News

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Woodland Community College will sponsor a “Know Your Rights” information forum on Thursday, Feb. 16.

The forum will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Woodland Community College Community Center, located at 2300 E. Gibson Road in Woodland.

A live feed of the forum will be available to Woodland Community Colleges’ Lake County and Colusa County campuses via Facebook at Live Woodland Community College.

The forum is open to the public.

The Yuba Community College District and Woodland Community College is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all students, including undocumented students in accordance with law, regulation, and policy.

In collaboration with California Rural Legal Assistance, attorneys will discuss the following:

– Students rights for encounters with law enforcement;
– Recent developments of immigration law (with specific focus on DACA);
– California laws and policies affecting immigrants.

For questions or additional information please contact Rodrigo Lopez, student success and engagement specialist, at 530-668-3691.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reminds winter travelers to protect themselves from mosquito bites when traveling to areas with known transmission of Zika virus, including Mexico.

Mexican officials this week confirmed a case of local transmission in Ensenada, Baja California, a coastal city in Mexico. Ensenada is approximately 85 miles south of San Diego, making it a popular destination for California travelers.

“Many Californians enjoy spending time in Mexico, and this news about local transmission just across the border emphasizes the importance for travelers to take precautions against mosquito bites,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “In particular, pregnant women and couples considering pregnancy need to be cautious because Zika virus can cause severe birth defects. Pregnant women are urged to avoid travel to areas with known Zika transmission if at all possible. If travel is necessary, it is extremely important to prevent mosquito bites by using mosquito repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.”

Many areas of Mexico continue to experience transmission of the Zika virus, including states with popular tourist destinations.

In addition to Baja California, the states of Baja California Sur, where Cabo San Lucas is located, and Sonora, which borders Arizona, have also reported local Zika virus transmission.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers any travel to Mexico to be a potential risk for Zika virus infection.

While there has been no local transmission of Zika virus in California to date, CDPH has confirmed 486 cases of travel-associated infections in the state. Florida and Texas have experienced locally transmitted cases of Zika.

Zika virus is spread primarily through mosquito bites and can also be transmitted by both men and women during sex.

Most people who are infected with Zika do not experience any symptoms, but should take precautions to avoid sexual transmission, even if they never had symptoms.

All individuals, particularly women of childbearing age, should take steps to protect themselves against mosquito bites while traveling and when they return home.

Sexually active people who travel to areas with Zika transmission should use condoms or other barriers to avoid getting or passing Zika during sex.

Couples planning pregnancy when either partner has been exposed to Zika virus should speak with a health care provider about a safe time to try to get pregnant.

Health care providers can recommend effective birth control methods to use while waiting to conceive. Men should wait six months to conceive a child with a partner after Zika exposure.

Women who have been exposed should wait a minimum of eight weeks before becoming pregnant.

The mosquitoes that can carry Zika virus and infect people live in many areas of California.

“To protect others from the Zika virus, we ask people traveling to Mexico, or any other place where Zika exists, to take steps to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks after a trip, even if you don’t feel sick,” said Dr. Smith. “If one of these mosquitoes bites an infected person, it can spread the virus by biting another person.”

To prevent mosquito bites, apply repellents containing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label).

When used as directed, these repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

In addition to long-sleeved shirts and long pants, individuals should wear socks and shoes when outdoors. Be sure window and door screens are in good condition to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.

Though most people who are infected with Zika do not experience any symptoms, symptoms of infection can include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika other than rest, fluids and fever relief.

More information about Zika can be found in the December 2016 CDPH Health and Travel Advisory, and on the CDPH and CDC Web sites.

COBB, Calif. – A rebuild workshop for Cobb area residents impacted by the Valley fire will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cobb Elementary School, 15895 Highway 175.

The Rebuild Advocacy Committee for the Cobb Area Council is presenting the workshop.

They will have experts on hand to help community members who are confused or overwhelmed about where to start in the rebuild process, or who have other problems.

Those concerned about property values, costs or time to rebuild, or other aspects of the rebuilding process are encouraged to attend and speak with the experts.

On hand will be local contractors, as well as Hammers for Hope, Cobb Area Water, Hope City, Habitat for Humanity, Policyholders Recovery, Timothy Toye and Associations and the Lake County Building Department.

For more information, call Ron Haskett at 707-533-9771 or Kathleen Ahart at 707-262-2479.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State Sen. Mike McGuire, who has been voicing concern over the last several months about the tight timelines associated with Proposition 64, will chair a Senate Governance and Finance Committee hearing next week focused on cannabis business taxes and regulations.

The Senate Oversight Hearing: “California Cannabis in a Turbulent Time” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 1:30 pm in Room 2040 of the State Capitol.

It will be livestreamed at www.senate.ca.gov .

McGuire’s office said the hearing will discuss implementing California’s Cannabis tax collection system and the “track and trace” system which verifies cannabis taxes and product safety – all critical elements of the structure for cannabis that is being developed, and that is slated to go live on Jan. 1, 2018. 

Concerns about whether or not these systems will be up and running by this deadline will be addressed and leaders from the Board of Equalization, California Department of Food and Agriculture, local elected leaders, industry professionals and public safety officials will talk about some of the difficulties in regulating an industry that has been operating essentially unregulated for 20 years.

“The California Cannabis industry is worth an estimated $7 billion, and we’re only bringing in a small fraction of taxes the state is due, about 20 to 30 percent. The state’s tax collection system is not in place and it will be near impossible to get it up and running by the new year,” Sen. McGuire said. “We are building the plane while it’s being flown and we need to start developing a backup plan sooner rather than later.”

McGuire said there are significant unanswered questions as the state moves into a new era of cannabis under Proposition 64 and those questions will be asked and answered at next week’s hearing.

Topics include current and future tax compliance rates; obstacles and hurdles retailers will face as they come into the system; how the Board of Equalization will handle the influx of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash; how long it will take the state to get the tax collection and track and trace systems up and running; how the state intends to sign up the hundreds of thousands of growers and cannabis related businesses to start paying their mandated tax and setting some realistic timelines for the track and trace system to be up and running.

“Proposition 64 put a massive requirement on state marijuana regulators and very little time to accomplish the landslide of rules and regulations mandated by the initiative. Some departments who have been working on the licensure issue for the last year may well be ready by Jan. 1, 2018. But we have to face the facts – it’s not realistic that all of the Prop. 64 rules and regulations will be in place by the New Year,” McGuire said.

“The all-important Track and Trace program, which verifies taxes and ensures product safety, will not be in place by Jan. 1 and we have to resolve the massive and uneven tax collection process that currently exists throughout the state,” McGuire said. “I think it’s important that we are transparent and realistic, and that is why we are holding this hearing to ensure an implementation timeline is put into place over the next several months.”

McGuire, who represents California’s North Coast, including Lake County, is chair of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Upper Lake Cemetery District said it plans to begin more strictly enforcing rules for cemetery grounds this spring.

Cemetery rules enacted in September 2006 and amended in January 2012 list items that shall not be placed on graves or headstones.

Beginning on April 30, those rules will be strictly enforced, the district said.

Those rules include not allowing glass in the cemetery.

In addition, items not to be placed on gravestones or headstones include statues, toys, globes, bottles, cans, jugs, wind chimes, solar lights, food or any object which interferes with maintenance or operation of the cemetery.

People who have placed such items on graves are asked to remove all unauthorized objects by April 30, or the district will remove them.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The president’s recent actions related to immigration will be the topic of the sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County service on Sunday, Feb. 12.

Rev. Dr. Carrie Knowles will lead the service, which begins at 11 am at the church, located at 3810 Main St. in Kelseyville. Guests are encouraged to attend.

The title of the sermon is, “Burning Bridges to Hope: The Assault on Muslim Refugees and Truth.”

Rev. Dr. Knowles will discuss the recent executive actions of the president from the perspective of a religious community that affirms “the worth and dignity of every human” as its first principle.

She will look at how recent actions erode human dignity and present ideas for action. 

The Unitarian Universalist Association has written a “Declaration of Conscience,” committing to put Unitarian Universalist values into action to resist hate, fear and bigotry. Congregations around the country are signing this declaration to show their commitment.

The Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County is participating in this action, and making plans to work locally to support people who may be threatened by recent actions of the president.

For more information, call 707-587-4243.