Bureau of Land Management rangers and special agents, alongside various law enforcement partners, eradicated more than one million marijuana plants and close to 180,300 pounds of processed marijuana this year from illegal grow sites statewide on BLM lands as part of the California Department of Justice’s annual Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, program.
In addition to marijuana and chemicals, ammunition and weapons were also seized.
The trash and litter these operations leave behind also impacts public lands: almost 300 miles of waterline, 583 propane tanks were collected during these operations, as well as more than 67,000 pounds of grow site infrastructure.
“The BLM is proud of its law enforcement Rangers and Special Agents for conducting this important work,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “These illegal operations have a devastating impact on our environment and the health and safety of communities, which we cannot tolerate. The BLM looks forward to working with the Attorney General’s Office again next year on this very important effort.”
Like all the bureaus and agencies that make up the Department of the Interior, the BLM is playing a central role in protecting natural resources, pursuing environmental justice and honoring nation-to-nation relationships with Tribes in the stewardship of public lands.
The BLM supports the Biden Administration’s conservation vision for doing better for people, for fish and wildlife, and for the planet. Proper management of these resources keeps working public lands healthy and productive for current and future generations of Americans, the agency said.
“Growing marijuana on federal land is a crime, but that is not the only issue here,” said Special Agent In Charge Dylan Ragan. “It also has devastating impacts on public safety, wildlife and natural resources. I have a profound respect for the fantastic work our rangers and special agents involved in eradicating illegal grow sites and removing highly toxic chemicals that pollute public lands and waters.”
The BLM promotes safety, security, and environmental protection of public lands, public land users and employees.
The agency strongly advises anyone encountering what appears to be a growing site to leave the area immediately and call the county sheriff or the nearest BLM office.
For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of suspicious activities on public lands, please contact the BLM by visiting https://www.blm.gov/california.
The California Department of Public Health is hosting a week of action from Dec. 13 to 17 to strongly encourage Californians to take the steps necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 during the holidays, including getting vaccinated or boosted if they haven’t already done so and following the state’s recently announced indoor masking and testing requirements.
California has been a leader in the nation’s vaccination efforts, administering more than 62 million doses since the first dose was administered in the state on Dec. 14, 2020.
As the nation braces for an increase in case rates and hospitalizations this winter, some parts of the state that continue to have low vaccination rates are experiencing higher rates of transmission, placing individuals and communities at greater risk for COVID-19.
CDPH’s Vaccinate ALL 58 campaign and local partners will host a series of events and activities in vulnerable communities throughout the week promoting the state’s public health measures, harm reduction best practices, and whole family vaccinations for Californians aged 5 and older and boosters for everyone now eligible.
CDPH’s week of action and public health measures coincide with a 14% increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations since the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Many of our hospitals are at a tipping point, and even a small winter surge can have serious consequences for our health care system,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH director and state Public Health officer.
“By broadening the mask requirement to be universal, we have 30 days to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent the devastating impact on our hospitals, health care workers, and patients that we experienced during last winter’s deadly surge,” Aragón said. “We are urging all Californians to get fully vaccinated and boosted, wear their masks in all indoor public settings, get tested if exposed, have symptoms or when traveling, and to stay home when feeling sick. Together, our collective actions can help save lives and protect access and quality health care this holiday season and keep the state’s fight against this virus strong in 2022.”
California remains focused on increasing vaccine accessibility and outreach to vulnerable communities. CDPH and community partners will host mobile vaccination clinics and conduct outreach during the week to motivate all eligible Californians to get fully vaccinated, boosted and tested if they have been exposed or have symptoms.
Prominent California public health officials and leading medical experts will also discuss the importance of full family vaccination with media and online platforms around the state.
The week of action is part of California's ongoing commitment to combating the pandemic. The state’s Vaccinate ALL 58 campaign will launch new creative content ahead of the holidays. The campaign is also continuing its robust partnerships with community-based organizations, working closely with trusted messengers to address vaccine hesitancy through door knocking and outreach, scheduling appointments, and providing transportation options.
So far, the state’s community-based organization network has connected with more than three million Californians through phone banking, canvassed over 700,000 households, and has facilitated or referred over one million appointments in hardest-hit communities throughout the state.
The COVID-19 vaccine and boosters are free-for-all Californians regardless of insurance and immigration status.
Californians can visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 1-833-422-4255 to make an appointment or find a walk-in clinic and learn more about eligibility.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Wreaths destined to decorate the graves of veterans in cemeteries spanning Lake County are due to arrive this week.
A Wreaths Across America semi truck loaded with the holiday greenery will be pulling into Lakeport on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
Organizers said the truck is scheduled to arrive at 5 p.m. at 301 N. Main St. in downtown Lakeport.
Community members are invited to bring flags and assemble on the sidewalks along Main Street at 4:45 p.m. to welcome the truck, which will be escorted through town.
The ceremonies to place the wreaths at Hartley, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Middletown, St. Mary’s and Upper Lake cemeteries will take place beginning at 8:50 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18.
This year’s theme is, “Live Up To Their Legacy.”
Everyone is invited to attend the Saturday ceremony, as Lake County residents gather together to honor veterans during the holiday season as part of the annual Wreaths Across America Day.
Youth and veterans organizations have volunteered to conduct the Wreaths Across America ceremony this year at the cemeteries.
Eight ceremonial wreaths will be placed to remember all soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served, honor their sacrifices and teach younger generations about the high cost of our freedoms.
Specially designated wreaths for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Space Force and POW/MIA will be placed on memorials during a ceremony that will be coordinated simultaneously at over participating locations all across the country and overseas.
In 2020, more than 1.7 million veteran wreaths were placed on headstones at 2,500 participating cemeteries around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud. More than 500 truckloads of wreaths were delivered across the country by hundreds of volunteer professional truck drivers.
Wreaths Across America pursues its mission with nationwide wreath-laying events amid the holiday season, and year-round educational outreach.
Organizers invite the community to take an hour amid the hustle and bustle of this holiday season and attend one of these heartfelt ceremonies on Saturday, when they will remember and honor veterans, and teach children about the value of the sacrifices that have been made by men and women in the armed forces.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The California Department of Public Health is once again requiring masking for all public indoor settings.
The rule for universal indoor masking, which the agency announced this week, focuses on the holiday season, when people are more likely to travel and to be indoors in groups.
It is in effect as of Wednesday, Dec. 15, through Jan. 15. Surgical masks or higher-level respirators are recommended.
Masks are required regardless of vaccination status, CDPH said.
Exemptions remain in place for children under age 2; individuals with medical or mental health conditions or disabilities that prevent them from safely masking; those who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication; and others for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work.
State health officials announced the updated guidance in response to a 47% increase in California’s case rate since Thanksgiving, along with a 14% increase in hospitalizations statewide.
Hospitals are now at or near capacity, with the state noting that even a moderate case and hospitalization surge could impact the health care delivery system in certain regions of the state, CDPH reported.
CDPH said it’s also part of an effort to slow the spread of both Delta and the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the first U.S. case of which was detected in California earlier this month.
State Public Health Officer and CDPH Director, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said the state is already seeing a higher level of transmission this winter “and it is important to act now to prevent overwhelming our busy hospitals so we can provide quality health care to all Californians.”
State officials reported that while overall vaccination rates are high, some areas of the state have lower vaccination rates.
As of Dec. 10, Lake County Public Health reported that 59% of county residents aged 5 years and older are fully vaccinated, with 7% partially vaccinated and 34% unvaccinated.
Aragón is continuing to urge Californians to be vaccinated or to get boosters to protect against COVID-19. “Testing and masking remain important tools in slowing the spread.”
Other updates CDPH announced this week include new requirements for mega events, with attendees required to provide proof of vaccination, a negative antigen COVID-19 test within one day of the event or a negative PCR test within two days of the event.
CDPH also has issued a travel advisory, recommending that all travelers arriving in California test for COVID-19 within three to five days after arrival, regardless of their vaccination status.
Actions and adjustments on the local level
During the course of the pandemic, masking guidance has been changed as health officials adjust to case rates and scientific data.
After California fully reopened on June 15, masking guidelines were loosened for a short period of time.
However, in July, when cases began to surge due to the Delta variant, local and state officials updated their guidelines.
At that time, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution strongly urging community members to take extra precautions by continuing to wear masks while indoors at public places. At that time, Lake County’s case rate was the highest in the state.
About a week later, CDPH said it would require masking for those who are unvaccinated and recommended it for all in indoor public settings.
CDPH followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that focused in particular on indoor masking for all individuals in areas of “substantial or high transmission,” which at that point included 90% of the state, including Lake County.
In early August, the Board of Supervisors approved an urgency ordinance to once again require masking in county facilities and also passed an updated workplace protocol as Lake County’s COVID-19 case rate continued its late summer climb.
Since the summer, Lake County has gone from leading the state in case rate to, as of Dec. 14, being among the lowest in the state.
On Dec. 14, Lake County’s case rate per 100,000 for a seven-day average was six cases, making it the third-lowest rate statewide. That’s compared to Mono County, which has the highest case rate, 52 per 100,000.
Lake’s total cases were at 6,958 with 115 deaths, CDPH reported.
Information on local hospitalizations was not immediately available on Tuesday.
Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein said both the resolution and urgency ordinances for masking passed by the supervisors have remained in place.
Rothstein said county staff have reported no challenges to the local resolution and ordinance thus far, and none are expected as a result of the state order effective on Wednesday.
The urgency ordinance was amended on Nov. 23 to clarify the activation and suspension of the masking mandate triggers in county facilities for the public and staff, Rothstein said.
The mandate is activated when Lake County’s COVID-19 case rate exceeds 10 per 100,000 and when the testing positivity rate exceeds 8%, and both indicators have remained at or above said rates for a minimum of seven days.
When the case rate falls below 3.9 cases per 100,000 and testing positivity rate falls below 4.9% and both indicators have remained at or below said rates for a minimum of 14 days, the ordinance will be reconsidered by the Board of Supervisors.
In deciding whether to lift the mandate, the board is required to consider various factors in addition to case and testing positivity rates that can include emergency room and ICU capacities and vaccination rates.
Rothstein said the state’s new mandate is more restrictive than the Board of Supervisors’ strong recommendation for masking.
He also noted that local governments can impose greater restrictions, but cannot reduce statewide requirements.
As such, the county’s urgency ordinance appears to not be overridden by the state’s changes announced this week.
“Where the urgency ordinance’s requirements are more strict, the local ordinance would prevail,” Rothstein said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After a rainy start to the week, the National Weather Service has updated its forecast to predict the potential not just for more rain but also for snow in Lake County, which could make for an early white Christmas.
Forecasters issued a winter weather advisory that notes dropping snow levels that are expected overnight and into Tuesday, with minor snowfall accumulations as low as 1,000 feet by Tuesday morning.
That weather is expected to include the highway summits through Mendocino and Lake County, and moderate to heavy snow accumulations for elevations as low 1,500 to 2,000 feet on Wednesday.
During the day on Monday there was rainfall that ranged from under an inch near Lower Lake to more than 2 inches in Middletown. Combined with Sunday’s precipitation, the National Weather Service’s observation stations reported top rainfall amounts at nearly 3 inches in Bartlett Springs and Hidden Valley Lake, with more than 3 inches in Whispering Pines.
The rain is slowly raising Clear Lake’s level, which was at -1.27 feet Rumsey, the special measure just for the lake, just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, an improvement of about a tenth of a foot since the previous day.
Monday’s wet conditions led to numerous reports of roadway hazards around Lake County, from downed trees on Bottle Rock Road and Wight Way in Kelseyville and Seigler Canyon Road in Lower Lake, mud and rocks in the roadway on Highway 175 in Whispering Pines, as well as noninjury car crashes, the California Highway Patrol reported.
More rain plus snow could fall across Lake County on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the National Weather Service says another storm system will move over the area, potentially bringing more snow in lower elevations.
The forecast models show chilly weather into the weekend, when there is the potential for another storm system to arrive and impact Lake County into next week.
Daytime temperatures will range from the mid-40s to low 50s, while nighttime conditions are expected to drop into the low 30s, bringing nighttime freezes.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is set to consider accepting new supervisorial district boundaries and discuss the crop report this week.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 935 8833 1995, pass code 713603. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93588331995#,,,,*713603#.
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 9:30 a.m., the board will consider a resolution supporting the launch of the Blue Zones Project, which is aiming to improve Lake County’s health outcomes.
In other business, the board will discuss a resolution to adopt the new supervisorial district boundaries. That item is timed for 9:35 a.m.
The board is now in the final step of this redistricting process, carried out every 10 years once the U.S. Census Bureau released its final count data.
At 9:45 a.m., the board will receive a presentation from the agriculture department on the 2020 Crop Report.
In an untimed item, the board will consider sending a letter to the California Department of Water Resources opposing the Sonoma County Water Agency’s grant application requesting funding for Potter Valley Project-related matters.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve public defender contract amendment No. 6 between the county of Lake and Lake Indigent Defense LLP for a maximum monthly compensation of $135,000.
5.2: Approve Board of Supervisors meeting minutes for Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7.
5.3: Approve amendment six to the agreement between the county of Lake and the Kelseyville Motel for COVID-19 emergency isolation housing and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.4: Approve closure of the library to the public from Tuesday, Dec. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 25, to observe the county holiday.
5.5: Approve amendment four to agreement between the county of Lake and Quincy Engineering Inc. for final design and right-of-way services for the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Corridor Improvement Project in Lake County, California, for an increase of $412,458.53 to the contract amount.
5.6: Approve award of bid for the FEMA FMAG Culvert Replacement No. 3 Project, Bid No. 21-04, Federal Aid Project No. FEMA-5189-FM-CA, to Wylatti Resources Management Inc., of Covelo, California, in the amount of $255,861.78.
5.7: (A) Approve the FY 2021 Homeland Security application in the amount of $103,488, (B) authorize Sheriff Brian Martin to sign the grant subaward face sheet, the authorized agent document and the subrecipient grants management assessment form; (C) authorize County Administrative Officer Carol J. Huchingson to act as the authorized agent on behalf of the county to sign the standard assurances and initial each page, the lobbying certification and the FFATA financial disclosure document and (D) authorize the chairperson of the Board of Supervisors to sign the certification of the governing body resolution.
5.8: Approve the second amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Management Connections for temporary staffing support services completed during fiscal year 2021-22 for a sum not to exceed $120,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the amendment.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:30 a.m.: Consideration of resolution supporting the launch of the Blue Zones Project.
6.3, 9:35 a.m.: (a) Consideration of a resolution adopting supervisorial district boundaries for the county of Lake, Pursuant to Sections 21500 Et. Seq. of the California Elections Code; (b) consideration of an ordinance rescinding Ordinance Number 2958 which amended Article II, Section 2-4, Of Chapter 2 of the Lake County Code establishing the boundaries of the supervisorial district for the county of Lake, pursuant to sections 21500 Et Seq of the California Elections Code.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: Presentation and consideration of the 2020 Crop Report.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Discussion and consideration of board action in response to a gate on a public roadway — six month review.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of appointments of a director and alternate to the California State Association of Counties Board of Directors for 2022.
7.3: Consideration of letter to the California Department of Water Resources in opposition to the Sonoma County Water Agency’s grant application requesting funding for Potter Valley Project related matters.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Title: Director: Agricultural commissioner.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Title: Director: Child Support Services director.
8.3: Public employee evaluation: Title: Director: Public Services director.
8.4: Public employee evaluation: Title: Director: County librarian.
8.5: Public employee evaluation: Title: Director: Interim Health Services director.
8.6: Public employee appointment Pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Appointment of Public Health officer.
8.7: Conference with legal counsel — existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1): In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL No. 2804/Case No. 17-MD-2804.
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 Lake County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver killed when the tanker truck he was driving overturned and went off Highway 20 early Saturday morning.
Frank Stuart Kountz, 57, from Willows died in the crash, said Lauren Berlinn, the sheriff’s public information officer.
Kountz was driving a 2013 Kenworth tanker truck westbound on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday when the tanker overturned while he was negotiating a right-hand curve in the roadway, the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office reported.
The truck, which was carrying a load of milk, crossed the eastbound lane before traveling down an embankment south of the highway, the CHP said.
Kountz died of his injuries at the scene, where reports from the scene indicated that it took until Saturday evening to remove the truck, respond to the milk spill and clear the incident.
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 said a Willows man was killed on Saturday when the tanker truck he was driving overturned on Highway 20.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office did not identify the 57-year-old man, pending notification of his family.
The wreck occurred at 6:10 a.m. Saturday on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks.
The CHP said the driver was heading westbound in a 2013 Kenworth tanker truck.
While he was negotiating a right-hand curve in the roadway, the tanker overturned, crossing the eastbound lane and traveling down an embankment south of the highway, the CHP said.
The tanker contained a large quantity of milk, some of which the CHP said was released onto the ground.
The man, who was wearing his seat belt, sustained major injuries as a result of the collision and was pronounced deceased by medical responders at the scene, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as being factors in the wreck.
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.
Every 10 years, following the federal Census, the boundaries of the areas by which the Yuba Community College District Governing Board is elected is subject to change.
At the Oct. 14 regular board meeting, the governing board received a presentation from Cooperative Strategies, YCCD’s demographers, highlighting changes in the YCCD population since the 2010 Census.
Cooperative Strategies also informed the governing board that due to population growth within YCCD’s boundaries since the 2010 Census, under state and federal voting rights laws, the governing board should redraw its trustee area boundaries to satisfy population variance standards between the most and least populated trustee areas.
At the Nov. 10 regular board meeting, the YCCD Governing Board reviewed and considered map options that ensure compliance with state and federal voting rights laws.
After receiving public and trustee feedback on the proposed map options, the board will review and consider a second round of map options at the Dec. 16 regular board meeting.
Any changes to the YCCD trustee areas need to be approved by the YCCD Governing Board by Feb. 28.
The governing board encourages public participation throughout this process. The public can view the current trustee area maps and the draft maps outlining change options the board will consider on Dec. 16 here.
This was due primarily to a shortage of nursing professors and a limited number of clinical placements where nursing students get practical job training. Additional constraints include a shortage of experienced practitioners to provide supervision during clinical training, insufficient classroom space and inadequate financial resources.
Although the 80,000 may not account for students who apply to multiple nursing schools, it clearly suggests that not all qualified students are able to enroll in nursing school.
I am a nurse researcher, professor of nursing and founding director of WIRES, an office at the University of South Florida that focuses on the well-being of the health care workforce. I’ve found that the nursing shortage is a complex issue that involves many factors – but chief among them is the shortage of faculty to train future nurses.
Growing demand for nurses
There are not enough new nurses entering the U.S. health care system each year to meet the country’s growing demand. This can have serious consequences for patient safety and quality of care.
Some states project an even higher demand for registered nurses because of their population and their needs. Florida, for example, will need to increase its number of registered nurses by 16% over the next decade.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be about 194,500 openings for registered nurses each year over the next decade to meet the demands of the growing population, and also to replace nurses who retire or quit the profession. This means the U.S. will need about 2 million new registered nurses by 2030.
In addition to a shortage of registered nurses, there is also a shortage of nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioner is identified as the second fastest-growing occupation in the next decade, after wind turbine technicians, with a projected increase of 52.2%. Nurse practitioners have an advanced scope of practice compared with registered nurses. They must complete additional clinical hours, earn a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing, and complete additional certifications to work with specific patient populations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health and wellness problems of the nursing workforce. Despite these problems, student enrollment in nursing schools increased in 2020. The pandemic has not turned people away from wanting to pursue a career in nursing. However, without enough nursing faculty and clinical sites, there will not be enough new nurses to meet the health care demands of the nation.
Nursing education in clinical settings requires smaller student-to-faculty ratios than many other professions in order to maintain the safety of patients, students and faculty members. Regulatory agencies recommend at least one faculty member to no more than 10 students engaged in clinical learning.
The faculty shortage is also affected by the fact that many current nursing faculty members are reaching retirement age. The percentage of full-time nursing faculty members aged 60 and older increased from roughly 18% in 2006 to nearly 31% in 2015.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports the average ages of doctorally prepared nurse faculty members at the ranks of professor, associate professor and assistant professor were 62.6, 56.9 and 50.9 years, respectively.
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Another factor that contributes to the nursing faculty shortage, and the most critical issue related to faculty recruitment, is compensation. The salary of a nurse with an advanced degree is much higher in clinical and private sectors than it is in academia.
Innovative strategies are needed to address the nursing faculty shortage. The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 was a start. The act provides funding for nursing faculty development, scholarships and loan repayment for nurses, and grants for advanced nursing education, nursing diversity initiatives and other priorities.
The Build Back Better Act that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2021 includes funding to help nursing schools across the country recruit and retain diverse nursing faculty and enroll and retain nursing students. The act is now before the U.S. Senate.
In addition to national strategies, individual states are addressing the shortage at the local level. Maryland, for example, awarded over $29 million in grants to 14 higher education institutions with nursing programs in Maryland to expand and increase the number of qualified nurses.
Finally, offering faculty salaries comparable to those in clinical settings may attract more nurses to use their expertise to train and expand the next generation of health care workers.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In its last meeting of 2021, the Lake County Planning Commission will hold several public hearings for plans ranging from a tribal day care to cannabis projects.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 933 7492 3757, the pass code is 197278.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93374923757#,,,,*197278# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.
On the agenda is a project by the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, which is proposing to establish an early childhood education center, or day care, in an existing 1,700-square-foot building at 650 E. Highway 20 in Upper Lake. The item is timed for 9:25 a.m.
The plans call for adding a new 1,561-square-foot double-wide manufactured home to the site for day care use. The site has fencing and a bathroom and a ramp that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be added following building permit issuance.
The commission on Thursday also will discuss several cannabis projects, including one by North Coast Select Inc. at 1496 Bell Hill Road in Kelseyville, that proposes a 168,680 square foot cultivation area, along with greenhouses for immature plants, a processing facility, a drying building, 32 2,500 gallon water tanks, security and a perimeter fence; Cristhian Hernandez Rodriguez’s project at 2000 Clover Valley Road in Upper Lake, which includes a two-acre outdoor canopy area within a 170,730 square feet cultivation area, with 12 shipping containers with a total of 4,000 square feet solar panels and eight outdoor drying tents on existing agricultural land; and Shannon Sanders of Sunny S Ranch, proposing four 2,499 square-foot greenhouses for immature cannabis plants in conjunction with a previously approved project at 19424 Butts Canyon Road in Middletown.
A hearing that had been scheduled regarding the proposed expansion of Hilltop Recovery Services Inc. at 14725 Catholic Church Road in Clearlake Oaks is being rescheduled due to a noticing issue, according to the agenda.
The full agenda follows.
AGENDA
Consideration of approval of minutes from Nov. 18 Planning Commission hearing.
9:05 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 20-75) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-88). The project applicant North Coast Select Inc., is proposing a co-location/clustering of permits for cannabis cultivation operation to allow 70,560 square feet mixed-light canopy area within greenhouses equipped with air filtration systems in a total of 168,680 square feet cultivation area. The project includes additional greenhouses for immature plants, a processing facility, a drying building, thirty-two 2,500 gallon water tanks, security, and a perimeter fence. The project is located at 1496 Bell Hill Road, Kelseyville, and further described as A.P.N.(s): 017-002-02, 007-010-24, and 017-002-01.
9:10 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 21-24) and a categorical exemption (CE 21-05). The project applicant Hilltop Recovery Services Inc., owner: Lori Carter-Runyon, is proposing an expansion of a substance abuse rehabilitation treatment facility to allow a total maximum capacity of 20 residences to serve only women in an existing residential home to be converted as a treatment facility. The project is located at 14725 Catholic Church Road, Clearlake Oaks, and further described as APN(s): 010-046-06. Unfortunately, due to the posting of an inaccurate notice, Item Number UP 21-24/CE 21-05 for the Dec. 16, Lake County Planning Commission agenda will require re-noticing. The notice published on Dec. 6 noticed the recommendation of a categorical exemption when it should have noticed the recommendation of an addendum to the mitigated negative declaration of major use permit (UP 21-24/CE 21-05). Because of the re-noticing requirement, the Planning Commission may hear comments on the item UP 21-24/CE 21-05.
9:15 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 20-68) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-83). The project applicant, Cristhian Hernandez Rodriguez, is proposing a two-acre outdoor canopy area within 170, 730 square feet cultivation area to include twelve shipping containers with a total of 4,000 square feet solar panels and eight outdoor drying tents on existing agricultural land. The project is located at 2000 Clover Valley Road, Upper Lake, and further described as APN(s): 004-007-25.
9:20 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of approving an amendment (MMU 21-20) of original major use permit (UP 18-43) and categorical exemption (CE 21-32), CEQA Section 15304. The applicant, Sunny S Ranch / Shannon Sanders, is proposing four 2,499 square-foot nursery areas (greenhouses) for immature cannabis plants in conjunction with a previously approved project. The project location is 19424 Butts Canyon Road, Middletown, further described as APN: 014-004-20.
9:25 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 21-37) and a categorical exemption (CE 21-55). The project applicant Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake is proposing to establish an early childhood education center (day care) in an existing building and add a new double-wide manufactured home to the site for day care use. The project is located at 650 E. Highway 20, Upper Lake, and further described as APN(s): 004-058-24.
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.
Scientists around the world have been racing to learn more about the new omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2, first declared a “variant of concern” on Nov. 26, 2021 by the World Health Organization. Officials cautioned that it would take several weeks before they’d know whether the recently emerged coronavirus variant is more contagious and causes more or less serious COVID-19 than delta and other earlier variants, and whether current vaccines can ward it off.
Peter Kasson is a virologist and biophysicist at the University of Virginia who studies how viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 enter cells and what can be done to stop them. Here he explains what lab-based scientists are doing to help answer the outstanding questions about omicron.
Does prior immunity protect against omicron?
These are the key lab results everyone is waiting for: How effective are the antibodies people already have at fighting off omicron? If you got the booster shot, are you protected? Or if you had COVID-19 and then were vaccinated?
The goal is to see how well antibodies from real people who have had COVID-19 or have been vaccinated against it can hold off omicron in petri dishes in the lab. Scientists expect that antibodies from people exposed to other variants won’t work as well against omicron because of its mutations, but they need to measure how much less well and whether it’s still enough to stop the virus.
To answer these questions, most researchers first make a version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can enter cells but not reproduce. A few specialized labs with extra levels of biosecurity use the actual virus. Scientists add antibodies from the blood of people vaccinated against or recovered from COVID-19 to the virus. They then mix this with human lung cells to see whether the antibodies can stop the virus from infecting the cells.
If antibodies people made against prior variants can’t stop omicron from infecting lung cells in the lab, then those antibodies probably won’t protect people out in the world either.
The very first early results are starting to come back, and it looks like antibodies against earlier variants are less successful at blocking omicron. Researchers took antibodies from six people who each had two doses of vaccine and from six other people who each had two doses of vaccine and had also recovered from an earlier COVID-19 infection. Antibodies from both groups of people were about 40 times worse at stopping omicron than original SARS-COV-2 strains, based on how much antibody was needed to prevent infection. But the people whose immune systems had seen the virus three times – that is, were doubly vaccinated and had also recovered from COVID-19 – had antibody levels that were high enough to still stop infection.
I’d expect people who have received booster vaccines will have similar or greater levels of immunity and will be at least moderately protected from omicron. But it will need to be tested. Pfizer has said their early results agree with this prediction, but the data is not yet publicly available. All of this work is not yet peer reviewed and still very preliminary.
Scientists will need to determine how a drop in “neutralization titer,” or how good antibodies are at blocking the virus in the lab, corresponds to a drop in “vaccine effectiveness” or how likely a vaccinated person is to get COVID-19 compared to an unvaccinated one. Scientists know that better antibodies correspond to more effective vaccines, but the precise numerical relationships need to be determined.
How contagious is omicron compared to delta?
The past pandemic year has shown that contagiousness, or transmissibility, has been the key factor in determining whether a coronavirus variant becomes dominant. Delta’s transmissibility has made it the current dominant variant because it simply outran others. But that situation may change with time.
The basic elements of the viral “life” cycle are getting into cells, making more virus, and getting out. Scientists can measure each of these stages in the lab and report what aspects of a variant make it more or less transmissible. In addition to binding to human cells better, some mutations enhance the packaging of new virus and the delivery of its genes once the virus gets into the cell.
While lab-based science can help people understand the biology behind just why a variant is more or less contagious, right now nature is doing a much bigger real-world experiment. Disease surveillance data from the U.K. and other countries where delta has been dominant suggest that omicron is gaining share and may eventually displace delta.
Exactly how this plays out may differ from one country to another, depending on factors like the number of vaccinated people and which variants were previously in circulation, but this news about how good omicron is at spreading is concerning.
Does omicron make people more or less sick?
This is again a question that will be answered much more quickly by the thousands of people infected with omicron than by work in the lab. It’s important to remember, though, that nature’s experiments are not as carefully controlled as lab experiments. Precise lab work will help explain why omicron might be different, but the first answers here will come from hospitals.
Lab-based scientists will be working with hospitals to analyze what makes some patients more or less sick once they contract omicron. Some early numbers suggest that the first omicron cases are mostly mild, but public health officials urge caution: Most cases of all COVID-19 variants are mild, and many of those infected so far with omicron are younger. Hospitalization counts tend to increase somewhat after the initial increase in cases. So this question will take time to answer.
How are lab data and public health data complementary?
Laboratories will provide the first results on immune protection against omicron, although this will be followed up with public health data that will likely confirm the lab results. Public health data will bring the first results on contagiousness and disease severity, which will then be explained by laboratory results.
Once the initial answers from public health data are in, laboratory results are still important to understand why these changes happened and to help predict what future variants will do. How do officials declare a variant of concern in the first place? It’s a combination of public health data and understanding from the lab.
What do we know already?
Variants of SARS-CoV-2 don’t change the laws of physics and biology. They cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound. Physical barriers like high-grade masks and good ventilation will still stop the virus. And, very likely, vaccines will continue to provide some amount of protection. The question is how much, and whether the world needs to change the current vaccines or just provide more of them.