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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided to keep its chambers closed to the public during meetings and to offer online-access only due to COVID-19.
For several months last year, the board had been using a “hybrid” meeting model that included virtual access and a limited number of people in its chambers at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
However, due to the holiday COVID-19 case surge, the board voted at its Jan. 5 meeting to close the chambers as it had earlier in the pandemic and review the closure on a weekly basis until case numbers dropped.
Earlier in the Tuesday meeting, during his weekly report, Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the board that case numbers are now dropping and the situation is improving.
However, the board in its discussion on the chambers closure supported continuing to stay closed to in-person participation by community members.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier said he’s concerned about people having the necessary Internet access, noting recent power outages.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said that while the county’s numbers are improving, the county’s case rate is still far above where it was in November.
At that time the county was in the red tier, the second-highest in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. At the end of November, the county moved in the most restrictive tier, purple, where it has remained since.
Pyska said she didn’t think it was time to move forward with reopening the chambers and she wanted to wait a few more weeks to see how numbers improve and vaccinations progress.
If the new COVID-19 variant pops up, Pyska said they will need to take that into consideration.
The California Department of Public Health reported earlier this month that one variant, 452R, already has been confirmed in Lake County, as Lake County News has reported.
The county is offering different ways that community members can access the board meetings if they don’t have Internet access.
County staffers have placed screens inside the courthouse, located at 255 N. Forbes St., that can be viewed outside of the building. A microphone is available for public input.
The board’s videographer, Sam Euston, said there were no viewers on Tuesday but there had been two people watching the video the previous week.
The Clearlake and Lakeport branches of the Lake County Library are offering Google Chromebooks for checkout for those who need access to view the meetings.
The Chromebooks can be checked out for three hours for use on the library premises, and contactless pickup is available.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told the board that County Librarian Christopher Veach reported that, so far, no one has shown up to use a Chromebook for that purpose.
Each of the four county libraries also has wifi accessible in their parking lots. Members of the public can park at these locations to use wifi on borrowed or personal devices, by connecting to the “Lake County Library” network – no password is needed – anytime from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The board reached consensus to keep the current virtual meeting protocols in place until further notice.
The matter will be brought back for review again next week.
Ways to watch the board meetings
For the public at large, the meetings can be watched on Lake County PEGTV (Mediacom Channel 8) and on the county’s Facebook page.
The county posts its agenda and livestreams the meetings at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Once the meetings are completed, the full videos usually are posted on that site by the following day.
The meeting agendas on the county website include information for how to access the meetings via Zoom. The access codes tend to change weekly so to participate, check the latest agenda, which typically is posted on the Friday before the meeting.
For more information on the Chromebook borrowing program, contact the Lakeport Library Branch at 707-263-8817 or the Redbud Library in Clearlake at 707-994-5115, or visit the library’s website.
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.
For several months last year, the board had been using a “hybrid” meeting model that included virtual access and a limited number of people in its chambers at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
However, due to the holiday COVID-19 case surge, the board voted at its Jan. 5 meeting to close the chambers as it had earlier in the pandemic and review the closure on a weekly basis until case numbers dropped.
Earlier in the Tuesday meeting, during his weekly report, Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the board that case numbers are now dropping and the situation is improving.
However, the board in its discussion on the chambers closure supported continuing to stay closed to in-person participation by community members.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier said he’s concerned about people having the necessary Internet access, noting recent power outages.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said that while the county’s numbers are improving, the county’s case rate is still far above where it was in November.
At that time the county was in the red tier, the second-highest in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. At the end of November, the county moved in the most restrictive tier, purple, where it has remained since.
Pyska said she didn’t think it was time to move forward with reopening the chambers and she wanted to wait a few more weeks to see how numbers improve and vaccinations progress.
If the new COVID-19 variant pops up, Pyska said they will need to take that into consideration.
The California Department of Public Health reported earlier this month that one variant, 452R, already has been confirmed in Lake County, as Lake County News has reported.
The county is offering different ways that community members can access the board meetings if they don’t have Internet access.
County staffers have placed screens inside the courthouse, located at 255 N. Forbes St., that can be viewed outside of the building. A microphone is available for public input.
The board’s videographer, Sam Euston, said there were no viewers on Tuesday but there had been two people watching the video the previous week.
The Clearlake and Lakeport branches of the Lake County Library are offering Google Chromebooks for checkout for those who need access to view the meetings.
The Chromebooks can be checked out for three hours for use on the library premises, and contactless pickup is available.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told the board that County Librarian Christopher Veach reported that, so far, no one has shown up to use a Chromebook for that purpose.
Each of the four county libraries also has wifi accessible in their parking lots. Members of the public can park at these locations to use wifi on borrowed or personal devices, by connecting to the “Lake County Library” network – no password is needed – anytime from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The board reached consensus to keep the current virtual meeting protocols in place until further notice.
The matter will be brought back for review again next week.
Ways to watch the board meetings
For the public at large, the meetings can be watched on Lake County PEGTV (Mediacom Channel 8) and on the county’s Facebook page.
The county posts its agenda and livestreams the meetings at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Once the meetings are completed, the full videos usually are posted on that site by the following day.
The meeting agendas on the county website include information for how to access the meetings via Zoom. The access codes tend to change weekly so to participate, check the latest agenda, which typically is posted on the Friday before the meeting.
For more information on the Chromebook borrowing program, contact the Lakeport Library Branch at 707-263-8817 or the Redbud Library in Clearlake at 707-994-5115, or visit the library’s website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council held a public hearing on Tuesday night as part of a grant process in which the city council decided to pursue funds for economic development and improving the city’s community center.
As part of the hearing, Community Development Director Jenni Byers presented to the council the report on rounds two and three for the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – or CDBG-CV – program.
Under the program’s auspices, the city is eligible to apply for $241,394 which, if it receives the money, it must spend within 24 months.
The city can use the funds for several permitted activity areas: public services, public facility and infrastructure improvement, public facility acquisition, housing assistance, business assistance and microenterprise assistance.
The city conducted an online survey that was active through Tuesday at 3 p.m. Byers said they had 55 respondents who weighed in on uses for the funds.
In the survey responses, which can be found here, 50.9 percent of participants said they or someone in their immediate family had been affected financially by COVID-19.
Of those who were impacted, 34.5 percent said they had experienced reduced work hours, 20.7 percent said their place of employment closed or they were laid off, 17.2 percent said they were sick or cared for a sick family member and 6.9 percent saw increased work hours or a new job, with other responses including being unable to work because of being at home for distance learning and experiencing decreased business revenue.
Survey respondents showed the most support, 38.9 percent, for using grant funds for business assistance, followed by public services – specifically, rental assistance – and microenterprise assistance for businesses with five or fewer employees.
Byers said staff met after receiving the comments and considered the responses.
Staff’s recommendation to the council was to pursue $191,394 be allocated towards economic development activities, she said.
Another $50,000 would go for public facilities and infrastructure, in particular, installing a new HVAC system at the Silveira Community Center on N. Main Street, which has been a COVID-19 testing site and which could soon be used for a vaccination site as well, Byers said.
She said Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed SB 91 to provide rental assistance for up to 12 months, so staff decided not to duplicate that effort.
Councilman Michael Green was concerned that SB 91 doesn’t offer enough help and wanted to consider giving assistance directly to city residents.
Councilman Michael Froio wanted to know who would set up the criteria for who would receive the assistance.
Byers said the city has a baseline program for business loans that it could use. However, she asked for direction from the council on what its members wanted staff to bring back in the final resolution necessary to pursue the funds.
City Attorney David Ruderman told Froio, “It’s important to understand that this is the council's decision.”
Ruderman said that the council was to listen to the public input but, in the end, it was the council’s decision as to what areas of the community this money can be most useful for based on the criteria in the grant, which is very limited.
Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina thanked staff for doing a good job with the grant, noting the money could go a long way.
“I do think our businesses really need it,” said Mattina, adding that they also need to keep the community center going.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner said she also supported staff’s recommendation for how to use the grant funds. Turner said having COVID-19 testing at the Silveira Center is a great asset, and it would be great to have a vaccination hub there as well.
Byers said the city will apply for the funding in two separate grant rounds.
The first, for the public facilities funds, is due after the next meeting in two weeks. The economic development grant is due March 5.
She asked for the council’s authorization for staff to make two applications, one for the $50,000 in public facility funds and the $191,394 for economic development.
Turner moved to approve pursuing the two funding allocations and directed staff to proceed with the applications for the improvements to the Silveira Center and the economic development funds.
Mattina seconded and the council approved the motion 5-0.
The council on Tuesday also received a report on the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake.
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.
As part of the hearing, Community Development Director Jenni Byers presented to the council the report on rounds two and three for the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – or CDBG-CV – program.
Under the program’s auspices, the city is eligible to apply for $241,394 which, if it receives the money, it must spend within 24 months.
The city can use the funds for several permitted activity areas: public services, public facility and infrastructure improvement, public facility acquisition, housing assistance, business assistance and microenterprise assistance.
The city conducted an online survey that was active through Tuesday at 3 p.m. Byers said they had 55 respondents who weighed in on uses for the funds.
In the survey responses, which can be found here, 50.9 percent of participants said they or someone in their immediate family had been affected financially by COVID-19.
Of those who were impacted, 34.5 percent said they had experienced reduced work hours, 20.7 percent said their place of employment closed or they were laid off, 17.2 percent said they were sick or cared for a sick family member and 6.9 percent saw increased work hours or a new job, with other responses including being unable to work because of being at home for distance learning and experiencing decreased business revenue.
Survey respondents showed the most support, 38.9 percent, for using grant funds for business assistance, followed by public services – specifically, rental assistance – and microenterprise assistance for businesses with five or fewer employees.
Byers said staff met after receiving the comments and considered the responses.
Staff’s recommendation to the council was to pursue $191,394 be allocated towards economic development activities, she said.
Another $50,000 would go for public facilities and infrastructure, in particular, installing a new HVAC system at the Silveira Community Center on N. Main Street, which has been a COVID-19 testing site and which could soon be used for a vaccination site as well, Byers said.
She said Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed SB 91 to provide rental assistance for up to 12 months, so staff decided not to duplicate that effort.
Councilman Michael Green was concerned that SB 91 doesn’t offer enough help and wanted to consider giving assistance directly to city residents.
Councilman Michael Froio wanted to know who would set up the criteria for who would receive the assistance.
Byers said the city has a baseline program for business loans that it could use. However, she asked for direction from the council on what its members wanted staff to bring back in the final resolution necessary to pursue the funds.
City Attorney David Ruderman told Froio, “It’s important to understand that this is the council's decision.”
Ruderman said that the council was to listen to the public input but, in the end, it was the council’s decision as to what areas of the community this money can be most useful for based on the criteria in the grant, which is very limited.
Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina thanked staff for doing a good job with the grant, noting the money could go a long way.
“I do think our businesses really need it,” said Mattina, adding that they also need to keep the community center going.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner said she also supported staff’s recommendation for how to use the grant funds. Turner said having COVID-19 testing at the Silveira Center is a great asset, and it would be great to have a vaccination hub there as well.
Byers said the city will apply for the funding in two separate grant rounds.
The first, for the public facilities funds, is due after the next meeting in two weeks. The economic development grant is due March 5.
She asked for the council’s authorization for staff to make two applications, one for the $50,000 in public facility funds and the $191,394 for economic development.
Turner moved to approve pursuing the two funding allocations and directed staff to proceed with the applications for the improvements to the Silveira Center and the economic development funds.
Mattina seconded and the council approved the motion 5-0.
The council on Tuesday also received a report on the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A recent donation to the Lakeport Police Department will allow the agency to outfit its officers’ vehicles with life-saving equipment.
Last week, the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium gave the police department $6,800 to purchase defibrillators.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen reported the donation to the Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night and thanked Lake County Tribal Health.
The $6,800 donation will cover five defibrillators for police vehicles.
Rasmussen told the council that his officers often arrive at emergency scenes ahead of medical personnel.
Thanks to the new equipment, they’re in a position to save more lives than before, he said.
The police department, which a year ago had won a defibrillator from AED.us, has been training and certifying its officers over the last few years in the use of the life-saving equipment.
Tribal Health has offered support previously for outfitting local law enforcement with equipment.
It presented a $6,500 check to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in December to fund five defibrillators, as Lake County News has reported.
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.
Last week, the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium gave the police department $6,800 to purchase defibrillators.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen reported the donation to the Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night and thanked Lake County Tribal Health.
The $6,800 donation will cover five defibrillators for police vehicles.
Rasmussen told the council that his officers often arrive at emergency scenes ahead of medical personnel.
Thanks to the new equipment, they’re in a position to save more lives than before, he said.
The police department, which a year ago had won a defibrillator from AED.us, has been training and certifying its officers over the last few years in the use of the life-saving equipment.
Tribal Health has offered support previously for outfitting local law enforcement with equipment.
It presented a $6,500 check to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in December to fund five defibrillators, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released its 2021 Warden Stamp, a decal sticker that is an annual tradition for the department and collector’s item for many Californians.
The 2021 stamp commemorates the 150-year anniversary of both CDFW and the California Fish and Game Commission.
The stamp features the sesquicentennial CDFW wildlife officer badge and silhouettes of California conifer trees along with the CDFW bear that has been used on badges and department logo shields for decades.
The 2021 stamp can now be purchased at the CDFW website for just $5.
“After a year like 2020, we knew the 2021 stamp should celebrate the essential work our department and wildlife officers have been doing for 150 years,” said David Bess, CDFW deputy director and chief of the Law Enforcement Division. “The purchase of this stamp will show continued support for CDFW’s efforts to manage and protect California’s diverse fish, wildlife and plant resources.”
The Warden Stamp Program was started in 2010 to address the need for better equipment and training for the state’s wildlife officers (formerly called wardens) and to provide funding for special law enforcement programs.
Since 1871, wildlife officers have been dedicated to being CDFW’s “boots on the ground” when it comes to maintaining the balance of the state’s many plants and animal species.
During the first several decades, they worked to keep species such as tule elk, sturgeon, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep from going extinct in California.
The first two full-time wardens in 1871 were appointed to patrol San Francisco Bay and the Lake Tahoe area. Patrolling on foot, horseback or sailboats (because the internal combustion engine was still decades away from being used), wardens patrolled with very little resources or support.
In 2021, there are now approximately 465 wildlife officers that protect California’s 159,000 square miles and 200 miles out to sea.
Though their primary function is to enforce California’s Fish and Game Code, they may be called upon to enforce any of California’s laws.
They also collect and report information on the conditions of fish and wildlife and their habitat for management decisions, and represent CDFW at local schools, meetings of hunting and fishing clubs, along with other community events. They also help promote and coordinate various hunter education programs.
Wildlife officers still patrol on foot and on horseback, but now also by plane, boats and in a variety of vehicles. Although their main objectives of protecting California’s plants and animals remain the same, threats to native species are always evolving.
From the growing threat of wildfires, internet wildlife traffickers and learning to navigate through a global pandemic – CDFW wildlife officers remain committed to being the stewards of the Golden State’s natural resources.
You can continue to support wildlife officers and their mission by purchasing the 2021 Warden Stamp.
To purchase the stamp, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/online-sales.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Attorney General’s Office is offering its support of a lawsuit challenging the building of a major new south Lake County resort and residential development.
On Monday, Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a motion to intervene in a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit challenging Lake County’s approval and certification of an environmental impact report for the proposed Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project, also known as Maha Guenoc Valley.
Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. proposes to build the project on the 16,000-acre Guenoc Ranch along Butts Canyon Road near Middletown. The project area excludes 360 acres which contains the Langtry winery and the estate home of the famed British actress, Lillie Langtry.
The project, as currently proposed, would include 1,400 new homes, several new hotels and nearly 1,000 resort and hotel rooms.
Echoing concerns it had raised last year, the Attorney General’s Office said Monday that Lake County finalized an environmental impact report, or EIR, that fails to adequately analyze and mitigate the increased wildfire risk associated with the project, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions and other adverse environmental impacts.
Becerra’s motion seeks to ensure that Lake County discloses and mitigates the impacts of the Guenoc Valley Project in a manner that fully complies with the California Environmental Quality Act.
“Lake County residents have borne the brunt of many of the recent wildfires that have ravaged our state," said Attorney General Becerra. "They deserve to know that the increased wildfire risks resulting from any new development in their area have been properly considered – and mitigated.”
County Counsel Anita Grant confirmed to Lake County News that the county received the filing document late Monday afternoon.
“At this time, the county is looking at what steps to take in response to the filing. It is still too early to provide more comments on this new development,” Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier told Lake County News.
Lake County News reached out to Katherine Philippakis, the attorney who represented Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. in the county hearings, but she did not respond to offer comment on Monday night.
“This project is a playground for the 1 percent in a very high risk wildfire zone. It will have significant negative impacts to wildlife habitat, fire risks, community safety and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Peter J. Broderick, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the suit against the county over the summer.
When the Center for Biological Diversity filed its lawsuit, the project site was burning from the LNU Complex fire, Broderick pointed out. “The attorney general’s move today to participate in this case confirms that this project is harmful and should never have been approved.”
Lawsuit followed summertime project approval
In July, the Board of Supervisors approved the project, believed to be one of the largest land use projects in the county’s history.
During the environmental review process, Attorney General Becerra submitted two comment letters to Lake County regarding inadequacies in the final environmental impact report’s analysis of wildfire impacts.
Becerra’s office said those comments provided detailed evidence that the Guenoc Valley Project’s design would exacerbate wildfire risk, increase the likelihood of wildfire ignition and lacked adequate opportunities for evacuation in a wildfire.
The developer asked the board to hold over its planned discussion on July 7 to July 21 – the meeting in which the board approved the project – in order to address concerns raised by the Attorney General’s Office and other stakeholders.
However, “These wildfire impacts were neither adequately analyzed nor mitigated in the final EIR,” the Attorney General’s Office said Monday.
The Center for Biological Diversity also had raised numerous issues about the project in the lead up to its approval, including submitting extensive comment and documents.
Within hours of the board’s July vote, the organization issued a criticism of the project that intimated they were considering legal action.
On Aug. 21, exactly one month after the board’s approval, the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against the county of Lake, alleging that the county’s EIR for the project repeatedly violated the California Environmental Quality Act and that the project is inconsistent with the county’s general plan, as Lake County News has reported.
On Monday, the Attorney General’s Office said the Guenoc Valley Project site is largely designated as a very high fire hazard severity zone, and was affected by wildfires in 1952, 1953, 1963, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
In addition to increasing fire risk, the Attorney General’s office said the Guenoc Valley Project will generate tens of thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from gas and electricity usage, mobile transportation and other causes.
Rather than addressing these emissions adequately in the EIR, Becerra’s office said Lake County issued a last-minute errata to the final EIR that purports to reduce the project’s greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets.
That measure fails to include requirements to ensure that the carbon offsets are verifiable, enforceable and quantifiable as required by the California Environmental Quality Act, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Additionally, the agency faulted the final EIR for failing to consider all feasible mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as measures to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
In the motion to intervene, Attorney General Becerra argues that the approval of the Guenoc Valley Project based on such an inadequate environmental review violates California law and must be overturned.
Attorney General Becerra seeks to join the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society in their lawsuit challenging Lake County’s EIR.
Grant said that interventions in development projects by the Attorney General’s Office have happened elsewhere before but she didn’t recall them occurring in Lake County in the recent past.
Examples of Becerra’s office becoming involved in development cases include action to join a lawsuit to stop a Fresno industrial park in June 2018 and in January 2020 he filed to intervene in a case involving a proposal for new San Mateo condominiums.
In November, his office submitted comments to the county of San Diego raising issues with its final EIR for the Otay Ranch Resort Village.
As for the Center for Biological Diversity’s suit, Grant said the legal action is moving along, and they are taking the final steps toward lodging the administrative record, which represents all of the evidence to be presented in the case.
“At that point, a briefing schedule will be developed,” Grant said.
Broderick said no hearing date has since yet been set in the case. He said the county took a long time – several months – to produce the documents that will form the administrative record of proceedings.
“We will likely get a hearing date after the administrative record has been finalized and certified by the county,” Broderick said.
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.
On Monday, Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a motion to intervene in a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit challenging Lake County’s approval and certification of an environmental impact report for the proposed Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project, also known as Maha Guenoc Valley.
Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. proposes to build the project on the 16,000-acre Guenoc Ranch along Butts Canyon Road near Middletown. The project area excludes 360 acres which contains the Langtry winery and the estate home of the famed British actress, Lillie Langtry.
The project, as currently proposed, would include 1,400 new homes, several new hotels and nearly 1,000 resort and hotel rooms.
Echoing concerns it had raised last year, the Attorney General’s Office said Monday that Lake County finalized an environmental impact report, or EIR, that fails to adequately analyze and mitigate the increased wildfire risk associated with the project, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions and other adverse environmental impacts.
Becerra’s motion seeks to ensure that Lake County discloses and mitigates the impacts of the Guenoc Valley Project in a manner that fully complies with the California Environmental Quality Act.
“Lake County residents have borne the brunt of many of the recent wildfires that have ravaged our state," said Attorney General Becerra. "They deserve to know that the increased wildfire risks resulting from any new development in their area have been properly considered – and mitigated.”
County Counsel Anita Grant confirmed to Lake County News that the county received the filing document late Monday afternoon.
“At this time, the county is looking at what steps to take in response to the filing. It is still too early to provide more comments on this new development,” Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier told Lake County News.
Lake County News reached out to Katherine Philippakis, the attorney who represented Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. in the county hearings, but she did not respond to offer comment on Monday night.
“This project is a playground for the 1 percent in a very high risk wildfire zone. It will have significant negative impacts to wildlife habitat, fire risks, community safety and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Peter J. Broderick, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the suit against the county over the summer.
When the Center for Biological Diversity filed its lawsuit, the project site was burning from the LNU Complex fire, Broderick pointed out. “The attorney general’s move today to participate in this case confirms that this project is harmful and should never have been approved.”
Lawsuit followed summertime project approval
In July, the Board of Supervisors approved the project, believed to be one of the largest land use projects in the county’s history.
During the environmental review process, Attorney General Becerra submitted two comment letters to Lake County regarding inadequacies in the final environmental impact report’s analysis of wildfire impacts.
Becerra’s office said those comments provided detailed evidence that the Guenoc Valley Project’s design would exacerbate wildfire risk, increase the likelihood of wildfire ignition and lacked adequate opportunities for evacuation in a wildfire.
The developer asked the board to hold over its planned discussion on July 7 to July 21 – the meeting in which the board approved the project – in order to address concerns raised by the Attorney General’s Office and other stakeholders.
However, “These wildfire impacts were neither adequately analyzed nor mitigated in the final EIR,” the Attorney General’s Office said Monday.
The Center for Biological Diversity also had raised numerous issues about the project in the lead up to its approval, including submitting extensive comment and documents.
Within hours of the board’s July vote, the organization issued a criticism of the project that intimated they were considering legal action.
On Aug. 21, exactly one month after the board’s approval, the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against the county of Lake, alleging that the county’s EIR for the project repeatedly violated the California Environmental Quality Act and that the project is inconsistent with the county’s general plan, as Lake County News has reported.
On Monday, the Attorney General’s Office said the Guenoc Valley Project site is largely designated as a very high fire hazard severity zone, and was affected by wildfires in 1952, 1953, 1963, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
In addition to increasing fire risk, the Attorney General’s office said the Guenoc Valley Project will generate tens of thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from gas and electricity usage, mobile transportation and other causes.
Rather than addressing these emissions adequately in the EIR, Becerra’s office said Lake County issued a last-minute errata to the final EIR that purports to reduce the project’s greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets.
That measure fails to include requirements to ensure that the carbon offsets are verifiable, enforceable and quantifiable as required by the California Environmental Quality Act, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Additionally, the agency faulted the final EIR for failing to consider all feasible mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as measures to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
In the motion to intervene, Attorney General Becerra argues that the approval of the Guenoc Valley Project based on such an inadequate environmental review violates California law and must be overturned.
Attorney General Becerra seeks to join the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society in their lawsuit challenging Lake County’s EIR.
Grant said that interventions in development projects by the Attorney General’s Office have happened elsewhere before but she didn’t recall them occurring in Lake County in the recent past.
Examples of Becerra’s office becoming involved in development cases include action to join a lawsuit to stop a Fresno industrial park in June 2018 and in January 2020 he filed to intervene in a case involving a proposal for new San Mateo condominiums.
In November, his office submitted comments to the county of San Diego raising issues with its final EIR for the Otay Ranch Resort Village.
As for the Center for Biological Diversity’s suit, Grant said the legal action is moving along, and they are taking the final steps toward lodging the administrative record, which represents all of the evidence to be presented in the case.
“At that point, a briefing schedule will be developed,” Grant said.
Broderick said no hearing date has since yet been set in the case. He said the county took a long time – several months – to produce the documents that will form the administrative record of proceedings.
“We will likely get a hearing date after the administrative record has been finalized and certified by the county,” Broderick said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
020121 California AG's Office Notice of Motion and Motion for Leave to Intervene in Guenoc Valley Project by LakeCoNews on Scribd
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport said it’s preparing this week to begin removal of some trees at the site of a new city park ahead of the construction set to start later this year.
The Lakefront Park is located at 800 and 810 N. Main St.
The Lakeport Public Works Department said that from Tuesday, Feb. 2, through Thursday, Feb. 4, there will be traffic control from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on North Main Street between Sixth and Ninth streets while crews remove some trees at the site.
The park is being funded by a $5.9 million grant the city received last February for land acquisition and development, as Lake County News has reported.
The city completed the acquisition of the 6.9 acres in the spring from the Hotaling family, which held a 1.5-acre section at 810 N. Main St., and the remaining parcel, formerly the Natural High school and Lakeport Elementary School location, from the Lakeport Unified School District. The city paid the Hotaling family $50,000 and the school district $660,000.
In November, the city council voted to use some of the city’s reserve funds to cover unanticipated cost increases.
On Monday, the city reported that it’s preparing the final construction plans for the new park, with construction slated to begin this summer.
Park improvements will include new concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk along the site’s North Main Street frontage, the city reported.
Sycamore trees in that area have lifted portions of the public sidewalk in recent years, which the city said can be a hazard to pedestrians. Fallen branches and limbs from these trees have also been a public safety concern.
As a result, the city said it has been determined that the five existing sycamore trees will be removed and replaced with five new 24-inch box sycamore trees. At maturity, box sycamores are reported to grow to between 40 and 80 feet tall.
The city said seven more similar-sized sycamore trees are planned to be planted in the new Lakefront Park along with approximately 40 other new trees.
In addition, the city said some trees along the shoreline of Clear Lake appear to be unhealthy and will likely be removed as part of the new park’s improvements.
The city said a professional arborist has been retained to determine which shoreline trees need to be removed. The goal is to keep as many healthy, mature trees as possible.
Officials said they are excited to begin construction on what they anticipate will be an “awesome addition to Lakeport’s park facilities and recreational activities.”
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