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- Written by: Lake County News reports
National Wreaths Across America Day will take place this year on Saturday, Dec. 19.
This year’s theme is, “Be An American Worth Fighting For.”
This will be the 14th year that Lake County has participated in the program to place wreaths on the graves of veterans in six local cemeteries. The mission is to “Remember, Honor, Teach.”
In the first year, seven ceremonial wreaths were placed in Lake County for the seven divisions of the military during a WAA Ceremony at the Hartley Cemetery.
Ceremonies are now held at Hartley, Kelseyville, Upper Lake, Lower Lake, St. Mary’s and Middletown cemeteries.
In 2019, 2.2 million veterans’ wreaths were placed across the country in all 50 states – 254,000 of them at Arlington National Cemetery.
More than two million volunteers participated last year at 2,158 locations nationwide, with 38,500 volunteers laying wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. More than a third of the volunteers across the country were children.
Approximately 600 truckloads of wreaths were delivered across the country by hundreds of volunteer professional truck drivers using donated equipment and fuel from approximately 250 carriers.
Boy Scout Troop 42 in Lakeport, Girl Scouts and Big Valley 4-H in Kelseyville, the Lake County 4-H Group in Lower Lake and FFA in Upper Lake and Middletown will be accepting donations for wreaths until Dec. 2.
Individual sponsorships cost $15 for one wreath and the family option costs $60 for four wreaths, small businesses can fund 10 wreaths for $150 and corporations can sponsor 100 or more wreaths for $1,500 or any amount can be sponsored for $15 per wreath.
Toni Funderburg, coordinator of Wreaths Across America in Lake County, said sponsorship forms can be picked up at Lakeport Tire & Auto Service, 1901 S. Main St. in Lakeport, or you can call 707-263-5422 and they will fax or email you a sponsorship form.
To sponsor a wreath online, go to https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/CA0090P or to choose another cemetery or sponsor group in Lake County visit the Wreaths Across America website.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Driven to make a difference, the California Highway Patrol has implemented a yearlong Adult Distracted Drivers grant designed to keep California roads safe through education and enforcement.
CHP officers throughout the state will host in-person presentations and use Web-based or virtual platforms to conduct distracted driving traffic safety presentations.
In addition, the CHP will conduct several distracted driving enforcement operations through Sept. 30, 2021.
“Distracted driving continues to be a serious issue on our roadway, and it is entirely avoidable,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “With the support of this grant, we can implement lifesaving efforts throughout California that will raise awareness and hopefully change dangerous behavior behind the wheel.”
Multitasking behind the wheel places extra demands on the driver, which can have tragic consequences.
On average, there are more than 20,000 drivers in California involved in a crash every year where inattention is a factor. “These statistics are likely much higher and are often under-reported to law enforcement since motorists do not always admit to driving distracted,” Commissioner Stanley added.
While there are many forms of inattention, cell phones continue to be the main source of diversion. Using a handheld cell phone while driving is not only a violation of the vehicle code, it is also an unsafe activity behind the wheel. Drivers should only use a phone when necessary and in a hands-free mode.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday administered the oath of office to California Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray, a historic move making her the first woman in its 91-year history to lead the largest state law enforcement agency in the nation.
Newsom appointed Ray as the 16th commissioner on Oct. 20, following the retirement announcement of Commissioner Warren Stanley after 38 years of service with the CHP.
“I am thankful to Gov. Newsom for trusting me to lead this exceptional organization and honored to follow in the footsteps of many innovative leaders who have come before me, including my friend, Warren Stanley,” Ray said.
“I would not be where I am today without the foresight of those in 1974 who decided to give women the opportunity to become CHP officers, paving the way for many women to assume leadership roles in the Department,” Ray said. “I look forward to further guiding the department and its 11,000 women and men in engaging with the communities we serve to ensure California remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
Ray began her career with the CHP in 1990, rising through the ranks to her appointment as Deputy Commissioner in February 2020.
She has served as incident commander during several high-profile events, including the Department’s response to COVID-19, civil unrest and wildfires.
Ray has appointed two members to her executive management team. They are Jim Epperson as deputy commissioner, her second-in-command responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department, and Ryan Okashima as assistant commissioner, staff, who will oversee the administrative functions of the department, including a $2.8 billion budget, departmental training, information technology, and personnel administration.
Rich Stewart was previously promoted in August to the position of assistant commissioner, field, responsible for all patrol and air operations throughout the state as well as protective services.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
In August 2018, at County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson’s request, the board approved a pilot program to close county offices – particularly those in and around the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport – to the public on Fridays.
At the time, Huchingson proposed pursuing the plan due to myriad issues – from the county’s inability to get new revenue streams and diminishing returns on others, to minimum wage issues, vacancy rate and loss of property tax due to wildland fires.
Since then, the program has been renewed on a six-month basis.
At its Nov. 3 meeting, the board heard a request from the County Administrative Office to continue the Friday closures through the end of March due to the concerns of COVID-19 combined with the flu season. Department heads at the time also spoke in favor of continuing the plan.
On Tuesday, Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein reviewed that request.
Referring to comments made earlier in the meeting by Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace – who said that the situation in the Southern Hemisphere is indicating that the flu season may not be as severe as anticipated this year – Rothstein said there are still many unknowns.
He said the ultimate goal is to provide business continuity to the greatest possible extent, and allow departments protected time to make progress on workload backloads and provide training time.
Rothstein noted that the board’s consensus on Nov. 3 was to return to normal business officers as of April 1. Staff returned with an updated resolution that includes that direction, as well as a proposal by Supervisor Bruno Sabatier that each department begin the phase-out by having one staffer on Fridays dedicated to working with the public.
During public comment, the board heard from members of the county’s real estate industry who spoke about the negative impact of the Friday closures on their business.
Real estate agent Mary Benson asked if the phase-out plan would mean title companies can send staff to the Assessor-Recorder’s Office on Fridays to record transactions.
Huchingson said no one from Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford’s office was attending the meeting and she tried to reach out to him while the discussion continued.
Benson said that if weekly closures continued, she suggested that they should be switched to Tuesdays, as she’s read multiple productivity studies about Tuesday being the most productive workday.
Supervisor Rob Brown said Benson’s suggestion had merit to it, and it was the same day he would pick during the remaining months of the weekly closures.
If the county offices were to be closed, Brown suggested that with Tuesday’s being the busiest for the courts, that would be the best day to be closed in order to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission to employees.
Heidi Johnson, 2020 president of the Lake County Association of Realtors, asked if the Assessor-Recorder’s Office could make accommodations for the holiday season, as she said the office’s availability in December “is quite stifling for our business.”
Johnson added, “Real estate has a big impact on this county,” and she said she’s tried to bring the matter to the board’s attention every time an extension of the closures was brought forward.
Referring to the work backlog that county staff had used as one of the initial reasons for the Friday closures, Johnson asked, after two years, how long it takes them to catch up. She said the county needed to find something that will work for constituents.
During the meeting, Huchingson said she was unable to reach anyone in Ford’s office to join the discussion.
Benson said when the matter had arisen last year, Ford had told real estate agents that he couldn’t open during Christmas week because the county offices would be closed and there would be no security, but she said the security for the courts was working that week.
Real estate broker Marsha Holder told the board that they shouldn’t lose sight of what the real estate business does for the county, noting the escalating sales prices and the taxes being generated.
Holder said November and December are two of real estate’s biggest months and to be closed for recording over the holidays “is just not right.”
Sabatier said the proposed resolution before them will take the county to where it should be, adding it’s a “step forward.”
Supervisor Tina Scott said she wanted to move forward with the resolution but also wanted to have further discussion at a future meeting about how departments can assign a staffer each on Fridays to start working again with the public.
Sabatier moved to offer the resolution, which the board approved 5-0.
Huchingson told the board that county offices are scheduled to be closed Dec. 21 to 25.
Email Elizabeth Larson at