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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Chapter of the California Retired Teachers Association will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
This luncheon meeting will be held at the Riviera Hills Restaurant, 10200 Fairway Drive, Kelseyville.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. A business meeting will be called to order by President Joyce Anderson at 10 a.m.
Following the business meeting Joan Reynolds, program coordinator for North Coast Opportunities’ Volunteer Network, will speak on the Schools of Hope.
The Schools of Hope is a reading tutoring program that connects volunteers with struggling readers in first through third grades. This national program has been proven successful at raising reading scores to proficient level.
All CalRTA members are invited to attend as well as recently retired teachers, family members or other interested individuals.
This is an opportunity to learn how the California Retired Teachers Association is working to protect the retirement and pensions of California teachers.
In addition the Lake County Chapter provides scholarships to students, grants to local teachers and supports education in Lake County in numerous other ways.
At the conclusion of the program, lunch will be served. The menu consists of spaghetti with choice of meat sauce or vegetarian marinara sauce, salad, slaw, garlic toast and ice cream. Beverages are included.
The cost of lunch is $15 including tax and gratuity.
Reservations may be made by calling Julie at 707-279-2625. Transportation can be arranged for those in need by contacting Julie at the above number.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Adult Literacy Program will host a tutor training on Monday, Sept. 19.
The training will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.
It is free, however the group requests a $20 donation to cover materials.
No experience is needed and there will be ongoing support and workshops.
Becoming a tutor can help someone to a better future.
For more information or to register, call 707-263-7633.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Services reported that its offices and the county's waste collection facilities will be closed for Labor Day.
The Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake, Lake County Waste Solutions at 230 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport and the Public Services office in Lakeport will be closed on Monday, Sept. 5.
Residential and commercial collection will occur one day after your normal pickup day.
Normal collection schedules will resume the week following the holiday.
All facilities will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Normal operating hours at the facilities are as follows: Lake County Waste Solutions' transfer station on Soda Bay Road, Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Eastlake Landfill, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; Public Services office, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information visit the county Web site at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us or call 707-262-1618.
OAKLAND, Calif. – Hundreds of community college representatives from around the state are in Oakland on Tuesday to share effective models for strengthening and expanding the California College Promise, a bold effort to offer two years of tuition-free community college to hard-working students.
The day-long event – which features remarks from Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, incoming California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and national College Promise Campaign Executive Director Martha Kanter – highlights College Promise programs already in place and offers ideas to college leaders looking to start their own programs.
College Promise programs are community-based partnerships that address the problem of college affordability by offering higher education funding for students.
“California is on-track to produce 1.1 million fewer college graduates than our economy demands in 2030. There is an imminent need for a workforce with an appropriate level of advanced education. California’s Community Colleges are a critical point of access to higher education, and one of our most effective tools for upward mobility,” Newsom said. “Moreover, robust cradle-to-career initiatives like the Promise Programs in Oakland and Long Beach reveal the power of communities rallying to lift up their young people. We must double down on these efforts and launch a statewide California Promise, allowing all of our state's regions to rise together.”
Over the last 15 years, there has been a steady rise in the number of College Promise programs across the United States.
The trend gained momentum in 2015, when President Barack Obama announced the America’s College Promise proposal during his State of the Union address.
That same year, the College Promise Campaign, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization, was established to develop a network of support for College Promise efforts.
“The jobs of today and tomorrow require college educated workers, and community colleges are in the best position to help remedy the skills gap that exists in California’s economy and attack income inequality,’’ said Oakley, who takes over as statewide chancellor in December. “These innovative partnerships lower the cost of college and help students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, earn a certificate or degree and find good paying jobs.”
As president of Long Beach City College, Oakley helped form the nationally recognized Long Beach College Promise (College Promise) in a partnership with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Through the College Promise, students are guaranteed a tuition-free year at LBCC and preferred admission status to CSULB after completing the minimum transfer requirements.
California is a leader in the development and implementation of these programs with 23 programs in place as of August 2016.
The state is primed to develop more College Promise programs because community colleges can leverage the program’s financial and partnership supports with the existing California Board of Governors Fee Waiver Program, which pays enrollment fees for low-income students.
Promise programs bring together partners from K–12 schools, universities, college foundations and the private sector to increase college access to California’s students.
Key goals of the conference for faculty, staff, administrators and trustees in attendance include:
• Gaining an understanding of the national and state-wide College Promise movement.
• Learning how to design, implement, and improve program elements such as financing, student support services, community partnerships, measurement and community outreach.
• Connecting with and build a community of College Promise colleagues across the state.
“The California Community Colleges is the largest higher education system in the nation, and to see the interest and excitement about creating College Promise programs is wonderful,” said California College Promise Chair Helen Benjamin, chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District. “For more than 30 years, California, with its Board of Governors Fee Waiver program, has offered free tuition for qualified students unable to afford it. By raising funds and providing financial help for other college costs associated, we are removing a major barrier for potential students to obtain the education they need to qualify for good paying jobs or transfer to a four-year university.”
The Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd gathered background and program details on all 23 California College Promise programs and compiled the information in a booklet for the event participants. It can be found at https://relwest.wested.org/resources/221
Teaming up to sponsor the event are the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, the Community College League of California, the College Promise Campaign, the California College Promise Campaign Leadership Team and the Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd. For more information, visit www.calcollegepromise.org .
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year.
For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ , https://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges or https://twitter.com/CalCommColleges .
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – State, local and federal firefighters are on the scenes of two separate wildland fires near Upper Lake, the second one leading to evacuations before firefighters stopped its progress.
The first fire, in the area of Elk Mountain Road and Pitney Lane, was first reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and the US Forest Service responded to that incident, according to reports from the scene.
Incident command reported that the fire's forward progress was stopped just before 4:30 p.m., at which point it was said to have burned about 10 acres.
About a half hour later, firefighters were dispatched to another fire near Upper Lake, this time in the area of Highway 29 and Mockingbird Lane, according to reports from the scene.
Cal Fire sent air resources including tankers and helicopters to assist the ground units on scene that came from Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and Lakeport Fire.
The California Highway Patrol said it was providing traffic control in the area.
The Mockingbird fire was reported to be about 20 acres shortly before 5:30 p.m., with some structure threat. If it crosses Highway 29, the structure threat could increase, radio reports indicated.
At 5:40 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that evacuations were ordered for the area of Old Robinson Rancheria and Mockingbird Lane.
Shortly afterward, incident command reported that forward progress on the fire had been stopped.
Radio reports indicated work was still continuing on both fire scenes just before 6 p.m.
Highway 29 was reported to be closed in both directions between Highway 20 and Mockingbird Lane.
The sheriff's office reported that the evacuations were lifted shortly before 7 p.m.
The CHP said shortly before 9 p.m. that Highway 29 between Highway 20 and Mockingbird Lane had reopened.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment rate showed a slight dip in July while the overall state rate had a minor increase.
The California Employment Development Department's latest report on state and local jobless rates said Lake County's July unemployment rate was 6.6 percent, down from a revised 6.7 percent in June 2016 and below the year-ago estimate of 7.5 percent.
California's unemployment rate in July was 5.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent in June and the year-ago rate of 6.1 percent, according to the report.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate in July was 4.9 percent, unchanged from June but improved over the 5.3 percent rate in July 2015.
Lake County ranked No. 31 statewide for its July jobless rate, improved by two spots over the previous month, the state said.
San Mateo County continued to hold onto the spot for the lowest rate statewide, 3.4 percent, while Imperial County's 24.2-percent rate earned it the worst ranking.
The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,489,000 in July, an increase of 36,400 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 58,000 California businesses that measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change, from July 2015 to July 2016, shows an increase of 374,600 jobs, up 2.3 percent.
A federal survey of 5,500 households showed an increase in the number of employed people, estimating that in July 18,114,000 Californians held jobs, up 35,000 from June and up 320,000 from July of last year.
The state said that the number of people unemployed in California was 1,048,000 in July, up 25,000 from June, but down 113,000 from July of last year.
In Lake County, unemployed individuals totaled approximately 2,000 in July, up from 1,970 the previous month but down from 2,170 the previous year, according to county level data.
The number of employed Lake County residents in July was 28,210, compared to 27,550 in June and 27,570 in July 2015, the data showed.
Statewide, six of 11 industry sectors – education, health services, manufacturing, professional and business services, construction and information – gained jobs in July, while the leisure and hospitality, government, mining and logging, financial activities and “other services” sectors lost jobs.
In Lake County, job sectors showing the most growth in July included total farm; professional and business services; mining, logging and construction; leisure and hospitality; and other services. No sectors showed losses.
The Employment Development Department reported that 353,609 people were receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the July survey week, compared with 345,159 in June and 377,940 in July of last year.
The agency also said that new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 42,923 in July, compared with 49,975 in June and 45,435 in July of last year.
Email Elizabeth Larson at