How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 6, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
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, May 6.
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.
The council will host a swearing-in of new police department employees and a presentation of police department employee awards, and present proclamations declaring May 9 to 15 as Police Week and May 2 to 8 as Public Employee Appreciation Week, and May as Military Appreciation Month and Older Americans Month.
On Thursday the council will receive a presentation and hold a discussion with Woodland College regarding a promise program for Clearlake students.
The council will consider a $335,048 contract with Pavement Coatings for the 2021 Chip Seal Project.
Mayor Dirk Slooten will announce the city’s appointment to the county’s Visioning Forum Planning Committee.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; minutes of the April 15 meeting; continuation of declaration of local emergency Issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; consideration of development agreement DA-2021-01 with Chandra Martinez for a commercial cannabis operation; approval of the second reading of the amendment to Clearlake Municipal Code Section 3-4 Purchasing and Sales; adoption of a resolution to continue city participation in the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Service Authority; and adoption of the 14th Amendment to the FY 2020-25 Budget (Resolution 2020-27) appropriating funding for the 2021 Chip Seal Project, Resolution No. 2021-26.
The council will hold a closed session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employees Association, Clearlake Police Officers Association and Clearlake Middle Management Association.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Launched by Mental Health America in 1949, this is the most highly-recognized mental health awareness event in the United States.
Last year, Mental Health Awareness Month media and materials were used and seen by over 230 million Americans.
This past year has presented myriad obstacles and challenges that have truly tested the community’s resilience and strength.
The global pandemic forced people to cope with unimaginable situations, leaving many of them struggling with their mental health.
The good news is there are tools and resources available to support the well-being of individuals and communities.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to combat the stigma surrounding mental health.
That’s why Lake County Behavioral Health Services is highlighting #Tools2Thrive, what individuals can do throughout their daily lives to prioritize mental health, gain resiliency, and continue to cope with whatever life throws our way.
This month, Lake County Behavioral Health Services is focusing on how a healthy lifestyle may help prevent the onset or worsening of mental health conditions, anxiety and depression, along with physical health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Managing stress, eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and exercising can go a long way in making one both mentally and physically healthy.
When you or a loved one is grappling with a mental health concern, sometimes it is a lot to handle.
“Mental health is essential and critical to one’s overall health and well-being,” said Todd Metcalf, director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services. “Mental illnesses are common and treatable.”
The staff at Lake County Behavioral Health Services wants everyone to know mental illnesses are real, and recovery is always the goal.
Living a healthy lifestyle may not always be easy, but taking a look at one’s overall health every day — both mentally and physically — helps ensure a focus on fitness.
By developing your own #Tools2Thrive, you can find a balance between life’s ups and downs and successfully cope with issues and challenges brought on by the pandemic and other stressors.
For more information, please contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services at 707-274-9101 or 707-994-7090.
Many kids are attending public schools this spring with the use of COVID-19 safety protocols, including more desk spacing, more frequent cleaning and mandates to wear masks.
But far too many of the school buildings themselves remain dilapidated, toxic and in desperate need of structural improvements.
On average, U.S. public schools are more than 50 years old – and by and large they are not being properly maintained, updated or replaced. The American Society of Civil Engineers graded America’s public K-12 infrastructure a D+ in their 2021 Infrastructure Report Card, the same abysmal grade as in their prior 2017 report.
But help may finally be on the way.
The US$1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11 provides nearly $130 billion for K-12 education and could trigger much-needed investment in the U.S.‘s crumbling public school buildings. The package provides an additional $350 billion for state, local and territorial governments – some of which could also be invested in schools.
This new money comes on the heels of $13.5 billion in K-12 relief from last spring’s CARES Act and $54 billion from December’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
Such unprecedented federal investment could fuel a long-term national effort to repair and modernize our public schools – the second-largest public infrastructure in our nation, behind roads and highways.
Why schools are crumbling
For decades now, the funding of our public school infrastructure has remained the most inequitable aspect of our school finance system.
School districts rely primarily on local property taxes to build and renovate their schools. On average, states pay for 45% of local school operations, but cover only 18% of school capital costs. Twelve states provide no capital aid. The federal government contributes an average of 8% for local school operations, but less than 1% of capital spending.
The 2016 “State of Our Schools” report by the Center for Green Schools concluded that the U.S. underfunds school facilities by about $46 billion each year – a 32% annual shortfall that compounds over time and has worsened in recent years.
As a former assistant state superintendent for research and policy and now a professor of educational leadership and policy, I’ve seen firsthand the problems that arise from this inadequate and inequitable funding. In my home state of Michigan, wealthy districts can build and upgrade fine schools, often with low property tax rates. Meanwhile, poor districts endure aging, dilapidated and sometimes unsafe schools – despite paying high property tax rates.
In prosperous Ann Arbor, for example, children will enjoy the benefits of a $1 billion capital bond approved in late 2019 by local voters, including me. The bond program, fully funded by local property taxes, will upgrade the district’s 35 buildings, including new and enhanced technology, building entrance renovations, outdoor classrooms, kitchens, teaching gardens and the construction of two new schools.
In nearby Hamtramck Public School District, however, where property values are lower, and some school buildings are so old they’ve been designated historical landmarks, school leaders need their new federal relief to fix windows that won’t open.
The educational toll of inequity
Recent news reports like the one about kids sitting on a curb outside Taco Bell with their Chromebooks, trying to connect to the internet to do their schoolwork, have thrown a spotlight on inequities.
In Chicago, where the average school building is 80 years old, the public schools have spent $100 million upgrading HVAC systems since last spring. Still, the district has a $3.5 billion backlog of building repairs.
In Baltimore, nearly two-thirds of the public school buildings are over 50 years old. They are poorly maintained. According to six years of inspections records, only 17% of Baltimore’s schools were in “good” or “superior” shape – the lowest percentage in the state.
In old school buildings, it’s more likely that pipes will burst, heat and air conditioning will fail, and plumbing and electrical problems will arise. And these problems take an educational toll on kids and teachers.
Research confirms that a dry building with good indoor air quality and thermal comfort reduces student illness and absences and elevates student achievement. Facility quality can also significantly impact teacher retention.
The American Rescue Plan can help immensely. The biggest pot of the $128 billion earmarked for K-12 schools is $122.8 billion allocated to school districts and states. Fully 90% goes to local districts through the Title I formula, which favors districts with low-income families.
Districts will get to determine how they use these funds. The sole restriction requires they use at least 20% of the money to address “learning loss.” Examples mentioned in the law include “summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive after-school programs or extended school-year programs.”
Most importantly, the amount of K-12 aid can’t be used to pay for state and local cuts to school funding. Combined with the two previous federal COVID-19 relief packages, this K-12 emergency funding totals about $195 billion, nearly twice the amount schools received in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
And finally, the American Rescue Plan money is a one-time injection. It can be used until 2024, but should not be baked into school operating budgets without solid plans for state or local replacement funding. So hiring more teachers and support staff, though attractive as an educational investment, would probably lead to massive and disruptive layoffs in a few years. Infrastructure upgrades, however, sidestep this problem.
Two years ago, I wrote an article about fixing America’s crumbling public schools and argued that passage of the Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2019, a bill that would invest $100 billion over 10 years in our school buildings, was a no-brainer. That bill never passed, but was reintroduced this session and has been largely folded into President Biden’s infrastructure bill called the American Jobs Plan, which was announced on March 31.
The plan calls for $100 billion to upgrade and build new public schools. The bill’s proposed tax hikes, however, prompted immediate criticism from Republicans and prominent business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Much negotiation and change to the $2 trillion package can be expected.
But in the meantime, there’s the American Rescue Plan. The K-12 money in this sprawling relief package is not dedicated to school infrastructure and is not a final fix to an enormous problem that has been decades in the making. But using a good share of this massive, one-time federal investment to address this chronic need in our poorest schools makes total sense to me.
Michael Addonizio, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Wayne State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The app provides a way for consumers to test the performance of their mobile and in-home broadband networks.
Information on how to download the app is here.
In addition to showing network performance test results to the user, the app provides the test results to the FCC while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of program volunteers.
“To close the gap between digital haves and have nots, we are working to build a comprehensive, user-friendly data set on broadband availability. Expanding the base of consumers who use the FCC Speed Test app will enable us to provide improved coverage information to the public and add to the measurement tools we’re developing to show where broadband is truly available throughout the United States,” said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
The network coverage and performance information gathered from the Speed Test data will help to inform the FCC’s efforts to collect more accurate and granular broadband deployment data.
The app will also be used in the future for consumers to challenge provider-submitted maps when the Broadband Data Collection systems become available.
The FCC Speed Test App is available in the Google Play Store for Android devices, and in the Apple App Store for iOS devices.
The Young Artist Intern Mural Project began Friday, April 30, and will continue through Wednesday, May 5.
The mural will be of Vanessa Niko, who was a member of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake as well as being of Samoan descent.
Niko died in June 2017 after being severely injured in a domestic violence assault by the father of her children, as Lake County News has reported.
Organizers reported that Niko is a missing and murdered indigenous women “sister” because of being a victim of domestic violence.
Young artists from around Lake County have been invited to participate in this event to promote awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women like Niko.
The Hope Through Art Foundation is a nonprofit entity devoted to broadening public awareness and education of social issues such as missing and murdered indigenous women through art.
The mural will be dedicated in honor of Niko’s life on National MMIW Day, Wednesday, May 5.
The dedication will take place at 12:30 p.m. at 9460 Main St. in Upper Lake.
To honor Niko’s Pomo and Samoan heritage there will be a Pomo dance group and Kumu Hula Mikilani Young, a representative of United Pillars of Aloha, will be in attendance.
Following the dedication ceremony, there will be a dinner and they will close out with a song and prayer.
For further information on this national epidemic of violence against indigenous women, go to www.mmiwusa.org.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, 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 933 8613 0854, passcode 715750. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93386130854#,,,,*715750# US.
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 passcode information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item please 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.
On the agenda is consideration of an update to the county’s document, “Vision 2028: Reimagining Lake County, Ten Key Priorities to Build a Brighter Future.”
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson’s report to the board for the item explains that during the board’s April 16 governance workshop, Supervisor Jessica Pyska raised concern that disaster prevention, preparedness and recovery is not specifically stated in the plan, originally adopted on April 10, 2018, and amended on May 22, 2018.
The board will hold a discussion to update the document’s goals for public safety, as Pyska suggested.
Also on Tuesday, in another untimed item, the board will consider forming a roadmap task force committee, which came out of the board’s April 16 special governance workshop.
The task force will focus on four goals: developing and maintaining a high standard of disaster prevention, preparedness and recovery, including an applicable update to Vision 2028; create a community revitalization pilot project; continue to support the efforts of the Economic Development Task Force; and continue to support efforts to invest in and develop the workforce as necessary to accomplish the board's goals.
Membership is recommended to include Supervisor Jessica Pyska and Supervisor Bruno Sabatier; the Community Development director; the Animal Care and Control director; Sheriff Brian Martin; and County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.
In an untimed item, the board will consider a resolution to establish positional allocations for the current fiscal year for the planning budget unit in order to separate out the Community Development director job.
Huchingson’s report to the board explains that, historically, the Community Development director classification has been allocated as part of the Planning Budget Unit 2702.
“In February 2020, your Board combined the Community Development Department with the Departments of Public Works and Water Resources, and in the next Fiscal Year budget cycle, said classification was eliminated from BU 2702,” Huchingson said.
Noting that Community Development “deals with a very high volume of complex work, essential to residents needing the services and vital to the local economy,” Huchingson said the resolution would reallocate the Community Development Director classification as a separate classification within the Planning Budget Unit 2702, and so return to the long-time model with a director focused 100-percent of the time on the department.
Scott De Leon has held the job of Public Works, Water Resources and Community Development director since February 2020, as Lake County News has reported.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier told Lake County News that the county is going to begin advertising the separate Community Development director job this week.
On Tuesday, from 9:06 to 9:14 a.m., the board will present several proclamations, including one to commend Operation Tango Mike for 18 years of support for military personnel and their families, and to designate May 2021 as Mental Health Month and Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and May 3 to 8 as Wildfire Preparedness Week.
The board also is scheduled to have another closed session to conduct interviews for the Public Health officer position.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation designating May 3 to 8, 2021, as Wildfire Preparedness Week.
5.2: Adopt proclamation commending Operation Tango Mike for 18 years of support for military personnel and their families.
5.3: Approve the County of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
5.4: (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 contract between the Lake County Assessor-Recorder's Office and Kofile Technologies Inc. for redaction services in the amount of $99,570.55 and authorize assessor-recorder to sign.
5.5: (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 Amendment 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Social Solutions Global Inc. for the Service and Coordination of Activities Involved With the Lake County Continuum of Care Homeless Management Integration System Software for Fiscal Years 2020-21 through 2023-24 to allow for an increase to the total number of licenses provided and an increase to the contract maximum of $137,670.00 for a total of $253,570 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.6: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as Mental Health Month.
5.7: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County.
5.8: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 13, 2021.
5.9: Adopt resolution authorizing the 2021-2022 Grant Project-Lake County Victim Witness Assistance Program and authorize the chair to sign the certification of compliance.
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.11: Approve the continuation of resolution ratifying the declaration of local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.12: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.13: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.14: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.15: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.16: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.4, Cooperative Purchases; (b) approve purchase of a 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 Regular Cab 4x4; and (c) authorize the Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue and sign a purchase order not to exceed $30,000 to Matt Mazzei Chevrolet-Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram of Lakeport.
5.17: Adopt proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as CalFresh Awareness Month.
5.18: (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 the goods and services, and (b) approve and sign the agreement between county of Lake and Clean Lakes Inc. for the Aquatic Vegetation Management Program for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 in the amount of $197,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:05 a.m.: Public input.
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending Operation Tango Mike for 18 years of support for military personnel and their families.
6.3, 9:08 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as CalFresh Awareness Month.
6.4, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as Mental Health Month.
6.5, 9:12 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of May 2021 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month in Lake County.
6.6, 9:14 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating May 3 to 8, 2021, Wildfire Preparedness Week.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of recommendations for formation of roadmap task force.
7.3: Consideration of update to “Vision 2028: Reimagining Lake County, Ten Key Priorities to Build a Brighter Future.”
7.4: Consideration of resolution amending Resolution No. 2020-134 Establishing Position Allocations For Fiscal Year 2020-2021, Budget Unit No. 2702, Planning.
7.5: Consideration of Change Order No.’s 4, 5, 6, & 7 FEMA FMAG Culvert Replacement No. 1 & No. 2 Project, Federal Project No.’s FMAG DR 5093-1-1R & FMAG DR 5112-1-1R, Bid No. 19-01, for an increase of $19, 528.66, and a revised contract amount of $667,369.93.
7.6: Consideration of Contract Change Order No. 1 with Storesund Construction, Inc. for the Soda Bay CSA-20 Redwood Water Tanks Replacement Project, CalOES Disaster #4240 and Project Number 4240-40-36R, for an increase of $30,055.09 and a revised contract amount of $655,139.54.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of Public Health officer; (b) appointment of Public Health officer.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(2), (e)(1) – One potential case.
Email Elizabeth Larson at