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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More than 36 hours after Pacific Gas and Electric cut power to Lake County due to concerns about high winds and fire danger, local officials said Thursday afternoon that the “all clear” has been given to begin restoring electricity following system inspections.
The cities of Clearlake and Lakeport reported at about 3:15 p.m. that they had been notified by PG&E that the all-clear had been given.
PG&E has said that it will implement inspections of the electrical system before restoring power in order to identify any potential damage from the high winds that had been forecast around the region over the past few days.
Clearlake and Lakeport officials said the restoration process may take several hours or more to be completed because PG&E must perform the line inspections.
In the meantime, officials urged the public to “be respectful of and cooperate with PG&E workers so that their work can be completed quickly and safely.”
In Lake County, power had gone off in the early morning hours on Wednesday as part of a massive public safety power shutoff that was rolled out over 34 counties and an estimated 800,000 customers, a number which company officials indicated related to accounts, not all of the people who were impacted.
Of those impacted more than 37,000 customers were in Lake County, PG&E said. All populated areas of the county had power shut off, according to the company’s outage map.
Earlier on Thursday, with weather conditions improving, PG&E said it had given the all clear and started inspections for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Placer, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.
The National Weather Service continues to have a red flag warning in effect for Lake County and much of the rest of Northern California through 10 a.m. Friday due to fire weather conditions.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The cities of Clearlake and Lakeport reported at about 3:15 p.m. that they had been notified by PG&E that the all-clear had been given.
PG&E has said that it will implement inspections of the electrical system before restoring power in order to identify any potential damage from the high winds that had been forecast around the region over the past few days.
Clearlake and Lakeport officials said the restoration process may take several hours or more to be completed because PG&E must perform the line inspections.
In the meantime, officials urged the public to “be respectful of and cooperate with PG&E workers so that their work can be completed quickly and safely.”
In Lake County, power had gone off in the early morning hours on Wednesday as part of a massive public safety power shutoff that was rolled out over 34 counties and an estimated 800,000 customers, a number which company officials indicated related to accounts, not all of the people who were impacted.
Of those impacted more than 37,000 customers were in Lake County, PG&E said. All populated areas of the county had power shut off, according to the company’s outage map.
Earlier on Thursday, with weather conditions improving, PG&E said it had given the all clear and started inspections for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Placer, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.
The National Weather Service continues to have a red flag warning in effect for Lake County and much of the rest of Northern California through 10 a.m. Friday due to fire weather conditions.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric said Wednesday evening that it was continuing to shut off power to customers in parts of the state because of fire weather conditions that are still developing, with hopes that the process to begin restoring power to dozens of counties could begin as early as Thursday.
Lake County was among dozens of counties that had their power cut early Wednesday as part of the public safety power shutoff, as Lake County News has reported.
Power to more than 513,000 customers – including 37,439 in Lake County – was shut down in response to a red flag alert issued by the National Weather Service.
Those numbers do not account for the actual number of Californians impacted, as they only represent customer accounts, PG&E said.
The continuing forecast for heavy winds led PG&E to move forward with the second phase of the shutoff event, which had been delayed for several hours on Wednesday due to a change in conditions.
PG&E said that second phase impacted approximately 234,000 customers in Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne, with 800 customers in Mendocino County added.
The outages occurred in two waves, with the East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz impacted later in the night, PG&E said.
Scott Strenfel, a PG&E principal meteorologist, said they are continuing to monitor the wind storm, which is expected to move into Southern California from Thursday to Friday, creating Santa Ana winds.
“This is a total California wide fire weather event,” Strenfel said.
Strenfel said north winds were traveling down the Sacramento Valley, with wind speeds of 50 miles per hour tracked in the Redding area.
Santa Ana wind events historically are the cause of the most destructive wildland fires in California, said Strenfel, noting that the current situation is a high risk event and they are monitoring the company’s 600 weather monitoring stations.
Sumeet Singh, vice president of asset and risk management and the Community Wildfire Safety Program, said in some limited areas, where they could reconfigure the electrical system, they have been able to turn power back on for customers.
Later on Wednesday night, PG&E said 50,000 customers in the Sierra Foothills area had power reported.
Also on Wednesday night, the company said improving weather meant that patrols in some areas of Humboldt County had started, with PG&E anticipating being able to restore power to between 60,000 and 80,000 customers during the night or by early Thursday morning.
An expected shutdown to 43,000 customers in the Kern County area also was reduced to 4,000 customers, the company reported.
Singh said the peak of the weather event impacting Lake County and other counties across Northern and Central California is expected late Wednesday to early Thursday.
Once that event is past and the all-clear is given, Singh said the company has 45 helicopters and 6,300 ground personnel ready to start inspections of power lines before reenergizing the system.
Later Wednesday, PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Robison told Lake County News that the all-clear call for the shutoff event will be weather-dependent, but weather forecasts show the weather event is expected to last through midday Thursday.
Singh said that due to the large outage area and potential for damage, it could take several days to restore power to customers. He added that they can only perform visual safety inspections during daylight hours.
He said 800,000 PG&E customers had been impacted throughout the event so far, but as of Wednesday evening, that overall number had been reduced to between 600,000 to 650,000 thanks to being able to reenergize some areas through system reconfigurations.
Also on Wednesday evening, Laurie Giammona, PG&E’s senior vice president and chief customer officer, said the company is rolling out a new Web site at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/16f9f52a1a874fa79fc1cc955d4de5a7 to provide customers with information after their main site was overwhelmed by traffic beginning on Tuesday.
Giammona said the company also has established 28 customer resource centers in impacted counties – Lake’s is located at the Clearlake Senior Center – where people can get water and information, charge small devices and have wifi access. She said five more center are to open at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis 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 was among dozens of counties that had their power cut early Wednesday as part of the public safety power shutoff, as Lake County News has reported.
Power to more than 513,000 customers – including 37,439 in Lake County – was shut down in response to a red flag alert issued by the National Weather Service.
Those numbers do not account for the actual number of Californians impacted, as they only represent customer accounts, PG&E said.
The continuing forecast for heavy winds led PG&E to move forward with the second phase of the shutoff event, which had been delayed for several hours on Wednesday due to a change in conditions.
PG&E said that second phase impacted approximately 234,000 customers in Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne, with 800 customers in Mendocino County added.
The outages occurred in two waves, with the East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz impacted later in the night, PG&E said.
Scott Strenfel, a PG&E principal meteorologist, said they are continuing to monitor the wind storm, which is expected to move into Southern California from Thursday to Friday, creating Santa Ana winds.
“This is a total California wide fire weather event,” Strenfel said.
Strenfel said north winds were traveling down the Sacramento Valley, with wind speeds of 50 miles per hour tracked in the Redding area.
Santa Ana wind events historically are the cause of the most destructive wildland fires in California, said Strenfel, noting that the current situation is a high risk event and they are monitoring the company’s 600 weather monitoring stations.
Sumeet Singh, vice president of asset and risk management and the Community Wildfire Safety Program, said in some limited areas, where they could reconfigure the electrical system, they have been able to turn power back on for customers.
Later on Wednesday night, PG&E said 50,000 customers in the Sierra Foothills area had power reported.
Also on Wednesday night, the company said improving weather meant that patrols in some areas of Humboldt County had started, with PG&E anticipating being able to restore power to between 60,000 and 80,000 customers during the night or by early Thursday morning.
An expected shutdown to 43,000 customers in the Kern County area also was reduced to 4,000 customers, the company reported.
Singh said the peak of the weather event impacting Lake County and other counties across Northern and Central California is expected late Wednesday to early Thursday.
Once that event is past and the all-clear is given, Singh said the company has 45 helicopters and 6,300 ground personnel ready to start inspections of power lines before reenergizing the system.
Later Wednesday, PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Robison told Lake County News that the all-clear call for the shutoff event will be weather-dependent, but weather forecasts show the weather event is expected to last through midday Thursday.
Singh said that due to the large outage area and potential for damage, it could take several days to restore power to customers. He added that they can only perform visual safety inspections during daylight hours.
He said 800,000 PG&E customers had been impacted throughout the event so far, but as of Wednesday evening, that overall number had been reduced to between 600,000 to 650,000 thanks to being able to reenergize some areas through system reconfigurations.
Also on Wednesday evening, Laurie Giammona, PG&E’s senior vice president and chief customer officer, said the company is rolling out a new Web site at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/16f9f52a1a874fa79fc1cc955d4de5a7 to provide customers with information after their main site was overwhelmed by traffic beginning on Tuesday.
Giammona said the company also has established 28 customer resource centers in impacted counties – Lake’s is located at the Clearlake Senior Center – where people can get water and information, charge small devices and have wifi access. She said five more center are to open at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Despite the ongoing public safety power shutoff impacting Lake County, the Clearlake City Council plans to meet for its regularly scheduled meeting this week and will discuss extending a letter of intent with a company interested in purchasing and developing the city's former airport property.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
City Hall has generator power so the meeting will go on, according to City Manager Alan Flora.
The council also is set to hold a public hearing to consider adopting the update to the housing element, part of the city's general plan.
Under council business, the council will consider a request to extend the letter of intent between the city and Village Investment Partners LP regarding the former Pearce Field airport property.
On April 11, the council authorized Flora to enter into a letter of intent with Village Investment Partners for exclusive rights to negotiate for development interest on the airport property. Flora said the letter of intent was for six months and is set to expire on Friday.
Flora said that on Oct. 3 the city received a request from the firm to extend the letter of intent for another six months.
In other matters on Thursday, the council will discuss and possibly direct staff regarding the process for projects within the county's cannabis exclusion areas.
Council members also will discuss a resolution reaffirming the Traffic Safe Committee and approve Mayor Russ Cremer's committee appointment.
On Thursday night's agenda are presentations of proclamations designating October as both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the Sept. 11 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; continuation of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action on Oct. 12, 2017; ratification of the license agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for use of the Clearlake Community/Senior Center as a customer resource center during public safety power shutoff events; and approval of agreement with Retail Strategies for research, analysis, and retail recruitment for the term Oct. 10, 2019, to Oct. 10, 2022.
After the public portion of the meeting, the council will have a closed session regarding existing litigation with Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
City Hall has generator power so the meeting will go on, according to City Manager Alan Flora.
The council also is set to hold a public hearing to consider adopting the update to the housing element, part of the city's general plan.
Under council business, the council will consider a request to extend the letter of intent between the city and Village Investment Partners LP regarding the former Pearce Field airport property.
On April 11, the council authorized Flora to enter into a letter of intent with Village Investment Partners for exclusive rights to negotiate for development interest on the airport property. Flora said the letter of intent was for six months and is set to expire on Friday.
Flora said that on Oct. 3 the city received a request from the firm to extend the letter of intent for another six months.
In other matters on Thursday, the council will discuss and possibly direct staff regarding the process for projects within the county's cannabis exclusion areas.
Council members also will discuss a resolution reaffirming the Traffic Safe Committee and approve Mayor Russ Cremer's committee appointment.
On Thursday night's agenda are presentations of proclamations designating October as both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the Sept. 11 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; continuation of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action on Oct. 12, 2017; ratification of the license agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for use of the Clearlake Community/Senior Center as a customer resource center during public safety power shutoff events; and approval of agreement with Retail Strategies for research, analysis, and retail recruitment for the term Oct. 10, 2019, to Oct. 10, 2022.
After the public portion of the meeting, the council will have a closed session regarding existing litigation with Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Speed and aggressive driving continue to be a major cause of death and injury on California roadways.
With federal funding, the California Highway Patrol is embarking on a lifesaving endeavor to reduce crashes caused by speed and aggressive driving.
The CHP received a $1.5 million grant for the Regulate Aggressive Driving and Reduce Speed, or RADARS, IV program.
The goal of RADARS IV is to reduce the number of fatal and injury traffic collisions attributed to speed and the number of people killed and injured in those collisions.
To achieve this, the CHP will increase enforcement and add public awareness campaigns statewide, focusing on speed-related causes of crashes.
Additionally, RADARS IV will focus on street racing and sideshow activities, which are a growing problem statewide.
“Speeding not only endangers the life of the speeder, but everyone on the road around them,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “The RADARS IV grant enables our officers to improve highway safety and help prevent dangerous driving and deadly crashes.”
In Federal Fiscal Year 2016, speed was a factor in approximately 45 percent of all fatal and injury collisions in California.
That year, 36,297 speed-related crashes resulted in the death of more than 370 people and injury to nearly 53,000 others.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
With federal funding, the California Highway Patrol is embarking on a lifesaving endeavor to reduce crashes caused by speed and aggressive driving.
The CHP received a $1.5 million grant for the Regulate Aggressive Driving and Reduce Speed, or RADARS, IV program.
The goal of RADARS IV is to reduce the number of fatal and injury traffic collisions attributed to speed and the number of people killed and injured in those collisions.
To achieve this, the CHP will increase enforcement and add public awareness campaigns statewide, focusing on speed-related causes of crashes.
Additionally, RADARS IV will focus on street racing and sideshow activities, which are a growing problem statewide.
“Speeding not only endangers the life of the speeder, but everyone on the road around them,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “The RADARS IV grant enables our officers to improve highway safety and help prevent dangerous driving and deadly crashes.”
In Federal Fiscal Year 2016, speed was a factor in approximately 45 percent of all fatal and injury collisions in California.
That year, 36,297 speed-related crashes resulted in the death of more than 370 people and injury to nearly 53,000 others.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation authored by Sen. Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) requiring that law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories promptly test all newly collected rape kits in California.
Under the requirements of the signed legislation – which passed from both the Senate and Assembly without a single “no” vote – newly collected rape kits must be submitted within 20 days and tested no later than 120 days after receipt.
The swift testing of DNA evidence in rape kits can help identify an unknown assailant, link crimes together, identify serial perpetrators and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.
SB 22 follows federal best practices and ensures that survivors reporting sexual assault across California will have equal access to the submission and analysis of forensic evidence associated with their cases.
“This is a clear victory for survivors of rape and sexual assault in California, as the governor’s signature of SB 22 reminds survivors that they matter and that they deserve justice,” Senator Leyva said. “After then-Gov. Brown signed my SB 813 three years ago to eliminate the statute of limitations on rape, I knew that we still needed to fight to test all rape kits so that we can help put rapists behind bars with the critical DNA evidence found within these kits.”
Leyva added, “There is absolutely no reason why a rape kit should ever sit untested for months or years when statistics tell us that testing rape kits helps to ensure justice by identifying perpetrators. By signing SB 22, the governor is standing with me in sending a clear message to survivors that we hear them, we see them and we believe them.”
She thanked her colleagues in the Legislature for strongly supporting SB 22, which she said is a crucial measure that will help to protect residents and communities in California, while also helping survivors heal.
I would also like to offer countless thanks to the many brave survivors and advocates that shared their stories and helped bring SB 22 to the finish line,” Leyva said.
Sponsored jointly by the Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, Joyful Heart Foundation and Natasha’s Justice Project, SB 22 also earned support from the California District Attorneys Association, California Police Chiefs Association, Change for Justice, National Association of Social Workers / California Chapter, Riverside Sheriffs' Association, San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Stonewall Democratic Club, Students Against Sexual Assault and UCSB Lobby Corps.
Under the requirements of the signed legislation – which passed from both the Senate and Assembly without a single “no” vote – newly collected rape kits must be submitted within 20 days and tested no later than 120 days after receipt.
The swift testing of DNA evidence in rape kits can help identify an unknown assailant, link crimes together, identify serial perpetrators and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.
SB 22 follows federal best practices and ensures that survivors reporting sexual assault across California will have equal access to the submission and analysis of forensic evidence associated with their cases.
“This is a clear victory for survivors of rape and sexual assault in California, as the governor’s signature of SB 22 reminds survivors that they matter and that they deserve justice,” Senator Leyva said. “After then-Gov. Brown signed my SB 813 three years ago to eliminate the statute of limitations on rape, I knew that we still needed to fight to test all rape kits so that we can help put rapists behind bars with the critical DNA evidence found within these kits.”
Leyva added, “There is absolutely no reason why a rape kit should ever sit untested for months or years when statistics tell us that testing rape kits helps to ensure justice by identifying perpetrators. By signing SB 22, the governor is standing with me in sending a clear message to survivors that we hear them, we see them and we believe them.”
She thanked her colleagues in the Legislature for strongly supporting SB 22, which she said is a crucial measure that will help to protect residents and communities in California, while also helping survivors heal.
I would also like to offer countless thanks to the many brave survivors and advocates that shared their stories and helped bring SB 22 to the finish line,” Leyva said.
Sponsored jointly by the Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, Joyful Heart Foundation and Natasha’s Justice Project, SB 22 also earned support from the California District Attorneys Association, California Police Chiefs Association, Change for Justice, National Association of Social Workers / California Chapter, Riverside Sheriffs' Association, San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Stonewall Democratic Club, Students Against Sexual Assault and UCSB Lobby Corps.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With Cal Fire staffed up this week in response to the red flag conditions across a large portion of California, the agency is urging people to use particular caution.
“With some of the most destructive and deadliest fires occurring October through December, we need Californians to not be complacent. Wind driven fires move fast, and residents need to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice in the event of a wildfire,” said Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire director. “We have increased our staffing, but need the public to remain vigilant. It is important to follow evacuation orders and leave early as fires move very fast under these conditions."
This is Fire Prevention Week, which Cal Fire said is the perfect time to make sure your family has emergency supplies and an evacuation plan.
The tragic fires that occurred around this time last year should serve as a reminder for everyone to be ready for the unexpected.
With extreme fire danger conditions, some areas are seeing electricity being turned off by their utility companies preemptively. Cal Fire is not involved in the decision making of when and where the power is turned off, or when the power will be turned back on when such conditions arise.
The only time that Cal Fire will request a power outage from a utility company is when there is an active wildfire around power lines that firefighters are fighting. The power shutoff request will only be for within the fire area and this is to provide for the safety of firefighters within that area.
Comments, questions or concerns about the current power outages should be directed toward your utility company, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire urges everyone to exercise extreme caution when in or near the wildland or open areas to prevent sparking a fire.
A few helpful reminders and safety tips include:
– Don’t mow or trim dry grass on windy days.
– Never pull your vehicle over in dry grass.
– Target shoot only in approved areas, use lead ammunition only and never shoot at metal.
– Check and obey burn bans.
– Ensure campfires are allowed, and if so, be sure to extinguish them completely.
– Report any suspicious activities to prevent arson, see something – say something.
To learn how you can be prepared for wildfires and evacuation steps, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org and www.preventwildfireca.org .
“With some of the most destructive and deadliest fires occurring October through December, we need Californians to not be complacent. Wind driven fires move fast, and residents need to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice in the event of a wildfire,” said Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire director. “We have increased our staffing, but need the public to remain vigilant. It is important to follow evacuation orders and leave early as fires move very fast under these conditions."
This is Fire Prevention Week, which Cal Fire said is the perfect time to make sure your family has emergency supplies and an evacuation plan.
The tragic fires that occurred around this time last year should serve as a reminder for everyone to be ready for the unexpected.
With extreme fire danger conditions, some areas are seeing electricity being turned off by their utility companies preemptively. Cal Fire is not involved in the decision making of when and where the power is turned off, or when the power will be turned back on when such conditions arise.
The only time that Cal Fire will request a power outage from a utility company is when there is an active wildfire around power lines that firefighters are fighting. The power shutoff request will only be for within the fire area and this is to provide for the safety of firefighters within that area.
Comments, questions or concerns about the current power outages should be directed toward your utility company, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire urges everyone to exercise extreme caution when in or near the wildland or open areas to prevent sparking a fire.
A few helpful reminders and safety tips include:
– Don’t mow or trim dry grass on windy days.
– Never pull your vehicle over in dry grass.
– Target shoot only in approved areas, use lead ammunition only and never shoot at metal.
– Check and obey burn bans.
– Ensure campfires are allowed, and if so, be sure to extinguish them completely.
– Report any suspicious activities to prevent arson, see something – say something.
To learn how you can be prepared for wildfires and evacuation steps, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org and www.preventwildfireca.org .