Lake County’s annual burn ban starts May 1

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The annual burn ban in Lake County starts on Thursday, May 1, to address concerns over both fire hazard and air quality.

The burn restriction applies to all areas in Lake County.

All burn permits expire on April 30.

The burn ban includes all open green waste burning, though exemptions are possible for agricultural operations, essential control burns for fire hazard reduction projects and public safety burns.

The annual burn ban was first implemented in 1986 in response to weather conditions that often create extreme fire danger and poor air quality.

A managed approach incorporating fire and air agency concerns has been implemented and improved upon for many years.

The ban allows a quick fire agency response to all fires observed from May 1 on, as all fires are assumed to be uncontrolled unless specifically authorized by an exemption permit and have been cleared for fire safety.

This successful program is one of the primary reasons Lake County has superior and healthful air quality.

The requirements to obtain an exemption permit to burn after May 1 can be found at www.lcaqmd.net. Please email a complete exemption request form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for consideration.

Burning during the ban without an exemption permit is a violation and may be subject to citation, fines, and suppression costs to extinguish the fire.

“Please help us reduce the danger and losses caused by uncontrolled fires, and protect our clean air,” the Lake County Air Quality Management District said in a Wednesday statement. “Public cooperation is greatly appreciated and results in a safer and more healthful environment for us all.”

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 24 April 2025

California is now the fourth largest economy in the world

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced that California has officially overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, according to newly released data from the International Monetary Fund and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“California isn’t just keeping pace with the world — we’re setting the pace,” said Newsom. “Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation. And, while we celebrate this success, we recognize that our progress is threatened by the reckless tariff policies of the current federal administration. California’s economy powers the nation, and it must be protected.”

According to the International Monetary Fund’s 2024 World Economic Outlook data released Tuesday and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, California’s nominal GDP reached $4.1 trillion, surpassing Japan’s $4.02 trillion, and placing California behind only the United States, China, and Germany in global rankings.

California’s GDP figure is based on the latest state-level GDP data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Outperforming the nation

California’s economy is growing at a faster rate than the world’s top three economies. In 2024, California's growth rate of 6% outpaced the top three economies: U.S. (5.3%), China (2.6%) and Germany (2.9%).

California's success is long-term — the state’s economy grew strongly over the last four years, with an average nominal GDP growth of 7.5% from 2021 to 2024. Preliminary data indicates India is projected to surpass California by 2026.

California is the backbone of the nation’s economy

With an increasing state population and recent record-high tourism spending, California is the nation’s top state for new business starts, access to venture capital funding, and manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.

The state drives national economic growth and also sends over $83 billion more to the federal government than it receives in federal funding.

California is the leading agricultural producer in the country and is also the center for manufacturing output in the United States, with over 36,000 manufacturing firms employing over 1.1 million Californians.

The Golden State’s manufacturing firms have created new industries and supplied the world with manufactured goods spanning aerospace, computers and electronics, and, most recently, zero-emission vehicles.

Protecting California’s economy

Governor Gavin Newsom is protecting California’s economy, and last week filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the president’s use of emergency powers to enact broad-sweeping tariffs that hurt states, consumers, and businesses.

The lawsuit seeks to end President Trump’s tariff chaos, which has wreaked havoc on the economy, destabilized the stock and bond markets, caused hundreds of billions of dollars in losses, and inflicted higher costs for consumers and businesses.

These harms will only continue to grow, as President Trump’s tariffs are projected to shrink the U.S. economy by $100 billion annually.

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 24 April 2025

Ramos bill to make California Native American Day paid holiday clears second committee

A bill to make California Native American Day — celebrated annually on the fourth Friday of September — a paid holiday for state employees was approved unanimously on Wednesday in the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement.

Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) introduced the bill, AB 989, approved previously by the Governmental Organization Committee.

Ramos, a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe, is the first California Native American lawmaker elected in the state’s almost 175-year history. He has been working to enact a California Native American Day since 1998.

“I was a San Manuel council member when I started working toward this goal with Senator Joe Baca Sr.,” Ramos said. “This is one more step forward in recognizing and building knowledge about the history, culture and contributions of California’s Native Americans.”

In 2021, he successfully authored AB 855 that created a paid judicial holiday. The legislation did not include other state personnel because they are governed by a different statutory code section.

“California Native American history is California history, and the current unpaid holiday designation is an inadequate acknowledgment of the state’s First People and their millennia-long presence, saga and stewardship of the lands now known as California,” Ramos said.

California Native Vote Project is the bill sponsor. Director of organizing for the sponsor Calvin Hedrick (Mountain Maidu) stated, “The California Native Vote Project is proud to sponsor and strongly support Assembly Bill 989. Making California Native American Day a paid state holiday is more than symbolic; it’s a long-overdue act of recognition for the sovereignty, resilience, and enduring contributions of our Native people in California. AB 989 ensures that our voices, cultures, and histories are honored with the same respect as other communities, and sends a clear message that California is committed to truth, inclusion, and equity. We thank Assemblymember Ramos for his continued leadership in advancing justice for Native communities.”

Supporters include Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of California, Cahuilla Band of Indians, California Consortium for Urban Indian Health, Chalon Indian Nation of California, Chalon Indian Nation of Bakersfield, Elk Valley Rancheria, California as well as Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, Indigenous Justice, Mongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc., Native Development Network and Society for California Archeology.

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 24 April 2025

Supervisors appoint Lakeport Fire Board member; altered public records restored after inquiry

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved appointing a new member to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors to fill a vacant seat.

At the same time, key public records from a past meeting on the item were found to have been altered or removed from the county’s website — and were restored Tuesday afternoon following an inquiry from Lake County News.

The County Administrative Office provided a written explanation for the altered records and attributed the disappearance of certain documents to an “administrative error.”

During the meeting, District 4 Supervisor Brad Rasmussen explained that the item had originally been scheduled for April 1 but was postponed after the recommended candidate, Joseph Iaccino, withdrew his application.

The Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors, or LFPD, later submitted an updated letter dated April 9 recommending “either Terry Cherney or Gary Deas” from remaining applicants.

“I was involved in this process from the beginning and monitored the interviews, and with my knowledge of the candidates, I'm recommending to this board that we appoint Terry Cherney for the open director’s position for the Lakeport fire board,” said Rasmussen at the Tuesday meeting.

There was no further discussion from board members or the public. Rasmussen made the motion to appoint Cherney, which was seconded by Supervisor Helen Owen and passed unanimously.

Cherney’s appointment will fill the vacant seat left by former board member Melissa Bedford’s resignation. Bedford was appointed in December 2023.

According to Cherney’s application document, he works as a dispatcher, equipment operator and driver. He was also “a volunteer firefighter/captain for 20 years” and worked for “California forestry department for three seasons.”

“I will bring experience from being a volunteer firefighter/ captain to understanding what is best for the community and fire department,” Cherney wrote in his application.

Lake County News asked Rasmussen why he chose Cherney over Deas, the two candidates recommended by the fire district.

“All of the applicants, even those not recommended by the fire board, had appropriate qualifications and a strong desire to serve,” he said in an email response. “At this time I felt Mr. Cherney was the most appropriate fit.”

Deas previously had served on the fire board but resigned in 2022 to take a job out of the county.

The other fire board members include Andrew Britton, David Brown, Bill Gabe and Jeff Warrenburg. Together, they help oversee the 49-square-mile district. The district’s website said it currently has 15 paid staff and 19 volunteers.

Altered public records restored; removal called 'administrative error'

The item — Consideration of appointment to Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors — was originally scheduled for the Board of Supervisors’ April 1 meeting.

During that meeting, District 4 Supervisor Brad Rasmussen explained the need to reschedule the item.

“Last week the fire board did an extensive interview process and recommended a candidate which I agreed with,” he said of the interview conducted on March 25 by the LFPD which decided to recommend Iaccino. “However that candidate withdrew from the process after 10 p.m. last night.”

Ahead of the April 22 meeting, Lake County News discovered that multiple documents associated with the April 1 agenda item appeared to have been altered or removed from the county’s online record.

First, the staff memo attached for the April 1 item was identical to the memo posted for April 22 — and was dated April 22 — three weeks after the actual meeting.

Second, the application from Joseph Iaccino, the original LFPD-recommended candidate who later withdrew, was marked as “unavailable.”

Third, the original recommendation letter from the LFPD Board of Directors was also shown as “unavailable.”

At 11:48 a.m. on Tuesday, Lake County News contacted Assistant Clerk to the Board of Supervisors Johanna DeLong seeking clarification.

Questions included: Why were these three records changed or removed? When were the changes made? Who authorized them? Is it common practice to alter posted records from a prior meeting? And could the original versions of the documents be provided?

At 3:35 p.m., Lake County News found that the county had restored all three documents in question attached to the April 1 meeting agenda on its website, including swapping the forward-dated memo back to the original one.

At 4:52 p.m., in a written response, the County Administrative Office explained why the item was rescheduled and that Iaccino’s document is no longer relevant to the April 22 meeting agenda.

Regarding the alterations to the April 1 meeting agenda, the office attributed it to an “administrative error.”

“Our office updated the file to move the item ahead in our agenda management system and revised the applicants accordingly,” DeLong and Administrative Analyst Carolyn Purdy wrote in an email. “Due to administrative error, part of the April 1st file was not visible online and has now been restored to its original form.”

However, the county’s response did not address when the records were altered, how the error occurred, or whether such changes to past meeting documents are a common or accepted practice — questions that remain central to transparency and reliability of public records.

Withdrawn candidates

Iaccino was not the only candidate who withdrew.

The open position at the LFPD board received six applications. The interviews with all six candidates were conducted at a LFPD special meeting on March 25.

One of the original six applicants was Gregory Scott, a retired Cal Fire assistant chief, who at one time ran the largest fire unit in the state — consisting of 100 fire stations — in Southern California.

He also has extensive background in disaster management and, after retiring to Lakeport, has been a volunteer with the Lakeport Police Department.

Scott said he wanted to look to find ways to stabilize the district and help it get the new firehouse and updated equipment it needs. “I think I could offer ideas,” Scott said, noting his past experience.

He’s previously applied for a seat on the fire protection district but has not been selected.

“This is the third interview I’ve gone for and I’ve been rejected,” he said of his effort to receive an appointment to the board.

At the end of the special March 25 meeting, Scott decided to withdraw his candidacy.

After going through 20-plus interview questions, Scott said he was told he would have to travel as part of the board.

Due to health requirements, he decided to forego pursuing the appointment, and said he didn’t want them to have to make exceptions for him.

Although he’s been disappointed about not having been chosen in the past to serve on the board, Scott said, “I’m not taking it to heart.”

Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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Written by: LINGZI CHEN

Published: 23 April 2025