CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council last week approved the sale of a city-owned lot as part of a program put in place three years ago to help encourage development of high quality homes.
At its Oct. 5 meeting, the council gave unanimous support to selling a property at 15903 36th Ave. to Jerry Lambert and Alexis Silimon to build a new home as part of the city’s homestead program.
Clearlake’s homestead program offers participants a city-owned lot at no cost or $10,000 toward the purchase of a privately owned lot.
In October 2020 the council approved a proposal by City Manager Alan Flora to create the homestead program, earmarking $1 million from Series B bond funds to support it as part of an effort to encourage market-rate housing development in the city.
Applicants must meet requirements including having income levels classified as median to moderate, have an existing job within Lake County or a verified employment offer, have the ability to obtain financing for construction of a new stick built home or manufactured home, complete construction of a new stick built home or new manufactured or modular home within 12 months of the issuance of a building permit, and the home must be owner occupied for a minimum of two years from date of occupancy.
Flora told the council that, due to the interest rate hike, a number of people in the homestead program haven’t moved forward with their plans.
“There’s been a reduction in the number of participants in that program,” he said, explaining there had been about 12 individuals previously going through the process.
This is the second or third application approved, but Flora said he wanted to highlight it due to the recent circumstances.
He said the program hasn’t gone quite the way the city expected “because of interest rates and how that impacts people being able to borrow money to build.”
Flora said he’s excited to see the property transferred to the couple.
Councilman Russ Cremer moved to approve the property sale, with Councilman Dirk Slooten seconding and the council voting 5-0.
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. — An appeals court has found that an Upper Lake man who beat the mother of his children to death with a rock was deprived of his due process rights when the Lake County Superior Court failed to record his not guilty by reason of insanity plea.
In a 26-page unpublished opinion filed on Sept. 25, the First Appellate District Court of Appeals for California’s Division 2 ruled on the case of The People v. Timmons.
An “unpublished” opinion means that it cannot be cited in cases as a legal precedent, as opposed to “published” opinions of the appellate court, which can be used as precedent and authority for lower courts.
In November 2021, a jury convicted Timmons of second-degree murder, torture, inflicting injury resulting in a traumatic condition and aggravated mayhem, and special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and personally inflicting bodily injury.
The appellate ruling noted that Timmons’ sole contention in the appeal, filed in May 2022, is that “the trial court erred when it refused to allow him to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to the charges in the latest indictment filed against him.”
The court noted, “We agree, and we therefore reverse the order denying the request to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The judgment is affirmed insofar as it adjudicates defendant’s guilt.”
The filing explains that a psychologist who examined Timmons in late 2017 “found he exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia, paranoid type, with delusions, as well as of methamphetamine use disorder.”
Niko, 35, was a mother of six, three of whom were children she had with Timmons. Their youngest child was 11 months old when she died.
On the day he killed her, Timmons picked up Niko and took her to a home on Bridge Arbor Road in Upper Lake. A deputy who later responded to the scene witnessed Timmons assaulting Niko, striking her in the head with a rock. She died a short time later.
Former District Attorney Don Anderson convened special criminal grand juries which indicted Timmons on the charges for which he eventually was convicted.
The appellate ruling documented Timmons’ efforts to disqualify three of his court-appointed attorneys — Tom Quinn, Andrea Sullivan and Mitchell Hauptman — through Marsden motions.
In the case of Quinn — who would not offer comment for this story — “there has been a complete breakdown in the relationship between Mr. Quinn and Mr. Timmons which would make it impossible for Mr. Quinn to effectively represent Mr. Timmons,” which is why the Lake County Superior Court granted the Marsden motion and relieved Quinn as counsel.
Sullivan was appointed to represent Timmons but later was removed after she only had one 15-minute phone call with him during 11 months, according to the appeal document.
In July 2021, Timmons sought to have Hauptman removed from his case due to neglect.
In a hearing, Hauptman stated, “I have to agree with Mr. Timmons. It is an unusual position for me to take. I don’t mean to dodge the work, but as a matter of fact, I have seen him only once. I have been ignoring phonecalls [sic] that have been made on his behalf. I have declined to pursue needs that he suggested are appropriate. And I generally find myself beyond the similar malaise of the Covid most—just not really able to focus or get involved in this particular case. And I did discuss that with Mr. Timmons. It just seemed unfair to have a lawyer quite as disinterested as I find myself.”
Hauptman was removed and the court appointed a new attorney, Thomas Feimer, who along with Sullivan runs Lake Indigent Defense, which holds Lake County’s indigent defense contract.
The appeal notes that Feimer had just three months to review the case and prepare for trial, and that he “faced communication challenges, due to among other things a COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine at the jail and defendant’s resistance to discussing his case for fear of being recorded at jail.”
It was Feimer who informed the court in October 2021 that based on his review of the case, “it appears that Mr. Timmons attempted to or did enter a not guilty by reason of insanity plea in 2018,” and thus he “intends to enter that plea once again, to the extent that it is not entered currently.”
“The court stated it had reviewed the case file and found that no NGI appeared to have been previously entered to the charges in the superseding indictment. The court then ordered the parties to brief the issue,” the document said.
On Oct. 25, 2021, five days before the trial started, Feimer filed a brief requesting entry of the not guilty by reason of insanity, or NGI, plea.
Three days later, Judge J. David Markham held a hearing on the request, during which Quinn testified that Timmons had entered the NGI place “on a couple of occasions.” Quinn suggested that the matter “became procedurally convoluted” because “we don’t really do grand juries too often in this county, and in this case we did two of them.
“Quinn confirmed defendant never expressed a desire to proceed in ‘any other different way,’” the appeal document said.
Timmons also testified during the hearing, and Feimer argued that Timmons had not shown a desire to withdraw his NGI please.
“One could argue, well, his lawyers didn’t do anything in the intervening time to do that,” Feimer is quoted as saying in the appellate document. “However, I think it kind of ignores a basic reality that Mr. Timmons is not an attorney. That’s why he has representation. NGI pleas are procedurally complex things. I think it’s somewhat unjust to penalize him for not following the strict technical requirements of it.”
Ultimately, Markham ruled that Timmons had failed to enter an NGI plea and that the failure “falls squarely on the shoulders of the defendant.” He denied Timmons’ request to enter it at that point.
A month later, on Nov. 17, 2021, Timmons was convicted by a jury following his trial. He was sentenced in March 2022 and filed the appeal two months later.
The appellate process
Feimer told Lake County News in a Wednesday interview that he didn’t handle the appeal, as appeals are a very specialized type of law.
When a case is appealable and he’s instructed to do so by a client, Feimer said he files a notice of appeal.
There is a group called the First District Appellate Project, which works to put together the case record and then appoints the defendant a lawyer. It’s a process not unlike appointing a public defender in a lower court, Feimer explained.
In reviewing the case, the appellate court cited the Sixth Amendment Center’s report, released earlier this year, into the indigent defense contract in Lake County. That’s because Timmons had cited it in his case when claiming that it is common for indigent defendants in Lake County to bring Marsden motions against attorneys.
When considering the Lake County Superior Court’s decision to not let Timmons enter the NGI plea, the appeals court found, “The court’s reasoning is hard to follow. First, the court’s comments appear to be internally inconsistent. In one paragraph it acknowledged the evidence showed that defense counsel ‘harbored a belief that an NGI plea had been entered.’ But in the following paragraphs, the court took a seemingly inconsistent view. It suggested that counsel could not have held such a belief, because if they did hold such a belief, then that would mean they were incompetent for doing nothing to prepare for the sanity phase of trial. In addition, when the court stated there was no evidence that counsel were ‘so incompetent’ in that regard because none of them affirmatively admitted to his or her incompetence in a declaration or testimony, it imposed an evidentiary rule that is not based on any law as far as we know.”
The justices concluded that the court set up “an arbitrary rule” which “it then relied upon to avoid having to scrutinize the inactions of defendant’s attorneys with respect to the NGI defense.”
As such, the justices concluded that the Lake County Superior Court abused its discretion in denying Timmons’ request to enter an NGI pleas.
“In so concluding, we note defendant’s comment that ‘[i]t is understandable that the trial court was frustrated with the age of this case before it went to trial. . . .’ We are also mindful of the challenges facing overworked attorneys of indigent defendants, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. At the same time, however, in our view it was unfair for the court to impute the delay in tendering an NGI plea to the charges entirely on defendant, and then use that as a basis to deny his request to enter such a plea, for the reasons stated above. Moreover, this is not a case involving a defendant seeking to enter an NGI plea as part of a calculated scheme of delay. To the contrary, defendant here made known to everyone his intent to enter a plea of NGI to the superseding indictment at the outset, but, because the issue ‘got kind of lost [in the] shuffle[ ],’ he was unable to formally enter the plea.”
What’s next
The justices upheld Timmons’ guilt in the murder, and remanded the case to the trial court to allow Timmons to enter his NGI plea to the charges in the superseding indictment handed down by the second grand jury Anderson had convened.
Feimer said there’s no court date scheduled yet in Lake County. First, the appellate court must issue a remittitur, which will be sent to the local court.
“That is the signal to the superior court that the case is finished at the appellate level and that it’s time for the superior court to take action by placing it on calendar and having him transported from the prison,” Feimer said.
Timmons is serving his term at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. If the process goes forward, it’s expected that he would be transported back to the Lake County Jail during the proceedings.
If Timmons comes back to Lake County, Feimer said he would ordinarily still be Timmons’ attorney.
The appellate court did not reverse the jury verdict, they just reversed and remanded the case back to the Lake County Superior Court in order to allow Timmons to enter the NGI plea.
Should Timmons return, the court will appoint psychologists to evaluate Timmons and there could be a jury trial just on that issue, Feimer explained.
However, Feimer said the question now is, whether Timmons will want to go through with it.
“He may personally wish to leave things as they are,” said Feimer.
That’s because, if Timmons were found not guilty by reason of insanity, Feimer said Timmons would be sent to a state hospital rather than a prison.
“The issue is, he’s eligible for parole after a certain date currently,” said Feimer.
If Timmons went to a state hospital, theoretically he could be released if they find out he’s not a danger to others. However, Feimer said it’s also very possible he could spend the rest of his life there.
“And that oftentimes happens, especially in a case like this,” Feimer said.
Feimer added that Timmons “may find that his options look better if he simply remains in prison.”
He said he is now looking into whether Timmons has to come back to Lake County for the proceedings and what options he has if he wants to avoid moving forward.
Feimer said Timmons could return and not enter a plea in the proceedings.
“If that’s the case, then the trial result would likely just stand as it is,” Feimer 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 Board of Supervisors is supporting a plan to allow the Lake County Rodeo Association to lease — and eventually purchase — county-owned property for its events.
Special Districts Administrator Scott Harter and members of the Lake County Rodeo Association Board took the proposal to the Board of Supervisors at its Oct. 3 meeting.
Harter said his staff and rodeo board members have been discussing the idea for six to eight months.
Specifically, the rodeo board is interested in making its long-term home on an 86-acre portion of an 1,186-acre Special Districts property in north Lakeport, northwest of Highway 29 and Whalen Way.
Harter said Public Services Director Lars Ewing supports using the property in conjunction with county parks. There is also the possibility of using it as a public access trail head for equestrian trails.
He said the supervisors have talked with Animal Care and Control Director Jonathan Armas about using the site to facilitate large animal sheltering during emergencies and evacuations.
Harter said he has met three to four times with the rodeo board to talk through the concept and explore the potential impact on Special Districts operations, “and we finally reached a point now where it makes sense to come to the board,” before they start negotiating a lease.
He said he wanted to know if the board is supportive before moving on to the next steps.
Board Chair Jessica Pyska thanked Harter for bringing the matter to the board. “This is a very exciting opportunity.”
Lake County Rodeo Association Board member Aaron Hiatt was on hand to speak to the board about the proposal.
He said he had contacted Harter eight months ago about the property, which at that time was leased from the county by a cattle rancher.
Hiatt said it had been brought to his attention that the county was no longer interested in continuing the lease with the rancher, and that the rodeo could possibly lease it.
“We as a rodeo organization have been around for 93 years,” said Hiatt.
When he first joined the board years ago, he said he couldn’t understand why they kept doing things over and over again without a permanent home.
Every year, they go through the labor intensive process of putting up panels and then taking them down again in a short period of time, Hiatt said.
“We were looking for a place that we could call our own,” he said.
That’s when Hiatt said he called Harter.
Ultimately if it’s possible, Hiatt said the rodeo association would like to purchase the property so it could be a permanent home.
In the meantime, they would like to move forward with leasing the property and putting in place the infrastructure needed to do an event.
“You’re right, you need a permanent home,” said Supervisor Michael Green, whose district includes the property in question. “I think kicking the tires on this property is appropriate.”
Green said he loved the proposed interim use of the property, thinks it could lead to even greater things and he supported moving forward.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said it’s an “absolutely appropriate” use for the property. Sabatier said the county owns about 7,000 acres of land and he doesn’t want the county to own what it doesn’t need. He suggested there are opportunities for private enterprise and development.
Vice Chair Moke Simon said Lake County has young people who compete and qualify for competitions. “The rodeo is a big part of what we are in Lake County,” he said.
Simon said it would not only support youth but also be an economic driver.
Pyska said all of her nieces and nephews compete in rodeo, with her nieces having gone to rodeo national competitions. She said having a facility where a big rodeo event can be hosted would instill some pride in Lake County.
Supervisor EJ Crandell said a lot of people also ride horses on Hogback Ridge and that would be a good area to connect to the proposed rodeo site.
The board reached consensus to have staff move forward with discussions on next steps with the rodeo association.
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. — The Lake County Library regularly hosts community events for all ages, including STEM, seasonal and much more.
This Saturday, Oct. 14, the public is invited to Lakeport, Redbud and Middletown branches to watch the solar eclipse at 9 a.m.
Free eclipse glasses will be available while supplies last.
In an eclipse of the Sun, the Moon moves in front of the Sun and covers some or all of it.
All parts of the continental US will see a partial eclipse. Join the community events at Lakeport, Redbud, and Middletown branches and receive free certified solar-viewing glasses.
It is never safe to look at the sun, even with regular sunglasses; but you can use certified solar-viewing glasses to safely protect your eyes.
For more information about these events or others, you can also contact the Lake County Library by phone at 707-263-8817, by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or through social media: Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary, Twitter @LakeCoLibrary, Instagram @lakecountylibrary, YouTube @lakecountycalibrary, and TikTok @lakecountycalibrary.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — On Wednesday, Tuleyome, a Woodland-based nonprofit conservation organization, expressed its gratitude to Sen. Alex Padilla and Representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson for sending an updated letter calling on President Joe Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument by protecting the entirety of Molok Luyuk.
Tribal and community leaders and elected officials have urged the Biden Administration to expand the existing monument to protect the area along the eastern edge of the existing monument known as Molok Luyuk.
Molok Luyuk is Patwin for “Condor Ridge” and is a name provided by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
The area is currently known as “Walker Ridge.”
The expansion of the national monument would safeguard public lands that are sacred to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and are critically important to protect in the face of a changing climate.
“Tuleyome is grateful to our Congressional champions, Sen. Padilla and Representatives Garamendi and Thompson, for their continued support of the effort to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument,” said Tuleyome Executive Director Sandra Schubert. “We appreciate their most recent updated letter to President Biden and Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland urging the Administration to use its authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to protect the entirety of Molok Luyuk. By building on the letter they sent earlier this year, they reaffirm their support of this important effort.”
Schubert added, “We also appreciate that the updated letter continues to reiterate the requests that Secretary Haaland order the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename ‘Walker Ridge’ to ‘Condor Ridge’ and ‘Molok Luyuk’ in the Patwin language of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and other local Indigenous tribes. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s connection to this area stretches back thousands of years. The land is of tremendous present-day cultural and religious importance to the Tribe and includes sites central to their origin stories. They have advocated for the protection of these lands, a return to an Indigenous name, and the establishment of co-management with federally recognized tribes.”
Schubert said Tuleyome’s coalition members, many of whom are at California’s 30x30 partnership gathering on Wednesday celebrating conservation efforts across the state, continues to urge President Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include all of Molok Loyuk.
In addition to being sacred to local tribes, the region is home to imperiled wildlife including bald and golden eagles, badgers, peregrine falcons and over 30 species of rare plants.
These BLM- managed lands include oak woodlands, rocky outcroppings with unique geology, meadows of wildflowers, forests of pine, and the world’s largest stand of McNab cypress.
The area is also popular for recreation including hiking, sightseeing, mountain biking, camping, horseback riding, and off-highway vehicle use on designated routes.
The expansion would help improve access to the outdoors for the region’s residents and visitors alike. Incorporating this federally-owned land into the existing national monument would improve land management and public access, and protect sensitive wildlife, prime habitat areas, and cultural resources.
To learn more about this effort and to sign a petition in support of the expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, visit www.expandberryessa.org.
Lakeport city staff, Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee members and volunteers create teams to cover 16 areas of Lakeport during the Business Walk program in October and November. Courtesy photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport is set to launch its latest outreach effort to engage and support businesses.
Lakeport’s Business Walk Program is designed to familiarize the business community with resources available to them.
City staff, members of the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, and community volunteers gathered on Tuesday to form teams that will contact local business owners and managers during October and November.
The program’s purpose is to demonstrate the city’s commitment to supporting businesses while gaining information about challenges and barriers to their success.
Findings from the visits will be compiled by LEDAC and presented to the City Council in early 2024.
The City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan identified annual in-person visits as an important element in the support and retention of existing local businesses.
LEDAC is an advocate for a strong and positive Lakeport business community, and serves as a conduit between the City and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
The committee meets bi-monthly at City Hall on the second Wednesday, 7:30 to 9 a.m.
The next meeting is on Nov. 8; all meetings are open to the public.
Contact City Manager Kevin Ingram for more information at telephone 707-263-5615, Extension 104.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 326 and Assembly Bill 531 on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, accompanied by Legislative and local leaders, families, advocates, veterans, and health care professionals, signed Senate Bill 326 (Eggman, D - Stockton) and Assembly Bill 531 (Irwin, D - Thousand Oaks) which Newsom’s office said will collectively will transform California’s mental health and substance use disorder treatment systems for the first time in decades.
Advocates said these reforms re-focus billions of dollars in existing funds to prioritize Californians with the deepest mental health needs, living in encampments or suffering the worst substance use issues.
The $6.38 billion bond will provide funding to build more than 11,150 new behavioral health beds and housing and 26,700 outpatient treatment slots — capacity that will touch many tens of thousands of people’s lives every year — filling critical needs across the state for homeless Californians with severe behavioral health issues, to kids suffering from depression, and everyone in between.
Recent polling from the Public Policy Institute of California found that 87% of Californians say there is a mental health crisis in the United States.
“These reforms, and this new investment in behavioral health housing, will help California make good on promises made decades ago. We see the signs of our broken system every day — too many Californians suffering from mental health needs or substance use disorders and unable to get support or care they need. This will prioritize getting people off the streets, out of tents and into treatment,” Newsom said.
This action — which Newsom’s office called a “historic transformation” — comes after months of engagement with stakeholders across the state: people and families with lived experience, health care professionals, children and youth groups, veterans organizations, schools and school administrators, businesses, labor leaders, mental health and equity advocates, first responders, and local officials.
Senate Bill 326 modernizes the Mental Health Services Act to address today’s behavioral health system and demand for services.
These reforms expand services to include treatment for those with substance use disorders, prioritize care for those with the most serious mental illness, provide ongoing resources for housing and workforce, and continue investments in prevention, early intervention, and innovative pilot programs.
“The Mental Health Services Act has been a great success — but after nearly 20 years it’s time to update it in a manner that is consistent with reforms in health care coverage and our increased understanding of behavioral health,” said SB 326 Author & Senate Health Committee Chair Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman. “The new Behavioral Health Services Act will drive resources to those with the greatest needs, including those with substance use disorders, and provide for real accountability with a focus on outcomes. Paired with Assemblymember Irwin’s essential bond, these new and restructured investments deliver on exactly what Californians deserve to address this crisis of behavioral health and homelessness. I’m grateful to this Governor for his commitment to those suffering and for his laser focus on critical reform.”
Senate Bill 326 reforms the system of care to prioritize what Californians need today with new and increased accountability for real results for all families and communities.
Assembly Bill 531 includes a $6.38 billion general obligation bond to build 11,150 new treatment beds and supportive housing units as well as outpatient capacity to help serve tens of thousands of people annually — from intensive services for homeless people with severe mental illness, to counseling for kids suffering from depression, and everyone in between.
This investment would be the single largest expansion of California’s behavioral health treatment and residential settings in our state’s history — creating new, dedicated housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who have behavioral health needs, with a dedicated investment to serve veterans.
These settings will provide Californians experiencing behavioral health conditions a place to stay while safely stabilizing, healing, and receiving ongoing support. Included in the bond is a $1 billion set aside specifically for veterans’ housing.
“For decades we have chronically under-resourced our community-based safety nets, which has now led us to a humanitarian crisis for which we don’t have the adequate tools to address,” said California Medical Association President Donaldo Hernandez, MD, FACP. “A sustainable model of care delivery for our residents struggling with serious mental health and substance use disorders must include, not only expanded access to services, but also stable and reliable access to housing. I applaud the governor for continuing to remove barriers while working to assure that we can overcome the gaps that exist in serving those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders.”
On Thursday Newsom also announced the “California Mental Health Movement,” which is his sweeping plan to address the mental health and substance use disorder crises happening across the state — impacting Californians in every community.
“The mental health crisis — especially amongst youth– is the most significant public health concern of our time. I’m so proud of our nation-leading mental health movement and ongoing work to transform the state’s behavioral health system in a way that is comprehensive, holistic, and intentionally focused on recognizing the humanity in each and every Californian,” Newsom said.
The multi-year “California Mental Health Movement” encompasses more than $28 billion and focuses on real results and increased accountability, includes four key pillars:
Treatment and housing for those who need it most: $10.9 billion to create approximately 24,800 beds/units. It also creates 45,800 outpatient treatment slots for Californians with behavioral health issues across the spectrum — everything from intense, inpatient care, to substance abuse treatment, to outpatient care and counseling.
Increasing access to mental health services for all: Investing over $10.1 billion to increase access to behavioral health services for all Californians. Transforming Medi-Cal to expand behavioral health services and crucial care for one in three Californians, offering new crisis care and targeted veteran and older adult services, and developing a plan to require private and commercial health plans to raise their standards to match Medi-Cal behavioral health plans.
Building our health care workforce: California is investing $5.1 billion, and proposing an additional $2.4 billion investment through reforms to the Mental Health Services Act, to train and support more than 65,000 new health care workers over the next five years to ensure we have the workforce to provide culturally responsive services and care to all who need them.
Supporting and serving children: The investments include $4.6 billion to support children through the Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health and gives California’s 10,000 public schools the opportunity to get enhanced funding to increase student behavioral health services.
“Getting veterans experiencing homelessness off the streets has long been a priority for California, but getting some of our most vulnerable veterans into needed treatment for behavioral health challenges will be transformative,” said AB 531 Author Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. “One of the only groups that has seen a recent significant decline in percent of homelessness are veterans, thanks primarily to the very successful Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention program. By placing a renewed focus on existing programs like Homekey and the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure program, AB 531 and SB 326 will provide housing and treatment services to veterans that focus on serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Funding and expanding this program is the right thing to do, and I look forward to working with the Governor and veterans organizations to put these important advances before the voters.”
“California continues to reduce the number of veterans living on our streets — a feat to be celebrated — but there are still thousands more who won’t have a place to sleep tonight,” said U.S. Vets President and CEO Stephen Peck. “Gov. Newsom’s successful legislative push to reform the Mental Health Services Act will allow providers to attack this problem head on. Refocusing funding that prioritizes care for those with the most serious mental illnesses combined with the promise of thousands of new, dedicated veteran housing units offers one of the state’s most sweeping and welcome reforms in favor of vulnerable veterans who need the stability and services to live a life of dignity."
“We applaud Gov. Newsom, Sen. Eggman and Assemblymember Irwin for their leadership on SB 326 and AB 531,” said California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice. “Every day, our firefighters and paramedics see the impact of severe mental illness and substance use disorder in our communities. We have to do more than just take people through a revolving door in the emergency room. By focusing on housing and treating those most in need, the Behavioral Health Modernization package can transform our approach to homelessness, mental illness and substance use disorder.”
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport and Lakeport Disposal Co. Inc. announced that the Community Cleanup Day for city residents will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the public parking lot north of the Fifth Street boat ramp in downtown Lakeport.
This event is limited to city of Lakeport residents and business owners; those dropping off trash and solid waste will be required to provide photo identification and a copy of a current city of Lakeport utility bill.
Participants are asked to follow these guidelines:
• Stay in vehicle while Lakeport Disposal staff unloads materials. • Two visits maximum per each address.
Acceptable materials: Household trash; televisions; appliances (stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and water heaters); electronic waste; mattresses; household furniture; unusable clothes, blankets, towels; and similar materials.
Not acceptable: Refrigerators, hot tubs/spas, air conditioners, construction debris, used tires and household hazardous waste.
For more details, please see the city’s website or contact Lakeport Disposal at 707-263-6080.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted California’s request for a stay of a district-court decision striking down the state’s large-capacity magazine ban.
Large-capacity magazines are firearm magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
The en banc court’s order, which was issued Tuesday, concludes that the state is likely to succeed on the merits in defending the large-capacity restrictions and that maintaining the restrictions pending appeal is in the best interest of the public safety of Californians.
“We are relieved that the court considered the public safety of Californians in its decision to grant our motion and maintain the restrictions on large-capacity magazines pending a decision on appeal,” said Bonta. “With the stay, California’s restrictions on large capacity magazines — a key component in our efforts to fight gun violence — remain in effect.”
Bonta added, “Californians should know that the purchase, manufacture, or transfer of large-capacity magazines is against the law. We will continue to fight for California’s authority to keep our communities safe from weapon enhancements that cause mass casualties. The Supreme Court was clear that New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen does not create a regulatory straitjacket for states and that cases should be evaluated on the text of the Second Amendment and its history and tradition of regulation.”
On Sept. 26, Bonta filed the motion in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stay a district-court decision striking down California’s restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
In it, he urged the Ninth Circuit to issue a stay of the decision pending appeal to ensure that the protections remained in place to prevent gun-related deaths and injuries in California communities while the Ninth Circuit addresses the merits of the case.
The Ninth Circuit granted Attorney General Bonta’s motion, which argued that the district court’s application of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen is deeply flawed and ignores relevant historical laws.
In fact, since Bruen,10 other federal district court decisions have considered Second Amendment challenges to similar restrictions on large-capacity magazines. All but one of those decisions have rejected the challenge.
These courts have repeatedly recognized that large-capacity magazines are not protected by the Second Amendment or that restrictions on such magazines are consistent with a historical tradition of regulating particularly dangerous weapons technologies as they spread and cause harm.
The district court reached its decision by focusing on the supposed popularity of the technology and by ignoring relevant historical laws, despite the guidance laid out by Bruen.
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of digital connection: In the absence of in-person gatherings, many people instead found themselves face-to-face with their co-workers and loved ones on a screen.
Videoconferencing has provided many benefits and conveniences. However, it isn’t surprising that constantly seeing ourselves on screens might come with some downsides as well.
Prior to the pandemic, studies showed that surgeons were seeing increasing numbers of patients requesting alterations of their image to match filtered or doctored photos from social media apps. Now, several years into the pandemic, surgeons are seeing a new boom of cosmetic surgical requests related to videoconferencing. In one study of cosmetic procedures during the pandemic, 86% of cosmetic surgeons reported videoconferencing as the most common reason for cosmetic concerns among their patients.
Despite the fact that many aspects of life have returned to some version of pre-pandemic normal, it’s clear that videoconferencing and social media will be with us for the foreseeable future. So what does that mean when it comes to appearance satisfaction and making peace with the image that’s reflected back at us?
For the past 10 years, I have worked as a specialist in obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders and anxiety. Since the pandemic, I, too, have seen increasing numbers of therapy clients reporting that they struggle with appearance concerns related to videochatting and social media.
Zooming in on image and appearance dissatisfaction
Every person has perceptions and thoughts about their appearance. These can be neutral, negative or positive. We all look at ourselves in the mirror and may have even experienced distress while looking at our reflection.
There are a number of factors that may lead to appearance dissatisfaction. A preoccupation with thoughts, feelings or images of one’s own appearance is linked to the action of “mirror gazing,” or staring at one’s reflection. Researchers suggest that this type of selective self-focused attention and mirror gazing can lead to negative fixations on specific attributes or minor flaws, which in turn intensify the preoccupation with these attributes.
Some people who are unhappy with their Zoom appearance are turning to anti-anxiety medication and even cosmetic surgery.
The ‘Zoom’ effect
With the ubiquity of Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls, selfies and the constancy of documenting our lives on social media, access to our own image can often feel inescapable. And for some people, this can magnify feelings of appearance dissatisfaction that may have been more fleeting before the Zoom era.
One study found that those who engaged in more videochatting appearance comparisons, meaning those who looked at others’ appearance during a video call and sized up their own appearance in comparison, experienced lower appearance satisfaction. This study also found that people who used more photo-editing features on videochat platforms were more likely to compare themselves with others and spend more time looking at themselves on video calls.
One thing that is unique to videoconferencing is that it allows people to easily compare themselves with others and watch themselves sharing and speaking in real time. A 2023 study found that discomfort with one’s appearance during videoconferencing led to an increased fixation on appearance, which in turn led to impaired work performance.
This last point is notable because of the difficulty videochatters have determining where other users are looking. Using the concept of the “spotlight effect” − our tendency as humans to overestimate how much others are judging our appearance − this difficulty may lead to more anxiety and individuals believing that others are evaluating their appearance during a video call.
How to combat appearance dissatisfaction in the digital age
If you find yourself criticizing your appearance every time you hop onto a videoconference call, it may be time to evaluate your relationship with your appearance and seek out help from a qualified therapist.
Here are some questions to consider to help determine whether your thought patterns or behaviors are problematic:
How much of my day is spent thinking about my appearance?
What sort of behaviors am I doing around my appearance?
Do I feel distressed if I do not perform these behaviors?
Does this behavior align with my values and how I want to be spending my time?
Another strategy is to be intentional about focusing on what other people are saying in a videoconference instead of peering at your own face.
When it comes to helping others who might be struggling with appearance dissatisfaction, it is important to focus on the person’s innate qualities beyond appearance. People should be conscious of their comments, no matter how well intentioned. Negative comments about appearance have been linked to worsened self-esteem and mental health. When viewing yourself or your peers on video and social media, try focusing on the person as a whole and not as parts of a body.
Reducing screen time can make a difference as well. Research shows that reducing social media use by 50% can improve appearance satisfaction in both teens and adults.
When used in moderation, videoconferencing and social media are tools to connect us with others, which ultimately is a key piece in satisfaction and well-being.
We found that the average age of farmers was fairly consistent across the country, even though the general population’s age varies quite a bit from place to place.
To be fair, we did find some local differences. For example, in New York County – better known as Manhattan – the average farmer is just north of 31. Next door in Hudson County, New Jersey, the average farmer is more than 72.
On the whole, though, America’s farming workforce is getting older. If the country doesn’t recruit new farmers or adapt to having fewer, older ones, it could put the nation’s food supply at risk. Before panicking, though, it’s worth asking: Why is this happening?
A tough field to break into
To start, there are real barriers to entry for young people – at least those who weren’t born into multigenerational farming families. It takes money to buy the land, equipment and other stuff you need to run a farm, and younger people have less wealth than older ones.
Young people born into family farms may have fewer opportunities to take them over due to consolidation in agriculture. And those who do have the chance may not seize it, since they often report that rural life is more challenging than living in a city or suburb.
The overall stress of the agriculture industry is also a concern: Farmers are often at the mercy of weather, supply shortages, volatile markets and other factors entirely out of their control.
The ups and downs of farm life take center stage in “On the Farm,” a docuseries produced by Mississippi State University.
In addition to understanding why fewer younger people want to go into agriculture, it’s important to consider aging farmers’ needs. Without younger people to leave the work to, farmers are left with intense labor — physically and mentally – to accomplish, on top of the ordinary challenges of aging.
In other words, the U.S. needs to increase opportunities for younger farmers while also supporting farmers as they age.
Congress could do just that when it reauthorizes the farm bill – a package of laws covering a wide range of food – and agriculture-related programs that get passed roughly every five years.
Also in 2024, the USDA will release its next Census of Agriculture, giving researchers new insight into America’s farming workforce. We expect it will show that the average age of U.S. farmers has reached a new all-time high.
If you believe otherwise – well, we wouldn’t bet the farm.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s Los Angeles refinery, California’s largest producer of gasoline. David McNew/Getty Images
Many of the world’s largest public and private companies will soon be required to track and report almost all of their greenhouse gas emissions if they do business in California – including emissions from their supply chains, business travel, employees’ commutes and the way customers use their products.
That means oil and gas companies like Chevron will likely have to account for emissions from vehicles that use their gasoline, and Apple will have to account for materials that go into iPhones.
It’s a huge leap from current federal and state reporting requirements, which require reporting of only certain emissions from companies’ direct operations. And it will have global ramifications.
The second law, the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, requires companies generating $500 million or more to report their financial risks related to climate change and their plans for risk mitigation.
As a professor of economics and public policy, I study corporate environmental behavior and public policy, including whether disclosure laws like these work to reduce emissions. I believe California’s new rules represent a significant step toward mainstreaming corporate climate disclosures and potentially meaningful corporate climate actions.
Many big corporations are already reporting
Most of the companies covered by California’s climate disclosure rules are multinational corporations. They include technology companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft; giant retailers like Walmart and Costco; and oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron.
Many of these large corporations have been preparing for mandatory disclosure rules for several years.
Close to two-thirds of the companies listed in the S&P 500 index voluntarily report to CDP, formerly called the Carbon Disclosure Project. CDP is a nonprofit that surveys companies on behalf of institutional investors about their carbon management and plans to reduce carbon emissions.
Apple has been working with its suppliers for several years to reduce their emissions.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Moreover, some of the same U.S. companies, notably banks and asset managers that operate or sell products in Europe, have already started to comply with the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. Those regulations require companies to report how sustainability risks are integrated into investment decision-making.
While California isn’t the first place to mandate climate disclosures, it is the fifth-largest economy in the world. So, the state’s new laws are poised to have substantial influence worldwide. Subsidiaries of companies that didn’t have to report their emissions before will now be subject to disclosure requirements. California is in effect exercising its immense market leverage to establish climate disclosures as standard practice in the U.S. and beyond.
The most controversial part of the new disclosure rules involves scope 3 emissions. These are emissions from a company’s suppliers and its consumers’ use of its products, and they are notoriously difficult to track accurately.
California’s new emissions reporting law directs the California Air Resources Board, which will develop the regulations and administer them, to allow some leeway in scope 3 reporting as long as the reports are made with a reasonable basis and disclosed in good faith. It’s also important to note that at this point the disclosure laws don’t require companies to cut these emissions, only to report them. But tracking scope 3 emissions does highlight where companies could pressure suppliers to make changes.
What can disclosures achieve?
The plethora of climate disclosure mandates globally suggest that policymakers and investors around the world perceive climate disclosures as driving actions that protect the environment. The big question is: Do disclosure rules actually work to reduce emissions?
My research shows that voluntary carbon disclosure systems like CDP’s that focus on reporting corporate sustainability outputs, such as having science-based emissions targets, tend not to be as effective as those that focus on outcomes, such as a company’s actual carbon emissions.
For example, a company could earn an A or B grade from CDP and still increase its entitywide carbon emissions, notably when it does not face regulatory pressure.
In contrast, a recent study of the U.K.’s 2013 disclosure mandate for U.K.-incorporated listed firms found that companies reduced their operational emissions by about 8% relative to a control group, with no significant changes to their profitability. When companies report their emissions, they can gain important knowledge about inefficiencies in their operations and supply chains that weren’t evident before.
Ultimately, a well-designed disclosure program, whether voluntary or mandatory, needs to focus on consistency, comparability and accountability. Those traits allow companies to demonstrate that their climate pledges and actions are real and not just a front for greenwashing.
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