LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a settlement with the owner and operator of Steve Wills Trucking and Logging LLC to resolve claims of violations of the Clean Water Act.
Tanker trucks transporting milk from the Steve Wills facility near Fortuna were involved in three separate driving incidents, all of which resulted in discharges of raw milk into waterways.
One of the three incidents resulted in the death of a driver.
“Improper transport of goods can negatively impact waterways and compromise the safety of workers,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “When companies fail to manage substances that have the potential to impact waterways the local community, environment, and worker safety is put in danger.”
On Jan. 19, 2020, a tanker truck carrying raw milk on Highway 20 near Glenhaven overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake.
On April 12, 2020, a second incident took place when a truck on Highway 20 near Clearlake Oaks overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake.
Finally, on Dec. 11, 2021, a truck on Highway 20 east of Lance Road in Lake County overturned down an embankment into Grizzly Creek, a tributary of Cache Creek.
Drivers were cited for the Jan. 19 and April 12, 2020, incidents. The third incident is still pending the results of an ongoing investigation.
Steve Wills Trucking and Logging agreed to a penalty in the amount of $71,967 to resolve claims that the company discharged to Waters of the United States without a permit, which is a violation of the Clean Water Act.
U.S. law requires the safe management of materials to protect public health, the environment, and limit the need for costly and extensive cleanups.
It is unlawful to discharge pollutants into Waters of the United States, except as authorized by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued under the Clean Water Act.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The fourth annual Festival of Trees, a benefit for Hospice Services of Lake County, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The event returns to a magical venue at Sophie’s Day Spa, 3855 Main St.
The Festival of Trees Spectacular Party and live auction features 25 exquisite Christmas trees designed and donated by community members.
Proceeds from the live and silent auctions will support the Wings of Hope grief counseling program for children and families and special needs of hospice patients throughout our Lake County community.
The public is invited to preview decorated trees at no charge on Friday, Dec. 2, from 4 to 8:30 p.m., before and after the Kelseyville Christmas in the Country & Parade of Lights.
Tickets for Saturday’s Festival of Trees are available and may be purchased at www.lakecountyhospice.org or by calling 707-263-6222.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with savories and sweets on small plates prepared by a variety of local chefs, bakers and restaurants. A no host bar providing local wines and beer will be available throughout the evening.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin will delight the audience with his talents as auctioneer and Jennifer Strong of Strong Financial Services, a passionate Hospice Services supporter, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.
Manager of the Funky Dozen Larry Thompson will queue up lively dance music immediately following the auction.
“We are excited to kick off the holiday season with the spectacular party atmosphere of the Festival of Trees 2022,” said interim Hospice Services Executive Director Hope Moroni. “This event facilitates the coming together of individuals during a traditionally giving time of year in support of the highly valuable services Hospice Services provides in our community.”
The success of Festival of Trees is made possible largely in part by several community sponsors including Platinum Sponsors Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, Michaels Insurance Services, Calpine Corp., Savings Bank of Mendocino, Roto-Rooter of Lake County, California Exterminators, Adventist Health Clearlake and Kelly Butcher.
Other sponsors include the UPS Store, Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, Lake Pharmacy, Tomkins Tax Associates, Cats Paw Vineyards, High County Security, Roland and Nell Shaul, Jonas Energy Solutions, Chapel of the Lakes and Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
Hospice Services of Lake County has been providing compassionate comfort care to Lake County residents for over 44 years, promoting quality of life when families need it the most.
The Wings of Hope program provides grief counseling for children who have experienced the death of a loved one.
Community members are encouraged to learn how our compassionate team can assist you and your loved ones. Call 707-263-6222 or visit Hospice Services of Lake County, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport.
Additional information is also available on Hospice Services of Lake County’s website.
Janine Smith-Citron is director of development for Hospice Services of Lake County.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The long wait for a new welcome sign to Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake is expected to soon be over.
The new sign will sit at the college entrance at 15880 Dam Road Extension.
District officials said Fluoresco Services LLC of Sacramento was awarded both the project for the Lake County sign and one at Woodland Community College for a total of $154,626. The district board approved the award of the contract as part of the consent agenda at its Dec. 16, 2021 meeting.
The report for the December 2021 meeting noted that it’s important for both the Woodland Community College Campus and the Lake County Campus to have functional LED monument signs “that can both display the College locations and provide digital sign messages to the public, students, faculty, and staff.”
Woodland Community College’s existing LED monument digital sign has failed many times and is no longer functional or under the manufacturer’s warranty.
The existing 4-foot by 8-foot plywood sign at the entrance to the Lake County Campus “is worn-out, the poster on the front of the sign is faded and peeling, and there is not a digital LED message component to this sign,” the report said.
“This sign has been in place for a few years now and does not present the Lake County Campus very well,” the report added.
The new two-way sign in Clearlake will allow vehicle traffic along Dam Road Extension “to view messages and be informed of upcoming events and important activities at the campus. It will be much more inviting and will present the campus in a professional and inviting way,” according to the report.
The district said it will be a Daktronics sign with high pixel density which will present a bright readable message during the daytime and dark night hours. It also will have the capability of having the message changed remotely through a cellphone app.
However, with the project still not completed, at the board’s most recent meeting on Nov. 10, during a discussion of a proposed project to build two soccer fields at Woodland Community College for a total cost of $1.9 million, concerns about the sign were raised.
Board Trustee Juan Delgado said the current plywood sign is “embarrassing.”
Board Trustee Doug Harris, who represents Lake County on the board and taught career technical and university prep classes at the Lake County Campus for over 20 years, said the discussion of a respectable new sign for the campus goes back to as far as the beginning of his tenure.
He said there were promises that the new marquee would be installed at the Lake Campus before its 50th anniversary on Oct. 13.
“Those assurances were repeated and they were not kept,” he said.
“That was a really significantly missed opportunity,” Harris added, pointing out that the community and press came out for the 50th anniversary event, and it was an ideal time for coverage of the new sign. “And we missed it.”
He told the board that in the eyes of people in Lake County’s communities, the fact that the project still hadn’t been completed “is a sign of a lack of commitment of this district to that campus.”
Interim Chancellor James Houpis told the board that the new Lake County marquee sign would be finished by January.
Harris said he had been promised the sign would be completed by August, then September and then January. He said he’s been hearing those assurances for 15 years.
No action by the board was agendized regarding the sign at the Nov. 10 meeting. However, a vote on whether or not to direct the soccer field project to move forward, funded by the 2006 Measure J bond, failed.
Cheresse Salamanca, Houpis’ executive assistant, confirmed that the soccer fields project is presently not approved to go forward. “Beyond that, it may or may not be brought back to the Board at a future date.”
Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News that the city’s planning department issued a permit for the new sign on Oct. 27.
Flora said the city has since been in contact with district officials regarding their plans to move forward with completing the sign project.
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. — Lake County’s Health Services director reported that health officials are concerned about the potential of a substantial year-over-year increase in respiratory illnesses as this holiday season is beginning.
Jonathan Portney said iIncreases in the activity of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, along with influenza, the common cold, and of SARS-CoV-2, have the potential to inhibit access to healthcare locally.
“Of particular concern is how coinciding waves of these illnesses may prevent vulnerable young children and elderly members of our community from receiving care,” Portney said. “At this time, it is advised that healthcare facilities consider expanding their capacity to evaluate and treat pediatric patients in order to manage an increase in patient volume.”
Portney said health care facilities in neighboring Sonoma County report experiencing more than three times the amount of RSV during the latter half of October than was experienced during the same period last year. This early wave has led to increased hospitalizations among children and has contributed to stresses in the pediatric health care system.
Because there is no requirement that hospitals report cases of RSV, the number of cases Lake County is experiencing cannot be estimated. Typically, respiratory illnesses are most common between fall and spring, peaking in late December, Portney said.
“The current risks stand in contrast to the lower activity of these viruses seen during the past couple of years when various mitigation measures for SARS-CoV2 were suppressing transmission,” Portney said.
He said that statewide levels of RSV currently are similar to seasonal peaks witnessed in prior years as many children are being exposed to other respiratory viruses for the first time. Most children experience a mild version of RSV before the age of 2 years. The virus typically leads to a cold, but in children younger than 1 year, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
In order to mitigate any potentially severe outcomes, Portney said it is very important that the local health care and childcare communities stress the importance of influenza and SARS-CoV2 vaccinations for every member of our community that is 6 months and older.
While there is no vaccine for the common cold or RSV, Portney said everyday preventive actions like staying home when sick, frequent hand washing, covering your cough or sneeze, avoiding contact with sick individuals, and wearing a mask in public indoor spaces can help protect our community.
Portney said respiratory illnesses have overlapping symptoms, so parents and caregivers of children should watch for concerning symptoms of RSV including breathing more quickly than usual, labored breathing, nose flaring, and long pausing between breaths. Irritability, increased activity, and decreased appetite are also concerning signs of infection in infants which parents should seek advice for upon discovery.
Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending the application of prophylactic palivizumab for infants and young children at high risk for RSV, Portney said.
Health care providers caring for children and adults with respiratory illnesses in inpatient and congregate settings should test for respiratory viruses, including influenza, SARS-COV-2, and RSV, Portney said. For high-risk patients with suspected influenza, it is advised they begin influenza antiviral treatment immediately, without the delay of laboratory confirmation of influenza.
The California Department of Public Health recommends clinicians prescribe the influenza antiviral chemoprophylaxis during outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
“ As RSV and other respiratory virus activity continues to evolve and new evidence emerges, County of Lake Health Services will collaborate with local health care providers and childcare facilities to assess and provide additional updates as they become available,” Portney said.
Whenever November would roll around, James Gensaw, a Yurok language high school teacher in far northern California, would get a request from a school administrator. They would always ask him to bring students from the Native American Club, which he advises, to demonstrate Yurok dancing on the high school quad at lunch time.
“On the one hand, it was nice that the school wanted to have us share our culture,” Gensaw told me during an interview. “On the other, it wasn’t always respectful. Some kids would make fun of the Native American dancers, mimicking war cries and calling out ‘chief.’”
“The media would be invited to come cover the dancing as part of their Thanksgiving coverage, and it felt like we were a spectacle,” he continued. “Other cultural groups and issues would sometimes be presented in school assemblies, in the gym, where teachers monitored student behavior. I thought, why didn’t we get to have that? We needed more respect for sharing our culture.” James Gensaw’s work in California’s public high schools as a Yurok language teacher and mentor to Native American students is part of a reckoning with equity and justice in schools.
Yurok language in schools
Tribal officials say Gensaw is one of 16 advanced-level Yurok language-keepers alive today. An enrolled Yurok tribal member, Gensaw is also part of the tribe’s Yurok Language Program, which is at the forefront of efforts to keep the Yurok language alive.
Today, the Yurok language is offered as an elective at four high schools in far northern California. The classes meet language instruction requirements for admission to University of California and California State University systems.
Yurok language classes are also offered in local Head Start preschool programs as well as in some K-8 schools when there is teacher availability, and at the College of the Redwoods, the regional community college. To date, eight high school seniors have been awarded California’s State Seal of Biliteracy in Yurok, a prestigious accomplishment that signifies commitment to and competency in the language.
When I started researching the effects of Yurok language access on young people in 2016, there were approximately 12 advanced-level speakers, according to the Yurok Language Program. The 16 advanced-level speakers in 2022 represent a growing speaker base and they are something to celebrate. Despite colonization and attempts to eradicate the Yurok language by interrupting the transfer of language from parents to their children, Yurok speakers are still here.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, boarding schools in the United States operated as spaces for what I refer to as “culturecide” — the killing of culture — in my latest book, “Indigenous Language Politics in the Schoolroom: Cultural Survival in Mexico and the United States.” Students in both the United States and Mexico were often made to attend schools where they were beaten for speaking Indigenous languages. Now, new generations are being encouraged to sign up to study the same language many of their grandparents and great-grandparents were forced to forget.
Language as resistance
The Yurok Tribe made the decision years ago to prioritize growing the number of Yurok speakers and as part of that, to teach Yurok to anyone who wanted to learn. They have many online resources that are open for all. Victoria Carlson is the Yurok Language Program Manager and a language-keeper herself. She is teaching Yurok to her children as a first language, and she drives long distances to teach the language at schools throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
“When we speak Yurok, we are saying that we are still here,” Carson said in an interview with me, echoing a sentiment that many Yurok students relayed to me as well. “Speaking our language is a form of resisting all things that have been done to our people.”
The students in Mr. Gensaw’s classes are majority, but not exclusively, Native American. Through my research I learned that there are white students who sign up out of interest or because nothing else fit in their schedule. There are Asian American students who wish that Hmong or Mandarin was a language option, but they take Yurok since it is the most unique language choice available. And there are Latinx students who already are bilingual in English and Spanish and who want to challenge themselves linguistically.
In my book and related publications, I document how access to Indigenous languages in school benefits different groups of students in a range of ways. Heritage-speakers — those who have family members who speak the language — get to shine in the classroom as people with authority over the content, something that many Native American students struggle with in other classes. White students have their eyes opened to Native presence that is sorely missing when they study the Gold Rush, Spanish missionaries in California, or other standard topics of K-12 education that are taught from a colonizing perspective. And students from non-heritage minority backgrounds report an increased interest in their own identities. They often go to elders to learn some of their own family languages after being inspired that such knowledge is worth being proud of.
Bringing languages like Yurok into schools that are still, as historian Donald Yacovone points out, dominated by white supremacist content, does not in and of itself undo the effects of colonization. Getting rid of curricula that teach the Doctrine of Discovery – the notion that colonizers “discovered” the Americas and had a legal right to it – is a long-term process. But placing Native American languages into public schools both affirms the validity of Indigenous cultural knowledge and also asserts the contemporary existence of Native people at the same time. It is a place to start.
One step at a time
In my experience, as a researcher on education policy and democracy, I have found that putting more culturally diverse courses in school is something that better prepares young people to learn how to interact in healthy ways with people who are different from themselves.
Gensaw, the Yurok language teacher, is at the forefront of this. One year when he was again asked if he could bring the students to dance around Thanksgiving time, he said yes, but not on the quad. He requested a school assembly space where student behavior could be monitored. The school said yes, and the students danced without being demeaned by their peers. These steps are just the beginning of what it takes to undo the effects of colonization.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport is accepting applications to fill two vacancies on the Lakeport City Council.
The vacancies resulted due to the recent resignations of Mireya Turner, who accepted the Lake County Community Development director job, and Michael Green, who was appointed by the governor to the Board of Supervisors.
The deadline to apply for the two vacant seats is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.
Interested persons are invited to submit a councilmember vacancy application. The application can be obtained online at www.cityoflakeport.com at the bottom of the home page.
The individuals appointed will serve approximately two years, with a term ending in 2024.
Qualified candidates must reside in Lakeport city limits, be at least 18 years of age, and registered to vote in the city of Lakeport.
The five-member City Council serves as the legislative body of the city and is responsible for setting policy, adopting the annual budget, adopting laws, determining services to be provided and the funding levels, and appointing citizens to its advisory boards and commissions.
Applications may be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in person, at Lakeport City Hall.
The applications will be distributed to the Lakeport City Council for review and interviews will be held on Dec. 12 and 13.
For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council is accepting applications to fill vacancies on various commissions and committees.
The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.
The city invites applications for the following committees and commissions:
• Lakeport Planning Commission; • Measure Z Advisory Committee; and • the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee.
The city is also recruiting one appointee to the Lakeport Fire Protection District.
All appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Interested persons are invited to submit a commission-committee application, which can be found online at www.cityoflakeport.com on the Committees and Commissions page.
The applications will be distributed to the City Council for review and interviews will be held on Dec. 12 and 13.
For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom will host the 91st annual California State Capitol Tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
Performers for this year’s celebrations will include singer, songwriter and dancer Tinashe; the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles; cast members of Dear San Francisco, the love letter to City by the Bay; Chrissy Marshall; the Wilton Rancheria Tribe; the Bandura Ensemble of Sacramento; the Grant Union High School drumline; and UC Davis acapella groups The Afterglow and The Spokes.
The governor and first partner will light the State Capitol tree with special guest Layla Datskyy.
The 8-year-old from Rocklin was selected by the California Department of Developmental Services and the Alta California Regional Center, and will represent the nearly 400,000 Californians living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A third grader at O.W. Erlewine Elementary School, Layla enjoys listening to music and watching music videos. She also likes to play with dolls and enjoys watching people’s facial expressions.
The celebration, which dates back to the early 1930s, will highlight California’s diverse holiday traditions, native heritage, and spirit of inclusion.
The 2022 State Capitol tree is a 65-foot-tall white fir donated by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and harvested from a U.S. Forest in Camino, California.
The tree will be illuminated by approximately 14,000 LED lights and is being decorated with approximately 250 traditional ornaments and 250 handmade ornaments made by children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The event will be livestreamed on the @CAgovernor Twitter page, California Governor Facebook page and the Governor’s YouTube page.
This event will also be available to TV stations on the TVu Grid as “CA_Governor_Pack” and on the LiveU Matrix under “California Governor.”
As respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the flu and COVID-19 continue to impact Californians earlier than usual this year, state Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan urges everyone across the state to protect themselves and their families against many circulating viruses.
“As we prepare for Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings, we need to continue being vigilant in preventing the rapid spread of winter viruses,” said Dr. Pan. “As a pediatrician who specializes in infections, and a parent, it is concerning to see the rise in RSV and flu in babies, young children and our elderly population. It is crucial we are aware of prevention methods, but also, how to care for our loved ones at home, and what symptoms to be aware of for parents to seek care for their children.”
Caring for your child at home
There is no cure for respiratory viruses, but some medications can reduce disease severity in certain situations. For mild symptoms, Dr. Pan provides these tips to help ease discomfort:
• Reduce congestion with nasal saline with gentle suctioning. Patients should sit or lie upright when possible. Cool-mist humidification also helps to clear the congestion and make people feel better. • Make sure your loved ones get plenty of rest and drinks clear fluids such as water, broth or sports drinks to prevent dehydration. For infants, use electrolyte beverages such as Pedialyte. Healthy snacks and small meals are also recommended. • If your child has a fever (100 degrees or higher), acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be given to children 6 months of age and older. Infants and children should not be given aspirin as this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. Only use other medications or medications for infants less than 6 months old under the guidance of your health care provider. • Follow dosing instructions listed on the back of the medication or from your health care provider. • Stay home at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).
When to seek care
Most childhood respiratory illnesses are mild and resolve on their own without the need for emergency care or hospitalization. Understanding when to see a doctor or go to the hospital ensures that children receive the right care.
Call ahead to get medical advice and see what you can do at home and when it is best to come in to be examined.
Seek evaluation right away if you child has:
• Symptoms of lung disease: fast breathing, flaring nostrils, head bobbing, grunting, or wheezing while breathing; belly breathing; pauses in breathing. • Symptoms of dehydration. • Gray or blue color to tongue, lips or skin. • Significantly decreased activity and alertness. • Symptoms that worsen or do not improve after seven days. • Fever in those under 3 months of age (12 weeks). • Fever above 104°F repeatedly for a child of any age. • Poor sleep or fussiness, chest pain, ear tugging or ear drainage.
Is your child at a higher risk for severe disease?
Early evaluation and treatment by a health care professional can ensure the best possible outcomes for children who are at a higher risk of severe disease.
Children who are at higher risk of severe disease include:
• Younger children, particularly 6 months old or younger. • Premature or low-birth weight infants. • Children with chronic medical conditions, including chronic lung diseases, heart disease, disorders weakening the immune system, or neuromuscular disorders.
Testing for RSV
Testing for RSV is not always necessary. Unlike COVID-19, testing for RSV generally does not change the way doctors manage individual patients with this illness and treatment is based on the symptoms a person is experiencing.
Accordingly, individuals should seek care based on concerns for the symptoms listed above and not solely to obtain an RSV test result.
Further, schools and childcare settings should not require a negative RSV test to return to these settings; in most situations, return should also be based on symptoms and generally children with respiratory symptoms should not return to childcare or school until symptoms are resolved or at least mild and improving.
This includes waiting until 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council will next meet on Monday, Nov. 28.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. via Zoom and at Lakeport City Hall, 255 Park St. The public is invited to attend.
The meeting ID is 999 3833 2870, pass code is 336698. The meeting also can be accessed via phone at 1-669-900-6833.
On the agenda is the Scotts Creek maintenance project, the city of Lakeport’s South Main Street annexation and its drought mitigation plan meeting, the South Cow Mountain Management Area implementation plan and the Multi-Tribal Fire Prevention Grant application.
In other business, there will be discussion about new use permits, consideration of Assembly Bill 361 authorizing teleconference meetings during state of emergency, a discussion about amending bylaws regarding how and where meetings are held and posting of notice and agendas, and a request to consider the Board of Supervisors stagger two year terms for council members as provided by the council bylaws.
The group also will discuss a draft letter to the Board of Supervisors asking for a request to be made to Congressman Mike Thompson to seek funding from the Bureau of Land Management Commissioner in Washington, D.C. to maintain lower Scotts Creek, the main tributary into Clear Lake.
There also will be reports from the Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Committee and the Scotts Valley Firewise Committee.
The young faces of the families of highway workers are reminding you to move over a lane or slow down for their loved ones who help keep our roads safe.
The “Kids of Caltrans” provide the personal, impactful messages behind the new public awareness campaign from the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Highway Patro, that kicked off this week at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Some of the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans workers featured in the “Move Over” campaign were on hand for the kickoff event, which comes on the heels of last week’s National Crash Responder Safety Week.
In video messages that will air throughout the state through January 2023, they ask drivers to be alert and move over a lane if safe to do so or slow down to safely pass highway workers.
Sadly, highway workers, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and tow truck drivers are killed or injured along California’s roadways every year.
Moving over and slowing down when passing a vehicle stopped on the roadway with flashing lights in California isn’t just a matter of following the law — it is about saving lives.
The “Move Over” law exists to provide a safer environment for maintenance and emergency vehicles stopped along roadsides close to fast-moving traffic.
“Not a single person should die on our roadways — let alone in our work zones — so I urge you to do your part, pay attention, move over and save lives,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Don’t let that split second of inattention destroy the lives of so many people ... including your own.”
“Making a traffic or emergency stop on the side of the road is one of the most dangerous duties law enforcement officers and other first responders perform,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Tragically, too many first responders and highway workers have been killed on the shoulder or median, and dozens more have been seriously injured. Please, move over or slow down when you see our officers and others working on the side of the freeway; not only is it the law, their lives depend on it.”
“Caltrans workers are mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles who have loved ones who need them to come home,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “For your safety, and the safety of all roadside workers and emergency responders, please be alert and slow down.”
California’s “Move Over” law requires all drivers to move over a lane if safe to do so, and if unable to do so safely, to slow down when they see amber flashing lights on Caltrans vehicles, law enforcement and other emergency vehicles and tow trucks.
“Towing professionals are the ones we rely on when the unexpected happens. We all depend on these Heroes of the Highway to clear our roadways and get traffic safely flowing after a crash has occurred,” said Sam Johnson, president of the California Tow Truck Association and the Emergency Road Service Coalition of America. “As a motorist, you can help protect these heroes by paying attention, slowing down, and moving over when you see the flashing lights of a tow truck assisting a stranded vehicle. The California Tow Truck Association along with the Emergency Road Service Coalition of America would like to thank the motoring public for their help with our mission to get each and every one of these Heroes of the Highway safely home to their families at the end of the day.”
In 2020, nearly 7,000 work-zone crashes occurred on California roadways, resulting in more than 3,000 injuries and nearly 100 fatalities. Nationally, drivers and passengers account for 85% of those killed in work zones.
Although all 50 states have enacted “Move Over” laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 71% of Americans are not aware of them.
In California, failure to obey the “Move Over” law can result in fines up to $1,000, plus points on your driving record.
Since 1921, 191 Caltrans employees have been killed on the job, and one of the biggest hazards to them and anyone working on the roads is from motorists who do not exercise caution. Those 191 employees represent scores of families torn apart by preventable work zone collisions.