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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The forecast predicts a partly cloudy New Year’s Day, starting off with patchy fog in the morning with light winds.
Those conditions will give way to chances of showers and calm winds on Friday night. Temperatures will range from daytime highs in the low 50s to the high 40s at night, with less than a tenth of an inch of rain expected.
Chances of rain will continue through Saturday and Sunday. For Sunday, the largest rainfall amount is anticipated; between daytime and nighttime storms, close to an inch of rain could fall over Lake County.
The forecast calls for Saturday and Sunday to have light winds and the same temperature range as on Friday.
The forecast also predicts showers from Monday through Thursday, with temperatures midweek dropping into the high 40s during the day and the mid-30s at night.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The meeting will take place beginning at 1 p.m. on Zoom; the Meeting ID is 910 3363 7729, passcodes is 069179; One tap mobile, +16699006833,,91033637729#,,,,*069179# US (San Jose).
Helping position Lake County businesses to take advantage of relief funding opportunities that emerge is a matter of priority.
On Wednesday the application period began for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, a $500 million funding opportunity offering grants of up to $25,000 for eligible businesses with annual revenues of $2.5 million or less.
This is not a first-come, first-served funding opportunity, but the application period ends Jan. 8 at 11:59 p.m.
The Small Business Development Center is offering daily 11 a.m. informational webinars through Jan. 4. Click here for the Zoom link.
Monday’s Small Business COVID Recovery Meeting agenda will also include discussion of advocacy opportunities to ensure Lake County businesses get an appropriate share of available state and federal relief funding, and the federal stimulus package, including a second round of Federal Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP2, funding.
Additional resources for businesses are available at:
· https://careliefgrant.com/ ;
· Rural Relief Small Business Grants (application period now open, closes Jan. 5, 11:59 p.m.);
· https://business.ca.gov/coronavirus-2019/ ; and
· https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Fire Research and Outreach in December entered a memorandum of understanding to formalize an agreement to partner on research related to critical forest and fire issues.
Highlighted by the recent large and damaging wildfires plaguing the state, the program of research will leverage both agencies’ unique expertise and perspective to collaborate on defining key research topics, methods and paths for communicating results.
“Partnering with a strong research university like UC Berkeley will provide land managers critical scientific information about the effects of forest management activities in California,” said Chris Keithley, PhD, chief of the Fire and Resource Assessment Program for Cal Fire. “This type of research will help shape how and where fuels treatments are applied, and will help us identify the most effective methods for a particular community and forest type.”
As forests and wildfire regimes change in response to a warming climate, there is an increasing need to improve dissemination of research to promote science-based policies that address complex and changing forest management decisions.
Named the California Initiative for Research on Fire and Forests, or CIRFF, a few of the shared research priorities of this partnership include investigating how strategic placement of prescribed fire and other fuels reduction/forest health treatments affects wildfire hazard and suppression effectiveness, improving understanding on the efficacy of prescribed burning and other management actions, developing metrics to assess effectiveness of fuels and forest health treatments at the local and regional scales and creating new opportunities for exchange of scientific information related to wildfire.
“One of the exciting and novel aspects of this partnership is the collaborative nature of the science and outreach that will be conducted,” says Scott Stephens, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, and co-director at the Berkeley Center for Fire Research and Outreach. “Scientists from both organizations will be contributing data and expertise to address critical wildfire questions.”
With the 2020 historic wildfire season having just ended a few weeks ago, the efficacy of forest management, prescribed fire and other fuels treatment activities is generating a lot of interest from land managers and the public.
As a result of this partnership, new research will be better communicated to policy makers and land managers.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Dr. Gary Pace said Wednesday that COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Lake County.
“The hospitals are full, but fortunately, not yet overwhelmed,” he said.
On Wednesday, the county’s caseload totaled 1,819, with 1,568 recovered cases and 23 deaths, according to Public Health.
Public Health said 12 people are hospitalized, bringing total hospitalizations during the pandemic to 102.
“With the Christmas holidays behind us, and with New Year’s already here, now is the riskiest time for transmission; people are indoors, and many are gathering more than is advised,” said Pace. “The more precautions we take over the coming days, the less impact we will see in the next few weeks.”
Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine began two weeks ago. Pace said the Health Department has so far received about 1,300 doses of vaccine, “and we are getting it out as fast as we can.”
Pace said Public Health is following the California Community Vaccine Advisory Committee priorities.
Those guidelines give priority to Phase 1a, which includes health care providers, first responders and staff at skilled nursing facilities.
He said the goal is to keep hospital staff, nursing home staff and medical first responders “healthy and able to work during the surge that we are in.”
Pace said more than 600 people in that group have been vaccinated so far.
Both local hospitals – Sutter Lakeside and Adventist Health Clear Lake – as well as emergency medical services and all three skilled nursing facilities have immunized most staff interested in getting the vaccine, and Pace said second doses will be administered in a few weeks.
Also in the first tier are In-Home Supportive Services workers serving multiple homes, Public Health field staff, primary care clinics, jail medical staff and some of the congregate living facilities such as skilled nursing facilities. Pace said some individuals in these groups have started getting immunized, and plans to expand to cover all who are interested should launch next week.
He said staff at other medical facilities – like specialty clinics, laboratory workers, dental clinics, and pharmacy staff – will be contacted in the next few weeks with plans, depending on how much vaccine the health department is able to obtain.
Pace said guidelines for the next tier, “Phase 1b,” are under development.
“Phase 1b” will include essential workers – such as teachers, law enforcement, farmworkers, food service and public transit – along with people older than 74 and those with chronic illnesses. Guidelines on how to prioritize this group are expected shortly.
“Precisely when and where ‘Phase 1b’ groups will receive the vaccine will become known as we see what supply is available, and how the state is guiding us to use it,” said Pace. “We will likely be setting up special vaccine clinics – with volunteer staff and our consistent partners, the EMS teams – and also work with pharmacies, clinics and hospitals.”
Pace added, “These next few weeks will likely be very challenging. Please take extra steps to be careful, but don’t lose hope. Things will almost certainly be better in a few months, and I think we can see the possibility of a more normal life in the spring and summer.”
Update on testing services
Pace gave updates on COVID-19 testing services in the county.
He said drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be available from Verily from Jan. 4 to 7.
Testing will take place in Clearlake from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Jan. 4, and Tuesday, Jan. 5.
In Lakeport, testing will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Jan. 6, and Thursday, Jan. 7.
Register at https://www.projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19/ or call the Public Health Department at 707-263-8174.
Beginning Friday, Jan. 8, OptumServe’s new indoor testing sites will open.
In Lakeport, testing will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, at the Silveira Community Center, 500 N. Main St.
In Lower Lake, testing will be offered from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Lower Lake Town Hall, 16195 Main St.
Pace said both OptumServe sites will test children. Any insurance is accepted; if you have no insurance, there is no cost. You can make an appointment at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Additionally, Rite Aid in Clearlake is providing drive-thru testing, with appointments made through Project Baseline.
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