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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Thanks to the diligent efforts of the ag community, the workers and Lake County Public Health, there were no major outbreaks of COVID-19 that resulted from pear harvest.
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace has been the No. 1 objective in the fields and packing sheds this summer.
Local ag employers were meeting with Lake County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace as early as June to prepare for pear harvest.
“Dr. Pace provided great leadership and support,” said Pat Scully of Scully Packing, Lake County’s remaining pear packer. “He held multiple weekly Zoom meetings with ag employers before and during the season with detailed suggestions for precautionary measures.”
Scully added of Pace, “He was committed to avoiding an outbreak and his suggestions were instrumental in avoiding one.”
The outdoor nature of harvesting pears naturally allows for social distancing. Pear farmers put additional precautions in place surrounding break times and congregate living situations for out-of-county crews.
The packing sheds, however, were a larger source of concern, as the effort requires many employees working indoors in close quarters.
Scully Packing made substantial changes this year to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spread among its employees.
Facility modifications included ventilation systems all through the sheds, vinyl dividers at sorting stations, extra handwashing and sanitizer stations, and a complete redesign of the front office. Face masks were required and provided and family members/carpool groups were assigned to the same work areas.
Trees were removed in the orchard adjacent to the shed to erect two large tents for training and breaks with 150 new picnic tables for required social distancing.
Scully Packing also implemented procedural changes and employee training which helped to prevent an outbreak.
Four infrared facial recognition digital thermometers were purchased to test each employee as they entered the workplace.
On the third day of packing, one family unknowingly came to work with COVID-19 and were stopped after being screened by office staff.
“We immediately sent all three family members who were working, and one who was scheduled to report the next day, home to quarantine until testing could be done,” Scully said.
He said the family members tested positive and were quarantined for the required 14 days.
Thankfully, it was an isolated incident, according to Scully. “While several other people got tested during the season, no other positive cases were reported. We did have several workers who had been identified as close contacts that were kept away from work until their quarantine periods had expired.”
All supervisors and employees received intensive training on COVID-19 prevention, symptoms and procedures. This included payment for lost wages for those with positive tests.
Scully also gives credit to the employees for the success of these measures.
“We had about 450 employees between the two sheds,” Scully said. “Everyone followed the guidelines to protect themselves and their fellow workers. They stayed home and reported when they felt sick, wore their masks constantly, practiced diligent hand washing, respected social distancing rules during breaks, and were conscientious about avoiding social gatherings outside the workplace. Nobody wanted to get sick and we all followed the rules to keep each other well. It worked!”
In his Sept. 22 update to the Board of Supervisors, Dr. Pace praised Lake County’s pear industry.
“We did have some real success over the past few months in the agricultural industry. The pears have been harvested and packed and there were no serious outbreaks there. Many workers came from out of the area, lived in congregate living situations, and worked in the packing sheds or other close quarters. The owners, managers and workers all put a lot of effort into taking steps to control the spread of the virus in these risky settings,” Pace said.
The conclusion of pear harvest coincides with the beginning of winegrape harvest. Winegrape employers have been involved in the meetings with Dr. Pace as early as June and have already employed mitigating measures in the field.
In early September, Scully and Dr. Pace met with winery operators via Zoom to share Scully
Packing’s successful procedures for indoor operations.
The Lake County Ag Department still has masks and sanitation supplies available for ag employers and their employees.
Contact the Lake County Ag Department at 707-263-0217 for more information.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
To join in person, RSVP via the city website. Space is very limited in the council chambers due to social distancing guidelines and those interested in attending in person are encouraged to RSVP as soon as possible.
Any interested community member may join the virtual meeting via Zoom at https://clearlakeca.zoom.us/j/99974062168.
Clearlake has partnered with Retail Strategies for retail recruitment services throughout the city.
While Clearlake has not historically had a traditional downtown core, city officials believe they need to develop a walkable and vibrant area along the lakefront.
Jenn Gregory, president of Downtown Strategies, and Elliot Cook, retail development coordinator will facilitate a stakeholder input session and will collect information and collaborate with community stakeholders on the future of downtown Clearlake.
Please be prepared to share ideas, goals, concerns, challenges and thoughts as city leaders and residents work together on planning for downtown Clearlake’s future.
Retail Strategies will be performing a market analysis and will be assessing opportunities regarding policy and administration, design, tourism and promotion, and economic vitality of downtown Clearlake.
Based on that analysis, the firm will provide a strategic plan with recommendations for growth, economic impact and progress, city officials said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters held the Glass fire to just over 60 acres of growth on Thursday while air resources have been at work on the August Complex’s South Zone.
Cal Fires said the Glass fire was up to 67,484 acres on Thursday night, an increase of just 64 acres over the previous night, with containment up to 70 percent, an increase of 8 percent.
The fire has been burning since Sept. 27 in Napa and Sonoma counties. It’s anticipated to be fully contained on Oct. 20.
As more evacuation orders were lifted in the fire area on Thursday, the number of threatened structures was reduced by nearly 10,000 to a total of 3,480 by nightfall, according to Cal Fire’s report.
Cal Fire said fire activity on Thursday was limited to smoldering, heavy fuels and interior islands with isolated heat signatures. These conditions consisted of creeping and smoldering within the current fire perimeter.
Assigned resources continued to be dialed back as the fire moves toward full containment. Cal Fire said that, as of Thursday night, resources assigned included 1,963 personnel, 251 engines, 23 water tenders, 14 helicopters, 32 hand crews, 11 dozers and two masticators.
New team taking over August Complex South Zone management
The state’s largest fire, the August Complex, rose to 1,020,571 acres and 65 percent containment on Thursday night, Cal Fire reported.
Sparked by lightning on Aug. 17, it’s burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
Officials said 4,799 personnel are assigned.
The Forest Service said that on Wednesday, crews worked diligently to construct line around
a 300-acre slop-over northeast of Lake Pillsbury, over the M6 Road near Bloody Rock.
Heat was captured by infrared data late in the night with direct suppression tactics starting after detection in the early morning hours yesterday. Officials said aviation resources were used to restrict the fire’s progression and cool down the fire, to help ground crews safely work in the area.
Helitack crews and helicopters are working in the Snow Mountain Wilderness to contain the fire’s progression, officials said.
As new resources are redirected to the South Zone to aid in firefighting efforts, there will be a significant increase in road traffic in fire-affected areas, especially on Elk Mountain Road, as crews and equipment travel to new locations, the Forest Service said.
The other areas of the South Zone remain in patrol status with engines and water tenders monitoring those lines. Through it all, the No. 1 priority always remains firefighter and public safety, the Forest Service said.
The Southwest Incident Management Team 1 arrived at the incident Wednesday and will assume command of the August Complex South Zone at 7 a.m. Friday.
Burned Area Emergency Response, or BAER, specialists from the U.S. Forest Service recently completed their data gathering and fieldwork of the August Complex fire burn area.
Their focus was to verify and finalize the soil burn severity map. Soil burn severity is classified into levels between unburned and high, the Forest Service said.
The Forest Service said BAER team members will now use the soil burn severity data to identify if there are areas or features of concern where increased soil erosion, accelerated surface water run-off, and debris flows have the potential to impact human life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources from rain events.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.
She has a short beige and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3537.
‘Chop’
“Chop” is a male Rottweiler mix with a black and tan coat.
He is dog No. 4267.
‘Gozer’
“Gozer” is a female shepherd mix with a black and white coat.
She is dog No. 4288.
‘Isis’
“Isis” is a female American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a brindle and white coat.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3732.
‘Jack’
“Jack” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.
He is dog No. 4155.
‘Lady’
“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3683.
The shelter is open by appointment only due to COVID-19.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Email Elizabeth Larson at