"Overlooking Detert Lake," a view at Langtry Estate and Vineyards, is an original oil painting by artist Gail Salituri that will be offered in an upcoming silent auction to benefi the Barbara LaForge Memorial Fund.

LAKEPORT – The latest in a series of fundraisers to benefit the Lake Family Resource Center's domestic violence shelter effort is getting under way this week.

Local artist Gail Salituri is holding silent auctions and raffles for the Barbara LaForge Memorial Fund, which benefits the domestic violence shelter, to be built near Kelseyville.

LaForge, an artist in her own right, was a friend of Salituri's who was murdered in October of 2002.

The latest round of offerings for the fund will be awarded after the silent auction closes and the raffle is held in October, Salituri said.

For those who missed out on the first auction and a chance to purchase Salituri's original oil, “Lake County in Bloom,” she has painted another original oil especially for the benefit, titled “Overlooking Detert Lake, ” which will be featured in the silent auction.

The painting, which features a scene from Langtry Estate and Vineyards, measures 18 by 24 inches. It's valued at $1,850; the opening bid is $300.

Items to be raffled include local artist John Clark's watercolor of a San Francisco cable car. The signed and numbered lithograph is custom framed, with a retail value of $350. Thomas Kinkade's “Pride of America” also will be available in the raffle. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20.

Some of the raffle items are on display at Salituri's Inspirations Gallery, including another print of Clarke's Golden Gate Bridge – signed, numbered and custom framed, and valued at $350. A custom framed beveled mirror, valued at $600, and a 16 inch by 20 inch Lyle Madeson photo titled "Sail Boat on the Lake” are on display.

Last month's winners were Dawn and Charles Tanti of Lakeport, Karen D'Bernardi of Kelseyville, and Kathlene Colllins of Danville.

She said she has raised just under $2,000 and hopes to have reached $5,000 by the end of the year.

“I won't put down my paint brushes until we reach our goal,” Salituri said.

Tickets for the raffles will be available at Inspirations Gallery, 165 N. Main St., Lakeport; Lake Family Resource Center, 896 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport; and the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce, 875 Lakeport Blvd.

For more information call Salituri at Inspirations Gallery, 263-4366, or visit her Web page, www.gailsalituri.com/Memorial.html.

John Clarke's "Cable Car" will be offered in the raffle.

"America's Pride" by Thomas Kinkade also will be offered in the raffle.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

The California Highway Patrol arrested Raju Thakorbhai Patel, 36, said CHP Officer Adam Garcia.

Patel was driving a 2007 Honda Civic eastbound on Highway 20 east of Verna Way close to Paradise Cove when the crash happened at about 3:05 a.m., according to Garcia.

Garcia said Haraoki Saito, 40, of Sacramento was driving westbound in a 2009 Volvo tractor trailer pulling a two-axle trailer when Patel reportedly sideswiped the semi.

Patel suffered minor injuries in the collision, said Garcia, while Saito was not reported to be injured.

Along with CHP, Lake County Sheriff's deputies, Caltrans, Cal Fire and Northshore Fire Protection District responded to the scene early Wednesday due to a diesel spill on the roadway.

Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown, who was incident commander for the spill, said the collision caused a puncture in the semi's fuel tank, which released between 20 and 25 gallon of diesel.

He said the fuel covered about 200 feet of roadway across both lanes, which made it necessary to shut down the highway while the spill was cleaned up.

Brown said six Northshore Fire personnel with one engine, four Cal Fire firefighters and a Cal Fire engine, and Caltrans took care of the spilled fuel.

The firefighters grabbed their shovels and quickly went to work to contain the fuel. “It did not get into any of the creeks or off the road,” said Brown, which prevented him from having to call in Environmental Health.

Brown said the highway was reopened around 5:30 a.m.

CHP Officer Steven Tanguay arrested Patel at about 7:40 a.m., according to jail records.

Patel was booked on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, with bail set at $5,000, his booking sheet noted. He was released later Wednesday morning.

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

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

The incident that has garnered the Santa Rosa Democrat heavy criticism occurred during a joint hearing of the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications and Assembly Natural Resources committees on Aug. 6.

Rev. Robert Jones, government affairs director for the Sacramento-based California Association of Black Pastors and pastor of Oak Park United Methodist Church, was giving testimony during a hearing to discuss global warming.

He asked the committee to consider input from members of ethnic and lower-income communities when addressing global warming and emissions standards. When new fees are implemented to address such issues, Jones said those communities suffer the most.

“Excuse me, but it think your arguments are bull****,” Wiggins said.

Committee Chair Sen. Christine Kehoe immediately interjected and began talking with Jones, keeping the hearing moving.

A clip of the hearing and Wiggins' comment were posted on YouTube, and has generated nearly 36,000 hits.

Since then, Wiggins has sustained harsh criticism for her words.

She's also attempted to apologize to Jones. In an Aug. 12 letter to Jones she wrote, “I did not intend to be aggressive, disrespectful or vulgar. Unfortunately, my directness and poor choice of words may have left the wrong impression and were, in hindsight, inappropriate for a legislative hearing. Nor did I mean to be insensitive to the important role of the California Association of Black Pastors.”

In the letter Wiggins asked Jones for a second chance and an opportunity to personally meet with him to apologize for the incident.

David Miller, Wiggins' spokesman, said she immediately regretted her words and has attempted ever since the committee hearing to meet with Jones, to no avail.

Initially, Wiggins thought she had heard Jones say that he believed he was asking for minority-owned businesses to be exempt from the regulations, which Miller said she realized later wasn't what he said.

Wiggins at one point did have a meeting scheduled with Jones and some of his colleagues, but they didn't show up to the meeting or call to say they weren't coming, and have offered no response since, said Miller.

A call Lake County News placed to Jones' church was not returned.

Critics of the senator have seized on the opportunity to go after her. The California Republican Party reportedly sent out a news release with a link to the YouTube video.

Likewise, the Capitol Resource Institute launched a phone call and email campaign demanding Wiggins publicly apologize to Jones, saying she displayed “shocking contempt for the people she was elected to serve.”

“This type of behavior from an elected official is simply unacceptable,” Karen England, executive director for Capitol Resource Institute, said in a written statement.

Miller said he wouldn't offer an excuse for Wiggins' remark, which she herself feels is inexcusable.

It's an unfortunate situation, said Miller, considering Wiggins' strong belief in the kind of environmental justice Jones was seeking, that drafting environmental regulations should be an inclusive process.

Wiggins was elected to the state Senate in 2006. She previously represented the North Coast in the state Assembly.

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

{mos_sb_discuss:3}

The 21-17 vote on the Senate floor late Wednesday morning puts the bill, AB 2747 by Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, just one step away from the governor’s desk.

If signed into law, the bill would require health care providers to tell their dying patients all of the decisions they’re likely to face in their final days.

All too often, physicians and other health care providers avoid frank conversations with their dying patients, according to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In fact, the cancer doctors who conducted the survey found that hardly one in three patients receives an honest assessment of what to expect when facing a terminal illness.

“Better information is better for everyone,” said Berg. “Patients have a right to know what happens next.”

The measure, supported by physicians and considered a step forward in patients’ rights, has drawn opposition that seems disproportionate to its requirements. The reason is simple: in the past three years, Berg and others have pushed for an Oregon-style death-with-dignity law in California.

“People who didn’t like that idea told us California patients already have plenty of options when they are dying,” she said. “But options are only good if you know you have them. This bill makes sure you that you do know.”

AB 2747 adds no new options for the terminally ill.

“It’s about information,” she said. “Nothing more and nothing less.”

The bill now returns for a vote of the full Assembly, which has previously approved the measure. It then goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The measure is supported by the California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, the Older Women’s League, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Congress of California Seniors and many other professional and civic groups.

The bill also has faced serious opposition from groups who say it is an attempt to legalize euthanasia.

{mos_sb_discuss:3}

Joshua Terry, 30, was injured in the collision, which occurred at 6 p.m. on Highway 29 north of the Dry Creek Cutoff, reported California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.

Garcia said Terry was riding his 1991 Suzuki Sport motorcycle northbound on Highway 29. Traffic ahead of him came to a stop and he struck the rear of a 2003 Volkswagen Golf driven by 69-year-old Ivonne Robertson of Clearlake Oaks.

The collision caused Terry to be ejected from the motorcycle, which resulted in major, non-life-threatening injuries, Garcia said.

REACH helicopter transported Terry to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Garcia said neither Robertson nor her passenger, Laver Robertson, was reported as being injured.

The collision is a reminder of the need to maintain a high visual horizon. Garcia said this means

keep your eyes up and looking down the road.

Many drivers focus on the road only five or eight seconds ahead, Garcia noted. Instead, drivers should look about 15 to 20 seconds ahead of the vehicle, farther if possible.

Garcia said this gives a driver time to recognize and avoid most potential hazards before they become a

problem.

He said you'll see lane restrictions or construction areas, traffic congestion, truck entrances, mishaps and other hazards.

Keeping your eyes focused far down the road – instead of just past the end of the hood – creates more

reaction time for hazards, according to Garcia.

Officer Efrain Cortez is investigating the incident, Garcia said.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Juan Morales-Vasquez, 20, of Clearlake sustained major injuries that were not life-threatening in the single-vehicle collision, said California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.

Morales-Vasquez was driving a 1989 Nissan Pathfinder southbound on Butts Canyon Road near Oat Hill Road at about 4:18 p.m. Saturday when he went straight through a left curve in the road, losing control and rolling the vehicle, Garcia said.

Garcia said Morales-Vasquez was ejected from the Pathfinder, and later transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was released to the hospital's care.

Vasquez-Morales is suspected of driving under the influence, said Garcia, with CHP planning to arrest him once he's released from the hospital.

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

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Clearlake Cinder Chip Co., the owner of a volcanic cinder mine near Clearlake Oaks, and the mine's operator, BCJ Sand and Rock of Santa Rosa, agreed to settle the dispute with the Air Quality Management District, which new Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart has been ongoing for more than six months.

The air district's hearing board – chaired by Cameron Reeves, retired county counsel, and including members Nancy Perrin, Lowell Grant and Roger Bakke – voted to accept the stipulated order ending the matter at a Wednesday morning meeting, Gearhart said.

Gearhart said the settlement includes a $100,000 settlement and an agreement to retrofit the operation's diesel engines.

The issue, explained Gearhart, was the failure by the owner and operator to comply with the State Air Toxic Control Measure applying to the mine and requiring stringent diesel engine particulate emissions control.

Clearlake Cinder Chip Co. had received an extension for a variance relating to those standards because they wanted to convert their diesel engines to electric, said Gearhart.

However, at the end of the extension, the line power installation wasn't complete and the mine continued using the diesel equipment. Gearhart said the mine came into violation on Jan. 1.

Curt Abbott, controller for BCJ Sand and Rock, said the settlement also requires that Clearlake Cinder Chip Co.'s owner, Tiburon-based Robin Thomas Corp., must now put operations in BCJ's name.

BCJ Sand and Rock has been operating at the mine since October 2006, said Abbott. They'd been operating under variances in place before they arrived, and said their extraction equipment had been operating to standards since then.

He said Lake County is requiring the equipment have filters added to them to run at the same emission levels as if they were electric engines.

Abbott also stated that Lake County's air standards are more stringent than other counties – such as Sonoma and Butte – where BCJ also operates.

Gearhart, however, said that statement isn't accurate from the air district's perspective. The equipment in question is compliant for portable use but not when stationary, at which point it must meet different standards.

The order's $100,000 settlement amount was calculated based on number of violations, days in violation, and severity of violation, Gearhart said.

Abbott said Robin Thomas Corp. and BCJ have agreed to jointly pay the settlement. "We want to do that because we want to be back in business."

The hearing board previously had adopted an abatement order that Gearhart said effectively closed the business, an action taken after several prior attempts to reach a resolution ended in June. The air district also had initiated a civil process to collect the contested fines.

The abatement order against the mine prevented operation of processing equipment, said Abbott, although BCJ has been able to harvest the red lava rock and take it elsewhere for processing.

He said the red rock is turned into small rock or gravel and sand for uses ranging from highway projects to landscaping.

Abbott said the district made the fine significant enough to make sure the equipment upgrades were done.

The order also requires the mine operation to replace a gross-emitting Caterpillar D8 with a 2006 or newer excavator, complete a toxic risk assessment and maintain stringent dust control, according to Gearhart.

Gearhart said $40,000 of the amount will be used by the mine's owner and operator to purchase and install new diesel particulate filters on mining equipment. Before mining operations can start again, the filters must be on order and the first $20,000 penalty payment must be made.

The remaining $60,000 will go to the air district, which will share the funds with the County Counsel's Office for its assistance with the case. Gearhart said the money will help the air district recoup costs for its time.

In a typical year, fines and penalties only make up about 4 percent of the air district's $600,000 budget, said Gearhart. The settlement will push that percentage higher in the coming fiscal year.

"As far as I know this is the largest fine the district has ever had," said Gearhart.

Most of the air district's fines are for residential burn violations, which he said range between $50 and $100.

"Most people stay in compliance and most industry stays in compliance," he said.

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

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Firefighter Phil Mateer surveys the burned landscape. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

LOWER LAKE – On Tuesday, firefighters and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. employees remained at work on the scene of a fire that broke out the previous day.

The fire, located along Highway 29 near Manning Flat, was sparked mid-afternoon Monday, caused a highway closure and burned approximately 182 acres, as Lake County News has reported.

Downed power lines may have been a contributing factor, according to Cal Fire.

Along Highway 29, PG&E trucks were at work through the day, replacing more than a dozen power poles. Some of the poles were at the roadside, and some others were located in steeper terrain 50 to 100 feet east of the roadway.

The work required one-way traffic control in the area all day until about 4 p.m.

No homes were in danger, although DNA Quarry was nearby.

There, three Cal Fire hand crews spent the day working to put out hot spots and clean up the fire lines.

Many of the firefighters had worked into the night and were relieved about midnight, returning after about four hours of rest.

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

The fire burned much of a small hill. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

PG&E spent the day replacing about a dozen power poles in the area. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Phil Mateer and crew on water break. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Rookie firefighter Anthony Oandason takes a well-deserved rest with a cold drink of water. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Konocti Conservation crews set out to cover fire lines. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

A closer view of the burned landscape. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

Trees on the hillside were badly burned in the Monday fire. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Lori Burke shot this view of the fire from the Clear Lake Riviera.

LOWER LAKE – State and local firefighters moved quickly to suppress a fire that broke out along Highway 29 near Lower Lake Monday afternoon.

The fire reached approximately 182 acres, Cal Fire reported late Monday evening. Earlier in the day, acreage estimates had reached 300 acres, but officials said that number was scaled back due to better mapping.

Cal Fire's Incident Command Center reported that the fire was dispatched at 2:18 p.m.

The fire necessitated shutting down a portion of Highway 29 near Diener and Manning Flat as firefighters worked to contain it.

California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia said Point Lakeview at one point was being used as an alternate route. However, that road also was closed at about 3:16 p.m., with the fire reportedly cresting the ridge.

CHP reported shortly before 6 p.m. that Point Lakeview could be reopened. CHP reported that Highway 29 itself was reopened shortly after 9 p.m.

Cal Fire led the suppression effort, with five air tankers, three helicopters, 11 fire engines, six bulldozers and five hand crews, along with resources from local fire districts, including a five-engine strike team that was called for before shortly before 4 p.m.

Witnesses at the scene reported large Cal Fire air tankers were dropping retardant on the fire, with helicopters also making water drops.

The air tankers were released at 6:46 p.m., with the helicopters released by 7:30 p.m., according to reports from the scene.

Power lines were down at the scene, with some onscene reports indicating the possibility of a blown transformer.

Pacific Gas and Electric spokesperson Jana Morris said that 4,800 customers served by the company's Konocti power substation – serving areas including Kelseyville and Cobb – were out of power mid-afternoon.

The outage's cause, said Morris, appeared to be the downed power lines, but why the power lines had fallen was still being investigated.

She said at 2:35 p.m. PG&E received a call from a customer who reported a loud noise that they thought had come from a transformer, but Morris could not confirm Monday that a transformer had in fact blown.

All 4,800 customers had power restored to them by 5 p.m., Morris said. Cobb resident Roger Kinney reported that the power was off in Cobb about two hours.

Vehicles being routed onto Highway 175 to avoid the fire encountered a solo vehicle crash on Highway 175 near Cobb, which took place just after 4 p.m. and resulted in the vehicle and some nearby grass catching fire.

Cal Fire, which took the call, reported the fire was very small and quickly contained. The vehicle was destroyed. Minor injuries to the occupants were reported by CHP.

Officials with Cal Fire said late Monday that the 182-acre fire scene was still being mopped up. The downed power lines are believed to be a contributing factor, Cal Fire reported.

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

Val Onellion of Clearlake photographed these two Cal Fire helicopters in the Diener Road area.

Phyllis Clement took this photo of the fire from across Clear Lake on Monday afternoon. Cal Fire and local firefighters were continuing to fight the fire, which initially was reported after 2 p.m., as Highway 29 was closed to through traffic.

The fire also could be seen in Clearlake, as shown in this photo by Cobb resident Brenda Crandall.

A view of the fire photographed from the front yard of James and Karin Green, who live in the Clear Lake Riviera.

Rick Hamilton captured this shot of Cal Fire putting out a small grass fire sparked by a vehicle crash on Highway 175 just after 4 p.m.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Longtime board member Pat Shaver submitted her resignation on Monday, as Lake County News has reported.

On Saturday, during a meeting to discuss the district's proposed rate hikes for water and sewer services, numerous community members had called for Shaver's recall, along with that of board Vice President Mike Anisman.

Community member Mike Benjamin circulated a petition for a recall notice of intent effort against both Anisman and Shaver. During Wednesday's meeting, he served the paperwork on Anisman.

The board will advertise Shaver's open position and seek applicants to fill it, with district General Manager Darin McCosker reporting that the position must be filled in 60 days.

Several actions were taken at the meeting to address transparency and the district's fiscal situation.

The board voted to hire Larry Bain to do audits for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, which are mandated by the state. The cost will be $23,700, the lowest of three bids submitted.

In addition to fulfilling state requirements, it's hoped by the board and ratepayers in attendance at the meeting that the audits will clear up the district's financial picture.

Bookkeeper Jana Saccato said the district owes nearly $189,000, not counting new bills that have just come in. She assured ratepayers that there is enough money to cover all checks being written, which wasn't the case in previous years, when thousands of dollars in late fees and overdraft charges accumulated on the district's checking account.

Documents Saccato provided to the board show that the board's checking account went from more than $56,000 at the end of July to just over $7,000 on Aug. 18, as the district continues to try to pay off outstanding debt.

Income and expense comparisons for January through July of 2007 and 2008, prepared by Saccato – which board members said weren't prepared under the previous general manager – showed the district's income is starting to more regularly outpace its bills this year, largely the opposite of 2007.

Board member Frank Toney's proposal to form a standing finance committee also was approved. The committee will include Toney and McCosker, board member Harry Chase and Mike Benjamin.

Town resident Judy Heeszel indicated interest in participating, and McCosker suggested adding Bob Summerrill, a former board member who submitted a detailed set of suggestions for goals the committee should pursue.

Because it's a standing committee, it will be subject to the Brown Act, which requires agendas being posted 72 hours in advance of meetings.

In response to requests from ratepayers, the board decided to move meeting times to allow for more public participation.

The board usually meets in the afternoon on the third Wednesday of the month. However, at the Saturday rate hike meeting community members asked the board to move the meetings to a time when more people could attend. The meetings will now be held on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.

McCosker said Wednesday that his staff has been overwhelmed by requests for documents by community members in light of the rate hike proposal and the growing concern over the district's fiscal health.

Saccato also reported that the district received 427 letters opposing the 39.4-percent rate increases for sewer and water. The district is now proposing other rate hike options, including 25 percent and 10 percent.

For information about the open board position, visit the district's Web site at www.clocwd.com.

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

{mos_sb_discuss:3}

Pat Shaver, the longest-serving member of the district board, confirmed Monday that she had tendered her resignation to district General Manager Darin McCosker earlier in the day.

However, Shaver would not offer a comment to Lake County News about her reasons for resigning.

The district's board held a public hearing on Saturday evening at the Eastlake Grange to receive public testimony about three proposed rate hike options – 39.4, 25 and 10 percent – one of which officials have said is necessary to help stabilize the district's shaky financial picture.

At that meeting the board was criticized for its handling of the meeting, which began with audience members asked to submit questions in writing rather than giving testimony and asking questions at the podium. Eventually, the board did welcome ratepayers to take the microphone.

Shaver was absent from the meeting and board Vice President Mike Anisman, angered by what he said was an abusive barrage from audience members, walked out a half hour into the meeting, which ran for more than two hours.

Community member Mike Benjamin – who had criticized the board for the way it conducted the meeting – then circulated two petitions to file a notice of intention to begin a recall effort on both Anisman and Shaver.

“There were so many people that wanted to sign that thing that I ran out of spaces for signatures,” Benjamin said Monday.

Benjamin said he actually took five petitions to the meeting – one for each board member, the others being President Helen Locke and directors Frank Toney and Harry Chase.

However, he said he felt both Toney and Chase conducted themselves properly at the meeting, so he chose not to pursue an effort to oust them.

Anisman had written a comment on Lake County News in which he indicated he planned to tender his resignation as well. However, he said Monday evening that he was still making up his mind about what action to take.

Benjamin said he was still prepared to pursue the notice to begin the recall against Anisman, saying his walking out of the meeting “was the absolute worst thing in the world he could have done.”

A former elected official himself in the Yuba County city of Wheatland, Benjamin said elected officials don't have the luxury of getting their feelings hurt. “This is business. It isn't personal.”

Over the last several months, Benjamin has been a fixture at board meetings, and board members also have called on his knowledge of the Brown Act and running public meetings.

He had warned Shaver at a June meeting that he thought she should be recalled.

Water board member Frank Toney had posed this question at Saturday's meeting: Who will step up and take the seats of the board members who leave?

Benjamin, who turns 62 in November, said he is willing to serve in order to get the district straightened out, but maintained he likes being retired and wasn't preparing to get back into public service. “All I'm trying to do is help.”

Board President Helen Locke said Monday that Shaver's seat on the board will be filled by appointment. The district will publish the opening, take applications and make a choice.

Locke, Toney and Anisman were elected to the board last November. All three told Lake County News in previous interviews that they had no idea about the district's financial condition until after they were seated on the board earlier this year.

The board is set to meet at 3 p.m. this Wednesday. Not on the agenda for that meeting is a discussion of passing a rate hike, which the board agreed to postpone, at raterpayers' request, until it held another community meeting fully explaining all three rate hike options.

On Wednesday the board will consider proposals for audit services to conduct two past due audits and a third that's coming due now.

Toney's suggestion to form a finance committee will be considered, and McCosker also will ask the board to allow him to appoint district bookkeeper Jana Saccato as board secretary, a job he has been holding down in addition to other duties.

Also at the request of ratepayers, the board on Wednesday will consider moving its public meetings from 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month to 7 p.m. every third Thursday.

In the wake of Saturday's tense meeting, Locke said she had considered offering her own resignation.

In the end, however, she decided to stay and continue working on the district's issues.

“We've got to keep the place running,” she said. “I'll hang in there as long as I can.”

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

{mos_sb_discuss:3}

The county's preliminary July unemployment rate was 10.2 percent, up from the revised June rate of 9.5 percent and 1.9 percent above the year-ago, July 2007 rate of 8.3 percent, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's North Coast region office.

Mullins said that, at a 10.2 percent unemployment rate, Lake County ranked 47th among the State's 58 counties.

Some surrounding county rates included 10.5 percent for Colusa, 6.6 percent for Mendocino and 6.1 percent for Sonoma, according to Mullins.

Marin had the lowest rate in the state at 5.0 percent, said Mullins, and Imperial County had the highest with 23.3 percent. The comparable California and U.S. rates were 7.6 and 6.0 percent, respectively.

Mullins reported that total industry employment increased 380 (2.6 percent) between July 2007 and July 2008 ending the year-over period with 15,110 jobs.

Year-over job growth occurred in manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; private educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government.

Year-over job losses occurred in natural resources, mining and construction; professional and business services; and other services.

Farm and financial activities were industry sectors with no change over the year.

Mullins said government led industry gainers adding 220 jobs over the year. The private educational and health services sector was up 90 jobs and trade, transportation and utilities gained 70. Leisure and hospitality increased 20, and manufacturing and information were each up 10 jobs.

Professional and business services led decliners dropping 20 for the period, said Mullins, with natural resources, mining and construction, and other services each down 10 jobs.

Eight industry sectors gained jobs or held steady over the year, and three declined, according to Mullins.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement on the state's unemployment picture, saying the entire nation continues to suffer through a slow economy that is affecting jobs and families here in California, and he's working with legislators to include in the state budget an economic stimulus package.

“Construction and financial services continue to struggle in California, but I am encouraged about recent increases in housing purchases and that other job sectors – while they do not have the robust growth we want or expect in California – are holding steady,” Schwarzenegger said.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}