News

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Grindstone Ranger District will change operating hours at the work center in Stonyford on Monday, Oct. 31.

Starting Oct. 31, the office will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with a half-hour closure from noon to 12:30 p.m.

These changes are being made due to the limited level of services needed and the reduced staffing that is available to provide customer service at this location on Saturdays according to Grindstone District Ranger Eduardo Olmedo.

Previously, the office was open Tuesday through Saturday.

Also, the Stonyford office will be closed to the public on Thursday, Oct. 13, for an all-employee meeting.

Olmedo advises that forest visitors check for information about conditions and maps on the forest Web site – www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino/ – before traveling to the area.

Information also is available outside the office in Stonyford.

If you have questions, please contact Lisa Marie Lefever, administrative support assistant, at 530-934-1147.

SACRAMENTO – California revenues of more than $10.57 billion for September beat projections in the 2016-17 Budget Act Gov. Jerry Brown signed in June by $151.6 million, or 1.5 percent, State Controller Betty T. Yee reported this week.

Total revenues have outpaced expectations for two straight months after four months of shortfalls.

The fiscal year-to-date total of $24.55 billion in revenues is now just 0.1 percent below estimates.

Personal income tax (PIT) continues to represent the largest portion of General Fund receipts.

September PIT receipts of almost $7.14 billion exceeded budget projections by $127.7 million, or 1.8 percent.

Three months into the new fiscal year, California has collected total PIT receipts of almost $16.32 billion, topping estimates by $177.8 million – a difference of 1.1 percent.

Corporation taxes – which surge when quarterly payments arrive in March, June, September, and December – came in at just over $1.02 billion for September, which was 14 percent ($166.3 million) lower than anticipated.

By contrast, corporation tax receipts for August were only $72.8 million. For the first three months of the fiscal year, total corporation tax receipts of $1.32 billion are $265.5 million less than predicted in the 2016-17 Budget Act – a shortfall of 16.7 percent.

Retail sales and use tax receipts of just over $2.00 billion beat expectations by $208.4 million, the largest margin of the “big three” revenue sources at 11.6 percent.

For the fiscal year-to-date, sales tax receipts of nearly $5.94 billion are just $25.8 million under estimates, or 0.4 percent.

The state ended the month of September with unused borrowable resources of more than $28.51 billion, which was $2.02 billion more than predicted in the 2016-17 Budget Act.

Outstanding loans of just under $10.53 billion were $50.4 million less than projected. This loan balance consists of borrowing from the state’s internal special funds.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Steven Pulido made his journey home to be at peace on Oct. 6, 2016.

Steven was a very loving man who enjoyed spending time in the mountains, going on hikes with his nephews and fishing.

As anyone could tell you, when going through Lucerne, you could always count on seeing Steven with a welcoming smile and wave as you passed.

Steven is survived by his siblings, Richard, Sophia, Rosa and Silvia Pulido; numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, Carlos and Coleen Pulido.

Final viewing will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport.

A memorial gathering/dinner will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at Alpine Park in Lucerne.

Everyone is welcome to come to the memorial where there will be a potluck dinner.

For further information please contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Third District) traveled to Lower Lake this weekend to visit areas damaged by the Clayton fire that ravaged southern Lake County in August.

He was joined by Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown, who is leading the local recovery effort. They discussed ongoing response and cleanup efforts.

During the visit, Congressman Garamendi also discussed ideas that would help rural communities like Lake County receive more support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

Over the last 15 months, Lake County has experienced four major wildfires, but only one of these wildfires received a disaster declaration by FEMA, which is needed to unlock much of America’s emergency response resources.

The Clayton fire did not receive a disaster declaration, despite destroying about 200 structures, because current law disadvantages rural communities in heavily populated states.

Congressman Garamendi thinks it makes sense that any community devastated by four major fires over 15 months should be allocated federal disaster relief assistance.

“This firsthand exposure to the devastation caused by the Clayton fire gives me information that will be helpful to convince my colleagues in Congress that disaster relief reform is needed. I want to thank Supervisor Rob Brown for his incredible work helping our constituents,” Garamendi said. “Congress should be able to come together to proactively help rural communities that are suffering from natural disasters.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Clayton fire, Congressmen John Garamendi and Mike Thompson alerted Lake County residents to Small Business Administration loans available to homeowners, businesses and nonprofits impacted by the fire. The filing deadline to report damage is Nov. 7.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest fire managers are preparing to conduct two prescribed fires on the forest on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

On the Upper Lake Ranger District, crews will ignite approximately 80 acres on the Howard Mill underburn project and on the Grindstone Ranger District, crews will burn about 66 acres of the Alder Springs underburn project.

The Howard Mill prescribed fire is situated between Lake Pillsbury and Upper Lake near Elk Mountain and the Alder Springs prescribed fire is 16 miles from Elk Creek.

Preparations for these burns include monitoring fuel and weather conditions and checking project boundaries.

Crews are working to complete these prescribed fires before potential moisture reaches the forest by the end of the week.

Smoke will be noticeable from various areas across the forest and in outlying communities.

Signs will be posted for public awareness and safety in those areas where prescribed fires are planned.

Project maps are posted on the forest Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Women’s Civic Club is finalizing preparations for its annual Holiday Craft Fair and Bake Sale to be held at the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Twenty five artists will present their handcrafted items for your shopping pleasure while Cheryl Robbins rocks the snack bar.

She’s baking blueberry and morning glory muffins to enjoy with your coffee in the morning and she’ll serve her homemade soup and chili as well as grilled hot dogs later in the day. 

The bake sale will feature items that are freshly made just for the sale so if you want to take something home and freeze it, it will be as delicious as ever when you are ready to serve it.

The Kelseyville Presbyterian Church is located at 5340 Third St.