NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Every 10 years, following the federal Census, the boundaries of the areas by which the Yuba Community College District Governing Board is elected is subject to change.

At the Oct. 14 regular board meeting, the governing board received a presentation from Cooperative Strategies, YCCD’s demographers, highlighting changes in the YCCD population since the 2010 Census.

Cooperative Strategies also informed the governing board that due to population growth within YCCD’s boundaries since the 2010 Census, under state and federal voting rights laws, the governing board should redraw its trustee area boundaries to satisfy population variance standards between the most and least populated trustee areas.

At the Nov. 10 regular board meeting, the YCCD Governing Board will review and consider map options that ensure compliance with state and federal voting rights laws.

Any changes to the YCCD trustee areas need to be approved by the YCCD Governing Board by Feb. 28, 2022.

The Governing Board encourages public participation throughout this process.

The public can view the current trustee area maps and the draft maps outlining change options the Board will consider on Nov. 10 here.

Two public hearings are planned to receive public input on this process.

The hearings are scheduled for Nov. 10 and Dec. 16, at regular monthly board meetings.

For the first public hearing, the YCCD Governing Board will meet virtually on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.

The agenda and zoom link can be accessed here after Sunday, Nov. 7.

Following the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup’s review of the federal process and conclusion that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for children 5 years of age and up, the state is rolling out a vaccination program with the resources to vaccinate every newly eligible Californian.

“Vaccines are how we end this pandemic, and they’re how we keep our kids safe – it’s time to get our children the protection they need from this deadly virus, especially as we head into the winter season,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “California is leading the nation in vaccinations with 54 million administered and 87% of the eligible population with at least one dose, and we’re moving swiftly to implement a robust and equitable vaccination program that will cover this newly eligible age group.”

California will begin vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 immediately, with 500 organizations across the state receiving their first shipments through Monday.

The state was allocated 1.2 million pediatric doses from the federal government, with adequate supply to vaccinate all newly eligible Californians becoming available in the coming weeks.

The state has more than 4,000 locations ready to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 as supply increases, and is leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships used to administer vaccines to teens and young adults.

This includes working closely with medical providers, local health departments, schools, community partners and others to administer vaccines safely and equitably through mobile clinics and vaccine pop-ups in the hardest-hit communities across the state.

For example, California has brokered partnerships with after-school programs – including the Sierra Health Foundation and the Alliance for Boys & Girls — to set up 84 pop-up clinics statewide.

Already, there have been over 3,100 school-located clinics covering over two million students, with another 800 planned for November and December, covering 450,000 students.

The state has mobilized an unprecedented multi-pronged paid media campaign to get all Californians vaccinated, including children. In November alone, this campaign will make 800 million impressions across multiple platforms to emphasize the importance of getting vaccinated. The campaign will continue to focus on our hardest-hit communities with an in-language approach and an emphasis on equity.

To date, California has administered 54 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with 87% of the eligible population having received at least one dose.

California has taken nation-leading actions to protect the youngest Californians during the pandemic by implementing bold school safety and public health measures.

California was the first to require masks in K-12 settings, vaccine verification or weekly testing for school staff, and has added the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for students.

State officials said these public health measures have resulted in California keeping more children out of the hospital and keeping more schools open than other states.

Parents are encouraged to call their child’s health care provider to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Parents can also visit http://MyTurn.ca.gov or call the hotline at 833-422-4255 beginning Thursday to find a nearby vaccination site.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night offered its congratulations to the city’s retiring Public Works director, looked at redistricting scenarios for state and federal elected offices, and discussed COVID-19 safety measures the city has taken.

Among the council’s first items of business on Tuesday was honoring Public Works Director Doug Grider, who is leaving his post after 17 years with the city of Lakeport.

Grider, a Willits resident and an avid outdoorsman who often sports camouflage attire — “camo” is reputed to be his favorite color — appeared before the council for his last meeting on Tuesday evening with more color than normal, in the form of a shock of pink-dyed hair.

He said the pink hair was in honor of his 29-year-old daughter-in-law, Taylor, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Councilwoman Stacey Mattina read a proclamation commending Grider on his retirement, which noted key highlights from his service, beginning with his hire as Public Works superintendent on July 6, 2004, and his promotion to Public Works director in 2016.

In that role, he led six Public Works divisions — administration and compliance, roads and infrastructure, parks, buildings and grounds, the former Westshore Pool, water operations and maintenance and sewer operations and maintenance.

During the meeting, council members also lauded Grider for his careful use of city funds and equipment, and for taking an approach like a businessman.

He implemented the pavement management system to track the condition of the city’s roads and streets; created a process to recycle aggregate materials from city projects; acquired heavy equipment to enable more projects to be completed using city staff; led the replacement of the Library Park sea wall, a lengthy and complex project that required coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency; advocated for implementing emergency management practices which qualified the city for disaster aid grants; oversaw the Downtown Improvement Project; and has been a key player in developing the Westside Community Park and the Lakefront Park.

Grider and his staff have been central to the city’s response to floods, fires, power outages and other emergencies.

In 2017 and 2019, the city sustained significant damage from winter storms and flooding, with the 2017 flood ultimately undermining the sea wall in Library Park to such a degree that it led to Grider’s efforts to get a more substantial long-term fix.

In 2018, the entire city was evacuated for about a week due to the Mendocino Complex, which it had been feared would burn through Lakeport.

Since then, Grider and his staff have had to keep city facilities running as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. began implementing proactive public safety power shut-offs to avoid fires. At one point in late 2019, power was off in the entire county for nearly a week due to the shut-offs.

In response to these challenges, Grider earned an Emergency Management certification through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Grider also took an active role in assisting with the planning and operation of the city’s popular lineup of events, from concerts, festivals and street fairs to the Seaplane Splash-In.

During the annual July 4 celebration, Grider was consistently on hand to help oversee the event, with he and his crew carrying out a fast cleanup of the parks in the hours after the participants went home.

Grider also was involved with the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee and the Measure Z Advisory Committee, and was credited for his collaborative work with many community groups and residents.

The proclamation noted that Grider is a devoted family man who enjoys fishing and Reggae on the River, and that the city would miss his common sense and tenacity.

Reading from the proclamation, Mattina said the council extended its sincere and best wishes for whatever comes next for “one of our all-time favorite people.”

The council and the audience then offered Grider a standing ovation.

“It’s been an honor. That’s about all I can say,” Grider said.

“Thank you so much for all your support,” he said, adding that without council supporting staff like it does, all the wonderful things happening in Lakeport wouldn’t be happening.

City Manager Kevin Ingram said it was fitting that one of Grider’s last acts in his job was another agenda item that night, a mutual aid agreement with the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

Grider has championed the agreement, said Ingram. “It really has paid off in keeping the community safe.”

Ingram said he doesn’t think most people appreciate the mountains of bureaucracy needed in response to disasters — not just recovering from them but mitigating them.

He used the sea wall replacement as an example, noting it wasn’t just a repair project but also a mitigation against future floods, and one which will continue to support the community.

Grider worked “closely and carefully” with FEMA, Ingram noted. The agency paid for the majority of the project, which cost nearly $1 million.

Ingram said Grider puts on a “growly bear” front but deeply cares for the city of Lakeport. “Doug has certainly left the city in a much better place than he has found it.”

The council received an email from Mary Claybon from the Lake County Community Development Department congratulating Grider on his retirement. She said it was a pleasure to attend multiple emergency management training courses with him and that she always looked forward to his insight, knowledge, expertise and ability to lead groups with a smile on his face.

Former Councilman George Spurr said he appreciated Grider always having an open door and being willing to answer questions.

Cloverdale Police Chief Jason Ferguson, who was a longtime Lakeport Police Department employee, also was on hand to honor Grider, recalling working with him in the city’s emergency operations center during the Mendocino Complex. He learned a lot from Grider and also laughed a lot with him.

He wished Grider a happy retirement and said he hoped they could go fishing together.

Businesswoman Nancy Ruzicka also praised Grider. “I”m not here tonight to complain about anything,” she said, noting his door was always open to her as well. “He would allow me to vent my frustrations.”

Council members individually offered Grider their thanks, and Michael Green noted he appreciated Grider’s service not just for the things he knew he had done, but for what he guessed was a mountain of things Grider had accomplished that he didn’t know about.

Mattina said she had learned a lot from Grider, that she would miss him and hoped they would see him around. “Don’t just disappear on us.”

Councilman Michael Froio said he appreciated Grider and the hard work he’s done for the city. “What says a lot about you is how many people love you.”

Froio said Grider’s retirement is both happy and sad at the same time.

Mayor Kenny Parlet, who continues to attend the meetings via Zoom, said he was impressed with Grider’s care of equipment and fiduciary responsibility with city funds.

Later in the meeting, Ingram recounted how when he arrived to work at the city from the county, Grider was a huge help to him from day one and taught him a lot. He thanked Grider for his mentorship and said he would miss him a lot.

The city has so far not announced who Grider’s successor will be as Public Works director.

Council approves mutual aid agreement with Lakeport Fire Protection District

Grider’s last official business before the council was the presentation of the mutual aid agreement between the city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

He reported that the fire district and the city have been operating without a formal mutual aid agreement since the city fire department was annexed by the Lakeport Fire Protection District in 1999. Such an agreement is needed to meet the current protocols for external agency assistance and also sets up reimbursement.

The agreement Grider presented had a slight modification to remove reference to a map that he said wasn’t necessary.

The joint agreement will be managed by both agencies, he said.

“As small agencies and small rural areas, we all really need to start working together,” Grider said, adding that trying to stand as an island alone doesn’t help anybody.

Over the last five years, as he has gotten into emergency management, Grider said it became apparent, “we need to all work together,” which goes for all the cities and counties in the area, which need to work as a team.

“This is one step in that direction,” Grider said.

The Lakeport Fire Protection District Board is expected to consider and approve the agreement on Nov. 9.

During the discussion, Grider explained that the city also responds to offer mutual aid assistance — in a support capacity — to other parts of the county, as it did in August when the Cache fire burned in Clearlake.

All of the resources in the Clearlake area were depleted, so Grider said the city sent its water truck, which acted as a water tender for fire trucks. The city’s water truck can fill up to five fire engines before needing to refill itself.

Green moved to approve the agreement with the proposed changes, which Turner seconded and the council approved 5-0.

“I think this is a perfect example of what Doug has done for the city,” Ingram said after the vote.

He said getting these formal agreements in place is “so crucial when we’re trying to recover costs or trying to file for grants or other mitigation pieces.”

Mattina said it’s a lot of extra work and she appreciated it.

“I’ve worked really hard because I understood that no individual on their own can make great things happen,” said Grider, who acknowledged his staff as being exceptional. “They made it possible for me to be successful.”

Grider said the city has a unique group of individuals working for it, and he’s worked hard on succession planning over the last year and a half to make sure the city wouldn’t be left in the lurch when he retired.

He said he’s confident the city won’t miss a beat, and that his staff will carry on with the same honor and tradition he did.

“The city is in good hands,” Grider said, adding he hoped the council would give Public Works staff the same support it has given him.

Council consider redistricting commission’s work, COVID-19 measures

In other business during the council’s nearly two-hour meeting, the council discussed the work of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is putting together mapping scenarios that will lead to draft maps for congressional, and state Assembly and Senate seats.

Last week, the commission had released initial visualizations that the Board of Supervisors wrote a letter complaining about because Lake County was grouped in ways that would have meant it was losing all of its current representation.

On Tuesday, the commission released updated visualizations that showed Lake County grouped with Napa and Marin counties for Congress, with Napa, Yolo and portions of Sonoma County for State Assembly, and with Napa, Solano and Yolo counties for State Senate.

Ingram said they had just become aware of the new scenarios on Tuesday evening.

“I think this looks better,” Turner said of the new scenarios. Froio agreed.

Ingram said he felt that, ultimately, the changes were good, noting it was most important for Lake County to remain in the same districts. That’s been a challenge since the last redistricting 10 years ago, as Lake County was split in half over two congressional districts.

The council voted to direct Ingram to write a letter to the commission — which is meeting this week to continue working on the scenarios — offering support for the latest iteration of the visualizations and emphasizing the importance of keeping the county together.

The council also considered implementing a mandate for weekly COVID-19 testing for city employees but ultimately took no action, with two motions offered by Green — to have Ingram bring back future agenda items to support a voluntary testing program and a vaccination incentive program — dying for lack of seconds.

The majority of the council voiced support for the work the city’s administrative staff has already done to implement workplace safety measures as well as making efforts to keep the community safe when visiting city facilities.

Turner said that, from the very beginning, city staff had taken a proactive approach to protect staff and the public. “They just went ahead and did it,” he said.

She said she also was encouraged to learn of the high vaccination rate of staff, and council members also noted the fact that there have been no outbreaks among city personnel.

Turner said the city will continue to pivot its response as the science directs.

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. — Adventist Health and Blue Zones have announced the launch of the Blue Zones Project to help everyone in Lake County live better, longer lives.

Blue Zones Project Lake County joins the recently launched Blue Zones Project communities of Upper Napa Valley, Mendocino County and Tuolumne County as Northern California areas where Adventist Health is introducing this unique community-driven well-being improvement initiative as part of its commitment to the communities it serves.

Lake County is supported locally by Adventist Health Clear Lake, which will work in close collaboration with other local stakeholders to promote healthy choices and lifestyles in the region.

“At Adventist Health, our values call for us to transform the health experience of the communities we support by improving physical, mental and spiritual health. Clearly, the transformative capabilities of Blue Zones Project align closely with those values,” said David Santos, president and CEO for Adventist Health Clear Lake. “The Blue Zones model lifts well-being at the population level by making healthy choices easier in all the places people live, work, learn, pray and play, and by introducing Blue Zones Project Lake County we will empower all members of this community to live longer lives by enhancing the built environment.”

Based on research on the world’s longest-lived communities by National Geographic Fellow and best-selling author Dan Buettner, Blue Zones Project is the leading nationwide well-being improvement initiative.

Blue Zones Project is a first-of-its-kind population health initiative that helps entire communities get healthier by optimizing public policy, social connections and the places and spaces where people spend the most time so that healthy choices are easy and accessible.

Participating communities have seen double-digit drops in obesity and smoking rates, economic investment in downtown corridors, grant funding awards to support policies and programs aimed at improving health equity, higher well-being levels, increased productivity and measurable savings in health care costs.

Blue Zones Project and Adventist Health initiated the site assessment of Lake County earlier this year, meeting with community leaders from across the county to begin to understand readiness for and scope of a Blue Zones Project in Lake County.

The assessment covered areas that a Blue Zones Project engages, including the built environment, food and tobacco policy, worksites, schools, faith-based organizations, and civic and nonprofit groups.

Local leaders from many of these sectors as well as healthcare and tribal communities participated and expressed support for the Blue Zones Project in Lake County.

Multiple opportunities for alignment of the community’s current initiatives and strategic plans with Blue Zones Project were also noted.

“In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need has never been greater for a proven solution that will help entire communities get healthier and happier with higher well-being, reduced healthcare spending, and better health outcomes for current and future generations,” said Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones and co-founder of Blue Zones Project. “By partnering with Blue Zones Project, Lake County demonstrates how a community can come together in a powerful and strategic way to advance their own health and well-being. We look forward to collaborating with the community leaders, our partners and the people of Lake County in achieving this vision of a better tomorrow, when everyone there is living better and longer with a higher quality of life."

All residents of Lake County are welcome and encouraged to take part in Blue Zones Project programs and offerings, including signing up for the newsletter, following the Blue Zones Project Lake County Facebook page, and taking a well-being assessment.

“The decision to introduce Blue Zones Project to Lake County comes at a critical juncture for our community and offers a unique opportunity to elevate our collective well-being through lasting societal change,” added Jamey Gill, executive director of Blue Zones Project Lake County. “We strongly encourage everyone in Lake County to join us in our community’s journey to better health by engaging with Blue Zones Project, as the data and feedback they provide will help identify specific points of emphasis for the initiative to consider.”

The launch of Blue Zones Project Lake County represents the beginning of a multi-year collaborative effort that involves the entire community working together towards one common goal — to support and inspire community health and well-being.

The local implementation team will begin the leadership planning phase this month, with a kickoff event to follow early in 2022.

More information about Blue Zones Project Lake County is available at www.lakecounty.bluezonesproject.com.

State Controller Betty T. Yee has published the 2020 self-reported payroll data for fairs, expositions and First 5 commissions on the Government Compensation in California website.

The data cover 1,429 positions and a total of close to $44.8 million in 2020 wages.

The newly published data include 679 positions at 27 fairs and expositions, and 750 positions at 40 First 5 commissions.

Lake County First 5 Commission reported having 12 employees, including nine unpaid commissioners.

For the three paid positions — executive director, secretary and temporary or extra help — wages totaled $112,753, with total retirement and health contributions of $18,588.

The Lake County Fair, or 49th District Agricultural Association, reported having 13 employees, including eight unpaid board members.

The fair in 2020 had five paid employees: chief executive officer, business assistant, maintenance worker, seasonal clerk and maintenance worker. Wages paid totaled $164,755, while retirement and health contributions totaled $59,298.

California law requires cities, counties, and special districts to annually report compensation data to the state controller.

Controller Yee also maintains and publishes state government and California State University salary data.

No statutory requirement exists for superior courts, UC, community college districts, fairs, expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers; their reporting is voluntary.

A list of entities that did not file or filed incomplete reports is available here.

Since the website launched in 2010, it has registered more than 12 million pageviews. The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.

 

COVID-19 has made food access more challenging for many communities. In Michigan State University’s Fall 2021 Food Literacy and Engagement Poll, 31% of the people we talked to said the pandemic had affected their household’s ability to obtain food. This included 28% of households earning less than $25,000, and 38% of those earning more than $75,000 annually.

We surveyed 2,002 representative Americans between Aug. 27 and Sept. 1, 2021, to explore how the pandemic influenced the food landscape and shaped people’s food resources, choices and diet.

Millions of Americans left the workforce during the pandemic, so it may not be surprising that 53% of those with limited food access reported having fewer financial resources than they did before then. To make matters worse, food and gasoline prices surged during the same period. This made decisions about where and how to spend fewer dollars even more challenging for families already struggling to make ends meet.

Rising food insecurity

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Households with low food security have trouble affording enough food and eating balanced diets.

In 2018, the department estimated that over 37 million Americans were food insecure. By December 2020 that figure had risen to 38.3 million people, or 10.5% of U.S. households.

Among the subset of our survey respondents who reported that financial constraints limited their food access, 74% said they chose different brands of food in response. Nearly half (47%) consumed less food, and 31% received support from government programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). One in 6 (17%) reported visiting food banks more often.

Money wasn’t the only factor. Among respondents who experienced limited food access, 37% said they did not feel comfortable shopping at the grocery store, and 32% reported not having reliable transportation. It is likely that the risk of illness led many people to avoid public transportation or ride sharing to limit their chance of exposure to disease.

Regardless of financial constraints, 50% of respondents said the pandemic has changed the way they purchase and store food. Among that group, 51% now look for food with a long shelf life, 50% are storing more food at home and 48% are taking fewer trips to the grocery store. Aside from concerns about the virus itself, these trends may be associated with uncertainty, speculation and highly publicized supply chain disruptions.

More food awareness

The pandemic has also led some Americans to focus more on what does not get eaten. One in 4 of our respondents (27%) said they were paying more attention to food waste. Given that food waste globally accounts for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that the U.S. wastes between 30% and 40% of its food supply while 6.1 million U.S. children currently live in food-insecure households, reducing food waste has the potential to address multiple challenges at the same time. 

At the time of our survey, 69% of respondents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Among those vaccinated, 67% reported visiting the grocery more often after receiving their first shot. Similarly, 33% spent more time in the grocery store after getting vaccinated, and 29% reported that they could more easily transport and access groceries. Only 15% of vaccinated respondents had stopped wearing masks where they were not required.

Our poll results demonstrate how the pandemic has transformed many Americans’ lives and behaviors in complex and interconnected ways. While these changes may not be permanent, we can predict that Americans’ food access and choices will undoubtedly continue to shift, along with the state of the pandemic.

Sheril Kirshenbaum, Associate Research Scientist, Michigan State University and Douglas Buhler, Director of AgBioResearch and Assistant Vice President of Research and Innovation, Michigan State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.