UPPER LAKE
Land Tending Days at Rodman Preserve
Did you know Lake County is home to a variety of native California Bunch Grasses?
There are numerous species of these grasses at the Rodman Preserve. Restoring them to their splendor and dominance at the Preserve is a goal of the Lake County Land Trust (LCLT).
For some time now volunteers have been “tending,” different patches of these native grasses with success. It is a fun project, and we could use some help. Are you interested in learning how to identify common native bunch grasses and helping them thrive at the Preserve? Do you like being outside and getting your hands into the Earth? If so, join us at the Rodman Preserve during the month of March for a series of “Land Tending Days”
March 12, 19 and 26
- Meet at 10 a.m. Rodman Preserve’s Nature Center
- Walk trail to watch a ‘tending demonstration’
- Choose a patch of grass from areas marked off
- Start removing non-native grasses that surround the natives.
- Learn about adopting a small patch to steward over time.
- Lunch provided at Noon on the back porch of the Nature Preserve.
You may attend any day you wish. If this sounds like an interesting and fun project for you or your friends RSVP below, email us at lclt@lakecountylandtrust.org, or call the LCLT at 707-262-0707. Rodman Preserve is located at 6350 Westlake Road
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LAKE COUNTY
Story Walk scheduled for Saturday March 11
Come join the fun at Clear Lake State Park for our first Story Walk of the season on Saturday, March 11 from 11 to 2 p.m.
This month’s story will be “Lola Plants A Garden” so wear old clothes because we will be planting too-a start to your garden!
Admission is free for the event and the Visitor Center will be open
Hope to see families and friends there.
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LAKE COUNTY
Highland Springs recreation area closed until further notice
The Lake County Water Resources Department has determined Highland Springs Recreation Area will remain closed until further notice, due to potentially life-threatening conditions caused by storm damage. Please note, this closure includes the Range and Rod and Gun Club.
County work crews conducted an initial survey on Wednesday and observed hundreds of downed trees and partially fallen limbs on recreational trails, parking areas and the disc golf course. With saturated soils, high winds, freezing temperatures and more precipitation anticipated, additional damage may occur.
District 4 Supervisor, Michael S. Green, was on site to observe damage brought by recent storms: “The disc golf course and picnic areas suffered little structural damage, but there are an unprecedented number of downed trees, ‘widow makers’ and other hazards,” Supervisor Green stated. “It will likely take weeks to fully assess the damage and bring in forestry crews and equipment to prepare the park for public use. We truly appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation.”
Highland Springs Recreation Area is owned by the Lake County Watershed Protection District and managed by the Lake County Water Resources Department. For more information, contact Water Resources at 707-263-2344 or water.resources@lakecountyca.gov.
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SACRAMENTO
Newsom touts the diversity of his California judges
Sure there are those ambitious climate goals, the shuttered prisons, the state’s ever-worsening homelessness crisis and the three-year COVID state of emergency. But among the many changes that will define Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legacy as political leader of California, one of the most enduring, if under-appreciated, is his reshaping of the judiciary.
According to new judicial appointment data his press office promoted this week, Newsom has added 288 new members to the state bench. On its face, that number isn’t all that remarkable. Over the course of his two final terms as governor, Jerry Brown appointed 644. Before him, Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed more than 600.
Instead, these are the statistics that Newsom wanted to highlight:
- 146 (51%) of his judges are women;
- At least 169 (59%) are people of color.
As of last year, 40% of sitting judges and justices were women and roughly two-thirds were white.
As my colleague Byrhonda Lyons has written, gender and ethnic diversity on the bench has been a growing emphasis for California governors. Nearly 40% of Brown’s appointees were people of color, compared to just 27% of Schwarzenegger’s.
- Caveat: The overall trend toward a more diverse bench isn’t reflected across the whole state. As the Bay Area Reporter noted, only 17 out of the state’s 58 county trial courts report having any LGBTQ judges. And in 26 counties — including majority non-white Ventura, Yolo and Kings — more than 80% of the trial court judges were white.
Newsom has gone out of his way to make demographic “firsts” with his appointments. On the state Supreme Court, Newsom picked Patricia Guerrero as chief justice, a Latina, and appointed Justice Martin Jenkins, who is openly gay.
Two more firsts: Alex Padilla is the first Latino to serve as a U.S. senator from California and Shirley Weber is the first Black Secretary of State — both Newsom picks before he won reelection in 2022.
