Saturday, 23 November 2024

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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Public Works Department reported that road work is continuing on Thursday, Oct. 7, on Second and Park streets.

The city said Second Street will be closed on Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Main to Park streets.

Park Street will be closed to through traffic.

Please avoid the area and be cautious around workers.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif.— To help protect customers and communities during this hot and historically dry wildfire season, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is adjusting the sensitivity of some of its electric equipment in high fire-threat districts to automatically turn off power faster if the system detects a problem.

This effort is helping to prevent potential wildfires but is causing outages for some customers.

For those interested in learning more and asking questions, PG&E is hosting a webinar this Thursday for Lake County residents.

The webinar will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7.

The meeting link is here.

Community members also can attend by phone; dial in at 888-469-1928. The conference ID is 9392058.

The webinar will include information about:

— Why PG&E has adjusted settings in communities to reduce the risk of wildfire;
— Steps the company is taking to reduce the frequency and length of outages;
— Ongoing efforts to strengthen the electric system against severe weather and other environmental risks; and
— Resources that are available to support customers.

Throughout the webinar, customers will also have opportunities to ask questions of PG&E experts. Closed captioning will be available in English, Spanish and Chinese.

For those who are unable to join, a copy of the presentation materials and a recording of the event will be available at www.pge.com/firesafetywebinars.
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As part of its efforts to help customers financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced that service disconnections will not resume this year.

The moratorium on energy service disconnections put in place by the California Public Utilities Commission in March 2020 is formally ending today but service disconnections will not resume in 2021.

PG&E is automatically enrolling all residential and small business customers with past due balances over 60 days in new extended payment arrangements.

The company is also closely monitoring the development and implementation of the California Arrearage Payment Program, or CAPP, included in the 2021-22 California State Budget.

As part of the CAPP process, PG&E will not resume disconnections for residential and commercial customers eligible for CAPP until the CAPP program is finalized.

“We’ve been partnering with local, state and utility leaders to ensure our customers in need have access to critical assistance as the impacts of the pandemic continue to evolve and the statewide disconnection moratorium ends today. PG&E will not immediately start shutting off service for nonpayment,” said Marlene Santos, PG&E executive vice president and chief customer officer.

The newly established CAPP program will offer financial assistance for California energy utility customers to help reduce past due energy bill balances accrued during the pandemic.

Administered by the Department of Community Services and Development, or CSD, the CAPP program dedicates $1 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to address Californian's energy debts incurred from March 4, 2020, to June 15, 2021.

Utility customers do not need to apply to receive assistance under the CAPP program. If a customer’s account is eligible — 60 days or more behind on payments — a credit will be automatically applied to some or all the customer’s bill, depending on availability of funds and the combined needs of all utility customers.

For months, PG&E has been working closely with CSD on program implementation details. PG&E anticipates CAPP funding to be applied directly to eligible customers’ accounts in the first quarter of 2022.

To coincide with the end of the moratorium today, PG&E has also automatically enrolled more than 450,000 eligible residential and small business customers in the new COVID-19 payment plan program this month. The newly established program automatically enrolls eligible customers who are 60 days past due in extended payment plans. Customers will be automatically enrolled on an ongoing basis based on eligibility through September 2022 to avoid service disconnections. Customers automatically enrolled in the new extended payment plans will be eligible for CAPP funding.

Ways for customers to save on energy bills

PG&E encourages customers struggling to pay their bills to learn more about the following programs.

Some customers can enroll in various programs without impacting eligibility for the extended payment plan or CAPP funding:

— Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers up to $1,000 to pay eligible household energy costs.

— Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) Program offers one-time financial assistance to qualified customers with past-due bills.

— Arrearage Management Plan offers up to $8,000 in unpaid balance forgiveness, if a customer is enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy Program or Family Electric Rate Assistance Program, owes a specific bill amount and is more than 90 days past due.

— PG&E’s Medical Baseline Program as well as various external programs such as the California COVID-19 Rent Relief Act helps income-eligible households pay rent and utilities, both for past due and future payments. Renters and landlords are eligible to apply.

Customers having a hard time paying their bills should contact PG&E immediately at 800- 743-5000 or visit www.pge.com/covid19. Financial resources for business customers are available here.
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The Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation announced on Wednesday that they have selected the California Department of Transportation for their 2021 National Roadway Safety Award in recognition of California’s 2020-2024 Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

“This recognition is a testament to everything California is doing to make our transportation system safer for everyone on the road,” said David S. Kim, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. “From Caltrans and our other state departments to federal, tribal, local and community-based safety partners, our collective focus is on tackling this issue with urgency and taking a bolder, more innovative approach to implementing strategies that will save lives.”

“Caltrans is irrevocably committed to achieving zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2050, and seeing deep, quantifiable and consistent reductions in those numbers in the years going forward,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “We welcome the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation’s award because it attests to our commitment in working to combat the tragic, decade-long rise in fatal and injurious incidents on California’s roadways.”

The 2020-24 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, or SHSP, is anchored by the underlying goal of making zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries a reality.

In summer 2020, state transportation leaders from a wide range of organizations recognized a bolder and more focused approach was necessary to combat troubling trends in traffic safety.

This important change ― referred to as “The Pivot” ― led to focusing on high-priority areas, expanding SHSP membership, and adopting four guiding principles in the updated statewide data-driven traffic safety plan:

· Integrating equity into all aspects of the plan.
· Implementing a Safe System Approach.
· Doubling down on what works.
· Accelerating advanced technology.

Based on these principles, the 2020-2024 plan places renewed emphasis on addressing historical, systemic and present-day biases and improving safety for all groups, particularly in vulnerable and underserved communities.

“Future travelers in California, whose lives and limbs will be spared, will owe an unknowing debt of gratitude to the state's traffic safety planners,” said Roadway Safety Foundation Executive Director Gregory M. Cohen. “We urge DOTs across the nation to look at Caltrans, the entire California team, and other awardees’ innovations and replicate them wherever possible.”

“Congratulations to today’s seven honorees for the remarkable work they’ve done to protect the traveling public,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “They are proof that we have no shortage of willpower or good ideas for improving roadway safety.”

The biennial National Roadway Safety Awards rely on an expert panel of judges from a variety of disciplines to evaluate projects that involve infrastructure, operational, or program-related innovations, and to select winners using three criteria ― effectiveness, innovation, and the efficient use of resources.

Visit the National Roadway Safety Awards page for more information on the program.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Kelseyville Presbyterian Church will hold its Fall Rummage Sale on Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Friendship Hall.

Available at reasonable prices will be home decor, kitchen stuff, small furniture, lamps, kid's toys and outdoor items.

There will be no clothing, and no big furniture or appliances.

The church asks that you wear a mask and social distance when you are shopping.

If you have donations, you may drop them off at the church after 9 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

Kelseyville Presbyterian Church is located at 5340 Third St., telephone 707- 279-1104.
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Walkers enjoying a fall day at the Rodman Preserve in Lake County, Calif. Courtesy photo.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. — The Lake County Land Trust is continuing to open its Rodman Preserve at 6350 Westlake Road for weekly Saturday walks.

For the winter schedule gates will open at 9 a.m. when visitors are welcome to arrive.

These will be self-guided walks from 9 a.m. to noon. A Land Trust volunteer will be present at the Nature Center to welcome guests.

The Land Trust is still honoring COVID-19 restrictions and the small nature center is closed to the public. Please observe COVID-19 protocol and wear a mask when passing others on the trails.

The walk at Rodman Preserve is a moderate walk on well-groomed trails. Total distance is about a mile and half and sturdy walking shoes, water and hat are highly recommended. Bring your binoculars to enjoy views of songbirds, raptors, and waterfowl.

For information, call the Lake County Land Trust at 707-262-0707 and leave a message or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

And don’t mistake the Lake County Rodman Slough County Park (which is down the road from the preserve on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff) with the Rodman Preserve which is a left turn off of the cutoff onto Westlake Road.

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