KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The California Fire Safe Council has awarded a $20,000 Community Fire-Safe Capacity-Building Grant to the Konocti Fire Safe Council.
The grant was created to encourage the formation of fire safety councils around California by providing funds to support capacity building, including media and communication as well as volunteer management.
The Konocti Fire Safe Council, or KFSC, competed successfully for one of the 14 projects funded statewide.
Funding for this grant program is also provided by Edison International and the California Department of Conservation as part of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program.
The Konocti Fire Safe Council was formed in an effort to unite residents in the Soda Bay corridor area to meet the challenges of living in a location that is highly vulnerable to wildfire.
The mission of the Konocti Fire Safe Council is to increase community wildfire preparedness and survivability through education, project and resource development, evacuation readiness and hazardous fuel reduction.
The $20,000 grant will be used to purchase equipment that will help expand the council’s community outreach program, upgrade communication technologies, and provide development of fire safety and mitigation projects, said Phil Hartley, vice president of the KFSC Board of Directors.
The geographic coverage of the Konocti Fire Safe Council encompasses eight designated Zonehaven zones — KEL-E103, KEL-108, KEL-E117, KEL-E120, KEL-E122, KEL-134, KEL-E146 and KEL-E152 — that include Gaddy Lane, along Soda Road to the intersection of Kit’s Corner and Highway 29, Point Lakeview Road and State Route 281.
The KFSC represents such communities as Soda Bay, Kelseyville Riviera, Riviera Estates, Lakeview Estates, Konocti Shores, Riviera West, Buckingham, Riviera Heights and numerous mobile home parks, private homes and businesses along the Soda Bay Road corridor.
If you would like the Konocti Fire Safe Council outreach committee to visit your neighborhood or to request additional information, please contact them at 707-279-2245 or visit www.KonoctiFireSafe.org.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — On Monday Lakeport Police served a search warrant that led to the arrests of two people and the seizure of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Arrested as a result of the search warrant were James Biocca Jr., 54, of Healdsburg, and Melody Yadon, 51, of Willits, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said that at 3 p.m. Monday several Lakeport Police Officers served a Lake County Superior Court search warrant on a storage unit locker in Kelseyville that was under the control of Biocca and Yadon.
The probable cause for this search warrant was based on Biocca’s arrest on Feb. 7, when he was in possession of approximately 98.8 grams of fentanyl and approximately 21.3 grams of methamphetamine that were packaged for sale, Rasmussen said.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. Monday, while officers were searching the storage locker, Rasmussen said Biocca and Yadon showed up at the storage facility in the same vehicle Biocca was driving when he was previously arrested.
Before their arrival, Rasmussen said the officers had already located suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the locker.
Officers contacted Biocca in the storage facility office and arrested him. Rasmussen said the officers subsequently located methamphetamine in Biocca’s front sweatshirt pocket.
Rasmussen said officers also contacted Yadon who was still in the vehicle and arrested her. The vehicle was searched incident to the arrests and additional methamphetamine and fentanyl were found.
During Monday’s investigation, other items of evidence including $1,042 were located which indicated the drugs were possessed for sale, Rasmussen said.
Biocca and Yadon were transported to the Lake County Correctional Facility for booking. During the booking process, Rasmussen said Yadon was found to have additional fentanyl hidden on her person.
Biocca was booked for possession for sale and transportation of a controlled substance, possession for sale and transportation of a narcotic, possession of pepper spray by a convicted felon, conspiracy to commit a felony, and committing a felony while out on bail for a felony. Officers sought a bail enhancement on him and a superior court judge ordered bail of: $250,000, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said Biocca has an extensive criminal history that includes drug arrests, burglary, vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, evading a peace officer and six prior felony convictions.
Yadon was booked for possession for sale and transportation of a controlled substance, possession for sale and transportation of a narcotic, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Yadon’s bail was set by the bail schedule at $10,000.
Between the items located at the search warrant and those found in possession of Biocca and Yadon, Rasmussen said officers seized approximately 50.7g of methamphetamine and approximately 36.2g of suspected fentanyl.
In total, between the two recent arrests of Biocca, Rasmussen said officers have seized approximately 72 grams (2.54 ounces) of suspected methamphetamine and approximately 135 grams (4.76 ounces) of suspected fentanyl.
Similar to the Feb. 7 seizure, some of the fentanyl seized on Monday was a type commonly known as “rainbow fentanyl,” which means the drugs were multicolored to make them look more attractive.
According to the DEA, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered to be enough to cause an overdose and kill someone.
Based on this data, the amount of fentanyl seized Monday could have killed up to 18,100 people. The amount seized between these two separate arrests could have killed up to 67,500 people, Rasmussen said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week will consider approval of a local emergency declaration in response to the storms and discuss recruitment for two department heads.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 962 9999 6715, pass code 670830. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,96299996715#,,,,*670830#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
At the start of the meeting, the board will consider adding an extra item to the agenda — ratifying Sheriff Rob Howe’s declaration of a local emergency due to low elevation snow and extreme cold.
Howe made the declaration on Friday, while the county was still largely out of power as a result of last week’s snowstorm.
In untimed items on Tuesday, the board will consider holding special meetings in March to participate in closed session interviews of county counsel candidates.
On Jan. 25 the board received County Counsel Anita Grant's intention to retire on March 24. On Feb. 7, the board approved an open recruitment which closed on Feb. 16, and the county now has four qualified candidates for the board to review.
In another untimed item, the board will consider the recruitment process for another department head job, that of Behavioral Health director.
On Feb. 17, Behavioral Health Director Todd Metcalf notified the board of his resignation.
“Due to the complex nature of this position, staff proposes retaining a recruitment firm that specializes and has experience in Behavioral/Medical Health position recruitments,” according to the report from County Administrative Officer Susan Parker.
Also on Tuesday, the board will consider approving a list of properties to go up for tax sale later this year.
The full agenda follows.
EXTRA ITEM
4.1: a) Consideration of "extra" agenda item, and b) consideration of ratification of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to low elevation snow and extreme cold.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: (a) Approve letter of support for the North Shore Restoration Project Number 22-FH-LNU-46336202 and authorize chair to sign and (b) approve letter of support for the North Shore Restoration Project Number 22-FH-LNU-46336098 and authorize chair to sign.
5.2: Approve letter of support for Department of Energy Funding for CYRQ Energy’s Geothermal Demonstration Project on behalf of the multi-jurisdictional Geothermal Opportunity Zone (GeoZone).
5.3: Approve subordination, nondisturbance, and attornment agreement dated Oct. 22, 2021, by and among Oak Valley Community Bank, a California banking corporation and County of Lake and D. Judd Apartments LLC and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.4: Approve amendment to the agreement between county of Lake and the California Mental Health Services Authority for Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program for FYs 2022-24 with no change to the contract maximum and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve agreement between county of Lake and BHC Heritage Oaks Hospital Inc. for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for fiscal year 2022-23 in the amount of $80,000 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.6: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for Feb. 14, 2023.
5.7: (a) Waive the competitive bid process under section 2-38.2(3) of the Lake County Code because it would produce no economic benefit to the county. (b) Approve first amendment of agreement between county of Lake and TruePoint Solutions for as-needed permitting software services, in the amount of $19,965.00 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.8: Approve request to close Health Services offices from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 16, 2023, for all staff training and meeting.
5.9: Approve participation agreement between the county of Lake and the Department of Health Care Services for Medi-Cal Administrative Activities and authorize the director of Health Services to sign.
5.10: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and AirMedCare Network for air ambulance services to the county of Lake Participants listed and amend the total compensation and authorize chair to sign.
5.11: Approve a professional services agreement between the county of Lake and Headway Transportation LLC for consulting services to prepare the Soda Bay Corridor Evacuation Plan and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
5.12: Approve contract with Guardian RFID for a safety check program in the amount of $40,485 and authorize the chair to sign the contract.
5.13: Approve long distance travel for Teresa Wold, Housing Program coordinator, to attend the Nelrod Consortium Annual Conference Training in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 19 to 21, 2023.
5.14: Approve rescission of tax deed to purchaser of tax defaulted property (APN 040-322-100).
5.15: Approve rescission of tax deed to purchaser of tax defaulted property (APN 044-211-160).
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of the Dec. 31, 2022, report of Lake County pooled investments.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: Consideration of draft ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the Lake County Code and adopting by reference the 2022 California Building Standards Code, known as the California Code Of Regulations, Title 24, Parts 1 through 6, 8 through 12, incorporating the 2022 Edition of the California Administrative Code, Title 24 Part 1; the 2022 Edition of the California Building Code, Title 24 Part 2; The 2022 Edition of the California Residential Code, Title 24 Part 2.5; the 2022 Edition of the California Electrical Code, Title 24 Part 3; the 2022 Edition of the California Mechanical Code, Title 24 Part 4; the 2022 Edition of the California Plumbing Code, Title 24 Part 5; the 2022 Edition of the California Energy Code, Title 24 Part 6; the 2022 Edition of the California Historical Building Code, Title 24 Part 8; the 2022 Edition of the California Fire Code, Title 24 Part 9; The 2022 Edition of the California Existing Building Code, Title 24 Part 10; the 2022 Edition of the California Green Building Code, Title 24 Part 11; the 2022 Edition of the California Referenced Standards Code, Title 24, Part 12; the 2021 Edition of the International Property Maintenance Code; The 2021 Edition Of The International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: Presentation of report on the Road Map Task Force 2022 activities.
6.5, 10:30 a.m. : Presentation on progress of the county-wide wildland fire fuels crew program by the Northshore Fire Protection District.
6.6, 11:30 a.m.: Presentation and Acceptance of Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency charter document.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of an informational report on a Cal Fire grant application currently being prepared by Lake County Resource Conservation District.
7.3: Consideration of American Rescue Act funding request for senior center support form to provide up to $50,000 for each senior center’s capital expenditures.
7.4: (a) Consideration of increasing the cannabis equity grants funds from a maximum of $50,000 to up to $150,000 per applicant; and (b) consideration of resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors authorizing state of California Cannabis Equity Act Grant funding.
7.5: Discussion and consideration to hold special meetings in March 2023 to participate in county counsel interviews in closed session and select a date.
7.6: Consideration and discussion involving the recruitment process for filling the vacancy created by the Behavioral Health director's resignation.
7.7: Consideration of agreement between county of Lake and Kings View Professional Services for support services for state mandated cost reporting in the amount of $122,900.00 for fiscal year 2022-24 and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.8: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Community Visioning Forum, Emergency Medical Care Committee, Fish & Wildlife Committee.
7.9: Consideration of the Classification, Compensation, Recruitment and Retention Committee approval of the 2022-2023 Reclassification Cycle findings and recommendations.
7.10: 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.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Public Services Director Lars Ewing.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez.
8.3: Conference with county negotiators regarding the purchase of property located at 5245 Third St., Kelseyville; price and terms of payment; (a) county negotiators: S. Parker and S. Carter and (b) Kelseyville Senior Center Inc. Negotiator: Karlene Ellis.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1) - City of Clearlake v. Testate and Intestate Successors of Bailey Lumber Co, et al.
8.5: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1) – John Doe 1, et al. v. Humboldt County, et al.
8.6: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1) – Penhall v. Lake County Probation Department, et al. and related Public Employees Relations Board claim Not available Not available.
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.
Nearly 51% of the U.S. population age 16 and over, or 124.7 million people, informally helped their neighbors between September 2020 and 2021 at the height of the pandemic, according to the latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America research.
In response to a separate question, more than 23% of people in that age group, or 60.7 million, said they formally volunteered through an organization during the same period.
Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, the 2021 data show trends in formal volunteering, informal helping, and other civic behaviors nationally, at the state level, and within the 12 largest metro areas.
The research, released every two years, shows that those who formally volunteered gave more than 4.1 billion hours of service with an estimated economic value of $122.9 billion.
The 2021 Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement is the most comprehensive data on U.S. volunteering and civic engagement assembled.
The research reveals that despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. population continued to serve each other and their communities — giving their time and talent to help others at a time of unprecedented need.
They helped neighbors by doing favors like watching each other’s children, running errands, and other activities to lend a hand.
People also found new ways to help their communities during the pandemic by supporting COVID-19 testing, immunization and other public health efforts; conducting wellness checks on isolated seniors; supporting food banks; and providing virtual tutoring and mentoring to help students stay on track in school.
2021 Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement
The goal of the research sponsored by AmeriCorps is to collect information on the extent to which our nation’s communities are places where individuals are civically active.
A comprehensive view on national and state formal volunteering and informal helping rates research includes:
• A national look at both formal and informal volunteering and civic engagement. • Snapshots of formal volunteering and informal helping rates by demographic groups. • Highlights of all 50 states and the District of Columbia’s formal volunteering and informal helping rates. • Formal volunteering and informal helping rates for the 12 largest metropolitan areas.
National demographics
While formal volunteering rates dropped from 2019 to 2021 in every demographic group, informal helping rates largely remained steady.
Trends in formal volunteering 2019-2021:
• The rate drop was substantially larger for women (8 percentage points) than men (5 percentage points) but women continued to volunteer at a higher rate. • Generation X (ages 41 to 56 in 2021) had the highest rate of all generations. • People ages 16-17 had the highest rate of all age groups at 28%, followed by people ages 45 to 54 at 27%. • Parents with children under 18 formally volunteered at a higher rate (30%) than those without children in their household (21%).
How many helped informally:
• Baby boomers had the highest rate (59%) of all generations. • Veterans helped their neighbors at a rate of 59%, 8 percentage points higher than nonveterans. • People with children under age 18 helped at a higher rate (58%) than those without children in their household (49%).
Top states and metro areas for volunteering and civic engagement
Utah (40.7%) and Wyoming (39.2%) topped the list of states with the highest formal volunteering rates in 2021 (Table 1).
Montana (68.8%) and Nebraska (66.4%) had the highest rates of informal helping, which includes helping others outside of an organizational context like doing favors for neighbors (Table 2).
Among the 12 largest metropolitan areas, Philadelphia had the highest rate of formal volunteering (28.7%) and Boston had the highest informal helping rates (57.9%) (Table 3).
Volunteering and Civic Engagement in America complements a large body of other AmeriCorps’ research demonstrating a substantial return on investment in national service for both the government and the communities served, such as improved employment outcomes and mental and physical health benefits for those who volunteer.
AmeriCorps will release additional analyses of Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement data in the coming months.
Erin Schneider is content manager in AmeriCorps’ Office of External Affairs. Tim J. Marshall is assistant survey director for the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — County leaders and officials are aware the ongoing severe cold weather event may present additional challenges to homebound residents, particularly those with intensive medical needs and/or a lack of transportation.
A hotline has been made available for homebound individuals.
If you or someone you know is homebound and unable to access critical services, please call 707-262-4431 for information on available resources, and emergency needs.
As previously announced, the county of Lake is providing a warming center at Lower Lake Town Hall located at 16195 Main St., Lower Lake.
The Lower Lake Warming Center will open during evening hours Monday, Feb. 27, and Tuesday, Feb. 28. Visitors must register, and no pets, weapons, alcohol or drugs are allowed. Hours of operation are 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake County Department of Social Services and Lake County Behavioral Health are working together to provide cots, blankets, light food and snacks to those in need.
The temporary Clearlake Senior Center warming center closed at noon Sunday.
The Clearlake Senior Center has a need to host prescheduled events and provide for enhanced needs of the seniors they serve.
Moving the location of the warming center was necessary to ensure services could be sustainably and continuously provided over this period, and the county apologized for any inconvenience.
For more information on this warming center, call 707-533-3599.
Sunrise Special Services’ warming center at 1111 Whalen Way in Lakeport likewise remains open 24 hours at this time due to severe winter weather.
That Lake County Behavioral Health Services-funded facility is providing shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness, and they can be directly reached at 707-349-5022.
Chris Impey, University of Arizona and Connie Walker, National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory
All human development, from large cities to small towns, shines light into the night sky. Benny Ang/Flickr, CC BY CC BY-ND
For most of human history, the stars blazed in an otherwise dark night sky. But starting around the Industrial Revolution, as artificial light increasingly lit cities and towns at night, the stars began to disappear.
An international citizen science project called Globe at Night aims to measure how everyday people’s view of the sky is changing.
The Globe at Night survey asks users to select which panel – each representing different levels of light pollution – best matches the sky above them.The Globe at Night, CC BY
Measuring light pollution over time
Relying on citizen scientists makes it much easier to take multiple measurements of the night sky over time from many different places.
To provide data to the project, volunteers enter the date and time, their location and local weather conditions into an online reporting page anytime an hour or more after sunset on certain nights each month. The page then shows eight panels, each displaying a constellation visible at that time of year – like Orion in January and February, for example. The first panel, representing a light-polluted night sky, only shows the few brightest stars. Each panel shows progressively more and fainter stars, representing darker and darker skies. The participant then matches what they see in the sky with one of the panels.
The Globe at Night team launched the report page as an online app in 2011, just at the beginning of widespread adoption of LEDs. In the recent paper, the team filtered out data points taken during twilight, when the Moon was out, when it was cloudy or when the data was unreliable for any other reason. This left around 51,000 data points, mostly taken in North America and Europe.
The data shows that the night sky got, on average, 9.6% brighter every year. For many people, the night sky today is twice as bright as it was eight years ago. The brighter the sky, the fewer stars you can see.
If this trend continues, a child born today in a place where 250 stars are visible now would only be able to see 100 stars on their 18th birthday.
Causes, impacts and solutions
The main culprits driving increasing brightness of the night sky are urbanization and the growing use of LEDs for outdoor lighting.
The more light pollution there is, the fewer stars a person can see when looking at the same part of the night sky. The image on the left depicts the constellation Orion in a dark sky, while the image on the right is taken near the city of Orem, Utah, a city of about 100,000 people.jpstanley/Flickr, CC BY
The loss of dark skies, both from light pollution and also from increasing numbers of satellites orbiting Earth, threatens our ability as astronomers to do good science. But everyday people feel this loss too, as the degradation of dark skies is also a loss of human cultural heritage. Starry night skies have inspired artists, writers, musicians and philosophers for thousands of years. For many, a star-filled sky provides an irreplaceable sense of awe.
Light pollution also interferes with the daily cycle of light and dark that plants and animals use to regulate sleep, nourishment and reproduction. Two-thirds of the world’s key biodiversity areas are affected by light pollution.
Individuals and their communities can make simple changes to reduce light pollution. The secret is using the right amount of light, in the right place and at the right time. Shielding outdoor light fixtures so they shine downward, using bulbs that emit more yellow-colored light instead of white light and putting lights on timers or motion sensors can all help reduce light pollution.
The next time you are far away from a major city or another source of light pollution, look up at the night sky. A view of the roughly 2,500 stars you can see with the naked eye in a truly dark sky might convince you that dark skies are a resource worth saving.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Due to significant snowfall, life-threatening temperatures and other challenges presented by recent compounding winter weather events, the county of Lake has opened an additional warming center in Middletown.
The warming center is located at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.
It was open Monday night and will be open again from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday.
The county of Lake also will continue providing a Warming Center at Lower Lake Town Hall, located at 16195 Main St.
The Lower Lake warming center was open overnight Monday and will be open from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday.
If weather is hazardous at the 7 a.m. closing time, hours may be extended.
At both locations, visitors must register, and no pets, weapons, alcohol, or drugs are allowed.
For more information on these Warming Centers, call 707-533-3599.
Sunrise Services Foundation is running a warming center around the clock at 1111 Whalen Way in Lakeport.
For more information about the Lakeport warming center, call 707-349-5022.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service’s Eureka Office is projecting further winter storm activity, including snowfall down to the 1,000 foot elevation level through Tuesday.
Officials said this next wave of severe winter weather may bring further power outages to portions of Lake County.
Residents are encouraged to prepare now. Steps may include:
• Filling your gas tanks, in case gas stations are temporarily inaccessible; • Having drinking water and non-perishable food items on hand; • Ensuring you have appropriate access to medications; • Charging phones and other electronic devices; and • Getting cash, as electronic payment systems may go down.
PG&E’s tips to prepare for power outages can be found here.
For updates on road conditions, residents are encouraged to access the following resources:
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning ratified the sheriff’s local emergency declaration in response to the winter storms that continue to have impacts across Lake County.
The snow — the likes of which even longtime residents said they hadn’t seen before — knocked out power across nearly all of Lake County.
At one point, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said 33,600 Lake County customers lost power due to the weather.
On Tuesday, hundreds still remained out of power in scattered outages across Lake County, PG&E reported.
“This was a pretty unprecedented event here in Lake County,” Howe told the board during the brief discussion of the declaration.
Howe said the amount of damage from the storms likely won’t be clear until the snow starts to melt off.
And that may not take place immediately, given that portions of Cobb remain snowed in, with more snow falling on Tuesday afternoon.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he hoped there will be a debriefing on the emergency to review how it has been handled, and what went well and what didn’t.
“Of course, I’d welcome that,” said Howe.
Howe added, “This event probably isn’t completely over. We don’t anticipate anything like we saw a few days ago but we’re still in the middle of this winter storm.”
Board members joined Howe in offering thanks to the many first responders and front line workers, including county staff.
Howe said he’s been trying to thank everyone but there are so many people that he knew he was missing some.
“There’s just too many to thank. There's a lot of people working a lot of hours, trying to keep our community safe, and I appreciate all of them. I’m glad you do, too,” Howe said.
Board Chair Jessica Pyska said she appreciated Howe’s leadership and the work of everyone involved in the storm response.
“It was pretty incredible to see everybody mobilize,” she said.
Howe, in turn, thanked the board for its support.
There was no public comment before Sabatier moved to ratify Howe’s emergency proclamation, with Vice Chair Moke Simon seconding and the board voting unanimously to approve it.
Snow continues to impact schools; additional county services to be suspended Wednesday
Due to the continuing challenge from weather conditions, on Tuesday Middletown Unified schools, the Lake County International Charter School and the Middletown Preschool were closed.
The rest of Lake County’s public schools reopened on Tuesday after having Friday and Monday snow days.
Despite there being reports on Tuesday afternoon of more snow falling steadily in Cobb, shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, Middletown Unified Superintendent Thad Owens posted on the district’s Facebook page that all of the district’s schools will be open on Wednesday at normal times.
Owens said the district will be running the modified snow and ice routes for Cobb buses, with all other routes to be normal.
The county of Lake also reported a return to more normal operations after having opened warming centers in the county and a hotline for homebound residents.
On Tuesday afternoon, the county said that, based on the National Weather Service’s report that storm activity is slowing, some of its enhanced services will be suspended as of 7 a.m. Wednesday.
That includes the closure of warming centers at the Lower Lake Town Hall and the Middletown Senior Center on Wednesday. Both facilities will remain open overnight on Tuesday. For more information on these warming centers, call 707-533-3599.
Sunrise Services Foundation’s warming center at 1111 Whalen Way in Lakeport will remain open around the clock for the short term. Call 707-349-5022 for more information.
The county’s 24/7 community Hotline for Homebound Individuals — available at 707-262-4421 — also will no longer be available as of 7 a.m. Wednesday.
After that hotline ends, all non-emergency concerns that require Lake County Sheriff/Office of Emergency Services support, including those resulting from winter weather, should be routed to Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690. Please use 911 for emergency calls.
Meantime, Lake County Public Works staff continue to plow and clear roads countywide both of snow and downed trees.
Public Works said Tuesday morning that primary roads have been plowed and crews were working to clear secondary roads.
Lake County residents are urged to remain vigilant as continued winter weather is expected.
The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for Lake County, with temperatures expected to drop into the 20s during the early morning hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
Drivers should use extreme caution when traveling in the morning hours as icy conditions are likely to exist on the roadways and sidewalks, officials said.
Forecasters also said additional rain and sleet is expected Saturday through Sunday, with further snowfall possible, especially at higher elevations in Lake County and across the region.
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.
A band-tailed pigeon. Photo by Krysta Rogers/California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Since early February, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, and many wildlife rehabilitation centers have received increased reports of sick and dead band-tailed pigeons from residents.
Most reports have come from locations along California’s Central Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area and foothill communities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
CDFW’s Wildlife Health Laboratory has evaluated birds from several locations and determined the cause of death to be avian trichomonosis, a disease caused by a protozoan parasite, typically Trichomonas gallinae.
Statewide, it's estimated that roughly 200 to 300 band-tailed pigeons may have died of this infection so far this winter.
“Avian trichomonosis outbreaks occur periodically in band-tailed pigeons during some winters in California,” said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Krysta Rogers, an avian disease specialist. “Historically, larger outbreaks generally have been associated with drier conditions because the pigeons may be more likely to share a reduced number of water sources and the parasite can spread more rapidly among birds in the flock.”
Band-tailed pigeons are native to California and may be unfamiliar to some residents given their mostly secretive and highly nomadic lifestyle.
During winter, nearly the entire Pacific Coast population of band-tailed pigeons congregates in areas of Central to Southern California, sometimes forming relatively large flocks and seeking out acorns, their preferred food in winter.
The parasite that causes avian trichomonosis is primarily spread in water sources such as bird baths, fountains, and horse or cattle troughs where the parasite may become more concentrated.
Once infected, caseous lesions (“cheese-like”) may develop in the bird’s mouth or throat leading to starvation or suffocation.
Sick birds may appear weak, swallow repeatedly, have labored breathing, and may sit for prolonged periods. Severely affected birds may develop neurological signs such as lack of coordination or twisting of the head or neck.
Band-tailed pigeons are especially susceptible to avian trichomonosis. Other bird species also may be susceptible when sharing water sources as are avian predators that may feed on infected birds.
Residents can help reduce disease transmission among birds by removing bird feeders and bird baths and emptying fountains while the pigeons are in their area.
Observations of sick and dead pigeons may be reported to CDFW using the mortality reporting form. These reports are important to help document when and where birds may be impacted.
If there is a need to dispose of a dead bird, CDFW recommends wearing disposable gloves to collect the remains into a plastic bag, which may then be placed in the regular trash collection. Afterward, wash hands with soap and water.
For guidance on orphaned, injured or sick live-wild birds, please contact your nearest wildlife rehabilitation center before collecting the animal.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, March 1.
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.
On the agenda will be guest speaker Terre Logsdon, Lake County’s chief climate resiliency officer.
Logsdon will give an overview of the new Lake County Office of Climate Resiliency.
She wants to hear the concerns of the community about weather, evacuation routes, emergency shelter needs, transportation to evacuate and vegetation abatement, among other issues.
Other agenda items include the Clearlake Oaks consolidated lighting district, the Lake County Geothermal Project Watchlist, commercial cannabis cultivation projects in Clearlake Oaks, and a report on upcoming proposed commercial and residential project applications requiring use permits within ERTH’s boundaries.
There also will be updates on Spring Valley, the Northshore Fire Protection District, and the Oaks Arm and Keys Restoration projects, a report from Supervisor EJ Crandell and public outreach on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Sulphur Bank Mine Superfund site.
The group’s next meeting will take place on April 5.
ERTH’s members are Denise Loustalot, Jim Burton, Tony Morris and Pamela Kicenski.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
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