The unemployment rate has gone down a notch. In Lake County, Lake Co News reports it was off slightly in December, at the lowest level since the pandemic began. The state Employment Development Department reports Lake County’s December unemployment rate was 5.7%, down .2% from November and a whopping 3 points lower than December 2020. The overall state rate was down .5% from 7% to 6.5% and way lower than the 9.3% it was in December 2020. Marin was the lowest in the state at 2.7%, and the highest was Imperial County at 14.7%. Mendocino was 4.6%, Sonoma, 3.5% and Napa was 4.1%.
A new report shows community colleges bring in a good chunk of California’s economy. The report by Emsi Burning Glass, entitled The Economic Value of the California Community College System shows the schools account for over $128 billion or 4.2% of California’s total gross state product. There are over 115 colleges in the state and are amongst the largest employers. Payroll is $8.5 billion and the schools pay $4.2 billion on daily expenses. There are also almost 1.5 million jobs. The study from data back in the 2018-19 academic and financial reports from the college system and utilizing industry and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau.
A special June election has been called for by the Lake County superintendent of schools for a seat on the Middletown Unified School District Board. It comes after outcry regarding the appointment to the seat. Lake Co News reports the Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said the Office of Education counted enough valid signatures from registered voters on a petition to trigger a special election for the board seat and to remove Annette Lee from the board after her provisional appointment. Lee was appointed with another new board member last month after two others left. Lee said she wanted more inclusive language for vaccine mandates for all points of view, then the petition started for her removal.
Even though Cal Fire said the Jackson Demonstration Forest was closed for logging operations, making it a danger for the public, some protestors showed up anyway. Yesterday the group, Forest Defenders were in one section, protesting what they say is the mismanagement of the forest and for previous citizens arrests. They were calling it “Safety First ” in order to show illegal actions of a private security company. They say the cutting of an old forest of redwoods and douglas fir trees is more than what can be legally removed. And they say they’re worried about another area, the Caspar 500 where they protested last summer.
Two more people in Mendocino County have died due to the coronavirus. The Public Health Dept. announced a 68 year old man from the North County area who was unvaccinated and had no comorbidities was the 112th death in the county; and the 113th was in a 77 year-old woman from the South Coast area; who was fully vaccinated and did have comorbidities.
To find the nearest vaccine clinic in your area, please visit the Public Health website at: www.mendocinocounty.org/covidvaccine
A group is forming to provide support to women in Willits. Dr. Claudia Wenning formed to group for women to gather safely so they can discuss the events of the last two years since the pandemic started. The first Women’s Circle is this Saturday at 5:30pm. And they’re meeting bi-weekly at Quantum Level Health Studio four times. They have a large space and will be able to space out, masks are required and they’ll have hand sanitizer and an air purifier.
For more information, call (707) 371-6104 or email claudia@claudiawenning.com.
A local Pomo band the Koi Nation is teaming up with another tribe, the Chickasaw Nation to build their dream casino near Windsor. Koi leaders announced a predevelopment deal with the Chickasaws, a tribe with many more members who already own 23 casinos in Oklahoma. The new agreement is for a partnership for the Koi’s Shiloh Casino & Resort and the Chickasaws would also manage and operate the facility to include 2,500 gaming machines, a 200-room hotel, six restaurants and food service areas, a meeting center and spa.
Calif. Legislators are reportedly working on a new package of bills regarding the COVID19 vaccine. Lawmakers reportedly want to mandate everyone eligible in the state get vaccinated, and not allow any exemptions. Anti-vaccine activists are against the proposed package and are focusing on Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento, who’s a pediatrician, and who has backed similar legislation after outbreaks of whooping cough and measles. Pan is drafting the new legislation. It’s hard to say if it will move forward and land on the governor’s desk, who’s up for re-election this November, however he did order the covid vaccines be added to the list of required childhood immunizations.
Nurses who have tested positive for COVID19 are being allowed to work in nursing homes. The story from Cal Matters about severe worker shortages, which have only gotten worse due to the omicron strain of the virus. The state Dept. of Public Health is allowing infected healthcare workers to show up, if they have no symptoms. Where there are the worst staffing shortages, symptomatic staffers are allowed to work, but only with COVID patients. The latest report on nursing facility workers showed 11,500 were infected with COVID right now. 93% are fully vaccinated.
Caltrans has announced they’ll start to use low-carbon cement to help reduce the carbon footprint of California’s transportation system. The portland limestone cement (PLC) would mean the work Caltrans does for both road construction and maintenance would generate less carbon dioxide, which is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. The agency says they’ll be able to have the same high quality of work. They also say they expect the reduced energy needs for PLC production will keep the cost at around the same or slightly less when compared to regular cement.
At their latest meeting, the Cobb Area Council started their talks on fire season and efforts to try to stop recent tree mortality. The Record Bee reports the meeting was held online and District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska said she was thankful and hoped everyone tuning in was safe and well, adding county staff had been heavily impacted. She then spoke about the tree mortality issue which occurred last summer with the drought and underlying disease like beetle infestation. She then went on to say, later in the meeting, how folks needed to start hardening neighborhoods against fire and hazard trees and that the county would try to find money to help landowners. The next meeting is February 17th.
The state continues considering the early release of repeat offenders with serious and violent criminal histories. It comes after a judge reversed her own temporary restraining order. Over 2 dozen district attorneys challenged it saying it could mean domestic violence offenders, human traffickers, animal cruelty perpetrators and others would be out on the street. There are around 1,500 inmates in minimum-security facilities eligible to earn enough good conduct credits to lower the time they have by two-thirds instead of one-half.
