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Middletown Area Town Hall votes to oppose Dollar General store plan
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – As the Board of Supervisors prepares to hear an appeal of the county planning commission's denial of a plan to build a Dollar General store in Middletown, the Middletown Area Town Hall has once again voted against the proposal.
The issue of the Dollar General store, proposed to be built at 20900 State Highway 29, has been a recurring matter of discussion for MATH since last year, when the store was first proposed. MATH's membership previously voted against it.
Plano, Texas-based Cross Development has proposed to build the 9,100-square-foot store. The firm constructs build-to-suit stores for Dollar General, a small box retailer based in Goodlettsville, Tenn., which over the last several years has made a big push into the California market.
Early in 2015 two Dollar General stores opened in Lake County – in Clearlake Oaks and Nice.
Cross Development also applied to build a store across from Kelseyville High School, which the Lake County Planning Commission turned down in May 2015, citing concerns about traffic and the fit with the community's planning guidelines. Cross Development appealed that decision to the Board of Supervisors, which upheld the commission's decision in August 2015.
Earlier this year, Cross Development applied for another location in Kelseyville, this time in the Clear Lake Riviera. That plan has not yet come up before the commission.
Then, this past April, the commission unanimously voted down Cross Development's plans for the Middletown store, again pointing to a lack of fit with the area plan and impact on local businesses.
Cross Development once again appealed, and that appeal is set to be heard by the Board of Supervisors at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 19, in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. The meeting also will be streamed lives at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm .
Since the store was first proposed last year, community members have voiced their concerns about adherence to planning rules but have also gone farther – into the territory of wanting to have more of a say in what businesses can locate in the town, a desire not technically a part of the current approval process.
Complicating the matter is rising concerns about the potential impacts on Middletown businesses already struggling in the wake of the Valley fire. It was reported at the MATH meeting that two local businesses recently shuttered.
MATH Chair Fletcher Thornton said the issue at hand on Thursday was whether the group was going to give its blessing to a building to house Dollar General or not.
He and Vice Chair Claude Brown have encouraged the group to focus on planning-related issues when arguing against the plan.
“Here's the hardcore reality,” said Brown, explaining that if the property is zoned a certain way – in this instance, commercial – and someone proposes a project within the realm of its zoning and is denied without a good reason, it creates an opening for legal action if another similar project were to be allowed.
Joe Sullivan, the Middletown area's representative on the Lake County Planning Commission, added that it also opens up the possibility of litigation to deny a project without good reasons.
“You can't say no just because you don't like this, because that's not how it works. Everybody has a fair chance to do what they want to do,” Sullivan said.
During the discussion, community member Fairlight Ahlgren said she wanted to change the Middletown Area Plan to give priority to businesses with a local focus,
“We do not want Dollar General or its type,” she said, calling the company a “parasite.”
Another woman in the audience questioned the animosity toward Dollar General and said she wasn't against the store. She would be one of three people who later voted in support of Dollar General.
Diane Tegtmeier of Middletown brought up a point she said was made at the April planning commission regarding how corporations like Dollar General have national and international buying power, and so can buy in volume.
She said that presents an unfair competitive advantage over local businesses, which cannot compete price wise.
“If that is the case and we are already losing businesses, to me the most salient point is, do we want to approve a business in our town that will threaten the viability of all the businesses that are currently operating and struggling like crazy since the fire,” Tegtmeier said.
During the discussion, MATH Board Secretary Margaret Greenley also weighed in on the possibility of Dollar General coming to down.
“Whether it goes ahead or doesn't go ahead, if it goes ahead, we as a community do not have to support that business. We can choose not to shop there,” she said.
She added, “That's not going to drive them out of business, but that's a way we can take a stand against it.”
When Thornton called for the vote, he asked if the group supported the use permit or if they did not.
Ultimately, in the group's vote, 33 people voted against it, 10 abstained and three voted for it.
Community members wanting to voice support or opposition for the store proposal ahead of the Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting can email board members at the following addresses:
In other matters discussed at the Thursday meeting, MATH formed a subcommittee to work on a plan for creating plaques to recognize people who have donated benches and other improvements to Middletown Square Park, located in front of the community and senior center.
Brown said the county has $4,500 in donations to put toward the recognition effort.
The group also briefly discussed an idea to place gateway arches over Highway 29 at either end of Middletown.
However, members of the Middletown Area Merchants Association who were present and were part of considering the plan said they had no interest or ability to move forward on it.
There would be inherent difficulties in such a plan, which would be both expensive and involved. “It's a major project,” Sullivan pointed out.
Thornton added that Caltrans would have a lot of requirements.
“For the MATH, I'm taking it off the agenda,” until such time as someone comes forward with plans and funding sources, Thornton said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport City Council to consider placing sales tax measure on the ballot
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council is set to decide this week on placing a sales tax measure before voters on the November ballot.
The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, to discuss labor negotiations before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On Tuesday the council will discuss placing on the Nov. 8 ballot a one-cent sales tax – “Measure Z” – that is anticipated to generate $1.5 million annually for public safety and essential city services.
The council's consideration this week follows several months of discussion, research and analysis.
In the spring, a firm hired by the city conducted a public opinion survey that noted a general satisfaction in public safety but a 76 percent dissatisfaction rating for paving and repairing of the city's roadways, according to a report to the council from City Manager Margaret Silveira.
The council will consider approving an ordinance introducing the sales tax, which would be administered by the State Board of Equalization, and approve a resolution placing it on the ballot, establishing deadlines for direct and rebuttal arguments, providing for the preparation of an impartial analysis, and requesting approval of the Lake County Board of Supervisors for election services to be provided by the Lake County Elections Official.
Also on Tuesday the council will consider accepting the Westside Community Park Committee's recommendation to name the park's dog park the “Ron Raetz Dog Park” and authorize staff to work with the committee in placing the appropriate signage.
Raetz is the former committee chairman, a retired Upper Lake High School teacher and former school board member in Upper Lake. He personally took on the goal of creating the dog park, which has proved popular with both Lakeport residents and community members from outside of the city.
The council also is expected to approve the city's participating in the National Night Out event on Aug. 2, and additionally will consider changing the start time for its Aug. 2 meeting to 5 p.m. so that council members can attend the event.
In other business on Tuesday, the council will hold a public hearing to approve and adopt a proposed resolution approving a 2016 application for funding to the state Community Development Block Grant program; consider adopting a proposed resolution rescinding Resolution No. 2538 (2015) and designating the locations of prohibited parking zones within the city; and approve canceling the Oct. 2 meeting and nominating council members as voting delegates for the League of California Cities Annual Conference to be held Oct. 5 to 7 in Long Beach.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular Lakeport City Council meeting of July 5; warrant registers for July 11; approval of Application No. 2016-019 with staff recommendations for the SUP with the People Paddle Board Demo to be held Aug. 15 in Library Park at the First Street boat launch; adoption of a proposed resolution approving the compensation and benefits program the Lakeport Unrepresented Employees for the period July 19, 2016, through July 18, 2017, and authorizing its execution.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
071916 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
Company that proposed community choice aggregation program to Lake County sold
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A company that had proposed to the county of Lake the implementation of a community choice aggregation program to cover utilities in the unincorporated county has been sold.
California Clean Power, based in Windsor, announced last week that it was acquired by Pilot Power Group.
As a result, California Clean Power said it was ceasing operations, with Pilot Power Group to “seamlessly transfer ongoing or outstanding projects” from California Clean Power.
California Clean Power had been pursuing a contract with the county to operate the community choice aggregation program, which allows jurisdictions to generate electricity for businesses and residents, with investor-owned utilities like Pacific Gas and Electric delivering the service through existing utility systems.
Such programs seek to save money for consumers and allow for communities to build portfolios of power sources that include renewables.
Pilot Power Group Chief Financial Officer Denis Vermette said the company is interested in offering the same service to the county of Lake or in putting in a new proposal.
“As it stands right now, it's sort of in their control,” he told Lake County News.
In early 2015, Peter Rumble of California Clean Power first made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors, proposing the contract.
After additional discussions and presentations, in December the board approved issuing a request for proposals from companies to develop a community choice aggregation program.
In March, the board discussed the four requests the county received from California Clean Power, Sonoma Clean Power, Tanoak Energy Advisors and the Energy Authority, as Lake County News has reported.
At that March meeting, the board considered whether or not to move forward and discussed changes to the rules covering such programs that may make them less beneficial, including the ability of utilities to charge increased exit fees, also called power charge indifference adjustments. Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, those increased fees went into effect Jan. 1.
Despite concerns from then-incoming County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson about the ability of staff to move forward on the proposal, the board wanted to keep its options open and reached consensus to have Huchingson form a consultant selection committee.
In May, Huchingson brought the matter back, outlining her concerns, with the board agreeing to put off pursuing such a program until at least after the new fiscal year budget is complete.
“I explained to the board early on in my administration that my office does not have the capacity to move forward with this project. The project remains on hold,” Huchingson told Lake County News this week.
Rumble told Lake County News that Pilot Power Group is still very much interested in delivering community choice aggregation services to Lake County, “and they are well positioned to do so after the purchase.”
As for Rumble, he said he is moving on and “taking this opportunity to decide what is next.”
Vermette said Pilot Power Group, which has been in the direct access market in California for 15 years, had worked with California Clean Power on various projects prior to the purchase.
He said Pilot Power Group decided to be proactive and acquire California Clean Power's collected assets to make sure they continued.
In addition to acquiring California Clean Power, Vermette said the majority owner of Tanoak Energy Advisors – another of the firms that had proposed to offer community choice aggregation services to Lake County – recently joined Pilot Power Group's team. She previously had acted as a consultant to the firm.
As for whether Pilot Power Group has offered community choice aggregation services, “We have participated in other bidding processes with various other cities and counties,” said Vermette, but so far they have not won a bid on such a project.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Candidate filing periods for Clearlake, Lakeport city councils set to begin
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With Clearlake and Lakeport scheduled to hold municipal elections this November, the filing period will begin next week for residents wanting to run for seats on those cities' respective councils.
The clerks for both cities reported that nomination papers in the council races will become available on Monday, July 18.
The deadline to file the required paperwork is 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12, unless one or more of the incumbents do not file for reelection, in which case the filing period will be extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, for non-incumbents, city officials reported.
To be eligible to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, each candidate must be nominated by at least 20 but no more than 30 registered voters.
Because of this requirement, city officials urge candidates to pick up nomination paperwork well in advance of the filing deadline to allow time to gather signatures.
There are three seats up for election on both councils this fall, officials reported.
In Clearlake, up for election are seats currently held by Nick Bennett, Gina Fortino Dickson and Joyce Overton.
Bennett was appointed by the council this spring to complete the remainder of Denise Loustalot's term after she moved outside of the city limits.
He told Lake County News that he intends to run this fall, and that he had committed to do so if he was appointed.
Fortino Dickson this week announced she was resigning her seat effective Aug. 12 due to her family's move out of county, as Lake County has reported.
Overton said she intends to seek a fourth term on the council because she wants to keep the city moving forward in a positive direction.
She said that, with Fortino Dickson leaving and Bennett still new to the post, and fellow council members Russ Perdock and Bruno Sabatier halfway through their first term, she wants to stay on for continuity's sake.
In Lakeport, the seats now held by Kenny Parlet, Martin Scheel and Marc Spillman will be on the ballot.
Parlet, now in his first term, confirmed to Lake County News that he will run again in the fall.
“It's gotten to be a labor of love,” he said of his service on the council.
Spillman announced at the December meeting in which he was appointed mayor that he would not seek reelection when his first term ends this year, and Scheel – also in his first term on the council – is running for the District 4 supervisorial seat, as Lake County News has reported.
Those interested in running for Lakeport City Council are asked to contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 12, for further information and to set up an appointment to pick up and go over the nomination packet.
In Clearlake, candidate packets will be available in the City Clerk’s Office, 14050 Olympic Drive. Candidates are asked to contact the Deputy City Clerk’s Office at 707-994-820, Extension 111, or via email at
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