How to resolve AdBlock issue? Supervisors to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, hold assessment appeal hearings
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a relatively short agenda this week, the Board of Supervisors will designate October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and host a series of assessment appeal hearings.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. It will be broadcast live on TV8.
At 9:10 a.m., the board will present the proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
At 9:15 a.m., assessment appeal hearings will be held on properties owned by Tuleyome Inc., Jerome and Linda Mundel, James Trudell, WeiQi Lin and Colleen Pope.
The full agenda follows.
TIMED ITEMS
9 a.m., A-1 to A-4: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda, and contract change orders for current construction projects.
9:05 a.m.: Citizen's input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the clerk of the board’s office, first floor, courthouse).
9:10 a.m., A-5: Presentation of proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
9:15 a.m., A-6: Assessment appeal hearings: Tuleyome Inc. - Application No. 123-2011 - 14067 24 N 02 Road, Lucerne, CA (APN 002-038-010-000/990-063-536); Jerome and Linda Mundel - Application No. 72-2011 - 19725 Donkey Hill Road, Hidden Valley Lake, CA (APN 142-453-070-000); James Trudell - Application No. 121-2011 - 8336 Paradise Valley Road, Lucerne (APN 060-321-050-000); WeiQi Lin - Application No. 122-2011 - 7302 East State Highway 20, Lucerne (APN 060-121-020-000); Colleen Pope - Application No. 124-2011 - 7595 Al Drive, Lucerne (APN 060-071-090-000).
NONTIMED ITEMS
A-7: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports
CLOSED SESSION
A-8: 1.Conference with Labor Negotiator: (a) County Negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, S. Harry, M. Perry, A. Flora and C. Shaver; and (b) employee organizations: Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association, Lake County Employees Association and Lake County Safety Employees Association.
A-8: 2. Conference with real property negotiator, (a) property located at: 3980 Gard St., Kelseyville (APN 024-081-01); (b) negotiating parties for county: Supervisor Rob Brown, Child Support Services Director Gail Woodworth, County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora; for seller, Kelseyville Unified School District representatives; (c) under negotiation, lease terms.
CONSENT AGENDA
C-1: (a) Carried over from Sept. 24; approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held on Sept. 10 and 17, 2013; and (b) approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Sept. 24, 2013.
C-2: Adopt proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
C-3: Approve lease agreement between the county of Lake and Albert Moretti and Theresa Moretti for office space located at 525 N. Main St., Lakeport (APN 025-372-020) for use by the Child Support
Services Department, through July 14, 2014, at a monthly rate of $7,888, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-4: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Redwood Children’s Services Inc., for FY 2013-14 Alcohol and Other Drug Perinatal Program services, total amount $299,655, and authorize the
chair to sign.
C-5: (a) Adopt resolution approving final parcel map and the signing of the final parcel map and ordering the summary vacation of a portion of public roadway, Elk Mountain Road, County Road No. 301, in the County of Lake (Zabel PM 12-03); and (b) approve deferred improvement agreement between the county of Lake and Harry Zabel and Nancy Zabel, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
C-6: (a) Waive the formal bidding process and make a determination that competitive bidding is not appropriate due to acquisition of equipment from a sole source vendor; and (b) approve purchase of 10 C-IV scanners from the county of San Bernardino and authorize the Social Services Director/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order to the county of San Bernardino, in the amount of $27,293, for 10 C-IV scanners.
C-7: Approve addendum to agreement between the county of Lake and SafeMeasures to extend agreement through Sept. 30, 2015, an increase of $400 to annual rate, for Internet access to SafeMeasures tools, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-8: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Refined Technologies Inc., for Public Authority Registry software through June 30, 2016, amount not to exceed $500 per month, and authorize the chair to sign.
C-9: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Fierce Inc. for trainer travel expenses, amount not to exceed $1,668.61, and authorize the chair to sign.
WATERSHED PROTECTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
C-10: Approve purchase agreement for property located at 8920, 8922 and 8930 Bridge Arbor North and 8219 Reclamation Road, Upper Lake (APNs 003-041-10, 004-013-10, 003-042-10 & a portion of 004-014-11- Weger Interests Ltd.) for the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, and authorize the chair to sign.
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Suicide prevention efforts highlighted in September
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A local task force is working to reduce the county's high suicide rate through education, support and a public awareness campaign.
The effort has been highlighted in September, which is “Suicide Prevention Month.”
Linda Aldridge, Lake County Behavioral Health prevention specialist, said a suicide prevention task force is working with a representative from Family Service Agency of Marin as part of the North Bay Suicide Prevention Project.
The issue of suicide is a serious one for Lake County.
The county's health data shows that the death rate attributed to suicide in 2009 was 34.5 per 100,000 – nearly four times the state rate.
The Clearlake City Council at its Sept. 12 meeting commended the efforts of the group with a proclamation and extended its support in raising awareness to help prevent the pain of suicide.
A needs assessment is currently being conducted to better understand suicide in Lake County, said Aldridge.
“We have been implementing the survey that we created as well as conducting focus groups,” she said, adding some materials have been developed including a crisis hotline, 1-800-900-2075.
In addition, Aldridge said a representative from the statewide suicide prevention campaign, “Know the Signs,” is working with the task force to develop for the helpers of those who are at risk.
“There are already some posters and brochures that have been developed for use statewide that encourage those helpers to pay attention to warning signs and discuss how to ask the hard question and connect people with additional resources,” she said.
Aldridge said the task force currently is working specifically on materials for participants at an upcoming youth leadership summit that is being planned by Lake County Behavioral Health in partnership with Lake County Office of Education and Redwood Children Service.
The task force also is working on materials geared toward the American Indian population, she said.
Aldridge credited Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Executive Council members Aimee Jackson and Ida Morrison, and American Indian youth representative Amelia Rodriguez for doing “a wonderful job outreaching to the community for participation in the tribal suicide prevention efforts.”
She added, “They recently collaborated with the Sonoma County Indian Health Project to provide a Gathering of Native Americans for youth where suicide prevention was a major component.”
Aldridge said the task force is collaborating with the Bay Area Suicide and Crisis Prevention Alliance and Mendocino County to hold a suicide prevention network meeting.
The meeting will present current and best practices in suicide prevention and provide the most recent information for reducing suicide and connecting with resources, Aldridge said.
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Special animal adoption event to begin Sept. 30
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control is planning another of its special adoption events.
The event, which will take place from Monday, Sept. 30, through Saturday, Oct. 5, will allow those who want to add a new friend to their home to do so at reduced rates.
This is the second of the special adoption events held this year. The previous one took place in April.
The Board of Supervisors approved the creation of an amnesty program in February 2012 that allows Animal Care and Control to hold up to four such events a year in an effort to increase adoption rates. The adoption events include a county adoption fee waiver.
Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said the county adoption fee waiver will result in a $20 cost reduction in cats and $30 cost reduction for dogs.
He said the cost to adopt cats – which includes a health exam, altering, vaccinations and microchip – will cost $76 for males and $86 for females.
For dogs, males will cost $121 to adopt, with females under 60 pounds costing $131 and $146 for those over 60 pounds. He said the total cost for dogs includes health exam, altering, vaccinations, heartworm test, microchip and license.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm and see the animals available for adoption.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
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Clearlake Oaks celebrates start of new senior center project
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Members of what Supervisor Denise Rushing called the “little community that could” gathered on Friday morning to celebrate another important new project in Clearlake Oaks.
The ceremony – complete with golden shovels – marked the official groundbreaking of the Live Oak Senior Center, a project that has been several years in the making.
Rushing lauded the community for its involvement, and retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox – under whose administration the new center's planning initially was launched – said the project exemplified what is possible when communities and governments partner for a common goal, even in the toughest of times.
Work on the new $1.5 million center actually began with grading early last week on the vacant lot next to the current senior center.
The foundation for the new 4,000-square-foot building already is down and workers with Chico-based Randy Hill Construction – to which the board awarded the construction contract at its Sept. 10 meeting – were busy at the site as the Friday event took place.
The new building is going up on a lot that had belonged to the neighboring Clearlake Oaks Community United Methodist Church, which agreed to sell it for use as the new senior center location.
The current center, located at 12502 Foothill Blvd., will continue to offer services – including its popular meals and a place for community meetings – while construction is under way, according to Eric Seely, deputy county administrative officer for special projects.
Once construction on the new center is complete – it's expected to be done by next June – the current building will be demolished to make way for a new parking lot, Seely said.
Before its incarnation as a senior center in 1984, the building – estimated to be more than 70 years old – had housed a social club and Moose Lodge.
But the aging building has reached the end of its useful life, Seely said, which led the county to setting the groundwork for building a new center beginning in 2008.
The plan has weathered the lean years of the recession, failure to land a grant and the end of redevelopment. However, thanks to the Board of Supervisors putting away money each year, Seely said the new center is becoming a reality.
“This is all exclusively county general fund money that the board has been setting aside,” said Seely.
He added that the county's former redevelopment agency was going to play a role before it was dismantled due to state legislation and a California Supreme Court ruling. Before the agency was dissolved, it funded the development of the new center's blueprints.
Also on hand for the Friday ceremony were Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka, owner of Ruzicka Associates in Lakeport.
The county's original architect went out of business during the process of planning the new center, and Ruzicka Associates stepped in to make sure the plans complied with the 2010 building codes, Seely said.
He credited Ruzicka Associates for fulfilling a “critical role” in the project. The firm will continue to be involved as the work moves forward, providing special inspection and testing during construction.
The new center will be about 1,600 square feet larger than the current facility, offering a bigger kitchen, level floors and better access as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the county reported.
Live Oak Senior Center Executive Director Pat Grabham – excited to see the new building taking shape – said the center currently serves about 80 to 90 seniors lunch five days a week.
In 2009, they started a bus service to bring seniors to the center in order to enjoy social interaction, which Grabham said is important to keep seniors healthy and connected.
Grabham envisions an expansion of services in the new facility, which will be able to accommodate more people and may even enable them to offer meals seven days a week.
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Council delays Pomo Road decision, approves marijuana ordinance
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council postponed a decision Thursday in considering a proposal to designate Pomo Road as a one-way street between Lakeshore Drive and Arrowhead Road, but moved forward with approving the final reading of a medical marijuana cultivation ordinance.
The proposal Pomo Road proposal is to be revisited at the time of the city's midyear budget review, expected to take place in February 2014.
The council concluded more time is needed to collect and review information regarding associated impacts and results of mitigation measures that have been put in place.
The consensus to postpone was reached following a public hearing that included comments from residents of Pomo Road and the surrounding area, many of whom said they supported the proposal but expressed greater concern for excessive speed on the road.
“Sounds like speed is more the issue,” Mayor Joyce Overton said. “I don't see how a one-way street is going to fix this, after hearing everything. It's not going to fix the (speeding problem).”
Pomo Road is located in the northern area of Clearlake. It provides a direct route from Lakeshore Drive – the city's main thoroughfare – to Pomo School, which is accessed through a five-way stop that crosses Arrowhead Road.
A recent reconfiguration of school bus routes resulting in increased pedestrian traffic prompted the proposal by way of public concern regarding the safety of children walking to and from school.
Concern about school bus traffic on the narrow roadway also persists. Mitigation measures to divert school buses from Pomo Road are in place; however, City Manager Joan Phillipe said there has not been sufficient time since the beginning of the school year to evaluate the results.
Phillipe said according to a report prepared by Phil Dow, traffic engineer for the Area Planning Council, usual indicators of traffic volume and accidents do not rise to the level of mandating a change.
There is nothing to indicate making Pomo Road one-way is out of the question, however, Phillipe said concern has been expressed by public safety and public works staff that such a designation may result in increased speeds.
Pomo Road resident Joanna McKinley said she recently moved to the area and recognized the danger associated with the roadway immediately.
She said she supported the proposed designation but, if not possible, “would request at least a speed bump” be installed.
“It's not just the traffic and the kids, it's the speed,” she said, later adding, “It would be safer for the (children) if there was one car instead of two (on the roadway).”
McKinley's husband, Doug, who spoke later in the discussion, said he often hears vehicles “at full throttle hitting that hill” from Lakeshore Drive.
“The speed is what worries me. Speed on that blind hill is a recipe for disaster,” he said.
Joanna McKinley claimed she has witnessed school buses traveling as fast as 45 miles per hour up the road. “They still do use it daily, city buses, too,” she said.
Another resident of the road said she has also seen school buses “fly up the hill.”
Phillipe said Konocti Unified School District bus drivers have been directed against using Pomo Road; however, it is possible substitute bus drivers may be unaware. She said the Konocti Unified transportation department will be contacted to ensure all bus drivers are aware of the directive.
City Engineer Bob Galusha said the city does not have an established policy addressing requests for the installation of speed bumps.
He said while there is a potential for hazard, and enforcement would be an issue because of limited police availability, staff could research the suggestion.
Dow said there often are liabilities associated with the installation of speed bumps and that they are typically used in “very residential” areas.
Fred Moeller, who also resides on Pomo Road, questioned the enforceability of maintaining single-direction traffic flow, specifically by vehicles accessing the road from connecting side-streets. Overton and Dow said typical one-way traffic signage would be used.
Rick Brindle, who lives in the area of a connecting street, opened the discussion to impacts likely to result from a redirection of traffic. “Other streets can't handle the additional traffic,” he said.
Brindle said he supported the idea of speed bumps. He said the believed making the street one-way would “make people drive faster.”
Overton said she wanted more information regarding possible impacts to roads likely to be used as alternate routes – for example, Arrowhead Road, which, according to Galusha, currently accommodates nearly 10 times the traffic that Pomo Road does.
Dow said while a problem obviously exists with Pomo Road, there are no findings that mandate a change. “What we have is a solution while looking for a problem,” he said. “There is a problem, everyone knows it, but there is no evidence.”
Designating the street as one-way is estimated at a proposed cost of about $8,000, not including staffing and engineer costs.
In other council news, the second reading of the city's medical marijuana cultivation ordinance was conducted.
The ordinance, which is modeled on the cultivation ordinance adopted by the Lake County Board of Supervisors, prohibits commercial grows, grows on vacant lots and puts limitations on the number of plants allowed. With Thursday's approval, the ordinance is to become effective Jan. 1, 2014.
The ordinance prohibits cultivation within 600 feet of a school or licensed child day care center. The number of plants allowed is connected to parcel size, allowing no more than six plants on parcels smaller than a half acre and as many as 48 plants on properties 40 acres or larger.
Processing of marijuana is to be limited to the amount of plants that can be grown on a given parcel.
Grows on vacant lots are prohibited as is cultivation in mobile home parks – unless management has designated a specific garden area. Cultivation on multifamily and apartment properties also is prohibited.
The ordinance also establishes setback and screening requirements.
It is the city's intent to enforce the ordinance based on legitimate and verified complaints.
The council continued an item requesting a three-month extension of a temporary building moratorium on Lakeshore Drive.
The extension was recommended by the Clearlake Planning Commission, which made the request in order to conduct a workshop to further address design guidelines submitted by the Clearlake Vision Task Force. The item is expected to return to the council at its Oct. 10 meeting.
In addressing questions from the public and the council, Phillipe said current construction activity at the Shell gas station on Lakeshore Drive was approved and permitted by the planning commission well before the moratorium was put in place.
A request for temporary closure of Golf Avenue between Lakeshore Drive and Ballpark Avenue on Oct. 31 for the purpose of conducting a Halloween event called “Trunk 'n' Treat” was approved.
Event coordinators will be holding a planning meeting, 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at Lake County Youth Service center on Golf Avenue. Anyone wishing to contribute to the event is encouraged to attend.
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