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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the man who died as John Michael Walker, 61.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the crash occurred at approximately 12:49 p.m. Sunday on Butts Canyon Road, west of the Napa County line.
The CHP said Walker was riding a 2000 Honda RC51 motorcycle westbound at around 55 to 60 miles per hour when, for reasons still under investigation, he lost control of the motorcycle while negotiating a sweeping curve in the roadway.
The motorcycle overturned onto its left side and began traveling in a northeasterly direction toward a metal guardrail, the CHP said.
The CHP’s report said the Honda hit the guardrail, rotated and ejected Walker.
Medical personnel arrived on scene and despite life-saving efforts, Walker succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to the report.
The CHP said Walker was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision.
Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as factors in the wreck, the CHP said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 9, and will be available to the public virtually only.
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 979 6189 2774, password 193726. The meeting also can be accessed via on tap mobile at +16699006833,,97961892774#,,,,*193726#.
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.
Chromebook devices are also available at the Lakeport and Clearlake Library branches, which will open early on Tuesday. Chromebooks can be checked out for three hours for use on the library premises and contactless pickup is available. The Lakeport Library Branch can be reached at 707-263-8817, and Clearlake at 707-994-5115.
WiFi is accessible in the parking lot of each County Library Branch, so residents can park at these locations to use WiFi on borrowed or personal devices, by connecting to the “Lake County Library” network (no password) anytime from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
While the board chambers remain closed, outdoor viewing and participation are also available during each meeting on the Third Street side of the courthouse building.
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.
At 11:15 a.m., Lake County Water Resources will give the supervisors an update on the Lake County Quagga Mussel Prevention Program.
Noting that Clear Lake recently was voted the nation’s best bass fishing lake and has been routinely acknowledged within the top five best bass fishing lakes across the country routinely over the last decade, and that record-breaking fish have been caught in the lake, Water Resources Director Scott De Leon said in his written report to the board that the visitation pressure from outside the county and state lines is higher than ever before.
“Lake County Water Vessel Inspection Ordinance 2936 protects all Lake County water bodies from infestation by Dreissenid mussels, and it’s important to provide the County and the Board of Supervisors with a review and update of this program specifically how it functions and how it’s funded, and what the plans are for this program going into the future,” De Leon said.
Also on Tuesday, in an untimed item, the board will consider a request to extend the use of the county’s former juvenile hall facility for a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population through June 30.
Oroville-based Elijah House has been operating the facility since last year. The last amendment to the contract expires on March 31.
In other timed items, at 9:06 p.m. Dr. Gary Pace will update the board on COVID-19, at 10:15 a.m. the board will receive a presentation on the Big Valley Groundwater Basin Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and implementation and at 10:45 a.m. they will get a report from the Clearlake Environmental Research Center.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.2: Approve County of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
5.3: Approve agreements between the county of Lake and a) Majestic Landscaping and b) Fire Wise Landscaping for hazardous vegetation abatement and authorize the chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign the agreements.
5.4: Approve authorization of destruction of records.
5.5: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.6: 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.
5.7: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2, based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and (b) authorize Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing Agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $30,000 to Rockwell Solutions for the purchase of a Vaughan 40 HP Chopper Pump for Lift Station #19.
5.8: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2, based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and (b) authorize Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $125,000 to Bogie’s Pump Systems for the purchase of a Fairbanks Morse 350 HP pump for Lift Station #1.
5.9: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2, based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and (b) authorize Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $69,000 to Bogie’s Pump Systems for the purchase of a HOMA 167 ABS pump for Lift Station #4.
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.11: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.12: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.13: Approve the continuation of a local emergency In Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.14: (a) Approve bid for the purchase of Motorola radios and; (b) approve authorization to issue a purchase order to Command Communications in the amount of $182,812.
5.15 : Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2020-133 to amend the adopted budget for FY 20-21 by authorizing a short term loan from the Sheriff/Rural and Small Counties budget 2206 to provide interim financing in order to process payment for equipment purchased for the mobile refrigerated unit in the Sheriff/Local Law Enforcement budget 2221.
5.16: (a) Approve acceptance of donations from Lake County Tribal Health ($6,700), Adventist Health Clearlake ($2,205) and Sutter Health Lakeport ($750) for the purchase of AEDs; and (b) adopt resolution to allocate unanticipated revenue for the purchase of AEDs for use by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
5.17: Approve contract between county of Lake and Prentice Long for public authority labor negotiations in the amount of $30,000 from Feb. 1, 2021, to Jan. 31, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution allowing the county of Lake Watershed Protection District to apply for a Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program Grant Funds in the amount of $450,000 from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:45 a.m.: (a) Consideration of presentation from Illumination Technologies California, and (b) direction to staff to review existing county sites for use as tower locations.
6.4, 10:15 a.m.: Consideration of presentation of Big Valley Groundwater Basin Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and implementation.
6.5, 10:45 a.m.: Consideration of Report from the Clearlake Environmental Research Center.
6.6, 11:15 a.m.: Consideration of presentation of the Lake County Quagga Mussel Prevention Program update.
6.7, 12 p.m.: Consideration of Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee’s recommendation to support the 33rd Annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament, in the amount of $2,000.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of a special meeting date change from March 30 to the board’s annual meeting calendar.
7.3: Consideration of request to extend the use of the county juvenile hall facility for a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population through June 30, 2021.
7.4: Consideration of appointment to the Lake Pillsbury Fire Protection District Board.
7.5: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Western Region Town Hall.
7.6: Consideration of Change Order No. 1 for Lampson Field Airport Runway 10-28 Asphalt Slurry Seal Rehabilitation AIP No. 3-06-0117-019-2018, Bid No. 19-11 for a decrease of $15,892.89 and a revised contract amount of $989,817.11.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 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 sec. 54956.9(d)(1): California Native Plant Society v. County of Lake, et al.
8.3: Employee disciplinary appeal (Gov Code sec 54957): Appeal No. 2021- 01.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Launched in 2015, Lake County Veterans Court seeks to offer specialized support for veterans who find themselves in the criminal justice system.
The program is overseen by a committee of representatives from the District Attorney’s Office, Lake County Superior Court, the county’s indigent defense contract, San Francisco VA Medical Center and the Lake County Probation Department, among others.
Defense attorney Angela Carter, who is part of the oversight of the program, said participants have strict requirements – she compared it to “probation on steroids” – and the results over the years have included some phenomenal success stories.
She said veterans court is mostly a post-sentencing program for veterans with a proven nexus between their offense and their service-related injuries and who have been sentenced by the court to do the veterans court program in lieu of or in addition to their regular sentence.
“Our vets have found needed rehab, got needed medical care, obtained service animals, reunited with their families, found jobs, enrolled in school and vocational programs and even bought their first homes,” she said.
As valuable as the program is, it has faced challenges during the pandemic, Carter said.
She said the pandemic has forced many of the court’s needed services, including veterans court, to be done in a virtual format.
Moving forward, Carter said they are looking for vets who live in or near Lake County to serve as mentors to veterans court participants.
There will be an online training and after that the time commitment is “minimal but meaningful,” she said.
For more information or to volunteer, call Carter at 707-245-4727.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 9.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
The agenda can be found here.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799. The webinar ID is 951 6769 7302, access code is 529272; 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
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three-minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
The council will receive department presentations on 2020-21 Fiscal Year accomplishments and 2021-22 Fiscal Year recommended goals.
They also will receive public comment, discuss the information and give direction to staff.
Presentations will be given by Administrative Services Department Director Kelly Buendia, Community Development Department Director Jenni Byers, City Manager Kevin Ingram on behalf of the Economic Development Department, Chief Brad Rasmussen and Lt. Dale Stoebe for the Lakeport Police Department, Finance Department Director Nick Walker, Public Works Department Director Doug Grider and Utilities Division Superintendent Paul Harris.
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