Community members also can participate via Zoom. The webinar ID is 848 0574 7044, passcode is 524710. The meeting can be accessed through one-tap mobile at +16694449171,,84805747044#.
On the agenda is consideration of a resolution approving an application for funding and the execution of a grant agreement from the 2023-2024 CDBG Mitigation Resilient Planning and Public Serviced Program in the Amount of $1.5 million for code enforcement services.
The council also will consider a resolution approving an application for funding and the execution of a grant agreement from the 2023-2024 CDBG Mitigation Resilient Planning and Public Services Program in the amount of $400,000 for water infrastructure planning.
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.
In an effort to address the fentanyl crisis and retail and community-based crime impacting communities throughout the Golden State, Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) and a bipartisan coalition of Senate members today announced a comprehensive legislative package aimed at making our state a Safer California.
The legislative package is called “Working Together for a Safer California.”
McGuire’s office reported that the package is built upon months of research, input from stakeholders and experts, and feedback from Californians.
The plan focuses on both the fentanyl crisis and retail and community-based crime, and includes increasing access to treatment, offering rehabilitative services for those already in the criminal justice system, preventing trafficking of dangerous new substances, and addressing and deterring retail theft and community-based crimes.
“Alone, these bills are strategic ways to tackle these dual crises of fentanyl and retail theft. But collectively, they are working together for a Safer California. The plan includes a series of targeted policies aimed at stemming the rising tide of retail theft that’s impacting our communities, while also enhancing and protecting the quality of life for Californians and businesses up and down our state,” said McGuire.
He said the package includes a slate of legislation built on months of research and extensive outreach with all sides of the fentanyl crisis – a deadly epidemic that they propose to address through evidence-based treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation efforts.
“When there is a need at hand, as there is with the fentanyl crisis and retail theft in our state, it’s not time for politics as usual — it’s time to come together and find solutions. That’s what the Senate is aiming to do. I’m optimistic about the proposals here today and look forward to continuing to work together for a Safer California,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego).
“We are seeing unprecedented rises in overdose deaths and a rapidly changing drug supply of unregulated substances that we are struggling to keep up with. We need to tackle this crisis with what’s proven to work,” said Dr. Aimee Moulin, professor of emergency medicine in Sacramento. “Rapid access to evidence-based treatment is the only way to address the epidemic of substance use and overdose that will have a lasting and meaningful impact on people and our communities. I’m thrilled to see so many of the Senate’s Safer California policies focused on that and know that this will make a difference. It may take time but it’s important to do this right and continue to work together for a Safer California.”
Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University and former White House senior drug policy advisor in the Obama Administration added, “This data-driven plan reflects the intensive thought and study Senator McGuire and his colleagues have devoted to reducing our state's fentanyl addiction and overdose crisis. I am grateful for the strong leadership of the State Senate for their efforts to save lives. We can’t move fast enough to tackle this crisis and this Plan will deploy resources and make a difference in all corners of the Golden State.”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, led to 6,473 deaths in 2022, according to the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard.
Research on the science of addiction and treatment of substance use disorders has led to research-based approaches that help people stop the cycle of addiction and lead productive lives, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports.
While shoplifting saw a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial burglary saw a sharp and sudden increase. From 2019 to 2022, commercial burglary increased by 15.7%.
In 2020, commercial burglary became a more commonly reported retail crime than even shoplifting. That, coupled with the increasing reliance on online retail, has created a massive issue for businesses and law enforcement that has been difficult to manage.
The bills in the Senate plan are aimed at stemming the rising tide of property-related crime in California.
The Safer California plan includes bills authored by Senators Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento), Dave Min (D-Irvine), Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), Richard Roth (D-Riverside), Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).
A list of bills and more information is available here.
The share of residents socially vulnerable to disasters is higher in counties where income inequality is the same as or greater than the national average, according to a U.S. Census Bureau analysis.
The analysis of the Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates, or CRE, Equity Supplement linked social vulnerability and income inequality.
Nationally, 20.6% of people were found to be highly vulnerable to disasters in 2022. But in counties where income inequality was at or above the national average, 23.4% were highly vulnerable. In counties with income inequality below the national average, 19.2% of residents were deemed highly vulnerable.
Figure 1 shows the relationship between the share of the vulnerable population and the income inequality in each U.S. county. Each circle represents one of the nation’s 3,144 counties, with larger circles representing more populous counties.
Counties with higher levels of income inequality — farther to the right — tended to have a higher share of individuals more socially vulnerable to disasters — closer to the top.
For example, the large purple circle on the far right is a populous county (New York County) with high income inequality (0.5980) and high social vulnerability (33.1%).
Gauging social vulnerability to disasters can help community planners, government entities and stakeholders to prepare for a disaster and plan response and recovery efforts.
The CRE provides an easily understood metric for how socially vulnerable every neighborhood in the United States is to disasters, including wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and pandemics such as COVID-19.
Modeled estimates are based on 10 components of social vulnerability including income, and access to transportation and the internet. Current estimates use Census data and provide the number and percentage of residents in the nation, states, counties and census tracts in three groups, people with zero, one or two, and three or more vulnerabilities.
CRE for equity
This analysis used the 2022 CRE Equity Supplement, also known as the CRE for Equity, which pairs data from the 2022 CRE with stats from the 2018-2022 ACS; 2020 Census; and the Census Bureau’s Planning Database. The findings are the most recent measures of social vulnerability and equity in one source.
There are several new data points in the newest version of the CRE for Equity. Key indicators are available for major race and ethnic groups from the ACS, though it wasn’t used in the analysis in this article.
Users can review area level statistics and explore how these characteristics differ based on race and ethnicity. These data include information on topics such as income, age, unemployment, and health insurance status that play a role in measuring equity.
What the CRE shows
The CRE shows the number and percentage of residents living with zero, one-to-two, or three-plus components of social vulnerability. Those with three or more components are considered to be the most socially vulnerable group and more susceptible to a disaster (Figure 2).
Social vulnerability to disasters is not distributed uniformly. Rather, a swath of counties from the Southwest to the South Atlantic tended to have a greater share of individuals with three or more vulnerabilities.
How income inequality is calculated
The ACS provides a variety of income measures, including the Gini index, a widely used measure of income inequality.
The Gini index measures income inequality ranging from zero to one, reflecting the amount that any two incomes differ, on average, relative to mean income. It is an indicator of how “spread out” incomes are from one another.
Values closer to zero represent a more equitable distribution of income. For instance, if every income earner in a county made exactly $10,000 per year, the Gini index would equal zero. But if one income earner made $10,000 and all other people earned $0, the Gini index would equal one and, therefore, be less equitable.
Income inequality increased in the United States from 2007 until 2022 when it dipped mainly due to income declines among middle and top income earners.
The national average of the Gini index is 0.4829 but income inequality varied widely across the country. Some counties had an estimated Gini index of 0.35 or less (Figure 3). Others had Gini index estimates greater than 0.55, which was higher than most of the world’s countries for which data were available.
Income inequality tends to be concentrated in the Southeast, roughly mirroring the pattern found for social vulnerability to disasters.
For this analysis, we compared the national estimate of inequality to that of each county to determine if there was a statistical difference. We then calculated the number of people with three or more components of social vulnerability in each type of area and found that areas with lower inequality were less socially vulnerable.
These results are consistent with prior research on the impact of income inequality on key well-being measures such as mental health, physical health and longevity.
Chase Sawyer is the technical lead for Modeled Data Product Development, Small Area and Longitudinal Estimates in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division. Joey Marshall is a data scientist in the Census Bureau’s Small Area and Longitudinal Estimates Area.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The initial comment period on a new plan that includes national forests such as the Mendocino National Forest has closed.
The Forest Service said the initial comment period for the Northwest Forest Plan concluded Feb. 2.
Of note, forests in California included in the Northwest Forest Plan planning are Klamath National Forest and Butte Valley National Grassland, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest and Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
The Forest Service had been accepting comments on a notice of intent that the agency will prepare an environmental impact statement to evaluate the effects of proposed amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan.
More than 9,000 comments were received from the public which are now being analyzed to refine the proposed action, identify initial concerns, and explore potential alternatives and environmental impacts.
Using that information, a draft environmental impact statement will be drafted, posted, and available for public review and additional comments in the coming months.
In addition to public comments, the Forest Service has been actively engaging tribes, state and local leaders, community-based organizations, and other interested publics.
“The goal of this process is to contribute to sustainable, climate-adapted, wildfire-resilient landscapes designed to protect threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Pacific Northwest Region. “To achieve that goal, we need to hear the voices, insights and concerns of the people who value these public lands and live, work, and recreate within the Northwest Forest Plan landscape."
The proposed amendment will affect the land management plans of 17 national forest and grasslands across 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in western Oregon and Washington, and northwestern California.
The Northwest Forest Plan was established in 1994 to address threats to threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region.
After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions.
New data from the California Highway Patrol shows a significant increase in the number of Californians applying to join the agency.
Following the launch of the CHP 1000 recruitment campaign and other recent recruitment efforts and hiring investments — including a new recruitment web series, “Cadets” — CHP reports that January 2024 saw the highest number of monthly applications in seven years, a 94% increase in total applications compared to January 2022.
“The California Highway Patrol isn’t just one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the nation, it’s also the best — delivering unparalleled safety, service, and security to all Californians,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. CHP’s successful recruitment efforts speak to the quality of this premier agency, and I encourage all Californians who wish to serve our diverse state to answer the call by visiting CHPMadeForMore.com.”
“The significant increase in the number of applications the California Highway Patrol has received since the onset of our recruitment campaign is encouraging,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee.
“To accommodate the surge of interest, the CHP has been holding three Academy classes simultaneously, for the first time in the Department's history. As we continue to uphold our mission of safeguarding California's roadways and communities, the CHP is committed to identifying and recruiting qualified candidates who represent California and its diverse demographic makeup, and we welcome all those who share our dedication to join us in making a difference,” Duryee said.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the CHP is conducting an online hiring seminar at 6:30 p.m. Topics of discussion include pay, benefits, the hiring process, and what to expect during the CHP Academy.
Register today and learn how to become a CHP officer.
The CHP is the largest public-facing state law enforcement agency in the United States with over 6,500 sworn officers assigned across California. As part of California’s $1.1 billion investment to improve public safety, in 2022, CHP launched a multiyear recruitment campaign to fill 1,000 officer positions by hiring qualified individuals from California’s diverse communities.
Next month, a new class of more than 100 cadets is expected to graduate from the CHP Academy and the total number of CHP cadets in training is currently 332.
Apply today and be one of the 1,000 new CHP officers ready to make a difference.
California has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety.
Last month, Gov. Newsom called for new legislation to expand criminal penalties and bolster police and prosecutorial tools to combat theft and take down professional criminals who profit from smash and grabs, retail theft, and car burglaries.
In 2023, as part of California’s Real Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the then-novel coronavirus. Many publications streamlined the peer-review process for COVID-19 papers while keeping acceptance rates relatively high. The assumption was that policymakers and the public would be able to identify valid and useful research among a very large volume of rapidly disseminated information.
However, in my review of 74 COVID-19 papers published in 2020 in the top 15 generalist public health journals listed in Google Scholar, I found that many of these studies used poor quality methods. Several otherreviews ofstudies published in medical journals have also shown that much early COVID-19 research used poor research methods.
Some of these papers have been cited many times. For example, the most highly cited public health publication listed on Google Scholar used data from a sample of 1,120 people, primarily well-educated young women, mostly recruited from social media over three days. Findings based on a small, self-selected convenience sample cannot be generalized to a broader population. And since the researchers ran more than 500 analyses of the data, many of the statistically significant results are likely chance occurrences. However, this study has been cited over 11,000 times.
A highly cited paper means a lot of people have mentioned it in their own work. But a high number of citations is not strongly linked to research quality, since researchers and journals can game and manipulate these metrics. High citation of low-quality research increases the chance that poor evidence is being used to inform policies, further eroding public confidence in science.
Methodology matters
I am a public health researcher with a long-standing interest in research quality and integrity. This interest lies in a belief that science has helped solve important social and public health problems. Unlike the anti-science movement spreading misinformation about such successful public health measures as vaccines, I believe rational criticism is fundamental to science.
The quality and integrity of research depends to a considerable extent on its methods. Each type of study design needs to have certain features in order for it to provide valid and useful information.
For example, researchers have known for decades that for studies evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention, a control group is needed to know whether any observed effects can be attributed to the intervention.
Systematic reviews pulling together data from existing studies should describe how the researchers identified which studies to include, assessed their quality, extracted the data and preregistered their protocols. These features are necessary to ensure the review will cover all the available evidence and tell a reader which is worth attending to and which is not.
Certain types of studies, such as one-time surveys of convenience samples that aren’t representative of the target population, collect and analyze data in a way that does not allow researchers to determine whether one variable caused a particular outcome.
All study designs have standards that researchers can consult. But adhering to standards slows research down. Having a control group doubles the amount of data that needs to be collected, and identifying and thoroughly reviewing every study on a topic takes more time than superficially reviewing some. Representative samples are harder to generate than convenience samples, and collecting data at two points in time is more work than collecting them all at the same time.
Studies comparingCOVID-19 paperswith non-COVID-19 papers published in the same journals found that COVID-19 papers tended to have lower quality methods and were less likely to adhere to reporting standards than non-COVID-19 papers. COVID-19 papers rarely had predetermined hypotheses and plans for how they would report their findings or analyze their data. This meant there were no safeguards against dredging the data to find “statistically significant” results that could be selectively reported.
Such methodological problems were likely overlooked in the considerably shortenedpeer-review process for COVID-19 papers. One study estimated the average time from submission to acceptance of 686 papers on COVID-19 to be 13 days, compared with 110 days in 539 pre-pandemic papers from the same journals. In my study, I found that two online journals that published a very high volume of methodologically weak COVID-19 papers had a peer-review process of about three weeks.
Publish-or-perish culture
These quality control issues were present before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic simply pushed them into overdrive.
Journals tend to favor positive, “novel” findings: that is, results that show a statistical association between variables and supposedly identify something previously unknown. Since the pandemic was in many ways novel, it provided an opportunity for some researchers to make bold claims about how COVID-19 would spread, what its effects on mental health would be, how it could be prevented and how it might be treated.
Academics have worked in a publish-or-perishincentive system for decades, where the number of papers they publish is part of the metrics used to evaluate employment, promotion and tenure. The flood of mixed-quality COVID-19 information afforded an opportunity to increase their publication counts and boost citation metrics as journals sought and rapidly reviewed COVID-19 papers, which were more likely to be cited than non-COVID papers.
Online publishing has also contributed to the deterioration in research quality. Traditional academic publishing was limited in the quantity of articles it could generate because journals were packaged in a printed, physical document usually produced only once a month. In contrast, some of today’s onlinemega-journals publish thousands of papers a month. Low-quality studies rejected by reputable journals can still find an outlet happy to publish it for a fee.
Healthy criticism
Criticizing the quality of published research is fraught with risk. It can be misinterpreted as throwing fuel on the raging fire of anti-science. My response is that a critical and rational approach to the production of knowledge is, in fact, fundamental to the very practice of science and to the functioning of an open society capable of solving complex problems such as a worldwide pandemic.
Publishing a large volume of misinformation disguised as science during a pandemic obscures true and useful knowledge. At worst, this can lead to bad public health practice and policy.
Science done properly produces information that allows researchers and policymakers to better understand the world and test ideas about how to improve it. This involves critically examining the quality of a study’s designs, statistical methods, reproducibility and transparency, not the number of times it has been cited or tweeted about.
Science depends on a slow, thoughtful and meticulous approach to data collection, analysis and presentation, especially if it intends to provide information to enact effective public health policies. Likewise, thoughtful and meticulous peer review is unlikely with papers that appear in print only three weeks after they were first submitted for review. Disciplines that reward quantity of research over quality are also less likely to protect scientific integrity during crises.
Public health heavily draws upon disciplines that are experiencingreplicationcrises, such as psychology, biomedical science and biology. It is similar to these disciplines in terms of its incentive structure, study designs and analytic methods, and its inattention to transparent methods and replication. Much public health research on COVID-19 shows that it suffers from similar poor-quality methods.
Reexamining how the discipline rewards its scholars and assesses their scholarship can help it better prepare for the next public health crisis.
LUCERNE, Calif. — A Monday morning fire destroyed a mobile home in Lucerne.
The structure, located on 13th Avenue at Highway 20, was reported on fire at 11:45 a.m. Monday, said Northshore Fire Chief Mike Ciancio.
Ciancio said it took firefights about a half hour to control the fire.
Three engines from Northshore and one from Lakeport Fire responded, Ciancio said.
He said the structure was unoccupied, but it appeared that transients had been staying in it.
Despite being close to other structures, firefighters prevented the fire from spreading and damaging other buildings, Ciancio said.
Fire personnel units remained on scene for a few additional hours in order to conduct mop up.
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. — The Board of Supervisors will discuss a property purchase for a new park and a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission this week.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 893 7696 3983, pass code 750003. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,89376963983#,,,,*750003#.
In an untimed item, the board will consider proposed structural changes to the Water Resources Department.
At 11 a.m., the board will hold a public hearing to discuss the purchase agreement for property at 16540 State Highway 175 in Cobb, which is slated to be a new county park.
The 13-acre site’s purchase amount is $300,000.
In an untimed item, the board will consider a letter asking the California Public Utilities Commission to Reject AT&T California’s request to be relieved of carrier of last resort obligations.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation thanking Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and the California State Legislature for their support of Lake County’s tree mortality emergency.
5.2: Adopt proclamation celebrating First 5 Lake County’s 25 years of service in Lake County.
5.3: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2023-117 establishing position allocations for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, Budget Unit No. 8107, Water Resources and reestablishing the Water Resources director as a county classification.
5.4: Adopt Resolution to Establish Fund 427 – Kelseyville Seniors Inc. (KSI) Trust .
5.5: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 22-1694-0019-SF with the State of California, Department of Food and Agriculture for Insect Trapping for FY 23-24 for $41,224.
5.6: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 23-SD17 with California Department of Food and Agriculture for compliance with the Seed Services program for the period July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
5.7: Approve travel exceeding 1,500 miles for Behavioral Health staff to attend the annual Behavioral Health Management Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, from March 25 to 26, 2024.
5.8: Adopt resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors Authorizing the Lake County Behavioral Health Services director to sign the subcontractor agreement for the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program.
5.9: Approve memorandum of understanding between Partnership HealthPlan of California and Lake County Behavioral Health Services and authorize the Behavioral Health director to sign.
5.10: Approve the bylaws of the Maternal Child Adolescent Health Advisory Board.
5.11: Approve fourth amendment to agreement between county of Lake and Jones Towing for abandoned vehicle towing and disposal services, for an increase of $40,000, total amount not to exceed $90,000, for a term from July 31, 2023 through June 30, 2024; and authorize the chair to sign.
5.12: Adopt resolution authorizing application for, and receipt of, Local Government Planning Support Grant Program Funds (Amending RES 2020-65, to Update CAO Name to Susan Parker for Ongoing Project Activity with the LEAP Grant).
5.13: (a) Rescind Resolution 2024-08; and (b) adopt new resolution to submit the CDBG MIT - PPS Grant Application; and (c) authorize county administrative officer or her designee to submit the grant application.
5.14: Approve first amendment to agreement between county of Lake and Leonard’s Hauling and Tractor, for nuisance abatement services, for an increase of $45,000, total amount not to exceed $75,000, for a term from July 31, 2023 through June 30, 2024; and authorize the chair to sign.
5.15: Ratify year two (2024) compensation adjustment for the agreement for medical services in Lake County Detention Facility with California Forensic Medical Group (CFMG).
5.16: Adopt resolution approving the Department of Health Services’ Application to the California Department of Public Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch (CLPPB) Grant Program for Fiscal Years 2023/2024 through 2025/2026 and Authorize the director of Health Services to sign said application and grant in the amount of $93,043.
5.17: Approve Accela subscription annual license renewal from March 1, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025, in the amount of $36,033.06, and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.18: Approve request to apply for and accept PATH CITED funding in the amount of $552,334.59 and authorize the department head to sign grant application and acceptance documentation.
5.19: Ratify California Home Visitation State General Fund Evidence-Based Home Visiting (CHVP SGF EBHV) Funding in the Amount of $470,413 Annually for Fiscal Years 23-24 Through 27-28.
5.20: Approve contract for services agreement for continued funding in the amount of $85,000 and authorize the department head to sign contract agreement documentation with Public Health Institute.
5.21: Approve request to close the Probation Department on Thursday, March 14, from 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m for all-staff training.
5.22: Approve the qualified list from the request for qualifications for capital project management services.
5.23: Approve the qualified list from the request for qualifications for energy consulting services.
5.24: a) Approve the general services agreement between the county of Lake and SHN Engineers & Geologists, Inc. for Landfill Environmental Services and authorize chair to sign; and (b) approve supplemental services agreement number one for the 2024 Monitoring and Reporting Program and authorize chair to sign.
5.25: (a) Approve the contract with Timekeeping Systems Inc in the amount not to exceed $25,000 and (b) authorize the chairman of the board to sign the agreement.
5.26: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, Board of Directors, adopt resolution revising the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Adopted Budget of the County of Lake by canceling reserves in Fund 254 SE Regional Sewer System Capital Improvement Reserve Designation, in the amount of $350,000 to make appropriations in the Budget Unit 8354, Object Code 783.61-60 for the Odor Control Improvement Project on Lift Station #1 and Lift Station #2.
5.27: Approve contract between county of Lake and Backroad Hauling for hauling services, in the amount of $49,000 Per Fiscal Year from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.28: a) Waive the competitive bidding pursuant to Section 38.2 due to the unique nature of service; and, b) approve memorandum of understanding between Social Services and Behavioral Health Services for CalWORKs mental health and substance abuse services in an amount that shall not exceed the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Allocation, from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.29: Approve eighth amendment to contract between county of Lake and Ewing and Associates for the Child Welfare Services Parking Lot Located on South Forbes Street in Lakeport, for the Amount of $4,800 from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.30: Sitting as Lake County Board of Directors Watershed Protection District, adopt resolution authorizing the county of Lake Water Resources Director to accept funds from California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Flood System Repair Project (FSRP) for much-needed repairs to levee maintenance areas within the Upper Lake levee system.
5.31: Sitting as Lake County Board of Directors Watershed Protection District, (a) waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.4, Cooperative Purchases, and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake Watershed Protection District and 360 Junk Removal & Hauling in an amount not to exceed $150,000 and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:03 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:04 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation thanking Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire and the California State Legislature for their support of Lake County’s tree mortality emergency response.
6.4, 9:06 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation celebrating First 5 Lake County’s 25 years of service in Lake County.
6.5, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of (a) waiving the formal bidding process, per Purchasing Code 2-38.1, as this is an annual contract for services that have not increased more than the consumer price index and 2-38.2 as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) Aa five year lease of 26 Automated License Plate Reader Cameras from Flock Group Inc., 1170 Howell Mill Rd NW Suite 210, Atlanta, GA 30318 in an amount not to exceed $68,500/year or $342,500/5 year agreement and (c) authorizing the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to sign.
6.6, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of presentation of Lake County Graduates from the 2023 NACo Leadership Academy.
6.7, 9:20 a.m.: Consideration of the Dec. 31, 2023 report of Lake County Pooled Investments.
6.8, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of Report of Summary Abatement Action Taken at 6439 Fifteenth Avenue, Lucerne (APN#034-212-10); Property Owner: Rhonda Morril.
6.9, 9:40 a.m.: Presentation of report of summary abatement action taken for a removal of one recreational vehicle on Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks (Registered Owner: Brett Hill, Jr.).
6.10, 9:50 a.m.: Consideration of (a) presentation of annual update from the Lake County Fire Safe Council; and (b) letter of support for the Lake County Fire Safe Council to apply for the County Coordinator Grant Program.
6.11, 11 a.m.: Public hearing, a) consideration of agreement for the purchase of real property located at 16540 State Highway 175 in Cobb; and b) consideration of resolution accepting and consenting to recordation of a grant deed.
6.12, 11:30 a.m.: Consideration of update from the Lake County Community Risk Reduction Authority on grant funding from the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research.
6.13, 1 p.m.: Continued from Feb. 6), public hearing – consideration of an ordinance amending the purchasing ordinance: Article X of Chapter Two of the Lake County Code to include increased purchasing limits, additional definitions, modify requirements for exemptions from competitive bidding and additional procedures for informal and formal bidding.
6.14, 1:02 p.m.: Consideration of Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee's recommendation to allocate $8,000 from the Fish and Game Fund to support the 2024 Clearlake Science Symposium.
6.15, 1:15 p.m.: (a) Consideration of letter requesting support from State Department of Water Resources; (b) approval of resolution authorizing the grant application, acceptance, and execution for the Potter Valley Project Decommissioning - Lake County Water Supply Impact and Technical Assessment, authorizing the chair to sign.
6.16, 1:30 p.m.: (a) Consideration of a Brief Update from Trane US, Inc. (Trane) on the N. Lakeport Firemain Linked Auxiliary Supply/Hydraulic Energy Storage (FLASHES) Projects (Poe Mountain Upper Lake and Hartley Projects); (b) Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing Trane to Develop and Submit Two Microgrid Incentive Program (MIP) Grant Applications, at No Direct Cost to the County (c) Consideration of Agreements for MIP Application Preparation Services.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of letter of support for Clearlake’s grant application for the Dam Road roundabout.
7.3: Consideration of a letter of support for California Coastal Conservancy LiDAR Derivatives funding.
7.4: Consideration of Resolution Amending Resolution No. 2023-117 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, Budget Unit No. 2111 Public Defender and establishing the Deputy Public Defender I/II/III/Sr. and Public Defender I/II as County classification.
7.5: Consideration of a letter asking the California Public Utilities Commission to Reject AT&T California’s request to be relieved of carrier of last resort obligations.
7.6: Consideration of (a) resolution authorizing Lake County Behavioral Health Services Department to Serve as the Administrative Entity for the Lake County Continuum of Care; and (b) Memorandum of Understanding Between Lake County Behavioral Health Services and Lake County Continuum of Care for collaborative applicant and lead agency services.
7.7: Consideration of Amendment Number 2 to the Agreement Between the County of Lake - Lake County Behavioral Health Services as Lead Administrative Entity for the Lake County Continuum of Care and Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital, Inc. in the Amount of $443,000 for Fiscal Years 2021-2024 and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.8: Consideration of Resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors authorizing the Lake County Behavioral Health Services Director to Sign the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (ODS) Implementation Plan.
7.9: Consideration of Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Community Behavioral Health for Specialty Mental Health Services in the aAmount of $3,200,000 for Fiscal Years 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.10: Consideration of agreement between county of Lake and Adventist Health St. Helena and Vallejo for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in the amount of $300,000 for fiscal years 2023-26.
7.11: Consideration of appointments to the Lake County Building Board of Appeals.
7.12: Consideration of appointment to the southern Lake County Seat of the Cannabis Ordinance Task Force.
7.13: Consideration of appointments to the General Plan Advisory Committee.
7.14: Consideration of first amendment to agreement between county of Lake and PlaceWorks for planning services to prepare the Lake County Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP), for an increase of $186,000, for a total amount not to exceed $2,074,954.
7.15: Consideration of updated Rule 1503 Sick Leave Policy.
7.16: Consideration of Rule 1513 Reproductive Loss Leave Policy.
7.17: Consideration of updated hiring incentive policy.
7.18: Consideration of the Lake County Library Collection Development Policy.
7.19: Consideration of Workplan for the Public Defender’s Office.
7.20: Consideration of resolution authorizing the chair of the board to approve and direct the tax collector to sell, at public auction via internet, tax defaulted property which is subject to the power to sell in accordance with Chapter 7 of part 6 of Division 1, of the California Revenue and Taxation Code and approving sales below minimum price in specified cases.
7.21: Consideration of the Award of Bid No. 23-32 to Rege Construction Inc., for the Eastlake Sanitary Landfill Phase One Cell Construction Project in the amount of $5,161,663.
7.22: Consideration of presentation on discharge of accountability — property tax.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Special Districts administrator.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Community Development director.
8.3: Public employee evaluation: Behavioral Health director .
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(2), (e)(1) – One potential case.
8.5: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Earthways Foundation, Inc. v. County of Lake, et al.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. — Preparations already are underway for the annual Clearlake Oaks Catfish Derby.
At its January dinner meeting, the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association opened the new year to a full house and a packed agenda with speakers from Totes 4 Teens and the District Attorney’s Office.
Newly elected president Matthew St. Clair began the meeting with a moment of silence for Helen Locke, a long-time officer, valued contributor to the association and the community.
“We will miss Helen and offer our support to her husband, Dennis Locke, chair of the Catfish Derby committee,” St. Clair said.
St. Clair then thanked Sherry Harris and her team for informing members of the work her organization does to make sure foster teens are not forgotten and Susan Krones for her informative talk on the many scams out there and how to avoid getting tricked into handing over personal information — and money.
St. Clair then announced the new officers and officially kicked off the 40th annual Catfish Derby.
The Catfish Derby is a one-of-a-kind event that draws nearly 1,000 anglers and their families and friends to Clearlake Oaks.
“It’s a boost for our economy,” St. Clair said. “Nearby resorts, hotels and campgrounds fill up and shopping at our grocery stores and bait and tackle shops benefit from the influx of visitors who also dine at our restaurants and take in the other sights and all our county has to offer.”
Along with his wife Stacy, St. Clair is a long-standing volunteer of the Catfish Derby committee that is once again chaired by Dennis Locke.
He credited Locke with the success of the derby, noting his committee of volunteers have been working out the details of the three-day event since last November.
Reached by phone for this article, Locke noted that last year the derby drew 958 anglers, their families and friends.
“For a small community like ours — about 2,200 residents — that’s a crowd,” he said. “The outstanding lake conditions brought in the crowds last year and it’s shaping up to be another good year. A full lake bodes well for our milestone 40th anniversary.”
According to Locke there are other catfishing derbies but none that bear the distinction of being the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi — and occurring in an ancient lake considered to be the largest fresh warm water lake in the nation.
“The annual 3-day event is definitely a family affair and, for some, a long-time tradition,” he said.
Locke estimates 80% fish as families with 60% of the registered anglers hail from outside of the County, coming from all over the United States.
Many anglers bring along their family that don’t register to fish but come to cheer on their dads, moms, other family members and friends. Last year, 15 members of the Parish family attended.
“They all came to honor the legacy of Albert Parish Sr., who had recently passed away and was a derby faithful, attending the derby for 18 years. The Parish family came from Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Southern California,” Locke said. “It’s families like these that make the derby unique and a whole lot of fun.”
The business association sponsors the event each year — fronting the money to keep the derby going.
“Last year the derby raised $25,000. The proceeds go right back into the Clearlake Oaks and nearby communities to support academic and sports programs, elder needs, and other nonprofits. The more we raise the more we give back to our communities,” said Dennis Krentz, the association treasurer.
The 2024 Derby will be held at the Clearlake Oaks Fire Station from May 17 to 19.
This year $10,000 in prizes will be awarded in three categories — one for adult entries and two for youngsters.
As is the tradition, there will be lots of raffles and great prizes. Derby T-shirts and hats will be on sale and there is a discount for all who register by May 16.
Advance registration is now open at www.clearlakeoaks.org/derby. Onsite registration starts at noon on Thursday, May 16.
Trophies and cash are given out on the last day of the derby where everyone enjoys the awards ceremony, a fabulous meal and camaraderie.
St. Clair encourages everyone to check out the association website to stay informed of meeting details.
“We meet on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Moose Lodge in the Oaks,” he said. “Everyone is welcome to attend our dinner meetings — visitors and new members alike. We hope you’ll consider joining our dynamic organization.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Another powerful winter storm is incoming, with forecasters warning of the potential for rain and even snow.
The National Weather Service said the storm will impact northwest California from Thursday to Saturday.
Snow levels are forecast to begin above 3,000 feet but gradually drop through the storm event with snow levels below 1,000 feet by Saturday morning, the National Weather Service reported.
The specific Lake County forecast predicts rain will start on Wednesday and continue into Sunday, when there are chances of both rain and snow.
On Saturday morning, the forecast shows a chance of 30 to 50% for snow to fall as low as Clear Lake.
Daytime temperatures will be in the high 40s while conditions will fall into the 30s at night.
A winter storm watch is in effect for the northern third of Lake County, including the mountainous area north of Upper Lake.
That watch remains in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday.
Caltrans is reporting that the storm will create “near impossible travel conditions” in the mountains, particularly the Sierras, this week and weekend.
The agency urges motorists to avoid mountain travel if possible. If motorists must travel, Caltrans advises to pack extra supplies in the event of an emergency or if traffic is held for an extended period of time. Those supplies should include extra snacks, water, a blanket, and a flashlight. Motorists should also be prepared for road closures, chain controls, excessive delays, and reduced visibility.
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. — The Lake County Association of Realtors’ latest report shows media prices going up and the time for sales taking longer.
Over the month of January 2024, a total of 51 single family homes were sold through the multiple listing service, compared to 54 in December and 52 sold a year ago during the month of January 2023. These include traditionally built “stick-built” houses as well as manufactured homes on land.
There were five sales of mobile homes in parks in January, compared to six sold in December and compared to six sold in January last year.
For bare land (lots and acreage) 16 were sold in January, the same as in December, compared to 19 that time the previous year in January 2023.
There are 343 “stick built” and manufactured homes on the market right now. If the rate of sales stays the same at 51 homes sold per month, there are currently 6.7 months of inventory on the market. That means that if no new homes are brought to the market for sale, in 6.7 months, all of these homes would be sold and there would be no homes available for sale.
Less than 6 months of inventory is generally considered to be a “sellers’ market” while more than 6 months of inventory is often called a “buyers’ market.”
January’s inventory was slightly higher than December 2023, when there were 6.4 months of inventory available. Agents are currently reporting an uptick in offers being written.
The total percentage of homes bought for all cash in January:
• 33% (compared to 35% for December and 15% for a year ago in January 2023); • 27% were financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (“conventional loans”) compared to 37% for December and 35% for January 2023; • 25% were financed by FHA (compared to 20% in December and 21% in January 2023); • 2% were financed by the VA or CalVet (compared to 1% in December and 15% for January 2023); • 10% had other financing such as private loans, USDA, or seller financed notes (compared to 4% in December, and compared to 6% for January 2023). None of the closed sales in January were reported as assumable loans that were assumed by the buyer.
The homes in January sold at an average of 93.1% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, but an average of 86.1% when compared to the original asking price when the property first came on the market.
This means that the asking home prices had been reduced from their original list prices before an offer was accepted.
In December, homes sold for 94.6% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, and 88% of the original asking price.
A year ago in January, homes were selling at 94.2% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract and at 86.9% when compared to the original asking price.
The median time on the market for residential properties in January was 92 days, compared to 62 days in December and 48 days a year ago in January 2023.
The median sale price of a single family home in Lake County in January was $292,000, which is lower than the $305,000 median sale price for December and also lower than the median sale price a year ago of $300,000 during January 2023.
This would indicate that last month, the lower priced homes were selling in greater numbers to bring the median sale price down compared to December 2023 and January 2023.
The median asking price of homes on the market right now is $369,500, compared to December’s $360,000.
In January, 41% of homes sold had seller concessions for an average concession of $11,767; the rate and amount of concessions is higher compared to December 2023’s numbers, when 37% of homes sold had seller concessions with an average concession of $7,679.
In January 2023, 52% of homes sold had an average seller concession of $9,148. This past month in January 2024, the average seller concession was highest for the largest cash transaction, which was a sale for $1,760,000 with a seller concession of $40,000.
FHA loans were next, with an average seller concession of $12,330; conventional loans had an average concession of $10,445. The only VA loan had a seller concession of $7,900.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an Arcata man who they said has committed numerous burglaries in Lake and Mendocino counties.
Tyrone Brennen, 38, is the suspect in the commercial burglaries, which occurred from November through January, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The sheriff’s office reported that at 3 a.m. Friday deputies located a vehicle connected to the in the parking lot of Bruno’s Market in Lakeport and contacted Brennen, who was the driver.
In early February 2024, Deputy Matt McCabe obtained a felony arrest warrant for Brennen for a burglary committed in Lake County, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said deputies arrested Brennen on Friday for the warrant and transported him to the Hill Road Correctional Facility to be booked.
McCabe, who has been actively investigating the Lake County burglaries, authored and assisted in the execution of a search warrant for Brennen’s vehicle soon after Brennen’s Friday arrest, the sheriff’s office reported.
Deputies located sophisticated tools that are believed to have been used to commit the burglaries, as well as clothing similar to what the suspect was seen wearing in video surveillance while casing the businesses and while committing the burglaries, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Brennen is alleged to have stolen more than $60,000 and caused thousands of dollars in damages throughout the burglaries, authorities said.
He also has reportedly been responsible for numerous other burglaries around the state over the past decade.
Brennen remained in custody at the Lake County Jail on Sunday, with bail set at $120,000.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office for their collaboration in this ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information related to this case can contact Deputy McCabe at 707-262-4200 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..