LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer said Friday that there has been another increase in COVID-19 cases, with efforts required by the entire community to keep the county off of the state’s monitoring list.
Dr. Gary Pace said that the county’s confirmed cases are up to 195, an increase of 12 cases over Thursday and an increase of 29 since Pace’s last report on July 23.
Of the 195 cases reported on Friday, 21 are active and currently being monitored by Public Health staff; two currently are hospitalized, one locally and one out of county; and 173 have recovered, Pace said. At the start of this month Public Health said one patient had died.
The Public Health COVID-19 dashboard shows that 6,983 tests have been conducted in Lake County, with a 3.4 percent positivity rate for the last 14 days.
“COVID-19 activity remains manageable in Lake County at this time,” said Pace.
A Friday afternoon report from the California Department of Public Health said that California has 493,588 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 9,005 deaths attributed to it.
Pace said a “high level of vigilance” has kept Lake County’s numbers relatively low, and that needs to be maintained “for the long haul.”
Statewide delays in testing results have recently affected the reliability of “active cases,” as a meaningful indicator of how COVID-19 is affecting Lake County communities, Pace said.
“Additionally, with many residents regularly leaving Lake County to work and shop, the probability of coming into contact with COVID-19 may be markedly greater, at times, than our local numbers, alone, would suggest,” he explained.
Pace said that vigilant local monitoring by Public Health officials and staff, Sheriff Brian Martin, Captain Norm Taylor, and County Deputy Sheriffs and staff serving in the Lake County Jail, and leadership and staff at skilled nursing and other congregate living facilities has kept Lake County’s virus numbers low and outbreaks at bay.
“That vigilance must be the norm for the foreseeable future, and will require ongoing community support to sustain,” Pace said.
That’s especially key now that all of Lake’s six neighboring counties have been placed on the state’s watch list, Pace said.
As of Friday, 37 counties – representing 93 percent of Californians – have been placed on that monitoring list in accordance with the California Department of Public Health’s County Data Monitoring protocol.
Pace added that Public Health greatly appreciates that many people have stepped up to help the agency of late. Any others interested in volunteering to support Lake County’s COVID-19 response effort can write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The U.S. has performed more coronavirus tests than any other country in the world. Yet, at the same time, the U.S. is notably underperforming in terms of suppressing COVID-19. Confirmed cases – as well as deaths – are surging in many parts of the country. Some people have argued that the increase in cases is solely due to increased testing.
I am a statistician who studies how mathematics and statistics can be used to track diseases. The claim that the increase in cases is only caused by increases in testing is just not true. But how do public health officials know this?
Testing, confirmed cases and total cases
COVID-19 testing has two purposes. The first is to confirm a diagnosis so that medical treatment can be appropriately rendered. The second is to do surveillance for tracking and disease suppression – including finding those who may be asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms – so that individuals and public health officials can take actions to slow the spread of the virus.
The problem with this statement is that anyone who is infected with the coronavirus is, by definition, a case. Since taking a COVID-19 test does not cause a person to get coronavirus, just like taking a pregnancy test does not cause one to become pregnant, the president’s claim is false. Testing does not create cases.
However, because many COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, many people are infected and don’t know it. What COVID-19 testing does do is identify unknown cases. And thus it does increase the number of cases that are known, or otherwise called the confirmed case count.
Finding unknown cases is good, not bad, because identifying those who are COVID-19-positive allows individuals and public health officials to take actions that slow the spread of the disease. When public health officials find cases, they can begin contract tracing. When a person finds out they are infected, they will know to quarantine.
As it says on the Johns Hopkins testing comparison page, a country’s “testing program should be scaled to the size of their epidemic, not the size of the population.” Sure, the U.S. might have a big testing program, but it has a massive epidemic. The U.S. needs an equally massive testing program if health officials want to have an accurate picture of what’s really going on.
As the need for testing has grown, so have lines at testing facilities. Results can take more than a week to be returned.AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Test positivity rate
So how do public health officials know if they are doing enough testing?
Better than simply counting total number of tests, the test positivity rate is a useful measure of whether enough tests are being done. The test positivity rate is simply the fraction of tests that come back positive. It is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests by the total number of tests. Generally, a lower test positivity rate is good.
A good way to think about test positivity is to think about fishing with a net. If you catch a fish almost every time you send the net down – high test positivity - that tells you there are probably a lot of fish around that you haven’t caught – there are a lot of undetected cases. On the other hand, if you use a huge net – more testing – and only catch a fish every once in a while – low test positivity – you can be pretty sure that you’ve caught most of the fish in the area.
According to the World Health Organization, before a region can relax restrictions or begin reopening, the test positivity rate from a comprehensive testing program should be at or below 5% for at least 14 days.
There are two ways to lower a test positivity rate: either by decreasing the number of positive tests or by increasing the total number of tests. A comprehensive testing program does both. By conducting a large number of tests, most cases in the community are detected. Then, individual and government actions can be taken that contain the virus. This results in a declining number of positive tests.
Returning to the fishing metaphor, the goal of a comprehensive testing program is to use a huge net to overfish in the coronavirus lake until there are very few COVID-19 cases left. Using the test positivity rate as a measure of success helps ensure that a testing program is appropriately scaled to the size of an epidemic.
The increases in confirmed cases aren’t occurring just because there is more testing. The high test positivity rates in some locations show that the virus is in fact spreading and growing so testing needs to grow with it. I believe that if the U.S. wants to beat back this virus, one of the first things that needs to happen is to increase testing. We need to deploy larger nets to catch more fish. Yes, we’ll find more cases, but that’s the point.
Chris Heppe. Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management.
The Bureau of Land Management has named Chris Heppe as its new director for the Central California District, which covers Lake County.
Heppe grew up playing in the streams and forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills in Nevada City. It is his love of water, wildlife and their habitat that led him on a lifelong career in federal service to remote corners of the world.
But Heppe’s path has now brought him back home as the new Bureau of Land Management Central California District Manager based in El Dorado Hills.
“It is a tremendous privilege to be a steward of such a diverse landscape and spectacular cross-section of California that is enjoyed and utilized in a variety of ways,” says Heppe. “I look forward to supporting the BLM managers, staff and specialists who are fantastic at handling the popularity of our recreation areas, while building partnerships with other agencies and communities. Together we can leverage resources and enhance the work being done on the ground.”
The Central California District encompasses roughly 2.2 million acres of BLM-managed public lands stretching from the Pacific Ocean through the Central Valley across the Sierra Nevada and Eastern Sierra to the California-Nevada border.
It includes five BLM field offices – Bakersfield, Bishop, Central Coast, Mother Lode and Ukiah, which includes Lake County – as well as four national monuments, among them the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The district also includes three wild and scenic rivers, two national trails and a national scenic area scattered across 42 counties.
Two weeks after graduating with a biological sciences degree from the University of California at Davis, Heppe started his federal service as a Peace Corps volunteer planting trees as living fences that provide habitat, forage and erosion control in Paraguay.
He then hooted for spotted owls as a seasonal wildlife technician in the Tahoe National Forest, before earning a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco.
Heppe went to work for the Environmental Protection Agency in their Regional Office reviewing hazardous waste management permits, then transitioned into the Water Management Division administering grants to states to improve water quality and watershed health.
Watershed restoration next led him to the Redwood National Park as a natural resource program manager and onto the BLM as manager of the Headwaters Forest Reserve.
Heppe most recently served as the assistant field manager for the BLM Arcata Field Office where he oversaw a variety of natural and cultural resource programs in partnership with local communities.
Heppe succeeds Este Stifel, who retired from federal service last year.
When not in the office, Heppe enjoys family time, hiking and shooting hoops in the driveway.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation.
The California Department of Public Health confirmed on Friday the COVID-related death of a teenager in the Central Valley.
This is the first death in California of a teenager, and this young person had underlying health conditions, officials said.
Due to patient confidentiality, CDPH will not provide any additional information about this death.
CDPH said there have been no reported deaths in younger age categories, including children 5 and under.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of this young person whose death is a tragic and powerful reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, state Public Health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health.
Officials said California has 493,588 confirmed cases to date and 9,005 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
As of July 29, local health departments have reported 23,513 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 127 deaths statewide, CDPH said.
CDPH said Friday that the seven-day average number of new cases is 8,322 per day. The seven-day average from the week prior was 9,881.
In addition, there have been 7,811,041 tests conducted in California. CDPH said this represents an increase of 177,201 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
CDPH also has been giving weekly updates on the number of cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, reported in the state.
As of July 28, 25 cases of MIS-C have been reported statewide. To protect patient confidentiality in counties with fewer than 11 cases, the state is not providing total counts at this time.
MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life-threatening.
Health officials said parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired. Contact your child’s doctor immediately if your child has these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients are critical to preventing long-term complications.
Lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale, according to a new report launched Thursday by UNICEF and Pure Earth.
The report, the first of its kind, says that around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter, or µg/dL, the level at which the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated requires intervention, and a level at which the World Health Organization says may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Nearly half of these children live in South Asia.
Blood lead levels at or above 5 µg/dL is the level at which the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated requires intervention, and a level at which the World Health Organization says may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioral problems and learning difficulties.
In the United States, children exposed to 5 µg/dL total 1,220,000, while another 160,000 children have been exposed to levels for 10 5 µg/dL and above. Premature deaths due to lead poisoning total 20,800, according to a data visualization showing average blood lead levels globally that can be seen here.
“With few early symptoms, lead silently wreaks havoc on children’s health and development, with possibly fatal consequences,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Knowing how widespread lead pollution is – and understanding the destruction it causes to individual lives and communities – must inspire urgent action to protect children once and for all.”
The report, “The Toxic Truth: Children’s exposure to lead pollution undermines a generation of potential,” is an analysis of childhood lead exposure undertaken by the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation and verified with a study approved for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives.
It notes that lead is a potent neurotoxin which causes irreparable harm to children’s brains. It is particularly destructive to babies and children under the age of five as it damages their brains before they have had the opportunity to fully develop, causing them lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical impairment.
Childhood lead exposure has also been linked to mental health and behavioural problems, and to an increase of crime and violence. Older children suffer severe consequences including increased risk of kidney damage and cardiovascular diseases in later life, the report says.
Childhood lead exposure is estimated to cost lower- and middle-income countries almost $1 trillion in United States dollars due to lost economic potential of these children over their lifetime.
The report notes that informal and substandard recycling of lead-acid batteries is a leading contributor to lead poisoning in children living in low and middle-income countries, which have experienced a three-fold increase in the number of vehicles since 2000.
The increase in vehicle ownership, combined with the lack of vehicle battery recycling regulation and infrastructure, has resulted in up to 50 percent of lead-acid batteries being unsafely recycled in the informal economy.
Workers in dangerous and often illegal recycling operations break open battery cases, spill acid and lead dust in the soil, and smelt the recovered lead in crude, open-air furnaces that emit toxic fumes poisoning the surrounding community. Often, the workers and the exposed community are not aware that lead is a potent neurotoxin.
Other sources of childhood lead exposure include lead in water from the use of leaded pipes; lead from active industry, such as mining and battery recycling; lead-based paint and pigments; leaded gasoline, which has declined considerably in recent decades, but was a major historical source; lead solder in food cans; and lead in spices, cosmetics, ayurvedic medicines, toys and other consumer products.
Parents whose occupations involve working with lead often bring contaminated dust home on their clothes, hair, hands and shoes, thus inadvertently exposing their children to the toxic element.
“The good news is that lead can be recycled safely without exposing workers, their children, and surrounding neighborhoods. Lead-contaminated sites can be remediated and restored,” said Richard Fuller, President of Pure Earth. “People can be educated about the dangers of lead and empowered to protect themselves and their children. The return on the investment is enormous: improved health, increased productivity, higher IQs, less violence, and brighter futures for millions of children across the planet.”
While blood lead levels have declined dramatically in most high-income countries since the phase-out of leaded gasoline and most lead-based paints, blood lead levels for children in low and middle-income countries have remained elevated and, in many cases, dangerously high even a decade after the global phase-out of leaded gasolines.
The report features five country case studies where lead pollution and other toxic heavy metal waste have affected children. These are Kathgora, Bangladesh; Tbilisi, Georgia; Agbogbloshie, Ghana; Pesarean, Indonesia; and Morelos State, Mexico.
The report notes that governments in affected countries can address lead pollution and exposure among children using a coordinated and concerted approach across the following areas:
– Monitoring and reporting systems including building capacity for blood lead level testing. – Prevention and control measures including preventing children’s exposure to high risk sites and products that contain lead, such as certain ceramics, paints, toys and spices. – Management, treatment and remediation including strengthening health systems so that they are equipped to detect, monitor and treat lead exposure among children; and providing children with enhanced educational interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy to better manage the negative effects of lead exposure. – Public awareness and behaviour change including creating continual public education campaigns about the dangers and sources of lead exposure with direct appeals to parents, schools, community leaders and healthcare workers. – Legislation and policy including developing, implementing and enforcing environmental, health and safety standards for manufacturing and recycling of lead acid batteries and e-waste, and enforcing environmental and air-quality regulations for smelting operations. – Global and regional action including creating global standard units of measure to verify the results of pollution intervention on public health, the environment and local economies; building an international registry of anonymized results of blood lead level studies; and creating international standards and norms around recycling and transportation of used lead acid batteries.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the planned increase to the state’s minimum wage is moving forward while also reporting that more than $1 billion has gone back into the pockets of 3.6 million working Californians and their families through California’s Earned Income Tax Credit and Young Child Tax Credit.
Although current economic conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic authorize him to suspend the scheduled increase in the minimum wage for 2021, Newsom declined to do so, announcing that he will move the increase forward as reflected in the 2020 state budget.
The minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1 to $13.00 per hour for businesses with 25 or fewer employees, and to $14 per hour for businesses with more than 25 employees.
“As we continue our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, we must also ensure that as our economy recovers, all Californians can benefit in its growth,” said Gov. Newsom. “Not allowing this increase to go forward will only make life harder for those Californians who have already borne a disproportionate share of the economic hardship caused by this pandemic. Many of them are on the front lines of the pandemic, providing child care, working in our hospitals and nursing facilities and making sure there’s food on grocery store shelves.”
The COVID-19 recession has not only dealt a swift and broad-based blow to California’s economy – it has taken a disproportionate toll on low-income Californians, worsening income disparities that predate the pandemic.
Newsom said the expansion of the California Earned Income Tax Credit, or CalEITC, and the creation of the Young Child Tax Credit, or YCTC, have provided much-needed financial relief to millions of Californians, especially families with young children.
As of Monday, more than 3.6 million filers claimed the CalEITC and YCTC, providing over $1 billion back to hardworking Californians, Newsom reported.
“The CalEITC is providing critical relief for millions of low-income Californians and their families, many of whom were struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic and have been hit especially hard during this time,” said Newsom. “The CalEITC and the new Young Child Tax Credit are helping families make ends meet.”
CalEITC-eligible families with children under the age of 6 can also receive up to $1,000 more by claiming the YCTC, established through the budget signed by Gov. Newsom last year.
Of the over $1 billion distributed through CalEITC and YCTC, $370 million was credited to 409,000 taxpayers who claimed the Young Child Tax Credit. This means money back in the pockets of almost half a million California families to help relieve their economic strain and address childhood poverty.
Last year, Gov. Newsom significantly expanded CalEITC, investing $1 billion to help Californians become more financially secure.
He expanded the program so Californians making up to $30,000 per year now qualify, and added a new Young Child Tax Credit for families with children under the age of 6.
“The CalEITC is an important investment in California’s families and our future,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “I am grateful to the countless community organizations and volunteers who partnered with our administration to ensure this benefit reached those who need it most, particularly California’s kids.”
From left to right, back row, Dr. Cirilo Cortez, dean of Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake, California; Dr. Artemio Pimentel, president of Woodland Community College; Kasey Gardner, vice president of instruction; and Sandra Fowler, dean of career education. Front row, Dr. Lisceth Brazil-Cruz, interim dean of student success and institutional effectiveness; Adela Esquivel-Swinson, vice president of student services; and Dr. Shannon Reed, dean of arts and sciences. Photo courtesy of Woodland Community College. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – After an extensive search to fill key management positions that were left vacant last year, Woodland Community College announced it will begin the new academic year with a complete management team that is fully prepared to serve students across three counties.
WCC President Dr. Art Pimentel and the college community welcomed Dr. Cirilo Cortez, dean of the Lake County Campus in Clearlake; Adela Esquivel-Swinson, vice president of student services; Sandra Fowler, dean of career education; and Dr. Shannon Reed, dean of arts and sciences.
They join vice president of instruction, Kasey Gardner, who has been with WCC since November of 2019.
Dr. Cirilo Cortez comes to the college from the University of California Davis where he served as founding director of the Center of Chicanx and Latinx Academic Success Center.
With degrees from Sonoma State and UC Davis and more than 10 years in higher education, across community college, CSU and UC systems, and close ties to the area having grown up in Lake County, Dr. Cortez noted he is “passionate for serving rural communities and for inspiring students to consider higher education as a vehicle for social mobility.”
Dr. Cortez will oversee a diverse student population and will return to Lake County where he grew up.
Adela Esquivel-Swinson will serve as the college’s new vice president of student services. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. Her career includes serving diverse community colleges in various capacities across California. Throughout her career, she has championed access and student success.
Prior to joining Woodland Community College, she served as vice president of student affairs at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. She holds a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in educational leadership and social justice from Antioch University in Santa Barbara and a human services degree with an emphasis in counseling from Notre Dame de Namuir University.
When asked what she is most excited about in this new role, she said, “the opportunity to work with a group of dynamic leaders and in an institution that is student and community-centered.”
Dr. Shannon Reed, a native of Northern California, is returning to the Golden State after working on the East Coast and most recently Regis University in Colorado. She joins the college as its new dean of arts and sciences.
“I grew up in the Central Valley and it feels really good to be coming home. I am excited about joining Woodland Community College because everyone here is so deeply committed to our students,” Reed said.
An alumna of Earlham College, CSU Sacramento and the University of Alabama, Dr. Reed brings years of experience working in higher education both in the classroom and in administration.
With degrees in agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, a Master’s of Business Administration from Capella University and currently working on her doctorate degree in educational leadership from CSU Sacramento, Sandra Fowler is the new dean of career education.
Fowler has 15 years of experience working in the private industry and served as director of the career and technical education at Yuba Community College. She oversees WCC’s Dual Enrollment Program, which offers college-level courses to high school students in the college’s service area.
Dual Enrollment’s most notable accomplishment because of her continued investment and forward-thinking approach on dual enrollment and helping students achieve their educational and career goals, which includes reinforcing partnerships with community and industry representatives.
Completing the team is the college’s vice president of instruction, Kasey Gardner. Gardner earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Kentucky University, a master’s in communication from the University of the Pacific and a Master’s of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College.
With his work as a professor of communication and director of forensics at Los Medanos College and serving as dean of behavioral and social sciences at Sacramento City College, he brings vast knowledge and understanding of faculty and administrative needs to the college. Evidence of his work ethic and optimism, he has led numerous workgroups and participated in committees at college and district levels to address COVID 19 effects on higher education.
“COVID-19 was a challenge we had not planned for in the past, but it has given us a great chance to collaborate with our community leadership. In the next academic year, I am looking forward to seeing how our new management team and the creativity of our staff combine to deliver great instruction, new services, and enhanced programs for our students,” Gardner said.
With this new leadership team and committed staff, faculty and students, Woodland Community College will start the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 17.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Superior Court officials said this week that they are continuing to conduct remote proceedings and keep in place other operational adaptations to comply with state and local health orders in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In mid-March, in response to county and state shelter in place orders and direction from the Judicial Council of California, the court shut down in-person proceedings and trials were put on hold, as Lake County News has reported.
Later in the spring, the Judicial Council allowed for trials to restart in June.
In the Lake County Superior Court, jury trials had been scheduled to start on July 8, but Court Executive Officer Krista LeVier told Lake County News that, to date, all cases for which trials had been scheduled to start between July 8 and this Wednesday have been resolved or the proceedings rescheduled to a later date.
Scheduling for any jury trials for the first week of August should be determined by the end of this week.
Meantime, officials said that while the pandemic persists and shelter in place orders remain in effect, the court is continuing to provide necessary and essential services to court users while protecting the health of all who come before or work within the court.
In response to public health orders, the court has limited the number of cases on calendar, requires social distancing in court facilities as well as face coverings, and will continue to handle matters via remote means whenever possible.
The following is an overview of how current proceedings are handled.
As the situation is quickly evolving, the court said it will keep the public up to date on its website.
The court will continue to hold the following hearings by remote appearance until further notice. All attorneys and parties must appear by phone/video as directed by the court.
– Daily in-custody criminal arraignments. – Juvenile detention hearings, Department 4. – Felony law and motion, Department 3, Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m. – Sentencings, Department 3, Mondays at 3 p.m. – Misdemeanor disposition/setting and motions, Department 1, Mondays at 8:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Misdemeanor settlement conferences, Department 1, Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. – Civil law and motion, Department 2, Mondays at 9 a.m. – Civil case management, Department 2, Mondays at 10:30 a.m. – Conservatorships, Department 2, Mondays at 1:30 p.m. – Probate, Department 2, Mondays at 2 p.m. – Department of Child Support Services Family Support, Clearlake Branch Tuesdays at 9 a.m. – Domestic violence restraining orders, Department 2, Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m. – Family law and motion, Department 2, Tuesdays at 10 a.m. – Juvenile delinquency and dependency calendars, Mondays, 8:15 a.m./1:30 p.m., Department 4. – Civil harassment restraining order calendar, Tuesdays, 8:15 a.m., Department 4. – Civil Settlement Calendar, Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m., Department 4. – Trial assignment, Fridays, 8:15 a.m., Department 4.
Trials and contested hearings
The court will continue conducting in-person trials or contested hearings which will be direct set for Thursdays and Fridays. The number of cases set on a given date/time will be limited to allow for appropriate social distancing.
Felony law and motion, sentencing and preliminary hearings
The felony law and motion and sentencing calendars will be held by remote appearance. However, out-of-custody defendants ordered to appear will be required to attend in person. Preliminary hearings will continue to be held in person.
Misdemeanor arraignment calendar
The misdemeanor arraignment calendar will continue to be held in person. The number of cases set on a given date/time has been limited to allow for appropriate social distancing.
Jury trials
The court is prepared to conduct jury trials, as necessary. If you receive a jury summons, you are required to appear.
Steps have been taken to minimize the risk to jurors, including reducing the number of jurors who are summoned to appear at one time. Jurors who are unable to serve because they are at high-risk for COVID-19-related complications will be excused prior to coming to the courthouse.
Additional details about the excusal process and precautions will be provided with the jury summons.
Clearlake Branch operations: Small claims/traffic/unlawful detainer
The Clearlake Branch will continue to hold court calendars in-person. The number of cases set on the calendar has been limited and staff will limit the number of people who enter the building to ensure proper social distancing.
Self-Help Center
The Self-Help Center will continue to provide service by remote means only. Litigants can contact the Self-Help Center by phone 707-994-4612, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance.
Court clerk’s offices
The Court Clerk’s Offices continue to be open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The public is encouraged to continue to make use of the drop-box whenever possible, to avoid a person-to-person interaction.
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. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with an Oroville-based nonprofit that proposes to temporarily operate a COVID-19 homeless shelter in a portion of the former juvenile hall facility.
The contract between Lake County Behavioral Health Services and Elijah House is for a maximum of $234,550, and will continue through Sept. 30.
With the Hope Harbor shelter at 2150 S. Main St. in Lakeport due to close at month’s end after a four-month extended run, the county was looking for an organization to take over offering COVID-19 sheltering operations for the homeless. As part of its reopening variance with the state, the county is required to offer such housing services.
Elijah House responded to a request for proposals the county issued in June for an organization to take over COVID-19 sheltering operations for the homeless.
Behavioral Health Director Todd Metcalf said Elijah House was the sole responder to the request for proposals.
He said the nonprofit provides substance use disorder and mental health services, and also operates a sober living facility in Butte County.
Metcalf said, upon approval, Elijah House will assume shelter operations on July 31 and has offered to transition the guests from the current shelter in Lakeport to the juvenile hall facility in north Lakeport.
He said the agreement ends Sept. 30, with the plan to transition the guests to the Hope Center, a transitional housing facility in Clearlake slated to open doors in late September or early October. In the event the Hope Center’s opening schedule changes, Metcalf said they incorporated language into the agreement outlining the ability to extend it on a month to month basis.
Supervisor Tina Scott thanked Metcalf for working incredibly hard on the contract. She said she had been concerned about putting the center’s residents on the street after having stabilized them, noting some of the shelter residents have found homes and jobs.
Scott said she’s met with some of Elijah House’s directors and hopes their programs can be brought to Lake County. “It’s a game changer here.”
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier wanted minor changes to the contract language, specifically, that while the county would be required to maintain the facility, the operator would have to cover issues arising from negligence.
Sabatier said he also had some “heartfelt disappointments” that the COVID-19 homeless shelter’s transition is being linked to the Hope Center in Clearlake, noting that the homeless problem has to be solved everywhere in the county, not just one area.
Metcalf said they could add the language about negligence, and while he said he also would like to see another facility in addition to the Hope Center, at this point it is all they’ve got.
“We are by no means giving up on having more than one location. But for now, this is what we have to work with and it seems to be the best path to ensure that these folks who are unhoused will have a place to go,” he said.
Health Services Director Denise Pomeroy said the county had to do an attestation several earlier this year as part of its reopening variance, and housing the homeless is a requirement.
“This also does help us stay within that variance that we wrote a few months ago,” Pomeroy said.
Elijah House representative John Mitchell, who called in to the meeting, said the organization would agree to Sabatier’s proposed amendment to the contract language.
Mitchell thanked the board for considering the proposal. He said the organization has been working to build relationships within Lake County. They have long-term goals outside of the grant proposal and saw the shelter operation as an opportunity to come in and meet that need.
He said Elijah House has been working with the Hope Center, Adventist Health and those operating the Hope Harbor shelter, and the organization wants to keep them on board. Having seen their results in housing and employment, within a few months there could be a lot more success in this program, he added.
Metcalf said it is a great opportunity to bring additional programs and services to the county in support of what Behavioral Health is trying to accomplish.
“I’m excited about this,” said Metcalf, calling it a win-win situation.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen also spoke to the board on behalf of his department and the city of Lakeport.
“We believe this is a very robust proposal” to bring in a good quality organization to expand services, Rasmussen said.
He thanked Kelseyville United Methodist Church – the fiscal sponsor for Hope Harbor – along with Hope Harbor, the county health department and current shelter staff. “They’ve done a lot of great work.”
Rasmussen said it was critical to get this new proposal approved so there was no break in service, as he said it would be detrimental if the people in the current shelter were put out on the street. He thanked the county for looking at it so quickly.
Pastor Shannon Kimbell-Auth, who works with Project Restoration and Adventist Health, thanked Sabatier, who she said opened up the idea of using the juvenile hall facility for the shelter, and Metcalf for the extraordinary amount of work required to get it done.
She agreed with Rasmusen that it would defeat a lot of the remarkable work the team at Hope Harbor has achieved over the last six months if there was a break in service.
Like Sabatier, she said she believes there needs to be more than one site in the county where the homeless are served.
Bringing Elijah House to Lake County, Kimbell-Auth said, is “an extraordinary opportunity for Lake County and the services that we are able to offer people experiencing homelessness.”
Sabatier asked if Elijah House could assist with counting the local homeless population and if they could conduct the annual point in time count at any other time rather than January.
Metcalf said he understood that more than one count could be done a year and he was open to it. However, Kimbell-Auth said the January count is required for federal Housing and Urban Development purposes while a summer count could be done to help identify the community’s needs. That responsibility falls to the Continuum of Care, not a provider like Elijah House.
Linda Hedstrom, a county resident and affordable housing consultant, explained that a lot of people seem to get stuck on the point in time count, which is a single use function for HUD for a certain kind of funding.
Hedstrom said most HUD funding, however, doesn’t rely on the point in time count. She added that there is other funding available to help with the work Kimbell-Auth and Elijah House are doing which don’t rely on that annual count.
Scott moved to approve the contract, with Sabatier seconding and the board voting 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. – With the US Census’ data collection efforts to be underway for another three months, officials are continuing to encourage community members in Lake County and those across the state and nation to participate as census takers prepare to follow up with households that haven’t yet responded.
Conducted every 10 years, the US Census will help to determine how many seats a state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how legislative districts are drawn.
It also plays a critical role in the allocation of federal funding to states and local communities.
The population count it provides every decade informs how funds for housing, transportation, health care, education and emergency response are dispersed, officials said.
An estimated $675 billion in federal funds annually, and trillions of dollars over the next decade, will be distributed based on the Census, the bureau reported.
Due to COVID-19, the deadline for responses to be submitted has extended to Oct. 31.
In Lake County, the latest Census Bureau data shows the county remains well below the state and national average for its response rate.
Lake’s overall response rate is 44.9 percent compared to the state rate of 64 percent and the national rate of 62.8 percent.
Lake County’s final overall response rate in 2010 was 42.6 percent.
For Internet-only responses, Lake’s 2020 rate is even lower, at 27.9 percent, compared to California’s 53.4 percent Internet rate and the national self-response rate on the Internet of 50.1 percent.
Within the county, the city of Clearlake’s response rate is 38 percent and Lakeport’s is 64.1 percent.
Lake’s overall 44.9 percent rate ranks it among the counties in California with the lowest response. Only Sierra (38.9%), Plumas (36.1%), Trinity (27.4%), Alpine (24.5%) and Mono (19.9%) are lower.
The state’s top five counties for response are San Mateo, 73.9 percent; Contra Costa, 72.2 percent; Santa Clara, 72.1 percent; Marin and Ventura, 71.7 percent.
The Census Bureau said 92.8 million households have so far completed the Census. Of those, 9.7 million are in California.
California’s final 2010 response rate was 68.2 percent.
The top 10 states for response rate so far are Minnesota, 72.1 percent; Wisconsin, 69.4 percent; Nebraska, 68.8 percent; Michigan, 68.7 percent; Iowa, 68.7 percent; Washington, 68.1 percent; Virginia and Illinois, tied at 67.5 percent; Utah and Ohio, tied at 67.1 percent.
On Thursday, the US Census Bureau said the majority of its offices across the country will begin follow-up work on Aug. 11 with households that so far haven’t responded.
Households can still respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received, by responding online at www.2020census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020.
The bureau said households can also respond online or by phone in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more. Those that respond will not need to be visited to obtain their census response.
The Census Bureau said its window for field data collection and self-response, which ends Oct. 31, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the president by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On her last day on the job, the Lakeport City Council plans to hold a special meeting to honor retiring City Manager Margaret Silveira.
The special meeting in recognition of Silveira will take place on Friday, July 31.
The meeting will take place virtually beginning at 9 a.m. The agenda can be found here.
Access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 866-901-6455 or 562- 247-8421. The access code is 981-143-571; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments prior to 8 a.m. Friday, July 31.
Please indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number you wish to comment on. Comments that participants want read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
Silveira is retiring as of Friday after 10 years as Lakeport’s city manager. She is the third person to hold that job – the city went to the city manager form of government in 2001 – and the first woman. The council has tapped her assistant city manager, Kevin Ingram, to succeed her.
The council has bestowed other honors on Silveira, including naming the former Bank of America building on Main Street – which she convinced the company to donate after closing it – the Silveira Community Center.
At Friday’s meeting, Mayor George Spurr will present Congressional Record remarks from Congressman Mike Thompson honoring Silveira.
Mayor Pro Tem Kenny Parlet will offer a certificate of recognition from California State Assemblymember Cecilia Aguilar Curry and Sen. Mike McGuire.
Councilman Tim Barnes will present recognition from Redwood Empire Municipal Insurance Fund.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner will deliver a resolution of recognition from the California Association for Local Economic Development.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina will give to Silveira a proclamation by the council recognizing her for her years of service.
There also will be a presentation of a video tribute and public comment.
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. – State Controller Betty T. Yee has published 2019 self-reported payroll data for hundreds of cities and 50 counties on the Government Compensation in California website.
The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the state controller.
The data cover 674,166 positions and a total of more than $48.50 billion in 2019 wages.
The newly published data include 469 cities and 52 counties.
Cities not reporting are Benicia, Campbell, Compton, Davis, Ione, Oxnard, Redding, Roseville, San Jose, Santa Paula, Solano Beach, Union City and West Sacramento.
Counties that haven’t reported are Humboldt, Mendocino, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Yolo.
Based on the information provided on the website, the city of Clearlake, with approximately 14,297 residents and 89 employees, pays wages totaling $4,489,853 and retirement and health contributions totaling $999,152.
Average wages are $50,488, while average retirement and health contributions are $11,226.
In Clearlake, the top five salaried positions are:
– City manager: salary, $149,872; retirement and health, $30,924. – Police chief: salary, $137,335; retirement and health, $54,143. – Police captain: salary, $135,101; retirement and health, $48,693. – Police sergeant: salary, $133,228; retirement and health, $33,226. – Police officer : salary, $128,747; retirement and health, $17,298.
For the city of Lakeport, the site reports 4,677 residents and 69 employees, paying out $3,355,225 in wages and $906,680 in retirement and health contributions.
Average wages are $48,626, average retirement and health contributions are $13,140.
In Lakeport, the top five salaried positions are:
– City manager: salary, $145,553; retirement and health, $22,847. – Community Development director: salary, $118,469; retirement and health, $12,141. – Police chief: salary, $118,134; retirement and health, $42,706. – Police lieutenant: salary, $102,077; retirement and health, $23,230. – Utilities superintendent II: salary, $101,681; retirement and health, $8,299.
For the county of Lake, the site reports a population of 64,040 and county government employees totaling 1,194, paying $47,290,457 in wages and $12,333,180 in retirement and health contributions.
Average wages are $39,607; average retirement and health contributions are $10,329.
The county’s top five paid employees are:
– County counsel: salary, $152,855; retirement and health, $23,674. – County administrative officer: salary, $152,801; retirement and health, $25,601. – Sheriff-coroner: salary, $146,483; retirement and health, $33,512. – District attorney: salary, $142,697; retirement and health, $23,754. – Deputy Sheriff Sergeant: salary, $125,337; retirement and health, $22,673.
The city of Vernon – with 297 residents and 285 employees – had the highest average city employee wage in California, at $120,745 and $27,688 for retirement and health contributions.
Rounding out the top five cities for pay and benefits are Hayward, average wages, $107,198, retirement and health, $24,572; Atherton, average wages, $105,657, retirement and health, $21,428; Pleasant Hill, average wages, $105,208, retirement and health, $24,721; and Fairfield, average wages, $104,800; retirement and health, $26,164.
Topping the list for highest average county employee wage were the counties of Santa Clara, average wages, $89,985, retirement and health, $22,766; Los Angeles, average wages, $85,936, retirement and health, $24,338; Alameda, average wages, $85,194; retirement and health, $35,998; San Mateo, average wages, $82,406, retirement and health, $35,160; and Placer, average wages, $78,437, retirement and health, $33,864.
The highest-salaried city employee in California is San Francisco’s chief investment officer, with total wages totaling $577,633, with $128,267 in retirement and health contributions.
The state reported that almost all of the top 100 highest-paid county employees are physicians.
Users of the site can view compensation levels on maps and search by region, narrow results by name of the entity or by job title and export raw data or custom reports.
The state controller also maintains and publishes state and CSU salary data.
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.
