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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The partnership, called the Hometown Wildfire Safety Collaboration, provides financial support for local fuel reduction projects, a dynamic Community Wildfire Protection Plan specific to Lake County and an environmentally friendly biomass usage program.
“We are very proud of the Hometown Wildfire Safety Collaborative, which leverages the strengths of many organizations — each with unique skills and areas of focus — that together are dedicated to building capacity and improving wildfire resilience in Lake County. Through partnership and innovation, the work executed by this Collaborative will reduce the threat of wildfire and keep our hometowns safer,” said Dave Canny, vice president for PG&E’s North Coast Region.
PG&E launched the collaborative in the fall of 2023 with a $500,000 grant to the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, or CLERC, allowing them to expand its existing fuel reduction partnership with the Northshore Fire Protection District.
The grant has allowed Northshore Fire to increase the size of its crew and stabilize wages so that they can better respond to the vegetation management needs in the area.
Since September, Northshore Fire has completed several local wildfire safety projects, many of which are focused on creating defensible space between dwellings and vegetation.
A particular area of focus for Northshore Fire is vegetation management work around some of Lake County’s elderly and assisted living facilities that may not have the resources to execute the wildfire safety work themselves.
In addition to the wildfire safety work, PG&E grant will also help fund a dynamic Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or CWPP, that outlines community-specific wildfire resilience analytics for all of Lake County.
This component of the partnership utilizes computer modeling to predict wildfire pathways to inform community discussions on the most effective and strategic locations for fuel reduction projects.
This science-based approach to identifying project areas could eventually serve as the county-wide CWPP project list for Lake County.
The final component of the partnership focuses on biomass utilization. This wood management partnership uses a carbonator to collectively reduce the cost of managing wood waste, and create biochar, a climate-positive wood product, to be deployed in Lake County at strategic locations.
The Hometown Wildfire Safety Collaborative Partnership members include PG&E, the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, Northshore Fire Protection District, Lake County Fire Chiefs Association, California Fire Chiefs Association, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, US Forest Service and CalFire.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
In a significant milestone for public safety, the California Highway Patrol documented a substantial reduction in the number of freeway shootings across the state.
The number of confirmed freeway shootings in California dropped from 349 to 274 last year — a reduction of more than 21% from the previous year and a 38% reduction from 2021.
In addition to the reduction in the number of freeway shootings, CHP data confirms the number of victims killed and injured in highway violence incidents also decreased.
Last year there were four people killed in freeways shootings, which is a 60% reduction from 2022.
Additionally, there was an 8% reduction in the number of people injured — from 74 to 68 last year.
Reflecting the good work that contributed to these reductions, the number of arrests by the CHP in freeways shootings increased nearly 9% from 2022.
“While this downward trend marks progress, let's be clear: one life lost by gun violence is one too many. California will remain relentless in our pursuit to improve public safety, reduce gun violence, and invest in smart crime-fighting strategies that deliver real results,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Freeway shootings are serious crimes, and the CHP actively investigates every incident of highway violence,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “This accomplishment reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of our highways throughout California and fostering an environment where motorists can travel without fear.”
If you are driving on the freeway and a shooting takes place near you, you should remain calm, be a good witness and note any details such as vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers.
Maintain a safe distance from the suspect, and call 9-1-1 if possible, to report the incident and your current location.
Gov. Newsom established CHP’s Highway Violence Task Force to address the rise of violent crimes occurring on state highways, which surged nationally during the pandemic. At their peak in California in 2021, 447 shootings resulted in 16 deaths and 88 injuries. The new data show a 38% reduction in shootings and a 75% reduction in deaths compared to those pandemic highs.
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- Written by: Maria B. Villarreal
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Service Annual Survey, or SAS, provides a detailed look at estimated revenue of employer firms for select indoor and outdoor recreation industries affected by COVID-19 and a glimpse into their recovery.
Many fitness, recreation and other social activities moved outdoors when the pandemic began in 2020.
An estimated 7.1 million more Americans enjoyed an outdoor activity in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — than in 2019, according to the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report.
Estimated revenues of select industries related to indoor recreation rebounded from 2020 to 2021 but have yet to return to their 2019 levels.
In 2021, 164.2 million Americans participated in an outdoor activity, a 6.9% increase since 2019.
While outdoor recreation participation increased, revenue of select industries related to outdoor recreation also grew from 2019 to 2021, according to SAS data.
Estimated revenues of select industries related to indoor recreation rebounded from 2020 to 2021 but have yet to return to their 2019 levels.
Impact of pandemic on recreation
Even some industries that were predominantly enjoyed outdoors experienced decreases in revenue for employer firms in 2020.
Golf Courses and Country Clubs in 2020 saw a 2.8% decrease in estimated revenue for employer firms, from $24.1 billion in 2019 to $23.5 billion in 2020.
Not surprisingly, some industries with employer firms that required indoor participation experienced significant revenue drops in 2020.
For example, Bowling Centers’ revenue dropped 46.2% (from $4.1 billion in 2019 to $2.2 billion in 2020), and Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets’ revenue declined 49.3% (from $7.3 billion in 2019 to $3.7 billion in 2020).
Although Amusement and Theme Parks are outdoor venues, their estimated revenue dropped 63.0%, from $20.1 billion in 2019 to $7.4 billion in 2020 due to pandemic-related closures.
Road to recovery: Revenue changes in 2021
While select recreation industries experienced double-digit percent decreases in revenues in 2020, they experienced double-digit percent increases in 2021.
Most notably, Amusement and Theme Parks’ revenue spiked 139.2%, from $7.4 billion in 2020 to $17.8 billion in 2021.
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) and Bowling Centers also experienced an increase in revenue of 64.0% and 52.7%, respectively.
Still, 2021 revenue for some industries did not fully rebound to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
Revenue earned by Amusement and Theme Parks in 2021 ($17.8 billion) was down 11.6% from $20.1 billion in 2019. Cafeterias, Grill Buffets and Buffets revenue in 2021 was $5.2 billion, up from $3.7 billion in 2020 but down 28.0% from $7.3 billion in 2019.
Some outdoor-based industries, however, exceeded 2019 revenue numbers. Mobile Food Services’ 2021 revenue ($2.8 billion) was 67.2% higher than in 2019 ($1.7 billion). Similarly, revenue earned by Golf Courses and Country Clubs in 2021 ($28.3 billion) was 17.4% higher than in 2019 ($24.1 billion).
The increase in outdoor activity is also reflected in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, inflation-adjusted GDP for the outdoor recreation economy increased 18.9% in 2021, compared to a 5.9% for the overall U.S. economy.
The latest SAS in 2021 includes estimates and accompanying measures of sampling variability and sheds light on additional industries like those outlined in this article.
Maria Villarreal is a survey statistician in the Census Bureau’s Accommodations, Entertainment and Consumer Services Branch of the Economy-Wide Statistics Division.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Following the weekend’s heavy rain, flooding was reported by residents of Upper Lake on Monday.
The area around First and Washington streets in Upper Lake was taped off on Monday due to water going over the road.
That location also experienced flooding in 2023.
Flooding also was reported in Scotts Valley on Monday.
In response to questions from Lake County News, Public Works Director Scott De Leon confirmed that the area along Washington Street in Upper Lake experienced flooding from the overnight rainfall, with the worst area being between First and Second streets on the west side of Clover Creek. He said the area on Washington Street south of First Street also had some minor flooding.
De Leon said debris in the original channel of Clover Creek between First and Second streets is contributing to the situation.
“There is a large wood jam consisting of several large trees, limbs and berries, and from what we can see, it appears the flows hit that debris jam and got pushed over the private levees,” he said.
Lake County News received reports that one of the levee's diversion gates has been broken for months and couldn’t be closed to stop the flow.
De Leon acknowledged that one of the gates is damaged, but he said, “the damage prevents the gate from completely opening – not closing – and that gate is closed. The diversion structure actually has 5 culverts, two with gates and the other three have steel plates covering them to reduce flows. Based on our inspection today, the Clover Creek channel downstream of the diversion structure carried the flows, and it was the debris jam that created the problem.”
He said his county road department staff worked with the Northshore Fire Department to place pumps to help drain the area, “which according to staff was effective.”
By the end of the day Monday there was approximately 6 inches of water on Washington near First Street, with the rest of the street clear, De Leon said.
“Water Resources staff will be evaluating the wood jam to see if any of the outside contractors currently in the county performing vegetation management can tackle it,” he said. “This is all private property, so county crews can’t perform the work, but we are trying to utilize whatever resources we have available to help the situation.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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