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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Overnight and through the day Friday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. crews continued assessing winter storm damage, making repairs and restoring electric service to customers in Northern and Central California.
That work will continue until every customer has been restored, the company said.
In its last report on Friday, PG&E said 95 percent of residences and businesses that lost power due to strong winds, heavy rains and deep snow earlier this week have had their power restored.
Crews continue to focus on the areas where the largest number of customers remain without power, including locations in Lake, Mendocino, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Yolo, Amador and Humboldt counties.
In those locations and elsewhere, PG&E has found more than 1,500 instances of damaged infrastructure where equipment needs to be replaced or repaired, including 365 broken poles and 1,417 spans of wire.
The last estimate, given on Friday afternoon, said approximately 42,000 customers were without power due to storm damage. Of those, approximately 10,000 customers are located where PG&E crews can’t gain access due to high snow, falling trees and blocked roads.
Where crews can access damaged equipment, they will continue to restore service to customers today, tonight and through the weekend.
On Friday morning, less than 1,000 Lake County customers remained without power, according to PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.
As of Friday night, several hundred Lake County customers – including more than 300 along Highway 175 near Glenbrook – had not had their power restored, according to the PG&E outage map.
Based on 30 years of weather data, PG&E meteorologists described this week’s winter storm as the strongest since 2011 and say that it caused the highest two-day and three-day outage totals since 2010.
PG&E has been reaching out to every customer today who is still without power due to storm-related outages. This includes automated phone calls with updated information as well as through other channels. As crews complete damage assessments, customers will get updates providing their estimated time of restoration.
To support communities experiencing extended outages, PG&E has provided a variety of support including contributing $50,000 to the American Red Cross for storm relief, delivering blankets and water to customers in Yolo County and providing 21 megawatts of temporary generation to keep critical facilities powered in four counties.
As of Friday afternoon, PG&E said its crews had restored power to approximately 818,000 customers out of the approximately 860,000 who lost it due to heavy wind, rain and snow after the storm arrived on Tuesday.
PG&E crews, as well as some contract and mutual-aid crews, are in the field, assessing conditions, making repairs and restoring customers. Due to treacherous conditions and difficult terrain, these assessment activities are ongoing.
Damage from wind, heavy rains and snow has caused access issues due to roads blocked by trees, debris and snow In some locations, PG&E has been using helicopters, snow cats and four-wheel drive vehicles to gain access to infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas.
More than 450 crews plus another 500 or so troublemen and qualified electrical workers are engaged in assessment and restoration work. They are being supported by thousands of other employees who are staffing PG&E emergency-response centers, either virtually or in person.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom swore in San Diego Assemblymember and Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus Dr. Shirley N. Weber as California secretary of state.
Dr. Weber is California’s first Black secretary of state.
“On the eve of Black History Month, California once again makes history in swearing in Dr. Weber as secretary of state,” said Gov. Newsom. “As the state’s chief elections officer, Dr. Weber will continue her lifelong dedication to defending civil rights and will undertake a vital role in protecting our democratic process at a critical time.”
Confirmed by the Legislature this week, Dr. Weber was nominated by Gov. Newsom earlier this month to fill the secretary of state position vacated by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, whom he appointed following the resignation of Vice President Kamala Harris from the U.S. Senate.
“The fact that each citizen is a primary officeholder in a democracy is the lodestone tenet of our system of government. It is my responsibility as secretary of state to ensure that more Californians are able to exercise that power through the electoral process, and that our elections remain secure, accessible and fair even under the most adverse conditions,” said Secretary of State Dr. Weber.
“Dr. King teaches us that we are at our best when we stand up in service of others and I am humbled to be able to continue to stand up for Californians as secretary of state. I thank the governor for his nomination, the state senators and Assembly members who confirmed my appointment, and the Californians who expressed their faith in my ability to assume this critical office. I look forward to lifting up and defending our democratic values of inclusivity and participation in this new role,” Dr. Weber said.
First elected to the California State Assembly in 2012, Dr. Weber has been a voice of moral clarity in the Legislature, providing leadership on issues of social justice.
She authored the California Act to Save Lives, landmark legislation signed by Gov. Newsom in 2019 setting new, higher standards on the use of deadly force by police.
Her ambitious legislative agenda has also included bills on education, civil rights, public safety, food insecurity, protections for persons with disabilities and voting rights.
She previously served as president of the San Diego Board of Education and as an Africana Studies Department professor at San Diego State University for 40 years.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 30 as Fred Korematsu Day in California, in honor of the man who challenged the U.S. policy of interning Japanese-American citizens during World War II.
The proclamation hails the Oakland-born Fred Korematsu as a civil rights hero who made a bold decision at age 23 to challenge the policy of Japanese internment.
In 2010, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill establishing Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution in perpetuity, the first statewide day named for an Asian American in U.S. history, according to the Fred Korematsu Institute.
The day is marked every Jan. 30, Korematsu’s birthday.
He died in March 2005 at age 86. This year marks the 102nd anniversary of his birth.
Korematsu, who worked as a welder, refused to abide by Executive Order 9066, the federal government’s demand that Japanese Americans report to incarceration camps.
Korematsu’s act of protest led to his arrest and conviction, which he fought all the way to the Supreme Court.
The highest court in the land would rule against him, arguing that the incarceration of Japanese Americans was justifiable based on military necessity.
Forty years later, a federal court overturned Korematsu’s criminal conviction.
In that ruling, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said, “a grave injustice was done to American citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who, without individual review or any probative evidence against them, were excluded, removed and detained by the United States during World War II.”
“Over the course of his life, Korematsu fought for the civil liberties of others. He was tireless in his work to ensure Americans understood the lessons learned from one of the dark chapters of our history,” the governor’s proclamation said.
In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded Korematsu the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“The Supreme Court’s decision in Korematsu v. United States still hangs over this country after 77 years,” the governor’s proclamation stated. “Korematsu’s legacy reminds us that we must continue to strike out against injustice in our daily lives. Especially in a moment of increased Anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia, each and every one of us must continue his fight for a more equal tomorrow.”
Learn more about Fred Korematsu here.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, a Spring Valley man was taken into custody after he was found in possession of drugs and an assault rifle.
Shannon Lee Henson, 42, was arrested early on Thursday, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
At 2:15 a.m. Thursday a sheriff’s deputy who was patrolling in the Nice area on Highway 20 conducted a traffic stop on a gray Dodge Charger for vehicle infractions, Paulich said.
The vehicle was occupied by four individuals, one of them being Henson, according to Paulich.
Paulich said a records check showed Henson was on post release community supervision and that the Charger was registered to him.
Deputies conducted a search of the vehicle, locating a syringe containing a clear substance and a clear plastic bag containing approximately 3.8 grams of suspected methamphetamine in the door compartment near where Henson had been seated, Paulich said.
In the trunk of the vehicle, Paulich said deputies located another syringe containing a clear substance and an assault rifle that had been disassembled. Along with the rifle deputies located a high capacity magazine containing 35 rounds.
Paulich said deputies located evidence on Henson’s cell phone that indicated he was traveling to Sacramento to sell or trade the assault rifle.
Henson was placed under arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of an assault rifle, possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance and transportation of an assault rifle, Paulich said.
Paulich said Henson has an extensive criminal history related to narcotics, stolen property and firearms.
Henson was booked into the Lake County Jail where he remains in custody on a no-bail hold, while the other occupants of the vehicle were released with no charges, Paulich said.