NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Two of California's biggest and most damaging wildland fires in 2015 have resulted in insurance losses estimated at more than $1 billion, officials reported this week.
Two of the most destructive fires in California's history, the Valley and Butte fires, ravaged nearly 150,000 acres in Northern California last fall and caused an estimated $1 billion in insurance losses.
The Valley fire pillaged 1,958 structures in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, resulting in approximately $700 million in insured losses and making it the third most damaging wildfire in state history based on total structures burned.
In terms of structures lost, the Butte fire is the seventh-most destructive fire to hit California, damaging 818 structures in Amador and Calaveras counties and causing an estimated $300 million in insured losses.
“The Valley and Butte fires were sober reminders of the dangers residents can face in rural areas of the state,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “A year-round fire season is California's new reality. Residents and communities, especially those in high-risk fire areas, must take precautions now before the next devastating wildfire strikes.”
Insurers impacted by the Butte and Valley fires are processing claims for residential and commercial structures, cars, personal property, farms and other items. However, the $1 billion claim total does not include all surplus insurance line claims or damages to public infrastructure such as roads and utilities.
To date, insurers report they have received 5,600 claims, have paid out more than $500 million overall, and expect to pay an additional $500 million in anticipated future losses after all claims are received, processed and paid.
Insurers are confident that all or most claims resulting from these fires have been reported, but should new claims be filed, these loss estimates may also increase.
Losses from these fires are not expected to impact insurance industry solvency in California. The department continues to monitor wildfire claims handling to ensure the claims are paid in a timely manner so homeowners, businesses and communities can rebuild and recover as quickly as possible.
Separately, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported last week that federal and state agencies have provided nearly $128 million in disaster assistance and grants to aid survivors of the two fires.
NICE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol is investigating a late Friday night hit-and-run crash in which several vehicles and a home were hit.
Reports from the scene indicated the crash occurred just after 11 p.m. on Lakeview Drive at Sayre Avenue.
Officer Kory Reynolds of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office said Joseph Pimentel, 25, of Lucerne was driving a 2012 Ford Focus south on Lakeview Drive at approximately 11:05 p.m. at an unknown speed when the crash occurred.
Reynolds said that, for unknown reasons, Pimentel left the roadway and struck four parked vehicles before crashing into a residence at 3650 Lakeview Drive.
Pimentel was identified by witnesses and fled on foot prior to the CHP's arrival, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said on Monday that he didn't have any additional information on the crash and investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The boards of the new Upper Lake Unified School District and the existing high school district will meet this week to consider approving an agreement to cover the high school district's principal/superintendent serving both districts for a six-month period.
The Upper Lake Union High School Board will hold a special meeting at the school, 675 Clover Valley Road, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, to consider just one item – approving the draft memorandum of understanding relating to interim responsibility for the district superintendent.
Separately, the Upper Lake Unified School District Board will hold a regular meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, also at the high school, with that agreement its main agenda item.
At the new board's meeting earlier this month, it voted unanimously to begin negotiations with Upper Lake Union High School District Principal/Superintendent Patrick Iaccino to act as interim superintendent of the district, as Lake County News has reported.
The MOU to go before the boards Tuesday is between the Upper Lake High Union High School District and the Upper Lake Unified School District, and will last from its date of acceptance until June 30, at which point the new district will stand alone with the high school and elementary districts consolidated within it.
“The parties agree that, pending full unification, Superintendent Iaccino shall continue to serve as the superintendent of the High School District,” the document states. “During that time, Supt. Iaccino shall also devote some time and provide some services to the Unified District to assist in the transition to full unification. Because of the benefits to both Districts from this joint service, the High School District agrees that, notwithstanding that Supt. Iaccino will provide such services to the Unified District, the High School District shall pay all costs in salary and benefits of for Supt. Iaccino. The parties acknowledge that Supt. Iaccino shall be paid one salary, at his current rate of total compensation, for which he will provide services to both Districts, as set forth in this paragraph.”
Also on the Upper Lake Unified School District agenda is a resolution authorizing Iaccino to sign orders and other documents on behalf of the new governing board from the period of Jan. 1 to June 30.
Other items on the new board's Tuesday evening agenda include review of the agenda for the board workshop planned for Saturday, Jan. 30; the superintendent's report; and board members' reports.
That board also will hold a closed session to discuss administrative configuration and the hiring of a chief business official.
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. – Two Clearlake residents have been placed on probation, ordered to pay fines and stop fishing for three years for an April 2015 poaching case in which they were found by wardens with nearly 450 fish over the legal limit.
On Jan. 12 Thuan Van Ngo and Beem Thi Tran were convicted and sentenced for illegally catching and possessing too many crappie on Clear Lake, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
On April 24, 2015, Fish and Wildlife wardens Doug Willson and Tim Little were observing fishing activity at the Holiday Harbor Marina in Nice when they saw Ngo and Tran catching crappie, placing them in buckets and then placing the buckets next to a car, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said the wardens then observed a van pull up next to the buckets. The fish were placed in the van and both individuals left the area in the van with the fish. Approximately 15 minutes later the two returned and began fishing again.
The wardens observed Tran catch and keep 54 crappie; in addition to what she had, Ngo had 40 crappie, Hinchcliff said, explaining that the daily catch and possession limit is 25 crappie per person.
Willson and Little contacted the, and Ngo denied having placed fish in the van before it left the area. Hinchcliff said the wardens searched the van and found 110 crappie hidden inside the vehicle.
After further discussions with Tran and Ngo, Hinchcliff said the wardens obtained permission to search a business and residence belonging to the subjects in Clearlake.
At those Clearlake locations the wardens discovered and seized a total of 488 fish, according to Hinchcliff.
In total Tran and Ngo were in possession of 598 fish, 448 fish in excess of the amount they could legally possess, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff, who handles poaching cases in the local courts, said he charged Ngo and Tran with conspiracy, and with taking and possessing fish exceeding the daily catch and possession limit.
They also were charged with possessing more than three times the legal possession limit pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 12013, which Hinchcliff said increases the penalties that can be imposed.
At their Jan. 12 court appearance, Hinchcliff said Ngo and Tran pleaded no contest to illegally catching crappie in excess of the daily bag limit.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom sentenced both to three years' probation and prohibited each from fishing for three years, Hinchcliff said.
In addition, Hinchcliff said Hedstrom ordered Ngo to pay a fine of $4,100 and Tran was ordered to pay a fine and restitution of $965.
Editor's note: The article originally incorrectly reported that both subjects were men.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Monday, a bipartisan coalition of state legislators requested that Gov. Jerry Brown declare a fishery disaster due to the devastating impacts of the delayed California crab season.
“The delayed crab season is unprecedented in duration and magnitude and California crabbers need our help now more than ever. For the past three months, we have all been hopeful that we could kick off the harvest, but as the holidays came and went and acid levels remained too high, the statewide impact has been catastrophic,” said Senator Mike McGuire, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. “Crabbers are experiencing devastating losses that can’t be recouped due to the collapse of the fall salmon season and the unprecedented delay in the crab harvest.”
When levels of domoic acid in California crab were deemed unsafe for public consumption in early November, working collaboratively with the multimillion dollar California crab industry, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Public Health took emergency action to delay the crab season opener.
Many were hopeful the domoic acid levels would subside, but they have persisted and we have now missed the peak of the season: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Chinese New Year.
These holiday celebrations have historically represented the time when the most California crab is consumed and the thousands of crab feeds that take place across the Golden State throughout the winter are now sourcing their supply from the Northwest, repurposing their events or canceling all together.
The situation has impacted Lake County events. In particular, the Middletown Rotary changed its annual January fundraiser from a crab feed to a prime rib dinner, and the Lakeport Lions Club postponed its 50th annual crab feed until next year, as Lake County News has reported.
Assemblyman Jim Wood, vice chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture said, “The ongoing postponement of crab season is another huge blow in what has been an incredibly difficult year for the fishing industry from start to finish. Formally declaring a disaster allows us to go after federal resources that would help our fishermen keep their families financially afloat.”
In their letter to Gov. Brown requesting the disaster declaration, the coastal legislators outlined the many severe impacts the closure has had on the industry, as well as on local fishing families.
“The continued delays have created unprecedented damage to the crab market, and irreparable harm to the thousands who depend on a healthy harvest for their living. We believe it’s time to declare a fishery disaster,” the letter stated.
To add insult to injury, California is coming off of a disastrous salmon season as well. Crabbers turn to salmon for their livelihood in the summer and fall months and having both the fall salmon season collapse due to the state’s historic drought and now this unprecedented crab season delay taking hold, families are in crisis.
The California Dungeness and Rock crab fishery is in the top tier of California’s commercial fisheries. Values have exceeded $95 million per year and long-term averages of nearly $60 million.
“California’s crab fishers are in dire straits,” said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties). “It’s imperative that all levels of government come together to aid our coastal communities and local economies that depend on this industry. A disaster declaration by the governor would be a strong step toward getting our crab fishers aid.”
The unforeseen disaster has forced crab fishermen to sell equipment and assets, further mortgage their future and seek low wage employment to put food on the table.
The delay has been devastating to crabbers, fishery-dependent businesses and the coastal economy.
“Families tied to our fishing industry are struggling and need help,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). “They have weathered many tough seasons and are now stretched to the breaking point. Without them, there will be no crab to eat once ocean conditions improve.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a colorful selection of adult cats available to new homes this week.
The eight cats offered for adoption – four males, four females – have a variety of coat types in a range of colors.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
'Little'
“Little” is domestic long hair cat with a black coat.
Shelter staff said he is a sweet boy who was surrendered by his previous owner who was moving.
He's in cat room kennel No. 9, ID No. 4294.
'Big'
“Big” is a domestic long hair mix with a black coat.
He's in cat room kennel No. 10, ID No. 4293.
'Sweetie Pie'
“Sweetie Pie” is a domestic long hair mix with an orange tabby coat.
He's in cat room kennel No. 13, ID No. 4292.
Domestic medium hair mix
This domestic medium hair cat has a calico coat with white markings.
She's in cat room kennel No. 14, ID No. 4280.
Domestic medium hair mix
This handsome domestic medium hair mix has a gray and white coat.
He's in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. 4326.
Domestic medium hair mix
This beautiful female domestic medium hair mix has a colorful calico coat.
She's in cat room kennel No. 24, ID No. 4327.
'Purdy'
“Purdy” is a female domestic long hair mix with an orange tabby coat.
She is already spayed so her adoption fee will be lower.
She's in cat room kennel No. 98, ID No. 4318.
'Muffin'
“Muffin” is an adult domestic short hair mix with a gray and brown tabby coat.
She already was spayed when she arrived at the shelter, so her adoption fee will be lower.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
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.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – At its Tuesday evening meeting, the new Upper Lake Unified School District Board took action to officially hire its first employee and met in closed session to discuss hiring two others.
The board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Upper Lake Union High School District that will allow the high school's Principal/Superintendent Patrick Iaccino to also act as interim superintendent of the district.
He has agreed to fill the interim position for six months, with no additional pay.
Iaccino is one of the architects of the effort to successfully unify the high school district with the Upper Lake Union Elementary School District.
The two existing districts will officially cease to exist on June 30, at which point they will be fully unified under the new Upper Lake Unified School District.
The meeting of the new district board at the Upper Lake High School library followed by an hour a special meeting in the same room of the Upper Lake Union High School District Board – whose members include Keith Austin and Claudine Pedroncelli, who serve jointly on the new board – to approve the same agreement.
Board member Diane Plante questioned the briefness of the memorandum of understanding, saying she was expecting it to be more specific in outlining the tasks expected of the interim superintendent.
Iaccino noted that it was intentionally left broad, explaining there are many tasks and he understands what's ahead.
Plante referred to the language that said there will be some time and some services provided. Iaccino replied that, in truth, there will be a lot of time and a lot of services necessary.
Upper Lake Union Elementary School District Superintendent Valerie Gardner said she had worked with Iaccino on the tasks that need to be done. “We thought what we would be doing is bringing to you our suggestion,” she said, noting that the board also has a consultant hired to help give them the bigger picture.
“It's so detailed what we've already done, I don't know how you could put that in a document,” she said, adding that it would be good to offer an update on the subject during a board workshop planned for this Saturday at the high school.
Iaccino confirmed that the board will be updated on the work being done to finalize the unification process at that workshop.
“A lot of this is new,” he said, and not just to the new district but to state officials due to some changes in educational rules.
“It's a work in progress. It's things that are going to change over time,” he said, adding all of that is difficult to include in a document.
Additionally, he said the legal services firm serving the new district drafted the document and it was purposefully left ambiguous and broad.
Gardner said it also was difficult to say who would do what tasks, and ultimately the board would have the final say.
Claudine Pedroncelli asked what Iaccino's hiring as interim would mean for the high school district.
“I don't leave them high and dry,” he said, explaining he has met with his management team, the members of which may need to take on some additional tasks as they work to dissolve the current district over the next five months.
Austin said that the agreement ultimately has nothing to do with Iaccino but is between the two districts, explaining that the high school is choosing to allow Iaccino serve in the interim superintendent role.
Wally Holbrook, the former Lake County superintendent of schools whose firm Education Leadership Solutions was hired to consult with the district on board training, establishing procedures and other matters, told the board that, as written, the memorandum of understanding also gives them a lot of flexibility, and it can be amended.
After the Saturday workshop the situation will become clearer and the board and Iaccino may want to make updates to the document, Holbrook said.
The board voted to accept the agreement 5-0, then Board President Mel O'Meara invited Iaccino up to take his place at the table along with the board members, getting applause from the small audience of teachers and staff as he took his seat.
The board also approved a resolution authorizing Iaccino to sign orders and other documents on behalf of the governing board for the time period of Jan. 1 to June 30.
Iaccino said there will be times when they will need more than one signature on certain documents, and he wanted to add one or two more people to the list of approved signatories.
Gardner said that it would be appropriate to have representatives of both districts on the list of approved signatories. Iaccino agreed, and suggested Gardner and her chief business officer, Becky Jeffries, should be added, along with his chief business officer, Sue Milhaupt.
“There's no way all four of us are not going to be here,” Iaccino said.
Milhaupt cautioned that there will be certain documents she and Jeffries cannot sign due to a conflict of interest, with Gardner noting that between the four of them they could cover what needed to be signed.
Austin pointed out that Iaccino is a district employee and asked if Gardner was, too. Gardner said she wasn't. “So that's an interesting point,” she said.
Austin said the Lake County Office of Education has said that Jeffries and Milhaupt can both be signatories for the new district.
It was decided that the board would go ahead and accept the signing authorization document with only Iaccino's name on it and bring back an updated list of signatories at its next meeting.
Board members didn't believe there would be a need for more signers in the interim, with both Jeffries and Milhaupt noting that the new district didn't yet have a bank account.
Holbrook and his partner in the consulting firm, Richard Smith, then briefly went over the agenda for the Saturday board training workshop, which along with the board will include Iaccino and Gardner, and Jeffries and Milhaupt.
The workshop begins at 10 a.m. in the library at the high school, 675 Clover Valley Road.
Holbrook said the public is welcome to attend but the primary participation will come from the board and the district officials.
During his first report as interim superintendent, Iaccino said he visited the elementary school, noting that every high school teacher should regularly spend time with the little children in the grade school.
“That's a whole other ballgame,” he said, adding it was a lot of fun. Next up, he plans to visit the middle school. The open session of the meeting lasted just over half an hour before the board went into a closed session to discuss the district's administrative configuration and the hiring of a new chief business official.
The board returned nearly two hours later and reconvened briefly to announce that it had taken three actions.
The actions taken, O'Meara said, included wanting to pursue a memorandum of understanding with Dina McCrea, Iaccino's administrative assistant at the high school, to serve as support staff for the new unified district.
Second, the board wants to enter into discussions and meet to put together a proposed contract with Iaccino to serve as superintendent of the new district from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2017.
Third, the board wants to enter into discussions with Jeffries to possibly become the new district's chief business officer.
The board's next regular meeting will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the high school library.
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 Police arrested a Clearlake Oaks man over the weekend after finding him prowling in an area where gas thefts had been reported and discovering he was in possession of stolen property.
Timothy Allen Lee Mitcham, 31, of Clearlake Oaks, was taken into custody early Saturday morning, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
At about 4:43 a.m. Saturday, Clearlake Police officers responded to Brookdale Assisted Living at 14789 Burns Valley Road on a report of a person attempting to steal gasoline from the business’ transport van, Joseph said.
Joseph said an employee of the business called police when they spotted a person underneath the vehicle with a gas can.
There had been several recent thefts from vehicles in and around this area over previous nights. No arrests had been made in any of the previous cases, Joseph said.
Officers arrived and began checking the area. Though the suspect was not immediately located, a suspicious vehicle – a white 1998 GMC SUV – was found parked in the library parking lot adjacent to Brookdale Assisted Living, Joseph said. This vehicle had several similar gas cans in the rear cargo area. Officers conducted visual surveillance on the suspicious vehicle from a distance.
A short while later the suspicious vehicle was seen driving away from the library parking lot. As officers tried to move in behind the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle made several maneuvers as if it was going to flee, Joseph said.
Joseph said the vehicle pulled into the parking lot of RadioShack on Olympic Drive. The driver quickly exited the vehicle as the officers approached.
The driver was identified as Mitcham. A passenger in the vehicle, found to be on Post Release Community Supervision out of another county, was identified and later released at the scene without charges, Joseph said.
Mitcham denied any involvement in the gas siphoning incident. Joseph said Mitcham was found to have a suspended driver’s license. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of paperwork and documents which had been reported stolen to the Clearlake Police Department on Jan. 21 from a locked vehicle in the 3800 block of Huntington Avenue.
Upon the conclusion of the investigation, Mitcham was arrested and charged with three misdemeanor charges including possession of stolen property, driving on a suspended license and prowling, Joseph said.
Joseph said Mitcham later was booked into the Lake County Jail and his vehicle was impounded at the scene.
Mitcham's bail was set at $5,000 and he later posted the required portion of it and was released, according to jail records.
Mitcham has not been connected to the other reports thefts in the area, Joseph said.
The Clearlake Police Department reminded residents to keep their vehicles locked and any valuable property hidden from view.
“We also encourage our residents to report suspicious activity,” Joseph said.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Officer Mike Ray at 707-994-8251, Extension 504.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – It's a new year full of big plans for the Lake County Museum.
The Friends of the Lake County Museum hosted a New Year's celebration and open house at the Historic Courthouse Museum in Lakeport on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Lake County Museum Antone Pierucci said the event was meant discuss not just the plans for 2016 but to look back at 2015's accomplishments.
“We have a lot to offer and we're looking forward to working more with the public,” he said.
In the video above, Pierucci details some of what is in store for the new year.
Assistant Curator Whitney Petrey said the museum has been receiving a lot of new donations for its collection.
At the open house she showed off some of the newly accessioned items, including surveying equipment and an “Ediphone,” equipment used for courtroom dictation. The items are featured in the video.
The new staff began expanding public programs in 2015, most notably with the county museum's first celebration of California Archaeology Month in October, as Lake County News has reported. A video of the museum's archaeology month presentation can be found here: https://youtu.be/TllcLiDSy3c .
Building on that new energy, highlights of 2016 will include a March installment of the “Digging Archaeology” school program, which was introduced in October.
Among the upcoming exhibits for 2016 is a look at crime and punishment in Lake County.
The exhibit, which opens in April, will explore the criminal and law enforcement history of Lake County, and feature original court documents, photos and artifacts relating both to famous and lesser-known criminals in the area and how they were brought to justice.
As part of the crime and punishment theme, the museum will host a murder mystery dinner on April 9.
In July, the museum's “Schools of Lake County” exhibit will open, to be followed in August by the annual Quilt and Fiber Arts Show at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum.
In October, the museum will celebrate California Archaeology Month and also will feature another session of the “Digging Archaeology” school program.
In honor of 2016 being an election year, the museum also is planning an exhibit on the politics of Lake County in November.
The exhibit will include never-before displayed objects, documents and photographs “that capture the democratic process in all of its tumultuous glory.”
To celebrate the holiday season, the museum is planning a Victorian Christmas celebration in December.
Pierucci welcomes anyone interested in knowing more about Lake County history or volunteering at the museums to call 707-263-4555.
Hours at the Historic Courthouse Museum, 255 Main St. in Lakeport, are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, 16435 Main St., is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
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. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office has a new officer who is heading out onto the road.
Officer Kyle Zerbel is the newest addition to the local CHP office.
The Clear Lake Area office, based in Kelseyville, has more than 20 officers plus sergeant positions.
Zerbel reported to Lake County after completing the 27-week CHP Academy in West Sacramento, according to Officer Kory Reynolds, the Clear Lake Area office spokesman.
Reynolds said Zerbel was part of the CHP Academy class that graduated 67 newly sworn officers on Oct. 2, 2015.
Zerbel originally is from the Grass Valley area in Nevada County, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said Zerbel has just completed the field portion of his training and will now be patrolling the roads of Lake County.
“We are glad to have Officer Zerbel, he is a welcomed addition to the Clear Lake Area,” said Reynolds, who also oversaw Zerbel's field training.
The Clear Lake Area, which is in the Northern Division section of the CHP, is one of the busiest offices within the division, second only to the Redding Area CHP office, Reynolds said.
Since August, the CHP has been accepting applications on a continuous basis for those interested in becoming officers. For more information visit https://www.chp.ca.gov/CHP-Careers/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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Classes are now under way for the students who attend community college in Clearlake.
It's a new year and a new name for the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College, formerly known as the Yuba College Clear Lake Campus, located at 15880 Dam Road Extension.
Students were back to school on Jan. 19. The last day of the semester is May 26.
In this new semester, students were welcomed by the Associated Students who helped put together welcoming activities complete with raffle prizes and filled with information about services found on the campus.
Walmart, Follet Bookstore and Aromas Café supported providing students with USB flash drives, $25 gift cards, educational supplies, and gift cards for Aromas Café, college officials reported.
Executive Dean Annette Lee told Lake County News that the campus now has about 19 full-time equivalent students fewer that at this time last year.
“Community college enrollments are down all over the state this semester due to the healthy California economy, but we also attribute our drop in enrollment this semester to the lingering effects of the Lake County wild fires from last summer,” Lee said.
The campus' change of name occurred officially last month.
At the Dec. 10 Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved changing the name of the Clearlake campus to the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College to better reflect the realignment from the Yuba College Campus to Woodland Community College.
The district reported that the board had approved realigning the Clear Lake Campus with Woodland Community College in January 2014 to strategically meet the diverse needs of the community and region.
The previous name – Yuba College Clear Lake Campus – neither accurately reflected the service area or the realignment change, district officials reported.
In arriving at the new name, input was collected from various community entities including the Middletown Area Merchants Association, Clearlake business and community leaders and current Lake County students, the college reported.
The college is part of the 72-district and 113-college California Community Colleges system, which serves 2.1 million students per years and is the largest system of higher education in the nation.
While enrollment is down currently for the local campus and others across the state, the California Community Colleges “State of the System” report released last week for the 2014-15 academic year showed a different overall trend.
It reported that community colleges increased the number of certificates and degrees awarded for a second straight year, with last year's number up by nearly 10,000 for a total of 200,795; more course sections were being offered; there was an increase in enrollment of nearly 23,000 students; and 20,600 associate degrees were earned for transfer, almost a doubling of the previous year's total.
Spring semester registration is still open for classes at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College.
Students can visit the main office where staff is available to assist with the process of adding a class. After you attend your class that you wish to add, obtain an instructor signature on your add slip and return it to the office to complete the process.
Those wanting more information about admittance and registration also are encouraged to visit http://lcc.yccd.edu , find Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College on Facebook.
Email Elizabeth Larson at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.