The California Department of Water Resources on Wednesday announced a modest increase in forecasted State Water Project deliveries this year due to early gains in the Sierra snowpack.
DWR now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies, up from 30% forecasted in January, to the 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians. That would translate to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water.
Record-breaking atmospheric rivers that pounded the state in January gave way to a mostly dry February that saw less than an inch of precipitation statewide to this point.
“We’re hopeful that more storms this week are a sign that the wet weather will return, but there remains a chance that 2023 will be a below average water year in the northern Sierra.” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Careful planning and the use of advanced forecasting tools will enable the Department to balance the needs of our communities, agriculture, and the environment should dry conditions continue this spring and into next year.”
The State Water Project, or SWP, will continue to optimize water storage in Lake Oroville to support environmental needs in the summer and allow for carry-over storage for next year if the spring becomes extremely dry.
Additionally, the forecasted allocation could be adjusted back down if extreme dry conditions warrant.
The 35% allocation forecast announced Wednesday takes into account snowpack and reservoir storage from those storms, current hydrology conditions, spring runoff forecasts, and an anticipation of dry conditions ahead.
The updated SWP forecast is on par with the Central Valley Project, or CVP, initial allocations announced Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
In addition to optimizing water storage, California continues to accelerate investments in habitat restoration, including $52 million in grants announced last week to help restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat throughout California.
Wednesday’s updated SWP delivery forecast takes into account new snowmelt runoff data, known as Bulletin 120.
This report provides a forecast of snowmelt runoff and is a key tool for water managers across the state to understand how the melting snow in the Sierra Nevada will reach streams, rivers and eventually California reservoirs.
Bulletin 120 offers a range of possibilities to allow water managers to prepare for spring runoff and eventual summer water supply. The forecast is updated regularly throughout the winter and spring.
DWR uses advanced forecasting tools that include Airborne Snow Observatory surveys which are now underway to collect snow measurements farther upslope of the Sierra Nevada. The data from these flights, which use LiDAR and spectrometer technology to measure snowpack across broad swathes of key watersheds, is used by DWR to get a more accurate account of California’s snowpack and possible spring runoff.
More than a month still remains in the state’s wet season, but there’s uncertainty about a return to warm and dry conditions prior to April 1, typically when the state’s snowpack peaks and begins to melt.
DWR is scheduled to conduct the next two snow surveys at Phillips Station on March 1 and April 3. Dates are subject to change depending on weather conditions and DWR will provide updates as the date approaches.
Conditions in the Colorado River Basin and California’s groundwater basins continue to have an impact on available water supply. Californians should continue to use water wisely to help the state adapt to a hotter, drier future.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission is due this week to consider two large cannabis operations, including one in a former pear packing shed.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 915 5965 2065, the pass code is 034040.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page, and Lake County PEG TV (TV8).
The commission will hold a public hearing at 9:05 a.m. to consider a proposed major use permit and mitigated negative declaration based on initial study for 42,000 square feet of outdoor commercial cannabis canopy area at 26936 Jerusalem Grade, Middletown. The applicant is 26936 Jerusalem Grade/Travis Lisenbee.
At 9:10 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed major use permit and mitigated negative declaration based on initial study for Adobe Creek LLC/2CW Productions Inc./Highmark Land Co. LLC for commercial cannabis processing in what was formerly Adobe Creek Packing at 4820 Loasa Road in Kelseyville.
The proposed processing operation, located on 31 acres, would include the following in existing facilities: a 44,440 square foot drying and office building; a 23,744 square foot processing, packaging and harvest storage building; a 25,300 square foot cold storage building; a 24,250 square foot drying building; a 1,000 square foot maintenance building; and a 2,325 square foot security building. There also would be 10 320 square foot frozen harvest storage areas in modular freezer units.
Most of the public comments submitted on the project oppose it.
They include letters from Kelseyville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave McQueen, who said he opposes it due to its close proximity to district schools. One of the district’s board members, Allison Panella, also submitted a letter in opposition.
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. — While Lake County Animal Care and Control mostly offers cats and dogs to new homes, this week it has several goats available for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following goats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
‘Jake’
“Jake” is a 5-year-old male pygmy mix goat with a white coat.
He is in upper pen No. 1, ID No. LCAC-A-587.
Male pygmy goat
This 2-year-old male pygmy goat has a black coat.
He is upper pen No. 1b, ID No. LCAC-A-4645.
Male pygmy goat
This 2-year-old male pygmy goat has a tricolor coat.
He is in upper pen No. 1c, ID No. LCAC-A-4646.
Male pygmy goat
This 2-year-old male pygmy goat has a black and white coat.
He is in upper pen No. 1d, ID No. LCAC-A-4647.
Male pygmy goat
This 2-year-old male pygmy goat has a white coat with black markings.
He is in upper pen No. 1d, ID No. LCAC-A-4659.
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.
As tractors became more sophisticated over the past two decades, the big manufacturers allowed farmers fewer options for repairs. Rather than hiring independent repair shops, farmers have increasingly had to wait for company-authorized dealers to arrive. Getting repairs could take days, often leading to lost time and high costs.
A new memorandum of understanding between the country’s largest farm equipment maker, John Deere Corp., and the American Farm Bureau Federation is now raising hopes that U.S. farmers will finally regain the right to repair more of their own equipment.
However, supporters of right-to-repair laws suspect a more sinister purpose: to slow the momentum of efforts to secure right-to-repair laws around the country.
Under the agreement, John Deere promises to give farmers and independent repair shops access to manuals, diagnostics and parts. But there’s a catch – the agreement isn’t legally binding, and, as part of the deal, the influential Farm Bureau promised not to support any federal or state right-to-repair legislation.
You can listen to more articles from The Conversation narrated by Noa.
The right-to-repair movement has become the leading edge of a pushback against growing corporate power. Intellectual property protections, whether patents on farm equipment, crops, computers or cellphones, have become more intense in recent decades and cover more territory, giving companies more control over what farmers and other consumers can do with the products they buy.
For farmers, few examples of those corporate constraints are more frustrating than repair restrictions and patent rights that prevent them from saving seeds from their own crops for future planting.
How a few companies became so powerful
The United States’ market economy requires competition to function properly, which is why U.S. antitrust policies were strictly enforced in the post-World War II era.
During the 1970s and 1980s, however, political leaders began following the advice of a group of economists at the University of Chicago and relaxed enforcement of federal antitrust policies. That led to a concentration of economic power in many sectors.
This concentration has become especially pronounced in agriculture, with a few companies consolidating market share in numerous areas, including seeds, pesticides and machinery, as well as commodity processing and meatpacking. One study in 2014 estimated that Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, was responsible for approximately 80% of the corn and 90% of the soybeans grown in the U.S. In farm machinery, John Deere and Kubota account for about a third of the market.
Market power often translates into political power, which means that those large companies can influence regulatory oversight, legal decisions, and legislation that furthers their economic interests – including securing more expansive and stricter intellectual property policies.
Whether the product is an automobile, smartphone or seed, companies can extract more profits if they can force consumers to purchase the company’s replacement parts or use the company’s exclusive dealership to repair the product.
One of the first cases that challenged the right to repair equipment was in 1939, when a company that was reselling refurbished spark plugs was sued by the Champion Spark Plug Co. for violating its patent rights. The Supreme Court agreed that Champion’s trademark had been violated, but it allowed resale of the refurbished spark plugs if “used” or “repaired” was stamped on the product.
Although courts have often sided with the end users in right-to-repair cases, large companies have vast legal and lobbying resources to argue for stricter patent protections. Consumer advocates contend that these protections prevent people from repairing and modifying the products they rightfully purchased.
The ostensible justification for patents, whether for equipment or seeds, is that they provide an incentive for companies to invest time and money in developing products because they know that they will have exclusive rights to sell their inventions once patented.
However, some scholars claim that recent legal and legislative changes to patents are instead limiting innovation and social benefits.
The problem with seed patents
The extension of utility patents to agricultural seeds illustrates how intellectual property policies have expanded and become more restrictive.
Patents have been around since the founding of the U.S., but agricultural crops were initially considered natural processes that couldn’t be patented. That changed in 1980 with the U.S. Supreme Court decision Diamond v. Chakrabarty. The case involved genetically engineered bacteria that could break down crude oil. The court’s ruling allowed inventors to secure patents on living organisms.
Half a decade later, the U.S. Patent Office extended patents to agricultural crops generated through transgenic breeding techniques, which inserts a gene from one species into the genome of another. One prominent example is the insertion of a gene into corn and cotton that enables the plant to produce its own pesticide. In 2001, the Supreme Court included conventionally bred crops in the category eligible for patenting.
Historically, farmers would save seeds that their crops generated and replant them the following season. They could also sell those seeds to other farmers. They lost the right to sell their seeds in 1970, when Congress passed the Plant Variety Protection Act. Utility patents, which grant an inventor exclusive right to produce a new or improved product, are even more restrictive.
Under a utility patent, farmers can no longer save seed for replanting on their own farms. University scientists even face restrictions on the kind of research they can perform on patented crops.
Because of the clear changes in intellectual property protections on agricultural crops over the years, researchers are able to evaluate whether those changes correlate with crop innovations – the primary justification used for patents. The short answer is that they do not.
One study revealed that companies have used intellectual property to enhance their market power more than to enhance innovations. In fact, some vegetable crops with few patent protections had more varietal innovations than crops with more patent protections.
How much does this cost farmers?
It can be difficult to estimate how much patented crops cost farmers. For example, farmers might pay more for the seeds but save money on pesticides or labor, and they might have higher yields. If market prices for the crop are high one year, the farmer might come out ahead, but if prices are low, the farmer might lose money. Crop breeders, meanwhile, envision substantial profits.
Similarly, it is difficult to calculate the costs farmers face from not having a right to repair their machinery. A machine breakdown that takes weeks to repair during harvest time could be catastrophic.
The nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group calculated that U.S. consumers could save US$40 billion per year if they could repair electronics and appliances – about $330 per family.
The memorandum of understanding between John Deere and the Farm Bureau may be a step in the right direction, but it is not a substitute for right-to-repair legislation or the enforcement of antitrust policies.
Leland Glenna, Professor of Rural Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society, Penn State
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a whole community in-person public meeting on its proposed cleanup plan for the Sulphur Bank Superfund Site.
The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, at the Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake.
There also is the option to attend via Zoom. Dial in at 253-215-8782; the meeting ID is 86982888713.
For one tap mobile: +12532158782,,86982888713# or +12532050468,,86982888713# US.
The plan was released on Jan. 11 for an extended 90-day public comment period.
This meeting is an opportunity for the whole community to learn about the proposed plan from EPA and provide written or verbal official comments that will become part of the administrative record.
Light refreshments will be provided.
To view the proposed plan click here, or visit the tab on the site website.
For any other questions related to the proposed plan, contact EPA Region 9 Community Involvement Coordinator Gavin Pauley, 75 Hawthorne St. (Mail Code: OPA-2), San Francisco, CA 94105, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 415-535-3725 or 800-231-3075.
While researching SNAP for an upcoming book, I’ve observed that this program has provided critical assistance to struggling families over the last three years. The extra benefits, which Americans can use to purchase food at the roughly 250,000 stores that accept them, have helped millions of people weather the pandemic’s economic fallout and high inflation rates.
Under this temporary arrangement, all families who were eligible for SNAP could get the maximum allowable benefit amount for the size of their household. Otherwise, that maximum amount would only be available to people with no income at all. But starting in March 2023, SNAP benefits will once again be distributed everywhere on a sliding scale based on income levels.
Some states began to drop the extra benefits in the spring of 2021. But 32 states and the District of Columbia were still offering the extra help in February 2023.
A study from the Urban Institute, a think tank, estimated that the extra benefits kept 4.2 million people out of poverty at the end of 2021 and had reduced overall poverty in states still offering the benefits by 9.6% and child poverty by 14%.
With more people enrolled in the program today than before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the distribution of extra benefits, SNAP spending reached a record $114 billion in the 12 months that ended in September 2022.
The Biden administration has already tried to boost them by adjusting the “Thrifty Food Plan” – the standard the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses to set SNAP benefits based on the cost of a budget-conscious and nutritionally adequate diet.
As a result, benefits rose an average of $36 a month, a 21% increase, in October 2021. That increase more than offset the expiration of a temporary seven-month boost in benefits that Congress had approved earlier that year.
SNAP benefits automatically adjust every October based on the increase in food prices in July as compared with the previous year. In 2022, they increased 12.5%. But when prices are rising quickly, as is currently the case, SNAP benefits can lose a lot of ground in the months before the next adjustment.
Many advocates for a stronger safety net say that SNAP benefits are too low to meet the needs of low-income people. They are warning of a looming hunger cliff – meaning a sharp increase in the number of people who don’t get enough nutritious food to eat – in March 2023, when the extra help ends.
At that point, the lowest-income families will lose $95 in benefits a month. But some SNAP participants, such as many elderly and disabled people who live alone and on fixed incomes and who only qualify for the minimum amount of help, will see their benefits plummet from $281 to $23 a month.
Most people on SNAP who get Social Security benefits will see their SNAP benefits fall. That’s because of the 8.7% cost of living increase in Social Security benefits implemented in January 2023, which increases their income and lowers the amount of nutritional assistance they can receive. And some of these Americans may even have enough income that they no longer qualify for SNAP at all.
For an average family of four on SNAP, benefits will fall from the maximum of $939 to $718, according to an estimate by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, an anti-poverty research group.
Debate centers around whether unemployed adults deemed capable of working should be able to get SNAP. This argument, almost as old as the program itself, was largely set aside during the pandemic.
Legislation enacted in early 2020 suspended a requirement that limited benefits for adults under 50 who meet the government’s definition of able-bodied and have no dependents. They can receive no more than three months of SNAP benefits every three years – unless they work or participate in a work-training program at least 20 hours a week.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With forecasters issuing more firm predictions of snow around the North Coast over the next few days, the National weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Lake County.
The warning will be in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday due to concerns for heavy snowfall with accumulations of between 3 and 5 inches and up to 12 inches in higher altitudes around Lake County.
There were already reports of light snow falling in the Cobb and Whispering Pines areas on Tuesday, and local officials are gearing up for the response.
During Tuesday night’s Lakeport City Council meeting, Public Works Superintendent Ron Ladd said they are watching the weather, are loaded up with road sand, have staff on standby and are ready to respond to the predicted storm conditions.
The National Weather Service said heavy snow will be likely for elevations above the 1,000 foot elevation mark across Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity counties through Thursday afternoon, followed by additional heavy mountain snow in Lake and Mendocino counties Thursday night through Friday morning.
The forecast calls for the heaviest precipitation rates to become focused over Lake, Trinity and Mendocino counties from Thursday evening until Friday morning, with snowfall ranging from 5 to 12 inches forecast to occur, with snow falling between 500 and 1,000 feet above sea level.
In addition to snow, the forecast expects numerous hail and occasional snow showers at sea level and very cold morning temperatures on Friday and Saturday.
The Lake County forecast calls for snow from Wednesday through Friday, and then chances of rain showers from Sunday through Tuesday.
Temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to be in the high 30s to high 40s during the daytime, dropping into the high 20s at night.
Winds with gusts of more than 20 miles per hour also are forecast through Friday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department reported that a pedestrian died on Sunday night after being struck by a vehicle.
The agency said that at 7 p.m. Sunday a Lakeport Police officer was driving eastbound on 11th Street near North Street when they observed a beige 2002 Chevy Tahoe collide with a pedestrian that was walking westbound in the roadway on Eleventh St.
The officer immediately requested emergency medical aid for the involved parties and blocked the westbound lane of 11th Street with their patrol vehicle.
However, despite lifesaving efforts, the pedestrian was declared dead at the scene, police said.
Police have so far not released the name of the pedestrian or the driver pending notification of the decedent’s next of kin.
The Tahoe’s driver, contacted by police at the scene, was determined to not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said.
Police also determined the driver was not driving their vehicle in an unsafe manner at the time of the collision.
It will not be known if drugs or alcohol were a factor with the pedestrian until completion of a coroner’s investigation including toxicology testing, police said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Forecasters said a winter storm is headed toward Northern California and expected to bring rain and high winds for Lake County this week.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for 1 p.m. Tuesday to 4 a.m. Wednesday in response to the storm, which is forecast to bring northwest winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour and gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.
The forecast said the winter storm will impact northwest California Tuesday through Thursday, and very cold low temperatures are expected Friday and Saturday morning.
This week it’s also forecast that snow amounts at or below 5 inches will occur from eastern Trinity County south to Lake County and west across Mendocino County.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for chances of snow showers from Wednesday through Friday, with the potential for rain on Sunday.
Daytime temperatures this week are expected to be the warmest on Monday, when they rise to the high 60s, falling to the low 40s at night, followed by cooler temperatures on Tuesday, when temperatures during the day are expected to be in the low 50s before they drop into the 30s at night.
Conditions will get much colder midweek, hovering in the low to mid 40s during the day and high 20s at night from Wednesday through Friday.
Temperatures will rise into the 50s during the day and 30s at night by the weekend, the forecast said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department has identified the pedestrian who died after being hit by a vehicle on Sunday evening.
Lt. Dale Stoebe said the man who died was Craig Gunther, 71, of Lakeport.
Stoebe said Gunther was not homeless.
Gunther was hit by a beige 2002 Chevy Tahoe at about 7 p.m. Sunday while he was walking westbound in the roadway on 11th Street near North Street.
Police said Gunther was declared dead at the scene.
The Tahoe’s driver, who police have so far not identified publicly, was determined to not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was not driving in an unsafe manner, police reported.
Police said a coroner’s investigation is underway and will include toxicology testing of Gunther.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said the last fatal crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian in Lakeport occurred in July on Main Street at Armstrong Street.
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 Library’s 2023 NEA Big Read continues with presentations to be offered by the Museums of Lake County.
Drawing from themes of the NEA Big Read book choice, “Postcolonial Love Poem” by Natalie Diaz, the museum presentations will focus on family history preservation and local water history.
The public is invited to attend the presentations for free and pick up a free copy of the book from your nearest library branch.
The upcoming Museums of Lake County presentation are as follows.
Thursday, Feb. 23, 5:30 to 7 p.m. In-Person. Come learn about preserving family history with our County Museum curators, and how it all relates to Postcolonial Love Poem. Location: Historic Courthouse Museum 255 N. Main St., Lakeport
Museums of Lake County Presentation Thursday, March 9, 5:30 to 7 p.m. In-Person. Come learn about Lake County water history and conservation efforts with our County Museum curators, and how it all relates to Postcolonial Love Poem. Location: Historic Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum 16435 Main St. in Lower Lake
Each of the Museums of Lake County sites offer a unique perspective on Lake County History with a collection of local and regional artifacts relating to the indigenous, pioneer, and collective history of Lake County.
The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, which seeks to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.
Organizations interested in applying for an NEA Big Read grant in the future should visit Arts Midwest’s at https://artsmidwest.org/ for more information.
Georgina Marie Guardado is adult literacy program coordinator for the Lake County Library.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Under council business, Assistant City Manager Nick Walker will present a resolution approving a joint exercise of powers agreement forming the Lake County Recreation Agency.
The Clearlake City Council approved the agreement last week and the Board of Supervisors is expected to consider it later this month.
Also on Tuesday, City Attorney David Ruderman will give a presentation on ethics regulations and best practices.
On the consent agenda — items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Feb. 7; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; approval of application 2023-003, with staff recommendations, for the 2023 Cinco de Mayo Fiesta event; approval of application 2023-005, with staff recommendations, for the 2023 Memorial Day pancake breakfast; and approval of letter of support for the Keithly property acquisition by Lake County Land Trust and authorization for the mayor to sign.
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.