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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The newest member of the Board of Supervisors was sworn in on Tuesday morning during a session in which the board heard an update from the interim Public Health officer on COVID-19.
Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez administered the oath of office to Michael Green, who Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed last week to fill the District 4 supervisorial seat vacated by Tina Scott in July.
The swearing-in was added as an extra item to the agenda since Green’s appointment announcement came out on Friday afternoon, after the agenda had already been posted.
Before he took the oath, Green read a letter his mother had written in 1963 about the importance of elections, representative government and majority rule. He said his motives were the same as his mother’s, and hoped that his actions on the board would be consistent with them.
Green served on the Lakeport Planning Commission from 2017 to 2021. Since then he has served on the Lakeport City Council.
Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram and Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Nick Walker were in the board chambers for Green’s swearing in.
Also on Tuesday, the board met Dr. Karl A. Sporer, the county’s interim Public Health officer.
At the Sept. 13 meeting, the board appointed Sporer to the position on an interim basis as part of its consent agenda. The professional services contract with Sporer is for a term of six months, with the monthly amount not to exceed $6,000.
Sporer is a former University of California San Francisco School of Medicine clinical professor who has worked as an emergency physician in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco for 20 years, and also has worked for the same amount of time with county governments on emergency medical services and disaster related issues.
He lives in Sonoma County and said he’s trying to retire from his work in Alameda County.
Sporer said his public health background is fairly thin, noting that everyone has pivoted toward COVID-19 in the last three years.
“COVID is waning at this moment. It's low. We’re very fortunate,” he said. “We’re concerned about a wave this year.”
Based on anecdotal evidence — including checking with his local Walgreens for COVID vaccine appointments, with available slots five days out — Sporer said it appeared people are getting shots.
Sporer said influenza will be an issue in the months ahead. There are no significant variants coming from the East Coast or Europe, but there is expected to be an increase this winter when people gather for holidays. Other diseases seem to be under reasonable control.
He said that in local wastewater treatment monitoring for COVID-19, a 10% increase in the incidence of the coronavirus was identified in one of the three wastewater plants, and they’re watching it to see where it goes and if there is a trend.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, who tracks the coronavirus data from the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, noted, “We’ve been looking really good for awhile.”
Sabatier said the situation is better for schools and businesses. “That means that we’re all being more productive, being more able to participate in the things we want to participate in.”
Sporer said he hoped to meet on Tuesday with the fire chiefs and the hospitals.
Green, who until Monday had worked in the Lake County Social Services Department, said he is interested in the evolving understanding of aerosol permissible diseases and how to harden workspaces, and would like to hear more about that in the future.
Sabatier said that Gov. Newsom intends to end the state’s public health emergency due to COVID-19 in February and was curious about Sporer’s thoughts on the county continuing its emergency, which is important due to financial support.
Working with the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CDPH is probably the right thing to do in the future, Sporer said.
“Early on in this pandemic, CDC was always like about four months behind, and we had to make things up,” he said, adding, “That was very problematic.”
Sporer added, ““You have an existing local emergency and you’re probably going to need to rescind that soon,” so the county needs to think about how to manage that between now and February.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission will consider improvements to more than a dozen county parks when it meets this week.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The agenda is here.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 921 5611 2326, the pass code is 571441.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,92156112326#,,,,*571441# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county of Lake website and on the county’s Facebook page.
At 9:05 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing to consider general plan conformity for Lake County Public Services’ proposed improvement of 14 county parks and a categorical exemption.
Public Services is planning to make various improvements — including to restrooms, planting trees, and installation of shade structures, signs, drinking fountains, trash receptacles and benches — at the following parks:
• Clearlake Oaks: Boat launch and Nylander Park.
• Kelseyville: Kelseyville, Lakeside and Pioneer/Saderlund parks.
• Lower Lake: Russell Rustici Park.
• Lucerne: Alpine Park, Davis Beach and Lucerne Harbor Park in Lucerne.
• Middletown: Middletown Square.
• Nice: Hammond, Hinman, Keeling and Rodman Slough parks.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis 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 meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The agenda is here.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 921 5611 2326, the pass code is 571441.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,92156112326#,,,,*571441# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county of Lake website and on the county’s Facebook page.
At 9:05 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing to consider general plan conformity for Lake County Public Services’ proposed improvement of 14 county parks and a categorical exemption.
Public Services is planning to make various improvements — including to restrooms, planting trees, and installation of shade structures, signs, drinking fountains, trash receptacles and benches — at the following parks:
• Clearlake Oaks: Boat launch and Nylander Park.
• Kelseyville: Kelseyville, Lakeside and Pioneer/Saderlund parks.
• Lower Lake: Russell Rustici Park.
• Lucerne: Alpine Park, Davis Beach and Lucerne Harbor Park in Lucerne.
• Middletown: Middletown Square.
• Nice: Hammond, Hinman, Keeling and Rodman Slough parks.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. — County arts agencies across California’s Upstate Region are excited to be working alongside one another on a new workforce development opportunity for artists and cultural practitioners, arts and social service sector organizations.
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., the Lake County Arts Council will co-host a California Creative Corps Listening Session at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport to present key information and invite a conversation on how artists can help communities tackle issues most critical to them, as part of an Upstate Listening Tour across 19 counties.
The 2021-22 California budget included a $60 million, one-time general fund allocation for the California Arts Council to implement the California Creative Corps pilot program, a media, outreach, and engagement campaign designed to increase awareness related to issues such as public health, water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief and recovery.
“At the core of the Creative Corps are people – community members who play a vital role in civic engagement and social justice. We invite community members to come together with artists, arts and social service organizations, movement leaders, civic and business leaders, and policy makers for this critical conversation,” said Barbara Clark, executive director of the Lake County Arts Council.
“Together, we will be introducing what the State sees as a new method of evaluating the relative health of communities,” said Eliza Tudor, executive director of the Nevada County Arts Council, who will join Lake County Arts Council for its Listening Session. “Using the California Healthy Places Index we are identifying issues that are specific to Lake County, inviting input on solutions, and inviting artists to position themselves to create awareness around them.”
The California Creative Corps Upstate Listening Tour is taking place county by county from now until mid-December.
“Upstate populations suffer from among the worst health inequities in California and almost without exception – including the few tracts with overall health scores in the upper quartiles – there are health equity measures that fall within the lowest quartile of ‘Community Conditions.’ The fascinating part is the indicators that determine a community’s health, and which provide us with vital clues about how to move the needle,” Clark said.
California Arts Council has selected 14 organizations to administer the California Creative Corps across nine regions with a grant activity period that launched on October 1.
Nevada County Arts Council has been chosen to create a re-granting program for Upstate California, putting to work $4,230,216 in workforce development funds for artists, as well as for arts and social service organizations who will employ artists between early 2023 and late 2024.
Supporting local outreach with local knowledge, as well as technical assistance for artists, and program development and evaluation, are multiple county arts agencies serving what amounts to the largest, most diverse, geographic area in California, with more counties than any other Creative Corps region.
Tudor continued, “Within the Upstate Region we are one of a network of agencies who serve as State-Local Partners with the California Arts Council. While we each serve distinct communities, we are connected through a coalition that works to benchmark, consult, and gain from peer learning and support, with equity at our core. In this sense, we do not work in isolation. In applying to be an administering organization for the Upstate Region, it makes perfect sense to place our State-Local Partnership in service to the largest and most diverse geographic area within California.”
California Arts Council sees the California Creative Corps program primarily as a job creation and human infrastructure development opportunity. The hope is that, region by region, the program will increase the ways in which artists are engaged in public work, so that they can continue to build upon intersectional public interest goals beyond the program’s pilot funding timeline.
“We in Lake County couldn’t be more thrilled to jointly host such an important listening session and we urge local community-minded artists, organizations and city and county officials to join us for this proactive brainstorm. If you are solution oriented, and have first-hand knowledge of vulnerable communities, either because you represent one, or because you currently serve one, please join us. We also welcome those who’d like to learn more from a fresh perspective,” Clark said.
The California Creative Corps program follows an unprecedented period in which communities globally have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these years, creative sector professionals across the United States have been proposing ways to employ and deploy artists in programs similar to the Works Project Administration and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.
The launch of a statewide Creative Corps pilot program is the result of a recommendation from the governor’s economic and jobs recovery task force, and is the first of its kind in the nation.
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., the Lake County Arts Council will co-host a California Creative Corps Listening Session at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport to present key information and invite a conversation on how artists can help communities tackle issues most critical to them, as part of an Upstate Listening Tour across 19 counties.
The 2021-22 California budget included a $60 million, one-time general fund allocation for the California Arts Council to implement the California Creative Corps pilot program, a media, outreach, and engagement campaign designed to increase awareness related to issues such as public health, water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief and recovery.
“At the core of the Creative Corps are people – community members who play a vital role in civic engagement and social justice. We invite community members to come together with artists, arts and social service organizations, movement leaders, civic and business leaders, and policy makers for this critical conversation,” said Barbara Clark, executive director of the Lake County Arts Council.
“Together, we will be introducing what the State sees as a new method of evaluating the relative health of communities,” said Eliza Tudor, executive director of the Nevada County Arts Council, who will join Lake County Arts Council for its Listening Session. “Using the California Healthy Places Index we are identifying issues that are specific to Lake County, inviting input on solutions, and inviting artists to position themselves to create awareness around them.”
The California Creative Corps Upstate Listening Tour is taking place county by county from now until mid-December.
“Upstate populations suffer from among the worst health inequities in California and almost without exception – including the few tracts with overall health scores in the upper quartiles – there are health equity measures that fall within the lowest quartile of ‘Community Conditions.’ The fascinating part is the indicators that determine a community’s health, and which provide us with vital clues about how to move the needle,” Clark said.
California Arts Council has selected 14 organizations to administer the California Creative Corps across nine regions with a grant activity period that launched on October 1.
Nevada County Arts Council has been chosen to create a re-granting program for Upstate California, putting to work $4,230,216 in workforce development funds for artists, as well as for arts and social service organizations who will employ artists between early 2023 and late 2024.
Supporting local outreach with local knowledge, as well as technical assistance for artists, and program development and evaluation, are multiple county arts agencies serving what amounts to the largest, most diverse, geographic area in California, with more counties than any other Creative Corps region.
Tudor continued, “Within the Upstate Region we are one of a network of agencies who serve as State-Local Partners with the California Arts Council. While we each serve distinct communities, we are connected through a coalition that works to benchmark, consult, and gain from peer learning and support, with equity at our core. In this sense, we do not work in isolation. In applying to be an administering organization for the Upstate Region, it makes perfect sense to place our State-Local Partnership in service to the largest and most diverse geographic area within California.”
California Arts Council sees the California Creative Corps program primarily as a job creation and human infrastructure development opportunity. The hope is that, region by region, the program will increase the ways in which artists are engaged in public work, so that they can continue to build upon intersectional public interest goals beyond the program’s pilot funding timeline.
“We in Lake County couldn’t be more thrilled to jointly host such an important listening session and we urge local community-minded artists, organizations and city and county officials to join us for this proactive brainstorm. If you are solution oriented, and have first-hand knowledge of vulnerable communities, either because you represent one, or because you currently serve one, please join us. We also welcome those who’d like to learn more from a fresh perspective,” Clark said.
The California Creative Corps program follows an unprecedented period in which communities globally have suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these years, creative sector professionals across the United States have been proposing ways to employ and deploy artists in programs similar to the Works Project Administration and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.
The launch of a statewide Creative Corps pilot program is the result of a recommendation from the governor’s economic and jobs recovery task force, and is the first of its kind in the nation.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport has opportunities for the general public to become involved in local government by serving on local commissions and committees.
The city invites applications for the Lakeport Planning Commission, the Measure Z Advisory Committee and the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee.
These appointments would be effective as of Jan. 1, 2023.
They also are recruiting for one appointee to the Lakeport Fire Protection District, also effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Membership on these commissions and committees is voluntary.
If you are interested in serving on a committee, applications are available on the city’s website under the community news topic, “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee Openings,” or under the “Government” tab (Committees & Commissions).
For additional information regarding the mission and meeting dates of each commission, please see the Committees & Commissions page at the link.
The deadline for application submissions is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.
Interviews by the City Council will be held Dec. 12 and 13.
For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263‑5615, Extension. 102, or by email atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The city invites applications for the Lakeport Planning Commission, the Measure Z Advisory Committee and the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee.
These appointments would be effective as of Jan. 1, 2023.
They also are recruiting for one appointee to the Lakeport Fire Protection District, also effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Membership on these commissions and committees is voluntary.
If you are interested in serving on a committee, applications are available on the city’s website under the community news topic, “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee Openings,” or under the “Government” tab (Committees & Commissions).
For additional information regarding the mission and meeting dates of each commission, please see the Committees & Commissions page at the link.
The deadline for application submissions is Monday, Nov. 28, at 5 p.m.
Interviews by the City Council will be held Dec. 12 and 13.
For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263‑5615, Extension. 102, or by email at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The city of Clearlake’s animal shelter is filled with dogs ready for adoption, and officials are asking community members for help in fostering and adopting the pets.
At Thursday’s Clearlake City Council meeting, shelter staff presented some of the adoptable dogs as is common at the meetings.
During the presentation, Charmaine Weldon, an animal control technician and adoption and rescue coordinator for Clearlake Animal Control, said there are 30 adoptable dogs available and a total of 70 dogs now being held at the shelter.
When council members asked about the high number of dogs at the shelter, Weldon said it’s part of a nationwide crisis. Rescues also are challenged with adopting out the high number of animals they’re caring for now.
“We have a lot more dogs than we would like to have,” said Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White, whose department oversees animal control.
White said the situation is such that some shelters in other areas have stopped taking in animals.
North Bay Animal Services, the city’s animal control contractor, is trying to make it work, White said.
However, he said people need to step up and adopt where they can, as the city can’t sustain having the shelter as full as it is. White said they didn’t build it for 70 dogs.
White himself has been fostering a young male Rottweiler named Parker, who White announced during the meeting is being adopted by City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Melissa Swanson.
Adopters, foster homes and those willing to help exercise the dogs are welcome.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website to find pictures and information about the dogs.
Those looking for lost animals should check here.
For more information, call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — A new report shows that millions of women of childbearing age across the United States have limited or no access to maternity care.
March of March of Dimes’ new report, “Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S.,” revealed access to maternity care is diminishing in places where it’s needed most, impacting nearly seven million American women of childbearing age and roughly 500,000 babies.
The third update of the report, produced in partnership with Reckitt, shows a 2% increase in counties classified as maternity care deserts since the 2020 report, primarily driven by hospital and maternity care unit closures and loss of obstetrics providers.
The data reinforces that the U.S. is still among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, especially in rural areas and communities of color.
Maternity care deserts are counties without a hospital or birth center offering obstetrics care and without any obstetrics providers.
The report showed that Lake County is among five California counties listed as having “moderate” access to maternity care.
In Lake County, both hospitals, Adventist Health Clear Clearlake and Sutter Lakeside Hospital, have birthing centers.
However, in July, a lack of available obstetricians led to Sutter Lakeside closing its birthing center for four days, as Lake County News has reported.
In addition to Lake, the counties with moderate access are Calaveras, San Benito, Tehama and Yuba.
Another five counties are ranked at maternity care deserts. They include neighboring Colusa and Glenn counties, Alpine, Modoc and Sierra.
Two other counties, Imperial and Madera, are listed as having low access.
The remaining 46 counties in California are rated as having full access to maternity care.
“With an average of two women dying every day from complications of pregnancy and childbirth and two babies dying every hour, our country is facing a unique and critical moment as the infant and maternal health crisis continues intensifying,” said Stacey D. Stewart, president and CEO. “With hospital closures, inflation and COVID-19 limiting access to care, the compounding issues of our time are bearing down on families, forcing them to extend themselves in new ways to find the care they need and ways to afford it. Access to maternity care should not be optional, which is why we’re launching the Mamagenda for #BlanketChange to build support for policies to ensure all families everywhere have access to high quality maternity care.”
Specifically, the 2022 Maternity Care Deserts Report shows:
• 36% of counties across the U.S. are designated as maternity care deserts, counties with zero obstetric hospitals or birth centers and zero obstetric providers.;
• 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts and more than 146,000 babies are born there;
• 5% of counties have a worse designation in this report than in the 2020 report;
• Nearly 7 million women are living in communities with no or limited access to maternity care. 1 in 8 babies are born in these areas;
• The loss of obstetric providers and obstetric services in hospitals were responsible for decreases in maternity care access in over 110 counties between this report and the 2020 report;
• 1 in 4 Native American babies were born in areas with no or limited access to maternity care services; and
• 1 in 6 Black babies were born in areas with no or limited access to maternity care services.
“Our 2022 report confirms lack of access to care is one of the biggest barriers to safe, healthy pregnancies and is especially impacting rural areas and communities of color where families face economic strains in finding care,” said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, senior vice president and interim chief medical and health officer. “While we’ve seen a slight increase in obstetric providers nationwide, we continue seeing a troubling decrease in providers serving rural areas. In fact, only seven percent of obstetric providers serve rural areas and, with more than 500,000 babies born to women living in these areas, families in rural areas are at higher risk for poor outcomes.”
As part of the effort to address the growing infant and maternal health crisis, March of Dimes works to evolve the Maternity Care Desert Report year after year to reflect recent advancements.
In partnership with Elevance Health Foundation, March of Dimes will release supplemental reports on the availability of maternity care in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico in Spring 2023.
March of March of Dimes’ new report, “Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S.,” revealed access to maternity care is diminishing in places where it’s needed most, impacting nearly seven million American women of childbearing age and roughly 500,000 babies.
The third update of the report, produced in partnership with Reckitt, shows a 2% increase in counties classified as maternity care deserts since the 2020 report, primarily driven by hospital and maternity care unit closures and loss of obstetrics providers.
The data reinforces that the U.S. is still among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, especially in rural areas and communities of color.
Maternity care deserts are counties without a hospital or birth center offering obstetrics care and without any obstetrics providers.
The report showed that Lake County is among five California counties listed as having “moderate” access to maternity care.
In Lake County, both hospitals, Adventist Health Clear Clearlake and Sutter Lakeside Hospital, have birthing centers.
However, in July, a lack of available obstetricians led to Sutter Lakeside closing its birthing center for four days, as Lake County News has reported.
In addition to Lake, the counties with moderate access are Calaveras, San Benito, Tehama and Yuba.
Another five counties are ranked at maternity care deserts. They include neighboring Colusa and Glenn counties, Alpine, Modoc and Sierra.
Two other counties, Imperial and Madera, are listed as having low access.
The remaining 46 counties in California are rated as having full access to maternity care.
“With an average of two women dying every day from complications of pregnancy and childbirth and two babies dying every hour, our country is facing a unique and critical moment as the infant and maternal health crisis continues intensifying,” said Stacey D. Stewart, president and CEO. “With hospital closures, inflation and COVID-19 limiting access to care, the compounding issues of our time are bearing down on families, forcing them to extend themselves in new ways to find the care they need and ways to afford it. Access to maternity care should not be optional, which is why we’re launching the Mamagenda for #BlanketChange to build support for policies to ensure all families everywhere have access to high quality maternity care.”
Specifically, the 2022 Maternity Care Deserts Report shows:
• 36% of counties across the U.S. are designated as maternity care deserts, counties with zero obstetric hospitals or birth centers and zero obstetric providers.;
• 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts and more than 146,000 babies are born there;
• 5% of counties have a worse designation in this report than in the 2020 report;
• Nearly 7 million women are living in communities with no or limited access to maternity care. 1 in 8 babies are born in these areas;
• The loss of obstetric providers and obstetric services in hospitals were responsible for decreases in maternity care access in over 110 counties between this report and the 2020 report;
• 1 in 4 Native American babies were born in areas with no or limited access to maternity care services; and
• 1 in 6 Black babies were born in areas with no or limited access to maternity care services.
“Our 2022 report confirms lack of access to care is one of the biggest barriers to safe, healthy pregnancies and is especially impacting rural areas and communities of color where families face economic strains in finding care,” said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, senior vice president and interim chief medical and health officer. “While we’ve seen a slight increase in obstetric providers nationwide, we continue seeing a troubling decrease in providers serving rural areas. In fact, only seven percent of obstetric providers serve rural areas and, with more than 500,000 babies born to women living in these areas, families in rural areas are at higher risk for poor outcomes.”
As part of the effort to address the growing infant and maternal health crisis, March of Dimes works to evolve the Maternity Care Desert Report year after year to reflect recent advancements.
In partnership with Elevance Health Foundation, March of Dimes will release supplemental reports on the availability of maternity care in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico in Spring 2023.