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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown Area Town Hall, or MATH, will host a candidates forum on Thursday, May 12, in lieu of its monthly meeting.
The forum will take place from 7 to 9 p.m.at the Community Meeting Room, located at 21256 Washington St. in Middletown.
A Zoom meeting option will be available. However, questions will not be taken from Zoom participants during the meeting. Zoom participants should submit questions toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The full meeting agenda and Zoom link for the May 12 MATH Candidates Forum will be available at minimum 72 hours before the meeting date.
The forum will begin with the two candidates running for the Middletown Unified School District Governing Board, Bryan Pullman and Charise Reynolds.
Other participating candidates and the office they are seeking to be reelected or elected to include:
• Assessor-recorder: Rich Ford (incumbent) and Hannah Faith Lee.
• Treasurer-tax collector: Paul Flores and Patrick Sullivan.
• District attorney: Anthony Farrington and Susan Krones (incumbent).
All community members are invited to attend. You do not have to be an active MATH member to participate. Please submit questions in advance toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . A limited number of questions will be taken from the floor.
MATH is a municipal advisory council established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
Its purpose is to increase the participation of the Middletown area residents in the decision-making processes that affect their community. MATH is also tasked with providing grassroots input on a variety of issues and matters impacting the area.
The forum will take place from 7 to 9 p.m.at the Community Meeting Room, located at 21256 Washington St. in Middletown.
A Zoom meeting option will be available. However, questions will not be taken from Zoom participants during the meeting. Zoom participants should submit questions to
The full meeting agenda and Zoom link for the May 12 MATH Candidates Forum will be available at minimum 72 hours before the meeting date.
The forum will begin with the two candidates running for the Middletown Unified School District Governing Board, Bryan Pullman and Charise Reynolds.
Other participating candidates and the office they are seeking to be reelected or elected to include:
• Assessor-recorder: Rich Ford (incumbent) and Hannah Faith Lee.
• Treasurer-tax collector: Paul Flores and Patrick Sullivan.
• District attorney: Anthony Farrington and Susan Krones (incumbent).
All community members are invited to attend. You do not have to be an active MATH member to participate. Please submit questions in advance to
MATH is a municipal advisory council established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
Its purpose is to increase the participation of the Middletown area residents in the decision-making processes that affect their community. MATH is also tasked with providing grassroots input on a variety of issues and matters impacting the area.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday held a discussion about its members’ pay level but took no immediate action to change them ahead of the coming new fiscal year budget.
In her last meeting as county administrative officer, Carol Huchingson, along with Human Resources Director Pam Samac, whose department is part of Huchingson’s, gave the supervisors a report on how their salaries compared with their colleagues in 12 other comparison counties around the state.
Those 12 counties were used for the county’s classification and compensation study, which resulted in the board approving a total of $21 million in raises in separate actions taken in the fall of 2020, when $5 million was approved, and the fall of 2021, when they gave the OK to another $16 million, as Lake County News has reported.
When the first round of raises were approved in October 2020, the board did not approve raises for its members. Their salaries have remained frozen at $63,714 per year, with the chair getting an additional $2,400.
Huchingson said she wanted to put the board members’ current pay into perspective, explaining that the vast majority of management employees earn more than the supervisors’ base salary.
Samac said she reviewed the county code for each of the 12 comparison counties to look at how they paid their supervisors, and checked that by the state controller’s report on their salaries.
She and Huchingson suggested that if the board returned to a methodology it had before the salary freeze for its members, at which time the board was paid 60% of the average salary for elected department heads, the supervisors’ base salary rate would be $85,855 per year. That’s a nearly 35% increase.
In reviewing the other dozen counties, “The salaries are all over the place,” said Huchingson, with not a lot of consistency.
Some of those counties base salary expectations on board members only working on Tuesdays, or meeting days, but Huchingson added that she knows the long hours Lake County’s board members work.
Another option is basing supervisorial salaries on a percentage of the salaries set by the state for Superior Court judges, which are now at $225,074 annually.
Huchingson’s written report noted that in neighboring Colusa County, the supervisorial salary level is 33% of the judicial salaries, or $74,274 annually. In Sonoma County, it’s as high as 75%, or $168,805 per year.
Samac said some of the comparison counties also have an auto allowance, either in the form of a stipend or mileage.
Mileage has been available to Lake County’s board but Huchingson said no one had claimed it in years.
The board members also have had stipends for the use of their cellphones. Earlier in the meeting, the board had discussed taking action to rescind the county’s 15-year-old wireless communications devices policy and replaced it with a new policy addressing smartphones.
Like the old policy, the new smartphone policy pays specific county employees — including the supervisors, elected officials, department heads and county management employees who have demonstrated a need — for use of their phones. That matter is being brought back at the first meeting in May.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said Huchingson and Samac sent him a document from Los Angeles County that lays out the supervisors’ responsibilities. He said he wanted Lake County to have a similar document that shows what’s expected of those who hold those roles.
Sabatier said he felt the chair’s additional $2,400 in pay was not enough, and that it should possibly be doubled.
“It requires more hours of the day to be able to deal with some of the things that come up,” he said, adding that the chair is involved in a lot more strategic conversation.
Board Chair EJ Crandell said he liked the idea of attaching supervisorial salaries to the judges’ salaries. He said the matter is controversial and attracts negative attention when it comes to the board members deciding their own salaries.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said she also wanted to see the document on responsibilities from Los Angeles County. She said she feels there has been a lot of growth in what the board members do and she wants people to understand that it’s a full-time job and what responsibilities it entails.
Crandell suggested that if the board didn’t want to entertain raises, they should get staff members to assist them with their work.
Supervisor Tina Scott said that the workload is different now than it was five years ago, and that it has turned from part-time to full-time, in particular due to committee assignments.
Scott, who is leaving her seat in July to take a job with Lakeport Unified School District, said she would like to see raises. She said she’s been trying to find someone willing to step into her position and the qualified people she has found are unwilling to do it because of the pay.
Pyska pointed out that two board members — referring to Crandell and Sabatier — are running for reelection unopposed this year. She said qualified people have better jobs.
Supervisor Moke Simon said he also wanted board salaries to be tied to those of judges.
“At this point I’m not pushing for a raise,” just the conversation, Simon said.
Sabatier also agreed with connecting supervisorial and judicial salaries. However, like Simon, he also wasn’t wanting to push for a change immediately.
Rather, Sabatier said he didn’t want to do anything until the county had a balanced budget.
He pointed out that during the board’s midyear budget review, staff reported that the county has had to borrow a lot of cannabis money to make sure the budget was balanced in order to cover the millions in salary increases.
The discussion ended with the board giving no direction to staff on pursuing raises at this time.
Correction: The article has been updated to show that the new smartphone policy is due for adoption at the first meeting in May.
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.
In her last meeting as county administrative officer, Carol Huchingson, along with Human Resources Director Pam Samac, whose department is part of Huchingson’s, gave the supervisors a report on how their salaries compared with their colleagues in 12 other comparison counties around the state.
Those 12 counties were used for the county’s classification and compensation study, which resulted in the board approving a total of $21 million in raises in separate actions taken in the fall of 2020, when $5 million was approved, and the fall of 2021, when they gave the OK to another $16 million, as Lake County News has reported.
When the first round of raises were approved in October 2020, the board did not approve raises for its members. Their salaries have remained frozen at $63,714 per year, with the chair getting an additional $2,400.
Huchingson said she wanted to put the board members’ current pay into perspective, explaining that the vast majority of management employees earn more than the supervisors’ base salary.
Samac said she reviewed the county code for each of the 12 comparison counties to look at how they paid their supervisors, and checked that by the state controller’s report on their salaries.
She and Huchingson suggested that if the board returned to a methodology it had before the salary freeze for its members, at which time the board was paid 60% of the average salary for elected department heads, the supervisors’ base salary rate would be $85,855 per year. That’s a nearly 35% increase.
In reviewing the other dozen counties, “The salaries are all over the place,” said Huchingson, with not a lot of consistency.
Some of those counties base salary expectations on board members only working on Tuesdays, or meeting days, but Huchingson added that she knows the long hours Lake County’s board members work.
Another option is basing supervisorial salaries on a percentage of the salaries set by the state for Superior Court judges, which are now at $225,074 annually.
Huchingson’s written report noted that in neighboring Colusa County, the supervisorial salary level is 33% of the judicial salaries, or $74,274 annually. In Sonoma County, it’s as high as 75%, or $168,805 per year.
Samac said some of the comparison counties also have an auto allowance, either in the form of a stipend or mileage.
Mileage has been available to Lake County’s board but Huchingson said no one had claimed it in years.
The board members also have had stipends for the use of their cellphones. Earlier in the meeting, the board had discussed taking action to rescind the county’s 15-year-old wireless communications devices policy and replaced it with a new policy addressing smartphones.
Like the old policy, the new smartphone policy pays specific county employees — including the supervisors, elected officials, department heads and county management employees who have demonstrated a need — for use of their phones. That matter is being brought back at the first meeting in May.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said Huchingson and Samac sent him a document from Los Angeles County that lays out the supervisors’ responsibilities. He said he wanted Lake County to have a similar document that shows what’s expected of those who hold those roles.
Sabatier said he felt the chair’s additional $2,400 in pay was not enough, and that it should possibly be doubled.
“It requires more hours of the day to be able to deal with some of the things that come up,” he said, adding that the chair is involved in a lot more strategic conversation.
Board Chair EJ Crandell said he liked the idea of attaching supervisorial salaries to the judges’ salaries. He said the matter is controversial and attracts negative attention when it comes to the board members deciding their own salaries.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said she also wanted to see the document on responsibilities from Los Angeles County. She said she feels there has been a lot of growth in what the board members do and she wants people to understand that it’s a full-time job and what responsibilities it entails.
Crandell suggested that if the board didn’t want to entertain raises, they should get staff members to assist them with their work.
Supervisor Tina Scott said that the workload is different now than it was five years ago, and that it has turned from part-time to full-time, in particular due to committee assignments.
Scott, who is leaving her seat in July to take a job with Lakeport Unified School District, said she would like to see raises. She said she’s been trying to find someone willing to step into her position and the qualified people she has found are unwilling to do it because of the pay.
Pyska pointed out that two board members — referring to Crandell and Sabatier — are running for reelection unopposed this year. She said qualified people have better jobs.
Supervisor Moke Simon said he also wanted board salaries to be tied to those of judges.
“At this point I’m not pushing for a raise,” just the conversation, Simon said.
Sabatier also agreed with connecting supervisorial and judicial salaries. However, like Simon, he also wasn’t wanting to push for a change immediately.
Rather, Sabatier said he didn’t want to do anything until the county had a balanced budget.
He pointed out that during the board’s midyear budget review, staff reported that the county has had to borrow a lot of cannabis money to make sure the budget was balanced in order to cover the millions in salary increases.
The discussion ended with the board giving no direction to staff on pursuing raises at this time.
Correction: The article has been updated to show that the new smartphone policy is due for adoption at the first meeting in May.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The Lake County Wine Alliance is kicking off its plans for the 2022 Wine Auction to be held Sept. 17 at The Mercantile by Shannon Family of Wines located in Kelseyville.
Wine Alliance Director and Committee Chair Beth Havrilla, working alongside Vice President Marie Beery, are leading the discussion for the format, layout and execution of the grand event at its April meeting.
The Wine Auction is the largest annual fundraising event, raising more funds for local charities from a single event than any other local nonprofit organization in Lake County.
The first year of the Wine Auction, the Wine Alliance gave $31,202 to various organizations.
Twenty-one years later, in 2021, the Lake County Wine Auction raised $250,000 for education and community needs with one third of the money raised directed to the five Lake County High Schools and the balance to community needs.
Since its inception, the Lake County Wine Alliance has awarded a total of $2,327,752 to assist the efforts of 57 local organizations.
“This year we will continue to raise the bar to enrich the life of people in our communities,” said Havrilla. “Our goal is to produce an event that is exciting to attend, exceeds fundraising expectations and continues the community ‘giving’ model the Wine Alliance established more than 20 years ago.”
New this year will be Auctioneer Brian Martin, Lake County’s sheriff; the emcee will be Jennifer Strong, local businesswoman and community volunteer; and special guest will be Congressman Mike Thompson.
“We’d like to recognize and thank Shaun Hornby, for his many years of service with the Wine Alliance,” said Beery. “For the past 13 years, he has done an incredible job as the Lake County Wine Auction auctioneer.”
The annual event is produced by the Lake County Wine Alliance, a nonprofit cooperative serving as the charitable arm of the Lake County wine industry. It is composed of Lake County wineries, winegrape growers, vineyards owners, related businesses and community supporters.
The organization is operated under the guidance of a six-member volunteer board of directors and numerous volunteer committee members.
The purpose is to support charitable organizations and other local programs to secure Lake County’s future with targeted giving in the areas of education, art, health and community services.
May 1 is the deadline for local organizations and charities to submit applications to the Lake County Wine Alliance to be considered as a 2022 beneficiary of the Lake County Wine Auction.
An application can be found on the Wine Alliance website at www.winealliance.org.
The one-page application can be completed online or printed and mailed to Lake County Wine Alliance, P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
For more information, go to www.winealliance.org, visit Lake County Wine Alliance on facebook, or email Marie Beery, Wine Alliance vice president, atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Wine Alliance Director and Committee Chair Beth Havrilla, working alongside Vice President Marie Beery, are leading the discussion for the format, layout and execution of the grand event at its April meeting.
The Wine Auction is the largest annual fundraising event, raising more funds for local charities from a single event than any other local nonprofit organization in Lake County.
The first year of the Wine Auction, the Wine Alliance gave $31,202 to various organizations.
Twenty-one years later, in 2021, the Lake County Wine Auction raised $250,000 for education and community needs with one third of the money raised directed to the five Lake County High Schools and the balance to community needs.
Since its inception, the Lake County Wine Alliance has awarded a total of $2,327,752 to assist the efforts of 57 local organizations.
“This year we will continue to raise the bar to enrich the life of people in our communities,” said Havrilla. “Our goal is to produce an event that is exciting to attend, exceeds fundraising expectations and continues the community ‘giving’ model the Wine Alliance established more than 20 years ago.”
New this year will be Auctioneer Brian Martin, Lake County’s sheriff; the emcee will be Jennifer Strong, local businesswoman and community volunteer; and special guest will be Congressman Mike Thompson.
“We’d like to recognize and thank Shaun Hornby, for his many years of service with the Wine Alliance,” said Beery. “For the past 13 years, he has done an incredible job as the Lake County Wine Auction auctioneer.”
The annual event is produced by the Lake County Wine Alliance, a nonprofit cooperative serving as the charitable arm of the Lake County wine industry. It is composed of Lake County wineries, winegrape growers, vineyards owners, related businesses and community supporters.
The organization is operated under the guidance of a six-member volunteer board of directors and numerous volunteer committee members.
The purpose is to support charitable organizations and other local programs to secure Lake County’s future with targeted giving in the areas of education, art, health and community services.
May 1 is the deadline for local organizations and charities to submit applications to the Lake County Wine Alliance to be considered as a 2022 beneficiary of the Lake County Wine Auction.
An application can be found on the Wine Alliance website at www.winealliance.org.
The one-page application can be completed online or printed and mailed to Lake County Wine Alliance, P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
For more information, go to www.winealliance.org, visit Lake County Wine Alliance on facebook, or email Marie Beery, Wine Alliance vice president, at
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will host a candidates’ forum for the two candidates in the district attorney’s race next week.
The forum will be held as part of ERTH's monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 4, from 4:40 to to 5:30 p.m. It is open to the public.
Candidates Susan Krones (incumbent) and Anthony Farrington will be Answering the public’s questions. Elizabeth Larson of LakeCoNews will be moderating.
The position of district attorney functions as the chief law enforcement officer in the county. The DA's most essential duty is investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses on behalf of the people.
The meeting will be held at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 Moose Lodge Lane at the intersection of Hwys 20 and 53.
A Zoom meeting option is available at 935 8339 6020 passcode 448228. All members of the public are encouraged to attend/watch this event.
ERTH is a Municipal Advisory Council for District 3 Lake County. The purpose of this group is to increase the participation of the residents of the East Region of District 3 in decisions affecting the community.
Meetings are held at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks every first Wednesday of the month from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
For more details and upcoming information, visit/join the ERTH Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ERTHD3LC.
The forum will be held as part of ERTH's monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 4, from 4:40 to to 5:30 p.m. It is open to the public.
Candidates Susan Krones (incumbent) and Anthony Farrington will be Answering the public’s questions. Elizabeth Larson of LakeCoNews will be moderating.
The position of district attorney functions as the chief law enforcement officer in the county. The DA's most essential duty is investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses on behalf of the people.
The meeting will be held at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 Moose Lodge Lane at the intersection of Hwys 20 and 53.
A Zoom meeting option is available at 935 8339 6020 passcode 448228. All members of the public are encouraged to attend/watch this event.
ERTH is a Municipal Advisory Council for District 3 Lake County. The purpose of this group is to increase the participation of the residents of the East Region of District 3 in decisions affecting the community.
Meetings are held at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks every first Wednesday of the month from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
For more details and upcoming information, visit/join the ERTH Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ERTHD3LC.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After two years of online productions, Shakespeare at the Lake will once again return to the stage with a live performance this summer and it’s looking for performers.
Performance dates are scheduled for July 30 and 31 at Library Park in Lakeport, and August 5 to 7 at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Auditions will be held on Thursday, May 19, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the Mendocino College Lake Center. No experience is necessary.
Set on another habitable planet, the 2022 production of “Twelfth Night, Or What You Will,” transports you back in time with a classical comedy, and forward into the future of interplanetary colonization.
“Twelfth Night” is an engaging comedy with heartfelt love, trickery and deceit, and, of course, mistaken identity.
The production will also include original Shakespeare songs, with musical accompaniment performed live alongside the action.
Everyone (high school age and up) with an interest in performing is encouraged to attend auditions. Audition materials can be accessed at www.laketheatre.org.
Those cast will be required to register for THE 220 at Mendocino College. Scholarships are available.
Rehearsals will take place two-four evenings during the week — depending on the role — from late May through the performance dates.
Shakespeare at the Lake is a co-production of Mendocino College and Lake County Theatre Co., partnering with Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake.
Questions about auditions or the play can be sent to Director John Tomlinson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him at 707-355-2211.
Performance dates are scheduled for July 30 and 31 at Library Park in Lakeport, and August 5 to 7 at Austin Park in Clearlake.
Auditions will be held on Thursday, May 19, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the Mendocino College Lake Center. No experience is necessary.
Set on another habitable planet, the 2022 production of “Twelfth Night, Or What You Will,” transports you back in time with a classical comedy, and forward into the future of interplanetary colonization.
“Twelfth Night” is an engaging comedy with heartfelt love, trickery and deceit, and, of course, mistaken identity.
The production will also include original Shakespeare songs, with musical accompaniment performed live alongside the action.
Everyone (high school age and up) with an interest in performing is encouraged to attend auditions. Audition materials can be accessed at www.laketheatre.org.
Those cast will be required to register for THE 220 at Mendocino College. Scholarships are available.
Rehearsals will take place two-four evenings during the week — depending on the role — from late May through the performance dates.
Shakespeare at the Lake is a co-production of Mendocino College and Lake County Theatre Co., partnering with Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake.
Questions about auditions or the play can be sent to Director John Tomlinson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Plans for a new resort on the lakeshore in Lucerne have received the Lake County Planning Commission’s approval.
At its meeting on April 14, the commission unanimously approved Nicole Farb’s application for a design review permit for the Nikki Island resort project.
The resort is planned for a 1.5-acre property at 5835 and 5825 State Highway 20.
Planner Eric Porter said that while it’s not a large property, it’s large enough for the proposed resort development, with the land appropriate for the project’s size and development.
He said it’s also in accordance with the general plan, shorelines plan and zoning ordinance, and is compatible with existing development.
The resort will include nine overnight lodging units or one story “casitas.” Porter said that hotels and motels are a use by right when they don’t exceed 15 units.
The property also includes a one-story house that was the longtime residence of well-known Pearl Harbor survivor, Jim Harris, who died in 2011.
The plans include converting that house to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room.
Several large and significant trees on the property will be maintained as part of the resort, with more trees and shrubbery to be planted, Porter said.
New amenities also will include an outdoor kitchen, in-ground pool and hot tub, new landscaping, parking and pedestrian paths. An existing driveway and some asphalt will be removed, which Porter said received support from Caltrans.
Porter said the county received no adverse comments on the proposal from the state clearinghouse.
However, an adjacent neighbor, Dr. Doug Reams, submitted a letter for a March hearing on the project — which was continued to the April meeting — over his concerns about noise, traffic, lighting and a host of other issues. Porter told the commission that mitigation measures will be put in place.
Staff recommended the commission approve the design review, Porter said.
Commissioner John Hess asked about whether the property has a boat dock. Farb, who attended via Zoom, said they do and that they are working with a local boat rental company to encourage use of the lake.
Commissioner Batsulwin Brown asked about when the last cultural resource study was completed. He said there is a known historical village site from the precontact era in the area and he was concerned about cultural resources being protected.
Noting that the site was previously developed, Farb said a cultural resource study was completed in 2020.
Commissioner Everardo Chavez Perez asked Farb how her idea for the resort came about and what she hopes to bring to Lake County.
“That question makes me so happy,” said Farb, a mother of two who owns the property with her husband.
She said that when she was a child, her family, which is from San Francisco, used to camp at Yosemite Park.
Farb wanted to have a resort but areas like Napa and Tahoe have priced them out. She said she’d been looking at Clear Lake for about seven years to find the perfect destination for the resort she wanted to build.
Brown offered both motions for the project, one to approve the initial study and the second for design review approval, with Chavez Perez seconding both motions.
The commission unanimously approved both motions.
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.
At its meeting on April 14, the commission unanimously approved Nicole Farb’s application for a design review permit for the Nikki Island resort project.
The resort is planned for a 1.5-acre property at 5835 and 5825 State Highway 20.
Planner Eric Porter said that while it’s not a large property, it’s large enough for the proposed resort development, with the land appropriate for the project’s size and development.
He said it’s also in accordance with the general plan, shorelines plan and zoning ordinance, and is compatible with existing development.
The resort will include nine overnight lodging units or one story “casitas.” Porter said that hotels and motels are a use by right when they don’t exceed 15 units.
The property also includes a one-story house that was the longtime residence of well-known Pearl Harbor survivor, Jim Harris, who died in 2011.
The plans include converting that house to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room.
Several large and significant trees on the property will be maintained as part of the resort, with more trees and shrubbery to be planted, Porter said.
New amenities also will include an outdoor kitchen, in-ground pool and hot tub, new landscaping, parking and pedestrian paths. An existing driveway and some asphalt will be removed, which Porter said received support from Caltrans.
Porter said the county received no adverse comments on the proposal from the state clearinghouse.
However, an adjacent neighbor, Dr. Doug Reams, submitted a letter for a March hearing on the project — which was continued to the April meeting — over his concerns about noise, traffic, lighting and a host of other issues. Porter told the commission that mitigation measures will be put in place.
Staff recommended the commission approve the design review, Porter said.
Commissioner John Hess asked about whether the property has a boat dock. Farb, who attended via Zoom, said they do and that they are working with a local boat rental company to encourage use of the lake.
Commissioner Batsulwin Brown asked about when the last cultural resource study was completed. He said there is a known historical village site from the precontact era in the area and he was concerned about cultural resources being protected.
Noting that the site was previously developed, Farb said a cultural resource study was completed in 2020.
Commissioner Everardo Chavez Perez asked Farb how her idea for the resort came about and what she hopes to bring to Lake County.
“That question makes me so happy,” said Farb, a mother of two who owns the property with her husband.
She said that when she was a child, her family, which is from San Francisco, used to camp at Yosemite Park.
Farb wanted to have a resort but areas like Napa and Tahoe have priced them out. She said she’d been looking at Clear Lake for about seven years to find the perfect destination for the resort she wanted to build.
Brown offered both motions for the project, one to approve the initial study and the second for design review approval, with Chavez Perez seconding both motions.
The commission unanimously approved both motions.
Email Elizabeth Larson at