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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
During the brief portion of the meeting’s open session, which ran just over 40 minutes, the board unanimously approved appointing Soledad Agiayo and Carrie Manning to the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board. There are another three vacancies yet to be filled on that board.
The supervisors also voted unanimously to appoint John Carlisi to the Redevelopment Agency Oversight Board. He fills a seat that became vacant last year after the resignation of Kelly Cox, the retired county administrative officer.
Supervisor Moke Simon, who chairs the oversight board, explained, “We’re really just winding down the program, which was a state mandate.”
In other business, the board approved a resolution for Lake County Behavioral Health Services to increase the rates for Substance Use Disorder Drug Medi-Cal services.
Director Todd Metcalf’s written report to the board explained that Behavioral Health Services is contracted with the California Department of Health Care Services to receive reimbursement funds for all eligible Substance Use Disorder Drug Medi-Cal services.
He said the Department of Health Care Services has authorized an increase in rates for Substance Use Disorder Drug Medi-Cal services, and so Behavioral Health Services must increase the rates for those services in its electronic health record application in order to facilitate correct billing and reimbursement.
His report said approval of the rate increase “will mean significantly more revenue coming in for services provided.”
During the Tuesday board meeting, Metcalf told the supervisors that the increase is a big deal for his department.
Board Chair Bruno Sabatier agreed. “This is very important.”
Metcalf also reported that there are significant changes coming to mental health and substance abuse services around an organized delivery system.
He and his staff are working on a presentation to give to the board in January that will discuss those changes, which will impact billable services and expand service delivery to the community.
After the board members gave reports on their weekly calendars, they went into a closed session to discuss the Public Health officer appointment.
The effort to replace Dr. Gary Pace on a permanent basis has been underway since the spring.
Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein said the board took no action out of closed session.
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- Written by: Janine Smith-Citron
The public is invited to these candle-lighting ceremonies that celebrate the memories of family, friends and loved ones who have gone before us.
Ceremonies will be in Lakeport on Thursday, Dec. 9, and in Middletown on Saturday, Dec. 11.
Community members are invited to participate in the ceremony and reception following on Thursday, Dec. 9, at the Hospice Services Bereavement Center, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, at 5 p.m.
A special tribute to military veterans will be presented by the Lake County Honor Guard.
A tree lighting and ceremony will take place during the “Christmas in Middletown” community event starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Middletown Central Park in front of the library.
“Holidays can be extremely difficult for those who have experienced the death of a loved one, especially during the first year after the death,” said Kathleen Bradley, manager of bereavement for Hospice Services of Lake County. “At a time when we may feel that everyone is supposed to be happy and enjoying themselves, the griever can feel sad, lonely, and depressed. Taking time out during these holidays to remember our loved ones, instead of trying just to distract ourselves, can be helpful in reintroducing meaning.
“Through our candle lighting and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, we are connecting to the symbolism of light; a connection to the light that our loved ones brought into our lives and that our memories of them continue to provide,” Bradley said. “The light of the stars, the log aflame in the fireplace, the lights on the Christmas Tree, as well as the flame of the candles that we light in their honor, can all be ways that we can remind ourselves during the Holidays of the light of love we share with our loved ones.”
For more information, call the Hospice Services of Lake County office at 707-263-6222 or visit the agency’s website, www.lakecountyhospice.org.
Janine Smith-Citron is director of development for Hospice Services of Lake County.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council’s leadership reorganization came toward the end of its nearly two-hour-long meeting on Tuesday evening.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said the new mayor and mayor pro tem usually are elected at the start of the second regular meeting in December.
However, at the Nov. 16 meeting the council had voted to cancel the second meeting in December due to its proximity to Christmas.
Over the past year, Kenny Parlet served for the second time as mayor in his three terms and Stacey Mattina was mayor pro tem for the fifth time.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner nominated Mattina to be mayor, while Councilman Michael Froio nominated Councilman Michael Green for the mayor’s slot. Both Mattina and Green accepted the nominations.
Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia called for a roll-call vote of Turner’s motion for Mattina to be mayor, which the council approved 4-1, with Froio voting no.
Mattina then nominated Turner for mayor pro tem, a motion the council approved 5-0.
Mattina thanked Parlet, who was the only council member not in the chambers during the meeting. He continues to attend via Zoom in protest of the city’s COVID-19 masking requirements in the council chambers.
“It’s been a great year, even with all of the challenges,” Mattina said.
Now in her third term, Mattina has previously held the mayor’s job twice, in 2012 and 2017.
Turner, now in her second term, served as Mattina’s mayor pro tem in 2017 and also served as mayor in 2018.
Mattina asked if Parlet would like to close out the meeting and he agreed.
Tuesday’s meeting is not the last for the council for this year. Buendia said a special meeting is scheduled for Dec. 14 to interview several candidates for the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Council.
Other business conducted earlier in the meeting included an update from the All Children Thrive Youth Governance Council, which council members lauded for its activities.
The council also decided to bring back a discussion of new state-required landscape regulations after Green asked for them to be pulled from the consent agenda.
In other business, the council approved applying for $206,007 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation funding, which is intended to assist in addressing the unmet housing needs of communities, according to Community Development Director Jenni Byers’ written report.
Byers and Police Chief Brad Rasmussen discussed using the funds for a navigation center to address the city’s growing problem with homelessness.
Rasmussen also received the council’s approval of a purchase order for police radios from L3Harris in the amount of $163,972.82. He’s upgrading the equipment to meet state requirements for radio encryption in order to protect sensitive information from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.
Also on Tuesday, Buendia asked for and received the council’s approval to reinstate the chief building official job, which the city hasn’t filled since July 2020, when Tom Carlton retired.
While they’ve used a company to perform some duties for the building division, Buendia said they’ve had issues with covering the department’s needs and so asked for the council to allocate the funds to hire a new chief building official. Nick Walker, the city’s finance director and assistant city manager, said there is sufficient funding to cover the cost.
Byers explained that when Carlton retired, the city didn’t know what would happen with COVID and its impact on the budget. She called not filling the position the result of “a COVID fear.”
Green moved to approve the request, which the council approved 5-0.
At the meeting’s end, before adjourning, Parlet said he couldn’t be more proud of what the city had achieved in 2021.
“Under the circumstances, it’s even more incredible what we’ve accomplished,” Parlet said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the district office at 2508 Howard Ave.
Members of the public can also participate in the public session of the meeting via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here.
At the start of the meeting, the board will hold its annual organization, with the selection of the president and clerk. Dan Buffalo and Phil Kirby, respectively, now hold those posts.
The board also will establish its dates and times for meetings in the coming year and designate its district representatives.
On the agenda is consideration of a resolution regarding the mandated COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff.
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would be added to the list of vaccinations required for students to have in order to attend school in-person.
The governor also has ordered that the current “verify-or-test” requirement for school staff will be converted to a vaccine mandate.
The resolution states that Lakeport Unified, like other school districts, struggles to hire qualified employees for certificated and classified positions, “and the COVID-19 vaccine requirement has the potential to create more open jobs.” The district also supports “local control and decision making.”
It also notes that the district has operated in-person learning safely since reopening in the fall of 2020 without available COVID-19 vaccines or vaccination mandates.
“Lakeport Unified School District parents have expressed concern regarding the unknown long-term impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine on children and their development,” the document explains.
The district, the resolution states, will continue to partner with public health agencies to provide education material and offer vaccination opportunities for school-age children and employees, “however, the governing board respectfully asks that the California Legislature not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff of TK-12 grade Local Education Agencies.”
The resolution indicates that the district will petition the state that the COVID-19 vaccine not be a condition of enrollment for students or employment for staff.
Superintendent Matt Bullard is recommending the board’s approval of the resolution.
In other business on Thursday, the board will discuss budget planning for the 2022-23 school year and get the first interim budget report.
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