LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Firefighters are continuing to work to fully control a wildland fire burning new Lower Lake.
The Creek fire began Wednesday in the area of Highway 29 and Clayton Creek Road, south of Lower Lake, at about 3:30 p.m.
Lake County Fire, Cal Fire and other fire agencies from around Lake County were part of the response, along with air resources from Ukiah and Santa Rosa.
By Wednesday night, Cal Fire said the fire was holding at 28 acres, and was 50% percent contained.
Due to the fire’s fast movement toward homes, incident command had called for evacuations throughout a portion of Lower Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday evening, mandatory evacuations in and around Lower Lake were rolled back to warnings, and other areas under evacuation warning were cleared.
A portion of Highway 29 that had been closed due to the fire was reopened by Wednesday evening, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Resources on scene included 100 personnel, three helicopters, 13 engines, two dozers, two water tenders, two crews and four air tankers, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said firefighters will be in the area throughout the night and into Thursday working on containment and putting out hot spots.
The Creek fire’s cause remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.
In related news, despite the fire activity earlier in the day, Cal Fire said it was continuing with conducting an overnight flying training mission out of its Boggs Mountain Helitack.
Cal Fire said the training was expected to take place between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday.
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.
COBB, Calif. — The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Boggs Mountain Helitack flight crew will be conducting a night flying training mission beginning on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. and concluding around 2 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7.
Crews want residents in the Lake County communities surrounding Cobb to be informed of this important training and brief disruption it may cause.
Cal Fire indicated the training was set to continue, despite the work that had been going on since mid-afternoon on the Creek fire near Lower Lake.
At least three take-off and landings are planned to occur in this operational period with the trips being made over to Lake Sonoma for water tank filling and dropping evolutions.
The training is done for fire captains and pilots to maintain their night vision goggle and night flying proficiency.
Cal Fire said the new generation of S70i CAL FIRE Hawk helicopters have brought a myriad of improvements to firefighting operations.
With improved flight safety features, higher payload capacity, increased power margins and the ability to operate at night, Cal Fire said it can now tackle emergency situations more efficiently and effectively.
The Cal Fire Hawk’s primary mission is responding to initial attack wildfires and rescue missions.
When responding to wildfires, the helicopter can deliver up to a nine-person helitack crew for ground firefighting operations and quickly transition into water dropping missions.
The fixed tank on the Cal Fire Hawk can carry a payload of up to 1,000 gallons of water with pilot-controlled drop volumes.
The National Council on Aging, or NCOA, the national voice for every person’s right to age well, and hundreds of community-based partners across the country will be encouraging older adults to take action to reduce their risk of falling during Falls Prevention Awareness Week, Sept. 18 to 22.
"Although falls and fall-related injuries happen more frequently with age, the good news is there are many proactive steps older adults and their families can take to prevent them," said Kathleen Cameron, senior director at NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging.
A great place to start is using NCOA’s free online Falls Free CheckUp to learn your risk and discover how to reduce it.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults age 65 and older. NCOA has championed this annual event since 2007 to highlight the impact of falls and empower individuals with actionable measures to mitigate their risk.
During Falls Prevention Awareness Week, community organizations and health care providers nationwide will offer workshops, screenings, and evidence-based falls prevention programs. Local organizations will use promotional resources to amplify their outreach.
NCOA’s online Falls Free CheckUp, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asks 13 yes/no questions and produces a score showing whether a person is at normal or high risk for a fall.
The assessment delivers tailored recommendations and offers a wealth of falls prevention resources.
Participants can also opt for reminders to schedule follow-up doctor appointments and retake the checkup in six months to monitor any changes in their risk.
According to CDC, more than one-fourth of Americans age 65+ fall each year. Falls result in more than 3 million injuries, such as hip fractures, broken bones, and brain injuries, treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations.
While that sounds like a lot – 60 million acres is about the size of Wyoming – it’s nowhere close to enough to treat every acre that needs it.
So, where can taxpayers get the biggest bang for the buck?
I’m a fire ecologist in Montana. In a new study, my colleagues and I mapped out where forest treatments can do the most to simultaneously protect communities – by preventing wildfires from turning into disasters – and also protect the forests and the climate we rely on, by keeping carbon out of the atmosphere and stored in healthy soils and trees.
Wildfires are becoming more severe
Forests and fires have always been intertwined in the West. Fires in dry conifer forests like ponderosa pine historically occurred frequently, clearing out brush and small trees in the understory. As a result, fires had less fuel and tended to stay on the ground, doing less damage to the larger, older trees.
That changed after European colonization of North America ushered in a legacy of fire suppression that wouldn’t be questioned until the 1960s. In the absence of fire, dry conifer forests accumulated excess fuel that now allows wildfires to climb into the canopy.
In response, the U.S. is facing increasing pressure to protect communities from high-severity wildfire, while also reducing the country’s impact on climate change – including from carbon released by wildfires.
High-risk areas that meet both goals
To find the locations with greatest potential payoff for forest treatments, we started by identifying areas where forest carbon is more likely to be lost to wildfires compared to other locations.
In each area, we considered the likelihood of wildfire and calculated how much forest carbon might be lost through smoke emissions and decomposition. Additionally, we evaluated whether the conditions in burned areas would betoostressful for trees to regenerate over time. When forests regrow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away in their wood, eventually making up for the carbon lost in the fire.
In particular, we found that forests in California, New Mexico and Arizona were more likely to lose a large portion of their carbon in a wildfire and also have a tough time regenerating because of stressful conditions.
When we compared those areas to previouslypublishedmaps detailing high wildfire risk to communities, we found several hot spots for simultaneously reducing wildfire risk to communities and stabilizing stored carbon.
Forests surrounding Flagstaff, Arizona; Placerville, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Hamilton, Montana; Taos, New Mexico; Medford, Oregon, and Wenatchee, Washington, are among locations with good opportunities for likely achieving both goals.
Why treating forests is good for carbon, too
Forest thinning is like weeding a garden: It removes brush and small trees in dry conifer forests to leave behind space for the larger, older trees to continue growing.
Repeatedly applying controlled burns maintains that openness and reduces fuels in the understory. Consequently, when a wildfire occurs in a thinned and burned area, flames are more likely to remain on the ground and out of the canopy.
Although forest thinning and controlled burning remove carbon in the short term, living trees are more likely to survive a subsequent wildfire. In the long term, that’s a good outcome for carbon and climate. Living trees continue to absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere, as well as provide critical seeds and shade for seedlings to regenerate, grow and recover the carbon lost to fires.
Of course, forest thinning and controlled burning are not a silver bullet. Using the National Fire Protection Agency’s Firewise program’s advice and recommended materials will help people make their properties less vulnerable to wildfires. Allowing wildfires to burn under safe conditions can reduce future wildfire severity. And the world needs to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to curb climate change impacts that increase the risk of wildfires becoming community disasters.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County and state firefighters are working by air and by ground to stop a fast-moving wildland fire near Lower Lake.
The Creek incident was first dispatched shortly before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 10700 block of Clayton Creek Road.
The fire was initially reported to be a quarter of an acre under power lines. Lines were not down, according to the first units arriving on scene.
Within minutes of dispatch, the fire was reported to be between three and five acres in size and moving rapidly, with at least one structure threatened.
The report was reported to be moving up and over a nearby hill and putting off spot fires, some of which were said to be landing along Highway 29.
Lake County Fire was joined by Cal Fire engines and air tankers and air attack, with other agencies from around the lake also responding.
A portion of Highway 29 was reported to be closed, with California Highway Patrol requested to come and assist with traffic control.
At about 3:50 p.m., Incident Commander Chief Willie Sapeta of Lake County Fire called for evacuations on the south side of Main Street in Lower Lake from Highway 53 to Bonham Road.
From the air, Cal Fire air attack reported good progress was being made, with retardant line advancing around the fire.
Cal Fire reported sending several more engines to the incident just before 4 p.m.
Additional resources are coming from out of the area, according to radio traffic.
The Colusa County Task Force reported shortly after 4 p.m. that it was sending four engines and a water tender.
An air tanker from Chico also is prepared to fly to bring more retardant.
Just before 4:15 p.m., radio traffic indicated evacuations were occurring at Rose Street and Teklas Way in Lower Lake.
At 4:20 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office released an evacuation map through https://protect.genasys.com/ that showed four zones activated. Zone LOW-169 is under mandatory evacuation, noted in red, while LOW-161, LOW-164 and LOW-167 are under evacuation warning, noted in yellow. The initial map also is shown above.
Minutes before 4:30 p.m., Cal Fire air attack said the fire was holding within the retardant lines at an estimated 5 to 7 acres.
Fifteen minutes later, two tankers were released from the fire.
As of just after 5 p.m., the fire was reported to be 28 acres and 30-percent contained.
At that point, the mandatory evacuation order for Zone LOW-169 remained in place, as did evacuation warnings for zones LOW-161, LOW-164 and LOW-167.
Incident command is working with Caltrans on traffic control through the fire area, which was expected to be in place by 5:30 p.m.
There were reports at about 5:30 p.m. of a new spot fire starting in Anderson Creek near Anderson Marsh. Initial response led firefighters to believe that it was drift smoke.
However, after getting another report of a new fire in that area just after 5:40 p.m., a small vegetation was in fact found in Anderson Creek.
By 6:30 p.m., the evacuation order for the zone LOW-E169 in Lower Lake has been reduced to an evacuation warning. Evacuation warnings for LOW-E161, LOW-E163 and LOW-E167 were lifted.
Just before 8 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported that the portion of Highway 29 in the fire area had been reopened, with work to continue overnight for dealing with hot spots and conducting mop up.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
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.
John A. Fliter, Kansas State University and Betsy Wood, Bard College
A movement to weaken American child labor protections at the state level began in 2022. By June 2023, Arkansas, Iowa, New Jersey and New Hampshire had enacted this kind of legislation, and lawmakers in at least another eight states had introduced similar measures.
The laws generally make it easier for kids from 14 to 17 years old to work longer and later – and in occupations that were previously off-limits for minors.
As scholars of child labor, we find the arguments Reynolds and other like-minded politicians are using today to justify undoing child labor protections echo older justifications made decades ago.
Opponents of child labor observe that when kids under 18 work long hours or do strenuous jobs, it can disrupt childhood development, interfere with their schooling and deprive them of the sleep they need. Expanding child labor can encourage kids to drop out of school and jeopardize young people’s health through injuries and work-related illnesses.
Long-brewing battle
Child labor protections, such as making many kinds of employment for children under 14 illegal and restricting the hours that teens under 18 can spend working, are guaranteed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. U.S. law also does not treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. The federal government deems many occupations to be too hazardous for anyone under 18.
Until that law took effect, the lack of a federal standard always obstructed progress in the states toward keeping kids in school and out of mines, factories and other sometimes hazardous workplaces.
Three years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld it in the U.S. v. Darby Lumber ruling, which toppled a related precedent.
Challenges began during the Reagan administration
There were no significant efforts to challenge child labor laws for the next four decades. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan sought to ease federal protections to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work longer hours in fast-food and retail establishments and to pay young workers less than the minimum wage. A coalition of Democrats, labor unions, teachers, parents and child development groups blocked the proposed changes.
A more ambitious attempt to roll back child labor laws in the early 2000s, led by a homeschooling group, ultimately failed, but conservatives continued to call for similar changes.
When former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was vying to become a 2012 Republican presidential nominee, he made headlines by calling child labor laws “truly stupid.” He suggested kids could work as janitors in schools.
Today, the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank, is drafting state legislation to strip child labor protections, The Washington Post has reported. Its lobbying arm, the Opportunity Solutions Project, has been helping push these bills through state legislatures, including in Arkansas and Missouri.
Iowa and Arkansas
In our view, Iowa has the most radical new law designed to roll back child labor protections. It allows children as young as 14 to work in meat coolers and industrial laundries, and teens 15 and older can work on assembly lines around dangerous machinery.
Teens as young as 16 can now serve alcohol in Iowa restaurants, as long as two adults are present.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed her state’s Youth Hiring Act of 2023 in March. It eliminated work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Previously, employers had to keep a work certificate on file that required proof of age, a description of the work and schedule – and the written consent of a parent or guardian.
Arkansas has scrapped those safeguards against child labor exploitation. We find it puzzling that supporters touted the bill as enhancing parental rights because the law removes any formal role for parents in balancing their kids’ education and employment.
Federal vs. state laws
You may wonder how states can undermine federal child labor laws. Doesn’t federal law preempt state laws?
Both federal and state laws govern the employment of minors, and all states have compulsory school attendance laws. Federal laws set a floor of regulations in youth employment that cover maximum hours, minimum ages, wages and protections from hazardous jobs.
If states pass tougher laws, as many have, the stricter standards govern workplace practices. School attendance requirements vary by state, but once someone turns 18, they’re no longer covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act’s restrictions.
Having child labor laws on the books at both the federal and state levels is only half the battle. Enforcement is another matter. Many violations in recent years have involved children who immigrated to the United States without their parents, only to wind up working long hours, sometimes in dangerous jobs, at young ages.
Construction sites?
Other states are trying to weaken protections. Ohio state lawmakers want to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year with their parents’ permission, even though federal regulations don’t allow teens that age to work past 7 p.m.
There are some national efforts to weaken – or strengthen – child labor rules as well.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, seeks to revise federal regulations to permit 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights and up to 24 hours per week during the school year. We don’t expect his bill to pass in today’s divided Congress.
And yet there’s also support in Congress to increase penalties for child labor violations. Currently, the maximum such fine is $15,138 per child. Pending bills in the House and Senate would increase the penalty to nearly 10 times that amount if enacted.
With so many states seeking weaker child labor protections, we believe a federal-state showdown over the question of whether young people in the United States belong in the workforce is inevitable.
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Were you in Humboldt County in January 1996?
If so, you may have information that could help solve a 27-year-old missing person’s case.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit is seeking help to solve the disappearance of Scott Paul Hayes.
Hayes was last seen by a roommate on Jan. 8, 1996.
Hayes, who was 19 at the time, told his roommate he was leaving Humboldt County and traveling to Southern California to visit his girlfriend.
Authorities said Hayes reportedly loaded all of his personal property into his maroon Chevrolet Sonoma pickup truck and left.
The following day, Jan. 9, Hayes’ truck was found parked on the edge of the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 101 near Redcrest. His vehicle was locked, and his belongings were still inside.
Later investigations indicated that the truck was out of fuel. No signs of foul play were found at the scene.
During their investigation, detectives located a witness who reportedly saw a man matching the description of Hayes in Redcrest during the early morning hours of Jan. 9.
The man reportedly told the witness that he had run out of gas. The witness gave the man a ride, however, the man reportedly began acting strangely and the witness dropped him off under the Stafford overpass out of fear for their safety.
Authorities said the witness reportedly continued on and retrieved fuel for the man, however, upon returning approximately 10 minutes later to the Stafford location, the man was gone.
An additional witness claimed to have seen Hayes at a motel in Rio Dell. Again, the man was reported to be acting strangely and he was not given a room. The man was reportedly last seen walking northbound on Wildwood Avenue.
Hayes has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 9, 1996, and all leads received by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office thus far have been exhausted.
Scott Hayes was described as a white male adult, approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall, 150 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs your help to bring closure to Hayes’ family.
Anyone with information regarding Hayes’ whereabouts or who may have seen Hayes that day in 1996 are urged to contact HCSO Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at 707-268-2539.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will consider awarding a chip seal contract and discuss the police chief’s response to the grand jury report.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom or can attend in person.
The webinar ID is 826 2197 1410.
One tap mobile is available at +16694449171,,82621971410# or join by phone at 669 444 9171 or 720 707 2699.
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, Sept. 7.
On the agenda are two presentations, one declaring Sept. 22 as Native American Day and another declaring September 2023 as Senior Center Month.
On the agenda is a public hearing to adopt Resolution 2023-39 renewing Ordinance 261-2022 and the approval of the Clearlake Police Department Military Equipment Report.
Under council business, council members will consider awarding a $626,425 contract to Pavement Coatings for the 2023 Double Chip Seal Project and authorizing the city manager to sign the contract.
The council also will discuss and consider Police Chief Tim Hobbs’ response to the 2022-23 Grand Jury Report on human trafficking and school shootings.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants and City Council minutes, and approval of the subrecipient agreement with Citizens Caring 4 Clearlake for the Clean California Grant.
The council will hold a closed session after the meeting to discuss an existing case of litigation, Mosqueda, Miguel v. City of Clearlake, p.s.i., administered by LWP Claims Solutions Inc., and a case of anticipated litigation.
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.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The new sports season is kicking off with the school year, a time to come together, support teams, and celebrate the talents and dedication of young athletes.
The cross country season starts this week, with the first race taking place beginning at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Mountain Vista Middle School.
As the cross country season gets set to start, Kelseyville High School’s team is welcoming back several upperclassmen as well as new runners preparing to start their high school careers.
Leading off the team are seniors Evan Macklin and Alayna Boyd, whose commitment, leadership and passion for the sport have made a memorable mark on the team. Their return is expected to elevate the level of competition and camaraderie on and off the field.
Over the past year, both Macklin and Boyd have continued to grow and develop and athletes, and their team’s fans are anticipating more achievements to come as they step into their final season.
From the ranks of the junior class come Alex Fordham, Ashley Hobbs and Joshua Fossa, whose experience and knowledge on the trail is expected to help guide the team’s newest members through the ups and downs of training, races and personal milestones.
The three juniors are lauded for unwavering dedication that has set the bar high for their team.
The team is welcoming a big group of first-time runners from all grade levels.
They include seniors Sienna Key, Antonio and Ivan Villa-Gomez, Gavin DuBois and Kyrston Pence; juniors Bryan Vences, Yahir Rodriquez, Austin Holmes, Jonathan Ison and Salvador Ramirez; and freshmen Aylin Aguilar and Emily Fordham.
The new runners have an entire team rallying behind them, ready to support and encourage them every step of the way.
Running isn’t just about the medals, personal records or team rankings. Running is a sport that teaches invaluable life lessons — resilience, discipline and the power of teamwork. It's about the journey, the friendships forged, and the personal growth that comes from pushing your limits.
Come out and cheer for the team sy Wednesday’s first race of the season.
Dennis Fordham is a local attorney and parent of student athletes.
On Wednesday, the California State Assembly voted to declare every August moving forward, Transgender History Month.
The move comes as over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country with the majority targeting the human and civil rights of transgender people.
A common message spread by anti-trans legislators is that trans people are somehow new, and that being transgender is a modern invention.
Scholars and historians have confirmed that gender-nonconforming and trans people exist in historic written records dating back to antiquity.
California in particular has a rich and documented transgender history going back to the Spanish colonial era.
“Trans people have always existed,” said Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), the author of the bill. "In every era and in every culture they have existed. As long as there’s been the written word there has been a record of trans people. Ancient Egypt, the Romans, China, Native Americans — the history of transgender people is there if you look for it.”
San Francisco’s Tenderloin District has been home to transgender people since the 1800s. Historians have letters written by trans women that describe their daily life living in the California city.
In 2017 San Francisco designated a small part of the Tenderloin as the Transgender Cultural District making it the first legally designated area in the world to be declared “of historic importance” to the transgender community.
“Many Californians remain unaware of the real lives and experiences of transgender people, even here in California. This lack of familiarity has been exploited by those on the right to attack the trans community,” said Transgender District founder, and current Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party Honey Mahogany. “We can change that through awareness, education and outreach, and I believe that establishing a Transgender History Month in California is one way we can do just that.”
In 2021, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to declare August as Transgender History Month followed by Santa Clara County shortly thereafter.
The Compton's Cafeteria riots took place in San Francisco in August of 1966 and are largely recognized as the first LGBT Civil rights uprising in the United States.
August is celebrated by many transgender advocates as a turning point in transgender civil rights history.
Professor Susan Stryker is a nationally recognized leading scholar of transgender history, and is the former executive director of the LGBT Historic Society.
“I earned my Ph.D. in United States History at UC Berkeley in 1992, and have spent much of my working life documenting and disseminating the history of trans people in California, throughout the United States, and around the world,” said Stryker. “It’s very gratifying to see that labor, and the labor of so many others who have devoted time and energy to this multigenerational undertaking, culminate today in the recognition of transgender history month. We have a proud heritage, as well as a difficult one.”
In California, the first record of trans people dates back to 1775 when a Spanish soldier encountered native people near present-day San Diego, whom he described as “those Indian men who, both here and farther inland, observed in the dress, clothing, and character of women... They are called joyas, and they are held in great esteem.”
The Gold Rush in California created an environment where transgender people could thrive. The life story of stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst, a transgender man who ran routes from Stockton to San Jose is well documented. And his life story was celebrated in the popular television show Death Valley Days, hosted by former California Governor and President Ronald Reagan.
California was also at the forefront of transgender legal rights. Lucy Hicks Anderson of Oxnard — whose parents allowed her to grow up as the girl she knew herself to be in spite of her male anatomy — argued in court in the 1940s that as a woman she was entitled to her husband’s military pension.
Celebrations and events will be planned over the next year and will occur during the inaugural Transgender History Month in August 2024.
“I believe that as Californians our strongest defense against the anti-trans agenda is just to tell the truth,” said Haney. “Let's tell the truth about transgender people’s lives, and let's lift up the history of the transgender Californians who left their mark on our great state. I couldn’t be more proud to have introduced legislation that will designate August as the first statewide Transgender History month in the nation and I look forward to celebrating every August with this community.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Two California Highway Patrol officers with Lake County connections have been promoted to sergeant.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said Officer Joel Skeen was promoted to the rank of sergeant on Friday.
Officer Adam Garcia, a Lake County native who previously worked in the Clear Lake Area office and now works in the Ukiah Area office, was promoted to sergeant on the same day, the CHP reported.
“We are proud and excited for the both of them in achieving the distinguished rank of CHP Sergeant,” the Clear Lake Area office reported on its Facebook page.
The Clear Lake Area office also recently welcomed a new academy graduate, Officer Cameron Ramsey, who arrived in July.
Like Skeen and Garcia, Ramsey comes from the North Coast — he’s from Redwood Valley and the son of a CHP officer who works in the Ukiah Area office.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Association of Realtors’s report on July home sales showed prices were up slightly over the previous month.
Over the month of July, a total of 89 single family homes were sold through the multiple listing service, compared to 94 in June and 97 sold during the month of July last year. These include traditionally built “stick-built” houses as well as manufactured homes on land.
There were five sales of mobile homes in parks, compared to seven in June and seven sold during the same time period last year; and 29 sales of bare land (lots and acreage) sales, compared to 19 sold in June and 24 during July last year.
There are 410 “stick built” and manufactured homes on the market right now. If the rate of sales stays the same at 89 homes sold per month, there are currently 4.6 months of inventory on the market at the moment. That means that if no new homes are brought to the market for sale, in 4.6 months, all of these homes would be sold and there would be none available.
Less than 6 months of inventory is generally considered to be a “sellers’ market” while more than 6 months of inventory is often called a “buyers’ market.”
Total percentage of homes bought for all cash in July was 38% (compared to 33% for June) and 40% for July last year.
In July 2023, 34% were financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (“conventional loans”) compared to 29% for June and 32% for the same time last year and; 18% were financed by FHA (compared to 23% for June and 11% for this time last year); and 1% were financed by the VA or CalVet (compared to 4% for June and 4% for this time last year); 9% had other financing such as private loans, USDA, or seller financed notes (compared to 3% for June and 12% last year at this time).
The homes in July were selling at an average of 97% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, but an average of 94% when compared to the original asking price when the property first came on the market.
In June it was the same at 97% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract, but 94% of the original asking price.
A year ago at this time, homes were selling at 98% of the asking price at the time the property went under contract and 97% when compared to the original asking price.
The median time on the market last month was 28 days, compared to 37 days for the previous month and 19 days for this time last year.
The median sale price of a single family home in Lake County in July was $320,000, which is slightly higher than the $318,750 for the previous month and well over the median sale price of $300,000 during this time period last year.
This would indicate that in June the higher priced homes were selling in greater numbers to bring the median sale price up compared to the previous year.
In July, 36% of homes sold had seller concessions for an average concession of $9,914; a month ago 35% of homes had seller concessions for an average concession of $9,051 and a year ago during July 27% of homes sold had an average seller concession of $9,711.