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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the findings of his strike force charged with examining California’s catastrophic wildfires, climate change and our energy future.
The strike force report sets out steps the state must take to reduce the incidence and severity of wildfires, including the significant wildfire mitigation and resiliency efforts the governor has already proposed.
It renews the state’s commitment to clean energy and outlines actions to hold the state’s utilities accountable, as well as recommended changes to stabilize California’s utilities to meet the energy needs of customers and the economy.
“Under the status quo, all parties lose – wildfire survivors, energy consumers and Californians committed to addressing climate change. The imperative now is on action. The strike force will continue its work going forward to advance the ideas generated in the report,” said Gov. Newsom.
In his State of the State address, the governor called for the creation of a strike force to develop a comprehensive strategy, within 60 days, to address the destabilizing effect of catastrophic wildfires on the state’s electric utilities.
He charged the strike force with developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure California’s “continued access to safe affordable power” and to “seek justice for fire victims, fairness for employees and protection for consumers.”
The report, “Wildfires and Climate Change: California’s Energy Future,” can be read below.
The report comes at a time when wildfires are not only more frequent, but far more devastating. Fifteen of the 20 most destructive wildfires in the state’s history have occurred since 2000; 10 of the most destructive fires have occurred since 2015.
Beginning on his first full day in office, Gov. Newsom has taken decisive action to strengthen California’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities to mitigate wildfires and build community resilience.
The strike force report sets out steps the state must take to reduce the incidence and severity of wildfires, including the significant wildfire mitigation and resiliency efforts the governor has already proposed.
It renews the state’s commitment to clean energy and outlines actions to hold the state’s utilities accountable, as well as recommended changes to stabilize California’s utilities to meet the energy needs of customers and the economy.
“Under the status quo, all parties lose – wildfire survivors, energy consumers and Californians committed to addressing climate change. The imperative now is on action. The strike force will continue its work going forward to advance the ideas generated in the report,” said Gov. Newsom.
In his State of the State address, the governor called for the creation of a strike force to develop a comprehensive strategy, within 60 days, to address the destabilizing effect of catastrophic wildfires on the state’s electric utilities.
He charged the strike force with developing a comprehensive strategy to ensure California’s “continued access to safe affordable power” and to “seek justice for fire victims, fairness for employees and protection for consumers.”
The report, “Wildfires and Climate Change: California’s Energy Future,” can be read below.
The report comes at a time when wildfires are not only more frequent, but far more devastating. Fifteen of the 20 most destructive wildfires in the state’s history have occurred since 2000; 10 of the most destructive fires have occurred since 2015.
Beginning on his first full day in office, Gov. Newsom has taken decisive action to strengthen California’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities to mitigate wildfires and build community resilience.
Wildfires and Climate Change California’s Energy Future by LakeCoNews on Scribd
NASA successfully launched the Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment or AZURE mission on April 5 from the Andøya Space Center in Norway.
Two Black Brant XI-A sounding rockets were launched at 6:14 and 6:16 p.m. EDT on April 5 carrying scientific instruments for studying the energy exchange within an aurora.
The AZURE mission is designed to make measurements of the atmospheric density and temperature with instruments on the rockets and deploying visible gas tracers, trimethyl aluminum, or TMA, and a barium/strontium mixture, which ionizes when exposed to sunlight. The vapors were released over the Norwegian Sea at 71 through 150 miles altitude.
These mixtures, using substances similar to those found in fireworks, created colorful clouds that allow researchers to track the flow of neutral and charged particles with the auroral wind.
By tracking the movement of these colorful clouds via ground-based photography and triangulating their moment-by-moment position in three dimensions, AZURE will provide valuable data on the vertical and horizontal flow of particles in two key regions of the ionosphere over a range of different altitudes.
Many people believe the Earth’s atmosphere “ends” some 20-30 miles above the ground. However, the air we breathe does not abruptly end at some predefined point – instead, it gradually thins.
At 150 to 200 miles above Earth, the “air” is extremely thin and these vapor clouds disperse rapidly and follow the winds which can be moving at a few hundred miles per hour.
AZURE is one of nine missions being conducted as part of the Grand Challenge Initiative, or GCI – Cusp, a series of international sounding rocket missions planned for launch in 2018 – 2020.
NASA and U.S. scientists are joining those from Norway, Japan, Canada and other countries to investigate the physics of heating and charged particle precipitation in this region called the geomagnetic cusp – one of the few places on Earth with easy access to the electrically charged solar wind that pervades the solar system.
NASA previously conducted two missions in December 2018 and two in January 2019 as part of the Initiative.
The final two NASA missions – the Cusp Heating Investigation and the Cusp Region Experiment – are scheduled for November 2019.
More information on NASA’s use of vapor tracers in scientific studies is available at https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/index.html.
AZURE is supported through NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. NASA’s Heliophysics Division manages the sounding rocket program.
Keith Koehler works for the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council voted unanimously on Thursday night to direct the city manager to sign a letter of intent with a firm interested in purchasing the city’s airport property.
City Manager Alan Flora asked the council to allow him to move forward with the letter with Village Investment Partners, or VIP, led by Barry Johnson and John Glikbarg. The staff report and letter begin on page 195 of the agenda packet below.
Flora said the airport property, formerly known as Pearce Field, is made up of eight parcels totaling a little more than 27 acres.
He said there have been a number of attempts over the years to encourage a large-scale development on the property.
Now, Village Investment Partners wants to purchase the property and proceed with developing it, as well as two neighboring properties – the first, the former Outrageous Waters water park and another parcel on the corner of Old Highway 53 and Highway 53, Flora said.
The letter, which Flora said is the next step, gives Village Investment Partners a six-month window to determine interest from retailers. If that exists, the city and the firm would then negotiate a purchase contract.
Flora said the airport had been transferred from the ownership of the city’s redevelopment agency to the city as part of the redevelopment dissolution process that took place several years ago.
The land was transferred with the idea of long-range public use, so if the city intends to sell it, Flora said the sale must be approved by the former redevelopment agency’s oversight board.
He said the city hopes that Village Investment Partners is successful in attracting potential retail and commercial tenants as they would like to move forward.
Councilman Dirk Slooten noted the airport is a prime piece of property for retail development and he hopes the firm succeeds. However, “I have some concerns.”
Slooten said developing it as a retail center would be a tremendous asset to the community, both offering additional shopping opportunities and generating more sales tax for the city.
With Slooten having questions, Realtor Dave Hughes, a Village Investment Partners representative, came forward to offer answers.
Slooten asked about the level of interest from large home improvement chains like Home Depot and Lowe’s. A decade ago, when a Roseville firm was negotiating with the city to purchase the airport for a regional commercial center, Lowe’s was the anchor tenant.
Hughes said it’s not entirely true that the two companies aren’t interested, adding that Lowe’s is “on hold.”
“We have hopes for others,” said Hughes, adding, “We’re already working on it even though we don’t have the agreement yet.”
Slooten asked about when they would be coming back with confirmation of interest.
Hughes said that if Village Investment Partners went to Home Depot tomorrow and it indicated it was ready to commit, they wouldn’t wait six months, the window of time given in the intent letter to begin negotiating the purchase. He added that they could also bring in a smaller company, such as a regional chain.
Noting that the land’s development previously got sidetracked by a Sierra Club lawsuit over the city choosing not to complete an environmental impact report, or EIR, Slooten said he hopes those kinds of issues will be resolved so there is no last-minute project derailment. He said that an EIR is probably going to be required.
Hughes said Village Investment Partners has an EIR in its plans. He said he believed the city’s negative declaration for the previous development proposal had been more than adequate and attributed pushback to “big box syndrome.”
He pointed out that Kelseyville Lumber, when it put forward the plans for its current location on the outskirts of Kelseyville, changed the general land designation, built a building bigger than what Lowe’s had proposed, did it all with a negative declaration and wasn’t sued.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton, who was on the council when the previous project was considered, said the issues revolved around the process for the negative declaration. She said an argument is going to be made that a development at the airport needs an environmental study.
“It was a disappointment that that all happened,” she said, adding that she wants to make sure the project goes through.
Councilman Phil Harris said he’s “extraordinarily supportive” of the project, which he said would make an enormous impact on the community.
Councilman Russ Cremer said it will bring both jobs and revenue, and he hopes it also will entice developers to build new homes.
“This project, we should be wholeheartedly behind,” Cremer said, adding that it will probably need an EIR but they don’t need to beat it to death. “Get ‘er done.”
During public comment, Chuck Leonard, a former councilman who had voted for the regional shopping center project 10 years ago, said, “The EIR was not the problem.”
Leonard said the negative declaration was bigger than most EIRs and covered everything.
He recalled that the Sierra Club’s issue was that if the center was built, it would destroy Clearlake’s downtown, “whatever that is.”
The Sierra Club lawsuit, filed in March 2010, alleged that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by certifying the mitigated negative declaration in lieu of preparing a full EIR, which the group maintained was required because there is “substantial evidence in the administrative record” that the project will have “numerous significant environmental effects,” as Lake County News has reported.
Leonard also criticized Overton during the meeting, saying he was surprised she supported the new project because she had been against the previous one, which she denied. Her voting record from 2010 showed that Overton voted for the project but had voted against allowing it to move forward with only the mitigated negative declaration.
Clearlake resident Pattie Duke said the city needed different kinds of commercial tenants – she suggested a Barnes and Noble – to draw shoppers from around Lake County.
Overton moved to direct Flora to sign the intent letter, which received multiple seconds and an enthusiastic unanimous vote from the council.
In other business on Thursday, Chief Andrew White delivered the Clearlake Police Department’s annual report and administered the oath to Tim Celli – who has been promoted from lieutenant to captain – and new Community Service Officer Daniel Costancio; the council discussed the gravel road maintenance checklist and construction maintenance guide; the council adopted an ordinance amending the Clearlake Municipal Code relating to abandoned vehicles; and proclamations were given declaring April 14 to 20 as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and declaring support for the 2020 Census.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
041119 Clearlake City Counc... by on Scribd
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Community members are invited to come out and take part in cleaning up the city of Clearlake later this month.
The annual Clearlake Clean Up Day will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27.
Volunteers are asked to check in beginning at 8 a.m. on the lake side of Austin Park, located off of Lakeshore Drive near Clearlake City Hall.
Bags and tools will be provided as well as hot dogs for workers.
Main arterial roads such as Olympic and Lakeshore drives, and Old Highway 53 will be cleaned.
There also will be an opportunity to dispose of electronic waste, such as computers.
Bring your own sun protection, gloves and reusable water container.
For more information call 707-695-0834 or visit www.clearlake.ca.us.
The annual Clearlake Clean Up Day will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27.
Volunteers are asked to check in beginning at 8 a.m. on the lake side of Austin Park, located off of Lakeshore Drive near Clearlake City Hall.
Bags and tools will be provided as well as hot dogs for workers.
Main arterial roads such as Olympic and Lakeshore drives, and Old Highway 53 will be cleaned.
There also will be an opportunity to dispose of electronic waste, such as computers.
Bring your own sun protection, gloves and reusable water container.
For more information call 707-695-0834 or visit www.clearlake.ca.us.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office said that it will begin processing vote-by-mail ballots returned early for Lakeport Fire Protection District’s Measure M next week.
The agency will begin processing vote-by-mail ballots for the May 7 special election on Monday, April 15, at 9 a.m., located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.
The processing of the vote-by-mail voter ballots will continue through Election Day as well as, during the official canvass.
Officials said the counting of the official ballots will commence on Tuesday, May 7, however, results will not be announced until after the close of the polls at 8 p.m.
The official canvass will commence on Thursday, May 9, at 9 a.m. and will continue daily – Saturdays, Sundays and holidays excluded – until completed.
Observers are invited to view the processing and counting of the ballots, but shall not interfere with the election process.
The agency will begin processing vote-by-mail ballots for the May 7 special election on Monday, April 15, at 9 a.m., located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.
The processing of the vote-by-mail voter ballots will continue through Election Day as well as, during the official canvass.
Officials said the counting of the official ballots will commence on Tuesday, May 7, however, results will not be announced until after the close of the polls at 8 p.m.
The official canvass will commence on Thursday, May 9, at 9 a.m. and will continue daily – Saturdays, Sundays and holidays excluded – until completed.
Observers are invited to view the processing and counting of the ballots, but shall not interfere with the election process.
Following a review of every parcel of state-owned property to determine viability as possible housing sites, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced that the administration will partner with local cities to release at least three requests for proposals for new housing construction to aid California families within a year.
The Governor’s Office reported that the first parcel has been identified and a requests for proposals, or RFP, issued by Sept. 30.
“Housing is a basic human right, and in California, we simply don’t have enough of it,” said Gov. Newsom. “The cost of housing and rising rents are squeezing family budgets. My administration is using every tool at our disposal to combat the housing affordability crisis our families face. We’re working hand in hand with local leaders who are stepping up for their communities and pushing for affordability for their residents.”
In January, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order to develop affordable housing on excess state lands.
The executive order directed the Department of General Services, or DGS, to create an inventory of all state-owned lands that may be available for potential development no later than April 30.
Today, more than two weeks before that deadline, DGS has developed an initial inventory of vacant state-owned parcels, utilizing county assessor data.
A county-by-county map of the entire property inventory is available below.
The Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, and DGS have developed a screening tool to further evaluate these state properties. They will work with other state agencies and local governments in the coming weeks to determine viability of specific parcels for affordable housing development.
The governor also announced on Thursday that the administration has partnered with the mayors of Chico, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco to closely examine the parcels identified in their cities for expedited development of much-needed new housing. The governor invites other local jurisdictions to partner with the state in this endeavor.
In consultation with HCD and in close coordination with local government leaders, DGS will issue three RFPs within a year, with the first parcel identified and an RFP issued by September 30, and accept proposals from developers of affordable housing interested in entering into low-cost, long-term ground leases of parcels on the priority map.
“The Governor’s Excess Property plan for developing affordable housing will help to rebuild Chico, post-Camp fire. Real estate is one of our most vexing problems and the governor’s proposal speaks volumes to the partnership between his administration and local government. Between budgets pledging billions for housing and housing affordability, it is clear this governor is committed to housing. But staff at all levels are demonstrating just how resilient and creative we can all be and those efforts are bearing fruit,” said Chico Mayor Randall Stone.
“Fresno welcomes the opportunity to work with Governor Newsom and his administration on strategies to address the state’s housing crisis. By exploring possibilities such as using excess state land for housing, Gov. Newsom is showing that he is willing to think outside of the box to find solutions. As Fresno’s mayor, I look forward to working with the governor to see how these ideas can benefit not only this community, but the greater San Joaquin Valley and the entire state of California,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.
“Gov. Newsom’s leadership on making state-owned land available for affordable housing is exactly the kind of innovative effort we need to make a difference in our housing crisis. In cities like San Francisco with limited land for new housing, having access to new sites for affordable housing is a tremendous opportunity. I look forward to partnering with Gov. Newsom and state agencies to turn the vision of this Executive Order into a reality in our city,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed.
“I applaud the governor for taking this important step towards addressing the state’s affordable housing crisis. Identifying and making state-owned land available for affordable housing will better enable communities, like Oakland, to meet our housing goals,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Previously, in his State of the State address, Gov. Newsom called on cities and counties across the state to do their part to address California’s housing crisis. In his speech, he lifted up local leaders who are going above and beyond to meet housing demand and highlighted the $1.75 billion in major assistance and incentives that his budget would provide to municipalities that plan and zone for housing production.
The governor has also offered the state’s assistance to cities whose housing plans are currently in violation of California housing law – all while acknowledging that cities whose plans remain out of compliance will be held to account.
The Governor’s Office reported that the first parcel has been identified and a requests for proposals, or RFP, issued by Sept. 30.
“Housing is a basic human right, and in California, we simply don’t have enough of it,” said Gov. Newsom. “The cost of housing and rising rents are squeezing family budgets. My administration is using every tool at our disposal to combat the housing affordability crisis our families face. We’re working hand in hand with local leaders who are stepping up for their communities and pushing for affordability for their residents.”
In January, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order to develop affordable housing on excess state lands.
The executive order directed the Department of General Services, or DGS, to create an inventory of all state-owned lands that may be available for potential development no later than April 30.
Today, more than two weeks before that deadline, DGS has developed an initial inventory of vacant state-owned parcels, utilizing county assessor data.
A county-by-county map of the entire property inventory is available below.
The Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, and DGS have developed a screening tool to further evaluate these state properties. They will work with other state agencies and local governments in the coming weeks to determine viability of specific parcels for affordable housing development.
The governor also announced on Thursday that the administration has partnered with the mayors of Chico, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco to closely examine the parcels identified in their cities for expedited development of much-needed new housing. The governor invites other local jurisdictions to partner with the state in this endeavor.
In consultation with HCD and in close coordination with local government leaders, DGS will issue three RFPs within a year, with the first parcel identified and an RFP issued by September 30, and accept proposals from developers of affordable housing interested in entering into low-cost, long-term ground leases of parcels on the priority map.
“The Governor’s Excess Property plan for developing affordable housing will help to rebuild Chico, post-Camp fire. Real estate is one of our most vexing problems and the governor’s proposal speaks volumes to the partnership between his administration and local government. Between budgets pledging billions for housing and housing affordability, it is clear this governor is committed to housing. But staff at all levels are demonstrating just how resilient and creative we can all be and those efforts are bearing fruit,” said Chico Mayor Randall Stone.
“Fresno welcomes the opportunity to work with Governor Newsom and his administration on strategies to address the state’s housing crisis. By exploring possibilities such as using excess state land for housing, Gov. Newsom is showing that he is willing to think outside of the box to find solutions. As Fresno’s mayor, I look forward to working with the governor to see how these ideas can benefit not only this community, but the greater San Joaquin Valley and the entire state of California,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.
“Gov. Newsom’s leadership on making state-owned land available for affordable housing is exactly the kind of innovative effort we need to make a difference in our housing crisis. In cities like San Francisco with limited land for new housing, having access to new sites for affordable housing is a tremendous opportunity. I look forward to partnering with Gov. Newsom and state agencies to turn the vision of this Executive Order into a reality in our city,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed.
“I applaud the governor for taking this important step towards addressing the state’s affordable housing crisis. Identifying and making state-owned land available for affordable housing will better enable communities, like Oakland, to meet our housing goals,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Previously, in his State of the State address, Gov. Newsom called on cities and counties across the state to do their part to address California’s housing crisis. In his speech, he lifted up local leaders who are going above and beyond to meet housing demand and highlighted the $1.75 billion in major assistance and incentives that his budget would provide to municipalities that plan and zone for housing production.
The governor has also offered the state’s assistance to cities whose housing plans are currently in violation of California housing law – all while acknowledging that cities whose plans remain out of compliance will be held to account.
State Owned Parcels by County No LA by LakeCoNews on Scribd