How to resolve AdBlock issue? Supervisors to host Oct. 22 public workshop on 'Healthy Lake Ordinance'
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – If you have solutions to keep Clear Lake and Lake County’s watershed healthy, you are invited to share your ideas at a public workshop on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 22.
The workshop will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the Board of Supervisor’s Chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes Street, Lakeport.
In November 2012, Measure E, a half-percent sales tax with proceeds going entirely to improve water quality, prevent aquatic invasive species and alleviate nuisance weeds and algae in Clear Lake, received strong support in the polls, but did not garner the required two-thirds votes to pass.
A group of Clear Lake stakeholders – including diverse members of the community– have been meeting to create a new ordinance to put on the ballot for June 2014.
The official name is the “Lake County Clear Lake Programs Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance,” but it is commonly being referred to as the “Healthy Lake Ordinance.”
The proposed half-percent sales tax increase is similar to Measure E, but many of the details in the new ordinance are being changed to address the concerns voiced during the Measure E campaign.
The ordinance must be approved by the Lake County Board of Supervisors to be placed on the ballot.
Before taking the proposal up in formal session, the Board of Supervisors will hold this public workshop to get input and solutions from Lake County citizens.
It is suggested that anyone wishing to present ideas should first read the ordinance and create a list of questions and possible solutions to optimize the outcome of the workshop.
A copy of the first five pages of the ordinance can be downloaded on the County of Lake Web site under “News & Highlights” or at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Public+Information+Releases/101713.pdf .
The document also can be seen below.
2014 Lake County Healthy Lake Sales Tax Proposal
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Clearlake Planning Commission looks at Lakeshore Drive design guidelines
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Elements of a vision plan proposed for Lakeshore Drive were refined Tuesday as the Clearlake Planning Commission prepares its recommendation for consideration by the Clearlake City Council.
Attention was on guidelines proposed by the Clearlake Vision Task Force within the Lakeshore Drive corridor specific to the design district.
The commission discussed allowable uses for future development on the lake and land sides of Lakeshore Drive within the design district, which is designated between Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53.
Direction was provided for amending the draft document to reflect changes discussed such as language clarifications, elimination of redundancies and changes related to types of businesses identified for allowable use and consistencies with regard to conditional and permitted use.
Elimination of a proposed waterfront set back requirement also was directed.
The commission changed indoor recreation, amusement and cultural facilities from a permitted use to a conditional use when discussing recommendations for uses on the land side of the street.
Commissioner Carl Webb said he doesn't think the city should prohibit such a use but that it should have some control over what takes place in the area.
“Somebody could build something there that really doesn't fit with our vision for Lakeshore Drive,” he said.
Other types of businesses identified for preferred use on the land side include those such as boat- and water-oriented rentals, eating and drinking establishments, retail trade, hotels, public and private parking lots, and other uses.
On the lake side the commission favored bait and tackle shops, hotels, eating and drinking establishments, retail trade and other uses. Marine sales and services was removed from the list with commissioners citing that similar businesses throughout the county do not exist directly on the lake.
City resident Bob Mingori, who resides and operates a business on Lakeshore Drive, urged the commission not to limit allowable uses too severely. He said neighboring businesses help carry tourist-driven businesses through the off-season.
“You may be killing other businesses,” he said. “You have to think about the whole year.”
The commission directed a waterfront setback requirement be removed from the proposed guidelines.
The vision task force recommended establishing a minimum setback of 15 feet from the top of the bank to provide continuous vista of the shoreline and to allow for a future system of shoreline walkways.
Mingori said he would fight such an attempt. City Manager Joan Phillipe said unless people donate the land or the city somehow comes up with a lot of money, she doesn't see it happening.
Phillipe suggested other components including streetscaping, planting, signage and color be addressed in other processes.
She suggested streetscaping should be discussed when the Lakeshore Downtown Corridor Plan is complete.
Phillipe said a comprehensive sign plan should be in place before discussing signage and that the discussion should include the business community, as should any discussion about color.
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Cal Fire official gives supervisors update on 2012 wildland fires causes, aftermath
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday discussed large wildland fires that impacted the county last year and the lessons learned from those incidents.
Cal Fire Division Chief Jim Wright gave a report on the fires to the Board of Supervisors during the Tuesday morning session.
Regarding the Wye Fire – which was sparked on Aug. 12, 2012, and contained six days later – Wright said it was “most likely vehicle related, we don't have an actual cause,” noting it started on the roadside.
Investigators don't have a responsible party, he said.
Wright did not have information on the cause of the Walker Fire, which also began along Highway 20 about 15 minutes after the Wye Fire started.
Lake County News followed up with fire officials after the meeting to find out if a cause had been released, but had not received an answer by the end of the day Tuesday.
Both fires, which were handled as a single incident burned approximately 7,934 acres.
Less than a month later, the Scotts Fire in the Cow Mountain area near Lakeport began on Friday, Sept. 7, burning 4,918 acres in a week.
“The Scotts Fire we know came from a campfire,” but there also is no responsible party identified, Wright said.
Supervisor Rob Brown pointed out that this year “we kinda lucked out” with no severe runoff from the fire areas affecting Clear Lake.
After a fire, firefighters work to rehabilitate ground scarred by dozers, putting in water bars to help minimize erosion, Wright explained.
However, they don't deal with scorched earth. Wright pointed out that ground burned on Mt. Konocti in January was left alone and already was coming back. “There's nothing that really needs to be done with that.”
No upcoming control burns are planned on Mt. Konocti, Wright said, adding that the January fire created a good fuel break.
Cal Fire is bringing on a coordinator to help work on control burns plans. He explained that Cal Fire isn't a landowner and therefore doesn't initiate control burns.
Brown pointed out that the county now owns a lot of land on Mt. Konocti – it owns a 1,520-acre county park on the mountain – and he suggested the county can work with the Bureau of Land Management and private property owners to organize control burns.
“Years ago we burned most of that mountain,” Wright said.
“It's going to burn one way or the other,” said Brown, with Wright pointing out that it can burn year round.
Supervisor Jim Comstock asked how property owners can put together a control burn. Wright said they can contact him, or battalion chiefs Mike Wink or Greg Bertelli to begin work on a plan.
Fall is the best time of year to work on control burns, Wright said. The trick is getting the right window of opportunity.
He said they have to get a day where the fire will carry but not too far, and they also don't want to do them on holidays.
“Finding those windows of burning are really, really tough for us,” Wright said, adding that some years they don't burn and other years they can get a lot of control burns done.
North Lakeport resident John Daniels was concerned about local government capability. Addressing Wright, he said, “I'm a taxpayer and my main concern is what is your professional opinion on how well the county government is prepared to handle a major fire in a residential area.”
Wright replied that the Wye and Walker fires were good examples of how they could work together. “The county was there to support us all the way.”
Daniels asked if the Lake County Office of Emergency Services had been involved and if it was professional. “Absolutely,” said Wright.
“There were some glitches and I think we learned from them,” said Brown, explaining that since then the county has placed the running of OES in the County Administrative Office.
The Scotts Fire response, he said, was a good indicator that they learned from the Wye and Walker fires. If a fire like the Wye were to happen this year, it would a better response, he said.
Willie Sapeta, the county's longtime OES coordinator and chief of the Lake County Fire Protection District, said that since the Wye and Walker fires they have had major incidents including the 29 Fire, Scotts Fire and the fire that in February destroyed the Wisedas Resort in Clearlake.
In September, there was a large fire in the area of San Joaquin Avenue in Clearlake Park that burned close to 40 acres. Sapeta said that within the first 10 minutes they evacuated 23 homes, and had a response that included 25 engines and multiple aircraft.
He said the local, state and federal agencies worked well together. “We didn't lose one home, we didn't lose one outbuilding,” nor were there injuries, he said.
Red Cross and Lake County Social Services were quickly mobilized to assist with evacuations, he said.
Sapeta said they had learned a lot from the Wye and Walker fires.
“It's really instrumental how we pull together,” he said, adding that, “Everything happens within minutes.”
Wright said Northshore Fire has installed a new repeater on Mt. Konocti for fire traffic, and Spring Valley homeowners are collaborating with Verizon wireless to get cell coverage in Spring Valley, where phone service had been knocked out during the Wye and Walker fires.
He said a county strategic plan also has identified Walker Ridge as an area for other repeater to improve county communications.
Conrad Colbrandt, who lives near where the San Joaquin fire occurred, said it was incredible how quickly the fire agencies all mobilized.
Watching the air resources working, “It was like watching a symphony,” he said.
Wright said the five county fire districts and Cal Fire work on incidents like one big department, adding the cooperation is “fantastic.”
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Lakeport City Council approves software upgrade and property plan, meets new employees
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday evening the Lakeport City Council approved new software to improve the city's financial operations, accepted a plan to cover the former redevelopment agency's properties, discussed a new 20-minute parking zone and met two new city employees.
Among the council' s main items of business Tuesday night was consideration of a financial software upgrade for the city.
Finance Director Dan Buffalo took the proposal to the council. He said the city already uses a software program, Fund Balance, purchased in 1999 from the same company, Tyler Technologies. The upgrade is meant to unify all of the city's operations and offer real-time information to all departments.
The software, called InCode, will offer efficiency, including avoiding duplication of activity by allowing employees in the field to input data via devices like iPads rather than having to bring notes back to be input by other staff, he said.
The cloud-based software is to cost $66,400, which includes installation, data migration and implementation, and the first year of annual subscription and user fees, Buffalo reported.
The software is far more economically priced than other financial software for governments on the market. Buffalo said he called another company, which gave the city a quote of $500,000 as a starting point.
He said the software is included in this year's budget, with funds coming from the general fund, the water and sewer funds, and the redevelopment successor agency.
The council approved the purchase and upgrade unanimously, with Councilman Martin Scheel adding a clause that the amount is not to exceed $66,400.
Sitting jointly as the Lakeport Redevelopment Successor Agency, the council approved a long-range property management plan for properties that had been owned by the city's former redevelopment agency.
An oversight committee that monitors the disposition of those properties is set to meet on Wednesday, said Buffalo. “They're the boss,” and have the final say about the plan, he said.
With the exception of finalizing the plan, Buffalo noted, “We're through the looking glass on all of our dissolution activities.”
The plan identified a property on Bevins Court that the redevelopment agency had sold to the city. Buffalo said state law allows it to be used for its economic development activities.
Buffalo said the property is situated between the public health facility and county offices, and is best used for commercial purposes.
Mayor Tom Engstrom asked Buffalo if the property was one they had received in a trade with the Lakeport Fire Protection District. Buffalo said yes.
There was no public comment on the matter and the council approved it unanimously.
The council also gave conditional approval to a new 20-minute parking zone in front of Cheese's main Street Pizza in downtown Lakeport.
The business, located at 145 N. Main St., requested the parking space in order to give it short-term parking for its customers and for its delivery vehicles.
However, city officials had concerns that placing such a zone in the middle of the block, directly in front of the restaurant, would create issues, and wanted to place instead at the end of the block.
There was minor discussion about whether the matter need to be referred back to the Lakeport Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.
Interim City Attorney David Ruderman said the decision ultimately was up to the council, which he said could direct staff to come back with an updated resolution locating the parking zone at the end of the block.
The council did just that, with the updated document expected to come back at a future meeting.
In other matters on Tuesday, the council got a report on the Oct. 5 Konocti Challenge by race director Jennifer Strong of the Lakeport Rotary Club.
Strong said this year's ride had 765 participants, up from 395 in 2006 and 200 in 2001.
“Our goal is to get to 1,000,” said Strong, at which point they will cap it to keep it from growing too large.
She said 83 percent of the riders came from outside of Lake County – including nine states and all over California – with participants ranging in age from a 2-year-old to an 80-year-old man who has been a longtime participant and takes the century route.
Visitors gave great feedback and showed a lot of appreciation for the county, according to Strong's report.
Also on Tuesday, City Manager Margaret Silveira introduced two new city staffers, Linda Sobieraj, a secretary for the Community Development Department and Hilary Britton, an office specialist dividing time among administrative departments.
“We're very excited about having them on,” said Silveira, explaining that both were selected from a good pool of candidates.
“These are very talented ladies and we are so proud to have them with our city staff,” said Engstrom.
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Lake County CHP officer receives valor award
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local California Highway Patrol officer traveled to Sacramento this month to receive a special award for his work to save the lives of two people injured earlier this year in a crash.
At a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 5, California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia received the California State Firefighters’ Association Award of Valor for having pulled two crash victims from a burning pickup truck in January.
“I just feel fortunate to have been in the right place and time to be able to help them,” Garcia told Lake County News.
The California State Firefighters’ Association said it gives the Medal of Valor to individuals who “voluntarily risk their own life to an extraordinary degree in saving or attempting to save the life of another person, or voluntarily sacrificed themselves in a heroic manner for the benefit of others.”
On Jan. 27 Garcia came upon a pickup that had gone off of Highway 29 and went into a creek bed. Trapped inside were Dow Walton and Regina Walton, with a third subject, Andy Hopper, having gotten out of the truck.
The vehicle caught fire and the pickup's doors were jammed shut. Despite the intense heat of the fire, Garcia pulled both people through the driver’s window and drug them to safety.
Garcia later was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation, back strain and exhaustion.
“All of us at the Clear Lake Area office are extremely proud of the life-saving efforts performed by Officer Garcia. When duty called, he did not hesitate to act,” said Clear Lake Area Commander Lt. Greg Baarts.
This is one of several honors Garcia has received for his heroic efforts.
In July, he received a commendation from the Lake County Board of Supervisors. He also was among the honorees at the American Red Cross, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties' 10th annual Real Heroes Breakfast in April.
Another CHP officer, Brian Henderson, a helicopter pilot from the agency's Northern Division, also was honored at the Oct. 5 event for his actions that saved the life of a fellow officer during a wilderness rescue in July.
CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said the actions of Garcia and Henderson epitomized bravery and heroism, and exemplified “the highest level of service.”
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