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Written by: Jordan O’Halloran

Published: 29 May 2025

Created: 29 May 2025

Last Updated: 29 May 2025

Jordan O’Halloran. Courtesy photo.

 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Ever since I moved to Lake County eight years ago, I’ve had one clear goal: Show up as my true self authentically even if people don’t like it. Even if I don’t like it.

However, with all of the professional jobs I’ve had here, separating the two sometimes would be difficult.

That was until I realized my true love for writing again.

I began taking action to activate my creative side. Taking classes at the Middletown Art Center, meeting other creatives and taking time for solitude. My soul had a push to break out of my shell.

So, I did. I came out with my first novel, “Clean Up on Aisle Three.” The story follows a main character who has bipolar disorder like me and I had put my heart on the line.

I had never publicly discussed having this disorder and the tribulations that come with it. I had never told anyone about the days where I don’t shower, don’t want to be around people, or isolate. I showed the side of me that’s outgoing, empathetic and fully engaged. However, most people don’t realize both of those sides of me can exist together.

As I began to do book events, having my book at the libraries, and selling it local places, the book began to grow traction. I was overjoyed and nervous. People began to ask me how I got the voice of the main character so believable.

I began to admit that Lucy’s experience with her mental health was nearly identical to my own. Like Lucy, I take medications daily, keep my friend group small, and constantly doubt myself. Even when things feel good and okay, I have anxieties of not doing enough or even being enough.

Nonetheless, the last year has shown me my strength. My bipolar sometimes wants to take over and be the driver of my life, but I'm learning more than ever how to deal with those tough days.

Therapy, reminding myself of my accomplishments, seeking connection, and realizing I’m not alone has saved me from spiraling more times than I’d like to admit.

As May comes to an end and it being Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m reminded of how we’re not alone. It’s OK to not be OK. It’s OK if you take an entire day to yourself to sleep all day. It’s OK if all you did today was wake up. Not every day has to be perfect or productive.

Try and remember in those dark moments, you aren’t alone. People love and care about you. Your brain is lying to you and you’re worth infinitely more than anything you feel.

Take care of yourself.

Call a friend.

Eat your favorite food.

Watch your favorite TV show. (I’m partial to Parks & Recreation and Deep Space Nine.)

Locally, you can call Lake County Behavioral Health’s crisis line at 800-900-2075 if you need someone to help.

There’s also plenty of Suicide Prevention Services available:

• North Bay Suicide Prevention Hotline of Lake County: Phone 855-587-6373
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Phone 800-273-TALK (8255).
• Call. Text. Chat. 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Take care of yourself first. You deserve a beautiful life. Always.

Jordan O'Halloran is an advocate for mental health and kindness. She lives in Lake County with her partner, cat and roommate.

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Written by: Becky Salato

Published: 27 May 2025

Created: 27 May 2025

Last Updated: 27 May 2025

Dr. Becky Salato. Courtesy photo.


LOWER LAKE, Calif. — As we approach the end of another school year, I find myself reflecting on a phrase I heard recently at a leadership conference that resonated deeply with me: "Better than good." 

When someone asks how we're doing, what if instead of the standard "fine” or “good," we could shift our honest answer to "better than good"? This is what we’re going for at Konocti Unified, the mindset (and the results) that make us feel better than good.

Elementary schools: Building strong foundations

This year, our elementary schools maintained their focus on academic development, particularly through the Science of Reading research and training. We're seeing encouraging growth in initial literacy skills, reducing the need for constant intervention to help students catch up. 

The collaboration among our four elementary school principals has been outstanding, ensuring alignment across sites and providing consistency for students (which is especially helpful for those who may move between schools). 

This coordination ensures all children receive the support they need in a welcoming environment.

Our middle school: Finding our footing

Our middle school is completing its second year, and while we have many goals left to accomplish, we’re right where we expected to be. Year one was kind of a perfect storm. Our district hadn’t had a middle school for years, so seventh and eighth grade students brought strong allegiances from four different elementary schools. 

Picture, if you will, hundreds of young adolescents trying to establish a pecking order. At the same time, our teachers and administrators were establishing a lot of firsts, defining what middle school education means for our community — kind of like building a plane while you’re flying it.

Year two brought significant refinements. We began this year with stronger disciplinary structures, but quickly evolved toward restorative practices. 

We recognized that our initial block scheduling provided too much time on single topics and adjusted to better manage instructional time for both students and teachers. And our leadership team of three administrators, including two assistant principals recently transitioned from the classroom, has grown together beautifully. 

Our veteran principal has provided excellent mentorship and our assistant principals have brought the perspective that comes from having recently been in the classroom.  

Looking ahead to year three, we’ll continue to use what we’ve learned thus far to implement more preventive rather than reactive processes. We plan to create an even more inclusive campus to meet the needs of all students, particularly those with special learning requirements. 

We're also excited about opening our gymnasium! Next year (and every year), Obsidian Middle School will remain a school full of middle schoolers — dynamic, evolving and full of opportunity.

Our high school: Progress amid construction

Our high school community has shown remarkable resilience while enduring an entire year of disruptive construction at the heart of campus. 

Despite these challenges, I'm proud to report that our graduation rates appear to have increased. I believe this success stems, at least in part, from our unwavering focus on student engagement and support, including expanded afterschool programs and growing Career Technical Education, or CTE, pathways.

Our emergency medical technician pathway has expanded, and our agricultural program continues to grow — with sheep and goats thriving on our expanded farm. 

Next year, we’ll remodel our culinary facility to enhance our CTE offerings. We are also adding a Certified Nursing Assistant pathway to provide even more opportunities for our students.

When school starts in the fall, the construction of our new administrative building will be complete, featuring well-designed offices and eight classrooms. This will be a nice way to welcome our incoming freshmen.

Alternative education: Continuing to thrive

Our Alternative Education programs continue to adapt to meet the needs of our students. Lewis School, our independent study school, met all accreditation requirements this year. 

Carle High School, our continuation high school, has added some traditional student activities, including prom and a student leadership club. 

Blue Zones Project: Nurturing well-being district-wide

The Blue Zones initiative has taken root across our district, with champions at every school site leading the charge. 

As a reminder, we are working toward becoming a Blue Zones Certified Workplace–a healthy place where people can thrive while they work. 

We are enhancing staff breakrooms, partnering with local restaurants to provide healthy lunch options, and we recently held our first major staff recognition event offsite — complete with food, games, and celebrations of our Blue Zones champions, teachers of the year, classified staff members of the year, and retirees.

Thanks to new grant funding, we'll expand our focus from workplace wellness to student wellness in the coming years. We're collaborating with Blue Zones Project Lake County to teach students about the Power 9 principles, empowering them to make healthier choices for longer, more fulfilling lives. We know that by positively influencing our students, our entire community will benefit now and in the future. 

Looking ahead: Getting better at getting better

As we prepare for next year, we'll navigate some changes at the district office, including the retirement of our beloved assistant superintendent of education services, Mr. Tim Gill. Happily, we have a capable and enthusiastic administrator stepping into this role: Dr. Shellie Perry.  

So the next time someone asks me how our district is doing, my answer won't simply be "good" — we're truly "better than good." And we’re always getting better. 

Becky Salato is superintendent of the Konocti Unified School District.

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Written by: Ben Zientara

Published: 24 May 2025

Created: 24 May 2025

Last Updated: 24 May 2025

Ben Zientara. Courtesy photo.


On March 26, 2025, members of California’s legislature introduced their latest attempt to strip away protections from California residents who have solar panels installed on their home, business, or school, a bill called AB942.  

If enacted, AB942 would alter the deal the state of California promised to early solar adopters, greatly reducing the benefits of solar for nearly 2 million people who already have solar panels installed with utility agreements promising 20 years of savings. 

The bill's sponsor, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon—who was elected while she was a top lobbyist for a utility company—is trying to claw back what the state promised to its residents. 

AB942 should not pass the Legislature, because it would harm the state’s earliest solar owners, force them to use a billing plan their system was not designed for, and set a terrible precedent of the government breaking promises it made to its citizens.

What is proposed in California Bill AB942?

The bill text of AB942, as it was amended on March 25th, would end net metering as of July 1, 2026 for all customer-generators (i.e., solar panel owners) who have had their solar panels for 10 or more years as of that date.

It would also remove net metering protections from any solar installation when the home is sold to a new owner, regardless of whether it has been 10 years since installation.

Introduced by Lisa Calderon, a California State Assembly member and former Edison International employee, the bill claims it will help reduce electricity costs across the state by making solar owners “pay their fair share”. 

The cost savings argument comes from a flawed study of the costs and benefits of rooftop solar panels conducted as part of the California Public Utilities Commission’s 2022 decision that brought about NEM 3.0 and a further analysis by the state’s Public Advocates Office that claims net metering has resulted in over $8.5 billion in excess utility payments by non-solar utility customers.

What are the old rules for net metering?

The state of California established its initial NEM program in 1996 to spur solar adoption. It was slightly revised in 2016 under NEM 2.0 to ensure new solar owners would contribute to important state programs. Both NEM programs were wildly successful, and the state now boasts more than 2 million solar installations. 

These NEM rules promise that anyone who signed up would continue receiving energy credits under the programs for 20 years. That 20-year timeline is tied to the solar installation and not its owner, meaning that anyone who buys a home with solar panels installed under a NEM agreement will continue to receive the promised savings for the full term. 

AB942 seeks to break these promises in the name of electric bill savings, but ignores the millions of bills that would increase because of it.

What will happen if AB942 becomes law?

If AB942 becomes law, around 471,000 solar owners will immediately be kicked off their NEM 1.0 plans on July 1, 2026. All told, there are around 1.78 million solar installations covered under the NEM and NEM 2.0 rules, according to state of California Distributed Generation Statistics (DGstats). Under AB942, solar owners would:

• Be forced to switch to a time of use electricity plan.
• Receive low-value credits for excess solar energy.
• Pay a monthly solar fee.

The vast majority of these solar installations are on single-family homes, and AB942 would significantly raise the energy bills of the families living in them.

The owners of solar panels under NEM 1.0 are currently allowed to take service under the standard residential rate plans available from the utility companies. Their solar systems generate energy over the course of the day, and all of it goes to reducing their cost to use grid power. 

Example based on a typical PG&E customer

Looking at California DGstats, the average installation size for residential systems installed before 2020 was around 5.8 kilowatts DC. SolarReviews analysis shows that these systems likely generate an average of around 9,000 kilowatt-hours per year in Pacific Gas & Electric territory. 

The owner of the solar system will save about 44.5 cents per kilowatt-hour on the E-1 rate plan under their initial NEM contract. At the rate of 9,000 kWh per year, that’s about $4,000 annually, or $333 per month.

If AB942 becomes law, these people will be kicked off of the residential rate plans they’ve been on for years and forced onto the new E-ELEC time of use plan. Under this plan, there is a new monthly fixed charge of $15 per month, rates that change based on the time of day, and greatly reduced compensation for any solar energy sent to the utility grid.

We estimate that the savings for a homeowner with a NEM 1 solar installation would be reduced by around $1,900 per year if they are forced onto the E-ELEC plan. Instead of seeing $4,000 per year in savings, the homeowner would see just $2,100 per year.

To put it another way, a person whose solar installation had been covering their entire electric bill would now see a bill for $158 per month, and that bill would increase with time over the next 10 years. The state had promised that the NEM program would cover these solar owners during those 10 years, and it should not break that promise. 

Final word

Reasonable people can argue whether the CPUC’s NEM 3.0 decision was a bad one or not, but there are certain inarguable facts in this case:

• California state law promised 20 years of coverage under NEM and NEM 2.0.
• The vast majority of solar systems installed under NEM and NEM 2.0 do not include energy storage.
• The NEM 3.0 program was designed to provide NEW SOLAR OWNERS with an incentive to pair their solar installations with energy storage, or face the penalty of lower energy export values. 
• Enacting AB942 would break the promises made by the state of California to its earliest solar adopters, forcing them into a rate plan and a solar compensation scheme that was not designed for the way their systems were installed. 

Passing AB942 would be a complete tragedy, and it should not happen.

Ben Zientara is a writer, researcher, and solar policy analyst who has written about the residential solar industry, the electric grid, and state utility policy since 2013. His early work included leading the team that produced the annual State Solar Power Rankings Report for the Solar Power Rocks website from 2015 to 2020.