The Judiciary Committees in the California Assembly and Senate on Tuesday advanced two of the bills in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sponsored gun safety package.
The committees passed legislation creating a private right of action to limit the spread of illegal assault weapons and ghost guns (SB 1327), as well as a bill restricting advertising of firearms to minors (AB 2571).
The passage of the bills in committee comes at the urging of Newsom and legislative leaders following the May 24 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“California has led the nation in reforming our laws to protect communities from gun violence,” Newsom said in a Tuesday statement. “This year is no different as we take decisive action to fast-track vital gun safety policies, even as recent federal court decisions threaten to make it more difficult to protect Californians from gun violence. Since the 1990s, our laws have prevented countless shootings and saved hundreds of lives. California isn’t waiting for Congress to act to protect our kids from needless gun violence.”
In February, Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) introduced Senate Bill 1327.
Modeled after Texas’ SB 8, SB 1327 creates a first-in-the-nation private right of action for citizens to use against those who manufacture, distribute, transport, import into California, or sell assault weapons, .50 BMG rifles, ghost guns, or ghost gun kits.
Also in February, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) introduced AB 2571.
The bill seeks to restrict firearms marketing geared towards children and youth.
SB 1327 and AB 2571 are part of a package of bills that Newsom committed last month to signing.
Another bill, AB 1621, introduced by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), would restrict ghost guns and the parts and kits used to build them. It has cleared several initial readings but a June 9 committee meeting that was to have considered that bill was postponed.
Also part of the package is AB 1594, introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).
The bill, which would allow governments and victims of gun violence to sue manufacturers and sellers of firearms, also is awaiting another committee hearing, according to the California Legislative Information portal.
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.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd to extend the gaming compacts of 29 California tribes — including three from Lake County — allowing the continued operation of casinos that support tribal development and provide jobs for thousands of workers statewide.
“I thank Gov. Newsom for signing this today,” Sen. Dodd, D-Napa, said. “This extension allows tribes to continue along the path toward self-sufficiency and economic development. Also, it gives the state more time to negotiate long-term agreements that will benefit the state, employees and patrons.”
Many California tribes entered 20-year gaming compacts with the state that were briefly extended and set to expire on June 30.
However, Sen. Dodd’s legislation, Senate Bill 898, grants an additional 18-month extension to 26 tribes and a one-year extension to three tribes.
The extension, which had overwhelming Senate and Assembly support, applies to the tribes listed below.
Alturas Indian Rancheria Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California Bishop Paiute Tribe Blue Lake Rancheria Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria Cahuilla Band of Indians Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation Cher-ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians Hopland Band of Pomo Indians Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California Pit River Tribe Redding Rancheria Resighini Rancheria Robinson Rancheria Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Table Mountain Rancheria
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has five cats waiting to meet new families this week.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Female domestic shorthair
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a calico coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 78, ID No. LCAC-A-3461.
‘Dave’
“Dave” is a young male brown tabby with a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 96, ID No. LCAC-A-3299.
Female domestic shorthair
This young female domestic shorthair cat has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 120a, ID No. LCAC-A-3575.
Male domestic shorthair
This young male domestic shorthair cat has a black coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 120b, ID No. LCAC-A-3576.
Male domestic longhair cat
This 2-year-old male domestic longhair cat has a white coat with gray markings.
He is in cat room kennel No. 129, ID No. LCAC-A-3529.
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. — This November, the decision of whether or not the city of Lakeport’s proposed South Lakeport annexation will go forward will be up to less than 20 property owners in the annexation area.
In a unanimous vote, at its June 7 meeting, the council approved a resolution calling for a special municipal election to be held on the annexation Nov. 8. The election will be consolidated with the general election that day.
The city is seeking to annex 50 parcels totaling 137 acres in the area adjacent to South Main Street and Soda Bay Road and east of Highway 29.
On May 18, the Lake Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCo, approved a resolution outlining the results of the protest proceeding against the city’s proposed annexation.
Owners of 16 of the 50 parcels protested the annexation, triggering an election. Those protests accounted for 36% of the land valuation; at least a 25% protest total is required.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said that, based on the latest list from the Registrar of Voters Office, there are 17 registered voters living in the annexation area.
He said it was staff’s recommendation to place the annexation on the Nov. 8 municipal ballot, which is the most cost effective and timely option. They also asked for the council to designate Mayor Stacey Mattina to work with staff to develop the argument in favor of the measure for the voter guide.
“This is a little bit of an interesting process,” said Ingram, explaining the work needed to get the election code to work with the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, which governs annexations.
He said the city will need to notify LAFCo, which will have some additional tasks in the process, including conducting an impartial analysis of the ballot measure.
City Clerk Kelly Buendia recommended that any arguments in favor of or against the measure be due by July 25, with rebuttals due by Aug. 4, the same date the impartial analysis will be due back from LAFCo.
Buendia said the election is estimated to cost between $10,000 and $12,000.
The ballot question will be as follows: “Shall the order adopted on March 30, 2022 by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Lake County ordering the annexation to the City of Lakeport of the territory described in that order and designated "City of Lakeport Annexation to the City of Lakeport (LAFCo file 2019-0006) (South Lakeport Annexation)" be confirmed?”
Justin Ratcliffe, a property owner in the annexation area who has opposed being added to the city, asked how the election outcome would be determined.
City staff said it will be a matter of a majority of votes cast for or against.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said the annexation has been talked about for decades. He called the LAFCo process “a joke” and was exasperated that after years of work and $50,000 in consultants, the decision would come down to 17 voters.
“The system stinks,” he said.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve calling the special municipal election, which the council approved 5-0.
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.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Kelseyville High School student Logan Jirout was just named the ninth-grade winner of the 2022 Every Student Succeeding Award for Region 4, sponsored by the Association of California School Administrators, or ACSA.
The award recognizes students who have made special efforts to overcome obstacles to succeed.
His former teacher, Kerry Smith, and his former principal, Kelseyville Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Nicki Thomas, nominated Jirout for the award, which pulled nominees from Lake, Mendocino, Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties.
Jirout’s challenges began last spring, when Jirout was “messing around and felt something pop in his back.” Upon examination, his mother found a concerning bump and immediately scheduled a doctor’s appointment.
This was the beginning of a harrowing medical experience — one that involved four surgeries, a month in the hospital, physical therapy, and counseling, but ultimately, one that resulted in the triumph of a relentless work ethic bolstered by a can-do spirit.
Jirout’s visit with the doctor revealed severe scoliosis that was progressing quickly. Scoliosis is a medical condition characterized by a prominent curvature of the spine. Normal curvature is about 10 degrees. When measuring scoliosis, the curve is considered significant if it is greater than 25 to 30 degrees and severe if it exceeds 45 to 50 degrees.
Jirout’s first measurement showed a 62 degree curvature. Just weeks later, it showed 75 degrees. Left untreated, severe scoliosis can threaten vital organs.
Initially, Jirout believed he would have one surgery and return home in a few days to recover, but a series of unfortunate circumstances ensued, from broken screws to infections.
Not only did Jirout have to endure a painful physical recovery, but he also had to continually adjust to disappointing news that caused major disruptions in his life as he finished middle school and started high school.
Rather than fall prey to the negativity that could have made his situation worse, he took each setback as something he simply had to overcome. Today, he does not minimize the challenges he faced, but impressively, he does not cast blame or paint himself as a victim, according to Smith, his teacher at the time.
Smith said, “Logan is such a well-rounded young man. He cares about learning, and he cares about other people. He’s one of those special students who does the right thing even when no one is looking, who stands up for other kids when they need help.”
Smith said she was inspired by Jirout’s perseverance as he worked to overcome his situation. “I know he faced times when it was really rough–he was in pain; he couldn’t move himself in bed. But he kept doing PT [physical therapy], and he had the mental determination to keep going,” she said.
Smith believes Jirout mirrors many of his parents’ character traits, saying they “are some of the most humble, down to earth, hard working people I know.” She explained that during Jirout’s treatment, his mother put everything aside to care for Jirout full-time, while his father modified his work schedule to support the family. They supported Jirout every step of the way.
Jirout says he is grateful for his family’s love and support, and for Smith who came to his house to help him with his school work so he could make up assignments and finish eighth grade. He also appreciated the cards (and candy) from friends. When Jirout attended his eighth grade promotion, he was in a wheelchair, but when his name was called to cross the stage, his father helped him stand tall (about four inches taller than before his surgery) and walk to receive his certificate.
Jirout is open about the difficulty of his experience and the steps he continues to take to heal.
“My mental state was horrible in the hospital. I couldn’t come home. I couldn’t do anything. I watched the same movies over and over. The food was good, though. Then I came home, and I thought, ‘I hate life right now.’ So, we got in touch with a therapist through Gaggle. I’ve been doing that for about a month. Being able to talk to someone helps a lot. And I’m still doing physical therapy and working on my weight. I’m way better now than I was,” he said.
Gaggle Therapy is a service funded by Kelseyville Unified that allows students to receive social-emotional counseling online with trained counselors at no cost to the student’s family.
Jirout got out of his wheelchair in August. Initially, he was terrified of falling. He said he felt paranoid, worried his back would snap and he would be forced back to the operating room. But once he fell and survived, he felt a lot better. “Now, I’m fine. It’s been months. I’m fine.”
In October, he was cleared to return to in-person instruction on campus. It was difficult to start high school a month late, but given all he had been through, he was happy to be returning to a more normal version of life.
At this point, Jirout has returned to many of his favorite activities, including playing Fallout (his favorite video game), making things out of metal with his welding kit, and participating in Boy Scouts, where his dad is a troupe leader.
He said that by sharing his experience, he hopes to help other children learn that sometimes you cannot help what happens to you, and you just have to do the best you can.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Anyone who has been to the top of Rabbit Hill in Middletown knows that the small peak, almost in the middle of town, offers views of surrounding mountains that are breathtaking.
It has long been a dream of the Lake County Land Trust, or LCLT, and local citizens to place directional signs at the summit of Rabbit Hill to point out each significant peak in the panoramic 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains, including St. Helena, Cobb and Harbin.
On a recent Saturday morning the signage project was started with the help of Hidden Valley Lake resident Jean Goulart, who has become a volunteer for the LCLT and will be over-seeing the Rabbit Hill Park.
Goulart is a University of California Naturalist and Climate Steward and a new member of the LCLT Stewardship Committee.
She gathered students from Middletown High School to work on the sign project as part of their community service. Meeting Jean were Cade Dubose, Jose Montanez and Evan Johnson.
Lake County Land Trust volunteers, including Middletown’s Gail Wright, Stewardship Committee member Bob Schoenherr and LCLT board member Val Nixon joined in the effort.
Many thanks to Hardester’s Market in Middletown for donating the use of an auger to dig the hole for the post where the directional signs will be mounted. Hardester’s also donated spray paint to paint the concrete picnic table at the top of the hill.
After the pole was placed in cement, the Middletown High students pruned over growth along the path and near the cement picnic table. They removed steel post fencing and did general cleanup of the area. Painting the concrete table was postponed because of wind.
The small nine-acre park was originally donated to the Madrone Audubon Society in Sonoma County by the late Skee and Huck Hamann. The beloved couple lived atop the little hill and hosted many education programs for local school children.
Over 20 years ago Madrone Audubon transferred ownership to the Lake County Land Trust. Since that time the Land Trust has worked with the local Middletown Art Center and Middletown residents to improve and care for the park.
There are now comfortable benches, a picnic table, and art installations. Soon the public will be able to enjoy informative signs.
The park is open to the public and is used by many local residents for exercising and dog walking. Besides its stunning views it features native serpentine vegetation that includes wildflowers, forbes and native grasses.
The Lake County Land Trust, founded in 1994, is a charitable non-profit dedicated to protecting natural habitats, wetlands, and valuable open space in Lake County go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Last week a man convicted of a 1998 murder in Clearlake was denied parole for five years.
The Board of Parole Hearings denied parole for convicted murderer Richard Lugo Guerrero, age 51, of Clearlake during the hearing on Thursday, June 9.
Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe attended the lifer hearing to argue against Guerrero’s release.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Guerrero was found guilty by a jury on April 13, 2000, of the second-degree murder of Mark Anthony Boyer, 29. The jury also found the special allegation that Guerrero used a gun and caused great bodily injury or death to be true.
Guerrero was originally prosecuted by District Attorney Stephen O. Hedstrom.
On May 19, 2000, Guerrero was sentenced to 44 years to life by Judge David W. Herrick.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge David Herrick said he had not seen or noticed any remorse by Guerrero, and noted that Guerrero continued to deny committing the offense. The judge also indicated that he could not understand why Guerrero killed the victim.
Before the murder, Guerrero had been convicted of a felony robbery in Texas, several drunken driving cases in California, and resisting arrest and marijuana possession.
According to investigation reports, on Nov. 15, 1998, the Clearlake Police Department received a report of four to five gunshots being heard in the vicinity of All American Video on Lakeshore Drive. When officers arrived they found Boyer deceased.
Approximately 30 minutes before the shooting, there was a disturbance involving 25 people at the Chart House Bar. During that disturbance, a police officer observed Mark Boyer walking with another male seated in a wheelchair.
After the shooting, investigators determined the person seated in the wheelchair was Esa Jacobo, an individual known to officers. Investigators also identified the person pushing the wheelchair as Richard Guerrero.
Further investigation turned up witnesses who indicated Guerrero was the individual who shot the victim. Jacobo eventually informed officers the weapon used to shoot the victim belonged to Jacobo’s stepfather, and was hidden behind a refrigerator in Jacobo’s residence.
During the investigation Guerrero denied shooting the victim, but eventually told officers, “I did it.”
A forensic pathology examination determined Boyer was shot six times.
At the parole hearing, Hinchcliff said the parole commissioners discussed Guerrero’s conduct and history while being incarcerated in the state prison system.
His history of rules violations while in prison indicated Guerrero had been in possession of drug paraphernalia and weapons, and promoted gang activity.
At the conclusion of the hearing, after arguments from Guerrero’s attorney as to why he should be paroled and from Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe as to why he should not be paroled, the parole commissioners issued a five-year denial of parole, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said Guerrero will receive another parole hearing some time in 2027.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The 2022-23 fiscal year budget, the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project and Lake Pillsbury are all on the Board of Supervisors agenda for this week.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 14, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 979 8064 6946, pass code 782173. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,97980646946#,,,,*782173#.
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.
At 10:30 a.m., the board is scheduled to hold a public hearing to consider the fiscal year 2022-23 Recommended Budget.
The coming fiscal year budget totals $337,455,551 for all funds, an increase of $18,069,436, over the fiscal year 2021-22 budget, which totaled $319,386,115.
The 2022-23 general fund totals $76,237,204, a decrease of $6,974,644, or 9.15%, from the fiscal year 2021-22 general fund, which totaled $83,232,344.
The final budget is generally considered early in the fall.
In other business, in response to a Lake County Superior Court judge’s ruling handed down in January that found the county had failed to adequately consider wildfire evacuation impacts in improving the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project, the board will consider actions to rescind by resolution ordinances its approvals for the project.
In other untimed items, the board will consider a letter to the chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the Potter Valley Project and the proposed removal of the Scott Dam along with a proposed public statement on Lake Pillsbury and the impacts of the dam’s proposed removal.
Also on Tuesday, the board will discuss sheriff’s staffing and proposed budget transfers to deal with hiring shortages; consider a second amendment to the agreement for medical services at the Lake County Detention Facility for a sixth month extension in the amount of $1,551,647.22; and discuss establishing an ad hoc committee to work on a request for proposals for a new contract. Those items also are untimed.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation commending Peter Windrem.
5.2: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to pervasive tree mortality.
5.3: Approve agreement between county of Lake and the Smithwaters Group for patient's rights advocacy services in the amount of $45,000 for fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.4: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Crackerjack Cleaning for janitorial services from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, not to exceed $30,000, and authorize the department head to sign.
5.5: Approve a letter to David Kilgore, State Director of Child Support Services, regarding budget allocation methodology and level of effort, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.6: Approve resolution of the city council of the city of Lakeport calling for and providing for and giving notice of a special municipal election to be held in the proposed South Lakeport Annexation Area (Lafco File 2019-06), county Of Lake, state Of California, on the 8th day of November 2022, for the purpose of seeking confirmation from the voters on the South Lakeport Annexation, requesting consolidation of that election with the state general election, and requesting approval of the Lake County Board of Supervisors for election services to be provided by the Lake County Registrar of Voters.
5.7: Approve resolution of the city council of the city of Lakeport calling for and providing for and giving notice of the general municipal election to be held in the city of Lakeport, county of Lake, state of California, on the 8th day of November 2022, for the purpose of electing two city council members, each to hold office for a term of four years, or until their successors are elected and qualified, requesting consolidation of that election with the state general election and requesting approval of the Lake County Board of Supervisors for election services to be provided by the Lake County Registrar of Voters.
5.8: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconferenced meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.
5.9: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer for the Cache fire.
5.10: Approve continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.11: Approve continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.12: Approve continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.13: Approve continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.14: Approve continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.15: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.16: Approve sixth amendment to the lease agreement between county of Lake and NL Family Trust/KLA Family Trust for the property Located at 1216, 1222 and 1228 S. Main Street in Lakeport, for the amount of $20,890.32 per fiscal year, from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.17: (a) Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Megabyte Systems Inc., for FY 2022-23 MPTS property tax system maintenance, online business property filing license/support and the transient occupancy tax licensing/support in the amount of $211,183.90 and authorize the chair to sign; and (b) approve web services addendum to the agreement between the county of Lake and Megabyte Systems Inc. for FY 2022-23 online tax bills and e-payment processing services, in the amount of $6,162.29, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
9:05 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:08 a.m.: a) Presentation of proclamation commending Peter Windrem; and b) consideration of request for applications to be collected to fill vacancy on Middle Creek Project Committee.
6.4, 9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving applications for Community Development Block Grant Funding for a housing assessment and housing development and implementation strategy, a microenterprise technical assistance program and the business assistance loan program and the execution of grant agreements and any amendments from the 2021-2022 funding year of the state of California Community Block Grant Program and authorize chair to sign.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Presentation of the County Medical Services Program by Kari Brownstein, CPA, MHA, executive director, CMSP Governing Board.
6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-23 for the County of Lake and Special Districts governed by the Board of Supervisors; a) consideration of FY 2022-23 Recommended Budget; b) consideration of proposed resolution amending the position allocation chart for FY 2022-23 to conform to the recommended budget c) consideration of authorization for affected department heads to proceed with purchasing selected capital assets prior to the adoption of the FY 2022-23 Final Recommended Budget.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: a) Consideration of second amendment to the agreement for medical services at the Lake County Detention Facility for a sixth month extension in the amount of $1,551,647.22; and b) consideration and discussion of the establishment of an ad hoc committee and its role and purpose.
7.3: Consideration of action to rescind by resolution and ordinances the county's prior land use approvals for the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project. a. A resolution vacating, setting aside, and rescinding land use approvals for the Guenoc Mixed Use Planned Development Project. b. An ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3093. c. An ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3094 d. An ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3095.
7.4: Consideration of a letter to the chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Regarding FERC Project No. 77 (Potter Valley).
7.5: Consideration of a public statement on Lake Pillsbury and direction to staff to distribute to media outlets.
7.6: a) Consideration of Accela agreement extension and True Point permitting software; and b) consideration of Road Map Task Force Data Tracker Software System.
7.7: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Western Region Town Hall.
7.8: a) Discussion of sheriff's department staffing; and b) consideration and approval of budget transfer from 1781 to 2202.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Agricultural Commissioner Katherine Vanderwall.
8.3: Public employee evaluation: Public Health Officer Dr. Erik McLaughlin.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Nichols v. County of Lake, et al.
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.
Emily Brant, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences and Kristina E. Rudd, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Can an otherwise healthy young woman die from what starts out as something akin to a common cold? The answer is, shockingly, yes, when certain telltale signs of a more serious problem go undetected.
Though many people haven’t even heard of it, sepsis – the body’s extreme response to infection – is the leading killer of hospitalized patients in the United States. Worldwide, sepsis is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths every year. Even among those who survive, many will never be able to return to work, and some won’t be able to return home from the hospital, requiring life support or ongoing critical care.
We are two researchers and critical care doctors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who are working to change the way scientists and doctors think about sepsis. We are interested in understanding and spreading awareness about how sepsis starts and how it can elude even the most astute physicians.
We are also learning more about how community factors are at play and how a better understanding of the communities we all live in could help everyday people and health care workers alike recognize and stop this deadly disease.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a medical emergency that begins with an infection – perhaps even a mild infection. Upon detecting bacteria or a virus, your body releases a choreographed cascade of chemicals into the bloodstream. This chemical alert beckons an artillery of immune cells that work in concert to fight the bug.
When this system works well, your body clears the infection and you get better. But when the system doesn’t work well, sepsis can ensue.
The onset of sepsis occurs when your immune cells pivot from fighting the infection to fighting your own tissues and organs. This reaction can be similar to an autoimmune response, a condition in which the body’s immune system turns on itself. Many people are familiar with chronic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease, but sometimes this type of autoimmune response can occur even in healthy people.
When sepsis occurs, the immune system can commonly injure the heart, lungs, kidneys or blood cells, among other important body systems. Inflammation in the blood vessels can make them leaky, causing blood flow to the brain and other organs to become severely diminished. When this occurs, a person’s blood pressure may become dangerously low, which is a severe form of sepsis known as septic shock.
Without prompt and proper treatment – and sometimes even despite treatment – sepsis can cause organ damage and even death. Once shock develops, mortality from sepsis is estimated to jump from 10% to as high as 40%.
Sepsis can result from nearly any infection. Most commonly it develops from pneumonia or a urinary tract infection. Severe COVID-19 can also cause sepsis. Often, sepsis patients are seen by a medical professional for infection symptoms in the week preceding sepsis hospitalization. However, predicting which infected patients will go on to develop sepsis is very difficult.
Treatment options
The cornerstones of sepsis treatment are prompt recognition of sepsis symptoms, followed by antibiotics and fluids. But even the most careful and attentive physicians can miss the early signs of sepsis.
This is largely because there is no single test to positively diagnose sepsis. Sepsis symptoms may mimic other life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, blood clots, bleeding or even an allergic reaction. Patients often display vague and variable symptoms such as weakness, lightheadedness and rapid breathing, making the diagnosis even more challenging.
For example, a young, otherwise healthy person with sepsis due to pneumonia may look much different from an older diabetic who develops sepsis from a smoldering skin infection.
Sepsis patients nearly always require admission to the hospital or even the ICU, and those with severe forms of sepsis often require life support. This may include dialysis or mechanical ventilation to support failing organs. The source of infection needs to be identified and, in some cases, surgically removed. Delaying sepsis treatment by even a few hours can have deadly consequences.
Recognizing sepsis before it’s too late
Differences in sepsis go beyond symptoms. COVID-19 has laid bare that severe illness isn’t a game of chance. Like COVID-19 infection, sepsis susceptibility – and who is most likely to get sick and die – is part of a complex interplay of social influences that include racism, poverty, geography and community dynamics.
Research strongly suggests that certain people are at far higher risk of developing sepsis than others. Much like COVID-19, older people with underlying chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes face a heightened risk for sepsis. Such factors as race, poverty and even driving distance to the hospital may have a significant impact on who survives sepsis.
Most of the work done to improve sepsis detection and treatment has focused on the hospital setting. Doctors, researchers and even government agencies have concentrated their efforts on improving sepsis recognition and treatment once a patient reaches the hospital. Research aimed at understanding an individual’s sepsis risk has focused on personal health history and social and economic factors such as income and race, or community features such as primary care access.
While these approaches have advanced the field’s understanding of sepsis, they have led to little progress in reducing the incidence of sepsis in the U.S.
New approaches to catching a killer
Given what is known about the importance of early sepsis treatment, researchers like us are taking a closer look at the role of communities in improving sepsis detection and understanding sepsis risk.
The early stages of sepsis can evolve rapidly when a patient is at home. Scientists estimate that 87% of sepsis cases start outside the hospital. When a patient does present for care, it’s often in a clinic or emergency medical services setting in the days and even hours preceding sepsis hospitalization. These critical treatment windows may mean the difference between life and death for a sepsis patient.
Alongside researchers based at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we are now working to advance sepsis care by studying sepsis patient symptoms, community factors, diagnosis and treatment patterns outside the hospital. We are also expanding work to improve sepsis diagnosis among hospitalized patients. This coast-to-coast collaboration will study patients cared for at over 40 hospitals, 30 EMS agencies and a critical mass of ambulatory clinics. We hope that our work will shed light on the early stages of sepsis, including signs that may signal that an infected patient is progressing to sepsis, and explore diagnostic and treatment approaches that could help stop sepsis before it advances too far.
We are also learning a great deal more about the complicated role of community factors like poverty on health outcomes, including sepsis. Using “syndemic theory” – a framework to describe synergistic epidemics that arise from harmful social conditions – we are studying how two co-occurring epidemics, like poverty and asthma, can work together to increase negative health outcomes. Though this framework is only beginning to be used to study acute illness, it has the potential to transform the way we think about sepsis.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Firefighters stopped a fire east of Lower Lake on Monday afternoon.
The Butte fire was dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. in the area of Butte Rock Ranch Road at Morgan Valley Road, near the McLaughlin Natural Reserve.
Just before 2 p.m., radio traffic stated that the fire’s forward progress had been stopped.
Later in the afternoon, it was reported that the fire was around 30 acres in size, with units being released.
Information on a cause was not immediately 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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Data from the U.S. Census Bureau offers a picture of migration flows across the United States.
The latest migration statistics, shown in the Census Flows Mapper, are from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey, or ACS.
The U.S. Census Bureau said the data tables highlight the geographic mobility of people between counties, metropolitan statistical areas, minor civil divisions in some states, municipalities, and municipios in Puerto Rico.
The five-year data provide estimates of in-migration, out-migration and net migration, the bureau reported.
The Census Flows Mapper has been updated to include data from the 2015-2019 ACS county-level migration flows.
The Census Flows Mapper is a web-mapping application that allows users to view and save U.S. migration flows data. Maps can be sorted and customized by current and previous datasets, type of migration flow, colors and range of movers.
From 2015 to 2019, the Census Flows Mapper shows that most residents leaving Lake County went to other parts of the state, with Sacramento and Sonoma counties being the top migration locations.
Migrations also led to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Hawaii.
Inbound migration for that four-year period came largely from other parts of California — led by Sonoma (1004), Mendocino (465), Inyo (461), Napa (315) and Humboldt (286) counties.
Other states that were the source of migration to Lake County included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Florida, South Carolina, Ohio, New York and Connecticut.
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.
May was warm and wet across the Lower 48, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
The month also wrapped up a warm spring as wildfires continued to burn across the nation.
Below are highlights from NOAA's U.S. monthly climate report for May 2022:
Climate by the numbers
May 2022
The average May temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 61.9 degrees F (1.7 degrees above the 20th-century average), ranking in the warmest third of the 128-year record.
Temperatures across the Northwest and northern Rockies were below average, with much of the Southwest, Deep South and locations east of the Mississippi River above average. Triple-digit heat scorched portions of the South throughout the month, setting a number of temperature records across Texas. Texas had its second-warmest May on record, while Washington state saw its eighth coldest.
The average precipitation for May was 3.17 inches (0.26 of an inch above average), which ranked in the wettest third of the record.
Precipitation was above average across portions of the Northwest, northern and central Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Appalachians. Precipitation was below average from California to Texas and across portions of the Northeast. A dry month across the Southwest resulted in Arizona seeing its fifth-driest May on record, while above-average precipitation gave Washington state its eighth-wettest May.
Meteorological spring (March through May 2022) | Year to date
The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during meteorological spring was 52.2 degrees F (1.3 degrees F above average), which ranked in the warmest third of the record. Rhode Island ranked fourth warmest while nine additional states — Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and Texas — ranked among their ten-warmest spring seasons on record.
The spring precipitation total of 8.07 inches (0.13 of an inch above average) placed it in the middle third of the record. North Dakota ranked fourth wettest while New Mexico saw its sixth-driest spring.
The average U.S. temperature for the year to date (YTD, January through May) was 44.3 degrees F, 1.0 degree F above average, ranking in the warmest third of the record.
The first five months of 2022 were also quite dry, with a precipitation total of 11.48 inches, 0.91 of an inch below average, and ranking in the driest third of the record. California saw its driest such YTD on record while Arizona, Nevada and Utah ranked third driest for this five-month period. Meanwhile, North Dakota saw its fourth-wettest YTD.
Other notable highlights from the report
Wildfires roared across the landscape: As of May 31, the largest fire in New Mexico history, the Hermits Peak Fire, had consumed more than 315,000 acres and was 50% contained. Across all 50 states, 1.9 million acres have burned from January 1 through June 2 — more than twice the average for this time of year.
Drought improved overall, with exceptions: According to the May 31 U.S. Drought Monitor reportoffsite link, 49.3% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 4.5% from the beginning of May. Areas of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rocky Mountains and High Plains saw drought conditions improve over the month of May while drought intensified or expanded across the Southwest, West and parts of the Northeast.
A stormy May with fewer tornadoes: Several rounds of severe weather hit the U.S. during May, producing 196 preliminary tornado reports. This is 71% of the 1991-2010 average for tornadoes for the month of May (276). On May 4, severe storms formed across the central Plains and produced several tornadoes including an EF3 tornado near Lockett, Texas. A line of severe storms, also known as a derecho, barreled across the central Plains into the Upper Midwest on May 12, causing extensive damage from at least 13 tornadoes and straight-line winds.