Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Register

News

Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council has joined a collaborative effort in support of a new community wildfire protection plan for the Lake County Fire Protection District.

At its meeting on Thursday, the council heard a presentation from Autumn Lancaster, the district’s fire marshal, on the new plan.

Lancaster explained that a community wildfire protection plan, or CWPP, identifies and addresses the risks of wildfire in a community.

She said the development of a CWPP can help clarify and refine priorities to protect life, property, infrastructure and valued resources. It also identifies and prioritizes fuels treatment and other projects.

“This is actually the first fire district-specific community wildfire protection plan in the county,” Lancaster said. “The county does have one, but by making it district specific we’ve been able to go into more detail about our community resources and potential projects.”

The plan’s contents include an overview of the fire district, communities at risk, fire severity maps, wildland urban interface and fire history maps, critical facilities at risk including infrastructure, and other county fire protection resources and agreements in place with them, Lancaster said.

Lancaster said the plan’s Appendix A includes fuel reduction and prevention priorities. Those include:

• A shaded fuel break in the Chapman Tract, southeast of Davis Avenue toward the Eastlake Landfill to Dam Road in Clearlake;
• A prescribed fire for the Sulphur fire area in Clearlake, including Windflower Point.
• Fuel reduction and shaded fuel break for Highway 53 in Clearlake, which is an evacuation route.
• Fuel reduction and defensible space for Clearlake Park.
• A shaded fuel break, fuel reduction or prescribed burn for Sulfur Bank/Borax Lake and surrounding areas.
• A fuel break and prescribed burn for Clearlake Highlands, between the city of Clearlake and Cache Creek Wilderness and Anderson Marsh areas to the northwest behind Highlands Village.
• A shaded fuel break, fuel reduction or prescribed burn along Point Lakeview Road for ingress/egress and maintenance.

Regarding critical infrastructure, Lancaster said the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, or CLERC, has been administering community wildfire defense grant funds to utilize the Hogback Ridge Fuels Crew to complete vegetation abatement projects throughout the county.

The fire district assisted CLERC in assessments of Obsidian Middle School and Woodland Community College for improving defensible space up to National Fire Protection Association guidelines for reducing structural ignitions from wildland fires.

Lancaster showed before and after photos of trees and vegetation that were trimmed back and at Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus in Clearlake.

The plan’s Appendix D includes a scope of work that makes projects more shovel-ready. Lancaster said the scopes of works are based on Lake County’s hazardous vegetation ordinance.

An example where they did such work is Panorama Drive, which is the only secondary means of access to Jago Bay that was impassible after winter storms, Lancaster said.

She said CLERC was able to use Community Wildfire Defense Grant funds to abate Panorama based on the Appendix D scope of work. She also showed the before and after photos of the road, which had vegetation cleared from its banks.

The Healthy Forest Restoration Act governs the CWPP, Lancaster said, explaining that it requires three entities to mutually agree on the contents. So far, that includes the fire district, the county of Lake and Cal Fire.

Lancaster said the district was asking the city to join in on the cooperative effort.

Mayor Russ Cremer clarified that the CWPP covers all of the Lake County Fire Protection District, not just Clearlake. Lancaster confirmed that was correct.

Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten moved to approve the CWPP, with Councilmember Tara Downey seconding.

The council voted 5-0 to give the plan final approval.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council on Thursday approved the purchase of four tax defaulted lots by Lake County Special Districts in order for the agency to improve its sewer system in the city.

The council gave unanimous support to the proposal, presented to them by Special Districts Administrator Robin Borre.

Borre noted that Special Districts has purchased other tax defaulted properties in the county jurisdiction.

The four lots Special Districts was seeking the council’s support in purchasing through the Lake County Tax Collector’s Office, and the purchase prices, are:

• 14750 Highlands Way — $3,000;
• 14760 Highlands Way — $3,000;
• 5878 Vallejo Ave. — $2,000;
• 5898 Vallejo Ave. — $2,000.

“These four lots are really important to the district to improve sewer connections and improve our system overall,” said Borre.

Borre said the two lots on Highlands Way will help increase system capacity for the new Konocti Gardens apartments complex while the two on Vallejo Avenue, which are unbuildable due to the sewer lines crossing them, will collect additional flow from the other side of the highway. Odor controls also will be installed.

She said the lots on Highlands Way have experienced a lot of dumping and encampments. Those lots will be fenced and secured, and odor controls also placed there as well.

Noting that taxes haven’t been paid on the lots in some time, Borre said the Board of Supervisors, in its capacity as the Special Districts Board of Directors, had already approved the purchase. That approval came on Nov. 5.

The final step needed was the council’s approval of the purchase price, as required under the California Revenue and Taxation Code.

Council members had questions about generators at the sites — which Borre said they are working to provide — as well as the odor control issues. Mayor Russ Cremer said the odors from the sewer station near the Clearlake Senior Center were awful.

City Manager Alan Flora thanked Borre for her efforts, explaining that they have had a lot of issues with the sewer system in Clearlake over the years.

Since his tenure as city manager began in 2019, Flora said that almost every major rain event has led to a sewer spill. That is, until this winter.

This is the first winter in the job for Borre, who the Board of Supervisors hired in May.

The fact that Borre is working on plans for improving the system and understands where the bottlenecks in the system are “is very refreshing and encouraging,” Flora said.

Cremer said he thinks Borre is doing a better job than has been done in the past, but added there has been frustration for a long time.

During the discussion, a neighbor who has lived on Highlands Way for 30 years said he has been trying to find how to purchase the lots for a few years and that he had not heard of a public sale, only that $68,000 was owed.

He said the lots have been a drug haven but were cleaned up two days before New Year’s, and he offered to pay $10,000 for them. He complained about having to deal with the smell.

Borre reiterated that they will install odor controls, secure the lots to address issues with homeless encampments and will make some road improvements in order to access the properties.

Former Councilmember Joyce Overton told the council that since Special Districts made upgrades to its facilities near the senior center, where she is director, the odor issues have improved. “It is working.”

Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten moved to approve the purchase, with Councilmember Mary Wilson seconding and the council voting 5-0.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

The BLM has selected Neal Craig as the Ukiah Field Manager who will oversee management of more than 270,000 acres of public lands within Marin, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo, and Solano counties. Photo courtesy of Neil Craig/BLM.

UKIAH, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management has selected Neal Craig as the Ukiah field manager who will oversee management of more than 270,000 acres of public lands within Marin, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo and Solano counties.

The Ukiah Field Office also manages parts of the California Coastal National Monument in the Point Arena-Stornetta area and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, managed jointly with the Mendocino National Forest.

The field office also administers geothermal leasing at The Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal steam field and the Cow Mountain Recreation Area, which includes the first Congressionally designated OHV area.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work collaboratively with our stakeholders and the public to manage the Ukiah Field Office,” Craig said. “I look forward to developing new and existing projects and programs that serve the surrounding communities, while balancing our multiple-use mission.”

Craig brings a broad background in natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, and organizational development in both the government and private sectors.

Most recently, he served as the assistant field manager in the BLM Bishop Field Office where he supervised the multi-resources staff and provided leadership in several program development areas.

He previously worked for the U.S. Geologic Survey, serving as a technical expert, project manager, and supervisor in water quality and water quantity projects in Colorado, Michigan, Kentucky, and other states.

Throughout his career, he has focused on employee training, mentoring, engagement and advancing organizational change. Craig has also owned and operated a sustainable farm that utilized livestock grazing systems, soil health improvement, and watershed restoration projects.

“We are fortunate to have Neal on our team,” said BLM Central California District Manager Gabe Garcia. “His experience and leadership in natural resource management combined with his knowledge of watershed restoration projects will be valuable additions to our Ukiah Field Office.”

Craig graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Science in geography. When not in the office, Craig is an avid runner, small batch coffee roaster, and explorer of diverse social viewpoints.

He succeeds Nick Lavrov, who took a position with another government agency.
Blog Left ad
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department said it is planning to focus on enforcement of a new law with an aim to make the city more safe and walkable.

California's new “daylighting law” went into effect on Jan. 1.

The law, created by Assembly Bill No. 413, is now California Vehicle Code Section 22500(n). It was approved by the governor in October 2023.

The Legislative Counsel’s Digest explained, “Existing law prohibits the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle in certain places and under certain conditions, including within an intersection, on a sidewalk or crosswalk, or in front of a fire station. Existing law additionally authorizes local jurisdictions to, by ordinance, restrict parking in certain areas, at certain times, and for certain reasons, and to establish metered parking.

The new bill, according to the Legislative Counsel, prohibits “the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present, as specified. The bill would, prior to January 1, 2025, authorize jurisdictions to only issue a warning for a violation, and would prohibit them from issuing a citation for a violation, unless the violation occurs in an area marked using paint or a sign.”

“This law is designed to improve pedestrian safety by ensuring drivers and pedestrians have a clearer view of vehicles and drivers have a clearer view of pedestrians, reducing accidents and near-misses,” the Lakeport Police Department reported on its Facebook page.

“LPD will focus enforcement efforts in school zones and the downtown business corridor to help protect our community’s most vulnerable pedestrians. Please do your part to stay safe and obey the law. Together, we can make our streets safer for everyone!” the agency said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake Planning Commission will hold its first gathering of 2025 as part of a special meeting to consider a new gas station development at a former hardware store site.

The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The agenda can be found here.

Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line.

Community members also can participate via Zoom. To register, visit this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the
webinar.

The meeting also can be watched on the city’s YouTube account.

To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments before 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The main item on the agenda is a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit and corresponding environmental analysis for a gas station, convenience store and drive-through car wash on two acres covering three parcels at 14975 Olympic Drive, 3545 Old Highway 53 and 3565 Old Highway 53.

The property’s owner is Norcal Fuelworxz Inc.

The site is the former Four Corners Builders Supply.

City documents show that the project site has been developed since the 1950s, with uses from residential to commercial. Two tribes, the Koi and Elem, have responded to say they want to consult on the project due to concerns it will impact cultural resources.

The 8,500-square-foot hardware store and accessory structures that remain on the site will be removed in order to redevelop the site.

The project proposes to build a 5,106-square-foot convenience store, a 2,081-square-foot quick serve food area, a 588-square-foot office, 852-square-foot equipment room, a 3,600-square-foot drive-through car wash facility, six double-sided gas pumps, and 75 parking spaces with 12 vacuum pump stations.

City staff is recommending the commission’s approval of the project, which it said is to be located on parcels where the proposed uses are allowed under the city’s general plan.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss its meeting procedures, consider updates to the city’s public bathroom policies, get an update on crime status and consider new use policies for the Silveira Center.

The council will meet Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The agenda can be found here.

If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.

The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.

Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Under council business, Police Chief Dale Stoebe will present the annual crime statistics report and introduce an ordinance amending the city code regulating use of public bathrooms, which Stoebe’s written report says is in response to an increase in loitering in and around the city’s public bathrooms over the past 18 months.

In other business, Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia will present an update on the Silveira Community Center and present an interim plan for operations of the building, gifted to the city in 2019 by Bank of America.

After a number of upgrades, the report explains, “The Silveira Community Center has served in a limited capacity as a valuable resource for local community activities, events, training, and meetings, as well as for emergency response purposes. However, the center's full potential has been hindered by infrastructure limitations, particularly with respect to plumbing and ADA compliance.”

Buendia’s report said that last year the city secured a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $1,274,020 to address ADA compliance and plumbing upgrades, with a target completion date of January 2026.

“Despite increased interest from the public and progress to the facility, the Community Center faces significant hurdles in supporting full-scale operations,” Buendia wrote, noting that the building’s current usage policies are shaped by these limitations.

As such, staff is recommending that interim use be limited to business hours and events with fewer than 50 attendees; that the city secure ADA-compliant portable restroom facilities; and that a discretionary fee waiver program for City Council members that will support eligible non-profits and community groups while maintaining financial oversight be adopted.

In other business, the council will review its meeting procedures in order to conduct productive meetings, foster shared expectations and collaboration among council members, promote understanding and trust with the community, and enhance public engagement and participation in city decision-making.

Also on Tuesday the council will present a proclamation designating January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, will hear from Sutter Health on the success of the 2024 Health & Wellness Expo that was held at Xabatin Community Park and consider the annual comprehensive financial report and a state housing legislation update.

On the consent agenda — items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the City Council’s regular meeting on Jan. 7; approval of the continuation of the proclamation declaring a local state of emergency due to severe weather conditions including heavy rain and extreme wind; approval of application 2025-003, with staff recommendations, for the Clear Lake Open Fishing Tournament; approval of application 2025-004, with staff recommendations, for the closure of Clear Lake Avenue. for the 2025 Splash-In event.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

Location of McIsaac Ranch Land Exchange project showing federal land and private lands to be exchanged. Image courtesy of the Mendocino National Forest.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — Mendocino National Forest officials are requesting public comment on the draft environmental assessment for the proposed McIsaac Ranch Land Exchange Project.

The project area is located in eastern Mendocino County just west of Forest Highway 7 and Mendocino Pass.

Based on comments received during the scoping period, a revised proposed action was created.

Under the revised proposed action, the land that would come into federal ownership consists of four parcels with a total area of 561 acres. Three of these parcels are surrounded by federal land and one of the parcels borders private land on the northeast but borders federal land on the other sides.

The land that would be transferred into private ownership consists of a single parcel with a total area of 560 acres that borders private land on the north and south and federal land on the east and west.

The purpose of this land exchange is to consolidate federal ownership within the Mendocino National Forest’s Management Area 26 (Twin Rocks).

Consolidation of federal ownership would improve management efficiency, reduce long-term management costs and improve management of multiple wildlife, fish and recreational resources.

Forest leadership encourages all interested parties, organizations, agencies, and state, local and tribal governments to review the environmental analysis and share their thoughts or concerns regarding the revised proposed action.

Comments should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word, rich text format (rtf) or Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf). Emails should include “McIsaac Ranch Land Exchange” in the subject line.

Comments can also be mailed to Wade McMaster c/o Hilda Kwan, Mendocino National Forest, 825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988.

Additional information related to this exchange, including the draft environmental analysis and resource analysis reports are available online at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=61640.

A public meeting is planned for Feb. 12. Additional details about the public meeting will be shared in the coming weeks. If you would like to participate or have questions about the project, please reach out to Hilda Kwan, Forest NEPA Planner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 530-473-9160.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission will hold its first meeting of the year this week to discuss a cell tower project.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The agenda is here.

To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.

The webinar ID is 994 1760 2765, the pass code is 155982.

Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,99417602765#,,,,*155982# or dial in at 669-900-6833.

The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.

The main item of business is the consideration of a wireless communication tower and equipment proposed by Carlsbad-based Public Safety Towers LLC at 3275 Hill Road in Lakeport.

The commission is being asked to approve a major use permit for the construction of an 80-foot-tall wireless communication facility that will provide AT&T customers with service. The monopine cell tower will be designed to look like a pine tree.

The staff report said the project will include 15 antennas, 15 radios, three surge suppressors and three antenna mounts, within a 35-foot by 35-foot lease compound area that will contain equipment needed to support the tower. There also will be a battery backup system providing approximately eight hours of power and a backup generator.

The project is expected to be constructed within 110 days.

Once completed, the tower will be unmanned, with the staff report noting that there will be between one and four annual maintenance trips required.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Lake County on Monday as high northeast winds are expected throughout the day.

The advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The forecast calls for northeast winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour expected.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is expected to have a high of 56 degrees during the day with a nighttime low of 37 degrees.

Daytime temperatures are forecast to rise to the high 60s mid-week before dropping back to the low 50s during the weekend.

Nighttime conditions will range from the low 40s midweek to the high 30s at the weekend.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Posted On

On Tuesday California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit challenging what he said is the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all children born on U.S. soil are automatically granted U.S. citizenship and the rights and privileges that come with it.

In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this right in a case brought by Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco-born, Chinese-American man who had been denied his re-entry rights after a trip abroad.

In Tuesday’s lawsuit, 18 state attorneys general — led by California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts — argue that President Trump’s unprecedented executive order violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and should be immediately blocked from going into effect while litigation proceeds.

“The president’s executive order attempting to rescind birthright citizenship is blatantly unconstitutional and quite frankly, un-American,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As home of Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco native who fought — successfully — to have his U.S. citizenship recognized, California condemns the President’s attempts to erase history and ignore 125 years of Supreme Court precedent. We are asking a court to immediately block this order from taking effect and ensure that the rights of American-born children impacted by this order remain in effect while litigation proceeds. The president has overstepped his authority by a mile with this order, and we will hold him accountable.”

From the beginning of the nation’s history, America followed the common law tradition that those born on U.S. soil are subject to its laws and are citizens by birth.

Although the Supreme Court’s notorious decision in Dred Scott denied birthright citizenship to the descendants of slaves, the post-Civil War United States adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to protect citizenship for children born in the country.

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause explicitly promises that “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this constitutional right in 1898 when a San Francisco-born, Chinese American man was denied entry back into the United States after visiting relatives in China on the grounds that he was not a citizen. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court established that children born in the United States, including those born to immigrants, could not be denied citizenship.

Within hours of taking office, the president issued an executive order disregarding the U.S. Constitution and this long-established precedent.

The order directs federal agencies to prospectively deny the citizenship rights of American-born children whose parents are not lawful residents.

The order instructs the Social Security Administration and Department of State, respectively, to cease issuing Social Security numbers and U.S. passports to these children, and directs all federal agencies to treat these children as ineligible for any privilege, right, or benefit that is reserved by law to individuals who are U.S. citizens.

If allowed to stand, the order would strip tens of thousands of children born each year of their ability to fully and fairly be a part of American society as rightful citizens, with all the benefits and privileges. These children would lose their most basic rights and be forced to live under the threat of deportation. They would lose eligibility for a wide range of federal benefits programs. They would lose their ability to obtain a Social Security number and, as they age, to work lawfully. And they would lose their right to vote, serve on juries, and run for certain offices.

The executive order would also directly harm California and other states, causing them to risk federal funding for vital programs that they administer, such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; these programs are conditioned on the citizenship and immigration status of the children they serve.

In addition, states would be required — on little notice and at considerable expense — to immediately begin modifying their operation and administration of benefits programs to account for this change by Feb. 19, when the order goes into effect.

In Tuesday’s filings, the attorneys general contend that President Trump’s executive order is a flagrant violation of the Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act and would cause irreparable harm to the states and their residents.

As such, the attorneys general seek a nationwide preliminary injunction to prevent the denial of the constitutional rights of tens of thousands of babies born each year in the U.S. who otherwise would have been, and should be, citizens, including an estimated 24,500 children born in California annually, and the disruption vitally important public health and other federal benefit programs.

Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, along with the city of San Francisco.

2025 0121 Complaint by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has three adult cats waiting for new homes.

The cats at the shelter that are shown on this page have been cleared for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
 
 
A#8's preview photo
A#8

 
 
A#16's preview photo
A#16

A#96's preview photo
A#96

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Posted On

The share of the workforce working from home has declined in recent years but remains more than double what it was before COVID-19. New data reveal significant inequalities between remote workers and commuters: remote workers tend to be older, are more likely to be White and less likely to be in poverty.

These findings are consistent with earlier research that showed the generally higher earnings of home-based workers and the disproportionately White composition of remote workers.

In 2023, 13.8% of U.S. workers usually worked from home — more than twice the 5.7% that did so in 2019, despite a decrease from 17.9% in 2021 and 15.2% in 2022.

In 2019, around 9 million people worked from home in the United States. By 2023, that number had soared to more than 22 million.



New data on remote workforce

Because of the increased prominence of home-based workers within the U.S. workforce, American Community Survey (ACS) tables have been updated beginning in 2023 to include their key sociodemographic characteristics.

Previously, the ACS subject tables describing worker characteristics according to their means of transportation to work (Tables S0802 and S0804, corresponding to workers’ residence and workplace geographies, respectively) only accounted for workers who commuted by driving alone, carpooling, or public transportation — generally the most common commuting modes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A “worked from home” category was added to both tables. Users can now explore the characteristics of home-based workers relative to other workers.

For example, the workers’ residence geography table (S0802) shows these characteristics of U.S. home-based workers in 2023:

• Their median age was about 43.5, almost two years older than the median age of the total workforce (41.7).
• Roughly two-thirds were White, compared to about one-half of workers who carpooled.
• Around 3.6% were below the poverty level in 2023, compared to 9.3% of workers who commuted by public transportation.

These residence and workplace geography tables (S0802 and S0804) are also available for more detailed geographies like states, metro areas and counties. Examples of the comparisons possible using these publicly available tables include:

• In North Carolina, the median earnings of home-based workers ($65,652) were roughly twice that of public transportation commuters ($30,664).
• In the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area, 11.8% of home-based workers spoke a language other than English at home in 2023, compared to 20.5% of workers who commuted by driving alone.
• In New York’s Bronx County, 39.3% of home-based workers worked in the management, business, science and arts occupations, compared to 27.6% of all workers.

Other characteristics, such as industry, housing tenure and vehicle availability are also available in these tables, giving data users new insight into the make-up of different groups of commuters.

Because residence and workplace geographies are identical for home-based workers, statistics for this group are also identical in the two tables (S0802 and S0804).



Highlighting inequality

Earnings and poverty status are common measures to describe inequality within a population.

In five of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States, home-based workers consistently showed higher median earnings than all workers in 2023 (Figure 1).

Among home-based workers in these five metro areas, median earnings were highest in the New York and Chicago metros (over $80,000), and lowest in the Houston metro (under $70,000).

Figure 2 displays the percentage of workers living below the poverty level in five of the most populous metro areas.

In line with their generally higher earnings, a smaller share of home-based workers lived below 100% of the poverty level in 2023 than all workers in each metro area included in this analysis.

Among all workers in these metro areas, the Houston metro had the highest percentage (6.8%) of all workers living below the poverty level.

The dynamic relationship between people and their jobs provides valuable context for understanding numerous dimensions of individual wellbeing. The ACS will continue to collect data that help describe changing commuting and employment trends in the United States.

Michael Burrows, Charlynn Burd and Mehreen S. Ismail are survey statisticians in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

Upcoming Calendar

23Jan
01.23.2025 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Lake County Planning Commission
23Jan
01.23.2025 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Low Vision Resource Group
23Jan
01.23.2025 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Clearlake Planning Commission
27Jan
01.27.2025 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Lake County Restaurant Expo
14Feb
02.14.2025
Valentine's Day
15Feb
02.15.2025 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Lakeport Rotary crab feed fundraiser
17Feb
02.17.2025
Presidents' Day
9Mar
17Mar
03.17.2025
St. Patrick's Day
15Apr
04.15.2025
Tax Day

Mini Calendar

loader

LCNews

Award winning journalism on the shores of Clear Lake. 

 

Newsletter

Enter your email here to make sure you get the daily headlines.

You'll receive one daily headline email and breaking news alerts.
No spam.

Search