LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following a day of rainfall on Wednesday, Lake County could see more rain during the day on Thursday.
The National Weather Service said there are chances of rainfall on Thursday morning before conditions clear and the sun returns.
The National Weather Service’s observation stations reported the following 24-hour rainfall totals in inches through 1:40 a.m. Thursday:
– Bartlett Springs: 0.92. – Cache Creek near Lower Lake: 0.38. – County line (at Colusa side): 0.43. – Hidden Valley Lake: 0.44. – High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 0.72. – Kelseyville: 0.50. – Knoxville Creek: 0.45. – Lyons Valley (northwest of Lakeport): 0.82. – Soda Creek: 1.04. – Whispering Pines: 0.80.
The local forecast calls for winds of up to 14 miles per hour on Thursday, with lighter winds on Thursday night and continuing through Saturday.
Conditions are forecast to be mostly sunny and clear through the middle of next week, the forecast said.
Daytime temperatures over the coming week are expected to rise into the low 50s, with conditions at night seeing temperatures in the high 30s.
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.
Workers prepare to ship the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from the company’s manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Morry Gash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Editor’s Note: With the Food and Drug Administration issuing emergency use authorization for a vaccine to limit the spread of coronavirus, you might have questions about what this means for you. If you do, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will find a physician or researcher to answer them. Here, Dr. Jason McKnight, a primary care physician at Texas A&M University, answers five questions about the rollout and distribution underway.
I hear that I might still have to wear a mask even after I get vaccinated. Why?
It will likely be the continued recommendation that everyone wear a mask when in public even after receiving the vaccination for COVID-19. While these vaccines appear to be highly effective in preventing infection from the disease, even at 95% efficacy, that means approximately 5% of people receiving the vaccination may still become infected. Wearing a mask helps decrease the transmission of the virus in those situations in which the vaccine does not prevent the illness.
Further, continuing to wear a mask may help prevent the spread of other respiratory illnesses, which can help prevent overwhelming the health care system, as we are already seeing during the pandemic. Finally, it is possible that some individuals receiving the vaccine may have an asymptomatic infection, and wearing a mask also helps prevent the spread of illness in that situation.
If I get the Pfizer vaccine for the first dose, how can I make sure I get the Pfizer vaccine the second time?
The distribution of the Pfizer vaccine is meant to match the need for the second dose. The clinic, hospital or pharmacy where you are vaccinated will keep a record of the vaccine that you received, as will you, to help ensure that your second dose matches the first dose.
The first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine are loaded into a UPS plane in Lansing, Michigan, on Dec. 13.Rey Del Rio via Getty Images
How will public health experts track the safety of the vaccine as it rolls out to bigger groups of people?
Public health experts as well as the vaccine manufacturers will continue to track the safety of the vaccine in multiple ways. First, the people who are vaccinated in the clinical trials will continue to be followed to ensure there are no long-term safety issues. Further, there is what is called a phase IV post-marketing surveillance trial, which will allow many people who are vaccinated to be followed long term to ensure no safety complications arise and to ensure that the vaccine remains as effective as originally thought.
How will I know when it’s my turn to get a vaccine?
To know when it is your turn to be vaccinated, contact either your state department of health or your health care provider. They will be receiving updates and further information about who is to be vaccinated and when. If you have questions about the vaccine and timing of administration, contact your health care provider.
Where will I get a vaccine?
While the exact distribution of vaccines is not yet solidified, and is dependent on the state in which you reside, most vaccines will likely be sent to hospital systems, health care providers’ offices, and some pharmacies. To find out the nearest location where you can be vaccinated, contact your local health department or your health care provider.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – As the LNU Lightning Complex fire blazed to the south and the August Complex fire to the north earlier this year, the Konocti Unified School District Board of Trustees approved an $8.5 million infrastructure renewal program that addresses power shutoffs, blackouts, indoor air quality and rising utility costs.
“We teach our students the power of adapting to our ever-changing world,” said Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato, Ph.D. “So when the time came for us to live it, we didn’t back down.”
Over the next year, 10 sites, including eight schools, will be under construction. The program will relieve the district’s general fund, which had already been subject to escalating budget cuts and rising utility costs when the pandemic struck.
“Protecting everyone and improving indoor air quality as school resumes is a guiding force for us,” Salato continued. “They’re the central topics of our conversations when we talk about how we’re moving our schools forward. Health and safety is as much a non-negotiable as high-quality education.”
Many of Konocti’s classrooms and multipurpose rooms will be equipped with high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, units, featuring MERV 13 filters. These filters capture tiny bacteria, virus, dust and smoke particles while the entire HVAC system delivers fresh outdoor air to classrooms.
The district will also use more than two dozen portable HEPA air filters for classrooms most impacted by the smoke.
Smart building controls as well as LED lighting on campuses for enhanced security, in classrooms and at Lower Lake High School’s football field are also on the docket.
Backup power generators will further separate dependence on its utility provider, Pacific Gas and Electric, and help Konocti Unified schools operate under potential power shutoff conditions, such as extreme dryness and high winds and temperatures.
Combined with renewable energy from new solar panels and a protective netting for the district’s existing solar arrays, the program pays for itself over time. About $19 million will be shaved off Konocti Unified’s budget over the next 30 years.
“This year has shown us that there’s no better time to be proactive than the present,” said Sue Burton, president of the Konocti Unified Board of Trustees. “Environmental changes, more budget cuts and even more terrible fires are threats to our region. We need technology and systems that empower us to adjust for them.”
The district’s partner, Climatec, is a Bosch-owned turnkey infrastructure renewal and sustainability solution provider. Climatec and district staff have been collaborating since March. After working together to define district priorities and goals, the pair secured funding through private and utility programs.
“With so many lessons learned, we’re slowly chipping away at our resilience. When the inevitable happens, we will be better prepared,” Burton said.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster said he plans to ask an appellate court to review the reduced sentencing handed down Wednesday for a Caspar woman who shot a dog in what a probation officer said was a “sickening” case of cruelty.
Eyster criticized Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Clayton Brennan for his actions during the sentencing in Fort Bragg of Katie Rhiannon Smith, 35, with Eyster’s office calling Brennan’s sentencing decision “a travesty of justice.”
In April Eyster personally charged Smith with felony animal cruelty, as well as a sentencing enhancement for personally using a firearm in the course of that crime.
Smith was charged for shooting a German Shepherd in December 2019.
The injured and abused dog, who became known as “Thunder the Wonder Dog: The Cone Dog from the Woods,” was found wandering in Jackson State Forest in Mendocino County and rescued by two horseback riders.
The veterinarian who saved Thunder’s life found that he was suffering from gunshot wounds, dehydration and malnutrition, and opined that the cause of Thunder’s severe malnourishment was likely owner neglect since he was able to return to a healthy weight following multiple surgeries to repair injuries inflicted by the bullets.
The investigation concluded that Smith took Thunder out on a remote logging road in the Caspar area and shot him multiple times in a botched attempt at do-it-yourself euthanasia. At the time of the shooting, the dog was being forced to wear a plastic cone around its neck and head.
The gunshots severely injured the canine, but did not kill him. The gravely injured dog fled Smith and went into the woods, where he wandered injured for a week before the good Samaritans rescued him, officials said.
On Oct. 5, the day before jury selection was set to begin in her trial, Smith pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty. The personal use of the firearm enhancement was dismissed when Judge Brennan told the parties that he would exercise his discretion to strike and dismiss that enhancement after trial if found true by the jury.
Leading up to Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Smith was ordered to cooperate with a background investigation by the Mendocino County Adult Probation Department.
As required by law, the probation officer prepared a written summary of her findings and submitted a written sentencing recommendation based on all available information.
In this case, it was the Probation Department’s recommendation that the defendant be sentenced to the maximum term allowed by law for felony animal cruelty – 36 months in the local prison.
The assigned prosecutor also prepared in advance and filed a 16-page brief that analyzed the people’s evidence and applicable sentencing laws.
Citing the callous nature of Smith’s cruelty and her dishonesty throughout the course of the investigation, Deputy District Attorney Josh Rosenfeld independently concluded that the defendant’s cruelty – and justice for Thunder – mandated that the defendant receive the modified maximum term allowed by law.
Smith returned to the Fort Bragg courthouse Wednesday afternoon for her formal felony sentencing hearing.
During the course of the four-hour sentencing hearing, the reporting deputy probation officer characterized this case as one of the worst cases she had seen in her 15 years of public probation service and she referred to Smith’s cruelty as “sickening.”
Probation stuck by its written recommendation asking for 36 months in jail, the District Attorney’s Office said. Likewise, the prosecutor stuck by his written arguments and orally argued for the maximum sentence.
Near the end of the sentencing hearing, Brennan unexpectedly invited Smith’s public defender to make a motion to have her felony conviction immediately reduced to a misdemeanor. That motion was made and Judge Brennan granted the reduction over the prosecution’s objection.
Brennan then placed Smith on a grant of unsupervised probation for a term of 36 months, understanding that come Jan. 1 that 36 months may be reduced to 12 months as a matter of law pursuant to Assembly Bill 1950.
Judge Brennan also decided that Smith need not serve any jail time for her now-reduced conviction. Instead, he sentenced her to 360 days in jail but suspended execution of that time. This means that Smith will not serve a single day in jail as a result of her cruelty unless and until the prosecution is able to prove sometime in the next 12 months that she has violated her probation.
As for the terms of Smith’s unsupervised probation, Judge Brennan ordered that she submit to a Fourth Amendment waiver – a search clause – and that she attend counseling so she can avoid committing animal cruelty in the future.
Judge Brennan denied the prosecution’s request that Smith be prohibited from owning or possessing animals during the term of her probation.
He also declined to address the prosecution’s request that the defendant be ordered to reimburse the county for all or part of the cost of the legal services provided to her by the taxpayer-funded public defender, despite the defendant’s self-reported income of $11,000 per month.
Brennan ordered Smith to complete 500 hours of community service, but the District Attorney’s Office said he suggested that Smith be allowed to serve her hours working side-by-side with the kind-hearted volunteers who save and protect abandoned and neglected animals at the Mendocino Coast Humane Society.
At Eyster’s direction, the prosecution has filed a notice of appeal seeking appellate review by the higher court.
When asked for comment, DA Eyster paused, shook his head and then said, “It is tough to find justice for victims and the community when there are two defense attorneys in the courtroom – one sitting at counsel table and one wearing a black robe. Today’s actions by the coast judge diminish ongoing community and law enforcement efforts to hold animal abusers accountable for their crimes. What kind of message does this send? Not a good one.”
The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday released its 2020 Demographic Analysis, which provides a range of estimates — low, middle and high — for the nation’s population as of April 1, 2020.
Instead of collecting responses from households like the 2020 Census, Demographic Analysis uses current and historical vital statistics records and other data to estimate the size of the U.S. population.
By releasing these estimates ahead of the first results from the 2020 Census, Demographic Analysis offers an independent measure of the population for comparison with the official census counts.
Based on varying assumptions about the population, Demographic Analysis produced three different estimates for the size of the U.S. population on April 1, 2020:
“The Census Bureau goes to great lengths to ensure the quality of our work,” said Dr. Ron Jarmin, Census Bureau deputy director and chief operating officer. “Demographic Analysis is a valuable resource to help us analyze the completeness of the 2020 Census population count.”
Demographic Analysis estimates are developed using birth and death records, data on international migration, and Medicare records. The range accounts for the levels of uncertainty in the input data and methods used to produce the estimates.
For example, birth and death estimates are regarded as relatively precise since they’re based on the National Vital Statistics System which is very accurate and complete. However, there is greater uncertainty in the estimates of international migration because administrative records are not available to produce those estimates. Instead, we use data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and other sources to estimate international migration.
“Demographic Analysis enables us to utilize already existing data, such as current and historical administrative records and survey data, to estimate the size of the population,” said Dr. Eric Jensen, senior technical expert for Demographic Analysis in the Population Division. “We have done Demographic Analysis since the 1960 Census, and over time our estimates have benefited not only from methodological improvements, but improvements to the available administrative records.”
The final 2020 Census results will be compared against the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates to produce estimates of potential net coverage error by age, sex, broad race and Hispanic origin groups. A report detailing the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates of net overcounts and undercounts is planned for release in 2021.
Additionally, in 2021 and 2022, the Census Bureau plans to produce new, experimental sets of estimates, including:
– Estimates for the Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations by sex for ages 0 to 39 (expanded from ages 0 to 29 released today) in 2021. – Estimates for young children (ages 0 to 4) will be available for the first time at the state and county levels in 2022. These estimates will incorporate current birth records, which are not yet available from local jurisdictions. – Estimates for the population ages 0 to 17 for White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races, and by Hispanic origin in 2022. These estimates incorporate race detail available in both birth and death records since 2003.
The Demographic Analysis estimates are one of two methods used to measure coverage in a census and help understand what population groups may have been undercounted or overcounted.
The other method is part of the Coverage Measurement Program and uses information from the Post-Enumeration Survey, an independent Census Bureau survey, to estimate how many people and housing units were missed or counted erroneously in the 2020 Census. Coverage estimates from the Post-Enumeration Survey are scheduled to be available in November 2021.
The Census Bureau said it is working hard to process 2020 Census data in order to deliver complete and accurate state population counts as close to the Dec. 31, 2020, statutory deadline as possible.
Demographic Analysis highlights
In addition to the estimates of the total population for the nation, 2020 Demographic Analysis also provides national-level estimates of the U.S. population by age, sex, broad race and Hispanic origin groups.
Specifically, estimates are available for the number of people who are:
– Black alone/non-Black alone by sex for ages 0 to 85 and above. – Black alone or in combination/non-Black alone or in combination by sex for ages 0 to 85 and above (expanded from 0 to 29 in the 2010 Demographic Analysis). – Hispanic/non-Hispanic by sex for ages 0 to 29 (expanded from 0 to 19 in 2010).
These estimates can only be produced in limited race detail because they rely on historical records and measures of race that have changed over time.
Other highlights from the release include, in order of low, middle and high estimates:
– The median age of the U.S. population was estimated to be 38.4, 38.5 and 38.7, respectively. – The percentage of the U.S. population estimated to be Black alone was 13.5, 13.7 and 13.9, respectively. – The percentage of the population estimated to be Black alone or in combination with other races was 14.9, 15.1 and 15.4, respectively. – The sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) for the total population was 98.1 in the low and high series and 98.2 in the middle series. The sex ratio for the population under the age of 30 was 104.2 in the low series and 104.3 in the middle and high series. – For the population under the age of 30, the percentage estimated to be Hispanic was 23.0, 24.6 and 26.0, respectively. Demographic Analysis estimates of the population by Hispanic origin are not produced for all ages because the Hispanic origin option was not widely available on birth and death records until the 1990s.
Demographic Analysis only estimates the national population for these demographic categories, so its estimates cannot be compared to more detailed 2020 Census data that will show the population in states, cities, counties, census tracts and at the block level.
Hector and Maria Rodriguez-Barajas and children. Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Lake County. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As too many families in Lake County know, the loss of a home and everything it contains to the ravages of wildfire is a devastating blow.
When Hector and Maria Rodriguez-Barajas lost their home to the Valley fire in 2015, they lost not only shelter for their family and all of their belongings, but also the comfort and security during the holidays that went with having those things.
For the next several years, the family bounced from one apartment to another as their family grew, making it difficult to settle back into the familiarity of routines, family traditions and camaraderie.
Christmas visits with relatives and friends were nice, but with the burden of not being settled into a stable home, the holiday spirit came at a price.
After months of hard work and partnership with Habitat for Humanity Lake County, Hector, Maria and their children are able to celebrate Christmas in a home of their own at last.
The house has been decorated thanks to the generous donations of others and their Christmas tree stands proudly as the cornerstone of the family’s first Christmas in their new home.
Due to the pandemic, they are unable to celebrate the holidays with family, but having a house to call home, where they can celebrate together without the fear of eviction, makes up for it.
“The kids are so excited they can hardly sleep,” Maria Rodriguez-Barajas said. “They are able to decorate inside and outside now, for the first time as a family, and are eager for Christmas to come. Watching my kids play outside for the first time, in a yard they never had before, is the most exciting thing for me since moving into this country. We might not have lots of gifts this year, but for the kids, they say the time with family, and having a home now, makes them grateful.”
Habitat for Humanity Lake County is in urgent need of donations to continue providing homeownership opportunities to qualified families like the Rodriguez-Barajas family.
Donations can be mailed to Habitat for Humanity Lake County, P.O. Box 1830, Lower Lake, CA 95457.
To donate property, please contact the office at 707-994-1100 with the address and APN number and someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Tammy Brigham works for Habitat for Humanity Lake County.
A plaque presented to outgoing Lakeport Mayor George Spurr on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. Zoom screen capture. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council bid farewell to two members who have served over the past four years and welcomed three newly elected councilmen who voters selected in the November election.
In a virtual meeting on Tuesday night, the council unanimously approved a resolution accepting the election results from Nov. 3 in which Michael Froio and Michael Green, who served on the Lakeport Planning Commission, were elected to the seats held by Tim Barnes and George Spurr, and incumbent Kenny Parlet was elected to a third term.
After approving the election results, Parlet, along with council members Stacey Mattina and Mireya Turner, thanked Barnes and Spurr for their service over the past four years.
Parlet, who has served as mayor pro tem this past year, noted that the terms of the two men coincided with four years punctuated by one disaster after another – from wildland fires to floods, public safety power shutoffs to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You’ve been through it all,” said Parlet.
Parlet said both Barnes and Spurr came through the experience “with flying colors” when it came to looking out for the best interests of the city in every situation, trying to do the right thing and being prepared.
He offered his deep gratitude to Spurr on behalf of the city and its residents.
“Thank you very much. I appreciate that a lot,” said Spurr, who has served as mayor this past year. While there were a lot of disasters, Spurr said they also completed a lot of big projects, too.
Parlet said he had encouraged Barnes to run for the council and that he enjoyed Barnes’ perspective. Barnes served a term as mayor in 2019.
Lakeport City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia administered the oath of office to newly elected Lakeport City Council members Michael Froio, Michael Green and Kenny Parlet at the council’s last regularly scheduled meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Zoom screen capture. “It’s been an insane four years,” Barnes acknowledged.
He said serving on the city council was nothing like he thought it would be, but that he enjoyed working with his fellow council members and staff and learning the mechanisms that run the city.
“We made it,” Mattina told Barnes and Spurr. “I’m really proud of everything we’ve gotten done in the last four years and I’m going to miss you both.”
Turner said she appreciated how Barnes kept local businesses at the forefront, adding that he was trustworthy and sincere, and she was honored to work with him on the council.
Newly elected Lakeport City Councilman Kenny Parlet takes his oath of office virtually at the council’s last regularly scheduled meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Zoom screen capture. City Manager Kevin Ingram acknowledged the disasters but then pointed to the many positive accomplishments under the council’s leadership over the past four years. Those accomplishments include a new seawall in Library Park, work on the lakeside promenade, the purchase of the former Natural High School property for the new Lakefront Park, a new community center and solar upgrades on city facilities. He said the list goes on and on.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, Public Works Director Doug Grider, City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia and City Attorney David Ruderman all offered their thanks to Barnes and Spurr for their services.
After the two departing council members left the virtual meeting, Buendia administered the oath of office separately to the newly elected council members, starting with Parlet and then moving to Green and then to Froio.
With the oaths taken and the three formally – if virtually – seated, the council then turned to the business of electing its leadership for the coming year.
Mattina nominated Parlet as mayor, a motion which the council unanimously approved.
Lakeport City Councilman Michael Green takes his oath of office virtually at the council’s last regularly scheduled meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Zoom screen capture.
Turner then nominated Mattina for mayor pro tem, which also was carried by a unanimous vote.
This will be Parlet’s second term as mayor. He previously held the post in 2014.
He joked that “it’s been a while” and said he wasn’t sure he could remember how to do the job.
This will be the fifth time Mattina has served as mayor pro tem. She’s previously held the mayor’s job twice.
The Tuesday meeting also included an update from Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace, who told the council that the COVID-19 vaccine is due to arrive in the county this week but that the effort to vaccinate local residents will be the work of many months to come.
Pace also warned that a few particularly difficult months are expected ahead as cases continue to climb, and he emphasized the need for people to continue to shelter in place and not travel during the holidays while also continuing to observe masking and other preventive measures.
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.
Newly elected Lakeport City Councilman Michael Froio takes his oath of office virtually at the council’s last regularly scheduled meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Zoom screen capture.
This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses such as COVID-19. The spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus have the look of a corona, thus the name. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As the historic rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine takes place across California and the nation, Lake County is set to be among the first group of counties in the state to receive doses of the vaccine this week.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued the first emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine for individuals above age 16. The vaccine has a 95 percent efficacy rate and is administered in two doses about a month apart.
Separately, on Sunday, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed its concurrent review of the federal process and confirmed the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and efficacious and provided its confirmation to the governors of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
“We have all the confidence in the efficacy and safety of these vaccines,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Monday appearance at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, where some of the new vaccine doses were delivered.
The development of the vaccine in under a year, using new mRNA technology, has been hailed by many as a historic scientific achievement. Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, called it “a moment of hope for all Californians.”
The approval by the FDA cleared the way for the vaccine to be distributed nationwide, and on Monday the state of California received the first 33,150 doses of 327,600 doses Pfizer has committed to provide, Newsom said.
The first doses arrived at four sites in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Eureka, with 24 more sites to get the vaccine on Tuesday, to be followed by the vaccine going to another five sites on Wednesday, Newsom said.
On Monday, Ryan Stice, Sutter Health vice president of pharmacy, told reporters that the vaccine is expected to arrive early this week.
“There are 24 counties that are receiving the vaccine initially,” he said, with a cascading list of counties to receive doses after that initial group.
Stice said the quantity of vaccine filtering in by county is based on potential risk factors and equity.
Lake County is in that critical first group. Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said the state has a formula for who gets how many doses in this first round. Lake was set to receive 475 doses based on that formula, but given that the smallest shipping container is 975, Pace said the county is getting the full number.
On Thursday, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet to discuss a second vaccine to fight COVID-19. The committee will discuss the emergency use authorization for the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc., which is for individuals 18 years and older.
The governor said Moderna is expected to deliver 672,600 doses of its vaccine, potentially within the next week or so following approval.
Newsom said that puts the state on track to receive 2.1 million to 2.16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the calendar year.
State officials said the vaccines will be administered in phases by prioritizing groups according to risk and level of exposure.
The first tier of vaccinations will focus on California’s essential health care workers and those who are most vulnerable in long-term care settings, in accordance with the California Department of Public Health Allocation Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccine During Phase 1A.
Newsom said California has 2.5 million health care workers.
What Newsom said is the “fresh air of progress” comes at a critical time for California.
He said that on Monday the state received as many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as there were new cases reported – 33,000.
Over the past seven days, Newsom said California has averaged 31,000 new cases a day, with an average of 159 deaths a day. The state’s positivity rate, at 3.5 percent six weeks ago, is now over 10.6 percent.
He urged Californians to continue to be vigilant. Pointing to the situation in San Joaquin County, which is running out of beds and moving into surge capacity, Newsom said that’s the situation expected to develop in other parts of the state in the coming weeks, with the state preparing with thousands of contract workers hired and 11 sites developed to take additional patients across the state.
Despite the good news of the vaccine, Newsom said Monday, “We are in the midst of the worst moment of this pandemic.”
Statewide cases on Monday rose above 1.61 million, with 21,200 deaths, according to online reports posted by Public Health departments across California.
In Lake County, where cases have spiked in recent weeks, nearly 100 new cases were reported on Monday – Public Health does not issue reports on the weekend – with the local caseload now standing at 1,306, with 22 deaths.
Both Newsom and Ghaly urged Californians to continue to be vigilant and use precautions, including staying home and using masks, because of the rising spread of the virus.
Newsom on Monday also announced the launch of the “Vaccinate All 58” campaign to educate Californians about the vaccine and how it will be administered.
Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the “Vaccinate All 58” campaign on Monday, December 14, 2020, featuring infographics like the one above. How the vaccine works
In a Monday webinar with journalists hosted by Poynter, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, explained how the COVID-19 vaccine works.
It uses messenger RNA, or mRNA, which is something Offit said everyone has in their body. He said mRNA is a small piece of genetic material in the cytoplasm of our cells that instructs the cells to make a protein. It’s not a novel process, as the body is making proteins all the time.
Offit said using mRNA for vaccines isn’t a new strategy; it’s similarly been used to vaccinate against malaria, tuberculosis and zika.
Normally, when you’re given a vaccine, you get a protein as part of a live attenuated virus. However, Offit said this new vaccine doesn’t give a protein but rather the genetic material that teaches the body to make the protein that triggers an immune response.
The CDC said that the new COVID-19 mRNA vaccines “give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the ‘spike protein.’ The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
The vaccines can’t give someone COVID-19 because they don’t use the live virus that causes the illness, the CDC said.
The agency also reported that the COVID-19 vaccines do not affect or interact with the DNA of those vaccinated in any way, as the mRNA never entered the nucleus of the cell where DNA is located. Instead, “the cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions.”
Officials and medical professionals have emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccines are being held to the same rigorous and effectiveness standards as other vaccines.
Offit said COVID-19 is a single-stranded RNA virus, like mumps and influenza.
He said the question remains: What is COVID-19 going to act more like? Will it be like the flu, which mutates so much that it needs a yearly vaccine with four different strains – one that doesn’t mutate and three that do – or the mumps, which mutates but has had the same vaccine for decades?
Offit is predicting COVID-19 will remain a single serotype– defined as a variation in a species of virus – like the mumps, allowing the vaccine to remain effective over time.
Those who have had the virus shouldn’t skip getting inoculated against it. Over the weekend, the CDC said people who have gotten sick from COVID-19 may still benefit from being vaccinated.
“At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long,” the CDC said.
The CDC also emphasized that the vaccination can protect people from getting sick. “While many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness or they may even die. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications.”
So far, the vaccines being approved aren’t for children under age 16, mostly because the number of children who have died is small. However, Offit said children will need to be vaccinated, because this year as many children died of COVID-19 as the flu.
“We need to study children first,” he said.
He said AstraZeneca is working on a vaccine that can vaccinate children as young as age 5.
Offit said the last year – which has seen COVID-19 being sequenced and now the development of vaccines – has been a “technological tour de force.”
However, he cautioned, “Now comes the hard part,” pointing out that mass production and distribution of the vaccine to those who need it will be very difficult.
Still, Offit said he’s optimistic it can be done. If the nation succeeds in the COVID-19 vaccination effort, Offit believes that by next Thanksgiving there will be a dramatic drop in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, “and we can get our lives back together again.”
Ryan Stice, Sutter Health vice president of pharmacy, speaks to reporters over Zoom on Monday, December 14, 2020, about the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine heading to Lake County
In Lake County, local officials are working on plans to deliver the vaccine to those first in line.
“At this point, we are getting the first round of vaccine,” said Pace, noting that the hospitals, pharmacies partnering with skilled nursing facilities and Lake County Tribal Health also are expected to receive vaccine supplies.
Pace said that with such a rapid vaccine rollout, “Everything is very much a moving target.”
He said he will be meeting with the state at 1 p.m. Tuesday to discuss more of the specifics.
As of Monday, Pace said he wasn’t sure about when the vaccine would be arriving this week. When it does arrive, he said the county will distribute it through the framework – initiated by the CDC and finalized by the California Department of Public Health – which prioritizes acute care hospital workers, emergency medical workers and nursing homes in the first tier.
That framework, which can be found here, focuses on all levels of health care workers. Newsom said Monday that teachers are a priority and that discussions are underway regarding their place in the queue. He said discussions also are planned for food supply and frontline workers.
“Essential workers are in the second tier,” said Pace. “We will need to vaccinate all who are interested in the first tier before going down the list. We also need to collaborate with neighboring counties to make sure the first tiers are covered. We transfer many patients out of county for medical care. If they are COVID positive and being cared for at a hospital in a neighboring county where they don’t have enough vaccine to cover their staff, it seems important to help them get what they need.”
Seniors will be in the second tier with essential workers, he said.
Once the top tier vaccinations are complete, Pace said they will provide the vaccine through the usual pathways to get people vaccinated – medical providers, pharmacies, and likely some vaccine clinics or drive-thrus.
Beyond this initial round of vaccinations, Pace said his agency already is lining up more supply. “The plan for further ordering is weekly orders. We have another 100 scheduled to come in next week.”
Stice said the Sutter Health network has 900 pharmacy professionals who have been preparing since the end of August to receive the vaccine, with another 300 people have been working constantly just on preparing for the rollout coming this week.
He said the original vaccine rollout plan was more state-based, but that then shifted to a local county health department-based distribution approach.
As for making sure the vaccine is distributed appropriately, Stice said Sutter will track the incoming vaccine to make sure it’s equitably distributed across the network.
Asked about how many Sutter employees will receive the vaccine, Stice didn’t offer numbers but instead said that the driving factor in who receives the vaccine is based on their interaction with patients.
“Instead of breaking it down by what letters are after your name, we really turned it around to, how do you interact with a patient and what is your risk,” he said.
He said the network has an internal review process for the vaccine and also has been working to deal with the logistical challenges of a vaccine that needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, or -94 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We really built a big mitt on our side in order to catch as many vaccine doses that are available to us,” he said.
Stice said he’s been in constant communication with the administration at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport about the rollout.
Laurie Allen, spokesperson for Adventist Health Clear Lake, said the hospital is deferring to Lake County Public Health as it manages the receipt and distribution of the Pfizer vaccine.
“Our protocol for distribution will be rolling out the vaccine in a voluntary phased approach with our associates,” Allen said.
In the late summer, Lake County saw two major outbreaks at Lakeport skilled nursing facilities.
Pace said those facilities all have arrangements with pharmacy partners, and that the vaccine will be available to them by Dec. 28.
He said if Public Health has doses left over after giving the vaccine to the hospitals and emergency medical services, they likely will begin using it at the skilled nursing facilities.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In its last regularly scheduled meeting of the year, the Board of Supervisors will discuss forming a business recovery team, get an update on COVID-19 and consider ways to resolve zoning issues for a proposed cannabis operation.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15.
The supervisors will meet in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, for a hybrid meeting format which also will include the opportunity for community members to continue to participate virtually.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link at 9 a.m. The meeting ID is 968 5229 1359, password 439154.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item please visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
At 9:30 a.m., the board will discuss approving the formation of the Lake County Small Business COVID Recovery Team and appoint Supervisor Eddie Crandell and Supervisor Bruno Sabatier to fill the county seats on the team.
The committee will include two members of the Board of Supervisors, one member from each of the two cities, one member from the Lake County Economic Development Corp. and two members who represent local business associations.
“The purpose of the committee will be to work collaboratively to secure all possible funding available for Lake County businesses resulting from Governor Newsom's newly announced $500 million dollar Small Business Relief Grant, which is pending development and administration by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (OSBA), as well as any and all future COVID relief efforts intended to support local small businesses,” Sabatier wrote in his memo to the board.
He said the committee will hold public meetings subject to the Brown Act and will be staffed by the Lake County Administrative Office.
In an item timed for 10 a.m., the board will get an update on the COVID-19 situation from Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.
In an untimed item, Community Development Director Scott De Leon will ask the board to consider options for allowing a cannabis cultivation project, as part of a larger manufacturing and processing operation, at the site of the former Adobe Creek Packing plant at 4820 Loasa Drive in Kelseyville.
De Leon’s report explains that the project has hit a snag due to the cultivation of cannabis currently not being allowed within 1,000 feet of a community growth boundary. “Staff has been unable to find a solution to this conflict, and the Owner is not willing to move forward with the project without the cultivation component,” De Leon wrote.
De Leon is suggesting possible solutions including the adoption of a zoning ordinance text amendment modeled on one approved in Mendocino County for projects that previously were developed as agricultural packing and processing facilities, or a revision of the community growth boundary for Kelseyville.
Both of those options would require board action, De Leon said.
A third option, which doesn’t require board action, would be to make no change to the zoning ordinance or the community growth boundary. De Leon said that would limit the property development to whatever uses could be performed with a rezone to manufacturing.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Second reading, adopt ordinance amending Chapter 21 of Article 27 of the Lake County Code to correct the inadvertent omission of cannabis processing licenses in PDC zoning.
5.2: Second reading, adopt ordinance amending Chapter 21 of Articles 27 and 68 of the Lake County Code pertaining to commercial cannabis cultivation in proximity to Lake County important farmland.
5.3: Approve amendment to the temporary agency agreement.
5.4: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2020-134 establishing position allocations for Fiscal Year 2020-21, Budget Unit No. 2603, Code Enforcement.
5.5: Adopt resolution to amend the budget for FY 2020-2021 by appropriating unanticipated revenue for Public Health Services and authorize the Health Services director to sign necessary documents to secure these funds.
5.6: Adopt proclamation recognizing the retirement of Cindy Silva-Brackett, supervising accountant, and honoring her many years of outstanding service to the county of Lake.
5.8: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.9: Approve the continuation of resolution ratifying the declaration of local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.11: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.12: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.13: Approve the continuation of a local emergency In Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.14: Authorize the Public Services director/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $68,842.31 to Bobcat of Santa Rosa for the Purchase of a Bobcat 5600 utility vehicle.
5.15: Approve the memorandum of understanding between the county of Lake and the Lake County Resource Conservation District for the construction of a water well at Middletown Trailside Park.
5.16: a) Approve mutual aid agreement between the county of Lake and Napa County for assistance provided in responding to the 2020 Glass fire; and b) adopt a resolution authorizing the chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign the agreement.
5.17: (a) Approve contract amendment #11 between the county of Lake and Sun Ridge Systems Inc. in the amount of $25,000 for the purchase and installation of RIMS CIBRS reporting software and (b) authorize the sheriff/coroner or his designee to issue a purchase order.
5.18: Approve Amendment No. 2 between the county of Lake on behalf of CSA 20, Soda Bay and PACE Engineering of Redding for Construction Engineering Services in the amount of $58,000 for a total contract amount of $220,131.50 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.19: Adopt resolution authorizing the director of Social Services to execute Standard Agreement # 20-HK-00075 and all other documents necessary to participate in the HOMEKEY program administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Public input.
6.2, 9:05 a.m.: Presentation of a proclamation recognizing the retirement of Cindy Silva-Brackett, supervising accountant, and honoring her many years of outstanding service to the county of Lake.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: (a) Approve formation of the Lake County Small Business COVID Recovery Team and (b) appoint Supervisors Crandell and Sabatier to fill the county seats on the team.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: Consideration of resolution of intention of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Lake to initiate amendments to the zoning ordinance to establish regulations and develop standards for the cultivation of cannabis amending Article 27 of Chapter 21 of the Lake County Code pertaining to cannabis cultivation.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: a) Consideration of Awarding Bid No. 20 – 24 for the Supply of Bulk #2 Red Diesel Fuel, No. 2 clear diesel fuel and unleaded gasoline; and b) accept and sign Westgate Petroleum bid for No. 2 red diesel; and c) accept and sign Westgate Petroleum Bid for No. 2 clear diesel; and d) accept and sign Westgate Petroleum bid for unleaded gasoline; and e) authorize chair to sign agreement between the county and Westgate Petroleum.
7.3: Discussion and direction to staff regarding the proposed re-use of an existing agricultural packing facility for a commercial cannabis-related business which includes a use not currently allowed by the current cannabis ordinance.
7.4: Consideration of agreement between the county of Lake and Safebuilt for consulting services for professional plan check, building permit processing, and building and public infrastructure inspection services for the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project.
7.5: Consideration of Change Order No. 1 with West Coast Contractors DBA Oregon West Coast Contractors for Clayton Creek Road at Clayton Creek Bridge Replacement Project, Federal Project No. BRLO-5914(077), Bid No. 20-10, for an increase of $492 and a revised contract amount of $1,613,663.40.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Employee grievance: Complaint pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54957.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(2), (e)(3) – Claim of McQueen.
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.
Santa Claus will make a pre-Christmas appearance in Clearlake, California, on Friday, December 18, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Rotary Club of Clear Lake. CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Santa Claus is coming to town this week.
Santa will be visiting Clearlake on Friday, Dec. 18, via a “Santa drive-around,” spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Clear Lake.
He’ll be riding on a Lake County Fire Protection District Fire engine and will be joined by the Clearlake Police Department, a Konocti Unified School District decorated school bus with principals and teachers, and a fire department ambulance as part of his convoy.
They will start out from near Highway 53 on Lakeshore Drive. at 3 p.m., and continue down Lakeshore Drive to Olympic Drive where they’ll make a right and continue down Olympic to the Fire Department.
Community members are invited to join in welcoming Santa to the city.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lake County Superior Court judge has ruled that a man convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter for the death of his traveling companion cannot be retried for a more serious charge.
Judge Andrew Blum handed down the decision in the case 22-year-old Mavrick William Fisher in a Friday hearing in Lakeport.
District Attorney Susan Krones, who personally prosecuted the case, had wanted to pursue the retrial, but that ended with Blum’s decision.
“Mr. Fisher is very relieved that there won’t be a retrial,” said Fisher’s defense attorney, Tom Feimer. “I think it was a very well thought out decision.”
A jury convicted Fisher last month of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Grant David Whitaker of Mackinaw, Illinois, on Aug. 20, 2019. The jury also convicted Fisher of taking a vehicle – which Whitaker’s grandmother had loaned her grandson for the trip – without permission.
The jury found Fisher not guilty of murder and hung on charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon with a special allegation of great bodily injury or death.
The two young men, both deaf, had been traveling the West Coast together when they were involved in a disagreement that resulted in a physical confrontation while they were camping at Richardson Grove State Park in Humboldt County.
Fisher brought Whitaker’s body to Lake County, disposing of it on a ranch in the Scotts Valley area, before fleeing to Mexico, where he was taken into custody days after Whitaker’s death.
Fisher was extradited back to Lake County, where he’s remained in custody since his arrest. His trial proceedings were transferred to Lake County because Whitaker’s body was located here.
On Friday, Krones, Fisher and Feimer returned to court for an appearance before Judge Blum, who presided over the trial and made the determination that a retrial should not go forward.
Based on his research, Blum concluded that Krones could not retry Fisher for voluntary manslaughter based on the issue of “collateral estoppel,” a legal doctrine preventing relitigation of an issue.
In Fisher’s case, Blum concluded that the law does not allow for conviction of both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.
Blum, under the authority granted to him in the state’s penal code, also dismissed the other charges the jury hung on in its November decision – assault with a deadly weapon and the special allegation of great bodily injury or death – in the interest of justice.
In explaining his reasoning, Blum said he believed it was unlikely that a retrial would lead to a conviction. He pointed out that in a normal case, where there is a killing inside of a building, there is forensic evidence to show where a victim was and how the assault took place.
“In this case, because the tent where this happened was packed up, there was no way to tell exactly where the victim was when he was hit,” Krones told Lake County News.
“The evidence was destroyed,” she added.
During the trial, Fisher himself took the stand and “testified extensively about what happened,” said Feimer.
“At the end of the day, it’s my belief that Mr. Fisher provided the most essential evidence in this case,” Feimer said.
Based on the verdict, “The jury, for the most part, believed his account of events,” said Feimer.
“If you follow the prosecution’s theory, they would have likely convicted him of murder. And that’s not what they did,” Feimer said.
While juries might not know the ins and outs of the law as lawyers do, Feimer said it’s his experience that they are pretty good at seeing through someone if they’re not being real with them.
“He came across as authentic and honest and that played a big role, I believe, in their verdict,” Feimer said of Fisher.
Feimer added, “It was a very stressful and long ordeal for him to go through that trial. He and his family are happy that there won’t be another one.”
Now, the defense is preparing for the upcoming sentencing hearing, which will take place at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21 in Blum’s courtroom.
At that time, they will hear victim impact statements. So far, Krones said her office has received 12 of them, which the judge will consider before handing down the sentence.
The Lake County Probation Department has submitted its sentencing recommendations, which Krones said will become a public document when the sentencing occurs.
Blum has all options available to him when it comes to sentencing, from a maximum of four years in prison to probation, Krones said.
To date, Krones said Fisher has served 485 days in custody and is eligible for half-time credits. If he receives the maximum four-year sentence, Krones said that based on her calculations Fisher would have another 245 days to serve. If he receives a three-year sentence, the time remaining to serve will be 64 days. At the lower, two-year term, he’s likely to be released with time served.
Feimer’s goal is to get Fisher the minimum sentencing possible. “He’s a fairly young man. He has no record,” Feimer said, adding that although the jury found that the killing was not entirely excusable, it was done for a reason and for self-defense.
All of those things are factors that need to be considered, Feimer said.
The case has generated continuing interest in the deaf community nationwide, with both the prosecution and defense noting the attention it’s received.
Krones called it “a very unusual case,” with both the victim and the accused being deaf.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had this volume of messages in any previous case that I have had,” said Krones.
“The messages that I’ve been getting overall are people that are upset with the verdict and they believe that it was murder,” she said, adding she also has received some messages from those who believe Fisher is innocent.
Once he’s completed his time, Feimer said Fisher wants to return to Nevada, which he considers his home.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will honor its departing members and welcome two newly elected councilmen when it holds its final meeting of the year this week.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799. The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the City Clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments prior to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On the agenda is the council’s acceptance of the final results of the Nov. 3 general election by the approval of a resolution.
The council will then honor outgoing councilmembers, Tim Barnes and George Spurr. Both just completed their first and only terms.
Councilman Kenny Parlet, who was elected to a new term, will take his oath along with new councilmen Michael Froio and Michael Green.
The council will then elect its mayor and mayor pro term for 2021.
In other business on Tuesday, Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace will give the council an update on the COVID-19 situation in Lake County.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Dec. 1 and the special meeting on Dec. 7 and 8; the Dec. 8 warrant register; and direction to the city clerk to prepare the 2021 Maddy Act Appointments List and post at City Hall and the Lakeport Public Library.
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.
