How to resolve AdBlock issue? Annual Lakeport Business Walk underway
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport reported that its annual Business Walk Program is now underway.
The program is designed to familiarize the business community with resources available to them.
City staff, the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, and volunteers form teams that will contact local business owners and managers during October and November.
The program’s purpose is to demonstrate the city’s commitment to supporting businesses while gaining information about challenges and barriers to their success.
Findings from the visits are compiled and presented to the City Council for information and any required action.
“The City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan identified annual in-person visits as an important element in the support and retention of existing local businesses,” said Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram.
An updated Guide to Doing Business in Lakeport will be distributed during the visits. The publication includes information and contacts for programs aimed at assisting new businesses.
Additional materials include information about business loan programs, workshops and trainings, plus services offered by employment and workforce agencies.
The teams are composed of staff from the city and Lakeport Police Department, members of LEDAC, and volunteers representing the Lake County Economic Development Corp., Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development & Financing Corp., California Employment Development Department, the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center and Community Development Services.
The LEDAC meets monthly on the second Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. in Lakeport City Hall at 225 Park Street. All meetings are open to the public.
LEDAC is an advocate for a strong and positive business community and serves as a conduit for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
California Fire Foundation honors California Firefighters during October Firefighter Appreciation Month
The California Fire Foundation — a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting firefighters, their families, and the communities they serve — has designated October as Firefighter Appreciation Month in collaboration with the California State Legislature.
Firefighters put their lives on the line daily to protect Californians, and this October the California Fire Foundation is dedicated to honoring the bravery and devotion of all California’s firefighters, those who protect our communities, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
The California Fire Foundation provides critical emotional and financial support to the families of fallen firefighters and offers immediate relief to victims of fire and natural disasters.
By highlighting, honoring, supporting, and thanking firefighters this October, these vital programs will remain funded and sustained in time of need.
As California continues to face year-round wildfires, the California Fire Foundation continues to provide meaningful support to those on the front lines and the communities they protect.
Following the Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles in January, the California Fire Foundation delivered immediate disaster relief aid and resources to displaced residents — including firefighters who lost their homes while protecting others.
These efforts are part of the more than $3,500,000 in disaster relief assistance distributed statewide this year alone. Now, more than ever, it is essential to honor firefighters and ensure resources remain available for ongoing disaster relief and recovery.
“When the Eaton Fire destroyed my home while out on the line protecting others’, I felt like my whole world had collapsed. The California Fire Foundation was there for me in that moment, not just as a firefighter, but as someone who needed help. Their support gave me the means to take care of my family and begin the long, difficult road to rebuilding. Knowing that the Foundation stands behind us reminds me that we’re never alone, even when we’re the ones who usually run toward the flames,” said Chien Yu, fire engineer, Pasadena Fire Department and disaster relief recipient.
This Firefighter Appreciation Month, the California Fire Foundation is highlighting its initiatives including the SAVE program, which provides $250 cash cards to survivors for immediate necessities following a disaster, and the Firefighters on Your Side public safety campaign.
A cornerstone of the month is the annual California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento, honoring those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The California Fallen Firefighters Memorial site — currently in phase two of a four-phase expansion to accommodate the growing number of our fallen heroes each year — still requires additional fundraising to meet its expansion goals for completion to honor our fallen for generations to come.
The annual California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Sacramento. This year, 30 fallen firefighters will have their names inscribed on the Memorial Walls.
The ceremony will include a recessional of uniformed firefighters to the Memorial Site, tributes to the fallen, and the presentation of U.S. flags to their families.
The public is invited to attend the outdoor recessional, and the ceremony will also be streamed live on the Foundation's Facebook and YouTube pages. Details can be found at CAFireFoundation.org.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Business nonprofits to share director, align operations amid funding crunch
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Two countywide business nonprofits on Thursday announced a new collaboration to cut costs and improve efficiency — by sharing one executive director, following the Board of Supervisors’ approval last week of $60,000 in financial support.
Starting 2026, Nicole Flora — executive director of the Lake County Economic Development Corp., or Lake EDC — will also lead the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the two agencies said in a joint press release Thursday.
The groups will co-locate their offices, and share staff and align programs, while remaining legally separate.
The partnership is intended to streamline operations and reduce duplication, with both organizations citing financial pressures as a factor and expecting that shared leadership and resources will strengthen services for businesses across Lake County.
The Board of Supervisors last Tuesday also approved a one-time $60,000 allocation — $26,000 for the EDC and $34,000 for the chamber. The EDC is facing delays in federal funding, while the chamber is seeking support to keep the Vista Point Visitor Center open.
“We will be continuing to provide services countywide, and being able to streamline,” Flora told Lake County News on Friday. “We’ll have a larger menu for reduced overhead costs.”
Flora said the collaboration builds on previous joint efforts and addresses funding challenges.
“As funding and the economy has sort of shifted, the amount of money to go around has sort of decreased,” she said, noting that both agencies have funding cycles that “aren’t always predictable."
“So it makes sense for us to reduce expenses, particularly in some staffing and some other areas — overhead in general — in order to make both agencies a little bit stronger and offer better services to the community,” Flora added.
The collaboration followed Chamber CEO Amanda Martin’s resignation announcement on Sept. 2; she officially stepped down Friday, nine months after her hire in December 2024.
While acknowledging the funding challenges, Flora insisted that the decision to share an executive director was strategic, not a reflection of financial instability.
“They have a strong board and a solvent budget,” she said of the chamber. “We’re trying to attract and retain multiple executives at a high level, but none of us as individual businesses can afford an executive salary. So let’s put our heads together and figure out how we can share one executive, and potentially free up more funding for direct services to businesses.”
According to their most recent available filings, the EDC reported $274,000 in revenue and $196,000 in expenses in 2023, while the chamber reported $247,000 revenue and $220,000 in expenses, reflecting a tighter margin.
Despite the integration of daily operations, Flora said the boards of the two organizations will remain separate with no plan to merge.
“They are two legally separate and different entities,” she said.
This partnership is set for a year at the moment. “But both boards see this as a path forward to grow into actually a much bigger and stronger agency,” Flora added.
Board leaders from both organizations expressed optimism.
“We’re building a unified front that brings together the Chamber’s legacy of business advocacy and tourism promotion with the EDC’s strategic focus on economic growth,” said Chamber President Don Smith according to the press release.
EDC President Kevin Reynolds said the new partnership will create a platform that can “adapt to the needs of our business community, attract investment, and elevate Lake County’s profile as a place to live, work and visit.”
County aid
Both organizations requested county funds to help with operations.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Martin said the request sought to reestablish funding support for operating the Vista Point Visitor Center, which is “a county designated facility and function” over 22 years.
For the past six years, however, the chamber has “received zero funding support,” Martin said.
Martin said the chamber originally planned to request $60,000 but, with the decision to share an executive director with the EDC, its board agreed to also share the funding.
The financial challenge in running the visitor center came up during the June budget hearing, where Supervisor Brad Rasmussen — whose fourth district includes Lakeport — said the chamber “can’t sustain running that visitor center” since transient occupancy tax funds were shifted to the Tourism Improvement District, putting it at risk of closure.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier was skeptical at that time: “A group to support businesses that can't run their own business and needs us to support them financially to run their business, seems a little bit on the awkward side.”
The chamber’s $34,000 share will go directly toward operating the visitor center.
The EDC has received an annual $109,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Development program since 2019. However, the allocation for 2025-26 has not yet come through.
Its $26,000 share from the county will serve as “sort of some bridge money to get us to a place of solvency to be able to retain services for the businesses,” Flora told Lake County News.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the one-time funding request for the two groups, with the finalized agreement set to return at a future meeting.
During last Tuesday’s discussion, Sabatier pointed to other visitor centers in the county.
“The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce — they also run a visitor center; they have not requested money,” he said, also noting the closure of the county’s Lucerne Visitor Center in October 2014, a move supported by the then-chamber executive director.
“I think that was a loss when that shut down,” he added, saying he would not want to see other centers follow the same path.
A search at the California Attorney General’s Office charity registry shows that the “Lake County Chamber of Commerce” was dissolved in 1990 and no longer exists. In 2011, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the Lake County Chamber of Commerce’s federal tax-exempt status.
The organization commonly identified as the Lake County Chamber of Commerce is now legally registered as the “Greater Lakeport Chamber of Commerce” with both the California Secretary of State and the Internal Revenue Service.
State records also show that its registration was updated on Sept. 25 by Martin — one day before her final day in the position.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
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Clearlake Police seek missing 13-year-old
UPDATE: Police said Kahden Lormer was located on Tuesday morning.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake Police Department is asking for the community’s help in locating a missing 13-year-old boy.
Kahden Lormer was last seen in the area of Old Highway 53 in Clearlake.
Police said he is a white male, 5 feet 6 inches in height and 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a blue Obsidian school t-shirt, dark blue shorts and light blue shoes.
If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251, Extension 1.
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Mendocino National Forest among recipients of off-highway motor vehicle grant
California State Parks’ Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation, or OHMVR, Division announced on Monday more than $23 million in final awards for the 2025 Grants and Cooperative Agreements program, with the Mendocino National Forest among the awardees.
Eighty-one local and federal agencies, districts and nonprofit organizations were awarded funding for their off-highway vehicle, or OHV, recreation activities.
Supporting California’s Outdoors for All initiative to expand access to nature, these grants help maintain trails for OHV recreation and/or for motorized access to non-motorized recreation, educate the public on safe and responsible OHV recreation, protect wildlife and property including natural and cultural resources, and restore/repair habitat damaged from illegal or legal OHV use.
The Mendocino National Forest will receive the largest award, $967,718, for ground operations, the state reported.
“For more than 50 years, OHV grants have helped protect California’s public lands while supporting partners of every size,” said OHMVR Division Deputy Director Sarah Miggins. “These investments will support future generations of OHV enthusiasts to become stewards of these cherished lands so they can continue to enjoy this treasured form of recreation.”
The OHMVR Division evaluated more than 137 projects requesting $27 million in grant funding requests and awarded $23.6 million in grants to the successful recipients.
Examples of other grant recipients and their projects include:
• The Bureau of Land Management will receive over $6.6 million for 31 projects, such as a planning project for the Eagle Lake field office to inventory, map and survey for potential development of new trailheads and trails for OHV use.
• Local agencies will receive more than $6.1 million to fund 48 projects, such as a restoration project for the Stanislaus County Parks and Recreation Department to restore specific areas damaged by authorized OHV use for ecological repair to their natural state, based off the agency’s Habitat Management Program.
• Nonprofits will receive over $2.4 million to fund eight projects, such as an education and safety project for Sierra Avalanche Center to provide motorized avalanche safety courses and daily avalanche advisories in the greater Lake Tahoe area.
• The U.S. Forest Service will receive over $9.3 million for 32 projects, such as a Ground Operation project for the San Bernardino National Forest, to maintain approximately 237 miles of green sticker routes.
The 119 projects awarded by project type include:
• Development: $713,648 (one project).
• Planning: $578,873 (five projects).
• Operations: $13,626,947 (32 projects).
• Restoration: $1,603,166 (4 projects).
• Education and Safety: $1,133,179 (15 projects).
• Law Enforcement: $6,000,000 (62 projects).
The OHMVR Division has awarded funding for grants and other assistance agreements totaling more than $833 million since the inception of the Grants program in 1974.
The annual program provides state funding through the OHV Trust Fund for OHV recreation in California by providing financial assistance to eligible agencies and organizations that develop, maintain, operate, expand, support or contribute to well managed high-quality OHV recreation areas, roads and trails.
In addition, the program seeks to responsibly maintain the wildlife, soils and habitat of project areas in a manner that will sustain long-term OHV recreation.
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