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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, the nation will remember one of its greatest civil rights leaders.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been observed in all 50 states since 2000, but President Ronald Reagan signed the federal holiday into law in 1983.
King, an American Baptist minister, was the son of a civil rights activist and a proponent of nonviolent resistance who was active in numerous campaigns to address racial inequality.
He’s perhaps most remembered for his “I Have A Dream” speech, which he gave during the 1963 March on Washington, DC.
In December 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to address racial prejudice in the United States through nonviolent resistance.
He was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. His assassination was followed by riots in cities across the nation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday, Jan. 15 – the actual date of King’s birthday – issued a proclamation in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the state of California.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us that we are ultimately measured not by where we stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but by the stands we take during times of challenge and controversy. The events of the past year have presented our state with no shortage of challenges, among them the ongoing struggle against systemic injustice in all its forms.
“More than 50 years after his passing, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ideals are more salient than ever. His legacy reminds us that moral leadership does not require a person to be in elected office or hold a position of power. Instead, exercising moral authority requires the will to do the right thing. Standing on the shoulders of civil rights leaders before him and working in concert with a generation of activists, Dr. King helped transform how our country saw itself and its future.
“Dr. King provided a framework for how each of us can shape the future: Call out injustice and work toward something better. His legacy and clarion call to us all lives on in all those fighting for justice amid the many threats to it today. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequities and deep disparities in our society, with people of color disproportionately affected by its devastating health and economic impacts. Furthermore, the Black Lives Matter protests of this summer shined a light on the continuing racial injustice that we can, and must, do more to address. Let us gather strength from Dr. King’s legacy and use our moral authority to push for a more equitable state, society and world,” the proclamation concludes.
The following are some ways to commemorate the day and learn more about Dr. King.
Watch ‘The March’
“The March” follows the March on Washington, known more formally as the March for Jobs and Freedom, in 1963.
The movie, directed by James Blue, underwent a full digital restoration by the Motion Picture Preservation Lab in 2008, to mark the march’s 50th anniversary.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the March for Jobs and Freedom, the Motion Picture Preservation Lab completed a full digital restoration of James Blue's monumental film, The March, in 2008.
It is shared by the US National Archives and can be viewed above.
Read ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’
In April 1963, King was part of a campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, to confront racial injustice and that city’s policy of segregation.
King was arrested for participating in those protests and housed in the city’s jail.
While there, he wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” which Samford University history professor Jonathan Bass has called “the most important written document of the Civil Rights Era.”
Read the letter here:
https://www.lakeconews.com/component/content/article/29-opinion/23233-martin-luther-king-jr-letter-from-a-birmingham-jail?Itemid=437
Read – or listen to – the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech
Given during the 1963 March on Washington, King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most famed speeches in American history.
In it, he imagines an America where people of all races live peacefully together, where people are judged by their character, not the color of their skin, and freedom and justice replace oppression.
Read the speech here:
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
Listen to it here:
http://okra.stanford.edu/media/audio/630828000.mp3
Read about one pastor’s friendship with King in seminary
In January 2011, the Rev. Dr. Charles Harlow, then a Clearlake resident, shared with Lake County News the story of his friendship with King while the two attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
It was King who welcomed him, shook his hand and helped him tote his bags.
The two men would remain friends until King’s death in 1968.
Read the story here:
https://www.lakeconews.com/news/17853-harlow-kings-life-teaches-the-importance-of-peace-working-the-dream
Email Elizabeth Larson at
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The 452R variant has previously been detected in other countries and states, including California, and is now increasingly being found in multiple counties throughout the state, CDPH reported.
CDPH said the 452R variant has been detected in Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara counties.
Because genomic sequencing is not done equally across the state or country, it is too soon to know how prevalent the 452 variant is statewide, nationally or globally.
The state is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local public health departments and laboratory sequencing partners to learn more about the variant, including how it spreads.
“It is common to identify variants of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, and we are working with our federal, local and university partners to better understand this variant and how it might impact Californians,” said Dr. Erica Pan, state epidemiologist for CDPH. “It’s too soon to know if this variant will spread more rapidly than others, but it certainly reinforces the need for all Californians to wear masks and reduce mixing with people outside their immediate households to help slow the spread of the virus. We also urge anyone who has been exposed to the virus to isolate from others to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
The 452R variant was first identified last year in other countries and states, including California. This variant is different than the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
As the number of specimens tested to monitor for variant strains has increased at California labs, including UCSF, the 452R variant has been identified more frequently since November. The 452R variant has been identified in several large outbreaks in Santa Clara County.
“The fact that this variant was identified in several large outbreaks in our county is a red flag and must be investigated further,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. “This virus continues to mutate and adapt, and we cannot let down our guard. This news underscores the need for everyone to follow all prevention measures and get vaccinated as soon as they are offered the vaccine.”
Santa Clara County has sequenced a large number of positive specimens collected from community testing sites and outbreaks in the county.
The 452R variant was present in specimens from the community and from several large outbreaks, including outbreaks where very high numbers of people exposed contracted the virus.
Analysis regarding the role of this and other variants in outbreaks and community spread in Santa Clara County is ongoing.
The 452R variant was most recently noted to contribute to an increasing proportion of COVID-19 cases in specimens sequenced by Dr. Charles Chiu, a virologist and professor of laboratory medicine at UCSF.
Dr. Chiu has been sequencing cases from multiple counties across the state over the past several months as part of the state’s SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative known as COVIDNet.
“This variant carries three mutations, including L452R, in the spike protein, which the virus uses to attach to and enter cells, and is the target of the two vaccines that are currently available in the United States,” said Dr. Chiu. "Now that we know this variant is on the rise in our local communities, we are prioritizing it for study. Researchers at UCSF and elsewhere will now be able to perform the critical laboratory experiments to determine whether or not this virus is more infectious or affects vaccine performance.”
Due to the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, regardless of circulating variants, CDPH asks Californians to keep taking steps that will limit transmission of the virus and reduce strain on our health care systems.
This includes:
– Staying home except for essential activities.
– Wearing a mask when leaving home.
– Limiting interactions with people outside your immediate household.
– Keeping physical distance of at least 6 feet apart.
– Washing hands for 20 seconds.
– Getting the COVID-19 vaccine if you are eligible and the vaccine is available in your area.
CDPH has partnered with local public health labs, diagnostic labs, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Invitae Corporation, UCSF, and Scripps Research Institute to form COVIDNet, a network of labs working to conduct genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in the state to understand transmission and evolution of the virus.
To date, several thousand specimens have been sequenced in California.
CDPH is notified when specific strains are identified, and network labs coordinate to assess the different strains circulating in California.
In addition, network laboratories coordinate with local health departments to conduct sequencing to inform outbreak investigations.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, and will be available to the public virtually only.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link at 9 a.m. The meeting ID is 929 8110 0592, password 270427. The meeting also can be accessed via on tap mobile at +16699006833,,92981100592#,,,,*270427# US (San Jose).
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and passcode information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item please visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
At 9:05 a.m, public comment is scheduled.
At 9:06 a.m., Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace will give the board a comprehensive situational update on COVID-19.
At 9:15 a.m., the board will consider the county’s response to worsening pandemic conditions and impacts on service delivery, and consider a resolution authorizing temporary reduction of in-person delivery of county services to the public.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson’s report to the board explains, “As your Board is well aware, pandemic conditions have worsened dramatically in recent weeks, with an increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases impacting the County workforce.”
On Jan. 5, the board created an ad hoc committee to work with department heads in the efforts to comply with the county’s COVID-19 Public Health Emergency - Worksite Protection Protocol.
Since that time, Huchingson said the committee has met several times “to address the many complex issues departments are facing as they attempt to keep employees and the public safe while maintaining services to the greatest extent possible.”
She continued, “The focus of the committee’s discussions has been around how, during this critical time, we can pivot back to providing services to the public without (or with very minimal) in-person contact, as we did much earlier on in the pandemic, beginning in March to June 1, 2020. By doing all we possibly can do to keep our workforce safe and well, we are better able to keep services in place, until conditions improve and we are able to reopen fully.”
Huchingson also is presenting a draft resolution that, if approved by the board, would authorize temporary reduction of in-person service delivery due to COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
At 9:30 a.m., the board will discuss Friday county office closures to the public and possibly give updated direction to the staff.
Huchingson’s report notes that on Nov. 17 the board adopted a resolution directing the “soft opening” of county offices on Fridays, with departments to assign at least one staff person to provide basic customer service on Fridays beginning Jan. 8, with full reopening on Fridays to take effect in April.
She said she’s bringing the matter back to the board at the request of Board Chair Bruno Sabatier “in the event you desire to make any changes in your directive as a result of the worsening pandemic conditions.”
Other items include consideration of an amendment to the Lake County COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protection Protocol, to be discussed at 9:45 a.m.
There also will be a closed session to discuss a threat to public services and facilities, with the board to consult with Huchingson, County Counsel Anita Grant and Sheriff Brian Martin.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The meeting will be by teleconference only. The city council chambers will not be open to the public.
The agenda can be found here.
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 the agenda is an update from Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace, who has been making regular appearances at city council meetings to update them on the local COVID-19 situation.
During presentations, the council also will meet new Lakeport Police officer trainee Kaitlyn Morfin.
Under council business, City Manager Kevin Ingram will give the council an update on the 2020-21 departmental goals and discuss the prioritization of listed city council goals provided in the Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget.
The council’s 13 goals, which Ingram said are held over from 2019-20, are public safety; road improvement; amending sidewalk and right-of-way improvement ordinance to reduce costs of improvements and ensure infrastructure is being constructed in high priority areas; enhancing the historic downtown and lakefront area through the adoption and consideration of amendments to the zoning ordinance expanding visitor and recreational use types, increasing visibility of local businesses on social media, and improving wayfinding signage downtown, transform the former B of A into a community center, pursuing agreement with LUSD on use of Natural High property, and strengthening the programs with Lakeport Main Street Association, such as Dickens Faire; downtown mural art project; continuing park improvements; pursuing full-time project manager; completing annexation; implementing records management software; succession planning; recruiting and maintaining staffing, equipment and special programs to accomplish community policing goals; continuing marketing efforts outlined in the hotel feasibility study to attract national brand lodging facility; and improving public relations and education.
Also on Tuesday, Community Development Director Jenni Byers will ask the council to approve the first contract amendment with Dude Solutions for SmartGov e-permitting.
Byers’ report said council approval would mean the total contract “not to exceed” amount would be increased from $55,929.25 to $67,641.25. Funding for the expenditure is coming through a grant.
Finance Director Nick Walker will seek the council’s authorization to execute a professional services agreement with BCA Architects for the completion of phase one of a recreation feasibility study.
The city will pay up to $20,000 for the study, contingent upon obtaining a cost-sharing agreement with Lake County and the city of Clearlake for equal shares of this study, based on Walker’s report.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; and minutes of the regular council meeting on Jan. 5.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
011921 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd