How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
COBB, Calif. – Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest remains closed to all public use due to hazardous conditions as a result of the Valley fire.
Cal Fire will be conducting a large amount of pile burning on the forest throughout this winter.
As a result of the fire and drought-induced bark beetle mortality, 99 percent of the trees on the forest were destroyed.
Over the past year the Cal Fire management staff have aggressively been salvage logging to remove these standing dead trees in preparation for replanting.
As a result of this logging there are hundreds of residual slash piles that must be disposed of. Disposal of this material is not feasible by other means due to the volume of the material, number of piles, and time frame of which it must be disposed of.
“It is the goal of the department to restore the forest to a condition that is safe for public access. Allowing wood cutting, trail access, and camping is an important part of having this public land in Lake County,” said Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Napa Unit Chief Shana Jones.
A crew of firefighters will be assigned to conduct these pile burns throughout the winter beginning immediately on permissive burn days.
A large-scale smoke management plan has been completed in coordination with the Sacramento Air Resources Board and the Lake County Air Quality Management District. Department staff will follow the same rules and regulations that apply to the public.
Cal Fire thanks the public in advance for respecting and honoring the state’s decision to close the forest to public use; this allows the team to stay focused on the forest’s work plan in order to allow access as soon as is safe to do so.
Cal Fire will be conducting a large amount of pile burning on the forest throughout this winter.
As a result of the fire and drought-induced bark beetle mortality, 99 percent of the trees on the forest were destroyed.
Over the past year the Cal Fire management staff have aggressively been salvage logging to remove these standing dead trees in preparation for replanting.
As a result of this logging there are hundreds of residual slash piles that must be disposed of. Disposal of this material is not feasible by other means due to the volume of the material, number of piles, and time frame of which it must be disposed of.
“It is the goal of the department to restore the forest to a condition that is safe for public access. Allowing wood cutting, trail access, and camping is an important part of having this public land in Lake County,” said Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Napa Unit Chief Shana Jones.
A crew of firefighters will be assigned to conduct these pile burns throughout the winter beginning immediately on permissive burn days.
A large-scale smoke management plan has been completed in coordination with the Sacramento Air Resources Board and the Lake County Air Quality Management District. Department staff will follow the same rules and regulations that apply to the public.
Cal Fire thanks the public in advance for respecting and honoring the state’s decision to close the forest to public use; this allows the team to stay focused on the forest’s work plan in order to allow access as soon as is safe to do so.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) introduced AB 1772 on Thursday, giving wildfire victims an additional year to rebuild their homes and businesses after a catastrophic wildfire and collect the full amount of insurance dollars to which they are entitled.
Extending the time a policy holder has to recoup their losses after a devastating fire will prevent battles with insurance companies and bring families greater peace of mind.
In October 2017, California experienced the most devastating wildfire in state history. 44 Californian lives were claimed.
More than 14,700 homes and 728 businesses were damaged or destroyed totaling over 9 billion dollars worth of insurable damage.
This disaster struck while Lake and Calaveras counties were still in process of rebuilding from the Valley and Butte fires, respectively, of 2015, which destroyed more than 3,000 structures and 1,700 homes.
“Four of my counties – Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma – were on fire in October. For many, it wasn’t the first time,” said Aguiar-Curry. “It breaks my heart to think about the magnitude of loss families across California are experiencing due to fires. It will take them years to pick up the pieces. My hope is that AB 1772 will provide those families a level of comfort knowing they will have the time and money they need to rebuild their homes, business, and lives after such a devastating event.”
AB 1772 extends the amount of time a home or business owner has to rebuild an insured property from two to three years and receive the full replacement costs they are entitled to after a declared emergency.
Many constituents who had homes and businesses burn down during the Valley and Butte fires of 2015 are still not done rebuilding due to the magnitude of loss those communities experienced.
Such large regional rebuild efforts put strain on resources and contractors available to finish extensive amounts of work.
Rebuild timelines for the North Bay and Southern California fires of 2017 are expected to be just as, if not more, time consuming.
AB 1772 has already gained the support of Legislators from regions North and South impacted by the wildfires of 2017.
Coauthors from the Assembly include Wood, Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), and Marc Levine (D-Marin), and from the Senate Bill Dodd (D-Napa), Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).
“The recent California wildfires devastated so many people in our communities,” said Wood, a joint author of AB 1772. “They have lost homes and businesses that they worked years to build and we can’t forget the emotional trauma they are also experiencing. This bill, which is limited to declared emergencies, will provide insureds an additional year to rebuild. When you think about all that is involved in rebuilding close to 10,000 structures in Northern California alone – all within a few hundred miles of each other – this bill will give people the time to complete the planning and permitting process, find the best contractor for their home or business and take the pressure off our local governments to ensure that they can meet the extraordinary needs of their residents.”
“This bill takes an important step to help victims and communities rebuild and recover after future disasters,” said Sen. Dodd.
“Twenty-four months just isn’t enough time for residents to work with their insurance companies on full reimbursement of their lost home,” Sen. McGuire said. “The size and scope of wildland fire events have grown significantly over the last decade in California. This new reality means we have to rethink what were once reliable programs and develop new solutions. I’m grateful to join with Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry on this important initiative that will help all Californians.”
“The recovery process after a fire can be overwhelming—this extension will relieve one more worry for a family who has lost their home or a business owner trying to rebuild,” said Assemblymember Limón, “I am proud to join Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry as a principal coauthor of this important legislation to extend the coverage period. As our communities recover from the devastating fires of last year, we will continue to bring down barriers to returning to a sense of normalcy.”
AB 1772 is expected to be heard in the Assembly Committee on Insurance in early spring.
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
Extending the time a policy holder has to recoup their losses after a devastating fire will prevent battles with insurance companies and bring families greater peace of mind.
In October 2017, California experienced the most devastating wildfire in state history. 44 Californian lives were claimed.
More than 14,700 homes and 728 businesses were damaged or destroyed totaling over 9 billion dollars worth of insurable damage.
This disaster struck while Lake and Calaveras counties were still in process of rebuilding from the Valley and Butte fires, respectively, of 2015, which destroyed more than 3,000 structures and 1,700 homes.
“Four of my counties – Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma – were on fire in October. For many, it wasn’t the first time,” said Aguiar-Curry. “It breaks my heart to think about the magnitude of loss families across California are experiencing due to fires. It will take them years to pick up the pieces. My hope is that AB 1772 will provide those families a level of comfort knowing they will have the time and money they need to rebuild their homes, business, and lives after such a devastating event.”
AB 1772 extends the amount of time a home or business owner has to rebuild an insured property from two to three years and receive the full replacement costs they are entitled to after a declared emergency.
Many constituents who had homes and businesses burn down during the Valley and Butte fires of 2015 are still not done rebuilding due to the magnitude of loss those communities experienced.
Such large regional rebuild efforts put strain on resources and contractors available to finish extensive amounts of work.
Rebuild timelines for the North Bay and Southern California fires of 2017 are expected to be just as, if not more, time consuming.
AB 1772 has already gained the support of Legislators from regions North and South impacted by the wildfires of 2017.
Coauthors from the Assembly include Wood, Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), and Marc Levine (D-Marin), and from the Senate Bill Dodd (D-Napa), Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).
“The recent California wildfires devastated so many people in our communities,” said Wood, a joint author of AB 1772. “They have lost homes and businesses that they worked years to build and we can’t forget the emotional trauma they are also experiencing. This bill, which is limited to declared emergencies, will provide insureds an additional year to rebuild. When you think about all that is involved in rebuilding close to 10,000 structures in Northern California alone – all within a few hundred miles of each other – this bill will give people the time to complete the planning and permitting process, find the best contractor for their home or business and take the pressure off our local governments to ensure that they can meet the extraordinary needs of their residents.”
“This bill takes an important step to help victims and communities rebuild and recover after future disasters,” said Sen. Dodd.
“Twenty-four months just isn’t enough time for residents to work with their insurance companies on full reimbursement of their lost home,” Sen. McGuire said. “The size and scope of wildland fire events have grown significantly over the last decade in California. This new reality means we have to rethink what were once reliable programs and develop new solutions. I’m grateful to join with Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry on this important initiative that will help all Californians.”
“The recovery process after a fire can be overwhelming—this extension will relieve one more worry for a family who has lost their home or a business owner trying to rebuild,” said Assemblymember Limón, “I am proud to join Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry as a principal coauthor of this important legislation to extend the coverage period. As our communities recover from the devastating fires of last year, we will continue to bring down barriers to returning to a sense of normalcy.”
AB 1772 is expected to be heard in the Assembly Committee on Insurance in early spring.
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
REGIONAL: Man arrested for DUI found with thousands of dollars in stolen gold coins, illegal weapons
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Ukiah man arrested on New Year’s Day for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs was found with illegal weapons as well as thousands of dollars in minted gold and silver coins that authorities said he stole from clients he served as an In-Home Supportive Services worker.
Van Allen Hubbard, 56, was arrested following a traffic stop shortly after 5 a.m. Monday in Redwood Valley, according to the Ukiah Area office of the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said two officers responded to assist the Coyote Valley Tribal Police Department with a possible DUI driver stopped at Coyote Valley Boulevard just east of Highway 101.
One of the officers conducted a DUI investigation and Hubbard, the driver, was arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs, the CHP said.
During a vehicle inventory, the CHP said the officers discovered several dangerous and illegal weapons in the vehicle as well as a large amount of rare minted sealed gold and silver coins, the value of which is estimated between $15,000 and $20,000, the CHP said. A locked safe not belonging to Hubbard also was found in the vehicle.
The CHP said Hubbard couldn’t account for the items the officers found in his vehicle at that time, which led to further investigation.
On Tuesday, search warrants were obtained for Hubbard’s storage unit and vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of an additional quantity of rare minted sealed gold and silver coins with an estimated value of $10,000 to $15,000, according to the CHP.
Evidence developed in this case indicated that these items belonged to clients of Hubbard’s when Hubbard was working as an In-Home Supportive Services provider, the CHP said.
The CHP said Hubbard was booked into the Mendocino County Jail for driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs as well as being in possession of stolen property, possession of dangerous weapons including a sap or baton, elder abuse and additional lesser charges. His bail was set at $25,000.
Authorities said the exact value of the coins is under investigation.
The case has been submitted to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, the CHP said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The first baby born in Lake County in 2018 was still comfortably in utero as midnight struck on Jan. 1.
It wasn’t until Tuesday, Jan. 2, that Lake County’s New Year’s baby made his arrival into the world.
Bodhi David Day was born at 6:11 p.m. Tuesday at Adventist Health Clear Lake to happy parents Philip Day and Melody Dawson-Day and big sister Eden.
Little Bodhi was delivered by Dr. Kimberly Fordham, MD, and Women’s Care Unit nurse Hayley Burt, RN. He was a healthy 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
Mother Melody Dawson-Day was also born at Adventist Health Clear Lake, making Bodhi a second generation Adventist Health Clear Lake baby.
“Each new baby is a reason for celebration, but welcoming a new life at the beginning of a new year is special for our entire team,” said Al Hansen, RN, director of Surgery and Women’s Care at Adventist Health Clear Lake. “All year long, we are privileged to provide our community with the healthiest possible beginning for each their growing family.”
The family took home a baby bundle full of special gifts, including a pack and play.
Adventist Health Clear Lake’s Women’s Care Unit provides labor and delivery services to hundreds women and their infants each year. For more information visit the “Services” section on www.adventisthealthclearlake.org.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss a grant application and wildfire-related matters.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
On the agenda is a public hearing to consider accepting a resolution that approves the city’s hazardous mitigation grant program grant application for the creation of a local hazards mitigation plan.
As part of that item, the council will direct staff to file a notice of intent with the California Office of Emergency Services.
The council also will get an update on the continuation of the emergency declarations for the Sulphur fire.
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 council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
On the agenda is a public hearing to consider accepting a resolution that approves the city’s hazardous mitigation grant program grant application for the creation of a local hazards mitigation plan.
As part of that item, the council will direct staff to file a notice of intent with the California Office of Emergency Services.
The council also will get an update on the continuation of the emergency declarations for the Sulphur fire.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Several state lawmakers – including Lake County’s state senator – have introduced legislation to prevent electric utilities from passing costs that result from negligent practices onto customers by raising rates.
State Sen. Jerry Hill, joined by Senators Ben Allen, Bill Dodd, Mike McGuire and Scott Wiener, and Assemblymembers Marc Levine and Jim Wood, introduced legislation SB 819 on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 819 was prompted by utilities’ ongoing efforts to recover costs resulting from long-past wildfires by seeking permission to increase rates, even if found at fault in the fires.
The much-criticized practice came under sharp scrutiny as one such effort, by a San Diego utility, came up for review by the California Public Utilities Commission as wildfires raged last fall in Northern California’s Wine Country.
While the cause of those fires is still being investigated, several legislators want to ensure that the electric utilities serving California cannot recover the costs that result from the utilities’ negligent practices by raising rates for customers.
“The practice is an outrage and it’s time to stop allowing utilities to push the burden of their negligence onto the backs of customers,” said Sen. Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. “Victims of devastating fires and other tragedies, and ratepayers in general, should not be forced to pay for the mistakes made by utilities.”
Sen. McGuire, D-North Coast/North Bay, whose district includes communities ravaged by the wildfires in October – including Lake County – said: “Thousands of North Bay residents have lost their homes and businesses and many escaped these devastating fires with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their family's safety. While there is an active fire investigation taking place, there is absolutely no way residents who are suffering from this massive tragedy should ever pay for a corporation's potential negligence. It's simply unconscionable and I'm grateful to join with Sen. Hill on this important piece of legislation.”
“California’s utilities must be held fully liable when their negligence causes damage in our communities,” said Sen. Wiener, D-San Francisco. “You don’t burn someone’s house down and then raise their rates to help pay for the damage you caused. I want to thank Senator Hill for leading this effort to protect California’s ratepayers.”
“Utility customers shouldn't be stuck paying the bill for a problem they did not cause. This legislation is a fair response that will protect the public and hold companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused,” said Sen. Allen, D-Santa Monica.
“The cause of the North Bay fires is still under investigation,” said Assemblymember Levine, D-Marin County. “Regardless, ratepayers should never be stuck with the bill if negligence is determined. That's why I am coauthoring legislation with Sen. Jerry Hill to prohibit utility companies from charging ratepayers for costs if a utility is found at fault for a fire. The public yearns for accountability and we must have it here.”
Before ratepayers bear any cost incurred by a utility, the California Public Utilities Commission is required to evaluate whether those costs are just and reasonable.
For example, if a wildfire occurs in a utility’s service territory, the utility will incur costs to repair and replace equipment damaged by the fire.
The CPUC has the authority to determine if the utility acted reasonably in responding to the fire – in preventing the fire from occurring, in mitigating the fire’s spread, and in recovery efforts during and after the fire – before allowing the utility to increase rates to pay for the damage.
The CPUC’s ability to determine reasonable behavior, and to allow or disallow cost recovery in rates based on that review, is a central tenet of the CPUC’s authority.
SB 819 provides the CPUC with full authority to apply a reasonableness review to electric utilities’ requests for cost recovery.
In addition, the bill clarifies that fines, penalties, or uninsured expenses resulting from negligent behavior are not recoverable in rates.
In response to SB 819’s introduction, on Pacific Gas and Electric Co. released a Wednesday written statement.
“While there has been no determination on the causes of the Northern California wildfires that took place in October, it is clear that California needs much broader reforms that recognize the mutual interests of customers, utilities, investors, insurers and others as we work together to address the impacts of climate change including more frequent and more damaging wildfires,” the PG&E statement said.
“California is one of the only states in the country where the courts have applied inverse condemnation liability to events caused by a privately owned utility’s equipment. This means that if a utility’s equipment is found to have been a substantial cause of the damage in the event like a wildfire – even if the utility has followed established inspection and safety rules – the utility may be liable for property damages and attorneys’ fees associated with that event,” the company said.
“Allowing essentially unlimited liability undermines the financial health of the state’s utilities, discourages investment in California and has the potential to materially impact the ability of utilities to access the capital markets to fund utility operations. All of these are bad for customers and bad for the state of California,” PG&E said in the statement.
The company concluded, “And, at a time when California is asking privately owned utilities to invest billions of dollars to meet the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, these risks pose real consequences for the state’s environment, economy and communities.”
Gas companies are already prevented from shifting the burden of fines and penalties onto customers as a result of legislation by then-Assemblymember Hill in response to the PG&E gas pipeline explosion that leveled a San Bruno neighborhood in 2010.
That legislation, Assembly Bill 56, was approved by the governor in 2011.
State Sen. Jerry Hill, joined by Senators Ben Allen, Bill Dodd, Mike McGuire and Scott Wiener, and Assemblymembers Marc Levine and Jim Wood, introduced legislation SB 819 on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 819 was prompted by utilities’ ongoing efforts to recover costs resulting from long-past wildfires by seeking permission to increase rates, even if found at fault in the fires.
The much-criticized practice came under sharp scrutiny as one such effort, by a San Diego utility, came up for review by the California Public Utilities Commission as wildfires raged last fall in Northern California’s Wine Country.
While the cause of those fires is still being investigated, several legislators want to ensure that the electric utilities serving California cannot recover the costs that result from the utilities’ negligent practices by raising rates for customers.
“The practice is an outrage and it’s time to stop allowing utilities to push the burden of their negligence onto the backs of customers,” said Sen. Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. “Victims of devastating fires and other tragedies, and ratepayers in general, should not be forced to pay for the mistakes made by utilities.”
Sen. McGuire, D-North Coast/North Bay, whose district includes communities ravaged by the wildfires in October – including Lake County – said: “Thousands of North Bay residents have lost their homes and businesses and many escaped these devastating fires with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their family's safety. While there is an active fire investigation taking place, there is absolutely no way residents who are suffering from this massive tragedy should ever pay for a corporation's potential negligence. It's simply unconscionable and I'm grateful to join with Sen. Hill on this important piece of legislation.”
“California’s utilities must be held fully liable when their negligence causes damage in our communities,” said Sen. Wiener, D-San Francisco. “You don’t burn someone’s house down and then raise their rates to help pay for the damage you caused. I want to thank Senator Hill for leading this effort to protect California’s ratepayers.”
“Utility customers shouldn't be stuck paying the bill for a problem they did not cause. This legislation is a fair response that will protect the public and hold companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused,” said Sen. Allen, D-Santa Monica.
“The cause of the North Bay fires is still under investigation,” said Assemblymember Levine, D-Marin County. “Regardless, ratepayers should never be stuck with the bill if negligence is determined. That's why I am coauthoring legislation with Sen. Jerry Hill to prohibit utility companies from charging ratepayers for costs if a utility is found at fault for a fire. The public yearns for accountability and we must have it here.”
Before ratepayers bear any cost incurred by a utility, the California Public Utilities Commission is required to evaluate whether those costs are just and reasonable.
For example, if a wildfire occurs in a utility’s service territory, the utility will incur costs to repair and replace equipment damaged by the fire.
The CPUC has the authority to determine if the utility acted reasonably in responding to the fire – in preventing the fire from occurring, in mitigating the fire’s spread, and in recovery efforts during and after the fire – before allowing the utility to increase rates to pay for the damage.
The CPUC’s ability to determine reasonable behavior, and to allow or disallow cost recovery in rates based on that review, is a central tenet of the CPUC’s authority.
SB 819 provides the CPUC with full authority to apply a reasonableness review to electric utilities’ requests for cost recovery.
In addition, the bill clarifies that fines, penalties, or uninsured expenses resulting from negligent behavior are not recoverable in rates.
In response to SB 819’s introduction, on Pacific Gas and Electric Co. released a Wednesday written statement.
“While there has been no determination on the causes of the Northern California wildfires that took place in October, it is clear that California needs much broader reforms that recognize the mutual interests of customers, utilities, investors, insurers and others as we work together to address the impacts of climate change including more frequent and more damaging wildfires,” the PG&E statement said.
“California is one of the only states in the country where the courts have applied inverse condemnation liability to events caused by a privately owned utility’s equipment. This means that if a utility’s equipment is found to have been a substantial cause of the damage in the event like a wildfire – even if the utility has followed established inspection and safety rules – the utility may be liable for property damages and attorneys’ fees associated with that event,” the company said.
“Allowing essentially unlimited liability undermines the financial health of the state’s utilities, discourages investment in California and has the potential to materially impact the ability of utilities to access the capital markets to fund utility operations. All of these are bad for customers and bad for the state of California,” PG&E said in the statement.
The company concluded, “And, at a time when California is asking privately owned utilities to invest billions of dollars to meet the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, these risks pose real consequences for the state’s environment, economy and communities.”
Gas companies are already prevented from shifting the burden of fines and penalties onto customers as a result of legislation by then-Assemblymember Hill in response to the PG&E gas pipeline explosion that leveled a San Bruno neighborhood in 2010.
That legislation, Assembly Bill 56, was approved by the governor in 2011.