How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
As of Wednesday, the Forest Service said the August Complex has burned 796,651 acres and is 30-percent contained. It began following on Aug. 17 following thunderstorms that moved over the region.
The Forest Service said the complex has destroyed 35 structures and continues to threaten another 400.
The complex is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.
The August Complex South Zone, which includes the Doe fire that had burned into northern Lake County, has burned 531,471 acres, the US Forest Service reported.
The August Complex-South Zone will hold a virtual public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, to provide a fire overview and to allow the public to ask questions. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
Officials said the complex’s South Zone continues to grow in size as fire crews make good progress in some locations, while conditions in other areas are proving difficult.
The sheer size of the fire creates varying fire activity across the vast terrain and fuel conditions, the Forest Service said.
Firefighters were successful in implementing additional control line and containment measures along the eastern portion of the fire on Tuesday. The Forest Service said crews completed burning operations near Salt Creek that will provide a secure containment line once mop-up of the area is complete.
The fire continues to progress south toward Lake Pillsbury where extreme dry conditions and heavy vegetation are allowing for substantial fire growth despite having favorable winds from the southwest, the Forest Service said.
In the Lake Pillsbury area, fire crews are constructing dozer and hand lines, and tying into previously constructed lines from the 2018 Ranch fire. Firefighters are also installing hose lays and implementing measures for structure protection, officials said.
Officials said evacuation orders remain in place for Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin.
In the southwest area of the fire within the Yuki and Sanhedrin Wilderness Areas, fire behavior remains active, and growth has progressed west of Impassible Rock. The Forest Service said air tankers are being utilized to provide protection of important communications facilities with retardant drops.
In addition to the evacuations in Lake County, evacuation orders also are in effect for portions of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. Evacuation information can be found at Inciweb.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Registration is open through Oct. 1, and the event can be completed any time through and including Oct. 11.
All proceeds go to support the volunteer tutors of the Adult Literacy Program and to purchase books to distribute through the Families for Literacy program, to help break the cycle of illiteracy.
The coalition invites individuals, friends and families who enjoy walking and running to participate, and those who aren’t runners or walkers to donate to our effort to increase literacy skills in Lake County.
“Virtual events have some real advantages in this time of COVID-19,” said Coalition President Deb Ehrhardt. “Instead of a large group all running at the same time, the Virtual Walk/Run for Literacy can be completed any time between Sept. 11 and Oct. 11, 2020. And it can be completed anywhere you choose – in your neighborhood, on a trail, in a park, or even inside on a treadmill. All distances are self-timed, and submitting your result is optional.”
This year, in addition to the 5k run/walk and 10K run, participants can choose any distance they prefer. Children or seniors might prefer a shorter distance; competitive runners a longer distance.
The first 100 people to register receive a free Lake County Literacy Coalition headband.
Participants are encouraged to refer others to the event. “When you register online, you are sent your own identity link which you can send to friends. When four friends register using that specific identifying link, Run Sign Up tallies them and sends an automatic refund after four have registered and paid $25,” said Nancy Hudson, the 2020 race director. “The $20 refund is generated by Run Sign Up and goes directly to the original participant’s credit card.”
Registration fees are $25 per adult (age 19 and over) and $10 per child (ages 7 through 18). Children under age 7 pay no fee and do not need to register.
Online registration is encouraged here; a minimal processing fee applies.
Printed registration/T-shirt order forms can be requested from the Literacy Coalition at
“T-shirts and headbands will be mailed by Nov. 1 to the address you provide to Run Sign Up, or on the printed registration/order form,” said Ginny Cholez, coalition Vice President.
For additional information about the nonprofit Coalition and the Virtual Walk/Run for Literacy, visit the coalition’s website or call 707-263-7633.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.
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, Sept. 17.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
At the start of the meeting, the council will meet September’s adoptable dogs and get a presentation from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on public safety power shutoffs.
The council will then hold the first reading of an ordinance adopting the city’s development impact fee program for transportation.
Also on Thursday, the council will hold the first reading of an ordinance to amend the section of Clearlake Municipal Code relating to commercial cannabis businesses.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report on the item explained that over the past two meetings the council has discussed changes to the city’s commercial cannabis ordinances.
At the Sept. 3 meeting, Flora said the council provided direction to staff to amend the limitations on the number of commercial cannabis businesses, including delivery-only dispensaries, while continuing to limit the location of the businesses based on the Commercial Cannabis Combining District map.
He said the Clearlake Municipal Code limits retail dispensaries in the city to three, delivery-only dispensaries to two and other cannabis businesses – such as those involved in indoor cultivation, distribution, manufacturing and labs – to 12.
Based on council direction at the previous meeting, retail dispensaries would continue to be limited to three while delivery-only dispensaries and other cannabis businesses wouldn’t be limited on the basis of numbers but on locations on the city’s Commercial Cannabis Combining District map, Flora said.
If the council holds and approves the first reading of the new ordinance, it would be brought back for a second and final reading at the Oct. 1 meeting.
The council also is set to consider awarding a contract to the California Engineering Co. for professional engineering services in the amount of $455,000 for the Sulphur Fire Road Rehabilitation Project.
Director of Public Works Dale Goodman’s report to the council said that the project area is San Joaquin from Arrowhead to Gooseneck, and on Lakeshore from Olympic to Oak. “Most of the smaller roads within the fire area will also be included in the project for a total of approximately 10 miles of work. Design will include guardrail and storm water improvements along both roads.”
The total Sulphur Fire Road Rehabilitation project is expected to be approximately $10 million, Goodman said.
Goodman said the funds for the engineering contract will come from the PG&E Sulphur Fire litigation.
In council business, the council will consider adding a radio voting receiver site for the police department, take up the adoption of a third amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget to appropriate funding for professional services, equipment and supplies, and discuss the 2020 League of California Cities Annual Conference resolutions.
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 Aug. 12 Lake County Vector Control meeting; ratification of purchases of a Bobcat Toolcat 5600 with accessories and used K-Rail barrier; acceptance for filing the 2020 Local Agency biennial notice regarding amendments to the conflict of interest code; consideration of rejection of bids for the Austin Park Bus Stop Renovation/Relocation Project.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: JOHN CREAMER
Poverty rates declined between 2018 and 2019 for all major race and Hispanic origin groups.
Two of these groups, Blacks and Hispanics, reached historic lows in their poverty rates in 2019. The poverty rate for Blacks was 18.8 percent; for Hispanics, it was 15.7 percent.
The historically low poverty rates for Blacks and Hispanics in 2019 reflect gains for race and Hispanic origin groups that have traditionally been disadvantaged compared to other groups over time.
These estimates, released today, are from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, or CPS ASEC.
Changes in surveys over time can make historical comparisons difficult. Using a methodology proposed last year, we can adjust the historical series to account for statistically significant impacts of recent CPS ASEC survey redesigns.
The figure below charts historical poverty rates for each of the major race and Hispanic origin groups and Hispanics in the CPS ASEC.
Adjustments are made for Asians, Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites because the recent survey changes resulted in statistically significant changes in poverty rates. Poverty rates for Hispanics are not adjusted because the survey changes did not result in statistically different poverty rates.
The figure shows that for Blacks, the poverty rate of 18.8 percent in 2019 was the lowest rate observed since poverty estimates were first produced for this group for 1959. The previous low for this group was 20.8 percent in 2018.
Poverty rates in 2019 were also the lowest ever observed for Hispanics (15.7 percent), compared to the prior low of 17.6 percent in 2018. Poverty statistics for Hispanics date back to 1972.
The Asian poverty rate of 7.3 percent was also the lowest on record.
The 2019 poverty rate of 7.3 percent for non-Hispanic Whites was not statistically different than the previous low (historically adjusted) of 7.2 percent in 2000 and 7.3 percent in 1973.
Distribution of poverty by race and Hispanic origin
The historically low poverty rates for Blacks and Hispanics in 2019 reflect gains for race and Hispanic origin groups that have traditionally been disadvantaged compared to other groups over time.
However, even with these gains, Blacks and Hispanics continue to be over-represented in the population in poverty relative to their representation in the overall population.
The figure below shows the ratio of people in poverty by race or Hispanic origin group to each group’s share of the total population.
If the poverty population is perfectly proportional to the total population, we would expect the ratio to be 1.0. If a group is over-represented in poverty, the ratio will be greater than 1.0. If the ratio is less than 1.0, the group is under-represented in poverty.
In 2019, the share of Blacks in poverty was 1.8 times greater than their share among the general population. Blacks represented 13.2 percent of the total population in the United States, but 23.8 percent of the poverty population.
The share of Hispanics in poverty was 1.5 times more than their share in the general population. Hispanics comprised 18.7 percent of the total population, but 28.1 percent of the population in poverty.
In contrast, non-Hispanic Whites and Asians were under-represented in the poverty population.
Non-Hispanic Whites made up 59.9 percent of the total population but only 41.6 percent of the population in poverty. Asians made up 6.1 percent of the population and 4.3 percent of the population in poverty.
These disparities are especially pronounced among children and people ages 65 and older.
The share of Non-Hispanic White and Asian children in poverty was about half of their share in the general population. Among people ages 65 and over, the shares of Blacks and Hispanics in poverty were approximately twice their share in the general population.
Time trends
The figure below shows that over time, non-Hispanics Whites have consistently been under-represented among the population in poverty, while Blacks and Hispanics have consistently been over-represented. Asians have been under-represented in poverty for the last 20 years.
The adjustment for survey changes is not made here for simplicity.
The figure shows that there has been a gradual decrease in the degree of over-representation of Blacks and Hispanics in poverty.
After the Great Recession ended in June 2009, the degree of overrepresentation stayed level for Blacks, while the ratio moved closer to one for Hispanics, continuing a trend which started in the mid-1990s.
One potential reason for the recent trend is that since 2008, median household income for Blacks has grown at a slower rate than median household income for Hispanics.
The figure below tracks median household income using 2019 dollars from 2008, the last full year of the most recent recession, until 2019.
Like Figure 1, the series below implements adjustments to the estimates for groups whose median household incomes were statistically changed by the survey improvements.
In 2019, median household income for Black households was $45,438 compared to $56,113 for Hispanic households, $76,057 for non-Hispanic White households, and $98,174 for Asian households.
Since 2008, median household income increased 14.1 percent for Black households, compared to 24.3 percent for Hispanic households, 11.1 percent for non-Hispanic White households, and 25.7 percent for Asian households.
For more information on year-to-year poverty changes and household income, see Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019.
John Creamer is an economist in the Census Bureau’s Poverty Statistics Branch.