Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom will host the 88th annual California State Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 5.
The celebration, which is an annual tradition dating back to the early 1930s, is open to the public, and this year will highlight California’s cultural diversity, native heritage and spirit of inclusion.
“The holiday season is a very special time, and this year, we want to celebrate California’s rich history, people, cultures, backgrounds and religious beliefs, which give our state its unique and enviable identity,” said Gov. Newsom. “We are honored to continue this tradition of bringing people together.”
“The holidays are a time for family, for community, and for giving back,” said First Partner Siebel Newsom. “As we celebrate together with our loved ones, we are reminded of the beauty of our diverse communities and grateful for our extended California Family.”
The governor and the first partner will light the Capitol Christmas tree with special guest Nayeli Lemus.
The 10-year-old from Gilroy was selected by the California Department of Developmental Services and the San Andreas Regional Center, and will represent the more than 340,000 Californians who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Lemus, a fourth grader at Charter School of Morgan Hill, loves singing, dancing, music, and art, and enjoys spending time with her parents Angel and Rosalinda, and 2-year-old sister Naia.
Additionally, California Volunteers is partnering with the Sacramento Children’s Home to place a giving tree at the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
The giving tree will be decorated with Wish Stars for attendees to take and fulfill the holiday wishes of local children in need. Wish Stars detail the specific gift requests of children at the home. Attendees will also be able to make monetary donations directly to the Home at the event.
Performers for this year’s celebrations will include the Paradise Strong Chorus from Paradise Ridge Elementary School, Quetzalcoatl Aztec Dancers, the Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, the Sacramento Taiko Dan, the Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento, the Kalinka Russian Folk Dance Group, bbmoves, the KEEN Khmer Ballet of Stockton, the Korean Culture Center Urisawe, the Palestinian Dabke Dancers, Hmong Youth & Parents United, Silver Flower, the Lao Association of Sacramento Group, Dream Dance Studios, Wild Bear Sacramento Pow Wow Drum & Dance and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. This year’s announcer will be Ebony Harper.
This year’s Capitol Christmas Tree is a 66 foot tall white fir from the LaTour Demonstration State Forest located near Redding in Shasta County, which is managed by Cal Fire.
The tree will be illuminated by approximately 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights and is being decorated with more than 300 traditional ornaments and more than 500 hand-crafted ornaments made by children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
With the holiday season now arriving, the California Department of Public Health is reminding people that you can stay physically and mentally healthy by taking simple steps before, during and after the holiday meal.
Bacteria can be found in foods such as meat and poultry and may cause illness if it isn’t cooked long enough, or if it’s inadequately cooled or improperly handled.
It is important to carefully wash fresh produce and to not let uncooked food come in contact with raw meat or poultry and its juices.
“We can help ensure that foodborne illnesses don’t ruin our holidays by properly preparing and handling all of the ingredients, whether it is meat, poultry, fruit or vegetables,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, State Public Health Officer and Public Health Department Director.
Most foodborne illnesses can be prevented by:
– Washing hands with soap and warm water before and after food preparation, especially after handling raw foods. – Cleaning all work surfaces, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water and rinsing them with hot water after each use. – Cooking food thoroughly and refrigerating leftovers promptly after meals. – Preventing cross-contamination (from raw foods to foods that are ready to eat). – Keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Symptoms of foodborne illness can include diarrhea, which may be bloody, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and fever. Most infected people recover from foodborne illnesses within a week.
However, some people may develop complications requiring hospitalization. Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk for potentially life-threatening complications. People with severe symptoms should see their doctor.
Make healthy choices this holiday season:
– Be physically activity, even if it is a quick walk. Even five minutes of physical activity has real health benefits. – Treat the family with fun physical activity. When it is time to celebrate as a family, do something active as a reward. Plan a trip to the zoo, park or lake. – Make healthy food choices. Watch portion sizes, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. – Focus on whole fruits, a variety of vegetables and whole grains. – Serve water at meals and avoid sugary drinks. – If you choose to consume alcohol, limit your intake. – Enjoy some “me” time and take a break from family and friends, if needed, to avoid feeling stressed.
“Even as the holidays can be a time of joy, they can also be stressful. Remember to take time for yourself and treat yourself well. Get enough sleep, stay physically active and aim for meals that are nutritionally balanced,” said Dr. Angell.
For more information about food preparation and storage, and physical fitness ideas, visit the following CDPH links:
Additional information about food safety is available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry hotline at (888) MPHotline (674-6854). The hotline is open on Thanksgiving Day from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p. m., Eastern Standard Time, but closed on other Federal government holidays. Consumers can also access the Partnership for Food Safety Education’s “Fight BAC!” (bacteria) Web page.
It’s hard to imagine a holiday table without bread, meat, vegetables, wine, beer or a board of French cheeses for those with more adventurous palates. Savoring these delicacies with family and friends is part of what makes the holidays so much fun.
These foods and drinks are courtesy of the domestication of several different animals, plants and microbes. Plant and animal domestication has been well studied, since it is thought to have been the most momentous change in recent human history.
Scientists know much less about the domestication of microbes, however, and as a result, society fails to appreciate their pivotal contributions to the foods and drinks that we enjoy all year long.
I am an evolutionary biologist studying fungi, a group of microbes whose domestication has given us many tasty products. I’ve long been fascinated by two questions: What are the genetic changes that led to their domestication? And how on Earth did our ancestors figure out how to domesticate them?
Curious too? Recent studies shed light on these questions, so grab some Camembert cheese and a beer, and keep on reading.
Thank the large variety of microbes, including fungi, for this assortment of international cheeses.Umomos/Shutterstock.com
The hybrids in your lager
As far as domestication is concerned, it is hard to top the honing of brewer’s yeast. The cornerstone of the baking, brewing and wine-making industries, brewer’s yeast has the remarkable ability to turn the sugars of plant fruits and grains into alcohol. How did brewer’s yeast evolve this flexibility?
By discovering new yeast species and sequencing their genomes, scientists know that some yeasts used in brewing are hybrids; that is, they’re descendants of ancient mating unions of individuals from two different yeast species. Hybrids tend to resemble both parental species – think of wholpins (whale-dolphin) or ligers (lion-tiger).
Cells of the mighty brewer’s yeast, the cornerstone of the baking, brewing and wine making industries.wikipedia
For example, lager beer yeasts are hybrids of two closely related species: the brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces eubayanus. Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces tasty beers, such as the British ales, but grows better at warmer temperatures. In contrast, Saccharomyces eubayanus grows better in the cold but produces compounds that taint the beer’s flavor. Lager yeast hybrids combine the best of both - good flavors from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and growth at colder temperatures, thanks to Saccharomyces eubayanus. This makes these hybrids great for brewing beer in the cold winters of Europe, where lagers were invented.
Researchers have also discovered natural hybrids from the union of other Saccharomyces species. What is still unknown is whether hybridization is the norm or the exception in the yeasts that humans have used for making fermented beverages for millennia.
This assortment of beer styles and flavors comes courtesy of brewer’s yeasts and their fondness for hybridization.Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
The mutants in your cheese
Comparing the genomes of domesticated fungi to their wild relatives helps scientists understand the genetic changes that gave rise to some favorite foods and drinks. But how did our ancestors actually domesticate these wild fungi? None of us was there to witness how it all started. To solve this mystery, scientists are experimenting with wild fungi to see if they can evolve into organisms resembling those that we use to make our food today.
Benjamin Wolfe, a microbiologist at Tufts University, and his team addressed this question by taking wild Penicillium mold and growing the samples for one month in his lab on a substance that included cheese. That may sound like a short period for people, but it is one that spans many generations for fungi.
The wild fungi are very closely related to fungal strains used by the cheese industry in the making of Camembert cheese, but look very different from them. For example, wild strains are green and smell, well, moldy compared to the white and odorless industrial strains.
Colonies of Penicillium mold isolated from a blue cheese. The white colony is a domesticated version of the wild mold.Benjamin Wolfe, CC BY-SA
For Wolfe, the big question was whether he could experimentally recreate, and to what degree, the process of domestication. What did the wild strains look and smell like after a month of growth on cheese? Remarkably, what he and his team found was that, at the end of the experiment, the wild strains looked much more similar to known industrial strains than to their wild ancestor. For example, they were white in color and smelled much less moldy.
Fungi spend a lot of energy producing pigments and pungent compounds that enable them to compete and defend themselves. Living comfortably on a diet of cheese and safe from predators means that losing the ability to produce, say, pigments may actually be advantageous. That’s because the energy saved can instead be spent toward growth of the fungal colony.
But how did the wild strain turn into a domesticated version? Did it mutate? By sequencing the genomes of both the wild ancestors and the domesticated descendants, and measuring the activity of the genes while growing on cheese, Wolfe’s team figured out that these changes did not happen through mutations in the organisms’ genomes. Rather, they most likely occurred through chemical alterations that modify the activity of specific genes but don’t actually change the genetic code. Such so-called epigenetic modifications can occur much faster than mutations. The path toward domestication appears to be quicker than previously thought, which will perhaps encourage adventurous cheese makers to begin experimenting with domesticating wild fungi for new flavors.
While you savor your favorite foods and beverages this holiday season, spare a thought for these microscopic fungi, how they evolved their mighty powers and how much more bland our world would be without them.
Antonis Rokas, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences and Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appointed the auditor-controller/county clerk to temporarily oversee the Registrar of Voters Office as the county moves forward with recruiting a new registrar and looking at the long-term leadership for the department.
Registrar Catherine McMullen’s last day on the job will be Dec. 2, just five months after taking over the job. In social media posts she has called her job a “nightmare from day one,” and said that she’s experienced in Lake County a workplace where she and others are bullied.
McMullen’s interim deputy, Marcy Harrison, also has left the department but is moving to another department within the county, that of the auditor-controller/county clerk.
Last week, the board held an initial discussion of next steps, directing county staff to move forward with recruiting McMullen’s successor, as Lake County News has reported.
The most recent shakeup in leadership caps a year of major changes within the Registrar of Voters office, including the loss of an estimated 70 years of experience.
Longtime Registrar Diane Fridley retired in December. Then, in February, Fridley’s longtime deputy, Maria Valadez, left to take a job in Mendocino County after County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson apparently worked to prevent her from getting the registrar job on a permanent basis.
On Tuesday, Huchingson told the board that with McMullen’s last day falling on Dec. 2, and the board not scheduled to meet again until the following week, they needed to make an interim appointment.
Ultimately, the board decided to temporarily appoint Auditor-Controller/County Clerk Cathy Saderlund to temporarily oversee the elections office while a recruitment for a new registrar takes place.
Saderlund told the board during the discussion that she was less open to an interim appointment than taking over the elections office on a long-term basis.
However, the discussion revealed that even if Saderlund were to take over the elections function, if her department is ultimately consolidated with the treasurer-tax collector – which it now can be thanks to the passage and signing by the governor earlier this year of AB 632 – the county clerk and elections functions would need to be removed from that consolidated department.
In consolidating the Registrar of Voters Office with Saderlund’s, county officials such as Huchingson, who is pushing the move, have not provided any actual analysis of the benefits they claim that the move would bring.
After last week’s initial discussion by the board, in response to questions from Lake County News about the potential consolidation, Saderlund wrote in an email, “Whenever there is a department head resignation, the opportunity for efficiencies is considered. In the case of the Elections Department it was previously a division of the Auditor-Controller/County Clerk and prior to that the stand alone County Clerk. Those are important facts to future decisions regarding the current instability that having the two Elections Department managers depart at the same time has presented, once again.”
At that point, Saderlund said no fiscal analysis had been done on the proposed consolidation, nor had any work begun on consolidating her and the treasurer-tax collector, as allowed under AB 632.
Asked about how consolidating the Registrar of Voters Office with hers might impact the two departments, Saderlund replied, “This is an evolving process and I do not have an analysis at this time.”
Board discussions options, hears from public
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he agreed an interim appointment was necessary. However, when it came to restructuring the department, “I don’t agree with the restructuring. I think that we are asking a lot from every single one of our departments,” he said.
Sabatier said that combining a department and asking a department head to take on many departments has an impact.
He said they need to look at how departments are structured and the workload, and if it works for the county.
Sabatier said he has looked at other departments the board has consolidated. “There is a juggling game that happens when you start consolidating and you’re at the top and you don’t have the people underneath you yet to be able to support that kind of consolidation.”
He also said questioned if the Registrar of Voters Office, if consolidated with the auditor-controller/county clerk, would get out of the tiny space it inhabits on the second floor of the courthouse. “I don’t see it as a positive setting when you’re that cramped.”
Sabatier said he would support the idea of placing the elections office under Saderlund’s oversight on an interim basis as they continue to look for a new registrar.
“I don’t disagree with that at all,” said Supervisor Rob Brown.
During public comment, Mary Borjon, an active volunteer with the elections office, said she wanted to see it remain separate.
“In the long term I’d like to see it remain independent for two reasons,” said Borjon.
She explained that she believes it promotes transparency if it’s not under an elected official, and she agreed with Sabatier about how far the county is stressing employees and diluting work with consolidation.
Michael Green, who has worked in the elections office, noted, “It’s a very critical function to the county.”
He offered support for staff members, who he said has been through dramatic change.
Green said the board needed to appoint an interim head, but he thought they could buy some time on the broader issue of how to structure it. He said he likes the idea of a department head that reports directly to the board but also recognized the challenges in handling overhead functions for a small department.
The county needs to get more workers in the department and let them know they have their backs, Green added.
Supervisor EJ Crandell said he was concerned about the timeline, with the fast-approaching March primary.
He said he also felt strongly about keeping the elections office a standalone department, adding it may not be feasible.
Brown said he wanted to see Saderlund’s office oversee the elections office on an interim basis and then the county can begin a recruitment process. “I think that’s a good way to start.”
He said he also wanted the county to reach out to Fridley to see if she would be willing to come back on a part-time basis. Brown said he believed that would give everyone a level of comfort to get through a series of upcoming election-related deadlines.
During the discussion, Huchingson handed out the eclections calendar that showed the long list of deadlines that have to be met. She said she had invited Saderlund to the discussion and hoped she would appear.
In the meantime, Vice Chair Moke Simon – acting as chair on Tuesday because of Tina Scott’s absence – said he supported consolidating the elections office with the Auditor-Controller/County Clerk’s Office. He called it an “opportunity” to give the department long-term stability.
Saderlund weighs in on short-term and long-term oversight
After Simon spoke Saderlund appeared, saying that Huchingson had called her down to the meeting and that she was only just seeing the election schedule for the first time. She added that she hadn’t heard the discussion or the board’s comments so far and so she wasn’t clear on their direction.
She said she was happy to assist wherever she can, but added that if the board wanted her to take over the elections function on a short-term basis, she didn’t feel she would be the right person, because she needed to time plan and include it in her department’s vision.
“It would be hard to have a good vision for that department if it was on an interim basis and Ii would not be able to plan,” she said.
Saderlund added, “I can’t take my current staff and have them buy into an interim support mechanism at this point,” because the training would be for nothing. “I think we need more of a vision on this, long-term.”
She said she would be happy to reach out to Fridley, adding both she and Brown had spoken to a former elections employee in preparation for whatever might come. She thought the board needed to hear from that person about what they think would be the appropriate movement forward.
As for the matter of accountability, Saderlund said she wasn’t going to address it. “That’s a non-issue,” she said. “It needs to be what makes sense for Lake County not who that specific person is at this very point in time.”
Huchingson said that the board will have a decision to make when Saderlund’s term ends in January 2023.
At that point, the board would have the opportunity to move forward with consolidating the treasurer-tax collector with the auditor-controller. However, Huchingson said they would then need to do something different with the county clerk and the elections offices, which can’t remain attached to the consolidated treasurer-tax collector and auditor-controller.
Saderlund agreed with Sabatier that the elections office is very cramped. She said she would look at moving it to a location that would better serve citizens. “There needs to be a better location and there has been for a very long time.”
Huchingson said her office had been looking to the Registrar of Voters Office to look at its office space with the goal of coming back to the county’s space committee with a recommendation which could then be forwarded to the supervisors.
Sabatier said he wanted to see if they could speak with Fridley about helping out on an interim basis. The elections office has 3.75 full-time equivalent jobs budgeted but is down to 1.75. Another staffer is due to join the department in December.
He voiced his concerns about putting additional burden on Saderlund, pointing to the elections calendar, which he said is added work.
Brown suggested making Saderlund the interim registrar to start. “I’m afraid we’re not completely looking outside the box,” he said, adding they have some options that are obvious but can look at others and then come back and continue the discussion next month.
Sabatier moved to place Saderlund as interim registrar of voters and to move forward with a recruitment of a registrar and reconvene the conversation on Dec. 10, which Crandell seconded.
Brown asked if a few board members could meet with Saderlund and come back with a recommendation based on her input. It was decided that Brown and Sabatier would meet with her.
At Saderlund’s request, Sabatier amended the motion to clarify that her interim oversight of the elections office initially would run from Dec. 3 to 10.
The board approved the motion and agreed to further discuss the matter on Dec. 10.
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. – The first major rainstorm of the late fall season hit on Tuesday, dropping rain across the lower elevations and snow in the mountains and resulting in accidents around Lake County.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Lake County in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday along with a winter storm warning that expires at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Forecasters said the brunt of the storm took place on Tuesday night into early Wednesday, with storms in Lake County and elsewhere around the North State expected to continue throughout much of this week – with a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Tuesday started out overcast, and by early afternoon rain had begun to fall, as well as snow, which was falling on Bartlett Springs Road above Lucerne steadily by about 1 p.m.
Throughout the day, the California Highway Patrol reported crashes, some involving multiple vehicles and power poles. There also were reports of debris in the roadway.
In other parts of the North Coast, the CHP also reported issues with inclement weather.
Late Tuesday night, the CHP’s Humboldt Area office said it had been dealing with high winds, rain, ice and snow, which combined to create extremely hazardous driving conditions throughout Humboldt County, and extend into Del Norte, Trinity and Mendocino counties.
As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, the CHP’s Humboldt Communications Center had received approximately 362 calls for service, compared to 134 calls for service on Monday. Most of the calls received Tuesday evening and Tuesday night were for debris – trees, limbs, rocks and poles – in the roadway.
The CHP asked all drivers to avoid traveling while the conditions still exist, unless it is necessary.
The National Weather Service reported the following 24-hour rain totals as of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday based on its network of observation stations in Lake County. Amounts are in inches:
– Bartlett Springs: 1.27 – Hidden Valley Lake: 0.82 – Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.60 – Knoxville Creek: 0.69 – Lakeport: 0.73 – Lower Lake: 0.71 – Soda Creek: 1.21 – Upper Lake: 0.12 – Whispering Pines: 0.96
The Lake County forecast calls for continuing rain showers on Wednesday, with chances of snow in the lower elevations on Wednesday night.
Party sunny conditions are forecast for Thanksgiving day and Friday is expected to be clear and sunny before the chances of showers return on Friday night, continuing through Tuesday.
Temperatures this week also are expected to drop, with daytime highs in the low 40s and nighttime lows dropping into the low 20s in some areas – including Lakeport – on Thursday night.
Like the CHP, the National Weather Service also is urging people not to travel to the mountains if they don’t have to.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s winter warming center for the homeless will open for the season next week.
The Hope Harbor Warming Center will open Monday, Dec. 2, at 5:45 p.m.
It is located at New Hope Fellowship Church, 305 Peckham Court in Lakeport, by Kmart.
Guests may begin to arrive at 5:30pm and may enter between 5:45 and 7:30 p.m. only. Late arrivals cannot be accommodated.
The mission of the Hope Harbor Warming Center is to provide a warm and safe place to sleep for unsheltered individuals during intemperate weather.
Hope Harbor aims to create a space that is physically and emotionally safe for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Hope Harbor will operate Monday through Friday evenings through the end of March 2020.
A standard evening at Hope Harbor begins with a hot meal at 6 p.m. provided by local restaurants, churches and volunteers.
Adventist Health will operate the Pop Up Care Shower Project at the Warming Center Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. for guests of the warming center.
Guests may sign up for case management from 6 to 9 p.m. but are not required to do so. Case managers will work with guests two nights per week to find appropriate supportive programs and housing for which guests may qualify.
Cots are set up after the 7:30 p.m. announcements. Announcements include things like when free flu shots or haircuts will be offered.
Lake Transit offers guests "free" rides to and from the center. The Lakeport to Clearlake Route 4 bus drops off at 5:30 p.m. (westbound) and 6:08 p.m. (eastbound). Lakeport southbound Route 8 bus arrives at 5:42 p.m.
Lake Transit said warming center guests are given special passes that allow them to ride free from any Lake Transit stop in the county. Each pass is good for one trip.
During the Jan. 2018 Point In Time homeless count conducted by the Lake County Continuum of Care coalition, 612 people experiencing homelessness in Lake County were identified and a majority interviewed.
Of the 612, 108 of those experiencing homelessness in Lake County were under the age of 18.
These numbers are conservative, as the count only includes those actually found on the day of the count.
If you would like to volunteer in next year's count, please email this year’s PIT Coordinator Jordan O’Halloran from North Coast Opportunities at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Per county ordinance Hope Harbor Warming Center can accommodate only 24 people per night. This is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The center does not have space to accommodate pets but they have volunteers ready to work with guests to find a foster placement for pets.
Guests who live in their vehicles are welcome to have their pets with them in their cars in the parking lot and will have access to the full array of Hope Harbor’s services.
Donations for the Warming Center can be sent to the Kelseyville United Methodist Church, the center’s fiscal sponsor. Please make any checks payable to the church and put “warming center”on the memo line. Mail to P.O. Box 446 Kelseyville CA 95451. PayPal donations are also welcome at the Hope Harbor website www.hopeharborlakecounty.com .
Planning on hitting the road to spend time with friends and family for Thanksgiving? You will be joining millions across the country who will be on the roadways during the extended holiday.
This week, AAA estimates nearly 50 million Americans will travel by car for at least 50 miles. The California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, is asking everyone on the road to “Go Safely” and allow extra time to get to their destination.
“Thanksgiving traffic is inevitable, especially for those who travel the day before Thanksgiving to be with family and friends,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “We encourage all drivers to stay alert and be patient on the road in order to arrive safely at their destination.”
The OTS has the following tips to ensure your holiday starts and ends on a positive note:
• Drive a car that is road ready: Check the battery, brakes, windshield wipers, defroster, heater, headlights and taillights to make sure they are all working.
• Vehicle tires, including the spare, should not be worn and have the proper inflation.
• Always carry chains if you are driving through the mountains.
• When it is raining, foggy or snowing, slow down and keep a safe distance from the next car. It will take longer to stop the car in rain or snow.
• Pack an emergency kit that includes things such as a phone charger, flashlight, first aid supplies, jumper cables, chains, tire iron, emergency flares, and plenty of snacks and water.
• Minimize distractions and avoid using a cell phone while driving.
• Get adequate sleep. Take turns driving if traveling long distances.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs and marijuana can affect your ability to drive, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.
Drivers can check road and traffic conditions, as well as find roadside rest areas, by using the Caltrans QuickMap at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov. There is also a free QuickMap app available on the App Store and Google Play.
The OTS administers funding for traffic safety programs statewide with the goal of reducing crashes that result in deaths, injuries, and economic losses. The OTS is a department under the California State Transportation Agency.
Scout Sayer Ford completed his Eagle Scout project at the Lakeport Library in Lakeport, California, on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of Richard Ford. LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Saturday, Boy Scout Troop 39 completed its latest Eagle Scout project, making more improvements at the Lakeport Library.
Led by Scout Sayer Ford, the troop completed landscaping around the front of the library, located at 1425 N. High St.
Ford is a junior at Clear Lake High School.
The group’s scoutmaster is William Green, with Richard Ford the assistant scoutmaster.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 39 worked on Sayer Ford’s Eagle Scout project, improving the landscape at the Lakeport Library in Lakeport, California, on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of Richard Ford. Richard Ford, who also is Lake County’s assessor-recorder, said this is the third project Troop 39 has completed as part of efforts to beautify the library.
He said Quintin Scott led the project to build the children’s patio and William Green did the parking island and planter boxes.
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.
Boy Scout Troop 39 completed work at the Lakeport Library in Lakeport, California, on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of Richard Ford.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council has directed city staff to create a process for considering whether to accept certain private streets into the city maintained road system.
The council held the discussion, at the request of staff, at its Nov. 14 meeting.
Consulting City Engineer David Swartz explained to the council that the bulk of road development in Clearlake occurred before the city incorporated in 1980; when the city formed, the county turned over a list of streets it maintained.
“We were tasked with looking at that list,” said Swartz, explaining that staff went through the subdivision maps to verify the list and create a reliable nexus, especially for Measure V impacts, and worked with the county surveyor.
Looking back to a 1947 map, Swartz said some streets were offered for dedication through the Subdivision Map Act, some were rejected, some were offered for public use but remain private.
City Manager Alan Flora said almost all of the streets within the city have been analyzed, and the staff wanted direction on how to move forward – whether council members wanted to consider taking streets into the city’s system and under what circumstances.
Former Councilman Chuck Leonard said that for the city to accept a street, the street should be brought up to already designated standards.
“That’s the way it's been done before,” he said, adding that it didn’t seem fair to not be consistent.
Judy Thein, another former council member and mayor, spoke to the council as a resident of the Lake Glenn Subdivision, specifically, the portion of the subdivision that includes 12 residences on Bartram Circle and Garner Lane.
When the subdivision was built in the early 1990s, Thein said there was a decision to have the homeowners keep up the roads. However, that wasn’t mentioned in the CC&Rs and no dues were collected. “So consequently none of that happened.”
Over the years Bartram Circle and Garner Lane have handled more traffic due the construction nearby of the city’s senior center and a county sewer pump station. Thein said that by 2010, the streets were falling apart and cracking.
She said the homeowners got together to patch the roads, which are continuing to have more car trips and also have become the site of additional parking when activities take place at the senior center.
Thein said the residents have had water trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks and other heavy equipment using their streets as a shortcut.
“Our subdivision isn't like any other subdivision,” she said. “We get every type of vehicle you can think of as we are open on both ends.”
Thein said that she learned during her time on the council that once the city does repair work on roads, it has to take them into the system.
She referred to a 2007 Lake County News story about the Lake Glenn Subdivision in which then-City Administrative Officer Dale Neiman said that, based on his research, in 1992 the council said it wouldn’t accept responsibility for the Lake Glenn subdivision’s streets. Later, however, the city began repairing the streets.
Thein said she met with Flora about the matter and he suggested beginning the process with the council.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton asked what Thein’s understanding was about street maintenance when she bought her home. Thein said her neighbors told her that it was the homeowners’ responsibility, but it wasn’t in the preliminary title report nor was it in the CC&Rs.
Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten said it should have been in title report, adding that Lake Glenn probably has the best-looking streets in the city.
Thein said the subdivision’s streets definitely need work now, which is why they are beginning the process with the city.
Slooten said if it’s a private street, residents could close it off to outside traffic. Thein said residents were told if they did that, they would not have any public services.
One of Thein’s neighbors came to offer support, explaining she bought her home two years ago and also wasn’t told it was up to her to pay for the streets.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said there are some streets in the city that are considered private yet have businesses located on them, and there also are roads in the Avenues that are public for a few blocks and then private.
He agreed with Leonard that the city should require streets be brought up to certain standards before accepting them into its system, as it would otherwise be a gift of public funds.
Sabatier said that each road would have to be looked at individually, adding he appreciated that the council was having the discussion.
Councilman Phil Harris said he felt the city should try to incorporate as many streets as makes sense. He said he was in favor of taking up accepting roads on a case-by-case basis.
Slooten agreed that they should only accept roads built to an appropriate standard, and said residents could improve their streets to that standard through assessment districts.
“Clearly we all want you to go ahead and come up with a process,” Mayor Russell Cremer told staff, adding that he also agreed with Leonard about street standards.
Flora asked if, in addition to reacting to requests from property owners and neighborhoods, the council wanted staff to be proactive in identifying streets that it could accept.
The council agreed with being proactive, with Harris adding that he wants attention paid to situations where economic development and growth are impacted.
Flora reported that Councilman Russ Perdock – who was absent for the meeting – said two issues were important to him, that roads should be brought up to city standards to be accepted and that if there are unique and complicated issues with the streets, it should be up to property owners to deal with them.
During the discussion, Overton said it wasn’t feasible to expect people to bring the roads up to city standards. Cremer said that, by standards, they didn’t mean installing sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
Overton asked that if it’s a dirt road, would they need to make sure it’s graded before the city accepted it.
Swartz said a lot of dirt road areas would have to account for drainage and clover crossings, so it would be more complex than just grading.
Harris said that he would love to see all the streets in the city paved immediately, but even with Measure V, it’s economically impossible for the city to do that.
He suggested putting together a package on assessment districts and the available resources to help residents.
Flora said the city has 110 miles of publicly maintained roads, some of which are paved, some unpaved. With Measure V, they anticipate bringing city street conditions from a rating of 40 to 85 within 10 years. However, that doesn't include any of the gravel roads or private streets.
The city has about $2 million a year to work with thanks to Measure V, but Flora pointed out that the more roads they have, the more it dilutes their resources.
The council reached consensus to have staff put together a process and a framework to allow property owners to come to the city, with roads to be considered on a case by case basis and brought up to a city standard. They also will be proactive in looking at commercial areas and potential economic development areas and will create a template of resources for assessment districts.
Slooten pointed out that creating assessment districts also raises property values tremendously.
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.
Congressman Mike Thompson. Courtesy photo. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson announced that he has filed to run for reelection in the Fifth Congressional District, which includes all of Napa County and parts of Lake, Sonoma, Solano and Contra Costa counties.
“I am proud to announce that I am a candidate for reelection to again represent our Congressional District in Congress. It is my highest honor to represent the place where I was born, grew up, raised my children, and still live today. I am humbled to have the support of supervisors, mayors, sheriffs, business leaders, working men and women, veterans, and community advocates. Continuing to forge these strong relationships with community members is an invaluable part of serving our community,” Thompson said.
“As a public servant, I have always been focused on improving the lives of people in our community and ensuring everyone has opportunities to get ahead. Together with our local leaders, we have been able to achieve many successes – bringing back millions of dollars in Federal funding to help our fire recovery process, passing bipartisan legislation to help prevent gun violence, and fighting to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable health care. I am also working to bring good jobs with living wages to our district. Protecting Medicare and Social Security so our seniors can retire with dignity will always be a priority. My district offices have also helped hundreds of constituents navigate Federal agencies, including securing millions of dollars in payments and benefits they were owed from the government,” he said.
“Work still remains and I am honored to have another chance to run to represent our district and continue our fight to help our community get ahead. This means working to invest in our infrastructure so it reflects the needs of the 21st Century and fighting to pass comprehensive immigration reform and protect our Dreamers. It also means continuing to honor our promises to our nation’s veterans and their families. Finally, we must continue fighting to tackle climate change and ensure we have a planet to pass on to the generations that follow us,” Thompson continued.
“Together, we can tackle the challenges facing our nation and continue to find real solutions to help our community get ahead. We can continue making our district the best place to live, work, raise a family, start a business and retire with dignity. I humbly ask for your vote in the upcoming election,” he said.
A partial list of those endorsing Rep. Thompson’s reelection campaign is below.
California Senator Bill Dodd California Senator Mike McGuire California Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry California Assemblymember Jim Wood
Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin Napa County Sheriff John Robertson, Solano County Sheriff Thomas Ferrera Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick
Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton Lake County District Attorney Susan Krones Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch
Contra Costa Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg Napa County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Nemko Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Steve Herrington
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown Lake County Supervisor Moke Simon Lake County Supervisor Tina Scott Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza Napa County Supervisor Ryan Gregory Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos Napa County Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht Solano County Supervisor Erin Hannigan Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane
Rob Schroder, mayor, city of Martinez Lara Delaney, councilmember, city of Martinez Mark Ross, councilmember, city of Martinez Dan Romero, mayor, city of Hercules Chris Kelley, councilmember, city of Hercules Pete Murray, mayor, city of Pinole Leon Garcia, mayor, city of American Canyon Chris Canning, mayor, city of Calistoga Jill Techel, mayor, city of Napa John Dunbar, mayor, town of Yountville Elizabeth Patterson, mayor, city of Benicia Bob Sampayan, mayor, city of Vallejo Hakeem Brown, councilmember, city of Vallejo Pippin Dew, councilmember, city of Vallejo Rozzana Verder-Aliga, councilmember, city of Vallejo John Dell’Osso, mayor, city of Cotati Gina Belforte, mayor, city of Rohnert Park Tom Schwedhelm, mayor, city of Santa Rosa Amy Harrington, mayor, city of Sonoma
Timothy Banuelos, former councilmember and mayor for the city of Pinole Dean Columbo, Carquinez Fire District chief and teacher, Crockett Myrna DeVera, former councilmember and mayor for the city of Hercules Earl Flewellen, business owner, Crockett and Port Costa Ridge Greene, chairman, Port Costa Conservation Society
Carol Hatch, retired district director for Congressman George Miller Sherry McCoy, former city councilmember and mayor for the city of Hercules Marie Beery, small business owner, Kelseyville William Brunetti, business owner and grape grower, Lakeport Kelly Cox, retired Lake County administrative officer Becky Curry, community leader, Kelseyville Donald Deuchar, retired, Lakeport Madelene Lyon, former board member, Lake County Office of Education Doug Pattern, retired, Lakeport Brad Rasmussen, Chief of Police for the City of Lakeport, Lakeport Margaret Silveira, city manager for the city of Lakeport, Lakeport David Weiss, vineyard management firm owner, Kelseyville Amelia Ceja, business owner and vintner, Napa Elba Gonzales-Mares, Napa Valley Unified School District trustee Jeri Hansen, Napa County planning commissioner and Napa Fair Board member Johanna O’Kelley, president, Napa Democrats Paul Bradford Onorato, community leader, Napa Loraine Stewart, community leader, St. Helena Janet Thompson, nurse, St. Helena James Cooper, CEO and president, Vallejo Chamber of Commerce Osby Davis, former mayor, Vallejo Anthony Intintoli Jr., former mayor, Vallejo Jon Riley, executive director, Napa and Solano Counties Central Labor Council, Vallejo Eloise Scott, community leader, Vallejo A.C. Ubalde, trustee, Vallejo City Unified School District Anne Marie Young, trustee, Solano Community College Trustee Richard "Gino" Zampa, ironworker, Vallejo Steve Akre, fire chief for the Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority Ligia Booker, founder, La Luz Center Maureen Cottingham, Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance executive director, Sonoma Maggie Fishman, Santa Rosa Junior College Board trustee Pat Sabo, chair, Sonoma County Democratic Party
Benicia Progressive Democrats California Democratic Party California School Employees Association, AFL-CIO Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council Sierra Club
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As millions of motorists head out for the Thanksgiving holiday, the California Highway Patrol is prepared for one of the busiest travel weekends in America.
Unfortunately, in the past, Thanksgiving has also been one of the deadlier holidays on our roadways.
To help motorists arrive at their destinations safely, the CHP will implement a maximum enforcement period, or MEP, and deploy all available officers through the holiday weekend.
The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1.
During the MEP, CHP officers will educate motorists and enforce traffic safety laws throughout the state to ensure everyone has a safe holiday.
Officers will be actively looking for unsafe driving practices, including impaired or distracted driving, unsafe speed, and vehicle occupants who fail to buckle up.
“Holiday travel can be stressful. By putting some simple safety measures in place, motorists can help keep themselves and others safe on the road this weekend,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Most important, before you head out, ensure everyone inside the vehicle has their seat belt on, and if there are children along for the ride, check that they are secure in the back seat in the appropriate child safety seat.”
Not wearing a seat belt can be a fatal decision in a collision. According to the CHP’s MEP data, 59 people were killed in collisions in California during the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Among the 42 vehicle occupants killed in collisions within CHP jurisdiction, 43 percent of those, or 18 people, were not wearing a seat belt.
Research continues to show that wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest things people can do to stay safe when traveling in a vehicle.
Another way to help keep the roadways safe during the holidays is to designate a sober driver. During last Thanksgiving’s 102-hour MEP, CHP officers made 931 arrests for driving under the influence.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With a big storm headed toward Northern California, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning and a wind advisory for Lake County and other parts of the North State.
The winter storm warning is in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday above 2,000 feet. The wind advisory is from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Forecasters said a strong upper low will reach the Northern California coast on Tuesday, with heavy snowfall in higher elevations likely by Tuesday evening and continuing through the overnight hours and into Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said the conditions will impact the region during peak Thanksgiving holiday travel. Snow showers will continue in the Sierra through Thanksgiving Day.
Total snow accumulations in higher elevations are forecast to be between 5 and 10 inches, with localized amounts up to 2 feet.
The Lake County forecast predicts rain in the lower elevations but chances of snow in areas including Cobb and Lake County’s northern mountains from Tuesday through Thursday, and then again from Friday night through Sunday.
Winds of up to 50 miles per hour are expected Tuesday night, based on the forecast.
Daytime temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 40s, with nighttime temperatures expected to drop into the high 20s.
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.
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