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The committee, or LEDAC, will meet via Zoom from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The meeting is open to the public.
The meeting will be held via Zoom: Meeting ID, 928 1773 9016; pass code, 291966. Dial by your location, 669-900-6833.
The group is meeting monthly on the second Wednesday through December to work on elements of the next Economic Development Strategic Plan for Lakeport.
Also on the agenda are updates on city projects and activities, member reports and citizens input.
Next month’s meeting will take place at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
Members are Chair Wilda Shock and Vice Chair Denise Combs, Bonnie Darling, Candy De Los Santos, Monica Flores, Pam Harpster, Andy Lucas, Alicia Russell, Laura Sammel and Marie Schrader, with Bill Eaton as an ex officio member. City staff who are members include City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Director Jenni Byers.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Jessie D. Taylor, 27, died as a result of the Friday night crash, which the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said may have had driving under the influence as a factor.
While the crash occurred on Friday night, Taylor was not found until the following morning, the CHP said.
In a Monday report, the CHP said that Taylor was riding his 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound on Highway 281, north of Highway 29 near Kelseyville, at an unknown speed after 9 p.m. Friday.
Highway 281 curves to the right and Taylor continued straight, crossing the southbound lane before traveling onto the west side of the roadway, the CHP said.
Taylor continued down an embankment and ran into a wire fence, which caused him to be ejected from the bike and onto the ground, according to the CHP’s report.
A nearby resident found Taylor at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The CHP said fire personnel who responded to the scene declared Taylor deceased.
The CHP said Taylor was wearing a Department of Transportation-approved motorcycle helmet at the time of the collision.
Drugs and/or alcohol are suspected to be contributing factors in the crash, the CHP said.
The crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, 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 910 1558 6153, pass code 943426. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,91015586153#,,,,*943426#.
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 supervisors, sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, will consider a purchase agreement with Michael S. Mountanos for two parcels totaling 124 acres at 2200 Point Land Farms Road in Nice.
The purchase price is $1,495,600 for the property, which will be part of the Middle Creek Restoration Project.
In timed items, the board will hear a presentation on the first phase of the Lake County Recreation Center Feasibility Study and consideration of county financial participation for phase two of the study. The cities of Clearlake and Lakeport have already approved moving forward with the second phase.
At 11 a.m., the board will get an update on the COVID-19 situation from Lake County Public Health.
At 1:30 p.m., the board will hold a public hearing on the appeal of a Vicious Animal Abatement Case Number No. 859, located at 21852 Jerusalem Grade Lower Lake. The appellant is Brandon Strausser.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Second reading, adopt ordinance Amending Article X of Chapter Two of the Lake County Code to Include further requirements for exemptions from competitive bidding and requirements for bid protests.
5.2: Approve request to appoint negotiating team for the sale of county-owned property located at 1111 Whalen Way, Lakeport, CA (APN: 21-1781-01).
5.3: Adopt resolution approving the application of the Lake County Arts Council for the California Arts Council Grant for FY 2021-22 and authorizing the Lake County Arts Council to execute the grant contract.
5.4: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 21-0293-000-SG with California Department of Food and Agriculture to provide reimbursement for the Bee Safe Program in the amount of $6,255.88 for period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
5.5: Approval to extend the use of the county juvenile hall facility for a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population through Dec. 31, 2021.
5.6: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for July 13, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.
5.7: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and, (b) approve agreement with WBPC Inc. for recruitment for multiple planner positions, for a maximum compensation of $32,500 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.8: Adopt resolution amending Resolution 2021-68 and approving the Classification, Compensation Recruitment and Retention Committee findings and recommendations for fiscal year 2021-2022.
5.9: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.2, based on the determination that competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; (b) approve agreement between the county of Lake and Epidendio Construction for construction of temporary water main bypass at Adobe Creek Bridge in Finley and authorize Special Districts administrator to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:30 a.m.: a) Presentation of the Lake County Recreation Center Feasibility Study Phase One; and b) consideration of county financial participation for phase two of the study.
6.3, 11 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.4, 1:30 p.m.: Public hearing, appeal of Vicious Animal Abatement Case Number #859, located at 21852 Jerusalem Grade Lower Lake (Brandon Strausser).
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Sitting as the Board of Directors for the Lake County Watershed Protection District, consideration of a) expenditure of funds for an administrative settlement; and b) consideration to determine appropriate budget unit for the appropriation; and c) consideration of purchase agreement for property known as assessor's parcel numbers 031-031-909 and 031-041-320 in the amount of $1,495,600 and authorize the chair of the board of directors to sign the administrative settlement and purchase agreement.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Appointment of Public Health officer.
8.2: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of Community Development director (b) Appointment of Community Development director.
8.3: Public employee evaluation: Interim Community Development director.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1) — City of Clearlake v. County of Lake, et al.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, 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
Community members also can participate via Zoom.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments prior to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the Youtube channels for the city of Clearlake or Lake County PEG TV.
The single item on the commission’s Tuesday agenda is a conditional use permit for the operation of a secondhand goods retail store in an existing facility in the Mixed Use Zoning District, located at 14893 Lakeshore Drive.
The staff report said Jen “Ginny” Ansaldo is requesting her business “Jen’s Little Bit of Everything” be approved to utilize the existing commercial space owned by Norman
Watson.
Ansaldo is proposing to occupy the existing 2,300-square-foot structure with no changes to the building’s footprint on the 6,500-square-foot lot, which includes a paved entryway/parking area within Clearlake’s main downtown commercial corridor on the south side of Lakeshore Drive, about 500 feet west of its intersection from Old Highway 53.
The site has been largely vacant since being used previously by Clearlake Church of God, with the exception of various nonpermitted uses including residential occupation and an animal rescue shelter.
The commission’s members are Chair Kathryn Davis, Vice Chair Robert Coker and commissioners Lisa Wilson, Erin McCarrick and Fawn Williams.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
As a child, I had a great deal of anxiety. If you’ve ever seen me speak in public, that might surprise you. But anxiety among children is extremely common and affects almost all children, to varying degrees.
During pre-pandemic times, researchers noted that as many as 7% of children had a diagnosable anxiety disorder that disrupted their everyday functioning. In addition, 20% had a tendency to feel anxious that didn’t rise to the level of a clinical disorder. And all children feel anxious at some time or another.
As a researcher who’s studied children’s mental health for decades, I know that predictability helps prevent anxiety in children. Predictability means things going along as they’ve always gone: sleep at night, up in the morning, cornflakes for breakfast, off to school, activities in the afternoon, dinner with the family. In Louise Fitzhugh’s children’s novel “Harriet the Spy,” Harriet’s mother can’t believe that her daughter always takes a tomato sandwich to school. Always. Harriet has no interest in variety. She’s perfectly happy with the same sandwich, year after year.
Given children’s fondness for sameness and predictability, it should be no surprise that a global pandemic that halted school as kids know it, slammed the brakes on seeing friends, stopped extracurricular activities and banished all but immediate family members would have a profound impact on children’s anxiety.
A to-be-published study I conducted on 238 teens between January and May 2021 at the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center found that an astonishing 64% reported increased anxiety over the course of the pandemic. Even back in the spring of 2020, researchers were finding increased levels of anxiety among children in China. Similarly, a large-scale survey by the nonprofit Save the Children found significant increases in negative emotions including anxiety, in 48 countries around the globe.
To whatever extent the delta variant affects in-person instruction in the fall of 2021, back-to-school this year will be different from pre-pandemic years. Anxiety may be a challenge for many more children than usual, and it can be intertwined with other feelings, such as excitement and shyness.
Here are steps parents can take to help reduce their kids’ back-to-school anxiety and encourage a better start to the fall term.
1. Look for general symptoms of anxiety
Ask your kids how they’re feeling about going back to school, and keep an eye out for headaches, stomachaches, sleeping troubles, persistent “what if” questions, crankiness, excessive concern about very distant events, problems focusing on schoolwork and persistent concerns that aren’t alleviated by logical explanations. An example of this might be worrying that there has been no progress in fighting the pandemic, despite widespread information about the development of effective vaccines and better treatments.
What’s tricky, of course, is that any of these can potentially be an indication of many different problems, so take a second step. Talking to your kids about their thoughts may help you unravel whether they’re feeling anxious.
2. Encourage activities that reduce anxiety
Playing outside, playing with friends or even just “hanging out” can be powerful ways to reduce negative feelings. Outdoors, people often feel more relaxed – the antithesis of anxiety. Playing in an unstructured way – that is, without someone else telling them what or how to play – allows kids to work through their feelings successfully and reduce anxiety.
3. Help your kids understand the pandemic
Look for books and activities that can educate kids about the pandemic and post-pandemic life to help them feel like they understand what is happening around them. Children may not understand what a vaccine is, for example, and how it can protect against disease. People who know more about cataclysmic events or relevant facts typically feel less helpless, and children are no exception. There are several age-appropriate books that use pictures and humor to explain to kids what is happening.
4. Focus on family activities
The emotional connection that children have with their families is their psychological anchor during difficult times. At a time when so much of everyday life has changed, spending time with family can be an antidote for uncertainty. Take a walk or a hike together, eat dinner together, play board games.
5. Embrace distraction
Distraction isn’t a cure for anxiety, but it can diminish its intensity and help sufferers think more clearly about the source of their worries. When children are feeling very anxious, it’s fine to talk to them about how watching an engaging program, or reading a funny book, can help them feel calmer.
6. Get professional help when needed
If your child’s anxiety is interfering with sleep, eating, socializing or school attendance, and it persists beyond a few days, it’s a good idea to call your pediatrician or family doctor and report what’s going on. Medical professionals who work with children are seeing anxiety skyrocket among kids, and they know how to get your child the necessary help.
As with any back-to-school season, you may find yourself shopping for binders and backpacks. This year in particular, though, children and their anxiety may need more of a focus. Practicing simple prevention and intervening when necessary can get your kids off to a great school year.
[The Conversation’s newsletter explains what’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe now.]
Elizabeth Englander, Professor of Psychology, Bridgewater State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
Domestic short hair kittens
This female domestic short hair kitten has an all black coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. A1, ID No. 1173.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic short hair kitten has a gray tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 11c, ID No. LCAC-A-1144.
Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic short hair kitten has a black coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 11d, ID No. LCAC-A-1145.
Domestic medium hair cat
This 3-year-old female domestic medium hair cat has a brown tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 58, ID No. LCAC-A-1029.
Male domestic shorthair
This male domestic shorthair has a gray and white coat.
He is 1-year-old and weighs nearly 6 pounds.
He is in cat room kennel No. 120, ID No. LCAC-A-874.
Female domestic shorthair
This 2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat has a white coat and blue eyes.
She is in cat room kennel No. C123, ID No. LCAC-A-1152.
Email Elizabeth Larson at