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- Written by: Lake County News reports
On Tuesday, March 12, the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of Big Valley Advisory Council, or BVAC, as Lake County News has reported.
The purpose of BVAC is to advise the board on matters relevant to the Big Valley area as may be designated by the board, including, but not limited to public health, safety, welfare, public works, economic development, planning and land use.
A group of interested Kelseyville residents came together in early 2024 to determine the best way to increase participation of Big Valley area residents in public decision-making processes.
Steering committee members encourage anyone who is interested in participating in conversations related to BVAC’s purpose to attend council meetings, and anyone who is interested in helping to champion the interests of our community to apply to be a BVAC board member.
Steering committee member, local farmer, businessman and parent, Greg Panella, noted, “The BVAC gives a formal voice to the Big Valley area residents on key issues affecting our community. Prior to the formation of the BVAC, the unincorporated town of Kelseyville and parts of the Big Valley area had no organized and formal representative body to inform policies that affect the community we all call home. BVAC will now provide that forum.”
Any person who resides in the boundaries of the Kelseyville Planning Area may apply to sit on the BVAC Board.
How to confirm eligibility to apply
In the “Layers” section here (in most browsers, users will have to click or tap on the icon that looks like a stack of papers), select “planning areas” (the last of the layer labels).
Once selected, entering your address of residence in the search bar will confirm with which Planning Area the location is associated with:
Applications are due March 27, and may be found here.
Please note, membership on the Big Valley Advisory Council is voluntary.
For additional information, please contact Assistant Clerk of the Board Johanna DeLong at 707-263-2580 or
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Health officials said it's essential for parents to understand that unvaccinated children are at a higher risk of contracting measles and will be subject to exclusion from school if there are confirmed cases or exposure at their school.
Lake County Public Health emphasizes the importance of vaccination in protecting not only individual health but also the health of the entire community.
To enhance access to MMR vaccination, Lake County Public Health offers free vaccines at our Walk-In Clinic every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. No appointment is required; you can just walk in.
Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan stressed the urgency of the situation. “With the increasing number of measles cases in the USA and now in California, we are at risk for outbreaks of this vaccine-preventable illness in our county. Most of our Lake County schools have excellent measles vaccination rates but a few schools are under vaccinated. When measles vaccination rates are low, it opens the community up for measles outbreaks that can start in schools.”
Doohan said Public Health is grateful for partnerships with organizations such as the Kelseyville Unified School District, which will host a back to school event on May 30 from 3 to 6 p.m., offering free vaccines including the MMR vaccine for eligible children.
Key facts about measles:
• Measles is highly contagious and can be severe, especially in children under 5 years old.
• Measles spreads through the air via coughing or sneezing. Wearing a mask can help prevent its transmission.
• An infected person can spread measles even before developing the rash.
• About 1 in 5 people with measles in the U.S. will be hospitalized, and severe complications can arise, including brain swelling and death.
“As your public health officer, I hope this information is helpful. We have had four confirmed cases of measles in California, since February 2024, most recently in an outbreak in nearby Davis,” Doohan said. “Regarding vaccination rates, Lake County is fortunate to have a relatively high MMR vaccination rate compared to our neighboring counties. However, this does not diminish the need for continued vigilance and promotion of vaccination efforts.”
In the face of the ongoing measles outbreak, Lake County officials remind community members that vaccination is a cornerstone of public health.
“Through our collective efforts we can protect our community from vaccine-preventable diseases and ensure a healthier community for all,” the agency said in a statement.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The Department of Insurance will hold a public workshop on April 23 to take input before starting the process of submitting the regulation for approval by the Office of Administrative Law.
Thursday’s announcement keeps California on track for a December 2024 goal of enacting the state’s largest insurance reform in over 30 years.
It follows Commissioner Lara’s release last month of a new regulation to improve oversight and handling of insurance rate filings.
Catastrophic insurance losses are defined as those that are larger and affect multiple policyholders as a result of a severe event, such as a wildfire affecting dozens of homes compared to a common house fire.
For more than 30 years, California regulations have allowed insurance companies to apply a catastrophe factor to insurance rates based on historical wildfire losses.
These outdated rules have contributed to rate spikes and balloon premiums following major wildfire disasters without fully accounting for the growing risk caused by climate change or risk mitigation measures taken by communities or regionally, as a result of local, state, and federal investments.
Currently, the Department of Insurance allows the use of catastrophe models for earthquake losses and fire following earthquakes.
The proposed regulation expands the allowable use of catastrophe models to include wildfire, terrorism, and flood lines for homeowners and commercial insurance lines.
Commissioner Lara’s strategy addresses a major limitation of Proposition 103, passed by voters in 1988.
Under that law, insurance companies are free to propose rates at any level needed to cover future losses but, unlike public utilities, are not required to cover all residents.
With the combination of climate-intensified disasters, rising costs of repair and rebuilding, and global economic forces, major companies have increased rates while pulling back from higher-risk properties where the FAIR Plan is now the only option.
“My Sustainable Insurance Strategy is intended to address decades-long neglected issues. Under outdated rules, the growth of climate-driven mega fires has supercharged insurance costs for many Californians while making insurance harder to find,” said Commissioner Lara about the second in a series of a proposed regulatory changes where he is seeking public comment and review. “We can no longer look solely to the past as a guide to the future. My strategy will help modernize our marketplace, restoring options for consumers while safeguarding the independent, transparent review of rate filings by Department of Insurance experts, which is a bedrock principle of California law.”
Commissioner Lara said his proposed regulation will have major benefits for Californians in the form of:
More reliable rates: Insurance consumers will have more stable costs than under current regulations, which have resulted in sudden and steep increases for those at higher risk of wildfire.
Greater availability of insurance: Insurance companies will increase their writing because they can better anticipate future losses, rather than making abrupt decisions to non-renew higher-risk policyholders, pause writing, or rapidly increase rates.
Stronger oversight: The Department of Insurance will have strong public oversight of modeling, which is already being widely used by insurance companies outside of rate-making and across the nation. The Department will have access to models and build expertise, so California can continue to lead on consumer protection.
Safer communities: Catastrophe models can capture efforts taken by federal, state, and local governments, property owners, communities and utility companies to mitigate the exposure of communities to catastrophic events — encouraging and rewarding those efforts.
The regulation corrects a major shortfall of using historical data, which fails to account for wildfire mitigation. The regulation specifies that any model must incorporate the best available scientific information on risk mitigation at the property, community, and landscape scales, including risk mitigation initiated by local and regional utility companies. This forward-looking change will also enhance a recent regulation that Commissioner Lara spearheaded and now enforces, requiring wildfire safety discounts for homeowners and businesses and aligning with record investments in wildfire mitigation by Governor Newsom and the California Legislature.
The regulation complies with California’s strong consumer protection laws, which requires that anytime an insurance company seeks to change its rates, it must provide a complete rate application with all information that the Insurance Commissioner requires for review.
The proposed regulation creates a new process for review of models by a panel of experts overseen by the Department of Insurance — before insurance companies can use them in a rate filing and meet the stringent transparency requirements under Proposition 103.
The panel would evaluate the appropriateness and soundness of each model and a Department of Insurance official would determine what information about the model must be included in rate applications. Any member of the public can participate in this review.
The Department of Insurance will hold a public workshop to take input on the proposed regulation on April 23, at 2 p.m.
Register for the workshop’s Zoom format here.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lauren Berlinn of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the men as Nickolas Wade Dilley, 39, of Perkins, Oklahoma, and Joseph Timothy Torres, 31, of Nice.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said that shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday its officers responded to the crash.
A red 2021 Subaru WRX driven by Dilley was traveling on Butte Street in Nice when it went over the embankment, hit a fence and landed upside down in a swimming pool at a residence on Tehama Street, according to the CHP report.
Neither Dilley, in the driver’s seat, nor Torres, who was found in the back seat, were wearing seat belts, the CHP said.
The CHP said the crash’s cause remains under investigation, although alcohol use is suspected to be a factor.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
