CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will consider whether to end virtual public input at city meetings due to concerns about inappropriate comments.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
On Thursday, the council will have a discussion with staff about the possibility of discontinuing virtual public comments at city meetings, a measure which was instituted in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report said the emergency orders that allowed these measures were rolled back and virtual participation by City Council, commission members and others is no longer allowed, “except under very specific circumstances.”
Flora continued, “Many jurisdictions, including Clearlake, have continued the use of Zoom to allow more flexibility for public comment. Beginning largely in the fall of 2023 many jurisdictions eliminated a virtual option for public input due to the rise in inappropriate and racist comments at public meetings.”
At its Jan. 18 meeting, the council experienced the same when three individuals gave public comment through Zoom — with their cameras off and, it’s believed, under assumed names — that were antisemitic and racist, and had nothing to do with city business items on the agenda.
“Staff would like to discuss the discontinuation of allowing public comment on City business virtually. Staff recommend the Council continue to allow the use of Zoom for City consultants and contractors as appropriate,” Flora wrote.
Also on Thursday, the council will offer a proclamation declaring February 2024 as Black History Month and a presentation of the Clearlake Police Department's Annual Report.
Under other items of business, the council will consider authorizing a $20,000 amendment to the purchase contract with National Food Equipment for installation of a freezer as part of the Senior Center Kitchen Remodel Project.
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 contract with ProEx Construction for the Senior Center Kitchen Remodel Project in the amount of $20,000, and adoption of a resolution and approval of Mayor David Claffey's appointments of Vice Mayor Joyce Overton and Councilmember Russell Perdock as members.
The council also will hold a closed session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss property negotiations for 14775 Burns Valley Road and a case of anticipated litigation.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will hold a special meeting this week to discuss a local tribe’s appeal of a newly approved subdivision project.
The council will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, 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, Feb. 1.
The only item on the agenda for the special meeting, which will be followed at 6 p.m. by the regular meeting, is the consideration of an appeal filed by the Koi Nation of Northern California regarding the Clearlake Planning Commission’s approval on Dec. 18 of a subdivision, tentative map and environmental analysis for a development at 2890 Old Highway 53.
It’s the latest in a series of appeals and actions the tribe — now working to get approval for a casino project in Windsor, in neighboring Sonoma County — has taken against projects in the city, including a project to extend 18th Avenue and the city’s Burns Valley sports complex project.
The subdivision is proposed by Danco Subdivision Development, which built another project near the sports complex area which was not challenged by the tribe.
The staff report explains, “The Danco Subdivision Development is a market-rate residential development that has been designed to be compatible with the rural character of its surrounding neighborhood. The project consists of subdividing a 30-acre parcel into 22 lots. The parcels will range in size from 1.25 to 2.75 acres.”
City staff is urging the council to deny the appeal.
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. — Forecasters said an atmospheric river headed toward the North Coast is expected to bring high winds and heavy rainfall to Lake County this week, with the peak to hit on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said the “impactful atmospheric river event” will bring moderate to heavy rainfall beginning late Tuesday night and continuing through Thursday, with more showers possible into Friday.
Over that time frame, the agency said rainfall totals will range from 2 to 4 inches with some localized totals of up to 7 inches possible over the south-facing terrain.
The specific Lake County forecast expects most of the rain to occur on Wednesday, with between four and five inches throughout the course of the day, with higher rainfall totals expected on the Northshore.
That heavy rainfall is forecast to cause a rapid rise in creeks, rivers and streams. Around the region, areas such as Eel River at Fernbridge, Navarro River at Navarro and Russian River at Hopland could exceed the flood stage by Thursday, the National Weather Service reported.
The rain in recent weeks has caused a significant rise in Clear Lake, which on Sunday night was at 5.33 feet Rumsey, the special measure for Clear Lake, up from 3.01 feet Rumsey on Jan. 1.
For comparison, Clear Lake’s level on Jan. 28 of the previous five years was as follows, based on United States Geological Survey gauge records:
Regarding temperature, conditions are expected to get colder, as more normal temperatures will return midweek, following the arrival of a cold front. Daytime temperatures will drop into the high 40s and nighttime temperatures will be in the low to mid 30s.
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.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
California is mobilizing a whole-of-government response to a series of potentially dangerous incoming storms in order to keep communities safe.
Beginning Tuesday evening, a series of storms began to hit the state and will continue for the next 10 days.
Forecasters said to expect significant rain, high winds, deep snow as well as potential flash flooding and power outages.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that it is monitoring two atmospheric river storms heading towards the West Coast and is urging Californians to pay attention to the evolving forecast, listen to instructions from local authorities and evacuate immediately if told to do so.
Lake County is under a wind advisory on Wednesday and a flood watch on both Wednesday and Thursday.
At the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the State Operations Center in Mather is being activated to coordinate a unified response to these storms across state, local and federal agencies.
The governor has also directed the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, to lead an early, proactive push to preposition state personnel and equipment into the communities most at risk of damage before the worst of the storms arrive.
The state is also taking action to prepare for potential flooding by activating the Flood Operations Center for increased coordination and utilizing California’s spillways where necessary.
The National Weather Service said a significant series of weather systems will impact the state starting this week, bringing with them moderate to heavy rainfall, accumulating mountain snow and gusty winds of 60 to 70 miles per hour.
Precipitation will begin across far Northern California on Tuesday, spreading into the rest of the state Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
This weather pattern will continue in the next few weeks, with above normal precipitation likely statewide, especially across Southern California.
“The state is working around the clock with our local partners to deploy life-saving equipment and resources statewide. With more storms on the horizon, we’ll continue to mobilize every available resource to protect Californians.”
The state is utilizing significant staffing and equipment resource investments made by the Governor in recent years to bolster emergency response capacity.
Among the agencies who are actively working on storm response efforts are: Cal OES, the Department of Water Resources, California Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California Conservation Corps, California Department of Social Services and the California National Guard.
Five things you can do to stay safer
Stay connected. Californians are reminded to dial 311 to get help or ask questions. If you have a critical emergency, call 911. Stay informed by signing up for emergency alerts including warnings and evacuation notices. Go to CalAlerts.org to sign up to receive alerts from your county officials. Check in with loved ones and neighbors.
Get your information from trusted sources. During a disaster, it's critical to have accurate information. Check state and local government or emergency management websites and social media accounts for trusted information specific to your area. Local news outlets and meteorologists are also a good source of information. Be wary of posts from unknown sources on social platforms or from online ‘experts’ without credentials.
Prepare for high winds. Before a high wind event: remove any dead trees or overhanging branches near structures, remove loose roofing material, bring in unsecured objects from patios and balconies, secure outdoor objects that could blow away, shutter windows securely and brace outside doors. During a high wind event: take cover next to a building or under shelter, stay away from windows, stay clear of roadways and train tracks, avoid elevated areas such as roofs, watch for flying debris.
Travel safely. Avoid non-essential travel during the peak of the storm expected Sunday and Monday. If you must drive, download the QuickMap app or visit QuickMap (ca.gov) to learn up-to-the-minute information on road conditions, traffic, closures, and more. Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown! Remember, just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
Be ready in case of power outages. Take inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity. Keep your devices charged. Plan for batteries and other alternative power sources to meet your needs if the power goes out such as a portable charger or power bank. Have flashlights for every household member. Also, plan accordingly for the potential of water outages.
Storm Season Safety Guide: the state is sharing multilingual resources, deploying a network of community-based organizations through the Listos California campaign, and highlighting other work underway to protect at-risk communities this rainy season.
Prepare yourself through texts: Californians can sign up for a 5-lesson text message course through Listos California on what to do before, during and after floods, high winds, debris flows and other storm impacts. This course is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Punjabi. Text “CAWINTER” to 20202 via SMS to sign up.
Visit the National Weather Service for current weather patterns in your area.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data that sheds light on the numbers of those in poverty as part of National Poverty in America Awareness Month.
Nationwide, the Census Bureau said the official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5%, with 37.9 million people in poverty.
Neither the rate nor the number in poverty was significantly different from 2021, the Census Bureau reported.
The official poverty rate for Black individuals decreased between 2021 and 2022. The 2022 rate was the lowest on record.
In Lake County, the U.S. Census estimated there were 66,685 residents in 2022.
Lake County’s poverty rate in 2022 was 16.8% — with a deviation of plus or minus 4.2% — accounting for 11,175 residents.
Previous years’ poverty rates, based on the American Community Survey’s one year estimates — except for 2020, for which only a five-year estimate was available — are as follows:
In related data, the Census Bureau said that, nationwide, the Supplemental Poverty Measure, or SPM, rate in 2022 was 12.4%, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 2021. This accounts for the first increase in the overall SPM poverty rate since 2010.
In 2022, the SPM child poverty rate more than doubled, from 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022.
The Census Bureau said that in 2022, Social Security continued to be the most important antipoverty program, moving 28.9 million people out of SPM poverty.
Refundable tax credits moved 6.4 million people out of SPM poverty, down from 9.6 million people in 2021.
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.
The U.S. official poverty rate as measured by the American Community Survey (ACS), was 12.6% in 2022 but the rate was significantly different for the nation’s oldest and youngest populations, according to a Census Bureau report.
The ACS shows that in 2022 the child (people under age 18) poverty rate was 16.3%, 3.7 percentage points higher than the overall rate. But the poverty rate among those age 65 and over was 10.9%, 1.6 percentage points lower than the overall rate. The poverty rate for those ages 18 to 64 was 11.7%.
The following maps show the difference in state poverty rates for these three age groups. For comparison, they use the same poverty rate category values.
Although lower than the child poverty rate, the poverty rate of those 65 and older rose 0.7 percentage points while the child poverty rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points from 2021 to 2022 — the first time since 2018 the rates changed in opposite directions. Twice before (2009 and 2010), the reverse happened; that is, child poverty went up and poverty among those age 65 and over went down.
The poverty picture in four states – Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and New Jersey – was the same as the national one in 2022: the rate increased among those age 65-plus and decreased for children.
How poverty is measured
Poverty status is determined by comparing annual income to a set of dollar values (poverty thresholds) that vary by family size, number of children and the age of the householder.
If a family’s before-tax money income is less than the dollar value of their threshold, that family and every individual in it are in poverty. For people not living in families, poverty status is determined by comparing the individual’s income to their poverty threshold.
The poverty measure excludes children under age 15 who are not related to the householder, or people living in institutional group quarters or in college dormitories or military barracks.
Child poverty by state, region and metro area
The national child poverty rate was 16.3% but there was considerable variation among states, ranging from 6.9% to 26.4%.
Figure 2 illustrates the uneven distribution of child poverty among states. This map, though similar to the Under 18 map in Figure 1, here just focuses on child poverty and how states compared to each other in 2022 at this age level.
In 2022, more than half (9) of the 17 states in the South region had child poverty rates of 18.0% or more, down from 12 Southern states and the District of Columbia in 2021.
The Midwest, Northeast and West each had only one state with child poverty rates of 18.0% or more.
More than three-quarters of states in the Northeast and nearly 70% in the West had poverty rates below 15.0%, corresponding to the two lowest map categories for child poverty.
Child poverty rates by state:
Among the lowest were in New Hampshire (6.9%) and Utah (8.4%). (These estimates are not significantly different from one another.)
Among the highest were in Mississippi (26.4%), West Virginia (25.0%) and Louisiana (24.6%). (These estimates are not significantly different from one another.) Eleven states and the District of Columbia had lower child poverty rates in 2022 than in 2021. Only one state, West Virginia, had a higher child poverty rate than in 2021.
Child poverty rates also showed wide variations among the nation’s 384 Metropolitan Statistical Areas or metro areas in 2022, ranging from 3.7% to 40.9% (Figure 3); 25 metro areas saw child poverty rates rise and 35 rates fall from 2021 to 2022.
Nearly two -thirds of the metro areas with the nation’s highest child poverty rates were in the South and accounted for about a quarter of all the South’s metro areas.
High-poverty metro areas were disproportionately represented in the South. In contrast, nearly 40% of metro areas with the lowest poverty rates were in the West.
Poverty rate: Population 65 and over
In 2022, the national poverty rate of people age 65 and over was 10.9%, significantly lower than the national and the child poverty rates but up from 10.3% in 2021, marking the second year in a row that this group’s poverty rates increased.
There were geographic variations from 7.5% to 15.9% in these poverty rates but they were not as pronounced as for the child poverty rate (Figure 4).
Eight states in the South and the District of Columbia had poverty rates of 11.5% or more. No other region had more than three states with such high poverty rates among the 65-plus population.
State poverty rates for oldest age group:
Among the lowest: Utah (7.5%) Delaware (7.7%), Vermont (7.9%), New Hampshire (7.9%), and Colorado (8.0%). (These estimates are not significantly different from one another.)
Among the highest were the District of Columbia (15.9%), Louisiana (14.8%) and Mississippi (14.7%). (These estimates are not significantly different from one another.) In metro areas, older population poverty rates ranged from 3.4% to 25.7% (Figure 5).
In 2022, most of the nation’s 63 metro areas with older population poverty rates of 13.0% or higher were in the South (42) or the West (14). More than a quarter of all the South’s metro areas fell into the two highest poverty categories compared to just 3.2% of those in the Midwest.
Poverty rates among those age 65-plus rose in 44 metro areas and fell in 11 metros from 2021 to 2022.
Additional poverty data from the 2022 release and links to poverty estimates from other surveys (such as the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the Survey of Income and Program Participation) are available on this topics page.
Craig Benson is a survey statistician in the Census Bureau’s Poverty Statistics Branch.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — California’s snowpack is improving thanks to recent storms, but still below the seasonal average.
The Department of Water Resources on Tuesday conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station.
The manual survey recorded 29 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 10 inches, which is 58% of average for this location.
The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast.
Tuesday’s results reflect a modest increase in the snowpack since Jan. 1, but overall conditions are still far below normal.
DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 8.4 inches, or 52% of average for this date, an improvement from just 28% of average on Jan. 1. One year ago, the snowpack statewide was 214% of average on Feb. 1.
“This year’s El Niño has delivered below average precipitation and an even smaller snowpack,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Californians must prepare for all possible conditions during the remaining months of the rainy season.”
Despite additional precipitation in January, many storms so far this year have been warmer than average, producing rain rather than snow at higher elevations.
Overall statewide precipitation is 82% of average for this date. Last year’s snowpack was aided by both above average precipitation and below average temperatures, which created a historic snowpack and improved reservoir storage statewide, which is still above average. Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s largest reservoir, is currently 76% of average.
“Despite strong El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean, a high-pressure system and several other climate factors have led to below average conditions so far and most storm impacts have been focused along the coastal regions,” said Dr. Michael Anderson, state Climatologist with the Department of Water Resources. “Many of these storms have also been warmer than average and produced more rain and less snow, a far cry from last year’s near-record snowpack and once again demonstrating how California can swing from one extreme to another.”
Even though this winter has provided below average precipitation overall, it can only take one storm to produce severe flooding in the right circumstances.
Communities in San Diego, the Bay Area and along the North Coast have already experienced flooding impacts this winter, highlighting the need to always be prepared for flood risk.
DWR and the Joint State-Federal Flood Operations Center have been working with communities and emergency response agencies to coordinate flood response and provide training to prepare for flooding.
All Californians should follow three basic steps to plan for possible floods:
Be aware of your risk – know whether your home is downslope of a burn area or in a floodplain; pay attention to weather forecasts; listen to local authorities.
Be prepared – always have an emergency evacuation kit ready; be ready to evacuate early; have a plan for where you will go in an emergency.
Take action – subscribe to your local emergency providers to get updated information. If local authorities issue an evacuation order, do not delay, follow local guidelines for evacuation and never attempt to drive through a flooded roadway.
On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why the Sierra snowpack is often referred to as California's “frozen reservoir.”
Data from these snow surveys and forecasts produced by DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit are important factors in determining how DWR manages the state’s water resources.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The Kelseyville Riviera Community Association held a community meeting to take community input on the updated draft of its strategic plan on Jan. 25.
During that town hall meeting, the Strategic Planning Committee presented an updated draft of the plan, which includes the topics sections of governance, finance, facilities, outreach, and safety.
This committee and the town hall were facilitated by members of the association’s community, Janine Citron, April Leiferman and George Bloomfield, and office manager, Tina Turner.
After a brief overview of the draft plan, attendees were invited to participate in any two of the five interactive, topic-specific breakout sessions.
Each group facilitator provided an in-depth review of the goals for that topic and recorded member input. The interaction was lively and positive.
Following the breakouts, member input for each topic was added to the presentation panels, before members used adhesive dots to indicate their priorities.
The association was pleased to welcome Supervisor Jessica Pyska and Lake County Community Development Director Mireya Turner to join in the process. Community members enjoyed a question-and-answer session where the county’s area and general plans were discussed.
Pyska described the process by which roads are targeted for improvement. She also congratulated the association for its progress on fire safety.
Members expressed interest in the county’s general and area-specific plan development process and funding options for a possible county park in the community. Currently, the association does not have a public park or lakefront access for members.
Results of the community’s strategic plan review and prioritization exercise showed that members highly value obtaining a pool, a family-friendly park with picnic and play areas, a lakefront area with water access and marina, dog park(s), a larger clubhouse, water park, and security measures such as community patrol or surveillance cameras.
Interest in receiving the recently reinstated The Rivieran newsletter was also high. Members expressed support for the association’s assertive efforts to obtain and include community input in the plan’s development.
Once finalized in the next few months, the new Kelseyville Riviera Community Association Strategic Plan will provide a road map for strong leadership development for the association as well as stable succession planning.
The Strategic Planning Committee will incorporate the questions and results of a 2019 Community Survey, along with input from Friday’s town hall, to develop and circulate an updated community survey to be sent to all community members.
Fresh data from this final survey will allow the committee to hone the plan before presenting it to the Kelseyville Riviera Community Association Board with a recommendation to adopt.
When adopted, the new strategic plan will provide a clear road map for achieving the goals of the members and position the association to bring new and improved assets to the community, as well as to obtain grants and other financial backing for future community enhancements.
The Kelseyville Riviera Community Association is one of the largest community associations in the state with over 2,800 properties including over 1,500 residences.
To contribute to the strategic plan or to learn more about the association, call 707-277-7281 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
April Leiferman is a member of the Kelseyville Riviera Community Association.
Many people are wired to seek and respond to rewards. Your brain interprets food as rewarding when you are hungry and water as rewarding when you are thirsty. But addictive substances like alcohol and drugs of abuse can overwhelm the natural reward pathways in your brain, resulting in intolerable cravings and reduced impulse control.
A popular misconception is that addiction is a result of low willpower. But an explosion of knowledge and technology in the field of molecular genetics has changed our basic understanding of addiction drastically over the past decade. The general consensus among scientists and health care professionals is that there is a strong neurobiological and genetic basis for addiction.
As a behavioral neurogeneticistleading a team investigating the molecular mechanisms of addiction, I combine neuroscience with genetics to understand how alcohol and drugs influence the brain. In the past decade, I have seen changes in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of addiction, largely due to a better understanding of how genes are dynamically regulated in the brain. New ways of thinking about how addictions form have the potential to change how we approach treatment.
Alcohol and drugs affect brain gene activity
Each of your brain cells has your genetic code stored in long strands of DNA. For all that DNA to fit into a cell, it needs to be packed tightly. This is achieved by winding the DNA around “spools” of protein called histones. Areas where DNA is unwound contain active genes coding for proteins that serve important functions within the cell.
When gene activity changes, the proteins your cells produce also change. Such changes can range from a single neuronal connection in your brain to how you behave. This genetic choreography suggests that while your genes affect how your brain develops, which genes are turned on or off when you are learning new things is dynamic and adapts to suit your daily needs.
Recent data from animal models suggests that alcohol and drugs of abuse directly influence changes in gene expression in areas of the brain that help drive memory and reward responses.
There are many ways addictive substances can change gene expression. They can alter which proteins bind to DNA to turn genes on and off and which segments of DNA are unwound. They can change the process of how DNA is read and translated into proteins, as well as alter the proteins that determine how cells use energy to function.
For example, alcohol can cause an alternative form of a gene to be expressed in the memory circuits in fliesand people, resulting in changes in dopamine receptors and transcription factors involved in reward signaling and neuronal function. Similarly, cocaine can cause an alternative form of a gene to be expressed in the reward centersof mice, leading them to seek out more cocaine.
Exactly how these drugs cause changes in gene regulation is unknown. However, a direct link between alcohol consumption and changes in gene expression in mice provides a clue. A byproduct of alcohol being broken down in the liver called acetate can cross the blood-brain barrier and unwind DNA from histones in mouse memory circuits.
Alcohol, nicotine, cocaine and opioids also all activate important signaling pathways that are central regulators of metabolism. This suggests they can also affect many aspects of neuronal function and consequently affect which genes are expressed.
Changing brain gene activity with lifestyle
How addictive substances change cell function is complex. The version of a gene you’re born with can be modified in many ways before it becomes a functional protein, including exposure to alcohol and drugs. Rather than discouraging researchers, this complexity is empowering because it provides evidence that changes to gene expression in your brain aren’t permanent. They can also be altered by medications and lifestyle choices.
Many commonly prescribed medications for mental health disorders also affect gene expression. Antidepressants andmood stabilizers can change how DNA is modified and which genes are expressed. For example, a commonly prescribed drug for depression called escitalopram affects how tightly wound DNA is and can change the expression of genes important to brain plasticity.
Additionally, mRNA-based therapies can specifically change which genes are expressed to treat diseases like cancer. In the future, we may discover similar therapies for alcohol and substance use disorder. These treatments could potentially target important signaling pathways linked to addiction, altering how brain circuits function and how alcohol and drugs affect them.
Lifestyle choices can also affect gene expression in your brain, though researchers don’t yet know whether they can alter the changes induced by addictive substances.
Like alcohol and drugs, dietary changes can affect gene expression in many ways. In flies, a high sugar diet can reprogram the ability to taste sweetness by tapping into a gene expression network involved in development.
Work in animal models has also shown that exercise changes gene expression by altering both histonesand themolecular tags directly attached to DNA. This increases the activity of genes important to the activity and plasticity of neurons, supporting the idea that exercise improves learning and memory and can decrease the risk of dementia.
From Dry January and beyond, many factors can have profound effects on your brain biology. Taking steps to reduce consumption of alcohol and drugs and picking up healthy lifestyle practices can help stabilize and bring long-lasting benefits for your physical and mental health.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported late Monday that it has named two new wolf packs that were confirmed in the state last summer.
The newly named wolf families are the Beyem Seyo pack in Plumas County and the Harvey pack in Lassen County.
Another of 2023’s newly discovered packs, the Yowlumni pack, ranges in Tulare County and was named in December.
“These awe-inspiring animals continue to show us that California’s wild landscapes are great habitat for wolves and that they’ll find their way here,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Wolves belong in our state, and we should do everything we can to ensure they thrive.”
The department’s quarterly report covered known wolf information from August through October 2023. It reported that the state has five wolf packs plus several groups of wolves, including new individuals and groups in four northeastern California counties.
The new report noted the continued existence of the Lassen pack in Lassen County, the Whaleback pack in Siskiyou County and a group of two or three wolves in Tehama County. Another group of three wolves was documented ranging in Sierra and Nevada counties, and individual wolves have been sighted in Modoc County. A previously known wolf family in Plumas County, the Beckwourth pack, is thought to no longer exist.
Based on the department’s count, California is currently home to around 45 wolves including adults, yearlings and pups of the year.
The Beyem Seyo pack has at least two adults and six pups; the Harvey pack has at least two adults and one pup; the Lassen pack has a minimum two adults, five yearlings, and three pups; the Whaleback pack is composed of at least two adults, one yearling, and eight pups; the Yowlumni pack consists of two adults and six pups; and the two unnamed groups of wolves include a group of two to three wolves in Tehama County and a group of three wolves in Sierra and Nevada counties.
“I feel so fortunate to bear witness to the return of these top-level carnivores to California,” said Weiss. “Not only are wolves essential to healthy, wild nature, they also have for thousands of years been integral to the human spirit and imagination and a symbol of our connection to the wild.”
The first wolf in nearly a century to make California part of his range was OR-7, a radio-collared wolf from Oregon that entered California in late 2011. OR-7 traveled across seven northeastern counties in California before returning to southwestern Oregon, where he found a mate and settled down, forming the Rogue pack.
Several of OR-7’s offspring have since come to California and established packs. Those include the original breeding male of the Lassen pack and the breeding female of the Yowlumne pack residing in Tulare County. The Shasta pack, California’s first confirmed wolf pack in nearly 100 years, was discovered in 2015 but disappeared a few months later.
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is native to California but was driven to extinction in the state by the mid-1920s. After OR-7 left Oregon for California, the Center and allies successfully petitioned the state to fully protect wolves under California’s endangered species act. Wolves are also federally protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to intentionally kill any wolves in the state.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sen. Nancy Skinner, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks on Monday introduced the Protecting Youth from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976), and the California Children’s Data Privacy Act (AB 1949), landmark legislation seeking to protect youth online.
These two bills, sponsored by Attorney General Bonta and authored by Sen. Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Assemblymember Wicks (D-Oakland), would limit the harms associated with social media addiction and provide more robust protections for kids’ data privacy. This marks an important continuation of Attorney General Bonta’s commitment to improving child safety online.
“Social media companies have shown us time and time again that for profits, they are willing to harness addictive content to target a vulnerable population: our children,” said Bonta. “As kids and young adults increasingly socialize, learn, and work online, we must create a safer online space for children to learn, explore, and play. This cannot wait. We need to act now to protect our children. It’s time to move fast and fix things. The two bills we are announcing today take an important step toward that goal by strengthening data privacy protections for minors and safeguarding youth against social media addiction.”
“Social media companies have designed their platforms to addict users, especially our kids. Countless studies show that once a young person has a social media addiction, they experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem,” said Skinner. “We’ve waited long enough for social media companies to act. SB 976 is needed now to establish sensible guardrails so parents can protect their kids from these preventable harms.”
“In a digital age where the vulnerabilities of young users are continually exploited, we cannot afford to let our laws lag behind — our children deserve complete assurance that their online experience will be safeguarded from invasive practices,” said Wicks. “With AB 1949 we have a critical opportunity to build on the important work we’ve already done with the CCPA by expanding protections for ALL youth under 18. This bill is a crucial step in our work to close the gaps in our privacy laws that have allowed tech giants to exploit and monetize our kids’ sensitive data with impunity.”
SB 976 takes steps to protect young users from online addiction. SB 976 would give parents the choice of whether users under the age of 18 would receive a chronological feed from users they already follow or the current default, an algorithmic feed. Algorithmic feeds are addictive and heavy social media use can cause mental health harms to young users.
Additionally, parents and guardians would also have the choice of halting social media notifications and blocking access to platforms for minors during nighttime hours and during the school day.
In October, Bonta coled a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in filing a federal lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates, alleging that Meta designed and deployed harmful features that addict children and teens to their mental and physical detriment.
Unredacted documents from this lawsuit demonstrate Meta is aware and purposefully utilizing algorithmic content delivery to target and addict children to social media — actions that they know are causing harm.
Among other damning revelations, Mark Zuckerberg personally vetoed Meta’s proposed policy to ban image filters that simulated the effects of plastic surgery, despite internal pushback and an expert consensus that such filters harm users’ mental health, especially for women and girls.
Meta also continuously misrepresented that its social media platforms were safe, while internal data revealed that users experienced harms on its platforms at far higher rates- and referred to young users as “a valuable but untapped audience.”
AB 1949 strengthens protections of data privacy rights of children under the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA.
CCPA secures increased privacy rights for California consumers, including the right to know what personal information businesses collect and sell, and the right to stop those sales to third parties.
As it stands, CCPA does not effectively protect 17-year-olds, or limit businesses from collecting or exploiting the data of young users, so long as they do not sell it. This gap has allowed companies like Google and Meta to collect, exploit, and monetize young users’ data on a massive scale.
Despite businesses’ awareness that children use their services, businesses currently design their online services to include features that may be harmful to children, including manipulative techniques to prod them to spend hours on end online or provide personal information beyond what is expected or necessary.
AB 1949 would amend the CCPA to prohibit businesses from collecting, using, sharing, or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is strictly necessary for the purpose of the business. For users under 13, this informed consent must come from a parent.
The bill authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to enforce the law and seek injunctive relief, damages, or civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
Bonta’s office said he is committed to children’s online safety and privacy.
In March 2022, Bonta announced an ongoing investigation into TikTok for harms to youth associated with the use of its platform.
On March 5, 2023, he filed an amicus brief supporting efforts to compel TikTok to produce subpoenaed materials and evidence.
Bonta is continuing to zealously defend AB 2273, the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, or AADC, which would be complemented by the protections provided by this legislation.
AADC is a law unanimously passed by the Legislature in 2022 that seeks to protect children by ensuring that online products, services, or features are designed in a manner that recognizes the distinct needs of children at different age ranges.
In August 2022, Bonta announced a settlement with Sephora resolving allegations that it failed to disclose to consumers that it was selling their personal information and failed to process opt-out requests via user-enabled global privacy controls in violation of the CCPA.
Moreover, Bonta has conducted several investigative sweeps, most recently of popular streaming service apps and devices in an effort to understand how companies are complying with consumer opt-out requests for consumers who want to stop the sale of their data.
For more information about the CCPA, visit www.oag.ca.gov/ccpa. To report a violation of the CCPA to the Attorney General, consumers can submit a complaint online at www.oag.ca.gov/report.
It’s official: 2023 was the planet’s warmest year on record, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, or NCEI.
Along with the historic heat, Antarctic sea ice coverage dropped to a record low in 2023.
“After seeing the 2023 climate analysis, I have to pause and say that the findings are astounding,” said NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick. “Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record — it was the warmest by far. A warming planet means we need to be prepared for the impacts of climate change that are happening here and now, like extreme weather events that become both more frequent and severe.
"We will continue to see records broken and extreme events grow until emissions go to zero,” Kapnick said. “Government policy can address both emissions, but also actions to reduce climate impacts by building resilience."
Earth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2023 was 2.12 degrees F (1.18 degrees C) above the 20th century — the highest global temperature among all years in NOAA’s 1850-2023 climate record. It also beats the next warmest year, 2016, by a record-setting margin of 0.27 of a degree F (0.15 of a degree C).
The 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade. In fact, the average global temperature for 2023 exceeded the pre-industrial (1850–1900) average by 2.43 degrees F (1.35 degrees C).
Looking ahead, there is a one-in-three chance that 2024 will be warmer than 2023, and a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the top five warmest years.
2023 as ranked by other scientific organizations
Other scientific organizations, including NASA, the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UK Met Office have conducted separate but similar analyses that also rank 2023 as the warmest year on record.
Other notable climate findings and events
• Global ocean heat content set a new record high: The 2023 upper ocean heat content, which addresses the amount of heat stored in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean, was the highest on record. Ocean heat content is a key climate indicator because the ocean stores 90% of the excess heat in the Earth system. The indicator has been tracked globally since 1958, and there has been a steady upward trend since approximately 1970. The five highest values have all occurred in the last five years. • Polar sea ice was scant: The 2023 annual Antarctic sea ice extent (coverage) averaged 3.79 million square miles in 2023, the lowest on record. The maximum extent in September was 6.55 million square miles, which was the lowest by a record margin. The minimum extent in February was 690,000 square miles, which set a record low for the second consecutive year. Arctic sea ice coverage averaged 4.05 million square miles in 2023, ranking among the 10 lowest years on record. The maximum extent in March was 5.64 million square miles, which ranked fifth lowest, while the minimum extent in September was 1.63 million square miles, which ranked sixth lowest. • December 2023 set records: Global surface temperature in December 2023 was 2.57 degrees F (1.43 degrees C) above the 20th-century average — the warmest December on record. For the ninth consecutive month, the global ocean surface temperature was also record warm. Looking regionally, North America and South America both had their warmest December on record.