Clearlake City Council to discuss Halloween safety measures, get presentation on tiny homes

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council's agenda this week includes a proposed action to make trick-or-treating safer in a city subdivision, marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month and hearing about the prospect of using tiny homes to help the homeless.

The council will meet in closed session at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, to discuss existing litigation, and property negotiations for the city's airport property, and parcels at 2185 Ogulin Canyon Road, 14265 Lakeshore Drive and 14060 Olympic Drive before convening in open session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, at 14050 Olympic Drive.

During the meeting, the council will present a proclamation declaring October to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The council also will receive a presentation by Cornerstone Villages on tiny home villages for unhoused people.

For its main item of business on Thursday, the council will consider a request for traffic mitigation measures in the Village Subdivision area – which includes Harbor, Lakeview and Ridgeview drives – from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.

City Clerk Melissa Swanson's report to the council explains that, dating back to at least the 1980s, the Village area “has been a local favorite trick or treating spot for children and families. Several thousand children visit the area each year.”

She said it has been the normal practice for the Clearlake Police Department's Volunteers in Policing to assist in dealing with traffic-related issues by limiting cars in the area that evening to residents only in an effort to protect the children walking from house to house and playing in the street.

Swanson said drivers will be asked to show identification and/or proof of residence to ensure only necessary traffic in an effort to protect the children and families in the area for Halloween.

The activities also are monitored by the Clearlake Police Department, said Swanson.

She said the city will post the mitigation information on its Web site, http://www.clearlake.ca.us/ , so drivers can plan alternate routes that evening.

On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers and the minutes of the council's Oct. 8 meeting, minutes of the Sept. 9 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting, adoption of the 2015 City of Clearlake Injury and Illness Prevention Program, adoption of Resolution No. 2015-34 approving a temporary street closure for Trunk N' Treat event at Austin Park, award of a contract for asbestos/lead abatement and demolition of the building at 4740 Golf Ave., approval of the council's holiday schedule for November and December, and consideration of a contract with William Clemans for interim city engineer services.

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.

FEMA approves millions of dollars for Valley, Butte fire victims; temporary housing units awaiting eligibility determination

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is continuing the push to register Valley fire survivors in Lake County – and Butte fire survivors in Calaveras County – for federal assistance, as a result of President Barack Obama's presidential major disaster declaration issued last month.

FEMA spokesman Steve Solomon said the deadline for registrations is Nov. 23.

With just over a month left to register, there so far have been 2,357 registrations in Lake County alone, with another 994 registrations in Calaveras County, said Solomon.

“The bulk of everything is Lake County,” he explained.

As of Tuesday, Solomon said FEMA has approved $8.44 million in “Individual Assistance” funds for Butte and Valley fire survivors.

Lake County's two Disaster Recovery Centers – at the Middletown Senior Center and at the Burns Valley Mall in Clearlake – have had a total of 1,630 visits, he said.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams, which have gone out into the communities in an effort to find people who haven't yet registered for help, have had 6,467 interactions with fire victims of the Butte and Valley fires, Solomon said.

If survivors can't transport themselves to a Disaster Recovery Center, Solomon said they can call 916-381-0330 and FEMA will arrange a home visit.

Between Lake and Calaveras counties, Solomon said FEMA has completed 98 percent of the inspections for 2,526 properties.

Regarding housing issues, Solomon said efforts are moving forward to provide temporary housing units in both Lake and Calaveras counties.

“We have 60 mobile housing units in a staging area just north of Sacramento,” he said. “We're in the process now of looking at who is eligible to live in one and where they would be placed.”

FEMA also has now approved “Public Assistance,” which Solomon said is defined as support to repair and rebuild infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

“That's a key development in the process,” he said.

Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA covers 75 percent of the costs, with state and local governments to cover the remainder, Solomon said.

“We're scheduling what we call applicant briefings,” he said, where representatives from various governmental bodies, eligible nonprofits and utilities can get information on how the application process works.

Solomon said the first applicant briefing is from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the Board of Supervisors chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

Another will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in the banquet room at the Mount St. Helena Golf Course, 2025 Grant St., in Calistoga, he said. That briefing is only for local governments, tribal governments and certain private nonprofits in Napa and Sonoma counties.

Separately, Solomon said the state of California is offering disaster unemployment assistance, but the deadline for that is approaching – it's Oct. 26.

He said people can register by calling 800-300-5616 (English) or 800-326-8937 (Spanish), 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.

Solomon said eligible workers can receive as much a $450 a week for up to 28 weeks.

FEMA also reported that its Disaster Recovery Centers in Lake County will have new hours beginning this weekend.

The centers are located in the former Apria Healthcare building at 14860 Olympic Drive in the Burns Valley Mall in Clearlake, and the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.

New hours starting this weekend are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and closed on Sunday.

Survivors also can apply for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362; TTY 800-462-7585; 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

Editor's note: A previous version of the story did not specify that the Nov. 2 applicant briefing was open only to organizations and local governments from Napa and Sonoma counties.

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 City Council denies Halloween event application over traffic, safety concerns

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday night the Lakeport City Council turned down an application for a Halloween event whose organizer asked to shut down a street on what is one of the city's busiest nights of the year.

Wayne Yahnke of Haunted Lake County put forward plans to hold a Halloween event, titled “A Walk Through the Forest,” in his neighborhood on Halloween night. He intends to move it to a different venue next year.

His application to the city, submitted on Oct. 11, said the walk-through haunted house event would take place from 4 to 9:30 p.m., and have decorations, Halloween props and costumes, with donations from the event to go to Mendo Lake Credit Union's Valley fire fund.

Yahnke asked the city to close Forest Drive from Terrace Drive to Hillcrest Drive, barricade each end of the closure, sweep the street the day before the event and have extra police patrols in the area.

Lakeport Police Lt. Jason Ferguson, sitting in for Chief Brad Rasmussen, said there were a number of concerns, including the lack of a traffic and parking safety plans, and the fact that Yahnke was asking for the road closure in an area of the city that doesn't have much parking and, in some spots, doesn't have curb, gutter and sidewalk.

“This is one of the areas where there's a lot of trick-or-treaters,” said Ferguson. He added, “Halloween for us in the city of Lakeport is already very busy.”

He said at nearby Clear Lake High School there will be the Kiwanis annual Halloween party, which is expected to draw about 800 children, with another event, a harvest festival, also set to take place in the area that night.

City Public Works Director Mark Brannigan also raised safety issues. “At first glance this looks like it wouldn't be a big issue,” he said, also citing dangers during nighttime hours, and the lack of a parking plan.

Yahnke said he reviewed the city's concerns and had a phone conversation with Rasmussen about alternative plans, including permission for parking at the nearby High Street Village shopping center and additional lighting.

He's been doing the event for four years, Yahnke said, and drew up to 300 people last year. Ferguson said there were concerns that the event could be “significantly larger” this year.

Yahnke, who said he had the required insurance, also is a trauma nurse, and indicated he was prepared to handle the event safety.

Councilman Kenny Parlet calculated city costs of up to $1,100 to provide the services Yahnke requested, asking if Yahnke thought it was a fair tradeoff for the several hundred dollars it's hoped the event will raise for fire victims. Parlet also raised additional liability issues for the city.

“I've tried to address the concerns,” said Yahnke, adding he thought it was fair to ask the city for the support of his fundraising objectives.

Councilwoman Stacey Mattina asked Ferguson, who had sat in with Rasmussen while he was on the call with Yahnke, about what Rasmussen's bottom line was on the event. Ferguson said his chief didn't want the road closed due to traffic concerns.

Ferguson said police also wanted more planning time. “This kinda came at us really quickly,” he said.

Mayor Martin Scheel said he liked the event idea. However, he added, “For me, it solely rests on our chief of police and our Public Works folks,” and their concerns.

Scheel called Halloween “a very unique night” in Lakeport, explaining that it's probably the city's busiest night of the year for pedestrians. He said all it would take is for one child to get bumped by a car for blame to start being directed everywhere.

Brannigan added that he was concerned about people getting confused and frustrated. “It's not a time for drivers to be unsure of what they're supposed to be doing.”

Warren Myrick, a Forest Drive resident, said he and his wife love Halloween and have fun with families that visit the neighborhood, but he spoke against the event.

“Last year was something like we've never seen before. It was shocking, it was scary,” he said, although he said he didn't believe that was Yahnke's intent.

He said the neighborhood has small streets and, in some cases, no sidewalks. Last year, there was so much traffic that there was a traffic jam, and people parking in front of driveways.

Myrick said he would donate time to helping the event be held somewhere else.

Parlet moved to deny application, with the council voting 5-0.

Scheel thanked Yahnke for coming in. “I know it's not the news you wanted,” Scheel said. “You will have our support definitely for next year.”

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.