Monday, 24 February 2025

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday hired the county’s next Animal Care and Control director.

At its Tuesday meeting, the board interviewed three candidates in closed session and emerged to vote unanimously to appoint Jonathan Armas to the job.

Armas’ appointment becomes effective upon the departure of longtime Director Bill Davidson, whose last day is Friday, as Lake County News has reported.

Armas is a lifelong Lake County resident, graduating from Clear Lake High School in 2008. He obtained his associate's degree in business administration from Mendocino College in 2016.

County officials said Armas has a strong commitment to public service and will promote from his current position as Animal Control Officer II.

A two-year employee of the department, Armas worked in close partnership with Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection, or LEAP, during the county’s wildfire disasters.

He served as Animal Care and Control team leader, alongside ASPCA representatives, during the Mendocino Complex fires in 2018.

During the November Camp fire in Butte County, Armas joined the Animal Care and Control team providing mutual aid to that community during its time of crisis.

“In his time with the department, Jonathan has consistently risen to help Lake County meet critical animal services needs,” said Davidson. “This is a great chance for Jonathan to expand his contribution, and make a difference for many county residents and their animals.”

“I am excited to continue working with the incredible team of employees at our Animal Control Department, providing essential animal care services to our community. I am very grateful to the Board for this opportunity and I look forward to serving in this new capacity.” said Armas.

Board Chair Tina Scott said Armas is an “emerging new leader who exudes enthusiasm for the work of his department,” and “Lake County is fortunate to be able to select him from a strong field of candidates.”
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – All of Lake County is under a newly issued flood watch from the National Weather Service due to the expectation of more storms.

The National Weather Service said the new flood watch is in effect from 4 p.m. Tuesday through noon on Thursday, while an existing flood warning also is in effect, with no time yet set for its expiration.

The forecast calls for moderate to heavy rain Tuesday night through Wednesday. That additional rain increases the potential for flooding, as streams, creeks and Clear Lake already are running high or at flood level.

The vast Mendocino Complex burn scar also could experience mud, rock and debris flows, especially if thunderstorms develop over the region on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

Early Tuesday, Clear Lake was at 9.80 feet Rumsey. Flood stage is 9 feet Rumsey, the special measure for Clear Lake.

The forecast calls for the lake’s level to rise to near 10 feet Rumsey on Wednesday afternoon, with continued rise expected.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for up to a quarter of an inch of rain during the day Tuesday and up to 2 inches Tuesday night,

More steady rainfall is forecast for Wednesday, along with light winds, as well as Thursday.

Thursday night, the rain is expected to break, with slight chances of rain from Friday through Monday.

Nighttime temperatures will range from the high 30s to the mid 40s, with daytime temperatures from the high 40s to low 50s expected.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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A man convicted of killing 25 farm workers in the early 1970s has died in prison.

California State Prison-Corcoran inmate Juan Vallejo Corona, 85, died of natural causes at 8:15 a.m. on Monday at an outside hospital, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Corona was serving 25 concurrent life sentences for 25 counts of first-degree murder. His victims were all farm workers.

In 1971, 25 bodies buried in orchards along the Feather River in Sutter County were found. All the victims were men who had been seen with Corona or had been hired through Corona’s Sutter County labor contracting business. The number of murders set a record in the United States at the time.

Corona was tried in Colusa County and found guilty in January 1973. He was sent to state prison on Feb. 17, 1973.

He barely survived a stabbing attack in 1973 while at California Medical Facility in Vacaville that cost him the sight in his left eye.

In 1978, Corona’s conviction was overturned by an appellate court and he won a new trial. In 1981, he was admitted to Correctional Training Facility in Soledad as a safe-keeper commitment until the proceedings were moved to Alameda County.

In 1982, Corona was again convicted of all 25 murders and sentenced to 25 concurrent life sentences. Corona began serving time for the Sutter County commitment on Dec. 23, 1982.

Corona was transferred from Correctional Training Facility to the Protective Housing Unit at CSP-Corcoran in 1992. The unit houses inmates whose safety would be endangered by general population housing.

Corona was denied parole eight times after hearings in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2011 and 2016. He was not eligible to have another parole hearing until 2021.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation will hold its 20th annual Party with a Purpose on Saturday, March 9, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at the National Guard Armory at 1431 Hoyt Ave in Lakeport.

LEEF will transform the armory with a surprise theme which welcomes guests and prepares them for an evening of good food, music and the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of items in our live and silent auctions.

Attendees will enjoy a catered dinner with side dishes prepared by Chef John Arslanian and the Clear Lake High School Culinary Class.

The evening also will include dancing – which starts after the auction – and a no host bar and wine toss.

Tickets are $50 each or a table for ten can be reserved and prepaid for $500. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a catered buffet dinner served at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available at Clear Lake High School and online at www.eventbrite.com.

This is the largest fundraising event for LEEF and supports the students, teachers, classrooms, groups and clubs.

Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation is a nonprofit foundation founded in 1993 with the sole purpose of promoting a quality educational program for the Lakeport Unified School District by raising monies for enrichment and enhancement projects.

In the last 20 years, LEEF has funded more than $300,000 in projects for the district. The money we raised has funded several classroom enhancements including iPads and mini robots for Lakeport Elementary School, a new poster printer for the student council at CLHS, outdoor furniture for the alternative education programs, supplies for the community garden at TMS and many more.

Most recently the group has supported the robotics program at CLHS. LEEF shares its success because of the generous community of Lake County.

LEEF thanked those who have contributed each year and helped make our events so successful.

For more information or to donate, contact LEEF at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact the CLHS office at 707-262-3010.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The winning teams in Lake County’s Academic Decathlon and Mock Trial events are preparing to travel later this month to their respective state competitions, and the students also are raising funds to make the trip.

Upper Lake High School won the right to represent Lake County in the Academic Decathlon at the local competition on their home turf on Feb. 2, and Middletown High won the Mock Trial  competition on Feb. 12, as Lake County News has reported.

The California Academic Decathlon will take place March 21 to 24 in Sacramento, which overlaps with the state Mock Trial competition, which also will be in Sacramento this year, from March 22 to 24.

In the case of the Academic Decathlon, the price tag is estimated at about $6,000, according to a fundraising letter the team sent out the community.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College is contributing $500 this year to help the Upper Lake team with travel expenses.

Janina Hoskins, one of Middletown High’s Mock Trial coaches, told Lake County News that her team also needs $6,000, of which $2,000 is registration fees, to go the state competition.

Hoskins said that the team has so far raised less than half of what it needs to travel to Sacramento.

She created a GoFundMe account that, as of early Tuesday, had raised $660 of a $2,500 goal.

To support the Upper Lake High Academic Decathlon team, checks can be sent to Upper Lake High School, 675 Clover Valley Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485 and designated for “Academic Decathlon.” If verification for tax purposes is needed, the district’s business manager can be reached in the main office at 707-275-2338.

To support the Middletown High School Mock Trial team, visit the GoFundMe page or send a check to Middletown High School with a notation that the funds are for the Mock Trial team. The school's address is 20932 Big Canyon Road, Middletown, 95461.

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 Lakeport Police Department said the cause of a Monday morning fire at Terrace Middle School appears to have been arson, with authorities offering a reward to identify who set the fire.

The fire in the bathroom at the middle school, located on the Lakeport Unified School District’s campus at 250 Lange St., occurred at 10 a.m., police said.

Police said the school staff and students followed safety protocols and safely evacuated away from buildings and smoke after the fire caused the alarm to sound.

The Lakeport Fire Protection District reported that firefighters arrived to find a well-established fire in the school bathroom with students evacuated.

Interim Lakeport Fire Chief Rick Bergem said that his agency, along with Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire responded to the incident.

He said the fire was quickly knocked down. He did not have a damage estimate.

Bergem said there were no injuries to either civilians or firefighters.

Police said students later were returned to their classrooms and resumed their normal bell schedule.

The fire only impacted the bathroom, with no classrooms affected, police said.

Police said firefighters began a cause and origin investigation and determined that the fire was intentionally set.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Unified School District initially combined resources to offer a $300 reward, which a short time later on Monday afternoon was increased to $600 thanks to a contribution from Lakeport area Supervisor Tina Scott. The reward is for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the responsible subject.

The Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Fire Protection District are continuing to investigate the fire.

Witnesses are encouraged to come forward and report information to the Terrace Middle School’s administration, School Resource Officer Victor Rico or share information anonymously using the district’s Report It App.

Information also can be provided by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777 or by private message to the Lakeport Police Department Facebook page.

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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The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it has recommended a suite of actions to maximize safety and improve forest health in the coming months and longer term as part of its effort to further protect California’s most vulnerable communities from the immediate risk of catastrophic wildfires this year.

In a 45-day report to Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to Executive Order N-05-19, Cal Fire systematically identified high priority fuels reduction projects and other measures to immediately begin to protect more than 200 of California’s most wildfire-vulnerable communities and put the state on a path toward long-term wildfire prevention and forest health.

“California is increasingly at risk of wildfire, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable given the location of their communities and socioeconomic factors such as age and lack of mobility. The tragic loss of lives and property in the town of Paradise during last year’s Camp fire makes that clear,” Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said. “California needs an all-of-the-above approach to protect public safety and improve the health of our forest ecosystems.”

The Cal Fire report identifies more than 30 strategically-defined local projects that can be addressed urgently in partnership with communities to make a difference this wildfire season.

Examples include removal of hazardous dead trees, vegetation clearing, creation of fuel breaks and community defensible spaces, and creation of ingress and egress corridors.

The report also recommends actions to accelerate measures such as home-hardening by educating the public and promoting use of Cal Fire’s Ready for Wildfire App, which recommends steps residents can take to create defensible space and make their homes more resilient to wind-driven embers and other fire risk.

The report notes that California experienced the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in its history in 2017 and 2018, which killed more than 100 people, destroyed more than 22,700 structures and burned over 1.8 million acres.

More than 25 million acres of California wildlands are classified as under very high or extreme fire threat, and the proliferation of new homes in the wildland urban interface magnify the threat and place substantially more people and property at risk than in preceding decades.

030519 Cal Fire 45-Day Report by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport is pursuing funding through the recently approved 2018 Proposition 68 Parks Bond for the development of a new community open space along the city’s lakefront.

Community members are encouraged to attend the first in a series of community meetings to aid in the design of this new open space recreational area on Monday, March 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 225 Park St.

Food, child care and Spanish translation services will be provided.

Other meetings also will take place on Thursday, April 18, and Monday, May 13, also at Lakeport City Hall.

In 2019, the California Department of Parks will be giving grant funding to a number of local park agencies.

The city of Lakeport will be applying to build a new lakefront park at 810 North Main St.

In 2017, the city completed extensive community engagement regarding this project and is now seeking further input from residents through a series of workshops.

Even if you are unable to attend please provide your thoughts on recreational opportunities you would like to see made a part of this new lakefront community open space area by completing a quick survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLZVLWL.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the Community Development Department at 707-263-5615, Extension 204, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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En 2019, el Departamento de Parques y Recreación de California estará otorgando becas a agencias locales de parques.

La Ciudad de Lakeport está solicitando fondos del Departamento de Parques y Recreación de California para diseñar un parque nuevo sobre la orilla de la laguna localizado en 810 N. Main St. En 2017, la Ciudad completó un plan para este proyecto el cual incluyó involucramiento extenso de la comunidad.

Ahora está buscando comentarios de los residentes adicionales sobre el diseño del parque a través de una serie de talleres.

¡Únete a nosotros para compartir tus ideas!

Nuestros talleres se realizarán en la Sala del Consejo Municipal localizada en 225 Park St. Lakeport de 5:30 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en las siguientes fechas:

– Lunes, 18 de Marzo;
– Jueves, 18 de Abril;
– Lunes, 13 de Mayo.

Se proveerá comida y cuidado de niños en todos los talleres y también habrán rifas! Todos los Talleres serán facilitados en Español e Ingles.

¡Tu opinión es esencial para diseñar el parque! Favor de completar la Encuesta por internet en https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLZVLWL.

También puedes completar la encuesta en las Oficinas de la Ciudad.

Para mas información sobre como involucrarte favor de comunicarte con Vileana De La Rosa por correo electrónico This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. o por teléfono al 562-879-2201.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Over the past two months, through a retirement and working conditions that caused one veteran employee to decide to leave, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office has lost its two main employees, whose departure has resulted in the loss of seven decades of institutional memory.

It’s a situation that is all the more serious considering that the special election for the Lakeport Fire parcel tax is coming up this spring, the process to elect three county supervisors and a judge will begin later this year and the department is in need of new voting equipment after years of staff working with obsolete machinery prone to breaking down.

Longtime Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley retired Dec. 28, after 41 years on the job with the county of Lake, where she was hired in 1977, as Lake County News has reported.

Following closed session interviews with candidates on Nov. 20 and a separate closed session on the appointment on Dec. 4, the Board of Supervisors appointed Maria Valadez – the county’s longtime deputy registrar of voters – to fill the county’s registrar of voters job on an interim basis, effective Dec. 29, the day after Fridley retired.

However, Valadez has since been hired by the county of Mendocino, where she said she will serve as the assistant county clerk-recorder-registrar of voters.

When Valadez left her office at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport for the last time on Feb. 22, she took with her nearly 30 years of experience in local elections. She started her new job in Ukiah last Monday.

Valadez worked as an extra help employee from 1990 to 1992, and was hired permanently with the County Clerk-Auditor-Controller’s Office in November 1994. She was transferred to the Registrar of Voters Office the following June.

With Lake County’s propensity to hire from within – as well as its longstanding recruitment and retention challenges – Valadez was the obvious choice to succeed Fridley, who had made known her plans to retire well before her departure. In addition to her decades of expertise, Valadez also had the support of staff.

But late last year, there was a move by the County Administrative Office to change the basic educational requirements for the job that promised to disqualify the entire registrar’s staff.

Fridley warned the board of that during the October meeting in which County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson proposed making a political science bachelor’s degree a requirement, without the ability to substitute on-the-job experience for education.

The proposed changes were couched in Huchingson’s request to research how to fill the job and to consider whether to return the elections office to the umbrella of the county clerk-auditor’s office, from which it was separated nearly two decades ago. Huchingson said the county’s fiscal challenges make it necessary to consider such restructuring.

Huchingson also had told the board that the proposed changes in educational requirements were meant to make the registrar of voters job consistent with other county department head positions.

By that time, Huchingson had taken to the board a proposal to change the qualifications of the elected office of tax collector as part of a proposal to consolidate that office with the Auditor-Controller’s Office. That effort will require state legislation, which the board, during a September discussion, agreed by consensus to pursue.

Regarding Huchingson’s statement about making department head jobs consistent, a review of the job descriptions on the county’s Web site reveals a hodge-podge of requirements, with no consistency among either department head or other key supervisory positions, some of them overseeing far more employees than the registrar’s job.

The Animal Care and Control director spot – which will be vacated this week by longtime Director Bill Davidson – has no bachelor’s degree requirement, and many other jobs continue to allow for a combination of education and experience.

Notable examples that emphasize experience include the central dispatch manager, which prefers – but does not require – a bachelor’s degree. The chief deputy district attorney’s job, key to running the District Attorney’s Office, has no bachelor’s or even juris doctor requirement, although it states a requirement to be a member of the State Bar, and that’s also the case with the county counsel’s job. In California, lawyers can take the bar exam without a degree if they participate in an apprenticeship.

The air pollution control officer requires experience plus graduation from an accredited four-year college, while the Community Development director’s job combines experience and “education equivalent to graduation from a four year college or university” with a major in planning, or a closely related field.

Fridley told the board in October that the registrar’s office had been separated from the county clerk’s office for the reasons of transparency and giving the board control over the department head. That structural change was ultimately made possible by state legislation that went into effect in 2002, when the Registrar of Voters Office became its own separate department.

Before her retirement, Fridley told Lake County News that having the elections office as a freestanding department had worked quite well, and added that she was uncertain as to whether a reconsolidation would ultimately save the county any money.

Interim appointment and a vacancy

Fridley’s input at the October meeting led to the board deferring plans to change the job classification. That cleared the way for Valadez to be appointed in December.

However, at the same time, the board decided to do a six-month best practices study before recruiting a full-time registrar, Valadez said.

After Valadez’s interim appointment, she said the county didn’t ask her to stay on in the job in a permanent capacity.

It wasn’t until after she turned in her resignation in February that anyone with the county asked her to stay. Supervisor Rob Brown, who said he felt the county didn’t do right by Valadez, spoke to her. However, Valadez didn’t change her mind to go to Mendocino County.

“She was very helpful and always very professional with me,” District 3 Supervisor E.J. Crandell told Lake County News of Valadez.

Crandell said he didn’t get a chance to talk with Valadez about the situation.

While there are no major elections coming up immediately, Valadez said the mail ballot voting for the Lakeport Fire Protection District’s Measure M parcel tax will take place on May 7.

Then, starting in September, there will be the first steps for filing signatures-in-lieu paperwork to run for supervisorial seats for districts 1, 4 and 5, the judge’s seat held by Judge J. David Markham, dates which have been pushed months earlier because of the March 2020 primary election.

With Valadez’s departure, there are two part-time employees left, neither of which even has the five years of required experience to take her deputy registrar job, much less the department head position.

At the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Feb. 12, Huchingson reported Valadez’s intended departure and asked for a closed session discussion to be added as an extra item. By that point, she had reportedly sent board members an email critical of Valadez for her plans to leave so soon after being named interim registrar.

The board came out of closed session that day to vote 3-1 – with Supervisor Rob Brown voting no and Supervisor Crandell absent – to appoint Huchingson the interim registrar of voters, an appointment which she said did not include additional pay. The appointment was effective at the close of business on Feb. 22, Valadez’s last day on the job.

Asked if there was any attempt made to keep Valadez, Huchingson said she couldn’t disclose the specifics of the board’s discussion in closed session, only the action coming out of it.

She said the registrar’s job cannot be left vacant while the county seeks a new candidate.

Huchingson also said she had no concern about the appearance of being appointed interim registrar eight months after the county unsuccessfully put a 1.5-percent sales tax – known as Measure G – before voters as “the interim appointment is intended to be very short-term only.”

She said her interim appointment is in effect until a new registrar of voters is appointed.

Matthew Rothstein, one of Huchingson’s deputy county administrative officers, has been assigned to ensure solid support for the office, “and is in very close contact with me. I am very grateful to Matthew for taking on this unique temporary assignment,” Huchingson said.

The county of Mendocino’s Web site shows that the assistant clerk-recorder/registrar pay range is $76,918.40 to $93,475.20 annually, compared to $67,164 to $81,636 for the Lake County registrar of voters job. Mendocino County’s job application period closed on Jan. 1.

Valadez, however, said it wasn’t about the money, a sentiment other county employees who have left for jobs elsewhere that offer better pay and work conditions have shared with Lake County News.

Moving forward on recruitment

After being unwilling to offer Valadez the job on a permanent basis, the county moved forward with an immediate recruitment for a permanent – not an interim – registrar.

The Lake County Human Resources Department reported that the registrar of voters job was opened to other county employees until Feb. 12, and then was open to the public at-large until Feb. 21. The department confirmed that it was advertised as a permanent, not an interim, position.

The county’s Human Resources Web site includes a job description for the registrar of voters that says it is directly reportable to the Board of Supervisors and that the pay range is $5,597 to $6,803 monthly.

Chief requirements are “five years of work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions; or five years of current high-level management experience in voter registration and election organization with responsibility for election planning, budget administration, and personnel management; or five years of full-time administrative or managerial experience in a position which requires the application of laws and processes.”

Last week, Huchingson told the board that the county has received 13 applications for the job, of which three were promotional candidates. Only three individuals met the minimum requirements.

Huchingson, who called the candidate pool “encouraging,” asked for board members to meet with staff after the meeting to talk about next steps for the registrar and Animal Care and Control recruitments and interview plans. Board Chair Tina Scott and Vice Chair Moke Simon agreed to meet with staff for that purpose.

Huchingson told Lake County News late last week that there will be no extension of time in the recruitment.

“We acted quickly to open the recruitment. The period in which the recruitment is open is the standard minimum recruitment done by our HR Department. The hope is to quickly secure a candidate pool for the board’s consideration,” she said.

Huchingson said the county is moving forward with a panel interview with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday – it’s scheduled for closed session – in the hope of having finalist interviews ready to go for the board on March 5.

At the same time, the board will be interviewing candidates for the Animal Care and Control director, which also received applications for three qualified candidates, Huchingson said.

“We want to move as quickly as possible to provide the board with options for selection. However, if more time is needed, we’ll take it in order to be sure the board considers the top apps,” Huchingson said, adding it’s possible the interview process will continue to the March 12 agenda.

Also on Tuesday, ahead of those closed-door interviews the board will offer a proclamation for service to Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson, who is leaving after close to 12 years on March 8. It’s a gesture not uncommon for longtime county employees, not just department heads.

Valadez, with nearly 30 years of service to the county, received no such honor on her departure.

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. – Lakeport police are seeking information on a high speed driver who fled from an officer Tuesday afternoon.

The driver is identified as a white male adult, 5’11’ tall, bald, unshaven and last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

At approximately 11:40 a.m., a Lakeport police officer on routine patrol traveling south on N. Main Street near Sixth Street saw a white Honda sedan pass by him traveling north in the center turn lane at over 70 miles per hour. The officer turned around and began pursuit of the speeding vehicle.

The pursuit continued north on Main Street at an estimated 90 miles per hour ending at the dead end of N. Main Street near the Del Lago neighborhood.

The speeding suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into the Del Lago neighborhood before entering Clear Lake and is believed to have swum to the 1900 block of Lakeshore Blvd.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and additional Lakeport Police Officers responded to the area and conducted a search but did not locate the driver. Witnesses in the area stated that the suspect got into a green Toyota pick-up and was driven out of the area.

The vehicle was searched and a small amount of suspected heroin as well as hypodermic syringes were located. The vehicle was towed and stored.

The suspect is described as a white male adult, 5’11’ tall, bald, unshaven and last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Casey Debolt at 707-263-5491, extension 122 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Information can also be provided to us by anonymous message by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777 or be sending a private message to the Lakeport Police Facebook page.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Vector Control District reported that, due to weather, it has rescheduled an aerial mosquito larvicide treatment that had been set to begin last week.

District Manager Dr. Jamie Scott said the date for aerial application of VectoBac G larvicide for larval control of Aedes increpitus – or snowmelt mosquito – has been postponed due to the weather and rise in lake level.

Scott said the application is now scheduled on Monday, March 11, or Tuesday, March 12, but the application date may be adjusted based on mosquito surveillance data, lake level and the weather.

The treatment will take place at the marshlands adjacent to the lake between Clear Lake State Park and Lakeport, parts of Anderson Marsh State Park, a small section east of the Clearlake Keys, and a small area near Bridge Arbor South in North Lakeport.

The application is being made because the district’s winter mosquito surveillance program has detected large numbers of mosquito larvae in the marshlands along the perimeter of the lake that flooded as the lake rose due to the abundant rains.

These mosquito larvae are an early-season floodwater species (Aedes increpitus) that hatch from eggs laid in the mud in previous years as the lake receded.

When winter rains flooded the eggs, the larvae hatched and began developing in the still, shallow water. As temperatures and day length increase in early spring, the Ae. increpitus mosquito larvae will pupate and then emerge as biting adults.

These mosquitoes are the aggressive biters experienced every spring by people living and recreating near this area.

The application will be made by a yellow, bi-winged crop duster flying at a low altitude over these marshy areas.

Some of the marshy areas are near homes, and people may experience a brief noise nuisance from the plane.

The product applied will be VectoBac G, a biological larvicide used to control mosquito larvae in aquatic habitats. VectoBac is manufactured by Valent BioSciences, and is based on the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).

The district said it’s a highly effective and economical microbial insecticide is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for the control of larval mosquitoes in nearly all aquatic habitats.

Bti is highly selective for the control of mosquito larvae in water and does not affect plants, animals, or beneficial insects that live in or drink the water. The formulation is a biodegradable solid corncob granule coated with Bti.

The Bti breaks down rapidly in nature so there is no persistence of the active ingredient. The use of a solid formulation reduces the possibility of drift onto adjacent property.

The VectoBac G label and the Safety Data Sheet are available from the Lake County Vector Control District’s Web site at http://www.lcvcd.org/, where the new application date and any subsequent changes also will be posted.

For more information, call the district at 707-263-4770.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will get a presentation on a new statue honoring local Pomo tribes and consider a resolution to grant the new Dollar General store a liquor license.

The council will meet in closed session at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, for a performance evaluation of City Manager Margaret Silveira before the open portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a presentation on the commission and installation of a proposed Lake Pomo
family bronze statue proposed for the Historic Courthouse Museum Park.

Under council business, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will take to the council a proposed resolution making a determination that public convenience or necessity would be served by the issuance a Type-20 Off Sales Beer and Wine Liquor sales license to Dolgen
California LLC for the Dollar General at 1450 South Main St.

The council discussed the request at its last meeting and had directed staff to return with the resolution after Rasmussen said he did not anticipate an increase of crime in the area.

In other business, the city’s Utilities Superintendent Paul Harris will give the council an update on the Wastewater Intrusion and Infiltration Project and Public Works Director Doug Grider will seek the council’s approval and authorization for Silveira to execute a professional services
agreement with the chosen engineering firm for the Hartley St Pedestrian Improvement Project.

Also on the Tuesday agenda is the Lakeport Main Street Association’s Business of the Quarter award and introduction of the new Public Works employees Michelle Humphrey and Ron Harpster, and new Lakeport Police Department volunteer Luke Steely.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; the Feb. 28 warrant register; confirmation of the continued existence of a local emergency in the city of Lakeport in response to the Mendocino Complex fires; adoption of a resolution confirming the existence of a local emergency for the February storms; approval of event application 2019-005, with staff recommendations, for the St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl; approval of event application 2019-006, with staff recommendations, for the July
Fourth Arts & Crafts Fair; approval of event application 2019-007, with staff recommendations, for the Taste of Lake County event; approval of event application 2019-008, with staff recommendations, for the Trick or Treat Main Street Event; approval of event application 2019-009, with staff recommendations, for the Dickens’ Faire; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the HSIP Pavement Markings Project by Chrisp Co. and authorize the filing of the notice of completion; adoption of a resolution amending and adopting an updated conflict of interest code.

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.

030519 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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