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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
The agenda can be found here and is published below.
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799. The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On Tuesday, Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace will update the council on the COVID-19 situation in Lake County.
The council also will present a proclamation honoring Pace for his leadership during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Pace is stepping down from his position with the county effective April 16.
Under council business, City Manager Kevin Ingram will ask for the council’s approval of the top 12 priorities developed at the March 9 council workshop and presented in the staff report for inclusion in the 2021-22 draft budget.
The goals, shown on pages 22 and 23 of the agenda packet, are as follows:
1. Enhance the historic downtown and lakefront area through improving wayfinding signage downtown, rehabilitation of the Silveira Community Center to allow wider access by the community for events and programs, and support the efforts for the construction of the Lakefront Park.
2. Continue efforts outlined in the Hotel Feasibility Study and Lakeport Lakefront Revitalization Plan to attract a full service lodging facility with dining and conference amenities.
3. Development of a strategic plan for the creation of a City Parks & Recreation Department.
4. Amend city ordinances to permit cannabis retailers and other commercial cannabis activities.
5. Establish policies to advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
6. Greater engagement with Lakeport Main Street Association roles and activities; increase the visibility of local businesses on social media; encourage ways to increase foot-traffic to downtown businesses and fill vacant storefronts.
7. Consider the adoption of a Property Maintenance Ordinance.
8. Maintain appropriate Staffing in Police Operations, Records and Evidence Divisions and Technology needs related to the same.
9. Develop and implement strategy to decrease Unfunded actual liabilities for pensions and other post-employment benefits.
10. Begin the construction of Lakefront Park.
11. Complete annexation of South Main Street.
12. Expand retail opportunities throughout the City with emphasis on clothing and general retail.
Also on Tuesday, Public Works Director Doug Grider will seek the council’s approval of a $725,000 construction contract to AFelix General Engineering Inc. dba WestPac Construction for the 2021 Sewer Main Rehabilitation Project.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances, minutes of the regular council meeting on March 2 and the special meeting on March 9; the Feb. 25 warrant register; and adoption of a resolution accepting construction of the Second Street Sidewalk Improvements, Bid 19-07 by Team Ghilotti Inc., and authorize the filing of the notice of completion.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
2021 03 16 Agenda Packet for Lakeport City Council by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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- Written by: Suzanne Leigh
In the study, led by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and Children’s Mercy Kansas City, researchers tracked the number of pediatric inpatients ages 5 and under in 52 children’s hospitals nationwide for the first eight months of 2020.
They found a steep decline in the number of ER visits and hospital admissions, including those requiring treatment for physical abuse.
This started in mid-March around the time some states issued shelter-in-place orders – according to the study, which publishes March 1, 2021, in Pediatrics.
When the researchers looked at the proportion of patients whose abuse had resulted in admission to the ICU and other markers of severe injury, in the period from March 16 to Aug. 31, they found little difference between the same period for prior years.
“If the proportion of children diagnosed with more severe abusive injuries had increased during the pandemic, this would indicate that declines in physical abuse were driven by children with less severe abusive injuries not presenting for medical care or being missed by clinicians,” said first author Sunitha Kaiser, MD, a pediatric hospitalist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and associate professor in the UCSF departments of pediatrics, and epidemiology and biostatistics.
“Instead, we found the severity of injuries was similar to pre-pandemic levels, which suggests that physical abuse may have decreased similarly across the full spectrum of severity,” she said.
The researchers found that there was a lower percentage of physically abused infants needing ICU care during the pandemic period compared to the same timeframe in previous years: 15.4 percent versus 21.3 percent. The study found little difference between those timeframes in the proportion of abused children who had died in the hospital (about 2 percent), and the proportion of abused children admitted for abusive head trauma.
CARES, eviction protections may have prevented child abuse
While further studies may reveal different patterns, including the possibility that evidence of abuse may not be apparent for months to follow, Kaiser suggests that interventions such as financial stipends from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act and eviction protections may have alleviated adult stress, preventing spikes in violence toward children.
“Our take-home message is that policies that help reduce stress on families should continue to be prioritized to prevent unnecessary harms to children. Clinicians, teachers and caretakers should also continue to be very vigilant in suspecting and reporting potential abuse, because we know it is historically under-detected and under-reported.”
Other explanations for the study’s findings include failure by clinicians to identify abuse, a scenario that Kaiser says is less likely, because patient volumes had dropped during the pandemic enabling doctors to potentially dedicate more time to patients presenting with injuries of questionable causes.
A 2016 paper cited in the study found that the rate of abusive head trauma in children under 5 increased from 9.8 per 100,000 child years before 2007, to 15.6 per 100,000 child years during the recession of 2007 to 2009.
Co-Authors: Senior author is Henry T. Puls, MD, of Children’s Mercy Kansas City. A full list of co-authors is available online.
Funding: COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Collaborative.
Suzanne Leigh writes for the University of California, San Francisco.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
Female domestic long hair
This young female domestic long hair cat has a gray and white coat and gold eyes.
She is in cat room kennel No. 11, ID No. 14320.
Male tuxedo cat
This male tuxedo cat has a short black and white coat and green eyes.
He is in cat room kennel No. 39, ID No. 14359.
‘Buddy’
“Buddy” is a male domestic short hair cat with a flame point and white coat and blue eyes.
He has been neutered.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 100, ID No. 14384.
‘Fifty-Fifty’
“Fifty-Fifty” is a male orange tabby with a short coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in cat room kennel No. 123, ID No. 14401.
‘Boots’
“Boots” is a male domestic short hair cat with a black and white coat and green eyes.
He has been neutered.
He is in cat room kennel No. 135, ID No. 14400.
Male domestic short hair cat
This male domestic short hair cat has a black and white coat and green eyes.
He has been neutered.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 142, ID No. 14386.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The crash occurred on Highway 29 near the entrance to the Bar X Ranch north of Middletown shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol and radio reports.
The wreck involved what the CHP described as a white van and a black pickup truck.
Authorities arriving at the scene found the highway completely blocked, with major injuries to two people who were trapped in one of the vehicles.
An air ambulance was requested to land at the Middletown Fire Station, with the CHP’s H-32 helicopter responding from Napa County. Oher air ambulances said they couldn’t take the flight due to weather, based on radio reports.
Just after 11:30 p.m., one of the trapped patients was reported to have died and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was requested to send a coroner.
As firefighters continued to extricate the second patient, incident command asked Cal Fire Dispatch to notify Caltrans about the need for an extended closure of the highway.
The CHP helicopter had already landed at the fire station when, just before 12:10 a.m. Sunday, firefighters finished extricating the second patient and incident command confirmed the second death over the radio.
Incident command reported just before 1 a.m. that Caltrans would need light towers and heavy debris removal equipment to clear the highway.
At that point, incident command said work was expected to continue at the crash scene for several hours.
More information will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at