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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lake County Public Health posted the latest numbers on its COVID-19 dashboard.
Of those 100 confirmed cases in Lake County, 18 are active and 81 have recovered. On Friday, Lake County Public Health reported one death attributed to the virus.
As of Wednesday, two patients were hospitalized. So far, Public Health said nine people have been hospitalized during the course of treatment.
County public health departments statewide reported more than 290,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 6,700 deaths as of Wednesday night.
Case totals for neighboring counties are Colusa, 98; Glenn, 153; Mendocino, 107; Napa, 453; Sonoma, 1,519; and Yolo, 760.
Public Health said 5,272 tests have so far been conducted in Lake County.
Overall in California, 4,996,175 tests have been conducted in California, the California Department of Public Health said on Wednesday. That represents an increase of 99,805 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period.
As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected, increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread, state officials said.
The state said local health departments have reported 16,629 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 95 deaths statewide to date.
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There are three seats available, each for a four-year term, on the November ballot.
The seats which will be up for election in November currently are held by Tim Barnes, Kenny Parlet and George Spurr.
Interested candidates must be registered to vote and reside within the city limits of the city of Lakeport.
The deadline to file nomination papers for the seats will be Thursday, August 6, at 5 p.m., or by appointment only on Friday, Aug. 7.
Each candidate must be nominated by not less than 20 nor more than 30 registered voters; therefore, it is recommended that you pick up your nomination papers well in advance of the deadline for filing to allow time to gather signatures.
If you are interested in running for Lakeport City Council, please contact City Clerk Kelly Buendia at 707-263-5615, Extension 101, or Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, for further information and to set up an appointment to pick up and review the nomination packet.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the city asks that candidates call ahead for an appointment with the clerk’s office during the nomination period.
Regular business hours for Lakeport City Hall are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The clerk’s office will be available, with 24 hours’ notice, on Fridays by appointment only, to assist candidates with filing their nomination papers.
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Ingram, named assistant city manager in January as part of the city succession plan, previously served as the city’s Community Development director.
The council’s approval of his contract formalized his hire as of Aug. 1, the day after retiring City Manager Margaret Silveira’s last official day on the job.
City Attorney David Ruderman presented the contract negotiated with Ingram to the council at its virtual Tuesday night meeting.
Ruderman went over the key points of the contract, which runs for an initial term of two years and eight months, from Aug. 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. The contract automatically renews in additional one-year increments thereafter, unless the city council provides advanced notice of nonrenewal.
The base salary is $140,844, with an annual performance bonus of up to $1,500 and cost of living adjustments that match other at-will city employees, Ruderman reported.
The contract’s terms give Ingram regular CalPERS retirement benefits, life insurance and long-term disability insurance that is equal to that provided to the city’s management employees, 20 days per year of vacation leave, one sick leave day per month, 80 hours of administrative leave each year, a monthly car allowance of $400, a cell phone stipend and technology allowance.
“I’m so pleased that we did the succession planning that we did and we have such a great candidate to take over,” said Councilwoman Stacey Mattina.
Mayor Pro Tem Kenny Parlet, who ran the meeting in the absence of Mayor George Spurr, said he couldn’t agree more with Mattina’s sentiments.
There was no public comment before Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve the contract, which was seconded by Mattina and approved 4-0.
Also on Tuesday night, during its consent agenda items, the council approved a retirement incentive for Silveira, which Ruderman explained was a cash-out of 822 hours of salary that will create salary savings because Silveira is retiring 18 months ahead of the end of her contract term.
Silveira told Lake County News last month that she decided to retire early in an effort to save money for the city – which is facing revenue challenges due to COVID-19 – while at the same time taking the opportunity to spend more time with family.
Ingram told the council that he’s honored to be the next city manager, adding it’s been a privilege to work with Silveira.
“She’s been a fantastic mentor from day one,” he said, adding she’s left big shoes to fill but also has provided the tools to do the work.
Parlet said Ingram has a huge job to do to catch up to Silveira’s accomplishments, wishing him luck in doing so.
In other business on Tuesday, the council voted to rename the city’s community center in Silveira’s honor and directed staff to start the process of changing the name of Westside Park Road to “Charlie Jolin’s Way,” in honor of the man who played a key role in envisioning and creating the park.
The council also held a public hearing for the adoption of the housing element update of the general plan, continued a protest hearing regarding vegetation abatement to the Aug. 4 meeting, directed the preparation of a report detailing properties that are delinquent in water and sewer charges, approved an amendment to the franchise agreement with Lakeport Disposal Inc. and awarded a $567,141 construction contract to Team Ghilotti Inc. for the Second Street Sidewalk Improvement Project.
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The Sleeper fire burned near Upper Lake while the Mart fire prompted limited evacuations in Clearlake.
The Sleeper fire was first reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the area of Highway 20 and Highway 29 near Upper Lake.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire were among the agencies responding, according to radio traffic.
Northshore Fire Chief Mike Ciancio reported over the radio just before 3 p.m. that forward progress had been stopped on the fire, with line all around it.
Units were reported to have remained on the scene until evening for mop up.
Cal Fire spokesman Will Powers said the fire burned 4.3 acres.
Shortly after 3 p.m., the Mart fire was reported near the Clearlake Walmart store on Dam Road.
Lake County Fire, Cal Fire and Clearlake Police were on scene, with police assisting with evacuations along Dam Road while firefighters dealt with spot fires and downed power lines that caused a power outage to hundreds of customers.
Firefighters stopped the fire’s forward progress at around 5 p.m, with police lifting evacuations shortly afterward.
Powers said the Mart fire burned approximately 2.4 acres.
The Clearlake Police Department said an initial fire assessment showed one residence was partially burned and two other structures destroyed.
Officials on Tuesday did not release information on the causes of the fires.
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