LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 4, has been canceled.
ERTH issued its agenda on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 1, which was more than the required 72-hour notice.
However, just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, County Administrative Office staff informed ERTH in an email that the meeting didn’t meet the Brown Act posting requirements.
While ERTH distributed the agenda to the community and posted it online, the issue appears to have been related to the county’s offices being closed until Tuesday because of the New Year’s holiday.
As a result, the agenda reportedly was not posted at the courthouse within the required timeframe. It was, however, found on the ERTH webpage on the county website.
After that email from the county, ERTH Board member Pamela Kicenski said in a followup email that the group would still hold an informational meeting.
However, later in the afternoon, Kicenski said the meeting was canceled “due to lack of proper noticing because of the holidays.”
She said the next meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge.
ERTH members also were told on Tuesday that all five of the board members needed to reapply for new terms.
Similarly, County Administrative Office staff told the Lucerne Area Town Hall, or LATH, that all five of its members also needed to reapply for new terms.
That’s despite all of the Northshore town halls — ERTH, LATH and the Western Region Town Hall — having staggered terms for board members, as established in their bylaws, to avoid having all of them reappointed at the same time.
The spreadsheet shows as last being updated in September, the month before the Board of Supervisors approved the newest version of the LATH bylaws, however both the current and previous LATH bylaws explicitly dictate staggered terms.
The County Administrative Office reported on Tuesday that at that point only Kicenski had applied for reappointment to ERTH.
The Board of Supervisors is set to consider a number of appointments to county boards, committees and commissions on Jan. 10, its first meeting of the new year.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will start off the year with a discussion on the contract for the new police chief and a variety of appointments.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
Thursday’s meeting will include several presentations.
The first will be for a proclamation in remembrance of retired Judge Richard Freeborn, who died Sept. 30.
The council also will hold a presentation to city employees and volunteers in recognition of their service, offer a proclamation declaring January 2023 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and get an update on recreation and events.
Council business on Thursday will include consideration of an employment services agreement with Timothy Hobbs for the police chief job.
Hobbs was appointed interim chief after the departure last month of Chief Andrew White, who is starting his new job this week as police chief of the Bay Area city of Martinez.
Also on Thursday, the council will hold two public hearings.
The first is for the second reading for the acceptance and implementation of the 2022 California Building Standard Codes, and adopting by reference the 2021 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa/Hot Tub Codes; 2021 Uniform Solar, Hydronics & Geothermal Codes; 2021 International Building Codes; 2021 International Residential Codes and the 2021 International Fire Codes.
The second hearing will be to consider Resolution 2023-03 authorizing the extension of the temporary closure of certain roads, to reduce illegal dumping and to protect the environment, and the public health and welfare.
The council also will consider mayor appointments as well as appointments of its members as representatives to the CalCities Redwood Empire Division, to represent the city and vote at the Division Legislative Committee meetings.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; authorization for an agreement in the amount of $43,500 with American Ramp Co. for design services for the Austin Skate Park Project; and an amendment to the Management Benefit Plan Section 6-2.5 Executive Leave Account to establish consistency to executive leave banks for management employees; Resolution No. 2023-04.
After the open portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss a potential case of litigation and to hold a conference with legal counsel regarding a case, City of Clearlake v. Testate & Intestate Successors of Bailey Lumbers Co., et al., Case No. CV421697, Lake County Superior Court.
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 Lakeport City Council will start off the new year with updates on the Brown Act, consideration of a telecommuting policy for city employees and discussion of traffic safety-related complaints.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
On Tuesday, City Attorney David Ruderman will present an lead a council and civic engagement training, including presenting an update on recent Brown Act legislation.
Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia will present a resolution appointing representatives to represent and vote on behalf of the city at the League of California Cities, Redwood Empire Division Business meetings and represent the city and vote at Division Legislative Committee meetings.
The council also will consider approving a telecommute program policy for city employees.
Also on Tuesday, City Manager Kevin Ingram will give a traffic safety update, and lead a discussion and review of observed trends in received traffic safety-related complaints to the city.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Dec. 20; adoption of a resolution authorizing continued remote teleconference meetings of the Lakeport City Council and its legislative bodies pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e); confirm the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; accept notification of the Lakeport Police Department intent to request federal property should desirable property become available utilizing the LESO Program while adhering to its Military Equipment Policy; approve the 2023 Military Equipment Policy and City Ordinance, as drafted; and, set this matter for public hearing and adoption at the Feb. 7 Lakeport City Council meeting; approve a resolution rescinding Resolution 2896 (2022) and revising the Master Pay Schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5; and adopt the resolution accepting construction of the 2022 Microsurface Project, by Pavement Coatings Co. and authorize the filing of the Notice of Completion.
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.
State Controller Malia M. Cohen was sworn in Monday, Jan. 2, as California’s chief fiscal officer.
The oath of office was administered by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I am proud and honored to serve as California’s state controller,” said Cohen. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”
Cohen was elected in November 2022, following her service on the California Board of Equalization, or BOE.
She is the first Black woman to serve as California’s state controller.
She was elected to the BOE in November 2018 and was Chair in 2019 and 2022.
As controller, she continues to serve the board as its fifth voting member.
Before being elected to the BOE, Cohen served as president of the Board of Supervisors of the city and county of San Francisco.
As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, she served as the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and president of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System.
Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco and proudly attended public school. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Fisk University and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.
She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources.
The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a man killed in a wreck last week.
Glen Eddie Igo of Lower Lake, age 62, was identified as the man who died in a solo-vehicle crash on Dec. 27, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Lauren Berlinn.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office, which originally had given Igo’s age as 58, said the crash occurred at around 3:15 a.m. Dec. 27.
The CHP said Igo was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Trax SUV traveling westbound on Highway 281 east of Konocti Bay Road at an unknown rate of speed in rainy conditions when he “unsafely turned” and went off the highway’s south edge.
His SUV crashed into an uphill dirt/grass embankment and overturned, and Igo — who was not wearing a seat belt — was partially ejected.
The CHP said Igo died at the scene.
Additional information has not been released by the CHP on what may have caused the wreck.
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 East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 Moose Lodge Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
The group on Wednesday will discuss a proposed revision to its bylaws.
Discussion topics also will include the Clearlake Oaks consolidated lighting district, the Lake County Geothermal Project Watchlist, a commercial cannabis cultivation update, a request for review by the Community Development Department and Sulphur Bank Mine Superfund Site public outreach.
There also will be updates on Spring Valley, the Northshore Fire Protection District, the Oaks Arm and Keys Restoration projects, and a report from Supervisor EJ Crandell.
The group’s next meeting will take place on Feb. 1.
ERTH’s members are Denise Loustalot, Jim Burton, Tony Morris and Pamela Kicenski.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — California is heading into the new year with a deep snowpack thanks to recent storms.
The Department of Water Resources, or DWR, on Tuesday conducted the first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station.
The manual survey recorded 55.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 17.5 inches, which is 177% of average for this location.
The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast.
Statewide the snowpack is 174% of average for this date.
California is expected to see continued rain and snow over the next seven days, with the threat of flooding in parts of California.
Conditions so far this season have proven to be strikingly similar to last year when California saw some early rainstorms and strong December snow totals only to have the driest January through March on record.
“The significant Sierra snowpack is good news but unfortunately these same storms are bringing flooding to parts of California,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “This is a prime example of the threat of extreme flooding during a prolonged drought as California experiences more swings between wet and dry periods brought on by our changing climate.”
One year ago, the Phillips survey showed the seventh highest January measurements on record for that location.
However, those results were followed by three months of extremely dry conditions and by April 1 of last year, the Phillips survey measurements were the third lowest on record.
More telling than a survey at a single location are DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state.
Measurements indicate that statewide, the snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 17.1 inches, or 174% of average for this date.
This January’s results are similar to results in 2013 and 2022 when the Jan. 1 snowpack was at or above average conditions, only for dry weather to set in and lead to drought conditions by the end of the water year (Sept. 30).
In 2013, the first snow survey of the season also provided promising results after a wet December similar to today’s results.
However, the following January and February were exceptionally dry, and the water year ended as the driest on record, contributing to a record-breaking drought. In 2022, record-breaking December snowfall was again followed by the driest January through March period on record.
“Big snow totals are always welcome, but we still have a long way to go before the critical April 1 total,” said DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Sean de Guzman. “It’s always great to be above average this early in the season, but we must be resilient and remember what happened last year. If January through March of 2023 turn out to be similar to last year, we would still end the water year in severe drought with only half of an average year's snowpack.”
On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30% of California’s water needs and is an important factor in determining how DWR manages the state’s water resources.
Its natural ability to store water is why the Sierra snowpack is often referred to as California's “frozen reservoir.” A below-average snowpack impacts water users across the state, putting further stress on the environment and critical groundwater supplies.
Current climate research indicates the state will see bigger swings from extreme heat and dry conditions to larger and more powerful storms that deliver temporary large boosts to the state snowpack as well as flood risk.
DWR conducts five snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter near the first of each month, January through April and, if necessary, May.
The next survey is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 1.
Dana Ariel Lapides, Simon Fraser University; Daniella Rempe, The University of Texas at Austin; David Dralle, University of California, Berkeley, and Jesse Hahm, Simon Fraser University
If you live near mountains, for instance in British Columbia, a lot of your water probably comes from mountain snowpack. Over 1.9 billion people globally rely on the snow melting and running off from these mountain snowpacks for their water supply.
However, in times of unprecedented drought and a changing climate, these forecasting models seem to no longer be reliable. Following an intense drought in California in 2021, snowmelt from mountain snowpack delivered significantly less water than historical models predicted, meaning that reservoirs remained drier than anticipated. For the first time in 100 years, water supply models were wrong.
In an attempt to address the gaps in the traditional model, we recently developed an updated water supply forecasting model that considers additional factors, like water storage deficits in the soil and bedrock. This new model significantly improves the accuracy of water supply forecasts following drought.
What are existing water supply models missing?
Models used for forecasting snowmelt typically consider winter rain and snowpack. But it turns out that water absorbed by the ground matters too. The amount of water absorbed into the soil and bedrock varies from year to year and is especially impacted by drought.
When snow melts or rain falls, almost all of it goes underground first before heading downstream to water supply systems . The water storage processes below the surface of the ground are key to understanding the ultimate fate of rain and snow in the mountains.
The below ground environment is made up of complex layers of soil, fractures and weathered bedrock that can store, detain and transport water. The details of these processes are complicated, but the overall effect can be likened to a giant sponge.
Over the summer, the ground dries out and it gets wet again with the arrival of rain and snowmelt in winter and spring. Once the ground is wet enough, it starts to drip. This dripping water enters the groundwater and streams and eventually goes into the water supply systems.
How much water drips depends on how much snowmelt and rain is received, which is included in forecasting models. It also depends on how dry the subsurface was to begin with, which is not traditionally included in forecasting models.
Plants use a lot of water
How dry the subsurface is this year can depend on how much water the plants used last year (or even over the last few years). In hotter, drier years, plants can use more water from underground, causing the subsurface to dry out more.
Scientists are still struggling to identify how dry these mountain environments can get and how far below the surface they dry. With a drier subsurface at the start of the year, more snowmelt is needed before water starts to flow downstream to water supply systems.
As droughts become more frequent and intense with climate change, this process could become more important even in regions that historically haven’t faced much drought.
Measuring the moisture underground
Directly observing the moisture levels of the ground’s subsurface is difficult, especially when it’s stored in weathered bedrock, which can extend many metres below the ground surface and be challenging to observe.
In our research, we found the most accurate measurements by lowering geophysical instruments down boreholes and taking water content readings at different depths. By comparing these readings over time, we observe how the subsurface dries out and gets wet again.
However, this intensive monitoring is nearly impossible to do over large areas.
By taking a running account of water going in and out of the ground, we can estimate how dry the subsurface is — a metric we call the water storage deficit.
Water supply models must dig deeper
Our newly-developed water supply forecasting model accounts for water storage deficits in both soil and bedrock. This has improved post-drought forecast accuracy substantially, taking the probability of error in the calculation of predictions from 60 per cent to about 20 per cent.
Since we can calculate deficits before spring snowmelts, they serve as an early warning sign and can aid water management strategies.
As the climate changes, the water supply challenges in California foreshadow issues that will become increasingly prevalent in British Columbia and other regions reliant on mountain snowpack. Using updated forecasting models in the future can help these regions better prepare for continued water shortages even when snowpack seems normal.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, or NOAA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are starting the new year off on the “right” foot.
On New Year’s Eve, the two federal agency partners officially retired the use of one of two measuring feet, to reduce surveying errors that can cost money.
Discontinuing the use of the U.S. survey foot and embracing of its replacement — the international foot — are also part of NOAA’s modernization of the National Spatial Reference System.
“Officially retiring one of these measurements will reduce accidental confusion in engineering, surveying, mapping, agriculture and other industries that depend on accurate positioning,” said Juliana Blackwell, director of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey.
The difference between the U.S. survey foot and the international foot is tiny and barely noticeable in everyday use and function.
But when it comes to measuring the distance between coordinates that span hundreds or thousands of miles, the difference can add up to several feet — and lead to costly errors and delays for various types of projects.
The U.S. began reconciling two slightly different versions of the foot in 1959, when it adopted a definition that differed just 1/100 of a foot per mile from the U.S. survey foot, established in 1893.
The 1959 definition became known as the international foot because several other nations also adopted it at about the same time.
From this point forward, surveyors will refer to the international foot as simply the foot.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — There is officially a new sheriff in Lake County.
Rob Howe took his oath of office on Monday morning in a small gathering at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office in Lakeport.
Registrar Maria Valadez administered the oath to Howe as colleagues, family and friends — including his predecessor, Brian Martin, who retired as sheriff on Dec. 30 — looked on.
Martin and Howe embraced after the swearing-in.
Sheriff’s staff have welcomed Howe to the job, saying they’re excited to have him back in an agency which he once helped lead.
In October, after having won a third term unopposed in the June primary, Martin announced he was retiring at year’s end.
The law requires that an appointee fill the post until the next general election, when voters will choose the new sheriff.
Howe will serve until January of 2025, at which point the new sheriff elected in the fall of 2024 will take over.
A Lake County native, Howe served 19 years with the sheriff’s office, reaching the rank of captain and chief of staff under then-Sheriff Rod Mitchell. He left the agency in the fall of 2011 and took over the Lake County Probation Department in March 2012 as chief probation officer.
One of the reasons the board cited for selecting Howe is that he said he does not intend to run for sheriff in 2024, which will allow him to focus on running the agency rather than a campaign.
In the two-day gap between Martin’s official retirement date and Howe’s swearing-in, Capt. Chris Chwialkowski, the second highest ranking member of the sheriff’s office after Martin, was appointed by the supervisors to fill the sheriff’s job.
The law required that Howe be sworn in by noon on Monday, County Counsel Anita Grant told the board at the Dec. 20 meeting.
While Howe’s official swearing-in was Monday, he and elected department heads, including supervisors, the assessor-recorder, treasurer-tax collector and county clerk/auditor-controller, also will take their oaths of office at the start of the Board of Supervisors’ first meeting of the year on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
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. — Following a clear New Year’s Day, the National Weather Service is forecasting a rainy first week for 2023, with chances of snow in higher elevations.
The forecast is calling for rain through Sunday, with particularly heavy rainfall expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
National Weather Service forecasters are reporting that the strong storm expected to make landfall on Wednesday shows the potential for a moderate to strong atmospheric river over northwest California.
The Lake County forecast expects showers to begin on Monday morning and continue through Sunday morning.
From Monday through Thursday, the anticipated rainfall could be as high as 3 inches, the forecast said.
Daytime temperatures will mostly hover in the mid to high 40s, hitting the low 50s on Wednesday, with nighttime lows in the low 30s.
In Lake County’s higher elevations, including the Lake Pillsbury area, a winter weather advisory will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday.
The National Weather Service is forecasting rain and snow showers in those areas on Monday and Tuesday, and then showers for the rest of the week and fog on the weekend.
Only a small amount of snow accumulation — less than an inch — is predicted.
Daytime temperatures in the higher elevations are expected to be in the low to mid 40s throughout the weekend, with nighttime conditions dropping into the high 20s.
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. — Christmas was a little brighter this year for 150 of Lake County’s homebound seniors with the arrival of a bag of goodies with their Meals on Wheels delivery the week before Christmas.
Cathleen Mondfrans, an emergency room nurse at Sutter Lakeside Hospital, a member of Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise and tireless community volunteer, is the energy behind this project.
With support from the Lake County Silver Foundation, donors and volunteers, Mondfrans started shopping before Thanksgiving to gather blankets, food, household items and more to fill each bag.
On the Sunday before Christmas, a band of elves gathered in the Yoga Room at Sutter to pack the bags and get them ready for delivery.
Sorority sisters from the Delta Iota Tau joined members of the Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise and Debra Frank, Day Makers Skin Care and Massage, and spent the morning putting candies into small Christmas stockings, bagging cookies and other treats, laying out the hygiene items and more in preparation for stuffing the individual gift bags.
In addition to monetary support and the donation of large cloth bags, the Silver Foundation coordinated with the senior centers around the Lake for delivery by Meals on Wheels drivers.
The Silver Foundation also gave $100 holiday appreciation gifts to the Meals on Wheels drivers for their help with this project.
This is the fifth year of the Christmas Bags for Seniors project. The project was started in 2017 with 33 bags. With support from the Lake County Silver Foundation, it has grown to 150 bags this year.
“This project is an example of how an idea can blossom into a partnership that quickly becomes a tradition,” said Olga Steele, secretary for the Silver Foundation Board. “We have Cathleen Mondfrans to thank for the idea.”
Founded by Jim Steele, the foundation works to secure grants and other sources of funding for senior facility improvements and activities that will enrich the lives of seniors. Visit the Foundation website to learn more or donate. Follow the Lake County Silver Foundation on Facebook.
Terry Dereniuk is president of Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise.