How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
A record 72.2 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday period from Saturday, June 28 to Sunday, July 6, according to a new report from AAA.
This represents an increase of 1.7 million domestic travelers compared to last year and 7 million more than in 2019.
More than 8.9 million Californians are expected to travel for the holiday, marking an increase of nearly 182,000 compared to 2024 and over 615,000 from than in 2019.
AAA’s Independence Day forecast includes two weekends instead of one to better reflect the flow of holiday travelers.
“Summertime is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and July 4 is one of the most popular times to get away,” said AAA Mountain West Group spokesperson Doug Johnson. “Following Memorial Day’s record forecast, AAA is seeing strong demand for road trips and air travel over Independence Day week. With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends.”
Independence day travelers by mode of transportation
By car: AAA projects 61.6 million people will travel by car, a 2.2% increase over last year, and the highest volume on record. This Independence Day holiday period is expected to see an additional 1.3 million road travelers compared to 2024. In California, more than 7 million people will be traveling by car throughout the Golden State.
By air: Air travel is also projected to set a new record. AAA expects 5.84 million travelers will fly to their destinations; that’s 8% of all Independence Day travelers. This year’s projection is a 1.4% increase over the previous record set last Independence Day week of 5.76 million air travelers. In California, more than 1.2 Million residents will be flying this holiday weekend, about 24,000more than in 2024.
By other modes: AAA projects 4.78 million people will travel by bus, train, or cruise, a 7.4% increase over 2024. This year’s number is just shy of the 2019 record of 4.79 million. Cruising is driving the popularity of this category, particularly this time of year, when Alaska cruise season is in full swing. About 593 thousand Californians are expected to travel by bus, train, or cruise.
July 4th travel tips
Save on gas. Use the AAA Mobile App to find the cheapest gas stations along your route, plan your trip, request roadside assistance and more.
Be road trip ready. Pack an emergency kit and get a pre-trip inspection to prevent common breakdowns like dead batteries and blown tires.
Avoid speeding. Fuel economy peaks around 50 mph on most cars, then drops off as speeds increase. Reducing highway speeds by 5 to 10 mph can increase fuel economy by as much as 14%.
Hit the road early. Wednesday, July 2 and Sunday, July 6 are projected to be the busiest travel days with 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. being the most congested hours. Keep in mind construction, crashes, or severe weather could impact your travel times.
Stay alert while driving. Avoid distractions while on the road and slow down, move over for emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or disabled vehicles on the side of the road.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
NAPA COUNTY, Calif. — As cool winds blew and aircrafts taxied nearby, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit showcased its aerial firefighting muscles — helicopters and crews — at the Napa County Airport on Monday.
Each of the three helicopters on display is based in a different county within the unit: a Cal Fire Hawk — a Sikorsky S-70i in signature red-and-white — with its helitack crew stationed at the Boggs Mountain Helitack Base in Lake County.
Also featured were a Boeing CH-47D Chinook based at the Napa County Airport and a Sikorsky UH-60A+ Blackhawk based at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport.
The later two are contracted with Cal Fire for exclusive aerial firefighting operations this summer into the fall.
“These aircraft displayed behind me today represent a strategic investment in wildfire preparedness and rapid response," said Unit Chief Matt Ryan in his speech. “Cal Fire has deployed aircraft across California ahead of peak fire conditions to ensure a rapid, aggressive initial attack.”
Ryan highlighted the helicopters’ capability.
The Fire Hawk is “a state-of-the-art firefighting helicopter as an initial attack with wildfire suppression and rescue operations, Ryan said. It delivers a helitack crew directly to the fire line with 1m000 gallons of water.
The Chinook can carry up to 26,000 pounds, delivers up to 2,300 gallons of water and is qualified for night operations; The Blackhawk has a capacity of 1100 gallons of water designed for rapid deployment.
“These aviation resources are key to achieving one of Cal Fire's core objectives — containing 95% of wildfires at 10 acres or less,” Ryan said. “Together, our air and ground resources enhance our ability to protect the lives, property and natural resources of California.”
As Ryan spoke, firefighters in dark blue uniforms stood against the backdrop of their towering mechanical counterparts.
Since 2021, Napa County “has seen just eight wildfires that exceeded 10 acres in size, an average of just two per year,” said the county’s Board of Supervisors Chair Anne Cottrell during her speech. Over the 10 years prior to 2021, Cottrell said, Napa had 46 wildfires over 10 acres — nearly five a year.
The reduction in wildfire was “remarkable” and “a testament to Cal Fire’s rapid response strategy,” she said.
The unit’s Public Information Officer Jason Clay told Lake County News that aircraft or helicopters are “strategically positioned throughout California” to be able to respond to any fire across the state within 20 minutes.
The Fire Hawk and helitack team based in Lake County
It took the Fire Hawk 15 minutes to fly the helitack team from their base in Boggs Mountain, Lake County to the event in Napa, according to the crew. By car, the trip would have taken two hours.
For some firefighters there, the commute to work is even longer.
Jake Gallant, a firefighter who lives in San Luis Obispo, said he has a four-hour drive to Lake County. “I have the farthest commute,” he said with a laugh.
Gallant explained that their shifts are “three days on, four days off” so that he does not have to make the drive every day.
“I mean, it’s actually pretty common in Cal Fire for people to live further away from where they work,” he said. “I wouldn't get this opportunity to work on a Cal Fire Hawk closer to where I live. So it’s worth it to me.”
Gallant has spent three of his seven years in firefighting on the helicopter crew. “I love it. It’s the best job I ever had,” he said.
Before firefighting, Gallant said he had done many jobs in construction, moving — mostly manual labor.
“Well, they do a lot of manual labor,” Gallant said of transitioning to firefighting. “And I’m pretty good at that, so might as well do something cool with it.”
This year, the heliteck crew has attended and landed for 13 fires so far, according to Fire Captain Chris Batey who has been in firefighting since 2001 and came to the base four years ago.
Speaking of the fire trends throughout the year, “We get highs and lows,” Batey said. “Last year we started off much busier than this year — we went straight into a couple fires that burned down 10,000 acres each.”
“This year, it’s been really slow — small fires, not doing a whole lot — which is the way we like it; it’s way better,” Batey said.
In 2024, the Boggs Mountain helitack team landed and took action on 54 fires, Batey and Gallant recalled. “There's probably 100 more that we started to but they didn't need us, or we were canceled,” Gallant added.
Batey told Lake County News that it costs about $7,000 an hour for the Fire Hawk and crew to work on an ongoing fire, covered by the unit’s operating budget.
This Fire Hawk-Sikorsky S-70i is the only helicopter at the helitack base right now, according to Gallant. The aircraft and the crew, while showing up in the event, were actively on call.
“So if there is a fire, we will leave,” Batey said.
For the pilot, Michael Schanley, firefighting from the sky has “a tremendous amount of variables — whether it’s the wind, the heat.”
Schanley has been with Cal Fire for six years of his total of 38 years primarily for aerial firefighting, having previously worked as a contractor.
He likened the job to a boxing match. “I have an opponent in a fire, and the fire doesn't just wait for me to go make another drop,” Schanley said in explaining his theory.
“The fire is doing its thing and we're chasing it right?” he said. “We chased it down. And then at some point, we kind of reached an equilibrium, and then we started getting the upper hand — getting a little head of the fire, and we're doing our part. And then eventually it goes out …”
“Mike, I think we got a job at Contra Costa,” a crew member interrupted.
The conversation ended. Quickly, dark blue uniforms were swapped for bright yellow as the Fire Hawk’s engine started humming, rotors spinning, kicking up dust on the ramp before taking off.
Four minutes later, they arrived at the fire scene.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
- Details
- Written by: LINGZI CHEN
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council on Thursday wrapped up work on the new fiscal year budget, the largest in the city’s 45-year history.
The council held a 2025-26 budget workshop Thursday evening, just ahead of its regular meeting, to go over the numbers with staff.
The budget the council eventually approved included $83,149,510 in expenses and $81,034,188 in revenue.
City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News that the 2025-26 budget is the largest in the city’s history, and is significantly larger than in past years.
Compare this year’s budget, at nearly $84 million in appropriations, to last year’s, at $50 million.
“Our General Fund has not really increased, this is the result of grant funds for various projects,” said Flora.
For this new fiscal year, Flora said the city budget includes more than $45 million in grant funds to support the Clearlake Apartments project near Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital.
“The state has provided these grant funds to the city to pass through to the housing developer,” Flora said.
Despite being the largest budget Clearlake has had to date, Flora said in his budget message on the city’s Open Gov page that, “Revenue constraints require us to take a more conservative approach to spending, prioritizing essential services and carefully evaluating discretionary expenditures.”
The city is prioritizing core services such as public safety, road maintenance and essential municipal operations, all of which Flora said remain fully funded.
The city is taking a strategic approach to spending reductions by identifying efficiencies across departments to minimize costs while maintaining service quality, Flora said in his message.
Meantime, the city remains committed to key infrastructure projects — which Flora said include road rehabilitation and downtown revitalization efforts — while maximizing grand funding from state and federal sources.
During the workshop, staff outlined the main capital projects for the coming year, which total approximately $15,783,013.
They include:
• Arrowhead Burns Valley Road Rehabilitation Project: $5,483,774.
• Burns Valley Sports Complex: $9,116,279.
• Dam Road roundabout: $483,925.
• Austin Park Skate Park: $400,000.
• Clearlake Police Department radio/communication infrastructure: $210,675.
• Airport Road Project, $88,360.
“While fiscal prudence is necessary, our guiding principle remains progress and stability for Clearlake’s residents. Through careful planning and resourceful decision-making, we will continue improving our city’s livability while ensuring long-term financial sustainability,” Flora wrote.
Matt Pressey, the city’s acting finance director, told the council that the state has seen strong growth over the past five years, including steady growth in its revenues. He referred to California surpassing Japan last year to become the world's fourth-largest economy. However, there is now limited economic growth.
On the city level, Pressey reported that the economy is stable but not growing. Property tax revenues are seeing a slight increase while sales tax revenues are dropping slightly. Population growth is on a stable trend.
Flora told the council that the budget is not “structurally sound,” which means that they are using one-time funding for ongoing expenses.
He said that’s not where they want to be, explaining that the city is relying heavily on using other funding sources to support expenses in the general fund which they wouldn’t have to do if they hadn’t a healthier economy.
As a result, he’s implemented a general fund hiring freeze for jobs not in the background check process.
The city has had significant increases in retirement and insurance costs this year. In spite of those increases, Flora said the budget still shows reductions in all general fund budget units.
During the regular meeting, which lasted just under 45 minutes, the council unanimously approved the new fiscal year budget with no additional discussion.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake Area Planning Council, or Lake APC, is inviting residents of Clearlake and the surrounding areas to participate in an important study focused on enhancing transportation safety along the State Route 53 corridor.
The study will determine public transportation needs and priorities along Highway 53 within the city limits of Clearlake.
Lake APC said public participation is a key component in the study, and community members’ insights are critical for securing future grant funding for transportation safety improvements in the area.
To share your comments and help shape the future of Highway 53, residents are encouraged to complete the online survey and explore the interactive project map by July 16.
Fill out the survey here.
Community members may also complete paper surveys, available at the following designated drop-box locations:
• Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
• Lake Transit Authority, 9240 Highway 53, Lower Lake.
• Lake County Social Services Department, 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway, Lower Lake.
For more information about the SR 53 Corridor Project Prioritization Study, contact John Speka of the Lake Area Planning Council at
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS