MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Town Hall will host Congressman Mike Thompson at its meeting this week.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 13, via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the Zoom meeting click on this link; the meeting ID is 935 1671 5770. Call in at 888-788-0099.
Thompson is scheduled to give his presentation beginning at 7:10 p.m. He also will be available for questions afterward.
Community members are asked to email questions for Thompson to MATH at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Also on Thursday, there will be public input at 8:15 p.m. and an update from Supervisor Moke Simon at 8:30 p.m.
At 8:45 p.m., the group is set to discuss moving back to the in-person meeting format.
The MATH Board includes Co-Chairs Rosemary Córdova and Monica Rosenthal, Secretary Lisa Kaplan, and Ken Gonzales and Paul baker.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will meet this week to discuss an economic development strategic plan and hear a presentation from a group working on health outcomes.
The committee, or LEDAC, will meet via Zoom at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 12.
The meeting is open to the public.
The meeting will be held via Zoom: Meeting ID, 947 1455 3688; passcode, 794476. Dial by your location, +1 669 900 6833.
On Wednesday, LEDAC will review the work plan for updating the Lakeport Economic Development Strategic Plan.
That includes a SWOT analysis, reviewing supporting documents, revising key findings, updating the work program and consideration of features addressing resiliency, the arts and cultural plan and closer ties with partnership organizations, among other items.
In an item timed for 8:30 a.m., JoAnn Saccato, community engagement coordinator for NorCal 4 Health, will give an informational update on the Health is Wealth Work Group.
In other business, City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Director Jenni Byers will give updates on city projects and activities.
There also will be reports from members including the Lakeport Main Street Association, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, CareerPoint Lake, Mendocino College/Lake Center and Lake Economic Development Corp.
LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
Members are Chair Wilda Shock and Vice Chair Denise Combs, Maureen Brasier, Bonnie Darling, Candy De Los Santos, Melissa Fulton, Pam Harpster, Andy Lucas, Alicia Russell, Laura Sammel and Amanda Xu, with Bill Eaton as an ex officio member. City staff who are members include City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Director Jenni Byers.
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. — There’s a purple haze on the hills and in the valleys; one is a native flowering shrub (usually on the hills), and one is anon-native invasive vine (usually in the valleys) and both are blooming right now giving a lilac tinge to spring.
Ceanothus is a California native with 26 different species in Lake County alone according to the California Native Plant Society, with 15 of those species with pale lilac to deep violet flowers; others are white, cream-colored, yellow or a mixture.
It is commonly called “wild lilac” that infuses the hillsides and chaparral areas with sweet aromas in the spring. So, if you want to attract the birds and the bees to your landscaping, any species of ceanothus are one of the most beautiful — and important — native plants to grow for them.
In addition to flowering shrubs that can reach heights over 10’ tall, there are also some that grow like prickly ground cover with holly-shaped evergreen leaves known as Mahala mats, which are well adapted to our clay-heavy soils.
In addition to attracting birds and bees, ceanothus also thrives by neglecting it (no need to irrigate once established) is deer resistant (and the less nutrients and moisture in the soil, the more deer avoid it), and according to the UC Sonoma County Master Gardeners, has historic uses as a fresh or dried flowers, with some varieties used for lathering into soap, providing relief from poison oak, eczema, and rash. If you want to learn more about Ceanothus, we recommend reading Ceanothus by Davis Fross and Dieter Wilken (Timber Press, 2006).
The other haze of purple (well, technically, “purple” isn’t a color because there is no beam of pure or wavelength that corresponds to purple. “Purple” is a name and color invented by the Binney & Smith Crayola Crayon Company to replace “violet” — which is an actual color), is hairy vetch.
Hairy vetch is a nitrogen fixer, which means they harbor a bacteria in their roots that convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form that plants can absorb and use, so farmers and gardeners have planted this nonnative vetch to use as a cover crop to increase the nitrogen in their soils for increased plant growth, so it has naturalized across Lake County and California. However, it has a downside for equestrians.
Historically used in roadside revegetation projects, hairy vetch has encroached on pasturelands and valleys throughout Lake County, which can be a problem for horses who graze on the plants and cause them to founder, so best to remove it and replant other native vegetation.
Enjoy the purple haze of hills and valleys — for spring is waning and the haze will soon disappear ...
Terre Logsdon is an environmentalist, certified master composter, and advocate for agroecology solutions to farming. An avid fan and protector of California wildflowers, plants, natural resources, and the environment, she seeks collaborative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Kim Riley is retired, an avid hiker at Highland Springs, and has lived in Lake County since 1985. After 15 years of trail recovery and maintenance on the Highland Springs trails, she is now focused on native plants, including a native plant and pollinator garden on her property as well as promoting and preserving the beauty of the Highland Springs Recreation Area. Karen Sullivan has operated two nurseries to propagate and cultivate native plants and wildflowers, has lived in Kelseyville for the past 30 years, rides horses far and wide to see as many flowers as possible, and offers native plants and wildflowers for sale to the public. You can check her nursery stock here. They are collaborating on a book, Highland Springs Recreation Area: A Field Guide, which will be published in the future. In the meanwhile, please visit https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsNaturalists and https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsRecreationArea.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Looking at the real estate market for March of 2021 versus March of 2020 is revealing as last year in March the pandemic was just beginning to affect the community.
The market continues to be fantastic for sellers, which can be frustrating for buyers. Spring is traditionally the time when more homes come on the market. As we enter spring, we will see if inventory goes up.
There are some interesting statistics that offer us a snapshot of the Lake County real estate market in March 2020 versus March 2021.
First, let’s look at active listings.
Active listings throughout the county were 128 for March 2021 which is down 52.8% over March 2020.
The breakdown of active listings by community in March, compared to last year, is as follows:
— Lakeport: 23 active listings, up 27.8% over the previous year. — Kelseyville: 22 active listings, down 62.1%. — Hidden Valley Lake: 9 active listings, down 82.7% from March 2020. — Clearlake: 25 active listings, down 50%.
Existing home sales throughout the county totaled 73 homes for March 2021, up 4.3% from March 2020. That breaks down as follows:
— Lakeport: 12 existing home sales, up 9.1% over the previous year. — Kelseyville: 16 home sales, down 20%; — Hidden Valley Lake: 13 home sales, up 30%. — Clearlake: 12 home sales, no change from March 2020.
The existing home median price throughout Lake County for March 2021 was $333,000, up 20.9% over March 2020. Those prices by community compared to the previous year are:
— Lakeport: $353,000, down 15.2% from March 2020; it’s important to remember inventory was up for March 2021. — Kelseyville: $385,000, up 36.3%. — Hidden Valley Lake: $362,000, up 25.9%. — Clearlake: $204,000, up 6.3%.
The median number days on market in March 2021 across Lake County totaled 19, showing homes are selling quickly throughout the county.
In Clearlake, median days on the market totaled 34; followed by Hidden Valley Lake, 16; Lakeport, 13; and Kelseyville, eight.
The sales list to price in the county in March 2021 was 98.5%, indicating that homes are selling very close to list price throughout the county.
In Hidden Valley Lake, 100% of homes are selling at sales list to price, followed by 99.3% in Clearlake, 98.8% in Kelseyville and 98.6% in Lakeport.
As for active listings that had price reductions across Lake County in March, 27.3% were reduced, showing that even with quick sales and homes selling close to asking price, if priced too high, price reductions are needed.
In Lakeport for March 2021, 39.1% of active listings had price reductions, while Kelseyville had 31.8%, Clearlake had 16% and Hidden Valley Lake had 11.1%.
It will be interesting to see what the market brings us in the months ahead.
Tama Prokopowich is president-elect of the Lake County Association of Realtors.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) have led a group of 17 members of the California Legislature in calling upon the governor and legislative leadership to support a major investment in broadband infrastructure and service for Californians without reliable, affordable internet.
The effort comes as the governor considers adjustments to his January budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021-22 in the annual “May Revision.”
The letter calls for a $500 million allocation in funds from the American Rescue Plan to support the deployment of broadband municipal fiber networks by local governments.
The group, which includes Aguiar-Curry, Gonzalez, Sens. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), and Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), and Assemblymembers Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace), Luz Rivas (D-Arleta), Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley), Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton), Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), and Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) calls for a significant $3 billion investment to further target and support broadband infrastructure deployment by local agencies, nonprofits and internet providers who apply under the California Advanced Services Fund program.
The Newsom administration’s Public Utilities Commission has estimated the necessary investment to bring Californians up to federal standards established by the Federal Communications Commission at almost $6.8 billion.
This estimate comes before the FCC considers updating the standard of 25 mbs upload/25 mbs download to greater speeds to keep up with improving computer technology to support such services as online education and job training, Telehealth, Small Business access to the Digital Economy, and public access to e-commerce and a growing array of government services online. Higher standards will require even greater public investment.
"Even before the pandemic, which shone a glaring light on Californians’ lack of reliable, affordable internet services, we knew access to the internet is an essential requirement for participating in the promise of today’s online world," said Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). "The California of today cannot lead our people into the future with the technology of the past. In partnership with Senator Gonzalez and our many colleagues in the Legislature, we can provide that future for every home and business in our State. The time to strike is now, with budgetary investment to support the policy in our legislation."
“This year we must take meaningful action to close the digital divide,” said Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “That means we need substantial monetary investments in addition to policy reform, to ensure that broadband infrastructure is deployed in the unserved and underserved communities that need access to high-speed internet the most. We already know how important this is. Broadband is a necessity, just like electricity and water, and every Californian deserves to have access to the vast myriad of benefits afforded by the internet, including educational, social, and economic opportunities. I thank Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry for her continued support, and all members who have signed on to this letter in support of greater financial investments that will take us one step closer to true Digital Equity in California.”
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
Melissa L. Caldwell, University of California, Santa Cruz
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed uncomfortable and distressing truths about American society: namely, the struggle many Americans face just getting by.
Yet, while the pervasive food insecurity that has always existed in the U.S. became more visible, how the problem disproportionately affects people with disabilities has received less attention.
As an ethnographer of food, poverty and welfare, I study how people respond to economic scarcity through caregiving networks. Although caregiving networks like neighborhood mutual aid groups and pop-up food banks quickly emerged to support vulnerable groups during the pandemic, people with disabilities have continued to face additional challenges.
High risk of food insecurity
An estimated 25% of U.S. adults have some form of physical or intellectual disability. Functional disabilities – such as the inability to walk more than a quarter of a mile, climb stairs or lift objects weighing over 10 pounds – are among the most common.
Collectively, these factors put them at greater risk for food insecurity, which the USDA defines as limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Yet people with disabilities are underrepresented in accounts of pandemic-related poverty and food insecurity. Given their reduced access to food shopping, they are less likely to be included in research on disruptions to the food system. This is prompting demands from health researchers and disability activists for greater attention and solutions.
In the early stages of the pandemic, many Americans endured long lines and stocked up on groceries to avoid repeat trips to the stores. But these inconveniences – as well as going from store to store in search of scarce goods – can be physically and emotionally grueling for people with limited mobility or stability, or who are easily exhausted. And although many supermarkets created special shopping hours for elderly and disabled customers, getting there at specific times required people to either be able to drive or navigate the scheduling uncertainties of public transportation.
Once inside stores, disabled persons are further disenfranchised by the physical limitations of shopping. Shopping for one to two weeks – as public health officials had recommended – is especially difficult while using a wheelchair or motorized scooter that holds only a small basket of goods. The same is true for pushing a cart or carrying a basket while using a walker or cane.
Customers who are able to drive themselves to shop may also find themselves unable to get their items from the store into their vehicles. Stores that once offered assistance stopped these services in order to protect their employees.
For some individuals with disabilities, going to a food bank or community service center was also an important social encounter – an opportunity to visit friends, access news and interact with social workers. Once those programs were shuttered or made contactless, many people were further isolated in their homes. Studies have shown that social isolation among people with disabilities reduces not only access to food but also the motivation to prepare and eat food.
While new digital technologies have allowed customers to outsource their food shopping to gig workers, they require basic infrastructure, equipment and knowledge that may be unaffordable to low-income people with disabilities. Moreover, reliance on others to choose one’s food can cause people to feel a loss of control and autonomy over their food choices.
In many ways, the stories that have been most visible around food insecurity have been those of the people who were in fact able to stand in lines, stock up on groceries and even barter with neighbors for supplies. During a pandemic that has made life much more difficult for billions of people around the world, I believe the experiences of disabled persons have become further marginalized and less visible.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties where accelerated action is needed to protect public health, safety and the environment.
In total, 41 counties — including Lake — are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30 percent of the state’s population.
Climate change-induced early warm temperatures and extremely dry soils have further depleted the expected runoff water from the Sierra-Cascade snowpack, resulting in historic and unanticipated reductions in the amount of water flowing to major reservoirs, especially in Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.
“With the reality of climate change abundantly clear in California, we’re taking urgent action to address acute water supply shortfalls in northern and central California while also building our water resilience to safeguard communities in the decades ahead,” said Gov. Newsom. “We’re working with local officials and other partners to protect public health and safety and the environment, and call on all Californians to help meet this challenge by stepping up their efforts to save water.”
In April, Gov. Newsom signed an emergency proclamation directing state agencies to take immediate action to bolster drought resilience across the state and declaring a state of emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma counties due to severe drought conditions in the Russian River Watershed.
On Monday, the governor took action to ensure an expedited response to address acute drought impacts in Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.
Monday’s drought emergency proclamation adds the following 39 counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties.
Additionally, the proclamation provides new authority for the existing drought emergency announced on April 21 for Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Extraordinarily warm temperatures in April and early May separate this critically dry year from all others on California record.
California experienced an accelerated rate of snow melt in the Sacramento, Feather and American River watersheds, which feed the major reservoirs of the state and federal water projects.
This was exacerbated when much of the snowpack, sitting on very dry ground, seeped into the earth rather than flowing into our rivers and streams and into these reservoirs.
Warming temperatures also prompted water diverters below the dams to withdraw their water much earlier and in greater volumes than typical even in other recent critically dry years.
These factors reduced expected water supplies by more than 500,000 acre feet, enough to supply up to one million households with water for a year.
The drastic reduction in water supplies means these reservoirs are extremely low for water users, including farmers, and fish and wildlife in the counties the drought proclamation covers.
The governor’s proclamation directs the State Water Board to consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases and diversion limitations to conserve water upstream later in the year to maintain water supply, improve water quality and protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead.
The state of emergency also enables flexibilities in regulatory requirements and procurement processes to mitigate drought impacts and directs state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water from one water right holder to another, enabling available water to flow where it is needed most.
The governor’s executive action last month directed state agencies to partner with local water suppliers to promote conservation through the Save Our Water campaign, a critical resource for Californians during the 2012-2016 drought.
Some municipalities have already adopted mandatory local water-saving requirements, and many more have called for voluntary water use reductions.
“It’s time for Californians to pull together once again to save water,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “All of us need to find every opportunity to save water where we can: limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Homeowners, municipalities, and water diverters can help by addressing leaks and other types of water loss, which can account for over 30 percent of water use in some areas.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — May is National Bicycle Safety Month.
The California Highway Patrol takes the opportunity each year to remind bicyclists and motorists to share the road and remember traffic safety saves lives.
“Thousands of Californians ride their bicycles every day for exercise, leisure, and commuting,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Keeping California’s roads safe is a priority and the shared responsibility of motorists and bicyclists.”
“More and more people are taking up bike riding, and it is important that drivers are aware of bicyclists and travel safely around them,” California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “If you need to move past a bike, try to provide at least three feet of space whenever possible. Think of others on the road who are not driving as your closest friends or family.”
Motorists can help keep cyclists safe by sharing the road, looking twice for bicyclists before turning left or right onto a road, and always checking before opening a vehicle door when parked on a street to avoid opening it into a bicyclist’s path.
The law requires motorists to give at least three feet clearance when passing a bicycle or to slow to a reasonable and prudent speed and pass only when doing so would not endanger the safety of the bicyclist.
Keep in mind the vulnerability of bicyclists in the event of a crash, which could result in serious injury or even death.
Preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System indicate that during the past five years, nearly 800 bicyclists were killed and more than 51,000 were injured in crashes in California.
The data also show that bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the roadway and improper turning movement violations are the primary causes of fatal bicycle-involved crashes.
A bicyclist has the same rights and is required to follow the same rules of the road as motorists.
Bicyclists should eliminate distractions while riding, obey all traffic signs and signals, indicate when making a turn, pull off the roadway if five or more vehicles are lined up behind them, yield to pedestrians and never bicycle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Bicyclists should remember to be aware of their surroundings and the ever-changing traffic conditions, wear appropriate reflective or bright-colored clothing, wear a helmet, and make certain their bicycle is in good condition and has the appropriate reflectors and lighting.
During the month of May, CHP officers throughout the state will be conducting bicycle safety rodeos and educational presentations to help promote safe behavior to protect both bicyclists and drivers.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has eight dogs waiting to be adopted this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Belgian Malinois, German Shepherd, pit bull and Rottweiler.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
“Abigail” is a young female pit bull terrier with a short tan and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 14552.
Male Belgian Malinois
This young male Belgian Malinois has a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 14521.
Female pit bull terrier
This female pit bull terrier has a short blue and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 14486.
Female pit bull terrier
This female pit bull terrier has a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 14536.
‘Ella’
“Ella” is a female German Shepherd with a medium-length tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 14510.
Female pit bull terrier
This female pit bull terrier has a short red and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 14550.
Rottweiler-pit bull mix
This female Rottweiler-pit bull mix has a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 14551.
‘Brutus’
“Brutus” is a male pit bull terrier with a short gray and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 14507.
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. — With Lake County and the rest of the state facing worsening drought conditions, the Board of Supervisors will consider ratifying a drought emergency issued by the sheriff and get an update on current conditions on Clear Lake this week.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 11, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 967 5019 9506, pass code 205141. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833, 96750199506#,,,,*205141#.
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.
Last week, Sheriff Brian Martin issued a drought emergency proclamation in response to continuing dry conditions and low rainfall, as Lake County News has reported.
On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., the board will get a report from Scott De Leon, director of Public Works, Water Resources and Community Development, on conditions on Clear Lake.
That will be a prelude to the board’s discussion on ratifying Martin’s proclamation emergency declaration for drought conditions, scheduled for 11 a.m.
In other business, at 1 p.m. the board will consider an agreement with Prentice Long PC for redistricting consulting services, not to exceed $35,000, and a “Redistricting 101,” a presentation by Margaret Long of Prentice Long.
The services would assist Lake County in conducting the work it needs to complete every 10 years on redrawing supervisorial districts based on updated census information.
In an untimed item, the supervisors will consider Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District’s request for emergency lake water diversion for The Geysers.
In a proposed letter supporting the diversion, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier said The Geysers operations have asked for the diversion from Yolo Flood, which holds the water rights to Clear Lake.
“The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate diversion and use of up to 250 acre-feet of water from Clear Lake in May and June 2021 that is required for protection and operation of the Geysers Project facilities due to drought conditions and a pipeline outage affecting the Geysers Project water supplies,” Sabatier wrote.
In closed session, the board will continue its discussion of appointing a new Public Health officer.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt a proclamation designating the period of May 1 through June 14, 2021, as National Military Appreciation Month.
5.2: Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Adventist Health St. Helena and Adventist Health Vallejo for the Fiscal Year 2020-21 for an increase in the contract maximum to $155,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.3: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Section Code 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Manzanita House for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for a contract maximum of $164,250 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.4: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Clover Valley Guest Home for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for a contract maximum of $60,000.00 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.5: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Vista Pacifica Enterprises Inc. for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for contract maximum of $110,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.6: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Vista Pacifica Enterprises Inc. for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 to increase the contract maximum to $123,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.7: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Davis Guest Home for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for a contract maximum of $133,000.00 and authorize the board chair to sign the amendment.
5.8: Approve Amendment No. 3 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Evan Bloom, MD, MPH, to Assist the Lake County Public Health officer during the COVID-19 crisis response and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.9: Adopt resolution authorizing the Public Works director to sign the notice of completion for the FEMA FMAG Culvert Replacement No. 1 & No. 2 Project; Federal Project No.’s FMAG DR 5093-1-1R & FMAG DR 5112-1-1R; Bid No. 19-01.
5.10: Approve five-year cooperative law enforcement agreement between the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the USDA Forest Service Mendocino National Forest and authorize the chairman to sign.
5.11: Adopt proclamation designating the week of May 9 to 15, 2021 as Law Enforcement Officers Week.
5.12: Approve letters of support to the Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Sub. No. 3 and Assembly Budget Sub. No. 1 for A) flexible funding for County Human Services Department-Administered Housing Programs, B) Child Welfare Services: Cash Assistance for CalWORKs Parents in Family Reunification — Support $9.5 million State General Fund Request; and C) Adult Protective Services: Support $100 million SGF Investment and authorize the chair to sign all letters.
5.13: Approve request to waive 900-hour limit for extra-help field worker Corey Hustead.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of May 9 to 15, 2021, as Law Enforcement Officers Week.
6.4, 9:35 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the period of May 1 through June 14, 2021, as National Military Appreciation Month in Lake County.
6.5, 9:40 a.m.: Consideration of presentation from LCBHS staff on National Prevention Week (May 9 to 15, 2021) activities as well as highlight the work done year-round to support prevention of behavioral health challenges and needs in our community.
6.6, 10 a.m.: Discussion and consideration of board action in response to a gate on a public roadway.
6.7, 10:30 a.m.: Presentation of 2021 drought preparedness, Clear Lake.
6.8, 11 a.m.: Proclamation of emergency declaration for drought conditions.
6.9, 1 p.m.: (a) Consideration of agreement with Prentice Long PC, for redistricting consulting services, not to exceed $35,000; (b) consideration of “Redistricting 101,” a presentation by Margaret Long of Prentice Long, and possible direction to staff.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of resolution adopting a continuous record retention and destructive schedule for the County Counsel’s Office.
7.3: Consideration of Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District’s request for emergency lake water diversion.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d) (1) — Center for Biological Diversity v. County of Lake, et al.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d) (1) — California Native Plant Society v. County of Lake, et al.
8.3: Public employee evaluation: Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez.
8.4: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b) (1): Appointment of Public Health officer.
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 documentary that follows the effort of Lake County tribes to protect their sacred sites against archaeological crimes has been nominated for an Emmy Award.
“Saving the Sacred” has been nominated for an Emmy in the best documentary, historical/cultural category, said Dino Beltran, a tribal council member for the Koi Nation of Lower Lake, one of the film’s producers.
Beltran said he received news of the nomination on Thursday.
His co-producer is Sherry Treppa, tribal chair for the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.
“As native people no longer in control of our aboriginal lands it’s in our DNA to protect our lands but if we can’t do that then we must protect the historical and cultural artifacts that are evidence of our existence,” said Treppa. “This film educates the public on the topic and demonstrates that a community that values this culture and works together to protect it can be successful.”
Treppa said the goal was to educate and really demonstrate the power of community and hopefully entertain. An award wasn’t her goal, she added, but she’s happy people liked it.
The film is competing against a documentary by Hawaiian Airlines called “Ka Huaka’i: The Journey to Merrie Monarch.”
This is the second Emmy Beltran has been nominated for in his effort to preserve and document the tribal history of Lake County.
In June 2017, he was among a group that won the Emmy in the “Historic/ Cultural-Program/ Special” category for “A Walk Through Time: The Story of Anderson Marsh.”
By the time he won the Emmy, Beltran already was in the process of doing the groundwork for “Saving the Sacred,” which was started in 2018 and completed in 2019.
The topic of this film, which debuted in the fall of 2019, is Ancestors 1, the agreement the Koi Nation, the Habematolel Pomo, Elem Indian Colony and Robinson Rancheria entered into with the county of Lake and which the Board of Supervisors approved in December 2015.
The goal of the agreement, the sixth of its type in California, is to protect sacred sites through the development process. It also established formal relationships with the sheriff and district attorney to prosecute archaeological crimes.
The 28-minute film follows the efforts of Beltran and Treppa as they put the agreement together with the county government and other tribes.
Featured in the film are former Gov. Jerry Brown; Christina Snider, Native American Heritage Commission executive secretary and governor’s tribal advisor, Office of the Governor, who is herself Pomo; Sheriff Brian Martin; and Supervisor EJ Crandell.
Award-winning actor, director and documentary narrator Peter Coyote, who narrated “A Walk Through Time,” also narrated “Saving the Sacred.”
This year’s Emmy event will be a virtual ceremony on June 5.
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.
The early-stage NASA concept could see robots hang wire mesh in a crater on the Moon’s far side, creating a radio telescope to help probe the dawn of the universe.
After years of development, the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope, or LCRT, project has been awarded $500,000 to support additional work as it enters Phase II of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, program.
While not yet a NASA mission, the LCRT describes a mission concept that could transform humanity’s view of the cosmos.
The LCRT’s primary objective would be to measure the long-wavelength radio waves generated by the cosmic Dark Ages – a period that lasted for a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, but before the first stars blinked into existence.
Cosmologists know little about this period, but believe the answers to some of science’s biggest mysteries may be locked in the long-wavelength radio emissions generated by the gas that would have filled the universe during that time.
“While there were no stars, there was ample hydrogen during the universe’s Dark Ages – hydrogen that would eventually serve as the raw material for the first stars,” said Joseph Lazio, radio astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and a member of the LCRT team. “With a sufficiently large radio telescope off Earth, we could track the processes that would lead to the formation of the first stars, maybe even find clues to the nature of dark matter.”
Radio telescopes on Earth can’t probe this mysterious period because the long-wavelength radio waves from that time are reflected by a layer of ions and electrons at the top of our atmosphere, a region called the ionosphere.
Random radio emissions from our noisy civilization can interfere with radio astronomy as well, drowning out the faintest signals.
But on the Moon’s far side, there’s no atmosphere to reflect these signals, and the Moon itself would block Earth’s radio chatter. The lunar far side could be prime real estate to carry out unprecedented studies of the early universe.
“Radio telescopes on Earth cannot see cosmic radio waves at about 33 feet or longer because of our ionosphere, so there’s a whole region of the universe that we simply cannot see,” said Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, a robotics technologist at JPL and the lead researcher on the LCRT project. “But previous ideas of building a radio antenna on the Moon have been very resource intensive and complicated, so we were compelled to come up with something different.”
Building telescopes with robots
To be sensitive to long radio wavelengths, the LCRT would need to be huge. The idea is to create an antenna over half-a-mile wide in a crater over 2 miles wide.
The biggest single-dish radio telescopes on Earth – like the 1,600-foot Spherical Telescope, or FAST, in China and the now-inoperative 1,000-foot-wide Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico – were built inside natural bowl-like depressions in the landscape to provide a support structure.
This class of radio telescope uses thousands of reflecting panels suspended inside the depression to make the entire dish’s surface reflective to radio waves.
The receiver then hangs via a system of cables at a focal point over the dish, anchored by towers at the dish’s perimeter, to measure the radio waves bouncing off the curved surface below.
But despite its size and complexity, even FAST is not sensitive to radio wavelengths longer than about 14 feet.
With his team of engineers, roboticists, and scientists at JPL, Bandyopadhyay condensed this class of radio telescope down to its most basic form.
Their concept eliminates the need to transport prohibitively heavy material to the Moon and utilizes robots to automate the construction process.
Instead of using thousands of reflective panels to focus incoming radio waves, the LCRT would be made of thin wire mesh in the center of the crater.
One spacecraft would deliver the mesh, and a separate lander would deposit DuAxel rovers to build the dish over several days or weeks.
DuAxel, a robotic concept being developed at JPL, is composed of two single-axle rovers (called Axel) that can undock from each other but stay connected via a tether. One half would act as an anchor at the rim of the crater as the other rappels down to do the building.
“DuAxel solves many of the problems associated with suspending such a large antenna inside a lunar crater,” said Patrick Mcgarey, also a robotics technologist at JPL and a team member of the LCRT and DuAxel projects. “Individual Axel rovers can drive into the crater while tethered, connect to the wires, apply tension, and lift the wires to suspend the antenna.”
Identifying challenges
For the team to take the project to the next level, they’ll use NIAC Phase II funding to refine the capabilities of the telescope and the various mission approaches while identifying the challenges along the way.
One of the team’s biggest challenges during this phase is the design of the wire mesh. To maintain its parabolic shape and precise spacing between the wires, the mesh must be both strong and flexible, yet lightweight enough to be transported.
The mesh must also be able to withstand the wild temperature changes on the Moon’s surface – from as low as minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 260 degrees Fahrenheit – without warping or failing.
Another challenge is to identify whether the DuAxel rovers should be fully automated or involve a human operator in the decision-making process.
Might the construction DuAxels also be complemented by other construction techniques? Firing harpoons into the lunar surface, for example, may better anchor the LCRT’s mesh, requiring fewer robots.
Also, while the lunar far side is “radio quiet” for now, that may change in the future. China’s space agency currently has a mission exploring the lunar far side, after all, and further development of the lunar surface could impact possible radio astronomy projects.
For the next two years, the LCRT team will work to identify other challenges and questions as well. Should they be successful, they may be selected for further development, an iterative process that inspires Bandyopadhyay.
“The development of this concept could produce some significant breakthroughs along the way, particularly for deployment technologies and the use of robots to build gigantic structures off Earth,” he said. “I’m proud to be working with this diverse team of experts who inspire the world to think of big ideas that can make groundbreaking discoveries about the universe we live in.”
NIAC is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities needed by the agency.