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- Written by: Lake County News reports
California residents in high-risk areas must do their part to protect their communities by creating and maintaining defensible space around their homes and structures.
With COVID-19 restrictions limiting Cal Fire’s ability to conduct annual defensible space inspections this year, property owners are urged to conduct a defensible space self-assessment.
Over the next few weeks, California property owners in wildland-urban-interface communities will receive a flyer with information on accessing the online defensible space self-assessment. The flyer also highlights steps for creating defensible space around homes and buildings, and ways to harden your home to be more wildfire resistant. The self-assessment survey is easy to use and should only take a short time to complete.
“This self-assessment helps our inspectors comply with social distancing recommendations while still collecting vital information,” said Chief Thom Porter, CAL FIRE Director. “We urge you to participate in the survey and do your part to protect your community by creating defensible space and hardening your home to increase its chances of surviving a wildfire.
“It only takes one flying ember to bring wildfire to your home,” emphasized Porter. “Fire can spread from house to house, especially in more densely populated areas, due to flying embers. Direct flames, as well as radiant heat from burning plants or structures can also catch a home on fire. This is why it is so important to create defensible space and harden homes – it’s a community’s best fighting chance against wildfire.”
Defensible space consists of two zones extending 100 feet from any home or structure cleared of dead trees, brush and vegetation.
Maintenance of these two zones creates a buffer to slow or stop the spread of wildfire.
Home hardening is preparing your home to increase its chance of surviving a wildfire. Upgrades of fire-ignition-resistant materials to roofs, eaves, vents, siding, windows, decks, fences and more can help prevent wildfire from destroying the house.
Visit www.readyforwildfire.org for more information.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace confirmed the six new cases on Wednesday.
The new cases bring Lake County’s case total to 20, Pace said.
Regarding the newly confirmed cases, Pace said, “Most are connected with a previous case, so we would consider it a cluster. No one is in the hospital at this point.”
Of Lake County’s 20 cases, 10 are active and 10 are recovered. No deaths locally have been reported.
This is the largest number of new cases reported at once in Lake County so far during the pandemic. With the two cases confirmed on Memorial Day, it brings this week’s confirmed cases to eight.
As of Wednesday, more than 1,700 of Lake County’s 64,000 residents had been tested for COVID-19, according to Public Health’s latest reporting.
Pace had reported to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that a special test site had been set up on Friday in response to concerns about one of Lake County’s active COVID-19 cases. At that time, they tested 95 people.
The first 40 tests results came in over the weekend, yielding two positive test results which were reported on Monday, as Lake County News has reported.
Pace told the board on Tuesday that another 55 test results were expected to come back any day.
However, Pace did not respond to Lake County News’ questions about whether or not the latest six cases came from among those pending test results from the Friday site.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is planning a special meeting to discuss the sale of two parcels that formerly made up the Austin Resort property.
The council will meet virtually at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 27.
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 Lake County PEG TV’s YouTube Channel.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
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.
To give the city council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments prior to 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 27.
The key business on Wednesday’s special meeting agenda relates to the proposed sale of the Austin Resort properties to Bailey Building and Loans LLC, which wants to build a destination resort at the site.
The sale will be taken up in two separate items because the property consists of two parcels.
The first is the 4.74-acre parcel located at 14061 Lakeshore Drive and owned by the city’s redevelopment successor agency since 1997.
The second property, located at 14071 Lakeshore Drive, is 2.94 acres. The former redevelopment agency also purchased the property in 1997 and in 2001 sold it to the city.
City staff is seeking approval from the council to authorize separate purchase and sale agreements for the two properties between the respective property owners – the redevelopment successor agency and the city – and Bailey Building and Loans LLC.
The council initially approved a letter of intent to sell the properties to Bailey Building and Loans in March. Last week, the Clearlake Planning Commission held a special meeting during which it found the proposed sale to be in conformance with the city’s general plan.
City Manager Alan Flora said the property has been envisioned by the city as the site for public space and a new resort.
“The Austin Resort property has had mixed interest in redevelopment over the years,” Flora’s report to the council for Wednesday’s meeting explained.
“The Redevelopment Agency portion of the property has been available for sale, but no significant or viable interest until the past several months,” Flora wrote.
He said representatives of the company met with city staff and Mayor Russ Cremer and Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten to discuss the opportunity at the site.
The company is proposing to buy both parcels for $915,350, Flora reported.
Flora said the city would receive 100-percent of the proceeds from the sale of 14071 Lakeshore, or $350,407, and 15.73 percent of the proceeds from the sale of 14061 Lakeshore parcel, which would total $88,815, based on calculations from the Lake County Auditor-Controller’s Office.
Other taxing entities also would receive funds from the sale of the property owned by the successor agency. Flora said the biggest share would go to the Konocti Unified School District, which would receive 44.7 percent or $252,534.
The oversight board for the former successor agency still has to meet to discuss the proposed sale; that meeting is set for June 8.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – is the approval of Amendment No. 1 to the management and administrative services agreement with Regional Government Services for consulting services, with an amount not to exceed $45,000, and authorize the city manager to sign.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
On Tuesday Behavioral Health Services Administrator Todd Metcalf went to the board to ask it to consider amending an agreement with the Harbor Warming Center Project for the COVID-19 shelter for the homeless.
The center is located in Lakeport in the former Record-Bee building on Main Street. Originally it was supposed to close in the spring but has been extended for additional months in order to offer a location for the homeless to shelter in place.
The amendment increases the contract maximum from $79,511.74 to $152,664.66.
Metcalf said this second round of funding allows the shelter to continue operating through the end of June.
“I think giving the Hope Harbor Center another month is definitely needed,” said Supervisor Tina Scott, explaining that the center is looking for strategies on how to wind down.
She said the center has done great work and helped its clients to get other services. “It’s really been a win-win for the community.”
Metcalf said he had some other ideas for the money “but this is the obvious place it needs to go.”
He also noted the ongoing discussions on how the center will close and transition its clients. Metcalf said they are trying to come up with some creative solutions to mitigate some of the homelessness problem here in Lake County.
Scott moved to approve the amendment, which Supervisor EJ Crandell seconded and the board approved 5-0.
In other business, the board ratified an order issued on Friday by Sheriff Brian Martin, acting as director of the Office of Emergency Services, that allows business owners to temporarily use county-owned right of way and property – such as sidewalks – in order to be able to meet social distancing guidelines.
As part of that item, the board voted to send a letter to Caltrans asking that it also allow local businesses temporary use of state-owned properties during the reopening phases.
Also on Tuesday, the board considered returning to in-person board meetings.
Board members favored a hybrid approach that included having the board return to the chambers but continuing to do live Zoom and Facebook streams – along with the Granicus feed on the county website – in order to allow more people to participate without having to crowd into the chambers.
Board Chair Moke Simon suggested the board could resume meeting in person on June 9.
He said he liked that the live streams on Zoom and Facebook have opened up the meetings for more people to be involved and for the government to be more transparent. Other members of the board agree.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said she can start drafting guidelines for resuming the in-person meetings.
Email Elizabeth Larson at