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- Written by: Westside Community Park Committee
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Westside Community Park Committee will meet on Wednesday, June 4, to discuss the latest park business.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the front conference room at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the agenda are items including park maintenance, updates on the horse park project and the dog park, donations and the North Cal Rally Cross, caretaker property cleanup and field rehabilitation.
The committee will next meet on July 2.
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- Written by: Editor
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The E Center Women, Infants and Children Program has released its June appointment scheduling notice.
The nationwide, federally sponsored WIC nutrition program provides nutrition education, support and help with breastfeeding, community and healthcare referrals, and supplemental food benefits to eligible pregnant women, new moms, postpartum women, infants, and children under the age of 5.
WIC encourages enrollment of migrants and eligible women in the early months of pregnancy. Single fathers, foster parents and guardians of children under age five are also eligible to enroll their children.
The food packages include fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, milk, cereal, juice, whole grains, and beans or peanut butter, infant cereal, infant fruits and vegetables, and formula supplementation is available for infants.
WIC has generous income guidelines. For example, a family of four can have a yearly gross income of $57,720 or monthly income of up to $4,810 and still be eligible for the health benefits of the WIC program.
To enroll in the WIC program, schedule appointments, or for more information, call 707-263-5253 or 707-994-1151. WIC’s fax numbers are 707-263-4183 or 707-994-1152.
WIC families have the option to complete appointments in person or virtually, and can also complete nutrition classes online at www.wichealth.org. Bilingual staff and lunch-hour appointments are also available.
The June 2025 WIC Program clinic schedule:
Lakeport WIC office, 831 Bevins St.: Monday, June 16; Tuesday, June 3, 10, 17 and 24; Wednesday, June 4 (PM only), and 25, Friday, June 20. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Clearlake WIC office, 14085 - 4 Lakeshore Drive: Monday, June 9, and 23; Wednesday, June 18; Thursday, June 5, 12 and 26; Friday, June 27. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Middletown, at the First Baptist Church, 21244 State Highway 175: Friday, June 6. Hours are 9:15 to 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Lucerne, at the First Lutheran Church, 3863 Country Club Drive: Friday, June 13. Hours are 9 to 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 to 3 p.m.
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- Written by: Lake County Land Trust
Friends of the Lake County Land Trust gather at the Blue Wing Restaurant and Saloon at a previous Spring Event. Photo courtesy of the Land Trust.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Land Trust is presenting its annual Spring Benefit celebration on Sunday, June 8, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the courtyard of the Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant and Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.
Tickets are available now for just $50 per person.
The event is being hosted by the new owners of the facility, Rajvi and Amar Alapati, and all proceeds will go to Lake County Land Trust, or LCLT, operations.
Paul Kemp will be providing music and guests will enjoy wine, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and fellowship of fellow supporters and LCLT board members.
“It is always a lovely afternoon,” noted Outreach Coordinator, Meg Harper. “People enjoy the beautiful courtyard in the shade of the sycamore trees and are always interested to hear about the latest updates to various Land Trust projects.”
Reservations are requested with payment preferred through the website, although payment may also be made at the door if you have reserved your spot.
Tickets at $50 each are available to purchase on-line at www.lakecountylandtrust.org. Click on Spring Celebration Tickets on the home page and it will take you to the payment page. Or, call 707-262-0707 to reserve, or send a payment to LCLT P.O. Box 1017, Lakeport, CA 95453. Payment in advance is encouraged.
“Please join us for a lovely afternoon of fun and fellowship,” Harper said.
The Lake County Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to preserve and protect valuable natural habitats and scenic areas of Lake County.
The Land Trust owns four nature preserves and holds three conservation easements.
Information about the Land Trust can be found at www.lakecountylandtrust.org.
The annual Spring Event is a popular fundraiser for the Lake County Land Trust. Photo courtesy of the Land Trust.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
California is marking Foster Care Awareness Month by renewing its commitment to helping youth and shining a spotlight on past investments and ongoing supports aimed at keeping young people who are in foster care connected to family and strengthening California’s child welfare system.
“When children enter foster care, one of our top priorities is to make sure they remain connected with their families,” said California Department of Social Services Director Jennifer Troia, who with her husband grew their family through adoption from foster care and kinship caregiving. “This kin-first approach has been proven to be in the best interest of children, and we’re committed to this effort through foster care rate reform and other means.”
With this approach in mind, California has made many transformative changes and investments to better meet the needs of individual foster youth and improve California’s foster care system. Access a new Issue Brief on this issue.
“California has made great strides for youth in foster care, keeping them connected with their families whenever possible,” said David Sanders, executive vice president of Systems Improvement at Casey Family Programs, which teamed up with the CDSS last year on a video. “The data are clear - when children are placed with kin, their outcomes are better.”
California’s continued commitment to improving the lives of foster youth includes:
Foster Care Rate Reform: California became the first state in the nation to restructure foster care rates in a way that will support children in family settings by enabling families to receive the care they need to thrive. The new permanent tiered rate structure is based on the child’s assessed level of need and strengths, not on placement type. These changes – which are in the process of being implemented - will support more children in family homes, where research shows they do best. Access additional information and a summary of the new rate structure.
Center for Excellence Partnership: The Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support — a CDSS partnership with the University of California, Davis – provides statewide, culturally appropriate training and technical assistance to county child welfare and other child-serving stakeholders. In 2024, the Center provided dozens of direct consultations and technical assistance calls with counties, issued toolkits, and developed a Statewide Peer Learning Collaborative.
Quality Parenting Initiative: The Quality Parenting Initiative supports caregivers, birth parents, youth, and child welfare agencies in 25 counties with training and resources related to supporting kinship caregivers, reducing trauma to youth in out-of-home care, supporting partnership among birth parents, navigating legal systems, and engaging communities to recruit and retain high quality caregivers. This initiative is a partnership led by the Youth Law Center that includes the CDSS, the County Welfare Directors Association, the California State Foster Parent Association, and the California Youth Connection.
College for Foster Students: In 2023, California expanded the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) to include the Fostering Futures program, covering tuition, fees, and other related expenses at universities in California for students with experience in foster care. For the current award year, 1,478 foster youth have been paid an MCS award through the Fostering Futures program.
Guarantee Income Pilots for Foster Youth: The State launched state-funded Guaranteed Income Pilot Programs aimed at supporting former foster youth.
Child Savings Accounts: California bolstered college and career-ready mindset by investing $1.9 billion in the CalKIDS program to establish child savings accounts of up to $1,500 for every foster youth.
Building the Child Welfare Workforce: The CDSS supported the California Workforce Innovation, Support, and Education program, which aims to strengthen and develop the statewide child welfare workforce through data-informed education, training, and support initiatives. The Title IV-E social worker education program, previously administered by the California Social Work Education Center, is now co-led by the University of California, Davis and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Foster Youth Verification Letters: Assembly Bill 592 authorized the CDSS to provide former foster youth with written verification of their time spent in foster care. These verification letters provide former foster youth with the documentation needed to receive assistance from programs for former foster youth. Verification letter requests rose to 5,685 in 2024, up from 2,307 in 2023.
Foster Youth Bill of Rights Training: The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson provides in-person Foster Youth Bill of Rights and Reasonable and Prudent Parent trainings to county child welfare and probation professionals.
Resources: The CDSS, in partnership with the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice, provides coaching and/or consultation to agencies and organizations for complex care/trauma-informed care, wraparound services, peer partner programs, and system of care.