CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The city of Clearlake has a fun lineup of events to celebrate Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 3, from breakfast with Santa to the annual holiday parade.
The day will start out with “Breakfast with Santa,” from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Clearlake Community Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.
Come and have breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus. This event will have a free crafting table available and a photo station set up for those who want their pictures taken with Santa. Children also can write a letter to Santa before they leave.
The cost is $10 for children under age 12 and $13 for adults. Children under age 2 may attend for free.
Then, on Saturday evening, the city’s Christmas parade takes place.
Line up starts at 5 p.m., with the parade beginning at 6 p.m. at 14655 Ballpark Avenue. The parade will then make its way down Lakeshore Drive.
For more information, visit the city of Clearlake’s web page and its calendar.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has more new dogs waiting for adoption.
The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
The following dogs are available for adoption. New additions are at the top.
“Maverick.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.‘Maverick’
“Maverick” is a male pit bull-border collie mix with a short black and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 51027806.
“Noah.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Noah’
“Noah” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 51286102.
“Aoki.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Aoki’
“Aoki” is a male Siberian husky mix with a white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50905477.
“Athena.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Athena’
“Athena” is a female American pit bull mix terrier with a short brindle coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49934476.
“Babs.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Babs’
“Babs” is a female Labrador retriever mix with a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49505856.
“Bruce.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Bruce’
“Bruce” is a 2-year-old American pit bull mix with a short gray coat with white markings.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50684304.
“Buster.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Buster’
“Buster” is a male pit bull mix with a short tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50762164.
“Domino.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Domino’
“Domino” is a male terrier mix with a short white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50815541.
“Eros.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Eros’
“Eros” is a male Rottweiler mix with a short black and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50754504.
“Foxie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Foxie’
“Foxie” is a female German shepherd with a red, black and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49702845.
“Goliath.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Goliath’
“Goliath” is a male Rottweiler mix with a short black and tan coat.
He is dog No. 50754509.
“Hakuna.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Hakuna’
“Hakuna” is a male shepherd mix with a tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50176912.
“Herman.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Herman’
“Herman” is a 7-year-old male American pit bull terrier mix with a brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 51236411.
“Hondo.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Hondo’
“Hondo” is a male Alaskan husky mix with a buff coat.
He has been neutered.
He’s dog No. 50227693.
“Jack.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Jack’
“Jack” is a 9-month-old male terrier mix with a short black and brindle coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50992658.
“Kubota.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Kubota’
“Kubota” is a 4-year-old male German shepherd with a short brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50184421.
“Little Boy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Little Boy’
“Little Boy” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50075256.
“Luciano.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Luciano’
“Luciano” is a male Siberian husky mix with a short black and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50596272.
“Mamba.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Mamba’
“Mamba” is a male Siberian husky mix with a gray and cream-colored coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49520569.
“Matata.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Matata’
“Matata” is male shepherd mix with a tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50176912.
“Maya.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Maya’
“Maya” is a female German shepherd with a black and tan coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 50428151.
“Mikey.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Mikey’
“Mikey” is a male German shepherd mix with a short brown and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 51012855.
“Molly.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Molly’
“Molly” is a female Samoyed mix with a long white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 50933031.
“Paige.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Paige’
“Paige” is a female American pit bull mix with a short brown coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 51194668.
“Poppa.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Poppa’
“Poppa” is a 3-year-old male American pit bull terrier mix with a short red and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50773597.
“Rascal.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Rascal’
“Rascal” is a male shepherd mix with a black and brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50806384.
“Reese.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Reese’
“Reese” is a female German shepherd with a black and an coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 50884542.
“Sadie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Sadie’
“Sadie” is a female German shepherd mix with a black and tan coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 49802563.
“Snowball.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Snowball’
“Snowball is a 1 and a half year old male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 49159168.
“Terry.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Terry’
“Terry” is a handsome male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.
He gets along with other dogs, including small ones, and enjoys toys. He also likes water, playing fetch and keep away.
Staff said he is now getting some training to help him build confidence.
He is dog No. 48443693.
“Trike.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Trike’
“Trike” is a male border collie-Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat and blue eyes.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 51029972.
“Willie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Willie’
“Willie” is a male German shepherd mix with a black and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50596003.
“Zeus.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Zeus’
“Zeus” is a male Samoyed mix with a long white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 50933068.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The Sunflower restaurant, at left, during demolition in early November 2022 in Clearlake, California. Photo courtesy of Alan Flora. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Another of the city of Clearlake’s historic lakeside buildings is no more.
Earlier this month, Chernoh Excavating took down the Sunflower Chinese restaurant at 14525 Lakeshore Drive.
The building’s owner, Roopa Shekar, did not respond to requests from Lake County News seeking comment for this story.
The building formerly was known as the Lakeshore Inn, according to an email sent to the Clearlake City Council by longtime city resident Bob Mingori earlier this year.
The Sunflower restaurant operated there until it was closed in 2018. In December 2018 the city deemed it a public health and safety hazard and a public nuisance.
After the previous owner failed to address the issues, the city issued an abatement order in April 2021 and was set to approve a demolition contract with Chernoh in July 2021 when Shekar, who had purchased the building in June 2021, came forward to ask for time to handle the building’s abatement issues and upgrade it herself.
When the city said Shekar didn’t meet the deadlines for abating the building, the council went forward in April with approving a $53,439 contract with Chernoh Excavating to demolish and abate the structures.
Shekar appealed that decision, City Manager Alan Flora denied her appeal. During a special June 2 meeting the council voted unanimously to uphold Flora’s decision while also directing staff to give Shekar the opportunity to submit the engineered plans in order to get the building permit for the necessary work.
In a June email, Shekar told Lake County News that she had challenges getting the help she needed with the project, including finding a structural engineer. However, by that point she had managed to find an architect to assist her.
The Sunflower restaurant demolition in early November 2022 in Clearlake, California. Photo courtesy of Alan Flora.
In July, she reported that she had submitted all of the plans the city wanted.
However, as time progressed, the building, while fenced, did not appear to be undergoing the necessary abatement.
Despite the fact that the city had given her the chance to do the work and that council members including Russ Cremer said they had hoped the building would be saved, the decision was made to go forward with the demolition.
That’s because Flora said Shekar would not commit to renovating the building.
At the Clearlake City Council’s Nov. 3 meeting, Flora said work had been underway to move the asbestos from the building and then the demolition would take place.
A week later, the building was down, Flora told Lake County News.
In his April email to the city council, Mingori, who realized the building needed a lot of work, nonetheless urged taking measures to save it.
He said when the building was the Lakeshore Inn, it had been “the place to be” on Friday nights.
Mingori said other notable older buildings in Clearlake had fallen into disrepair, leading to their demolition. In other cases, such as the former Wisedas Resort, the building was destroyed by an arsonist.
Ultimately, the Lakeshore Inn, which Mingori said had been the last of those buildings, experienced the same fate and was demolished.
The site now is cleared, leaving an empty spot on the lakeshore.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The demolition crew at work at the Sunflower restaurant site in Clearlake, California, in early November 2022. Photo courtesy of Alan Flora.
COBB, Calif. – Cal Fire has a fleet of 10 air curtain burners, originally deployed in the southern region of California by its tree mortality task force to address beetle kill.
Now, thanks to that arsenal being made available in the northern region, the Cobb Area Council secured grant funding from Lake County and Cal Fire for piloting and utilization of one Series 220 FireBox Burner in the Cobb Mountain area.
Air curtain burners, also called air curtain incinerators, are used to dispose of forest waste generated from fuels reduction projects in areas where the debris cannot be left on-site, and broadcast or pile burning is not an option.
“The curtain burners are very good at burning slash and brushy-type material, allowing the reduction of fuels on homeowners properties and increasing forest resiliency,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brian York. “This project itself is a benefit for the community in the fact that not everyone is able to do fuels reduction burning on their property. This is a great way for them to have a location where they can drop off their materials to be consumed by the air curtain incinerator.”
The Cobb Mountain site is located at the cross of Highway 175 and Adams Springs Road.
Three, single-day, pilot test burns have been run at this site, most recently on Monday, Nov. 28.
The Cobb Forest Stewards, a subcommittee of the Cobb Area Council, and Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association are operating these trial runs of the air curtain burner. They have been approved and are supervised by Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.
“As the kinks are worked out, we hope to see future sites developed within the Lake County area,” York said.
Made by Air Burners out of Palm City, Fla., these FireBox Burners self-contain a fire. An air curtain burner works by pushing high velocity air over the top of the burn chamber, creating a curtain of air which the rising smoke cannot penetrate.
The unburned particulates are pushed back down into the chamber where they reburn until they are light enough to rise through the air curtain.
The air curtain reduces particulate matter, or smoke, which results from burning clean wood waste, to an acceptable limit per United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
These burners add another tool in the effort to reduce forest fuel loading levels and help mitigate devastation from future catastrophic wildfires.
Cal Fire’s Humboldt-Del Norte Unit, in partnership with the Willow Creek Volunteer Fire Department, has also deployed an air curtain burner in the Willow Creek area. That project is open Nov. 17 to Dec. 31.
Another air curtain burner has been operated by the Butte Unit.
Future community access to the Cobb Mountain site will be announced at a later date.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a proclamation convening a special session to pass price gouging penalties on oil companies. Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office. SACRAMENTO — As oil companies continue to evade questions about unexplained gas price increases, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday convened a special session of the California Legislature on Dec. 5 to pass a price gouging penalty on oil companies that will keep money in Californians’ pockets.
The governor’s action comes on the heels of a state hearing yesterday — which five major oil refiners refused to attend — to investigate this fall’s unprecedented spike in gasoline prices.
This spike in gasoline prices resulted in record refiner profits of $63 billion in just 90 days, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income families.
“Big oil is ripping Californians off, and the deafening silence from the industry yesterday is the latest proof that a price gouging penalty is needed to hold them accountable for profiteering at the expense of California families,” said Gov. Newsom. “I’m calling a special session of the Legislature to do just that, and to increase transparency on pricing and protect Californians from outrageous price spikes in the future.”
This fall’s spike occurred while crude oil prices dropped, state taxes and fees remained unchanged and gas prices did not increase outside the western U.S., so the high prices went straight to the industry’s bottom line.
The text of the Governor’s proclamation convening a special session can be found here.
During the special session, the Legislature will also consider efforts to empower state agencies to more closely review gas costs, profits and pricing as well provide the state with greater regulatory oversight of the refining, distribution and retailing segments of the gasoline market in California.
Taking action to lower prices at the pump, Governor Newsom in September ordered the switch to winter-blend gasoline and demanded accountability from oil companies and refiners that do business in California.
Since California’s record-high gas prices of $6.42, the Governor’s actions have reduced those prices to $4.95 most recently — a decrease of $1.47 since the peak.
In the third quarter of 2022, from July to September, oil companies reported record high profits:
• Phillips 66 profits jumped to $5.4 billion, a 1243% increase over last year’s $402 million; • BP posted $8.2 billion in profits, its second-highest on record, with $2.5 billion going toward share buybacks that benefit Wall Street investors; • Marathon Petroleum profits rose to $4.48 billion, a 545% increase over last year’s $694 million; • Valero’s $2.82 billion in profits that were 500% higher than the year before; • PBF Energy’s $1.06 billion that was 1700% higher than the year before; • Shell reported a $9.45 billion haul that sent $4 billion to shareholders for stock buybacks; • Exxon reported their highest-ever $19.7 billion in profits; • Chevron reported $11.2 billion in profits, their second-highest quarterly profit ever.
A California Highway Patrol officer leading a driving class. Photo courtesy of the CHP. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — It is important that all travelers on California roadways be well-equipped with knowledge and tools to help them operate their vehicles as safely as possible.
As such, the California Highway Patrol will continue to provide free classes to assist and educate drivers age 65 and older, as well as promote safe travel for all, with the Keeping Everyone Safe, or KEYS, grant funded by the Office of Traffic Safety.
As part of the grant, the “Age Well, Drive Smart” classes will continue to emphasize that a driver’s performance determines a person’s fitness to drive, not their age.
Age Well, Drive Smart classes are free to the public, provide education specifically designed to help the senior population improve their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road, and learn how age-related physical changes may affect one’s driving ability.
The Age Well, Drive Smart classes have been educating California’s senior drivers since 2008.
“Roadway safety and mobility of California’s seniors continues to be a high priority of the CHP,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “The Age Well, Drive Smart program provides education, as well as alternative transportation options, to seniors and their families to positively impact driving behavior and adjust to age-related changes.”
The CHP invites California’s senior drivers age 65 and older to attend a free Age Well, Drive Smart class to learn the tools to driving safer and driving longer. The class is approximately two hours and is offered at local CHP offices as well as many senior centers within the community. The class is a way for seniors to educate themselves, evaluate their driving abilities, and improve their driving skills.
More information about this free class is available from any local CHP office. The Clear Lake Area CHP office can be reached at 707-279-0103.
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