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SACRAMENTO – A bill by Assemblymember Bill Dodd (D-Napa) which aims to protect students and teachers during earthquakes took an important step forward this week, passing the state Assembly with unanimous bipartisan support.
Dodd’s bill would require school districts in seismically active zones in California to ensure that the contents of their classroom, like heavy bookshelves or filing cabinets, comply with state earthquake safety guidelines.
"Earthquakes are a part of life in California. We can’t count on earthquakes to strike outside of school hours, and we can’t afford to wait for tragedy before we take common sense steps to protect our children and teachers,” said Assemblymember Bill Dodd. “I’m thankful my fellow Assemblymembers rallied together to advance classroom safety.”
In August of 2014, Assemblymember Dodd’s district and hometown of Napa was rocked by a massive 6.0 earthquake.
Inspections of Napa schools following the South Napa Earthquake revealed significant damage inside classrooms, totaling millions of dollars.
The shifting contents and blocked exists could have been life-threatening had the earthquake occurred during school hours. These findings are not specific to Napa. Similar results have been identified following numerous earthquakes throughout the state.
The notion of securing classroom contents is not new to California. The state of California has already invested time and resources into creating guidelines for securing the contents of classrooms in the event of an earthquake.
However, there is currently nothing in state law that requires school districts to adhere to the established guidelines produced by the Division of the State Architects.
Dodd’s legislation, AB 1783 would require that all seismically active school districts in California proactively inspect school contents and equipment to ensure they are within state guidelines.
“What we found after the Napa Earthquake was alarming … we found classrooms that we couldn’t even get inside because things had fallen in the doorway,” said Don Evans, member of the Napa Valley Unified School District, who testified in support of Dodd’s bill earlier this year. “We believe the preventative approach is the way to go and we believe future damage is controllable.”
Following the South Napa Earthquake, the Napa Valley Unified School District completed an inspection of its facilities and addressed the issues that were identified. While some other school districts have taken these steps, many have not.
Dodd’s bill now advances to the state Senate along with his measures to promote gender pay equity and increase water storage and reliability. Both of which also passed the Assembly this week with bipartisan support.
Assemblymember Bill Dodd represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Colusa counties. You can learn more about Assemblymember Dodd and the district at www.asm.ca.gov/dodd .
SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith has completely lifted the health advisory for rock crabs caught off the coast of Santa Barbara County in state waters around the Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands (Channel Islands).
This comes after recent tests showing traces of domoic acid have declined to low or undetectable levels in crabs caught near the islands.
Friday's decision follows the March 28 announcement partially lifting the advisory from the Channel Islands while keeping an area between Santa Rosa Island and Santa Cruz Island under the advisory.
The advisory remains in effect for rock crabs caught in state waters north of Latitude 36° 58.72′ N. (near Sand Hill Bluff, approximately 9 miles north of the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance).
CDPH and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concur that rock crabs caught in the areas around the Channel Islands are safe to consume.
However, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs.
The viscera usually contain much higher levels of domoic acid than crab body meat. When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid.
Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips.
The best ways to reduce risk are:
1) Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, or
2) Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or broiling, and discard cooking liquids.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.
Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. While the bloom that occurred last year has dissipated, it takes a period of time for the organisms feeding on the phytoplankton to eliminate the domoic acid from their bodies.
CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the fishing community to collect rock crab samples from the central and northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated.
To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page and CDPH’s Domoic Acid health information Web page at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/environhealth/water/Documents/Shellfish/Natural_Marine_Toxins_2015.pdf .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Ted Mandrones is the most qualified candidate running for District 4 supervisor. This is based upon his business experience, his experience in local city government, his ethics and integrity, his charitable endeavors, and his ability to work towards common sense solutions to complex problems.
With regards to the annexation of South Main Street, Ted’s solution of developing a 10-year plan to make that transition, if South Main community wishes it to happen, is the sensible solution. It does not create a sudden 25-percent drain on the county’s treasury and the ability to serve county needs, but does start allowing the city of Lakeport a path to the future.
Those promoting “instant” annexation are not doing the public any favor with their plan. An “instant” plan would limit the county’s ability to provide the services that are of dire necessity. An example would be the inability to provide and support law enforcement with wage equity and cost of living increases.
Ted sees the need for developing key fundamental improvements including providing reliable and fast Internet capabilities countywide and making sure that ordinances are modified and improved in order to get homes and infrastructure rebuilt as quickly as possible.
His skills and experience make him well suited to deal with the challenges that the county faces. Those challenges include:
· Finding better paths towards making county law enforcement financially competitive in order to retain good officers.
· Continuing to find better ways and means to help the folks trying to get back into homes following the fires.
· Getting a consensus amongst parties involved in the erosion at Lakeside Heights.
· Increasing interest in the development of local business.
· Developing a workable agreement with the owners, the county and potential buyers of Konocti Harbor Resort.
· Creating opportunities to invite business to this county and using the airport as part of the solution for that activity.
· Continuing to develop tourism and support it by aiding in the infrastructure improvement necessary to grow it.
· Bring in the most reliable, fastest Internet capabilities available to Lake County.
Ted Mandrones believes in the rule of law, in supporting at risk youth, ensuring the rights of the elderly on fixed incomes and promoting our county in reasonable ways to provide a better future.
For information on Ted’s experience, please visit his Web site at www.tedmandrones.com . If you have concerns, please give him a call at 707-263-4836.
Scott Knickmeyer, Lakeport; Jim Goetz, Lakeport; Arlene Hansen, Lakeport; Gail Strong, Nice, and Debbie White, Kelseyville
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Longtime Lake County Congressman Mike Thompson is seeking reelection this year, and he has plenty of goals ahead as he looks to continue representing California's Fifth Congressional District.
“I'm running for reelection this year because I have a lot of work to do,” said Thompson.
Hailing from St. Helena, Thompson – a Democrat – has served in the United States House of Representatives since 1998. Before that, he served in the California Legislature, becoming the first Vietnam veteran elected to the State Senate.
During a May visit to Lake County, Thompson met with Lake County News for a tour of his property and discussed his goals for continuing his service in Congress.
In this video, Thompson addresses some key issues to him, including preventing gun violence.
As a veteran and a gun owner, Thompson also is a believer in the Second Amendment. He said measures can be taken to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from acquiring firearms.
He also touches on water and agriculture, Valley fire recovery, health care, the economy and job growth, and more.
Thompson is being challenged in his run for another two-year term by Nils Palsson, a Cobb resident.
The full interview can be seen above.
The video was produced by John Jensen of Lake County News.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Services has issued a special weather statement for much of Northern California – including Lake County – due to particularly hot weather and the potential for thunderstorms this weekend.
Forecasters said an early season heat wave is moving over interior Northern California.
On Friday the hot weather is expected to peak, with the forecast predicting temperatures 15 to 20 degrees warmer than normal.
At the same time there are concerns about scattered thunderstorms passing over the region Saturday afternoon through Sunday due to an upper level system moving over the state, based on the forecast.
The National Weather Service said the transition from a hot stretch into a thunderstorm event historically leads to increased fire starts, as thunderstorms may not result in much rain.
Lake County's specific forecast calls for a 20-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in some parts of the county – particularly around Lakeport and the Northshore – on Saturday and Sunday.
The Clearlake area could see storms on Saturday, while conditions are expected to remain clear in the south county area around Middletown, according to the forecast.
Daytime highs across the county are expected to reach into the high 90s on Friday, lowering to the mid 90s on Saturday and Sunday before climbing higher again on Monday and Tuesday.
The forecast predicts that daytime temperatures will drop into the low 90s through Thursday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will kick off the third annual California Invasive Species Action Week on Saturday, June 4.
The goal of Action Week is to promote public awareness of invasive species issues and to encourage public participation in the fight against California’s invasive species and their impacts on our natural resources.
CDFW will be partnering with other departments, agencies, organizations and volunteer programs across California to host more than 45 educational and “action” events including invasive species removals, habitat restoration projects, quagga mussel surveys, field outings, public presentations and youth activities.
All events are open to the public, although some require registration. A calendar of events planned for around the state can be found at http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/filehandler.ashx?documentid=123891&inline .
The California Invasive Species Action Week Web page ( www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/invasives/action-week ) provides information for individuals wishing to participate independently.
For example, people can locate recipes for preparing invasive plants or animals, find out where they can purchase certified “weed-free” project materials or livestock forage, find desirable, native alternatives to certain invasive ornamental plants or learn how to monitor plants and trees for symptoms of infestations or diseases.
People can also volunteer to “inspect” local waterbodies for quagga and zebra mussels and submit their findings to CDFW on its Web site.