CLEARLAKE, Calif. – In accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the city of Clearlake is developing a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, with a meeting to be held on the plan next week.

The purpose of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan development process is to help reduce impacts of natural hazards to the citizens, property, and critical infrastructure in the city. Wildfire, drought, flood, and severe weather hazards are just a few of the hazards of concern to the Clearlake community.

While natural hazards such as these cannot be prevented, a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan forms the foundation for a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction.

Communities with a Disaster Mitigation Act-compliant, FEMA-approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan are eligible for FEMA pre- and post-disaster grant funding and are better positioned to respond and recover when disasters occur.

FEMA defines hazard mitigation as any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. Hazard mitigation planning is a process for state and local governments to identify community level policies and actions to mitigate and thus reduce the impacts of natural hazards.

Opportunities for input

Members of the community have a very important role in this process. A draft of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan will be available on the city of Clearlake Web site in the spring of 2019 for review and comment by the public and all interested stakeholders.

Planning team and public meetings will also be held as a part of the plan development process.

In addition to plan participation by the city of Clearlake and stakeholders from other local, state, and federal agencies, the public is encourage to attend and participate in our upcoming public meetings.

A meeting on the plan will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

According to City Manager Greg Folsom, “Having a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in place is critical to the City being able to access grant funding to help mitigate damage from future hazards/disasters that may impact the City of Clearlake. Input from concerned citizens is vital to helping us put together a plan that works to the benefit of all of our residents.”

For more information on this project and how to become involved, contact Adeline Brown at 707-994-8201, Extension 341, or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Effective Oct. 18, 2018, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs implements its new regulations concerning net worth, asset transfers and income exclusions for needs based VA benefits.

The rules determine the eligibility of veterans, their surviving spouses, and their dependent children to receive pensions and other needs based VA benefits.

Let us discuss some highlights.

The VA Pension Regulations use a bright line eligibility test based on countable income and assets.

To be eligible for needs based VA pension a claimant’s or a beneficiary’s net worth must not exceed the current “net worth limit” of $123,600, effective Oct. 18, 2018.

Net worth is computed based on adding the total value of a claimant’s countable assets, less any debt secured against real property, and the claimant’s annual income, less certain deductions. The VA expects more claimants will now be eligible.

Income still includes payments from annuities and Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs. Income counts both for purposes of pension eligibility and also for purposes pension rates, i.e., the pension amount.

The assets of a veteran claimant’s spouse are included as well as the veteran’s own assets. The assets of a child claimant’s custodian are included as a child claimant’s own assets.

Net worth is computed upon receiving an original pension claim, a new claim for reinstatement, a request to add a new dependent, or upon information that a veteran’s surviving spouse or child’s net worth has increased or decreased.

A residential exclusion from net worth is allowed for a residence, of any value, located on a lot up to 2 acres in size. If a lot exceeds two acres then the value of the excess acreage may be counted. Proceeds from the sale of an excluded residence are not countable if used to purchase a new residence within the same calendar year as the sale.

Certain unreimbursed medical expenses – activities of daily living, or ADLs, and custodial care expenses – may be deducted from a claimant’s or a beneficiary’s income (for net worth computations).

The medical expense deduction, however, is first reduced by 5 percent of the applicable Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR, which value changes each year.

MAPR varies depending on other factors, including number of dependents. In 2018 the MAPR for a veteran with one dependent is $17,241.

Deductible custodial expenses goes beyond needing assistance with two or more ADLs to now also include, “… supervision because an individual with a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive disorder required care or assistance on a regular basis to protect the individual … .” This includes dementia. Assistance from either an in-home care attendant or within a care facility is a potentially deductible medical expense.

A care facility is one, “other than a nursing home” in which, “a disabled individual receives health care or custodial care” and “must be licensed if required by State law.” The type of care and the individual’s need for such care rather than the name of the facility (such an assisted living facility) are now what determine whether the facility is a “care facility.”

While only around 1 percent of VA pension applicants engage in such asset transfers the VA expressed concern that veterans are often targeted for “self-impoverishment” schemes to qualify them for VA pensions.

Asset transfers within a 36-month look-back period prior to when the VA receives a pension claim can negatively impact eligibility.

Asset transfers of a claimant’s net worth above the net worth limit – the net worth exceeding $123,600 – create an ineligibility period. The ineligibility period will not exceed five years.

Anyone wanting guidance on how the new VA regulations applies to them can consult a local Veteran service representative, such as a veterans service office, or consult an accredited VA benefits attorney.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com.

As sea levels rise due to climate change, so do the global hazards and potential devastating damages from tsunamis, according to a new study by a partnership that included Virginia Tech.

Even minor sea-level rise, by as much as a foot, poses greater risks of tsunamis for coastal communities worldwide.

The threat of rising sea levels to coastal cities and communities throughout the world is well known, but new findings show the likely increase of flooding farther inland from tsunamis following earthquakes.

Think of the tsunami that devastated a portion of northern Japan after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, causing a nuclear plant to melt down and spread radioactive contamination.

These findings are at the center of a new Science Advances study, headed by a multi-university team of scientists from the Earth Observatory of Singapore, the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University, and National Taiwan University, with critical support from Virginia Tech’s Robert Weiss, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences, part of the College of Science.

“Our research shows that sea-level rise can significantly increase the tsunami hazard, which means that smaller tsunamis in the future can have the same adverse impacts as big tsunamis would today,” Weiss said, adding that smaller tsunamis generated by earthquakes with smaller magnitudes occur frequently and regularly around the world. For the study, Weiss was critical in helping create computational models and data analytics frameworks.

At Virginia Tech, Weiss serves as director of the National Science Foundation-funded Disaster Resilience and Risk Management graduate education program and is co-lead of Coastal@VT, composed of 45 Virginia Tech faculty from 13 departments focusing on contemporary and emerging coastal zone issues, such as disaster resilience, migration, sensitive ecosystems, hazard assessment, and natural infrastructure.

For the study, Weiss and his partners, including Lin Lin Li, a senior research fellow, and Adam Switzer, an associate professor, at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, created computer-simulated tsunamis at current sea level and with sea-level increases of 1.5 feet and 3 feet in the Chinese territory of Macau. Macau is a densely populated coastal region located in South China that is generally safe from current tsunami risks.

At current sea level, an earthquake would need to tip past a magnitude of 8.8 to cause widespread tsunami inundation in Macau. But with the simulated sea-level rises, the results surprised the team.

The sea-level rise dramatically increased the frequency of tsunami-induced flooding by 1.2 to 2.4 times for the 1.5-foot increase and from 1.5 to 4.7 times for the 3-foot increase.

“We found that the increased inundation frequency was contributed by earthquakes of smaller magnitudes, which posed no threat at current sea level, but could cause significant inundation at higher sea-level conditions,” Li said.

In the simulated study of Macau – population 613,000 – Switzer said, “We produced a series of tsunami inundation maps for Macau using more than 5,000 tsunami simulations generated from synthetic earthquakes prepared for the Manila Trench.” It is estimated that sea levels in the Macau region will increase by 1.5 feet by 2060 and 3 feet by 2100, according to the team of U.S.-Chinese scientists.

The hazard of large tsunamis in the South China Sea region primarily comes from the Manila Trench, a megathrust system that stretches from offshore Luzon in the Philippines to southern Taiwan.

The Manila Trench megathrust has not experienced an earthquake larger than a magnitude 7.8 since the 1560s. Yet, study co-author Wang Yu, from the National Taiwan University, cautioned that the region shares many of the characteristics of the source areas that resulted in the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, as well as the 2011 earthquake in northern Japan, both causing massive loss of life.

These increased dangers from tsunamis build on already known difficulties facing coastal communities worldwide: The gradual loss of land directly near coasts and increased chances of flooding even during high tides, as sea levels increase as the Earth warms.

“The South China Sea is an excellent starting point for such a study because it is an ocean with rapid sea-level rise and also the location of many mega cities with significant worldwide consequences if impacted. The study is the first if its kind on the level of detail, and many will follow our example,” Weiss said.

Policymakers, town planners, emergency services, and insurance firms must work together to create or insure safer coastlines, Weiss added. “Sea-level rise needs to be taken into account for planning purposes, for example for reclamation efforts but also for designing protective measures, such as seawalls or green infrastructure.”

He added, “What we assumed to be the absolute worst case a few years ago now appears to be modest for what is predicted in some locations. We need to study local sea-level change more comprehensively in order to create better predictive models that help to make investments in infrastructure that are or near sustainable.”

This story was co-authored by Adam Switzer and Shireen Federico of the Earth Observatory of Singapore in China.

In December of 2017, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-1, in which the president directed NASA “to lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities.”

In answer to that bold call, and consistent with the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017, NASA recently submitted to Congress a plan to revitalize and add direction to NASA’s enduring purpose.

The National Space Exploration Campaign calls for human and robotic exploration missions to expand the frontiers of human experience and scientific discovery of the natural phenomena of Earth, other worlds and the cosmos.

The Exploration Campaign builds on 18 continuous years of Americans and our international partners living and working together on the International Space Station. It leverages advances in the commercial space sector, robotics and other technologies, and accelerates in the next few years with the launch of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

The Exploration Campaign has five strategic goals:

– Transition U.S. human spaceflight activities in low-Earth orbit to commercial operations that support NASA and the needs of an emerging private sector market.
– Lead the emplacement of capabilities that support lunar surface operations and facilitate missions beyond cislunar space.
– Foster scientific discovery and characterization of lunar resources through a series of robotic missions.
– Return U.S. astronauts to the surface of the moon for a sustained campaign of exploration and use.
– Demonstrate the capabilities required for human missions to Mars and other destinations.

Transition low-Earth orbit activities

NASA intends to transition from the current model of human space activities in low-Earth orbit to a model where the government is only one customer for commercial services.

Based on inputs from current partners, commercial and other stakeholders, NASA will shape the plan for the transition of low-Earth orbit activities from direct government funding to commercial services and partnerships, with new, independent commercial platforms or a non-NASA operating model for some form or elements of the International Space Station by 2025.

In addition, NASA will expand public-private partnerships to develop and demonstrate technologies and capabilities to enable new commercial space products and services.

The International Space Station will continue to serve as a core long-duration human spaceflight platform through at least 2024, which will mark almost 25 years of continuous human occupancy and successful international cooperation in space.

NASA leverages the space station to learn how to keep crews healthy and productive on deep space missions, and as a testbed to develop technologies to support those missions. It is an experiential testing ground that enables discovery and development of advanced robotics, communications, medicine, agriculture and environmental science.

The space station also can help enable the transition to commercial activities in low-Earth orbit. NASA recently awarded 12 contracts to industry to investigate the best way to use the space station to engage the U.S. commercial industry to take a lead role in low-Earth orbit.

The portfolio of selected studies will include specific industry concepts detailing business plans and the viability of habitable platforms, using the space station or separate free-flying structures.

To the moon

The moon is a fundamental part of Earth’s past and future – an off-world continent that may hold valuable resources to support space activity and scientific treasures that may tell us more about our own planet.

Although Americans first walked on its surface almost 50 years ago, our explorers left footprints at only six sites, during a total of 16 days on the surface. The next wave of lunar exploration will be fundamentally different.

NASA is building a plan for Americans to orbit the moon starting in 2023, and land astronauts on the surface no later than the late 2020s.

This will be the first chance for the majority of people alive today to witness a moon landing – a moment when, in awe and wonder, the world holds its breath. However, America will not stop there.

A key component of establishing the first permanent American presence and infrastructure on and around the moon is the Gateway, a lunar orbiting platform to host astronauts farther from Earth than ever before.

On the Gateway, America and its partners will prepare to transit deep space, testing new technologies and systems as we build the infrastructure to support missions to the surface of the moon and prepare for the epochal mission to Mars. NASA also will study the effects of the deep space environment of the Gateway, learning how living organisms react to the radiation and microgravity of a deep space environment over long periods.

The Gateway also will be assessed as a platform for the assembly of payloads and systems; a reusable command module for lunar vicinity and surface exploration; and a way station for the development of refueling depots, servicing platforms, and a sample return facility.

Some elements of the Gateway already are under construction at NASA centers across the United States, including facilities in Ohio, Texas and Alabama, and at commercial partner facilities.

The Gateway will be assembled in space, incrementally, using the Orion spacecraft and SLS, as well as commercial launch vehicles. The first element, providing power and propulsion, will launch from Florida in 2022.

The lunar surface will serve as a crucial training ground and technology demonstration test site where we will prepare for future human missions to Mars and other destinations.

Through an innovative combination of missions involving commercial and international partners, robotic lunar surface missions will begin as early as 2020, focus on scientific exploration of lunar resources, and prepare the lunar surface for a sustained human presence.

By the late 2020s, a lunar lander capable of transporting crews and cargo will begin trips to the surface of the moon.

The sustainable, long-term lunar surface activities enabled by these efforts, in tandem with the Gateway, will expand and diversify over time, taking advantage of the moon and near space for scientific exploration in the broadest sense.

On to Mars

The first human landing on Mars – audacious in its complexity – will be an achievement recalled with awe far into humanity’s future.

Key components of the Exploration Campaign already are underway and include long-duration human spaceflight on the space station, development of advanced life support systems, and continuing to lead and advance the world in deep space science missions.

Overall, the Exploration Campaign focuses on a transformative approach that includes the development of technologies and systems that enable a series of human and robotic lunar missions that are extensible to Mars.

NASA continues to maintain leadership in robotic exploration on and around Mars. The agency’s InSight mission now is on its way to Mars and will land in November to study the interior of the Red Planet. Development of NASA’s next rover to Mars continues to make excellent progress and is scheduled to launch in July 2020.

The Mars 2020 rover will aid our search for past life and demonstrate the production of fuel and other resources that enable human exploration. We also will use this mission as a building block for a subsequent roundtrip robotic mission with the historic first rocket launch off another planet and a sample return.

That mission will serve as a critical precursor to an eventual series of crewed missions to Mars planned to start in the 2030’s and culminating in a surface landing, which will be supported by the work we’ll do on the moon in the coming years.

The priorities laid out in the National Space Exploration Campaign ensure the United States will maintain leadership in space science and exploration.

To read the complete Exploration Campaign, visit https://go.nasa.gov/2pyqmMD.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said two Kelseyville High School students were arrested on Friday morning after making threats to shoot another student.

The students’ names were not released due to their juvenile status.

Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said that on Friday Kelseyville High School staff and a Lake County Sheriff’s school resource deputy were provided information that two students had made verbal threats to shoot another student at the school.

“We’re all safe, everything’s safe. It’s safe for all students,” Kelseyville Unified Superintendent Dave McQueen said Friday afternoon.

“Not once was anybody in danger,” he added.

McQueen explained that the entire incident happened very fast.

At about 10 a.m. Friday he said school officials received the threat information. The school resource deputy then went to look for the students.

McQueen said that at 10:10 a.m. he put all district schools on lockdown. While the threat was made on the Kelseyville High campus, McQueen included all of the schools in the lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

“The safety of all of the students and staff is very important to me,” McQueen said. “If I have any inkling that anything is credible, I’m going to shut things down and protect kids.”

Minutes later, the deputy detained the students in question. McQueen said the lockdown was lifted at 10:15 a.m.

Because of confidentiality issues, McQueen said he could not discuss specifics of where the students were found by the deputy.

McQueen said the situation unfolded so quickly that he didn’t have time to put out a phone call to parents. However, he said he posted an update on Facebook and by 10:30 a.m. he had emailed parents to inform them of the situation.

He said the sheriff’s office is conducting its investigation and the school district will follow its own discipline policy.

Paulich said the two students were arrested for making criminal threats and transported to Lake County Probation, which handles juvenile cases.

He said the parents of the suspects were contacted and are cooperating with the investigation.

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. – As the Lakeport Fire Protection District prepares to lay off three full-time firefighters next month, the district and the firefighters’ union are attempting to work out the procedures for how those layoffs will be handled.

At its Sept. 11 meeting, the district’s board voted to accept a budget that lays off three full-time firefighters, as Lake County News has reported.

District officials cited revenues that can’t keep pace with costs – including falling ambulance transport revenue and an outdated fire parcel tax – as key issues contributing to its inability to afford its current staffing levels.

Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said the district had no choice, but Matt Finnegan, the representative for Teamsters Local 856/Lakeport Professional Firefighters Union, said the district could have taken the union’s offer of a 10-percent across the board pay cut. He added that he thought the district took an “all or nothing” approach.

“I don’t think the board did the right thing, for the community or the firefighters,” Finnegan said.

Finnegan said the district and union had been in negotiations for a few months over a memorandum of understanding when the district changed course and announced to the union that it was time to lay off people because they were out of money.

In addition to a 10-percent pay cut the union offered, Finnegan said the district also wanted to lay off four nonunion firefighters.

In a memorandum to district staff and members dated Sept. 20, Hutchison said he fully understood “that this is a tense and emotional time for all of us.”

He continued, “The situation we are facing is highly undesirable. The District had hoped to avoid this situation through negotiations with the Union, but when those efforts failed the District was forced to cut expenses in the only places possible. Again, I understand everyone’s frustration and share in it myself that this was not avoided.”

Hutchison said it’s of the utmost importance that district members move forward with their heads wup and displaying their professionalism, as well as courtesy and respect to each other and the public.

The memo then goes on to lay out the district’s next steps.

Those steps begin with the cessation of regularly staffing a fourth position at Station 50, the district’s downtown headquarters, with part-time personnel, who instead will be utilized to cover the interfacility transport ambulance unit as well as fill in when full-time personnel are unable to fill shift vacancies, Hutchison’s memo explained.

He also said that, effective Oct. 16, the district will eliminate three full-time positions. Station 50 will then be staffed daily with two personnel and part-time or qualified volunteers may be used to fill in when full-time staff is unavailable for fill shift vacancies or on the interfacility transfer unit.

Hutchison said the district is moving forward with placing a measure on the ballot, possibly as early as March, “to increase the fire tax to a level necessary to sustain our former level of operations and hopefully allow for expansion in the future.”

He added that getting such a measure passed “will take a highly cooperative approach” in order to get the necessary 66.67 percent to get it to pass. Even if it does pass, Hutchison said it may take a full year for the funding to come through.

Hutchison also anticipates applying for a Federal Emergency Management Agency SAFER grant in the spring in order to restore the previous staffing level. He cautioned that while it’s not guaranteed, the SAFER grant’s highest funding priority is funding laid off positions. “We have already been approached about professional grant writers who would be willing to assist us.”

The chief ended the memo by noting that the district’s adopted budget can be amended at any time – and staffing therefore increased – if the district and union can agree to the terms.

Hutchison told Lake County News that the district and union have been communicating about setting up a meet and confer about how the layoffs should be carried out.

Regarding the district’s budget, community members who have criticized the budget raised issue with the new dispatch contract Lakeport Fire and other local fire districts now hold with Cal Fire. Before that contract went into effect earlier this year, fires were dispatched from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Central Dispatch.

Hutchison said Lakeport Fire previously paid $46,000 a year for the services. When the sheriff’s office rebid the contract, it sought $57,000 a year. Under the new Cal Fire contract, Lakeport Fire pays $59,000 a year, which is determined on a sliding scale, with the district paying by call percentage. He added that the district also is now required to pay the county $5,200 annually for the use of its own radio equipment.

Regarding the use of part-time staff, Hutchison said the details of how they are used was misunderstood in the budget discussion.

He said part-timers can’t be laid off, but their use will be curtailed as they were used to staff a fourth position on shifts.

Going forward, part-timers will still be used for out-of-county ambulance transfers – as they’re available – and for other duties, he said.

Union responds to memo

In response to the district’s notice of layoffs letter, Finnegan wrote a letter to the district explaining that they did not have any legal authority for how the layoffs should be handled and that the union was requesting a meet and confer on that topic.

The subjects of the meet and confer, Finnegan wrote, include an agreement that the layoffs should start with the least senior firefighters, an accurate seniority list of all union firefighters, the method used in determining seniority, a minimum of a 30-day notice period after personal service of the layoff notices, a letter of agreement that any laid off firefighters will have the right of return with all seniority, accruals and benefits they had prior to the layoff, and an agreement that any and all laid off firefighters will have priority and the right of first refusal on any future opening of union firefighter positions.

“The layoffs are a downward spiral creating a safety issue for the firefighters and public,” Finnegan wrote. “The reduced staffing will also lead to less and less revenue from the ambulance services, creating a greater budget problem in the near future.”

He said the union’s offer of a departwide 10-percent reduction in base pay with a written guarantee that they will staff a minimum of 10 shifts for out-of-county interfacility ambulance transfers – beyond their normal work shifts – still stands in an effort to maintain having four firefighters on duty.

Finnegan told Lake County News that the 10-percent pay cut offer offer wasn’t possible if the district went ahead and laid off firefighters.

His letter also stated, “The Board passed a budget that incorporates the most extreme solutions that were premature.” Finnegan said they could instead have approved a budget that accepted the union’s offer, avoiding layoffs by using reserves, interim financing and cutting nonessential budget items.

Without having a fourth firefighter position staffed daily, Finnegan said a number of repercussions will immediately be realized, including reduction of services to the community by 50 percent, revenue loss for 911 emergency medical transport, revenue loss for interfacility transfers, significant reduction in the safety of the public and firefighters, increased dependence on neighboring fire districts, reduction of insurance safety office rating, reduction in ability to conduct daily company training, increased reliance on the district’s volunteers and an increased workload for the remaining firefighters.

“The harsh reality is, two of our guys are definitely going to be laid off,” Finnegan told Lake County News. The third firefighter to be laid off is not a union member.

One of those to be laid off has been with the department for 12 years and was a part of the negotiations team, Finnegan said.

He said the union has been talking to the Lake County Board of Supervisors about the district board trustee appointment process, as one seat is vacant and waiting to be filled.

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’s unemployment rate improved in August, while the state and national rates held steady.

The California Employment Development Department’s latest report on joblessness said Lake County’s August rate was 4.7 percent, down from 5 percent in July and 5.4 percent in August 2017.

Lake County’s August rate is the second-lowest of the year – the May rate was 4.5 percent – and one of the lowest rates in nearly 30 years, based on historical data.

California’s overall rate remained at 4.2 percent, a record low that remains in place for a fifth consecutive months, while adding 44,800 jobs, following the addition of 34,400 jobs in July, according to the Employment Development Department report. In August 2017, the state’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

At the federal level, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate in August remained at 3.9 percent for the second consecutive month. At the same time, the nation’s employers added 201,000 nonfarm payroll jobs.

The August jobless picture for Lake County was helped by the annual agricultural harvest, especially pears.

In fact, the total farm category was up by 31.6 percent in August. Other categories showing growing included government, 10.9 percent; goods producing, 6.2 percent; and service providing, 2.4 percent. Declines occurred in subcategories including leisure and hospitality, -3.1 percent; financial activities, -2.6 percent; other services, -1.7 percent; and private service providing, -0.7 percent.

Lake County’s 4.7-percent rate earned it a ranking of No. 33 statewide. Neighboring county jobless rates and rankings in August were Colusa, 8.2 percent, No. 56; Glenn, 6.2 percent, No. 50; Mendocino, 3.6 percent, No. 17; Napa, 2.8 percent, No. 6; Sonoma, 2.7 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 3.9 percent, No. 49.

The lowest unemployment rate in the state was once again in San Mateo County, which had a 2.3-percent rate, while Imperial County, with 20.3 percent, was ranked last of all of California’s 58 counties.

A look at the statewide picture

The report showed that California has now gained a total of 3,002,300 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.

The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,100 California households.

The report said nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,191,900 in August, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically. The survey of 71,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change, August 2017 to August 2018, shows an increase of 348,900 jobs (up 2.1 percent).

The federal household survey, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed Californians over the month. It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in August was 18,548,000, an increase of 7,000 from July, and up 85,000 from the employment total in August of last year.

The state said number of unemployed Californians was 803,000 in August – a decrease of
5,000 over the month, and down by 92,000 compared with August of last year.

The report said eight of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 45,700 jobs in August. Educational and health services reported the largest increase with a gain of 18,700 jobs, followed by professional and business services (up 7,700) and government (up 6,100).

Other industries with job gains were construction (5,200), trade, transportation and utilities (4,700), financial activities (1,800), leisure and hospitality (1,200) and information (300). Other services reported no change over the month, the report said.

On the other side, two of California industries reported job losses over the month. Manufacturing reported the largest decrease with a loss of 800 jobs and mining and logging had a decline of 100 jobs.

In a year-over-year comparison – from August 2017 to August 2018 – the Employment Development Department said nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 348,900 jobs, a 2.1-percent increase.

The Employment Development Department report said nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 350,500 jobs over the year. The largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 85,700 jobs (a 3.2 percent increase), professional and business services, up 66,700 (a 2.6 percent increase) and leisure and hospitality, up 56,500 (a 2.9 percent increase).

Other sectors adding jobs over the year were construction, trade, transportation and utilities, government, information, financial activities and manufacturing, the report showed.

The report said two industry sectors posted job declines over the year, other services reported
the largest decrease with a 1,100 job loss and mining and logging, down 500 jobs.

The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 306,175 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the August survey week, compared with 323,594 in July and 340,670 in August of last year.

New claims for Unemployment Insurance totaled 35,925 in August, compared with 39,856 in July and 38,074 in August of last year. Seasonally adjusted payroll detail follows:

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 two candidates in the runoff for a seat on the Lake County Superior Court bench will take part in a debate next week.

Don Anderson and Shanda Harry will take part in the event, which begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

Anderson and Harry and seeking to succeed Judge Stephen Hedstrom, who did not seek reelection this year.

Harry was the top vote-getter in the June primary, in which local attorney Andre Ross also was on the ballot.

During the debate, Anderson and Harry will answer a round of at least 10 questions in a timed, rotational format.

Community members may submit questions at the event or by emailing moderator Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The forum also will be recorded and posted online.

The forum is sponsored by the Lake County Economic Development Corp. and Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a long and dry summer and early fall, the forecast for this weekend and next week includes predictions of rain.

The National Weather Service’s specific forecast for Lake County said there are chances of rain beginning on Saturday and Sunday, and more slight chances of rain through Tuesday.

The forecast then shows sunny and clear conditions returning on Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperatures also are forecast to drop into the high 60s during the day and the mid 50s at night across the county through Tuesday.

Daytime temperatures are forecast to rise into the high 70s again by midweek.

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. – Two men were arrested this week, and hundreds of marijuana plants and a stash of weapons were seized during a search warrant service in the south county.

Pedro Landa-Alvarez, 40, of Lower Lake and Jose Trinidad Carrillo-Gonzalez, 44, of Clearlake were arrested at a location in Lower Lake while harvesting marijuana, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, Sept. 21, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 13000 block of Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake related to illegal marijuana cultivation, Paulich said.

During the service, detectives located a total of 271 mature marijuana plants being cultivated outdoors and inside a greenhouse. Paulich said no suspects were located on site, but during eradication, detectives observed the plants were possibly contaminated with a dangerous illegal insecticide.

After conducting a further search of the cultivation site, detectives located a product label for a dangerous toxic substance known as “Carbofuran.” This substance is manufactured in Mexico and is illegal in the United States, Paulich said.

While on site, Paulich said detectives learned the subject responsible for the operation was Landa-Alvarez.

On Monday, Sept. 24, detectives served a search warrant at a residence for Landa-Alvarez in the 18000 block of Horseshoe Road in Hidden Valley Lake. Paulich said that during this search, detectives located evidence of marijuana cultivation and sales.

Detectives located a total of $10,000 of US currency and a 2017 Chevrolet 2500 truck which was determined to be proceeds of illegal marijuana sales and subsequently seized. Paulich said detectives located additional evidence which led to a search warrant service at a residence in the 19000 block of Mountain Meadow South in Hidden Valley Lake, which had been completely transformed to cultivate marijuana indoors.

Paulich said a total of 537 marijuana plants were located and eradicated from this residence which was only being used to cultivate marijuana.

Detectives also learned of another associated property and obtained a search warrant for the location in the 14000 block of Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake. Paulich said that during this search, detectives located Landa-Alvarez and a second Hispanic male identified as Carrillo-Gonzalez.

Both men were actively harvesting and processing marijuana from a large indoor grow at this location. During the search of the property, Paulich said detectives located three loaded 1911 semi-automatic pistols, a loaded AR-15 style assault rifle and several additional hunting style rifles.

Approximately 400 pounds of bulk processed marijuana was located and seized from the property. Paulich said Landa-Alvarez was also in possession of over $9,000 in US currency which was also seized as illegal proceeds.

Both Landa-Alvarez and Carrillo Gonzalez were placed under arrest for violations of cultivation of marijuana while using a hazardous substance, being armed while committing a felony, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of an assault weapon, Paulich said.

Paulich said both subjects were later booked into custody at the Lake County Jail where they were later released after posting bail.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Repair crews are working to restore power to thousands of south county customers impacted by an outage first reported on Thursday afternoon.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the outage is impacting Middletown and parts of Cobb Mountain.

The electrical outage is not fire-related, the agency said.

Pacific Gas and Electric reported that the outage began at approximately 12:43 p.m.

It is impacting approximately 4,490 customers, PG&E said.

As of 2:30 p.m., PG&E had not reported a cause and said its crews were assessing the cause.

PG&E estimated power would be restored by 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

The sheriff’s office asked community members to not call 911 to report the electrical outage.

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. – A blue ribbon committee tasked with recommending ways to improve water quality at Clear Lake will hold its inaugural meeting Oct. 10, in Lake County, Natural Resources Secretary John Laird announced.

The meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, is open to the public and will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Running Creek Casino, 635 State Highway 20, in Upper Lake.

The agenda and additional information be found here.

The 12-member Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, created by Assembly Bill 707 (Aguiar-Curry) of 2017, includes representatives from tribes, Lake County, UC Davis and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.

It also includes four members appointed by Lake County with expertise in agriculture, economics, environment and public water supplies.

“I am proud to chair the initial meeting of the Blue Ribbon Committee,” Laird said. “The Committee has been given the important charge of making recommendations for rehabilitating Clear Lake, which is critical to Lake County’s economy, ecosystem, and heritage. The expertise of these committee members will be invaluable to restoring this precious resource.”

Creation of the committee is part of the State of California’ ongoing investments in Clear Lake, which include a $2 million multi-year scientific research contract with UC Davis, $5 million in voter-approved bonds from Proposition 68 and a recent $15 million bond-funded investment to aid in the Middle Creek Restoration project.

“This committee is a first step towards revitalization of the local economy,” said Assembly Member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry. “Whether the work of the committee establishes a scientific record that Clear Lake is doing fine or we have work to do to protect and restore it, my goal is to provide proof the ‘anchor’ of Lake County is a healthy, valuable lynchpin in the local economy. I look forward to working with the California Natural Resources Agency, Board of Supervisors, Lake County Tribal Community, and all the stakeholders to ensure Clear Lake is Clear.”

Blue Ribbon Committee members include: Karola Kennedy, Elem Indian Colony; Sarah Ryan, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians; Cecilia Guevara Zamora, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians; Linda Rosas, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake; Alix Tyler, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians; Jennifer LaBay, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board; Dr. Paul Dodd, UC Davis;
Supervisor Jim Steele, Lake County Board of Supervisors; Wilda Shock, Lake County, local economic development expert; Brenna Sullivan, agriculture expert, Lake County Farm Bureau executive director; Dr. Harry Lyons, Lake County, environment expert; Jan Coppinger, Lake County Special Districts administrator.