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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Cal Fire firefighters are preparing for the potential extreme fire weather across many parts of California.

The National Weather Service is predicting gusty winds and low humidity this weekend in much of Northern California, including Lake County.

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch beginning at 12 a.m. Sunday until noon on Monday.

The weather forecast shows winds of more than 25 miles per hour on both Saturday and Sunday in parts of Lake County.

On Monday, parts of southern California could experience much of the same conditions, officials said.

“As we remember the tragic fires that occurred this time last year, they should serve as a reminder for everyone to be prepared for the unexpected. We have increased our staffing, but need the public to remain vigilant,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “It is important to follow evacuation orders and leave early as fires move very fast under these conditions."

Cal Fire urges everyone to exercise extreme caution when in or near the wildland or open areas to prevent sparking a fire. One less spark, means one less wildfire.

A few helpful reminders and safety tips include:

– Don’t mow or trim dry grass on windy days.
– Never pull your vehicle over in dry grass.
– Target shoot only in approved areas, use lead ammunition only, and never at metal.
– Ensure campfires are allowed, and if so, be sure to extinguish them completely.
– Report any suspicious activities to prevent arson.

For more fire prevention tips and evacuation steps visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

This year's International Observe the Moon Night is on Saturday, Oct. 20, when astronomy clubs and science centers invite you to view the moon at their star parties.

The 11-day-old waxing gibbous moon rises in the late afternoon and sets before dawn. There are great features to enjoy whether you're observing with the unaided eye, through binoculars or through a telescope.

Sinus Iridum – the Bay of Rainbows – is the little half circle visible near the lunar terminator, the line between light and dark.

The Jura Mountains ring the western edge and catch the morning sun. Mare Imbrium is the large lunar mare (or sea) just south of Sinus Iridum.

As the moon approaches full, the large craters Copernicus and Tycho take center stage. Copernicus is 93 kilometers across, and its impact crater rays will be much more visible at full moon, although they are impressive on the 20th.

Tycho lies in a field of craters near the south limb. Its massive ray system spans over 1500 kilometers. At 85 kilometers across, it's a little smaller than Copernicus.

On Oct. 20, you can check off all 6 of the Apollo lunar landing locations, too!

You can still catch the great lineup of bright planets in October, with Jupiter, Saturn and Mars meeting up with the moon again this month. Early birds can catch Venus just before dawn.

You can find out more about International Observe the Moon Night at www.moon.nasa.gov/observe.

And you can catch up on all of NASA's current-and future-missions at www.nasa.gov.

Jane Houston Jones works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lake County Deputy sheriff who died in the line of duty last year received a special and permanent honor on Thursday when a section of Highway 29 in Lakeport was renamed in his honor.

The Deputy Sheriff Robert Rumfelt Memorial Highway was dedicated during a special ceremony on Thursday morning.

Congressman Mike Thompson, state Sen. Mike McGuire, Sheriff Brian Martin, Tom Fitzgerald of Caltrans District 1, Board of Supervisors Chair Jim Steele and Supervisor Moke Simon, who also is Rumfelt’s cousin, were among the dignitaries on hand for the occasion. Rumfelt’s family also was in attendance to mark the day.

Agencies in attendance included Cal Fire, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, Clearlake Police Department, Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lakeport Police Department. Council members and city staff from Clearlake and Lakeport, District Attorney-elect Susan Krones and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg also were there to show their respects.

The event was held at the Lakeport Cinema 5, a short distance from where the sign would later be put into place along the highway, near the intersection of Highway 29 and Soda Bay Road.

Rumfelt died on the night of Aug. 22, 2017, following a physical fight with a domestic violence suspect in Lakeport.

He and another deputy had taken the suspect into custody and then he had gotten into his patrol SUV and left the scene. Witnesses said he drove a short way before slumping over, crashing into a tree not long afterward. Lakeport Fire transported him to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, where he died a short time later, as Lake County News has reported.

The medical examiner would later conclude that Rumfelt suffered sudden cardiac death 30 minutes after a stressful physical encounter.

His death came as a huge blow to the sheriff’s office, which only a year previously had mourned the loss of Deputy Jake Steely, who was mortally injured after he and his son were swept into the ocean at Fort Bragg.

“Deputy Rumfelt was an incredible human being,” said Thompson, noting his service as a Marine, a policy officer, a deputy and family man. “He was a cop’s cop.”

Sen. McGuire, who wrote the legislation that made the highway renaming possible, recognized the many organizations and dignitaries in attendance.

He noted that renaming a highway for a person is one of the greatest honors the state offers.

Sheriff Martin, who acted as master of ceremonies for the event, said there were many agencies and individuals who worked behind the scenes to bring the effort together.

“It’s been 415 difficult days since we lost Rob,” said Martin, who recalled Rumfelt as a friend.

He said the sign also is a reminder of how dangerous the law enforcement profession is.

Martin said Rumfelt had his own way of doing things. He was direct, sometimes blunt and tough, and had strong leadership capabilities; he also didn’t tolerate laziness, whether it was at the gym, on duty or as a coach at Clear Lake High School.

“He was a very proud man,” said Martin.

Martin said that, although they were friends, he didn’t know all about some of Rumfelt’s achievements, including how in March 2010, while working as a government contractor in Iraq, he saved the life of a gravely injured soldier during an improvised explosive device attack.

More recently, during the 2015 Valley fire, Rumfelt braved the flames to rescue south county residents, Martin said. But Rumfelt never bragged about his achievements.

“The loss of such a good deputy leaves a void in our community,” Martin said.

The sheriff said Rumfelt won’t be forgotten. “Godspeed, Rob. We love you.”

Fitzgerald said one is hard-pressed to find a community where agencies work together as well as they do in Lake County, which he said has become more clear over the past few years.

He also recognized Rumfelt’s loss for the community.

Supervisor Steele noted Rumfelt’s dedication. “Truly, he served his country, he served this county,” he said.

He then read a proclamation recognizing Rumfelt’s life.

Rumfelt’s father, Bob, joined by Simon, thanked everyone who came to honor his son.

“Rob would not appreciate this like we do,” said Bob Rumfelt.

He added, “We miss Rob every day.”

Wearing a Raiders shirt in his cousin’s honor, Simon called Rob Rumfelt “a superhero to me.”

Simon continued, “This is a good honor for a great man.”

At the end of the ceremony, Rumfelt’s family members were called forward to open small reproductions of the highway sign as Sheriff Martin and Supervisor Simon unveiled the large green and white highway sign.

McGuire then invited up Rumfelt’s friends and other community members for photos with the sign, which was later mounted along the roadway.

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 Clearlake City Council on Thursday evening upheld abatement orders on several properties where marijuana was being grown out of compliance with city rules and approved a fuel purchase program that will save the police department time and money.

Code Enforcement staff presented the abatement order appeals for 14170 Konocti St., 3602 Ciwa St., 3275 14th St., 16076 25th Ave. and 16326 34th Ave.

On all of the properties city staff had found marijuana being grown in violation of city rules, with all of the appellants failing to obtain cultivation permits.

Other violations ranged from cultivating outdoors on land without a dwelling structure to lack of an enclosed fence, growing in an area larger than a 10-foot by 10-foot enclosure and being visible from the right-of-way.

In the case of the 16076 25th Ave. property, the appellants had been fined last year for violations and so, under city rules, will be prohibited from growing for a period in the future.

Mark Stewart and Donna Wynn, of the Ciwa Street and 14th Street properties, respectively, were the only appellants to speak to the council in opposition to the abatement orders.

Stewart said he didn’t know about the requirements and has a medicinal need, and stated that the plants were at most six weeks out from being ready.

Wynn, who said she also uses the plant for medical needs, told the council that the 10-foot by 10-foot size limit is not big enough, that she kept her yard clean and had no idea about the rules.

The council voted unanimously to deny all of the appeals.

The council also heard from staff about the Enterprise vehicle leasing program and approved entering into a fuel purchase agreement through the ExxonMobil Fleet National Card Program.

Assistant City Manager Alan Flora gave the council the update about the vehicle leasing and fleet program.

His written report explained that in June the council authorized the finance director to execute the necessary documents to replace city vehicles through the Enterprise Fleet Management Program, an action which included the initial lease of four vehicles as well as authorizing the city manager to lease additional vehicles as appropriate based on available funding in the council’s adopted budget.

Flora told the council that the city has leased five non-patrol police vehicles, one Code Enforcement truck funded by Community Development Block Grant funds, one Building Department truck and one Measure V-funded Public Works truck.

Recently, he said the city ordered 10 new police patrol vehicles from Ford, which he said aren’t anticipated to be delivered until the spring because of a lengthy lead time.

Beyond the vehicle purchases, he said city staff also wanted to bring back an update on fuel management.

Flora explained that the city buys all of its fuel from Redwood Coast Fuels at a card lock station in Lower Lake. The fuel purchases are governed by a historical agreement reached through the county that the city has “piggy-backed” off of in the years since. That agreement gives the city a discounted fuel price.

City staff, in working with Enterprise Fleet Management, became aware of that company's’ fuel purchase program, which allows the city to track fuel usage and mileage for each vehicle, even those that are not leased, issues fuel cards for each vehicle with a unique PIN for the drivers, offers fuel cards that can be used at nearly any filling station except for those that require a membership, and gives the city a five cent per gallon cash rebate when filling up at Mobil stations, Flora reported.

Flora said the city’s biggest fuel user is the police department. The current arrangement also requires that police personnel drive to Lower Lake – sometimes several times a day – to gas up their vehicles.

With a round trip to Lower Lake for fuel totaling 10 miles, at 110 fill ups per month, the department’s personnel are driving 14,000 miles a year just to get gas, Flora said.

In fiscal year 2017-18, Flora’s written report said the city spent approximately $93,292 on fuel.

He told the council that the time spent driving out of town for gas can be better spent on community policing within the city.

At the same time, if police personnel can buy gas within the city limits, that will benefit the city’s discretionary sales tax as well as its sales tax measures, P and V, he said.

Flora said that the fuel agreement with Redwood Coast Fuels will stay in effect and still be utilized by the city’s Public Works Department.

He said that the compilation of the cash rebate, recovery of time lost filling up and saving money spent on fuel just to drive back and forth to Lower Lake is expected to result in a cost savings to the city, plus offer the benefit of better tracking of the city’s vehicle fleet.

Council members agreed. Vice Mayor Phil Harris said he also liked the concept of having officers in town as much as possible, buying there gas there.

“I don’t see any downside to this program at all,” said Councilman Russ Cremer.

Harris added that he wanted officers to use all of the city’s fueling stations, not just Mobil stations, and to be visible.

“This is looking so much better than just getting our fleet upgraded,” said Mayor Bruno Sabatier.

Harris moved to authorize Flora to executive the documents required for the fleet management and ExxonMobil Fleet National Card Program, which was approved unanimously.

In other business the council unanimously approved a resolution revising the City Master Fee Schedule.

Police Chief Andrew White reported to the council that several problems were discovered with the fee schedule.

He said those problems included several sections that were not included which prevented officers from writing parking related citations. It also didn’t allow for issuing fix-it tickets and did not include a late payment penalty and cost recovery for evaluating and establishing payment plans and placing DMV holds.

The council also approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 214-2018 adding section 3-4.16 to the Clearlake Municipal Code to provide information bidding procedures under the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act, and Sabatier presented proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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 three candidates in this year’s Clearlake City Council race will participate in a forum on Thursday, Oct. 18.

The forum will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Russell Cremer, Russell Perdock and Dirk Slooten are in the running for two seats on the council, one currently held by Cremer and the second held by Mayor Bruno Sabatier, who will leave the council later this year after having been elected the new District 2 member of the Board of Supervisors.

Cremer is on the ballot for the first time for the council, although he is an incumbent, having been appointed earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of Perdock, who left the council in February to seek the city’s police chief position.

Perdock, who did not receive the police chief appointment, is seeking to return to the council. He served more than three years on the council previously.

Slooten is a longtime city planning commissioner and businessman, and a Rotarian who has been instrumental in raising funds for fire recovery. This is his first run for the council.

The forum will be recorded and posted online.

Community members may submit questions at the event or by emailing moderator Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The forum is sponsored by the Lake County Economic Development Corp. and Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Rep. John Garamendi (CA-03) announced that the Mendocino Complex Disaster Declaration has been amended to offer Small Business Administration loans to private nonprofit organizations in Lake County.

This assistance is available to organizations that offer essential government service.

“Throughout the recovery process, our community depends on the service of our second responders, those organizations that provide relief, centralize support services, and distribute aid once the fires have been extinguished. Today I am proud to announce that the federal government will provide loans to those organizations that provide that support that may have been damaged in the fire,” said Thompson. “I will continue fighting to bring every federal dollar and resource to our community throughout this recovery period. Together, we will rebuild and come back even stronger.”

“The availability of SBA loans for non-profit organizations that are facilitating recovery efforts is great news for Lake County,” said Garamendi. “We need the active participation of the whole community to help Lake County recover from these devastating wildfires, and this is another step in the right direction. I’m doing everything in my power to ensure Lake County gets every piece of federal support it is entitled to.”

Organizations interested in applying can visit https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ or call 800-659-2955 to find out if they qualify and submit their application.

Applications must be received by May 6, 2019.

You can also click here to download Thompson’s Fire Recovery Guide.