Lucerne community members speak against water rate hike proposal; supervisors agree to send letter to state

LAKEPORT, Calif. – During an hour and a half long hearing last Tuesday the Board of Supervisors heard from numerous Lucerne residents about their frustration over California Water Service Co.’s plans to seek a 77-percent water rate increase, with the board voting unanimously to send a letter to the state in opposition to the rate hike.

The lakeside town has the highest rates in Cal Water’s 34-district system, and has seen rate increases jump by more than 160 percent since 2005.

Supervisor Denise Rushing asked the board to support sending a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission. “This board obviously doesn't set the rates for the water in Lucerne,” she said, asking instead that the board be willing to speak for Lucerne.

Her memorandum to the board cited the community’s economic challenges and also voiced her skepticism of the motivation behind the rate increase. She said the reasons cited for the increase include $108,000 in salaries, $38,000 in employee benefits and a 2011 remodel of Cal Water’s San Jose office.

Lucerne pays the highest share per volume of water for 33 of Cal Water’s 34 districts, and Rushing wanted support to ask legislators to look at options for rate reform, particularly for disadvantaged communities.

During the Tuesday discussion community members asked the county to purchase the system or to build a new one, neither of which seemed viable options, as the system isn’t for sale and state law would require the county to reimburse Cal Water for its facilities if a competing system was built.

Resident Barbara Johnson said a lot of work had gone into fixing up Lucerne, with the county improving the lakefront and working to bring Marymount College to town to have a campus at the Lucerne Hotel.

“The little town has really improved in the nine years I've been here,” she said.

But Johnson said the town’s infrastructure was crumbling underneath, and that all of the good investment would be wasted if people can’t afford to live there.

She said people need to understand the ratemaking structures, and added that she believed it would be a “technical fight” with the California Public Utilities Commission.

Kurt McKelvey said he had crunched the numbers and under the new 77-percent rate increase, water would go up from $7.90 per hundred cubic feet to $13.98 per hundred cubic feet.

“The people of Lucerne just cannot afford this,” he said.

He said that Cal Water purchases water from Yolo Flood from Clearlake for $55 per acre foot, or about 12 cents per hundred cubic feet, then charges $7 per hundred cubic feet to customers, a 6,275-percent markup.

He said Cal Water had stated in documents submitted the CPUC that it was expecting to bring in $2.2 million in 2012 from the more than 1,200 households that have water service in Lucerne. He asked for help in creating fair water rates for disadvantaged communities.

Becky Ornellas, who along with husband Ken owns the Foster’s Freeze in Lucerne, told the board that if something wasn’t done about the water rates, she was going to close the restaurant’s doors.

She said they had worked to build up the town only to see it dry up several times. Despite conservation, she said her costs have continued to go up.

Ruth Valenzuela of state Assemblyman Wes Chesbro’s office said Chesbro sent a letter to the CPUC on Tuesday morning.

In the seven years she’s worked for the state, Valenzuela said she had heard about Lucerne’s water issue constantly, and suggested there may be a “bigger fix” that can happen. However, she said Chesbro will only represent Lake County four more months due to redistricting.

She read from Chesbro’s letter, which can be seen below in its entirely. In it, Chesbro noted that since Jan. 1, 2009, 92 homes in Lucerne had been lost to foreclosure, amounting to one displaced family every two weeks. He also quoted the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported that more than 41 percent of Lucerne’s households earn less than $25,000 a year, with 21 percent of residents being seniors.

Charles Behne said he paid nearly $300 every two months for water, with most of the costs being surcharges.

“We pay more than what they say our average surcharge is without even using any water,” he said.

Alan Flora of the county’s administrative office told the board that Cal Water’s definition of a “typical metered residential customer” is carefully worded. If all of the vacant homes are figured in, the average person’s rate is much higher than the roughly $62 per month that the company estimates residents pay.

“The discrepancy is in the vacancy rate, I think,” Flora said.

Lucerne resident Skip Walton said he’s used 81 CCFs – a CCF is 100 cubic feet – in nine years. He’s paid more than $1,800 for the four CCFs he’s used in the last six years, more than double what he paid for the 77 CCF he used during the first three years he lived in Lucerne.

“I’m on the brink of leaving this property,” he said.

Cal Water’s system needs fixing – he referenced leaking pipes that lost a third of the water that passed through them. While the company has new trucks, more staff and a new office, “We still have stinky, rotten, leaking pipes.”

Cal Water’s stockholders, Walton said, have never not gotten dividends.

Craig Bach said Cal Water billed its Lucerne residents for more than $8 million in improvements they didn’t get based on previous water plant designs. Of the 450,000 customers in Cal Water’s system, Bach said only about 4,500 – including Lucerne – have onerous rates. He said Cal Water has authority from CPUC to do pretty much what it wants.

Cal Water representative addresses board

Tom Smegal, Cal Water’s vice president for regulatory matters and corporate relations, told the board that the comments given at the meeting would be appropriate before the CPUC.

He said Lucerne’s customers “are not even paying the entire cost of providing water service to the community here.”

Smegal said each of the town’s customers receive about $300 annually in water subsidies, and Cal Water was seeking to raise that amount to $375 annually in its application to the CPUC, which he asked the board and customers to support.

In addition, while 30 percent of Lucerne’s customers are on a low-income program that gives them a $12 per month credit, Smegal said the company estimates another 10 percent of the customers who are qualified aren’t enrolled.

Smegal said the company is perfectly willing to have a full audit of all of its costs. “No one should be shy about asking why it costs so much to provide water service in Lucerne,” he said, adding that in 2005 Lucerne organized a group to participate in the rate process.

The board pointed out that the county-run systems are run at far less cost to customers, and they have the same costs as Cal Water.

Board Chair Rob Brown asked Smegal if Cal Water had ever been denied a rate increase. Smegal said the CPUC had always changed their rate requests.

“It’s an old game,” said Brown. “You ask for 100 knowing full well you’re going to get 65.”

Brown said every community around the lake is having issues, and when the county looks at its water rates it considers socioeconomic factors of the particular community. Referring to Foster’s Freeze, Brown said there was a business that had survived a recent armed robbery but can’t survive a rate increase.

“We have some real problems with this amount of rate increase,” Brown said, telling Smegal that he needed to take that back to Cal Water, and everything needed to be done to make the rates reasonable.

Rushing said massive capital investment in the community has been made and more is needed. She said there should be an affordability index.

Cal Water had already started the process of killing the community economically. “You’re going to have a four and a half million dollar plant with no ratepayers to pay for it,” she said. Rushing said the CPUC needed to look at legislative remedies.

She compared the idea of capping water rates to the salary cap in baseball.

Brown replied, “The difference is, no one is forced to watch th game. Here they are.”

Concerns about community’s survival

Supervisor Jim Comstock asked Smegal why – if the costs of operating the Lucerne system were so high – the company simply didn’t put the system up for sale. Smegal said the company is providing service at the required level.

“That wasn’t a frivolous question,” said Comstock. “I meant it.”

Smegal didn’t directly answer the question. “We’re in the business of providing good water service,” he said.

Supervisor Anthony Farrington said the county’s own systems have lacked investment over the years and become antiquated, and the county has had to bring up rates.

He pointed out to Smegal, “In your application, part of the rationale is the decrease in water usage,” while the county rewards people for reducing use.

Farrington asked Smegal if the company spread its rate base across the company’s customers or if they stayed within the district. It was the latter, said Smegal.

Smegal also told the board that about 98 percent of the company’s costs were fixed, and that there is an incentive for conservation.

Farrington said when the company institutes draconian rates it cuts into disposable income, adversely affecting the community and economy. He said he was concerned about what would happen when Marymount College opens its Lucerne campus, and the water costs it could face.

“You would kill our community in its entirety,” Farrington said.

He asked if the company aimed at a certain percentage of return. Smegal said the company got an 8.25-percent rate of return on what is invested in its infrastructure, which was explained was just the water system and pipes.

Farrington asked if it was possible that rates would be brought down if the Legislature was interested in introducing an equitable approach for spreading around costs.

“That’s a big topic,” said Smegal, urging the board “to be a little cautious with that.”

Smegal said that could lead to subsidizing other high ratemaking areas in wealthy coastal communities such as Rancho Palos Verdes and the Menlo Park-Atherton area.

He said the CPUC is holding a proceeding on ratemaking and said CPUC Chair Michael Peevey was interested in the matter. Farrington said the county had worked with Peevey on other issues and didn’t think he was truly interested.

Smegal said Peevey had been interested in the last ratemaking case when Lucerne received high rate increases and implemented a proceeding, but Smegal said Lucerne hasn’t been represented in that matter.

Farrington asked how a more equal distribution of rates would hurt Lucerne. Smegal said it would hurt other areas.

Community members asked if it was possible to condemn the system and have the county take it through eminent domain. “If the system were for sale it would be complicated enough,” said Rushing, noting that eminent domain would have the added costs of legal proceedings.

County Counsel Anita Grant said public utilities code protects private utilities even further in such cases. If the county created a competing district, it would still have to pay Cal Water for its assets.

Rushing said there were many challenges. “My message to Cal Water is, this issue isn’t going away because the town is suffering,” she said. “This is an economic disaster for the town of Lucerne.”

She moved to have the board send a letter against the rate increase to the CPUC. “We have to go one level up and look at his from a ratemaking perspective,” she said, and they would ask the CPUC to make sure water was affordable.

The board voted 5-0 to send the letter, with each board member to sign it. The vote received a round of applause.

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August 14, 2012

Mr. Michael Peevey, President
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA  94102

Dear President Peevey:

I am writing to voice my concern about California Water Service Company’s (Cal Water) proposed water rate increase for the residents of Lucerne in Lake County.  

As you may know, Cal Water recently filed for a general rate case application in which they are asking for a 77% increase over three years to the rate payers in Lucerne, one of Lake County’s most disadvantaged communities.  Since January 1, 2009, at least 92 homes have been lost to foreclosure in Lucerne.  This amounts to one displaced family every two weeks.   According to the US Census Bureau, over 41% of Lucerne households earn less than $25,000 per year and almost 21% of residents are seniors.

Cal Water states that the proposed rate increase is substantial, effectively doubling Lucerne residents’ water costs within three years, bringing the average bill from $62.85 per month to $124.22 per month.  In this case, “average” as stated by Cal Water, while quite high, may be misleading.  Lucerne is a community that has a large number of homes which are used as vacation or second homes and therefore has a vacancy rate of over 25%.  The real cost to a full time household may be substantially higher.  

In the past several years, Lucerne has seen its share of rate increases.  In 2005, the company sought a 247%increase, receiving approval from the CPUC for a 121-% rate increase in 2006. In 2009, Cal Water requested an increase of 54.9 % and was granted an increase of 41.8 %becoming effective in 2011.  

I would appreciate your serious consideration for the residents of Lucerne.  I am not sure that another severe water rate increase can be absorbed without severe repercussions to the community.

Respectfully,

WESLEY CHESBRO
Assemblyman, 1st District

081412 Lake County Board of Supervisors - Lucerne Water Rate Increase

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 19 August 2012

Fairgrounds transformed into Wye Fire command center

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Over the last several days the Lake County Fairgrounds have been transformed into the nerve center of Cal Fire’s firefighting operations for a large wildfire incident burning east of Clearlake Oaks.

Incident Commander Eric Hoffman and his team are using the fairgrounds as the base of their operations in the effort to contain the Wye Fire.

The Wye and Walker fires exploded on Sunday afternoon, burning thousands of acres along Highway 20 and leading to evacuations of Spring Valley and Wilbur Hot Springs, with the Walker Fire moving into Colusa County.

Hoffman heads up Cal Fire Incident Management Team 4, which is handling the two fires as one incident.

By Wednesday evening the fire had burned 7,934 acres, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire spokesman Kevin Colburn told Lake County News during a Wednesday visit to the command center that the Wye Fire is expected to be fully contained next Monday, Aug. 20.

“It’s looking pretty good out there,” Colburn said.

The fire, which had been moving to the northeast, had reached 75 percent containment by Wednesday evening, and by that time Colburn said some firefighters and resources already were being sent to a fire in Butte County.

As of Wednesday, the effort to fight the Wye Fire had cost approximately $4,244,640, Colburn said.

During the first days of the fire lack of wind had helped firefighters, according to a report that Hoffman and liaison officer Scott Lindgren gave to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

There were some light winds beginning Tuesday evening, but Colburn said those didn’t appear to have had much of an impact.

Bigger challenges were tough terrain and heat, with temperatures on the fire line about 110 degrees, he said.

Transforming the fairgrounds

Richard Persons, chief executive officer of the Lake County Fair, said officials arrived at 6 a.m. Monday and that day had the incident command center fully set up.

He said that the command base is using 28 acres of the fair’s 34-acre grounds. The only areas not being used are the speedway track – where races this weekend have been postponed – and Lewis Hall.

At the same time, final preparations are under way for the annual Lake County Fair, which this year takes place from Thursday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Sept. 2.

Persons said this Saturday fair exhibits are due to start coming in. Normally, the exhibits would be received in three different buildings, but because the incident command needed the various buildings for operations the fair will use Lewis Hall only for receiving exhibits.

He said Cal Fire will pay for the use of the grounds, but a final number hasn’t been set and negotiations were still under way.

As to the timeline for the command center to transition out of the fairgrounds, “It’s been a moving target,” said Persons.

With the fire expected to be contained early next week, Persons said Cal Fire officials indicated the center will move at some time after that.

The last time the fairgrounds hosted a fire incident command center was about 12 years ago, said Persons, and it wasn’t as large or complex as the setup for the Wye Fire.

A tour around the fairgrounds showed what looked very much like a small city within a city, with different parts of the grounds dedicated to specific purposes.

Parked near Konocti Christian Academy were communications trailers. Persons said the fairgrounds don’t have Internet services for the command center, so Cal Fire brought their own. On Monday, AT&T came in and hooked up phone lines.

Up at the Baldwin Pavilion, California Conservation Corps personnel were staged with supplies for firefighters, and had their own tents set up for bedding down at night.

Morning briefings are held on a grassy area outside of the theater building.

Most of the fair’s main buildings housed groups of Cal Fire employees handling matters such as finance, supplies and a number of other logistical concerns.

Around the grounds were tucked a number of air-conditioned sleeping tents for firefighters.

There was a large outdoor kitchen facility, with grills covered with steaks to feed hungry inmate firefighters coming off of the lines. The men ate in a covered grassy area.

Across Forbes Creek there were temporary laundry and shower facilities, with large water bladders of fresh water and other bladders to catch the used water. Persons said a sanitation company was coming in and out daily to remove the used water.

Nearby there was a fuel depot for all of the fire equipment and vehicles, and the baseball diamond was used for a large parking lot. There also were separate areas for vendors.

Colburn said that many of the Cal Fire staffers were staying at local motels nearby in Lakeport.

Jeff Tunnell, fire management specialist with the Ukiah office of the Bureau of Land Management, who was at the command center Wednesday, said the Wye Fire has burned about 1,500 acres of BLM land.

While BLM is a federal agency, “Cal Fire protects our lands, too,” Tunnell said.

“We didn’t lose any facilities or improvements,” he said, adding that the fire likely will help the habitat.

Cal Fire officials reported this week that the fire had jumped Highway 20 and burned about 50 acres in the Cache Creek Recreation Area.

While Tunnell said the recreation area remains open, Cal Fire said hunting has been restricted 10 miles north and south of Highway 20, between Highway 53 and Highway 16, due to fire conditions and in the interest of firefighter safety.  

Cal Fire has set up the Wye Fire Call Center for the public; the center can be reached at 707-967-4207 or 707-967-4208.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 16 August 2012

Wye Fire reaches 7,000 acres; fire officials give update to Board of Supervisors

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Wye Fire burning east of Clearlake Oaks continued to grow overnight, reaching 7,000 acres by Tuesday morning.

The incident – which includes both the Wye and Walker fires – began burning Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53 and Walker Ridge Road. The Walker portion of the incident is burning both in Lake and Colusa counties.

Cal Fire said the fire grew another 1,000 acres since Monday night, reaching 7,000 acres. By Tuesday morning, firefighters had reached 30 percent containment on the incident.

Members of Cal Fire Incident Management Team 4 gave the Board of Supervisors an update on the incident on Tuesday morning.

Scott Lindgren, the liaison officer, and Eric Hoffman, the incident commander, showed the board maps of the two fires and discussed firefighters’ progress.

Regarding the Wye fire, “We have good line around the fire right now,” said Lindgren.

Hoffman said that because of the line around the fire they believed they could hold it from growing further.

The Walker Fire – which Lindgren said is burning about half in Lake County and half in Colusa County – had jumped across Highway 20 to the south on Monday afternoon, moving into the Cache Creek Wilderness Area. Lindgren said firefighters were able to hold that spot to 50 acres.

In addition, Lindgren said the east end of the Walker Fire had jumped Bear Valley Road and Bear Creek on Monday and made a good push to the east.

Thanks to additional dozer line put in on Monday night, Lindgren said they believed they could hold the Walker Fire up against Highway 20 and Highway 16.

“We’re feeling pretty confident,” said Lindgren. “We’ve done some good, hard work out there.”

He said there was no wind on the fire currently. “If the wind would have been there, it would have been quite a bit different.”

Supervisor Denise Rushing said a weather change is coming and it is anticipated to bring winds, which Lindgren confirmed.

Rushing also pointed out that defensible space around homes had helped save some residences.

Lindgren agreed. “We can’t do it without the help of the public and defensible space. It’s impossible in these kind of fuel conditions.”

The number of personnel on the incident since Monday had tripled, rising to 1,095, Cal Fire reported.

There also were 134 engines, 30 fire crews, seven air tankers, six helicopters, 17 bulldozers and 15 water tenders.

The fire caused evacuations in the Spring Valley area on Sunday, with the mandatory evacuation order lifted Monday night and residents able to return to their homes with a California Highway Patrol escort.

On Tuesday morning Caltrans said Highway 20 east of Highway 53 remained open. Officials were continuing to escort traffic through the area of highway, where the fire had burned on both sides of the road, damaging guardrails, highway signs and utility lines.

Lindgren told the supervisors that they were continuing to carefully move motorists through that area of Highway 20 due to burned trees that were falling across the roadway.

Caltrans said motorists should expect expect 30 minute delays, and cautioned that drivers watch for emergency equipment and areas of heavy smoke.

The agency said the highway may close again if conditions change.

Cal Fire has set up a public information hotline on the Wye Fire; call 707-967-4207.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 14 August 2012

Supervisors to discuss opposing Lucerne water rate hike

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In the face of another proposed water rate hike for the Lucerne community, the Board of Supervisors will discuss taking a stand against the hike on behalf of the town when it meets this week.

The meeting will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. The meeting will be broadcast live on TV8.

At 11 a.m. Supervisor Denise Rushing will ask the board to consider a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission and state representatives in opposition to the rate increase proposed by the California Water Service Co. for Lucerne service area.

Cal Water is submitting a request for a 77-percent increase over three years for the small lakeside community, which already has undergone significant rate increases in recent years, going back to a 121-percent increase the company received in 2006.

Community members who have concerns about the rate hike and the unfairness of the CPUC’s ratemaking process are invited to attend and support the letter.

The full agenda follows.

TIMED ITEMS

9 a.m.: 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: (a) Presentation of proclamations commending Chris Rivera, Hart Gall and Mike Curran for their service to Lake County; (b) presentation of proclamation designating August as Child Support Awareness Month; and (c) presentation of proclamation designating August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month.

9:15 a.m., A-6: Public hearing, consideration of appeal (AB 12-02) of the Planning Commission’s decision to approve a mitigated negative declaration and minor use permit to allow a small winery (MUP 11-03, IS 11-09) in an existing metal building for property located at 8200 South Highway 29, Kelseyville, CA; APN 009-006-75; appellant is Old Muddy II, LLC; project applicant is Red Lava Vineyard and Winery LLC.

10:15 a.m., A-7: Public hearing, consideration of Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny application GPAP 12-01 and RZ 12-01 proposing a general plan amendment from Low Density Residential to Suburban Residential Reserve and a rezone from “R1-B3" Single-Family Residential - 20,000 square foot minimum parcel size to “SR” Suburban Reserve for property located at 8255 Point Drive, Kelseyville, CA; APN 044-331-24; applicant is Dennis De La Montanya.

11 a.m., A-8: Consideration of proposed letter to the California Public Utilities Commission and state representatives, in opposition to the rate increase proposed by the California Water Service Co. for the Lucerne service area.

11:15 a.m., A-9: (a) Presentation of annual Fish and Wildlife Advisory Board Report; and (b) consideration of proposed amendments to bylaws.

11:30 a.m., A-10: (a) Update on county permitting process enhancements and fee waivers to facilitate economic investment; and (b) consideration of request to change the valuation basis used to determine building permits and construction traffic road impact fees.

11:40 a.m., A-11: Consideration of the Group Insurance Committee recommendations for the EIA Health plans for the 2013 benefit year.

NONTIMED ITEMS

A-12: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.

A-13: (a) Consideration of request to waive the formal bidding process and make a determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county;and (b) consideration of request to authorize sheriff/coroner/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order to Autowest for one replacement vehicle for the Narcotics Task Force.

A-14: Consideration of proposed funding agreement between the county of Lake and the California Department of Public Health for CSA No. 2 Spring Valley Water System Improvements.

A-15: Consideration of appointment of staff and officials to identify alternatives for the establishment of a Sheriff’s substation in Clearlake Oaks and to serve as a negotiating team on behalf of the county.

CLOSED SESSION

A-16: 1. Conference with Labor Negotiator: (a) County Negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, M. Perry, J. Hammond and A. Flora; and (b) Employee Organization: Deputy District Attorney’s Association.

A-16: 2. Public Employee Performance Evaluation: Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart.

A-16: 3. Conference with Legal Counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Government Code Sec. 54956.9(a): Merrill et al. v. Lake County Board of Supervisors.

CONSENT AGENDA

C-1: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Aug. 7, 2012.

C-2: Adopt proclamations commending Chris Rivera, Hart Gall and Mike Curran for their service to Lake County; (b) designating August as Child Support Awareness Month; and (c) designating August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month.

C-3: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and First 5 Lake Commission for FY 2012-13 Mother-Wise Program (Post Partum Depression Initiative), for a maximum amount of $42,500, and authorize the chair to sign.

C-4: Adopt resolution amending Resolution 2012-71 establishing position allocations for Fiscal Year 2012-2013, Budget Unit No. 4014, Mental Health.

C-5: Adopt resolution of intention to establish proposed Zone R (Cheppewa South) of County Service Area No. 23, approve a county contribution of $297,000 to the zone, approve the engineer’s report, approve the form of ballot and balloting process for the assessment, and setting a public hearing for protests and balloting determination on Oct. 9, 2012, at 9:15 a.m.

C-6: Approve plans and specifications for Nice-Lucerne Cutoff Rehabilitation on Nice-Lucerne Cutoff from Highway 29 to 0.27 miles East of Rodman Slough Bridge in Lake County, Bid No. 12-15; and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to advertise for bids.

C-7: Approve second amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Kleinfelder West Inc., for geotechnical services for soldier pile retaining wall at Socrates Mine Road at PM 1.84 (PW 3038) (Bid No. 11-10), for an increase of $2,000 (total contract amount of $17,750), and authorize the chair to sign.

C-8: Approve submission of a grant application to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the amount of $99,230 for distribution according to the recommendations of the Anti-Terrorism Board, as listed in the staff memorandum dated Aug. 1, 2012.

C-9: Approve leave of absence request for Food Services Supervisor Michelle Paterson, to expire Sept. 1, 2012, and authorize the chair to sign.

C-10: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the Regents of the University of California, Davis, for FY 2012-13 training services, in the amount of $62,700 (funded by federal and state funds and the university’s in-kind contribution), and authorize the chair to sign.

C-11: Approve lease agreement between the county of Lake and Ronn and Montie Westhart for warehouse and workshop space, located at 15890 Kugelman St., Warehouse No. 1, Lower Lake, CA, extending the term an additional three years, at an annual amount of $12,640, and authorize the Chair to sign.

C-12: Approve plans and specifications for the Water Treatment System Improvement SRF Project, for County Service Area 2-Spring Valley, and authorize the Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to advertise for bids.

C-13: Authorize distribution of excess proceeds from Tax Defaulted Land Sale No. 150 (Group 1 final) in the amount of $7,273.78, in accordance with staff memorandum dated July 20, 2012.

C-14: Authorize distribution of excess proceeds from Tax Defaulted Land Sale No. 150A (Group 1 final) in the amount of $555.33, in accordance with staff memorandum dated July 23, 2012.

LAKE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

C-15: (a) Approve easement deed and direct clerk to certify for recordation (APN 039-333-23 - Matthew McKean and Fantacy Cook-McKean), and approve right of way agreement between the county of Lake and Matthew Cook-McKean and Fantacy Cook-McKean for the construction of the wastewater force main sanitary sewer line, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 13 August 2012