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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday evening California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay at home order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Newsom said the order was to go into effect immediately. It remains in place until further notice.
“This is a moment we need to make tough decisions. This is a moment where we need some straight talk and we need to tell people the truth. We need to bend the curve in the state of California and in order to do that we need to recognize the reality,” Newsom said.
Earlier on Thursday, Newsom asked President Donald Trump to immediately deploy the USNS Mercy hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles.
Newsom asked the president to keep the ship there until Sept. 1 in order to help decompress the state’s health care delivery system in Los Angeles in response to COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
In his letter to Trump, Newsom cited the rapid increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases across California, with a 21-percent increase over the previous 24 hours and the case rate doubling every four days in some parts of the state.
“We project that roughly 56 percent of our population – 25.5 million people – will be infected with the virus over an eight week period,” Newsom wrote.
By the time the governor announced his stay at home order on Thursday evening, 21.3 million Californians already were living under shelter in place orders.
That included Lake County, whose 65,000 residents have been under a shelter in place order – issued by Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace – since 12 a.m. Thursday.
Pace has said that, so far, there are no cases of the virus confirmed in Lake County, where about two dozen residents have been tested. But he also acknowledged delays in getting test results back and difficulty in finding testing labs that aren’t overcapacity.
Other counties that were under such shelter in place orders by the time of Newsom’s action included Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma.
Napa County’s order had been set to begin at 12 a.m. Friday and in the hours before Newsom’s order, Los Angeles and Sacramento counties also had ordered residents to stay home. Separately, residents of the cities of Berkeley and Fresno were under shelter in place orders.
The governor’s order allows essential services to remain open. Those services include gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, take-out and delivery restaurants, banks and laundromats/laundry services.
Also remaining open are essential state and local government functions, including law enforcement and offices that provide government programs and services.
The order directs the immediate closure of dine-in restaurants, bars and nightclubs, entertainment venues, gyms and fitness studios, public events and gatherings, and convention centers.
During his Thursday night briefing, Newsom said that in pandemic planning, state officials are estimating a 20-percent hospitalization rate, which translates to 19,543 people who would need to be hospitalized.
That’s above the existing capacity of the hospital system, said Newsom. “I’m being very straight with you.”
Newsom said California’s 416 hospitals have 78,000 staffed beds. Beyond that, they have a surge capacity of another 10,207 beds. However, he said there is a gap in resources and staffing. “That’s currently what we’re up against.”
In Lake County, both hospitals – Sutter Lakeside and Adventist Health Clear Lake – are under the Critical Access designation. Both have 25 beds, for a county total of 50 hospital beds. Dr. Pace has reported that there are a total of eight ventilators in Lake County, four at each hospital.
Newsom said that if state residents change their behaviors, it’s possible those estimated hospitalization numbers could come down and the state could bend the curve.
The governor also announced on Thursday night that the state is working to secure hundreds of more beds between two hospitals in Northern and Southern California.
State officials also are negotiating with hotels and talking with leaders of the University of California and the California State University systems to identify appropriate dormitories for locating people who contract the virus.
“This is not a permanent state. This is a moment in time. And we will meet this moment together and we will look back at these kinds of decisions as pivotal decisions,” Newsom said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport has opened its Emergency Operation Center telephone line due to the COVID-19 virus situation and the current shelter in place order that extends through April 10.
The Lakeport EOC can be reached by phone at 707-263-5683.
It will be staffed during normal city business hours and closed Fridays and weekends.
The city said its staff is available to answer calls from local residents and businesses related to the current shelter in place order.
Officials said 911 should be utilized for emergencies only.
Please contact Lake County Public Health at 707-263-8174 or emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have questions related to the COVID-19 virus.
City officials ask people to refer friends and family to the city’s COVID-19 webpage for additional information. The page is being updated regularly.
The Lakeport EOC can be reached by phone at 707-263-5683.
It will be staffed during normal city business hours and closed Fridays and weekends.
The city said its staff is available to answer calls from local residents and businesses related to the current shelter in place order.
Officials said 911 should be utilized for emergencies only.
Please contact Lake County Public Health at 707-263-8174 or email
City officials ask people to refer friends and family to the city’s COVID-19 webpage for additional information. The page is being updated regularly.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s shelter in place order in response to the threat of COVID-19 went into effect early Thursday morning, a measure ordered by the county Public Health officer that’s meant to remain in effect into early April.
Dr. Gary Pace issued the order on Wednesday afternoon. It was enacted at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, and continues until 11:59 p.m. April 10.
Lake County residents are ordered to shelter in their homes but there is a list of exceptions that include allowing them to purchase gas and groceries, engage in certain activities, and work for essential business and government services. Individuals experiencing homelessness are exempted but urged to find shelter.
The order also directs all businesses and governmental agencies to cease nonessential operations at physical locations in the county, prohibits all nonessential gatherings of any number of individuals and orders a stop to all nonessential travel.
COVID-19 still hasn’t been confirmed in Lake County, although Pace said this week that about two dozen tests have been conducted. However, testing still remains limited and regional labs are at capacity.
While it’s not yet confirmed to be in Lake County, neighboring Mendocino County on Wednesday evening confirmed its first case of the virus.
Mendocino County health officials said the individual in question – who had a known exposure to a person with COVID-19 – is in stable condition and in isolation.
“This first case is not shocking to us,” said Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan. “Mendocino County has been preparing for a possible pandemic of COVID-19 since January, as many counties around us have reported cases and community spread of COVID-19.”
Like Pace, Doohan issued a health order directing Mendocino County residents to shelter in place. That order went into effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and will remain in effect until April 7 at 11:59 p.m
Sonoma County’s shelter in place order went into effect ahead of Mendocino and Lake, beginning at 12 a.m. Wednesday. It will remain in place for three weeks, until April 7.
Lake County’s neighbor to the south, Napa County, will begin a shelter at home order at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Napa’s order also will continue until April 7 unless it’s extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio.
Other California counties issuing such orders to date include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. The cities of Berkeley and Fresno also have instituted shelter in place orders for their residents.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Dr. Gary Pace issued the order on Wednesday afternoon. It was enacted at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, and continues until 11:59 p.m. April 10.
Lake County residents are ordered to shelter in their homes but there is a list of exceptions that include allowing them to purchase gas and groceries, engage in certain activities, and work for essential business and government services. Individuals experiencing homelessness are exempted but urged to find shelter.
The order also directs all businesses and governmental agencies to cease nonessential operations at physical locations in the county, prohibits all nonessential gatherings of any number of individuals and orders a stop to all nonessential travel.
COVID-19 still hasn’t been confirmed in Lake County, although Pace said this week that about two dozen tests have been conducted. However, testing still remains limited and regional labs are at capacity.
While it’s not yet confirmed to be in Lake County, neighboring Mendocino County on Wednesday evening confirmed its first case of the virus.
Mendocino County health officials said the individual in question – who had a known exposure to a person with COVID-19 – is in stable condition and in isolation.
“This first case is not shocking to us,” said Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan. “Mendocino County has been preparing for a possible pandemic of COVID-19 since January, as many counties around us have reported cases and community spread of COVID-19.”
Like Pace, Doohan issued a health order directing Mendocino County residents to shelter in place. That order went into effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and will remain in effect until April 7 at 11:59 p.m
Sonoma County’s shelter in place order went into effect ahead of Mendocino and Lake, beginning at 12 a.m. Wednesday. It will remain in place for three weeks, until April 7.
Lake County’s neighbor to the south, Napa County, will begin a shelter at home order at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Napa’s order also will continue until April 7 unless it’s extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio.
Other California counties issuing such orders to date include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. The cities of Berkeley and Fresno also have instituted shelter in place orders for their residents.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council held a special meeting to ratify an emergency declaration for COVID-19 and a regular meeting to discuss a few items of business on Tuesday night.
The back-to-back meetings were based at Lakeport City Hall but most staff and members of the public attended by telephone.
Mayor George Spurr, Councilman Tim Barnes and Councilman Kenny Parlet were at City Hall for the meeting, while Councilwoman Stacey Mattina and Councilwoman Mireya Turner attended telephonically.
A gubernatorial executive order issued earlier this month allows governments to waive some portions of the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Acts, which govern open meetings, to allow for meetings to be conducted via teleconference in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
On Friday, City Manager Margaret Silveira issued the emergency declaration, on the same day as similar actions were taken by the city of Clearlake and the county of Lake, as Lake County News has reported.
No positive cases of COVID-19 have so far been confirmed in Lake County, but the emergency actions by the county and cities were taken due to the threat of the virus and are meant to help prepare for its arrival.
During the special meeting, in a 4-1 vote – with Councilman Kenny Parlet voting no – the Lakeport City Council approved the emergency declaration, which calls for measures including the closure of nonessential city-owned facilities. It will be reviewed by the council every two weeks until the emergency is terminated.
The special meeting, which lasted just under 15 minutes, was immediately followed by the regular meeting.
During public comment in the regular meeting, Jonathan Crooks, director of the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, updated the council on his efforts to get help to seniors who are sheltering in place and asked for city assistance.
He said the center’s Meals on Wheels Thrift Store – one of its main revenue sources – is expected to lose $45,000 over a projected eight-week closure.
During the regular meeting, the council approved the proposed adoption of the Lake County Master Broadband Plan as prepared by the Upstate California Connect Consortium and CSU Chico, Geographical Information Center.
The plan is meant to provide a comprehensive assessment of available broadband services, recommendations for improving those services, and developing and implementing local government policies that can ease and support broadband infrastructure deployments.
The council also adopted a resolution approving the city’s project list for funds generated by SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, in fiscal year 2020-21. The city proposes to use the $90,770 it receives for a rehabilitation project on Second Street.
During staff and council member communications, Silveira discussed the advisory that had been issued a few hours earlier telling Lake County’s residents to be prepared for a shelter in place order from Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.
Barnes asked Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen if Neighborhood Watch groups could put together patrols.
Rasmussen said he was not sure that would meet the shelter in place parameters. Rather, he encouraged those groups to alert police as they normally would if there are crime issues in their areas. “That system works very well for us right now.”
He said the police department wanted to be out in front as the voice of reason, adding there is no reason to panic and rush stores.
Rasmussen said the shelter in place order is meant to try to stop the virus’ spread, not lock down the community.
He said the Lakeport Police Department is going to be there to take care of safety concerns, just like they always have. Rasmussen said he also doesn’t expect an increase in crime during the shelter in place order.
Remarking that it had been a long few days, Barnes said, “We are a tight-knit community.”
He said community members stick up for each other when there’s trouble.
Barnes asked people to remember that “this is still home,” and to wash their hands.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to show that the vote to approve the emergency declaration was not unanimous; Councilman Kenny Parlet voted no.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis 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 back-to-back meetings were based at Lakeport City Hall but most staff and members of the public attended by telephone.
Mayor George Spurr, Councilman Tim Barnes and Councilman Kenny Parlet were at City Hall for the meeting, while Councilwoman Stacey Mattina and Councilwoman Mireya Turner attended telephonically.
A gubernatorial executive order issued earlier this month allows governments to waive some portions of the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Acts, which govern open meetings, to allow for meetings to be conducted via teleconference in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
On Friday, City Manager Margaret Silveira issued the emergency declaration, on the same day as similar actions were taken by the city of Clearlake and the county of Lake, as Lake County News has reported.
No positive cases of COVID-19 have so far been confirmed in Lake County, but the emergency actions by the county and cities were taken due to the threat of the virus and are meant to help prepare for its arrival.
During the special meeting, in a 4-1 vote – with Councilman Kenny Parlet voting no – the Lakeport City Council approved the emergency declaration, which calls for measures including the closure of nonessential city-owned facilities. It will be reviewed by the council every two weeks until the emergency is terminated.
The special meeting, which lasted just under 15 minutes, was immediately followed by the regular meeting.
During public comment in the regular meeting, Jonathan Crooks, director of the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, updated the council on his efforts to get help to seniors who are sheltering in place and asked for city assistance.
He said the center’s Meals on Wheels Thrift Store – one of its main revenue sources – is expected to lose $45,000 over a projected eight-week closure.
During the regular meeting, the council approved the proposed adoption of the Lake County Master Broadband Plan as prepared by the Upstate California Connect Consortium and CSU Chico, Geographical Information Center.
The plan is meant to provide a comprehensive assessment of available broadband services, recommendations for improving those services, and developing and implementing local government policies that can ease and support broadband infrastructure deployments.
The council also adopted a resolution approving the city’s project list for funds generated by SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, in fiscal year 2020-21. The city proposes to use the $90,770 it receives for a rehabilitation project on Second Street.
During staff and council member communications, Silveira discussed the advisory that had been issued a few hours earlier telling Lake County’s residents to be prepared for a shelter in place order from Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace.
Barnes asked Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen if Neighborhood Watch groups could put together patrols.
Rasmussen said he was not sure that would meet the shelter in place parameters. Rather, he encouraged those groups to alert police as they normally would if there are crime issues in their areas. “That system works very well for us right now.”
He said the police department wanted to be out in front as the voice of reason, adding there is no reason to panic and rush stores.
Rasmussen said the shelter in place order is meant to try to stop the virus’ spread, not lock down the community.
He said the Lakeport Police Department is going to be there to take care of safety concerns, just like they always have. Rasmussen said he also doesn’t expect an increase in crime during the shelter in place order.
Remarking that it had been a long few days, Barnes said, “We are a tight-knit community.”
He said community members stick up for each other when there’s trouble.
Barnes asked people to remember that “this is still home,” and to wash their hands.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to show that the vote to approve the emergency declaration was not unanimous; Councilman Kenny Parlet voted no.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
031720 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A three-vehicle crash on Monday evening left two people injured, one of them seriously.
The crash on Highway 29 at Merritt Road in Kelseyville took place shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
CHP Officer Joel Skeen said Richard Hessing of Kelseyville was driving a 2005 Hyundai southbound on Highway 29 at a speed that was unsafe for conditions, which included hail on the roadway.
Tea Muller of Cloverdale was driving a 2014 Hyundai northbound on Highway 29 as was Lorelei Morris of Bolinas, who was in a 2017 Toyota, Skeen said.
Skeen said it appeared that Hessing lost control and went into the path of the other two vehicles.
Hessing had major injuries, Morris had minor injuries and Muller was not injured, Skeen said.
Skeen said both Hessing and Morris were transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.
He said there was no suspicion of alcohol having been a factor in the wreck.
Reports from the scene said Highway 29 was completely blocked for about an hour while first responders transported the patients and the roadway was cleared by Caltrans and tow truck drivers.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis 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 crash on Highway 29 at Merritt Road in Kelseyville took place shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
CHP Officer Joel Skeen said Richard Hessing of Kelseyville was driving a 2005 Hyundai southbound on Highway 29 at a speed that was unsafe for conditions, which included hail on the roadway.
Tea Muller of Cloverdale was driving a 2014 Hyundai northbound on Highway 29 as was Lorelei Morris of Bolinas, who was in a 2017 Toyota, Skeen said.
Skeen said it appeared that Hessing lost control and went into the path of the other two vehicles.
Hessing had major injuries, Morris had minor injuries and Muller was not injured, Skeen said.
Skeen said both Hessing and Morris were transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.
He said there was no suspicion of alcohol having been a factor in the wreck.
Reports from the scene said Highway 29 was completely blocked for about an hour while first responders transported the patients and the roadway was cleared by Caltrans and tow truck drivers.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A week after the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it was canceling normal in-person visits at the Lake County Jail, it said it was adding new restrictions to protect against the threat of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday at 5 p.m., family visitation also has been canceled until further notice, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.
So far, no cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, have been confirmed in Lake County, but cases have been reported in other counties around the region, including Humboldt, Mendocino and Sonoma.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office values visitation as an essential part of rehabilitation, but at this time the department must make difficult decisions in order to protect the health and wellness of all who live and work in our jail,” said Paulich.
He said legal visits will continue to be held, but they will be restricted to behind glass. Those requiring face-to-face legal visitation must receive prior approval from the jail commander.
As of Wednesday at 5 p.m., family visitation also has been canceled until further notice, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.
So far, no cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, have been confirmed in Lake County, but cases have been reported in other counties around the region, including Humboldt, Mendocino and Sonoma.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office values visitation as an essential part of rehabilitation, but at this time the department must make difficult decisions in order to protect the health and wellness of all who live and work in our jail,” said Paulich.
He said legal visits will continue to be held, but they will be restricted to behind glass. Those requiring face-to-face legal visitation must receive prior approval from the jail commander.