LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Friday the Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested a man reported to have had enough fentanyl in his possession to kill the entire population of Lake County, along with other drugs and multiple firearms, including a “ghost” gun.
Brandon Charles Weilert, 38, of Nice, also known as Brandon Grendis, was arrested for multiple felony crimes, including distributing and selling narcotics and possessing a machine gun on Friday, said Lauren Berlinn, spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
She said Weilert is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition as a result of a prior felony conviction.
Berlinn said information received from the community over the past several months regarding ongoing drug activity and suspicious behavior led to the sheriff’s office investigating a residence in the 2800 block of Merced Street in Nice.
As a result of the information obtained during the investigation, Berlinn said the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit authored a search warrant, which was approved and signed by a judge.
On Friday, detectives and personnel from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office served the search warrant for the property, Berlinn said.
During the search warrant service, approximately 1,538 grams or 3.4 pounds of methamphetamine, 139 grams or 4.8 ounces of fentanyl, and 24 grams of heroin were seized, Berlinn said.
For perspective, a lethal dose of fentanyl is generally estimated to be about two milligrams, meaning there was enough of that drug seized to create 69,500 lethal doses.
Berlin said the total street value of the methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin seized is estimated at approximately $170,000.
Also found were weight scales, a large amount of packaged marijuana and multiple firearms, Berlinn said.
She said one of the pistols seized was identified as what is commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.” The pistol was later determined to be modified to fire fully automatic, meaning it’s capable of continuous firing with a single action of the trigger.
Lake County Jail records show that Weilert is being held without bail on a PC 1275 hold due to concerns that he would use money to post bail that came from the commission of a felony.
But what is behind the shortage? And how can it be prevented from happening again? The Conversation asked Dr. Steven Abrams, a leading expert on pediatric health at the University of Texas who has advised both the formula industry and government on infant nutrition, these questions along with what advice he could give parents facing problems getting adequate supplies of infant formula.
1. Why there is a shortage of formula now?
There are really two factors that have driven the current shortage. First, we have the supply chain problem, which has affected all manner of goods since the onset of the pandemic. It eased off a little, but then at the beginning of 2022 it became worse.
Closing the factory had to be done amid an investigation into bacterial infections in connection to powdered formula produced at the plant, and the deaths of at least two babies. The problem is there just isn’t much redundancy in U.S. infant formula production. In other words, there aren’t enough other factories to pick up the slack when one goes down. The Michigan plant is the largest producer in the country, so when it goes down, it put added strain on the entire U.S. formula distribution system, especially for certain formulas for babies with high-risk allergic diseases and metabolic disorders.
Over the last couple of weeks the shortage has gotten worse. I can’t say for sure why this has happened. But I suspect there has been some hoarding going on as parents get anxious. Stores can limit the amount of formula that people can buy, but that doesn’t stop people going online to buy more.
On top of that, the shortage has gained wide publicity in newspapers, on TV and in political speeches. All that publicity feeds into public sense that the system is failing, prompting more panic buying and hoarding.
2. Who is the shortage affecting?
A majority of parents will feed babies with formula at some point to meet their nutritional needs, especially older infants. At birth and in days immediately after, around 80% of babies receive all their nutrition through breast milk. But by the age of 6 months, the majority of babies get at least some formula. The proportion of year-old babies receiving formula is even higher. This is largely the result of social dynamics and pressures - mothers going back to work after giving birth, but not receiving sufficient support to produce and store sufficient amounts of breast milk.
But the shortage will affect some parents more than others. Not surprisingly, the most affected parents are those on the lowest income. The federal food program for poorer women, infants and children, called WIC, provides formula for a majority of babies in low-income families. But costs have gone up and formula has become scarcer.
I’m hearing of some families driving two hours to find stores selling formula. Obviously that will be harder to do for poorer families as there are costs involved. Likewise, more affluent parents may be able to buy more expensive, so-called elite brand formulas.
The other thing to note is that the shortage is affecting both regular infant formula, and specialized versions. Regular or standard formula is the type most families are familiar with, and around 95% of formula-fed babies get the standard type. Specialized formula is for babies with unusual requirements, due to allergies, damaged intestines or special nutritional needs. Before the Michigan factory closed, it made most of the specialized infant formula used in the U.S. So it is an absolute crisis for families needing that type of formula.
3. What are the potential consequences of the shortage?
In the first six months, babies should only have breast milk or formula – anything else fed to them will be nutritionally incomplete. So there is a risk that a shortage will mean that babies will not be getting the nutrition they need to develop. That could lead to a range of health problems affecting their physical growth and brain development.
Then there are concerns that parents may be using unsafe alternatives, like watering down their baby’s formula. People have been known to try and make their own by mixing powdered milk or vegan milk with vitamins. Not only are these alternatives not nutritionally complete, they may not be entirely sterile.
After the age of six months, things get a little better once the infant is able to start eating solid food. But even then, formula or breast milk remains the primary source of nutrition. So there may still be a risk of nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiencies.
It isn’t ideal, and only applies for older babies. For those under six months old, cow milk is a real problem. It doesn’t have the right protein blend for babies and has next to no iron – risking anemia in very young babies. Cow milk also has a misbalance of minerals, especially for younger babies.
5. So what guidance is there for low-income parents?
It is challenging and I can’t provide a magic answer. But food banks and the WIC program have been a crucial lifeline. The WIC program in particular has proved itself to be very flexible during this shortage. When Abbott had to recall products and then couldn’t provide enough non-recalled formulas in states in which they were the WIC provider, WIC was able to change providers and reprogram EBT cards to allow low-income parents to buy different brands.
6. What can be done to prevent this situation happening again in the U.S.?
First we need to help families regain confidence in the formula production and supply system. This will prevent problems such as hoarding or making home brew formulas.
Then we need to look at how to make sure one plant going down doesn’t affect the whole system. The federal government can’t stockpile formula in the same way it might stockpile oil, as formula has a shelf life. But diversifying infant formula production is a possibility. This would involve making sure multiple factories and companies are making the formulas that this country needs. This doesn’t necessarily mean increased costs – competition could potentially drive down prices.
I believe America also needs to look at the country’s breast feeding support system. Don’t get me wrong, some parents will always need formula. But those who want to breast feed need everything possible done to support them. That includes better family leave policies, and help for low-income mothers who want to pump and store milk while they work.
April was very warm throughout the globe, with the month tying 2010 as the fifth-warmest April in 143-year climate record, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Last month also contributed to a very warm start to 2022, as sea ice coverage at both poles ran well below average.
Climate by the numbers
April 2022
The average global temperature in April was 1.53 degrees F (0.85 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 56.7 degrees F (13.7 degrees C), tying with April 2010 as the fifth-warmest April on record.
Asia had its warmest April on record — dating back to 1910 — with the month running 4.72 degrees F (2.62 degrees C) above average. This surpassed the now second-warmest April in 2016 by 0.09 of a degree F (0.05 of a degree C). Unusually high temperatures across India and Pakistan contributed to the record heat in Asia, with several locations setting new April temperature records.
Oceania had its fifth-warmest April on record, while Africa and South America saw their ninth and 12th-warmest April on record, respectively. North America was the only continent with a cooler-than-average April, seeing its coolest April since 2018.
The world’s 10 warmest Aprils have all occurred since 2010, with 2014-2022 all ranking among the 10 warmest Aprils on record.
Year to date
The global temperature for the year to date (YTD, January through April 2022) was 1.57 degrees F (0.87 of a degree C) above average, making it the fifth-warmest such YTD on record.
Asia had its fourth-warmest YTD on record, Oceania had its seventh warmest and Europe saw its 11th warmest. South America had its ninth-warmest January-through-April YTD on record, while North America saw its coolest such YTD since 2014.
According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Rankings Outlook, it is virtually certain (> 99.0%) that 2022 will rank among the 10 warmest years on record.
Polar sea ice coverage was low: Arctic sea ice extent (coverage) averaged 5.43 million square miles in April, 243,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average and the 11th smallest for April since records began in 1979. Despite being below average, it was the largest April sea ice extent since 2014. Antarctic sea ice extent for April 2022 was 2.25 million square miles — 390,000 square miles below average — tying with 1981 as the fourth-smallest April sea ice extent on record. Only the Aprils of 1980, 2017 and 2019 had smaller sea ice extents.
An active April for the tropics: Five tropical cyclones formed around the globe in April, which is above average. Of the five storms, the strongest was Typhoon Malakas in the West Pacific Ocean, which intensified to an equivalent Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The Northern Hemisphere had two named storms form over the West Pacific during the month. The South Indian Ocean had two tropical storms, while the Southwest Pacific basin had one storm for the month. Between January-April 2022, there were a total of 23 tropical cyclones, which is near average.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Weed Management Area announced that after a two-year break it is again able to host its annual invasive weeds tour.
This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, May 25, when the weather will probably be pleasant and many weeds are likely to still be in flower.
As always this event is free and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Participants will gather in front of the Ranch House at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, 8400 State Highway 53 between Clearlake and Lower Lake, at 9 a.m., take a leisurely guided walk of about a mile to see the amazingly diverse array of invasive plants that flourish in the park and the effects of control mechanisms such as control burns, and return to the house for a discussion of aquatic invasive weeds under the trees.
Please wear sturdy shoes and feel free to bring a bag lunch if you so choose.
This event is sponsored by the Lake County Department of Agriculture and the Lake County Resource Conservation District.
No reservations are required.
Please contact the Agriculture Department at 707-263-0217 if you have any questions.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has two cats ready for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
‘Delilah’
“Delilah” is a 2-year-old female domestic longhair cat with a gray coat with white markings.
She is in cat room kennel No. 103, ID No. LCAC-A-3070.
Male domestic shorthair
This 1-year-old male domestic shorthair cat has an all-black coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 66, ID No. LCAC-A-3309.
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.
The California Highway Patrol on Friday announced the graduation and deployment of nine new canine teams.
After months of intensive training, the CHP certified its newest members during a ceremony at the CHP Academy’s Canine Training Facility.
“These nine teams are joining an already astonishing unit that serves as a vital part of the Department in protecting the public,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “The canines have received hundreds of hours of intense training and are ready to serve and support the mission of the CHP.”
The graduates consist of eight patrol and narcotics detection canine teams and one patrol and explosives detection canine team, all of which meet the guidelines set by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
The newest team members include two Belgian malinois, two Dutch shepherds and five German shepherds. The CHP now has a total of 53 canine teams deployed throughout the state.
Each canine’s partner, or handler, is an experienced CHP officer with anywhere from three to 15 years of experience.
The officers represent the CHP’s eight geographic regions of Northern, Valley, Golden Gate, Central, Southern, Border, Coastal and Inland Division.
Once deployed, the handlers will spend a minimum of eight hours every week training with their canines to ensure the highest level of peak performance by creating scenarios similar to what is experienced out in the field.
The CHP uses its canines to perform a variety of tasks, including detecting human scent, contraband, and explosives.
A canine team can improve the safety and effectiveness of officers as well as save time and money.
The CHP canines are also used to assist allied agencies in apprehending criminals, detecting explosives or drugs, and in locating at-risk missing persons.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week will discuss how to fill an upcoming vacancy due to the resignation of one of its members and will consider the appeal of the planning commission’s denial of a use permit for a major cannabis project near Hidden Valley Lake.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 17, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 918 1202 6910, pass code 746506. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,91812026910#,,,,*746506#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
In an untimed item, the board will discuss what next steps to take in filling the seat of District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott, who is resigning effective July 31.
The board will consider placing the seat on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
At 10 a.m., the board is scheduled to hear WeGrow LLC owner Zarina Otchkova’s appeal of the Lake County Planning Commission’s denial of a major use permit for her cannabis project at 16750 Herrington Road, 17610 Sandy Road and 19678 Stinson Road in Middletown.
Otchkova’s project proposes growing, processing and distribution operations on a nine-acre portion of the 309-acre property, with 34 greenhouses, four drying buildings, a shed, 20 water tanks and privacy fencing planned.
The commission approved a previous version of the project in April 2021, but two months later the supervisors upheld the appeal of a group of neighbors living in several subdivisions next to the site.
The project came back to the commission in February, at which time commissioners voted unanimously to deny the adoption of an initial study and the major use permit because county planning staff had concluded an environmental impact report was required.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 1 through June 14, 2022, as Military Appreciation Month.
5.2: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to pervasive tree mortality.
5.3: Adopt Proclamation recognizing May 2022 as California Tourism Month in Lake County.
5.4: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Native American Mental Health Services dba North American Mental Health Services for telepsychiatry services in the amount of $2,904,708.48 for fys 2022-25 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and North Valley Behavioral Health for a new contract maximum of $840,000 for fy 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.6: Adopt proclamation designating the week of May 21 through May 27, 2022 as National Safe Boating Week in Lake County.
5.7: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for May 3, 2022.
5.8: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconferenced meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.
5.9: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer for the Cache fire.
5.10: Approve continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.11: Approve continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.12: Approve continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.13: Approve continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.14: Approve continuation of a local emergency in lake county in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.15: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County Sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.16: Authorize the Public Services director to issue a purchase order to Garland Co. for roofing materials not to exceed $249,323.11.
5.17: Second reading of ordinance establishing Chapter 31 of the Lake County Code for an edible food recovery program.
5.18: Adopt proclamation designating the week of May 15 to 21, 2022 as Law Enforcement Officers Week.
5.19: Authorize the closure of all Social Services facilities for staff enrichment, appreciation and team building on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from the hours of 8 to 11 a.m.
TIMED ITEMS
9:05 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:07 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of May 21 through May 27, 2022, as National Safe Boating Week in Lake County.
6.4, 9:08 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of May 15 to 21, 2022, as Law Enforcement Officers Week.
6.5, 9:09 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 1 through June 14, 2022, as Military Appreciation Month.
6.6, 9:15 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation recognizing May 2022 as California Tourism Month in Lake County; and (b) consideration of a report from the Lake County Tourism Improvement District on its activities over the past year.
6.7, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing on account and proposal assessment for 13204 Second Street, Clearlake Oaks.
6.8, 9:45 a.m.: Consideration of grant funding in the amount of $25,000 to support 1Team 1Dream by sponsoring Hands Up Lake County, Small Business Competition, 2022.
6.9, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, appeal of planning commission denial of major use permit Resubmittal 20-22 and IS/MND 20-25 “WeGrow, LLC,” Middletown. APN’s 013-060-40 (cultivation site) and 013-014-03 and 11 (clustering sites). Zarina Otchkova (Appellant) (AB 22-01).
6.10, 11:30 a.m. Discussion of Lake County Behavioral Health Services request for proposals process for FY 2022-23 and approve contracting with facilities/provider who did not submit proposals to maintain continuity of client care.
6.11, 12 p.m.: Lake County Department of Health Services monthly update.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Discussion and consideration of purchasing a flag to be flown during Pride Month.
7.3: Consideration and discussion of changes to the board of supervisors annual calendar for 2022.
7.4: (a) Discussion of next steps to fill the role of District 4 Supervisor, to be Vacated by Tina Scott July 31, 2022; (b) consideration of a resolution setting an election for District 4 supervisor as part of the Nov. 8, 2022, Statewide General Election.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Animal Care and Control director.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Information technology director.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After missing two years due to the pandemic, the Lake County Home Wine and Beer Makers’ Festival is back.
This family-friendly event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Library Park in Lakeport.
Now in its 20th year, the winefest has become a fixture in Lake County. It was originally started by the late Connel Murray and other amateur winemakers who were members of the Lake County Symphony Association to help raise needed funds for the symphony.
This year, John Parkinson, the conductor of the symphony, will again be manning the symphony’s booth.
The WineFest was expanded over the years to include amateur and commercial beer makers — a welcome addition that has included participants such as the Konocti Mashers and the O’Meara Bros. Brewing Co.
For nearly two decades, home winemakers and brewers from all over Northern California have come to Lake County to pour samples for the public.
Home winemakers have the chance to enter their products before the event for judging by experts. All participants are eligible for the gold, silver and bronze ribbons which are awarded for a wide range of varietals and brews.
All have a chance to win the popular “Peoples’ Choice” awards voted on by attendees, with results announced during the festival. Several Lake County commercial wineries, including Rose d’Oro and Smiling Dogs, will be represented at the WineFest to show support for the LCSA, but they are not eligible for prizes; these only go to the amateurs.
There is more to the WineFest than just wine and beer, though. As in past years, there will be numerous vendors offering original arts and crafts, clothing, and agricultural products.
Attendees to this year’s event can also expect a variety of delicious food choices, including tri-tip sandwiches from our local Knights of Columbus and the always-popular Villa’s Snow Cones. Tres Bien Creamery, the Noodle Bowl and I Love BLT’s (AKA Badass BLT’s) are also planning to be there.
Music will come from a variety of sources, including the ever-popular David Neft Duo, featuring David Neft on keyboard and Steve Dubois on drums.
The silent auction is another key component of the WineFest, featuring a variety of gift items donated by local businesses and original artwork.
A US flag that was flown over our Capitol has been provided by Congressman Mike Thompson, along with a donation of wine and balsamic vinegar from his own small Lake County vineyard.
The popular “Barrel of Wine” raffle goes on all day long and gives the lucky winner approximately 36 bottles of assorted Lake County wines. The actual barrel used for the wines in the raffle will be available for bidders in the Silent Auction.
Advance tickets are $30, a discount of $5. They are available now at Watershed Books, Wine in the Willows, and the Chamber of Commerce.
On May 12, 2022, astronomers on the Event Horizon Telescope team released an image of a black hole called Sagittarius A* that lies at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Chris Impey, an astronomer at the University of Arizona, explains how the team got this image and why it is such a big deal.
1. What is Sagittarius A*?
Sagittarius A* sits at the the center of our Milky Way galaxy, in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. For decades, astronomers have been measuring blasts of radio waves from an extremely compact source there.
In the 1980s, two teams of astronomers started tracking the motions of stars near this mysterious source of radio waves. They saw stars whirling around a dark object at speeds up to a third of the speed of light. Their motions suggested that at the center of the Milky Way was a black hole 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez later shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery.
The size of a black hole is defined by its event horizon – a distance from the center of the black hole within which nothing can escape. Scientists had previously been able to calculate that Sagittarius A* is 16 million miles (26 million kilometers) in diameter.
The Milky Way’s black hole is huge compared to the black holes left behind when massive stars die. But astronomers think there are supermassive black holes at the center of nearly all galaxies. Compared to most of these, Sagittarius A* is meager and unremarkable.
2. What does the new image show?
Black holes themselves are completely dark, since nothing, not even light, can escape their gravity. But black holes are surrounded by clouds of gas, and astronomers can measure this gas to infer images of the black holes within. The central dark region in the image is a shadow cast by the black hole onto the gas. The bright ring is the gas itself glowing. The bright spots in the ring show areas of hotter gas that may one day fall into the black hole.
Some of the gas visible in the image is actually behind Sagittarius A*. Light from that gas is being bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole toward Earth. This effect, called gravitational lensing, is a core prediction of general relativity.
3. What went into producing this image?
Supermassive black holes are extremely hard to measure. They are far away and shrouded by the gas and dust that clogs the center of galaxies. They are also relatively small compared to the vastness of space. From where Sagittarius A* sits, 26,000 light years away at the center of the Milky Way, only 1 in 10 billion photons of visible light can reach Earth – most are absorbed by gas in the way. Radio waves pass through gas much more easily than visible light, so astronomers measured the radio emissions from the gas surrounding the black hole. The orange colors in the image are representations of those radio waves.
The team used eight radio telescopes spread across the globe to collect data on the black hole over the course of five nights in 2017. Every night generated so much data that the team couldn’t send it through the internet – they had to ship physical hard drives to where they processed the data.
Because black holes are so hard to see, there is a lot of uncertainty in the data the telescopes collect. To turn it all into an accurate image, team used supercomputers to produce millions of different images, each one a mathematically viable version of the black hole based off the data collected and the laws of physics. They then blended all of these images together to produce the final, beautiful, accurate image. The processing time was equivalent to running 2,000 laptops at full speed for a year.
4. Why is the new image such a big deal?
In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope team released the first image of a black hole – this one at the center of the galaxy M87. The black hole at the center of this galaxy, named M87*, is a behemoth 2,000 times larger than Sagittarius A* and 7 billion times the mass of the Sun. But because Sagittarius A* is 2,000 times closer to Earth than M87*, the Event Horizon Telescope was able to observe both black holes at a similar resolution – giving astronomers a chance to learn about the universe by comparing the two.
The similarity of the two images is striking because small stars and small galaxies look and behave very differently than large stars or galaxies. Black holes are the only objects in existence that only answer to one law of nature – gravity. And gravity does not care about scale.
For the last few decades, astronomers have thought that there are massive black holes at the center of almost every galaxy. While M87* is an unusually huge black hole, Sagittarius A* is likely pretty similar to many of the hundreds of billions of black holes at the center of other galaxies in the universe.
5. What scientific questions can this answer?
There is a lot more science to be done from the data the team collected.
One interesting avenue of inquiry stems from the fact that the gas surrounding Sagittarius A* is moving at close to the speed of light. Sagittarius A* is relatively small, and matter trickles into it very slowly – if it were the size of a human, it would consume the mass of a single grain of rice every million years. But by taking many images, it would be possible to watch the flow of matter around and into the black hole in real time. This would allow astrophysicists to study how black holes consume matter and grow.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this new image has already generated 10 scientific papers. I expect there will be many more to come.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council will get a state of the city report from staff and discuss outdoor dining areas, or “parklets,” located in the city’s downtown area.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, 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, May 17.
On Tuesday, the council will receive a presentation on the state of the city and provide staff direction on next steps.
City Manager Kevin Ingram’s report to the council explains that on March 21 the council set goals for the upcoming 2022-23 budget year after receiving a presentation from him and executive staff.
“This annual event kicks off the budget process and is crucial to the City's strategic planning process,” Ingram wrote. “New to this year’s process was the formalization of six priority areas determined by your Council.”
Those areas are public safety and crisis response; disaster resilience; good governance and fiscal stability; capital infrastructure improvement; safe, sustainable and attractive neighborhoods; and economic development.
They also will discuss completed goals and accomplishments for the 2021-22 year and how those correspond with the newly established priority areas.
Also on the agenda is a public hearing to introduce an ordinance amending Chapter 8.16 of the Lakeport Municipal Code to establish regulations related to the establishment of an edible food recovery program and calendar a second reading of the ordinance.
Under council business, Ingram will lead a discussion about outdoor dining being allowed under the current COVID-19 emergency temporary use zoning permits and ask for direction.
The city’s emergency regulations allow for outdoor “parklets,” which have been set up in the right of way and on sidewalks. Ingram’s report said they’ve begun to receive complaints that the parklets are a visual nuisance. In previous meetings, community members have complained that the parklets inhibit visibility for traffic.
The council previously directed staff to work on guidelines, which Ingram’s report said should be done in June or July. “Staff is also working on the development of a community survey to gather input on preferred design standards,” Ingram wrote.
In other business, Public Works Superintendent Paul Harris will present a resolution authorizing the city manager or his designee to execute all restricted grant agreements with the California Department of Transportation and to authorize Ingram to execute a professional services agreement with Miskis Services for storm drain repair.
Also on Tuesday, the council will present proclamations designating the week of May 21 to 27, 2022, as National Safe Boating Week and the month of May 2022 as California Tourism Month, and receive the Lake County Tourism Improvement District annual update and a presentation from the Youth Governance Council.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on May 3; the May 2 warrant register; 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); approval of event application 2022-018, with staff recommendations, for the 2022 Concerts in the Park series; approval of event application 2022-019, with staff recommendations, for the 2022 Sponsoring Survivorship Walk/Run; adoption of a resolution calling for the general municipal election to be held in the city of Lakeport, county of Lake, state of California, on Nov. 8 for the purpose of electing two city council members, and requesting consolidation of that election with the state general election; receipt and filing of the Illegal Fireworks Police Operation Plan; and confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
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. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many friendly dogs waiting to be adopted.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of American Staffordshire terrier, Anatolian shepherd, Australian cattle dog, Australian shepherd, Catahoula leopard dog, French bulldog, Labrador retriever and pit bull.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
Male American Staffordshire terrier
This 3-year-old male American Staffordshire terrier has a short gray coat.
He is reported to be a very friendly dog with a great temperament, good with cats and already neutered.
He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-3398.
Black lab mix
This 1-year-old male black Labrador Retriever has a short coat.
He is in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-3418.
Chocolate lab mix
This young male chocolate Labrador, who is under a year old, has a short coat.
He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-3385.
‘Bella’
“Bella” is a 2-year-old Catahoula leopard dog mix with a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-3245.
‘Dozer’
“Dozer” is a 2-year-old male pit bull with a short black coat.
He is in kennel No. 5, ID No. LCAC-A-3278.
‘Dexter’
“Dexter’ is a 1-year-old male pit bull with a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-3290.
Female pit bull mix
This young female pit bull mix has a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 10, ID No. LCAC-A-3353.
‘Bruno’
“Bruno” is a young male pit bull with a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-3344.
Female pit bull
This 3-year-old female pit bull had a short gray coat with withe markings.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-3323.
Male pit bull
This 1-year-old male pit bull has a short brown coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-3321.
‘Macho’
“Macho” is a 3-year-old male pit bull mix with a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 17, ID No. LCAC-A-3343.
Female shepherd mix
This 1-year-old female shepherd mix has a short gray brindle coat.
She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-3342.
‘Willie’
“Willie” is a 1-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short brown and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-3301.
Male wirehaired terrier
This 2-year-old male wirehaired terrier has a cream-colored coat.
He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-3399.
‘Cody’
“Cody” is a 7-year-old male French bulldog-pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-3284.
‘Pozey’
“Pozey” is a 6-year-old female Anatolian shepherd with a short cream-colored coat.
She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-3362.
Male Australian cattle dog
This 3-year-old male Australian cattle dog has a short black, tan and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-3130.
‘Mozey’
“Mozey” is a 6-year-old female Anatolian shepherd with a short cream-colored coat.
She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-3363.
‘Rooster’
“Rooster” is a 5-year-old male mountain cur with a brown brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-3384.
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. — A special ceremony held on Friday honored a retired Lake County Superior Court judge with the presentation of his portrait.
Judge Richard Martin retired in May of 2017, but the appreciation for the contributions he made during his tenure remains very much a thing of the present, according to the testimony of his peers, friends and family during the Friday afternoon ceremony.
The new black and white portrait of Martin will hang on the wall of the courtroom where he served as judge from 2005 to 2017. It will be hung next to the portrait of his predecessor Judge Robert Krone, who Martin called his mentor.
Since his retirement, Martin and wife, Charlotte, have done some traveling in their travel trailer and lately he’s learning to cook when he’s not working on his property near Lakeport.
Martin was lauded by members of the current bench, the district attorney and her staff, his son Sheriff Brian Martin and sheriff’s command staff, current and former bailiffs, court staff, friends and family.
The gathering was in the courtroom where Martin presided over Department Two. However, today the courtroom has been renumbered so that it’s Department One.
His successor, Judge J. David Markham, was on hand, along with fellow judges Andrew Blum, Michael Lunas and Shanda Harry, and Commissioner John Langan.
Attending via Zoom were retired judges Stephen Hedstrom, who stepped down at the end of his term the year after Martin, and Arthur Mann, who retired from full-time work in 2009 but served in a part-time capacity until the end of January after more than 41 years of service. Martin and Mann had run against each other for a judicial seat in the 1980s, a race which Mann ultimately won.
Before the ceremony, Hedstrom and Mann were chatting and catching up on Zoom and, at one point, Hedstrom asked if people in the courtroom could hear them. The audience responded with a loud chorus of “yes.”
Hedstrom responded by saying they should have put him on mute. Mann quipped that they had tried that in the past and it never worked.
During the ceremony, Markham said Martin was known for his “fair, well-reasoned” decisions and a judicial demeanor that was one of his greatest assets on the bench.
Harry said that a discussion she had with Martin about running for judge was one of the best things she did when considering launching a campaign.
Lunas recalled how he and Martin had gone up against each other when both were civil attorneys. He welcomed Martin back “to the room where it happened.”
Langan, who was coming up through the ranks of the District Attorney’s Office when Martin was a judge, thanked him for his patience with him and other young attorneys. “You impacted a lot of people here.”
The individual who had perhaps the most to say about Martin was Blum, a longtime friend. They worked together in the District Attorney’s Office before Martin came up with the “harebrained” idea of going off to Micronesia to become the attorney general of the island of Kosrae. Within six months, Martin had talked Blum into joining him there.
In that capacity, Martin did all manner of legislative and legal duties. One of the accomplishments Blum highlighted: Martin wrote the sea cucumber conservation legislation.
“It was a pleasure serving with him,” said Blum.
He added that while it’s been five years since Martin retired, “I can’t picture this building without Rick in it.”
Mann congratulated Martin for a spectacular and varied career, and Hedstrom recalled being the master of ceremonies at Martin’s swearing-in ceremony.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Brian Martin told the group.
He said the values that his father displayed on the bench were the same ones he followed at home. Richard Martin, his son said, believed in leaving things better than he found them.
Markham let Martin sit in his former seat on the bench, at which point he noted that, among the thousands of cases he handled, he was mindful that for many people, coming into his courtroom was the first and only time they would be in court. For others, they spent almost as much time as he did in the courtroom.
While the United States’ legal system isn’t perfect, Martin said he considered it the best in the world, which he credited to the people who make it work.
He also spoke about some of his proudest accomplishments, including work with the drug court and establishing a veterans court, which had special meaning for him since his father was a World War II veteran.
Martin took a redemptive view of cases involving veterans. While a veteran who came before him may have done something wrong, he held that such actions didn’t negate the good of their service to the country.
He thanked his fellow judges and attorneys, court staff, the community members who served as jurors, his family and particularly his wife for the years of support.
“It’s been an honor to serve,” he 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.