LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As a service to property owners impacted by the recent Rocky and Jerusalem fires, Lake County has requested the California Department of Toxic Substances Control begin the first phase of the household hazardous wastes removal process.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a two-phase debris management and removal plan that includes a partnership with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, as Lake County News has reported.

County officials said the Department of Toxic Substances Control will work with any property owners who opt to allow this work on their land.
 
To initiate the effort, property owners are requested to contact the county immediately to express their interest and sign an access agreement allowing the state agency to remove household hazardous wastes from fire-damaged properties.

The work will be scheduled only when at least 15 residents have expressed interest, the county of Lake reported.

The soonest possible start date for the Department of Toxic Substances Control to begin removal is Monday, Aug. 24.

As such, property owners are asked to immediately contact Lake County Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski at 707-263-1164 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to express interest and begin the enrollment process.

State workers will remove household hazardous wastes from burned homes in the impacted areas of Morgan Valley Road, Double Eagle Ranch and Jerusalem Valley. This service is only for those affected by the fires.

This effort is being conducted free of charge to protect the health of residents, clean-up crews and the environment.

Household hazardous waste must be handled separately from other burn debris and may not be brought to local landfills.

Residents are strongly urged to leave all household hazardous waste in place and are encouraged to not remove any of the materials or damaged containers from their properties.

Household hazardous waste includes unused or leftover portions of products used in your home that contain toxic chemicals.

Products labeled caution, warning, danger, poison, toxic, flammable or corrosive are considered hazardous.

Examples of household hazardous wastes to be removed are:

• Aerosols;
• Antifreeze;
• Solvents;
• Auto batteries;
• Auto fluids;
• Used oil and oil filters;
• Household cleaners;
• Fertilizer;
• Pesticides;
• Latex / oil-based paint;
• Pool chemicals;
• Propane tanks (less than 30 gallons).

Further questions regarding assistance and cleanup efforts can be directed to the Lake County Residents Help Line at 1-800-325-9604.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday discussed the formation of an ad hoc committee to explore possible sources of revenue for road improvements.

The council reached consensus to move forward with the proposal, with each of the five council members will provide City Manager Greg Folsom with the names of three citizens for possible appointment to the committee.

The discussion was brought to the table at the request of Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson, who said she gained the idea through her attendance at a recent League of California Cities conference in Monterey.

The idea is to form a standing committee of citizens, which would meet on a regular basis and be ready for appointment to serve the city in different capacities.

Fortino Dickson said there are many citizens ready and primed to get on board and help the city.

Also, she said, those citizens are entrenched in their community and their neighborhoods and may be able to gain ideas from the public that the council may not otherwise hear.

She said the committee should be large enough to be diverse, yet the size also should be manageable.

“We need to get that input front-loaded from the community and then bring that back to council,” Fortino Dickson said.

Councilwoman Joyce Overton said, ideally, the council would like to seek volunteers with experience in grant writing and research who could assist other volunteers in those areas. “You have to have a leader,” she said.

Councilman Russ Perdock said public education and dispelling misinformation and negativity will be essential in gaining support of any initiative brought forth, which he said should be focused on the 2016 election.

He said that in a recent meeting of the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, he heard from a Caltrans representative who spoke of the success of such efforts.

“They've seen a very successful program implemented in our neighboring county, Mendocino County, where this very thing was taken to the voters and passed in four to five cities in Mendocino County,” Perdock said. “They've already started to see the road index improve in those four cities and Ukiah is looking forward to having (an initiative) on the 2016 ballot through a tax measure.”

Perdock said those who spearheaded the effort in Mendocino County are willing to share those resources that gained them success.

Any citizen with grant writing expertise is encouraged to contact any member of the council or call Folsom at 707-994-8201, Extension 120.

Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a two-phase debris management and removal plan as part of the county's approach to the Rocky fire recovery effort.

Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe and Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski presented the plan to the board.

At a special meeting last week county staff had indicated that up to $5 million in funding from the state could be available to completely pay for the comprehensive cleanup, with no cost to landowners.

Chilafoe said they have been working to prepare a process for debris management to meet health and safety and environmental standards. “It's a pretty complex process.”

Ruminski said the cleanup would apply to structures that had been destroyed by the fire.

He said the first step in the process would include a general sweep of fire-damaged areas, including an evaluation and survey, which would involve the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The Department of Toxic Substance Control's role in the first step will be to bring in a contractor. Ruminski said they will visit each property, look for household chemicals, propane tanks or other hazardous items, and conduct a survey for asbestos.

He said that evaluation process of burned structures is expected to take a little more than a week.

The second step is a very detailed and comprehensive program, Ruminski said, in which California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle – another branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency – will be the state partner.

That agency will take information from the first evaluation sweep, and do lab testing to analyze for asbestos and other items, he said.

“The principal hazard here is airborne,” said Ruminski.

CalRecycle will look at what materials can be recycled and worked into the local waste stream, and what needs to be separated out for specialized disposal.

With both steps, Ruminski said the goal will be to obtain written permission from property owners, who also can be present during the cleanup as long as they aren't in the way and don't cause safety hazards.

Board Chair Anthony Farrington asked if local contractors with the proper expertise can be used in the cleanup process.

“We can evaluate that,” Ruminski said, explaining they were working up a role for local businesses. He said the state has prequalified contractors it works with on such projects.

Public Services Director Caroline Chavez is working with local waste haulers on participating in the cleanup and there also will be a role for local water trucks, as dust control will be needed, Ruminski said. “We're going to consider everything.”

Supervisor Jim Comstock asked if homeowners' insurance can cover part of the costs. Chilafoe said yes, although sometimes such cleanup usually is more than insurance will cover.

Social Services Director Carol Huchingson, who is the county's representative on the Napa-Lake Workforce Investment Board, said she was notified that the Workforce Investment Board can access national emergency funds to create a special crew to help with cleanup.

However, board members raised issues with safety and the level of training needed, and Ruminski said the cleanup areas would be considered hazardous waste sites.

The vote to approve the debris removal plan was 4-0, with Supervisor Jeff Smith absent from the meeting.

Another item that had been on the board's agenda, a resolution designating the county departments that will act as the agents for the California Disaster Assistance Act funding needed for the Rocky fire cleanup, was rescheduled to 9:45 a.m. Aug. 25.

County Administrative Officer Matt Perry asked for the delay because his office still hadn't received the final word from the California Office of Emergency Services that the county has been awarded the funding.

“We're still hearing some positive news but no confirmation,” he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A special opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Lake County Historical Society will be presented to the public on Saturday, Aug. 22, when the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum again welcomes Ruby Glebe to lead the next in the series of living history events held on the fourth Saturday of each month.

Fifteen years ago the Lake County Board of Supervisors appointed Glebe to the position of Lake County historian.

She is only the third person to hold this distinction, preceded by Henry Mauldin and Marion Goebel.

Glebe will share her insights on how that official position came about and the influence it has had on helping to preserve and protect the rich history of Lake County at a time when it was determined that significant pieces of that history were being lost.

Glebe will be available to the public in the Ely main house starting at noon to visit and answer questions.

At 1 p.m. she will present her program sharing information on the early days of the Lake County Historical Society, focusing on what drove its founding, its goals, and some of its greatest accomplishments. Glebe served as president of the society in 1975 and 1982.

She will remain available until 2 p.m. for more questions and insights.

Home to the Lake County Historical Society, the Ely Stage Stop is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clear Lake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner.

Current hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday confirmed assessments for administrative penalties for failure to abate public nuisances on 14 properties in the city, with fines totaling $87,500.

A public hearing was held during the Thursday meeting, during which property owners were provided the opportunity to protest or address the council concerning the orders.

Three property owners spoke, however the council did not grant any extensions or waive any penalties.

“The issue isn't to raise money through these fees. The issue is we have neighbors to these properties who have lived next to them for years. If you simply go by the date of the notices, it was at least a year, or at least fast approaching us beyond a year that neighbors have had to live next to these properties,” Councilman Russ Perdock said.

Perdock added, “We are constantly getting complaints from citizens in Clearlake having to live next to dirty homes, homes in disrepair, lots covered with garbage and these are the things I am very encouraged to see the active roles that our new code enforcement officers playing in cleaning up our city.”

Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson said she appreciated those who came in and have been working to bring their properties up to standard and to code.

“In these instances, though, I haven't seen any evidence to waive the fees. I haven't seen any evidence that these are illegally or improperly levied,” she said. “None of the pictures show complete compliance with the standards. So, at this point I don't feel we have cause to waive any of these fines.”

The following assessments, presented by Code Enforcement Officer Lee Lambert, were confirmed:

– Property located at 3114 Eighth St., owned by Thomas and Thelma Davalos. Penalty: $10,000.
– Property located at 3342 Ninth St., owned by Stacey Mackey. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 3344 Ninth St., owned by Todd Paul. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 3617 Vista St., owned by Edytha Quinn. Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 3800 Laddell Ave., owned by Brenda Elliott. Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 3855 Mullen Ave. owned by Virginia Everett. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 16219 21st Ave., owned by T. Kosmecki (trustee). Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 16152 32nd Ave., owned by Dana Lea and Richard Roath. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 16316 34th Ave., owned by Jason Benavidez. Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 3302 Ninth St., owned by Claudia Schilling. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 3292 Ninth St., owned by Claudia Schilling. Penalty: $5,000.
– Property located at 15564 36th Ave., owned by Sylvia Hilton. Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 15871 29th Ave., owned by Kimble Pope. Penalty: $7,500.
– Property located at 14230 Hale St., owned by Tony and Alice Nuanes (trustees). Penalty: $2,500.

Administrative penalties that remain unpaid will become a lien against the property and may become a special assessment on the tax roll.

Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .