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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting began with the annual council reorganization.
“It is that time of year,” said City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia, who led the council through the nominating process.
Councilmember Kim Costa nominated Mayor Pro Tem Michael Froio for mayor for 2024. With that being the only nomination, Buendia called for the vote, which was unanimous.
When it came to elect the mayor pro tem, Stacey Mattina, the outgoing mayor, nominated Brandon Disney, with Froio nominating Costa.
After separate votes for each, the council ended up selecting Costa as mayor pro tem.
Froio and Mattina then switched seats and Buendia reorganized their name plates.
Froio thanked Mattina for her leadership. “No one runs a meeting as nicely as Stacey does,” he said, leading a round of applause for her.
He also thanked those who had come for the meeting to support him, and thanked council members for selecting him mayor.
Council members then went on to approve the new cellphone policy for themselves and for city management.
That policy calls for issuing city phones for management and City Council members. “Under the proposed policy, city-issued phones are recognized as the property of the city and are designated exclusively for official city business,” Buendia’s written report explained.
“To enhance transparency and minimize potential privacy concerns, the policy prohibits the use of personal cell devices for conducting city business. This precautionary measure aims to mitigate any privacy issues that may arise in the event of a search related to city business, emphasizing the importance of using city-issued phones exclusively for official matters,” the report said.
She said the policy also “explicitly states” that city staff are not obligated to respond after regular work hours unless they are officially designated to do so during emergencies or similar circumstances.
In other business, in response to the growing popularity of pickleball, the council approved a request to accept a proposed amendment to the Westside Community Park, Phase II Master Plan to include a designated area for the future development of pickleball courts.
Dennis Rollins from the Westside Community Park Committee said a group of pickleball enthusiasts attended a committee meeting a few months ago to ask about including pickleball courts at the park. Rollins said they would be to the east of the Lions playground, and will require a grading and drainage plan.
Rollins said the committee voted unanimously to support the proposal and try to assist with fundraising for the improvements.
Costa moved to approve the proposed change to the park master plan to include pickleball, with Disney seconding and the council voting 5-0.
Also on Tuesday, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen asked for, and received, the council’s approval of a license agreement between the city and Lake County Behavioral Health for crisis staff to work out of the Lakeport Police Department station.
Rasmussen said the arrangement is meant to build relationships between the agencies and to better serve the community.
It’s part of a new collaborative effort between Behavioral Health and law enforcement, and will allow for a much faster response time for crisis staff, he said.
A high number of Behavioral Health clients have an initial contact with law enforcement, and Rasmussen said it will allow crisis workers to accompany law enforcement on welfare checks.
Rasmussen said it will complement and work in conjunction with the crisis response program the Lakeport Police Department currently has in partnership with Lake Family Resource Center.
The Board of Supervisors approved the same agreement at its Dec. 12 meeting, Rasmussen said.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said that during the town hall earlier this year held to address the issues with homelessness in the city, they had discussed a wide array of ways to address the crisis. This is part of a multipronged approach and has been on the city’s list for some time.
He said Behavioral Health Director Elise Jones spearheaded getting the agreement done.
Rasmussen said this agreement was first brought to the City Council in May of 2018. That same month, both the City Council and the Board of Supervisors approved it. For various reasons, however, it never worked like it was supposed to.
Costa moved to approve the agreement, with Mattina seconding and the council approving it 5-0.
At the end of his first meeting as mayor, Froio noted, “Stacey, you made it look so easy.”
After thanking everyone, Froio adjourned the hourlong meeting.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPDATE: Police reported Josiah has been located.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake Police Department is attempting to locate a missing 15-year-old.
Josiah Jackson was last seen on Monday at his residence in Clearlake.
He is described as a Black male juvenile, with black short hair and brown eyes.
Josiah is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 135 pounds, with a small scar on his chin.
He was last seen wearing a blue zipper hoodie, blue sweatpants and black shoes.
If you have any information about Josiah's whereabouts please contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251, Extension 1.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Winter respiratory virus season coincides with fall and winter holidays, and infections are currently on the rise, said Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan.
Doohan said respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, influenza and COVID-19 cause lung and respiratory symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing and coughing. Flu-like symptoms are common, as well.
Some viral infections circulating this season, specifically enteroviruses, cause digestive (gastrointestinal) symptoms, like diarrhea.
While it is early in the season, the rate of these respiratory and GI viral infections has been similar to last year’s levels, she said.
One difference this year is that health officials do not report daily case rates from individual tests of patients experiencing COVID-19 viral infections, as was regular practice during the pandemic.
Now that the pandemic is over, and reported individual-level testing is less prevalent, data is differently tracked. For example, population level data from wastewater is monitored.
The CDC also tracks data gathered at the county level.
Where COVID-19-related illness is concerned, available vaccines and medicines are effective, Doohan said.
Doohan said the respiratory virus season will extend into 2024, and COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots reduce the likelihood of serious and extended illness. There is also a RSV vaccine for those who qualify (such as pregnant women and older adults).
If you become ill with COVID-19 or the flu, highly effective medicines can be obtained through a medical provider, Doohan said.
If you do not have access to a provider, or want more information regarding accessible COVID-19 treatments, California COVID-19 Test to Treat Program resources can help.
What else can you do to limit risk of serious illness and spreading infection to others?
Simple behaviors can limit spread of germs and winter respiratory and other viral infections:
• If you are sick, stay isolated at home.
• Sick and unable to isolate? Wash your hands frequently and strongly consider wearing a mask.
• Hosting a large gathering? Consider gathering outside, or indoor locations with good airflow (e.g. open windows or screen doors).
When we gather for the holidays, we want to spread holiday cheer and love — not viral infections.
“As your Public Health officer, it is my goal to spread infection prevention words of wisdom, so you and people around you that may be more susceptible to severe illness can have the happiest and healthiest holiday ever,” said Doohan. “Thank you for doing your part to limit the spread of seasonal and other infections. May your holidays be delightful!”
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Storm season can bring unpredictable and severe weather conditions, so it’s important to stay informed, have an emergency plan in place and follow the guidance of local authorities to navigate the challenges that may arise during these weather events.
Find a storm season safety guide here.
Californians can sign up for a FIVE-lesson text message course through Listos California on what to do before, during and after floods, high winds, debris flows and other storm impacts.
This course is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Punjabi. Text “CAWINTER” to 20202 via SMS to sign up.
The state this year has more flood fighting materials prepositioned in vulnerable communities, including 2.2 million more sandbags.
The State-Federal Flood Operations Center supported pre-season emergency response coordination meetings across the state, and the Department of Water Resources has provided flood fight training to 38 cities, tribal partners, reclamation districts and agencies this year so far in 23 counties across the state.
The governor, in partnership with the Legislature, invested a total of $436 million in the most recent budget to support flood response and projects to protect communities from future flooding, including and $95 million in funding made available this fall for projects to repair levees, enhance flood diversion and recharge capacity, and support communities impacted by record flooding this year.
Here’s what else the state is doing:
• The governor signed an urgency measure to expedite critical levee upgrades and speed up construction of the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, while maintaining important environmental and water quality protections. The governor previously signed legislation in 2021 and 2022 to advance funds for the project and cover up to 100 percent of non-federal costs.
• DWR, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are closely coordinating to ensure the state’s reservoirs have flood space available for a second year of flood conditions while storing as much water as possible for supply later in 2024.
• DWR supports forecast-informed reservoir operations (FIRO) assessments, which use improved weather and water forecasts to help reservoir operators decide when to release or hold water.
• Forecasting and warning data from tools and research developed by DWR and academic partners this year help keep partner agencies and the public up to date on potential flood threats during storms and inform emergency response efforts.
Visit the National Weather Service for current weather patterns in your area.