LUCERNE >> Central Region Town Hall has realized the challenges they face are affecting their neighboring MACS and searched for a universal approach to more effectively resolve obstacles through greater collaboration with their District 3 neighbors, at the Lucerne Senior Center Monday.
CeRTH council vice chair Austin Pratt began with reading a list of complaints about a litany of code enforcement compliance issues often neglected within the CeRTH boundaries. This included trash dumping in the North Shore as well as dilapidated docks, houses, empty storefronts and outdoor storage along Highway 20. And he noted a proliferation illegal cannabis, squatters occupying abandoned buildings, excessive commercial vehicles on HWY. 20, a lack of emergency evacuation routes and motorist speeding on Highway 20. “We need traffic calming measures on Hwy 20,” Pratt stressed. “And we need pot hole repairs that are not on HWY. 20, but also crosswalks, pedestrian sidewalks and bike lanes. And under environmental issues, there’s the quality of Clear Lake, vegatation abatement, tree preservation, mitigating storm water runoff and illegal grading.”
CeRTH is engaged in trying to set up in a unified government through monthly collaborative meetings with the Western Region Town Hall (WRTH) and the Eastern Region Town Hall (ERTH). This unified approach would help the MACs learn how the different county departments work to achieve community planning. But also, such collaboration could get communities to plan for a tourist-based economy along North Shore and likely to obtain increased grant funding that could lead to plan for auto traffic pullouts along HYW. 20, thus increasing tourism from visitors from the Sacramento area and provide revenue for refreshing the HWY. 20 scenic corridor, as well as boosting locally owned businesses.
Recent surveys distributed to CeRTH residents are expected to be returned soon, noted Chair Becky Schwenger. Once they can tally survey results they will need to start prioritizing from the Super MAC level explained Schwenger. But she implored residents to remain cognizant of thinking along these lines so they can come up with ideas of mutual support for the three different MACS. She also cautioned; the Super Mac representatives will not have another meeting for two weeks, but when they receive the previously distributed surveys, the can then tally what are residents’ priorities.
Visiting the CeRTH meeting was Tom Aceves, chair of the Western Region Town Halll (WRTH). Aceves stressed how critical public input is for the Super MACs. “It is very important that everybody has input on this because it’s not just for the groups sitting in on the meetings,” Aceves said. “It’s important everyone put their comments on the surveys we circulate, because you (residents) are the ones who will drive District 3 (MACS).” It was then, Aceves went a bit off topic, but he revealed the weekend prior, his neighborhood, near Nice Keeling Park was subjected to a drive-by shooting.
When Aceves returned home in the early evening, his street had been blocked off by several California Highway Patrol along with an upturned civilian car. His family, who had been home at the time of the shooting had heard multiple shots and were noticeably disturbed. “I don’t think they caught the people that did this, it’s an open investigation,” he said. “There was no need for this to happen. We need more law enforcement of the Drug Task Force for this county, especially in North Shore.” He went on, that the perpetrators need to be put behind bars because lawlessness has gotten out of hand and that more robust police enforcement would be a priority for him.
Supervisor E.J. Crandell lauded the Dump Day cleanup initiative they recently had. There was 110 tons of trash collected the first day and 160 on the next day while 500 was collected since 2023. Crandell explained it was done in collaboration with the Community Development Department and support from a grant by Cal Recycle as well as assistance from the Pyle Road subcommittee, which mapped out cleanup needs which was key to getting funding yet was open to Clearlake Oakes residents too, who just needed to show an ID to unload their trash as well.
Also, Crandell explained, the BOS is attempting to collect TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) on local Airbnb’s who have been dodging taxes. Treasurer/ Tax Collector Patrick Sullivan identified the residences by going through websites and apps who listed their homes as an Airbnb. Sullivan so far issued 172 enforcement letters to noncompliant residencies which operated as an Airbnb yet which had not paid their taxes on such lodgings. On the other side of the equation, Crandell noted the BOS met this week to begin drafting legislation to regulate Airbnb’s and begin collecting the delinquent tax revenue.
