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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Seven California counties impacted by the October 2017 wildfires will have additional federal assistance for permanent repair and replacement of disaster-damaged infrastructure.

An amendment to the president’s major disaster declaration of Oct. 10, 2017, expands FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program for Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties.

The counties were previously designated for PA covering debris removal and emergency protective measures, such as overtime costs for officials responding to the disaster.

This announcement allows reimbursement for eligible permanent work on infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and public buildings, including fire stations, schools, water-control facilities, public utilities, parks and recreational facilities.

Government entities, including federally recognized tribal governments, and certain nonprofit organizations that suffered damage or losses as a result of the disaster may be eligible for the funding.

Public Assistance is cost sharing help with FEMA paying at least 75 percent of eligible repair costs and work.

For more information on California recovery, visit the disaster web page at www.WildfireRecovery.org, www.fema.gov/disaster/4344 and Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/femaregion9.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – At its meeting last week the Lakeport City Council took a first look at proposed new rules related to commercial marijuana activities and approved vehicle purchases for two departments.

Community Development Director Kevin Ingram introduced to the council a new ordinance to permit and regulate commercial marijuana, or cannabis, operations along with an ordinance amending current rules permitting and regulating personal cannabis cultivation.

Public hearings on both sets of rules are set for the council’s Dec. 19 meeting.

Ingram said the changes were necessary due to changes in state law as a result of Proposition 64 and SB 94.

Running through a quick history of the work on the proposed commercial regulations, he said the city formed a working group to look at updating the regulations, with the group’s overarching goal being to balance the concerns of those who don’t want commercial marijuana in the city with those who do.

The working group established some basic performance standards, the biggest piece being to recommend limiting retail sales to delivery only, he said. They also put together general performance standards.

Ingram said the city carried out extensive community outreach, the council and planning commission held a joint meeting to discuss the rules, and the commission held a series of meetings in October and early November to go over the rules in-depth.

The planning commission felt it was premature to rule out commercial retail in its entirety, and made recommendations that certain uses be allowed in professional office and major commercial zoning designations, he said.

The outcome of the work also resulted in a proposal to put performance standards for such operations not in the zoning ordinance but in chapter five of the city code, Ingram said.

Ingram said there was no action to be taken, other than taking public comments and setting a public hearing for Dec. 19.

During public comment, the council heard from George Smith, a 50-year resident who said it was his first time speaking to the council.

Smith, who lives on Clear Lake Avenue, asked that commercial areas around Eighth and Ninth streets – which are near residences, apartments, hotels, churches and the old Natural High School property – be removed from the locations where the commercial cannabis activities would be allowed.

Another speaker, Ann Blue, told the council, “I'd just as soon there was no such thing as marijuana, but that's beside the point,” adding she was concerned about the policing of marijuana-related uses.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said there was no intent to increase policing. He said his department has been involved with the regulations since the beginning, and it will be involved with issuing permits.

“We have a really nice little town here, and I'd like to keep it that way,” said Blue, adding that she hoped the council will give the community the very best protection it can.

Ingram said the proposed ordinance sets out very detailed requirements for commercial cannabis operations, from submittal of operations and security plans to background investigations, and review of facilities by police and fire agencies.

City Planning Commissioner Michael Green, who also is a marijuana consultant versed in state regulations, said if the city does a good job at enforcing the regulations, then the presence of commercial cannabis activities would be an economic development asset, one he suggested could fit in the downtown.

He also suggested the council not ban the activities from the lakefront revitalization area, suggesting the city has a historic chance to bring economic activity into its downtown, where some storefronts are sitting vacant.

Mayor Stacey Mattina said the commission had made a lot of changes to the proposed regulations, and was concerned about the additions of so many zones in the city for commercial cannabis when she believed no one was asking for it.

Ingram said they can always make future amendments, although, “You can’t take things away.”

Mattina wanted to take a careful approach. “I'm sure this is going to be a moving target over the next year.”

Rasmussen said he had concerns about retail activities, especially downtown, as well as the commission’s suggestion that lounges with onsite consumption should be allowed.

Councilwoman Mireya Turner said she believed they could put off the matter of onsite consumption until some point in the future, as she didn’t believe the city had the resources to monitor it.

Mattina asked Councilman George Spurr his thoughts about lounges. “It’s something I don’t think we should have, actually,” he replied, explaining that it’s one thing to buy a product on site, it’s another thing to consume it.

However, Councilman Tim Barnes said he wasn’t opposed to it, as to him it was similar to a bar.

Returning to the microphone, Green said he had concerns about retail being limited to delivery only, as he believed it had bigger problems as far as security and cash handling. He added that storefronts are a more mature business model.

Mattina said she wanted to go back to the original draft, not the commission’s version of the rules, as the council had not heard enough input in support of the changes.

“A middle ground is what that original draft was,” she said.

Ingram said the commission struggled over whether retail was appropriate, and in the end allowed for a limit of two such establishments, borrowing from the city of Cloverdale’s limits.

Turner said she knows cannabis is a unique and a new industry as it’s now being approached. She said she tries to look at how the city regulates business in general, questioning how many auto parts stores the city now has.

“I would absolutely agree with that,” said Councilman Kenny Parlet.

City Manager Margaret Silveira said in the case of liquor licenses, when granting them an area can’t be saturated.

Planning Commissioner Ken Wicks Jr. said the two store cap would allow the city to change.

“You have the ability to ban the whole thing if that's what you want to do,” but he said the commission was trying to give the council options.

Mattina said many things are unclear and changing, and that the draft before them could be taken up later. However, the city needs to have regulations to present to the state by Jan. 1. She said she didn’t see the need to add in so many new provisions right away.

Ingram said the staff could provide the original draft and the commission’s draft at the next meeting.

Another commissioner, Michael Froio, said he was surprised the council would want to go back to the previous draft, especially considering all of the commission’s work and the effort to meet the state deadline.

“What we hoped to do for you was to bring common sense ideas to this group,” he said, adding he hoped they would look at the commission’s work, fine tune it and move forward.

Turner said she liked a commission proposal that would allow for testing facilities – with a 5-pound maximum – to be allowed in professional office space. She’s visited such locations in Santa Rosa and they tested only small amounts, and said if security measures are in place the amount limit doesn’t make sense.

Parlet said he had concerns about delivery services, which he said aren’t controllable and could have issues. He added he didn’t feel it was rational to stigmatize marijuana dispensaries as crime centers.

Turner suggested the council could create a commercial cannabis overlay zone where they prefer to see the various uses located.

Rasmussen said he was concerned that retail establishments would elicit more need for police response.

City Attorney David Ruderman pointed out that such establishments have security issues that relate to the fact that they often have large amounts of cash on hand due to the continuing challenges relating to federally insured banks taking funds from the marijuana industry.

The council ultimately moved to advance the commercial cannabis rules to the Dec. 19 hearing unanimously.

Ahead of that meeting, the council will hold a special meeting on Dec. 4 to further consider the proposed commercial regulations.

The council also unanimously advanced the updates to personal marijuana cultivation rules, which Ingram said were just updated to comply with state regulations.

Also at the Nov. 21 meeting, the council approved Public Works Director Doug Grider’s request for a budget adjustment for an additional $25,000 for the purchase of a 10-wheeler dump truck, an item that Grider said had been included in the annual budget.

He said it was necessary because the dump trucks the city has been using for the last 40 years are just about worn out.

Rasmussen also received approval to purchase two fully equipped 2018 Dodge Charger police vehicles Thurston Auto along with mobile audio visual units.

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.

112117 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKEPORT, Calif. – After a weekend with strong rainfall, the weather forecast calls for much of this week to be cool and clear, with winds arriving midweek.

Sunday and early Monday saw Lake County getting heavy rainfall before conditions tapered off for most of the day on Monday.

For the 24-hour period ending at 11 p.m. Monday, the county had rainfall amounts ranging up to three tenths of an inch, with the Boggs Forest area recording about half an inch, according to National Weather Service observation stations.

More rain isn’t in the forecast until Friday night and throughout Saturday.

During the day Tuesday and Tuesday night patchy fog is expected in the Lakeport and Upper Lake areas, according to the forecast.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, light winds are forecast in part of the county. In the south county, north winds of 15 miles per hour with gust of up to 21 miles per hour are expected during the day on Wednesday before tapering off that night.

Temperatures this week are expected to get cooler, with daytime highs hovering around 60 degrees, while nighttime lows drop into the low 30s, just under the freezing mark.

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 will hold a special meeting this week to handle items of business related to the Sulphur fire and the street closure for a holiday event.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The items to be considered are part of the consent agenda, and expected to be approved as a slate.

They include consideration of continuing a declaration of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9 by City Manager Greg Folsom and ratified by the council on Oct. 12.

The second item is the continuation of the declaration of a local health emergency issued by Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait on Oct. 12 and ratified by council action on Oct. 18.

The council also will consider a resolution approving a temporary street closure for the annual Christmas parade and tree lighting on Dec. 9.

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. – The Lakeport City Council plans to hold a special meeting next week to discuss possible changes to city code to allow for commercial marijuana, or cannabis, activities.

The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The council will review possible amendments to the Lakeport Municipal Code to develop procedures to permit and regulate commercial cannabis activities within the city.

The changes would reflect state regulations associated with the recently approved Proposition 64 that legalized the personal use of marijuana in California and other recent legislative changes concerning marijuana over the past couple of years.

At that meeting, council discussion will include, but not be limited to, the following:

– Whether or not to permit commercial cannabis storefront retail activities.
– Potential performance standards for commercial cannabis activities, specifically related to retail type uses.
– Appropriate zoning districts for the allowance of commercial cannabis uses and the possible consideration of Commercial Cannabis special overlay district.
– Consideration of buffer distances for Commercial Cannabis uses (e.g., schools, parks, etc.)

The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

An electronic version of the staff report and other meeting materials can be viewed on the city of Lakeport’s Web site at http://www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/page.aspx?deptID=36&id=229.

In addition to the special meeting scheduled for Dec. 4, the Lakeport City Council will also be holding a public hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. to consider both an ordinance developing procedures for the allowance of personal cannabis cultivation and regulations for the permitting of specific commercial cannabis activities.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the Community Development Department at 707-263-5615, Extension 20, or email Kevin Ingram at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lucerne man was arrested on Thanksgiving night after authorities say he shot another man during an argument.

Jose Francisco Casillas, 33, was arrested following the shooting, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said that at 8 p.m. Thursday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a male who was shot during an incident that occurred in the area of the Sandy Beach Trailer Park, located at 5800 E. Highway 20 in Lucerne.

The deputies were flagged down by witnesses and the victim in the area of Highway 20 and Bartlett Springs Road. At that point the victim was being transported to the hospital by private vehicle, Paulich said.

Paulich said deputies were able to identify the suspect as Casillas.

Casillas had been at the victim’s residence on First Avenue earlier in the evening. He was intoxicated and had been showing people a small handgun, according to Paulich’s report.

At one point, Paulich said Casillas got into an argument with the victim and was asked to leave.

The victim later contacted Casillas at his residence where they again argued. During the argument Casillas shot the victim one time in the right thigh, Paulich said.

An acquaintance of Casillas came to the residence and took the handgun that had been used. Paulich said deputies were able to make contact with the acquaintance and recover the handgun.

The victim was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with a wound that Paulich said was not life-threatening.

Paulich said Casillas was placed under arrest for assault with a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and a prohibited person in possession of ammunition.

Casillas remained in custody on Monday at the Lake County Jail on bail of $50,000, Paulich said.

Jail records showed that Casillas is scheduled to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Monday.