LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric on Monday evening offered additional details about a potential public safety power shutoff that could come midweek and impact a portion of Lake County.

PG&E is once again considering the measure due to a strong wind event the National Weather Service is forecasting will move into interior Northern California.

The company said it anticipates the shutoff could begin Wednesday afternoon and impact 209,000 customer accounts across 16 counties. That’s about a third of the customers whose power was cut earlier this month across 35 counties.

Unlike the last shutoff, which covered all of Lake County and 37,400 customer accounts, the one that’s proposed for this week is expected to impact approximately 1,895 customers in Cobb, Kelseyville, Loch Lomond, Middletown and Upper Lake, including 65 baseline customers, according to PG&E.

A detailed map of the shutoff area can be found here or viewed above.

In addition to Lake, the impacted counties and the number of customers are: Alpine, 200; Amador, 13,131; Butte, 23,452; Calaveras, 14,586; El Dorado, 39,786; Mendocino, 862; Napa, 9,623; Nevada, 37,098; Placer, 18,773; Plumas, 785; San Mateo, 6,462; Sierra, 1,160; Sonoma, 33,613; Sutter, 229; and Yuba, 7,474.

PG&E President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson told reporters in a Monday evening briefing that the company hadn’t yet decided on whether or not it would cut the power. That decision, Johnson said, is expected on Wednesday.

If the company moves forward with another shutoff, company officials said they will make notifications eight to 12 hours ahead of cutting power.

In the case of the North Bay, power could be cut starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday in order for deenergization to be complete by 5 p.m., the time the wind event is forecast to peak, company officials said.

PG&E said it activated its San Francisco-based emergency operations center on Sunday evening to monitor the weather event.

The forecast is showing the potential for strong and dry offshore wind gusts that may exceed 55 miles per hour late Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon for portions of the Sierra Foothills, and gusts of 35 to 45 miles per hour for some North Bay counties, with some localized areas expected to experience 55 mile per hour gusts.

The wind event this week is forecast to be much smaller than the one two weeks ago, in which PG&E said it has identified more than 100 instances of serious damage and hazard on its distribution and transmission lines .

On Monday afternoon, the company said it began a 48-hour advance notification to customers who may be impacted by a shutoff beginning late Wednesday evening.

Michael Lewis, senior vice president of PG&E Electric Operations, emphasized that shutoffs are a safety measure.

“The sole purpose of PSPS is to significantly reduce catastrophic wildfire risk to our customers and communities. We know that sustained winds above 45 mph are known to cause damage to the lower-voltage distribution system and winds above 50 mph are known to cause damage to higher-voltage transmission equipment,” Lewis said in a written statement released by the company.

Two weeks ago, PG&E’s Web site sustained traffic at approximately 250 times its previous peak load, company officials told the California Public Utilities Commission at a special Friday afternoon hearing in San Francisco.

As a result, PG&E said it has created a new Web site to take on higher traffic volumes. It will provide address lookup for affected customers, community resource center locations as they become available and other PSPS event-related information. Online services such as energy bill payment, will be unavailable until after power has been restored.

The company said it also has strengthened its contact call center to better handle phone calls, will open community resource centers in affected counties on Wednesday and is working to strengthen its coordination with government agencies, in particular counties, cities and tribal governments in its service 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Less than two weeks after Lake County was included in a regionwide public safety power shutoff conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in response to a weather event, the company said Monday that another shutoff could take place this week that would impact portions of Lake County.

PG&E said it is considering activating the public safety power shutoff, or PSPS, beginning at about noon on Wednesday in response to a potentially strong, hot and dry offshore wind event Wednesday and Thursday.

The main period of weather risk is forecast to last about 18 to 24 hours, from Wednesday evening through mid-day Thursday. PG&E said the dry, windy weather pattern is expected to unfold across the Northern Sierra, Sacramento Valley and the North Bay.

While PG&E has not yet officially called a public safety power shutoff, company spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said it is monitoring a potential shutoff area that includes Lake and 14 other counties: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Sierra, Sonoma, Sutter and Yuba.

Those areas have been placed under a “PSPS Watch,” indicating that there is a “reasonable chance of executing a PSPS to reduce public safety risk in a given geographic zone due to a combination of adverse weather and dry fuel conditions,” the company reported.

“We expect the potential PSPS may affect up to 209,000 customers across the 15 counties,” Contreras told Lake County News.

That’s compared to the more than 735,000 customer accounts – and more than two million Californians – in 35 counties officials said were impacted two weeks ago.

In the previous event, more than 37,400 Lake County customer accounts – or, all of Lake County – were impacted.

However, Sheriff Brian Martin said Monday that this time it appears about 2,000 customer accounts will be impacted.

On Monday afternoon, the Lakeport Police Department reported that PG&E had told city officials that the city of Lakeport is not anticipated to be included in the outage area.

Like Martin, the city also reported that it had received information that the impact would be limited to about 2,000 customers.

A PG&E outage map that the city of Lakeport provided Monday afternoon – at which point it wasn’t posted on the PG&E Web site – showed that the proposed shutoff areas are in the south county around Cobb and Middletown, and one small area north of Upper Lake along Highway 20 at the Lake-Mendocino County border.

Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora also told Lake County News Monday afternoon that there is not expected to be any impact to the city of Clearlake, with Cobb and Middletown the main focus.

The company said it activated its emergency operations center in San Francisco at 6 p.m. Sunday to monitor the wind event.

Contreras said the company continues to suggest that customers prepare for outages that could last longer than 48 hours.

PG&E said it will provide updates several times a day in the lead up to the potential shutoff.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors plans to hold a debriefing on the recent public safety power shutoff when it meets this week, and also will discuss a letter of intent to sell a property to Lake Transit Authority.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, 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. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

At 11 a.m., the board will hold a discussing and debriefing on the Pacific Gas and Electric public safety power shutoff event earlier this month.

Community members are asked to come and give testimony at the meeting or to submit written comments by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In other business, at 10:15 a.m. the board will consider transient occupancy tax waivers and at 10:30 a.m. will continue an appeal hearing for transient occupancy tax by JoAnn Saccato for her Cobb property.

In an untimed item, the board will consider a letter of intent to sell 7175 South Center Drive in Clearlake to Lake Transit Authority, where a new bus depot is proposed to be located.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier is proposing the letter of intent, which he said will help Lake Transit Authority in its efforts to acquire a grant to begin the bus depot’s construction.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt proclamation commending Donald Hoberg, heavy equipment/ fleet maintenance superintendent, for his years of service to the county of Lake.

5.2: Adopt proclamation commending Arthur Michael Loucks, bridge maintenance supervisor, for his years of service to the county of Lake.

5.3: Approve rescission of public property transaction sale located at 8695 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, California (APN 009-002-430) and refund purchasers William L. Biggs and Carol S. Biggs for the full and complete amount of $93.605.00 due to discrepancy in parcel size.

5.4: Approve the Public Defender Contract Amendment Number 3 between the county of Lake and Lake Indigent Defense LLP for public defender services to extend the term of agreement 14 months from Nov. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2020, and increase monthly payment amount to $118,000 for a total of $3,962,000 and authorize the chair to sign.

5.5: (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; (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Kings View Corp. for MIS support services for Fiscal Year 2019-20 for a contract maximum amount of $63,360 and to authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.6: (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 FIRST 5 Lake Commission for the Mother-Wise Program (Postpartum Depression Initiative) for Fiscal Year 2019-20 for a contract maximum of $65,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.7: (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 Redwood Community Services, Inc. for the Lake County Wrap Program, Foster Care Program and Intensive Services Foster Care Program for services provided in Fiscal Year 2018-19 for a contract maximum of $69,955.00 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.8: (a) Approve long distance travel for Kendra Boyce and Michael Mos to attend teen mental health first aid instructor training in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 28 through Oct. 30, 2019; and (b) approve long distance travel for Carrie Manning to attend teen mental health first aid instructor training in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 17 through Nov. 21.

5.9: Adopt resolution setting rate of pay for election officers for the Nov. 5, 2019, special district election.

5.10: (a) Waive formal bidding process, determining no economic benefit to the county; (b) approve purchase of two Chevrolet Equinox for BU 4011-Public Health Division and one Chevrolet Express Cargo for BU 4012 - Health Services Admin Division; and (c) authorize the Health Services director-purchasing agent to issue purchase orders and related documents.

5.11: Sitting as Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, approve mainline extension contract with Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians to provide sewer service to APN 004-021-350 and authorize the chair to sign.

5.12: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, adopt resolution revising the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Adopted Budget of the county of Lake by cancelling capital improvement reserves in the amount of $102,976 for LACOSAN Southeast Sewer to make appropriations in Budget Unit 8354, Object Code 783.62-74 to pay for LACOSAN SE Lift Station #1 pump replacement.

5.13: Adopt proclamation recognizing Oct. 24, 2019, as World Polio Day on behalf of the four Rotary Clubs in Lake County and Rotary Clubs worldwide.

5.14: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Mead & Hunt for construction administration services for runway 10-28 Asphalt Slurry Seal Rehabilitation (AIP No. 3-06-0117-019-2018) in the amount of $123,232.00, and authorize the chair to sign.

5.15: Sitting as Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution authorizing the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency to file a grant application under the 2019 Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program Planning Round 3 for the development of a groundwater sustainability plan for the Big Valley Groundwater Basin.

TIMED ITEMS

6.2, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of (a) proclamation recognizing Oct. 24, 2019, as World Polio Day on behalf of the four Rotary Clubs in Lake County and Rotary Clubs worldwide; (b) proclamation commending Donald Hoberg, heavy equipment/fleet maintenance superintendent, for his years of service to the county of Lake; and (c) proclamation commending Arthur Michael Loucks, bridge maintenance supervisor, for his years of service to the county of Lake.

6.3, 9:15 a.m.: Presentation by Lake County Rural Arts Initiative.

6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Public meeting to consider projects and programs for Community Development Block Grant funding applications under the notice of funding availability for 2020.

6.5, 10:15 a.m.: Discussion and consideration of transient occupancy tax waivers.

6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Continued from Sept. 24 and Aug. 27, appeal hearing, transient occupancy tax, JoAnn Saccato, 16986 Dogwood Way, Cobb, CA 95461.

6.7, 11 a.m.: Discussion/debriefing on recent Pacific Gas and Electric public safety power shutoff event.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: Discussion and Consideration of letter of intent to sell 7175 South Center Drive, Clearlake to Lake Transit Authority.

7.3: Discussion and direction to staff on the dig once policy ordinance.

7.4: Consideration of appointments to the Western Region Town Hall.

7.5: Consideration of Contract Change Order No. 1 for the South Shore Behavioral Health Roof Project, Bid No. 18-14 .

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1): Operating Engineers Local No. 3 vs. County of Lake.

8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1): John vs. 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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will hold a special meeting this week during which it will discuss proposed vehicle purchases, a contract for a housing element update and an ad hoc committee to make city appointments.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The special meeting was called after last week’s meeting was canceled due to lack of a quorum.

On the agenda is a request from Police Chief Brad Rasmusen to purchase a general police patrol vehicle and a police K9 vehicle for an amount not to exceed $108,854.

Rasmussen’s report to the council explains that this fiscal year’s budget authorizes spending of up to $71,000 in general fund money and up to $37,854 in United States Department of Agriculture grant funds – awarded to the city for a police dog program – to purchase a K9 vehicle and a general patrol vehicle.

Also on Tuesday, Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will ask for authorization to enter into a professional service agreement with De Novo Planning Group for the completion of the city’s sixth cycle housing element update. The proposed contract amount is $33,240.

In other business, Administrative Services Director-City Clerk Kelly Buendia will present a resolution that seeks to establish an ad hoc selection advisory committee for the selection of the members of city committees and commissions with terms expiring in 2019. The ad hoc committee is to be comprised of two city council members.

Buendia’s report said there currently are several appointments that need to be made, including one vacancy on the Lakeport Planning Commission, three expiring seats on the Parks
and Recreation Commission, three expiring seats on the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, and a recommendation to the Lake County Board of Supervisors for one city resident to be appointed to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Oct. 1; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; approval of application 2019-027, with staff recommendations, for the 2019 Halloween Costume Parade on Oct. 31; approval of application 2020-001, with staff recommendations, for the 2020 Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival in Library Park; and approval of the Lakeport Hazard Mitigation 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.

102219 Lakeport City Council Special Meeting Agenda Packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is seeking applications from Clearlake citizens for a seat on the planning commission with a four-year term expiring in March 2023.

Planning commissioners hear and act upon land use matters and are advisory to the Clearlake City Council on zoning regulations, the general plan, and other land use issues.

Commissioners serve at the will of the Clearlake City Council and are designated filers under the Fair Political Practices Commission and must file periodic statements of economic interest disclosing financial interests within the jurisdiction of the city.

“The Planning Commission plays a vital role in deciding Clearlake’s future development successes,” said City Manager Alan Flora. “Any Clearlake citizen who is interested in being a part of Clearlake’s upcoming opportunities should apply.”

Applications are available at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, on the city’s Web site at www.clearlake.ca.us or via email to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Clearlake City Council will consider applications at its Nov. 14 meeting.

Deadline for applications to be included in the city council meeting packet is Nov. 7 at 5 p.m.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control’s kennels are filling up with cats and kittens waiting to be adopted.

The following cats and kittens at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Female domestic short hair

This female domestic short hair has a tortoiseshell coat and gold eyes.

She is in cat room kennel No. 4a, ID No. 13054.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair cat has a calico coat and gold eyes.

He is in kennel No. 4b, ID No. 13057.

Domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a gray tabby and white coat and gold eyes.

He is in kennel V No. 10, ID No. 13033.

Female domestic short hair

This female domestic short hair has a torbie and white coat and gold eyes.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 16, ID No. 12983.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair has a buff coat and gold eyes.

He is in cat room kennel No. 36, ID No. 13039.

Male domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a flame point coat and blue eyes.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 96a, ID No. 13040.

Male domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a black coat and green eyes.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 96b, ID No. 13041.

Male domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a black coat and green eyes.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 96c, ID No. 13042.

Domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a gray coat and blue eyes.

He is in cat room kennel No. 111a, ID No. 12874.

Female domestic long hair

This female domestic long hair cat has a seal point coat with blue eyes.

She is in cat room kennel No. 132, ID No. 13021.

Domestic medium hair cat

This female domestic medium hair cat has a black coat and gold eyes.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 138a, ID No. 13099.

Domestic medium hair cat

This male domestic medium hair cat has a black coat and gold eyes.

He has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 138a, ID No. 13100.

Male brown tabby

This male brown tabby has a long coat and green eyes.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 143, ID No. 13006.

Male domestic short hair

This male domestic short hair cat has a flame point coat and blue eyes.

He is in cat room kennel No. 144, ID No. 13036.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

Getting a driver’s license is a teenager’s rite of passage, but also a time to educate teens on their new, important responsibility as a driver.

Oct. 20 to 26 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and the California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, encourages parents and guardians to talk to their teen about safe driving habits and the rules of the road intended to keep them safe.

“Teen drivers don’t have the same experiences or skills of older drivers with many more years and miles on the road,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Avoiding bad, dangerous habits behind the wheel is critical for the safety of teens.”

Driving or riding in the car is one of the riskiest activities teens are involved in on a daily basis. Vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens between the ages of 15 and 18.

Teen drivers are also involved in crashes at three times the rate of any other age group, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Parents or guardians should take the time to educate their teen on the consequences of bad behaviors while driving, such as speeding or using a cell phone.

California law bans drivers under 18 from using electronic devices for any reason, including hands-free.

In order to reduce the risk for teen drivers, the OTS asks parents to take the following steps to involve themselves in managing their teen’s driving habits and skills:

– Understand California’s Graduated Driver License, or GDL laws, which place restrictions on driving with passengers and at night (11 p.m.-5 a.m.) during a teen’s first year with a license.
– Be a good role model by driving how you would want your teen to drive.
– Set ground rules like staying off the phone while driving, not giving friends rides, following the speed limit and never driving after drinking or using drugs that impair.
– Establish consequences. Don’t be afraid to discipline if your teen breaks the rules.
– Reinforce the ramifications for violating the zero-tolerance law for alcohol.
– Remind them to never ride with someone who has been drinking or is impaired.

Parents and guardians can sign their teen up for a free “Start Smart” class by contacting their local California Highway Patrol office. “Start Smart” is a driver safety education program funded by the OTS that teaches soon-to-be and newly licensed teens about GDL laws, ways to avoid crashes and the dangers of speeding and distracted driving.

The OTS administers funding for traffic safety programs statewide with the goal of reducing crashes that result in deaths, injuries, and economic losses. The OTS is a department under the California State Transportation Agency.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The work to finish a new roundabout that’s meant to increase safety and traffic flow was marked in a Thursday ceremony.

Caltrans hosted the event to officially mark the completion of the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road on Thursday morning, about a quarter mile from the roundabout at the corner of Highway 29 and Spruce Grove Road Extension, across from Arabian Lane.

Construction on the roundabout began in May 2018; it opened to traffic on June 3. Caltrans reported that it will officially take over the roundabout from the contractor, Ghilotti Construction, in February.

The project cost is reported at $8,614,000, Caltrans said.

The new roundabout’s design – which was inspired by the local flora and fauna and Pomo Indian basket designs – was created in collaboration with the Middletown Art Center and the Middletown Rancheria.

This is the third roundabout Caltrans has completed in Lake County and the fifth in District 1.

Caltrans’ other roundabouts are located at the junction of Highway 20 and the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff in Nice and the intersection of Highway 20 and 29 in Upper Lake. Another is under construction in Clearlake Oaks at the junction of Highway 20 and 53 and is expected to be completed in the spring.

The first roundabout in the county, in Lakeport, was a city project.

Caltrans District 1 Director Matthew Brady said that the intersection of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road had been subject to a lot of collisions before a stop sign was installed there in 2011.

Prior to that stop sign’s installation, the Hartmann Road intersection had a collision rate eight times higher than the statewide average for similar intersections, Caltrans said.

Brady said some of those collisions were “catastrophic.”

They included a fatal collision in 2011 that triggered temporary safety measures, including installation of a three-way stop sign until a permanent solution could be constructed.

Caltrans acquired funding which initiated the Hartmann Road roundabout project in 2012. The project included the installation of a full roundabout with lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks and improved drainage.

The agency pursued the use of a roundabout to increase traffic safety and to significantly reduce collisions.

It said roundabout benefits include lower travel speeds, reduced vehicle collisions, continuous traffic flow and no incentive to “beat the light” due to moving traffic, plus there are environmental benefits such as lessened noise due to efficient traffic flow, reduction in air pollution and reduced fuel consumption due to the elimination of idling vehicles compared to a stop or signalized intersection.

Brady said roundabouts require less maintenance, have low yearly operational costs and they don’t rely on electricity, which is particularly important in the wake of the recent public safety power shutoff.

Caltrans reported that annual average daily traffic is currently 11,700 vehicles per day. With the installation of the Hartmann Road Roundabout overall collisions are projected to be reduced by 35 percent with significant reductions in fatalities collisions by 89 percent and injury collisions by 76 percent.

“We can’t thank Caltrans enough for investing in our community,” District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon said at the ceremony.

He said the project shows that Middletown – the gateway into Lake County – is rebuilding in the wake of the wildland fires of the last several years.

He later told Lake County News later that he believes the roundabout will help with development in the south county.

Simon said that the roundabout has helped better manage the traffic associated with the rebuild. “We get to experience that every day.”

Lt. Randy England, commander of the Clear Lake Area office, said the CHP and Caltrans regularly meet and discuss safety needs. He said safety is the CHP’s primary concern and central to its mission.

England said the project is a good example of the CHP and Caltrans working together.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – An environmental group has filed suit over timber sales on the Mendocino National Forest in the wake of the Ranch fire.

The Environmental Protection Information Center, or EPIC, is suing the U.S. Forest Service for approving a series of timber sales on the Mendocino National Forest that shortcut public participation and environmental review in violation of federal law.

In a complaint filed Wednesday, EPIC alleges that the Forest Service expedited seven timber sales, totaling up to 7,000 acres, by mislabeling the logging as a “road maintenance” project. At risk from the logging are clean water, northern spotted owls, and increased fuel conditions.

Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Sandra Moore said she had no comment on the pending litigation.

All Forest Service timber sales are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The core of NEPA is a requirement that agencies take a “hard look” at the environmental impacts of their proposed actions, typically done through an environmental impact statement or
environmental analysis.

EPIC alleges that the timber sales were approved using what is called a “categorical exclusion.” Categorical exclusions do not require environmental impact review or public comment.

Here, the Forest Service argues that a commercial timber sale is “road maintenance” because the logging would remove dead and live trees affected by the 2018 Ranch fire along roads, reducing the odds that the trees may fall and block the road.

A separate categorical exclusion exists for post-fire logging, although that is limited to 250 acres, as anything larger in scale is assumed to be able to produce significant impacts to the environment.

All timber sales in this proposed project are larger than 250 acres and many of the roads proposed for logging are closed to motor vehicle use.

“The Mendocino National Forest is taking a page from Trump’s playbook,” said Tom Wheeler, executive director of EPIC. “Calling a timber sale ‘road maintenance’ is a stunning way to stifle public participation and ignore environmental impacts.”

Science has widely recognized that post-fire logging is especially impactful, as logging adds an additional disturbance on top of the effects of the fire.

EPIC said post-fire logging often results in degraded water quality, the spread of invasive plants, and loss of habitat for rare, threatened and endangered species. It can also increase the risk of high-severity fire since logging leaves behind a buildup of slash and finer “fuels.”

If allowed to use a categorical exclusion instead of an environmental impact statement, these impacts may never be adequately examined and mitigation measures to reduce harm through better project design would not be incorporated, EPIC said.

“This is a massive project covering thousands of acres,” said EPIC’s Public Land Advocate Kimberly Baker. “The Mendocino National Forest is breaking the law to meet timber targets and benefit timber corporations at a cost to fragile post-fire watersheds and threatened species. Public safety could be achieved in a more benign manner.”

EPIC is represented by René Voss of Natural Resources Law and Matt Kenna of Public Interest Environmental Law.

The case will be heard in the Northern District Court of California.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has an eclectic group of dogs waiting to be adopted this week.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd, boxer, Chihuahua, English Bulldog, husky, pit bull, Shih Tzu and terrier.

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.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female Australian Shepherd puppy

This female Australian Shepherd puppy has a short tan and white coat and blue eyes.

She is in kennel No. 14a, ID No. 13101.

Male Australian Shepherd puppy

This male Australian Shepherd puppy has a short tan and white coat and blue eyes.

He is in kennel No. 14b, ID No. 13102.

Male Australian Shepherd puppy

This male Australian Shepherd puppy has a short tan and white coat and blue eyes.

He is in kennel No. 14c, ID No. 13103.

Female Australian Shepherd puppy

This female Australian Shepherd puppy has a short tan and white coat and blue eyes.

She is in kennel No. 14d, ID No. 13104.

Female boxer

The female boxer has a short white coat and brown eyes.

She is in kennel No. 17, ID No. 13093.

‘Scrappy’

“Scrappy” is a male husky with a medium-length black and white coat and blue eyes.

He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13076.

Male Shih Tzu

This male Shih Tzu has a curly tan and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13094.

‘Pudge’

“Pudge” is a male terrier with a short brown coat.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13068.

‘Woofy’

“Woofy” is a male husky with a short tricolor coat and blue eyes.

He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13077.

‘Mayhem’

“Mayhem” is a male English Bulldog with a short red and white coat.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13049.

Female boxer

This female boxer has a short white coat.

She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13048.

Male Chihuahua

This male Chihuahua has a short brindle coat.

He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13018.

Female pit bull

This female pit bull has a short gray coat.

She is in kennel No. 34, ID No. 13092.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

The role that parents and guardians play as their child’s first teacher is crucial when it comes to driving.

During National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 20 to 26, the California Highway Patrol joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help parents discuss driving safety with their young drivers.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 15 to 18 years old in the United States, ahead of all other types of injury, disease, and violence.

Nationwide in 2017, there were 2,247 people killed in crashes involving a driver aged 15 to 18. In California, 77 people were killed in crashes involving drivers aged 15-18.

“Their lack of experience alone makes teen drivers a potential danger to themselves and others,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “Talk to your teen drivers about safe driving habits and keep the conversation going.”

Discussions about safe driving include avoiding distractions such as cell phones, using seat belts, obeying speed limits, not driving impaired, and limiting the number of passengers. Parents and guardians must be aware that their own driving behavior, following the same rules, is as important as any conversation they could have with their teen.

“It will take all of us – educators, law enforcement, parents, and community leaders – to change the driving culture to one that is distraction-free,” Dr. Kelly Browning, executive director of Impact Teen Drivers said. “By combining quality education and enforcement in a multifaceted approach, we can stop the number one killer of teens in America – 100 percent preventable car crashes.”

In addition to its participation in the Impact Teen Drivers program, the CHP provides education to help keep teen drivers alive in its Start Smart course, offered at all CHP offices free of charge.

Participating in Start Smart will help parents and guardians learn how to effectively discuss the importance of driving safety with their young drivers.

Start Smart also teaches the responsibilities of newly licensed drivers, the Graduated Driver License program, and collision-avoidance techniques.

After seven years of operations, and upon finally running out of propellant, the second of the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft were retired on Friday, Oct. 18.

Spacecraft A of the Van Allen Probes mission will be shut down by operators at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland.

The command follows one three months previously that terminated operations for spacecraft B, the second spacecraft of the mission.

“This mission spent seven years in the radiation belts, and broke all the records for a spacecraft to tolerate and operate in that hazardous region, all with no interruptions,” said Nelofar Mosavi, Van Allen Probes project manager at Johns Hopkins APL. “This mission was about resiliency against the harshest space environment.”

Originally slated for a two-year mission, the spacecraft flew through the Van Allen belts — rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field — to understand how particles were gained and lost by the belts. The spacecraft made major discoveries that revolutionized how we understand our near-Earth environment.

“Van Allen Probe observations have been the subject of over 600 publications to date in refereed journals, and over 55 Ph.D. theses have used Van Allen Probe observations,” said David Sibeck, Van Allen Probes mission scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

With instruments measuring electromagnetic fields and charged particles, the Van Allen Probes explored the invisible phenomena shepherding particles in and around the belts. It made discoveries about the architecture of the belts and the forces shaping them.

Just as ocean storms on Earth can create giant waves, space weather, caused by the Sun, can create plasma waves, where seas of particles are tossed by electromagnetic fields. The Van Allen Probes pioneered new explorations into the dynamics of these waves and their effects on our near-Earth environment.

“The Van Allen Probes rewrote the textbook on radiation belt physics,” said Sasha Ukhorskiy, Van Allen Probes project scientist at Johns Hopkins APL, which also designed and built the spacecraft. “The spacecraft used uniquely capable instruments to unveil radiation belt features that were all but invisible to previous sensors, and discovered many new physical mechanisms of radiation belt acceleration and loss.”

In celebration of the mission’s success, here are ten select discoveries, listed in chronological order, made by the Van Allen Probes.

– The Van Allen belts were first discovered in 1958 and for decades scientists thought there were only two concentric belts. But days after the Van Allen Probes launched, scientists discovered that during times of intense solar activity, a third belt can form.

– The belts, which are composed of charged particles and electromagnetic fields, can be energized by different types of plasma waves. One type, called electrostatic double layers, appear as short blips of enhanced electric field. During one observing period, Probe B saw 7,000 such blips repeatedly pass over the spacecraft in a single minute. These individually small events added up to one million volts over six minutes, capable of accelerating electrons up toward the relativistic energies commonly seen in radiation belt particles.

– During big space weather storms, which are ultimately caused by activity on the Sun, ions — electrically charged atoms or molecules — can be pushed deep into Earth’s magnetosphere in a series of impulsive events. These particles carry electromagnetic currents that circle around the planet and can dramatically distort Earth’s magnetic field.

– Across space, fluctuating electric and magnetic fields can create what are known as plasma waves. These waves intensify during space weather storms and can accelerate particles to relativistic speeds. The Van Allen Probes found that one type of plasma wave known as hiss can contribute greatly to the loss of electrons from the belts.

– The Van Allen belts are composed of electrons and ions with a range of energies. In 2015, research from the Van Allen Probes found that, unlike the outer belt, there were no electrons with energies greater than a million electron volts in the inner belt.

– Plasma waves known as whistler chorus waves are also common in our near-Earth environment. These waves can travel parallel or at an angle to the local magnetic field. The Van Allen Probes demonstrated the two types of waves cannot be present simultaneously, resulting in greater radiation belt particle scattering in certain areas.

– Very low frequency chorus waves, another variety of plasma waves, can pump up the energy of electrons to millions of electron volts. During storm conditions, the Van Allen Probes found these waves can hugely increase the energy of particles in the belts in just a few hours.

– Scientists often use computer simulation models to understand the physics behind certain phenomena. A model simulating particles in the Van Allen belts helped scientists understand how particles can be lost, replenished and trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field.

– The Van Allen Probes observed several cases of extremely energetic ions speeding toward Earth. Research found that these ions’ acceleration was connected to their electric charge and not to their mass.

– The Sun emits faster and slower gusts of charged particles called the solar wind. Since the Sun rotates, these gusts — the fast wind — reach Earth periodically. Changes in these gusts cause the extent of region of cold ionized gas around Earth — the plasmasphere — to shrink. Data from the Van Allen Probes showed that such changes in the plasmasphere fluctuated at the same rate as the solar rotation ­— every 27 days.

Mara Johnson-Groh works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.