The Small Business Administration has approved a request by Mendocino County for a disaster declaration for the Hopkins Fire. So residents impacted by the fire can now apply for low interest disaster loans. They have until December 27th to apply for a loan and for an economic injury loan, that’s next July 26th.
Apply online at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov or reach out at FOCWAssistance@sba.gov or (800) 659-2955
The public is getting access to the three day meeting of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The meeting was posted online as it occurred in Los Angeles yesterday. It’s a day after the commission released so-called “visualizations” of how they see new maps playing out, something the Lake County Board of Supervisors was vehemently opposed to. The visualizations are the new boundaries for Congressional, State Assembly and the state Senate districts could be. They covered the State Assembly Districts for the North Coast region, that includes Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, and parts of Siskiyou and Sonoma counties. Lake has asked to be paired with Sonoma County. The meeting continues today.
The state has put out guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine booster and the shots for the younger age groups. Shots could become available for youngsters as soon as next week. The secretary of the Calif. Health & Human Services Agency, Dr. Mark Ghaly and the state epidemiologist, Dr. Erica Pan spoke on the boosters, which was followed yesterday afternoon by the Governor getting his Moderna vaccine booster at an Asian Health Services’ clinic in Chinatown in Oakland. The public health team said cases are stabilizing, except for those not yet vaccinated, who are nearly 7 times more likely to become ill, and 12 times more likely to end up in the hospital, and 18 times more likely to die.
A man accused in the shooting death of another man in July at a marijuana cultivation site in Laytonville will be held over for a jury trial. 23 year old Oscar Alvarez Ruiz had his preliminary trial where the judge found enough evidence to go to trial. Ruiz is accused of killing 27-year-old Edgar Alejandro Becerra-Almaraz last summer. He was seen running away from the scene and a third person, thought to be involved was freed. Ruiz was eventually caught and held on one million dollars bail for murder, but it was reduced to $800,000 bail, but he’s still in jail.
You might expect such torrential rains would end the drought, but not so fast. Even though Lake County’s season rainfall is now already, way above average, 300% to be exact, Clear Lake is up a nudge only. The Lake County Department of Water Resources reported the level had improved. But alas, more rain is on the way. Showers and possible thunderstorms are forecasted tomorrow and Saturday, then a whole lot more by Monday and into next week.
The body of a woman from Lakeport reported missing earlier this week has been found. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports 75-year-old Shirley Schield left her home early Monday morning. Her body was found yesterday, only about a quarter mile from her home at the Northport Trailer Park. They say they don’t think there was any foul play and an autopsy is planned. Schield was also known as Carol. Her family told deputies she may have had dementia. Deputies set out with Search and Rescue crews and Kelseyville High School K-Corp looking for her. Then yesterday morning the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and the California Rescue Dog Association joined the search.
State Senator Mike McGuire’s bill for seasonal firefighters to enjoy the same workplace laws as full timers is now the law. McGuire’s bill protects these 1,600 seasonal workers under the Firefighter Bill of Rights. McGuire says they’re doing the same back-breaking work as their full time counterparts and put themselves in harm’s way fighting the biggest fires in the nation’s history on the front lines, so it’s time they get equal protections for equal work. The first Firefighter Bill of Rights, passed in 2007, and this updates it so that seasonal firefighters are taken care of after their first year of work.
Sonoma County looks to be over the COVID Delta strain surge. The Press Democrat reports the virus’s highly transmissible strain seems to be dying down. Last month 6 residents passed away though. But there were 38 in August and 25 in September. There are still several hospitalizations, but they’re way down too, to 20. Still the Public Health Department reported similar trends to last year with the peak in August, but hopefully it won’t also peak again in January since we have the vaccinations. As of this past Tuesday the daily rate was just about 8 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, the lowest since July.
Cal Fire says even though we had a lot of rain, the wildfire season continues. The agency says we’re still in peak season for dry, northerly winds and low moisture that follows with moisture out of forests and grasslands. And in Southern Calif., it’s the time of year where Santa Ana winds usually hit. The Mendocino Unit Chief for Cal Fire says it could just take one windstorm to whip up another fire. Cal Fire is also still fully staffed and probably won’t release seasonal firefighters for another couple months.
Clearlake Police have posted some disturbing information on Facebook about free distribution of glass smoking pipes. They say the group Any Positive Change (APC) is distributing the pipes, as they do with needles for IV drug uses. Police say late last year they posted something to get feedback on the proposed renewal of the syringe exchange program authorization for Community Outreach Matters (COM) and from the state Department of Public Health (CDPH). But the community was concerned. Police say the state also expanded the supplies given to include glass pipes, foil and copper wire filters for smoking meth, crack cocaine and heroin. The needle exchange program ended this past April, but Any Positive Change was still exchanging the items. Police say they will be in contact with them, the City Council, Board of Supervisors and Public Health Officer about the expansion of the program. Meanwhile the Facebook post had gone viral and has hundreds of comments.
The wet weather trail closure in the Mendocino National Forest for the Grindstone District has ended. Forest officials have issued new a wet weather trail closure though, this one started this morning for the Upper Lake and Covelo Ranger Districts. Temporary wet weather trail closures start if there’s two inches of rain within one 24-hour period or if the soil is saturated. The wet weather off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail closures restrict the use of OHV trails when conditions are too wet to sustain use without causing soil loss, impacting water quality, damaging trail tread and putting public safety at risk. The closure stays put until there’s no measurable precipitation for 48 consecutive hours.
The license for the Potter Valley Project is up for grabs as PG&E doesn’t want to manage the project. Earlier this week we told you about a petition to get a meeting with Congressmembers Jared Huffman and John Garamendi on the project, as there’s a goal to close the Two Basin Partnership deal by April 2022. California Trout, Humboldt County, the Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and Sonoma County Water Agency have asked for an extension on the license transfer application to work out how to remove the dam and restore the Eel and Russian river basins. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, commonly known as FERC, said no last month. Huffman told the Times-Standard, that wasn’t the end of the world and working toward the April date could be a better way to get there. But he also says if the partnership doesn’t get enough money for all the work and the application, the Potter Valley Project could be decommissioned.
