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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A veterinarian who played a key role in establishing and running the clinic at Lake County Animal Care and Control and expanding the agency’s services has died.
Dr. Richard Bachman, 68, died March 20.
His passing was the reason Animal Care and Control reported that it was putting some of its services on hold, including the community cat program and vaccination clinics, said Director Jonathan Armas.
Animal Care and Control said Bachman received his veterinary license in 1982 and owned a private practice in Sonoma County.
He later worked in Contra Costa County, where he began specializing in shelter medicine.
Bachman started working with Lake County Animal Care and Control in 2007 and dedicated a tremendous amount of his time to Lake County, the agency reported.
He’s credited with being instrumental in creating the Animal Care and Control clinic, conducting a study that was presented to the Board of Supervisors that Armas said began the clinic’s formation. The clinic opened in 2012.
Bachman also was a part of establishing public services including the low cost spay/neuter program and community cat program which have been central to the agency’s efforts to control the pet population.
“The clinic allowed us to provide high quality care to stray animals, kept our adoption prices low and provided public services,” Armas said.
Animal Care and Control said Bachman provided veterinary care to Lake County animals affected by disasters and wildfires, most notable during the Valley fire in 2015.
That same year, when the clinic’s vets resigned, Armas said Bachman stepped in to ensure that quality care continued to be provided.
“He tried to find a replacement multiple times and had to step back from full time work but continued to work with us and provide surgeries for our adoptions and vaccination clinics,” Armas said. “He was also instrumental in the procurement of all of the equipment we use and the formation of the program as a whole.”
On its Facebook page, Animal Care and Control posted, “Dr. Bachman was an advocate for animals and affordable access to care. Dr. Bachman was a mentor and friend who will be greatly missed.”
His family has suggested that donations in honor of Dr. Bachman’s life may be made via check (write “donation” in the check memo line) to Lake County Animal Care and Control, 4949 Helbush Drive, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The day is observed on the anniversary of his birth in 1927.
Chavez’s efforts resulted in better working conditions and laws that gave farmworkers rights to organize and join unions.
The full declaration from Gov. Gavin Newsom is below.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROCLAMATION
Throughout his life of work and service, Cesar Chavez empowered thousands to stand together for their rights and led our nation toward a more equitable and just society. His visionary leadership inspired a powerful movement that burns brightly to this day, rallying people from all walks of life to champion the dignity of work.
Born near Yuma, Arizona in 1927, Chavez and his family moved to California after losing their home during the Great Depression. Toiling in the fields from a young age, Chavez faced dismal working conditions, racism, abuse and exploitation. Moved to confront these injustices, he began working as an organizer in the farmworker community, advocating for improvements in
their working and living conditions.
Founding the United Farm Workers (UFW) together with Dolores Huerta, Chavez challenged Americans to recognize that the produce on their dinner tables was picked by human hands — often the hands of people who were denied the most basic human rights. Bringing their cause to the national stage, Chavez led a historic march of farmworkers from Delano to Sacramento in 1966 and helped launch a successful boycott of grapes that galvanized support across the country and beyond.
Chavez's tireless efforts were instrumental in the passage of the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which made our state the first in U.S. history to give farmworkers the right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining.
On the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate Cesar Chavez's hard-won strides for social justice, and reflect on the work that lies ahead to build a brighter future for all our communities. Let us carry on his timeless legacy by lifting up our neighbors, speaking out against injustice, and working together to extend the dream of prosperity, equity and progress to all.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2022, as "Cesar Chavez Day."
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 30th day of March, 2022.
Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State
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- Written by: GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
By expanding the use of beneficial fire, officials said the state can utilize smart burning tactics on brush and other fuels to help both prevent the start of fires and mitigate the spread of wildfires.
Based on a collaborative effort of the state’s leading fire experts and managers, the strategic plan sets a target of expanding beneficial fire to 400,000 acres annually by 2025, a shared goal between state, federal, tribal, and local entities — part of an overall goal to treat 1 million acres annually in California by 2025.
The state invested $1.5 billion in wildfire resilience in 2021 alone, including significant support for prescribed fire and cultural burning.
"As climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire conditions, we’re bringing federal, state, tribal, and local partners together to more effectively address the scale of this crisis,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “California is putting in the work to help protect our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires, build for the long-term, and safeguard our treasured state for generations to come.”
The governor earlier this week participated in fuels management work along Highway 50 ahead of peak wildfire season.
“We know that returning good fire to the ground is one of our best tools in the fight against catastrophic wildfire and climate change,” said Task Force Co-Chair and California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “This strategic plan includes the key steps we need to take over the next few years to build capacity, return to a culture of beneficial fire, and invest in our future.”
“This plan is vital to improve the health and resilience of the state’s forests, reduce wildfire risk of vulnerable communities, and increase stewardship by Native American fire practitioners,” added Task Force Co-Chair and U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien.
The key elements of the Strategic Plan include:
• Launching an online prescribed fire permitting system to streamline the review and approval of prescribed fire projects;
• Establishing the state’s new Prescribed Fire Claims Fund to reduce liability for private burners;
• Beginning a statewide program to enable tribes and cultural fire practitioners to revitalize cultural burning practices;
• A prescribed fire training center to grow, train, and diversify the state’s prescribed fire workforce;
• An interagency beneficial fire tracking system;
• Pilot projects to undertake larger landscape-scale burns; and
• A comprehensive review of the state’s smoke management programs to facilitate prescribed fire while protecting public health.
Wednesday’s announcement delivers on several of the key commitments made in the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan issued in January 2021.
The action plan is also backed by the governor’s $1.5 billion investment in forest health and wildfire resilience, and a proposed $1.2 billion additional investment for fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
“The plan gives me hope because it represents the vision and priorities of the people who know prescribed fire best — the community leaders, cultural burners, and agency practitioners who have been leading and championing this work for years. California is ready for a bolder, more collaborative approach to prescribed fire, and this plan gives us a great place to start,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, area fire advisor, UC Cooperative Extension.
Don Hankins professor at California State University, Chico, and a cultural fire practitioner, said, “California's Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire takes an unprecedented step for the state to address shortcomings of current fire policy and use. Most significant is the recognition of the role of Native American tribes, organizations and practitioners to revitalize traditional fire stewardship.”
“California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire demonstrates the collaborative commitment to expand the use of restorative fire to limit damaging wildfires, stabilize forest carbon, better protect communities, and restore and maintain resiliency and biodiversity in the California landscape,” said Craig Thomas, director, The Fire Restoration Group. “This past year of collaborative work with State and Federal agencies, scientists, and multiple nongovernmental partners has addressed and supported the proper role of restorative fire in California.”
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” is being observed on Wednesday, March 30.
The observance follows National Vietnam War Veterans Day on Tuesday, March 29.
The Vietnam War took place from Aug. 4, 1964 to Jan. 27, 1973.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said the number of all those who served during the Armed Forces at that time totaled 8,744,000, with 3,403,000 deployed to Southeast Asia.
The war resulted in 47,424 battle deaths, 10,785 other deaths in theater, 153,303 wounded and 238 Medals of Honor, the VA reported.
About 10% of the war’s casualties came from California, according to the Governor’s Office.
Five Lake County men reported to have died in the war.
The Department of Defense’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency said the war resulted in 2,646 unaccounted for Americans lost in the Vietnam War. Of those, 1,062 have been repatriated and identified, with 1,584 still to be located.
Lake County is reported to have one of the highest veterans populations per capita in the state of California.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2020 reports that the veterans population in Lake County totals 9.7%.
Of Lake County’s veterans population, the American Community Survey shows that the vast majority served during the Vietnam era.
The survey reported that 2,297 Lake County residents are Vietnam era veterans, which accounts for 46.7% of the overall veterans population. The next largest group is Gulf War veterans, at 10.6%, or 528 individuals.
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in California.
The full proclamation is below.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROCLAMATION
Nearly fifty years after the last American troops returned home from the Vietnam War, which claimed the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. service members, including 5,822 Californians, we honor the brave men and women who selflessly answered our nation's call at a time of great turmoil and strife.
Whether drafted or volunteered, our Vietnam veterans served with honor and distinction in one of our nation's most challenging wars, and amid deep social, political and cultural divisions throughout society. Upon returning home, these veterans — many of them bearing lifelong physical and mental scars — were not met with the gratitude, respect and care befitting of their heroism and sacrifices.
Each year, we must recommit ourselves to honoring the legacy of our Vietnam veterans and upholding the lesson they have imparted — welcoming home our service members is essential, but only the first step in our duty to serve and support them.
California is proud to stand by our veterans and remains steadfastly committed to connecting them and their families with the benefits they have earned and deeply deserve.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim March 30, 2022, as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed on the 29th day of March 2022.
Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State
Email Elizabeth Larson at