A sneak preview of a beautiful tree designed by Kelseyville florist Traci Stephens that will be auctioned at Festival of Trees supporting Hospice Services of Lake County. Courtesy photo.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The fourth annual Festival of Trees, a benefit for Hospice Services of Lake County, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The event returns to a magical venue at Sophie’s Day Spa, 3855 Main St.
The Festival of Trees Spectacular Party and live auction features 25 exquisite Christmas trees designed and donated by community members.
Proceeds from the live and silent auctions will support the Wings of Hope grief counseling program for children and families and special needs of hospice patients throughout our Lake County community.
The public is invited to preview decorated trees at no charge on Friday, Dec. 2, from 4 to 8:30 p.m., before and after the Kelseyville Christmas in the Country & Parade of Lights.
Tickets for Saturday’s Festival of Trees are available and may be purchased at www.lakecountyhospice.org or by calling 707-263-6222.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with savories and sweets on small plates prepared by a variety of local chefs, bakers and restaurants. A no host bar providing local wines and beer will be available throughout the evening.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin will delight the audience with his talents as auctioneer and Jennifer Strong of Strong Financial Services, a passionate Hospice Services supporter, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.
Manager of the Funky Dozen Larry Thompson will queue up lively dance music immediately following the auction.
“We are excited to kick off the holiday season with the spectacular party atmosphere of the Festival of Trees 2022,” said interim Hospice Services Executive Director Hope Moroni. “This event facilitates the coming together of individuals during a traditionally giving time of year in support of the highly valuable services Hospice Services provides in our community.”
The success of Festival of Trees is made possible largely in part by several community sponsors including Platinum Sponsors Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, Michaels Insurance Services, Calpine Corp., Savings Bank of Mendocino, Roto-Rooter of Lake County, California Exterminators, Adventist Health Clearlake and Kelly Butcher.
Other sponsors include the UPS Store, Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, Lake Pharmacy, Tomkins Tax Associates, Cats Paw Vineyards, High County Security, Roland and Nell Shaul, Jonas Energy Solutions, Chapel of the Lakes and Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
Hospice Services of Lake County has been providing compassionate comfort care to Lake County residents for over 44 years, promoting quality of life when families need it the most.
The Wings of Hope program provides grief counseling for children who have experienced the death of a loved one.
Community members are encouraged to learn how our compassionate team can assist you and your loved ones. Call 707-263-6222 or visit Hospice Services of Lake County, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport.
Additional information is also available on Hospice Services of Lake County’s website.
Janine Smith-Citron is director of development for Hospice Services of Lake County.
The current entry sign at Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake, California, is to be replaced with a new sign by January 2023. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News. CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The long wait for a new welcome sign to Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake is expected to soon be over.
The new sign will sit at the college entrance at 15880 Dam Road Extension.
District officials said Fluoresco Services LLC of Sacramento was awarded both the project for the Lake County sign and one at Woodland Community College for a total of $154,626. The district board approved the award of the contract as part of the consent agenda at its Dec. 16, 2021 meeting.
The report for the December 2021 meeting noted that it’s important for both the Woodland Community College Campus and the Lake County Campus to have functional LED monument signs “that can both display the College locations and provide digital sign messages to the public, students, faculty, and staff.”
Woodland Community College’s existing LED monument digital sign has failed many times and is no longer functional or under the manufacturer’s warranty.
The existing 4-foot by 8-foot plywood sign at the entrance to the Lake County Campus “is worn-out, the poster on the front of the sign is faded and peeling, and there is not a digital LED message component to this sign,” the report said.
“This sign has been in place for a few years now and does not present the Lake County Campus very well,” the report added.
The new two-way sign in Clearlake will allow vehicle traffic along Dam Road Extension “to view messages and be informed of upcoming events and important activities at the campus. It will be much more inviting and will present the campus in a professional and inviting way,” according to the report.
The district said it will be a Daktronics sign with high pixel density which will present a bright readable message during the daytime and dark night hours. It also will have the capability of having the message changed remotely through a cellphone app.
However, with the project still not completed, at the board’s most recent meeting on Nov. 10, during a discussion of a proposed project to build two soccer fields at Woodland Community College for a total cost of $1.9 million, concerns about the sign were raised.
Board Trustee Juan Delgado said the current plywood sign is “embarrassing.”
Board Trustee Doug Harris, who represents Lake County on the board and taught career technical and university prep classes at the Lake County Campus for over 20 years, said the discussion of a respectable new sign for the campus goes back to as far as the beginning of his tenure.
He said there were promises that the new marquee would be installed at the Lake Campus before its 50th anniversary on Oct. 13.
“Those assurances were repeated and they were not kept,” he said.
“That was a really significantly missed opportunity,” Harris added, pointing out that the community and press came out for the 50th anniversary event, and it was an ideal time for coverage of the new sign. “And we missed it.”
He told the board that in the eyes of people in Lake County’s communities, the fact that the project still hadn’t been completed “is a sign of a lack of commitment of this district to that campus.”
Interim Chancellor James Houpis told the board that the new Lake County marquee sign would be finished by January.
Harris said he had been promised the sign would be completed by August, then September and then January. He said he’s been hearing those assurances for 15 years.
No action by the board was agendized regarding the sign at the Nov. 10 meeting. However, a vote on whether or not to direct the soccer field project to move forward, funded by the 2006 Measure J bond, failed.
Cheresse Salamanca, Houpis’ executive assistant, confirmed that the soccer fields project is presently not approved to go forward. “Beyond that, it may or may not be brought back to the Board at a future date.”
Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News that the city’s planning department issued a permit for the new sign on Oct. 27.
Flora said the city has since been in contact with district officials regarding their plans to move forward with completing the sign project.
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. — Unemployment increased slightly in Lake County, across California and the nation in October, according to the newest state reports on the jobless rate.
While unemployment ticked up, the Employment Development Department said the good news is that as of October, California has recovered all of the 2,758,900 jobs lost during the pandemic-induced recession.
In Lake County, October’s unemployment rate was 4.5%, up from 4.3% in September. The October 2021 rate was 6.2%.
Most job sectors were down in October, except for mining, logging and construction, which grew by 3.2%; state and local government, 1.3%; educational and health services, 0.4%; and service producing, 0.1%.
California added more than 56,000 jobs in October, and is now 30,800 jobs above the pre-pandemic total of February 2020.
In addition, California marked the 13th consecutive month of job growth in October and accounted for more than 20% of the nation’s new jobs, outpacing the nation in year-over job growth.
California’s jobless rate in October was 4%, up from 3.8% in September, which was a record-low rate for the state in a data set that dates back to 1976.
On the national level, unemployment in October was 3.7%, up from 3.5% in September but much improved from the 4.6% reported in October 2021.
The number of Californians employed in October was 18,502,900, a decrease of 40,500 persons from September’s total of 18,543,400, but up 642,100 from the employment total in October, the report said.
At the same time, the number of unemployed Californians was 776,600 in October, an increase of 35,400 over the month, but down 386,900 in comparison to October 2021.
The state said total nonfarm jobs in California’s 11 major industries totaled 17,722,700 in October — a net gain of 56,700 jobs from September. This followed a downward revised (-1,200) month-over gain of 5,300 jobs in September.
Total nonfarm jobs statewide increased by 695,500 (a 4.1% increase) from October 2021 to October 2022 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 5,303,000 jobs (a 3.6% increase), the report said. In Lake County, nonfarm jobs increased by 4.9%, or 760 jobs, during that same time.
Regarding total farm jobs, statewide the number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased from September by 100 to a total of 410,700 jobs in October. The agricultural industry had 3,000 more farm jobs in October 2022 than it did in October a year ago. In Lake County, the total farm jobs category was up by 5.4% in a year-over comparison, with 240 jobs added.
Eight out of 11 job sectors added jobs. Education and health services had the largest gain, 16,800 jobs, showing the largest month-over gains thanks to above average gains in outpatient care services, nursing care facilities, and individual and family services. In Lake County, the education and health services sector was up by 0.4%, or 20 jobs.
Professional and business services added 16,400 jobs statewide, strong growth credited in part to above average gains in accounting and tax prep and bookkeeping services. That sector showed no growth in October in Lake County.
Other sectors that showed growth statewide and the Lake County comparisons are as follows:
• Leisure and hospitality: increase of 13,500 jobs statewide; Lake County lost 2.3%, or 30 jobs. • Manufacturing: increase of 6,400 jobs; Lake County lost 2.7% or 10 jobs. • Trade, transportation and utilities: increased by 4,600 jobs; Lake County lost 0.3%, or 10 jobs. • Information: increased by 4,100 jobs; Lake County showed no change. • Financial activities: increased by 3,600 jobs; Lake County lost 3%, or 10 jobs. • Other services: increased by 100 jobs; Lake County lost 1.8%, or 10 jobs.
Lake County’s 4.3% jobless rate ranked it No. 42 statewide in October.
Lake’s neighboring counties had the following rates and ranks: Colusa, 7.2%, No. 56; Glenn, 4.6%, No. 44; Mendocino, No. 20, 3.3%; Napa, No. 8, 2.7%; Sonoma, No. 6, 2.6%; and Yolo, No. 20, 3.3%.
In related data that figures into the state’s unemployment rate, there were 289,716 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the October 2022 sample week. The EDD said that compares to 294,085 people in September and 463,257 people in October 2021.
Concurrently, 38,186 initial claims were processed in the October 2022 sample week, which was a month-over increase of 3,685 claims from September and a year-over decrease of 21,693 claims from October 2021.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
James Gensaw, a Yurok language high school teacher in far northern California, goes over some words with a student. Mneesha Gellman
Whenever November would roll around, James Gensaw, a Yurok language high school teacher in far northern California, would get a request from a school administrator. They would always ask him to bring students from the Native American Club, which he advises, to demonstrate Yurok dancing on the high school quad at lunch time.
“On the one hand, it was nice that the school wanted to have us share our culture,” Gensaw told me during an interview. “On the other, it wasn’t always respectful. Some kids would make fun of the Native American dancers, mimicking war cries and calling out ‘chief.’”
“The media would be invited to come cover the dancing as part of their Thanksgiving coverage, and it felt like we were a spectacle,” he continued. “Other cultural groups and issues would sometimes be presented in school assemblies, in the gym, where teachers monitored student behavior. I thought, why didn’t we get to have that? We needed more respect for sharing our culture.” James Gensaw’s work in California’s public high schools as a Yurok language teacher and mentor to Native American students is part of a reckoning with equity and justice in schools.
Yurok language in schools
Tribal officials say Gensaw is one of 16 advanced-level Yurok language-keepers alive today. An enrolled Yurok tribal member, Gensaw is also part of the tribe’s Yurok Language Program, which is at the forefront of efforts to keep the Yurok language alive.
Today, the Yurok language is offered as an elective at four high schools in far northern California. The classes meet language instruction requirements for admission to University of California and California State University systems.
Yurok language classes are also offered in local Head Start preschool programs as well as in some K-8 schools when there is teacher availability, and at the College of the Redwoods, the regional community college. To date, eight high school seniors have been awarded California’s State Seal of Biliteracy in Yurok, a prestigious accomplishment that signifies commitment to and competency in the language.
When I started researching the effects of Yurok language access on young people in 2016, there were approximately 12 advanced-level speakers, according to the Yurok Language Program. The 16 advanced-level speakers in 2022 represent a growing speaker base and they are something to celebrate. Despite colonization and attempts to eradicate the Yurok language by interrupting the transfer of language from parents to their children, Yurok speakers are still here.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, boarding schools in the United States operated as spaces for what I refer to as “culturecide” — the killing of culture — in my latest book, “Indigenous Language Politics in the Schoolroom: Cultural Survival in Mexico and the United States.” Students in both the United States and Mexico were often made to attend schools where they were beaten for speaking Indigenous languages. Now, new generations are being encouraged to sign up to study the same language many of their grandparents and great-grandparents were forced to forget.
Language as resistance
The Yurok Tribe made the decision years ago to prioritize growing the number of Yurok speakers and as part of that, to teach Yurok to anyone who wanted to learn. They have many online resources that are open for all. Victoria Carlson is the Yurok Language Program Manager and a language-keeper herself. She is teaching Yurok to her children as a first language, and she drives long distances to teach the language at schools throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
“When we speak Yurok, we are saying that we are still here,” Carson said in an interview with me, echoing a sentiment that many Yurok students relayed to me as well. “Speaking our language is a form of resisting all things that have been done to our people.”
The students in Mr. Gensaw’s classes are majority, but not exclusively, Native American. Through my research I learned that there are white students who sign up out of interest or because nothing else fit in their schedule. There are Asian American students who wish that Hmong or Mandarin was a language option, but they take Yurok since it is the most unique language choice available. And there are Latinx students who already are bilingual in English and Spanish and who want to challenge themselves linguistically.
In my book and related publications, I document how access to Indigenous languages in school benefits different groups of students in a range of ways. Heritage-speakers — those who have family members who speak the language — get to shine in the classroom as people with authority over the content, something that many Native American students struggle with in other classes. White students have their eyes opened to Native presence that is sorely missing when they study the Gold Rush, Spanish missionaries in California, or other standard topics of K-12 education that are taught from a colonizing perspective. And students from non-heritage minority backgrounds report an increased interest in their own identities. They often go to elders to learn some of their own family languages after being inspired that such knowledge is worth being proud of.
Bringing languages like Yurok into schools that are still, as historian Donald Yacovone points out, dominated by white supremacist content, does not in and of itself undo the effects of colonization. Getting rid of curricula that teach the Doctrine of Discovery – the notion that colonizers “discovered” the Americas and had a legal right to it – is a long-term process. But placing Native American languages into public schools both affirms the validity of Indigenous cultural knowledge and also asserts the contemporary existence of Native people at the same time. It is a place to start.
One step at a time
In my experience, as a researcher on education policy and democracy, I have found that putting more culturally diverse courses in school is something that better prepares young people to learn how to interact in healthy ways with people who are different from themselves.
Gensaw, the Yurok language teacher, is at the forefront of this. One year when he was again asked if he could bring the students to dance around Thanksgiving time, he said yes, but not on the quad. He requested a school assembly space where student behavior could be monitored. The school said yes, and the students danced without being demeaned by their peers. These steps are just the beginning of what it takes to undo the effects of colonization.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport is accepting applications to fill two vacancies on the Lakeport City Council.
The vacancies resulted due to the recent resignations of Mireya Turner, who accepted the Lake County Community Development director job, and Michael Green, who was appointed by the governor to the Board of Supervisors.
The deadline to apply for the two vacant seats is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.
Interested persons are invited to submit a councilmember vacancy application. The application can be obtained online at www.cityoflakeport.com at the bottom of the home page.
The individuals appointed will serve approximately two years, with a term ending in 2024.
Qualified candidates must reside in Lakeport city limits, be at least 18 years of age, and registered to vote in the city of Lakeport.
The five-member City Council serves as the legislative body of the city and is responsible for setting policy, adopting the annual budget, adopting laws, determining services to be provided and the funding levels, and appointing citizens to its advisory boards and commissions.
Applications may be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in person, at Lakeport City Hall.
The applications will be distributed to the Lakeport City Council for review and interviews will be held on Dec. 12 and 13.
For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
On Monday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) released additional information on the PG&E Fire Victims Trust and provided an update on his legislation, H.R. 7305.
“The Fire Victims Trust was set up to help people recover from the impact of wildfires and rebuild what they lost, and no fire survivor should have to pay taxes on their settlement funds,” said Thompson. “While I continue to press for the passage of my bill, I am glad to provide additional information to those looking for clarification on what this means for their payments.”
Rep. Thompson has been working with the Internal Revenue Service, outlining several potential tax issues facing settlement recipients and requesting formal guidance from the agency.
In response, the IRS clarified that a number of existing tax provisions may assist taxpayers in deferring or fully offsetting any tax liability arising from Fire Victims Trust payments.
These provisions are especially relevant to survivors who have rebuilt or are in the process of rebuilding their homes.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom will host the 91st annual California State Capitol Tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
Performers for this year’s celebrations will include singer, songwriter and dancer Tinashe; the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles; cast members of Dear San Francisco, the love letter to City by the Bay; Chrissy Marshall; the Wilton Rancheria Tribe; the Bandura Ensemble of Sacramento; the Grant Union High School drumline; and UC Davis acapella groups The Afterglow and The Spokes.
The governor and first partner will light the State Capitol tree with special guest Layla Datskyy.
The 8-year-old from Rocklin was selected by the California Department of Developmental Services and the Alta California Regional Center, and will represent the nearly 400,000 Californians living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A third grader at O.W. Erlewine Elementary School, Layla enjoys listening to music and watching music videos. She also likes to play with dolls and enjoys watching people’s facial expressions.
The celebration, which dates back to the early 1930s, will highlight California’s diverse holiday traditions, native heritage, and spirit of inclusion.
The 2022 State Capitol tree is a 65-foot-tall white fir donated by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and harvested from a U.S. Forest in Camino, California.
The tree will be illuminated by approximately 14,000 LED lights and is being decorated with approximately 250 traditional ornaments and 250 handmade ornaments made by children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The event will be livestreamed on the @CAgovernor Twitter page, California Governor Facebook page and the Governor’s YouTube page.
This event will also be available to TV stations on the TVu Grid as “CA_Governor_Pack” and on the LiveU Matrix under “California Governor.”
As respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the flu and COVID-19 continue to impact Californians earlier than usual this year, state Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan urges everyone across the state to protect themselves and their families against many circulating viruses.
“As we prepare for Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings, we need to continue being vigilant in preventing the rapid spread of winter viruses,” said Dr. Pan. “As a pediatrician who specializes in infections, and a parent, it is concerning to see the rise in RSV and flu in babies, young children and our elderly population. It is crucial we are aware of prevention methods, but also, how to care for our loved ones at home, and what symptoms to be aware of for parents to seek care for their children.”
Caring for your child at home
There is no cure for respiratory viruses, but some medications can reduce disease severity in certain situations. For mild symptoms, Dr. Pan provides these tips to help ease discomfort:
• Reduce congestion with nasal saline with gentle suctioning. Patients should sit or lie upright when possible. Cool-mist humidification also helps to clear the congestion and make people feel better. • Make sure your loved ones get plenty of rest and drinks clear fluids such as water, broth or sports drinks to prevent dehydration. For infants, use electrolyte beverages such as Pedialyte. Healthy snacks and small meals are also recommended. • If your child has a fever (100 degrees or higher), acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be given to children 6 months of age and older. Infants and children should not be given aspirin as this can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. Only use other medications or medications for infants less than 6 months old under the guidance of your health care provider. • Follow dosing instructions listed on the back of the medication or from your health care provider. • Stay home at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).
When to seek care
Most childhood respiratory illnesses are mild and resolve on their own without the need for emergency care or hospitalization. Understanding when to see a doctor or go to the hospital ensures that children receive the right care.
Call ahead to get medical advice and see what you can do at home and when it is best to come in to be examined.
Seek evaluation right away if you child has:
• Symptoms of lung disease: fast breathing, flaring nostrils, head bobbing, grunting, or wheezing while breathing; belly breathing; pauses in breathing. • Symptoms of dehydration. • Gray or blue color to tongue, lips or skin. • Significantly decreased activity and alertness. • Symptoms that worsen or do not improve after seven days. • Fever in those under 3 months of age (12 weeks). • Fever above 104°F repeatedly for a child of any age. • Poor sleep or fussiness, chest pain, ear tugging or ear drainage.
Is your child at a higher risk for severe disease?
Early evaluation and treatment by a health care professional can ensure the best possible outcomes for children who are at a higher risk of severe disease.
Children who are at higher risk of severe disease include:
• Younger children, particularly 6 months old or younger. • Premature or low-birth weight infants. • Children with chronic medical conditions, including chronic lung diseases, heart disease, disorders weakening the immune system, or neuromuscular disorders.
Testing for RSV
Testing for RSV is not always necessary. Unlike COVID-19, testing for RSV generally does not change the way doctors manage individual patients with this illness and treatment is based on the symptoms a person is experiencing.
Accordingly, individuals should seek care based on concerns for the symptoms listed above and not solely to obtain an RSV test result.
Further, schools and childcare settings should not require a negative RSV test to return to these settings; in most situations, return should also be based on symptoms and generally children with respiratory symptoms should not return to childcare or school until symptoms are resolved or at least mild and improving.
This includes waiting until 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
A California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division officer conducts a traffic stop for a suspected seat belt violation. Photo courtesy of CHP. As millions of people venture out for the Thanksgiving holiday, the California Highway Patrol is preparing for one of the busiest travel weekends in the nation.
To help motorists arrive at their destinations safely, the CHP will implement a maximum enforcement period, or MEP, and deploy all available officers through the holiday weekend.
The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27.
“As with every holiday, the CHP will work to keep motorists safe as they travel to gatherings with friends and family,” said Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Our officers will be on patrol to take enforcement action as necessary and to provide assistance to motorists who are stranded or in need of help on the side of the road.”
During the MEP, CHP officers will be working to assist and educate motorists and enforce traffic safety laws throughout the state, actively looking for unsafe driving behaviors, including impaired or distracted driving, unsafe speed, and people not wearing seat belts.
According to the CHP’s MEP data, 42 people, including 16 pedestrians and one bicyclist, were killed in crashes in CHP’s jurisdiction during the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. CHP officers issued more than 5,600 citations for speed and seat belt violations.
Additionally, CHP officers made 1,033 arrests for driving under the influence during the four-day period.
“Enjoy your Thanksgiving festivities, but please celebrate responsibly, wear your seat belt, and always designate a sober, nondrinking driver,” said Commissioner Ray.
The young faces of the families of highway workers are reminding you to move over a lane or slow down for their loved ones who help keep our roads safe.
The “Kids of Caltrans” provide the personal, impactful messages behind the new public awareness campaign from the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Highway Patro, that kicked off this week at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Some of the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans workers featured in the “Move Over” campaign were on hand for the kickoff event, which comes on the heels of last week’s National Crash Responder Safety Week.
In video messages that will air throughout the state through January 2023, they ask drivers to be alert and move over a lane if safe to do so or slow down to safely pass highway workers.
Sadly, highway workers, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and tow truck drivers are killed or injured along California’s roadways every year.
Moving over and slowing down when passing a vehicle stopped on the roadway with flashing lights in California isn’t just a matter of following the law — it is about saving lives.
The “Move Over” law exists to provide a safer environment for maintenance and emergency vehicles stopped along roadsides close to fast-moving traffic.
“Not a single person should die on our roadways — let alone in our work zones — so I urge you to do your part, pay attention, move over and save lives,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Don’t let that split second of inattention destroy the lives of so many people ... including your own.”
“Making a traffic or emergency stop on the side of the road is one of the most dangerous duties law enforcement officers and other first responders perform,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Tragically, too many first responders and highway workers have been killed on the shoulder or median, and dozens more have been seriously injured. Please, move over or slow down when you see our officers and others working on the side of the freeway; not only is it the law, their lives depend on it.”
“Caltrans workers are mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles who have loved ones who need them to come home,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “For your safety, and the safety of all roadside workers and emergency responders, please be alert and slow down.”
California’s “Move Over” law requires all drivers to move over a lane if safe to do so, and if unable to do so safely, to slow down when they see amber flashing lights on Caltrans vehicles, law enforcement and other emergency vehicles and tow trucks.
“Towing professionals are the ones we rely on when the unexpected happens. We all depend on these Heroes of the Highway to clear our roadways and get traffic safely flowing after a crash has occurred,” said Sam Johnson, president of the California Tow Truck Association and the Emergency Road Service Coalition of America. “As a motorist, you can help protect these heroes by paying attention, slowing down, and moving over when you see the flashing lights of a tow truck assisting a stranded vehicle. The California Tow Truck Association along with the Emergency Road Service Coalition of America would like to thank the motoring public for their help with our mission to get each and every one of these Heroes of the Highway safely home to their families at the end of the day.”
In 2020, nearly 7,000 work-zone crashes occurred on California roadways, resulting in more than 3,000 injuries and nearly 100 fatalities. Nationally, drivers and passengers account for 85% of those killed in work zones.
Although all 50 states have enacted “Move Over” laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 71% of Americans are not aware of them.
In California, failure to obey the “Move Over” law can result in fines up to $1,000, plus points on your driving record.
Since 1921, 191 Caltrans employees have been killed on the job, and one of the biggest hazards to them and anyone working on the roads is from motorists who do not exercise caution. Those 191 employees represent scores of families torn apart by preventable work zone collisions.
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.
The big idea
People who breathe polluted air experience changes within the brain regions that control emotions, and as a result, they may be more likely to develop anxiety and depression than those who breathe cleaner air. These are the key findings of a systematic review that my colleagues and I recently published in the journal NeuroToxicology.
Our interdisciplinary team reviewed more than 100 research articles from both animal and human studies that focused on the effects of outdoor air pollution on mental health and regions of the brain that regulate emotions. The three main brain regions we focused on were the hippocampus, amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.
In our analysis, 73% of the studies reported higher mental health symptoms and behaviors in humans and animals, such as rats, that were exposed to higher than average levels of air pollution. Some exposures that led to negative effects occurred in air pollution ranges that are currently considered “safe” by the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards. In addition, we discovered that 95% of studies examining brain effects found significant physical and functional changes within the emotion-regulation brain regions in those exposed to increased levels of air pollution.
Most of these studies found that exposure to elevated levels of air pollution is associated with increased inflammation and changes to the regulation of neurotransmitters, which act as the brain’s chemical messengers.
Why it matters
Research into the physical health effects associated with air pollution exposure, such as asthma and respiratory issues, have been well documented for decades.
But only over the last 10 years or so have researchers begun to understand how air pollution can affect the brain. Studies have shown that small air pollutants, such as ultrafine particles from vehicle exhaust, can affect the brain either directly, by traveling through the nose and into the brain, or indirectly, by causing inflammation and altered immune responses in the body that can then cross into the brain.
At the same time, researchers are increasingly documenting the association between air pollution and its negative effects on mental health.
For this reason, more research into the health effects of air pollution exposure that goes beyond respiratory health outcomes into the realm of biological psychiatry is badly needed. For instance, the neurobiological mechanisms through which air pollution increases risk for mental health symptoms are still poorly understood.
What still isn’t known
In addition to our primary findings, our team also identified some notable gaps within the research that need to be addressed in order to paint a fuller picture of the relationship between air pollution and brain health.
Relatively few studies examined the effects of air pollution exposure during early life, such as infancy and toddlerhood, and in childhood and adolescence. This is especially concerning given that the brain continues to develop until young adulthood and therefore may be particularly susceptible to the effects of air pollution.
We also found that within the studies investigating air pollution effects on the brain, only 10 were conducted in humans. While research on animals has extensively shown that air pollution can cause a host of changes within the animal brain, the research on how air pollution affects the human brain is much more limited. What’s more, most of the existing brain studies in humans have focused on physical changes, such as differences in overall brain size. More research is needed that relies on a technique called functional brain imaging, which could enable researchers like us to detect subtle or smaller changes that may occur before physical changes.
In the future, our team plans to use brain imaging methods to study how air pollution increases the risk of anxiety during adolescence. We plan to use a variety of techniques, including personal air monitors that children can wear as they go about their day, allowing us to more accurately assess their exposure.
