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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Southern California man who owns the Wisedas Resort property in Clearlake is facing jail time for violating the terms of his probation in an environmental case involving the resort.

On Monday, Edward Sherry Meyer Jr., was sentenced to 90 days in the Lake County Jail in the case, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Meyer told Lake County News on Monday that he intends to return next week to file a motion to have the court reconsider the matter.

“This whole thing has turned into a disaster,” he said.

The former Wisedas Resort burned on Feb. 17, 2013, with the remainder of the resort burning in a second fire on Oct. 13, 2016, as Lake County News has reported.

District Attorney Don Anderson said he filed a complaint against Meyer in Lake County Superior Court alleging several environmental crimes after several attempts to get Meyer to clean up the environment hazards from the first fire.

Anderson said Meyer entered a plea of no contest to one misdemeanor violation of California Penal Code section 373(a) for continuously maintaining a public nuisance on his property, and one misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act for negligently discharging fire ash, a pollutant, into Clear Lake.

On May 15, 2017, Meyer was sentenced to three years of probation and 160 hours of community service, and was ordered to complete full site remediation no later than Oct. 2, 2017.

Meyer paid a fine of $5,000 plus full restitution to the Lake County Fire Protection District in the amount of $15,256.16 for the district’s response costs for the most recent fire at the site in October 2016. Meyer also paid $50,000 to Clear Lake nonprofits and charities for their use and benefit.

As part of his sentence and probation, Meyer was to complete a sea wall at the old Wisedas Resort by Oct. 2, 2017. Anderson said that, for several months to come Meyer failed to even start a sea wall at the location despite being warned by the District Attorney’s Office and the city of Clearlake.

On May 7, Meyer was found guilty of violating probation by not completing the sea wall. On June 11, sentence was suspended, giving Meyer one last chance to fulfill the terms of probation, Anderson said.

Meyer said he was in Lake County for the Monday court appearance, at which time authorities wanted to know the progress of the sea wall.

When the court learned that construction had not even been started, Anderson said retired Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Thomas Maddock sentenced Meyer to 90 days in the county jail and ordered him to turn himself in on Oct. 24. Anderson said Meyer is still obligated to complete the sea wall.

“The judge today wouldn’t listen to anything,” said Meyer, noting that the case previously had been heard by Judge J. David Markham.

Meyer said he has had trouble getting a contractor, especially one with the understanding of how to build the sea wall.

He said he also couldn’t hit all of the dates required by the court, as the permit would take six months to acquire. The contractors he’s spoken to had indicated the job couldn’t be completed until next year.

“No one seems to want to work with me,” Meyer said. “I don’t know how to resolve it.”

Anderson said that, in the event Meyer does not turn himself in to the county jail, the District Attorney’s Office will help him in providing the transportation back to Lake County.

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. – Thousands of Lake County residents remained without power early Monday and most of the county’s school districts will be closed for the day after Pacific Gas and Electric enacted its Public Safety Power Shutoff program Sunday evening in response to red flag warnings for the region.

Overnight and into Monday, nearly 12,000 Lake County customers were out of power due to the shutoff, based on the PG&E outage map.

PG&E reported that the power outages began just before 8:30 p.m. Sunday, when the power was cut to 2,800 customers in Kelseyville, followed by shutoffs to Lakeport, where almost 500 customers were impacted.

Minutes later, the outages began for 3,400 Clearlake residents, nearly 4,500 residents in Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown, and about 800 more customers in the Glenhaven and Clearlake Oaks areas, where the last of the outages began at 8:40 p.m., according to PG&E records.

The power cutoff in Lake County and other sections of the North Bay – including Napa and Sonoma counties – was the second phase in PG&E’s planned power shutdown that began early Sunday evening in the Sierra foothills, as Lake County News has reported.

Areas in Lake County not impacted included the Northshore communities of Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake. PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras had confirmed to Lake County News on Sunday afternoon that those areas were not to be included, and only small portions of Lakeport would be impacted.

However, almost every other community in the county saw some outages.

PG&E said power is expected to be restored by Monday night, although some areas could be out of power into Tuesday.

The result was that on Sunday evening numerous school closures were reported for Monday.

They included the Kelseyville, Konocti, Lakeport and Middletown school districts, the Lake County Office of Education’s Clearlake Creativity and Hance Schools, and the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College in Clearlake.

Mendocino College said it would make a decision about whether or not to open early on Monday morning.

The Lucerne and Upper Lake school districts said school would be in session on Monday.

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services reported that, in response to the dangerous fire weather conditions, it has strategically prepositioned critical fire response resources – including strike teams of fire engines, firefighters, water tenders and emergency dispatchers – in Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties.

In the Lake County operational area, Cal OES said it had sent one task force of Type-3 engines, a water tender and a leader, and one additional water tender. A task force is five fire resources of different types/vehicles.

Cal OES said those resources are expected to remain in place until fire weather conditions improve in the region, adding that more resources could be staffed up in response to changing weather conditions across the state.

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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With more than 1.4 million Californians licensed to ride motorcycles, the California Highway Patrol looks for ways to increase motorcycle safety.

A federal grant to develop the Get Educated and Ride Safe, or GEARS, program will promote motorcycle safety and awareness.

The GEARS goals are to reduce the number of motorcycle-involved crashes and crash victims. In Federal Fiscal Year 2016, the number of motorcyclist victims increased approximately nine percent over the previous year.

Provisional Federal Fiscal Year 2017 data for motorcyclist victims shows a 6 percent decrease within CHP jurisdiction.

“Our intent is to raise motorcycle awareness on the roadways,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “The continuing focus on motorcycle education and enforcement will improve safety for motorcyclists and motorists alike.”

The CHP will deploy officers on enhanced motorcycle safety enforcement operations in regions with a high number of motorcycle incidents.

A year-long series of motorcycle traffic safety education campaigns, including the “May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,” is planned.

The campaigns will promote the use of properly approved helmets for all riders and raise motorists’ awareness of sharing the road with motorcyclists.

The campaigns will also focus on the most dangerous traffic violations, including speeding, improper turning, and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In January, the county of Lake began a process of community visioning, by getting out into the community, listening to people’s needs and priorities, and taking strategic steps to create a brighter future.

The community made it clear that economic development is a high priority, and the Lake County Board of Supervisors responded by making it one of the 10 pillars of its 10-year plan, Vision 2028.

Additionally, the board supported that commitment by contributing to development of a series of community visioning forums on the topic resulting in the formation of an economic strategy.

The Lake County Economic Development Corp., or LCEDC, will host the final two public forums on October 24 and 25.

LCEDC is a coalition that includes the county of Lake and cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, community business leaders, and experts in the areas of workforce development, real estate, banking, health care, and education.

Renowned North Bay Economist and Sonoma State University Professor Robert Eyler will lead the final two public meetings.

The first three meetings took place in June in supervisorial districts 1, 2 and 4 respectively.

The meetings have contributed to creating a plan that offers an honest look at the realities, possibilities and opportunities for Lake County’s economic health and well-being, by focusing on economic sector opportunities.

The economic strategy community public meetings are scheduled as follows:

– Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m., Kelseyville High School Student Center, 5480 Main St.

– Thursday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., Robinson Rancheria Ballroom, 1545 State Highway 20, Nice.

For more information, call the County Administrative Office at 707-263-2580 or the Lake County Economic Development Corp. at 707-279-1540, Extension 101.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors is set to discuss appointments to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board and how to approach filling the job of heading up the county’s election office.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, 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 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

In an untimed item, the board will consider a nomination for an open seat on the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors. The fire district board is recommending Gary Hill to succeed Gerry Mills, who retired last month.

The Board of Supervisors also will discuss its own appointments to the fire district governing board in the wake of community concerns about the budget the fire board accepted last month, which cut three full-time firefighters, as Lake County News has reported.

Also on Tuesday, in another untimed item, the board will discuss its next steps in filling the registrar of voters job now that Diane Fridley, who has held the job for decades, is preparing to retire.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson is proposing that the county “fully research best practices for the election functions, perhaps in the greater context of consolidation of financial offices, a recent discussion topic of your Board.” That means looking at other ways of filling the job, as she said Lake County is in the minority in how it appoints its registrar of voters.

She’s also recommending an interim appointment and suggesting changes to the job specifications, with the revised job specification requiring a bachelor’s degree, “consistent with the vision of your Board for all Department Head positions.”

In other business, also untimed, the board will consider creation of and participation in the Lake County Risk Reduction Authority, which would include other local governments and be dedicated to lowering risk countywide.

The full agenda follows.

CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER

5.1: Consideration of Contract Change Order No. 2 for Mockingbird Lane at Robinson Creek Bridge Replacement Project, Federal Project No. BRLO-5914 (105); Bid No. 18-01.

CONSENT AGENDA

6.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of October 2018 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Lake County.

6.2: Adopt proclamation designating the week of Oct. 7 to 13 as National 4-H Week in Lake County,.

6.3: Adopt resolution setting rate of pay for election officers for the Nov. 6, 2018, Statewide General Election Pursuant to Section 12310 of the Elections Code.

6.4: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, Board of Directors, approve purchase of budgeted 30KW Trailer Mounted Generator Set for LACOSAN Southeast and authorize Special Districts administrator acting as the assistant purchasing agent to issue and sign purchase order not to exceed $30,450.

6.5: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, Board of Directors, approve purchase of budgeted 35KW 120/240V 3 Phase Diesel Generator for LACOSAN Northwest and authorize Special Districts administrator acting as the assistant purchasing agent to issue and sign purchase order not to exceed $27,160.

6.6: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, Board of Directors, approve purchase of budgeted 125KW 480V 3 Phase Stationary Diesel Generator for Middletown Sewer and authorize Special Districts administrator acting as the assistant purchasing agent to issue and sign purchase order not to exceed $40,954.81.

6.7: Approve aeronautical activities permit at Lampson Field Airport between the county of Lake and Westgate Petroleum for Fiscal Year 2018/2019, and authorize the chair to sign.

6.8: Approve aeronautical activities permit at Lampson Field Airport between the county of Lake and Steve's Aircraft for Fiscal Year 2018 / 2019, and authorize the chair to sign.

6.9: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for sharing cost of joint state highway / county maintained roads electrical facilities.

6.10: Adopt proclamation of intent to participate in the Great California Shakeout and work toward becoming a safer community.

6.11: Approve mortuary services agreements between the county of Lake and Jones Mortuary and Jones and Lewis Mortuary, and authorize the chair to sign.

6.12: (a) Approve the issuance of a purchase order to Hillside Powersports Marine for a 2017 Yamaha Dual Sport Motorcycle in the amount of $7,350; and (b) approve budget transfer in the amount of $7,350 from 2201/1.13 to 62.72.

6.13: Review and approve MOU between North Coast EMS and the county of Lake for the use of Naloxone by sheriff’s office personnel.

TIMED ITEMS

7.2, 9:10 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation designating the month of October 2018 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Lake County; (b) presentation of proclamation designating the week of Oct. 7 to 13 as National 4-H Week in Lake County; and (c) presentation of proclamation of intent to participate in the Great California Shakeout and work toward becoming a safer community.

7.3, 9:13 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer due to the Pawnee fire incident.

7.4, 9:14 a.m.: (a) Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer due to the Mendocino Complex fire; and (b) status report on Mendocino Complex fire also known as the River and Ranch fires.

7.5, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).

7.6, 9:16 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.

7.7, 9:17 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Sulphur fire incident.

7.8, 9:18 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to Clayton fire.

7.9, 9:19 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the atmospheric river storm.

UNTIMED ITEMS

8.2: Discussion/Preparation for White House conference with California local leaders.

8.3: (a) Consideration of nomination by the Lakeport Fire Protection District to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors; and (b) discussion of Board of Supervisors appointments to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

8.4: Consideration of board appointment to CSAC Board of Directors for 2019.

8.5: Consideration of second amendment to the second agreement with Golden State Finance Authority for residence emergency disaster assistance and authorize the board chair to sign.

8.6: (a) Discussion/Consideration of next steps for filling the registrar of voters position and/or restructuring the elections function; and (b) Consideration/Approval of changes to the registrar of voters job specification.

8.7: Consideration of the creation of and participation in the Lake County Risk Reduction Authority.

8.8: Consideration of Agreement between the county of Lake and Chabot-Las Positas Community College District for Title IV-E training in the amount not to exceed $1,000,000 from Sept. 20, 2018 through June 30, 2019; and authorize the chair to sign.

CLOSED SESSION

9.1: Conference with Legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Crail and Field v. County of Lake.

9.2: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(4): PG&E.

9.3: Public employee evaluations: Community Development director.

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. – With gusting winds moving across Northern California, Pacific Gas and Electric said Sunday afternoon that it plans to begin turning off power in the Sierra Foothills and in the North Bay’s communities including Lake County for safety purposes, with power in some area remaining off until as late as Tuesday.

A red flag warning and a wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service both remain in effect for Lake County, until 11 a.m. Monday.

In response, PG&E said it’s going to begin proactively turning off power for safety to some 87,000 customers as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff in portions of several Northern California communities as early as 5 p.m. and continuing throughout the evening.

PG&E said it plans to first turn off power in two phases, beginning in the following extreme fire-risk areas – a total of about 70,000 customers in the following Sierra Foothills communities:

– Butte County (Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Clipper Mills, Feather Falls, Forbestown, Oroville);
– Sierra County (Alleghany, Downieville, Goodyears Bar, Pike City, Sierra City);
– Placer County (Alta, Applegate, Auburn, Baxter, Colfax, Dutch Flat, Emigrant Gap, Foresthill, Gold Run, Loomis, Meadow Vista, Weimar);
– Nevada County (Chicago Park, Grass Valley, Nevada City, North San Juan, Penn Valley, Rough and Ready, Soda Springs, Washington);
– El Dorado County (Aukum, Camino, Coloma, Cool, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, Fair Play, Garden Valley, Georgetown, Greenwood, Grizzly Flats, Kelsey, Kyburz, Mount Aukum, Omo Ranch, Pacific House, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Shingle Springs, Silver Fork, Somerset, Strawberry, Twin Bridges);
– Amador County (Fiddletown, Jackson, Pine Grove, Pioneer, Plymouth, Sutter Creek, Volcano)
Plumas County (La Porte);
– Calaveras County (Glencoe, Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch, Rail Road Flat, West Point, Wilseyville); and
– Yuba County (Brownsville, Camptonville, Challenge, Dobbins, Marysville, Oregon House, Strawberry Valley).

In the second phase of the Public Safety Power Shutoff, PG&E said that later on Sunday night, as the weather continues to progress, it plans to turn off power to communities in the North Bay, affecting about 17,000 customers.

The impacted communities in that second phase shutoff are:

– Lake County (Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Cobb, Finley, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake, Middletown);
– Napa County (Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Lake Berryessa, Napa, Pope Valley, Saint Helena); and
– Sonoma County (Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa).

PG&E said it is working directly with first responders and other state and local agencies to prepare for this safety event.

When the extreme weather has passed and conditions are safe, PG&E crews will visually inspect the lines for any necessary repairs and safely restore power to customers.

PG&E said most customers are expected to be restored by Monday night with some outages potentially lasting into Tuesday.

In making a decision whether to turn off power, PG&E considers a combination of criteria, including:

– A red flag warning declared by the National Weather Service;
– Low humidity levels, generally 20 percent and below;
– Sustained winds above approximately 25 miles per hour and wind gusts in excess of approximately 45 miles per hour;
– Site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and local climate;
– Condition of dry fuel on the ground and live vegetation (moisture content); and
– On-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E field crews.
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A Bodega Bay, Calif., home was damaged when a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy crashed into it during a vehicle pursuit early on the morning of Sunday, October 14, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.



NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said a Santa Rosa man who led a deputy on a pursuit that ended in the patrol car crashing into a Bodega Bay house on Sunday has been arrested.

Ryan Moore, 35, was taken into custody in the case, the agency reported.

The sheriff’s office reported that a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to work the Bodega Bay area has received at least five reports of thefts of generators from campgrounds in that community over the last two weeks.

Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday the deputy parked an unmarked vehicle in the Doran Beach Campground and conducted surveillance for suspicious activity while two patrol deputies waited outside the area in marked patrol cars, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said that at about 2:45 a.m. the deputy spotted a white sedan that entered the coastal campground and drove around, making suspicious movements like turning into roads with a locked gate, then backing out.

The driver parked at the end of the campground and the deputy spotted the driver exiting the vehicle and walking around the campground in dark clothing then return, then the passenger got out of the car in dark clothing then walked around the campground in dark clothing, according to the report.

At about 5 a.m. the deputy spotted a second vehicle enter the campground but he didn’t get a good look at it. The sheriff’s office said that shortly afterward the deputy observed the white sedan exit the campground.

Deputies waiting outside the campground in marked units saw a gray Honda Pilot pull out of the campground at about the same time and followed that vehicle, which turned out to be the second car the surveilling deputy had spotted, authorities said.

The deputies, believing the suspects in the Honda had just committed thefts in the campground, initiated a traffic stop after the Honda turned north onto Highway 1 in Bodega Bay. The sheriff’s office said the driver of the Honda failed to stop and led a deputy on a high speed pursuit northbound through Bodega Bay.

The deputy lost traction on a curve and went off the roadway and hit a home in the 600 block of Highway 1 in Bodega Bay. The sheriff’s office said the deputy’s patrol car was lodged in the front of the home but the deputy was able to get out of his car, exit the home and summon assistance.

The home the deputy crashed into was an Airbnb rental and was occupied by three sleeping tenants from San Francisco. They were awoken by the loud crash into their home but they weren’t injured, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said the second patrol deputy was able to force the front door open and get them out as smoke enveloped under the patrol car and the home started to catch fire. Local fire departments responded to extinguish the fire and the tenants were put up at another local hotel.

At about 9 a.m. State Parks rangers found the Honda Pilot abandoned at a construction site in the 300 block of Bay Vista Lane in Bodega Bay. The report said Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office detectives responded and determined the Honda was stolen out of the Santa Cruz area.


Ryan Moore, 35, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was arrested on Sunday, October 14, 2018, in connection to a vehicle pursuit that resulted in a deputy crashing into a home in Bodega Bay, Calif. Photo courtesy of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Two portable generators believed to be stolen from the Doran Beach campground were located in the vehicle. The vehicle was processed for evidence and other leads were developed potentially identifying the driver that fled as Moore, according to the report.

Authorities said the detectives determined Moore lived in the 3900 block of Monet Place in Santa Rosa. Detectives conducted surveillance of his home and at about 3:30 p.m. they observed Moore leaving the area as a passenger in a 2015 Toyota Sienna van.

Detectives contacted the three occupants of the vehicle as they pulled into an industrial park off Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa and took them all into custody without incident, officials said.

The van was determined to be stolen out of the San Pablo area. Authorities said all the occupants were transported to the sheriff’s office to be interviewed. After the conclusion of the interviews it was determined Moore was the driver of the stolen Honda Pilot that led the deputy in a pursuit prior to the collision into the house in Bodega Bay.

Moore was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for charges to include reckless evading causing great bodily injury, willfully resisting a peace officer which caused serious bodily injury, possession of a stolen vehicle and violation of probation. Moore remains in custody and bail was set at $110,000, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the stolen Toyota minivan, Anthony Stone, 32, of Vallejo was arrested for vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. The sheriff’s office said Stone’s bail was set at $10,000.

Angelica Cardiel, 31, of Santa Rosa was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Authorities said she had a methamphetamine pipe located in her purse at the time she was detained. Cardiel was booked and then issued a citation to appear and released from custody.

The sheriff’s office said detectives are still investigating the case, determining who else might have been involved in the thefts and are trying to identify the owners of the likely stolen generators located in the Honda to return them.

The injured Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy remains in a local hospital with serious injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. “We appreciate the community’s support and well wishes we have received,” the sheriff’s office said.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will this week get a presentation reviewing the past fiscal year budget and will consider a bid award.

The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a presentation by Finance Director Nick Walker to review the unaudited actuals for the fiscal year budget ended June 30, 2018, and approve the amendment to the fiscal year 2018-19 city budget as recommended by staff.

Also on Tuesday, City Manager Margaret Silveira will take to the council the proposed award of a construction contract to Nate’s Electric Inc. for the tree well electrical project.

In other business, City Clerk Kelly Buendia will present a resolution establishing an ad hoc selection advisory committee for the selection of the members of its committees and commissions with terms expiring in 2018, to be comprised of two city council members.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes; confirming the continuing existence of a local emergency in the city of Lakeport; approval of a modification to the Position Summary from the 2018-2019 Budget allowing for the reclassification of the parks lead worker to parks foreman; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the Library Park play structure by Landscape Structures Inc., and authorize the filing of the notice of completion; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the Pavement Preservation Program by VSS International Inc., and authorize the filing of the notice of completion; adoption of a resolution for the approval of the purchase and sales agreement for the real sale of property (APN: 025-462-11) to Lake County Tribal Health in
accordance with the California Department of Finance Approved Long Range Property Management Plan.

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.

101618 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake city officials, service organizations and community members gathered on Friday afternoon to celebrate the completion of the first new road construction in nearly four decades, which is meant to increase safety and traffic flow in the city.

About 50 people gathered for the Dam Road Extension ribbon cutting, which was held at the road’s intersection with South Center Drive near the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College on Friday afternoon.

Work on the new road began over the summer. It features bike lanes, curbs, guardrail and storm drainage.

It offer access to schools and shopping, and connects the Avenues neighborhood to Dam Road, officials said.

“This is exciting, to have a new road opening,” said Clearlake Mayor Bruno Sabatier.

He said the road building project proves change is happening in the city.

City Manager Greg Folsom said Dam Road Extension, at $1.2 million, is the second large road project the city has completed in two years. Last year, it completed $2.2 million in work on 18th and Phillips Avenue.

“This city has not seen projects like this in its entire history, so I think we have a lot to be proud of today,” he said.

He said the project had been kicked around for about 10 years. However, it became a priority after the 2016 Clayton fire, when he said city officials realized that there were not enough exit routes from the Avenues area – also known as the Chapman Tract – of the city.

Folsom thanked the Clearlake City Council for making the new road a priority, the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce for its support, the city’s Public Works Department team, Dana Moore of Konocti Unified School District, Green Valley Consulting Engineers and Granite Construction, which did the work.

The new Dam Road Extension is the latest in a series of road-related projects – including grading, striping and paving – taking place across Clearlake, where roads have been a key concern for residents.

Much of that roadwork is being funded by the city’s Measure V road sales tax, but city officials said the Dam Road Extension project is paid for by the City’s Series A Redevelopment Bond fund.

Folsom told Lake County News that the new Dam Road Extension is expected to be the last big city project for this year’s construction season.

The city has a number of projects in the design phase on target for next year, he said, including improvements for city parks and the civic center on Olympic Drive.

The event ended with Clearlake Police units and a classic Thunderbird taking off to drive the new road.

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. – Thousands of Lake County residents are still out of power due to a public safety power shutoff action taken on Sunday evening by Pacific Gas and Electric, with officials reporting that the situation is expected to be resolved as early as Monday night.

PG&E on Monday afternoon said it anticipated having power restored to approximately 70 percent of customers impacted by the power shutoff by midnight. Followup time estimates on the company’s outage map put full restoration as early as 9 p.m.

Early Monday evening, the county’s school districts all confirmed they would be open on Tuesday. Lake County International Charter School and the Lake County Office of Education's preschools, Hance and Creativity schools also will be back in session.

All but Lucerne and Upper Lake had been closed Monday because of being out of power, officials reported.

Kelseyville Unified posted updates on its Facebook page on Monday evening, noting that, because the power remained out, district officials couldn’t access the district’s mass notification system to send out notifications via email, phone or text messages.

The district said it will issue notifications if power isn’t restored by 6 a.m. Tuesday. Community members are urged to follow its Facebook page for updates.

The power shutoffs in Lake County and several other counties around the region were triggered by a red flag warning the National Weather Service issued this weekend, as Lake County News has reported.

PG&E said Monday that outages impacted approximately 60,000 PG&E customers in the North Bay and the Sierra foothills after it initially had notified 97,000 customers of the possibility that power would be turned off. However, conditions did not require all customers to be impacted.

Of those customers, 17,500 were in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, PG&E reported.

As of early afternoon Monday, PG&E said power remained out to approximately 11,300 customers in Lake County, in areas including Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Cobb, Finley, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake and Middletown.

By 6 p.m., the outages had been reduced to more than 3,100 customers in areas including Cobb, Kelseyville and Lower Lake, according to an outage map. PG&E anticipated having power back on to those residents by 9 p.m. Monday.

An outage impacting about 34 Clearlake Oaks residents which had began at about the time of the shutoff on Sunday night was still in effect Monday evening and expected to not be resolved until 9 p.m. Tuesday, PG&E said.

In Napa County, 5,700 customers were impacted in Angwin, Calistoga, Deer Park, Lake Berryessa, Napa, Pope Valley and Saint Helena, and 415 customers in the unincorporated northeastern areas of Sonoma County.

PG&E said its Wildfire Safety Operations Center and in-house meteorologists had been monitoring the weather for several days leading up the decision to turn off power for safety.

The company said it factors in whether the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, humidity levels, projected sustained winds, temperature, condition of fuel on the ground and on-the-ground observations.

Overnight on Sunday, portions of the North Bay region experienced wind speeds over 60 miles per hour and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, the company reported.

In the Sierra, wind speeds were between 20 and 35 miles per hour, but with gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. PG&E said that at the Kirkwood area high in the Sierra, wind speeds were recorded at 96 miles per hour with gusts at 121 miles per hour.

The company said that, due to improved weather conditions, on Monday morning its crews began patrolling transmission lines by helicopter, vehicle and on foot to ensure there was no damage before turning the power on again.

Separately, Cal Fire reported that it has prepared for, and continues to prepare for, the potential of extreme fire weather across California for the remainder of this year.

“With such extreme fire danger conditions in many parts of the state, many areas are seeing electricity being turned off by their utility companies preemptively to help prevent new fires from sparking,” Cal Fire said in a Monday afternoon statement. “While we support precautions taken during these extreme weather conditions, please be aware that these measures are under the discretion, and only the discretion, of the utility companies. Cal Fire is not involved in the decision of when and where the power is turned off, or when the power will be turned back on when such conditions arise.”

Cal Fire said the only time it requests a power outage from a utility company is when there is an active wildfire that firefighters are fighting. “The power shut-off request will only be for within the fire area and this is to provide for the safety of firefighters within that area.”

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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Creativity blooms at the Lake County Library with craft clubs, digital resources and books. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library announces the first meeting of the library’s free Creative Club on Saturday, Oct. 20.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

The club will meet on the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m.

At this inaugural meeting Amy Patton of the library staff will present an introduction to color theory by creating color wheels with paints and colored pencils.

Patton will also introduce and demonstrate a new library resource that allows Lake County Library patrons to use their library cards for unlimited access to Creativebug, a free video library of craft classes.

Creativebug offers more than 1,000 classes in yarn crafts, jewelry, quilting, art and design, sewing, paper crafts, food, home and kids’ crafts. Creativebug can be found at http://library.lakecountyca.gov on the Resources tab.

In future meetings, Creative Club members will share their experiences using Creativebug and the projects that they’re working on.

The library supports creativity in Lake County with the new digital resource Creativebug, with books and through craft clubs that meet in the libraries.

The new Creative Club in Lakeport and the existing craft-focused clubs at Upper Lake Library and Redbud Library are just one aspect of the ways in which the library helps residents explore their creative sides.

Creativity is important in everyday life. It helps us expand our perceptions and find new ways to solve problems. Also, being creative is fun.

Lake County is one of 10 libraries across California that have received grants to create community-driven makerspaces through a pilot program from the California State Library and the Center for Childhood Creativity at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Funding for Creativebug comes from this grant.

The Lake County Library is on the internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary.

Jan Cook is a library technician at the Lakeport Library.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With a red flag warning for Lake County and other parts of Northern California going into effect late Saturday and continuing until Monday, Pacific Gas and Electric said conditions could lead to it turn off the power to Lake and other counties.

The National Weather Service said the red flag warning went into effect at 11 p.m. Saturday and will continue until 11 p.m. Monday.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions – a combination of strong winds, relative low humidity and warm temperatures – are either occurring now or will shortly.

Forecasters reported that high pressure building into the Great Basin will result in drying gusty north to east wind over interior Northern California, which in turn will significantly lower humidity and fuel moistures leading to critical fire weather conditions from late Saturday into Monday night.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for wind gusts of more than 35 miles per hour in the south county on Sunday night and about 30 miles per hour in other parts of the county.

On Saturday evening, local law enforcement agencies issued Nixle alerts warning of possible power outages due to the red flag warning.

A few hours later, PG&E followed up by reporting that it may proactively turn off power for safety in portions of 12 counties, including Lake, due to “expected extreme fire danger conditions” within a 24-hour period ending on Sunday night.

“PG&E could take the action of turning off the power for safety as early as late Saturday night into early Sunday morning,” the company statement said. “The greater likelihood is potentially turning off the power for safety in advance of Sunday evening wind event that is forecasted to last into Monday morning.”

In Lake County, PG&E said areas that could be impacted by outages include Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Cobb, Finley, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake and Middletown.

Other counties where PG&E said outages could take place include neighboring Napa and Sonoma counties, along with Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra and Yuba.

PG&E said that, when and where possible, it will provide early warning notification as well as updates until power is restored. Extreme weather threats can change quickly.

Out of an abundance of caution, PG&E said it is providing notice to customers in advance of this safety event through automated phone calls, texts, social media and emails effective immediately.

PG&E is asking customers to take several actions, including learning whether their home or business is in or near a high fire-threat area on the CPUC High Fire-Threat District map by visiting http://pge.com/wildfiresafety; updating contact information at http://pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours for the purposes of getting advance alerts; and preparing for and practicing an emergency plan for themselves and their families.

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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