ELECTION 2012: ‘Measure E’ focuses on efforts to improve, protect Clear Lake

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This November, Lake County voters will decide on a sales tax measure that promises to devote much-needed funding toward protecting and improving Clear Lake.

“Measure E” will be on the Nov. 6 ballot, offering voters the opportunity to devote a portion of locally collected sales tax to projects to improve the condition of Clear Lake, which is at the heart of the county’s identity and economy.

At its Aug. 7 meeting, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the resolution calling for Measure E to be put on the Nov. 6 ballot. The board chose to pursue the lake-centered measure over another proposed sales tax measure that would have raised funds for local roads.

Spearheaded by Supervisor Anthony Farrington, Measure E is a half-cent sales tax that would be used exclusively for Clear Lake-based projects.

It’s anticipated that the measure will raise $2.4 million on an annual basis – with estimates that about a third of the revenue will come from visitors to the county, Farrington said.

Farrington, who grew up in Lake County, said this is the first sales tax he’s supported while on the board.

The reason he’s pursuing the tax is that he’s witnessed a change in Clear Lake, and has heard from constituents about their concerns over what has happened to the lake over the past several years.

In addition to increasing problems with algae and weeds, over the past five years the potential for infestation by devastating invasives like the quagga and zebra mussels has become a concern for local officials, who want to implement more stringent protections to keep the mussels out of the lake.

“Clear Lake is the lifeblood of this community,” said Farrington, noting that dealing with algae, weeds and preventing invasive mussels “is in everyone’s best interests.”

What Measure E won’t do, he emphasized, is turn Clear Lake into a swimming pool. Clear Lake is a shallow, warm lake, “and we’re not going to change that,” or seek to dredge it, he said.

Rather, the focus is on mitigating nuisance issues that harm tourism and the economy, and preventing an invasive mussels infestation that would completely alter the lake’s ecological makeup and devastate the economy, he said.

The “Save the Lake” campaign to promote Measure E, which has a short time frame before the November election,  has gotten off to an energetic start.

“It’s going great,” said Farrington. “The response has been very positive.”

The ballot argument was signed by a group of well-respected county residents, including Kelly Cox, retired Lake County administrative officer; businessmen Bill Brunetti, Dennis Darling and Walt Campbell; and Dr. Harry Lyons, an expert on Clear Lake who teaches at Yuba College.

So far it’s been endorsed by a broad range of local groups and individuals, including the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the Lake County Association of Realtors, and the Sierra Club Lake Group and its parent Redwood Chapter.

“Restoring the health of Clear Lake is imperative for its own sake, and also vital for the future of our community,” the Sierra Club Lake Group said in a statement it released on Measure E. “The Sierra Club is therefore proud to endorse Measure E, and urges our members and all Lake County voters who care about the environment to vote in favor of it.”

The Lake County Association of Realtors is donating $3,000 toward the campaign.

“Our Realtors are very concerned about the severe decrease in tourism due to the condition of the lake which seriously impacts the economic survival of Lake County,” the group said. “Businesses are closing, wildlife is harmed, and property values are down. All of these things can be changed with a healthy, clean lake.”

In addition, the effort has a number of other individuals supporting it – including volunteers and contributors – and a committee to guide it.

Farrington started a Facebook page that in just a matter of weeks is hovering near 600 likes. It can be found at https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheLake2012?ref=ts .

A fundraising letter went out earlier this month that, along with other efforts, has so far raised about $5,000 to support the campaign, which has a goal of $20,000, Farrington said.

Fundraising letters also were sent to second home owners in the Bay Area. Since then, Farrington said he’s received 30 to 40 calls a day from people who are very excited about the measure, and are glad action is being taken.

He said those second home owners are sharing a consistent narrative – that of their families owning property in Lake County for generations, but now finding that their children don’t want to visit because of the lake’s condition.

He said the Measure E committee has ordered signs and will soon start placing those around the county, and a direct mailer will be sent to county residents.

How it works; what it would do

The dedicated tax must pass by a two-thirds “super majority” in order to ensure that the funds will be used for the lake only.

The half-cent sales tax – which would not apply to things like groceries – would end up costing about a dime on a $20 purchase, Farrington said.

The tax sunsets in 10 years, at which time voters can have the chance to decide whether to renew it, he said.

Measure E’s expenditure plan allocates 88 percent to weed and algae management, and invasive mussels prevention. Regarding the latter, Farrington said the long-term vision includes placing inspection stations at the four major entry points into the county to screen transient vessels.

Another 11 percent will be used for water quality programs, including wetlands preservation like the Middle Creek restoration project, which would address an area where 70 percent of Clear Lake’s nutrient loading occurs, Farrington said. Those funds also could be used as a match for federal and state grants and seed money to acquire properties in the project area.

Farrington said the last 1 percent would go toward a required independent audit.

A citizens oversight committee would monitor how the funds are used. Farrington said the committee will include two elected officials each from the Lakeport and Clearlake city councils and the Board of Supervisors, and one citizen each from Lakeport, Clearlake and the unincorporated county, for a total of nine members.

Farrington said it’s important to remember that the state rolled back its sales tax by 1 percent about a year ago, and that at 7.25 percent Lake County’s unincorporated area has one of the state’s lowest base tax rates.

One of the biggest challenges Measure E faces is distrust, which Farrington attributes to voters getting let down by state, federal and some local governments.

He said the only pushback the effort has received so far comes from individuals who want to make sure the funds raised actually are spent on Clear Lake.

“They understand the connection of the lake to the entire county, they just have concerns about being certain that it’s going to be spent on the lake and in the lake, and it’s not being spent on government bureaucracy,” he said.

That’s why the board chose to make it a specific tax, Farrington said.

He said the money would stay in Lake County, and not go to Sacramento. “The money can only be spent for lake-related programs and it’s locked in solely for that purpose.”

Improving the lake will preserve and enhance property values, improve tourism, and create jobs and a more stronger economy, said Farrington. “This investment is going to create a better, more vibrant community.”

It’s estimated that the measure will create 20 to 30 local jobs – from running inspection stations to seasonal jobs harvesting algae and weeds.

Using ‘focus and flexibility’ to help Clear Lake

Dr. Harry Lyons, one of the measure’s supporters, frequently gives talks on the lake, as he did last Wednesday night at the Sierra Club Lake Group meeting.

He said he was planning to discuss the lake’s transparency – it’s become clearer than it has been – which speaks to what Lyons calls a “regime change” in the lake. The most notable result of the regime change in Clear Lake has been the increase in cyanobacteria, which is feeding on the nutrient rich conditions in the lake.

“The lake does change,” Lyons said.

“We’ve had important shifts in how the lake behaved,” he continued. “Now is the time for some pilot projects.”

Lyons said that he likes the nice combination of “focus and flexibility” that Measure E offers.

The focus part, he said, regards algae, weeds and preventing a mussels infestation. “It’s not about highfalutin research that I might want to do or someone else might want to do,” Lyons said. “It’s about practical projects on those three areas.”

Lyons expects those projects also will help lead to a better understanding of Clear Lake.

Where the flexibility comes in, Lyons said, is in the form of the citizens oversight committee, which is empowered to decide where the available funds go. As projects succeed or fail then the pattern of effort can change, he said. “I like that.”

As for preventing quagga mussels getting into Clear Lake, Lyons said the issue about the potential for invasives “alerts people to what we have and the value we place on what we have.”

People understand that Clear Lake is a unique system, Lyons said.

“That’s what’s really great about talking to the people who use the lake. They know the lake has changed,” he said.

He doesn’t think there is a common misperception about the lake any more. “People are hip.”

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 24 September 2012

Lakeport city officials complete water, sewer rate protest count

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport city officials have completed a tally of hundreds of protests lodged against proposed water and sewer rate hikes.

The Lakeport City Council held a public hearing required under the auspices of Proposition 218 on the proposed increases, which would double rates over the next five years, last Tuesday, as Lake County News has reported.

After hearing hours of input from unhappy city residents, the council decided to hold over its discussion to its next meeting.

As part of the Proposition 218 process – the 1996 voter initiative that governs how local governments can raise charges, taxes and fees – the city received approximately 818 protest ballots from the 2,430 affected parcels, for a 26-percent protest rate, according to Lakeport City Clerk Janel Chapman.

Of those 818 protests, 640 were valid, and 178 were invalid, for a 28-percent invalid rate, said Chapman.

Chapman said the invalid ballots included 138 that were duplicates, 27 that were from people outside of the city limits, five that had no address or parcel number, and a few stragglers with other issues, such as a listed address that didn’t exist.

If the city had received 1,216 protests – 50 percent plus one of the affected parcels – it wouldn’t have been able to proceed with considering the rate hikes, Chapman said.

Chapman said the last Proposition 218 hearing the city held was in response to the universal garbage service, which went into effect in January 2004. At that time, she said the city received few protests.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 22 September 2012

Lakeport City Council hears sewer, water rate hike protests; holds off on making decision

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday night the Lakeport City Council faced an unhappy crowd of dozens of city residents who came to lodge their protests over the city’s proposal to double water and sewer rates over the next five years.

In the end, after a public hearing that lasted nearly three and a half hours, council members decided to hold off on making a decision, choosing to continue the matter for two weeks while the council weighs the matter further.

City officials said more than 650 protests were filed in response to the rate hike proposal, with 300 of the protests submitted at the start of Tuesday night’s meeting. The invalid rate of the protests – which must be lodged by either a property owner or tenant in the city limits – was running at about 20 percent.

A total of 1,215 protests – 50 percent plus one – are needed to stop the hike from going forward, city administrative staff said Tuesday. However, no more protests will be taken, as the council closed public comment Tuesday night.

City officials say the rate increases are necessary to carry out 10 water and sewer projects, and meet state regulatory requirements.

Before taking public input, Utilities Director Mark Brannigan went over the city’s timeline for considering its rates, which began in July 2009. He said the city has seen a loss of revenue but also an increase in inflation during the recession.

In October 2009 the city held a public workshop to warn that a crisis was brewing, with three to five years in reserve accounts left. Brannigan said the council later approved conducting a rate analysis.

In February 2011, staff received permission to form a stakeholder committee of city residents and businesses in order to solicit information and get feedback on rate increases. After months of seeking applicants they received only one potential volunteer from out of the city, said Brannigan.

This past July, staff presented a consultant’s rate study to the council, which then gave the go ahead for the Proposition 218 notice to hold a public hearing on increasing the rates, he said.

“It's been a long road to get to where we are today,” Brannigan said.

He showed pictures of the city’s weakening water and sewer infrastructure, including the Scotts Creek wells, now in the middle of the creek after the bank began rapidly eroding from the 1998 floods; a sewer treatment pond with a failing concrete lining; a culvert that passes under Highway 29 that, should it fail, will leave the city with no means of redirecting sewage to the treatment plant; military surplus equipment the city has had since the 1980s, including a 1960s-era standby generator, a 1950s air compressor that’s used for jackhammers, a 1960s forklift and a donated mechanic shop that’s now looking warn; and a storage tank with failing interior paint.

Brannigan said a survey of residential water rates around Lake County showed that Lakeport currently is charging an average of $28.25 per month for a single family dwelling, making it one of the least expensive water providers. He said the city also has the highest certified water treatment plant in the county.

On the sewer side, rates are among the highest in the county, which Brannigan said is a result of a 2007  sewer spill that required $3 million in updates to Lakeport’s system.

Finance Director Dan Buffalo told the packed gallery that civic engagement in the process was important.

He said water and sewer rate operations costs were trending upwards. The city had left many vacant positions unfilled to keep costs low. Buffalo also briefly went over the rate increases and how they would rise over the coming five years.

Brannigan, finishing up the staff presentation, told the group, “We know it’s getting expensive. We know disposable income is getting harder and harder to hold onto.”

Tough decisions, challenging times

About two dozen people addressed the council during just over two hours of public input on Tuesday.

They told the council that the proposed increases were far too high and would stretch their resources, in some cases, to the breaking point. There also were complaints about not receiving notices.

Bob Bridges told the council that the public hearing notice was defective and misleading.

He also warned of unintended consequences. “You’re going to devalue all of our properties.”

Bridges brought with him pictures of 54 vacant commercial properties, and said he had spoken to one downtown business that pays $10,000 annually in bed tax but is facing closure over the increased rates.

“This is not the time to be doing this,” he said of the rates.

He referenced a decision this week by the Sonoma City Council, which rejected a rate increase on residents.

Sarah Ryan, Big Valley Rancheria’s environmental director, said the tribe did a study in 2010 that looked at sanitary overflows between 2003 and 2010. The city’s system was responsible for 6.6 million gallons of treated effluent or raw sewage going into watercourses during that time period, she said.

Ryan said the tribe would like to see the city improve its sewer system, and she suggested the city take on water quality projects along Clear Lake. “It’s all about protecting our people and protecting our environment, so I wish you luck.”

Brad Barnwell told the council he had watched that morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting, in which the board discussed its own water projects in the Lakeport area as well as the city’s plans for a water main loop project down S. Main Street. The supervisors approved sending a letter to the city outlining concerns and seeking a meeting.

Barnwell said that the proposed rates should be adjusted, since the county is raising issues with the loop project.

When the discussion came back to the council, Councilman Tom Engstrom asked about how much was to be spent on the 10 sewer and water projects the city is proposing. City Engineer Scott Harter said about $6.9 million.

Engstrom asked Brannigan about the Board of Supervisors meeting earlier in the day, with Brannigan giving him a brief rundown of the discussion.

“They’re going to do everything they can to stonewall this project,” said Engstrom, adding, “It’s all politics.”

Engstrom asked Brannigan if some of the projects – like new water meters – are necessary. The meters are a best practice, but the city doesn’t need them to meet regulatory requirements. The loop system, however, is a need, Brannigan said.

“I have a lot of concern about things that have come up here tonight,” said Engstrom.

Not replacing water meters or the water main loop would only save a total of about $2 per month per bill, which Engstrom said wouldn’t make a big difference.

Councilman Bob Rumfelt told community members that the problems for the sewer and water systems have been getting worse for years.

“We need more money. That's the bottom line,” he said.

Councilman Roy Parmentier told community members that the city’s water and sewer facilities were theirs. While the council didn’t want to raise rates, if they didn’t, the city wouldn’t be able to pursue capital projects or meet regulatory requirements.

As it is, the city’s water enterprise funds can’t meet their bond obligations, he said. “A rate adjustment is necessary.”

Parmentier suggested the city could take $1.7 million from a downtown improvement project and loan it to the water and sewer system.

The idea earned Parmentier some applause. “That’s the last thing I thought I would hear tonight,” he said.

Buffalo said Parmentier was right about possibly using the funds for the system upgrades.

Engstrom asked what would happen if the city reduces the water and sewer projects by $1 million. Buffalo said it’s possible that by scaling back the projects the city could become less competitive for grant funding.

Mayor Stacey Mattina said she hated spending her money or others’ money, but wanted to do what was best for the city today and 40 years in the future.

“Nobody wanted to raise the rates,” she said.

Added Council member Suzanne Lyons, “I think there is nothing more basic to life than water,” and without clean water the city would have a mess.

Mattina said she was willing to hold off on a decision in order to consider everything the council members had heard that night.

“I can support that,” said Engstrom.

Engstrom moved to direct staff to tabulate the protests, verify them and bring them back at the next meeting for the continued discussion. The council approved the motion 5-0.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 19 September 2012

STATE: Volunteers clean up 320 tons of trash in annual Coastal Cleanup Day

Tens of thousands of volunteers spent last Saturday working to make beaches and waterways across California cleaner and safer.

The 28th annual Coastal Cleanup Day – the state’s largest volunteer event – took place on Saturday up and down the California coast, from Mexico to the Oregon border, around San Francisco Bay, and at sites as far inland as Lake Tahoe.

The California Coastal Commission reported that volunteers scoured shorelines and inland locations, picking up trash and debris at over 850 sites in 55 of California’s 58 counties, gathering hundreds of tons of trash during this morning’s three-hour event.

On Monday, with 70 percent of the cleanup sites reporting, the commission said the statewide count stands at 57,442 volunteers.

Those volunteers picked up 534,115 pounds of trash and an additional 105,816 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 639,930 pounds or 320 tons.

Lake County also participated in the event after a lapse of several years. Carolyn Ruttan of Lake County Water Resources said she would have a report ready on Tuesday regarding the local effort.
 
California’s event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy.
 
Data from past cleanups shows that 60 to 80 percent of the debris on California’s beaches and shorelines comes from land-based sources, traveling through storm drains or creeks out to the beaches and ocean.

This year, however, coastal volunteers were on the lookout for debris from a new source: items that may have been washed into the Pacific due to the March 2011 tsunami in Japan.

Volunteers at many sites carried a new data card, designed by the Coastal Commission with help from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, for the purpose of recording potential tsunami debris.
 
“The results will provide us with a baseline against which we can measure future cleanup data from those same locations,” said Eben Schwartz, Marine Debris Program manager for the California Coastal Commission. “Volunteers collect data during every Coastal Cleanup Day, and this year is no different. However, with the potential for a significant increase in the amount of ocean-borne debris reaching California, it is important that we monitor the data closely so that we know where to direct our volunteers and resources in the coming months.”
 
As of Monday, there were three reports of potential tsunami debris found at two locations in California, the commission reported. The debris was categorized as “potential” tsunami debris because it met certain criteria, but has not been confirmed to have come from the tsunami.
 
In addition to tracking down tsunami debris, volunteers picked up a number of “unusual” items during this year’s cleanup.

The winners of the 2012 Most Unusual Item contest are:

• Coastal California: A volunteer at Kehoe Beach in Marin County found an old, degraded love letter that was later read aloud at the celebratory barbecue at the Bay Model Visitor Center.
• Inland California: A volunteer in Redding in Shasta County found a concrete statue of a rabbit.

Whole Foods Market will donate $50 gift certificates to the volunteers who found the unusual items.
 
The Coastal Commission continued an effort, initiated during the 2010 Coastal Cleanup, to reduce the environmental footprint of the cleanup.

The commission asked volunteers to bring their own reusable bag or bucket and reusable gloves to the event, rather than using the single-use disposable items that were available at every site.

Thanks to this effort, the commission was able to order 30 percent fewer trash bags for this year’s event, and early reports indicate that the popularity of the effort is growing.

The latest reports show that 5,222 volunteers brought at least one reusable item from home for use during this year’s cleanup.
 
Those who were unable to make it to the beach for Coastal Cleanup Day can still participate in COASTWEEKS, a three-week celebration of our coastal resources that takes place across the United States.

The Coastal Commission has a calendar of COASTWEEKS events on its Web site. To get involved with COASTWEEKS, or to find out how you can become a Coastal Steward throughout the year, please contact the commission at (800) COAST-4U or visit our Web site at www.coast4u.org .
 
The statewide event is presented by the California Coastal Commission with major statewide support from CG Roxane - Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water. Additional support comes from Whole Foods Market, Oracle, Nature’s Path, Clif Bar, ATTIK, See’s Candies, Lindamar Industries, Bartlett Tree Experts, Union Bank, Marin County Board of Supervisors, Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, The Huntington Beach Marketing & Visitors Bureau and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
 
California Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 is supported by the California Coastal Commission, California State Parks Foundation and Ocean Conservancy.

This event is made possible by the hard work of hundreds of local nonprofits and government agencies throughout the state and tens of thousands of volunteers annually.

The event also is supported by the thousands of Californian’s who’ve purchased the Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail License Plate ( www.ecoplates.com ).

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 18 September 2012