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Two of the farthest galaxies seen to date are captured in these Webb Space Telescope pictures of the outer regions of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. The galaxies are not inside the cluster, but many billions of light-years farther behind it. The galaxy labeled (1) existed only 450 million years after the big bang. The galaxy labeled (2) existed 350 million years after the big bang. Both are seen really close in time to the big bang which occurred 13.8 billion years ago. These galaxies are tiny compared to our Milky Way, being just a few percent of its size, even the unexpectedly elongated galaxy labeled (1). Credits: Science: NASA, ESA, CSA, Tommaso Treu (UCLA); Image Processing: Zolt G. Levay (STScI).

The powerful NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has found an unexpectedly rich “undiscovered country” of early galaxies that has been largely hidden until now.

A few days after officially starting science operations, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope propelled astronomers into a realm of early galaxies, previously hidden beyond the grasp of all other telescopes.

Webb is now unveiling a very rich Universe where the first forming galaxies look remarkably different from the mature galaxies seen around us today. Researchers have found two exceptionally bright galaxies that existed approximately 300 and 400 million years after the Big Bang.

Their extreme brightness is puzzling to astronomers. The young galaxies are transforming gas into stars as fast as they can and they appear compacted into spherical or disc shapes that are much smaller than our Milky Way galaxy. The onset of stellar birth may have been just 100 million years after the Big Bang, which happened 13.8 billion years ago.

“Everything we see is new. Webb is showing us that there’s a very rich Universe beyond what we imagined,” said Tommaso Treu of the University of California at Los Angeles, a co-investigator on one of the Webb programmes. “Once again the Universe has surprised us. These early galaxies are very unusual in many ways.”

The results are from Webb’s GLASS-JWST Early Release Science Program (Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space), and Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey, or CEERS.

Two research papers, led by Marco Castellano of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, Italy, and Rohan Naidu of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts have been published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

In just four days of analysis, researchers found two exceptionally bright galaxies in the GLASS-JWST images. These galaxies existed approximately 450 and 350 million years after the Big Bang (with redshifts of approximately 10.5 and 12.5, respectively), which future spectroscopic measurements with Webb will help confirm.

“With Webb, we were amazed to find the most distant starlight that anyone had ever seen, just days after Webb released its first data,” said Rohan Naidu of the more distant GLASS galaxy, referred to as GLASS-z12, which is believed to date back to 350 million years after big bang. The previous record holder is galaxy GN-z11, which existed 400 million years after the big bang (redshift 11.1), and identified in 2016 by Hubble and Keck Observatory in deep-sky programmes.

“Based on all the predictions, we thought we had to search a much bigger volume of space to find such galaxies,” said Castellano.

“These observations just make your head explode. This is a whole new chapter in astronomy. It’s like an archaeological dig, when suddenly you find a lost city or something you didn’t know about. It’s just staggering,” added Paola Santini, fourth author of the Castellano et al. GLASS-JWST paper.

“While the distances of these early sources still need to be confirmed with spectroscopy, their extreme brightnesses are a real puzzle, challenging our understanding of galaxy formation,” noted Pascal Oesch of the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

The Webb observations nudge astronomers toward a consensus that an unusual number of galaxies in the early Universe were much brighter than expected. This will make it easier for Webb to find even more early galaxies in subsequent deep sky surveys, say researchers.

“We’ve nailed something that is incredibly fascinating. These galaxies would have had to have started coming together maybe just 100 million years after the Big Bang. Nobody expected that the dark ages would have ended so early,” said Garth Illingworth of the University of California at Santa Cruz. “The primal Universe would have been just one hundredth of its current age. It’s a sliver of time in the 13.8-billion-year-old evolving cosmos.”

Naidu/Oesch team member Erica Nelson of the University of Colorado noted that “our team was struck by being able to measure the shapes of these first galaxies; their calm, orderly discs question our understanding of how the first galaxies formed in the crowded, chaotic early Universe.” This remarkable discovery of compact discs at such early times was only possible because Webb’s images are so much sharper, in infrared light, than Hubble’s.

“These galaxies are very different from the Milky Way or other big galaxies we see around us today,” said Treu.

Illingworth emphasised that the two bright galaxies found by these teams have a lot of light. He said one option is that they could have been very massive, with lots of low-mass stars, like later galaxies. Alternatively, they could be much less massive, consisting of far fewer extraordinarily bright stars, known as Population III stars. Long theorised, they would be the first stars ever born, blazing at blistering temperatures and made up of only primordial hydrogen and helium; only later would stars cook up heavier elements in their nuclear fusion furnaces. No such extremely hot, primordial stars are seen in the local Universe.

“Indeed, the most distant source is very compact, and its colours seem to indicate that its stellar population is particularly devoid of heavy elements and could even contain some Population III stars. Only Webb spectra will tell,” said Adriano Fontana, second author of the Castellano et al. paper and a member of the GLASS-JWST team.

Present Webb distance estimates to these two galaxies are based on measuring their infrared colors. Eventually, follow-up spectroscopy measurements showing how light has been stretched in the expanding Universe will provide independent verification of these cosmic yardstick measurements.

Webb is the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Under an international collaboration agreement, ESA provided the telescope’s launch service, using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Working with partners, ESA was responsible for the development and qualification of Ariane 5 adaptations for the Webb mission and for the procurement of the launch service by Arianespace.

ESA also provided the workhorse spectrograph NIRSpec and 50% of the mid-infrared instrument MIRI, which was designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with JPL and the University of Arizona.

Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency.
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AccuWeather forecasters say a wide-ranging storm could develop and move across the country, just in time to disrupt travelers on Thanksgiving and in the days immediately after the holiday.

AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for a significant storm to cause a slew of hazards across the eastern United States, including heavy rain, snow and gusty winds, next week with the potential for holiday travel disruptions in the days leading up to Thanksgiving — and impacts may continue beyond the holiday as well.

The adverse weather will initially develop as two smaller storms form and travel thousands of miles, impacting millions of people around the holiday from the nation's midsection to the East Coast. Travelers in parts of the Midwest and Northeast may need to factor in the potential for wintry weather in their travel plans later in the week.

For those getting a head start on their holiday travel this weekend into Monday, people in a large swath of the nation will enjoy quiet weather conditions, and the vast majority of people will encounter few weather-related travel issues.



One of the ingredients for this potentially significant storm, an area of low pressure, will start to impact travelers beginning on Tuesday. Heavy rain and mountain snow will move into the Northwest and western Canada. This part of the storm will pack most of the energy needed for the bigger storm to form later in the week.

On Wednesday, the second ingredient, moisture emerging from the Gulf of Mexico, will help spark showers and thunderstorms across eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley, slowing pre-Thanksgiving travel there, including in Houston and Dallas.

Those two separate systems will begin to combine into a larger storm over the Midwest, Mississippi and Ohio valleys and parts of the South on Thanksgiving.

Thunderstorms packing torrential downpours will make for a soggy Turkey Day in cities such as Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. Meanwhile, snow showers will make for a wintry scene and slick roads in parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, including in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota.

While the strength and positioning of any developing storm are still uncertain a week out, there is the potential for further strengthening to occur as the storm reaches the Atlantic coast around Friday. Combined with fresh cold air rushing in from Canada, a swath of snow can interrupt post-Thanksgiving travel in parts of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast from Friday into next weekend.



Impacts can also occur along the coast, from the Carolinas to New England, including strong winds, high waves and tidal flooding, as the storm strengthens offshore.

If the two storms end up being weaker or the colder air ends up pushing farther south, the ingredients may not come together in the right position or in time to produce significant travel-impacting precipitation in the East.

Regardless, travelers should plan in advance for the potential of flight delays or cancellations at major airports, including Chicago-O'Hare, Atlanta-Hartsfield and the airports in the New York City tri-state area, as well as slow travel on major highways such as interstates 40, 70, 80, 90 and 95.

The potential for more snow in the Great Lakes will come in the wake of a major lake-effect snow event late this week and weekend, where several feet of snow is expected to accumulate, including in Buffalo.

Bill Deger is an AccuWeather senior meteorologist.
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On Wednesday, the California Air Resources Board released its updated proposal to implement the most ambitious climate action of any jurisdiction in the world, taking unprecedented steps to drastically slash pollution and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

State officials said no economy in the world, much less the soon-to-be fourth largest, has put forth such a comprehensive roadmap to reach carbon neutrality.

This updated plan follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to move faster to achieve new, ambitious climate goals, setting new targets for renewable energy, clean buildings, carbon removal, and clean fuels in the transportation sector.

If adopted by the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, this plan will be a critical component of Gov. Newsom’s California Climate Commitment — a set of world-leading actions to build out a 100% clean energy grid, achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, ramp up carbon removal and sequestration, protect Californians from harmful oil drilling, and invest $54 billion to forge an oil-free future while building sustainable communities throughout the state.

The updated Scoping Plan would achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, in addition to:

• Cutting air pollution by 71%.

• Slashing greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2045: That includes a 48% reduction of greenhouse gasses by 2030, surpassing the statutory mandate to reduce emissions 40% below 1990 levels in 2030;

• Reducing fossil fuel consumption to less than one-tenth of what we use today, a 94% drop in demand for oil and 86% drop in demand for all fossil fuels.

• Creating four million new jobs.

• Saving Californians $200 billion in health costs due to pollution.

“California is drastically cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and cleaning our air — this plan is a comprehensive roadmap to achieve a pollution-free future,” said Gov. Newsom. “It’s the most ambitious set of climate goals of any jurisdiction in the world, and if adopted, it’ll spur an economic transformation akin to the industrial revolution. While big polluters focus on increasing their profits at our expense, California is protecting communities, creating jobs and accelerating our transition to clean energy.”

The plan would also raise the stakes for clean energy and climate resiliency, calling for:

• At least 20 GW offshore wind capacity built by 2045;

• 3 million climate-friendly homes by 2030 and 7 million by 2035;

• 6 million heat pumps deployed by 2030;

• Carbon removal/capture targets of 20 million metric tons CO2 equivalent (MMTCO2e) by 2030 and 100 MMTCO2e by 2045;

• Achieve 20% non-combustion in the aviation sector by 2045, with the remaining demand met with sustainable aviation fuel;

• Light-duty vehicle miles traveled target of 25% per capita below 1990 levels by 2030 and 30% per capita below 1990 levels by 2045.

Wednesday’s release follows the latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory, showing that 2020 had the steepest recorded drop in pollution in California history due to the pandemic, and including updated data showing California reached its 2020 climate targets six years ahead of schedule in 2014 rather than the initially estimated four.
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Rosie Blackburn, a State Parks environmental services intern, plants one of the last of the 100 valley oak seedlings placed at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — In the years to come, Lake County residents should see dozens of newly planted valley oaks trees becoming part of the landscape at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, their canopies growing broad and tall over a life span marked in centuries.

This week, State Parks staff planted 100 valley oak seedlings over three locations at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

It’s part of a collaborative project between State Parks, the city of Clearlake and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association.

“We’re excited,” Ryan Martin, the natural resources manager for the State Parks division that includes Lake County, said of the project.

The 1-year-old valley oak seedlings were sourced locally from Native Nursery, owned by Larry Ray. Chad Mackie, a State Parks forestry aide, picked up the trees on Tuesday.

A team of five planted the trees in just two days, starting with 77 on Wednesday and the remaining trees on Thursday.

The trees were planted along Seigler Canyon Creek, across Highway 53 from the park’s ranch house, as well as on the North Flat area and in the grassland around the ranch house itself.

Planting 100 trees in two days was “quite a feat,” said Chaye VanKeuren, a State Parks environmental scientist.

A valley oak seedling planted near the ranch house at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.

The recent rains softened the ground and offered the right conditions for planting.

“We’ve been waiting for rain to really pull the trigger,” said VanKeuren.

Valley oaks, known by their scientific name as Quercus lobata, are native to California and the largest oaks to grow in North America.

The little trees, now about 1 foot tall, could someday reach 100 feet in height and could live as long as 600 years.

Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association Board member Henry Bornstein said State Parks staff settled on 100 trees as the number that would work best for the area.

“Planting trees is always a good idea,” said Bornstein.

VanKeuren said they placed the trees in areas where they thought they would do best, including areas along hillsides.

Rosie Blackburn, a State Parks environmental services intern who mapped where the trees would be located, helped plant the last of the trees on Thursday.

Blackburn said the trees were planted in clusters of six. She said they will be monitoring the seedlings and will base their watering schedule on conditions after winter.

Mackie said cages will be placed around the little trees before spring.

The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association will eventually do the watering, weeding and maintenance for the seedlings.

Two educational panels about the trees, at North Flat and near the ranch house, eventually will be installed.

In June, the city announced that it would provide $21,000 to the planting project at Anderson Marsh from $100,000 in tree mitigation fees paid by the developer of the 102-unit Konocti Gardens, an affordable housing project being built by CSI Construction at 3930 Old Highway 53.

State Parks staff plant the last of the valley oak seedlings placed at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.

City Manager Alan Flora, who along with Mayor Dirk Slooten came out to check out the last of the plantings on Thursday, said the Konocti Gardens project removed close to 100 oak trees, some of them very large.

While the state has made affordable housing projects statutorily exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act, the city was able to require mitigation.

That’s because the city of Clearlake is the only jurisdiction in the county to have an oak tree protection ordinance that requires developers who cut down native oak trees to either replant trees of the same species or choose to pay a fee to fund replanting by the city.

That ordinance, which the Clearlake City Council passed in April 2008, established regulations to protect certain native trees — blue oak, valley oak, interior live oak, California black oak, canyon live oak and Oregon white oak, as well as any tree the Clearlake City Council designates as a “heritage tree” — in order to enhance the attractiveness and livability of the city

Koi tribal monitor Yolanda Sanchez was on the site on Thursday to make sure they didn’t dig into archaeological sites. Another tribal monitor, Fabian Romero, also had assisted with the project on Wednesday.

Bornstein said no one really knows if there were oaks in the planting areas before.

He said that the Army Corps of Engineers has done numerous projects along Cache Creek over the years, including straightening the creek and taking a foot off the Grigsby riffle. Even with those alterations, Bornstein said portions of the park, including along the Cache Creek trail, still flood during high water years.

There is the potential for more projects in the future, but nothing ready to go yet, said Flora. “We still have some funding but we haven’t identified anything.”

Flora said the city also is looking at possible conservation easements or acquiring property for future planting projects.

Correction: The article has been corrected to state that this was a collaborative project between State Parks, the city of Clearlake and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, not Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

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.
At left, Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora and Mayor Dirk Slooten discuss the valley oak planting project at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
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A vehicle crash caused damage to Lakeport Fire Station 52 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The driver was uninjured. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Fire Protection District said its north Lakeport station sustained major damage on Saturday night after a vehicle crashed into it.

The damage was done to Lakeport Fire Station 52 at 3600 Hill Road East.

Station 52, which is currently unstaffed due to budget constraints, sustained significant damage to its steel framework, as well as the bay doors, the district reported.

On Wednesday, the district said it did not yet have a formal estimate of the cost to repair the station, but conservative estimates place the damage as likely over $100,000.

The district said that at 9:15 p.m. Saturday a vehicle traveling at high speed crashed into Station 52.

Due to the high rate of speed of the vehicle, the district said the driver was unable to properly negotiate the Hill Road exit off Highway 29.

As a result, the vehicle crossed Park Way, went over a curb and through a grassy area, traveled through a Caltrans highway fence and across Hill Road before hitting the station and finally coming to a stop.

The district said the California Highway Patrol was on scene immediately and the Lakeport Fire Protection District firefighters and paramedics arrived within minutes to render medical aid to the driver.

The driver was uninjured, the district reported.

The district’s main operations are based out of its headquarters, Station 50, located at 445 N. Main St. in downtown Lakeport.

Officials estimate damage from the crash at Lakeport Fire Station 52 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, could cost more than $100,000 to repair. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Fire Protection District.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — At the end of its third appearance before the Lakeport City Council, a new housing development that will make up the next phase in the Parkside Subdivision next to Westside Community Park received the go ahead.

Peter Schellinger of Waterstone Residential received a 3-1 vote from the council, with Councilman Michael Froio voting no due to concerns about the project’s potential effect on the residents of the existing homes at Parkside Subdivision.

Schellinger’s Parkside Residential Project at build out will include 128 new apartment units and 48 cluster homes on the 15.16-acre property at 1310 Craig Ave.

It’s on a portion of the 96-lot Schellinger Subdivision, approved in three phases in 2005. The first phase consisted of 31 lots, where 17 homes were built by Schellinger Brothers, Peter Schellinger’s father and uncle.

Community Development Director Jenni Byers, who noted the City Council had seen the project twice before, said it had been revised to focus on converting 3.42 acres of the property from R-1, or low density residential, to R-3, high density residential.

The council’s action on Tuesday clears the way for Schellinger to move forward with building a 64-unit apartment community in the project’s southern phase. Waterstone will separately seek approval for a tentative parcel map creating four separate parcels for the entire project site, including the other 64 apartments and the 48 cluster homes, meant to be middle market housing.

Schellinger told the council he planned to come back in early 2023 to seek the approvals for the cluster homes. He anticipates that he would start work on building those cluster homes during the 16 to 18 months it would take to build the first 64 apartments.

Byers said California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued guidance to local governments in October regarding mitigating wildfire risk from proposed developments in fire-prone areas.

That guidance focuses on areas including project density, project location, water supply and infrastructure, evacuation and emergency access, and fire hardening structures and homes.

Byers said that the project location is outside of the wildland urban interface and based on Bonta’s guidelines, it’s an appropriate building site.

In August, the Lakeport Planning Commission discussed the project and recommended the council’s approval of it.

The Lakeport City Council heard it first in September, at which time the council approved introducing its zone change ordinance and scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 20 for the ordinance and adoption of the mitigated negative declaration and general plan amendment Schellinger was seeking.

The council took that action after hearing from the neighbors at the Parkside Subdivision, who brought up concerns including traffic, noise, a lack of consistency in planning and housing types, impact on quality of life and ongoing issues with their current subdivision, such as lighting.

When the project came back for the second hearing, Schellinger asked the council to continue the public hearing for the general plan and zoning changes while he continued to meet with the neighbors to discuss the plans. At the same time, he said he was moving forward with seeking state financing for the project.

Schellinger said that, in hindsight, the request for a continuance was a pretty good idea. He said he’s spent a lot of time with city staff and the neighbors to talk through a lot of different issues.

That resulted in Schellinger pulling back on the development concept and concluding it was probably premature to try to develop it all at once.

About 10 days after the last hearing, Schellinger advanced a proposal to develop the southern phase, with plans to pull back the general plan amendment request for the northern phase.

He said over the following weeks he decided to come back with specific development applications when the funding is available for those phases.

In the meantime, “We have a clear line of sight” for the first 64 apartments, said Schellinger, who is optimistic that they will get Cal Home funding for the 38 cluster homes, at which time they will come back to the city for approval.

Schellinger said he would delay planning efforts on the remainder of the homes on the northern portion of the property until he knows the market conditions. He said he couldn’t imagine that would happen within the next three years.

Mark Borghesani, owner of Kelseyville Lumber, said it comes down to how the market and the demand has changed, noting the cost of development has put the private sector out of business for now.

He said he would like to see his employees and young people have the opportunity to purchase the homes Schellinger wants to build.

Through his business he’s dealt with the Schellingers in Lake County and in Santa Rosa. “They’re a good group,” Borghesani said. “They’re well respected up here and in Sonoma County.”

Parkside Subdivision resident Kim Costa submitted to the city another lengthy letter raising various issues with Schellinger’s project. She said the city “has been quite the cheerleader for this project” and neighbors’ concerns have been “relatively squashed.”

Costa said the project isn’t consistent with the general plan, and they don’t favor apartments in that area. “We’re not opposed to housing, we just think a high number of units out there doesn't fit.”

Christina Price of Lakeport, who also is a member of the Lake County Planning Commission, said she didn’t want people to lose sight of what’s going on. “This is a rezone.”

Price said the focus needs to be on housing and the ripple effect a project like Schellinger’s can have on the city and the county.

“It seems to me those apartments don’t belong there,” Councilman Froio said during the discussion.

The council also received a letter in support of the project from the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, read into the record by Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Nick Walker.

The letter, signed by Chamber Board President Bobby Dutcher, said the community is lucky that a company such as Waterstone Residential wants to develop here.

“The objections to this project are the usual thing,” the letter noted, pointing to issues such as roads and noise.

During the council discussion, Councilman Kenny Parlet bristled at the suggestion made by one of the Parkside Subdivision residents that the council members already had made up their minds about the project and were rubber-stamping it. Parlet said the staff had gone to significant effort to analyze the project and respond to concerns.

Froio said he didn’t think the apartment project would preserve the neighborhood. He also didn’t think it was a good infill development because he believed it would have a detrimental effect on the current residents.

He didn’t like putting high density housing next to a high fire area and could not agree that the project’s traffic impacts had been adequately mitigated. “The proposed project does not make Lakeport a better place to live.”

Mayor Stacey Mattina said there are things she likes about the project and things that make her nervous, but the city needs housing.

She recounted describing the project to her husband and her daughter, a college graduate, jumped into the conversation asking, “Wait, you mean there would be a place for me to actually live here?”

Mattina said neighborhoods will not look the same in the future, “because nobody can afford them.”

In three separate motions, all of them offered by Parlet, the council adopted the mitigated negative declaration and mitigated monitoring and reporting program, approved the
general plan amendment and introduced the proposed zone change ordinance, and scheduled a public hearing for the second reading of the zone change ordinance on Dec. 6. Froio was the lone dissenter on each of the votes.

Spurr said he decided to vote yes because this aspect of the project is a good starting point to see if it will turn out the way Schellinger is proposing.

“I hope I didn’t make a mistake,” Spurr said.

In other business on Tuesday, the council welcomed new Public Works employees Cody Morland and Lucy Avilez, and held a public hearing to introduce the draft ordinance modifying city guidelines for outdoor dining design, voted to set a second reading for Dec. 6 and adopt the draft resolution establishing the outdoor dining design guidelines.

The council also voted to adopt a resolution authorizing the city to submit an application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for funding under the CPLHA Competitive Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program.

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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Gov. Gavin Newsom and state fire officials announced the end of peak fire season in most areas of California at a fire station in Napa, California, on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — At a fire station in Napa on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state fire officials announced the end of peak fire season in most areas of California, while highlighting Cal Fire’s early work in preparation for next year’s wildfire season.

The state stays ready to respond to wildfires across the state.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles and Ventura counties were under red flag warnings, underscoring how California wildfire season is year-round.

Due to a number of factors — including weather, the work of local, state and federal firefighters, and state investments — this year’s wildfire season was significantly less severe than previous years, which officials said allowed Cal Fire to get a head start on prevention projects ahead of next year.

Cal Fire has completed more than 20,000 acres of prevention and mitigation projects like prescribed burns in the last two months alone, compared to lesser amounts in recent years when firefighters were instead battling wildfires.

“There’s no better representation of how volatile fire seasons can be than my first term as governor — two of the most destructive wildfire seasons in recorded history, and two of the least destructive in a decade,” said Gov. Newsom. “That’s why we’ve made record investments in wildfire response and treating more acres than ever before so we can protect lives and save homes. While we’ve reached the end of peak fire season in a better position than recent years, wildfire season in California is year-round and we remain vigilant, focused on protecting lives and livelihoods.”

On his first full day in office in January 2019, Gov. Newsom focused on wildfire resilience and preparedness, signing two executive orders aimed at protecting Californians from the growing threat of wildfires and other natural disasters.

In just the past two years, the state has allocated a record $2.8 billion in wildfire resilience as part of the California Climate Commitment. These investments in restoring forest health are guided by the Governor’s 99-point Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. The exponential increase in funding launched more than 552 wildfire resilience projects in less than a year.



Cal Fire also met its 2025 goal of treating 100,000 acres a year a full three years ahead of schedule. Since fiscal year 2019-20, treatment work has significantly increased and Cal Fire has averaged 100,000 acres treated each year.

An additional $674.1 million in 2022-23 will add 1,350 new positions and expand fire crews, air attack operations, and provide for additional relief for Cal Fire staff to meet the demands of wildland firefighting in a changing climate. California also introduced “FIRIS” statewide, to provide real-time information and situational awareness to the state and California’s mutual aid system responders and managers.

Never in California’s history has the state had the number of initial attack aircraft available to respond to fires that it does today, the state reported.

In addition to Cal Fire’s existing fleet of 62 aircraft, 18 exclusive use helicopters and six exclusive use fixed wing aircraft were hired and strategically located throughout the state to provide an even greater response capability.

Additionally this was the first year Cal Fire’s new Fire Hawk helicopters were capable of nighttime aerial firefighting operations, which has proved to be another valuable capability. This year’s state budget provided four additional Fire Hawk helicopters, adding to the 12 Fire Hawks purchased by the state since Gov. Newsom was elected in 2018.

“We’re proud to announce the end of the 2022 peak fire season and sincerely thank the brave women and men who have worked tirelessly this year to protect and safeguard California communities and natural resources,” said Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler. “While Mother Nature gave us favorable conditions, it’s the investments made by Gov. Newsom and the Legislature, and the hard work of our crews and communities coming together that will continue to turn the page on the severity and destruction of past wildfire seasons. But our work is far from over and we continue to ask all Californians to double-down on fire safety and prevention efforts.”

According to Cal Fire, the state has seen a significant reduction in acres burned and structures damaged or destroyed this year compared to years past.



While firefighters still battled blazes this time last year, the state has been able to pivot early and focus on prevention and mitigation, completing more than 20,000 acres of prescribed fire and mechanical fuels reduction in strategic areas in the past two months. Completed in partnership with local, state and federal partners, and a range of tribal communities, significantly more work is underway than in recent previous years.

“California is rising to meet the growing challenges posed by climate change by building robust partnerships across the local, state and federal levels,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “We are also leveraging new technology, adding more personnel and equipment and upping our game to detect fires rapidly and put them out where they start.

Successful and aggressive initial attack efforts were aided by additional staff, aerial resources, and equipment kept many fires small that could have been catastrophic. Examples include the Rices Fire, Electra Fire and Dutch Fire.

In larger wildfires where properties were lost, firefighters were able to prevent massive catastrophes, including saving an estimated 9,236 threatened structures on the Mosquito Fire (where 78 structures were destroyed), and saved 427 threatened structures from damage or destruction on the Oak Fire (where 194 structures were destroyed).

While mother nature played a substantial role, the full fire prevention and protection toolbox of prevention, education, suppression and protection, and recovery all worked together to keep Californians safe while protecting state communities and forests.

This year is likely an outlier in terms of favorable conditions. According to a state report published earlier this month, half of the state’s largest wildfires in the past 70 years occurred in just two years: 2020 and 2021.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The process to hire a new chancellor of the Yuba Community College District is underway.

The district, which includes Woodland Community College and its Lake County campus in Clearlake, is seeking a permanent chancellor to succeed Dr. Douglas B. Houston, who left the college last year.

Since July 1, 2021, Dr. James L.J. Houpis has served as interim chancellor.

Documents for the district board’s meeting last Thursday, Nov. 10, explained that the governing board approved the chancellor’s job announcement at its July 14 meeting.

It was developed based on a districtwide survey conducted in September 2021.

At the board’s meeting last week, board Vice President Juan Delgado reported that the search committee met again recently to review applicants.

The committee will meet again to review the first round of applicants on Dec. 5, he said. At that point, committee members also will review potential questions in order to prepare for the interviews.

Delgado said the search committee will begin reviewing applications at the end of January.

The district is accepting applications until Jan. 16. The initial screening of applicants will take place on Jan. 20.

At staff’s suggestion, the board approved the revised chancellor job announcement as presented with a unanimous vote.

More information is available on the chancellor’s search 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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The town of Lower Lake is planning a special holiday event.

Hometown Christmas in Lower Lake will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 on Main Street.

Shop local vendors throughout the evening and enjoy several special festivities.

At 5:15 p.m. there will be the Christmas tree lighting at the museum.

Santa Claus will arrive at the museum by fire truck at 5:30 p.m. and community members will be invited to come inside for Christmas carols, hot cider and cookies.

At 7 p.m. there will be a light parade on Main Street from Lake to Mill streets.

For parade or vendor applications, call Coleen at 707-533-7363 or Teresa at 707-888-1486.
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On Thursday, Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), alongside Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), released the following statement after the House passed the FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency, or FIRE, Act.

“California remains on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and as wildfires and drought continue to threaten our communities, we must ensure that we have the resources we need to efficiently prepare and respond to disasters,” said Rep. Thompson. “The FIRE Act will help us provide a robust response to wildfires, pre-deploy resources before potential disasters, and improve equitable disaster assistance. Proud to work with leaders such as Reps. Lofgren, Huffman, and Panetta and Senator Padilla to ensure FEMA’s disaster preparedness can fully address wildfires and the communities they impact.”

“Wildfires present a unique and increasing danger in California and across the country. Congress must ensure all federal agencies and statutes are set up in ways that best support our communities as they prepare for and respond to deadly fires,” said Rep. Lofgren. “Wildfire assistance should not be treated as less important than hurricanes, tornadoes or floods, and our bill importantly improves and brings parity to FEMA’s efforts by focusing on disaster-specific needs. Passage of this bill is part of a whole-of-government approach to better prevent and respond to destructive wildfires.”

“The FIRE Act advancing in the House today will ensure that our state and country are better equipped to prepare for and respond to the imminent threat of wildfires each year,” said Sen. Padilla. “Protecting our communities from destructive wildfires is a bipartisan issue that requires the complete coordination of all levels of the government. I thank my colleagues in Congress for understanding the importance of providing the necessary resources for our communities to face the threat of wildfires every year, and I look forward to sending the FIRE Act to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”

“Climate change is accelerating, and our policies need to keep pace so communities can withstand the worst of its impacts – like the devastating wildfires my district has been battling year after year,” said Rep. Huffman. “Today’s vote on our FIRE Act is an important step towards reaching that goal. This bill will help FEMA evolve their practices to respond faster and prioritize the needs of impacted communities and survivors, while improving partnerships with tribal governments. The climate crisis isn’t waiting, and I hope to see the Senate take this up again and get it to the President’s desk as soon as possible for the health and safety of our communities.”

“As the American West continues to endure record drought, we will continue to be threatened by catastrophic wildfires,” said Rep. Panetta. “The FIRE Act would help meet that threat by reviewing expansion of eligibility for relocation assistance to fire-prone areas and allowing FEMA to proactively deploy its resources during red flag warnings. Such critical measures will allow FEMA to provide timely, efficient, and necessary disaster preparedness that is so deserved and needed by our vulnerable communities.”

“Since the aftermath of the Tubbs fire, Santa Rosa has been working closely with FEMA and other federal partners to rebuild a more resilient community,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers. “Along the way we had to overcome federal regulatory and policy issues that have added significant time and expense to our rebuilding process. Congressman Thompson’s work and leadership on the FIRE Act will ensure that federal policy must continue to adapt to meet today’s disaster mitigation and recovery needs. The FIRE Act will provide FEMA with additional flexibility to help fire impacted communities rebuild faster and in a more efficient manner.”

The FIRE Act will update the Stafford Act that governs the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to improve its wildfire preparedness and response programs such as by looking at pre-deployment of assets during times of highest wildfire risk and red flag warnings and by increasing equity and consistency across multiple FEMA assistance programs. In September, the Senate passed a version of the bill, sponsored by Senator Padilla.

In 2015, the City of Santa Rosa restored Santa Rosa Fire Station No. 5. In 2017, it was completely burned to the ground.

Normally in disasters, cities can utilize FEMA's relocation assistance. However, when the city went to FEMA for help rebuilding the fire station, which was essential to the safety of the community, they were told that the fire station didn't qualify for relocation assistance, because the Stafford Act specifically states that there must be demonstrated repeated damage to a structure before FEMA will release funding for rebuilding or repair. In the case of fires, it is impossible to show repeated damage.

Due to FEMA being bound by the Stafford Act, they couldn't provide assistance to rebuild the fire station and the city had to work with Congressman Thompson to get funding elsewhere.

Click here to view or download full text of the House-passed FIRE Act.
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Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05). Courtesy photo.

One of Lake County’s members of Congress reported he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) revealed his diagnosis on Wednesday.

“After taking a regular PCR test, I have tested positive for COVID-19,” he said in the Wednesday statement.

“Thanks to being fully vaccinated and receiving both booster shots, I am experiencing only mild symptoms. I will be working from home and my office remains fully open to serve the people of our district,” Thompson said.

“As COVID-19 continues to evolve, I recommend every American to get their updated COVID-19 vaccine and booster to stay healthy and protect their friends and families,” he added.

Thompson currently represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

Last week, Thompson was elected to the newly redrawn Fourth Congressional District, which will include all of Lake County, rather than just the county’s southern half, as his current district does.
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Jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, often require a bachelor’s degree or higher, leaving few STEM opportunities for workers younger than 25 who shape the nation’s future workforce.

As a result, in 2021 workers between the ages of 16 and 24 made up 12.7% of total employment across all occupations but only 6.8% of all STEM workers (just under 800,000) in the United States.

While less common, STEM opportunities for young workers without a college degree exist – mostly technician occupations – and are needed to meet future demand.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in STEM occupations is projected to grow at twice the rate (10.8%) of overall employment (5.3%) through 2031.

National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated every year on November 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math careers. And nationwide efforts are underway to attract and train young workers through registered apprenticeship programs.

STEM occupations range from computer specialists to social scientists and STEM-related occupations include health care practitioners and architects.

As STEM employment increases, what are some potential STEM pathways for workers under 25?

We explore data from the recently released 2021 American Community Survey to highlight STEM occupations by age.



Younger workers and STEM

Younger workers (defined here as those between the ages of 16 to 24) are employed in a wide range of STEM occupations, with the largest concentration in technician-related ones.

Workers between the ages of 16 to 24 accounted for 21.8% of all life, physical and social science technicians in the United States in 2021. Smaller percentages of younger workers held STEM jobs as life scientists (4.0%) or social scientists (2.1%).

Life science technicians often work in laboratories assisting scientists and researchers with tasks such as collecting lab samples, performing routine tests and maintaining laboratory equipment. Life science technician jobs generally only require a high school or associate degree and receive on-the job training to maintain or advance to a new position.

Among the life, physical and social science technician occupations, “other” was the detailed category with the largest proportion (27.8%) of young STEM workers. This group of workers includes polygraph examiners, soil testers, meteorological aides and others.

Within the various technician-related occupations, a similar share (around 15%) of workers between the ages of 16 and 24 were employed as agricultural and food science technicians, biological technicians or chemical technicians. Another 10% were social science research assistants and 8% were environmental science and geoscience technicians.



Aging STEM workforce still younger than total labor force

The STEM workforce tends to have a younger age profile than the overall workforce.

In 2021, workers between the ages of 25 to 44 made up more than half (52.6%) of STEM workers – the largest share of STEM workers. Around 40% of older workers, those ages 45 and more, worked in STEM.

Despite the smaller share of older workers, the STEM workforce is aging. Older workers are staying in the labor market longer, potentially limiting opportunities for younger STEM workers.

These findings come amid longstanding efforts to not only increase the racial and gender make-up of STEM occupations but to encourage students from a young age to pursue STEM and STEM-related degrees.

The pathway to STEM varies by field, with less than a third of STEM-educated workers actually working in a STEM job. Still, STEM workers face favorable labor market opportunities compared to non-STEM workers, potentially benefiting the next generation of workers.

Overview of STEM occupations

STEM occupations include computer specialists, mathematicians, engineers, life scientists, physical scientists, social scientists and science technicians.

STEM-related occupations consist primarily of architects, healthcare practitioners, and healthcare technicians.

Non-STEM occupations are all other jobs not classified as STEM or STEM-related. The Census STEM code list includes 70 specific STEM occupations, 49 STEM-related occupations and 446 non-STEM occupations (excluding military-specific occupations).

Lynda Laughlin is chief of the Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division. Anthony Martinez and Asiah Gayfield are survey statisticians in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

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