CLEARLAKE— District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier spoke Thursday at the first Judge’s Breakfast of 2023, covering both new and ongoing projects in the district. Projects discussed included infrastructure, Lake bed management, the county’s crop report and human services.
Sabatier dove right into a power point presentation with a discussion on the City of Clearlake’s roads and infrastructure stating, “First things first, the majority of our complaints is roads so I’m going to talk about that.” Sabatier detailed the recent paving of streets and chip sealing projects that Clearlake has completed noting, “Obviously you see what the City of Clearlake did, they got some funding that we (the county) were not able to access, which I’m very jealous of. We need to access those same pots of money.”
Sabatier added that the city was able to pave 15 miles in the wake of the Sulpher Fire and re-do a number of roads. Sabatier outlined a 5-year plan that the county has been working on which mimics Clearlake’s strategies with the main focus being transparency for both the public and investors. The county hopes this will help to both more accurately predict progress in neighborhoods. It also aims to provide for more cooperation between utilities and projects to ensure accountability and to ultimately increase the longevity of both. According to Sabatier, the plan will require funds in excess of 15 million dollars, of which a portion has already been reserved, and although the plan is not finalized, Sabatier hopes it will be enacted within the year.
Another area of focus was both the water quality and clarity of Clearlake. County residents have all experienced the negative effects of algae buildup on the lake and the county is ready to try and mediate that with LG Sonic machines which break down the algae before it reaches the surface. This would have to be studied to ensure the safety of aquatic life but according to Sabatier “From 1967 to now we’ve spent $500,000 trying to figure this out. Every year we spend over $500,000 just to get rid of the aquatic weeds… We need to start spending some money and make that a little more equalized.” There are other ongoing projects that the board is watching and will implement if successful.
Using the most recent crop report along with his recent experience attending the AgVenture program organized by the California Women in Ag (CWA), Sabatier explained the lack of vegetable crops in the county at only 7.52 acres of other vegetables (not grapes or pears, two of the county’s top commodities).
“I’m concerned about our lack of sustainability in Lake County with food,” he said. This has prompted a new project where Sabatier has reached out to Blue Zones in order to amend their pledge insisting that a grocer’s first choice for purchase is buying local. “I’m trying to get more restaurants, more grocery stores, more school districts to go with the Blue Zones certification process.” The theory behind this is to create higher demand for local produce, encouraging farmers to grow more food.
Homelessness is always at the forefront, especially since the loss of one of only two homeless shelters in the county this past September. Sabatier stated “We can not see an increase, we have to stop the flow of incoming people that become homeless so that then we can work on reducing homelessness itself. I think we need to challenge ourselves to make that happen and not just say that’s all we can do.” Along these same lines is the percentage of the county receiving Medi-Cal benefits which currently sits at 50 percent. Sabatier mentioned “It’s both good and it’s bad. It’s good because people have access to healthcare.” But the bad part is that the poverty level is still hurting the county. “Keeping people dependent on free services is not the way to good quality of life at all. What are we doing to make that change?”
There is also a push to maintain the city sewer pump station, which is outdated and can be foul smelling for the entire neighborhood. A hotline has been established and those effected are encouraged to call and complain at 707-263-0119. The Judge’s Breakfast is held every Thursday at 7 a.m. at the Clearlake Senior Center. Next week’s guest speaker is Nicole Flora with the Lake County Economic Development Corporation. More information is available on their Facebook Page.
