Author: admin_cac

November 15, 2018
Draft Meeting Minutes
COBB AREA COUNCIL
PUBLIC MEETING
Thursday November 15, 2018
Little Red Schoolhouse/Cobb Mountain Lions Club
15780 Bottle Rock Rd., Cobb, CA 95426
Mtg called to order at 6:02pm
PRESENT: Gary Prather, Eliot Hurwitz, Jessica Pyska, Cindy Leonard, Cathy McCarthy
Ron Hasket has submitted his resignation due to not having enough time to do the job.
38 community members present
Moment of Silence for the victims of the Camp Fire National Disaster
•
Approval of Minutes from October, 2018 Motion to approve Rich Curtola, seconded by Gary Prather
SHORT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kelly- This Sunday is a Lion’s Club “Leo’s” meeting 12-18 age. 1:00 at Little Red. They will be creating a low-sugar hot chocolate recipe.
There will be a holiday Christmas dinner at the Lion’s club on Christmas Day. Looking for food donations and also names of the families that would need Christmas dinner delivered to their home.
Cindy reports that the Friends of Boggs Mountain membership drive was a big success and that it doubled membership! Trail rebuilding will be in phases and so that sections can get up and open as soon as possible. There is a professional trail builder who is helping to train the Friends of Boggs in building long-lasting trails. This is important for planning the volunteer trail building parties. Calpine donated $20,000 for the purchase of the proper sized excavator.
TREASURER’S REPORT Gary states balance was $2951.93. Cindy has reimbursement of $277.50 for Cobb Resilient supplies and having the maps laminated. Brings the total balance to $2,674.43.
PUBLIC and BOARD COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS (3 mins./individual)
Jessica: Family Health mental health resource in Kelseyville:
Given all that we have been through together over the past few years, it is not unusual to feel overwhelmed and triggered by these new fires. The Lake Family Resource Center in Kelseyville received a grant to help our community manage the stresses of these repeating disasters. They are offering free short-time counseling for Lake County residents. The help is here, should you need it. Kelseyville Office
5350 Main Street
Kelseyville, CA 95451
707-279-0563 – Main Business Phone
707-279-8564 – Confidential Fax
Another resource is the Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a–year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Jessica: Dark Sky proclamation will happen at the BOS meeting this coming Tuesday. No change in law, just promoting it as good development
John Hess is reminding us about an application for “Share Institute” programs $500 grants for schools. Magdalena and Jessica will send out any promotional notices he has.
FireWise Community Update: Cindy Reports that the group meetings at the recent Cobb Resilient event were successful in getting some new people interested in the Firewise project. There are 3 groups now that are on the verge of completing their Firewise application for certification (which will hopefully happen before the end of the year) and another group (Pine Grove and Gordon Springs) that is forming.
Short reports from CAC Committees as needed
CAVERN: There are more small radios available for purchase from Mel when he returns from vacation. $28 for a pair. Which way is the best way to communicate during an emergency? All ways!!
Glenneth states that there is more wood available to pick up at Hoberg’s this Saturday from 8-4 at the South Gate.
Concerns about the clearing that CalFire will be doing along Bottlerock road:
50 feet upslope, 100 feet downslope. Only 35% of homeowners have signed right of entry sheets. Ben Nichols has approved the CAC to piggy-back on the letters they have sent to homeowners.
Ken is concerned about the erosion that will happen if there is clear-cutting along Bottle Rock. He is really concerned about Harrington Flat and how that area could be cleared. We need some clarification on exactly what they will be doing.
Jessica is concerned about the area along the creek and will they work with Fish and Game?
Rich Curtola is concerned about the burn ban on property owners who have less than an acre.
Gary states that CalFire opposed the burn ban when it was imposed, but it was the Air Quality commission that forced it.
Perhaps we will have warming fire all winter long?
Eliot states that we should address this topic in more depth at another meeting.
Magdalena will take these concerns to Calfire and ask for clarification as she and Chief Nicholls have already agreed that the Firewise program could piggyback a letter of encouragement onto Calfire’s mailings to those residents.
• Supervisor’s Comments (None. Supervisor Brown was not present.)
DISCUSSION ITEMS
(no formal presentations this month)
Report on Cobb Resilient 2018 – Magdalena. The attendance was lower than at Cobb Safe earlier in April due to late promotion, but the quality of the presentations and attendance was high. We had a few county officials and agents present this time, and we made a strong impression on them with the fact that we had residents talking to each other instead of only listening to officials or experts. The entire event is being made into a video so anyone can watch the presentations. We hope to have raw edits of clips available soon, but it will take substantial time to fully process 700 GB of data for the full video. .
-Magdalena states that one unique character of Cobb is our mixture of large and small landowners. We need to learn from some of the large landowners that have lived on Cobb for generations. They have lots of experience that we can learn from those families.
Roberta Adams is suggesting that we get a herd of goats for our community and it could be shared around for difficult clearing situations
• Discussion of new Hazardous Brush ordinance
Michael reports that this was formally proposed November 6th and then it was discussed at the following BOS meeting. The existing public resource code already states that homeowners must have 100 ft. defensible space. The new ordinance would enable the county to go onto your neighbors property. There would be inspectors and if something is found out of compliance, the homeowner is contacted. If the land is not cleared within 30 days, then it will go into abatement and then the county will clear it. The homeowner will be sent the bill. Civil penalty builds.
This is specifically for unimproved lots that are next to a structure. The wording also states that the property line must be cleared.100 feet.
Shaded fuel break has been the approved method in the past, why not now?
Comments from Michael: This only applies to unimproved land. The way it reads is possibly not the way they intended. Because each property owner will have to clear 100 feet on both sides of the line, you will have 200 feet cleared thousands of feet all over the county, so it will have great impact, but the county is stating that they do not need to do an environmental impact study. That seems wrong–do the math, this would be a tremendous amount of environmental impact. Also this seems to be a tremendous fine system. Michael states that there already is a CalFire mechanism to eliminate any fire hazards, so this isn’t needed.
Rich Curtola- The county has no money, so is this being written just to raise money? Eliot states that Jim Steele and Anita Grant (county counsel) wrote it.
Roberta wonders if all the trees are cut, then will everyone will just put up wooden fences and so no difference to the fire safety.
Gary Prather: has a problem with the section 58.4 requirement to get rid of seasonal and recurrent weeds.
58.6 improved parcel: why aren’t parcels of 6 acres and greater? What is the structure definition?
Improved next to unimproved parcels 59.2 requirement next to the improved roads. Will he need to maintain the logging roads? If they are going to implement this, why is the cost not shared?
Eliot suggests that we have a public workshop to discuss this so that it can be clarified.
Tom feels like his comments were not respected at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting. He said he asked about programs and funding, but was told that is not in this, it is in another ordinance. He feels he was not shown respect when he was told he needs to read up on the laws.
Jessica and many others want to make sure that this ordinance will include the standing dead trees that were burned in the Valley Fire. They have fallen on people’s homes and vehicles and we worry that they will eventually fall on people. For example, there are many next to Hwy 175 that could fall onto cars. Jim Steele told Cindy at the BOS meeting that this ordinance is not for that purpose and there is another ordinance for the dead trees. What is he referring to? We have been contacting landowners about these trees and getting nowhere.
In general, we feel the community needs clarification and to have a workshop before this thing is passed. We applaud that they are doing this, but there are too many loopholes and too much responsibility on the large landowners. If this is going to be a model for other counties, let’s do it right! Then we can show that it actually works.
Gary is meeting with Rob Brown tomorrow who wants to see what Gary is talking about. His property shares a border with 23 homes. There is no way that two of us could clear all that space within 30 days, and certainly not by ourselves with all the physical work and cost.
Motion on the floor from Magdalena to delegate John Hess to accompany Gary Prather at his meeting with Rob Brown to bring the items discussed tonight to the attention of Rob. Motion seconded: Glenneth Lambert. Eliot called the vote and the motion was passed.
Status of Measure L and Fire Dept. Funding
Eliot states that he spoke with Jim Comisky and that by the next CAC meeting we should know the outcome of the vote. December 6th is when the final outcome will come out according to what Rich Curtola heard from the county today. It seems like perhaps there are other funding options, and those need to be explored if this does not pass. There should be affordable solutions in this very poor community.
Roberta states that Jim Comisky has spent a lot time answering her questions. Do we want to start our own fire department again? We want to have a fire department, so she would love to work with someone to write grants or figure out how we can fund our fire department.
Michael suggests that the CAC puts a bulletin board or comment section on the website. Jessica will do this.
Eliot entertained a motion to adjourn. Jessica so moved. Seconded by Gary. Meeting adjourned at 7

COBB AREA COUNCIL
PUBLIC MEETING
Thursday October 18, 2018,
Little Red Schoolhouse/Cobb Mountain Lions Club
15780 Bottle Rock Rd., Cobb, CA 95426
Draft Meeting Minutes
PRESENT: Gary Prather, Eliot Hurwitz, Jessica Pyska, Cindy Leonard, Cathy McCarthy
56 community members present
• CALL TO ORDER at 6:03 (shut down cell phones; sign in please)
• Approval of Minutes from September, 2018 One addition to add Ron as present in last meeting minutes.
MOTION to approve with amendment Robert Stark:, seconded by Magdalena, all approve.
• SHORT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Replacement wood stove program
The Lake County Air Quality Management District will begin taking applications for the Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program on Oct. 15.
There is $135,000 available for residents of Lake County who want to replace an uncertified wood stove or fireplace insert with a new, EPA-certified wood, electric or gas device.
The Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program is a voucher program supported by the California Climate Investments Program and administered by local air districts.
This program provides vouchers to replace non-EPA certified wood-burning stoves and fireplace inserts with an EPA-certified woodstove or insert, or a natural gas, propane, or electric heating device. A wood-burning fireplace used as a primary source of heat may also qualify.
For certain communities designated by the state and for low-income households, the vouchers may cover the entire cost of the replacement (up to $8,000).
After all the low-income applications are processed or after 2 months of the start of the program, a standard voucher of $2,500 is available to all households that want to upgrade to a 2020 compliant woodstove or cleaner device, and $1,500 for a standard EPA certified device. (If funds are still available, the standard vouchers will be issued)
Homeowners and tenant occupied residential homes are eligible. Tenant applicants must obtain owner approval prior to receiving a voucher.
The program will begin accepting applications on Oct. 15. Applications are available at the Lake County Air Quality Management District office: 2617 S. Main St., Lakeport, or by emailing Fahmy Attar at fahmya@lcaqmd.net.
Vouchers will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and expire four weeks from the date they are issued.
• TREASURER’S REPORT Gary Prather: $54 post office box renewal,$2951.93 new balance.
• PUBLIC and BOARD COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS (3 mins./individual)
• Short reports from CAC Committees as needed
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITEE CAVERN Cobb Area Volunteer Emergency Radio Network now has about 40 radios out in the community. We hope to get to 100. Update from Mel. Settling on one of three repeater sites. He has the proposal regarding the location if you would like to see. Website soon up.
Ham repeater held up on Prather mountain for about 3 hours during the power outage.
• Firewise Community Update from Cindy
Continuing to organize our community.
Cobb has been divided into six sections and is in the process of organizing to become Firewise certified communities.
Group One (calling themselves Jones Creek Crossing) consists of Gifford Springs, Star View, Alpine Meadows, Cobb View Heights and they meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 at the Little Red Schoolhouse.
Group Two includes Whispering Pines, Cobb School, Estates neighborhood, Pine Grove and Gordon Springs. There is a small group formed within this larger group that is organized to get Firewise certified. This is “phase one” and then the larger area will be considered “phase two”
Group Three is the Bottle Rock corridor and Harrington Flat and is gathering momentum and learning about the process
Group Four Includes Adam Springs, Fox-Venturi, Pine Ridge, Pine Summit and had done a lot of work gathering information and working on the application process
Group Five includes Loch Lomond, Salmina Meadows, Seigner Springs and Wildcat. The sub-group in Salmina Meadows has recently had their Firewise application approved and is the first Cobb Firewise community! The remainder of Group 5 is organizing.
Group Six is in need of volunteers.
All groups meet during the “working lunch” portion of the Cobb Safe event every spring and the Cobb Resilient event every fall. Free lunch is provided at this event.
Three groups were far enough along in their organization to have Jeff Tunnell from the Bureau of Land Management come to do the required assessment (Groups 1,2 and 4). The information from Jeff will be used to create a neighborhood work plan. This plan will have 3 or 4 achievable goals to work on over the following year to help the community be fire safe. Each year the groups will do a bit more to help their area be more resilient.
The strengthening of community ties can benefit residents in many ways, and is especially helpful in an emergency
Cobb Resilient update:
On Saturday, November 3, 10AM-5PM, a Neighbors Firewise Public Forum day will take place at the Cobb Elementary School.
Calfire Grant update:
The release of funds for the Calfire grant awarded to the nonprofit SSCRA to help Firewise Communities get established by providing homeowners with 75% funding assistance up to $1250 per acre has been delayed, pending CEQA and some smaller concerns. Eliot and Magdalena will be meeting with Calfire officials from the Sonoma Lake Napa Unit and the State next week to address these concerns. Development of the homeowner application process is also delayed as a result.
There will be overall grant firewise priorities and then at the next level priorities from the local firewise groups that will inform setting the final requirements at the level of individual residents. The firewise groups may decide to prioritize income, but there is no such general requirement.
PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Brief re-cap of presentation from last month on Dark Skies Jessica Pyska. Shows a photo looking toward Santa Rosa of how bright the light is that direction. She had a letter drafted last month regarding this issue. Hopefully we can prevent future developments from creating light pollution.
She presented the new draft of the letter which includes all the comments that were submitted on the Cobb Council website.
Gary Prather states that he was not clear about the original letter, but with this clarification he does support it now.
Robert Stark noted that the Friends of Cobb brought this issue up when the Hardester’s Market went in and made sure that they had considerate lighting. So this is an issue that has been discussed on Cobb in the past.
You can read more online about these ideas at darksky.org
Here is the letter with all the comments that had been emailed in added. It was passed around to be signed by anyone who supported it.
Lake County Board of Supervisors
255 N. Forbes Street
Lakeport, CA 95453
RE: Lake County Dark Sky Certification
Dear Supervisors;
As all residents and visitors of Lake County know, one of the most amazing shows in town happens after the sun goes down. The dark, rural lands of this county offer some pretty spectacular stargazing. For generations, the Cobb Mountain area has hosted visitors from all over California who come to admire our starry nights and stay up late watching meteor showers. For many Cobb residents, the dark nights are the reason we live here. We want to preserve our dark nights and protect the economic bump that our summer friends provide the community each time they visit.
Much like most of California, Lake County is on a path towards growth and development. We, of the Cobb Area Council, encourage the County government to explore how light pollution can be managed thoughtfully and proactively with new development. In particular we encourage you to define appropriate lighting guidelines to protect our local dark skies. Please join with the efforts of the Taylor Observatory as they seek Dark Sky Certification from the International Dark Sky Association for Lake County. We feel an obligation to maintain our dark nights for future generations, as well as continue to promote Astro-tourism locally. Lake County has the unique opportunity to use the Dark Skies certification to promote astro-tourism, combined with eco-tourism, wine tourism, and arts/crafts tourism, to create a full package for attracting outside dollars to Lake County without significant capital investment by the County.
Thank you for your consideration.
Letter was signed by 35 people.
Election Preview –
Measures L Jim Comisky the fire district contracts to CalFire for services. Costs went up this year on the contract, so they came up with a formula of $200 per household, with other formulas for land, etc. This is just to maintain the current staffing. This is not for new equipment or new buildings, just to keep what we have. For more information go to: http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/ROV/Current_Election.htm
Question from Rich, 1.6 million shortfall for CalFire. What is to say that they won’t do that again? Response: this situation has never happened before and we don’t expect that it will happen again. Gary says that it is very rare that CalFire personnel get raises, so it probably won’t happen again soon.
Dave Leonard Measure H Bond measure to help repurpose and refurbish equipment and buildings in Middletown Unified School District. After four meetings priorities were made and they created lists of critical needs vs. desires. He brought an informational sheet with specifics of what this bond measure would fund. More questions can be addressed with the Superintendent, Catherine Stone. She can be contacted at catherine.stone@middletownusd.org 707-987-4100
-No money can be spent on teacher salaries, but one comment is that we need to increase the salaries to help teacher retention in MUSD. That will not be addressed with this Measure, but it is something we need to address.
Proposed Lake County Geothermal Exploration and Development Ordinance – Supervisor Rob Brown
-after the Valley Fire we talked about infrastructure projects. We knew that some people would not rebuild, so we talked about Right to Farm Ordinances that would inform new people who moved here about the Geothermal projects. Then the disclosure is there.
-This proposal has been being worked on for awhile, but because of all the other distractions the comment period has been extended. If we still need more time, we will take that time.
-Use permits will remain the same. The use permit cannot be changed without going through the public input process.
-There is a concern about the make-up of the grievance committee. This should be clarified. Calpine cannot be on the committee if they have a financial interest in the claim.
Perhaps there could be an academic or a regulator on the committee? The number needs to be higher. It doesn’t need to be a majority, it is a board to resolve issues.
Nuisance Section 3.1- it seems like the Geothermal industry is getting a big bonus that the community that we cannot claim any nuisance for geothermal activity.
Questions about how many days we have to complain. How long would we have to make a claim? 60 days seems insignificant.
Friends of Cobb format should be revisited. There is already a committee in place.
Robert Stark:
-Why are we even making this law?
-In 1980’s this town stunk and had many problems with the Geothermal industry.
-There are many industries that should have been notified.
-If there is a 5 mile radius
-The Geysers were just purchased by investors, so they are going to want to make some money. They are going to be moving North. Already there are two new power plants approved by the BOS.
-The current field is already swimming, no additional water can be added.
-This could affect the real estate value
-Incurable defect that negatively affects property values. Suggestion to contact the Board of Realtors to find out the reality of the effect.
-Rich-Other than the County of Lake, the Geothermal is the next larger employer. Supervisors must be concerned about the money coming into the county, so it would be beneficial to keep the Geothermal industry happy. This must have been the case for the previous BOS in the 60’s and 70’s when the Geothermal industry first came here. Our quality of life is at stake here. In 1964 there were no earthquakes. This is going to make things worse!
-Rob- There was a decline, but then it has come back with the wastewater re-charging. He wants to make it work.
-Jessica- don’t we already have an ordinance? Not sure.
-John Carlisi- Geothermal is becoming less efficient compared to many other types of power systems.
-Anderson Springs is concerned that the ability for mitigation and to make a claim.
John Jennings- Where did this come from? We need to be clear with any new residents that would move to Lake County. Rob: Community Development was leading this. We wanted to get something on paper.
Eliot asks, Where do we go from here?
-Draft a letter to the BOS. December 4th is the date that it is on the Board of Supervisors agenda, but if needed it can be postponed again.
Motion to adjourn the meeting, Jessica, seconded John. Adjourned at 8:04p.m.