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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the risk of coronavirus – which has impacted thousands of people in other parts of the world – remains low locally and in the United States in general.
Dr. Gary Pace went before the board to offer the brief update Tuesday morning.
“The coronavirus continues to spread over in Asia. There’s concern on the global front now, but in the United States it’s still quite contained,” Pace said.
Pace said there is a new case reported in the San Diego area, but that person also had been to China.
As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States had reportedly risen to 13.
“The main point of this is that the risk here is low, the risk if you travel is low,” Pace said.
The highest risk individuals are being closely monitored by the federal government, Pace said. They are being prevented from entering the United States or, if they’re citizens who are at high risk for the illness, they’re being quarantined for 14 days.
Pace said there also is a group of people who have traveled to China who are not symptomatic and therefore considered medium risk. They are returning to their communities and being home-quarantined.
“There are none in Lake County as far as I know,” he said.
However, there is a large number of medium-risk individuals on self-quarantine in the Bay Area. He said those individuals are not going out in public.
The risk remains low in the United States, and Pace said there is a robust process of keeping health officers informed.
Pace said the Lake County Health Department is “quite involved” with state and federal experts on the coronavirus issue.
He said his department also is talking to partners in the county’s communities and schools, as well as to emergency medical services and different health care providers so they can be prepared.
Pace said they are set up as best they can be if cases of coronavirus do show up in Lake County.
“The flu is a lot bigger concern right now,” he said.
He said people should get flu shots and follow other good hygiene practices, including washing hands, covering their mouths after coughing and not going to work if they’re sick.
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 went before the board to offer the brief update Tuesday morning.
“The coronavirus continues to spread over in Asia. There’s concern on the global front now, but in the United States it’s still quite contained,” Pace said.
Pace said there is a new case reported in the San Diego area, but that person also had been to China.
As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States had reportedly risen to 13.
“The main point of this is that the risk here is low, the risk if you travel is low,” Pace said.
The highest risk individuals are being closely monitored by the federal government, Pace said. They are being prevented from entering the United States or, if they’re citizens who are at high risk for the illness, they’re being quarantined for 14 days.
Pace said there also is a group of people who have traveled to China who are not symptomatic and therefore considered medium risk. They are returning to their communities and being home-quarantined.
“There are none in Lake County as far as I know,” he said.
However, there is a large number of medium-risk individuals on self-quarantine in the Bay Area. He said those individuals are not going out in public.
The risk remains low in the United States, and Pace said there is a robust process of keeping health officers informed.
Pace said the Lake County Health Department is “quite involved” with state and federal experts on the coronavirus issue.
He said his department also is talking to partners in the county’s communities and schools, as well as to emergency medical services and different health care providers so they can be prepared.
Pace said they are set up as best they can be if cases of coronavirus do show up in Lake County.
“The flu is a lot bigger concern right now,” he said.
He said people should get flu shots and follow other good hygiene practices, including washing hands, covering their mouths after coughing and not going to work if they’re sick.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall this week is scheduled to host the two candidates running for the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors and will elect two members to its own board.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.
At 7:30 p.m., the group will meet the candidates for District 1 supervisor. Julia Bono is challenging first-term incumbent Moke Simon. Both will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes, with 10 additional minutes for questions and answers.
At 8:10 p.m., the four qualified candidates for the MATH Board will then address the assembly. Each will be allowed to speak up to five minutes.
The candidates for this year’s seats include incumbent Claude Brown, along with Rosemary Cordova, Lisa Kaplan and David Thurber.
The qualification and nomination of candidates had dominated the January meeting, at which time it had originally been expected that an election would take place. But due to a variety of concerns, including public noticing and questions about process, the election was put over to this month.
At 8:30 p.m., the group is expected to elect its two new board members. The election process will include two current board members and two volunteers to oversee the voting box, secret ballots that will be accepted in the voting box by the sign-in sheets, a tally of secret ballot votes, the announcement of the new board members and alternates, and completion of the county’s required applications for all board members and alternates.
The election of the new MATH Board members will take effect on Friday, Feb. 14.
The MATH Board currently includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Tom Darms and Marlene Elder.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.
At 7:30 p.m., the group will meet the candidates for District 1 supervisor. Julia Bono is challenging first-term incumbent Moke Simon. Both will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes, with 10 additional minutes for questions and answers.
At 8:10 p.m., the four qualified candidates for the MATH Board will then address the assembly. Each will be allowed to speak up to five minutes.
The candidates for this year’s seats include incumbent Claude Brown, along with Rosemary Cordova, Lisa Kaplan and David Thurber.
The qualification and nomination of candidates had dominated the January meeting, at which time it had originally been expected that an election would take place. But due to a variety of concerns, including public noticing and questions about process, the election was put over to this month.
At 8:30 p.m., the group is expected to elect its two new board members. The election process will include two current board members and two volunteers to oversee the voting box, secret ballots that will be accepted in the voting box by the sign-in sheets, a tally of secret ballot votes, the announcement of the new board members and alternates, and completion of the county’s required applications for all board members and alternates.
The election of the new MATH Board members will take effect on Friday, Feb. 14.
The MATH Board currently includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Tom Darms and Marlene Elder.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information email
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is reporting an unusually high number of canine distemper virus, or CDV, cases in wildlife populations throughout the state.
CDV can infect a wide range of domestic and wild carnivores, including some non-canids. Gray foxes, raccoons and skunks are the most commonly affected species.
Unvaccinated domestic dogs can potentially contract the disease through contact with food or water bowls that are “shared” with infected wild carnivores.
Pet owners should be particularly vigilant in their efforts to keep their domestic animals from coming into contact with wildlife. CDV is not transmissible to humans.
“Keeping dogs up to date on vaccinations not only protects pets, it protects wildlife,” said CDFW Senior Wildlife Veterinarian Deana Clifford. “Wild animals can spread distemper to domestic dogs, but unvaccinated domestic dogs can also spread the disease to wild animals.”
Dr. Clifford noted that distemper is the most common disease CDFW finds as the cause of death in California’s carnivores.
Large outbreaks of distemper may temporarily reduce some local carnivore populations, thus wildlife biologists and veterinarians monitor reports of sick animals and confirm disease cases when possible to track potential impacts.
Transmission of CDV typically occurs similar to the common cold, via inhalation of infected respiratory droplets or direct contact with saliva, nasal discharge and tears. Occasionally other body fluids (feces and urine) contain the virus.
Environmental transmission of canine distemper is rare because the virus does not survive long in the environment. For this reason, CDV presents more of a problem for dense wild carnivore populations as close contact between animals is necessary to spread the disease.
While distemper may occur at any time of year, CDV is more common in adult animals during the winter and is thought to be more common in juvenile animals in the spring and summer.
Distemper can cause respiratory, neurologic and gastrointestinal illness. Clinical signs may vary depending on the strain of the virus, the environment, the host species and the age of the infected animal.
Signs include (but are not limited to) depression, fever, labored breathing, diarrhea, anorexia, incoordination, moving in small circles, yellow to clear discharge from the nose and eyes, and crusting on the nose, eyes, mouth or footpads.
There is no treatment for sick animals except supportive care. Infected animals may or may not survive the illness. Animals with the virus may not show clinical signs but can still spread the virus for up to 90 days.
In addition to removing food and other attractants, CDFW urges the public to keep a safe distance from sick or injured wild animals, as animals that are ill or feel threatened may act aggressively. Please report the sick animal’s behavior and location to the closest CDFW office and/or to a local animal control agency, as soon as possible.
Any wildlife encounter that is an emergency should be reported to 9-1-1. For non-urgent questions concerning wildlife, please contact your local CDFW Regional Office or your local animal control service. Additional information about living with wildlife can be found on CDFW’s website.
If you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal, please wash the wound vigorously with soap and water and consult a physician and/or contact your County Public Health Department. Neurologic signs of CDV may not be distinguishable from rabies virus infection, which is a public health risk.
Do not handle carcasses of wild animals with bare hands. CDFW’s has protocol for safe handling and disposal of carcasses on its website.
For questions regarding distemper in wildlife or concerns about sick animals, contact CDFW’s Wildlife Investigations Laboratory at 916-358-2790.
CDV can infect a wide range of domestic and wild carnivores, including some non-canids. Gray foxes, raccoons and skunks are the most commonly affected species.
Unvaccinated domestic dogs can potentially contract the disease through contact with food or water bowls that are “shared” with infected wild carnivores.
Pet owners should be particularly vigilant in their efforts to keep their domestic animals from coming into contact with wildlife. CDV is not transmissible to humans.
“Keeping dogs up to date on vaccinations not only protects pets, it protects wildlife,” said CDFW Senior Wildlife Veterinarian Deana Clifford. “Wild animals can spread distemper to domestic dogs, but unvaccinated domestic dogs can also spread the disease to wild animals.”
Dr. Clifford noted that distemper is the most common disease CDFW finds as the cause of death in California’s carnivores.
Large outbreaks of distemper may temporarily reduce some local carnivore populations, thus wildlife biologists and veterinarians monitor reports of sick animals and confirm disease cases when possible to track potential impacts.
Transmission of CDV typically occurs similar to the common cold, via inhalation of infected respiratory droplets or direct contact with saliva, nasal discharge and tears. Occasionally other body fluids (feces and urine) contain the virus.
Environmental transmission of canine distemper is rare because the virus does not survive long in the environment. For this reason, CDV presents more of a problem for dense wild carnivore populations as close contact between animals is necessary to spread the disease.
While distemper may occur at any time of year, CDV is more common in adult animals during the winter and is thought to be more common in juvenile animals in the spring and summer.
Distemper can cause respiratory, neurologic and gastrointestinal illness. Clinical signs may vary depending on the strain of the virus, the environment, the host species and the age of the infected animal.
Signs include (but are not limited to) depression, fever, labored breathing, diarrhea, anorexia, incoordination, moving in small circles, yellow to clear discharge from the nose and eyes, and crusting on the nose, eyes, mouth or footpads.
There is no treatment for sick animals except supportive care. Infected animals may or may not survive the illness. Animals with the virus may not show clinical signs but can still spread the virus for up to 90 days.
In addition to removing food and other attractants, CDFW urges the public to keep a safe distance from sick or injured wild animals, as animals that are ill or feel threatened may act aggressively. Please report the sick animal’s behavior and location to the closest CDFW office and/or to a local animal control agency, as soon as possible.
Any wildlife encounter that is an emergency should be reported to 9-1-1. For non-urgent questions concerning wildlife, please contact your local CDFW Regional Office or your local animal control service. Additional information about living with wildlife can be found on CDFW’s website.
If you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal, please wash the wound vigorously with soap and water and consult a physician and/or contact your County Public Health Department. Neurologic signs of CDV may not be distinguishable from rabies virus infection, which is a public health risk.
Do not handle carcasses of wild animals with bare hands. CDFW’s has protocol for safe handling and disposal of carcasses on its website.
For questions regarding distemper in wildlife or concerns about sick animals, contact CDFW’s Wildlife Investigations Laboratory at 916-358-2790.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Three years after wind-driven waves destroyed Library Park’s old seawall, work has gotten underway to replace it with a new wall of steel.
The project is being funded primarily by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of California.
In a special November meeting, the Lakeport City Council voted unanimously to award the seawall rebuilding contract to West Coast Contractors Inc. of Coos Bay, Oregon, a company that specializes in marine sheet pile projects.
The company’s winning bid was $799,773; the city engineer had estimated the project would cost $1 million.
The new seawall project is approximately 535 lineal feet, which will support the adjoining pedestrian promenade, city officials said.
The old seawall was built of cinder blocks. The new one, designed to withstand heavy wave action and future flooding conditions, will be built of nearly half-inch-thick sheet pile that will be driven 25 feet into the ground. City officials said the new wall has been designed to the 100-year flood level.
Heavy storms in February 2017 resulted in wind-driven waves that pummeled the aging seawall, damaging it beyond repair and causing the area around it, including the sidewalk, to be cordoned off from the public with chain link fence.
Then, in March 2019, more heavy rain and winter storms caused the damaged wall to be undermined further, leading to underground water intrusion, as Lake County News has reported.
Those storms and the resulting flooding affected the city’s original replacement project timeline and resulted in another federal major disaster declaration.
As a result of the federal disaster declarations, the city was eligible to apply for federal and state funding to assist the reconstruction efforts.
Public Works Director Doug Grider and his staff followed a lengthy and complicated federal grant application process in order to build a new and improved seawall.
As a result, the city received funds from FEMA and the state of California that will pay the majority of the project costs. The city is only required to pay for a 6.38-percent match, which its insurance will cover.
Rebuilding the wall had to wait until FEMA gave the final go-ahead, which allowed the city to award the bid in the fall.
The city still had a few last-minute delays in getting the project started. Originally, it had been set to begin Dec. 23, but over the holidays the sheet pile manufacturer had a breakdown and so the sheet pile wasn’t expected to be ready until the end of January.
Along with the seawall, the promenade also will be rebuilt and will feature a new safety handrail and a new concrete sidewalk. It’s to be built under a separate contract, according to city officials.
The city has a targeted completion date of June 1 for the new seawall, just in time for the busy summer tourism season.
Library Park lies along the west shore of Clear Lake in downtown Lakeport. It was established nearly 100 years ago and now includes more than three acres of land area, the city reported.
Owned and maintained by the city of Lakeport, Library Park is a center of community activity, hosting numerous events, from plays to summer music concerts, as well as fairs and markets. It offers boat launches, new docks, fishing opportunities, lake swimming, picnic areas, an accessible children’s playground and ADA-accessible restrooms, some of them recently replaced.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors received an update on county staff’s efforts to carry out a new hazardous vegetation ordinance and gave direction for how to prioritize this year’s work.
At its meeting last Tuesday, the board received an extensive report on the Community Development Department’s enforcement of the ordinance from Code Enforcement Manager Andy Williams and Chief Building Official David Casian.
The supervisors passed the first reading of the new hazardous vegetation ordinance on March 19 and approved the second and final reading of it on March 26. It went into effect on April 25.
The ordinance, No. 3082, is located in Lake County Code Chapter 13, Article VIII, Section 13-57 to 13-67. It can be found here.
Williams said inspections began immediately, with four inspectors – three Code Enforcement officers and one building official – going into the field in early May.
He said they started in the Clearlake Riviera, and moved through the Rivieras to Soda Bay, Middletown, Anderson Springs and Cobb, making a total of 2,000 site visits.
As they made their way through those communities, Williams said they found that most owners of improved properties were out doing hazardous abatement work during their inspections, and were either in compliance or met the requirements later on.
He said a large number of people did not understand the new ordinance or how to become compliant but did after education by inspectors, which led to compliance being accomplished in most cases.
Cal Fire does property inspections on improved properties on a three-year rotation, while homeowners associations do their own inspections on unimproved and improved properties inspections, Williams said.
This year, county staff and Cal Fire will do a beta test with computer-based inspection software for improved properties. It’s hoped that they will avoid the overlap that they encountered last year, when county staff completed inspections in some areas only to have Cal Fire come into the same areas after them.
“We’re working on that issue. I’m hoping this year there won’t be so much overlap, if any,” Williams said.
When a property is found to be noncompliant, a courtesy letter with a link to the county’s hazardous vegetation ordinance is sent out and the owner is given a 30-day window to become compliant, Williams explained.
If the work isn’t done voluntarily, the property owner gets an abatement notice with another 30 days to become compliant. If that next deadline isn’t met, Williams said possible abatement action is taken based on several factors including topography, fuel load, and life and safety concerns.
In 2019, temperatures increased early in the fire season, humidities dropped and winds picked up, which Williams said made abatement very unsafe. “So we did not abate any properties this year through our program.”
Williams said the county sent out 378 notices of abatement, with 47 returned undeliverable. He said the inspectors use the tax roll to get mailing information.
Of those notices that did make it to the owners, Williams said they had 75 percent compliance with the ordinance.
“Unimproved properties are the real challenges,” due to absentee owners, deceased owners, large properties and owners not understanding ordinances, he said.
For this year, Williams suggested prioritizing areas starting with improved properties and unimproved properties within 30 feet of any structure or egress/evacuation routes.
He proposed starting with Cobb Mountain, Anderson Springs, the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, Buckingham, Riviera Heights, and the urban interface around Lakeport and the Northshore.
This year, Williams has one full-time experienced Code Enforcement officer assigned to hazardous vegetation as well as extra help, with inspections set to begin this month.
Due to the large area they need to cover and the short amount of time before fire season starts – along with their other work – Williams asked for the board’s direction on how to move forward.
During the update, Williams told the board that his department needs more funding in order to enforce the ordinance. “It’s a daunting, daunting prospect, but we are moving forward,” he said, adding they are “spread very, very thin.”
Williams said he currently has three Code Enforcement officers and is interviewing a fourth. When asked by Supervisor Tina Scott how many he would need in a perfect world, he responded, “At least 10.”
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he wanted to shorten the 60-day abatement process and assess stiff fines. He suggested that those properties for which the abatement letters were returned may be in tax default, and could be prioritized and put up for tax sale more quickly.
Like Supervisor Rob Brown, Sabatier said he wanted Code Enforcement staff to focus on vegetation management until the fire season starts, at which point they can switch their attention to cannabis compliance.
Brown said the last several years of wildland fires have left a burn scar and fire line that circles almost the entire county. He said there is a little bit of time before the vegetation comes back in the fire scar.
He said he’s concerned about the areas that haven’t burned and don’t have a fire line, including the Rivieras and Buckingham, where 20 percent of the county’s residents live. Benefit zones approved by several of those communities last year have raised funding to do abatements if necessary, it was reported during the meeting.
For the abatements in the other parts of the county, Williams said they have less than $50,000 left. Community Development Director Michalyn DelValle said they will be asking for more money for abatement at the midyear budget review.
During public comment, Ken Kelsen, the fire safety coordinator for the Clear Lake Riviera Community Association, said the association is doing its own inspections on improved and unimproved properties. He said they are working with both Code Enforcement and Cal Fire and will be participating in a training class with those agencies on the property inspection software.
Kelsen said the association’s efforts are yielding results: Two years ago when he started they had 500 parcels rated as high for fire concerns, this year they have less than 100.
“We are making great strides,” Kelsen said.
Greg Scott, a retired fire official, said they needed to target their audience for their education efforts, suggesting sending the message out in schools and youth organizations in order for it to reach parents.
Last year, the largest fire in Lake County was 58 acres, Scott pointed out, noting that the county had 31 inches of rain during the rainy season so heavy fuels didn’t have a chance to dry out like normal.
He also suggested getting state legislators to start increasing fines on the state level so Cal Fire can work more efficiently along with the county.
During the discussion it was noted by community member Lance Williams that the ordinance still didn’t seem very clear in its requirements.
County Counsel Anita Grant said there was extensive public input on the ordinance, which, she noted, “is going to have to evolve as circumstances evolve.”
She said there also have been changes to fire safe rules at the state level. “Actions on the ground are the great equalizer for what makes sense.”
The board reached a consensus to support more education and consider shortening the abatement time frame, and prioritizing areas such as the Rivieras.
Brown said he wanted to make sure the work got done. “I don’t want to be having this discussion at some point that the Rivieras and Buckingham burned to the ground because we dropped the ball. I’m just going to leave it at that. That is my priority.”
The board also received a brief update from Williams on enforcement of vegetation abatement in the benefit zones for the Clearlake Riviera, Buckingham, Riviera West and Riviera Heights.
Williams said he had a list of 52 properties across the four benefit zones and personally inspected them all. Thirty-day abatement letters have been sent to all of them and, in the interim, he will contact contractors to get bids for abatement in case compliance isn’t voluntary.
He said he hoped by the end of March or the first week of April that this phase of the abatement work will be done. After that, if there isn’t compliance, they will need to prepare to write up affidavits and take them to a judge in order to proceed with abatements.
It was reported during the meeting that the county has so far collected more than $200,000 from property owners in the benefit zones. Those funds will be used to fund abatements, with the money to be recouped with liens.
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.
At its meeting last Tuesday, the board received an extensive report on the Community Development Department’s enforcement of the ordinance from Code Enforcement Manager Andy Williams and Chief Building Official David Casian.
The supervisors passed the first reading of the new hazardous vegetation ordinance on March 19 and approved the second and final reading of it on March 26. It went into effect on April 25.
The ordinance, No. 3082, is located in Lake County Code Chapter 13, Article VIII, Section 13-57 to 13-67. It can be found here.
Williams said inspections began immediately, with four inspectors – three Code Enforcement officers and one building official – going into the field in early May.
He said they started in the Clearlake Riviera, and moved through the Rivieras to Soda Bay, Middletown, Anderson Springs and Cobb, making a total of 2,000 site visits.
As they made their way through those communities, Williams said they found that most owners of improved properties were out doing hazardous abatement work during their inspections, and were either in compliance or met the requirements later on.
He said a large number of people did not understand the new ordinance or how to become compliant but did after education by inspectors, which led to compliance being accomplished in most cases.
Cal Fire does property inspections on improved properties on a three-year rotation, while homeowners associations do their own inspections on unimproved and improved properties inspections, Williams said.
This year, county staff and Cal Fire will do a beta test with computer-based inspection software for improved properties. It’s hoped that they will avoid the overlap that they encountered last year, when county staff completed inspections in some areas only to have Cal Fire come into the same areas after them.
“We’re working on that issue. I’m hoping this year there won’t be so much overlap, if any,” Williams said.
When a property is found to be noncompliant, a courtesy letter with a link to the county’s hazardous vegetation ordinance is sent out and the owner is given a 30-day window to become compliant, Williams explained.
If the work isn’t done voluntarily, the property owner gets an abatement notice with another 30 days to become compliant. If that next deadline isn’t met, Williams said possible abatement action is taken based on several factors including topography, fuel load, and life and safety concerns.
In 2019, temperatures increased early in the fire season, humidities dropped and winds picked up, which Williams said made abatement very unsafe. “So we did not abate any properties this year through our program.”
Williams said the county sent out 378 notices of abatement, with 47 returned undeliverable. He said the inspectors use the tax roll to get mailing information.
Of those notices that did make it to the owners, Williams said they had 75 percent compliance with the ordinance.
“Unimproved properties are the real challenges,” due to absentee owners, deceased owners, large properties and owners not understanding ordinances, he said.
For this year, Williams suggested prioritizing areas starting with improved properties and unimproved properties within 30 feet of any structure or egress/evacuation routes.
He proposed starting with Cobb Mountain, Anderson Springs, the Clearlake Riviera, Riviera West, Buckingham, Riviera Heights, and the urban interface around Lakeport and the Northshore.
This year, Williams has one full-time experienced Code Enforcement officer assigned to hazardous vegetation as well as extra help, with inspections set to begin this month.
Due to the large area they need to cover and the short amount of time before fire season starts – along with their other work – Williams asked for the board’s direction on how to move forward.
During the update, Williams told the board that his department needs more funding in order to enforce the ordinance. “It’s a daunting, daunting prospect, but we are moving forward,” he said, adding they are “spread very, very thin.”
Williams said he currently has three Code Enforcement officers and is interviewing a fourth. When asked by Supervisor Tina Scott how many he would need in a perfect world, he responded, “At least 10.”
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he wanted to shorten the 60-day abatement process and assess stiff fines. He suggested that those properties for which the abatement letters were returned may be in tax default, and could be prioritized and put up for tax sale more quickly.
Like Supervisor Rob Brown, Sabatier said he wanted Code Enforcement staff to focus on vegetation management until the fire season starts, at which point they can switch their attention to cannabis compliance.
Brown said the last several years of wildland fires have left a burn scar and fire line that circles almost the entire county. He said there is a little bit of time before the vegetation comes back in the fire scar.
He said he’s concerned about the areas that haven’t burned and don’t have a fire line, including the Rivieras and Buckingham, where 20 percent of the county’s residents live. Benefit zones approved by several of those communities last year have raised funding to do abatements if necessary, it was reported during the meeting.
For the abatements in the other parts of the county, Williams said they have less than $50,000 left. Community Development Director Michalyn DelValle said they will be asking for more money for abatement at the midyear budget review.
During public comment, Ken Kelsen, the fire safety coordinator for the Clear Lake Riviera Community Association, said the association is doing its own inspections on improved and unimproved properties. He said they are working with both Code Enforcement and Cal Fire and will be participating in a training class with those agencies on the property inspection software.
Kelsen said the association’s efforts are yielding results: Two years ago when he started they had 500 parcels rated as high for fire concerns, this year they have less than 100.
“We are making great strides,” Kelsen said.
Greg Scott, a retired fire official, said they needed to target their audience for their education efforts, suggesting sending the message out in schools and youth organizations in order for it to reach parents.
Last year, the largest fire in Lake County was 58 acres, Scott pointed out, noting that the county had 31 inches of rain during the rainy season so heavy fuels didn’t have a chance to dry out like normal.
He also suggested getting state legislators to start increasing fines on the state level so Cal Fire can work more efficiently along with the county.
During the discussion it was noted by community member Lance Williams that the ordinance still didn’t seem very clear in its requirements.
County Counsel Anita Grant said there was extensive public input on the ordinance, which, she noted, “is going to have to evolve as circumstances evolve.”
She said there also have been changes to fire safe rules at the state level. “Actions on the ground are the great equalizer for what makes sense.”
The board reached a consensus to support more education and consider shortening the abatement time frame, and prioritizing areas such as the Rivieras.
Brown said he wanted to make sure the work got done. “I don’t want to be having this discussion at some point that the Rivieras and Buckingham burned to the ground because we dropped the ball. I’m just going to leave it at that. That is my priority.”
The board also received a brief update from Williams on enforcement of vegetation abatement in the benefit zones for the Clearlake Riviera, Buckingham, Riviera West and Riviera Heights.
Williams said he had a list of 52 properties across the four benefit zones and personally inspected them all. Thirty-day abatement letters have been sent to all of them and, in the interim, he will contact contractors to get bids for abatement in case compliance isn’t voluntary.
He said he hoped by the end of March or the first week of April that this phase of the abatement work will be done. After that, if there isn’t compliance, they will need to prepare to write up affidavits and take them to a judge in order to proceed with abatements.
It was reported during the meeting that the county has so far collected more than $200,000 from property owners in the benefit zones. Those funds will be used to fund abatements, with the money to be recouped with liens.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The name of a Kelseyville man who died in a solo vehicle crash last week has been released.
Charles Kluge, 92, was the victim of the wreck, according to Misty Wood, spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Kluge was driving alone in his 2006 Acura on private property in the area of Adobe Creek and Bell Hill roads near Kelseyville just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday when the crash occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Kluge’s vehicle traveled through two wire fences, crossing Adobe Creek Road before it hit an upward sloping embankment.
Kluge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where the CHP said he died of his injuries.
The CHP, which said alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the crash, is continuing the investigation into the wreck, according to Officer Joel Skeen.
Skeen said that they are awaiting autopsy results to see if medical issues contributed to the crash, “but everything else is pretty clear.”
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Charles Kluge, 92, was the victim of the wreck, according to Misty Wood, spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Kluge was driving alone in his 2006 Acura on private property in the area of Adobe Creek and Bell Hill roads near Kelseyville just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday when the crash occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Kluge’s vehicle traveled through two wire fences, crossing Adobe Creek Road before it hit an upward sloping embankment.
Kluge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where the CHP said he died of his injuries.
The CHP, which said alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the crash, is continuing the investigation into the wreck, according to Officer Joel Skeen.
Skeen said that they are awaiting autopsy results to see if medical issues contributed to the crash, “but everything else is pretty clear.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at