Saturday, 02 December 2023

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office has reported on the candidate filings to date for the March presidential primary election.

Several county, state and federal offices will be on the ballot for the primary, which takes place on March 5, 2024.

The partisan offices on the ballot include United States president, county central committees and councils, United States Senator (full term), United States Senator (partial/unexpired term), United States Representative in Congress for District 4, State Assembly Member for District 4.

Nonpartisan offices up for election include Superior Court judges for departments 1, 3 and 4; county supervisors for districts 1, 4 and 5; and sheriff-coroner.

The Registrar’s Office said the timeframe for submitting in lieu of petitions — which reduce the cost for filings — ends at 5 p.m. Nov. 8.

All candidates for elective office must file nomination documents — which include nomination papers and declaration of candidacy — as well as pay a nonrefundable filing fee. That’s except for judicial candidates, who pay when filing the declaration of intention to have their name printed on the ballot.

The nomination filing period begins Nov. 13 and ends at 5 p.m. Dec. 8.

If an incumbent fails to file during this period, candidate filing will extend for any candidate except the incumbent until Dec. 13 by 5 p.m.

Registered voters interested in filing for county central committees and county council must file nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy between Sept. 29 and Dec. 8.

Filings to date

The Registrar of Voters Office said the following candidates have been issued in-lieu petitions so far.

• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 1: Michael S. Lunas.
• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 3: Andrew S. Blum.
• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 4: Shanda M. Harry, Anna Gregorian and William Conwell.
• County Supervisor, District 1: Bryan Pritchard, Bren Boyd, Sean Millerick and John H. Hess.
• County Supervisor, District 4: Brad Rasmussen, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Scott Jason Barnett and Chris Read.
• County Supervisor, District 5: Jessica Pyska, Dennis Holzinger and Daniel “Boone” Bridges.

Candidates for judicial offices are required to file a declaration of intention and pay a nonrefundable filing fee before filing for office. Judicial candidates may file a declaration of intention between Oct. 30 and Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.

The elections office said Lunas, Blum, Harry and Gregorian have filed their declarations of intention.

Voters desiring information regarding any of the offices listed below may contact the Registrar of Voters office in person at 325 N Forbes St., Lakeport, by phone at 707-263-2372 or toll free at 888-235-6730.

The Registrar of Voters office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays, to assist both candidates and voters.
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For additional information, visit the registrar’s website or email the department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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The blue areas on this map of Mars are regions where NASA missions have detected subsurface water ice (from the equator to 60 degrees north latitude). Scientists can use the map – part of the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project – to decide where the first astronauts to set foot on the Red Planet should land. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Planetary Science Institute.

The map could help the agency decide where the first astronauts to the Red Planet should land. The more available water, the less missions will need to bring.

Buried ice will be a vital resource for the first people to set foot on Mars, serving as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel.

But it would also be a major scientific target: Astronauts or robots could one day drill ice cores much as scientists do on Earth, uncovering the climate history of Mars and exploring potential habitats (past or present) for microbial life.

The need to look for subsurface ice arises because liquid water isn’t stable on the Martian surface: The atmosphere is so thin that water immediately vaporizes.

There’s plenty of ice at the Martian poles – mostly made of water, although carbon dioxide, or dry ice, can be found as well – but those regions are too cold for astronauts (or robots) to survive for long.

That’s where the NASA-funded Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project comes in. SWIM, as it’s known, recently released its fourth set of maps – the most detailed since the project began in 2017.

Led by the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, SWIM pulls together data from several NASA missions, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, 2001 Mars Odyssey, and the now-inactive Mars Global Surveyor. Using a mix of data sets, scientists have identified the likeliest places to find Martian ice that could be accessed from the surface by future missions.

Instruments on these spacecraft have detected what look like masses of subsurface frozen water along Mars’ mid-latitudes.

The northern mid-latitudes are especially attractive because they have a thicker atmosphere than most other regions on the planet, making it easier to slow a descending spacecraft.

The ideal astronaut landing sites would be a sweet spot at the southernmost edge of this region — far enough north for ice to be present but close enough to the equator to ensure the warmest possible temperatures for astronauts in an icy region.

“If you send humans to Mars, you want to get them as close to the equator as you can,” said Sydney Do, JPL’s SWIM project manager. “The less energy you have to expend on keeping astronauts and their supporting equipment warm, the more you have for other things they’ll need.”

The ice-exposing impact crater at the center of this image is an example of what scientists look for when mapping places where future astronauts should land on Mars. It’s one of several such impacts incorporated into the latest version of a series of NASA-funded maps of subsurface water ice on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.

Building a better map

Previous iterations of the map relied on lower-resolution imagers, radar, thermal mappers, and spectrometers, all of which can hint at buried ice but can’t outright confirm its presence or quantity.

For this latest SWIM map, scientists relied on two higher-resolution cameras aboard MRO. Context Camera data was used to further refine the northern hemisphere maps and, for the first time, HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) data was incorporated to provide the most detailed perspective of the ice’s boundary line as close to the equator as possible.

Scientists routinely use HiRISE to study fresh impact craters caused by meteoroids that may have excavated chunks of ice. Most of these craters are no more than 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter, although in 2022 HiRISE captured a 492-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) impact crater that revealed a motherlode of ice that had been hiding beneath the surface.

“These ice-revealing impacts provide a valuable form of ground truth in that they show us locations where the presence of ground ice is unequivocal,” said Gareth Morgan, SWIM’s co-lead at the Planetary Science Institute. “We can then use these locations to test that our mapping methods are sound.”

In addition to ice-exposing impacts, the new map includes sightings by HiRISE of so-called “polygon terrain,” where the seasonal expansion and contraction of subsurface ice causes the ground to form polygonal cracks. Seeing these polygons extending around fresh, ice-filled impact craters is yet another indication that there’s more ice hidden beneath the surface at these locations.

There are other mysteries that scientists can use the map to study, as well.

“The amount of water ice found in locations across the Martian mid-latitudes isn’t uniform; some regions seem to have more than others, and no one really knows why,” said Nathaniel Putzig, SWIM’s other co-lead at the Planetary Science Institute. “The newest SWIM map could lead to new hypotheses for why these variations happen.” He added that it could also help scientists tweak models of how the ancient Martian climate evolved over time, leaving larger amounts of ice deposited in some regions and lesser amounts in others.

SWIM’s scientists hope the project will serve as a foundation for a proposed Mars Ice Mapper mission — an orbiter that would be equipped with a powerful radar custom-designed to search for near-surface ice beyond where HiRISE has confirmed its presence.

These Mars global maps show the likely distribution of water ice buried within the upper 3 feet (1 meter) of the planet’s surface and represent the latest data from the SWIM project. Buried ice will be a vital resource for astronauts on Mars, serving as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/PSI.
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In the third quarter of this year, from July through September, 26.7% of new cars sold in California were zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs, according to new data from the Governor’s Office.

That’s up from 25.4% in the previous quarter.

This comes after Gov. Newsom announced that California surpassed both its zero-emission truck sales and vehicle sales goals two years ahead of schedule, and surpassed its 10,000 fast EV chargers goal more than a year ahead of schedule.

In China last week, Gov. Newsom touted the state’s progress on ZEVs and saw China’s own progress with ZEVs firsthand.

“We’ve made it easier and cheaper than ever for folks to transition to clean cars, and it’s continuing to produce real results. This progress represents less pollution in our air from burning fossil fuels. This is critical progress in our fight against climate change while expanding our clean energy economy,” Newsom said.

California’s ZEV Record:

• 26.7% of all new cars sold in California last quarter were ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission: 119,580 ZEV sales in Q3 of 2023, 342,888 total ZEV sales year to date.

• 34% of new ZEVs sold in the U.S. are sold in California, according to the California Air Resources Board.

• Thousands of dollars in grants and rebates available for low-income Californians – learn more at ClimateAction.ca.gov

• The historic $52 billion California Climate Commitment includes over $10 billion for zero-emission cars, trucks, buses and infrastructure.
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With the conclusion of daylight saving time arriving this weekend, the California Highway Patrol is reminding motorists how the shift in time and insufficient sleep can affect their ability to drive safely.

Daylight saving time ends this year at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5.

The CHP joins the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Nov. 5 to 11 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and encourages everyone to prioritize sleep and only drive when they are alert and refreshed.

Although we “fall back” and gain an extra hour of sleep this weekend, it does not necessarily equate to added rest, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

In the fall, people tend to wake up earlier, which results in less sleep throughout the week.

The time change can also disrupt sleep/wake patterns, which can put motorists at an increased risk of crashes.

Every year thousands of crashes occur in California involving drowsy drivers.

According to preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, or SWITRS, there have been more than 4,000 crashes in California in 2023 involving a drowsy driver.

There were more than 5,000 crashes involving drowsy drivers in each of the two previous years.

Whenever motorists begin to feel tired or fatigued, the CHP reminds motorists to pull safely off the road and use one of the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) statewide roadside rest areas for a quick mind-clearing break.

To find a rest area or to check for the latest travel information on state highways, visit the Caltrans QuickMap at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

Motorists are advised against stopping on the side of the road where they risk getting hit by another car.
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On Thursday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) announced that their bipartisan bill to make settlements from the PG&E Fire Victims Trust nontaxable passed out of the Ways and Means Committee by a vote of 38-0.

“No wildfire survivors should be made to pay taxes on a settlement payment that does not even cover the full loss they experienced,” Thompson said Thursday. “Today, the Ways and Means Committee passed my bill to exempt PG&E Fire Victims Trust settlements from taxes, moving us one step closer to providing essential tax relief to fire survivors. This bill remains my top priority and I will continue to move it forward until President Biden signs it into law.”

“This legislation is critical for disaster survivors throughout the nation, from hurricane survivors in Florida to Fire Victim Trust claimants in Northern California. Wildfire survivors have waited far too long with this cloud of uncertainty over their heads, not knowing if their settlement money will be taxed. This initiative has been a top priority for my office and it has gathered broad bipartisan support. I am hopeful that Congress will quickly enact this bill into law so that wildfire survivors can have financial certainty,” said LaMalfa.

Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
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From left, Woodland Community College president finalists are Dr. Monica Chahal, Dr. Lizette Navarette, Dr. Brian Sanders and Dr. James Todd. Courtesy photos.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Yuba Community College District Chancellor Dr. Shouan Pan has announced the selection of four finalists for the position of Woodland Community College president.

Woodland Community College’s campuses include the Lake County Campus in Clearlake.

During an Oct. 23 listening session with community leaders in Clearlake, Dr. Pan said emphasized the importance of the college president role.

He said a nationwide search yielded 36 applicants, which were narrowed to 11 semifinalists.

The four finalists the district announced Wednesday were recommended to the chancellor by a diverse interview committee made up of faculty, staff and community members.

The Woodland Community College president finalists are, in alphabetical order, Dr. Monica Chahal, Dr. Lizette Navarette, Dr. Brian Sanders and Dr. James Todd.

Candidate forums will be held, in person, on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to attend these forums to hear directly from each candidate.

Interviews for the candidates will also be conducted on Nov. 14, with a final decision expected soon after. The approval of an employment agreement by the board of trustees will follow.

The anticipated start date for the president is January 2024.

Short biographies of the finalists are below. More detailed biographies and additional information regarding the forums will be posted on the WCC website.

Dr. Monica Chahal

Dr. Monica Chahal is an experienced leader with a career spanning more than three decades in educational institutions, including the California Community College system.

Her work has been defined by her focus on equity, social justice and student success. Her lifelong commitment to students has led to a rewarding career as a classified professional, adjunct and full-time faculty, and administrator at Yuba College, Woodland Community College, and Clovis Community College.

In all these roles, she is most proud to have served alongside and worked collaboratively with others committed to excellence and innovation.

Dr. Lizette Navarette

Dr. Lizette Navarette is a passionate student-centered leader with nearly two decades of experience in higher education and local government.

As executive vice chancellor at the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, she leads the Office of Institutional Supports and Success which includes college finance, facilities planning, institutional effectiveness, and government relations.

She is responsible for formulating policies that determine the distribution of over $13 billion in local assistance and capital outlay funds to the state’s 73 community college districts, professional development which advances student success, and coordinating state and federal matters for the system.

From October 2022 to June 2023, Dr. Navarette served as interim deputy chancellor. She previously served as the vice chancellor of College Finance and Facilities Planning and was the first woman to hold that position.

Navarette has also served as the vice president of the Community College League of California, associate director of Regional Relations for the University of California Riverside and as the Youth & Education Coordinator for the city of Riverside.

Dr. Navarette has an extensive history championing student success, affordability and equitable educational opportunities for all students. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from UC Riverside, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of La Verne and a doctorate in education from UC Davis.

In 2021, Dr. Navarette earned the United Nations Global Education for All award for her research on working adult learners.

Navarette is a proud first-generation graduate.

Dr. Brian Sanders

Dr. Brian Sanders is recognized across California’s community colleges for his leadership, innovation and extensive knowledge of the community college system.

He has served as a tenured mathematics faculty member, dean of a large division, interim chief business officer, and chief instructional officer for both Columbia College and Modesto Junior College.

His service on the executive board for the California Community Colleges Chief Instructional Officers and on statewide Chancellor’s Office committees has resulted in significant improvements for the community colleges.

On campus, he is known as a kind, creative problem-solver, collaborating with all constituent groups to develop and implement effective solutions to difficult challenges.

Dr. James Todd

Dr. James Todd has over 17 years experience working at California community colleges as a faculty member and as an executive administrator in academic and student affairs.

As a faculty member, he taught anthropology, while also serving as academic senate president and as an elected faculty representative on the statewide Executive Committee for the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.

His faculty experience fostered a deep commitment to participatory governance, an inclusive style of educational leadership, and student equity and social justice efforts in education.

He is passionate about fostering access and meeting the needs of local communities, facilitating student success and completion, building public and private partnerships, and ensuring equitable post-graduation outcomes for students.

Over the last eight years, Todd has served as an executive administrator. He was the vice president of student services at Modesto Junior College, as well as the assistant superintendent and vice president of instruction and planning at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton.

He is currently the assistant superintendent and vice president of student services at Sierra College.

Todd completed Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in cultural anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.

Some step children and foster children may qualify as heirs to a deceased step or foster parent’s estate and so qualify to inherit when their deceased step parent or foster parent dies without a will.

Until now, it was widely accepted that a step child or foster child could only inherit if the following two conditions were both conditions of Probate Code section 6454 are satisfied: (1) the relationship began during the step child/foster child’s minority and continued throughout their joint lifetimes; and (2) it is established by clear and convincing evidence that the step parent/foster parent would have adopted the step child/foster child but for a legal barrier.

The legal barrier requirement eliminates adult step children and foster children from qualifying under section 6454 because adult adoptions do not require any consent of the biological parent; the barrier is thus removed.

Now, however, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, issued its opinion in Nick Zambito v. Tracy Martino (Super Ct. No. 37-2020-000002011-PR-LA-CTL) that allows step children and foster children to qualify as an heir under section 6453.

Unlike section 6454, section 6453 is not specific to step children. Section 6453 incorporates the various ways that a parent child relationship can be established under the Uniform Parentage Act (“UPA”).

As relevant, a child does not have to be a biological child, an adopted child, or even a step child, for a parent child relationship to be established under section 6453.

Section 7661 of the Family Code, a section within the UPA, defines a “natural parent” as “a nonadoptive parent established under this part, whether biologically related to the child or not.”

In Nick Zambito v. Tracy Martino, the decedent died intestate (i.e., without a will) and the decedent’s step child initially petitioned to inherit under section 6454 the pathway specifically and uniquely provided for step children and foster children to establish inheritance rights.

However, the stepchild conceded that he did not qualify because once his biological father had died the legal barrier to adoption was removed; thus, the step child no longer qualified under section 6454.

The stepchild amended his petition to assert that his deceased step father was his “natural parent,” for inheritance purposes, under section 6453 of the Probate Code.

One way that a parent-child relationship can be established under UPA for inheritance purposes under section 6453 is if a person receives a child into his home and openly holds out the child as his natural child under section 7611(d) of the Family Code.

As the court opinion in Nick Zambito says, “… a man ‘with no biological connection to the mother, and no way to satisfy the statutory presumption of paternity may nevertheless be deemed a presume father’ under Family Code section 7611, subdivision (d), if he can prove ‘an existing familial relationship with the child,’ a bond the likes of which ‘should not lightly be dissolved’. [(citing, In re D.M. (2012) 210 Cal. App. 4th 541, 554; AG v. County of Los Angeles (2018) 28 Cal. App. 5th 373, 380.] Thus, to qualify under section 7611(d) of the Family Code, the person claiming to be a child must prove that the parent both “received the child into his or her home” and “openly held out the child as his or her natural child.”

In sum, the requirements under sections 6453 and 6454 are different and it is possible, at least in California’s Fourth Appellate District at present, for a step child to establish a parent child relationship under one section but not the other.

The appellate court harmonized section 6453 and 6453 based on each statute's own terms and the fact that section 6454 did not expressly limit a step child to establishing a parent child relationship under section 6454.

The foregoing discussion is not legal advice. Consult a qualified estate planning attorney for fact specific legal guidance.

Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants to fill two vacancies on the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

Interested applicants must reside within the Lakeport Fire Protection District’s boundary and be registered to vote in Lake County.

These appointments would be effective Jan. 2, 2024.

Applications are available at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, or online at www.lakecountyca.gov on the Board of Supervisors page.

The membership on the fire board is voluntary.

For additional information, please contact Assistant Clerk of the Board Johanna DeLong at 707-263-2580 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. — The Lake County Fire Protection Agency along with the California Department Parks and Recreation’s Northern Buttes District will be conducting a prescribed burn operation beginning as early as Thursday, Nov. 2, and potentially continuing through Saturday, Nov. 4, weather permitting.

The proposed prescribed burn includes 50 acres of non-native grasslands along Highway 53 and Anderson Ranch Parkway near Lower.

Smoke from the burn should be limited in duration; however, it will be noticeable.

The burning will take place only during the day. It’s anticipated that the smoke will travel west to east.

With assistance from the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Transportation, traffic will be controlled and motorists advised of the control burn.

The prescribed burn will reduce accumulated flashy fuel thatch adjacent to Highway 53, restore fire to the landscape, reduce invasive plant cover and promote native plant regeneration and provide live fire training for fire personnel in a controlled manner.
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“Skittles.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control’s kennels are filled with dogs deserving a chance at new homes.

The Clearlake Animal Control website lists 48 adoptable dogs.

This week’s dogs include “Skittles,” a one and a half year old female pit bull terrier mix with a black and white coat.

“Dumbo.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

There also is “Dumbo,” a year-old male pit bull terrier with a black and white coat.

The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.

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.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom has reappointed the former police chief fro the city of Clearlake to a key state board.

Andrew White, of Dixon, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where he has served since 2021.

White has been police chief for the city of Martinez since 2023.

He was police chief for the city of Clearlake from 2018 to 2022.

White was an instructor and scenario evaluator at the Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center from 2007 to 2022.

He was police commander for the Suisun City Police Department from 2015 to 2018, and served in several sworn positions there from 2002 to 2015.

White was a dispatcher at the Napa Police Department from 2002 to 2004. He is a member of the California Police Chiefs Association.

White earned a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational management and information technology from Union Institute and University.

This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. White is a Republican.
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The Not Invisible Act Commission, a cross jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors, on Wednesday transmitted its congressionally mandated recommendations to the Department of the Interior, Department of Justice and U.S. Congress. Federal responses to the Commission’s recommendations are due within 90 calendar days.

The commission was created by the Not Invisible Act, led by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland during her time in Congress.

Its mandate was to develop recommendations on actions the federal government can take on six focused topics to help combat violent crime against Indigenous people and within Indian lands, and to address the epidemic of missing persons, murder and trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples, as specified under the law.

“I am so grateful to the members of the Not Invisible Act Commission for the time and effort they have given to this work and this report over the past two years. Indian Country will be safer, and lives will be saved, because of this Commission’s work,” said Secretary Haaland. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. Crimes against Indigenous peoples have long been underfunded and ignored, rooted in the deep history of intergenerational trauma that has affected our communities since colonization. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations, which will help us continue to galvanize attention and resources toward these tragic epidemics.”

“These recommendations will play an important role in our shared work to address the violence Tribal communities face,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the Commissioners for approaching this critical and difficult work with the urgency and thoughtfulness it deserves. The Justice Department is committed to working with the Department of Interior, Congress, and our state, local, and Tribal partners to address the Commission’s recommendations and respond to the public safety challenges facing American Indians and Alaska Natives.”

The Departments will carefully consider the NIAC’s recommendations, which will help further the Biden-Harris administration’s work to advance and invest in public safety in Indian Country.

At the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden signed Executive Order 14053 on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People directing the Departments of the Interior, Justice and Health and Human Services to work with tribal nations and partners to build safe and healthy Tribal communities and to support comprehensive law enforcement, prevention, intervention and support services.

Last year, the president signed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 into law, which built on advancements from previous reauthorizations and included new provisions to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples across the country and re-enforced tribal sovereignty by providing means for tribes to address the epidemic of violence within their lands and communities.

At the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced an agreement to provide for the effective and efficient administration of criminal investigations in Indian Country.

The agreement specified that the BIA Office of Justice Services, or BIA-OJS, and the FBI would cooperate on investigations and share information and investigative reports as well as establish written guidelines outlining jurisdiction and investigative roles and responsibilities.

The agreement also requires that all BIA, FBI and Tribal law enforcement officers receive training regarding trauma-informed, culturally responsive investigative approaches.

Secretary Haaland has traveled throughout the nation and internationally to highlight the need for coordination and collaboration on issues related to violence against Indigenous peoples. Within the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration, Secretary Haaland created a new Missing and Murdered Unit within the BIA-OJS, which is providing leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered Indigenous peoples.

The Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations will inform the Department’s efforts to evolve the MMU to address gaps within law enforcement agencies and across the federal government.

Last week, Attorney General Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta met with the Tribal Nations Leadership Council, including a council member who serves as a commissioner on the Not Invisible Act Commission, and discussed a range of pressing issues impacting American Indian and Alaska Native people.

Attorney General Garland traveled to Alaska in August, during which he visited Anchorage and the Village of Galena. Attorney General Garland met with tribal leaders and advocates to discuss the public safety challenges that Alaska Native individuals and communities face, including the Justice Department’s continuing to work in partnership with tribal communities to address the MMIP crisis.

In the past year, Associate Attorney General Gupta has held meetings with tribal and Native leaders in Minnesota and Alaska.

This month in Alaska, the Associate Attorney General spoke at the Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention to announce the launch of the Alaska Pilot Program, which empowers Tribes to exercise criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians present in their Villages for certain crimes.

Since the establishment of the NIAC in 2020, the Justice Department has made strides in implementing systems aimed at preventing new instances of MMIP, locating individuals who are reported missing, and, where a crime has occurred, investigating and prosecuting those responsible.

Earlier this summer, the Department launched a MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program places attorneys and coordinators at U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people.

Upcoming Calendar

2Dec
12.02.2023 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile
2Dec
12.02.2023 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Free mending workshop
2Dec
12.02.2023 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Festival of Trees
3Dec
12.03.2023 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Lower Lake Hometown HoliDaze Street Fair
9Dec
12.09.2023 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile
9Dec
12.09.2023 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Christmas in Middletown
14Dec
12.14.2023 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Lakeport Blizzard event
16Dec
12.16.2023 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Kelseyville Wreaths Across America ceremony
16Dec
12.16.2023 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile

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