LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two Live Oak residents involved in a family law case in Lake County Superior Court have been arrested for perjury by the Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Shannon M. Mick, 33, and Michael Paul Alexander, 46, were arrested late last month, according to a report from District Attorney Don Anderson.

Anderson said that on Sept. 23 his office's Perjury Investigation Unit concluded a 10-month investigation of Mick and Alexander for lying to the Lake County Superior Court in both written documents and oral testimony.

In a family law case over the custody of a 3-year-old child, the child’s father filed for custody of the child after hearing allegations that the child was subjected to physical fighting and alcohol abuse between the mother, Mick, and her boyfriend, Alexander, Anderson reported.

In June of 2015, Mick and Alexander filed declarations under the penalty of perjury that the allegations were false. Anderson said both stated there never has been physical or alcohol abuse in their household.

In a hearing in the Lake County Superior Court on July 16, 2015, for temporary restraining orders Mick testified before Judge Michael Lunas that the father's  allegations were not true, Anderson said.

At the trial on Nov. 4, 2015, again before Judge Lunas, Mick testified there has not been any physical abuse between her and Alexander and they do not consume alcohol. Anderson said Alexander also testified that there has been no abuse or alcohol consumption.

However, also testifying at the trial was a Sutter County deputy sheriff who testified that he responded to the Mick-Alexander residence on Jan. 21, 2015, and again on June 20, 2015. On both occasions Mick was intoxicated and had been in a physical fight with Michael Alexander, Anderson said.

Additionally, Anderson said that during the trial Mick testified she had never seen the June 3, 2015, declaration and that she had not signed the document, contending her-then attorney wrote the document and forged her name. However, forgetting about her prior testimony, she later admitted to drafting and signing the document.

On Sept. 23, Mick and Alexander were both arrested without incident at their Live Oak residence by an investigator from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office and Sutter County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson said.

Anderson said Mick is charged with three counts of perjury and faces a maximum term of six years in prison. Alexander is charged with two counts of perjury and faces a maximum term of five years in prison.

They are expected to enter their pleas in the Lake County Superior Court on Nov. 16, Anderson said.

In a related case, on Aug. 17, Merissa L. James was arrested for perjury in the Lake County Superior Court, as Lake County News has reported.

On Tuesday, James entered a plea of guilty to one count of perjury, Anderson said.

Anderson said she will be sentenced on Jan. 24, 2017, and faces a maximum term of four years in prison.

The Lake County District Attorney’s Office has received national attention for its Perjury Investigation Unit, formed earlier this year and headed by Deputy District Attorney Daniel Flesch.

The unit’s purpose is to curtail and deter the rampant commission of perjury and preserve the integrity of the justice system, Anderson said.

Anderson said the unit – believed to be the only such unit in the country – has been featured in articles by the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, American Bar Association and newspapers from the East Coast to Hawaii.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In addition to many state propositions, Lake County's voters will decide on several local ballot measures set to appear on the November ballot.

Nine local ballot measures are on this fall's ballot, according to Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley.

The measures are targeted to specific communities and uses, so all nine won't go before all county voters.

The fall measures include:

– Measure A: A $4 million bond measure for the Lucerne Elementary School District.
– Measure B: Raises the appropriations limit for the South Lake County Fire Protection District.
– Measure C: A cannabis cultivation tax in the county's unincorporated areas that exempts personal use but charges $1 per square foot on outdoor cultivation sites, $2 per square foot on a mixed-light cultivation sites and $3 per square foot on indoor cultivation sites, which will raise an estimated $8 million annually.
– Measure Q: A $33.5 million bond measure from the Yuba and Woodland community colleges aimed at continuing improvements to campuses.
– Measure V: A one-cent sales tax in the city of Clearlake that would be used for road maintenance and improvement. It's estimated to raise $1.6 million annually. It must pass by a two-third or supermajority of voters.
– Measure W: It would make Clearlake's city clerk position appointed, not elected.
– Measure X: Proposal to make Clearlake's city treasurer position appointed, not elected.
– Measure Y: A $29.6 million bond measure by the Konocti Unified School District for additional upgrades, modernization and new facilities at district campuses.
– Measure Z: A one-cent sales tax to improve Lakeport's roads, maintain and enhance public safety services, improve youth and recreational programs. Estimated to generate $1.5 million annually. A simple majority vote is required.

In a series of articles Lake County News will explain the measures, the intention behind them and opposition to their passage.

This article will focus on Measure A, Lucerne Elementary's bond, and South Lake County Fire Protection District's Measure B.

Measure A: Improving Lucerne Elementary's outdated school facilities

Lucerne Elementary School District is asking voters in its area to give the go-ahead on a $4 million bond, Measure A, that district officials said will fund much-needed improvements to facilities and technology, and modernize or – in some cases – build new classrooms.

The school, which is kindergarten through eighth grade, was first established in 1923. Today, it sits on a 6.5-acre campus at 3351 Country Club Drive, where the school was built in 1974. Last year's enrollment was estimated at between 250 and 260 students.

With the school in serious need of upgrades, including replacing nearly a dozen portable classrooms, this spring the district board approved beginning a telephone poll of voters, according to district officials.

At the June 8 board meeting, Superintendent/Principal Mike Brown presented the polling results, which were “very positive,” according to Lisa Cockerton, the district's business manager.

Under the provisions of Proposition 39, Measure A would need to pass by a 55-percent vote. Cockerton said polling results came in at about 70 percent.

The following week, on June 15, the Lucerne Elementary School Board held a special meeting during which it discussed and approved placing the bond measure before voters this fall.

“We're asking for the voters to approve a $4 million bond,” Cockerton explained.

The measure's language estimates that the tax rate to be levied to fund the bonds would be $30 per $100,000 of assessed valuation annually beginning in fiscal year 2017-18 and continuing through 2029-30.

Considering the district's tax base, Cockerton said the district only intends to seek a sale of $2 million in bonds initially if the measure is passed. The other $2 million would be pursued at some point in the future, as property values continue to improve.

Cockerton said the district hopes to be able to get some state matching funds, and it might qualify for hardship assistance due to the age of its facilities.

That hardship assistance, plus a state facility bond on the November ballot, ultimately could add another $2 million to the $4 million Measure A promises to bring in, she said.

Explaining the district's needs, Cockerton said that the majority of Lucerne Elementary's classrooms are portables that were installed from 1989 to 1991. They're well beyond their normal life expectancy of about 20 years.

“We've maintained them very well. You can't tell they're falling apart,” she said. However, “They're not going to last that much longer.”

If voters approve Measure A, Cockerton said the district would use a global priority list to help establish what projects to first pursue first.

Cockerton said a project at the top of the list is building a main wing with primary classrooms to replace five or six of the one dozen portables, starting with the oldest first.

As for technology, Cockerton said the district already has been spending a lot of funding on technology, with a brand new computer lab, and iPad and laptop carts, achieving a student-to-computer ratio of two to one.

Now, with good hardware at the ready, they would like to improve the IT infrastructure so the campus is fully wired, she said.

She said they're also looking at restructuring the entrance into the parking lot to make it broader, which would improve the flow of traffic. The parking lot also needs to be repaved.

Additionally, the school's aging playground equipment will be upgraded, Cockerton said.

How the bond's proceeds are used will be determined by a citizens' oversight committee, according to the measure's language.

However, the bond language also ensures that the bond funding goes only to projects – not to salaries, administration or overhead.

No arguments against the measure have been submitted to the Registrar of Voters Office.

Measure B: Raising South Lake Fire's spending limit doesn't raise taxes

This fall, the South Lake County Fire Protection District isn't asking voters to pay more.

Rather, Measure B will raise the district's appropriations limit on the amount of property tax funds it can spend, according to District Board President Jim Comisky.

“There's no change, there's no extra tax whatsoever,” he said.

Essentially, the district is asking voters for an override of spending limits set by Proposition 4, a state constitutional provision which voters approved in 1979 and which was updated by voters in 1988 and 1990.

Proposition 4 limits the level of appropriations from tax sources that many local and state entities can make in a given year, which generally is set at the limit for the prior year with adjustments for cost of living and population, according to state documents.

Those appropriations limits – or ceilings on what can be spent – must regularly be updated through measures such as Measure B according to Comisky.

Measure B would allow tax monies collected over and above Proposition 13 to be used to maintain the fire district's current level of service.

“It's allowing us to spend what we're able to bring in,” Comisky said.

Otherwise, if the limit isn't raised, anything that exceeded it would roll into the county's general fund. Voters wouldn't get it back, Comisky said.

If the measure were to fail, the district's annual budget would be reduced by one-third, which officials said would drastically reduce the district's staffing and services.

The last time the South Lake County Fire Protection District put a similar measure on the ballot was in November 2012, when Measure F – which did the same thing as Measure B proposes to do – was approved by a 64 to 35 percent margin, according to Registrar of Voters Office records.

No arguments against the measure have been submitted to the Registrar of Voters Office.

Editor’s note: A previous version of the story had the Lucerne Elementary enrollment lower based on an education reporting site. Cockerton gave the updated number.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol is continuing its efforts to ensure drivers, passengers and children are properly restrained while traveling California’s roadways.

The CHP has partnered with the California Office of Traffic Safety on a new traffic safety campaign entitled, “California Occupant Restraint Education,” or CORE.

The CORE campaign will continue for one year and focus on reducing the number of unrestrained and improperly restrained drivers, passengers, and children killed in traffic collisions throughout California.

To accomplish this goal, the CHP will host educational training, provide public information, and conduct child safety seat inspections.

These efforts will highlight the importance of seat belt and child passenger restraint usage and provide education related to the proper installation of child passenger safety seats.

Effective Jan. 1, 2017, California law will require all children under two years of age to ride in a rearfacing child safety seat.

Additionally, California law will continue to require a child be properly restrained in an appropriate child safety seat in the rear seat of a vehicle until they are at least 8 years of age.

Children age 8 and older, who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall, should continue to ride in the rear seat of a vehicle in a properly fitted seat belt.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child passenger safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 72 percent for infants and by 63 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

“The CHP is committed to educating drivers and passengers about the benefits of seat belts and child passenger safety seats,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Buckling up and securing children in an appropriate child passenger safety seat goes a long way toward keeping you and your loved ones safe in the event of a traffic collision.”

In addition to educational efforts, the CHP will continue to conduct enforcement operations focused on occupant restraint violations throughout the year with a special emphasis during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign and national Child Passenger Safety Week.

For more information regarding seat belts, seat belt regulations, child passenger safety or child safety seats, please contact your local CHP Area office. The Clear Lake Area office in Kelseyville can be reached at 279-0103.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Saturday, Oct. 22, is a nationwide day of volunteering, known as “Make A Difference Day.”

For the 17th year in a row here in Lake County, there will be a collection of nonperishable food for local communities. The total amount of food collected in the first 16 years is 59,928 pounds.

Several years ago, Lake Transit Authority joined the effort and it was turned into the “Stuff-A-Bus” event.

Lake Transit will once again park two buses that will be stuffed with the food collected. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 22, North Coast Opportunities, Community Action and the Lake County Hunger Task Force will be staffing the two collection sites along with volunteers from the Kelseyville High School Interact club and AmeriCorps.

One bus will be parked at the Clearlake Grocery Outlet store in Clearlake and the other at Bruno's Shop Smart in Lakeport.

All of the food collected will stay in Lake County. Local pantries and senior centers are greatly in need of donations to fill their shelves. These pantries operate year-round, and are invaluable to their local communities.

This food collection will be split evenly between the Live Oak Senior Center, Lakeport Senior Center, Highlands Senior Center, Northshore Community Center, Catholic Charities Rural Food Project in Kelseyville, Helping Hand, Clear Lake Gleaners, The Bridge, CCHAP, Snake Lady Yvonne Cox, Lake Family Resource Center, One Step Away, Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, Healthy Start, United Christian Parish, United Methodist Church, Clearlake and Middletown, Fresh Winds and North Coast Opportunities.

There are barrels out now at several locations to collect food before the actual event. The barrels are located at the Lakeport Library, Peoples Services thrift stores and offices, Lake County Office of Education, Konocti Christian Academy, Meadowbrook Headstart, Woodland Community College, Clearlake campus Culinary club, Riviera Foods, Clearlake Grocery Outlet, Cobb Mountain Elementary School, Live Well Clinic and St. Helena Clinic in Clearlake, and Social Services.

If you would like to make a donation and are unable to bring it on Saturday, please take it to one of the above locations. Please, no expired or past dated food.

The effort is once again counting on the generosity of local people to make a difference.

Additional volunteers will be welcome at either site. They must be registered beforehand, so please call Tammy Alakszay at 707-994-4647, Extension 123; Lorrie Gray at 707-277-9227; or sign up at www.ncoinc.org .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has more dogs and a cat awaiting homes this week.

This week's featured dogs include mixes of Chihuahua, Miniature Pinscher and terrier, plus a kitten and an adult cat.

To meet the animals, contact Marcia Taylor, the animal control outreach technician, at 707-994-8201, Extension 103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or contact Animal Control Officer Jenna Tuller at Extension 115 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. those same days or leave a message on Fridays or weekends.

Also follow Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook for the latest updates.

Below are this week's available pets.

'Ouzo'

“Ouzo” is a medium-sized adult female Labrador Retriever and border collie mix.

She has a short black and white coat.

Shelter staff said she is a lovable girl that likes to talk with you. She loves to go for walks or even jogging, and wants to be your best buddy and hang out.

Ouzo would do best in a home where she is the only dog, with no other pets.

'Savannah'

“Savannah” is a young gray and white short hair mix cat who is offered for a reduced adoption fee.

Shelter staff said she has been a wonderful mother and now is looking for her place in the world. She loves attention but can be independent as well.

She also loves to play, is very confident around dogs and will not run away, and is housebroken. She can be spayed prior to placement for an additional fee.

'Yogi'

“Yogi” is a male Anatolian Shepherd and mastiff mix with a short brindle coat.

“Yogi is a wonderful boy that is playful and full of love,” according to shelter staff.

He is good with other dogs and cats, and shelter staff said he will make a excellent best friend.

The staff all likes him and wants him to find a good loving home.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.