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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With just a week to go, millions of voters are taking part in early voting in California.
Those millions of California voters include several thousand Lake County residents who have so far cast ballots early.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that all registered voters were issued vote-by-mail ballots.
Based on the most recent totals available on Tuesday, of the 22,829,943 vote-by-mail ballots issued across California, 4,816,335 had been returned, amounting to 21% of registered voters, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The state’s numbers show that mail, followed by drop boxes and drop off locations, are the most popular ways of returning ballots.
In Lake County, 38,391 vote-by-mail ballots have been issued, with 5,790 of those ballots returned. That’s a 15% early return.
The overwhelming majority of Lake County’s ballots, 80%, have been returned by mail, compared to 11% in drop boxes and 7% at drop off locations.
Overall, 98.95% of the vote-by-mail ballots submitted in California so far have been accepted, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
When Lake County’s early ballot return rate was at 13%, Political Data Inc., or PDI, completed an analysis of the county’s early vote count that showed Democrats leading Republicans with a 47% to 35% return rate, with other parties accounting for 20%.
PDI’s stats show the returned ballots by gender almost even between men and women, with people aged 65 and above accounting for the highest number of early ballots so far, at 64%, followed by 50 to 64 year olds at 24%, with 35 to 49 year old voters at 9% and those ages 18 to 34 at 5%.
The number of registered voters has grown in Lake County since the March primary.
In March, there were 36,561 registered voters, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters. As of this week, there were 38,391 registered Lake County voters.
Lake County’s voter turnout is expected to grow substantially over the coming week.
Based on an analysis of presidential elections since 2000, voter turnout has usually topped 70%. In 2020, it was the highest during that period, topping 78%.
This year the number of registered voters, at more than 38,000, is at its highest reported historical level.
Early voting, same day voter registration and ballot drop off can take place at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office at 325 N. Forbes St., which also is the central counting place.
Early voting ends on Nov. 4.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Information is published below on ballot drop off locations and precinct locations for Election Day voting.
BALLOT DROP OFF LOCATIONS AND TIMES
24-hour dropoff locations
All sites close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Clearlake
Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake
Kelseyville
Child Support Services, 3980 Gard St.
Lakeport
Lake County Courthouse, 255 N Forbes St.
Lakeport Library, 1425 N High St.
Middletown
Middletown Library, 21267 Calistoga St.
Upper Lake
Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St.
PRECINCTS FOR THE NOV. 5 ELECTION
Clearlake
Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive
Highlands Senior Service Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.
Living Water Christian Fellowship (First Baptist Church), 14550 Pearl Ave.
Clearlake Oaks
Orchard Shores Clubhouse, 500 Orchard Shores Drive
Cobb
Little Red Schoolhouse, 15780 Bottle Rock Road
Finley
Clearlake Grange (Big Valley Grange/Hall), 1510 Big Valley Road
Hidden Valley Lake
HVL Community Services District Office, 19400 Hartmann Road
Kelseyville
Buckingham Homeowner’s Association, 2850 Eastlake Drive
Galilee Lutheran Church, 8860 Soda Bay Road
Kelseyville Presbyterian Church Hall, 5340 Third St.
Lakeport
Lake County Office of Education (Kesey Room), 1152 S. Main St.
Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave.
LDS Church, 600 16th St.
Scotts Valley Women’s Clubhouse, 2298 Hendricks Road
Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 1111 Park Way
Lower Lake
Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St.
Lucerne
Lutheran Church Parish Hall, 3863 Country Club Drive
Middletown
Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road
Nice
Community Baptist Church, 2877 E. Highway 20
Upper Lake
North Shore Christian Fellowship, 9456 Main St.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Those millions of California voters include several thousand Lake County residents who have so far cast ballots early.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that all registered voters were issued vote-by-mail ballots.
Based on the most recent totals available on Tuesday, of the 22,829,943 vote-by-mail ballots issued across California, 4,816,335 had been returned, amounting to 21% of registered voters, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The state’s numbers show that mail, followed by drop boxes and drop off locations, are the most popular ways of returning ballots.
In Lake County, 38,391 vote-by-mail ballots have been issued, with 5,790 of those ballots returned. That’s a 15% early return.
The overwhelming majority of Lake County’s ballots, 80%, have been returned by mail, compared to 11% in drop boxes and 7% at drop off locations.
Overall, 98.95% of the vote-by-mail ballots submitted in California so far have been accepted, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
When Lake County’s early ballot return rate was at 13%, Political Data Inc., or PDI, completed an analysis of the county’s early vote count that showed Democrats leading Republicans with a 47% to 35% return rate, with other parties accounting for 20%.
PDI’s stats show the returned ballots by gender almost even between men and women, with people aged 65 and above accounting for the highest number of early ballots so far, at 64%, followed by 50 to 64 year olds at 24%, with 35 to 49 year old voters at 9% and those ages 18 to 34 at 5%.
The number of registered voters has grown in Lake County since the March primary.
In March, there were 36,561 registered voters, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters. As of this week, there were 38,391 registered Lake County voters.
Lake County’s voter turnout is expected to grow substantially over the coming week.
Based on an analysis of presidential elections since 2000, voter turnout has usually topped 70%. In 2020, it was the highest during that period, topping 78%.
This year the number of registered voters, at more than 38,000, is at its highest reported historical level.
Early voting, same day voter registration and ballot drop off can take place at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office at 325 N. Forbes St., which also is the central counting place.
Early voting ends on Nov. 4.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Information is published below on ballot drop off locations and precinct locations for Election Day voting.
BALLOT DROP OFF LOCATIONS AND TIMES
24-hour dropoff locations
All sites close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Clearlake
Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake
Kelseyville
Child Support Services, 3980 Gard St.
Lakeport
Lake County Courthouse, 255 N Forbes St.
Lakeport Library, 1425 N High St.
Middletown
Middletown Library, 21267 Calistoga St.
Upper Lake
Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St.
PRECINCTS FOR THE NOV. 5 ELECTION
Clearlake
Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive
Highlands Senior Service Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.
Living Water Christian Fellowship (First Baptist Church), 14550 Pearl Ave.
Clearlake Oaks
Orchard Shores Clubhouse, 500 Orchard Shores Drive
Cobb
Little Red Schoolhouse, 15780 Bottle Rock Road
Finley
Clearlake Grange (Big Valley Grange/Hall), 1510 Big Valley Road
Hidden Valley Lake
HVL Community Services District Office, 19400 Hartmann Road
Kelseyville
Buckingham Homeowner’s Association, 2850 Eastlake Drive
Galilee Lutheran Church, 8860 Soda Bay Road
Kelseyville Presbyterian Church Hall, 5340 Third St.
Lakeport
Lake County Office of Education (Kesey Room), 1152 S. Main St.
Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave.
LDS Church, 600 16th St.
Scotts Valley Women’s Clubhouse, 2298 Hendricks Road
Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 1111 Park Way
Lower Lake
Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St.
Lucerne
Lutheran Church Parish Hall, 3863 Country Club Drive
Middletown
Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road
Nice
Community Baptist Church, 2877 E. Highway 20
Upper Lake
North Shore Christian Fellowship, 9456 Main St.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
State Controller Malia M. Cohen has published the 2023 self-reported payroll data for fairs, expositions and First 5 commissions on the Government Compensation in California website.
The data covers 2,230 positions and a total of nearly $64 million in 2023 wages.
The newly published data includes 1,364 positions at 20 fairs and expositions, and 866 positions at 37 First 5 commissions.
This does not include 38 fairs and expositions, and 15 First 5 commissions that did not file their report or were noncompliant.
Among those fairs that did not file was the Lake County Fair, District Agricultural Association 49.
The controller’s website shows that this is the first time since 2013 that the Lake County Fair has not filed.
Lake County’s First 5 Commission reported $105,501 in total wages and $29,657 in total retirement and health contributions.
That includes an executive director, with total wages of $82,217 and $20,016 in health and retirement contributions; a health program support specialist, with wages of $23,284 and $9,641 in health and retirement contributions; and eight unpaid commissioners.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller.
Controller Cohen also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.
No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, University of California, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers. Their reporting is voluntary.
The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
The data covers 2,230 positions and a total of nearly $64 million in 2023 wages.
The newly published data includes 1,364 positions at 20 fairs and expositions, and 866 positions at 37 First 5 commissions.
This does not include 38 fairs and expositions, and 15 First 5 commissions that did not file their report or were noncompliant.
Among those fairs that did not file was the Lake County Fair, District Agricultural Association 49.
The controller’s website shows that this is the first time since 2013 that the Lake County Fair has not filed.
Lake County’s First 5 Commission reported $105,501 in total wages and $29,657 in total retirement and health contributions.
That includes an executive director, with total wages of $82,217 and $20,016 in health and retirement contributions; a health program support specialist, with wages of $23,284 and $9,641 in health and retirement contributions; and eight unpaid commissioners.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller.
Controller Cohen also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.
No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, University of California, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers. Their reporting is voluntary.
The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — The Mendocino National Forest is lifting fire restrictions beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30, at midnight.
Wet weather patterns, longer nights and cooler temperatures are reducing the potential risk for wildfires.
Beginning Wednesday, forest visitors with a valid California campfire permit may have open campfires or camp stoves outside of designated campgrounds.
Although fire danger has decreased some, there is still potential for wildfires to start. Forest officials ask everyone to practice fire safety and act responsibly to prevent wildfires.
• Campfires: Attend your campfire at all times. Ensure your fire is completely extinguished — drown with water (NOT dirt), stir with your shovel, drown again and feel for any heat using the back of your hand. Continue this process until no heat remains.
• Stoves: If using pressurized or bottled liquid fuel stoves, lanterns or heating devices, use in barren areas with at least 3 feet of clearance from grasses and other debris that may catch fire. • Prevent stoves from tipping.
• Vehicles: When traveling, ensure your chains are properly connected. The hot underside of the vehicle and dragging chains can start a fire. Stick to driving on designated roads and trails and be careful to not park your car or OHV in tall, dry vegetation, including grass.
• Spark arrestors: Ensure that all internal or external combustion engines have a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
• Smoking: Extinguish all smoking materials dead out on bare soil. Pack out all cigarette butts and filters.
• Fireworks: Fireworks are prohibited on all national forests year-round, leave them and all other pyrotechnic devices at home.
California campfire permits are available online at https://readyforwildfire.org. Visitors can check the latest alerts, orders and recreation information at https://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino.
The Mendocino National Forest consists of 927,675 acres along northern California’s coastal range. The forest includes the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, four designated wilderness areas, two designated wild and scenic rivers, Red Bluff Recreation Area, and the Chico Seed Orchard. Headquartered in Willows, the forest maintains district offices in the communities of Covelo and Upper Lake.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The launch of the California Wolf Project, or CAWP, within UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources establishes a long-term partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife CDFW to advance the science and management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in California.
With additional support from the National Geographic Society, CAWP brings together scientists, wildlife managers, and conservation communicators working with diverse stakeholders to better understand the social and ecological factors that shape wolf populations and inform management decisions.
The new project integrates UC Berkeley’s expertise in ecology, sociology, economics and environmental policy, while leveraging the university’s extensive network of agency, nonprofit, landowner and tribal relationships.
The CAWP team uses innovative and interdisciplinary methods to gather data on wolf spatial ecology, diet, predator-prey dynamics, and recolonization within California, while contributing to conflict reduction strategies for rural communities and livestock producers.
“It is exciting to see wolves back in California, but there are a lot of questions about where they fit amongst a rapidly changing landscape with new challenges for agencies and livestock producers,” said Arthur Middleton, CAWP co-lead and Goertz Professor of Wildlife Management at UC Berkeley. “We hope our growing team can provide new support to those interested in and impacted by the state’s growing wolf population.”
The gray wolf has returned to California after nearly a century of absence following their extirpation in the 1920s.
Wolves are classified as endangered both under the California Endangered Species Act and the federal Endangered Species Act. Their natural recolonization into the state began in 2011 with individuals dispersing from Oregon.
As of 2024, CDFW has reported at least seven wolf packs across California, with CAWP initially focusing on the Beyem Seyo (Plumas County), Harvey (Lassen and Shasta counties), Lassen (Lassen and Plumas counties), and Whaleback (Siskiyou County) packs.
CAWP has also started to expand its work with the Yowlumni Pack (Tulare County), with the help of CDFW's Central Region staff. CDFW continues to survey for the presence of uncollared and collared wolves, based on sighting reports and other signs of wolf activity.
California’s wolf packs utilize large expanses of habitat compared to other areas in the western United States, presenting challenges for monitoring the population and questions regarding the availability of prey.
The state and many landowners are mounting a variety of livestock protection and conflict reduction efforts while learning new lessons about their efficacy.
CAWP is a timely initiative complementing the state’s efforts with rigorous research and an outreach strategy for collaborating with local communities affected by wolf activity.
“Given the wolf population increases we’ve recorded in the last few years and the management challenges that have resulted, there’s no better time for this partnership between CDFW and UC Berkeley,” said Axel Hunnicutt, the State Gray Wolf coordinator at CDFW. “There are so many important management questions relating to the ecological, economic and social effects of wolf recolonization in the state that already impact California’s ecosystems and its people. The formation of CAWP is expanding our capacity to address these questions in earnest.”
The path of wolf recovery in California — the most populous and diverse U.S. state — has the potential to shape national, and even global, perspectives on wildlife restoration and large-scale conservation.
CAWP seeks to develop a model for how to bring universities, government agencies and local communities together around the science and practice of improving human-wildlife interactions on a shared landscape.
“The Wildlife Program at UC Berkeley is committed to fulfilling our university’s mandate to support the people, economies and nature of California with science, education and outreach. CAWP embodies those priorities and embraces the diversity of perspectives that accompany the recovery of large carnivores,” said Justin Brashares, CAWP co-lead and professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at UC Berkeley.
To read more about the return of gray wolves in California or to report a sighting, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.
To learn more about the California Wolf Project, visit https://wildlife.berkeley.edu/cawolfproject/.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson