LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest is seeking input on the proposed North Shore Restoration Project on the Upper Lake Ranger District.
The proposed project area was burned in the 2018 Ranch fire and is in the wildland urban interface of the communities on the north and east shores of Clear Lake.
The proposed project would remove fire-killed trees, improve forest health and promote desired conditions.
This planning effort is in collaboration with FireScape Mendocino, the Forest Service Regional Ecology program and the Pacific Northwest Research Station.
The collaborative planning team will present the North Shore Restoration Project draft proposed action and be available to answer questions and receive comments at a public open house to be held Thursday, May 9, in Upper Lake. Specific details about time and location will be released at a later date.
For more information, contact Planning Team Leader Gary Urdahl at 707-275-1417 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The historic Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse could soon be given away to a nonprofit if the Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees approves the plan. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees is planning a discussion on what to do with the historic Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at the Kelseyville Unified District Office, 4410 Konocti Road.
The Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse – also called the Hells Bend Schoolhouse – was built in 1871. It originally sat in another location, and was moved to its current home, in the 3500 block of Finley Road East, in 1882.
On Tuesday the board will consider declaring that the property is of insufficient value to defray the cost of arranging a sale and authorizing its donation to “any organization classified as a CA nonprofit benefit corporation or which has received federal tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), is a charitable organization and the process of which application may be made.”
Liability appears to be a key driver in the new consideration of what to do with the building.
A four-page document included in the board’s agenda packet reported on a February hazard assessment of the building directed by the district by Keenan Associates.
“The purpose of the visit was to visually inspect the building and surrounding area to identify conditions that increase the possibility of losses,” Frank Cardoza, a senior loss control consultant, wrote in the report.
“Due to the age of the building and in an abundance of caution, invasive inspection methods may have released lead, asbestos, and/or other potentially harmful substances and were not conducted. Potential air quality issues that may be present due to moisture/water intrusion were not sampled,” Cardoza reported.
In August 2017, the board had held a discussion about giving the building to the Lake County Historical Society, which proposed to move it to the Ely Stage Stop some distance away. At the time, the board decided not to move forward.
The board agenda packet did not indicate if that organization or others have recently come forward to express interest in making a bid for the historic building.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Capt. Tim Celli’s badge is pinned on by his wife Amanda as Chief Andrew White looks on at the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Photo by Alan Flora. CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday hosted the swearing-in of a veteran member of the police department to the captain’s job and a new community service officer.
Chief Andrew White administered the oath to Capt. Tim Celli and Community Service OfficerDaniel Constancio.
Celli, who has been with the police department for more than 20 years, previously served as its interim chief before White’s hiring.
White said Celli – who has worked his way up through the ranks over the years – is an example of someone who has dedicated his life to an agency.
“Capt. Celli is an officer that has given so much to the Clearlake Department and is someone that truly bleeds Clearlake blue,” Chief White said following the ceremony.
Celli also has been helpful to White in the department’s transition to leadership and implementing needed changes, White said.
The Clearlake City Council recently reinstated the captain’s position based on a reorganization plan from Chief White.
Celli started out in the Clearlake Police Department as an explorer at age 14. After graduating from Lower Lake High School he served in the United States Army National Guard as a military policemen.
He came home to Clearlake in 1995 and was hired as a community service officer. After being sworn in as a full-time police officer in 1999, Celli has held many different assignments since, including field training officer, detective, narcotics agent, crime suppression unit, patrol sergeant, administrative sergeant, lieutenant and interim police chief.
Over the years, Celli has faced the dangers common to police. He was shot at by a home invasion robbery suspect in 2013, with that suspect later convicted of assault with a deadly weapon on Celli.
When he appeared for his swearing-in, Celli had a bump on his head from a foot pursuit earlier in the day that had resulted in another officer being injured, hospitalized and later released, according to White.
Celli’s wife of 21 years, Amanda, took part in the swearing-in ceremony, coming forward to pin his badge on him. She kissed the badge before placing it on his uniform and then gave him a hug.
White then administered the oath to Celli. City Manager Alan Flora then came up to shake Celli’s hand.
Also on Thursday, Daniel Constancio was sworn in as the department’s new community service officer, a position that often is an entry point for future police officers, as it was for Celli.
Constancio was born and raised in Sacramento and graduated from Roseville High School. While prior to his swearing in, he had served in the city’s Public Works Department, with his long-term goal to be a police officer.
The city reported that Constancio comes from a family of first responders and is looking forward to beginning his training as a community service officer.
“The city has been fortunate to have so many dedicated employees that have a passion for our community,” said Flora. “We love seeing our officers and staff step up to new challenges and I am proud of how many employees have followed their dreams by moving up within the Clearlake organization. Congratulations to both Capt. Celli and CSO Constancio in their new role.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Chief Andrew White and Community Service Officer Daniel Constancio after his swearing in at the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Photo by Alan Flora.
LUCERNE, Calif. – California Water Service filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday that will result in bill decreases for the utility’s Lucerne customers.
The filing implements various ratemaking mechanisms that company officials said will ensure customer bills continue to reflect the true cost to provide water service.
For the typical residential Lucerne customer who uses 2,992 gallons, or 4 ccf, of water per month, the monthly bill will decrease by $5.63.
Because Lucerne customers are billed for water service every two months, they would see a decrease of $11.26 on the bimonthly bill, the company said.
Included in the application is a 12-month credit to reflect lower capital financing costs and changes in the federal tax law from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2018.
In July 2018, Cal Water reduced customer rates going forward due to these changes; the utility also tracked their effect in order to enable customer savings to go back to the first half of 2018.
The filing also includes a surcharge to reconcile the difference between actual and forecasted water system costs in 2017 and 2018, due to variations in water consumption and water supply costs, along with a surcharge for expenses incurred in 2016 and 2017 for programs implemented to support customers’ efforts to meet state-mandated water-use reduction requirements.
The surcharges, both running for 12 months, are less than the credit, however, resulting in lower water bills.
“At Cal Water, we are committed to providing a reliable supply of safe, high-quality water to the Lucerne community,” said Evan Markey, Cal Water’s Redwood Valley district manager. “As a regulated utility, our customers’ bills reflect the true cost of providing water service, and we’re pleased to pass along these savings to our valued customers. It’s part of our promise to always provide quality, service and value.”
Cal Water serves approximately 3,200 people through 1,900 service connections in the Redwood Valley area and about 2 million people through 484,900 service connections in California. The utility has provided water service in the area since 2000.
Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A moderately sized earthquake was felt around parts of Lake County and beyond on Monday.
The 4.1-magnitude quake was reported at 4:54 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.
The USGS said the quake was centered 2.1 miles east southeast of Black Oaks in Sonoma County and 13.5 miles southwest of Clearlake. It was recorded at seven-tenths of a mile.
As of Monday night, 75 shake reports from around Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties and beyond were submitted to the USGS. The report coming from the farthest distance was filed in Arcata.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors is due this week to consider taking final votes on forming new benefit zones for four Kelseyville communities, an effort meant to address hazardous vegetation in order to reduce the threat of wildland fires.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 16, 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 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
At 10:30 a.m, the board will hold a public hearing to consider resolutions accepting and confirming ballot tabulation for the establishment of zones of benefit within CSA 23 in the communities of Buckingham, Clear Lake Riviera, Riviera Heights and Riviera West.
The board passed four resolutions of intent to create the zones of benefit on Jan. 29, with the matter then put out to voters under the requirements of Proposition 218.
At the end of protest hearings on March 26, it was confirmed that a majority of the returned ballots favored the benefit zones, as Lake County News has reported.
During the board’s March 26 meeting, a community member opposed to the benefit zones said that the language “Official Ballot Enclosed,” was not printed on the envelopes in which ballots were mailed.
“I and my staff sincerely regret this omission,” County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson wrote in her report to the board on the item. “However, as your Board may be aware, the purpose of this statute, Government Code Section 53753 (b), is to ensure that property owners are aware of their opportunity to vote to accept or oppose the proposed assessments, and do not unknowingly throw away their ballots.”
Huchingson said that the board may determine whether the ballot measure, as conducted, was in substantial compliance with the noticing requirements of Government Code section 53753.
She then outlined some of the “numerous and substantial efforts” made to inform property owners in the affected areas that they would receive ballots from county, including discussing the matter on four different occasions; Supervisor Rob Brown’s two information town hall-style meetings; county press releases shared on social media; significant local media coverage; and the efforts of homeowners’ associations to do their own outreach.
Huchingson said all envelopes containing mailed ballots were labeled “County of Lake,” and mailed first class, not bulk mail, indicating they were not junk mail, and should not be thrown away.
“Provided your Board finds that these, and/or other factors, substantially fulfill the reasonable objective of Government Code section 53753 (b), staff recommends your Board adopt the attached Resolutions, accepting and confirming ballot tabulation for the four proposed Zones of Benefit,” Huchingson wrote.
Also on the agenda, at 10 a.m. the board will continue a discussion first held last week regarding the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ fee to trust applications with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 21 tribal-owned parcels.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to the Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Stephen Bradley, MD to fulfill the responsibilities of the substance use disorder medical director for Fiscal Year 2018-19 for a contract maximum of $48,960 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.2: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the purchase of high strength sodium hypochlorite from Hasa Inc. in an amount not to exceed $122,000 and authorize the Special Districts administrator to issue a purchase order.
5.3: Adopt proclamation designating the week of April 15-19, 2019, as Public Safety Dispatcher Week in Lake County.
5.4: Approve contract between the county of Lake and People Services for yard maintenance in the amount of $9,234.33 annually, terminating June 30, 2021, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the week of April 15 to 19, 2019, as Public Safety Dispatcher Week.
6.3, 9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving resolutions and capital fire facility and equipment plans submitted by Lake County fire agencies and updating the Lake County Capital Fire Facility and Equipment Plan.
6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation by Adventist Health Community Wellness for the SafeRX vision for a "Leave it Behind" Program.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Continued from April 9, consideration of responses to the Bureau of Indian Affairs invitation to provide comment on the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ land acquisition applications.
6.6, 10:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolutions accepting and confirming ballot tabulation for the establishment of zones of benefit within CSA 23 in the following communities: (a) Buckingham; (b) Riviera Heights; (c) Riviera West; and (d) Clearlake Riviera.
6.7, 1 p.m.: Workshop Regarding United States Department of Agriculture Community Development Block Grant and Economic Development Administration funding projects.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of long distance travel to Death Valley for Eddie Crandell, District 3, supervisor to attend California's Rural Counties Board of Directors meeting to be held April 30 to May 2.
7.3: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, consideration of the Special Districts administrator’s request to initiate an interim loan in the amount of $493,000 to fund 256.8356.501.80-92, Anderson Springs Sewer, from fund 254.8354.501.80-93, LACOSAN SE, to facilitate payment to contractor K.J. Woods Construction.
7.4: Consideration of Contract Change Order No. 1 for the Lower Lake Parks Maintenance Facility Project, Bid No. 18-17.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public Employee evaluations: Social Services director, information technology director.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1): County of Lake, et al. v. PG&E, et al.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1): Navarro v. County of Lake.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday will get a report on police statistics for the first quarter of this year, consider taking positions on state bills and also discuss an agreement for a water program.
The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, to discuss labor negotiations and property at 810 Main St. before the open session convenes at 6 p.m.
On the agenda, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will present to the council the police statistics report for the first quarter of 2019.
Rasmussen also will ask the council to offer support for SB 230 and oppose AB 392, including approving a resolution and directing the mayor to sign a letter to be sent to appropriate members of the California Assembly and Senate.
According to Rasmussen’s report, SB 230 (Caballero), “is a comprehensive measure focused on building upon existing efforts to improve outcomes during law enforcement officers’ involvement in serious use of force incidents, while SB 392 (Weber) “mandates an in-hindsight standard be used to hold officers criminally liable for using force when responding to life-or-death situations.”
Also on Tuesday, Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will present to the council the agreement providing for implementation and maintenance of the Lake County Clean Water Program.
Ingram is seeking the agreement’s approval and the appointment of one council member as the designated city representative and one as an alternate to the program management council.
In other business, City Manager Margaret Silveira will seek the council’s approval of addendum No. 1 to the BiCoastal Media Summer Concert agreement to allow a food and wine court to this year’s concert series.
Public Works Director Doug Grider will seek approval for a utility truck for his department and ask the council to adopt a proposed resolution approving the city’s SB 1 Project List for fiscal year 2019-20 and direct staff to submit to the California Transportation Commission.
Also on Tuesday, Mayor Tim Barnes will present proclamations declaring April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on April 2; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; approval of event application WP 2019-001, with staff recommendations, for the 2019 Grillin’ on the Green event; approval of event application 2019-015, with staff recommendations, for the 2019 Library Park Farmer’s Market; approval of the agreement with the Lake County Tourism Improvement District for administrative services and authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement; authorization for staff to temporarily fill a police sergeant position with a police officer but leave position budgeted as sergeant; authorization for out-of-state travel as requested by the city manager and community development director to attend RECon – the Global Retail Real Estate Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada May 20 to 21.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport this week is holding the second in a series of meetings to design a new waterfront park.
The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at City Hall, 225 Park St.
The city is planning to apply to the state for funds from Proposition 68 – the Parks and Water Bond Act of 2018 – to fund a new lakeside park at the former Natural High School property, located at 810 N. Main St., as Lake County News has reported.
Thursday’s meeting is the second of four that are planned to receive public input regarding the proposed park’s design.
The city said workshop participants will be asked to create a prioritized list of park features to include in the design of the park.
Participants also will be allotted a set number of points and will have to determine how to “spend” their points on the set of park features presented
Community members are encouraged to participate in an online survey, available in both English and Spanish, which can be found here.
For more information contact the Lakeport Community Development Department at 707-263-5615, Extension 204, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control’s shelter is bursting at the seams with a huge number of dogs needing new homes.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd, bluetick coonhound, boxer, Chihuahua, dachshund, German Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, heeler, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, redbone coonhound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, shepherd, Shih Tzu, Siberian Husky, and Staffordshire bull terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
“Plia” is a female husky, ID No. is 9256. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Plia’
“Plia” is a female husky with a medium-length white coat and blue eyes.
She already has been spayed.
Her ID No. is 9256.
This male Jack Russell Terrier is in kennel No. 3, ID No. 12033. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Jack Russell Terrier
This male Jack Russell Terrier has a shaved white and buff coat.
He’s in kennel No. 3, ID No. 12033.
“Moe” is a male Shih Tzu mix in kennel No. 4, ID No. 11939. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Moe’
“Moe” is a male Shih Tzu mix with a short black coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 4, ID No. 11939.
This male boxer-pit bull mix is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 12037. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Boxer-pit bull mix
This male boxer-pit bull mix has a short black and white coat.
He’s in kennel No. 5, ID No. 12037.
“Sadie” is a female Australian Shepherd in kennel No. 6, ID No. 12022. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Sadie’
“Sadie” is a female Australian Shepherd with a short tricolor coat.
She’s in kennel No. 6, ID No. 12022.
This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 7, ID No. 11970. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull
This male pit bull terrier has a short blue and gray coat.
He’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 11970.
“Bubbles” is a male Chihuahua-dachshund mix in kennel No. 8a, ID No. 11990. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Bubbles’
“Bubbles” is a male Chihuahua-dachshund mix with a medium-length black coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 8a, ID No. 11990.
“Gucci” is a female Chihuahua in kennel No. 8b, ID No. 11911. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Gucci’
“Gucci” is a female Chihuahua with a short brown and brindle coat.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 8b, ID No. 11911.
This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 12031. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier has a short red coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 12031.
“Rio” is a male bluetick coonhound-shepherd mix in kennel No. 11, ID No. 11947. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Rio’
“Rio” is a male bluetick coonhound-shepherd mix with a short tricolor coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 11947.
“Baylee” is a female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 14, ID No. 11892. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Baylee’
“Baylee” is a female pit bull terrier has a short brindle and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is good with other dogs, has lived with cats and chickens, and was raised with children.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 14, ID No. 11892.
“Maebelle” is a female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 15, ID No. 11893. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Maebelle’
“Maebelle” is a female pit bull terrier with a short brindle and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is good with other dogs, has lived with cats and chickens, and was raised with a small child.
She’s in kennel No. 15, ID No. 11893.
“Pork Chop” is a male husky in kennel No. 19, ID No. 9255. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Pork Chop’
“Pork Chop” is a male husky with a medium-length red and white coat.
He’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 9255.
This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 11958. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier has a short black coat.
He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 11958.
“Bobby Socks” is a female Staffordshire bull terrier-Rhodesian Ridgeback in kennel No. 21, ID No. 11911. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Bobby Socks’
“Bobby Socks” is a female Staffordshire bull terrier-Rhodesian Ridgeback.
She has a short red coat and has already been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 11911.
“Abby” is a female German Shepherd in kennel No. 22, ID No. 9707. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Abby’
“Abby” is a female German Shepherd with a medium-length black and tan coat.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 9707.
“Bing” is a female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 23, ID No. 12012. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Bing’
“Bing” is a female pit bull terrier with a short brown and white coat.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 23, ID No. 12012.
“Tina” is a female Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier in kennel No. 24, ID No. 11978. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Tina’
“Tina” is a female Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier with a short yellow coat.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 24, ID No. 11978.
This male redbone coonhound is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 11960. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male redbone coonhound
This male redbone coonhound has a short red coat.
He’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 11960.
“Taya” is a female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 26, ID No. 12005. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Taya’
“Taya” is a female pit bull terrier who a short tricolor coat.
He’s in kennel No. 26, ID No. 12005.
“Little Foot” is a white male Great Pyrenees is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 11854. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Little Foot’
“Little Foot” is a white male Great Pyrenees with a long white coat and gold eyes.
Shelter staff said the right home for him will not have cats, small dogs or livestock.
He’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 11854.
“Shi” is a female terrier in kennel No. 28, ID No. 12020. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Shi’
“Shi” is a female terrier with a short brindle and white coat.
She’s in kennel No. 28, ID No. 12020.
This Siberian husky is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 12023. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Siberian husky
This Siberian husky of undetermined gender has a medium-length tricolor coat with blue eyes.
The dog is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 12023.
This male Chihuahua-dachshund in kennel No. 30, ID No. 12007. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Chihuahua-dachshund
This male Chihuahua-dachshund has a short black and brown coat.
He’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 12007.
This female heeler is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 11962. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female heeler
This female heeler has a medium-length black and white coat.
She’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 11962.
This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 11950. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier
This female pit bull terrier has a short brown and white coat.
She’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 11950.
“Bear” is a male Labrador Retriever in kennel No. 34, ID No. 11986. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male Labrador Retriever with an all-black coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 34, ID No. 11986.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Since September 2018, 285 measles cases have been reported in Brooklyn and Queens, mainly in neighborhoods where ultra-Orthodox Jews have chosen to not have their children vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that from Jan. 1 to April 4, 2019, 465 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 19 states. This is the second-highest number of cases since the CDC declared measles eliminated in 2000; in 2014, 667 cases occurred.
Cases have still been occurring each year, often brought into the United States from international travelers. Officials believe that to be the cause of the outbreak in Rockland County, New York, where 168 cases were reported as of April 8, 2019.
Rockland public health officials issued a ban that would keep unvaccinated children out of public places, but a judge overruled that on April 5. On April 9, county officials said they would appeal.
But there are limits to what health care providers, public health officials and legislators can do. It is crucial to consider both the power – and the limits – of potential solutions that will provide education, medical care and protection for the public while still upholding principles of informed consent, parental decision-making and sustaining public trust.
As a professor who researches and teaches health law, public health law and medical ethics, I think it’s worth clarifying what states can or cannot legally do when responding to cases of communicable disease.
A right to refuse medical care
The law recognizes the right of an individual to refuse medical interventions. Health law has a strong history of recognizing bodily integrity: Adults can choose whether to accept or reject a proposed medical intervention, even in instances where public health authorities conclude a vaccine would benefit both the individual and society. The Supreme Court has recognized parents’ ability to direct the care and control of their children, including consenting or forgoing medical treatment for their child except in very specific circumstances.
In the 1905 Jacobson v. Massachusetts case, the Supreme Court upheld a state law delegating power to local health officials mandating that adults receive one smallpox vaccine in the midst of an epidemic or pay a fine (about $130 today). Under the concept of police power, states have a duty to enact laws that promote the health, safety and welfare of its residents. Public health authorities may offer vaccines as a method of prevention, but medical professionals, public health authorities and even courts may not legally compel a person to submit to a vaccine.
The Jacobson decision also set forth limits on police power, yet subsequent cases addressing vaccine mandates discarded these requirements, extending multiple vaccine mandates to school attendance for disease not in circulation and in the absence of an epidemic.
Deferring to respected scientific consensus as a means to justify forced medical interventions in the name of individual benefit and the public good has historically resulted in some of the most egregious constitutional and human rights atrocities in the U.S. The mass forcible sterilization during the eugenics movement is but one example.
The history of science and medicine further demonstrates the fallibility of commonly accepted medical knowledge, such as when Bayer introduced heroin as a safe, non-addictive substitute for morphine, or physicians prescribed Bendectin and thalidomide to relieve nausea, only to find these medications resulted in babies born with severe birth defects.
Public good, personal rights
The law is also quite clear that public health authorities and law enforcement may place restrictions on a person’s individual liberty – including religious liberty – in situations where a person’s actions pose a direct, immediate and compelling harm to others, such as using venomous snakes in religious worship or asserting a nonexistent “right” to use an illegal substance such as marijuana when operating a motor vehicle.
In public health law relating to communicable disease, this constitutes a very specific standard: A person must have a present disease, and this person’s actions must pose a direct threat to others.
For example, health officials may seek a quarantine order or civil commitment for a person with active tuberculosis who continues to frequent highly populated public spaces until the person is no longer contagious.
Even in such a case, health authorities can offer treatment and limit a person’s movement to prevent infecting others, but the law does not permit forcibly medicating a competent person against his will.
Accordingly, legal precedent does not support quarantining vast geographic areas of healthy persons who have not been exposed to the communicable illness, but would support tailored voluntary isolation and quarantine of persons who have been exposed to, or currently have, the illness.
What health officials can do to protect children
A mother holds a baby while a health care provider administers an oral vaccine. The CDC considers vaccination to be one the greatest public health achievements.Gorlov_KV/Shutterstock.com
The CDC classifies vaccines as one of the top 10 public health achievements. The vast majority (about 98%) of parents across the U.S. as a whole comply with the state law mandated schedule of vaccines for their children.
Vaccines, like any other FDA-approved product such as a prescription drug or medical device, carry a set of risks and benefits. These calculations vary depending on the vaccine, its efficacy, safety, potential side effects, the severity of the illness the vaccine aims to protect against, and the individual to whom it is administered.
Vaccine science and practice similarly evolved with historical mistakes (the Cutter incident) and ongoing disputes about risks and benefits for individual vaccines like flu and anthrax.
To promote vaccination for children, health officials may offer educational campaigns and set up free clinics for parents to bring their children. State laws may also mandate vaccines as a condition for school attendance, or require excluding unvaccinated children during an active outbreak at their school.
However, if states offer a religious or nonmedical exemption, courts have been clear that health officials and school officials do not have discretion to require the child’s parent to identify with an organized religion or reject the sincerity of the parent’s beliefs because this violates the First Amendment.
Harm to community
Public health professionals worry that parents who forgo vaccination are placing their child and the community at risk. Some have advocated that the state should step in with coercive measures such as eliminating any nonmedical exemptions for all children or intervene by force, such as classifying parents’ decision as child neglect or seeking a court order to vaccinate the child.
In my opinion, these strategies rely on a distortion of legal precedent, dismiss longstanding authority of parents to make decisions for their children, and threaten to undermine an already fractured public trust.
Cases that uphold state intervention to protect a child by compelling medical treatment generally require that the child has an illness, the illness is severe and life-threatening, and the risks and benefits of intervening are assessed.
This requires medical professionals and health officials to maintain precision in distinguishing whether the parents are deciding to forgo recommended vaccines, or whether they are refusing medical care for a critically ill child. Indeed, a recent case in Chandler, Arizona, demonstrated how a climate of coercion and force may result in parental fear and refusal to constructively engage with state officials for even an ill child.
State public health officials have the duty to protect residents from illness and communicable disease, but these strategies must fall within appropriate legal parameters. Dismissing these legal boundaries or justifying unnecessary force not only undermines fundamental liberties, but in my view fuels parental and community distrust of health officials and sets back the ultimate goals of protecting the public.
Western pond turtles at Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo by Kathleen Scavone. "There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrain of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter."– Rachel Carson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – All along the lazy Lake County shorelines of creeks, ponds and lakes you may be able to sneak up on Western pond turtles to observe their slow-motion antics.
Since they favor locations with logs or boulders on which to laze, that is where to look first. As an example, while on a walk on the bucolic boardwalk at Clear Lake State Park I spied several Western pond turtles within a short amount of time.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park's Cache Creek walk allows for a variety of critters to study, including Western pond turtles.
Besides watery places of residence, however, they require a terrestrial habitat to thrive. For instance, if the turtles' resident pond or marsh dries up seasonally or in a drought, they might end up living outside of their aquatic environment for two-thirds of a year. Many turtles build nests out of the water as well.
Herpetologists – those who study reptiles, or biologists and naturalists specializing in the Western pond turtle tell us that these critters once flourished in abundance in and amongst California's streams, ponds and lakes.
It was popular in the 1800s to hunt turtles, especially during the Gold Rush when turtles were pursued almost to extinction. Today, the turtles are still in peril due to climate and weather changes, along with disappearing wildlife habitat.
Another problem Western pond turtles face is the abundance of non-native species like the turtle called the Red-eared slider. The red-eared slider is native to the mid- and southern United States, and is often purchased as a pet, then released into the Western pond turtles' habitat, where it overtakes the native's food and nesting territory.
Western pond turtles have been studied extensively by Sonoma State University's biology professor Nick Geist since 2008, in collaboration with San Francisco and Oakland Zoos to rear and relocate turtles to their native habitat.
Working with grad students, special transmitters are attached to the backs of some turtles, and this gives them data for one ot two years on their progress.
The turtles are tracked via radio telemetry along with visual surveys in their native habitat at Lake County's Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve.
These special turtles are endemic, or unique to the geographical region of the United States' western coasts from Washington to Mexico. They once thrived in Canada, but have been locally extinct, or extirpated there since 2002.
The reptiles are listed as a species of concern here in California, by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
With the Western pond turtle's hard shell, which is dull brown to olive in coloration, the adults are quite often safe from predators.
But their soft eggs and diminutive young hatchlings are preyed upon by many mammals such as otter, osprey, raccoon, coyotes and of course, humans who contaminate or deplete the turtle's habitat. When all is right in the turtles' world, they can live 50 years or more in nature.
Western pond turtle fun-facts: To determine the sex of the Western pond turtle you have only to look at its throat- males wear a pastel yellow throat.
The diet of the Western pond turtle is wide in scope, including crawdads, bugs, frogs and fish. Being omnivorous, they might choose, instead, to dine on tule, algae or cattail roots.
Turtles have played their part in the Pomo Indians' past, through some of their mythology. According to anthropologist and linguist S.A. Barrett who studied American Indian peoples in the 1800s the Pomo Indians depicted turtle as the protagonist in many of their myths.
In a story called, "Coyote Steals the Morning Sack, Containing the Sun, Moon and Pleiades," turtle, along with black lizard and coyote are in search of light.
Coyote was adept at changing himself into many forms, so to trick the boys who were making use of the village sweathouse Coyote changed into an old man so as to gain the boys' sympathy to enable him access.
After much dancing – and with turtle as the guard of the doorway, Coyote was able to gain access to the bag which contained the morning light. When the People learned of the trick, they launched Fog and Dove after them.
While turtle continued guarding the doorway, the villagers shot at him with their swift arrows, and that is how turtle gained the markings on his shell.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park”, a local historical novella "People of the Water", and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She wrote for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” for nearly 20 years.
The Western pond turtle, center, with non-native red-eared slider turtles on either side, at Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
Families, students and citizens celebrate a past Earth Day at Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College in Clearlake, Calif. Courtesy photo. CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College will host Earth Day 2019 on Tuesday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Enjoy live music, guest speakers, workshops, poetry and prizes at the free festival.
Experience booths and activities by Citizens Caring 4 Clearlake, NCO Gardens Project, Sierra Club, Anderson Marsh, the Middletown Art Center and more.
Explore local environmental resources, green practices and outdoor living. Crafts and flower planting is available for preschoolers.
Retired District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele will present interpretive satellite images of nutrient loading in Clear Lake from noon to 1 p.m. in room 715. Steele worked 30 years with the state as a scientist and fresh water ecologist.
Food is available for purchase by Aromas Restaurant. Prizes are given away throughout the event.
Come enjoy a day of fun and learn how to better care for your health, community and planet. Please call 707-995-7900 for more information.
The Lake County Campus is located at 15880 Dam Road Extension, Clearlake.
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