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The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The agenda can be found here.
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.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can 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 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; 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
At the end of the meeting, the council will hold its annual reorganization to select the mayor and mayor pro tem.
Kenny Parlet and Stacey Mattina have served as mayor and mayor pro tem, respectively, over the past year.
Also on Tuesday, the council will get an update on the All Children Thrive Youth Governance Council and consider adopting a resolution authorizing City Manager Kevin Ingram to apply for the Permanent Local Housing Allocation funding.
The city is eligible for two years of formula allocation of PLHA funds estimated in the amount of $206,007, but needs to create a five-year plan detailing how it will use the funds, Community Development Director Jenni Byers said in her written report.
“The intent of the bill is to provide a permanent, on-going source of funding to local governments for housing-related projects and programs that assist in addressing the unmet housing needs of their local communities,” Byers said.
In other business, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will seek the council’s approval of a purchase order for police radios from L3Harris in the amount of $163,972.82.
The purchase is part of the agency’s effort to upgrade to encrypted radio technology in order to meet state requirements.
Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia also will ask the council to consider reinstating the building official position and advertise for either a building official or building inspector.
The position has not been filled on the building official level since longtime city staffer Tom Carlton retired in July of 2020. Instead, it was reallocated as a building inspector position and funded at a reduced level with part-time employee and professional service agreements for fiscal years 2020-21 and again in 2021-22. The city also hired 4LEAF Inc. to perform supplemental building division support, Buendia reported.
With city staff not considering the arrangement to be ideal, Buendia said management is recommending advertising for either a building official or building inspector in hopes of attracting the more qualified building official while giving the ability to under-fill with a building inspector.
Salary and benefit savings from vacant positions in the Community Development Department are sufficient to cover the unbudgeted costs associated with filling the position for 2021-22, Buendia said.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the council’s regular meeting on Nov. 2; adoption of a resolution authorizing continued remote teleconference meetings of the Lakeport City Council and its legislative bodies pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e); introduction of the proposed ordinances adding Chapter 15.32 regarding the recycling of construction and demolition debris and add Chapter 17.53 Water Efficient Landscape regulations to the Lakeport Municipal Code; direction to the city clerk to prepare the 2022 Maddy Act Appointments List and post at City Hall and the Lakeport Public Library; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the Waterfront Parking Rehabilitation Project by Argonaut Constructors and authorization for the filing of the notice of completion.
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The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, 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 977 3412 2935, pass code 095430. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,97734122935#,,,,*095430#.
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.
The board has a fairly light agenda for Tuesday.
Untimed items include the consideration of appointments to the Redevelopment Agency Oversight Board and the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board.
In July 2018, the Redevelopment Agency Oversight boards of the County, City of Clearlake and the city of Lakeport were consolidated into one new seven-member oversight board, which includes one member of the public appointed by your board.
There is one vacancy, and three applicants are seeking the seat: John Carlisi, Duane Anderson and Mark Lipps.
For the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board, there are two applicants: Soledad Agiayo and Carrie Manning.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: (a) Approve lease for commercial property located at 514 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport and (b) authorize the interim department head to sign.
5.2: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2021-116 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, Budget Unit No. 4011 Public Health and Budget Unit No. 4012, Health Services Administration and establishing a public information officer as a county classification.
5.3: Adopt resolution accepting Lake County Behavioral Health Services Mental Health Services Act Annual Update for Fiscal Year 2021-22 and approval of modifications to the three year plan spanning 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.
5.4: Adopt resolution authorizing the agreement between the county of Lake and the Sierra Health Foundation — The Center for Health Program Management Services for the period of Nov. 20, 2021, through Nov. 20, 2022, and authorizing the Behavioral Health director to sign the agreement.
5.5: Approve Board of Supervisors meeting minutes for Nov. 16 and 23.
5.6: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2021-116 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, Budget Unit No. 2602, Building and Safety.
5.7: Adopt resolution approving applications for the state of California Per Capita Grant Program for parks rehabilitation.
5.8: Approve Amendment No. 5 to the Courthouse Facility Space License Agreement with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC.
5.9: Approve Amendment No. 3 to the Buckingham Peak Communications Site Lease Agreement with T-Mobile, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.10: Adopt resolution authorizing the Special Districts administrator to sign the notice of completion for work performed under the agreement dated Aug. 12, 2021, for the construction of the Adobe Creek Bridge Temporary Water Main By-Pass Project.
5.11: Adopt resolution authorizing the Special Districts administrator to sign the notice of completion for work performed under the agreement dated Sept. 7, 2021, for the construction of the North Lakeport Intake Structure Modifications Project.
5.12: Adopt Resolution for the vacation of a roadway known as Dillard Avenue (CR#502BD) in the Kelseyville area.
5.13: Sitting as the Board of Directors for the Lake County Watershed Protection District, approve the purchase agreement with Melvyn W. Oldham, II for property within the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project in the amount of $1,360,000 and authorize the chair of the board of directors to sign the agreement.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of public member appointment to the Redevelopment Agency Oversight Board.
7.3: Consideration of resolution authorizing Lake County Behavioral Health Services to increase the rates for substance use disorder drug Medi-Cal Services effective fiscal year 2021-22.
7.4: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interview of Public Health officer, appointment of Public Health officer.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The federal government is pouring billions of dollars into expanding broadband internet access. But it’s at the state level where the financial rubber meets the fiber-optic road. History suggests some states are ahead of the game while others will have to play catch-up.
The recently signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes significant funding to expand broadband access, to help households pay for their monthly broadband connections and to help people learn how to productively use those connections. This legislation represents Congress’ first formal recognition of the essential nature of high-speed internet.
Historically, broadband funding has been distributed from federal entities like the Federal Communications Commission or U.S. Department of Agriculture directly to internet providers. The Government Accountability Office, which monitors and audits government operations, has been critical of these efforts.
This time, however, states are at the center of the funding that is coming down the pipeline. The US$42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, known as BEAD, requires each state to generate a five-year action plan laying out how it will use the funds, including a process for prioritizing locations that are classified as “unserved” or “underserved.”
Similarly, the $2.7 billion Digital Equity Act requires each state to establish an organization responsible for developing a digital equity plan, which will help to disburse subgrants. Digital equity means ensuring that every community has adequate access to the technologies and skills needed to fully participate in society.
From newbies to wily veterans
Not all states are equally positioned to handle the funds that will flow down from the federal government. Some states have operated formal broadband offices for years, and many have extensive experience running their own broadband grant programs. In others there are multiple agencies with jurisdiction over broadband, so even deciding who will develop the action plan may be challenging.
Some states have built detailed broadband maps that move beyond the highly criticized FCC versions, and clearly depict areas without access. Others were early adopters of “digital inclusion” efforts and have an established base of nonprofits and public entities that have already been successful at this type of work.
In short, states have varying track records when it comes to broadband projects. Rolling out billions of dollars of funding will be a challenge for states without a history of evaluating applications – or those that are brand-new to the quickly growing field of digital equity.
Why each state gets $100 million
The largest portion of the forthcoming broadband funding is the BEAD program focused on the provision of new broadband infrastructure. Each state will be awarded an initial amount of $100 million, with the remainder of the $42.5 billion allocated based on the percentage of unserved locations across states. The states are then responsible for disbursing these funds as subgrants. Unserved locations can include agricultural and business sites, not just households.
So, while it might seem unfair that Vermont, with fewer than 50,000 people classified as unserved, receives the same initial allocation as Texas, with over 1.2 million people unserved, this investment is less than 15% of the total BEAD funding. The $100 million should also provide an incentive for states to establish their five-year action plans and to set up offices capable of awarding grants within their borders.
The task of setting up a process to handle grant applications and assess which ones should be funded is not trivial. Recent research has defined a competitive grant program as a key component of state broadband policy, including the establishment of evaluation criteria.
States with existing broadband offices and grant programs will be well positioned to hit the ground running. States that to date don’t have broadband offices are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming. The District of Columbia also does not have a broadband office. These governments will need to put considerable time and effort into establishing ground rules and recruiting and educating employees to handle the grant evaluation process.
The law also adds several points related to grant awards that will be new for most states, regardless of how long their broadband office has been in place. One prevents states from excluding cooperatives, local governments, nonprofits and public utilities when considering who is eligible for the broadband funds.
The second requires grant awardees to establish a low-cost service option, leaving the definition of “low-cost” up to the state. Similar state-level efforts have not fared well in the past, and there is likely to be opposition from awardees about price and eligibility.
Digital equity
While federal programs to address broadband infrastructure have been around for a while, the focus on digital equity is new. Here, again, some states are at an advantage.
California has had a program emphasizing digital literacy, accessibility and broadband adoption, with grant programs in each, for over 10 years. Maine and North Carolina were also early to set up digital inclusion efforts, and Washington dedicated $7.5 million in state funding before the passage of the infrastructure act.
Most other states are newcomers to the topic, although there are resources to help them get started.
State policies – and experience – matter
A growing body of evidence suggests that state-level broadband policies matter. Case studies of successful state programs show a range of promising practices, including stakeholder engagement and program evaluation.
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The pending broadband funds will build on many of these practices – for states that had the foresight to have them up and running. Other states will be at a disadvantage from the outset. We believe that these differences are likely to play an important role in the success of the overall program.
Brian Whitacre, Professor and Neustadt Chair, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University and Christina Biedny, Ph.D. student in Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 6a, ID No. LCAC-A-2133.
Domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 6b, ID No. LCAC-A-2134.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 96a, ID No. LCAC-A-1871.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 96c, ID No. LCAC-A-1873.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 96d, ID No. LCAC-A-1874.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 101a, ID No. LCAC-A-1945.
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The council unanimously approved the Clearlake College Promise Program, which is an agreement between the city and Woodland Community College, which has a campus in Clearlake.
The program will commit $55,000 in city funds for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years “for the purpose of implementing a last dollar scholarship program.”
It will pay the fees for qualified Clearlake residents who graduate from any high school within the city of Clearlake and attend any one of the three Woodland Community College campuses.
As the agreement explains, “The services will benefit the City of Clearlake and its residents by encouraging Clearlake residents graduating from high school to pursue a college education and to provide educational opportunities for students who may not otherwise be able to afford to continue their education.”
The program has two components: the fee-free Clearlake College Promise and a scholarship component called the Clearlake Stars Scholarship.
The Clearlake College Promise will cover up to two years of community college fees for eligible Clearlake students. The agreement explains that students graduating from high school within a 12-month period before enrollment will be eligible for the promise component.
The points-based Clearlake Stars Scholarship offers up to $1,000 per year for additional discretionary college expenses. That scholarship is scheduled to begin in fall 2023.
“The program may provide for eligible students to receive scholarship money that can be used toward the payment of college expenses including textbooks and other required supplemental materials for enrolled classes,” the agreement states.
The program developed after Mayor Dirk Slooten began talking to the college about a promise program concept.
He told Lake County News in an interview earlier this year that the program is modeled on one that the city of Woodland has in place with Woodland Community College.
The city’s financial commitment is not a huge amount, Slooten said, but it is expected to have an impact for students.
It’s also expected to help increase enrollment, which is a challenge Yuba Community College District — of which Woodland Community College is a part — is struggling with across its eight-county service area.
As a result of Slooten’s discussions with the college, in May Dr. Cirilo Cortez, dean of the Lake County Campus of Woodland College, and college president Dr. Art Pimentel gave a presentation to the council on the promise program idea, which then was proposed to offer a total of $40,000.
As a result of the presentation, the council gave staff direction to work with the college on a plan.
At Thursday’s meeting, City Manager Alan Flora gave credit to Slooten for his energy and ability to work with the college to establish the agreement.
Cortez was on hand at the meeting to answer questions while Pimentel attended by Zoom.
Pimentel said he appreciated the city developing the model. He added that high school students who participate in such programs succeed.
He thanked Slooten and the council, noting they had asked what they could do to help support education and youth in this community and develop the workforce.
Pimentel said he was happy to know the city is committed to the community and youth and providing as many opportunities as they can.
Slooten then read a letter from Konocti Unified Superintendent Dr. Becky Salato, who thanked the council for its consideration and approval, noting the importance of education.
With the city’s support, the future will continue to be bright for students, with Salato adding that it takes a village to raise a child.
During the discussion, Flora noted that a student taking 15 units at the community college pays $742, a figure cited in the agreement.
Councilman Russ Cremer praised Slooten for his work. “I think it’s a great program,” said Cremer. “This is the type of thing we need to support.”
Cremer then moved to approve the program, with Overton offering the second and the council voting 5-0.
“Now we really have to start promoting this,” said Slooten.
He added that he had been at the college’s culinary arts program at the Lake County Campus that day. That program now has a waiting list.
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The National Weather Service’s forecast notes that periods of rain will become increasingly likely during this week, particularly from Wednesday through next weekend.
Chances of rain are in the forecast beginning on Monday, with a break on Tuesday, before more rain is forecast Wednesday and Thursday.
Conditions are forecast to clear again on Friday, with slight chances of rain anticipated on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Daytime temperatures through much of the week will range from the high 50s to high 60s, before dropping into the high 40s on Friday, the forecast said.
Nighttime temperatures will be in the 40s until next weekend, when they are forecast to move into the 30s.
“A more impactful winter storm system may emerge late next weekend,” the National Weather Service reported.
Forecasters said a wet and stormy scenario is anticipated from Dec. 12 to 14, complete with “widespread beneficial rain, periods of gusty winds, and mountain snow” if the stormy pattern materializes.
Email Elizabeth Larson at