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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council is planning a special meeting to consider a resolution in support of a plan for public power generation.
The special meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, following the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The webinar passcode is 330437.
The single item of business for the special meeting is the introduction and first reading of an ordinance authorizing the implementation of a community choice aggregation program by participating with the Sonoma Clean Power Authority, or SCPA.
If approved, the council will set a second reading for its next meeting.
During its regular meeting ahead of the special meeting on Tuesday, the council will discuss and consider joining SCPA.
The council met with the Lakeport City Council and the Board of Supervisors in a special meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the SCPA proposal.
City Attorney Scott Drexel’s report to the council explains that community choice aggregation, authorized by Assembly Bill 117 in 2002, “allows cities and counties to aggregate the electricity load of residents and businesses to procure power from alternative suppliers while maintaining the existing utility's role in delivering that power.”
Drexel said that SCPA has operated a community choice aggregation program since 2014.
SCPA now serves customers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
While California’s climate has always swung between dry and wet conditions, the past five years have proven what climate science has predicted: California must be prepared for extreme weather events of all kinds, even simultaneous drought and flood conditions.
As the new water year gets underway, Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s largest reservoir, is currently 109 percent of average for this date, however there is uncertainty about conditions this winter.
The latest outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Predication Center shows a 71 percent chance of La Niña conditions this fall, decreasing to a 54 percent chance in December through February.
La Niña events have historically resulted in more dry than wet years, but research also suggests that even as the climate grows hotter and drier overall, the precipitation that California does receive will arrive in stronger storms, increasing the risk from flooding.
“There is no such thing as a normal water year in California,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Just in the past two winters, deceptively average rain and snowfall totals statewide masked the extremely dry conditions in Southern California that contributed to devastating fires as well as flood events across the state from powerful atmospheric river events. California must be ready to respond to emergencies from droughts to floods to fires.”
Last winter, extremely dry fall conditions in Southern California fueled the destructive Eaton and Palisades fires just weeks before the typical peak of atmospheric river storm activity in California.
DWR, alongside the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire, Caltrans, the California Geological Survey and the California Conservation Corps worked around the clock to protect downstream communities and watersheds as part of the state’s largest watershed protection mission to keep hazardous material from contaminating local water supplies and waterways.
Extreme flooding will remain a critical concern moving into this water year as a warmer atmosphere drives more moisture through more powerful storms.
DWR’s flood operations staff will be holding meetings with emergency response personnel across the state in the coming weeks to make sure the state and communities are prepared to respond.
DWR has over 4.3 million sandbags and 191 flood fight materials containers pre-positioned for quick deployment across the state if needed.
“The past decade has clearly demonstrated the need to prepare for extremes,” said State Climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson. “A dramatic flood year in 2023 was followed by two years with large spatial disparities. While our water supplies are in a good position heading into the new water year, we will be watching closely for dry and wet extreme conditions that can pose hazards statewide.”
California is also starting this water year with more groundwater data than ever before, helping groundwater sustainability agencies and communities monitor conditions in their region to promote long-term sustainability and protect drinking water supplies against the impacts of climate change.
Over the course of 2024, the state received average precipitation, helping sustain natural and managed recharge efforts after the exceptionally wet 2023. These last three years — 2023, 2024 and 2025 — have seen continued increases in groundwater storage.
California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 and is the official 12-month timeframe used by water managers to compile and compare hydrologic records.
For more information on California’s current hydrological conditions, visit https://cww.water.ca.gov.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
On Wednesday, State Controller Malia M. Cohen published the 2024 self-reported payroll data for University of California institutions and California Community College Districts districts on the Government Compensation in California website.
The newly released data covers 457,615 positions and approximately $31.15 billion in total wages.
All 11 University of California, or UC, institutions — including 10 campuses and the Office of the President — voluntarily filed compliant reports with the State Controller’s Office.
UC data includes 352,807 employees and more than $25.92 billion in total wages.
Thirty-nine CCDs voluntarily submitted compliant reports to SCO. The published CCD data covers 104,808 employees and nearly $5.23 billion in total wages. Twenty-four districts did not file a report, and 10 districts filed reports that were not compliant.
“Transparency is essential to building public trust in government. By publishing this payroll data, we are giving Californians direct access to information about how public dollars are spent at our universities and community colleges,” said Controller Cohen. “This empowers taxpayers, students, and policymakers alike to make informed decisions and ensures accountability at every level of government.”
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller’s Office.
SCO also maintains and publishes payroll data for state departments and California State University, as well as solicits compensation data voluntarily from superior courts, the University of California, community college districts, K–12 education, First 5 Commissions, and fairs and expositions.
The GCC website contains pay and benefit information for more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity. Users of the site can:
• View compensation levels on maps and search by region;
• Narrow results by district name or job title; and
• Export raw data or custom reports.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen independently oversees and manages California’s financial resources with integrity and transparency to build trust. The controller 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. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants to fill three vacancies on the Spring Valley CSA No. 2 Advisory Board.
The purpose of this board is to advise the Board of Supervisors on matters concerning the County Service Area No. 2 – Spring Valley.
Interested parties must be able to commit to a two year term.
Applications are online or at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport
Membership on the board is voluntary.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The federal government shut down overnight, a development leading to questions about the impact on Lake County directly.
Just after 9 p.m. Tuesday night — and shortly after midnight Wednesday — Congressman Mike Thompson, who represents Lake County in the House of Representatives, reported, “The government has shut down and Republicans are on vacation.”
The shutdown followed failed attempts to get new spending bills through Congress, with the two major parties deadlocked.
“After Democrats flew back to Washington, D.C. this week to negotiate a bipartisan deal that funds the government and lowers your health care costs, Republicans refused to come to the table. Every American, regardless of party stripe, should be angry at Congressional Republicans’ manufactured crisis,” said Thompson.
“After kicking 15 million people off of their health coverage this summer, Congressional Republicans now want to pass a spending bill that increases premiums by 97 percent for Californians enrolled in Covered California plans,” Thompson added. “Our health care system is already broken. We should be working to increase access to affordable care, not raising prices on working people. I’ll continue to work to ensure we fund the government without ripping away your health care.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Thompson was among the leaders of a bipartisan coalition of 70 members of Congress who urged House and Senate leadership to extend telehealth coverage benefits so that all Medicare beneficiaries retain access to these services.
Without that extension by Tuesday, Thompson said seniors on Medicare will lose access to critical telehealth services.
So far, it’s unclear how the shutdown will directly impact Lake County.
Impacts are expected for the Mendocino National Forest and other federal agencies at work in the community.
Meanwhile, the Governor's Office listed 10 ways Californians may be impacted by the shutdown, including the potential for non-essential federal government employees to be furloughed, which could have a significant impact in a state that is home to more than 150,000 federal workers.
The other potential impacts on the state include cuts to schools, including education programs like Head Start that are at-risk of not being funded; mass firings such as those the White House is threatening; delays at Social Security; economic harm, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics expected to stop collecting critical data on the nation’s economy; no new flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program as the wet season is beginning; depletion of federal food assistance programs; possible delays in payments to to victims of natural disasters; and flight delays.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will consider whether or not to move forward with joining an organization that will provide power to city residents and consider rescinding actions relating to hotel and road projects in response to a lawsuit.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The webinar ID is 819 8866 1218, the pass code is 899422. One tap mobile is available at +16694449171,,82771053751#, or join by phone at 669-444-9171 or 646-931-3860.
On Thursday, the council will consider rescinding actions related to the 18th Avenue Road and Hotel Development Project in response to court rulings at the state level.
On Dec. 13, 2022, the Clearlake Planning Commission approved environmental review and project entitlements for construction of the 18th Avenue Road Project and development of a hotel, City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explained.
He said the Koi Nation of Northern California appealed the project approvals to the City Council, with the council rejecting the appeal.
The Koi Nation then filed a writ of mandate with the Lake County Superior Court. On Dec. 22, 2023, the local court denied the Koi’s request, with the tribe then filing an appeal with the State Appellate Court, which ultimately ordered the city to set aside the project approvals and environmental review, Flora said.
“The attached resolution takes the action ordered by the Court,” Flora’s report explained.
The council also is scheduled to hold a public hearing to discuss and consider changes to the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Fee Schedule.
Under business, the council will discuss and consider the city of Clearlake joining Sonoma Clean Power. The council met with the Lakeport City Council and the Board of Supervisors in a special meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the proposal.
Also on the agenda are October's adoptable dogs, a proclamation declaring October 2025 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and presentations by Police Chief Tim Hobbs of an employee commendation and certificates of appreciation to the Clearlake Summer Concert and Movie Night Sponsors.
On the meeting’s consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; minutes; the continuation of the director of emergency services/city manager proclamation declaring a local emergency for winter storms; continuation of the director of emergency services/city manager proclamation declaring a local emergency for the Boyles fire; and approval of Resolution number 2025-37 approving the road closure on Oct. 31 for the Trunk or Treat Event.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport reported that its annual Business Walk Program is now underway.
The program is designed to familiarize the business community with resources available to them.
City staff, the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, and volunteers form teams that will contact local business owners and managers during October and November.
The program’s purpose is to demonstrate the city’s commitment to supporting businesses while gaining information about challenges and barriers to their success.
Findings from the visits are compiled and presented to the City Council for information and any required action.
“The City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan identified annual in-person visits as an important element in the support and retention of existing local businesses,” said Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram.
An updated Guide to Doing Business in Lakeport will be distributed during the visits. The publication includes information and contacts for programs aimed at assisting new businesses.
Additional materials include information about business loan programs, workshops and trainings, plus services offered by employment and workforce agencies.
The teams are composed of staff from the city and Lakeport Police Department, members of LEDAC, and volunteers representing the Lake County Economic Development Corp., Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development & Financing Corp., California Employment Development Department, the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center and Community Development Services.
The LEDAC meets monthly on the second Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. in Lakeport City Hall at 225 Park Street. All meetings are open to the public.
LEDAC is an advocate for a strong and positive business community and serves as a conduit for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
