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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Although there were no new wildland fires in Lake County on Tuesday, concerned residents reported seeing smoke and haze in the air basin.
Their senses weren’t deceiving them: a new intrusion of wildland fire smoke – this time from several states away – was coming into the area.
Lake County Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the source of the smoke is a major wildland fire in northern Idaho and parts of western Montana.
A NASA/MODIS satellite image posted above shows the smoke making its way down from Idaho, through Washington, Oregon and into Northern California.
The image shows that the smoke appears to be originating from the area of Idaho’s biggest wildland fire, the lightning-caused Mustang Complex in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, burning just over the Montana sate line.
On Tuesday the fire was at 336,744 acres, with 25 percent containment, according to the US Forest Service.
Gearhart the smoke from Idaho has been passing into the air basin for several days.
“It actually affected our air quality on Friday,” he said, noting that while it didn’t cause state health standards to be exceeded, particulate level was raised.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells, who confirmed to Lake County News that there were no reports of new fires in the county on Tuesday, also cited a pressure system moving over Northern California as a contributing factor to moving the smoke to the county.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – A 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Mendocino and Lake County areas on Tuesday morning.
The quake occurred at 8:15 a.m. two miles north of Talmage, three miles east northeast of Ukiah and 14 miles west of Upper Lake, according to the US Geological Survey. It was recorded at a depth of 6.2 miles.
The US Geological Survey had received 285 shake reports from 26 zip codes by 9:30 a.m.
Reports came from up and down the coast, as well as Kelseyville, Lakeport, Nice, Upper Lake and Witter Springs.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday morning that no reports of damage had yet been made.
Citizens were encouraged to report damage to the Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services at 707-467-6497 or by email at
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Unemployment numbers reported for August showed slight improvements in Lake County, and across California and the nation.
The California Employment Development Department’s latest report put Lake County’s unemployment rate at 14 percent in August, down from 14.7 percent in July and 15.6 percent in August 2011.
The statewide unemployment rate for August was 10.6 percent, down just slightly from the 10.7 percent rate reported in July and the 11.9 percent rate for August 2011, the agency reported.
Nationwide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment in August was 8.1 percent, down from 8.3 percent in July and 9.1 percent in August 2011.
Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division said Lake County’s wage and salary employment increased 430 jobs between July and August. Farm jobs accounted for the bulk of the increase, thanks to the summer harvest of important local products like pears.
For the year over, Lake is down 220 jobs with government accounting for over three-fourths of the cutbacks. Six industry sectors gained or were unchanged over the year and five declined, Mullins said.
He said year-over job growth occurred in trade, transportation and utilities, +10; and private educational & health services, +20.
Industry sectors with no change over the year were farm, manufacturing, information and financial activities, Mullins said.
Industry sectors with decline over the year included mining, logging and construction, -30; professional and business services, -10; leisure and hospitality, -10; other services, -10 ; and government, -170, according to Mullins.
Lake County was ranked No. 45 among California’s 58 counties for its August unemployment rate. Neighboring counties showed the following rates: Colusa County, No. 54, 15.2 percent; Glenn, No. 51, 14.6 percent; Mendocino, No. 16, 9.3 percent; Napa, No. 4, 7.5 percent; Sonoma, No. 8. 8.3 percent; and Yolo, No. 22. 9.7 percent.
Details about California’s job picture
In August California’s nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,000 to 14,346,300, for a year-over-year change of 298,700 jobs and a total gain of 504,000 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010, according to data the Employment Development Department derived from two separate state and federal surveys.
The federal survey of households the agency uses, done with a smaller sample than the state survey of employers, showed a decrease in the number of employed people, estimating the number of Californians holding jobs in August was 16,404,000, a decrease of 38,000 from July, but up 203,000 from the employment total in August of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,935,000 – down by 27,000 over the month, and down by 243,000 compared with August of last year, the report showed.
EDD’s report on payroll employment (wage and salary jobs) in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 14,346,300 in August, a net gain of 12,000 jobs since the July survey. This followed a gain of 17,900 jobs, as revised, in July.
Six categories – construction; manufacturing; information; financial activities; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – added jobs over the month, gaining 23,300 jobs, according to the report. Educational and health services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 8,900 jobs.
Five categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; other services; and government – reported job declines over the month, down 11,300 jobs. The report showed that government posted the largest decrease over the month, down 7,400 jobs.
The Employment Development Department said nine categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – posted job gains over the year, adding 329,100 jobs.
Of those categories, professional and business services posted the largest gains on a numerical basis, adding 103,200 jobs, up 4.8 percent. Construction posted the largest gains on a percentage basis, up 6.0 percent, adding 33,000 jobs, according to the jobs report.
Two categories, manufacturing and government, posted job declines over the year, down 30,400 jobs, the Employment Development Department report said. Government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 23,400 jobs, a 1-percent decrease.
The Employment Development Department said there were 501,158 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the August survey week, compared with 518,605 in July and 543,089 in August of last year.
The agency said new claims for unemployment insurance were 51,467 in August, compared with 52,336 in July and 54,463 in August 2011.
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Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a bill that makes it easier for Californians to vote by allowing same-day voter registration.
Assembly Bill 1436, authored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), allows same-day voter registration, giving Californians the right to vote with a provisional ballot if the conditional voter registration is deemed effective.
“Voting – the sacred right of every citizen – should be simple and convenient,” said Gov. Brown. “While other states try to restrict voters with new laws that burden the process, California allows voters to register online – and even on Election Day.”
A statement from Feuer’s office said AB 1436 is meant to increase voter turnout by allowing potential voters to register in the days preceding an upcoming election, including Election Day.
“This new law will help assure that all eligible Californians will have the chance to determine who speaks for them in Washington, Sacramento and their home towns,” said Feuer. “By recognizing the importance of increasing voter turnout in our state, we are improving the democratic process in California.”
Currently in California, voter affidavits must be hand-delivered or postmarked to a county elections office at least 15 days before the election. Exceptions are made for people who become U.S. citizens 7-14 days before Election Day. These individuals are allowed to register and vote up to seven days prior to the election.
Currently, 10 states allow some form of Election Day registration, including Connecticut, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The provisions of AB 1436 will go into statute on Jan. 1, 2014, and the law will take effect when Vote Cal, the state’s federally mandated statewide voter database, is fully implemented by the Secretary of State’s office.
Last year, Gov. Brown signed Senate Bill 397 (Yee) allowing Californians to register to vote online.