A bill meant to safeguard communities and save lives by expediting the undergrounding of electric utility lines in California’s highest fire risk zones passed two major policy committees this week.
State Sen. Mike McGuire’s bill, SB 884, is supported by Cal Fire firefighters and it passed the Senate Energy Committee and the Governance & Finance Committee this week.
“For far too long, America’s largest utility – Pacific Gas and Electric – has failed its customers and made California unsafe,” said McGuire. “For years, the utility underfunded modernization and wildfire safety efforts, which has had devastating impacts. The only path forward is to move power lines underground in the most high fire risk regions. SB 884 will save lives and ratepayers money.”
PG&E has been charged with nearly 100 felonies in the deaths of California residents in wildfires they caused over the past four years. Californians have literally run for their lives to escape flames from these utility-caused wildfires.
Undergrounding electric lines reduces the likelihood of fires starting by 99% and will vastly reduce carbon emissions by stopping mega fires before they start.
McGuire said SB 884 will expedite the undergrounding of 10,000 miles of utility lines, while saving ratepayers money by using federal infrastructure funds. Currently, PG&E undergrounds approximately 100 miles of their electrical lines annually.
“Year after year, these utility-caused wildfires have become our reality. This insanity must be stopped for the health and safety of all Californians,” said McGuire. “We’ll be working day and night to get this critical legislation passed.”
The bill now will be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing.
The bill will do the following:
• Mandated performance metrics would be implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission on undergrounding projects, including timelines for completion and penalties for not hitting deadlines, and the utility would have to prove safety protocols are met prior to receiving a rate of return.
• Develops a pathway to expedite undergrounding construction by establishing a shot clock for local government permit approval/denial to just 150 days.
• The legislation would save ratepayers money by mandating that utilities use available federal infrastructure funds to construct the undergrounding project before using ratepayer funds, and it would mandate telecommunication companies to underground their utilities in the same trench as the electrical undergrounding.
• This dig-once policy will help as a cost share and help make our state telecommunication system more resilient, especially in the highest risk zones.
• Guarantees a 270 day judicial review in California courts if an undergrounding project faces a California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council will next meet on Monday, April 25.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. via Zoom. The public is invited to attend.
The meeting ID is 986 2616 1748, pass code is 173031. The meeting also can be accessed via phone at 1-669-900-6833 or +16699006833,,98626161748#,,,,*173031# for one tap mobile.
Under old business, the group will get an update on the request to clear a portion of Scotts Creek.
Under new business, Council Member Terre Logsdon will discuss new use permits.
There also will be updates on the city of Lakeport’s proposed annexation of the South Main Street area, the Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Committee and the Multi-Tribal Fire Prevention Grant Application to Cal Fire to support the Scotts Valley Firewise Community, broadband coverage for Scotts Valley and the South Cow Mountain Management Area Implementation.
Scotts Valley Firewise Committee Vice Chair, Greg Scott also will give a report.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Partnerships, collaboration and entrepreneurs will be featured during the fourth Lake Leadership Forum to be held in person on Tuesday, May 10.
The event will take place at The Mercantile, 4350 Thomas Drive, Kelseyville.
The program begins at 2 p.m. with networking at 5 p.m.
Presented by the Lake County Economic Development Corp., or Lake EDC, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Lake County Tourism Improvement District, the Lake Leadership Forum is open to the public with tickets available at https://tinyurl.com/LakeForum22 for $20 per person which includes a glass of wine or other beverage.
The first leadership summits in 2014 and 2015, coordinated by the ad hoc Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee, were conducted at the then-Marymount California University in the Lucerne Hotel, with the third summit in 2019 at the same location under the auspices of the Lake EDC.
These early sessions were designed for Lake County’s small businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and interested citizens to inspire, collaborate and envision a stronger economic climate.
The 2022 event will build on this framework with presentations about community initiatives and opportunities that are generating economic momentum.
A panel discussion regarding innovations in agriculture and tourism will include Joy Merrilees, vice president of production for Shannon Ridge, and Melinda Price, co-owner of Peace and Plenty Farm, growers of organic saffron.
Speakers will demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Lake County through presentations by Catherine Reese, Reese Ranch Retreat, winner of the 2021 1Team1Dream competition, and Kejhana Taylor, a participant in the LCCC’s youth mentorship program.
Industry updates and discussion of a realistic path for cannabis in Lake County will be addressed by Bobby Dutcher, Wine Country Land and Ranches, and Alicia Russell, Lake County Cannabis Alliance.
Forward growth in energy technology and healthcare will be shared by Jenn Gregory of Downtown Strategies, who will discuss the latest information on developing a network of electric charging car stations, and by Jamey Gill, executive director of the Blue Zones Project in Lake County.
The presenting organizations represent people from all over Lake County who love our community and want to see it prosper. You are invited to participate in this leadership forum and connect with like-minded citizens.
Tickets may also be purchased with a check payable to and sent to Lake EDC, P.O. Box 1257, Lakeport, CA 95453. Shannon Family of Wines is the corporate sponsor for the event.
More information is available from Nicole Flora, executive director, Lake EDC, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a friendly group of dogs that it’s cleared to go to new homes.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
The following dogs are available for adoption.
“Fritz.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Fritz’
“Fritz” is a male Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 49278179.
“Andy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Andy’
“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 48995415.
“Bear.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.
He has been neutered.
“Chai.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Chai’
“Chai” is a female Alaskan husky mix with a gray and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49279552.
“Colt.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Colt’
“Colt” is a male Rhodesian Ridgeback mix with a short rust and black coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49812106.
“Ebenezer.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Ebenezer’
“Ebenezer” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 49191651.
“Pooh Bear.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Pooh Bear’
“Pooh Bear” is a 1-year-old male American pit bull mix with a copper and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49603144.
“Scrappy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Scrappy’
“Scrappy” is an 11-month-old male American pit bull mix with a short cream-colored coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49603144.
“Snowball.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Snowball’
“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49159168.
“Terry.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.
He is dog No. 48443693.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported this week on the property tax payments it is making to cities and counties this month.
The company, which serves more than 16 million Californians, is paying property taxes and franchise fees of over $464 million this spring to the 50 counties, 246 local cities and one district where it owns and operates gas and electric infrastructure.
The company reported that it paid approximately $1,101,814 to Lake County. In 2021, Lake County received payments totaling $961,632.
“Property tax and franchise fee payments are one of the many important ways PG&E helps drive our hometown economies and support essential public services like education and public safety. These payments reflect the substantial local investments we are making in our gas and electric infrastructure to create a safer and more reliable system and to better mitigate against wildfire risk,” said Chris Foster, executive vice president and chief financial officer for PG&E.
On April 12, PG&E paid property taxes of more than $310 million to the 50 counties in which it owns property. The payment covers the period from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2022.
Total payments for the tax year of July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, are more than $621 million.
This is an increase of $84 million more than the prior tax year.
PG&E pays franchise fees to cities and counties for the use of public streets for its gas and electric facilities. The energy company completed payments on April 15.
PG&E’s franchise fee payments totaled nearly $154 million — nearly $106 million for electric service and more than $47 million for natural gas service. This is an increase of over $15 million from the prior year.
PG&E’s second installment of property taxes paid on April 11, 2022, is broken down by county in the following list.
Alameda — $39,173,605 Alpine — $86,777 Amador — $1,288,405 Butte — $6,415,167 Calaveras — $1,391,602 Colusa — $4,471,246 Contra Costa — $23,764,492 El Dorado — $2,204,039 Fresno — $21,143,559 Glenn — $1,131,060 Humboldt — $5,368,088 Kern — $11,198,327 Kings — $1,964,772 Lake — $1,101,814 Lassen — $67,314 Madera — $2,946,421 Marin — $5,880,776 Mariposa — $389,784 Mendocino — $2,220,860 Merced — $4,848,364 Modoc — $240,912 Monterey — $4,833,954 Napa — $4,893,029 Nevada — $1,722,089 Placer — $7,521,579 Plumas — $2,937,972 Sacramento — $8,542,713 San Benito — $947,500 San Bernardino — $1,803,434 San Diego — $864 San Francisco — $16,328,296 San Joaquin — $15,336,683 San Luis Obispo — $8,645,580 San Mateo — $17,380,941 Santa Barbara — $1,414,425 Santa Clara — $38,716,789 Santa Cruz — $2,487,566 Shasta — $7,289,376 Sierra — $163,908 Siskiyou — $107,691 Solano — $7,770,183 Sonoma — $10,623,581 Stanislaus — $3,254,843 Sutter — $1,673,284 Tehama — $1,831,363 Trinity — $239,288 Tulare — $702,334 Tuolumne — $1,116,036 Yolo — $3,362,125 Yuba — $1,805,813
Increasingly large and intense wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are altering the seasonal pattern of air pollution and causing a spike in unhealthy pollutants in August, new research finds.
The smoke is undermining clean air gains, posing potential risks to the health of millions of people, according to the study.
The research, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, found that levels of carbon monoxide — a gas that indicates the presence of other air pollutants — have increased sharply as wildfires spread in August.
Carbon monoxide levels are normally lower in the summer because of chemical reactions in the atmosphere related to changes in sunlight, and the finding that their levels have jumped indicates the extent of the smoke’s impacts.
“Wildfire emissions have increased so substantially that they’re changing the annual pattern of air quality across North America,” said NCAR scientist Rebecca Buchholz, the lead author. “It’s quite clear that there is a new peak of air pollution in August that didn’t used to exist.”
Although carbon monoxide generally is not a significant health concern outdoors, the gas indicates the presence of more harmful pollutants, including aerosols (airborne particulates) and ground-level ozone that tends to form on hot summer days.
The research team used satellite-based observations of atmospheric chemistry and global inventories of fires to track wildfire emissions during most of the past two decades, as well as computer modeling to analyze the potential impacts of the smoke. They focused on three North American regions: the Pacific Northwest, the central United States, and the Northeast.
Buchholz said the findings were particularly striking because carbon monoxide levels have been otherwise decreasing, both globally and across North America, due to improvements in pollution-control technologies.
The study was published this week in Nature Communications. The research was funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, NCAR’s sponsor. The paper was co-authored by researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder; Columbia University; NASA; Tsinghua University; and Colorado State University.
Increasing impacts on air pollution
Wildfires have been increasing in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of North America, due to a combination of climate change, increased development, and land use policies.
The fires are becoming a larger factor in air pollution, especially as emissions from human activities are diminishing because of more efficient combustion processes in motor vehicles and industrial facilities.
To analyze the impacts of fires, Buchholz and her collaborators used data from two instruments on the NASA Terra satellite: Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere, or MOPITT, which has tracked carbon monoxide continually since 2002; and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, or MODIS, which detects fires and provides information on aerosols.
They also studied four inventories of wildfire emissions, which rely on MODIS data.
The scientists focused on the period from 2002, the beginning of a consistent and long-term record of MOPITT data, to 2018, the last year for which complete observations were available at the time when they began their study.
The results showed an increase in carbon monoxide levels across North America in August, which corresponded with the peak burning season of the Pacific Northwest.
The trend was especially pronounced from 2012 to 2018, when the Pacific Northwest fire season became much more active, according to the emissions inventories. Data from the MODIS instrument revealed that aerosols also showed an upward trend in August.
To determine whether the higher pollution levels were caused by the fires, the scientists eliminated other potential emission sources.
They found that carbon monoxide levels upwind of the Pacific Northwest, over the Pacific Ocean, were much lower in August — a sign that the pollution was not blowing in from Asia.
They also found that fire season in the central U.S. and the Northeast did not coincide with the August increase in pollution, which meant that local fires in those regions were not responsible.
In addition, they studied a pair of fossil fuel emission inventories, which showed that carbon monoxide emissions from human activities did not increase in any of the three study regions from 2012 to 2018.
“Multiple lines of evidence point to the worsening wildfires in the Pacific Northwest as the cause of degraded air quality,” Buchholz said. “It’s particularly unfortunate that these fires are undermining the gains that society has made in reducing pollution overall.”
Risks to human health
The findings have implications for human health because wildfire smoke has been linked to significant respiratory problems, and it may also affect the cardiovascular system and worsen pregnancy outcomes.
Buchholz and her co-authors used an NCAR-based computer model, the Community Atmosphere Model with a chemistry component, to simulate the movement of emissions from the Pacific Northwest fires and their impact on carbon monoxide, ozone, and fine particulate matter.
They ran the simulations on the Cheyenne supercomputer at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center. The results showed the pollutants could affect more than 130 million people, including about 34 million in the Pacific Northwest, 23 million in the Central U.S., and 72 million in the Northeast.
Although the study did not delve deeply into the health implications of the emissions, the authors looked at respiratory death rates in Colorado for the month of August from 2002 to 2011, compared with the same month in 2012 to 2018.
They chose Colorado, located in the central U.S. region of the study, because respiratory death rates in the state were readily obtainable.
They found that Colorado respiratory deaths in August increased significantly during the 2012-2018 period, when fires in the Pacific Northwest — but not in Colorado — produced more emissions in August.
“It’s clear that more research is needed into the health implications of all this smoke,” Buchholz said. “We may already be seeing the consequences of these fires on the health of residents who live hundreds or even thousands of miles downwind.”
This material is based upon work supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a major facility sponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: "New seasonal pattern of pollution emerges from changing North American wildfires" Authors: Rebecca R. Buchholz, Mijeong Park, Helen M. Worden, Wenfu Tang, David P. Edwards, Benjamin Gaubert, Merritt Deeter, Thomas Sullivan, Muye Ru, Mian Chin, Robert C. Levy, Bo Zheng, and Sheryl Magzamen. Journal: Nature Communications.
That’s what I found through recent research conducted with two fellow health economists, Daniel S. Grossman and Barton Willage. And it was particularly true for their mothers, who become 5% more likely to be in a stable marriage and experience a 5.8% reduction in stress levels. Moms are also less likely to smoke cigarettes and drink heavily.
We figured this out by comparing the rates for marriage, mental health conditions and health behaviors of mothers whose children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, a joint effort by states and the federal government to cover kids in families with relatively modest incomes that are too high for Medicaid eligibility, with mothers whose children are less eligible for these programs.
We also compared the employment status of low-income mothers of children who obtained health insurance eligibility with those who did not.
Why it matters
Some 4.3 million children under the age of 19, or 5.6% of all U.S. kids, lacked health insurance coverage in 2020 – the most recent data available. President Joe Biden’s proposed Build Back Better Act, currently stalled in the Senate, would help close this gap.
States set their own eligibility requirements for Medicaid and CHIP, and these thresholds range widely. Eligibility usually depends on a child’s age, the number of people in the household and the family’s income. For example, in Oregon, a 3-year-old in a family of three with an annual income of US$33,000 would not be eligible. That same child living in Wisconsin, however, would be. And Wisconsin’s policies are not even the most generous in the nation.
Previously, researchers have primarily measured the effectiveness of the Medicaid and CHIP programs for children by assessing direct effects related to their own health. Our study shows that gaining access to government-provided health insurance coverage also affects a child’s household in positive ways.
One reason that’s important: Prior research has shown that growing up in a stable home benefits a child’s cognitive development.
What still isn’t known
Our study complements previous research suggesting that obtaining health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP has long-term effects for children, such as through higher educational achievement. But how that happens remains unclear. That is, do these kids perform better in school because their health is typically better than it would have been – or something else?
Another question that remains is whether these patterns crop up when people gain access to other beneficial programs. For example, when children with special needs obtain the services they require, does it also benefit their parents? Or how does student loan forgiveness improve the lives of people in a household besides the person who owed the money?
What’s next
We focused on moms because maternal data was more readily available. In the future, we would like to do further research to see whether the benefits for the fathers of children who gain health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP are similar to the boost that mothers get.
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The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change discuss changes ahead, but they also describe how existing solutions can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help people adjust to impacts of climate change that can’t be avoided.
The problem is that these solutions aren’t being deployed fast enough. In addition to push-back from industries, people’s fear of change has helped maintain the status quo.
To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change.
Fear of change can lead to worsening change
From the industrial revolution to the rise of social media, societies have undergone fundamental changes in how people live and understand their place in the world.
Residents of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati describe the changes they’re experiencing as sea level rises.
Other transformations have had both good and bad effects. The industrial revolution vastly raised standards of living for many people, but it spawned inequality, social disruption and environmental destruction.
People often resist transformation because their fear of losing what they have is more powerful than knowing they might gain something better. Wanting to retain things as they are – known as status quo bias – explains all sorts of individual decisions, from sticking with incumbent politicians to not enrolling in retirement or health plans even when the alternatives may be rationally better.
This effect may be even more pronounced for larger changes. In the past, delaying inevitable change has led to transformations that are unnecessarily harsh, such as the collapse of some 13th-century civilizations in what is now the U.S. Southwest. As more people experience the harms of climate change firsthand, they may begin to realize that transformation is inevitable and embrace new solutions.
A mix of good and bad
The IPCC reports make clear that the future inevitably involves more and larger climate-related transformations. The question is what the mix of good and bad will be in those transformations.
If countries allow greenhouse gas emissions to continue at a high rate and communities adapt only incrementally to the resulting climate change, the transformations will be mostly forced and mostly bad.
For example, a riverside town might raise its levees as spring flooding worsens. At some point, as the scale of flooding increases, such adaptation hits its limits. The levees necessary to hold back the water may become too expensive or so intrusive that they undermine any benefit of living near the river. The community may wither away.
Riverside communities often scramble to raise levees during floods, like this one in Louisiana.Scott Olson/Getty Images
The riverside community could also take a more deliberate and anticipatory approach to transformation. It might shift to higher ground, turn its riverfront into parkland while developing affordable housing for people who are displaced by the project, and collaborate with upstream communities to expand landscapes that capture floodwaters. Simultaneously, the community can shift to renewable energy and electrified transportation to help slow global warming.
Optimism resides in deliberate action
The IPCC reports include numerous examples that can help steer such positive transformation.
For example, renewable energy is now generally less expensive than fossil fuels, so a shift to clean energy can often save money. Communities can also be redesigned to better survive natural hazards through steps such as maintaining natural wildfire breaks and building homes to be less susceptible to burning.
No one group can enact these changes alone. Everyone must be involved, including governments that can mandate and incentivize changes, businesses that often control decisions about greenhouse gas emissions, and citizens who can turn up the pressure on both.
Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the Hyatt Powerplant at the Oroville Dam in Oroville, California, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office. As Western states continue to experience intensifying drought conditions, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday visited Lake Oroville to highlight efforts to advance long-term water resilience and bolster the state’s drought response.
Though storms returned to Northern California this week, the small amounts of rain and snowfall expected will not make a significant dent in the water deficit the state faces.
“With the climate crisis threatening communities across the West, we must double down on our work to build water resilience in our communities for the long haul,” said Newsom. “All of us must do our part to tackle the intensifying drought conditions felt across the state. We’re investing critical resources to battle the drought’s impacts on our communities and ecosystems and finding innovative solutions to deal with these new realities.”
Dry conditions resulting from extreme weather impact multiple aspects of state operations, including increased fire risk and reduced energy production capacity.
On Tuesday, the governor visited Hyatt Powerplant at the Oroville facilities, which produces enough hydroelectric power to supply a city the size of San Francisco.
Last year, State Water Project operations managers took the powerplant offline due to falling lake levels, but the facility resumed hydropower operations again in January.
The governor and the Legislature have invested $5.2 billion over three years to support the immediate drought response and build water resilience statewide, and the governor is proposing $2 billion to spur clean energy projects across the state and bolster grid reliability.
The budget includes funding to secure and expand water supplies; bolster drought contingency planning and multi-benefit land repurposing projects; support drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities; advance Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation to improve water supply security and quality; and support wildlife and habitat restoration efforts, among other nature-based solutions.
“As this drought persists into a third year, we are experiencing drier and hotter weather than ever before,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “These conditions diminish our water supplies but also threaten energy reliability. We are adapting to these unprecedented conditions and working to find flexibilities where possible to safeguard both water supplies and grid reliability.”
“We are now in a third consecutive year of drought, driven by climate change. We’re seeing the realities of our warming climate on our water supply and our power supply as evident by conditions at Lake Oroville,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “The state is taking action to balance the water supply needs of residents, businesses and agriculture, and the environment. We are stepping up our policy efforts and educating the public about the need to make water conservation a way of life to stretch our water supply as much as possible.”
The governor last week announced the expansion of the state’s Save Our Water campaign to encourage Californians to reduce water use as drought conditions worsen.
The campaign rolled out new multilingual ads across several media platforms as part of their ongoing efforts, and briefed more than a dozen influencers and content creators calling on them to support the statewide education campaign.
The state has also launched the California WATER WATCH website to inform Californians about hydrological conditions in their own communities and connect residents with local water suppliers to learn about available incentives and rebates that support water-saving upgrades in the home and yard.
Gov. Newsom, through an executive order last month, called on local water suppliers to move to, at a minimum, level two of their water shortage contingency plans, which require locally-appropriate actions that will conserve water across all sectors.
The executive order also directed the State Water Resources Control Board to consider a ban on the watering of decorative grass at businesses and institutions.
In March, the governor advanced an additional $22.5 million to bolster the state’s drought response.
Of this funding, $8.25 million will be used to increase educational and outreach efforts, including through the Save Our Water campaign, which is providing Californians with water-saving tips via social media and other digital advertising.
Gov. Newsom’s California Blueprint proposal includes $750 million in additional drought funding, $250 million of which was set aside as a drought reserve to be allocated in the spring, based on conditions and need.
In 2020, Newsom released the Water Resilience Portfolio, the administration’s blueprint for equipping California to cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, over-reliance on groundwater, and other challenges. The administration released a progress report in January 2022.
For more tips on saving water, visit www.saveourwater.com. Learn more about current conditions, the state’s response and informational resources available to the public at the state’s drought preparedness website.
Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the Hyatt Powerplant at the Oroville Dam in Oroville, California, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council has approved a plan for how to spend more than $1.1 million in federal funds the city has received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Nick Walker, Lakeport’s finance director and assistant city manager, presented the proposal for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, or SLFRF, to the council at its Tuesday night meeting.
Walker’s written report to the council explained that based on census data, the city has been allocated approximately $1,197,542. The city received the first half of that funding in July, with the second half to come within 12 months.
Staff and the council had discussed options in October before the federal rules for the funding were finalized. In January, the Department of the Treasury finalized the SLFRF rules, Walker reported.
Based on those rules, Walker reported that in February county staff determined that three projects were of the highest priority for consideration: roadwork on South Main Street from First Street to Lakeport Boulevard, with the engineer’s estimate of approximately $1,735,642.50; renovations to the Silveira Community Center, including restroom and HVAC upgrades, signage and paint, estimated to cost $1.3 million; and water and sewer projects pulled from the current rate study, including the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road loop line, at a cost of $2.2 million.
“Staff has analyzed these projects pretty thoroughly,” said Walker.
He said staff had concluded that the project on South Main Street would be of the highest priority.
Walker’s written report outlined the South Main Street project, which would include a complete roadway rehabilitation, installation of a retaining wall to stabilize the hillside south of Lupoyoma Circle, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalk and crossing upgrades, and enhanced pavement markings.
Because there is a roughly $600,000 difference between the available SLFRF awarded to the city and the price tag, Walker said federal road funding reserves and the city’s allocation of state SB1 road revenues would be used to supplement SLFRF funding to cover the entire cost of the project.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said deferred maintenance issues are, by far, the No. 1 challenge.
“We took a hard look at these projects,” Ingram said, and staff concluded that the community center improvements and loop lines projects had better access to other funding sources that generally aren’t available for road improvement projects.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said roads and public safety are things people always want. “The loop line is going to happen eventually.”
Councilman Michael Green said he had hoped the Silveira Center would be open and operable by this summer.
“It’s our goal to get the doors open on that sooner rather than later,” said Ingram, adding that not using the SLFRF money won’t prohibit that from happening.
Mayor Pro Tem Mireya Turner moved to include the South Main Street project in the SLFRF spending plan and include the cost in the 2022-23 city budget, which the council approved 5-0.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will hold a public hearing as part of considering authorizing a plan to fund millions of dollars of roadwork.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, April 21.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday, Finance Director Kelcey Young will present to the council the options for Measure V road improvement projects financing.
Last month, Young presented a report to the council that looked at a plan to expedite the needed road work in the city through debt financing directly with a bank. The council directed staff to move forward with identifying financing options.
That financing plan will allow the city to do millions of dollars worth of work up front, rather than doing smaller projects yearly based on the $2.5 million in annual revenue from the Measure V sales tax that’s dedicated to road improvements.
Under business, council members will consider the first reading of the Clearlake Police Department’s military equipment policy ordinance and set a second reading and adoption for the May 5 meeting.
The council on Thursday also will get a presentation about an adoptable dog from the city shelter and hear a presentation from Local Initiative Support Corp. representatives regarding the Distressed Cities Technical Assistance Program regarding Clearlake projects.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; minutes of the March 16 and 28 Lake County Vector Control District Board meetings; review of the 2021 Annual Housing Element Progress Report; adoption and authorization to implement the Local Road Safety Plan; and authorization for the city manager to execute an amendment to the license with Mudslingers Coffee for a term from April 21, 2022 through April 22, 2032.
After the public portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss property negotiations with Burbank Housing Corp. regarding 6820 Old Highway 53, hold an evaluation of the city manager, hold a conference with legal counsel over a lawsuit against the county of Lake and the treasurer-tax collector, and discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association and Clearlake Police Officers Association.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Nurses at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, California, took part in a one-day strike on Monday, April 18, 2022. Photo by John Jensen/Lake County News. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Nurses and health care workers at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport and 14 Sutter Health facilities across California held a one-day strike on Monday after last-minute contract negotiations late last week broke down.
The California Nurses Association and Sutter Health are at loggerheads in ongoing contract negotiations in which the union says the company is refusing to enforce nursing ratios and is not prioritizing patient safety.
“We’re striking for patients’ safety. Sutter is short staffing the nurses,” said Yvette Neil, who has worked for Sutter Lakeside for 18 years and is the union steward.
Neil — who is part of the nurses union’s bargaining team — said nurses have been working on an expired contract since June 2019. Negotiations started in June but have not made much headway.
She said corporations like Sutter Health are cutting labor costs by short-staffing hospitals, which is leading to a great exodus of nurses while increasing medical errors and poor patient outcomes.
“We remain focused on reaching a shared resolution,” Sutter Health said in a Monday morning statement. “Just as Sutter’s commitment to safe, compassionate care remains unchanged, so does our goal of reaching an agreement that reflects the good and important work of our nurses and maintains our strength and stability as an organization. As we continue with negotiations, our patients will continue to receive uninterrupted, quality care.”
The striking nurses had only planned to be off work for one day for the strike but they were informed of a five-day lockout by Sutter Health officials.
Sutter Health, in turn, said “lockout” was the wrong term.
“When the union threatens a strike we must make plans that our patients, teams and communities can rely on,” the company said in a written statement provided to Lake County News on Monday afternoon. “Part of that planning is securing staff to replace nurses who have chosen to strike, and those replacement contracts provide the assurance of 5 days of guaranteed staffing amid the uncertainty of a widespread work stoppage. As always, our top priority remains safe, high-quality patient care and nurses may be reinstated sooner based on operational and patient care needs.”
Neil said on Monday the hospital notified the nurses union of the “replacement period” — the term being used rather than a lockout.
“It’s totally retaliatory,” said Neil, explaining that the hospital is refusing to let nurses use their paid leave time to cover them while they are not being allowed to return to work.
“We’re completely willing to go to work tomorrow and the whole week,” Neil said.
The last strike held at Sutter Lakeside was in September 2011.
Neil, who said no one ever wants to strike, described a workplace at Sutter Lakeside with poor morale, where numerous nurses — including many who have been at the hospital for more than a decade — have left, and everyone is working 12-hour shifts and picking up additional work.
Neil said the nurses are exhausted. “It’s been this way for a year and a half.”
She said Sutter Lakeside has been short-staffed since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
“There wasn’t very much COVID in our hospital,” said Neil, noting about half a dozen nurses came down with the virus. The Delta variant, in particular, caused a lot of illness.
Staffing wasn’t an issue due to COVID-19, said Neil. Rather, she attributes it to Sutter putting skeleton crews on duty throughout its facilities statewide.
The situation led the union to hold an informational picket in March, which resulted in a good turnout, Neil said.
However, with no progress made on the negotiations, the union held a March strike vote at the hospitals it represents. Neil said union members had to go to the hospitals to vote in person.
At Sutter Lakeside, 61 of the 100 nurses came to vote; the others couldn’t get away due to work. She said all of those who came voted in favor of a strike. Similarly high percentages favoring the strike were reported at the other hospitals.
Neil pointed out that Sutter said the nurses union canceled further negotiations, “and that’s not true.”
The union gave Sutter Health and the federal government the required 10-day notice of a strike. She said they had until Sunday night to come to the bargaining table.
On Friday, a federal moderator came in and Neil said Sutter was forced to come to the table. Negotiations began at 5 p.m. and went until nearly midnight.
While it was unlikely a contract could have been settled after just one day of negotiating, “They failed to show us that they were serious in negotiating,” Neil said.
She added, “So we went forward with the strike.”
The striking nurses were stationed at the entrance to Sutter Lakeside, on Hill Road East, to hold their one-day picket during what turned out to be a rainy Monday.
Music and regular honking on the busy road created a festive mood. Some of the striking workers brought family members, such as their children. They were dressed in bright red, holding signs and waving to passersby.
Lakeport Fire Chief Jeff Thomas drove into the hospital flashing his lights and greeted the nurses on his way out of the facility.
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.
