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The council will meet for a closed session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss negotiations for a property at 14885 Burns Valley Road owned by One Shot Mining before the public portion of the meeting convenes at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
Because of the county’s shelter in place order, Clearlake City Hall remains closed to the public, however, the virtual meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEG TV YouTube channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5.
The council will get an update on November’s adoptable dogs, and host presentations for recognition of five-year and 25-year employees, offer appreciation to trunk or treat and “You’ve Been Boo’ed” volunteers, and hear a presentation by the Lake County Economic Development Corp. on the Small Business Program.
On Thursday, the council will consider a purchase agreement with One Shot Mining Co. LLC for parcels located at 14885 Burns Valley Road, 14795 Burns Valley Road, 14760 Olympic Drive, 3334 Washington St., 3359 Washington St. and 3367 Washington St.
The Clearlake Planning Commission held a special Tuesday evening during which it considered whether the purchase was in keeping with the general plan, as Lake County News has reported.
City Manager Alan Flora wrote in his report to the council that the city has been exploring locations for a new Public Works corporation yard. At the same time, the city was looking for a large parcel that also could accommodate other uses.
“This analysis identified one primary undeveloped site in the City that can accommodate the multiple uses. This is the property north of Safeway on Burns Valley Road, owned by One Shot Mining Company, LLC. The property consists of approximately 31 acres included in three parcels,” he wrote. “Additionally, the City has negotiated to include three additional properties owned by One Shot Mining to the east of Burns Valley Road.”
Flora said the overall project would include development of the westernmost portion of the property for the Public Works yard and some space for the Clearlake Police Department’s evidence storage. He said that area of the property is well suited for this use adjacent to the Pacific Gas and Electric corporation yard.
“The north eastern corner of the property is well suited for multi-family housing development. The eastern portion of the property along Burns Valley Road is envisioned for either retail development or the location for a community recreation center. The remaining middle portion of the property would be developed for new softball fields and potentially some soccer fields as well. After the purchase is approved the City will immediately begin work on site planning and design,” Flora said.
He said the city and One Shot Mining have agreed to a total sales price for the six parcels of $870,000. “The purchase will be made in three annual payments, $300,000 per year for each of the first two years and then a final payment of $270,000. The payments will not accrue any interest.”
One of the existing buildings has been removed by the owners, and the second building on Olympic Drive will be removed prior to the close of escrow, Flora wrote.
He is asking for the council to approve the purchase and sale agreement and authorize him to sign the agreement and other documents needed to close escrow.
Flora’s report said the purchase is a step toward city goals of supporting economic development and marketing real estate for development.
Under business, the council will discuss approval of a letter of intent with King Management, LLC, which wants to purchase a portion of Redbud Park at 14800 Ballpark Ave.
Flora’s report on the proposal to the council explains that Redbud Park and Thompson Harbor have been utilized for bass fishing tournaments for many years.
“One of the amenities that many launching sites have that make them more attractive is nearby hotel developments. Clearlake in general has a shortage of quality rooms that may be attractive to both anglers and other tourists,” he said.
Flora said the city entered into a letter of intent in July with King Management for development of a hotel at the former Pearce Field airport property.
“King Management is still interested in this project but is also interested in a hotel development at the Redbud Park site,” said Flora.
The council also is discussing the purchase of the 31-acre parcel on Burns Valley Road, which Flora said would offer the chance to develop new recreational amenities, including softball fields, at that site, and allowing the development of the existing fields for a hotel and other retail uses.
He said the proposed agreement would provide King Management a six-month window to perform due diligence and work through infrastructure and other planning items with the city.
“If adequate interest exists, the parties would negotiate a purchase and sale contract, or possibly a long-term lease agreement,” Flora said.
Flora said King Management proposes a nationally branded 60 to 80 room hotel with a small conference center, pool and other amenities.
The city would ensure that no development would occur at Redbud Park unless new replacement softball fields are constructed at another location, Flora said.
The proposed letter of intent covers approximately 2.5 acres on the far eastern portion of the property, leaving approximately four additional acres available for retail development. “This project would not impact the Youth Center property,” Flora added.
In other business on Thursday, the council will consider a senior planner position and modification to the management benefit plan and salary schedule update and discuss adopting a joint powers agreement and bylaws for the California Intergovernmental Risk Authority, which permits the merger of Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California and the Redwood Empire Municipal Insurance Fund.
Also on Thursday, the council will continue its consideration of updating the city’s zoning code, design review procedures and design standards, and hold a first reading on the changes.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the Sept. 9 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; minutes of the Oct. 1 meeting; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017; consideration of continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action March 19, 2020; consideration of a resolution adopting the fifth amendment to the FY 2020/21 Budget (Resolution No. 2020-27) appropriating funding and releasing the self insurance reserve, Resolution No. 2020-56; consideration of Resolution No. 2020-53, a resolution of the city of Clearlake, approving a temporary street closure for the annual Rotary of Clearlake Christmas Dinner; award of contract for design services for the Public Works Shop Site Planning Phase I; adoption of Resolution 2020-57 authoring the application for and receipt of Local Early Action Planning Grant Program funds.
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The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, continuing the process of counting the ballots, issued one update on Wednesday afternoon.
That report showed no change in the shape of the local races so far, including the most closely-watched race of the season, for the District 5 seat on the Board of Supervisors, in which Jessica Pyska continues to lead Bill Kearney with a substantial margin.
The report showed that 11,157 ballots have been counted for the state and federal races. However, a total of 37,717 vote by mail ballots were issued in Lake County, and of those 16,823 had been reported returned by Monday.
With thousands more ballots cast in person on Tuesday or still making their way to the elections office via mail, knowing just how many ballots there are to count could take weeks. That’s because the state has extended the deadline for accepted mailed ballots; those postmarked by Election Day can be accepted up to 17 days afterward.
Presidential elections have typically seen voter turnout close to, or above, 70 percent in Lake County, and vote by mail – or absentee – voting has increased in recent years.
The registrar’s office typically issues a report within a week or so of the election that will give an estimate on how many ballots remain to be counted.
Elections officials have a month to conduct the official canvass in which they go through a thorough process that leads to the final certification of the results in early December.
Typically, once it reports on the number of ballots left to count, the Lake County Registrar of Voters will not issue updates until the final canvass is completed.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Crews are making good progress on fire suppression repair across all areas of the South Zone of the August Complex.
The US Forest Service said the hard work of fire personnel is paying off keeping the South Zone at 499,826 acres and increasing containment to 97 percent. The South Zone includes the Mendocino National Forest in northern Lake County.
In addition to the Mendocino National Forest, the complex is burning in the Six Rivers and Shasta Trinity National Forests.
The entire August Complex, started by lightning on Aug. 16 and 17, is estimated at 1,032,649 acres and 93 percent containment.
As the August Complex nears full containment, incident management personnel are beginning to plan for a smooth transfer of responsibility back to local forest leadership, officials said.
There are 273 personnel working on the South Zone and 687 personnel on the entire incident, the Forest Service said.
The Forest Service said crews are continuing to focus on fire suppression repair in priority areas around the Sanhedrin Wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors in the Mill Creek area, and in locations that are prone to landslides along key forest travel routes such as the M1 and M6 roads.
Additionally, officials said progress is being made on opening roadways and removing hazard trees to allow for further suppression repair activity throughout the forest.
In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to Nov. 6 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires.
The Forest Service estimates the complex will be fully contained on Dec. 15, at which point it will have burned for four months.
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- Written by: Tracy Roof, University of Richmond
The government spent a record US$85.6 billion on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the fiscal year ending in September. This sum, included in an October Treasury Department report, was about 35% higher than the $63.5 billion the federal government spent in 2019.
Spending on this state-administered program, which helps struggling families put food on the table, typically rises and falls in tandem with unemployment and poverty. Along with unemployment insurance, SNAP is one of the most responsive programs in a recession. The most vulnerable families can get benefits within seven days of applying.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, SNAP spending had been steadily declining since a 2013 peak of nearly $80 billion following the Great Recession. But as the COVID-19-triggered economic crisis hit, monthly spending more than doubled, from $4.9 billion in February to $10.6 billion in June, according to Treasury Department data.
The jump came from two factors. First, more people are getting benefits. Second, roughly 60% of the families who get them are eligible for more support than before.
Specifically, after the Families First Coronavirus Response Act relief package Congress passed in March 2020, the government temporarily offered the maximum benefit, typically given only to those with no income, to all families on SNAP. Following a 5.3% increase announced Oct. 1 in response to rising food costs, that maximum level stands at $680 a month for a family of four.
Despite this SNAP spending boost, lines at food banks have grown much longer during the pandemic.
To help both overwhelmed food banks and struggling farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The government had sent by mid-October 110 million boxes of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat to food banks and other organizations assisting people facing economic hardship.
The USDA is spending about $4 billion to purchase the food. But the program has been criticized by lawmakers and anti-hunger groups as inefficient and poorly managed. Although food banks have appreciated the help, even people who run food banks see SNAP as the best way to help the hungry.
In fact, in researching the history of SNAP for an upcoming book, I found that the program long known as food stamps slowly replaced another program distributing surplus food to the needy in the 1960s. Government researchers found that giving families stamps to exchange for food in grocery stores was more efficient and effective.
In 2019, 92% of SNAP spending went directly to benefits. The program boosts the economy, leading to more consumer spending and jobs. SNAP also provides nine meals for every one meal supplied by Feeding America, the largest network of food banks.
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Almost 2,500 organizations serving the poor are calling for increasing maximum SNAP benefits by 15%. This would help all families on SNAP – including the 40% with the lowest incomes who have not gotten additional help so far during the pandemic. The House passed relief legislation in May and October that called for this 15% increase. As of late October, the Senate had not taken this step even though food insecurity has grown substantially.
Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.