In preparation for the upcoming wildfire season, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has completed the transition to peak staffing across California and continues to report progress on key fuels reduction and forest health projects.
Peak staffing ensures all Cal Fire stations are open and staffed 24 hours per day; response capabilities are enhanced; all aircraft are prepositioned and staffed; and crews are staffed, trained, and working.
According to current estimates, Cal Fire has achieved 110,925 acres treated in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season, which exceeds its goal of treating 100,000 acres by 2025.
“Although conditions have varied geographically throughout the state, weather conditions, fuel loads, and the number of fire incidents have guided the Department’s thorough response and overall preparedness moving into the summer months,” said Chief Joe Tyler, Cal Fire director and fire chief. “Even as we ramp up our preparations for wildfires that are now occurring year-round, we continue to accelerate forest health and fire prevention projects throughout the state, launching more than 603 wildfire resilience projects from last year’s budget, ranging from fuel breaks to prescribed burns to fuel reduction.”
“California is taking aggressive action to protect communities and make our forests more resilient,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “There is much work to do, but in addition to our fire suppression efforts, we are laser-focused on scaling up investments and work to tackle this challenge head-on.”
Early augmentation funding, approved in partnership with the Legislature last year, has allowed Cal Fire to:
• Staff 136 engines in the northern region (an increase of 64) and 126 engines in the southern region, an increase of 16 (earlier than in years past); • 12 exclusive-use aircraft are available statewide today, with four additional by July 1, which is on top of CAL FIRE’s existing aerial fleet of more than 62 aircraft; • 16 additional hand crews are operational now as a result of the budget augmentation for fire prevention and emergency response.
Meanwhile, the data that has been validated so far show that Cal Fire and its grant recipients have conducted fuels treatment and fire prevention work on more than 110,900 acres in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which exceeds its 2025 100,000-acre goal ahead of schedule.
Additional data continues to be reported to and validated by Cal Fire.
Cal Fire is not alone in this endeavor. It is one of 22 state departments implementing California’s $1.5 billion wildfire resilience program.
As of June 2022, within less than a year, the program has already committed $1.1 billion and has launched more than 833 projects, which includes the Cal Fire projects and funding. Many of these projects finished within a few months of receiving funding. For more information, refer to the Wildfire Resilience Program.
As Cal Fire has worked to increase fuels reduction efforts, it has directed significant efforts at increasing defensible space compliance, home hardening and forest health. All of these initiatives are critical components of Cal Fire’s wildfire resilience strategy.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A popular Lake County summertime event that had been slated for a return this year has been canceled.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce announced in an email last week that it had canceled the Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In, which had been planned for June 24 to 26.
This was to have been the first time since 2019 that the event had been held. That year marked the 40th splash in.
A post on the Clear Lake Splash In Facebook page stated, “In all likelihood the Lake County Chamber will no longer be leading the organization of the Splash In in future years.”
The splash in also has been removed from the chamber’s website.
The event’s Facebook page noted, “There is, however, a group of volunteers committed to making the event happen in future years.”
Organizers are asking for input from potential seaplane participants for a possible 2023 event as soon as possible.
They’re asking about the best dates for 2023, activities to include and obstacles for pilots to attend the event.
Seaplane pilots who would like to help with the effort for developing a 2023 event are asked to contact the Clear Lake Splash In Facebook page.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The supervisors this week get a health services update and consider several cannabis-related items.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 21, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 980 6310 6695, pass code 027825. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,98063106695#,,,,*027825#.
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.
At 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, the board will get the monthly update from the Lake County Department of Health Services.
In untimed items, the board will consider voluntary collection agreements for transient occupancy tax, cannabis equity grant applications processing, appointments to the commercial cannabis ordinance task force and the proposed findings of fact and decision in the appeal of David Hughes of approvals for the Lake Vista Farms cannabis project.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation recognizing the Friends of Boggs Mountain for outstanding contributions to outdoor recreation and economic development in Lake County.
5.2: Adopt proclamation recognizing the Girl Scouts of Lake County.
5.3: Adopt resolution establishing 2022-2023 appropriations limit for the county of Lake and Special Districts governed by the Board of Supervisors.
5.4: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between county of Lake and the Lake County Office of Education for the Safe Schools Program increasing the contract maximum to $300,000 for FY 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve the agreement between county of Lake and North Valley Behavioral Health LLC for fiscal years 2022-23 in the amount of $400,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.6: Approve purchase order for Sutter Center for Psychiatry for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services in the amount of $50,000 for FY 2021-22 and authorize Lake County Behavioral Health Services Department Head to sign the purchase order.
5.7: Approve purchase order for Heritage Oaks Hospital for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services in the amount of $30,000 for FY 2021-22 and authorize Lake County Behavioral Health Services Department head to sign the purchase order.
5.8: Approve agreement between county of Lake and the Lake County Office of Education for the Safe Schools Healthy Students Program in the amount of $300,000 for fiscal year 2022-23 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.9: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for April 26, 2022.
5.10: Approve late travel claims in the amount of $765 for the Community Development Department.
5.11: Second reading of an ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3093.
5.12: Second reading of an ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3094.
5.13: Second reading of an ordinance rescinding Lake County Ordinance No. 3095.
5.14: Approve late travel claim for Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez in the amount of $28.08 for CSAC training held in Ukiah and authorize the auditor-controller to process payment.
5.15: Approve the California Mutual Aid County and intra-medical health regional and cooperative agreement for emergency medical and health disaster services.
5.16: Approve amendment one to agreement for abatement services of sunken/abandoned vessels between the county of Lake and All in One Auto Repair and Towing, to extend the agreement through June 30, 2023.
5.17: Approve first amendment to the lease agreement between county of Lake and Schall Investments Corp. for the property located at 805 and 809 S. Main St., Lakeport, CA 95453, in the amount of $34,020 per fiscal year, from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Approve agreement between the Kelseyville County Water Works District #3 and LACO Associates Inc. for engineering and design services for the Live Oak Drive Water Line Replacement Project for an amount not to exceed $100,695 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.19: Approve letter of support and disadvantaged community waiver of match to the application for the 2022 Nonpoint Source Grant Program and authorize the Lake County Board of Supervisors to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
9:05 a.m.: Pet of the week.
6.3, 9:07 a.m.: a) Presentation of proclamation recognizing the Friends of Boggs Mountain for outstanding contributions to outdoor recreation and economic development in Lake County; and b) presentation of a plaque honoring Debbie St. Cyr for extraordinary dedication to bringing back Boggs.
6.4, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation recognizing the Girl Scouts of Lake County.
6.5, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing on account and proposal assessment for 13204 Second St., Clearlake Oaks.
6.6, 9:45 a.m.: Presentation on California advancing and innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).
6.7, 10:15 a.m.: Lake County Department of Health Services monthly update.
6.8, 10:45 a.m.: a) Consideration of request to waive fees for the appeal of the Planning Commission's decision for Major Use Permit UP 19-19 Mombacho Mountain Organics, LLC (Dan Westphal and Kathy Mcguire) located at 9205 Mombacho Road, Kelseyville, CA and 9261 Wildcat Road, Kelseyville, CA on May 26, 2022 due to hardship; and b) consideration of policy regarding the consideration of requests for reduction or waiver of certain land use appeal filing fees.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of transient occupancy tax - voluntary collection agreements.
7.3: Consideration of cannabis equity grant applications processing.
7.4: Consideration of the following Advisory Board Appointments: Lucerne Area Town Hall.
7.5: Consideration of appointments to the commercial cannabis ordinance task force.
7.6: Consideration of proposed findings of fact and decision in the appeal of David Hughes Appeal AB 21-05 (Lake Vista Farms).
7.7: Consideration of award of bid for the Cooper Creek at Witter Springs Road Bridge Replacement Project,Bid No. 22-03, Federal Aid Project No. BRLO-5914(078) to West Coast Contractors, of Coos Bay, Oregon in the amount of $1,492,809.74.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Public Works / Water Resources Director Scott De Leon.
8.2: Public Employee Evaluation: Public Health Officer Dr. Erik McLaughlin.
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.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), introduced the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), who represents Lake County in the House of Representatives, said the bill will make a difference in addressing gun violence.
“The United States faces an epidemic of gun violence, between the constant mass shootings and the everyday gun violence that is not often covered by the media. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will do the most important thing any gun violence prevention bill will do: save lives,” Thompson said.
“While this bill does not go as far as the bills passed by the House, including my Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Protecting Our Kids Act, we must take progress wherever we can find it. This bill represents a significant step towards combating gun violence prevention and passing this bill will put measures in place to keep guns out of dangerous hands, invest in mental health resources and community violence intervention programs, fund school safety programs, enhance background checks for people under 21, and crack down on gun trafficking,” he said.
“As Congress considers this bill, I will never give up on other critical gun violence prevention priorities like background checks, nationwide red flag laws, safe storage provisions, and other policies which will save lives and are overwhelmingly supported by the American people,” he said.
Thompson added, “When the Senate passes this bill later this week, the House must be ready to expeditiously take it up and send it to President Biden’s desk to help save lives and keep our communities safe.”
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides:
Support for state crisis intervention orders (also known as red flag laws) Creates a new $750 million funding pot that will be available to states for the creation and administration of laws that help ensure firearms are kept out of the hands of individuals that a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others, and other purposes such as mental health courts, drug courts, veterans courts, and extreme risk protection orders that have sufficient due process.
Protections for victims of domestic violence Adds convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Creates a process for removal from NICS five years after the completion of the sentence, only if there are no intervening prohibited crimes or other similar offenses.
Clarified definition of ‘federally licensed firearms dealer’ Cracks down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements and clarifies which sellers need to register, conduct background checks, and keep appropriate records.
Under 21 enhanced review process • Requires an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records, including checks with state databases and local law enforcement, for buyers under 21 years of age. • NICS will have up to three business days to conduct the initial enhanced search. If that search reveals a possible disqualifying record, NICS will have an extended window of no more than 10 business days total to complete the investigation. • Provides additional funding to the FBI to administer new process checks in NICS and grants to help states upgrade criminal and mental health records therein.
Penalties for ‘straw purchasing’ Creates federal straw purchasing and trafficking criminal offenses, allowing prosecutors to target dangerous illegal gunrunners.
Violence interruption funding Provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives.
Investment in children and family mental health services • Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic: Expands the existing Medicaid CCBHC demonstration program to all states to increase access to community based behavioral health services. • School-based mental health: Helps states to implement, enhance, and expand school-based health programs under Medicaid through updated guidance, technical assistance, and state planning grants. • Gold standard in mental health coverage for children: Improves oversight of states’ implementation of Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, the country’s gold standard in children’s health coverage, to strengthen children’s access to comprehensive mental health care services. • Telemental health services for children: Requires CMS to provide guidance to states on how they can increase access to behavioral health services through telehealth under Medicaid and CHIP. • Teleconsults for pediatricians and mental health specialists: Provides $80 million in grants to support pediatric primary care providers to rapidly access mental health specialists’ expertise in guiding the treatment of their patients. • Training for pediatric providers: Appropriates $60 million over five years for training in mental health for primary care clinicians who treat children and youth. • Community and first responder mental health training: Appropriates $120 million over four years to prepare and train community members and first responders on how to appropriately and safely respond to individuals with mental disorders. • Support for states to expand mental health services: Provides $250 million for states, DC, and territories to enhance comprehensive community mental health services. • Building awareness of and access to services for mental health: Appropriates $240 million over four years for programs that increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth, provide training for school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth to detect and respond to mental health issues, and connect school-aged youth who may have behavioral health issues and their families to needed services. • School-based trauma support: Includes a set aside of $28 million for grants to support trauma care in school settings. • Support after traumatic events: Appropriates $40 million over four years to improve treatment and services for children, adolescents, and families who have experienced traumatic events. • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline/9-8-8: Appropriates $150 million to support implementation of the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that provides 24/7, free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
Increased funding for schools • School based mental health services and staff: Provides $500 million through the School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program to increase the number of qualified mental health service providers that provide school based mental health services to students in school districts with demonstrated need. • Training and pipeline development for school based mental health staff: Provides $500 million in funding to the School Based Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Grant. This money will help train and diversify the pipeline of school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists. • Improving conditions for student learning: Provides $1 billion in funding through Title IV-A to support a variety of activities to improve conditions for student learning, including developing positive school climates through evidence-based practices. • Out of school programs: Provides $50 million in funding to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which funds extracurricular, after school and summer programs, with a focus of new funding to target programs for older youth. • School safety: Provides $300 million in funding through the STOP School Violence Act to institute safety measures in and around schools, support school violence prevention efforts and provide training to school personnel and students. Codifies the SchoolSafety.gov clearinghouse, which provides evidence-based resources to improve school safety. Prohibits use of funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to train or equip any person with dangerous weapons in schools.
That’s one of the stories used to explain why, in modern times, Wall Street types call someone who sells a stock expecting its price to drop a “bear.” It follows that a market in which securities or commodities are persistently declining in value is known as a “bear market,” like the one U.S. stocks are experiencing now.
The opposite, when assets are steadily rising over a period of time, is a “bull market.”
In my money and banking classes, I teach students about the efficient market hypothesis, which states that stock prices are rational, in that they are always fairly priced based on available information. But when there are big swings in the stock market, it’s hard for my students and others to resist using more emotive terms like “bulls” and “bears,” which call to mind the “animal spirits” of investing.
So how do you know when you’re in a bear market?
The Securities and Exchange Control Commission defines a bear market as a period of at least two months when a broad market – measured by an index such as the S&P 500 – falls by 20% or more. When it rises by 20% or more over two months or more, it is a bull market.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index, which includes most of the most well-known U.S. companies, has declined about 24% since its its peak on Jan. 3, 2022.
Not everyone strictly follows this two-month rule. For example, in March 2020, when the S&P 500 plunged 34% in a matter of weeks due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many analysts still called it a “bear market.”
A milder form of a bear market is “correction.” During a correction, prices drop by 10% to 20% from the previous peak.
Some analysts estimate there have been 26 bear markets in the S&P 500 since 1928, excluding the one that began in 2022. The average length was 289 days, with a decline of about 36%. The longest was in 1973-74 and lasted 630 days.
There have been fewer distinct bull markets, with 24 in that period. They tend to last a lot longer, though, often for multiple years.
Why a bear market matters
A bear market may signal a recession is coming, though it’s not a perfect correlation. Since World War II, there have been three bear markets – out of a total of 12 – that didn’t precede a recession.
A bear market is bad news for anyone with a stock investment, whether it’s a direct stake in Apple or Walmart or a 401(k). The impact is particularly hard on recent retirees, who are seeing their nest eggs shrink just as they need to start withdrawing income from them.
In addition, entering a bear market can have a psychological impact on investors, creating a self-fulfilling cycle. Perceiving a bear market tends to prompt investors to sell even more, thus pushing prices down further and prolonging the pain.
Read other short, accessible explanations of newsworthy subjects written by academics in their areas of expertise for The Conversation U.S. here.
The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup on Sunday completed its review of the federal process and has unanimously concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are safe and effective for children as young as 6 months old.
The workgroup provided its confirmation to the governors of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington Sunday afternoon.
The Moderna two-dose vaccine series and the Pfizer three-dose vaccine series are now available to children as young as 6 months old.
On Friday, June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the vaccines in children as young as 6 months old, and the CDC affirmed that decision on Saturday.
The workgroup reviewed the federal decisions on Saturday and affirmed them Sunday.
The workgroup thoroughly reviewed safety and efficacy data for the vaccines. The workgroup found that completion of either vaccine series produced antibody levels similar to those achieved in individuals aged 16 to 25 years.
Observed vaccine reactions among infants aged 6 to 12 months and children aged 1 through 5 years were consistent with reactions to other vaccines routinely recommended for these age groups.
The workgroup concluded that the benefits of completing either vaccine series substantially outweigh any known or likely risks. Immunization can be expected to reduce the numbers of COVID-19-related serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in young children while facilitating their participation in normal educational, social and recreational activities.
Washington, Oregon, and Nevada joined California’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup in October 2020.
The workgroup, made up of nationally-acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health, has concurrently and independently reviewed the FDA’s actions related to COVID-19 vaccines.
It will continue to evaluate other COVID-19 vaccines as they go through the federal process.
“Vaccines are safe, effective, and widely accessible — we’re strongly encouraging parents to protect their kids from COVID-19 with these vaccines, and California has preordered nearly 400,000 doses that can be administered at the more than 8,500 vaccine sites throughout the state,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
“Many families have been waiting for the opportunity to vaccinate their youngest members and I am happy that day has come,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada. “Families can have the peace of mind of the thorough review process these vaccines have gone through, but I encourage families to speak to a trusted health care provider about any questions they have. Vaccines protect against serious illness, and I offer my thanks to all those who continue to serve on the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to confirm the recommendations and guidance for COVID-19 vaccines.”
“This is a long awaited moment for so many families. With today’s review by leading doctors, pediatricians, and health experts, Oregon parents and children can be confident in the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children as young as 6 months old,” said Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon. “It is completely normal for parents and kids to have questions about vaccines —— I urge you to reach out to your family doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist and get your questions answered today.”
“This is excellent news for Washington families and I know many parents who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get their youngest children vaccinated,” said Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington. “I encourage parents to contact their trusted providers to discuss any questions or concerns. These vaccines remain the most important tool in our continued efforts to keep people safe from severe COVID illness or hospitalization.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council last week approved another ambitious and larger-than-normal fiscal year budget that includes the creation of a new division to organize and drive events in the community.
Finance Director Kelcey Young said the new recreation and events division will be under the city’s Administrative Services Department.
The city’s goal is that the new division will be self-funded within two years. The initial startup costs will be covered in part by the general fund, with additional grant funds and event sponsorship, Young said.
She said the division will oversee concerts in the park, the city’s popular soap box derby, youth activities and holiday events.
City Clerk-Administrative Services Director Melissa Swanson told Lake County News that while there was a reference in city records to a recreation division in the city in the early 1990s, she believes the new division is “definitely something new, especially for what we have planned.”
Swanson told the council on Thursday that the new division’s goals include enhancing the quality of life for city residents, creating a happy and healthy community, connecting through art and culture, engaging with people of all ages, abilities, cultures and interests, and promoting Clearlake’s unique identity and community cohesion.
She said the division supports the council’s strategic goals of improving the quality of life in Clearlake with improved public facilities, improving the city’s image, ensuring the fiscal sustainability of the city and supporting economic development.
Swanson said creating the division includes several milestones in the first year, including the adoption of the 2022-23 budget and division creation — which the council did later on Thursday — and in September, the creation of policies and procedures, partner agreements and memorandums of understanding, community engagement and an impact fee study.
Other milestones include evaluating events and programs for 2023-24, council adoption of the impact fee, sponsorships and grants, and fundraising opportunities to be determined by December, and in March a new spring break camp, creation of the 2023-24 program book and expanding community engagement.
Swanson said there isn’t time to do a summer camp for this year, but the city wants to plan them for future years. In the meantime, they want to do the April spring break camp.
She said that if the division is successful, the city will need to increase staffing. They also want to prepare for the recreation center that the city will build.
Program goals include bringing youth and sports programs to the city, along with performing and cultural arts, and therapeutic recreation geared toward those who are differently abled, Swanson said.
Swanson said the division’s first year would include youth programs such as the spring break camp and a partnership with Konocti Unified School District, and for adults, a cornhole tournament and low-impact exercise programs at Austin Park and the senior community center.
Year one events will include the summer concert series, the soap box derby car workshop, movies in the park, the soap box derby, trunk or treat/movies in the park/City Hall-oween, breakfast with Santa, the Christmas parade, Bunny Brunch and Earth Day clean up.
Swanson said the city is working on partnership and sponsorship opportunities with Konocti Unified, PEG TV, the Rotary Club of Clear Lake, the Highlands Senior Service Center, and nonprofits and businesses.
Mayor Dirk Slooten said he saw collaboration opportunities with Adventist Health and Woodland Community College, noting that the Clearlake Planning Commission was part of the process of creating the idea.
Swanson said the city has reached out to Adventist Health and is working to solidify a partnership.
As part of its Thursday meeting, the council also approved new personnel classifications, including that of the new recreation and events coordinator.
The coordinator will assist in creating recreation programs for all ages, oversee city-owned facilities and properties, and organize city-sponsored events and assist the community with the process of using city facilities for special events, Swanson reported. The salary range is $4,194.53 to $5,098.48.
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 California Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in locating the driver and vehicle involved in an early Sunday morning hit-and-run crash that killed a Northshore woman who was walking along Highway 20.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said 24-year-old Amanda Arney of Nice died after being struck by what authorities believe to be a Toyota minivan.
Arney was walking eastbound on the south shoulder of Highway 20, west of Sayre Avenue in Nice at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, the CHP said.
The vehicle that hit her was traveling eastbound in the same area at an unknown speed. For reasons the CHP said are still under investigation, the as-yet unidentified driver allowed their vehicle to veer onto the south shoulder, where the right side of it hit Arney.
The CHP said Arney was thrown down an embankment and came to rest near a fence, partially concealed by vegetation.
After the collision, the CHP said the vehicle that hit Arney fled the scene in an easterly direction on Highway 20 and failed to report the collision or check on Arney’s welfare.
At 7:40 a.m. Sunday, the CHP’s Ukiah Communications Center was notified after Arney was discovered at the location of the collision and dispatched the fire department and CHP to the scene.
Fire department personnel arrived on scene and determined that Arney had died of her injuries, the CHP said.
The CHP said it has identified a silver 2013 Toyota Sienna minivan with damage to the right front as a vehicle of interest.
The vehicle’s right-side mirror and headlight assembly and windshield were damaged during the collision, the CHP said.
Clear Lake Area Office Commander Dan Fansler told Lake County News late Monday morning that investigators did not yet have an identification on the driver and the vehicle also remained at large.
Fansler asked that anyone with information about the crash or the vehicle of interest contact investigating Officer Joel Skeen at 707-279-0103 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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.
Tracey Woodruff, University of California, San Francisco
BPA is not only used in plastics and food and drink containers but also in pizza boxes, shopping receipts, liners of aluminum cans and much more. Scientists have found that BPAis an endocrine disruptor, which means it disrupts hormonal systems that support the body’s functioning and health.
Hormonal disruption is a particular problem during pregnancy and fetal development, when even minor changes can alter the trajectory of developmental processes, including brain and metabolic development.
Over the last two decades, public awareness about the risks led many companies to remove BPA from their products. As a result, studies have shown that BPA levels in people’s bodies appear to be declining in the U.S. However, a nationwide research team that I helped lead as part of a national NIH consortium showed in a recent study of pregnant women that the decline in BPA could in part be explained by the fact that BPA replacement chemicals have been on the rise over the last 12 years. And other studies have found that many BPA substitutes are typically just as harmful as the original.
BPA was first approved for use in food packaging by the FDA in the 1960s. In 2008, the agency released a draft report concluding that “BPA remains safe in food contact materials.” This assessment was met with pushback from many health advocates and environmental health organizations. The FDA claimed BPA to be “safe in food contact materials” as recently as 2018.
One of the major challenges to limiting harmful chemicals is that regulatory agencies like the FDA try to figure out the levels of exposure that they consider harmful. In the U.S., both the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency have a long history of underestimating exposures – in some cases because they do not adequately capture “real-world exposures,” or because they fail to fully consider how even small exposures can affect vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children.
And while much attention has been paid to BPA’s effects on pregnancy and child development, there is also significant research on its effects on male reproductive health. It has been linked to prostate cancer and drops in sperm count.
In a study our research team conducted that measured BPA in pregnant women, we asked study participants if they knew about BPA or tried to avoid BPA. Many of our study participants said they knew about it or tried to avoid it, but we found their actions appeared to have no effect on exposure levels. We believe this is, in part, because of BPA’s presence in so many products, some of them known and some unknown that are difficult to control.
What you can do
One of the most common questions our staff and clinicians that work with patients are asked is how to avoid harmful chemicals like BPA and BPA substitutes. A good rule of thumb is to avoid drinking and eating from plastics, microwaving food in plastic and using plastic take-out containers – admittedly easier said than done. Even some paper take-out containers can be lined with BPA or BPA substitutes.
Our recent review of the research found that avoiding plastic containers and packaging, fast and processed foods and canned food and beverages, and instead using alternatives like glass containers and consuming fresh food, can reduce exposures to BPA and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Research has shown that when heat comes into contact with plastic – whether water bottles, Tupperware, take-out containers or cans – BPA and other chemicals are more likely to leach into the food inside. One should also avoid putting hot food into a food processor or putting plastic containers into the dishwasher. Heat breaks down the plastic, and while the product might appear fine, the chemicals are more likely to migrate into the food or drink – and ultimately, into you.
We also know that when acidic foods like tomatoes are packaged in cans, they have higher levels of BPA in them. And the amount of time food is stored in plastic or BPA-lined cans can also be a factor in how much the chemicals migrate into the food.
No matter how much people do as individuals, policy change is essential to reducing harmful chemical exposures. A large part of our work at UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment is to hold regulatory agencies accountable for assessing chemical risks and protecting public health. What we have learned is that it is essential for agencies like the EPA and FDA to use the most up-to-date science and scientific methods to determine risk.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After several cool days, Lake County will see temperatures nearing the century mark through the weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for a large swath of Northern California, including several of Lake’s neighboring counties, due to a forecast of temperatures closing in on 110 degrees over the next several days.
However, as of Monday, Lake County wasn’t included in that advisory area, as temperatures for the coming week are forecast to top out in the high 90s.
The forecast said the heat risk will climb to near heat advisory levels across portions of Lake County on Tuesday and Wednesday, but advisory issuance wasn’t anticipated as of Monday.
The National Weather Service synopsis on the long term forecast said high pressure building across Northern California is responsible for the increasingly hot interior temperatures anticipated through mid-week.
The Lake County forecast calls for daytime highs topping out in the mid to high 90s through Sunday, with nighttime temperatures into the low 60s.
Calm winds also are expected from Tuesday evening through Thursday evening.
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. — In May Lake County registered the lowest unemployment rate in decades as California and the nation as a whole saw jobless rates continue to drop to levels improved far beyond those of the months leading to the pandemic.
The Employment Development Department said Lake County’s preliminary May jobless rate was 3.8%, down from 4.5% in April and 7.5% in May 2021.
Last month’s jobless rate for Lake County was its lowest unemployment recorded since 1990, according to Employment Development Department records. Second lowest was 4.1% recorded in September 2019.
California’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% from 4.6% in April, compared to 8.3% in April 2021.
On the national level, unemployment has remained unchanged at 3.6% since March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national jobless rate in May 2021 was 5.8%.
In Lake County, total farm jobs increased by 12.9% in a month-over comparison, with total nonfarm jobs up by 0.8%.
Unemployed residents totaled 1,090 in May, down from 1,280 in April and 2,140 in May 2021. At the same time, the civilian labor force grew from 28,420 in April to 28,490 in May; that number for May 2021 was 28,500.
Statewide, employers added 42,900 nonfarm payroll jobs to the economy in May, with California’s jobless rate now just 0.2 percentage points higher than the pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in February 2020.
California has now regained 93% — or 2,565,100 — of the 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has enjoyed month-over gains in nonfarm jobs in 15 of the past 16 months totaling a 1,481,800 job gain over that time period.
Of the 390,000 U.S. nonfarm jobs gained in May, California accounted for 11% of them. At 869,300 jobs, California had the largest absolute year-over seasonally-adjusted job increase in the nation in May 2022.
California payroll jobs totaled 17,498,100 in May 2022, up from 16,628,800 in May 2021.
The number of Californians employed in May was 18,469,200, an increase of 121,000 persons from April’s total of 18,348,200 and up 1,054,500 from the employment total in May 2021.
At the same time, the number of unemployed Californians was 835,100 in May, a decrease of 45,900 over the month and down 663,500 in comparison to May 2021.
The report said total nonfarm jobs increased by 869,300, or 5.2%, from May 2021 to May 2022 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 6,541,000 jobs, a 4.5% increase.
The number of jobs in the agriculture industry increased from April by 6,300 to 420,200 jobs in May. The agricultural industry had 17,300 more farm jobs in May 2022 than it did in May a year ago, the report said.
The Employment Development Department said eight of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in May with Information (+8,800) posting the largest increase. The sector’s growth was due in part to increases in the Motion Picture and Sound Recording industries.
Leisure and hospitality, which suffered some of the largest losses in the pandemic, showed strong growth yet again with 8,800 jobs added and has now gained 816,900 jobs since April 2020 after losing nearly one million jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Lake County, leisure and hospitality grew by 2.3%, or 30 jobs, in a month-over comparison, and has grown by 10.1%, or 120 jobs, since May 2021.
Trade, transportation, and utilities suffered the largest month-over job loss — a drop of 3,700 jobs — due to reductions in retail trade, specifically general merchandise stores.
In Lake County, trade, transportation, and utilities grew by just 0.3%, or 10 jobs, and was down by 1.9%, or 60 jobs, in a year-over comparison.
Lake County’s unemployment rate ranked it No. 38 statewide of the state’s 58 counties.
San Mateo had the lowest jobless rate, at 1.7%, while Imperial had the highest with 11.4%.
In related data that figures into the state’s unemployment rate, the Employment Development Department said there were 330,412 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the May 2022 sample week. That compares to 345,743 people in April and 569,512 people in May 2021.
Concurrently, 39,610 initial claims were processed in the May 2022 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 3,943 claims from April and a year-over decrease of 31,649 claims from April 2021.
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.
We are in a multi-year drought and I am wondering what myself and my family can do to conserve water? I also have a neighbor that doesn’t seem to realize we need to conserve water and I see them watering their lawns and driveway several times a week, in the middle of the day and the water runs down the street. What a waste! Is there anything I can do?
— Wondering about Water Conservation in Lakeport
Dear Wondering,
Thank you for sending in this relevant and topical question. I guarantee you are not the only person in Lake County - and probably California - that is asking these very same questions. I am also very glad you and your family are willing to take some proactive steps to help conserve water. That is really the first step and one of the most important ones. Part of living in Northern California, during a time period full of variable climate shifts and changes, is knowing how to adapt to changing conditions. Being prepared and willing to do your part to be water savvy, no matter how big or small, is wonderful and I humbly thank you for your contribution.
We are lucky here in Lake County, in that we know where our water comes from, we see it everyday. When referring to drinking water, water in Lake County is sourced from two general locations; Clear Lake or the ground.
While we can “clearly” see Clear Lake water levels dropping weekly, we also know that groundwater aquatic sources are not finite, and some are also going dry, making drought and the need for water conservation immediately obvious and apparent to us all. It’s harder for residents living in other areas of the state to see this immediate need, as they get their water from far away rivers, reservoirs, or other sources. They don’t get to see the direct connection between their water use and the natural sources that provide their valuable water.
Being able to physically see and understand the direct connection between where our water comes from, and how we use it, makes it easier for us to incorporate water conservation during times of drought, like now, but also as part of our general lifestyle of living in Northern California. This understanding, or knowledge, puts the power in our hands, for us to be able to do something positive right now, to conserve water when it’s needed most.
Water saving tips
There are many small and big things that individual homeowners, renters, families, and small businesses can do to reduce their water use without sacrificing everyday conveniences. It really is easy to implement a few minor things that will probably go unnoticed in your daily life, but if everyone implemented these small things, it would result in a large water-use reduction.
From Save Our Water Around the House Simple habits to Reduce Water Use inside Your Home • Fill bathtubs only halfway or less. • Inspect indoor and outdoor plumbing and fix any leaks. • Install aerators on faucets, which can save up to 0.7 gallons a minute or up to 336 gallons a month. Check with your water provided to see if they provide “Water Conservation kits” that include aerators for faucets. • If possible, install high-efficiency use toilets. • Recycle Indoor water and irrigate your garden or houseplants (leftover drinking water or dropped ice cubes are great in houseplants or cement gardens). •Take five-minute showers (or at least set a timer so you know how long your showers are taking and actively reduce them). • Install and use water-efficient showerheads. • Turn off water when brushing teeth or shaving, and wash full loads of clothes and dishes. • Check with your water purveyors if they have any rebates or materials they are providing for water conservation and reduction measures, and if they don’t ask them to consider using available state emergency drought funds to provide some for their consumers.
More information on what to look for and how to install energy and water saving kitchen and bathroom faucets can be found at these two online locations: US EPA and Minnesota CERTs Clean Energy Resource Team.
From the Drought.ca.gov Water Saving Tips page In addition to the list provided above, here are some additional tips you, your family, and small business can follow to reduce water use and avoid water waste. • Set lawn mower blade heights to 3”, which encourages deeper roots and reduces water needed to keep lawns green. • Better yet, replace lawns with a water-wise, drought-tolerant plant pallet, called Xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is the practice of landscaping with slow-growing, drought tolerant plants to conserve water and reduce yard trimmings. More information can be found on the CalRecycle Xeriscaping webpage, scroll to the bottom to get additional links: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/xeriscaping/. • Improve landscape irrigation. Up to 50% of residential water use goes to irrigation, but the majority of water can be lost through evaporation, wind, or runoff. Using reduced water schedules and weather-based irrigation controllers can save up to 8,800 gallons a year. If you live in a HOA or POA, or work in a school, landscaped office facility or office park, ask your management team if they are also using these strategies to reduce water. If they aren't, ask them to consider doing so to save energy and water costs. • Install drip irrigation in gardens and utilize mulch to reduce evaporation. For mulching: Check with your local firewise community on the supported use of mulch, type or size, as mulching too close to a building or structure can be a fire hazard. UC Extension has some information available for mulching in fire prone environments available at this site. • Instead of power washing, use a broom to clean outdoor areas.
There are so many more tips that I can’t possibly list here, but a great resource to visit is Arizona’s Water Use It Wisely Webpage which has over 100+ Water-saving tips. The lists are broken down into categories such as outdoor, indoor, kids, and workplace tips so we can participate in water conservation at every avenue of our lives, for us, for our family, for our work, and when we play. This resource has been around since 1999 and I don’t know about you, but I think dry, desert Arizona might know how to conserve water, so their tips are probably very useful and practical.
Reporting water waste
In general, Californians are not doing a great job at actively conserving water and reducing their use. In fact, based on water reports from earlier in the year, even with knowledge of continued impending drought, Californias increased their water use by 19% between March 2020 and March 2022. Water use is increasing even with the Governor’s declared 15% water reduction goal. (CalMatters and DWR).
Without a local mechanism for enforcing water conservation measures, such as ordinances and funds to support “water conservation enforcement” officers (Such as within the Santa Clara Water District) and legal avenues to impose fines for “water wasting”, the real only option we, as concerned community members have for tracking and reducing events of water waste, is through a state-wide water reporting system.
This online reporting form is found at the Save Our Water Website. You can access this form through your mobile device or computer, and it’s very quick and easy to fill out. According to the Save Our Water site, “This site lets you easily report water waste from your phone, tablet or computer. Select the type of water waste, type in the address and click send.”
There is a drop-down list of options of the type of water waste for submitting a report. For you, Wondering, there is an option for “Water running into adjacent properties, streets, and sidewalks”. That seems like that would be the best fit for reporting your neighbor. While you might be concerned about reporting on your neighbors or local businesses, be aware that sometimes people are not even aware that they are contributing to water waste. By reporting through this form, the information can be forwarded to the relevant water provider, who can then send the water waster a notice and remind them of the water they are using and how to reduce their use.
If we don’t all participate in water conservation measures, including being aware of how much water we are using and reducing and eliminating waste, the State might put restrictions in place. That could result in restricted activities, mandatory water shut-offs or increased rates, even for basic water use. If we all contribute to improving water conservation now, by self-managing our own water use, and informing those who waste water, we might be able to avoid a catastrophic, but needed, enforcement action and step-in by the state.
Drought duration and future conditions
Wondering, you are correct in that we are in year three of a three year drought. While we should prepare for even another year of drought, the expectation of there being a normal to above average precipitation year is also expected with the occurrence of a conditional El Niño climate system for next winter. El Niño conditions don’t always bring wetter weather, but generally they do, and especially in the regional area of Lake County, based on previous years’ trend data.
For example, according to the Water Education Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA, “El Niño conditions can bring above-average precipitation to California in the winter, that is not always the case … [however] ... El Niño tends to make atmospheric rivers stronger. El Niño events in 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 drenched the West Coast with record rain. The last El Nino, a weak one, occurred in 2018-2019.” (Aquapedia El Niño / La Niña). Lake County suffered significant and damaging floods during the 2018-2019 winter, even during a weak El Niño.
NOAA is the leader in data collection, compilation, and interpretation for understanding weather events and weather condition predictions. When I wrote my column “Learning about Lake Levels” published October 17, 2021, I discussed the likelihood of a La Niña event influencing precipitation during the 2021-2022 winter. I had rightly predicted, based on data from NOAA and International Research Institute for Climate and Society, that we would see another year of low rain, reduced inflows, and would be in for another year of severe drought. Which we currently are.
I realize my namesake has magical abilities, to make grails appear from smoke (The Mists of Avalon by M.Z. Bradley) and swords appear from the watery depths (see any Camelot or King Arthur movie or reference), but in the case of weather and climate predictions, I rely heavily on past and current data collected by NOAA, and other reliable agencies, and the probability trends and indicators that point to oceanic pressures and potential future forecasts and outcomes.
In the case for next winter, it’s still too early to definitely know if we are headed into a weaker La Niña winter, or a wetter El Niño. Based on the ENSO climate record, over the last multi-year drought periods that extended between two and four years, such as 1977 and 2014, they were followed by several years of heavy rain and flood events coinciding with El Niño, and this is especially true for Lake County.
A really great resource for understanding current weather patterns and future predictions is the ENSO report on the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, which is updated every month on the second Thursday. ENSO is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
If you want more information about current drought conditions in Lake County, CA, bookmark the State drought page for Lake County at this site: https://www.drought.gov/states/California/county/Lake. I recommend signing up for alerts, to get notified when conditions change or when additional orders or resources are available.
Sincerely,
Lady of the Lake
Angela De Palma-Dow is a limnologist (limnology = study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in Northern California, she has a Master of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society, or NALMS, and she is the current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..