LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Horse Council is launching a new event, the Jamboree Weekend.
Beginning Friday, Jan. 17, at Fritch Hall in the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, the Country Jamboree – Barbeque Dinner will offer an evening of delicious food and great music with the dinner proceeds benefiting the Lake County Horse Council and Westside Community Horse Park.
Happy hour takes place from 5 to 6 p.m., with dinner from 6 to 9 p.m.
Enjoy a barbecue tri-tip and chicken dinner catered by Lakeview Market along with live music from the fantastic Tom Drinnon, best known for his authentic country sound and versatile range.
Born in Lakeport, Drinnon moved to Nashville at the young age of 23 and was immediately signed with a major management company. From there he went out on the road performing across the nation with many well-known country artists including Carrie Underwood, Randy Travis, Vince Gill, and Tim McGraw, to name a few.
Tickets are $45 per person or $400 for a table of eight – which includes wine, appetizers and a personal server – and can be purchased from Eventbrite through the Lake County Horse Council Facebook page.
The fun continues from 2 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, when the Horse Council hosts its fourth annual January Jamboree – Equine & Wine, a horse expo and entertainment event at Fritch Hall.
The January Jamboree networks local equestrians with businesses, events and vendors as well as providing educational information for children and adults alike.
The free event will feature food and drinks, wine tasting, tack swap, a raffle and live music with Tom Drinnon.
Vendors will include multiple different horse groups and clubs, boarding and training facilities, tack stores and local businesses. Vendor space is available; the cost is $45 for a 10-foot by 10-foot space.
The Lake County Horse Council’s mission is to support the horse industry in Lake County.
The group puts on safety events, provides educational scholarships to young equestrians, hosts social events and serves as a liaison for equine advocacy with local government agencies.
The council also sponsors the Horse Faire at the Kelseyville Pear Festival every year.
For more information, including details about becoming a vendor, please contact Lake County Horse Council President, Debbie James at 338-1014 or visit the group’s website at www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Here’s a great way to fulfill your New Year’s resolution to read more books – sign up for the Lake County Library’s Winter Reading Challenge which starts Jan. 3 and ends Feb. 29.
January is a perfect time to catch up on all those great books you’ve been eager to read by challenging yourself to read more through the library this winter.
Everyone can participate – babies, toddlers, children, teens and adults are all welcome in the challenge.
If your children don’t read on their own yet, you can still sign them up and read with them. If you don’t have a library card, it’s easy to get one by bringing your photo ID to your nearest library branch.
Children who sign up will receive reading logs from the library. When they return their library books, the library staff will log the reading points. Every page read counts as one point toward the challenge goal of 1,000 points. Kids get stickers for their reading logs and they receive small prizes as they hit reading milestones.
Adults and teens can sign up and start reading library books. When they return the books, they get credit for pages read, and for every 200 pages they get tickets for the raffle jar. Contestants can read eBooks or listen to audiobooks to participate in the reading challenge.
If you complete the 1,000 point challenge you get to pick out a brand new book donated by the Friends of the Lake County Library, sign your name in it, and be the first person to check it out.
Each branch library will award a raffle prize for teens and one for adults. The raffle drawings will take place at the end of the program and the winners will be announced on March 3. Raffle baskets contain books and cold-weather treats for adults. Teens get candy bouquets.
For more information about the Winter Reading Challenge can be found at http://library.lakecountyca.gov under Events.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Sunday afternoon traffic stop led to a Clearlake man’s arrest on numerous weapons charges.
The Clearlake Police Department said Jesus Munoz-Griego, 18, was arrested in the case.
At 2:12 p.m. Sunday, Officer Chris Kelleher was patrolling the area of Highlands Way near Vista Robles Way when he observed a black 2001 Toyota Echo turning right onto Highlands Way from Old Highway 53 at a high rate of speed and driving on the wrong side of the roadway, according to the report.
The report said Officer Kelleher conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for several vehicle code violations.
As Officer Kelleher began approaching the driver’s side of the vehicle, he noticed the driver, Munoz-Griego, was reaching down at the driver floorboard, police said.
Due to Munoz-Griego’s actions, Officer Kelleher opened Munoz-Griego’s door and ordered him out of the vehicle along with the passengers, according to the report.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Munoz-Griego did not have a valid California driver's license and he was placed under arrest.
Police said that during a search of the vehicle, Officer Kelleher located a loaded black Tec 9 with a high capacity magazine capable of holding 32 rounds of 9 millimeter ammunition lying on the driver floorboard in a bag next to a large knife. Several more rounds of various ammunition were located scattered throughout the vehicle along with a glass smoking methamphetamine pipe.
While examining the firearm, Officer Kelleher discovered that the serial number to the firearm had been scratched off, police said.
The Clearlake Police Department said Munoz-Griego was arrested on probable cause for numerous firearm and weapon violations along with operating a motor vehicle without a valid California driver's license and transported to the Lake County Jail for booking.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Department of Water Resources on Thursday conducted the first manual snow survey of 2020 at Phillips Station.
The manual survey recorded 33.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent, or SWE, of 11 inches, which is 97 percent of average for this location.
The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff.
“While the series of cold weather storms in November and December has provided a good start to the 2020 snowpack, precipitation in Northern California is still below average for this time of year,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We must remember how variable California’s climate is and what a profound impact climate change has on our snowpack.”
More telling than a survey at a single location are DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations scattered throughout the State. Measurements indicate that statewide, the snowpack’s SWE is 9.3 inches, or 90 percent of the Jan. 2 average.
“It’s still too early to predict what the remainder of the year will bring in terms of snowpack,” said Sean DeGuzman, chief of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Section. “Climate change is altering the balance of rain and snow in California. That is why it is important to maintain our measurements of the snowpack to document the change in addition to having critical information to forecast spring runoff.”
California traditionally receives about 75 percent of its annual precipitation during December, January and February, with the bulk of this precipitation coming from atmospheric rivers.
Similar to last year, California experienced a dry start to this water year followed by cold, wet December storms that brought the state up to 74 percent of average annual precipitation for this time of year.
State officials said climate change is expected to lead to continued warming and fewer but more intense storms impacting the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada. These changes continue to impact the distribution of snow across elevations, its pattern of accumulation, and rate of melt.
DWR conducts five media-oriented snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter in January, February, March, April and, if necessary, May.
On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer.
In related news, a snowpack measurement conducted Dec. 30 at Anthony Peak in the Mendocino National Forest’s Covelo Ranger District found snow at a depth of 17 inches with a density of 24 percent, compared to 25.5 inches and 43 percent density measured in January 2019.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a kennel filled with big dogs waiting for adoption.
The kennels also have many dogs that need to be reunited with their owners. To find the lost/found pet section, click here.
The following dogs are ready for adoption.
‘Blue’
“Blue” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix with a short blue and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 2420.
‘Burke’
“Burke” is a male Labrador Retriever with a short black coat with white markings.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 2628.
‘Charlotte’
“Charlotte” is a female Akita mix.
She is dog No. 3040.
‘Clarice’
“Clarice” is a female German Shepherd mix puppy.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3402.
‘Deejay’
“Deejay” is a female German Shepherd mix with a short tan and white coat.
She is dog No. 3413.
‘Fable’
“Fable” is a female Alaskan Malamute mix with a brown and buff coat.
She is dog No. 3044.
‘Linus’
“Linus” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 3255.
‘Precious’
“Precious” is a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a short black coat.
She is dog No. 3268.
‘Tempest’
“Tempest” is a female German Shepherd mix with a medium-length black and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3429.
‘Woodrow’
“Woodrow” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 3281.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
Hours of operation are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays; the shelter offers appointments on the days it’s closed to accommodate people.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at the city’s Web site.
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.
California has a new tool in its efforts to build wildfire resilience and improve long-term forest management in the face of climate change.
The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has certified a new program that it says will help minimize wildland fire risk across the state while ensuring the highest level of environmental oversight.
The California Vegetation Treatment Program, or CalVTP, will create efficiencies within the regulatory process to scale up fuel treatment and forest restoration projects toward meeting the state’s goal of treating 500,000 acres of non-federal lands annually.
“I commend the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for working with the environmental community, state regulators and public safety officials to develop a long-term solution to increase the pace and scale of critical vegetation treatment in a way that safely and responsibly protects our environment,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The scale of the wildfire crisis in California is unprecedented, and we need a response to match the scale and severity of this challenge.”
Improved vegetation treatments, including fuel breaks that slow wildfires to protect communities, and projects that restore natural fire regimes, are part of a suite of actions Gov. Newsom called for within days of assuming office earlier this year.
Other priority actions include hardening homes and improving communities’ preparation to survive wildfire.
The CalVTP reflects more than a decade of careful work to analyze potential environmental impacts associated with different types of vegetation management, consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
This programmatic analysis will reduce redundancies in each project’s environmental review by allowing project sponsors to build upon verified environmental analysis contained in the CalVTP as they begin their site-specific study for their individual projects.
Earlier this year, citing extreme peril posed by megafires, Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency to fast-track 35 critical forest-management projects to protect more than 200 of California’s highest-risk communities and redirected National Guard members from the border to undertake fire prevention activities throughout the state.
To ensure necessary work could get underway immediately, the emergency proclamation suspended certain requirements and regulations as needed to carry out its directives, including CEQA.
By expediting the process, these emergency projects are on track to finish in less than one year, rather than a typical pace of three to five years.
In November, two of these emergency fuel breaks were used to protect Santa Barbara residents during the wind-driven Cave fire, resulting in no lives or structures lost.
As part of the long-term solution, Cal Fire developed the CalVTP to enable projects to move forward efficiently while maintaining and protecting California’s diverse vegetation and habitats.
State officials said the program will help Cal Fire and other public agencies comply with CEQA while delivering projects more quickly and affordably on over 20 million acres of land that is the responsibility of the state.
Projects that will benefit from CalVTP include:
– Wildland-urban interface fuel reduction, including removal of vegetation to prevent or slow the spread of fires between wildlands and buildings. – Fuel breaks that support fire suppression activities by providing emergency responders with strategic staging areas and access to otherwise remote landscapes for fire control. – Restoration in ecosystems where natural fire regimes have been altered due to fire exclusion, including restoring ecological processes, conditions, and resiliency to more closely reflect historic vegetative composition, structure, and habitat values.
The CalVTP does not support commercial timber harvest or development.
To further achieve wildfire resilience in California, the state continues to work with federal partners, including the U.S. Forest Service. The federal government owns nearly 58 percent of California’s forestlands. The state owns 3 percent, while 40 percent is privately held.
To protect public safety and ecology, experts agree 1 million acres of California forest and wildlands must be treated annually across jurisdictions. The federal government is working to match the state’s 500,000-acre annual treatment goals, though it has been hampered by years of federal budget and staffing cuts.
While the CalVTP is a critical tool to responsibly scale up vegetation treatment on state- and privately-owned land, state officials said efforts must simultaneously scale up on federal land.
The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board on Thursday announced the release of the third annual report required under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, or RIPA.
The report contains an analysis of the approximately 1.8 million stops conducted by California’s eight largest law enforcement agencies during the second half of 2018.
The report also examines civilian complaint data and provides recommendations law enforcement can utilize to enhance their policies, procedures, and trainings on topics that intersect with bias and racial and identity profiling.
In addition to the board’s new report, the California Department of Justice is announcing the launch of a new online dashboard to give researchers, legislators, journalists and all members of the public greater access to RIPA data.
“For the first time ever, Californians have comprehensive racial and identity data on each stop and search conducted by police officers at the largest law enforcement agencies in the state,” said Co-Chair of the Board and Associate Director of Litigation and Policy at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles Sahar Durali. “This is a critical first step in the fight to end racial profiling. The findings of this data as laid out in the 2020 Board report highlight the need for the policy recommendations of the board. We encourage law enforcement agencies to work with their communities and utilize the RIPA data to make meaningful changes to their policies, practices, and operations. The board looks forward to partnering with agencies, community members, and advocacy groups in those efforts.”
“As co-chair to the board, I would like to thank California Department of Justice staff and my fellow board members for their professionalism throughout the past year,” said Co-Chair of the Board and Kings County Sheriff Dave Robinson. “Many continually express support and appreciation for the difficult job the men and women of California law enforcement do every day. The report is just the beginning of information that will allow even greater transparency for law enforcement and our communities – allowing us to grow together working on local and statewide areas of concern. And finally, to the men and women who have embraced the challenges of the data collection and reporting: we thank you. Your commitment is appreciated.”
“Good data is a critical component of making good policies,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “The California Department of Justice’s new online dashboard will help make important criminal justice information more accessible to everyone in California. Here at the California Department of Justice, we’re committed to doing our part to increase transparency and accountability to help strengthen trust between law enforcement and communities across our state.”
The information collected under RIPA includes data on peace officers’ perceptions of the demographics of stopped individuals.
The purpose of collecting information on officer perceptions is to attempt to systematically document and analyze stops and searches to determine whether disparities can be found across demographics.
The perceived demographic information collected includes a number of characteristics such as race or ethnicity, gender, age, disability status, English fluency, and LGBT identity.
There are a number of methodologies to analyze stop data that can help determine if bias may exist, and the report relies on several well-established methods as reference points.
However, there are important limitations and caveats for each methodology that should be kept in mind when interpreting the data.
The report goes into further detail on many of those considerations. Some of the key findings from the first round of RIPA data include:
Reason for Stop: Across all racial and ethnic groups, the most common reason peace officers reported for initiating a stop was a traffic violation (84.4%) and the next most common reason was reasonable suspicion of criminal activity (11.4%). People who were perceived as Black had the highest proportion of stops for reasonable suspicion while those who were perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian had the lowest.
– Perceived as Black: 19.5 percent – Perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian: 3.6 percent
Weighted residential population compared to stop data: Using data from the 2017 American Community Survey, people who were perceived as Black were overrepresented in the stop data and people perceived as Asian were underrepresented as compared to population estimates.
– Perceived as Black: +8.8 percent – Perceived as Asian: -6.4 percent
Veil of darkness analysis: This method compares the proportion of individuals stopped during daylight hours across racial or ethnic groups. Having a higher proportion of stops occur in daylight compared to people perceived as White may indicate bias. People perceived as Pacific Islander or Native American had the highest proportion of their stops in daylight compared to those perceived as White, whereas people perceived as Black or Middle Eastern or South Asian had the lowest.
– Perceived as Pacific Islander: +7 percent – Perceived as Native American: +4.5 percent – Perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian: -0.05 percent – Perceived as Black: -1.2 percent
Search rates: Search rates refer to the proportion of stops that resulted in a search. People who were perceived as Black were searched at 2.9 times the rate of people perceived as White. The proportion of stops that resulted in a search was highest for people who were perceived as Black and lowest for people who were perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian.
– Perceived as Black: 18.7 percent – Perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian: 2.8 percent
Search yield rates: Search yield rate refers to the proportion of individuals that officers searched who were found to be in possession of contraband or evidence. All racial or ethnic groups of color had lower yield rates of contraband or evidence than White individuals, meaning that officer searches of these groups tended to be less successful at finding contraband or evidence.
The proportion of searched individuals that officers found to be in possession of contraband or evidence was highest for people who were perceived as White and lowest for people who were perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian.
– Perceived as White: 24.3 percent – Perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian: 18.8 percent
New dashboard offered
For more on the first round of RIPA data, members of the public are encouraged to review the new online dashboard.
The dashboard provides a unique look at the data and gives the public unprecedented access to information on stops and searches conducted by California’s eight largest law enforcement agencies collected from July 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2018.
RIPA requires California law enforcement agencies to collect and maintain demographic data on all stops and searches.
As part of the 2015 law, the board was formed in July 2016 to analyze the data, develop policy, and make recommendations through yearly public reports.
By April 2023, all agencies that employ peace officers in California will be required to submit RIPA data to the California Department of Justice.
The California Legislature charged the board with an ambitious purpose – to eliminate racial and identity profiling and improve diversity and racial and identity sensitivity in law enforcement.
The board unites a diverse group of individuals from across different sectors – law enforcement, civil and human rights organizations, community groups, and academia – to work toward improving law enforcement-community relations in California through collaboration, transparency, and accountability.
The eight law enforcement agencies included in the first round of data collection are the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Francisco Police Department.
A copy of the report is available here. A fact sheet on the 2020 RIPA report is available here. A copy of the supplemental technical report is available here. More information about the board is available here.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair Foundation is planning a February fundraiser to help it with its goal of improving the county’s fairgrounds and hosting educational events.
The Wrangler Round-Up Dinner and Dance will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Little Theater at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.
The evening will include dinner with smoked tri tip, garlic cheddar mashed potatoes, salad, French bread and a no-host bar, plus dancing to a mix of old and new country music, with some rock and roll mixed in.
There also will be a live auction, 50/50 drawing, a raffle and dessert auction.
The cost is $50 per person or $90 per couple. Sponsorships also are available.
Proceeds support the nonprofit foundation’s efforts at the fairgrounds, where it hosts the yearly agriculture day event, and has raised funds to purchase equipment and renovate facilities.
To purchase tickets or for additional information contact Jeff Warrenburg at 925-381-0359 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Debbie Strickler at 707-245-7087 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; at the Lake County Fairgrounds office, 401 Martin St., Lakeport; online at www.lakecountyfairfoundation.com; or by mail to the Lake County Fair Foundation, P.O. Box 967, Lakeport, CA 95453.
The next Lake County Fair Foundation meeting will take place at the fairgrounds at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28. Community members are encouraged to attend and get involved in order to preserve the local fair into the future.
It’s that time of year when people make their New Year’s resolutions – indeed, 93% of people set them, according to the American Psychological Association. The most common resolutions are related to losing weight, eating healthier, exercising regularly and saving money.
How can you increase your willpower and fulfill your New Year’s promise to yourself? These seven strategies are based on behavioral science and my clinical work with hundreds of people trying to achieve their long-term goals.
1. Clarify and honor your values
Ask yourself why this goal matters to you. Do you want to lose weight because you value getting in shape to return to a favorite pastime of hiking, or because of societal expectations and pressures? People who are guided by their authentic values are better at achieving their goals. They also don’t run out of willpower, because they perceive it as a limitless resource. Figure out what makes you tick, and choose goals consistent with those values.
2. Frame goals and your life in positive terms
Focus on what you want to accomplish, not what you don’t. Instead of planning not to drink alcohol on workdays during the new year, commit to drinking your favorite sparkling water with Sunday to Thursday evening meals. Struggling to suppress thoughts takes a lot of energy, and they have a way of returning to your mind with a vengeance.
It also helps to reflect on the aspects of yourself and your life that you are already happy with. Although you might fear that this will spur complacency and inaction, studies show that gratitude and other positive emotions lead to better self-control in the long run.
3. Change your environment to make it easier
Research suggests that people with high willpower are exceptionally good at arranging their environment to avoid temptations. So, banish all credit cards from your wallet if your goal is to save money. And don’t keep a bowl of M&M’s at your work desk if you intend to eat healthy.
If your coworkers regularly bring sweets to work, ask them to help you with your goals (they might get inspired to join in!) and bring cookies only for special occasions. Supportive friends and family can dramatically increase your chances of achieving your resolutions. Joining a group whose members practice behaviors you’d like to adopt is another great way to bolster your willpower, because having role models improves self-control.
4. Be prepared with ‘if-then’ strategies
Even the best resolution falls apart when your busy schedule and exhaustion take over. Formulate a series of plans for what to do when obstacles present themselves. These “if-then” plans are shown to improve self-control and goal attainment.
Each time you wake up in the middle of the night craving candies or chips, you can plan instead to read a guilty-pleasure magazine, or log into your online community of healthy eaters for inspiration, or eat an apple slowly and mindfully, savoring each bit. When you’re tired and about to skip that gym class you signed up for, call your supportive sister who is on standby. Anticipate as many situations as possible and make specific plans, vividly imagining the situations and what you will do in the moment.
5. Use a gradual approach
When you embark on a new goal, start small and build on early successes. Use one less spoonful of sugar in your coffee. Eventually, you might be able to forgo any sweeteners at all. If resisting that muffin initially proves to be too hard, try waiting 10 minutes. By the end of it, your urge will likely subside.
You might be surprised to realize that change in one domain of life – like abstaining from sweet processed foods – tends to spread to other areas. You might find you are able to bike longer distances, or moderate your caffeine intake more easily.
6. Imagine rewards and then enjoy them
Picture the feeling of endorphins circulating through your body after a run, or the sun on your skin as you approach a mountain summit. Pay attention to all your senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste. Visualizing rewards improves your chances of engaging in the activity that results in them.
If it’s hard to imagine or experience these rewards in the beginning, decide on small, meaningful gifts you can give yourself until the positive effects of the new behaviors kick in. For example, imagine yourself taking a half-day off work each month after you pay down your credit card debt: visualize exactly what you would do and how you would feel. And then do it.
7. Be kind to yourself, even during setbacks
Most people believe the way to increase willpower is to “whip oneself into shape,” because being kind to oneself is indulgent and lacks self discipline. But the exact opposite is true – people who harshly blame themselves for even small willpower failures tend to do worse in accomplishing their goals in the long run.
Try self-compassion instead. Cut yourself some slack and remember that being human means being imperfect. When you fall for that doughnut, don’t despair, and don’t throw in the towel. Treat yourself with care and understanding and then recommit to your goal the following day.
Remember, you aren’t likely to achieve your New Year’s resolutions by being self-critical and hard on yourself. Instead, boost your willpower through a series of small and strategic steps that will help you succeed.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The most recent crop report for Lake County shows an overall drop in value, particularly for the top commodities, but increases in some of the smaller crops and products.
Agricultural Commissioner Steve Hajik presented the “crop report plus” for 2018 to the Board of Supervisors in December.
As in past years, the report did not include or attempt to quantify the value of cannabis growing in Lake County. Cannabis was legalized in California for medical use in 1996 and for recreational use in 2016.
Hajik previously reported to the supervisors that while cannabis is expected to eventually be included in crop reports, not including it in the reports now is due to it not being recognized as a crop by state and federal officials.
He said that he commissioned a report for 2018 that determined the economic contributions of agriculture in the county based on the 2017 crop report.
Dr. Jeff Lanholz and Dr. Fernando DePaolis of Agricultural Impacts Associates, a consulting firm specializing in agricultural economics, conducted the study on which the latest crop report is based.
Hajik said the report quantifies agriculture’s total economic contributions through food production, local food processing, and employment and economics multiplier effects.
The report said the gross value of agricultural production in Lake County for 2018 was $111,470,311, an 8-percent decrease from 2017 when the total estimated value was $120.8 million.
The report doesn’t represent gross agricultural receipts nor the production costs or net income to producers, Hajik said.
The gross values included in the report represent the value of each commodity at the time of harvest, with the exception of pears. The gross value of pears given is for after they are packed and processed.
Hajik said the crop report plus shows that agriculture has a broader role in sustaining a thriving local economy.
He said that, according to the study, Lake County agriculture contributed $339.2 million to the local economy in 2017 and supported 2,202 jobs.
“To put this in perspective, Lake County agriculture contributes $929,212 per day or $38,717 per hour,” Hajik said in his report to the supervisors.
Hajik said the report found that $241 million came from direct economic output and $98.2 million in additional economic output, specifically, “multipliers” include business-to-business supplier purchases – such as purchasing farm equipment and seed – and consumption spending, such as for groceries and housing, by owners and their employees of agricultural businesses.
There also were 2,061 jobs associated with direct economic output and 141 additional jobs attributed to multiplier effects.
“One in 12 jobs in Lake County are directly attributed to the various agricultural industries. That is 8.5 percent of the county workforce,” Hajik reported to the board.
Hajik said the 8-percent decrease in production value from 2017 to 2018 is attributed to decreases in the value of the winegrape, pear and walnut industries, Lake County’s three main agricultural commodities.
Winegrapes, Lake County’s No. 1 commodity, had a gross value of $81,469,587 in 2018, a decrease of 4 percent from 2017. Total tonnage was 46,426, with total grape acreage at 9,680 acres, an increase of 172 acres. The report said that the tons per acre decreased by 9 percent and the average price decreased by 2 percent.
For pears, the No. 2 commodity, the gross value for 2018 was $21,174,763. Pears shows the largest single decrease of any agricultural product, 21 percent, compared to 2017, according to the report.
The report said total pear production decreased by 8,480 tons and the price per ton also decreased by 2 percent.
While pear acreage remained the same at 2,034 acres, some orchards were removed following the 2018 harvest, the report explained.
For the No. 3 commodity, walnuts, the gross value was $3,450,150, down 6 percent.
The report said that walnut production actually increased in 2018 by 3 percent, but the price per ton decreased by 10 percent and acreage was down by 200 acres.
For the smaller commodities, the report showed a number of increases, including nursery production, 9 percent; livestock production, 15 percent; vegetable production, 19 percent; and miscellaneous fruits and nuts, 2 percent.
The largest single commodity increase was in timber, which saw a 61-percent rise, based on the report.
Among the smaller commodities, there were decreases, including a 6 percent drop for livestock and poultry products and 4 percent reduction for field and seed crops.
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. – A man whose vehicle went into Clear Lake on Tuesday afternoon survived thanks to the quick action of people arriving at the scene.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, a vehicle was reported to have gone into Clear Lake along Highway 20 west of Paradise Cove, located east of Lucerne.
Initial radio reports indicated the vehicle was in the lake, on its top, and that it had been swerving before going off the roadway.
A short time later, California Highway Patrol arrived at the scene and reported there was one male subject trapped in the vehicle but that his head was above the water, and that a rescuer was in the water with him.
Northshore Fire personnel who arrived at the scene went into the water and in about five minutes had successfully extricated the man from the car and removed him from the water, according to radio reports.
After assessing the man’s condition, firefighters determined he was uninjured, according to incident command.
Following the rescue, firefighters conducted a hazardous materials assessment and incident command asked dispatch to contact Lake County Environmental Health, as there was a sheen on the water, possibly from oil or gas from the vehicle.
Incident command reported that a boom was put out to absorb any materials from the car.
The CHP reported later that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also was contacted about the hazmat concerns.
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.
What are the skywatching highlights of January 2020?
The peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, Mars rises with its "rival" – the red giant star Antares – and the Moon comes around for another visit with Venus.
The early morning of Jan. 4 brings the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. This annual shower can be one of the better ones of the year, although it has a much shorter peak than most other meteor showers – just a few hours versus a day or two.
The visibility of meteor showers from year to year has a lot to do with whether there's a bright Moon in the sky at the time or not.
This year, the Moon will set soon after midnight local time, meaning viewing conditions should be good, provided your local skies are not obscured by winter weather.
Face toward the northeast between midnight and dawn to see as many as two dozen meteors per hour under dark skies. (And the farther away you get from city lights, the darker it'll be.) So bundle up, and be sure to give your eyes a little time to adapt to the dark, including a break from your mobile device, in order to see the maximum number of meteors.
Mars rises before dawn during January with its "rival," the red giant star Antares. The name of this star translates as "rival to Mars" in ancient Greek, and the star rivals the Red Planet's appearance to the unaided eye, both in color and brightness.
In reality, Antares is way, way bigger than Mars. In fact, it's much bigger than the orbit of Mars. It's about 10,000 times brighter than our Sun, but it's also 16 million times farther away from us than Mars is, so, like all stars, even though it's really bright, it appears as just a tiny, flickering point of light in the night sky.
You can view the pair low in the southeast, about an hour before sunrise each morning. Near the beginning of January, Mars appears above Antares. As the days progress, the planet moves lower and to the east of Antares. They're joined by a slim lunar crescent on January 20th for what should be a very pretty grouping.
And as we start 2020, NASA's looking forward to the launch of the Mars 2020 rover mission. It's slated to blast off in July to seek signs of ancient life in a fossilized river delta on the Red Planet.
Closing out the month, the crescent Moon and Venus once again make for a gorgeous sight at the end of January, on the same day of the month as they did back in December.
On Jan. 28, you'll find the pair hovering in the southwest in the hour or so after sunset that evening, so be sure to go out and take a look.
Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.