LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will host presentations from the police department and get an update from the city’s recreation division.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, April 20.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
At the start of the meeting, the council will host a swearing-in of Chelsea Banks as Clearlake Police’s new records and communications supervisor.
Police Chief Tim Hobbs will give a presentation on the Clearlake Police Department Safety Education Loan Forgiveness Program.
There also will be a presentation of April's adoptable dogs and the quarterly update on the Recreation and Events Division.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; approval of Resolution Number 2023-18, approving a temporary road closure for the Soap Box Derby race; minutes of the March 15 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; adoption of the second amendment to the Adams Ashby consultant contract; adoption of Resolution 2023-20 committing to maintain new gateway monuments at each entryway into the city of Clearlake; and consideration of Resolution 2023-19 adopting the fourth amendment to fiscal year 2022-23 Budget (Resolution 2022-44) adjusting appropriations and revenues.
Following the open portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss negotiations with the Clearlake Middle Management Association and a case of anticipated litigation.
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. — Mendocino College’s Lake Center will host a Native Learning Symposium this week.
The event will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, April 21.
The panelists are Lori Thomas, a professor of Native American Studies at Santa Rosa Junior College and a member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians; Eliste Reeves, an elder from Round Valley Indian Tribes; and Beniakem Cromwell, the chairman of Robinson Rancheria.
They will focus on education, with panelists discussing both the history and current experiences of native students in the educational system.
Organizers ask people to register ahead of time through EventBrite.
A Zoom link also will be made available ahead of the event.
Future panels will discuss topics including icons and activists, wellness, science, native plants and foods, contemporary art and language.
The Mendocino College Lake Center is located at 2565 Parallel Drive.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council this week will honor the Clear Lake High football team, and discuss roads, fireworks and recruiting for a new position.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
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, April 18.
On Tuesday, the council will recognize the Clear Lake High School Varsity Football Team for its winning 2022 football season.
The Cardinals won North Central League I and North Coast Section Division 7 championships and advanced to the NorCal Championships, which is the first time a Lake County team has made it that far. Along the way, the team won a school-record 12 games.
Under business, City Manager Kevin Ingram will give a presentation on the city’s road management program.
In other business, the council will review the history and options related to safe and sane fireworks sales within the city.
Also on Tuesday, Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia will ask the council for direction to open a recruitment for an electrical mechanical technician.
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 April 4; approval of application 2023-010 with staff recommendations for the 2023 Memorial Day Parade; approval of application 2023-011 with staff recommendations, for the Nor-Cal Air Cooled VW Car Show to be held on Park Street; approval of application 2023-012, with staff recommendations for the 2023 Tuesday Farmers’ Market in Library Park.
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. — In the face of the Board of Supervisors trying to create a new town hall, a group of community members are planning to continue to meet as the Lucerne Town Hall.
The group will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the multipurpose room at Lucerne Elementary School, 3351 Country Club Drive.
The group of community members that intends to keep meeting and holding activities going forward — despite the supervisors’ actions — will be called the Lucerne Town Hall.
Interested community members are invited to come and discuss issues of importance to them.
They will consider a nominating sub-council, discuss bylaws changes, as well as the county’s lack of response to previous town hall actions.
There also will be discussion and action for a proposed Community Cleanup Day and accompanying survey, a discussion of the much-prolonged dredging of the Lucerne Harbor.
Other topics include consideration of county efforts to derail public participation and the future of the Lucerne community, and announcement about the April 24 equity and inclusion workshop to discuss fairness at the county courthouse.
“We're still continuing to meet up as a community and I look forward to seeing you at the meeting,” McKelvey said.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department is participating in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22.
The event will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the front lobby entrance of the police station at 2025 S. Main St.
Accepted: All over-the-counter or prescription medication in pill, tablet, liquid, cream or capsule form including schedule II-V controlled and non-controlled substances.
Pills need to be emptied out of their containers and placed in a zip lock plastic bag (NOT paper, so the contents can be seen to verify they are eligible to be accepted).
Vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers will be accepted only after the batteries are removed from the devices.
Not accepted: Illegal drugs, needles, inhalers or aerosol cans.
The Lakeport Police Department has collected more than 1,072 pounds of prescription drugs since it began participating in this program in January 2019.
Many of these drugs were dangerous narcotics, including opioids.
“Removal of prescription drugs in this safe manner protects our community by keeping them from being diverted to illegal use and out of the environment and water sources,” the department said in a statement.
More information is available from Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen at 707-263-5491.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is moving rapidly toward establishing a new public defender’s office on the advice of its staff.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 986 7261 2678, pass code 513956. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,98672612678#,,,,*513956.
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.
On the board’s consent agenda — items usually approved as a slate — is a resolution establishing a position allocation for the current fiscal year for a chief public defender.
Before her retirement as county counsel, Anita Grant, along with County Administrative Officer Susan Parker on Feb. 14 gave the board an update on the findings of a report conducted by the Sixth Amendment Center regarding the review of the county’s delivery of indigent defense services, as well as proposed next steps.
“Your Board directed staff to implement a plan to begin the efforts in developing the first steps of improving the provision of indigent services. That first step included retaining the services of Jose Varela to assist the County in exploring the options best suited for the County of Lake and developing a transition plan. In addition to this first step, staff proposes developing the position of Chief Public Defender to provide the necessary management and oversight needed to implement the plan and provide these services,” Parker’s report said.
“Staff plans to have the initial framework to address your Board's direction with the assistance of Mr. Varela in place before the contract for Lake Indigent Services terminates June 30, 2023,” Parker said in her report.
Parker said the resolution adds one additional position of chief public defender to the Administrative Office budget unit.
In other business, the board will consider facilitation services to update its rules of procedure, general protocol and committees policy document, and will discuss a resolution electing not to list supporters and opponents for county city, district, and school measures on future county ballots.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2022-119 Establishing a Position Allocation for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, Budget Unit No. 2111, Administrative Office for chief public defender and authorize chair to sign.
5.2: A) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.1 as it is not in the best interest of the county and Lake County Code Section 2-38.2 (2) due to unique nature of services precludes competitive bidding; B) approve the contract Amendment No. 1 between the county of Lake and Debra Sally DVM for veterinary services to extend the term to June 30, 2024 and maximum compensation to $100,000 annually, and authorize the Chair to sign.
5.3: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes March 28, 2023 and April 4, 2023.
5.4: Adopt proclamation designating the week of April 23 to 29, 2023, as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
5.5: Adopt proclamation recognizing April 17-28, 2023 as California High School Voter Education Week in Lake County.
5.6: Approve Amendment No. 4 to the facility space license agreement with T-Mobile West LLC for continued access to the county-owned Buckingham Peak communications site and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: Approve plans and specifications for the Socrates Mine Road Landslide Repair Project; Bid No. 23-13, Federal Project No: FEMA-4308-DR-CA, LLKCC56, FEMA-4301-DR-CA, LLKC03.
5.8: a) Waive the formal bidding process pursuant to County Ordinance 3109 Section 2-38 due to 38.2(3), not in the public interest as competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and, b) approve fifth amendment to the lease agreement between county of Lake and Gary Sada and Sheila Sada for the property located at 926 S. Forbes in Lakeport, in the amount of $86,932.68 per fiscal year from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.9, ADDENDUM: Adopt resolution approving receipt of a grant in the amount of $220,638 from the Board of State and Community Corrections by the Probation Department for a mobile probation services center.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:07 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:08 a.m.: National Poetry Month — Poem of the Week.
6.4, 9:09 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of April 23 to 29, 2023, as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
6.5, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation recognizing April 17 to 28, 2023, as California High School Voter Education Week.
6.6, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of draft ordinance amending Chapter 5, Section 5-6, Article 1, Section 5-6 6.24 (Exempt Agriculture Structures) and adding Chapter 5, Section 5-6 6.25 Temporary Ag Structures) of the Zoning Ordinance of the county of Lake in regards to agricultural structures.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of facilitation services to update the Board of Supervisors’ Rules of Procedure, General Protocol and Committees Policy Document.
7.3: Consideration of Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and New Life Health Authority dba New Life LLC for substance use disorder outpatient drug free services, intensive outpatient treatment services, and narcotic treatment program services for FY 2022-23 with no change to the contract maximum and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.4: Consideration of the following Advisory Board Appointment: Middletown Cemetery District.
7.5: Consideration of resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors, State of California, electing not to list supporters and opponents for county city, district, and school measures on future county ballots.
7.6: Consideration of contract with EndPoint EMS Consulting LLC, to assess the interfacility transfer (IFT) and Local Emergency Medical Service Agency (LEMSA) services in the amount of $150,000 for the term of April 3, 2023 through Dec. 25, 2023 and authorize the chair to sign.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public Employee Evaluation: Child Support Services Director Gail Woodworth.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Earthways Foundation, Inc. v. County of Lake, et al .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Public transit systems face daunting challenges across the U.S., from pandemic ridership losses to traffic congestion, fare evasion and pressure to keep rides affordable. In some cities, including Boston, Kansas City and Washington, many elected officials and advocates see fare-free public transit as the solution.
Federal COVID-19 relief funds, which have subsidized transit operations across the nation at an unprecedented level since 2020, offered a natural experiment in free-fare transit. Advocates applauded these changes and are now pushing to make fare-free bus linespermanent.
Free public transit that doesn’t bankrupt agencies would require a revolution in transit funding. In most regions, U.S. voters – 85% of whom commute by automobile – have resisted deep subsidies and expect fare collection to cover a portion of operating budgets. Studies also show that transit riders are likely to prefer better, low-cost service to free rides on the substandard options that exist in much of the U.S.
Why isn’t transit free?
As I recount in my new book, “The Great American Transit Disaster,” mass transit in the U.S. was an unsubsidized, privately operated service for decades prior to the 1960s and 1970s. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, prosperous city dwellers used public transit to escape from overcrowded urban neighborhoods to more spacious “streetcar suburbs.” Commuting symbolized success for families with the income to pay the daily fare.
These systems were self-financing: Transit company investors made their money in suburban real estate when rail lines opened up. They charged low fares to entice riders looking to buy land and homes. The most famous example was the Pacific Electric “red car” transit system in Los Angeles that Henry Huntingdon built to transform his vast landholdings into profitable subdivisions.
However, once streetcar suburbs were built out, these companies had no further incentive to provide excellent transit. Unhappy voters felt suckered into crummy commutes. In response, city officials retaliated against the powerful transit interests by taxing them heavily and charging them for street repairs.
Meanwhile, the introduction of mass-produced personal cars created new competition for public transit. As autos gained popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, frustrated commuters swapped out riding for driving, and private transit companies like Pacific Electric began failing.
Grudging public takeovers
In most cities, politicians refused to prop up the often-hated private transit companies that now were begging for tax concessions, fare increases or public buyouts. In 1959, for instance, politicians still forced Baltimore’s fading private transit company, the BTC, to divert US$2.6 million in revenues annually to taxes. The companies retaliated by slashing maintenance, routes and service.
Local and state governments finally stepped in to save the ruins of the hardest-strapped companies in the 1960s and 1970s. Public buyouts took place only after decades of devastating losses, including most streetcar networks, in cities such as Baltimore (1970), Atlanta (1971) and Houston (1974).
These poorly subsidized public systems continued to lose riders. Transit’s share of daily commuters fell from 8.5% in 1970 to 4.9% in 2018. And while low-income people disprortionately ride transit, a 2008 study showed that roughly 80% of the working poor commuted by vehicle instead, despite the high cost of car ownership.
There were exceptions. Notably, San Francisco and Boston began subsidizing transit in 1904 and 1918, respectively, by sharing tax revenues with newly created public operators. Even in the face of significant ridership losses from 1945 to 1970, these cities’ transit systems kept fares low, maintained legacy rail and bus lines and modestly renovated their systems.
Many systems are also contending with decrepit infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives U.S. public transit systems a grade of D-minus and estimates their national backlog of unmet capital needs at $176 billion. Deferred repairs and upgrades reduce service quality, leading to events like a 30-day emergency shutdown of an entire subway line in Boston in 2022.
Despite flashing warning signs, political support for public transit remains weak, especially among conservatives. So it’s not clear that relying on government to make up for free fares is sustainable or a priority.
For example, in Washington, conflict is brewing within the city government over how to fund a free bus initiative. Kansas City, the largest U.S. system to adopt fare-free transit, faces a new challenge: finding funding to expand its small network, which just 3% of its residents use
A better model
Other cities are using more targeted strategies to make public transit accessible to everyone. For example, “Fair fare” programs in San Francisco, New York and Boston offer discounts based on income, while still collecting full fares from those who can afford to pay. Income-based discounts like these reduce the political liability of giving free rides to everyone, including affluent transit users.
Some providers have initiated or areconsideringfare integration policies. In this approach, transfers between different types of transit and systems are free; riders pay one time. For example, in Chicago, rapid transit or bus riders can transfer at no charge to a suburban bus to finish their trips, and vice versa.
Fare integration is less costly than fare-free systems, and lower-income riders stand to benefit. Enabling riders to pay for all types of trips with a single smart card further streamlines their journeys.
As ridership grows under Fair Fares and fare integration, I expect that additional revenue will help build better service, attracting more riders. Increasing ridership while supporting agency budgets will help make the political case for deeper public investments in service and equipment. A virtuous circle could develop.
History shows what works best to rebuild public transit networks, and free transit isn’t high on the list. Cities like Boston, San Francisco and New York have more transit because voters and politicians have supplemented fare collection with a combination of property taxes, bridge tolls, sales taxes and more. Taking fares out of the formula spreads the red ink even faster.
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.
The big idea
More than half of U.S. adults over the age of 50 with work-limiting disabilities – likely over 1.3 million people – do not receive the Social Security disability benefits they may need, according to new peer-reviewed research I conducted. In addition, those who do receive benefits are unlikely getting enough to make ends meet.
The Social Security Administration operates two programs intended to provide benefits to people with disabilities: Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, the latter of which hinges on financial need. Their shared goal is to ensure that people with work-limiting disabilities are able to maintain a decent standard of living.
I think it’s fair to say that if a disability benefit is truly available to those who need it, then a large portion of people with work-limiting disabilities should actually receive the aid.
To learn if that is true for the disability programs, I analyzed data over time from a long-running survey of adults older than age 50 called the Health and Retirement Study. The survey included information on disabilities and finances for tens of thousands of people from across the country and was linked to disability benefit records from the Social Security Administration. As the disability programs primarily serve those in their working years, I only looked at people who hadn’t yet hit the full retirement age.
The data showed that the share of people with substantial work-limiting disabilities who received Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income benefits or both rose from 32% in 1998 to 47% in 2016, which was the last year the data was available. This is just a little above the average among 27 high-income countries I compared the data with.
Using the most recent Census data, I estimate that more than half of those with work-limiting disabilities between the ages of 50-64 — about 1.35 million people — likely need these benefits but aren’t getting them.
I also examined the generosity of disability benefits in the U.S. by using regression analysis, a statistical tool that allowed me to compare the relationship between multiple variables. This helped me identify whether disability benefit recipients experience greater difficulty achieving financial security compared with adults who are not on benefits but have similar social and demographic backgrounds.
I found that those receiving benefits, and particularly Supplemental Security Income, struggled more and experienced less financial security than their peers.
Why it matters
Nearly a quarter of U.S. adults who head a household will report a severe disability that limits their ability to work at some point in their lives.
Many will look for financial support from Social Security’s disability programs, which together provide benefits to more than 12 million people in 2023.
The Supplemental Security Income program, established in 1972, pays cash benefits to adults and children who also meet the definition of disability and who have financial need. The maximum payment as of 2023 was $914, though some states supplement this with their own programs.
My research suggests that well over 1 million people with disabilities who face substantial barriers to employment are not getting the assistance they need. But what’s more, even those who receive benefits are likely not getting enough. Past research shows that more than 20% of Disability Insurance recipients and 52% of Supplemental Security Income recipients live in poverty despite receiving these benefits.
What still isn’t known
This research looked at data from 2016 and earlier, but a lot has changed since then.
Chronic understaffing at benefit offices — long-running but worse since the COVID-19 pandemic began — are making benefits harder to get at a time of growing need. An estimated 500,000 people are experiencing disabilities as a result of long COVID. And those experiencing it report having even more trouble receiving benefits.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Registrar of Voters office encourages Lake County schools to participate in the 2023 High School Voter Education Weeks, which take place April 17 to 28.
The purpose of High School Education Weeks is to bring awareness to our young and future voters and set them on the pathway for continued civic engagement.
Eligible students ages 16 and 17 can be civically engaged by preregistering to vote. If students preregister to vote, they will automatically become voters when they turn 18.
Eligible students can register to vote online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/ or at the Lake County Registrar of Voters office at 325 N Forbes St. in Lakeport.
Registrations are also available at all Lake County libraries.
Staff will set up a booth on scheduled days at the libraries as follows:
• Clearlake Library, 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 19. • Lakeport Library, 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 20. • Middletown Library, 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 26. • Upper Lake Library, 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 27.
By working together, we can educate and encourage our young citizens to register to vote and ensure their voices are heard when they are eligible to vote.
For additional information call the Registrar of Voters office at 707-263-2372 or toll-free at 888-235-6730.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After refusing to cogently answer questions about its members’ actions or motivations, the Board of Supervisors last week completed the work of dismantling the Lucerne Area Town Hall, an action which opponents said appears motivated by the town’s pushback against a project for which the district supervisor’s wife has advocated.
The Board of Supervisors took the unanimous vote during the morning session at the April 11 meeting.
The action included approving a resolution rescinding the 2017 formation of the Middle Region Town Hall and the 2018 amendment to change it to the Lucerne Area Town Hall, or LATH, in order to allow Supervisor EJ Crandell to establish a new organization, the Central Region Town Hall, or CERTH.
The proposed resolution includes all of the 95458 zip code — not just the Lucerne community growth boundaries — and allows nonresident property owners to be seated on the new board, a proposal which the Lucerne Area Town Hall’s members rejected in its latest version of the bylaws, accepted last year both by that group and by the Board of Supervisors.
The matter had appeared a foregone conclusion after the board’s March 28 meeting, and Crandell quickly brought the matter back.
Crandell, who hadn’t taken the matter for a discussion in Lucerne with community members there, claimed it’s “a restructure” based on public comment at the March 28 meeting.
“It is evident that establishing CERTH is the most plausible for the central region of District 3,” he said.
Disagreeing with that conclusion was Kurt McKelvey, a 30-year resident of Lucerne who was the Lucerne Area Town Hall’s last chair.
“I encourage the board not to approve the proposed resolution before you today,” McKelvey said.
McKelvey suggested the motivation for Crandell’s actions wasn’t because of a claim of being more inclusive but rather that it stemmed from the town hall’s action at a special meeting on Dec. 21.
At that meeting, the town hall unanimously approved a resolution condemning a proposal by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians to turn the historic Lucerne Hotel — which the county sold without community support — into a homeless youth shelter.
“Community members expressed a range of opinions at that meeting, but the overwhelming majority of those present had serious concerns about the proposed project, and were in support of a LATH resolution condemning the project. The resolution to condemn the project was passed unanimously by the council, and was then sent to the county of Lake,” McKelvey said.
Crandell did not attend that meeting, although his wife Lorree was at a special meeting of the Lake County Board of Education that same night speaking in support of the Lucerne Hotel project.
Lorree Crandell also chairs the Lake County Continuum of Care, an organization on whose behalf then-Lake County Behavioral Health Services Director Todd Metcalf wrote a letter to the state advocating for a grant for the project at the historic building.
McKelvey said it was shortly after that special town hall meeting that all five of LATH’s council members were told their terms would end at the end of the year, in spite of the fact that Crandall assured him in November that the terms would be corrected before the end of the year so that they conformed to the LATH bylaws that specify two-year staggered terms.
“Due to this sudden and unexpected end of terms, we attempted to resolve this through email communications and public input in these chambers, and were ultimately told that we ‘just needed to reapply,” said McKelvey.
He added that, “So far I've only been given a series of conflicting and nonsensical reasons as to why this has all happened.”
Despite Crandell’s direction that they reapply, McKelvey said Crandell refused to appoint anyone and hadn’t given any substantive reason or justification for not doing so.
He said he believed it’s really an attempt to erase the work of the LATH in December.
McKelvey attempted to give the board the minutes of those meetings, LATH’s bylaws, a copy of the resolution against the Lucerne Hotel project, as well as petitions with signatures of community members opposing the project and California Government Code Section 1302, under the auspices of which the LATH continued to meet in recent months.
He said there have been attempts to portray those in support of drastically altering the LATH as being a “majority” when in fact it is more probable that they are a very small minority, and that many of those pushing for those drastic changes don't even live in Lucerne or the proposed territory.
McKelvey said he suspects once Lucerne residents find out about the changes, they’ll be upset about them. “These changes are unprecedented, nothing like this has been done with any other council in the county. I suggest, at the very least, you should hold an informational meeting about it in lucerne to gauge the community's actual views about this before any action to go forward with it.”
He’d made that suggestion for a community meeting in Lucerne ahead of the changes at a previous board meeting as well.
McKelvey said LATH has strived to give Lucerne its own voice and that the action was a gross disservice to Crandell’s constituents.
As he was attempting to ask four followup questions, the three-minute timer for public comment went off, and Board Chair Jessica Pyska repeatedly told him that his time was up.
John Jensen, a former LATH member who also is the co-founder of Lake County News and the Lucerne Area Revitalization Association, said LATH continues to meet with the support of the community and the association.
Jensen said Crandell’s changes are radical and go beyond just changing the borders, by allowing nonresident property owners to sit on them, which is not common for municipal advisory councils in Lake County.
He said when that proposed change to the bylaws about nonresident property owners came up, “it was not supported by the town hall and that raises questions about the genesis of this scheme.”
Jensen asked why residents of Lucerne have been excluded from this important discussion. He also asked how many municipal advisory councils in Lake County allow nonresidents to sit on them, why Crandell hadn’t discussed the matter directly with the town hall, who lobbied for the change, how many people lobbied for it, where those proponents live and what reasons they gave for wanting the change.
After that, Pyska allowed McKelvey to come forward to make additional comments.
“Lucerne really needs its own voice,” said McKelvey, adding that’s why the name of the town hall had been changed five years ago from the Middle Region Town Hall to the Lucerne Area Town Hall.
“The community of Lucerne has been largely underrepresented through the county. A lot of our needs have been unmet through decades,” said McKelvey.
He said LATH was just trying to help the community. “We’re all in this together, EJ.”
McKelvey then attempted to submit the minutes, resolution and petition papers to the board. This time, Assistant Clerk Johanna DeLong got up and pulled them from his hands and put them on the table next to her computer.
He said the town hall has continued to meet under the auspices of California Government Code Section 1302, which says, “Every officer whose term has expired shall continue to discharge the duties of his office until his successor has qualified.”
“Lastly, I respectfully request that the Board of Supervisors considers putting as much effort as you do into giving yourselves raises, patting yourselves on the back and suppressing the current representation of Lucerne and instead put that same effort and zeal into more productive things like prioritizing fixing the levees in Upper Lake, dredging our harbor in Lucerne, and keeping up on basic county maintenance needs. Those, I feel, are the real priorities. This whole thing that’s going on right now is just a disservice to the community,” McKelvey said.
He then asked his four questions:
How long has this change been in the works?
What is the compelling reason for the change?
How many people asked for this change?
Why are you supporting a radical departure like this, but only for one area?
Pyska then brought the matter back for action.
Crandell said he would cover some of the questions, but in actuality, he didn’t.
When he asked newly appointed County Counsel Lloyd Guintivano to respond to the use of Government Code 1302, Guintivano didn’t answer the question, instead saying that the board may form municipal advisory councils under Government Code 31010.
Crandell said he had only canceled one LATH meeting in December, a reference to the meeting that had been scheduled to take place at the Lucerne Hotel, but that the building’s owner, Andrew Beath, had told the group they couldn’t meet there due to the resolution condemning the sale that they planned to discuss and which they later approved.
The Dec. 21 meeting occurred the next week — it was held at the Lucerne Elementary School — and Crandell said he didn’t interfere but had sent an update that he claimed wasn’t shared with the public.
He then said there are 3,004 people in Lucerne, with 1,657 who are voting members and 1,076 people in the area of the Lucerne Hotel.
Crandell said there’s a suggestion that people advocating for the action are from the outside, conceding “there may be,” but adding, “That’s the discretion of us as the board.”
He added, “There is no situation where we want to lower the voice of Lucerne. That’s the exact opposite of this.”
Pyska then said there had been “a lot of support” for taking the action at the board’s March 28 meeting.
Supervisor Michael Green said that based on his reading of the one-line Government Code 1302, he didn’t think it applied to an appointed council member.
“I’m very supportive of any reasonable change needed,” Green said.
Green — who said at a board meeting last month that he “reenergized” the Scotts Valley Advisory Committee, an apparent reference to him updating that group’s bylaws to establish staggered terms at the start of this year — said that group also allows for nonresident property owners to have a leadership role.
Green said it can be helpful to have a fresh start from time to time.
Crandell said people who are not happy with the change can continue to have their own topics in their own private meetings.
Supervisor Moke Simon said that’s the case in his district. While the Middletown Area Town Hall’s membership is approved by the supervisors, the Lower Lake Action Committee Group has its own active group which is not Brown Act compliant.
Simon said the board has supported the Lucerne Harbor dredging, a project that has drug on for several years. “It will get done.”
Crandell added that he’s working “hand in hand” with Public Services Director Lars Ewing to move the harbor dredging along. “There’s a path forward.”
Crandell offered the resolution, which the board approved 5-0.
Public Records Act request
On March 28, after the Board of Supervisors gave Crandell support for his plan to override the existing town hall, Lake County News submitted a Public Records Act request to the county seeking information about the contacts he has had community members as well as what happened to a Facebook page for the Lucerne Area Town Hall that he had managed.
The county had 10 calendar days to initially respond to that request under state statute.
The county failed to meet that requirement.
On April 11, 14 days after the request was submitted, Lake County News resubmitted it.
Guintivano responded via email to say that his office is working on the request but that it needed more time.
He said it’s estimated the “records will be produced on or before May 8, 2023.”
That’s anticipated to be after members of the new town hall are appointed.
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 Sheriff’s Office said an investigation is underway into the death of a jail inmate who died at an out-of-county hospital over the weekend.
Inmate Jason Ray, 41, died on Saturday, April 15, in the care and custody of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office while being treated for a medical condition at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Placer County, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Lauren Berlinn.
Berlinn said the sheriff’s office activated the critical incident protocol and has begun an investigation into Ray’s in-custody death.
Ray was in custody pending prosecution for sexual assault, Berlinn said.
Berlinn said additional details will be forthcoming as the investigation is ongoing.
Though American waists are getting bigger, research is showing that the gut microbiome – the bacteria living in our digestive tracts – and the energy-producing compartments of cells, the mitochondria, remain hungry for nutrients missing in the American diet.
I am a physician scientist and gastroenterologist who has spent over 20 years studying how food can affect the gut microbiome and whole body health. The ultraprocessed food that makes up an increasing part the American diet has removed vital nutrients from food. Adding those nutrients back may be important for health in part by feeding the microbiome and mitochondria that turn food into fuel.
But improving the diet of an individual, let alone a population, is challenging. Whole foods are sometimes less convenient and less tasty for modern lifestyles and preferences. Furthermore, food processing can be beneficial by preventing spoilage and extending shelf life. Whole grain processing in particular extends shelf life by removing the germ and bran that otherwise rapidly spoil. Long-term storage of affordable calories has helped address food insecurity, a primary challenge in public health.
Much of the public health conversation around diet has focused on what to avoid: added sugars and refined carbs, some fats, salt and additives. But modern food processing, while increasing the concentration of some nutrients, has removed other key nutrients, producing potential long-term health costs. Equally important is what to add back into diets: fibers, phytonutrients, micronutrients, missing fats and fermented foods.
Only 5% of the U.S. population gets sufficient fiber, a prebiotic nutrient linked to metabolic, immune and neurologic health. Americans are likely also deficient in phytonutrients, potassium and certain healthy fats linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Fermentation is nature’s version of processing, creating foods with natural preservatives, flavors and vitamins. Recent research suggests fermented foods can improve gut microbiome diversity and dampen systemic inflammation.
Figuring out which bioactive nutrients contribute to disease can help both individuals and institutions develop diets and foods that are personalized to different health conditions, economic constraints and taste preferences. It can also help maximize nutrients in a way that is convenient, affordable and familiar to the modern palate.
Of microbiomes and mitochondria
Understanding how nutrients affect the gut microbiome and mitochondria could help determine which ingredients to add to the diet and which to temper.
In your lower gut, bacteria transform undigested bioactive nutrients into biochemical signals that stimulate gut hormones to slow down digestion. These signals also regulate the immune system, controlling how much of the body’s energy goes toward inflammation and fighting infection, and cognition, influencing appetite and even mood.