KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Following the aftermath of deadly wildfires that destroyed Lahaina, the Konocti Fire Safe Council, or KFSC, is holding a special “Lessons from Lahaina” wildfire and evacuation preparedness event for residents of the Soda Bay corridor.
The event will focus on action steps each of us should take before a wildfire occurs to help save lives and homes.
Featured guest speakers for this interactive presentation are Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brian York and John Nowell, former Los Angeles Fire Department battalion chief and Soda Bay homeowner.
This event will be held Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Konocti Harbor Resort in Andy’s Tavern.
Admission is free.
“Lessons from Lahaina” is part of continued public outreach efforts by the Konocti Fire Safe Council in its efforts to educate and prepare residents along the Soda Bay Road corridor to be ready for wildfire.
This event is sponsored by Cal Fire, Konocti Harbor Resort and the Konocti Fire Safe Council.
The Konocti Fire Safe Council is a 501 c(3) nonprofit corporation that aims to increase wildfire resilience in the Soda Bay Road corridor in Lake County.
The group’s efforts are centered on preparation, mitigation, education and evacuation in the eight designated Zonehaven/Genesys districts that make up its service area.
For more information, contact the Konocti Fire Safe Council at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-279-2245.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will take up a discussion regarding an increase of legal expenses to defend the city against tribal lawsuits and a proposed water rate increase.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.
The meeting will start with the swearing in of new police department employees, and presentations of proclamations declaring October 2023 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On the agenda is a public hearing in order to close out a Community Development Block Grant for Code Enforcement.
Under business, the council will consider increasing its expenditures with the Downey Brand law firm from $250,000 to $500,000.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report explains that this year he executed the contract with Downey Brand “primarily related to the recent onslaught by the Koi Nation to challenge all economic development projects in the City of Clearlake.”
Flora continued, “On March 3, 2023 the Koi filed a lawsuit against the City, challenging the CEQA determination for the 18th Avenue Road Improvement Project. In July the Koi Nation filed a second lawsuit against the City, this time regarding the Burns Valley Sports Complex and Recreation Center Project. The 18th Avenue project is scheduled for trial on October 20th, with no trial date set yet for the Burns Valley lawsuit.”
He said that in March the council authorized $250,000 to be spent in defense of these projects and that some additional funds will be required. That is why city staff is requesting an additional $250,000 be authorized, for a total of $500,000.
“While the City continues to believe these lawsuits and the tribe’s actions to be an overreach and frivolous, significant taxpayer funds will nonetheless be required to defend these projects,” Flora wrote.
In other business, the council will consider selling a city-owned property at 15903 36th Ave. to Jerry Lambert and Alexis Silimon.
Management Analyst Crystal Melanson’s report to the council explains that in March Lambert and Silimon were approved for the City’s Homestead Program by the Housing Committee.
The Homestead Program offers participants a city-owned lot at no cost or $10,000 toward the purchase of a privately owned lot, Melanson said.
She said Lambert and Silimon chose the city-owned lot for the site of their new home.
The council also will consider possible action related to Golden State Water Co.’s request for a rate increase. Under the different scenarios, rates could rise between 32 and 41 percent over a three-year period.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants and City Council minutes, minutes of the Aug. 9 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting, approval of contract with BPR Consulting Group for the 2023-2024 fiscal year not to exceed $100,000 for building inspection and plan review services, accept interest in real property conveyed by trustee deed upon sale dated July 19 from Placer Foreclosure Co., approval of Amendment No. 3 to the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association Memorandum of Understanding deleting the senior maintenance worker premium pay, award of contract for the Senior Center Kitchen Remodel Project to Pro-Ex Construction in the amount of $593,880.00 and authorize the city manager to approve up to 10% for additional unforeseen contract amendments, authorization of road closure for the Robert Viramontes Memorial Soap Box Derby.
The council will hold a closed session after the meeting to discuss two cases of existing litigation involving the Koi Nation of Northern California.
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 late October benefit will raise funds to support Cobb Elementary School garden program.
The Garden Harvest Gala will take place on Sunday, Oct. 22.
It will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at Boatique Winery, 8255 Red Hills Road in Kelseyville.
The event will feature a beautiful farm to fork family style dinner by Rosey Cooks, groovy jazz music by blue.hour, a local art auction and Cobb’s famous dessert auction.
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed SB 616 by Sen. Lena Gonzales (D-Long Beach), a bill guaranteeing workers at least five paid sick days per year, up from the current three days, while also increasing the accrual and carry-over amounts.
Working sick costs the national economy $273 billion annually in lost productivity.
Two days of unpaid sick time is nearly the equivalent of a month’s worth of groceries.
Newsom’s office said offering sick days helps save employers money through improved productivity and morale, as well as reduced presenteeism and turnover.
Increasing access to paid sick days also reduces health care costs, with evidence showing that when workers have paid sick days such costs go down and workers’ health benefits, Newsom’s office reported.
“Too many folks are still having to choose between skipping a day's pay and taking care of themselves or their family members when they get sick,” said Newsom. “We’re making it known that the health and well-being of workers and their families is of the utmost importance for California’s future.”
“Women and mothers are the default caregivers of sick family members. As such, they are more likely to be harmed by disrupted or lost wages when they need to take time off work,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “More paid sick days for ALL California workers will help ease this distinct burden on women, and bolster their economic security.”
“Today marks an exciting moment as our Golden State enacts SB 616, which gives five guaranteed paid sick leave days to California's workers,” said Gonzalez. “This reinforces our state’s values and commitment to protecting the health and well-being of our workers. As workers and families face illnesses that can disrupt their wages and livelihoods, California has delivered and stepped up to protect and expand paid sick leave, providing a critical safety net to all working Californians. I extend my gratitude to Gov. Newsom for signing this bill into law, and to my colleagues in the Legislature, and all the labor supporters, small businesses, and community members who united to advocate for this critical legislation.”
“This is a huge win for workers who have struggled to access adequate paid sick time. We never know what can come up in our lives. A sick child. Emergency surgery. Serious illness. Going from 3 to 5 paid sick days is a very important lifeline for working families across the state,” said Ingrid Vilorio, Jack in the Box worker from Castro Valley. “Now, workers will no longer have to worry about how to make the month’s rent or how to keep food on the table while recovering from illness or caring for a loved one. We thank Gov. Newsom for standing up for workers and signing SB 616.”
In addition to signing this measure on Wednesday, the governor also announced that he has signed the following bills:
AB 256 by Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) — Vehicles: registration.
AB 268 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) — Board of State and Community Corrections.
AB 298 by Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Porterville) — Honoring Our Blind Veterans Act.
AB 969 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) — Elections: voting systems.
AB 1270 by Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) — Redevelopment: successor agency: City of Lake Forest.
AB 1271 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) — Gambling Control Act: licenses.
AB 1458 by Assemblymember Tri Ta (R-Westminster) — Common interest developments: association governance: member election.
AB 1471 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) — Hospitals: seismic compliance: O’Connor Hospital and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
SB 256 by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) — Parklands: City of Davis.
SB 519 by Sen. Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) — Corrections.
SB 548 by Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) — Public employees’ retirement: joint county and trial court contracts.
SB 568 by Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) — Electronic waste: export.
SB 617 by Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) — Public contracts: progressive design-build: local and regional agencies: transit.
SB 883 by the Committee on Public Safety — Public Safety Omnibus.
SB 890 by the Committee on Governance and Finance — Property taxation: change of ownership and base year value transfers.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a national test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
It will take place beginning at 11:20 a.m. Pacific Time.
The purpose of the test is to help ensure that Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, and the Emergency Alert System, or EAS, continue to be effective ways to warn the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.
In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the backup testing date is Oct. 11.
All major U.S. wireless providers participate in Wireless Emergency Alerts and will transmit the national test to their subscribers.
If your mobile phone is on and within range of an active cell tower from a participating wireless provider, you should receive the national test.
Wireless providers will transmit the national test for 30 minutes, but your phone should only receive it once.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The WEA message will read “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers.
The EAS test message will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET (11:20 – 11:50 PST). This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 Moose Lodge Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
The meeting will be available via Zoom. The meeting ID is 986 3245 2684, pass code is 666827.
The guest speaker for the Wednesday meeting will be Community Development Department Director Mireya Turner.
Turner will speak about the Clearlake Oaks Roadmap Taskforce update, the Cannabis Ordinance Task Force update and commercial cannabis projects.
In other business, the group will get an update on Spring Valley, including illegal cannabis cultivation, FireWise Community safety and Spring Valley Lake recovery.
ERTH also will discuss the latest on Klaus Park, the new park to be built with donated land and proceeds in Clearlake Oaks.
There also will be an update from Northshore Fire Protection District, a report from Supervisor EJ Crandell, new business and announcements.
The group’s next meeting will take place on Nov. 1.
ERTH’s members are Denise Loustalot, Jim Burton, Tony Morris and Pamela Kicenski.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
People think sexual harassment and domestic abuse are less harmful for women in poverty than for higher-income women, according to four studies involving 3,052 Americans conducted by mycolleagues and me. We also found that people believe women in poverty require less help and support when experiencing these kinds of sexual misconduct.
My research partners and I recruited participants of different ages, genders and incomes. We asked them to read about either a low-income woman or a high-income woman who was dealing with workplace sexual harassment or intimate partner abuse. Then we had participants rate how distressing these instances would be for the woman.
The harassment events described inappropriate behavior from a co-worker, such as sexual comments and unwanted advances, while domestic abuse events included threats, demeaning comments and physical violence from the woman’s partner. In some of the studies, participants also rated how much social support or bystander intervention would be necessary for these events.
Our participants rated the harassment and abuse events as less upsetting for the lower-income woman than for the higher-income woman. They also thought the lower-income woman would need less emotional support from friends and family and less help from bystanders than the higher-income woman. On average, participants thought she needed only 85% as much help as her higher-income counterpart.
The result was the same whether the woman was white, Black, East Asian or Latina. Both low- and high-income study participants shared this pattern of judgment – as did male and female participants.
Why it matters
There is no data that shows lower-income women are less affected by gender-based violence – in fact, there is evidence they are often more affected.
It isn’t that study participants didn’t like the low-income woman. In fact, in our studies, participants rated the low-income woman as friendlier and warmer than the higher-income woman. But liking the low-income woman didn’t prevent participants from thinking the harassment and abuse would be less harmful for her.
Such perceptions may have wide-ranging consequences. For example, low-income women may not receive the care they need from those around them. They also may be disproportionately neglected by those in powerful positions, such as human resources managers and police investigating domestic abuse.
Already, the neglect of low-income women has been effectively part of U.S. federal workplace law based on several rulings from courts hearing sexual harassment claims. For example, in the 1995 case Gross v. Burggraf, the court ruled that sexually harassing behaviors in a “white collar” workplace do not necessarily qualify as harassment in “blue collar” contexts like construction sites.
This logic echoes our study participants’ judgments – and also partially explains why low-income women have spoken out about being sidelined by the #MeToo movement.
What other research is being done
Our research fits with a growingbodyof work examining beliefs around experiencing adversity. People seem to widely endorse the idea “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Individuals who have experienced past hardship, such as women experiencing financial difficulties, are perceived by others to have grown a “thicker skin,” making them less affected by new negative events.
Our findings show this kind of bias exists for low-income women – and highlight the need for strategies to counteract this biased belief.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
So, what role does global warming play in this? And importantly, what can we do to adapt to this new reality?
As a climate scientist with a background in civil engineering, I am interested in exploring the links between the science of climate change and extreme weather events on one hand and the impacts those events have on our daily lives on the other. Understanding the connections is crucial in order to develop sound strategies to adapt to climate change.
Thirstier atmosphere, more extreme precipitation
As temperatures rise, the warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor. Evaporation of water from land and oceans also increases. That water has to eventually come back to land and oceans.
Simply, as the atmosphere absorbs more moisture, it dumps more precipitation during storms. Scientists expect about a 7% increase in precipitation intensity during extreme storms for every 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming.
One factor that determines the severity of floods is whether water falls as rain or snow. The almost instantaneous runoff from rain, as opposed to the slower release of water from melting snow, leads to more severe flooding, landslides and other hazards – particularly in mountain regions and areas downstream, where about a quarter of the global population lives.
A higher proportion of extreme rainfall rather than snow is believed to have been a key contributor to the devastating floods and landslides in the Himalayas in August 2023, though research is still underway to confirm that. Additionally, a 2019 examination of flood patterns across 410 watersheds in the Western U.S. found that the largest runoff peaks driven by rainfall were more than 2.5 times greater than those driven by snowmelt.
In a 2023 study in the journal Nature, my colleagues and I demonstrated that the intensity of extreme precipitation is increasing at a faster rate than the Clausius Clapeyron relationship would suggest – up to 15% per 1 C (1.8 F) of warming – in high-latitude and mountain regions such as the Himalayas, Alps and Rockies.
The reason for this amplified increase is that rising temperatures are shifting precipitation toward more rain and less snow in these regions. A larger proportion of this extreme precipitation is falling as rain.
In our study, we looked at the heaviest rains in the Northern Hemisphere since the 1950s and found that the increase in the intensity of extreme rainfall varied with altitude. Mountains in the American West, parts of the Appalachian Mountains, the Alps in Europe and the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains in Asia also showed strong effects. Furthermore, climate models suggest that most of these regions are likely to see a sevenfold-to-eightfold increase in the occurrence of extreme rainfall events by the end of the 21st century.
Flooding isn’t just a short-term problem
Deaths and damage to homes and cities capture the lion’s share of attention in the aftermath of floods, but increased flooding also has long-term effects on water supplies in reservoirs that are crucial for communities and agriculture in many regions.
For example, in the Western U.S., reservoirs are often kept as close to full capacity as possible during the spring snowmelt to provide water for the dry summer months. The mountains act as natural reservoirs, storing winter snowfall and then releasing the melted snow at a slow pace.
However, our recent findings suggest that with the world rapidly shifting toward a climate dominated by heavy downpours of rain – not snow – water resource managers will increasingly have to leave more room in their reservoirs to store large amounts of water in anticipation of disasters to minimize the risk of flooding downstream.
Preparing for a fiercer future
Global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing, but people still need to prepare for a fiercer climate. The destructive storms that hit the Mediterranean region in 2023 provide a cogent case for the importance of adaptation. They shattered records for extreme precipitation across many countries and caused extensive damage.
This underscores the importance of updating design codes so infrastructure and buildings are built to survive future downpours and flooding, and investing in new engineering solutions to improve resiliency and protect communities from extreme weather. It may also mean not building in regions with high future risks of flooding and landslides.
This article, originally published Sept. 19, 2023, has been updated with flooding in New York City.
Billions of people around the world have received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The rapid development of these vaccines changed the course of the pandemic, providing protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
But these vaccines would not have been possible it if weren’t for the pioneering work of this year’s winners of the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine decades earlier.
Dr Katalin Karikó and Dr Drew Weissman, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, have been given the prestigious award for their discoveries into mRNA biology. The pair were the first to discover a way of modifying mRNA that allowed it to successfully be delivered to cells and replicated by them.
Their discovery was not only integral to COVID-19 vaccine development, but may also lead to the development of many other therapies – such as vaccines for cancer.
Life’s work
Karikó is a Hungarian biochemist and Weissman an American physician scientist. The two began working together in 1985 when Karikó was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where Weissman was already working as an immunologist. They had a shared interest in how mRNA could be used to make new therapies.
Messenger RNA (better known as mRNA) is an essential molecule to life. It’s made in the body from our very own DNA in a process called translation. DNA is our special encoded handbook of instructions for manufacturing proteins, which are the building blocks for material in the body.
Our mRNA copies and carries these genetic instructions from our DNA to our cells. The cells then make whatever protein they’ve been instructed to, such as haemoglobin which helps red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.
Karikó and Weissman thought that if it was possible to commandeer this process, mRNA could be used to instruct cells to essentially make their own cures. But at the time they started working together, attempts by other researchers to do this had been unsuccessful.
The researchers faced two major challenges as they began their work. The first was being able to prevent the host from mounting an immune response against the modified mRNA. The second was being able to deliver the mRNA into the host safely without it degrading.
To understand how they overcame the first barrier, it’s important to understand mRNA’s structure. Normally, mRNA molecules contain four types of smaller molecules known as bases (nucleosides): A (adenine), U (uridine), G (guanine), and C (cytosine). Different sequences of these bases can be strung together to produce the basis of an mRNA molecule.
In early experiments, Karikó and Weismann found that injecting normal mRNA molecules into mice led to an immune response. This meant the mouse’s immune system saw the new mRNA as an invading pathogen and the immune cells would destroy it, instead of replicating it.
So the researchers modified the U nucleoside to create a pseudouridine, a chemical compound which stabilises RNA’s structure. When they repeated their experiment with the modified mRNA, the mice exhibited no immune response.
But Karikó and Weismann still faced the second challenge of being able to deliver the bespoke mRNA without it degrading.
They decided to use lipids (a nanoparticle) to deliver it. These fatty chemical compounds are an essential part of the cell membrane, controlling what enters and leaves the cell. Specially created lipids allowed the mRNA molecules to be delivered without being degraded or broken down by the immune system.
Karikó and Weissman’s research had successfully eliminated the obstacles that had previously stood in the way of using mRNA clinically. Being able to instruct the body to replicate virtually any harmless protein could have potential for treating a range of diseases and even protect against viral infections.
COVID vaccines
When their research was first published, it didn’t garner much attention. But in 2011, two biotech companies – Moderna and BioNTech – took notice and began research into mRNA medicines.
It’s no wonder why. Traditional vaccine production methods are time consuming, expensive and don’t work for every vaccine. But Karikó and Weissman’s work showed that synthetic mRNA could be made at a large scale.
Researchers had already been working on developing mRNA vaccines before the pandemic, such as a vaccine for Ebola that didn’t receive much commercial interest. But in 2020, when COVID-19 began spreading around the globe, vaccines were needed quickly to offer protection.
Using the foundational work of Karikó and Weissman, scientists developed a bespoke mRNA sequence which mimicked the spike protein (which allows the virus to enter our cells). This produced a harmless COVID particle which our cells then replicated, allowing our bodies to protect us from severe COVID infections when it encountered the real virus.
Karikó and Weissman’s discoveries years earlier were critical in making the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines possible. But these aren’t the only ways their work could be applied.
Researchers are now hoping to develop mRNA vaccines for diseases such as HIV and Zika virus. Studies have also shown mRNA vaccines might be useful in treating certain types of cancer.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — Community members and neighbors came out on Tuesday to take part in Lakeport’s National Night Out event.
Library Park was filled with activities, colorful bicycles and booths from many nonprofit organizations and agencies during the event, which began Tuesday afternoon and continued into the evening.
The Lakeport City Council had canceled its regular Tuesday night meeting so council members and staff could participate in the event.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen and his staff were on hand — along with K9 Officer Olin — to meet with community members.
There were opportunities to learn about agencies and organizations that serve the community, with booths lined up around the park offering information and swag.
There also were plenty of raffle tickets and prizes.
It was topped off by a bike parade of children who had decorated their bikes for a circuit around the park.
This was the event’s second year back since the COVID-19 pandemic had caused it to be canceled.
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 Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that it is investigating a death at the county’s warming shelter.
The shelter is located at 1111 Whalen Way in Lakeport, in a facility that formerly served as Lake County’s juvenile hall.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office responded to the shelter for a coroner investigation, said Lauren Berlinn, the sheriff’s spokesperson.
Berlinn said the male decedent was last seen by shelter staff around 2 a.m. Monday.
He was found deceased in his bed when shelter staff made their morning rounds at approximately 6:30 a.m., Berlinn said.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, said Berlinn, who noted that there are no signs of foul play.
“As a shelter resident, the staff knew the decedent to be respectful and rule-abiding. Lake County Sheriff’s Office is actively working to locate the next of kin, so at this time, the decedent's identity will not be released,” Berlinn said.
In July 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the Oroville-based Elijah House to run an emergency COVID-19 shelter at the former juvenile hall, as Lake County News has reported.
Elijah House stopped operating the shelter in September 2022.
On Jan. 24, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the Sunrise Special Services Foundation to run a warming shelter at the facility for three months.
The contract has been renewed since then for continued operations, with Redwood Community Services expected to take over operations later this year and continue to operate it to provide housing for homeless individuals.
Berlinn told Lake County News that this is the first time the sheriff’s office has responded to the shelter for a coroner 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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department is hosting the National Night Out Against Crime in Library Park on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m.
This community-building partnership brings police and other government agencies together under positive circumstances.
Lakeport first hosted the event in 2013.
“Together we can reduce crime and build a stronger community,” according to Brad Rasmussen, Chief of Police in Lakeport.
The department invites the community to join together for a fun evening. “Get to know your neighbors and build relationships with your local public service agencies,” said Rasmussen.
One of the special activities to kick off that fun will be bicycle decorating on Park Street sponsored by the Lakeport Main Street Association. Children are invited to bring their bikes to the park.
Other activities for children will be available, along with raffle prizes for children and adults.
Local citizens and businesses are sponsors and donors; over 29 partner agencies will be present with booths providing important public information and resources.
Participating agencies include health services, animal care services, Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, Behavioral Health, Probation, Social Services, service dogs, California Highway Patrol, school district and educational services, victim witness services, disaster preparedness, Pacific Gas and Electric and city services.
Also participating are Redwood Community Services, Safe RX Lake County, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lake Family Resource Center, American Red Cross, Lakeport Fire Protection District, Lakeport Elks, Sutter Lakeside Hospital and Lake County Tribal Health Consortium.
The Kiwanis Club of Lakeport will be barbecuing hot dogs. Face painting by Chayo will be offered.
Everything at this event is free of charge due to generous sponsors, including Clearlake Club, Elite Barber Shop, Hong Kong Restaurant, J. Byrd & Associates, Kingdom Games & Comics, Lakeport Auto Movies Drive-In and Lakeport Cinema 5, Lakeport Grocery Outlet and Lakeport Tire and Auto Service.
Additional sponsors are Larios Photography, NAPA Auto Parts, Pak N Mail, Stonefire Pizza, Strings and Things, Throckmorton Jones, UCC Rentals, Ukiah Oxygen Co., Joy Madeiros Veteran’s Museum and Wine in the Willows.