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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local transit workers are expected to strike on Monday and Tuesday following a break in contract negotiations.
Teamsters Local 665 representatives and Paratransit Services – the Bremerton, Wash.-based nonprofit that operates Lake Transit Authority – reported last week that the strike was taking place.
The two sides currently are engaged in negotiations for a new three-year contract, as Lake County News has reported.
Messages on Lake Transit Authority's Web site as well as an information line indicated Sunday that the strike was still taking place.
The following limited services will be offered through Lake Transit on Monday and Tuesday:
- Clear Lake / Lakeport Dial-a-Ride (DAR) will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
- Routes 5 and 6 will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
- Route 4 westbound will operate at 7:05 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
- Route 1 eastbound will operate at 8:31 a.m. and 2:21 p.m.
Riders can get updates by calling 707-994-3334 or visiting www.laketransit.org .
Transit workers are expected to be back to work on Wednesday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several more new kittens and cats have joined the pool of adoptable cats at Lake County Animal Care and Control.
The cats range in age from 8 weeks to 6 years, and all have been spayed or neutered and vaccinated.
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.
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”).
'Puzzle'
“Puzzle” is a 6-year-old female lilac point Siamese mix.
She has had treatment for injuries and is now available for adoption.
She has a short coat, a docked tail and blue eyes,
Shelter staff said she is very sweet and friendly. Puzzle is fine with bigger dogs, but doesn't get along with any animals smaller than her.
Puzzle's identification number is 19.
Male orange tabby kitten
This male orange tabby kitten is 4 months old.
He has a short orange and white coat, weighs 4 pounds and has been neutered.
Find him in cat room kennel No. 53a, ID No. 36862.
Female domestic short hair kitten
This female domestic short hair kitten is 4 months old.
She has a short black and white coat and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 53b, ID No. 36863.
Orange tabby
This male orange tabby is 3 years old.
He has a medium-length coat and gold eyes, and he's been altered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 61, ID No. 36800.
Calico kitten
This female calico kitten is 17 weeks old.
She has a short dilute calico coat and green eyes, weighs 3 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 66a, ID No. 36705.
Calico kitten
This female calico kitten is 17 weeks old.
She has a short dilute calico coat and green eyes, weighs 3 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 66b, ID No. 36706.
Calico kitten
This female calico kitten is 17 weeks old.
She has a short dilute calico coat and green eyes, weighs 3 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 66c, ID No. 36707.
Calico kitten
This female calico kitten is 17 weeks old.
She has a short tortie calico coat and green eyes, weighs 3 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 66d, ID No. 36708.
Female tuxedo cat
This black and white female cat is 1 year old.
She has a short coat and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 88a, ID No. 36811.
Siamese mix kitten
This female Siamese mix kitten is 8 weeks old.
She has a short coat with lilac point markings, weighs 2.4 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 88b, ID No. 36812.
Siamese mix kitten
This male Siamese mix kitten is 8 weeks old.
He has a short coat with lilac point markings, weighs 2.4 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 88c, ID No. 36813.
Gray and white kitten
This female kitten is 8 weeks old.
She has a short gray and white coat, weighs 2 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 88d, ID No. 36814.
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 .
Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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
On Monday, July 1, California's excise tax on gasoline will increase 3.5 cents per gallon, from a rate of 36 cents to 39.5 cents per gallon.
Assembly Bill x8 6, Ch. 11, and Senate Bill 70, Ch. 9, which became law in 2010, lowered the sales and use tax rate on gasoline and increased the excise tax rate on July 1, 2010.
The laws require the annual sales and excise taxes paid on gasoline to remain revenue neutral, assuring the tax burden on consumers is the same.
These laws also mandate that the California State Board of Equalization adjust the excise tax rate by March 1 of each year in order to ensure revenue neutrality.
Board members are sensitive to the financial impact of higher gas prices, but state law requires the Board of Equalization to adjust the excise tax rate every year to achieve revenue neutrality.
While gasoline consumption has been reduced slightly in recent years, in 2011 and 2012 the price of gasoline greatly and unexpectedly outpaced these modest declines in consumption.
Higher gasoline prices mean the Board of Equalization must adjust the excise tax to make up for the sales tax loss, and achieve the revenue neutrality mandated by the legislation.
Gasoline sales tax revenues fund local government programs, while the state excise tax on gasoline funds highway and mass transit projects throughout California.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Before Lake County existed, scattered settlements in Napa County's Clear Lake Township had mail service.
When Lake County separated from Napa County on May 20, 1861, it already had several post offices, beginning with Upper Clear Lake (now Upper Lake) which started June 15, 1858, followed in the same year by Big Valley (relocated and renamed as Lakeport), Lower Lake and Uncle Sam (now Kelseyville).
Over the next 92 years, numerous post offices were established in Lake County, the most recent being Glenhaven, established on Dec. 16, 1950. Some of those post offices still exist, while others are just names in the history books.
The openings and closings of post offices reflect changes in the economy in Lake County. A business would start, a post office would be established at that place, then conditions would change, a mine or resort would close, the population would drop, and the post office would close.
Stage stops like Middletown, halfway between Calistoga and Lower Lake, and Arabella in Long Valley were logical post office locations.
Post offices formed at mines such as Quicksilver Post Office at the Great Western Quicksilver Mine and Mirabel at the Mirabel Quicksilver Mine, both located south of Middletown.
Some ranches supported post offices, such as Big Valley Post Office on the Argonaut Ranch between Lakeport and Kelseyville and Ely's on the Ely Ranch, east of Kelseyville near what is now Kit's Corner.
Remote lumber camp post offices, such as Deerlodge in the mountains north of Upper Lake operated briefly and disappeared when the business closed.
Post offices formed at many of Lake County's early resorts like Bartlett Springs, Highland Springs, Seigler Springs, Putah, Adams and Witter Springs, which were almost towns in their own right, offering services and amenities to the guests and employees in residence.
Some smaller post offices only lasted a short time and were absorbed into larger ones. Improved communications and transportation centralized services in the larger post offices, a process which started early and continued well into the twentieth century. The small Witter Springs post office closed in 1984, although the area retains the Witter Springs zip code.
Lake County lost the Knoxville and Zem Zem post offices when a minor boundary change cut a piece out of Lake County and moved the Knox Township into Napa County in 1872.
Some settlements and their post offices from Lake County's early days are gone now.
Guenoc moved to Middletown in the 1870s and the creation of Lake Pillsbury flooded Gravelly Valley's Hullville in1922.
The history of post offices in Lake County is an integral part of Lake County's history since the 1850s.
Erving R. Feltman's book, “California's Lake County: Places and Postal History,” covers all of Lake County's post offices from the earliest days to the 1990s and tells much about Lake County's history.
This book is available to buy from the Lake County Historical Society and the Lake County Museum. The Lake County Library has copies that can be checked out.
Jan Cook has lived in Lake County for about 40 years. She works for the Lake County Library, is the editor of the Lake County Historical Society's Pomo Bulletin and is a history correspondent for Lake County News. If you have questions or comments please contact Jan at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Communities around Lake County are planning celebrations to commemorate July 4, with fireworks, parades and the annual worm races once again on the schedule.
Separate events will take place later this week in Lakeport, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake and Hidden Valley Lake.
The big news this year in Clearlake is that the carnival that had been planned won't be taking place.
Ray Bridges of the Lakeshore Lions Club said the company that had been set up to provide the carnival canceled with just weeks to go before the event.
With such late notice no replacement vendor could be found. They're working to bring a carnival back to Clearlake next year, he said.
There will still be much to do that day, he said, with a parade, vendors and the International Worm Races.
Below is a community-by-community schedule of events, in date order.
Lakeport: Thursday, July 4
From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, Lakeport residents and visitors can enjoy a number of activities in and around Library Park, from music to a street fair and a variety of food and craft vendors, according to the Lakeport Main Street Association.
The Lakeport Yacht Club will host the sixth annual Cardboard and Duct Tape Regatta in Library Park between First and Third streets beginning at 11 a.m. Those who want to register on the day of the race should arrive earlier.
Age classifications in the race are 5 to 12, 13 to 18, and 19 to 100 years old. All participants must wear life jackets.
Contact Larry Wiggins at 707-263-4601 or
The event entry form also can be found at the event's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cardboard-Duct-Tape-Regatta/127183017320613 .
Throughout the day, tickets will be sold for the boat raffle to benefit the Lakeport Main Street Association. The drawing for the grand prize winner will be held just before the fireworks display in the evening. The winner does not need to be present.
The day's signature event, a large fireworks display over Clear Lake, will take place at dusk.
For more information, call Lakeport Main Street Association at 707-263-8843 or visit www.lakeportmainstreet.com .
Clearlake Oaks: Friday, July 5
The 2013 Maxine Sherman Memorial Annual Fireworks display will be presented over Widgeon Bay at dusk, Friday, July 5, according to the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association.
The association's year-round fundraising efforts – capped by its famed May Catfish Derby – have for years funded scholarships, community improvements and the annual fireworks display, which has become a cherished tradition for the lakeside community.
The fireworks display is named for the late Maxine Sherman, an association member who worked hard to put on the annual event, lobbying for funding support and putting on many fundraisers. She died in 1999.
The fireworks are launched from Clearlake Oaks Beach Park beginning at dusk. The association said the best viewing area is from a boat, anchored east of Rattlesnake Island. For those without boats, the next best viewing area is from Clarks Island.
For more information, call the association at 707-998-9563, email
Clearlake: Saturday, July 6
The annual Redbud Parade in Clearlake will begin on Lakeshore Drive at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 6.
This year's theme is “Fun in the Sun.”
The parade follows Lakeshore Drive to Austin Park, where the day's festivities will be based, including the annual Show and Shine Car Show, arts and crafts and food vendors, children's activities and the International Worm Races, which begin after the parade in Austin Park.
Ray Bridges of the Lakeshore Lions Club said parade entries will be accepted up to the day of the event; those wanting to be eligible for awards should have entries in by Wednesday, July 3.
Parade entry forms are available at Clearlake Automotive, 14090 Lakeshore Drive; Bob's Vacuum Repair and Supplies, 4165 Mullen Ave.; Kevin Ness Jewelers, 14114 Lakeshore Drive; Tatonka Trading, 14240 Lakeshore Drive; and Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
For those who purchased wristbands for the now-canceled carnival, Bridges said they can go back to the business where they purchased the wristband and get a refund.
The fireworks display will take place at dusk.
For more information, call Bridges at Clearlake Automotive, 707-994-3070.
Hidden Valley Lake: Saturday, July 6
The Hidden Valley Lake Association will host its Independence Day celebration for the gated community's residents beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 6.
The activities will be based at the Big Beach, 18600 Lakeridge Circle.
There will be live music all day. At Little Beach, there will be a poker run for all paddle boats, rowers and canoeists at starting at noon, followed at 1 p.m. by a casting contest.
At 2 p.m. a boat parade for all watercraft will begin; decorations are optional.
From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be a pre-fireworks celebration at the pool water slide, with fun for children including face painting and a jumpy house.
The fireworks display will begin at dusk, as conditions allow.
The association reported that due to changes mandated by Cal Fire based on the need to have clear access for emergency vehicles, parking will not be allowed at Big Beach on July 6, although dropoffs will be permitted.
Lakeridge Circle to be closed to through traffic from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Free parking will be offered at Fiddlers Field, and shuttle buses will be provided.
For more information, contact the Hidden Valley Lake Association at 707-987-3138 or
Lakeport Speedway: Saturday, July 6
A fireworks show will follow Saturday night's racing, which takes place from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.
For more information call the Lakeport Speedway, 707-279-9577, or visit www.lakeportspeedway.com .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Installation of the 41st quilt block on the Lake County Quilt Trail is located at 746 Park Way in Lakeport on Donna and Bob Garcia’s barn.
This quilt block, called “Clay’s Choice,” was chosen by Donna to honor three of her relatives who are/were avid quilters.
The three special quilt makers are Donna’s mother, Juna May Love, who resided for 35 years in Lakeport before her passing.
The second special lady is Donna’s grandmother, Laura Belle Ozbirn, who lived in Salem, Ark.
The third special person being honored is Donna’s sister, Kitty Holderman, who currently lives in Queen Creek, Ariz.
Donna thanks her loving family members for their beautiful quilts, their warmth and love which the quilts impart when she and other family members are snuggly wrapped in them.
Donna and Bob bought their property in 2003. They are transplants from Santa Clara County who chose to retire in Lake County after visiting here for more than 50 years.
The GPS location of “Clay’s Choice” is Latitude: 39.08, Longitude: -122.92.
The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.
The 8-foot by 8-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the LC Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.
For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or go to Facebook-LCQT.