LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday said four counties – including Lake – are moving into less-restrictive tiers on the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy as case rates continue to fall and vaccinations increase across the state.
Lake County is now set to move into the orange, or moderate, tier as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Sarah Marikos, the county’s epidemiologist, told the Board of Supervisors in a Tuesday morning update.
At the time of Public Health’s update to the board, Lake County’s pending move into the orange tier hadn’t been formally announced by the state. That confirmation came around noon on Tuesday.
The state moved Lake County into the red tier, which signifies “substantial” virus in the community, on March 17. At that point, Lake County had spent nearly four months in the purple or “widespread” tier, the most restrictive, due to its high case rate.
In addition to Lake County, three other counties moving to less-restrictive tiers on Wednesday are Inyo, purple to red; Kern, red to orange; and Lassen, orange to yellow, the state reported. No counties are moving to a more restrictive tier.
The state said one county, Merced, remains in the purple tier, while 21 remain in the red tier, 33 in the orange and three in the yellow, or “minimal,” tier.
Once the state fully reopens, the governor said the Blueprint for a Safer Economy will end.
Case rates down; restrictions loosen for businesses, events
Dr. Evan Bloom, who is acting as interim Public Health officer while Dr. Gary Pace is on vacation, told the supervisors that Lake County’s case numbers continue to be on a downward trajectory, and Marikos also reported that only 14 cases have so far been identified in the most recent week.
While Lake County’s dropping case rate helped it into the red tier, Marikos also pointed out that changes in the state’s tier system had facilitated that move.
That tier system was updated last week after the state reached more than four million vaccinations in the hardest-hit communities in the state as shown on the Healthy Places Index.
Six Lake County zip codes – Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Finley, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake – are among the approximately 446 across California in the Healthy Places Index’s lowest quartile and so were the focus of those four million vaccinations.
Going forward, Marikos said Lake County can’t have more than 27 cases in a given week to remain in the orange tier.
Bloom said there is an “exhaustive list” of changes for businesses and events as a result of Lake County’s move from the red to the orange tier.
He highlighted a few of them:
– Restaurants can move from 25 to 50 percent capacity. – All retail can be open indoors with modifications but without a maximum capacity. – Wineries will be able to be open to 25 percent capacity without reservations. – Bars can be open outdoors with modifications. – Gyms and fitness centers can increase from 10 percent to 25 percent of maximum capacity. – Outdoor gatherings will go from a maximum 25 participants to 50. – Indoor gatherings can have 25 people or 25-percent capacity (these events are still discouraged but if attended, masks should be worn, he said). – For private events that are ticketed, invitation-only or have controlled entry, up to 100 people will be allowed, doubling the previous limit. If attendees are vaccinated, as many as 300 attendees are allowed.
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.
Late spring and early summer is the peak time for California’s deer herds to give birth to fawns, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is issuing a reminder to well-intentioned people to not interact with the baby deer – even if they find one that appears to be abandoned.
Adult female deer often stash their fawns in tall grass or brush for many hours while they are out foraging for food.
“It is a very common mistake to believe a fawn has been abandoned when it’s found alone, even if the mother has not been seen in the area for a long period of time,” said Joe Croteau, environmental program manager with CDFW’s Northern Region. “It’s actually a survival strategy for the doe to separate from her fawns so as not to attract predators to the whereabouts of her young.”
Each year, CDFW and wildlife rehabilitation facilities are called to assist with fawns that have been removed from the wild by concerned members of the public recreating outdoors.
With limited long-term placement options in zoos or other wildlife sanctuaries, the animals often have to be euthanized since they lack the survival skills to be released back into the wild and can become dangerous and difficult to keep as they become bigger.
To report an injured, sick or suspected orphaned fawn, contact your local CDFW regional office directly. For Lake County, call the North Central Region office at 916-358-2900 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Anyone who removes a young animal from the wild is required to notify CDFW or take the animal to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator within 48 hours.
Only a limited number of wildlife rehabilitation facilities are licensed to accept fawns. A list is available here.
It is both illegal to feed deer and keep deer in your personal possession. Both crimes are misdemeanors, each subject to penalties of up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail.
Learn more about the dangers and consequences of feeding deer in the CDFW video shown above.
Dominique A. Phillips, University of Miami and Jill Ehrenreich-May, University of Miami
Whether just comfortable at home or nervous about leaving, kids may need extra support to get back out there. Imgorthand/E+ via Getty Images
Pilar’s parents took all the recommended precautions to shield her from the dangers of COVID-19. They stayed at home, away from family, friends and group activities. Pilar had remained in virtual schooling throughout the pandemic as a first and then second grader.
As things began to open up again and her grandmother received the COVID-19 vaccine, Pilar’s parents began to hear a new signature phrase from her: “I don’t want to go.” Not to her gymnastics class, not to the grocery store, not even to the outdoor patio of her favorite restaurant.
After all the events of the past year, 7-year-old Pilar was apprehensive and worried about reengaging with the world outside her close-knit family. With the return to in-person school looming, Pilar’s parents were at a loss.
As researchers andclinicians who work directly with children and families experiencing anxiety, we have heard many versions of this story as the U.S. enters a new stage of the coronavirus pandemic. For some children, avoiding others has become understandably normal and the path back to pre-pandemic interaction may feel like a challenge to navigate.
Feeling stressed is normal these days
The pandemic led to abrupt and extended changes to families’ routines, including more isolation and removal from in-person schooling, that are associated with worsening mental health in young people.
Parents are also struggling emotionally. Adults report increased symptoms of depression, especially those experiencing high levels of anxiety related to risk of coronavirus exposure or infection. Parents are at even greater risk for psychiatric illness, with many reporting less personal support since the arrival of COVID-19. Parents must juggle the demands of work, home management, virtual schooling and child behavior during this time of prolonged isolation. The majority of people are able to adapt to new and stressful situations, but some experience severe and extended psychological distress.
So, what can parents do to care for both themselves and their children as we gradually transition back to interacting in public?
Healthy precautions are important, but be on the lookout for behaviors and worries that seem to be going overboard.damircudic/E+ via Getty Images
Worried about catching COVID-19 out there
As children and adolescents begin to leave isolation and return to public spaces, they might worry more about becoming sick. Of course it’s entirely reasonable to have concerns about health and safety in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Parents can listen to children’s worries and express understanding about them in a brief and age-appropriate way.
But parents should also pay attention to how intense these worries seem to be. Is your child getting caught up in excessive hand-washing and cleaning? Adamant about avoiding even public spaces that you deem safe? With kids who are struggling, parents can discuss the differences between appropriate and excessive safety precautions.
Remind your child that while it’s important to be safe, it is also important to adapt your safety strategies to new information and situations. Drawing distinctions between what you and your children can and cannot control when it comes to getting sick, limiting excessive reassurance about safety and having a plan to manage challenging situations as they occur can help your child feel ready to meet the world.
Not ready to socially reengage
Throughout the pandemic, some children have continued to attend school in person, while others have conducted most of their learning online. During the transition back into in-person environments, different people will adjust to engaging with others at different speeds.
For kids expressing worry about resuming face-to-face social interactions, parents can help ease the process by expressing empathy simply and clearly. This hasn’t been an easy time for anyone.
Assist your child in taking smaller, more manageable steps toward regular interactions. For example, your child may not feel ready to spend time with friends indoors, but they may feel comfortable meeting one pal at an outdoor park. This first step can get them started down a path to participating in additional activities with more friends or in more settings, where safe and appropriate. Setting incremental goals can help children feel more in control about facing uncomfortable situations where their initial response may be to avoid.
While it may feel easier in the moment to accommodate your child’s desire to avoid social situations that feel more awkward or overwhelming than before, it is important not to reinforce such behavior. Prolonged avoidance can lead to even more anxiety and less confidence in socializing.
Instead, acknowledge that engaging with others can feel hard when you’re out of practice. Help your child think about ways they’ve successfully coped with similar worries in the past. For example, you might ask how they handled adjusting to kindergarten when it felt new and different for them. What did they do then that felt particularly helpful for coping?
If they’re assuming the worst about upcoming contact with others, encourage flexibility and help them develop more realistic expectations. In so many cases, the anxious anticipation is much worse than the reality of a dreaded social interaction.
Maintaining some of the enjoyable parts of your locked-down routine can help ease this transition.xavierarnau/E+ via Getty Images
Resistant to a busier, more active schedule
For many families, the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic cleared calendars that were usually packed with obligations. Some kids might have welcomed a slower pace or gotten cozy with the more low-key bubble lifestyle. Now the shift back to a more active schedule might feel overwhelming.
If your child is having trouble handling the loss of downtime, work with them to strike their own version of “work-life balance.” Help your child create new routines that incorporate regular meals, good sleep hygiene, necessary breaks and organization around completing schoolwork. These steps can establish more structure where it may be lacking and help ease the burden.
Remember to make new or renewed activities as fun as possible to promote buy-in from family members. While things will most certainly get busier, maintaining positive one-on-one or family time with your child will help them feel supported as they move into this next stage.
The good news is that many children like Pilar are highly resilient and recover well from difficult circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic is something kids have been coping with, in some cases, for much of their young lives. It may take time and patience, but with positive support, even more anxious kids like Pilar can ease their way back to a comfortable, confident “new normal.”
A kindergarten class at Lucerne Elementary School in Lucerne, California, housed in a newly constructed classroom. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News. LUCERNE, Calif. – Despite the challenges of last year, Lucerne Elementary School has completed a major construction project that is giving kindergarten students and teachers classrooms built just for them.
The school’s brand new kindergarten building – housing two spacious classrooms – is located on the north side of the campus near the administration office, in a spot where two portables previously stood.
The new classrooms are each approximately 1,115 square feet. They include dedicated bathrooms, a work/storage room and exterior storage, for a total combined size of 2,688 square feet, said Superintendent-Principal Mike Brown.
The rooms have vaulted ceilings with a set of small windows set up high to allow in more natural light. They also feature small, triangular-shaped desks that can be pushed together for collaborative learning. However, for the time being, the children need to remain spaced apart.
Brown said the school broke ground on the buildings during spring break in 2020. That was about the time the pandemic led to the shutdowns of schools and the rest of the county.
Construction continued through the rest of 2020. Brown said the final walkthrough on the building took place over winter break and students and their teachers began classes in the new classrooms on Feb. 1.
The new building was paid for by a $1.2 million Full Day Kindergarten grant the school received from the California Department of Education to help establish facilities to support full-day kindergarten, Brown said.
Brown said Lucerne Elementary is preparing to go to full-day kindergarten in the 2021-22 school year.
He said the school has 32 kindergarteners and four transitional kindergarten students, and a total of 275 students across all grades, up through eighth.
Lucerne Elementary, like Upper Lake Unified, began the school year in August in a “hybrid” schooling model that allowed for in-person instruction, as Lake County News has reported.
Today, 78 percent of the school’s students are on campus, according to school records.
There is more construction to take place, funded by the $4 million Measure A bond voters approved in November 2016.
Brown said the district is waiting for the Division of the State Architect – which provides design and construction oversight for kindergarten through 12th grade schools, as well as community state-owned or leased facilities – to approve the next building.
The goal is to start construction on June 1 in order for it to be finished in the early fall, Brown 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.
A new building housing two kindergarten classrooms at Lucerne Elementary School in Lucerne, California, was built with a state grant. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors will hear from Pacific Gas and Electric this week about the potential for power shutoffs this year.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 945 4586 1044, passcode 912980. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,95848984239#,,,,*065514# US.
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 passcode information above.
At 10:50 a.m., Pacific Gas and Electric representatives will give the board an update regarding the company’s outlook for public safety power shutoffs and overall wildfire safety efforts.
In other timed items, the board is scheduled to get its weekly COVID-19 update at 9:06 a.m.
A proclamation designating April 2021 Sexual Assault Awareness Month is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., to be followed at 9:35 a.m. by the presentation of a proclamation designating the week of April 11 to 17 as National Public Safety Dispatchers Week in Lake County.
In an untimed item, the board will consider the first reading of an amendment to commercial cannabis cultivation for those impacted by the Farmland Protection Zone Chapter 21, Section 27.13 (at) 1 (vi), and consideration of updated direction for a request for proposals regarding a programmatic environmental impact report.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the purchase one customized Transit Passenger Wagon van from Redwood Ford in Ukiah for $44,001.39.
5.2: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Office of Education - Safe Schools Healthy Students Program for School-Based Specialty Mental Health Services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for a contract maximum of $100,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.3: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve Amendment No. 1 between the county of Lake and Willow Glen Care Center for Adult residential support services and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 for an increase of the contract maximum up to $250,000.00 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.4: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Konocti Senior Support Inc. for senior support counseling services for Fiscal Year 2021-22 for a contract maximum of $120,062 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.5: Adopt proclamation designating April 2021 Sexual Assault Awareness Month .
5.6: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 6, 2021.
5.7: Approve advance step hiring of Cindy Silva-Brackett in the position of Accountant II, at Step 5, due to the candidate's extraordinary qualifications.
5.8: Adopt resolution accepting final parcel map - Lawson PM 06-10 and authorizing the chair to sign.
5.9: a) Approve agreement for Federal Apportionment Exchange Program and State Match Program for California Department of Transportation - Non MPO County, Agreement No. X21-5914(122); and b) adopt resolution authorizing and directing the chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the agreements for Federal Apportionment Exchange Program and State Match Program for California Department of Transportation – Non MPO County, Agreement No., and authorize the chair to sign the resolution and agreement.
5.10: (a) Approve the purchase of a 2021 Honda Pioneer 1000-5 Utility Terrain Vehicle in the amount of $24,995.95, for use by the Search and Rescue Team, and (b) authorize the sheriff or his designee to sign the purchase order.
5.11: (a) Approve the purchase of Communications Equipment to be installed at various repeater sites in the amount of $21,502.52 and (b) authorize the sheriff or his designee to issue purchase orders to Daniel’s Electronics and L3 Harris.
5.12: Approve to waive of the 900 hour extra help limit for staff in the sheriff's department.
5.13: Adopt proclamation designating the week of April 11 to 17, 2021, as National Public Safety Dispatchers Week in Lake County.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating April 2021 Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
6.4, 9:35 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of April 11 to 17, 2021, as National Public Safety Dispatchers Week in Lake County.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, discussion and consideration of use permit extension, File No. UPX 21-01 and CE 21-01, Extends UP 18-01; Located at 9475 Mojave Trail, Kelseyville, APN No. 009-004-21.
6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Presentation of annual report by Lake County PEG TV.
6.7, 10:50 a.m.: Consideration of report from PG&E representatives regarding PG&E’s outlook for public safety power shutoffs and overall wildfire safety efforts.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: (a) Consideration of first reading of amendment to Commercial Cannabis Cultivation for those impacted by the Farmland Protection Zone Chapter 21, Section 27.13 (at) 1 (vi); and (b) consideration of updated direction for RFP regarding Programmatic EIR.
7.3: Consideration of amendment to the Uniform and Clothing Purchase Policy and Exhibit A, and direct the Human Resources director to conduct the meet and confer process with our labor representatives.
7.4: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Areawide Planning, East Area Region 3 Town Hall, Kelseyville Cemetery District, Lucerne Area Town Hall and Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Public Works/ Water Resources/ Community Development director.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): Flesch v. County of Lake, et al.
8.3: 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.
Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments prior to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 13.
The public may attend planning commission meetings in person. However, the council chambers will have limited capacity and attendees must adhere to masking and social distancing mandates.
Community members also can participate via Zoom and view the meeting live on the Youtube channels for the city of Clearlake or Lake County PEG TV.
A public hearing to discuss a use permit and development agreement to allow the establishment of a commercial cannabis microbusiness, Akwaaba LLC, at 3995 Alvita Drive, will be continued to the next regularly scheduled planning commission meeting no later than April 27.
On the consent agenda – items that are considered noncontroversial and accepted together on one vote – are the adoption of two resolutions finding conveyance of 14141 Lakeshore Drive and 16332 27th Ave. are consistent with the City's General Plan and exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
The commission’s members are Chair Kathryn Davis, Vice Chair Robert Coker and commissioners Lisa Wilson, Erin McCarrick and Fawn Williams.
mail 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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will meet this week to hold two public hearings and discuss updating a portion of the city’s purchasing rules.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 15, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The public may attend, however, the council chambers will have limited capacity and attendees must adhere to masking and social distancing mandates.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also visit the city’s town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 15.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
Presentations at the start of the meeting will include April’s adoptable dogs, the Local Safety Road Plan, PEG TV's Annual Report and a proclamation recognizing Dr. Gary Pace, M.D., M.P.H. for his service
On Thursday, the council will hold two public hearings, the first on a development agreement with Chandra Martinez for a commercial cannabis operation at 14935 Olympic Drive, the second regarding proposed projects for a grant application for funding through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program.
Under business, council members will consider the first reading of an amendment to the Clearlake Municipal Code, Section 3-4 Purchasing and Sales, regarding raising limit that the purchasing agent, or city manager, can spend to purchase supplies, equipment or services through an informal process to $25,000 – the current limit is $20,000.
As part of the same item, the council will discuss allowing the purchasing agent to continue to have discretion over disposing of surplus property, adding a specific reference to allow the disposal of supplies and equipment with a fair market value of $10,000 or above to be sold at a public auction. The amendment’s second reading will be set for May 6.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrants; continuation of declaration of local emergency Issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; Resolution No. 2021-23, to adopt the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan; authorization to hire a full-time office assistant for City Hall front counter service Enhancement; approval of Amendment No. 2 to management and administrative services agreement with Regional Government Services for consulting services, increasing the contract amount by $50,000 and authorizing the city manager to sign; minutes of the March 18 and April 1 meetings; and adoption of the 13th Amendment to the FY 2020-25 Budget (Resolution 2020-27) appropriating funding for an Office Assistant II in the Administrative Services Department.
Following the public portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association, Clearlake Police Officers Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association.
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.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise announced that its 2021 club fundraiser will be a socially distanced poker run.
The event will take place in downtown Kelseyville on Saturday, May 8, from noon to 4 p.m.
To add to the fun, the Club is sponsoring an online auction, with bidding opening at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 7, and closing at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 9.
Not sure how a poker run works? The club said it’s easy and loads of fun.
Check-in and draw your first card at Chacewater Winery to start your run. Visit six more stops along Main Street in Kelseyville including Fore Family Wine Room, Lyndall’s Sports Stop Grill, The Brick Tavern, Smiling Dogs Tasting Room, Kelsey Creek Brewing, and A & H General Store to draw your next card.
If you draw a queen, you win a prize donated by the stop location. Stop in at the many businesses along the way to double the fun and adventure. Masks and social distancing are advised to keep everyone safe.
Turn in your best hand of five cards at Saw Shop Public House and pick up your grab and go Mexican dinner. The top three hands will win a prize.
Tickets are $50 (plus convenience fee of $2.33) and can be purchased online.
Wonderful lots will be offered during the online auction including “The Bride,” a signed and numbered serigraph by well-known Chinese artist Ting Shao Kuang, a flight over Lake County followed by lunch for two at Red’s Sky Room and a delicious Farm to Fork Dinner in a century-old orchard and many more.
The club offers its thanks to the sponsors for the event: Bella Vista Farming Co. LLC, California Exterminators, C&S Waste Solutions, Stokes Ladders, The Travel Centers and Richard Knoll Consulting Rents, and UCC Rentals.
Additional sponsorships are available. For information, contact Terry Dereniuk at 707 337-2871 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise supports many projects in the community each year with funds raised at the annual fundraiser event. In 2020, scholarships were awarded to eight deserving Kelseyville students. During the holidays, the club purchased and wrapped gifts for more than 30 children under the care of Child Protective Services and donated a decorated Christmas tree to the Hospice Festival of Trees.
This spring, dictionaries were given to third grade students at the two Kelseyville School District elementary schools. Current projects include planting a native plant garden at Ely Stage Stop Museum and funding scholarships for Kelseyville High School students to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program.
The Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise chapter is made up of local business, professional and civic leaders. Members meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships, and through that, get things done in the community.
For membership and other information about the Rotary Club of Kelseyville Sunrise, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
From left, Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) and scythe leaf or sickle leaf onion (allium falcifolium) at Highland Springs Recreation Area in Lakeport, California. Photos by Kim Riley. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With a background of slick green pebbles, the vibrant wildflowers on serpentine soils send a siren song of vibrant colors; many of them pink to fuschia, and all of them unique as the seemingly sprout from gravel.
Serpentine, the official California state rock is apple-green to black and is often speckled with light and dark colored areas as is found at Highland Springs Recreation outside of Lakeport, the McLaughlin Natural Reserve outside of Lower Lake, as well as many areas around Lake County and the state.
“Soil created from ultramafic rocks, serpentine soil, covers about 1% of California, but 13% of the state’s endemic plant species call it home,” according to the California Native Plant Society, and as serpentine rock is exposed to the elements of wind, sun, and rain – it decomposes to create a nutrient-deficient soil that not only stunts the growth of plants, but keeps other plants from successfully growing on these soils.
Siskiyou onion (allium siskiyouense). Photo courtesy of the McLaughlin Reserve. Composed of one or more of the three magnesium silicate minerals, "lizardite," "chrysotile" and "antigorite," the California Department of Conservation notes that, “Chrysotile in fibrous form is the most common type of asbestos. Asbestos is a term applied to a group of silicate minerals that readily separates into thin, strong, and flexible fibers that are heat resistant,” which made it popular to use in housing insulation and siding, as well as heat-resistant fabrics up to the late 20th century until it was phased out and banned due to the human health consequences of breathing in asbestos fibers; but serpentine soils are home for some stunning – but small – wildflowers.
One of these serpentine-growing wildflowers is known as Bitterroot, which also is the state flower of Montana, with delicate pale to vibrant pink flowers growing on what appears to be a succulent-type plant. Only visible for a few months in early spring, the bitterroot plant withers away when the heat sets in above ground, but a long taproot lies in wait for the next spring to grow again.
Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva). Photo by Terre Logsdon. Wildflowers in the onion (allium) genus also are quite happy on serpentine soils and are related to the onions and garlic that we commonly eat, with California having over 45 different species of native onions, with 15 of those species growing in Lake County such as the scythe (or sickle) leaf onion, so named for the curve of the leaves similar to a scythe (a hand tool to cut grass or grains) and the Siskiyou onion (allium siskiyouense).
Highly developed in California, the allium genus often provides great drifts of color on dry slopes, ridges, and open fields with vivid shades of pink, rose, rose-purple, and wine.
Like bitterroot and other wildflowers growing on serpentine soils, the leaves die back after flowering as temperatures warm into mid-spring, with peak bloom time in late March through April – so #GetOutThere now and succumb to their siren song of spring!
Terre Logsdon is an environmentalist, certified master composter, and advocate for agroecology solutions to farming. An avid fan and protector of California wildflowers, plants, natural resources, and the environment, she seeks collaborative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Kim Riley is retired, an avid hiker at Highland Springs, and has lived in Lake County since 1985. After 15 years of trail recovery and maintenance on the Highland Springs trails, she is now focused on native plants, including a native plant and pollinator garden on her property as well as promoting and preserving the beauty of the Highland Springs Recreation Area. Karen Sullivan has operated two nurseries to propagate and cultivate native plants and wildflowers, has lived in Kelseyville for the past 30 years, rides horses far and wide to see as many flowers as possible, and offers native plants and wildflowers for sale to the public. You can check her nursery stock here: https://calscape.org/nurseryplants/416/ord-popular/np-0/page-all?fbclid=IwAR1qIxpajtUTpRKm4yRl_GjZK4h4El3yJNU4vojBg_C9d3Hdp-5_qJ1UMYI. They are collaborating on a book, Highland Springs Recreation Area: A Field Guide, which will be published in the future. In the meanwhile, please visit https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsNaturalists and https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsRecreationArea.
Siskiyou onion (allium siskiyouense). Photo by Kim Riley.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here; the meeting ID is 986 6166 5155. To join by phone, dial 1-669-900-9128.
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 prior to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14.
Please indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three-minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On the agenda is the application for a use permit and an architectural and design review to allow a professional office use within one of the existing office buildings at High Mountain Church, 875 N. High St. The applicant is Thomas Gayner Construction Inc.
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.
LYNDA LAUGHLIN, AUGUSTUS ANDERSON, ANTHONY MARTINEZ AND ASIAH GAYFIELD
Many of the nation’s health care workers are now on the front line of the battle with COVID-19. Who are these people putting their lives at risk daily to care for the millions who have contracted the coronavirus?
There were 22 million workers in the health care industry, one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the United States that accounts for 14% of all U.S. workers, according to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, or ACS.
The health care and social assistance industry sector includes establishments that provide medical care in hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices, nursing and residential care, and social assistance such as family and childcare services.
In 2019, around seven million people worked at general medical, surgical or specialty hospitals; some two million at outpatient care centers and about 1.8 million worked at nursing care facilities.
Health care occupations
There were 9.8 million workers employed as health care technicians and practitioners, including physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses. About two-thirds were non-Hispanic White.
Another 5.3 million worked as nursing assistants, home health and personal care aides and in other health care support occupations. One-quarter of health care support workers were Black.
Women accounted for three-quarters of full-time, year-round health care workers.
Women working as registered nurses, the most common health care occupation for women, had median annual earnings of $68,509.
In contrast, women working as nursing assistants, the most common health care support occupation, earned $28,686.
Among full-time, year-round health care workers, more than half of paramedics, surgeons, and other physicians were men. Median earnings for men in selected health care occupations ranged from under $30,000 for home health aides to over $250,000 for emergency medicine physicians.
Health care workers by state
States with over 500,000 health care practitioners and technicians include California, Florida, New York, and Texas. However, the overall distribution of health care related workers varied by state.
For example, there were about six health care practitioners and technicians per 100 civilian-employed workers ages 16 and over in the United States.
While about 58,000 workers in West Virginia were health care practitioners and technicians, they accounted for nearly 8 out of 100 of the state’s workers ages 16 and over. In the District of Columbia, 4 out 100 workers, or just over 17,000, worked as health care practitioners.
The number and distribution of health care support workers also varies across the United States.
California had 718,011 health care support workers — the largest number of any state — accounting for about 4 out of 100 workers in the state.
In contrast, nearly 5 out 100 workers (454,514) in New York had health care support jobs. Nearly 2 out 100 workers (just over 23,000) in Puerto Rico worked in a health care support occupation.
We used statistics from the 2019 American Community Survey to profile health care workers at the national and state level.
Data.census.gov provides selected labor force statistics. ACS estimates are based on data from a sample of housing units and people. Therefore, respondents may or may not live and work in the same geographic location as their employer.
Additional information on industry and occupational classifications is available from the Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch.
Lynda Laughlin, Augustus Anderson, Anthony Martinez, and Asiah Gayfield are survey statisticians in the Census Bureau’s Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch.
HIkers on a trail in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Northern California. Photo by Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office will host a second virtual Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Trails and Travel Management Planning Workshop on Wednesday, April 21, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Similar to the first workshop, the public will be able to use an online map and survey tools to help the BLM build a database of existing trails and routes within the monument, understand how each route is used and the amount of use.
During the workshop, the BLM will provide an overview of public input received to date, summarize the points of interest identified on the interactive map, explain the travel management planning process and timeline, as well as highlight the additional public input still needed.
Travel Management Planning can help the BLM provide better access to public lands, improve route connectivity to ensure a more enjoyable experience, increase efficiency and reduce impacts to the environment.
The BLM Trails and Travel Management Planning Workshop will focus on identifying existing routes and is designed to engage stakeholders and members of the public about the vision for travel management at the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
The plan will be important for designating a wide variety of roads and trails for motorized, non-motorized and non-mechanized recreational opportunities.
This summer, when scoping begins for an environmental assessment, the public will have an opportunity to propose new routes within the monument.
The BLM and Mendocino National Forest co-manage the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and believe partnerships and inclusion are vital to managing sustainable, working public lands. This workshop and associated planning efforts are specific to travel management on public lands administered by the BLM within the monument.
Please contact the BLM for reasonable accommodations to participate.
For specific questions, please contact Rebecca Carr Wong at 707-468-4023 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
