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With extreme heat forecast for much of California and the Southwest, the California Independent System Operator, or ISO, has issued a statewide Flex Alert to encourage electricity conservation on Thursday, June 17, from 5 to 10 p.m. to reduce stress on the grid and avoid power outages.
When past Flex Alerts have been called, consumers have answered the call and cut back their electricity use. Those actions have helped California avoid or limit power outages that can, if conditions persist or worsen, become necessary when demand for electricity outstrips capacity.
“The public’s help is essential when extreme weather or other factors beyond our control put undue stress on the electric grid,” said Elliot Mainzer, president and chief executive officer of the ISO. “We have seen the huge impact that occurs when consumers pitch in and limit their energy use. Their cooperation can really make a difference.”
While Flex Alerts are normally 4 to 9 p.m., the hours of conservation for this event are 5 to 10 p.m. due to operational needs.
The statewide call for conservation is critical because when temperatures hit triple digits across a wide geographic area, no state has enough energy available to meet all the heightened demand, primarily due to air conditioning use.
For the next several days, much of California and the Southwest are expected to see triple-digit heat with above normal temperatures spread more broadly across much of the Western United States. And like California, other Western states — including Arizona and New Mexico — are experiencing similar stressful grid conditions due to the extreme heat.
Under such conditions, evening is the most difficult time of day for grid operations, especially in persistent hot weather when evening temperatures stay warm, because demand for electricity remains high as solar energy diminishes.
By collectively taking a few simple actions, electricity use can be reduced enough to keep power on for everyone.
Last August and September, for instance, Californians heeded multiple Flex Alerts and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a concerted response to emergency conditions and reduced electricity use by 1,000 to 3,000 megawatts.
That is enough electricity to power up to three million homes, and the conservation likely prevented subsequent and more severe rotating outages last August and September. If demand still outstrips supply after Flex Alerts and other measures are taken, the ISO could again order utilities to begin rotating power outages.
That would extend available power supplies and guard against longer and more extensive disruptions while protecting high-voltage transmission lines from damage.
As California’s ability to store solar and wind energy with batteries or other technology continues to increase, the crucial evening hours will be less challenging. But for now, concerted action to conserve is the most effective way of keeping the grid working for everyone.
Conservation tips
Before a Flex Alert is in effect, consumers can take specific steps to manage their electricity usage to maintain comfort during days that conservation is needed.
Specifically, consumers can:
— Precool your home by lowering the thermostat;
— Use major appliances, like your dishwasher, and clothes washer and dryer;
— Close window coverings to keep your home or apartment cool;
— Charge electronic devices;
— Charge electric vehicles.
From 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, when the statewide Flex Alert is in effect, consumers can help by:
— Setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits.
— Avoiding the use of major appliances.
— Turning off all unnecessary lights.
— Using fans for cooling.
— Unplugging unused items.
When past Flex Alerts have been called, consumers have answered the call and cut back their electricity use. Those actions have helped California avoid or limit power outages that can, if conditions persist or worsen, become necessary when demand for electricity outstrips capacity.
“The public’s help is essential when extreme weather or other factors beyond our control put undue stress on the electric grid,” said Elliot Mainzer, president and chief executive officer of the ISO. “We have seen the huge impact that occurs when consumers pitch in and limit their energy use. Their cooperation can really make a difference.”
While Flex Alerts are normally 4 to 9 p.m., the hours of conservation for this event are 5 to 10 p.m. due to operational needs.
The statewide call for conservation is critical because when temperatures hit triple digits across a wide geographic area, no state has enough energy available to meet all the heightened demand, primarily due to air conditioning use.
For the next several days, much of California and the Southwest are expected to see triple-digit heat with above normal temperatures spread more broadly across much of the Western United States. And like California, other Western states — including Arizona and New Mexico — are experiencing similar stressful grid conditions due to the extreme heat.
Under such conditions, evening is the most difficult time of day for grid operations, especially in persistent hot weather when evening temperatures stay warm, because demand for electricity remains high as solar energy diminishes.
By collectively taking a few simple actions, electricity use can be reduced enough to keep power on for everyone.
Last August and September, for instance, Californians heeded multiple Flex Alerts and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a concerted response to emergency conditions and reduced electricity use by 1,000 to 3,000 megawatts.
That is enough electricity to power up to three million homes, and the conservation likely prevented subsequent and more severe rotating outages last August and September. If demand still outstrips supply after Flex Alerts and other measures are taken, the ISO could again order utilities to begin rotating power outages.
That would extend available power supplies and guard against longer and more extensive disruptions while protecting high-voltage transmission lines from damage.
As California’s ability to store solar and wind energy with batteries or other technology continues to increase, the crucial evening hours will be less challenging. But for now, concerted action to conserve is the most effective way of keeping the grid working for everyone.
Conservation tips
Before a Flex Alert is in effect, consumers can take specific steps to manage their electricity usage to maintain comfort during days that conservation is needed.
Specifically, consumers can:
— Precool your home by lowering the thermostat;
— Use major appliances, like your dishwasher, and clothes washer and dryer;
— Close window coverings to keep your home or apartment cool;
— Charge electronic devices;
— Charge electric vehicles.
From 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, when the statewide Flex Alert is in effect, consumers can help by:
— Setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits.
— Avoiding the use of major appliances.
— Turning off all unnecessary lights.
— Using fans for cooling.
— Unplugging unused items.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department announced that it has received a Gold Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement Policy Management.
Chief Brad Rasmussen said his department partners with Lexipol to provide up-to-date policies that govern law enforcement response and actions in the city of Lakeport.
“As the public is aware, recent national incidents have created calls for police reform and changes in policing policies across the country,” Rasmussen said. “Prior to these incidents, the Lakeport Police Department had updated its best practice policies, putting them in line with changes the public was seeking.”
An example of these policies can be found here.
Some of the department’s policies, which the new legal proposals were intended to mandate, including those governing use of force issues, were already in place as proposed, Rasmussen said.
“We thank our management, supervisory and instructor staff for their work in keeping our policies reviewed and updated,” he added. “We appreciate that all of our officers and other staff stay current with daily policy training throughout the year.”
Members of the public can find the current Lakeport Police Department policy manual here.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a Southern California man on numerous felony charges related to the sexual assault of a teenage girl.
Trevor Noel Reynoso, 31, of Murrieta, was taken into custody on Tuesday evening, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Lt. Corey Paulich said the mother of a 15-year-old girl contacted the sheriff’s office on Tuesday to report that her daughter had been sexually assaulted.
A deputy contacted the mother and daughter. The teen told the deputy that in February of this year she had met a male on a social media app. The male identified himself as “Chase” and told her he was 21 years old, Paulich said.
Since February the girl and the male subject had sex multiple times. Paulich said the male would provide various narcotics to the victim in return for sex.
The deputy had the teenager contact the suspect on the social media app and asked him to meet her at a business in the Middletown area. Paulich said the suspect agreed and the deputy drove to the business, locating Reynoso in his parked vehicle.
Paulich said the deputy contacted Reynoso, who provided identification with a false name. Reynoso denied any knowledge of the victim or being there to meet her.
The victim was able to positively identify Reynoso as the person who had sexually assaulted her. Paulich said Reynoso eventually admitted knowing the victim, but said he thought she was 18.
Deputies later learned Reynoso’s real name and discovered he had a felony warrant out of Texas for possession of child pornography.
Reynoso was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail on his Texas warrant and charges of lewd acts with a child, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, arranging to meet a minor for purposes of sex, oral copulation, soliciting prostitution from a minor, false identification to a peace officer and furnishing of a controlled substance, Paulich said.
Reynoso remains in custody with a no bail hold, Paulich said.
Booking records show that Reynoso is due to make a court appearance on Thursday.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will consider adopting the city’s budget for fiscal year 2021-22, which includes massive investment in infrastructure thanks to an influx of revenue and grants that have tripled the anticipated revenue over that of the current year’s budget.
The council will meet for a budget preparation workshop at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 17, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, ahead of the regular session that begins at 6 p.m.
The public may attend, however, the council chambers will have limited capacity and attendees must adhere to masking and social distancing mandates.
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.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also visit the city’s town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.
Under presentations, the council will meet one of June’s adoptable dogs.
The council on Thursday will hold public hearings to approve the city’s appropriations, or Gann, limit, ahead of the approval of the 2021-22 fiscal year budget and the new fiscal year’s fee schedule.
The budget document can be found here.
Revenues in all city funds for 2021-22 total $53,684,925. Compare that to the $18,274,194 in the 2020-21 budget and $23,446,230 for the 2019-20 budget.
For 2021-22, expenditures for all funds are forecast at $57,461,766.11.
“The big story in this budget is what can only be described as an enormous and unprecedented investment in infrastructure,” City Manager Alan Flora explained in his budget message.
He said the proposed capital projects budget exceeds $36 million. “This investment has been made possible due primarily to over $14 million in settlement proceeds from litigation and nearly $14 million in CDBG Disaster Recovery dollars for two large road rehabilitation projects in and around the Sulphur Fire area.”
He said those funds, and a mix of other dollars, will allow projects long desired by the city to move forward over the next couple of years.
Those projects, Flora said, include:
— infrastructure development at the Pearce Field retail center;
— a new mixed-use development on Burns Valley Road, including a housing project, a new Public Works yard, a soccer and baseball complex, and a recreation center;
— corridor improvements on Lakeshore Drive; and
— additional improvements in Austin Park.
Flora said there also are nearly 15 miles of road improvements included in the proposed budget.
“There are likely to be additional grant awards for infrastructure investment that will be received by the city within this fiscal year, but since they are pending official award notifications we have not included them in the budget,” he said.
“The City is clearly experiencing a resurgence, and the combination of infrastructure and private investment completed over the next couple of years will define a new trajectory in Clearlake’s future,” Flora wrote.
He notes challenges that remain, including addressing blight and properties with tax delinquencies.
“While the list of challenges we face is long, I believe the opportunity in front of us is enormous. Investment interest in our community is high and I believe the change coming in the next few years will overshadow the challenges of the past,” said Flora, adding it’s going to be a great year.
Also on Thursday, the council will get the city’s annual financial report for the year ended June 30, 2019.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are usually adopted on a single vote — are Resolution 2021-30, adopting a project list for submission to the California Transportation
Committee for funding under the provisions of SB1; second reading of Ordinance No. 254-2021, for Development Agreement 2021-02 for Akwaaba Inc., to allow the expansion of its existing cannabis operation to include a microbusiness; second reading of Ordinance No. 255-2021, for Development Agreement 2021-03 with Green Growth Solutions LLC for a commercial cannabis operation; minutes of the May 12 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; 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; warrants; and Resolution 2021-29, approving a temporary road closure for the annual Independence Day parade on July 3.
The council will meet in closed session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss ongoing negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association, Clearlake Police Officers Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The council will meet for a budget preparation workshop at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 17, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, ahead of the regular session that begins at 6 p.m.
The public may attend, however, the council chambers will have limited capacity and attendees must adhere to masking and social distancing mandates.
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.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.
Under presentations, the council will meet one of June’s adoptable dogs.
The council on Thursday will hold public hearings to approve the city’s appropriations, or Gann, limit, ahead of the approval of the 2021-22 fiscal year budget and the new fiscal year’s fee schedule.
The budget document can be found here.
Revenues in all city funds for 2021-22 total $53,684,925. Compare that to the $18,274,194 in the 2020-21 budget and $23,446,230 for the 2019-20 budget.
For 2021-22, expenditures for all funds are forecast at $57,461,766.11.
“The big story in this budget is what can only be described as an enormous and unprecedented investment in infrastructure,” City Manager Alan Flora explained in his budget message.
He said the proposed capital projects budget exceeds $36 million. “This investment has been made possible due primarily to over $14 million in settlement proceeds from litigation and nearly $14 million in CDBG Disaster Recovery dollars for two large road rehabilitation projects in and around the Sulphur Fire area.”
He said those funds, and a mix of other dollars, will allow projects long desired by the city to move forward over the next couple of years.
Those projects, Flora said, include:
— infrastructure development at the Pearce Field retail center;
— a new mixed-use development on Burns Valley Road, including a housing project, a new Public Works yard, a soccer and baseball complex, and a recreation center;
— corridor improvements on Lakeshore Drive; and
— additional improvements in Austin Park.
Flora said there also are nearly 15 miles of road improvements included in the proposed budget.
“There are likely to be additional grant awards for infrastructure investment that will be received by the city within this fiscal year, but since they are pending official award notifications we have not included them in the budget,” he said.
“The City is clearly experiencing a resurgence, and the combination of infrastructure and private investment completed over the next couple of years will define a new trajectory in Clearlake’s future,” Flora wrote.
He notes challenges that remain, including addressing blight and properties with tax delinquencies.
“While the list of challenges we face is long, I believe the opportunity in front of us is enormous. Investment interest in our community is high and I believe the change coming in the next few years will overshadow the challenges of the past,” said Flora, adding it’s going to be a great year.
Also on Thursday, the council will get the city’s annual financial report for the year ended June 30, 2019.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are usually adopted on a single vote — are Resolution 2021-30, adopting a project list for submission to the California Transportation
Committee for funding under the provisions of SB1; second reading of Ordinance No. 254-2021, for Development Agreement 2021-02 for Akwaaba Inc., to allow the expansion of its existing cannabis operation to include a microbusiness; second reading of Ordinance No. 255-2021, for Development Agreement 2021-03 with Green Growth Solutions LLC for a commercial cannabis operation; minutes of the May 12 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; 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; warrants; and Resolution 2021-29, approving a temporary road closure for the annual Independence Day parade on July 3.
The council will meet in closed session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss ongoing negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association, Clearlake Police Officers Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As the state of California transitions to its reopening phase, county officials are awaiting updated guidance from the state regarding COVID-19 workplace protocols.
The county of Lake is the largest employer in the county with close to 1,000 employees, according to county documents.
In response to the pandemic and in order to adhere to federal and state mandates, the county of Lake drafted its own COVID-19 workplace protocol, which the board accepted last year and has updated when necessary in order to keep its employees safe.
The state of California began its reopening on Tuesday with the official lifting of the original March 2020 stay-at-home order and the retiring of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which included tiers for tracking transmission. Lake County was in the orange tier, or moderate tier, when the blueprint ended Tuesday.
However, while the state transitions, inconsistencies have yet to be resolved between the guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health, and California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.
Cal/OSHA continues to keep in place regulations from November, based on its website, although this week it will consider adopting revised guidance.
County Administrative Office staff went to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to offer an update and discuss proposed actions while waiting for a decision from the state.
“There’s a distinct conflict between the Cal/OSHA guidance for employees in our workplaces and the governor’s guidance and the guidance of CDC and CDPH,” said County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.
Huchingson said the administration sent out an email blast to county employees on Monday to let them know they need to continue to mask at this time, although vaccinated members of the public don't need to mask when visiting county facilities.
She said they are hoping that this conflict will be resolved on Thursday, when the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is next set to meet.
County staff had intended to bring forward a revision of the COVID-19 workplace protocol for Tuesday. Huchingson said Human Resources Director Pam Samac had written the revised protocol but they had to pull it back due to changing information coming out of Cal/OSHA.
Samac said Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Cal/OSHA to make the updated regulations effective on Thursday and waive the normal 10-day waiting period.
Samac and Huchingson told the board that if the new rules do become effective on Thursday, they will send another email blast to employees to advise them that they are allowing an exception to the county’s COVID-19 protocol, and then the board will officially update the county guidance at its June 22 meeting.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier asked about signage in the courthouse for safety protocols such as face masks.
“We need to get out and take those down,” said Huchingson.
Huchingson said Samac had drafted an amendment last week that included a form for employees to indicate their vaccination status, but they won’t know until Cal/OSHA makes a decision about whether that form will be included in the revised county guidelines.
Samac said it’s her understanding that Cal/OSHA is leaning toward making its policy consistent with CDC and CDPH. “But you just never can tell with OSHA.”
Huchingson said they appreciate county employees continuing to follow the rules. “We know it’s a frustrating situation when masks are not required for the public but are still required for employees, but that’s the way it stands at this time.”
“This has been two months in the marking and this is where bureaucracy becomes frustrating,” said Sabatier.
He said Cal/OSHA impacts a majority of businesses, “So all of our businesses are having to make a decision today and it’s a very unfortunate situation that we have to wait for this.”
Elizabeth Arnold, president of the Lake County Employees Association, the largest county employee labor group, noted concerns that some employees have about the potential changes in rules because they either haven’t yet been vaccinated or don’t intend to be.
Huchingson, who was wearing a mask, said employees can continue to wear masks as long as they feel the need to do so and that she intended to continue masking in her department. She’s also planning to leave up shields in areas with public contact.
Samac said that unvaccinated people would still need to wear masks, which is consistent with CDC guidance. She recommended keeping in place all physical barriers for public facing service.
Arnold asked if employees who come to work and are ill will be made to mask. Huchingson said employees who are sick shouldn’t come to work.
Supervisor Moke Simon moved to implement the Cal/OSHA rule changes on Thursday with the board to ratify them on Tuesday, with Supervisor EJ Crandell seconding and the board voting 5-0.
On a related note, at the Lakeport City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Councilman Michael Green asked city staff to come back at a future meeting with an update on how Lakeport will respond to the new state COVID-19 guidance.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The county of Lake is the largest employer in the county with close to 1,000 employees, according to county documents.
In response to the pandemic and in order to adhere to federal and state mandates, the county of Lake drafted its own COVID-19 workplace protocol, which the board accepted last year and has updated when necessary in order to keep its employees safe.
The state of California began its reopening on Tuesday with the official lifting of the original March 2020 stay-at-home order and the retiring of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which included tiers for tracking transmission. Lake County was in the orange tier, or moderate tier, when the blueprint ended Tuesday.
However, while the state transitions, inconsistencies have yet to be resolved between the guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health, and California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.
Cal/OSHA continues to keep in place regulations from November, based on its website, although this week it will consider adopting revised guidance.
County Administrative Office staff went to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to offer an update and discuss proposed actions while waiting for a decision from the state.
“There’s a distinct conflict between the Cal/OSHA guidance for employees in our workplaces and the governor’s guidance and the guidance of CDC and CDPH,” said County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.
Huchingson said the administration sent out an email blast to county employees on Monday to let them know they need to continue to mask at this time, although vaccinated members of the public don't need to mask when visiting county facilities.
She said they are hoping that this conflict will be resolved on Thursday, when the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is next set to meet.
County staff had intended to bring forward a revision of the COVID-19 workplace protocol for Tuesday. Huchingson said Human Resources Director Pam Samac had written the revised protocol but they had to pull it back due to changing information coming out of Cal/OSHA.
Samac said Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Cal/OSHA to make the updated regulations effective on Thursday and waive the normal 10-day waiting period.
Samac and Huchingson told the board that if the new rules do become effective on Thursday, they will send another email blast to employees to advise them that they are allowing an exception to the county’s COVID-19 protocol, and then the board will officially update the county guidance at its June 22 meeting.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier asked about signage in the courthouse for safety protocols such as face masks.
“We need to get out and take those down,” said Huchingson.
Huchingson said Samac had drafted an amendment last week that included a form for employees to indicate their vaccination status, but they won’t know until Cal/OSHA makes a decision about whether that form will be included in the revised county guidelines.
Samac said it’s her understanding that Cal/OSHA is leaning toward making its policy consistent with CDC and CDPH. “But you just never can tell with OSHA.”
Huchingson said they appreciate county employees continuing to follow the rules. “We know it’s a frustrating situation when masks are not required for the public but are still required for employees, but that’s the way it stands at this time.”
“This has been two months in the marking and this is where bureaucracy becomes frustrating,” said Sabatier.
He said Cal/OSHA impacts a majority of businesses, “So all of our businesses are having to make a decision today and it’s a very unfortunate situation that we have to wait for this.”
Elizabeth Arnold, president of the Lake County Employees Association, the largest county employee labor group, noted concerns that some employees have about the potential changes in rules because they either haven’t yet been vaccinated or don’t intend to be.
Huchingson, who was wearing a mask, said employees can continue to wear masks as long as they feel the need to do so and that she intended to continue masking in her department. She’s also planning to leave up shields in areas with public contact.
Samac said that unvaccinated people would still need to wear masks, which is consistent with CDC guidance. She recommended keeping in place all physical barriers for public facing service.
Arnold asked if employees who come to work and are ill will be made to mask. Huchingson said employees who are sick shouldn’t come to work.
Supervisor Moke Simon moved to implement the Cal/OSHA rule changes on Thursday with the board to ratify them on Tuesday, with Supervisor EJ Crandell seconding and the board voting 5-0.
On a related note, at the Lakeport City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Councilman Michael Green asked city staff to come back at a future meeting with an update on how Lakeport will respond to the new state COVID-19 guidance.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
As California moved Beyond the Blueprint on Tuesday to fully reopen the economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom welcomed the milestone at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he highlighted the attractions Californians can look forward to revisiting this summer.
Gov. Newsom also selected 10 Californians to receive $1.5 million each — for a total of $15 million — as part of the final cash prize drawing in the state’s Vax for the Win program.
As of Tuesday, the restrictions that have been in place over the past year were eliminated, including physical distancing, capacity limits, county tier systems and masks in almost all settings for vaccinated Californians.
In taking early action to address the pandemic head-on, Gov. Newsom protected both Californians and the state’s economy, resulting in some of the best health and economic outcomes of any state in the country:
— California is forecast to outpace the country’s economic recovery, ranked as the No. 1 U.S. economy for “expanding GDP, raising household income, investing in innovation,” and more.
— California is creating more jobs than any other state for three months in a row, adding 385,000 jobs; in April alone, California created 38 percent of the nation’s jobs.
— The state consistently has among the lowest case rates and transmission rates in the nation, and hospitalizations dipped to the lowest point since March 2020.
— More than 40 million vaccinations have been administered in California, surpassing the next closest state by 16 million, with over 70 percent of adults having at least one shot.
Newsom celebrated the strength and resilience of Californians — from heroic health care workers to essential workers across the board to everyday Californians from all walks of life — who have supported each other through hardship and heartache over the past year, making sacrifices to save countless lives and enable the state to turn the page on this pandemic.
“As we look ahead to better days, we will continue to look out for one another, redoubling our support to those hit hardest by the pandemic and making unprecedented investments to address California’s most persistent challenges, so that the entire state comes roaring back together,” said Newsom.
The governor was joined at Universal Studios by two of the 30 $50,000 winners — Aurelia of Los Angeles County and Reyna of Orange County — who received their checks Tuesday.
“I am deeply grateful for this prize and proud to have done my part to protect my community from COVID-19 — bringing the state one step closer to this incredible moment,” said Aurelia. “I encourage others to get vaccinated to help keep us on track to putting this pandemic behind us for good.”
Helen Cordova, a registered nurse in Los Angeles who became the first person to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in California in December, assisted with Tuesday’s grand prize drawing.
Under Vax for the Win, California was one of the only states in the country to achieve a week-over-week increase in the rate of vaccinations, and most recently we saw a 22 percent increase in vaccinations, including an increase in rates among hard-to-reach communities.
Since launching Vax for the Win, more than three million vaccine doses have been reported, including over 924,221 Californians newly starting their vaccination process, and the state has seen the largest number of first doses administered in communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
Tuesday’s selection of 10 $1.5 million winners caps off the cash prize giveaways as part of the $116.5 million Vax for the Win program — the largest vaccine incentive program in the nation.
The program previously selected 30 winners to receive $50,000 each, for a total of $1,500,000. In addition, the program is providing $100 million in $50 prepaid or grocery cards for newly vaccinated people, while supplies last. Governor Newsom also highlighted the upcoming California Dream Vacations, a new Vax for the Win incentive in which vaccinated Californians have the chance to win one of six in-state vacation packages in a drawing on July 1.
Tuesday’s $1.5 million winners live in the following counties: Los Angeles, Marin, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Ventura.
The California Department of Public Health will start notifying winners within hours of the drawing and over the next several days by telephone, text, email or other contact information associated with the person’s record in the state’s vaccine registry.
To protect their privacy, all winners will have the option to accept their cash prize while remaining anonymous or decline it altogether.
The $50,000 winners selected in prior cash prize drawings live throughout the state, including Sandy of Orange County, a winner from last week who said, “I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I feel so free after getting mine, I was able to hug my grandkids and go to the store without fear. I want to encourage all to get their vaccine soon — the feeling is so wonderful.”
Californians who have not gotten vaccinated yet are encouraged to go to http://myturn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255 to schedule their appointment, or go to http://myturn.ca.gov/clinic to find a walk-in clinic in their county.