LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office continues to whittle away at the number of ballots remaining to be processed for the March 5 presidential primary election.
On Wednesday, the elections office said it still had 5,095 ballots left to process, reduced by about 2,300 ballots since its last report.
The ballots still to be processed include 4,705 vote-by-mail or absentee ballots, 266 provisional or condition ballots, and 124 vote-by-mail ballots that require further review for various reasons, the elections office reported.
Until the 28-day canvass is completed in early April, the elections office said the primary results will not be considered final and official.
Effective this year, AB 63 requires that the elections office update vote results and unprocessed ballot counts at least once per week and post the updated information on its website.
However, the elections office may stop posting results if the only ballots left to count are the ballots for which voters have the opportunity to either verify their signature or provide a signature, or until they certify election results.
For more information, visit the Lake County Registrar of Voters website or call 707-263-2372 OR toll-free at 888-235-6730.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Public Health is raising awareness regarding the concerning increase in rates of Hepatitis C within the community.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, or HCV, primarily transmitted through exposure to infected blood.
This increase highlights the importance of education, prevention, and access to testing and treatment services.
Hepatitis C can be transmitted through various means, including sharing needles, syringes, or other drug paraphernalia, needle-stick injuries in health care settings, or through birth from an infected mother.
Less commonly, transmission can occur through sharing personal care items that may have come into contact with infected blood or through unprotected sexual contact, particularly in individuals with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
Hepatitis C is a serious health concern that requires immediate attention. It can range from acute to chronic infection, potentially leading to long-term health complications if left untreated.
Therefore, it is crucial for individuals to be aware of the risks, get tested, and seek appropriate care.
Testing for Hepatitis C is recommended for individuals who may have been exposed to the virus, especially those with a history of injection drug use, healthcare workers at risk of needle-stick injuries, or individuals born to mothers with Hepatitis C.
Early detection allows for timely intervention and treatment, which can significantly improve health outcomes.
If you test positive for Hepatitis C, it's important to contact your doctor promptly. Additional testing may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis and assess the extent of liver damage.
Fortunately, Hepatitis C can now be cured for most people in as little as 8 to 12 weeks with minimal side effects.
National guidelines recommend treatment for nearly everyone diagnosed with Hepatitis C, regardless of drug use or recovery status.
Treatment not only cures the infection but also reduces the risk of transmission to others.
Lake County Public Health encourages community members to prioritize their health by seeking testing and, if necessary, treatment for Hepatitis C.
Furthermore, individuals are urged to adopt preventive measures, such as practicing safe injection practices, using barrier methods during sexual activity, and avoiding sharing personal care items that may carry bloodborne pathogens.
For more information on Hepatitis C testing, treatment, and prevention resources, please contact Lake County Public Health at 707-263-1090.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The sunny and warm weather Lake County has been enjoying for the past week is about to give way to more rain this week.
The National Weather Service is predicting the dry and “unseasonably mild weather” will continue during the first half of the week.
Rain is then forecast to arrive on Friday and continue with chances of showers into Monday.
Temperatures will drop to the high 40s during the day and into the high 30s at night during that time, according to the forecast.
Throughout the North Coast region, there also will be chances of snow in the higher elevations, beginning at between 5,000 and 6,000 feet on Thursday and dropping to the range of 3,500 to 4,500 feet.
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.
A new report gives a picture of the state’s resources as it faces a budget shortfall.
State Controller Malia M. Cohen has issued the state’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, or ACFR, for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, showing General Fund revenues of $199.2 billion, a $2.2 billion or 1.1 percent increase compared to the prior year.
General Fund revenues from personal income taxes were $123.3 billion, a $6.2 billion or 4.8 percent decrease from prior fiscal year revenues.
General Fund revenues from sales and use taxes of $32.8 billion increased by nearly $3.7 billion, or 12.6 percent from the prior year, primarily due to the rebound of retail sales activities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Corporation taxes were $35.8 billion and increased by nearly $3.7 billion, or 11.5 percent from the prior year, due to a continued growth in retail sales and investments consistent with the prior year’s upsurge.
The state ended the fiscal year with a $74 billion General Fund balance, a $98 million decrease from the prior year’s ending fund balance.
This balance included $20.3 billion restricted for budget stabilization if the governor must declare a budget emergency during an economic crisis.
The state’s general revenues increased by $6.6 billion, or 2.9 percent, over the prior year. For the fiscal year, the state’s revenue exceeded expenses by $18.8 billion for governmental activities.
California had a net pension liability of $47.9 billion as of June 30, 2022 for governmental activities. The state had nearly $239.7 billion in total long-term obligations including bonds, pensions, loans, and leases.
This is the fifth consecutive ACFR that has been published late due to ongoing challenges in receiving financial statements from state departments and audited opinions from the California State Auditor.
The California State Auditor issued modified opinions on several components of the state’s basic financial statements because of these ongoing challenges.
Thanks to resources made available by the Legislature and Governor in the 2023-24 Budget, the State Controller’s Office is aggressively working toward its goal of publishing an on-time fiscal 2024-25 ACFR by March 2026.
The State Controller’s Office has moved quickly to permanently hire 13 new staff members with more in progress, bring in consultants, address technology needs, improve business processes, and compile resources that will assist departments with quickly responding to and resolving accounting issues.
“As my office continues to make meaningful progress toward restoring the timely issuance of this critical report, I remain grateful for the collaboration and support of the Legislature, the Governor’s administration and state department leaders, and control agencies in this effort,” said Controller Cohen.
The ACFR is prepared by the Controller’s team each year, adheres to generally accepted accounting principles and follows guidance from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, or GASB.
Independently audited by the California State Auditor, the ACFR allows for apples-to-apples comparisons between entities and provides valuable financial information to the public, financial experts, and investors.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller 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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Economic Development Corp., in partnership with the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has announced the launch of a new program to assist Latino business owners and potential entrepreneurs.
El Centro Latino Del Lago is an ongoing business advising program, and its inaugural six-week training program launches March 27.
The training will include two networking events and six classroom training workshops and will be delivered exclusively in Spanish.
Program participants who successfully complete the courses, along with their families, will be invited to attend a graduation celebration on May 30th.
The first mixer will be March 27 at 6 p.m. at La Chilanguita in Clearlake. This free event will allow business owners to learn more about the program, meet the consultants from the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, or CAHCC, that will lead the workshops, and network with other Lake County Latino business owners. Refreshments will be provided.
Workshop topics include how to start a business, business planning, marketing, cost analysis and strategies for success.
For more information, and to sign up, visit: https://lakecountycaedc.org/centro-latino-del-lago/.
This program is supported by the FHL of San Francisco, in partnership with Vocality Credit Union.
Funded in part through a Grant or cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
La Corporación de Desarrollo Económico del Condado de Lake (Lake EDC), en asociación con la Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Lake (LCCC) y la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de California (CAHCC), se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de un nuevo programa para ayudar a los propietarios y potenciales empresarios latinos.
El Centro Latino Del Lago es un programa continuo de asesoramiento empresarial y su programa inaugural de capacitación de seis semanas se lanza el 27 de marzo. La capacitación incluirá dos eventos de networking y seis talleres de capacitación presenciales que se impartirán exclusivamente en español. Los participantes del programa que completen exitosamente los cursos, junto con sus familias, serán invitados a asistir a una celebración de graduación el 30 de mayo.
La primera reunión será el 27 de marzo a las 6:00 de la tarde, en La Chilanguita en Clearlake. Este evento gratuito permitirá a los dueños de negocios aprender más sobre el programa, conocer a los consultores de CAHCC que dirigirán los talleres y establecer contactos con otros dueños de negocios latinos del condado de Lake. Se proporcionarán refrigerios.
Los temas del taller incluyen cómo iniciar un negocio, planificación empresarial, marketing, análisis de costos y estrategias para el éxito. Para obtener más información y registrarse, visite: https://lakecountycaedc.org/centro-latino-del-lago/.
Este programa cuenta con el apoyo de FHL de San Francisco, en asociación con Vocality Credit Union. Financiado en parte a través de una subvención o acuerdo cooperativo con la Administración de Pequeñas Empresas de EE. UU. y la Oficina de Desarrollo Económico y Empresarial del Gobernador.
SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers and tribal advocates on Wednesday questioned the impact of the 1953 Public Law 280, also known as PL 280, that transferred public safety responsibility on tribal lands from the federal government to six states, including California, without reimbursing costs.
In 1968, the law was amended to include limited federal funding for crime victims and court development.
Assembly Select Committee Chair James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Public Safety Committee Chair Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and their members and tribal leaders participated in the roundtable.
Tribal judicial leaders, and police officials dissected how PL 280 has reduced safety on California’s reservations.
“This law has a wide-ranging impact on Indian Country relating to safety. It’s a law that had more to do with protecting non-Native people from Native Americans than protecting tribal people,” Ramos said.
Carole Goldberg, distinguished research professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles provided an overview of PL 280’s background and impact.
“Public Law 280 has a highly problematic origin story,” Goldberg said. “At the time it was enacted, the federal government was pursuing a policy known as termination, which denied Native nations’ sovereignty, disavowed the federal government’s trust responsibility for safety in tribal communities, and promoted forced assimilation of Native peoples by subjecting them to state law.”
Judge Abby Abinanti of the Yurok Tribal Court said passage of PL 280 was a “joke on all of us.”
The six “mandatory” states under PL 280 include California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Wisconsin and Alaska. Ramos noted that the law has weakened tribal safety and contributed to the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP.
“PL 280 has resulted in jurisdictional confusion, lack of trust between tribes and outside law enforcement, and a lack of resources for tribal police and courts,” Ramos said. “There’s a myth out there that all tribes are gambling tribes, but that’s not at all the case. PL 280 states rank higher in the country than other states in the number of their MMIP cases.”
Ramos said input from the roundtable will assist in refining proposed legislation to work around PL 280’s flaws.
Ramos introduced AB 2138 earlier this year which deals with policing on tribal lands. AB 2138 is expected to be heard in April.
Nirav Pandya, University of California, San Francisco
From football to baseball, gymnastics to tennis, more young athletes are becoming sports specialists. They join expensive sports clubs or youth leagues and devote themselves to a single sport all year long. But Nirav Pandya, a professor of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at the University of California San Francisco, says there are risks when kids specialize, including an increased possibility of injury and a high burnout rate.
The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, which have been edited for brevity and clarity.
What trends do you see related to kids and sports participation?
Also, in the long term, kids who specialize in a single sport perform less well in that sport and in all sports in general than kids who play more than one. So once again, we’re really hurting kids from multiple different levels if they’re specializing.
What is the relationship between sports specialization and injuries?
Nirav Pandya: There’s a tremendous increase in traumatic injuries. ACL tears used to be something we’d see in 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds. Now, 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds get them. The rate of ACL injuries has gone up 12% over the last decade in this adolescent age group.
Based on my experience as a clinician, kids are also getting overuse injuries like knee pain and shoulder pain from doing too much of the same activity again and again.
Are clubs and leagues costly?
Nirav Pandya: The Aspen Institute has shown that families will spend, on average, about $1,000 per year for these travel or private club sports. That’s a big financial burden for a lot of families.
In addition, the reason why a lot of families are doing this is because they want their kids to get a college scholarship. Colleges are very expensive, and parents think if their child specializes in a sport and plays on these club teams, they can get to that level.
Nirav Pandya: You have one group of kids who have access to sports because their families have the money and those kids are getting injured. And then you have another group of kids whose families don’t have the money to participate, and therefore there isn’t really an outlet for them to be physically active because school funding is going down. Recreational programs don’t exist. So then those kids get the problems of diabetes, obesity and hypertension, and they carry that into adulthood.
What can parents do to ensure their kids have a healthy relationship with sports?
Nirav Pandya: It’s important for parents to understand the data. And that’s our role as physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches – to understand that data and give it to parents.
I think the second thing is also not to feel the pressure to enter the youth sports complex, a US$15.3 billion industry. Instead, donate to a community organization that is funding recreational sports, or try to push for your school to have those opportunities for your kids.
And finally, if your child is going to be playing travel sports or year-round sports, the parents should look at the websites of the club. Are they promoting kids to be healthy and active in a safe environment, or are they promoting kids to get a scholarship?
SciLine is a free service based at the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science that helps journalists include scientific evidence and experts in their news stories.
School meals are critical to child health. Research has shown that school meals can be more nutritious than meals from other sources, such as meals brought from home.
A recent study that one of us conducted found the quality of school meals has steadily improved, especially since the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act strengthened nutrition standards for school meals. In fact, by 2017, another study found that school meals provided the best diet quality of any major U.S. food source.
Many American families became familiar with universal free school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ease the financial and logistical burdens of the pandemic on families and schools, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued waivers that allowed schools nationwide to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. However, these waivers expired by the 2022-23 school year.
Since that time, there has been a substantial increase in schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal policy that allows schools in high poverty areas to provide free breakfast and lunch to all attending students. The policy became available as an option for low-income schools nationwide in 2014 and was part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. By the 2022-23 school year, over 40,000 schools had adopted the Community Eligibility Provision, an increase of more than 20% over the prior year.
President Harry Truman established the National School Lunch Program in 1946, with the stated goal of protecting the health and well-being of American children. The program established permanent federal funding for school lunches, and participating schools were required to provide free or reduced-price lunches to children from qualifying households. Eligibility is determined by income based on federal poverty levels, both of which are revised annually.
In 1966, the Child Nutrition Act piloted the School Breakfast Program, which provides free, reduced-price and full-price breakfasts to students. This program was later made permanent through an amendment in 1975.
The Community Eligibility Provision was piloted in several states beginning in 2011 and became an option for eligible schools nationwide beginning in 2014. It operates through the national school lunch and school breakfast programs and expands on these programs.
The policy allows all students in a school to receive free breakfast and lunch, rather than determine eligibility by individual households. Entire schools or school districts are eligible for free lunches if at least 40% of their students are directly certified to receive free meals, meaning their household participated in a means-based safety net program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or the child is identified as runaway, homeless, in foster care or enrolled in Head Start. Some states also use Medicaid for direct certification.
The Community Eligibility Provision increases school meal participation by reducing the stigma associated with receiving free meals, eliminating the need to complete and process applications and extending access to students in households with incomes above the eligibility threshold for free meals. As of 2023, the eligibility threshold for free meals is 130% of the federal poverty level, which amounts to US$39,000 for a family of four.
Universal free meals and obesity
We analyzed whether providing universal free meals at school through the Community Eligibility Provision was associated with lower childhood obesity before the COVID-19 pandemic.
To do this, we measured changes in obesity prevalence from 2013 to 2019 among 3,531 low-income California schools. We used over 3.5 million body mass index measurements of students in fifth, seventh and ninth grade that were taken annually and aggregated at the school level. To ensure rigorous results, we accounted for differences between schools that adopted the policy and eligible schools that did not. We also followed the same schools over time, comparing obesity prevalence before and after the policy.
We found that schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision had a 2.4% relative reduction in obesity prevalence compared with eligible schools that did not participate in the provision. Although our findings are modest, even small improvements in obesity levels are notable because effective strategies to reduce obesity at a population level remain elusive. Additionally, because obesity disproportionately affects racially and ethnically marginalized and low-income children, this policy could contribute to reducing health disparities.
The Community Eligibility Provision likely reduces obesity prevalence by substituting up to half of a child’s weekly diet with healthier options and simultaneously freeing up more disposable income for low-to-middle-income families. Families receiving free breakfast and lunch save approximately $4.70 per day per child, or $850 per year. For low-income families, particularly those with multiple school-age children, this could result in meaningful savings that families can use for other health-promoting goods or services.
Growing research is showing the benefits of universal free school meals for the health and well-being of children. Along with our study of California schools, other researchers have found an association between universal free school meals and reduced obesity in Chile, South Korea and England, as well as among New York City schools and school districts in New York state.
While our research observed a reduction in the prevalence of obesity among schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision relative to schools that did not, obesity increased over time in both groups, with a greater increase among nonparticipating schools.
Universal free meals policies may slow the rise in childhood obesity rates, but they alone will not be sufficient to reverse these trends. Alongside universal free meals, identifying other population-level strategies to reduce obesity among children is necessary to address this public health issue.
As of 2023, several states have implemented their own universal free school meals policies. States such as California, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico have pledged to cover the difference between school meal expenditures and federal reimbursements. As more states adopt their own universal free meals policies, understanding their effects on child health and well-being, as well as barriers and supports to successfully implementing these programs, will be critical.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s newest park project in Cobb has received a grant from the state.
The California State Parks announced the selection of 19 local projects that will receive grants totaling $6.7 million from the California Habitat Conservation Fund Grant Program.
California State Parks said the grants will help local agencies with the protection, restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitat to maintain California’s quality of life.
Since 1990, approximately $84 million has been allocated to habitat conservation projects throughout California, California State Parks reported.
This latest round of grants includes $207,500 to go toward the acquisition of the new 13-acre park at 16540 State Highway 175 in Cobb.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors, which approved pursuing the park purchase in February 2023, unanimously approved purchasing the property for the new park for $300,000 at its Feb. 27 meeting. Board Chair Bruno Sabatier called the purchase a “milestone.”
That’s because Public Services Director Lars Ewing said the Cobb area is one of the few, if not the only, general plan areas in Lake County without a community park.
“We’re very excited about the project and very excited for the residents of the county and we’re looking forward to a successful project being developed there,” said Sedrick Mitchell, State Parks’ deputy director for community engagement.
Deputy Public Services Director Kati Galvani told Lake County News that the county applied for a second grant, that one from the state’s Land and Water Conservation Fund, at the same time but that it may not be able to accept due to more stringent timelines.
Galvani said Public Services initially had planned to use both grants to complement each other, but the seller wasn’t able to wait until 2025, which is what the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant would have required.
“Protecting California’s biodiversity is critical as approximately 40% of the estimated 5,500 plant species found in this state are found nowhere else on Earth,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero in a Monday statement. “With funding from the California Habitat Conservation Fund, local, state and nonprofit organizations can work toward California’s 30x30 initiative that seeks to protect and restore biodiversity, expand public access to nature, and mitigate and build resilience to climate change.”
State Parks’ Office of Grant and Local Services, or OGALS, conducted a competitive review process which is funded by the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990, or Proposition 117.
The state said the Prop 17 grant program includes seven subcategories: Deer and mountain habitat; wetlands; trail; riparian habitat; wildlife area activities; rare, endangered, threatened, or fully protected species habitat; and anadromous salmonids and trout habitat.
OGALS develops grant programs to provide funding statewide for local, state, and nonprofit organization projects. Since 1964, more than 7,400 local parks throughout California have been created or improved through OGALS’ grant funding. Since 2000, OGALS has administered over $3.8 billion in grant funding throughout California.
The full list of grants follows.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Riparian habitat
Hayward: Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, Sulphur Creek Restoration at D and Clay Park, $597,000. Restore a riparian habitat on 4.25 acres by managing non-invasive plants, cleaning the site and creek, installing habitat enhancement features, stabilizing the creek bank, carrying out riparian plantings and re-vegetation.
Wildlife area activities
Oakland: City of Oakland Department of Parks and Recreation and Youth Development, Welcome to Wildlife: Oakland Youth Outdoors, $200,000. Expand the Welcome to Wildlife: Oakland Youth Outdoor program in Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. Educate participating youth on the East Bay’s flora, fauna, concept of ecological change, wildlife and habitats, connection to the natural world, and introduce them to the region’s parks.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
Wildlife area activities
Eureka: City of Eureka, Camp Cooper Environment Education Camp, $126,257. Provide an eight-week Outdoor Environmental Education Summer Camp with an emphasis on environmental stewardship, wildlife habitats, conservation, and interpretation for youth ages 5-12 over a four-year period at Cooper Gulch Park.
Trails
Fortuna: City of Fortuna, Vancil Community Forest, $171,000. Acquire approximately 6.25 acres to link together Rohner Park and Vancil Reservoir to create a contiguous forested area with trails.
LAKE COUNTY
Trails
Cobb: County of Lake, Cobb Community Park and Trail, $207,500. Acquire approximately 12.88 acres to create the new Cobb Community Park with a defined trail system.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Wildlife area activities
Glendale: City of Glendale, Nature Education Program, $336,250. Provide a weekly outdoor education program during summer months and school breaks.
Trails
San Pedro: County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, Friendship Park Trail Enhancements and Signage Project, $200,000: Construct 1,160 linear feet of new trail, improve 950 linear feet of an existing ADA trail, decommission multiple user-created trails throughout the park, and install interpretive signage and trail counters within Friendship Park.
ORANGE COUNTY
Trails
Huntington Beach: City of Huntington Beach, Shipley Nature Trail Restoration Project, $383,309. Create 850 feet of new trail to complete a loop trail and construct new interpretive signage.
PLACER COUNTY
Trails
Tahoe Vista: North Tahoe Public Utilities District, North Tahoe Trail Access Improvement Project, $1,029,005. Construction of one-quarter mile of trail with stairway to extend the Pam Emmerich Memorial Pinedrop Trail.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Trails
Moreno Valley: City of Moreno Valley, Equestrian Park & Nature Center Trail Enhancements, $122,500: Renovate 750 linear feet of trails, construct two new restrooms, and install solar lighting, informational kiosks, horse troughs, seating areas, and a shade structure with seating area.
Wildlife area activities
Riverside: Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space, Knee High Naturalists, $184,552: Provide a series of parent and toddler environmental education classes to showcase the natural wonders within Hidden Valley Wildlife Area.
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Trails
Carpinteria: City of Carpinteria, Carpinteria Bluffs II Trail Segment, $183,438: Construct a new section of 500 linear feet of trail that will extend the Carpinteria Coastal Vista Trail.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Trails
Rancho Cucamonga: City of Rancho Cucamonga, Cucamonga Canyon Land Conservation, $1,000,000: Acquire 122.09 acres of land at the foothills of the mountains, known as the King Family Trust, for conservation.
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY
Wetlands
San Francisco: City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, India Basin Shoreline Park Living Shoreline, $756,728. Restore and enhance existing wetlands by contouring the shoreline, planting over 13,000 square feet of mid and high marsh zones, and constructing a pedestrian path and overlook bridge that will provide access into the marsh.
Wildlife area activities
San Francisco: City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Greenager Program, $200,000. Engage teens from underserved communities in the southeast and northeast sections of San Francisco with service-learning projects through the city’s parks and wildlife areas, as well as provide opportunities to become stewards and advocates for environmental change.
San Francisco: City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Youth Stewardship Program, $200,000. Engage K-12 students in environmental education and service-learning projects throughout San Francisco’s parks and open spaces.
SOLANO COUNTY
Wetlands
Vacaville: City of Vacaville, Peña Adobe Park Pond Restoration, $100,000. Restoration and enhancement of the lining, filtration, and aeration of the pond, enhancing the vegetation, improving the wildlife habitat, and creating access to the pond.
SONOMA COUNTY
Deer and mountain lion habitat
Santa Rosa: County of Sonoma, McCormick Ranch Acquisition Phase 2, $650,000. Acquire approximately 197.52 acres of McCormick Ranch to protect the wildlife corridors and the Columbian black-tailed deer and mountain lion habitats.
Trails
Sonoma: City of Sonoma, Sonoma Overlooks Trail Rehabilitation, $91,634: Renovate the Sonoma Overlook Trail and add retaining walls.
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 meet this week to discuss taking actions in support of a housing developer’s applicant for grant funding and a municipal code update to support an increase in fire district mitigation fees.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, for a closed session for a performance evaluation of City Manager Alan Flora and discussion of a claim against the city before the regular meeting starts at 6 p.m.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The pass code is 064363. One tap mobile is available at +16694449171,,84845472024#, or join by phone at 669-444-9171 or 253-205-0468.
Under business, council members will consider a resolution supporting the application of Chelsea Investment for the HOME Investment Partnerships Grant Program for development of affordable housing at 15837 18th Ave.
The project in question is on a property the county of Lake traded to the state in exchange for the former Lakeport Armory, which is slated to become the new headquarters of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Chelsea Investments, the developer the state selected for the project, wants to build an 80-unit project but the staff report said the developer has “struggled to complete the funding stack needed to begin construction and is looking to apply for $10 million in HOME funds to fill part of the gap. The City would be the applicant for the funds on behalf of the project and Chelsea Investment.”
Also on Thursday, the council will hold a public hearing to consider Clearlake Municipal Code section updates to modify Lake County Fire Protection District fire mitigation fees and set the first reading on April 4.
The council also will receive presentations on March's Adoptable Dogs and the annual report from the Lake County Public, Education, and Government Channel, or PEG TV.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants, minutes of the Feb. 14 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting, authorization for the police chief to dispose of three vehicles through a dismantler, sell one vehicle at auction and adopt Resolution No. 2024-12, the Clearlake Waste Solutions 2022 Annual Solid Waste and Recycling Report and adoption of Resolution 2024-13 approving an amendment to the standard agreement issued under the 2020 Community Development Block Grant Program Coronavirus Response.
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 Board of Supervisors this week will get a report on the status of a sewer improvement project meant to mitigate the impacts of a new Clearlake apartment complex development.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 898 7006 8634, pass code 694057. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,83106989699#,,,,*694057#. The meeting can also be accessed via phone at 669 900 6833.
In an item timed for 9:10 a.m., the board will get a report on the current status of the Konocti Gardens project and the Special Districts sewer improvement project on Alvita Avenue in Clearlake to mitigate the development impacts.
The staff report said Konocti Gardens is a 102-unit multifamily apartment complex development off of Old Highway 53 near Highlands Way.
Construction on Special Districts’ improvement project is anticipated to occur this summer and to be completed by fall, staff reported.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve revised letter of support for California Coastal Conservancy LiDAR Derivatives Funding and authorize the chair to sign.
5.2: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for the Lake County WRAP Program, Foster Care Program, and Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) Program for Specialty Mental Health Services with no change to the contract maximum for fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.3: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes from March 5 and March 12, 2024.
5.4: Approve purchase of one vehicle from Downtown Ford through the state contract, in the amount of $57,374.76, and authorize the probation chief to issue purchase order.
5.5: Approve purchase of two vehicles from Downtown Ford – Sacramento in the amount of $57,347.76 each for the Central Garage fleet and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to issue the purchase orders.
5.6: Approve Change Order No. 2, for FEMA FMAG Culvert Replacement No. 3 Project, Federal Project No.’s FMAG DR 5189-FM-CA, Bid No. 21-04, for an increase of $17,524.28 and a revised contract amount of $264,261.58, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: Approve Judicial Advocate General Grant #15PBJA-21-GG-01104-JAGX decline letter and authorize chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:03 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:04 a.m.: Presentation considering annual delinquent sewer and water tax roll schedule and established staff direction from Board of Supervisors.
6.4, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of report to the board on the current status of the Konocti Gardens project and the Special Districts sewer improvement project on Alvita Avenue in Clearlake to mitigate the development impacts.
6.5: Continued from Feb. 6, 9:45 a.m., public hearing, consideration of an ordinance amending the Purchasing Ordinance: Article X of Chapter Two of the Lake County Code to include increased purchasing limits, additional definitions, modify requirements for exemptions from competitive bidding and additional procedures for informal and formal bidding.
6.6, 10 a.m.: Consideration of a presentation from Nielsen Merksamer on the 2024 legislative session, state budget and potential bills of interest.
6.7, 10:15 a.m.: Public hearing, (a) consideration of resolution approving an application for funding and the execution of a grant agreement and any amendments thereto from the 2023-2024 Funding Year of the State CDBG Mitigation Resilience Infrastructure (MIT-RIP) Program; and (b) authorize the county administrative officer or designee to submit the grant application.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of appointment to the East Region Town Hall.
7.3: Consideration of general fund loan request of $3,000,000 and loan of $1,000,000 from Department of Social Services Realignment Fund.
7.4: Consideration of resolution approving a short-term loan from the general fund by way of the Technology Reserve, Fund 154, to Behavioral Health Services, Fund 145, in the amount of $3,000,000.
7.5: Consideration of Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between the Lake County Behavioral Health Services as lead administrative entity for the Lake County Continuum of Care and Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital Inc. in the amount of $443,000 for fiscal years 2021-2024 and authorize the board chair to sign.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Public Services director.
8.2: Addendum, conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1) – FERC Project No. 77, Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
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