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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Following a 20-month tenure marked by numerous closed session job evaluations, a no confidence letter written by staff, and clashes with local fire chiefs and the sheriff, the Lake County Health Services director has been fired.
The termination of Jonathan Portney was announced following a closed session discussion by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The supervisors met for several hours on Tuesday, going into closed session in the afternoon.
Shortly after 5 p.m., according to the time stamp on the meeting video, the board emerged from the closed-door discussion, with Board Chair Jessica Pyska asking if there was any action taken out of closed session.
Vice Chair Moke Simon said there were two actions that needed to be taken.
First, Simon moved to terminate Portney immediately, with Supervisor Bruno Sabatier seconding and the board voting unanimously to approve the motion.
Simon then moved to appoint County Administrative Officer Susan Parker as interim Health Services director immediately, with Supervisor Michael Green seconding. That motion also was approved by a unanimous vote.
Pyska then adjourned the meeting.
The action came several hours after the Board of Supervisors hosted the swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Noemi Doohan, who was hired in August as the new Lake County Public Health officer.
Doohan’s hiring ended a long-running search to fill the state-mandated position that has been particularly challenging to fill since the retirement of Dr. Karen Tait in 2017. It’s been even more of a challenge to hire a Public Health officer during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated nationwide health emergency, which thrust public health officers into the public spotlight and the resulting political divide.
Lake County News contacted the County Administrative Office on Wednesday morning to ask if the county has a plan for going forward with a recruitment for a new Health Services director and if Dr. Doohan is expected to help with that search now that she is in place.
Early Wednesday afternoon, the County Administrative Office issued a public statement on Portney’s termination which was attributed to Pyska.
“We are grateful to Mr. Portney for his service to county residents since January of 2022, and wish him great success in the next phase of his career,” Pyska said. “No further comment will be provided, as Mr. Portney’s separation from county employment is a confidential personnel matter.”
Pyska said the County Administrative Office’s Human Resources Division has already begun the process to recruit for Lake County’s next Health Services Director, and a job announcement will soon be available.
“As with all board-appointed director-level county roles, this recruitment will be far-reaching, in the interest of attracting the highest quality applicants. We hope to identify a director who can be a long-term fit,” Pyska said.
Referring to Doohan’s ceremonial swearing-in on Tuesday, Pyska’s statement said, “Dr. Doohan has been working hard to get acquainted with Health Services staff and programs since Sept. 1. Her medically-focused leadership will be invaluable during this time of transition.”
Pyska said Parker “looks forward to partnering with Dr. Doohan and the full Health Services team in the coming weeks.”
Her statement concluded with, “Promoting the well-being of every county resident is among our board’s highest priorities. We remain committed to continually striving to strengthen our workforce and the health and other services the county provides.”
In a response email to Lake County News late Wednesday afternoon, Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein told Lake County News added, “Dr. Doohan’s experience and professional network will be great assets as the Board of Supervisors works to identify the best possible candidate.”
A turbulent tenure
The Board of Supervisors appointed Portney as Health Services director in December 2021.
At that time, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier lauded Portney for being “a highly motivated and energetic health executive that has shown great capacity in recent years as a community-based public health practitioner in San Francisco and San Mateo County.”
Portney began the job the following month, and within months issues began to arise, chief among them, his disagreements with then-Sheriff Brian Martin over the state-mandated jail medical services.
A series of emails Lake County News obtained from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office through a Public Records Act request show how the issue unfolded with Portney and Martin.
Martin reached out to Portney shortly after his arrival in January 2022 to establish communication and a relationship due to the interactions — especially over jail medical services — that Martin said had been increased due to COVID-19.
By May 23, 2022, however, there were problems. Portney asked Martin in an email that day if they could “connect regarding the future of Jail Medical.” He said his department had negotiated a six-month extension with the contractor WellPath, but after that six months ran out, Portney said there would be no more funding in his budget to support that service.
Less than an hour later, Martin replied by email, “I’d love to talk more about this and find out what happened to the funding stream. This service is not only essential, it is mandatory by law. I don’t think the decision is one to be made at our level. The contracting entity is the COUNTY OF LAKE and your department has been the administrator since 1995 when the BOS approved contracting for such services at the PH Director’s request back then.”
Martin took the matter to the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on June 7, 2022, at which time the board directed staff to come back with a six-month agreement extension.
The county issued a request for proposals in July 2022 and that December, days before Martin was set to retire, the board approved an agreement for medical services with California Forensic Medical Group in the amount of $3,947,351 for the term of Jan. 1, 2023, through Jan. 1, 2024, with an option to continue through Jan. 1, 2028.
No confidence letter from staff
Portney’s tenure continued to become increasingly turbulent.
On Dec. 5, two weeks before that board meeting in which the new jail medical contract was awarded, nine key employees in the Lake County Health Services Department sent a letter of no confidence regarding Portney to the supervisors.
“Over the past several months, we have been disheartened by the actions of Director Portney. He has tested our willpower and confidence in his skill and ability to adequately lead this department. Under his leadership, morale has plummeted to depths never before seen at this Agency,” the three-page letter said.
They accused Portney of poor leadership, alienating community partners including the sheriff’s office, fire departments, Social Services and Behavioral Health, and putting people in jobs for which they were not licensed.
They also wrote that Portney “did not feel that it was Health Services' responsibility to assist with the ‘Jail Medical’ Program. He didn't think he needed to be part of that and refused to sign. When it comes to Public Health, isn't a group of incarcerated individuals one of our most needy populations?”
Portney himself sent the letter to dozens of county employees, saying he had an open-door policy regarding questions and concerns.
The letter writers said they feared retaliation, and those who spoke with Lake County News said they felt targeted by Portney.
Several of those letter signers have reportedly left the Health Services Department since then. Other key staffers also have departed during his tenure.
Beginning in February, Portney began emailing Lake County News asking for removal of “all articles highlighting myself and the Health Services Department staff members,” adding, “I believe this good-faith action will be the best option for all parties involved. I appreciate your consideration, and with your support, we can continue building a robust and healthy Lake County. If you choose not to take them down… when appropriate investigative materials are available, I trust that you will update the community and the articles accordingly to reflect all findings?”
This was despite the fact that Portney had sent the letter out himself. Lake County News refused the request to remove the articles.
There also were questions that arose over Portney and the “CPH” credential he listed after his name.
CPH stands for “Certified in Public Health,” a certification given through the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
The organization’s website does not show Portney as having that certification. Earlier this year, the National Board of Public Health Examiners confirmed that he did not have the certification in response to an information request from Lake County News.
The County Administrative Office did not respond to a question about Portney’s certifications in the spring.
Issues behind the scenes
While the Board of Supervisors took no public action against Portney over the no confidence letter, and did not respond to the release of the letter, issues were clearly arising.
It’s become common practice for the Board of Supervisors to conduct performance evaluations of its appointed department heads once a year. For those in the first year of employment, one or possibly two more evaluations may take place. However, if evaluations happen more frequently than that, it is usually a sign of an approaching employment separation.
From the start of his employment to May 2, Portney had eight closed session evaluations with the board. One of them took place on Dec. 6, the day after the date of the no confidence letter.
Then at the end of March, at about the time he had another closed session job evaluation, Portney created more issues with local fire districts.
Northshore Fire Chief Mike Ciancio and Lakeport Fire Chief Patrick Reitz took issue with Portney after he issued a news release about the staffing of those two fire agencies that the chiefs said was inaccurate, and which suggested they were not responding to emergency calls. Ciancio told his board during a meeting that the news release was filled with “lies.”
At the start of May, after another closed session evaluation of Portney, Reitz was prepared to take a no-confidence letter against Portney to the fire district board. Reitz ended up pulling the letter from the agenda, but said he was prepared to bring it back in the future.
On Aug. 1, Portney began another series of requests to Lake County News, sent from his work email after 9 p.m., claiming that articles contained false information about him and again referring to the no confidence vote. He said a firm hired by the county had found he was a victim of harassment, and that the articles were providing a platform for what he alleged was continued harassment.
He said removing the articles about the no confidence matter was in the “best interest of my emotional and mental wellbeing.” Lake County News again refused to take down the articles.
After May 2, there were no other job evaluations of Portney listed on the supervisors’ agenda. However, on May 23, June 13 and Aug. 15 there were closed session discussions titled “Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release” with no reportable action noted.
On Tuesday’s agenda, the board came out of a fourth closed session discussion item titled “Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release” to announce Portney’s termination.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake Police Department is asking for the community’s help to locate a missing teenager.
Anthony Ray Hopper, 17, was last seen on Tuesday in the area of Lower Lake High School.
He is described as a white male juvenile with medium length dirty blond hair and blue eyes.
He is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and weighs 120 pounds.
He was last seen wearing black sweatshirt and blue washed out jeans with holes.
If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251, Extension 1.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Woodland Community College and Yuba College play a critical role in the regional economy, providing pathways for transfer to four-year higher educational institutions and ensuring there continue to be highly trained students available to enter our regional workforce.
Both colleges offer robust transfer and Career and Technical, or CTE, programs including degrees and certificates in administration of justice, agriculture, business, culinary arts, early childhood education, nursing, psychology and veterinary technology.
To support students in achieving their educational goals and to encourage enrollment, Yuba Community College District awarded over $17 million dollars of financial aid during the last academic year.
This financial support is critical for students. A recent College Scorecard analysis notes, “YCCD institution’s strong combination of graduation rate performance in the face of elevated student poverty rates, as well as their ability to prepare graduates who can earn disproportionately high wages for their home counties, illustrates these intuition’s contributions to economic mobility in northern California.”
Statewide California Community Colleges experienced a steep decline in enrollment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, losing approximately 300,000 students or an 18% drop in enrollment.
YCCD colleges also experienced a similar decline, dropping 19% from 2019-2020 pre-pandemic enrollments.
To address the decline, Woodland Community College and Yuba College, implemented a number of strategies to increase enrollments including, increased marketing, outreach, and engagement, expanded dual enrollment offerings, focused outreach to older students who have some college or an interest in upskilling, targeted reengagement to students who departed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and updated scheduling processes to better align program needs and student demand.
The Yuba Community College District said the work began to positively impact enrollments during the fall 2022 semester, which was the first semester the district began to see an increase in enrollments.
Preliminary fall 2023 enrollment data indicates that the positive enrollment trend is continuing with an 8% increase in year-over-year enrollments.
Both Yuba College and Woodland Community College offer a variety of late-start classes in face-to-face and online modalities for anyone interested in taking classes this fall.
Classes are available at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College in Clearlake.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The key to making sure that you and your family safely and successfully respond to a natural disaster or emergency is to prepare before it happens.
That’s the reason September’s National Preparedness Month exists.
That’s why Pacific Gas and Electric Co. teamed up with the Placer Hills Fire Department to put one local family to the test.
In this video, released in 2021 and just as relevant today, a Sierra foothills family is put through a simulated wildfire evacuation to demonstrate how being prepared can help bring calm to the chaos.
“You think you’re ready, but are you? It’s scary,” said Michelle Childers, who participated in the disaster readiness drill with her husband Justin and their two children.
PG&E urges all our customers to assess how prepared your family, home and community are for a natural disaster or other emergency, and to take the necessary actions to be ready.
In addition to the video, PG&E’s Safety Action Center website provides the following valuable resources:
• Take a quiz to find out if you know what to pack in an emergency kit;
• Learn how to prepare a kit with six easy steps;
• Create an emergency plan;
• Learn how to create defensible space around your home;
• Watch a special video series: 7 Saturdays to a more fire resistant home.
An ‘eye-opening’ experience
For the Childers family, firefighters gave them just 10 minutes to get what they would need, as is often the case in a real evacuation, and leave their home.
“My first instinct was birth certificates, passports, IDs, keys, wallets, because those are the things we’re going to need immediately (if evacuated) to get a hotel, to rebuild. My second initial response was mementos, pictures,” said Justin.
“I’ve never experienced this, I know what I was thinking, but I paused,” said Michelle, describing the first seconds after the knock at the door. “I got a couple of changes of clothes for each of us, got some snacks that I know the kids would eat, and some mementos.”
Although the family did not have go-bags ready during the drill, they grabbed essentials: important documents, changes of clothes and some food.
“I thought they did a really good job,” said Battalion Chief Matt Slusher with the Placer Hills Fire Department. “They worked well together. But what if one of you was not home at the time of an evacuation? What would you prioritize? For example, the kids—if you had to be away for 72 hours, their homework, the things that are important to them because their lives are going to be turned upside down, how do you maintain a level of normalcy?”
“I was motionless,” said Michelle, who is an elementary school teacher. “You need to have a go-bag, container with food and water for 72 hours. This was eye-opening.”
“This life-like emergency drill was a great reminder for all of us to plan what we would do before any kind of natural disaster or other emergency, and to practice how we would respond. It’s muscle memory. You have to practice it to perfect it,” said Joe Wilson, PG&E’s Vice President, North Valley & Sierra Region.
How customers can prepare
Here are some simple guidelines to prepare for an emergency.
• Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first-aid supplies and cash. • Keep face masks and hand sanitizer in your emergency kit.
• Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep printed copies of emergency numbers.
• Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
• Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets.
• Update your contact information online or by calling PG&E at 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours so you can receive Public Safety Power Shutoff alerts.