How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The former Kmart building is about to spring back to life as retailers prepare to open new stores there.
This week, Tractor Supply Co. will open its second store in Lake County in a portion of the old Kmart building, located at 2023 Main St. in Lakeport.
The grand opening will take place from Thursday, May 16, to Sunday, May 19, and will include bargains and daily giveaways, the company reported.
The 85-year-old Brentwood, Tennessee-based company opened its first Lake County store in Clearlake in July of 2018 in the remodeled building that formerly had housed Ray’s Food Place.
As of March 30, Tractor Supply had 2,233 stores in 49 states.
Billed as the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, Tractor Supply will offer a lawn and garden center in what had been the Kmart garden center and also have a wide variety of other items, including tools, food and supplies for pets and livestock, a pet wash station, clothing, barbecues and home goods.
“At Tractor Supply, we are passionate about serving the needs of those who enjoy the Out Here lifestyle. Homeowners, livestock and pet owners, gardeners, hobby farmers, ranchers, tradesmen and others rely on Tractor Supply for a wide assortment of products,” said Toni Hernandez, district manager over the Lakeport Tractor Supply store. “We’re excited to call Lakeport home and serve the community with the essentials you need to live life on your own terms. We’re proud to hire our customers as Team Members. As experts in the lifestyle, they bring more value to our customers with every interaction.”
Still more retail is set to come to the building this year. A new Marshalls department store will be located at the opposite end of the building. The company offers items including home décor, clothing, shoes, cosmetics, accessories and gifts.
On Tuesday, Marshalls confirmed to Lake County News that its new Lakeport store will be open later in the summer, but the company did not give an exact date for the opening.
A third space remains available in the remodeled building.
Victor Fernandez, associate planner for the Lakeport Community Development Department, told Lake County News that the city hasn’t gotten word yet of a third tenant.
Fernandez said that the city is hoping that once Tractor Supply and Marshalls are up and running, “it will attract a third tenant quicker.”
Kmart had been a major retail presence in the city of Lakeport — and a major source of sales tax for city government — from the early 1990s until its closure at the end of 2019.
The once-mighty retail giant has been closing stores nationwide in recent years as online shopping has gained in scope and availability.
Lakeport’s store had remained busy but still ended up being selected for closure, despite reports that it had been one of the top 25 performing Kmart stores in the United States.
In the 1990s, the chain peaked at more than 2,000 stores. Today, there are reportedly only two Kmart stores left in the mainland United States.
Assisting the city of Lakeport with attracting new retailers is The Retail Coach, which has offices in Texas and Mississippi.
The Lakeport City Council approved the city’s first contract with the company, for $30,000, in July of 2019, months before the Kmart closure became public.
In February 2021, the council voted to extend the contract, and last week approved another contract renewal, with a maximum amount of $81,000 with the firm.
The Lakeport Tractor Supply store will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors has selected Lake County’s new Public Works director.
The board has appointed Glen March to the job. The permanent appointment is effective Monday, June 29.
Additionally, March will serve as limited term Public Works director — concurrently with present director, Scott De Leon — from Monday, June 3, through Sunday, June 28.
March has served in engineering-focused roles in the private and public sectors for more than three decades, most recently with the cities of Hollister and East Palo Alto, and has been a licensed professional engineer in the state of California since 1993.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco in 1999.
The county said March is a proven Public Works leader who has led development of comprehensive capital improvement programs, and overseen projects with hundreds of millions of dollars in construction value across domains from road improvements and pedestrian safety measures to lift stations and public water and wastewater systems.
“We are very grateful Mr. March is coming to Lake County, and able to serve alongside longtime Director Scott De Leon for four weeks’ time,” said Bruno Sabatier, chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors. “That arrangement will allow incoming Director March to smoothly transition and hit the ground running, and move Lake County’s Public Works priorities forward.”
“I am very pleased to be joining the county of Lake team,” said March. “Lake County already has an aggressive agenda in place to improve its Pavement Condition Index, and I am looking forward to being a part of realizing those plans, and developing new projects that make Lake County’s streets better and safer, over time. Thank you to the Board of Supervisors for your confidence and support.”
The board has appointed Glen March to the job. The permanent appointment is effective Monday, June 29.
Additionally, March will serve as limited term Public Works director — concurrently with present director, Scott De Leon — from Monday, June 3, through Sunday, June 28.
March has served in engineering-focused roles in the private and public sectors for more than three decades, most recently with the cities of Hollister and East Palo Alto, and has been a licensed professional engineer in the state of California since 1993.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco in 1999.
The county said March is a proven Public Works leader who has led development of comprehensive capital improvement programs, and overseen projects with hundreds of millions of dollars in construction value across domains from road improvements and pedestrian safety measures to lift stations and public water and wastewater systems.
“We are very grateful Mr. March is coming to Lake County, and able to serve alongside longtime Director Scott De Leon for four weeks’ time,” said Bruno Sabatier, chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors. “That arrangement will allow incoming Director March to smoothly transition and hit the ground running, and move Lake County’s Public Works priorities forward.”
“I am very pleased to be joining the county of Lake team,” said March. “Lake County already has an aggressive agenda in place to improve its Pavement Condition Index, and I am looking forward to being a part of realizing those plans, and developing new projects that make Lake County’s streets better and safer, over time. Thank you to the Board of Supervisors for your confidence and support.”
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The county of Lake announced Tuesday that Rachael Dillman Parsons has been appointed director of the County of Lake’s Social Services Department.
This appointment is effective Wednesday, May 15.
Dillman Parsons began service with the Lake County Department of Social Services in May 2002, and has consistently been recognized for her diverse and exemplary contributions, the county reported.
“Her leadership has been critical to ensuring timely issuance of $3 million in monthly public benefits payments, despite staffing and other challenges. She has also supported and coordinated sheltering, local assistance center operations and other response operations for numerous disaster events since 2015,” the county said in its hiring announcement.
Dillman Parsons also coordinated the 2020 Census workgroup, increasing Lake County’s self-response rate from 42.6% in 2010 to 49.1% in 2020.
In Mayof 2023, she was elevated to the role of deputy Director, “where she continued to excel, and demonstrate clear and creative leadership,” the county reported.
“Ms. Dillman Parsons has shown a remarkable commitment to the people of Lake County, especially our most vulnerable populations, for more than two decades,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier. “Our board is excited to see her take on her new leadership role as Director. With her deep relationships within the department and the broader community, we foresee her moving the department forward and strengthening its divisions and functions.”
“I am humbled by the board’s confidence, and excited to serve as Social Services director,” said Dillman Parsons. “Lake County is my home, and I intend to dedicate the rest of my professional career to our county. It has been an honor to learn from many excellent Social Services leaders since 2002, and I am committed to furthering our department’s purpose; promoting social and economic self-reliance and protecting those at risk with the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and compassion.”
This appointment is effective Wednesday, May 15.
Dillman Parsons began service with the Lake County Department of Social Services in May 2002, and has consistently been recognized for her diverse and exemplary contributions, the county reported.
“Her leadership has been critical to ensuring timely issuance of $3 million in monthly public benefits payments, despite staffing and other challenges. She has also supported and coordinated sheltering, local assistance center operations and other response operations for numerous disaster events since 2015,” the county said in its hiring announcement.
Dillman Parsons also coordinated the 2020 Census workgroup, increasing Lake County’s self-response rate from 42.6% in 2010 to 49.1% in 2020.
In Mayof 2023, she was elevated to the role of deputy Director, “where she continued to excel, and demonstrate clear and creative leadership,” the county reported.
“Ms. Dillman Parsons has shown a remarkable commitment to the people of Lake County, especially our most vulnerable populations, for more than two decades,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier. “Our board is excited to see her take on her new leadership role as Director. With her deep relationships within the department and the broader community, we foresee her moving the department forward and strengthening its divisions and functions.”
“I am humbled by the board’s confidence, and excited to serve as Social Services director,” said Dillman Parsons. “Lake County is my home, and I intend to dedicate the rest of my professional career to our county. It has been an honor to learn from many excellent Social Services leaders since 2002, and I am committed to furthering our department’s purpose; promoting social and economic self-reliance and protecting those at risk with the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and compassion.”
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
State and federal agencies are joining forces to educate California residents on free tools to check the recall status on their vehicles and have any open recalls fixed.
This simple step is especially critical for the roughly 700,000 vehicles in California that still have defective, potentially deadly airbags almost a decade after the largest automotive recall in history.
The Office of Traffic Safety, New Motor Vehicle Board, California New Car Dealers Association, National Safety Council and Automobile Club of Southern California joined together during a news conference on Tuesday at the Cerritos Auto Square in a continuing effort to alert vehicle owners of the urgent safety risks of unchecked recalls and that they are free to repair.
The important message to “check to protect” the recall status of vehicles comes nearly 10 years since the start of the largest and most complex safety recall in automotive history, covering more than 67 million affected vehicles worldwide.
Referred to as the “Takata Airbag Recall” for the name of the now bankrupt parts supplier, the airbag canisters in defective airbag inflators could explode and spray sharp metal fragments toward the driver and passengers — like shrapnel from an exploding grenade.
The defective airbags have killed 27 people in the U.S., including four California residents, and caused more than 400 injuries nationwide.
Since the Takata Airbag Recall started in June 2014, California has more vehicles still with defective airbags than any other state – roughly 700,000 vehicles, according to the NSC – posing a potentially life-threatening safety risk.
More than half of California vehicles with defective airbags are in Los Angeles (more than 200,000), Riverside (more than 90,000) and Sacramento (more than 60,000).
“The Takata Airbag Recall has helped make lifesaving repairs on millions of vehicles, but after nearly 10 years there are still more than a half a million vehicle owners in California who might not be aware they are driving an unsafe vehicle,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “We are joining forces to intensify our efforts so every Californian knows there is an easy way to check if their vehicle has an open safety recall — CheckToProtect.org — and that, if it does, it is free and easy to get it fixed.”
Certain vehicles made between 2000-2010 are considered especially high risk of Takata defects that they now have a “do not drive” warning, underscoring the urgency to have car owners check for recalls.
“If your vehicle has an open safety recall, don’t wait — schedule to get it fixed for free at a local dealership right away,” New Motor Vehicle Board Executive Director Tim Corcoran said. “Car dealerships are obligated to repair any recall free of charge, whether you purchased your vehicle there or not. We want California drivers to understand the urgency to get your recall fixed as soon as possible and that the service is free.”
“The safety of customers and fixing recalls is a top priority,” California New Car Dealers Association President Brian Maas said. “All of our dealers want to make sure your car is working efficiently and safely any time you are driving.”
“Automobile recalls help ensure that all cars and trucks on our roads are safe to drive, not only for the occupants of that vehicle but also for all other road users who share the roads, including pedestrians,” AAA Senior Public Affairs Specialist Anlleyn Venegas said.
There are more than 50 million vehicles in the U.S. with unresolved safety recalls, according to the NSC. With nearly 28 million drivers and 35.8 million registered vehicles — the most of any state — California has the highest number of unrepaired vehicles.
In February, the California Department of Motor Vehicles started including vehicle safety recall information on vehicle registration renewal notices for vehicles with open recalls.
Later this month, the DMV will also start issuing notices to the last known registered owners of vehicles on file with defective Takata airbags that have not been fixed.
The notice provides resources for scheduling a free repair and information on how to check for any open vehicle recalls.
Due to automakers and even the DMV not always having the most recent vehicle owner data on file, it is critical that vehicle owners use the NSC’s free Check to Protect program to check the recall status of their vehicle online at https://checktoprotect.org/.
The program encourages vehicle owners to check for any open recalls every three months and to schedule free recall repairs as soon as a fix is available.
The website allows you to determine if your vehicle is eligible for a free and potentially lifesaving repair by entering the license plate or vehicle identification number.
“Safety on the roadways must be a top priority for everyone,” said Lonny Haschel, senior manager of the Check to Protect program at the National Safety Council. “With millions of recalled vehicles being used every day, it’s important for drivers to make sure the vehicle they are driving is safe. All roadway users — in California and beyond — are safer when vehicle safety recalls are repaired.”
Businesses and other organizations that operate fleets can also conduct bulk recall checks on the NSC website.
All recalls are repaired for free at authorized dealers, regardless of where the vehicle was purchased. For more information on safety recalls, visit https://checktoprotect.org/.
This simple step is especially critical for the roughly 700,000 vehicles in California that still have defective, potentially deadly airbags almost a decade after the largest automotive recall in history.
The Office of Traffic Safety, New Motor Vehicle Board, California New Car Dealers Association, National Safety Council and Automobile Club of Southern California joined together during a news conference on Tuesday at the Cerritos Auto Square in a continuing effort to alert vehicle owners of the urgent safety risks of unchecked recalls and that they are free to repair.
The important message to “check to protect” the recall status of vehicles comes nearly 10 years since the start of the largest and most complex safety recall in automotive history, covering more than 67 million affected vehicles worldwide.
Referred to as the “Takata Airbag Recall” for the name of the now bankrupt parts supplier, the airbag canisters in defective airbag inflators could explode and spray sharp metal fragments toward the driver and passengers — like shrapnel from an exploding grenade.
The defective airbags have killed 27 people in the U.S., including four California residents, and caused more than 400 injuries nationwide.
Since the Takata Airbag Recall started in June 2014, California has more vehicles still with defective airbags than any other state – roughly 700,000 vehicles, according to the NSC – posing a potentially life-threatening safety risk.
More than half of California vehicles with defective airbags are in Los Angeles (more than 200,000), Riverside (more than 90,000) and Sacramento (more than 60,000).
“The Takata Airbag Recall has helped make lifesaving repairs on millions of vehicles, but after nearly 10 years there are still more than a half a million vehicle owners in California who might not be aware they are driving an unsafe vehicle,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “We are joining forces to intensify our efforts so every Californian knows there is an easy way to check if their vehicle has an open safety recall — CheckToProtect.org — and that, if it does, it is free and easy to get it fixed.”
Certain vehicles made between 2000-2010 are considered especially high risk of Takata defects that they now have a “do not drive” warning, underscoring the urgency to have car owners check for recalls.
“If your vehicle has an open safety recall, don’t wait — schedule to get it fixed for free at a local dealership right away,” New Motor Vehicle Board Executive Director Tim Corcoran said. “Car dealerships are obligated to repair any recall free of charge, whether you purchased your vehicle there or not. We want California drivers to understand the urgency to get your recall fixed as soon as possible and that the service is free.”
“The safety of customers and fixing recalls is a top priority,” California New Car Dealers Association President Brian Maas said. “All of our dealers want to make sure your car is working efficiently and safely any time you are driving.”
“Automobile recalls help ensure that all cars and trucks on our roads are safe to drive, not only for the occupants of that vehicle but also for all other road users who share the roads, including pedestrians,” AAA Senior Public Affairs Specialist Anlleyn Venegas said.
There are more than 50 million vehicles in the U.S. with unresolved safety recalls, according to the NSC. With nearly 28 million drivers and 35.8 million registered vehicles — the most of any state — California has the highest number of unrepaired vehicles.
In February, the California Department of Motor Vehicles started including vehicle safety recall information on vehicle registration renewal notices for vehicles with open recalls.
Later this month, the DMV will also start issuing notices to the last known registered owners of vehicles on file with defective Takata airbags that have not been fixed.
The notice provides resources for scheduling a free repair and information on how to check for any open vehicle recalls.
Due to automakers and even the DMV not always having the most recent vehicle owner data on file, it is critical that vehicle owners use the NSC’s free Check to Protect program to check the recall status of their vehicle online at https://checktoprotect.org/.
The program encourages vehicle owners to check for any open recalls every three months and to schedule free recall repairs as soon as a fix is available.
The website allows you to determine if your vehicle is eligible for a free and potentially lifesaving repair by entering the license plate or vehicle identification number.
“Safety on the roadways must be a top priority for everyone,” said Lonny Haschel, senior manager of the Check to Protect program at the National Safety Council. “With millions of recalled vehicles being used every day, it’s important for drivers to make sure the vehicle they are driving is safe. All roadway users — in California and beyond — are safer when vehicle safety recalls are repaired.”
Businesses and other organizations that operate fleets can also conduct bulk recall checks on the NSC website.
All recalls are repaired for free at authorized dealers, regardless of where the vehicle was purchased. For more information on safety recalls, visit https://checktoprotect.org/.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports