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In the span of 141 years of climate records, there has never been a warmer January than last month, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

What’s more, the temperature departure from average was the highest monthly departure ever recorded without an El Niño present in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

January 2020 marked the 44th consecutive January and the 421st consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average.

NOAA’s January global climate report found that the global land and ocean surface temperature was the highest on record at 2.05 degrees F (1.14 degrees C) above the 20th-century average. This surpassed the record set in January 2016 by 0.04 of a degree F (0.02 of a degree C).

The four warmest Januaries documented in the climate record have occurred since 2016; the 10 warmest have all occurred since 2002.

Breaking the month down by hemispheres, the Northern Hemisphere also had its warmest January on record, at 2.70 degrees F (1.50 degrees C) above average.

The Southern Hemisphere had a departure of 1.40 degrees F (0.78 of a degree C) above average – its second-warmest January on record after January 2016.

Mapping released with the report showed that it was the fifth-warmest January recorded for the contiguous 48 states, all of which had higher-than-average temperatures, while Alaska was colder.

More notable climate events in the January report:

– Lots of regional heat to go around. Record-warm temperatures were seen across parts of Scandinavia, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the central and western Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and Central and South America. No land or ocean areas had record-cold January temperatures.

– Polar sea ice coverage remained smaller than normal. Arctic sea ice extent (coverage) was 5.3 percent below the 1981-2010 average, tying with 2014 as the eighth-smallest January extent in the 42-year record. Antarctic sea ice coverage during January was 9.8 percent below the average and tied with January 2011 as the 10th smallest.

– Snow cover was lacking. Northern Hemisphere snow coverage was below the 1981-2010 average, having the 18th-smallest January snow cover in the 54-year record.

For a map of the world noting some of the most significant weather climate events that occurred during January 2020, visit here.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Committee invites community members to take part in a meeting next week that will include presentations from representatives from the California Public Utilities Commission and Pacific Gas and Electric.

The meeting will take place beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, in the Board of Supervisors chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

Following PG&E’s repeated and overlapping public safety power shutoffs in the fall, the city councils for Clearlake and Lakeport and the county of Lake held a joint meeting to discuss their concerns, later submitting a letter to the CPUC about the impacts of the shutoffs on their communities.

Since then, local officials have shared county residents’ stories with PG&E’s leadership and state representatives.

The Lake County’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Committee also was formed, and it includes representatives from county and city governments.

At the Feb. 21 meeting, Aaron Johnson, PG&E’s vice president of customer energy solutions, will be present to provide an update on efforts toward long-term solutions, including plans to harden city centers, critical facilities, and schools against future PSPS events.

“I am encouraged PG&E has prioritized attending this meeting,” said County Administrative Officer Carol J. Huchingson. “Years of neglect of infrastructure maintenance and failure to adopt safety and grid management practices common in other states contributed to PSPS events becoming a necessity, and they cannot be an enduring norm.”

CPUC Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves, appointed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in December 2016, also will be present.

“In response to input from Lake County residents and others, the CPUC initiated an investigation into PG&E’s PSPS events on Nov. 13,” Huchingson said. “Californians demanded accountability, and we expect Commissioner Guzman Aceves will lend insight into how the CPUC’s oversight functions, and ongoing work to minimize use and ultimately eliminate the PSPS as a tool for our Public Utilities.”

Updates are expected from the offices of Lake County’s state representatives, as well.

County officials said public input is essential at this critical juncture.

“Truly, the management of PSPS events is among the most urgent state-level policy matters of our time, in that it affects the ability of every one of us to plan our lives,” said Huchingson. “The right players are going to be in the room, and I sincerely hope residents and business owners will fill the board chambers, and make their perspectives known.”
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is reporting an unusually high number of canine distemper virus, or CDV, cases in wildlife populations throughout the state.

CDV can infect a wide range of domestic and wild carnivores, including some non-canids. Gray foxes, raccoons and skunks are the most commonly affected species.

Unvaccinated domestic dogs can potentially contract the disease through contact with food or water bowls that are “shared” with infected wild carnivores.

Pet owners should be particularly vigilant in their efforts to keep their domestic animals from coming into contact with wildlife. CDV is not transmissible to humans.

“Keeping dogs up to date on vaccinations not only protects pets, it protects wildlife,” said CDFW Senior Wildlife Veterinarian Deana Clifford. “Wild animals can spread distemper to domestic dogs, but unvaccinated domestic dogs can also spread the disease to wild animals.”

Dr. Clifford noted that distemper is the most common disease CDFW finds as the cause of death in California’s carnivores.

Large outbreaks of distemper may temporarily reduce some local carnivore populations, thus wildlife biologists and veterinarians monitor reports of sick animals and confirm disease cases when possible to track potential impacts.

Transmission of CDV typically occurs similar to the common cold, via inhalation of infected respiratory droplets or direct contact with saliva, nasal discharge and tears. Occasionally other body fluids (feces and urine) contain the virus.

Environmental transmission of canine distemper is rare because the virus does not survive long in the environment. For this reason, CDV presents more of a problem for dense wild carnivore populations as close contact between animals is necessary to spread the disease.

While distemper may occur at any time of year, CDV is more common in adult animals during the winter and is thought to be more common in juvenile animals in the spring and summer.

Distemper can cause respiratory, neurologic and gastrointestinal illness. Clinical signs may vary depending on the strain of the virus, the environment, the host species and the age of the infected animal.

Signs include (but are not limited to) depression, fever, labored breathing, diarrhea, anorexia, incoordination, moving in small circles, yellow to clear discharge from the nose and eyes, and crusting on the nose, eyes, mouth or footpads.

There is no treatment for sick animals except supportive care. Infected animals may or may not survive the illness. Animals with the virus may not show clinical signs but can still spread the virus for up to 90 days.

In addition to removing food and other attractants, CDFW urges the public to keep a safe distance from sick or injured wild animals, as animals that are ill or feel threatened may act aggressively. Please report the sick animal’s behavior and location to the closest CDFW office and/or to a local animal control agency, as soon as possible.

Any wildlife encounter that is an emergency should be reported to 9-1-1. For non-urgent questions concerning wildlife, please contact your local CDFW Regional Office or your local animal control service. Additional information about living with wildlife can be found on CDFW’s website.

If you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal, please wash the wound vigorously with soap and water and consult a physician and/or contact your County Public Health Department. Neurologic signs of CDV may not be distinguishable from rabies virus infection, which is a public health risk.

Do not handle carcasses of wild animals with bare hands. CDFW’s has protocol for safe handling and disposal of carcasses on its website.

For questions regarding distemper in wildlife or concerns about sick animals, contact CDFW’s Wildlife Investigations Laboratory at 916-358-2790.
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The Middletown High School’s winning team in the Lake County Mock Trial Competition on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Middletown High School clinched top honors on Wednesday during the eighth annual Lake County Mock Trial Competition.

Middletown edged Upper Lake in the event, held at the Lake County Superior Court.

Middletown High now advances to the state finals in Los Angeles March 20 to 22.

During the Mock Trial, the teams take turns prosecuting and defending a fictional court case.

The Constitutional Rights Foundation, the organization that founded the Mock Trial, reported that this year’s case, “People v. Matsumoto,” concerns the trial of Bailey Matsumoto, the founder of a technology start-up that develops autonomous, or self-driving, trucks.

The fictional court case trial brief explains: “Bailey is charged with the murder of Bailey’s spouse, Taylor Matsumoto. The prosecution alleges that after Taylor’s son Michael died in a tragic accident using one of Bailey’s malfunctioning autonomous scooters, Taylor founded an organization called Parents Against Autonomous Driving (PAAD). Taylor’s involvement in PAAD began to financially impact Bailey’s autonomous truck company. The prosecution further argues that Bailey’s and Taylor’s relationship rapidly deteriorated. Just days before Taylor was set to testify in Washington, D.C., in support of a bill titled National Moratorium on Autonomous Technologies, Taylor was found dead, face down in Taylor’s bathtub. The prosecution claims that Bailey murdered Taylor with premeditation in order to prevent Taylor from testifying and to stop PAAD from succeeding.”

While the prosecution claimed that Bailey provided an already inebriated Taylor with alcohol, then hit Taylor on the head with a golf club – later found in Bailey’s car – causing Taylor to fall into the bathtub and drown, the defense argued that Taylor’s death was not a murder but was instead an unfortunate accident.

In the lead up to Wednesday’s county competition, both teams took part in a Mock Trial Scrimmage in mid-January against Mendocino County teams, according to Beth Hampson of the Lake County Office of Education.

The Upper Lake High School team was the runner up in the Lake County Mock Trial Competition on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, in Lakeport, California. Judge J. David Markham, at left, heard the arguments. Courtesy photo.

On Wednesday, 35 students from Middletown and Upper Lake high schools participated.

Along the way, teachers and coaches have helped them prepare arguments and evidence, and practice their presentations for the county competition through Mock Trial classes at their schools, Hampson said.

For Middletown, teacher coach Lee Hoage and attorney coaches Jon Hopkins and Janina Hoskins have guided students, with teacher coaches Alex Stabiner and Anna Sabalone, and attorney coach Judy Conard helping the Upper Lake team.

Hampson said this year’s competition was made possible with the support of volunteer Judge J. David Markham, who heard the arguments, and volunteer attorney scorers Daniel Flesch, Megan Lankford and Kaly Rule.

Individual recognition was given to the following students for outstanding performances in the Mock Trial. They include:

– Outstanding Prosecution Pretrial Motion Attorney: Alana Sanchez, Upper Lake High School.
– Outstanding Defense Attorney: Erica Kinsel, Middletown High School.
– Outstanding Prosecution Attorney: Henry Fenk, Middletown High School.
– Outstanding Defense Witness: Jasmine Haro, Upper Lake High School.
– Outstanding Prosecution Witness: Richard Guaydacan, Upper Lake High School.
– Outstanding Clerk/Bailiff: Richard Perez, Upper Lake High School.

The Lake County Bar Association and Lake County Friends of Mendocino College are supporting Middletown High’s trip to Los Angeles for the state event.

Lake County’s Mock Trial competition is run in partnership with the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Superior Court of California, Lake County, and Lake County Office of Education.

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.
Students winning individual awards at the eighth annual Lake County Mock Trial Competition on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, in Lakeport, California, are, from left to right, Richard Perez, Upper Lake High School, outstanding clerk/bailiff; Richard Guaydacan, Upper Lake High School, outstanding prosecution witness; Jasmine Haro, Upper Lake High School, outstanding defense witness; Henry Fenk, Middletown High School, outstanding prosecution attorney; Erica Kinsel, Middletown High School, outstanding defense attorney; and Alana Sanchez, Upper Lake High School, outstanding prosecution pretrial motion attorney. Courtesy photo.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The woman who for the past two years has headed the Lake County Community Development Department has resigned.

On Tuesday, Michalyn DelValle tendered her resignation as Community Development Department director, according to county spokesman Matthew Rothstein.

Following the open portion of its weekly meeting, the Board of Supervisors had gone into closed session late Tuesday morning.

At that point, Chair Moke Simon said the items to be discussed included a performance evaluation of DelValle.

A closed session performance evaluation of DelValle also had been held at the board’s Feb. 3 meeting.

After Tuesday morning’s closed session, the board emerged to approve an extra item to take up the matter of the interim appointment of a Community Development Department director, according to County Counsel Anita Grant.

Once the extra item was approved, the board appointed Public Works Director Scott De Leon as the interim Community Development director, Grant said.

Rothstein said De Leon’s appointment as interim Community Development director takes effect on Wednesday.

Lake County News reached out to DelValle to seek comment, but she declined.

DelValle’s departure comes at a critical time for Community Development, which is overseeing a number of major development projects, such as the large resort development in Guenoc Valley, along with the ongoing efforts for fire-battered communities to rebuild.

Rising through the ranks

A Lake County native, DelValle had worked her way up through the ranks of the Community Development Department, where she had worked for more than 12 and a half years, according to her LinkedIn page.

DelValle, who has a bachelor’s degree in management, began with the county as a planner and later served as the department’s principal planner before she was appointed as Community Development’s interim director in April 2018, as Lake County News has reported.

In June 2018, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint her as Community Development director. At the same meeting, they had appointed David Cowan as Water Resources director, with county officials lauding both as “dynamic and collaborative leaders” and declaring a bright future for their departments.

During her two months as interim department head, the county credited DelValle  with stepping “into a challenging situation, with understaffing and workload delays, and immediately began to take insightful and positive steps,” and bringing stability to her department.

She’d said at the time that there were opportunities “from small adjustments to improve the experience of our customers to substantive changes to our land use plans and zoning ordinances to create a more business-friendly environment.”

Since then, however, there had been reports of projects being stalled, protracted development project timelines, struggles for property owners trying to rebuild in the wake of the county’s numerous wildland fires as well as numerous staff departures in DelValle’s department.

On June 4, DelValle was evaluated in closed session on her annual appointment anniversary, as is standard practice, based on board meeting records.

Then, on Feb. 3, DelValle was scheduled for a closed-door performance evaluation with the board, followed by another on Tuesday.

If past practice is a guide, for the supervisors to have additional, off-schedule appointments of department heads indicates that they have issues with performance and, in some cases, are preparing to replace them.

DelValle was present during the board’s hour-long public session on Tuesday, giving input during the discussion of a resolution of intent to initiate a zoning ordinance amendment pertaining to industrial hemp.

In her last public comments as Community Development director, she had told the board that she was planning to send out a legal notice for the zoning ordinance amendment.

Following the closed session, she was said to have been escorted out of the courthouse on Tuesday morning, according to witness reports.

De Leon takes on additional duties

De Leon previously served as interim Community Development director before the hiring in 2016 of Bob Massarelli, who DelValle succeeded.

De Leon told Lake County News he had no notice of his being considered for the interim appointment prior to the board taking the action on Tuesday.

It will be another assignment added to De Leon’s already full plate.

When Cowan – hired as Water Resources director in June 2018, at the same time as DelValle’s appointment to Community Development director – left for a job in Texas in June, the board appointed De Leon as Water Resources’ interim director.

When De Leon was given the interim Water Resources director appointment in June, the board had indicated its intention to hold a full recruitment for the job. Online recruitment efforts show that the job was advertised with a mid-July deadline.

Then, in August, the board voted to reconsolidate Water Resources and Public Works, three years after it had voted to separate them.

De Leon said at the time that he planned to hire a Water Resources director to serve within the restructured department, but so far a hire of such a position hasn’t been reported and he continues to be listed as Water Resources director on the county website.

County officials so far haven’t indicated how they may proceed in choosing a new Community Development director.

The county has frequently promoted from within, as in DelValle’s case, and held full recruitments that have brought in candidates from other parts of the country, as with Massarelli.

Recently, the board also has discussed the consolidation of some departments – like the Treasurer-Tax Collector with the Auditor-Controller – in addition to taking action to rejoin Water Resources with Public Works in order to address staffing, leadership and succession planning.

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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Equipment staged during the replacement of the 535-foot-long seawall at Library Park in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of the city of Lakeport.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Three years after wind-driven waves destroyed Library Park’s old seawall, work has gotten underway to replace it with a new wall of steel.

The project is being funded primarily by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of California.

In a special November meeting, the Lakeport City Council voted unanimously to award the seawall rebuilding contract to West Coast Contractors Inc. of Coos Bay, Oregon, a company that specializes in marine sheet pile projects.

The company’s winning bid was $799,773; the city engineer had estimated the project would cost $1 million.

The new seawall project is approximately 535 lineal feet, which will support the adjoining pedestrian promenade, city officials said.

The old seawall was built of cinder blocks. The new one, designed to withstand heavy wave action and future flooding conditions, will be built of nearly half-inch-thick sheet pile that will be driven 25 feet into the ground. City officials said the new wall has been designed to the 100-year flood level.

Heavy storms in February 2017 resulted in wind-driven waves that pummeled the aging seawall, damaging it beyond repair and causing the area around it, including the sidewalk, to be cordoned off from the public with chain link fence.

Then, in March 2019, more heavy rain and winter storms caused the damaged wall to be undermined further, leading to underground water intrusion, as Lake County News has reported.

Those storms and the resulting flooding affected the city’s original replacement project timeline and resulted in another federal major disaster declaration.

As a result of the federal disaster declarations, the city was eligible to apply for federal and state funding to assist the reconstruction efforts.

One of the lengths of steel sheet pile that is being used to build the new seawall at Library Park in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of the city of Lakeport.

Public Works Director Doug Grider and his staff followed a lengthy and complicated federal grant application process in order to build a new and improved seawall.

As a result, the city received funds from FEMA and the state of California that will pay the majority of the project costs. The city is only required to pay for a 6.38-percent match, which its insurance will cover.

Rebuilding the wall had to wait until FEMA gave the final go-ahead, which allowed the city to award the bid in the fall.

The city still had a few last-minute delays in getting the project started. Originally, it had been set to begin Dec. 23, but over the holidays the sheet pile manufacturer had a breakdown and so the sheet pile wasn’t expected to be ready until the end of January.

Along with the seawall, the promenade also will be rebuilt and will feature a new safety handrail and a new concrete sidewalk. It’s to be built under a separate contract, according to city officials.

The city has a targeted completion date of June 1 for the new seawall, just in time for the busy summer tourism season.

Library Park lies along the west shore of Clear Lake in downtown Lakeport. It was established nearly 100 years ago and now includes more than three acres of land area, the city reported.

Owned and maintained by the city of Lakeport, Library Park is a center of community activity, hosting numerous events, from plays to summer music concerts, as well as fairs and markets. It offers boat launches, new docks, fishing opportunities, lake swimming, picnic areas, an accessible children’s playground and ADA-accessible restrooms, some of them recently replaced.

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.
Steel sheet pile is being used to rebuild the 535-foot-long seawall at Library Park in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of the city of Lakeport.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The latest numbers from a countywide survey of people experiencing homelessness conducted last month shows an increase in the numbers.

The Point In Time Count, which took place on Jan. 27, counted 572 homeless individuals, according to the Lake County Continuum of Care.

That’s compared to 372 homeless individuals reported in 2019.

Other past PIT count numbers had the following totals, according to previous reports to Lake County News: 2018, 618 homeless; 2017, 450 homeless; 2016, 332 homeless; 2015, 170 homeless; 2014, full count not conducted; and 2013, 188 homeless.

Of the 572 individuals who were reported to be homeless in the January count, 295 were male, 199 were female and 20 refused to identify their gender or were reported as “other.”

In an age breakdown, 99 were older than 55 years of age, 316 were ages 25 to 55, 38 were age 18 to 24, and 29 were under age 18, the count found.

The oldest person the count found to be homeless was 94, a fact which Shannon Kimbell-Auth, Adventist Health Clear Lake’s manager for community integration, said was a finding that broke her heart. The youngest was 5 months old, based on the report.

Kimbell-Auth said the number of children reported as homeless is the lowest they have ever seen in doing the PIT counts and is not at all consistent with McKinny-Vento reporting from the school district.

The report did not give specific numbers for the various communities, but based on a graph the report included, the largest number of homeless, about 240, were reported in Clearlake, followed by 100 in Lakeport, more than 80 in Lucerne, more than 40 in Middletown, more than 30 each in Clearlake Oaks and Upper Lake, less than 20 each in Kelseyville and Nice, and less than 10 in Lower Lake.

The individuals included in the count reported living an average of nearly 18 years in Lake County. Those who said they had family in Lake County totaled 207, with 50 reported experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence, 82 had been served by foster care and 182 said they were homeless for the first time.

Kimbell-Auth said in past years the average length of time the individuals surveyed reported as having lived in Lake County was between 12 and 16 years.

“For the average time to be 18 years shows that while some of the homelessness is transitory, it is predominantly a homegrown problem,” she said. “Likewise 207 people reporting they have family here is startling.”

Forty-one people surveyed in the county reported they are veterans. Kimbell-Auth said that is good news for the purpose of pursuing vouchers through the HUD-VASH Program, which offers rental assistance for homeless veterans and their families with case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs at its medical centers. Clearlake is home to a VA Clinic.

Of the 572 individuals counted, 130 reported ongoing health problems: diabetes, 25; heart disease, 22; cancer, nine.

Of those surveyed, 177 reported having been made homeless by one of Lake County’s wildland fires.

Out of that group, 107 identified specific fires responsible for their homelessness: Mendocino Complex, 38; Valley fire, 33; Sulphur fire, 18; Clayton fire, seven; Rocky/Jerusalem, six; Pawnee, one; other (Santa Rosa, Camp fire), four.

The count surveyors asked participants, “Where did you sleep last night?

They received the following answers:

– 348: A place not meant for habitation, which includes tents, cars, abandoned or red-tagged buildings, trailers or RVs without power or water, in a bush, etc.
– 10: Emergency voucher.
– 1: Hospital.
– 2: Halfway house.
– 3: Hotel, no voucher.
– 14: Transitional housing.
– 2: Host home.
– 70: Friends, temporary.
– 11: Friends, permanent.
– 42: Family, temporary.
– 2: Family, permanent.
– 6: Other.

The count’s numbers don’t match with another dataset provided by Partnership HealthPlan of California, which Kimbell-Auth had presented to the Clearlake City Council last month during its discussion of supporting the Hope Center project.

Partnership HealthPlan of California reported that 3,370 individuals who have its insurance and sought medical care in Lake County from January through November of 2019 identified their address as homeless, camping, living in a car or on the streets.

“The Partnership Health Plan numbers are so far greater than what we are able to capture tells me that the urgency to solve the lack of adequate affordable housing cannot be denied,” Kimbell-Auth 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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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the risk of coronavirus – which has impacted thousands of people in other parts of the world – remains low locally and in the United States in general.

Dr. Gary Pace went before the board to offer the brief update Tuesday morning.

“The coronavirus continues to spread over in Asia. There’s concern on the global front now, but in the United States it’s still quite contained,” Pace said.

Pace said there is a new case reported in the San Diego area, but that person also had been to China.

As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States had reportedly risen to 13.

“The main point of this is that the risk here is low, the risk if you travel is low,” Pace said.

The highest risk individuals are being closely monitored by the federal government, Pace said. They are being prevented from entering the United States or, if they’re citizens who are at high risk for the illness, they’re being quarantined for 14 days.

Pace said there also is a group of people who have traveled to China who are not symptomatic and therefore considered medium risk. They are returning to their communities and being home-quarantined.

“There are none in Lake County as far as I know,” he said.

However, there is a large number of medium-risk individuals on self-quarantine in the Bay Area. He said those individuals are not going out in public.

The risk remains low in the United States, and Pace said there is a robust process of keeping health officers informed.

Pace said the Lake County Health Department is “quite involved” with state and federal experts on the coronavirus issue.

He said his department also is talking to partners in the county’s communities and schools, as well as to emergency medical services and different health care providers so they can be prepared.

Pace said they are set up as best they can be if cases of coronavirus do show up in Lake County.

“The flu is a lot bigger concern right now,” he said.

He said people should get flu shots and follow other good hygiene practices, including washing hands, covering their mouths after coughing and not going to work if they’re sick.

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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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors received an update on county staff’s efforts to carry out a new hazardous vegetation ordinance and gave direction for how to prioritize this year’s work.

At its meeting last Tuesday, the board received an extensive report on the Community Development Department’s enforcement of the ordinance from Code Enforcement Manager Andy Williams and Chief Building Official David Casian.

The supervisors passed the first reading of the new hazardous vegetation ordinance on March 19 and approved the second and final reading of it on March 26. It went into effect on April 25.

The ordinance, No. 3082, is located in Lake County Code Chapter 13, Article VIII, Section 13-57 to 13-67. It can be found here.

Williams said inspections began immediately, with four inspectors – three Code Enforcement officers and one building official – going into the field in early May.

He said they started in the Clearlake Riviera, and moved through the Rivieras to Soda Bay, Middletown, Anderson Springs and Cobb, making a total of 2,000 site visits.

As they made their way through those communities, Williams said they found that most owners of improved properties were out doing hazardous abatement work during their inspections, and were either in compliance or met the requirements later on.

He said a large number of people did not understand the new ordinance or how to become compliant but did after education by inspectors, which led to compliance being accomplished in most cases.

Cal Fire does property inspections on improved properties on a three-year rotation, while homeowners associations do their own inspections on unimproved and improved properties inspections, Williams said.

This year, county staff and Cal Fire will do a beta test with computer-based inspection software for improved properties. It’s hoped that they will avoid the overlap that they encountered last year, when county staff completed inspections in some areas only to have Cal Fire come into the same areas after them.

“We’re working on that issue. I’m hoping this year there won’t be so much overlap, if any,” Williams said.

When a property is found to be noncompliant, a courtesy letter with a link to the county’s hazardous vegetation ordinance is sent out and the owner is given a 30-day window to become compliant, Williams explained.

If the work isn’t done voluntarily, the property owner gets an abatement notice with another 30 days to become compliant. If that next deadline isn’t met, Williams said possible abatement action is taken based on several factors including topography, fuel load, and life and safety concerns.

In 2019, temperatures increased early in the fire season, humidities dropped and winds picked up, which Williams said made abatement very unsafe. “So we did not abate any properties this year through our program.”

Williams said the county sent out 378 notices of abatement, with 47 returned undeliverable. He said the inspectors use the tax roll to get mailing information.

Of those notices that did make it to the owners, Williams said they had 75 percent compliance with the ordinance.

“Unimproved properties are the real challenges,” due to absentee owners, deceased owners, large properties and owners not understanding ordinances, he said.

For this year, Williams suggested prioritizing areas starting with improved properties and unimproved properties within 30 feet of any structure or egress/evacuation routes.

He proposed starting with Cobb Mountain, Anderson Springs, the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, Buckingham, Riviera Heights, and the urban interface around Lakeport and the Northshore.

This year, Williams has one full-time experienced Code Enforcement officer assigned to hazardous vegetation as well as extra help, with inspections set to begin this month.

Due to the large area they need to cover and the short amount of time before fire season starts – along with their other work – Williams asked for the board’s direction on how to move forward.

During the update, Williams told the board that his department needs more funding in order to enforce the ordinance. “It’s a daunting, daunting prospect, but we are moving forward,” he said, adding they are “spread very, very thin.”

Williams said he currently has three Code Enforcement officers and is interviewing a fourth. When asked by Supervisor Tina Scott how many he would need in a perfect world, he responded, “At least 10.”

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he wanted to shorten the 60-day abatement process and assess stiff fines. He suggested that those properties for which the abatement letters were returned may be in tax default, and could be prioritized and put up for tax sale more quickly.

Like Supervisor Rob Brown, Sabatier said he wanted Code Enforcement staff to focus on vegetation management until the fire season starts, at which point they can switch their attention to cannabis compliance.

Brown said the last several years of wildland fires have left a burn scar and fire line that circles almost the entire county. He said there is a little bit of time before the vegetation comes back in the fire scar.

He said he’s concerned about the areas that haven’t burned and don’t have a fire line, including the Rivieras and Buckingham, where 20 percent of the county’s residents live. Benefit zones approved by several of those communities last year have raised funding to do abatements if necessary, it was reported during the meeting.

For the abatements in the other parts of the county, Williams said they have less than $50,000 left. Community Development Director Michalyn DelValle said they will be asking for more money for abatement at the midyear budget review.

During public comment, Ken Kelsen, the fire safety coordinator for the Clear Lake Riviera Community Association, said the association is doing its own inspections on improved and unimproved properties. He said they are working with both Code Enforcement and Cal Fire and will be participating in a training class with those agencies on the property inspection software.

Kelsen said the association’s efforts are yielding results: Two years ago when he started they had 500 parcels rated as high for fire concerns, this year they have less than 100.

“We are making great strides,” Kelsen said.

Greg Scott, a retired fire official, said they needed to target their audience for their education efforts, suggesting sending the message out in schools and youth organizations in order for it to reach parents.

Last year, the largest fire in Lake County was 58 acres, Scott pointed out, noting that the county had 31 inches of rain during the rainy season so heavy fuels didn’t have a chance to dry out like normal.

He also suggested getting state legislators to start increasing fines on the state level so Cal Fire can work more efficiently along with the county.

During the discussion it was noted by community member Lance Williams that the ordinance still didn’t seem very clear in its requirements.

County Counsel Anita Grant said there was extensive public input on the ordinance, which, she noted, “is going to have to evolve as circumstances evolve.”

She said there also have been changes to fire safe rules at the state level. “Actions on the ground are the great equalizer for what makes sense.”

The board reached a consensus to support more education and consider shortening the abatement time frame, and prioritizing areas such as the Rivieras.

Brown said he wanted to make sure the work got done. “I don’t want to be having this discussion at some point that the Rivieras and Buckingham burned to the ground because we dropped the ball. I’m just going to leave it at that. That is my priority.”

The board also received a brief update from Williams on enforcement of vegetation abatement in the benefit zones for the Clearlake Riviera, Buckingham, Riviera West and Riviera Heights.

Williams said he had a list of 52 properties across the four benefit zones and personally inspected them all. Thirty-day abatement letters have been sent to all of them and, in the interim, he will contact contractors to get bids for abatement in case compliance isn’t voluntary.

He said he hoped by the end of March or the first week of April that this phase of the abatement work will be done. After that, if there isn’t compliance, they will need to prepare to write up affidavits and take them to a judge in order to proceed with abatements.

It was reported during the meeting that the county has so far collected more than $200,000 from property owners in the benefit zones. Those funds will be used to fund abatements, with the money to be recouped with liens.

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 Glenhaven man was seriously injured Tuesday in a motorcycle crash on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks.

Karl Pentz, 57, sustained major injuries in the wreck, which occurred just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.

The CHP said that Pentz was driving a red 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Highway 20, just west of Island Drive in Clearlake Oaks.

Pentz was within the westbound lane, traveling at an unknown speed, when his motorcycle crossed over the double yellow lines. The CHP said he crossed the eastbound lane of Highway 20 before the motorcycle ran into a raised brick and rock wall bordering the south road edge.

After hitting the wall, Pentz was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained major injuries, the CHP said.

The motorcycle continued sliding westbound on Highway 20 and came to rest within the westbound lane, according to the CHP report.

The CHP said Pentz, who was wearing a helmet, was life-flighted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected of being factors in the crash, 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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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall this week is scheduled to host the two candidates running for the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors and will elect two members to its own board.

MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, 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.

At 7:30 p.m., the group will meet the candidates for District 1 supervisor. Julia Bono is challenging first-term incumbent Moke Simon. Both will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes, with 10 additional minutes for questions and answers.

At 8:10 p.m., the four qualified candidates for the MATH Board will then address the assembly. Each will be allowed to speak up to five minutes.

The candidates for this year’s seats include incumbent Claude Brown, along with Rosemary Cordova, Lisa Kaplan and David Thurber.

The qualification and nomination of candidates had dominated the January meeting, at which time it had originally been expected that an election would take place. But due to a variety of concerns, including public noticing and questions about process, the election was put over to this month.

At 8:30 p.m., the group is expected to elect its two new board members. The election process will include two current board members and two volunteers to oversee the voting box, secret ballots that will be accepted in the voting box by the sign-in sheets, a tally of secret ballot votes, the announcement of the new board members and alternates, and completion of the county’s required applications for all board members and alternates.

The election of the new MATH Board members will take effect on Friday, Feb. 14.

The MATH Board currently includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Tom Darms and 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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The name of a Kelseyville man who died in a solo vehicle crash last week has been released.

Charles Kluge, 92, was the victim of the wreck, according to Misty Wood, spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Kluge was driving alone in his 2006 Acura on private property in the area of Adobe Creek and Bell Hill roads near Kelseyville just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday when the crash occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.

The CHP said Kluge’s vehicle traveled through two wire fences, crossing Adobe Creek Road before it hit an upward sloping embankment.

Kluge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where the CHP said he died of his injuries.

The CHP, which said alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the crash, is continuing the investigation into the wreck, according to Officer Joel Skeen.

Skeen said that they are awaiting autopsy results to see if medical issues contributed to the crash, “but everything else is pretty clear.”

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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