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

Last week the board decided against a local state of emergency over concerns about the impacts of invasive mussels if they were to reach local waters.

However, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday the board will consider a resolution asking the state of California to declare a statewide emergency regarding quagga and zebra mussels. Two supervisors also are expected to be appointed to present the matter to state officials as well as local water agencies.

At 1:30 p.m. the board will continue its discussion of a proposed ordinance to add regulations for the dispensing of medical marijuana to the county's zoning ordinance. Documents for that item can be found at www.scribd.com/LakeCoNews.

In an untimed item, the board also will consider a request to set hearing dates for the grievances lodged by the Lake County Correctional Officer's Association and the Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association.

The correctional officers have filed Level 4 grievances regarding unilateral changes to their sick leave and as well as shift swap policy changes and the elimination of eight-hour shifts. The deputy sheriff's association has filed a Level 5 grievance regarding a unilateral change to sick leave policy.

The board also will hold a closed session to discuss negotiations with the Lake County Employees Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officer's Association and Lake County Deputy District Attorney's Association.

A full agenda follows below.

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).

9:15 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and Code Compliance Division proposed recordation of Notice of Lien in the amount of $871.34 - 12620 Maple Lane, Loch Lomond, CA (APN 050-591-06 - Michael Williams and Kathryn Williams) .

9:20 a.m.: Presentation of the 2010 Crop Report .

9:30 a.m.: Discussion/consideration of the Group Insurance Committee recommendations for the EIA Health Benefit plans for the 2012 benefit plan year .

10 a.m.: Consideration of request for waiver of environmental health fees for Lake County Youth Center .

10:15 a.m.: Continued from July 12, July 26 and Aug. 2 – consideration of Bid Award for Bid No. 11-02, Middletown Senior Center and Library Project, and consideration of alternatives to awarding bid in order to reduce project costs .

10:30 a.m. – Consideration of proposed resolution requesting a state of emergency be declared for the state of California regarding the threat of dreissenid mussels in the water bodies of California; consideration of proposed Justifications for declaration; and consideration of request to appoint two Supervisors to present the resolution and justifications to state officials and county and water

agencies .

1:30 p.m. – Continued from June 21 and July 19; public hearing – discussion/consideration of proposed ordinance amending Chapter 21 of the Lake County Code to add Article 72, “Regulations for the dispensing of medical marijuana.”

NONTIMED ITEMS

– Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports

– Consideration of request to set hearing dates for the following: (a) Lake County Correctional Officers Association (LCCOA) Level 4 grievance regarding unilateral change to sick leave policy; Lake County Sheriff Deputy Association (LCDSA) Level 5 grievance regarding unilateral change to sick leave policy; (c) LCCOA Level 4 grievance regarding shift swaps; and (d) LCCOA Level 4 Grievance regarding eight-hour shifts .

– Consideration of request to award Bid No. 11-21 for Southeast System Supervisors adjourns and lift station and force main project, authorize the chair to sign the notice convenes as the board of of award and the agreement, and authorize the Special Districts directors of the Lake County administrator to issue the notice to proceed.

– Consideration of proposed agreement between the county of Lake and Redwood Children’s Services, for payment of specialty mental health services provided in FY 2007-09, for a total amount of $49,431.29 .

– Consideration of proposed agreement between the county of Lake and Peterson Tractor for FY 2011-14 field maintenance and repair services of the Waste Management off-road heavy equipment, for a maximum amount of $100,000 annually .

– Consideration of proposed letter of support of pending legislation potentially affecting senior citizens in Lake County .

CONSENT AGENDA

Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Aug. 2, 2011.

Approve, in concept, the re-establishment of the Public Health Nurse IV position for FY 2011/12 and direct Human Resources director to initiate the meet and confer process with the appropriate employee association.

Approve advanced step hiring of Substance Abuse Counselor II Richard Diwald, due to applicant’s extraordinary qualifications (fifth step salary range).

Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Lake Family Resource Center for FY 2011-2014 Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment services, at a rate of $70,000 per year, and authorize the chair to sign.

Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Office of Education – Healthy Start for FY 2011-2014 pediculosis anti- lice program, for a total amount of $55,000, and authorize the chair to sign.

Approve memorandum of understanding between the county of Lake and Lake Transit Authority (LTA) for FY 2011-2014 transportation services for CalWORKs participants, in an amount not to exceed $82,500 annually, and authorize the chair to sign.

Approve agreement between the Kelseyville County Water Works District #3 and Ruzicka Associates for engineering services for the water distribution system in the Bell Hill Road area, in the amount of

$25,023, and authorize the chair to sign.

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080911 Board of Supervisors - Dispensary Memo

080911 Board of Supervisors - Draft Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Ordinance

However, the discussion of what measures to take to protect Clear Lake and other county bodies of water will continue at the board's next meeting.

At 10:30 a.m. Aug. 9 the board will consider a proposed resolution asking the state of California to declare a state of emergency regarding the threat of dreissenid mussels – specifically, the quagga and zebra – to the state's water bodies.

The board also will consider selecting two of its members to present to state officials the resolution and justifications for the action.

At its July 26 meeting the board was asked by the Clear Lake Advisory Committee to consider the state of emergency, which led to a lengthy discussion at that meeting and another on Tuesday.

On Tuesday all of the board members raised concerns about what such an action could mean to the entire county.

Supervisor Jeff Smith recalled the impact of bad press because of algae a few years ago, when local residents called in a Bay Area television station. The algae itself impacted 10 percent of the lake, while the bad publicity hit the entire county, he said.

Melissa Fulton, chief executive officer of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and a Clear Lake Advisory Committee, told the supervisors that it was time that Lake County stopped trying to confront the mussel prevention issue itself.

She pointed to an overall lack of a coordinated approach to preventing the mussels that is evident around the state.

She said at Lake Shasta they are monitoring for the mussels but don't have an actual program to go with that effort. “What good is that going to do? They've not done anything.”

Fulton also criticized Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and state Sen. Noreen Evans. “I don't think they've done anything for us, or darn little. They've done nothing for us in this program.”

Clearlake Oaks resident Jim Steele, a retired California Department of Fish and Game staffer, said the county needs to do a risk analysis. So far, he said, one hasn't been done locally to his satisfaction.

Having worked at the state level, Steele said, “They need some leadership, even there.”

Steele suggested that Lake County is in a better position in the effort than the rest of the state. He said he's looked at the state Department of Water Resources' program to deal with the mussels and told the board, “You're already ahead of it.”

He said the county could improve its program – he had seven areas in which he said it could be improved – and become a leader statewide in fighting the mussels.

Supervisor Denise Rushing said during the discussion that the Lake County community has done a lot to protect its lake. So far, she said, the only feedback they've gotten from state officials when they've asked for help is advice to call a state of emergency.

Rushing asked Steele and Public Works Director Scott De Leon to come up with four to five recommendations on how to improve the county's prevention program, along with cost estimates.

In addition, she suggested that the Board of Supervisors needs to implement a communications strategy for working with other agencies and the state.

Kelseyville resident Anna Ravenwoode told the board, “This is a big deal, we need state aid, we need federal aid.”

She said the federal government has experience dealing with the mussels, which have infested bodies of water in the easter United States. “If they're pretending they don't know about it, that's not true.”

Lower Lake resident Victoria Brandon, who sits on the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee, assured the board that the state thinks the mussels are a big problem.

Clear Lake Advisory Committee member Mike Dunlap said it was his idea to propose that the board declare a state of emergency.

Dunlap also criticized the board for not doing more, including not approaching the state within the last month.

Rushing replied that people like to criticize the board for what it's not doing, rather than what it is, and she pointed to the need for more information and a planned approach to working with the state.

Ultimately, the board did not go ahead with the local state of emergency proposal, opting to look at pushing for a statewide approach.

On Wednesday, Chesbro was in Lake County for one of his regular visits in order to meet with local officials.

In an interview with Lake County News, he expressed his concern about protecting the lake and suggested local and state officials could be brought together for a sitdown discussion on the issue.

Responding to statements about lack of leadership on the state level, Chesbro indicated it wasn't for lack of awareness or concern, but rather a result of the state's tough fiscal reality.

“Many, many problems are being left unaddressed because of the state budget problem,” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

NOTICE OF COUNTY BUDGET HEARINGS

LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors, County of Lake, State of California, has set WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2011, beginning at 8:30 a.m., in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, Courthouse, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, as the time and place for conducting a PUBLIC HEARING on the 2011/2012 RECOMMENDED BUDGET for the County of Lake and special districts governed by the Board of Supervisors.

Any member of the public may appear at the hearing and be heard regarding any item in the budget, or for the inclusion of additional items.

All proposals for revisions to the recommended budget shall be submitted in writing to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors before the close of the public hearing.

After the conclusion of the public hearing the Board will take action on a proposed resolution adopting the budget and a proposed resolution approving position allocations for Fiscal Year 2011/2012 to conform to the adopted budget.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Recommended Budget documents of the County of Lake for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2012, are available to members of the public at the Office of the County Auditor-Controller, second floor Courthouse, 255 North Forbes Street, Lakeport, California.

KELLY F. COX

Clerk of the Board

The Board of Supervisors approved new supervisorial districts shown on the map above on Tuesday, August 3, 2011. The new districts will be good until the next US Census. Map courtesy of the county of Lake.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In an hour-long discussion on Tuesday afternoon, the Board of Supervisors finished the work of redrawing boundaries for their districts.

The process, required following last year's US Census, is meant to ensure that there is an equal number of residents in each district.

Last week, the board had argued about six options that were on the table, five of them created by a board-appointed advisory committee and one that Supervisor Rob Brown created based on input from people in his district.

However, on Tuesday, Brown said he was abandoning his option No. 6 and instead suggested changes to option No. 5, which had had more board support.

The result was option 5a, which can be viewed above or looked at in greater detail at http://gispublic.co.lake.ca.us/redistrict/.

According to a report from Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley – who chairs the redistricting advisory committee – submitted to the board in June, each supervisorial district's optimal population would be 12,933, based on the US Census.

That meant District 1 had to lose 326 people, and District 2 and District 5 had to lose 786 and 479, respectively, while District 3 had to gain 571 and District 4 had to add 1,020, according to Fridley's report.

She told the supervisors this week that the goal was to get each of the districts within nine people of that optimal number of 12,933 people.

Brown asked Board Chair Jim Comstock if he could speak first on Tuesday, and he proceeded to go over his suggestions with county GIS specialist and advisory committee member Lon Sharp, who created the maps of the new districts.

Rather than carving out Big Valley – where many residents had reportedly complained about leaving District 5 – Brown suggested moving the boundary so that District 4, represented by Supervisor Anthony Farrington, would pick up the Soda Bay and Riviera Heights areas.

Farrington, who was absent from last week's meeting when the matter was discussed, said he didn't understand some peoples' opposition to being added to his district.

Kelseyville residents Randy Ridgel and Mary Morse both explained to Farrington that they loved their community and wanted to be in the district where the majority of it was represented.

Ridgel said Kelseyville “has a certain ambiance I like,” and is country, while Lakeport is city.

He asked the board to be sensitive to those concerns while they considered the numbers.

Ridgel added that he wanted to retire from political campaigns, and said he anticipated that someone was going to knock on his door and ask him to help throw out the rascal “taking orders from Lakeport” if his area was wrapped into District 4.

Morse told the board, “It's not that we don't want to be a part of Lakeport, it's that we are so proud of our community.”

She said she has never met so many hard working, dedicated people as she has in Kelseyville. “It breaks my heart to think I might not be in that district.”

Kelseyville resident Paul Lauenroth, who sits on six boards of directors, had concerns about the possible impact on those other governing bodies, noting that his appointment came from the current district configuration.

At the end of the discussion, Fridley suggested that the board could schedule additional public hearings later in the month, but the board seemed satisfied that they had addressed the matter adequately.

“I don't know what more meetings would do,” said Brown.

Fridley said the county surveyor needs time to create the description for the new districts. That process has to be completed with the final ordinances accepted before the first day of November.

If that process isn't completed by that point, the assessor-recorder, district attorney, sheriff or the county superintendent of schools would redraw the lines for them, Fridley said.

“We don't want that,” several of the board members said at once.

The board then unanimously approved option 5a and directed the county surveyor to being the process of creating the new supervisorial district descriptions.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The current Lake County supervisorial districts, which are being updated as the county is required to do in the year following the last US Census. Clockwise, from top, District 3 is pink, District 2 is yellow, District 1 is lavender, District 5 is gray and District 4 is green. Map courtesy of the county of Lake.

With Mayor Suzanne Lyons absent, Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina led the meeting, during which Community Development/Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll presented the ordinance authorizing the Lakeport Redevelopment Agency's participation in the state Voluntary Alternative Redevelopment Program.

As part of the 2011-12 state budget, the state Legislature approved – and the governor signed – AB1 x26, which abolished redevelopment, and AB1 x 27, which allows existing agencies to continue operating it they pay “community remittance” payments to the state.

Knoll said that on Tuesday the state informed City Manager Margaret Silveira that the city's community remittance payment, which is due in January, would total $309,055.

He said staff was suggesting the council approve the ordinance. A public hearing is scheduled to take place at the next meeting, but no public comment was offered on the topic Tuesday.

Knoll noted during the meeting that the California Redevelopment Association and the League of California Cities have filed a lawsuit against the state over the passage of AB1 x26 and AB1 x27.

According to Knoll's written report to the council, the ordinance states “that while the City currently intends to make these community remittances, any actual community remittances will be made under protest and without prejudice to the City’s right to recover such amounts and interest thereon in the event that litigation results in a determination that AB 1X 26 and AB 1X 27 are unconstitutional. ”

Councilman Bob Rumfelt moved to approve the ordinance's first reading, with Councilman Roy Parmentier offering the second. The ordinance passed 4-0.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The Clearlake City Council met in closed session before their regular meeting on Thursday, July 28, to discuss the hiring process, with an open session item in place to cover a contract.

However, when they emerged from closed session, there was no hire to report, and the contract item wasn't discussed as a result, according to City Clerk Melissa Swanson.

Swanson told Lake County News that the council is continuing negotiations and interviews with city administrator candidates.

Another scheduled business item, a franchise agreement with Clearlake Waste Solutions, was pulled from the agenda. Swanson said that item will be brought back on Aug. 11.

The only other item of business was a letter to Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and state Sen. Noreen Evans which Mayor Joyce Overton had taken to the council for approval.

The letter, which is being sent by a number of Redwood Empire area mayors and officials, expresses disappointment with the votes both Chesbro and Evans made to eliminate redevelopment in June.

The council approved the letter, with the addition of a paragraph specifically about Clearlake, Swanson said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.