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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Scott, now halfway through her second term, was first elected in 2016.
She announced April 14 that she was stepping down, effective July 31, to become the new career technical education food service and hospitality teacher at Clear Lake High School, beginning in the fall.
Scott is the first supervisor in four decades to step down before completing a term.
Since her resignation announcement, county officials had said on several occasions that the board would take up the matter and plan for how to fill the seat. It was on the agenda for the May 17 meeting but was pulled.
The matter didn’t finally make it to a board discussion phase until Tuesday.
And even when it did, little resulted.
However, the Governor’s Office already has confirmed to Lake County News in an email that “the Governor will have an opportunity to make an appointment to fill this vacancy. Following the resignation, the opening will be listed on the Governor’s Office appointments website. Interested parties are encouraged to complete the appointment application form at gov.ca.gov/appointments.”
County Counsel Anita Grant, Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez and the County Administrative Office researched state law and looked at how other counties have handled filling supervisorial seats.
Grant produced a five-page memo that went over the options, and on Tuesday she told the supervisors she believed they had two choices. “Neither one is perfect.”
One is to do a special election which would be consolidated with the general election that’s already scheduled on Nov. 8. It would be considered a special election because the time frames for candidates will be abbreviated.
She said the office is not considered vacant until the end of this month.
Grant said the other option was to wait for the Governor’s Office to make the appointment to fill the seat. That’s a process that has worked more quickly for some jurisdictions than for others.
She said the county was not able to discern a completely common and standard approach to filling supervisorial vacancies, and election law has gaping holes.
There was still a third option: Grant said the board could accept Scott’s resignation on Tuesday, but it would not be vacant until July 31. The county could then begin the process of filling the seat, and Scott would not be able to withdraw her resignation.
“Ultimately this would be your board’s decision to make,” Grant said.
A proposed resolution setting a special election that staff presented to the board called for opening the period for candidate nomination papers on July 18 and continuing to Aug. 12. It also noted that while supervisorial boundaries have been updated, the boundaries would be the same as they were when Scott was elected to her last term in 2020.
“I don’t feel comfortable today,” said Supervisor Bruno Sabatier.
Sabatier said Scott could still change her mind, and he raised the issue that by taking action it was akin to replacing by force or firing a colleague.
During his comments, Sabatier said they had already experienced a public official giving a resignation letter and then withdrawing it. That was a reference to Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen, who Sabatier and the board had pressured to resign before she pushed back and changed her mind.
He said the majority of other counties wait until after the vacancy occurs to move forward with filling a seat.
“We’ve already asked the governor to appoint somebody,” said Sabatier, noting he wasn’t happy about it as it hadn’t come before the board.
Sabatier was referring to a letter sent to the Governor’s Office on April 21 by then-County Administrative Office Carol Huchingson before the board had any formal public discussion on the matter.
The letter, which Lake County News obtained through a Public Records Act request, can be seen below.
In it, Huchingson — whose abruptly announced retirement went into effect eight days after the letter was written — said that pursuant to Government Code, “Lake County requests your timely action to fill this vacancy by appointment.”
The letter said county staffers also were “taking steps to prepare for voters to elect a replacement at the next General Election; Tuesday, November 8, 2022.”
Grant explained to the board Tuesday that the special election was the only solution staff determined to be viable in dealing with the tight timelines.
Sabatier responded that, whether or not it goes to election or appointment, it was up to Scott. “That is not up to us.”
Scott said she appreciated Sabatier’s statement.
“This seat is not vacant. I’m still here,” she said, adding that the discussion needed to happen when she’s gone.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said that to not have the primary process and whittling it down to two candidates was setting them up for someone winning without a majority. “I find that fundamentally unfair,” she said, adding she felt the same way about the old boundaries applying.
Valadez said that if the matter came back to the board on Aug. 1, it didn’t give her enough time to prepare and readjust the voting boundaries according to the previous supervisorial district outline, as the candidate filing period ends Aug. 12.
Board Chair EJ Crandell asked how much time Valadez needed if the board met in August.
Valadez said it would be very difficult and she didn’t know how much time it would take to make the adjustments.
Several letters were submitted by community members saying that the position wasn’t open until after Scott left.
Letters from Clearlake Mayor Dirk Slooten and Lakeport City Council member Michael Green emphasized the governor’s power to appoint. Green specifically opposed the resolution calling for a special election and instead asked the board to come back on Aug. 2 and consider a resolution asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the vacancy.
One of the letter writers, Gillian Parrillo, also spoke briefly to the board. Parrillo, who was Scott’s original campaign manager as well as the manager for Pyska’s campaign, said the board could take no action until Scott leaves on July 31.
Grant said the supervisors could come back in August and make an official request of the governor as a board.
As a result, the board chose to take no action until after Scott leaves office at the end of this month.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Letter to Governor Newsom Re Need to Fill District 4 BOS Vacancy Effecti... (1) by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Middletown Unified Superintendent Thad Owens administered the oath of office to Charise Reynolds at the start of the two-hour meeting, held at the Middletown Library Community Room.
“For the first time in months, we have a full board,” said Board President Larry Allen.
In a hotly contested race, Reynolds won the seat over Bryan Pullman in the June primary.
The primary results were finalized on July 7, and showed that Reynolds had received 55.21% of the vote compared to Pullman’s 44.79%.
The election for the Middletown Unified School Board seat actually was a special one that was consolidated with the general primary.
It was necessitated when a petition challenged the board's Dec. 1 appointment of Annette Lee to fill a seat vacated months earlier by LaTrease Walker.
Lee’s efforts to add more inclusive language to a resolution the board was considering that opposed the state’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates had made her a target.
Walker and Austin Pullman, Bryan Pullman’s son, were among the signatories on the petition that challenged Lee’s appointment and resulted in her being removed from the board in January.
Allison Berlogar, who was appointed at the same time as Lee to fill a seat vacated by Owens — before he was named superintendent — was not challenged.
Nor was Chris Ochs’ appointment in March to succeed Misha Grothe, who resigned immediately after Owens’ appointment as superintendent in early March.
Reynolds and her fellow board members — Allen, Berlogar, Ochs and Zoi Bracisco — spent the morning in a workshop on public input procedures on agendized items. Other board training was rescheduled due to the district’s legal counsel being unable to attend.
Reynolds’ newly won seat is for a partial term and will be back on the ballot in the fall.
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There are two seats available, each for a four-year term.
Those seats currently are held by Stacey Mattina and Mireya Turner.
Interested candidates must be registered to vote and reside within the Lakeport City limits.
The deadline to file nomination papers for the council seats is 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11.
Each candidate must be nominated by not less than 20 nor more than 30 registered voters; therefore, it is recommended that you pick up your nomination papers well in advance of the deadline for filing to allow time to gather signatures.
If you are interested in running for Lakeport City Council, please contact City Clerk Kelly Buendia at 707-263-5615, Extension 101, or Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton, Deputy City Clerk at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, for further information and to set up an appointment to pick up and review the nomination packet.
Candidates are asked to call ahead for an appointment with the clerk’s office during the nomination period. Regular business hours at City Hall are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Outdoor dining areas, or “parklets,” were introduced in the downtown area particularly in response to COVID-19.
The city is now working on planning rules for the areas. The Lakeport City Council asked the Planning Commission to take the lead on that work.
As part of that process, the city requested input from the community on outdoor dining options.
An overwhelming 638 individuals weighed in with 70.5% being in favor of sidewalk and on-street dining; 20.7% in favor of sidewalk, but not street dining; and 8.8% being opposed.
The survey additionally asked for opinions on some designs, as well as providing opportunity for comments.
To review the complete survey analytics, click here.
Community Development Director Jenni Byers said the insight of community members is invaluable, and called the participation for the survey “incredible.”
The Lakeport Planning Commission will be reviewing and providing direction to staff on Wednesday, July 13, at 5:30 p.m. in person at City Hall, 225 Park Street, Lakeport.
The meeting can be accessed remotely from Zoom. The meeting ID is 986 6166 5155.