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The fire was reported shortly before noon at 2213 New Long Valley Road in Spring Valley Lakes, according to reports from the scene.
Northshore Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Pat Brown, who along with Chief Jim Robbins was on the scene, said the fire burned a roughly 20-year-old double-wide mobile home.
The source of the fire was traced to a wall near a freestanding fireplace, said Brown.
Brown said Northshore Fire sent two engines and a water tender, and Lake County Fire Protection District in Clearlake sent a water tender as mutual aid.
It took about 30 minutes to suppress the fire, but longer to fully mop up. Brown said firefighters had to pull out ceilings to get at hot spots.
While the fire didn't destroy the home – Brown estimated it caused about $20,000 worth of damage – “It did burn them out of the house,” he said of the family, including a woman and her two young daughters.
There were no injuries, Brown said.
Brown said the Red Cross was notified of the fire so the organization could offer the family temporary housing assistance.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The Hazard Mitigation Plan is the framework used by the county to optimize preparedness before disasters occur in order to reduce the damage caused by disasters when and if they occur, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which oversees OES.
Lake County OES has scheduled two public meetings to help prepare for the Hazard Mitigation Plan update as required by the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)
Members of the public are encouraged to attend either of the two scheduled meetings and present their concerns or other information about their communities or neighborhoods.
The current Hazard Mitigation Plan can be viewed on the Lake County Information Portal Web site at www.co.lake.ca.us, under Channel Menu/Be Prepared/Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The public meetings are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the Lake County Jail Dining Hall, 4913 Helbush Drive, Lakeport; and Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the South Lake Fire District Station meeting room, 21095 Highway 175, Middletown.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the preparedness of their community and the accuracy of the Hazard Mitigation Plan update should attend one of the two public meetings.
Questions may be directed to Emergency Services Coordinator Jerry Wilson at 707-263-1813.
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In his first executive order since taking office, Gov. Jerry Brown directed state agency and department heads to collect and turn in 48,000 government-paid cell phones – half of those now in use – by June 1.
He reportedly also is planning on turning in his own state-allocated cell phone.
Brown said the state now pays for 96,000 cell phones, one for 40 percent of all state employees.
He estimated that the state will save at least $20 million a year by cutting cell phone usage in half.
“It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cell phones,” Brown said. “Some state employees, including department and agency executives who are required to be in touch 24 hours a day and seven days a week, may need cell phones, but the current number of phones out there is astounding.”
Brown said his goal is to cut the number of phones in half by June 1, and said he believes the state can continue to reduce cell phone usage throughout the year.
He explained that some cell phones may be under term contracts with cell carriers, and he wants to make sure that the state does not incur early termination penalties that exceed the monthly savings.
“Because of contract obligations, it is possible that we may not be able eliminate all 48,000 cell phones by June 1, but it is also conceivable that we can do it earlier – and that is my hope,” Brown said.
He added, “Even with a 50-percent reduction, one-fifth of all state employees will still have cell phones. That still seems like too much and I want every department and agency to examine and justify all cell phone usage.”
Brown’s estimate of at least $20 million in annual savings assumes that the average cell phone bill is a bit over $36 a month, which the Department of Finance has determined is the average cost.
“In the face of a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, a cell phone may not seem like a big expense,” Brown said. “But spending $20 million, and perhaps far more than that, on cell phones can’t be justified. We’re facing a budget crisis in California and I want to achieve all possible, reasonable savings. We have one of the best state workforces in America, and I am confident that all state employees will understand the need for this move and will cooperate.”
Brown said he expects to find additional savings throughout state government as his new appointees examine all areas of spending.
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On Monday Brown presented a budget with $127.4 billion in spending for the 2011-12 fiscal year, with $84.6 billion coming from the state's general fund.
Brown's balanced budget proposal would cut $12.5 billion, make $12 billion in revenue extensions and modifications, and $1.9 billion in other solutions to close the gap and provide for a $1 billion reserve, his office said.
Measures to balance the budget include reducing state employees' take-home pay by 8 to 10 percent, carrying out a “vast and historic” restructuring of government operations, puts $1 billion into a “rainy day” reserve fund and would close the state's budget deficit “now and into the future,” Brown suggested.
“These cuts will be painful, requiring sacrifice from every sector of the state, but we have no choice,” Brown said. “For 10 years, we’ve had budget gimmicks and tricks that pushed us deep into debt. We must now return California to fiscal responsibility and get our state on the road to economic recovery and job growth.”
Republican leaders said they were skeptical of the plan, largely because of its taxation elements.
Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) noted that while the budget proposal contains “difficult but necessary spending reductions,” the plan isn't compete because he said it assumes voters will support major tax increases, but doesn’t provide solutions if they reject them. That, he said, could result in a $10 billion budget hole come June.
Dutton said the way government operates needs to be addressed first. He said there also isn't anything in the budget to stimulate the economy or create jobs.
Lake County's Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said he's concerned about how the proposals would impact the county, and noted that some of Brown's proposals look like some put forward by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and shot down by the Legislature.
“It's going to take quite awhile to analyze everything that will impact local government, but believe me there is a lot in this budget proposal that, if enacted, will significantly impact county government,” Cox said Monday.
North Coast Assemblyman Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) said Monday that it's now up to the Legislature to make the budget proposal work.
“Jerry Brown has laid out a plan to put us on a road to a cure for California’s chronic economic
condition,” Chesbro said. “This plan represents a starting point. It is now our job to work with the governor to heal the state’s economic woes.”
State Controller John Chiang said Brown has proposed “some ugly solutions to an even uglier situation,” but added that gimmicks and delay make the state's budget problems multiply.
He called Brown's proposal “a refreshing departure from past schemes that too often sacrificed long-term fiscal stability for band-aid solutions. While more work is required, this plan is an honest first step toward building consensus on how to best shape California’s future.”
With cuts proposed for colleges and universities, the state's higher education leaders – University of California President Mark Yudof, California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed and the California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott – issued a joint Monday statement in which they said that, given the vast demographic shifts at work in the state, “now is not the time to shrink public higher education, but to grow it.”
Their statement added, “The road to recovery from this recession and prosperity far beyond it runs straight through our many campuses. These universities are the economic engines of California.”
Cuts proposed to social services, higher education; redevelopment may be in danger
Brown said Monday that decisive action is needed to help the state as it slowly emerges from “the Great Recession,” which his budget states California entered with “an existing structural deficit.”
The budget also looks at several economic factors, suggesting that full recovery of jobs lost during the recession won't occur until 2016, when jobs are expected to surpass the 2007 level.
It also suggests that the worst of the housing slump may be over – although new home construction permits are down 80 percent from the mid-2005 peak – and the stability of the housing market itself is still in question.
Exports are up 21 percent compared to 2009's first half, taxable sales are recovering but still down from 2007, unemployment is still trending high – the last state report put it at 12.4 percent – and personal income declined in 2009 on a year-over-year basis for the first time since 1938, although it later began a moderate recovery.
Among his proposals, the governor Brown intends to call for a special June election in which he'll ask voters to give him a five-year extension to several current taxes – personal income, sales tax and vehicle license fee – while California pays off its debt. First, the Legislature will have to implement the necessary statutory changes to allow the measure to go on the ballot.
If the ballot measures are approved, revenue from the sales tax and the vehicle license fee will be transferred directly to local governments to finance the first phase of his realignment plan, Brown said.
But Republican leaders already are saying they'll oppose the tax ballot measures.
Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway of Tulare issued a Monday statement in which she said there are not the votes in the Assembly Republican Caucus to place the same tax increases “that voters overwhelmingly rejected less than two years ago” on a June ballot.
“Californians have sent a strong message at the polls that they want Sacramento to make government live within its means,” Conway said.
The realignment plan – which Brown said will return more governing decisions and authority to cities, counties and schools – will “allow government at all levels to focus on core functions and become more efficient and less expensive” by reducing duplication of services and administrative costs.
Brown's plan will spare kindergarten through 12th grade education. “Schools have borne the brunt of spending reductions in recent years, so this budget maintains funding at the same level as the current year,” he said.
While kindergarten through 12th grade education won't see cuts based on Brown's plan, higher education will, with Brown proposing to cut $500 million to the University of California and $500 million to California State University systems.
Other areas where Brown is suggesting major spending reductions are $1.7 billion to Medi-Cal, $1.5 billion to California’s welfare-to-work program (CalWORKs), $750 million to the Department of Developmental Services, $308 million for a 10 percent reduction in take-home pay for state employees not currently covered under collective bargaining agreements and $200 million in government actions that Brown proposes to cut through efficiencies including reorganization and consolidation.
On the health care front, the budget elicited condemnation from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, whose president, Michael Weinstein, called it “a death warrant for California AIDS patients” because he said it would “drastically” alter care for AIDS care and require steep share of costs from low-cost HIV/AIDS patients.
Brown also is proposing reductions to the state's judiciary and corrections, wants to require all corporations to use a single sales factor when measuring income attributable to California and would create an amnesty program for taxpayers who have avoided or underreported income owed to the state.
An area of particular concern for local officials like Cox is the proposal to phase out the current funding mechanism for redevelopment agencies.
While Brown said that step would return billions in property tax revenues to schools, cities and counties and help pay for public safety, education and other services, it would mean attempts to rejuvenate areas of the county – such as the Northshore and parts of Lakeport and Clearlake – would see a considerable setback.
Still, Cox noted, “I have a hard time believing that proposal will make it through the legislature. It was only two months ago that the voters approved a ballot measure protecting local redevelopment funds from being raided by the state.”
Cox said Brown's proposals concerning realignment and funding of criminal justice programs, welfare and mental health programs sound very similar to proposals made by Schwarzenegger. “Since the legislature soundly rejected many of those ideas when they were previously proposed, I wonder if they will receive any traction now.”
In Cox's view, it's hard to fault Brown for proposing “drastic measures” in light of the need that's been present for years for the state to resolve its budget problems.
“I'm hoping that some of his proposals were designed simply to get everyone's attention and understanding of the seriousness of the state's budget crisis, but that there will be an openness to considering alternatives to some of the current proposals-alternatives that would still generate the needed savings in state expenditures,” Cox said. “There are alternatives which I don't believe they have yet proposed, that should be considered.”
The full budget can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
“Thanks to the generous contributions of so many donors, people in Haiti are receiving immediate relief and resources, as well as the necessary support and training to help them recover and rebuild,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “Red Cross efforts saved lives and improved the quality of life for Haitians with emergency shelter, food, water, latrines, medical treatment and other supplies.”
“People in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties, as well as those across the country, responded quickly to help Haiti. These donations have made a real difference in the lives of Haitians,” said Tim Miller, CEO of the local Red Cross chapter.
“Residents in our counties donated more than $292,000,” said Miller. “Children at more than 20 schools, donation cans in nearly 100 locations, more than 20 local fundraising events, and more than 1300 individual donors and business all contributed to the relief effort. We are grateful for such an outpouring of support.”
The one-year report on Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in Haiti can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti.
Since the earthquake on January 12, 2010, the American Red Cross and the global Red Cross network have provided:
Medical care for nearly 217,000 patients.
Cash grants and loans to help 220,000 people.
Latrines for 265,000 people.
Daily drinking water for more than 317,000 people.
Emergency shelter materials for more than 860,000 people.
Vaccinations for nearly 1 million people.
Food for 1.3 million people for one month.
Since the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the American Red Cross has raised approximately $479 million for the Haiti relief and recovery efforts, including more than $32 million from the record-setting text donation program.
At the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, the Red Cross expects to have spent and signed agreements to spend $245 million, which is more than half of what has been raised.
Specifically, 30 percent of the money will have been spent on emergency shelter and basic homes; 26 percent on food and emergency services; 15 percent on providing clean water and sanitation; 13 percent on health and disease prevention programs; 10 percent on livelihoods and host family assistance; and 6 percent on disaster preparedness activities.
The remainder of the money will go to longer-term recovery over the next several years, with spending plans likely to evolve to respond to changing needs.
In addition to responding to the earthquake and its aftermath, the Red Cross worked to provide help following the cholera outbreak last fall. The American Red Cross has spent more than $4.5 million and plans to spend at least another $10 million to fight the spread of cholera.
One of the big challenges facing the Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations is finding land to get people out of camps and into transitional homes.
It has been difficult for the Haitian government to determine exactly who owns the land where these homes would be built. Much of the available land is covered with tons of rubble that must be removed, and there is not enough heavy equipment in Haiti to do this quickly.
In addition, the government, which would take a lead role on much of the land ownership and rubble removal, was severely affected by the earthquake.
Overall, the American Red Cross expects to spend about $100 million of the remaining funds on construction of permanent homes and community development projects. These efforts, which will unfold over the next few years, will depend on several outside factors including the availability of appropriate land and the coordination of infrastructure, livelihoods and community centers.
“The Red Cross will continue to spend the money entrusted to us by the American people in the most responsible way possible to help Haiti and its people,” McGovern said.
Visit the Red Cross online at www.redcross.org. American Red Cross, Sonoma & Mendocino Counties (which includes Lake County) can be found at www.arcsm.org .
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The new Republican chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee says its time to learn where a lot of those dollars went and to provide better oversight of how VA budgets are shaped and spent.
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), interviewed before the 112th Congress convened, said his predecessor as chairman, Democrat Bob Filner of California, was inclined to address veterans’ needs with more dollars.
Miller said he will be “more focused on helping to increase resources through efficiencies.”
“This is a huge government agency and there is a mindset within the agency that is hard to change,” Miller said. “But I think we need to focus not only on delivery of services but the cost at which those services are being delivered to the veteran.”
“You know,” he added, “the Department of Veterans Affairs really has grown immune to oversight from Congress. And I hope to reinvigorate the process.”
Like Filner, the 51-year-old Miller is not a veteran. He was a real estate broker and former deputy sheriff before entering politics in Florida.
In fall of 2001, after Joe Scarborough, now a TV personality, resigned his House seat, Miller won a special election to fill it and has represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District in Congress ever since.
It is home to Eglin Air Force Base, Pensacola Naval Air Station and many veterans, which helps explain why Miller has chosen to serve on both the veterans’ affairs and the armed services committees.
He was picked by leadership to chair the VA committee after former ranking member Steve Buyer of Indiana said he would retire, and the next most senior Republican, Cliff Stearns of Florida, tried but failed to gain chairmanship of the energy and commerce committee in the new Congress.
Miller listed closer oversight of VA’s $125 billion budget as his top priority along with, as always, improving delivery of services to veterans.
“The [Veterans] Benefits Administration is woefully behind with a backlog on benefit claims,” he said. “The only way we’re going to be able to solve that is good, strong oversight of the cooperative effort of both VBA and the [VA’s] Office of Information and Technology.”
Some veterans’ service organizations agree that tighter supervision might be timely. One executive at a major VSO pointed to a VA inspector general report last year that found $6.3 million appropriated by Congress to fund traumatic brain injury research had diverted to priorities.
“This could be just one of a multitude of issues considered under the greater oversight role” Miller promises, he said.
Miller referred to “a culture in some areas of the VA system that has got to be brought up into the 21st century.”
For example, he noted lapses in sterilization at the St. Louis VA hospital revealed last year and other incidents involving possible spread of infection.
But the notification process, said Miller, was “done in a very cold, callous way. Folks need to understand we are dealing with human beings who served their country and deserve dignity and respect.”
One issue Miller raised in our interview, as something he wants to expand, worries vet advocates. He wants to allow more veterans to get health care from private-sector doctors and hospitals, at VA’s expense, in situations where VA facilities are inconvenient to use.
In northwest Florida, he said, veterans still must travel to VA facilities in Biloxi, Miss., New Orleans and on to Birmingham, Ala., for care that they could be receiving locally at private hospitals.
“We need to find a way to allow for expansion of veterans use of local medical facilities instead of requiring them to drive great distances … It’s something that Congress has worked on for a number of years but we still don’t have a handle on it,” Miller said. VA should expand fee-for-service exceptions beyond “rural communities.”
That raises alarms for veterans’ groups. They view such a move as a first step toward weakening the VA health care system. They also see it as a threat to VA continuity of care, particular for veterans with multiple health issues, all of which now get tracked and treated by a single system.
But Miller said he worries about older veterans or those with critical health issues having to travel too many miles to get the care the need.
Veterans in his district who need heart surgery, he said, “are required to leave the panhandle of Florida, and there are great cardiac physicians in our community.”
Localizing care would be “a benefit for the doctor to have the patients” near and “for the patients to have their physicians as close as possible, not only for the surgery but in the recovery.”
VA has run some pilot programs, Miller said.
“But I think we need to look at expanding it so that the veteran can receive the care as close to home as possible.”
Vet groups worry that sending more vets to private hospitals and doctors for care will make lawmakers reluctant to fund new VA medical centers and hospitals in areas of rising veteran populations if those areas also have plenty of private physicians and hospital beds.
“So rather than build a $300 million VA hospital,” said one worried advocate, “Congress could easily say ‘Hey, let’s just kind of farm them out to the local community.’ Does that give them the care they deserve through the VA, which is the best care in the world? Does that give the VA system the pool of veterans from which to learn and provide better care? Does that give the VA system the care from which to practice new techniques? No.”
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