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The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
At the start of the meeting, animal shelter staff will present August’s adoptable dogs.
The council’s main item of business in open session on Thursday is consideration of the first reading of Ordinance No. 233-2019, amending city rules to add locations near businesses to the public places – such as parks – where smoking is now restricted.
Council members also will consider setting a second reading and adoption of the ordinance at its Sept. 12 meeting.
The report from Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson and Police Chief Andrew White explains, “State law regulates smoking and a local agency is also authorized to regulate smoking if the regulations are not inconsistent with state laws and the local agency makes findings and determinations that the regulations will reduce health risks associated with smoking and secondhand smoke and promote the public health and welfare. As Council is aware, Lake County was recently rated the least healthy county in the state.”
Swanson and White note that at the July 25 council meeting, staff was directed to bring forward an ordinance prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of any commercial building entrance/egress. Based on that July council discussion, staff has prepared an ordinance which defines those areas and sets regulations.
Their report explains that smoking is currently prohibited in any Clearlake park, which the council passed by ordinance in 2012. “This ordinance will amend that code section in its entirety to include the additional provisions of businesses.”
Some of the details and restrictions requested by the council previously included grocery stores and multi-unit commercial retail stores, bus stops and signage, the report said.
“The proposed ordinance prohibits smoking within twenty-five feet of businesses, such as grocery stores and strip malls, as well as public recreation areas, parks, hiking trails, and service areas, such as bus stops and ATMs,” Swanson and White wrote.
They said the ordinance’s enforcement will be under the current administrative penalties section of the municipal code. “The City will have the right to require the posting of ‘No Smoking’ signs for areas that have repeated violations of the ordinance.”
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers and minutes of the July 10 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting.
The council also will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Management/Confidential Employees, Clearlake Police Officer Association, Clearlake Municipal Employees Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association, and a conference with legal counsel regarding an existing case of litigation against Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
082219 Clearlake City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The public and families are invited to join a free dedication ceremony for two new osprey educational signs installed at Lakeside County Park in Kelseyville.
The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the park, 1985 Park Drive, Kelseyville.
The signs are near the new osprey nest pole erected last February by the Redbud Audubon Society.
The pole replaced a diseased tree where an osprey pair had nested for many years. Redbud Audubon purchased and installed the pole with a $10,000 grant from Calpine Corp. to Redbud’s ongoing Osprey Fund.
Because the pole is in an open area in the center of the park, visible from all directions, the Board of Supervisors’ Fish & Wildlife Advisory Committee approved $5,000 for Redbud Audubon to commission a colorful ospreys interpretive panel explaining this interesting species.
Often called the “fish hawk,” osprey dive for fish in Clear Lake and bring them to the nest to feed the family during the months of incubating and parenting several chicks.
Many Hispanic families regularly visit this popular park, so the advisory committee asked Redbud Audubon to produce two panels, one in English and one in Spanish.
The finished panels were presented to the Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday morning meeting and then installed at the park.
The 30-minute dedication on Saturday will be followed by refreshments at this free event.
Redbud Audubon encourages the public to attend and celebrate these nature education gifts to Lake County.
The Redbud Audubon Society is one of the oldest environmental organizations in Lake County. It was founded in 1976. It is a local, nonprofit organization under the auspices of The National Audubon Society.
The society holds monthly educational programs and field trips from September through May and also presents the annual Heron Days event which will be celebrating its 25th year in the spring of 2020.
For more information about the Redbud Audubon Society, visit www.redbudaudubon.org.
The Lake County Association of Realtors, or LCAOR, reported that the number of single-family residential sales in Lake County for July rose by 21 percent over June sales, following a statewide trend.
There were 98 sales in July compared to 81 sales in June. In July of 2018 there were 75 sales, making the year-to-year gain 30.7 percent.
The median sales price for July was $252,2000 down 6.5 percent from the June median of $270,000. The median was up 1.0 percent over the July 2018 median of $249,900.
“Favorable interest rates have helped sales,” said 2019 LCAOR President Mary Benson. “Mortgage rates have dipped to their lowest level in nearly three years and that combined with five consecutive months of lower rates has given buyers more purchasing power.”
Financing trends remained similar to previous months and recent years. Cash buyers purchased 20.5 percent of the sold homes, conventional loans 38.8 percent and FHA 19.4 percent. VA loans accounted for 8.2 percent of the sales and USDA loans 6.1 percent.
On a statewide basis the California Association of Realtors reported that the median sales price in California for July was $607,990, down 0.4 percent from June and up 2.8 percent from July 2018.
Existing, single-family home sales totaled 441,630 in July on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 5.6 percent from June and up 1.1 percent from July 2018. July posted the first year-over-year sales gain and the highest sales level in fifteen months.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.77 percent in July, down from 4.53 percent in July 2018, according to Freddie Mac.
The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.47 percent, compared to 3.84 percent in July 2018.
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
July 2019
Median price: $252,500
Units sold: 98
Median days to sell: 37
June 2019
Median price: $270,000
Units sold: 81
Median days to sell: 35
July 2018
Median price: $249,900
Units sold: 75
Median days to sell: 45
As director of the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies, I regularly talk to people about how they can use data to help their communities thrive.
The decennial census is particularly important – and the next one is less than a year away.
People living in rural and small town America in particular have much at stake in the 2020 census. Unfortunately, census participation tends to be lower in rural areas.
Our research network – including the State Data Center of Mississippi, Mississippi Kids Count Program and the Southern Rural Development Center – has been working to better understand potential barriers to census participation.
Valuable data
Legally mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census is an effort to count all people living on American soil for the primary purpose of apportioning political representation in the federal government. Census data are also used for drawing political boundaries for local, state and federal elections.
Government agencies must use decennial census data, often coupled with data from the American Community Survey, to help determine government funding for rural development, infrastructure and health initiatives.
Census counts are also used to determine what places are considered rural or urban and where counties fall along the rural-urban continuum.
Researchers focusing on rural America, like myself, are concerned with many issues that census data can help us to understand.
For instance, the rate of population loss in rural America has declined and even slightly reversed in recent years. However, there can be vast differences between regions. As noted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s John Cromartie and Dennis Vilorio, “People moving to rural areas tend to persistently favor more densely settled rural areas with attractive scenic qualities, or those near large cities. Fewer are moving to sparsely settled, less scenic, and more remote locations, which compounds economic development challenges in those areas.”
2020 census data will help to improve demographers’ calculations of similar statistics to show rates and patterns of net migration. This information can be used to help leaders better understand and plan for population shifts.
Low rural turnout
If many people don’t participate in the census, the data will be far less accurate. And rural people are less likely to take part.
In 2010, an average 73% of households returned the mailed version of the form. My analysis of mail response rates by the rural-urban continuum codes showed an average of 68% for non-metropolitan counties, compared with 75% for metropolitan counties.
Analysts have been trying to better understand why some populations are harder to count. There are numerous barriers to participation in decennial censuses. Many people have limited knowledge about the census. Others distrust the government and are concerned about the confidentiality of their information.
Although rural America tends to do better on some indicators used to predict potential census participation, people who live in poverty and are isolated may be at a particular disadvantage.
In 2020, for the first time, the census will offer an avenue for online participation, with the hope this will make it easier for people to complete the questionnaire more efficiently. This is promising, but some rural places have limited access to broadband internet service.
Encouraging participation
Our research network cross-referenced Census Bureau data with data on family and poverty characteristics to identify communities we thought would be likely to have lower participation in 2020.
Identifying two rural places and one urban, we held workshops with local stakeholders, including teachers, nonprofit leaders and clergy. We discussed challenges and opportunities for participating in the 2020 census, messaging that would resonate in their communities, and strategies for further engagement.
People can promote participation in the 2020 census by discussing it with family members, neighbors, church members and work colleagues. Materials available from the U.S. Census Bureau can help.
We also emphasize that people can form or join Complete Count Committees which promote an accurate count of the population in their communities. For example, participants might coordinate census promotion campaigns within churches, or develop community celebrations that feature the civic duty of census participation.
The 2020 census will be important for all Americans, but for those who live, work and care about rural communities and small towns, it will be critically important. I hope that Americans can work together to make sure that rural areas are accurately counted if they are to get their fair share.
[You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]
John J. Green, Professor of Sociology, University of Mississippi
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A first-of-its-kind effort over the weekend removed tons of vegetation along Soda Bay Road in an attempt to protect the thousands of homes nearby.
Supervisor Rob Brown’s “1,000 Hands to Protect Lake County Homes” took place on Saturday morning along a six-mile stretch of Soda Bay Road from the Clear Lake Riviera to Soda Bay.
“It was very successful,” Brown said.
He said he had never heard of such an event happening previously. He organized it to give some added buffer to protect against roadside fires in the Soda Bay corridor, where an estimated 12,000 of Lake County’s 65,000 residents live.
Brown had been seeking about 500 volunteers to work from 6 to 10 a.m. Saturday.
He said about 300 people showed up, getting so much done so quickly that the work was wrapped up by 9 a.m.
“It was amazing,” said Brown, who added that the area now looks so good with the roadside brush cleared and removed.
Brown said there were a surprising number of people who came from all over Lake County to assist in the effort. Among them were county employees, Cal Fire officials and homeowners association members. He said assistance also came from the Bureau of Land Management workers, Caltrans and Lake County Waste Solutions.
“I was nervous about it. I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
But he said there were 100 people waiting to get started at 6 a.m., with the rest joining shortly thereafter.
They parked along Soda Bay Road, where the southbound lane was closed from Riviera Heights Drive to Point Lakeview Road, and got to work with weed wackers and hand tools. Brown said they were assisted by county crews, many of them volunteering their time.
Brown said the volunteers were tearing it up. “It looked like a bunch of volunteer beavers,” he joked.
“I can’t even believe how much work they got done in such a short amount of time,” Brown said, adding he appreciated and was proud of those who participated.
He said county staff has estimated that they’ve removed 40 dump truck loads of brush that volunteers cut that morning.
Brown said he is not yet sure if he will do another event soon, as it will depend on the fuel load, but he believes other supervisors are looking at holding similar events in their districts.
On Sunday, Brown followed up with a fire extinguisher giveaway at Riviera Elementary. He said there are still some of the fire extinguishers left, and he’ll be following up with an announcement on how those who still want the fire extinguishers can pick one up in Kelseyville.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair’s chief executive officer will soon be heading east to take on a new job.
Courtny Conkle has been hired as the manager of the Wyoming State Fair.
Conkle began as Lake County Fair CEO in November 2017. Her last day with the fair will be Thursday, Sept. 19.
She and her fiance, Ronan O'Rourke, will relocate next month, as she’s due to begin her new job in Wyoming in Sept. 23.
The timeline of Conkle’s departure allows her to oversee the upcoming Lake County Fair, which takes place Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
Conkle is a wunderkind of fair management, having grown up in the industry.
“My mom went into labor at a fair so it’s in my blood,” she said.
She comes from a fair concessionaire family, and working at fairs with her father’s business, Conkle’s Concessions, was her first job.
So far, Conkle has worked for seven years in fair administration. Before coming to the Lake County Fair, she managed fair admissions for the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa and exhibits for the Sonoma-Marin Fair held in Petaluma, and acted as interim chief executive officer and fair manager for the Sonoma-Marin Fair.
She’s also been a member of the Western Fairs Association Board of Directors, served as Service Member Board of Directors first vice chair and International Association of Fairs and Expositions Young Professionals Initiative Zone 8 chair, and was organizing chair and board liaison for the Western Fairs Association Blue Ribbon Foundation.
“One of my ultimate career goals is to become a state fair manager,” she said, and that was a goal she believed was probably at least another decade out.
Then, earlier this summer, the Wyoming State Fair began to seek its new manager.
Conkle said she was one of more than 80 people who applied. “A few weeks ago I was taken into the top three.”
She traveled to Wyoming for the interview by the state fair board and later that afternoon she got a call asking if she was interested in the position. She accepted.
“The Wyoming State Fair is undergoing some pretty major changes with the way it’s structured,” she said, describing it as a “fresh beginning.”
The Wyoming State Fair Board – appointed by the governor – previously was an advisory board under the umbrella of the State Department of Agriculture. However, Conkle said it’s now transitioning to the first governing fair board.
The state fair manager is a governor-appointed position, Conkle said.
On Aug. 8, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon confirmed the state fair board’s selection of Conkle and her appointment.
Conkle said this is a unique opportunity for her to help the Wyoming State Fair move to its next level. “I think they’re getting ready to enter their golden age,” which she explains is when the fair is central to the community.
The Wyoming State Fair, now in its 106th year, is based in Douglas, which is located in Converse County in eastern Wyoming, about two hours north of the capital of Cheyenne. It has about 6,500 residents, Conkle said, making it comparable – and just a little larger – than Lakeport.
The state fairgrounds in Douglas is 118 acres – compared to the Lake County Fairgrounds at 34 acres – and also hosts the Douglas County Fair, which takes place earlier in the summer, Conkle said.
The Wyoming State Fair took place last week, and Conkle was there to see it in person before flying home on Friday to get back to work preparing for her last Lake County Fair.
Conkle said she and her new board will be looking at annual attendance at the Wyoming State Fair. Based on the record keeping, it looks like around 45,000 people, but she said she would venture it’s actually twice that number, noting they haven’t done the most accurate accounting previously.
That’s compared to the average 45,000 attendees at the Lake County Fair, a number that Conkle said counts exhibitors, vendors and comped passes. “That’s a pretty true count of the people who are actually on that grounds.”
Conkle said that she will help the Lake County Fair Board with recruiting her successor. Applications opened for the job this week.
She said the Lake County Fair Board would like to have someone selected by Oct. 1. However, “They want to make sure they get the best candidates possible,” so they will lengthen the recruitment period if necessary.
Applications are available on the fair Web site or at the office, 401 Martin St. For more information, call the fair office at 707-263-6181.
Email Elizabeth Larson at