LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors and city of Lakeport representatives are headed back to the negotiating table over the city’s proposed annexation of the South Main Street corridor.
On Tuesday the board received an update from the county’s negotiating committee appointed to talk with the city and also approved a letter to the city outlining concerns and issuing an invitation to discuss the matter further.
The annexation of the 123-acre area has been a long-running point of contention between the two governments, and Tuesday’s discussion was more amicable than past county-city encounters on the matter.
Central to the discussion was both water service and a planned road project in the area.
Board Chair Tina Scott said the committee has met twice since Supervisor Moke Simon was added to it. John Benoit, the executive officer of the Lake Local Area Formation Commission, or LAFCo, spoke to them and provided great information on the annexation process, Scott said.
“This has been going on for a very long time. This is not a new process, not a new discussion,” said Scott, who represents the Lakeport area. She said the back and forth has been going on at least 26 years.
Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger, one of the county’s committee members, was tasked with doing more research and speaking with the US Department of Agriculture about potential grant funding for a county water project in the South Main Street area, She said the USDA informed her that the county does qualify for 50-percent grant funding for a water project in the area.
She said the agency later informed her that if the county could make a better case for water flows for fire safety, the county could get as much as 75 percent funding for a project. But by Tuesday she hadn’t had a final word on what amount the county could receive. She said the county needs to know that before beginning public meetings.
“Our goal here is to bring a resolution to the South Main Street area. At least for me it is,” said Scott, who added that she believes the situation has been going on for too long, and that the area needs sustainable water and supply for fire suppression.
Simon said he wanted to help solve the problems. “I understand this is critical to the county’s needs and also to the city of Lakeport.” As of the Tuesday meeting, Simon said the committee meetings he’d sat in on hadn’t included city representatives.
Lakeport Community Development Director Kevin Ingram, who participated in the discussion with the board, agreed that the situation has gone on for too long.
“The city of Lakeport is certainly open to meeting and discussing any of those terms regarding property tax,” he said, adding, “We feel that we can provide that service with water at a fraction of the cost of what the county can.”
Ingram said the water loop system the city is proposing has been budgeted out at just over $1 million. An estimate completed several years ago for a water system spur that would extend from the junction of Highway 175 to the annexation area was estimated at between $500,000 to $750,000, a cost that Ingram said he’s sure has gone up.
Scott suggested the city and county could work together to conduct a new survey of property owners, noting that previous ones have been done.
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” said Ingram. He added that the city's only concern would be that, when those previous surveys were done, not all of the information about the proposal was given to the community.
County Public Works Director Scott De Leon updated the board on the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road underground utility and widening project, explaining that the county now is halfway through the right-of-way phase, which involves working through a number of issues with property owners.
Once the right-of-way is secured, De Leon said the county will complete the right-of-way certification process and pursue funding for construction. He said the hope is to start the project’s first phase in 2021.
The only community member to speak during public comment was Finley resident Phil Murphy, who has been critical of the process. He pressed the board on setting up a date for a meeting with the city. “It sounds like the can has been kicked down the road again.”
After Murphy repeatedly asked why the board couldn’t set a meeting, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said she and Ingram could work to get a date confirmed by the end of this week. Scott said she could then report on when the meeting would take place at next week’s board meeting.
“Well, that’s something. It’s not much, but it’s something. It’s a tiny start,” said Murphy.
Coppinger said the county maintains a sewer system that stretches south from the city limits. Based on her review of the annexation area map, “If the annexation was to take place, that sewer district that we manage there which is already small is going to be chopped up and there’s going to be several parcels and homes south of the annexation that will be left without sewer services.”
That’s because the county or district cannot maintain a district for only a few people. Coppinger said something would have to be done for those impacted residents.
Supervisor Rob Brown advocated for having both the Board of Supervisors and Lakeport City Council sit down together in a workshop and sort out the matters.
“Let’s just get down to it, right here, with five of us, and five of them. I don’t care. We can figure it out,” he said, adding they could stay at it until they got done, and have food brought in to keep them going.
He said a solution hasn’t been reached for a variety of reasons over the years and so he suggested getting everyone in a room together to work it out. He said he had made such a request before, but it didn’t happen based on the relationship between the city and the previous district supervisor – who he didn’t name but was an obvious reference to Scott’s predecessor, Anthony Farrington.
Huchingson said that, based on information Benoit provided, if there are more than 12 property owners in the proposed annexation area, those individuals would vote to approve it. If there are less, it would be up to LAFCo.
Brown said he wanted an honest discussion about how it would impact all parties. “There’s a lot of money generated down there. And this is what this really boils down to. I think that’s really the bottom line.”
Huchingson said she and Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira also have discussed in the past hosting a meeting for annexation area constituents.
Brown said he agreed with Ingram, that all the information needs to be made available so people can be armed to make a decision, adding that the past unofficial survey wasn’t done objectively.
“The system itself unfairly pits jurisdictions against each other, so it’s complicated from the get-go,” said Ingram, adding that the most important thing is for everyone to sit down and have the discussion.
Simon moved to approve the letter to the city, which Supervisor Bruno Sabatier seconded and the board approved 5-0.
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. – Clearlake Animal Control has three dogs ready for new homes this week.
The following dogs have been cleared for adoption.
“Buddy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Buddy’
“Buddy” is a male Chihuahua with a short tan coat.
He is No. 1244.
“Scout.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Scout’
“Scout” is a male Belgian Malinois with a medium-length smooth brown and black coat.
He is No. 1019.
“Wynn.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Wynn’
“Wynn” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier with a short brindle coat.
He is No. 969.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
Call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8251, Extension 118, to inquire about adoptions and shelter hours.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The warning sirens installed in several south county communities will be tested this week.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office/Office of Emergency Services will conduct the testing of the emergency warning system beginning at noon Saturday, April 13, coinciding with the Cobb Area Council’s Cobb Safe event.
The sirens are located in the Anderson Springs, Cobb Mountain, Loch Lomond and Middletown areas.
This test is being conducted to assure the functionality of the warning sirens.
During the test additional messaging will be sent out as a reminder.
The sheriff’s office encourages community members to make sure their email addresses is entered into the LakeCoAlerts system. Visit the site here and sign in to your account or establish a new account to receive notifications.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – With the Lakeport Fire Protection District’s Measure M fire tax coming up next month, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reported that those who want to cast their ballot must be registered to vote by April 22.
Ballots have begun to go out this week for Measure M, the all-mail ballot set for May 7.
Interim Deputy Registrar of Voters Marcy Harrison reported that a completed voter registration form must be either personally delivered to the Registrar of Voters Office on or before April 22, or postmarked on or before April 22 and received by mail by the Registrar of Voters Office in order to receive an official ballot in the mail.
Eligible Lake County residents who miss the voter registration deadline still have the option to vote in this election, Harrison said.
To do so, Harrison said they must conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot, which can only be done by personally visiting the Registrar of Voters Office, located on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport, no later than the close of the polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 7.
Residents may personally phone the registrar’s office to verify if their voter registration information is correct and up-to-date, Harrison said.
Harrison said residents may register to vote at the Lake County Registrar of Voters office, Room 209, Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport; phone staff at 707-263-2372 for a form to be mailed to you; or register to vote online by visiting http://registertovote.ca.gov/ .
Registration forms are also available at most local post offices, libraries, city offices, and chamber of commerce offices.
Pursuant to Section 2101 of the California Elections Code, “A person entitled to register to vote shall be a United States citizen, a resident of California, not imprisoned or on parole for the conviction of a felony, and at least 18 years of age at the time of the next election."
The Registrar of Voters Office advised new residents of Lake County, and registered voters who have moved to a new address, changed their mailing address within the county or changed their name that they need to register or reregister to vote no later than April 22.
If you are a registered voter and your mailing address has changed, official voting materials cannot be forwarded to another address and will be returned to the Registrar of Voters office by the U.S. Postal Service.
If you are a homeowner who lost your home in the fire but you are in the process of or plan on rebuilding your home on the same property in the near future, you may use your pre-fire residence address for this election.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Fire Protection District Board is preparing to hear from voters on its new parcel tax, looking at ways to balance this year’s budget and what to do with district assets.
The board, which met on Tuesday evening, focused on issues including the upcoming Measure M fire tax vote, budget issues and personnel matters.
One of the main matters involving district staff is the retirement this month of Linda Buckner, the longtime administrative assistant who was described as a “rock” and integral to the district’s operations over the past 16 years.
On Tuesday, she administered the oath to her successor, Mandi Huff, who previously worked for South Lake County Fire Protection District. As she settles in, Huff will have the help of a job manual Buckner created, and Buckner has volunteered to assist her at any time.
Measure M, the all-mail ballot set for May 7, will determine if the district will have new revenue to help it reinstate firefighters laid off last year, purchase new equipment and stabilize its budget moving forward.
Board member Alan Flora said he has been checking with the county Registrar of Voters Office regularly to find out how the election will be handled in the wake of the agency losing its longtime registrar, Diane Fridley, to retirement and its deputy registrar who had been serving as the interim – Maria Valadez – to another job out of county, as Lake County News has reported.
Fridley is now volunteering to help the department and last week the Board of Supervisors appointed County Administrative Office staffer Marcy Harrison as interim deputy registrar.
Flora said he had spoken to Fridley. “She assures me that everything is under control,” he said, which he said made him feel good about the situation.
He said that most of the Measure M ballots had gone out on Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Flora spoke to Harrison, who reported that the Registrar of Voters Office will be sending out press releases later this week about the deadline to register to vote.
With the district unable to directly campaign for the fire tax measure, its volunteer and professional firefighters are taking the lead on that effort.
Volunteers are planning to go door-to-door to speak with Lakeport residents on Wednesday and Sunday, with a third day of visiting with voters expected in the near future. The union reported that 280 Measure M signs are placed, trifold campaign fliers are out and that they had information from the Registrar of Voters Office that ballots already are coming in.
District board looks at future of Finley station
As the board looks at how to address budget shortfalls in the current budget year, one of the possibilities it’s considered is the sale of its Finley station, which currently houses the Clear Lake Gleaners’ food bank.
Interim Chief Rick Bergem, directed at the last meeting to do further research and bring back information to the board, said the district purchased the property where the Finley station is located, at 1894 Big Valley Road, in 1972 for $4,000.
At the time, there was an existing blacksmith shop that the district’s volunteers demolished, replacing it with the current structure. Bergem said it housed various pieces of equipment, including a small brush rig and a water tender.
Around 1985, the district decided to close it for lack of volunteers, Bergem said. From then on, they used it to store equipment. The Gleaners began leasing it in 1999 for $200 a month. The rental amount has increased to $338 a month, for annual revenue totaling $3,689.
Bergem said he’s spoken to the Gleaners leadership about whether they are interested in purchasing the building and they indicated that they already are looking for a larger facility.
Another option is keeping it and reopening it, as there are now volunteers in the area. Bergem said his research showed there would be lower insurance rates for nearby businesses if that happened.
He also received from Konocti Realty a courtesy estimate of between $250,000 to $275,000 for the property’s value.
Board members expressed surprise at the estimate and guessed that at that price it would sit on the market for an extended time.
Bergem said that because of media attention about the building, community members have expressed interest in seeing the district keep the building.
A majority of district board members ultimately decided they didn’t want to pursue a sale of the building at this time, with Board President John Whitehead noting his opposition to selling it and its future potential uses. If it’s sold, he added, they can’t replace it, and it’s a source of some income. Board members Don Davidson and Gary Williams agreed.
Board moves on surplus equipment, tables meeting time change
In other business, the board decided to put off a decision about hiring NBS – the Temecula-based firm which has assisted it with Measure M – to conduct the necessary assessment to determine property values should the measure pass. That work has to be done by Aug. 9 and Bergem said it’s expected to be too much for the district to do on its own, but the board wanted to do more research on options.
Board members didn’t discuss, as agendized, the 2019-20 budget, which Bergem and his staff are now drafting, as Flora noted that it will be important to that discussion what happens with Measure M on May 7. The next board meeting will be about a week after that, and it’s expected to be back on the agenda then.
In the meantime, Flora said what’s keeping him up at night is the current fiscal year budget. He’s concerned that the district is going to need to make some adjustments to cover a shortfall of a few hundred thousand dollars.
Other actions the board took Tuesday included directing Bergem to move forward with a sale of surplus equipment and vehicles, as well as approving his benefits and job description, which Flora emphasized didn’t include a raise but only confirmed his salary and benefits.
The board praised Bergem for his strategic plan for the year. Bergem said he’s on track with April’s goals and objectives, including Huff’s hiring and Measure M-related work.
The board ended by indefinitely tabling a discussion item on changing the meeting time from 5 to 6 p.m., which Whitehead said had been brought up by an audience member at a past meeting, with that person not showing up since. He said the only member who they thought it would impact was Flora, Clearlake’s city manager, but he has another meeting in Lakeport on Tuesday afternoons that fits well with the current meeting time.
Whitehead said they would table the matter going forward, and asked that any community member with questions or issues about the meeting time contact the district at 707-263-4396.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In response to concerns raised by county officials over the proposal by Big Valley Rancheria to take 21 parcels into trust, a tribal representative offered additional insights on the plans on Tuesday.
The county received an invitation from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to comment on two separate applications – one for seven parcels, one for 14 parcels – last month, as Lake County News has reported.
Among the key concerns for the county are potential land use conflicts and loss of property tax revenue if the properties – located near the tribe’s Konocti Vista Casino – are taken into trust.
On Tuesday, before the board’s discussion of the item, Supervisor Moke Simon – who is tribal chair of Middletown Rancheria – recused himself. Supervisor EJ Crandell, who is tribal chair for Robinson Rancheria, remained on the dais with his fellow supervisors.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told the board that after the county received the first notice last month regarding the application for the initial seven parcels from the BIA and Department of Interior, it put together a committee of department heads and staff to craft the response.
Before they were finished with the response to the first notice, the county received the second for the remaining 21 parcels. So they’ve prepared two different responses for the two sets of parcels, detailing general comments and concerns, and expressing a desire to engage in discussion with the tribe in order to gain a better understanding about what they have planned.
Huchingson’s written report said the BIA had extended the response deadline until April 18.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier asked what additional information staff wanted. Huchingson said concerns that arose, focusing on the first seven parcels, is that the request said the tribe intends to use the land for the purposes for which it is currently zoned, which is ag and residential.
“At the same time, we found information about the tribe’s intent to expand casino operations and have a commercial center in the area as well, so that wouldn’t be consistent with the current zoning,” Huchingson said.
She said some of the lands also have been improved, including being paved and developed in other ways, so the current assessed values probably are not up to date because they were not done with permits, and typically permits usually trigger reassessment.
Huchingson said they were hoping to have a dialogue and had invited the tribe, and Tribal Administrator Ben Ray III was on hand to explain the tribe’s fee to trust applications.
Ray explained that the 21 parcels are not part of a commercial center, cannabis operation or casino. He said the tribe has land already in trust, directly adjacent from tribal housing on Soda Bay Road, where the proposed commercial center will be located.
The project isn’t new. “We've been developing it for at least three years,” he said.
Ray said there is “absolutely no change in land use proposed currently” for the proposed fee to trust properties.
He said that the 21 parcels proposed to be taken into trust were all part of the original 100 acres “that comprised the Big Valley Rancheria prior to illegal termination in the 1950s.”
Ray added that the tribe reacquired the land over time. When he became tribal administrator, he said he asked why the land wasn’t in trust and that’s why he started the process. He said the tribe had gone to Huchingson some time ago to explain their plans.
He said the seven parcels outlined in the first BIA notice total about two acres and are located on Mission Way. Property tax for that land totals $1,375.52 annually.
The other 14 parcels in the second application are along Mission Rancheria Road, Soda Bay Road and two on Meadow Drive behind the tribe’s RV Park, and total approximately 49.18 acres, Ray said. Total annual property tax for that land totals $10,031.60.
Ray said Huchingson had discussed with him the loss of tax revenue to the county. “We’re very sensitive to that,” he said, acknowledging the county has taken hits, and that some of their tribal members also have lost homes in the fires. The tribe also has provided space for an emergency operations center for the county.
He said the tribe also has paid into the Special Distribution Fund which has provided funds for local law enforcement, fire and emergency services, as well as offered other financial support.
The tribe doesn’t have plans for the properties other than their current planning uses. He said their cannabis operations are already on trust land, like the 20-acre commercial center parcel.
Supervisor Rob Brown said he appreciated the information. He suggested the extension would be good to get clarification.
Huchingson said the county had received a 15-day extension on the first application from the BIA and wanted to appeal to the BIA again and explain that based on the nature of this discussion that they request another extension to dig in further.
“Are you OK with that?” Crandell asked.
Ray said he believed the county had the documents for well over a year and that he hadn’t gotten any previous questions, and they were welcome to seek another extension.
“We just got this,” Brown said of the information. He assured Ray that they wanted it to work and that no board member wanted to put a halt to forward movement.
Ray said the county should have had a large application packet, but Huchingson said she didn’t have it, and that her first notice of the project was the letter from the BIA. She added that she hadn’t heard anything about the project since talking to Ray a few years ago.
Ray said the tribe was told that the documents were sent out by BIA, and he said he would follow up with the agency to find out why the document’s weren’t sent.
“We’ve spent tremendous amount of money, and effort and time putting the whole thing together,” Ray said, adding he was disappointed to hear the county hadn’t received the full package.
He said the process to move the land into trust was going on two years.
“Sometimes these fee to trust applications can take longer than two, three, four years. They take awhile,” said Crandell.
Sabatier supported reviewing the information so the county doesn’t end up sending a letter to BIA that would be a hurdle to the tribe’s plans.
The board reached consensus to go back and look at the letter the county plans to send the BIA and bring it back on Tuesday. Board Chair Tina Scott said she would send Ray a copy of the letter before next week’s meeting, and Ray said he would get them a copy of the applications.
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.
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