News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – During statewide, national or even global incidents, public safety dispatchers provide a calm, professional voice and an essential link for the California Highway Patrol and the public.

To highlight their service, the CHP joins other law enforcement agencies to recognize National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12 to 18, 2020.

“Telecommunications professionals continue to provide an indispensable service for public safety,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “With recent events, now more than ever, our telecommunications personnel are the first point of contact to those in need or peril.”

The CHP employs more than 700 public safety dispatchers in its 24 Communications Centers throughout the state; they handled more than five million calls in 2019.

In times of crisis, a dispatcher must instantly determine the correct response to ensure the safety of all parties involved.

They are also in constant communication with patrol officers, looking up license plates, driver license numbers, and running criminal record checks on wanted subjects.

Calling 9-1-1 can be stressful. The following tips will help callers during an emergency:

– Stay as calm as possible.
–Call from a landline if possible.
–Be prepared to provide your name, phone number, address or location, and a detailed description of the incident or vehicle being reported.
–Cellular telephones may not tell the call-taker where you are. The location of the emergency may be the single most important information for the dispatcher in case the call is cut off.
–Wait for the dispatcher to ask questions, and then answer clearly and calmly.
–Listen carefully and follow all directions provided by the dispatcher.
–Be prepared to provide a physical description if the emergency involves a criminal suspect.
–Remember, 9-1-1 is for life-threatening emergencies. Misuse of the emergency 9-1-1 system will result in a delay for callers with real emergencies and is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.

The CHP is looking to hire qualified people to fill dispatch vacancies. They currently have more than 150 approved vacancies statewide for the position of public safety dispatcher.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security.

The California Fish and Game Commission will hold a remote meeting on Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, during which it will discuss possible changes to recreational fishing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information on how to watch the meeting is here. The agenda can be viewed here.

On Wednesday, April 15, the commission will deal with one issue only – the ability for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to delay, suspend or restrict sport or recreational fishing if the director of CDFW, in consultation with the president of the commission, finds that such action is necessary to protect against the threat from COVID-19 based on state, federal, local, and tribal public health guidance and public safety needs.

This emergency proposal is based on requests from three counties, is designed to be responsive to local county level needs, and, if approved by the Commission, will expire May 31, 2020.

On Thursday, April 16, the commission will complete the remaining items on the revised agenda.

The commission’s attempt to meet last week was ended abruptly after hundreds of people joined the virtual meeting and overwhelmed the online platform.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Library is more than doubling the amount of borrows patrons can enjoy on the hoopla Digital service.

Lake County Library cardholders can instantly borrow titles and start reading, listening, or viewing for free with a library card and a PIN by visiting the library website, www.library.lakecountyca.gov , and selecting hoopla Digital from the library’s digital content page.

If you don't yet have a library card, you can get a temporary online library card instantly at the library website. If you already have a card, your library PIN is usually the last four digits of the phone number on your library card registration.

Starting this week hoopla borrows will now be going from a limit of three to seven per month. This was made possible thanks to a grant awarded to the Lake County Library. The California State Library has provided Lake County Library $5,000 in crisis collection funding to help increase the digital resources available to residents.

Through the hoopla app and website patrons will have even greater access to hoopla's full collection of over 750,000 eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music, comics and more.

Titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later.

There are hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily.

All titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there are no late fees. Hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips.

In addition to its normal offerings and to provide more content to patrons during this difficult time of sheltering at home, hoopla Digital has curated the hoopla Bonus Borrows Collection.

This list of more than 1,000 top titles will not count against the usual borrowing limits for each patron. The collection will be free to libraries and patrons through April 30, 2020.

The grant funding that increased the number of borrows is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the state librarian.

To get started enjoying hoopla’s offerings, visit www.library.lakecountyca.gov .

For more information call the library at 707-263-8817. Please leave a message and an employee will return your call.

Jan Cook is a library technician with the Lake County Library.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer is once again urging community members to wear masks in public to curb the spread of COVID-19, at the same time as other health leaders around the region are making mask-wearing in public mandatory.

On Monday, Dr. Gary Pace strongly encouraged all Lake County residents to wear masks when in public.

It was the same day he reported the county’s fifth confirmed case of COVID-19.

“The predicted rise of cases and severe illness in our area has not materialized due to the significant effort that the community has made to ‘shelter in place,’” said Pace, who issued a countywide shelter in place order on March 19 that has been extended to May 3.

“Cases that have popped up do not appear to have spread within the county, thanks to people’s decreased mobility, use of masks and care with handwashing. Limiting out-of-county travel has also slowed entry of the virus into our area,” Pace said in his Monday statement.

He urged people to continue to follow the shelter in place order, to stop all nonessential activities and maintain good hygiene and routine cleaning.

Pace said Lake County’s low numbers at this point indicate “we may be able to avoid the severe crush of illness that has unfolded in some urban areas like New York, New Orleans and Detroit. A month ago, the momentum for such a surge seemed to be building in our neighboring counties to the south, but local and state efforts to stop the spread clearly have been successful.”

He continued, “Since masking is one way to limit spread in settings where vulnerable individuals are present, I am increasing the strength of the recommendations for face coverings. At this point, there is no intention to mandate face coverings for the general public, but I strongly encourage their use anytime someone goes out of the house.”

Pace is taking a different approach from that of some neighboring counties.

On Friday, Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued a revised shelter in place order that made facial coverings in public mandatory in certain instances, such as during recreation activities in parks. That county has had four confirmed cases, all now reported to have recovered.

Then, on Monday, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase went further, issuing a new health order requiring everyone to wear face coverings in public starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 17.

Sonoma County had 152 confirmed cases and two deaths as of Monday night.

“All persons shall wear facial coverings before they enter any indoor facility besides their residence, any enclosed open space, or while outdoors when the person is unable to maintain a six-foot distance from another person at all times,” Sonoma County’s order states.

Employers who continue to operate and require their employees to leave their residence to work or provide a service must ensure that their employees comply with the order, and governments and business owners are allowed to refuse admission or service to any customer or visitor who fails to wear facial coverings, Mase’s order states.

With N95 and surgical masks continuing to be in short supply, Pace said they should be reserved for use by health care professionals, who are required to wear masks at work, as are workers in congregate-living facilities, like assisted living or memory care sites.

First responders are encouraged to continue following established practices for personal protective equipment, and workers in grocery stores and pharmacies are likewise strongly encouraged to follow recent Federal Drug Administration guidance to wear facial coverings when at work, Pace said.

The CDC cautions, “Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.”

Guidance and options for making your own cloth masks are provided here.

For Lake County-specific COVID-19 information, visit Lake County Health Services Department’s website, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-8174 during business hours.

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. – This week, updated forecasts on the COVID-19 pandemic offered hope that its death rate and resource usage are trending downward.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent global health research organization at the University of Washington School of Medicine, began issuing forecasts of resource use and peak deaths last month, as Lake County News has reported.

The institute said it has been able to fine-tune its forecasts thanks to more data, better models and improved methods.

In one of its initial forecasts last month, the institute estimated that total COVID-19 deaths in California projected through Aug. 4 would reach approximately 4,306, while total deaths overall in the state were expected to reach more than 6,100.

This week, however, the institute’s updated analysis put California’s death total through early August at 1,483, a 65-percent decrease from that original estimate.

As of Monday night, more than 720 COVID-19 deaths were reported in California, based on reports from the 58 county Public Health departments.

The institute this week also adjusted its forecast to predict that California’s COVID-19 deaths would peak on Sunday, April 19, at 52 per day; initially, the peak had been estimated to be double that, at 100 deaths per day, and set to occur on April 25.

California’s peak resource use – referring to hospitals – is forecast for this Friday, April 17, with 2,004 beds, 479 of them in intensive care units, needed, along with 412 ventilators. The institute’s initial projection late last month had been for peak resource use on April 26, when more than 10,000 beds – 1,500 of them in ICUs – and 1,200 ventilators were expected to be needed.

For the nation as a whole, the institute’s updated forecasts said that hospital resource use peaked on April 10. On that day, 56,831 hospital beds – including 15,164 ICU beds – and 13,851 ventilators were used. Additionally, there was a shortage of 3,498 beds and 7,369 ICU beds, based on the data.

The nation’s deaths per day peaked on Monday, April 13, at 2,150 deaths, the institute said.

Overall, the institute forecasts deaths nationwide to total 68,841 through Aug. 4, down from an initial estimate of 81,000, an 18-percent reduction.

The institute has qualified its results by saying that its updated forecasts are dependent upon the continuing implementation of social distancing and related measures.

“Our model assumes social distancing stays in place until the pandemic, in its current phase, reaches the point when deaths are less than 0.3 per million people. Based on our latest projections, we expect social distancing measures to be in place through the end of May,” the institute reported.

Institute officials said they also are working to forecast what would happen if social distancing measures were lifted before the pandemic is under control. That work will be shared once it’s complete.

“Our forecasts of zero deaths in July and August assume that appropriate measures are put in place to guard against the reintroduction of COVID-19 from another state or country. These measures may include mass screening, contact tracing, testing of all individuals entering the country, and quarantine of people who test positive. Details on what these strategies need to be will be analyzed in future editions of the forecasts,” the institute said.

Just how to transition from the current social distancing and shelter in place protocols that Public Health leaders in Lake County are crediting for keeping local numbers low so far is the next big question.

“Decision-making to end preventive measures currently in place is highly complex,” Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said in a Monday statement.

“Relaxing restrictions too quickly would likely bring on a severe surge, according to experts,” Pace said. “Yet, waiting too long to reintroduce activities will cause even greater financial, educational and social hardship.”

He added, “Before we are able to relax some of the general restrictions, we need to monitor a bit longer, to ensure no overwhelming surge will occur, put more protections in place for the most vulnerable community members, and develop a clear plan, in conjunction with neighboring counties.”

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. – The California Highway Patrol reported on a Sunday semi truck crash on Highway 20 near Glenhaven that injured the driver.

The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said the wreck occurred at 12:10 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 east of Harvey Boulevard.

Michael Weschke, 38, of Fortuna was driving a 2013 Kenworth semi truck hauling a 2008 tank trailer westbound in the course of his employment with Steve Will's Trucking & Logging, the CHP said. The trailer was loaded with approximately 6,000 gallons of milk.

As Weschke was nearing Harvey Boulevard, the tractor/trailer overturned on the roadway. The CHP said the trailer separated from the truck, left the roadway and entered Clear Lake.

The CHP said the trailer's tank ruptured and released an undetermined amount of milk into the lake.

Swift actions on behalf of Northshore Fire Protection District personnel prevented the release of any other hazardous materials into the lake, the CHP said.

The CHP said Weschke, who was wearing his seat belt, suffered major injuries and was transported by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Driving under the influence is not believed to be a factor in this collision, the CHP said.

The roadway was reported to be closed temporarily while cleanup and removal took place.

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.