SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Public Safety Committee on Wednesday gave unanimous, bipartisan support to a bill by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) to crack down on offenders who pollute the environment and endanger the public by growing or manufacturing illegal drugs on forest lands.

“This bill is not about the legal production or use of medical marijuana under California law,” Chesbro told the committee. “This bill is about protecting those who work in the woods and those who hike, hunt or fish on public and private forest lands from the increasing violence from illegal drug operations. It is also about protecting these lands from pollution and diversion of waterways.”

Madeline Melo testified in favor of the bill and talked about her late husband Jere’s work and the tragic end of his life as well as the overall impact illegal drug production has had on the region.

Melo’s husband, Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo, was inspecting forest land near the Noyo River for illegal marijuana grows when he was killed last Aug. 27.

The suspect in Melo’s murder, Aaron Bassler, also was believed responsible for killing Mendocino Land Trust conservationist Matthew Coleman two weeks earlier near Westport.

AB 2284 would increase the penalties for those violating the law by growing marijuana, operating a meth lab or any other illicit drug manufacturing on forest lands.

Under a very limited scope, the bill also would allow law enforcement to pull over and question drivers transporting irrigation piping onto or through resource lands.

AB 2284’s focus is on public lands and large scale industrial timber lands, not on homeowners or small property owners.

“Last year during ‘Operation Full Court Press’ more than 50,000 pounds of garbage was removed from national forest lands from illegal marijuana grows,” said Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, who testified in support of AB 2284 at Wednesday’s hearing. “This bill will hopefully prevent these materials from being brought onto public lands.”

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police are continuing to seek leads in a strong arm robbery from earlier this month as well as a commercial burglary to a downtown bar that occurred late in March.

The robbery, which took place on the evening of April 3, involved a 15-year-old who was punched, knocked down and had his wallet taken at the corner of North Main Street and Mariah Way, as Lake County News has reported.

Lakeport Police Sgt. Kevin Odom said Officer Gary Basor is investigating the robbery.

“We believe the victim's wallet was located in the 1600 block of N. Main St. and he is attempting to determine if it has any evidence,” Odom said in an email message.

Odom added that Basor also has met with the victim again in hopes of obtaining a more accurate clothing description to determine if that might generate some more leads.

Police had described the suspect as a medium dark skinned male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt or jacket – possibly with a red "P" on the front – faded blue jeans, and tan boots or shoes. He may have been associated with a small black compact car with black tinted windows.

Regarding a burglary to the Clearlake Club Bar on March 25, in which cash was taken, Odom said Officer Destry Henderson is leading that investigation.

He said no new leads have surfaced, but Henderson is attempting to identify the person in a surveillance photo police released to the community, which can be seen above.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – While conducting a warrant search for illegal marijuana Mendocino County law enforcement officials were surprised when they also found endangered wild steelhead and poached ducks.

On March 7, Department of Fish and Game (DFG) warden Don Powers seized 18 wild steelhead and 56 ducks from freezers in two locations while assisting the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department in serving search warrants for illegal marijuana propagation.

The wild steelhead, 17 of which were spawning females, are believed to be from the Garcia River in Mendocino County, where they are protected and listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Formal charges will be brought against Kyle Edward Stornetta, 31, of Manchester for unlawful possession of the wild steelhead as well as unlawful possession of an overlimit of ducks.

Prosecutors are currently evaluating the case and deciding which additional state and federal regulations were violated, including marijuana violations.

“Enforcement efforts are critical to ensuring the threatened wild steelhead stocks are able to rebuild by returning and completing their spawning cycle on the Garcia River,” said DFG’s Chief of Enforcement Nancy Foley.

Wild steelhead along the Mendocino Coast were listed as threatened by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2000 and it is unlawful to catch or possess them.

The federal listing spurred the investment of millions of dollars of public and private funds in the Garcia River and its watershed to fund restoration and conservation efforts including bank stabilization, upslope sediment reduction, the planting of thousands of small willow, silt reduction programs, road upgrading or decommissioning, and other improvement and forestry projects and practices.

Specific contributions have included more than $1 million in grants issued by DFG’s Fisheries Restoration Grants Program, an $18 million purchase of the Garcia Forest  by the Conservation Fund of the Garcia River Forest to manage and restore its 23,780 acres, and a $3.5 million for a conservation easement purchased by the Nature Conservancy to conduct studies and monitor fish and wildlife populations within the forest.

Other investors include the County of Mendocino, the Mendocino Redwood Company and California Trout Unlimited.

The steelhead population is responding to these efforts and showing increasing signs of recovery. In 2009, DFG biologists estimated only 65 steelhead returned to spawn to the Garcia River, but in 2010 approximately 250 steelhead were tallied and in 2011 an estimated 770 steelhead spawned.

Even with these increasing numbers, the loss of 17  females is a significant blow to the Garcia River’s steelhead population.

“Those 17 females could have produced about 70,000 eggs to help restock the river,” said Doug Albin, a DFG fisheries biologist in Fort Bragg. “The Garcia River is gradually being nursed back to health by a number of groups pooling their conservation and restoration efforts, but those investments are negated when spawning females are illegally taken like this.”

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – After marking nine years of supporting deployed troops with care packages in March, Operation Tango Mike begins the progression toward 10 years.

The March packing party brought great fun and a few surprises. The open house that preceded the packing party was attended by approximately 125 people.

Rich Hinchcliff was the lucky winner of a drawing for one cord of firewood. He had purchased a ticket, knowing he had no use for the wood, but wanting to support Operation Tango Mike.

Upon being told he was the lucky winner, Hinchcliff donated the wood back, to be given to a veteran.

Supervisor Jim Comstock, a Vietnam veteran, lent a hand with care packages and expressed his gratitude to all those volunteering to support the troops.

Local soldiers, some recently home from Afghanistan, surprised everyone with a very special presentation to Operation Tango Mike.

Sergeant First Class Chad Holland, Staff Sergeant Don McPherson and Staff Sergeant Nelson Gonzalez presented the “True Patriot” award from the California Army National Guard.

The soldiers also graciously cut the anniversary cake and served the guests.

‎Ericka Boesel and Mariah Phillips, members of the Ukiah Shamrock 4-H were in attendance and donated dozens of plastic camouflage Eater eggs, stuffed with candy. They also donated handmade cards for the care packages.

Members of the Lakeport Lions and local Girl Scouts were also pitching in for the troops.

Even with the drawdown of troops in Iraq, Operation Tango Mike continues to field requests for care packages.

The number of monthly care packages has not decreased significantly, though there has been some misconception in the community. Volunteers continue to prepare 70 to 100 care packages, depending upon deployments beginning or ending near the packing party date.

Everyone is welcome to participate at the monthly packing parties. There are many tasks to be accomplished and efforts are made to accommodate all who wish to help.

Youngsters are invited to grab a marker and stickers and specially personalize the boxes. Troops have said they have actually picked Tango Mike boxes from a delivery, as they quickly recognized the cheerfully decorated gifts.

Sustaining support during difficult economic times is challenging. Thanks to the generosity of the community, no request for care package support has had to be denied in nine years.

Donations of goods are very helpful and may be placed in “drop zone barrels” at businesses in Lake and Mendocino Counties. Monetary assistance to pay shipping fees, which average nearly $1,000 per month, is always welcome.

Donations may be mailed to 5216 Piner Court, Kelseyville, CA 95451 or may be remitted via PayPal at www.operationtangomike.org .

If you wish to participate, but are unable to attend packing parties, cards and letters are needed every month.

The next packing party will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 19th at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th Street, Lakeport.

You may also bring eyeglasses and hearing aids, which will be donated to the Lakeport Lions for recycling/repurposing.

For further information please call 349-2838, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , visit www.operationtangomike.org or Operation Tango Mike’s Facebook page.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport woman sustained minor injuries and was arrested for driving under the influence Wednesday morning after her vehicle went off the road while traveling over the Hopland Grade.

Teena Rangel, 24, was injured in the crash, which occurred on Highway 175 over the Hopland Grade at about 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to Officer Kory Reynolds of the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.

Reynolds said Rangel was driving her 2002 Mercury Sable westbound at an unknown speed when she failed to negotiate a right curve in the roadway.  

Rangel's vehicle ran off the north shoulder and down a steep embankment, Reynolds said.

Rangel sustained minor injuries to her forehead, right ankle and left side rib cage, according to Reynolds.

Rangel later was arrested for driving under the influence at Sutter Lakeside Hospital, he said.

Traffic control was in effect for approximately 15 minutes when the vehicle was being recovered, according to Reynolds.

The collision is under investigation by Officer Steve Curtis.   

SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday Gov. Jerry Brown released a list of more than 700 unnecessary bureaucratic reports currently required by law and called on the state Legislature to eliminate them in order to streamline government and reduce waste.

“It wastes a lot of time and money to write, track and file these reports,” said Gov. Brown. “Government should be focused on providing information that is actually helpful to taxpayers, not on checking boxes to meet outdated bureaucratic requirements.”

In December 2011 Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-14-11 which directed state agencies and departments to audit all reports that they must submit to the Legislature and identify those that are not of significant value.

Examples identified in this audit include:

•     A biennial report, required by 1966 statute, by the Department of Boating and Waterways on the status of their operations.
•     An annual report by the Australian Government on their annual kangaroo harvest, which the Department of Fish and Game is required to track and transmit to the Legislature.
•     An annual report by the Department of Transportation on the use of waste tires.
•     A monthly report on response and recovery activities tied to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Of the 718 reports identified overall, 375 require legislative action to eliminate.

On Tuesday Gov. Brown directed the state Department of Finance to ask the state legislature to end reporting requirements. The text of the Department of Finance letter is below.

The Department of Finance will direct the Legislative Counsel to stop tracking of the remaining 343 reports, which will effectively end agency and department production requirements.

A list of reports which can be eliminated by the Legislative Council Bureau can be found at http://gov.ca.gov/docs/Legislative_Reports_Proposed_For_Elimination_-_LCB_Action.pdf . The reports which require legislative action can be found at http://gov.ca.gov/docs/Legislative_Reports_Proposed_For_Elimination_-_Leg_Action.pdf .

Following is the text of Director Matosantos’ letter to Secretary of the Senate Gregory Schmidt and Chief Clerk of the Assembly E. Dotson Wilson:

April 17, 2012

Mr. Gregory Schmidt
Secretary of the Senate

Mr. E. Dotson Wilson
Chief Clerk of the Assembly

As part of his ongoing effort to make government more effective, the Governor issued Executive Order B-14-11 in December 2011. Agency secretaries and department directors were instructed to prepare a list of all reports that they are required to submit to the Legislature, and identify those that may no longer be of significant value to the Legislature.

The Department of Finance (Finance) provided state agencies and departments instructions to assist them in identifying and reporting their respective lists of legislative reports to Finance. Finance provided guidelines for agencies and departments to consider in determining if their legislative reports are no longer considered of significant value, including:

•     Whether the report is the result of a specific budget bill and the required information is no longer timely or relevant;
•     Whether the report is still relevant or necessary given a change in law or circumstances;
•     Whether other sources of information or other reports provide the same or similar information; and
•     Whether interested parties continue to rely on the report, or whether there are other public interests in continuing to prepare the report.

Finance has reviewed the legislative reports submitted by agencies and departments and compiled a list identifying more than 700 legislative reports believed to be no longer of value or are one-time reporting requirements that have already been completed. Of this amount, 375 reports require legislative action to eliminate. For the remainder, we will be contacting the Legislative Counsel Bureau to have them deleted from their website that tracks outstanding reports.

We are providing this list of reports to the Legislature for its consideration and respectfully request legislative action to eliminate them.

If you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact David Botelho, Chief, Office of State Audits and Evaluations, at (916) 322-2985.

Sincerely,

ANA J. MATOSANTOS
Director

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s administration has decided to close two clinics as part of continued efforts to improve the hospital’s financial picture.

The hospital’s Upper Lake Community Health Clinic, a longtime fixture that’s located on the grounds of Upper Lake High School, is slated to be closed, along with the hospital’s clinic that offers chronic pain management, Chief Administrative Officer Siri Nelson told Lake County News Wednesday.

The Upper Lake clinic – which serves about 2,400 patients annually and has three full-time employees – loses more than $200,000 annually, Nelson said.

Nelson said Sutter Lakeside plans to move the clinic’s services to its Family Medical Center at the main hospital campus on Hill Road East outside of Lakeport.

The services will be offered at the Family Medical Center beginning May 31, with expanded hours and more providers to be added to accommodate the new patients previously served by the clinic in Upper Lake, Nelson said.

The goal is to transfer the Upper Lake clinic’s staff to the medical center, but that is still being worked out, said Nelson.

Sutter Lakeside is considering making its mobile health unit available in Upper Lake one day a week as an alternative for some patients. Nelson said the details of that proposal need to be worked out with the school district.

The pain clinic, staffed by Dr. Vernetta Johnson, also is being closed, with a targeted closure date of June 30, Nelson said. It serves approximately 650 patients annually.

Nelson reported that despite efforts to rework services there, the clinic continues to lose more than $1 million annually.

She said Sutter Lakeside is working with local doctors to find alternative treatment options for the patients who use the clinic’s services.

The other action announced this week is that the outpatient draw center is being moved from its current location on the campus to inside the hospital itself, which Nelson said is a more convenient location that should also help streamline the blood draw process. The draw station will be moved as of Monday, April 23.

The clinic closures announced this week are the latest measures taken by Sutter Lakeside to deal with reduced revenue and an increase in medical care to uninsured or underinsured patients.

Sutter Lakeside – part of the nonprofit Sutter Health network – last month announced that it would be laying off 10 percent of its staff. Nelson said the hospital has about 300 full-time positions.

A report Nelson issued to staff in March said Sutter Lakeside was on track to lose more than $10 million this year if the staff cuts weren’t made, as Lake County News has reported.

Nelson’s Wednesday progress report update said virtually all the employees slated for layoff have been notified, with the notifications expected to be completed this week.

She said she could not yet give a specific number about how many employees would be cut due to the need to work out the details with the unions that represent hospital staff.

“It’s a long and, unfortunately, laborious process,” she said.

Nelson said she doesn’t anticipate more cost cutting measures taking place soon.

“At this point we’re hoping that this will be enough to turn our financial situation around,” Nelson said.

Sutter Lakeside is continuing to work on other efficiencies, with the clinic closures part of the overall plan, she said. It’s hoped that the combination of actions will turn things around for the hospital.

“The big unknown, really, is the overall economy in Lake County and where that’s going to go,” Nelson said.

Over the past month community members have raised concerns that the hospital might close.

Nelson said there is no indication from Sutter Health that closing Sutter Lakeside is being considered, with that option “absolutely not on the radar at all.”

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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Medical Board of California and the California Attorney General’s Office are pursuing a case against a local doctor who allegedly violated professional codes while prescribing medical marijuana to three patients.

Dr. Milan Hopkins of Upper Lake is the subject of the complaint, filed March 30.

The Medical Board of California formally brought the complaint against Hopkins and the case has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for handling.

In a statement to Lake County News Hopkins called the Medical Board of California’s accusations against his medical practice “baseless.”

“I am confident that the eventual outcome of this case will affirm that my procedures conform to the standard of medical care,” he said.

A hearing has not yet been held in the case, the Medical Board of California reported.

Hopkins is accused of violating Business and Professions Code sections, including three counts of gross negligence for allegedly prescribing marijuana use to three separate patients without the required exams, without making contact or coordinating with primary care physicians, ignoring potential health issues and not following up on health issues.

He also is accused of not properly diagnosing the patients and in one female patient’s case “searching for a reason for the medical marijuana recommendation to enable the patient to avoid legal issues with her recreational weekend marijuana use,” the charging document stated.

That woman – who paid $250 in cash for the appointment with Hopkins – was, in fact, an undercover investigator who visited Hopkins’ office in October 2010, according to the charging document.

The other two patients at the heart of the complaint were male subjects. The Medical Board’s filing showed that both male patients were 19 years old and had reportedly driven from the Los Angeles area to get medical marijuana recommendations from Hopkins in February 2011.

One of the men had a treating physician in Southern California and the other already had a medical marijuana recommendation which he didn’t disclose to Hopkins, the documents stated.

The fourth cause of discipline under the Business and Professions Code that is alleged against Hopkins is repeated acts of negligence for prescribing marijuana to all three patients while allegedly failing to follow up on certain health conditions, including a bleeding disorder that one of the young men had reported having, and for failing to contact other treating physicians.

Hopkins, a well-known medical marijuana supporter, has reportedly stated that 70 percent of his medical practice comes from medical marijuana evaluations, according to the filings.

Hopkins – who received his medical license in California in 1972 – has had complaints filed against him by the Medical Board of California going back to 1979, board documents showed.

In 1979, he was accused of gross negligence, incompetence and repeated acts of negligence for overprescribing controlled substances such as Quaaludes, Percodan, Dilaudid and other prescription drugs. His license was revoked but the revocation was stayed in favor of 10 years’ probation.

In 1998, he was again brought before the board. In that case, he was charged for issues stemming from a 1993 Lake County Sheriff's search warrant service in which investigators found 23 marijuana plants on property he owned on Elk Mountain Road, and additional marijuana as well as methamphetamine and psilocybin mushrooms in his Main Street home in Upper Lake.

Due to that case and Hopkins' treatment of a patient between 1991 and 1997 – in which he prescribed narcotic painkillers at the same time as the patient was getting them from another doctor – the board concluded he had violated Business and Professions Codes by breaking federal or state statute regarding controlled substances and also was again guilty of gross negligence, incompetence and repeated negligent acts. He received a five-year probation sentence that ended in February 2004.

Lake County court records showed that a felony case based on the 1993 drug seizure was filed against Hopkins.

Regarding the current case, Medical Board of California spokesman Dan Wood said Hopkins remains able to practice medicine.

As to the next steps, Wood said the Medical Board’s investigators and enforcement staff will meet with Hopkins to disclose all of the evidence they have against him.

At that point Hopkins could choose to give up and surrender his license, fight the allegations or come to an arrangement where he is subject to probation for a period of time, as has happened in Hopkins’ past cases, Wood said.

Wood said the maximum penalty the Medical Board of California can impose is revocation of Hopkins’ license to practice medicine.

While Wood said it wouldn’t be appropriate to guess what action the board might take, he added, “The Board does not take lightly cases that are repeats of variations of matters they have already dealt with for a particular physician.”

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033012 Milan Hopkins Medical Board Charging Document

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A controlled burn on Monday afternoon got out of control, with local firefighters called to put the blaze out.

The fire was reported at 21100 Jerusalem Grade Road at around 3:20 p.m., according to radio reports.

South Lake County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Upton said the fire started on the vacant piece of property when the owner was burning to clear the land.

Upton said the fire ultimately burned about an acre.

He said South Lake County Fire and Cal Fire responded with a total of three engines, a hand crew and a water tender.

Firefighters had to hike about half a mile in just to reach the fire, around which they cut a control line, Upton said.

Despite the recent rains, the fire spread quickly, he said.

“It’s just deceptively dry this year,” Upton noted.

As he was leaving the scene Upton also came upon a vehicle crash at Jerusalem Grade and Canyon Road.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash was a hit and run, with the blue and tan Ford Explorer that was found off the roadway having been abandoned. No injuries were reported.

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