News

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Luncheon Club will host Konocti Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Salado when it meets this week.

Lunch will be served by the Lions Club on Wednesday, July 16, at noon, at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St. The program will end by 1 p.m.

For only $5 per person, enjoy spaghetti, green salad, fruit salad and dessert. Everyone is welcome.

Reservations are required for lunch. Call the Senior Center at 987-3113 to make your reservation. You may come and listen to the speaker for free without lunch; no reservation is needed in that case.

Dr. Salato will explain the "Adopt a Fifth Grader" program in Lake County.

It is a scholarship program designed to encourage students to graduate from high school and attend Mendocino College. 

Donors contribute $700 to "adopt" a fifth grader, and the funds are invested to provide a $1,000 scholarship upon high school graduation and/or enrollment at Mendocino College

Middletown Luncheon Club programs occur 11 months of the year (no meetings in December) and always take place on the third Wednesday of the month.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 15 July 2025

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Measure Z Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, July 16.

The committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is discussion about the current state of the budget and ongoing projects.

The committee will next meet on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Citizen members are Meg Harper, Susan King, Carl Porter, Dennis Rollins and Laura Sombs. Staff members are City Manager Kevin Ingram, Police Chief Dale Stoebe, Public Works Director Ron Ladd and Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 15 July 2025

NORTH COAST, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company is committing $50 million to new and existing financial assistance programs to support eligible customers with paying past-due energy bills. 

These programs include PG&E’s new Match My Payment Program and the existing PG&E Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help or REACH, program.

The new PG&E Match My Payment Program offers a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $1,000, for qualifying low-to moderate-income customers to pay past-due bills to prevent service disconnections.  

Qualifying customers may receive matching payments from PG&E for multiple bill payments throughout the year, up to a maximum match of $1,000. 

For example, a past-due customer can apply for support in June and continue the program in October if they fall behind on bills again. 

The program is scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2025.  

Eligibility is based on federal income guidelines. For example, a family of four making less than $128,600 a year could qualify for assistance. This is significantly higher than the current limit of $62,400 for a family of the same size under the PG&E REACH program. 

Application information can be found here. 

Applicants are required to pay at least $50 toward their outstanding balance each time to receive matching funds. A minimum past due balance of $100 is required to apply. 

PG&E estimates approximately 400,000 customers may qualify for assistance through the Match My Payment Program. Funding is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on available resources. 

"Our Match My Payment Program is designed to make sure more families receive support when they need it most, especially during the summer months when energy bills can peak,” said Vincent Davis, PG&E Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. “We encourage customers to check their eligibility and apply for the available assistance.” 

Support also Available through PG&E REACH Program 

Customers may also be eligible for bill assistance through the PG&E REACH program, which provides income-eligible customers with a bill credit of up to $300 based on the past-due bill. Emergency assistance is available this year for customers with a disconnection notice. Income levels are lower than the PG&E Match My Payment Program.   

Qualifying customers who have already received a $300 grant from PG&E’s REACH program in 2025 are pre-qualified for up to $1,000 from PG&E’s Match My Payment Program, with a combined maximum benefit of up to $1,300 on a past due amount. 

In 2024, nearly 58,000 PG&E customers received more than $50 million in total assistance from the PG&E REACH program. The record assistance was distributed after PG&E increased benefits to qualifying customers last year. 

PG&E contracts with the nonprofit Dollar Energy Fund, or DEF, to process customers' applications for program funding.  

Additional funding for PG&E’s Match My Payment, REACH, and other bill relief programs will be regularly evaluated throughout the year to ensure resources are allocated effectively to meet customers’ needs. 

Stabilizing customer bills

PG&E forecasts no additional electric rate changes for the rest of 2025. The company expects residential combined gas and electric bills to be essentially flat for the rest of 2025 and go down in 2026.

Even though bills are stabilizing, customers may see higher bills during the summer months when they use more energy to cool their homes and businesses.

Other Income-eligible assistance programs 

PG&E has other assistance programs to help income-eligible customers pay their energy bills: 

• California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE): provides a monthly discount of 20% or more on gas and an average of 35% on electricity (compared to non-CARE bundled customers).
• Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA): new eligibility guidelines provide a monthly discount of 18% on electricity, regardless of household size. 
• Energy Savings Assistance Program (ESA): provides energy-savings improvements at no charge.  
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): a federally-funded assistance program overseen by the state that offers a one-time payment up to $1,500 on past due bills to help low-income households pay for heating or cooling in their homes. Payments may vary by location and funding availability.  
• Arrearage Management Plan (AMP): a debt forgiveness plan for eligible residential customers.  
 
Other programs include Medical Baseline, which offers a reduction on energy bills for customers who depend on power for certain medical needs.   

To learn more about PG&E’s assistance programs, use a new Savings Finder tool or visit pge.com/billhelp. 

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 15 July 2025