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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Dr. Giovanni Annous, superintendent at Upper Lake Unified School District, was among the nearly 40 superintendents and other administrators recognized for successfully completing the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program, administered by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

The recognition ceremony was part of AASA’s National Conference on Education, Feb. 14 to 16, in Los Angeles.

"It is with great honor and pleasure I am able to use these professional development opportunities to help me better serve the students and community of Upper Lake,” Dr. Annous said.

He said the program is among the best professional development opportunities he’s ever had as an educator. It focuses on a number of key skills successful superintendents need to thrive.

Launched in 2013, the certification process is spread across 18 months and is tailored for superintendents who have been in the job seven years or fewer.

The forums, seminars and coaching provide opportunities to define and examine issues that surface in real-life situations.

These issues include providing world-class instructional leadership; building and managing a district budget; mastering effective communication and political skills; using 21st century technology effectively in instruction and management; managing superintendent/school board relations; and designing a career path for oneself.

The AASA National Superintendent Certification Program is a collaborative effort with AASA state affiliates, the National School Boards Association, and business and corporate leaders. The master teachers and guest instructors have all been sitting superintendents and have demonstrable track records of success.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission is set to discuss a proposal for a cannabis business and get an update on city planning activities.

The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a use permit from Laura Birch of Danville-based eCannabis for a cannabis retail delivery business in an existing building on property located at 1775 South Main St.

The commission also will get the Lakeport Planning Department’s 2018 Year-end Report, including a summary of various land use applications, and other planning division activities for the 2018 calendar year.

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.
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This aerial image shows a cyanobacteria bloom event in the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake in Lake County, Calif., in about 2011. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Department of Water Resources.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library’s Know Lake County lecture series will feature Angela De Palma-Dow, invasive species coordinator for the Lake County Department of Water Resources, who will speak about local water concerns.

The program will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

Lake County Water Resources is responsible for the preservation, health and growth of Clear Lake.

De Palma-Dow will touch on water quality issues in Clear Lake including cyanobacteria, post-fire impacts, and current management and monitoring in place.

She will discuss the current aquatic invasive species present in Clear Lake, invasive species of concern in California including identification and distribution.

De Palma-Dow will talk about what individuals can do to help improve water quality in Lake County and Clear Lake.

The library is presenting this program in recognition of World Water Day on March 22.

According to the Web site, www.worldwaterday.org, “This World Water Day, 22nd March, is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind.”

Billions of people around the world lack a reliable supply of clean, fresh water.

The monthly Know Lake County lectures feature speakers from a wide array of organizations and disciplines, each representing some aspect of Lake County.

Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Lake County Library. The library is located at 1425 N. High St. For more information call 707-263-8817.

The Lake County Library is on the internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary.

Jan Cook is a library technician for the Lake County Library.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – After an initial unsuccessful recruitment – and with less than two months before the county’s next election – the Board of Supervisors has directed county staff to reopen the application period for the registrar of voters job, which continues to be held on an interim basis by the county administrative officer.

The job posting returned to the county’s Human Resources Web page on Monday.

It will remain open until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 31.

The salary range is $5,597 to $7,327 on a monthly basis. According to the job announcement, it requires “five years of work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions; or five years of current high-level management experience in voter registration and election organization with responsibility for election planning, budget administration, and personnel management; or five years of full-time administrative or managerial experience in a position which requires the application of laws and processes.”

The job first opened last month, after the resignation of interim Registrar Maria Valadez, as Lake County News has reported.

Valadez was the county’s longtime deputy registrar who was appointed in early December to fill the job on an interim basis effective Dec. 29, the day after Registrar Diane Fridley retired. Together, the two women had close to 70 years of experience in the office, as Lake County News has reported.

After the county made no attempt to keep Valadez permanently, she left on Feb. 22 to take a position with the county of Mendocino, where she is now the assistant clerk-recorder/registrar of voters.

In October, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson had attempted unsuccessfully to have the board change the registrar’s job requirements to require a bachelor’s degree without the ability to substitute in experience, which would have prevented Valadez from succeeding Fridley on her retirement, despite having close to three decades of experience in the registrar’s office.

Although the board didn’t pursue that proposal after Fridley pointed out her staff wouldn’t be eligible, the supervisors didn’t give the the job to Valadez on a permanent basis, wanting to hold off on a permanent appointment for six months. With a higher-paying, permanent job offer available in Ukiah, Valadez departed.

On Feb. 12, Huchingson asked the board to add a special closed session discussion about filling the registrar’s job after the announcement of Valadez’s intended departure. In that closed session, the board voted 3-1 to appoint Huchingson the interim registrar of voters, effective at the close of business on Feb. 22, Valadez’s last day on the job. The vote was 3-1, with Supervisor Rob Brown voting no and Supervisor EJ Crandell absent.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said the intention is not to have Huchingson fill the job long term, but to cover it until a new registrar is hired.

New recruitment to be longer

When the county first opened its recruitment for a new registrar in February, it advertised for a permanent, not interim, election official, after the board had been unwilling to offer Valadez the job on a permanent basis.

The job’s initial recruitment period open to the public was nine days, following a brief period during which it was open only to other county employees, according to the Human Resources Department.

From that first posting Huchingson said the county received 13 applications. Of those, only three individuals met the minimum requirements.

At the end of February, after that first recruitment window closed, Huchingson told Lake County News that there was to be no extension of time in the recruitment.

Of the three candidates who met the qualifications and were invited to interview, the Board of Supervisors interviewed two candidates during a closed session at its March 5 meeting, Sabatier confirmed.

Sabatier said the board chose not to hire either person they interviewed. “We just said no because we didn’t feel it was a good fit.”

The decision was then made to readvertise the job. “Our hope from the very beginning is to fill that position as soon as possible,” said Sabatier, adding, “We don’t want to linger.”

He didn’t recall the board at the March 5 meeting giving any specific direction on the length of the new open recruitment, which is 20 days, compared to the previous 9-day period of time it was open to the public, not just county employees.

“We want to solve this issue,” Sabatier said.

One of the factors limiting the number of applicants, Sabatier said, is the pay the county offers.

Sabatier said he doesn’t know if the Human Resources Department is reaching out to any professional associations to find a candidate, but added that Human Resources Director Pamela Nichols has been using different avenues to advertise the county’s jobs, which he said has helped them get more applicants.

Nichols joined the county in August, four months after the board approved Huchingson’s request, tucked into a March 20 consent agenda item, to consolidate the Human Resources Department into a division of her department, the County Administrative Office.

Sabatier couldn’t confirm recent reports that the county went to Valadez, now in her new job, to ask her to return and take the registrar’s job – promising her the same pay she is now getting – and that she refused.

The county of Mendocino assistant clerk-recorder/registrar pay range is $76,918.40 to $93,475.20 annually, compared to $67,164 to $81,636 for the Lake County registrar of voters job.

Retired registrar offers assistance; Lakeport Fire officials concerned

One of Huchingson’s deputy administrative officers, Matthew Rothstein, has been assigned to work with the elections office while the recruitment continues.

The departure of both Fridley and Valadez left behind an office with only two employees, both part-time and with not enough experience to apply for either the registrar’s job or the deputy registrar’s position – which still hasn’t appeared on the county job board.

Meanwhile, Fridley confirmed to Lake County News that she has returned to help as a volunteer in the Registrar of Voters Office and that she’s willing to assist in the upcoming election.

“I don’t want the office to fail,” she said.

Sabatier said Fridley also has been part of the process to hire a new registrar.

Fridley said she was in the office on Tuesday helping clarify some issues on the Lakeport Fire Protection District fire measure, which is set to go to voters in a mail ballot in early May.

That election coming up is a concern for the county and the district alike.

“It’s an important election,” Sabatier said.

At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board discussed the ballot measure, with staff reporting that they had been communicating with multiple county staffers and double- and triple-checking to make sure that the registrar’s office had the information needed ahead of the election.

“It’s just very concerning that they’re going to be able to handle this measure successfully,” said District Director Alan Flora, who also is the assistant city manager for the city of Clearlake.

Flora said the district will have to keep checking to make sure everything is in order. “Obviously, it’s a big problem if they can’t uphold their responsibility and make sure it gets administered correctly.”

Sabatier said the county has just upgraded its election equipment and software, which will be in place for the fire district election. He said the company is supposed to both train county staff and help them with the election in May.

So far, it’s not clear how quickly a new registrar can be in place. On the county’s current time line, it’s likely that, at the earliest, it could be mid April before a candidate has been screened, vetted, interviewed and accepted the offer, which would give them less than a month to get up to speed.

Fridley pointed to the challenges ahead. “It’s not just learning the election, it’s learning the new system also.”

However, she said she feels the registrar’s office is moving in the right direction. “They’re on their way.”

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.
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SACRAMENTO – California has faced an unprecedented series of mega-wildland fires over the past decade – some of the most destructive and deadly in American history.

On Wednesday, a joint hearing of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will review residential development in some of the Golden State’s most fire prone regions and how state and local governments can keep residents safe in communities that are within the Wildland Urban Interface.

The hearing, led by Senators Henry Stern and Mike McGuire, chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, respectively, titled “Living Resiliently in the New Abnormal: The Future of Development in California’s Most Fire Prone Regions” will be held Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Room 4203.

The hearing will be livestreamed at www.senate.ca.gov. More information on the hearing can be found at https://sgf.senate.cao.gov.

“The complete devastation of communities across our state from the worst wildland fires in California’s history is forcing us to take a closer look at policies for development and land use planning in high fire prone areas,” Sen. McGuire said. “We’re grateful to be partnering with Sen. Stern to bring some of the top experts in the Western United States together to have the difficult conversations about development in the era of mega wildland fires.”

“In this new and destructive abnormal brought by the climate emergency, we have a responsibility to rebuild more resiliently and not repeat the same mistakes over again,” said Sen. Stern. “The good news is that we have tools to protect people from deadly wildfires with smarter building standards, safer and cleaner grid technologies like under-grounding, microgrids and clean backup power for water pumps, fire stations and other critical infrastructure, and smarter land use policies where we can limit new growth into the wildland urban interface. I’m grateful to Sen. McGuire for his collaboration in this hearing, as his constituents have gone through hell just like we have.”

The hearing will examine how local communities can rebuild in the aftermath of fires and how best to improve local planning and development approvals to mitigate wildland fire and fire losses.

It also will seek an informed perspective on the question of whether local and state governments should do more to regulate future development in fire prone areas or to make developments more fire resilient.

Testifying at the hearing are:

· Mark Ghilarducci, director, California Office of Emergency Services;
· Bob Fenton, regional administrator, FEMA Region 9;
· Dr. Max Moritz, statewide wildfire specialist, University of California Cooperative Extension;
· Jeff Lambert, director of planning, city of Oxnard, past president, American Planning Association, California Chapter;
· Chief Kate Dargan, California State Fire Marshal (retired), Cal Fire;
· Chief Ken Pimlott, director (retired), Cal Fire;
· Scott Lotter, former mayor, city of Paradise;
· Tim Snellings, planning director, Butte County;
· Chief Michael McLaughlin, Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department;
· Ty Bailey, California Professional Firefighters, president, Sacramento Area Firefighters, Local 522, fire captain, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
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Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake will be having a farewell reception in honor of outgoing City Manager Greg Folsom this week.

The reception will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 14, before the regularly scheduled Clearlake City Council meeting at City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

There will also be a presentation to honor Folsom’s service to the City of Clearlake.

Folsom has accepted the city manager’s job with Suisun City, as Lake County News has reported. His last day on the job is March 30.

”It has been an honor representing the city of Clearlake as its city manager for the last nearly four years,” said Folsom. “I am extremely proud of what council and I have been able to achieve during that period and, with the tremendous staff in place, I know that the future will continue to remain bright for Clearlake.”
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, along with Lake County District Attorney Susan Krones and the district attorneys for Humboldt and Napa counties, announced Tuesday that no criminal charges would be filed against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. related to the October 2017 Northern California wildfires.

After an extensive review, each district attorney’s office determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that PG&E acted with a reckless disregard for human life in causing the fires, the standard necessary to sustain criminal charges.

The district attorneys consulted with the California Attorney General’s Office during the review of the cases and prior to the decision not to file charges.

After thorough investigations, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused numerous wildfires in the four counties, and referred their reports to the district attorneys to review for possible filing of criminal charges.

In June, Cal Fire released findings that the Sulphur fire in Lake County was caused by PG&E equipment, as Lake County News has reported.

Of the fires that originated in Sonoma County, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused the Adobe, Norrbom, Pocket, and Pythian/Oakmont Fires, but did not cause the Nuns Fire and the Thirty Seven Fire (along with the Tubbs Fire which originated in Napa County).

The cases that were referred for prosecution all required proof that PG&E acted with criminal negligence in failing to remove dead and dying trees.

Under California law, criminal negligence requires proof of actions that are reckless and incompatible with a proper regard for human life, and any charges must be proven unanimously to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

The district attorneys said proving PG&E failed in their duty to remove trees was made particularly difficult in this context as the locations where the fires occurred, and where physical evidence could have been located, were decimated by the fires.

In response to the announcement, PG&E released a statement Tuesday in which it said, “The safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve remains our highest priority. We continue to focus on helping our customers and communities in these counties continue to recover and rebuild.”

PG&E remains on federal criminal probation and is a defendant in many private civil cases arising out of the wildfires seeking, among other remedies, financial compensation. Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties are among the counties suing PG&E over the October 2017, with the city of Clearlake also having filed suit against the company.

The district attorney’s offices would thanked Cal Fire for its outstanding work in battling these fires and investigating their causes.
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Harley Jean Wilson, 42, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was arrested on Monday, March 11, 2019, on drug charges after she was found in a van that had been reported as loitering around Upper Lake, Calif. Lake County Jail photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said its officers have recovered property reported stolen from Upper Lake and made a drug-related arrest of a Santa Rosa woman found in a van that was loitering in the area impacted by the thefts.

The CHP said that recently the Upper Lake community formed a patrol group to address theft, suspicious vehicles and other various problems which are not always visible to law enforcement.

The community patrol reported a suspicious white van and a suspicious blue van that had been loitering in the area, the CHP said.

Officers Brian Hanson and Shawn Bertram received the information on Monday, March 11, and immediately went to work, authorities said.

Within a few hours, Officer Bertram located the white van, unoccupied, on Foothill Drive in Lucerne. With a little investigative work, the CHP said he determined the vehicle was a previously reported stolen U-Haul van, loaded with stolen property in the back.

Officer Bertram was able to identify some of the stolen property and return it to the rightful owners, the CHP said.

The CHP said Officer Bertram has asked that anyone in the Upper Lake, Nice or Lucerne areas who has recently been the victim of property theft to contact him at 707-279-0103.

Also on Monday, Officer Hanson located the second vehicle of interest, a blue Dodge van with expired registration, on Old Lucerne Road near Big Oak Way in Upper Lake, the CHP said.

As Officer Hanson assessed the van, the CHP said he realized that it was occupied by Harley Jean Wilson, 42, of Santa Rosa who was sleeping inside the vehicle.

As he spoke with Wilson, Officer Hanson determined that she was in possession of several illegal substances, the CHP said.

Officer Hanson arrested Wilson Monday afternoon for misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, and a felony arrest warrant out of Sonoma County. Jail records show she also was booked on a felony charge of bringing a controlled substance into a jail.

She remained in custody on Tuesday, with bail set at $20,000. Her booking sheet indicates she is to make a court appearance on Wednesday.

The CHP said the blue van Wilson was driving was impounded at Jones Towing.

The CHP thanked the Upper Lake Community Patrol for reporting these suspicious circumstances to law enforcement, noting that community patrols act as the eyes and the ears for law enforcement and allow them to be more effective in serving our communities.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a major legislative proposal as part of his $1.75 billion package to confront California’s housing cost crisis.

The new proposal sets higher short-term goals for housing that cities and counties must meet, and provides $750 million in support and incentives to help jurisdictions plan and zone for these higher, ambitious housing targets.

The proposal would also update and modernize the state’s long-term housing goals, known as Regional Housing Needs Allocations, or RHNA, to better reflect regional housing and transportation needs.

This proposal is one part of Gov. Newsom’s ambitious $1.75 billion housing package for 2019, which includes $1 billion in tax credits and loans to spur low, mixed and middle-income housing production through separate legislative and budget proposals.

“Our state’s affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream and the foundations of our economic well-being,” said Gov. Newsom. “Families should be able to live near where they work. They shouldn’t live in constant fear of eviction or spend their whole paycheck to keep a roof overhead. That’s increasingly the case throughout California.”

In January, Gov. Newsom unveiled his $1.75 billion budget proposal to spur housing in California and called on the Legislature to provide relief and stabilization for renters.

He signed an executive order to build affordable housing on excess state lands and announced first-of-its-kind legal action against a city, Huntington Beach, for standing in the way of affordable housing production and refusing to meet regional housing needs.

In his State of the State address, he offered state assistance to the 47 California cities out of compliance with state housing requirements and invited city leaders to meetings with state housing officials in Long Beach and Sacramento.

As part of the plan to address the housing cost crisis, the governor proposes the following.

Accelerating and incentivizing housing goals

Through these proposals, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, will establish new, higher short-term statewide housing goals for jurisdictions.

HCD will adjust statewide targets for 2020 and 2021 and jurisdictions will be incentivized to accelerate their three-year RHNA goals to reach those benchmarks within two years.

HCD will distribute increased targets to jurisdictions based on factors such as jobs, households, and affordability.

Jump-starting housing production

The trailer bills provide $750 million in one-time funding to help jump-start housing production:

– $250 million will go to cities for planning towards their new, higher short-term housing goals;

– $500 million will go to cities as incentives as they meet certain milestones of planning and zoning for more housing.

Local governments will receive $250 million in grants to support technical assistance and staffing to adjust plans to reach the higher RHNA goals – half directly to cities, and half through regions.

Regions will create action plans to identify process improvements, barriers to production, and other activities needed to increase production.

Cities will receive $125 million to begin work on improving their processes. Another $125 million will be distributed to regions to plan and award to cities in accordance with regional plans.

If a jurisdiction is in a region or county that has not submitted a plan, they can submit their own for HCD approval. HCD will identify a methodology to distribute incentive rewards to these unique jurisdictions.

An additional $500 million will be made available to cities in incentive grants. Beginning in 2021, incentive grants for general purposes will become available for jurisdictions that have made progress in implementing their plans and meeting increased production goals.

Regions will develop the reward methodology, in furtherance of their regional housing plan goals, and with HCD approval.

Steps towards long-term housing reform

To make meaningful reforms to the housing crisis in California, all stakeholders must work collaboratively to develop sustainable, long-term solutions.

California must take a more comprehensive approach to planning for housing and transportation. This new proposal will ensure that by December 31, 2022, HCD, in collaboration with the Office of Planning and Research, or OPR, will engage stakeholders and propose an improved RHNA process and methodology.

Working with the California State Transportation Agency and OPR, HCD will engage stakeholders and propose opportunities to link transportation and other non-housing funds with housing goals by the end of 2022.

Beginning July 1, 2023, SB 1 Local Streets and Roads funds may be withheld from any jurisdiction that does not have a compliant housing element and has not zoned and entitled for its updated annual housing goals.

Expanding middle class housing opportunities

A separate trailer bill will propose the creation of a major, new investment in spurring new middle-class housing production.

This will happen by providing funding to support the development of affordable housing critical to spurring affordable communities.

The governor’s proposal would allocate $500 million for the expansion of the State Housing Tax Credit Program.

These funds would pair with the existing underutilized 4 percent affordable housing federal tax credit program – targeted at new construction projects.

Up to $200 million of this new allocation may allowably fund the creation of a new program targeting development of moderate-income housing – for households of up to 120 percent of AMI – a population not typically served by the state’s housing programs.

The final $500 million of the governor’s housing package does not require a budget trailer bill. It is included in the proposed budget, and proposes a $500 million General Fund one-time allocation to expand CalHFA’s Mixed-Income Loan Program.

This investment would jumpstart the estimated $43 million in annual funding dedicated to this program, and would pair with the proposed tax credit program described above.
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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall will meet this week to discuss several projects and appoint a new board member.

MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.

Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.

On the agenda are presentations on the Diamond D Ranch vineyard project, an update from the Lake County Community Development Department and the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road intersection project.

There also will be updates on Trailside Park, the initial study for Harbin Hot Springs and the appointment of the vacant MATH Board member.

The MATH Board includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large member Marlene Elder.

MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

Meetings are subject to videotaping.

For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council this week will hold a budget workshop and a reception for its outgoing city manager, and consider hiring his assistant city manager to succeed him.

The council’s workshop for the upcoming 2019-20 fiscal year will start at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

At 5 p.m., the council will host the reception for City Manager Greg Folsom, whose last day is March 30. He is leaving to take the city manager’s job in Suisun City.

The regular meeting will convene at 6 p.m., at the start of which the council will make a presentation to Folsom.

The council also will hold a swearing-in of Clearlake Police Sgt. Ryan Peterson and Animal Control Officer Willow Goldtooth, offer a proclamation declaring March as Meals on Wheels Month and hear Clearlake Waste Solutions’ annual report.

On the agenda is consideration of an employee services agreement with Assistant City Manager Alan Flora, who the council will discuss appointing as city manager, as Lake County News has reported. Flora joined the city last year.

The council also will look at awarding a $491,777 construction contract for the Highlands Harbor/Harbor Lane Pavement Rehabilitation Project with Team Ghilotti, with an additional 10 percent to be allowed for additional unforeseen contract amendments.

Council members also will consider approving a $210,120 contract – also with an additional 10 percent for contract change orders – with VSS International for the Moss/Davis Pavement Rehabilitation Project.

In other business, the council will conduct a public review of the 2018 General Plan Housing Element Annual Progress Report.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the Feb. 13 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; approval of updated first-time homebuyer guidelines; continuation of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action on Oct. 12, 2017; and consideration of the facilities maintenance worker I/II job description and range, Resolution No. 2019-11.

The council also will hold a closed session to discuss negotiations for property located at 14130 Tuli Lane; existing litigation against Pacific Gas and Electric; negotiations with Barry Johnson, John Glikbarg and Dave Hughes regarding 26 acres of property owned by the city of Clearlake that’s located west of Highway 53, between Highway 53 and Old Highway 53, and extension of 18th Avenue; and labor negotiations with the Clearlake Management/Confidential Employees, Clearlake Police Officer Association, Clearlake Municipal Employees Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association.

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.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council this week will consider the option of appointing the city’s assistant city manager and finance director as the new city manager.

Alan Flora is being considered for the job on Thursday, during the last meeting for City Manager Greg Folsom, who has accepted a job with Suisun City, as Lake County News has reported.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic St.

At the council’s Feb. 28 meeting, a closed session was held to discuss the city manager appointment in the wake of the announcement that Folsom had taken a new job. His last day with Clearlake will be March 30.

There was no reportable action out of that closed door discussion, according to City Attorney Ryan Jones.

This week, the council will consider hiring Flora and approving an employment services agreement with a three-year term – effective March 28 – with the option for two additional years if agreed upon by Flora and the council.

Flora has previous experience as a deputy administrative officer for the county of Lake, where he worked for now-retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox before serving in Mendocino County as its assistant chief executive officer beginning in late 2014.

Folsom brought Flora on at the city of Clearlake in early 2018 to serve as finance director, with the city later giving him the assistant manager title as well.

The proposed employment services agreement includes a monthly salary of $11,808.33, and a combined car and cell phone allowance of $400 per month.

Jones’ report to the council explains that other provisions of the agreement “generally follow the terms provided in Mr. Folsom’s City Manager agreement.”

On July 1, 2020, Flora will receive a 5-percent salary adjustment contingent upon a positive evaluation from a majority of the council, based on the proposed contract. He’ll also receive an annual cost of living adjustment of the same percentage and at the same time as other city employees.

Other provisions of the proposed contract include a 7-percent CalPERS retirement contribution to be paid by the city; health, vision and dental insurance; life insurance coverage; disability insurance coverage; 120 hours of vacation accrual annually, for a maximum accrual of 240 hours; eight hours of sick leave per month; membership in regional, state and local associations and organizations in which his representation on behalf of the city’s interests is necessary or desirable; and professional development courses and educational opportunities.

If he were to be terminated without cause within the first year of employment, he would be entitled to six months severance plus accrued vacation and one month’s health insurance. For each additional full year of service, the severance pay and benefits cap shall be increased by one month, for a maximum of 12 months.

Jones’ report to the council says that the agreement would be a net savings to the city’s general fund as Flora’s compensation initially would be less than Folsom’s. There also will be short-term savings as Flora continues to serve as finance manager.

The proposed contract is published below.

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.

031419 Clearlake City Council - Proposed city manager contract by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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