California Lawmakers are hoping to highlight issues important to state residents at President Biden’s State of the Union speech tonight. Congressman Adam Schiff will be there, fresh off his victory in Tuesday’s Senate race. His guest will be the president of the United Farm Workers, the nation’s largest and oldest agricultural labor union. Schiff says it’s important to remind people that farm workers are the ones who put food on tables. Other guests from the state include a labor leader, a school superintendent, and an AI expert.
Election workers are nowhere near done counting California’s primary ballots. That’s why some races are still too close to call, like Proposition One. At last check, voters seem to be evenly divided on the state measure, which would work to improve the homelessness crisis. It would allow a six-billion dollar bond to be used for building mental health treatment and housing facilities for Californians living on the street. Several counties will release updated results today or tomorrow. The Secretary of State is required to certify them all 38 days after the election.
The four Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies who were injured during a car chase and shootout on Monday are recovering. The Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff’s Association says the deputy who was critically injured is still in the hospital, but his condition is improving. The other three deputies are recovering at home. One deputy was shot in the leg, two injured their hands and the fourth deputy has a significant head injury. The chase started after the suspect fired on the deputies with an AK-47. The suspect was killed in a shootout after the chase ended in a crash.
California’s biggest utility is asking for more time to fork over one-billion dollars. The payment is due at the end of the month and will go to ratepayers who financed wildfire costs and bailed PG&E out of bankruptcy. A petition filed with state regulators says the company is struggling with financial challenges and requests an extension. So far, the Public Utilities Commission has yet to give an answer.
Santa Rosa City Councilman Chris Rogers is holding a slim lead against fellow Democrats in his bid for a state assembly seat. Rogers is one of six Democratic candidates hoping to advance to the general election for the District Two assembly seat in November. Rogers has 19.6 percent of the vote. In second place is California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks with 18.9 percent of the vote. Republican Candidate Mike Greer is leading the overall race with 28 percent of the vote so far. He would face the Democrat with the most votes. The field of candidates and the assembly district represent Sonoma, Mendocino, Trinity, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
If you love to watch the weather and are always keeping tabs on how much rain we get, there’s a national organization that needs your help. Volunteers are needed for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. Northwest Californians can be a part of the network of home based rain spotters. The Network began after devastating floods hit Colorado in 1997 and has been helping the National Weather Service ever since. The network even added drought reporting recently, taking a look at the dry conditions across the country. If you’d like to volunteer for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, click here.
The Lakeport Unified School Board decided Wednesday night to approve layoffs. They say it’s part of the leadership’s plan to address their budget shortfalls. Lake County News reports the meeting was crowded last night, with members of the public overflowing the board room and standing in the lobby. The Superintendent told the audience the cuts could be attributed to the state’s dropping revenues and said layoffs will affect both certified and classified staff, including some union representatives. The board said they will notify those being laid off by March 15th.
Along with its regular meeting today, the Clearlake City Council will also have a fire mitigation fee workshop. The workshop starts at 5pm in the council chambers, followed at 6 by the city council meeting. Among today’s agenda items are declaring this month March for Meals Month and a presentation from the Lakeshore Lions Club. The public is welcome to attend and bring their comments. The city council meeting will also be live streamed on YouTube and is available virtually on Zoom.
Lakeport will hold a city wide spring clean up day this month. Residents and business owners are invited to help clean up the city on Saturday, March 30th from 9am to 2pm. The event is being held in the public parking lot near the 5th Street Boat ramp, downtown Lakeport. See CityofLakeport.com for guidelines or check out the event on the city’s social media pages.
