LAKEPORT, Calif. — Over the next few months Lakeport residents and visitors will see new paving improvements along South Main Street.
The city of Lakeport reported that the South Main Street paving project is now in full swing.
It follows the completion in September of the South Main Street Sidewalk Project, which focused on filling in missing sidewalk gaps and included significant Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades to enhance pedestrian accessibility along the corridor.
The paving project will cover the stretch from First Street to Lakeport Boulevard. It will resurface the roadway and introduce several pedestrian enhancements, including the installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacons, improved pavement markings and new striping.
The city said crews are actively working to prepare the roadway for repaving, focusing on South Main Street from Lakeport Boulevard to First Street.
Crews are conducting essential preparation, including adjusting utilities, smoothing the road surface and completing preliminary groundwork to ensure the highest paving quality, the city reported.
To meet specific temperature requirements, a leveling layer will be applied during daytime hours. The city said full paving work will follow.
The city anticipates completing the entire project by the end of the year.
The paving project aims to enhance road quality, improve safety and support Lakeport’s infrastructure, officials said.
The city thanked residents and businesses for their patience and support throughout the project.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 707-263-3578.
COBB, Calif. — The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit announced Wednesday that the Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest will begin the annual process of winter season management effective Friday, Nov. 1.
The forest will remain open for day use only from sunrise to sunset beginning on Nov. 1.
Forest roads are subject to temporary closures pending wet weather conditions. Off highway vehicles, or OHVs, and off-roading are strictly prohibited.
Forest staff will be committed to unit tasks in the winter months, including prescribed burning on the forest.
Do not approach fires while burning operations are being conducted and avoid the area if sensitive to smoke.
Cal Fire encourages forest visitors to plan ahead before arriving, avoid recreating during inclement weather and respect signage in place for public safety.
Call the Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest office at 707-928-4378 for more information or visit the forest online.
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order designed to reduce electric costs for Californians.
The governor’s action encourages electric bill relief while maintaining the state’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and 100% clean electricity by 2045.
The action comes as millions of Californians received an average credit of $71 on their October electric bills from the California Climate Credit, provided by the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.
“We’re taking action to address rising electricity costs and save consumers money on their bills. California is proving that we can address affordability concerns as we continue our world-leading efforts to combat the climate crisis,” said Newsom.
Tackling rising electricity costs
While California has been successful in keeping electric bills lower than many other states on average thanks to decades of work advancing energy efficiency standards, Californians have seen their electric bills rising in recent years.
A major driver has been critical utility wildfire mitigation efforts that have accelerated to match the pace of the climate crisis, as well as several programs added over time.
The governor’s executive order addresses both of these cost drivers by zeroing in on some programs that could be inflating customer bills and evaluating utility wildfire mitigation expenses for potential administrative savings.
The Governor’s executive order:
Encourages electric bill relief. The executive order asks the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to identify underperforming programs and return any unused energy program funds back to customers receiving electric and gas service from private utilities as one or more credits on their bills.
Maximizes the California Climate Credit. The executive order directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to work with the CPUC to determine ways to maximize the California Climate Credit, which is a twice annual credit that shows up on many Californians’ electric and gas bills in the spring and fall and is funded by the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.
Manages and reduces electric costs for the long-term. The executive order asks the CPUC to evaluate electric ratepayer supported programs and costs of regulations and make recommendations on additional ways to save consumers money. It also asks the CPUC to pursue any federal funding available to help lower electricity costs for Californians. Additionally, the executive order directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) to evaluate electric ratepayer-funded programs and identify any potential changes that could save Californians money on their bills.
Smarter wildfire mitigation investments. The executive order directs the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, and requests the CPUC, to evaluate utility wildfire safety oversight practices and ensure that utility investments and activities are focused on cost-effective wildfire mitigation measures.
In addition to the governor’s action, earlier this year, the CPUC approved a proposal to reduce the price of residential electricity through a new billing structure authorized by the state Legislature.
This follows actions in recent years such as providing direct relief to customers and using state funds, rather than ratepayer monies, to develop a Strategic Reliability Reserve to maintain electric grid reliability during extreme conditions.
The governor welcomes partnership with the legislature to further additional actions that will address electric bill affordability.
“Californians expect us to take a hard look at their monthly energy and electricity bills and deliver reduced costs and savings for the long-term,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). “I support increased oversight efforts, because regulators must ensure energy programs are implemented effectively and responsibly. The governor’s action today is another step forward to lessen households’ total energy burden and lower the cost of living in our state.”
“Rising electricity costs are impacting Californians and their quality of life,” said Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast). “The state, including its regulatory agencies, needs to buckle down and blunt the expanding fiscal impacts on ratepayers. This is an important start by Gov. Newsom, and the Senate plans to double down on this progress in the months ahead.”
The 11-member commission, chaired by Dr. Michael A. Moodian, issued a public admonishment to Judge Bertoli for engaging in improper political activity, improper social media conduct that demeaned the judicial office and improper fundraising.
The commission reported that Judge Bertoli opposed the renaming of the high school he had attended, Analy High School.
Judge Bertoli led protest rallies, made speeches, participated in fundraising, consulted with an attorney on behalf of his high school alumni association and urged people to oppose the renaming of the high school on social media.
The commission said Bertoli’s conduct involved public involvement on one side of an ongoing debate on a controversial social and political issue. That conduct violated the Code of Judicial Ethics and was not protected by the First Amendment.
“While Judge Bertoli was free to privately comment on an issue that he cares deeply about, his judicial position required his abstention from public political activity,” the commission said.
In connection with his opposition to the change of the name of the high school, Judge Bertoli used Facebook accounts to make derogatory remarks about public officials, engage in rhetoric that inflamed the passions of the community, make profane remarks and speak derisively about those who did not agree with him.
The commission said Bertoli’s misconduct was aggravated by his prior discipline.
In 2021, he received an advisory letter for using his judicial title to promote his band, from 2011 through 2021.
“Judge Bertoli’s misconduct was further aggravated by the number of incidents of misconduct that publicly undermined respect for the judiciary and by Judge Bertoli’s failure to fully appreciate his misconduct,” the commission reported.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With just a week to go, millions of voters are taking part in early voting in California.
Those millions of California voters include several thousand Lake County residents who have so far cast ballots early.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that all registered voters were issued vote-by-mail ballots.
Based on the most recent totals available on Tuesday, of the 22,829,943 vote-by-mail ballots issued across California, 4,816,335 had been returned, amounting to 21% of registered voters, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The state’s numbers show that mail, followed by drop boxes and drop off locations, are the most popular ways of returning ballots.
In Lake County, 38,391 vote-by-mail ballots have been issued, with 5,790 of those ballots returned. That’s a 15% early return.
The overwhelming majority of Lake County’s ballots, 80%, have been returned by mail, compared to 11% in drop boxes and 7% at drop off locations.
Overall, 98.95% of the vote-by-mail ballots submitted in California so far have been accepted, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
When Lake County’s early ballot return rate was at 13%, Political Data Inc., or PDI, completed an analysis of the county’s early vote count that showed Democrats leading Republicans with a 47% to 35% return rate, with other parties accounting for 20%.
PDI’s stats show the returned ballots by gender almost even between men and women, with people aged 65 and above accounting for the highest number of early ballots so far, at 64%, followed by 50 to 64 year olds at 24%, with 35 to 49 year old voters at 9% and those ages 18 to 34 at 5%.
The number of registered voters has grown in Lake County since the March primary.
In March, there were 36,561 registered voters, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters. As of this week, there were 38,391 registered Lake County voters.
Lake County’s voter turnout is expected to grow substantially over the coming week.
Based on an analysis of presidential elections since 2000, voter turnout has usually topped 70%. In 2020, it was the highest during that period, topping 78%.
This year the number of registered voters, at more than 38,000, is at its highest reported historical level.
Early voting, same day voter registration and ballot drop off can take place at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office at 325 N. Forbes St., which also is the central counting place.
Early voting ends on Nov. 4.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Information is published below on ballot drop off locations and precinct locations for Election Day voting.
BALLOT DROP OFF LOCATIONS AND TIMES
24-hour dropoff locations
All sites close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Clearlake
Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake
Kelseyville
Child Support Services, 3980 Gard St.
Lakeport
Lake County Courthouse, 255 N Forbes St.
Lakeport Library, 1425 N High St.
Middletown
Middletown Library, 21267 Calistoga St.
Upper Lake
Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St.
PRECINCTS FOR THE NOV. 5 ELECTION
Clearlake
Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive
Highlands Senior Service Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.
Living Water Christian Fellowship (First Baptist Church), 14550 Pearl Ave.
Kelseyville Presbyterian Church Hall, 5340 Third St.
Lakeport
Lake County Office of Education (Kesey Room), 1152 S. Main St.
Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave.
LDS Church, 600 16th St.
Scotts Valley Women’s Clubhouse, 2298 Hendricks Road
Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 1111 Park Way
Lower Lake
Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St.
Lucerne
Lutheran Church Parish Hall, 3863 Country Club Drive
Middletown
Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road
Nice
Community Baptist Church, 2877 E. Highway 20
Upper Lake
North Shore Christian Fellowship, 9456 Main St.
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.
State Controller Malia M. Cohen has published the 2023 self-reported payroll data for fairs, expositions and First 5 commissions on the Government Compensation in California website.
The data covers 2,230 positions and a total of nearly $64 million in 2023 wages.
The newly published data includes 1,364 positions at 20 fairs and expositions, and 866 positions at 37 First 5 commissions.
This does not include 38 fairs and expositions, and 15 First 5 commissions that did not file their report or were noncompliant.
Among those fairs that did not file was the Lake County Fair, District Agricultural Association 49.
The controller’s website shows that this is the first time since 2013 that the Lake County Fair has not filed.
Lake County’s First 5 Commission reported $105,501 in total wages and $29,657 in total retirement and health contributions.
That includes an executive director, with total wages of $82,217 and $20,016 in health and retirement contributions; a health program support specialist, with wages of $23,284 and $9,641 in health and retirement contributions; and eight unpaid commissioners.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller.
Controller Cohen also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.
No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, University of California, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers. Their reporting is voluntary.
The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
Clouds and precipitation in the Middle Creek Valley from M1/Elk Mountain Road, looking south toward Clear Lake, Oct. 28, 2024. USDA Forest Service photo by Mark Sampson. MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — The Mendocino National Forest is lifting fire restrictions beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30, at midnight.
Wet weather patterns, longer nights and cooler temperatures are reducing the potential risk for wildfires.
Beginning Wednesday, forest visitors with a valid California campfire permit may have open campfires or camp stoves outside of designated campgrounds.
Although fire danger has decreased some, there is still potential for wildfires to start. Forest officials ask everyone to practice fire safety and act responsibly to prevent wildfires.
• Campfires: Attend your campfire at all times. Ensure your fire is completely extinguished — drown with water (NOT dirt), stir with your shovel, drown again and feel for any heat using the back of your hand. Continue this process until no heat remains. • Stoves: If using pressurized or bottled liquid fuel stoves, lanterns or heating devices, use in barren areas with at least 3 feet of clearance from grasses and other debris that may catch fire. • Prevent stoves from tipping. • Vehicles: When traveling, ensure your chains are properly connected. The hot underside of the vehicle and dragging chains can start a fire. Stick to driving on designated roads and trails and be careful to not park your car or OHV in tall, dry vegetation, including grass. • Spark arrestors: Ensure that all internal or external combustion engines have a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order. • Smoking: Extinguish all smoking materials dead out on bare soil. Pack out all cigarette butts and filters. • Fireworks: Fireworks are prohibited on all national forests year-round, leave them and all other pyrotechnic devices at home.
The Mendocino National Forest consists of 927,675 acres along northern California’s coastal range. The forest includes the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, four designated wilderness areas, two designated wild and scenic rivers, Red Bluff Recreation Area, and the Chico Seed Orchard. Headquartered in Willows, the forest maintains district offices in the communities of Covelo and Upper Lake.
Wolf pictured in a mountain habitat. The launch of the California Wolf Project, or CAWP, within UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources establishes a long-term partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife CDFW to advance the science and management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in California.
With additional support from the National Geographic Society, CAWP brings together scientists, wildlife managers, and conservation communicators working with diverse stakeholders to better understand the social and ecological factors that shape wolf populations and inform management decisions.
The new project integrates UC Berkeley’s expertise in ecology, sociology, economics and environmental policy, while leveraging the university’s extensive network of agency, nonprofit, landowner and tribal relationships.
The CAWP team uses innovative and interdisciplinary methods to gather data on wolf spatial ecology, diet, predator-prey dynamics, and recolonization within California, while contributing to conflict reduction strategies for rural communities and livestock producers.
“It is exciting to see wolves back in California, but there are a lot of questions about where they fit amongst a rapidly changing landscape with new challenges for agencies and livestock producers,” said Arthur Middleton, CAWP co-lead and Goertz Professor of Wildlife Management at UC Berkeley. “We hope our growing team can provide new support to those interested in and impacted by the state’s growing wolf population.”
The gray wolf has returned to California after nearly a century of absence following their extirpation in the 1920s.
Wolves are classified as endangered both under the California Endangered Species Act and the federal Endangered Species Act. Their natural recolonization into the state began in 2011 with individuals dispersing from Oregon.
As of 2024, CDFW has reported at least seven wolf packs across California, with CAWP initially focusing on the Beyem Seyo (Plumas County), Harvey (Lassen and Shasta counties), Lassen (Lassen and Plumas counties), and Whaleback (Siskiyou County) packs.
CAWP has also started to expand its work with the Yowlumni Pack (Tulare County), with the help of CDFW's Central Region staff. CDFW continues to survey for the presence of uncollared and collared wolves, based on sighting reports and other signs of wolf activity.
California’s wolf packs utilize large expanses of habitat compared to other areas in the western United States, presenting challenges for monitoring the population and questions regarding the availability of prey.
The state and many landowners are mounting a variety of livestock protection and conflict reduction efforts while learning new lessons about their efficacy.
CAWP is a timely initiative complementing the state’s efforts with rigorous research and an outreach strategy for collaborating with local communities affected by wolf activity.
“Given the wolf population increases we’ve recorded in the last few years and the management challenges that have resulted, there’s no better time for this partnership between CDFW and UC Berkeley,” said Axel Hunnicutt, the State Gray Wolf coordinator at CDFW. “There are so many important management questions relating to the ecological, economic and social effects of wolf recolonization in the state that already impact California’s ecosystems and its people. The formation of CAWP is expanding our capacity to address these questions in earnest.”
The path of wolf recovery in California — the most populous and diverse U.S. state — has the potential to shape national, and even global, perspectives on wildlife restoration and large-scale conservation.
CAWP seeks to develop a model for how to bring universities, government agencies and local communities together around the science and practice of improving human-wildlife interactions on a shared landscape.
“The Wildlife Program at UC Berkeley is committed to fulfilling our university’s mandate to support the people, economies and nature of California with science, education and outreach. CAWP embodies those priorities and embraces the diversity of perspectives that accompany the recovery of large carnivores,” said Justin Brashares, CAWP co-lead and professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at UC Berkeley.
Rep. Mike Thompson and local leaders at a USDA Rural Development roundtable on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Clearlake, California. Photo courtesy of Congressman Mike Thompson's office. CLEARLAKE, Calif. — On Thursday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) partnered with leadership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development to host a roundtable with leaders from across Lake County.
During the session, Rep. Thompson and USDA Rural Development State Director Maria Gallegos-Herrera presented leaders from across Lake County with information on Rural Development programs and services that are available to qualified rural Lake County communities.
“Rural communities are the backbone of California and our country,” said Thompson. “Thank you to the USDA Rural Development team for partnering with me to bring local leaders from across Lake County together to discuss our community’s needs and connect leaders with USDA Rural Development programs that can help address those needs. Already, Lake County has received over $46.7 million in support from USDA Rural Development programs and I look forward to continuing to support our community’s development.”
USDA Rural Development provides more than 70 programs to help improve the economy and quality of life in rural communities that meet program requirements.
The agency’s programs help rural communities build infrastructure like hospitals and community centers and help rural communities increase access to utilities, affordable housing, and homeownership opportunities.
These programs come in various forms including loans, grants, loan guarantees and partnerships with local leaders.
Thompson’s session in Clearlake was the fourth of five Rural Development roundtables the Congressman hosted in each of the five counties that make up the Fourth Congressional district: Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo.
The attendees at the USDA Rural Development roundtable on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Clearlake, California. Photo courtesy of Congressman Mike Thompson's office.
As fall approaches, so does respiratory syncytial virus or RSV season. This year, there are more options for those most susceptible to RSV, including a new vaccine and updated RSV vaccine guidance for seniors.
What is RSV?
RSV is a virus that can cause lung and respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Most RSV infections clear up by themselves in a couple of weeks, but, for some people at high risk, it can cause serious illness leading to hospitalization or death.
Who is most vulnerable to RSV?
• Premature infants, newborns and babies — especially those younger than 8 months. • Children younger than 2 years with chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease. • Children with neuromuscular disorders, including those who have difficulty swallowing. • Children of Native American descent. • Adults over 75. • Adults 60-74 with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart or lung disease. • Anyone with a weakened immune system.
How do people contract RSV?
RSV spreads much like the common cold via droplets of saliva released into the air when sick people cough or sneeze. These droplets carry the virus, spreading it when they come in contact with our eyes, noses or mouths.
What are RSV’s symptoms?
RSV symptoms are like those of a cold: congestion, fever, cough, wheezing and a sore throat. In young babies, RSV’s only signs may be difficulty breathing, irritability and decreased activity. Older adults and babies younger than 6 months may need to be hospitalized if they have trouble breathing, become dehydrated or their symptoms worsen.
What vaccines are available to protect against RSV?
There are now three vaccines available for adults and one for those who are pregnant. This summer, the FDA approved Moderna’s mRESVIA RSV vaccine for adults.
Last year, the FDA approved Abrysvo (Pfizer) and Arexvy (GSK) to protect seniors from serious illness, and approved Abrysvo for pregnant women in their third trimester during the RSV season, to help safeguard newborns from the virus for up to 6 months. All three are single-shot vaccines.
Who should get vaccinated for RSV?
This summer, the CDC altered its recommended guidance to 75 years for all seniors who have not yet been vaccinated. It still recommends that seniors 60 to 74 get vaccinated if they are immune compromised or have chronic medical conditions and have not yet been vaccinated.
Pregnant women in their last trimester should talk to their health care provider about whether the vaccination is right for them.
How often should adults get the vaccine?
The RSV vaccine isn’t needed annually like the flu vaccine, but only once.
What should I know about RSV prevention for infants?
There is no vaccine approved for babies at this time, but there are ways to prevent them from getting very sick:
• Asking people sick with a cough and runny nose to wash their hands and avoid close contact with infants. • Vaccinating pregnant women with Abrysvo in their third trimester to stimulate their immune system to make antibodies against RSV. The antibodies pass to the fetus, protecting babies for the first 6 months of life. • Mothers who are not vaccinated can immunize vulnerable infants with Nirsevimab (Beyfortus), an anti-RSV antibody that can prevent serious RSV in babies. Ask your doctor if your baby should get it.
How long will the new RSV vaccine protect seniors and infants from RSV?
For adults, RSV vaccines show continued protection even two years after immunization. Based on this, the CDC recommends only one dose of the RSV vaccine for seniors right now, but this may change in the future.
In infants, we know that the vaccine given to those who are pregnant protects babies for their first 6 months of life – when they are most at risk for the virus. Beyfortus, the new monoclonal antibody injection, similarly reduces the risk of RSV in infants for about five months – or one RSV season.
Does the new RSV vaccine have any side effects?
In adults, the most frequently reported side effects have been soreness at the injection site, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and joint pain. In the combined clinical trials of the vaccine, 20 out of more than 38,000 people who received the shot reported an abnormal heart rate about two weeks after vaccination. Eight people out of a similar number of folks in the trials who did not take the vaccine said the same. In addition, six people developed rare neurological complications.
Scientists are still figuring out if these irregular heartbeats or neurological complications were linked to the vaccine, but if you have concerns talk to your doctor. What is clear is that the benefit of being protected against RSV for many people far outweighs this possible risk because we don’t have good therapies once people get seriously ill with RSV.
Can I take the RSV vaccine alongside flu or COVID-19 shots?
Yes, it is safe to get all three vaccines at the same time. However, it is up to the individual to assess if they will have a reaction to the vaccinations based on their previous history of vaccines. There is no minimum waiting time between doses.
Lorna Fernandes writes for the University of California San Francisco.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Effective Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension for the State Responsibility Area in the counties of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo will be lifted.
Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Matt Ryan is formally canceling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can now resume burning on permissible burn days.
Agriculture burns must be inspected by Cal Fire prior to burning until the end of the peak fire season.
Inspections may be required for burns other than agriculture burns. This can be verified by contacting your local air quality management district.
Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and the chance of winter weather have helped to begin to diminish the threat of wildfire.
Property owners and residents are asked to use caution while conducting debris or agriculture burns, follow all guidelines provided and maintain control of the fire at all times.
Individuals can be held civilly and/or criminally liable for allowing a fire to escape their control and/or burn onto neighboring property.
Residents wishing to burn must verify it is a permissive burn day prior to burning. Contact the Lake County Air Quality Management District at 707-994-4444 to ensure it is a permissive burn day.
Pile burning requirements
• Only dry, natural vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles and tree trimmings may be burned. • The burning of trash, painted wood or other debris is not allowed. • Do NOT burn on windy days. • Piles should be no larger than four feet in diameter and in height. You can add to the pile as it burns down. • Clear a 10-foot diameter down to bare soil around your piles. • Have a shovel and a water source nearby. • An adult is required to be in attendance at the fire at all times.
Safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards.
State, federal and local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health and resiliency on private and public lands.
For more information on burning, visit the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov.
Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) roosting in building rafters. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats has been detected in several counties across California this year, although bats with visible signs of the disease have yet to be observed in the state.
White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats across North America and decimated entire colonies.
Hibernating bats like little brown myotis, Yuma myotis and cave myotis are especially vulnerable.
While white-nose syndrome is often fatal to hibernating bats, it does not infect humans, pets, livestock or other wildlife.
White-nose syndrome develops when the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans invades the skin cells of bats, resulting in damage to delicate wing membranes.
The infection typically appears as white fuzz on the faces of infected bats, giving the syndrome its name.
Bats with white-nose syndrome often end winter hibernation early, when water and insect prey resources are scarce, causing them to deplete their fat reserves and become dehydrated. As a result, infected bats often perish.
In 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, first confirmed the definitive presence of the fungus in a bat roost in Humboldt County.
In 2024, the fungus was also confirmed to be present in Sutter, Placer, Amador and Inyo counties.
Inconclusive laboratory results suggest the fungus may also be present in Trinity, Siskiyou, Shasta, Plumas, Alpine, San Diego, and San Bernardino counties.
Additional results are still pending for several other counties around the state.
The fungus has been detected on several bat species in California, including the little brown myotis, Yuma myotis, long-legged myotis, big brown bat, Mexican free-tailed bat and Western red bat.
This is the first time a Western red bat has been reported with presence of the fungus. The positive sample was returned from a female bat captured on May 9, 2024, in Sutter County.
Both Western and Eastern red bats occur in California and can be difficult to differentiate, so CDFW used genetic sequencing to confirm this individual as Western red bat (Lasiurus frantzii, previously recognized as L. blossevillii).
While white-nose syndrome has not yet been observed in any bat in California, the presence of the fungal pathogen suggests the disease could manifest in California’s bats within the next few years. Such progression has been observed in other states, as the fungus and disease have been spreading across North America since discovery in 2006.
The fungus was first detected on the West Coast in 2016 when it was discovered on a bat in King County, Wash.
While the fungus is primarily spread from contact between bats, humans can unintentionally spread it as well. People can carry fungal spores on clothing, shoes or recreation equipment that has come into contact with the fungus at bat roosts.
Biologists with CDFW, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been sampling California’s bats for the presence of the fungus and clinical signs of white-nose syndrome since 2016 in support of national surveillance efforts led by the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center.
When bats at monitoring sites emerge from hibernation each spring, biologists swab their faces and wings to test for the fungus. Swabs are analyzed by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona University.
Sustained efforts to monitor bat populations will be critical to understanding and managing this devastating disease. CDFW and its partners will continue conducting white-nose syndrome surveillance and bat population monitoring across the state to assess potential impacts of the disease and inform research and management actions.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads the collaborative national response effort for white-nose syndrome through which scientists are continuing to develop and test innovative tools to manage the disease.
California is home to 25 species of bats. A single bat can eat thousands of insects each night. California’s bats keep insect populations in check, benefiting rural, suburban and urban communities as well as a wide variety of natural landscapes that range from forests to deserts to grasslands.
The pest control services that bats provide also protect crops and benefit California’s agricultural economy — the largest in the nation. Across the country, bats contribute approximately $3.7 billion worth of insect pest control for farmers each year and their guano can be used as fertilizer to improve soil health. Robust bat populations are vital to a healthy environment and economy.
CDFW urges people to not handle wildlife, especially dead wildlife or individuals that appear sick. If you find sick or dead bats, or notice bats acting strangely, please report your sighting. Bats flying or roosting outside during the winter is an example of noteworthy behavior that can sometimes, but not always, be associated with white-nose syndrome.
You can help watch for white-nose syndrome in California by reporting bat sightings to CDFW here.
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