How to resolve AdBlock issue? Burns Valley School students tour capitol, see school artwork display
SACRAMENTO – Burns Valley School fifth grade students had a chance Tuesday to tour the California State Capitol, where their artwork is on display now through Sept. 30.
The students saw their artwork hung in the halls of the great building and gathered in the Assembly chamber where they met Assemblymember Mariko Yamada.
“Maybe one of you will be sitting here one day,” Yamada, who represents Lake County in the Legislature, said as the students swarmed around her anxious to ask their questions.
Yamada worked closely with Burns Valley School teachers to get the students' artwork displayed in the capitol.
The theme of the fifth grade students' exhibit is “An Exploration of the Senses.” Works convey student impressions of sight, touch, taste and sound.
Burns Valley School sixth graders also have an exhibit at the State Capitol. It focuses on the form and function of the leaves of California trees.
“The artwork ranges from colorful abstracts drawn with bright highlighters to hearts and sunbursts made from Nerds candy,” Yamada said. “Student art always brightens up the hallways in the capitol, but the art of Burns Valley students will really surprise you with its attention to technique along with its creativity and vibrancy.”
Burns Valley School teachers Kim Lambert and Jenna Radtke guided the fifth-grade students in their artistic efforts, using an interdisciplinary approach that connects reading to putting paint to paper.
“We asked students 'how does an author's point of view affect their ability to write a piece of literature and how does that process translate to art?' It is cross curricular and they are very aware of their choices,” Radtke said.
The teachers said that if the bar is set high, students will meet the challenge. The process of moving a blank piece of paper to an art exhibit in the Capitol was an exercise in demonstrating to students that, even if they come from humble beginnings, they can have exceptional aspirations.
“We wanted them to see that they can be part of a larger community,” Lambert said. “That they are deserving of having their art displayed somewhere important.”
Road construction delays put the students' trip a bit behind schedule on Tuesday, causing them to miss their staff-guided tour of the building.
However, Healthy Start Site Supervisor Gina Fortino Dickson, who doubles as a Clearlake City Council member, was on hand to lead the tour.
The students were awestruck as they entered the vast doors of the State Capitol Building, making comments about the large statue of Queen Isabella and Columbus that stands near the entrance.
The students marched orderly, as directed, up the massive staircase leading to third floor where their artwork is on display and they met Yamada.
After meeting Yamada, the students continued their tour, with Fortino Dickson pointing out to them pictures of past and present area representatives, a display representing Lake County among other California counties and the Governor's Office, where each and every student took the opportunity to touch the golden bear outside the Governor's door as they passed by.
The student art is on display on the third floor of the Capitol Annex outside the offices of Assembly Rules Committee, Room 3016, and Legislative Counsel, Room 3021. For more information, contact Yamada's Capitol Office at 916-319-2004.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
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- Written by: Denise Rockenstein
Groundbreaking ceremony for new Live Oak Senior Center planned for Sept. 27
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The community is invited to join in a celebration this week marking the beginning of construction on the new Live Oak Senior Center in Clearlake Oaks.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the gazebo in The Plaza across the street from the senior center beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27.
“It’s finally happening!” said Live Oak Senior Center Executive Director Pat Grabham.
Grabham is thrilled that ground has broken on construction for the new 4,000 square foot senior center.
Level floors, better ADA access, a bigger kitchen and an extra 1,600 square feet of space are some of the highlights staff and seniors are looking forward to in the new building.
The current building at 12502 Foothill Blvd. is more than 70 years old and served as the Moose Lodge and a social club before becoming the Live Oak Senior Center in 1984.
In 2008, the county recognized the need to improve the existing center and directed staff to start developing the project.
When it became apparent with the building limitations that repairs were not economically feasible, Thomson & Hendricks, an architect firm out of Chico, was hired to design a new facility.
Grading began on Sept. 17 on the new building site, a vacant lot next door to the current senior center.
The project is scheduled for completion in June 2014.
Eric Seely, deputy county administrative officer for special projects, has been with project since day one.
He praises the support of the Lake County Board of Supervisors. “They should be credited for their long-term vision of setting aside funds for the last several years so that we can finally break ground.”
Grabham said the center’s users are all very excited.
Live Oak is known for its great food – they serve approximately 80 lunches a day on site and prepare another 30 meals to be delivered – but in Grabham's opinion “the social aspect of the center is far more important than the food.”
After lunch, you can find seniors playing cards and dominoes, and often times it can become so noisy that hearing is hard for even the best ears.
At the Friday event refreshments will be served in the existing center after a brief presentation by District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, Seely and Grabham.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Supervisors hear syringe exchange program report; program needs support to survive
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Despite its success in collecting hundreds of thousands of needles, the syringe exchange program serving Lake County is in danger of shutting down unless it can get additional community support.
That was the news the Board of Supervisors received on Tuesday, when county Health Services Director Jim Brown and Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait presented the biannual report on the syringe exchange program.
Brown and Tait's report centered on the group called Any Positive Change, a community-based volunteer organization that carries out the local syringe exchange program.
The report said that the independently funded group centers its approaches on a harm-reduction model. The goal is to reduce the consequences of injection drug abuse; in particular, it seeks to prevent the spread of diseases like hepatitis B and C, and HIV.
While it operates separate from the county with respect to its field activities, Any Positive Change coordinates with the Lake County Department of Health Services and provides data to help define the extent and impact of injection drug use on the county's public health, according to the report.
Any Positive Change provides services throughout Lake County without a fixed site, conducting street outreach with information as well as access to a designated phone number printed on matchbooks which are distributed. A program volunteer responds within 24 hours and makes arrangements to meet with the individuals at agreed-upon locations.
Tait said that the program has grown exponentially, bringing in more needles that it exchanges. They've received no complaints or concerns from the community about the program, which operates under the radar.
She said the program now is facing a sustainability issue, and is challenged in finding new funding sources and volunteers.
Tait said one primary volunteer is committed to the program constantly. “It is very difficult to sustain that kind of commitment,” she said, and as a result there's the possibility of the program closing in the months ahead.
Tait and Brown's report to the board explained that Any Positive Change is responsible for running what is called a large exchange program, which is defined as any program exchanging more than 100,000 syringes per year.
For the two-year period from March 2011 to March 2013, the program received more than 240,000 syringes and delivered more than 116,000 syringes in approximately 459 separate exchanges, according to the report.
Altogether, 68 individuals were served over the past two years. Participants ranged between 22 years and 64 years of age, with 32 being female and 36 being male, based on the report's numbers. Of those clients, 28 had only one encounter with the program.
Tait and Brown's report noted that Lake County had the highest rate of drug-related deaths of all 58 of California's counties, according to the 2013 County Health Status Profiles.
In addition to syringe exchanges, the program refers clients to appropriate medical treatment and encourages them to seek drug treatment when they demonstrate the willingness to accept it, the report explained.
While the syringe exchange program is meant to reduce and prevent diseases like hepatitis and HIV, the report noted that Lake County showed a sharp rise in reported chronic hepatitis C cases in 2012, when 349 cases were reported as compared to 32 in 2011. The report suggested that this could be a result of increased screening and reporting.
Any Positive Change recently had received $13,000 in grants to help fund its activities. Tait and Brown's report noted that the program is expected to come to an end when those funds are exhausted because of the difficulty in finding sustained funding sources and quality volunteer staff, and the perception that there's a general lack of support for the program.
Any Positive Change won the 2012 Stars of Lake County Award for volunteer organization of the year, but Tait and Brown reported that the organization receives “little other positive recognition.”
The program also is often accused of “doing something illegal,” even though syringe exchange programs are authorized in statute and the Any Positive Change program is recognized as legitimate through the local action by the Board of Supervisors, the county health officials reported.
While Any Positive Change reported that its program is generally opposed by law enforcement, its field activities have not run afoul of law enforcement efforts.
The program is expected to come to an end at the end of this year. The potential impacts, based on the Tuesday report, include having more than 100,000 syringes per year that need disposal and individuals who use the program no longer having access.
Tait and Brown suggested that it's important to monitor for measurable consequences if the program comes to an end.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked if Any Positive Change is making referrals to the county's Alcohol and Other Drug Services program. Tait said there are efforts to get people treatment and medical care.
“There definitely has been a positive impact,” Tait said.
Farrington also was curious about how predominant the use of methamphetamine appears to be. Tait said the opioids appear to be predominant, with prescription drugs also on the rise.
The written report Tait and Brown presented to the board noted that most clients served the use multiple substances, with opioid drugs on the increase and Oxycodone being the primary drug of choice. Mexican heroin now also is commonly used.
Supervisor Denise Rushing thanked the program for its extraordinary efforts, noting she feels it is supported at the board level. She said safety net programs are under attack and it's sad to see a good program not get the oxygen it needs.
Annina van Voorene, founder of Any Positive Change, said she's been doing the work for 19 years. While she acknowledged having board support, van Voorene said is been a challenge to get volunteers; she has a full-time job in addition to the work.
“I think this is not sustainable in the way we've been doing it,” van Voorene said.
She said it could be sustained if they had a fixed site, rather than having to travel to different places. She's also written grants to try to get a vehicle.
“I need help,” she said, adding she can't do it all by yourself.
Farrington asked if she would be willing to consider a site if the county could find one and work through the legalities. She said yes but noted that she wanted to be outside of the city of Clearlake because she felt law enforcement there had a negative perception of her program.
Brown said he would have a discussion with AODS about having a syringe exchange location at their site.
Later on Tuesday, van Voorene, who said she's very proud of her work, told Lake County News that she would continue “until the last dime is spent on clean needles.”
She said she won't be sitting at a county building doing syringe exchange; all she really wants is a truck or van and she can find a location herself.
For more information about the program, visit http://www.anypositivechange.net/ .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Pomo Road one-way proposal, marijuana ordinance on Clearlake City Council agenda
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will hold a public hearing this week to consider making Pomo Road a one-way street.
The hearing will take place during the Clearlake City Council's regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive in Clearlake.
The council is considering the proposal because of public concerns expressed about children walking to and from school on the road.
The public hearing will provide residents of the area and other citizens an opportunity to provide their input.
The second reading of an ordinance prohibiting commercial medical marijuana cultivation and other related regulations also is set to take place.
The council has been working with the document since spring. It passed its first reading, with additional verbiage changes, on Sept. 12.
If the ordinance passes its second reading, regulations are to become effective Jan. 1, 2014.
The council also is to consider a temporary street closure for the "Trunk or Treat" event on Oct. 31 at Austin Park, as well as amending an urgency ordinance extending a temporary building moratorium on Lakeshore Drive between Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53 an additional three months.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
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Applicants sought for county boards, commissions
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Interested community members are being sought for positions on a number of county advisory boards.
The Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants to fill vacancies or seek reappointments on the following boards and commissions:
- Animal Control Advisory Board, Supervisorial District 2: One vacancy.
- Big Valley Groundwater Management Zone Commission: Three vacancies – One member at large and two for the water district.
- Building Board of Appeals: Five vacancies, one representative from each supervisorial district.
- Child Care Planning and Development Council: Seven vacancies, child care provider (2), consumer (2), discretionary appointee (2) and public agency.
- Clear Lake Advisory Sub-Committee Advisory Board: Six vacancies in the categories of agriculture, aquatic plants, Elem Indian Colony, fishery, habitat-ecology and wildlife.
- Emergency Medical Care Committee -Seven (7) vacancies: California Highway Patrol, community college district, consumer-interested group, EMT representative, paramedic representative, private ambulance company and sheriff’s office.
- Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee: Three vacancies, one each for Supervisorial Districts 2, 3 and 4.
- Heritage commission: Six vacancies, Supervisorial Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5, and member at large (2).
- In Home Support Services Public Authority Advisory Committee: Five vacancies, disabled community representative, provider, senior consumer (2) and disabled consumer.
- Law Library Advisory Board of Trustees: One vacancy, Board of Supervisors appointee.
- Library Advisory Board: One vacancy, Supervisorial District 5.
- Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Advisory Board: Five vacancies, general membership.
- Mental Health Board: Two vacancies, members at large.
- Section 8 Resident Advisory Board: Seven vacancies, general membership.
- Spring Valley CSA No. 2 Advisory Board: Two vacancies, residents.
All the vacancies are countywide unless stated.
For applications, or if you have questions regarding a vacancy on one of these advisory boards, please contact the clerk to the board at 707-263-2371.
Applications are available at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 North Forbes St., Lakeport, Calif., or the form below can be used.
Please note that all memberships on the above referenced advisory boards are voluntary.
Lake County Advisory Board Application- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
