CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will take on several big issues at its meeting this week, including ordinances to address panhandling and allow dogs in parks, consideration of whether to pursue a city park smoking ban and a survey on support for a sales tax ballot measure to improve local roads.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 14, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Council members will discuss the results of a polling effort by the Lake County/City Area Planning Council on a proposed countywide sales tax measure to support local road improvement and transportation projects.
A report that will be presented at the Lake County/City Area Planning Council's Wednesday meeting said the polling results are encouraging, showing broad support among several hundred county residents who were surveyed.
City Manager Joan Phillipe will ask the council whether it supports a ban of smoking in all city parks, an item she said was first discussed at the April 12 meeting.
Included in the agenda packet is a copy of the city of Lakeport's ordinance banning smoking in parks, enacted in 2006. After meeting with Police Chief Craig Clausen, Phillipe said he favored an ordinance like Lakeport's, although he told Phillipe it would not be a high priority enforcement issue for his staff.
In other business, following on recent discussions, the council will hold the introductions and first readings of ordinances restricting panhandling in the city – which police say is a growing problem – and setting guidelines for allowing dogs in parks.
Also on the agenda, the council will discuss erecting a peace pole in Austin Park in recognition of the Lake County Summer of Peace; continue a previous discussion on the city's multi-way stop sign review; and consider a joint use agreement between the city and the Konocti Unified School District for use of Haverty Field.
Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com .
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Didn't we go through that no-action Action some years ago? Sales tax in Clearlake was raised to 7.75%. Funds were supposed to be used to do something about local roads.
A few instances of the usual cut and paste method of road improvement were actually completed. Most of the "improvements" have already failed. If sales tax is raised again which holes in which streets will get a very small amount of attention, only to fail as those supposedly done in past years?
Years ago Manchester Street, Clearlake, was in such horrible condition a few people who could scrape together some interest in seeing to it that the problems of huge potholes, no paving ever, etc., tried to find some county or state agency that would DO something about the conditions.
Big surprise, not one consulted group did anything but utter the Lake County CA Mantra which goes "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do" which was followed by: "Call this number. I think it's the place you want."
Repeat the mantra and the "Call this number" several times or however many times it takes to get back to the first number phoned....and there is still nothing that could be done.
It was also claimed by several do-nothing agencies that "Well, Manchester is a private street, the City can't do anything about y'all's problems." Side note, don't we just love the Speech a la Redneck that proliferates from one end of Lake County to the other? No. But I digress, as usual.
Home-owning residents along Manchester Street said "Alright, we will put up a toll gate at Austin/Manchester Streets and High Valley/Manchester."
"Oh no," cried the Powers That Be (but cannot get anything done) "you can't do that. Ambulances, fire trucks, delivery trucks need to be allowed to use the street so a toll gate can't be put there, nor even just a person there to collect tolls."
"Aha," said the residents, "so Manchester Street is not a private street after all, if all those vehicles may use it even if not doing any business on that street. It needs graded, graveled, other preparations to numerous to go into now and, finally, paved."
"Well, no" whined the P that B. "We already told you there's nothing we can do, did you try any of these numbers?," and the speaker waved a piece of paper in the air.
Bottom line, Manchester Street and too many other residential streets and even, gasp!, the streets used primarily by tourists who bring all their money here...at least it's hoped the tourists hand their money over to many tourist-catering businesses here...got little or no attention. Rather like the poverty-level residents here: not enough attention because they are not rich.
In a few places as I've already written some bits of "improvement" were made to the roads. The supposed improvements sometimes lasted through ALL, golly, of a season. But the improved bits that eventually failed were not given any more attention. No one knows why.
And when the lie about the first Make The Streets Better was exposed for what it was the second lie went like this "Well, Clearlake needs a new police station, new Crown Victorias need to be bought, things like that." That was in approximately 1994.
The police station was built and a few people began working there. The new Crown Vics, some of them anyway, sat in the parking lot day after day after week without moving an inch.
How do I know this? Because I walked to work past the new cop shop 4 days a week. Twice each day I saw the same Crown Vic parked in the same space, seat belt loop hanging out where the car door had been slammed on it. Never moved.
And now we are supposed to sit still for ANOTHER raise in taxes? Why?
How about the homeless people worried over in the article be put to work picking up cigarette butts from the parks, along streets, and so on? Oh and give them gloves and plastic bags for the collection of what dog-walkers will not bother themselves to pick up and dispose of properly. There you go. Several suggestions for several issues....and the lie about why taxes need to be raised can be retired again and possibly used later. Who knows? Someone might think that people will let it slide past their attention again.