LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A veteran Lake County Sheriff’s detective is being honored by a statewide organization for his work to investigate sexual assaults.
On Thursday, Det. Todd Dunia was recognized as the California Sexual Assault Investigator’s Association’s Patrick Sullivan Investigator of the Year.
This award is given annually and named after Fresno Police Detective Patrick Sullivan.
Det. Dunia is the 17th California investigator to receive this prestigious award.
The award recognizes Dunia’s professionalism, commitment to his community and his outstanding work in the field of Sexual Assault Investigations.
Det. Dunia has worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years and has been the agency’s sexual assault investigator for 10 years.
In a Thursday statement, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it is proud of Det. Dunia’s achievement and thanked him for his professionalism, commitment to our community and dedication to the victims of sexual assault.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The owner of a Middletown property whose cannabis project was rejected by the Lake County Planning Commission is appealing the decision to the Board of Supervisors.
Zarina Otchkova, owner of WeGrow LLC, filed the appeal with the board on March 2, within the seven-day appeal window.
The project — including growing, processing and distribution operations — would be located on a nine-acre portion of a 309-acre property located at 16750 Herrington Road, 17610 Sandy Road and 19678 Stinson Road in Middletown.
Plans include 34 greenhouses, four drying buildings, a shed, 20 water tanks and privacy fencing.
The project area is located next to Hidden Valley Lake and a number of other smaller subdivisions.
At its meeting on Feb. 24, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny the adoption of an initial study and the major use permit, basing those decisions on Community Development Department staff’s conclusion that the project required an environmental impact report.
The commission had approved a previous version of the project in April 2021, but a group of concerned neighbors appealed the decision.
In June 2021, the Board of Supervisors upheld the appeal based on a faulty environmental document, but did so without prejudice, which allowed Otchkova to resubmit the project, which she did later that year.
The newer version of the project included a plan to remove 130 mature blue oak trees, which was one of the key issues for the commission and staff, who concluded that plans to mitigate that tree loss were not sufficient.
The seven-page appeal document, composed primarily of county appeal forms, includes a one-paragraph summary of the reasons for making the appeal.
It states: “Applicant-Appellant WeGrow appeals the Lake County Planning Commission’s February 24, 2022 decision denying its application for a major use permit. Applicant-Appellant’s application was first filed in 2020. All of the requirements for issuance of a major use permit for the Project were and are still met. Indeed, the Community Development Department itself repeatedly and consistently recommended approval of the Project for nearly two years, prior to abruptly changing its mind just weeks before the February 24, 2022 hearing. And, in 2021, the same Project — identical in scope and content — was previously approved by the Planning Commission by a 4-0 vote. Meanwhile, the justification for now denying the permit was based on opinions about the Project advanced by vocal opposition members, rather than based on substantial evidence of a significant environmental impact. The new and different decision was thus arbitrary within the meaning of California law.”
Otchkova’s attorney, Andrew Azarmi of the Dentons law firm in San Francisco, who spoke to the Planning Commission on her behalf at the Feb. 24 meeting, did not respond to Lake County News’ request for further comment on the appeal and the project.
On Wednesday, Lake County News called a phone number with a Phoenix, Arizona, area code given as WeGrow’s primary contact number on the appeal document.
A male who answered the phone but did not identify himself confirmed it was the correct number for WeGrow. He then asked why this reporter was asking questions about the project, refused to answer questions saying he couldn’t discuss it, and added he would speak to the attorney before ending the call.
Neighbor explains concerns
Jesse Cude filed the appeal against the project on behalf of a group of about 170 residents near the project area who oppose it.
“It’s been a group effort, it’s not just me,” he said.
The group’s members live in the Hidden Valley Lake, the Ranchos, Shadow Hills, Rimrock Ranch and Donery Ridge subdivisions.
Otchkova’s property, Cude said, “is literally surrounded by subdivisions,” adding that WeGrow picked the wrong spot for the grow operation.
He said his group hired a law firm and also engaged civil engineer Brian Hall to review the initial study of the project. The review found that while WeGrow had claimed it was removing less than 500 yards of soil for the project, Hall estimated it was actually 128,000 yards of soil that would be removed.
Cude said the review also found significant stormwater runoff that was not addressed in the study and an inadequate power supply — only enough to cover a single residence.
Then there was the matter of the trees. While WeGrow said its project had not changed, Cude said the removal of the 130 blue oaks was not in the previous version of the project.
With all of the project’s significant issues — tree and soil removal, and stormwater — “It’s just too much to overcome,” said Cude.
Cude said the county did not notify him or his group about the appeal. “They didn’t keep us in the loop at all on this,” he said, adding if they hadn’t emailed the county, they wouldn’t have found out about it.
Johanna DeLong, assistant clerk of the Board of Supervisors, said Wednesday that she hadn’t yet received a copy of the appeal in order to schedule it for a hearing before the board.
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 Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to approve a request from the state to donate protective equipment to help the people of Ukraine.
Sheriff Brian Martin took the request from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security’s request to the board as an extra item on Tuesday morning.
Martin’s report to the board included a letter to all California sheriffs, police chiefs and law enforcement executives from Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci and Donald O’Keefe, chief of the Cal OES law enforcement branch.
In the letter, Ghilarducci and O’Keefe explained that the state has been closely monitoring the ongoing situation in Ukraine and has been in constant contact with the Ukrainian Consulate in San Francisco.
The state also is working closely with the philanthropic community and nongovernmental organizations “on organizing and providing humanitarian assistance and commodities for individuals and families remaining in Ukraine and for refugees fleeing Ukraine into surrounding countries,” they reported.
The letter said the Ukrainian Consulate has specifically requested from the state the donation of ballistic helmets and vests, and other tactical safety equipment such as goggles and gloves.
“The intent of the Ukrainian Government is to provide this equipment to individuals simply as an additional layer of safety,” said Ghilarducci and O’Keefe.
They said this effort and other humanitarian assistance from California is being coordinated and facilitated by Cal OES and the California National Guard.
Supervisor Tina Scott said people are dying and so moved to add it to the agenda.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, who had concerns that the item didn’t meet the requirements of an extra item, voted no, and with Supervisor Moke Simon absent, the motion initially failed, as four votes were needed to add the extra item.
County Counsel Anita Grant asked Martin about the urgency of the item and whether Cal OES was asking for buy-in in order to arrange a shipment of the items, and he said yes. Martin also stated there were more than 400 dead and more than 1.5 million people evacuated.
“The nature of it speaks to the urgency of it,” said Martin.
The board went on to reconsider adding the request to the agenda, which passed unanimously, and then approved adding the item to the agenda, with Sabatier changing his vote to pass the motion.
Scott then moved to approve the surplus of the equipment as requested by Cal OES, which the board approved 4-0.
It was not reported on Tuesday how much surplus equipment from Lake County will be donated to help the people of Ukraine.
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.
COBB, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said its arborists and foresters are conducting foot patrols and are finding an unprecedented number of dead and dying trees in the Cobb Mountain area.
As part of PG&E’s ongoing response to years of drought, hotter temperatures, an increase in bark beetle infestation and sudden oak death, inspectors have increased patrols and tree work to mitigate these hazards.
To address the wood debris stemming from the increased volume in hazardous trees in this specific area, PG&E is offering landowners the opportunity to have the dead trees that PG&E cut down for safety in 2022 removed from their property, provided it is safe to do so.
Because the wood is the landowner’s property, removal of the wood is optional, and landowners must provide written permission to PG&E to have the wood removed.
“We have been listening to our customers. I’ve recently visited the Cobb area to see the tree mortality impact for myself and it’s unprecedented. We have not seen this anywhere else and we are having to fell more than the normal number of trees because of the increased hazard,” said Ron Richardson, regional vice president for PG&E’s North Coast Region. “No other county in California has been hit harder from the effects of wildland fires over recent years than Lake County and we know how damaged trees have impacted the area over the years, but this amount of tree mortality is another level.”
The Lake County Board of Supervisors has also created a Tree Mortality Task Force, in which PG&E has been participating.
“The more trees that PG&E cuts down for safety means our residents and businesses will be seeing more logs and wood on their property. We thank PG&E for deciding to offer residents an option to remove the wood. We want everyone to know that not only are we working with PG&E on different options but other partners as well to address parcels impacted by high tree mortality,” said District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska.
Patrols yield high levels of tree mortality
The inspections will mark the second time PG&E has patrolled trees along overhead power lines in Lake County the past year. PG&E uses different color markings and flags, depending whether the tree needs to be pruned or felled.
“We haven’t seen this much Bark Beetle infestation in a specific area of Northern and Central California in several years. During inspections, we typically see about a hundred dead or dying trees in the Cobb area every year, for example. In February alone, we have already identified far more than that,” said James Ash, Supervisor for Vegetation Management in Lake and Sonoma Counties. “This means our customers may have noticed more markings on trees than usual.”
All woody debris less than 4 inches in diameter will be chipped or lopped and scattered according to Forest Practice Rules. Customers will have an option when it comes to where they would like wood chips scattered.
“PG&E must mitigate the threat to the public by felling these dead trees before they have a chance to strike electric facilities and spark an ignition; however, the felled large wood is the property of the homeowner and it’s up to the homeowner to indicate if they would like us to dispose of their asset,” said Ash.
Additional patrols to begin in April
To further mitigate wildfire risk, Enhanced Vegetation Management (EVM) inspections will begin in April in Lake County. This program addresses vegetation that poses a higher potential for wildfire risk in elevated (Tier 2) and extreme (Tier 3) high fire-threat districts (HFTD’s), as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission.
PG&E will remove associated wood at no direct cost to the customer as part of both these programs if it is safely accessible and permitted by the property owner.
Customers who have questions about the Wood Management Program for 2022 tree mortality in Cobb Mountain, please call 1-877-295-4949.
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Millions of dollars will come to California's Fifth Congressional District thanks to legislation passed on Wednesday night.
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted to secure more than $10.8 million in Community Project Funding for California’s Fifth District.
Thompson’s office said Wednesday night that this funding — included in H.R. 2471, the Funding For The People bill — will provide the district’s communities “with the resources they need to build a bright future.”
Included in the funding are two projects for Lake County:
· $450,000 for the Lake County Kelseyville Sidewalk Project to create one continuous sidewalk along the south side of Konocti Road in Kelseyville in order to implement the county’s Safe Routes to School Program.
· $320,000 for the Lake County Full Circle Effluent Pipeline Preliminary Design Report Update. This project would evaluate which of the existing wastewater treatment facilities in the project area would provide source water for the effluent pipeline the planned project features. With technological advances made since the completion of the 2004 Preliminary Design Report, this project will review alternatives for the final use of the treated effluent including geothermal energy production and agriculture irrigation.
“One of my top responsibilities as a member of Congress is to ensure our communities have the resources they need to live health and successful lives — and this year’s spending bill includes every community funding project that I submitted to improve the lives of my constituents,” said Thompson. “This spending bill also includes some of my top priorities to prevent gun violence, research the effects of smoke taint on our vineyards and other agricultural products, increase the federal share of cost for disasters from 75% to at least 90%, and reauthorize the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
The FY2022 funding bill also contains Emergency Supplemental funding for Ukraine and key funding for domestic priorities like Pell Grants, cancer research and more, Thompson said.
“The legislation will also ensure that government agencies have the funding they need to effectively serve the American people throughout the year, helping people get their tax returns, health care, passports and more. It’s past due to deliver a spending bill, and I look forward to seeing the impact of this bill for the people of California’s Fifth District,” he said.
The Funding For The People Act also includes some of Congressman Thompson’s top priorities, including:
· Extending telehealth flexibilities for 150 days beyond the end of the public health emergency.
· The Federal Disaster Cost Share Act to increase the federal share of cost for disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021 from 75 percent to 90 percent to ease the financial burden on our local governments in the face of wildfires and other disasters.
· Reauthorizing the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
· Increasing funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
The bipartisan funding bill also includes:
· $13.6 billion in emergency funding for security and humanitarian needs for Ukraine, as Russia wages its brutal war.
· Increasing funding for key domestic priorities, including strengthening Pell Grants and establishing President Biden’s new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health cancer initiative.
· Securing major bipartisan legislation, including reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and creating new cybersecurity protections to fight against vicious cyberattacks to our infrastructure by Russia and other bad actors.
In addition to Lake County’s projects, the funding amounts for the other projects in California’s Fifth District are as follows:
· $1,840,000 for the Napa County Deer Park/St. Helena Water System. This project would improve water infrastructure and increase on-site water storage at Adventist Health St. Helena Hospital, which owns and operates water storage, treatment, and distribution facilities that provide potable water to approximately 660 residents and hospital facilities.
· $1.8 million for the Napa County Public Safety Radio and Communication upgrade project. This project would fulfill state and federal mandates to improve protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in public safety radio communication.
· $1.6 million for the Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self Sufficiency project in Santa Rosa that will allow Sonoma County to expand the existing ACCESS program so the team there can better help vulnerable residents after disasters and other local crises, such as Public Safety Power shut-offs.
· $1 million to create a Permanent Emergency Operations Center for the City of Santa Rosa. This project would improve the speed of response to disasters like wildfires and improved coordination among agencies.
· $1 million for Touro University to make crucial investments in campus improvement that will boost class size, increase the number of health providers on campus and boost health care across the region.
· $1 million for Petaluma Health Center, Inc to renovate the Rohnert Park Health Center site to boost access to care for 5,000 local residents.
· $900,000 for the Vallejo Police Department Community Mobile Mental Health Response Unit. This program will provide trauma-informed mental health response and social services to reduce arrests in Vallejo and better respond to individuals experiencing crises and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
· $900,000 for the Contra Costa County Collaborative Care Implementation project to boost both primary and mental and behavioral health care across the county.
The 12-bill government funding package will help middle class families with the cost of living, create American jobs, support the vulnerable and work to help small businesses that are key to the nation's economic future, Thompson’s office reported.
Taken together, Thompson said the funding for California’s Fifth District and the funding increases for critical government programs will reverse decades of disinvestment in our communities and strengthen our nation.
A full summary of the 12 regular appropriations bills is here. A summary of the Ukraine supplemental is here and a one-page fact sheet is here.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lake County resident said he is joining the race for the State Senate seat in District 2.
Former internet executive Gene Yoon has officially filed his candidacy for State Senate District 2, known as the North Coast district, which Yoon calls “the most American district in the United States.”
He will challenge Sen. Mike McGuire, who was elected in 2014 and named Senate majority leader in January.
“We have everything in this district," Yoon said. “We have a population of over a million people, and an area larger than the state of Maryland. We have more land than nine different states, and more people than six states. We have rural and suburban, agricultural and tech, rich and poor, families from the Mayflower, tribes with a thousand years on this land, and people who just immigrated here yesterday. We have serious issues with water, wildfire and our power grid. We have crime and homelessness and inflation and failing schools. And all of this is on some of the most beautiful landscape in all of the world. No other state district in America includes so much of our country's promise and problems.”
After growing up in New Jersey and working in high finance in New York, Yoon said he became disillusioned with Wall Street games. He moved to California in 1999 to help build the future.
Over a 20 year career in internet technology and business, he said he helped bring WiFi to millions of offices at Airespace, created the business model for the metaverse Second Life, and protected billions of users as the product head of ads integrity at Google.
At the same time, he raised three children, all born in California. With one in middle school, one in college, and one just graduating from college this year, Yoon said he knows firsthand the full cycle of challenges for parents in this state.
"Gene has seen it all," says Second Life founder Philip Rosedale, who also lives in the district. "He can tackle any problem, and he does it with real integrity, ferocious resolve, and a great sense of style that is just plain fun to work with. I would trust him with the hardest job in any company, and would be thrilled to see him represent my family in our state legislature.”
Yoon lives in Lake County, the center of a district that also includes Marin, Sonoma, Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity, and Del Norte. Besides running for office, his other professional effort is in community interest law, where he puts his skills to use on behalf of the community.
"Cobb Mountain reminds me of the small town where I grew up, even though it's across the country and might look different to some people. Because of the recent wildfires, people here understand that we're all in it together. Whatever differences we have, they're unimportant compared to the fact that we all want to see our community succeed,” Yoon said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Friday for its annual governance workshop with county department heads.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, March 11, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 947 1450 6557, pass code 450831. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,94714506557#,,,,*450831#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
During the meeting, the department heads will provide the 2022 State of the County Report and give an update on progress for the Vision 2028 priorities.
Topics of the report and department heads contributing to them are as follows:
• Consider and promote the well-being and economic resilience of every Lake County resident, community collaboration, investment in our people: Social Services Director Crystal Markytan, Child Support Services Director Gail Woodworth, Behavioral Health Services Director Todd Metcalf, Health Services Director Jonathan Portney, County Librarian Christopher Veach and Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez. • Enhance public safety — protect our residents, disaster prevention, preparedness and recovery: Sheriff/Office of Emergency Services Director Brian Martin; Chief Probation Officer Rob Howe, Animal Care and Control Director Jonathan Armas, District Attorney Susan Krones and County Counsel Anita Grant. • Grow our economy, spur job creation, improve our infrastructure, caring for our environment and natural resources: Public Works/Water Resources Director Scott De Leon, Special Districts Administrator Scott Harter, Public Services Director Lars Ewing, Community Development Director Mary Darby, Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart and Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures Katherine Vanderwall. • Financial and technological advancements: Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Cathy Saderlund, Information Technology Director Shane French, Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen, Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford and Chief Deputy County Administrative Officer Stephen Carter. • People and partnerships: County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.
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 Economic Development Corp. in collaboration with the West Business Development Center, will staff the Lake County satellite office of the Mendo-Lake Small Business Development Center.
“We are excited to partner with West Business Development Center and join the NorCal SBDC network. These partnerships will bring resources closer to Lake County businesses and strengthen the regional economy,“ states Stephanie Ashworth, Lake EDC Board president.
Lake EDC now offers additional client services to Lake County businesses in the form of one-on-one business technical assistance, business start-up assistance and access to capital.
Lake EDC is working on establishing physical offices in Lakeport and Clearlake. Until then, virtual appointments are available anytime, and in person meetings can still be arranged in both Cities.
“We know local businesses have been struggling, not just from the COVID pandemic, the wildfires prior to the pandemic crippled many businesses. We wanted to invest in a program with as many local experts as possible,” said Nicole Flora, Lake EDC’s new executive director. “This is a chance for businesses to get free assistance from experienced business advisors. We have local mentors to help with business basics as well as industry specific issues. We stand ready to help tackle the challenges your business is facing today.”
To learn more about Lake EDC and the Mendo-Lake SBDC program, sign up to attend the Lake County Business Funding Workshop, on March 23 at noon. The webinar will cover the specific types of business assistance available and a panel of local resources for business loans.
Guests can attend in person at the Clearlake City Hall Council Chambers, or via webinar. Sign up here.
Lake County businesses looking for assistance from the Mendo-Lake SBDC can contact them at www.mendosbdc.org/join/ or call 707-263-6217.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission will meet this week to hold public hearings on four projects.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 10, 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 932 8581 7317, the pass code is 473355.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93285817317#,,,,*473355# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.
On the agenda at 9 a.m. is a public hearing for a major use permit and addendum for a mitigated negative declaration sought by Mike Mitzel and Jed Morris for a property at 9475 Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville.
They are asking to expand the existing use to legitimize an 8100 square foot building that was built without land use approval or building permits by a prior property owner, according to the county staff report. The building, which was meant to be used for cannabis drying, was red-tagged by the county in May 2020.
The staff report explains that the Planning Commission continued this item from Jan. 27 to this week’s meeting to allow time to explore if the building could be allowed under current codes.
The commission will need to decide whether to allow the building, which doesn’t comply with height and size requirements,
Staff is recommending the commission not adopt the mitigated negative declaration and deny the requested modification.
The commission also will hold hearings on cannabis projects proposed by Walnut Ranch/Omar Malfavon at 12182 White Rock Canyon Road and 12206 Elk Mountain Road in Upper Lake; Red Hills, RHRP1/Crystal Keesey located at 8210, 8300 and 8500 State Highway 175, Kelseyville; and High Valley Oaks, LLC/Kim Gardner and Cody William Leck, located at 9850 High Valley Road, Clear Lake Oaks; and further described as APN: 006-004-19.
The full agenda follows.
AGENDA
9 a.m.: Continued from Jan. 27, public hearing on consideration of amendment (MMU 20-11) to Major Use Permit (UP 18-25) and an addendum to Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS 18-110), to grant the expansion of the existing use to legitimize an 8100 square foot building that was built without land use approval or building permits, and is associated with the previously approved Major Use Permit (UP 18-25). The applicant is KLS-RBS LLC/ Mike Mitzel and Jed Morris and the project is located at 9475 Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville; and further described as APN 011-004-60.
9:05 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a Major Use Permit (UP 20-24) and a Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS 20-27). The project applicant: Walnut Ranch/Omar Malfavon is proposing one A-Type 3B Medium Mixed-light Commercial Cannabis License, three A-Type 1C Specialty Cottage Licenses, and a "Type 13 Self Distribution" License that would allow legal transportation of cannabis to and from the site.
9:10 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of Major Use Permit (UP 20-81) and a Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS 20-97). The applicant: Red Hills, RHRP1/ Crystal Keesey, is proposing 25 A-Type 3 Medium Outdoor Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Licenses consisting of 35 acres of cultivation area and 25 acres of canopy area, and one A-Type 13 ‘Self Distribution’ license. Also proposed are two 120 square foot. sheds; one 64 square foot cannabis waste storage and compost area; one 312 square foot portable office building; one 312 sq. ft. portable building for use as an employee break room; three 60,000 gallon water storage tanks; portable restrooms, and a 6’ tall security and privacy fence.
9:15 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of Major Use Permit (UP 20-21) and a Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS 20-24). The applicant: High Valley Oaks, LLC/Kim Gardner and Cody William Leck is proposing four A-Type 3: “Outdoor” licenses: Outdoor cultivation for adult use cannabis without the use of light deprivation and/or artificial lighting in the canopy area at any point in time from 10,001 square feet to one acre, inclusive, of total canopy size on one premises; and a Type 13 “Distributor Transport Only, Self-Transport Distribution” license. The project is located at 9850 High Valley Road, Clear Lake Oaks; and further described as APN: 006-004-19.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has nine dogs ready to go home to new families.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
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.
The following dogs are available for adoption.
‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.
He is dog No. 48443693.
‘Snowball’
“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49159168.
‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female American pit bull mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48443128.
‘Fritz’
“Fritz” is a male Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 49278179.
‘Ebenezer’
“Ebenezer” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 49191651.
‘Chai’
“Chai” is a female Alaskan husky mix with a gray and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49279552.
‘Bear No. 2’
“Bear No. 2” is a male American pit bull mix with a short tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48731556.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48443153.
‘Andy’
“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 48995415.
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.
People typically think of food as calories, energy and sustenance. However, the latest evidence suggests that food also “talks” to our genome, which is the genetic blueprint that directs the way the body functions down to the cellular level.
This communication between food and genes may affect your health, physiology and longevity. The idea that food delivers important messages to an animal’s genome is the focus of a field known as nutrigenomics. This is a discipline still in its infancy, and many questions remain cloaked in mystery. Yet already, we researchers have learned a great deal about how food components affect the genome.
I am a molecular biologist who researches the interactionsamong food, genes and brains in the effort to better understand how food messages affect our biology. The efforts of scientists to decipher this transmission of information could one day result in healthier and happier lives for all of us. But until then, nutrigenomics has unmasked at least one important fact: Our relationship with food is far more intimate than we ever imagined.
The interaction of food and genes
If the idea that food can drive biological processes by interacting with the genome sounds astonishing, one need look no further than a beehive to find a proven and perfect example of how this happens. Worker bees labor nonstop, are sterile and live only a few weeks. The queen bee, sitting deep inside the hive, has a life span that lasts for years and a fecundity so potent she gives birth to an entire colony.
And yet, worker and queen bees are genetically identical organisms. They become two different life forms because of the food they eat. The queen bee feasts on royal jelly; worker bees feed on nectar and pollen. Both foods provide energy, but royal jelly has an extra feature: its nutrients can unlock the genetic instructions to create the anatomy and physiology of a queen bee.
So how is food translated into biological instructions? Remember that food is composed of macronutrients. These include carbohydrates – or sugars – proteins and fat. Food also contains micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. These compounds and their breakdown products can trigger genetic switches that reside in the genome.
Like the switches that control the intensity of the light in your house, genetic switches determine how much of a certain gene product is produced. Royal jelly, for instance, contains compounds that activate genetic controllers to form the queen’s organs and sustain her reproductive ability. In humans and mice, byproducts of the amino acid methionine, which are abundant in meat and fish, are known to influence genetic dials that are important for cell growth and division. And vitamin C plays a role in keeping us healthy by protecting the genome from oxidative damage; it also promotes the function of cellular pathways that can repair the genome if it does get damaged.
Depending on the type of nutritional information, the genetic controls activated and the cell that receives them, the messages in food can influence wellness, disease risk and even life span. But it’s important to note that to date, most of these studies have been conducted in animal models, like bees.
Interestingly, the ability of nutrients to alter the flow of genetic information can span across generations. Studies show that in humans and animals, the diet of grandparents influences the activity of genetic switches and the disease risk and mortality of grandchildren.
Cause and effect
One interesting aspect of thinking of food as a type of biological information is that it gives new meaning to the idea of a food chain. Indeed, if our bodies are influenced by what we have eaten – down to a molecular level – then what the food we consume “ate” also could affect our genome. For example, compared to milk from grass-fed cows, the milk from grain-fed cattle has different amounts and types of fatty acids and vitamins C and A . So when humans drink these different types of milk, their cells also receive different nutritional messages.
Similarly, a human mother’s diet changes the levels of fatty acids as well as vitamins such as B-6, B-12 and folate that are found in her breast milk. This could alter the type of nutritional messages reaching the baby’s own genetic switches, although whether or not this has an effect on the child’s development is, at the moment, unknown.
And, maybe unbeknownst to us, we too are part of this food chain. The food we eat doesn’t tinker with just the genetic switches in our cells, but also with those of the microorganisms living in our guts, skin and mucosa. One striking example: In mice, the breakdown of short-chain fatty acids by gut bacteria alters the levels of serotonin, a brain chemical messenger that regulates mood, anxiety and depression, among other processes.
Food additives and packaging
Added ingredients in food can also alter the flow of genetic information inside cells. Breads and cereals are enriched with folate to prevent birth defects caused by deficiencies of this nutrient. But some scientists hypothesize that high levels of folate in the absence of other naturally occurring micronutrients such as vitamin B-12 could contribute to the higher incidence of colon cancer in Western countries, possibly by affecting the genetic pathways that control growth.
This could also be true with chemicals found in food packaging. Bisphenol A, or BPA, a compound found in plastic, turns on genetic dials in mammals that are critical to development, growth and fertility. For example, some researchers suspect that, in both humans and animal models, BPA influences the age of sexual differentiation and decreases fertility by making genetic switches more likely to turn on.
All of these examples point to the possibility that the genetic information in food could arise not just from its molecular composition – the amino acids, vitamins and the like – but also from the agricultural, environmental and economic policies of a country, or the lack of them.
Scientists have only recently begun decoding these genetic food messages and their role in health and disease. We researchers still don’t know precisely how nutrients act on genetic switches, what their rules of communication are and how the diets of past generations influence their progeny. Many of these studies have so far been done only in animal models, and much remains to be worked out about what the interactions between food and genes mean for humans.
What is clear though, is that unraveling the mysteries of nutrigenomics is likely to empower both present and future societies and generations.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service said Lake County can expect cold morning temperatures, high winds and the potential for rain in the coming days thanks to an incoming weather system.
Forecasters said cold morning temperatures are likely on Wednesday and Thursday. In Lake County, temperatures are expected to drop into the low 30s on Wednesday night, rising into the low 40s through early next week.
Daytime temperatures through Tuesday will range from the high 50s to high 60s, the forecast said.
A cold, dense air mass is expected to spread across the region, bringing winds with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour over ridgetops in Lake and Mendocino counties on Wednesday evening into Thursday morning.
The critically dry air mass moving over the area, coupled with relative humidity values falling into the teens and single digits, could lead to elevated fire weather conditions on Thursday afternoon as a result, the forecast said.
Forecasters said the winds are expected to taper off on Friday.
The regional forecast includes chances of much-needed rain, noting that “widespread beneficial rain becoming” is increasingly probable Saturday through early next week.
In Lake County, the specific forecast indicates the potential for rain from Saturday through Tuesday.
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