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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Yuba Community College District said it’s continuing to progress in planning for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The district has incorporated the California Department of Public Health’s guidelines for colleges and universities that were released mid-March regarding COVID-19.

The health risk from COVID-19 to the general public still remains low at this time; however, district officials said this is a quickly evolving situation.

The YCCD communities and campuses are impacted differently so planning must intentionally address these regional differences, college officials said.

State and county public health officials are continuously assessing the situation and the colleges and district services are in regular contact with respective county health officers so leadership can make decisions based on local community circumstances.

“At this time we have every reason to believe that our colleges and campuses are under no risk of COVID-19; there are no reported cases among any students, faculty or staff,” said Chancellor Dr. Douglas Houston. “However, we are taking every reasonable precaution to ensure students, faculty and staff safety while continuing to provide instruction and services.”

In accordance with the CDPH guidance, YCCD is responding to the potential for an escalation of an outbreak in a four-phase protocol.

As a district, YCCD is undertaking active infection control measures and planning in the event the infection does spread to the campuses which may require closure in which case district leadership will notify students and communities.

District leadership is encouraging faculty, staff and students to make individual decisions regarding work, class attendance, and travel based on individual health circumstances.

In compliance with the guidance released from the Governor’s Office on March 12 issuing an updated CDPH policy on gatherings to protect public health and slow the spread of COVID-19, YCCD is undertaking actions to postpone or cancel events that meet the criteria stated in the updated state policy on gatherings.

The state’s updated policy defines a “gathering” as “any event or convening that brings together people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, or any other indoor or outdoor space.”

District and college leadership continues to meet on a daily basis to refine specific plans for the programs and services provided to our students and communities and to anticipate the potential continued escalation of COVID-19 spread.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the Guerneville woman killed in a wreck on Highway 20 on Tuesday night.

Lt. Corey Paulich said the woman who died was Mary Patricia Mahoney, 58.

Mahoney was driving a 1999 Toyota 4Runner westbound on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday when she went off the right side of the road and onto the dirt shoulder.

She overcorrected and steered the Toyota to the left. The SUV overturned, went off the south side of the highway and Mahoney – who was not wearing a seat belt – was ejected as the vehicle went down a dirt embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol report.

The CHP said Mahoney died at the scene of her injuries.

Mahoney’s passenger, 20-year-old Isabella Rosario Moon of Chico, sustained minor to moderate injuries and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

The crash remains under investigation.

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. – One person died and another was injured in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday night east of Clearlake Oaks.

The crash occurred shortly after 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in the area of milepost marker 37 on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Radio reports stated that a white SUV had gone off the highway and down an embankment. CHP officers at the scene estimated the vehicle was between 100 and 200 feet down the embankment and off the road.

When firefighters and CHP officers first arrived, they found the driver to be in critical condition and unresponsive, and they requested an air ambulance respond to the Walker Ridge area, based on radio reports.

Shortly afterward, firefighters reported over the air that the driver had died, which the CHP separately confirmed.

A passenger in the vehicle was reported to have minor injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to Adventist Health Clear Lake, according to scanner traffic.

A short time later, radio traffic indicated that REACH 6 was requested to respond to the hospital and transport that patient to an out-of-county trauma center.

Additional information will be published as it becomes available.

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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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Thursday, Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio declared a local health emergency for Napa County in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Napa County has zero confirmed cases at this time, Relucio said.

A local health emergency declaration is a legal document that will mobilize county resources, accelerate emergency planning and response, and allow for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments.

The declaration is effective immediately for seven days, and it will be ratified on by the Napa County Board of Supervisors on March 17.

As of Thursday, a total of 33 counties, cities and tribes have declared public health emergencies, including the counties of Lake, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, San Diego, Sonoma and others.

Late Wednesday night, Gov. Newsom announced that California public health officials had issued an updated directive on mass gatherings.

The governor stated that the state’s public health experts have determined that gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March. This does not apply to workplaces or essential education settings.

Further, non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person. Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness (e.g. older adults and those with underlying illness) from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines.

In response to Gov. Newsom’s declaration, Dr. Relucio has called for the cancellation of non-essential gatherings and events in Napa County that mirror the state’s orders in this regard.

“Napa County Public Health is committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of our community. As we shift from a strategy of containment of COVID-19 to one of community mitigation, these measures are necessary to protect public health and slow the spread of COVID-19. In addition, Napa County’s local health emergency declaration will help to support and sustain our response,” said Dr. Relucio.

This guidance applies to all non-essential professional, social and community gatherings regardless of their sponsor, according to the governor’s declaration. Essential gatherings should only be conducted if the essential activity could not be postponed or achieved without gathering, meaning that some other means of communication could not be used to conduct the essential function.

At this time Napa County Public Health is not recommending school closures. However, it is recommended that schools and community organizations take steps to prevent the spread of illness, including cancelation of non-essential travel, assemblies, fairs, and intramural and interscholastic sports.

Effective Thursday, the Napa County Public Health Division is restricting visitors to all long-term care and skilled nursing facilities in the county. This is necessary to protect older and medically fragile adults residing in these facilities, who are particularly vulnerable to severe disease and death from COVID-19.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California public health officials on Wednesday evening issued an updated policy on gatherings to protect public health and slow the spread of COVID-19.

The full policy can be found here.

The state’s public health experts have determined that gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March.

Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person.

Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines.

“Changing our actions for a short period of time will save the life of one or more people you know,” said Gov. Newsom. “That’s the choice before us. Each of us has extraordinary power to slow the spread of this disease. Not holding that concert or community event can have cascading effects – saving dozens of lives and preserving critical health care resources that your family may need a month from now. The people in our lives who are most at risk – seniors and those with underlying health conditions – are depending on all of us to make the right choice.”

The state’s updated policy defines a “gathering” as any event or convening that brings together people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, or any other indoor or outdoor space.

This guidance applies to all non-essential professional, social and community gatherings regardless of their sponsor.

Essential gatherings should only be conducted if the essential activity could not be postponed or achieved without gathering, meaning that some other means of communication could not be used to conduct the essential function.

“These changes will cause real stress — especially for families and businesses least equipped financially to deal with them. The state of California is working closely with businesses who will feel the economic shock of these changes, and we are mobilizing every level of government to help families as they persevere through this global health crisis,” added Gov. Newsom.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Planning Commission this week will hold a public hearing on a resort and residential project near Middletown.

The hearing, for the purposes of an informational presentation and to receive public comment on the draft environmental impact report for the Guenoc Valley Mixed-Use Planned Development Project, will take place beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The draft EIR is available online here.

Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. has applied for approvals to develop the project, which is comprised of 49 assessor parcels totaling approximately 16,000 acres – or 25 square miles – at 22000 Butts Canyon Road in Middletown.

If approved, the project would allow for the development of up to 400 hotel rooms, 450 resort residential units, 1,400 residential estates and 500 workforce co-housing units within the zoning district.

The 45-day public comment period ends at 5 p.m. April 7. Written comments can be sent to Principal Planner Mark Roberts, County of Lake, 255 N. Forbes Street, Lakeport, CA 95453, or emailed to 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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s unusually warm late winter weather could start to look more seasonal if the forecast for this weekend and early next week that calls for rain and even snow holds true.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Lake and other counties along the North Coast due to a cold storm system that’s expected over the region from Thursday through Tuesday.

The system will bring the potential for brief heavy downpours and hail showers along the coast this weekend. Across the region’s interior, there will be the potential for snow, possibly as low as 2,000 feet.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for a continuation of the warm daytime temperatures ranging into the low 70s on Thursday and high 60s on Friday. Nighttime temperatures are forecast to be in the high 40s.

Chances of showers begin early Saturday morning, with rain and possibly snow and daytime temperatures forecast to drop into the high 40s.

The forecast of rain and snow, lasting through Tuesday, is widespread throughout the county.

Daytime temperatures are expected to range into the low 50s, with nighttime conditions into 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.

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NORTH COAST, Calif. – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is planning to conduct helicopter surveys of elk in Mendocino County on March 12, 13, 14 and 15.

Aerial surveying is a common technique used by wildlife biologists to count deer, elk, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep populations throughout the state.

Many of the elk living in Mendocino County are found on private property, which means residents, tourists and motorists passing through the area may notice low-flying helicopters surveying for elk over private property during these days.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, this week awarded $43.5 million to local organizations to reduce the risk of wildfires to homes and communities across California.

Fifty-five local fire prevention projects are receiving funding for hazardous fuel reductions, wildfire preparedness planning and fire prevention education.

“We have doubled down on our efforts to clear brush, inspect homes for defensible space and reduce the risk of wildfires,” said Chief Thomas Porter, Cal Fire director. “These 55 local projects will play a critical role in augmenting our fire prevention efforts.”

Among the groups receiving grants is the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, which received $3,019,106 for the first phase of the Lake County Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project.

The center’s award was the fourth-largest of the awards announced Tuesday.

The Clear Lake Environmental Research Center proposal will reduce the total amount of wildfire around communities, homes, infrastructure and other highly valued resources in Lake County in order to lower the lowering the forecast wildfire greenhouse gas emissions occurring without the project area.

“This will be achieved by creating and maintaining fuel breaks, ingress/egress vegetation management, and defensible space around high value assets, all high priority activities to prevent, stop or slow the spread of GHG [greenhouse gas] emitting wildfire. Project will be phased so that other high priority treatments can be accomplished in subsequent phases, and current work can be maintained, to ensure the scale of GHG emission reduction can be sustained and increased in the future,” according to the award announcement.

Other projects receiving awards include a $1.9 million grant to the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council for removing dead and dying trees and other hazardous fuels on 17 treatment areas throughout San Luis Obispo County. This project alone will reduce fire risk in nine communities, and will include a 600-acre prescribed burn near Lopez Lake park.

Another project receiving funding is a public education grant of nearly $100,000 to Forestry Educators Incorporated for its "2020 Forestry Challenge" in El Dorado County. The Forestry Challenge is an academic competition for high school students in technical forestry and current forestry topics. Participants spend four days in the forest learning about the ecology and management of the forested landscapes that provide communities with water, recreational opportunities and wood products.

CAL FIRE’s Fire Prevention Grant Program is part of the California Climate Investments, or CCI.

CCI is a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in low income and disadvantaged communities. Award recipients include cities, counties, fire districts, Native American tribes and other non-profits.

These projects all meet the goals and objectives of California’s Strategic Fire Plan adopted in 2019.

Since 2014, Cal Fire has funded over 430 local fire prevention grants totaling more than $150 million. These projects and activities have addressed the risk of wildfire and reduced wildfire potential to communities in wildland-urban interface areas.



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EDITOR'S NOTE: On Thursday morning MATH announced that this meeting has been canceled.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall is set to get an update on a geothermal waste site at its Thursday meeting, with the group to also consider changing its format.

MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, 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.

Beginning at 7:45 p.m., MATH has several presentations and topics of discussion.

The group will get a presentation from Todd Metcalf of Lake County Behavioral Health Services.

They also will get an update from Pacific Gas and Electric regarding the geothermal waste landfill on Butts Canyon Road.

Another planned discussion is on a proposal to change MATH to a town hall format absent of county oversight.

District 1 Board Supervisor Moke Simon also is on the agenda for a 7:30 p.m. report.

The MATH Board includes Chair Tom Darms, Vice Chair Sally Peterson, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Rosemary Cordova and Lisa Kaplan.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Guerneville woman died on Tuesday night after her SUV went off Highway 20 and down an embankment.

In its Wednesday report, the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office did not release the name and age of the woman who died in the wreck pending notification of her next of kin.

The CHP said the solo-vehicle crash occurred at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road, east of Clearlake Oaks.

The woman was driving a 1999 Toyota 4Runner westbound on Highway 20 just east of milepost marker 38.35 at an unknown speed when the wreck occurred, the CHP said.

Riding as the passenger in the vehicle was 20-year-old Isabella Rosario Moon of Chico, according to the CHP report.

For reasons that the CHP said are so far unknown, the driver allowed the Toyota to veer to the right side of the road and onto the dirt shoulder.

The CHP said the driver overcorrected and steered the Toyota back to the left where the vehicle overturned in the middle of the roadway, sliding off the south side of Highway 20 and down a dirt embankment.

As the Toyota was going over the embankment, the driver – who the CHP said was not wearing her seatbelt – was ejected from the vehicle. Radio reports indicated that firefighters and CHP officers who arrived at the scene found her unresponsive. The CHP said she died of her injuries at the scene.

The CHP said that Moon, who was wearing her seatbelt, sustained minor to moderate injuries.

Firefighters transported her to Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital, where the REACH 6 air ambulance picked her up and transported her to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, officials reported.

It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs are contributing factors to the collision, the CHP 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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Authorities located this .40-caliber handgun during the search of a middle school student’s home in Lake County, California, on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Police Department.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police arrested a Lakeport middle school student on Tuesday after the student made threatening statements.

The Lakeport Police Department said on Tuesday that School Resource Officer Ryan Cooley, who is assigned by the department to the Lakeport Unified School District, was notified by school staff regarding a former Terrace Middle School student who was making threatening statements.

The juvenile, who was not on the campus, is currently on probation in Lake County and known to Officer Cooley, police said.

Officer Cooley immediately notified the Lake County Probation Department and both agencies continued the investigation, police said.

Based on information obtained by school staff and Officer Cooley, Lake County Probation officers searched the former student’s residence and located an unloaded .40-caliber handgun. Police said no ammunition was located.

Police said the juvenile was arrested and transported to the Juvenile Hall facility.

All of the involved agencies’ administrations appreciate the good work of officers and staff to quickly resolve this situation, the Lakeport Police Department said.

Because of the “see something, say something,” policy at this time, there was no known danger to any students or staff at Lakeport Unified, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing by Lakeport Police, Lake County Probation and the Lakeport Unified School District.

Editor’s note: Police originally reported that the recovered firearm was a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun. They have since corrected their report to say that it was not a Smith & Wesson.

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