School Resource officers, a rental ordinance, and those controversial new fire maps are all part of the agenda for the upcoming Clearlake City Council meeting. The council will discuss an agreement with the Koncti School District for two more resource officers. The district says the officers will help keep students safe. Also at Thursday’s session, members will continue discussing a proposed rental registration and inspection ordinance. They tabled the plan last March to give staff and local real estate agents more time to refine it. The draft will have its first reading. And, like other communities, the council will adopt those new CalFire risk zone maps. The state requires adoption, as is, unless the zones are made more restrictive. In approving their designations, other communities have expressed concerns about the potential for high insurance rates and changes to sales agreements on properties now in a higher-risk zone. Across Lake and Mendocino counties, thousands of acres have been bumped into a higher risk zone since the last time Cal-Fire drew up risk maps in 2011. The council will meet on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the council chambers.
Lake County has a new public health officer. The Board of Supervisors has chosen Dr. Robert Bernstein for the position, effective September 2nd. He is an MD with a specialty in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. His experience includes work with the state Department of Health and county agencies in Tuolumne and Butte Counties. He says he’s looking forward to the new opportunity and helping to keep Lake County healthy.
A new CHP officer on patrol in the Ukiah area is working on familiar ground. Gabriel Madrigal is a Willits High grad who graduated from the CHP academy and has a background as a corrections officer with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department.
Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit is set to receive a significant boost to its firefighting capabilities. The CH-47D helicopter, a key piece of equipment that was on loan to other regions, is returning to its Home base. This powerful chopper, which played a crucial role in battling several major fires around the state last year, including the massive Toll fire near Calistoga, can carry 2,300 gallons of water and operates at night. Cal Fire says its presence makes the community safer.
