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Animal Care and Control receives initial approval for minor fee increases
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors gave initial approval to a request from Lake County Animal Care and Control to make some updates to its fee structure.
Director Bill Davidson asked for the updates during a brief public hearing held at the board's meeting Tuesday morning.
The board voted unanimously to advance the ordinance to update the county code to its Dec. 9 meeting for final approval.
The county's Animal Control Advisory Board discussed and unanimously approved the proposed fee updates at its July 21 meeting, Davidson reported.
Davidson told the board that when Animal Care and Control began its veterinary clinic in March of 2012, the board established fees for surgeries, licenses and special services.
“After two years of operation, the current fee structure was reevaluated in order to determine if there was a need to increase fees based upon rising costs costs for surgical supplies, vaccinations and operations,” Davidson said.
The evaluation resulted in Animal Care and Control staff proposing minimal fee increases that Davidson said will allow the clinic to continue to provide services to rescue groups and income-qualified individuals.
He said the costs for income-qualified surgeries will increase $5 each, with the cost to spay a female dog over 60 pounds proposed to increase by $15.
In addition, Davidson said he had added to the ordinance the discounted spaying and neutering program aimed at pit bulls – which is open to anyone, no matter the income level – which he introduced earlier this year.
The surgery prices for rescue groups are set just below what Animal Care and Control normally charges in a regular adoption because the groups help the agency find homes for unwanted animals, according to Davidson.
Among the adoption surgery fees that are not changing are the following: $80 each for male dogs, $90 each for female dogs under 60 pounds and $105 each for female dogs over 60 pounds. The cost difference between female dogs of different sizes is due to the increased cost for spaying based on weight.
Fees that will increase are costs for female cats, from $55 to $60; male dogs, from $65 to $70; female dogs under 60 pounds, from $75 to $80; and female dogs over 60 pounds, from $75 to $90.
The costs for the low-cost pit bull surgeries are $50 for males and $70 for females, Davidson said.
Annual fees for kennel licenses have not increased in the last six years, with Davidson reporting that those licenses require a significant amount of staff time to maintain.
He proposed changes that would create a flat level kennel license fee of $100, $200 or $300 depending on the number of animals to be maintained, as opposed to the previous fee structure of $90, $155, $230 and an additional $7 for each dog over 16.
Under special services, Davidson said there are numerous items for which the price has never been adjusted.
Those include microchips, which are increasing from $15 to $20; pet tags, $5 to $8; e-collars, $7 to $9; deceased animal disposal, $10 to $15; and pet urns, $14 and $20.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked if the reduced-cost pit bull altering program was successful.
“It has been successful,” said Davidson, noting that more people are coming in to get their pit bulls altered.
The program is aimed at reducing the numbers of pit bulls euthanized locally, as Lake County News has reported. Davidson received a $10,000 grant to support it from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Davidson also was successful at getting a grant specifically targeting pit bulls from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, so that the program's current costs actually are lower than in the ordinance – $25 each for males and $35 each for females, Davidson said.
Davidson said there has been an influx of pit bull owners who have taken advantage of the grant-funded program.
Supervisor Jeff Smith asked about the new chemical castration option, Zeuterin, which Animal Care and Control has begun offering.
“There has been some interest in it. Not as much as we had hoped for,” said Davidson, noting they are working to bring more awareness to the procedure.
Zeuterin is priced at $10 below the normal neutering cost, Davidson said.
Smith asked why the chemical procedure wasn't in the updated fee structure. “Is it something we should add?” he asked, with Davidson replying that it could be added at that point.
There was no public comment on the proposed ordinance.
Smith suggested going forward with adding Zeuterin to the fee structure, with the board approving the ordinance and its advancement to next week in a 5-0 vote.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
County closes part of Hill Road East due to landslide concerns
LAKEPORT, Calif. – As a result of the recent rains and concerns about ground movement, county officials have decided to close a portion of Hill Road East near the Lakeside Height subdivision, where a landslide has destroyed several homes.
The Lake County Public Works Department issued the closure notice late Tuesday afternoon.
Effective immediately and until further notice, Public Works has closed Hill Road East to all traffic from just north of Sutter Lakeside Hospital to Lakeshore Boulevard due to safety concerns.
With the amount of rain that's been falling over the last several days, “It just seemed to be the most prudent thing to do,” said Jill Ruzicka, the county of Lake's public information officer.
“There has been some movement that's been detected in the hillside,” which has raised concerns for public safety, Ruzicka said.
Ruzicka said Public Works has put together a comprehensive detour plan with signage to alert motorists traveling through the area.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital is still accessible on Hill Road East and can be reached by taking the Park Way Exit on Highway 29 or by taking Park Way from Lakeshore Boulevard, Public Works reported.
Ruzicka said the closure is just below the intersection into the Lakeside Heights subdivision, so residents will be able to access their homes by following the same route as that used to reach the hospital.
Beginning in March 2013, a landslide developed at Lakeside Heights, the hilltop subdivision of 29 homes that overlooks Hill Road East, as Lake County News has reported.
Several homes were destroyed – some split in half, others fell off the hillside – because of large holes and cracks that developed in the ground. The Board of Supervisors subsequently declared a local emergency.
Pinpointing the exact cause of the landslide has been a source of contention between county officials and subdivision property owners, with the latter group filing suit against the county last year, alleging that the county water system was at fault.
In June, the county filed a cross-complaint against the Lakeside Heights property owners, alleging they were responsible for the situation.
One factor that appears to be agreed upon amongst the parties is that water in the hillside contributed to the situation in some way.
In an effort to keep the slide area dry and stable, last fall the county and the homeowners partnered to pay for and install plastic over about five acres of the slide area.
However, by early this year the plastic was damaged and the Board of Supervisors decided not to replace it due to the high cost of what was considered to be only a very temporary fix.
The landslide's potential impact on Hill Road East has been a longtime concern for the county.
In February Public Works Director Scott De Leon told the Board of Supervisors that he and his staff had been focused on keeping the road open.
At that time De Leon had said that the chances of the hillside suddenly collapsing and closing the road “are probably not that high.”
Still, the impact of the inclement weather, with the soil becoming saturated and heavy, led to the decision this week to close the road, according to Ruzicka.
“If the soil were to come down, we just want to make sure there is no one there,” she said.
Once the rainfall is past, Ruzicka said the county will reevaluate the situation and decide whether to reopen Hill Road East.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Lakeport City Council appoints members to LEDAC, parks and rec and planning commissions
LAKEPORT, Calif. – During a short regular meeting on Tuesday night, the Lakeport City Council quickly moved through the work of making appointments to three city commissions and committees.
Up for appointment were seats on the Lakeport Economic Development Committee, known more commonly as LEDAC; the Parks and Recreation Commission; and the Lakeport Planning Commission.
Six positions were open on LEDAC, the membership of which is not limited to city residents. The committee, formed in 2010, has 11 members.
LEDAC, chaired by Wilda Shock, advocates for the Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community regarding Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
City Clerk Janel Chapman said there were six applicants for LEDAC's six open positions: Bill Eaton, Melissa Fulton, Rick Hamilton, Chris King, Wilda Shock and Rebecca Southwick. In addition to Shock, Eaton and Fulton have been serving on LEDAC.
Councilman Tom Engstrom moved to approve the six appointments, which the council approved unanimously.
The seats appointed on Tuesday are for terms effective Jan. 1, 2015, and continuing through Dec. 31, 2016.
For the Lakeport Parks and Recreation Commission, there was only one application – from current member Suzanne Lyons – for one of the two open positions.
The commission, established in 1984, advises the city council on parks and recreation-related matters, and works with the planning commission and civic organizations on planning new recreation areas and facilities, recommends policies on city recreation facilities to the city council and carries out other duties the council assigns.
The Parks and Recreation Commission's five members serve two-year terms. Two of those terms expire Dec. 31.
The council voted 5-0 to appoint Lyons to a term to run from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2016.
In the case of the Lakeport Planning Commission, which has been in existence since 1956, the seats currently held by three incumbents – Ross Kauper, Suzanne Russell and Harold Taylor – were up for reappointment.
Five applicants were seeking the three vacancies. In addition to Kauper, Russell and Taylor, Kelli Brown and Mary Nolan applied for seats.
In three separate votes and motions, council members nominated and approved reappointing Kauper, Russell and Taylor.
Those new planning commission terms begin on Jan. 1, 2015, and will continue until Dec. 31, 2018.
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All counties within Berryessa Snow Mountain Region endorse permanent protection
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Tuesday Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-5) announced that all five counties within the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region have endorsed permanent protection for the area.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to endorse permanent protection for the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region on Tuesday.
Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties have all previously voted in support of permanent protection for the region.
“There is overwhelming public support for protection of this national treasure,” said Thompson. “If Congress won’t pass my legislation to permanently protect the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region then President Obama should step up where Congress hasn’t and permanently protect the region as a national monument.”
In May 2013, Thompson introduced H.R. 1025, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced S.483 the companion bill in the Senate.
The legislation would designate the 350,000 acre Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Conservation Area.
Under this designation the region would be permanently protected, ensuring continued recreational opportunities while safeguarding the region's natural beauty, wildlife, rare plants and waters – which include important sources of drinking water and irrigation for nearby communities.
Additionally, President Obama can use his executive authority to designate the region as a national monument. Such action would achieve the goals of Thompson’s legislation.
Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties all support a national monument, Thompson's office reported.
The Berryessa Snow Mountain region stretches more than 100 miles from the lowlands of Putah Creek below Lake Berryessa, across remote stretches of Cache Creek, and up to the peak of Snow Mountain.
It encompasses more than 350,000 acres across Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties.
The area is rich in biodiversity, including bald and golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, tule elk and rare plants found nowhere else on Earth.
The Berryessa Snow Mountain region also includes numerous trails, open spaces, lakes and rivers. These resources provide recreation opportunities for hikers, bikers, hunters, campers, off-highway vehicle users, and both motorized and nonmotorized boaters.
Thompson's office said a national monument designation also would provide a boost to local economies.
Protected public lands are major contributors to our country’s $646 billion outdoor recreation economy. In California alone, more than half of all residents participate in outdoor recreation each year, supporting more than 700,000 jobs and generating more than $6 billion for our state’s economy.
In addition to the five counties that support a national monument designation, more than 100 businesses in areas surrounding the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region also support a national monument designation.
Thompson’s legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Despite hearings in both the House and Senate, it has not received a vote.
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