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

Among them:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CDF chopper prepares to collect lake water to dump on fire Wednesday. Photo by Harold LaBonte

The fire above Bartlett Springs was reported at 3:24 p.m., according to Cal Fire – formerly known as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire was originally believed to have been located at Pinnacle Rock, but later officials located it on state-managed lands at Hogsback Ridge.

Between 10 and 15 acres of timber burned, but by nighttime the fire was contained by firefighters from the Northshore Fire Authority and four Cal Fire hand crews.

Three Cal Fire engines – two from Lake County, one from Ukiah – responded, along with a Forest Service engine, Cal Fire reported.

Two Cal Fire helicopters, one from the Tehama-Glenn station and the second from Boggs Mountain, made repeated trips up the mountain to drop water on the fire. The helicopters staged in a field across from Ceago del Lago along Highway 20. Cal Fire Engineer Phil Mateer of Lakeport said one of the copters made about 30 trips.

Fire crews, a few engines and a dozen were still on the scene after 8 p.m. mopping up, according to Cal Fire's incident command.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, Cal Fire reported.

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

Harold LaBonte contributed to this article.

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For Lake County schools, the report shows growth in scores among a majority of schools.

Last week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released the 2006 Base Academic Performance Index (API) report for 9,400 California schools that were given targets for improvement.

The API was established in 1999 to track schools' academic performance and progress on statewide assessments. The Department of Education also reports that API results are used for federal Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.

The annual report once again reflects the consistent rise in median API scores since the API, a numeric index from 200 to 1000, began in 1999.

"I am proud of our students, parents, and educators in California whose continued work toward academic excellence is reflected in the steady academic progress in our schools’ API scores," O’Connell said. "The API is a powerful, comprehensive tool that holds our schools publicly accountable for progress made by all of our students. It supports California’s rigorous standards and ambitious definition of what constitutes ‘proficiency.’"

The 2006 median Base API for elementary schools is 758, up 8 points from 2005. Middle school and high school median scores show similar gains of 10 points and 7 points respectively.

Also, the percentage of elementary schools at or above 800, the statewide performance target adopted by the State Board of Education, is 34.6 percent, up from 31.8 percent in 2005; middle schools is 23.9 percent, up from 20.6 percent; and high schools is 13.6 percent, up from 11.9 percent.

In Lake County, several schools have API targets near 800, including Kelseyville Elementary, Riviera Elementary, Lakeport Elementary, Lakeport Alternative and Coyote Valley Elementary.

Of the 38 local schools assigned 2006 base scores, 20 showed improvements during last year's testing.

Local schools that have recorded schoolwide and comparable improvement – the latter meaning that all numerically significant subgroups at the school met their API subgroup targets -- are Kelseyville Elementary, Mountain Vista Middle School, Burns Elementary School, Lower Lake Elementary, Cobb Mountain Elementary, Coyote Valley Elementary, Middletown Middle and Upper Lake High.

The featured chart for Lake County's schools includes 2007 API targets, 2006 statewide ranks, 2006 growth and base scores, 2005-06 growth and base, along with met growth targets. The chart also includes explanations of the rankings.

While the 2006 API results reflect solid academic gains over the last eight years, they also highlight what O’Connell considers the overriding issue facing California education today – the achievement gap that exists between traditionally higher- and lower-scoring subgroups of students.

Student subgroups are defined by ethnicity, socio-economic, and disability status as well as whether or not a student is an English learner.

Since the API system originated in 1999, schools have been expected not only to meet schoolwide academic growth targets but also student subgroup targets. However, this year the API will focus schools more intensely on narrowing achievement gaps.

The recent reports also reflect the addition of results from new 2006 science assessments, O'Connell reported.

For more reports and data on school districts, visit www.cde.ca.gov.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NSFA Firefighters Todd Pittman, Glynne Morgan and Wendy Drew refill Engine 1 after fighting a blaze in Clearlake Oaks.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – A structure fire on hilly Widgeon way in Clearlake Oaks Tuesday afternoon sent four people to the hospital with fire-related injuries.

Black smoke billowing into the sky above Clearlake Oaks was first spotted by a conservation crew traveling past in a bus, said Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins.

Between 15 and 18 Northshore firefighters were dispatched, and were soon joined by firefighters from nearly every department around the lake and Cal Fire, as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is now known, Robbins reported.

The fire destroyed the first structure – a three-level hillside residence – caught another home on fire and set the grassy hillside ablaze, Robbins said.

Nearly three acres of wildland were charred before Northshore firefighters and mutual aid departments were able to extinguish it, said Robbins.

The steep hillside made fighting the fire more difficult, Robbins said. “You could only fight it from two sides."

Robbins commented that it was odd that the fire consumed a hillside full of green grass. "You would never have believed it," he said. "Grass doesn't usually burn when it's green."

Three firefighters and the occupant of the first structure to catch fire were sent to the hospital, Robbins reported.

The firefighters were transported to Sutter Lakeside in Lakeport with smoke inhalation injuries, said Robbins, while the occupant was transported to Redbud Hospital in Clearlake.

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

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This is the second installment in Lake County News' ongoing series, Feeding Awareness: Food Insecurity in Lake County.

LAKE COUNTY – "Do you live in Lake County?" and "Are you hungry?" If the answer to both questions is yes, Rural Food Project is here to help.

"We don't put people through a lot of hoops to get food," says Hedy Montoya, who heads the program in Lake County.

Part of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Rural Food Project is a program that distributes food to the hungry throughout Lake and Sonoma counties. There are currently two sites in Lake County where food is distributed once a month.

The Rural Food Project distributes every third Wednesday of the month at St. Joseph's Church in Middletown and every fourth Monday at St. Peter's Church at Kelseyville. Both distributions are held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and people typically begin lining up at 4 p.m.

During the distribution, volunteers hand out boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables and nonperishable foods. Each box of food lasts approximately ten days for a family of four.

The program began in Middletown in July 2002, and in September 2006, it opened in Kelseyville.

The Rural Food Project purchases food for 18 cents per pound at the Redwood Empire Bank in Santa Rosa. The approximate cost per month to feed people is $1,800, and this is slowly increasing.

According to Montoya, the food primarily goes to the working poor. She finds that around the end of the month, these people are choosing to use what's left of their money to pay bills rather than eat. The other major recipients are seniors who end up prioritizing utility bills and prescriptions over food.

The registration process is minimal and doesn't include much more than a few questions.

Since July 2006, 1,075 individuals have received donated food at least once – approximately 150 families. In Middletown in March, 89 boxes of food were given to 247 people. In Kelseyville, 55 boxes of food were given out to 239 people.

Montoya is the only paid staff member of the Rural Food Project. Everyone else who contributes is a volunteer. Montoya says there are around 20 people she knows she can always ask to volunteer. Among the many generous volunteers, a few especially stand out in her mind as they have been there to help on an ongoing basis since the program's beginning five years ago. This includes Judy Knight, Julie Sears, Bettye McKinstry, Merna Scott, Carolyn and Bill Tobin Jr., and Bill Tobin Sr., who is 99 years old this year.

In 2006, Montoya won the Stars Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian Award for her efforts in feeding the hungry. She credits the volunteers of the program: "The volunteers have made it all possible. I stand on their shoulders. They do such incredible work," she says.

Montoya doesn't want anybody getting burned out, however, so she is always looking for new volunteers to organize, pack food, distribute, and drive loads of food to and from St. Joseph's pantry.

St. Joseph's Church in Middletown is the only Rural Food Project site with a pantry, so emergency food is available. People may call (707) 987-8139 to arrange pick-up or delivery.

The biggest issue, though, explains Montoya, is trying to figure out ways to create money to feed the poor. United Way and FEMA used to provide grants to the Rural Food Project, but these are no longer a guarantee. "We're looking at any other feasible way of doing it," she says.

"Government funding is down immensely. Grants are no longer as available as they were, so we're looking to the private sector and business to help. We used to get a lot of help from the government in terms of providing food, but everything is being slashed.

"Most people don't know that we're here and we're doing this work," she adds.

The Rural Food Project is currently looking for assistance to buy a covered trailer that can haul food from Middletown to Kelseyville. Over the past couple months, it has rained on Kelseyville's distribution night and much of the food got wet in the open beds of the trucks that are currently being used.

The next Rural Food Project distribution in Middletown will be held Wednesday, April 18. The next distribution in Kelseyville will be held Monday, April 23. In May, due to Memorial Day weekend, Middletown's Kelseyville's distribution will be held on the third Monday, May 21, rather than the fourth.

Monetary donations may be mailed to the following address. All donations to this address will go toward Lake County's program:

Catholic Charities

18713 Spyglass Road

Hidden Valley Lake 95467

Memo: RFP Lake

St. Joseph's Church is located on the corners of Bush and Highway 175 in Middletown. St. Peter's Church is located on Main Street in Kelseyville. To learn more about the Rural Food Project, including information on donating or becoming a volunteer, call (707) 987-8139.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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LAKEPORT – The effort to build a new county animal shelter came one step closer to reality Monday, with officials gathering to break ground on the long-awaited project.

More than 20 people showed up for the Monday morning ceremony, held at the new shelter location on Hill Road.

County Supervisors Denise Rushing, Ed Robey, Anthony Farrington and Jeff Smith, along with Animal Care & Control Director Denise Johnson and County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, took up shovels to turn the ground in anticipation of the project's first phase.

Behind the group a piece of heavy equipment waited quietly to begin preparing the ground for the site of the new 6,800-square-foot shelter.

During the ceremony, County Public Works Director Gerald Shaul described the genesis of the project. {enclose Groundbreaking_Animal_control.mp3}

The shelter effort is about about saving lives, said Johnson. "Our only goal is to save lives and promote adoption.”

The current shelter was built in the 1940s, and is both outdated and too small. The new $2 million shelter will ultimately have twice the current capacity for dogs with a total of 72 kennels, and have 30 to 40 more cages for cats, Johnson said.

The new facility will have the space to quarantine sick animals and protect healthy animals from disease, Johnson said.

"In our facility we didn't have any way to separate them," she said, "so a lot of lives were lost.

"Here we won't be so overcrowded, especially in the cat area,” she added. “We've had some serious overcrowding in the cat room. The building is just not big enough. This new building will have a lot of space."

The two-phase project will include preparing the ground for the facility by removing several trees, flattening out a hill and installing sewer, water and power lines. Phase one is estimated to be completed in 30 days.

The shelter's phase two will include the construction of a 3,400-square-foot building that will house Animal Care & Control's office and indoor kennels, Shaul said, as well as a detached, 3,400-square-foot kennel building.

After the ceremony concluded with a dog digging up a bone on the site of the groundbreaking, Johnson stressed that much credit was due to the assistance of Shaul.

"It's been really nice to have his support and his guidance," she said.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the shelter fund, donations may be mailed either to Lake County Animal Care & Control, 887 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport CA 95453 (write "shelter donation" on your check), or Lake County Animal Services Shelter Fund, P.O. Box 662, Lakeport, CA 95453.

For more information about helping animals locally, including adopting pets or education, visit the following Web sites: Lake County Animal Care & Control, www.co.lake.ca.us/countygovernment/animalcontrol/animalcontrol.asp; or Lake County Animal Services, www.lakecountyanimalservices.org.

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

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Skeet Reese shows off two of his big bass Saturday. Reese currently is in third place in the Golden State Shootout Pro bass tournament. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

LAKEPORT – The ESPN Bassmasters Golden State Shootout Pro entered its third day Saturday.

The tournament, which began on Thursday with 108 anglers, was down to 50 by day three.

After the weigh-in, it was Greg Gutierrez of Red Bluff who led the field, with more 91 pounds, 14 ounces, catching bass totaling 25 pounds on Saturday, according to the ESPN Bassmasters standings.

In second place was Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., with 90 pounds, 4 ounces. On Saturday alone he caught more than 40 pounds of Clear Lake bass, standings reported.

Skeet Reese of Auburn, one of six participants from California, had a good third day, bringing in 35 pounds of bass for a three-day total of 89 pounds, 12 ounces.

Another Californian, Jared Linter from Arroyo Grande, came in at fourth place, with 28 pounds of bass caught Saturday and a three-day total of 79 pounds, 13 ounces.

The action will conclude later today.

For the full standings, visit sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/elite/news/story?page=bt_clearlake_launch_day_three-weighin.

Fifty fishermen competed in day three of the tournament on Saturday. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Steve Kennedy signs autographs after winning his first bass tournament Sunday. Photo by Harold LaBonte.

LAKEPORT – About 900 spectators in Library Park watched as bass fishing history was made Sunday on the final day of the ESPN Bassmaster Golden State Shootout.

Clear Lake became home to a new tournament record, surpassing the old record set last year by nearly 7 pounds and raising bass fishing to a new level.

Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., won the four-day tournament, bringing in a tournament record of 122 pounds, 14 ounces of bass, a feat which sends him home with a $110,000 check.

The previous tournament record – 115 pounds, 15 ounces – was set last year on Santee Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina by Preston Clark, ESPN reported.

This is Kennedy's first-place win, according to ESPN's Bassmaster statistics. In 2006, Kennedy was BASS Rookie of the Year, ESPN reported. The Golden State Shootout is his 27^th tournament, and brings his career winnings to $420,107.

In second place was Skeet Reese of Auburn, who came in with 117 pounds, 6 ounces for his four-day total, which also surpassed Clark's tournament record from last year. Reese earned $30,000.

Red Bluff's Greg Gutierrez placed third and won $27,500 for bagging 108 pounds, 1 ounce of bass on Clear Lake.

The lake was clearly a favorite of the fishermen who competed this past week, as well as the sponsors, such as Triton Boats.

Melissa Fulton of the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce said she was pleased with the event, and she reported event officials were as well.

The event wouldn't have been complete without bass fishing fans, who were out in force to ask their favorite fishermen for autographs.

The weigh-in was shown live on ESPN2.com on Sunday, and will air next Saturday at 6 a.m. on ESPN2.

For full tournament coverage, visit sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/index. 

For more photos of the tournament, click on the "Gallery" button at the top of the page, and go to the ESPN Bassmasters Tournament album.

Elizabeth Larson contributed to this report.

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