LAKEPORT
Low vision resource group meeting
Many eye conditions can be improved. As we age, we may need to adjust to changes in our eyesight. Vision Rehabilitation Educator Patricia Jefferson of the Earle Baum Center of the Blind will give us tools to help with these changes on February 28 at the Lakeport Public Library from 1 to 3 p.m. Attendees will have a chance to bring your visual concerns.
—Submitted
CLEARLAKE
Habitat for Humanity provides 40th home in Lake County
On Feb. 4, 2023, Habitat for Humanity Lake County was excited to celebrate the with the Solorio family as they were welcomed into Habitat’s 40th home in Lake County. Ana Solorio celebrated with family and friends and Habitat staff and volunteers as Father Marlon of Queen of Peace Catholic Church offered prayers, blessings, and cleansing of the home.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” said Solorio, blinking away emotional tears. “I’m happy I didn’t give up…and so thankful for all of the work that went into this home and getting me into it. Having a place where my family can be safe and call ours is something I didn’t think would ever happen.”
If you are interested in Habitat’s Homeownership program or know someone you think would qualify, you are encouraged to contact the office at 707-994-1100 extension 106 or stop by for an application at 15312 Lakeshore Dr. Clearlake, behind Foods Etc.
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
California joins White House partnership on offshore wind energy
On Wednesday the White House announced California joined a crucial effort to accelerate offshore wind development across the country. California signed onto the 13-state Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership – adding the West Coast to the regions represented by the partnership.
The Partnership is designed to fast-track efforts to bring cleaner and cheaper energy to Americans, create good paying jobs and build an American supply chain for offshore wind.
What Gov. Gavin Newsom said: “We’re in the midst of a clean energy revolution, and ramping up the development of offshore wind energy will help move our state off dirty fossil fuels. Thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, offshore wind energy has gone from a distant pipedream to a burgeoning reality. With this new federal Partnership, California will continue spearheading efforts to bring offshore wind energy to the West Coast while creating thousands of good jobs and tackling the climate crisis.”
California has set ambitious offshore wind capacity planning goals of two to five gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045. In December, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) hosted the first-ever auction of offshore wind leases on the Outer Continental Shelf off the central and northern coasts of California, as well as the first U.S. sale in support of commercial offshore wind energy projects.
—Submitted
CALIFORNIA
Community college enrollment inches upward
Californians are increasingly returning to the state’s community colleges. After nearly three years of a sustained enrollment freefall, the 116 community colleges are educating roughly 2% more students in fall 2022 compared to the previous fall, when the schools enrolled about 1.3 million students, according to new preliminary headcounts the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office shared with CalMatters Tuesday. Two campuses have yet to finalize their latest numbers, so a final statewide total is unavailable.
Overall, the colleges are still roughly 250,000 students short of fall 2019 levels, but the enrollment collapse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be plateauing.
Progress is uneven: While 69 colleges showed positive growth compared to fall 2021 — and 45 posted enrollment gains of 5% or more — 48 colleges or campus centers shed students, according to a CalMatters analysis of community college system data. A small cadre of campuses have actually exceeded their 2019 enrollment levels — seven in total. And even when students enroll, historically about a third leave after a term.
- Interim Chancellor Daisy Gonzales, at a Tuesday legislative hearing: “That is a really big improvement from the prior year and it took a lot of hard work.”
So what’s aiding the bounce-back? Campuses have shortened the length of some courses from 10 weeks to 6 weeks, “getting them to the workforce much faster,” Gonzales told lawmakers.
Other campuses extended evening operations to 9 p.m. or later and added weekend courses. And while the University of California and Cal State systems have returned to in-person learning, many community college courses remain online in response to student survey data.
Expanded financial aid and other social benefits also moved the needle, Gonzales said, including emergency housing and childcare support. Indeed, the community colleges have seen a surge of new local, state and federal money — $1.8 billion more since 2020-21 — including $270 million in efforts to re-enroll students and attract new ones.
Still, Gonzales argued the system needs more support for its students, many who live in deep poverty. But one key lawmaker said the colleges should be doing more to get back students.
- Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, who leads the Assembly’s budget committee: “What I heard is all these things you’re asking of us; I’m trying to get a better sense of what you’re all doing so that you’re driving enrollment back up.”
— Mikhail Zinshteyn, CALMAtters
