How to resolve AdBlock issue? Clearlake City Council to discuss school resource officers, rental ordinance, fire maps
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will discuss school resource officers, a rental ordinance and the city’s forced acceptance of new fire maps.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 5, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The webinar ID is 819 8866 1218, the pass code is 899422. One tap mobile is available at +16694449171,,82771053751#, or join by phone at 669-444-9171 or 646-931-3860.
The meeting will start with the council presenting a proclamation declaring June 2025 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Under business, the council will consider a memorandum of understanding with Konocti Unified School for two school resource officers.
Returning for reconsideration by the council is a residential rental registration and inspection ordinance. The council had discussed a previous version in March but set it aside for staff and local real estate agents to work through it further in order to address their concerns. The first reading will be held Thursday night.
In other business, the council will consider a resolution endorsing the Lakeshore Drive Safety Enhancement Project, committing to vision zero principles, and authorizing the application and the commitment of matching funds to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant.
Council members also will consider a letter to state officials regarding adoption of the local
responsibility area fire hazard severity zone maps.
The council also will hold two public hearings, one to consider amending fees for the Residential Registration Program and the second to comply with Assembly Bill 2561/Government Code Section 3502.3 regarding vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants and council minutes; consideration of adoption of a list of approved projects for submission to California Transportation Committee for funding pursuant to SB1; authorization of an amendment of contract with Express Sign & Neon for the Gateway Signs Project in the amount of $13,272.75; consideration of amendment of contract with Kimble’s Construction for lot clearing of city owned lots; authorization of an amendment of agreement between the city of Clearlake and the Lake County Road Maintenance Program for 40th Avenue, Davis Avenue and Moss Avenue, which will revise the program to list any/all work extending beyond specified and routine maintenance currently listed; consideration of Resolution 2025-22 to accept real property located at 15903 36th Avenue; minutes of the April 9, 2025, Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; approval of leave of absence without pay for Maintenance Worker I Federico Delacruz through Sept. 30, 2025; approval of a license agreement with Taylor Elise White for Youth Center use at a reduced rate; and the second reading of Ordinance 281-2025 to designate fire hazard severity zones in the local responsibility area as required by state law.
The council also will hold a closed session to discuss litigation with Highlands Mutual Water Co., discuss negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association, and discuss property negotiations with AJ Developers for property at 14061 and 14071 Lakeshore Drive and 15910 Dam Road Extension, and 15900, 15910, 15920, 15970 Dam Road.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Symphony Winefest comes to Library Park on June 7
The Wine Barrel Raffle now features two raffles during Winefest. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Symphony Association.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The 2025 annual Home Wine and Beer Makers’ Festival — also known as the Winefest — comes to Lakeport’s Library Park on Saturday, June 7, from noon to 5 p.m.
This yearly event supports the Lake County Symphony Association, or LCSA.
General admission is free. Wine and beer tasters will pay $30 in advance or $35 at the gate to taste samples provided by home wine and beer makers, and from some of Lake County’s finest commercial wineries, including Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, Rosa D’Oro Vineyards, R Vineyards and Smiling Dogs Ranch.
As it has in past years, Winefest features a variety of talented artists/vendors who offer artwork, crafts, clothing and agricultural products at their booths.
Live music will be provided by Twining Time, and musicians from the Lake County Symphony.
There will be plenty of delicious food choices available, including Luv Desserts, Villa Snow Cones and La Catrina Food Truck.
Winefest proceeds support LCSA’s activities, including in-school music programs, scholarships, concerts, and underwriting of the Lake County Symphony and the Adult & Youth Concert Orchestra.
John Parkinson, music director and conductor for the last 45 years, will again be manning the symphony’s booth.
Now in its 23d year, the Winefest was started by the late Connel Murray and other amateur winemakers to raise funds for the Lake County Symphony.
As it expanded over the years, amateur and commercial beer makers were added, along with commercial wine makers.
All amateur participants are eligible to win gold, silver and bronze ribbons given for a wide range of varietals and brews in the popular “Peoples’ Choice” awards voted on by attendees.
Home winemakers also have the chance to enter their creations for blind judging by experts the evening before the Winefest.
The silent auction offers items like original artwork, trips, hotel stays, and gift items donated by local businesses and other symphony supporters.
Congressman Mike Thompson regularly provides a U.S. flag flown from the U.S. Capitol, along with wine from his Lake County vineyard.
The popular Barrel of Wine raffle now features two drawings to allow for greater participation. Lucky winners will each receive two cases of assorted Lake County wines.
Advance tickets are available in Lakeport at Watershed Books and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce; in Kelseyville you can find them at Fore Family Vineyards.
To purchase online, go to tinyurl.com/wf2025 tickets.
Visit Lake County Winefest on Facebook or go to lakecountyWinefest.com for more information.
Debra Fredrickson writes on behalf of the Lake County Symphony Association.
Symphony Wine Club member Deborah Spangler-Welch with her Squirrel Hill wine. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Symphony Association.
- Details
- Written by: Debra Fredrickson
State Senate approves ‘Golden State Commitment’ Wildfire Package
The California State Senate on Tuesday advanced the Golden State Commitment package, which proponents said will protect Californians from devastating wildfires.
The package of 13 bills is a comprehensive legislative effort to strengthen California’s wildfire response and recovery efforts, help stabilize the state’s insurance market, streamline rebuilding after disasters and make communities more wildfire safe.
The package, which has bipartisan support, was announced in early February in direct response to the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, which destroyed over 16,000 structures and tragically took 29 lives.
As California continues to face a year-round fire season, with wildfires becoming more devastating and destructive, the Senate is moving with speed to strengthen California’s defenses against future disasters and help Californians rebuild their homes and lives after a disaster.
The Golden State Commitment legislative package will do the following.
Wildfire recovery measures:
- Speed-up residential rebuilds.
• Provide property tax relief, post-disaster.
• Protect consumers from price gouging.
• Expand insurance protections for small businesses.
• Expand protections for homeowners, tenants and mobile home residents.
• Expedite the rebuilding of health facilities.
• Strengthen penalties against looters and those who impersonate public safety personnel.
• Provide desperately needed resources for impacted school districts.
Fire prevention and response measures:
- • Transition all 3,000 seasonal Cal Fire firefighters to full-time, permanent status.
• Establish an insurance community hardening commission that will ensure more fire safe communities and ensure that homeowners can secure traditional homeowners insurance.
• Advance new policies that require fire-safe landscaping, setbacks, and inspections in high fire hazard zones.
“The devastating LA fires were a stark reminder of the harsh new reality we are living in here in the Golden State. With an unrelenting year-round fire season, we must do more to make our communities safe from wildfires, and this comprehensive package of 13 pieces of legislation does just that,” Pro Tem Mike McGuire said. “This package of bills, with bipartisan support, will help California prepare for and prevent the next wildfire and help stabilize communities in the aftermath of a disaster. This hardworking group of Senators came together in our state’s time of need and moved with speed to advance this bold legislative package that will make California more fire safe and resilient for years to come.”
One of the key pieces of the Golden State Commitment is the Fight for Firefighters Act authored by Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), which passed the Senate on a 39-0 vote.
The Fight for Firefighters Act, SB 581, would allow the state to phase out seasonal firefighters and transition those 3,000 firefighters to full time status.
The Golden State Commitment package includes bills authored by Pro Tem McGuire and Senators Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley), Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento), Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton), Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles), Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), and Aisha Wahab (D-Silicon Valley).
A full description of the package with bill numbers follows.
GOLDEN STATE COMMITMENT WILDFIRE PACKAGE
SB 36: Price gouging (Senators Umberg and Smallwood-Cuevas)
Curb price gouging by adding civil remedies and penalties to protect victims displaced by a state or local emergency. Stronger enforcement of price gouging for housing, lodging, or rental violations by authorizing Attorney General warrant authority, and requires online housing platforms to provide evidence of price gouging to law enforcement.
SB 610: Expand protections for homeowners, tenants and mobilehome residents in the wake of an emergency (Senators Pérez, Allen and Wahab)
Require the State to convene mortgage companies to provide temporary mortgage loan forbearance relief for homeowners. Allow tenants to recover a proportion of their paid rent if the tenancy agreement terminates due to a wildfire. Establish a temporary rent control for mobile homes in areas subject to a state of an emergency. Allow mobile home owners the right to return to a unit after a wildfire, as specified. Extends court timelines for unlawful detainer cases
in areas subject to a state of an emergency.
SB 581: Fight For Firefighters Act of 2025 (Senate President pro Tempore McGuire and Senators Grayson, Allen and Pérez )
Transitions all 3,000/9 month seasonal Cal Fire firefighters to year-round permanent positions. This bipartisan legislation will fully staff all 356 Cal Fire fire engines and all heli attack bases 365 days per year while keeping Cal Fire wildfire vegetation management crews working for a full 12 months.
SB 663: Provide property tax relief following the 2025 Southern California fires (Senators Allen, McNerney and Pérez)
Ensure damaged or destroyed properties maintain their welfare property tax exemption. Extend the timeline for a taxpayer to file a misfortune and calamity claim, which provides property tax relief. Extend from five years to eight years the period of time for taxpayers to rebuild after a wildfire without property tax reassessment.
SB 625: Speed-Up residential rebuilds following a state of emergency (Senators Wahab and Richardson)
Require local governments to provide streamlined ministerial approval of housing developments damaged in a declared emergency.
SB 616: Insurance Community Hardening Commission (Senators Rubio, Cortese and Stern)
Develop an Insurance Community Hardening Commission to create a consistent data-driven statewide minimum fire standards for mitigation across high fire risk communities. By centralizing these wildfire mitigations into one standard, it will make it easier for homeowners, developers, and builders to comply with all the mitigations, make it easier for homeowners to get insurance, and make structures more wildfire safe.
SB 547: Commercial insurance nonrenewal moratorium (Senators Pérez and Rubio)
Expand the current one year insurance non-renewal moratorium for residential policies within the perimeters or adjoining ZIP codes of wildfires to also include commercial policies, providing critical protection for small businesses and condominiums after wildfires.
SB 676: Extend California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) streamlining for LA fires and other disasters (Sen. Limón)
Extend the same CEQA streamlining already established on major infrastructure projects to projects rebuilding communities after disastrous LA wildfires. This could reduce months or years off any CEQA review that does apply to projects that may take months or years to be planned for and rebuilt. This will apply streamlining both prospectively and retroactively.
SB 582: Rebuilding health facilities, assisted living and child care facilities and other licensed facilities (Sen. Stern)
Will assist state licensed facilities on their path to recovery and rebuilding by streamlining licensing processes and providing departments with the authority to waive licensing fees and other licensing requirements.
SB 571: Strengthen penalties against bad actors during a state of emergency (Senators Archuleta and Arreguín)
Increase penalties for impersonating firefighters and other first responders, and for looting in a fire evacuation area. Ensure that an aggravated arson sentencing enhancement attaches to damage amounts at the time of the crime.
SB 629: Keeping communities safe from wildfires (Sen. Durazo)
Require local governments to designate areas that burn in a wildfire as within very high fire zones. Mandate annual inspection of properties subject to defensible space maintenance requirements. Requires Cal Fire to account for the potential of urban wildfire at the next update of the fire hazard maps.
SB 326: California Wildfire Mitigation Strategic Planning Act (Senators Becker and Laird)
Require the Office of the State Fire Marshal to prepare a wildfire risk mitigation planning framework every three years to quantitatively evaluate wildfire risk mitigation actions, establish a wildfire risk baseline and forecast every three years on a statewide level and by county, and submit a wildfire mitigation scenarios report every year.
SB 641: Consumer protection and business recovery (Sen. Ashby)
Protect consumers by establishing timelines and certifications for appropriate debris removal and keep property owners and disaster area survivors safe from predatory practices by prohibiting a person from making an unsolicited purchase offer in a disaster area.
Protect licensed professionals by waiving various licensure requirements when impacted by a wildfire or natural disasters, including but not limited to continuing education, fees and renewal deadlines.
BUDGET PROPOSALS
Fire relief aid for displaced persons: Establish a one-time disaster relief fund for families and individuals who are impacted by the fires but unable to obtain assistance from other funding streams, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Supporting displaced TK-12 students: Provide average daily attendance funding to schools who lost students due to the wildfire disaster. Provide disaster relief to basic aid school districts that are enrolling displaced students. This relief will ensure a quality education for students during a difficult, transitional period.
Support for impacted California community colleges: Community colleges affected by wildfires may experience funding reductions due to declining enrollment. To ensure financial stability as these institutions recover, enrollment protections will be provided to maintain consistent funding.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
New medical facility to provide services to south Lake County
Sutter Health’s new clinic facility in Middletown, California, is slated to be open in June 2026. Courtesy photo.
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. — A new medical facility set to open next year will offer a range of medical services to south Lake County residents.
Sutter Health is expanding its footprint in rural Northern California with a new $5.5 million care center planned for Hidden Valley Lake, part of a broader systemwide initiative to improve access to primary and behavioral health services in rural and remote communities.
The 6,900-square-foot facility, located in the Coyote Valley Plaza shopping center, is slated to open in June 2026 and will provide urgent care, primary care, on-site lab and X-ray services, and rotating specialty care in cardiology, OB/Gyn and orthopedics.
The project, fully funded by Sutter, is expected to create between 15 1n 18 new jobs, Sutter Lakeside Hospital CEO Timothy Stephens said.
“Currently, Lake County has only 12 primary care clinicians serving more than 67,000 residents – a shortage that contributes to wait times of up to six months for new patient appointments,” said Stephens, which will oversee the new care center. “This new site brings care closer to home for residents of Hidden Valley Lake and the surrounding communities and is projected to serve 3,000 new patients each year. It will also bring the strength and expertise of Sutter Health into this market — connecting more patients to an integrated system of care that includes urgent, primary and specialty services. That means earlier diagnoses, better management of chronic conditions and improved long-term health for the region.”
“This care center helps close critical care gaps by expanding access to both primary and urgent care,” said Elyse Donald, M.D., medical director of primary care ambulatory clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We expect to serve 11,000 patients annually — a 30% increase over what we’re able to see today. That kind of reach allows us to deliver more timely, comprehensive care and make meaningful progress toward improving health outcomes in our community.”
By integrating the new site into Sutter’s broader system of care, patients will gain streamlined access to specialists and services, enabling earlier diagnoses, improved chronic disease management and better overall health outcomes.
Sutter Health is a not-for-profit health system serving Northern California and California’s Central Coast.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
East Region Town Hall meets June 4
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, June 4, at which time members will get updates on road work and other projects in the area.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 Moose Lodge Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
The meeting will be available via Zoom. The meeting ID is 813 6295 6146, pass code is 917658.
The meeting’s main speaker will be Lake County Public Works Director Glen March,
who will discuss upcoming transportation, safety, hazard mitigation and capital improvement plans, High Valley Road safety issues, Spring Valley access and the Clearlake Oaks road repavement plans.
Also on the agenda will be consideration of the revised ERTH boundaries map, an update on the District 3 municipal advisory committee.
Other agenda items include the commercial cannabis report and cannabis ordinance update, the Lake County General Plan and Shoreline Area Plan updates, the latest on the new John T. Klaus Park, the CalRecycle/county free dump days in Clearlake Oaks, as well as Supervisor EJ Crandell’s report and new business.
ERTH’s next meeting will take place on July 2.
Members are Angela Amaral, Jim Burton, Holly Harris, Maria Kann and Denise Loustalot.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
