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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 16 June 2020

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to create cost-effective microgrids to reduce the number of customers affected by public safety power shutoff events and mitigate the impacts to those who remain affected.

Lake County was impacted by several of PSPS events last year, which PG&E used in response to severe weather conditions that it said threatened the electric system and could have resulted in wildland fires.

PG&E said its Community Wildfire Safety Program includes short-, medium- and long-term plans to make its electric system safer. These plans include installing new grid technology, hardening the electric system, and performing enhanced vegetation management, all with the goal of making PSPS events smaller in size, shorter in length, and smarter for customers. Microgrids are one tool in these efforts.

PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras told Lake County News that the company is preparing 63 substations across 19 counties, with eight of them in Lake County in locations including Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville and Lakeport.

By preparing these substations, PG&E will be able to more quickly and efficiently interconnect generation during PSPS events, Contreras said.

On Wednesday, June 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., PG&E will hold a webinar for Lake and Mendocino counties on its ongoing safety work to prevent and mitigate the serious risk of catastrophic wildfires and to keep them healthy and safe.

For information or to join the webinar visit here.

Plans for grid resilience

For 2020, PG&E’s microgrid solutions focus primarily on building grid resilience and keeping the power on for customers in communities that have a high likelihood of experiencing a future PSPS event.

To that end, PG&E has reserved more than 450 megawatts of temporary mobile generation to be deployed in four ways detailed below, each with a unique objective:

– Substation microgrids: PG&E will use temporary generation at safe-to-energize substations to support safe-to-energize customers and communities affected by transmission line outages during PSPS events. PG&E is preparing 63 substations to be ready to connect temporary generators as need arises during PSPS events, subject to operational logistics and generator availability. In addition to temporary generation, in certain instances, PG&E will leverage existing local, permanent generation sources to power safe-to-energize substations and customers during PSPS events, including PG&E’s Humboldt Bay Generating Station and a third-party owned natural gas plant in Red Bluff.

– Temporary microgrids: PG&E will serve designated areas like “main street” corridors by rapidly isolating them from the wider grid and re-energizing them using temporary generation during an outage. These temporary microgrids will be used in selected communities where PG&E can safely provide electricity to centrally located resources such as medical facilities and pharmacies, police and fire stations, gas stations, and banks. Construction is underway at four temporary microgrid generation sites, and PG&E anticipates having 10 sites ready to energize by the end of 2020.

– Backup power support: PG&E will deploy temporary generation on an as-needed basis to critical customers for whom the failure of existing backup power would directly or indirectly affect public safety. Deployment would be dependent on generator availability and subject to operational considerations. Additionally, PG&E has worked closely with the California Hospital Association and Hospital Council of Northern and Central California to identify hospitals supporting the COVID-19 response effort that have a higher likelihood of experiencing a PSPS event. PG&E is developing grid-based solutions where possible and supporting hospital readiness and resiliency planning, to ensure that those hospitals remain energized in a PSPS event.

– Community resource centers: PG&E will provide Community Resource Centers to support customers and communities affected by PSPS events. Some of these facilities may need temporary generation in order to give customers a climate-controlled location where they can charge devices and receive refreshments. PG&E remains flexible with CRC deployment plans to adjust to the COVID-19 restrictions and best practices.

Community Microgrid Enablement Program

On Friday, the CPUC also approved PG&E’s new Community Microgrid Enablement Program in which PG&E will partner with local communities to identify and build multi-customer microgrids serving local critical facilities and/or customers with disabilities or functional needs that are not already served by other microgrid solutions offered by PG&E.

The program will help communities design microgrids by providing enhanced technical support, improved access to relevant utility information, financial support for qualifying projects, and tariffs to support the accounting for the flows of services, energy, and costs among the parties.

PG&E will refine the eligibility criteria and other program requirements through consultation with local governments and communities, with a goal of full program implementation and projects in development by November.

PG&E intends to model future community microgrid projects on the Redwood Coast Airport Renewable Energy Microgrid project, a collaboration between PG&E, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University, Humboldt County, and Tesla, Inc., among others.

This front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid project featuring PV solar paired with battery energy storage is on schedule for commissioning and full operation in December 2020.

The Redwood Coast microgrid will provide renewable energy for 18 customer accounts, including the Arcata-Eureka Airport and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, and serve as a lifeline for Humboldt County in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.

The microgrid will be capable of disconnecting from the broader grid (island mode) and operating as an independent, PG&E-operated grid segment during a power outage.

Learn more about PG&E’s wildfire safety and PSPS mitigation efforts by visiting www.pge.com/wildfiresafety .

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 15 June 2020

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of many annual events, the city of Clearlake’s July 4 celebration will take place in a modified format that will include its popular fireworks display.

The Lakeshore Lions Club plans and organizes the annual July 4 celebration for Clearlake and has done so for decades, and will present the 63rd annual event next month.

At the Clearlake City Council on June 4, City Manager Alan Flora told the council that the Lions Club was working to move forward on its plans for a celebration.

Then, this past week, the Lions Club announced that it is moving ahead with a modified version of the event.

The Clearlake fireworks show will take place beginning at dusk, but other key aspects of the event, such as the annual parade, carnival and classic car show, won’t be held because the Lions Club said the typical format “just wasn't feasible given the current situation.”

It promises to be the only major public fireworks display for Lake County this year, as the pandemic has led to the cancellation of the displays in Lakeport and Clearlake Oaks.

The Lions Club said this year’s event will offer food vendors from 4 to 8 p.m.

Those who wish to participate in the celebration can expect two elements, the Lions Club said.

The two elements include a "drive in" experience for those with vehicles and a "picnic in the park" experience for those walking in. The club will be welcoming a $10 donation to park vehicles in an effort to make up for a lack of fundraising opportunities so far this year.

Families driving in can park their vehicle and enjoy the fireworks display just as they would enjoy a drive-in movie. “Vehicles will be parked with adequate space between them to adhere to social distancing,” the Lions Club said.

“The ‘picnic in the park’ experience will allow those on foot to come and sit on the grass in designated areas, again adhering to social distancing guidelines,” the club reported.

The Lions Club is encouraging social distancing and the wearing of masks when people are away from your designated area or vehicle. Restrooms and handwashing stations also will be available.

Separately, Flora told Lake County News that there are plans to livestream the fireworks show for those who prefer to watch them at home.

“We plan to have Austin Park open for the weekend. We will also do a small ceremony for the raising of the flag, which has been delayed this year, but I don’t have all the details on this yet,” Flora said.

At its meeting on Thursday, the Clearlake City Council is expected to approve the Lakeshore Lions Club’s special event application, including its request to close down several streets – Lakeshore Drive from Olympic Drive to Division Avenue, Austin Road from Lakeshore Drive to Pine Street, and Olympic from Pine Street to Division Avenue – from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 4.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 15 June 2020

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors has directed staff to bring back a proposed urgency ordinance that will give local officials enforcement options – including administrative penalties – when businesses and members of the public do not comply with county Public Health orders.

The draft ordinance, discussed in concept last week, will be discussed as an untimed item during the board’s meeting this Tuesday. It will apply in the unincorporated county.

It can be seen below.

The ordinance temporarily designates county Code Enforcement officers as compliance officers who “shall offer training, information, and other assistance to local businesses and members of the public as necessary in order to foster compliance with state and local public health orders and the County’s reopening plan during this period of the gradual reopening of the County of Lake.”

The document states, “In those rare situations where members of the public and/or local businesses reject offers of assistance and refuse to take corrective action to attain compliance with state and local public health orders and the County’s reopening plan, Compliance Officers may issue citations assessing administrative fines or penalties as described hereinbelow.”

The draft ordinance gives the Public Health officer the authority to determine whether a violation of the ordinance, state and local public health orders, and/or the county’s reopening plan exists and the authority to take appropriate action to gain compliance. It also gives the Public Health officer the power to issue notices of violation, the power to assess and collect civil fines and penalties, and the power to enter and inspect public and private property.

It would allow the Public Health officer and compliance officers the ability to impose administrative fines up to the maximum fine or penalty amounts for infractions set forth in subdivision of California Government Code section 25132.

That code section sets a first violation fine of $100, $200 for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation and up to $500 for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year of the first violation.

The document also includes an administrative appeal process for anyone served a notice of violation.

Proposal raised at last week’s meeting

The discussion that gave rise to the draft ordinance was not on the board’s original agenda last week and was added as an extra item over the objections of Supervisor Rob Brown, who countered that it did not meet the parameters for adding an item to the agenda.

Board Chair Moke Simon and Supervisor EJ Crandell said the proposal came from a “reopening committee” of local officials. The timing also was said to be connected to the next phase of reopening that began on Friday.

Simon said the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport have similar ordinances in place allowing enforcement. “Enforcement, at some point, needs to be put into place.”

Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said the proposal is not about penalizing people for not opening their business, but enforcing proper and safe behavior that allows the county to move forward in a good way.

He said they’re not trying to fund their department through citation funds.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier opposed taking punitive measures against businesses, offering instead that the county needs to talk about masks and lead by example. He said for businesses, some customers are more difficult than others.

“In my opinion, we should be finding ways to help our businesses, not ways to push them in a corner to make sure that they’re following the rules,” he said, noting that he’s observed that the majority are following the rules and regulations for reopening.

“There’s different ways to make this happen. I’m not in favor of penalizing. I’m in favor of continuing the conversations,” he said.

Crandell said that his concerns about rules arose from finding out that some local vacation rentals are continuing to be rented in violation of the county health order.

“As of Friday, that’s a moot point,” Sabatier replied, referring to the next phase of reopening that will include tourism amenities like vacation rentals to reopen.

Simon said the issue wasn’t just with masking but with social distancing and large gatherings. “Education is No. 1,” but Simon said there needed to be a conversation about the next step if there is noncompliance.

“The majority of our businesses are doing the right thing,” said Supervisor Tina Scott.

Scott said she wanted to see businesses requiring employees to wear masks, but she wouldn’t agree to penalizing businesses for the behavior of their customers.

Brown said he didn’t think they needed to have the conversation, as he maintained the county can’t enforce requirements like masking.

“It’s more wasted time and pretending that we’re doing something that’s going to make a difference,” Brown said, adding that they needed to trust people to run their own businesses.

So far, complaints submitted to the county about businesses or other organizations and their lack of adherence to county public health orders have been forwarded to board members, who in turn have reached out to educate businesses.

Sabatier said he wasn’t sure what other board members’ experiences were, but noted of the complaints, “There’s a strangeness to almost a majority of them,” with personal issues attached to the general issues of noncompliance. He said people have complained about coworkers and in one case an individual complained about their church.

“I wouldn’t want to see staff wasting their time on this,” Sabatier said.

He said Lake County has an elderly and medically fragile population whose members had to be careful about where they went and what they did before the pandemic, and will continue to have to do so for quite some time.

Unless the county starts to see a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Sabatier said they shouldn’t be having a discussion about penalizing businesses. “We need to reopen the economy, not open ‘em so we can slap them.”

County Counsel Anita Grant asked if the board wanted monetary sanctions included in the draft. Simon said he wanted staff to return to the board with an enforcement document that includes penalties.

“An ordinance without teeth isn’t an ordinance,” said County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.

Crandell said all of the entities on the reopening committee wanted to see a document with teeth.

During public comment, the board heard a mixture of reactions.

Lakeport resident Michael Green suggested they should focus on flagrant and repeat offenders and that it didn’t need to be punitive. “What nobody wants to do is close this county down again.”

Business owner Amy Crook said she worried about a blanket policy for all businesses, explaining that one size doesn’t always fit all, especially in the small business world.

Cathleen McCarthy told the board that she feels like continuing with masks is the best thing to do to protect businesses from closing again. She said she’d like for businesses to stay open and make progress and recover, and suggested the best way to ensure that is for people to wear masks.

There were three board members – Crandell, Scott and Simon – who supported bringing back the matter for further discussion.

However, Grant said the board ultimately will need to have four of its members vote in support of the urgency ordinance to have it go into effect.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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