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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it will begin routine vegetation maintenance work along a stretch of Highway 175 in Kelseyville this week.
Starting on Thursday, the company said it will remove vegetation that is overhanging power lines, work that may impact drivers.
Those who are in the area between mile markers 13.792 and 13.911 of Highway 175 may see tree-trimmers and oversized equipment working from approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
At least one lane of the highway will be closed and there is the possibility that both lanes could be closed for safety, due to oversized equipment, PG&E said.
There will be traffic management in place to guide drivers safely through the work area, which stretches approximately 634 feet along Highway 175.
PG&E said the work is to maintain regulatory compliance. General Order 95, issued by the California Public Utilities Commission, requires a year-round clearance below power lines of a minimum 18 inches.
New fire safety regulations require a minimum clearance of four feet year-round for high-voltage power lines in the CPUC-designated High Fire-Threat Districts.
PG&E said it inspects approximately 100,000 miles of overhead power lines, with some locations patrolled multiple times a year.
It also prunes or removes approximately one million trees annually to maintain clearance from power lines, and addresses dead and dying trees in areas affected by drought and bark beetles.
For more information on PG&E’s vegetation management work, customers can visit www.pge.com/trees.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is celebrating its two new sergeants.
In a brief ceremony held at the gazebo in Library Park on Monday morning, Chief Brad Rasmussen administered the oath to newly promoted sergeants Victor Rico and Andrew Welter.
Rasmussen said a major goal of the city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Police Department has been realized with the promotion of Rico and Welter from the ranks of the department’s officers.
Both men were originally recruited in the department’s hiring local campaign which seeks to employ police officer candidates who are already members of and have strong ties to the Lake County community.
This hiring program is a collaborative effort between the Lakeport Police Department and the City’s Human Resources Department that has been in place for the last seven years.
Sgt. Rico grew up in Kelseyville and attended school there, graduating from Kelseyville High School in 2008. He went on to attend Mendocino College and Sacramento State University.
He worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff between September 2014 and May 2016, at which time he made a lateral move to the Lakeport Police Department as a police officer.
During his five years with the Lakeport Police Department, he has served in the supervisor in training program, as a school resource officer, detective, firearms, taser and less lethal device instructor, and armorer and drug abuse resistance instructor. Sgt. Rico is fluent – in speaking and in writing – in both English and Spanish.
Sgt. Welter was raised in the Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake areas, graduating from Middletown High School in 2011. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College and while attending worked for the Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department.
He also worked for Hidden Valley Lake Security Services for five years and was a firefighter for South Lake County Fire Protection District for two years.
In March of 2016 he was hired by the Lakeport Police Department to attend the police academy and work as a police officer.
During his five years with Lakeport Police, Welter has served in the supervisor in training program, as a field training officer and was recently assigned and trained as a traffic radar/LiDAR instructor. He was selected as Veterans of Foreign Wars Lakeport Post Police Officer of the Year in 2017.
“The national law enforcement hiring crisis becoming progressively worse over the past five years has led to having fewer experienced candidates available to move into critical supervisory roles,” Rasmussen said.
Recognizing this as a continuing problem into the future, in early 2019 the Lakeport Police Department and the city of Lakeport’s Human Resources Department developed a supervisor in training program – basically a sergeant in training – and took a plan to the Lakeport City Council, which immediately agreed to fund it.
Over the past two years, four Lakeport Police officers went through this training program and became eligible to test for sergeant.
Given that the supervisor in training program has been successful, the city’s police and human resources departments collaborated last fall to develop an extensive assessment center testing process designed to determine if a candidate could function and be successful in the highly complex job of police sergeant.
The 10-hour assessment center consisted of submitting a letter of interest, a resume and new job application, pre-test research and a writing assignment graded by an editor from outside the department, preparing and delivering a group presentation to an evaluating board, counseling an employee related to complex issues in front of an evaluating board, and answering complex questions from an evaluating board.
The evaluating board for all of the assignments consisted of the city’s human resources director, Kelly Buendia, along with Lakeport Police Lt. Dale Stoebe, an outside agency police chief, an outside agency police captain, and a local community member knowledgeable about issues and concerns in our community.
After the assessment center testing in February, advancing candidates had to pass an interview with the chief of police related to complex leadership, management and supervisory topics.
“The job of a police sergeant is one of the most critical in a police agency; their leadership practice creates a stage for how the agency will function,” said Rasmussen.
“The Lakeport Police Department operates in a manner that respects and protects the rights of everyone,” Rasmussen said. “To complete the process of becoming a police sergeant in today’s complex world for law enforcement takes significant time and is not a simple task. Based on the credibility of the process, we are confident that we are producing supervisors who will act in the best interest of the community, city and police agency.”
Rasmussen added, “We express thanks and appreciation to our city management and council for supporting our supervisor in training program, and to our police lieutenant, the human resources staff for its work on the assessment center process, and our team of outside evaluators.”
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Nicholas “Nick” Lavrov is embracing the challenge of serving as the Bureau of Land Management Ukiah field manager, overseeing management of more than 270,000 acres of public land within nine counties in Northern California.
“There’s never a dull moment. There are so many complex, multi-faceted issues in managing our BLM public lands and balancing the various uses in our multiple-use mission,” Lavrov said. “I enjoy working with the Ukiah Field Office staff who are very knowledgeable and dedicated to caring for our resources. I look forward to helping to improve our recreation areas and protecting our riparian areas.”
The challenges of the job became apparent immediately for Lavrov.
On Aug. 17, his second day, the LNU Lightning Complex fire started, burning more than 360,000 acres, including more than 46,000 acres of public lands managed by the Ukiah Field Office. Lavrov and his staff are still dealing with recovery.
As field manager, Lavrov oversees a field office jurisdiction covering parts of Marin, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo and Solano counties.
The field office manages areas including parts of the California Coastal National Monument in the Point Arena-Stornetta area and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, managed jointly with the Mendocino National Forest.
The field office also administers geothermal leasing at The Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal steam field and the Cow Mountain Recreation Area, which includes the first Congressionally designated OHV area.
Lavrov grew up in the North San Francisco Bay Area. In the late 90s, he started his career with the National Park Service as a senior park ranger, managing special uses at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes Alcatraz Island.
He has also served as a patrol ranger and inspector for the San Francisco Water Department, as a watermaster for the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, and as park manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Additionally, Lavrov has experience serving on incident management teams for emergency response.
“We are fortunate to have Nick on our team,” says BLM Central California District Manager Chris Heppe. “His experience and leadership in natural resource management combined with his knowledge of the northern California inland and coastal areas have been valuable additions to our Ukiah Field Office.”
Lavrov succeeds Amanda James, who moved to a position with the BLM in Montana.
When not in the office, he enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking and skiing.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link at 9 a.m.
The meeting ID is 958 4898 4239, passcode 065514. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,95848984239#,,,,*065514# US.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and passcode information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item please visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
In an untimed item, the board will consider confirming the highest priority projects for submittal for the Community Project Funding Program, including the Lakeport Armory facility repurposing and expansion for wildfire training, the Full Circle Effluent Pipeline Preliminary Design Report update, and pedestrian traffic and street improvements.
The board will present proclamations for Public Health Week, Child Abuse Prevention Month, Alcohol Awareness Month and Bird Appreciation Month in Lake County.
In an item on the consent agenda, the board will consider approving a resolution urging the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to keep Lake, Napa County and Sonoma counties within the same United States Congressional District.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve request for qualifications for newspaper of general circulation.
5.2: Approve letter opposing SB 271.
5.3: Adopt proclamation designating April 2021 as Bird Appreciation Month in Lake County.
5.4: Approve letter supporting the proposed Assembly Bill 14 – Internet for All Act of 2021 (Aguiar-Curry) and authorizing chair to sign.
5.5: Adopt resolution urging the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to keep Lake County, Napa County and Sonoma county within the same United States Congressional District.
5.6: Approve Agreement No. 21-73-06-0256 with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services for period July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, for the amount of $114,610.
5.7: a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Office of Education - Safe Schools Healthy Students Program for School-Based Specialty Mental Health Services in the amount of $205,000 for Fiscal Year 2020-21 and authorize the board chair to sign the amendment.
5.8: (a) Waive the formal bidding process pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the first amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Remi Vista Inc. in the amount of $15,000 for Specialty Mental Health Services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.9: Adopt proclamation designating April 2021 as Alcohol Awareness Month.
5.10: Adopt proclamation designating April 2021 Child Abuse Prevention Month.
5.11: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings on Sept. 16, 2020, March 16, 2021 and March 23, 2021.
5.12: Adopt proclamation designating Public Health Week April 5 to 11, 2021.
5.13: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.14: Approve the continuation of resolution ratifying the declaration of local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.15: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.16: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee Fire incident.
5.17: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.18: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.19: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District, (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.4, Cooperative Purchases, (b) approve purchase of a 2021 Chevy 3500 Double Cab truck and authorize the Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue and sign a purchase order not to exceed $90,000 to Elk Grove Auto/Winner Chevrolet.
5.20: Approve Amendment No. 4 to the tower and ground space agreement with AT&T and US Cellular and authorize the chair to sign.
5.21: (a) Approve purchase of one (1) 2021 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 4x4 from Matt Mazzei Chevrolet in the amount of $37,958.49 from the Sheriff/Pursuit Replacement Budget Unit 2217, Object Code 62.72 and (b) authorize the sheriff or his designee to sign the purchase order.
5.22: Approve updated program guidelines for the County of Lake Homebuyer Acquisition Assistance Program and Housing Rehabilitation Program.
5.23: Approve third amendment to lease agreement between county of Lake and Gary Sada and Sheila Sada for $86,332.68, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, for the property located at 926 S. Forbes St. in Lakeport.
5.24: Approve waiver of the 900 hour limit for certain janitorial positions within the Department of Social Services.
5.25: Approve fifth amendment to the lease agreement between county of Lake and Ewing and Associates for the Child Welfare Services parking lot located on South Forbes Street in Lakeport, for the amount of $4,800 from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:45 a.m.: Consideration of the County of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
6.4, 10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating Public Health Week April 5 to 11, 2021.
6.5, 10:05 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating April 2021 as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
6.6, 10:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating April 2021 as Alcohol Awareness Month.
6.7, 10:15 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating April 2021 as Bird Appreciation Month in Lake County.
6.8, 10:20 a.m.: Consideration of resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Lake, state of California confirming the prior transfer from the former Lake County Redevelopment Agency to the Lake County Housing agency of certain real property liens, and authorizing assignments of deeds of trust to reflect that transfer.
6.9, 10:30 a.m.: Sitting as the Lake County Housing Commission Board of Directors, consider request from the Rural Communities Housing Development Corp. to divest security and previous development interest in real property in consideration of a new agreement to develop affordable housing at 6853 Collier Avenue, Nice, California (APN: 031-053-220-000).
6.10, 3 p.m.: Discussion and Consideration of zoning ordinance amendment to Article 21-27 regarding the transition of applications impacted by the Farmland Protection Zone.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of discussion of plans and preparation for April 16 board governance workshop.
7.3: Consideration of resolutions of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Lake, state of California confirming the highest priority projects for submittal for the Community Project Funding Program: (a) Lakeport Armory facility repurposing and expansion for wildfire training; (b) Full Circle Effluent Pipeline Preliminary Design Report update; (c) pedestrian traffic and street improvements.
7.4: Consideration of award of proposal for the professional consulting services for Big Valley Groundwater Basin (5-015) Groundwater Sustainability Plan Lake County, CA. RFP No. 21-02, to Luhdorff & Scalmanini, Consulting Engineers and Stantec Consulting Services in the amount of $1,328,485.39 and authorize the chair to sign.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1) -Center for Biological Diversity v. County of Lake, et al.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1) – California Native Plant Society v. County of Lake, et al.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1) – Citizens for Environmental Protection and Responsible Planning, et al. v. County of Lake, et al.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to Litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(2) (e)(4) – One potential case.
8.5: Public employee evaluation: Animal Control director.
Email Elizabeth Larson at