Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning in those responsibility areas may proceed if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit.

Campfires are allowed in designated campgrounds, or in established facilities on private property, with permission of the jurisdictional authority.

Persons burning under special permit must also check with their regional air quality management district for additional regulations and requirements.

Experience has shown that suspending open burning is an effective way of preventing fire escapes, especially as California enters the summer season period of hotter and drier weather.

Although all fires cannot be prevented through a burning suspension, their numbers can be significantly reduced.

Cal Fire reminds everyone that it is each individual’s responsibility to use fire safely and to prevent fires that destroy lives, property and our wildland. Be fire safe.

Anyone with questions about this declaration is urged to visit www.fire.ca.gov or contact their nearest Cal Fire facility.

A family from Lucerne, Calif., is seeking information on its missing German shepherd, Hailynn. Photo courtesy of Theresa Skinner.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A Lucerne family is seeking information on its missing German shepherd.

The dog, called Hailynn, went missing from her family's home on Country Club Drive on Friday evening, according to owner Theresa Skinner.

Skinner said she was told that a woman in a gold car had picked up the dog and had told a witness she would call the SPCA. Skinner also has contacted the SPCA, sheriff's office and Lake County Animal Care and Control seeking her pet.

Anyone with information about the dog is asked to call Skinner at 707-349-1216.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Service Director Kim K. Clymire has announced that the Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake and the Public Services Office in Lakeport will be closed Monday, July 4, for the Fourth of July holiday.

The Eastlake Landfill and the Public Services Office will reopen on Tuesday, July 5.

Normal operating hours at the landfill are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily.

The Public Services office is normally open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you have any questions regarding this subject or any of the solid waste issues in Lake County, please call 707-262-1760.

The community service award as well as a presidential citation was presented by District Governor Jim Flamson. Rotary District 5130 includes 45 clubs in Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Interim Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen has served as president of the Rotary club from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.

Clausen indicated that the club has set aside and spent more than $20,000 this year in community service projects.

The funds are earned through the annual seafood boil dinner held in February, sale of See’s Candy and donations from club members.

There were seven major projects in community service:

1. A teacher mini-grant program providing up to $200 per request submitted by classroom teachers in the Konocti Unified School District. Teachers make application for creative classroom projects and the applications are reviewed by Rotarians based upon the benefit to children and students as well as enhancing learning opportunities. This past year the club expended $ 6,419 on teacher mini-grants.

2. There were $5,500 in scholarship grants presented to graduates from Lower Lake High, Carlé High and continuing students at the Clearlake campus of Yuba College.

3. More than 900 adults and children from Clearlake received a free Christmas dinner and the children received a gift along with a photo with Santa Claus. This was the largest turnout for this annual event.

4. All third graders at Lower Lake Elementary, Burns Valley, Pomo and East Lake Schools received their own dictionary with their name on the inside front cover. Dictionaries were presented by club members in classrooms at each of the schools.

5. The Safe House for Homeless Youth in Clearlake has been a Rotary project for the past three years. This year the project was to construct a fence around the property. The club purchased all of the materials and provided the labor to construct the fence.

6. Club members have constructed bus stop shelters in the community in cooperation with the building and construction class at Lower Lake High School. These shelters will protect senior citizens and others from inclement weather and provide a place to sit while waiting for the bus.

7. Two years ago the club provided leadership to get an act of the state Legislature to designate state Highway 53 as the “Lake County Veterans Memorial Highway.” The bill was signed by the governor last year and the signs designating the highway will be erected in the near future. The Rotary Club will provide the funds for the signage and will hold a dedication ceremony.

Clausen praised the hard work of club members in completing these projects and was pleased that the club efforts were recognized by the district.

The Clearlake Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. at Howard’s Grotto.

For more information about the club see any Rotarian or visit the Web site at www.clearlakerotary.org.

SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly has approved several bills by Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) that deal with job creation, environmental protection, protecting big game and wildlife and assisting with tsunami disaster recovery.

The bills now move to the state Senate.

AB 341 – Green jobs and recycling

The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 created tens of thousands of new jobs over the past two decades as the state met then exceeded the goal of diverting 50 percent of waste away from landfills. California now leads the nation in recycling.

Chesbro’s AB 341 seeks to build on this success, by moving California to a 75-percent diversion rate by the year 2020. AB 341 would also require local commercial recycling.

According to a June 2010 study by CalReycle, a mandatory commercial recycling program in California alone could generate between 938 and 1,396 new full-time jobs.

“CalReycle estimates the commercial sector generates more than 60 percent of the disposed waste in California,” Chesbro said. “In addition to creating new jobs, recycling greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, preserves natural resources, saves energy and reduces the amount of water used in the manufacturing process.”

AB 1162 – Wildlife protection

This a bipartisan bill supported by hunters and environmentalists alike. In recent years California has been plagued with big-game poaching cases, including the illegal take of trophy mule deer from Yosemite National Park and the shooting and subsequent abandonment of elk.

Many deer are targeted solely for their antlers or size. Chesbro’s AB 1162 would establish a new criminal penalty for the poaching of trophy deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep or wild turkey without tags or using illegal means such as artificial light or bait.

The new penalties under AB 1162 would range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $40,000, or up to one year in county jail, or both. Poachers who use a signal-emitting device to take bear for the purpose of selling or trafficking in bear parts would face fines of $10,000 per bear part.

AB 1162 is co-authored by Republican Tom Berryhill in the Senate. It is supported by the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, a major hunting lobby, Sierra Club California and the California Fish and Game Wardens Association.

“Other states such as Montana, Idaho, Ohio and Pennsylvania have already adopted this approach of taking the profit out of poaching by making poachers pay back the full value of the game they took illegally,” Chesbro said. “We are seeing unprecedented levels of poaching in California and the Department of Fish and Game needs this tool to protect our wildlife heritage.”

AB 528 – Steelhead card renewal

California’s steelhead populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Since its inception, the Steelhead Trout Fishing Report-Restoration Card program has helped the Department of Fish and Game manage steelhead populations throughout out the state, to ensure fisheries remain open and do not cause further population declines.

The program is due to become inactive in July 2012. Chesbro’s AB 528 extends the program until at least July 2017.

Steelhead anglers are required to purchase, for a nominal fee, a report-restoration card then record certain fishing information on the card and return it to DFG. AB 528 is supported by California Trout, the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout and Trout Unlimited.

“Revenue from the sale of these cards has helped fund dozens of important habitat restoration projects that have greatly benefited steelhead populations and fishing all over California, especially the North Coast,” Chesbro said. “If this program is allowed to expire, it would surely result in the closure of steelhead fisheries across the state.”

AB 1428 – Tax relief for tsunami victims

Would authorize “disaster loss tax treatment” for income losses in Mendocino County caused by the March 2011 tsunami.

This bill would allow any excess disaster losses to be carried forward to each of the five taxable years following the taxable year for which the loss is claimed.

However, if there is any excess disaster loss remaining after this five-year period, then the applicable percentage (currently 100 percent) of that excess disaster loss shall be carried forward to each of the next 10 taxable years.

Would allow affected taxpayers to file an amended return to deduct disaster losses in the taxable year prior to the loss to receive an expedited refund. This is an urgency measure that will take effect immediately if passed and signed by the governor. It therefore needs a two-thirds vote.

AB 1429 – Tsunami damage reimbursement

Would ensure Del Norte County is fully reimbursed for the damage caused to the Crescent City Harbor by the March 2011 tsunami, by having the state fully cover the amount not reimbursed the federal government.

This is an urgency measure that will take effect immediately if passed and signed by the governor. It therefore needs a two-thirds vote.

AB 1297 – Expediting payments to Medi-Cal

Would conform the procedures and time frames required by the state Department of Mental Health to federal Medicaid requirements to speed up federal reimbursements of Medi-Cal mental health claims.

AB 1398 – Employment of minors in packing plants

Currently there is an exemption in state law that allows pear packing plants in Lake County to employ minors 16-17 years old up to 10 hours day and 60 hours per week when school is not in session during peak harvest season. This exemption is set to sunset on Jan. 2012. AB 1398 would extend the sunset date to Jan. 1 2017.

AB 1244 – Developmental services self-determination

Gives those with developmental disabilities empowerment over how to use their allocations by allowing them to build their own programs and choose which services they want to receive.

AJR (Assembly Joint Resolution) 11

Oppose efforts to block direct shipment of California wines to other states. AJR 11 expresses the California Legislature’s opposition to Congressional House Resolution 1161 – the Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act – which seeks to restrict interstate commerce and could lead to the end of the direct shipment of California wines to other states.

AJR 11 is supported by Family Winemakers of California, The Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers. The Assembly’s Committee on Governmental Organization unanimously approved AJR 11 last week will be heard on the Assembly Floor this week.

SAN FRANCISCO – Summer officially began last week, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) urges customers to be aware of summertime hazards that come with hot, dry weather and certain outdoor activities.

Careful planning and preparation are needed to prevent electrical hazards, heat-related illness, wildfires and recreational dangers.

Summer safety tips:

• “Look Up and Live!” – Use caution and keep fire works, balloons, kites and toys (such as high powered water guns or remote control aircraft) away from overhead electric lines. Contact with lines can lead to serious injury, fires and outages.

• Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the problem.

• Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground, is dangling in the air or appears to be damaged. Always assumed downed electric lines are live. Stay away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.

• Observe local laws. Contact your local police or fire department to make sure fireworks are allowed in your area. If so, keep a bucket of water or a water hose close by.

• Avoid playing around overhead power lines and power poles.

• Never climb trees growing near or touching overhead power lines.

• “Call Before You Dig” – Before starting outdoor projects this summer that require any type of excavation, large or small, call 811 to ensure you know where gas and electrical lines lie underground.

Hot weather safety tips:

• When temperatures are unusually high, you can visit PG&E-supported Cooling Centers to escape the heat, free of charge. For information on Cooling Centers, or to find out if there is one in your neighborhood, visit www.pge.com/coolingcenter.

• If your neighborhood does not have a Cooling Center, plan trips to public places with air conditioning such as movie theaters or shopping malls.

• Avoid strenuous activities in hot, direct sunlight.

• Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol or caffeine when the weather is hot.

• Pay attention to your body. Muscle cramps, dizziness and nausea may be signs of a heat-related illness.