A record low of 791 persons were killed in DUI crashes on California roadways last year, compared to 950 in 2009.

The 2010 figures for California showed the largest single yearly drop of DUI deaths in the past 14 years, the NHTSA reported.

In Lake County, however, DUI-related deaths showed an increase in 2010, rising to four, compared to one DUI-related death reported in 2009, according to NHTSA data. DUI-related deaths in Lake County included three in 2006, six in 2007 and four in 2008.

The NHTSA said that DUI deaths in California increased yearly from 1998 to 2005, but have decreased every year since 2005.

“This marks a huge milestone in the fight against drunk driving,” said California Office of Traffic Safety Director Christopher J. Murphy. “While we are elated by these figures, there were still 791 lives, futures and dreams that will never be fully realized. We cannot back off from our ultimate goal – toward zero deaths.”

The Office of Traffic Safety credited the record number of DUI checkpoints conducted in 2010 as partly responsible for the state’s sharp reduction in DUI deaths.

OTS allocated $16.8 million in federal funds to law enforcement agencies to conduct 2,553 DUI checkpoints in 2010, up from the $11.7 million allocated to 1,740 checkpoints in 2009.

According to NHTSA, checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent. In addition, 88 percent of Californians surveyed report they support the use of checkpoints.

Other contributing factors include countywide Avoid DUI Task Force operations that saw the California Highway Patrol team up with police departments across the state to arrest impaired drivers, the widespread recognition of the “Report Drunk Drivers Call 911” message promoted by CALTRANS through their changeable message signs, the many action items addressing DUI developed and implemented by state departments such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and local agencies through the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, the successful programs aimed at keeping alcohol from minors implemented by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the great work done by advocate and educational organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at U.C. Berkeley, and RADD – the entertainment industry's voice for road safety.

“Preventing these tragedies remains our top priority,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “By combining DUI enforcement efforts of the entire law enforcement community, with the support and dedication of our traffic safety partners and the motoring public, we will continue to make strides toward reducing DUI fatalities.”

The announcement comes just days before the Dec. 16 start of California’s December DUI Crackdown and NHTSA’s nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The increased enforcement campaign ends Jan. 2.

Statewide 2010 DUI arrest numbers have been consistent with the past five years and higher than any year between 1997-2005, officials reported.

“California has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing drunk driving including aggressive use of sobriety checkpoints” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “We commend California for its commitment to highway safety and efforts by its law enforcement officers to keep drunk drivers off the roads.”

“The people of California are to be congratulated along with all those who actively worked to avoid these tragedies,” said Murphy. “They see that not only is drunk and drugged driving a serious crime affecting the lives of so many, it is now seen as a socially unacceptable behavior for everyone.”

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"Today's criminals increasingly use the Internet, smartphones, and other digital devices to victimize people online and offline," said Attorney General Harris. "I am creating the eCrime Unit so that California can be a leader in using innovative law enforcement techniques to target these criminals. The eCrime Unit will be comprised of investigators and prosecutors charged with working across jurisdictions and leading task forces to protect California consumers and businesses."

The eCrime Unit investigates and prosecutes crimes that include a substantial technology component.

Examples and descriptions of the kinds of crimes that the unit will prosecute are:

• Identity theft: The Internet provides new ways for criminals to steal personal information and identities whether through email phishing scams or trolling the Internet for personal information about others.

• Fraud committed using the Internet: This includes scams perpetrated via email and on Internet auction Web sites.

• Theft of computer components or services: Burglary and robbery of computers or other electronic devices by highly-organized gangs at manufacturing sites, storage facilities and retail stores.

• Intellectual property crimes, such as counterfeiting or piracy: Large numbers of Web sites and online networks exist solely for the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, such as movies, music and software.

• Child exploitation: Disrupting online child pornography networks and those who commit sex crimes against children using the Internet or social media.

Many of these crimes are multi-jurisdictional and are better suited for prosecution on a statewide level.

The eCrime Unit, which began operations in August, consists of 20 attorneys and investigators, many of whom have spent years working on complex technology crimes.

Technology crimes affect consumers, businesses and the state government's operations. California had 10 of the top 25 metropolitan areas for identity-theft related consumer complaints in 2010.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, California has the most identity theft complaints of any state and third highest per capita. In fact, every year, more than 1 million Californians are victims of identity theft. Total losses throughout the state exceeded $46 million last year.

"Every year, California loses millions of dollars because the intellectual capital of our state is being hijacked by criminal elements," said Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D-San Jose. "The addition of the eCrime Unit to California's fight against technology crimes sends a clear message that we are determined to root out this type of illegal activity."

The eCrime Unit will also provide investigative and prosecutorial support to the five California regional high-tech task forces funded through the High Technology Theft Apprehension and Prosecution Trust Fund Program and provide coordination for out-of-state technology-crime investigation requests.

The eCrime Unit also will develop and provide training for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, the judiciary, and the public on cyber safety and the importance of strong information-security practices.

"As the importance of the Internet to our economy has grown, criminals have moved online to steal valuable information and goods from individuals and businesses," said Santa Clara District Attorney Jeffrey Rosen. "In the 21st Century, law enforcement will be increasingly combating online criminal activity. The Attorney General's eCrime Unit will provide much needed resources and expertise to thwart and prosecute online criminals who cause billions of dollars in damage every year."

Attorney General Harris outlined several cases that exemplify the work of the eCrime Unit.

In July, George Bronk, a Sacramento-area man was sentenced to more than four years in state prison after hacking into email addresses and Facebook accounts of victims by finding answers to email security questions. He found indecent pictures and video and then blackmailed the victims. The victims in this case were located in at least 17 states and United Kingdom. More information on the case can be found http://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press_release?id=2541&y=&m=6.

Attorney General Harris also announced the filing of five felony charges against Chen Zhang on Dec. 8 in San Joaquin Superior Court.

Zhang is being charged with possession of unauthorized and counterfeit jewelry from five different companies. Investigators for the Attorney General's Office seized an estimated $1.5 million of counterfeit goods from her residence in Tracy, California on Nov. 3.

In another case, defendants allegedly ran an identity theft scam at ATM vestibules across seven counties. They allegedly used a card reader to capture victims' card numbers and a hidden camera to capture the PIN numbers. Total losses are estimated to be $2 million.

The case (California v. Aroutiounyan) originated in San Luis Obispo County, but the Department of Justice eCrime Unit was able to investigate and charge the entirety of the scheme across all seven counties.

Harris also announced the launch of a new web site devoted to cyber safety, which can be found at http://oag.ca.gov/cybersafety. The Web site contains information about online child safety, identity theft prevention tips and help for victims.

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The town hall will begin at 7 p.m.

Constituents interested in participating in the telephone town hall event should contact Rep. Thompson’s Napa District Office at 707-226-9898 and leave their name, phone number and city of residence.

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

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This Honda Accord was involved in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, in Clearlake, Calif. One child was reported injured. Photo by Gary McAuley.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A single-car crash sent a child to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.

The crash occurred on Highway 53 just south of Ogulin Canyon Road and across from the Konocti Unified School District bus barn at around 3:30 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 2004 Honda Accord traveling southbound crossed the northbound lane and went off the road’s east shoulder, running into a 6 foot high pile of dirt and rocks being used as road construction material, according to reports from the scene.

A 3-year-old girl riding in the car who was reportedly not restrained properly suffered abdominal trauma and was flown to the hospital. Reports did not indicate the extent of her injuries, of if anyone else riding in the car was injured.

More information wasn’t available on the crash from Clearlake Police Department Tuesday evening.

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The car hit a pile of dirt and rocks used for construction on the side of the road. Photo by Gary McAuley.

With the economy making public transit a more affordable and reliable option for many community members, Lake Transit Authority is continuing to see a growing demand for its services.

Transit General Manager Mark Wall said the 2010-11 fiscal year was a record year for ridership, with 326,000 passengers.

The 2011-12 fiscal year promises to be bigger. Wall said they’ve seen a 25-percent increase, and are projecting that by the fiscal year’s end they will have had 400,000 passengers.

Wall said that is comparable to neighboring Mendocino County’s transit agency, which has 400,000 passengers a year and a population of more than 100,000 people, compared to Lake County’s 65,000 residents.

Lake Transit’s Route 1, which runs from Clearlake to Lakeport along the Northshore, is the busiest, having carried 86,000 passengers in the last fiscal year. It also runs the longest hours and brings in the most revenue, according to Lake Transit statistics.

The other routes include Route 2, Kit’s Corner to Middletown; Route 3, Clearlake to Deer Park; Route 4, Clearlake to Lakeport; Route 4A, Kit’s Corner to Lakeport; Route 5, Clearlake city north loop; Route 6, Clearlake city south loop; and Route 7, Lakeport/Ukiah.

According to Lake Transit statistics, Route 5 is in second place for ridership, followed by Route 6.

While Lake Transit would like to add services and routes, Wall said they don’t have the revenue to do it.

He said the transit system is funded by a number of sources. Passenger fares constitute 25 percent, while the rest comes from state funds and federal grants.

This fall, Lake Transit Authority received $309,288 in state transportation bond funds to purchase five replacement buses, as Lake County News has reported.

Lake Transit has avoided the kinds of cuts other transit agencies have experienced, said Wall. The only cut that’s planned is the elimination of a 6:30 a.m. Saturday-only run from Clearlake to Lucerne, and the 7:17 a.m. return from Lucerne to Clearlake.

In light of the economy, “We’re pretty much where we can be with operations,” according to Wall.

Wall said the new year will see fare increases, which go into effect Jan. 2.

Among the changes, local bus fare will go from $1 to $1.25 for the general public, and from $.50 to $.75 for seniors and disabled riders, Wall said.

That local fare covers “local areas,” which Lake Transit designates as Clearlake, including Glenhaven, Clearlake Oaks and Lower Lake; Lakeport, including north Lakeport and Kelseyville; Lucerne, including Nice, Upper Lake and Blue Lakes; Middletown, including Twin Lakes, Hidden Valley, Cobb and Loch Lomond; and the Rivieras, including Buckingham, Soda Bay, Riviera West and Clearlake Riviera.

Regional bus fare, which covers a trip through two or more of those local areas, will stay at $2.25 for the general public, but will rise from $1.50 to $2.25 for Lake Transit’s senior and disabled riders, Wall said.

Out-of-county fare for trips to destinations including Calistoga, St. Helena, Deer Park and Ukiah will increase from $3.50 to $5 for all riders, and monthly passes – which offer unlimited ridership – will increase from $35 to $40.

Other changes riders will see include the rerouting of eastbound service in Lucerne from Country Club Drive to Highway 20, a move based on a traffic calming study. The transit agency said the change is meant to improve bus schedules and travel times.

Community members also should notice the new bus shelters and benches along the routes, along with increased wheelchair accessibility.

Wall said the transit authority has raised $500,000 in grant funding over the last several years that is helping fund those shelters and benches. They’ve also partnered with Konocti Unified School District to have students install the structures.

Lake Transit will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Wall said.

For more about routes and schedules, visit www.laketransit.org.

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The site can be found at http://sco.ca.gov/compensation_search.html.

Monday’s posting includes wages and other forms of compensation worth $38.8 billion.

"Holding public officials accountable for how they manage public dollars relies heavily on transparency," said Chiang. "The struggles of the city of Bell remind us that corruption and fiscal mismanagement are often the byproducts of keeping the public in the dark."

The county of Lake and cities of Lakeport and Clearlake are in compliance with the filing requirements, according to the states.

However, four counties and 37 cities did not file in time for the Web site update.

The counties that did file are Marin, Mono, San Benito and Tuolumne, according to the State Controller’s Office.

Cities that failed to file 2010 salary and compensation reports are Adelanto, Amador, Angels, Atwater, Cerritos, Cloverdale, Coalinga, Corning, Cudahy, Del Rey Oaks, Dunsmuir, Farmersville, Folsom, Fort Jones, Hawthorne, Hercules, Hillsborough, Hughson, Ione, Isleton, Kerman, Lindsay, Livermore, Loyalton, Maricopa, Oakdale, Palmdale, Placentia, Point Arena, Rio Vista, San Buenaventura, South El Monte, St. Helena, Tracy, Trinidad and Turlock.

Each noncomplying agency could face a penalty of $5,000, the Controller’s Office reported.

The State Controller’s Office’s salary and compensation Web site originally was created by Controller Chiang in late 2010, after he ordered local governments to provide salary and other wage information for their employees to his office.

In October 2010, Chiang’s office collected and posted 2009 wage information for more than 600,000 city and county employees. He then added 2009 information for the employees from 2,379 special districts.

In June, he added 2010 compensation information for 256,222 employees from the state of California and 123,406 from the California State University System.

The data postings drew heavy Internet traffic, and the site has logged nearly 5.3 million page views since October 2010.

The Web site covers elected officials as well as public employees. It includes minimum and maximum salary ranges, actual wages paid, the applicable retirement formula, any contributions by the employer to the employee’s share of pension costs, any contributions by the employer to the employee’s deferred compensation plan and any employer payments for the employee’s health, vision and dental premium benefits.

In addition, the Web site shows employees who hold multiple positions within either state government or the CSU system.

The State Controller’s Office continues to update and expand the site to include more public-sector data.

The 2010 compensation information for special districts, and 2011 information for state and CSU employees will be phased in over the next six months.

In August, Chiang and Community College Chancellor Jack Scott wrote to all 72 community college districts across the state, requesting they also submit their payroll data by early 2012.

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William Henry Holman, 43, of Kelseyville, Calif., was arrested on Friday, December 9, 2011, for several drug-related charges. Lake County Jail photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The service of a search warrant by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force and the Napa County Special Investigation Bureau on Friday, Dec. 9, has resulted in two arrests, the seizure of marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

William Henry Holman, 43, of Kelseyville was arrested during the search warrant service, and more than $500 was seized for asset forfeiture, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

On Dec. 9 at approximately 5 p.m., narcotics detectives assisted the Napa County Special Investigation Bureau with the service of a search warrant for Holman’s person and his home, according to Brooks.

When narcotics detectives entered the home, Holman was located and detained without incident, Brooks said.

During a search of the residence, detectives located methamphetamine, a glass “meth” pipe, approximately 2.3 pounds of processed marijuana, a digital scale and over $50 in currency, Brooks reported.

Brooks said Holman was arrested for possession of marijuana for sales, possession of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia. Holman was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, with bail set at $15,000. He later posted bail and was released.

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

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“My administration remains committed to keeping the Legislature informed, but churning out 2,600 annual reports – some ordered more than two decades ago – is a waste of time and money,” Governor Brown said. “All state agencies and departments have been asked to take a closer look at these reports and will work with the Department of Finance and the Legislature to get rid of those that are no longer needed.”

Under Monday’s executive order, agency secretaries and department directors will prepare a list of all reports that they are required to submit to the Legislature, and identify those that may no longer be of significant value.

Each agency and department will report its findings to the Department of Finance, which will then review the findings and work with the Legislature to determine whether specific reports should be discontinued.

The Monday directive follows an executive order issued last week to cut costs, increase efficiency by using honest, common-sense budgeting methods.

Earlier this year the governor also ordered reductions in cell phones, fleet vehicles and swag given out by state departments.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – If you didn't get up early Saturday morning to see the full lunar eclipse, here's a memorable shot of it.

Timothy Moen, who lives in Riviera West in Kelseyville, shot this picture of the eclipse just before sunrise on Saturday from behind the Ely Stage Stop Museum on Soda Bay Road.

Moen bills himself as an “advanced amateur” photographer.

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The safety recommendation specifically calls for the 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices – other than those designed to support the driving task – for all drivers.

The safety recommendation also urges use of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high-visibility enforcement to support these bans and implementation of targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and heightened enforcement.

"According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents", said Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving."

Hersman added, "No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."

On Aug. 5, 2010, on a section of Interstate 44 in Gray Summit, Missouri, a pickup truck ran into the back of a truck-tractor that had slowed due to an active construction zone. The pickup truck, in turn, was struck from behind by a school bus.

That school bus was then hit by a second school bus that had been following. As a result, two people died and 38 others were injured.

The NTSB's investigation revealed that the pickup driver sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes preceding the accident. The last text was received moments before the pickup struck the truck-tractor.

The Missouri accident is the most recent distraction accident the NTSB has investigated.

However, the first investigation involving distraction from a wireless electronic device occurred in 2002, when a novice driver, distracted by a conversation on her cell phone, veered off the roadway in Largo, Maryland, crossed the median, flipped the car over, and killed five people.

Since then, the NTSB has seen the deadliness of distraction across all modes of transportation.

• In 2004, an experienced motorcoach driver, distracted on his hands-free cell phone, failed to move to the center lane and struck the underside of an arched stone bridge on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia. Eleven of the 27 high school students were injured.

• In the 2008 collision of a commuter train with a freight train in Chatsworth, Calif., the commuter train engineer, who had a history of using his cell phone for personal communications while on duty, ran a red signal while texting. That train collided head on with a freight train – killing 25 and injuring dozens.

• In 2009, two airline pilots were out of radio communication with air traffic control for more than an hour because they were distracted by their personal laptops. They overflew their destination by more than 100 miles, only realizing their error when a flight attendant inquired about preparing for arrival.

• In Philadelphia in 2010, a barge being towed by a tugboat ran over an amphibious "duck" boat in the Delaware River, killing two Hungarian tourists. The tugboat mate failed to maintain a proper lookout due to repeated use of a cell-phone and laptop computer.

• In 2010, near Munfordville, Kentucky, a truck-tractor in combination with a 53-foot-long trailer, left its lane, crossed the median and collided with a 15-passenger van. The truck driver failed to maintain control of his vehicle because he was distracted by use of his cell-phone. The accident resulted in 11 fatalities.

In the last two decades, there has been exponential growth in the use of cell-phone and personal electronic devices.

Globally, there are 5.3 billion mobile phone subscribers or 77 percent of the world population. In the United States, that percentage is even higher – it exceeds 100 percent.

Further, a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing or accessing the Internet.

"The data is clear; the time to act is now. How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Hersman said.

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The 2011 Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 13, and into the early morning hours of Wednesday, Dec. 14, and despite the glare of a nearly-full Moon, it might be a good show.

"Observers with clear skies could see as many as 40 Geminids per hour," predicted Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. "Our all-sky network of meteor cameras has captured several early Geminid fireballs. They were so bright, we could see them despite the moonlight."

The best time to look is between 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Dec. 13, and sunrise on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Geminids, which spray out of the constellation Gemini, can appear anywhere in the sky.

"Dress warmly and look up," said Cooke. "It's that simple."

The source of the Geminids is near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Most meteor showers come from comets, so having an asteroid as a parent makes the Geminids a bit of an oddball.

"This is the thing I love most about Geminids," said Cooke. "They're so strange."

Every year in mid-December, Earth runs through a trail of dusty debris that litters the orbit of 3200 Phaethon.

Comets vaporizing in hot sunlight naturally produce such debris trails, but rocky asteroids like 3200 Phaethon do not. At least they're not supposed to. The incongruity has baffled researchers since 1983 when 3200 Phaethon was discovered by NASA's IRAS satellite.

One clue: 3200 Phaethon travels unusually close to the sun. The asteroid's eccentric orbit brings it well inside the orbit of Mercury every 1.4 years. The rocky body thus receives a regular blast of solar heating that might somehow boil jets of dust into the Geminid debris stream.

In 2009, NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft saw this process at work. Coronagraphs onboard the solar observatory watched 3200 Phaethon as it was swinging by the sun. Sure enough, the asteroid doubled in brightness, probably because it was spewing jets of dust.

"The most likely explanation is that Phaethon ejected dust, perhaps in response to a break-down of surface rocks (through thermal fracture and decomposition cracking of hydrated minerals) in the intense heat of the Sun," wrote UCLA planetary scientists David Jewitt and Jing Li, who analyzed the data.

Jewett and Li's "rock comet" hypothesis is compelling, but they point out a problem: The amount of dust 3200 Phaethon ejected during its 2009 sun-encounter added a mere 0.01 percent to the mass of the Geminid debris stream – not nearly enough to keep the stream replenished over time. Perhaps the rock comet was more active in the past?

"We just don't know," said Cooke. "Every new thing we learn about the Geminids seems to deepen the mystery.”

Led by Cooke, the Meteoroid Environment Office has just released an app for iPhones and iPads to help citizen scientists count meteors and report their observations to NASA. The "Meteor Counter" is available for free from Apple's app store:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/meteor-counter/id466896415 .

Cooke hopes sky watchers everywhere will use it to monitor the mysterious Geminids.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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The incident occurred just before 2:30 a.m. at 15135 Lakeshore Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Acting Watch Commander Dominic Ramirez said Officer Travis Lenz had spotted the motorhome sitting in the middle of the roadway, with a male subject pushing it backwards.

Lenz pulled up to see what was happening, and after he got out of his patrol car, the motorhome rolled backward and hit it, Ramirez said.

Ramirez said Lenz was fine, but his vehicle had moderate damage as a result, with damaged fenders and its door pinned shut.

“The vehicle is out of commission for right now,” Ramirez said.

A CHP officer arrested the motorhome’s driver, 43-year-old Jill Marie Robbins of Clearlake Oaks, on misdemeanor charges of use of a controlled substance, driving while on a suspended license and driving under the influence, according to jail records.

Lenz arrested Robbins’ passenger and the subject who had been pushing the motorhome, 24-year-old Christopher Hoffman of Redding, for a parole violation. Jail records showed that Hoffman was being held on a no-bail hold.

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 .