News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson this week will hold a virtual town hall to discuss climate change, particularly in light of California’s already devastating fire season.

The virtual town hall will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.

Thompson will be joined by special guest Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14), chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, for a climate change discussion.

This is the 14th in a series of virtual town halls. All constituents of California’s Fifth Congressional District and members of the press are invited to join.

This event will be held over Zoom and interested participants must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in order to join, as the platform has a capacity of 500 people.

Interested participants should include their name, their email and their city of residence. They will be notified via email with instructions on how to join.

The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live via Thompson’s page.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Better mapping has led to a reduced acreage estimate for the August Complex, which officials said continues to burn across vast swaths of public land to the north of Clear Lake and has made a run in the Yuki Wilderness.

As of Monday, the August Complex was at 755,603 acres with 30-percent containment, the US Forest Service reported.

It is the largest wildland fire in recorded California history, surpassing the second-largest – the 2018 Mendocino Complex – by nearly 300,000 acres.

Officials said Monday that the acreage of the August Complex has decreased by about 22,000 acres due to more accurate mapping and establishing management zones.

The US Forest Service and Cal Fire are engaged in a coordinated response to manage and suppress the August Complex, which complex consists of multiple fires that have burned together over the past month on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.

The complex has been divided into the North, South and West Zones for management purposes.

Officials said Monday that firefighters are continuing to mop up all along the fire’s perimeter utilizing both ground and aerial resources. Some of this work is being conducted by the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

A dozer line is being completed around the Salt Creek Conservation Camp and may be followed by a burnout if necessary to help protect the area, officials said.

A structure protection group has been established in the Pillsbury Lake Basin to help protect infrastructure. This includes installing hose lays, supplying water dip tanks for helicopters and putting in dozer lines where appropriate. Crews will continue to patrol and monitor containment lines throughout the fire area, officials reported.

The fire crossed containment lines in the Yuki Wilderness Sunday and made a run to the west.
Firefighters worked on suppression efforts in that area Monday to contain the fire. Officials said crews are working closely with resource advisors in the wilderness to reduce suppression impacts.

Because of winds, high temperatures and dry fuels, officials said fire activity is expected to remain high.

New evacuations were issued Sunday night in Mendocino County. Additional evacuation orders are in effect for Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Trinity counties. More information on evacuations is available here.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will get a COVID-19 update and consider the possibility of waiving landfill fees for community cleanups.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The supervisors will meet in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, for a hybrid meeting format which also will include the opportunity for community members to continue to participate virtually.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link at 9 a.m. The meeting ID is 924 3246 0906, password 011841.

To submit a written comment on any agenda item please visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.

At 9:02 a.m., the board will get its update on COVID-19 from Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.

In untimed items, at the request of Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, the board will discuss how Public Services Director Lars Ewing can waive fees for landfill use for specific groups with community clean up goals.

The board also will consider a resolution authorizing straight-time overtime pay for management employees working beyond 40 hours in a week due to Board of Supervisors-declared emergencies, concurrent with active emergency operations centers for the COVID-10 pandemic event and for the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event. Such pay would be capped at 40 hours per event.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2020-73, revising and extending the county of Lake COVID-19 interim policy for working remotely.

5.2: Approve continuation of the county of Lake COVID-19 public health emergency return to work – worksite protection protocol.

5.3: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings April 7, April 14, June 16, July 14, July 21 and Sept. 1.

5.4: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 20-0397-000-SA with California Department of Food and Agriculture for compliance with the Nursery Inspection Program for period July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, in the amount of $631.

5.5: Adopt resolution fixing tax rates for local agencies, general obligation bonds and other voter approved indebtedness for Fiscal Year 2020-21.

5.6: Approve reissuance of tax refund check from FY 16/17 in the amount of $94.98 issued to David Leppert.

5.7: Adopt resolution approving county of Lake Application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for Emergency Solutions Grant Program CARES Act funding.

5.8: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Mountain Valley Family and child services for specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 in the amount of $48,000 and to authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.9: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Care Coordination Systems for the implementation of Pathways HUB Referral System software for Fiscal Year 2019-20 through Fiscal Year 2021-22 in the amount of $512,500 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.10: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Office of Education - Safe Schools Healthy Students Program for school-based specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 for a contract maximum of $250,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

5.11: Approve amendment one to the Building and Rooftop Space License Agreement between the county of Lake and Cellco Partnership, d/b/a Verizon Wireless; and authorize the chair to sign.

5.12: Approve a deed notification covenant for an environmental restriction on a portion of Lampson Field and authorize the chair to sign.

5.13: Approve irrevocable offer of dedication for roadway and public utility purposes - across a portion of the Licina/Fitzsimmons Property adjoining the lands of Barnes, Upper Lake, Parcel Map 09-02 Barnes.

5.14: (a) Approve the purchase of a 2020 Can-Am MAV Sport XX UTV and (b) authorize the sheriff or his designee to issue a purchase order to Hillside Powersports Marine in the amount of $24,962.45.

5.15: Approve the Sun Ridge Systems Software Support Services agreement for the FY 2020/21 in the amount of $43,489.50 for the support of its Law Enforcement Software Suite, and authorize the chairman to sign.

5.16: Sitting as Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, approve agreement with California Exterminators Alliance for herbicide / pesticide application in the amount of $29,675 through June 30, 2021, and authorized the chair to sign.

5.17: Sitting as Board of Directors Lake County Sanitation District, consideration of approval of final design engineering services agreement in the amount of $178,000 with Brelje & Race Consulting Engineers for the Middletown sewer treatment plant; and authorize the chair to sign.

5.18: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve agreement between county of Lake and Harmony Research, for FY 20/21 for professional research services related to tax default land sales.

TIMED ITEMS

6.1, 9:01 A.M.: Public input.

6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.

6.3, 10 a.m.: Continued from Aug. 18, appeal to Board of Supervisors, AB 20-01 of major use Permit (UP 19-05) and initial study (IS 19-09) (APN 009-021-07).

6.4, 11:15 a.m.: Consideration of presentation on Lake County Mental Health Services Act annual update and three-year program and expenditure plan for Fiscal Year 2020-2023.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: Discussion and direction to staff on ways for the Public Services director to waive fees for landfill use for specific groups with community clean up goals.

7.3: Consideration of a resolution authorizing straight-time overtime pay, for management employees working beyond 40 hours in a week due to Board of Supervisors declared emergencies, concurrent with active emergency operations centers for the COVID-10 pandemic event and for the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event, capped at 40 hours per event.

7.4: Consideration of advisory board appointments: First Five Lake County.

7.5: Consideration of amendment one to the agreement between the county of Lake and the Kelseyville Motel for COVID-19 emergency isolation housing and authorize the chair to sign.

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) chief negotiator: M. Long; county negotiators: C. Huchingson and P. Samac; and (b) employee organizations: LCDDAA, LCDSA, LCCOA, LCEA, LCSEA and LCSMA.

8.2. Conference with (a) county negotiators: M. Simon, B. Sabatier, C. Huchingson, S. Carter (b) temporary representatives designated to meet with county department heads regarding salary and benefits and (c) unrepresented management employees.

8.3: Public employee evaluations: Agricultural Commissioner Steve Hajik, Public Services Director Lars Ewing.

8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): State of Calif. et al., ex rel. OnTheGo Wireless, LLC v. Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, et al.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Sunday new evacuations were ordered in response to the massive lighting-sparked August Complex, which has been burning for nearly a month in forestlands across several counties.

The US Forest Service and Cal Fire are engaged in a coordinated response to manage and suppress the August Complex.

Officials said the complex consists of multiple fires that have burned together and are collectively known as the August Complex.

The Complex has been divided into three zones: South, North and West. The South Zone is located primarily in the Mendocino National Forest, geographically from the South Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness to just north of Lake Pillsbury, officials said.

The August Complex has grown to 877,477 acres and was up to 28-percent containment on Sunday. It is listed as the largest fire in California history.

The South Zone – formerly known as the Doe fire – is now 503,086 acres.

Firefighters are mopping up along the fire’s perimeter where fire activity is low, increasing its containment. Officials said they continue to reduce fuels around Lake Pillsbury and in communities near the Eel River and Bauer Ridge to help protect infrastructure. This includes installing hose lays, water dip tanks for helicopters and putting in dozer lines where appropriate.

The Forest Service said aerial resources will continue to utilize water drops on hot spots around the fire’s perimeter. Crews will continue to patrol and monitor fire activity throughout the fire area.

Officials said they continue to deal with challenging weather conditions. High winds and temperatures, low humidity and critically dry fuels are continuing to spur fire activity.

Evacuations are in effect in many counties, including Lake, where Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin remain under evacuation orders.

On Sunday evening, Cal Fire, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office jointly issued an evacuation order for areas west of the National Forest boundary, north of Thomas Creek and the Eel River, and east of Twin Bridges Creek, south of Bald Mountain; west of Elk Creek south of Deep Hole Creek, north of the National Forest Boundary; and west of the Eel River, north of Deep Hole Creek, east of Eden Valley, including the entire valley floor, south of Eden Creek.

At the same time, they issued an evacuation warning for south of the Middle Fork of the Eel River, west of Eden Creek, north of Salt Flat and east of Salt Creek; east of Brushy Mountain, south of the fire road on Salt Flat, west of Eden Valley and north of Bald Mountain; south and west of the Eel River, north of Foster Mountain Road, east of the ridge west of Willits Road; and north of Twin Bridges Creek, east of the Eel River, south of Brushy Creek and west of Brushy Mountain.

Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region issued a temporary closure of all 18 National Forests in California effective through Sept. 14.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will get updates on city projects, hear the latest on COVID-19 from the county Public Health officer and meet new city staff.

The meeting will take place via webinar beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15.

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 877-309-2074 or 213-929-4221. The access code is 596-105-550; 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 This 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, Sept. 15.

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 the agenda, Public Health Office Dr. Gary Pace will present an update on COVID-19 in Lake County.

Staff also will introduce to the council Civic Sparks Fellow Connie Warthan and new Community Development Director Jennifer Byers.

Also on Tuesday, Public Works Director Doug Grider will offer an update on the ongoing road and capital improvement projects citywide.

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 Aug. 18; 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 the Aug. 20 warrant register.

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. – Cal Fire said firefighters are continuing their work on the LNU Lightning Complex, which is inching toward full containment.

The 363,220-acre complex, burning for nearly a month, remained at 96-percent containment on Sunday, Cal Fire reported.

The 305,651-acre Hennessey Fire, which has burned in Colusa, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties, is at 98-percent containment, while the Walbridge fire in Sonoma County remained at 55,209 acres and 96-percent containment, according to Cal Fire’s Sunday report.

Cal Fire said 610 personnel, 30 engines, five water tenders, 19 hand crews and nine dozers are assigned.

Firefighters are still working on containment and suppression repair throughout the fire area, officials reported.

Widespread smoke from other fires will continue to be visible in the area, Cal Fire said.

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.