Don Anderson, who took office in January, said he's implementing a new diversion program that allows offenders from out of state to make monetary restitution in lieu of community service.

When people from outside of California are convicted of crimes and sentenced to community service, they can get clearance to complete their community service out of state, which Anderson said doesn't benefit Lake County, where the crimes were committed.

Instead, in eligible cases, he and his staff are presenting to defendants the option of paying $10 per hour of community service – the rate approved by the courts – to settle the requirement.

That payment, once approved by the court, wipes out the community service requirement and can be used to assist with local causes, said Anderson.

In January, New Yorker Justin Lazard, who reached a plea deal on a misdemeanor count of lewd conduct in public for exposing himself in Library Park in July 2006, agreed to pay $7,500 to Lake Family Resource Center. That was the first case in which Anderson said he and his staff offered the diversion option.

“I think the courts see the benefit,” Anderson said.

On Wednesday, at an event for Victim-Witness advocates at the Lodge at Blue Lakes where Anderson was a special guest, Debbie Wallace, head of the Lake County Victim-Witness Division, presented another check – this time, for $9,600 – to Lake Family Resource Center interim Executive Director Lisa Fronsman.

That check came from the second case that's fallen under the diversion program, said Anderson.

Lake Family Resource Center, which works with Victim-Witness and the District Attorney's Office to offer support services for crime victims – and also runs the county's domestic violence shelter – is grateful for the support, Fronsman told the group Wednesday.

With the first two cases already generating approximately $17,100 for local causes, Anderson said there's the expectation of more to come, as he said he's seen many such cases in the local justice system that would be eligible for such a diversion program.

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Goodwin is replacing Linda Tyner, current alternative education director, who is retiring in July 2011, the Lake County Office of Education reported.

The Lake County Office of Education Alternative Education includes the Renaissance School for students in juvenile hall, the Clearlake Community School and the Lloyd P. Hance Community School.

These schools provide an alternative learning environment for students in grades seventh through 12th who are experiencing difficulties in a traditional school setting or who are exhibiting negative behavior patterns in school or in the community.

All three programs offer a complete high school graduation curriculum and support course work that will help students earn a diploma.

Goodwin will finish out the school year with Terrace Middle School, and Tyner and Goodwin are working together to develop a plan that will ensure smooth transitions for students and staff.

Goodwin has served at Terrace Middle School in Lakeport for the past three years, and brings with him more than 16 years of experience in education, working primarily in alternative education settings.

“Approximately 20 percent of our students are being served in alternative education settings,” Goodwin said. “There is a huge need in our communities for a strong positive influence in the lives of troubled kids, and this position really feels like a great fit for me.”

He added, “My time with Lakeport Unified and the Terrace Middle School community has been a wonderful opportunity and an experience that I will cherish and miss. I look forward to continued collaboration with this district as well as the six others. I’m looking forward to new opportunities for growth both for myself and for the county.”

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According to the California Department of Finance, there will be more than six million seniors aged 65 and over by the year 2020 in this state.

“Getting older does not mean the end of a person’s driving days,” said California Highway Patrol (CHP) Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It’s the perfect time to evaluate, improve and maintain the safety and mobility of California’s senior drivers.”

With more and more seniors taking to the roads every year, the CHP has received a federal grant that will not only help educate senior drivers and raise their awareness about how to keep safe on the roads, but will ultimately assist in the CHP’s mission of saving lives.

The overall goal of the “Keeping Everyone Safe (KEYS) II” grant is to reduce the number of fatal and injury collisions caused by senior drivers (aged 65 and over) within CHP jurisdiction by 5 percent by Sept. 30, 2011.

To achieve this goal the CHP will launch a statewide public education and awareness campaign focusing on senior traffic safety and mobility.

Television and radio public service announcements and community-based committees will be established. These committees will collaborate to assess the issues most relevant to senior drivers and to make recommendations to address the needs of the senior driving community.

The committees also will include members from public and private organizations, including law enforcement, health and aging professionals, transportation agency representatives and other interested parties.

In addition, CHP personnel will conduct public awareness and educational presentations statewide.

“With California’s senior population doubling in size by 2020, we need to take care of our older drivers, passengers and pedestrians using our roadways,” added Farrow.

This grant is presented in collaboration with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Funding for the “Keeping Everyone Safe (KEYS) II” grant was provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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The workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the Sons of Italy Hall, located at 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

Presented by the Lake County Redevelopment Agency and Mogavero Notestine Associates, this community workshop will open with an update by Supervisor Denise Rushing on community events and projects.

David Mogavero, principal at Mogavero Notestine Associates will provide observations regarding the Holiday Harbor site, including opportunities and constraints.

Community input will include both specific questions from Mogavero and an open forum.

Lake County Redevelopment Agency officials will outline the proposed next steps in the process, including the public presentation of the conceptual plan.

The Lake County Redevelopment Agency purchased the Holiday Harbor Resort and Marina, located at 3605 Lakeshore Boulevard, Nice, in June 2008.

The site includes 134 boat slips, picnic areas, restrooms, a boat launch and on-site caretaker.

The agency envisions development of the site and surrounding area as the future town center for Nice.

The short-term goal of the agency is to develop a market development plan, including conceptual plans and other marketing pieces, to attract investment in the site by a private developer.

Funding for the creation of the market development plan is provided by a Community Development Block Grant Planning and Technical Assistance grant.

The agency awarded a contract for development of the plan to Mogavero Notestine Associates through a competitive request for proposals in February.

Mogavero Notestine Associates is an award winning architecture, planning, urban design and development firm that specializes in innovative urban infill projects, such as the Holiday Harbor site.

Not only does MNA provide traditional architecture and planning services, but the agency expects their experience in feasibility analysis and private development to provide both a creative and tangible plan for the Holiday Harbor site and the future town center of the community of Nice.

Formed in 1999, the Lake County Redevelopment Agency works to eliminate blight and promote economic development in communities within the Northshore Redevelopment Project Area, which includes parts of Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne, Glenhaven and Clearlake Oaks.

For more information about the project, contact the Lake County Redevelopment Agency at 707-263-2580 or visit www.co.lake.ca.us/redevelopment.

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“Not only is the minimum coverage provision necessary to carry out Congress' goals of lowering the costs of medical care and expanding insurance coverage, it is a proper exercise of federal authority that does not alter the essential attributes of state sovereignty,” the amicus brief states. “The Affordable Care Act continues a longstanding and necessary partnership between the states and the federal government in the healthcare policy arena.”

In January, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the law's minimum coverage requirement, which mandates that individuals maintain health insurance or pay a fine, is unconstitutional because it regulates “inactivity” – or the decision to forgo coverage.

Harris, joined by nine other attorneys general, rejected that view in the amicus brief filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which is based in Atlanta.

They argued that the Constitution gives Congress broad powers to regulate interstate commerce – and that an individual's decision to purchase health insurance has a significant impact on interstate commerce because it allows formation of risk pools, lowers healthcare costs nationally and reduces the cost of uncompensated care.

The failure of millions of Americans to purchase health insurance has a significant impact on the states, the group argued.

In 2009, more than 7.2 million Californians – nearly one in four people under the age of 65 – lacked insurance for all or part of the year. More than 5.5 million Californians who could not afford private health insurance are enrolled in government-sponsored health plans, which will cost the state a projected $42 billion in the next fiscal year.

According to the amicus brief, $27.1 billion of those funds comes from the General Fund, which faces a $25 billion deficit.

The minimum coverage provision of the Affordable Care Act will reduce the need to shift the cost of uncompensated care of the uninsured – and will thus reduce the expenses now absorbed by the states and by individuals with health insurance.

Others joining California in this brief are Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

In January, the same group of attorneys general – except the District of Columbia – filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit arguing for the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act: http://oag.ca.gov/news/press_release?id=2032&p=3.

In March, those attorneys general filed an amicus brief supporting the law's constitutionality in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit: http://oag.ca.gov/news/press_release?id=2047&p=3.

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Lake County Vet Connect officially got under way in March, offering a critical link between homeless and jobless vets and services that they're entitled to receive because of their service.

The group offers twice-monthly events where veterans can sit down with fellow veterans, explain their situations and get the services they need.

Vet Connect's intake and outreach events will take place twice a month – on the second Wednesday at the American Legion Post No. 437, 14770 Austin Road in Clearlake, from 9 a.m. to noon, and the same hours on the third Wednesday in Lakeport at Umpqua Bank, 805 11^th St. Both the post and the bank are providing the space for the effort free of charge.

The clinics this month will be held in Clearlake on April 13 and in Lakeport on April 20.

The first Vet Connect took place on March 16, and organizers called it a “tremendous success,” with 26 veterans served in what is expected to be the first of many sessions.

Lucerne vet Frank Parker, president of the United Veterans Council, called the program's goal “a hand up, not a handout.”

Parker was one of the local veterans instrumental in founding Lake County's Vet Connect. He said it was exciting to see so many veterans getting the help they need.

This past January, United Veterans Council of Lake County formed a committee to address the needs of the county's homeless and underserved veterans. Local veterans officials said the committee arose based on the concerns of local veterans organizations and the Lake County Veterans Service Office, which are committed to ending homelessness in Lake County.

Out of that committee came Lake County Vet Connect, the group said.

Parker emphasized that Vet Connect is a combined effort of many groups in the county. He said group affiliations have been put aside in order to join together in a common goal of serving veterans in need.

Parker helped lay the groundwork for the group when, last year, he began researching how to put it all together and make a one-stop experience for veterans. He came across Sonoma County's Vet Connect, which has assisted by offering expertise, guidance and even the forms that will be needed for vet intake.

The research and work that Parker and his fellow veterans did to put together Lake County Vet Connect revealed that “a lot of these services are already available in Lake County,” according to Dan Davi, a Vietnam veteran involved in Lake County Vet Connect.

Parker and the group also created their own Vet Connect handbook, with information on local services available to vets.

Government and nonprofit organizations that will have a presence at the monthly Vet Connect outreach events include Veterans Administration Support Housing, Lake County Veterans Service Office, Lake County Mental Health, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Disability Services and Legal Center, CalFresh for general assistance and food stamps, Employment Development Department, Drug and Alcohol Center, Legal Education, Financial Education, North Bay Veterans Resource Center and Catholic Charities.

The work is complementing that done by the Lake County Veterans Service Office.

“Part of our job is to connect veterans to local resources, to assist in whatever they need,” said county Assistant Veteran Service Officer Bob Penny.

However, Penny explained that he and his staff are so busy working with the Department of Veterans Affairs that they don't always have time to research and keep up with all the programs that are available locally, and which are always changing.

He said Vet Connect has been doing a lot of research and finding new resources.

In one example, a local veteran's roof was damaged by the wind. “He called here to see what might be available,” said Penny.

Penny gave made a call to Parker, who found some assistance through the US Department of Agriculture. “This was something that I didn't know about that Frank did research on and found,” said Penny.

“To have their help in doing this is an immense help to all of our veterans and their dependents in our county,” Penny said.

The background to the effort

Local veterans have put enormous time and preparation into creating Vet Connect to serve their comrades in arms.

Ahead of the official kickoff of Vet Connect last month, a group of veterans involved in the effort gathered in the upstairs community meeting room at Umpqua Bank on 11^th Street in Lakeport.

Tom Benton, a Vietnam vet from Sonoma County who was a founding member of its Vet Connect, took the men through a practice intake interview, with local vet Kirk Macdonald sitting across from him, playing the part of a veteran seeking services.

Benton led the interview in an easy going manner, explaining to Macdonald that he would next be directed over to some tables where a Veterans Affairs social worker would check his eligibility for health benefits and shelter.

“You're going to have to feel your way through it,” Benton told the vets who watched him work through the process.

He explained the importance of keeping information confidential and also making veterans – some of whom have never approached the system and haven't wanted to – comfortable.

Having veterans work with other veterans helps tear down barriers right away, Benton said.

Helping similar Vet Connect programs get started outside of Sonoma County “is something we've wanted to do for a long time,” said Benton.

Sonoma County's Vet Connect began in November 2007. The founders included eight vets – seven of them, including Benton, having served in Vietnam – and local service providers.

The effort in Sonoma County started out as a way to help homeless vets, said Benton, who himself had been homeless for 18 months at one time. Another of the founding vets also had been homeless.

Over time, the group became so proficient at dealing with large numbers of veterans that Benton said

Sonoma County officials wanted to know how they did it. Benton said it's because they're not a bureaucracy, and can therefore move more swiftly and efficiently.

They're not sure how many vets to expect to serve over time, but they said their outreach will help validate the numbers and the need in Lake County.

Parker also believes that the word will travel, and Benton said that in Sonoma County word of mouth has been a key way of communicating the available services.

Parker said they estimate they will need seven volunteers for each event. They're already getting more offers of help.

To offer assistance in the form of volunteering or donations, of if a local group would like to be an onsite service provider, contact Parker at 707-274-9512 or Kirk Macdonald, 707-263-8449.

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The fire, which occurred early on April 1, destroyed a home in the 10000 block of Fairway Drive in the Clear Lake Rivieras.

The home's resident, 85-year-old Preben Rauholt, is believed to be the victim, although Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said an official identification of the body found in the home is still pending.

Kelseyville Fire Protection District firefighters found the body in the back of the home in a hallway between a bathroom and a bedroom. The blaze's origin was believed to be located in the home's living room, as Lake County News has reported.

Bauman said preliminary reports indicate that the cause of the fire is unknown and that Rauholt died from smoke inhalation.

“We are waiting for some other test results to come in, relating to toxicology screening for the victim and some items being tested for the fire investigation,” Bauman said.

The sheriff's office previously stated that it had deemed the fire's circumstances as suspicious and therefore was treating it as a possible homicide.

However, Bauman said Tuesday, “At this point we have not identified any evidence of criminal intent with regards to the fire.”

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Demetri Gilbert Amaya, 50, was taken into custody on Sunday, April 10, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Smallcomb said at 2:30 p.m. Sunday Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were patrolling the Four Mile Glade area of Cow Mountain when they observed a vehicle parked at the end of the roadway, which is just inside the Lake County jurisdiction.

When the deputies approached the vehicle it appeared unoccupied at first, but then they found the driver – later identified as Amaya – to be asleep across the front seat with a 40-ounce beer bottle perched on the steering wheel, Smallcomb said.

He said deputies also observed numerous firearms inside the vehicle and in the bed of the truck.

The deputies awakened Amaya and removed him from the vehicle, Smallcomb said. Due to the weapons in the vehicle, they asked and were given permission to search the vehicle.

Smallcomb said a records check revealed that two guns were reported stolen, one from Sonoma County and the second reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as being stolen from San Francisco.

He said both guns were confirmed to be stolen and Amaya was placed under arrest.

Amaya was transported to the Lake County Jail, where jail records indicated he was booked on a charge of receiving stolen property. Bail was set at $15,000.

Jail records indicated Amaya remained in custody late Monday.

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A fire engulfs a home on 40th Avenue in Clearlake, Calif., early on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Photo by Susanah Carlsen.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Sunday morning fire destroyed a red-tagged residence in Clearlake.

The house, located in the 15000 block of 40^th Avenue, was reported to be on fire at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a California Highway Patrol incident log.

Lake County Fire officials could not be reached Sunday for additional information.

Susanah Carlsen, who lives across the street from the structure – which she believed was a mobile home with an add-on – said it was “up in flames” by about 2:30 a.m., and she called the fire department. She estimated that the fire likely began around 2 a.m.

Carlsen said nobody lived at the home, which was red-tagged a few weeks ago, although she noted, that there have been people inside and around it during the past few weeks and especially within the last few days.

She said she didn't know if anyone was harmed.

The structure was still standing Sunday, Carlsen said. “It's pretty burnt up, but all the walls appear to still be up.”

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A Lake County Fire Protection fire truck arrives on scene at an early morning structure fire on 40th Avenue in Clearlake, Calif., early on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Photo by Susanah Carlsen.

Chesbro was coauthor of state Sen. Joe Simitian’s Senate Bill 2X, which requires utilities to get at least 33 percent of electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020.

“This bill will bring many important benefits to California, including stimulating investment in green technologies in the state, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, improving local air quality, promoting energy independence, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Brown in his signing message.

“While reaching a 33 percent renewables portfolio standard will be an important milestone, it is really just a starting point – a floor, not a ceiling,” Brown continued in the message. “Our state has enormous renewable resource potential. I would like to see us pursue even more far-reaching targets. With the amount of renewable resources coming on-line, and prices dropping, I think 40 percent, at reasonable cost, is well within our grasp in the near future.”

“When the governor signed SB 2X today, California confirmed its position as the world leader in green energy technology,” Chesbro said. “This breakthrough legislation will create a large number of new living-wage jobs, attract new businesses to California, preserve the environment, improve air quality and protect public health.”

Senate Bill 2X applies to all electricity retailers in the state – investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal utilities and independent sellers.

The current 20-percent renewable energy requirement applies only to investor-owned utilities and independent sellers.

Municipal utilities have adopted renewable energy goals, which only some have met. Achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 is a key element of the state's plan to meet the limits on greenhouse gas emissions established by AB 32.

Senate Bill 2X does not require utilities to reach the goal at any cost.

The California Public Utilities Commission must approve renewable energy contracts, and utilities may be granted exemptions if the price of energy, or the difficulty of moving it into the state’s grid, make the cost excessive.

For these reasons the bill was endorsed by the CPUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates and consumer watchdog The Utility Reform Network (TURN).

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The 3.3-magnitude temblor occurred at 2:48 a.m. Sunday, April 10, according to the US Geological Survey.

Its epicenter was three miles west southwest of Anderson Springs, four miles southeast of The Geysers geothermal steamfield and five miles south of Cobb, at a depth of nine-tenths of a mile, the survey reported.

The US Geological Survey received no shake reports on the quake.

A 3.5-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers on March 20, as Lake County News has reported.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Tuleyome, a Woodland-based conservation organization, has taken ownership of 620 acres on the south flank of Goat Mountain.

The land is located in Lake County at the headwaters of the upper North Fork of Cache Creek.

The land is an in-holdings in the Mendocino National Forest, the group reported.

The Goat Mountain properties were previously owned by the California Institute of Man in Nature as a part of John Olmsted’s vision for an Across California Trail along the 39^th parallel, which is approximately the route of Highway 20.

Olmsted described his vision as an ecological corridor with islands of protected lands – “Beads on a Necklace.”

Other properties that Olmsted helped to protect include Jug Handle State Reserve on the coast, Sutter Buttes in the Central Valley and the Bridgeport covered bridge on the South Yuba River.

Olmsted also helped to build the Independence Trail on the South Yuba that is one of the first handicap assessable nature trails in the nation.

He died on March 8, and will be remembered through his conservation legacy.

“It has been a pretty intensive effort over the past eight months to secure these properties,” said Bob Schneider, Tuleyome’s senior policy director. “The property was in danger of sale for back taxes and there were 30 outstanding Deeds of Trust. We worked through that and the owners of the Deeds of Trust were incredibly generous. It was a pleasure to permanently secure this portion of John’s conservation legacy.”

This was an important purchase for Tuleyome. The group's major project is the proposed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area. Tuleyome’s proposal ranges over 100 miles from south to north and includes 500,000 of public lands.

“Tuleyome’s proposed National Conservation Area and John Olmsted’s vision for an east-west ecological corridor intersect at the Goat Mountain properties,” said Tuleyome President Andrew Fulks.

The properties, from 2,800 feet to more than 4,000 feet in elevation, are sited on a very large ancient landslide above the upper North Fork of Cache Creek.

The tops of these types of landslides are “lumpy” creating areas of wetlands and springs that have high levels of biological diversity.

“I fell in love with the property when I visited and saw milk vetch with Monarch butterflies,” added Schneider.

He also pointed out that one of the largest sugar pines in the region, “Big Bertha,” is found on the site.

The parcels were once homesteaded and are named White Ranch Glades, Root Glades, Wyman Flat and Addington Springs.

Tuleyome intends to offer tours and educational trips to the Goat Mountain properties.

For more information contact Tuleyome at www.tuleyome.org or 530-350-2599.

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