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The board will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the headquarters station, 445 N. Main St.
The documents are available on the district’s website and at the headquarters station during business hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Jan. 9 hearing will allow community members to provide input on the mitigation fee study, completed by Ridgeline Municipal Strategies. The firm’s overview presentation is published below.
The mitigation fee, also known as the development impact fee, is a one-time fee imposed on new development as a condition of approval. It’s meant to pay for public facilities needed to serve new development.
The report explains that mitigation fees can be used to expand the district’s facilities to serve new development, but they cannot be used for maintenance, deficiencies or operations.
The mitigation fee ordinance was adopted in September 1992 in Lake County and in April 2005 in the city of Lakeport.
The report said there have been no significant updates to the fee program in 31 years, other than the city of Lakeport increasing the fee to match the Lake County amount in 2007. The program set the fee ceiling of $1 per square foot but did not include an inflation adjustment provision.
Since the program was implemented, the district has added emergency medical services, and construction costs went from $64 to $70 per square foot to more than $600 per square foot. At the same time, class A engine/pumper trucks have grown in cost from $200,000 to $350,000 to $700,000, and water tenders have risen from between $110,000 to $125,000 to between $400,000 and $550,000, the report said.
The report said the fire mitigation fee methodology is based on future development’s share of existing and future public facility costs.
There are currently 10.8 million square feet of development within the district. Within the next 18 years, it’s projected that there will be 1.1 million square feet of new development.
They’re proposing a total fee of $2 per square foot for residential development and $2.45 per square foot for commercial development.
The new fee is expected to raise revenue of $2.3 million over 18 years.
During that time frame, there will be planned facilities costs of $24.7 million, with $480,000 in available mitigation fee funds and $22 million needed from other sources, according to the report.
In related news, in September, the board voted to raise the Measure M parcel tax rate.
Measure M, passed by voters in 2019, had a beginning rate per benefit unit of $6.14. The ordinance authorizing the measure allowed the board to approve an annual rate increase of up to 3%, based on the San Francisco Consumer Price Index.
The board voted to raise the tax to $6.65, splitting the difference between the minimum increase that would have made the new rate $6.50 and the maximum allowable increase that would have changed the rate to $6.81.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport FPD Fire Mitigati by LakeCoNews on Scribd
In the hit dystopian TV series Severance, employees at biotech corporation Lumon Industries find it easy to separate work and home life. A computer chip is inserted in their brains to act as a “mindwipe”. They leave all thoughts of home behind while at work, and completely forget about their work when at home.
While the show explores the pitfalls of such a split in consciousness, there’s no denying it’s a tantalising prospect to be able to “flick the off switch” and forget about work whenever you’re not actually supposed to be working.
This is known as “psychological detachment”. People who can do it are happier and healthier, and experience less fatigue. But many of us struggle to detach and disconnect mentally from work, particularly when our jobs are demanding and stressful.
It may not be enough simply to be physically away from work, particularly in an era when so many of us work from home. We also have to stop thinking about work when we’re not there – whether it’s fretting over your to-do list while out at dinner, thinking about your unanswered emails while you’re at your daughter’s soccer game, or lying in bed pondering what you’ll say at tomorrow’s board meeting.
The art of detachment
Your choice of activity outside work can be crucial to this process of psychological detachment. To learn more about what strategies are most effective, my research surveyed nurses who were working shifts in hospital emergency departments in 2020, a highly stressful work environment.
My colleagues and I collected data from 166 nurses, using a survey called the Recovery Experience Questionnaire. This included collecting information about the underlying psychological experiences associated with home-time activities, such as feeling relaxed while reading a book or going for a walk.
Importantly, our survey results also showed nurses who were better able to forget about work had less fatigue and better physical and mental health.
Our results identified three key strategies that helped our survey participants to reduce fatigue and mentally recover from work:
- exercise
- spending time with family and friends
- leisure pursuits.
The physical benefits of exercise are well known. But exercising – whether it’s doing yoga, going for a run or playing netball – also brings mental benefits by encouraging you to focus deeply on what you’re doing rather than dwelling on outside thoughts.
Friendship and social connection are also good for our wellbeing. Research suggests people who have plenty of friends and confidants are less likely to die from chronic disease. And one study found people who undertake a difficult task with the help of a friend have fewer abrupt changes in heart rate than those who tackle the task alone.
Deliberately making time to spend with family, friends or pets can help us forget about work at home, and to centre our attention instead on what is important to us besides work.
Many of the nurses in our study reduced the effects of fatigue during home time by pursuing hobbies and interests such as sewing or gardening. But you shouldn’t worry too much about what specific activity you pursue – the main thing is to pick something you find pleasurable and engaging, and which fits comfortably around your existing commitments.
Leave your work at work
Finally, switching off from work also means not letting your work come home with you. Where possible, complete all your daily tasks so these aren’t on your mind at home. Unplug from work-related technology by not checking work emails or texts.
Of course, technology and working from home have now made separating work and home even harder. But setting healthy routines can help put mental as well as physical boundaries around your work time – even when your workplace is in the next room.
Jane Gifkins, Researcher, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
As we wrap up 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the U.S. population will be 335,893,238 on New Year’s Day, an annual increase of 1,759,535 or 0.53%.
By comparison, just before the nation’s independence nearly 250 years ago, the 13 colonies had about 2.5 million residents, according to the American Battlefield Trust.
In January 2024, the United States is expected to experience a birth every 9.0 seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds.
Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 28.3 seconds.
The combination of births, deaths and net international migration increases the U.S. population by one person every 24.2 seconds.
The projected world population on Jan. 1, 2024 is 8,019,876,189, up 75,162,541 (0.95%) from New Year’s Day 2023. During January 2024, 4.3 births and 2.0 deaths are expected worldwide every second.
Population estimates from the U.S. and world population clock
The Census Bureau’s Population Clock displays simulated real-time growth of the U.S. and world populations.
The U.S. clock shows the population by age (0 to 100+) and sex, and the most populous and highest density states, counties and cities.
The world clock shows the most populous countries, as well as the top U.S. export and import partners.
Population projections from the International Database
Created in the 1960s, the Census Bureau’s International Database (IDB) now produces population projections for 227 countries and equivalent areas, plus 15,237 subnational areas.
Population size (by single year of age and sex) and components of change (fertility, mortality and migration) are available for each calendar year through 2100 (through 2060 for the United States).
Around 2025, the IDB Trends shows India passing China in total population (around 1.42B each) to become the world’s most populous country.
The United States is expected to still be third with about 344 million people. However, Nigeria is projected to pass the United States around 2045 to become the world’s third most populous country with about 388 million people.
International Database (IDB)
The IDB is an interactive data tool. Visit the Country Dashboard and view tables for six reports: Demographic Overview, Components of Population Growth, Fertility, Mortality, Migration and Custom Report. You can map numerous measures by these categories: Population, Fertility, Mortality and Migration.
Explore Population by Age in pyramids or tables. Lastly, consider trends by country from 1950 to 2100 (2060 for the U.S.).
When did the world population reach eight billion?
Using data from the IDB, the Census Bureau estimates the world population hit 8 billion on September 26, 2023. The United Nations Population Division estimates this occurred on Nov. 15, 2022.
Either way, population growth has been slowing since the 1960s. While it took 12.5 years for the world to go from 7 billion to 8 billion people, we project it will likely take 14.1 years to go from 8 billion to 9 billion, and 16.4 years to go from 9 billion to 10 billion, which could occur around 2055.
Derick C. Moore is a senior communications specialist in the Census Bureau’s Communications Directorate.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D- La Mesa) announced that she will be introducing legislation to address the issue of abrupt maternity ward closures.
The bill will enhance the existing state review process before a maternity ward closes which would include an assessment of the impact of the closure on the surrounding community.
According to a CalMatter’s article from last month, at least 46 maternity wards have closed since 2012, leaving 12 counties, most of them rural, without any hospitals delivering babies.
“These birthing deserts make it difficult for pregnant persons to ensure that they will have a place that is equipped with the properly trained personnel to deliver their baby,” said Weber. “Traveling long distances to find a hospital with an open labor and delivery unit should not be something a pregnant person should have to worry about in California.”
The bill will require a state review process before a maternity ward closes as well as a report measuring the impact of the closure on the surrounding community.
“According to a recent JAMA study, the maternal mortality rates have increased in California over the past few decades and I am concerned that with the closure of these maternity wards, those mortality rates will continue to increase. As a practicing OB/GYN, I look forward to working with relevant stakeholders and state departments to develop a feasible proposal,” Weber said.
As of Jan. 1, California’s minimum wage has increased to $16 per hour for all employers, up from $15.50 for all employees regardless of employer size in 2023.
The state reported that some cities and counties have a local minimum wage that is higher than the state rate.
As of April 1, fast food restaurant employees will have a $20 per hour minimum wage, while health care facility employees will have a minimum wage of $18, $21 or $23 — based on the type of facility — beginning on June 1.
Another group who has new rules for their pay as of Jan. 1 is sheepherders and goat herders. Their monthly minimum salary increases to $2,444.48 plus $1,830.75 required overtime pay for a total of $4,675.23 per month for employers who employ over 25 employees and $2,844.48 plus $1,179.88 in required overtime pay for a total of $4,024.36 for employers who employ 25 or fewer employees. Wages paid to sheepherders and goat herders may not be offset by meals or lodging provided by the employer.
The change in the minimum wage affects the minimum salary an employee must earn to meet one part of the overtime exemption test.
Exempt employees are not subject to the payment of overtime for hours worked. An employee must earn no less than two times the state’s minimum wage for full-time work to meet this initial requirement of the exemption test.
As of Jan. 1, employees in California must earn an annual salary of no less than $66,560 to meet this threshold requirement.
Employers must post the minimum wage order and the wage order applicable to their workplace at a worksite area accessible to employees. The wage orders can be downloaded and printed from the workplace postings page on the DIR website.
Employers must ensure that the wage rate is displayed on the employee’s pay stub, and that employees are paid at least the minimum wage even when employees are paid at piece rate.
Most employees in California must be paid at least the minimum wage per hour, with some exceptions explained in the FAQs here.
They go by many names – pigs, hogs, swine, razorbacks – but whatever you call them, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most damaging invasive species in North America. They cause millions of dollars in crop damage yearly and harbor dozens of pathogens that threaten humans and pets, as well as meat production systems.
Although wild pigs have been present in North America for centuries, their populations have rapidly expanded over the past several decades. Recent studies estimate that since the 1980s the wild pig population in the United States has nearly tripled and expanded from 18 to 35 states. More recently, they have spread rapidly across Canada, and these populations are threatening to invade the U.S. from the north.
The wild pigs in Canada are unique because they were originally crossbred by humans to be larger and more cold-hardy than their feral cousins to the south. This suite of traits has earned them the name “super pigs” for good reason. Adults can reach weights exceeding 500 pounds, which is twice the size of the largest wild pigs sampled across many U.S. sites in a 2022 study.
As a wildlife ecologist, I study how wild pigs alter their surroundings and affect other wildlife species. Early detection and rapid response is of utmost importance in eradicating an invasive species, because invasions are more manageable when populations are small and geographically restricted. This is especially true for species like wild pigs that have a high reproductive rate, can readily move into new areas and can change their behavior to avoid being captured or killed.
Omnivores on the hoof
Much concern over the spread of wild pigs has focused on economic damage, which was recently estimated at about US$2.5 billion annually in the United States.
Wild pigs have a unique collection of traits that make them problematic to humans. When we told one private landowner about the results from our studies, he responded: “That makes sense. Pigs eat all the stuff the other wildlife do – they just eat it first, and then they go ahead and eat the wildlife, too. They pretty much eat anything with a calorie in it.”
More scientifically, wild pigs are called extreme generalist foragers, which means they can survive on many different foods. A global review of their dietary habits found that plants represent 90% of their diet – primarily agricultural crops, plus the fruits, seeds, leaves, stems and roots of wild plants.
Wild pigs also eat most small animals, along with fungi and invertebrates such as insect larvae, clams and mussels, particularly in places where pigs are not native. For example, a 2019 study reported that wild pigs were digging up eggs laid by endangered loggerhead sea turtles on an island off the coast of South Carolina, reducing the turtles’ nesting success to zero in some years.
And these pigs do “just eat it first.” They compete for resources that other wildlife need, which can have negative effects on other species.
However, they likely do their most severe damage through predation. Wild pigs kill and eat rodents, deer, birds, snakes, frogs, lizards and salamanders. This probably best explains why colleagues and I found in one study that forest patches with wild pigs had 26% fewer mammal and bird species than similar forest patches without pigs.
This decrease in diversity was similar to that found with other invasive predators. And our findings are consistent with a global analysis showing that invasive mammalian predators that have no natural predators themselves – especially generalist foragers like wild pigs – cause by far the most extinctions.
Altering ecosystems
Many questions about wild pigs’ ecological impacts have yet to be answered. For example, they may harm other wild species indirectly, rather than eating them or depleting their food supply.
Our work shows that wild pigs can alter the behavior of common native wildlife species, such as raccoons, squirrels and deer. Using trail cameras, we found that when wild pigs were present, other animals altered their activity patterns in various ways to avoid them. Such shifts may have additional cascading effects on ecosystems, because they change how and when species interact in the food web.
Another major concern is wild pigs’ potential to spread disease. They carry numerous pathogens, including brucellosis and tuberculosis. However, little ecological research has been done on this issue, and scientists have not yet demonstrated that an increasing abundance of wild pigs reduces the abundance of native wildlife via disease transmission.
Interestingly, in their native range in Europe and Asia, pigs do not cause as much ecological damage. In fact, some studies indicate that they may modify habitat in important ways for species that have evolved with them, such as frogs and salamanders.
So far, however, there is virtually no scientific evidence that feral pigs provide any benefits in North America. One review of wild pig impacts discussed the potential for private landowners plagued with pigs to generate revenue from selling pig meat or opportunities to hunt them. And it’s possible that wild pigs could serve as an alternative food source for imperiled large predators, or that their wallowing and foraging behavior in some cases could mimic that of locally eradicated or extinct species.
But the scientific consensus today is that in North America, wild pigs are a growing threat to both ecosystems and the economy. It is unclear how invading super pigs would contribute to the overall threat, but bigger pigs likely cause more damage and are generally better predators and competitors.
While efforts to control wild pigs are well underway in the U.S., incursions by Canadian super pigs may complicate the job. Invasive super pigs make for catchy headlines, but their potential effects are no joke.
This is an updated version of an article originally published on Aug. 26, 2019.
Marcus Lashley, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, University of Florida
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.