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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss the amenities for the Lakefront Park and possible budget adjustments to cover increased costs, and consider naming the city’s new walking path for a woman who has been instrumental in its creation.
The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, to discuss with legal counsel existing litigation, City of Lakeport et al. v. Amerisourcebergen Drug Corporation et al., before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
The agenda can be found here.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799. The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To give the City Clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments prior to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On Tuesday, the council will consider approving the site plan and amenity features designed for the new Lakefront Park at 800 and 810 N. Main St. and discuss a budget adjustment to cover the costs for the park’s development.
In April, the city received a $5.9 million state grant to purchase the seven acres for the park and develop amenities including a promenade along the lakeshore, basketball court, ninja gym, amphitheater, splash pad, skate park, multiuse lawn area, large sheltered picnic area, bathroom/concession building, public art, parking lot, landscaping and lighting throughout the park and a dedicated area for the future boathouse.
City Manager Kevin Ingram reported that the city is working with SSA Landscape Architects, hired earlier this year, to aid in the planning, design, engineering and project management of the park. The city approved the park’s site plan in August.
“Shortly after that approval of the site plan, SSA began developing engineered project plans to be utilized for the construction of the project. As a result of various factors, most importantly
extremely high construction costs and unfavorable geotechnical issues, it was determined pretty quickly that the project as presented in August far exceeded the grant construction award amount of $4.5 million,” Ingram wrote in his report.
“Over the last several weeks SSA and City staff have conducted an in-depth value engineering process to get the project back within budget,” Ingram said.
As a result, several amenities saw a reduction in scope. Ingram said one option the staff is proposing is that the council consider using some general fund reserve monies to cover the cost of adding back some of the amenities and features that were either reduced or removed from the project.
The amenities that have been reduced in cost include the parking lot, lighting, splash pad, skate park, fitness area, restrooms/concessions, the picnic area, large shade shelter and shade sail, according to Ingram’s report.
He said the council can choose to add back some of those reductions. Use of general fund reserve monies could range up to $805,570.
“Following the approval of the revised site plan and budget by City Council, staff will continue to work closely with SSA Landscape Architects in the development of engineered construction level design plans for the project,” Ingram wrote. “Engineered construction level plans are expected to be completed and the project put out to bid for construction within the next few months.”
Also on Tuesday, Public Works Director Doug Grider will ask the council for approval on a resolution naming the downtown walking path “The Ann Blue Walking Path” in honor of Ann Blue.
Blue is credited with having played a key role in developing the walking path while a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee.
She is a longtime community volunteer, having also served on the Lakeport Planning Commission and the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, among other organizations.
The council also will consider relocating the two 20-minute designated parking spaces adjacent to City Hall from Park Street to Second Street and adopt revisions to the Green Zones, or limited parking areas, and two-hour parking resolutions to reflect requested change.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on June 16; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 public health emergency; and adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the Spray Field Fence Replacement Project by Thompson Contracting and authorize the filing of the notice of completion.
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 in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, to discuss with legal counsel existing litigation, City of Lakeport et al. v. Amerisourcebergen Drug Corporation et al., before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
The agenda can be found here.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799. The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On Tuesday, the council will consider approving the site plan and amenity features designed for the new Lakefront Park at 800 and 810 N. Main St. and discuss a budget adjustment to cover the costs for the park’s development.
In April, the city received a $5.9 million state grant to purchase the seven acres for the park and develop amenities including a promenade along the lakeshore, basketball court, ninja gym, amphitheater, splash pad, skate park, multiuse lawn area, large sheltered picnic area, bathroom/concession building, public art, parking lot, landscaping and lighting throughout the park and a dedicated area for the future boathouse.
City Manager Kevin Ingram reported that the city is working with SSA Landscape Architects, hired earlier this year, to aid in the planning, design, engineering and project management of the park. The city approved the park’s site plan in August.
“Shortly after that approval of the site plan, SSA began developing engineered project plans to be utilized for the construction of the project. As a result of various factors, most importantly
extremely high construction costs and unfavorable geotechnical issues, it was determined pretty quickly that the project as presented in August far exceeded the grant construction award amount of $4.5 million,” Ingram wrote in his report.
“Over the last several weeks SSA and City staff have conducted an in-depth value engineering process to get the project back within budget,” Ingram said.
As a result, several amenities saw a reduction in scope. Ingram said one option the staff is proposing is that the council consider using some general fund reserve monies to cover the cost of adding back some of the amenities and features that were either reduced or removed from the project.
The amenities that have been reduced in cost include the parking lot, lighting, splash pad, skate park, fitness area, restrooms/concessions, the picnic area, large shade shelter and shade sail, according to Ingram’s report.
He said the council can choose to add back some of those reductions. Use of general fund reserve monies could range up to $805,570.
“Following the approval of the revised site plan and budget by City Council, staff will continue to work closely with SSA Landscape Architects in the development of engineered construction level design plans for the project,” Ingram wrote. “Engineered construction level plans are expected to be completed and the project put out to bid for construction within the next few months.”
Also on Tuesday, Public Works Director Doug Grider will ask the council for approval on a resolution naming the downtown walking path “The Ann Blue Walking Path” in honor of Ann Blue.
Blue is credited with having played a key role in developing the walking path while a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee.
She is a longtime community volunteer, having also served on the Lakeport Planning Commission and the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, among other organizations.
The council also will consider relocating the two 20-minute designated parking spaces adjacent to City Hall from Park Street to Second Street and adopt revisions to the Green Zones, or limited parking areas, and two-hour parking resolutions to reflect requested change.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on June 16; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 public health emergency; and adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the Spray Field Fence Replacement Project by Thompson Contracting and authorize the filing of the notice of completion.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The US Forest Service said that while firefighters have continued to prevent more growth on the August Complex, it’s expected to take another month to contain it.
The August Complex has burned 1,032,649 acres and is 93-percent contained, the Forest Service said.
The South Zone, which includes the Mendocino National Complex in northern Lake County, remained at 499,826 acres and 90-percent containment, the agency reported.
The Forest Service said there are 737 personnel assigned to the entire incident and 249 on the South Zone.
The complex began due to lightning on Aug. 16 and 17. It’s burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
Officials have now updated its estimated date of full containment from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15,
Officials said crews have continued to monitor, patrol and conduct fire suppression repair.
Crews are focused on fire suppression repair in priority areas such as dozer lines around wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors and locations that are prone to landslides. Officials said they also removed debris from the roads to keep them clear for fire personnel and equipment.
Thus far, crews have repaired 41 of the 218 miles of dozer line in the Zone and nine of the 22 miles of hand line. The Forest Service said repair efforts are being coordinated between the two zones for the entire August Complex.
Resource advisors, or READs, are one of the incident management positions that the Forest Service said are committed to the day-to-day operations of the August Complex South Zone.
The Forest Services said these resources helped develop recommendations for fire suppression rehabilitation of control lines and worked alongside crews and equipment to monitor repair efforts.
Their duties also included providing guidance and identifying potential resource issues that may occur as a result of the incident or incident activities, officials said.
The August Complex has burned 1,032,649 acres and is 93-percent contained, the Forest Service said.
The South Zone, which includes the Mendocino National Complex in northern Lake County, remained at 499,826 acres and 90-percent containment, the agency reported.
The Forest Service said there are 737 personnel assigned to the entire incident and 249 on the South Zone.
The complex began due to lightning on Aug. 16 and 17. It’s burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
Officials have now updated its estimated date of full containment from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15,
Officials said crews have continued to monitor, patrol and conduct fire suppression repair.
Crews are focused on fire suppression repair in priority areas such as dozer lines around wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors and locations that are prone to landslides. Officials said they also removed debris from the roads to keep them clear for fire personnel and equipment.
Thus far, crews have repaired 41 of the 218 miles of dozer line in the Zone and nine of the 22 miles of hand line. The Forest Service said repair efforts are being coordinated between the two zones for the entire August Complex.
Resource advisors, or READs, are one of the incident management positions that the Forest Service said are committed to the day-to-day operations of the August Complex South Zone.
The Forest Services said these resources helped develop recommendations for fire suppression rehabilitation of control lines and worked alongside crews and equipment to monitor repair efforts.
Their duties also included providing guidance and identifying potential resource issues that may occur as a result of the incident or incident activities, officials said.
How confident should you be in election polls? Not nearly as confident as the pollsters claim, according to a new Berkeley Haas study.
Most election polls report a 95 percent confidence level. Yet an analysis of 1,400 polls from 11 election cycles found that the outcome lands within the poll’s result just 60 percent of the time. And that’s for polls just one week before an election – accuracy drops even more further out.
“If you’re confident, based on polling, about how the 2020 election will come out, think again,” said Berkeley Haas Prof. Don Moore, who conducted the analysis with former student Aditya Kotak, BA 20. “There are a lot of reasons why the actual outcome could be different from the poll, and the way pollsters compute confidence intervals does not take those issues into account.”
Many people were surprised when President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 after trailing her in the polls, and speculated that polls are getting less accurate or that the election was so unusual it threw them off.
But Moore and Kotak found no evidence of declining accuracy in their sample of polls back to 2008 – rather, they found consistently overconfident claims on the part of pollsters.
“Perhaps the way we interpret polls as a whole needs to be adjusted, to account for the uncertainty that comes with them,” Kotak said.
In fact, to be 95 percent confident, polls would need to double the margins of error they report even a week from Election Day, the analysis concluded.
As a statistics and computer science student on an undergraduate research apprenticeship in Moore’s Accuracy Lab during the 2019 presidential primary, Kotak grew curious about the confidence intervals included with polls.
He noticed that polls’ margin of error was frequently mentioned as a footnote in news articles and election forecast methodologies, and he wondered whether they were as accurate as their margins of error implied they should be.
Kotak brought the idea to Moore, who studies overconfidence from both a psychological and statistical perspective. Much of the research on polling accuracy considers only whether the poll correctly called the winner.
To gauge poll confidence, they decided to take a retroactive look at polls based on how long before an election they were conducted, and consider not whether a candidate won or lost, but whether the actual share of the vote fell within the margin of error the poll had reported. For example, if a poll showed that 54 percent of voters favored a candidate, and it had a 5 percent margin of error, it would be accurate if the candidate garnered 49 percent to 59 percent of the vote, but would be a miss if the candidate won with more than 59 percent of the vote (or less than 49 percent).
Moore and Kotak obtained 1,400 polls conducted ahead of the general elections of 2008, 2012 and 2016, as well as the Democratic presidential primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire from 2008 and 2016 and the Republican primaries in the same states from 2012 and 2016.
Because some polls asked about multiple candidates, the sample included results of over 5,000 surveys of how people said they’d vote on particular candidates, as well as the accompanying margins of error.
Analyzing the polls in seven-day batches, they found a steady decline in accuracy the farther from an election the poll was conducted, with only about half proving to be accurate 10 weeks before an election.
This makes sense since unforeseen events occur – such as former FBI director James Comey announcing an investigation into Clinton’s emails just a week before the 2016 presidential election. Yet most polls, even weeks out, reported the industry-standard 95 percent confidence interval.
Sampling error and confidence intervals
The confidence interval quantifies how sure one can be that the sample of people surveyed reflects the whole voter population. A 95 percent confidence interval, for example, means that if the same sampling procedure were followed 100 times, 95 of those samples would contain the true voter population. Therein lies the problem, however.
The confidence level takes into account “sampling error,” a statistical term that quantifies how likely it is that by pure chance, the sample varies from the larger population of voters from which the sample was drawn.
For example, not surveying a large enough group of voters would increase the sampling error. But sampling error does not include any other kinds of errors – such as surveying the wrong set of people to begin with.
“People often forget that margins of error for polls only capture the statistical sources of error,” said David Broockman, an associate professor in Berkeley’s Department of Political Science. “This analysis shows just how large the remaining non-statistical sources of error are in practice.”
Added Prof. Gabriel Lenz, also of Berkeley Political Science, “This is a fascinating analysis, and future work could sort out the sources of the inaccuracy, such as low-quality pollsters, difficulty screening likely voters, last-minute changes in voter intentions, and more.”
It’s easy to take sampling error into account in polling statistics, but much harder to account for all the other unknowns, Moore said. It’s a lesson that goes far beyond polling.
“Because we base our beliefs on imperfect and biased samples of information, sometimes we will be wrong for reasons that we did not anticipate,” he said.
Laura Counts writes for Berkeley Haas.
Most election polls report a 95 percent confidence level. Yet an analysis of 1,400 polls from 11 election cycles found that the outcome lands within the poll’s result just 60 percent of the time. And that’s for polls just one week before an election – accuracy drops even more further out.
“If you’re confident, based on polling, about how the 2020 election will come out, think again,” said Berkeley Haas Prof. Don Moore, who conducted the analysis with former student Aditya Kotak, BA 20. “There are a lot of reasons why the actual outcome could be different from the poll, and the way pollsters compute confidence intervals does not take those issues into account.”
Many people were surprised when President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 after trailing her in the polls, and speculated that polls are getting less accurate or that the election was so unusual it threw them off.
But Moore and Kotak found no evidence of declining accuracy in their sample of polls back to 2008 – rather, they found consistently overconfident claims on the part of pollsters.
“Perhaps the way we interpret polls as a whole needs to be adjusted, to account for the uncertainty that comes with them,” Kotak said.
In fact, to be 95 percent confident, polls would need to double the margins of error they report even a week from Election Day, the analysis concluded.
As a statistics and computer science student on an undergraduate research apprenticeship in Moore’s Accuracy Lab during the 2019 presidential primary, Kotak grew curious about the confidence intervals included with polls.
He noticed that polls’ margin of error was frequently mentioned as a footnote in news articles and election forecast methodologies, and he wondered whether they were as accurate as their margins of error implied they should be.
Kotak brought the idea to Moore, who studies overconfidence from both a psychological and statistical perspective. Much of the research on polling accuracy considers only whether the poll correctly called the winner.
To gauge poll confidence, they decided to take a retroactive look at polls based on how long before an election they were conducted, and consider not whether a candidate won or lost, but whether the actual share of the vote fell within the margin of error the poll had reported. For example, if a poll showed that 54 percent of voters favored a candidate, and it had a 5 percent margin of error, it would be accurate if the candidate garnered 49 percent to 59 percent of the vote, but would be a miss if the candidate won with more than 59 percent of the vote (or less than 49 percent).
Moore and Kotak obtained 1,400 polls conducted ahead of the general elections of 2008, 2012 and 2016, as well as the Democratic presidential primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire from 2008 and 2016 and the Republican primaries in the same states from 2012 and 2016.
Because some polls asked about multiple candidates, the sample included results of over 5,000 surveys of how people said they’d vote on particular candidates, as well as the accompanying margins of error.
Analyzing the polls in seven-day batches, they found a steady decline in accuracy the farther from an election the poll was conducted, with only about half proving to be accurate 10 weeks before an election.
This makes sense since unforeseen events occur – such as former FBI director James Comey announcing an investigation into Clinton’s emails just a week before the 2016 presidential election. Yet most polls, even weeks out, reported the industry-standard 95 percent confidence interval.
Sampling error and confidence intervals
The confidence interval quantifies how sure one can be that the sample of people surveyed reflects the whole voter population. A 95 percent confidence interval, for example, means that if the same sampling procedure were followed 100 times, 95 of those samples would contain the true voter population. Therein lies the problem, however.
The confidence level takes into account “sampling error,” a statistical term that quantifies how likely it is that by pure chance, the sample varies from the larger population of voters from which the sample was drawn.
For example, not surveying a large enough group of voters would increase the sampling error. But sampling error does not include any other kinds of errors – such as surveying the wrong set of people to begin with.
“People often forget that margins of error for polls only capture the statistical sources of error,” said David Broockman, an associate professor in Berkeley’s Department of Political Science. “This analysis shows just how large the remaining non-statistical sources of error are in practice.”
Added Prof. Gabriel Lenz, also of Berkeley Political Science, “This is a fascinating analysis, and future work could sort out the sources of the inaccuracy, such as low-quality pollsters, difficulty screening likely voters, last-minute changes in voter intentions, and more.”
It’s easy to take sampling error into account in polling statistics, but much harder to account for all the other unknowns, Moore said. It’s a lesson that goes far beyond polling.
“Because we base our beliefs on imperfect and biased samples of information, sometimes we will be wrong for reasons that we did not anticipate,” he said.
Laura Counts writes for Berkeley Haas.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, California county elections officials will work through the night counting ballots.
In California, the vote count process does not end on Election Night. Due to state laws that ensure voters’ rights, ballots will continue to arrive and be counted after Election Day.
“California elections officials prioritize the right to vote and election security over rushing the vote count,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “By law, county election officials have 30 days to count every valid ballot and conduct a post-election audit. Every vote-by-mail ballot goes through signature verification. Several safety nets to protect voting rights, including Same Day Voter Registration and provisional ballots, require additional processing time by elections officials, but we’d rather get it right than get it fast.
“To prepare our election for the COVID-19 pandemic we have taken several steps to protect voters. Every active, registered voter was mailed a ballot. We also extended the time for vote-by-mail ballots to arrive to county elections offices. Ballots postmarked on or before Election Day can arrive up until November 20 and still be processed and counted,” Padilla said.
“On Election Night, we will have a good picture of most contests, but the outcomes of close contests may take days or weeks to settle. This is normal. Baseless accusations of fraud during the thorough and transparent vote count process only serve to undermine confidence in our democracy. As California’s Chief Elections Officer, voting rights and election integrity are my top priorities,” Padilla added.
Who counts ballots in California?
California counties handle the printing, mailing and processing of ballots. The Secretary of State’s Office does not process ballots in any way.
What are the first results we will be seeing on Election Night?
The first election results are typically ballots received before Election Day. For this election, county elections officials were allowed to being opening and processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes up to 29 days before Election Day, but those results cannot be accessed or shared with the public until all polls close on Election Day.
Typically counties can’t begin processing vote-by-mail ballots until 10 business days before an election, but urgency legislation allowed them to begin processing ballots earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased volume of vote-by-mail ballots.
Why do some counties show no precincts have reported, yet some votes have been counted?
Many county elections officials choose to tally and report these early voted ballots before results come in from precincts, which are sometimes far away from county headquarters.
Early voted ballots simply appear as raw vote totals because, in this initial stage, the ballots are not attributed to individual precincts.
Why have some counties not reported any results immediately after the polls close?
Each of the 58 county elections offices processes ballots differently, and the distances poll workers must travel from polling places to county offices vary greatly. State law requires county elections officials to send their first batch of results to the Secretary of State’s Office no more than two hours after they begin tallying votes after polls close on Election Day.
County elections officials continue to report results periodically on Election Night until all precinct vote totals have been reported. County elections officials will continue to count ballots up to 30 days after Election Day.
When are vote-by-mail ballots counted?
Vote-by-mail ballots that are received by county elections officials before Election Day are typically counted on Election Day. Many more vote-by-mail ballots are dropped off at polling places, drop box locations, or arrive at county elections offices on Election Day.
Due to urgency legislation for this election, vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 17 days after Election Day must be processed.
Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it takes up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each local elections office uses to tally and report votes.
How and when are provisional ballots counted?
In California, provisional ballots serve as a fail-safe method of ensuring all voters who show up to the polls can cast a ballot.
All provisional ballots are carefully checked by county elections officials to confirm that the person who voted provisionally is both registered and that they did not cast a ballot by mail or at another polling location on Election Day.
Due to the additional human review and verification needed for provisional ballots, they are typically counted after Election Day and vote-by-mail ballots.
How and when are Same Day voter registrations processed?
Same Day voter registration, also known as conditional voter registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.
Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Their ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
How will we know how many ballots remain to be counted?
Two days after the election, counties must provide the Secretary of State an estimate of their remaining unprocessed ballots report. The Secretary of State’s office will post this “unprocessed ballots report” online and provide daily updates as new estimates are provided from the county elections offices.
When will the vote counting period end and election be certified?
Election results will change throughout the canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other ballots are processed.
Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters.
The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each county elections office uses to tally and report votes.
County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State’s Office for the presidential contest by Dec. 1 and all other state and federal contests by Dec. 4.
The Secretary of State’s Office will certify the results on Dec. 11.
The Electoral College will convene on Dec. 14.
In California, the vote count process does not end on Election Night. Due to state laws that ensure voters’ rights, ballots will continue to arrive and be counted after Election Day.
“California elections officials prioritize the right to vote and election security over rushing the vote count,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “By law, county election officials have 30 days to count every valid ballot and conduct a post-election audit. Every vote-by-mail ballot goes through signature verification. Several safety nets to protect voting rights, including Same Day Voter Registration and provisional ballots, require additional processing time by elections officials, but we’d rather get it right than get it fast.
“To prepare our election for the COVID-19 pandemic we have taken several steps to protect voters. Every active, registered voter was mailed a ballot. We also extended the time for vote-by-mail ballots to arrive to county elections offices. Ballots postmarked on or before Election Day can arrive up until November 20 and still be processed and counted,” Padilla said.
“On Election Night, we will have a good picture of most contests, but the outcomes of close contests may take days or weeks to settle. This is normal. Baseless accusations of fraud during the thorough and transparent vote count process only serve to undermine confidence in our democracy. As California’s Chief Elections Officer, voting rights and election integrity are my top priorities,” Padilla added.
Who counts ballots in California?
California counties handle the printing, mailing and processing of ballots. The Secretary of State’s Office does not process ballots in any way.
What are the first results we will be seeing on Election Night?
The first election results are typically ballots received before Election Day. For this election, county elections officials were allowed to being opening and processing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes up to 29 days before Election Day, but those results cannot be accessed or shared with the public until all polls close on Election Day.
Typically counties can’t begin processing vote-by-mail ballots until 10 business days before an election, but urgency legislation allowed them to begin processing ballots earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased volume of vote-by-mail ballots.
Why do some counties show no precincts have reported, yet some votes have been counted?
Many county elections officials choose to tally and report these early voted ballots before results come in from precincts, which are sometimes far away from county headquarters.
Early voted ballots simply appear as raw vote totals because, in this initial stage, the ballots are not attributed to individual precincts.
Why have some counties not reported any results immediately after the polls close?
Each of the 58 county elections offices processes ballots differently, and the distances poll workers must travel from polling places to county offices vary greatly. State law requires county elections officials to send their first batch of results to the Secretary of State’s Office no more than two hours after they begin tallying votes after polls close on Election Day.
County elections officials continue to report results periodically on Election Night until all precinct vote totals have been reported. County elections officials will continue to count ballots up to 30 days after Election Day.
When are vote-by-mail ballots counted?
Vote-by-mail ballots that are received by county elections officials before Election Day are typically counted on Election Day. Many more vote-by-mail ballots are dropped off at polling places, drop box locations, or arrive at county elections offices on Election Day.
Due to urgency legislation for this election, vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 17 days after Election Day must be processed.
Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it takes up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each local elections office uses to tally and report votes.
How and when are provisional ballots counted?
In California, provisional ballots serve as a fail-safe method of ensuring all voters who show up to the polls can cast a ballot.
All provisional ballots are carefully checked by county elections officials to confirm that the person who voted provisionally is both registered and that they did not cast a ballot by mail or at another polling location on Election Day.
Due to the additional human review and verification needed for provisional ballots, they are typically counted after Election Day and vote-by-mail ballots.
How and when are Same Day voter registrations processed?
Same Day voter registration, also known as conditional voter registration in state law, is a safety net for Californians who miss the deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for an election.
Eligible citizens who need to register or re-register to vote within 14 days of an election can complete this process to register and vote at their county elections office, polling place, or vote center. Their ballots will be processed and counted once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process.
How will we know how many ballots remain to be counted?
Two days after the election, counties must provide the Secretary of State an estimate of their remaining unprocessed ballots report. The Secretary of State’s office will post this “unprocessed ballots report” online and provide daily updates as new estimates are provided from the county elections offices.
When will the vote counting period end and election be certified?
Election results will change throughout the canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and other ballots are processed.
Depending on the volume of these types of ballots, it may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters.
The frequency of updated results will vary based on the size of each county and the process each county elections office uses to tally and report votes.
County elections officials must report their final results to the Secretary of State’s Office for the presidential contest by Dec. 1 and all other state and federal contests by Dec. 4.
The Secretary of State’s Office will certify the results on Dec. 11.
The Electoral College will convene on Dec. 14.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – I’ve adopted a new way of eating lately, and thanks to that, I’ve been enjoying a category of whole foods newly prominent in my meal planning – ancient grains.
Simply put, an ancient grain is one which has remained relatively unchanged through the millennia, free of the selective breeding that characterizes modern grains such as wheat, rice, and corn.
These grains include varieties of wheat (spelt, einkorn, emmer, farro and Khorasan wheat), grains (millet, barley, teff, sorghum and oats), and a category known as pseudocereals (buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa and chia).
Grains were first cultivated when prehistoric communities began to transition from hunting and gathering to farming more than 10,000 years ago.
While modern grains have been developed over time through mutation, selective cropping, breeding, and scientific research, ancient grains are largely the same as the domesticated varieties initially grown thousands of years ago.
For the environmentally conscious, it’s good to know that many ancient grains thrive with lower levels of pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation. (Of course, in my opinion, anything grown organically is better for us and the environment.)
If you’re watching your gluten intake, a good number of ancient grains are gluten-free. Amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and teff fall into this category.
While ancient forms of wheat do contain gluten, it exists in lower quantities than in current-day wheat and with a simpler structure than modern wheat gluten.
Packed with nutrition, ancient grains are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
These grains originated in different parts of the world, each with their own culinary story. Some, like barley and oats, have long been part of our national food culture, while others (quinoa, chia, and amaranth, for example) have become popular here in more recent decades.
Let’s learn a little more about some of them.
Amaranth, which the Aztecs cultivated as long as 8,000 years ago, hails from South America. A grass grown for its edible starchy seeds, amaranth has a higher protein content than most grains. It also contains three times the average amount of calcium and is the only grain documented to contain vitamin C.
This hardy plant was an integral part of the Aztec’s religious ceremonies. Its cultivation was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation, but since the plant has grown as a weed since then, its genetic base has been largely maintained.
Buckwheat was first cultivated in the Balkan region of Europe about 6,000 years ago and was one of the first crops grown by the early American settlers. Despite its name, buckwheat is not wheat (rather, it’s related to rhubarb), but pyramid-shaped fruit seeds. These seeds, known as buckwheat groats, are heart-healthy and are high in soluble fiber, which helps keep blood sugar levels steady.
Chia seeds were one of the main foods in the diet of the Aztecs, and their use was first recorded by them more than 5,000 years ago. They’re native to Mexico, Guatemala, and other parts of Central America, where they’ve long been a staple. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they have a gelatinous texture when soaked in liquid, which makes them perfect as a binder in gluten-free foods or as a component of vegan pudding.
Einkorn wheat is also known as farro piccolo in Italian or “littlespelt” in English, referring to the fact that each spikelet contains only one grain. It’s the world’s most primitive form of available wheat and is one of the first plants to be domesticated and cultivated. It was grown mainly in eastern areas of the Mediterranean. The name refers both to the wild and cultivated species.
Emmer, the ancient ancestor of modern wheat, is also known as farro medio. It was a primary crop in ancient Egypt and is said to have been the favorite wheat of Julius Caesar. Like einkorn wheat, emmer was one of the first crops cultivated in the Near East and was widely grown in the ancient world.
Farro is a term for three species of hulled wheat (that is, wheat that can’t be threshed) – spelt, emmer, and einkorn. Italians have dined on farro for centuries and it is believed to have fed Roman soldiers. Emmer is by far the most common variety of farro grown in Italy (it’s called “true farro” there) and spelt is more commonly grown in the northern European countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It has a nutty taste and a pleasantly chewy texture. I especially enjoy it in grain-based salads, particularly when the grains are toasted before cooking.
Khorasan wheat, known commercially as kamut, is an ancient relative of modern durum wheats and is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia. Khorasan refers to a historical region in what is now Afghanistan and Iran. The grain is twice the size of modern-day wheat and is extremely high in protein and rich in minerals. Because of its shape, it’s called “Camel’s Tooth” in Turkey. Another name, “Prophet’s Wheat,” is from a legend that Noah brought the grain with him on the ark.
Millet has its origins in India and Africa and was a main crop in those regions as long as 10,000 years ago. It continues to be most widely cultivated there. Evidence of millet and the tools used to harvest it have been found in ancient archaeological sites. This tiny grain is quite versatile and can be prepared like porridge, mashed like potatoes, fluffed like rice, or ground into flour. A nutritional powerhouse, millet is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Quinoa, a seed used like grain, originated in the Andes Mountains of South America. Its name means “mother grain” in Quechua, the language of the indigenous people there. Once cultivated solely by small farms in the Andean region, production has spread to more than 70 countries. Its wild popularity has caused crop prices to triple since 2006. Related to amaranth, the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, minerals and B vitamins. Its proteins are more digestible than those of meat.
Spelt, also known as Dinkel wheat, was an important staple in parts of medieval Europe and has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years. Once widely grown, the grain fell out of favor and survived as a limited crop in Central Europe and northern Spain before gaining its recent popularity. Slightly sweet and nutty, nutrient-rich spelt is frequently consumed in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. Spelt is commonly ground into flour for breads and other baked goods.
Teff is native to the grassy plains of Ethiopia and continues to be a staple there. Injera, a spongy, fermented Ethiopian flatbread, is made from its flour. At 150 times smaller than a single wheat kernel, teff is said to be the tiniest grain on Earth.
Fiber-rich and with a sweet, molasses-like flavor, teff is too small to husk, so is cooked whole. Teff easily melts into stews and gravies and is used as a thickening agent. Its name means “lost” in the Aramaic language due to the ease with which it can slip through one’s fingers.
Nutritious and versatile quinoa, once unknown in the United States, is now readily available in almost every supermarket. It’s the star of today’s recipe, a salad based on the grain with fresh vegetables and an herby vinaigrette.
For extra flavor, cook the quinoa in broth rather than water. Feel free to substitute whatever veggies you have on hand, as quinoa goes with almost anything!
Quinoa salad with fresh vegetables
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups cold water
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 large sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only, chopped
¼ English cucumber, chopped
½ cup chopped bell pepper, any color, or a mixture of colors
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon freshly chopped garden herbs
Bring quinoa and water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes until the white germ separates from the seed. Cover the pot, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, let cool, and fluff with a fork.
In a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, parsley, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add cooled quinoa and stir.
Prepare the dressing in a bowl by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Secretary of State’s Office reported that a record number of Californians have registered to vote in this year’s general election, and the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office will be open on Sunday to accommodate those who want to vote early or drop off their ballots.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla reported on Friday that 22,047,448 Californians had registered to vote as of Oct. 19.
That’s an increase of 2,635,677 registered voters since the last report of registration at a similar point in a presidential election cycle; that previous report was issued on Oct. 24, 2016.
Padilla said 87.87 percent of eligible Californians are registered to vote, which is the highest percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote heading into a general election in the past 80 years.
The report shows that of the 48,342 Lake County residents eligible to vote, 37,262, or 77.08 percent, were registered by Oct. 19.
Of Lake County’s registered voters, the latest statistics show that 14,398, or 38.64 percent, are registered as Democrats, 11,180 or 30 percent are Republicans, 1,713 or 4.6 percent are American Independents and 292, or 0.78 percent, are Green Party members.
Padilla said California is seeing a surge in early voting. "Given the anticipated big voter turnout, along with physical distancing and safety measures at in-person voting locations, there will likely be longer lines and wait times on Election Day. Californians should not wait – they should vote early. Think of Nov. 3 as simply the last day to vote,” said Padilla.
On Friday, Padilla also released the latest vote by mail statistics for the state.
Padilla’s Friday report on vote by mail statistics showed that a larger number of voters – 22,387,925 – than shown in the Oct. 19 report have been issued vote by mail, or absentee, ballots.
Altogether, 10,076,108 of those ballots have been returned and 9,992,052, or 99.17 percent, have been accepted by the elections offices across the state, according to Padilla’s report.
Padilla said California’s voters have returned their ballots in the following ways:
– Mail: 5,169,481.
– Drop boxes: 4,220,928.
– Drop off locations: 499,404.
– Vote center dropoff: 158,098.
– Fax: 25,035.
– Other: 3,162.
In Lake County, 37,711 vote by mail ballots were issued, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The state said 12,522 of those ballots have been returned by Lake County voters, with 12,388 – or 98.93 percent – accepted.
Lake County’s voters have so far returned the most ballots, 8,918, by mail, with 2,812 returned in the five drop boxes stationed at the Lakeport courthouse and the four libraries, 763 returned at a dropoff location and 29 by fax, the state’s report showed.
For those who missed the October voter registration deadline, they can still participate in this year’s election.
Padilla said 2020 marks the first year that voters can complete the “Same Day” voter registration process and cast their ballot at any in-person voting location in the county or the county elections office through Election Day.
In order to facilitate voters turning in their ballots or wanting to vote in person, Lake County Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez has opened her office this weekend.
Valadez told Lake County News on Saturday that about five people came in to vote that day but 20 stopped in to return their voted ballot.
She said her office also will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office is located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-2372.
On Election Day, there will still be 22 polling places around Lake County – the same number as in past elections – for those who want to vote in person, Valadez said.
For more information on the election, visit the Lake County Registrar of Voters 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.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla reported on Friday that 22,047,448 Californians had registered to vote as of Oct. 19.
That’s an increase of 2,635,677 registered voters since the last report of registration at a similar point in a presidential election cycle; that previous report was issued on Oct. 24, 2016.
Padilla said 87.87 percent of eligible Californians are registered to vote, which is the highest percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote heading into a general election in the past 80 years.
The report shows that of the 48,342 Lake County residents eligible to vote, 37,262, or 77.08 percent, were registered by Oct. 19.
Of Lake County’s registered voters, the latest statistics show that 14,398, or 38.64 percent, are registered as Democrats, 11,180 or 30 percent are Republicans, 1,713 or 4.6 percent are American Independents and 292, or 0.78 percent, are Green Party members.
Padilla said California is seeing a surge in early voting. "Given the anticipated big voter turnout, along with physical distancing and safety measures at in-person voting locations, there will likely be longer lines and wait times on Election Day. Californians should not wait – they should vote early. Think of Nov. 3 as simply the last day to vote,” said Padilla.
On Friday, Padilla also released the latest vote by mail statistics for the state.
Padilla’s Friday report on vote by mail statistics showed that a larger number of voters – 22,387,925 – than shown in the Oct. 19 report have been issued vote by mail, or absentee, ballots.
Altogether, 10,076,108 of those ballots have been returned and 9,992,052, or 99.17 percent, have been accepted by the elections offices across the state, according to Padilla’s report.
Padilla said California’s voters have returned their ballots in the following ways:
– Mail: 5,169,481.
– Drop boxes: 4,220,928.
– Drop off locations: 499,404.
– Vote center dropoff: 158,098.
– Fax: 25,035.
– Other: 3,162.
In Lake County, 37,711 vote by mail ballots were issued, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.
The state said 12,522 of those ballots have been returned by Lake County voters, with 12,388 – or 98.93 percent – accepted.
Lake County’s voters have so far returned the most ballots, 8,918, by mail, with 2,812 returned in the five drop boxes stationed at the Lakeport courthouse and the four libraries, 763 returned at a dropoff location and 29 by fax, the state’s report showed.
For those who missed the October voter registration deadline, they can still participate in this year’s election.
Padilla said 2020 marks the first year that voters can complete the “Same Day” voter registration process and cast their ballot at any in-person voting location in the county or the county elections office through Election Day.
In order to facilitate voters turning in their ballots or wanting to vote in person, Lake County Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez has opened her office this weekend.
Valadez told Lake County News on Saturday that about five people came in to vote that day but 20 stopped in to return their voted ballot.
She said her office also will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office is located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-2372.
On Election Day, there will still be 22 polling places around Lake County – the same number as in past elections – for those who want to vote in person, Valadez said.
For more information on the election, visit the Lake County Registrar of Voters website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at