LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A driver, a passenger and a pedestrian were killed in three separate traffic crashes this past weekend.
The incidents occurred from late Saturday night through late Sunday night.
A pedestrian died after being hit by a car in Nice around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, a wrong-way driver on Highway 29 near the Lake County Jail early Sunday died after crashing and rolling his vehicle and a passenger died after the vehicle he was riding in hit a parked pickup late Sunday night in Lucerne.
The Lake County Sheriff’s office identified the pedestrian who died as Kevin Jones, 58, of Nice. The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office also said Jones is associated with the Santa Rosa area.
The CHP said Frankie G. Sullivan, 29, of Lucerne was driving his 2015 Chrysler eastbound on Highway 20 at Hutchins Road in Nice at 10:35 p.m. Saturday. For reasons still under investigation, Jones was in the roadway.
Sullivan was unable to stop his vehicle and hit Jones, who the CHP said died at the scene.
About an hour and a half later, just after midnight Sunday, a wrong-way driver was killed in a wreck at Highway 29 and Hill Road. Authorities identified that driver as Benjamin Britton, 29, of Covelo and Lucerne.
The CHP said witnesses reported that Britton was driving his silver 1999 Honda CRV northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 29 near 11th Street in Lakeport.
He was first reported driving the wrong way on the highway at 12:04 a.m.; at approximately 12:07 a.m., as CHP units were responding to the area, the Honda hit the metal bridge abutment located on Highway 29, at the Hill Road under-crossing.
The Honda overturned and landed on Hill Road, below Highway 29. The CHP said emergency personnel responded to the crash scene and Britton was pronounced dead.
The last of the crashes was reported late Sunday night and claimed the life of 30-year-old Justin Dale of Lucerne.
Dale was riding as the passenger in a 2012 Volkswagen driven by 31-year-old Patricia Martha Murphy of Lucerne, the CHP said.
Murphy was driving westbound on Highway 20 east of Lake Street at 23:52 p.m. The CHP said that when Murphy was driving she “unsafely turned” and allowed her vehicle to travel to the right from the main traveled portion of the roadway. As a result, the Volkswagen hit the rear of a parked Ram 5500 pickup.
Dale died of his injuries at the scene, based on CHP and radio reports.
The CHP said Murphy was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. She was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The three crashes remain under investigation, the CHP said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Robert Cooker, the first place winner — he received $5,000 — in the 2021 Catfish Derby. Courtesy photo. CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. — Sign-ups for the popular fundraising event known as the “Biggest Catfish Tournament West of the Mississippi,” are open.
Sponsored by the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association, the annual Catfish Derby attracts catfishing enthusiasts from throughout California and beyond.
“After canceling the annual derby in 2020, surprisingly, in 2021, a scaled-back version of the Derby yielded more entries than the 2019 Derby,” said Committee Chair Dennis Locke.
“We took a year off due to the pandemic and were pleased to learn catfishing enthusiasts were ready to get back on the lake,” Locke said. “Just under a third of the entries were local, but as usual, the majority of entries, 66%, came in from throughout California and beyond. A total of 882 entries in 2021 topped 2019 by 106 entries.”
He added, “We’re counting on another good year — for catfishing, our local community and the overall Lake County economy,” Locke said. “Entries are being mailed to past participants and we’re getting positive results from our regulars.”
“This event is near and dear to our community. It brings families together for wholesome fun, boosts our local businesses, and has a positive ripple effect on our county-wide small, rural economy. This will be our 38th annual Catfish Derby. We’re very proud of what a few dedicated people do — year after year — to keep this tradition going,” said Gail Jonas, longtime Derby committee member and former Catfish Derby Committee chair.
Past President Camille Gouldberg also serves on the Derby committee.
“Last year we took a leap of faith, hoping to get enough entries to continue our important community activities — and to pay for the hard costs of the event,” Gouldberg said. “We all did a happy dance when, to our joy, the entries started coming in. We raised over $30,000 and after a challenging Pandemic year, we are again able to support programs for our youth, schools, veterans, fire prevention and more.”
Derby prizes this year will total $10,000 — in the adult and kid categories.
For adults, the prizes range from $5,000 for first place to $40 for 20th place.
For children, the derby offers two categories of prizes for 10 year-olds and under and 11 to 15 year-olds. Prizes for each category range from $100, 1st place to $10, fifth place.
Children can also compete in the adult category but must pay the higher entry fee. Entry fees this year are $50 for adults ($60 if after 11 p.m. on May 12) and $10 for kids.
An additional $2,500 in cash and merchandise will be issued through the very popular drawings held throughout the three-day derby.
The Derby Committee will follow all local and state requirements in place at the time of the Derby. Registration, weigh-in and other activities will be at Derby Headquarters located at the Fire Station on 12655 East Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks.
“We are looking forward to returning to our usual Derby Headquarters,” Locke said. “One critical variable, of course, is the lake level. We’re feeling optimistic — but we’ll be responsive to Mother Nature on our weigh-in site and let everyone know if we have to pivot.”
Newly elected Business Association President Alvaro Valencia, said: “I’m looking forward to a good year and thrilled at the prospects of returning to more normal activities. Along with the derby I am happy to report that the hugely popular Fourth of July Maxine Sherman Fireworks will return to the Oaks this year!”
This article has been updated with more details about the current cannabis project.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will continue a hearing on the appeal of a cannabis operation approved by the Clearlake Planning Commission in November.
The council will meet in closed session at 5 p.m. to hold negotiations for property at 6820, 6828 and 6885 Old Highway 53 between the city, Sutter Equities and Margetich Development Inc. before the council convenes in open session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
The meeting will feature an appearance by one of January’s adoptable dogs.
On the agenda is a public hearing, continued from Jan. 6, on the Clearlake Planning Commission's approval of conditional use permit applications and approval of the corresponding mitigated negative declaration for commercial cannabis operations located at 2185 Ogulin Canyon Road (Ogulin Hills, LLC).
City documents indicate that the project on the 21.25-acre parcel includes two 5,000 square foot manufacturing and processing buildings, a 3,000 square foot building for distribution, retail delivery only and the office, 10 greenhouses totaling 18,750 square feet, five 5,000-gallon water storage tanks, a parking lot, loading areas, and related site and security improvements.
The council held a lengthy hearing on the matter on Jan. 6. Staff is recommending denial of the appeal, filed by Dave Hughes.
Following that hearing, the council will consider Ordinance No. 258-2022, approving a development agreement for Ogulin Canyon Holdings LLC to allow a cannabis operation at 2185 Ogulin Canyon Road.
Under council business, council members will review and approve the submittal of the fiscal year 2022-23 recognized obligation payment schedule for the period of July 1, 2022.
Submission of six-month recognized obligation payment schedules for approval to the State Department of Finance is required under AB 1484 as part of the dissolution of redevelopment agencies and state control over the release of former property tax increment funds by the county to the successor agency, according to Finance Director Kelcey Young’s report to the council.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; authorization of an amendment of agreement with ECORP Consulting Inc. for extended environmental/archaeological services for the Dam Road Roundabout Project in the amount of $17,000; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 18, 2021, and ratified by council action on Aug. 19, 2021; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 23, 2021, and ratified by council action on Sept. 16, 2021; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; award of contract for design services for the ATP Dam Road/South Center Improvement Project; amendment of construction contract for additional work for the 2021 Measure V Improvement Project in an amount of up to $180,000; and approval of the continuation of planning services agreement with Price Consulting Services (Gary Price) to extend the contract through Dec. 31, 2023, and increase the contract by an amount not to exceed $70,000.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted international migration patterns both to and from the United States, resulting in the lowest levels of international migration in decades and affecting the data typically used to measure migration flows.
Net international migration, or NIM, added 247,000 to the nation's population between 2020 and 2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau July 1, 2021 population estimates released today.
This is a notable drop from last decade’s high of 1,049,000 between 2015 and 2016. This is also lower than the 477,000 added between 2019 and 2020, which overlapped with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most COVID restrictions remained in place over the 2021 estimates year (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), greatly reducing the movement of people to and from the country.
For example, through June 2021, land borders between the United States, Mexico and Canada remained closed to non-essential travel and three-fourths of U.S. consulates abroad, which issue visas, remained closed.
Travel restrictions from certain countries remained in place and despite changes in immigration policies, the tremendous backlog for issuing visas and settling refugees continued.
All these disruptions required an adjustment to our NIM estimates to reflect the impact of COVID-19 on international migration.
Using publicly available administrative data sources, we adjusted our American Community Survey (ACS)-based NIM estimates based on trends seen with these data, which more accurately reflected migration patterns during the pandemic period. This resulted in the lowest NIM totals in decades.
International migration trends
After last decade’s peak from 2015 to 2016, NIM declined between 2016 and 2019, reflecting three major trends:
• Declining immigration of the foreign born. • Increasing emigration of the foreign born. • Changes in Puerto Rican migration following Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
The decline in NIM since 2020 can be attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated changes in migration policy.
Florida, Texas, New York, California, and Massachusetts typically gain the most migrants from abroad and comprise about half of NIM for the nation most years.
All five of these states saw decreases in NIM between 2015 and 2021, including a nearly 50% drop from 2020 to 2021.
California experienced the largest decline of these states (both in numeric and percent change) from 148,000 in 2015 to 15,000 in 2021.
Adjusting methodology for COVID-19
In addition to reducing levels of migration, the pandemic also affected data collection. It had a particularly significant impact on the 2020 ACS, which would have been the basis for most of our Vintage 2021 NIM estimates.
The ACS sample was greatly reduced — one-third of the interviewed survey sample was lost — after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected certain groups and resulted in nonresponse bias in the estimates for the foreign born.
The data collection issues experienced by the 2020 ACS severely affected data quality, so the Census Bureau only released experimental estimates from the 1-year data.
As a result, we decided the 2020 ACS was not a good fit for our purposes, and instead adjusted 2019 ACS data based on trends noted in administrative data between 2019 and 2021.
Administrative sources used included data from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Institute of International Education, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs and Refugee Processing Center.
Given immigration trends seen in 2019-2021 administrative data and the strong historical relationship between these data and foreign-born immigration ACS estimates, we reduced our 2019 ACS-based estimate by the same degree.
The adjustment factor was created by calculating the percent difference between administrative sources measuring immigration in estimate years 2019 and 2021.
This provided a reasonable adjustment for our foreign-born immigration component, which we then applied to other NIM components (excluding net migration between the United States and Puerto Rico).
We worked under the assumption that the reduction in immigration during the pandemic also applied to both foreign-born emigration and net native migration.
Jason Schachter is chief of the International Migration Branch in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division. Pete Borsella and Anthony Knapp are demographers in the International Migration Branch.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has adult cats and kittens needing new homes.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
“Chowder” is a 4-year-old female domestic shorthair cat in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-982. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Chowder’
“Chowder” is a 4-year-old female domestic shorthair cat with a calico coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-982.
“Blackette” is a young male domestic shorthair in kennel No. 53b, ID No. LCAC-A-2385. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Blackette’
“Blackette” is a young male domestic shorthair with a black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 53b, ID No. LCAC-A-2385.
“Blackie” is a young male domestic shorthair in cat room kennel No. 53c, ID No. LCAC-A-2386. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Blackie’
“Blackie” is a young male domestic shorthair with a black and white coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 53c, ID No. LCAC-A-2386.
This young male domestic shorthair is in cat room kennel No. 53d, ID No. LCAC-A-2383. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male domestic shorthair
This young male domestic shorthair has a unique striped gray tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 53d, ID No. LCAC-A-2383.
This male domestic shorthair kitten in cat room kennel No. 96a, ID No. LCAC-A-1871. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 96a, ID No. LCAC-A-1871.
This male domestic shorthair kitten is in cat room kennel No. 96c, ID No. LCAC-A-1873. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 96c, ID No. LCAC-A-1873.
This female domestic shorthair kitten is in cat room kennel No. 96d, ID No. LCAC-A-1874. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 96d, ID No. LCAC-A-1874.
This female domestic shorthair kitten is in cat room kennel No. 101a, ID No. LCAC-A-1945. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 101a, ID No. LCAC-A-1945.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Katherine Vanderwall. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors has appointed a new agricultural commissioner, a Lake County native who also will be the first woman to hold the position.
The board emerged from closed session at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11, to announce the appointment of Katherine Vanderwall as agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures.
Her appointment is effective Feb. 12.
She will succeed Steve Hajik, Lake County’s longest-serving agricultural commissioner. Hajik retires in February after 20 years of service in the job.
Born and raised in Lake County, Vanderwall brings experience, insight and lived-in local perspective. She is also a highly connected and respected statewide authority. This combination carries great promise for a critical local industry, the county reported.
“Agriculture is a key facet of Lake County’s economy, and it is important to have a Commissioner in place that understands the unique opportunities and challenges our local farmers experience,” said Board Chair Eddie Crandell. “No one could be better positioned to step into this role than Katherine, and we are very excited she has stepped up to serve Lake County communities in this new and expanded way.”
For the past five years, Vanderwall has served as deputy agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures, supporting the work of the department she will soon lead.
In total, she has been in service with the county of Lake for 14 years, starting as an entry-level biologist. Over that time, she has worked hard to expand her qualifications and contributions to her department and County residents.
Now, Vanderwall is fully licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as both an Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures.
She is a past president of the California Association of Standards and Agricultural Professionals and received the association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2021. Vanderwall also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis, and earned a Senior Executive Credential from the California State Association of Counties’ CSAC Institute, also in 2021.
Many county residents and leaders know Vanderwall from her service on the Executive Board for Lake County’s 4H program and her annual Ag Venture presentations.
“It was a great privilege for me to make the Motion to appoint Katherine to this critical County leadership role,” enthuses Tina Scott, vice chair and District 4 supervisor. “She brings a strong theoretical understanding and lived-in, local experience. Our board is truly looking forward to seeing how the relationships and knowledge Katherine has developed will benefit all Lake County residents in the years to come.”
As commissioner and sealer, Vanderwall will build on effective partnerships with local farmers, gas station and grocery store owners and staff and other stakeholders to promote sustainable success.
Vanderwall said she will be able to hit the ground running because of her experience and familiarity with the programs the department administers and the relationships that have been built.
She said her previous work has given her the opportunity to promote agriculture, as well as protect consumers by building equity in the marketplace.
Serving her home County in such a vital role is truly a logical next step for Vanderwall.
“I sincerely care for the well-being of the communities we serve and staff in the department,” Vanderwall said.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, right, talks with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in his White House office in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 1964. AP Photo
On July 2, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. stood behind President Lyndon Baines Johnson as the Texan signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although not the first civil rights bill passed by Congress, it was the most comprehensive.
King called the law’s passage “a great moment … something like the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.” Johnson recognized King’s contributions to the law by gifting him a pen used to sign the historic legislation.
King was foremost a minister who pastored to a local church throughout his career, even while he was doing national civil rights work. And he became concerned that his political ally Johnson was making a grave moral mistake in Vietnam. Johnson quickly escalated American troop presence in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 in 1965. And by 1968, more than a half a million troops were stationed in the Southeast Asian nation.
King called on the United States to “be born again” and undergo a “radical revolution of values.” King believed that Jim Crow segregation and the war in Vietnam were rooted in the same unjust ethic of race-based domination, and he called on the nation to change its ways.
Speaking against the Vietnam War
King preached nonviolent direct action for years, and his team organized massive protest movements in the cities of Albany, Georgia, and Selma and Birmingham in Alabama. But by 1967, King’s religious vision for nonviolence went beyond nonviolent street protest to include abolishing what he called the “triple evils” crippling American society. King defined the triple evils as racism, poverty and militarism, and he believed these forces were contrary to God’s will for all people.
He came to believe, as he said in 1967, that racism, economic exploitation and war were crippling America’s ability to create a “beloved community” defined by love and nonviolence. And on April 4, 1967, he publicly rebuked the president’s war policy in Vietnam at Riverside Presbyterian Church in New York City in a speech titled “Beyond Vietnam.”
“I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam,” he told those gathered in the majestic cathedral. “I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam.”
King was initially optimistic that Johnson’s Great Society program, which aimed to make historic investments in job growth, job training and economic development, would tackle domestic poverty. But by 1967 the Great Society appeared to be a casualty of the mounting costs of the war in Vietnam. “I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such,” King said in his speech.
King saw the grinding poverty facing Black people at home as inseparable from the war overseas. As he noted, “If our nation can spend 35 billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and 20 billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God’s children on their own two feet right here on earth.”
King could no longer ignore that military force ran contrary to the nonviolence he espoused. As urban revolts in Watts and Newark in the late 1960s rocked the nation, he pleaded with people to remain nonviolent.
“But they ask – and rightly so – what about Vietnam?” King said in the same 1967 speech. “They ask if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.”
Martin Luther King Jr. leads the march against the Vietnam conflict in a parade on State Street in Chicago on March 25, 1967.AP Photo
King’s vision
By 1967, King’s vision of justice was one of flourishing for all people, not only civil rights for African Americans. King was criticized for expanding his vision beyond civil rights for Black Americans. Some worried that aligning with the peace movement would weaken the civil rights movement. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People even issued a statement clearly opposing what it saw as a merging of the civil rights and peace movements.
But in his 1967 “Beyond Vietnam” speech, King called “for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, and nation … an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.” Such unconditional love is “the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality,” and he noted that this unifying principle was present in Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.
King was always first a religious leader. He never sought nor gained elected office, because he wanted to maintain a moral voice and be free to challenge policies he believed to be unjust.
He was not a morally perfect man. Declassified files show how the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover tried to target King over his extramarital affairs. Hoover used a wiretap to tape King having sex with other women and sent those to his wife, Coretta Scott King, with a letter indicating King should kill himself because of his moral transgressions.
Honoring King
For those seeking to honor King’s legacy today, his religious nonviolence is demanding. It asks that people go beyond acts of service and charity – as important as those are – to both speak and act against violence and racism as well as to organize to end those pernicious forces.
It is a radical concept of love that demands we embrace those we know and those we don’t, to acknowledge, as King said, “that all life is interrelated, that somehow we’re caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny.”
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the challenge may be to decipher the meaning of this idea in action for our own lives. The future of what King called the beloved community depends on it – a world at peace because justice is present.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with the correct location of Albany.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With in-person instruction in the district suspended until Jan. 24 due to a staffing shortage arising from a COVID-19 exposure, the Kelseyville Unified School District Board this week will consider a resolution opposing the governor’s COVID vaccine mandates for students and staff.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, in the Tom Aiken Student Center at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.
Those participating in the meeting are asked to wear facial coverings based on state guidelines.
The resolution is listed as an action item on the board’s agenda.
It uses similar language to resolutions accepted last month by the Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Elementary and Konocti Unified school district boards, as Lake County News has reported.
However, the Kelseyville document has introduced some changes, in particular, noting that the district “will continue to partner with public health agencies to provide education material and offer vaccination opportunities for school-age children and employees; however, the governing board respectfully asks that the California Legislature not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff of TK-12 grade Local Education Agencies.”
The resolution also resolves that the district governing board will petition the state that the COVID-19 vaccine not be a condition of enrollment for students or employment for staff.
Middletown Unified first considered its own version of the resolution last month but postponed a vote. It is due to consider that resolution again on Tuesday night, after having to delay its meeting for nearly a week due to a board member being in COVID quarantine.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — During the Lakeport City Council’s meeting this week there will be an update from a youth council and a discussion of contracts for the police and utilities departments.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. In accordance with updated guidelines from the state of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
On Tuesday, the council will present a proclamation designating January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in the City of Lakeport and will get an update on the All Children Thrive Youth Governance Council.
Under council business, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will seek the council’s approval of the purchase of a 2022 Dodge Charger patrol vehicle at a cost of up to $65,000.
Rasmussen also will ask the council to authorize him to implement an automated license plate recognition program and approve funds for up to a year of operation, estimated at $22,000.
Public Works Superintendent Ron Ladd will ask for the council to authorize professional services agreements with Dokken Engineering for the Forbes Creek Headwall Repair Project and the Hartley Street Culvert Repair Project.
City Manager Kevin Ingram will give the council traffic safety reports and Utilities Superintendent Paul Harris will present a resolution to submit an application to the Small Community Drought Relief Program for the modification of the city’s intake structure.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the council’s regular meeting on Jan. 4 and special joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 11; approval of amendment No. 2 to the agreement for the lease of acreage devoted to spray irrigation disposal of wastewater; introduction of an ordinance adding chapter 12.30 and amending chapters 9.08 and 10.08 of the Lakeport Municipal Code related to skating and skateboarding in any skate park, parklands, and the downtown district and setting a public hearing for the consideration of the ordinance for Feb. 15; receive and file the midyear Community Development Activity Report.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control added more dogs this week to its list of adoptable pets.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Akita, border collie, Chihuahua, German shepherd, Labrador retriever, pit bull and Rhodesian ridgeback.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
This 1-year-old male German shepherd is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-1892. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male German shepherd
This 1-year-old male German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-1892.
“Cinnamon” is a 5-year-old female chocolate Labrador retriever-pit bull mix in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-1769. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Cinnamon’
“Cinnamon” is a 5-year-old female chocolate Labrador retriever-pit bull mix with a short chocolate-colored coat.
She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-1769.
“Bruce” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-2351. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Bruce’
“Bruce” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-2351.
This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 17, ID No. LCAC-A-2445. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull
This 6-year-old male pit bull mix has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 17, ID No. LCAC-A-2445.
“Chapo” is a 7-year-old male pit bull in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-2458. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Chapo’
“Chapo” is a 7-year-old male pit bull with a tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-2458.
“Nioki” is a 1-year-old female shepherd in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-2442. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Nioki’
“Nioki” is a 1-year-old female shepherd with a black coat.
She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-2442.
This 2-year-old female border collie mix is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-2207. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female border collie mix
This 2-year-old female border collie mix has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-2207.
“Nugget” is a male Chihuahua mix puppy in kennel No. 25b, ID No. LCAC-A-2413. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Nugget’
“Nugget” is a male Chihuahua mix puppy with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 25b, ID No. LCAC-A-2413.
This 2-year-old male German shepherd is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-1903. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male German shepherd
This 2-year-old male German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-1903.
This 2-year-old male German shepherd is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-2400. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male German shepherd
This 2-year-old male German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-2400.
“Duke is a 1-year-old male Rhodesian ridgeback in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-2219. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Duke’
“Duke is a 1-year-old male Rhodesian ridgeback with a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-2219.
This 1-year-old female Akita-shepherd mix is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-2438. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female Akita-shepherd mix
This 1-year-old female Akita-shepherd mix has a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-2438.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
How are the Clear Lake Hitch doing? I saw that they did not get Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) Protection? What does that mean for the future of the fish? Thanks for your column.
— Hans asking how are the Hitch —
Hi Hans!
I have been holding on to your question for a while, sorry it took so long to get to you. But this is a great time to talk about the Clear Lake hitch. The scientific name of the Clear Lake hitch is Lavinia exilicauda chi, and the native indegenous peoples of Clear Lake (the Hinthil, Gowk Xabatin, or the Pomo) refer to the fish as “chi” (pronounced CH-eye). In this article I will use hitch and chi interchangeably, as they are commonly recognized under both names.
The chi is a very culturally important fish to the Pomo, serving as a main food staple, providing a vital source of protein and nutrients, and easy to catch as the hitch prefers shallow, warm, and slow-moving water, ideal to the shores and sloughs along the edges of Clear Lake. Chi love to inhabitat shallow waters full of submergent and emergent aquatic plants, in areas with sandy or gravel bottoms. Here is where they feed on aquatic insects and terrestrial insects that rest on the surface of the water, as well as crustaceans.
Chi don’t live that long, about five to six years, and become reproductively active in their second year for females and first year for males. The maximum size for the minnow has been recorded at 350 mm (or about 13 inches). The juvenile chi are small, and easy food prey for larger game fish in Clear Lake. Juveniles mostly stay within the shallow shorelines of the lake and sloughs, in areas hard to access by their predators yet where their food is plentiful. Luckily, chi can withstand rather warm temperatures, up to 30oC (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and more, which is an advantage when they are trying to avoid predatory fish who prefer cooler waters.
Chi will spawn in the shallow yet flowing tributaries that flow into Clear Lake, usually in the springtime, but they have been observed spawning anywhere between February and July, if the weather conditions are right and there is plentiful, warm, yet well-oxygenated water in the streams. Chi will swim against currents and flows, and jump small barriers to get up stream to preferred spawning grounds. However, chi are no salmon, they are small-bodied and have limits to the heights and velocities they can overcome when swimming in a high-flowing stream.
Figure 1. Image of Chi jumping at Bell Hill Road Crossing on Adobe Creek, a popular spawning tributary for the fish. This photo was taken on april 21, 2006 by Richard Macedo (CDFW) and was accessed on the UCANR California Fish Website: Clear Lake Hitch website (https://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=33&ds=698)
Clear Lake chi populations and abundances have declined in recent years, with declines being noted by local residents, tribes, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2014. Since then population estimates and catch counts, conducted by several state and federal agencies, have fluctuated, but in the last four years, sharp declines and little to no recruitment of juvenile chi has raised some high concerns for this endemic, special minnow fish.
This chi is currently threatened under the California Endangered Species Act, or CESA, but failed to make the U.S. Endangered Species Act list in 2020 when it was petitioned.
Listing of the species adds extra protections that go into effect when the species population or habitat could be harmed or jeopardized. For example, when getting a permit to build something on the lakeshore, like a structure that goes out into the water and might disturb the shallow habitat of the lake, there are seasonal limitations of the year when that building is prohibited; this is a state CESA protection to prevent habitat loss or injury to the Hitch or direct loss of the Hitch themselves.
The story of the chi is complicated, and the chapters to recovery are even more so. There is still so much unknown information about the chi, particularly that time in the streams after they spawn when the eggs hatch and the fingerlings, then juveniles, make their way downstream to the Lake. Fish biologists and water resource managers don’t know what happens to the chi during this time and we don’t know factors are causing the chi numbers to be so low. Drought and surface / and subsurface water use are most certainly having impacts, but the specific mechanisms of how are currently unknown.
Spawning observations in the creeks is high; we can see them spawning and we can count high numbers. After that, something is happening to the eggs or baby chi that is causing them not to become adults in the lake, or hindering their ability to make more baby chi.
Figure 2. Hitch spawning in Kelsey Creek April 2018. Photo taken by F. Feyrer (USGS) and accessible from the CDFW bulletin volume 105 (2019) https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=174808&inline
Some of this important research is being led by research fish biologists from the United States Geological Survey, or USGS, California Water Science Center in Sacramento, California. Research conducted in the lake from the last five years has demonstrated drastic declines in young Hitch in Clear Lake. Those biologists are going to investigate post-spawning activities, and sample streams during and after spawn, to identify what exactly is happening to hitch in the streams and what management actions would be best suited to aid in recovery of the species.
However, before significant and expensive actions and restoration projects can take place, fish biologists and agency scientists need to have a clear plan. Over the last couple years, there has been a huge, collaborative effort to establish a plan for recovery, called The Hitch Conservation Strategy.
The strategy plan is being coordinated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, or USFWS, but includes many local partners such as those from regional tribes like Big Valley Rancheria, Middletown Rancheria, and Robinson Rancheria, County of Lake, the Lake County Land Trust, private citizens, CDFW, and more. This plan is hefty, and again, relies on information that is yet unknown.
How can you help?
There are several ways you can help.
First, educate yourself about the Hitch and about lake and stream ecology and biology. Luckily, by reading the Lady of the Lake columns and asking important questions, like you did Hans, you are already accomplishing this step. If everyone understands the ecology and biology of this important species, and it’s habitat, the community as a whole will appreciate and value this species, and be aware of the kinds of activities that have negative impacts on the fish and their habitat.
An easy way to learn a great deal about the Clear Lake kitch is to check out the video below, from a public forum called Water Quality Wednesday that was held on Jan. 12 and hosted by Lake County Water Resources.
This video is about an hour long, but broken up into two 20-minute presentations. Moderated by myself, the Lady of the Lake, the first presentation is by a research biologist from USGS, Dr. Fred Feyrer, and he discusses his recent observations and data on Hitch from Clear Lake.
The second presentation is by Amber Aguilera, a scientist of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and she goes through the current outline of the draft conservation strategy, and the actions and management being proposed to help in the recovery of the hitch and its habitat.
The second way you can help is to volunteer a few hours during the spring (March, April or May) to help do hitch observations and counts.
It’s really very easy. This is a great activity for extra credit for a science or environmental class, a great activity for girl or boy scouts, or just a great way to get outdoors and spend some time with family or friends. All while giving back to a special species that really needs all our help!
There are several ways you can participate in this important effort:
You can download volunteer directions and datasheets from the Chi Council website from the tab on the left. Basically, it includes driving around to bridges and public access points of spawning creeks (like Clover, Middle, Scotts, Adobe/Highlands, Manning and Kelsey) and wait till you spot a hitch. If you go during the right time of year, you won’t have to wait long! Take a few moments and see how many you see and can count. Note any spawning behavior. Review the full protocols provided by the Chi Council before starting any Hitch counts.
You can record locations on the map online provided by the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, or CLERC, in their Hitch Observation Program. CLERC also has lots of videos of hitch to show you what you are looking for and how to identify the hitch (don’t get them confused with carp!). CLERC also has forms and directions you can view, download, or print to help you.
Lastly, you can call the County of Lake Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344 to get paper forms and directions for doing Hitch observations, and recommendations on busy spots.
For teachers and troop leaders: If your classroom, study group, girl/boy scout troop wants to learn how to observe and track hitch, and you want a Water Resources staff to lead, guide, or assist you, call Water Resources or email them, and might be able to help you or connect you with someone who can guide your group.
Thanks for your questions Hans, and thanks for caring about the Clear Lake hitch. The recovery of this unique species will be slow, but together, with dedicated and caring community-members like you, the Clear Lake hitch has a bright future.
If you have more questions about the Clear Lake hitch, I suggest you watch this informative video all about the hitch. If you still have questions or comments, you can direct them to the Lake County Water Resources Department, 707-263-2344, or through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they can help answer your questions or get you in touch with someone who can.
Sincerely,
Lady of the Lake
Angela De Palma-Dow is a limnologist (limnology = study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in Northern California, she has a Master of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society, or NALMS, and she is the current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lower Lake Elementary student Lily Pedro is now among the youngest published authors in the world. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Seven-year-old Lily Pedro, a first-grade student at Lower Lake Elementary School, just published her first book, “My Hunt for the Perfect Pet.”
Pedro was only 6 years old when the COVID-19 online schooling mandate forced students to learn from home.
During this time, Pedro asked her grandmother, Tammara Cappellano, for help with a story she was writing to share with her class.
When Cappellano read her granddaughter’s story, she believed it had the potential to do more than just engage Pedro’s classmates.
Cappellano thought it was worth publishing — and that a published work by one so young could inspire children everywhere “to do anything or become whatever they choose if they try.”
Cappellano helped her granddaughter with some of the technical elements of writing a book, such as spelling, typesetting, and illustration, and sent the draft off to a publisher for her review. The publisher liked the story and encouraged Cappellano to self-publish, so she did. Book cover When Pedro’s school learned of her accomplishment, Lower Lake Elementary Principal Tara Bianchi put Pedro’s name on the list of students to be recognized at the school’s upcoming monthly awards ceremony this February.
“My Hunt for the Perfect Pet” has been on the market since November via Google, Amazon, EBay, and Kindle, as well as in bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, making Pedro the youngest published female author in the world since Dorothy Straight in 1958, according to Cappellano.
Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato said, “I’m so proud of Lily. When families and schools work together to support our students, it’s amazing what students can achieve.”
Cappellano praised Lower Lake Elementary School and credited Pedro’s teacher with encouraging her to write. “It says a lot about our educational quality, dedicated staff, and administrators who really work hard to educate and enhance our children’s abilities,” she said.
She continued, “I believe that when a parent sets their child up for success, the child will believe in themselves, and this can lead to a great future.”
Tammara Cappellano and her granddaughter, Lily Pedro. Courtesy photo.
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