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May unemployment numbers improve for Lake County, California
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – May's unemployment numbers showed improvement both locally and across the state, while the nation's unemployment ticked slightly upward.
The California Employment Development Department released its latest report on the state's job picture on Friday, reporting that California’s unemployment rate decreased to 10.8 percent in May, down from 10.9 percent in April and 11.9 percent in May 2011.
Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,276,400 in May, an increase of 33,900 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 businesses, one of two surveys used to determine California's unemployment numbers. The year-over-year change – May 2011 to May 2012 – showed an increase of 221,500 jobs, up 1.6 percent.
Lake’s preliminary May jobless rate was 14.7 percent, down 0.9 percentage points from April and down 1.6 percentage points over the year, the agency reported.
Lake County was ranked No. 45 out of the state's 58 counties for its May unemployment rate.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment was 8.2 percent in May, up from 8.1 percent in April but down from 9 percent in May 2011.
Marin had the lowest unemployment in the state, 6.3 percent, and Imperial County had the highest, with 26.8 percent, the report showed.
Among Lake's neighboring counties, Colusa County ranked No. 57 with 19.2 percent; Glenn, No. 42, 14.4 percent; Mendocino, No. 15, 9.7 percent; Napa, No. 5, 7.5 percent; Sonoma, No. 9, 8.3 percent; and Yolo, No. 24, 10.8 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that Lake County's employment increased by 390 jobs between April and May, and added 310 jobs over the year. Seven sectors gained jobs or were unchanged over the year and four declined.
Year-over job growth occurred in the following categories: farm, 230; government, 90; trade, transportation and utilities, 70; financial activities, 10; and other services, 10, according to the report.
Industry sectors with no change over the year were information and professional and business services, the report showed.
The report said that industry sectors with declines over the year included private education and health services, -40; mining, logging and construction, -30); leisure and hospitality, -10; and manufacturing, -10.
The Employment Development Department reported that, statewide, there were 515,434 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the May survey week, compared to 552,163 in April and 553,041 in May 2011.
New unemployment insurance claims totaled 57,545 in May 2012, compared with 63,212 in April and 65,115 in May of last year, the state reported.
State, federal surveys show job increases
The state report on payroll employment (wage and salary jobs) in the nonfarm industries of California showed that jobs totaled 14,276,400 in May, a net gain of 33,900 jobs since the April survey. This followed a gain of 1,300 jobs (as revised) in April.
A federal survey of 5,500 households also showed an increase in the number of employed people, the state said.
That smaller survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in May was 16,501,000, an increase of 25,000 from April, and up 333,000 from the employment total in May of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,994,000 – down by 12,000 over the month, and down by 182,000 compared with May of last year, according to the report.
Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – added jobs over the month, gaining 42,100 jobs, the state said. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 13,200 jobs.
The Employment Development Department said three categories – trade, transportation and utilities; other services; and government – reported job declines over the month, down 8,200 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities and government posted the largest decreases over the month, each down 3,300 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – May 2011 to May 2012 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 221,500 jobs, up 1.6 percent, according to the state.
Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 268,000 jobs, the Employment Development Department said.
Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 87,900 jobs, up 4.1 percent, while the state said mining and logging posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up 4.6 percent, an increase of 1,300 jobs.
Three categories – manufacturing; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 46,500 jobs, the report showed. Government posted the largest decline on a numerical basis, down by 37,000 jobs, a 1.5 percent decline.
Other services posted the largest decline on a percentage basis, down 1.6 percent, a decrease of 7,700 jobs, the state said.
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'Lake County Live!' returns June 24 with music, comedy
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County's own homegrown variety show, Lake County Live!, will offer up its sixth outing on Sunday, June 24.
The show takes place beginning at 6 p.m. at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St., in Lakeport.
The show also is broadcast live on Lake County Community Radio KPFZ 88.1 FM and is available over a live Internet stream via www.kpfz.org .
This month, the returning guest performers are Pole Cat Rodeo, featuring April Knoll, Randy Johnson, Jon Hopkins and Janet Berrian.
New to the show will be local performers Lucas Swafford, with Rama Deva.
“Our usual cast of characters, including the Ladies of the Lake and Sascha the dog will return,” said show creator and producer Doug Rhoades. “Our audience in the theater has nearly as much fun as we do on the stage. Everyone really gets into the spirit of our old-time live radio production.”
Airing the last Sunday of each month, Lake County Live! has proven to be a continuing source of entertainment, while providing a venue both live on stage and on the air for local performing talent.
“This month's show will continue that string of successes, and we hope to keep putting the best talent in our area on the stage for many months to come,” Rhoades said.
While the show starts promptly at 6 p.m. – which is also the live air time – guests are asked to be at the theater no later that 5:45 p.m.
“We want to make sure everyone is in place and ready at the stroke of 6, when we go live on the air. Plus, I always have a few things to say to our in-house audience off the air, that is just for them,” Rhoades added.
Tickets for this month's show are available at the Travel Center at 1265 S. Main St. in Lakeport; at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St., open Friday, June 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .
HEALTH: California's first human West Nile Virus case of 2012 confirmed
A 70-year-old Kern County woman is the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus infection in California this year, according to a Monday report from the California Department of Public Health.
“This first confirmed West Nile virus case reminds us that we must take precautions to protect ourselves and our families from mosquito bites,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health. “West Nile virus activity is greatest during the summertime.”
The woman was hospitalized, but is now recovering, health officials reported.
So far, no West Nile Virus activity has been confirmed in Lake County, according to the state.
To date in 2012, West Nile virus has been detected in 15 California counties, compared to eight counties by this time in 2011, according to the California West Nile Virus Web site, www.westnile.ca.gov/ .
West Nile activity across the state is more serious this year, with 98 dead birds and 124 mosquito samples compared to 12 dead birds and six mosquito samples during the same timeframe in 2011, the state reported. There had been no human cases by this point in 2011.
West Nile virus is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito.
The risk of serious illness to most people is low. However, some individuals – less than 1 percent – can develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis.
People 50 years of age and older have a higher chance of getting sick and are more likely to develop complications.
Recent data also indicates that those with diabetes and/or hypertension are at greatest risk for serious illness.
CDPH recommends that individuals prevent exposure to mosquito bites and West Nile virus by practicing the “Three Ds”:
- DEET – Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to label instructions. Repellents keep the mosquitoes from biting you. DEET can be used safely on infants and children 2 months of age and older.
- DAWN AND DUSK – Mosquitoes bite in the early morning and evening so it is important to wear proper clothing and repellent if outside during these times. Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep mosquitoes out. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.
- DRAIN – Mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property, including flower pots, old car tires, rain gutters and pet bowls. If you know of a swimming pool that is not being properly maintained, please contact your local mosquito and vector control agency.
California’s West Nile virus Web site, www.westnile.ca.gov/ , includes the latest information on West Nile virus activity in the state.
Californians are encouraged to report all dead birds and dead tree squirrels on the Web site or by calling toll-free 1-877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473).
Attorney general teams with Yahoo!, Polaris Project to fight human trafficking, help victims online
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Monday announced an innovative program with Yahoo! and Polaris Project to combat human trafficking by harnessing the power of the Internet to direct users to the national human trafficking hotline whenever certain terms related to human trafficking are searched through Yahoo!.
The goal of the initiative is to identify more victims of human trafficking by connecting survivors and community members to resources and support.
This program with Yahoo! and Polaris Project will provide Internet users with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline number when they search for specific words or phrases.
If key search terms such as “human trafficking” are used when using Yahoo! Search, Internet users will see a banner that states: “Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 to report sex trafficking, forced labor, or to get help.”
The Attorney General’s Office has also made available a Web site widget for download so that operators of any Web site can display a similar banner, which can be found at http://oag.ca.gov/widgets/human-trafficking .
Attorney General Harris pioneered this joint effort to combat human trafficking which has largely migrated online in the last five years.
Many human trafficking victims today are exploited through online advertising sites where their labor and bodies are advertised for purchase.
As human trafficking moves online, it is critical that victim services and law enforcement also respond online.
“Thousands of people are sold around the world, and trafficked into our country, every year for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor,” said Attorney General Harris. “Human trafficking, often of children as young as 5 years of age, is a highly-lucrative enterprise for organized gangs who menace public safety. I commend Yahoo! for its moral leadership and Polaris Project for its commitment to identifying and serving victims of this intolerable crime. The efforts of Yahoo! and Polaris Project will improve the lives of untold people, and I hope that other search engines take similar steps to combat human trafficking.”
“As human trafficking moves into the online world, Yahoo! is in a unique position to have a positive impact on these terrible crimes,” said Michael Callahan, general counsel for Yahoo! “We believe this program and resulting activity will play a strong role in getting help to those in need.”
“This is an important step towards uncovering this hidden crime and providing human trafficking victims with a path towards freedom,” said Bradley Myles, Executive Director and CEO of Polaris Project. “To truly eradicate human trafficking from our communities, everyone must work together to increase awareness that this crime exists right here in the U.S. and to help survivors find the resources they need to reclaim their lives. We thank Attorney General Harris and Yahoo! for their leadership in recognizing that we are all part of the solution.”
The NHTRC hotline, operated by Polaris Project and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, received more than 19,000 calls last year, with more of those calls coming from California than any other state. Almost 20 percent of callers nationwide who reported potential human trafficking found the hotline number through an Internet search
The hotline is a toll-free, victim-centered number available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and in more than 170 languages.
Trained call specialists are on constant standby to link human trafficking victims to shelter and other resources that provide safety and protection.
The hotline also fields tips of suspected human trafficking cases and provides information, training and technical assistance to diverse audiences.
The NHTRC has built up a national network of more than 3,000 organizations and contacts who are working to fight and respond to human trafficking across the country.
With this comprehensive anti-trafficking referrals database, call specialists can connect callers to local service agencies or law enforcement officers who are ready to respond.
Attorney General Harris has made the fight against human trafficking a key priority throughout her career as a prosecutor. She co-sponsored the 2005 California Human Trafficking Victims Protection Act that first made human trafficking a felony in the state.
Attorney General Harris also served on the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force and the Department of Justice is currently updating the report “Human Trafficking in California,” which was released by the task force in 2007. The updated report is expected to be issued this summer.
Human trafficking is estimated to be a $32 billion industry, the world's third most profitable criminal enterprise behind drugs and arms trafficking.
Human trafficking involves the recruitment, smuggling, transporting, harboring, buying, or selling of a person for purposes of exploitation, commercial sex, domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, migrant work, agricultural labor, peonage, bondage, or involuntary servitude.
While human trafficking can be closely linked with the smuggling of human beings across international borders, tens of thousands of Americans are exploited in human trafficking situations inside the United States ever year.
Human trafficking strips people, especially women and children, of their freedom and violates our nation's promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights.
Polaris Project is one of the leading organizations in the global fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Named after the North Star “Polaris” that guided slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project is transforming the way that individuals and communities respond to human trafficking, in the U.S. and globally.
By successfully pushing for stronger federal and state laws, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888), conducting trainings, and providing vital services to victims of trafficking, Polaris Project creates long-term solutions that move our society closer to a world without slavery. Learn more at www.polarisproject.org .
