NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION
AND NOTICE OF PROPOSED MINOR USE PERMIT
BY THE LAKE COUNTY ZONING ADMINISTRATOR 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lake County Zoning Administrator of the County of Lake, State of California, will consider approving Minor Use Permit 17-02 with no public hearing if no written request for a public hearing is submitted by 5:00 P.M., March 29, 2017 to the Community Development Department, Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, California.  Should a timely request for hearing be filed, a public hearing will be held on April 5, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. in Conference Room C, 3rd Floor of the Courthouse.

Minor Use Permit 17-02. Location: 2550 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport, APN 008-010-46. Owner: Bess Giannakakis. Project: In accordance with Lake County Code to remodel an existing structure operate a commercial kitchen for a catering business.  Project planner: Byron Turner, (707) 263-2221 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Copies of the application, environmental documents, all reference documents, and staff reports associated with each project are available for review through the Community Development Department, Planning Division; Telephone (707) 263-2221.


COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Robert Massarelli, Director


By: ____________________________________
Byron Turner, Principal Planner
               

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The eclectic gift shop 2 Women Traders will celebrate its reopening in a new location on Friday, March 24.

The celebration will take place from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at the reopened shop, 21130 A Calistoga St.

The shop's owners, Rita Caroni and Dayle Marshall, invite community members to stop in and say hello.

There will be refreshments and a drawing for gifts.

For more information call 2 Women Traders at 707-987-3870 or visit https://ispiritual.com/2womentraders .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – “Ohooo, I hates gophers!”

It’s kind of fun to say if you say it like Elmer Fudd. However, in truth, I don’t really hate gophers, just the damage they do, and they can do a heap of damage.

Deep, loamy soil, like those here in Scotts Valley, where the densities are greater than 12 per acre at any given time, are prime gopher territory.

Even if your soils aren’t deep and loamy, gophers still move in and when they do, it’s a disaster for your garden.

Scientists say they are great for the environment. They aerate the soil. Did you know that one pocket gopher can churn up to one ton of soil a year? This brings new seeds to the surface which aids in plant diversity.  Their mounds cover vegetation which then breaks down, providing fertility. When they go about doing their underground business, nests and such, they provide deep soil fertilization.

OK, fair enough, gophers can be beneficial. But, they are also industrious little rototillers, voracious and destructive, gnawing off saplings, up-ending flower pots, leaving unsightly mounds in the lawn, undermining sidewalks, burrowing up ground covers, and consuming everything else!

A quick search on the internet shows a plethora of ways to rid your garden of them. There are many kinds of poisons, deterrents, mechanical traps, gas bombs, raised beds and underground baskets that bar them from roots. However, none of these work 100 percent.

The last four years during my daily trips to the garden have left me crying over what’s gone, and that has been about of 80 percent of what I’ve planted.

But recently, when the flooding sent gophers to the high ground I was forced to look at what was left. That gave me an idea for a different strategy. I’m going to plant things that gophers don’t prefer.

There are plants that gophers won’t eat because they are toxic, like Narcissus. Others have a disagreeable taste, but that doesn’t mean they won't eat them if they are hungry enough, like rosemary. Then there are those they eat but enough small surface roots survive to keep the plant going, like Mexican heather.

Below is a list of plants that gophers tend to leave alone. This list is a combination of plants that our friend Kate Frey noted to be gopher resistant and plants I have added from my own experience. I’ve organized them into gardening categories.

I’d also love to know what plants you are finding resistant. Let me know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Gopher resistant plants

Low ground covers

Periwinkle, (Vinca major* and minor)
Wild strawberry (Frageria virginiana)
Wild strawberry (Frageria chiloensis)
Mock strawberry (Duchesnia indica)
Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans)
Plumbago  (Ceratostigma plumbagoides)

*Vinca major is highly invasive and on our list of plants to avoid.

Vines

Creeping wire vine (Muehlenbergia axillaris); can also be a ground cover.

Bulbs

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)
Voodoo lily (Dranunculus vulgaris)

Shrubs

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii and lindleyana)
Rock rose (Cistus spp.)
California lilac (Ceanothus spp.)
California fuchsia (Epilobium canum)
Heavenly bamboo, (Nandina domestica); gophers may tunnel up and gnaw off the small stalks
Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)
Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.)
Coyote bush (Baccharis spp.)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Mock orange (Philadelphus spp.)
Native currants (Ribes spp.)

Flowers

Flag iris. (Iris versicolor)
Native iris (Iris douglasiana)
Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
Red hot poker (Kniphofia spp.)
Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)
Mexican primrose (Oenothera speciosa); gophers may eat the center root, but the surface side roots remain to keep, at least some of the plant(s) alive.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolia); gophers may eat the center root, but the surface side roots remain to keep, at least some of the plant(s) alive.
California buckwheat (Erigonum spp.)
Swamp flower (Helianthus angustifolius)
Cora bells (Heuchera spp.)
Mexican feather bush (Gaura lindheimeri)
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa)

Herbs

Rosemary (Rosmarinus vulgaris); gophers may eat the center root, but the surface side roots remain to keep, at least some of the plant(s) alive.
Thyme  (Thymus vulgaris); gophers may eat the center root, but the surface side roots remain to keep, at least some of the plant(s) alive.
Horehound  (Marrubium vulgare)
Spearmint (Mentha spicata); also makes a good ground cover
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita); also makes a good ground cover
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium); also makes a good ground cover
Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Catnip (Nepeta cataria); where gophers are dense, it may be consumed
Oregano (Origanum vulgaris)

Trees

Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)

Grasses

Sedges (Carex Spp.)
Rushes (Juncus spp.)
Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
Native grasses

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Native American Empowerment Day scheduled for this Friday, March 24, at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College has been postponed.

A new date will be announced as soon as it can be scheduled.

The college apologized for the inconvenience.

A front porch is very much like a stage, and this poem by Marilyn Nelson is like watching a little play. The poet, who has published books of poetry and prose for young and old alike, lives in Connecticut and her most recent book is My Seneca Village (Namelos, 2015).

Daughters 1900

Five daughters, in the slant light on the porch,
are bickering. The eldest has come home
with new truths she can hardly wait to teach.

She lectures them: the younger daughters search
the sky, elbow each other's ribs, and groan.
Five daughters, in the slant light on the porch

and blue-sprigged dresses, like a stand of birch
saplings whose leaves are going yellow-brown
with new truths. They can hardly wait to teach,

themselves, to be called "Ma'am," to march
high-heeled across the hanging bridge to town.
Five daughters. In the slant light on the porch

Pomp lowers his paper for a while, to watch
the beauties he's begotten with his Ann:
these new truths they can hardly wait to teach.

The eldest sniffs, "A lady doesn't scratch."
The third snorts back, "Knock, knock: nobody home."
The fourth concedes, "Well, maybe not in church . . . "
Five daughters in the slant light on the porch.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©1990 by Marilyn Nelson, “Daughters 1900,” from The Homeplace, (Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1990). Poem reprinted by permission of Marilyn Nelson and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Department of Public Works, or DPW, will soon be starting its annual Roadside Weed Abatement Program through the application of herbicides along certain county-maintained roads.

Should residents or property owners with frontage along roads previously noticed as well as the roads listed below desire that no weed abatement occur adjacent to their residence or property, they must contact DPW prior to March 24, unless a previous request for “no spray” was submitted to DPW.

If you would like to remove an existing “no spray” status, you must contact DPW at 707-263-2341.

As a reminder, property owners who do not wish their property frontage to be sprayed are responsible for maintaining their frontage in such a way that does not create nuisance conditions. 

While property owners can request that their frontage not be sprayed, they must otherwise maintain their frontage to avoid creating a public nuisance that could be caused by overgrown weeds such as fire hazard, aesthetics, sight distances, etc.

To assist those property owners who object to spraying, DPW will review their proposed maintenance plans at no charge and issue a no-fee encroachment permit to perform the maintenance as necessary.

One or more of the herbicides “Roundup Pro Max,” “Krouar I D F,” “Esplanade 200SC,” Landmark XP and an nonionic surfactant may be used on already noticed roads and the following roads which are being added this year: Carson Avenue, Collier Avenue, Crystal Lake Way, Floyd Way, Hammond Avenue, Harrington Flat Road, Hendricks Road, Howard Avenue, Keck Road, Keeling Avenue, Martin Street, Scotts Valley Road and Stokes Avenue.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Soroptimist International of Clear Lake will gather on Thursday, March 23, for a luncheon meeting at 11:45 a.m. at Howard's Grotto in Clearlake.

The cost for lunch is $14 and can be paid at the door. Agenda items include details on the annual signature fundraising event "Spring Fling" chaired by Vice President Brenda Crandall and supported by all the members.

Indications are that the Spring Fling was very successful and will help keep the many current projects going.

Soroptimist International of Clear Lake is a proud supporter of Soroptimist/LiveYourDream.org global program for girls. “Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls” will help girls grow up to be strong, successful, happy adults.

Dream It, Be It targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and the resources to live their dreams.

Soroptimist clubs will work in partnership with girls in small groups or a conference setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need to be successful.

The topics covered include career opportunities, setting and achieving goals, overcoming obstacles to success and how to move forward after setbacks or failures.

Dream It, Be It joins Soroptimist's long-running program Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women (formerly the Women’s Opportunity Awards).

The Soroptimist Dream Programs ensure women and girls have access to the education and training they need to reach their full potential and live their dreams.

Soroptimist is an international organization for women who volunteer to work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and in the world.

More than 80,000 Soroptimist in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community based and international projects to benefit women and girls.

The group meets for lunch on the second and fourth Thursdays each month in Clearlake.

Membership is open to anyone with the desire to help women and girls locally, nationally and internationally and is pleased to announce that three male members have recently joined the group.

For more information about the luncheon or joining Soroptimist International of Clear Lake please contact Membership Chair Wanda Harris at 707-225-5800 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or President Olga Martin Steele at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

March is here, and that means spring break is right around the corner.

Spring break is the perfect time to take a break from work or school and enjoy some time in the sun.

If you want to take more than a stay-cation this year and do some traveling, there are a few things you should be aware of to avoid a burn.

In 2016, consumers nationwide reported hundreds of travel/vacation scams to BBB Scam Tracker. BBB Scam Tracker also received more than 2,000 reports of sweepstakes/prize scams in 2016, some of which involved winning a “free trip.”

Even if you avoid a scam, you could still run in to problems when booking your trip. In 2016, BBB received around 7,000 complaints about travel agencies and bureaus, and more than 2,000 complaints about online travel agencies.

Want to have a fun and stress-free spring break? Follow these tips from your BBB:

Do your research

Common complaints about travel agencies and Web sites allege issues with guarantees, problems with refunds/exchanges and poor customer service.

Make sure to use a travel agent or online booking site that you can trust. Look up any business or Web site you plan on using on www.bbb.org . There you can find its rating, complaint history and reviews from past customers.

Make sure to also thoroughly research destinations and activities so that you’re prepared and don’t encounter any surprises when you arrive.

Be diligent

Be careful and pay attention to details when you make any purchase or sign any contract – before or during your trip.

Read the fine print, ask about additional fees and get everything in writing. Before leaving, verify all of your reservations for lodging and activities by calling the hotel or company directly.

Print out any confirmation emails and pages and take them with you in case you run in to any issues and don’t have Internet access.

Always pay with a credit card, as they offer more protection than debit and prepaid cards, and let your bank know that you’re traveling beforehand.

Watch out for travel scams

In 2016, the median loss for a travel scam reported to BBB Scam Tracker was around $850 – so be careful.

If you receive an unsolicited email or call claiming you’ve won a free trip, it’s probably a scam. You’ll never have to pay to receive a free prize.

Avoid click-bait ads for cheap vacations you see on the Internet. These may lead you to fraudulent Web sites in an attempt to steal your personal or financial information.

It’s also important to watch out for fake rentals when trying to find a place to stay. Phony landlords collect an advance deposit then avoid contact with renters, who may be left with nothing but a fake reservation or a rental that doesn’t resemble the photos in the online listing. Only deal with rental companies you can trust – look them up on www.bbb.org first.

Protect yourself, your information and your valuables while away

Be careful connecting to public Wi-Fi, and never use it to online bank or enter personal or financial information while using it.

It’s also best to wait to post vacation pictures on social media until you return home, otherwise potential thieves will know your house is empty.

Make sure to lock up any valuables in a safe when you’re not in your hotel room. Keep important items, like your passport and wallet, close to your body while out and about and watch out for pickpockets.

Consider travel insurance

Travel insurance is designed to cover things like trip cancellations or medical emergencies.

There are different plans with different levels of coverage. Before buying ask a lot of questions, and always read the fine print to see what’s covered and what’s not.

If you want to purchase travel insurance, use the BBB Accredited Business Directory on www.bbb.org to find an insurance agent you can trust.

Rebecca Harpster is public relations specialist for the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.