LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has more new dogs and puppies waiting to be adopted this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of American bulldog, beagle, Belgian malinois, Doberman, German shepherd, husky, pit bull, pug, Rottweiler, shepherd and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
This 1-year-old female German shepherd is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-1767. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female German shepherd
This 1-year-old female German shepherd has a short tan and black coat.
She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-1767.
“Ace” is a 1-year-old male shepherd and Doberman mix in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-1731. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Ace’
“Ace” is a 1-year-old male shepherd and Doberman mix with a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-1731.
This female shepherd-husky is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-1745. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female shepherd-husky
This female shepherd-husky has a short tan coat with black markings and blue eyes.
She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-1745.
This 1-year-old female shepherd-husky mix is in kennel No. 10, ID No. LCAC-A-1746. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female shepherd-husky
This 1-year-old female shepherd-husky mix has a short tricolor coat and blue eyes.
She’s in kennel No. 10, ID No. LCAC-A-1746.
This 6-month-old male Belgian malinois puppy is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-1710. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Belgian malinois puppy
This 6-month-old male Belgian malinois puppy has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-1710.
This 6-month-old male Belgian malinois puppy is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-1711. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Belgian malinois puppy
This 6-month-old male Belgian malinois puppy has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-1711.
“Rocky” is a 1-year-old female German shepherd mix in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-1719. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Rocky’
“Rocky” is a 1-year-old female German shepherd mix with a short black coat and tan markings.
She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-1719.
This 2-year-old female German shepherd mix is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-1660. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female German shepherd mix
This 2-year-old female German shepherd mix has a short black and tan coat.
She’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-1660.
“Oscar” is a 6-year-old pug-beagle mix in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-1709. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Oscar’
“Oscar” is a 6-year-old pug-beagle mix — or a puggle — with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-1709.
“LuLu” is a 1-year-old female Rottweiler in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-1658. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘LuLu’
“LuLu” is a 1-year-old female Rottweiler with a short black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-1658.
This 2-year-old male shepherd mix is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-1743. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male shepherd mix
This 2-year-old male shepherd mix has a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-1743.
This young male pit bull is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-1699. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull
This young male pit bull has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-1699.
This 2-year-old female terrier mix is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-1739. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female terrier mix
This 2-year-old female terrier mix has a short tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-1739.
This 1-year-old female pit bull mix is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-1683. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull
This 1-year-old female pit bull mix has a short gray coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-1683.
“Dozer” is a 5-year-old American pit bull terrier mix in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-1483. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Dozer’
‘Dozer’ is a 5-year-old American pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-1483.
“Milo” is a 3-year-old male American bulldog-pit bull mix in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-1657. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Milo’
“Milo” is a 3-year-old male American bulldog-pit bull mix with a short white coat.
He is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-1657.
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. — A forecast for gusty winds from the north coupled with low humidity has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a fire weather watch for Lake and many other counties around the region for Monday and Tuesday.
The watch, issued on Friday, will be in effect from 2 a.m. Monday until 5 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur, the agency reported.
The National Weather Service said gusty northerly winds will increase through the day Monday in the wake of a dry cold front, with winds ramping up and poor humidity recoveries over the ridges of eastern Lake County late Sunday Night.
Forecasters said the strongest winds will be found over exposed high terrain and north to south oriented valleys Monday afternoon and evening.
Minimum humidity of 15 to 25% is expected on Monday; overnight, recoveries could range from 25 to 50%, and 60 to 70% in sheltered areas like valleys, the National Weather Service said.
During the fire weather watch, north winds are forecast to range from 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour over exposed ridgetops.
Winds are expected to calm and humidity to recover on Tuesday morning, but the forecast said that the winds will remain brisk across mountain ridges over Lake County with poor recoveries. Those windy conditions will continue through Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service said it’s those breezy conditions combined with low humidity that could lead to critical fire conditions.
Ahead of the fire weather watch, the forecast expected the potential for scattered showers overnight Friday and into early Saturday.
The long range forecast also contains the potential for very light rain in the county on Wednesday.
During the coming week, the forecast expects daytime temperatures ranging from the low 60s early in the week to the high 70s late next week.
Nighttime conditions are forecast in the coming days to range from the high 30s to low 40s.
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. — Faced with a termination action by the Board of Supervisors, Lake County’s Health Services director resigned on Thursday.
In a statement released by the county on Thursday night, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier said the supervisors accepted the resignation of Denise Pomeroy — whose department has played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and health emergency — earlier that day.
“Out of respect and appreciation for her service to Lake County residents and the Health Services Department for many years, we will not publicly announce the reasons that prompted this leadership change; it is a confidential personnel matter,” Sabatier said.
In May 2016, the board initially appointed Pomeroy — then the Health Services fiscal officer — as the department’s interim director. The board followed up in November 2016 by voting unanimously to officially make her Health Services director.
As Health Services director, Pomeroy had overseen not just the Public Health branch but also Environmental Health, which handles a wide range of services involving food safety, home kitchen operations, temporary food events, and a land program that covers services for wastewater treatment and disposal systems and water wells.
Sabatier said the County Administrative Office’s Human Resources Division has already begun efforts to recruit the county’s next Health Services director, “and we are poised to move efficiently through the process. It is important to not only attract quality applicants, but fill the position with a long-term director.”
By Thursday night, the Health Services director job had already been posted on the county’s website under “Job opportunities.” The closing date for applications is Oct. 20.
The Health Services director position’s pay range is $10,469 to $12,724 monthly, a five-step pay range the Board of Supervisors increased in late September when it voted to update all county job classifications and implement millions of dollars in raises for the second year in a row.
While the recruitment is taking place, Sabatier said County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson will also serve as interim Health Services director.
He said Huchingson has been involved with and led Public Health-focused efforts as incident commander for the COVID-19 health emergency.
“CAO Huchingson looks forward to collaborating with the many members of the Health Services team to ensure the continuity of each area of the scope of this key county department,” Sabatier said.
The board has previously placed Huchingson in other interim department head positions, including for Community Development and the Registrar of Voters Office.
Termination action scheduled during evaluations
The events leading up to the board’s decision to terminate Pomeroy — which led to Pomeroy’s resignation — appeared to have coalesced quickly early this week.
On Tuesday, at the start of its regular meeting, the board added an extra item for a closed session evaluation of the Health Services director at the request of Huchingson, who said the necessity of it had arisen since the agenda was posted, which was on Friday.
Other extra items also added to the board agenda that day at Huchingson’s request included reestablishment of the deputy Health Services director as a county classification, consideration of the appointment of Jennifer Baker to interim Deputy Health Services director effective Tuesday and consideration of appointing Huchingson as the interim Health Services director.
Baker formerly served as staff services analyst in the Health Services Administration and had most recently been serving as risk coordinator in the County Counsel’s Office.
However, those items were not added at the start of the meeting when the other extras were approved.
In reviewing the available meeting video, it is not clear if the extra items regarding Baker’s appointment or making Huchingson interim Health Services director were actually announced during the public session.
The board sat in open session for several hours before going into the closed session shortly before 1 p.m. to discuss Pomeroy’s evaluation. When the board reconvened in public at 2:15 p.m., no announcement of action was made and the rest of the existing agenda items were discussed.
The board finished its public discussion items and went back into closed session to continue to discuss Pomeroy’s evaluation as well as that of the Community Development Department director.
No report on a closed session action was made following the Tuesday meeting, as has become the recent practice by the County Administrative Office.
In September, the board had scheduled a special meeting for Thursday afternoon as part of a new process for conducting employee evaluations of department heads in the fall, ahead of beginning the budget process early next year.
When the county released the special meeting agenda on Wednesday morning, it included closed session evaluations for the directors of air quality control, information technology, animal control and the county administrative officer.
Less than an hour after that agenda was released, an addendum was issued titled “Employee Evaluation/Termination: Title: Director: Health Services Director.” That item also was to be conducted behind closed doors.
Late on Thursday afternoon, Johanna DeLong, assistant clerk of the Board of Supervisors, issued to Lake County News a report about the closed session during the special meeting.
“The Health Services Director has tendered her resignation. Therefore, previous action to terminate is rescinded, and her resignation is accepted,” DeLong reported in an email.
She said Supervisor EJ Crandell moved to approve Pomeroy’s resignation, which was seconded by Supervisor Jessica Pyska and approved in a 5-0 vote.
Challenges and staff changes
During Pomeroy’s tenure, the county has struggled to keep a Public Health officer, a position the state requires counties to have in order to enforce local health orders and ordinances, and state public health regulations and statutes.
Since 2017, there have been three, including Dr. Gary Pace, who also has done several stints as an interim Public Health office for the county. Recently, the county also has had Dr. Evan Bloom and Dr. Charlie Evans assist with temporarily filling that job.
In February of this year, during a board discussion about recruiting a new Public Health officer after Pace announced he was stepping down from the full-time position, Pomeroy said she had been on leave for a few months before returning to work on a part-time basis.
Sabatier said Thursday that county leaders are grateful that Pace has remained Lake County’s Public Health officer of record, despite having left the job on a full-time basis in the spring in order to return to private practice. Pace continues to serve as interim Health Officer under contract.
“Dr. Pace’s insight and leadership throughout the pandemic have been invaluable, and he will remain a key figure in ensuring the Health Services Department’s efforts are effectively oriented, moving forward,” Sabatier said.
Sabatier said Eileen VanCleave recently was appointed director of nursing “and has brought a tremendous skill set and quality leadership,” while Jennifer Baker has stepped up and is serving as interim Deputy Health Services director.
“These latest additions and changes will ensure our Health Services Department remains focused on the ongoing pandemic and the health of our community through its various programs,” Sabatier said.
He added, “The past 19 months have demonstrated the resilience and many great strengths of our tireless Public Health staff. We truly appreciate and value the sacrifices they have made to keep Lake County residents safe.”
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.
This illustration shows a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star. CLEoPATRA mission scientists hope to improve the mass estimates of such planets discovered through microlensing. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab. Exoplanet hunters have found thousands of planets, most orbiting close to their host stars, but relatively few alien worlds have been detected that float freely through the galaxy as so-called rogue planets, not bound to any star.
Many astronomers believe that these planets are more common than we know, but that our planet-finding techniques haven’t been up to the task of locating them.
Most exoplanets discovered to date were found because they produce slight dips in the observed light of their host stars as they pass across the star’s disk from our viewpoint. These events are called transits.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will conduct a survey to discover many more exoplanets using powerful techniques available to a wide-field telescope. The stars in our Milky Way galaxy move, and chance alignments can help us find rogue planets. When a free-floating planet aligns precisely with a distant star, this can cause the star to brighten. During such events, the planet’s gravity acts as a lens that briefly magnifies the background star’s light. While Roman may find rogue planets through this technique, called gravitational microlensing, there’s one drawback – the distance to the lensing planet is poorly known.
Goddard scientist Dr. Richard K. Barry is developing a mission concept called the Contemporaneous LEnsing Parallax and Autonomous TRansient Assay, or CLEoPATRA, to exploit parallax effects to calculate these distances.
Parallax is the apparent shift in the position of a foreground object as seen by observers in slightly different locations. Our brains exploit the slightly different views of our eyes so we can see depth as well.
Astronomers in the 19th century first established the distances to nearby stars using the same effect, measuring how their positions shifted relative to background stars in photographs taken when Earth was on opposite sides of its orbit.
It works a little differently with microlensing, where the apparent alignment of the planet and distant background star greatly depends on the observer’s position. In this case, two well-separated observers, each equipped with a precise clock, would witness the same microlensing event at slightly different times. The time delay between the two detections allows scientists to determine the planet’s distance.
To maximize the parallax effect, CLEoPATRA would hitch a ride on a Mars-bound mission that launches around the same time as Roman, currently scheduled for late 2025. That would place it in its own orbit around the Sun that would achieve a sufficient distance from Earth to effectively measure the microlensing parallax signal and fill in this missing information.
The CLEoPATRA concept would also support the PRime-focus Infrared Microlensing Experiment (PRIME), a ground-based telescope currently being outfitted with a camera using four detectors developed by the Roman mission. Mass estimates for microlensing planets detected by both Roman and PRIME will be significantly improved by simultaneous parallax observations provided by CLEoPATRA.
“CLEoPATRA would be at a great distance from the principal observatory, either Roman or a telescope on Earth,” Barry said. “The parallax signal should then permit us to calculate quite precise masses for these objects, thereby increasing scientific return.”
Stela Ishitani Silva, a research assistant at Goddard and Ph.D. student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, said understanding these free-floating planets will help fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of how planets form.
“We want to find multiple free-floating planets and try to obtain information about their masses, so we can understand what is common or not common at all,” Ishitani Silva said. “Obtaining the mass is important to understanding their planetary development.”
In order to efficiently find these planets, CLEoPATRA, which completed a Mission Planning Laboratory study at Wallops Flight Facility in early August, will use artificial intelligence. Dr. Greg Olmschenk, a postdoctoral researcher working with Barry, has developed an AI called RApid Machine learnEd Triage, or RAMjET, for the mission.
“I work with certain kinds of artificial intelligence called neural networks,” Olmschenk said. “It's a type of artificial intelligence that will learn through examples. So, you give it a bunch of examples of the thing you want to find, and the thing you want it to filter out, and then it will learn how to recognize patterns in that data to try to find the things that you want to keep and the things you want to throw away.”
Eventually, the AI learns what it needs to identify and will only send back important information. In filtering this information, RAMjET will help CLEoPATRA overcome an extremely limited data transmission rate.
CLEoPATRA will have to watch millions of stars every hour or so, and there’s no way to send all that data to Earth. Therefore, the spacecraft will have to analyze the data on-board and send back only the measurements for sources it detects to be microlensing events.
“CLEoPATRA will permit us to estimate many high-precision masses for new planets detected by Roman and PRIME,” Barry said. “And it may allow us to capture or estimate the actual mass of a free-floating planet for the first time — never been done before. So cool, and so exciting. Really, it's a new golden age for astronomy right now, and I'm just very excited about it.”
Julie Freijat works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
New bills signed into law this week aim to modernize and expand the internet across California.
Assembly Bill 14, written by Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), and Senate Bill 4 by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), were signed into law this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
AB 14 and SB 4 are meant to revolutionize the state’s broadband deployment program under the California Advanced Services Program, and provide increased funding to bring California into the technological 21st Century.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the massive gaps in internet connectivity at sufficient speeds for too many Californians.
As more Californians have struggled to conduct distance learning, virtual work, access telehealth services and safeguard small business participation in the virtual marketplace, the need to connect the State at sufficient speeds with adaptable technology has reached crisis proportions.
"Gov. Newsom’s approval of AB 14 and SB 4 is a historic development for California," Aguiar-Curry said Friday (D-Winters), whose district includes Lake County. "In partnership with my colleague Sen. Gonzalez, and two dozen of our colleague co-authors, we have highlighted the critical need to modernize our state’s broadband policy and programs, and a commitment to long-term funding to guarantee internet connectivity for all California communities, rural and urban.”
She added, “I am immensely proud that our efforts also contributed to a budget deal between Gov. Newsom, Pro Tem Atkins and Speaker Rendon that provided a generational $6 billion investment in broadband infrastructure. Modern, adaptable technology in every corner of our state will provide access to education and job training, health care, ag-tech, and small business participation in the digital economy. Today, Gov. Newsom’s signature has delivered on our commitment to Internet for All."
“This is huge news that will make a significant positive difference in the lives of Californians,” said Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “Enacting SB 4 and AB 14 means that children will no longer have to do their homework outside of fast-food restaurants. It means medically fragile individuals will have more access to care via telehealth, and small businesses and workers will have more access to online resources, greater upward mobility, and economic opportunity. The need for high-quality internet and future-proof infrastructure has never been more important than now and I am pleased that my colleagues in the Legislature and Gov. Newsom have taken this bold step to help us close the digital divide. Today, California leads stronger than ever toward digital equity and Broadband for All.”
The Internet for All Act of 2021 prioritizes the deployment of broadband infrastructure in California’s most vulnerable and unserved rural and urban communities by extending the ongoing collection of funds deposited into the California Advanced Services Fund to provide communities with grants necessary to bridge the digital divide.
AB 14 and SB 4 offer a vital pathway to connect California’s workforce to gainful employment, harness the lifesaving technology of telemedicine, democratize distance learning, enable precision agriculture, and sustain economic transactions in the 21st Century E-Marketplace.
These historic votes build upon the Governor’s $6 billion Broadband Trailer bill that extends eligibility for grants administered by the California Public Utilities Commission to local and tribal governments, who are willing and able to quickly and efficiently connect households, community anchor institutions (including educational institutions, fairgrounds for emergency response, and health care facilities), small businesses, and employers.
AB 14 and SB 4 are measured and meaningful approaches to building a statewide fiber middle-mile network that will provide higher speeds and access to connectivity to all those who are unserved along the path of deployment.
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week heard about the cycles being observed in the COVID-19 pandemic and what it means for the case rate locally as fall arrives.
Dr. Charlie Evans, who has been assisting with Public Health officer duties, told the board that the picture in Lake County in recent weeks is looking better, important news after a late summer and early fall that witnessed climbing case rates and deaths.
August and September, with 16 and 13 deaths, respectively, were the months with the second- and third-highest numbers of COVID-19 deaths in Lake County since the start of the pandemic, Lake County Public Health reported in response to an information request from Lake County News. Public Health said that due to the lag in reporting COVID-19-related deaths, September’s numbers may change.
January had the most deaths, 19, with Lake County’s total deaths at 97, Public Health reported.
Public Health said that 35.1% of Lake County’s 97 total COVID-related deaths have occurred since July 1.
“We have seen a constant but steady decline in our numbers of new COVID-19 infections,” Evans said in a video update presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Evans called that decline “very encouraging.”
He said the virus appears to run in cycles, and that Lake County’s declining number of cases is consistent with what other counties, states and countries are seeing.
Those cycles tend to be every two to three months. “It’s poorly understood why it runs this way,” said Evans.
Just as fast as the infections go up, after 8 to 12 weeks the infection rate starts to go down. “We have seen this phenomenon across the world,” Evans said.
He said the first time that cycle was seen was in India. “Unfortunately, in India and in many other places across the world, when we saw the decline, the decline didn’t come down to the same low baseline from which it started.”
In May, Lake County saw its lowest case rate, at three per 100,000. As of Tuesday, it was at 38 per 100,000. Evans said Lake County peaked at about 70 per 100,000 in early August.
While the current numbers are better, Evans said the case rate is still dangerously high with a lot of the virus circulating in the community.
He said those numbers need to continue to decline as the winter and the holidays approach, when more community transmission is likely with people moving indoors and temperatures dropping.
That’s what’s happening in Alaska, where Evans said the infection rate is 150 per 100,000.
Evans said current statistics have shown that many of the 100,000 people across the country who have died since July 1 were much younger than those who died at the beginning of the pandemic.
“The process of dying from COVID-19 is a horrible experience,” said Evans, noting the isolation and aloneness for the patients and their families. It’s something he said he sees every day in his work as an emergency room physician in Sonoma County.
Evans maintained that vaccinations are the ticket to getting out of the pandemic.
Between Sept. 1 and 25, 2,700 vaccinations were given in Lake County. At a rate of more than 100 shots a day, it was an increased rate of vaccination over August, said Evans.
As of this week, 61% of Lake County residents are fully vaccinated, compared to 70% statewide, based on Lake County Public Health numbers.
Statewide, those who are eligible but haven’t been vaccinated total 22% of the population; in Lake County, it’s 32%, Evans said. “We are doing better and we still have opportunities.”
He also updated the board on the outbreak in the Lake County Jail, where the peak was 83 cases — 11 staff and 72 inmates. As of this week, there was just one active case in a staffer.
Evans said hospitals are still struggling with staffing. As of Tuesday, there were three ICU beds available in Lake and Mendocino counties combined. Sonoma County has similar challenges.
As an ER physician, Evans said he constantly struggles to get placements, sometimes waiting 24 hours to transfer someone as far as 200 to 300 miles away. “We’re still struggling with bed availability.”
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a mandate for all students in schools to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which Evans said follows mandates for measles, mumps, polio, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccinations.
California is the first state to mandate the vaccine for COVID-19. “It’s likely that other states will follow suit in the coming weeks,” Evans said.
He expects the school mandate to be in effect as early as January.
Evans said there have been numerous COVID-19 infections in Lake County’s schools, but no schools have had to be closed. Statewide, 12 schools have been closed because of outbreaks and the virus has closed 2,000 schools nationwide. Evans credited the masking mandate and the state’s higher vaccination rates with so few schools closing.
He said California also has a modified quarantine protocol for keeping children in school. When an unvaccinated student is exposed to an active case, they can still come to school if they are asymptomatic, they are tested twice weekly, wear the proper mask and continue to be quarantined from all extracurricular activities. That seems to be working in Lake County.
“As we muddle our way through this pandemic, the one item we can count on, I think, is change. Everything changes with new data. We don’t know where we’re going exactly or how we’re going to get to the end of this,” Evans said.
The information available currently helps to reduce and manage risk, with Evans anticipating another surge in the winter months. That’s why he said it’s all the more important for people to be vaccinated.
The delta virus is out there and active in the community, and Evans said it will find and infect the unvaccinated. It makes people sick, some critically so, and some will die.
At the same time as he urged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Evans also urged them to get their flu shot, which is now being rolled out for the coming flu season.
Information on vaccination availability and clinics in Lake County is available here.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it may conduct another public safety power shut-off beginning Monday morning due to a weather system that could bring dry, gusty offshore winds to portions of the northern, central and southern regions of the company’s service area.
Those winds, combined with the exceptional drought and extremely dry vegetation, caused PG&E on Saturday to begin sending two-day advance notifications to approximately 44,000 customers in targeted portions of 32 counties and seven tribes where it may implement the public safety power shut-off, or PSPS, to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized power lines.
Included in those initial notifications were 4,094 customers in Lake County, including 307 Medical Baseline customers, PG&E said.
The PG&E map of the planned outage showed areas that could be impacted in Lake County are some small pockets north and east of Clearlake Oaks, in and around Hidden Valley Lake, Cobb and Middletown.
As of Saturday night, a fire weather watch remained in effect for Lake County for Monday and Tuesday.
The potential shut-offs could begin Monday morning in portions of the North Valley, Sacramento and San Joaquin Foothills, PG&E said.
The company reported that potential shut-offs for the Northern Sierra Foothills, North Bay, North Coast regions, Bay Area hills and the Central Valley could begin Monday evening, depending on the timing of the windstorm.
Customers can also look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shut-off at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
While there is the potential for rain, PG&E said it moved forward with notifying customers of the possible PSPS in case rain doesn’t materialize or forecast wind speeds still pose a wildfire risk.
PG&E also activated its Emergency Operations Center on Friday to support this weather event.
In addition to Lake, the potentially affected counties are:
Alameda: 134 customers, 10 Medical Baseline customers Butte: 769 customers, 69 Medical Baseline customers Calaveras: 2,536 customers, 188 Medical Baseline Colusa: 566 customers, 39 Medical Baseline customers Contra Costa: 601 customers, 40 Medical Baseline customers El Dorado: 303 customers, 20 Medical Baseline customers Fresno: 5,008 customers, 436 Medical Baseline customers Glenn: 377 customers, 22 Medical Baseline customers Kern: 7 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers Kings: 10 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers Madera: 2,884 customers, 225 Medical Baseline customers Mariposa: 778 customers, 73 Medical Baseline customers Merced: 20 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers Monterey: 845 customers, 27 Medical Baseline customers Napa: 2,207 customers, 107 Medical Baseline customers Nevada: 3 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers Placer: 5,975 customers, 388 Medical Baseline customers Plumas: 309 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers San Benito: 84 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers San Joaquin: 2 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers San Luis Obispo: 205 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers Santa Barbara:19 customers, 1 Medical Baseline customer Shasta: 2,557 customers, 197 Medical Baseline customers Sierra: 2 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers Solano: 4,559 customers, 423 Medical Baseline customers Sonoma: 87 customers, 1 Medical Baseline customer Stanislaus: 145 customers, 5 Medical Baseline customers Tehama: 6,148 customers, 624 Medical Baseline customers Tuolumne: 673 customers, 68 Medical Baseline customers Yolo: 515 customers, 16 Medical Baseline customers Yuba: 1,226 customers, 114 Medical Baseline customers
Tribal areas that may be affected:
Big Sandy Rancheria: 61 customers Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians: 54 customers Cortina Rancheria: 8 customers Grindstone Rancheria: 50 customers North Fork Rancheria: 25 customers Pit River Tribes: 8 customers United Auburn Indian Community: 1 customer
During a PSPS, PG&E offers support to customers by opening Community Resource Centers with snacks, water and other essential items, partnering with community-based organizations to assist customers with medical and independent living needs, and continuing to update our customers on power restoration status.
In Lake County, the Community Resource Centers slated to be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the outage are as follows:
— Live Oaks Senior Center, 12502 Foothill Blvd., Clearlake Oaks; — Little Red Schoolhouse, 15780 Bottlerock Road, Cobb; — Hidden Valley Lake Association mailboxes, 18090 Hidden Valley Road, Hidden Valley Lake; and — Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, 22223 Highway 29, Middletown.
Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo. Decedents typically die owing a variety of unpaid debts. Probate acts as a legal clearinghouse for a decedent’s unsecured creditors to file claims demanding payment of a monetary liability, or debt, owed them by the decedent.
In California, creditor claims are required to be filed regardless of whether the liability was due, accrued, contingent, or reduced to a cash value when the decedent died (Probate Code section 9000).
Generally, most creditor claims must be filed in the probate court proceeding within one year of a decedent’s death (section 366.3 California Code of Civil Procedure). If necessary, a creditor may even commence a probate to file a timely creditor claim.
While the personal representative of a decedent’s estate is required to mail a notice of probate and creditor claim form to all reasonably ascertainable creditors, creditors should be vigilant.
Any creditor aware that a debtor has died should inquire with the superior court in the county where the decedent resided whether a probate was commenced.
Also, petitioner’s seeking to commence probate are required to publish a legal notice in a local newspaper of general circulation in the county to put potential creditors on notice.
Once a creditor knows that a probate has commenced the creditor should notify the decedent’s personal representative and request a notice of probate and creditor claim.
The personal representative has 30 days from knowing of a creditor to provide the creditor a notice and creditor claim form.
In California, creditors must use the Judicial Council form DE-172 creditor claim form. The completed claim must be filed with the court overseeing the probate proceeding and be mailed to the personal representative and his or her attorney. The filed claim must also be timely and complete.
Timely means that the claim is filed either within four months after probate commenced — i.e., issuance of letters — or within 60 days of when the notice of the probate was given to the creditor, whichever is later.
Creditor claims must be supported by a sworn statement of the creditor or his or her representative, e.g., debt collections company (Probate Code section 9151).
First, if the claim is due when filed then the statement must state that the amount is justly due, that no payments have been made that are not credited, and that there are no offsets.
Second, claims that are not yet due — i.e., unmatured or contingent claims (including pending lawsuits against the decedent’s estate) — must be supported by an affidavit showing the facts supporting the claim. Supporting documents can be provided.
The DE-172 has instructions. Creditors who complete their own creditor claim forms must do so carefully. An incomplete or inadequate creditor claim form invites rejection by the personal representative.
If a creditor claim is partially or entirely rejected, the rejection typically starts a ninety day period for the creditor to file a timely lawsuit to dispute the rejection.
Only demands for monetary compensation require a creditor’s claim. Thus, claims that do not demand money, such as a demand for specific property, do not require a creditor claim.
Also, secured creditors who claims are adequately secured by a lien do not need to file a creditor claim.
The foregoing discussion is not legal advice. Consult an attorney for guidance.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Thursday evening, the Clearlake City Council received an update from staff on the Cache fire recovery process, and voted to approve a property purchase and remote meeting rules.
During the hourlong meeting, the council hosted a swearing-in and awards ceremony for new and promoted Clearlake Police officers, and presented proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The meeting included a brief update by staff regarding progress on the Cache fire recovery process.
The fire began Aug. 18 in the city limits, burning more than 80 acres and destroying 138 structures — 57 of them homes.
City Manager Alan Flora said a few weeks ago staff met with representatives of the state Office of Emergency Services, the State Water Board, California Department of Water Resource, California Conservation Corps and Lake County Water Resources due to concerns about stormwater mitigation measures that had been put into place in the fire area.
He said the city, state and county representatives walked the entire fire site, determined a number of solutions and those additional improvements have all been installed.
He said state Sen. Mike McGuire toured the site with the city last Friday and talked about issues like water supply.
Finance Director Kelcey Young said staff has been working on getting right of entry forms from property owners in order for the debris removal process to move forward.
She said the city — along with the state Office of Emergency Services and North Coast Opportunities — held a workshop on Monday on the cleanup process, with about 15 households attending.
In addition, the city has received 41 rights of entry, “which is excellent,” Young said.
There are still four property owners the city is trying to contact via phone and email, Young said. Later in the discussion, Councilman Russ Cremer said he had a list of property owners he’s compiled as part of his efforts to raise recovery funds and he offered to share that list with Young.
Young said property owners who want to have debris removed should contact the city. Information is available on the city’s Cache fire resources page.
The city submitted the 41 complete right of entry forms to Cal OES on Thursday, Young said.
She explained that those without insurance are still eligible to have debris from their homes and properties removed.
Cal OES is in the process of selecting the contractor who will conduct the debris removal, with Young estimating that the removal process could begin in early November.
Flora said Cal OES has done a great job, largely with the influence of Sen. McGuire. He also recognized City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Melissa Swanson for her efforts in getting the rights of entry forms processed.
He said that because of the anticipated impact on rainfall into the Cache Creek watershed — and with the amount of burned vehicles in the fire area — there is an effort to prioritize the Cache fire cleanup ahead of other larger fires in the state.
Councilman Russ Perdock asked staff if the city has heard anything from its members of Congress about possible federal help.
Flora said a federal declaration for the state’s wildfires has already happened and it’s unclear what disasters are included.
While the Cache fire is not mentioned in that declaration, Flora said they’ve gotten some indication from the state that it may be rolled into that larger federal declaration.
Also on Thursday, the council voted unanimously to purchase a 5,000-square-foot vacant lot at 6388 Vallejo Ave. to be used as part of the future development of the retail center at the former Pearce Field.
The lot is currently surrounded by city-owned property, Flora said. It’s also in proximity to property the city has agreed to sell for a hotel development.
The property’s current owners, who inherited it from their parents, offered it to the city. Flora said the city agreed to purchase it for $15,000, and to cover the $5,000 closing costs.
Cremer moved to approve the purchase, Perdock seconded and the council voted 5-0.
In other business, the council voted unanimously to authorize the implementation and use of teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361.
Swanson said the bill allows the city to continue to hold meetings remotely through the end of 2023 as long as it makes at least one of three findings, including:
— state or local officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social distancing; — the legislative body is holding a meeting for the purpose of determining whether as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees; — and by majority vote, the legislative body determined that as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees.
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.
Clear Lake at the Wright Ranch in Lake County, California. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — When the Lake County Land Trust, or LCLT, developed a set of long term priorities for future acquisitions and conservation easements nearly 15 years ago, preservation of the wetlands along the western Clear Lake shoreline from Clear Lake State Park to south Lakeport in what came to be called the Big Valley Wetlands project came out at the top of the list.
Over the years Clear Lake has lost about 80% of its natural shoreline to development.
The tules, willows, cattails, native shrubs and other riparian vegetation along the edge of the lake provided prime habitat for birds and mammals and the tule marshes supported native and nonnative fish, including crucial juvenile rearing grounds for the endangered Clear Lake Hitch.
Loss of this key habitat has had significant adverse consequences for numerous species, and loss of the natural filtration provided by wetlands has played a major role in the degradation of water quality.
The largest wetland areas remaining on the lake are Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in the south, Rodman Slough to the north and the Big Valley Shoreline.
Unlike Anderson Marsh and Rodman, most of the Big Valley area is privately held, putting its outstanding natural values at risk.
The Land Trust therefore decided to target the lands in this area as its top priority.
In the words of LCLT founder and board member Roberta Lyons, “Our objective is to preserve and restore these lands either through fee title purchase or conservation easements with the purpose of improving this vital habitat for animals and providing recreation opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”
The purchase of the 200-acre Wright Ranch near south Lakeport in 2020 was a major step forward in implementing this objective.
Besides preserving the land from future development in perpetuity, goals include restoration of a significant portion of the property to the wetland habitat that existed before berms and dikes were constructed in the 1940s to “reclaim” it for grazing.
UC McLaughlin Reserve Co-Manager Paul Aigner. Courtesy photo. The plan is to breach the berm in order to create an additional 32 acres of seasonal wetland and to restore the population of Valley Oaks beyond the remnant grove that exists there now: these huge trees provide habitat for many species of invertebrates, birds and mammals while sequestering immense amounts of carbon.
These major restoration projects will require review under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and permits from federal, state, and county agencies, starting with a wetland delineation and botanical survey to be conducted by biologist Steve Zalusky.
To augment this professional analysis, Land Trust Board member Merry Jo Velasquez has also recruited volunteers from among Land Trust members, Lake County Master Gardeners, the California Native Plant Society and others to survey the property and catalog its populations of both native and nonnative plants.
Although at first glance the latter seem to predominate by a wide margin, which is not surprising on land that has been heavily grazed for many years, a number of native species also persist on the property.
The first group of volunteers went out to the property on a sunny Saturday in April. After a crash course in the National Geographic Society’s iNaturalist App provided by UC McLaughlin Reserve Co-Managers Paul Aigner and Cathy Koehler, several dozen participants broke up into small groups and fanned out over the land, taking pictures and uploading them to an ever-increasing database.
According to Velasquez, “using iNaturalist as our main resource for identification has been an interesting and rewarding experience. I was intrigued by the common name of the flower Erodium circutarium, which is called Stork’s Bill even though this round pink flower looks nothing like the bill of a stork. A month later, after seed pods had formed, I discovered that Stork’s Bill perfectly describes them.”
Eventually the Land Trust hopes to be able to open the property for public use and enjoyment, but before this can happen a baseline management plan must be developed, trails delineated, and signage installed.
In the meantime, occasional field trips are being scheduled: to see this property before its transformation begins, contact Roberta Lyons at 707 994 2024 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Victoria Brandon is a board member for the nonprofit Tuleyome, based in Woodland, California.
A group of volunteers met at the 200-acre Wright Ranch near south Lakeport, California, in April 2021. Courtesy photo.
Melissa Rice, Western Washington University and Briony Horgan, Purdue University
Perseverance took a selfie next to its biggest accomplishment yet – the two small drill holes where the rover took samples of Martian rocks. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
In the short time since NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, it’s already made history.
At the moment, Mars and the Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, and the two planets cannot communicate with each other. After working nonstop for the past 216 Martian days, the science teams are taking the first real break since the mission started.
We are twomembers of the Perseverance team, and with the rover hunkered down for the 20 days of conjunction, it is the perfect time to step back and reflect on the mission thus far.
Perseverance has tested out all of its engineering capabilities, driven 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) over rough terrain and taken tens of thousands of photos with its 19 cameras. Of all of these incredible successes, there are three major milestones that we’re particularly excited about: collecting the first rock core samples, flying the Ingenuity helicopter and publishing our first scientific results about the Jezero Crater delta.
Perseverance has already cached two samples of Martian rocks after drilling cores out of a rock, the first of which is the hole seen here.NASA/JPL-Caltech
Return shipping
One of Perseverance’s primary objectives is to use its sample caching system to extract small rock cores – roughly the size of dry-erase markers – and seal them in special sample tubes. A future mission will then pick them up and bring them on a long, interplanetary journey back to Earth.
For Perserverance’s first drilling attempt in August, our team picked a nice flat rock that was easy to access with the drill. After six days of assessing the bedrock – and finally drilling into it – we were thrilled to see a hole in the ground and get confirmation that the sample tube had sealed successfully. However, the next day the rover sent photos of the inside of the tube, and we saw it was actually empty. Some of Mars’ atmosphere is trapped inside and will be useful to study, but it’s not what the team was hoping for.
Ultimately, our team concluded that the rock itself was much softer than expected and it was completely pulverized during the act of drilling.
Three weeks and 1,800 feet (550 meters) later, we came across some promising-looking rocks protruding up above the red surface. This suggested that the rocks were harder and therefore easier to take a sample of. This time Perseverance successfully extracted and stored two core samples from the grayish, wind-polished rock. After collecting up to a few dozen more, it will drop the samples at a safe and easily accessible location on Mars’ surface. NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission, which is currently in development, will pick up the sample tubes in the late 2020s and bring them home.
But scientists don’t have to wait that long to learn about the rocks. At both sites, Perseverance used the SHERLOC and PIXL spectrometers on its arm to measure the composition of the rocks. We found crystalline minerals that suggest the rocks formed in a basaltic lava flow, as well as salt minerals that could be evidence of ancient groundwater.
Ingenuity’s first flight, seen in this video, showed that the helicopter could fly on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
First in flight
Perseverance may be a long way from Earth, but it has a sidekick. The Ingenuity helicopter detached from the rover shortly after they landed on Mars and became the first craft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet.
Ingenuity is solar powered, weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg), and its main body is roughly the size of a grapefruit. On April 19, 2021, the helicopter took its first flight, hovering 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground for 39 seconds before coming straight down. This short hop showed that its long blades could generate enough lift to allow flight in Mars’ thin air.
The next flights tested the helicopter’s ability to move horizontally, and it covered longer distances each time, traveling as much as 2,050 feet (625 meters) in its farthest trip to date.
Ingenuity has now flown 13 times and has captured detailed photos of the ground to scout out the rough terrain ahead of Perseverance. These images are helping the team decide how to navigate around obstacles on the way toward the rover’s eventual destination, a large delta in Jezero Crater.
A delta in Jezero Crater, seen in this satellite image, is where Perseverance will collect the majority of its samples.ESA/DLR/FU-Berlin
Zooming into the Jezero delta
NASA selected Jezero Crater as Perseverance’s landing site specifically because it gives the rover access to a large stack of rocks that sits at the end of a dry river valley. Based on satellite images, scientists think that these rocks are made of sediment deposited by an ancient river that flowed into a lake roughly 3.5 billion years ago. If true, this location could have been an excellent environment for life.
However, the resolution of the satellite data isn’t high enough to say for sure whether the sediments were deposited slowly into a long-lived lake or whether the structure formed under drier conditions. The only way to know with certainty was to take images from the surface of Mars.
This structure of boulders and sediment shows the geological history of the delta.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
Perseverance landed over a mile (roughly 2 kilometers) away from the cliffs at the front of the delta. We are both on the team in charge of the Mastcam-Z instrument, a set of cameras with zoom lenses that would allow us to see a paper clip from the opposite side of a football field. During the first few weeks of the mission, we used Mastcam–Z to survey the distant rocks. From those panoramic views, we selected specific spots to look at in more detail with the rover’s SuperCam, a telescopic camera.
When the images got back to Earth, we saw tilted layers of sediments in the lower parts of the 260-foot-tall (80 meters) cliffs. Toward the top we spotted boulders, some as large as 5 feet (1.5 meters) across.
From the structure of these formations, our team has been able to reconstruct a geological story billions of years old, which we published in the journal Science on Oct. 7, 2021.
For a long time – potentially millions of years – a river flowed into a lake that filled Jezero Crater. This river slowly deposited the tilted layers of sediment we see in the cliffs of the delta. Later on, the river became mostly dry except for a few big flooding events. These events had enough energy to carry big rocks down the river channel and deposit them on top of the older sediment; these are the boulders we see atop the cliffs now.
Since then, the climate has been arid and winds have slowly been eroding away the rock.
Confirming that there was a lake in Jezero Crater is the first major science result of the mission. In the coming year, Perseverance will drive up to the top of the delta, studying the rock layers in microscopic detail along the way and collecting many samples. When those samples eventually make their way to Earth, we will learn if they contain signs of microbial life that may once have thrived in this ancient lake on Mars.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control continues to offer a number of friendly dogs to new homes.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
Another way to help is through donations. A wish list has been posted at Amazon and on Chewy. For those who wish to shop local and drop off items, call 707-273-9440 to schedule a delivery or donate at the association’s Facebook page.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
“Andy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Andy’
“Andy” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 5150.
“Bear.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 3476.
“Bella.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female pit bull mix with a short brindle coat.
“Edgar.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Edgar’
“Edgar” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short black and cream coat.
He is dog No. 5189.
“Mara.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Mara’
“Mara” is a female Rottweiler mix.
She has a short black and tan coat.
He is house-trained.
She is dog No. 4628.
“Mitzy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Mitzy’
“Mitzy” is a female shepherd mix with a medium-length black and white coat.
She is dog No. 4648.
“Sassy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female American bully mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 4602.
“Tanisha.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Tanisha’
“Tanisha” is a female shepherd mix with a short orange and white coat.
She is dog No. 4647.
“Terry.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male Dutch shepherd mix with a smooth brindle coat.
He is dog No. 4880.
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.
