LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department on Tuesday introduced its newest police officer trainee.
Nicholas Steward, a Lake County resident and graduate of Lower Lake High School, is the department’s newest member, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said.
Steward is the latest recruit in a special trainee program the department implemented several years ago that focuses on hiring county residents and sponsoring them in the police academy.
The goal is to retain officers and support the department’s community policing goals.
Rasmussen said Steward served in the California National Guard for seven years following high school.
That military service included a year overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said Steward also has worked in the security and forestry industries.
On Tuesday evening, Rasmussen introduced Steward to the Lakeport City Council.
He said Steward will spend three months completing pre-academy training at the Lakeport Police station and then will begin his five-month-long police academy training in January.
Once he's completed the police academy, he’ll have another four months of field training on Lakeprt’s streets, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said it will be next October before Steward’s initial training is complete.
“It shows the massive amount of training we have to put into these positions,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said the department is proud to have Steward join them.
Council members congratulated Steward, who said he was very happy to be there.
Councilman Michael Froio asked Steward what name he preferred to go by — Nicholas or Nick.
“Officer Steward,” said Councilwoman Stacey Mattina.
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.
LUCERNE, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a Lucerne woman who they said set a house fire on Saturday night.
Dallas Darlene Lyons, 36, was taken into custody shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday.
An hour before Lyons’ arrest, firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 6000 block of Second Avenue in Lucerne on the report of a house fire that was also threatening other structures, as Lake County News has reported.
Reports from the scene on Saturday night indicated one residence and a second structure were damaged, with the Red Cross called to house displaced residents.
Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said the deputy conducting the investigation with the assistance of Northshore Fire Protection District’s arson investigator believed that Lyons was under the influence of narcotics, which caused her to recklessly start the fire.
Paulich said Lyons was arrested and transported to Lake County Jail.
Charges on her jail booking sheet included two felonies, causing the fire of an inhabited dwelling and arson during a state of emergency, and a misdemeanor of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Her bail was set at zero for the felonies and $5,000 for the drug charge, and on Monday jail records indicated she had posted bail and been released.
Jail records showed she is scheduled to appear in court on March 1, 2022.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors is set to discuss amending an urgency ordinance regarding water hauling to unpermitted cannabis grows, and get updates on COVID-19 and fire prevention efforts.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 939 8784 0732, pass code 846973. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93987840732#,,,,*846973#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
At 10:40 a.m., the board will consider an urgency ordinance amending the water hauler ordinance prohibiting water hauling to commercial agricultural operations including cannabis cultivation sites.
In his report to his fellow supervisors, Board Chair Bruno Sabatier explained that on Aug. 24 the board approved an urgency ordinance prohibiting water hauling to unpermitted cannabis sites.
“After reviewing the changes that were made on the day it was approved, it became apparent that the changes made to the originally submitted ordinance prohibited the enforcement as it is not apparent as to what is a legal grow and what is an illegal grow for cannabis cultivation for water haulers,” Sabatier wrote.
“Upon further conversations about traditional agriculture, it was decided that since traditional agriculture does not rely on water trucks for crop cultivation that I would bring back an amendment to the ordinance to include all commercial agricultural operations including cannabis cultivation therefore helping to make this ordinance enforceable,” he said.
Sabatier said there are exceptions to this ordinance such as grazing animals, the raising of small animals and poultry, domestic livestock farming, dairying and animal husbandry.
He said it’s meant for commercial crop activity only and provides guidance that the ordinance shall not apply to hauling for the purpose of construction use nor for residential use.
“I am also requesting to reimplement a clarification for part of the cannabis ordinance that allows for water delivery during an emergency. I am again offering that a declared drought, one that is constant and known prior to harvesting this year is not an emergency that would allow for water delivery. Cannabis permits are provided based on land use reviews, providing water from unknown outside sources has not been reviewed and could be detrimental to other areas outside of the scope of the project if allowed to continue,” Sabatier wrote.
In other business on Tuesday, at 9:06 a.m., the board will get an update on the COVID-19 situation in Lake County and at 9:30 a.m. will present a proclamation designating October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in Lake County.
At 9:40 a.m., Northshore Fire will give the board a presentation on its fire fuels crew project and the board will consider the Lake County Community Risk Reduction Authority report at 10:30 a.m.
In untimed items, the board will consider forming a county comprehensive drought planning work group and hear a presentation on the Big Valley Groundwater Basin Sustainable Groundwater Management Act progress and Groundwater Sustainability Plan engagement activities.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of October 2021 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in Lake County.
5.2: Approve Budget transfer for purchase of fixed asset for Behavioral Health.
5.3: Approve the agreement between the county of Lake and the Lake County Office of Education for the Mental Health Student Services Act Program for Fiscal Year 2021-26 in the amount of $2,112,250 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.4: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for meetings on Aug. 24 and Sept. 21, 2021.
5.5: Approve Agreement No. 2 for planning services for Lake County Community Development for a maximum of $25,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: Approve Agreement No. 2 with Aram Bronston for professional services for a maximum of $40,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.8: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.9: Approve the continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.10: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex Fire incident (River and Ranch fires).
5.11: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.12: Approve the continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.13: Approve the continuation of a local emergency in Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.14: Approve the continuation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.
5.15: Approve continuation of a local health emergency by the Lake County Public Health officer for the Cache fire.
5.16: Approve continuation of a local emergency by the Lake County sheriff/OES director for the Cache fire.
5.17: Approve a budget transfer in Budget Unit 1671, Facilities Maintenance, for $177,519 for two trailer-mounted generators.
5.18: Approve long distance travel for Sgt. John Drewrey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the ninth Police Recruitment and Retention Summit from Jan. 23 to 26, 2022, for an amount not to exceed $4,000.
5.19: (a) Approve purchase of civil software and (b) authorize the sheriff to enter into a contract with Teleosoft Inc.
5.20: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Lake Transit Authority for local public transportation services in the amount of $45,600, from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of October 2021 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in Lake County.
6.4, 9:40 a.m.: Presentation by Northshore Fire regarding its fire fuels crew project.
6.5, 10:30 a.m.: Consideration of report from the Lake County Community Risk Reduction Authority.
6.6, 10:40 a.m.: Consideration of urgency ordinance amending water hauler ordinance prohibiting water hauling to commercial agricultural operations including cannabis cultivation sites.
6.7, 11 a.m.: Consideration of Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Program.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of forming a county comprehensive drought planning work group.
7.3: (a) Consideration of agreement for training services “Leading for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in County Government,” and (b) direction to appointed management employees and encouragement to elected department heads to attend this training .
7.4: Consideration to approve staff recommendation to apply for grant funding from the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
7.5: Presentation of Big Valley Groundwater Basin Sustainable Groundwater Management Act progress and Groundwater Sustainability Plan engagement activities.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee evaluation: Community Development director.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will discuss this week the latest developments on the Cache fire recovery, and consider a proposed property purchase and new state rules for virtual meetings.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
At the beginning of the meeting, Police Chief Andrew White will hold a swearing-in for new and promoted employees, and the council will present proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Under council business, City Manager Alan Flora will give an update on the Cache fire, which destroyed 57 homes and 81 outbuildings on Aug. 18.
The city received a state of emergency proclamation from Gov. Gavin Newsom last month for the fire and is now working on housing for displaced families and the recovery process.
Also on Thursday, the council will consider a purchase agreement for 6388 Vallejo Ave. which is to be included as part of the future development of the retail center at the former Pearce Field.
The Vallejo Avenue property is located north of Pearce Field and is surrounded on three sides by other land the city owns, Flora said in his report.
“The current owners of the property inherited the parcel from their parents, live out of the area, and have no interest in developing the site. They contacted staff several weeks back inquiring about options for sale so they did not need to maintain the property into the future. Due to the surrounding property being already owned by the city, the acquisition would provide a more complete development footprint,” Flora wrote.
He said staff negotiated a $15,000 purchase price, with the city also to cover the $5,000 in closing costs.
In other business, staff will ask the council to authorize the implementation and use of teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361.
Gov. Newsom signed the bill on Sept. 17. It allows local agencies to continue to conduct remote meetings during a declared state of emergency, provided local agencies comply with specified requirements. Without the legislation, local agencies would have had to return to traditional meetings beginning on Oct. 1, City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Melissa Swanson explained in her written report.
Starting Oct. 1, and running through the end of 2023, to participate in remote meetings, public agencies must comply with the requirements of new subsection (e) of Government Code section 54953, Swanson said.
To hold meetings remotely, Swanson said at least one of the following must be true: state or local officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social distancing; the legislative body is holding a meeting for the purpose of determining whether as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees; and by majority vote, the legislative body determined that as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; minutes of the August and September meetings; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action on Oct. 12, 2017; and continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; accept the donation of property located at 16502 Fifth Ave; ratification of director of emergency services/city manager order (Directive #CACHE-01) restricting access to specified areas as a result of Cache fire; authorization of a senior account clerk position, Resolution No. 2021-50; and adoption of the second amendment to the FY 2021-22 Budget (Resolution No. 2021-33).
The council will hold a closed session after the public portion of the meeting to discuss negotiations with Cache Creek Partners regarding property at 16080 Dam Road.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With just days left to finish approving bills passed by the Legislature in this session, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill to increase control burning and knowledge of the practice across California while another to address prescribed burning liability is still waiting on his desk.
Gov. Newsom signed AB 642 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) on Sept. 28.
Still waiting to be signed by the Oct. 10 deadline is SB 332 by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), who formerly represented Lake County in the State Assembly.
“You never know when the governor’s going to pick them up and think about signing them,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, area fire adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension and director for the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council.
Quinn-Davidson works to provide capacity and training to get the prescribed burning tool back in the toolbox of property owners.
She said AB 642 — introduced in February — has several components. The provision Quinn-Davidson is excited about is that the bill requires the state fire marshal to develop a proposal to establish a prescribed fire training center.
It would also require Cal Fire’s director to appoint a cultural burning liaison to serve on the State Board of Fire Services and advise Cal Fire on developing increased cultural burning activity.
Quinn-Davidson said that tribal liaison, in working with tribes and cultural practitioners, would make sure sovereignty and customs are protected. Tribes, she noted, have struggled with permitting and other issues related to prescribed burns.
Cal Fire must make recommendations on how to understand and model wildfire risk for a community and specific parcels, and establish an advisory work group to consult with in developing the recommendations; and Cal Fire must work with California State Universities, California tribes, tribal organizations and cultural fire practitioners to enhance its public education efforts regarding restoring fire processes and cultural burning.
The bill also directs Cal Fire to engage in recruitment efforts with tribes and cultural fire practitioners to fill vacancies in positions that engage in fuel reduction.
Quinn-Davidson said Cal Fire has hired prescribed fire crews over the last couple of years, but the positions haven’t been well paid and so they’ve seen a large amount of attrition with crew members transferring to other jobs.
The bill requires Cal Fire to assess those positions, make sure they pay well and focus on recruitment and retention. Quinn-Davidson said that the workforce needs to be developed. “So that’s an exciting piece.”
Then there is SB 332, the bill Quinn-Davidson has worked closely on with Dodd’s office.
Dodd introduced the bill as part of an 11-bill “Blueprint for Fire Safe California” legislative and budget package unveiled by the Senate Wildfire Working Group in May.
The bill received unanimous, bipartisan support. The Assembly passed SB 332 on Sept. 1 and the Senate approved it the following day. It was sent to the governor on Sept. 9.
“The destructive wildfires that are now threatening our state are a painful reminder that we must do all we can to reduce fuels in our parched forests and wild lands. Controlled burning is a valuable tool in addressing this problem,” Dodd said when the Legislature passed the bill.
Dodd’s office, which said the bill has a good chance of getting signed, reported that it is meant to protect the state from loss of life and property by expanding the use of prescribed burning to control combustible fuels.
Because the concern over being billed for wildfire suppression costs has prevented more widespread use of prescribed burning, Dodd intended the legislation to encourage more controlled burns by raising the legal standard for seeking state suppression costs, requiring a showing of gross negligence rather than simple negligence, Quinn-Davidson said.
Quinn-Davidson, who has worked with prescribed fire for more than a decade, said she is very excited that Dodd took up the issue and its barriers, liability being one of them.
If something goes wrong and a landowner needs help or has to have Cal Fire get a burn under control due to an unpredicted wind event, they could get a big bill. That matter of cost recovery “keeps me up at night,” Quinn-Davidson said.
“We’re not burning down houses. That's so rare,” she said, explaining that prescribed burns are incredibly safe. The number of such fires that have escaped and caused damage is well below 1% of all that are done.
Needing to call for support is also rare but more likely to happen, and so she said SB 332 changes the standard for cost recovery and what Cal Fire can bill property owners for in such situations.
If you’re being diligent and not grossly negligent, and if you are following best management practices to benefit the public, SB 332 would not allow Cal Fire to bill you, Quinn-Davidson said.
She said it’s a way for the state to show its support for prescribed burn projects.
“It’s a pretty basic premise but it’s actually a huge deal,” she said, noting SB 332 is a “simple and beautiful” bill that lays out best management practices and contains pieces for cultural practitioners, also offering them protections.
“It’s a pretty big deal because it’s saying that cultural burners have standing in California as well and we care about the work that they're doing and recognize it,” she said.
A complementary piece of legislation to SB 332 is SB 170, the Budget Act of 2021 by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), which included a $20 million prescribed fire claim fund in the state budget. Gov. Newsom signed that bill on Sept. 23.
Returning to the practice of burning
Quinn-Davidson said native peoples have been using control burns for millenia, and have had a very significant impact on fire in California. However, those practices were interrupted by the arrival of white settlers.
“That was the early big picture, we wiped out native peoples who were using fire constantly,” she said, noting that millions of acres were burned annually by tribes.
Ranchers were an early group to pick up some of those practices, mimicking fire to keep the landscape more open. Quinn-Davidson said ranchers became predominant users of the practice into the 1940s and 1950s.
There came a point when state and federal agencies didn’t want people lighting fires. Quinn-Davidson said the feds wanted to preserve timber, while the state had concerns about liability and the belief that it should be conducting the work.
In the 1980s, Cal Fire took over prescribed burning and developed a vegetation management program. “Over time they divested from their own program,” said Quinn-Davidson.
From the 1980s until recent years, only Cal Fire and federal agencies were doing major prescribed burns. With private landowners being taken completely out of the practice, ranchers and landowners lost their skills and native peoples had lost their connection with the practice, she said.
“What we have now is a generational gap in fire knowledge in California,” Quinn-Davidson added.
The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, can cause delays for Cal Fire when it pursues prescribed burns; it can sometimes take five or 10 years of planning and the project still doesn’t get done. Because the state is now funding a lot of prescribed fire work, it triggers CEQA, Quinn-Davidson explained.
However, she said private landowners don’t need to adhere to the law unless they have state funding or are working with a state agency.
She said a lot of people have been sending letters to the governor in support of the legislation. “People are very passionate about this.”
Groups as diverse as the California Cattlemen’s Association, the Karuk Tribe and Defenders of Wildlife have joined forces to support SB 332, which Quinn-Davidson said speaks volumes about its importance.
She said she loves that prescribed fire brings people together.
“The natural role of fire is so important,” she said.
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.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. In accordance with updated guidelines from the state of California and revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards, persons who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to wear a face covering at this meeting.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the City Clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that are read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council before the meeting.
During presentations, the council will meet new Lakeport Police Officer Nicholas Steward and will receive an update on the Westside Community Park Committee’s work on the park.
Under council business, Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Nick Walker will present the city’s fourth quarter financial statement and ask for approval of recommended amendments to the fiscal year 2021-22 budget.
The council also will consider directing staff to conduct public outreach on coronavirus state and local Fiscal Recovery Funds spending options and report back their findings.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; the Sept. 27 warrant register; minutes of the regular council meeting on Sept. 21; approval of a resolution rescinding Resolution 2808 (2021) and revising the master pay schedule in conformance with California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Section 570.5; and adoption of a resolution authorizing remote teleconference meetings of the Lakeport City Council and its legislative bodies pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e).
The council also has scheduled a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with unrepresented management employees.
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.
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Authorities arrested a Lake County man last week after he was found in possession of drugs and stolen property, including a pickup.
Joshua Timothy Colcleaser, 35, of Nice was arrested on Sept. 26, according to a report from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
On that day, authorities said a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy noticed a red Ford Ranger with a camper shell traveling westbound on Highway 20 in Willits. The deputy knew the truck was possibly stolen from Lake County earlier in the day.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy saw the vehicle make a U-turn on Highway 20 and begin traveling eastbound on Highway 20. The deputy also turned around and went to conduct a traffic stop on the truck when it abruptly turned northbound on Pepperwood Way.
The truck came to a quick stop and the driver, later identified as Joshua Colcleaser, exited the driver's seat and ran westbound, the sheriff’s office reported.
The report said the deputy identified himself and told Colcleaser to stop. Colcleaser did not stop and continued running westbound.
Other sheriff's deputies along with personnel from the Willits Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol responded to the area. The sheriff’s office said after a search of the area on foot they were unable to locate Colcleaser in the brush.
The Ford Ranger was confirmed to have been stolen that same day from a location in Lake County. The registered owner, a Lakeport resident, responded to Willits and took custody of his truck, authorities said.
Inside the truck, the deputy located numerous items which did not belong to the victim. The sheriff’s office said the items included a purse with credit and debit cards in the name of a Ukiah woman. The deputy confirmed the purse and contents had been stolen in Ukiah early in the day and that the incident had been reported to the Ukiah Police Department.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy located two plastic bags containing suspected methamphetamine, on the front passenger seat, and two used glass pipes in the vehicle, commonly used to ingest controlled substances.
Also inside the truck was a box of ammunition, a cellular phone, a drone, a brown wallet and a hunting license in another person's name from the Bay Area, authorities said.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and Willows Police Department began getting calls regarding Colcleaser's location on Highway 20.
Willows Police located Colcleaser and detained him. The deputy responded and positively identified Colcleaser as the person who ran from the truck, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said Colcleaser was arrested on charges including possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, violation of probation, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting/delaying law enforcement and two felony out-of-county arrest warrants.
While fleeing on foot Colcleaser had suffered injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment, authorities said.
Colcleaser was subsequently transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked and held on a no bail status.
He remains in custody this week with bail set at $70,000, according to jail records.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of consumer financial protection legislation to expand consumer rights and increase transparency, protecting Californians from scams and unscrupulous practices in automatic renewal subscriptions, debt settlement and collection and other financial services.
“These bills curb predatory and abusive practices used to target vulnerable Californians, and empower consumers to make informed decisions with their hard-earned money,” said Gov. Newsom. “With the nation's strongest state consumer financial protection watchdog and these new measures, California continues to have the backs of working families recovering from the pandemic.”
Gov. Newsom last year signed legislation establishing the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, significantly expanding the state’s capacity to protect consumers by bringing on additional investigators and attorneys to supervise financial institutions and crack down on financial predators.
Modeled on the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the department’s creation was a key idea in the governor’s January 2020-2021 budget proposal.
The governor on Monday signed AB 1405 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), which protects Californians from predatory debt settlement practices, ensuring providers disclose important information about the process to consumers. Under the legislation, customers who enroll in a debt settlement plan will have a three-day window to review the disclosures before the contract takes effect.
SB 531 by Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) allows consumers to request verification that collectors have the authority to collect a debt and prohibits a creditor from selling a consumer debt unless notice has been provided to the debtor at least 30 days before selling the debt.
AB 390 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) strengthens protections under California's Auto Renewal Law by ensuring that consumers can cancel automatic renewal and continuous service subscriptions online. The legislation also requires businesses to notify consumers before the expiration of a free trial or promotional price included as part of a subscription offer.
AB 1221 by Assemblymember Heath Flora (R-Ripon) clarifies that the terms of extended warranties which continue until they are canceled must be made clear to the buyer.
AB 1320 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) requires licensed companies offering money transfer services to prominently provide a live customer service toll-free telephone number, ensuring consumers can readily seek assistance.
A full list of the bills signed by the governor to protect consumers and expand access to financial services is below:
AB 390 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) – Advertising: automatic renewal and continuous service offers: notice and online termination.
AB 1177 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – California Public Banking Option Act.
AB 1221 by Assemblymember Heath Flora (R-Ripon) – Consumer warranties: service contracts: cancellation: disclosures.
AB 1320 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – Money transmission: customer service.
AB 1405 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) – Debt settlement practices. SB 531 by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) – Consumer debt.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — A Lakeport man arrested numerous times over the past month was booked into the Lake County Jail on Friday after being found with an expensive mountain bike that’s believed to have been stolen as well as methamphetamine.
Matthew Alan Wratislaw, 36, was taken into custody on Friday, according to the Lakeport Police Department.
On Sept. 19 shortly after 4:30 p.m., Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to the area of North Forbes Street at Fourth Street for a report of a male working on a vehicle that did not belong to him. Officers arrived on scene and contacted Wratislaw, who was actively working on the reported vehicle.
The police department said the officers determined through their investigation that Wratislaw was not the owner of the vehicle and did not have any legal connection to the vehicle to be working on it. Wratislaw further admitted to trying to “get” the vehicle.
The officers placed Wratislaw under arrest for tampering with a vehicle and possession of burglary tools. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic bail-related restrictions, officers were unable to have Wratislaw booked into the Lake County Jail and issued Wratislaw a criminal citation and released him.
Just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Lakeport Police officers were patrolling the area of 11th Street at High Street when they observed Wratislaw riding a bicycle without any lights or reflectors in violation of the California Vehicle Code.
Lakeport Police officers attempted to stop Wratislaw using the emergency lights on their patrol vehicle but Wratislaw continued north on High Street and then east through an unpaved alleyway, Rose Avenue.
Officers attempted to pursue Wratislaw on foot while verbally commanding him to stop. They ultimately lost sight of Wratislaw as he continued north on North Main St.
The officers then conducted a search of the area and located Wratislaw sitting behind a residence on Lakeshore Boulevard at Ashe Street and placed him under arrest.
During a search of Wratislaw’s person and belongings following his arrest, officers located 0.9 grams of suspected methamphetamine as well as methamphetamine paraphernalia. Officers also located suspected burglary tools including lock picks.
Wratislaw was transported to the police department where he was issued a criminal citation and released as he was again not bookable due to the current COVID-19-related bail schedule.
On Friday, another Lakeport Police officer observed Wratislaw in a fenced area of a closed business on North Forbes Street at 11th Street.
The officer noted that Wratislaw had walked away from a large black dirt bike gear bag. Police said the officer moved closer to the bag and realized that it matched the description of stolen property that had been reported to the police department earlier in the day.
The bag and the items it contained, which mostly consisted of dirt bike-related gear, were valued to be worth approximately $2,000.
The officer detained Wratislaw and additional Lakeport Police officers responded to the scene. Officers contacted the victim of the theft and were able to confirm that the items were those that had been reported stolen.
A further search of the bag containing the reported stolen items yielded additional suspected methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia. Wratislaw was then placed under arrest.
Police said those crimes were not bookable due to current California laws. However, due to Wratislaw’s history of recent arrests and suspected criminal activity, officers believed that Wratislaw would continue to victimize Lakeport residents if not booked into jail, police said.
The officers contacted a Lake County Superior Court judge to apply for a bail increase. The bail increase was granted and officers transported Wratislaw to the Lake County Jail.
Authorities said he was booked without further incident on charges of felony possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia with bail set at $15,000.
During Wratislaw’s latest arrest, a Specialized mountain bike, with an approximate value of over $2,000 was also found to be in his possession. The bike is currently believed to possibly be stolen.
If you recognize the bicycle in the photos published here, contact the police department at 707-263-5491.
Additionally, in recent days several other thefts have been reported to the police department in which Wratislaw is a suspect.
If you have been the victim of theft or other criminal activity in the city of Lakeport, and you have not yet made a police report, please contact the police department.
On Tuesday Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation uplifting dual language learners and improving access to child care.
The governor also highlighted the California Comeback Plan’s unprecedented investments to achieve universal transitional kindergarten by 2025 and create college savings accounts for 3.7 million kids.
“In California, we are committed to transforming our public schools to promote equity, inclusivity and opportunity for every student,” said Gov. Newsom. “Building upon this year’s historic budget investments in universal Pre-K and college savings accounts, these bills will improve access to a good education for children across California so that every child can thrive, regardless of their race, language spoken at home or ZIP code.”
AB 1363 by Assembly member Luz Rivas (D-Arleta) requires the superintendent of public instruction to develop procedures for state preschool contractors to identify and report data on dual language learners.
SB 393 by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) aligns the Migrant Child Care Alternative Payment program with other voucher programs, improving child care access for migrant agricultural workers.
AB 1294 by Assembly member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) extends the county child care pilot program for the County of Santa Clara to continue by one year, through July 1, 2023.
Rivas said more than 60% of California’s students come from a home where English is not the primary language, and the state is taking decisive action to strengthen bilingual students’ early learning opportunities.
“With the governor's signing of AB 1363, California leads the nation in education policy once more by becoming the first state to create a standardized process that identifies and supports K-12 dual language learners at an early age,” Rivas said.
The California Comeback Plan includes investments to transform public schools into gateways of opportunity.
As part of the governor’s $123.9 billion Pre-K and K-12 education package, California will provide free, high-quality, inclusive prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds, beginning in 2022-23 with full implementation anticipated by 2025-26.
The plan reduces class sizes, cutting adult-to-child ratios in half with at least an average of one adult for every 12 children, down from one for every 24 children.
The plan also invests $1.9 billion to seed college savings accounts of up to $1,500 for 3.7 million current low-income students, English learners and foster and homeless youth. Moving forward, those groups of students will have savings accounts seeded for them in first grade.
“We know from research and from experience that the early years are critical to support a child’s learning and development. Universal Pre-K is California’s opportunity to ensure every child, regardless of background, race, ZIP code, immigration status or income level, gets the fair start they need and deserve on their path to success,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “I’m proud to have sponsored Universal TK legislation and to partner with the governor and the Legislature on implementing this major step forward.”
“Every child deserves access to high quality early learning opportunities that will prepare them to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Universal transitional kindergarten (UTK) makes that a reality,” said Assembly member Kevin McCarty. “High quality early education sets children up for success in school, lifts up working families, narrows opportunity gaps, and breaks cycles of intergenerational poverty. UTK is a huge win for California’s children and families. Thank you Gov. Newsom for your unwavering commitment to our youngest learners.”
"I am thrilled that California is making history by investing in our children, their education, and their futures. Wealth inequality and the high cost of education have slammed the door shut on lower- and middle-income advancement across our state,” said Assembly member Adrin Nazarian. “A child savings account dispenses more than just a financial asset, but hope and optimism. This funding is a true investment in California's next generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, educators and community leaders.”
“Gov. Newsom’s historic policies advancing early learning for our youngest Californians are a game changer,” said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California. “They bring California closer than ever to providing equity for all in education. From expanding Universal Pre-K to allocating resources for multilingual learners, Gov. Newsom and the Legislature have led the charge to help all of California’s students to succeed in life."
The California Comeback Plan also provides $10 million to expand dual language immersion programs and $300 million to increase the number of state preschool or TK programs and provide additional pre-K teacher training. It invests $490 million to support the building and renovating of state preschool, TK and kindergarten facilities.
The plan will phase in 200,000 new child care slots by 2025-26, dramatically expanding access for families.
A full list of the bills signed by the governor is below:
AB 1294 by Assembly member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) — Childcare: individualized county child care subsidy plans.
AB 1363 by Assembly member Luz Rivas (D-Arleta) — Preschool: dual language learners.
SB 393 by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) — Migrant Childcare and Development Programs.
To help fund the California Highway Patrol’s yearlong effort to promote safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, the Department has been awarded the California Pedestrian and Bicyclist Enforcement and Education Project IX grant.
Beginning Oct. 1, this grant enables officers to conduct enhanced enforcement patrols and public awareness campaigns throughout the state.
“It is important for motorists to scan each intersection for foot and bicycle traffic before entering, and it is especially important during hours of darkness,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Pedestrian and bicycle fatalities account for nearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths annually in California with the vast majority occurring at night.”
In 2019 and 2020 combined, 7,594 people were killed in crashes throughout California, with pedestrians and bicyclists accounting for 2,354 of those deaths.
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, and on National Walk to School Day, Oct. 6, the CHP will focus its education and enforcement efforts in locations with high numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes.
Officers in plain clothes will work with uniformed officers to monitor crosswalks and areas surrounding schools for motorists who fail to yield the right-of-way or who drive unsafe and illegally.
The educational component of the grant funds traffic safety skills and training courses and informative presentations related to safe traffic behavior for high-risk populations, including older community members and youth.
The grant also supports the distribution of safety equipment such as bicycle helmets and reflective gear.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
One is an unprecedented update of the Thrifty Food Plan – an estimate of the minimum cost of groceries to meet a family’s needs. That revision is behind the largest-ever permanent increase in benefits and puts a healthier diet within reach for the 42 million Americans enrolled in SNAP, which replaced food stamps.
The other change, the expiration of a temporary 15% increase in SNAP benefits to offset some of the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic, will have the opposite effect.
Initially, most households enrolled in the program will see their benefits rise from US$12 to $16 per person per month, the USDA says.
In doing the research for an upcoming book on the history of the food stamps program, I have found that the government has often temporarily expanded nutritional assistance during tough economic times. Long-term increases in benefits, however, are unusual. And the origins of this change are quite surprising.
How high will SNAP benefits be?
The maximum SNAP benefit for a family of four with little or no income will rise to $835 per month. That’s 21% above pre-pandemic levels after inflation is taken into account.
Without the emergency help, a single person might get a benefit as low as $20 a month. With it, they get $250.
This policy has given many families who would otherwise qualify for lower SNAP benefits hundreds of extra dollars a month to buy food.
The Trump administration did not offer emergency help to the lowest-income SNAP participants already getting the maximum benefit, but the Biden administration reversed this policy starting April 1, 2021.
Once the federal government declares an end to the public health crisis, these extra benefits will end. States can opt out sooner, and some began to do that in the spring of 2021.
What’s the Thrifty Food Plan?
The Thrifty Food Plan is a blueprint for a budget-conscious and nutritionally adequate diet for a family of four with two kids under 12.
The USDA relies on this standard when it sets monthly SNAP benefit amounts.
The new plan allows people getting benefits to spend more on prepared foods, vegetables and grains, as well as dairy products and other sources of protein.
Why didn’t benefits rise more in the past?
Until 2021, the USDA had updated the Thrifty Food Plan in 1983, 1999 and 2006 only to accommodate changing nutritional guidance and food preferences.
But the USDA had never revised the Thrifty Food Plan in such a way that it would cost more, aside from inflation-related adjustments, to buy the recommended food. Therefore the government never increased the purchasing power of nutrition benefits.
The USDA acknowledged in 2006 that the Thrifty Food Plan fell short of what was needed for a nutritious diet. But it didn’t revise the Thrifty Food Plan to fix that problem because the agency concluded it wasn’t possible to do so without spending more on SNAP.
The 2018 farm bill required the USDA to update the Thrifty Food Plan by studying “current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns and dietary guidance.”
It called for a review to take place by 2022 and every five years thereafter. The USDA completed the review in August 2021.
Even in a strong economy, more than 1 in 5 SNAP recipients would use up their benefits by the middle of the month, and 1 in 3 depleted them by the end of the third week.
And 61% of SNAP recipients said the cost of healthy food prevented them from eating better, according to USDA research released in June 2021.
Researchers estimate that the maximum benefit will now cover the cost of modest meals in 79% of counties, compared with only 4% of counties under the old formula.
This update to national nutrition standards could pull 2.4 million SNAP recipients out of poverty, including more than 1 million children, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank, has estimated.
How did this happen?
In making this change, the Biden administration continued with a process the Republican-controlled Congress set in motion three years earlier.
Former Rep. K. Michael Conaway, a Republican who played a pivotal role when Congress passed the bill, has said the law was drafted under the assumption that the USDA would refrain from changes to the Thrifty Food Plan that would increase benefits.
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The USDA has insisted that data drove these changes and that complying with the farm bill’s requirements made them essential.
Without further action by Congress, future administrations will revisit the Thrifty Food Plan every five years and may again use it to adjust the amount of SNAP benefits.