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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Downtown Kelseyville will kick off the Christmas season this Friday with the annual Christmas in the Country and Parade of Lights.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Christmas in Toyland.”

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the merchant open house.

At 6:30 p.m. the Parade of Lights will begin its tour through downtown. Register for the parade here.

After the parade, visit with Santa and get your picture taken at Lady Luck Garage until 8:30 p.m., and enjoy cocoa, cider and cookies.

In addition to fun, there will be plenty of food.

Pogo's Pizza Courtyard will sell pizza by the slice from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Kelseyville Presbyterian Church will offer chili with cornbread from 4:30 to 7 p.m., St. Peter's Catholic Church will have tamales and horchata and there will be Christmas carol singing, cookies and hot chocolate at Kelseyville United Methodist Church.

Kelseyville Presbyterian Church also will offer paid parking as part of its annual holiday fundraising campaign.

There also will be several merchants offering special activities. They include:

• Smiling Dogs Ranch Tasting Room, with live music with Red's Blues from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.;
• At Konoctees Screenprinting, join Bottlerock Candle Studio & Succulent-Pottery for Jingle & Mingle with hot cocoa, sweet treats, Christmas shopping and face painting from 2 to 8 p.m.;
• Specialty Care Cosmetic will host a raffle, cocoa and treats from 4:30 to 6 p.m.;
• From 4 to 8:30 p.m., preview the Lake County Festival of Trees entries at Sophie’s Day Spa.

To keep up on the latest events, check out the Visit Kelseyville Facebook page.

A quick-moving stream of moisture that will blast areas of the Pacific coast this week could cause major travel disruptions as it produces heavy snow, flooding and strong winds, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

The moisture will take aim at much of the West Coast and move swiftly southward through the middle of the week, before weakening by Friday prior to reaching Southern California. The setup can lead to excessive amounts of rain and snow in a short period of time in the northern and middle portions of the Pacific coast.

The precipitation from the storm is likely to be heavy for a period of eight to 12 hours with the worst conditions likely in western Washington Tuesday night, forecasters say. Top reports of snow through 6:30 p.m. local time Tuesday were reports of two inches of accumulation in the western Washington city of Duvall, as well as in Longmire and Neah Bay.

In western Oregon, the storm will hit hard during the day on Wednesday. From Wednesday night to Thursday, the storm will hammer Northern California as it progresses slowly to the south.

Storm's worst to hit Washington, Oregon at midweek

Intermittent rain and snow will pester the region ahead of the main storm through Tuesday evening in the coastal Northwest. Snow will reach down to sea level in some areas during this time.

Snow was falling on Downtown Seattle Tuesday morning and was beginning to accumulate on the roofs, grassy areas and some roads. This is the first measurable snowfall of the season for the Emerald City which averages a mere 0.2 of an inch of snow for November.

Travel-snarling snow is likely in the intermediate and high elevations of the west-facing slopes of the Cascades as the main part of the storm and the stream of moisture drops southward. There is a chance that the major passes in the Cascades, including Snoqualmie, could close for a time due to rapidly accumulating snow.

A general 1-2 feet of snow will fall at pass levels in Washington and Oregon with locally higher amounts and several feet of snow likely over the high country. Snow could fall at the rate of several inches per hour for a time.

As is often the case with many storms that move in from the Pacific, a surge of warm air will occur and limit and perhaps prevent much snow from falling right at sea level.

However, due to the anticipated intensity of the precipitation close to the onset of the storm, the forecast around Seattle is tricky with the likelihood of an inch or two of snow and the potential for a heavier accumulation should snow fail to change to rain in a timely manner Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Heavy snow is likely to fall farther north from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Bellingham and Everett, Washington. Snow could also quickly pile up to several inches over the hilltops in the Interstate-5 corridor near and south of Seattle. A few hundred feet in elevation can make the difference between mostly rain and a bit of slush to 6 inches of snow and slippery travel.

Warm air is likely to have more time to reach areas farther south at low elevations in southwestern Washington and western Oregon, including the Portland area. There can be a brief period of wet snow or mixed rain and wet snow at the onset and the conclusion of the storm.

Rain will be substantial and could be heavy enough to lead to urban and small-stream flooding. Motorists should be on the lookout for rockslides and other debris flows.

Strong winds will add to travel difficulties for a time, especially for those flying into and out of the region. Gusts can be strong enough to break tree limbs and lead to sporadic power outages in coastal areas and along the western slopes of the Cascades.



Storm to bring heavy snow to Sierra Nevada, rain on northern coast

Farther south in Northern California, the storm will pack a punch during the second half of the week.

"While the rain and mountain snow will be beneficial from a drought standpoint, enough can fall to lead to travel delays and disruptions," AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor said.

Long-term drought conditions range from moderate to exceptional based on the latest conditions from the United States Drought Monitor.

During Wednesday night as rain spreads southward along the coast and over the Sacramento Valley of California, snow will waste no time falling at a heavy rate in the Coast Ranges, Siskiyous and northern Sierra Nevada.

Travel will become slippery and difficult over Siskiyou Summit, along I-5, in southern Oregon by Thursday morning. Road closures are possible.

Snow will reach Donner Pass, California, along I-80 on Thursday midday or afternoon and will continue into Thursday night with the potential for enough to lead to major travel delays and perhaps even a road closure for a time. A general 1-3 feet of snow is likely in the northern and central Sierra Nevada with locally greater amounts over the high country and at some of the ski resorts.

The bulk of the rain will fall on the San Francisco and Sacramento areas on Thursday. While the rain may not be as intense as areas farther north along the Pacific coast, it can still lead to significant runoff, slick driving conditions and even ponding on some roads.

Late-week rain in the cards for L.A., San Diego

Rain is forecast to reach Los Angeles and San Diego, and the lower south and west-facing slopes of the mountains from Thursday night to Friday evening. While the rain will not be nearly as intense as that of areas in the Northwest and in Northern California, it can still lead to slow commutes due to slick roads, poor visibility and some runoff.

Snow levels are likely to remain above Cajon and Tejon passes in Southern California, but some of the ridges and peaks in the region could receive a few inches of snow on Friday, Taylor said.

A couple of rain showers may survive the trip over the mountains and reach the deserts in Southern California on Friday afternoon and night as well.

Alex Sosnowski is an AccuWeather senior meteorologist.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With Cal Fire determining that wildfire risk has been significantly reduced by the recent rains, the Lake County Air Quality Management District said the annual Lake County burn ban for 2022 has been lifted.

The burn ban’s lifting is effective as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Burn permits are required for all outdoor burning in the Lake County Air Basin.

Those burn permits can be obtained from Lake County’s fire agencies through an electronic permitting system hosted on the South Lake County Fire Protection District website.

“There is no processing fee, electronic burn permits save gas, and residents can access the permit program anytime,” said Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Division Chief Paul Duncan.

“A paper copy will need to be maintained by anyone conducting burning and presented when asked,” Duncan said of the permits.

A smoke management plan is required for multiday burns, overnight burns, standing vegetation burns, whole tree or vine removal, burns over 20 acres, and any other burn where significant smoke impacts may occur or sensitive receptors may be impacted.

Smoke management plans can be obtained at the Lake County Air Quality Management District office; call 707-263-7000 to make an appointment.

When visiting the Air Quality Management District office to get the plan, bring a map showing the burn location, burn site coordinates (GPS locations), parcel number or address, acres to be burned, and details of vegetation to be burned. A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued.

Smoke management plans, agricultural burn permits and residential burn permits are $31, land development/lot clearing burn permits are $95. The fee can be paid with cash or check only (exact change is appreciated).

Only clean dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one acre or larger lot of record, a burn location that is at least 100 feet from all neighbors, and at least 30 feet from any structure in order to qualify.

Lot clearing/land development burns require special permits available through the local fire protection districts.

Read your burn permit carefully and follow all the conditions. Please be considerate of your neighbors. A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others. You can be liable for health care costs, fines, and other costs resulting from your burning.

Officials urge community members to consider composting or using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection service as an alternative to burning leaves.

Lake County’s joint fire agencies and Air Quality Management District’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987. Officials thank community members for their cooperation this burn season.

The California Energy Commission on Tuesday held a hearing on the record gas price spike of 86 cents in 10 days earlier this year that resulted in record profits for oil companies, digging into the fact that no state regulations or costs had changed and refinery maintenance only accounted for 5.8% of California’s gas supply.

The five major oil refiners — Chevron, Marathon, Phillips 66, PBF Energy and Valero — all rejected invites to the hearing.

While the oil industry refused to provide any answers, experts stressed the need for new transparency and accountability measures to help prevent oil companies from spiking prices in the future.

The California Energy Commission hosted the public hearing with oil industry representatives and experts to get answers about this year’s gas price hikes that resulted in record profits of $63 billion in just 90 days, and how to prevent such price increases in the future.

“Every Californian deserves to know why we were being fleeced at the pump even as gas prices declined across the country and crude oil prices were going down. The oil industry had their chance today to explain why they made record profits at our expense but they chose to stonewall us. That’s because they have no explanation — big polluters are lining their pockets while they cause financial pain for millions of California families and threaten the very future of our planet. With the Legislature’s support and engagement, we’re going to hold these companies accountable with a price gouging penalty that will deliver relief to Californians,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

At the hearing, experts laid out in detail the unprecedented divergence between California’s gas prices and prices across the country and that periodic price spikes have intensified in recent years, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income families.

However, with the oil refiners’ absence at the hearing, commissioners were unable to get adequate explanation for this year’s price spike.

Gov. Newsom is calling a special session of the Legislature on Dec. 5 to pass a price-gouging penalty on oil companies that choose to rake in excessive profits at the expense of Californians.

Tuesday’s hearing follows the California Energy Commission having requested written responses to questions about price spikes despite the cost of crude oil going down — questions that the companies largely failed to answer in writing.

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.

Newsom 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, Newsom’s office said his actions have reduced those prices to $4.99 most recently — a decrease of $1.43 since the peak.

FINLEY, Calif. — Plans are underway to get the long-awaited project to restore the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse off the ground early next year.

The 151-year-old schoolhouse is located on Finley Road East in Finley.

The Lucerne Area Revitalization Association, or LARA, is a 501c(3) nonprofit formed in 2018 by John Jensen and Elizabeth Larson, owners of Lake County News, in order to work on important projects around the community.

Despite its name, LARA isn’t limited to work just in Lucerne, but was created to pursue a countywide mission and was conceived while the founders were hiking the hills picking up trash.

In 2021, the Kelseyville Unified School District granted LARA the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse at the end of a process that began before the pandemic with a request for proposals.

LARA and the school district also have entered into a 50-year lease for the property where the schoolhouse sits in Finley.

The organization is now launching a fundraising campaign as part of #GivingTuesday in order to begin the renovation and restoration in 2023.

Priority work will include the expensive process of removing the decades of lead paint that coat the interior and exterior of the building, which is important in order to make the building safe and available for use to the community, especially for children and into the future.

Other aspects of the restoration will include fixing the windows, making critical repairs to the interior and exterior, including repairing water damage to the floor; conducting well and septic tank testing; rewiring; and stabilizing the building.

Tax-deductible donations can be made through LARA’s online donation platform or mailed to LARA, P.O. Box 1792, Lucerne, CA 95458-1792.

In addition to funding, LARA also is looking for people with expertise about historical buildings willing to share their knowledge and time volunteering during the restoration project.

For more information, contact LARA at 707-200-4709, or email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or John Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week is set to consider a proposal to expand the city’s sphere of influence and pursue the first annexation since incorporation 42 years ago.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, for a closed session to discuss the police chief appointment before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom or can attend in person.

The agenda can be found here.

Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.

Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of
staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.

On Thursday, the council will present a proclamation in remembrance of retired Judge Richard Freeborn, who died in September; recognize city employees and volunteers for their services; and hear a presentation on Public Works maintenance projects.

Under business, council members will consider beginning the process to annex 302 acres at 2050 and 2122 Ogulin Canyon Road.

The council will look at adopting a resolution of intent to amend the city’s sphere of influence and general plan, adopt prezoning designations, prepare an environmental analysis and initiate proceedings with the Lake Local Agency Formation Commission for those parcels.

Earlier this year, the owners of that property, Lake Vista Farms, approached the city to ask about being annexed to the city.

At the council’s July 21 meeting, they heard a presentation on the proposal and agreed to direct staff to explore the proposal further.

The council on Thursday also is being asked to provide direction to staff allowing the Community Development director to review projects within the Sulphur Fire area for legal nonconforming status and approve permits consistent with previous development if they do not hinder the general health and welfare of the community.

Also on Thursday, the council will hold a public hearing to confirm assessments totaling $29,383.90 for city funded abatements and also will discuss a resolution to extend the term of the existing commercial cannabis development agreements and temporarily reduces the production fee.

On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; the first reading for the adoption of the 2022 California Building Standard Codes, the 2021 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa/Hot Tub Codes, the 2021 Uniform Solar, Hydronics & Geothermal Codes, the 2021 International Building Codes, the 2021 International Residential Codes and the 2021 International Fire Codes, with the second reading to be held Jan. 5; approval of the reorganization of a Maintenance Worker II position to a Maintenance Worker III; consideration of renaming communications officer job to communications and records supervisor and adopting changes to the job description; purchase of K-rails for the Public Works yard from Eiffel Trading in the amount of $33,930; award of the $59,715 contract for electrical services related to the Public Works Yard Project to DC Electric; adoption of the second amendment to the FY 2022-23 Budget (Resolution 2022-43) adjusting appropriations and transfers; consideration of acceptance of the property located at 3332 Sixth St.; authorization of an amendment of the contract with the Koi Nation for tribal monitoring contract on the Austin Park Splash Pad Project in the amount of $5,000; approval of an amendment to the Government Services Authority consultant contract; minutes of the November City Council meeting; minutes of the Oct. 12 Lake County Vector Control District Board Meeting; warrants; appointment of the city manager as acting city treasurer through November 2026; adoption of the 2022 Conflict of Interest Code; approval of the annual calendar of meetings for 2023; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; and a memo regarding the holiday closure of the City Hall administration offices.

The council will hold a second closed session after the main meeting to discuss property negotiations for 6885 Old Highway 53.

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.