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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Town Hall, or MATH, will hold its board election when it meets this week.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, in the Middletown Community Meeting Room/Library at 21256 Washington St., Middletown. The meeting is open to the public.
Zoom will not be available. Viewers can participate via PEG TV at www.youtube.com/LakeCountyPegTV.
On Thursday, MATH will hold board elections for two-year terms.
Candidates will be invited to address the MATH assembly before an election by ballot. The Board of Supervisors later will vote to confirm the election.
In other business, artist Diego Harris will offer a presentation on a proposal for a sculpture at Trailside Park.
District 1 Supervisor Helen Owen also is scheduled to give the group a report.
Other items on the agenda include approval of the December meeting minutes, reports and correspondence and discussion of future agenda items.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
On Monday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously affirmed a lower court’s decision, which permanently barred the Trump Administration from decimating funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country — including at the University of California and at the California State University.
The funds at issue — known as “indirect cost” reimbursements — cover expenses to facilitate biomedical research, such as lab, faculty, infrastructure and utility costs.
As part of a coalition of 22 attorneys general, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, on Feb. 10, 2025 to block the attempted funding cuts from taking effect.
“The Trump Administration wanted to eviscerate funding for medical research that helps develop new cures and treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Let that sink in: Life-saving research — proudly happening at UCs and CSUs across our state — was under attack,” said Bonta. “My fellow attorneys general and I stepped in to stop these illegal actions. The district court sided with us, and now, the First Circuit has, too. We’re starting the new year by building on our previous successes and securing yet another important victory against the Trump Administration.”
On Friday, Feb. 7, the NIH announced in supplemental guidance that it would abruptly slash indirect cost rates to an across-the-board 15% rate, which is significantly less than the cost required to perform critical medical research.
The NIH purported to make this cut effective the very next business day, Monday, Feb. 10, giving universities and institutions no time to plan for the enormous budget gaps they would be facing.
Less than six hours after Attorney General Bonta filed suit against the Trump Administration on Feb. 10, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order against NIH, barring its attempts to cut the critical research funding.
The court subsequently issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, which was converted into a permanent injunction at the parties’ request. The Trump Administration appealed that ruling to the First Circuit.
In Monday’s decision, the First Circuit wrote that “the public-health benefits of NIH-funded research are enormous” and concluded that: “[T]he district court properly exercised subject-matter jurisdiction over the plaintiffs' claims,” and “NIH’s attempt, through its Supplemental Guidance, to impose a 15% indirect cost reimbursement rate violates the congressionally enacted appropriations rider and HHS’s duly adopted regulations.”
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With more heavy rain arriving as the week starts, the National Weather Service has issued a new flood watch for Lake County that will be in effect throughout Monday.
The flood watch remains active until 10 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service reported.
On Monday, more than an inch and a quarter of rain is forecast to fall.
Forecasters are concerned that, after several days of rain, the anticipated rainfall on Monday will lead to an increased risk of small stream flooding, as well as excessive runoff in low-lying and flood-prone locations.
There also is increased risk in rock and land slides along roadways, the National Weather Service said.
Along with the rainfall on Monday, forecasters are predicting gusting winds of up to 20 miles per hour. Temperatures during the day are forecast to the high 40s, dropping into the low 40s at night.
There also are chances of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, with sunnier conditions arriving on Thursday and continuing into the weekend.
With water continuing to flow into Clear Lake, the US Geological Survey’s gauge on the lake showed its overall level at nearly 5.60 feet Rumsey, the special measure for Clear Lake. That’s close to its level at this time last year.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is set to hold its first meeting of the year, choosing its leadership for 2026 and welcoming the new chief public defender.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 865 3354 4962, pass code 726865. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,86533544962#,,,,*726865#. The meeting can also be accessed via phone at 669 900 6833.
At the start of the meeting, the board will elect its chair and vice chair for the year, and also elect the chairs and vice chairs of the Lake County Board of Equalization and the Lake County In-Home Supportive Services.
At 9:04 a.m., the oath of office will be administered to Thomas Feimer, who the board appointed last month as the county’s new chief public defender.
As part of the board’s consent agenda, the supervisors are expected to adopt a resolution appointing Katherine Vanderwall as agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for a four-year term effective Feb. 12.
In untimed items, the board will consider an ad hoc committee toward development of a Lake County energy policy as well as appointments to the Building Board of Appeals; Cobb Municipal Advisory Council; East Region Town Hall; Lake County Agricultural Advisory Committee; Vector Control District Board of Trustees; and Western Region Town Hall.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Lake County.
5.2: Adopt resolution appointing Katherine Vanderwall as agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for a four-year term effective Feb. 12, 2026.
5.3: Approve subrecipient agreement to provide CDBG funding in support of the Build Program by North Coast Opportunities Inc. in the amount of $280,374 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.4: Approve Amendment No. 2 to service agreement between the County of Lake and Community Development Services.
5.5: Approve the agreement between the County of Lake and BHC Heritage Oaks Hospital Inc. for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in the amount of $300,000 for fiscal year 2025-26 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.6: Approve Amendment One to Supplemental Services Agreement One between the County of Lake and Geo-Logic Associates for Eastlake Sanitary Landfill Expansion Phase Two and Three design services and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: (a) Approve the purchase of the RaySecur MailSecur MS300 mail scanner from Command Sourcing Inc. in an amount not to exceed $120,000, and (b) authorize the sheriff or designee to sign the purchase order.
5.8: Approve acceptance of $275,000 in additional Housing and Disability Advocacy Program funding for fiscal year 2026-27.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Election of chair of the Board of Supervisors and vice chair of the Board of Supervisors for 2026 (outgoing chair conducts election).
6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County Board of Equalization: Election of chair and vice chair of the Lake County Local Board of Equalization for 2026.
6.3, 9:03 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County In-Home Supportive Services, election of chair and vice chair of the Lake County In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority Board of Directors for 2026.
6.4, 9:04 a.m.: Administer the oath of office to Thomas Feimer as chief public defender.
6.5, 9:05 a.m.: Public input.
6.6, 9:06 a.m.: Pet of the week.
6.7, 9:15 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Lake County.
6.8, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of agreement for the purchase of real property adjacent to the Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake, and adoption of a resolution accepting and recording the grant deed.
6.9, 10:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of ordinance to amend Chapter 21, Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 27 and 68 of the Lake County Zoning Code to implement General Plan Sixth Cycle Housing Element policies HE-38, HE-58, HE-59, HE-60, HE-61, HE-71, HE-72 and HE-73, and a policy for implementation of HE-6.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of the chair’s recommended 2026 committee assignments for members of the Board of Supervisors.
7.3: Consideration of formation of an ad hoc committee toward development of a Lake County energy policy.
7.4: Consideration to approve Amendment No. 5 to the agreement between the County of Lake and Community Behavioral Health for specialty mental health services for fiscal years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
7.5: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Building Board of Appeals; Cobb Municipal Advisory Council; East Region Town Hall; Lake County Agricultural Advisory Committee; Vector Control District Board of Trustees; and Western Region Town Hall.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interviews for animal care and control director and appointment of animal care and control director.
8.2: Conference with labor negotiator. (a) Chief negotiator: S. Parker; county negotiators: S. Carter, C. Moreno, P. Samac and D. Rico. (b) Employee organization: LCSEA.
8.3: Public employee evaluation, Community Development Director Mireya Turner.
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