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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Highway Patrol confirmed a death had resulted from the two-vehicle wreck, which was first reported just before 3:15 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 20 just east of Scotts Valley Road, west of Upper Lake.
Units arriving at the scene reported finding the roadway blocked by a pickup truck and a sedan, according to CHP and radio reports.
Within a few minutes of getting to the scene, medics confirmed one person had died, according to radio traffic.
Shortly before 3:45 p.m., Northshore Fire medics at the scene asked for an air ambulance to respond to Sutter Lakeside Hospital to transport another patient to an out-of-county trauma center.
The CHP said just before 4 p.m. that the highway was closed in both directions, with no estimated time of reopening.
The roadway was reported to have been reopened just before 6 p.m.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The project to restore wetlands encompasses 1,650 acres near Upper Lake in the confluence of Middle and Scotts creeks, Clear Lake’s two largest tributaries, which Deputy Water Resources Director Marina Deligiannis said make up 50% of the Clear Lake watershed.
Deligiannis said those two tributaries provide 57% of the inflow and 71% of the phosphorus floating into Clear Lake.
She said the project is meant to reduce flood risk in Upper Lake — which will be aided by removing deteriorating levees — while also improving water quality and restoring habitat.
“This project has been going on for a very long time,” she said, going over a timeline that goes back decades, with the first public meeting about it having taken place in 1984.
One of the more recent developments in the effort was the establishment in 2016 of the Middle Creek Project Committee, which includes county staff, elected officials and volunteers.
Among that latter group is Dr. Harry Lyons, a retired biology professor who taught for many years at Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus. He’s long been known as an enthusiast of Clear Lake and its unique biology, and for his ability to share that knowledge and enthusiasm with his students and the community.
Peter Windrem, a well-known Kelseyville attorney who is now retired, is another of the volunteers. Raised in Lake County, Windrem is also a champion of the Clear Lake hitch, listed as endangered under California law and now the focus of a lawsuit seeking after a federal listing was denied during the last months of the Trump administration.
Both Lyons and Windrem were on hand with Deligiannis on Tuesday to update the board on the project.
Lyons discussed the project stakeholders, one of the most important being the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He said the Corps has $109 billion worth of civil projects in the queue; that’s 15 times their annual budget.
“They are efficient and they do an excellent job,” he said.
The committee is trying to make the project as attractive as possible so it’s competitive in terms of the Corp’s annual work plan, Lyons said.
Lyons said the committee has been in touch with federal representatives, so when Congress gets involved the funds will get allocated.
“It is a project where the work is useful regardless of when it finishes. As far as we’ve come can’t be undone,” he said, explaining that buying property and making cultural and biological studies are achievements that don’t go away. A feasibility study done on the project needs to be updated and supplemented.
“Just steel your patience with the knowledge that quite a bit of effort has already been made,” Lyons said.
Lyons also noted the work done by the county of Lake, as head of the watershed protection district, one of the nonfederal sponsors, and the California Department of Water Resources, which has been a source of money for land acquisition.
State Water Resources, through the efforts of Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, most recently gave the project $15 million in grant money. The agency also previously had given the county $12 million for the project. As the project moves forward, Lyons said the state gets reduced liability and a functioning wetland.
“We want the Corps to dance with us. We gotta look cute,” said Lyons, adding one way to do that is to have purchased all of the necessary property.
Lyons also emphasized the important role of the tribes, for whom the area is of historical and continuing importance. He said their input is needed in the feasibility study and construction phases so cultural resources are not damaged.
He said the long-running project is “at the end of the beginning.” They presented to the board a letter addressed to the Army Corps restating the county’s support for the project, which they asked the board to approve.
Lyons said Congressman Mike Thompson will keep pushing to get the project through, with the state’s two members of the U.S. Senate to be brought in at a later time.
“We’re very proud of the work that we have done and will continue to do for this project,” Windrem said of the Middle Creek Restoration Coalition, a group that came together in 2016.
At that time, Windrem said the project was essentially dead — the Army Corps had even written to the county to ask if it intended to move forward.
The coalition formed and continues to have a No. 1 objective of getting money for the project. “No money, no project,” Windrem said.
He said the coalition reached out to ask Aguiar-Curry to work with the state Department of Water Resources to get the $15 million for property acquisition.
The concern now is that the county needs to finish acquisition by a deadline that’s been pushed back to next year.
“We’re committed and thrilled about this project. We always have been,” Windrem said.
He said the project will restore the area and act as a filter, allowing phosphorus — which fields the blue-green algae that has been a particular challenge on the lake — to drop out of the water.
Deligiannis read the Middle Creek Project Committee vision, which is to have a completed project that protects persons and wildlife from flooding, restores natural habitat for fishes and wildlife, improves Clear Lake’s water quality, and creates a recreation area for the residents and visitors of clearlake.
She said the project has one current source of funds, the state Department of Water Resources’ Flood Corridor Program.
“We are really hitting the final hour now,” she said of the grant deadline, which has been extended until June 2023.
Board Chair EJ Crandell said the project is one of the “ideal remedies” to address Clear Lake’s nutrient load, which feeds algae.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said moving forward “is arduous,” explaining that the process has been slowed down a lot.
Supervisor Tina Scott asked about any holdups the project is facing. Deligiannis said they have 29 different parcels remaining, involving 17 parcel owners, that they are working to acquire. The grant is for willing sellers only.
Sabatier moved to approve the letter to the Army Corps, which the board passed unanimously.
The Middle Creek Project Committee meets every other month on Zoom. The next meeting is 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 6. More information, as well as past meeting videos, is available on the Lake County Department of Water Resources website.
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- Written by: Lake County Association of Realtors
A total of 68 homes were sold through the multiple listing service in February. These include traditionally built “stick-built” houses as well as manufactured homes on land.
There were seven sales of mobile homes in parks and 60 bare land (lots and acreage) sales, the report showed.
Of the homes sold, 28% were purchased for cash while 41% were financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac through “conventional loans.” Thirteen percent were financed by FHA.
Almost one-third (31%) of homes sold with a seller concession to the buyer for closing costs; the average amount of seller credit to buyer was $6,800.
There are 197 homes on the market right now. If the rate of sales stays the same at 68 homes sold per month, there are currently 2.9 months of inventory on the market at the moment. That means that if no new homes are brought to the market for sale, in 2.9 months all of these homes would be sold and there would be none available, the association reported.
Less than six months of inventory is generally considered to be a “sellers’ market” while more than 6 months of inventory is often called a “buyers’ market,” the report explained.
The report said most homes in February were selling very close to the asking price.
In Clearlake the homes were selling for 101% of the asking price.
To break it down by area, see the comparison chart below of activity for February compared to the same time in 2021.
The association said that the numbers are quite small, so it is difficult to make assumptions based on them.
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- Written by: CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
For example, looking down at a cell phone to read a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that is the equivalent of driving the length of a 300-foot football field without looking.
As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the California Highway Patrol, California Office of Traffic Safety and Impact Teen Drivers are working together to increase education and enforcement efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.
Many distractions interfere with safe driving, but cell phones continue to be the most common distraction.
“Nothing on your phone is worth endangering a life when you drive,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Your primary focus should always be on the road and the task of driving your vehicle safely.”
In 2021, the CHP issued more than 55,800 citations for distracted driving.
Preliminary data compiled in the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System showed that in 2021 driver inattention resulted in over 13,000 crashes. Sadly, at least 56 distracted drivers were involved in fatal crashes and nearly 6,300 other distracted drivers were involved in injury crashes throughout California.
“Silence your phone and put it away while driving,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said. “It is a simple, yet significant action that keeps yourself and others on the road safe.”
While officers enforce distracted driving and other violations daily, on April 7 and 20, they will pay close attention to citing distracted drivers caught engaging in this dangerous driving behavior as part of statewide enforcement campaigns.
From April 11 to 24, the Office of Traffic Safety will run a new education campaign encouraging drivers to stay off the phone and ditch the distractions.
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens, and the month-long traffic safety campaign will include a special emphasis during California Teen Safe Driving Week, April 4 to 10, on educating the state’s newest drivers about the dangers of reckless and distracted driving.
“Remember to be the driver you want your kids to be—eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and your mind focused on the drive,” said Impact Teen Drivers Executive Director Kelly Browning. “Parents, you are the number one influencer of your kids’ driving attitudes and behaviors.”
With grant funding provided by the Office of Traffic Safety, the CHP has partnered with Impact Teen Drivers, a Sacramento-based nonprofit, to help spread the message of safe, distraction-free driving. The Impact Teen Drivers program uses a multifaceted approach to deliver evidence-based education to teens and parents across the nation.