LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County pear harvest concluded a few weeks ago, and the local pear industry is breathing a sigh of relief that the season’s primary worry did not come to fruition.
Thanks to the diligent efforts of the ag community, the workers and Lake County Public Health, there were no major outbreaks of COVID-19 that resulted from pear harvest.
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace has been the No. 1 objective in the fields and packing sheds this summer.
Local ag employers were meeting with Lake County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace as early as June to prepare for pear harvest.
“Dr. Pace provided great leadership and support,” said Pat Scully of Scully Packing, Lake County’s remaining pear packer. “He held multiple weekly Zoom meetings with ag employers before and during the season with detailed suggestions for precautionary measures.”
Scully added of Pace, “He was committed to avoiding an outbreak and his suggestions were instrumental in avoiding one.”
The outdoor nature of harvesting pears naturally allows for social distancing. Pear farmers put additional precautions in place surrounding break times and congregate living situations for out-of-county crews.
The packing sheds, however, were a larger source of concern, as the effort requires many employees working indoors in close quarters.
Scully Packing made substantial changes this year to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spread among its employees.
Facility modifications included ventilation systems all through the sheds, vinyl dividers at sorting stations, extra handwashing and sanitizer stations, and a complete redesign of the front office. Face masks were required and provided and family members/carpool groups were assigned to the same work areas.
Trees were removed in the orchard adjacent to the shed to erect two large tents for training and breaks with 150 new picnic tables for required social distancing.
Scully Packing also implemented procedural changes and employee training which helped to prevent an outbreak.
Four infrared facial recognition digital thermometers were purchased to test each employee as they entered the workplace.
On the third day of packing, one family unknowingly came to work with COVID-19 and were stopped after being screened by office staff.
“We immediately sent all three family members who were working, and one who was scheduled to report the next day, home to quarantine until testing could be done,” Scully said.
He said the family members tested positive and were quarantined for the required 14 days.
Thankfully, it was an isolated incident, according to Scully. “While several other people got tested during the season, no other positive cases were reported. We did have several workers who had been identified as close contacts that were kept away from work until their quarantine periods had expired.”
All supervisors and employees received intensive training on COVID-19 prevention, symptoms and procedures. This included payment for lost wages for those with positive tests.
Scully also gives credit to the employees for the success of these measures.
“We had about 450 employees between the two sheds,” Scully said. “Everyone followed the guidelines to protect themselves and their fellow workers. They stayed home and reported when they felt sick, wore their masks constantly, practiced diligent hand washing, respected social distancing rules during breaks, and were conscientious about avoiding social gatherings outside the workplace. Nobody wanted to get sick and we all followed the rules to keep each other well. It worked!”
In his Sept. 22 update to the Board of Supervisors, Dr. Pace praised Lake County’s pear industry.
“We did have some real success over the past few months in the agricultural industry. The pears have been harvested and packed and there were no serious outbreaks there. Many workers came from out of the area, lived in congregate living situations, and worked in the packing sheds or other close quarters. The owners, managers and workers all put a lot of effort into taking steps to control the spread of the virus in these risky settings,” Pace said.
The conclusion of pear harvest coincides with the beginning of winegrape harvest. Winegrape employers have been involved in the meetings with Dr. Pace as early as June and have already employed mitigating measures in the field.
In early September, Scully and Dr. Pace met with winery operators via Zoom to share Scully Packing’s successful procedures for indoor operations.
The Lake County Ag Department still has masks and sanitation supplies available for ag employers and their employees.
Contact the Lake County Ag Department at 707-263-0217 for more information.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake invites members of the public to a discussion on the image, challenges, opportunities and future of downtown Clearlake on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
To join in person, RSVP via the city website. Space is very limited in the council chambers due to social distancing guidelines and those interested in attending in person are encouraged to RSVP as soon as possible.
Clearlake has partnered with Retail Strategies for retail recruitment services throughout the city.
While Clearlake has not historically had a traditional downtown core, city officials believe they need to develop a walkable and vibrant area along the lakefront.
Jenn Gregory, president of Downtown Strategies, and Elliot Cook, retail development coordinator will facilitate a stakeholder input session and will collect information and collaborate with community stakeholders on the future of downtown Clearlake.
Please be prepared to share ideas, goals, concerns, challenges and thoughts as city leaders and residents work together on planning for downtown Clearlake’s future.
Retail Strategies will be performing a market analysis and will be assessing opportunities regarding policy and administration, design, tourism and promotion, and economic vitality of downtown Clearlake.
Based on that analysis, the firm will provide a strategic plan with recommendations for growth, economic impact and progress, city officials said.
The Glass fire as mapped by Cal Fire on Thursday, October 8, 2020. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters held the Glass fire to just over 60 acres of growth on Thursday while air resources have been at work on the August Complex’s South Zone.
Cal Fires said the Glass fire was up to 67,484 acres on Thursday night, an increase of just 64 acres over the previous night, with containment up to 70 percent, an increase of 8 percent.
The fire has been burning since Sept. 27 in Napa and Sonoma counties. It’s anticipated to be fully contained on Oct. 20.
As more evacuation orders were lifted in the fire area on Thursday, the number of threatened structures was reduced by nearly 10,000 to a total of 3,480 by nightfall, according to Cal Fire’s report.
Cal Fire said fire activity on Thursday was limited to smoldering, heavy fuels and interior islands with isolated heat signatures. These conditions consisted of creeping and smoldering within the current fire perimeter.
Assigned resources continued to be dialed back as the fire moves toward full containment. Cal Fire said that, as of Thursday night, resources assigned included 1,963 personnel, 251 engines, 23 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 32 hand crews, 11 dozers and two masticators.
New team taking over August Complex South Zone management
The state’s largest fire, the August Complex, rose to 1,020,571 acres and 65 percent containment on Thursday night, Cal Fire reported.
Sparked by lightning on Aug. 17, it’s burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
Officials said 4,799 personnel are assigned.
The Forest Service said that on Wednesday, crews worked diligently to construct line around a 300-acre slop-over northeast of Lake Pillsbury, over the M6 Road near Bloody Rock.
Heat was captured by infrared data late in the night with direct suppression tactics starting after detection in the early morning hours yesterday. Officials said aviation resources were used to restrict the fire’s progression and cool down the fire, to help ground crews safely work in the area.
Helitack crews and helicopters are working in the Snow Mountain Wilderness to contain the fire’s progression, officials said.
As new resources are redirected to the South Zone to aid in firefighting efforts, there will be a significant increase in road traffic in fire-affected areas, especially on Elk Mountain Road, as crews and equipment travel to new locations, the Forest Service said.
The other areas of the South Zone remain in patrol status with engines and water tenders monitoring those lines. Through it all, the No. 1 priority always remains firefighter and public safety, the Forest Service said.
The Southwest Incident Management Team 1 arrived at the incident Wednesday and will assume command of the August Complex South Zone at 7 a.m. Friday.
Burned Area Emergency Response, or BAER, specialists from the U.S. Forest Service recently completed their data gathering and fieldwork of the August Complex fire burn area.
Their focus was to verify and finalize the soil burn severity map. Soil burn severity is classified into levels between unburned and high, the Forest Service said.
The Forest Service said BAER team members will now use the soil burn severity data to identify if there are areas or features of concern where increased soil erosion, accelerated surface water run-off, and debris flows have the potential to impact human life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources from rain events.
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.
The South Zone of the August Complex as mapped by the US Forest Service on Thursday, October 8, 2020.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has six adoptable dogs this week.
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
“Bella.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.
She has a short beige and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3537.
“Chop.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Chop’
“Chop” is a male Rottweiler mix with a black and tan coat.
He is dog No. 4267.
“Gozer.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Gozer’
“Gozer” is a female shepherd mix with a black and white coat.
She is dog No. 4288.
“Isis.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Isis’
“Isis” is a female American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a brindle and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3732.
“Jack.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Jack’
“Jack” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.
He is dog No. 4155.
“Lady.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Lady’
“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3683.
The shelter is open by appointment only due to COVID-19.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s 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.
NICE, Calif. – Officials are urging residents of the Nice area to take precautions due to a breakout of feline panleukopenia.
Lake County Animal Care and Control reported that it has recently seen a feline panleukopenia outbreak in the area of Pyle Road to Lincoln Street in Nice.
Feline panleukopenia is a highly infectious disease that can infect all wild and domestic members of the cat population.
Infected cats can shed large amounts of the virus in all body secretions including feces, vomit, urine, saliva and mucus.
The primary signs of infection include anorexia, lethargy, profuse watery to bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
Feline panleukopenia requires immediate and aggressive treatment for survival. Infection can be fatal in less than 24 hours.
Prevention is vital to protect cats. Animal Care and Control is recommending that cat owners in the area contact their veterinarian for specific vaccination recommendations.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Clearlake man has been convicted and sentenced to state prison for a September 2019 arson.
On Monday, Matthew Samuel Miravalle, 36, was convicted of committing felony arson and Judge J. David Markham sentenced Miravalle to six years in state prison, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
According to investigation reports by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire, sheriff’s Investigator Todd Dunia met with Cal Fire Arson Investigator Joe Baldwin concerning a fire that occurred on Sept. 23, 2019, on Highway 20 at the bus stop near Lake Street in Clearlake Oaks.
On the day of the fire, Lake County was under red flag conditions due to fire danger. Hinchcliff said the fire burned a small strip of vegetation and part of a wood fence next to the Eskaton Senior Apartment building.
As a result of the investigation by Dunia and Baldwin, and information provided by firefighter Randy Newell of the Northshore Fire District, it was determined that Miravalle intentionally started the fire, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said investigators found two witnesses who provided information about the start of the fire and found video at the apartment complex showing Miravalle at the scene of the fire when it started.
On Sept. 26, 2019, Miravalle was taken into custody and interviewed by Dunia. Hinchcliff said Miravalle initially denied starting the fire and claimed to be in Ukiah when the fire started.
After Dunia confronted Miravalle with the witness statements and video, Miravalle admitted starting the fire. Hinchcliff said Miravalle claimed he started fires when he was mad at someone and someone had recently made him angry. He also stated he was aware that senior citizens resided in the adjacent apartment building, and claimed that his grandmother also lived there.
Hinchcliff said Miravalle had previously been convicted of arson in 2014 when he lit a bulletin board on fire in a laundromat.
During the course of the prosecution, a doubt was declared about Miravalle’s competency to stand trial, he was referred for an evaluation by doctors, court proceedings were temporarily suspended and doctors later determined Miravalle was competent to stand trial, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff, who handles most of the fire-related prosecutions for Lake County, said he charged Miravalle with arson of property and a strike for the prior arson conviction.
Angelina Potter was appointed as a public defender to represent Miravalle. On March 20, Miravalle pleaded no-contest to arson and admitted the prior strike conviction, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said Judge Markham sentenced Miravalle on Monday to the upper term of six years in state prison.
Miravalle also will be required to register as an arson offender for his lifetime, Hinchcliff said.
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