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- Written by: Lake County News reports
This appointment is effective Wednesday, May 15.
Dillman Parsons began service with the Lake County Department of Social Services in May 2002, and has consistently been recognized for her diverse and exemplary contributions, the county reported.
“Her leadership has been critical to ensuring timely issuance of $3 million in monthly public benefits payments, despite staffing and other challenges. She has also supported and coordinated sheltering, local assistance center operations and other response operations for numerous disaster events since 2015,” the county said in its hiring announcement.
Dillman Parsons also coordinated the 2020 Census workgroup, increasing Lake County’s self-response rate from 42.6% in 2010 to 49.1% in 2020.
In Mayof 2023, she was elevated to the role of deputy Director, “where she continued to excel, and demonstrate clear and creative leadership,” the county reported.
“Ms. Dillman Parsons has shown a remarkable commitment to the people of Lake County, especially our most vulnerable populations, for more than two decades,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier. “Our board is excited to see her take on her new leadership role as Director. With her deep relationships within the department and the broader community, we foresee her moving the department forward and strengthening its divisions and functions.”
“I am humbled by the board’s confidence, and excited to serve as Social Services director,” said Dillman Parsons. “Lake County is my home, and I intend to dedicate the rest of my professional career to our county. It has been an honor to learn from many excellent Social Services leaders since 2002, and I am committed to furthering our department’s purpose; promoting social and economic self-reliance and protecting those at risk with the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and compassion.”
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
This simple step is especially critical for the roughly 700,000 vehicles in California that still have defective, potentially deadly airbags almost a decade after the largest automotive recall in history.
The Office of Traffic Safety, New Motor Vehicle Board, California New Car Dealers Association, National Safety Council and Automobile Club of Southern California joined together during a news conference on Tuesday at the Cerritos Auto Square in a continuing effort to alert vehicle owners of the urgent safety risks of unchecked recalls and that they are free to repair.
The important message to “check to protect” the recall status of vehicles comes nearly 10 years since the start of the largest and most complex safety recall in automotive history, covering more than 67 million affected vehicles worldwide.
Referred to as the “Takata Airbag Recall” for the name of the now bankrupt parts supplier, the airbag canisters in defective airbag inflators could explode and spray sharp metal fragments toward the driver and passengers — like shrapnel from an exploding grenade.
The defective airbags have killed 27 people in the U.S., including four California residents, and caused more than 400 injuries nationwide.
Since the Takata Airbag Recall started in June 2014, California has more vehicles still with defective airbags than any other state – roughly 700,000 vehicles, according to the NSC – posing a potentially life-threatening safety risk.
More than half of California vehicles with defective airbags are in Los Angeles (more than 200,000), Riverside (more than 90,000) and Sacramento (more than 60,000).
“The Takata Airbag Recall has helped make lifesaving repairs on millions of vehicles, but after nearly 10 years there are still more than a half a million vehicle owners in California who might not be aware they are driving an unsafe vehicle,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “We are joining forces to intensify our efforts so every Californian knows there is an easy way to check if their vehicle has an open safety recall — CheckToProtect.org — and that, if it does, it is free and easy to get it fixed.”
Certain vehicles made between 2000-2010 are considered especially high risk of Takata defects that they now have a “do not drive” warning, underscoring the urgency to have car owners check for recalls.
“If your vehicle has an open safety recall, don’t wait — schedule to get it fixed for free at a local dealership right away,” New Motor Vehicle Board Executive Director Tim Corcoran said. “Car dealerships are obligated to repair any recall free of charge, whether you purchased your vehicle there or not. We want California drivers to understand the urgency to get your recall fixed as soon as possible and that the service is free.”
“The safety of customers and fixing recalls is a top priority,” California New Car Dealers Association President Brian Maas said. “All of our dealers want to make sure your car is working efficiently and safely any time you are driving.”
“Automobile recalls help ensure that all cars and trucks on our roads are safe to drive, not only for the occupants of that vehicle but also for all other road users who share the roads, including pedestrians,” AAA Senior Public Affairs Specialist Anlleyn Venegas said.
There are more than 50 million vehicles in the U.S. with unresolved safety recalls, according to the NSC. With nearly 28 million drivers and 35.8 million registered vehicles — the most of any state — California has the highest number of unrepaired vehicles.
In February, the California Department of Motor Vehicles started including vehicle safety recall information on vehicle registration renewal notices for vehicles with open recalls.
Later this month, the DMV will also start issuing notices to the last known registered owners of vehicles on file with defective Takata airbags that have not been fixed.
The notice provides resources for scheduling a free repair and information on how to check for any open vehicle recalls.
Due to automakers and even the DMV not always having the most recent vehicle owner data on file, it is critical that vehicle owners use the NSC’s free Check to Protect program to check the recall status of their vehicle online at https://checktoprotect.org/.
The program encourages vehicle owners to check for any open recalls every three months and to schedule free recall repairs as soon as a fix is available.
The website allows you to determine if your vehicle is eligible for a free and potentially lifesaving repair by entering the license plate or vehicle identification number.
“Safety on the roadways must be a top priority for everyone,” said Lonny Haschel, senior manager of the Check to Protect program at the National Safety Council. “With millions of recalled vehicles being used every day, it’s important for drivers to make sure the vehicle they are driving is safe. All roadway users — in California and beyond — are safer when vehicle safety recalls are repaired.”
Businesses and other organizations that operate fleets can also conduct bulk recall checks on the NSC website.
All recalls are repaired for free at authorized dealers, regardless of where the vehicle was purchased. For more information on safety recalls, visit https://checktoprotect.org/.
- Details
- Written by: Governor’s Office
As California continues to support the legal and regulated cannabis market, on Tuesday Gov. Gavin Newsom announced state law enforcement operations that resulted in the seizure of over $61 million in illegal cannabis in the first four months of this calendar year — including 62,135 unlicensed cannabis plants and 36,619 pounds of unlicensed cannabis products.
“While we watch California’s legal cannabis market grow to become the largest worldwide, we are taking down those who operate outside the law,” Newsom said in a statement. “Putting a stop to illegal cannabis operations also means stopping organized crime, human trafficking, and the spread of illegal products that harm the health of Californians and our environment.”
Operations from Jan. 1 through April 30, 2024, through the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, were conducted in the counties of Alameda, Fresno, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Joaquin, Trinity, and Orange.
Enforcement highlights include:
• $61,467,088 million in illegal cannabis seized and destroyed.
• 36,619 pounds of unlicensed cannabis seized and destroyed.
• 62,135 unlicensed cannabis plants eradicated.
• 11 firearms seized.
• Five arrests.
Since its inception in 2022, the task force has seized $406,359,957 in unlicensed cannabis through 256 search warrants. The taskforce has also eradicated 409,656 plants and seized 139 firearms.
State agencies and departments participating in these taskforce operations include Department of Cannabis Control, Department of Fish and Wildlife, California National Guard, Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights. In addition, multiple federal and local partners assisted with enforcement operations.
The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce has been charged by the Governor to further align state efforts and increase cannabis enforcement coordination between state, local, and federal partners.
Newsom’s office said the enforcement actions protect consumer and public safety, safeguard the environment, and deprive illegal cannabis operators and transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue that harms consumers and undercuts the regulated cannabis market in California.
Beyond the actions of the task force, Gov. Newsom has enacted policies and funding to support legal, regulated cannabis throughout the state.
The governor signed several pieces of legislation to erase past cannabis convictions, combat discrimination against off-the-job cannabis use, ensure statewide access to medicinal cannabis, and pave the way for California to join with other states to build legal interstate cannabis markets that work for everyone.
Previously, the administration enacted a budget that delivered historic tax relief for legal cannabis operators — particularly equity operators — while protecting other vital public investments that cannabis legalization has allowed us to fund.
To learn more about the legal California cannabis market, state licenses, and laws, visit https://cannabis.ca.gov/.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The webinar ID is 821 8021 0243, the pass code is 273644. One tap mobile is available at +16694449171,,82180210243#, or join by phone at 669-444-9171 or 253-205-0468.
On the agenda is the presentation of adoptable dogs and a proclamation declaring May 18 to 24 as Safe Boating Week.
Under business, the council will discuss and consider approving the sale of a surplus city-owned property at 14709 Palmer Ave.
The city also will consider the classification and salary range for a community development specialist.
The staff report from Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson said that the specialist “would be a vital support role within the Community Development Department, tasked with a variety of high level building and planning secretarial and clerical duties to assist the professional staff and the public.”
Swanson said key responsibilities of this new position will include clerical and technical support, public interaction, permit processing, record keeping, presentation preparation and financial management.
“This role not only enhances the operational efficiency of the Building and Planning Department but also fosters the city’s engagement with its citizens and its commitment to sustainable growth,” Swanson said.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are adoption of the fourth amendment to the fiscal year 2023-24 budget (Resolution 2023-27) adjusting appropriations; warrants, minutes of the April 17 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; and continuation of the recommended action: receive and file.
Following the open portion of the meeting, the council will go into closed session to discuss labor negotiations and a case of anticipated litigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at