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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The appointment last month of a new member to the Middletown Unified School District Board of Trustees is being challenged by a group of community members through a rarely used process contained in state education code.
Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg told Lake County News that he received a petition on Dec. 30 challenging the provisional appointment of Annette Lee to the Middletown Unified board.
California Education Code section 5091 allows for challenges to provisional appointments if a petition with a sufficient number of signatures is submitted to the county superintendent of schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment. Otherwise, the appointment remains in effect.
In October and November, two board members, LaTrease Walker and Thad Owens, respectively, resigned. Both were in their first terms, which end this year.
That led to a public recruitment process. The Middletown Unified School Board held a special meeting on Dec. 1, at which time the board members interviewed 10 candidates and selected Lee and Allison Berlogar.
However, only Lee is named in the petition, which seeks to terminate Lee’s provisional appointment and call for a special election to fill the vacancy.
Proponents listed on the petition are Cobb resident LaTrease Walker, who left the board in October after disagreeing with COVID-19 mandates; and Hidden Valley Lake residents Austin Pullman and Charles Green.
Tim Gill, Middletown Unified’s new superintendent, said he received a letter on Jan. 3 from Falkenberg informing him of the petition.
Lee said Gill notified her that same morning about the petition, with Falkenberg calling her that evening. By the end of the week, she had received a letter from Falkenberg notifying her of the situation.
Lee is an education veteran who teaches at the community college level and formerly was executive dean of Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus, is trained as a chief business official and just received her doctorate in educational administration. She graduated from the Middletown Unified School District and has two children who attend school there as well.
She told Lake County News that no one had contacted her about the petition before she received the notifications from Gill and Falkenberg. “I didn’t have any indication that it was happening.”
Falkenberg said the petition doesn’t give a reason for targeting Lee.
Lee said she could only assume the reason she’s being targeted by the petition is because she suggested alternate language be added to a resolution the board considered on Dec. 15 that asked the state to recommend, not require, the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff. A similar resolution has been accepted by several other county school districts in the county.
In an email exchange with Lake County News, Walker confirmed that the reason for the action arose from Lee’s statements during that December board meeting.
Lee had suggested new language emphasizing the need for choice, and calling for the district to uphold California citizens’ rights to provide informed consent and to petition the state to ensure and maintain the personal belief exemption in any and all upcoming COVID-19 legislation.
She told Lake County News that in offering that alternative language, she was considering the large number of parents that are against the district submitting a resolution to the state asking for no mandates.
Ultimately, the board chose to postpone taking any action.
An unusual situation
Falkenberg said the petitioners must submit a petition with signatures totaling 1.5% of the 6,129 voters registered in the district’s last election to be successful. That means they need 92 verified signatures.
“My office has 30 days to review the qualification of the petition and to verify the signatures,” Falkenberg said.
Since his office is a small one, Falkenberg said he spoke with the Registrar of Voters Office which has agreed to assist in the signature verification process. He said the Registrar of Voters Office staff “has expertise and experience that my office lacks in the verification process.”
Falkenberg said he was working to confirm some details with his office’s attorney before sending the petition signatures to the elections office, which will oversee the work on its schedule.
“The timeline has started but the actual process has not,” said Falkenberg.
Registrar Maria Valadez confirmed she and her staff will be working with the Office of Education.
As of Monday, she said she had not yet received the petition from Falkenberg to begin the process, which now must be completed in less than three weeks.
While the names of the proponents are public information, Government Code section 6253.5 specifically prohibits the release of names on petitions done under Education Code 5091, which deals with how vacancies are to be filled.
“It’s a very unusual event or situation,” Falkenberg said of the petition to challenge Lee’s provisional appointment.
He said he’s reached out to about half a dozen bigger counties and they also haven’t seen the process used.
Valadez said it’s a first in her three decades in the elections office as well.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen one of these filed,” she said, adding that he checked with her predecessor, Diane Fridley, to find out if she was familiar with it happening in Lake County.
“We haven’t had one in at least the last 40 years,” Valadez said.
Troy Flint, chief information officer for the California School Boards Association, said the organization is familiar with the petition process because every vacancy that is filled by a provisional appointment — called that because voters have 30 days to file a petition with the County Supe challenging the appointment — is subject to challenge.
Without the filing of a successful petition in 30 days, the appointment becomes final, he said. If the petition is successfully filed, the appointment is vacated and the former appointee, if they so choose, has to run in a special election, Flint explained.
“As for frequency, it's not the norm, but it's not unheard of. I expect we will see this strategy more often as school board races occupy a bigger space in the political spotlight and public discourse,” Flint said.
The two seats Lee and Berlogar were appointed to fill are up for election later this year. However, rather than waiting, the petitioners want to have a special election called ahead of the fall election.
The petition states, “The Elections Division of Lake County has estimated the cost to conduct a special election in the Middletown Unified School District will be $50,000.”
“That’s a big chunk of change for our district,” said Lee.
Elections Code 5091 explains the next steps in the process this way:
“If the petition is determined to be legally sufficient by the county superintendent of schools, the provisional appointment is terminated, and the county superintendent of schools shall order a special election to be conducted no later than the 130th day after the determination. However, if an established election date, as defined in Section 1000 of the Elections Code, occurs between the 130th day and the 150th day following the order of the election, the county superintendent of schools may order the special election to be conducted on the established election date.”
Under Elections Code section 1000, established election dates include the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year that is not evenly divisible by four — which this year is the June primary for local, state and federal seats.
The timing suggests that if the Middletown Unified petition is determined to be sufficient, it raises the possibility that Falkenberg could seek to consolidate that special election with the state’s June 7 primary election. That, in turn, could reduce the cost to the district.
Petitioner explains action
Falkenberg said the petition requires that individuals who are supporting or backing it be identified. “It does not require that potential candidates be identified.”
One of the individuals sponsoring the petition is LaTrease Walker, the person who Lee succeeded on the board.
Walker, who was elected in 2018, abruptly resigned her Middletown Unified School Board seat in October during a contentious meeting. She cited disagreement with COVID-related mandates, including vaccination, among her reasons for leaving the board.
The following month, Trustee Thad Owens also resigned. He did not give a reason.
Lee and Alison Berlogar were appointed to fill the vacated seats in December in unanimous votes on Dec. 1. Lee said she was appointed to fill Walker’s seat.
Lee and Berlogar have so far served at just one regular meeting, on Dec. 15, since their appointment.
Lee said she didn’t know the resolution addressing state mandates was going to be considered until Lakeport Unified considered its version of the document less than a week beforehand. She only got the resolution in hand days later. “Everything happened so fast.”
She said she didn’t feel that a resolution was the best strategy for the district. “I really care about the community and I really wanted to bring the community together,” and since she had heard from both sides, she wanted to try to find something on which everyone could agree.
One of the big arguments offered in support of the resolution, said Lee, was that the vaccine is readily available. However, she noted the district’s former superintendent, Michael Cox, wouldn’t allow vaccinations to take place at district facilities, as other school districts had done. “
“To me that’s an equity and an access issue,” Lee said.
Walker said she does not intend to run to fill the seat she previously held in a special election.
Asked why she decided to file the petition against Lee's appointment, Walker wrote in an email response, “As a community, we felt Mrs. Lee's actions in the December board meeting were contradictory to how she answered the interview questions, asked of all candidates by the Board, during the interview process.”
When Lake County News asked if this decision was predicated on Lee’s suggestion of alternate language for the board's resolution on COVID-19 vaccine mandates last month, Walker wrote, “As a community, we feel medically related decisions should not be mandated.”
However, it should be noted, Lee specifically said the district should not initiate or implement local medical mandates as they were waiting to see what the state might do during the Dec. 1 interview. She also did not suggest local mandates at the Dec. 15 meeting when the resolution was discussed.
Lake County News also asked Walker if she had spoken directly to Lee or district officials about her concerns with Lee’s appointment before taking this action.
“As a community we have voiced our concerns,” Walker replied in the email.
In the email exchange, Walker did not identify a potential candidate when asked.
“With board appointment the board asked questions and then chose who they saw as the best fit without community input. As a community we believe in democracy. An election gives the community the opportunity to question candidates before choosing who they vote for. Hard questions need to be asked, our children deserve the most qualified board members. It's time to rebuild our district. In the 2018 election our district was granted a $42 million bond to modernize and grow our sites. In order to execute the projects we need someone with bond knowledge. New Assembly & Senate bills are coming to public schools as a community, we have the right to choose who sits on our board as the district navigates the implementation of these new bills,” she wrote.
Lee told Lake County News that she’s being encouraged by community members to run if a special election results.
“That would be my intent, to throw my hat in the ring and let the community decide,” she said.
Lee said Middletown Unified has been through a couple of really rough years, and now it’s “code red” for the district. The reason she got involved was to help it recover.
“There is a lot to do to get this district back on the right track,” she said, noting Gill is ramping up to do important work.
There are meetings planned every Wednesday night from now until the middle of March to work on the district’s issues as well as the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If Lee has to step down in expectation of a special election, she said that’s one less board member to do this important work.
“It’s a critical time that we need all five board members working hard,” she said, adding she’s ready to do the work.
The Middletown Unified School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12. At that time, they will again consider the resolution asking the state not to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff.
The only differences between the resolution to be considered this week and the one the board put off voting on in December are the dates and the resolution numbers, based on a document comparison.
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.
Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg told Lake County News that he received a petition on Dec. 30 challenging the provisional appointment of Annette Lee to the Middletown Unified board.
California Education Code section 5091 allows for challenges to provisional appointments if a petition with a sufficient number of signatures is submitted to the county superintendent of schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment. Otherwise, the appointment remains in effect.
In October and November, two board members, LaTrease Walker and Thad Owens, respectively, resigned. Both were in their first terms, which end this year.
That led to a public recruitment process. The Middletown Unified School Board held a special meeting on Dec. 1, at which time the board members interviewed 10 candidates and selected Lee and Allison Berlogar.
However, only Lee is named in the petition, which seeks to terminate Lee’s provisional appointment and call for a special election to fill the vacancy.
Proponents listed on the petition are Cobb resident LaTrease Walker, who left the board in October after disagreeing with COVID-19 mandates; and Hidden Valley Lake residents Austin Pullman and Charles Green.
Tim Gill, Middletown Unified’s new superintendent, said he received a letter on Jan. 3 from Falkenberg informing him of the petition.
Lee said Gill notified her that same morning about the petition, with Falkenberg calling her that evening. By the end of the week, she had received a letter from Falkenberg notifying her of the situation.
Lee is an education veteran who teaches at the community college level and formerly was executive dean of Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus, is trained as a chief business official and just received her doctorate in educational administration. She graduated from the Middletown Unified School District and has two children who attend school there as well.
She told Lake County News that no one had contacted her about the petition before she received the notifications from Gill and Falkenberg. “I didn’t have any indication that it was happening.”
Falkenberg said the petition doesn’t give a reason for targeting Lee.
Lee said she could only assume the reason she’s being targeted by the petition is because she suggested alternate language be added to a resolution the board considered on Dec. 15 that asked the state to recommend, not require, the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff. A similar resolution has been accepted by several other county school districts in the county.
In an email exchange with Lake County News, Walker confirmed that the reason for the action arose from Lee’s statements during that December board meeting.
Lee had suggested new language emphasizing the need for choice, and calling for the district to uphold California citizens’ rights to provide informed consent and to petition the state to ensure and maintain the personal belief exemption in any and all upcoming COVID-19 legislation.
She told Lake County News that in offering that alternative language, she was considering the large number of parents that are against the district submitting a resolution to the state asking for no mandates.
Ultimately, the board chose to postpone taking any action.
An unusual situation
Falkenberg said the petitioners must submit a petition with signatures totaling 1.5% of the 6,129 voters registered in the district’s last election to be successful. That means they need 92 verified signatures.
“My office has 30 days to review the qualification of the petition and to verify the signatures,” Falkenberg said.
Since his office is a small one, Falkenberg said he spoke with the Registrar of Voters Office which has agreed to assist in the signature verification process. He said the Registrar of Voters Office staff “has expertise and experience that my office lacks in the verification process.”
Falkenberg said he was working to confirm some details with his office’s attorney before sending the petition signatures to the elections office, which will oversee the work on its schedule.
“The timeline has started but the actual process has not,” said Falkenberg.
Registrar Maria Valadez confirmed she and her staff will be working with the Office of Education.
As of Monday, she said she had not yet received the petition from Falkenberg to begin the process, which now must be completed in less than three weeks.
While the names of the proponents are public information, Government Code section 6253.5 specifically prohibits the release of names on petitions done under Education Code 5091, which deals with how vacancies are to be filled.
“It’s a very unusual event or situation,” Falkenberg said of the petition to challenge Lee’s provisional appointment.
He said he’s reached out to about half a dozen bigger counties and they also haven’t seen the process used.
Valadez said it’s a first in her three decades in the elections office as well.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen one of these filed,” she said, adding that he checked with her predecessor, Diane Fridley, to find out if she was familiar with it happening in Lake County.
“We haven’t had one in at least the last 40 years,” Valadez said.
Troy Flint, chief information officer for the California School Boards Association, said the organization is familiar with the petition process because every vacancy that is filled by a provisional appointment — called that because voters have 30 days to file a petition with the County Supe challenging the appointment — is subject to challenge.
Without the filing of a successful petition in 30 days, the appointment becomes final, he said. If the petition is successfully filed, the appointment is vacated and the former appointee, if they so choose, has to run in a special election, Flint explained.
“As for frequency, it's not the norm, but it's not unheard of. I expect we will see this strategy more often as school board races occupy a bigger space in the political spotlight and public discourse,” Flint said.
The two seats Lee and Berlogar were appointed to fill are up for election later this year. However, rather than waiting, the petitioners want to have a special election called ahead of the fall election.
The petition states, “The Elections Division of Lake County has estimated the cost to conduct a special election in the Middletown Unified School District will be $50,000.”
“That’s a big chunk of change for our district,” said Lee.
Elections Code 5091 explains the next steps in the process this way:
“If the petition is determined to be legally sufficient by the county superintendent of schools, the provisional appointment is terminated, and the county superintendent of schools shall order a special election to be conducted no later than the 130th day after the determination. However, if an established election date, as defined in Section 1000 of the Elections Code, occurs between the 130th day and the 150th day following the order of the election, the county superintendent of schools may order the special election to be conducted on the established election date.”
Under Elections Code section 1000, established election dates include the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year that is not evenly divisible by four — which this year is the June primary for local, state and federal seats.
The timing suggests that if the Middletown Unified petition is determined to be sufficient, it raises the possibility that Falkenberg could seek to consolidate that special election with the state’s June 7 primary election. That, in turn, could reduce the cost to the district.
Petitioner explains action
Falkenberg said the petition requires that individuals who are supporting or backing it be identified. “It does not require that potential candidates be identified.”
One of the individuals sponsoring the petition is LaTrease Walker, the person who Lee succeeded on the board.
Walker, who was elected in 2018, abruptly resigned her Middletown Unified School Board seat in October during a contentious meeting. She cited disagreement with COVID-related mandates, including vaccination, among her reasons for leaving the board.
The following month, Trustee Thad Owens also resigned. He did not give a reason.
Lee and Alison Berlogar were appointed to fill the vacated seats in December in unanimous votes on Dec. 1. Lee said she was appointed to fill Walker’s seat.
Lee and Berlogar have so far served at just one regular meeting, on Dec. 15, since their appointment.
Lee said she didn’t know the resolution addressing state mandates was going to be considered until Lakeport Unified considered its version of the document less than a week beforehand. She only got the resolution in hand days later. “Everything happened so fast.”
She said she didn’t feel that a resolution was the best strategy for the district. “I really care about the community and I really wanted to bring the community together,” and since she had heard from both sides, she wanted to try to find something on which everyone could agree.
One of the big arguments offered in support of the resolution, said Lee, was that the vaccine is readily available. However, she noted the district’s former superintendent, Michael Cox, wouldn’t allow vaccinations to take place at district facilities, as other school districts had done. “
“To me that’s an equity and an access issue,” Lee said.
Walker said she does not intend to run to fill the seat she previously held in a special election.
Asked why she decided to file the petition against Lee's appointment, Walker wrote in an email response, “As a community, we felt Mrs. Lee's actions in the December board meeting were contradictory to how she answered the interview questions, asked of all candidates by the Board, during the interview process.”
When Lake County News asked if this decision was predicated on Lee’s suggestion of alternate language for the board's resolution on COVID-19 vaccine mandates last month, Walker wrote, “As a community, we feel medically related decisions should not be mandated.”
However, it should be noted, Lee specifically said the district should not initiate or implement local medical mandates as they were waiting to see what the state might do during the Dec. 1 interview. She also did not suggest local mandates at the Dec. 15 meeting when the resolution was discussed.
Lake County News also asked Walker if she had spoken directly to Lee or district officials about her concerns with Lee’s appointment before taking this action.
“As a community we have voiced our concerns,” Walker replied in the email.
In the email exchange, Walker did not identify a potential candidate when asked.
“With board appointment the board asked questions and then chose who they saw as the best fit without community input. As a community we believe in democracy. An election gives the community the opportunity to question candidates before choosing who they vote for. Hard questions need to be asked, our children deserve the most qualified board members. It's time to rebuild our district. In the 2018 election our district was granted a $42 million bond to modernize and grow our sites. In order to execute the projects we need someone with bond knowledge. New Assembly & Senate bills are coming to public schools as a community, we have the right to choose who sits on our board as the district navigates the implementation of these new bills,” she wrote.
Lee told Lake County News that she’s being encouraged by community members to run if a special election results.
“That would be my intent, to throw my hat in the ring and let the community decide,” she said.
Lee said Middletown Unified has been through a couple of really rough years, and now it’s “code red” for the district. The reason she got involved was to help it recover.
“There is a lot to do to get this district back on the right track,” she said, noting Gill is ramping up to do important work.
There are meetings planned every Wednesday night from now until the middle of March to work on the district’s issues as well as the Local Control and Accountability Plan. If Lee has to step down in expectation of a special election, she said that’s one less board member to do this important work.
“It’s a critical time that we need all five board members working hard,” she said, adding she’s ready to do the work.
The Middletown Unified School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12. At that time, they will again consider the resolution asking the state not to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff.
The only differences between the resolution to be considered this week and the one the board put off voting on in December are the dates and the resolution numbers, based on a document comparison.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Planning Commission this week will discuss plans for a new shopping center and hotel development.
The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. In accordance with updated guidelines from the state of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.
The agenda is available here.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here; the meeting ID is 986 6166 5155. To join by phone, dial 1-669-900-9128.
Comments can be submitted by email to
Please indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that are read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council before the meeting.
On Wednesday, the commission will consider an application from Fremont-based New Vista Developers for “Lakeport Hub Project,” a shopping center and hotel development on 15.5 acres at 1842 Todd Road.
The site, currently an old walnut orchard, is near “Hamburger Hill,” the site of numerous fast food restaurants at the intersection of Lakeport Boulevard and Highway 29.
The applicants are seeking an architectural and design review, tentative subdivision, use permit, zoning permit and environmental review for a new combined development for a vacant commercial property.
The project is proposed to include a service station, six to eight restaurants — including drive-thrus — along with two retail buildings and a 70-room hotel.
Also on the agenda Wednesday is a use permit application from the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians who wants to change a motel at 175 First St. to a residential use.
The project consists of redesigning previous motel rooms to provide seven one-bedroom residential units, one of which will be accessible by Americans with Disabilities Act standards, according to city documents.
“Each residential unit would consist of one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and living room area to provide the opportunity to house tribal members currently in need of safe, healthy living environments,” wrote Planning Director Jennifer Byers.
She said the applicant proposes to eventually tear down a building parallel to First Street that is being used as storage and replace it with a one bedroom manufactured unit and two new parking spots to the east of the new unit.
Byers said the shuttered motel has been a nuisance for several years. “Even if the site were to be reestablished as a motel, the circulation and parking would continue to be an issue. Due to the limited options for a viable commercial project and in light of the housing crisis, staff reviewed all the criteria applicable to this project and has determined that the proposed improvements are in compliance with the use permit standards set forth in the Municipal Code at this location.”
Staff is recommending that the Planning Commission approve the use permit application subject to conditions, including having fire alarms and sprinklers, right of way improvements, submission of a detailed landscaping plan and that the applicant/owner maintain a business license.
On Wednesday, the commission also will be asked to consider amending the Lakeport Municipal Code for compliance with Senate Bill 35, which requires that local jurisdictions provide a streamlined ministerial approval process for multifamily residential developments that meet specific eligibility requirements.
The commission also will hold a discussion and study session regarding a process to modify the zoning ordinance to allow a process to approve zoning permits as a replacement to the current COVID-19 emergency temporary zoning permits.
Last week, the Lakeport City Council chose to continue to allow the temporary zoning permits to allow outdoor dining in what the city is calling “parklets” while the commission develops the new requirements.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Town Hall will start off the year with the election of its new board.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the Zoom meeting click on this link; the meeting ID is 832 1989 2440. Call in at 669-900-6833 or 253-215-8782.
In timed items, at 7:50 p.m., final nominations will take place for the MATH Board of Directors.
That will be followed at 7:55 p.m. with the board elections.
Other items on the Thursday agenda include an update from Community Development Director Mary Darby at 7:10 p.m., discuss the Clean California Grant at 7:25 p.m. and hear from District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon and 7:30 p.m.
At 8:25 p.m., there will be public input, followed by a discussion of moving meetings back to in- person at 8:40 p.m. and consideration of agenda items for February at 8:45 p.m.
The MATH Board includes Chair Rosemary Córdova, Vice Chair Monica Rosenthal, Secretary Lisa Kaplan, and Ken Gonzales and Paul Baker.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the Zoom meeting click on this link; the meeting ID is 832 1989 2440. Call in at 669-900-6833 or 253-215-8782.
In timed items, at 7:50 p.m., final nominations will take place for the MATH Board of Directors.
That will be followed at 7:55 p.m. with the board elections.
Other items on the Thursday agenda include an update from Community Development Director Mary Darby at 7:10 p.m., discuss the Clean California Grant at 7:25 p.m. and hear from District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon and 7:30 p.m.
At 8:25 p.m., there will be public input, followed by a discussion of moving meetings back to in- person at 8:40 p.m. and consideration of agenda items for February at 8:45 p.m.
The MATH Board includes Chair Rosemary Córdova, Vice Chair Monica Rosenthal, Secretary Lisa Kaplan, and Ken Gonzales and Paul Baker.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
For more information email
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake Planning Commission will meet to consider the general plan consistency of a number of properties the city is suggesting be used for its homestead program.
The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line.
Community members also can participate via Zoom.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments before 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the YouTube channels for the city of Clearlake or Lake County PEG TV.
Most of the commission’s items of business for Tuesday night are on the consent agenda, and so are considered to be routine in nature and will be approved by one motion.
There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the commission requests otherwise, or if staff has requested a change under adoption of the agenda, in which case the item will be removed for separate consideration.
The items on the consent agenda involve 27 parcels proposed to be used for developing single- family housing as part of the homestead program.
On the consent agenda are the following items:
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The assessor parcel number of the property is 042-222-550-000, and is commonly known as 16502 5th Ave., Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-01.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The assessor parcel number of the property is 042-161-010-000, and is commonly known as 15789 25th Ave., Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-02.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The project parcel is located at 16564 5th Avenue, Clearlake, CA 95422, further described as assessor parcel number of the property is 042-223-590-000; Resolution No. PC 2022-03.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402 for 23 parcels located in the City of Clearlake; Resolution No. PC 2022-04.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The property is APN 037-382-470-000 located at 13696 Santa Clara; Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-05.
There also will be reports from the city manager and commissioner, and discussion of future agenda items.
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 commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
Community members also can participate via Zoom.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments before 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the YouTube channels for the city of Clearlake or Lake County PEG TV.
Most of the commission’s items of business for Tuesday night are on the consent agenda, and so are considered to be routine in nature and will be approved by one motion.
There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the commission requests otherwise, or if staff has requested a change under adoption of the agenda, in which case the item will be removed for separate consideration.
The items on the consent agenda involve 27 parcels proposed to be used for developing single- family housing as part of the homestead program.
On the consent agenda are the following items:
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The assessor parcel number of the property is 042-222-550-000, and is commonly known as 16502 5th Ave., Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-01.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The assessor parcel number of the property is 042-161-010-000, and is commonly known as 15789 25th Ave., Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-02.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The project parcel is located at 16564 5th Avenue, Clearlake, CA 95422, further described as assessor parcel number of the property is 042-223-590-000; Resolution No. PC 2022-03.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402 for 23 parcels located in the City of Clearlake; Resolution No. PC 2022-04.
• Determination of general plan consistency and environmental determination prior to the conveyance of real property by a government agency, pursuant to Government Code 65402. The property is APN 037-382-470-000 located at 13696 Santa Clara; Clearlake, CA 95422; Resolution No. PC 2022-05.
There also will be reports from the city manager and commissioner, and discussion of future agenda items.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council and Board of Supervisors will meet jointly on Tuesday evening to discuss a proposed tax sharing agreement that, if approved, would move the city closer to its goal of annexing the South Main Street area.
The meeting will take place both virtually and in person beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The agenda can be found here.
Access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 870 8745 5679, access code is 122127; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St., will be open to the public for the meeting. In accordance with updated guidelines from the state of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.
The Board of Supervisors is set to discuss on Tuesday if the board chambers will be closed due to Omicron.
On Tuesday evening the council and board will discuss the tax sharing agreement, which would be a step in moving toward the city’s annexation of the 137-acre area adjacent to South Main Street and Soda Bay Road.
The agreement requires the city and county to share property tax and sales tax revenue over a period to run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2040.
From July 2022 to June 2029, the county will receive 80% of sales tax from the area — reported to be the most lucrative commercial corridor in the unincorporated county — and the city will receive 20%.
From July 2029 to June 2039, the county will receive 50% plus 50% of the cumulative growth since the final year of the first period.
There are different scenarios for how much the county would receive in the agreement’s final year, but it would range from an estimated $451,440 to $614,230.
After the agreement’s third phase, it requires that Bradley-Burns sales tax revenues to the county remain equal to the amount received for the final year of the second phase. It also provides protections for both the county and city if significant declines in sales tax revenue occur.
As for property tax, the county will receive 65.3% and the city 34.7% during the agreement.
The staff report for the meeting noted, “Residents and businesses can expect improved fire protection, access to public water, emergency resiliency through installation of fire hydrants and municipal law enforcement.”
As part of the agreement, the city and council would coordinate and manage the South Main Street/Soda Bay Road Corridor project and agree “to negotiate in good faith a long-term solution that is both financially feasible and effective for residents and businesses in the entire
service area for the management of wastewater utilities.”
The agreement’s acceptance doesn’t finalize the annexation process. There are still more steps, including approval by the Lake Local Area Formation Commission and the opportunity for property owners and voters to oppose the annexation.
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 take place both virtually and in person beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The agenda can be found here.
Access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 870 8745 5679, access code is 122127; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to
The council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St., will be open to the public for the meeting. In accordance with updated guidelines from the state of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.
The Board of Supervisors is set to discuss on Tuesday if the board chambers will be closed due to Omicron.
On Tuesday evening the council and board will discuss the tax sharing agreement, which would be a step in moving toward the city’s annexation of the 137-acre area adjacent to South Main Street and Soda Bay Road.
The agreement requires the city and county to share property tax and sales tax revenue over a period to run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2040.
From July 2022 to June 2029, the county will receive 80% of sales tax from the area — reported to be the most lucrative commercial corridor in the unincorporated county — and the city will receive 20%.
From July 2029 to June 2039, the county will receive 50% plus 50% of the cumulative growth since the final year of the first period.
There are different scenarios for how much the county would receive in the agreement’s final year, but it would range from an estimated $451,440 to $614,230.
After the agreement’s third phase, it requires that Bradley-Burns sales tax revenues to the county remain equal to the amount received for the final year of the second phase. It also provides protections for both the county and city if significant declines in sales tax revenue occur.
As for property tax, the county will receive 65.3% and the city 34.7% during the agreement.
The staff report for the meeting noted, “Residents and businesses can expect improved fire protection, access to public water, emergency resiliency through installation of fire hydrants and municipal law enforcement.”
As part of the agreement, the city and council would coordinate and manage the South Main Street/Soda Bay Road Corridor project and agree “to negotiate in good faith a long-term solution that is both financially feasible and effective for residents and businesses in the entire
service area for the management of wastewater utilities.”
The agreement’s acceptance doesn’t finalize the annexation process. There are still more steps, including approval by the Lake Local Area Formation Commission and the opportunity for property owners and voters to oppose the annexation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Due to a concern about an impending surge of COVID-19 Omicron variant cases in the county, the Board of Supervisors will consider once again closing the board chamber to in-person meetings and directing employees who can to work remotely.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 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 968 2763 6631, pass code 023705. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,96827636631#,,,,*023705# .
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.
In an untimed item, the board will reconsider a temporary closure of the board chambers for in-person meetings.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson is asking the board to consider taking the action.
Later, in the spring and summer months of 2021, as conditions improved, your Board reopened the Chambers, and most County employees returned to working in-office full-time.
“At this time, in light of the impending omicron surge, I am again recommending your Board temporarily close the Board of Supervisors Chambers, and remind Department Heads of their authority, under our Remote Work Policy, to direct employees to work remotely, to the extent possible and reasonable, until conditions improve,” Huchingson wrote in a memo to the board.
“During this time, as was the case last January, County offices would remain open, but in-person density should be reduced, where feasible, to decrease the likelihood of virus transmission,” Huchingson said.
“I further recommend that your Board re-evaluate this direction no less than once every thirty days,” she concluded.
In timed items on Tuesday, the board will present a proclamation at 9:06 a.m. designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and at 9:10 a.m. will get an update from Public Health staff on COVID-19.
At 9:45 a.m., the board, sitting as the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District and acting as the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, will hold a public hearing to receive stakeholder comments on the final draft of the Big Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan and technical appendices and consider a resolution adapting the plan and authorizing staff to submit it to the California Department of Water Resources in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
In another untimed item, the board, sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, will consider an agreement with Mendocino County Air Quality Management District to have Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart provide it with services.
On Tuesday evening, the board will meet jointly with the Lakeport City Council to discuss the draft tax exchange agreement for the South Lakeport Annexation Project.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve grant application submission for the Public Defense Pilot Program to receive a yearly allotment of $81,403.94 from March 1, 2022, to March 1, 2024, to provide indigent defense services.
5.2: Adopt proclamation designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
5.3: Adopt resolution authorizing joint application to and participation in the Homekey Program.
5.4: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconference meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.
5.5: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the lake county health officer for the Cache fire.
5.6: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.7: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.8: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.9: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.11: Approve the continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.12: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.13: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County Sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.14: a) Adopt resolution authorizing an application for funding through the California Department of Parks and Recreation Rural Recreation & Tourism Program for Hammond Park and authorize the Public Services director to sign the application, grant agreement and other necessary documents; b) adopt resolution authorizing an application for funding through the California Department of Parks and Recreation Regional Park Program for Trailside Park and authorize the Public Services director to sign the application, grant agreement and other necessary documents.
5.15: a) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it would produce no economic benefit to the county due to the unique nature of the services; and b) Authorize the Public Services director to issue a purchase order to Stearns, Conrad and Schmidt, Consulting Engineers DBA/SCS Field Services not to exceed $35,000.
5.16: Adopt resolution to amend the adopted FY 2021-22 budget by adjusting the building and infrastructure reserve (Fund 153) for temporarily funding the purchase of a property in the Middle Creek Restoration Project.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
6.3, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: The Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District, acting as the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, will a) hold a public hearing to receive stakeholder comments on the final draft of the Big Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, or GSP, and technical appendices; and b) consider adoption of a resolution adopting the Big Valley GSP and to authorize the director of the Lake County Water Resources Department or designated appointee to submit the adopted documents to the California Department of Water Resources in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution regarding vacating a roadway known as Dillard Avenue.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of amendment to the County of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
7.3: Reconsideration of temporary closure of the Board of Supervisors chambers for in-person meetings.
7.4: Sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, consideration of agreement with Mendocino County Air Quality Management District for air pollution control officer services.
7.5: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Cobb Municipal Advisory Council.
JOINT MEETING WITH THE LAKEPORT CITY COUNCIL
8.1, 5:30 p.m.: Roll call.
8.2, 5:31 p.m.: Consideration of the tax exchange agreement for the South Lakeport Annexation Project.
CLOSED SESSION
9.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interview of agricultural commissioner and appointment of agricultural commissioner.
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 board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 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 968 2763 6631, pass code 023705. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,96827636631#,,,,*023705# .
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.
In an untimed item, the board will reconsider a temporary closure of the board chambers for in-person meetings.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson is asking the board to consider taking the action.
Later, in the spring and summer months of 2021, as conditions improved, your Board reopened the Chambers, and most County employees returned to working in-office full-time.
“At this time, in light of the impending omicron surge, I am again recommending your Board temporarily close the Board of Supervisors Chambers, and remind Department Heads of their authority, under our Remote Work Policy, to direct employees to work remotely, to the extent possible and reasonable, until conditions improve,” Huchingson wrote in a memo to the board.
“During this time, as was the case last January, County offices would remain open, but in-person density should be reduced, where feasible, to decrease the likelihood of virus transmission,” Huchingson said.
“I further recommend that your Board re-evaluate this direction no less than once every thirty days,” she concluded.
In timed items on Tuesday, the board will present a proclamation at 9:06 a.m. designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and at 9:10 a.m. will get an update from Public Health staff on COVID-19.
At 9:45 a.m., the board, sitting as the Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District and acting as the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, will hold a public hearing to receive stakeholder comments on the final draft of the Big Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan and technical appendices and consider a resolution adapting the plan and authorizing staff to submit it to the California Department of Water Resources in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
In another untimed item, the board, sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, will consider an agreement with Mendocino County Air Quality Management District to have Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart provide it with services.
On Tuesday evening, the board will meet jointly with the Lakeport City Council to discuss the draft tax exchange agreement for the South Lakeport Annexation Project.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve grant application submission for the Public Defense Pilot Program to receive a yearly allotment of $81,403.94 from March 1, 2022, to March 1, 2024, to provide indigent defense services.
5.2: Adopt proclamation designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
5.3: Adopt resolution authorizing joint application to and participation in the Homekey Program.
5.4: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconference meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.
5.5: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the lake county health officer for the Cache fire.
5.6: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.7: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.8: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.9: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.11: Approve the continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.12: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.13: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County Sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.14: a) Adopt resolution authorizing an application for funding through the California Department of Parks and Recreation Rural Recreation & Tourism Program for Hammond Park and authorize the Public Services director to sign the application, grant agreement and other necessary documents; b) adopt resolution authorizing an application for funding through the California Department of Parks and Recreation Regional Park Program for Trailside Park and authorize the Public Services director to sign the application, grant agreement and other necessary documents.
5.15: a) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it would produce no economic benefit to the county due to the unique nature of the services; and b) Authorize the Public Services director to issue a purchase order to Stearns, Conrad and Schmidt, Consulting Engineers DBA/SCS Field Services not to exceed $35,000.
5.16: Adopt resolution to amend the adopted FY 2021-22 budget by adjusting the building and infrastructure reserve (Fund 153) for temporarily funding the purchase of a property in the Middle Creek Restoration Project.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of January 2022 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
6.3, 9:10 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: The Board of Directors of the Lake County Watershed Protection District, acting as the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, will a) hold a public hearing to receive stakeholder comments on the final draft of the Big Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, or GSP, and technical appendices; and b) consider adoption of a resolution adopting the Big Valley GSP and to authorize the director of the Lake County Water Resources Department or designated appointee to submit the adopted documents to the California Department of Water Resources in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution regarding vacating a roadway known as Dillard Avenue.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of amendment to the County of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
7.3: Reconsideration of temporary closure of the Board of Supervisors chambers for in-person meetings.
7.4: Sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, consideration of agreement with Mendocino County Air Quality Management District for air pollution control officer services.
7.5: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Cobb Municipal Advisory Council.
JOINT MEETING WITH THE LAKEPORT CITY COUNCIL
8.1, 5:30 p.m.: Roll call.
8.2, 5:31 p.m.: Consideration of the tax exchange agreement for the South Lakeport Annexation Project.
CLOSED SESSION
9.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interview of agricultural commissioner and appointment of agricultural commissioner.
Email Elizabeth Larson at