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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
With Supervisor Moke Simon absent, the board voted 4-0 to direct staff to come back with a draft ordinance no later than Jan. 23, after property taxes have been determined for the coming year, to put the 38.8% raise into effect.
Staff proposed, and the board accepted, tying the board’s pay rate to those of Superior Court judges.
Under the planned action, the board would get 38.6% of the salaries of Superior Court judges, which as of July 1 totaled $229,125 annually.
That action would increase annual pay for a supervisor from a base pay of $63,714 — with an additional $2,400 for the chair — to $88,483.20 annually, a 38.8%-percent increase from the current salary level, with the chair to receive an additional 5%, or $4,472.
The 2020 American Community Survey showed that Lake County’s median income is $49,254 and mean income is $72,862, with median family income of $65,410.
The raise means board members would rise from a pay level into which 16.6% of residents fall to one that covers 11% of county residents.
Newest Supervisor Michael Green, sworn in last week after being appointed to fill the District 4 seat by Gov. Gavin Newsom, encouraged approval.
“I’m going to support this and we’re going to find the money to pay for it and we have a big ol’ budget and I acknowledge there may be some challenges in finding the sustainability but I have every confidence the staff will get us there,” Green said.
While tying the salaries to Superior Court judges is meant to “mitigate the appearance of a conflict of your Board approving raises for themselves,” according to County Administrative Officer Susan Parker’s written report, supervisors acknowledged that the fact remains that they are approving the mechanism and so are still responsible for setting their own pay.
If approved early in 2023, this will be the latest batch of raises the supervisors have given out during the pandemic. So far, the board has given out $21 million in raises since the fall of 2021, justifying them with the 2019 classification and compensation study.
Parker’s report to the board said the raises will increase payroll expenses by $125,918 a year, increasing total supervisorial salary costs from $323,832 to $449,750 annually.
However, that number did not include benefits. It was not until Tuesday’s meeting that Assistant County Administrative Officer Stephen Carter reported that the total cost for the increase, with benefits, would be $165,000 annually.
Carter said the increase would be covered by ongoing county revenue streams with overages, citing among them property tax. Savings from the county’s continued high number of vacancies is another funding source.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said it was “obviously” an uncomfortable conversation, but giving the raise is, in her view, important to the health of the county and the board itself.
She said it will encourage qualified people to step up and take the jobs, pointing to the uncontested reelections this year of board members EJ Crandell and Bruno Sabatier.
Pyska also said it was difficult to fill the District 4 seat that Green now occupies.
Green echoed Pyska’s comments, acknowledging it did look awkward but again pointing to the concerns about the current pay rate, explaining that he had to consider the pay when deciding to pursue the appointment. “I’m all in on this.”
During public comment, several speakers weighed in, some saying the raise was necessary, others also asking for additional transparency about what board members do and how much time they spend doing it. One speaker said the board has executive-level positions, and executives don’t make less than $100,000 annually.
Staff did not answer a question posed by Lake County News about when was the last time the board received such a large raise.
Instead, Human Resources Director Pam Samac said the supervisors last received a raise in 2015, when all staff received a 3% cost of living adjustment.
Lake County News also asked why Pyska said the District 4 seat was hard to fill when, at that point, this reporter knew of three individuals — including Green — who had applied. However, only Green was acknowledged and interviewed by the Governor’s Office.
Pyska said she hadn’t known about the other two and that there had been a “significant amount of time” when only one person had applied for the seat.
Later in the meeting, Pyska’s campaign manager, Gillian Parrillo, weighed in via Zoom to double down on the claim that the seat was hard to fill, saying one of the applicants had not been in the district. She also raised the issue with whether 38% of a Superior Court judge’s pay was a high enough pay range for the supervisors.
Since the Tuesday meeting, Lake County News has confirmed there was a fourth individual who had wanted to pursue the District 4 seat, but was outside of the district boundaries.
Board members agreed to Pyska’s suggestion that county staff add language to the proposed ordinance to raise pay supervisorial to state that supervisors’ jobs are full-time, meaning, they are trading “part-time” pay of $63,714 to go to full time at $88,483.20.
Sabatier, who wanted to wait until the midyear budget review early next year to make a final decision on the pay increases, said he also wanted to have a future conversation about expectations for supervisors performance.
He pointed out that state law covers the job descriptions, however, a review of state Government Code shows that such job descriptions give few qualifications for supervisors beyond being a registered voter and living in their specific district.
County Counsel Anita Grant said the board has existing policies, procedures and conduct requirements for its members that can be augmented if the supervisors wish.
After several minutes of trying to come up with a motion, Green, with Grant’s help, moved to have staff bring back an ordinance with the new pay amounts no later than Jan. 23, which should give staff time to look at the final property tax roll for the next year. Sabatier seconded and the motion passed 4-0.
At Grant’s suggestion, the board also directed staff to come back with “a vehicle” for the supervisors to develop more fully the obligations, functions and duties of board members.
Grant said the proposed ordinance will require two readings and won’t go into effect until 60 days after the approval of the second reading.
Comparisons with neighboring counties
To put Lake’s current and proposed supervisorial salaries in context, the following is a list of the pay ranges for the boards of supervisors of Lake and neighboring counties, as well as those counties’ current populations, as reported to the State Controller’s Office through its Government Compensation in California website:
• Colusa County, population 21,807: $74,746 to $83,060.
• Glenn County, population 28,750: $40,526 to $41,887.
• Lake County, population 67,407: $65,738 to $69,796.
• Mendocino County, population 89,999: $92,996 to $102,107.
• Napa County, population 136,179: $107,456 to $111,255.
• Sonoma County, population 482,404: $174,472 to $185,069.
• Yolo County, population 221,165: $104,556 to $108,834.
The state’s lowest pay rate for supervisors is in Modoc County, population 8,690, where the range is from $19,705 to $23,905.
The highest pay rate in the state is for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, with a pay range of $259,794 to $272,832. Los Angeles County’s population is 9,861,224.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Lake County Animal Care and Control has become aware of multiple documented cases of feline panleukopenia in the 5300 block of Lakeshore Boulevard.
Feline panleukopenia is a highly infectious disease that can infect wild and domestic cats.
The last feline panleukopenia outbreak reported in Lake County occurred in Nice in October 2020.
Animals with feline panleukopenia can shed large amounts of the virus in secretions including feces, vomit, urine, saliva and mucus.
Primary signs of infection include anorexia, lethargy, profuse watery to bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
Feline panleukopenia must be immediately and aggressively treated, as infection can be fatal in less than 24 hours.
Animal Care and Control said prevention is vital to protect cats.
Cat owners in the area where these infections were documented are advised to contact their veterinarian for specific vaccination recommendations and treatment options if their cat is showing symptoms.
Although risk of infection in other areas of Lake County is lower, it is recommended that cat and dog owners regularly vaccinate their animals to prevent infection of diseases like feline panleukopenia, canine parvovirus and others.
Lake County Animal Care and Control can be reached Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 707-263-0278.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. It began on Sunday, March 13.
The Energy Policy Act, passed by Congress in 2005, establishes the beginning of daylight saving time on the second Sunday in March, with the end of it on the first Sunday in November.
Daylight saving time continues in California despite the November 2018 passage of Proposition 7, a ballot initiative that allows the State Legislature to change the dates and times of daylight saving time — including moving to permanent daylight saving time — with a two-thirds vote. That proposition was approved with a yes vote of 59%, compared to a 40% no vote.
However, the necessary steps for that initiative to go into effect haven’t taken place. That includes passage of a state law to allow for it.
In February, State Assemblymember Steven Choi introduced AB2868 for California to go to year-round daylight saving time.
The bill would have allowed the state to make that move immediately after federal law authorizes it, as current federal law doesn’t allow states to set their standard time to year-round daylight saving time, according to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest entry on the bill.
However, Choi’s bill stalled in the Legislature earlier this year.
Likewise, efforts in Congress aren’t moving forward. The Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) passed the U.S. Senate in March, but the U.S. House of Representatives hasn’t produced its own bill on the matter.
In the meantime, changing clocks also is a good time for Californians to check the batteries in their smoke alarms and other safety features in homes.
Visit Cal Fire’s website on smoke alarms or or contact your local fire department for guidance.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: California Highway Patrol
The Native Tribal Traffic Education Program, or Native-TTEP, grant will be a proactive program designed to bring traffic safety education to the Native American population with initial efforts focused in CHP Northern, Valley and Golden Gate Divisions.
The CHP officers and other nonuniformed personnel involved in the program will serve as resources to Native American communities and tribes.
The goal of the CHP Native-TTEP grant will be to educate drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to help reduce the number of fatal and injury crashes involving all users of roads on and near tribal lands in California.
It will also improve service and public trust in tribal communities by implementing many of the
safety programs the CHP has to offer.
The topics of the program that will benefit California’s motoring public include seat belts, the proper use of child safety seats, the dangers of driving under the influence, pedestrian and bicycle education, defensive driving techniques, distracted driving, teen/parent driving safety, driver's license requirements, and other educational subjects.
Traffic safety presentations will be conducted at schools, public health fairs, tribal events, traffic safety conferences, bicycle rodeos, Indian education and Native youth programs, tribal Elder programs, passenger safety seat checkup events, and school bus safety training.
“We are excited to offer our traffic safety programs to tribes and Native Americans living in our
communities all in an effort to strengthen relationships, reduce traffic crashes, and most importantly save lives,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray.
The CHP Native-TTEP grant is the first safety grant program focused on reaching the Native American communities in California, which is home to the nation’s largest American Indian/Alaska Native population.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.