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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Tuesday, Feb. 22, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry will hold a Zoom town hall.

The event will take place from 6 to 7 p.m.

All constituents of California’s Fifth Congressional District and California’s Fourth Assembly District are invited to attend.

To RSVP, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a Zoom link or watch live on Rep. Thompson’s Facebook page.

Aguiar-Curry represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma Counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has more new dogs this week needing new homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Anatolian shepherd, Australian cattle dog, border collie, Chihuahua, fox terrier, German shepherd, Great Pyrenees, husky, Labrador retriever, Rhodesian ridgeback, Shar-Pei, shepherd, pit bull, wirehaired terrier and Weimaraner.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

Male Weimaraner

This 2-year-old male Weimaraner has a short gray coat.

He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-2701.

Female German shepherd

This female German shepherd has a short black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-2598.

Female fox terrier

This 2-year-old female fox terrier has a short brown and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-2628.

Male fox terrier

This 5-year-old male fox terrier has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-2637.

Female husky-shepherd puppy

This female husky-shepherd puppy has a white coat.

She is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-2763.

‘Panda’

“Panda” is a 3-year-old male pit bull mix with a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-361.

‘Ruby’

“Ruby” is a 2-year-old female Shar-Pei-Rhodesian ridgeback mix with a short tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-2560.

Male pit bull

This 2-year-old male pit bull has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-2473.

Female Labrador retriever

This 4-year-old female Labrador retriever has a short black coat.

She is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-2694.

Male Labrador retriever

This 3-year-old male Labrador retriever has a short black coat.

He is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-2745.

Anatolian shepherd mix

This 2-year-old female Anatolian shepherd mix has a short tan coat with black markings.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-2535.

Female border collie mix

This 3-year-old female border collie mix has a tricolor coat and blue eyes.

She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-2641.

‘Turbo’

“Turbo” is a 2-year-old male wirehaired terrier with a cream-colored coat.

He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-2587.

‘Ginger’

“Ginger” is a 1-year-old female shepherd-Australian cattle dog mix with a cream and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-2534.

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.

NASA has selected two science missions — the Multi-slit Solar Explorer, or MUSE, and HelioSwarm — to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment.

These missions will provide deeper insights into our universe and offer critical information to help protect astronauts, satellites, and communications signals such as GPS.

“MUSE and HelioSwarm will provide new and deeper insight into the solar atmosphere and space weather,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These missions not only extend the science of our other heliophysics missions — they also provide a unique perspective and a novel approach to understanding the mysteries of our star.”

MUSE

The MUSE mission will help scientists understand the forces driving the heating of the Sun’s corona and the eruptions in that outermost region that are at the foundation of space weather.

The mission will offer deeper insight into the physics of the solar atmosphere by using a powerful instrument known as a multi-slit spectrometer to observe the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet radiation and obtain the highest resolution images ever captured of the solar transition region and the corona.

The mission will also provide complementary observations from heliophysics research such as the Extreme UltraViolet Spectroscopic Telescope and ground-based observatories.

“MUSE will help us fill crucial gaps in knowledge pertaining to the Sun-Earth connection,” said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “It will provide more insight into space weather and complements a host of other missions within the heliophysics mission fleet.”

The primary goal of the MUSE mission is to investigate the causes of coronal heating and instability, such as flares and coronal mass ejections, and gain insight into the basic plasma properties of the corona. MUSE will obtain high-resolution images of the evolution of solar flare ribbons in a field of view focused on a large, active region on the Sun.

The principal investigator for the MUSE mission is Bart DePontieu of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, or LMATC, of Palo Alto, California. This mission has a budget of $192 million. LMATC will provide project management.

HelioSwarm

The HelioSwarm mission is a constellation or “swarm” of nine spacecraft that will capture the first multiscale in-space measurements of fluctuations in the magnetic field and motions of the solar wind known as solar wind turbulence.

The Sun’s outermost atmospheric layer, the heliosphere, encompasses an enormous region of the solar system. Solar winds spread through the heliosphere, and their interactions with planetary magnetospheres and disruptions such as coronal mass ejections affect their turbulence.

Studying solar wind turbulence across large areas requires plasma measurements taken simultaneously from different points in space. HelioSwarm consists of one hub spacecraft and eight co-orbiting small satellites that range in distance from each other and the hub spacecraft. The hub spacecraft will maintain radio contact with each small satellite.

All radio contact between the swarm and Earth will be conducted through the hub spacecraft and the NASA Deep Space Network of spacecraft communication antennas.

“The technical innovation of HelioSwarm’s small satellites operating together as a constellation provides the unique ability to investigate turbulence and its evolution in the solar wind,” said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Heliophysics Division.

The HelioSwarm mission’s principal investigator is Harlan Spence from the University of New Hampshire. The mission’s budget is $250 million. NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, will provide project management.

Funding and management oversight for these missions is provided by the Heliophysics Explorers Program, managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information on heliophysics missions, visit https://www.nasa.gov/sunearth.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Work is underway to increase recreation opportunities and, in so doing, to improve the health of Lake County residents.

During the midyear budget presentation at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, Supervisor Jessica Pyska, announced actions to make healthier living more accessible in District 5.

Pyska is dedicating $25,000 in cannabis tax funds to the Friends of Boggs and Redwood Trail Alliance, kicking off a $100,000 “Bring Back Boggs” fundraising campaign to rebuild trails in Boggs forest.

“Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest has long been a premier mountain biking destination,” said Pyska. “Two big races in May will bring several thousand people, for the first time since before the Valley fire. Bringing Back Boggs means a healthier, more economically vibrant Lake County. My family and I are in Boggs every week hiking, biking and exploring.”

Debbie St. Cyr, executive director of Redwood Trails Alliance, appreciates Pyska’s work to motivate support that goes beyond financial contributions: “She has shown up with her family to get dirty and dig trails in our beloved forest.”

“Please join me in thanking Debbie, Redwood Trails Alliance and the Friends of Boggs Mountain for their commitment to the recovery of the trails,” said Pyska. “We wouldn’t be here without their hard work and dedication.”

Follow @TrailsAlliance and @FOBMCA to learn what you can do to help Bring Back Boggs.

Pathways to creating a ‘Blue Zone’ in Lake County

On Dec 14, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution supporting the Blue Zones Project Lake County, which is a “community-wide, evidence-based” effort to, “improve health and well-being,” and “[make] healthier choices easier for everyone.”

“Greater access to trails is one facet of promoting this philosophy in all of Lake County,” said Pyska.

“People are more likely to get in the habit of exercising when activities and amenities are accessible in their own areas,” said Jamey Gill, executive director of the Blue Zones Project Lake County. “Positive social connections also build our capacity to make healthy choices, boosting our sense of well-being, and even lowering rates of chronic disease. Getting involved with initiatives like ‘Bring Back Boggs,’ and regularly staying active and engaged with others not only brings economic benefits and workplace productivity to communities, it can help you live longer, and enjoy greater quality of life.”

Promoting well-being by limiting wildfire risk

“In California,” said Pyska, “doing all we can to limit the risk of large-scale wildfire events is critical to our well-being. That is why I also plan to dedicate cannabis funding this fiscal year to support the Northshore Fire Fund. Chief Mike Ciancio and his team use proven vegetation and wildfire fuel management techniques to protect the communities they serve. We are currently in talks to partner to bring those fuels crews and practices to District 5, and hope to announce an agreement soon.”

With Lake County currently in the midst of another dry winter, being proactive to mitigate wildfire risk can mean fewer days of smoke-driven air quality concerns this summer and fall.

“My fellow board members and I want to see every Lake County resident have the opportunity to maximize their potential,” said Pyska. “Doing what we can to foster a healthy environment and access to amenities that promote more active lifestyle choices in every community is essential, and I am thrilled to be able to support these steps to realize that vision.”

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has many different types of dogs waiting to be adopted.

The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

The newest dogs are listed at the top of the following list.

‘Andy’

“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.

He is dog No. 48995415.

‘Annie’

“Annie” is a female Labrador retriever mix with a short black coat.

She is dog No. 49409961.

‘Bear’

“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 48443153.

‘Bear No. 2’

“Bear No. 2” is a male American pit bull mix with a short tan coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 48731556.

‘Bella’

“Bella” is a female American pit bull mix with a short gray brindle coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 48448381.

‘Chai’

“Chai” is a female Alaskan husky mix with a gray and white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49279552.

‘Claire’

“Claire” is a female border collie mix with a short black and white coat.

She has been spayed.

Claire is dog No. 49397880.

‘Ebenezer’

“Ebenezer” is a male American pit bull terrier mix with a short tan and white coat.

He is dog No. 49191651.

‘Edgar’

“Edgar” is a male terrier-American pit bull mix with a black and cream coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 48634546.

‘Fritz’

“Fritz” is a male Australian shepherd mix with a black and white coat.

He is dog No. 49278179.

‘Isabella’

“Isabella” is a female Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.

She is dog No. 49292130.

‘Jaxx’

“Jaxx” is a male Doberman pinscher mix with a black and rust-colored coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 49022184.

‘Nala’

“Nala” is a 1-year-old female German shepherd mix.

She has a medium-length black and tan coat.

She is dog No. 48289638.

‘Priscilla’

“Priscilla” is a female Brittany spaniel mix with a white and copper coat.

She is dog No. 49089138.

‘Sassy’

“Sassy” is a female American pit bull mix with a short black coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 48443128.

‘Snowball’

“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.

He is dog No. 49159168.

‘Terry’

“Terry” is a male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.

He is dog No. 48443693.

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.

Alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta, legislators and local leaders, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced a new gun safety legislation package to expand the state’s nation-leading protections against gun violence.

The package includes a measure the governor called for in December to help hold the gun industry accountable through private lawsuits, and a bill that would prohibit advertising of certain categories of weapons to children.

“California will continue to lead the fight to end gun violence with bold action to tackle the national crisis putting millions of Californians at risk,” said Gov. Newsom. “It’s time to go on the offensive with new measures that empower individuals to hold irresponsible and negligent gun industry actors to account, crack down on shameful advertising that targets our kids and more. This is not about attacking law-abiding gun owners — it’s about stopping the tragic violence ravaging communities across the country.”

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing Texas's ban on most abortion services to remain in place, Gov. Newsom directed his administration to work with the Legislature to propose a measure like the bill introduced by Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) on Friday, modeled on the structure of Texas’s abortion law.

The bill would allow private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, distributes, transports, imports into the state or sells assault weapons, .50 BMG rifles, ghost guns, or ghost gun kits.

"In a just world, a woman's right to choose would be sacrosanct, and California's people would be protected from ghost guns and assault weapons. Sadly, a misguided Supreme Court decision has turned common sense on its head. With this bill, we take advantage of the Court’s flawed logic to protect all Californians and save lives,” said Sen. Hertzberg.

Also included, AB 1594 by Assembly members Philip Ting (D-San Francisco), Mike Gipson (D-Carson) and Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) would allow individuals and the California Attorney General to sue manufacturers and sellers of firearms for the harm caused by their product.

In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields gun manufacturers and dealers from civil suits when crimes are committed using the guns they produce. AB 1594 utilizes an exemption to the federal statute that allows gun makers or sellers to be sued for violations of state laws concerning the sale or marketing of firearms.

“No industry should get a special exemption from protecting their customers, but especially not an industry responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans every year,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In 2005, the federal government stripped Americans of the right to hold gun manufacturers and distributors responsible for the damage their conduct causes when their products are used unlawfully – leaving only a narrow exception for such lawsuits. Today, using that exception, we begin the process of restoring these rights in California. AB 1594 requires the gun industry to take reasonable steps to make sure their products are not used unlawfully. If the gun industry ignores this responsibility – one that is common for companies in nearly every industry in the country – this bill gives victims and their families an additional legal pathway for holding the firearm industry financially responsible.”

“We must make our communities safer. Almost every industry in the United States can be held liable for what their products do, but the gun industry is not held to the same standard. Financial repercussions may finally push them to be more responsible by improving their practices and adhering to California’s strict gun laws,” said Assemblymember Ting.

"The U.S. has less than 5% of the world's population, yet we make up nearly a third of the world's mass shootings," said Assemblymember Ward. "This is a public health crisis that the federal government has continually failed to address. California must take action and hold irresponsible, reckless and negligent gun manufacturers, distributors and sellers accountable."

The administration also worked closely with the Legislature to introduce AB 2571 by Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), which proposes to identify certain categories of weapons, for example, semi-automatic weapons or firearms of a certain caliber, that cannot be marketed to minors under any circumstances.

In addition, Gov. Newsom highlighted AB 1621 by Assemblymember Gipson to further restrict ghost guns in California by bringing the state into compliance with a proposed new federal rule that would cause many gun kits and “80 percent receivers'' to be regulated the same as fully functional firearms and finished receivers. Under the legislation, these couldn’t be sold without a serial number or without the buyer undergoing a background check.

“Gun manufacturers view our children as their next generation of customers, and target them with slick and manipulative advertising. The advertising for these weapons is shameless. Children in California are not allowed to buy or own a gun, yet they are advertised across all forms of media with cartoons, video games, and social media. I’m proud to stand with Gov. Newsom on these important reforms — enough is enough,” said Assembly member Bauer-Kahan.

“Even before the pandemic, stories from families of gun violence have kept me up at night. My own son and his fiancé were victims … and this issue has only gotten worse. In the community of Watts which I represent, there were 22 homicides from January through November of 2020, nearly double the number from the year before,” said Assemblymember Gipson. “For communities alike, gun violence is our wildfire that we work diligently trying to contain. And the casualties are our babies, sisters, brothers, friends and acquaintances — all deserving of life but were cut short of their potential. To say that this issue is personal to me is an understatement, and sending thoughts and prayers just isn’t enough.”

Gipson said AB 1621 seeks to eradicate ghost guns from our streets, “and this effort is nothing short of a lifesaving, common sense approach toward providing justice for families who have continued to bear the burden of losing a loved one through incidents that could have otherwise been prevented. We need the comprehensive reform which each bill in this package together aims to provide - this is wholeheartedly about saving lives, and nothing less.”

The governor’s proposed Real Public Safety Plan would create a new statewide gun buyback program to provide matching grants and safe-disposal opportunities to get guns off our streets, and includes additional funding for California’s gun violence research center at the University of California, Davis.

California pioneered statewide gun safety protections, approved by voters in Proposition 63, to ban possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines and require background checks to keep ammunition out of the hands of dangerous people.

Since assuming office, Gov. Newsom has signed multiple bills aimed at reducing gun violence, including strengthening gun violence restraining orders, regulating the sale of firearms and ammunition and accelerating the regulation of ghost guns.

The 2021 state budget invested $200 million in the CalVIP program, which supports initiatives designed to break the cycle of violence in disproportionately impacted communities.

The budget also provided $11 million to facilitate outreach, education and training efforts related to gun violence restraining orders and $10.3 million for local law enforcement agencies to support the seizure of firearms from individuals prohibited from possessing them.