How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 932 5597 2002, pass code 784271. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,93255972002#,,,,*784271#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to
the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
On the special meeting agenda is an untimed item for continued consideration of the board’s possible support of a behavioral health treatment facility for youth and grant opportunity update and a letter of support and authorize chair to sign.
At its Aug. 23 meeting the board had first considered a request for support from David Santos for the application of a grant through the California Department of Health Care Services’ Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program to build a behavioral health treatment facility for youth.
Santos said a nonprofit called Hope Health is being formed to construct a treatment facility and provide behavioral health services to rural youth.
While the board will consider offering a letter of support, staff is recommending against taking on any responsibility.
“Your Board requested that staff complete the due diligence required to analyze risk, staff capacity and other relevant factors to determine if the County should agree to become the lead fiscal agent on this grant application,” County Administrative Officer Susan Parker said in her memo to the board. “After careful review, the limited information available as to the transferability of the grant application, the lack of a draft Standard Agreement to review and the lack of staff capacity to assume grant management tasks resulted in the finding that the County should not consider assuming responsibilities of the lead fiscal agent for this application.”
Parker added, “However, staff does recognize the need for our rural youth to receive behavioral health services and support Hope Health's commitment to that goal.”
Also on Tuesday, on the board’s consent agenda is an item to appoint Dr. Karl A. Sporer as the Public Health Officer and approve the professional services contract for a term of six months for an amount not to exceed $6,000 a month for the term of the agreement and authorize chair to sign.
Parker’s report to the board explained that on June 28 the supervisors ratified the physician consultation services contract with Dr. Gary Pace to ensure that the ongoing public health mandates for services would continue to be performed. On Aug. 2, the board approved an amendment to extend the contract agreement to Aug. 31.
On Aug. 9, Dr. Pace submitted his formal notice stating that he had fulfilled his contractual obligations with the county of Lake and that he will no longer serve as the Public Health officer after Aug. 31, Parker reported.
“Upon receiving this formal notice, staff began exploring options to temporarily fill the Public Health Officer position while recruiting for a permanent replacement for the PHO vacancy,” Parker wrote. “After careful review, staff recommends appointing Karl A. Sporer, M.D. as the Public Health Officer for the County of Lake and approve the Professional Services Contract.”
In other business, the board will consider approving an agreement to obtain funding and technical assistance for the Broadband Fiber Network Design Project with the Golden State Connect Authority for an amount not to exceed $500,000, along with a letter of support for the local agency technical assistance grant.
Parker’s report said, “Lake County’s anticipated scope of work would include a feasibility study for broadband service ‘gaps’ to identify the unserved and underserved areas of the County not covered or partially covered by existing broadband service providers, with resulting high- and low-level network designs.”
In closed session, the board will hold interviews for the Community Development director and a performance evaluation for Behavioral Health Services Director Todd Metcalf.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt CalOES designation of applicant‘s agent resolution for non-state agencies and authorize the chair to sign.
5.2: Adopt Proclamation designating Aug. 31, 2022, as International Overdose Awareness Day.
5.3: Appoint Dr. Karl A. Sporer as the Public Health officer and approve the professional services contract for a term of six months for an amount not to exceed $6,000 a month for the term of the agreement and authorize chair to sign.
5.4: Adopt resolution amending Resolution 81-523 authorizing an amendment in petty cash fund for agriculture commission.
5.5: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 22-0294-0008-SF with California Department of Food and Agriculture to authorize execution of the Asian Citrus Psyllid Winter Trapping Program in the Amount of $10,243.00 beginning Oct. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
5.6: Approve Amendment No. 2 between the county of Lake and New Life Health Authority dba New Life LLC, for substance use disorder outpatient drug free services, intensive outpatient treatment services, and narcotic treatment program services for a new contract maximum of $1,688,184 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.7: Adopt resolution amending Resolution # 2021-115 adopting final budget for fiscal year 2021-22 to provide a temporary loan from Behavioral Health (fund 145) to Substance Use Disorder Services (Fund 141) and to cancel reserve designations in Substance Use Disorder Services (Fund 141).
5.8: Approve the following agreements: a) between the county of Lake and Leonard’s Hauling and Tractor, for nuisance abatement in an amount not to exceed $50,000, and nuisance abatement within the Road Map Task Force area, in an amount not to exceed $67,000, and authorize the chair to sign; b) between the county of Lake and Cook Construction and Engineering Partners for nuisance abatement in an amount not to exceed $50,000, and nuisance abatement within the Road Map Task Force area, in an amount not to exceed $67,000, and authorize the chair to sign; and c) between the county of Lake and 360 Junk Removal and Hauling, for nuisance abatement in an amount not to exceed $50,000, and nuisance abatement within the Road Map Task Force area, in an amount not to exceed $67,000, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.9: Approve school and special districts resolution requesting the Lake County Board of Supervisors’ approval of consolidation of each districts' election with the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election.
5.10: Approve long distance travel for Parks and Project Superintendent Brian Powers to Phoenix, Arizona to attend the National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference from Sept. 20 to 22, 2022.
5.11: Approve a purchase order for the purchase of a hamm vibratory roller for county road maintenance, and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign the purchase order.
5.12: Approve purchase of 100 computers, from Dell, in the amount of $78,118.28, and authorize the Social Services director to sign a purchase order.
TIMED ITEMS
6.3, 9:07 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating Aug. 31, 2022, as International Overdose Awareness Day.
6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Hearing on account and proposed assessment for nuisance abatement at 11630 Beryl Way, Clearlake Oaks (APN 035-262-33); property owner: Aura A. Thomas.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of a) behavioral health treatment facility for youth and grant opportunity update and b) a letter of support and authorize chair to sign.
7.3: Consideration of a) resolution designating the chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors and county administrative officer or designee to execute documents on behalf of the county of Lake to request and obtain funding and technical assistance for facilitating the Broadband Fiber Network Design Project with the Golden State Connect Authority for amount not to exceed $500,000; and b) a letter of support for the local agency technical assistance grant and authorize chair to sign.
7.4: (a) Consideration of an update regarding the Technology Governance Committee; (b) consideration of a board agenda memo template providing links to resources and requesting information on purchasing policy compliance.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interviews for Community Development director; appointment of Community Development director.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Behavioral Health director .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Employment Development Department, or EDD, reported that Lake County’s unemployment rate was down to 4.2% from 4.4% in June and 7.7% in July 2021.
Lake County experienced its lowest unemployment rate in the last 30 years in May, with 3.8%.
Total farm employment in Lake County in July was up by 7.2% in a year-over comparison, and total nonfarm jobs rose by a total of 3.4% over the year, the report showed.
California’s unemployment rate decreased to a new record low in July to 3.9%, down from 4.2% in June, as the state’s employers added 84,800 nonfarm payroll jobs to the economy, the EDD reported.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said nationwide unemployment in July was 3.5%, down from 3.6% in June and 5.4% in July 2021.
California’s July 2022 unemployment rate of 3.9 percent is the lowest ever on record in a data series that dates back to 1976, according to the report.
California payroll jobs totaled 17,618,100 in July 2022, up 84,800 from June 2022 and up 850,600 from July of last year.
The state has now regained 97.3% (2,685,100) of the 2,758,900 nonfarm jobs lost during March and April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 2022, California’s private sector (non-government) has fully recovered from pandemic losses.
The EDD said July 2022 marked the 10th consecutive month of nonfarm job gains and the 13th consecutive month of losses in unemployment. Seventeen of the past 18 months showed month-over nonfarm job gains totaling 1.6 million jobs over that time period.
Lake County ranked No. 38 out of the state’s 58 counties for its July jobless rate.
Lake’s neighboring counties’ jobless rates and ranks in the latest report are Colusa, 7.9%, No. 57; Glenn, 4.7%, No. 43; Napa, 2.6%, No. 7; Sonoma, 2.6%, No. 7; and Yolo, 3.2%, No. 20.
The county with the lowest unemployment was San Mateo with 1.9%, while Imperial had the highest, with 14.2%.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
As global temperatures rise, people in the tropics, including places like India and Africa’s Sahel region, will likely face dangerously hot conditions almost daily by the end of the century – even as the world reduces its greenhouse gas emissions, a new study shows.
The mid-latitudes, including the U.S., will also face increasing risks. There, the number of dangerously hot days, marked by temperatures and humidity high enough to cause heat exhaustion, is projected to double by the 2050s and continue to rise.
In the study, scientists looked at population growth, economic development patterns, energy choices and climate models to project how heat index levels – the combination of heat and humidity – will change over time. We asked University of Washington atmospheric scientist David Battisti, a co-author of the study, published Aug. 25, 2022, to explain the findings and what they mean for humans around the world.
What does the new study tell us about heat waves in the future, and importantly the impact on people?
There are two sources of uncertainty when it comes to future temperature. One is how much carbon dioxide humans are going to emit – that depends on things like population, energy choices and how much the economy grows. The other is how much warming those greenhouse gas emissions will cause.
In both, scientists have a really good sense of the likelihood of various scenarios. For this study, we combined those estimates to get a likelihood in the future of having dangerous and life-threatening temperatures.
We looked at what these “dangerously high” and “extremely dangerous” levels on the heat index would mean for daily life in both the tropics and in the mid-latitudes.
“Dangerous” in this case refers to the likelihood of heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion won’t kill you if you’re able to stop and slow down – it’s characterized by fatigue, nausea, a slowed heartbeat, possibly fainting. But you really can’t work under these conditions.
The heat index indicates when a person is likely to reach that threshold. The National Weather Service defines “dangerous” as a heat index of 103 F (39.4 C), and “extremely dangerous” as 125 F (51.7 C). If a person gets to “extremely dangerous” temperatures, that can lead to heat stroke. At that level, you have a few hours to get medical attention to cool your body down, or you die.
“Extremely dangerous” heat index conditions are almost unheard of today. They happen in a few locations near the Gulf of Oman, for example, for maybe a few days in a decade.
But the odds of the number of “dangerous” days are increasing as the planet warms. We’ll likely have about the same weather variability as today, but it’s all happening on top of a higher average temperature. So, the likelihood of extremely hot conditions increases.
What does your study show for each region?
In the mid-latitudes by 2050, we’ll see the number of dangerous heat days double in the most likely future scenario – even under modest greenhouse gas emissions that would meet the Paris climate agreement target of keeping warming under 2 C (3.6 F).
In the Southeastern U.S., the most likely scenario is that people will experience a month or two of dangerous heat days every year. The same is likely in parts of China, where some regions have been sweating through a summer 2022 heat wave for over two straight months.
We found that by the end of the century, most places in the mid-latitudes will see a three- to tenfold increase in the number of dangerous days.
In the tropics, such as parts of India, the heat index right now can exceed the dangerous level for a few weeks a year. It’s been like that for the past 20 to 30 years. By 2050, those conditions are likely to occur over several months each year, we found. And by the end of the century, many places will see those conditions most of the year.
What that means in practice is if you’re a rich country like the U.S., most people can afford or find air conditioning. But if you’re in the tropics, where about half the world’s population lives and poverty is higher, the heat is a more serious problem for a good part of the year. And a large percentage of people there work outside in agriculture.
As we get toward the end of the century, we’ll start exceeding “extremely dangerous” conditions in several places, primarily in the tropics.
Northern India could see over a month per year in extremely dangerous conditions. Africa’s Sahel region, where poverty is widespread, could see a few weeks of extremely dangerous conditions per year.
Can humans adapt to what sounds like a dystopian future?
If you’re a rich country, you can build cooling facilities and generate electricity to run air conditioners – hopefully they won’t be powered with fossil fuels, which would further warm the planet.
If you’re a developing country, a very large fraction of people work outdoors in agriculture to earn money to buy food. There, if you think about it, there aren’t a lot of options.
Migrant workers in the U.S. also face more difficult conditions. A farm might be able to provide cooling facilities, but farmers’ margins are pretty small and migrant workers are often paid by volume, so when they aren’t picking, they aren’t paid.
Eventually, conditions will get to the point that more workers are overheating and dying.
The heat will be a problem for crops, too. We expect most of the major grains to be less productive in the future because of heat stress. In the mid-latitudes right now, we’re close to optimal temperatures for growing grains. But as temperatures increase, grain yield goes down. In the tropics, that could be anywhere between a 10% to 15% reduction per degree Celsius increase. That’s a pretty big hit.
What can be done to avoid these risks?
Part of our work in this study was determining the odds that the world will actually meet the Paris agreement. We found that to be around 0.1%. Basically, it’s not going to happen.
By the end of the century, we found the most likely scenario is that the planet will see 5.4 F (3 C) of warming globally compared to pre-industrial times. Land warms faster than ocean, so that translates to about a 7 F (3.9 C) increase for places where we live, work and play – and you can get a sense of the future.
The faster renewable energy comes online and fossil fuel use is shut down, the better the chances of avoiding that.
David Battisti, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Female gray tabby
This 2-year-old female gray tabby has a short coat with white markings.
Shelter staff said she is an adult cat with some playful kitten tendencies when toys are brought out. “She has a sweet little meow and likes to have playful chats with you.”
She is in cat room kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-3661.
Female domestic shorthair cat
This 2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat has an all-black coat.
Shelter staff said she is a “master greeter.”
“She is very talkative and likes softs pets down her back. She is uncomfortable when being picked up, but is more than happy to come to you, especially for pets,” and has a “chill” attitude, the shelter reported.
She is in cat room kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-3887.
Male domestic medium hair cat
This 2-year-old male domestic medium hair cat has a gray coat with white markings.
Staff said he is a sweet and talkative fellow who would be a great couch buddy.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-3828.
‘Willow’
“Willow” is a female domestic shorthair cat with a gray and white coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 47, ID No. LCAC-A-3762.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This 4-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten has an all-black coat.
Shelter staff said he is a unique kitten, who is very sweet and playful despite having a limb deformity.
“He can run around and play with all the other kittens and he loves toys and adventure. He will need to be indoor only so he can live his life worry free,” the shelter reported.
He is in cat room kennel No. 62a, ID No. LCAC-A-3877.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This 4-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten has a white coat with gray markings and blue eyes.
He is a very sweet and curious kitten who likes to run around the room and find all of the hidden toys.
He is in cat room kennel No. 62b, ID No. LCAC-A-3879.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This 3-month-old female domestic shorthair kitten has a white coat with gray markings and blue eyes.
She is reported to be very interested in toys and exploring. “She loves to show off her beautiful coat and eyes, as well as her awesome purring skills,” shelter staff said.
She is in cat room kennel No. 78a, ID No. LCAC-A-3888.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This 3-month-old female domestic shorthair kitten has a white coat with gray markings and blue eyes.
“This little kitten is shy at first, but does warm up and enjoys chin scratches. She enjoys watching the action from a nice comfy chair instead of being right in the middle of it,” shelter staff said.
She is in cat room kennel No. 78b, ID No. LCAC-A-3890.
Female domestic medium hair kitten
This 3-month-old female domestic medium hair kitten has a white coat with gray markings and blue eyes.
“She is sweet and quiet. She enjoys toys and gentle pets as well as curling up on a fluffy bed,” shelter staff said.
She is in cat room kennel No. 78c, ID No. LCAC-A-3889.
Domestic shorthair kitten
This handsome male domestic shorthair kitten is waiting to meet his new family.
He has an all-black coat.
He is reported to be mellow, with a gentle personality.
He is in cat room kennel No. 84c, ID No. LCAC-A-3616.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a gray coat with white markings.
Shelter staff said she came to them with an injury to one of her eyes and needed to have the eye removed, but that has only made her more eager for head bonks.
“She has the cutest little meow and is a running shelter champion for the ‘best biscuit maker,’” the staff said.
She would be best as an indoor-only cat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 107, ID No. LCAC-A-3842.
‘Olive’
“Olive” is a female domestic medium hair kitten with a black coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. A117, ID No. LCAC-A-3742.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. — In its ongoing effort to support patients fighting breast cancer, Sponsoring Survivorship will hold its annual walk and run fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 1.
The 26th annual event will once again be held in downtown Lakeport.
Morning registration takes place from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at the Silveira Community Center, 500 N. Main St. The registration fee is $25.
The event starts at 9 a.m., rain or shine.
Online registration is available now through Sept. 23 at the organization's website.
The Oct. 1 run and walk will be a family event, featuring raffle prizes, refreshments and a free logo T-shirt for each participant.
Founded in 1996, Sponsoring Survivorship has assisted local women and men with some of the costs associated with their struggle against breast cancer.
At the same time, they have offered support and friendship to cancer patients in what can be a lonely journey.
Sponsoring Survivorship was honored to receive a donation from The Green Heron at Concert in the Park on Friday, Aug. 19.
The Green Heron is selling hats and giving Sponsoring Survivorship a $5 donation for each hat purchased.
Sponsoring Survivorship also is holding a yard sale fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 8 a.m. to noon at Lakeport Christian Center, 455 S. Forbes St. A lot of treasures await visitors. Preregistration for the annual run and walk also will be available.
The group offered special thanks to all business and community sponsors. Donations are gratefully accepted. Nonprofit ID: 45-3321877.
For more info visit www.sponsoringsurvivorship.com, or contact Julie Kelley at 707-972-0286 or Brandi Cubbage at 432-614-7707.
MATHER, Calif. — Highlighting the state’s commitment to innovative solutions to tackle climate-induced natural disasters, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California Military Department have announced the creation of the first all-hazards military fire engine strike team.
Known as Team Blaze, it will be operated by the State Guard of the Military Department.
Cal OES is assigning a Type VI strike team of wildland-style fire engines to the State Military Department to enhance California's Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid fleet.
Each with a capacity to carry a four-person crew, these engines are in addition to the military department’s existing Task Force Rattlesnake hand crew program consisting of soldiers and airmen.
Since the start of operations in 2019, Task Force Rattlesnake has cut, cleared and treated at-risk wildfire project areas in central and northern parts of California.
"We have always valued the California Military Departments partnership during times of need, especially during wildfires or other natural disasters. These new engines will not only add to their capabilities, but also help augment our state's wildfire and rescue resources more broadly," said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci.
The States Military Department maintains a firefighting program at their military bases, with trained personnel providing fire fighting prevention, mitigation and protection services to California and military bases and camps.
"We are proud to collaborate with Cal OES to ensure there's another fleet of fire engines and expert staff at the ready. This Strike Team builds upon the state's response efforts during times of need," said California Military Department Major General Matthew P. Beevers.
From responding to wildfires in rural settings, to protecting structures in urban areas and performing urban search and rescue operations, these engines are outfitted to support a variety of emergency situations.
For example, type VI engines can carry a four-person crew, get into tight areas, carry 300 gallons of water and quickly attack fires.
These engines add to the already robust California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System fleet of more than 270 fire engines across 60 local partners statewide that can respond to incidents of all types.
Cal OES facilitates the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which currently moves local government resources across the state in support of all-risk emergency response on behalf of local, state, and federal government fire organizations.
Cal OES assigns local government fire agencies with fire apparatus to maintain surge capacity during day-to-day duties and major events/emergencies.