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Clearlake City Council hears update on county marketing efforts
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council got a recent update on the Lake County Marketing Program and its efforts to promote the area.
Jill Ruzicka, senior analyst for the county of Lake, spoke to the council last week, highlighting successes of the program and ongoing efforts to improve tourism in Lake County.
Ruzicka said the main strategy is to market the county as a whole rather the promotion of individual business and amenities.
She referred to this concept as “marketing the cluster.”
“Lake County Marketing Program acts as the destination marketing organization” – or DMO – “for all of Lake County,” Ruzicka said.
“A DMO is an organization whose primary function is to attract visitors to its region for the purpose of enhancing the local economy through purchase of room nights, food and beverage, retail items, visitors services, etc.,” Ruzicka explained.
Ruzicka said the strategy consists of four components: creating a bold online presence, partnerships, hospitality and training, and research and statistics.
The current budget is $404,000, which she said is considerably less than those of surrounding counties.
“Our budget is small compared to everyone else. We have to be smarter and more clever to get the best deal for our money,” she said.
Included in the budget is $210,000 designated for advertising and promotion.
A monthly expense of $2,500 is being used for content marketing through a San Francisco publishing firm that provides a number of feature articles showcasing the history, beauty, recreation and other aspects of Lake County.
Ruzicka said the visitor Web site saw a 109-percent increase following the launch of the content marketing strategy.
“The point is, this is working,” she said. “Our online presence is solid.”
The new visitor Web site is expected to be complete by September, Ruzicka said.
It includes high impact visuals consisting of video interviews of residents and their local interests. “It's people enjoying Lake County, not just beauty shots,” she said.
An ambassador program also is in the making. Ruzicka said a training session is scheduled in May to “train the trainers,” who will later train those wishing to participate in the program.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
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Board of Supervisors approves permit for Middletown Cab Co.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Following a brief public hearing on Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors granted to the new Middletown Cab Co. a certificate of public conveyance and approval of its permit application.
Uriah Murray applied to the county for the certificate and permit in February, according to county documents.
County Administrative Officer Matt Perry explained that county code requires that anyone operating a taxicab or other public transportation vehicle must apply to the Board of Supervisors for a certificate of public convenience and necessity.
Specifically, Article IX of Chapter 19 of the Lake County Code requires that the board declare certain specified conditions exist before granting the certificate, according to Perry.
The conditions required by county code include: that the applicant is financially responsible and the applicant and/or its officers are of good moral character; that the person holding permits or licenses for the operation of motor vehicles for hire are under experienced and efficient management earning a fair and reasonable return of their capital devoted to such service; and that the applicant has complied with the provisions of all county, state and federal laws applicable to the proposed operation.
Perry said the applicant had gone through the Lake County Sheriff's Office's Live Scan background check.
“This is an evidentiary hearing,” explained County Counsel Anita Grant.
Supervisor Rob Brown said he was puzzled about why the matter was being brought to the board.
“I don't know why we're doing this,” said Brown, adding that he resented that the county government can tell a private business why or why it can't operate. He said he wanted to get rid of the rule.
Board Chair Anthony Farrington said he found it analogous to the board's approval of other permits, including ambulance services.
“This ordinance hearkens back to 1965,” said Grant, explaining that it's had only minor changes since then.
She said the board could give direction to staff to revise the ordinance, adding that the ordinance's goal is to make sure taxi drivers are operating correctly and are of good character.
Supervisor Jim Steele said taxicabs have been a special area of vulnerability and a problem around the state.
Murray, who is an Oregon native, told the board that his family has deep roots in California and in Lake County.
“It's good to be a part of the history here in Lake County,” said Murray.
Murray said people have been very receptive to his new business. “Every day is a new adventure.”
The business isn't yet “monetarily rewarding,” he said, but added that no other cabs are serving the Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown area, which is the void he's trying to fill. He said Riley's Cab has been supportive and has sent him business.
Farrington said people take cab services for granted, and don't understand the importance of the service.
The board unanimously approved Murray's request, and also reached consensus to have county staff bring the ordinance regarding cab permitting back for further discussion.
Brown said the California Public Utilities Commission already regulates some services like trucking and tow truck companies. Farrington said he wanted to know about the county's discretion in the matter.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Changes in law reduces inmate labor available to county animal shelter
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Changes in state law and correctional realignment have had broad impacts on communities around California, some in ways that one might not expect.
Here in Lake County, in one example, the changes haven't worked out too well for Lake County Animal Care and Control.
The inmates who don’t cause any problems while locked up have been valuable in the care and disposition of the estimated 4,000 animals that pass through the shelter annually.
Now, however, with the jail full, the inmates who have been a source of assistance at the shelter are being given early release in exchange for good behavior, according to William Davidson, director of Lake County Animal Care & Control since November 2008.
“We can’t get the inmates we used to get because of the new laws for early release,” said Davidson.
Davidson said that because of those changes, the inmates who are left at the jail are of a higher classification – in other words, involved in more serious crimes – and therefore not as well suited to the needs of his agency.
These inmates, said Davidson, “are a pretty good source of labor, but they require a lot of supervision.”
Compounding the situation is that the staff members who supervise the inmates aren't trained to interact with these harder inmate cases.
“These are basically minimum-wage employees who get hired here thinking they’re going to be cleaning cages and feeding and not only have their own jobs to do, but now they’re supposed to be in charge of felons,” said Davidson.
Davidson and new Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin briefed the Board of Supervisors about the issue earlier this year.
“The supervisors wanted us to talk about it,” said Davidson, who was told the situation was “unacceptable” and that he needed to talk to Martin “to try to figure out something.”
“The supervisors told me that the whole reason (the Animal Care and Control) facility was built next to the jail was so that we could get more labor,” Davidson added.
The Board of Supervisors, said Davidson, has always viewed inmate labor as free labor. However, he noted, “It’s not as simple as it sounds.”
The jail is located at 4913 Helbush Drive, the animal shelter at 4949 Helbush in north Lakeport.
Up until 2007, when the shelter were located in a more centralized area of town, Davidson said, there was a smoother transition in getting inmates to work at the shelter.
“When we were on the (Todd Road) hill we were receiving inmates from the jail every day,” he said.
Getting inmates regularly to work at the shelter continued up until about halfway through former Sheriff Frank Rivero's term, Davidson said, following an inmate walking away from a work crew.
At that point, he said he was told that the only way inmates could work at the shelter was to have them supervised by correctional officers, at a high cost to Animal Care and Control. Davidson was told that it would be as much as $40 per correctional officer per hour to monitor the inmates.
So the program was halted two and a half years ago, at least partly on account of the prohibitive costs of keeping it operating, he said.
“Then when Sheriff Martin came on board he said, ‘OK, we’re going to do it again,’” said Davidson.
Martin said that based on his review, he also was concerned that the kinds of inmates now at the jail were far different than before, when people would be serving jail time for drunk driving or bouncing checks. Now, there are many more sophisticated, career criminals.
He said now the jail has people serving long-term sentences. In one such case, an inmate is serving a 16-year sentence.
“It’s always been a balance of risk versus reward,” with the risk greater now, said Martin.
He said the concerns now include the fact that inmates who regularly work at Animal Care and Control develop a routine, and so can arrange meetings or to pick up or drop off contraband.
Inmates are still going out on other work details – such as clearing brush and debris. In those cases, they are not going to the same places every day, making it harder for those kinds of arrangements for meetings to be made, Martin said.
“The risk of sending them over to animal control, it’s beyond what we can accept,” Martin said.
When the animal shelter first was built close to the jail with getting inmate labor in mind, it worked. “It was great for the time we were living in then, but times have changed,” Martin said.
Another concern is that the shelter also has its own vet clinic now, where there are medications – including opiates – as well as syringes and other tools that inmates might try to take, Martin and Davidson pointed out.
Both Davidson and Martin see part of the solution to restoring animal care as an inmate function may be contracting with Mendo-Lake Alternative Services, “and then the alternative work program supervised through the sheriff’s office can send people here to work as well,” Davidson said.
“We would be better served by having the probationers from the Mendo-Lake Alternative Services,” he added. “I have been able to set up an account with them and they will send us probationers to work here.
“We haven’t received anyone yet, but we’re ready, willing and able and waiting for someone to send us someone,” Davidson said.
Davidson said Animal Care and Control also has volunteers.
“We have some, we don’t have a lot,” he said, estimating that the number now stands at 12.
Most of the people who volunteer at the shelter come to work with the animals, whether it’s walking and playing with dogs or doing animal socialization, he said.
“We try to accommodate that,” he said, adding that those volunteers generally aren’t asked to clean cages and dishes.
Elizabeth Larson contributed to this report.
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Cab company permit, drought declaration continuation on supervisors' agenda
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will consider approving a permit for a cab company and discuss continuing a drought declaration for the county.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, 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 with the video available online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm . Accompanying board documents and the agenda also are available at that link.
In a hearing timed for 9:15 a.m., the board will consider a certificate of public convenience and necessity for Middletown Cab Co., along with approval of permit application.
Also on the agenda, in an untimed item, the board will consider continuing the proclamation of emergency declaration – first passed in March 2014 – for drought conditions in the county.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Gallina LLP for Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2015, June 30, 2016, and June 30, 2017 with optional extensions, for the amount of $67,000 in year one with a maximum of 2% increase per year thereafter, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.2: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Women's Recovery Services for FY 14-15 recovery services, an increase of $5,240, and authorize the board chair to sign.
7.3: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Gary Ernst for fiscal consulting services for fy14-15, an increase of $10,000 not to exceed $20,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
7.4: Approve out-of-state travel for business software analyst Jeffery Shute to Phoenix, Ariz., on May 3 through May 7, 2015 for the Cerner Behavioral Health Alliance Conference and Training.
7.5: Approval of amendment one to temporary construction easement (Rabidoux) for the Hendricks Creek/Hendricks Road Bridge Replacement Project (No. 14C-0248).
7.6: Approval of amendment one to temporary construction easement (Moon) for the Hendricks Creek/Hendricks Road Bridge Replacement Project (No. 14C-0248).
7.7: Approval of amendment one to temporary construction easement (Sherwin) for Replacement of Cole Creek Bridge, in Lake County, CA -Federal Project No. BRLS-5914(025).
7.8: Approval of amendment one to temporary construction easement (Beverlin) for Cole Creek/Soda Bay Road Bridge Replacement Project in Lake County - Federal Project No. BRLS 5914(025).
7.9: Approval of amendment one to temporary construction easement (Scully et al) for Cole Creek/Soda Bay Road Bridge Replacement Project in Lake County - Federal Project No. BRLS.
7.10: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution authorizing the Lake County Watershed Protection District to file grant application and signature authorization to execute agreement for a conservation innovation grant for the Clear Lake Tule Mitigation and Replanting Bank Project.
7.11: Approve plans and specifications for the Highland Springs Road at Highland Creek Bridge Replacement Project near Lakeport, California; Bid No. 15-02, Federal Aid Project No: BRLO-5914(071), in the amount of $750,000 which is completely state and federal funded, and authorize the Public Works director / assistant purchasing agent to advertise for bids once authorization to proceed with construction phase is received from Caltrans.
7.12: Approve plans and specifications for the Ackley Road at Manning Creek Bridge Replacement Project near Lakeport, California; Bid No. 15-01, Federal Aid Project No: BRLO-5914(067), in the amount of $665,000 which is completely funded state and federal funded, authorize the Public Works director / assistant purchasing agent to advertise for bids once authorization to proceed with construction phase is received from Caltrans.
TIMED ITEMS
8.2, 9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of certificate of public convenience and necessity for Middletown Cab Co. and approval of permit application.
8.3, 9:30 a.m.: Carried over from March 24, consideration of (a) request to waive the policy for review and selection of professional consultants and other contract service providers; and (b) approval of agreement with Oscar Larson & Associates for Department of Energy Grant Program consulting services and authorize chair to sign the agreement.
8.4, 9:45 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving Hidden Valley Lake Community Service District Board of Directors' request to change the district's board member election from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.
NONTIMED ITEMS
9.2: Consideration of the following appointments: Emergency Medical Care Committee (EMCC) Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Advisory Board.
9.3: (a) Consideration of recommendations of Classification and Compensation Committee; (b) consideration of resolution amending Resolution No. 2014-112 establishing position allocations for Fiscal Year 2014-2015, Budget Unit No. 7011, Parks and Recreation; and (c) consideration of resolution amending Resolution No. 2014-112 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2014-2015, Budget Unit No. 1121, Auditor-Controller.
9.4: Consideration of continuing the proclamation of emergency declaration for drought conditions.
CLOSED SESSION
10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(1) – Bennett-Wofford v. County of Lake, et al.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson