LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The county of Lake Administrative Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services are embarking on important plan updates that will impact every citizen who resides or invests here.

An “update” to the approved Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or CWPP, created in 2009, is available for public review at http://www.lakecountyca.gov/government/boards/lcfsc.

The County Administrative Office will host a workshop to gather public input on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m., in the Board of Supervisors chambers, 225 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, and on Zoom (passcode 064951). For additional information contact Lake County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors inaugurated the formal process for updating the approved Lake County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, or NHMP, on Sept. 13, authorizing the formation of a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee chaired by the Office of Emergency Services. One representative from each Supervisorial District is invited to serve on the committee. For additional information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Community-based organizations are especially encouraged to join in the ongoing planning processes, to ensure the revised plans include the needs of our unique “wildland-urban interface” communities for wildfire related mitigation measures.

After seven long years and several major wildfire disasters, significant improvements in emergency response strategies, such as Cal Fire’s immediate airborne response approach, are well received, but risk reduction projects — many of them identified in the current CWPP and NHMPs — lack integration into community-based plans of action.

The city of Clearlake and the city of Lakeport have separately adopted natural hazard mitigation plans that will be merged into the next edition of the county’s NHMP.

In the unincorporated territory of the county, citizens are encouraged to participate in local municipal advisory councils to share the wisdom of wildfire and other disaster survivors with emergency responders and local planning advocates.

Those councils include:

• East Region Town Hall: Clearlake Oaks, Glenhaven, and Spring Valley.

• Middletown Area Town Hall: Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown, Anderson Springs.

• Cobb Area Council: Cobb, Loch Lomond.

• Scotts Valley Community Advisory Council - Scotts Valley, City of Lakeport water services.

• West Region Town Hall: Blue Lakes, Bachelor Valley, Upper Lake, Nice.

Lucerne Area Town Hall: Lucerne, Kono Tayee, Paradise Valley