NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – In 1980 a nonprofit organization called the National Women's History Project, or NWHP, was created in honor of women, their achievements and to help preserve women in history.

This organization was formed in Santa Rosa by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette Morgan.

It was due to the NWHP's lobbying Congress that March was designated as a declared month called, Women's History Month.

Each year there is a specific theme which the National Women's History Project highlights to honor women during Women's History month. This year, in 2017 the theme is “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business.”

I interviewed archaeologist, Seetha Reddy, PhD, RPA of Reddy Anthropology Consulting Inc., Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Women Minority Business Enterprise and Women Owned Small Business of Davis in honor of Women's History Month.

I have always had an interest in history and archaeology. My brother, David Livingstone, was an archaeologist, and I have had the good fortune to work with some other great archaeologists, such as State Parks archaeologist Breck Parkman with the "Fort Ross Global Village" project when I was an educator; Sonoma State University archaeologist Mike Newland, who taught my fourth graders about the skills and jobs of an archaeologist; Dr. John Parker, who helped me with my Anderson Marsh book and on whose team I have worked on digs; and with newly retired State Park archaeologist Leslie Steidl on "A Walk Through Time," an award-winning documentary about Anderson Marsh .

Question: Please tell me a bit about yourself and your affiliation with the Society For California Archaeology, or SCA.

Answer: I am originally from India and have been in the US for more than 30 years. I did my doctoral research on early agriculturalists and pastoral communities in Northwest India and South India and got my PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Subsequently, I moved to California and started working on California archaeology in 1993. I have worked at several environmental cultural resource management firms as a principal investigator and project manager. In 2014, I started my CRM firm which is a Disadvantaged and Women Owned Business offering services in archaeology and ethnography.

I have been a member of SCA for many years and regularly present talks and organize symposia at the annual meetings. In 2012, I started a committee “Women in California Archaeology,” or WCA, at the association. The mission of the WCA Committee is to provide a venue for discussion related to women archaeologists in California. It works to provide support and mentorship to women practicing archaeology in the state through individual and/or group interactions.

Question: When did your interest in archaeology begin?

Answer: My earliest childhood memories include interacting with paleontologists and cultural anthropologists who frequented the rural area in India where my family lived.

The paleontologists came over several years to excavate dinosaur remains and grew to be good family friends. The cultural anthropologists came to study the dwindling tribal groups who still lived traditional lives deep in the teak forests of central India.

The scholars were very generous with their time to us children who were fascinated with the dinosaur remains and the tribal groups; but also the unusual lifestyles of living in tent camps, traveling cross-country and all the adventure that comes to it.

I strongly believe that these early childhood experiences lit a fire in me to study the past and culture. I was a biological science student in India and switched to Anthropology when I came to the US for education; and my science background has been a great asset to me as an anthropologist.

Question: What are you working on now?

Answer: I am working on several projects. A couple of examples include ethnography of Native Americans in Yuba County, and a project looking at prehistoric period plant use by Native American along the Central Coast in Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Question: In the past, like many occupations, the field of archaeology was dominated by male archaeologists. Do you have any female archaeologist role models who influence(d) your career?

Answer: I have turned to several women anthropologists for advice and mentorship. Among them include the late Dr. Carol Kramer (University of Arizona) and Dr. Christine Hastorf (a current professor at UC Berkeley).

In terms of role models, there are several women who I hold in great regard and respect – of particular mention are Dr. Diane Gifford Gonzales (UC Santa Cruz), and Dr. Kathleen Morrison (University of Pennsylvania).  These women have been active in fieldwork and laboratory research, and have demonstrated how women make valuable contributions to the field while balancing other aspects of life.

Question: You are, no doubt, familiar with the fascinating archaeology of Lake County, such as Borax Lake, Anderson Marsh and the rich cultural history of the past here, with the Pomo, Miwok, Yuki, Patwin and Wappo Indians who lived here. Some of the peoples still do, of course, such as Pomo Indian Moke Simon and family. Moke is Lake County's first Native American county supervisor. Have you ever worked on any digs here in Lake County?

I have not worked on any projects in Lake County, but have worked in nearby Mendocino County, and am familiar with the rich and varied cultural history of the area. Both the rich cultural traditions of the indigenous Californians of Lake County and the remarkable archaeological record that their ancestors left behind are to be celebrated and preserved.

Question: Everyone knows that archaeology is interesting, from watching exciting Hollywood movies, or visiting famous archaeology sites around the world, but not many realize the varied tasks you archaeologists need to be proficient at. Can you please talk about what the real job of archaeology entails?

Answer: Archaeology is highly romanticized in the media and most students in their first archaeology class are perhaps disillusioned by the lackluster of the daily practice of the discipline in general. Much of archaeology entails tedious work that involves physical labor, and mundane tasks such as sorting through gravel looking for artifacts, and a lot of reading and writing.

Of course, along with theses detailed efforts that form the basis of most scientific study, are the bursts of discoveries and intellectual breakthroughs (either personally or within the wider discipline itself).

These discoveries may seem routine to most people, but to the archaeologist invested in the study a small shell bead, carbonized seeds, a bone tool, or a single projectile point, will bring immense joy as it opens a small window into the past.

A very big part of the job is patience and experience, but with it comes the very real, firsthand knowledge of how people lived in the past, and such knowledge ultimately enriches us all. And sometimes, one finds oneself on the cutting edge of a new discovery that may change, if only in a modest way, how we view and understand what happened in the past.

Question: What are some of the tools you use in your job?

Answer: Tools used by archaeologists range widely depending on the task at hand. The essential minimum tools for archaeological surveys include maps, compasses, GPS units, recording forms, and cameras.

For excavation projects, there are a wide range of tools from maps, compasses, GPS units, shovels, trowels, screens, line levels, to recording forms, artifact bags, and soil sample bags.

In the lab, a whole different set of tools are needed including but not limited to weighing scales, microscopes, sieves, computers, printers, archival bags and so on.

We also use all sorts of state-of-the-art scientific equipment to carry out detailed analysis on material recovered from excavations; and a great deal of time is spent using computers to enter data, analyze it, and write reports.

As such, tools of the trade are greatly dependent on the type of archaeological work that is being conducted. 

Question: Would you recommend archaeology as a career for young women today? If so, what should they be doing, now, to prepare for a future in archaeology, whether they are fourth graders or college students?

Answer: I would definitely recommend archaeology as a career for young women. Regardless of whether one is a fourth grader or college student, if they are interested in the discipline, they should prepare by working on their writing skills, and importantly to cultivate and nurture curiosity about life, history, science, math, etc.

One of the wonderful aspects of archaeology is that it is multidisciplinary and encourages you to learn and grow through many outlets. It combines anthropology (the study of culture), with geology, sociology, art, linguistics, biology, chemistry, statistics, etc. We intersect with so many facets of knowledge, from history to biology and botany to chemistry, and social aspects of human behavior.

Even at a young age, it is important that girls start assessing what makes them happy. Archaeology is a discipline that accommodates a lot of different wishes – being outside, exploring the world, conducting experiments, learning about new cultures, working on soils, etc.

On a more practical level, anyone in college who is considering archaeology should definitely attend a field school and/or volunteer in an archaeological project. This will give the individual a more realistic idea of what archaeology is in practice while connected with people who are involved with the field.

Open homes at universities and colleges are one way of finding out and connecting with archaeologists. Similarly, most museums provide opportunities to budding students to volunteer along with public events and lectures.

United States Forest Service offers a program called Passport In Time which provides opportunities as a volunteer on public lands and help in conserve cultural sites. I highly recommend that students first volunteer at a museum, agency or university; and/or take field school before deciding on becoming an archaeologist.

Question: What do you most enjoy about archaeology?

Answer: For me, the most wonderful aspect of archaeology is that it is a multidisciplinary discipline. For example, I combine my background in biology with history to study how ancient populations used plants for food, how the plants were collected/grown, how they were processed and prepared, and how they were consumed.

I regularly use geology, botany, chemistry and math in my archaeological research, along with history and sociology to study and understand the human condition in the past.

Additionally, because it is multidisciplinary, we work with people from different scholastic backgrounds (geologists/soil scientists, zoologists, programmers, database specialists, etc.) which enrich us and our projects.

Furthermore, because we study human cultural behavior, we are constantly learning and therefore are constantly growing our knowledge of the world and life.

Another aspect of archaeology that keeps me continually excited is that it is highly varied in that I am doing varied tasks from fieldwork, lab work, reading, and writing.

If there comes a day when I cannot do fieldwork for whatever reason, I can focus on labwork and writing. As such, there is opportunity to grow into different aspects of the discipline depending on where one is in their career and life. Of course, it is important to be a versatile scholar, proficient in all aspects (fieldwork, labwork and writing) to enjoy this unique opportunity that archaeology offers.

Question: What does archaeology offer for the future?

Answer: Unlike, cancer research and nuclear physics, archaeology is not a field that will provide potential cures for fatal diseases or find new power source(s).

It is a field that studies human past and unfolds and reveals lost lifeways. Its importance lies in the very fact that our past has and will continue to shape our present and future: political, social, cultural, and religious. Our past is the foundation of our present and future.
 
Archaeology is also one avenue that helps us learn from past mistakes and successes. For example, it questions and provides answers to why some past civilizations failed after enjoying a long period of success. Whether it is external or internal factors and such knowledge provides great power in how we can organize ourselves and avoid similar pitfalls in our present and future.

On a final note, study of the human condition over time, understanding how we changed or did not, how we faced challenges, succeeded, and failed, are more important in today’s world where fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar is increasing. It is important for us to teach and learn to appreciate diversity and how it enriches us rather than threaten us.

Thank you very much, Seetha, for a fascinating look at the science of archaeology and the diverse work that it entails.

For more information on Women's History Month, see the Library of Congress Web site at http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ .

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Dozens of local schoolchildren returning from a field trip on Friday afternoon escaped serious injury when the charter bus in which they were riding was clipped by a vehicle that had first been involved in another collision.

The incident, first reported just before 1:30 p.m., occurred at Olympic Drive and Highway 53 in Clearlake, according to Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta.

The initial reports from the Clearlake Police Department said the crash involved three vehicles, with police closing the road in the area for a short period of time.

The Konocti Unified School District reported on its Facebook page that the charter bus – carrying sixth graders from Burns Valley School who were returning from science camp – was involved in “a minor accident.”

Sapeta said the primary collision involved a near head-on involving two other vehicles, one of which continued on and clipped the charter bus, which was carrying about 42 Burns Valley School students, staff and chaperones.

Numerous Lake County Fire units, along with Cal Fire and Northshore Fire, responded, Sapeta said.

When firefighters arrived, “The kids were screaming and upset due to the dynamics of the accident,” Sapeta said.

An air ambulance responded to the scene to transport an individual reported to be the driver of one of the first two vehicles. Three others from that primary crash were taken by ground ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, according to Sapeta.

Sapeta said four of the children on the bus had complaints of neck and back pain, as well as anxiety, and were taken to the hospital for evaluation.

A firefighter got on the bus with the staff and remaining children – which included several students chaperones from Lower Lake High School – to talk to them and calm them down, Sapeta said, explaining that they had to keep the children on the bus at that point.

The charter bus itself had little damage and could still be driven. Sapeta said the firefighter rode on the bus with the staff and children, followed by an engine, Sapeta himself and the California Highway Patrol.

Radio reports indicated Sapeta and the group moved to Burns Valley School between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m.

Ahead of the children arriving back at Burns Valley School, Sapeta said a fire district representative and staffers from Lake Elementary and Burns Valley Elementary were at the school to meet with parents and inform them of the crash.

Sapeta said firefighters met with each of the families who came to pick up their children, explaining the situation and then giving them a list of things to watch for over the next 24 hours regarding physical and psychological issues that the children may experience in response to the crash.

He said paramedics were available to evaluate children medically if parents had additional concerns. He said no other children ended up being transported from the school.

Shortly after 3 p.m., after officials followed the careful process of working with the families and having them sign for their children, all of the children had been turned over to their parents, Sapeta said.

Sapeta praised the work of the different agencies involved, and gave special recognition to the high school chaperones for how they handled the situation. “They did an amazing job.”

Information on the other vehicles and individuals involved in the crash wasn’t immediately available late Friday afternoon from authorities.

Contacted by Lake County News just after 4 p.m., the Clearlake Police Department said it had no additional information on the crash at that time.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – With every monthly measurement of the California snowpack this winter, the state’s rebound from the previous five years of drought becomes more evident, officials said Thursday.

Thursday’s electronic readings from 95 sites in the Sierra Nevada showed an average statewide snow water equivalent, or SWE, of 45.8 inches, or 164 percent of the historical average for March 30 (27.9 inches).

The manual snow survey by the Department of Water Resources, or DWR, on Thursday at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada found a SWE of 46.1 inches, 183 percent of the late March/early April long-term average at Phillips (25.2 inches).

The three previous 2017 surveys at Phillips near the beginning of March, February and January found an SWE of 43.5 inches for March, 28 inches for February and 6 inches for January.

SWE is the depth of water that theoretically would result if the entire snowpack melted instantaneously. That measurement is more important than depth in evaluating the status of the snowpack. On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer.

Electronic measurements indicate the water content of the northern Sierra snowpack is 40.8 inches, 147 percent of the multi-decade March 30 average. The central and southern Sierra readings are 50.5 inches (175 percent of average) and 43.9 inches (164 percent of average), respectively.

“Although the record pace of the snowpack accumulation fell off significantly in March, California enters the snowmelt season with a large snowpack that will result in high water in many rivers through the spring,” said State Climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson.

The Phillips snow course, near the intersection of Highway 50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road, is one of hundreds surveyed manually throughout the winter.

Manual measurements augment the electronic readings from about 100 sensors in the state’s mountains that provide a current snapshot of the water content in the snowpack.

Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, conducted DWR’s survey.

"The storm track shifted away from California during March, but we still have a very substantial snowpack, particularly in the higher elevations in the central and southern Sierra. This is an extremely good year from the snowpack standpoint,” Gehrke said, adding that this year’s snowpack ranks in the upper quarter of historic snowpacks and is providing “great reservoir recovery.”

In the Mendocino National Forest, the California Data Exchange Center reported that at Anthony Peak in the Covelo Ranger District, on March 1 there was 75 inches of snow – four inches more than February’s reading – with 29 percent water content and 39 percent density. The March reading is the best for that site since May of 2011.

Many Californians continue to experience the effects of drought, and some Central Valley communities still depend on water tanks and bottled water.

Groundwater – the source of at least a third of the supplies Californians use – will take much more than even an historically wet water year to be replenished in many areas.

California’s climate is the most variable of any state. Historically, it swings from drought to flood and back to drought.

In addition, as global warming drives up average temperatures in California, more precipitation will fall as rain, not as snow stored in the Sierra Nevada and other mountains.

To help prepare for these ever-wider extremes, Californians can learn ways to save water every day by visiting www.SaveOurWater.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An annual ranking that shows the healthiest and least healthy counties in California has once again place Lake County near the bottom of the list.

The eighth annual County Health Rankings, released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, ranked San Mateo County ranks healthiest in California and Modoc County the least healthy county in the state.

Lake was among the five counties with the poorest health, ranking No. 56, just one spot higher than Modoc. Other counties in that group included Trinity, Siskiyou and Kern. Alpine was not ranked.

Top counties with the best health, in addition to San Mateo, were Marin, Santa Clara, Placer and Sonoma.

"The County Health Rankings show us that where people live plays a key role in how long and how well they live," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation president and chief executive officer. "The rankings allow local leaders to clearly see and prioritize the challenges they face – whether it's rising premature death rates or the growing drug overdose epidemic – so they can bring community leaders and residents together to find solutions."

The report’s local level data makes it clear that good health is influenced by many factors beyond medical care including housing, education, jobs and access to healthy foods.

This year the study also took a closer look at premature deaths –  or deaths that occur among people under age 75.

Exploring California's premature death trends from 1997 to 2014, the study found that 42 counties have seen improvements in premature death rates, while three have seen worsening rates and the rest saw no change.

For premature death, Lake County also ranked poorly, earning the No. 56 spot, only slightly improved from the No. 57 rating it received in 2016.

For physical environment, Lake County ranked far higher, at No. 36, while it earned a No. 47 ranking for quality of life, No. 49 both for health behaviors and clinical care, and No. 50 for social and economic factors.

While Lake County ranked No. 56 for health outcomes, it ranked slightly better – at No. 49 – for health factors.

The key findings for the health rankings also showed that drug overdose deaths are fueling a dramatic increase in premature deaths nationally because of an increase in deaths among 15 to 44 year olds. From 2014 to 2015, 85 percent of the increase in premature deaths can be attributed to a swift increase in deaths among these younger populations.

The rankings did not specifically break down how those deaths may be influencing Lake County’s outcomes.

Earlier this year, the results of the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment was released for Lake County, which confirmed the county’s challenges.

Every three years the county is required by the federal government to assess the health of its residents using metrics such as average age of mortality, rate of preventable diseases, and availability of health-related resources, according to a report from Sutter Lakeside Hospital and St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake.

That assessment revealed that Lake County has shown improvement in the areas of mental health resources, access to healthcare, homelessness and housing, drug and alcohol abuse services, and preventative health education.

In looking at the data released Wednesday, Lake County Health Officer Karen M. Tait, M.D., said she didn’t see any major changes in this year’s outcomes.

However, she noted that some of the data is from as far back as 2012, so it is not necessarily reflective of recent years, with the expectation that the wildland fires of 2015 and 2016 could impact future air quality rankings.

“While some of the data are not from as far back as 2012, the lag over several years means that the rankings are not reflective our current status,” she said. “Many of the major findings still probably hold true, but I believe that we will need to be patient to see the results of the significant changes in healthcare that have taken place over the past several years.”

Tait said those changes include the introduction of Partnership HealthPlan of California, which now serves more than 40 percent of Lake County’s population and is open to innovative ways to meaningfully improve health outcomes.

“Other initiatives, such as Hope Rising and Safe Rx Lake County have been very active in the past couple of years and local clinic systems are approaching healthcare much more holistically than in the past,” Tait said. “Even though it often takes many years for good results to be evident in population health data, I would hope that nobody is too discouraged by these 2017 health rankings, as they don’t reflect the here and now.”

Tait added, “We can still accept that we have real challenges in areas like smoking, shortages of clinical services and social determinants of health including poverty and single-parent households. We should continue to pay attention to these health risk factors.”

She said that when the county receives its rankings in the future, factors to be considered should include the possible impacts of the significant trauma the community experienced from the fires of 2015 and 2016, and the flood earlier this year.

“I’m hoping we are on a more even keel as we move forward and that our community’s health will eventually reflect better times,” Tait said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County District Attorney’s Perjury Investigation Unit has made another arrest, this time of a woman who falsely claimed she had been the victim of an assault.

On Wednesday members of the unit arrested Danee Kristine Patterson, 23, for two felony counts of perjury, one felony count of filing a false affidavit to the court and one misdemeanor count of making a false police report, District Attorney Don Anderson reported.

Anderson said the case came to the Perjury Investigation Unit as a result of a false report being made to the Clearlake Police Department by Patterson.

He said Patterson had reported that her employer, with whom she denied having any romantic relationship, had assaulted her.

An investigation by the Clearlake Police Department concluded she was in fact having a romantic relationship with her employer and that the assault never occurred. Anderson said Patterson admitted to the police that she had made up the story to gain advantage in a pending custody battle over their child.

In an application to obtain a restraining order and custody of their child, Patterson had filed with the court an affidavit alleging the assault by her employer, Anderson said.

Afterward, on May 12, 2016, despite admitting to the police the assault never happened, she testified in the family law trial that she never had a romantic relationship with her employer and that her employer had assaulted her, according to Anderson.

In a separate civil proceeding in on March 17, Anderson said Patterson again testified that she did not have a romantic relationship with her employer and that the employer had assaulted her.

During that court hearing an investigator with the District Attorney's Perjury Unit was in court monitoring the testimony, Anderson said.

Anderson said Patterson faces a maximum seven-year sentence for her perjured testimony if convicted.

Anderson established the Perjury Investigative Unit in June in an attempt to curb false testimony in criminal, civil and family law courts.

It’s believed to be the only district attorney’s office in the United States to establish a perjury unit with the specific intent to prosecute perjury cases.

The Lake County District Attorney’s Perjury Investigation Unit has been recognized for its work by agencies throughout the country including the American Bar Association and the California District Attorney's Association.

California’s governor and leaders in the Legislature said they’re planning to move forward on a deal that would devote billions of dollars to fixing the state’s roads, freeways and bridges while also setting aside money for transit and safety, but opponents say it comes as the result of numerous tax and fee increases.

Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon on Wednesday joined labor, business and local leaders to announce the deal, which Brown’s office called “a landmark transportation investment.”

“California has a massive backlog of broken infrastructure that has been neglected far too long,” Brown said. “Fixing the roads will not get cheaper by waiting – or ignoring the problem. This is a smart plan that will improve the quality of life in California.

The plan already is getting pushback from some quarters, including State Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner.

"Leave it to elite, cosmopolitan Democrats to try and raise the gas tax on working-class and poor Californians who must travel further distances to work,” Runner said in a Wednesday statement.

Assembly and Senate Republicans also came out against the transportation package, which they say isn’t the right option for a state that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable for everyday residents.

In a joint statement, the groups said, “Californians already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the nation. The transportation proposal announced by the Capitol Democrats is a costly and burdensome plan that forces ordinary Californians to bail out Sacramento for years of neglecting our roads. This proposal would include the largest gas tax increase in state history, which will continue to rise over time, and a massive increase to the diesel tax and vehicle license fee.”

They said the state’s roads and bridges can be fixed by ensuring that the billions of dollars that drivers are already paying in transportation fees and taxes are actually used for transportation purposes, rather than being swept into the state’s General Fund.

The program as it’s proposed will invest $52.4 billion over the next decade, split equally between state and local investments. Proponents say it will cost most drivers less than $10 a month and comes with strict new accountability provisions to ensure funds can only be spent on transportation.

State Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose) introduced the bill, SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, in December. Signing on as co-authors are a number of state senators, including Bill Dodd and Mike McGuire, the latter who represents Lake County.

The language of the bill explains that it would create the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program to address deferred maintenance on the state highway system and the local street and road system.

It would raise revenue by increasing the state gas tax for the first time in 23 years by $0.12 per gallon increase, phased in over three years; a 20-cent increase to the diesel excise tax; a $38 increase to the vehicle registration fee; a $100 vehicle registration fee on zero emission vehicles; $300 million from existing cap and trade funds; and returning $500 million in vehicle weight fees phased in over five years.

“We have been working hard to ensure a critical transportation funding package was approved this year,” said McGuire. “We have a transportation funding crisis in California – our roads, highways and bridges are crumbling because our state has failed to invest in our transportation infrastructure – and tens of millions of California commuters, businesses and travelers are literally paying the price for our lack of action.”

McGuire said the transportation funding package will provide cities and counties with significant annual revenue streams to make local infrastructure improvements like rebuilding and paving local roads and streets and bridge repair.

Eighty-seven percent of California’s roads rated in fair or poor condition, and estimated statewide deferred maintenance backlog over the next 10 years of $132 billion, McGuire’s office reported.

McGuire also said that every billion dollars spent on transportation infrastructure, creates 14,000 full-time jobs.

Californians drive more than 350 billion miles a year– more than any other state – yet road and transit investments have not kept pace with this growth, officials reported.

An October report sponsored by the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties found that the conditions of California’s local streets and roads are deteriorating.

The state’s 58 counties and 482 cities own and maintain over 143,000 centerline-miles of local streets
and  roads, or 81.2 percent  of  the  state’s  total  publicly  maintained  centerline  miles, a network the report said is conservatively valued at more than $168 billion.

The report said the statewide average pavement condition index, or PCI, deteriorating to 65 – the “at risk” level – in 2016.

Lake County’s overall PCI is among the worst in the state, in the “poor” category with an overall rating of 40, for its 753 center line miles. The report showed that Lake County’s roads actually have improved from a PCI of 31 in 2010.

Leadership in both the Senate and the Assembly expect the measure to be voted on by Thursday, April 6.

SB 1 would raise the funds for the infrastructure programs from the following sources:

– $7.3 billion by increasing diesel excise tax 20 cents;
– $3.5 billion by increasing diesel sales tax to 5.75 percent;
– $24.4 billion by increasing gasoline excise tax 12 cents;
– $16.3 billion from an annual transportation improvement fee based on a vehicle’s value;
– $200 million from an annual $100 Zero Emission Vehicle fee commencing in 2020;
– $706 million in General Fund loan repayments.

The bill’s proposed infrastructure investments break down as follows.

Fix local streets and transportation infrastructure (50 percent):

– $15 billion in “Fix-It-First” local road repairs, including fixing potholes;
– $7.5 billion to improve local public transportation;
– $2 billion to support local “self-help” communities that are making their own investments in transportation improvements;
– $1 billion to improve infrastructure that promotes walking and bicycling;
– $825 million for the State Transportation Improvement Program local contribution;
– $250 million in local transportation planning grants.

Fix state highways and transportation infrastructure (50 percent):

– $15 billion in “Fix-it-First” highway repairs, including smoother pavement;
– $4 billion in bridge and culvert repairs;
– $3 billion to improve trade corridors;
– $2.5 billion to reduce congestion on major commute corridors;
– $1.4 billion in other transportation investments, including $275 million for highway and intercity-transit improvements.

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. – Donations to assist Lake County flood survivors are currently being collected through a collaborative effort between North Coast Opportunities and Mendo Lake Credit Union, representatives for the two entities announced.

The Lake County Flood Relief fund has been established to help Lake County residents severely impacted by recent rains and flooding, with many families displaced by extreme conditions.

Donations may be made on either NCO or MLCU’s Web sites, and fund applications for affected families and individuals are available online.

Additionally, anyone wishing to donate to the flood relief fund can go in person to any MLCU branch, or send a check to MLCU made out to NCO with “Lake County Flood” in the notes field.

“Both MLCU and NCO recognize the need to help our local residents who have been hard hit by this year’s wet weather. Much like we did following the devastation from fires in the south county nearly two years ago, we join NCO in wanting to help our community members,” said Jamey Gill, MLCU director of Marketing and Community Outreach. “MLCU is all about people helping people, and our mission is to support the economic wellbeing of the communities we serve.”

Among those affected by flooding in the Lakeport area were more than 200 residents, according to Kevin Ingram, City of Lakeport public information officer.

Of those 200, 175 are from the Will-O-Point Resort where 41 homes were “red-tagged.” Residents will not likely be able to return to their homes for at least two to three months, he said.

“The flooding aggravated the already constrained utilities at the mobile home park, most notably sewer,” Ingram explained. “Occupancy of the homes located within Will-O-Point will remain prohibited until repair work on the utilities is completed by the owner. This repair work is further aggravated by the continued elevated level of Clear Lake as the property owner is not even able to begin to analyze needed repairs until additional groundwater levels at the park recede further.”

Ingram characterized the majority of the families affected as low and very low income earners.

The biggest need for the families is rental assistance for temporary housing and deposit assistance for relocation, said Ingram. Families lost clothing and food due to the flooding situation, as well as having to leave their homes for an extended amount of time. Additionally, when families return to their Will-O-Point homes, they may find that some minor repairs will be necessary.

NCO and MLCU’s representatives pointed out that 100 percent of funds collected will go straight to those affected; no portion of the donations will go toward administrative overhead. Donations are tax deductible.

For more information on how to donate or how to apply for funds, visit either NCO or MLCU’s Web sites or contact NCO Executive Assistant Elizabeth Archer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-467-3210.

NCO is the Community Action Agency for Lake and Mendocino counties, and part of its mission is to serve those in need during emergency situations. The fund was officially set up by NCO as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Mendo Lake Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative and has been serving members’ financial needs since 1959. MLCU branches are located in Lakeport, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and Ukiah.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The organization that oversees the Lake County Safe House reported that it held a successful fundraiser this past weekend.

On Saturday, March 25, Lake Community Pride Foundation hosted its inaugural Spring Equinox Dinner/Dance fundraiser at the Highlands Community Center in Clearlake.

The close-to-sold-out event brought around 100 people together to support the Lake County Safe House, a teen shelter managed by foundation, according to foundation President Bruno Sabatier

“It was a pleasure to see such great support from our community for such a great cause...helping our most vulnerable population, our youth,” said Sabatier. “It has been over 10 years and approximately 70 young community members that we have been able to help overcome life's hurdles. We get to continue the legacy of the Safe House with the support that we've received tonight.”

Sabatier said the event was catered by the Chatter Box, the Highlands Senior Center catering team. Led by alumni culinary arts students from Woodland Community College, the cooking staff offered a delicious appetizer complete with homemade Caesar dressing and a plentiful entrée choice of eggplant or chicken Parmesan.

To finish the meal, Woodland Community College's Culinary Arts department donated a wonderful chocolate mousse dessert in support of the event, he said.

The event was complimented by a silent auction, a prize drawing table, and a live auction where the final item, chocolate covered strawberries, were being competitively bid on by two separate tables. Sabatier said lots of great items were on display such as wine baskets, art pieces, jewelry, gift cards, and more with 50 items to choose from.

When dinner was over, the party started. The music for the evening was played by The Rotarians who kept playing until the last hour with attendees dancing and enjoying their rhythm, Sabatier said.

Sabatier said all of the proceeds from the event went directly to the maintenance and upkeep of the house as well as the welfare of the Safe House tenants. All board members and counselors for the Safe House are strictly volunteers.

He estimated that it costs $24,000 a year to cover all of the Safe House’s costs – including maintenance, taxes, insurance, food and other expenses.

The foundation has been doing a single annual fundraiser with its fall golf tournament. However, Sabatier said costs have increased – particularly, energy bills and food prices – therefore the organizations has been forced to have two fundraisers to ensure that the program can continue.

Lake Community Pride Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit group. If you are interested in donating to their cause, send your donations to P.O. Box 1042, Lower Lake, CA 95457 or for more information contact Sabatier at 707-695-0834.