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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Dr. Erik McLaughlin said Lake County is seeing an increase in COVID cases, with testing showing that 10.7% of all patients testing for COVID are testing positive.
McLaughlin said this number has been gradually increasing from 2% over the last few weeks, and nearby counties are reinstating indoor masking requirements.
“At this time, I would like to strongly emphasize the importance of using a properly fitting mask in indoor public settings and getting vaccinated if you are not already. If you have symptoms of Covid-19, please get tested and speak with your health care provider,” McLaughlin said.
He reported that the Bay Area now has California’s highest COVID infection rates. This swell of infections is largely due to the continued emergence of highly contagious Omicron subvariants.
Even though the more transmissible BA.2.12.1 Omicron subvariant became officially dominant in the United States last month, McLaughlin said it is already being displaced by the new BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. These two newer variants are said to be contributing to overlapping waves of Omicron in part because of their abilities to reinfect.
“Lake County is seeing increases in reported cases, levels of virus during sewage surveillance, and hospitalizations. Actual case rates are higher than those reported because of the widespread use of at-home tests,” McLaughlin said.
“The tragic milestone of one million deaths across the United States from COVID gives weight to the need for continued vigilance, although we are all understandably fatigued. In Lake County, hospitalizations are increasing but remain relatively low compared to previous surges and well within the capacity of the hospital system,” he said.
McLaughlin said approximately 72% of eligible Lake County residents have been fully vaccinated or received their initial dose, reducing the severity of the disease even as case rates increase.
If you have received your primary series of vaccines, McLaughlin said it is important to get a booster in accordance with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations.
Vaccination remains the best protection against severe disease and death from COVID, but new oral antiviral therapeutics by Pfizer (Paxlovid) and Merck (Molnupiravir) have allowed for another layer of protection, McLaughlin said.
Test to treat locations offer end-to-end testing, linkage to health care providers, and medication dispensing, available on-site, enabling a seamless patient experience.
A list of test to treat providers and locations is available on the Public Health website.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in the Middletown Community Meeting Room/Library at 21256 Washington St, Middletown. The meeting is open to the public.
To join the meeting via Zoom click on this link; the meeting ID is 659 964 1209. Call in at 669-900-6833.
On Thursday, MATH will host a discussion beginning at 7:05 p.m. about the use of vineyard fans in the farming operations at the former Diamond D Ranch. The situation is causing aggravation for south county residents who report that the fans are very loud and tend to be used throughout the night for frost protection.
Agriculture Commissioner Katherine Vanderwall and Phil Moy, Shannon Ranches’ farming, facilities and projects coordinator, will be on hand to discuss the matter.
In other business, at 7:45 p.m. MATH will get updates on area projects including the new Grocery Outlet and the Greenview restaurant, the cannabis ordinance update and the Middletown multiuse trail.
The group also will discuss election results.
At 8:20 p.m., District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon is scheduled to give his monthly update.
The MATH Board includes Chair Monica Rosenthal, Vice Chair Ken Gonzalez, Secretary Todd Fiora, Rosemary Córdova and Bill Waite.
MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
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Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
Community schools partner with education, county and nonprofit entities to provide integrated health, mental health and social services alongside high-quality, supportive instruction, with a strong focus on community, family and student engagement.
Research and data have shown that community schools can result in lower rates of absenteeism, better grades and test scores, higher enrollment in college prep classes, and higher graduation rates.
“Supporting students outside of the classroom is essential to helping our kids achieve, and community schools provide those resources for local communities to bolster support services. This strategy is the nation’s most ambitious proposal to improve student learning, health, and well-being – full-service schools centered on the lived realities of students and families that deliver whatever students need to help them thrive in the classroom,” said Gov. Newsom.
“The traditional school year may be coming to a close for many students, but our work on community schools is just beginning,” said CTA President E. Toby Boyd. “Educators know it will take resources, support and a community effort to create schools that disrupt poverty. It is going to require meaningful educator, community and parent engagement to give all students the schools they deserve with a robust curriculum, support services and a commitment to shared leadership.”
Last year, California invested $3 billion to expand and strengthen the implementation and use of the community school model to schools in communities with high levels of poverty.
This investment supports a whole-child framework for school transformation to guide local educational agencies in planning and implementing other recent state investments in universal nutrition, before/after school and summer school enrichment and care, universal transitional kindergarten, behavioral health supports, and other similar initiatives.
As part of this $3 billion investment, the State Board of Education and Department of Education last month announced the awardees for $649 million in community school grants. Additionally, the Alameda County Office of Education was awarded $12 million to lead the state’s community schools technical assistance infrastructure to support the implementation of the grants.
The Governor’s May Revision budget proposal includes an additional $1.5 billion to expand access to the community schools grants to every eligible local educational agency that opts to apply on behalf of its high-need schools.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 7, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 950 3938 4477, pass code 605292. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,95039384477#,,,,*605292#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
In an untimed item, Sheriff Brian Martin is asking the board to discuss the administration of the jail medical contract.
In his memo to the board, Martin said he has been notified by the Public Health director that the Health Department will no longer administer the contract for jail medical services after a recent contract extension was granted to the current provider.
“The jail medical services contract was implemented in 1995 at the request of Public Health Director Bob Erickson by Board action at a meeting on December 19, 1995 and the Health Services Department has served as the administrating agency ever since,” Martin said.
Martin said he recently was informed by the Health Services director that “there is no more funding in [their] budget to support this service.”
“Due to the numerous legal obligations of the County to provide medical services to incarcerated people, the specific medical knowledge required to craft a contract that will meet those needs, and the desire to have some level of oversight in the administration of the contract and services, the Sheriff is requesting Board direction to identify the appropriate department to perform this service,” the memo said.
The memo continues, “Should the Board decide that administration of the Jail Medical Contract become the responsibility of another department other than the Health Services Department, this drastic shift would also likely result in significant budget changes. Should the Board decide to assign the task to some other department, the Sheriff respectfully requests that the BOS direct staff to make whatever changes are needed to the budget.”
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of June 2022 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
5.2: Approve letter of support for Lakeshore Boulevard Safe Routes to School Active Transportation Program grant application.
5.3: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between county of Lake and Willow Glen Care Center to increase the contract maximum to $360,000 for fiscal year 2021-22 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.4: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Hardeep Singh, MD to perform mental health medical director responsibilities on behalf of Lake County Behavioral Health Services in the amount of $270,000 for fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve participation agreement between county of Lake and the California Mental Health Services Authority for the Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program in the amount of $102,270.00 for fiscal years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 and authorize the Behavioral Health director to sign.
5.6: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Crisis Support Services of Alameda County for after hours crisis support services for fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 in the amount of $252,000 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.7: Approve participation agreement between the county of Lake and the California Mental Health Services Authority for the Semi-Statewide Enterprise Health Record for fiscal years 2022-23 through 2028-29 in the amount of $1,459,594.00 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.8: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Crestwood Behavioral Health for Adult Residential Support Services and specialty mental health services in the amount of $3,600,000.00 for fys 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.9: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Hardeep Singh, MD for substance use disorder treatment medical director responsibilities on behalf of Lake County Behavioral Health Services in the amount of $124,800 for fiscal year 2022-23 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.10: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for April 19, 2022, May 23, 2022, and May 24, 2022.
5.11: Adopt resolution authorizing the 2022-2023 grant project — Lake County Victim Witness Assistance Program and authorize the chair to sign the certification of co
5.12: Appoint staff services analyst, senior, Lorraine “Rainy” Grafton to serve as Interim Health Services Program manager effective June 1, 2022 per Lake County Personnel Rule 1604.7, Section F.
5.13: Approve the third amendment to the agreement between the county of Lake and Management Connections for temporary staffing support services to update the compensation rate table and authorize the board chair to sign the amendment.
5.14: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the Lake County Office of Education for probation family services, for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 for an amount not to exceed $75,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.15: Approve the destruction of documents by the sheriff's department.
5.16: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for the provision of SB163 wraparound services in the Amount of $864,000, from July 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.17: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Lake Family Resource Center for Cal-Learn Services in the amount of $50,000 Per Fiscal Year from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Approve request to waive 900 hour limit for extra-help water resources ramp monitors Wayne Moore, Tom Pinkston, Donald Purdy, and ramp monitor coordinators Edwin Scotton and Robert Valdez.
5.19: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Clean Lakes Inc. for the aquatic vegetation management program for fiscal year 2021-2022.
5.20: Adopt resolution authorizing the county of Lake Water Resources deputy director to (a) accept and execute the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water Quality Initiative (NRCS NWQI) Planning Grant and Agreement Award for $50,000, (b) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of the goods and services, and (c) approve and sign the service agreement with California Rural Water Agency to fulfill the NRCS NWQI grant deliverables.
TIMED ITEMS
9:05 a.m.: Pet of the Week.
6.3, 9:07 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of June 2022 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
6.4, 9:15 a.m.: Hearing on account and proposed assessment for 7137 E State Highway 20, Lucerne.
6.5, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing on account and proposal assessment for 13204 Second St., Clearlake Oaks.
6.6, 10 a.m.: Public Hearing regarding AB481, California Government Code 7070-7075, Military Equipment use presentation and adoption of sheriff's office military equipment use policy.
6.7, 10:45 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving resolutions and capital fire facility and equipment plans submitted by Lake County fire agencies and updating the Lake County Capital Fire Facility and Equipment Plan.
6.8, 11:15 a.m.: Presentation by the Lake County Museum curator on the status of the Lake County Museums.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, consideration of appointment to the LCAQMD Hearing Board Pursuant to Health and Safety Code.
7.3: Consideration of the following Advisory Board Appointments: Western Region Town Hall, Middletown Cemetery Board and Lower Lake Cemetery Board.
7.4: Consideration of Task Force/Ad Hoc Committee to Add Article 73 to Chapter 21 of Lake County Zoning Ordinance to address commercial cannabis permitting activities and enforcement.
7.5: Consideration of agreement between the county of Lake and SCS Field Services for annual landfill gas collection system operations, monitoring, maintenance and reporting services.
7.6: Discussion and consideration of administration of the jail medical contract.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Health Services Director Jonathan Portney.
8.2: Public employee evaluation: Public Health Officer Dr. Erik McLaughlin.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1) — FERC Project No. 77, Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
Email Elizabeth Larson at