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Lucerne town hall rescheduled for April 17
LUCERNE, Calif. – District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele will hold his rescheduled town hall meeting in Lucerne on Friday, April 17.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive.
Among the topics scheduled to be discussed at the town hall are Lucerne's continued water issues, along with goals, updates and solutions to the water situation.
There also will be updates on the Caltrans traffic circle at the junction of Highway 20 and 29, with a Caltrans representative at the meeting; the repaving timeline for a portion of Highway 20; illegal off-road vehicles; a trails project; trash in the creeks and Clear Lake; volunteer cleanup projects; and general district news.
Community members also may raise topics from the floor.
Steele can be reached at the Board of Supervisors office via telephone, 707-263-2368, or email,
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Dollar General applies for two more Lake County store locations
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – With two stores now open on the Northshore, retailer Dollar General is looking to build two more stores in Lake County.
The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based corporation opened its Clearlake Oaks store, located at 13090 E. Highway 20, on Saturday.
Its first store, located at 3577 E. State Highway 20 in Nice, opened Jan. 31.
Dollar General is termed a “small box” retailer – with a smaller overall store size – as opposed to big box retailers like Walmart and Kmart.
Cross Development of Plano, Texas – acting on behalf of Dollar General – has submitted applications for use permits and initial studies for new stores locations in Kelseyville and Middletown. The company also handled the development of the Clearlake and Nice stores.
Michalyn DelValle, a senior planner with Lake County Community Development, told Lake County News that she is now processing the use permits for the two new store proposals.
DelValle said she anticipates scheduling the Kelseyville location's permit for the Lake County Planning Commission's meeting on May 28.
According to the applications, the Kelseyville location, at 4315 Douglas St. and 5505 Main St., is located directly across from Kelseyville High School.
The land is owned by Bernard and Lynne Butcher, owners of the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake.
The Middletown location, 20900 S. Highway 29, is owned by Louis and Ann Neve of Petaluma. A parcel map also is being processed to subdivide the property into two parcels.
The applications say that both stores are proposed to be 9,100 square feet in size, the same size as the Clearlake Oaks and Nice stores.
Each of the stores will employ at least four staffers, according to county documents. Dollar General said its stores typically have between six and 10 employees.
The Middletown Area Town Hall was to have discussed the Middletown store proposal at its Friday night meeting, but it was tabled until the group's next meeting because MATH Board Chair Fletcher Thornton said they wanted more information before taking up the matter.
He said MATH already had voted to reject the Dollar General concept at that location during a preapplication meeting with county officials regarding the store.
Thornton said MATH indicated to the developers at that time that the majority of people at the MATH meetings were opposed to the store.
“Nevertheless, they have made an application for a major use permit to allow the Dollar General to go on Highway 29,” Thornton said.
Thornton said MATH didn't have any information about the plans, including where on the property the store will be placed, how much of the land will be used and whether turn lanes will be installed.
“There's just not enough information for us, in my opinion, to make a real strong argument to the planning department that we're opposed to it,” he said.
So Thornton tabled the discussion until the MATH meeting in May, at which time it will be the only agenda discussion topic.
He said MATH intends to invite the developers to the May meeting to hear their side.
“This Dollar General thing is an emotional issue,” he said. “We need to give everyone a chance to talk about it.”
There were similar concerns on the Northshore when Dollar General major use permits were approved by the Lake County Planning Commission last year, as Lake County News has reported.
Three business owners appealed the decision regarding the Nice store to the Board of Supervisors, arguing that their livelihoods would be harmed.
Ultimately, the supervisors upheld the decision, allowing the store's construction and opening to move forward.
The company's Web site is www.dollargeneral.com .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Assemblyman Dodd pays visit to Middletown Area Town Hall
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Assemblyman Bill Dodd came to town on Friday night, attending the Middletown Area Town Hall meeting to talk about legislative efforts and answer questions from constituents.
Dodd took office as the Fourth District Assembly representative for Lake and five other rural counties in December.
Prior to winning his Assembly seat, Dodd spent 14 years as a member of the Napa County Board of Supervisors.
He was raised on a ranch where his family grew grapes and walnuts. He's a father of five – all grown – and grandfather of four.
More than 40 people attended the Friday night MATH meeting, moved from its usual Thursday night in order to accommodate Dodd's visit.
“This is a special and rare occasion for Middletown Area Town Hall,” said MATH Board member Mike Tabacchi, who introduced Dodd and noted that it was only the second time in the more than eight and a half years that the group has been meeting that it has hosted a legislator from Sacramento.
“I'm really thrilled to be here,” said Dodd.
He said he has been moved by the needs on so many different levels in Lake County. “I will be here to help.”
The six-county district he serves – which includes Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties – is a diverse one, with Dodd explaining that all of the counties are rural.
Thanks to the time he spent on the Napa County Board of Supervisors, Dodd said he knows what it's like to have the state tell local governments how to run communities. “I'm a big believer in local control.”
Dodd said he believes the state should be giving cities and counties the kinds of tools and funding control much like what is now being given to schools, as he feels that kind of control and decision making should be done at the local level.
Thinking about what California is leaving to future generations, Dodd concluded, “It's troublesome.”
He does, however, have hope that he can make a difference in the Assembly. While he's just one person in a “lion's den” of 80 Assembly members and 40 senators, his 28-member freshman class in the Assembly is “a different breed.”
He said they aren't professional politicians looking to make the jump to Congress. “I really noticed that there's more of a balance,” he said.
One of the evening's hot topics was water, including Clear Lake, the focus of one of Dodd's important new pieces of legislation.
In February, Dodd introduced AB 367, which would allocate $2.4 million toward restoring Clear Lake’s wetlands, maintaining its water quality and preserving its ecosystem – specifically, protecting it against invasive mussels like the quagga and zebra.
“We've seen what's going on with this lake,” said Dodd, explaining that the work of restoring California's largest natural lake can't be left up to the 60,000 or so residents of the county, when other lakes have been the domain of the state.
“How in the world are the people of Lake County – all on their own – supposed to bring back this resource that is so important to this county?” he asked.
He said he and Second District Sen. Mike McGuire – Lake County's representative in the state Senate, who also took office in December – discussed what they could do together to advance the agenda for Lake County, not only environmentally but also economically.
Part of their plan is to address the “incredibly high” water rates around Lake County. Dodd said he has dealt with similar issues in Napa County.
He said more economic opportunity also needs to be created, which includes considering the industries that would be good for this area.
Returning to AB 367, Dodd referred to three failed sales tax initiatives to support Clear Lake's restoration and protect it from invasive species. Those were just percentage points short of the needed supermajority vote – 66.7 percent – needed for a dedicated tax. Estimates were that the initiatives would have raised $2.4 million annually for lake-related projects.
Dodd said he started with that $2.4 million number as the basis for AB 367. “I really think this is just start. I think it's something we can build on.”
He intends to bring a member of an Assembly natural resources committee to Lake County for a visit in two weeks to show the importance of the bill.
“I think it's really important to bring people here to see, on the ground, just how beautiful this place is, what the challenges are, and to hear firsthand from locals how important it is to them, how important it is to the different stakeholder groups in the community,” as well as to the elected officials, he said.
He said he believes environmental protections and economic vitality can go hand-in-hand.
Dodd said later during the meeting's question-and-answer portion that how the funds from AB 367 would be spent would take direction from the community, much as the sales tax initiatives proposed to do.
“What I'm really trying to build is a sense of responsibility for this lake,” he said.
He also told the group that, if AB 367 doesn't pass this year, he'll continue putting it forward until it does pass.
Addressing education, importance of community input
Another Dodd bill with importance for Lake County, AB 401, aims to have the California Department of Community Services and Development develop a plan for a statewide low-income water rate assistance program.
“It's being modeled, really, for what's going on here and what I've seen in Lake County, particularly up in Lucerne and some of those areas” where water rates are extremely high and incomes are very low, Dodd said.
A number of Lucerne residents, including members of Lucerne Friends of Locally Owned Water, were in the audience to hear Dodd speak about those water issues.
Dodd also discussed the recent state water bond, which he said he made sure the counties he represents were eligible for before supporting it.
Other efforts under way includes legislation Dodd and McGuire have authored to support career technical education.
Explaining that not everyone is going to a four-year college, and with high schools cutting back on such education, Dodd said it's critical to offer technical education, particularly for people in agriculture and the trades. He said the bill will provide about $600 million for career technical education programs.
Dodd and McGuire also are planning to have an office in Lake County, an announcement that gained a round of applause. He said County Administrative Officer Matt Perry has been great in working with them to get a location. The specifics of the location will be announced once all details are finalized this spring.
“That's something that I really feel is important because I feel you deserve it,” said Dodd.
MATH Board Chair Fletcher Thornton asked for Dodd's thoughts on keeping Northern California's water from being shipped south to help flush Southern California's toilets, and asked if the use of greywater can be encouraged.
“I think that's gotta be the wave of the future,” Dodd said of water reuse.
He added, “I wouldn't give Southern California our water to drink,” which earned him another round of applause.
Dodd pointed out that Southern California has the people and the votes, and it's important to help them find solutions that don't include taking Northern California's water.
He said he supported reuse efforts such as using treated wastewater for parks. “We're going to have to do a lot more.”
During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, Dodd fielded questions about vineyards and pesticides, fracking, water for agriculture, how communities like those in Lake County can meet additional required water cutbacks, and water storage projects such as the proposed Sites Reservoir in neighboring Colusa County.
“This is why I come to these meetings,” he said. “I want to hear what you know and what you're thinking.”
Dodd also was asked about how he considers and weighs community members' comments on issues he addresses in the Legislature.
He said such comments mean a lot. His goal is that anyone who contacts his office gets a call or email back within 24 hours, and the feedback from the community is included in the preparation he and his staff do before votes.
Logan Pitts, Dodd's field representative who accompanied him to the meeting, said phone calls are particularly effective, especially because the office gets so many emails.
When it comes to communicating with the office, “The more direct, the better,” Pitts said.
Thornton asked Dodd about when the Legislature was going to come up with a way to settle the marijuana issue, with clarification between the state and federal government needed. “It's been a mess.”
Dodd said he's a member of a caucus that is concerned that an initiative that isn't well thought out may make its way before voters, and so a number of legislators are considering taking the first step and writing their own ballot initiative.
“That's going to take a lot of input,” Dodd said.
Dodd also was asked about the Board of Supervisors' decision in February to place a ballot measure before voters next year about whether or not the county should join the effort to form Jefferson, a 51st state.
Explaining that he has many friends who are county supervisors around Northern California, Dodd noted that Jefferson is “never going to pass muster.”
But he acknowledged the frustration that has given rise to the movement, which he said maybe will wake up the state.
“I think rural counties need more attention,” he said, adding that he believes the time and money spent on the Jefferson movement could be spent better elsewhere.
Claude Brown, MATH's board vice chair, asked about Dodd's resolution – which has passed the state Legislature – to make the Berryessa Snow Mountain wilderness a national monument and the assessment that it will economically benefit the area.
Dodd said the Winters Chamber of Commerce hired a firm to conduct a study that found that there is economic benefit to national monument gateway areas.
Thornton said he thought the monument would steal peoples' ability to use the land. Dodd pointed out that, even now, the federal government can simply not renew leases for use of federal lands. The resolution is now headed to President Barack Obama.
In closing, Dodd thanked community members for coming out on a Friday night to meet with him, and said he was serious when he said he believed in representative government.
“We are going to respond to your calls, your emails and your letters,” he said.
Dodd's Santa Rosa office can be reached at 707-576-0400 or visit him online at http://asmdc.org/members/a04/ .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Sexual Assault Awareness Month features Denim Day event
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Family Resource Center is recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Each year, in California and Nationally, April is designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Lake County was proclaimed by the Board of Supervisors and Lakeport City Council on April 7 and by the Clearlake City Council on March 26.
Lake Family Resource Center invites community members to take action to stop sexual assault and other forms of abuse before they start.
Lake Family Resource Center will host Denim Day on Wednesday, April 29. You can help by “Breaking the dress code, breaking the silence,” on April 29 by wearing jeans on Denim Day.
The 2015 National Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign is centering on college campuses and students.
The goal of Sexual Assault Awareness Month is to increase public awareness about sexual assault and to educate communities and individuals on how to help prevent sexual violence.
Students of today are our hope for tomorrow. It’s important for us as parents, adults and communities to help set young people on the path for a healthy future and support them as they work to create positive change.
This April, it’s time – time to talk about it. Safer campuses make for brighter futures.
Time after time, victims of sexual assault drop out of school, leaving behind dreams and goals. It is time that every victim is respected and informed of the rights they have in order to better protect their well-being and the integrity of their future.
Young people face many challenges during emerging adulthood. Stereotypes and negative messages in the media do not make it any easier.
By learning and talking about healthy sexuality, campuses are able to support students in their lives. It’s time for campuses and communities to be a resource to students as they learn and grow.
How can we support students during this time of change and discovery? Young people need appropriate information about healthy sexuality and relationships from trusted community members.
The first step is to be available to start an open and honest dialogue. Ask questions and most importantly listen. We can all play a role in modeling healthy behaviors, promoting positive skills, and creating safe environments.
It’s important to empower the voices of all and challenge negative, unhealthy messages. To create a vision for a future without sexual violence, every voice can play a role in a healthier, safer tomorrow.
LFRC Rape Crisis Center offers free services, including a 24/7 Community Crisis Line (1-888-485-7733) answered by trained sexual assault advocates.
The Rape Crisis Center also provides individual counseling, support, safety plans, education, hospital accompaniment and law enforcement advocacy for all victims of sexual assault.
For more information on Denim Day and various Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities please contact Gina Pilat at 707-279-0563, Extension 222.
Amber Westphal is a sexual assault advocate with Lake Family Resource Center.
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- Written by: Amber Westphal