Lake County’s unemployment rate up went up in January, hitting 19.7 percent, up 0.4 percentage points from the revised December figures and up 0.3 percentage points over January 2010, according to the Employment Development Department.

California's overall rate was 12.4 percent, down from the December unemployment rate of 12.5 percent but up from the 12.3 percent reported in January 2010, the report showed.

Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,500 in January in California, with the state reporting that five of 11 industry sectors showing gains.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,248,000 – down by 25,000 over the month, but up by 8,000 compared with January of last year, the state said.

The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households, the state reported.

Nationally, unemployment also decreased slightly in January, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a 9 percent rate, down from 9.4 percent in December and 9.7 percent in January 2011.

The agency reported that in February nationwide unemployment edged down again, to 8.9 percent, the lowest level since April 2009. During that time 192,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were added.

Lake County's January unemployment rate earned it a ranking of No. 49 out of California's 58 counties.

In January, Lake had a labor force of 24,460 people, with 4,830 of them without jobs, state figures showed. In December, when Lake County was ranked No. 51 for unemployment, it had a 24,430-member workforce with 4,720 people out of work.

Marin County and Mono County tied for lowest unemployment in January, both with 8.2 percent. State figures showed that the highest unemployment in the state was found in neighboring Colusa County, where 27.8 percent of the workforce is jobless.

Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 27.8 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 18.8 percent, No. 47; Yolo, 15.3 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 12.3 percent, No. 19; Napa, 10.7 percent, No. 12; and Sonoma, 10.5 percent, No. 10.

Inside Lake County, Upper Lake has the lowest January unemployment, at 10.5 percent, with Clearlake Oaks reporting the highest, 28.8 percent, state records showed.

The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county, from highest to lowest: Nice, 28.1 percent; city of Clearlake, 27.7 percent; Lucerne, 20.8 percent; Kelseyville, 20.1 percent; Middletown, 19.9 percent; city of Lakeport, 19.1 percent; Cobb, 17.7 percent; Lower Lake, 16.7 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 16.4 percent; north Lakeport, 15.8 percent.

Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division said Lake County industry employment decreased 170 jobs between December and January, ending the month-over period with 11,970.

He said overall, six industries gained or were unchanged over the month and five declined. Total government employment remained down over the year.

The county's month-over job growth occurred in categories including farm, 60 new jobs; professional and business services, 10; other services, 10; government, 10, according to Mullins.

Month-over job losses occurred in mining, logging and construction, 60 lost jobs; manufacturing, 20; trade, transportation and utilities, 70; private educational and health services, 60; and leisure and hospitality, 50, he said. Information and financial activities showed no change over the month.

Modest job gains statewide

California's nonfarm jobs in January totaled 13,971,200, an increase of 12,500 over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically.

That survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change – from January 2010 to January 2011 – shows an increase of 102,100 jobs, up 0.7 percent, the Employment Development Department said.

The state said that the federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, shows an increase in the number of employed people.

It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in January was 15,905,000, an increase of 27,000 from December, but down 32,000 from the employment total in January of last year, according to the report.

The Employment Development Department's Friday report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 13,971,200 in January, a net gain of 12,500 jobs since the December survey. This followed a gain of 21,700 jobs, as revised, in December.

Five categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 41,800 jobs. The state said trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest increase over the month, adding 19,200 jobs.

Six categories – information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – reported job declines this month, down 29,300 jobs. The Employment Development Department said the information category posted the largest decline over the month, down by 9,600 jobs.

In a year-over-year comparison – January 2010 to January 2011 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 102,100 jobs, up 0.7 percent, the Friday report said.

Seven industry divisions – mining and logging; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 175,100 jobs, according to the Employment Development Department.

The state said professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, up by 60,400 jobs, an increase of 3.0 percent. Mining and logging posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 4.2 percent, up by 1,100 jobs.

Four categories – construction; financial activities; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 73,000 jobs, the state said. Government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 49,700 jobs, a decrease of 2.0 percent.

Regarding unemployment claims, the Employment Development Department reported that there were 603,946 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the January survey week, compared with 599,221 in December and 717,070 in January 2010.

At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 63,331 in January 2011, compared with 87,289 in December and 92,738 in January of last year, the report showed.

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The South Lake County Fire Protection District got a piece of good news this week when it was informed that it had won a large federal grant that will enable it to hire more firefighters.

On Thursday Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced that the district will receive $724,909 in grant funding to help hire firefighters.

“We just found out about it yesterday so we're all excited,” district Assistant Chief Jim Wright said Thursday, adding, “It was really good news.”

The funds are provided through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, Thompson said.

“The economic downturn has created significant burdens for fire departments in Northern California and across the country,” said Thompson. “Many communities have had no choice but to lay off firefighters and other emergency personnel, despite the threat to public safety. The generous funding provided through the SAFER program will not only improve the South Lake County Fire Protection District’s ability to respond to fire hazards, but also improve our community’s overall level of preparedness.”

Wright thanked Thompson for his efforts in helping to secure the grant funds.

Wright credited district battalion chiefs Rich Boehm and Scott Upton for putting together the grant application.

Thompson's office reported that, nationwide, the SAFER program provides approximately $420 million in competitive grants to fire departments and volunteer firefighter support groups.

The objective of the program is to help these departments increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available in their communities, according to Thompson's office. Grant funds may be used to recruit and retain new firefighters, or to rehire firefighters who were laid-off due to the economy.

Wright said the district will use the grant to hire three additional firefighters.

He said that the grant will cover the wages for the firefighters for the first two years. In the third year the district will be responsible for those salaries.

“That's part of the deal, we have to keep them on for that third year,” he said.

South Lake County Fire Protection District contracts with Cal Fire to provide fire protection, Wright explained.

They currently have a staff of 10 firefighters, said Wright.

The district is the third largest, based on land size, in California, at 286 square miles, according to the South Lake Fire Safe Council.

Two firefighters at a time – one medic and one engineer – staff the district's two stations, Wright said.

With the amount of staff they have, Wright said they're constantly running into overtime issues.

“It will reduce our overtime costs greatly,” he said.

Wright said they will go through a regular hiring process to add the new firefighters.

“There's plenty of people waiting in the wings because Cal Fire's been cut back,” he said.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Fulton man convicted this week of numerous charges associated with the October 2009 assault of a Lakeport man can expect to spend the rest of his life in prison when he's sentenced next month.

On Tuesday a jury returned guilty verdicts on 10 charges and five special allegations against 60-year-old Thomas Loyd Dudney, accused of a brutal attack on Ronald Greiner that took place on Oct. 20, 2009.

Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe said the jury found Dudney guilty of attempted murder, mayhem, torture, robbery, burglary, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury, participation in a criminal street gang, and five special allegations that included infliction of great bodily injury and gang enhancements.

“We were, of course, disappointed at the verdict, given the total 'guilty as charged on all counts' aspect,” said defense attorney Doug Rhoades.

Rhoades said there was a minor victory for Dudney in that prior strikes and prison terms alleged against him were found to not be sustained.

The attempted murder and torture charges, as well as the group of gang enhancements – which Grothe said attach to the more serious charges and therefore increase in time – each result in a life term. Plus Dudney is facing another 20 years for the other crimes.

Dudney is set to return to court for sentencing on April 4, Grothe said.

Grothe said the jury deliberations began at 3:30 p.m. last Thursday. There were several hours of read back of testimony on Friday, the jury was then off on Monday and at noon on Tuesday a verdict was announced. It was delivered later that afternoon.

Greiner had been shot at least three times, including twice in the chest, had been stabbed and beaten so severely that his ribs and jaw were broken, facial bones – including his eye sockets – were shattered, and one ear almost detached. He also was hogtied with barbed wire, said Grothe.

Grothe said the assailants then allegedly stole about 12 marijuana plants from Greiner.

At the scene of the attack Greiner identified Dudney as his attacker, identifying him by a nickname, “Ktron” – Dudney's nickname actually was “KTom,” according to Grothe – and told authorities where Dudney lived in Sonoma County.

Lake County Sheriff's detectives worked with Sonoma County authorities to arrest Dudney during a traffic stop, according to the original sheriff's report.

“Within 24 hours they had him,” Grothe said.

The prosecution alleged that Greiner had been growing marijuana for ex-girlfriend Deborah James of Windsor. On Oct. 17, 2009, James and a female friend went to Greiner's home on S. Main Street in Lakeport, where he informed them that James' marijuana had been destroyed in a storm or stolen, said Grothe.

James' friend is alleged to have gotten into an altercation with Greiner, telling him that “some big boys” were going to come back over and take care of him. Grothe said Greiner threw the women out, with James' friend claiming she had bruises from his fingers her arm.

Grothe said Greiner then screwed shut all of his doors and windows, and three days later his front door got kicked in. The gun used to shoot Greiner was never found.

James was arrested in November 2009 in connection with the attack, but the case against her later was dropped.

In January, Grothe dropped charges against Rohnert Park resident Joshua Wandrey Sr., who had been Dudney's co-defendant in the case and was facing many of the same charges.

Grothe said at the time that it was his professional opinion that there was insufficient evidence to proceed against Wandrey, but that the case would be reevaluated if more evidence was secured.

“As far as our case goes, this guy is the main guy we have evidence on,” Grothe said of Dudney.

The attack on Greiner, Grothe alleged, was based on revenge and gang affiliations because Greiner had laid his hands on a woman associated with the Misfits motorcycle gang, of which Dudney is alleged to have been a member.

“Our position from the outset was that this was NOT a gang-related event, and that Mr. Dudney was not the responsible party,” Rhoades said in an e-mail exchange with Lake County News.

Cell phone and DNA evidence “left open a world of possible other determinations, but the verdict was apparently swayed by the victim identification,” he said.

“Of key importance, was the denial of a jury view of the scene at night,” Rhoades said. “Having personally visited the scene during darkness, I cannot envision a scenario where the victim could have identified Thomas Dudney as the culprit, due to the fact that the nearest light source was 240 yards away, it was in the early morning hours, pre-dawn, of October 20, 2009, with a full cloud cover and no moon, from indoors, with the blinds and on the windows fully closed. Yet that was his testimony.”

Rhoades added, “Had the jury been allowed to see the scene as it was at the time, I do not believe they could have found that the victim could possibly have identified the perpetrator of these horrendous acts.”

He added, “Mr. Dudney maintains his innocence in this matter.”

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's once again time to “spring ahead.”

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13, at which time it will once again be time to set clocks forward one hour.

While stopping to adjust the clocks, state fire officials urge that it's also a good time to change smoke detector batteries.

Smoke alarms are such a common feature in homes across California that it is easy to take them for granted. Tragically, nearly two-thirds of residential fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

To help reduce these losses, Cal Fire and the Office of the State Fire Marshal are reminding all Californians to change the batteries in their smoke alarms when turning ahead the clock this Saturday night in observance of Daylight Saving Time.

When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected or dead.

“Working smoke alarms greatly reduce the likelihood of residential fire-related fatalities by providing an early audible warning, alerting occupants and giving them an opportunity to safely escape,” said acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover.

That’s critical because 85 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home, and the majority occur at night when most people are sleeping.

“Smoke alarms unquestionably help save lives, but a smoke alarm is nothing without a working battery inside of it” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting director of Cal Fire. “Just a few minutes twice a year to change that battery can truly mean the difference between life and death.”

Cal Fire offers the following tips on smoke alarms:

• Test smoke alarms once a month.

• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year.

• Don’t “borrow” or remove batteries from smoke alarms even temporarily.

• Regularly vacuum or dust smoke alarms to keep them working properly.

• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.

• Don’t paint over smoke alarms.

• Practice family fire drills so everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.

Find more information visit the Cal Fire at www.fire.ca.gov.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area Office reported Thursday that it has received a grant that it will use to address growing numbers of fatal motorcycle- and alcohol-involved crashes.

The CHP reported that last year fewer people in California were killed as a result of driving under the influence (DUI) or a motorcycle collision than in 2008.

However, while the news is encouraging, the agency said there is still more work to be done both statewide and locally.

Whether collisions or victims, motorcycle or alcohol-involved, Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System figures between 2001 and 2008 reflect a troubling upward trend in fatal and injury (reportable) crashes, according to CHP.

During this seven-year time span, reportable motorcycle-involved collisions in Lake County were up 144 percent, while reportable alcohol-involved crashes increased 13 percent.

“Operating a motorcycle or driving a vehicle while impaired can have deadly consequences,” said CHP Lt. Mark Loveless, commander of the Clear Lake Area office.

Lake County provides a primary thoroughfare linking Interstate 5 and U.S. 101 via state routes 20, 29 and 53.

These scenic and winding roadways are favored by thousands of motorcyclists, often while riding in special motorcycle-related events.

Alcohol is also commonly served at these events, which compounds the problem. Some of the visitors to nearby wineries also drive while impaired through Lake County, the CHP said.

To address the issue, CHP’s Clear Lake Area officers will implement a yearlong “Five Alive” grant-funded enforcement program focusing on motorcyclists and impaired drivers.

“Enhanced enforcement efforts directed at motorcyclists and impaired drivers, coupled with an aggressive public education and awareness program, should help reduce the number of fatal and injury collisions,” said Lt. Loveless.

In addition, the “Five Alive” program includes collaboration with other local law enforcement agencies to incorporate ongoing anti-DUI endeavors.

These endeavors include weekend patrols, air support, and warrant service operations targeting drivers with multiple DUI offenses, the CHP reported.

The agency said a public education and awareness campaign will also be conducted over the next 12 months.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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A man convicted in 2002 of a brutal torture case that left his former girlfriend disabled and disfigured has been denied parole, and won't be eligible for reconsideration for another decade.

A two-member panel of the California Board of Parole Hearings denied Gregory Patrick Beck’s request to be released on parole at a March 2 hearing in Corcoran.

Beck was convicted by a Mendocino County jury in 2002 of gravely injuring Sherry Carlton by means of torture, assault with caustic chemicals and corporal injury on a cohabitant. Carlton was Beck’s then 32-year-old girlfriend and the mother of their then 12-year-old child.

Today, Sherry Carlton lives in a Lake County care home where she remains unable to care for herself as a result of the attack. She cannot speak, walk or otherwise care for herself without assistance from hospital staff.

Citing Beck’s “vicious and callous” attack on Carlton and his continued lack of true remorse for the crime, the Board of Parole Hearings issued an order that Beck shall not be entitled to another parole hearing for 10 years.

The board also heard testimony against the release by Carlton's parents, Jeffrey Carlton of Kelseyville and Phyllis Kline of Southern California, and received close to 100 letters from community members speaking against the release, the Board of Parole

“We can finally breathe again,” said Michelle Carlton, Jeffrey Carlton's wife, who called Beck “an animal.”

A report from the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office explained that, after a tumultuous 12-year relationship, Sherry Carlton chose to separate from Beck and moved out of the home they had shared.

On Aug. 21, 2001, she went back to the home to retrieve some personal belongings and Beck came home while she was still at the house. According to the report, he attacked Carlton by soaking her with lighter fluid and intentionally set her on fire.

Carlton then ran from the yard and into the street screaming for help. A neighbor testified that Beck did nothing to help. Instead, Beck went about “staging” the scene to make it appear as if Carlton’s burning body was the result of a barbecue accident, the District Attorney's Office reported.

Despite her obvious agony resulting from severe burns, Carlton was still able at that time to tell responding law enforcement officers and medical personnel that Beck had intentionally set her on fire, according to the report.

The March 2 hearing, also attended by Mendocino County Deputy District Attorney Shannon Cox, lasted five hours at the prison in Corcoran.

During the hearing, Beck answered questions by both the parole board and Cox regarding the circumstances of his attack on Carlton, his motivation and the steps, if any, that he had undertaken to redeem and rehabilitate himself while incarcerated.

Jeffrey Carlton and Phyllis Kline offered victim impact statements by describing the continuing agony their daughter endures and the ongoing heartbreak they continue to experience due to Beck’s “despicable” attack, which left their only daughter with no hope for a meaningful life.

Also presented were photos of Sherry Carlton prior to the attack, depicting a strikingly beautiful blonde woman in her early 30s. A video taken in January was submitted that memorialized her current state of existence: horribly disfigured, blind, confined round the clock to a convalescent bed and fed via a feeding tube.

The board also listened to the haunting 911 call she frantically made immediately after she was attacked, in which she screams in agony, begs for help, and then cries that Beck had burned and tried to murder her.

During the hearing, Beck acknowledged that he purposefully set Carlton on fire as a sort of “revenge thing” because he was upset she had left him, the district attorney's office said.

Although Beck claimed he was sorry for his actions and that he had sought to rehabilitate himself through anger management classes while incarcerated, the board determined that Beck was not remorseful for his actions and that he had little insight into why he did such a terrible thing to the mother of his child.

One commissioner noted that Beck ranked near the top of all prisoners who fail to show any emotion for the pain and suffering inflicted on a victim. The commissioner also observed that Beck has yet to admit to the son that he purposefully attacked Carlton or demonstrated that he has attempted to make amends to his son for taking away the son’s mother.

The board focused on Beck’s ongoing issues with women in general, noting Beck’s history of domestic violence against Carlton, his attempts to cast some of the blame for the attack on Carlton’s own actions, and his confrontational manner at the hearing with the all-female parole board panel.

District Attorney C. David Eyster asked Cox to attend the hearing to express his focused opposition to Beck’s release. As part of that focused opposition, it was argued during the hearing that Beck continues to pose an unreasonable danger to the community and that the original crime remains so shocking and atrocious as to deserve maximum punishment.

As part of the hearing process, the board was duly impressed by the almost 100 letters sent by various members of the community voicing outrage at the prospect of Beck’s release, as well as the hundreds of signatures on petitions opposing parole for Beck.

Michelle Carlton called the public outcry “amazing,” noting that police departments, the Mendocino County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, Congressman Mike Thompson and the people who care for Sherry Carlton at the convalescent home were among those who wrote letters against Beck's release.

Eyster extended his thanks to those in the community who responded to his call for action by writing those letters and signing petitions.

In finding Beck unsuitable for parole, the parole board found that Beck was not credible in his explanation of the attack and the reasons behind the attack.

The commissioners further observed that Beck had failed to “internalize” anything he had been working on to rehabilitate himself while in prison, and, in fact presented to the board as a “self-absorbed and self-centered” felon.

Due to Beck’s gross shortcomings in rehabilitation, along with the highly callous, vicious and atrocious nature of the attack on Carlton, the board found Beck unsuitable for parole and ordered that he not be eligible for another parole hearing until the passing of 10 years.

Michelle Carlton said her family was thrilled with the outcome.

She credited Marsy's Law with allowing the parole board to set the next parole hearing out to 10 years, rather than three.

The California Attorney General's Office reported that California voters passed Marsy's Law – known formally officially as Proposition 9, the Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008 – in November 2008. The ballot measure was mean to provide rights and due process to all crime victims.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation documents explained that Marsy’s Law amended the California Penal Code by changing the period for scheduling a prisoner’s next hearing after a parole denial from up to two years for non-murderers and up to five years for murderers to 15, 10, seven, five or three years for all prisoners.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol program aims to get teenagers off to a safe start as drivers.

Striving to keep teens safe on the road, the CHP continues to educate young drivers throughout the state with the federal grant-funded “Start Smart” program.

The overall goal of this program is to reduce the number of people killed and injured on the state’s roadways through education.

Nationwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.

California is not immune to this disturbing trend; In 2008 more than 24,000 drivers between 15 to 19 years of age were involved in fatal and injury collisions in this state.

“New drivers lack the experience that is needed on the road,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Through interactive education programs like ‘Start Smart,’ law enforcement is working to influence California’s teen drivers so they will make good choices behind the wheel.”

The CHP’s “Start Smart” program is a free, two-hour interactive driver safety class for teens and their parents or guardians.

During the course, officers and speakers illustrate the critical responsibilities of driving and collision avoidance techniques.

Parents also are reminded of their responsibility to help teach their new driver and model good behavior.

According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, within the CHP’s jurisdiction, from 2006 through 2008, there were 34,086 fatal and injury collisions involving at least one driver between the ages of 15 and 19.

These collisions resulted in 895 motorists’ deaths and 53,121 people injured, the CHP reported.

Statewide statistics show that 88,270 fatal and injury collisions occurred involving at least one teen driver, resulting in 1,488 people killed and 137,307 victims injured.

“It’s important to remember, accidents do happen, but collisions are preventable,” said Commissioner Farrow. “Poor choices behind the wheel of a vehicle can affect the lives of numerous people.”

Parents and teenagers can sign up for a “Start Smart” class by contacting their local CHP office. For the number of a nearby office, go to www.chp.ca.gov.

This program is supported by a grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety Administration through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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The Lake County Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force arrested, from left, Brandon Mitchell and Arturo Guardado, both of Lakeport, during operations on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. Lake County Jail photos.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported Thursday that the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force made two arrests, and seized currency and suspected methamphetamine during operations the previous day.

On March 8, task force detectives secured a search warrant for the person and home of 45-year-old Arturo Olloqui Guardado of Lakeport, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman.

On March 9, at approximately 1 p.m., detectives served the warrant at Guardado’s home on Lakeshore Boulevard. Bauman said agents with the Department of Homeland Security assisted with the warrant service as Guardado had several prior deportations due to past felony convictions. Guardado was detained without incident.

Bauman said Gracie, the sheriff’s narcotics detection K-9, was deployed in the home and the dog alerted to several areas. A subsequent search of those areas by detectives produced approximately 9.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine packaged for sales and items of narcotics paraphernalia, including hypodermic needles.

He said detectives also located some live ammunition in the home and seized currency from Guardado for asset forfeiture.

Guardado was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of the hypodermic needles, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being a felon in possession of live ammunition. Bauman said he was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility with an immigration hold due to his undocumented status.

While detectives were serving the search warrant on Guardado, they contacted 26-year-old Brandon Lee Mitchell of Lakeport who resides nearby. Bauman said detectives knew Mitchell had an active $5,0000 bench warrant for his arrest. He was also taken into custody and booked at the correctional facility.

Anyone with information that can assist the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force with its efforts to eradicate narcotics and seize suspected profits from narcotics sales for asset forfeiture is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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Forest officials said Wednesday that snowpack measurements taken at Anthony Peak on the Mendocino National Forest at the end of February show that precipitation this winter is slightly above average.

The average snow pack measured at the end of the month was 78.7 inches, with water content measuring 24.9 inches. These measurements are 126 percent of average snow pack and 101 percent of average water content, according to the report.

The historic average for this time of year is 61.8 inches of snow pack and 24.7 inches of water content, forest officials said.

“The snow is extra powdery – we received 35.5 inches of snow since last month but only gained 7.5 inches of water,” said Forest Hydrologist Robin Mowery. “There are still several decent storms predicted this season and the hope is that snowpack will be at least average this year, if not better.”

For reference, 1991 was the record low with 4.1 inches of snow pack, according to forest records. The record high was in 1969 with 148.8 inches of snowpack.

Mendocino National Forest employees Conroy Coleman and Tony Kanownik took the snow measurements this month. They hiked from the junction of Forest Highway 7 and Road M4 to the survey point due to the powder conditions.

Originally established in 1944, the Anthony Peak snow course provides data for precipitation draining into the Grindstone watershed into Stony Creek and the Black Butte Reservoir, ending in the Sacramento River.

Runoff from the Mendocino National Forest is critical in providing surface water and ground water for the surrounding communities.

The state Department of Water Resources reported Wednesday that the snowpack statewide was 128 percent of normal.

The agency's third snow survey of the 2010-11 season, held last week, showed the state's snowpack was well above average. The readings were boosted by recent storms that made up for a dry January and early February.

“We appear to be on a good water supply track as we move toward summer’s peak demand period,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Once again, however, we must emphasize that conservation should always be a priority in California.”

DWR estimated it will be able to deliver 60 percent of requested State Water Project (SWP) water this year. The estimate will be adjusted as hydrologic and regulatory conditions continue to develop.

In 2010, the SWP delivered 50 percent of a requested 4,172,126 acre-feet, up from a record-low initial projection of 5 percent due to lingering effects of the 2007-2009 drought. Deliveries were 60 percent of requests in 2007, 35 percent in 2008, and 40 percent in 2009.

The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years due to pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006, the state reported.

The SWP delivers water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.

The mountain snowpack provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, industry and farms as it slowly melts into streams and reservoirs.

California’s reservoirs are fed both by rain and snowpack runoff and most of the state’s major reservoirs are above normal storage levels for the date.

Snowpack and water content monitoring is an important tool in determining the coming year’s water supply. The data is used by hydrologists, hydroelectric power companies, the recreation industry and other organizations.

More than 50 agencies and utilities, in coordination with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), visit hundreds of snow measurement courses in California’s mountains as part of the Cooperative Snow Surveys Program.

For more information on California snow surveys, please visit http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow.

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Defense officials are shaking their heads in disbelief as congressional leaders continue to delay passing a wartime defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2011, which began last October.

With the military spending bill now more than five months overdue, lawmakers Wednesday passed a new stopgap “continuing resolution,” this “CR” to last two weeks, so Defense and other federal departments can continue at least to spend at last year’s budget level.

But the CR doesn’t account for inflation on so many things the military buys including medical care, fuel and supplies, as well as thousands of service and manufacturing contracts. This has left the services scrambling to close funding gaps in critical accounts, including for personnel and health care, by moving money from elsewhere in their budgets.

The result is billions of defense contracting dollars wasted and force readiness falling, Defense officials warned this week in testimony before the Senate and House defense appropriation subcommittees.

“We’ve been holding our breath so long that we are starting to turn blue,” Under Secretary of Defense Robert F. Hale, the comptroller and chief financial officer, bluntly told senators.

Hale and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III described how budget delays have raised defense costs by creating enormous inefficiencies. These threaten to offset the effect of efficiency initiatives Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a task force painstakingly identified over the last year.

“This undercuts that greatly,” Lynn said.

Under a CR, the services can’t get full funding of “must-pay” bills such as for pay raises and health care. Monies then must be moved from other accounts, affecting readiness and modernization goals.

The services so far have suspended 75 construction projects. Army and Marine Corps have imposed temporary civilian hiring freezes.

Navy cut the length of advance notice given sailors and families to prepare for change-of-station moves, from six months to two. It also delayed contracting for a second Virginia-class submarine this year and delayed buying equipment for a DDG-51 destroyer.

Army has deferred the purchase of Chinook helicopters, the refurbishing of war-torn Humvees and has issued a temporary stop-work order on its Stryker Mobile Gun System.

“These are costly actions that we will want to reverse,” Hale said, but that will not be done “at the same price.”

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), defense subcommittee chairman, acknowledged the myriad of problems that a divided Congress has created.

“The readiness of our forces is beginning to be threatened as flying hours and streaming days are reduced, exercises and training events are canceled, equipment is foregoing much needed maintenance,” he said.

Republicans and Democrats continued to play politics with the defense money bill even after the new Congress convened. The House passed its 2011 defense appropriations bill but tied it to controversial deficit-reduction CR. Senate Democrats rejected it, saying that the CR language would decimate many domestic programs on which a recovering economy relies.

Inouye expects that another short CR might have to be passed when the two-week CR expires in mid-March. By April, lawmakers hope to be able to pass a CR that would last through Sept. 30, but with a full 2011 defense appropriations bill attached.

Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chief, led the chorus of defense officials this week in warning of more dire consequences if a CR is allowed to freeze defense spending through all of 2011. In effect, that would cut $23 billion arbitrarily from the defense budget request that President Obama submitted back in February 2010.

But the most urgent unfinished business, Gates told the House subcommittee, is inaction on a $1.2 billion reprogramming request for troops fighting in Afghanistan.

The money would buy fixed-base sensors to enhance intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, which Army Gen. David Petraeus, allied forces commander in Afghanistan, says are needed immediately “to better protect our forward-operating bases,” Gates said.

“As of last week, all congressional committees except this one approved the request," Gates said. He pointedly warned the panel not to jeopardize troops “to protect specific programs or contractors.”

Mullen complained that leaving the department under a CR for all of fiscal 2011 “would deprive us of the flexibility we need to support our troops and their families.” Some programs “may take years to recover,” he said.

Operating under a CR since October already “has caused regrettable complications,” Lynn told senators. A year-long CR would impact fighting forces even more directly “and their readiness to defend the nation.”

Hale predicted “brutal reprogramming actions” to move up to $2.5 billion into personnel accounts to ensure everyone gets paid. Another $1.3 billion would have to be shifted to close a money gap for military health care.

Expect “horrible management consequences … many too difficult to notice from here in Washington,” Lynn said. Program managers will delay contracts, and then “hastily make up for that by contracting too quickly without appropriate safeguards.”

Others “will resort to short-term contracts that add expense for the taxpayer and instability for the industrial base.”

If the CR remains in effect, Air Force predicts a 10 percent cut in flying hours and lowering the buy of Reaper unmanned aircraft to 24 this year from the 36 planned. Navy would cut flight hours, ship steaming days and training exercises. All services would defer maintenance of equipment.

Army would have to cut depot maintenance by $200 million, lowering readiness rates for Blackhawk and Kiowa helicopters. Navy would cancel maintenance availability periods for as many as 29 surface ships.

“The good news,” Hale said, “is that the troops are paying attention to their jobs and letting us worry about this, which is what they should do.”

To comment, send e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Water Resources Department said Thursday that concerned residents who reported a chemical spill along certain stretches of Clear Lake's shoreline actually were seeing an early blue-green algae bloom.

Water Resources Director Scott De Leon issued an advisory explaining that his department has received numerous inquiries over the past week regarding suspected paint or chemical spills along Clear Lake's shores near Nice and across the lake near Soda Bay.

The turquoise colored “spill” that residents reported seeing on the water's surface is likely the blue-green algae – or cyanobacteria – Aphanizomenon in bloom, which De Leon said often is mistaken for turquoise paint.

Aphanizomenon and several other blue-green algae are natural inhabitants of Clear Lake, De Leon explained.

He said that the blue-green algae bloom is an annual phenomenon in Clear Lake, although it is rare for the bloom to occur so early in the year.

The combination of water clarity and warm February temperatures may have triggered the early bloom, De Leon said.

Some types of blue-green algae can produce toxins, so as a precaution De Leon recommended that individuals of all ages and all pets avoid swimming in or ingesting lake water in the affected areas.

For more information contact the Lake County Department of Water Resources by calling 707-263-2344 during regular business hours.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Needing to come up with $2.3 million in spending reductions for the coming two school years, the Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees spent four hours Tuesday night going through a list of 32 items looking for places to cut.

Secretarial jobs, a library clerk, campus monitors, elementary school teacher positions and the closure of Gard Street School were among the painful proposed cuts that the board added to its recovery list.

Board President Rick Winer said of the items on the list, “These are not things we look at as expendable. These are things that we really need to have.”

However, he added, “Our hands are tied and we're forced to make these reductions,” the result of a 20-percent reduction in funds over the last several years.

The district is facing between $1.6 million and $2.3 million in cuts, the higher number resulting if the governor's tax proposals don't get voter approval this summer, district officials said.

The actions the district is being forced to take prompted teacher and parent Robin Colt to tell the board during the meeting, “It's frightening. I don't know what kind of a school we're going to have.”

Adding to the district's troubles is that it recently was placed in “qualified” status, meaning that its budget is not in balance and that it is now receiving assistance and oversight from the Lake County Office of Education.

Superintendent Dave McQueen told the group that the district's budget has to be certified by the county office and the state.

He said the “elephant in the room” for the district for many years is its health and benefits package, which his known to be the best in the county. But it's expensive for the district, as are retirement liabilities.

A list of proposed recovery elements that are related to negotiations with the certificated and classified unions, and which the board didn't include in its line-by-line review, included a proposal to change the health and welfare plan for all groups, with savings estimated between $300,000 and $900,000.

After slogging through the list before an audience of close to 70 people – teachers, classified staff and parents – the board came up with approximately $2,293,400 in items proposed for cuts, about $6,600 short of the goal.

Those cuts would amount to savings of $867,700 in the 2011-12 school year, according to district Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Kemp.

Spared – again – was Riviera Elementary, which the board had voted against closing last fall. Winer said neighborhood schools like Riviera, which the community had fought to keep open, “are the backbone of our culture.”

But Board member Chris Irwin said they may have to revisit the issue depending on how serious the district's budget issues become over the next year.

Also spared were the district's sports programs, with the board agreeing with Board member Peter Quartarolo's sentiments that sports is “an integral part of a well-rounded education.”

Board members had feared that cutting sports programs would result in students leaving the district, which would only add to the district's already declining enrollment.

The board also kept the yearbook and K-Corps electives at Kelseyville High School. When Irwin suggested that perhaps the county could help cover the K-Corps teacher's stipend since the students help in search and rescue operations, Supervisor Rob Brown approached the podium and said, “You were reading my mind.”

He added, “I would be more than happy to take that back to our board and ask for that,” suggesting that asset forfeiture money could be used to help with the program.

Among the most hotly contested proposed cuts involved school maintenance and custodial jobs, a library clerk that will be cut in the second year, several part-time secretarial positions and campus monitors.

Several people spoke out to save the library clerk, which will be cut to save the district $44,000. They argued that library resources were already thin – so thin that Holley Luia, president of the district's chapter of the California School Employee Association, said, “Something's gonna pop.”

Donna Goodwin Nelson, a district bus driver, told the board about a first grader she knows, an “amazing” little girl who cherishes her library time, like so many of the children do, because it offers her the chance to look at books. “So many of these little people, this is their only environment where they have that opportunity.”

A further reduction of library staff hours would be the equivalent of putting a cage around the books, suggested Mt. Vista Middle School teacher Cheryl Mostin.

The board also chose to save $72,000 by cutting the campus monitor spots, which are equivalent to 1.5 full-time positions.

Marcia Porter, Kelseyville High School's campus monitor, said she assists the principal every day in dealing with children leaving campus, doing drugs at school or being caught with drugs, and the associated disciplinary issues.

“I appreciate that this is just little Kelseyville but the drug problems are real,” she said, recounting going out to find children skipping class and bringing them back to school.

“I believe in my heart that it takes a whole town, a village if you will, to raise a child. I am here every day to do that and I do a good job,” she said, adding, “Think hard before you remove us from your schools.”

Teachers union President Rico Abordo also appealed to the board not to cut teaching positions further. Both the classified and certificated bargaining units have made concessions, he said, with teachers agreeing to increased class sizes of 30 students, up from 20, he said.

At the same time, teacher numbers are down. Three years ago there were 94 teachers in the district, at the start of this year they were at 81. With some of the proposed cuts, Abordo warned the number of teachers could fall to 78.

As the evening wore on and the clock ticked past 11 p.m., the board decided it wanted to look at other possible reductions to meet the goal and also see the recovery plan proposals put into writing.

But after four hours, the board and audience were all bleary-eyed and exhausted.

The result was that the board agreed to continue the meeting at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the district office board room, 4410 Konocti Road, at which time the goal is to finish up the work.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .