LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will consider approving the new fiscal year budget and discuss placing a historic bell at the city’s newest park.
The council will meet Tuesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18.
At the start of the meeting, the council will present a proclamation honoring Compliance Officer Andrew Britton on his retirement after 35 years of service to the city of Lakeport.
On Tuesday’s agenda is the approval of the 2024-25 budget and the city’s annual appropriations limit.
City revenues for the coming fiscal year total nearly $18 million while expenditures top $30 million. Capital improvement projects make up the difference between income and expenditures, Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Nick Walker explained during a June 4 budget workshop.
Also on Tuesday, the council will consider approving the placement of the historic Lakeport Curfew/Hooligan Bell in Xabatin Park and acknowledging the Lakeport Rotary Club for its generous contribution in the project.
Public Works Director Ron Ladd’s report explained, “Over the past year, the Public Works Department has collaborated closely with the Lakeport Rotary Club to facilitate the placement of the historic Lakeport Curfew/Hooligan Bell in the newly finished Xabatin Park. The Rotary Club has generously agreed to fund the construction of a concrete pad and the installation of two benches at the designated location within the park.”
Ladd said the bell is “a treasured piece of local history dating back to the early 1900s. It rang every night at 10 p.m. to alert children that it was time to return home. This bell is a symbol of the community's past and a testament to Lakeport's rich heritage. Preserving and displaying the bell in Xabatin Park will allow current and future generations to connect with a tangible piece of the City’s history.”
The bell is proposed to be placed in a prominent location next to the parking area.
Under council business, council members will be asked to adopt a resolution adopting the Project Study Report-Project Development Support for the SR-29 and Lakeport Interchange Improvement Project.
Assistant City Manager Nick Walker will ask the council to approve setting a public hearing on Sept. 3 for adjustments to solid waste utility service rates and direct staff to issue Proposition 218 Notice.
In other business, Utilities Director Paul Harris will present an overview of the current projects associated with water and sewer infrastructure improvements.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will present the police statistics and use of force reports for year 2023, and the police training report for fiscal year 2023-24.
On the consent agenda — items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the City Council’s regular meeting on June 4; approval of application 2024-026, with staff recommendations, for the Golden Gate Lotus Club Car Show; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of GSL Pavement Rehabilitation Project, by Wylatti Resource Management, Inc. and authorize the filing of the notice of completion; the June 6 warrant register; and approval and authorization for the city manager to execute amendment No. 3 to the professional services agreement with Dokken Engineering for the Hartley Street Culvert Repair Project in the amount of $21,635.74.
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 Board of Supervisors this week will consider two ordinances aimed at controlling tobacco use and curbing illegal tobacco sales.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 865 3354 4962, pass code 726865. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,86533544962#,,,,*726865#. The meeting can also be accessed via phone at 669 900 6833.
At 9:20 a.m., the board will consider an ordinance to regulate smoking and commercial tobacco use in efforts to address the health risk of second- and third-hand smoke to the community.
The report to the board from Health Services Director Anthony Arton and Liberty Francis, project director for tobacco education and prevention, explained, “The proposed smoke-free ordinance for Lake County parks and properties seeks to enhance public health and preserve the natural environment. By prohibiting smoking in these areas, we aim to reduce exposure to harmful secondhand smoke and mitigate the risk of wildfires caused by discarded cigarette butts. This initiative aligns with our commitment to creating safe and healthy recreational spaces for residents and visitors alike.”
The report also noted, “Tobacco is still the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death, killing nearly 40,000 in California every year. The US Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke or vapor. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7000 chemicals, hundreds are dangerous and more than 69 are known to cause cancer.”
At 10:30 a.m., the board will consider a comprehensive retailer licensing tobacco ordinance and code of ordinance in efforts to address the continual decline of Lake County’s health rankings and the high rates of youth tobacco use.
Arton and Francis’ report for that item said it aims to regulate the sale of tobacco products within the community. “By requiring retailers to obtain a license, Lake County can effectively monitor and enforce compliance with laws regarding age restrictions, product sales and product safety. This initiative not only promotes public health by reducing youth access to tobacco but also enforces state regulations.”
Their report explained that tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, with commercial tobacco costing Californians $9.8 billion in health care costs annually, as well as $1.4 billion in lost productivity, $3.8 billion costs to the Medi-Cal program, and $41 billion for tobacco product waste cleanup.
They said policies like the proposed ordinance “address the youth vaping epidemic,” including the health risks of tobacco products, and effects of tobacco litter on the environment.
Also on Tuesday, the board will present proclamations honoring Public Works and Water Resources Director Scott De Leon and Capt. Billy Richard Inman Jr. on their retirements, and will present a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation recognizing June 19, 2024, as Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance.
5.2: Adopt a proclamation commending Scott De Leon for his dedication and service to the county of Lake.
5.3: Adopt proclamation commending Capt. Billy Richard Inman Jr. for his 32 years of service protecting and serving the residents of Lake County.
5.4: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the service agreement between the county of Lake and Community Development Services for the Community Development Block Grant Microenterprise Technical Assistance Program to utilize program income not to exceed $372,232 and extend the term of service to May 31, 2027 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.5: Adopt resolution to appropriate unanticipated revenue in Budget 2601 agricultural commissioner.
5.6: Adopt Resolution Establishing 2024-2025 appropriations limit for the county of Lake and special districts governed by the Board of Supervisors.
5.7: a) Approve rescinding the June 25, 2024, continuance for the public hearing on consideration of conduit financing for the Caritas Affordable Housing Project; and b) approve continuing the public hearing on consideration of conduit financing for the Caritas Affordable Housing Project to July 9, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.
5.8: Approve Health Services request to apply for California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program Funds in the amount of $500,000.
5.9: Approve leave of absence request for Department of Public Works Employee Jaliece Simons, from April 20, 2024 through July 20, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.10: Approve agreement for the placement of juveniles in Tehama County not to exceed $250,000 annually; and authorize the chair to sign.
5.11: A) Approve the general services agreement between the county of Lake and California Engineering Co. Inc. for capital project management services, and authorize the chair to sign; and b) approve supplemental services agreement number one for the Kelseyville Senior Center Project in the amount of $339,715, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.12: A) Approve the general services agreement between the county of Lake and Vanir Construction Management Inc. for capital project management services, and authorize the chair to sign; and b) approve supplemental services agreement number one for the remodel of the National Guard Armory to the sheriff administration facility in the amount of $94,620, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.13: A) Approve the general services agreement between the county of Lake and Roach & Campbell Landscape Architecture for landscape architecture and planning services, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement; and b) approve supplemental services agreement number one for environmental planning and preliminary design services for the future Cobb Community Park in the amount of $213,743, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
5.14: Adopt resolution of intent to conduct a public hearing for the consideration of the vacation of a portion of a roadway known as Collier Avenue (CR#306C) in the Nice area.
5.15: Adopt resolution setting a public hearing to name a certain existing unnamed road in the Middletown Area — Gliderport Road.
5.16: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and A&P Helicopters for fiscal year 2024/25 in the amount of $75,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.17: Approve second amendment to the lease agreement between the county of Lake and Pauline Usher Revocable Trust for the premises located at 9245 Highway 53 in Lower Lake, in the amount of $6,078.12 per fiscal year, from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: a) Waive the formal bidding process pursuant to County Ordinance 3109 Section 2-38 due to 38.2(3), not in the public interest as competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and, b) approve lease agreement between county of Lake and Sheila Sada for the property located at 926 S. Forbes in Lakeport, in the amount of $86,932.68 per fiscal year from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.19: a) Waive the formal bidding process pursuant to County Ordinance 3109 Section 2-38 due to 38.2(3), not in the public interest as competitive bidding would produce no economic benefit to the county; and, b) approve third amendments to the lease agreements between county of Lake and Ronn and Montie Westhart for the warehouse and office space located at 15890 Kugelman Street in Lower Lake, from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027, and authorize the chair to sign both amendments.
5.20: a) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 2-38.1, as an extension of an annual agreement; (b) approve agreement between the county of Lake and Megabyte Systems Inc., for FY 2024-25 MPTS property tax system maintenance, online business property filing license/support and the transient occupancy tax licensing/support in the amount of $232,613.70 and authorize the chair to sign; (c) approve web services addendum to the agreement between the county of Lake and Megabyte Systems Inc. for FY 2023-24 online tax bills and e-payment processing services, in the amount of $6,682.73 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.21: Sitting as the Board of Directors Lake County Watershed Protection District, (a) adopt resolution authorizing the county of Lake Water Resources director to apply for California Department of Water Resources Flood Maintenance Assistance Program for much-needed levee maintenance areas within the Upper Lake levee system and authorize the chair to sign (b) adopt resolution for operation, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement (OMRR&R) and authorize the chair to sign (c) approve the OMRR&R agreement and Direct the Water Resources director to sign.
5.22: Sitting as the Board of Directors Lake County Watershed Protection District, A) approve the addition of a fixed asset titled Skid Steer in 2023-2024 Capital Asset Listing in the amount of $100,000; and B) approve budget transfer of $100,000 to account 781.62-74, and $27,500 to various expense accounts; and C) authorize the Water Resources director to issue a purchase order in the amount of $98,723.63 to PAPE Machinery for a John Deere 325G.
5.23: Approve request to waive 900 hour limit for extra-help water resources ramp monitor Mark Duncan.
5.24: Sitting as the Board of Directors Lake County Watershed Protection District, a) Waive the competitive bidding process per County Code Section 2-38.2(3) no economic benefit to the county, and; b)approve engineering services agreement for staff augmentation services between the Lake County Watershed Protection District and Coastland Civil Engineering LLP and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:03 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:05 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending Scott De Leon for his dedication and service to the county of Lake.
6.4, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation recognizing June 19, 2024, as Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance.
6.5, 9:13 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending Capt. Billy Richard Inman Jr. for his 32 years of service protecting and serving the residents of Lake County.
6.6, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of appointments to the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake.
6.7, 9:20 a.m.: Consideration of ordinance to regulate smoking and commercial tobacco use in efforts to address the health risk of second and third hand smoke to the community.
6.8, 10 a.m.: Consideration of the final report of the Lake Countywide Community Visioning Forum Planning Committee.
6.9, 10:30 a.m.: Consideration of a comprehensive retailer licensing tobacco ordinance and code of ordinance in efforts to address the continual decline of Lake County’s health rankings and the high rates of youth tobacco use.
6.10, 11 a.m.: Consideration of MOU between LACOSAN and Earth Foundries Inc. for the operation and placement of a mobile pyrolysis unit in Middletown at the west end of the Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant and authorize the chair to sign the MOU.
6.11, 11:15 a.m.: Presentation of rate study for the following districts: Kelseyville Waterworks District No. 3, Northwest Regional Wastewater Collection System, CSA-2 Spring Valley.
6.12, 11:45 a.m.: Consideration and Approval of Occupancy Agreement for the Konocti Gardens LLC Development in Clearlake.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.1: Consideration of Appointment to the Big Valley Advisory Council.
7.2: CalWORKs Outcome & Accountability Program System Improvement Plan.
7.3: Consideration of Change Order No. 1 to the agreement with Rege Construction for the Eastlake Sanitary Landfill Phase One Cell Expansion Project, Bid No. 23-32, for an increase of $1,054,248 and a revised contract amount of $6,215,911, and authorize the chair to sign.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee discipline/dismissal/release.
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. — In partnership with the Lake County Jail, the Lake County Library Literacy Program has worked to identify incarcerated individuals who have a desire to improve their literacy skills to help better themselves, find better job opportunities, and more.
Implementing a new on-site literacy program at the Lake County Jail located in Lakeport, the program will offer one-on-one tutoring and small group classes to inmates ages 18 and older.
Inmates with children will also be eligible for Family Literacy Services including free books for their children to encourage early literacy, family engagement, and to build a home library.
In addition to working on basic literacy skills, Staff Services Analyst Christina Law is working with the new Lake County Adult School, located in Clearlake on the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College, to establish an Adult high School degree or equivalency program, aiming to combine efforts to best serve the inmate population.
According to ProLiteracy, an organization whose mission is to change lives and communities through the power of adult literacy, and an organization with which the Lake County Library Literacy Program is an affiliate, 75% of state incarcerated individuals did not complete high school or can be classified as low literate; making literacy in jails and prisons a worthy cause.
Volunteer literacy tutors are needed for this new program. No experience is necessary to become a literacy tutor as long as one has patience, a desire to help others, and a good command of the English language.
Tutor training, where volunteers learn useful techniques for teaching adults to read, is provided free of cost, along with ongoing support. Upon completion of tutor training, tutors will be matched with adult learners, with tutoring hours being flexible for both the tutor and learner; sessions are typically held once per week for one hour. Livescan background checks are required at no cost to the tutor.
Becoming a tutor can help someone to a better future. Many adults want to improve their reading and writing skills so they can access better jobs, further their own education, advocate for their children, and overall improve their way of life.
Through hard work and perseverance, adult learners can change their own, and their family’s lives, for the better.
The Lake County Library Literacy Program is supported in part by the California Library Literacy Services and by the Lake County Literacy Coalition. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If you are interested in becoming a literacy tutor for the jail program, please call 707-263-7633 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Your volunteerism could help change a life.
Georgina Marie Guardado is the literacy program coordinator.
Written by: Derek M. Griffith, Georgetown University and Elizabeth C. Stewart, Vanderbilt University
Fathers often place more emphasis on their role as head of household than their health. Marmion/Shutterstock.com
If you had to choose, which would you rather have: a healthy father or a good father?
Studies suggest men often choose being a good father over being healthy.
Becoming a father is a major milestone in the life of a man, often shifting the way he thinks from being “me focused” to “we focused.” But fatherhood can also shift how men perceive their health. Our research has found that fathers can view health not in terms of going to the doctor or eating vegetables but how they hold a job, provide for their family, protect and teach their children, and belong to a community or social network.
As founder and director of the Center for Research on Men’s Health at Vanderbilt University and as a postdoctoral fellow from Meharry Medical College, we study why men live shorter lives than women, male attitudes about fatherhood, how to help men engage in healthier behavior – as well as what can be done to reduce men’s risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Work, sex and health
Working with men to try to get them to be more physically active, eat healthier and maintain a healthy weight, we found that for many, their own physical and mental health is not high on their list of priorities. Men, we found, treat their bodies as tools to do a job. Health is not always important or something they pay much attention to until poor health gets in the way of their ability to go to work, have sex or do something else important to them. These roles and responsibilities are often the ways they define themselves as men and how others in their lives define their worth.
While many aspects of gender roles have changed, we have found that many men still recognize they are often defined as good or successful if they have paid employment that is enough to take care of their children and other responsibilities. Fathers generally aspire to be able to look after their children, spouse, partner or other loved ones. That may mean less sleep, longer hours at work and less free time for hobbies and exercise.
Wanting to be a great dad can motivate men to push themselves to work longer and harder than they may have thought possible, but these choices can come at a cost, particularly if they also are not making time to take care of themselves.
We have seen evidence of despair, such as depressive symptoms, having thoughts of suicide, heavy drinking and marijuana use, among adults in their 20s and 30s. These behaviors tend to be higher in men during the time when they tend to become fathers for the first time. Consistent with this pattern, unintentional injuries and suicide are leading causes of death for men across racial and ethnic groups in their 20s and 30s. This is not the case for women.
By age 45, heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for all groups of men. These chronic diseases can be prevented, to some degree, by not smoking, eating healthier foods and drinking less alcohol. Also, improving sleep, sitting less and moving more are important behaviors for good health.
Rather than trying to restart these behaviors after taking a break from them for a number of years, studies have found that it is important to help men keep healthy behaviors a part of their lives as they age.
As men age, they may not make deliberate choices to engage in less healthy behavior, but they may just do so because their lives and environments make unhealthy choices easier than healthy ones. Policymakers have to think about how to make it easier to make healthy choices in men’s daily lives and to incorporate health into the time fathers spend with children and family or at work. Men don’t have equal access to healthy foods or the same opportunities to go to the doctor, be physically active or earn a living wage, and yet, if asked, they all want to be healthy and have a positive influence on their children and families.
Where does making time for their own mental and physical health fit into dads’ busy, stressful lives? We have found that it will be different for every father, but loved ones have to help them find a way. Based on our research, we believe that families, particularly women in men’s lives, can play an important role in encouraging fathers to eat healthier and take better care of their health.
Wives in particular often provide emotional support, offer advice, facilitate men going to the doctor and promote healthy behavior. Wives, daughters and other women in fathers’ lives are important sources of information about men’s health, and they often play a key role in helping fathers and other men better understand and cope with stress.
As we celebrate fathers, it is important to recognize that fathers, generally speaking, may not place health at the top of their priorities. Many fathers gladly sacrifice to see their children happy, safe and successful. The problem is that if fathers think only about these goals, their own health can often suffer.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
