LAKE COUNTY— PG&E officials shared company plans with the Board of Supervisors Tuesday for cutting the number of Lake County customers impacted by power shut offs by one-third or more, compared with the previous year.
Two of the ways PG&E is working to isolate outages is by setting up microgrids and substations. Three of five substations, known as the Hartley, Clearlake and Konocti substations are now fully operational, according to PG&E, while the Red Bud and Highlands substations are supposed to be completed by Sept. 15. Tuesday’s presentation, including a “flyover” in Google Earth showing the new infrastructure areas, and a question and answer period lasted about an hour and a half.
In response to a comment from Chair Moke Simon about the importance of better communication between the public and PG&E, officials said notifications would be more specific this year, including information about when power is expected to be turned on and off.
“We really want to do a much better job at setting expectations for the public about what they’re going to experience,” said Aaron Johnson, vice president of wildfire safety and public engagement for PG&E.
The plan for Lake County is part of the utility company’s Community Wildfire Safety Program. Presenters said they would share their slides with supervisors, who could share them with the public.
The supervisors decided to continue a discussion regarding a potential vote of no confidence and request for resignation of Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen. Supervisor Bruno Sabatier made a case for the vote and her resignation, alleging lengthy and unjustified delays for deposits and processing of excess proceeds, and an inability to problem solve, among other things.
Ringen didn’t appear to be on the call when the item was initially being discussed but did eventually chime in and give a brief statement. She said her office had not received any complaints directly, that COVID-19 had caused some delays, and that it was difficult to fill vacancies because of the salary offered. Ringen said during the last round of recruitment, three candidates were offered the position but declined because of the salary.
Two members of the public spoke against a vote of no confidence, one of whom said the matter should be up to voters, while the other said Ringen should have more time to prepare a response. Ringen asked the board for more time to give a rebuttal to Sabatier’s claims and revisit the issue on Sept. 22, and the board accepted her request.
Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace also gave an update on the COVID-19 situation in Lake County and an overview of the state’s new four-tier, color-coded reopening plan with the categories of purple (widespread), red (substantial), orange (moderate) and yellow (minimal.)
Pace said he thought that Lake County’s placement in the red zone, which allows restaurants to operate with 25% capacity indoors, was “probably just about right.” But he did say that the county and state had slightly differing data, and that county officials would be meeting with state representatives soon to get to the bottom of the discrepancy.
