CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has dozens of dogs waiting to be adopted this week.
The Clearlake Animal Control website lists 45 adoptable dogs.
The adoptable dogs include “Rock,” an American Staffordshire terrier mix with a white and brown coat. He has been neutered.
There also is “Dandelion,” a female Doberman pinscher mix with a tricolor coat. She has been spayed.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
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 East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
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.
Guest speakers include Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon, who will discuss the road rehabilitation plan and a response to the ERTH letter dated Dec. 4.
Also speaking to the group will be Community Development Department Director Mireya Turner and Code Enforcement Manager Marcus Beltramo, who will give an update on the Clearlake Oaks Roadmap Task Force, scheduled to end in April.
Other discussion topics include crosswalk Safety at East Lake School and Highway 20; updates on Spring Valley, commercial cannabis and the Shoreline Area Plan update.
Other scheduled speakers are Northshore Fire Protection District Chief Mike Ciancio, who will give an update on the district, and Supervisor EJ Crandell who will give the group a general report.
ERTH’s next meeting will take place on March 6.
ERTH’s members are Denise Loustalot, Jim Burton, Tony Morris and Pamela Kicenski.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The atmospheric river that hit Lake County on Wednesday dropped heavy rain on the area.
The majority of the rainfall, coupled with wind, hit later in the day and earlier in the evening.
Although the rainfall was less than predicted, it was still substantial, amounting to several inches in parts of the county.
National Weather Service observations points recorded the following data:
— Indian Valley Reservoir: 1.51. — Kelseyville: 2.35. — Lake Pillsbury: 1.88. — Lower Lake: 3.03. — Lyons Valley: 1.90. — Whispering Pines: 2.68.
A flood watch and a flood warning issued for Lake County have ended.
More rain is expected on Thursday and Friday, and into the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The next round of storms appear to be far lighter for Lake County.
Thunderstorms are possible on Thursday during the day and at night, the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures are set to rise into the low 50s during the day and drop into the high 30s at night over the next week.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The recent appellate court decision by the First Appellate Department of the California Court of Appeals in Spears v. Spears, 97 Cal. App. 5th 1294, 2023 Cal. App., is an important change to how creditors of a decedent’s estate could satisfy their creditor’s claim against the decedent’s trust estate, under certain conditions, in the California First Appellate Department.
Previously, a decedent’s creditor needed first to file a timely creditor claim in the decedent’s probate estate and obtain either a judgment or approval of the claim, and, if there were insufficient assets in the decedent’s probate estate to pay the claim, then proceed against the decedent’s trust estate to pay the unpaid balance.
An important exception to the foregoing rule is when the trustee elects to open the optional trust creditors claim procedure (analogous to a probate proceeding), under sections 19000 of the Probate Code, in the absence of a probate. This allows the creditor to file the claim in the trust creditor claims proceedings.
A trustee may elect this procedure when the trust beneficiaries are located in California and they wish to avoid being chased by the decedent’s creditors after the creditor’s claim becomes a judgment; a judgment creditor has the right to proceed against the beneficiaries who have received distributions when the trust has insufficient assets on hand.
In the Arluk Medical Center Industrial Group, Inc. v. Dobler, 89 Cal.App.4th 530 (Second Dist., Div. Seven, May 25, 2001), the Second Appellate Department, held that, “if the claimant prevails and obtains a judgment in its favor, the judgment is payable in the ordinary course of the administration of the estate. If the estate is inadequate to satisfy the judgment, the judgment creditor may proceed against the assets in the settlor's revocable living trust. The judgment creditor ‘need only establish it has a money judgment against the decedent/settlor; thereafter, the judgment is paid in the normal course of administration of the trust.’”" 89 Cal.App.4th at pp. 540-541.
Under the Arluk decision the trustee does not have to keep a reserve to pay pending creditor claims filed in a probate proceeding.
In Arluk, the creditor’s judgment came after 5 years of probate litigation, by which time the trust was insolvent as the assets were essentially distributed.
In Spears, however, no probate proceedings were open. Thus, there was no probate proceeding in which the creditor could file a claim. Instead, the creditor filed a claim in a trust proceeding directly against the decedent’s trust estate even though the trustee had not opened a trust creditors claim proceeding. The trustee followed the decision in Arluk and denied the claim stating that the creditor needed to file a creditor’s claim in a probate estate.
However, the appellate court in Spears ruled that, “if there is no probate proceeding to administer the decedent's estate, it is impossible for the creditor to obtain a judgment against the settlor's estate.
Arluk also ignores section 19402 and its implicit requirement that a creditor must first proceed against the assets of a trust before seeking recovery from trust beneficiaries who received distributions. (§ 19402, subd. (b).)
In any event, in Arluk, a probate proceeding was opened for the settlor's estate and the creditor obtained a judgment against the estate. (Arluk, supra, 116 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1329–1330.)
Arluk's comment about what happens when there is no proceeding to administer an estate is therefore dicta.” Spears v. Spears, 97 Cal. App. 5th 1294, 1304.
The decision then discussed how the creditor could pursue its claim against the trust: “[the creditor] had two methods available to him through which to assert his claims. If there is no probate administration and the trust claims procedure is not initiated, the creditor may file suit against the trustee to enforce a debt, claim, or action against the deceased settlor. … [¶] Alternatively, a creditor of the deceased settlor or a person who claims that the trustee is in possession of real or personal property belonging to the claimant may file a petition under [Probate Code] §850(a)(3)(A) or (C).” Spears v. Spears, Id..
The foregoing discussion is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney or accountant for guidance. Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, has introduced legislation to help ensure electrical utilities are pursuing the fastest and most cost-effective infrastructure improvements, safeguarding the public from future wildfires and saving money for ratepayers forced to cover the cost of more expensive repairs.
“As utilities make upgrades to their systems to keep us safe from wildfire, we must ensure they identify projects that have the biggest impact and can be completed in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money,” Sen. Dodd said. “In other words, utilities need to get the biggest bang for the buck when they do projects. That way, we protect our communities from wildfires sooner and avoid unwarranted rate increases as we’re forced to absorb the cost of these improvements.”
Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a $13.5 billion rate increase requested by PG&E to pay for the undergrounding of 1,230 miles of electric utility lines over the next three years.
This is a fraction of the more than 10,000 miles of undergrounding PG&E proposes for the next decade in hopes of reducing the risk of its utility infrastructure sparking wildfires. The cost per mile is estimated at $3 million.
However, there are alternatives such as insulating existing utility cable, an option favored by The Utility Reform Network, or TURN.
Insulating wires costs an estimated $800,000 per mile, and in certain circumstances may be as effective in preventing wildfire ignitions as undergrounding, and achievable in far less time.
“Undergrounding lines in high risk areas is important and needs to continue in a targeted manner, but we also need to advance faster, cheaper methods to maximize safety today,” said Sen. Dodd. “It’s all about maximizing benefit, while minimizing ratepayer costs.”
Sen. Dodd’s Senate Bill 1003 would direct the Office of Electrical Infrastructure Safety to consider the timeliness of investor-owned utility electrical infrastructure upgrades when reviewing the utilities’ wildfire mitigation plans to ensure that the maximum amount of risk from utility sparked wildfires is reduced in the shortest amount of time.
“Safety today is not the same as safety in three or 10 years,” said Michael Wara, director of climate and energy policy at Stanford University. “This bill will force the utilities to account for the long implementation delays of some strategies as an additional cost to their customers. Delivery of adequate service today — including the ‘service’ of safety — is an important value that all Californians deserve from their electric utilities. This bill will compel utilities to evaluate not just how safe a system they can create in the long run, but will push them to do it as quickly as possible.”
Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.
The bill includes Rep. Mike Thompson’s legislation with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) to make PG&E Fire Victims Trust settlements nontaxable.
“Today’s strong bipartisan vote to provide essential tax relief to fire survivors is an important step towards recovery for those who lost homes, businesses, and loved ones in disastrous wildfires,” Thompson said Wednesday. “The Senate must swiftly consider and pass this bill so that our fire survivors receive the tax relief they desperately need.”
“Fire survivors have waited too long for certainty regarding the settlement with PG&E,” said LaMalfa. “To have to pay a huge portion to the government because the IRS deemed disaster aid as income adds insult to injury, especially paying the income tax on the lawyers’ fees. My staff and I have worked diligently on this initiative for many months to finally see it come to fruition. I thank Ways and Means Chairman Smith for negotiating this deal, and Speaker Johnson for getting it to the House Floor for a vote expeditiously. The Senate needs to act quickly as the new tax period will be upon us soon.”
“We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Mike Thompson in spearheading tax justice for fire victims. Rep. Thompson has been a fierce supporter of fire victims since our devastating megafire disaster in October of 2017. Rep. Thompson's ability to work across the aisle with Rep. LaMalfa to get this over the line in the House is a testament to the critical importance to thousands of families," said Jennifer Gray Thompson, founder and CEO of After the Fire USA.
She added, “This bill is the most important legislation ever passed for fire victims, affecting hundreds of thousands of disaster survivors and correcting a grave error in the tax code. Rep. Thompson's commitment to fire victims and bipartisanship on this issue is deeply appreciated by megafire victims at home and across the country. After the Fire USA is proud to work with Rep. Thompson in service to fire victims everywhere."
The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote before going to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
What's up for February? Venus and Mars make quite the pair, Jupiter and the Moon are each other's Valentine, and observing M81, aka "Bode's Galaxy."
Venus is still a brilliant beacon in the morning, rising in the couple of hours before the Sun. It has been steadily sinking lower in the sky for the past couple of months, though, and by the end of February it's pretty much getting lost in the light of sunrise.
It will start making its return as an evening sight in July. You can catch the bright planet together with a slim crescent Moon on the morning of February 6th, just as the sky starts to brighten.
Next, Valentine's Day brings a nice pairing to enjoy with someone special. That evening, look for the crescent Moon near Jupiter, high in the southwest following sunset. They're just a couple of finger widths apart on the sky, meaning most binoculars will show them in the same field of view.
And speaking of the Moon, NASA's VIPER moon rover is planned to launch later this year, and you can send your name to the Moon along with it! Visit nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-viper for details.
Returning to the inner planets, as Venus begins its exit, we find Mars returning to view. The Red Planet left the evening sky last September, passing through conjunction, where it was on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, and thus not visible for a few months.
It's now just starting to be visible in the predawn sky. In February it's quite low, and not super bright, but you can observe it brightening and rising ever earlier in the coming months. Those with an unobstructed view toward the southeast horizon can look for a close approach of Mars and Venus as the pair are rising during the last week of February.
February is a good time to view one of the famed "Messier objects" known as M81.
This is a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way, but just a bit smaller, and it's one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky. It's located about 11.8 million light years away from us, which means, if you're able to observe it, those photons of light hitting your eye have been traveling through space for more than 11 million years to reach you.
It was discovered by astronomer Johann Bode in 1774, which is where it gets its other common name, "Bode's Galaxy." At the time, it was simply cataloged as a nebula or faint, fuzzy patch. It wouldn't be until the work of Edwin Hubble in the 1920s that many such faint, fuzzy objects were understood to be self-contained galaxies of stars, outside the Milky Way and incredibly distant from us.
M81 is a bit too dim to see with the unaided eye, but it's visible with binoculars or a small telescope, where it appears as a dim patch of light. With a 6-inch telescope you can resolve the galaxy's bright core, and with an 8-inch telescope, you can begin to make out the spiral arms.
Locating M81 is not too difficult, with the Big Dipper (or the Plough) to guide you. Starting with the star on the end corner, called Dubhe, imagine a line twice the distance from the star on the opposite corner of the Dipper, Phecda. Pointing your telescope or binoculars in that area ought to put you pretty close to M81.
You might also notice its faint, fuzzy companion nearby, which is M82. This is another galaxy, but seen edge-on, and it gets its other common name, the "Cigar Galaxy," from this appearance.
This pair of galaxies is "circumpolar" in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning they rotate around the north celestial pole and never set. (Unfortunately, this means they're not really visible from the Southern Hemisphere.) Although it's visible all year in the Northern Hemisphere, from about February through May, you'll find M81 high in the northern sky in the first half of the night, making it easier to observe.
So grab your telescope, or find a local astronomy event with NASA's Night Sky Network, and check out M81, Bode's Galaxy, a distant cousin to our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
Stay up to date on NASA's missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov.
Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Millions of people were under flood alerts and winter storm warnings on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2024, as a series of atmospheric rivers brought heavy downpours and the threat of flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California. Another powerful storm was expected a few days later.
While these storms are dreaded for the damage they can cause, they are also essential to the region’s water supply, particularly in California, as Qian Cao, a hydrologist at the University of California, San Diego, explains.
What are atmospheric rivers?
An atmospheric river is a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated water vapor transported in the atmosphere. It’s like a river in the sky that can be 1,000 miles long. On average, atmospheric rivers have about twice the regular flow of the Amazon River.
When atmospheric rivers run up against mountains or run into local atmospheric dynamics and are forced to ascend, the moisture they carry cools and condenses, so they can produce intense rainfall or snowfall.
Atmospheric rivers occur all over the world, most commonly in the mid-latitudes. They form when large-scale weather patterns align to create narrow channels, or filaments, of intense moisture transport. These start over warm water, typically tropical oceans, and are guided toward the coast by low-level jet streams ahead of cold fronts of extratropical cyclones.
Along the U.S. West Coast, the Pacific Ocean serves as the reservoir of moisture for the storm, and the mountain ranges act as barriers, which is why the western sides of the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada see so much rain and snow.
Why are back-to-back atmospheric rivers a high flood risk?
The first heavy downpours saturate the ground. As consecutive storms arrive, their precipitation falls on soil that can’t absorb more water. That contributes to more runoff. Rivers and streams fill up. In the meantime, there may be snowmelt due to warm temperatures, further adding to the runoff and flood risk.
California experienced a historic run of nine consecutive atmospheric rivers in the span of three weeks in December 2022 and January 2023. The storms helped bring most reservoirs back to historical averages in 2023 after several drought years, but they also produced damaging floods and debris flows.
The cause of AR families is an active area of research. Compared with single atmospheric river events, AR families tend to be associated with lower atmospheric pressure heights across the North Pacific, higher pressure heights over the subtropics, a stronger and more zonally elongated jet stream and warmer tropical air temperatures.
Large-scale weather patterns and climate phenomena such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation, or MJO, also play an important role in the generation of AR families. An active MJO shift occurred during the early 2023 events, tilting the odds toward increased atmospheric river activity over California.
A recent study by scientists at Stanford and the University of Florida found that storms within AR families cause three to four times more economic damage when the storms arrive back to back than they would have caused by themselves.
How important are atmospheric rivers to the West Coast’s water supply?
I’m a research hydrologist, so I focus on hydrological impacts of atmospheric rivers. Although they can lead to flood hazards, atmospheric rivers are also essential to the Western water supply. Atmospheric rivers have been responsible for ending more than a third of the region’s major droughts, including the severe California drought of 2012-16.
They also contribute to the snowpack, which provides a significant portion of California’s year-round water supply.
In an average year, one to two extreme atmospheric rivers with snow will be the dominant contributors to the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. Together, atmospheric rivers will contribute about 30% to 40% of an average season’s total snow accumulation there.
That’s why my colleagues at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, part of the University of California, San Diego, work on improving atmospheric river forecasts and predictions. Water managers need to be able to regulate reservoirs and figure out how much water they can save for the dry season while still leaving room in the reservoirs to manage flood risk from future storms.
How is global warming affecting atmospheric rivers?
My research also shows that more atmospheric rivers are likely to occur concurrently during already wet conditions. So, the chance of extreme flooding also increases. Another study, by scientists from the University of Washington, suggests that there will be a seasonal shift to more atmospheric rivers earlier in the rainy season.
There will likely also be more year-to-year variability in the total annual precipitation, particularly in California, as a study by my colleagues at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes projects.
This article was update Jan. 31, 2024, with flood alerts and winter storm warnings posted.
The Assembly has approved a bill establishing the Tribal Cogovernance and Comanagement of Ancestral Lands and Waters Act to encourage the state to create agreements with tribes to share responsibility and partnership in resource management conservation within a tribe’s lands and waters.
Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) introduced the measure, AB 1284, which will now head to the Senate.
“Under current law the California Natural Resource Agency is not required to work with tribal communities even though the state’s First People have managed the land and its resources for centuries,” Ramos said. “Tribes are committed to the health and safety of delicate ecosystems and a tradition of responsibility and stewardship.”
AB 1284 would permit and encourage the Natural Resource Agency to engage in government-to-government negotiations with federally recognized tribal communities to advance state goals regarding natural resource management.
In 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Executive Order B-10-11 which reaffirmed California’s recognition of tribal communities as sovereigns of their own territory and people and as citizens of the state.
It also committed the state to foster and sustain government-to-government relationships with tribal communities to address areas of mutual concern and to have meaningful consultations.
“True co-governance and management is shared decision-making from the very start. It is time for tribes and the Resources Agency to be real partners in combating climate change and protecting biodiversity and our natural and cultural resources. It is time to return the management of tribal ancestral lands and waters to California’s first peoples. AB 1284 is our way forward,” said Resighini Rancheria Tribal Chairperson Fawn C. Murphy in a letter expressing support for the proposal.
AB 1284 is sponsored by Resighini Rancheria and Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation. It is also supported by the Natural California Tribal Chairpersons Association, Jamui Indian Village of California, Elk Valley Rancheria, Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, Ocean Conservancy, the California State Parks Association and Pew Charitable Trusts.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council on Thursday night considered whether or not to continue to allow community members to give input during meetings virtually following an incident last month in which several Internet trolls took over public comment in order to make profane and racist statements.
Despite their concerns about the “Zoom bombers” — three of whom disrupted the Jan. 18 council meeting to make racist and antisemitic comments — the council stopped short of taking staff’s recommendation to end Zoom comments by anyone outside of contractors or other city-approved users.
Instead, council members asked staff to research implementing tighter controls on Zoom, the virtual meeting platform that has become ubiquitous out of necessity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020.
Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented emergency orders that rolled back Brown Act rules in 2020 in order to allow for elected officials to use Zoom to meet safely in response to concerns over health as the pandemic was taking shape.
City Manager Alan Flora outlined the temporary changes to the Brown Act and explained that the city didn’t use Zoom before then but staffers have continued to use it since because of its convenience for some community members.
Flora said the state’s emergency orders have been rolled back. One key example — governing board members are no longer allowed to attend via Zoom unless under specific circumstances.
City Clerk Melissa Swanson said the city began live streaming via Zoom in August 2020.
Swanson said a poll of Calfiornia’s city clerks found that 50 of 70 agencies reported experiencing Zoom bombing.
Of those, 42 agencies said they either no longer allow comments via Zoom or use it in very limited fashion for presenters and staff. Four others are considering discontinuing it.
City Attorney Ryan Jones said his firm, Jones and Mayer, works with a number of government jurisdictions, a lot of which he said are scaling back use of the platform due to Zoom bombers. He said nothing precludes people from commenting through email.
Flora said the city uses Zoom to record meetings and stream them to Youtube, which is a convenient way to get a recording. He suggested reserving commenting for consultants.
Councilmember Joyce Overton asked if they could still do a chat room with Zoom and use that function to filter out inappropriate comments. Flora said he doesn’t know if it’s common practice, and he didn’t want to put staff in the position of having to read comments and be seen as censoring people.
Councilmemember Dirk Slooten said it was important to be as open as possible while doing the people’s business, and he wasn’t in favor of shutting down Zoom comments over one incident.
Councilmember Russell Cremer said he liked Overton’s suggestion about a chat room, but that he never wanted to hear again what he heard on Jan. 18.
“It was obscene and beyond totally inappropriate as far as I'm concerned,” he said, explaining that his first thought was to eliminate Zoom commenting except for presenters and that he had no problem doing away with using Zoom for general public input.
Calling it “a really touchy subject,” Councilmember Russell Perdock said he was concerned about the anonymity Zoom affords. After the Jan. 18 meeting, he received calls from community members offended by the comments from the Zoom bombers.
He suggested implementing more control along the lines Overton suggested in order to take away the anonymity.
“We live in a world where trolls exist,” said Mayor David Claffey, who added that for him the bar has to be higher before they take away a very valuable tool for the community to access public comment.
He asked staff about limitations, and Swanson said the city can set up Zoom with registration and a pass code, which they don’t currently use, and work on getting tighter security.
Claffey asked about the ability to ban Internet addresses, which Jones said he wasn’t sure could be done unless the commenter had threatened the city and the city had a restraining order. Zoom bombing wouldn’t rise to that level.
Jones also noted that it’s a “voluntary ask” to request that people give their names and where they live, and no way to verify they are real, and attempts to verify them could be inappropriate for the city to pursue.
Perdock asked if it was all or nothing — allow Zoom commenting or not.
“Not necessarily,” said Jones.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said Senate Bill 1100 could be part of the discussion. That legislation, which the governor signed into in the summer of 2022 and became law in January 2023, amended the Brown Act to give guidance on how government bodies can handle members of the public who are disruptive at open meetings. They must be warned and then they can be removed from the meeting.
Sabatier said the county has a script to use when an individual is causing issues in a meeting.
He emphasized the platform’s value and urged them to set up mechanisms to continue to use it rather than taking it away from even one person who could be bed-bound and otherwise unable to participate in a public meeting.
Flora said that, based on some quick research during the meeting, it appeared that Zoom can be configured for more controls, and that a chat etiquette tool can ban certain words and phrases. He added that they will need to make sure that chat feature is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The council directed staff to do additional research in order to find ways to continue to allow Zoom comments.
Before reaching that consensus, they asked for public comment. There was none in the chambers and none on Zoom.
In other business, the council presented a proclamation in honor of February being Black History Month to Rick Mayor, president of the Lake County Chapter of the NAACP, and Chief Tim Hobbs gave the annual Clearlake Police Department report.
The council also held a special meeting two hours ahead of the regular meeting in which it considered, and ultimately denied, the Koi Nation’s appeal of a new subdivision approved by the Clearlake Planning Commission.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The second annual Lake County Restaurant Expo brought together members of the local restaurant industry for a day of training and networking.
The expo took place on Monday at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College, known for its acclaimed Culinary Arts Program headed up by Chef Robert Cabreros.
The event was organized by the Lake County Economic Development Corp., or Lake EDC, with the assistance of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.
The Restaurant Expo is a one-day training and networking event focused on providing expert support to new and existing owners of restaurants, food trucks, catering companies, and other food industry businesses.
They heard from industry experts, participated in sessions on aspects of the business, and ended the day with a mixer.
In the video above, hear from organizer Nicole Flora of Lake EDC about the motivation for the event, and from Cabreros and student participants in the expo.
The expo took place ahead of the second annual Lake County Restaurant Week, which will span the week of Feb. 4 to 10.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will consider whether to end virtual public input at city meetings due to concerns about inappropriate comments.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
On Thursday, the council will have a discussion with staff about the possibility of discontinuing virtual public comments at city meetings, a measure which was instituted in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report said the emergency orders that allowed these measures were rolled back and virtual participation by City Council, commission members and others is no longer allowed, “except under very specific circumstances.”
Flora continued, “Many jurisdictions, including Clearlake, have continued the use of Zoom to allow more flexibility for public comment. Beginning largely in the fall of 2023 many jurisdictions eliminated a virtual option for public input due to the rise in inappropriate and racist comments at public meetings.”
At its Jan. 18 meeting, the council experienced the same when three individuals gave public comment through Zoom — with their cameras off and, it’s believed, under assumed names — that were antisemitic and racist, and had nothing to do with city business items on the agenda.
“Staff would like to discuss the discontinuation of allowing public comment on City business virtually. Staff recommend the Council continue to allow the use of Zoom for City consultants and contractors as appropriate,” Flora wrote.
Also on Thursday, the council will offer a proclamation declaring February 2024 as Black History Month and a presentation of the Clearlake Police Department's Annual Report.
Under other items of business, the council will consider authorizing a $20,000 amendment to the purchase contract with National Food Equipment for installation of a freezer as part of the Senior Center Kitchen Remodel Project.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants, authorization of an amendment of contract with ProEx Construction for the Senior Center Kitchen Remodel Project in the amount of $20,000, and adoption of a resolution and approval of Mayor David Claffey's appointments of Vice Mayor Joyce Overton and Councilmember Russell Perdock as members.
The council also will hold a closed session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss property negotiations for 14775 Burns Valley Road and a case of anticipated litigation.