LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Behavioral Health reported that its Mobile Crisis Response Team is now active.
The agency said this new crisis response team will be able to respond to where a crisis is happening, throughout Lake County, 24 hours a day.
At the September town hall Lakeport officials held on addressing the homeless crisis, Behavioral Health Director Elise Jones called the team “a whole new paradigm” that will go into the community in real time and help people in their homes.
The team — which will be accompanied by a therapist or able to contact one virtually — will offer support to people in crisis in a safe environment to help them stabilize.
To report such crises and ask for assistance, call 800-900-2075 to reach a local dispatcher.
You can also call or text 988 to reach someone today.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. — The Western Region Town Hall will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Habematolel community center, 9470 Main St.
Community members also can attend via Zoom; the webinar ID is 961 4614 3787, the pass code is 528334.
On the agenda are discussions on several topics.
Those include the application status for the Rancho Novoa wedding venue at Blue Lakes.
They also will discuss the Northshore Fire Protection District, Pyle Road, traffic safety at Upper Lake schools, vegetation removal requests for Elk Mountain Road, and droughts and floods.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council will consider a contract to recruit a new police chief and discuss whether to allow storefront cannabis businesses and temporary cannabis events in the city when it meets this week.
The council will meet Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
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. 16.
The meeting will start off with a proclamation designating January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
On Tuesday’s agenda, the council will be asked to consider an agreement with Bob Hall and Associates for the executive recruitment of a new chief of police and approve a budget amendment in the amount of $27,000 for the expenditure.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen intends to retire this fall. He’s also running for the District 4 supervisorial seat.
The council also will hold a study session on retail storefront cannabis businesses and temporary cannabis events and consider whether or not Lakeport should permit such operations and events.
“If City Council elects to permit retail storefront cannabis businesses and/or temporary cannabis events staff would come back to the Planning Commission at a future date with a draft ordinance for review. Once the prospective draft ordinance(s) are reviewed by the Planning Commission, staff will bring the item back to City Council for further review and potential action,” Community Development Director Joey Hejnowicz wrote in his memo to the council.
In other business, on the agenda is a presentation from the Lake County Water Resources Department regarding the “Clear Lake Integrated Preparedness and Resilience Plan for Dreissenid Mussel Management: A Rapid Response and Transition to Containment Plan.”
Rasmussen will ask the council for a five-year contract extension for the Automated License Plate Reader cameras, there will be a presentation of the first quarter financials update and the council will consider adopting a resolution appointing representatives to represent and vote on behalf of the City at the League of California Cities, Redwood Empire Division Business meetings and represent the City and vote at Division Legislative Committee meetings.
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 Dec. 19; approval of application SCC2023-002, with staff recommendations, for the street closure at 5th and Main for the Rotary Crab Feed; approval of application G2024-003, with staff recommendations, for the reserved parking spaces on Park and Third streets for the Clearlake Environmental Research Center Hometown Wildfire Safety Collaboration; and adoption of a resolution approving the Successor Agency of the Lakeport Redevelopment Agency Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule 24-25 for the period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Continuing to protect public safety, safeguard natural resources, and advance the integrity of the licensed cannabis market, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, or UCETF, seized more than $312 million in unlicensed cannabis during its first calendar year of operation.
Among the highlights from the operations in 2023 was the seizure of almost 190,000 pounds of illegal cannabis, the eradication of almost 318,000 plants and the seizure of 119 illegally-possessed firearms.
“California is effectively decreasing the illegal cannabis market by leveraging the strengths and knowledge of over 20 state agencies and departments alongside our local and federal partners. The UCETF’s progress in 2023 reflects California’s ongoing commitment to disrupting and dismantling illegal cannabis activity,” saidd Director Nicole Elliott of Department of Cannabis Control. “I look forward to working with all our partners in 2024 to build on this progress.”
“Since its inception in late 2022, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce has hit the ground running with year-round operations that spanned from the Oregon state line all the way down to San Diego,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “We’ve sent a strong message that illegal operations that harm our natural resources, threaten the safety of workers, and put consumer health at risk have no place in California. While there is more work to be done, we made progress last year and I look forward to going further alongside our county, state, and federal partners.”
The results of UCETF’s FY 2023 and Q4 2023 enforcement actions are:
UCETF Operations Q4 2023 CY 2023
Search Warrants Served 24 188
Pounds of Cannabis Seized 13,393.65 189,854.02
Retail Value of Cannabis Seized $22,294,571.41 $312,880,014.35
Cannabis Plants Eradicated 20,320 317,834
Firearms Seized 26 119
Money Seized $35,195.25 $223,809
In addition to releasing the Q4 and yearly totals for 2023, the taskforce announced the top five counties for enforcement activity (according to value of cannabis seized) in calendar year 2023.
They are:
County Value of Cannabis Seized
Alameda $77,828,338.50
Siskiyou $70,747,875.00
Mendocino $48,073,113.00
Los Angeles $28,317,139.69
Kern $21,578,438.25
Since inception, UCETF has seized $317,578,792.29 in unlicensed cannabis through 218 search warrants. The taskforce has also eradicated 347,321 plants and seized 128 firearms.
Created by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce has been charged by the Governor to further align state efforts and increase cannabis enforcement coordination between state, local and federal partners.
UCETF’s enforcement actions protect consumer and public safety, safeguard the environment, and deprive illegal cannabis operators and transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue that harms consumers and undercuts the regulated cannabis market in California.
The taskforce is co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and coordinated by the Homeland Security Division of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The taskforce includes more than two dozen local, state and federal partners working together to disrupt the illegal cannabis market.
An unprecedented number of billion-dollar disasters — 28 in total — struck the U.S. in 2023, as the remarkably warm year wrapped up with a record-warm December.
“For millions of Americans impacted by a seemingly endless onslaught of weather and climate disasters, 2023 has hit a new record for many extremes,” said NOAA Chief Scientist Sarah Kapnick. “Record warm U.S. temperatures in December, a record-setting number of U.S. billion-dollar disasters in 2023 and potentially the warmest year on record for the planet are just the latest examples of the extremes we now face that will continue to worsen due to climate change.”
Here’s a recap of the climate and extreme weather events across the U.S. in 2023:
Climate by the numbers
2023
The average annual temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 54.4 degrees F — 2.4 degrees above the 20th-century average — ranking as the nation’s fifth-warmest year in NOAA’s 129-year climate record.
The year ended on a record-warm note as well. December 2023 ranked as the nation’s warmest December with an average temperature of 39.97 degrees F, 7.29 degrees above normal, besting the previously record-warmest December of 2021.
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Texas each saw their warmest year on record, while Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Vermont and Virginia each saw their second-warmest. An additional 24 states experienced a top-10 warmest year on record.
Annual precipitation across the contiguous U.S. totaled 29.46 inches (0.48 of an inch below average), which placed 2023 in the driest third of the climate record. Louisiana had its eighth-driest year on record, while Maine ranked fifth wettest and Vermont and Connecticut both ranked sixth wettest. Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island all saw a top-10 wettest year.
Drought reached a peak coverage of 46.3% of the contiguous U.S. at the beginning of 2023. Drought coverage across the nation shrank as atmospheric rivers and the summer monsoon brought above-normal precipitation to much of the western U.S., recharging some of the major reservoirs that dropped to their lowest levels in 2022. Drought reduced to a minimum extent of 19% on May 30 — the smallest footprint for the contiguous U.S. since mid-2020.
Billion-dollar disasters in 2023
Last year, the U.S. experienced 28 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. This surpasses 2020 — which had 22 events — for the highest number of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. on record.
“The U.S. was hit with more billion-dollar disasters in 2023 than any other year on record, highlighting the increasing risks from our changing climate,” said NOAA NCEI Director Deke Arndt. “Record heat waves, drought, wildfires and floods are a sobering reminder of the consequences of the long-term warming trend we’re seeing across our country. These findings underscore the need for the data products and services provided by NOAA, like this annual report, to help create a more informed and climate-ready nation.”
The 28 events from 2023 include:
• 17 severe weather/hail events. • 4 flooding events. • 2 tropical cyclones (Idalia in Florida and Typhoon Mawar in Guam). • 2 tornado outbreaks. • 1 winter storm/cold wave event. • 1 wildfire event (Maui Island of Hawaii). • 1 drought and heat wave event.
The total cost for these 28 disasters was $92.9 billion, but that may rise by several billion dollars when the costs of the December 16-18, 2023, East Coast storm and flooding event are fully accounted for.
The most costly events in 2023 were the Southern/Midwestern drought and heat wave event at $14.5 billion, and the Southern/Eastern severe weather event in early March, at $6.0 billion.
Adding the 2023 events to NOAA’s billion-dollar disaster record dating back to 1980, the U.S. has sustained 376 separate weather and climate disasters. The damage costs for each of these events reached or exceeded $1 billion. The cumulative cost for these 376 events exceeds $2.660 trillion.
Other notable climate and weather events in 2023
Extreme heat scorched parts of the nation: Several historic heat waves sizzled across the U.S. in 2023.
Some of those events include:
• June 20: Del Rio, Texas, and Rio Grande, Texas, both hit 113 degrees F and San Angelo, Texas, reported a high of 114 degrees, setting the all-time heat record at each location. • July: Phoenix, Arizona, had an average temperature of 102.8 degrees F for the month of July — the hottest month on record for any U.S. city. • July 16: Death Valley, California, soared to 128 degrees F, setting a daily-temperature record, and reported its hottest midnight temperature on record at 120 degrees on July 17. • Aug. 24: Temperatures in Chicago soared to 100 degrees F — the first 100 degree temperature since July 6, 2012. The heat index hit 120 degrees, the highest ever recorded at Chicago’s official climate observation site. • September: San Juan, Puerto Rico, reported a monthly average temperature of 85.8 degrees F during the month of September — becoming the hottest month on record for the city. • An above-average tornado year: The tornado count for 2023 was above average with 1,197 tornadoes reported, and an additional 97 preliminary tornadoes still under verification for the Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 period.
Some significant tornado events from 2023 include:
• Jan. 16: Two tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Iowa — the state’s first January tornadoes since 1967. • March 22: An EF-1 tornado touched down in the Los Angeles area, developing into the strongest tornado to hit the area since 1983. • March 31: Nearly 28 million people were under tornado watches as a widespread and deadly tornado outbreak occurred across portions of the Midwest and southern U.S. More than 110 tornadoes, including one EF-4 and eight EF-3s, were confirmed by the National Weather Service — the largest outbreak in a 24-hour period for the month of March. • April 1: A 700-yard-wide EF-3 tornado touched down in Delaware — the widest tornado in the state's history and tying as its strongest.
A near-normal number of wildfires: The number of wildfires in 2023 was close to average, with more than 55,500 wildfires reported over the year. The total acres burned from these wildfires — 2.6 million acres — were well below the ten-year average of 7.1 million acres. In Alaska, nearly 300,000 acres burned during the 2023 fire season — less than half of the state’s seasonal average.
Hajar Yazdiha, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Since the onset of Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza and the West Bank after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, debates have arisen among historians and media pundits about Martin Luther King Jr.’s stance on Israel and its conflicts with Palestinians.
Some claim King was a fierce Zionist and point to his speech on Mar. 25, 1968, before the annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly.
“Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity,” King said. “I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”
Others, like American-Israeli scholar Martin Kramer, have pointed to King’s views on Palestinian rights to their homeland. During a 1967 interview with ABC News, shortly after Israel launched the Six-Day War against Egypt, Syria and Jordan and seized control of land in Gaza and the West Bank, King said that Israel should return Palestinian lands.
“I think for the ultimate peace and security of the situation it will probably be necessary for Israel to give up this conquered territory, because to hold on to it will only exacerbate the tensions and deepen the bitterness of the Arabs,” he said.
As a scholar who researches social movements, racial politics and democracy, I believe there is a larger story beyond King’s stance on Israel and Palestinians. That story is on King’s views of war – and his courage to stand for peace.
This is the story of the anti-war King who understood that violence begets violence and that the political courage to speak for peace is essential to democracy.
At the same time, King was asking hard questions about Johnson’s wartime decision-making and unmet promises of social uplift through his Great Society programs. King wondered how a nation could drop tons of bombs and napalm on civilians in the name of peace and freedom while violently subjugating its own Black citizens.
How could a nation spend so much money on a war, King asked, when it could not feed or protect its own people?
“The promises of the Great Society have been shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam,” King said in a speech in Beverly Hills on Feb. 25, 1967. “Billions are liberally expended for this ill-considered war. … The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose in our decaying cities. The bombs in Vietnam explode at home. They destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America.”
The Johnson administration argued that military force was essential to protect South Vietnam from the encroachment of communism from the north. As Johnson saw it, North Vietnam and its National Liberation Front were a threat to democracy in Southeast Asia.
King’s advisers pleaded with him not to speak out and argued that the political costs would be too high. Most importantly, they reminded King that there was more than enough work to do in the U.S. to end poverty and secure equal rights for Black citizens.
But King ultimately broke with his advisers and President Johnson.
By 1967, King followed the lead of his wife – and anti-war activist – Coretta Scott King and began speaking out.
In March 1967, King led his first anti-war march in Chicago. At the rally, he called on peace activists to organize “as effectively as the war hawks.”
A month later, on April 4, 1967, King gave the speech at the Riverside Church in New York City that changed the course of the last year of his life – “Beyond Vietnam − A Time to Break the Silence.” In that revolutionary speech, King described how he was morally compelled to speak out against the war.
In the days and weeks after, he would lose masses of supporters, Black and white alike. He lost hard-earned political allies, including President Johnson.
King was also shunned and denounced by 168 newspapers that questioned King’s failure to condemn the enemy, fueling long-standing rumors about communist ties.
Saving the soul of America
King had no regrets.
He understood the difficulty of speaking out against the war. “Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in time of war,” he said.
For King, a preacher at heart, silence had become betrayal.
Calling the U.S “the greatest purveyor of violence today,” King said the soul of America “can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over.” He warned that America had lost moral authority abroad and derided “the deadly Western arrogance that has poisoned the international atmosphere for so long.”
King pointed to the role of the U.S. in prohibiting the realization of “a revolutionary government seeking self-determination” in Vietnam.
Most poignantly in that 1967 speech at Riverside Church, King detailed the devastating costs of the Vietnam War and described the millions of children and women who were killed by American bombs and bullets and the poor masses who were spared slaughter only to face a slow, painful death by disease and starvation.
Then King turned to the so-called “enemy,” the North Vietnamese. “Even if we do not condone their actions,” King said in the speech, “surely we must see that the men we supported pressed them to their violence. Surely we must see that our own computerized plans of destruction simply dwarf their greatest acts.”
How can the U.S., as King would ask the nation, move forward from here?
In the 1960s, King grappled with this very question. On the one hand, he felt a deep solidarity with the Jewish struggle against persecution, and on the other hand, he rejected the violent occupation of Palestinian lands that would run counter to the noble cause.
He saw resolution through a commitment to breaking cycles of violence and practicing radical peace, “a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, and nation.”
Nearly 60 years later, the fight for King’s “radical revolution of values,” where human life and dignity were the most valued, still rages. But as the life of King reminds us, speaking out for justice can be costly. Yet he would also say that the cost of remaining silent is far greater.
The battle to keep the government open may feel just like the crisis of the day. But these fights pose immediate and long-term risks for the U.S.
The federal government spends tens of billions of dollars every year to support fundamental scientific research that is mostly conducted at universities. For instance, the basic discoveries that made the COVID-19 vaccine possible stretch back to the early 1960s. Such research investments contribute to the health, wealth and well-being of society, support jobs and regional economies and are vital to the U.S. economy and national security.
If Congress can’t reach an agreement, then a temporary government shutdown could happen on Jan. 19, 2024. If lawmakers miss a second Feb. 2 deadline, then automatic budget cuts will hit future research hard.
Even if lawmakers avoid a shutdown and pass a budget, America’s future competitiveness could suffer because federal research investments are on track to be billions of dollars below targets Congress set for themselves less than two years ago.
Our data shows how endangering basic research harms communities across the U.S. and can limit innovative companies’ access to the skilled employees they need to succeed.
A promised investment
Less than two years ago, in August 2022, university researchers like me had reason to celebrate.
The CHIPS act authorized US$81 billion for the agency, promised to double its budget by 2027 and directed it to “address societal, national, and geostrategic challenges for the benefit of all Americans” by investing in research.
But there was one very big snag. The money still has to be appropriated by Congress every year. Lawmakers haven’t been good at doing that recently. The government is again poised to shut down. As lawmakers struggle to keep the lights on, fundamental research is likely to be a casualty of political dysfunction. The budget proposals released so far fall $5 billion to $7.5 billion short of what the CHIPS act called for in fiscal year 2024. Deal or no deal, science is on the chopping block in Washington.
Research’s critical impact
That’s bad because fundamental research matters in more ways than you might expect.
Lagging research investment will hurt U.S. leadership in critical technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced communications, clean energy and biotechnology. Less support means less new research work gets done, fewer new researchers are trained and important new discoveries are made elsewhere.
Businesses nationwide thrive by selling the goods and services – everything from pipettes and biological specimens to notebooks and plane tickets – that are necessary for research. Those vendors include high-tech startups, manufacturers, contractors and even Main Street businesses like your local hardware store. They employ your neighbors and friends and contribute to the economic health of your hometown and the nation.
Nearly a third of the $10 billion in federal research funds that 26 of the universities in our consortium used in 2022 directly supported U.S. employers, including:
A Detroit welding shop that sells gasses many labs use in experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Department of Energy.
A Dallas-based construction company that is building an advanced vaccine and drug development facility paid for by the Department of Health and Human Services.
More than a dozen Utah businesses, including surveyors, engineers and construction and trucking companies, working on a Department of Energy project to develop breakthroughs in geothermal energy.
When Congress’ problems endanger basic research, they also damage businesses like these and people you might not usually associate with academic science and engineering. Construction and manufacturing companies earn more than $2 billion each year from federally funded research done by our consortium’s members.
Jobs and innovation
Disrupting or decreasing research funding also slows the flow of STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – talent from universities to American businesses. Highly trained people are essential to corporate innovation and to U.S. leadership in key fields, like AI, where companies depend on hiring to secure research expertise.
In 2022, federal research grants paid wages for about 122,500 people at universities that shared data with my institute. More than half of them were students or trainees. Our data shows that they go on to many types of jobs, but are particularly important for leading tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Intel.
More comprehensive numbers don’t exist, but that same data lets me estimate that over 300,000 people who worked at U.S. universities in 2022 were paid by federal research funds. Threats to federal research investments put academic jobs at risk. They also hurt private-sector innovation because even the most successful companies need to hire people with expert research skills. Most people learn those skills by working on university research projects, and most of those projects are federally funded.
Lasting stagnation or shrinking investments would have even more pronounced effects. Over time, companies would see fewer skilled job candidates, academic and corporate researchers would produce fewer discoveries, and fewer high-tech startups would mean slower economic growth. America would become less competitive in the age of AI. This would make one of the fears that led lawmakers to pass the CHIPS and Science Act into a reality.
Ultimately, it’s up to lawmakers to decide whether to fulfill their promise to invest more in the research that supports jobs across the economy and American innovation, competitiveness and economic growth. Whether the current budget deal succeeds or fails, basic research is on the table and the stakes are high.
Yet in that same nationally representative study, we also found that Gen Z and millennials are still visiting libraries at a healthy clip, with 54% of Gen Zers and millennials trekking to their local library in 2022.
Our findings reinforce 2017 data from the Pew Research Center, which showed that 53% of millennials had gone to their local library over the previous 12 months. By comparison, that same study found that 45% of Gen Xers and 43% of baby boomers visited public libraries.
So why might Gen Z and millennials – sometimes characterized as attention-addledhomebodies – still see value in trips to the public library?
A preference for print
We found that Gen Zers and millennials prefer books in print over e-books and audiobooks, even though their other favorite reading formats are decidedly digital, such as video game chats and web novels. American Gen Zers and millennials read an average of two print books per month – nearly double the average for e-books or audiobooks, according to our data.
The preference for print also manifests itself in the types of books Gen Z and millennials are borrowing and buying: 59% said they prefer the same story in graphical or manga format than in text only.
And while some graphic novels, comics and manga can be read on a screen, print is where these intricately illustrated books truly shine.
Beyond reading
We were most surprised by our finding that 23% of Gen Zers and millennials who don’t identify as readers nonetheless visited a physical library in the past 12 months.
It’s a reminder that libraries don’t just serve as a repository for books. Patrons can record podcasts, make music, craft with friends or play video games. There are also quiet spaces with free Wi-Fi, perfect for students or people who work remotely.
Younger generations tend to be more values driven than older ones, and libraries’ ethos of sharing seems to resonate with Gen Zers and millennials – as does a space that’s free from the insipid creep of commercialism. At the library, there are no ads and no fees – well, provided you return your books on time – and no cookies tracking and selling your behavior.
Our survey found that 64% of Black Gen Zers and millennials visited physical libraries in 2022, a rate that’s 10 percentage points higher than the general population. Meanwhile, Asian and Latino Gen Zers and millennials were more likely than the general population to say that browsing library shelves was a preferred way to discover new books.
A crucial moment for libraries
Though libraries have been forced to reckon with book bans and the politicization of public spaces, Gen Zers and millennials still see libraries as a kind of oasis – a place where doomscrolling and information overload can be quieted, if temporarily.
Perhaps Gen Zers’ and millennials’ library visits, like their embrace of flip phones and board games, are another life hack for slowing down.
Printed books won’t ping you or ghost you. And when young people eventually log back on to their devices, books make excellent props for #BookTok, the community on TikTok where readers review their favorite books.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The latest real estate data shows sales were down in November while prices have risen slightly over a year ago.
Over the month of November 2023, a total of 59 single family homes were sold through the multiple listing service, compared to 78 in October and 68 sold a year ago during the month of November 2022.
These include traditionally built “stick-built” houses as well as manufactured homes on land.
There were four sales of mobile homes in parks in November, compared to nine in October and five sold during the month of November 2022.
For bare land (lots and acreage), 25 were sold in November, compared to 24 closed land sales in October and substantially more than the 13 sold during November 2022.
There are 393 “stick built” and manufactured homes on the market right now. If the rate of sales stays the same at 59 homes sold per month, there are currently 6.66 months of inventory on the market at the moment.
That means that if no new homes are brought to the market for sale, in 6.66 months, all of these homes would be sold and there would be no homes available for sale.
Less than six months of inventory is generally considered to be a “sellers’ market” while more than six months of inventory is often called a “buyers’ market.”
The November data is a shift from October, where more than 5.47 months of inventory were available.
Agents continue to report a drop in requests for property tours, with fewer clients writing offers, which is consistent with the national home sales data.
The total percentage of homes bought for all cash in November: 41% (compared to 31% for October and 41% for November 2022); 29% were financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (“conventional loans”) compared to 32% for October and 35% for the November 2022; 17% were financed by FHA (compared to 23% in October and 13% in November 2022); 4% were financed by the VA or CalVet (compared to 4% in October and compared to 10% for November 2022); 7% had other financing such as private loans, USDA, or seller financed notes (compared to 3% in October, and compared to 0% for November 2022).
None of the closed sales in November were assumable loans that were assumed by the buyer.
The homes in November sold at an average of 96% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, but an average of 89% when compared to the original asking price when the property first came on the market.
This means that the asking home prices had been reduced from their original list prices on the homes that sold before they actually sold.
In October homes also sold for 96% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, and 89% of the original asking price.
A year ago in November, homes were selling at 95% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract and also 89% when compared to the original asking price.
The median time on the market in November was 32 days, compared to 36 days in October and 49 days in November 2022.
The median sale price of a single family home in Lake County in November was $269,000, which is lower than the $318,750 median sale price for October and also lower than the median sale price of $287,000 during November 2022.
This would indicate that last month, the lower priced homes were selling in greater numbers to bring the median sale price down compared to October 2023 (and similar to the activity in November 2022).
The median asking price of homes on the market right now is $357,000, which is a drop from October’s $372,000.
In November, 31% of homes sold had seller concessions for an average concession of $11,286; the rate of concessions is lower compared to October 2023’s numbers, when 40% of homes sold had seller concessions with an average concession of $9,069.
In November 2022, 31% of homes sold had an average seller concession of $6,841.
Average concessions were highest for conventional loans in November 2023, with an average concession of $18,000.
VA loans had an average concession of $9,705; FHA loans had an average concession of $5,141.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week is set to consider a group of contracts for the environmental study of the city’s major new commercial development at its former airport.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18.
On the agenda is the discussion and consideration of contracts related to the preparation of environmental review for the Clearlake Airport Redevelopment Project.
The council will consider waiving competitive bidding requirements and approve the contracts with Gary Price Consulting, California Engineering Company and LSW Architects and authorize City Manager Alan Flora to sign the agreements.
The project is located on the former Pearce Field airport property.
The staff report shows that the contracts will total $602,875.50.
Also on the agenda is the review, approval and submittal of the fiscally year 2024-25 Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule for the period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025; a presentation of January’s adoptable dogs; the presentation of the Public Safety Recognition Award to Officer Eagle; presentation by Public Works Director Adeline Leyba of Public Works projects; and presentation of certificates of appreciation for Breakfast with Santa volunteers.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; authorization of an amendment of on-call contract with LACO Associates in the amount of $45,585 for the MIT Storm Drain Plan; minutes of the Dec. 13 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; approval of Code Enforcement supervisor and chief building inspector positions and update of the 23/24 FY Salary Schedule; and approval of the purchase from National Food Equipment of walk-in freezer unit for the senior/community center not to exceed $88,500.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Sunday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced Clearlake Police Officer Daniel Eagle and Northshore Fire Protection Capt. Chrissy Valadez as the Lake County Public Safety Heroes.
Each year, Thompson honors law enforcement officers and first responders in our community who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
“Our first responders and law enforcement are the first line of defense for our communities and work to keep us safe. Our district is home to outstanding public safety officials who go above and beyond in their service, and I am proud to recognize them each year as Public Safety Heroes,” said Thompson.
“Officer Eagle and Captain Valadez are outstanding individuals who are dedicated to serving Lake County, and I am proud to recognize their commitment to service,” Thompson added.
Clearlake Police Officer Daniel Eagle
Eagle was born in Clearlake and grew up in Lake County, graduating from Middletown High School in 2013.
He attended college in New Mexico where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management.
From an early age, Eagle had the desire to become a police officer and to help our community.
Today, at the Clearlake Police Department, Eagle serves as a police officer, field training officer, and canine handler. He has been with his canine partner, Zeus, for several years now.
Eagle is also the president of the Police Officer Association and enjoys working with local leaders on community improvement projects.
He has a passion for traffic enforcement and investigations. This includes infractions such as driving under the influence, or DUI, stolen vehicles, and traffic collisions.
Eagle has conducted numerous DUI investigations which resulted in the prosecution of over 25 DUI arrests. For his selfless work, Mr. Eagle received an award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 2023. Eagle was also presented with the Law Enforcement and Prosecution Recognition award.
His dedication to the community continues as he strives to address traffic related issues within the city of Clearlake, making it a safer place to live, work and visit.
“Officer Eagle is an example of what it means to keep our community safe, and through his work in traffic enforcement and investigations, he has made Lake County a better place,” Thompson said.
Northshore Fire Protection Capt. Chrissy Valadez
Chrissy Valadez began her career in 2003 with Lucerne Fire Department which consolidated and formed Northshore Fire Protection District in 2006. She has served as Northshore Fire Protection District’s EMS Liaison since 2007.
She is also a part of the Lake County Emergency Medical Care Committee and has been a field training officer precepting paramedic interns since 2008.
Having worked for nearly 21 years in Lake County, she has assisted in many of the major wildfires, including the 2018 Ranch Fire that devastated the community.
Valadez teaches CPR to a wide range of community members including high school students and school staff. She’s also been educating community and tribal organizations on Narcan administration, tackling the opioid crisis head-on.
As the driving force behind the Every 15 Minutes program at Upper Lake High School, she has been helping students understand the dangers of driving under the influence.
Valadez is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in science education with an end goal of teaching health science and emergency medical services to high school students.
“Capt. Valadez goes above and beyond to serve our community in Lake County through trainings on the opioid crisis, the dangers of drunken driving, CPR education, and EMS services to high school students,” Thompson said.
The full list of Public Safety Heroes for the Fourth Congressional district includes:
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service said an atmospheric river was responsible for the rainfall that fell across Lake County and the rest of the North Coast on Saturday.
Forecasters said an “impressive cyclone” evident along the coast of central Oregon aligned with a plume of subtropical moisture to position an atmospheric river over Northwest California throughout the day Saturday.
“Consistent moderate to heavy rain has pelted the North Coast through the day today. Over the course of only 6 hours, 2 to 4 inches of rain have fallen all along the coast,” the agency reported.
Rainfall totals in inches for the 24-hour period ending at 1 a.m. Sunday in Lake County are as follows:
— Hidden Valley Lake: 0.92. — Indian Valley Reservoir: 1.04. — Kelseyville: 0.86. — Lake Pillsbury: 2.74. — Lower Lake: 0.43. — Lyons Valley: 1.39. — NIce: 1.43. — Whispering Pines: 1.52.
The forecast expects “mostly calm” weather next week, with more rainfall predicted beginning in the middle of the week.
Temperatures will range from the low to high 50s during the day and the high 30s to low 40s at night, according to the forecast.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.