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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding in which it will assist with funding a facility meant to help transition people out of homelessness.
The agreement between the city, Adventist Health Clear Lake and Hope Rising Lake County will see the city contributing $500,000 in bond funds for the Hope Center, a planned 20-bed transitional facility to be located on a property purchased by Adventist Health at 3400 Emerson Drive.
Councilman Phil Harris, who ultimately made the motion to approve the memorandum of understanding, said the many organizations working together on the project are “sewing together a quilt that we will use to wrap around these people and provide some restoration to their lives that they would not have other otherwise.”
City Hall remains closed due to the COVID-19 countywide shelter in place order, but community members were able to participate virtually. Only council members and staff were present in the chamber, with Councilman Dirk Slooten and supporters for the Hope Center project attending via Zoom.
The discussion took place in the video above beginning at the 15:24 mark.
Before the discussion began on the agreement on Thursday evening, Councilman Russ Perdock, who works for Adventist Health Clear Lake and has been involved in its programs to address homelessness, recused himself from the discussion and left the council chambers.
In January, Allison Panella, Hope Rising’s executive director, and Shannon Kimbell-Auth, Adventist Health’s manager for community integration, asked the council to consider contributing $500,000 toward the facility, as Lake County News has reported.
In his report on the item, City Manager Alan Flora said the source of the funds would be the city’s Series B bond funding, bonds sold by the former Clearlake Redevelopment Agency to support low- and moderate-income housing.
Flora said the draft agreement was largely on the existing agreement Adventist Health Clear Lake has with Partnership HealthPlan – which awarded $1.3 million for the project – and includes a commitment for operating the Hope Center for a minimum of 15 years.
Hope Rising – the official name of which is Hope Is Rising Lake County – states on its website that its mission is “to mobilize and inspire community partnerships and actions that support individual, collective and community health and wellness.”
On its website, the organization reported that it “serves as a neutral convener to bring together leaders in our county to identify issues, develop innovative solutions, and implement agreed-upon actions with accountability and measurable outcomes.”
Hope Rising said it acts to raise, manage and disburse funds; a search of California Attorney General’s Office charity database shows the organization has been listed as a public benefit entity since 2019, although its registration does not appear final.
The agreement Flora presented set out several conditions, including:
– A commitment to operate the Hope Center for a minimum of 15 years from the date of occupancy, with the center to be operated consistent with the Local Innovation Grant on Housing MOU between Adventist Health and Partnership HealthPlan.
– If the MOU is terminated prior to 15 years from the date of occupancy, Adventist Health Clear Lake will ensure the Hope Center facility continues to be used for housing and support of the homeless and at-risk population in the Clearlake area and will not turn the property into an Adventist Health clinic or facility that solely benefits Adventist Health Clear Lake.
– Hope Is Rising Lake County and Adventist Health Clear Lake agree to show preference to homeless residents of Clearlake who are ready and willing to accept the Hope Center housing agreement.
– The city of Clearlake will not be an owner or have any role in the operation of the Hope Center, with Adventist Health Clear Lake and Hope Rising to take all responsibility for operations.
The council received letters of support for the project from Congressman Mike Thompson, Lake County Social Services Director Crystal Markytan and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors also approved a letter offering its support for the project.
A collaborative approach to addressing homelessness
Shelly Trumbo, Adventist Health’s vice president of community integration and Hope Rising’s interim executive director at its inception, spoke to the council about the successful outcomes from Adventist Health’s Project Restoration.
A peer-reviewed process found that collaborative approach used in Project Restoration – and planned for use at the Hope Center – was associated with a 44-percent reduction in hospital utilization, an 83-percent reduction in community response system usage and a 71-percent reduction in costs to the population, she said.
Trumbo said a large group of organizations has recognized Lake County’s work in these areas, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association for Community Health Improvement and the Commonwealth Foundation.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services Administrator Todd Metcalf said his agency is contributing $200,000 toward the Hope Center.
“This is huge for our county,” said Metcalf, adding he’s committed to making it work, which is why he’s fronting the money.
Metcalf said the “housing first” model is key to getting people experiencing homelessness back on their feet.
He said mental health, substance abuse and homelessness are Lake County’s top three needs.
“This is an exciting time,” Metcalf added.
Kimbell-Auth said the same collaboration involved in the Hope Center was able to quickly transform a small warming center in Lakeport into an around-the-clock COVID-19 shelter for the homeless in the course of three days. She said the same group is working on getting housing in hotels for the homeless in Clearlake starting next week.
She said the project is changing the community, and what they will see from the Hope Center is far more than they can imagine.
“I’m excited. I’m thrilled. I’m honored, and I’m truly in awe of the opportunity,” David Santos, Adventist Health Clear Lake’s president and chief executive officer, told the council.
He said it’s taken four years to get to this point, adding that the city’s contribution will make or break the project.
Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten supported the project, saying the city has a “moral obligation” to address the homeless issue. “I really think we need to do this.”
Harris said Clear Lake is plagued by numerous issues. “The homeless population is definitely one of the biggest issues we face, and they are real people with real needs.”
Comparing the project to a quilt, he said he believed it’s God’s work, it was important for the council to move forward with it and he wanted to make the motion to approve it.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton agreed with Slooten that the city has an obligation to do something. “Our community will benefit from it.”
Slooten added that the greater risk is not participating and that it will help people to become productive citizens.
“There’s no negative on this one. So let’s do this,” he said, noting he wanted to second Harris’ motion.
Mayor Russ Cremer also offered his support for the project and the city’s proposed financial contribution from the former redevelopment agency bonds. He said of the funding, “It’s specifically for low- and moderate-income housing. It fits the model. It’s a great use for it.”
Cremer asked for the motion and Harris offered it, with Slooten seconding and the council approving it 4-0.
When Perdock returned to the chambers, he thanked the council members for their action.
In other action on Thursday, the council approved a $180,000 contract with R&R Construction for the Animal Control Facility Improvement Project, adopted an emergency ordinance establishing a 45-day moratorium on industrial hemp cultivation in the city, established an industrial hemp cultivation ad hoc committee, adopting a list of approved projects for submission to California Transportation Committee for SB1 funding and held the first reading of an ordinance for the commercial cannabis regulatory permit suspension/revocation and appeal process.
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The county’s shelter in place order to protect against COVID-19 went into effect on March 19. It has been extended to May 3.
Earlier this month, the Lakeport Police Department cited a woman after she was found drinking wine in a courthouse parking lot and refused to leave, as Lake County News has reported.
On Thursday, police said they issued their second citation to Robert Ed Taylor, 60, of Lakeport.
Police said Taylor was cited and released for criminal and civil violations of the Public Health officer’s shelter in place order after he was educated on the order and refused to stop conducting his non-essential activities.
Taylor then violated the order again and was arrested on additional criminal and civil citations, including a $200 administrative fine, the Lakeport Police Department said.
Over the past week, Lakeport Police Department’s officers have made 37 contacts for shelter in place violations, checked on the security of 63 businesses, conducted more than eight hours of foot patrol and 1,786 miles of vehicle patrol.
The department said its recruit trainees have been essential in community outreach activities, and that together with officers there is plenty of personnel to keep the city safe.
“A majority of the community is complying with the order for sheltering and we thank you for your help,” the agency said in a statement.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Agents and investigators on Thursday apprehended a minimum-security inmate who walked away from the California Correctional Center Parlin Fork Conservation Camp in Mendocino County on Wednesday.
Richard Solarzano, 32, was apprehended at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday just outside of the campgrounds by CCC investigators and special agents from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Office of Correctional Safety.
Also assisting in the search were members of Cal Fire, the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies.
Solorzano will be transported to CCC in Susanville, and will no longer be eligible to be housed in a Conservation Camp, officials said.
Solorzano was assigned as a cook at Parlin Fork Conservation Camp in Fort Bragg. Parlin Fork Conservation Camp houses approximately 100 minimum-custody inmates.
On Wednesday, during a camp population count at around 8:30 p.m., staff discovered Solorzano was not in his assigned bunk.
Solorzano was received by CDCR from Orange County on March 13, 2019, to serve an eight-year sentence for first-degree burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. He was scheduled to parole in August 2022.
He was the fourth inmate to walk away from a North Coast Conservation Camp in the past month.
Officials said that, since 1977, 99 percent of all offenders who have left an adult institution, camp or community-based program without permission have been apprehended.
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The event will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Lake County PEG TV, Mediacom Channel 8, and online at the county’s Facebook page – in English and Spanish live streams – and on the county’s website.
Please send your questions to
If you are in need of a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate, please reach out by 5 p.m. Friday, April 17, either at 707-263-2580 or
On April 9, thousands of county residents and otherwise interested people gathered online for District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown’s first virtual COVID-19 town hall for business owners.
Social media posts and other web-based engagement, including video of this event, reached approximately 10,000 people, with more than 4,400 views of the English language video and 1,700 views of the Spanish language simulcast on Facebook.
Video and resources from that meeting can be accessed here.
Programs for business owners and employees at the state and federal level continue to evolve, and Lake County residents need the most up-to-date information.
Additionally, multiple county residents submitted questions regarding unemployment-related matters that the county hopes to answer with greater precision during Monday’s meeting.
Supervisor Brown will moderate the Monday meeting, in collaboration with Jeff and Andy Lucas of Community Development Services, or CDS, of Kelseyville.
CDS is a partner of Lake County Economic Development Corp., a collaborative effort of the county, cities of Lakeport and Clearlake, and other community organizations, and is a NorCal Small Business Development Center Affiliate.
CDS has been providing a variety of supports to local businesses for decades, including facilitating access to state and federal funding opportunities. CDS can be reached at 707-279-1540.
Melissa Fulton, chief executive officer of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, will additionally present the results of a survey that documents impacts of COVID-19 to local businesses.
Scott Rogalski, director of Partnerships for Northern California Small Business Development Center Networks, who contributed to the first town hall, has again agreed to participate. The slides from his valuable April 9 presentation are posted at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/ .
Representatives from the State’s Employment Development Department and the Small Business Administration are also expected to participate.
“Businesses are the engine of our economy,” said Brown. “I want to connect people with the information they need, so local businesses can endure these challenging circumstances and continue to invest in Lake County communities.”