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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Dr. Giovanni Annous, superintendent at Upper Lake Unified School District, was among the nearly 40 superintendents and other administrators recognized for successfully completing the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program, administered by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
The recognition ceremony was part of AASA’s National Conference on Education, Feb. 14 to 16, in Los Angeles.
"It is with great honor and pleasure I am able to use these professional development opportunities to help me better serve the students and community of Upper Lake,” Dr. Annous said.
He said the program is among the best professional development opportunities he’s ever had as an educator. It focuses on a number of key skills successful superintendents need to thrive.
Launched in 2013, the certification process is spread across 18 months and is tailored for superintendents who have been in the job seven years or fewer.
The forums, seminars and coaching provide opportunities to define and examine issues that surface in real-life situations.
These issues include providing world-class instructional leadership; building and managing a district budget; mastering effective communication and political skills; using 21st century technology effectively in instruction and management; managing superintendent/school board relations; and designing a career path for oneself.
The AASA National Superintendent Certification Program is a collaborative effort with AASA state affiliates, the National School Boards Association, and business and corporate leaders. The master teachers and guest instructors have all been sitting superintendents and have demonstrable track records of success.
The recognition ceremony was part of AASA’s National Conference on Education, Feb. 14 to 16, in Los Angeles.
"It is with great honor and pleasure I am able to use these professional development opportunities to help me better serve the students and community of Upper Lake,” Dr. Annous said.
He said the program is among the best professional development opportunities he’s ever had as an educator. It focuses on a number of key skills successful superintendents need to thrive.
Launched in 2013, the certification process is spread across 18 months and is tailored for superintendents who have been in the job seven years or fewer.
The forums, seminars and coaching provide opportunities to define and examine issues that surface in real-life situations.
These issues include providing world-class instructional leadership; building and managing a district budget; mastering effective communication and political skills; using 21st century technology effectively in instruction and management; managing superintendent/school board relations; and designing a career path for oneself.
The AASA National Superintendent Certification Program is a collaborative effort with AASA state affiliates, the National School Boards Association, and business and corporate leaders. The master teachers and guest instructors have all been sitting superintendents and have demonstrable track records of success.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – After an initial unsuccessful recruitment – and with less than two months before the county’s next election – the Board of Supervisors has directed county staff to reopen the application period for the registrar of voters job, which continues to be held on an interim basis by the county administrative officer.
The job posting returned to the county’s Human Resources Web page on Monday.
It will remain open until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 31.
The salary range is $5,597 to $7,327 on a monthly basis. According to the job announcement, it requires “five years of work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions; or five years of current high-level management experience in voter registration and election organization with responsibility for election planning, budget administration, and personnel management; or five years of full-time administrative or managerial experience in a position which requires the application of laws and processes.”
The job first opened last month, after the resignation of interim Registrar Maria Valadez, as Lake County News has reported.
Valadez was the county’s longtime deputy registrar who was appointed in early December to fill the job on an interim basis effective Dec. 29, the day after Registrar Diane Fridley retired. Together, the two women had close to 70 years of experience in the office, as Lake County News has reported.
After the county made no attempt to keep Valadez permanently, she left on Feb. 22 to take a position with the county of Mendocino, where she is now the assistant clerk-recorder/registrar of voters.
In October, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson had attempted unsuccessfully to have the board change the registrar’s job requirements to require a bachelor’s degree without the ability to substitute in experience, which would have prevented Valadez from succeeding Fridley on her retirement, despite having close to three decades of experience in the registrar’s office.
Although the board didn’t pursue that proposal after Fridley pointed out her staff wouldn’t be eligible, the supervisors didn’t give the the job to Valadez on a permanent basis, wanting to hold off on a permanent appointment for six months. With a higher-paying, permanent job offer available in Ukiah, Valadez departed.
On Feb. 12, Huchingson asked the board to add a special closed session discussion about filling the registrar’s job after the announcement of Valadez’s intended departure. In that closed session, the board voted 3-1 to appoint Huchingson the interim registrar of voters, effective at the close of business on Feb. 22, Valadez’s last day on the job. The vote was 3-1, with Supervisor Rob Brown voting no and Supervisor EJ Crandell absent.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said the intention is not to have Huchingson fill the job long term, but to cover it until a new registrar is hired.
New recruitment to be longer
When the county first opened its recruitment for a new registrar in February, it advertised for a permanent, not interim, election official, after the board had been unwilling to offer Valadez the job on a permanent basis.
The job’s initial recruitment period open to the public was nine days, following a brief period during which it was open only to other county employees, according to the Human Resources Department.
From that first posting Huchingson said the county received 13 applications. Of those, only three individuals met the minimum requirements.
At the end of February, after that first recruitment window closed, Huchingson told Lake County News that there was to be no extension of time in the recruitment.
Of the three candidates who met the qualifications and were invited to interview, the Board of Supervisors interviewed two candidates during a closed session at its March 5 meeting, Sabatier confirmed.
Sabatier said the board chose not to hire either person they interviewed. “We just said no because we didn’t feel it was a good fit.”
The decision was then made to readvertise the job. “Our hope from the very beginning is to fill that position as soon as possible,” said Sabatier, adding, “We don’t want to linger.”
He didn’t recall the board at the March 5 meeting giving any specific direction on the length of the new open recruitment, which is 20 days, compared to the previous 9-day period of time it was open to the public, not just county employees.
“We want to solve this issue,” Sabatier said.
One of the factors limiting the number of applicants, Sabatier said, is the pay the county offers.
Sabatier said he doesn’t know if the Human Resources Department is reaching out to any professional associations to find a candidate, but added that Human Resources Director Pamela Nichols has been using different avenues to advertise the county’s jobs, which he said has helped them get more applicants.
Nichols joined the county in August, four months after the board approved Huchingson’s request, tucked into a March 20 consent agenda item, to consolidate the Human Resources Department into a division of her department, the County Administrative Office.
Sabatier couldn’t confirm recent reports that the county went to Valadez, now in her new job, to ask her to return and take the registrar’s job – promising her the same pay she is now getting – and that she refused.
The county of Mendocino assistant clerk-recorder/registrar pay range is $76,918.40 to $93,475.20 annually, compared to $67,164 to $81,636 for the Lake County registrar of voters job.
Retired registrar offers assistance; Lakeport Fire officials concerned
One of Huchingson’s deputy administrative officers, Matthew Rothstein, has been assigned to work with the elections office while the recruitment continues.
The departure of both Fridley and Valadez left behind an office with only two employees, both part-time and with not enough experience to apply for either the registrar’s job or the deputy registrar’s position – which still hasn’t appeared on the county job board.
Meanwhile, Fridley confirmed to Lake County News that she has returned to help as a volunteer in the Registrar of Voters Office and that she’s willing to assist in the upcoming election.
“I don’t want the office to fail,” she said.
Sabatier said Fridley also has been part of the process to hire a new registrar.
Fridley said she was in the office on Tuesday helping clarify some issues on the Lakeport Fire Protection District fire measure, which is set to go to voters in a mail ballot in early May.
That election coming up is a concern for the county and the district alike.
“It’s an important election,” Sabatier said.
At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board discussed the ballot measure, with staff reporting that they had been communicating with multiple county staffers and double- and triple-checking to make sure that the registrar’s office had the information needed ahead of the election.
“It’s just very concerning that they’re going to be able to handle this measure successfully,” said District Director Alan Flora, who also is the assistant city manager for the city of Clearlake.
Flora said the district will have to keep checking to make sure everything is in order. “Obviously, it’s a big problem if they can’t uphold their responsibility and make sure it gets administered correctly.”
Sabatier said the county has just upgraded its election equipment and software, which will be in place for the fire district election. He said the company is supposed to both train county staff and help them with the election in May.
So far, it’s not clear how quickly a new registrar can be in place. On the county’s current time line, it’s likely that, at the earliest, it could be mid April before a candidate has been screened, vetted, interviewed and accepted the offer, which would give them less than a month to get up to speed.
Fridley pointed to the challenges ahead. “It’s not just learning the election, it’s learning the new system also.”
However, she said she feels the registrar’s office is moving in the right direction. “They’re on their way.”
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The job posting returned to the county’s Human Resources Web page on Monday.
It will remain open until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 31.
The salary range is $5,597 to $7,327 on a monthly basis. According to the job announcement, it requires “five years of work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions; or five years of current high-level management experience in voter registration and election organization with responsibility for election planning, budget administration, and personnel management; or five years of full-time administrative or managerial experience in a position which requires the application of laws and processes.”
The job first opened last month, after the resignation of interim Registrar Maria Valadez, as Lake County News has reported.
Valadez was the county’s longtime deputy registrar who was appointed in early December to fill the job on an interim basis effective Dec. 29, the day after Registrar Diane Fridley retired. Together, the two women had close to 70 years of experience in the office, as Lake County News has reported.
After the county made no attempt to keep Valadez permanently, she left on Feb. 22 to take a position with the county of Mendocino, where she is now the assistant clerk-recorder/registrar of voters.
In October, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson had attempted unsuccessfully to have the board change the registrar’s job requirements to require a bachelor’s degree without the ability to substitute in experience, which would have prevented Valadez from succeeding Fridley on her retirement, despite having close to three decades of experience in the registrar’s office.
Although the board didn’t pursue that proposal after Fridley pointed out her staff wouldn’t be eligible, the supervisors didn’t give the the job to Valadez on a permanent basis, wanting to hold off on a permanent appointment for six months. With a higher-paying, permanent job offer available in Ukiah, Valadez departed.
On Feb. 12, Huchingson asked the board to add a special closed session discussion about filling the registrar’s job after the announcement of Valadez’s intended departure. In that closed session, the board voted 3-1 to appoint Huchingson the interim registrar of voters, effective at the close of business on Feb. 22, Valadez’s last day on the job. The vote was 3-1, with Supervisor Rob Brown voting no and Supervisor EJ Crandell absent.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said the intention is not to have Huchingson fill the job long term, but to cover it until a new registrar is hired.
New recruitment to be longer
When the county first opened its recruitment for a new registrar in February, it advertised for a permanent, not interim, election official, after the board had been unwilling to offer Valadez the job on a permanent basis.
The job’s initial recruitment period open to the public was nine days, following a brief period during which it was open only to other county employees, according to the Human Resources Department.
From that first posting Huchingson said the county received 13 applications. Of those, only three individuals met the minimum requirements.
At the end of February, after that first recruitment window closed, Huchingson told Lake County News that there was to be no extension of time in the recruitment.
Of the three candidates who met the qualifications and were invited to interview, the Board of Supervisors interviewed two candidates during a closed session at its March 5 meeting, Sabatier confirmed.
Sabatier said the board chose not to hire either person they interviewed. “We just said no because we didn’t feel it was a good fit.”
The decision was then made to readvertise the job. “Our hope from the very beginning is to fill that position as soon as possible,” said Sabatier, adding, “We don’t want to linger.”
He didn’t recall the board at the March 5 meeting giving any specific direction on the length of the new open recruitment, which is 20 days, compared to the previous 9-day period of time it was open to the public, not just county employees.
“We want to solve this issue,” Sabatier said.
One of the factors limiting the number of applicants, Sabatier said, is the pay the county offers.
Sabatier said he doesn’t know if the Human Resources Department is reaching out to any professional associations to find a candidate, but added that Human Resources Director Pamela Nichols has been using different avenues to advertise the county’s jobs, which he said has helped them get more applicants.
Nichols joined the county in August, four months after the board approved Huchingson’s request, tucked into a March 20 consent agenda item, to consolidate the Human Resources Department into a division of her department, the County Administrative Office.
Sabatier couldn’t confirm recent reports that the county went to Valadez, now in her new job, to ask her to return and take the registrar’s job – promising her the same pay she is now getting – and that she refused.
The county of Mendocino assistant clerk-recorder/registrar pay range is $76,918.40 to $93,475.20 annually, compared to $67,164 to $81,636 for the Lake County registrar of voters job.
Retired registrar offers assistance; Lakeport Fire officials concerned
One of Huchingson’s deputy administrative officers, Matthew Rothstein, has been assigned to work with the elections office while the recruitment continues.
The departure of both Fridley and Valadez left behind an office with only two employees, both part-time and with not enough experience to apply for either the registrar’s job or the deputy registrar’s position – which still hasn’t appeared on the county job board.
Meanwhile, Fridley confirmed to Lake County News that she has returned to help as a volunteer in the Registrar of Voters Office and that she’s willing to assist in the upcoming election.
“I don’t want the office to fail,” she said.
Sabatier said Fridley also has been part of the process to hire a new registrar.
Fridley said she was in the office on Tuesday helping clarify some issues on the Lakeport Fire Protection District fire measure, which is set to go to voters in a mail ballot in early May.
That election coming up is a concern for the county and the district alike.
“It’s an important election,” Sabatier said.
At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board discussed the ballot measure, with staff reporting that they had been communicating with multiple county staffers and double- and triple-checking to make sure that the registrar’s office had the information needed ahead of the election.
“It’s just very concerning that they’re going to be able to handle this measure successfully,” said District Director Alan Flora, who also is the assistant city manager for the city of Clearlake.
Flora said the district will have to keep checking to make sure everything is in order. “Obviously, it’s a big problem if they can’t uphold their responsibility and make sure it gets administered correctly.”
Sabatier said the county has just upgraded its election equipment and software, which will be in place for the fire district election. He said the company is supposed to both train county staff and help them with the election in May.
So far, it’s not clear how quickly a new registrar can be in place. On the county’s current time line, it’s likely that, at the earliest, it could be mid April before a candidate has been screened, vetted, interviewed and accepted the offer, which would give them less than a month to get up to speed.
Fridley pointed to the challenges ahead. “It’s not just learning the election, it’s learning the new system also.”
However, she said she feels the registrar’s office is moving in the right direction. “They’re on their way.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, along with Lake County District Attorney Susan Krones and the district attorneys for Humboldt and Napa counties, announced Tuesday that no criminal charges would be filed against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. related to the October 2017 Northern California wildfires.
After an extensive review, each district attorney’s office determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that PG&E acted with a reckless disregard for human life in causing the fires, the standard necessary to sustain criminal charges.
The district attorneys consulted with the California Attorney General’s Office during the review of the cases and prior to the decision not to file charges.
After thorough investigations, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused numerous wildfires in the four counties, and referred their reports to the district attorneys to review for possible filing of criminal charges.
In June, Cal Fire released findings that the Sulphur fire in Lake County was caused by PG&E equipment, as Lake County News has reported.
Of the fires that originated in Sonoma County, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused the Adobe, Norrbom, Pocket, and Pythian/Oakmont Fires, but did not cause the Nuns Fire and the Thirty Seven Fire (along with the Tubbs Fire which originated in Napa County).
The cases that were referred for prosecution all required proof that PG&E acted with criminal negligence in failing to remove dead and dying trees.
Under California law, criminal negligence requires proof of actions that are reckless and incompatible with a proper regard for human life, and any charges must be proven unanimously to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
The district attorneys said proving PG&E failed in their duty to remove trees was made particularly difficult in this context as the locations where the fires occurred, and where physical evidence could have been located, were decimated by the fires.
In response to the announcement, PG&E released a statement Tuesday in which it said, “The safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve remains our highest priority. We continue to focus on helping our customers and communities in these counties continue to recover and rebuild.”
PG&E remains on federal criminal probation and is a defendant in many private civil cases arising out of the wildfires seeking, among other remedies, financial compensation. Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties are among the counties suing PG&E over the October 2017, with the city of Clearlake also having filed suit against the company.
The district attorney’s offices would thanked Cal Fire for its outstanding work in battling these fires and investigating their causes.
After an extensive review, each district attorney’s office determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that PG&E acted with a reckless disregard for human life in causing the fires, the standard necessary to sustain criminal charges.
The district attorneys consulted with the California Attorney General’s Office during the review of the cases and prior to the decision not to file charges.
After thorough investigations, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused numerous wildfires in the four counties, and referred their reports to the district attorneys to review for possible filing of criminal charges.
In June, Cal Fire released findings that the Sulphur fire in Lake County was caused by PG&E equipment, as Lake County News has reported.
Of the fires that originated in Sonoma County, Cal Fire determined that PG&E’s equipment caused the Adobe, Norrbom, Pocket, and Pythian/Oakmont Fires, but did not cause the Nuns Fire and the Thirty Seven Fire (along with the Tubbs Fire which originated in Napa County).
The cases that were referred for prosecution all required proof that PG&E acted with criminal negligence in failing to remove dead and dying trees.
Under California law, criminal negligence requires proof of actions that are reckless and incompatible with a proper regard for human life, and any charges must be proven unanimously to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
The district attorneys said proving PG&E failed in their duty to remove trees was made particularly difficult in this context as the locations where the fires occurred, and where physical evidence could have been located, were decimated by the fires.
In response to the announcement, PG&E released a statement Tuesday in which it said, “The safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve remains our highest priority. We continue to focus on helping our customers and communities in these counties continue to recover and rebuild.”
PG&E remains on federal criminal probation and is a defendant in many private civil cases arising out of the wildfires seeking, among other remedies, financial compensation. Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties are among the counties suing PG&E over the October 2017, with the city of Clearlake also having filed suit against the company.
The district attorney’s offices would thanked Cal Fire for its outstanding work in battling these fires and investigating their causes.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall will meet this week to discuss several projects and appoint a new board member.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.
On the agenda are presentations on the Diamond D Ranch vineyard project, an update from the Lake County Community Development Department and the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road intersection project.
There also will be updates on Trailside Park, the initial study for Harbin Hot Springs and the appointment of the vacant MATH Board member.
The MATH Board includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large member Marlene Elder.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.
On the agenda are presentations on the Diamond D Ranch vineyard project, an update from the Lake County Community Development Department and the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road intersection project.
There also will be updates on Trailside Park, the initial study for Harbin Hot Springs and the appointment of the vacant MATH Board member.
The MATH Board includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large member Marlene Elder.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information email
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission is set to discuss a proposal for a cannabis business and get an update on city planning activities.
The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the agenda is a use permit from Laura Birch of Danville-based eCannabis for a cannabis retail delivery business in an existing building on property located at 1775 South Main St.
The commission also will get the Lakeport Planning Department’s 2018 Year-end Report, including a summary of various land use applications, and other planning division activities for the 2018 calendar year.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the agenda is a use permit from Laura Birch of Danville-based eCannabis for a cannabis retail delivery business in an existing building on property located at 1775 South Main St.
The commission also will get the Lakeport Planning Department’s 2018 Year-end Report, including a summary of various land use applications, and other planning division activities for the 2018 calendar year.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
SACRAMENTO – California has faced an unprecedented series of mega-wildland fires over the past decade – some of the most destructive and deadly in American history.
On Wednesday, a joint hearing of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will review residential development in some of the Golden State’s most fire prone regions and how state and local governments can keep residents safe in communities that are within the Wildland Urban Interface.
The hearing, led by Senators Henry Stern and Mike McGuire, chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, respectively, titled “Living Resiliently in the New Abnormal: The Future of Development in California’s Most Fire Prone Regions” will be held Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Room 4203.
The hearing will be livestreamed at www.senate.ca.gov. More information on the hearing can be found at https://sgf.senate.cao.gov.
“The complete devastation of communities across our state from the worst wildland fires in California’s history is forcing us to take a closer look at policies for development and land use planning in high fire prone areas,” Sen. McGuire said. “We’re grateful to be partnering with Sen. Stern to bring some of the top experts in the Western United States together to have the difficult conversations about development in the era of mega wildland fires.”
“In this new and destructive abnormal brought by the climate emergency, we have a responsibility to rebuild more resiliently and not repeat the same mistakes over again,” said Sen. Stern. “The good news is that we have tools to protect people from deadly wildfires with smarter building standards, safer and cleaner grid technologies like under-grounding, microgrids and clean backup power for water pumps, fire stations and other critical infrastructure, and smarter land use policies where we can limit new growth into the wildland urban interface. I’m grateful to Sen. McGuire for his collaboration in this hearing, as his constituents have gone through hell just like we have.”
The hearing will examine how local communities can rebuild in the aftermath of fires and how best to improve local planning and development approvals to mitigate wildland fire and fire losses.
It also will seek an informed perspective on the question of whether local and state governments should do more to regulate future development in fire prone areas or to make developments more fire resilient.
Testifying at the hearing are:
· Mark Ghilarducci, director, California Office of Emergency Services;
· Bob Fenton, regional administrator, FEMA Region 9;
· Dr. Max Moritz, statewide wildfire specialist, University of California Cooperative Extension;
· Jeff Lambert, director of planning, city of Oxnard, past president, American Planning Association, California Chapter;
· Chief Kate Dargan, California State Fire Marshal (retired), Cal Fire;
· Chief Ken Pimlott, director (retired), Cal Fire;
· Scott Lotter, former mayor, city of Paradise;
· Tim Snellings, planning director, Butte County;
· Chief Michael McLaughlin, Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department;
· Ty Bailey, California Professional Firefighters, president, Sacramento Area Firefighters, Local 522, fire captain, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
On Wednesday, a joint hearing of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will review residential development in some of the Golden State’s most fire prone regions and how state and local governments can keep residents safe in communities that are within the Wildland Urban Interface.
The hearing, led by Senators Henry Stern and Mike McGuire, chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, respectively, titled “Living Resiliently in the New Abnormal: The Future of Development in California’s Most Fire Prone Regions” will be held Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Room 4203.
The hearing will be livestreamed at www.senate.ca.gov. More information on the hearing can be found at https://sgf.senate.cao.gov.
“The complete devastation of communities across our state from the worst wildland fires in California’s history is forcing us to take a closer look at policies for development and land use planning in high fire prone areas,” Sen. McGuire said. “We’re grateful to be partnering with Sen. Stern to bring some of the top experts in the Western United States together to have the difficult conversations about development in the era of mega wildland fires.”
“In this new and destructive abnormal brought by the climate emergency, we have a responsibility to rebuild more resiliently and not repeat the same mistakes over again,” said Sen. Stern. “The good news is that we have tools to protect people from deadly wildfires with smarter building standards, safer and cleaner grid technologies like under-grounding, microgrids and clean backup power for water pumps, fire stations and other critical infrastructure, and smarter land use policies where we can limit new growth into the wildland urban interface. I’m grateful to Sen. McGuire for his collaboration in this hearing, as his constituents have gone through hell just like we have.”
The hearing will examine how local communities can rebuild in the aftermath of fires and how best to improve local planning and development approvals to mitigate wildland fire and fire losses.
It also will seek an informed perspective on the question of whether local and state governments should do more to regulate future development in fire prone areas or to make developments more fire resilient.
Testifying at the hearing are:
· Mark Ghilarducci, director, California Office of Emergency Services;
· Bob Fenton, regional administrator, FEMA Region 9;
· Dr. Max Moritz, statewide wildfire specialist, University of California Cooperative Extension;
· Jeff Lambert, director of planning, city of Oxnard, past president, American Planning Association, California Chapter;
· Chief Kate Dargan, California State Fire Marshal (retired), Cal Fire;
· Chief Ken Pimlott, director (retired), Cal Fire;
· Scott Lotter, former mayor, city of Paradise;
· Tim Snellings, planning director, Butte County;
· Chief Michael McLaughlin, Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department;
· Ty Bailey, California Professional Firefighters, president, Sacramento Area Firefighters, Local 522, fire captain, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.