UPPER LAKE, Calif. – This Friday, Upper Lake's new postmaster will take her oath of office.
The swearing-in ceremony for DeAnn Williams will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at the Odd Fellows Hall, 9480 Main St.
Williams replaces Maria Lane who was promoted as Postmaster Lakeport Post Office.
She will follow a tradition that dates back to 1858 when Upper Lake Post Office was first opened and James Musick was the first postmaster.
Williams started her postal career in 1982 as a city carrier in Oakdale. She became a driver safety instructor in 1998.
In February 2014, she was promoted to supervisor customer service in Grants Pass, Ore. In January 2015, she was promoted as Postmaster Yorkville.
“I am very proud to be an agent in one of the greatest public services in our nation’s history,” said Williams. “My goal is to ensure a positive experience for our customers as well as an encouraging work environment for my employees. I am looking forward to building trusting relationships with this community and its leaders.”
Williams lives in Upper Lake, but she frequents her second home in southern Oregon on the Rogue River. She has a daughter, Sienna, 23.
She enjoys motorcycle riding along the coast and she is an instructor/coach for new motorcycle riders.
As Upper Lake postmaster, Williams manages five employees who process and deliver an average of 1,650 pieces of mail daily to 970 delivery points – business and residential addresses – and 713 Post Office boxes.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a Bay Area woman who died of her injuries following a solo-vehicle crash on Sunday evening.
Lt. Steve Brooks identified the woman as Maki Mitsuya, 35, of Palo Alto.
The California Highway Patrol had previously said Mitsuya was from Oakland.
Mitsuya was riding as the passenger in a 1996 Honda Accord driven by Ioan C. Gruia, 31, of San Francisco when the crash occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday on Highway 29 south of the Hill Road undercrossing, as Lake County News has reported.
Gruia, who was driving southbound on Highway 29 at an undetermined speed, allowed the Honda to drift off the roadway and onto the dirt center median, the CHP said.
The CHP said Gruia overcorrected and lost control of the car, which skidded across the highway, hit a raised curb and a dirt embankment, rolled multiple times and then went down a dirt embankment, landing on its roof.
Mitsuya was pronounced dead at the scene, while Gruia was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, according to the CHP.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Lakeport Planning Commission will consider an updated application for an auto sales office project and a fence variance.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St. Documents for the meeting can be found at http://www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/docs.aspx?deptID=68&catID=31 .
Staff will take to the commission a revision to the architectural and design review application approved last year for Kathy Fowler Chevrolet's plans for a 558-square-foot used car sales office at 1277 Parallel Drive and 1305 Todd Road Extension
The commission also will consider an application from Suzanne Russell for a variance to permit an existing 6-foot -high wooden fence constructed within the street side lot setback area of Cherry Street. The fence is located at 600 Sixth St.
Also on Wednesday, the commission will discuss potential changes to the zoning ordinance section dealing with outdoor food service, tables and seating placement on sidewalks, and get an update on pending projects or projects approved at a staff level.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Human remains found two years ago near Willits have been identified as belonging to a missing Laytonville woman.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten said the remains are those of 25-year-old Rachel Audrey Sloan.
On May 16, 2013, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was notified of some possible human remains that were located burned in a secluded area on Highway 162 north of Willits, Van Patten said.
He said the remains were located and later examined by a forensic anthropologist, who determined that they were human.
DNA samples were recovered and a profile was uploaded into the California Department of Justice and National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Van Patten said.
Approximately two years later – this past May – family members of Sloan reported her as a missing person, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said familial DNA samples were obtained from Sloan's family members and compared to the DNA profile from the found remains.
On Sept. 1, the Mendocino County Sheriff's received a DNA report from the California Department of Justice identifying the found remains as Sloan, Van Patten said.
He said Sloan was last seen by her family in Laytonville in August 2012.
Anybody with information on Sloan's death is encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office tip line by calling 707-234-2100.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Assemblyman Bill Dodd’s (D-Napa) bill establishing the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act of 2015, passed the state legislature on Monday with bipartisan support.
The bill now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown who has one month to sign the legislation.
“The gender pay gap not only affects women, it also causes problems for our entire society. This legislation is an important step toward ensuring a stable future for California families,” Dodd said. “I’d like to thank my fellow legislators for their support in delivering this bill to the Governor for his signature.”
Dodd is part of a coalition of California legislators who’ve put the issue of gender pay equity on center stage in Sacramento through the introduction of several measures.
The Equal Pay for Equal Work Act will require companies that contract with the state to have policies in place to help ensure gender pay equity and to provide the state with data on employee income by gender and race.
Collecting this data will help the state in appropriately targeting its efforts to reduce and eliminate the wage gap in California.
“The state of California spends billions of dollars annually on state contracts, and we need to ensure taxpayer money is going to companies that promote gender pay equity,” said Dodd. “The state of California should set the example for the nation. Hard-working women and future generations, including my granddaughters, are counting on us to do the right thing.”
Full-time working women in the U.S. have continued to earn an average of just 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts over the last decade.
The disparity is even greater for women of color, and numerous studies have found a gap persists even when controlling for factors like education, experience and career field.
The gender pay gap amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
Last year, President Obama directed the U.S. Department of Labor to collect gender and race pay data from federal contractors to assist in eliminating the pay gap at the federal level.
Dodd’s bill seeks to accomplish the same goal, while also requiring policies and procedures that will help contractors avoid unlawful pay disparities.
Dodd represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Colusa counties. Visit his Web site at www.asm.ca.gov/dodd .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will meet this week to discuss a number of upcoming events as well as group projects.
LEDAC will meet from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The agenda includes updates from Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira on the Carnegie Library, business loans, downtown improvement and the waterfront development planning.
Taira St. John will give an informational update on a film project.
Rebecca Southwick will discuss the Lake Leadership Summit coming up in October, and LEDAC Chair Wilda Shock will lead the discussion on a regional collaboration and organizational structure.
There also will be time for citizen input.
LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.
Members do not have to be Lakeport residents.
Wilda Shock chairs LEDAC, the membership of which also includes Vice Chair Christine Hutt, Secretary Rebecca Southwick, and members Bill Eaton, Melissa Fulton, Rick Hamilton, Pam Harpster, Chris King, George Linn, Paula Pepper-Duggan and Taira St. John.
City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram and City Manager Margaret Silveira serve as ex-officio committee members.
LEDAC's next regularly scheduled meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Lakeport City Hall.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Lower Lake's newest postmaster was honored at a ceremony on Friday.
Congressman Mike Thompson administered the oath of office to Benjamin Lovato at the afternoon event held at the Russell Rustici Park community hall.
“I am honored to continue a long tradition as postmaster of Lower Lake,” said Lovato, noting that the Postal Service first established its presence in Lower Lake in 1858.
Lovato – who succeeds Sandra Dawson as Lower Lake postmaster – grew up on the North Coast. His family moved from Sonoma County to Lake County in 1989 when he was 10 years old.
Before joining the Postal Service a decade ago he held a variety of jobs, including working as a sous chef and then as a correctional officer at the Lake County Jail.
He said he worked his way up through the Postal Service ranks, serving in Post Offices in Clearlake Oaks, Healdsburg, Hopland, Lakeport, Laytonville, Sebastopol and Ukiah.
Lovato landed his first Postal Service job in 2005 as a part-time clerk in the Lakeport Post Office, transferring to the Clearlake Post Office two years later.
In order to get more hours, he began seeking additional assignments, working about a dozen different offices in two different counties.
In June 2012, he was assigned his first management detail as officer-in-charge – or OIC – at the Laytonville Post Office, a job that gave him experience and resulted in him driving 900 miles a week as part of his commute over the 11 months he worked there.
His next assignment was as OIC in Hopland, where he worked for six months before being detailed as a supervisor customer service at the Healdsburg Post Office in October 2013. In that job he learned how to manage a city delivery unit.
Subsequent assignments included supervisor customer service jobs at the Sebastopol Post Office and in Lakeport, where he was promoted in April 2014.
While at the Lakeport Post Office, Lovato began working with local schoolchildren, teaching them about the art of letter writing, as Lake County News reported earlier this year: bit.ly/1Np9SxI .
From Lakeport, he went on to OIC duties in Clearlake Oaks before receiving the OIC assignment in Lower Lake in May.
His promotion to Lower Lake postmaster became official on Aug. 8.
In his new position, Lovato manages five employees who process and deliver an average of 3,900 pieces of mail daily to 851 delivery points – business and residential addresses – and 1,571 Post Office boxes.
Officials lauded Lovato for his dedication, drive and enterprising nature as he's made his way up through the Postal Service.
Thompson, who worked for the Postal Service while he was in college, pointed out the vital role postal employees play in public service and public safety.
“They are in the community, they know the community. They are first responders in many cases,” he said.
Based on Lovato's example so far, Thompson said he anticipated the community would be well-served by Lovato in his new job as postmaster.
A number of postmasters from around the county attended the ceremony, and Lovato thanked them for their support and assistance along the way. He also extended his thanks to his family and friends for helping him on his journey.
Lovato then presented Thompson – a Vietnam veteran – with a first-issue Purple Heart stamp plaque.
“The last time I got one of these was for not moving fast enough,” quipped Thompson.
When he's not busy making sure the mail gets delivered, Lovato – who lives in Clearlake – enjoys running, biking, snowboarding, skydiving and, most importantly, spending time with his 5-year-old son, Ezra.
Lovato also is a member and does volunteer work for Knights of Columbus and the Lower Lake Community Action Group.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Cobb man has been sentenced for illegally killing a deer on a local golf course.
Nicolas George Stuckey, 24, was charged with eight counts of violating the Fish and Game Code for having shot a doe on May 7, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
Hinchcliff said that on Aug. 31 Stuckey pleaded no contest to using an artificial light during hours of darkness – also known as spotlighting – to kill a deer and to killing a doe.
On May 8 State Fish and Wildlife officer Doug Willson received a report that Stuckey may have illegally killed a deer the day prior on the Black Rock Golf Course on Golf Road, Hinchcliff said.
According to reports received from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Officer Willson began an investigation and located evidence that a dead deer had recently been located in the vehicle reported to have been involved in the poaching incident.
Willson located Stuckey who, in response to questioning, initially advised the officer that he had hit a deer the night before with his vehicle and he had cut it up and left it in another location, Hinchcliff said.
Upon further questioning and investigation, Hinchcliff said Stuckey admitted that he had not hit the deer with a vehicle but had shot it by the golf course after dark.
Hinchcliff said Stuckey also admitted that he brought the deer home and had hid the carcass across the street. Officer Willson recovered the deer and found that Stuckey had not yet cut the deer up and that it was a doe.
Officer Willson located a witness who said that the night prior, Stuckey had stated he wanted to look for a buck he had been seeing near the golf course. While looking for the buck Stuckey saw a deer’s eyes glowing in the dark, shot it with a .22 rifle, and it turned out to be a doe, according to Hinchcliff's report.
The witness said the doe was standing on the golf course where the golfers tee off when Stuckey shot it. Officer Willson located the place where the doe was killed and determined it was shot less than 100 yards from two structures, Hinchcliff said.
After Stuckey entered the plea, Superior Court Judge Michael Lunas sentenced Stuckey to three years probation and ordered him to pay a fine of $1,915, according to Hinchcliff.
As a condition of probation, Judge Lunas also ordered that Stuckey is not to hunt or kill any animal or bird with any kind of weapon for three years, and he was ordered not to possess any rifle, handgun, shotgun, bow or crossbow for three years anywhere where game animals or birds can be hunted, Hinchcliff said.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Small Business Administration said it is opening its Disaster Loan Outreach Center this week in Clearlake in response to the damage the county sustained in the Rocky fire.
Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to California businesses and residents affected by the Rocky fire, which occurred from July 29 to Aug. 14, according to U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.
SBA acted under its own authority to declare a disaster in response to the request SBA received on Aug. 28 from Gov. Jerry Brown's designated representative, Mark S. Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
“SBA is strongly committed to providing California with the most effective and customer-focused response possible, and we will be there to provide access to federal disaster loans to help finance recovery for businesses and residents affected by the disaster,” said Contreras-Sweet. “Getting our businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”
“Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to businesses of all sizes, most private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters whose property was damaged or destroyed by this disaster,” said SBA’s San Francisco District Director Mark Quinn.
“Beginning at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, SBA representatives will be on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application,” Quinn continued.
The center will be located at Highlands Senior Services Center at 3245 Bowers Ave., one block behind Safeway Market in Clearlake.
It will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It closed at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.
No appointment is necessary.
Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.
SBA can also lend additional funds to businesses and homeowners to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
Interest rates can be as low as 4 percent for businesses, 2.625 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 1.875 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela .
Disaster loan information and application forms also are available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 800-877-8339.
Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The filing deadline to return applications for property damage is Nov. 2, 2015.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 3, 2016.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A wildland fire burning since last week near Upper Lake has been fully contained.
The Elk fire burned a total of 673 acres, according to a Tuesday night report from Cal Fire.
The fire began on Sept. 2 off of Elk Mountain and Mount Dinger roads north of Upper Lake.
Mop up and patrol on the fire is anticipated to continue through the end of the week, according to Cal Fire.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – California is about to enter the most dangerous time of the fire season – the fall months – with the lowest fuel moisture period of the year, and fire officials said it is critical that community members use special care in order to avoid further wildland fires.
The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit has experienced more than 103,000 acres of large and destructive wildland fires in just the last three months.
These fires include the Wragg fire starting in Napa County (July 22), along with the Rocky (July 29), Jerusalem (Aug. 9), Peterson (Aug. 22), Grade (Aug. 24) and Elk fire (Sept. 2), the latter five all starting in Lake County.
While these fires continue to be in different stages of investigation, Cal Fire advises the public that the majority of these fires appear to have been caused by people who allowed a spark or hot material to come in contact with dry grass, without realizing it was going to result in an unwanted fire.
Examples would include mowing dry grass with a metal blade or mowers designed for green grass, and hot engines or exhaust in direct contact with dry grass.
“Residents need to use extreme caution and avoid any activity that may cause a spark during these critically dry conditions,” said Scott Upton, Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit chief. “Doing the right thing the wrong way or at the wrong time puts citizen and firefighter lives at risk. We want folks to maintain their defensible space around their homes but this must be done during the winter, spring, and early summer months when conditions are less dangerous, not during this critical fire hazard time.”
Penalties for causing a fire that escapes control and/or burns the property of others can be devastating. State law includes civil cost collection for the public cost of the fire and can include criminal charges, especially when there are injuries or death as a result of the fire.
Are you doing the right thing, the wrong way? Here’s how to do it the right way:
· Do yard maintenance with powered equipment before 10 a.m., not during the heat of the day or when the wind is blowing.
· Never use lawn mowers on dry grass or brush.
· Remove any rocks in and around the area before operating equipment.
· Be sure your portable gas powered equipment has a spark arrester.
· Never refuel while equipment is still hot from use.
· Keep the equipment maintained and free of carbon and other buildup.
With the continued threat of wildfires, Cal Fire is asking all Californians to ensure they are prepared for wildfires and help prevent sparking a wildfire.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Officials said Monday that the effort to fully contain the Elk fire is nearly complete.
The 670-acre fire on Monday evening was at 90-percent containment, Cal Fire said.
The fire began on Wednesday in the 12000 block of Elk Mountain Road. The cause remains under investigation.
Firefighters are continuing mop up on the incident, according to Cal Fire, which has been in unified command with the United States Forest Service since the fire began last week.
Cal Fire said command of the fire will transition to the Mendocino National Forest on Tuesday morning.
Crews will continue to conduct mop up and patrol for hot spots over the next three to five days, Cal Fire said.
As the fire nears full containment, the resources committed to it have been significantly reduced. Cal Fire said personnel assigned to the fire as of Monday evening included 300 firefighters, 25 overhead or command personnel, five water tenders, four fire crews and two bulldozers.
Due to the existing fire danger, authorities continue to urge the public to be extremely cautious when using equipment or recreating. Learn more by visiting www.preventwildfireca.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.