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With spring now taking hold in California, Cal Fire is already staffing up for fire season, while focusing the efforts of its crews on preventing large and damaging wildfires.
Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but Cal Fire firefighters are not letting their guard down, instead they are training for another potential busy fire season and working hard to prevent wildfires.
Across the State, Cal Fire has already hired a surge of over 400 additional seasonal firefighters, whose focus includes fire prevention, fuel reduction and defensible space programs.
“While the winter rain has helped decrease the fire risk in some areas, it has not been enough to end the drought,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “The rain is welcome, but it will not revive the millions of trees that have already died due to drought and bark beetle. Our firefighters are taking advantage of the weather and ensuring that we are doing everything we can to prevent the types of wildfires we experienced last year.”
While the additional firefighters are available to respond to wildfires, like the 240 fires that have already occurred since Jan. 1, these firefighters will focus their efforts of fire prevention.
The projects the crews are working on range from removing dead trees, creating and maintaining fire breaks, removing dense brush, performing prescribed burning, and assisting homeowners with education on defensible space.
While firefighters are busy performing fire prevention projects, it’s critical that residents do their part to prepare for wildfires by maintaining 100 feet of defensible space around their homes and property.
This includes removing weeds and other dead or dying vegetation, limbing up tree branches, and cleaning off leaves and debris from roofs and gutters.
For more information on how to create defensible space and prepare for fire season, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The forecast for the coming week calls for more rain on Monday and possibly Tuesday, with clearing conditions and a sunny Easter weekend.
Sunday saw storms in the county as predicted by the National Weather Service.
For the 24-hour period ending at 1 a.m. Monday, the National Weather Service posted the following rainfall totals, in inches: Bear Canyon Road (near Middletown), 0.97; Hidden Valley Lake, 0.65; Kelseyville, 0.43; Lower Lake, 0.32; Middletown, 0.71; Upper Lake, 0.30; and Whispering Pines, 0.80.
Forecasters are calling for more rain on Monday, with up to three quarters of an inch predicted all day and into the night.
There is a 20-percent chance of showers on Tuesday, with partly cloudy conditions that night, according to the forecast.
However, beginning on Wednesday and lasting through the weekend, clear and cool conditions are expected to prevail, with nighttime lows in the low 40s and daytime highs in the high 60s.
Easter Sunday is forecast to be clear and sunny, with a high of 69 degrees, based on the specific forecast.
Thanks to the recent storms, Clear Lake remains above its full level of 7.56 feet Rumsey, according to the US Geological Survey.
Early Monday, the lake's level was at 7.78 feet Rumsey, having leveled off after rising dramatically last week, based on survey records.
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COBB, Calif. – This weekend the Cobb area was hit by several earthquakes in the 3-magnitude range.
The US Geological Survey said the quakes occurred on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The first quake, measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, was at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, the survey said.
It was centered two miles west northwest of Cobb and 10 miles southwest of Clearlake at a depth of half a mile, the survey reported.
The survey received 11 shake reports from Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake and Middletown, and from Healdsburg.
On Sunday, there were two back-to-back quakes, both measuring 3.1 in magnitude, according to US Geological Survey records.
The epicenter of the first, which occurred at 12:30 p.m., was two miles west northwest of Cobb and 11 miles southwest of Clearlake, at a depth of 0.6 of a mile, the survey reported.
The second quake, which survey records said occurred six seconds later, was centered in almost the exact same place, but at a depth of 0.4 of a mile.
One shake report from Ukiah was submitted to the US Geological Survey for the first quake, and seven responses from Kelseyville, Santa Rosa and Mill Valley for the second, according to its online records.
In addition to the larger quakes, the US Geological Survey reported that the Cobb and The Geysers areas also experienced four quakes measuring between 2.5 and 2.9 magnitude since Wednesday.
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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The selection of a new elementary school principal, an updated board meeting schedule and the 2016-17 school year schedule will go to the Upper Lake Unified School District Board for consideration this week.
The board will meet for a 4 p.m. closed session before the regular public session at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, in the library/student center at Upper Lake High School, 675 Clover Valley Road.
Documents and background information for agenda items are available to the public at http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/ulusd/Board.nsf/Public .
One of this week's main agenda items is the hiring of a new elementary school principal.
Valerie Gardner, who has been the principal and superintendent of Upper Lake Union Elementary School District and a key supporter of unifying Upper Lake's two school districts, is retiring this summer after school ends.
The recruitment began earlier this year and closed in March, with district interim Superintendent Patrick Iaccino heading up a selection committee that included Gardner, and elementary school parents and teachers.
The candidate being proposed for hire is Stephanie Wayment, who is director of Educational Resources and Accountability at the Lake County Office of Education.
The board is being asked to approve Wayment's hire, effective July 1.
In other business for Tuesday, staff will present the 2016-17 school calendar.
The proposed calendar has the Upper Lake Unified School District's first full year of school beginning on Aug. 10 and ending on May 26.
Also on Tuesday, the board – which has been meeting twice a month to work through the many tasks necessary to complete the unification process – will consider moving to a once-a-month meeting schedule beginning April 12.
The meeting also will include a public hearing on sunshine contract openers with the school employee unions, department reports, and reports from Business Manager Sue Milhaupt and from Iaccino.
Board members are President Mel O'Meara, Clerk Diane Plante, and members Keith Austin, Don Meri and Claudine Pedroncelli.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new group of adult cats are waiting for new homes at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week.
Tabbies, black cats and a tuxedo cat are available.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
'Jinx'
“Jinx” is a male domestic short hair mix.
He has a brown tabby coat with white markings.
He's in cat room kennel No. 34, ID No. 4567.
Male black cat
This handsome fellow has a mostly black coat, with the exception of a little white spot on his chest.
Shelter staff said this guy likes attention, and he's also chatty.
He's in cat room kennel No. 35, ID No. 4325.
Female domestic long hair
This female domestic long hair mix has a black and white tuxedo coat.
Shelter staff said she came in as a stray but is as nice as a house cat.
She's in cat room kennel No. 48, ID No. 4583.
'Cookie'
“Cookie” is a male domestic short hair cat.
He has a light brown coat.
He's in cat room kennel No. 54, ID No. 4584.
Domestic long hair mix
This domestic long hair mix cat has a black coat.
Shelter staff did not report the cat's gender.
It is in cat room No. 87, ID No. 4520.
Domestic long hair mix
This female domestic long hair mix cat has a gray tabby coat.
She's in cat room kennel No. 120b, ID No. 4536.
Domestic medium hair mix
This male domestic medium hair mix has a black coat with white and tan markings.
He's in cat room kennel No. 147, ID No. 4358.
Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Home sale prices in February edged down, but the number of sales was up, according to a new report from the Lake County Association of Realtors.
LCAOR reported that the February median sales price of single family residences in Lake County pulled back by 18.24 percent when compared to the January 2016 median sales price.
The number of sales increased by 8 percent, rising from 50 sales in January to 54 sales in February, the association reported.
On a year-over-year basis, the number of sales increased 25.6 percent, going from 43 in February 2015 to the 54 sales in February 2016, according to the report.
The February 2016 median price of $190,000 increased 5.6 percent over the February 2015 median sales price of $180,000, LCAOR said.
“Even though the month to month median price went down the real estate market has been very active especially for this time of year,” said 2016 LCAOR President Erin Woodward. “As inventories tighten and prices increase in surrounding counties more buyers will consider opportunities in Lake County.”
LCAOR said ash sales financed 44.44 percent of the February transactions. The trend for cash sales has been in the low 30 percent range for some time.
Conventional loan financing made up 27.8 percent of the deals and FHA financing accounted for another 11.11 percent of the month’s sales, according to the report.
Distressed property sales jumped to 18.5 percent of the sales after falling to 8 percent in January. A number of different types of sales make up distressed properties including auction sales, real estate owned (foreclosed properties) and short sales, LCAOR said.
On a statewide basis the California Association of Realtors (CAR) reported that existing, single family home sales totaled 393,360 in February, up 2.8 percent from January 2016 and 6.4 percent above February 2015.
The median sales price was $446,460, down 4.7 percent from January 2016 and up 3.8 percent from February 2015, CAR reported.
With regards to the statewide market CAR Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young stated, “February’s home price increase was the slowest rate of growth in six months, reflecting a shift in sales toward lower-priced, inland areas as buyers feeling the affordability crunch and tight supplies move away from urban cores to find affordable housing. Home buyers in the Bay Area are seeking to buy in Contra Costa, Solano, or Sonoma counties, rather than San Francisco, and Southern California home buyers are moving inland to Riverside, San Bernardino, or Central Valley areas, where housing inventory is more abundant and affordable.”
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
February 2016
Median price: $190,000
Median days to sell: 81
Units sold: 54
January 2016
Median price: $232,500
Median days to sell: 78
Units Sold: 50
February 2015
Median price: $180,000
Median days to sell: 118
Units sold: 43