said he visited every campus on Wednesday where classes had started and there was great school turnout.
In Lucerne and Upper Lake, schools had been open all of last year. “Their families have already been through this,” said Falkenberg, noting the schools have invested the time and energy to develop that trust. “Their turnout is very, very high for face-to-face instruction.”
Falkenberg said he’s interested to see what turnout is like in other districts that were only in session for a matter of months last year. “We don’t know what those numbers look like yet.”
While Lakeport schools looked very well attended on Wednesday, he said it was the first day of school, and enrollment numbers are not required to be submitted by districts until the first week of October. At that time, a clearer picture should emerge of school enrollments.
Making adjustments
“Every county, every community is different,” said Falkenberg, and small counties like Lake have decisions imposed on them by the state that are really meant to impact larger counties.
As the Office of Education works on understanding the new mandate, one of the questions already coming up is who will pay for it.
That was a question raised by the Lake County Board of Education, which had a regular meeting on Wednesday.
During his report to the board, Falkenberg updated trustees on the new guidance and they asked him about who will pay for testing.
He said the state will, in fact, cover those costs.
Falkenberg said Lake County’s schools and Public Health have built a strong working relationship around pandemic-related issues, discussing requirements and needs, and creating partnerships to meet them.
The districts have worked with Public Health to provide rapid tests and Public Health has supported the schools with free testing. Now, however, Falkenberg said to continue to get free testing, schools need to go through the California Department of Education. The only cost to schools is for the shipping.
The new vaccination guidance, however, doesn’t take into account the limited number of school nurses, said Falkenberg.
“School nurses are in short supply across the state,” and even the Office of Education doesn’t have its own nurse, he said.
“The cost of time, coordination and resources to do the testing is certainly something the districts will have to bear,” although Falkenberg said the state and federal governments have provided an ample amount of funding to work testing into school plans.
The vaccination effort
The effort to get vaccinations for those teachers and school staff who wanted them has been going on for many months.
“The county Office of Education coordinated with public health to fill all available slots in January and February with educators, school staff, including the community college staff, and eventually our preschool and child care staff,” said Falkenberg.
At one point, he said they had an idea of the number of staff members from each district that wanted to be vaccinated, but did not have a list of names. “We didn’t want a name as an agency, we just wanted numbers.”
Falkenberg said the Office of Education worked with district superintendents to develop an equitable plan of vaccine distribution around the county.
They wanted to meet the needs of those in front of students first, so they started with Lucerne and Upper Lake school staffs, as they were back to in-person classes before the other districts.
On Wednesday, Falkenberg said he didn’t know how many individuals actually followed through and got vaccinated or who got vaccinated since then and didn’t’ come through the schools’ sign-up process. “I don’t know that anyone has that number.”
In addition, following guidance from the California Department of Public Health and Cal/OSHA, Falkenberg said the Office of Education entered into a process to allow office staff to start removing masks by either showing proof of vaccination or other medical reasons for not masking.
Based on the new guidance, Falkenberg said the districts need to know who has been vaccinated. “That's the first step that needs to happen.”
He said county superintendents have regular Friday lunch Zoom meetings and he expects the new vaccination guidance will be a key topic of upcoming meetings.
In a letter to parents issued on July 30, interim Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Charlie Evans said vaccination rates for children ages 12 to 19 was 19%. “When schools resume, all students will be asked to mask while indoors, until we reach an immunity level through vaccination that is enough to sustain us at a very low infection rate.”
Evans asked parents to take their children who qualify for vaccination to their primary care doctor or a vaccination clinic for evaluation and treatment with the COVID-19 vaccine, which he said was the primary method of helping Lake County achieve the goal of keeping schools open for in-classroom teaching throughout the year.
He also asked people to follow the “Three Ws” — “Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance.”
The Office of Education put together vaccination and testing teams several months ago. Falkenberg said the vaccination team focuses on 12- to 18-year-olds but will vaccinate anyone who shows up who wants the shot, he said.
Falkenberg said the testing team was formed as a partnership between the Office of Education, Lucerne Elementary, Upper Lake Unified and the Lake County International Charter School, and he said they’ve been providing testing as requested for many months.
One of Falkenberg’s immediate concerns is how the new mandate will impact those vaccination and testing teams.
Now that either vaccination or testing is required, Falkenberg said the question is whether they will be able to support that team, which is why they need to find out how many people have been vaccinated.
“I think a lot is going to become more evident over the next day or two,” Falkenberg 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.