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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Library’s digital periodical collections RB Digital magazines and the New York Times continue to be available during the COVID-19 shelter in place order.

These free services, accessible with a Lake County Library card, can be found on the library’s website by clicking “Digital Content.”

RBdigital Magazines, the world's largest newsstand, offers full-color digital magazines for anytime, anywhere reading on desktops, mobile devices, and apps.

Lake County Library's collection of popular digital magazines includes both new and backlist titles with no holds, no checkout periods, and no limits. Instantly read over 125 popular magazines like The Week Magazine, In Touch Weekly, New Scientist, or The New Yorker.

Check out magazines and read them instantly on your desktop or mobile browser – or check out and download magazines through mobile apps. Check out as many issues as you want and keep them in your account as long as you wish.

With the library’s digital New York Times subscription, delve into the stories and topics that interest you most, from world news to the arts, Book Review and everything in between.

Readers will find a variety of topics covered with unsurpassed quality and depth through breaking news articles, blogs, videos and interactive features.

For access to the NY Times from home, go to the library’s website and select the digital content under Books and More.

Follow the links on the New York Times page to redeem an access code to the Times. Register or login, then enjoy 24 hours access to the NY Times.

With a library card, patrons can access the library’s array of digital services without the need to visit a local branch. If you need a library card, you can create an online card with the application form on the library website.

If you have a question about an existing library account, call 707-263-8817 and leave a message. Library staff will be available by phone during normal operating hours to assist with the digital resources.

The Lake County Library continues to offer services during the COVID19 stay at home. If you want to keep up with library news, sign up for free weekly email updates on the library’s homepage.

Jan Cook is a library technician for the Lake County Library.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino-Lake Community College District is inviting community members to be involved in its search for the next superintendent/president.

The district’s leadership said the process to select the new superintendent/president is underway, but finalists have yet to be determined.

In preparation for the next step in the search and review process, the district said it is asking for the public’s help.

Due to COVID-19, the district will be recording candidate forums without a live audience.

The recorded forums will be posted on the district’s website for the community’s review and feedback on May 12 by 9 a.m.

Prior to the forums the district also will welcome input. Send questions that you would like to ask the candidates by April 26 at 11:59 p.m.

Questions can be submitted here or via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The district said it will include a good representation/cross-section of the questions posed.

Additionally, there will be a feedback link to provide feedback at the time of the posting of the recording. The district will need feedback no later than May 12 at 11:59 p.m.

“We understand that a live forum with active participants is the ideal; however, we are in a new operating environment with COVID-19. Our District is doing our best to move forward with business as usual, as well as having the highest concern for everyone's safety,” said Robert Jason Pinoli, John Tomkins and Marie Myers, members of the Mendocino-Lake Community College District Board of Trustees and the Superintendent/President Search Sub-Committee in a joint written statement.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended a record 10-year job expansion in California, with state and local unemployment rates rising in March as the pandemic’s economic impact becomes more apparent.

The California Employment Development Department’s latest report on joblessness shows the state’s unemployment rate rose from a record low of 3.9 percent in February to 5.3 percent in March.

That 1.4-percent jump in joblessness from February to March was California’s largest unemployment rate increase on record in a data series going back to 1976, the Employment Development Department reported.

The number of Californians holding jobs in March was 18,244,100, a decrease of 512,600 from February and down 293,700 from the employment total in March of last year, the state said.

At the same time, the number of unemployed Californians was 1,020,100 in March, an increase of 260,800 over the month and up by 201,200 compared with March of 2019.

California paid out $407 million in unemployment benefits in March, the EDD reported.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said that, nationwide, the unemployment rate in March was 4.4 percent, compared to 3.5 percent in February and 3.8 percent in March of last year.

The agency said unemployment rates were higher in March in 29 states and the District of Columbia, lower in 3 states and stable in 18 states.

In Lake County, unemployment in March rose to 7 percent, up from 5.8 percent in February and 5.9 percent over the previous year. The March jobless rate was the highest for Lake County since January 2017.

Based on the Employment Development Department’s historical data, Lake County’s 1.2-percent jobless increase between February and March is the largest month-to-month increase that Lake County has experienced since November 2010, as it was still recovering from the prolonged fallout from the Great Recession.

On the local level, the Employment Development Department said the effects of the pandemic couldn’t be quantified yet but that the “it is likely that the unseasonable changes in the industry employment and labor force data can be ascribed to the effects of the illness and efforts to contain the virus.”

The agency also reported that the March survey reference period, the week that contains the 12th day of the month, predated many coronavirus-related business and school closures in the second half of the month.

In Lake County, the number of unemployed in March numbered 2,060 individuals, up from 1,690 unemployed persons in February.

Month-over job decreases in Lake County were primarily in the federal government, -6.3 percent. Other sectors showed minor job gains.

Lake County was ranked No. 32 out of California’s 58 counties for its March jobless rate.

Neighboring county jobless rates and ranks for March are: Colusa, 22.4 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 8.7 percent, No. 44; Mendocino, 5.9 percent, No. 26; Napa, 4 percent, No. 9; Sonoma, 3.6 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 5.9 percent, No. 26.

A look at state industries

Last month, California’s employers lost 99,500 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to data the EDD released that was based on two surveys – a federal survey of 5,100 California households that determines the unemployment rate and a federal survey of 80,000 California businesses that determines nonfarm payroll job numbers.

The state said the March job losses ended a record job expansion in California of 120 months, which surpassed the long expansion of the 1960s.

In the recent expansion, which followed the Great Recession, California had gained 3,417,700 jobs, which accounted for 15.0 percent of the nation’s 22,789,000 job gain over the same timeframe, the EDD said.

The EDD said that California’s Payroll jobs totaled 17,505,000 in March 2020, down 99,500 from February 2020, but up 150,400 from March of 2019.

The March job loss was the fourth-largest on record and driven by declines in six of California’s 11 industry sectors, the state reported.

The biggest job loss was reported in the leisure and hospitality sector, which posted a loss of 67,200 jobs, which the Employment Development Department said was due in part to losses and closures related to full-service restaurants as well as food services and drinking places.

The state said other large losses were seen in the “other services” category, which saw a drop of 15,500 jobs, and the loss of 11,600 jobs in construction.

The Employment Development Department said the government job category, which had a larger-than-normal increase of 5,200 jobs, was mostly due to a rise in local government employment, in addition to a boost from the federal government thanks to the U.S. Census.

In March 2020, there were 424,645 people receiving unemployment insurance benefits, up 52,266 from February 2020 and up 36,878 from March of last year. There were 186,479 people who filed new claims, up 144,652 from February and up 146,514 from March of last 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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A smashed window at North Lake Medical Pharmacy in Lakeport, California, where police officers discovered a commercial burglary early on the morning of Tuesday, April 21, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Police Department.


LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is seeking leads from the community regarding an overnight burglary to a local pharmacy.

The department said its officers were dispatched to a burglary alarm activation at North Lake Medical Pharmacy, located at 347 Lakeport Boulevard, just after 12 a.m. Tuesday.

Officers were on scene within a minute of the alarm activation and found that entry had been made into the business through a smashed window.

The subjects who committed the break-in fled the scene prior to arrival, police said.

A review of the business's surveillance camera system revealed two subjects: one in a light-colored hoodie, dark jacket, dark pants and lights shoes with white socks, and another in a black jacket with a hood, a beanie or hat with white-colored writing, pants, shoes and white socks carrying a medium-colored bag.

Police said the video showed the subjects entered the store, quickly grabbed a small number of pill bottles and then fled the scene in an unknown direction.

Images of the subjects are expected to be made available once police have secured a copy of the video.

Inventory of the loss on Tuesday afternoon was still underway, along with the processing of evidence left at the scene, according to police.

Anyone with any additional information is encouraged to make contact with the Investigations Division of the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-9653, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or utilize Nixile Tip services.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced new cross-sector partnerships to support California’s distance learning efforts and help bridge the digital divide.

“School may be physically closed, but class is still in session,” said Gov. Newsom. “But for class to be in session, it is imperative that California addresses the inequities in access to computers, technology tools and connectivity to ensure that online learning can in fact reach all of California’s children. It’s inspiring to see parents, teachers, businesses and philanthropy step up to meet this moment and provide tools to help bridge the digital divide and get more students connected.”

“I am beyond grateful for the generosity and leadership of our community leaders to help us bridge the technology gap that too many California families are facing," said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. "As a mother of four, I know well that the challenges of distance learning can take a toll – both on the child and the parent. That is why it is crucial we close the digital divide and work to ensure that every child has what they need to reach their full potential."

Approximately one in five students in California lack high-speed Internet or an appropriate computing device at home.

In a parent survey two weeks ago, 50 percent of low-income families and 42 percent of families of color reported that they lacked the laptop, Chromebook, or tablet needed to access distance learning.

“We are so thankful to everyone that is stepping up to help us close the digital divide. These efforts will truly make an impact in the lives of our students and an even greater impact as we work to close achievement gaps that existed before this public health crisis,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “I look forward to continuing these efforts with my ‘Closing the Digital Divide’ task force, co-chaired by Sen. Connie Leyva, because we are stronger together, and together, we can close the digital divide for all students in California.”

Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom issued a call to action to business, government, and community leaders to help bridge the digital divide. Leaders across sectors stepped up to heed the call.

Private partnerships

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, State Board of Education President Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond led – and will continue to lead – the drive for community leaders to heed the Governor’s call to action.

Companies, business leaders, and philanthropists heeded the call by committing to provide Internet access for hundreds of thousands of households and over 70,000 laptops, Chromebooks and tablets for students:

– T-Mobile is donating 13,000 tablet devices, in addition to the previously-announced 100,000 hotspot devices (for which they partnered with Google).
– Amazon is donating 10,000 tablet devices.
– Apple is actively working with 800 districts across the state, offering free coaching sessions to teachers to help them with the transition to remote learning. In addition, Apple is offering special pricing for iPads with cellular, and has given the equivalent of 9,000 iPads to ensure the most vulnerable in our state have access.
– Verizon is partnering with the State of California to provide 250,000 students with unlimited Internet service at a discount.
– The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative is donating $1,000,000.
– Jack Dorsey (via #startsmall) is donating $1,000,000.
– Ann and John Doerr are donating $1,000,000.

All monetary contributions will be deposited in a fund established at the CDE Foundation and used to bulk-purchase computing and hotspot devices for allocation to school districts in need, with a priority on rural and low-income communities.

CPUC Broadband in Schools Initiative

The California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, and the California Department of Education will partner to distribute a total of $30 million to support connectivity.

The CPUC will make $25 million available from the California Teleconnect Fund for hotspots and Internet service for student households.

School districts will be able to apply to receive 50 percent discounts on the cost of hotspot devices and on monthly recurring service charges until September 30, 2020.

Rural, small, and medium-sized districts will be prioritized More information is available here.

The CPUC is also proposing to make $5 million available from the California Advanced Services Fund to help cover the costs of computing and hotspot devices. CDE will review requests and coordinate purchases in order to leverage economies of scale. Low-income communities, communities with high percentages of residents with limited English proficiency, and communities with high percentages of residents with limited education attainment will be prioritized. More information is available here.

City of Sacramento Proof of Concept

The California State Transportation Agency is partnering with the city of Sacramento for a 60-day proof of concept to be launched on May 1, 2020.

Seven transit buses will be repurposed and outfitted with super hotspots providing connectivity with at least a 500-foot radius. Buses will park between four to eight hours to provide high-speed Internet services to surrounding locations while people remain in homes or congregate at safe distances while under supervision.

Hotspot locations and protocols will be determined in collaboration between the City of Sacramento, Valley Vision, Sacramento Public Library, SacRT, California State Transportation Agency and public health officials.

Lessons learned from the proof of concept will be converted into a model for cities throughout California to replicate.

Full list of private partnerships

Additional commitments include:

– HP Inc. is donating 5,000 Chromebooks and launching HP Refresh with dedicated resources to the state.
– Lenovo is donating 4,000 Chromebooks.
– An anonymous foundation is donating $1,000,000.
– Box is donating free 12-month licenses to its secure file-sharing services (up to $1,000,000) for school districts to enable administrators and teachers to collaborate. Box CEO Aaron Levie is also personally donating $100,000.
– Scott Cook and Signe Ostby through The Valhalla Charitable Foundation are donating $500,000.
– An anonymous foundation is donating $500,000 for LA County public schools.
– Zoom is donating $500,000.
– AT&T is donating $300,000 for devices and $250,000 for distance learning programs.
– Microsoft is donating 1,000 Surface tablets.
– The Stuart Foundation is donating $250,000.
– Todd McKinnon and Roxanne Stachon are donating $250,000.
– Heising-Simons Foundation is donating $200,000.
– Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang are donating $100,000.
– Silver Giving Foundation is donating $100,000.
– The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is donating $100,000.
– Craig Newmark Philanthropies is donating $100,000.
– VIPKid is donating $50,000.
– PayPal Gives is donating $50,000.

Visit www.covid19.ca.gov or www.covid19.ca.gov/es for critical steps Californians can take to stay healthy, and resources available to those impacted by the outbreak.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will hold discussions about an update to hazard duty pay for essential workers as well as consider having county employees wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board will meet virtually beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 21, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx . Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

Because the meeting will be held virtually, members of the public are asked to submit comments on items to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note the agenda item number addressed.

In timed items, at 9:01 a.m. the board will get its weekly COVID-19 update from Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.

At 1 p.m., the board will consider amending a resolution regarding hazardous duty leave for essential employees to offset COVID-19 impacts.

In untimed items, the board will discuss a temporary policy requiring county employees to wear masks in county facilities as a precautionary measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingon’s report said the measure follows Dr. Pace’s guidance issued on April 13 strongly encourages masking when in public to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Also on Tuesday, the board will consider a letter to Lake County’s congressional delegation regarding emergency coronavirus relief funding.

Huchingon’s report to the board explained that, last week, the California State Association of Counties requested Lake County “take urgent action” to support the organization’s advocacy efforts with the congressional delegation to optimize its latest set of emergency coronavirus relief measures.

CSAC is asking Lake County to join its efforts “to ensure direct assistance is available to Counties in subsequent legislation, and that future measures will recognize Counties are mandated to provide Public Health services to residents of the incorporated Cities within their borders, as well as those in the unincorporated areas,” Huchingson wrote.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt resolution approving amended Agreement No.18-0689-000-SA with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to provide reimbursement for Industrial Hemp Cultivation Program for Agreement Term April 30, 2019 through June 30, 2020.

5.2: Adopt resolution authorizing application for, and receipt of, Local Government Planning Support Grant Program funds.

5.3: Adopt resolution to amend the budget for FY 2019-2020 by appropriating unanticipated revenue for Public Health Services and authorize the Health Services director to sign.

5.4: (a) Approve agreement between the Lake County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Forest Service for FY 20/21 annual operating and financial plan, in the amount of $11,000 for Pillsbury Patrol; and (b) approve grant modification agreement in the amount of $52,420 for the purchase of equipment for the Goat Mountain joint repeater project, and authorize the sheriff and the chairman to sign.

TIMED ITEMS

6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.

6.3, 1 p.m.: Consideration of resolution amending Resolution 2020-34 regarding hazardous duty leave for essential employees to offset COVID-19 impacts.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: Discussion and review of master broadband plan with potential action.

7.4: Consideration of temporary policy requiring county employees to wear masks in county facilities as a precautionary measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

7.3: Consideration of Letter to Lake County’s congressional delegation regarding emergency coronavirus relief funding and authorize the chair to sign.

7.5: Consideration of proposed findings of fact and decision in the appeal of Todd Hosfelt.

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) chief negotiator: M. Long; county negotiators: C. Huchingson and P. Samac; and (b) Employee Organizations: LCDDAA, LCDSA, LCCOA, LCEA, LCSEA and LCSMA.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A former state prison inmate released from custody at the start of April under an early release plan is among the six positive COVID-19 cases in Lake County.

Sheriff Brian Martin confirmed the case to Lake County News.

The male prisoner was released from the California Institution for Men in Chino on April 6 as part of an early release program the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced last month, according to Dana Simas, the agency’s press secretary.

Simas said the male subject was asymptomatic in a “comprehensive screening” conducted by institution medical staff before he was released to return to Lake County.

She said his regularly scheduled release date was April 10, and CDCR cannot legally hold someone past their release date.

“He was told to self-quarantine until April 20 and was provided a facial barrier to wear while in-transit to his county of release,” she said.

The man’s positive case of COVID-19 ultimately would be identified by a Lake County Public Health nurse conducting contact tracing, according to Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.

“I think it’s pretty irresponsible the way it was handled,” said Sheriff Martin, citing safety concerns for the general public and for law enforcement coming in contact with the individual.

Lake County’s positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed by Public Health on April 5, 6, 8, 10, 13 and 15, as Lake County News has reported.

As of Monday, five are reported to have recovered, with one case still active, according to the Lake County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard. There have been no deaths.

Pace would not respond to questions about which of the county’s latter cases involved the former prison inmate.

Breakdowns in communication

While CDCR and the Lake County Public Health Department communicated about the case, neither of those agencies reached out to proactively inform either the Lake County Sheriff’s Office or the Lake County Probation Department that the inmate had tested positive for COVID-19.

“I wasn’t informed until I asked and had to do some investigation to get to the bottom of this,” said Martin.

Martin said he had been notified by CDCR on April 2 that several inmates were to be returned to the county due to the early release plan.

Martin said he went to Pace to ask if any state prison inmates being returned to Lake County had tested positive for COVID-19. Pace confirmed it to Martin on Monday morning.

Chief Probation Officer Rob Howe told Lake County News that CDCR also had notified his department about several inmates set for early release back to Lake County.

Of those, three were to be released to State Parole and six were to be released to Lake County Probation and monitored through the Post Release Community Supervision program. “Turns out there was some mistake and only five were actually released to us under PRCS,” Howe said.

“Unfortunately CDCR did not disclose any information about any of them being exposed, quarantined or actually testing positive for COVID,” Howe said.

Howe said he also was not notified by Public Health about the positive COVID-19 case in one of the parolees.

The former prisoner who tested positive for COVID-19 was one of those who his staff was to have supervised under the Post Release Community Supervision program, Howe said.

“I should say though that I have not personally spoken to Dr. Pace, or anyone else at Public Health, so I’m not sure just what information they had and if they understood the contact my department could have with this subject,” he said.

Sheriff Martin’s confirmation of the situation comes days after Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan reported that county’s fifth case was a state parolee on early release, as Lake County News has reported.

The Mendocino Voice reported that the inmate also had been released from Chino, one of the state prisons with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

A dashboard for tracking COVID-19 cases in state prisons said Monday that the number of confirmed cases statewide is 124, with 689 individuals tested.

The highest case counts are at facilities in Los Angeles and Chino, which had 60 and 58 cases, respectively, as of Monday night, at which point one death also had been confirmed at Chino.

Across the state as a whole, by Monday night total cases were nearing 34,000, with more than 1,200 deaths.

On Monday evening Martin and Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall had a conference call with CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz, appointed to the job by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March 2019.

“There was a misstep in communication somewhere along the way,” Martin said, discussing the call with Lake County News afterward.

He said the prison health care system shares information with parole agencies but not the local probation agencies.

The state’s prison health care officials also talk to local health departments. Martin said one of the challenging things is that there are 58 different local health officers for the state’s counties.

“The amount of information that a health officer chooses to share is up to that health officer,” Martin said, with some sharing more information than others.

One potential solution discussed in the conference call that Martin said Diaz indicated a willingness to explore is a mechanism for the state to let counties know when people are being released back to their jurisdictions from prisons with high COVID-19 case numbers.

Public Health contact tracing identifies the case

Under CDCR’s early release plan, inmates aren’t tested but rather screened immediately before release for symptoms of influenza-like illness, including COVID-19. The screening includes asking an individual if they have a cough, fever and/or difficulty breathing, and taking their temperature, according to an agency statement.

Pace told Lake County News that the former inmate was tested for the virus as the result of a Public Health nurse following reports of a person coming to the county who had been in contact with a case.

“This is in the toolbox of public health – following people who have been in contact with a case and testing them if indicated,” he said.

Pace refused to release any demographic information about the man, citing protection of case information. However, last week, Mendocino County’s health officer released the age range and gender of that patient, along with the community where he is staying.

In response to Lake County News’ questions about why Pace didn’t inform law enforcement that the former inmate tested positive, he said, “Inmates getting early release are reported to local law enforcement through law enforcement channels.”

He added, “As I have reported previously, all of the COVID patients in Lake County have complied with the standard home isolation protocols.”

Early releases part of state plan

The early releases are part of a plan CDCR announced in late March that it said was meant to protect staff and inmates from further spread of COVID-19 in state prisons.

The plan aims to create increased capacity and space to help with inmate movement, physical distancing and isolation efforts.

CDCR estimated that as many as 3,500 prisoners were eligible for the ”expedited transition to parole.”

To be eligible, inmates had to have 60 days or less to serve on their sentences and not be currently serving time for a violent crime as defined by law, a sex offense or domestic violence.

Simas said all of the releases were completed by April 13.

To date, Mendocino and Lake counties are among the first to report issues with state prison inmates being released and testing positive for COVID-19 after returning to their jurisdictions.

Mendocino County’s inmate was released on April 8, Simas reported.

In the Mendocino County case, Simas said the public health nursing staff at Chino provided the former inmate with education regarding COVID-19, instructed him to immediately report to Stanislaus County Probation and advised him to self-quarantine upon arrival in the county through April 20.

Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster faulted CDCR for what he called “state prison inmate dumping,” the early release of inmates with known virus exposure to benefit the depopulation of a state prison facility at the cost of placing local public health across the state at risk.

His office told Lake County News over the weekend that it still had not received a response from the state to its questions.

In the case of Mendocino County’s COVID-19-positive parolee case, Eyster questioned why it’s appropriate to give a state prison inmate a health notice that he may have been exposed to the virus and must undergo a 14-day period of quarantine, but then early release that person the very next day with full knowledge that the quarantine period had not been successfully completed.

“What could possibly go wrong? And how many more virus-exposed inmates have also been granted early releases back into our communities in the state's effort to depopulate its facilities?” Eyster said in a statement released to Lake County News.

The former prison inmate who made his way to Ukiah was to have returned to Stanislaus County but Eyster said the man called that county's probation office and told them he was not coming back to Stanislaus after he already had been in Mendocino County for several days. At that point he received travel authorization to be in Ukiah.

Eyster said CDCR has no plan in place to make sure that inmates who receive early releases go where they’re supposed to go.

He also pointed out that normal procedures call for local probation departments to accept a transfer. In this case, Mendocino County was never asked.

"Who would accept an out of county transfer during a shelter in place?" Eyster asked.

Following Monday night’s call with CDCR, Martin was hopeful the process is going to improve.

“This is one of those situations where nobody’s ever done this before, we don’t have a playbook to go by,” Martin said. “I think today was a learning experience for everybody. I am confident that it won’t happen again.”

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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Dean Thomas Ammons, 54, was located by police on Monday, April 20, 2020. Lakeport Police Department photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Monday evening, the Lakeport Police Department said it located a transient who was wanted for a parole violation and failure to register as a sex offender.

The department reported that officers found and arrested Dean Thomas Ammons, 54.

Earlier in the day, the Lakeport Police Department had asked for the community’s help in locating Ammons, a high-risk sex offender who had failed to follow registration requirements.

Due to temporary bail restrictions imposed by the Judicial Council of California due to COVID-19, the Lakeport Police Department said it was unable to book Ammons into the Lake County Jail.

Instead, police said Ammons was affixed with a monitoring device by his parole agent. Officers then released Ammons on a citation for the felony violation of failing to register as a sex offender.

Ammons was released by the California Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections on March 31, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen reported.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will hear the latest on COVID-19 from the county’s Public Health officer and also get an update on the city’s steps to address the health emergency at its virtual meeting this week.

The meeting will take place via webinar beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21.

To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling 415-930-5229 or toll free, 877-309-2074. The access code is 620-529-293; 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, April 21.

Please 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 Tuesday, the council will hear a presentation from Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace on the current progress in containing the COVID-19 outbreak in Lake County.

The city’s executive management staff also will discuss with the council the next steps the city has implemented to manage the current health emergency due to COVID-19.

Mayor George Spurr will present a proclamation declaring April 19 to 25 as National Volunteer week in the city of Lakeport and to honor Lakeport Police Volunteers, and the members of the city’s committees and commissions.

In other business, Assistant City Manager Kevin Ingram will ask for the council to approve the proposed resolution adopting the Eleventh Street Corridor Multimodal Engineered Feasibility Study and make a recommendation that the Lake Area Planning Council also adopt the proposed study.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the special council meeting on April 7 and the regular council meeting on April 13; the March 13 warrant register; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; and confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 public health emergency.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer offered additional information this week about testing results reported on Friday that showed the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 in local sewage.

Last week, Lake County Special Districts received testing results showing that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, was found in raw sewage at all four of its sewage treatment plants, as Lake County News has reported.

Biobot, a Massachusetts-based company, is conducting the testing as part of its pro bono COVID-19 response program, which is being carried out nationwide in collaboration with researchers at MIT, Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The weekly tests began on March 26 and continued on April 1, with no virus detection. Then, samples taken on April 8 showed the presence of the virus in Special Districts’ four sewage treatment plants: Kelseyville, Middletown, Northwest Regional in north Lakeport and Southeast Regional in Clearlake, the agency reported.

The South Lakeport wastewater collection system moves effluent to the city of Lakeport’s wastewater treatment facility through a formal agreement between the two agencies. It wasn’t included in the Biobot testing to date.

Testing of sewage at the city of Lakeport’s wastewater treatment facility isn’t currently taking place, according to city Utilities Superintendent Paul Harris.

“We do intend on sampling our raw sewage for COVID-19,” Harris said. “The problem is the lab that performs these tests is currently at capacity and cannot do any additional sampling at this time. They are working on expanding their capacity and we are on a waiting list.”

In the meantime, Lakeport Public Works Director Doug Grider said they have installed the testing ports in order to be able to collect the samples once they can get a slot with the testing company.

Biobot is among a number of companies, universities and researchers studying how to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in communities by tracking its presence in sewage, as the virus is shed in the stool of those who are infected with it.

Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said in a Monday statement that in a followup call with Biobot, county officials learned the company has researched fecal stools of COVID-19 patients at a Boston hospital and found the virus does not shed consistently in all patients.

Some patients shed more one day, less the next and more the third day. Pace said some patients also shed the virus in stools for a few days, while others shed it up to two weeks.

“Because of these variables, it is not possible to know the number of cases in the county by detections,” Pace said. “This tool is most useful as an indicator of whether cases are increasing or decreasing. By continuing the testing, it will also become a valuable tool to gauge COVID-19 activity when we open the economy back up.”

Pace said all four sewage treatment plants had estimated cases at less than 1 percent of catchment so the numbers are relatively small.

The date of the April 8 test, he added, “does coincide with the six confirmed cases in the county.”

In response to concerns from members of the public about sewage, Pace said raw sewage has many contaminants that are hazardous.

“This is why our staff must always take precautions and sewer spills are always considered an extreme emergency. Although staff will continue to treat all raw sewage as hazardous, it is believed the virus is killed by the amount of detergent and bleach present in raw sewage,” he said.

He said some have also expressed concern about water supplies. “Sewer and water are not related, and what is in the raw sewage at the treatment plant has nothing to do with any public water system. Also, it has been proven this virus will not survive the treatment process of public water systems.”

Pace said other concerns have focused on the lake. “Public sewer systems do not discharge into the lake, so these findings do not affect Clear Lake,” he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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Dean Thomas Ammons, 54, is being sought by the Lakeport Police Department in Lakeport, California, after officials said he violated parole and failed to register as a sex offender. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Police Department.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is attempting to locate a male transient who is a high-risk sex offender who failed to register with law enforcement.

Dean Thomas Ammons, 54, is wanted for violation of parole and failure to register as a sex offender, the department reported.

Ammons is not considered dangerous but is a high-risk sex offender subject to public disclosure, police said.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said Ammons was released back to Lake County from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on March 31.

It did not appear to be part of an early release program recently instituted by the state, but was Ammons’ normal release date, Rasmussen said.

Ammons is described as a white male, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 165 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.

Police ask that anyone who locates Ammons not make contact or attempt to apprehend him but to notify their local law enforcement agency or the Lakeport Police Department immediately at 707-263-5491, option 1.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Emergency Services is developing an update to its 2018 Emergency Operations Plan.

Drought, wildfires, floods, severe weather and pandemics are among the hazards Lake County has faced over the last several years.

While many hazards cannot be prevented, a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan provides the foundation for the community’s response to disasters and emergencies.

The Lake County Office of Emergency Services is completing its biannual review and values the community’s input.

Officials said they believe the people most familiar with the hazards are those who live and work in the community.

“This is why we are taking this opportunity to seek input and comment from the public as part of our review and update process. Planning participants also include local, state and federal agencies,” the agency said in a statement this week.

Review the Draft Emergency Operations Plan online here.

Comments and suggestions about the plan may be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The link will be active beginning on April 20.

Comments and suggestions will be accepted for three weeks, from Monday, April 20, through Friday, May 8.

For additional information, please contact Dale Carnathan at 707-263-3450 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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