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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County saw a significant drop in its unemployment rate in March, a development that mirrors economic gains across the state and nation.

Lake County’s March jobless rate was 5%, down from 5.9% in February and 9% in March 2021, the California Employment Development Department, or EDD, reported.

California’s unemployment rate in March was 4.9%, down from 5.3% in February and 8.4% in March of last year.

The report said California’s employers added 60,200 nonfarm payroll jobs, with the state now having regained nearly 90% — or 2,463,400 — of the 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 431,000 nonfarm jobs the nation gained in March, California accounted for 14% of those gains, surpassing the state's 11.5 percent share of employment in the U.S., the report said.

The EDD said California has enjoyed month-over gains in nonfarm jobs in 13 of the past 14 months totaling a 1,380,100 job gain over that time period.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the report was “more good news for California’s continued economic recovery, representing thousands of new opportunities for workers throughout the state,” adding, “We’re committed to building on these gains and our progress toward creating a stronger, fairer and more prosperous state for all Californians to live and work.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate in March was 3.6%, down from 3.8% in February and 6% in the year-over comparison. The March national jobless rate is the lowest it’s been since February 2020, when it was 3.5%.

California’s payroll jobs totaled 17,338,900, while the number of Californians employed in March was 18,197,600, an increase of 141,400 persons from February’s total of 18,056,200, and up 997,700 from the employment total in March 2021.

Total nonfarm jobs increased by 1,041,900, a 6.4% increase, from March 2021 to March 2022 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 6,494,000 jobs, a 4.5% increase.

The number of unemployed Californians was 933,700 in March, a decrease of 78,300 over the month and down 648,000 in comparison to March 2021. That’s the first time since February 2020 that there have been fewer than one million Californians unemployed.

Lake’s neighboring counties’ jobless rates and ranks in the latest report are Colusa, 12.5%, No. 58; Glenn, 5%, tied with Lake County for No. 36; Napa, 3.2%, No. 9; Sonoma, 3%, No. 7; and Yolo, 3.7%, No. 20.

Comparisons in industry sectors

The number of jobs in California’s agriculture industry decreased by 600 from February to 413,900 jobs in March. The agricultural industry has 3,600 more farm jobs in March 2022 than it did in March a year ago.

In Lake County, total farm jobs also were down by 4.3% in a month-over comparison, totaling an 80-job reduction.

Leisure and hospitality was once again the sector with the largest job increase statewide, with 14,800 jobs added. That growth had as its main driver limited-service eating places.

In Lake County, leisure and hospitality saw an 8% increase, totaling 90 new jobs in March.

Professional and business services also posted a good-sized gain of 10,400 jobs statewide thanks to strength in employment services, as well as accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping services.

Lake County had a 5.7% increase in that sector in March, with 40 new jobs.

State and local numbers for other industry sectors are as follows:

• Education and health services: Statewide, increase of 9,000 jobs; Lake County, 20 new jobs, growth of 0.5%.

• Mining, logging and construction: Statewide, increase of 8,900 jobs; Lake County, loss of 10 jobs, reduction of 1.2%.

• Trade, transportation and utilities: Statewide, increase of 5,300 jobs; Lake County, 80 new jobs, increase of 2.6%.

• Other services: Statewide, increase of 4,900 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 1.9% increase.

• Financial activities: Statewide, increase of 3,600 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 3.1% increase.

• Manufacturing: Statewide, increase of 2,900 jobs; Lake County, 10 new jobs, 2.9% increase.

• Information: Statewide, increase of 200 jobs; Lake County, loss of 10 jobs, 11.1% reduction.

• Government: Statewide, increase of 200 jobs; Lake County, 40 new jobs, 1% increase.

In other employment news, the state said there were 398,638 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the March 2022 sample week, compared to 425,221 people in February and 680,279 people in March 2021.

Concurrently, 39,185 initial claims were processed in the March 2022 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 4,517 claims from February and a year-over decrease of 57,027 claims from March 2021, the EDD said.

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. — Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport is among 15 health care facilities across California where nurses will be participating in a one-day strike beginning on Monday.

The California Nurses Association, or CNA, reported that more than 8,000 registered nurses and health care workers will take part in the strike.

The union said it’s protesting Sutter Health’s refusal to address proposals about safe staffing and health and safety protections, including issues with contact tracing and stockpiling personal protective equipment.

The one-day strike will run from 7 a.m. Monday to 6:59 a.m. Tuesday, the union said. Picketing will take place from 7 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.

In Lakeport, the picketing is expected to take place at the hospital’s entrance on Hill Road East.

That’s the same location where nurses at Sutter Lakeside were stationed during an informational picket at the hospital in March. In that picket, 15 facilities also were impacted, as Lake County News has reported.

At the time of the informational picket last month, union officials had reported that they were not yet at the point of calling a strike.

However, the union said nearly unanimous strike authorization votes followed in March.

Sutter Health released a statement on Sunday evening that says, “Despite resuming negotiations with the involvement of a federal mediator, the California Nurses Association has refused to call off their strike beginning 7 a.m. Monday.

“Work stoppages at 18 of our sites — even for a single day — require complex and costly preparation, and obligate us to make plans that our teams, patients and communities can rely on. Given the uncertainty of a looming strike, and in order to provide surety for our patients, communities and care teams, we will staff our hospitals on Monday with the contracted replacement workers where needed,” the Sutter Health statement continued.

“We hope the CNA union will call off this strike so our nurses can return to work and do what they do best — care for our patients. We remain committed to continue bargaining as long as negotiations are progressing effectively toward averting the strike,” Sutter Health’s statement concluded.

CNA said Sutter Health’s registered nurses and health care workers have been in negotiations since June 2021 for a new contract, “with little to no movement on key issues.”

The union is urging Sutter Health’s management to invest in nursing staff and agree to a contract that provides safe staffing that allows nurses to provide safe and therapeutic care and
pandemic readiness protections that require the hospitals to invest in personal protective equipment stockpiles and comply with California's PPE stockpile law.

“The Sutter nurses voted for this strike,” said Renee Waters, a trauma neuro intensive care RN with 26 years of experience, in a statement released by the union.

Waters said they are striking because Sutter is not transparent about the stockpile of personal protective equipment supplies and contact tracing.

“They resist having nurses directly involved in planning and implementation of policies that affect all of us during a pandemic,” said Waters, who added that “a fair contract is needed to retain experienced nurses, have sufficient staffing and training, and ensure we have the resources we need to provide safe and effective care for our patients. Nurses are fighting back against Sutter putting profits before patients and health care workers.”

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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Susie Nishio took this photo of an early arrival of a Swainson's hawk in late February 2012 in Davis, California. It shows the field marks for Swainson's Hawk: a dark bib, a white chin and a yellow cere at the base of the beak.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — When will the first Swainson's hawk return to our region from its annual migration south?

Certainly by the second week of March, we will see the early returnees circling above their nesting trees throughout the Central Valley of California and foraging in nearby agricultural fields.

Sacramento, Yolo, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties have the highest concentrations of nesting sites.

Swainson's hawks leave our region in September to fly thousands of miles south. A recent study showed that hawks who nest in the same community, spend the winter in different areas, as far apart as Sinaloa, Mexico, Meta, Colombia and Salta, Argentina.

When a hawk returns to our region, it returns to the site where it nested the previous season, and meets up with its mate there.

Swainson's hawks are found in various colors, but these field marks remain constant. Some Swainson's hawks look purely black and white, and are called "light morphs," while others may have feathers of dark browns, so the field marks aren't readily apparent. They are called "dark morphs." Many others are "intermediate" between light and dark.

The way to tell a Swainson's hawk from a red tailed hawk is by looking at the underside of the wing. The red tailed hawk will have a dark leading edge of the wing while the Swainson's hawk wing will be lighter at the leading edge.

The red tailed hawk will have a "belly band" of color next to a white chest, while the Swainson's hawk will have a lighter belly than their chest color.

In 1983, the state of California declared the Swainson's hawk to be threatened according to the criteria set by the California Endangered Species Act.

This photo, taken by Dave Harper in Contra Costa County, California, shows typical nest building activity for Swainson's hawks.

Since then the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, has confirmed the need for special government protection for this species.

By the end of March in California, about 2,000 thousand Swainson's hawk pairs will be preparing nests to take care of eggs.

If you witness harassment of hawks, please contact the CDFW hotline at 888-334-CALTIP (888 334-2258), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or you may submit anonymous tips to CDFW using tip411.

By April, Swainson's Hawk pairs are in nest building, or rebuilding, mode. They will build at the site of their last nest, or in a suitable tree nearby.

Nests are usually in tall, older trees, near the top of the tree. To locate one, watch for hawks flying in and out of a tree with sticks in their beaks.

This is a very exciting time for hawk nest watchers. Our nesting hawk pairs need nearby foraging areas to feed a new generation of our most endangered raptor in California.

The best foraging is alfalfa fields and irrigated pasture because this is where the highest value prey are found in large numbers for the longest period of time. The favorite prey for feeding the young are small field mice, squirrels, rabbits, and voles.

The biggest threat to the breeding success of the Swainson's hawk is the loss of foraging grounds, largely as a result of urbanization of agricultural land.

Preservation of agricultural land and urban limit lines is critical to protecting foraging habitat

Judith Lamare is co-founder of Friends of the Swainson's Hawk, a citizen advocacy group based in Sacramento California. All the photos in this article were contributed by avid bird watchers and hawk advocates. Find Friends of the Swainson's Hawk on Facebook and at www.swainsonhawk.org.
This photo by Robert Sewell along the American River in Sacramento, California, shows a mother and two chicks in a large stick nest. The chicks would have started flying from the nest by July 1. They start learning by climbing out of the nest on branches, called "branching."
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Diego Lopez in action on the basketball court. Photo courtesy of Kelseyville Unified School District.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — On March 17 and 18, Kelseyville High School student Diego Lopez joined other Native American basketball players from Lake County to represent their communities in the 21st annual American Indian Youth Conference and Basketball Tournament at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The event is one of many such events nationwide that allow Native American boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to come together to share their love of sports while learning about each other’s cultural experiences and being exposed to different regions of the country.

“These tournaments expose our Lake County youth to city life,” said Kelseyville High Native American Club Advisor Katie Ray. “They have the experience of walking around college campuses and seeing what they’re up against, what it would be like to be on their own. They also get a feel for what it would be like to play [basketball] at a collegiate level.”

Lopez agreed and said he was certainly more interested in attending UCLA after touring the campus, attending conference workshops, and playing basketball there.

He was surprised and pleased to find that UCLA has resources to help Native American students with their studies and some of the other challenges associated with higher education.

Lopez and his teammates came together thanks to Kristin Amparo, education director and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Big Valley Rancheria, and advisor to the Native American Club at Clearlake High School.

“Our children shouldn’t miss out on opportunities because no one is willing to step up and take on the challenge of helping them,” Amparo said. “Every child deserves an opportunity, but it is up to them as an individual to accept the challenge. All I want to do is provide an opportunity for our children to have a chance to change their lives.”

Amparo offered to coach the basketball team and identified tournaments for them to play in.

“Our basketball program started a year ago with four Big Valley youth jumping on an opportunity to be exposed at a collegiate level in Arizona, Diego being one of the four; from there, we grew,” Amparo said. “We were fortunate enough to receive grant funding to keep our program going and have all their trips 100% paid for, including team bonding activities. That’s an opportunity of a lifetime for our kids. It doesn’t come by often and it won’t last forever.”

The players have four more tournaments planned in the months to come, including the Native American Midwest Tournament of Champions in Wichita, Kansas; the Third Annual Native American Nationals in Mesa, Arizona; the NABI Educational Youth Summit and Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona; and the Indigenous Elite Summer Championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ray explained that there are many ongoing activities for Native youth, noting that “basketball is huge, and so is youth leadership.”

Through these shared experiences, kids from rural and urban backgrounds have an opportunity to discover both shared experiences and how very different growing up on a reservation can be from an urban or suburban setting.

“Having an outlet is crucial, especially to our teens in a county that doesn’t have much for them to do,” Amparo said. “It brings good feeling to my heart knowing that we have a team who is willing to work hard, work together, be leaders, and go after what they want.”

She continued, “Around here, our kids fundraise to go everywhere. In urban areas, kids often have sponsors and scholarships. On the other hand, urban kids are not as connected to their culture as the kids around here. Our youth are rich in culture with lots of big times and gatherings. These aren’t as common in urban settings because of the Relocation Act, when Tribal people were taken from their culture and homelands,” she said.

Lopez said he would recommend that fellow Native American students get involved in these types of youth activities.

Although he is a bit reserved when it comes to meeting new people, he said enjoyed connecting with other students and learning new ideas.

He was happy to represent KHS and Big Valley Rancheria, and said he had fun participating in workshops like learning archery and making homemade ice cream. Mostly, he loved the basketball.

Amparo said, “Diego is one of the leaders on our team. He plays with heart, passion and emotion. He is constantly working to better himself, as both a person and an athlete. It is an honor to help guide our youth into positive light and I’ll do whatever I can to help them achieve their goals.”

Ray said that if anyone is interested in supporting local Native American students, they could consider donating to Big Valley Boys & Girls Club or the Native American Club at Kelseyville High.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors will hear an update this week on the federal government’s plans to clean up the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site.

The‌ ‌board will meet beginning ‌at‌ ‌9‌ ‌a.m. ‌Tuesday, April 19, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌watched‌ ‌live‌ ‌on‌ ‌Channel‌ ‌8, ‌online‌ ‌at‌ ‌https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx‌‌ and‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌county’s‌ ‌Facebook‌ ‌page. ‌Accompanying‌ ‌board‌ ‌documents, ‌the‌ ‌agenda‌ ‌and‌ ‌archived‌ ‌board‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌videos‌ ‌also‌ ‌are‌ ‌available‌ ‌at‌ ‌that‌ ‌link. ‌ ‌

To‌ ‌participate‌ ‌in‌ ‌real-time, ‌join‌ ‌the‌ ‌Zoom‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌by‌ ‌clicking‌ ‌this‌ ‌link‌. ‌ ‌

The‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌ID‌ ‌is‌ 914 8812 1115, ‌pass code 495681.‌ ‌The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,91488121115#,,,,*495681#.

All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.

To‌ ‌submit‌ ‌a‌ ‌written‌ ‌comment‌ ‌on‌ ‌any‌ ‌agenda‌ ‌item‌ ‌visit‌ ‌https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and‌ ‌click‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌eComment‌ ‌feature‌ ‌linked‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌date. ‌If‌ ‌a‌ ‌comment‌ ‌is‌ ‌submitted‌ ‌after‌ ‌the‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌begins, ‌‌it‌ ‌may‌ ‌not‌ ‌be‌ ‌read‌ ‌during‌ ‌the‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌but‌ ‌will‌ ‌become‌ ‌a‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌record.

At 11 a.m., Lake County Water Resources will host and introduce a presentation by U.S. EPA Region 9 staff on the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site.

The EPA’s site project manager Carter Jessop, along with staffers Karen Jurist and Gavin Pauley will lead a presentation in which they discuss the EPA’s upcoming recommended cleanup plan and opportunities for community engagement.

The 160-acre Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Site is located in Clearlake Oaks on the Clear Lake shoreline, next to the Elem Colony. It was added to the U.S. EPA’s Superfund Clean Up program in 1990.

While there have been cleanup activities at the site already, it remains a source of mercury contamination for Clear Lake and “represents a direct risk for anyone entering the property,” according to the report to the board from Marina Deligiannis, deputy Lake County Water resources department director and, Angela DePalma-Dow, Invasive Species Program coordinator.

The report explains that EPA is preparing to release its recommended cleanup plan to the public this year. The agency wants to update the board and community on how to access the plan, and how to participate and collaborate in upcoming meetings.

In other business, at 10:30 a.m. the board will get a presentation from Ygrene Energy Fund on commercial property assessed clean energy programs as an element of a county economic development strategy.

In an untimed item, the board will hear about opportunities identified by county department heads regarding improving employee recruitment and retention. During the discussion, the board also will consider recommended revisions to county personnel rules.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt resolution temporarily reducing the cannabis cultivation tax rate and temporarily limiting cultivation tax to canopy area.

5.2: Second Reading of Ordinance Amending Ordinance 3062, revising Section 2-192.1, Article XXVI, Chapter 2 of the Lake County Code, Providing Authority to Execute Leases and Licenses.

5.3: a) Reaffirm action taken on Jan. 4, 2022, to approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake – Behavioral Health Services as lead agency for the Lake County Continuum of Care and Elijah House Foundation for Services funded under the Emergency Solutions Grant Coronavirus (ESG-CV) Program for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 and b) authorize the board chair to sign.

5.4; Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Lisa Warner, MBA, for support services for managed care for a new contract maximum of $50,000.00 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.

5.5: Approve memorandum of understanding between the county of Lake and Rural Communities Housing Development Corp. for the No Place Like Home Permanent Supportive Housing Project on Collier Avenue in Nice and authorize the board chair to sign.

5.6: Approve Amendment No. 3 between county of Lake and Manzanita House for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services to decrease the contract maximum by $30,000 for a new contract maximum of $164,150 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.

5.7: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Clover Valley Guest Home for adult residential support services and specialty mental health services to increase the contract maximum by $27,000 to a new contract maximum of $87,000 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.

5.8: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between county of Lake and Davis Guest Home to increase the contract by $50,000 for a new contract maximum of $236,000 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.

5.9: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconferenced meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.

5.10: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the lake county health officer for the Cache fire.

5.11: Approve second amendment to the agreement for professional services, contractor/consultant for med-health preparedness response, between county of Lake Health Services Department, and Marsh EMS Consulting, and authorize board chair to sign second amendment.

5.12: Approve continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.

5.13: Approve continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.

5.14: Approve continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.

5.15: Approve continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.

5.16: Approve continuation of a local emergency in lake county in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.

5.17: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.

5.18: (a) Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the state of California Department of State Hospitals, or DSH, to allow for the DSH to compensate the county when the sheriff’s office coordinates telehealth video interviews with inmates in the sheriff’s custody and (b) authorize the sheriff to sign all documents.

5.19: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2021-116 establishing position allocations for fiscal year 2021-2022, budget unit no. 2201, sheriff/coroner.

5.20: Approve contract between county of Lake and North Coast Opportunities Inc. for the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.

5.21: Approve contract between county of Lake and North Coast Opportunities Inc. for the Housing Support Program for the term of Dec. 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, in the amount of $774,816, and authorize the chair to sign.

TIMED ITEMS

9:05 a.m.: Pet of the week.

6.3, 9:07 a.m.: Lake County Department of Health Services monthly update.

6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of Lake County Behavioral Health Services' fiscal year 2021-22 External Quality Review Final Report.

6.5, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of general plan amendment (GPAP 20-02), rezone; (RZ 20-02) and initial study (IS 20-91) for Greg Hanson.

6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Consideration of a presentation by Ygrene Energy Fund on commercial property assessed clean energy, or PACE, programs, as an element of a county economic development strategy.

6.7, 11 a.m.: Consideration of a presentation by US EPA Region 9 staff of the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund Site. The site’s Project Manager, Carter Jessop, Karen Jurist and Community Involvement Coordinator Gavin Pauley will be leading the presentation to provide an update on the site and EPA’s upcoming recommended cleanup plan (“Proposed Plan”) and opportunities for community engagement.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: a) Consideration of a presentation regarding department head-identified opportunities to improve employee recruitment and retention; and b) consideration of recommended revisions to county personnel rules.

7.3: a) Discussion of interest apportionment with the treasurer–tax collector; and b) update on the status of the tax sale.

7.4: Consideration of the following advisory board appointment: Lower Lake Waterworks District.

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) chief negotiator: M. Long; county negotiators: C. Huchingson and P. Samac; and (b) employee organizations: LCDDAA, LCDSA, LCCOA, LCEA, LCSEA and LCSMA.

8.2: Conference with temporary representatives designated to meet with confidential A and B employees regarding salaries and benefits.

8.3: Conference with temporary representatives designated to meet with county department heads regarding salary and benefits and unrepresented management employees.

8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Nichols v. County of Lake, et al.

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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A map of the world plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during March 2022. Please see the story below as well as more details in the report summary from NOAA NCEI at http://bit.ly/Global202203offsite link. (NOAA/NCEI).


March continued the planet’s exceedingly warm start to 2022, ranking as the fifth-warmest March in 143 years.

The year so far ranks as the fifth-warmest globally since 1880, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

Below are more highlights from NOAA’s latest monthly global climate report:

Climate by the numbers

March 2022

The average global land and ocean-surface temperature for March was 1.71 degrees F (0.95 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 54.9 degrees (12.7 degrees C), ranking as the fifth-warmest March in the global climate record.

March 2022 also was the 46th consecutive March and the 447th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th-century average.

Looking regionally, Oceania had its fourth-warmest March on record while Asia had its ninth-warmest. North America, South America, Europe and Africa all had above-average March temperatures, but none of the continents saw a top-15 warm March.

Year to date | January through March

For 2022 so far, the global land and ocean surface temperature averaged 1.58 degrees F (0.88 of a degree C), making it the fifth-warmest year to date on record.

Asia also had its fifth warmest year-to-date temperature on record, while South America, Europe, the Caribbean region and Oceania each saw a January-through-March temperature ranked among the nine warmest on record. Africa and North America also were warmer than average, but saw their coolest year to date since 2012 and 2014, respectively.

A map of the world plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during March 2022.

Other notable climate events in the March report:

• Sea ice was scant at the poles: Antarctic sea ice coverage (extent) was just 1.09 million square miles, the second-smallest extent for March in the 44-year record. Only March of 2017 had a smaller sea ice extent. Across the Arctic, sea ice extent averaged 5.63 million square miles — the ninth-smallest for March since records began in 1979.

• A busy month for the tropics: Nine tropical storms formed globally in March, tying as the second-highest number of tropical storms in March — behind March of 1994 which had a total of 10. Only three of the nine tropical storms reached cyclone (hurricane) strength, which is below normal for the month.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Behavioral Health Services has announced the grand reopening of the Circle of Native Minds Peer Support Center.

On Friday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the community is invited to Circle of Native Minds’ new location at 525 N. Main St. in Lakeport; the entrance is at the rear of the building on Forbes Street.

Circle of Native Minds is a cultural healing and resource center for members of all seven Lake County-connected tribal nations.

It is dedicated to supporting and preserving Native American culture, especially the healing capabilities of cultural activities, gatherings and events.

Center lead Thomas Leon Brown, the Pathfinders group of local tribal elders and the entire Lake County Behavioral Health Services Department are honored to announce and celebrate the center, its new location and the people it serves.

Highlights of the grand reopening include free Indian tacos, the Elem Pomo Dancers, blessings and messages of hope for our community. The center’s staff will also be in attendance to answer questions or just chat.

“Heckathama” is a powerful word in the Elem Pomo language. Elder Brown explains, “It means ‘How are you?’ and is used to welcome people into our space. The Circle was created to meet the needs of the Native American community through our culturally-enriched traditional ways, using traditional songs, blessings, ceremonies, prayers, medicines and language.”

Elder Brown continues, “You are invited as we provide a place to open your heart for peace and harmony from the great spirits of our ancestors for wellness and goodness. OH!”

The Circle is funded by the Mental Health Services Act, and is a program of Lake County Behavioral Health Services.

For additional information, or questions regarding this event, please contact Thomas Leon Brown or Carrie Manning at Lake County Behavioral Health Services, 707-263-4880.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council this week will hold a public hearing on new rules to come into compliance with state law on edible food recovery and will meet new city employees.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The agenda can be found here.

The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.

If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.

The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.

Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19.

On Tuesday, the council will hold a public hearing and introduce the ordinance amending Chapter 8.16 of the Lakeport Municipal Code establishing regulations related to the establishment of an edible food recovery program and calendar a second reading of the ordinance.

Compliance Officer Andrew Britton’s report to the council explains that in September 2016 the state adopted SB 1383, which established methane emissions reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in various economic sectors.

“SB 1383 establishes aggressive targets to achieve by year 2025, including a 75 percent reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level; and establishes an additional target that not less than 20 percent of currently disposed edible food is recovered for human consumption by 2025,” Britton wrote.

Britton said edible food recovery is an important component of the SB 1383 legislation. Although the city and other Lake County jurisdictions received rural jurisdiction waivers from CalRecycle for certain components of the SB 1383 regulations through the end of 2026, edible food recovery is not an exempted program.

Under council business, Assistant City Manager Nick Walker will ask the council to consider options for funding and include the South Main Street Paving Project in the spending plan for Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds and include the cost of the project in the 2022-23 budget.

Also on Tuesday, new Community Development Department employee Victor Fernandez and new Public Works employee Ky Ramsey will be introduced, the Youth Governance Council will make a presentation and the Lakeport Police Department will offer a citizen commendation to Connor Disney for aiding a police officer in a rescue on Clear Lake.

On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on April 5; adoption of a resolution authorizing continued remote teleconference meetings of the Lakeport City Council and its legislative bodies pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e); approval of event application 2022-014, with staff recommendations, for the 2022 Walk for Life; approval of event application 2022-015, with staff recommendations, for the Tuesday Farmers’ Market in Library Park; adoption of the ordinance amending chapter 3.04 of the Lakeport Municipal Code.

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 Animal Care and Control has many new dogs waiting to join their new homes this spring.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian cattle dog, Australian Kelpie, Belgian malinois, border collie, boxer, Carolina dog, Chihuahua, Entlebucher mountain dog, French bulldog, husky, Jack Russell terrier, Labrador retriever, Pembroke Welsh corgi and pit bull.

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.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

This 3-year-old female Entlebucher mountain dog is in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-3250. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Entlebucher mountain dog

This 3-year-old female Entlebucher mountain dog has a short tricolor coat.

She is in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-3250.

This 1-year-old male pit bull is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-3290. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.
Male pit bull

This 1-year-old male pit bull has a short black coat with white markings.

He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-3290.

This 1-year-old male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-2821. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull terrier

This 1-year-old male pit bull terrier has a short white and tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-2821.

This 2-year-old female Australian cattle dog is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-3231. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Australian cattle dog

This 2-year-old female Australian cattle dog has a short blue, black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-3231.

This 2-year-old male pit bull is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-3278. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull

This 2-year-old male pit bull has a short black coat.

He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-3278.

This 3-year-old male cattle dog is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-3228. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male cattle dog

This 3-year-old male cattle dog has a short black coat with white markings.

He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-3228.

This 3-year-old male cattle dog is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-3131. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Australian cattle dog

This 3-year-old male Australian cattle dog has a black coat with tan markings.

He is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-3131.

This 3-year-old male pit bull is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-3288. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull

This 3-year-old male pit bull has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-3288.

“Cody” is a 7-year-old male French bulldog-pit bull terrier mix in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-3284. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Cody’

“Cody” is a 7-year-old male French bulldog-pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-3284.

This 1-year-old male Belgian malinois is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-3270. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Belgian malinois

This 1-year-old male Belgian malinois has a short brown and black coat.

He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-3270.

This 3-year-old male Pembroke Welsh corgi is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-3271. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Pembroke Welsh corgi

This 3-year-old male Pembroke Welsh corgi has a short white and tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-3271.

This 1-year-old female husky-pit bull mix is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-3289. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Husky-pit bull mix

This 1-year-old female husky-pit bull mix has a short black coat.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-3289.

This 2-year-old female Carolina dog is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-3281. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Carolina dog

This 2-year-old female Carolina dog has a short white coat.

She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-3281.

“Blue” is a 4-year-old female husky in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-2816. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Blue’

“Blue” is a 4-year-old female husky with a gray and white coat, and blue eyes.

She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-2816.

This 2-year-old female husky is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-3225. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female husky

This 2-year-old female husky has a medium-length black and white coat, with one blue eye and one yellow eye.

She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-3225.

“King” is a 1-year-old American bulldog in kennel No. 32, ID No. 3109. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘King’

“King” is a 1-year-old American bulldog with a short brown and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. 3109.

This 3-year-old male Australian cattle dog is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-3130. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Australian cattle dog

This 3-year-old male Australian cattle dog has a short black, tan and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-3130.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it is attempting to identify and locate a man who broke into a Kelseyville home on Sunday night and assaulted a woman who lived there.

The sheriff’s office said the home invasion assault occurred at 10 p.m. Sunday in a neighborhood on Edgewater Drive in the Kelseyville Riviera.

A male subject forced his way into a residence and assaulted an adult female until he was confronted by the woman’s husband, according to a report from sheriff’s spokesperson, Lauren Berlinn.

Berlinn said the assault victim’s husband was able to physically restrain the intruder and remove him from the residence. The intruder then ran away on foot.

The subject who broke into the home is described as a white male adult with short hair, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt.

Berlinn said the man was reported to have a tattoo on his upper chest, but no description of the tattoo could be provided.

The motive behind the assault is unclear and the man who committed it is still at large, Berlinn said.

The sheriff’s office is asking those living in the Edgewater and surrounding neighborhoods to review any cameras or video doorbell cameras for footage of any suspicious subjects.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Det. Dean Preader at 707-262-4231 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The sheriff’s office reminds everyone to remain vigilant, lock their doors at night and be aware of strangers in the neighborhood.

To report suspicious activity, contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 707-263-2690.

Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has another trio of felines waiting to meet you.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.

This 5-year-old female Siamese cat is in cat room kennel No. 68, ID No. LCAC-A-3238. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Siamese

This 5-year-old female Siamese cat has a short white coat with gray markings.

She is in cat room kennel No. 68, ID No. LCAC-A-3238.

This 1-year-old female domestic medium hair cat is in cat room kennel No. 84, ID No. CAC-A-3237. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female domestic medium hair

This 1-year-old female domestic medium hair cat has a gray tabby coat.

She is in cat room kennel No. 84, ID No. LCAC-A-3237.

“Delilah” is a 2-year-old female domestic longhair cat in cat room kennel No. 103, ID No. LCAC-A-3070. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Delilah’

“Delilah” is a 2-year-old female domestic longhair cat with a gray coat with white markings.

She is in cat room kennel No. 103, ID No. LCAC-A-3070.

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.
Posted On

In this illustration, the multilayered sunshield on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope stretches out beneath the observatory’s honeycomb mirror. The sunshield is the first step in cooling down Webb’s infrared instruments, but the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) requires additional help to reach its operating temperature. Credits: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will see the first galaxies to form after the big bang, but to do that its instruments first need to get cold — really cold.

On April 7, Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI — a joint development by NASA and the European Space Agency – reached its final operating temperature below 7 kelvins (minus 447 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 266 degrees Celsius).

Along with Webb’s three other instruments, MIRI initially cooled off in the shade of Webb’s tennis-court-size sunshield, dropping to about 90 kelvins (minus 298 F, or minus 183 C).

But dropping to less than 7 kelvins required an electrically powered cryocooler. Last week, the team passed a particularly challenging milestone called the “pinch point,” when the instrument goes from 15 kelvins (minus 433 F, or minus 258 C) to 6.4 kelvins (minus 448 F, or minus 267 C).

“The MIRI cooler team has poured a lot of hard work into developing the procedure for the pinch point,” said Analyn Schneider, project manager for MIRI at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The team was both excited and nervous going into the critical activity. In the end it was a textbook execution of the procedure, and the cooler performance is even better than expected.”

The low temperature is necessary because all four of Webb’s instruments detect infrared light – wavelengths slightly longer than those that human eyes can see.

Distant galaxies, stars hidden in cocoons of dust, and planets outside our solar system all emit infrared light. But so do other warm objects, including Webb’s own electronics and optics hardware.

Cooling down the four instruments’ detectors and the surrounding hardware suppresses those infrared emissions. MIRI detects longer infrared wavelengths than the other three instruments, which means it needs to be even colder.

Another reason Webb’s detectors need to be cold is to suppress something called dark current, or electric current created by the vibration of atoms in the detectors themselves.

Dark current mimics a true signal in the detectors, giving the false impression that they have been hit by light from an external source. Those false signals can drown out the real signals astronomers want to find.

Since temperature is a measurement of how fast the atoms in the detector are vibrating, reducing the temperature means less vibration, which in turn means less dark current.

MIRI’s ability to detect longer infrared wavelengths also makes it more sensitive to dark current, so it needs to be colder than the other instruments to fully remove that effect. For every degree the instrument temperature goes up, the dark current goes up by a factor of about 10.

Once MIRI reached a frigid 6.4 kelvins, scientists began a series of checks to make sure the detectors were operating as expected. Like a doctor searching for any sign of illness, the MIRI team looks at data describing the instrument’s health, then gives the instrument a series of commands to see if it can execute tasks correctly.

This milestone is the culmination of work by scientists and engineers at multiple institutions in addition to JPL, including Northrop Grumman, which built the cryocooler, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which oversaw the integration of MIRI and the cooler to the rest of the observatory.

“We spent years practicing for that moment, running through the commands and the checks that we did on MIRI,” said Mike Ressler, project scientist for MIRI at JPL. “It was kind of like a movie script: Everything we were supposed to do was written down and rehearsed. When the test data rolled in, I was ecstatic to see it looked exactly as expected and that we have a healthy instrument.”

There are still more challenges that the team will have to face before MIRI can start its scientific mission.

Now that the instrument is at operating temperature, team members will take test images of stars and other known objects that can be used for calibration and to check the instrument’s operations and functionality.

The team will conduct these preparations alongside calibration of the other three instruments, delivering Webb’s first science images this summer.

“I am immensely proud to be part of this group of highly motivated, enthusiastic scientists and engineers drawn from across Europe and the U.S.,” said Alistair Glasse, MIRI instrument scientist at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. “This period is our ‘trial by fire’ but it is already clear to me that the personal bonds and mutual respect that we have built up over the past years is what will get us through the next few months to deliver a fantastic instrument to the worldwide astronomy community.”

More about the mission

The James Webb Space Telescope is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency, or ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency.

MIRI was developed through a 50-50 partnership between NASA and ESA. JPL leads the U.S. efforts for MIRI, and a multinational consortium of European astronomical institutes contributes for ESA. George Rieke with the University of Arizona is the MIRI science team lead. Gillian Wright is the MIRI European principal investigator.

Laszlo Tamas with UK ATC manages the European Consortium. The MIRI cryocooler development was led and managed by JPL, in collaboration with Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information about the Webb mission, visit https://www.nasa.gov/webb.

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