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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Accommodations include different use of space, both inside and outside of business facilities, in order to promote public health and safety.
To help local business owners comply with health orders by promoting social distancing while maintaining their operations to the greatest possible extent, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin, in his capacity at the county’s director of emergency services, has issued a directive authorizing temporary use of county-owned and private properties for modified business operations.
In practice, this means businesses may “spill out” beyond the normal footprint of their facility, under certain conditions.
Martin’s order will be effective Tuesday, May 26, at 8 a.m., and must be ratified by the Board of Supervisors at its special Tuesday meeting.
Interested business owners in Unincorporated Lake County must obtain a no-cost temporary use permit from the Department of Public Works.
The county reported that it is seeking to make this process as pain-free as possible for businesses, but there are some basic requirements, including:
– A description of the proposed use and drawing/depiction of the proposed location and layout must be provided.
– Proposed use must not significantly affect the operations of businesses in close proximity.
– Additional public or private property used must be kept clean, free of litter and spills.
– Businesses must hold a valid seller’s permit from the State Board of Equalization, and comply with local, state and federal laws, industry-specific regulations and licensing requirements, as well as Public Health orders.
– No permanent structures can be installed under this temporary use permit.
– Businesses will assume liability for any damage to public assets, such as sidewalks and utilities, and name the county of Lake as additional Insured party.
– Use of state highways (such as Highway 20) will remain under the purview of state authorities.
– The county may suspend or interrupt approved temporary uses for needs such as street repairs.
– Vehicle and pedestrian traffic must not be impeded, and properties must remain accessible, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As a consequence of ongoing emergency conditions, the Public Works director, or designee, has been granted the authority to approve and issue these temporary permits without observing customary use permit noticing and hearing requirements.
Determinations regarding proposed uses will be made on a case-by-case basis, and the county may impose conditions of approval, where necessary, to ensure property is safely used, and compatible with surrounding land use requirements.
The Temporary use permit application is available here.
For more information, please contact the Department of Public Works, at 707-263-2341.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The governor on Friday joined California Secretary of Veterans Affairs Vito Imbasciani, MD, to lay a wreath in honor of fallen service members at the Veterans Home of California, Yountville – the largest veterans home in the nation.
The governor also highlighted the state’s efforts to protect vulnerable residents in California’s veterans homes.
“On Memorial Day, we take time to recognize and remember the service members who died fighting for our freedom,” said Gov. Newsom. “We also honor the veterans who are still with us. CalVet has worked around the clock to put into practice the best science and prevention measures to save as many lives as possible in veterans homes, which can be high-risk settings.”
The text of the governor’s proclamation can be found here.
The governor detailed California’s proactive approach to minimizing potential COVID-19 outbreaks at the state’s eight veterans homes, which house 2,400 veterans.
Three veterans home residents have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide since the start of the pandemic and there are zero active resident cases.
Fourteen staff members have tested positive, with no fatalities, and all but two have fully recovered and returned to work.
State officials are working to keep residents safe in the veterans homes across the state. The state took a proactive approach to COVID-19 and was one of the first to prohibit visits to residents, preventing an early surge in cases.
The California Department of Veterans Affairs sprung into action at the start of the pandemic, initiating infection control measures in February. Led by Secretary Vito Imbasciani, CalVet implemented a 38-point plan to prepare for COVID-19 and stop the spread within veterans homes.
Each veterans home has its own detailed emergency operations plan based on the best science and unique characteristics of the home. Every staff member – not just nurses – receive infection control training and each home has a certified infection control prevention nurse on staff.
At each home, staff have their temperature taken every morning and wear face coverings. Rigorous testing is conducted and approximately one in three residents and staff have been tested since the start of the crisis. Suspected COVID-19 cases are closely monitored around the clock and CalVet is in aggressive coordination with local public health to stem any larger outbreaks.
In Yountville, the governor also called on Californians to practice safety measures this weekend.
He reminded Californians that while Memorial Day weekend is a much-needed break for many of us, we cannot drop our guard against COVID-19.
Even as the economy gradually reopens, people must stay vigilant against COVID-19 by:
– Sticking close to home;
– Shopping, hiking or exploring locally; and
– Staying safe by avoiding large gatherings, maintaining physical distance and wearing face coverings when we are out.
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- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
NASA is naming its next-generation space telescope currently under development, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or WFIRST, in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who paved the way for space telescopes focused on the broader universe.
The newly named Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – or Roman Space Telescope, for short – is set to launch in the mid-2020s. It will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe’s expansion, and search for distant planets beyond our solar system.
Considered the “mother” of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which launched 30 years ago, Roman tirelessly advocated for new tools that would allow scientists to study the broader universe from space. She left behind a tremendous legacy in the scientific community when she died in 2018.
“It is because of Nancy Grace Roman’s leadership and vision that NASA became a pioneer in astrophysics and launched Hubble, the world’s most powerful and productive space telescope,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I can think of no better name for WFIRST, which will be the successor to NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes.”
Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who worked with NASA on the Hubble and WFIRST space telescopes, said, "It is fitting that as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, NASA has announced the name of their new WFIRST telescope in honor of Dr. Nancy Roman, the Mother of Hubble – well deserved. It recognizes the incredible achievements of women in science and moves us even closer to no more hidden figures and no more hidden galaxies."
Who Was Nancy Grace Roman?
Born on May 16, 1925, in Nashville, Tennessee, Roman consistently persevered in the face of challenges that plagued many women of her generation interested in science. By seventh grade, she knew she wanted to be an astronomer.
Despite being discouraged about going into science – the head of Swarthmore College’s physics department told her he usually dissuaded girls from majoring in physics, but that she “might make it” – Roman earned a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from Swarthmore in 1946 and a doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1949.
She remained at Chicago for six years and made discoveries about the compositions of stars that had implications for the evolution of our Milky Way galaxy. Knowing that her chances of achieving tenure at a university as a woman were slim at that time, she took a position at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and made strides in researching cosmic questions through radio waves.
Roman came to NASA in 1959, just six months after the agency had been established. At that time, she served as the chief of astronomy and relativity in the Office of Space Science, managing astronomy-related programs and grants.
“I knew that taking on this responsibility would mean that I could no longer do research, but the challenge of formulating a program from scratch that I believed would influence astronomy for decades to come was too great to resist,” she said in a NASA interview.
This was a difficult era for women who wanted to advance in scientific research. While Roman said that men generally treated her equally at NASA, she also revealed in one interview that she had to use the prefix “Dr.” with her name because “otherwise, I could not get past the secretaries.”
But she persisted in her vision to establish new ways to probe the secrets of the universe. When she arrived at NASA, astronomers could obtain data from balloons, sounding rockets and airplanes, but they could not measure all the wavelengths of light.
Earth’s atmosphere blocks out much of the radiation that comes from the distant universe. What’s more, only a telescope in space has the luxury of perpetual nighttime and doesn’t have to shut down during the day. Roman knew that to see the universe through more powerful, unblinking eyes, NASA would have to send telescopes to space.
Through Roman’s leadership, NASA launched four Orbiting Astronomical Observatories between 1966 and 1972. While only two of the four were successful, they demonstrated the value of space-based astrophysics and represented the precursors to Hubble.
She also championed the International Ultraviolet Explorer, which was built in the 1970s as a joint project between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the United Kingdom, as well as the Cosmic Background Explorer, which measured the leftover radiation from the big bang and led to two of its leading scientists receiving the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Above all, Roman is credited with making the Hubble Space Telescope a reality. In the mid-1960s, she set up a committee of astronomers and engineers to envision a telescope that could accomplish important scientific goals. She convinced NASA and Congress that it was a priority to launch the most powerful space telescope the world had ever seen.
Hubble turned out to be the most scientifically revolutionary space telescope of all time. Ed Weiler, Hubble’s chief scientist until 1998, called Roman “the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.”
“Nancy Grace Roman was a leader and advocate whose dedication contributed to NASA seriously pursuing the field of astrophysics and taking it to new heights,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science. “Her name deserves a place in the heavens she studied and opened for so many.”
What is the Roman Space Telescope?
The Roman Space Telescope will be a NASA observatory designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets and infrared astrophysics. The telescope has a primary mirror that is 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in diameter and is the same size as the Hubble Space Telescope's primary mirror.
The Roman Space Telescope is designed to have two instruments, the Wide Field Instrument and a technology demonstration Coronagraph Instrument. The Wide Field Instrument will have a field of view that is 100 times greater than the Hubble infrared instrument, allowing it to capture more of the sky with less observing time. The Coronagraph Instrument will perform high contrast imaging and spectroscopy of individual nearby exoplanets.
The WFIRST project passed a critical programmatic and technical milestone in February, giving the mission the official green light to begin hardware development and testing. With the passage of this latest key milestone, the team will begin finalizing the mission design by building engineering test units and models to ensure the design will hold up under the extreme conditions during launch and while in space.
NASA’s Fiscal Year 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act funds the WFIRST program through September 2020. It is not included in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget request, as the administration wants to focus on completing the James Webb Space Telescope.
For a statement from Nancy Grace Roman’s cousins, Laura Bates Verreau and Barbara Brinker, go to https://go.nasa.gov/2WREEtz . For more information about the Roman Space Telescope, go to https://www.nasa.gov/roman .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Employment Development Department said the state’s unemployment rate rose to a record-high 15.5 percent in April, compared to the 5.5-percent rate reported in March.
California’s unemployment rate for April eclipses the previous record high rate in the current data series of 12.3 percent at the height of the Great Recession – March, October, and November of 2010.
“The unprecedented job losses are like nothing before seen in California history in a current data series that dates back to 1976, and are a direct result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the agency reported.
In Lake County, unemployment rose to 15.2 percent in April, up from 7.3 percent in March and 5 percent in April 2019, based on state records.
That’s not Lake County’s highest unemployment during the three-decade-long data series.
The record so far, based on historical data, is 17.5 percent, which was reached in December 2009.
Data supplied by the Employment Development Department showed that out of Lake County’s 28,320-member civilian workforce in April, there were 4,310 unemployed county residents compared to 2,110 in March, 1,690 in February and 1,460 in April 2019.
Across industry sectors, agriculture in Lake County actually rose by 2.2 percent in April, while the nonfarm sector showed a 10.8 percent drop.
Hardest hit was the leisure and hospitality industry, a key economic contributor in Lake County, which showed a 31.5 percent drop, followed by government, -21.2 percent; other services, -19.6 percent; service producing, -11 percent; and goods producing, -7.9 percent.
Lake County was ranked No. 30 out of California’s 58 counties for its March jobless rate, tying with Sonoma County.
Neighboring county jobless rates and ranks for April are: Colusa, 26.3 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 16.2 percent, No. 38; Mendocino, 14.8 percent, No. 26; Napa, 15.9 percent, No. 36; Sonoma, 15.2 percent, No. 30; and Yolo, 11.9 percent, No. 5.
The lowest unemployment rate in the state was in Marin County, 11.1 percent, while the highest was in Imperial County, which the Employment Development Department said registered a 28-percent rate.
State, nation register record-breaking job losses
California payroll jobs totaled 15,049,300 in April 2020, down 2,344,700 from March 2020 and down 2,324,000 from April of last year.
The state’s month-over non-farm payroll job loss of 2,344,7002 for April is the largest on record, the Employment Development Department reported.
April’s job loss total for California is over one million more than the job loss the state experienced during two and a half years of the Great Recession, when 1,318,400 jobs were lost between July 2007 and February 2010, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said the number of unemployed Californians rose to almost 2.9 million over just two months, surpassing the previous 2.2 million peak during the recession that took more than two years to reach.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that April’s nationwide unemployment rate rose more than 10 percent to 14.7 percent, compared to 4.4 percent in March and 3.6 percent in March 2019.
The agency’s report said nonfarm payroll employment decreased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in April.
Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in April, 28.2 percent, followed by Michigan, 22.7 percent, and Hawaii, 22.3 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the rates in 43 states set new highs in a data series that began in 1976.
The report said Connecticut had the lowest unemployment rate, 7.9 percent, followed by Minnesota and Nebraska, 8.1 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. In total, 27 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates lower than the U.S., 10 states had higher rates, and 13 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
Industries impacted across the board
The Employment Development Department said every one of California’s 11 industry sectors lost jobs in April.
The hardest hit was the leisure and hospitality industry, which posted the largest job loss statewide, with a loss of 866,200 jobs, which was more than double that of trade, transportation and utilities (-388,700), the state’s second-largest industry sector loss. Mining and logging posted the smallest job loss, down by 500 jobs.
The number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased by 94,500 jobs from March to 322,500. The agricultural industry has lost 94,300 farm jobs since April 2019.
Employed Californians and Unemployment Insurance claims
The number of Californians holding jobs in April was 15,682,900, a decrease of 2,432,900 from March and down 2,852,700 from the employment total in April of last year, the state said.
At the same time, the Employment Development Department said the number of unemployed Californians was 2,885,300 in April, an increase of 1,833,100 over the month and up by 2,078,800 compared with April of last year.
In related data that figures into the state’s unemployment rate, the Employment Development Department there were 1,889,250 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the April 2020 sample week. This is a sample week that includes the 19th of each month. That compares to 424,645 people in the sample week of March 2020 and 364,431 people in the sample week of April 2019.
Concurrently, the state said 325,516 initial claims were processed in the April 2020 sample week, which was a month-over increase of 139,037 claims from March 2020 and a year-over increase of 281,485 claims from April 2019.
The most recent Unemployment Insurance filing numbers for Lake County only go through the beginning of March. During the first three months of the year, Lake County had actually shown a downward trend in Unemployment Insurance claims, reporting 1,028 claims in January, 914 in February and 836 in March.
Email Elizabeth Larson at