The Westshore Pool, pictured this week with work nearing completion. Photo by Scott Harter.

LAKEPORT – Lakeport's Westshore Pool renovation is nearing completion this week, as the contractor begins testing the pool's mechanical equipment.

Lakeport City Engineer Scott Harter reported Thursday that Pool Time, the company which has conducted the pool renovations, filled up the pool on Wednesday.

For the past few months, the pool has been undergoing a complete renovation. Pool Time stripped off its plaster to expose the underlying structure in order to repair and, in some cases, completely replace its plumbing. The company then put a fresh layer of plaster on its surface.

On Thursday tests were under way on the pool's mechanical system, including its pump, filters and skimmers, to see if everything was working properly, Harter said.

The project has suffered some delays due to weather and unforeseen repairs, Bob Dwyer, Pool Time's project manager, reported.

Many of the repair issues required Dwyer going back to the City Council for change orders. The initial bid rewarded to Pool Time on the project was $313,370; that amount later grew to $370,515 to cover additional repairs. Harter estimates another $10,000 will cover the cost for additional work on the pool outside of the initial project scope.

The pool's repair has been covered mostly by Measure I sales tax funds, with $168,000 come from a state grant.

In recent weeks, said Dwyer, work has gone smoothly since they were past the “discovery phase” of finding more problems in the 4,300 square foot pool.

“In roughly about a week we should be signed off,” said Dwyer.

Still to be done, he said, is filtering out the plaster dust in the pool that resulted from the new plastering on its surface.

Even with the extra work, Dwyer said they came close to meeting their initial completion date of April 13.

As to when the pool will be ready for swimming, Harter said, “I don't have an idea on that yet.”

Before the pool goes back into service, said Harter, the Channel Cats swim team has volunteered to do work on the pool's picnic area and bathrooms, which they'll be assisted in doing by the city's park crew.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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BLUE LAKES – A motorcycle rider involved in a multi-vehicle accident near Blue Lakes on Friday was seriously hurt, losing his foot and suffering other major injuries.

California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye reported Monday that the Friday accident, which closed down Highway 20 for about 45 minutes, involved a motorcycle and three cars.

Stephanie Fauerberg, 22, of Sun Valley, Nev., was driving a black Hyundai Elantra eastbound on Highway 20 east of Blue Lakes when she collided with 27-year-old Raul Garcia of Santa Rosa, driving a Chevy S-10 pickup, said Dye.

The pickup, said Dye, overturned in the highway's eastbound lane, directly in the path of a motorcycle driven by Eric Talley, 26, of Davis.

Dye said Talley swerved to the left to avoid Garcia's pickup, and hit a 2006 Honda minivan driven by Diane Foppoli, 61, of Rohnert Park.

Talley was flown by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, said Dye, while the other accident victims were taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital. In addition to CHP, Northshore Fire and the Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, Dye said.

As a result of the accident Talley, who Dye said he spoke with earlier Monday, lost his left foot, suffered a broken back and a broken right knee, along with having all of the major bones in his left left shattered.

Fauerberg was found to be the driver at fault in the accident, Dye said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – The bigger issue of replacement structures which is causing controversy in Hidden Valley Lake has broken down into several sub-issues.

Among them:

– One Hidden Valley Lake Association director, Tom Miller, aggravated other board members when an article he wrote saying that the board should put the project “on hold” until productive participation by the HVLA membership is assured. According to Tingey, directors sought to impeach Miller after his comments appeared publicly.

– The door-to-door campaign for petitioners by the Hidden Valley Lake Coalition of Concerned Citizens was halted by the directors, management and security on the grounds that it was soliciting, which is against the HVLA bylaws. But then the restriction was lifted because of possible interference with civil liberties. “Our attorney said it (going door to door) was in violation, but recommended not stopping it because it’s going to look like a violation of free speech,” Archbold said. “So, I stopped our security guys from going any further.”

– Some members of the coalition are trying hard to discredit Archbold. Its Web site cites a remarkably similar incident at the Heritage Ranch subdivision in Paso Robles, which wound up in the courts. Tingey said that Archbold “and his cronies” lost their case at Heritage and are now being forced to come up with $265,000 in attorney’s fees. But Archbold drags a large pasteboard box onto his office floor. He says it contains the case’s transcript and says anyone who cares to read it will learn that he was not on the losing side and is not subject paying attorney fees, which, by the way, he says, were $380,000. “The judge, and I quote, dropped this suit because it was motivated by political means,” Archbold says.

– The coalition is seeking to distance itself from a Web site that has sprung up in addition to its own on which users are encouraged to take anonymous potshots at Archbold, the HVLA board, security and other aspects of Hidden Valley.

– But apparently someone siding with the board and management fired back by painting over a Web site address for the coalition on a recruitment sign on Hartmann Road. Archbold said he is convinced it was the work of a board supporter and said he does not condone such actions.

– While coalition firebrands have probed into Archbold’s past in hopes of finding a juicy item to discredit him, HVLA management has not been sitting idle. Archbold produced court documents on two of the most visible coalition leaders. In fact, Archbold says he has a file on one of the men and intimated that the man is wanted by Idaho on a $50,000 warrant, but says that the Idaho authorities don’t want to spend the time and money to come and get him.

– One of the coalition arguments against replacement structures is that the present food and beverage facilities – a luncheonette, the Greenview Room and Mulligan's bar – are operating at a loss ($12,000 last year), so why build new ones.? But Archbold's response to this is, "Guess what, every amenity we have in this community costs us money. Whether you're playing golf or tennis, swimming in the lake, riding a horse, driving on your roads, having a beer, it doesn't matter ... We are a nonprofit."

E-mail John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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MIDDLETOWN – An Alameda County man convicted of stalking the governor and possessing drugs was arrested Wednesday on a probation violation.

Lt. Patrick McMahon of the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that Jeffrey Miller, 45, of Oakland was arrested Wednesday after voluntarily leaving a drug treatment program that was part of his probation.

LCSO Deputies Mike Morshed and Brian Martin responded to a call from a Middletown resident that Miller was at her residence after having left the Personal Support Group facility near Anderson Springs, McMahon reported.

The deputies subsequently arrested him, according to McMahon. Miller was booked at the Lake County Jail and is being held on a no-bail probation violation charge.

Miller was sentenced in Alameda County Superior Court to complete a drug program with PSG after being convicted in that county for drug possession and stalking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to McMahon.

The Associated Press reported last month that an Alameda County court ordered Miller to stay away from Schwarzenegger and his family for 10 years, undergo psychiatric treatment for substance abusers and serve three years' probation due to his repeated threats to kill the governor and First Lady Maria Shriver. Miller had pleaded no contest to the charges.

Miller crashed through the gates at a Coast Guard station in Alameda in February 2006, made threats against Schwarzenegger and was arrested, according to the Associated Press. Miller, who reportedly suffers from mental illness and addiction to methamphetamine, later was released to his father's custody.

However, he was back in custody last June, after he turned himself in to authorities, telling them he had drugs and he wanted to kill Schwarzenegger, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press reported that the California Highway Patrol – which is responsible for providing the governor's security – considered Miller a real security concern.

McMahon reported that Miller also is on misdemeanor probation out of Marin County on stalking charges. Those charges, the Associated Press reported, arose from Miller's 2005 conviction for stalking two women.

Authorities from Alameda and Marin County, and CHP's Protective Services Division were notified of Miller’s arrest and are working cooperatively to determine a resolution of his custodial status, McMahon reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKE COUNTY – Home sales decreased 29.3 percent in March in Lake County compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home increased 14.4 percent according to information gathered by the Lake County Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Caution must be exercised in being too optimistic concerning house values and what homes will sell for. With the news of sub prime lenders going bankrupt and the prediction of massive foreclosures on the horizon, property values may indeed go down rather than increase.

Delaying the sale of your property may not be the wise thing to do if property values are on a downward momentum.

"Sales in March were at their highest level in four months," said Phil Smoley, owner/broker of CPS Country Air Properties.

"Next few month's reports could tell a different story since sales last year peaked in June,” said Smoley. “Looking forward, we are likely to see smaller year-to-year declines as we enter the traditional buying season. Homes that are well-maintained and priced to reflect the realities of today's market will continue to sell."

Closed escrow sales of homes in Lake County totaled 65 in March according to information collected from the MLS. Countywide home resale activity decreased 29.3 percent from the 92 sales pace recorded in March 2006.

The median price of a home in Lake County during March 2007 was $305,000, a 14.4-percent increase over the $266,500 median for March 2006, the MLS. reported.

The March 2007 median price increased 10.9 percent compared with February's $275,000 median price.

Countywide, the number of homes for sale increased slightly in March. The unsold inventory stood at 18 months in March, compared with 22 months in February.

The average number of days it took for the homes that did sell was 156 days in March 2007, compared with 145 days (revised) for the same period a year ago.

Activity for March

Area                     Sales             Median Price Average                 Days on Market

Buckingham             1                     $768,000                                         51

Clr Lk Riviera           6                     $287,500                                         180

Cobb                        5                     $325,000                                         231

Hidden Valley          8                    $404,900                                         209

Kelseyville               4                     $282,500                                         138

Lakeport North         8                     $361,500                                         167

Lakeport South         3                     $482,500                                         48

Riviera Heights       1                     $241,000                                         46

Riviera West            0

Soda Bay                 0

Realtor Ray Perry is a member of the CPS/Country Air Kelseyville office. Visit his Web site at www.rayperry.com for more information about local real estate.

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BLUE LAKES – A multi-vehicle traffic collision that blocked Highway 20 for nearly an hour Friday resulted in major injuries for the individuals involved.

The accident was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 3:39 p.m., according to CHP logs. It occurred on Highway 20 near Le Trianon Resort at Blue Lakes.

A motorcycle and two vehicles – a black Hyundai Elantra and a silver Chevy S-10 pickup – were involved. The CHP reported that one of the vehicles was flipped onto its roof and there were accident victims in the roadway.

It took nearly took an hour to clear the accident scene in order to reopen the highway, the CHP reported, with all of the vehicles being towed.

There were major injuries reported to the accident victims, but no further information was available from the CHP Friday evening about how many people were involved or the severity of their injuries.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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CLEARLAKE – Clearlake's City Council has a full slate of issues tonight, which run the gamut from medical marijuana to city development agreements.

One of the first items listed under “Business” on the council's lengthy agenda includes a public hearing regarding the consideration of adopting an interim urgency ordinance to extend a temporary moratorium on medical marijuana.

City Administrator Dale Neiman said the ordinance went into effect last year. This urgency ordinance, drafted by the city attorney, would extend the temporary moratorium for one more year.

The reason for taking that action, said Neiman, is because of lawsuits under way around the state involving medical marijuana and its regulation by cities.

“We want to wait until that litigation is resolved,” said Neiman, before the city makes a decision on how to approach the issue.

Council looks at Lake Glenn Subdivision

One issue scheduled for this evening's meeting that's expected to draw a lot of attention is consideration of a final map for the Lake Glenn Subdivision, which is near the senior center and borders Rumsey Road, Neiman said.

The 32-lot subdivision is in the second of its three phases, said Neiman.

Neighbors have voiced concerns aimed primarily at making sure the subdivision's future homes are of comparable quality to those built earlier by Bay Area developer Robert Adelman, said Neiman.

Neiman said he's talked to about half a dozen neighbors, who also have wanted the minimum house sizes in the subdivision to stay at 1,200 square feet.

Adelman received permission from a previous Community Development director to reduce the minimum square footage to 1,000 square feet, said Neiman, who added Adelman has agreed to return to the 1,200 square foot size.

Homes built in the subdivision between 2002 and 2006 ranged between $118 and $220 per square foot in price, Neiman said. The minimum sales price for future homes would be at $200 per square foot, or $240,000.

Neiman said he hopes the council will be able to address the neighbors' concerns and clear up misinformation that he said exists about the development.

Business park development on the agenda

In other development news, in January the city began negotiating with Katz Kirkpatrick Properties of Roseville regarding an exclusive negotiation agreement for developing the 26-acre Clearlake Commercial Development Site – also known as the Clearlake Business Park – near the Outrageous Waters location.

This evening, the council will consider entering into that agreement, said Neiman.

Katz Kirkpatrick has developed close to 50 shopping centers, many in Northern California, with clients including Kohl's, Home Depot, Target, Raley's and Wal-Mart, according to a company background.

As part of the agreement, Katz Kirkpatrick would submit a conceptual plan, there would be an environmental study and appraisal, eventually leading to the city selling the developer the property, said Neiman.

“When we enter into this agreement, it basically establishes a process for working though all those details,” Neiman explained.

If the agreement stays on schedule, Neiman said, in two years a development plan and sale could be completed.

The council will hold a closed session on the business park agreement and negotiations on the Austin Resort property.

Neiman said the city continues to discuss a possible development at the old Austin Resort with the firm Income Property Specialists.

“I'm optimistic we'll reach an agreement,” he said.

The process to complete the agreement would take another year, said Neiman. Necessary steps would include an environmental review, permitting, and a disposition and development agreement that would include what project would be developed and a purchase price for the developer.

“We're trying to negotiate the best project we can for the community,” said Neiman.

He added that there will be “plenty of public review” through that process.

Lots of applicants for Vision Task Force

Also on the agenda, the council will make appointments to its Vision Task Force, which officials hope will help chart a course for the city's future.

Neiman said the city has received 50 applications for membership, which the council opened last month to local business and property owners.

As a result of the interest, the main task force is being split into two, one dealing with social issues, the other infrastructure and planning. Neiman said he expects all applicants will be appointed to serve on one of those committees.

Before the regular council meeting at 6 p.m., the council will hold a special meeting at 2:30 p.m. for a study session followed by a closed session discussion of litigation against the city by RMM Environmental.

The council meets at 6 p.m. Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKEPORT – A three-vehicle accident that shut down part of 11^th Street Friday resulted in only minor injuries for the drivers involved.

Lakeport Police Officer Brad Rasmussen said the accident occurred at 1 p.m. Friday in the 1200 block of 11^th Street.

A Ford Thunderbird heading westbound had stopped and was waiting to make a left turn off of the street, Rasmussen said, when it was rear-ended by an Oldsmobile sedan, also traveling westbound on 11^th.

The collision pushed the Thunderbird into the eastbound traffic lane, Rasmussen reported, where it was hit by a third vehicle, a Buick sedan.

All three drivers were local women, said Rasmussen, and all were wearing seat belts. He said all three suffered only very minor injuries, including scratches and complaints of pain, and all declined medical attention at the scene.

The Oldsmobile sustained major damage, while both the Thunderbird and Buick were moderately damaged, Rasmussen said. All three had to be towed from the scene.

The driver of the Oldsmobile was found to be at fault for traveling at a speed that was unsafe for conditions, Rasmussen said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Rebecca Montes teaches American history at Mendocino College. Courtesy photo.

UKIAH – Inspired by professors to see the world in a different way while attending Santa Clara University, Rebecca Montes decided she wanted to teach.

Originally, Montes contemplated attending law school, but changed her mind after being inspired by some of her history professors.

“I attended Santa Clara thinking I wanted to eventually go to law school, but I loved my history classes and admired my professors. They helped me see the world in a different way and I wanted to do the same,” Montes said.

While in college, professors presented Montes with material from a variety of different viewpoints and exposed her to perspectives and knowledge of which she had previously been unaware.

“As for how I came to see the world different – I came to see that American society is the product of a much more complicated history of struggle and accomplishment than I had realized before college,” Montes said.

Montes, originally from San Gabriel, is in her second semester of teaching history and political science courses at Mendocino College.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in history in 1996 from Santa Clara University, Montes attended the University of Texas at Austin to pursue her master’s degree and Ph.D. in history.

“I wanted to continue my education with the goal to teach. I decided on the University of Texas at Austin because of their professors and their programs that dealt with immigration issues,” Montes said.

While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Montes was a teaching assistant from 1999-2004 and an assistant instructor from 2004-2005.

After earning her master’s in history in 1999 and her Ph.D. in history in 2005, Montes began teaching as an adjunct instructor at Austin Community College in the Summer of 2005.

While at Austin Community College, Montes taught History of the U.S. after 1877 and History of the U.S. before 1877.

“I enjoyed my time at Austin Community College and it made me think I wanted to teach at the junior college level. However, they had no full-time positions and I wanted to get back out to California for family and professional reasons,” Montes said.

Montes began teaching History 150 Contemporary America, History 210 U.S. History I and two sections of Political Science 200 at Mendocino College during 2006’s fall semester.

She then applied for a full-time position at Mendocino College.

This spring Montes is teaching History 150 Contemporary America, two sections of History 210 U.S. History I, History 211 U.S. History II, History 220 History of Mexico and Political Science 200.

“The students and professors have been very friendly, warm and genuine. I love the feeling you have a job that is doing something positive for the community,” Montes said.

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SACRAMENTO – The State Senate Committee on Transportation & Housing on Tuesday passed three bills by Sen. Patricia Wiggins: SB 735 (CalTrans tracking of recycled materials), SB 773 (vehicle length exemptions for livestock carriers), and SB 861 (North Coast Railroad Authority).

A fourth measure, SJR 4 (Klamath River salmon), was also approved today by the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee.

Following are brief summaries of each of the Wiggins bills approved in their respective committees:

– SB 735, to require the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to establish a system for tracking the amount of recycled aggregated materials used in highway construction projects and report the information to the Legislature every two years (the Senator’s goal is to help divert usable materials such as recycled asphalt and crushed concrete away from landfills and toward road construction).

– SB 773, to waive trucking restrictions on U.S. Highway 101 for local cattle ranchers (the restrictions have forced many North Coast ranchers to ship their livestock out of the area and then re-load them on to bigger trucks elsewhere, increasing costs).

– SB 861, to enable the North Coast Railroad Authority to reallocate $5.5 million of Traffic Congestion Relief Program revenues toward environmental cleanup.

– SJR4, to declare Legislative support for efforts in Congress to provide assistance to fishing communities, businesses and individuals to mitigate the economic losses caused by declining populations of Klamath River fall chinook salmon.

Patricia Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which includes part of Solano County plus all of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa & Sonoma counties.

To read committee analysis of the first three bills visit the following links.

– http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0701-0750/sb_735_cfa_20070405_162138_sen_comm.html

– http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0751-0800/sb_773_cfa_20070405_162219_sen_comm.html

– http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0851-0900/sb_861_cfa_20070405_162250_sen_comm.html

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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – A plan to replace existing structures at the gated Hidden Valley Lake subdivision has turned into a contentious issue, pitting a coalition of residents against the HVLA board of directors and management.

Spokesmen for the Hidden Valley Lake Association of Concerned Citizens say they are prepared to go to any lengths to block replacement of a building on Hartmann Road housing a restaurant, bar and golf pro shop, a community activity building and an administration building. All three of the buildings are reportedly at least 35 years old.

Strange as it seems, a possible scenario is that the HVLA members would, in effect, be suing themselves in the event the issue becomes a litigious matter.

The coalition is demanding that a decision on whether to go ahead on the construction project be put to a vote of the general HVLA membership.

But HVLA General Manager Rick Archbold says that moving ahead on what estimates have put in the range of a $10 million construction project is strictly a board decision, because it involves replacing older facilities.

A vote of the membership at large is required only if new facilities are to be built where none had existed before, he said.

In this case, Archbold says the subdivision’s general membership will never be allowed to vote on the construction project.

“I can’t answer for the board, but my opinion is no. Why? (Because) this is what board is to do ... repair, restore, maintain or replace ... and that’s right out of the civil code,” he said.

Archbold added he has told coalition leaders “they don’t have the right to demand a vote on replacing a facility.”

Thus, the battle lines are drawn.

So far, the coalition has delivered a petition protesting the project with 291 qualified signatures to the board, accompanied by a letter from Geoffrey A. Munroe, a Concord attorney.

The letter expresses the coalition’s position regarding submitting the decision on replacement facilities to a general election and sets forth guidelines on how an election should be conducted.

But while personally certifying that 291 signatures on the petition are HVLA members in good standing, Archbold scoffs at the letter..

“If you don’t react to that (Munroe’s letter), so what? ‘I’m going to sue you.’ For what? Not responding to your letter?” says Archbold, adding that he thinks the Concerned Citizens should get the money they paid Munroe back.

“They can require anything they want,” says Archbold. “The law is something we adhere to; not somebody who’s making this stuff up.”

Additionally, he said that by hiring Munroe the coalition had effectively cut off any possibility of direct conversations with the board and management and put future communications in the hands of attorneys. He said that he had warned coalition leader Alec McCourquodale this would happen.

“ ... So, now the association is going to be spending lots of money in talking about things we could have talked about for no money,” said Archbold, “but I’m assuming somebody is paying for this guy Munroe.”

Bob Tingey, a spokesman for the coalition, has expressed hopes that discussions between Munroe and the HVLA attorney could enable the two sides to “settle this out like gentlemen.”

And Archbold is hopeful that three “town hall” meetings, held on April 14 and 17, giving residents a “chance to be heard” on the replacement-building issue will ease some of the tension.

At the meetings, he said, a facilitator will collect the ideas for what Hidden Valley Lake residents would want included in new facilities.

“We are in a state of flux right now,” Archbold said. “This board and this management have no clue as to what we’re going to be building. The reason is we haven’t talked to the community. Everybody is going to come up with a different idea of what they think the function ought to be.”

Just how much cooperation the town meetings will get from the coalition remains to be seen. At the moment, Tingey said, the group is prepared to take its next step in May. One of those steps, Tingey told a group of homeowners in a meeting last month, could result in the homeowners in the HVLA suing themselves.

“We have two options,” he said. “Both of them are going to be expensive. One is an injunction to get this thing shut down – the other one is a recall of the board.”

Most of the coalition’s anger over the project is aimed at Archbold, whom they believe is dictating to the HVLA Board of Directors.

Regarding the board, Tingey said, “They’re spineless, weak people (who) let Archbold run the show, because he’s a very aggressive individual.”

Archbold disputes that, saying he functions at board meetings much like a city manager or county executive for Hidden Valley, a community of 7,200 residents: his job is counseling, not ordering, he said.

“People like this – for whatever political or personal reasons – are stirring this pot of disinformation and making it look like the people who are trying to do this (build replacement buildings) are in some way evil or have some special agenda,” he says. “I come back and say to you, ‘What would that be?’

“What am I doing this for? It’s not going to be named the Rick Archbold Memorial Country Club.”

For a discussion of several sub-issues involved in the situation at HVL, see the related story, “Several secondary issues add to HVL strife.”

E-mail John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKEPORT – As a bass fishing tournament this past weekend was attracting hundreds of visitors to Lakeport, another group of visitors had law enforcement on alert.

Lakeport Police Det. Norm Taylor said the Lake County chapter of the Vagos, an outlaw motorcycle gang, held a poker run around the county over the weekend, basing it out of Lakeport's Buckhorn Club bar.

The gang, said Taylor, is spread across all of California and into Mexico, with chapters in Nevada and Hawaii, and in some East Coast locations.

The Vagos are a criminal street gang, said Taylor. Over the years, Vagos members around the country have been indicted for weapons and drug violations, conspiracy to commit homicide, kidnapping and much more, he said.

A report from the California Attorney General's Office states that there are 47 outlaw motorcycle gangs in California; among the most prominent, the report says, are the Hells Angels, Mongols and the Vagos.

In recent years the Vagos, founded in Southern California, have shown an increased presence in Northern California, the report noted. The Vagos reportedly have 33 chapters with 300 members statewide.

As far as local gangs go, Taylor said the Surenos have been much more criminally active and visible than the Vagos, which are spread out across the county. Sureno gang members are implicated in the stabbing of a young Clearlake Oaks man in Library Park last month.

Local Vagos have been arrested before, but none of them have been charged with being members of criminal street gangs, said Taylor. He added that the Vagos have been “relatively low key” as far as criminal activity locally.

Taylor estimated between 50 and 60 motorcycles were included in the weekend run, which was billed as a benefit for the Fallen Riders Trust. About half of those riders were “average folks” who enjoy taking part in poker runs, he said. Riding alongside them were 24 Vagos members.

At the event police identified Vagos members from Lake County, Redding, Nevada, San Jose and the Sacramento area, said Taylor.

Last September, Lake County's Vagos chapter held its inaugural ride, said Taylor. That event, he said, caught police completely off guard. “We were not aware of it until it was already happening,”he said.

No arrests were made, he said. But after that experience, he said, Lakeport Police wanted to be prepared in case another run took place.

The department has been tracking gang activity, he said, which helped them find out about this latest gathering.

The ride was held on the weekend of the 50^th anniversary of the formation of the Hells Angels. Although the two gangs aren't considered rivals, there is tension between them in Northern California, said Taylor. He said he didn't believe there was a direct correlation between the ride and the anniversary.

Taylor said the county has a gang task force that includes members of several local law enforcement agencies.

As part of the enforcement effort last weekend, Lakeport Police had assistance from California Highway Patrol, Clearlake Police, Lake County Probation, State Parole and Lake County Narcotic Task Force. He declined to say just how many officers were on the street keeping track of the Vagos ride.

Taylor said authorities tightened enforcement – specifically of vehicle codes – in order to keep things in order.

There were no criminal incidents, Taylor reported, and no noted interference in the bass tournament.

There were, however, three arrests made, said Taylor. One of those was a Vagos gang member, arrested by the Lake County Narcotic Task Force.

Taylor said Lakeport Police will continue watching the Vagos activity. “We have a local chapter so I expect we will continue to see similar type activities go on in the future – at what frequency is still to be seen,” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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