The Lake County Health Services and Water Resources Departments along with the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians have some advice about a potentially dangerous natural toxin cropping up in Clear Lake and other bodies of water over the next few months. As temperatures begin to rise, there’s concern about contamination from Cyanobacteria in lakes, rivers and streams. Cyanobacteria are microscopic organisms that naturally occur in all freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems. Concentrations usually are low and harmless to humans and animals. However, when conditions are favorable with high nutrients and warm weather, the organisms can rapidly grow to form visible icky-looking blue-green algae blooms. People are most often exposed while swimming or participating in other recreational activities in and on the water. The most common routes are direct skin contact, accidental ingestion of contaminated water, or accidental inhalation of water droplets in the air — for instance while water skiing. If you come in contact, you could have some nasty stomach and other symptoms that could be severe with a long exposure. The best bet is to avoid any algae on the water and watch for warning signs that will be posted if tests show any bacteria in the area. The county has information on its web page—as do the EPA and CDC.
Lake County officials say they’re keeping an eye on illegal cannabis operations and the water they use. Planning Commissioner Erin McCarrick and Code Enforcement Manager Marcus Beltramo told those at the Clearlake Judge’s Breakfast forum this week that while there is a state reporting system in place for cultivators to help track water usage across the industry, such a system only includes permitted operations. That leaves the state to guess the total amount of water used by illicit cannabis grows. Beltramo says that the Code Enforcement Department recently got a grant to hire a dedicated officer, who deals with all cannabis-related issues including illegal growers and water use. He also says the county is focusing on large illegal operations and now has the ability under a new law to cite those responsible, which could result in stiff fines.
The Clearlake City Council has adopted a plan to pay for millions of dollars in roadwork over the next few years. Lake Co News reports the council has unanimously approved direct financing for the projects through a bank. Council members did have some questions, asking city staff about the recent rise in interest rates that a bank would change. They were told it still makes sense to lock in rates now rather than wait to see where they eventually go. Council members say it is important to move ahead with road work and repave a significant number of city streets as quickly as possible.
PG&E is looking for approval to pull in more revenue from customers to pay for improved facilities and operations. That could mean higher bills to cover the cost of capital projects like burying miles of infrastructure underground to keep it from sparking wildfires. PGE bills have already gone up twice this year. If the state PUC approves the request, you could see your bill go up between 1 and 2 percent a month by next January.
The rate of positive Covid-19 tests in California is going up. The State Deparment of Public Health reports California’s test positivity for COVID-19 has increased to 3.1%, up from the 2.6% just reported Tuesday. That puts the rate at its highest point in about 2 months. The latest numbers represent a small fraction of the peaks from the omicron surge, but the metrics are now trending consistently upward. This is the first time the graph lines have risen since the omicron variant first emerged in December. The bottom line — those new numbers are causing new worries about potential a fifth wave of the pandemic.
Even with the new numbers, the state is making some tweaks to its Covid policy at work. The The Cal/OSHA Standards Board says there should be no distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated workers while rules about barriers and physical distancing have been dropped to focus on ventilation and air filtration. Requirements for surface cleaning in offices have also been scrapped. The Board says it is time for a more flexible approach while adapting rules to the changing nature of the pandemic.
The Legislature has taken a dramatic step as a way to lower the standard for the amount of water people can use in their homes during the drought. Right now the standard is residential indoor water use is 55 gallons/person/day. Those who use more water than they are allowed don’t get into any trouble, but the state then requires water agencies to allow the same amount to be used by all customers. State regulators measured last year at about 48 gallons/person/day or less and recommended state lawmakers lower it further to encourage more conservation. Yesterday the state Senate voted to lower it to 47 gallons beginning in 2025; and 42 gallons in 2030. The Assembly still has to vote on it to get it to the Governor’s desk for signature.
The state Department of Public Health has a new Spanish and English language WhatsApp chatbot to fight misinformation about COVID-19. It’s a partnership with Meta or Facebook. Those who use the service will be fed up-to-date info regarding the safety of vaccines, how to get vaccinated, and how to get digital records of vaccinations. The state says this will reinforce the commitment to make sure all have access to vaccines through a data-driven and equity-centered approach. There are other ways the chatbot fights misinformation to reach out to Californians and make sure they’ve been vaccinated and boosted.
It’s free to all and can be accessed by scanning a QR code or texting “hola” to 833-422-1090.
For more info, visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-833-422-4255 (833-4CA-4ALL).
The former director of the pharmacy at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley is in trouble related to fake vaccination cards. The US Dept. of Justice charged Ranna Shamiya for supposedly selling bogus COVID-19 cures to patients and creating falsified vaccination cards. She was found to be working with a naturopath out of Napa, Dr. Juli Mazi. The fed says Shamiya used her ability to get medical information and then hand it over to Mazi with “legitimate lot numbers for FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines” so the vaccination cards looked real, when they were not. There were over 20 people charged nationwide for COVID-19 fraud schemes similar to Shamiya’s.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors could be about to change the way cannabis is taxed and how much permits cost. At their meeting Tuesday, the Board, who had their first in person and online meeting in two years, discussed ways to bring down cannabis taxes and come up with a way to freeze permit costs for inactive cultivation sites. The two items were turned into a single agenda matter. There was support for both measures as growers have been complaining for a while about the high rates. The board is also considering a tax reduction for current growers with Supervisor Williams proposing a 50% cut. County staff reported nearly $7 million in taxes have not been collected and last year about half of permitted cultivators didn’t pay taxes.
After a fire broke out in the parking lot of the Safeway on State St., fire officials pegged it on how a car’s battery was wired. Mendo Fever reports the fire was coming out of the car’s engine. There was smoke billowing into the sky that appeared to be coming from the car’s wheel well and engine compartment. Police had to break the car’s window to try to release the hood, but it melted. They used 2 fire extinguishers to work the fire until firefighters arrived. They cut through the car’s engine bay to finally get the flames out. The owner of the car was not there at the time.
Another mountain lion seen in Redwood Valley. Now a resident says one of his cat’s and a neighbor’s dog are missing. Mendo Fever reports Chris Van Patten said the animals have been missing since the lion was caught on a home security system camera April 16th. He says a lion was on his property April 8th and his Ring camera caught the animal slinking up towards the camera. Then again April 16th, another shot of the animal scoping out the environment. The news site says they are sending the video to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife because the mountain cat had on a tracking collar.
The Ukiah Unified School District Board of Trustees says it wants to change to trustee area elections. The board held public hearings on the matter twice last month, then new maps were drawn up in accordance to the Federal Voting Rights Act, the California Voting Rights Act, and community input. They released the maps at the beginning of April, then last week the board had one of two public meetings on the maps. The input the Board received changed the maps again and they will do the same after the second meeting which is next Wednesday.
You can view the latest maps at https://www.uusd.net/apps/news/article/1590676. Please email trusteeareamapfeedback@uusd.net to provide feedback on the maps. For more information, please contact UUSD Communications Officer Doug Shald at 707.472.5005 or dshald@uusd.net.
State Senator Mike McGuire’s bill to get PG&E to underground their wiring has passed two major policy committees. The bill is supported by Cal Fire firefighters and passed the Senate Energy Committee and the Governance & Finance Committee. McGuire says it’s been far too long that PG&E has failed its customers, making California, unsafe. He says the company has underfunded modernizing their equipment and wildfire safety with devastating impacts. He says the only way to avoid future catastrophe is to move power lines underground in the most high fire risk regions. He says his bill will save lives and ratepayers money.
