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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control is offering several German shepherds among the dogs available for adoption this week.

The kennels also have many dogs that need to be reunited with their owners. To find the lost/found pet section, click here.

The following dogs are ready for adoption.

‘Blue’

“Blue” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short white and brindle coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 3539.

‘Cha-Chi’

“Cha-Chi” is a male Chihuahua with a short gold and white coat.

He is dog No. 3661.

‘Duchess’

“Duchess” is a female Chihuahua puppy with a short tan coat.

She is dog No. 3618.

‘Garrett’

“Garrett” is a male German Shepherd mix with a medium tan and black coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 3580.

‘Missy’

“Missy” is a female Chihuahua puppy with a short tan coat.

She is dog No. 3663.

‘Phoebe’

“Phoebe” is a female American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short black and white coat.

She is dog No. 3483.

‘Princess’

“Princess” is a female German Shepherd with a black and tan coat.

She has been spayed.

Princess is young and energetic. She previously lived around a smaller dog and has been around the office cat. She will benefit from training and attention.

She is dog No. 3669.

‘Roxy’

“Roxy” is a female German Shepherd mix with a medium-length tan and black coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 3545.

‘Woodrow’

“Woodrow” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a black and white coat.

He is dog No. 3281.

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 at the city’s Web site.

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.

On Thursday, under the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Department of Managed Health Care directed all commercial and Medi-Cal health plans regulated by the department to immediately reduce cost-sharing to zero for all medically necessary screening and testing for the COVID-19.

This includes waiving cost-sharing for emergency room, urgent care or provider office visits when the purpose of the visit is to be screened and tested for COVID-19.

The need for COVID-19 testing is based on medical necessity, a clinical determination made on a case by case basis by medical professionals.

"Californians shouldn't have to fear a big medical bill just because they took a test for COVID-19," said Gov. Newsom. "This action means that Californians who fit the testing requirements can receive the test at no cost. We're all in this together, and I'm grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call."

“This action will ensure that Californians who need a test will receive one at no cost,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “This doesn’t mean every Californian should be seeking a test. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19 or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care.”

The California Department of Insurance on Thursday issued a similar direction providing cost-free medically necessary testing for an additional 2 million Californians. Combined these announcements ensure that 24 million more Californians are eligible to receive testing, should their health care provider deem it medically necessary.

The Department of Managed Health Care also directed health plans to increase the capacity to screen and treat COVID-19 as needed to minimize further transmission by encouraging health plans to expand telehealth services and to take steps to ensure patients receive medically necessary medication if there is a shortage of a particular drug.

These orders from the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance do not apply to individuals in self-insured health coverage products.

Support now available for employers and workers impacted by COVID-19

Also on Thursday, the California Employee Development Department announced support services to individuals affected by COVID-19 in California. For faster and more convenient access to those services, the use of online options is encouraged.

Individuals who are unable to work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) can file a Disability Insurance claim.

Disability Insurance provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Benefit amounts are approximately 60 to 70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50 to $1,300 a week.

Californians who are unable to work because they are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) can file a paid family leave claim.

Paid family leave provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are approximately 60 to 70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50 to $1,300 a week.

Employers experiencing a slowdown in their businesses or services as a result of the Coronavirus impact on the economy may apply for the Unemployment Insurance Work Sharing Program. This program allows employers to seek an alternative to layoffs – retaining their trained employees by reducing their hours and wages that can be partially offset with UI benefits.

Workers of employers who are approved to participate in the Work Sharing Program receive the percentage of their weekly Unemployment Insurance benefit amount based on the percentage of hours and wages reduced, not to exceed 60 percent.

Visit the Work Sharing Program to learn more about its benefits for employers and employees, and how to apply.

Governor proclaimed a state of emergency

Gov. Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for a broader spread of COVID-19. The proclamation comes as the number of positive California cases rises and following one official COVID-19 death.

The emergency proclamation includes provisions that protect consumers against price gouging, allow for health care workers to come from out of state to assist at health care facilities, and give health care facilities the flexibility to plan and adapt to accommodate incoming patients.

COVID-19 in California by the numbers on March 5

60 – Positive cases
1 – Death
24 – Cases of positive tests related to federal repatriation flights
36 – Cases not related to repatriation flights
18 – Travel-related
10 – Person to person
4 – Community transmission
4 – Currently under investigation
9,400+ – Number of people self-monitoring who returned to the U.S. through SFO or LAX
49 – Number of local health jurisdictions involved in self-monitoring
15 – Labs with test kits

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – For the second year in a row, the city of Clearlake has seen double-digit decreases in serious crime, and it’s also now seeing the lowest property crime numbers in 35 years.

Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White reported those figures and a variety of others as part of the annual police department report presented at the Feb. 20 Clearlake City Council meeting.

The report begins at the 8:09 mark in the video above.

White said the department’s mission is to enhance public safety by providing professional, trustworthy service in partnership with the community. “Our badges are a symbol of public trust.”

Accomplishments for the year include recruitment and retention, which allowed them to assign Det. Steve Hobb to investigations and Officer Mike Perreault to traffic enforcement on a full-time basis.

The agency’s big accomplishment, White said, is becoming a public safety answering point. The state government funded the transition and paid for a new 911 system. White said the system has redundancy and is connected to Mendocino and Lake counties so it can stay operational if backup help is needed.

He said it was a big project that took a lot of coordination, and it ended up requiring the replacement of the entire non-11 phone system, which affected city hall.

Technology upgrades included new Tasers, mapping, computers and significant radio updates, with the department also increasing its in-house training, he said.

The department has continued to increase its involvement in community events. “That's a passion of mine and something the staff has really embraced,” White said.

He said they’ve also pursued special enforcement operations in partnership with outside agencies that have been very successful. Those operations focus on different issues like quality of life, trespassing, transients, probation and parole.

A key focus of White’s report was crime statistics. Key numbers included:

– Overall incidents: Increased by 2 percent, or 390 incidents.
– Officer initiated incidents: Increased 41 percent, or 5,061 incidents. White attributed this to increased staffing and proficiency of officers.
– Arrests: 10 percent drop, down by 259.
– Reports: 18 percent reduction, down by 745 incidents. White said there was a crime decrease but the numbers also were affected by how Code Enforcement now does it reports in its own customized system.
– Traffic enforcement: Increased by 40 percent, or 1,350 cases. This is attributed to more officer time and increased traffic enforcement.
– Injury collision: 9 percent reduction, down by four incidents.

Response times also improved. White said priority one call response dropped from an average of 6 minutes and 44 seconds to 6 minutes and 37 seconds, which are within the target times. Priority two crime responses dropped from 13 minutes and 19 seconds to 11 minutes and 47 seconds, while priority three crimes went from 15 minutes and one second to 13 minutes and 37 seconds.

Part one crimes – which the US Department of Justice said include murder and nonnegligent homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft and arson – dropped by 13 percent, with White noting that last year they also had seen a double-digit decrease. There also was a 20 percent drop in property crime.

White said the part one crime total is at a 10-year low and the third-lowest since 1985, while violent crime is at a five-year low.

Property crime is the lowest since 1985, which White said is something they can all be proud of, especially in a community disproportionately impacted by violent and property crime.

“I believe that the fundamental duty of government, really, is to provide safety” and not just police but roads, he said.

“This is really good stuff,” he added.

White offered statistics on Code Enforcement, which is overseen by the Clearlake Police Department.

He said there were 559 property cases, an increase of 149. The city abated 289 vehicles, down 16.

There were 723 vegetation cases, up by 550, a “huge number,” said White. “It's quite the accomplishment from Code Enforcement.”

He said there were 15 demolitions, an increase of nine over the previous year. White said those cases take a long time and they work on them as quickly as they can.

White said the city is making a lot of progress with its Code Enforcement division.

Code Enforcement’s total caseload last year was about 1,700. White said cities much larger than Clearlake handle only a couple hundred more code enforcement cases on an annual basis than Clearlake. For comparison, White said the city of San Diego, which had more than 1.4 million residents, averages about 4,000 to 5,000 code enforcement cases annually.

Last year, there were 1,845 admin citations; 129 cannabis cases, an increase of four; and 204 parking citations, up by 195, White said.

Clearlake Animal Control had a 10-percent increase in intakes, up by 46. White said there were 56 adoptions, an increase of three. He said there were 214 dogs sent to rescues, an increase of 39.

They’ve also put a focus on licensing, with 769 licenses issued last year, up by 664. White said an ad hoc animal control committee felt the city needed to do more licensing enforcement, so they mailed out more than 1,000 notices.

White said there were 15 use of force cases, seven citizen complaints and 15 pursuits were reviewed.

“We're always trying to get better,” he said.

White said goals include crime reduction, training and development, and updated training manuals.

Another big project is an upgraded animal shelter, which is out to bid right now. “We believe that this is something the community will be proud of,” White 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a lengthy break, rain is back in the forecast for Lake County this weekend and next week.

The National Weather Service said light rain is expected late Friday and Saturday, with cooler temperatures over the weekend.

Some light rain is possible Monday through Wednesday in Mendocino and Lake counties, according to the forecast.

The forecast said that clouds will begin moving into the area on Thursday, arriving along with light winds that are predicted to continue through Saturday.

That will be followed by chances of rain from Friday night to early Saturday.

The potential for rain also is in the forecast from Sunday night through Wednesday.

Conditions are expected to be cooler in the coming days, with nighttime temperatures in the low 30s and daytime temperatures dropping into the low 50s before rising into the 60s next week.

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.

As part of California’s response to address the global COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for broader spread of COVID-19.

The proclamation comes as the number of positive California cases rises and following one official COVID-19 death.

Wednesday’s proclamation builds on work already underway by the California Department of Public Health, California Health and Human Services Agency, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and other agencies that have been on the front lines of the state’s response to COVID-19 since January.

“The state of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus,” said Governor Newsom. “This emergency proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly.”

The emergency proclamation includes provisions that protect consumers against price gouging, allow for health care workers to come from out of state to assist at health care facilities, and give health care facilities the flexibility to plan and adapt to accommodate incoming patients.

On Tuesday, Gov. Newsom announced the release of millions of N95 masks to address shortages caused by COVID-19.

Wednesday’s action also follows the announcement earlier this week that the state has secured the capacity to test thousands of specimens from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expedite testing.

For the latest on the state’s COVID-19 preparedness and response, visit http://cdph.ca.gov .

The California Department of Public Health reported that the state now has 53 confirmed cases, and one of those patients has died, according to Placer County health officials.

The Public Health Department and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services have been actively and extensively planning around COVID-19 with our local public health and health care delivery systems.

Gov, Gavin Newsom on Wednesday expressed his condolences to the loved ones of the person who died in Placer County.

“Jennifer and I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this death in Placer County. The state is working with federal officials to follow up on contact tracing of individuals that may have been exposed to provide treatment and protect public health,” Newsom said. “This case demonstrates the need for continued local, state and federal partnership to identify and slow the spread of this virus. California is working around the clock to keep our communities safe, healthy and informed.”

COVID-19 in California by the numbers:

53 – Positive cases
1 – Death
24 – Cases of positive tests related to federal repatriation flights
29 – Cases not related to repatriation flights
12 - Travel-related
10 - Person to person
4 - Community transmission
3 – Currently under investigation
9,400+ – number of people self-monitoring who returned to the U.S. through SFO or LAX
49 – Number of local health jurisdictions involved in self-monitoring
14 – Labs with test kits