News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Although Election Day is two weeks away, voting is well underway as Lake County residents return vote-by-mail – or absentee – ballots early.

Ballots, which were mailed out at the start of this month, are now being returned by US Mail, in person to the Elections Office or in secure drop boxes on county properties.

Voters should only use official county drop boxes. Official ballot drop boxes are clearly recognizable, designed to meet standards for security, and bear the official Lake County Official Ballot Drop Box logo, elections officials said.

The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office said there are drop boxes located in five locations: at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport; at the Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.; the Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake; Middletown Library, 21256 Washington St.; and Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St.

The boxes are available for dropoff around the clock, seven days a week, until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day.

While there have been reports in some areas of the state about unofficial drop boxes for ballots, Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said she’s received no reports of any such boxes in Lake County.

Those using the US Mail to return their ballot are urged to mail them back no later than Oct. 27 to ensure they arrive in time to be counted.

Ballots also can be dropped off at the Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209, second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Valadez also will open her office on Friday, Oct. 30, Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, to allow for voters to come in and cast or deliver their ballots.

For those who want to vote at the polls, Valadez said there will be 22 polling places on Nov. 3, the same number that the county had for the primary as well as for previous elections for quite some time.

A list of those polling places can be found here or seen below.

If a voter who received a vote-by-mail ballot decides they want to vote in person, Valadez said they must go to their assigned polling place and surrender their unopened and unvoted ballot. Valadez said she included information in the sample ballot booklet that explains the process; it can be found on the inside cover.

The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office will test the equipment to be used for the November presidential election on Thursday, Oct. 22, beginning at 11 a.m. The public is invited to observe the testing.

Tips for voters

The Registrar of Voter Office offers the following tips for voters.

– Make a plan to vote. You can return your vote-by-mail ballot using the prepaid postage return envelope or by bringing it to any official drop box, voting location, or county elections office.

– Voters can also choose someone to return their ballot. Only choose someone you trust to return your ballot. You and the authorized person must sign the authorization statement on the return envelope. Never give your ballot to someone else unless you have completed, signed and sealed the return envelope.

– Sign up for ballot tracking. You can sign-up at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov to receive automatic notifications by text message, email or voice message about the status of your vote-by-mail ballot. You’ll be notified once your county has received your ballot, once it is counted, and if there are any issues with the ballot.

Additional voter resources

For more information, to report unofficial ballot drop boxes or to ask about other election-related matters, contact the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office at 707-263-2372 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Phone hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

A full rundown of information for Lake County voters regarding the Nov. 3 general election is here: http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/ROV/Upcoming/110320.htm .http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/ROV/Upcoming/110320.htm

Locations of official Lake County drop boxes can be found on at https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ .

To find your polling place: http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/ROV/Upcoming/110320.htm .

The Secretary of State also has resources for California voters at www.vote.ca.gov .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

List of Polling Places in Lake County by LakeCoNews on Scribd

New California Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray. Courtesy photo.

On Tuesday Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the first woman commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.

Amanda L. Ray, 54, of Sacramento, has been deputy commissioner of the California Highway Patrol since 2020.

Her appointment as commissioner is effective Nov. 17.

She will be the first woman and the second African American ever to lead the agency.

“I would like to thank Gov. Newsom for the outstanding opportunity to lead this great Department and to continue to work each day with the women and men of the California Highway Patrol. I couldn’t be more honored and proud to accept this appointment and further the CHP’s mission of providing the highest level of Safety, Service and Security, and ensuring California is a safe place to live, work and travel,” said Ray.

Commissioner Ray served in several positions in the California Highway Patrol from 1990 to 2020, including cadet, officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief, chief and assistant commissioner.

Ray was Special Response Team Tactical Commander at the California Highway Patrol for Superbowl 50 in 2016. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $282,528. Ray is a Democrat.

She will succeed Commissioner Warren Stanley, who Newsom announced is retiring following nearly four decades of service to the people of California. Stanley was the first African American to lead the CHP.

“I thank Commissioner Stanley for his distinguished service at the head of the California Highway Patrol,” said Gov. Newsom. “As the leader of the fifth-largest law enforcement agency in the country, Commissioner Stanley championed causes to enhance public safety for everyone who travels on California’s roads and freeways. We are grateful for his forward-looking vision and pursuit of innovative strategies to prevent injuries and save lives. I am confident that Deputy Commissioner Ray will be a crucial partner as we continue the important work ahead to strengthen community engagement in public safety and advance reforms to our criminal justice system that will help foster a more just and inclusive future for all Californians.”

Commissioner Stanley has served the people of California within the CHP since 1982 and has held every uniformed rank within the department, including Lieutenant of the Border Division Investigative Services Unit and Commander of the California Highway Patrol Academy.

“I’m very proud of my career, but what I’m most proud of is the current and past CHP employees who I have had the privilege and honor to work with,” said CHP Commissioner Stanley. “All of you are the primary reason I believe the CHP is one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world. I also want to thank Governor Newsom for his support of me, the 11,000 women and men of the CHP and for selecting Deputy Commissioner Amanda Ray as the next CHP Commissioner.”

During his tenure, Commissioner Stanley spearheaded a number of innovative highway and traffic safety initiatives. Under his leadership, CHP created the Impaired Driving Section, which is responsible for revising current enforcement policies to ensure they are consistent with a new law that approved the adult use of cannabis and facilitate new research into how cannabis affects driving behaviors.

Commissioner Stanley also worked to bolster the Highway Safety Corridor Program, which has promoted education, enforcement and coordination on California’s roadways with high crash rates.

He also helped the CHP establish a national leadership role in addressing the special needs and concerns of elderly drivers and collaborated on initiatives to promote responsible driving among teens.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new grant program is opening to provide financial relief for small businesses in Lake County impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In collaboration with the county of Lake, Lake County Economic Development Corp., or Lake County EDC, has launched the Small Business Grant Program, funded by the CARES Act, the grant program will provide.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Lake County EDC will launch an online grant application portal on its website.

Grants will be funded in amounts up to $20,000 per business on a first-come, first-served basis until Dec. 9.

For businesses looking for grant application details, information can be found on the Lake EDC website.

Staff will host a webinar at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, to review eligibility and the application process.

Registration for the webinar can be found on Lake EDC’s website and Facebook page.

If you are unable to attend the webinar, a recording will be published on the website.

The Lake County EDC may be contacted at 707-263-6217.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has implemented a new program that it said will allow the public to help fight crime in local communities.

The Security Camera Registration Program allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the sheriff’s office, said Lt. Corey Paulich.

When a crime occurs, Paulich said deputies will easily be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and enlist the assistance of the community to help deputies collect video evidence and follow up on leads.

Through this program, the sheriff’s office will be able to directly contact participants who are using video in an area in which a crime occurred. Paulich said deputies would ask participants to check their video surveillance system for a specific date and time for video that may show activity involved with a crime. If any video evidence is found, the resident or business owner can make arrangements with deputies for video retrieval.

Paulich said registration in this program is voluntary and there is no cost associated with registration.

Registering your information does not provide the sheriff’s office with direct access to your security cameras, Paulich said. Participants may remove or make changes to their registration at any time. They will only be contacted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of their security camera.

If you have security cameras at your home or business and are interested in this program or would like additional information please visit the sheriff’s Security Camera Registration Program webpage or call Lt. Luke Bingham at 707-262-4082.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for Lake County and other parts of the region due to windy, dry conditions in this week’s forecast, while Pacific Gas and Electric said it has activated one-day notifications to 54,000 customers in 19 counties in anticipation of a potential public safety power shutoff.

The fire weather watch is in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 11 a.m. Friday.

The forecast calls for north to northeast winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts from 20 to 40 miles per hour and low humidity.

PG&E said its meteorologists are continuing to monitor a potentially strong and dry offshore wind event forecast to start Wednesday evening.

As a result, PG&E said approximately 53,533 customers have been notified in portions of Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba, where a PSPS watch is now in effect.

PG&E said 963 customers in Lake County, including 69 Medical Baseline customers, are still expected to be impacted if the shutoff goes forward. Mapping shows the impacted customers are in Cobb, Clearlake Oaks, Lower Lake and Middletown.

During the Tuesday evening Lakeport City Council meeting, City Manager Kevin Ingram confirmed that the Lakeport area is not targeted for shutoff this week.

He said city staff also is monitoring a possible PSPS event that could take place next week.

Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it is anticipating that it may shut off power to 50,000 customers in portions of 19 counties starting Wednesday night due to another incoming wind event, with nearly 1,000 Lake County customers among those anticipated to be impacted.

The company said it began notifying customers on Monday of the public safety power shutoff, which could take place as early as Wednesday evening.

PG&E said that while there is still uncertainty regarding the strength and timing of this weather wind event, it’s shutoff is forecast to target approximately 50,414 customers in portions of 19 counties, including Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba. A small number of customers in two tribal communities may also be affected.

In Lake County, 963 customers – 69 of them in the Medical Baseline program – are in the proposed outage area. Lake’s customers appear to be primarily located in the Clearlake Oaks, Cobb, Lower Lake and Middletown areas, based on PG&E mapping.

If the shutoff goes forward, power to the impacted Lake County residents is expected to be turned off between 2 and 6 a.m. Thursday, with power to be restored by 10 p.m. Friday once power equipment is inspected for damage and cleared for reenergizing.

In Lake’s neighboring counties, the following numbers are reported for impacted customers: Colusa, 565 customers, 31 Medical Baseline customers; Glenn, 377 customers, 18 Medical Baseline customers; Napa, 2,032 customers, 82 Medical Baseline customers; Sonoma, 626 customers,18 Medical Baseline customers; and Yolo, 11 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers.

PG&E said, in the event the shutoff goes forward, it will open a community resource center at the Clearlake Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. in Clearlake.

The community resource center will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will offer snacks and water, air-conditioning/heating, device charging, ice, ADA-accessible restroom and washing station, seating, small medical device charging and Wi-Fi.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the center will follow important health and safety protocols including:

– Facial coverings and maintaining a physical distance of at least 6 feet from those who are not part of the same household will be required.
– Temperature checks will be administered before entering centers that are located indoors.
– Center staff will be trained in COVID-19 precautions and will regularly sanitize surfaces and use Plexiglass barriers at check-in.
– All centers will follow county and state requirements regarding COVID-19, including limits on the number of customers permitted indoors at any time.

For more information on the potential outage, visit the PG&E website.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.