LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Third District) traveled to Lower Lake this weekend to visit areas damaged by the Clayton fire that ravaged southern Lake County in August.

He was joined by Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown, who is leading the local recovery effort. They discussed ongoing response and cleanup efforts.

During the visit, Congressman Garamendi also discussed ideas that would help rural communities like Lake County receive more support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

Over the last 15 months, Lake County has experienced four major wildfires, but only one of these wildfires received a disaster declaration by FEMA, which is needed to unlock much of America’s emergency response resources.

The Clayton fire did not receive a disaster declaration, despite destroying about 200 structures, because current law disadvantages rural communities in heavily populated states.

Congressman Garamendi thinks it makes sense that any community devastated by four major fires over 15 months should be allocated federal disaster relief assistance.

“This firsthand exposure to the devastation caused by the Clayton fire gives me information that will be helpful to convince my colleagues in Congress that disaster relief reform is needed. I want to thank Supervisor Rob Brown for his incredible work helping our constituents,” Garamendi said. “Congress should be able to come together to proactively help rural communities that are suffering from natural disasters.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Clayton fire, Congressmen John Garamendi and Mike Thompson alerted Lake County residents to Small Business Administration loans available to homeowners, businesses and nonprofits impacted by the fire. The filing deadline to report damage is Nov. 7.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters have issued a hazardous weather statement for parts of Northern California including Lake County due to the potential for heavy rain late this week and into early next week.

The National Weather Service said a series of weather systems are predicted to move into Northern California from late Thursday through early Tuesday, bringing several waves of rain, cooler temperatures and snow in higher elevations above 7,000 feet.

Based on National Weather Service models, some of the precipitation that's expected over Northern California is coming from remnants of Typhoon Songda, which National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite images showed to be passing southeast of Japan on Monday night.

The storms could potentially bring several inches of rain across the region, based on the forecast.

Lake County's specific forecast calls for chances of rain beginning on Thursday and continuing early into the new week.

Daytime temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s, while nighttime temperatures will be in the high 40s.

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.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest fire managers are preparing to conduct two prescribed fires on the forest on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

On the Upper Lake Ranger District, crews will ignite approximately 80 acres on the Howard Mill underburn project and on the Grindstone Ranger District, crews will burn about 66 acres of the Alder Springs underburn project.

The Howard Mill prescribed fire is situated between Lake Pillsbury and Upper Lake near Elk Mountain and the Alder Springs prescribed fire is 16 miles from Elk Creek.

Preparations for these burns include monitoring fuel and weather conditions and checking project boundaries.

Crews are working to complete these prescribed fires before potential moisture reaches the forest by the end of the week.

Smoke will be noticeable from various areas across the forest and in outlying communities.

Signs will be posted for public awareness and safety in those areas where prescribed fires are planned.

Project maps are posted on the forest Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s own community orchestra has been entertaining music-lovers since 1978.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Lake County Library’s monthly free lecture series “Know Lake County” will highlight the Lake County Symphony Association, or LCSA, and the Lake County Youth Orchestra.

The program will be held at the Lakeport branch of Lake County Library at 1425 N. High St. from 2 to 4 p.m.

Greg Bushta, second vice president of the LCSA and a violinist with the orchestra, will talk about the symphony association and the orchestra.

Youth orchestra director Susan Condit will introduce Rafael Contreras, concertmaster of the youth orchestra to talk about the youth orchestra.

The lecture will include a video performance of the youth orchestra.

Condit is a violinist with the Lake County Symphony and teaches a 4/5 combination class, a music class and a violin class at the Konocti Education Center, a visual and performing arts magnet school for grades four through eight in the Konocti Unified School District.

Contreras is an eighth-grade student at the Konocti Education Center. He has been playing fiddle and violin since he was a small child and has won numerous fiddle contests.

The Lake County Symphony is a community orchestra composed of both professional and amateur musicians. Each year the orchestra presents a classical concert in November, a holiday concert in December and a pops concert in May.

The youth orchestra performs at each Lake County Symphony concert and presents its own annual concert in June. The Web site for the symphony association is www.clearlakeperformingarts.com .

The Know Lake County lectures feature speakers from a wide array of organizations and disciplines, each representing some aspect of Lake County.

Still to come in 2016 is Nick Kent, manager of the Boggs Mountain State Demonstration State Forest.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

For more information call the library at 707-263-8817.

Jan Cook works for the Lake County Library.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The first lecture in this fall's “Distinguished Speaker Series” – focusing on Lake County's agricultural history – took place last week at Marymount California University.

Historian and Lake County Museums Curator Tony Pierucci spoke on the topic of “Pastures, Pears and Protests: One Hundred Years of Lake County Farming and Labor,” on Thursday, Oct. 6, at Marymount California University's Lakeside Campus in Lucerne.

The full video of the presentation by Lake County News Videographer John Jensen, is shown above.

The fall Distinguished Speaker Series, the theme of which is “Grape to Glass: The Past, Present and Future of Agriculture in Lake County,” has upcoming lectures planned in November and December.

The program on Nov. 3 will be a panel discussion about sustainable practices in viticulture and vineyard management featuring Christian Ahlmann, vice president of Six Sigma Ranch and Winery; Tracey Hawkins, owner and winemaker for Hawk and Horse Vineyards; and Paul Zellman, director of educational programs for the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

The 2016 series' final program on Dec. 1 will be a presentation by Robert Bath, MS, CHE, professor of Wine and Beverage Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, and member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, who will feature local sources of food products paired with Lake County wines.

MCU Lakeside campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive Lucerne. For more information and directions to the campus, call 888-991-5253 and leave a message.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Tuesday afternoon vehicle crash temporarily shut down a portion of highway just outside the Lake County line.

The California Highway Patrol reported Tuesday afternoon that Highway 175 just east of mile post marker 8.1 Mendocino, near the Mendocino/Lake County line, had been shut down due to the solo-vehicle crash.

According to reports from the scene a vehicle went off the road and down a 100-foot ravine just before 1 p.m.

Radio reports indicated that Cal Fire helicopters 101 and 104 helped remove the patients from the ravine with the use of a stokes basket.

At least one of the crash victims was transported to Lampson Field, where a REACH air ambulance was to transport them to an out-of-county hospital, according to radio reports.

Just after 2:45 p.m., the CHP said the westbound lane had reopened, but the eastbound lane remained closed.

The CHP did not give a time estimate for when the highway would fully reopen.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

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 Lakeport Planning Commission will consider three different projects when it meets this week.

The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is the continuation of a discussion from Aug. 10 on the architectural and design review for the Westlake Auto project at 2195 S. Main St.

The commission's approval would legalize an existing 1,080-square-foot detached garage/shop to a property with an existing auto sales/retail facilities.

Commissioners also will discuss Jamie Young Child Care's application for a use permit for a large family daycare facility in an existing single family dwelling at 1097 North Tunis St.

Also on Wednesday's agenda is Donald and Mary Einarsson's application for a minor architectural and design review for a new two-story single family dwelling located in the Victorian Village Subdivision, located at 2024 Hampton Park.

In other business, city planning staff will give the commission an update on projects pending planning department approval as of Oct. 3.

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.