News

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake is inviting the community to give input on a new local hazard mitigation plan.

The plan is being developed by the city of Clearlake in conjunction with the Lake County Fire Protection District.

“Emergency preparedness is a priority of the council and city staff, working in partnership with the Lake County Fire Protection District. We invite you to join us in forming a plan to lessen the impacts of a disaster in our community,” said Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora.

Fires, floods, earthquakes and severe weather are just a few of the hazards to the Clearlake community.

While natural hazards such as these cannot be prevented, a hazard mitigation plan forms the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction.

Additionally, only communities with a Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved hazard mitigation plan are eligible to apply for both pre- and post-disaster mitigation grant funding.

The process began in October 2018 with an initial public meeting and the establishment of a planning committee comprised of city departments and other key stakeholders.

The plan is scheduled to be finalized and submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA in June 2019.

The public review draft of the local hazard mitigation plan is available online at www.clearlake.ca.us .

Printed copies also are available at the Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake, and Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

A final public meeting to review and provide comments on the public review draft local hazard mitigation plan is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The city encourages attendance and input from the general public at the upcoming meeting.

The public also can provide input on the draft plan by emailing comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With rain and snow forecast in much of California this holiday weekend, now is the time to prepare for wildfire; don’t let the cooler weather fool you.

Cal Fire is urging Californians to keep everyone safe if you plan to recreate outdoors for the Memorial Day weekend.

“Although most of California is experiencing unseasonably cooler temperatures, our dry climate means that we are continually susceptible to wildfires,” said Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire director. “With the cooler weather, don’t let your guard down as the abundant growth of plants, shrubs and grass will dry out quickly and become a large tinder box for wildfire. We all need to do our part to ensure we are being safe when working or recreating outdoors by taking precautions to avoid sparking a wildfire.”

Since Jan. 1, Cal Fire has responded to more than 736 wildfires that have burned nearly 1,361 acres.

If you plan on driving to your holiday destination:

– Ensure your vehicle is properly maintained with nothing dragging on the ground, which can cause a spark and potentially cause a wildfire.
– When towing, make sure trailer chains are properly secured, and never drive or pull over into dry grass, which can start a wildfire.

If you plan on going camping:

– If you plan on having a campfire, make sure it is legal to do so. Clear away grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of the ring; make sure all campfires are completely extinguished before leaving. Buy your firewood where you burn it, that way you aren’t spreading dangerous insects and diseases, which can kill millions of trees. If your campsite is more than 50 miles away, call the state or federal park, or forests closest to the site and ask if they know of local distributors.
– Make sure to obtain a campfire permit at www.PreventWildfireCA.org and check for local fire restrictions.
– If you are grilling, never leave the grill unattended, and always watch what you are grilling.

Fire is not the only danger that can occur in the outdoors; water drownings also increase dramatically during Memorial Day weekend.

If you plan to brave the chilly waters this weekend, here are some tips:

– As the snowpack continues to melt, the rivers and lakes will run fast and cold, making them very dangerous. When you are in the water, never swim alone and if you aren’t a strong swimmer, always wear a life jacket.
– Children should always be supervised by a responsible adult within arm’s reach.
Be particularly cautious of rivers and waterways with rapid currents and never underestimate calm water.
– And lastly, drinking while boating/swimming is just as dangerous as drinking and driving on the roadways.

Californians are encouraged to be safe this holiday weekend and remember that one less spark means one less wildfire.

For more ways to be safe this holiday, visit www.fire.ca.gov or www.ReadyforWildfire.org .

NASA's Mars 2020 spacecraft has completed acoustic and thermal vacuum, or TVAC, testing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The acoustic test of the spacecraft that will carry the Mars 2020 rover to a soft touchdown in Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, is the best Earthly approximation for what the spacecraft will endure during launch, where it will encounter potentially destructive levels of sound and vibration.

TVAC introduces the vacuum and extreme temperatures of space that could cause components to malfunction or fail.

"First we blast it with sound to make sure nothing vibrates loose," said David Gruel, the Mars 2020 assembly, test and launch operations manager at JPL. "Then, after a thorough examination, we 'put it in space' by placing the spacecraft in this huge vacuum chamber we have here at JPL. We pump out the atmosphere, then chill parts of it and cook others while testing the performance of the entire spacecraft."

The first part of the process occurred on April 12, when the spacecraft "stack" was bombarded by sound from nitrogen-pressurized speakers in JPL's Acoustic Test Chamber. The stack includes the aeroshell as well as a rover stand-in (the real rover is undergoing final assembly in JPL's High Bay 1 cleanroom) and other components. Together, they are assembled, or stacked, in the same configuration as when it launches toward Mars in July 2020.

"We test the hardware components with a random noise spectrum in order to replicate a launch environment," said Andy Rose, manager of the Environmental Test Facilities at JPL. "We reach sound levels as high as 150 decibels, which would really rattle your fillings if you were inside the chamber at the time."

Of course, the technicians waited for each several-minute run to end before opening the chamber door to inspect the spacecraft in their cleanroom attire (the spacecraft must remain contamination-free to adhere to planetary protection rules). By day's end, the stack had been acoustically tested and inspected six times. Then the vehicle was double-bagged in clean antistatic nylon film and transported back to the Spacecraft Assembly Facility's High Bay 1 cleanroom.

"For the acoustic test, the stack had the heat shield pointed up, but for the thermal vacuum test, it had to be down," said Gruel. "The best place to turn it over is the cleanroom, where we have a fixture designed for that process." Once the stack passed muster, the team rebagged it and sent it out for thermal testing.

Into the cold

On April 26, the stack entered JPL's 25-foot-wide, 85-foot-tall (8-meter-by-26-meter) Space Simulator Facility. The historic chamber has hosted spacecraft from NASA's Mariner missions of the early 1960s to Voyager and Cassini to all of the Mars rovers. The 2020 stack was suspended from cables so the cold realities of interplanetary cruise could hit the spacecraft from every angle.

With the 16-ton door closed, a near-vacuum environment was established. Then, as the Mars 2020 test team looked on, the baffled chamber walls were flooded with liquid nitrogen to chill it to -200 degrees Fahrenheit (-129 degrees Celsius).

To simulate the Sun's rays that Mars 2020 will encounter during its voyage, powerful xenon lamps several floors below the chamber illuminated, their light directed onto a mirror at the top of the chamber and reflected down on the spacecraft. Eight days later the lamps were turned off, atmosphere was reintroduced to the chamber, and the door opened. Acoustic and thermal vacuum testing was complete.

"This is the most comprehensive stress test you can put a spacecraft through here on Earth," said Gruel. "We flew in our simulated space environment for a week and a day, checking and rechecking the performance of every onboard system and subsystem. And everything looked great – which is a good thing, because next time this spacecraft stack hits a vacuum, it will be on its way to Mars for real."

On May 10, the stack returned yet again to the High Bay 1 cleanroom. Just feet away, technicians worked on the 2,314-pound (1,050-kilogram) Mars 2020 rover that will be part of the stack at launch. The rover already had more than 90% of the components that will make up the interior of the chassis, from the science instruments and computers to subsystems and electrical boxes to the organized tangle of electrical wiring connecting them all.

The 2020 rover carries an entirely new suite of instruments, including a sample-caching system that will collect samples of Mars for return to Earth on subsequent missions. The mission will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July of 2020 and land at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

The Mars 2020 Project at JPL manages rover development for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

For more information on Mars 2020, visit https://www.nasa.gov/mars2020 .

For more information about NASA's exploration of Mars, visit https://www.nasa.gov/mars .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday the Lake County Planning Commission denied a cellular communications colocation project in Middletown that had drawn the ire of residents due to its close proximity to homes and their concerns over negative health impacts.

Commissioners Batsulwin Brown and Dan Camacho, and Chair John Hess unanimously voted down the minor use permit and variance request submitted by Cellco Partnership, on behalf of Verizon Wireless, for the project at 21347 Highway 175. Commissioners Bob Malley and Daniel Suenram were absent from the meeting.

Verizon proposed to place nine 4G antennas on a 60-foot-tall lattice tower built 37 years ago and owned by Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. and operated by AT&T and Mobility.

One of the key issues for residents was that the tower is on a 0.15-acre property surrounded by residences.

The Lake County Zoning Ordinance requires 50-foot property line setbacks for such projects from commercial properties and 100-foot setbacks from homes. In this case, Verizon was seeking a variance to reduce the setback to, in the case of the distance from Rosemary Cordova’s property, 43 inches.

Community Development Department Senior Planner Mark Roberts noted that in 1984 the project site and surrounding parcels were zoned “R-3-MH,” multi-family residential, transient residential, professional office district and mobile home district. In 1990, the project parcel and adjacent and surrounding properties were rezoned “CS-DR-SC,” which means community commercial-design review and scenic combining district. The existing residential dwellings therefore became nonconforming uses.

Roberts said some of the community concerns communicated to the county about the project include the existing tower’s structural integrity, emergency vehicle access, the use permit, effects of radio frequency emissions, the use of 5G on the site and impact on property values.

Community Development Department staff had recommended approval, finding that the site was the least intrusive and trying to locate another would create unnecessary hardships. They also found that the variance conformed to the general plan.

Gerie Johnson, a land use planning specialist for Complete Wireless Consulting Inc., representing Verizon, went over the existing project conditions and noted that the area is zoned for commercial uses and development.

Johnson said that, as a wireless carrier, Verizon is required to have active licensing with the Federal Communications Commission, which wouldn’t allow Verizon to maintain its license if it didn't maintain federal regulations on how to operate, including complying with radio frequency emission requirements.

Hess asked Johnson why a structural analysis wasn’t submitted with the application. Johnson said that, due to its cost, it’s typical practice to submit that analysis at the building permit stage so it incorporates changes suggested by staff.

Referring to the staff report, Hess replied that it’s standard to submit that analysis at this point in the process. Johnson said a comprehensive structural analysis would be submitted with the building permit.

She said colocation reduces impacts to the environment and clusters similar uses. Johnson also cited the benefits of improved wireless services, including providing in-building services to 1400 residents, new in-vehicle service to Middletown, and improved wireless service for law enforcement and fire.

Health, property, precedent concerns

Several dozen people attended the Thursday afternoon hearing, and during an hour’s worth of public comment, the commission heard from 19 community members, all of them opposed to the tower colocation.

Many pointed to their investments in Middletown and their fears that their health would suffer. Those who owned properties were concerned they would lose value and those who owned rentals said their tenants were giving notice that they would move if the tower was approved.

Cordova has been an outspoken critic of the project, rallying community support and submitting extensive comments to the county.

On Wednesday, ahead of the meeting, she submitted a 13-page letter to the commission that argued a major use permit is required. She also pointed out project inconsistencies and raised issue with numerous items not included in the application packet – including some reporting requirements, lack of maps and the structural engineer’s report, and information on the site’s capacity for expansion. She questioned again the variance and the setback that’s inches from her property line. The letter was provided at the meeting.

During Thursday’s meeting, Cordova again referred to the lack of a structural engineer’s report, as required by Article 71 of the Zoning Ordinance. She said that report would look at what modifications are necessary for the tower and give the project more scrutiny.

“The tower cannot be used as it is now,” she said, noting it’s a 37-year-old tower which she said has been abandoned.

Granting the project a variance would give it and the property special privileges, she said. “This is all about 43 inches.”

Cordova, who became emotional as she spoke, held up a metal rod to show them how long 43 inches is. “It's not far enough,” she said, asking them through tears to deny the variance because the project constituted a nuisance.

Rev. Julia Bono of the Rainbow Church of Living Light also spoke against the project. Reading her comments from her cell phone, she raised concerns about impacts on health and said there are 900 signatures on a petition opposing the tower.

Bono said cell towers are listed on property sale disclosures and can reduce property value by 20 percent. She demanded they take the property value and health concerns into consideration.

Glenn Goodman, who doesn't live in Middletown but came to express his concerns about 5G technology, said people are being used as guinea pigs as the new technology is rolled out.

He said human health and intelligence are at stake. “I think we're just careening toward human extinction.”

Lisa Kaplan, the director of the Middletown Art Center, pointed to the reductions in setback and the tower’s impact on neighbors.

“Verizon is not necessary in Middletown,” she said, explaining that the town has enough cell reception. She said the tower should be put out in the hills.

Kaplan said the community has been hurt by wildland fires, and she questioned how many people have had their rebuilding efforts put off due to the need to conform to new building codes, yet the tower project was getting a pass.

Francisco Rivero, Lake County’s former sheriff, also spoke to the commission, explaining that he and his family own six properties within 1,000 feet of the tower.

Two of his tenants were in attendance and had spoken against it, another is moving out and still others have indicated they’ll move if it’s approved. “Me, too,” he said, adding he wouldn’t subject his family to the tower’s presence.

He said the FCC has shielded telecom companies by setting wireless radiation exposure rates far above other countries. “They call that safe,” he said, adding that the FCC has limited local governments’ ability to consider legitimate health concerns because it has been corrupted by lobbyists and unfettered corporate greed.

Ava Kennedy, who lives across from Middletown High School, told the commission, “This cell tower is really close to where all of these kids are going to school every day,” she said, adding, “The variances are there for a reason.”

Like Kaplan, Kennedy said many community members have struggled to rebuild after the Valley fire, and yet the tower was proposed for the variance. “No one in town wants this tower. We hate this tower, and you are here to serve us.”

Johnson asked Daniel Ro, an engineer with the Sonoma-based firm Hammett & Edison, to speak to the commission. The firm did the radio frequency exposure report for the site.

Ro told the commission that, based on the operating specifications and the simulations, the project was estimated to have less than 10 percent of the FCC public exposure limit.

As he left the podium, someone asked him if he would live under such a tower. “I do,” he said.

Commission makes decision

“There are so many ways you can measure how straight-jacketed we are” in terms of addressing location, Hess said once public comment had wrapped up, adding that FCC rules have further throttled their ability to stop the projects.

He pointed to HR 530, the Accelerating Wireless Broadband Development by Empowering Local Communities Act of 2019, a bill introduced in Congress in January by Bay Area Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, which is meant to overturn FCC regulations limiting the ability of local governments to regulate the deployment of 5G wireless infrastructure. Congressman Mike Thompson, whose district includes Middletown, is a co-sponsor.

Hess said he couldn’t support the requested variance, which earned a round of applause.

Deputy County Counsel Nicole Johnson suggested the commission could move to continue the matter until the rest of the members were present.

“We're prepared to proceed today,” said Hess, with Camacho agreeing.

Community Development Director Michalyn DelValle and Johnson held a sidebar to discuss how to proceed, with Johnson then asking for a break to see if a split vote would be a denial or a continuation. Hess said he did a head count and all three commissioners were opposed to the project.

Staff then asked for a break to work on the motion language, returning about 20 minutes later.

Camacho then offered four separate motions, starting with finding that the minor use permit and variance aren’t exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act due to it having an impact on the environment; that the minor use permit didn’t meet the zoning ordinance requirements because they couldn’t find that it was not detrimental to the comfort, safety and general welfare of the community; that the variance didn’t meet the zoning ordinance requirements; and that the colocation facility doesn’t meet the requirements of the zoning ordinance. Brown seconded all of the motions, with 3-0 votes on each.

The applicant has seven days to file an appeal of the commission’s decision.

Lake County News emailed Johnson to ask if Verizon intends to file an appeal, but she did not immediately respond.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Burns Valley Civic Center Enhancement Project is now under way in Clearlake.

The project is located on Olympic Drive between Memory Lane and Lakeshore Drive and on Lakeshore Drive between Olympic Drive and Villa Way.

Work includes curb, gutter and sidewalk installation, addition of four Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, minor removal and replacement of roadway surfacing along with new gutters, and storm drainage improvements.

Work will continue until approximately July 19.

Traffic may be delayed during hours of construction.

“The Burns Valley Civic Center Enhancement Project is the third major project currently under way in the city, which will improve both pedestrian and vehicle access around Burns Valley School, Austin Park and City Hall,” said City Manager Alan Flora. “This project is vital to creating a more walkable city.”

The project is funded using local funds as well as SB1 Local Partnership Program funding.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has another large group of dogs waiting to be adopted this week.

The kennels also have many dogs that need to be reunited with their owners. To find the lost/found pet section, click here.

The following dogs are ready for adoption.

‘Booty’

“Booty” is a female pit bull terrier mix with a brindle coat.

She is No. 2172.

‘Cadbury’

“Cadbury” is a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix with a smooth medium-length beige coat.

She is No. 1215.

‘Chico’

“Chico” is a male Chihuahua with a short tan and white coat.

He is No. 1943.

‘Chopper’

“Chopper” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short red coat.

He is No. 257.

‘Goldie’

“Goldie” is a female pit bull terrier mix with a short blonde and white coat.

She is No. 2173.

‘Jason’

“Jason” is a male pit bull mix with a short blond and white coat.

He is No. 1663.

‘Snowflake’

“Snowflake” is a male Chihuahua with a white coat.

He is No. 1864.

‘Tyson’

“Tyson” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short gray and white coat.

He is No. 1863.

‘Wynn’

“Wynn” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier with a short brindle coat.

Staff said he has been at the shelter for a few months. He loves affection and is available for adoption or through the foster to adopt program.

He’s believed to be about 6 to 7 years old.

He is No. 969.

Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.

Hours of operation area noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays.

Call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8251, Extension 1, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at the city’s Web site.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.