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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric moved forward early Wednesday with turning off power to hundreds of thousands of customers across Northern and Central California.
Shortly after 1 a.m., the utility confirmed that it had implemented the first phase of a public safety power shutoff across significant portions of its service area in response to a widespread, severe wind event.
Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s vice president for asset and risk management and the Community Wildfire Safety Program, told reporters Tuesday evening that the shutoff is a measure of last resort and is in response to “unprecedented fire risk.”
More than 800,000 customers in 34 counties are going to be impacted by the shutoff, including approximately 37,439 customers in Lake County, of which 2,167 are medical baseline customers, PG&E said.
However, those statistics don’t reflect the actual number of California residents to be impacted by the shutoff, and in a media briefing with reporters on Tuesday night, the utility could not give more detailed information.
In Lake County, PG&E said the outage will be widespread, and will include the communities of Clearlake, Lakeport, Clearlake Oaks, Lucerne, Nice, Upper Lake, Lower Lake, Middletown, Kelseyville, Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Glenhaven, Witter Springs, Clearlake Park, Loch Lomond, Kelseyville and Finley.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News earlier on Tuesday that every populated area of the county was expected to be impacted.
PG&E said the shutoff will occur in three phases.
The first phase, which began at 12 a.m. Wednesday and is expected to roll over over several hours from north to south, will impact approximately 513,000 customers in Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba counties, PG&E said.
The second phase of the public safety power shutoff will occur around noon on Wednesday and will impact service to approximately 234,000 customers in Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, according to PG&E.
A third phase is being considered for the southernmost portions of PG&E’s service area, impacting approximately 42,000 customers. PG&E said early Wednesday that specific locations are still to be determined.
Singh said the shutoff will include deenergizing large transmission lines of up to 115 kilovolts.
PG&E said it was continuing with the shutoff due to conditions reflected in a red flag warning for much of Northern California issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday. The red flag warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday.
At the Tuesday evening press briefing, Evan Duffey, a senior meteorologist with PG&E, said the models have been very consistent in showing an offshore wind event through Friday. Those winds, combined with low relative humidity levels and critically dry vegetation, are creating dangerous fire weather, he said.
Duffey said it’s expected to be the strongest offshore wind event since October 2017.
Winds of between 25 to 35 miles per hour are forecast, with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour, and 65-mile-per-hour gusts in the North Bay hills, he said.
At around 1 a.m. Wednesday, PG&E’s weather map showed wind speeds of up to 16 miles per hour and gusts of 22 miles per hour blowing from the east into Lake County from Hopland and Lyons Valley, with similar wind speeds coming from the north in the area of the High Glade Lookout above Upper Lake.
The area of Cobb Ridge West was showing speeds of up to 21 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 31 miles per hour, coming from the north at the same time, based on the map.
Singh said they anticipate peak winds will occur early Wednesday morning until midday Thursday.
He said some PG&E customers may experience a power shutoff even if conditions in their area aren’t extreme due to the interconnected nature of the power grid.
The goal is to have the shutoff done by midday Thursday. However, Singh said it could take several more days after that to restore the power due to the size of the outage as well as any damage that is discovered afterward.
Singh said the first step the company will take after the outage is to inspect every inch of overhead lines. He said the company can bring in up to 5,000 personnel plus helicopters for those inspections.
“We very much understand the inconvenience and difficulty such a power outage would cause,” Singh said.
He added, “We do not take or make this decision lightly.”
At the same time, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit reported that it stepped up its staffing, bringing in more personnel in its emergency command center, staging another firefighting helicopter at the Sonoma Air Attack Base and assigning a night reconnaissance aircraft for Northern California based at McClellan Reload Base.
In neighboring Mendocino County, officials said Tuesday night that the scope of the planned outage there had narrowed.
The Mendocino Sheriff’s Office said that the affected areas included Redwood Valley, Potter Valley, Hopland, portions of unincorporated areas of the Ukiah Valley, 62 PG&E service points in the Willits area, Leggett, Piercy, Whitethorn and Whale Gulch. The agency said 88 percent of PG&E customers in those areas were expected to begin losing power at 12 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, the cities of Fort Bragg, Point Area and Ukiah, and the unincorporated Mendocino County coastal communities are not expected to be without power, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said.
PG&E’s Web site was overwhelmed with traffic on Tuesday. Despite doubling the size of the database, the company’s Web site received seven to eight times the normal traffic.
Company officials urged those needing more information to visit its Twitter feed, where it is posting updates and maps.
PG&E will open a community resource center at the Clearlake Senior Center at 3245 Bowers Ave in Clearlake on Wednesday.
The center, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air-conditioned seating, PG&E said.
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.
Shortly after 1 a.m., the utility confirmed that it had implemented the first phase of a public safety power shutoff across significant portions of its service area in response to a widespread, severe wind event.
Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s vice president for asset and risk management and the Community Wildfire Safety Program, told reporters Tuesday evening that the shutoff is a measure of last resort and is in response to “unprecedented fire risk.”
More than 800,000 customers in 34 counties are going to be impacted by the shutoff, including approximately 37,439 customers in Lake County, of which 2,167 are medical baseline customers, PG&E said.
However, those statistics don’t reflect the actual number of California residents to be impacted by the shutoff, and in a media briefing with reporters on Tuesday night, the utility could not give more detailed information.
In Lake County, PG&E said the outage will be widespread, and will include the communities of Clearlake, Lakeport, Clearlake Oaks, Lucerne, Nice, Upper Lake, Lower Lake, Middletown, Kelseyville, Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Glenhaven, Witter Springs, Clearlake Park, Loch Lomond, Kelseyville and Finley.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News earlier on Tuesday that every populated area of the county was expected to be impacted.
PG&E said the shutoff will occur in three phases.
The first phase, which began at 12 a.m. Wednesday and is expected to roll over over several hours from north to south, will impact approximately 513,000 customers in Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba counties, PG&E said.
The second phase of the public safety power shutoff will occur around noon on Wednesday and will impact service to approximately 234,000 customers in Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, according to PG&E.
A third phase is being considered for the southernmost portions of PG&E’s service area, impacting approximately 42,000 customers. PG&E said early Wednesday that specific locations are still to be determined.
Singh said the shutoff will include deenergizing large transmission lines of up to 115 kilovolts.
PG&E said it was continuing with the shutoff due to conditions reflected in a red flag warning for much of Northern California issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday. The red flag warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday.
At the Tuesday evening press briefing, Evan Duffey, a senior meteorologist with PG&E, said the models have been very consistent in showing an offshore wind event through Friday. Those winds, combined with low relative humidity levels and critically dry vegetation, are creating dangerous fire weather, he said.
Duffey said it’s expected to be the strongest offshore wind event since October 2017.
Winds of between 25 to 35 miles per hour are forecast, with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour, and 65-mile-per-hour gusts in the North Bay hills, he said.
At around 1 a.m. Wednesday, PG&E’s weather map showed wind speeds of up to 16 miles per hour and gusts of 22 miles per hour blowing from the east into Lake County from Hopland and Lyons Valley, with similar wind speeds coming from the north in the area of the High Glade Lookout above Upper Lake.
The area of Cobb Ridge West was showing speeds of up to 21 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 31 miles per hour, coming from the north at the same time, based on the map.
Singh said they anticipate peak winds will occur early Wednesday morning until midday Thursday.
He said some PG&E customers may experience a power shutoff even if conditions in their area aren’t extreme due to the interconnected nature of the power grid.
The goal is to have the shutoff done by midday Thursday. However, Singh said it could take several more days after that to restore the power due to the size of the outage as well as any damage that is discovered afterward.
Singh said the first step the company will take after the outage is to inspect every inch of overhead lines. He said the company can bring in up to 5,000 personnel plus helicopters for those inspections.
“We very much understand the inconvenience and difficulty such a power outage would cause,” Singh said.
He added, “We do not take or make this decision lightly.”
At the same time, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit reported that it stepped up its staffing, bringing in more personnel in its emergency command center, staging another firefighting helicopter at the Sonoma Air Attack Base and assigning a night reconnaissance aircraft for Northern California based at McClellan Reload Base.
In neighboring Mendocino County, officials said Tuesday night that the scope of the planned outage there had narrowed.
The Mendocino Sheriff’s Office said that the affected areas included Redwood Valley, Potter Valley, Hopland, portions of unincorporated areas of the Ukiah Valley, 62 PG&E service points in the Willits area, Leggett, Piercy, Whitethorn and Whale Gulch. The agency said 88 percent of PG&E customers in those areas were expected to begin losing power at 12 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile, the cities of Fort Bragg, Point Area and Ukiah, and the unincorporated Mendocino County coastal communities are not expected to be without power, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said.
PG&E’s Web site was overwhelmed with traffic on Tuesday. Despite doubling the size of the database, the company’s Web site received seven to eight times the normal traffic.
Company officials urged those needing more information to visit its Twitter feed, where it is posting updates and maps.
PG&E will open a community resource center at the Clearlake Senior Center at 3245 Bowers Ave in Clearlake on Wednesday.
The center, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air-conditioned seating, PG&E said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Gary Pace, MD, MPH, as Lake County’s Public Health officer.
Pace has been filling the position on an interim basis since August, following the departure of Dr. Erin Gustafson.
“Lake County is welcoming a truly thoughtful individual and excellent medical mind with the hire of Dr. Pace, and this is just the latest in a number of positive steps our Health Services Department has taken to improve Lake County’s outcomes,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Tina Scott. “The community and partner organizations are really engaged and motivated to improve our health outcomes. We are a county on the way up, and Dr. Pace will help us progress toward a healthier Lake County.”
Pace, of Sebastopol, has more than two decades of experience in the medical profession, including family and clinical practice, and working as a medical director in health care facilities.
“When you’re working directly with patients, it is clear not everyone has the same needs,” said Pace. “I make it a priority to use language anyone can understand. It is one thing to dig into the technical aspects of a disease process, and I enjoy that work. But what good is it, if you don’t also do the work to translate that into tools that people can use in their everyday lives?”
He holds doctor of medicine and public health degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and completed his family practice residency at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.
Pace also has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from the College of William and Mary.
County officials said that he also has completed a Yale University Certificate in Climate Change and Public Health, which he undertook in response to his experiences offering support to areas including Lake County during Northern California’s disasters.
Under state law, counties are required to have health officers, who are tasked with duties including enforcing local health orders and ordinances, and state regulations and statutes relating to public health.
In addition to his recent interim service, Pace also served as the Lake County’s interim Public Health officer on two other occasions, from late 2017 to spring of 2018, and from the summer of 2018 until fall of 2018, as Lake County News has reported.
He also has experience as the county of Mendocino’s Public Health officer.
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.
Pace has been filling the position on an interim basis since August, following the departure of Dr. Erin Gustafson.
“Lake County is welcoming a truly thoughtful individual and excellent medical mind with the hire of Dr. Pace, and this is just the latest in a number of positive steps our Health Services Department has taken to improve Lake County’s outcomes,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Tina Scott. “The community and partner organizations are really engaged and motivated to improve our health outcomes. We are a county on the way up, and Dr. Pace will help us progress toward a healthier Lake County.”
Pace, of Sebastopol, has more than two decades of experience in the medical profession, including family and clinical practice, and working as a medical director in health care facilities.
“When you’re working directly with patients, it is clear not everyone has the same needs,” said Pace. “I make it a priority to use language anyone can understand. It is one thing to dig into the technical aspects of a disease process, and I enjoy that work. But what good is it, if you don’t also do the work to translate that into tools that people can use in their everyday lives?”
He holds doctor of medicine and public health degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and completed his family practice residency at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.
Pace also has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from the College of William and Mary.
County officials said that he also has completed a Yale University Certificate in Climate Change and Public Health, which he undertook in response to his experiences offering support to areas including Lake County during Northern California’s disasters.
Under state law, counties are required to have health officers, who are tasked with duties including enforcing local health orders and ordinances, and state regulations and statutes relating to public health.
In addition to his recent interim service, Pace also served as the Lake County’s interim Public Health officer on two other occasions, from late 2017 to spring of 2018, and from the summer of 2018 until fall of 2018, as Lake County News has reported.
He also has experience as the county of Mendocino’s Public Health officer.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Tuesday, Lake County’s two members of the House of Representatives asked the federal government to provide new funding for an important project to improve the health of Clear Lake.
Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA03) and Mike Thompson (D-CA05) urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dedicate disaster-recovery funds provided by Congress to the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project in Lake County.
In February 2018, local lawmakers secured $15 million in state funding to help meet the non-federal cost share for the project.
Congress authorized the project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, Public Law 110-114.
Garamendi and Thompson are urging the Army Corps to build off this work and dedicate new funds to the project to support Lake County.
“The Middle Creek Project is critically important to help Lake County recover from recent disasters,” Garamendi said. “The project would restore 1,600 acres of crucial wetland habitat and improve precious ecosystems and water quality in Clear Lake– the second largest natural lake in California and a vital component of Lake County’s economy. The Army Corps must dedicate all available federal funding to this project, and I will continue working with Congressman Thompson to ensure Lake County has the resources needed to recover from these devastating fire seasons.”
“As Lake County continues to recover, it’s critical that we work to bring back every federal dollar and resource to bear on that effort. That’s why I joined with Rep. Garamendi in asking the Army Corps to consider the county’s request to dedicate funding to the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project. This is a critical project that will help restore local wetlands and improve water quality, and I will continue doing everything I can to assist with this and all recovery efforts,” said Thompson.
A copy of the letter Congressmen Garamendi and Thompson sent to the Army Corps can be viewed here.
Garamendi will tour the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project site on Oct. 20 with local officials.
Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA03) and Mike Thompson (D-CA05) urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dedicate disaster-recovery funds provided by Congress to the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project in Lake County.
In February 2018, local lawmakers secured $15 million in state funding to help meet the non-federal cost share for the project.
Congress authorized the project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, Public Law 110-114.
Garamendi and Thompson are urging the Army Corps to build off this work and dedicate new funds to the project to support Lake County.
“The Middle Creek Project is critically important to help Lake County recover from recent disasters,” Garamendi said. “The project would restore 1,600 acres of crucial wetland habitat and improve precious ecosystems and water quality in Clear Lake– the second largest natural lake in California and a vital component of Lake County’s economy. The Army Corps must dedicate all available federal funding to this project, and I will continue working with Congressman Thompson to ensure Lake County has the resources needed to recover from these devastating fire seasons.”
“As Lake County continues to recover, it’s critical that we work to bring back every federal dollar and resource to bear on that effort. That’s why I joined with Rep. Garamendi in asking the Army Corps to consider the county’s request to dedicate funding to the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project. This is a critical project that will help restore local wetlands and improve water quality, and I will continue doing everything I can to assist with this and all recovery efforts,” said Thompson.
A copy of the letter Congressmen Garamendi and Thompson sent to the Army Corps can be viewed here.
Garamendi will tour the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project site on Oct. 20 with local officials.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit reported that it has augmented its staffing levels for the red flag warning and forecast wind event.
The agency said that the augmentation of resources includes all hand crews to be fully staffed and ready to respond at any given time, day or night as well as all our reserve fire engines.
There will be additional staffing for its emergency command center, as well as additional staffing to fill the positions needed for the command and control functions in the event of a major fire.
An additional firefighting helicopter arrived on Tuesday to support any needs within the region, and will be based out of the Sonoma Air Attack Base.
A night reconnaissance aircraft assigned to Northern California started at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The aircraft is based out of the McClellan Reload Base and will be available through the duration of the upcoming wind event.
The primary mission will be for reconnaissance of emerging fires, and is for situational awareness and intelligence gathering only, officials said.
“Our No. 1 goal for these precautionary measures is to provide for public safety and to protect the resources of California,” Cal Fire said in a Tuesday statement.
The agency said that the augmentation of resources includes all hand crews to be fully staffed and ready to respond at any given time, day or night as well as all our reserve fire engines.
There will be additional staffing for its emergency command center, as well as additional staffing to fill the positions needed for the command and control functions in the event of a major fire.
An additional firefighting helicopter arrived on Tuesday to support any needs within the region, and will be based out of the Sonoma Air Attack Base.
A night reconnaissance aircraft assigned to Northern California started at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The aircraft is based out of the McClellan Reload Base and will be available through the duration of the upcoming wind event.
The primary mission will be for reconnaissance of emerging fires, and is for situational awareness and intelligence gathering only, officials said.
“Our No. 1 goal for these precautionary measures is to provide for public safety and to protect the resources of California,” Cal Fire said in a Tuesday statement.
On Tuesday, California's governor signed a series of bills aimed at expanding access to early and same-day voting, increasing civic engagement and improving transparency in campaign finance and redistricting.
“Voting is the foundation of our democracy,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “It is critical that we expand access to the ballot box for all eligible voters, while strengthening the integrity of our elections. The package of bills I’m signing today represent a forward-looking, responsible approach to improving elections in California.”
In the November 2018 election, nearly 12.7 million Californians cast their ballot – the highest voter turnout in a midterm election in 36 years.
These bills build on the 2019-20 state budget, which includes $87.3 million one-time funding for upgrading and replacing voting systems and technology in all 58 counties. This investment will support counties in their effort to replace voting systems and strengthen the security of California’s election infrastructure.
In addition, the budget includes $2.7 million ongoing funding to support the Secretary of State’s continued efforts in identifying and mitigating cybersecurity risks associated with voting and other sensitive information technology systems.
Expanding access at the ballot box
SB 72 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) requires conditional voter registration and provisional voting to be available at all county elections satellite offices and polling places.
AB 49 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) ensures people have more time with their ballots by requiring county elections officials to begin mailing vote by mail ballots no later than 29 days before Election Day and complete the mailings within five days.
SB 523 by Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) aligns the timeline for notices and the submission of an unsigned vote by mail ballot envelope with the deadlines established for mismatching signatures to give voters more flexibility to correct their signatures.
AB 1707 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) allows voters to use an electronic device at a polling place. The bill will allow voters to access information on their phone, tablet or other handheld device while voting.
Campaign accountability
SB 47 by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) helps voters make informed decisions by requiring initiative signature gatherers to disclose the top three funders of the committee organizing the campaign to voters before they sign to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
AB 201 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) requires a text message that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure to disclose the entity that paid for the text message, unless certain conditions are met and as specified.
AB 571 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) establishes default campaign contribution limits for county and city office and allows local governments to establish their own limits.
SB 71 by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) prohibits the expenditure of campaign funds and legal defense funds to pay or reimburse a candidate or elected officer for penalties, judgements, or settlements related to claims of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment.
Civic engagement
AB 59 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) requires county elections officials to consider placing a vote center on a university or college campus and allows public college and university buildings to be used as polling places or vote centers.
AB 963 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) establishes the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act to be administered by the Secretary of State, which requires each campus of the California Community Colleges (CCCs) and the California State University (CSU), to provide students with civic and election dates and information, and designate one person per campus as a Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator.
AB 1666 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace) requires the California Complete Count – Census 2020 to partner with local educational agencies to make information about the 2020 federal census available to students and parents.
Strengthening local elections
SB 359 by Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) permits a municipal referendum petition to contain an impartial summary of the ordinance instead of the text of the ordinance itself.
SB 681 by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) authorizes the proponent of a local referendum or charter amendment initiative to withdraw the measure prior to election.
Additional legislation
AB 849 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) reforms California's local redistricting laws to improve criteria, transparency and public engagement to make sure the process is more fair and consistent.
AB 864 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) makes minor technical, and clarifying changes to the content and format of disclosure statements required to appear on campaign communications.
AB 1829 by the Committee on Elections and Redistricting makes minor, technical, and corresponding changes to the Elections Code.
SB 151 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) permits an elected state official who is subject to a recall election to have their party preference identified on the recall ballot.
Previously, the governor signed SB 641 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), which extends the timeline the governor has to declare a special election to enable more special elections to be consolidated – saving taxpayer money and increasing voter turnout – as well as AB 220 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), which allows candidates to use campaign funds for child care expenses, which can encourage more parents to run for office.
In total, the governor announced signing the following election-related bills:
AB 49 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – California Voter Protection Act of 2019.
AB 59 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) – Elections: polling places: college and university campuses.
AB 201 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign disclosure: text messages.
AB 571 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Political Reform Act of 1974: contribution limits.
AB 849 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) – Elections: city and county redistricting.
AB 864 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Political Reform Act of 1974: disclosures.
AB 963 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) – Public postsecondary education: Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act.
AB 1666 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace) – The California Complete Count: local educational agencies.
AB 1707 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) – Polling places: handheld devices.
AB 1829 by the Committee on Elections and Redistricting – Elections.
SB 47 by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Initiative, referendum, and recall petitions: disclosures.
SB 71 by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) – Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign expenditures: limitations.
SB 72 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Conditional voter registration: provisional ballots.
SB 151 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Elections.
SB 359 by Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) – Elections: referendum.
SB 523 by Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Elections: vote by mail ballots.
SB 681 by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) – Local referenda and charter amendments: withdrawal.
“Voting is the foundation of our democracy,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “It is critical that we expand access to the ballot box for all eligible voters, while strengthening the integrity of our elections. The package of bills I’m signing today represent a forward-looking, responsible approach to improving elections in California.”
In the November 2018 election, nearly 12.7 million Californians cast their ballot – the highest voter turnout in a midterm election in 36 years.
These bills build on the 2019-20 state budget, which includes $87.3 million one-time funding for upgrading and replacing voting systems and technology in all 58 counties. This investment will support counties in their effort to replace voting systems and strengthen the security of California’s election infrastructure.
In addition, the budget includes $2.7 million ongoing funding to support the Secretary of State’s continued efforts in identifying and mitigating cybersecurity risks associated with voting and other sensitive information technology systems.
Expanding access at the ballot box
SB 72 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) requires conditional voter registration and provisional voting to be available at all county elections satellite offices and polling places.
AB 49 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) ensures people have more time with their ballots by requiring county elections officials to begin mailing vote by mail ballots no later than 29 days before Election Day and complete the mailings within five days.
SB 523 by Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) aligns the timeline for notices and the submission of an unsigned vote by mail ballot envelope with the deadlines established for mismatching signatures to give voters more flexibility to correct their signatures.
AB 1707 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) allows voters to use an electronic device at a polling place. The bill will allow voters to access information on their phone, tablet or other handheld device while voting.
Campaign accountability
SB 47 by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) helps voters make informed decisions by requiring initiative signature gatherers to disclose the top three funders of the committee organizing the campaign to voters before they sign to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
AB 201 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) requires a text message that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure to disclose the entity that paid for the text message, unless certain conditions are met and as specified.
AB 571 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) establishes default campaign contribution limits for county and city office and allows local governments to establish their own limits.
SB 71 by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) prohibits the expenditure of campaign funds and legal defense funds to pay or reimburse a candidate or elected officer for penalties, judgements, or settlements related to claims of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment.
Civic engagement
AB 59 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) requires county elections officials to consider placing a vote center on a university or college campus and allows public college and university buildings to be used as polling places or vote centers.
AB 963 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) establishes the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act to be administered by the Secretary of State, which requires each campus of the California Community Colleges (CCCs) and the California State University (CSU), to provide students with civic and election dates and information, and designate one person per campus as a Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator.
AB 1666 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace) requires the California Complete Count – Census 2020 to partner with local educational agencies to make information about the 2020 federal census available to students and parents.
Strengthening local elections
SB 359 by Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) permits a municipal referendum petition to contain an impartial summary of the ordinance instead of the text of the ordinance itself.
SB 681 by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) authorizes the proponent of a local referendum or charter amendment initiative to withdraw the measure prior to election.
Additional legislation
AB 849 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) reforms California's local redistricting laws to improve criteria, transparency and public engagement to make sure the process is more fair and consistent.
AB 864 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) makes minor technical, and clarifying changes to the content and format of disclosure statements required to appear on campaign communications.
AB 1829 by the Committee on Elections and Redistricting makes minor, technical, and corresponding changes to the Elections Code.
SB 151 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) permits an elected state official who is subject to a recall election to have their party preference identified on the recall ballot.
Previously, the governor signed SB 641 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), which extends the timeline the governor has to declare a special election to enable more special elections to be consolidated – saving taxpayer money and increasing voter turnout – as well as AB 220 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), which allows candidates to use campaign funds for child care expenses, which can encourage more parents to run for office.
In total, the governor announced signing the following election-related bills:
AB 49 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – California Voter Protection Act of 2019.
AB 59 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) – Elections: polling places: college and university campuses.
AB 201 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign disclosure: text messages.
AB 571 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Political Reform Act of 1974: contribution limits.
AB 849 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) – Elections: city and county redistricting.
AB 864 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Political Reform Act of 1974: disclosures.
AB 963 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) – Public postsecondary education: Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act.
AB 1666 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace) – The California Complete Count: local educational agencies.
AB 1707 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) – Polling places: handheld devices.
AB 1829 by the Committee on Elections and Redistricting – Elections.
SB 47 by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Initiative, referendum, and recall petitions: disclosures.
SB 71 by Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) – Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign expenditures: limitations.
SB 72 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Conditional voter registration: provisional ballots.
SB 151 by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Elections.
SB 359 by Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) – Elections: referendum.
SB 523 by Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Elections: vote by mail ballots.
SB 681 by Sen. Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) – Local referenda and charter amendments: withdrawal.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the National Weather Service issuing a red flag warning for a large portion of Northern California, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has expanded the scope of an already massive planned public safety power shutoff that now includes 34 of California’s 58 counties, with the time of the outage also moved up by several hours.
The National Weather Service’s red flag warning will be in effect from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday. It includes Lake and many counties from Humboldt and Shasta in the north and extending south to the Bay Area.
Forecasters are warning of north to northeast winds of between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
A previously issued wind advisory also remains in effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday through noon on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
In response, on Tuesday, PG&E said it has added portions of Humboldt and Marin counties to the planned outage area, which covers much of Northern California, the Bay Area and portions of Central California.
More than 800,000 customers are expected to be impacted by the shutoff, PG&E said.
Originally, the shutoff was expected to begin at about 4 a.m. Wednesday.
However, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News on Tuesday afternoon that it’s now expected to begin at 12 a.m. Wednesday.
Lake County News called PG&E’s media line for an update and comment on the situation but did not get an immediate reply. The company’s Web site also appeared to be timing out due to traffic issues.
Outage maps the utility published late Monday night had shown parts of Kelseyville and Hidden Valley Lake being out of the planned outage area. That also changed on Tuesday.
“They expanded the scope of the impact to customers,” said Martin, noting that now the areas in Hidden Valley Lake and Kelseyville that previously had appeared to be clear are included in the shutoff area in Lake County.
“Every populated area of the county is going to be hit,” Martin said.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said PG&E has confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon that the shutoff for the city of Lakeport also will start around midnight.
He said the entire city is expected to be impacted.
However, city facilities, the police station and city hall will be open and operational. Rasmussen said the police department will have increased staffing on during the nighttime hours to patrol neighborhoods and business districts.
In addition, Lakeport Public Works will have nighttime staffing to monitor water and sewer infrastructure which the city anticipates will remain fully operational, Rasmussen said.
Likewise, in the city of Clearlake, City Manager Alan Flora said the city intends to maintain normal operations at City Hall, including having its council meeting on Thursday evening.
Flora recently has reported to the council that backup generators and additional fuel tanks were in place to allow the city to continue operations during the shutoff.
Regarding county operations, Matthew Rothstein of the County Administrative Office said the courthouse – which has new generators thanks to a recent decision by the Board of Supervisors – is anticipated to remain open.
Krista LeVier, Lake County Superior Court executive officer, said that because of the generator the county purchased for the building, the courts – located on the fourth floor – will be operational.
“All court calendars, public counters and phones should remain open as scheduled,” she said.
However, the Clearlake courthouse does not have generator power and would need to be closed if in fact the shutoff impacts that facility, LeVier said.
“In the event of a power outage causing the closure of our Clearlake courthouse, we will have a drop box available for court filings and we will accept filings at the Lakeport courthouse during the outage,” she explained.
The widespread impacts will include education. The county’s schools have confirmed they will be closed during the outage, with most not having the generator capacity to keep operations going.
One of the key concerns is how long the shutoff could last, given the large impact area.
Rasmussen said PG&E has reported that it expects to start turning power back on Friday morning, but it could take up to five days for some people to have power again.
In neighboring Sonoma County, officials said they are preparing for an extended shutoff, with 262,000 residents expected to be impacted.
Sonoma County officials said PG&E has reported that it expects to begin to restore power there on Thursday at about noon, but the process could be delayed, especially if there is wind-related damage to PG&E’s system.
The county of Sonoma and city of Santa Rosa are advocating for a gubernatorial emergency proclamation in preparation for the consequences of the shutoff. Both agencies proclaimed a state of local emergency on Monday after being notified of the possibility of the now confirmed deenergization event by PG&E.
PG&E will open a community resource center for Lake County at the Clearlake Senior Center at 3245 Bowers Ave in Clearlake. It will be open on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Martin said all of the impacted counties are only getting one resource center each because PG&E is tapped out on vendors to help run the centers.
“Every community is wanting more than one but every county is getting only one,” he said.
Martin added, “It’s going to impact everybody. I hope people are prepared.”
For additional information
City of Clearlake
https://www.clearlake.ca.us/356/Public-Safety-Power-Shutoff
County of Lake
http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Residents/Emergencies/PSPS.htm
City of Lakeport
https://www.cityoflakeport.com/public_safety_power_shutoff.php
PG&E
To learn more about a PG&E’s power shutoff, visit www.PGE.com/weather or www.pge.com/psps , or call PG&E’s 24-hour power outage information center at 1-800-743-5002.
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 National Weather Service’s red flag warning will be in effect from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday. It includes Lake and many counties from Humboldt and Shasta in the north and extending south to the Bay Area.
Forecasters are warning of north to northeast winds of between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
A previously issued wind advisory also remains in effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday through noon on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
In response, on Tuesday, PG&E said it has added portions of Humboldt and Marin counties to the planned outage area, which covers much of Northern California, the Bay Area and portions of Central California.
More than 800,000 customers are expected to be impacted by the shutoff, PG&E said.
Originally, the shutoff was expected to begin at about 4 a.m. Wednesday.
However, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin told Lake County News on Tuesday afternoon that it’s now expected to begin at 12 a.m. Wednesday.
Lake County News called PG&E’s media line for an update and comment on the situation but did not get an immediate reply. The company’s Web site also appeared to be timing out due to traffic issues.
Outage maps the utility published late Monday night had shown parts of Kelseyville and Hidden Valley Lake being out of the planned outage area. That also changed on Tuesday.
“They expanded the scope of the impact to customers,” said Martin, noting that now the areas in Hidden Valley Lake and Kelseyville that previously had appeared to be clear are included in the shutoff area in Lake County.
“Every populated area of the county is going to be hit,” Martin said.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said PG&E has confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon that the shutoff for the city of Lakeport also will start around midnight.
He said the entire city is expected to be impacted.
However, city facilities, the police station and city hall will be open and operational. Rasmussen said the police department will have increased staffing on during the nighttime hours to patrol neighborhoods and business districts.
In addition, Lakeport Public Works will have nighttime staffing to monitor water and sewer infrastructure which the city anticipates will remain fully operational, Rasmussen said.
Likewise, in the city of Clearlake, City Manager Alan Flora said the city intends to maintain normal operations at City Hall, including having its council meeting on Thursday evening.
Flora recently has reported to the council that backup generators and additional fuel tanks were in place to allow the city to continue operations during the shutoff.
Regarding county operations, Matthew Rothstein of the County Administrative Office said the courthouse – which has new generators thanks to a recent decision by the Board of Supervisors – is anticipated to remain open.
Krista LeVier, Lake County Superior Court executive officer, said that because of the generator the county purchased for the building, the courts – located on the fourth floor – will be operational.
“All court calendars, public counters and phones should remain open as scheduled,” she said.
However, the Clearlake courthouse does not have generator power and would need to be closed if in fact the shutoff impacts that facility, LeVier said.
“In the event of a power outage causing the closure of our Clearlake courthouse, we will have a drop box available for court filings and we will accept filings at the Lakeport courthouse during the outage,” she explained.
The widespread impacts will include education. The county’s schools have confirmed they will be closed during the outage, with most not having the generator capacity to keep operations going.
One of the key concerns is how long the shutoff could last, given the large impact area.
Rasmussen said PG&E has reported that it expects to start turning power back on Friday morning, but it could take up to five days for some people to have power again.
In neighboring Sonoma County, officials said they are preparing for an extended shutoff, with 262,000 residents expected to be impacted.
Sonoma County officials said PG&E has reported that it expects to begin to restore power there on Thursday at about noon, but the process could be delayed, especially if there is wind-related damage to PG&E’s system.
The county of Sonoma and city of Santa Rosa are advocating for a gubernatorial emergency proclamation in preparation for the consequences of the shutoff. Both agencies proclaimed a state of local emergency on Monday after being notified of the possibility of the now confirmed deenergization event by PG&E.
PG&E will open a community resource center for Lake County at the Clearlake Senior Center at 3245 Bowers Ave in Clearlake. It will be open on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Martin said all of the impacted counties are only getting one resource center each because PG&E is tapped out on vendors to help run the centers.
“Every community is wanting more than one but every county is getting only one,” he said.
Martin added, “It’s going to impact everybody. I hope people are prepared.”
For additional information
City of Clearlake
https://www.clearlake.ca.us/356/Public-Safety-Power-Shutoff
County of Lake
http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Residents/Emergencies/PSPS.htm
City of Lakeport
https://www.cityoflakeport.com/public_safety_power_shutoff.php
PG&E
To learn more about a PG&E’s power shutoff, visit www.PGE.com/weather or www.pge.com/psps , or call PG&E’s 24-hour power outage information center at 1-800-743-5002.
Email Elizabeth Larson at