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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Mosquitoes
Recent rains have filled Clear Lake as well as the containers in our yards. Mosquitoes need still water to grow. Dump out any water from your wheelbarrows, boats, gardening pots and planters, and tarps. Also remember to look for water in your children’s toys like wagons, pails, and wading pools and dump those out, too.
The district has been treating for immature mosquitoes to reduce the number of biting adults in the coming weeks. Spraying for biting mosquitoes started this week. If you are being bit by mosquitoes, you can request help by calling the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or online at www.LCVCD.org.
Mosquitofish will be available in May
If you have animal stock tanks, water gardens, fountains, or plan to take a break from maintaining your pool or spa, then stop by the Lake County Vector Control District’s main office to pick up mosquito-eating fish. Please call first to make sure that we have fish available.
If you picked up mosquitofish in past years, then you may still have them! Mosquitofish hibernate in the cooler months but come out again when the sun is out and the water warms up. Look for them on warmer days when the sun is warming the water where they live.
Yellowjacket wasps
Did you have yellowjackets crash your barbecue last year? Yellowjacket wasps, also known as “meat bees,” can become pests as their colonies grow large in the summer. You can prevent new yellowjacket colonies by setting out yellowjacket traps now to catch the queens. Every queen yellowjacket you catch now prevents thousands of her offspring from pestering you this summer.
If you find an underground nest of yellowjacket wasps in your yard, Vector Control can treat that for you at no charge (they cannot treat for paper wasps, honey bees or any wasps nesting in a building or structure). Call 707-263-4770 or visit www.LCVCD.org.
What about the rice flies?
Rice flies is the local name for the chironomid midges that emerge several times a year from Clear Lake.
The good news is that rice flies are harmless and cannot bite. They spend most of their lives as bloodworms in the squishy mud at the bottom of Clear Lake until they become adult rice flies and emerge by the millions.
We usually notice them resting on buildings during the day, swarming near dusk and dawn, or flying around lights at night. Each rice fly dies two to three days after emerging — just long enough to mate and lay a batch of eggs. They don’t even eat anything.
During an emergence, more rice flies come out of the lake every day to replace the ones that died. Most rice fly emergences last seven to 10 days, but may be affected by weather and water temperatures.
Vector Control doesn’t recommend using pesticides to control rice flies because they will die in less than three days (unlike mosquitoes that live for weeks or even months).
What is Vector Control?
The Lake County Vector Control District is an independent special district that conducts surveillance and control of mosquitoes, West Nile virus, and other vectors and the diseases they transmit.
The Lake County Vector Control District’s Board of Trustees meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at 410 Esplanade, Lakeport. All meetings are open to the public.
Residents with questions or who would like help with a mosquito problem, including reporting a neglected pool or spa, or who have an in-ground yellowjacket nest on their property that they would like treated, should contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or submit a request to www.LCVCD.org.
For more information about West Nile virus or to report a dead bird, visit https://westnile.ca.gov/. Information about mosquito repellents can be found on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/repellent.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Through the annual grant program, Savings Bank of Mendocino County will reserve funds to assist eligible low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers in Lake County and Mendocino County with up to the annual maximum FHFA subsidy limit, which is $30,806 in 2024 in downpayment assistance until the $13 million in WISH program funds are exhausted.
FHLBank San Francisco’s WISH grant program was created to help families overcome the most significant barriers to homeownership and build wealth.
This is the second year that Savings Bank of Mendocino County has participated in the program.
“We are proud to partner with Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco to assist eligible low-to-moderate income households throughout our service areas with attaining the goal of homeownership through the WISH down payment assistance program,” said Stacy Starkey, president and CEO, Savings Bank of Mendocino County.
FHLBank San Francisco’s WISH program offers eligible low- to moderate-income households 4-to-1 matching grants of up to the annual maximum FHFA subsidy limit, which is $30,806 in 2024 that can be applied to down payment and closing costs for the purchase of a first home.
The grants, available on a first-come, first-served basis, are intended for families and individuals who are ready to make the transition from renting to owning, and the grants can be paired with local, state and federal mortgage loan programs, such as Fannie Mae HomeReady and Federal Housing Administration–insured mortgages.
“Homeownership is a key pathway for families to open doors to building wealth in America, but far too many hard-working families and individuals are not able to overcome systemic barriers keeping them from owning a home of their own,” said Eric Cicourel, community investment officer with FHLBank San Francisco. “Working with our members, including Savings Bank of Mendocino County, our WISH grants help put the American dream of homeownership within reach for more hard-working families, enabling them to build wealth for future generations.”
Potential homebuyers interested in this program should contact Savings Bank of Mendocino County at 707-462-6613 or visit www.savingsbank.com to apply.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“When it comes to educating our children, locally elected school boards must decide how our precious resources are spent,” Sen. Dodd said. “They must have the tools to recover from financial setbacks due to declining enrollment and focus their funds where they will have the greatest benefit. I appreciate the committee support for my bill, which will help rebuild strong schools and ensure everyone has access to the best education possible.”
Enrollment in California public schools has declined over the past two decades because of several factors including a declining birth rate and migration from California.
Because school districts receive their funding based on the number of students they educate, the loss of students has serious financial effects, which require local leaders to make difficult budget choices, including the closing of schools.
Compounding financial stress and recovery is the establishment of new charter schools that operate independently from local districts and draw away their public education funds critical to their fiscal health and solvency.
In response, Sen. Dodd introduced Senate Bill 1380, which gives greater authority to local school district boards in considering charter school applications that would negatively impact their financial stability.
The bill would clarify that local school districts can deny applications for new charter schools where a campus was closed or when a district has made necessary budget decisions to protect against fiscal insolvency within the last five years due to declining enrollment.
Also, it would authorize county education boards to make a finding to deny charter school petitions that are substantially similar to petitions that were previously denied by a local school board.
Finally, the bill wouldn’t impact the continuation of existing charter schools nor require any charter school application from being denied.
SB 1380 is co-sponsored by the California School Boards Association, Napa Valley Unified and Vallejo City Unified school districts. It was approved today by the Senate Education committee.
“SB 1380 will provide school district and county boards of education with better tools to improve the charter authorization process and eliminate redundancy that undermines local control and jeopardizes the integrity of important charter agreements signed in recent years,” said CSBA President Albert Gonzalez. “This legislation protects the long-term fiscal stability of schools and local community input, which is essential for delivering high-quality educational opportunities to students. We applaud Sen. Dodd’s efforts to support our local governing boards, particularly those making difficult decisions to improve services for all students.”
“Protecting the district’s fiscal solvency is my top priority because, without resources, we cannot give our students the quality education they deserve nor support the staff who dedicate themselves to educating them,” said William Spalding, superintendent of Vallejo City Unified School District. “SB 1380 will ensure that the hard work the district has done to recover from bankruptcy will not be compromised. We appreciate Sen. Dodd’s leadership and his commitment to our students.”
“Two-thirds of California’s school districts are getting less funding due to declining enrollment, while operating costs continue to rise,” said Rosanna Mucetti, superintendent of Napa Valley Unified School District. “We’re thankful Sen. Dodd has introduced SB 1380, which will help ensure that adults confidently make fiscal decisions in the best interest of all students.”
Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties.
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Along with Yeager, other featured guests will include Lake County Poet Laureate Emerita Georgina Marie Guardado, Jennifer Mills Kerr, Mimi Whittaker and Roy Arthur Blodgett.
Following these speakers, attendees will have the opportunity to read their own poetry or a favorite poet’s work.
Invite the poets and poetry-enthusiasts in your life to come, enjoy the readings, and bring poetry to participate in the open mic.
For more information, visit the Lake County Poet Laureate Facebook Group or Instagram page, contact Brenda Marie Yeager at
Also in celebration of National Poetry Month, April 18 is “Poem in Your Pocket Day.”
Every April, the Academy of American Poets celebrates poetry by making short poems available to the public to share with others throughout the day at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces and on social media.
The public is invited to pick up a #PocketPoem from any of the four Lake County Library branches and share it in any of the following ways:
• Post it or read it in a video on social media with the hashtag #PocketPoem;
• Read it to a loved one in person, on the phone, or via zoom;
• Tape it to the water cooler at work;
• Share your favorite poems with the Lake County Poet Laureate Facebook Group & Instagram page.
For more information, indicate your interest on the “Poem in Your Pocket Facebook Event” or contact Brenda Marie Yeager at
For information about other upcoming library events, contact the Lake County Library by phone at 707-263-8817 or online at https://library.lakecountyca.gov, on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary, X (formerly Twitter) @LakeCoLibrary, Instagram @lakecountylibrary, YouTube @lakecountycalibrary and TikTok @lakecountycalibrary.