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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to appoint a new Health Services director, an action that came nearly two months after the previous director resigned in the face of a potential termination action.

Emerging from a closed session during its special Tuesday meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Jonathan C. Portney, MPH, CPH, as the county’s new Health Services director.

“I look forward to serving the community as the Health Services director,” Portney said.

It’s his goal to do everything he can to ensure the betterment of health of all Lake County residents, Portney said. “It’s truly an honor to be here.”

The board applauded and County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson, who has served as interim Health Services director for the past two months, pumped her fist in the air.

Portney’s appointment is effective Jan. 10.

He will start at the second step on the salary scale, which is $10,993 a month, or $131,916 a year, based on the updated salary schedule the board approved in September.

“We are very excited to partner with Jonathan Portney to further our efforts to fight COVID-19, and promote the health and well-being of every Lake County resident,” said Board Chair Bruno Sabatier in a written statement issued by the county following the meeting. “Mr. Portney is a highly motivated and energetic health executive that has shown great capacity in recent years as a community-based public health practitioner in San Francisco and San Mateo County.”

The county reported that, since April of 2020, Portney has been actively engaged in pandemic response as executive director of Daly City Health Center, “ensuring quality care and services in historically complex circumstances.”

His other recent leadership experiences have included a stint from 2018 to 2020 as director of the Community Health Ambassador Program for San Francisco’s Urban Services YMCA, and a two-year term as director of the Hospital Family Resource Center and Rural Mobile Clinic for Waterloo Adventist Hospital in Sierra Leone.

His education includes receiving a master’s degree and pursuing his doctoral degree at Loma Linda University in Southern California, where emphases in his study included health technology and organizational development, program planning and health education training development, as well as treatment of respiratory disorders.

The county reported that Portney also recognizes certain population groups are more vulnerable to adverse health outcomes, due to environmental, behavioral, social and biological factors.

The diversity of contributors to people’s health is a key reason Portney emphasizes a community-focused approach to public health.

“Inclusive and participatory practices are the best way to hear the community’s voice, and for staff to foster meaningful partnerships that build community capacity and bring about community empowerment. I’m truly excited to partner with residents to promote the best possible health outcomes for Lake County,” Portney said in the written statement issued by the county.

In his new job, Portney will work with the county’s Public Health officer.

The county also has been working to hire a new, permanent Public Health officer after Dr. Gary Pace left the job on a full-time basis in the spring.

So far, that effort has not yielded a new hire, with the county in the fourth round of its recruitment.

However, Pace is continuing to provide services to the county in an interim capacity, with the most recent amendment to the agreement between he and the county approved by the board as part of its consent agenda at the Nov. 16 meeting.

That amendment extends the agreement to June 30, 2022, and will be terminated should the board hire a new full-time Public Health officer in the meantime.

Board action regarding previous director

Portney succeeds Denise Pomeroy, who served as Health Services director for nearly five and a half years before her resignation in October, after the board had appeared prepared to terminate her.

On Oct. 5, the board — at Huchingson’s request — added extra items to its agenda including a closed session evaluation of Pomeroy.

Later in the meeting, after the board had emerged from closed session and the video broadcast had stopped, it added several more items to the agenda, including reestablishing the deputy Health Services director as a county classification, the appointment of Jennifer Baker to interim Deputy Health Services director effective Tuesday and the appointment of Huchingson as the interim Health Services director.

Then, on Oct. 7, an addendum was made to the agenda for a special meeting scheduled specifically for department head evaluations. That addendum read, “Public Employee Evaluation/Termination: Title: Director: Health Services Director.”

Later that same day, Sabatier acknowledged that the board had accepted Pomeroy’s resignation.

Then, on Oct. 9, Pomeroy’s husband of 24 years, Arnold, died, following a lengthy illness.

On Oct. 12, Lake County News served the county, including Sabatier and County Counsel Anita Grant, with a cure and correct demand letter due to its belief that the Board of Supervisors had violated the Ralph M. Brown Act in its handling of those extra items at the Oct. 5 meeting out of the public view. The letter requested the items be withdrawn and reagendized in order to be reconsidered at the Oct. 19 meeting.

The county did not acknowledge receipt of the letter. However, on the Oct. 19 agenda was the withdrawal of those items and actions to readopt them. The items were placed on the consent agenda, which normally is not discussed. As such, Lake County News requested the items be pulled and explained for the public’s benefit.

At that time, Sabatier asked Huchingson to explain the situation. She said the board had emerged from closed session on Oct. 5 at 5:15 p.m. and announced its action from closed session.

As a result, she said they needed to add the extra items. All of that was done after support staff had left for the day, and they couldn’t restart the Granicus and Zoom programs.

“On the advice of counsel, it was recommended that we bring it back to you when the public can comment on it, if they wish to,” Huchingson said.

Grant noted, “Everyone realized immediately after that evening that these steps should be taken and so this has been in the works since the very next morning, just in case anybody has any questions in that regard.”

She apologized to the board for how it had been handled. “The important thing going forward is it’s very clear, transparent and visible to the public with this item.”

Sabatier said communications had begun the same night as the Oct. 5 meeting and that it was taken up again on that day to clear it up.

Since then, Huchingson served as the interim director, the latest in a series of interim director posts — including for the Registrar of Voters Office and Community Development — that the supervisors have given her when an issue has arisen with a department head vacancy.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday had been set to discuss sending a letter to the state over concerns about the safety of requiring students and referees to wear masks during indoor competitions, but updated guidance from the state led to the board taking no action.

Board Chair Bruno Sabatier had agendized the discussion last week, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, after he said county school officials asked for support to address the indoor masking requirements.

Sabatier had prepared a letter to California Department of Public Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly over concerns about the safety of the practice.

The agenda was posted on Nov. 24, Sabatier said. Later the same day, CDPH posted its updated guidance.

Sabatier said he had spoken on Monday with Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg, who said the matter is now up to the individual school districts to make the decisions.

Sabatier said the county also had received an email from all county school superintendents to the state about the masking requirements and had planned to join with them in the request for reconsideration, but it is now unnecessary due to the state’s updated guidance.

“The matter is no longer relevant in my opinion,” he said.

Sabatier noted that the new guidance includes wording that allows the option of not masking.

The guidance also appears to be contradictory.

In one paragraph, it states, “Masks are required indoors at all times when participants are not actively practicing, conditioning, competing, or performing.”

It then goes on to say that masks must be worn during such activities.

The guidance states: “When actively practicing, conditioning, or competing in indoor sports, masks are required by participants even during heavy exertion, as practicable. If masks are not worn due to heavy exertion, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly. An FDA-approved antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status.”

While the guidance emphasizes the need to wear masks indoors, Sabatier noted that it includes the words, “as practicable,” which appears to allow an alternative.

The new CDPH guidance on extracurricular activities from Nov. 24 is published below.

16. School-Based Extracurricular Activities

The requirements and recommendations in this guidance apply to all extracurricular activities that are operated or supervised by schools, and all activities that occur on a school site, whether or not they occur during school hours, including, but not limited to, sports, band, chorus, and clubs.

Activities may be performed outdoors without masks. Indoor mask use remains a critical layer in protecting against COVID-19 infection and transmission, including during sports, music, and related activities. Accordingly:

• Masks are required indoors at all times for teachers, referees, officials, coaches, and other support staff.
• Masks are required indoors for all spectators and observers.
• Masks are required indoors at all times when participants are not actively practicing, conditioning, competing, or performing. Masks are also required indoors while on the sidelines, in team meetings, and within locker rooms and weight rooms.
• When actively practicing, conditioning, or competing in indoor sports, masks are required by participants even during heavy exertion, as practicable. If masks are not worn due to heavy exertion, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly. An FDA-approved antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status.
• Individuals using instruments indoors that cannot be played with a mask (e.g., wind instruments) may perform if bell coverings are used when playing wind instruments AND a minimum of 3 feet of physical distancing is maintained between participants. Modified masking may be considered in addition to, but not in place of, bell covers. If bell covers are not used, it is strongly recommended that individuals undergo screening testing at least once weekly. An FDA-approved antigen test, PCR test, or pooled PCR test is acceptable for evaluation of an individual's COVID-19 status.

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.

How can a culinary degree help an aspiring chef spice up future earnings?

The expected annual salary for a chef one year after culinary school is about $37,588, according to the Census Bureau’s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes, or PSEO, Explorer tool. Salaries rise to $47,711 in five years and $52,941 10 years after culinary college.

With the holidays fast approaching and the popularity of reality television cooking shows, food is at the forefront of the country’s cultural landscape — and perhaps so is interest in prospective culinary careers.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released an infographic that features data on annual earnings of associate degree holders in the culinary, entertainment and personal services industries, using graduates from the Arapahoe Community College of Colorado as an example.

Details from the infographic were derived from the interactive tool, which allows prospective students and parents to search statistics on earnings and employment outcomes of graduates of select post-secondary institutions in the United States.

PSEO is an experimental data product that highlights employment and earnings outcomes for college and university graduates.

By matching university transcript data with a national database of jobs, PSEO traces graduate movements from postsecondary institution, degree level and degree major to employment by industry and geographic labor markets.



According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment in food preparation and service-related fields is expected to grow by 20% from 2020 to 2030, gaining about 2.3 million jobs over the next decade. Median annual pay for food preparation and serving-related occupations was $25,500 in May 2020.

Aspiring chefs can use the PSEO Explorer to find out which industry sector of employment Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services graduates are choosing. They can glean information on geographical dispersion, too.

Nearly 53% of culinary graduates from Arapaho Community College entered other service industries; about 13% went into health care and social assistance, and 6% went to manufacturing.

As of October 2021, the PSEO dataset includes 534 institutions from 17 states — Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The PSEO Explorer allows users to explore data previously reported in an America Counts Story.

Earlene K. P. Dowell is a program analyst in the Census Bureau’s Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamic Program, Center for Economic Studies.

Editor’s note: For those seeking a culinary degree in Lake County, Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus has a well-known program led by Chef Robert Cabreros. Find out more here.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric reported that it is testing artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities in its growing network of high-definition cameras across Northern and Central California to see how it can enhance fire-watch and response capabilities.

The company said that this year, in collaboration with ALERTWildfire, it has installed 138 new HD cameras across high fire-threat districts, in accordance with its 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Plan.

Of those 138 cameras, 46 of them are included in the new artificial intelligence, or AI, testing program in partnership with Alchera and ALERTWildfire.

A similar pilot was conducted with Pano through participation in EPRI’s 2021 Incubatenergy Labs Challenge. PG&E began installing HD cameras in 2018, as part of its Community Wildfire Safety Program.

As of Oct. 31, 487 cameras are now in operation, 45 of them are in Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt counties. None of them are in the new AI test program.

In Lake County, 10 cameras have been installed. In 2019, cameras were installed on Mount Konocti, two each on Buckingham Peak, Cobb Mountain and Cow Mountain, with the most recent two cameras installed on Walker Ridge in January.

“Even with the two significant rainstorms in October and November, we are still in a historic drought and California, along with other western states, continue to experience an increase in wildfire risk and a longer wildfire season. We are using every new tool and technology at our disposal to improve situational awareness and intelligence to help mitigate and prevent wildfires, including this new AI capability,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E chief risk officer. “Every bit of data and intelligence that comes to us could potentially save a life.”

PG&E said the pilot program is already demonstrating the AI’s potential to reduce fire size expansion.

On Aug. 4, PG&E’s Howell Mountain 1 camera located in Placer County and equipped with Alchera’s AI software, spotted smoke one minute before the actual fire dispatch and several minutes sooner than the manual movement of the camera. That smoke ended up becoming the River Fire. This is one example of many noted during both pilots confirming the value of early fire detection technology.

The expert staff in the company’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center, or WSOC, outside agencies and first responders use the fire-watch cameras to monitor, detect, assess for threats and respond to wildfires.

The AI test programs include PG&E determining a way to get the new data to the right people quickly and effectively. The quicker the data is received, the more rapidly first responders and PG&E can confirm fires and move the right resources to the right place.

“The software analyzes the video feed and if it thinks it sees smoke, we receive an alert via email and text, telling us it just detected smoke. Our analysts then pinpoint where the smoke is coming from and determine if it’s a car fire, dumpster fire, or even a vegetation fire. Based on the location, we can assess for threat to the public or PG&E facilities,” said Eric Sutphin, supervisor at PG&E’s WSOC who’s in charge of the camera installations. “The AI filters out a significant number of false positives, for example, ruling out dust, fog or haze.”

Sutphin explained that the recent installation of the AI test software with its machine-learning capabilities means the WSOC team is getting smarter over time with more experience and more data gathered.

“We know the cameras are doing well at spotting wisps of smoke from long distances. We plan to assess our initial implementation, continue to gather the data, and develop a plan for using this leading-edge technology on a more expanded basis,” he said.

The cameras provide 360-degree views with pan, tilt and zoom capabilities and can be viewed by anyone through the ALERTWildfire Network at www.alertwildfire.org.

By the end of 2022, the company plans to have approximately 600 cameras installed, providing an ability to see in real-time more than 90% of the high fire-risk areas it serves.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Clearlake’s new Starbucks has opened its doors, with other coffee house projects also in the works and the potential for still more such businesses to be based in the city.

Starbucks, located next to Carl’s Junior on Dam Road Extension and next to the Walmart shopping center, was open for business on Monday.

Clearlake Mayor Dirk Slooten said the new store has 27 good-paying jobs.

“We’re really excited about it,” he said.

The work on the new coffee house broke ground in May. Originally reported as having a September opening date, City Manager Alan Flora said it encountered several delays.

Flora told Lake County News that the new Starbucks received its certificate of occupancy from the city earlier this month and had been training staff and going finalizing preparations since then.

Flora said that while there are many places in Clearlake that serve coffee, in addition to the Starbucks the city has just two other dedicated coffee shops: Sisters Coffeehouse, 14812 Olympic Drive, and Catfish Coffee at 14624 Lakeshore Drive.

Another coffee house project in the works is Mudslingers, approved by the planning commission earlier this year for a drive-thru and walk up coffee shop at 14760 Olympic Drive.

Flora said the city doesn’t have a firm date for when Mudslingers might open. Noting they are waiting on the city, he said the city’s plans for the first phase for the Burns Valley development are nearing completion and a bid will go out for the work.

Once that work is done — including installing the roadway, parking and utilities — Mudslingers will be cleared to build their store, Flora said.

Down the road, Marcel’s French Bakery & Cafe at 15090 Olympic Drive received planning commission approval in February for a new drive-thru in an existing building that previously housed a bakery.

Flora said Marcel’s is being held up by needing to complete certain requirements in the use permit conditions, primarily installation of curb gutter and sidewalk.

There also is the potential for other coffee house locations, Flora said.

“We have had some pretty serious talks with a couple of other national coffee brands, but nothing set in stone at this point,” Flora said.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will carry out its annual duties of choosing its leadership for the coming year at its meeting this week and also will approve a program to support local college studies.

The council will meet in closed session at 5 p.m. to discuss existing litigation against the county and treasurer-tax collector, negotiations for property at 6452 Francisco and 6461 Manzanita, Melinda Wymer’s suit against the city and the city’s suit against Amerisourcebergen Drug Corp. before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom or can attend in person.

The agenda can be found here.

Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.

At the start of the public portion of the meeting, the council will announce its action from closed session, get a presentation on December’s adoptable dogs, present the 2021 Living the Lake Life photo contest winners and receive an update on the Hope Center.

The council is set to consider continuing to Jan. 6 a public hearing to consider a development agreement with Ogulin Canyon Holdings LLC to allow a cannabis Operation located at 2185 Ogulin Canyon Road, a property formerly owned by the city.

Under business, council members will consider an agreement between the city and Woodland Community College for the Clearlake Promise Program.

The program, spearheaded by Mayor Dirk Slooten, would set aside $55,000 for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years “for the purpose of implementing a last dollar scholarship program” to 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.

“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 agreement notes.

The council also is set to get an update on the recovery effort for the August Cache fire.

The last action of the evening will be the appointment of the 2022 mayor and vice mayor. Slooten and Russ Perdock have served as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, for the past year.

On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; approval of temporary street closure for the annual Christmas parade and tree lighting; approval of a reimbursement agreement with Lake County for the Pyrethroid and Stormwater Monitoring Sampling Program; authorization of the agreement for vegetation abatement on city/RDA owned properties; authorization to approve the Cannabis Equity Program; adoption of resolution 2021-61 approving the application for Rural Recreation and Tourism Program Grant Funds of the Burns Valley Sports Complex Project; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 23, 2021, and ratified by council action on Sept. 16, 2021; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 18, 2021, and ratified by council action on Aug. 19, 2021; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting minutes of Oct. 13, 2021; approve the City Hall holiday closure; authorize city manager to enter into a contract with E4 Design for dry utility design services for the Burns Valley Development Project; authorize city manager to enter into a contract with E4 Design for dry utility design services for the Airport Property Development Project; approve proposed 2022 City Council meeting calendar.

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.