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- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities are continuing to try to locate an elderly Sonoma man who was last seen on Thursday and whose pickup was found in Clearlake on Monday morning.
Robert Fuentes, 78, left his Sonoma home on Thursday and failed to return, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and Sonoma Police Department.
Authorities said he left his cellphone at home and it was assumed that he was traveling to the downtown area of Sonoma. After he didn’t return, he was reported missing on Friday.
Fuentes has medical issues that require medication and treatment. He was last seen wearing black pants and a gold button-up golf shirt.
Authorities said he was driving a white Nissan Frontier with a California license plate of 6T77152, and a Sonoma High School Dragons sticker in the rear window.
On Monday, the Clearlake Police Department found the pickup, but not Fuentes, said Sgt. Jeff Toney of the Sonoma Police Department.
Detectives with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit are currently investigating this case, which is normal protocol, Toney said.
Anyone who sees Fuentes is asked to immediately call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at 707-565-2121 or the local police or sheriff’s office.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With more thunderstorms in the forecast for Monday morning, the National Weather Service has placed Lake County and a large area of the state under a red flag warning.
The red flag warning is from 2 to 11 a.m. Monday.
The National Weather Service said a red flag warning fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
On Sunday morning, Lake County residents witnessed a spectacular thunderstorm that began before dawn and was shot through with a bright sunrise and a double rainbow.
Thousands of lightning strikes were reported across the state on Sunday, but no serious fires were reported in Lake County.
However, on the Mendocino National Forest, six lightning fires resulted from the Sunday storm, with five of them on the Grindstone Ranger District and one on the Covelo Ranger District, forest officials reported.
The National Weather Service said the thunderstorms forecast for Monday morning – the result of another weather system originating from the tropics – also will be capable of causing new fire starts “due to their relatively dry nature and fast-movement, along with the continued dry fuels and low humidity conditions in place.”
The forecast calls for scattered showers on Monday morning and erratic and gusty winds, with west-northwest breezes picking up late Monday afternoon and evening.
At the same time, Lake County remains under a hazardous weather outlook due to the heatwave affecting the western United States.
The National Weather Service said hot weather will persist much of this week, with daytime temperatures on Monday and Tuesday expected to reach or surpass the century mark, before rolling back slightly into the high 90s through the weekend.
As a result of the heatwave and the draw on power, the California Independent System Operator has issued a statewide Flex Alert calling for voluntary electricity conservation through Wednesday.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18.
The supervisors will meet in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, for a hybrid meeting format which also will include the opportunity for community members to continue to participate virtually.
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 930 6842 2167, password 196920.
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 9:01 a.m., Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace will give the board his COVID-19 update.
At 10:30 a.m., the board will hear an appeal of the Lake County Planning Commission’s decision to approve a major use permit and initial study for a small-scale bioenergy production facility at 7130 Red Hills Road, Kelseyville.
At 11:45 a.m., the board will get a report from Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez on the status of preparations for the Nov. 3 election, and consider a request for the use of the board chambers for election purposes on Election Day.
Also on Tuesday, the board is expected to hold a second and final reading of an ordinance to enforce COVID-19 Public Health orders through education and training and the imposition of administrative fines. The board approved the ordinance’s first reading in a 3-2 vote – with Rob Brown and Bruno Sabatier voting no – at last week’s meeting.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt resolution approving amended Agreement No. 18-0288 with the state of California Department of Food and Agricultural For reimbursement of commercial cannabis cultivation compliance inspections for fiscals years February 2019 through June 2021 in the amount of $7,000.
5.2: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 20-0270-009-SF with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to authorize the execution of the Light Brown Apple Moth Detection Trapping Program from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, in the amount of $2,714.
5.3: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 20-0286-000-SG with California Department of Food and Agriculture for compliance with the Bee Safe Program in the Amount of $4,178.56 for the period July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.
5.4: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 20-0067-000-SA with the state of California, Department of Food and Agriculture and authorize the execution of the Fuels, Lubricants, and Automotive Products Program agreement for the period of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, in the amount of $2,475.
5.5: Approve resolution of the Board of Directors, South Lake Fire Protection District, calling for a special election for the purpose of establishing a new appropriations limit.
5.6: Approve abandoned vehicle towing and disposal contracts for the following service vendors, (a) Jones Towing for an annual amount of $30,000 not to exceed $30,000 over a one year period, (b) Kelseyville Auto Salvage and Towing for an annual amount of $10,000 not to exceed $10,000 over a one year period and for a term from Aug. 19, 2020, to June 30, 2021, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: Approve Wildfire Smoke Protection Policy.
5.8: Adopt resolution approving an agreement between the state of California Department of Healthcare Services and County of Lake Health Services Department for the Medi-Cal County Inmate Program for Administrative Services and authorize the Health Services director to sign said agreement.
5.9: Adopt resolution rescinding prior rejection and accepting certain roadways for public use for the purpose of providing drinking water to the community of Alpine Meadows Subdivision, Cobb.
5.10: Approve award of bid for the Bartlett Springs Road at Cache Creek Bridge Rehabilitation Project, Bid No. 20-09, Federal Aid project No. BRLO-5914(092) to Techno Coatings Inc of Anaheim, California, in the amount of $685,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.11: Adopt resolution approving the addition of a .75 FTE position allocation for Budget Unit 8695, Special Districts.
5.12: Authorize the Lake County Watershed Protection District to sign and enter into an agreement with the Local Government Commission for independent contractor services through the AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellowship in the amount of $52,000 for two CivicSpark Fellows to develop and implement a Clear Lake Shoreline Assessment and Inventory.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Public input.
6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 10 a.m.: Presentation of an annual report on the activities of Lake County Resource Conservation District.
6.4, 10:30 a.m.: Appeal to Board of Supervisors, AB 20-01 of Major Use Permit (UP 19-05) and Initial Study (IS 19-09) (APN 009-021-07).
6.5, 11:30 a.m.: Consideration of letter to Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry regarding the vape tax proposal presently under consideration.
6.6, 11:45 a.m.: (a) Report on the status of preparations for the Nov. 3, 2020, election, and (b) request for the use of the board chambers for elections purposes on Nov. 3, 2020 .
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Second reading, adopt ordinance of the county of Lake to provide for graduated levels of enforcement of public health orders through education and training and the imposition of administrative fines.
7.3: Consideration of the following appointment: Mental Health Board.
7.4: Consideration of request to waive competitive bidding requirements and authorization to issue a purchase order for the purchase of an Elgin street sweeper for county road maintenance to Sourcewell, in the amount of $276,715.30 and authorize the Chair to sign.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will take place via webinar beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18
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 877-309-2074 or 213-929-4221. The access code is 348-108-827; 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.
During public presentations, the council will meet new Lakeport Police Department trainee officers Aaron Hodges and Juan Altamirano.
Under council business, City Manager Kevin Ingram will present to the council the prepared site plan and amenity features designs for the proposed Lakefront Park, located at at 800 and 810 North Main St., and seek direction for staff to proceed in the development of engineered construction level design plans for the project.
In June, the city council authorized the city manager to contract with SSA Landscape Architects to aid the city in the planning, design, engineering and project management of the proposed Lakefront Park project, Ingram said in his written report for the meeting.
“Over the past several weeks the City and SSA have worked closely together to refine the proposed concept plan and develop a site plan with defined spaces and specific details regarding actual elements of the design, including space requirements, adjacencies, circulation, support spaces, access and egress, and landscape features,” Ingram said.
Following the approval of the site plan, Ingram said SSA will begin to develop engineered project plans to be utilized for the construction of the project. “Substantial changes to the project
design in the future will not be possible without significant costs and time delays to the overall project. It is anticipated that the environmental review for this project will be completed in the next couple of weeks and be presented to the Planning Commission for review and approval in September or October, Ingram said.
He also reported that engineered construction level plans are expected to be completed and the project put out to bid for construction by the end of the year.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Committee met last week to look at the plans, and Ingram explained that the project – funded by a $5.9 million state grant – has an ambitious timeline, with a requirement that it be completed and open to the public by June 2020.
In other business, Finance Director Nick Walker will ask for the council’s approval of a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign the statement of assurances and submit an application for State Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds for improvements at the Silveira Community Center.
If awarded, the city would enter into a contract with Bridges Construction and authorize the purchase of kitchen equipment from Sysco and to enter into a facilities use agreement for use of the kitchen at the center.
Also on Tuesday, the council will consider accepting the $20,000 donation from Lake County Public Educational and Governmental TV and approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $24,925 for the purchase and installation of upgraded audio/visual equipment in the council chambers.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the special council meeting on July 31 and the regular council meeting on Aug. 4; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 public health emergency; adopt the proposed resolution updating the Cal OES designation of applicant’s agent for non-state agencies by designating the city manager, director of finance, and director of public works as city agents utilizing Cal OES Form 130; approval of a resolution rescinding Resolution 2763 (2020) and revising the master pay
schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5.
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