Monday, 24 March 2025

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Dr. Nikki Thomas. Courtesy photo.

We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond. If you’re looking for a happiness hack, try focusing on gratitude and appreciation.

A stoic philosopher named Epictetus who lived in first-century Rome believed happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not.

Probably the most important thing in our power is our mindset — that is, how we choose to approach life. When we go through life practicing gratitude and showing appreciation, we feel happier (and we often make others happier, too).

Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness within yourself. Appreciation is something you extend to others. When we consistently focus on the positive aspects in any situation, we train our brains to look for what’s possible instead of what’s not. And when we let others know how they’ve made our lives better, we reinforce those actions and build strong connections with each other.

Turns out that practicing gratitude not only lifts our mood, it can make us physically healthier. According to Harvard University Health, recent research shows that more gratitude leads to greater emotional and social well-being, better sleep quality, lower depression risks, and favorable markers of cardiovascular health.

The holidays are a wonderful time to start a gratitude practice for both kids and adults. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Gratitude jar

Create a regular ritual of having everyone in the family jot down something they are grateful for on a slip of paper and putting it in a mason jar. Every so often, pull the slips and read them together.

Daily dinner-time routine

Before starting dinner, have each person share something from the day that they’re grateful for or share something they appreciate about someone at the table.

Gratitude journal

This could be a bedtime routine, ending the day by writing something good that happened that day or something to be thankful for in general. If children are not old enough to write, parents can write for them. If children have a hard time coming up with things to be grateful for, parents can make a few suggestions (e.g., how good it feels to be in a cozy bed or the wonderful smell of the earth after it rains).

At Kelseyville Unified School District, we encourage students to share their appreciation for each other–and we do the same as adults. In the classroom, some teachers do “shout outs” encouraging students to share their appreciation for each other out loud. And school staff use tokens to acknowledge students. This shows appreciation for students who make good choices and are a positive influence on campus.

For our staff, each month we present a Knight in Shining Armor award to teachers and other employees based on nominations from their coworkers. I feel really lucky to work in this district, where it often feels more like a big family than a workplace.

There are plenty of books and games that teach children (and the rest of us) about gratitude. Visit healthyhappyimpactful.com/gratitude-activities-for-kids for more ideas. If you’re a teacher, check out weareteachers.com/meaningful-gratitude-activities for gratitude activities you can do in the classroom.

Dr. Nikki Thomas is superintendent for Kelseyville Unified School District.
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Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato. Courtesy photo.


I’ve been thinking (again) about the power of community and how fortunate we are to have people in positions of authority who care about kids and about keeping everyone safe — specifically, our fire chief, police chief, and mayor.

Fire Chief Sapeta

Recently, we had to evacuate schools because of a fire, and it went as smoothly as if we had orchestrated every move — because we had.

Thanks to the partnership between our schools and the fire department, we had buses ready to go, our students had practiced and knew what to do, and parents arrived at the evacuation pick-up point without chaos or complaint. (In case you’re unfamiliar with how these things usually go, coordinating this many people during a crisis often involves miscommunication, frustration, and finger-pointing.)

Thanks to the expertise of Fire Chief William Sapeta and his staff, our evacuation plans are detailed and effective.

Also, Chief Sapeta and I communicate regularly. He calls me when weather conditions put our area at high risk for wildfires (called red flag days), so we can prepare in advance.

Chief Sapeta is more than our chief, he is a trusted advisor who cares deeply about the welfare of our community and most specifically, the well-being of our students. He and his team support us with more than the immediate fire-related incidents. They follow up to help our students and staff feel safe, for example, by welcoming our elementary students back to campus after we’ve had to close schools because of wildfires.

Police Chief Hobbs

Konocti Unified School District also benefits from a great partnership with the Clearlake Police Department, highlighted by Chief Tim Hobbs’ decision to allocate a full-time school resource officer, or SRO, Officer Perry, to our schools.

Officer Perry spends most of his time on our school campuses, building relationships with students and helping to maintain a safe and orderly environment.

For some students, this is the only person with a badge they’ve ever known, and having positive interactions with someone in law enforcement can counteract negative stereotypes portrayed in video games or other sources.

The SRO’s car has all the school mascots represented on it, letting everyone know that police officers and educators are on the same team–the team that looks out for kids. To that end, whenever I have a question about keeping students and staff safe, I can call Chief Hobbs.

Years ago, when I worked in Southern California, educators would create school safety plans and then submit them to local first responders (police and fire) for review. The plans would come back covered with red ink, showing us all the things we did wrong. We wasted tons of time and the whole process felt like a “gotcha.”

It is completely different here. Chief Hobbs and Chief Sapeta are generous with their time. They collaborate with us to create our safety plans because they genuinely care about the safety of kids, our staff members, and all community members. When they help us, the process feels like an “I’ve got you.”

Mayor Claffey

Another safety advocate is Mayor David Claffey. When he and other city council members learned how dangerous it was in front of Burns Valley School, or BVS, during student drop-off in the morning and pick-up in the afternoon, they were horrified.

Kids used to dart in front of oncoming traffic and the number of near-misses terrified us. We knew someday soon, a car wouldn’t be able to stop in time.

Mayor Claffey got to work immediately. Now, the street in front of BVS is a one-way street, and it has made all the difference. Structural changes like this affect how people drive, from how fast they go to where they’re looking. Given the enormous impact of this change, we are now working with the City and Blue Zones Project Lake County to see if we can make similar changes in front of Pomo Elementary School.

And our partnership with the City doesn’t stop here. We also opened a daycare together for the children of city employees and school district employees. We know people need to balance making a living with caring for their young children. This helps them accomplish that.

I appreciate the way our mayor works hard to solve problems. I’ve seen him in community forums where things can get heated, and he doesn’t get flustered. He stays calm and listens. He may not be able to please everyone all the time (no one can), but he clearly wants to hear from all involved so he can make the best decisions for the most people.

Taking care of each other

I think what I love most about our community is that we take care of each other. We each contribute what we can. I can walk into a classroom and get students through a lesson, regardless of how squirrely they are that day.

Chief Sapeta can help us understand the best route to escape an oncoming wildfire. Chief Hobbs can assess risk and help us create safety plans that work. Mayor Claffey can support short-term and long-term changes that make our community safer, more beautiful, and easier to navigate. We all have the same end in mind: a community that is safe where we can thrive and enjoy life.

We all have our role to play and we all need each other. I’m grateful to live in a place where people understand that.

Becky Salato is superintendent of the Konocti Unified School District.
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Dr. Nicki Thomas. Courtesy photo.

Every year, as soon as summer vacation starts, our maintenance, custodial, secretarial and food service teams begin a rush against the clock to complete all essential facilities projects before students return in September.

This year, the team really outdid themselves. Big shout-out to our Maintenance & Operations Director Kyle Reams, who can stretch a dollar for miles and miles.

Kelseyville High School

At Kelseyville High School, we installed a new heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system for the main administration building and replaced old Zinsco electrical panels. Back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Zinsco promised to revolutionize the industry with better breakers. Kelseyville Unified (and many, many others) installed Zinsco hardware, only to discover that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The company went under and we’ve been struggling to get replacement parts ever since. Now we have modern electrical panels that use standardized equipment — they’re more reliable and less expensive to service.

We also put new TPO roofs on the administration building, gym, and locker rooms. TPO is a popular single-ply roofing membrane for new low-slope roofing applications. This will mean the end of wintertime leaks when it rains.

Behind the high school, we created an access route that allows the maintenance team to reach propane tanks, mechanical equipment, and HVAC units year round. And if the need arises, emergency vehicles can also get back there. Before this upgrade, the road was inaccessible in winter.

Finally, we upgraded the condenser systems for the walk-in freezer and commercial refrigerator. Now, they are more energy efficient and far less likely to break down, saving the district money and creating a much happier kitchen staff.

High school stadium

The stadium project has been a long time coming, and it’s finally in motion. We began the demolition of the old bleachers, bathrooms, and storage in July. Now, we’re installing all the underground infrastructure required to support, supply or run our new facility. We’re adding a storm drain system to control erosion and running conduits for the electricity, data, fire alarm, water, sewer and storm drain tie-ins.

We're putting in a new entryway with a combination ticket booth and ADA-compliant snack bar with ADA-compliant walkways and crosswalks. We’re adding six bathrooms and a new grandstand bleacher system, too, with a large announcer’s booth and multiple rooms for game announcements, coaching during games, and rooftop deck for spotting for games, filming, and more.

And those who have sought parking in the past will be happy to know we are adding more parking behind the district office!

This is a huge project that will take the bulk of the year, so our home games will mostly be played in Lakeport. In June, we plan to hold middle school promotion and high school graduation ceremonies in our new stadium.

Mountain Vista Middle School

In order to complete the large projects at other KVUSD schools, we hosted most summer activities at MVMS, so the campus was only available for renovations for about three weeks. In that time, we replaced old, broken concrete sidewalks with safe ones in front of the school and gym. We also fixed the damage from an oak tree that fell on the library.

Kelseyville Elementary School

At KES, we reroofed the three main buildings with TPO, stripping them down to studs so we could install new insulation, venting, scuppers, drains, overflows, and roofing–the whole bit. We were also able to replace all the HVAC systems on those buildings with a wifi-controllable building management system we can monitor districtwide.

But we didn’t stop there. KES had those same frustrating Zinsco electrical panels, so we replaced them and were able to better balance the electrical load. When KES was built in the 1970s, no one could have predicted how much electricity schools would need in the 2020s. Through electrical balancing upgrades, everything runs more efficiently which is good for kids and their education–always our guiding star.

Riviera Elementary School

Built 30 years ago, the Riv, as we call Riviera Elementary School, is our most modern school. However, 30 years is a long time and many things have begun to wear out. We gutted every student restroom and installed new everything to create clean, functional restrooms. We also replaced the roofs on every single portable classroom with TPO to stop leaks.

In classrooms, we replaced ceiling TBAR panels and were able to have a contractor paint 90% of building interiors. Fresh paint not only looks great, it protects the material it covers.

Because the Riv hadn’t been substantially upgraded since 1995, we were required to install a new state-of-the-art fire system that now gives verbal commands rather than just a screeching bell. We also put in new heat and smoke detectors to keep kids and staff safer.

On school grounds, we replaced a lot of gravel with concrete, making it easier to get around everywhere from the student drop-off area and marquee all the way to the F and G buildings along the edge of the playground. It’s way better.

We also installed two shade structures at the new drop-off area where parents have more room to safely deliver their kids to school. (This has drastically sped up morning drop off.) Additionally, we installed more separation fencing between the parking lot and playground.

At the backside of the gym, we replaced a 40’ x 20’ roll door that Kyle called “a hot mess that was never installed right.” We removed it, repaired some dry rot, and put in a double door for easy access.

Finally, we replaced 90% of all drinking fountains, going from porcelain single-height fountains to stainless steel, ADA-compliant, double-height fountains. We were able to replace and rebuild quite a few leaky hydrants and spigots and repair the dry rot created by the leaks.

So much more to go

If you can believe it, this summary only hits the high points. I left out so many additional projects, and even with all this, we’ve barely scratched the surface. This was us sticking our finger in the dam to hold back a flood of problems. We probably have another $500,000 worth of concrete flatwork that needs to be replaced right now, and plenty of leaky roofs left to repair.

Many interior surfaces haven’t been changed since our schools were built. Imagine living in a house built in 1970 that had never been upgraded. Even if you took care of it, it wouldn’t serve you as well today as it would have served the original owners. Needs change over time. At the very least, you’d probably need more electrical outlets.

Schools are the same. Not only do we need to upgrade many of our schools, we are simply out of space. Our student enrollment continues to grow, but our schools are already at capacity. This is why we put Measure R on the ballot, a general obligation bond to fund essential repairs and renovations and build more classroom space. The State gives schools money to build structures but not to maintain them. That money must come from local public bond funds. If you’d like to learn more, visit kvusd.org/bond-measures/measure-r. We are calling Measure R our “Renovation Bond.”

Funny story

A couple of weeks ago, Kyle got a complaint about a burning smell and a lot of heat in one of our school libraries. He high-tailed it to the school, only to find out that the librarian wasn’t accustomed to the new HVAC system working so quickly and heating up the space so well. The smell was just a little dust on the new system that hadn’t burned off yet. We are lucky to have such a talented and committed maintenance team.

Dr. Nicki Thomas is superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District in Kelseyville, California.
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On the eve of another consequential election, Lake County News is choosing to offer endorsements in a few key races.

Endorsing isn’t something we do often. However, when it comes to races that have particular importance for Lake County, we believe we have some perspective that can be helpful.

We are not making specific endorsements in all races this year, focusing instead on those for which we have particular concerns.

As such, we offer the following recommendations for your consideration.

FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: MIKE THOMPSON

We recommend Congressman Mike Thompson for reelection as the representative for the Fourth Congressional District.

We like Mike. We always have. He has remained a powerful, and approachable, advocate for Lake County, bringing millions of dollars in assistance to local projects, from Safe Routes to Schools to the Burns Valley recreation complex in Clearlake, to name just a very few.

As the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the California Legislature, Thompson carried concerns for veterans with him to Congress. His work for veterans was instrumental in getting a VA Clinic in Clearlake.

We’ve seen him in action for decades, connecting with residents and leaders, and doing his best to help connect people with help and resources.

He’s also remained a powerful voice for the rule of law, a believer in the American Dream and making it available to everyone.

On the local level, Thompson has never given Lake County short shrift. In fact, his staff has been notable for members who have also been advocates for our community.

Leading the charge for Lake County in Thompson’s service, for decades, was Brad Onorato, his deputy chief of staff in the Napa office.

We lost Brad last month to cancer, and while it’s a hard loss, we trust that Thompson, along with Onorato’s many beloved colleagues are going to keep up the good work for Lake County and for the Fourth Congressional District.

In the days ahead, Lake County will need to have all the friends it can get. We know Mike Thompson will be in that group.

We encourage you to give him your vote.

KELSEYVILLE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MIKE BROWN

Another Mike to like, and to vote for this November, is Mike Brown, who is running for the Kelseyville Unified School Board.

Brown, a longtime Kelseyville resident, retired in July 2022 after 32 years in education. The last 17 of those years he was principal/superintendent at Lucerne Elementary School.

During his tenure, he oversaw millions of dollars of bond-funded improvements to the Lucerne campus, kept student performance up and engaged meaningfully with the community.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Brown and his staff got students back on campus ahead of other schools around the county. Doing that required foresight, hard work and dedication.

The ability to navigate such a challenge is a tribute to his natural resourcefulness, knowledge of education, budgeting acumen, skill as a leader and genuine care for families and their children.

In addition to all of those skills, he’s a country guy, who is handy with a tractor.

Brown’s qualifications as an educator are vast, and they make him likely the most qualified candidate to ever run for Kelseyville Unified’s board.

We believe he will put his many powerful skills to work in ways that will benefit Kelseyville Unified's students and families for years to come.

Vote for Mike Brown for the Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees.

LAKEPORT CITY COUNCIL: KIM COSTA AND MICHAEL FROIO

On the ballot for the Lakeport City Council this year are Kim Costa and Michael Froio, and we believe city residents should give them their votes because of their work so far.

Both came to city government because they were concerned about issues close to home — right in their own neighborhoods.

In the case of Froio, who was dealing with crime in his neighborhood, he began attending council meetings, was appointed to the Lakeport Planning Commission and then successfully ran for council four years ago. This year he served his first term as mayor.

Costa was appointed to an open seat two years ago after having begun attending meetings to raise her concerns about a proposed housing project’s safety issues next to her neighborhood by Westside Community Park. This year, she has served as mayor pro tem, or vice mayor.

Costa and Froio have both been dedicated council members. They ask thoughtful questions. They do their homework. They are engaged and respond to constituents to help solve problems. They are genuinely concerned for what’s best for Lakeport.

Change takes time. It requires hard work and patience, investments both Costa and Froio have made.

We encourage the community to vote for Kim Costa and Michael Froio on Nov. 5.

YUBA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT TRUSTEE: DOUGLAS HARRIS

The race for the Yuba Community College District, Area 7 trustee this year comes at a particularly crucial time.

The district includes Woodland Community College, whose Lake County Campus in Clearlake has, over the past decade, seen a marked decline in resources and support from the district, according to staff and students alike.

Added to that is the district's failure to reach a new contract with the Faculty Association of the Yuba Community College District, which has been operating without a contract for three years.

The district’s treatment of its faculty resulted in a July decision by the Public Employment Relations Board finding that the district violated the Educational Employment Relations Act.

Into the midst of this increasingly volatile situation comes this year’s election, in which Douglas Harris — who was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2022 — is running for a full term. During his time on the board, Harris has advocated to protect the Lake County Campus, where he taught for 23 years. His wife also has taught at the campus.

Harris’ challenger in the race is Jeffrey Dryden.

Here’s where things get weird.

Dryden is facing trial next month in a case involving misdemeanor charges of sexual battery, battery and annoying or molesting a child under age 18, and two felony charges of attempting to dissuade witnesses.

The charges arise from a 2022 case in which the District Attorney’s Office said Dryden, while he was participating in the Lake County Campus’ culinary program, inappropriately touched a 17-year-old high school student who also was a culinary program participant.

Dryden’s trial is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 4, right around the time the final election results will be certified. It’s unclear if he would be prohibited from serving if convicted of the felony counts.

All things considered, Dryden has no business running for this office. Yet, the local Republican Party still endorsed him. That’s a good example of how partisan politics don’t belong in local races: Just because you’re a registered whatever doesn’t mean you deserve an endorsement.

We urge voters to give Harris his first full term, and to send a message with him to the Yuba College Board of Trustees: It’s time to give your faculty a new contract that ensures they are no longer among the lowest-paid community college educators in the state.

A WORD ABOUT ALL RACES

If you’ve stuck with us this far, we’d like to offer a few more items for readers’ consideration.

If we want the government to work at every level, in every race and in every office, constituents have to stay involved.

We all need to talk to local leaders and engage with them in constructive and meaningful ways, to offer support when necessary and also to make sure they understand community priorities. Not being engaged sends as loud a message as being heavily involved.

Everyone has a right to be heard; any public official who picks and chooses the voices they listen to in order to find those who reinforce their personal points of view need to be sent on to other activities.

As all of us look at local races, we need to ask if the person running for an office plans to truly represent Lake County or their own personal interests?

Will they do the work faithfully and well?

Do they take the long view when deciding on issues and projects, or is it all about the grab-the-cash-and-run view that has gotten Lake County in trouble before?

If we want Lake County to be the best it can be, it will take all of us, from the ballot box to the dais. In the end, it’s a collaborative effort.

However you decide, please make sure to vote in the Nov. 5 election.
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Dr. Nicki Thomas. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — In Kelseyville, our public schools help students and community members thrive.

Our primary responsibility is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where students can master the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

And that’s just the beginning. We also make our facilities available to community organizations to enrich the quality of life for everyone who lives in our town.

Building a sense of school spirit and community

At Kelseyville Elementary School, or KES, we’ve created an adopt-the-campus clean up initiative where individual classes sign up to clean the campus each week, giving students a feeling of pride in their school and camaraderie with classmates.

KES is also in the process of creating a fifth-grade student council leadership team that will be responsible for reading a weekly bulletin to the whole school via Google Meet.

At Riviera Elementary, leadership students help run events during the school year, and the student council president and vice president help Principal Tavis Perkins run the honor assemblies.

At Mountain Vista Middle School, the Leadership Class plans and runs activities, organizes fundraisers, and puts on events like school dances. Early leadership experiences like student council help students realize they are part of a larger group that works best when everyone pitches in.

We also have programs that allow older students to support younger students. Mountain Vista Middle School students serve as peer readers in elementary school classrooms, and Kelseyville High School students help supervise structured recess activities and provide additional support in classrooms for students in need of a positive role model.

The high school volunteer program, called KHS Champions, is composed of 12 students who visit KES from 8 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. to work with students and teachers from grades K-5. The goal of bringing older students to the elementary school is for all students to develop stronger social connections, empathy for others, and stronger foundations in their school environments. And who knows, maybe the program will ignite an interest in the field of education for some of these students.

According to our school counselor, Allison Panella, the benefits of this program have been remarkable. She said, “The KHS students have quickly become popular with the younger kids and have developed quite the entourage. Their presence has made a noticeable difference, offering extra support to teachers and creating a more engaging recess environment. The younger KES students gain confidence and enjoy the positive interactions, while the high schoolers learn the importance of giving back, helping others, and understanding the impact of their contributions on the school community.”

She meets with the high school volunteers every Friday to reflect on their experiences, discuss successes and challenges, and ensure the students feel supported in their roles. On the last Friday of each month, they enjoy a pizza lunch to thank the students. Allison said, “Their dedication has been truly transformative for KES, and I believe it’s a great example of promoting civic engagement in our community. Mountain Vista Middle School will be sending students to KES as well, and I plan to model their engagement the same way.”

Not only do we support strong student connections, we also make schools feel welcoming to students’ families by hosting events in partnership with our parent-teacher organizations. At Riviera Elementary School, for example, families just enjoyed their first Fall Movie Night, and at the end of the month we’re having a Fall Festival, including “trunk or treating,” a haunted garden and greenhouse tour, carnival games, and a costume contest. This brings people together and lets families get to know one another.

Out in the community, our high school students connect with community organizations, too. Kelseyville Community Organization for Rescue and Public Service, or K-CORPS, is a two-year program where students work directly with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department learning skills such as high-angle rope rescue, map and compass, GPS, search techniques, evidence search, and body recovery. By the end of the program, students become certified as first responders.

We also have an active chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA), which prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. FFA members can be seen volunteering at many community events. Our FFA students often volunteer in the community, for example, running the local pumpkin patch every year.

Making school facilities available to all

In a town as small as ours, there aren’t all that many venues where large numbers of people can gather, especially if they need specialized facilities like sports fields or gymnasiums. As our Director of Buildings, Grounds & Maintenance Kyle Reams can tell you, if our students aren’t using our facilities, someone else is.

If you consider sports alone, we make our campuses available to Pop Warner Football & Cheer, Little League Baseball, Junior Giants Baseball, youth basketball, Special Olympics, youth and adult soccer leagues, volleyball tournaments for men and women, alumni games, and more. Kyle mentioned that even when games aren’t played on our campuses, practices are often held here.

We also make classrooms available for community meetings and activities and we open our campuses as evacuation shelters when the need arises. We see the value in supporting our community. So whether there’s a car show in our parking lot, a soccer tournament on our fields, or a Girl Scout or Boy Scout meeting on campus, we’re here to support it.

For some kids, our schools are their safe haven

In addition to being a place where kids learn to be good citizens and community members can gather, our schools also provide a safe haven for the students who do not have a good situation at home. We provide hot meals and warm classrooms in the winter. Our bus drivers welcome kids with a high five or a warm smile. Our teachers remind kids that they believe in them. Our counselors lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on. For some kids, school is the most positive thing in their life.

We want to be all we can for our students and for our community.

Dr. Nicki Thomas is superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District.
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It’s obvious that there is a struggle between Highlands Mutual and the City of Clearlake. Both serve the public, so while having different structures that are meant to represent the people they serve.

Highlands Mutual has shareholders while Clearlake has constituents. Whether the water system is a mutual, public or private enterprise, I personally don’t really care. In the long run, all of us want running reliable, affordable, potable water coming out our faucets when we turn them on. It is, however, set up similarly to a public entity where there are Board of Directors that make decisions for the water company on behalf of their shareholders. Board of Directors are elected through a vote of the shareholders. It is important that elections are done right and that the public is informed to make the best decision for the future of the agency that provides water services to its shareholders. However, elections should be free and fair to ensure the highest levels of integrity.

Free elections are important to ensure that all voices are given the recognition they deserve. Suppressing votes or making it difficult to register a vote should never be a part of our election processes. The integrity of our elections are of the utmost importance, therefore ensuring access and participation is paramount to holding that standard of integrity. The courts recently found that the list of shareholders that were eligible to vote was not the appropriate count. It turns out that shareholders who own property, but don’t have water service, still get to vote due to having the ability to vote for directors who may make changes that would entice them to make a water connection and get service. Capacity fees, water rates, and water quality are things that board of directors can prioritize which may bring in more customers, so I agree with the courts findings that those within the district even without water connections should be able to vote.

I’m not sure for how long the shareholder list has been incorrect. I want to give Highlands Mutual the benefit of the doubt that this was a new interpretation that they had never heard before. However, on their website (https://highlandswater.com/election-information) it states “Under Highlands’ Bylaws and a court order, only parcels within these boundaries are shareholders.”

The latest iteration of the bylaws, approved on Jan. 31, 2024, state in Article VI Section 2. Membership “any persons owning a lot or lots” in a described subdivision, or “any person or persons owning any parcel or parcels of land” within an unsubdivided portion. Has it always read this way, does this mean that shareholders’ ability to vote or even attend or speak at Highlands Mutual meetings have been historically suppressed? I’m glad that this has been brought to light by the courts, but I fail to understand why the discourse regarding this issue seems absent from this upcoming election? No Board of Directors has mentioned it, no apology to shareholders who were not given a voice in the past, just crickets.

Finally, fair elections means not providing barriers or benefits to candidates and treating them all the same with equity. On Highlands Mutual’s website there are links to https://keephighlandswater.com/. Within this site are a lot of attacks and jabs at the City of Clearlake, similar to the types of attacks and jabs seen on the city’s website and social media, but again that is for a later topic of discussion. There is also a “Vote by Proxy Now” button found on their page. This leads you to a webpage that solely suggests voting for a specific slate of candidates when they are not the only slate. Now this page on its own would not create election integrity issues had it not been for the link from Highlands Mutual web page. Having a link to this page/site from Highlands Water suppresses all other candidates that are running in this election. There is no integrity in this and does not provide a level playing field for all candidates, hence the election is not fair.

Imagine being a director of an agency and choosing your own Board of Directors. Imagine a city manager choosing their own city councilmembers. Those who shall be led by the board or council created through an election do not get to officially support certain candidates. This is highly unethical. I’ve seen it before and I don’t like it, and even more I can’t respect it.

Board of directors, just like city councilmembers, are meant to represent the people (shareholders) of the district they serve, not work for or with the administrative team of the agency they’ve been elected to. This does not mean that as private individuals they can’t provide support, but an agency itself linking to a page that only shows one slate of candidates who happen to represent the current Board of Directors is unethical and destroys the integrity of any election.

In contrast, here is the city of Clearlake’s election page where all candidates that registered for the election are listed and in alphabetical order to ensure that no one was prioritized over another in any biased way. There is no link to specific candidate pages to help ensure that the public sees the names the city wants you to see. That is how fair elections work.

I’m embarrassed to see how this process has been moving forward. Besides the conversations regarding water rates, water infrastructure and water quality, which is a completely different topic and an important one for the future of Clearlake, I’m embarrassed that the current Board of Directors and the current administration of Highlands Mutual is not embarrassed with me that their election is proving to not be free and fair for the points listed above. The silence is unfortunately louder than the words currently defending Highlands Mutual’s work in the community.

To all the shareholders of Highlands Mutual, please vote. Please have discussions with various people who are shareholders, city officials, with Highlands Mutual staff and Board of Director candidates. Get a better understanding of what you will be voting on so that the future of your water is secure. There are choices and you are free to make those choices, but know that this election, this process is marred with issues that degrade the integrity. Make your voices heard, make sure to read everything and learn as much as you can and please cast your vote on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 16374 Main St., Lower Lake, CA 95457.

Please visit both sites to make your decision.
https://reformhighlandswater.com/ 
https://keephighlandswater.com/ 

Bruno Sabatier lives in Clearlake, California. He is the District 2 representative on the Lake County Board of Supervisors.

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