CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a dozen dogs that continue to wait for new families this week.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
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 and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Adoption and rescue update: On Wednesday, West Columbia Gorge Humane Society made a trip to Clearlake to take a number of the animals at the shelter to find new homes in Washington state.
Those taking a trip up north to find their new families are Edgar, Sonny, Bella, Nala, Jaxx, Rama, Annie and Tippie, two other dogs that hadn’t been taken to the shelter but were surrendered to rescue, a mama cat and five kittens, four other cats, and 10 abandoned puppies.
The following dogs continue to wait for new homes at the shelter.
‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.
He is dog No. 48443693.
‘Snowball’
“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49159168.
‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female American pit bull mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 48443128.
‘Priscilla’
“Priscilla” is a female Brittany spaniel mix with a white and copper coat.
She is dog No. 49089138.
‘Isabella’
“Isabella” is a female Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.
She is dog No. 49292130.
‘Fritz’
“Fritz” is a male Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 49278179.
‘Ebenezer’
“Ebenezer” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 49191651.
‘Claire’
“Claire” is a female border collie mix with a short black and white coat.
She has been spayed.
Claire is dog No. 49397880.
‘Chai’
“Chai” is a female Alaskan husky mix with a gray and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49279552.
‘Bear No. 2’
“Bear No. 2” is a male American pit bull mix with a short tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48731556.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 48443153.
‘Andy’
“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 48995415.
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.
On Wednesday night, in the wake of reports that Russia has launched an attack on Ukraine, Lake County’s members of Congress condemned Russia for its actions, calling for accountability and swift action to end the conflict.
Congressman John Garamendi and Congressman Mike Thompson both spoke out on the situation.
Garamendi (D-CA-03) is chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.
“Tonight, Russia launched an unjustified and unprovoked attack against Ukraine. My prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they withstand this meritless incursion from Vladimir Putin and the Russian military” Garamendi said.
“Vladimir Putin’s justifications for this strike are ludicrous and predicated on lies. His attempt to provoke war in Europe and usurp the democratically elected government of Ukraine will bring widespread suffering and loss of life at a scale the continent of Europe has not witnessed in a generation. I condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms,” Garamendi continued.
“As chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, I am monitoring the situation closely,” Garamendi said. “These actions will further unite the United States and its allies — including NATO and the European Union — and Russia will be held accountable. My heart is with the people of Ukraine and my prayers are for their safety.”
In his remarks, Thompson (D-CA-05) said the decision by Putin to invade Ukraine “is pure evil and a direct attack on democracy.”
He added, “The response to this transgression must be swift — and that means cutting Putin, Russia, and their financial elites off from the global market and imposing further crippling sanctions.
“The United States and our allies must be steadfast in the face of blatant disregard for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“My thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and I am hoping for a rapid resolution of this conflict and for lasting peace,” Thompson said.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The federal government has agreed to an exemption that will allow a Lakeport apartment complex to be opened up to more low-income community members, including fire survivors.
The city of Lakeport was notified last week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the exemption for the 48-unit Martin Street Apartments, phase two, at 1255 Martin St.
Lakeport Community Development Director Jenni Byers said the apartment complex received its certificates of occupancy at the end of July.
The developer, Lakeport Family Associates LLC, had received agriculture housing credits which required that the housing be made available to farm laborers. However, Byers said those limitations resulted in only two of the units being rented.
In August, the month after the apartment complex was approved for occupancy, the Cache fire destroyed dozens of homes in Clearlake.
Byers said Lakeport city staff reached out to the developers to see if the housing could be made available to those victims. However, because they received tax credits, they were limited to only renting the units to agriculture industry workers.
She said the developer began the process of reaching out to USDA to see if they could get a waiver that allowed them to not limit the individuals they could rent to, however, by January, there had been very little progress in receiving the waiver from USDA.
Byers said Mayor Stacey Mattina then reached out to Congressman Mike Thompson’s office to see if he could assist in the discussions.
The USDA subsequently reviewed the market study by the developer and granted the appeal, Byers said.
“Martin Street II apartments will now be available to any qualifying low-income family but USDA required that there be priority occupancy to farm labor applicants,” she said.
She added, “The Cache fire victims were why we reached out to see if the housing could be provided, but at this point the housing is not limited to only those individuals.”
Byers said she and City Manager Kevin Ingram received word of this USDA decision only 30 minutes before the Lakeport Planning Commission began on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora reported that, of the families they are tracking who were impacted by the Cache fire, three still needed housing.
He said he planned to follow up with Ingram, as they welcome any options to get all of the fire victims rehoused.
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.
Caltrans on Thursday unveiled a new Director’s Policy on Road Safety which commits the department to the Safe System approach and reaffirms the vision of reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries on state highways by 2050.
“Caltrans is fully committing to a fundamental shift in road safety and is laying the framework for significant reductions in roadway deaths and injuries,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “We play an important role in the building and maintaining of the state’s highways. With the numbers of serious injuries and deaths trending the wrong way, now is the time to focus even more on what we can do to save lives and work collaboratively with other stakeholders who play a role in roadway safety.”
California and the rest of the nation are seeing an increase in fatalities and serious injuries on the roadways.
In California, more than 3,600 people die each year in traffic crashes and more than 13,000 people are severely injured.
More than 3,200 people died on the state’s roadways in the first nine months of 2021 — a 17% increase from the previous year.
To address this trend, Caltrans is aligning departmental activities, as appropriate, with the Safe System approach, which identifies several interconnected elements to achieving a vision of zero fatalities and serious injuries — safe road users, safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and post-crash care.
As part of this policy, Caltrans commits to:
• Prioritizing “safety first” in highway planning, operation, construction and maintenance. • Focusing on eliminating the most serious crashes, rather than all crashes. • Eliminating race-, age-, ability- and transportation mode-based disparities in road safety outcomes by addressing historic and current barriers to transportation access and safety.
This policy takes steps to further institutionalize a shift that began in 2020, as state transportation leaders recognized a bolder and more focused approach was necessary to combat the troubling rise in fatalities and serious injuries on California roads.
The state’s 2020-24 Strategic Highway Safety Plan – managed by Caltrans and involving more than 400 stakeholders – was updated to include the Safe System approach.
This policy also aligns with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy released in January, which set the first national goal of zero roadway fatalities and recognizes the Safe System approach as encompassing a range of roadway safety programs and stakeholders.
“The U.S. Department of Transportation has adopted the Safe System Approach that guides our safety actions within the recently announced National Roadway Safety Strategy to address the national crisis in roadway fatalities and serious injuries,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “We commend Caltrans for adopting this approach and working to bend the curve on roadway fatalities to zero.”
The Safe System approach is based on the following principles:
• Eliminate death and serious injury: While no crashes are desirable, the Safe System approach prioritizes addressing crashes that result in death and serious injuries. • Humans make mistakes: People on the road will inevitably make mistakes that can lead to crashes. The transportation system is designed and operated to accommodate human mistakes and injury tolerances, and avoid deaths and serious injuries. • Humans are vulnerable: Crash forces contribute to deaths and serious injuries. Minimizing speeds and impact angles reduces the risk of death and serious injuries. • Responsibility is shared: All stakeholders, including road users, vehicle manufacturers, policy makers, law enforcement, licensing and education entities, those in road design and maintenance, and others must commit to working together to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes to zero. No one entity can achieve this goal alone, and it will take the coordinated effort of stakeholders working across a variety of disciplines to improve safety outcomes. • Redundancy is crucial: Reducing risk requires that all parts of the transportation system are strengthened, so that if one element fails, there are still multiple layers of protection. • Safety is proactive and reactive: Through both proactive and reactive safety efforts such as road safety audits, traffic investigations, road monitoring, flexible design, and others help identify potential areas for safety enhancement to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes.
Caltrans’ adoption of the Safe System approach builds on its ongoing work to improve safety on the state’s transportation system.
In December, Caltrans adopted a new policy for all new transportation projects it funds or oversees to include “complete street” features that provide safe and accessible options for people walking, biking and taking transit.
For more information about Caltrans’ new safety guidelines, visit its Safety Program webpage.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council will meet next week to discuss projects and monitoring programs.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, via Zoom. The public is invited to attend.
The meeting ID is 986 2616 1748, pass code is 173031. The meeting also can be accessed via phone at 1-669-900-6833 or +16699006833,,98626161748#,,,,*173031# for one tap mobile.
The council will host guest speaker William Fox, program manager with Lake County Water Resources.
Fox will discuss the status of the Fish and Wildlife permit to clear Scotts Creek and the highest priority areas to be cleared in Scotts Creek, as well as offer an update on the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake and the status of the well monitoring program for Scotts Valley residents. There also will be time for questions and answers.
Under old business, there will be an update on the request to clear Scotts Creek beginning at the bridge at Hendricks and Scotts Valley Road and ending downstream from the newly installed culvert. Permits for the project are in process.
In new business items, they will discuss new use permits, the Multi-Tribal Fire Prevention Grant application to Cal Fere to support the Scotts Valley Firewise Community, updates on the Firewise Committee and broadband or Scotts Valley,
They also will talk about the North Bay Forest Improvement Program, and get updates from the Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Committee,the South Cow Mountain Management Area implementation and the free drinking water testing program offered through Cal-WATCH.org.
The number of U.S. Black-owned businesses grew from 2017 to 2019 in all sectors of the U.S. economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, or ABS.
We reviewed business patterns among Black business owners, drawing on Census Bureau data since 2017.
Among our findings:
• In 2019, there were 134,567 Black-owned employer businesses (businesses with more than one employee) in all sectors of the U.S. economy, an 8% hike from the 124,551 Black-owned employer businesses in 2018, according to the ABS. • In 2018, there were about 3,115,000 nonemployer businesses with Black owners, up 5.6% from 2,951,000 in 2017, according to the Census Bureau’s 2018 Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics, or NES-D. • Census Bureau data shows that American entrepreneurship as a whole has been increasing. The Census Bureau’s most recent Business Formation Statistics showed that Americans applied for a record 5.4 million business ID numbers in 2021.
Resources for minority-owned businesses
The U.S. Department of Commerce or DOC — the Census Bureau’s parent agency — has long been a leader in promoting and providing resources to minority-owned businesses.
DOC’s Office of Minority Business Enterprise created the Minority Business Development Agency, or MBDA, on March 5, 1969.
The MBDA has several key initiatives designed to promote and support minority-owned businesses.
Among them: the Enterprising Women of Color Initiative, which recognizes the impact of minority women-owned businesses in communities. In fact, minority women are the fastest growing population of entrepreneurs, according to MBDA.
The MBDA also set up business centers throughout the country designed to help minority populations expand their businesses and/or markets by, for example, helping them identify strategic partners or become export-ready.
The Census Bureau also offers multiple resources for small- and minority-owned business owners, including:
The first casualty of war, says historian Ronald Suny, is not just the truth. Often, he says, “it is what is left out.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full-scale attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 and many in the world are now getting a crash course in the complex and intertwined history of those two nations and their peoples. Much of what the public is hearing, though, is jarring to historian Suny’s ears. That’s because some of it is incomplete, some of it is wrong, and some of it is obscured or refracted by the self-interest or the limited perspective of who is telling it. We asked Suny, a professor at the University of Michigan, to respond to a number of popular historical assertions he’s heard recently.
Putin’s view of Russo-Ukrainian history has been widely criticized in the West. What do you think motivates his version of the history?
Putin indicates that Ukraine by its very nature ought to be friendly, not hostile, to Russia. But he sees its current government as illegitimate, aggressively nationalist and even fascist. The condition for peaceful relations between states, he repeatedly says, is that they do not threaten the security of other states. Yet, as is clear from the invasion, he presents the greatest threat to Ukraine.
Putin sees Ukraine as an existential threat to Russia, believing that if it enters NATO, offensive weaponry will be placed closer to the Russian border, as already is being done in Romania and Poland.
It’s possible to interpret Putin’s statements about the historical genesis of the Ukrainian state as self-serving history and a way of saying, “We created them, we can take them back.” But I believe he may instead have been making a forceful appeal to Ukraine and the West to recognize the security interests of Russia and provide guarantees that there will be no further moves by NATO toward Russia and into Ukraine. Ironically, his recent actions have driven Ukrainians more tightly into the arms of the West.
The Western position is that the breakaway regions Putin recognized, Donetsk and Luhansk, are integral parts of Ukraine. Russia claims that the Donbass region, which includes these two provinces, is historically and rightfully part of Russia. What does history tell us?
During the Soviet period, these two provinces were officially part of Ukraine. When the USSR disintegrated, the former Soviet republic boundaries became, under international law, the legal boundaries of the post-Soviet states. Russia repeatedly recognized those borders, though reluctantly in the case of Crimea.
Historical claims to land are always contested – think of Israelis and Palestinians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis – and they are countered by claims that the majority living on the land in the present takes precedence over historical claims from the past. Russia can claim Donbass with its own arguments based on ethnicity, but so can Ukrainians with arguments based on historical possession. Such arguments go nowhere and often lead, as can be seen today, to bloody conflict.
Why was Russia’s recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent such a pivotal event in the conflict?
When Putin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states, he seriously escalated the conflict, which turned out to be the prelude to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That invasion is a hard, harsh signal to the West that Russia will not back down and accept the further arming of and placing of weaponry in Ukraine, Poland and Romania. The Russian president has now led his country into a dangerous preventive war – a war based on the anxiety that sometime in the future his country will be attacked – the outcome of which is unpredictable.
A New York Times story on Putin’s histories of Ukraine says “The newly created Soviet government under Lenin that drew so much of Mr. Putin’s scorn on Monday would eventually crush the nascent independent Ukrainian state. During the Soviet era, the Ukrainian language was banished from schools and its culture was permitted to exist only as a cartoonish caricature of dancing Cossacks in puffy pants.” Is this history of Soviet repression accurate?
Within the strict bounds of the Soviet system, Ukraine, like many other nationalities in the USSR, became a modern nation, conscious of its history, literate in its language, and even in puffy pants permitted to celebrate its ethnic culture. But the contradictory policies of the Soviets in Ukraine both promoted a Ukrainian cultural nation while restricting its freedoms, sovereignty and expressions of nationalism.
History is both a contested and a subversive social science. It is used and misused by governments and pundits and propagandists. But for historians it is also a way to find out what happened in the past and why. As a search for truth, it becomes subversive of convenient and comfortable but inaccurate views of where we came from and where we might be going.
No one likes tax season. It’s complicated, it’s stressful, and it’s getting worse.
Last year was already the “most challenging year taxpayers and tax professionals have ever experienced,” according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent part of the Internal Revenue Service. According to the agency’s annual report, taxpayers had trouble reaching the IRS, tax returns took months to process, almost a quarter of refunds didn’t go out until 2022, and collection notices were sent out even after the tax owed was paid.
And with millions of returns from 2021 still waiting to be processed, 2022 may be worse. That prospect has prompted lawmakers and others to press the IRS to offer taxpayers relief, as it did in 2021, in the form of suspended penalties, delayed collections and extended tax deadlines.
As a tax expert, I believe taxpayers will face at least three main challenges this year. While the onus for solving these problems should be on the federal government – not the taxpayer – I do have a few suggestions for getting you through tax season 2022.
1. Backlogs and delays
The IRS started the 2022 tax season already significantly behind.
Over 15 million returns and 5 million pieces of taxpayer correspondence from 2021 sit untouched – including 6 million original 1040s. Amended 2021 returns are taking more than 20 weeks to process.
And it’s not just complicated returns that are getting delayed. Even simple individual returns are caught in the backlog.
Most people are eager to get their money. Often, refunds make a big difference to a household’s finances. One out of 4 recipients report that they will use their refunds to cover everyday expenses. One-third will try to catch up on debt. Others may use the sudden infusion of cash to make big purchases that they have put off all year, such as dental work or a down payment on a new car.
IRS actions are often triggered by automated systems that generate notices and letters to taxpayers. For example, if the IRS system shows that a taxpayer owes the government money but doesn’t show payment by a given date, the automated system triggers a notice demanding immediate payment and assessing penalties. These IRS communications can leave taxpayers petrified.
Because of the antiquated computer system and dwindling personnel, you might very well receive a notice reprimanding you for a failure that you took care of months ago.
The IRS recently announced that it would suspend some automatic notices until its backlog clears, but others are required to go out within a certain time frame. It’s important to note that regardless of whether you receive a notice, you may still be on the hook for interest or penalties if the IRS thinks you owe money.
3. Hello? Anyone there?
But this challenge is compounded by the fact that taxpayers and preparers are finding it nearly impossible to get help from the IRS, whether in person, by telephone or via mail.
Face-to-face meetings have naturally become more limited due to COVID-19 precautions. IRS offices remain open but require appointments, while all Taxpayer Advocate Service offices are closed to in-person visits.
But don’t expect much more luck getting help over the phone. Last year, the IRS received a record 282 million phone calls, but answered only 11% of them. In other words, 250 million calls went unanswered.
And, as old-fashioned as it sounds, people still seek help from the IRS with snail mail. But the 2021 backlog is around 5 million letters, which suggests if you need help this year, mail may not be your best bet.
What you can do
And that brings me to what, if anything, you can do to steer through some of these challenges. Fortunately, there are a few best practices that can help.
File as early as you can. And if possible, file electronically – for example, by using the IRS’ free fillable forms, which allow you to prepare and file your own return without using any tax software.
Do your best to ensure your return is accurate the first time you file. Filing an amended return is sure to stretch out your wait.
It is also a good idea to keep copies of everything and not freak out if you get an IRS notice. There is at least some chance that the notice is wrong and the problem is already solved.
Calling the IRS seems like a nearly fruitless activity. If you must pick up the phone, you might have more luck calling in the morning when there’s less demand rather than in the afternoon. But expect a long wait even if you’re lucky enough to be among the 1 in 9 callers who get to talk to a human being.
For some taxpayers, such as those who are low-income or disabled, you could try reaching out to your local Volunteer Taxpayer Assistance Clinic, which may have more bandwidth to help. There is also the Taxpayers Assistance Center, which makes appointments and helps with more complicated matters.
Of course, the problem with all this advice is that it puts the onus on you, the individual taxpayer, to figure out how to sort through the mess created by years of severely underfunding the IRS. Annual funding for the agency has declined about 20% from 2010 levels, after adjusting for inflation, resulting in severe staffing shortages. I believe the only way to truly rectify the situation is for Congress to reverse the cuts it made and shore up the IRS with enough funding to do its job.
You shouldn’t have to be skilled or savvy in order to honestly pay your taxes.
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On Feb. 22, 2022, AT&T is scheduled to turn off its 3G cellular network. T-Mobile is scheduled to turn its off on July 1, 2022, and Verizon is slated to follow suit on Dec. 31, 2022.
The vast majority of cellphones in service operate on 4G/LTE networks, and the world has begun the transition to 5G, but as many as 10 million phones in the U.S. still rely on 3G service. In addition, the cellular network functions of some older devices like Kindles, iPads and Chromebooks are tied to 3G networks. Similarly, some older internet-connected systems like home security, car navigation and entertainment systems, and solar panel modems are 3G-specific. Consumers will need to upgrade or replace these systems.
So why are the telecommunications carriers turning off their 3G networks? As an electrical engineer who studies wireless communications, I can explain. The answer begins with the difference between 3G and later technologies such as 4G/LTE and 5G.
Picture a family trip. Your spouse is on the phone arranging activities to do at the destination, your teenage daughter is streaming music and chatting with her friends on her phone, and her younger sibling is playing an online game with his friends. All those separate conversations and data streams are communicated over the cellular network, seemingly simultaneously. You probably take this for granted, but have you ever wondered how the cellular system can handle all those activities at the same time, from the same car?
Communicating all those messages
The answer is a technological trick called multiple access. Imagine using a sheet of paper to write messages to 100 different friends, one private message for each person. The multiple access technology used in 3G networks is like writing every message to each of your friends using the whole sheet of paper, so all the messages are written on top of each other. But you have a special set of pens with different colors that allows you to write each message in a unique color, and each of your friends has a special pair of glasses that reveals only the color intended for that person.
However, the number of colored pens is fixed, so if you want to send messages to more people than the number of colored pens you have, you will need to start mixing colors. Now when a friend applies their special lenses, they will see a little bit of the messages to other friends. They won’t see enough to read the other messages, but the overlap might be enough to blur the message intended for them, making it harder to read.
The multiple access technology used by 3G networks is called Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA. It was invented by Qualcomm founder Irwin M. Jacobs with several other prominent electrical engineers. The technique is based on the concept of spread spectrum, an idea that can be traced back to the early 20th century. Jacobs’ 1991 paper showed that CDMA can increase the cellular capacity manyfold over systems at the time.
CDMA lets all cellular users send and receive their signals at all times and over all frequencies. So if 100 users wish to initiate a call or use a cell service at around the same time, their 100 signals will overlap with each other over the entire cellular spectrum for the whole time they communicate.
The overlapping signals create interference. CDMA solves the interference problem by letting each user have a unique signature: a code sequence that can be used to recover each user’s signal. The code corresponds to the color in our paper analogy. If there are too many users on the system at the same time, the codes can overlap. This leads to interference, which gets worse as the number of users increases.
Slices of time and spectrum
Instead of allowing users to share the entire cellular spectrum at all times, other multiple access techniques divide access by time or frequency. Division over time creates time slots. Each connection can last over multiple time slots spread out in time, but each time slot is so short – a matter of milliseconds – that the cellphone user doesn’t perceive the interruptions from alternating time slots. The connection appears to be continuous. This time slicing technique is time-division multiple access (TDMA).
The division can also be done in frequency. Each connection is given its own frequency band within the cellular spectrum, and the connection is continuous for its duration. This frequency slicing technique is frequency division multiple access (FDMA).
In our paper analogy, FDMA and TDMA are like dividing the paper into 100 strips in either dimension and writing each private message on one strip. FDMA would be, for example, horizontal strips, and TDMA would be vertical strips. With individual strips, all messages are separated.
4G/LTE and 5G networks use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), a highly efficient combination of FDMA and TDMA. In the paper analogy, OFDMA is like drawing strips along both dimensions, dividing the whole paper into many squares, and assigning each user a different set of squares according to their data need.
End of the line for 3G
Now you have a basic understanding of the difference between 3G and the later 4G/LTE and 5G. You might still reasonably ask why 3G needs to be shut down. It turns out that because of those differences in the access technology, the two networks are built using completely different equipment and algorithms.
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3G handsets and base stations operate on a wideband system, meaning they use the whole cellular spectrum. 4G/LTE and 5G operate on narrowband or multi-carrier systems, which use slices of the spectrum. These two systems need completely different sets of hardware, from the antenna on the cell tower down to the components in your phone.
So if your phone is a 3G phone, it cannot connect to a 4G/LTE or 5G tower. For a long while, the cellular service providers have been keeping their 3G networks going while building a completely separate network with new tower equipment and servicing new handsets using 4G/LTE and 5G. Imagine bearing the cost of operating two separate networks at the same time for the same purpose. Eventually, one has to go. And now, as the carriers are starting to deploy 5G systems in earnest, that time has come for 3G.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Planning Commission has given its approval to plans for a new affordable housing project for seniors.
The commission met on Wednesday, Feb. 16, with commissioners in the chambers and community members able to attend both in person and via Zoom to discuss several projects, among them, the Bevins Street senior apartments.
Community Development Director Jenni Byers presented to the commission a density bonus application from AMG and Associates for the project, a 40-unit affordable housing complex which will be built on 3.1 acres at 447 Bevins St.
Byers said the developer plans to make it available to seniors whose income is from 30 to 60% of Lake County’s median income.
It will sit directly west of the Bella Vista senior housing complex, also built by AMG and Associates.
This will be the fourth project the developer has built in Lakeport. In addition to Bella Vista, it has built the two phases of the Martin Street affordable housing apartment complex.
The Bevins Street apartment project’s 40 units will be a mix of 32 one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units, with each of the units having either a patio or a deck.
It also will have a 1,000 square foot community building with a common kitchen, exercise room, laundry facility and business center, a community garden with raised planter beds, bocce ball court, a fenced dog park for residents’ pets, 51 parking stalls — 40 of which will be covered — along with covered picnic tables with a barbecue, pergolas made from noncombustible material, U.S. Postal Service-approved pedestal mounted mailboxes and an on-site resident manager.
Byers said that, based on state law, the developer can request up to three variances from city code and the city can’t deny it.
The Lakeport Municipal Code sets forth the criteria for density bonuses, which are meant to increase the production of affordable housing. Byers said the project is 100% affordable housing and so qualified for the density bonus, as well as up to three development incentives.
She said the developer was seeking a reduction of the off street parking requirement. Normally a development of this size would need to have 60 parking spaces, but they are planning to have 51. Based on state law, they could have requested even more of a reduction, Byers added.
The apartment complex will have a tower feature for its elevator that will be 42 feet high, exceeding the city’s maximum building height of 35 feet, she said.
Byers said the developer also asked to not have a parking requirement for recreational vehicles.
As proposed, Byers said the reductions are consistent with city code and the general plan housing element.
This is not the first density bonus application the city has considered. Staff said the city previously had approved one for the Bella Vista apartments and one for the first phase of the Martin Street apartments, both built by the same developer.
Commissioner Jeff Warrenberg moved to approve the project, with Commissioner Kurt Combs seconding and the commission giving unanimous approval.
Also during the meeting, the commission voted to have Mark Mitchell and Jeff Warrenberg continue to serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, for another year.
The commission also approved separate use permits and categorical exemptions for short-term rentals proposed by Tea Tree LLC at 1950 Lakeshore Blvd and Amber Chatwin of LNR Services at 600 Esplanade.
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. — After a Tuesday that saw some rain, hail and snow falling across Lake County, the area’s updated forecast anticipates more cold weather and precipitation into next week.
The National Weather Service’s observation stations reported small amounts of rain — up to a tenth of an inch in areas like Upper Lake — but there also were small accumulations of hail and snow that occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Based on the updated forecast, a cold and dry air mass is expected to settle over the region and persist through the week.
The National Weather Service is forecasting more rain and mountain snow through this weekend, primarily Saturday night into Sunday, with still more precipitation expected into the middle of next week.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for patchy frost early Wednesday, and on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning, with overnight temperatures dipping into the low 30s this week.
Daytime conditions this week will be in the 50s, with some light winds predicted on Friday.
Friday and Saturday are expected to be partly sunny, before chances of rain return.
The National Weather Service’s forecast calls for the possibility of rain from Saturday night through Tuesday.
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 Planning Commission will once again consider a large commercial cannabis operation to be located near Hidden Valley Lake that the Board of Supervisors overturned on appeal last year.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, 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.
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In an item scheduled for 9:20 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing to consider a major use permit and mitigated negative declaration sought by Zarina Otchkova, owner of We Grow LLC., for a project to be located at 16750 Herrington Road, 17610 Sandy Road and 19678 Stinson Road in Middletown.
The property size is 300 acres but the cannabis-related operations will cover about nine acres and include 34 greenhouses, four drying buildings, a shed, 20 water tanks and privacy fencing. An estimated 130 blue oak trees will need to be removed.
The commission approved a slightly different version of the project — with one more greenhouse and fewer water tanks — in April of last year.
However, two months later, the Board of Supervisors — citing a faulty environmental document — upheld the appeal by a group of concerned neighbors, but did so without prejudice, leaving the door open for Otchkova to resubmit the project.
The project continues to face opposition from neighbors and area residents, who in letters to the commission are raising a host of issues — from water supply, to noise, smell, traffic and appropriate land use.
The full agenda follows.
AGENDA
Consideration of the adoption of Assembly Bill 361 findings authorizing teleconference meetings during a state of emergency.
Consideration of the approval of the minutes from the Dec. 16, 2021, and Jan. 13, 2022, Planning Commission hearings.
9 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 20-75) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-88). The project applicant, North Coast Select Inc., is proposing a co-location/clustering of permits for cannabis cultivation operation to allow 70,560 square feet mixed-light canopy area within greenhouses equipped with air filtration systems in a total of 168,680 square feet cultivation area. The project includes additional greenhouses for immature plants, a processing facility,a drying building, thirty-two 2,500 gallon water tanks, security and a perimeter fence. The project is located at 1496 Bell Hill Road, Kelseyville, and further described as APNs 017-002-02, 007-010-24 and 017-002-01.
9:10 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 20-68) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-83). The project applicant, Cristhian Hernandez, is applying for a two-acre outdoor canopy area within 170,730 square feet cultivation area to include 12 shipping containers with a total of 4,000 square feet solar panels and eight outdoor drying tents on existing agricultural land located at 2000 Clover Valley Road in Upper Lake, also known as APN 004-007-25.
9:15 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 21-42) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 21-44). The applicant Linodhi Inc. is proposing three A-Type 3 medium outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation licenses and one A-Type 13 Self Distribution license to allow legal transport of cannabis to and from the site. The project location is 6680 Wilkinson Road (cultivation site) and 6690 Wilkinson Road, Kelseyville, and further described as APNs 007-018-14 and 007-018-15.
9:20 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 20-22) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-25). The applicant Zarina Otchkova/We Grow LLC., proposes 15 A-Type 3B mixed light commercial cannabis cultivation licenses and one A-Type 13 ‘Self Distribution’ license. Proposed are 32 90-foot by 125-foot greenhouses; two 90-foot by 125-foot greenhouses for immature plant starts; four 50-foot by 100-foot drying buildings; one 200 square foot shed; 20 5,000 gallon water tanks; one 6-foot tall galvanized woven wire fence covered with privacy mesh to screen the greenhouses from public view. Total proposed cultivation area is 387,600 square feet, or roughly nine acres; total proposed canopy area is 330,000 square feet. The applicant is also proposing the removal of 130 blue oak trees. The project is located at 16750 Herrington Road (cultivation site), 17610 Sandy Road and 19678 Stinson Road in Middletown; and further described as APN 013-060-40 (cultivation site) and A.P.N.s 013-014-03 and 013-014-11 (clustering sites).
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.