LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In a brief discussion at its Thursday night meeting, the Clearlake City Council voted to approve the first reading of an ordinance that will raise the monthly salary amount for council members.
The council had held an initial discussion on the topic at its Aug. 6 meeting and directed City Attorney Ryan Jones to return with a draft ordinance, as Lake County News has reported.
The current monthly salary for council members is $300, an amount that Jones said was set in 1989.
While, by state statute, that’s the maximum amount for cities with a population of under 35,000, Jones told the council at its Aug. 6 meeting that the law allows for 5-percent annual raises.
As such, the council faced the option of raising the current monthly amount by $465 – which is the amount of a 5-percent raise over the past 31 years – to a total of $765.
However, at its last meeting, the council settled on a smaller total figure, $500.
On Thursday, Jones presented a draft ordinance with the $500 monthly amount.
He also reported that the law does not allow the council to set up an automatic 5-percent raise each year. The council would have to take separate action to do that in the future.
The current annual cost for the council members’ salaries totals $18,000. By raising it to $500 per month, the total cost would rise to $30,000. Jones’ report said the additional funds would come from the city’s general fund.
That amount does not include the cost of health coverage for council members. A specific figure for that was not included in Jones’ report.
Following Jones’ brief presentation, there was no council discussion before Councilman Phil Harris – who had asked last month for the matter to be brought forward for discussion – moved to approve it, with Councilman Russ Perdock seconding.
The vote was 4-1, with Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten voting against it. Slooten had made clear at the Aug. 6 meeting that he thought it was a bad time to raise council members’ salaries.
If the council approves the ordinance’s second and final reading at its next meeting, the ordinance and the salary increase will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has five dogs awaiting their new families 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.
“Diesel.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Diesel’
“Diesel” is a male border collie mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 4023.
“Isis.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Isis’
“Isis” is a female American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a brindle and white coat.
She is dog No. 3732.
“Lady.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Lady’
“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3683.
“Wilbur.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Wilbur’
“Wilbur” is a male American Bully mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 3999.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
Hours of operation are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays; the shelter offers appointments on the days it’s closed to accommodate people.
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.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Terra image of 1200 mile trail of smoke from California’s wildfires on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Credits: NASA Worldview.
NASA's Terra satellite was able to capture the huge swath of smoke that has been generated by the California wildfires and dispersed by the winds surrounding those fires on Thursday, Aug. 20.
The NASA Worldview website has an application that can measure distances within the app and measuring this smoke trail showed the trail's northeast to southwest trail is approximately 1,214 miles long.
The smoke has moved as far north and east as Pocatello, Idaho and as far west and south as mid-Baja California, Mexico.
Although the smoke did not go into Baja California it has remained offshore over the Pacific Ocean.
Fire is devastating, and the effects of smoke on humans can also be devastating. The smoke released by any type of fire (forest, brush, crop, structure, tires, waste or wood burning) is a mixture of particles and chemicals produced by incomplete burning of carbon-containing materials.
All smoke contains carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter (PM or soot). Smoke can contain many different chemicals, including aldehydes, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, toluene, styrene, metals and dioxins.
The type and amount of particles and chemicals in smoke varies depending on what is burning, how much oxygen is available, and the burn temperature. Exposure to high levels of smoke should be avoided.
Individuals are advised to limit their physical exertion if exposure to high levels of smoke cannot be avoided. Individuals with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions (e.g., asthma), fetuses, infants, young children, and the elderly may be more vulnerable to the health effects of smoke exposure.
From the Worldview site: "Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) (or Aerosol Optical Thickness) indicates the level at which particles in the air (aerosols) prevent light from traveling through the atmosphere. Aerosols scatter and absorb incoming sunlight, which reduces visibility. From an observer on the ground, an AOD of less than 0.1 is “clean” (lightest yellow) - characteristic of clear blue sky, bright sun and maximum visibility. As AOD increases to 0.5, 1.0, and greater than 3.0, aerosols become so dense that sun is obscured (ranging from yellow to dark red on the scale). Sources of aerosols include pollution from factories, smoke from fires, dust from dust storms, sea salt, and volcanic ash and smog. Aerosols compromise human health when inhaled by people, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory illnesses. Aerosols also have an effect on the weather and climate by cooling or warming the Earth, helping or preventing clouds from forming. Since aerosols are difficult to identify when they occur over different types of land surfaces and ocean surfaces, Worldview provides several different types of imagery layers to assist in the identification."
In the image below there are many areas that are completely obscured by smoke including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, parts of San Francisco and into Idaho, following along the trail of smoke from the fires and out into the Pacific Ocean.
NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System, or EOSDIS, Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now.”
Image showing the optical depth of the smoke coming off the California wildfires. This image was taken by the MODIS, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, instrument on the Terra satellite on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Actively burning fires, detected by thermal bands, are shown as red points. Image Courtesy: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The LNU Lightning Complex continued to blaze through five counties on Thursday, burning another 84,000 acres and destroying or damaging hundreds of more structures.
Cal Fire said Thursday evening that the fire had grown to 215,000 acres – up from 131,000 reported that morning.
So far, firefighters have not been able to achieve any containment on the fire, according to the report.
On Thursday night, Cal Fire said there have been four fatalities associated with the fire – three in Napa County and one in Solano County – and four civilian injuries.
The complex continues to threaten 30,500 structures. It has destroyed 480 and damaged 125 structures, numbers that had grown by several hundred over the course of the day, Cal Fire said.
Multiple fires in the complex have merged on the north side of Lake Berryessa into the Hennessey Fire, which stretches across Napa County. Those fires are moving into large areas of timber, Cal Fire said.
In Lake County, the Aetna and Round fires also have merged into the main Hennessey fire, which Cal Fire said had burned 192,000 acres with zero containment. It includes the Gamble, Green, Markley, Spanish and Morgan fires.
Cal Fire stated in its Thursday evening report that, “Significant fire growth is expected throughout the rest of the operational period.”
The agency reported extreme fire behavior with short- and long-range spotting that are continuing to challenge firefighting efforts. The fires are continuing to make runs in multiple directions and impact multiple communities.
On Thursday the firefighting force grew substantially, with an almost doubling of firefighting personnel, up to 1,059, with 102 engines, 31 water tenders, 11 helicopters, 12 hand crews and 35 dozers also assigned.
In a Thursday evening video, Sheriff Brian Martin – who earlier in the day issued a state of emergency in Lake County in response to the complex – reported that State Sen. Mike McGuire had visited the fire scene that day.
Martin said state and local officials worked behind the scenes to get more resources assigned to the fire. Even so, he said he’s not seeing the level of resources he’d like to see. “There just aren’t resources.”
On Thursday evacuation orders for several areas of southern Lake County remained in effect, along with an evacuation advisory issued in the afternoon for Middletown proper.
Martin reported that the LNU Lighting Complex is different from past fires – such as the Valley – that moved with devastating speed.
This fire is not moving as quickly, which Martin said gives south county residents time to prepare to evacuate. “Let’s use this time,” he said.
Elsewhere around the region, the August Complex, which began Sunday on the Mendocino National Forest, had burned 117,365 acres by Thursday evening, with containment up to 6 percent.
The complex consists of 35 fires on the Glenn County side of the forest. It had nearly doubled overnight but on Thursday firefighters were able to hold it to 1,335 acres, according to Forest Service officials.
Heavy smoke created an inversion layer, which officials said kept the temperatures cooler and helped moderate the spread of the fire.
More firefighting personnel also were added to the ranks fighting the August Complex, with the Forest Service reporting on Thursday night that 353 personnel are now assigned.
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.
A Cal Fire map of the Lake Napa Unit Lightning Complex on Thursday, August 20, 2020. The map shows the Round fire near Morgan Valley Road and the Aetna fire (which is not labeled) south of Middletown, California, at the Lake and Napa County line. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, Sheriff Brian Martin declared a state of emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex, which has burned into southern Lake County and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents.
Martin declared the emergency in his capacity of director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services.
It cites “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” resulting from “fires related to the LNU Lightning Complex.”
As of Thursday morning, the LNU Lightning Complex was up to 131,000 acres, with no containment, Cal Fire reported.
The complex grew by nearly 7,000 acres overnight as it continued to grow across Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
It is threatening 30,500 structures, with 105 so far destroyed and 70 damaged, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fires said 587 firefighting personnel, 69 engines, 27 water tenders, eight helicopters, nine hand crews and 28 dozers are assigned. Air tankers remain in short supply due to fires across the state.
Two fires within the complex – the Round and the Aetna – are burning within Lake County, according to the Thursday report.
The Aetna fire, south of Middletown, is 4,500 acres and the Round fire, located south of Hidden Valley Lake, is 4,000 acres, with no containment on either, Cal Fire reported.
Previously the Morgan fire – now merged with the 105,000-acre Hennessey fire – was reported to be in Lake County. However, Cal Fire mapping shows it is holding just on the other side of the Lake County line, and burning in Napa and Yolo counties.
The fires prompted initial evacuations to the southeast of Lower Lake on Tuesday with more evacuations ordered on Wednesday that covered areas including Jerusalem Valley and Hidden Valley Lake, and areas surrounding Middletown. Those orders remained in effect on Thursday, officials said.
An evacuation warning for areas including Middletown proper was issued on Thursday afternoon.
Sheriff Martin told Lake County News on Thursday afternoon that he estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 Lake County residents have been evacuated due to the complex so far.
That estimate does not include how many residents may be impacted if Middletown is forced to evacuate.
Martin said he has not yet had official reports from Cal Fire about damaged or destroyed structures, just secondhand reports from property owners in the Jerusalem Valley area about structures that have burned.
The Board of Supervisors must now ratify Martin’s declaration. Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein confirmed the declaration is on the agenda for the board’s next meeting on Tuesday.
Martin’s full declaration is published below.
EMERGENCY DECLARATION
WHEREAS, Section 6-5 of the Lake County Code empowers the Director of Emergency Services to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when Lake County is affected or likely to be affected by a public calamity and the County Board of Supervisors is not in session; and
WHEREAS, the Sheriff, as Director of Emergency Services of Lake County does hereby find; that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property have arisen within the County of Lake, caused by fires related to the LNU Lightning Complex; and
WHEREAS, the Morgan Fire, which began on the 18th day of August, 2020, has already prompted evacuation of portions of southern Lake County, and rapid changes of wind conditions have required great vigilance in light of the possible need of further evacuations; and
WHEREAS, these conditions are beyond the immediate control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of Lake County, and air and other resources are over-tasked, due to significant wildfire activity around the State of California; and
WHEREAS, the County Board of Supervisors of the County of Lake is not in session and cannot immediately be called into session.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED that a local emergency now exists throughout Lake County and all jurisdictions within Lake County; and
IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that during the existence of said local emergency the powers, functions, and duties of the emergency organization of Lake County shall be those prescribed by state law, by ordinances, and resolutions of the County; and that this emergency proclamation shall expire 7 days after issuance unless confirmed and ratified by the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
AND, IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that said local emergency shall be deemed to continue to exist until its termination is proclaimed by the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
By: Brian L. Martin Sheriff/Coroner/OES Director August 20, 2020
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.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation warning for the Middletown area due to the approach of the LNU Lightning Complex.
The warning includes all areas west of Highway 29 (including areas west of Saint Helena Creek Road), north and east of the Lake/Napa County Line (extending north to the Anderson Springs Road prolongation between the county line and Highway 175), south of Anderson Springs Road, Neft Road and the Boggs Mountain Recreation Area prolongation to the intersection of Hofacker Lane and Highway 29.
This includes Middletown proper, officials said.
“We are asking everyone to take preparations in the event that a mandatory evacuation order is issued,” the sheriff’s office said.
Preparations should include gathering all medications, important documents, making plans for pets, and notifying family members where you may be going.
Those requiring additional time to evacuate or those with pets or livestock should leave the area as soon as possible, the warning stated.
“During a mandatory evacuation, it will be extremely hectic and traffic conditions will be very congested. By evacuating early, you do your part in keeping yourself, your neighbors, and our first responders safe,” the evacuation warning said.
Should an evacuation order be issued and shelter is needed, authorities will direct evacuees to a temporary evacuation point.
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