LAKEPORT
Commission and Committee openings announced
The City of Lakeport has opportunities for the general public to become involved in local government by serving on local commissions and committees. If you have an interest in serving your community, applying for a position on a city commission or committee is a great place to start.
The City invites applications for the following Committees and Commissions: the Planning Commission, the Measure Z Advisory Committee (MZAC), and the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee (LEDAC). These appointments would be effective as of Jan. 1, 2021.
Membership on these commissions and committees is voluntary. If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, applications are available on the City’s website under the Community News Topic, “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee Openings” (www.cityoflakeport.com), or under the “Government” tab (Committees & Commissions).
For additional information, please contact Hilary Britton, Deputy City Clerk, at 263-5615, Ext. 102, or by e-mail at hbritton@cityoflakeport.com. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 24, 2020 at 5 p.m.
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CALIFORNIA
As virus surge hits, California workers could gain sweeping new workplace protections from COVID-19
WHAT: In response to calls from California’s workers and advocates, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board is poised to adopt new, stronger rules to protect nearly all California workers from COVID-19 in the workplace. The action, which could come Thursday, would mean Cal/OSHA enforcement officials would have stronger, swifter tools to ensure that employers follow basic protocols, such as maintaining physical distance between workers, to prevent transmission of the virus in the workplace.
The action on the new standard comes after workers and advocates submitted a petition to urge the Standards Board to develop an emergency temporary standard (ETS) tailored to COVID-19 hazards. Here is an FAQ about the ETS campaign: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rg_ndynPRvAo1I_FTOPwImW6hEzyO87MWBCeIDVpeyo/edit
WHO: A broad coalition of 45+ occupational health and safety organizations, labor unions, worker centers, community groups, and environmental organizations are actively supporting this campaign. See the full list online at https://worksafe.org/covid/action.html.
WHEN: 10 AM [PST] this Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020
WHERE: This public meeting will be online. The call-in information is on this agenda document: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/agendaNov2020.pdf.
WHY: As of November 15, there have been more than one million confirmed cases of coronavirus in California, and more than 18,000 deaths and an alarming rise in the number of cases and the rate of infection have forced the state to pull the “emergency brake” on California’s reopening plan. According to Cal/OSHA, COVID-19 “has killed hundreds of workers in California and sickened thousands, and workers will continue to become ill and die until the pandemic subsides. COVID-19 is an occupational health emergency causing more deaths in less time than any other workplace crisis in the nearly 50-year existence of Cal/OSHA” (source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/petition-583-dosheval.pdf). And the impact has been unevenly distributed, with low-income workers, immigrants, and workers of color bearing the brunt.
Cal/OSHA and the State of California have published guidance documents for employers. But the guidance documents, while technically enforceable by Cal/OSHA, do not have the same force of law as a standard because they did not go through a rulemaking process by the Standards Board. A standard would give Cal/OSHA a more powerful tool to enforce the rules and hold employers accountable.
According to Cal/OSHA itself: “While these general provisions provide Cal/OSHA a regulatory basis for requiring employers to take measures to protect workers from COVID-19, Cal/OSHA’s enforcement efforts could be streamlined and strengthened through regulatory mandates specific to preventing the spread of infectious diseases.”
More information available at: https://worksafe.org/covid/action.html
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BUTTE COUNTY
Tree cutters clear the way for Camp Fire recovery
Survivors of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history moved a step closer to recovery this week as state-managed crews began clearing dead and dying trees from the burn scar of the 2018 Camp Fire. As part of California’s comprehensive Camp Fire recovery efforts, crews have begun removing some of the 49,397 trees that pose a danger to the public.
“For the people of Butte County and Paradise to rebuild, their communities must be safe,” Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Acting Director Ken DaRosa said. “While crews have already removed the remnants of destroyed homes, clearing the dead and dying trees will make it safer to rebuild.”
Teams of foresters and arborists have been in the field since August identifying which of hundreds of thousands of fire-damaged trees pose a danger of falling into the public right of way. To date:
- 25,145 trees have been marked for removal in the Town of Paradise.
- 24,252 trees have been marked for removal in the surrounding communities.
- CalRecycle estimates that up to 70,000 trees ultimately will be eligible for removal in the state-managed program.
“The start of hazardous tree removal is an important milestone in this recovery operation, and it’s a critical step in the resilient rebuilding of these communities,” California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Deputy Director Ryan Buras said. “Even as our state continues to face unprecedented challenges from COVID-19 and extreme weather events, Cal OES and our partner agencies remain steadfast in our commitment to assist the survivors of the Camp Fire by removing these serious threats to public safety.”
Leaving a wake of death and devastation unrivaled by any wildfire in California history, the Camp Fire claimed the lives of 85 people and destroyed 13,000 homes as it tore through the Town of Paradise and portions of unincorporated Butte County. Following a successful collaboration completing the area’s structural debris removal, Cal OES tasked CalRecycle with managing the safe removal of dead or dying trees that pose a threat to the public as a result of this deadly fire.
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