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Monitoring invasive aquatic species and water quality on Clear Lake via boat. Photo by A. De Palma-Dow.

Dear Readers,

There is no question and answer for today’s Lady of the Lake, rather I will be providing some important information about an upcoming open house for the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake. 

If you live on or near Clear Lake, get your drinking water from the lake, use the lake for recreation or business, or just care about water quality and quantity issues, then you will want to know about the Blue Ribbon Committee and the projects the committee is funding, so you understand the future of water resources in Lake County. If you are just a concerned community member, or have an interest in natural resources, this committee — and the upcoming open house — will be of interest to you too.

As a lake lover, and with my day job working on water resource programs and projects, I am thankful for the Blue Ribbon Committee. The Blue Ribbon Committee has been essential in bringing much needed research, planning, and financial resources to the local lake community. Additionally, the monthly subcommittee and quarterly meetings have been a gathering place for much needed information, technology, and education, to those working on lake projects and in water resource research and management.

All BRC meetings and sub committee meetings are publicly accessible online and the meetings agendas and minutes are also always available and accessible at the Natural Resources Agency Blue Ribbon for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake website.

Lake County News has several articles covering the Blue Ribbon Committee, see the Search results for all Blue Ribbon Committee Lake County News Articles. 

As Lady of the Lake, I first covered the Blue Ribbon Committee in a previous two-part columns, you can find them here:

Bemused and Confused about the Blue Ribbon Committee, Part One (Sept. 12, 2021).

More about the Blue Ribbon Committee, Part Two (Sept. 19, 2021).



Previous Lady of the Lake columns cover the formation, purpose, and the 2018-2021 lake and watershed projects that were approved and awarded for funding (~ $5.4 Million). Funding for proposed projects comes from two places; Prop 68 Implementation fund and the Governors General Fund Allocation. Previously approved 2021 projects were funded with about $3M of Prop 68 funds and the rest from General Funds. All project funds are administered by the California Natural Resources Agency or CNRA.

The Blue Ribbon Committee is charged with allocating funding to support projects that will lead to improvements to Clear Lake ecology and economy. These projects start as proposals, brought to the Technical or Socio Economic Sub Committees (of the Blue Ribbon Committee) by any organization that is capable of executing the project.

Proposals can include activities that improve water quality, create or restore habitat, provide or enhance natural resource community education, or anything of a similar nature that can demonstrate that it will lead to an improvement for Clear Lake or the plant, animal, or human communities that depend on the lake.

There is no restriction on the type of organizations that can bring forth a proposal, however the more local and collaborative the organization, and the proposed project itself, the more likely it will receive approval for advancement to the Blue Ribbon Committee at large from the individual sub-committees. The organization of course needs to also be able to enter into and execute a contract agreement with the CNRA.

Looking north over Clear Lake, Upper Arm, from Clear Lake State Park, Lake County, CA. Photo: A. De Palma-Dow.

Upcoming events

You have a chance to learn about the Blue Ribbon Committee at an open house showcasing some of the Committee’s exciting projects to increase the health of Clear Lake and its communities on Dec. 13 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Clearlake Senior Center, located at 3245 Bowers Ave in the City of Clearlake. Seating is limited, so please reserve your space by registering online here: https://bit.ly/BRC_Events. Additional information is provided in the flier below. Questions? Contact Sam Magill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. On site registration will be open at 3 p.m.

If you are unable to attend in person, but would like to join us for the opening presentation, please click on this link to register for the webinar.

The Open House on Dec. 13 will feature some of the in-progress 2020 / 2021 funded projects and organizations:

County of Lake Water Resources Department and Watershed Protection District
• Clear Lake Dilapidated Structure Abatement Project
• Stormwater, Trash Remediation, and Illicit Discharge Project
• Clear Lake Ambient Monthly Monitoring Program
• Clear Lake Community Outreach Survey: Perspectives and Attitudes

Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Environmental Department
• Kelsey Creek Fish Ladder Restoration
• Tule Restoration & Primrose removal Project

U.S. Geological Survey
• Mercury Modeling and Clear Lake Tributary modeling & monitoring

UC Davis
• Piloting Environmental Education Resources (UCD Center for Regional Change)
• Citizen and Community Science (UCD Center for Regional Change)
• In-Lake Modeling and Monitoring (UCD Tahoe Environmental Research Center)

Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association
• Cobb Mountain Watershed Education Project

Several approved Blue Ribbon Committee projects include the activity of Tule Restorative Plantings along the shoreline of Clear Lake. Tules are an important part of the buffer and filtering component of a well-functioning shoreline and are essential to any large-scale water-quality improvement project. Photo: A. De Palma-Dow.

Upcoming projects and how to be involved

Below is a list of the 2022 approved projects, and their organization sponsor, approved for funding in 2023. These projects collectively equal about $6.3M, but source of funding for each project (Prop 68 or General Fund) is still being finalized. These projects were proposed, refined, and approved by the Blue Ribbon Committee in 2022.

In-Lake Mercury Modeling — USGS
Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of Lake County Groundwater Basins — County of Lake Water Resources Department
Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation — Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California
Environmental Education Pathways Program — Mendocino Community College
EcoCultural Prescribed Fire & Tule Restoration — Tribal EcoRestortion Alliance
Hypolimnetic Oxygenation Pilot Project- Oaks Arm -UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
Adobe Creek Hydrology and Groundwater Monitoring — Big Valley Rancheria EPA
Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems and Wetland Restoration Analysis and Implementation — Big Valley EPA
Big Valley HAB and Bank Erosion Pilot Project — Big Valley Rancheria EPA
Web-Based Clearinghouse for Data / Citizen Science App — Big Valley Rancheria EPA

If you want to know more about these projects, and past projects, or meet some of the individuals from the organizations conducting this breadth of work to improve the lake,you can attend the monthly sub-committee meetings, as well as the Dec. 13 Open House. Regular meetings for the Blue Ribbon Committee are still being held remotely via zoom, and facilitated by the Sacramento State Consensus and Collaboration Program.

You can sign up for notices and updates from the Blue Ribbon Committee from their Listserv here.

At any time you wish to know more about the committee, or inquire about submitting a proposal, contact the committee facilitator, Sam Magill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Consensus and Collaboration Program, College of Continuing Education — Sacramento State, 304 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811.

In addition, should you have specific questions about a project or proposal that is a product of the Blue Ribbon Committee, you can write to me, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I can provide you with the correct contact information or I can spotlight a project in my column. I do serve on the technical subcommittee and have attended all but one of the quarterly Blue Ribbon Committee meetings since they started being held in 2018.

Sincerely,

Lady of the Lake

You can now hear from the Lady on the Lake on local radio, KPFZ 88.1, the last Sunday of every month, during the “Lake County Fire Recovery” and “What’s Next” weekly shows between 2 to 4 p.m.

Angela De Palma-Dow is a limnologist (limnology = study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in Northern California, she has a Master of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society, or NALMS, and she is the current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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The Northshore Fire Fuels Crew with members of the Northshore Fire Protection District and leaders of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Habematolel Pomo tribe of Upper Lake has made a substantial donation to increase the Northshore Fire Protection District’s ability to respond to fires.

The tribe has donated $662,000 to Northshore Fire.

The contribution is a part of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake’s ongoing commitment to local communities and residents in the region.

“The Northshore Fire Protection District thanks the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake for their financial support in developing the newly organized Northshore Fire Fuels Crew,” said Northshore Fire Protection District Chief Mike Ciancio.

“The Habematolel has always been a huge supporter of the local community and with the latest financial support we were able to employ 11 new members full time with health insurance and retirement benefits,” Ciancio said.

In addition to funding personnel, Northshore Fire used the donation to fund equipment.

That equipment includes two F-350 crew cab utility trucks, one F-350 crew supervisor truck with skid mount pump unit, one Mobark chipper with a trailer, six chainsaws, two pole saws and 11 sets of wildland fire personal protective equipment.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a settlement with the owner and operator of Steve Wills Trucking and Logging LLC to resolve claims of violations of the Clean Water Act.

Tanker trucks transporting milk from the Steve Wills facility near Fortuna were involved in three separate driving incidents, all of which resulted in discharges of raw milk into waterways.

One of the three incidents resulted in the death of a driver.

“Improper transport of goods can negatively impact waterways and compromise the safety of workers,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “When companies fail to manage substances that have the potential to impact waterways the local community, environment, and worker safety is put in danger.”

On Jan. 19, 2020, a tanker truck carrying raw milk on Highway 20 near Glenhaven overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake.

On April 12, 2020, a second incident took place when a truck on Highway 20 near Clearlake Oaks overturned down an embankment and released raw milk into Clear Lake.

Finally, on Dec. 11, 2021, a truck on Highway 20 east of Lance Road in Lake County overturned down an embankment into Grizzly Creek, a tributary of Cache Creek.

Drivers were cited for the Jan. 19 and April 12, 2020, incidents. The third incident is still pending the results of an ongoing investigation.

Steve Wills Trucking and Logging agreed to a penalty in the amount of $71,967 to resolve claims that the company discharged to Waters of the United States without a permit, which is a violation of the Clean Water Act.

U.S. law requires the safe management of materials to protect public health, the environment, and limit the need for costly and extensive cleanups.

It is unlawful to discharge pollutants into Waters of the United States, except as authorized by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued under the Clean Water Act.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control is offering several dogs at a discounted adoption rate this week.

“We have quite a few dogs that have been here for 20+ days. These dogs have had little interest for adoption,” the agency reported on its Facebook page.

“In order to help find these dogs new homes for the holidays, we are reducing the adoptions fees down to $30 total to take them home,” Animal Care and Control said in its post.

To view the dogs, visit the shelter website or the Shelter Luv site.

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.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278, visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting, or go to the shelter at 4949 Helbush Drive in Lakeport to fill out an application.

The following dogs are available for the $30 fee.

This 9-month-old female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-4213. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull terrier

This 9-month-old female pit bull terrier has a short gray coat.

She is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-4213.

“Arlo” is a 3-year-old male basset hound-Labrador retriever mix in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-4164. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Arlo’

“Arlo” is a 3-year-old male basset hound-Labrador retriever mix with a short brown coat.

He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-4164.

This 3-month-old female Labrador retriever is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-4162. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Labrador retriever

This 3-month-old female Labrador retriever has a short black coat.

She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-4162.

This 2-year-old male Labrador retriever is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-4112. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Labrador retriever

This 2-year-old male Labrador retriever has a short black coat.

He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-4112.

This 3-month-old pit bull terrier puppy is in kennel No. 23c, ID No. LCAC-A-4120. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull terrier puppy

This 3-month-old pit bull terrier puppy has a short white coat with gray markings.

He is in kennel No. 23c, ID No. LCAC-A-4120.

This 1 and a half year old female pit bull is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-4217. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull

This 1 and a half year old female pit bull has a short brown coat with white markings.

She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-4217.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control continues to offer dozens of dogs to new homes.

The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.

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.

The following dogs are available for adoption. New additions are at the top.

“Aoki.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Aoki’

“Aoki” is a male Siberian husky mix with a white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50905477.

“Athena.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Athena’

“Athena” is a female American pit bull mix terrier with a short brindle coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49934476.

“Babs.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Babs’

“Babs” is a female Labrador retriever mix with a short black coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49505856.

“Bruce.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bruce’

“Bruce” is a 2-year-old American pit bull mix with a short gray coat with white markings.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50684304.

“Buster.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Buster’

“Buster” is a male pit bull mix with a short tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50762164.

“Domino.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Domino’

“Domino” is a male terrier mix with a short white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50815541.

“Eros.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Eros’

“Eros” is a male Rottweiler mix with a short black and tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50754504.

“Foxie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Foxie’

“Foxie” is a female German shepherd with a red, black and white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49702845.

“Goliath.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Goliath’

“Goliah” is a male Rottweiler mix with a short black and tan coat.

He is dog No. 50754509.

"Hakuna.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Hakuna’

“Hakuna” is a male shepherd mix with a tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50176912.

“Herman.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Herman’

“Herman” is a 7-year-old male American pit bull terrier mix with a brown coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 51236411.

“Hondo.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Hondo’

“Hondo” is a male Alaskan husky mix with a buff coat.

He has been neutered.

He’s dog No. 50227693.

“Jack.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Jack’

“Jack” is a 9-month-old male terrier mix with a short black and brindle coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50992658.

“Little Boy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Little Boy’

“Little Boy” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50075256.

“Luciano.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Luciano’

“Luciano” is a male Siberian husky mix with a short black and white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50596272.

“Mamba.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Mamba’

“Mamba” is a male Siberian husky mix with a gray and cream-colored coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 49520569.

“Matata.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Matata’

“Matata” is male shepherd mix with a tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50176912.

“Maya.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Maya’

“Maya” is a female German shepherd with a black and tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 50428151.

“Mikey.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Mikey’

“Mikey” is a male German shepherd mix with a short brown and tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 51012855.

“Molly.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Molly’

“Molly” is a female Samoyed mix with a long white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 50933031.

“Paige.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Paige’

“Paige” is a female American pit bull mix with a short brown coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 51194668.

“Poppa.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Poppa’

“Poppa” is a 3-year-old male American pit bull terrier mix with a short red and white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50773597.

“Rascal.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Rascal’

“Rascal” is a male shepherd mix with a black and brown coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50806384.

“Reese.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Reese’

“Reese” is a female German Shepherd with a black and an coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 50884542.

“Sadie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Sadie’

“Sadie” is a female German shepherd mix with a black and tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49802563.

“Snowball.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Snowball’

“Snowball is a 1 and a half year old male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 49159168.

“Terry.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Terry’

“Terry” is a handsome male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.

He gets along with other dogs, including small ones, and enjoys toys. He also likes water, playing fetch and keep away.

Staff said he is now getting some training to help him build confidence.

He is dog No. 48443693.

“Trike.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Trike’

“Trike” is a male border collie-Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat and blue eyes.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 51029972.

“Willie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Willie’

“Willie” is a male German shepherd mix with a black and tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50596003.

“Zeus.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Zeus’

“Zeus” is a male Samoyed mix with a long white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 50933068.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s Health Services director reported that health officials are concerned about the potential of a substantial year-over-year increase in respiratory illnesses as this holiday season is beginning.

Jonathan Portney said iIncreases in the activity of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, along with influenza, the common cold, and of SARS-CoV-2, have the potential to inhibit access to healthcare locally.

“Of particular concern is how coinciding waves of these illnesses may prevent vulnerable young children and elderly members of our community from receiving care,” Portney said. “At this time, it is advised that healthcare facilities consider expanding their capacity to evaluate and treat pediatric patients in order to manage an increase in patient volume.”

Portney said health care facilities in neighboring Sonoma County report experiencing more than three times the amount of RSV during the latter half of October than was experienced during the same period last year. This early wave has led to increased hospitalizations among children and has contributed to stresses in the pediatric health care system.

Because there is no requirement that hospitals report cases of RSV, the number of cases Lake County is experiencing cannot be estimated. Typically, respiratory illnesses are most common between fall and spring, peaking in late December, Portney said.

“The current risks stand in contrast to the lower activity of these viruses seen during the past couple of years when various mitigation measures for SARS-CoV2 were suppressing transmission,” Portney said.

He said that statewide levels of RSV currently are similar to seasonal peaks witnessed in prior years as many children are being exposed to other respiratory viruses for the first time. Most children experience a mild version of RSV before the age of 2 years. The virus typically leads to a cold, but in children younger than 1 year, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

In order to mitigate any potentially severe outcomes, Portney said it is very important that the local health care and childcare communities stress the importance of influenza and SARS-CoV2 vaccinations for every member of our community that is 6 months and older.

While there is no vaccine for the common cold or RSV, Portney said everyday preventive actions like staying home when sick, frequent hand washing, covering your cough or sneeze, avoiding contact with sick individuals, and wearing a mask in public indoor spaces can help protect our community.

Portney said respiratory illnesses have overlapping symptoms, so parents and caregivers of children should watch for concerning symptoms of RSV including breathing more quickly than usual, labored breathing, nose flaring, and long pausing between breaths. Irritability, increased activity, and decreased appetite are also concerning signs of infection in infants which parents should seek advice for upon discovery.

Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending the application of prophylactic palivizumab for infants and young children at high risk for RSV, Portney said.

Health care providers caring for children and adults with respiratory illnesses in inpatient and congregate settings should test for respiratory viruses, including influenza, SARS-COV-2, and RSV, Portney said. For high-risk patients with suspected influenza, it is advised they begin influenza antiviral treatment immediately, without the delay of laboratory confirmation of influenza.

The California Department of Public Health recommends clinicians prescribe the influenza antiviral chemoprophylaxis during outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

“ As RSV and other respiratory virus activity continues to evolve and new evidence emerges, County of Lake Health Services will collaborate with local health care providers and childcare facilities to assess and provide additional updates as they become available,” Portney said.

Additional Resources:

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Use of Palivizumab Propylaxis to Prevent Hospitalization From Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/interim-guidance-for-use-of-palivizumab-prophylaxis-to-prevent-hospitalization/

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Pediatric Vaccinations: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/Babies.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza: www.cdc.gov/Flu/Index.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) RSV: www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html
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As the holiday season approaches, the Office of Traffic Safety and Caltrans want to make sure you are prepared to travel safely. Between holiday shopping, festive outings, and gathering with loved ones — there are several opportunities to Go Safely this season.

Even as the days get cooler and shorter, it seems our calendars are busier than ever.

To make sure you make it to all your holiday gatherings safely, it is important to plan ahead before you get behind the wheel.

Drowsy, impaired, and distracted driving are deadly — but they are also preventable.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, estimates that in 2020, 633 people lost their lives to drowsy driving.

Studies have shown that drowsy driving can impair your ability to drive in the same way that drinking and driving does.

The best way to prevent drowsy driving is to recognize the signs. Yawning, daydreaming, missing an exit, and drifting from a lane are all signs that you need to pull over safely and rest up. Even a quick 30-minute nap can do wonders to refresh you before the next leg of your trip.

It is important to get enough sleep, take a break every two hours or 100 miles, and avoid alcohol or medications that can make you sleepy.

While you prepare for your celebrations this season, remember to prepare your holiday safety plan as well.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a deadly choice, so plan accordingly. Designate a sober driver or schedule a ride-share to get you home safe and sound.

If you are hosting a party, don’t let your friends or family drive impaired. Ensure that all guests have a designated sober driver or alternative, sober transportation to get them safely to their destinations.

If you are driving and suspect that another driver may be driving impaired, call 911. You could save a life.

It can be easy to get caught up in our busy holiday schedules, but make sure you also take the time to limit your distractions while driving. Silence your cellphone and concentrate on the road as driving conditions tend to worsen in the winter months.

When texting behind the wheel, the amount of time your eyes are off the road averages five seconds. When driving at an approximate speed of 55 miles per hour, you could essentially cover the length of a football field, blindfolded.

The text can wait until you safely arrive at your destination — silence your phone and focus on the road.

Though it seems we are constantly on the go during the holidays, take some time to remember your safety plan:

• Rest up. Don’t drive drowsy and take breaks from driving every two hours or 100 miles.
• If your celebrations include drinking, designate a sober driver, and never let your friends or family drive under the influence. If you see a drunken driver on the road, call 911.
• Limit your distractions, silence your phone, and focus on getting to and from your destination safely.

Drowsy, impaired, and distracted driving are all preventable. Make sure you’re prepared so we can all Go Safely this holiday season.

For more safety tips, visit www.gosafelyca.org.
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Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.

For many, a manufactured/mobile home is home. What happens when a California resident dies owning a manufactured or mobile home situated in California?

If the manufactured or mobile home is situated on a permanent foundation and a form 433A filed with the county recorder then the manufactured or mobile home and the land are real property. It is administered like any other real property asset owned by a decedent.

That is, how the real property is titled, the appraised gross value of the decedent’s estate, the decedent’s will or trust, if any, whether there is a surviving spouse/registered domestic partner, are each considered, when relevant, to determine who inherits the real property and whether a probate, or other approach, is required.

However, if the manufactured or mobile home is not on a permanent foundation, it is not part of the land and is personal property.

In California, manufactured homes and mobile homes are generally titled and registered with the California Department of Housing Community Development, or HCD.

Some smaller units are titled with the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Like real property, manufactured or mobile homes can be titled individually, jointly or in trust. Again, title plays an important part in who inherits and how they inherit.

Importantly, California law excludes the gross value of a manufactured or mobile home from the gross value of the decedent’s probate estate to determine whether a probate is required.

If the total value of the decedent’s real and personal property located in California is below the current $184,500 probate threshold then no probate administration is required for a “small estate.”

Sometimes the decedent’s primary assets are the decedent’s manufactured or mobile home and its lot, unless the manufactured home is on rented land, e.g., a mobile home park where rent is paid.

Moreover, with small estates, if the appraised gross value of all the decedent’s real property holdings in California is under $55,425 (for decedent’s dying after April 1, 2022) then the decedent can record an affidavit re real property of small value and death certificate with the county recorder to change title to the lot.

Otherwise, a “petition to determine succession to real and personal property” in a small estate can be used to change title to the lot and any other real property owned by the decedent with a small estate.

With respect to the manufactured / mobile home, the decedent’s beneficiaries/heirs often sell the manufactured home and the lot to the same buyer in a single sale. If so, the decedent’s beneficiaries/heirs will only have to retitle the real property into their name (often by way of the affidavit approach) before they can sell it.

The beneficiaries/heirs can give the title company handling the sale an affidavit of small estate to claim the net proceeds in escrow with the title company attributable to the sale of the manufactured or mobile home, without the names of the beneficiaries or heirs ever appearing on title with HCD.

This approach saves the beneficiaries/heirs the expense, time and aggravation associated with retitling of manufactured/mobile homes with HCD.

Anyone owning a manufactured or mobile home that is not on a permanent foundation should keep its original certificate of title and registration in a safe location known and available to their beneficiaries/heirs.

This saves retitling fees when the manufactured home is retitled into the name of a buyer or into the name of a beneficiary / heir who keeps the asset.

Typically, a California resident who owns a manufactured or mobile home titled with HCD has a small estate and so can rely on a will for estate planning. Bank and brokerage accounts can be removed from any probate estate by titling them as pay on death and transfer on death accounts, as relevant.

Doing so is often sufficient to ensure a small estate for someone who owns a manufactured or mobile home and its lot, and no other real property.

The foregoing is not legal advice. Anyone confronting the issues discussed above should 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, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council is accepting applications to fill vacancies on various commissions and committees.

The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.

The city invites applications for the following committees and commissions:

• Lakeport Planning Commission;
• Measure Z Advisory Committee; and
• the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee.

The city is also recruiting one appointee to the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

All appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Interested persons are invited to submit a commission-committee application, which can be found online at www.cityoflakeport.com on the Committees and Commissions page.

The applications will be distributed to the 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..
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Engineers install 2-foot-wide reaction wheels onto the main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The orbiter is in its assembly, test, and launch operations phase in preparation for a 2024 launch. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Just as NASA’s Mars rovers rely on robust wheels to roam the Red Planet and conduct science, some orbiters rely on wheels, too — in this case, reaction wheels — to stay pointed in the right direction.

Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California recently installed four reaction wheels on Europa Clipper, which will rely on them during its journey at Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.

When NASA’s spacecraft heads through deep space, slips into orbit around Jupiter, and collects science observations while flying dozens of times by Europa, the wheels rotate the orbiter so that its antennas can communicate with Earth and its science instruments, including cameras, can stay oriented.

Two feet wide and made of steel, aluminum, and titanium, the wheels spin rapidly to create torque that causes the orbiter to rotate in the opposite direction. Isaac Newton’s third law of motion also applies in deep space and explains the underlying phenomenon: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The reaction wheels cause the spacecraft to react to the spinning action of the wheels.

Here’s one way to visualize how reaction wheels work: Imagine you are sitting in a swivel chair and lift your feet off the floor so that you are free to rotate. If you jerk your torso in one direction, the chair and your legs will rotate the opposite direction.

The reaction wheels work the same way: As the reaction wheel’s motor accelerates the metal wheel in one direction, the spacecraft experiences an acceleration in the opposite direction.

Without those reaction wheels, Europa Clipper wouldn’t be able to do its science investigations when it arrives at the Jupiter system in 2030 after its 2024 launch. Scientists believe Europa harbors a vast internal ocean that may have conditions suitable for supporting life.

The spacecraft will gather data on the moon’s atmosphere, surface, and interior — information that will help scientists learn more about the ocean, the ice crust, and potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space.

All four of the reaction wheels installed onto NASA’s Europa Clipper are visible in this photo, which was shot from underneath the main body of the spacecraft while it is being assembled at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.


During its orbits around Jupiter, Europa Clipper will rely on reaction wheels to help it perform thousands of turns, or “slews.” Although the spacecraft could perform some of those maneuvers with thrusters, its thrusters need fuel — a finite resource aboard the orbiter. The reaction wheels will run on electricity provided by the spacecraft’s vast solar arrays.

The trade-off is that the reaction wheels work slowly. Europa Clipper’s reaction wheels will take about 90 minutes to rotate the craft 180 degrees — a movement so gradual that, from a distance, it would be imperceptible to the human eye. The rotation of the spacecraft will be three times slower than the minute hand on a clock.

Also, they can wear out over time. It happened on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, requiring engineers to figure out how to rotate using thrusters with the available fuel.

To address this, engineers have installed four wheels on Europa Clipper even though only three are needed to maneuver. They alternate which three wheels are in operation to even the wear. That leaves them with a “spare” wheel if one of the others fails.

Installing the wheels was one of the most recent steps of the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations. Science instruments continue to arrive at JPL to be added to the spacecraft.

Next, a variety of tests will be conducted, as the spacecraft moves toward its October 2024 launch period. After traveling over 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers), Europa Clipper will be set to begin unlocking the secrets of this icy world.

Missions such as Europa Clipper contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research field that studies the conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it.

While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct a detailed exploration of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life.

Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

More information about Europa can be found here.

Engineers and technicians work together to install reaction wheels on the underside of the main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is in its assembly, test, and launch operations phase at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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In a tale of cosmic proportions, the region is being transformed by the massive stars that live and die within it.

A new image combining previously released data from three telescopes shows a region that includes the Orion Nebula, named after the mighty hunter from Greek mythology who was felled by a scorpion’s sting. But the story of how this dusty region came to be is just as dramatic.

The Orion Nebula is located in the constellation Orion, which takes the appearance of a hunter raising a club and shield at an unseen target.

Three stars in a line are together known as Orion’s belt; the region shown in the image aligns with another series of stars perpendicular to the belt, known as Orion’s sword. If you could see it in the sky, the region would appear about the size of the full moon.

Two enormous caverns that dominate the cloud were carved out by giant stars (unseen in this image) that can release up to a million times more light than our Sun.

All that radiation breaks apart dust grains there, helping to create the pair of cavities. Much of the remaining dust is swept away by winds from stars or when the stars die explosive deaths as supernovae.

The blue light in these areas indicates warm dust. Observed in infrared light – a range of wavelengths outside what human eyes can detect – the views were provided by NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, which now operates under the moniker NEOWISE. Spitzer and WISE were both managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Around the edge of the two cavernous regions, the dust that appears green is slightly cooler. Red indicates cold dust that reaches temperatures of about minus 440 Fahrenheit (minus 260 Celsius).

The red and green light shows data from the now-retired Herschel Space Telescope, a European Space Agency observatory that captured wavelengths of light in the far-infrared and microwave ranges, where cold dust radiates.

Herschel’s large mirror provided high-resolution views of these clouds, which are full of contours, nooks, and crannies. The cold dust appears mostly on the outskirts of the dust cloud, away from the regions where stars form.

In between the two hollow regions are orange filaments where dust condenses and forms new stars. Over time, these filaments may produce new giant stars that will once again reshape the region.

JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, managed Spitzer mission operations for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington until the spacecraft was retired in 2020. Science operations were conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at IPAC at Caltech. Spacecraft operations were based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. The Spitzer data archive is housed at the Infrared Science Archive at IPAC at Caltech.

More information about NASA’s Spitzer mission is here.

Launched in 2009, the WISE spacecraft was placed into hibernation in 2011 after completing its primary mission.

In September 2013, NASA reactivated the spacecraft with the primary goal of scanning for near-Earth objects, or NEOs, and the mission and spacecraft were renamed NEOWISE.

The mission was selected competitively under NASA’s Explorers Program managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NEOWISE is a project of JPL and the University of Arizona and is supported by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

More information about WISE can be found here.

NASA’s Herschel Project Office was based at JPL. The NASA Herschel Science Center was based at IPAC.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council will next meet on Monday, Nov. 28.

The group will meet at 5 p.m. via Zoom and at Lakeport City Hall, 255 Park St. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting ID is 999 3833 2870, pass code is 336698. The meeting also can be accessed via phone at 1-669-900-6833.

On the agenda is the Scotts Creek maintenance project, the city of Lakeport’s South Main Street annexation and its drought mitigation plan meeting, the South Cow Mountain Management Area implementation plan and the Multi-Tribal Fire Prevention Grant application.

In other business, there will be discussion about new use permits, consideration of Assembly Bill 361 authorizing teleconference meetings during state of emergency, a discussion about amending bylaws regarding how and where meetings are held and posting of notice and agendas, and a request to consider the Board of Supervisors stagger two year terms for council members as provided by the council bylaws.

The group also will discuss a draft letter to the Board of Supervisors asking for a request to be made to Congressman Mike Thompson to seek funding from the Bureau of Land Management Commissioner in Washington, D.C. to maintain lower Scotts Creek, the main tributary into Clear Lake.

There also will be reports from the Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Committee and the Scotts Valley Firewise Committee.

The group will next meet on Jan. 23.

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