WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) on Thursday led a bipartisan group of representatives in calling on President Obama to protect local clean energy royalties from harmful budget cuts.

The letter urges the president to not repeal the sharing of geothermal royalty payments with counties.

Because of the high burdens that geothermal production places on the counties where it is developed, counties currently share in the revenue of the federal receipts. Revenue sharing has been a target of cuts in the past.

“The geothermal energy produced in California’s counties is good for our environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and helps our economy by spurring green job creation,” said Thompson. “Repealing geothermal royalty payments to counties is a short sighted plan that will do nothing to reduce our deficit. Also, it is not fiscally responsible. It will kill jobs, cripple future green job growth and slow our economic recovery – all of which will only make our deficit larger. If a community invests in developing geothermal energy they deserve to get their fair share in returns.”

Last year, Lake County received $800,000 a year in geothermal royalties. The county has received among the highest reimbursement amounts nationwide thanks to The Geysers geothermal steamfield.

Revenue sharing was first started through the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005. Geothermal revenue sharing accounts for less than one half of one percent of the total federal deficit. Ending this sharing would negatively impact counties.

Currently, counties use geothermal revenues to pay for governmental services, such as road maintenance, public safety and law enforcement, and conservation easements.

Many of the counties receiving revenue from geothermal receipts are small, rural counties like Lake, facing uncertain budget situations.

The loss of such revenue for these counties could result in the elimination or reduction of essential services.

"Geothermal energy brings jobs and growth to Nevada with 20 plants in operation providing clean, reliable electrical capacity to the grid and significant additional capacity under development," said Congressman Amodei. "Given the important role of the counties in the development of this domestic energy source, it's only proper that they should share in the revenue of the federal receipts."

“By generating geothermal energy, my home county of Sonoma is making an important contribution to an environmentally sustainable future,” said Congresswoman Woolsey (CA-6). “The royalties Sonoma earns from that production pay for the services our people expect and deserve from their local government, at a time when our county is facing a fiscal crunch. This very modest federal investment yields a significant return – these royalties must not be eliminated in the President’s budget.”

“In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on America to double down on our clean energy investments. I agree, and that’s why I support preserving incentives for geothermal development, which help us produce affordable American-made renewable energy and strengthen our energy independence,” Congressman Garamendi (CA-10) said. “This revenue is essential to many rural communities, especially in Northern California. Cutting geothermal royalties would be shortsighted, devastating vital public services while doing virtually nothing to address the deficit. I urge the President to maintain his commitment to clean energy by preserving geothermal royalties for local communities.”

“Geothermal development comes at a cost,” Thompson continued. “Our counties spend money on public safety, road maintenance and law enforcement in and around areas where geothermal is produced.”

The full text of the letter is below.


February 1, 2012

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

As you draft your Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal, we urge you not to include a repeal of the sharing of geothermal royalty payments to counties. We understand the need to propose a fiscally prudent budget, but repealing geothermal royalty payments to counties is a short sighted method that does nearly nothing to solve our fiscal problems.

In the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress decided that because of the high burdens geothermal production places on the counties where geothermal development is located, these counties should share in the revenue of the federal receipts. In turn, counties have used these revenues to pay for critical governmental services, such as road maintenance, public safety and law enforcement, and conservation easements. This revenue sharing has also made counties vested partners, and ultimately champions, in the continued development of geothermal energy — a clean, renewable, and domestic energy source that provides jobs in rural areas.

Ending the geothermal revenue sharing plan would have a significant negative impact on our districts, while the overall effect on our nation’s fiscal well-being would be miniscule — less than $7 million a year. Many of the counties that receive revenue from geothermal receipts are small, rural counties facing precarious budget situations. The loss of such revenue for these counties could result in the elimination or reduction of essential services. As such, we urge you not to include the repeal of geothermal revenue sharing with counties in your Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal.

We appreciate your attention to this issue and look forward to working with you as you prepare your budget.

Congressman represents California’s First Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa and Yolo.

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NOTE: The article has been updated to reflect the board's final decision on the credential screening process.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – As it's facing one of its biggest financial challenges in recent years – the need to cut $2.8 million from its 2012-13 budget – the Konocti Unified School District also is beginning the process of searching for a new superintendent.

Dr. Bill MacDougall, who rose from the position of Carlé Continuation High School principal four years ago to be district superintendent, has announced he'll retire at the end of June.

MacDougall told Lake County News on Wednesday night that he submitted his resignation letter to the board just before Christmas.

The selection process for his successor was on the agenda of a more than four-hour-long Wednesday night meeting, at which the board also had its first public discussion regarding a zero based budget model.

MacDougall and the district management team are proposing that zero based budget model – which focuses on providing the bare minimum services and then building upward – in order to reduce the coming year’s budget by $2.8 million.

Getting the district through the current budgeting process is a priority for MacDougall before he retires, he told Lake County News.

In addition to the $2.8 million reduction in funding the district is facing for 2012-13, MacDougall said the district has experienced $3.6 million in reductions in the previous three years.

Board Trustee Hank Montgomery requested the board discuss the new superintendent search and establish guidelines for the process, as well as the compensation they would offer.

The board asked MacDougall for his opinion on how the recruitment should take place.

He proposed they welcome applications both from within the district and from outside.

“It's a very important position,” he said. “It's a very important time for Konocti.”

MacDougall said the zero based model is meant to offer building blocks for the future, and he said he believed it will make the district strong – both educationally and fiscally – going forward.

“At that point you're looking for the vision for the future,” he said.

MacDougall recently attended a conference for superintendents in Monterey and handed out fliers on the job to assistant superintendents and superintendents from all over the state.

“There are excellent candidates both in house and outside,” he said.

MacDougall also met a retired headhunter while in Monterey, and told him about the district. He said he spoke with pride about Konocti Unified in his conversation with the man. “There's a lot to be proud of here.”

In turn, MacDougall said the man offered his services – which it was noted at the meeting generally run between $10,000 and $20,000 for an executive recruitment – for free to help the district.

MacDougall said he believes the district can find the right person, and hopes that they find a successor far stronger and more knowledgeable than he is.

Board President Anita Gordon assured MacDougall that the future superintendent would have big shoes – or, offered Board member Herb Gura, sneakers – to fill.

Montgomery wanted the board to have an active part in screening candidates up front, suggesting that the Lake County Office of Education could begin the process by double-checking credentials.

The board set a March 30 deadline for applications, with applications to be forwarded immediately to Marty Aarreberg in the superintendent’s office for a credential check instead of the Lake County Office of Education.

In the middle of April the board will meet to begin its own applicant screenings, with the goal of having initial interviews start the last week of April in hopes of having a candidate selected by the end of May.

A 17-member committee of composed of teachers, classified employees, board members, parents, community members and a student representative will take part, said Gordon.

Beyond the selection process, the board had to decide what salary range it could offer.

MacDougall's salary, including benefits, is just over $121,000 a year. Gordon said he has refused to take any raises during his four years as superintendent.

That salary is well below the state average for similarly sized schools of $148,000, said district Business Manager Laurie Desimone.

It’s also low based on a countywide comparison of school district superintendent salaries and benefit packages district staff presented to the board, along with the superintendent's current job description.

That countywide salary comparison shows that while MacDougall heads the largest school district in the county – with more than 3,000 students – he is the second-lowest paid superintendent. Only the Lucerne Elementary School superintendent receives less.

The survey showed that the highest-paid superintendent in the county is Upper Lake Elementary’s, with more than $146,000 in salary and more than $15,000 in benefits, for a total of just over $162,000.

During the meeting, a teacher told the board that he and fellow teachers wanted the job description to include a requirement of past teaching experience in order for the candidate to have an understanding of their work. They also wanted to see a workshop take place to discuss desirable traits for MacDougall's successor.

Ultimately, after discussing whether to offer a range or a single number, board members took Desimone's suggestion of listing MacDougall's salary in the recruitment materials and offering to make that amount negotiable based on experience.

MacDougall agreed that offering to be negotiable on the final amount is one way to appeal to candidates.

He worried that his salary level may not attract many candidates, noting that many of the superintendents he met recently at the Monterey conference were making $250,000 and up in the $300,000-plus range.

“You want somebody who really wants the job,” he said.

MacDougall added that if a candidate is looking for a district where they can serve people, Konocti Unified is an incredible district for that.

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 Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

SACRAMENTO – Snow surveyors on Wednesday confirmed that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is far below normal for this time of year.

Manual and electronic readings record the snowpack’s statewide water content at only 37 percent of normal for the date. That is just 23 percent of the average April 1 reading, when the snowpack normally is at its peak before the spring melt.

“So far, we just haven’t received a decent number of winter storms,” said Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin. “We have good reservoir storage thanks to wet conditions last year, but we also need more rain and snow this winter.”

The manual readings by the Department of Water Resources off Highway 50 near Echo Summit showed that Lyons Creek and Alpha snow levels were the second lowest on record, going back to 1958 for Lyons Creek, and to 1966 for Alpha.

Water content in the snowpack at Lyons Creek Wednesday was 5.8 inches, compared with the record low of 0 inches in 1963. Water content in the snowpack at Alpha was 3.6 inches, compared with the record low of 2.9 inches in 1976.

The snowpack at Tamarack Flat contained 4.8 inches of water, the fourth lowest on record going back to 1946. The record low at Tamarack Flat was 0 inches in 1963. Water content at the Phillips course was 3.8 inches, second lowest in records dating back to 1946. The record low at Phillips was 0 inches in 1963. 

For a broader comparison of current conditions to previous years, dry and wet, see DWR’s new “Water Conditions” at www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/.

Electronic readings Wednesday indicate that water content in the northern mountains is 41 percent of normal for the date and 26 percent of the April 1 seasonal average. Electronic readings for the central Sierra snowpack are 32 percent of normal for the date and 20 percent of the April 1 average. The numbers for the southern Sierra are 42 percent of average for the date and 25 percent of the April 1 average.

Statewide, the snowpack water content was 37 percent of normal for Feb. 1 and 23 percent of the normal April 1 seasonal total.

DWR and cooperating agencies conduct manual snow surveys around the first of the month from January to May. The manual surveys supplement and check the accuracy of the real-time electronic readings from sensors up and down the state.

DWR’s initial estimate is that the State Water Project (SWP) will be able to deliver 60 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet of water requested this calendar year by the 29 public agencies that supply more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.

The 60 percent delivery estimate is largely based on the known quantity of carryover reservoir storage. Unknown is how much rain and snow the state will get the rest of this winter. DWR may adjust the SWP delivery estimate to reflect changing hydrologic conditions.

Calendar year 2011 illustrates how weather-driven supply conditions can dramatically change. The initial 2011 estimate was that the SWP would be able to deliver only 25 percent of the slightly more 4 million acre-feet requested.

As winter took hold, a near-record snowpack and heavy rains resulted in deliveries of 80 percent of requests in 2011.

The final allocation was 50 percent in 2010, 40 percent in 2009, 35 percent in 2008, and 60 percent in 2007.

The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years because of Delta pumping restrictions to protect fish species – was in 2006.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal storage reservoir, is at 107 percent of average for the date (72 percent of its 3.5 million acre-foot capacity). Lake Shasta north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir with a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet, is at 99 percent of its normal storage level for the date (68 percent of capacity).

San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, an important storage reservoir south of the Delta, is at 119 percent of average for the date (95 percent of its capacity of 2,027,840 acre-feet). San Luis is a critically important source of water for both the State Water Project and Central Valley Project when pumping from the Delta is restricted or interrupted.

For context, an acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, enough to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.

Mountain snow that melts into reservoirs, streams and aquifers in the spring and summer provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, farms and industries.

Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/DLYSWEQ .

Historic water content readings from snowpack sensors are posted at: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/rpts1/DLYSWEQ .

Archived snowpack water content records: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/rpts_archived1/DLYSWEQ .

Electronic reservoir level readings may be found at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action .

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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A two-vehicle crash resulted in minor injuries and caused a minor blockage on Highway 20 Thursday evening.

The collision, involving a sedan and a pickup, occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. on West Highway 20 near Old Highway 20 not far from the Lake and Mendocino County line, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Reports from the scene said the pickup was on its side following the crash.

Cal Fire and CHP units from Mendocino County and Northshore Fire from Lake County responded to the crash, where both eastbound lanes of Highway 20 were reported to be blocked.

Firefighters called for extrication tools due to one person being trapped in a vehicle.

Radio reports indicated there were two patients, both with minor injuries. One later was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport.

The CHP reported that advance warning was needed to warn drivers approaching the scene. Flares were reportedly placed at the scene.

Fire Chief Jay Beristianos terminated the incident at 7:46 p.m., according to scanner traffic.

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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 Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials and veterinarians are partnering in an effort to reduce the county's number of unwanted cats, which has resulted in thousands of animals being euthanized annually.

Lake County Animal Care and Control reported that Lake, like many other counties, has a serious cat overpopulation problem.

Unfortunately, that problem has resulted in the county having the highest feline euthanasia rate in the state.

According to shelter statistics, of the 4,000 animals turned into the shelter in 2011, 65 percent – or 2,600 – were cats.

Of those 2,600 cats, 18 percent – or 480 – were adopted or transferred to a rescue; the remaining 2,120 cats were destroyed.

This is a cycle that just keeps repeating year after year, according to Animal Care and Control officials. Without some kind of significant intervention, the cycle will not be broken. 

Many people in the county start out feeding one or two stray cats because they don’t want them to go hungry, not realizing that one or two cats soon leads to eight or nine, according to the report.

Within a few weeks time, they’re now dealing with a colony of 12 to 15 cats, which in turn will continue to grow and reproduce exponentially unless action is taken.

That agency suggested that the appropriate action is spaying or neutering cats in order to stop the cycle, because taking them into the shelter, holding them as stray animals and then trying to adopt them out to a public who doesn’t want them isn’t working.

That approach is costly to the taxpayers, and agency officials suggest that destroying thousands of healthy cats each year isn’t a socially acceptable solution. 

Many agencies work with local groups on “trap neuter release” – or TNR – programs. TNRs are a wonderful idea, but must be properly maintained in order to work, according to Animal Care and Control.

Many people start out with good intentions, spaying and neutering, vaccinating, releasing and feeding colonies of cats only to find out after they start, the property they are using isn’t allowed to be used for that purpose, the agency reported.

First and foremost, with any TNR program, use of the property for this purpose must be established and granted by the property owner. Additionally, in order to maintain a colony in one area, it has to be monitored and fed on a daily basis, animal control officials said. Local rescue groups and volunteers are necessary in order to follow up with this maintenance and care. 

In light of Lake County’s euthanasia status and cat overpopulation problem, local veterinarians have offered to help by providing assistance with cat alterations.

Together, local vets are hoping to provide as many as 20 surgeries a month through a program they call “Catsnip,” which is managed by Vicki Chamberlain.

Additionally, starting in March of this year with the grand opening of Animal Care and Control's new medical clinic, the shelter will offer the same service for those people who wish to keep the community cats in their neighborhood, rather than simply turn them over to the shelter for euthanasia. 

Although local vets and the animal shelter will be providing a small scale spay/neuter program for community cats, what the county really needs is a large-scale, high-volume TNR program to really make a difference in the cat population and euthanasia rates, Animal Care and Control said.

For questions about having feral or community cats altered in your neighborhood, please contact Vicki Chamberlain at 707-263-3958.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The premiere performance of a new local variety show received a warm welcome last weekend, with the show’s creator promising more to come.

The “Lake County Live!” debut took place last Sunday, Jan. 29, in the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport, which is the show’s home.

The show was broadcast before a live audience on KPFZ 88.1 FM, as well as streamed over the Internet; the link can be found at the station’s Web site, www.kpfz.org.

The debut show will be rebroadcast on KPFZ from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, and on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The one-hour radio variety show is the brainchild of Doug Rhoades of Kelseyville, who also serves as the show’s host.

“The talent we assembled for our first show was above professional,” said Rhoades. “Their timing and conviviality made the show a pleasure to hear, watch and in which to participate. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved, and there were many. They took my vision and made it even better than I could have wished.”

Rhoades, Suna Flores and Richard Smith wrote the show, which was in development for several months. The process to launch the show also involved the development of the show’s Web site, www.lakecountylive.com.

The show’s cast for its premiere performance included announcer Mitchell Hauptman, Smith, Flores, Chris Andre, Pamela Bradley, Vicky Parish Smith, Sarah Keezer Arnt, Judy Conard and Wally Holbrook.

Nick Reid acted as stage manager, with Nick Biondo working the sound board and Mike Chavez in charge of lighting. Mike Stempe did videography and photography at the show.

Rhoades estimated that 180 people were in the theater’s audience to watch the show, with KPFZ reporting that the number of listeners to its online stream tripled for the performance.

The show has a “Prairie Home Companion” meets wine country feel.

Liked its venerable Midwest counterpart, “Lake County Live!” features comedy skits, fake commercials – such as one for the American Society of Sociopaths, which assures potential members that “your behaviors are OK and those of others are not” – and even poetry, with Lake County Poet Laureate Emeritus Sandra Wade making an appearance on the first show to read her work.

A considerable portion of the show is dedicated to showcasing local musical performers.

Featured on the first show was the folk and bluegrass group “Three Deep,” which includes Jill Shaul, Sarah Tichava and Anna McAtee, who sang three original songs.

Shaul said the group got its name while waiting to perform at a recent Winter Musicfest. When they asked how much longer they had to wait to perform, they were told that acts were stacked up “three deep.”

Three Deep, which last fall appeared at the Old Time Bluegrass Festival in Lower Lake, will be going into the studio soon to complete a demo, and plans to make more music festival appearances in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, the group said during the Saturday show.

A cappella group EarReverence, featuring Nick and Valerie Reid, Bill Bordisso and Carol Cole Lewis, also performed, sharing its blend of powerful vocals on favorites such as “Your Love is Lifting Me Higher,” with a bit of comedy thrown in, in the form of comedian Steve Martin’s “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.”

The evening’s third musical group was “Polecat Rodeo,” whose members are April Knoll, Randy Johnsen, Janet Berrian, Jim Evan and Jon Hopkins.

Performing a mix of bluegrass, folk and country, Polecat Rodeo started out with a rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” also performing an old-time tune, “Angeline the Baker” and a cowboy song, “Riding Down the Canyon.”

At the show’s end, the audience was invited to join in for a sing-along of the well-loved tune, “You Are My Sunshine.”

The next Lake County Live! performance will take place at the Soper-Reese on Sunday, Feb. 26, Rhoades said.

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 Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Gang Task Force made seven arrests during a countywide gang sweep conducted late last month.

The Lake County Gang Task Force operation took place on Monday, Jan. 23, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Brooks said the purpose of the sweep was to conduct parole and probation searches.

Arrested were Justin Thomas Cordero, 27, of Clearlake, probation violation; Aaron Lee Pifer, 22, of Nice, probation violation; Brandy Nichole Lopez, 22, of Lucerne, under the influence of a controlled substance; Shawn Patrick Stallings, 38, of Lakeport, parole violation; Curtis Frank Anderson III, 39, of Lucerne, probation violation; Rickey Lee Floyd Jr., 27, of Clearlake, under the influence of a controlled substance; and 25-year0old Nicholas Stephen Jarvis of Kelseyville, who had a misdemeanor arrest warrant.

The task force is comprised of personnel from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department, California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Probation Department, Brooks said.

During the Jan. 23 sweep, the task force was divided into two teams. Brooks said one team worked in the city of Clearlake and the other team worked in the North end of the county.

He said they conducted 25 probation and parole searches and five warrant services, and noted the task force considered the operation to have been very successful.

Brooks said the task force’s continuing proactive enforcement efforts are designed to send a clear message to criminals, gang members and drug dealers that Lake County will not tolerate their illicit endeavors.

Anyone with information that can assist the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force or Narcotics Task Force with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education College-Going Initiative will host the Lake County Academic Decathlon Super Quiz and awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 4.

This year's Academic Decathlon theme is “The Age of Empire.”

The Super Quiz and awards ceremony are the portion of the two-day competition that are open to the public.

The quiz starts at 3:45 p.m. at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St., with the awards presentations to follow.

The afternoon will feature a performance from the Kelseyville High School Band, poster and poetry contest display, and Blue Lakes Scholarship Award presentations.

The event is sponsored by the The Lodge at Blue Lakes, the Lake County Arts Council and Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

For more information call the Lake County Office of Education at 707-262-4162 or visit www.lakecoe.org.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The generosity of an anonymous local resident will benefit children who come in contact with law enforcement.

Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Offices said the anonymous donor gave approximately 40 new children’s blankets, each individually packaged with a new stuffed animal.

In December 2011, a Lake County resident who wishes to not disclose their identity donated the blankets and stuffed animals, Brooks said.

The donations were made and obtained through a group of volunteers and are intended to be handed out by law enforcement during their contacts with children in need, he explained.

The packages have been dispersed to patrol deputies and investigators and many were handed out during the holiday season, according to Brooks.

Brooks said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is very grateful for the donations and the support for children who are in need.

Though the resident wishes to remain anonymous, persons wishing to donate funds to this group to help purchase the blankets and stuffed animals can contact Detective Kellie Joseph at 707-262-4200.

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The Legislature has passed a bill to restore school transportation funding, and the North Coast’s legislators are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign it.

On Thursday morning SB 81 passed the Assembly, moving on to be heard and passed in both the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee before the full Senate passed it 26-8.

SB 81 seeks to undo the trigger cut made by Gov. Jerry Brown which eliminates funding for the Home-to-School Transportation Program.

The bill would replace the $248 million cut to the transportation program, which disproportionately impacts rural and low income students, with a much smaller, more equitable reduction which impacts all school districts in California.

The midyear cuts amounted to a loss of $875,000 in transportation funding for Lake County schools, according to the Lake County Office of Education.

Both Sen. Noreen Evans and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, Lake County’s state legislators, are urging the governor to sign the bill.

Following the vote on the bill, Chesbro requested that the bill be fast-tracked in order for it to get to the governor as soon as possible.

“I am grateful that many of my colleagues joined me in getting SB 81 passed so swiftly,” Chesbro said. “Quick passage of this bill is especially important because of the impacts on children and their educational opportunities. Many school districts in my area are considering laying off personnel and some have already sent out pink slips.”

“Children can’t learn if they can’t get to school,” said Evans. “SB 81 was the result of both houses and both sides of the aisle coming together to find a solution that will get kids to school.”

“Today, thousands of parents and students are relieved to hear our leaders agree we must keep our school buses rolling,” said Allan Clark, president of the California School Employees Association. “School buses are by far the safest way to get kids to school, so we hope the governor will quickly sign this bill.”

SB 81 was introduced by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, of which Evans is a member.

Home to School Transportation is particularly important to rural schools on the North Coast. Cuts in transportation funding can cause a double hit on school districts’ budgets. Without SB 81, school districts would lose large chunks of transportation funding and then lose out on ADA funding due to students inability to get to school.

“This is the survival of my community," Chesbro added. “The future of these communities depends on educating children and getting them to school.”

SB 81 is headed to the governor for his consideration and will go into effect immediately if it is signed. Brown has reportedly indicated his support for the legislation.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted by members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force has resulted in one arrest and the seizure of narcotics, drug paraphernalia, cash and stolen property.

Arrested was 36-year-old Nino Salee Davis of American Canyon, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.

Brooks said Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force conducted a vehicle stop on Davis' vehicle on S. Forbes Street in Lakeport on Tuesday.

During the vehicle stop, detectives learned that Davis was on searchable probation out of Napa County for possession of a controlled substance, Brooks said.

Detectives discovered that Davis allegedly attempted to hide approximately one ounce of methamphetamine, two grams of cocaine and digital scales inside his underwear. Brooks said Davis also allegedly was in possession of approximately $500.

The task force then conducted a probation search of Davis’ motel room in Lakeport, where he admitted to be staying, Brooks said.

Detectives located a police scanner, a glass “meth” pipe, two hypodermic needles and several Oxycontin pills, which Davis did not have a prescription for. Brooks said detectives also located a laptop computer which was discovered to have been stolen and taken during a burglary within the county.

Davis was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance and possession of stolen property, Brooks said.

He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked on the four felony charges. His booking sheet indicated bail was set at $35,000. He remained in custody on Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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On Tuesday California Controller John Chiang sent a letter to budget leaders in the state Legislature urging them to take action before the state runs out of cash in March.

In the letter to Sen. Mark Leno Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, the controller said the liquidity shortfall is projected to last between Feb. 29 and about April 13.

Cash flows based on the governor’s proposed budget show that $3.3 billion worth of cash solutions are needed to address liquidity needs during this period.

If left unaddressed, the State's General Fund balance at this time will fall below the $2.5 billion minimum safety cushion on Feb. 29, Chiang’s office reported.

On March 1, cash will be exhausted and will continue to decline until hitting a low of negative $730 million on March 8, according to Chiang.

Working with the state treasurer and the Department of Finance, the controller has crafted a cash management plan that would avoid delays in paying tax refunds or issuing IOUs, as was required in 2009.

Additional measures may be needed should the state’s fiscal condition worsen, Chiang said.

“Although this cash management plan relies on still more borrowing, payment delays and deferrals, we believe this is the most prudent and responsible course of action considering we have about four weeks before the advent of the cash shortfall,” Chiang wrote. “It is not an ideal solution, but it is the best way to manage the challenge without relying on IOUs or delaying tax refunds – actions that can disrupt the delivery of essential public services and slow California’s economic recovery.”

Chiang also reported that as of Dec. 31, total state receipts are coming in $2.6 billion less than forecasted, with expenditure $2.6 billion more than assumed, totaling a $5.2 billion shortfall in cash resources.

See the full letter below.

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013112 Chiang Letter to Legislature