The Lake County Board of Supervisors is meeting this morning at 9am in Lakeport. The Public Works Director informed the board earlier this month that the State Water Resources Control Board issued a draft emergency order with notice of public comment and more. Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-5-23 gives California the authority to require every water right holder in the Clear Lake Watershed to submit reports of water usage including location, extraction volumes, frequency and other information in the state’s efforts to protect the Clear Lake hitch. The board also plans to hear a presentation summarizing spawning this year from the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee. There will be two public workshops in October for the public to comment on the order.
During the Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting this morning, the Board plans to hear a presentation by North Coast Opportunities on the Lake County Home Hardening Program, according to Lake County News. During the meeting they plan to authorize an agreement with the California Cannabis Authority. Approval is expected for a bid on the Chalk Mountain Bridge Replacement Project for over $6 million. A public hearing continued from last week will be considered regarding ag-exempt and temporary cannabis structures and more.
The United Disaster Relief of Northern California is planning a $40K in 40 Days Fundraiser in Ukiah with a matching donation of $20,000 from Stand For Kindness for the campaign. The organization helps residents with immediate and long-term assistance to those affected by both man-made and natural disasters with resources and information. The Fall Fundraiser is aimed at getting funds for winter months and is entirely virtual. Anyone can contribute at UDRNC.org. Stand For Kindness is based in Ukiah and has been helping fire survivors since 2017. In the six years of its work tens of thousands of people impacted by disasters have been helped.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is releasing an update to a murder investigation. On Sunday Jesus Joel Romero was found dead in Point Arena. Authorities named Antonio Coria Garcia as a suspect in the homicide and arrested him. Authorities were called by Garcia and he was booked into jail for fatally shooting Romero. Early Sunday morning, a family member of the victim called the Sheriff’s Office to report Romero had been physically assaulted at a bar in Point Arena. Deputies found his body on Ten Mile Cut Off Road. There is a second person of interest the Sheriff’s Office is looking into. The California Department of Justice along with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation into the incident.
CalFire has a new statewide program to train people in defensible space and home hardening. They’ll be working with local and state agencies, academic staff and other organizations in the Defensible Space Assessment Program. The training will help educate property owners about wildfire safety improvements to structures and helping residents and businesses harden spaces to be more wildfire resilient. The California Conservation Corps will host training for its members and staff this Fall. The CCC will then start assessments on state facilities in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The group will also conduct vegetation reduction projects. Those who are trained can then help homeowners reduce fire risk and ensure defensible space requirements.
There is pending legislation to expand the Lake Berryessa National Monument. The Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland along with BLM and US Forest Service leaders met over the weekend to discuss the expansion to include Condor Ridge, or Molok Luyuk and work with Tribes in the management of the area. The monument was established in 2015 to protect the biodiversity and protect essential habitat for fish and wildlife. The Bureau of Land Management has created a new Tribal Liaison position in the state to collaborate with area Tribes. MendoFever reports the visit helped federal and state leaders understand a vision for conserving the natural and cultural resources in the area.
Governor Newsom is announcing legislation that strengthens protections and supports Californians in the LGTBQ+ community. AB 5 sets timelines for cultural competency training by public school teachers and staff. Lake County News reports Newsom also signed SB 857 that creates an advisory task force to help LGBTQ+ student needs and help with support. AB 223 also was signed by Newsom that requires any petition for a change of gender and sex identifier by a minor be kept confidential. A host of other bills were signed by the governor including the Safe and Supportive Schools Act and Foster care resources, school facilities all-gender restrooms and more.
CHP is releasing an update to the fatal crash off of Cow Mountain. On Sunday morning CHP responded to the Clear Lake Area to a crash on Trail 17 near Scotts Creek Road in the Cow Mountain Recreation Area. A Toyota SUV was headed north on Trail 17 when it veered off the road and flipped down the mountain multiple times. The driver, a 64 year old man was thrown from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected in the accident. CHP continues to investigate.
The City of Lakeport is looking to fill positions on the commission or in committees. Lake County News reports the city is looking for applicants for the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board, the Vector Control District board and Economic Development Advisory Committee. The positions would begin January 1st of 2024. There will be a special meeting where appointments will be formally made in early November.
The first tribal-nominated marine sanctuary designation in the country is being announced this month. Tribes are negotiating a partnership that includes 80 national parks including Point Reyes. The Bay Area News Group reports the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are working with park management to help solve the issue of the tule elk reserve. Strategies include removing a two mile long fence to give elk more access to food and water. Public comment on the project closed yesterday and the tribe will continue working with the park on next steps. In a written agreement in 2021, tribes get preferential access to land in what some call a co-stewardship of the seashore.
The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit is announcing a nearly $32 million grant will help extend the line 5 miles from Windsor to Healdsburg. The money is coming from the Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program. The newest funding has allowed SMART to finance 65 percent of the section along with bike and pedestrian paths. The rail system will also use $4 million to replace locomotives with newer models emitting less smog. The Press Democrat reports since 2021, the transit system has received over $221 million to expand the line north.
New legislation will help broaden penalties for human trafficking of minors in California. Lake County News reports SB14, signed by Governor Newsom, designates trafficking of a minor for commercial sex as a felony and a serious crime that would be included in the Three Strikes Law. The bill includes harsher penalties and sentencing enhancements for those convicted. Last year, California funded the Human Trafficking Task Force with the California Department of Justice to arrest more criminals and help victims. California has set aside $25 million for the prevention, intervention and services for minor victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
Roads are closed in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest due to the onset of the rainy season. The closure affects all ATVs, motorcycles and vehicles, but can be used for hiking, biking and horseback riding. If there are roads that aren’t formally closed but are wet, drivers are discouraged from driving on the west and soft surfaces, in order to prevent further damage to forest roads. There are some roads that are open thru the winter, but may close periodically depending on weather conditions or forest management activities. All State Forest campgrounds will be closed from October thru spring.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is taking another look at the Northern California and Southern Oregon Populations of fishers to decide if they should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. In a release issued in KymKemp, the Service is looking for information from the public to broaden the scope of their information. Fishers are medium mammals in the same family as weasels, mink and otters. They are looking at rodenticides and toxicants, the threat of wildfire, vegetation management in forests and climate change projections. Their year long investigation into listing the fisher will go through August of next year. If anyone has information on fishers in their area, they are asked to reach out to the US Fish and Wildlife Service by October 26th.
A bill to help striking workers is on the governor’s desk. If Newsom signs it, striking workers could get unemployment benefits. SB 799 would provide benefits to workers who’ve been on strike for at least 2 weeks, according to the Record Bee. Close to 70,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are threatening a strike if they can’t reach an agreement with the chain by the end of this month. So far this year, 180,000 people have joined strikes in the state lasting over two weeks. Labor leaders say the move would help those companies whose employees are on strike, while employers say the bill would force them to pay for strikes and overburden the state’s unemployment insurance system
