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The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.
She has a short beige and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3537.
‘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’
“Jack” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.
He is dog No. 4155.
‘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
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters gained more containment on the Glass fire overnight and into early Thursday, with the fire’s movement resulting in a portion of Highway 29 south of Middletown being closed.
Cal Fire said Thursday that the Glass fire grew by more than 5,500 acres overnight to a total of 56,781 acres, with containment up to 5 percent, a 3-percent increase from Wednesday night.
The fire, burning since early Sunday in Napa and Sonoma counties, is threatening 26,623 structures, Cal Fire said.
On Thursday afternoon, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Highway 29 is closed in both directions between Bradford Road in Middletown and Tubbs Lane in Calistoga due to the Glass fire. Highway 128 in Calistoga remains open.
“At this time there are no evacuation orders or warnings for Lake County related to the Glass Fire,” the sheriff’s office said in a Nixle alert to Lake County residents.
Fire officials said low humidity and above-average temperatures allowed the Glass fire to burn actively throughout the night.
Crews on Thursday continued to work on structure defense while building and reinforcing containment lines, Cal Fire said.
Northwest winds are forecast to increase on Thursday, bringing elevated fire weather, Cal Fire said.
Those conditions have led to the National Weather Service issuing a red flag warning for the area through Friday evening.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters braved hot temperatures on Wednesday as they continued the work to contain massive and destructive wildland fires around the region.
The Glass fire, burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since early Sunday morning, grew to 51,266 acres – an increase of just over 2,800 acres – over the course of Wednesday night, with containment remaining at 2 percent, Cal Fire reported.
Cal Fire said the fire’s cause remains under investigation.
It is threatening 26,290 structures and thousands remain evacuated, officials said.
In Cal Fire’s latest report, the agency said the fire has destroyed 92 structures and damaged 45 in Sonoma County, while in Napa County it has destroyed 112 structures and damaged 99 others.
Officials said the fire continued to burn actively throughout Wednesday, with crews working on structure defense while building and reinforcing containment lines.
Extremely dry fuels – combined with warmer and drier weather – have allowed short-range spotting, and the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Thursday afternoon through Friday evening due to hot, dry weather and windy conditions in the forecast.
Cal Fire said it’s still working to determine when the fire might be fully contained.
To the north, the August Complex, burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, was up to 949,672 acres and 47-percent containment on Wednesday night, Cal Fire reported. The incident grew by approximately 11,628 acres since Tuesday night.
The lighting-caused complex has been burning since Aug. 17 and has currently scorched lands in Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties. It’s currently divided into three zones – North, South and West.
Command of the South Zone, which includes Lake County, on Wednesday morning transitioned from the National Incident Management Organization under Incident Commander Mike Quesinberry to the Pacific Northwest No. 2 Incident Management Team under Incident Commander Rob Allen, the US Forest Service reported.
Officials said that, in addition to constant input from firefighters on the ground, data from nighttime infrared flights is being used to identify heat sources inside the control lines that need to be addressed.
Crews spent Tuesday conducting mop up, checking control lines and enhancing structure protection in the Lake Pillsbury area, the Forest Service said.
In areas where mop up has been completed and checked, the Forest Service said firefighters are working to take down and retrieve hose lays, pumps and portable tanks that were installed on alternate contingency lines.
A Burned Area Emergency Response Team, or BAER, has begun work on the east side of the South Zone, collecting and analyzing information to document burn severity and to prioritize emergency stabilization measures, officials said.
The Forest Service this long-term process is initiated as soon as possible after a wildfire and will continue for up to a year to prevent further damage to life, property or natural resources on Forest Service Lands.
BAER teams identify needs in areas that are unlikely to recover naturally from wildland fire damage and use that information to prioritize rehabilitation work, the Forest Service said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The council will meet for a closed session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss negotiations for a property at 15970 Dam Road owned by R/M Clearlake and existing litigation against the county of Lake over Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen’s performance before the public portion of the meeting convenes at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.
Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEG TV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday the council will present a certificate of appreciation to Clearlake Planning Commission Chair Richard Bean, who is stepping down, and also offer proclamations declaring October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
On the agenda is a discussion and consideration of actions the city can take to facilitate the development of the former Pearce Field Airport property on Highway 53.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explains that the property has been the center of development plans for decades.
The original 38.5-acre property was purchased from the county by the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency in 1994 for $840,000. In 1998, the redevelopment agency sold 10 acres for the development of Outrageous Waters water park.
The property was transferred to the city for public use in 2013 as part of then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s winddown of all redevelopment agencies, Flora said.
He said the city and the former redevelopment agencies have made efforts over the years to attract development to the site. Staff believes “significant interest remains in the Clearlake market and staff believe that with the right approach the project will be successful.”
Flora will discuss with the council the steps in the process as well as the proposal to work with RAM Development Partners, a sister company to Retail Strategies, the company that has been working with the city to attract development interest and investment into Clearlake.
In other business, the council will interview candidates to succeed Richard Bean on the Clearlake Planning Commission. Bean’s term ends in March.
Applicants are Michael McKeown, Joan Mingori, Michael A. Smith and Fawn Williams.
The council also will discuss the creation of a homestead housing program, which staff said is meant to encourage and incentivize new home construction, focusing on employed, entry-level professionals looking for quality housing. As part of the discussion, staff is proposing a $1 million amendment to the city’s 2020-21 budget to appropriate funds for the program.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the August and September meetings; second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 246-2020, amending Section 5-20.3 and Section 18-12.050 of the Clearlake Municipal Code relating to commercial cannabis businesses; second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 247-2020, an amendment to Chapter 3 of the Clearlake Municipal Code regarding development impact fees; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action March 19, 2020, in response to COVID-19; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017, in response to the Sulphur fire; adoption of Resolution No. 2020-42, acceptance of the State Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CDBG-CV) in the amount of $122,279; approval of an agreement with Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation on behalf of the California Center for Rural Policy for cannabis equity grant assistance in the amount of $45,000 approve agreement and authorize the city manager to sign; adoption of Resolution No. 2020-45 updating the city’s designated publications for legal notices adopt; approval of Amendment No. 2 to management and administrative services agreement with Regional Government Services for Consulting Services; and consideration of establishing an unemployment benefits internal service
fund and establishing policy guidelines, Resolution No. 2020-46.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following an early morning traffic stop on Tuesday, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy arrested an East Coast man who was found with more than 30 pounds of marijuana in his car and a suitcase filled with a large amount of cash.
Lt. Corey Paulich said Mehir Patel, 26, of Charlotte, North Carolina was arrested following the stop.
At 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy was patrolling the area of Highway 20 near New Long Valley Road in Clearlake Oaks when he observed a Toyota Rav4 that was exceeding the posted speed limit and traveling east on Highway 20, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for the speeding violation and contacted the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, identified as Patel.
While the deputy was speaking to Patel, he could smell an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Paulich said Patel told the deputy he had been visiting friends in Willits and was returning home.
When questioned about marijuana in the vehicle Patel first told the deputy he did not have any, but upon further questioning admitted to having approximately 30 pounds in the vehicle. Paulich said Patel told the deputy he planned to transport the marijuana to Los Angeles where he would sell it for a $100 per pound profit.
Paulich said the deputy searched the vehicle and located 32 individually wrapped one-pound packages of marijuana as well as $151,000 in a suitcase.
Patel told the deputy he had planned on purchasing more marijuana in Willits but the price was not low enough, Paulich said.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Patel was not able to be booked at the Lake County Jail, Paulich said.
Paulich said the marijuana and money were seized and the case will be forwarded to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for review.
The sheriff’s office is requesting the district attorney charge Patel with possessing over $100,000 for the purchase of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana for sale, Paulich said.
The National Weather Service has issued the red flag warning, which will be in effect from 2 p.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. Friday.
The agency said a red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions – including strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures – are either occurring now or will shortly, and can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
At the same time, California ISO, the agency that operates the state’s energy grid, is calling a statewide flex alert for power conservation between 3 and 10 p.m. Thursday.
The forecast calls for north to northwest winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour that will become gusty – with gusts of up to 25 miles per hour – Thursday afternoon through Friday evening across southern Mendocino County and portions of western and southern Lake County.
“Those winds combined with afternoon humidity values in the teens, poor overnight humidity recoveries, warm temperatures, and dry vegetation will yield a critical fire weather threat,” the National Weather Service said.
In the specific Lake County, forecasters said temperatures will be close to the century mark on Friday, with nighttime temperatures in the high 50s.
Over the weekend, temperatures will drop into the high 80s and nighttime temperatures will be in the mid to high 50s, the forecast said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at