A general district election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

At this election, voters who reside within the boundaries of the Mendocino-Lake Community College District, Lakeport Unified School District, Upper Lake High School District and Upper Lake Elementary School District will have the opportunity to elect governing board members for each of the school districts.

In addition to the school districts, voters who reside within the boundaries of the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District will have the opportunity to elect directors for the District.

New residents of Lake County and registered voters who have moved to a new address, changed their mailing address within the county, or changed their name, that you need to reregister in order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming general district election.

Don't delay – the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 8 general district election is Monday, Oct. 24.

The completed voter registration form must either be personally delivered to the Registrar of Voters Office on or before Oct. 24, or postmarked on or before Oct. 24 and received by mail by the Registrar of Voters Office.

Section 2101 of the California Elections Code states, “A person entitled to register to vote shall be a United States citizen, a resident of California, not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, and at least 18 years of age at the time of the next election.”

Residents may register to vote at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209, at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport or may phone the Registrar's Office at 707-263-2372 for information.

Registration forms also are available at most local post offices, libraries, senior centers, city offices and chamber of commerce offices.

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Northshore firefighters, California Highway Patrol, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and Caltrans personnel responded to the scene of a fatal single-car crash off of Highway 20 west of Witter Springs Road outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, October 17, 2011, which claimed the life of a man from Portland, Maine, and seriously injured a woman from South Freeport, Maine. The California Highway Patrol said the crash, involving a rented 2012 Corvette, occurred some time on the night of Sunday, October 16, 2011, but wasn't discovered until the following morning. Photo by Gary McAuley.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A man was killed and a woman seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash that occurred along Highway 20 on Sunday night but wasn't discovered until Monday morning.

The collision, which took place west of Witter Springs Road, was first reported to the California Highway Patrol at 11 a.m. Monday via a 911 call from the surviving crash victim, the agency reported.

The 40-year-old male driver – a resident of Portland, Maine, whose name was not released – died, and his 43-year-old passenger, a woman from South Freeport, Maine, suffered major injuries, according to a report from CHP Officer Matthew Norton, who is leading the crash investigation.

Initial reports from the scene on Monday indicated that the crash occurred the previous night, which CHP Officer Kevin Domby confirmed to Lake County News later in the day.

Domby said the female crash victim extricated herself from the vehicle – a rented canary yellow 2012 Chevrolet Corvette – and called in the crash on her cell phone.

The woman remained on the line while the dispatcher listened for the sirens. When the sirens were close by, the dispatcher notified Northshore Fire that they were in the right area, Domby said.

At 11:15 a.m. emergency personnel located the Corvette down an embankment, Norton reported.

Based on the investigation so far, Norton said speed appears to be a factor in the collision's cause.

Norton said the Corvette was traveling westbound on Highway 20 when the driver failed to negotiate a right curve in the road and went off the road's south edge.

The Corvette hit an oak tree, ejecting the driver, who was not wearing his seat belt, Norton reported. The driver died at the scene.

The female passenger, who was wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, sustained major injuries. Norton said she was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Norton said the collision investigation is continuing.

John Jensen contributed to this report.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

A REACH air ambulance transported a woman from South Freeport, Maine, from the scene of a fatal vehicle crash near Upper Lake, Calif., to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Monday, October 17, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Increased water monitoring data shows the number of rivers, streams and lakes in California exhibiting overall toxicity have increased 170 percent from 2006 to 2010.

About two dozen water bodies were added to the list – including the San Joaquin River and several reaches of the Santa Ana River.

Clear Lake has been listed for several years. Other local water bodies that are listed by the EPA include Indian Valley Reservoir, the lower and north forks of Cache Creek, and McGaugh Slough.

The agency said that California has some of the most magnificent rivers, lakes and coastal waters in the country. However, of its three million acres of lakes, bays, wetlands and estuaries, 1.6 million acres are not meeting water quality goals, and 1.4 million acres still need a pollution clean-up plan, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

Of the 215,000 miles of shoreline, streams and rivers, 30,000 miles are not meeting water quality goals, and 20,000 miles still need a TMDL. The most common contaminants in these waterways are pesticides and bacteria, followed by metals and nutrients.

“Clean water is vital to California's pubic health, economy, recreation and wildlife,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “California has done an excellent job of increasing the amount of water monitored. Unfortunately, much of the new data points in the wrong direction. This list of impaired waters is a wake-up call to continue the critical local and statewide work to needed to heal California's damaged waters. “

The Clean Water Act requires states to monitor and assess their waterways and submit a list of impaired waters to EPA for review. The 2010 list is based on more comprehensive monitoring as well as new assessment tools that allow the state to evaluate larger quantities of data.

The data showed several important trends including:

• Many more beaches, both inland and coastal, are on the 2010 list because bacteria reached unsafe levels for swimming. This increase is largely driven by a more extensive review of data collected by counties.

• Better reporting of trash in waters has led to an increase in trash impairments by 76 percent from 2006 to 2010. California’s statewide Trash Policy is under development and will address trash impacts to both local wildlife and reduce California's contribution to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

• The numbers of listings showing pollutants in fish are at levels too high for safe human consumption has increased 24% from 2006 to 2010, with the greatest increases seen in mercury. Rather than signaling an increase in fish contamination, this trend is due to California's recent statewide sport fish monitoring effort. Additionally, some pollutants such as DDT are no longer manufactured and are slowly decreasing in concentration over time.

• Waters identified as impaired by pesticides showed a 36 percent increase from the prior list, likely a result of the more thorough monitoring required under the State's Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. Under this program, close collaboration between the Water Boards and the Department of Pesticide Regulation has resulted in reduced pesticide discharges to surface and groundwater.

Last year, California submitted to EPA for approval its list of polluted rivers, lakes and coastal waters. EPA added several waterways to the list, including portions of the San Joaquin River, where increasing temperatures and salinity imperil salmon and trout populations. Following public comment, EPA finalized the additions Tuesday.

Last week's action leads to the development and adoption of hundreds of pollution cleanup plans by California to restore waters to swimmable, fishable and drinkable conditions.

Work is already under way in California to address hundreds of waters previously listed as impaired. EPA will continue to work with the state to develop and implement additional TMDLs to address the remaining waters.

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Katherine Hawley, 39, was killed when a sedan driven by 37-year-old Humberto De La Torre of Watsonville collided with her motorcycle, according to Det. Randal Dyck, an investigator with the Monterey County Coroner's Office.

De La Torre also died as a result of the crash, Dyck said.

A report from Officer Sarah Jackson of the California Highway Patrol's Santa Cruz area office explained that a CHP officer observed De La Torre's green sedan traveling southbound at a high rate of speed along a stretch of Highway 1 at approximately 4:18 p.m. Sunday.

Jackson said that when the officer attempted to overtake the speeding vehicle, he observed the sedan make unsafe lane changes and drive erratically, eventually colliding head-on with the guard rail in the center divide near Buena Vista Road.

De La Torre allegedly fled the scene with the officer in pursuit. Jackson's report said that near Salinas Road, the sedan sideswiped a white SUV, which left the SUV's adult passenger with minor injuries.

Jackson said that seconds after that first collision De La Torre's sedan collided with Hawley, who was traveling northbound on Highway 1.

She said the pursuing officer did not observe the collision, as he had slowed his own speed due to the reduction in lanes and safety concerns. At the time of the collision, the officer was approximately 600 feet from De La Torre's vehicle.

The crash led to a highway closure as the vehicles were removed from the scene, the CHP reported.

John Jensen contributed to this report.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – There is sufficient evidence to try three men for the murder of a child and the attempted murders of five other people, according to a local judge's Monday ruling.

Judge Stephen Hedstrom ruled that Paul William Braden, 21, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 23, of Clearlake Oaks, and 29-year-old Kevin Ray Stone of Clearlake will stand trial for the June 18 shooting in Clearlake that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp.

The shooting, the worst in the city's history, also wounded and permanently disabled the child's mother, Desiree Kirby, and wounded Kirby's boyfriend, Ross Sparks, and his brother, Andrew Sparks, and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo.

The group was in the yard of Kirby's and Sparks' home on Lakeshore Drive on the evening of June 18 when armed assailants – who the shooting victims couldn't see due to the darkness – shot through and over a fence separating the home from a neighbor's residence.

In a hearing that ran just short of an hour, Hedstrom explained his conclusion that the three men could be tried on the 16 felony counts they're facing, including murder, mayhem, multiple counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and many more special allegations.

Hedstrom's decision followed the conclusion last Friday of the mens' eight day preliminary hearing, which stretched over three weeks, and saw 14 witnesses – including Kirby, Ross and Andrew Sparks, and Griffith – testify, with police offering statements of another 14 witnesses who did not take the stand themselves.

In reviewing the testimony and evidence, Hedstrom said a June 9 fight between the Sparks' cousin, Josh Gamble, and members of the “Avenue Boys” – a gang of young men who live in the city's Avenues area – at an adult school graduation at Lower Lake High School was a “triggering event.”

He explained that the fight led to a chain of other events that brought tensions to a head.

Those events included a confrontation between Kirby and Lopez's younger brother, Leonardo, at Walmart several days before the shooting; what had appeared to be a friendly discussion between Ross Sparks and Orlando Lopez about the adult school fight, which also occurred in the days before the shooting; and then, on June 18, the exchange of angry text messages between Sparks and Orlando Lopez, who had been planning to meet for a fight, based on testimony.

During the preliminary hearing, police officers, detectives and witnesses testified to differing statements by the three men about who was responsible for the shooting.

Hedstrom noted, “We have three defendants pointing in all different directions as to who was the shooter or shooters.”

As part of his case, District Attorney Don Anderson had presented evidence and witness statements that double ought buckshot and bird shot were the two types of ammunition found at the scene.

Hedstrom said that, based on his review of pictures submitted into evidence, the expended shotgun shells found at the scene appeared to match an unexpended shell found in a borrowed vehicle Stone allegedly had crashed near the shooting location.

“When one looks at this broad overview of the evidence, this is much more than any one defendant simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Hedstrom.

He went on to add, “When you take all this evidence, it's very easy for the court to come to the conclusion, based on the aiding and abetting concept, that all three defendants are responsible for these substantive charges that have been brought against them … It's just eminently clear to the court.”

While the defense – including Stephen Carter, Komnith Moth and Doug Rhoades, representing Lopez, Stone and Braden, respectively – had asked for factual findings about the lack of credibility of some of the witnesses, Hedstrom wouldn't take that step.

Acknowledging, “We certainly have a lot of conflicting evidence,” Hedstrom continued, “The court declines at this point to try to unravel the inconsistencies and make judgments as to credibility.”

His reasons, he said, included insufficient evidence to make solid determinations of credibility. He said he hadn't heard all of the evidence, mostly because many witnesses hadn't taken the stand in the hearing.

But he said there was a “reasonable suspicion” – a standard of proof appropriate for a preliminary hearing, but less than would be required at trial – to hold Braden, Lopez and Stone to answer.

Hedstrom asked the defense attorneys if there was an objection to combining the three suspects' cases going forward.

Carter said it was highly likely the three men would be tried separately. Moth added he anticipated severing Stone's case from the combined case.

The next step will be a new arraignment, scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in Hedstrom's Clearlake courtroom.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Shown here is a bundle of flat leaf parsley, also known as Italian parsley. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Parsley may be in need of an image makeover. This wonderful herb is thought of by some as nothing more than a bright little garnish or flecks of green in a side dish, but it brings far more to the table.

As the herbal adage states, “Parsley is the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate.”

It’s amazing how often I add copious amounts of fresh parsley to the meals I make.

Last evening I added a handful to pungent pasta puttanesca, I tossed it in a mushroom omelet the night before and over the last few days I’ve been happily devouring one of my favorite salad dressings, a puree of parsley with apples and ginger.

Parsley is native to the southern Mediterranean region and grows wild from Sardinia east to Lebanon, as well as in the northern African nations of Algeria and Tunisia. It’s naturalized throughout much of Europe and figures heavily in the cuisines of that continent, as well as in the Middle East.

While it’s been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, it was used medicinally prior to its popularity in cooking. The ancient Greeks viewed parsley as sacred, and used it to adorn winners of athletic contests, as well as the tombs of the dead.

Parsley’s name is derived from the Greek word for “rock celery,” with celery being one of its relatives.

It’s unclear when it became popular as an addition to food. Some historians claim the practice goes back as least as far as the time of Charlemagne in Medieval Europe, as it was grown in his gardens. Prior to this it was used as a garnish in ancient Rome, but there’s no record of its being added as a flavoring to food in that culture.

The two best known varieties of leaf parsley are curly parsley and flat leaf or Italian parsley. While some prefer the curly variety, especially as an attractive garnish, the latter is more popular with chefs as most feel the flavor is superior.

A lesser known type of parsley is grown as a root vegetable and has a much thicker root than the parsley cultivated for its leaves. It looks similar to the parsnip, a relative, but the taste is dissimilar. Root parsley is largely unknown in the U.S., but is a common addition to soups and stews in central and eastern Europe.

In my opinion, the bright, fresh taste of parsley purveys summer on a cold winter’s day. It can be used in cuisine in much the same way, meaning it brings a light flavor to an otherwise heavy dish.

An example of this is the use of gremolata, an Italian condiment made with fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, as a classic pairing with osso bucco, a Milanese dish of braised veal shanks. The bright taste of the condiment balances the heaviness of the dish.

I found this to be true in my own kitchen when I made a spaghetti sauce with plenty of tomato paste and a rich red wine. I was happy with the flavor, but it was heavy on the palate. I remedied this by sprinkling gremolata over the dishes of pasta and sauce as I served them. It was the perfect accompaniment.

Gremolata may also be used on fish or vegetables. It’s especially good with roasted asparagus.

The French have a similar condiment made with parsley and garlic, but sans the lemon zest, called persillade.

Parsley is a component of bouquet garni, a grouping of fresh herbs tied together with kitchen string and used to flavor soups and stews. Other herbs that are commonly used include bay leaves and thyme.

This practice is utilized throughout southern and central Europe, particularly in France. I often tie the herbs in a cheesecloth bundle, an alternative to using the string. The herbs may be varied depending on the dish, but parsley is almost always included.

Linguine and clams is a dish that benefits from large amounts of parsley. It adds lively color to an otherwise monochrome arrangement, but the real addition is its flavor. That’s true of so many uses of parsley, including when it graces boiled potatoes or carrots along with butter.

This herb is a veritable powerhouse of nutrition, absolutely full of antioxidants. It’s one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

Just one ounce supplies over 60 percent of our daily need for vitamin C, 30 percent of vitamin A, excellent stores of folate and iron, and many trace elements.

Its volatile oils have been shown to have anticancer, antioxidant, and cardio-protective potency. To top it off, its massive stores of chlorophyll are a fantastic breath freshener!

Parsley is delicious juiced with carrots, kale, beet, and chard as a health drink and pick-me-up.

In the garden, parsley produces leaves from mid-June to late fall, and is available in the supermarket year round. When shopping, choose bundles that aren’t limp and look freshly picked.

Fresh parsley may be stored one of two ways in the fridge, either upright in a glass of water (clip the ends first) or wrapped loosely in a paper towel in a zipper sealed bag.

Today’s recipe is one of my favorites, Middle Eastern tabbouleh, which I enjoy often with its frequent companion, hummus. Both are wonderful in pita bread together.

It seems appropriate to consume this delicious cold salad now with October’s current warmth, and it’s a good way to use those late tomatoes ripening in the garden.

To me, it tastes like health personified with much mint and plentiful parsley. For those sensitive to wheat, it’s wonderful when made with quinoa.

Enjoy!

Minty tabbouleh with plenty of parsley

1 heaping cup bulgur

1 cup water

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

½ cup sliced scallions, white and green parts

2 cloves finely minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice

1 large cucumber, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice

Fresh mint and parsley leaves for garnish

Combine the bulgur, water, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a large bowl. Mix well, and set aside for 30 minutes with a fork. Fluff the mixture with a fork. (The bulgur absorbs the liquid and softens.)

Add the mint, parsley, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper and remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Toss well with a fork.

Add the tomatoes and cucumber and toss again.

Adjust the seasonings, if necessary, and allow to stand, loosely covered, for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.

Garnish with fresh mint and parsley leaves, and serve.

Makes six to eight portions.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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At left, businessman Taylor Griffin of Portland, Maine, died in a vehicle crash near Upper Lake, Calif., on Sunday, October 16, 2011. Riding with him was his company's general manager, Carrie Davenport, 43, of South Freeport, Maine, at right. Davenport, who was seriously injured in the crash, called it in on her cell phone the following day. Courtesy photos.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol on Tuesday released the names of a man killed in a Sunday night collision and the woman riding with him.

Taylor Griffin, 40, of Portland, Maine, died in the crash, according to CHP Officer Korey Reynolds.

Riding with Griffin was 43-year-old Carrie Davenport of South Freeport, Maine, Reynolds said.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Griffin – the head of a luxury food import business, The Rogers Collection – was on the West Coast for a business trip, accompanied by Davenport, his company's director of operations and general manager.

Griffin was driving a rented 2012 Corvette westbound on Highway 20 west of Witter Springs Road when he hit an oak tree, according to a CHP report.

Griffin was ejected from the car and died at the scene, the CHP said.

The crash was discovered Monday morning after Davenport called in the crash on her cell phone, officials reported. She later was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries.

The CHP investigation found that speed was a factor in the crash.

The Portland Press Herald said Griffin had six speeding convictions in Maine since 2004, and had four license suspensions as a result.

Reynolds said Tuesday he did not have information on Davenport's condition.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Taylor Griffin, 40, of Portland, Maine, died on Sunday, October 16, 2011, when the 2012 Corvette he was driving went off Highway 20 and hit an oak tree. Griffin's companion, Carrie Davenport, 43, of South Freeport, Maine, suffered major injuries in the crash. She called in the collision the following morning from her cell phone. Photo by Gary McAuley.

The community program planning meeting will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse Museum, 255 N. Main St. in Lakeport. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.

The Mental Health Services Act has been providing funding to Lake County since 2005 to support a variety of initiatives to assist consumers of mental health services and their families in the local community.

These initiatives include direct services and supports as well as prevention and early intervention programming.

Input from consumers and their families, partner agencies, and representatives from cultural and ethnic populations in Lake County aided in the development of these programs through the Community Program Planning process as required by the act.

At this time, stakeholder participation is requested to further develop workforce education and training, innovation, and capital facilities and technological needs plans.

Transportation and childcare will be provided upon request to those who qualify.

Please RSVP to Sarah Deng, MHSA analyst, at 707-263-4338 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Wednesday, Oct. 19.

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Community members learn about emergency kits from Northlake Medical Pharmacy and are reminded to keep a supply of prescription medication on-hand at the first disaster preparedness expo in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Photo by Terre Logsdon.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Bringing together emergency responders, community groups, businesses and the public, the first disaster preparedness expo held in Lakeport on Saturday was educational for all involved.

The city of Lakeport and Mendo Mill sponsored the event, which took place at Mendo Mill on S. Main Street.

“Not only does this kind of event raise public awareness of what to do in the event of an emergency, but it serves as a networking event for providers of disaster-relief services,” explained Lake County Health Office Dr. Karen Tait.

Gregg Scott, volunteer emergency services coordinator with the Lakeport's Police Department, had written in a news article that residents needed to consider what they and their family would do in the event of an emergency in Lake County – if the power, phone lines, cell phone or other infrastructure were down for an extended period of time.

“Communications between the community and first responders is a critical link that we provide on a regular basis,” explained Arland Souza with the Nice Amateur Radio Club, who said there are more than 300 amateur radio – also called ham radio – operators in Lake County, many of whom, “listen in and assist daily in and for your community.”

Many of the organizations represented at the expo operate on, and are currently seeking, volunteers such as the Lake Evacuation and Protection (LEAP), which cooperates with Lake County Animal Control to aid in the evacuation of domestic animals and livestock in the event of an emergency, and the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps, which assists professionals who want to volunteer during an emergency or disaster.

Informational booths at the event included attorney Dennis Fordham, Lincoln-Levitt insurance, Amerigas, Lake County Vector Control, North Lake Medical Pharmacy, the Nice Amateur Radio Club, CalFire, California Highway Patrol, Timberline Land Management, Vietnam Veterans of America, T-Mobile, the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps, American Red Cross, Lake Evacuation Animal Protection (LEAP), Vulcan Vents, Mark Davis Insurance, Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling and more.

For more information on volunteering with LEAP, contact Nehemiah White at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information on registering to volunteer with the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps, contact Linda Fraser at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Timberline Land Management reminds residents to assist firefighting efforts by maintaining defensible space around homes and structures at a disaster preparedness expo in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Photo by Terre Logsdon.

Caltrans said Tuesday that the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road intersection near Hidden Valley Lake is scheduled to become a three-way stop on Monday, Oct. 24.

On that day the final striping and stop signs will be installed, and California Highway Patrol officers will be on hand helping to slow traffic, Caltrans said.

The three-way stop signs are intended to reduce the number of collisions which have recently increased at this intersection, according to Caltrans. The most recent fatal crash occurred there on June 23.

Message signs have been placed to warn motorists of the upcoming change, and they will remain

in place for at least a week afterwards to remind motorists of the change, Caltrans said.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – California’s political landscape changed significantly on Oct. 10, 1911, but many Californians may not be familiar with that momentous event.

One hundred years ago the number of eligible voters in California roughly doubled overnight when an amendment to the state constitution passed, enfranchising California women nine years before the 19th Amendment granted equal suffrage nationwide.

Official election returns show that this measure barely passed, but it was enough to secure new rights for California women.

Statewide the “yes” vote was 125,037 (50.73 percent), while the “no” votes totaled 121,450 (49.27 percent). Voters in Lake County approved the woman suffrage amendment 471 to 341.

The dry statistics don’t show how long and rocky the path to equal suffrage in California was.

The women and men who supported the cause worked many years to bring it about as powerful interests opposed to women voting campaigned against the measure.

In 1896 liquor interests feared that women would vote for prohibition if they had the vote. The brewing and liquor groups succeeded in defeating California’s suffrage measure on its first outing.

Before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on Aug. 20, 1920, California and several other states had granted suffrage to women. Some suffragists favored the state-by-state avenue to suffrage, while others pursued the federal amendment directly.

As the 19^th century closed, American women were interested in participating in civic life, and Lake County women were no exception.

Women developed their political skills in the years before equal suffrage, participating in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, labor unions, civic clubs and improvement clubs to benefit their communities.

They learned to speak in public and to petition government officials about their causes. Some were active suffragists who pursued the vote and some followed other paths to civic engagement.

California granted women the right to run for school-related offices in 1874 and in 1890 Lake County women began to win offices for which they couldn’t vote.

Women served on local school boards and women held the office of superintendent of Lake County schools for 44 of the years from 1890 to 1942.

Etta Kise Harrington was sworn in 1890, with Hettie Irwin, Minerva Ferguson and Mary Mason Harrow following her. Only Charles Haycock managed to break the gender line and to serve two terms during that period.

After Mary Mason Harrow left office in 1942, men held the office until Judith Luchsinger was elected in 1979.

As the 1896 presidential election fired national debate about Free Silver and the presidential contest between William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley, another political campaign stirred passions in California.

Pro-suffrage supporters had succeeded in placing an amendment to grant women’s suffrage on the ballot and suffragists mounted a determined effort against strong opposition.

Part of the plan was to involve high-level suffragists in the California campaign.

Susan B. Anthony, the septuagenarian pioneer suffragist, came to California to direct the state’s equal suffrage campaign, bringing other well-known suffrage speakers to canvass towns and cities throughout the state.

California women formed suffrage clubs, held conventions and demonstrated for equal suffrage. Lake County’s equal suffrage advocates, both female and male, joined the movement. Women in Upper Lake and Kelseyville formed suffrage clubs in their towns.

Not everyone in Lake County viewed female suffrage as a good thing.

The Clear Lake Press commented on Sept. 24 that “Will Clendenin and O.T. Boardman expect to prove that the government will go where the Rev. Yorke said – to 'tarnashion smash' if the affirmative [suffrage] win.”

Despite the their husbands’ attitudes, Ada Clendenin and Viola Boardman were among those attending Lake County’s biggest suffrage event, the Lake County Women’s Congress, which opened on Sept. 22, 1896. Congress president Emma Ransdell welcomed the guests (female and male) to the two-day program.

Local speakers Marcia Mayfield, W.L. Rideout, Hannah Millard Coffin, the Rev. H.W. Chapman, Ida League, Viola Boardman, Col. Herman Winchester and Lorenzo Scranton presented papers on such topics as “Women in art,” “Women as inventors” and “Mothers of great men.”

The featured speaker, nationally-known suffrage orator Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, spoke both days, where her eloquence, demeanor and intelligence won over the Lake County press corps and an appreciative audience.

Shaw spoke about how the qualifications for voting had changed over the centuries, becoming more liberal at each change, leaving sex as the only qualification.

She raised the question, “Why not eliminate the word “male” as a qualification?” Shaw disposed of all arguments against women’s suffrage to the satisfaction of her audience.

Since her birth in England, Shaw had traveled a long way, both geographically and intellectually.

The Shaw family migrated to the United States when Anna was a child, settling in rural Michigan. In an era when higher education for women was uncommon, Shaw earned both a divinity degree and an M.D., but found her true calling as a pro-suffrage speaker. Her oratorical skills made her a national star of the suffrage movement around the turn of the 20th century. In 1896, Lakeport was just one of many California towns on her itinerary.

The Lake County Bee on Sept. 23, 1896, approved Shaw’s manner and described her as “a pleasant, agreeable lady, and far, very far, from being the vinegar visaged, long, lank masculine creature, such as the caricaturist generally represents the woman suffragist to be. She is refined and intelligent, kind and gentle, and withal, possessed of an intellect such as few of her opponents possess.” Other local writers were similarly impressed.

A few days before the election the Lake County Bee urged its readers to vote for suffrage because “[e]veryone who believes in justice cannot be true to themselves and do otherwise.”

Despite the efforts of pro-suffrage activists, the equal suffrage amendment lost on Nov. 3, 1896. Lake County voters voted against it 718 to 603 and statewide it lost 110,355 to 137,099.

Next week, the effort for suffrage continues.

Author's note: In researching this article, the writer was not able to find photographs of any Lake County suffrage events in the collection of the Lake County Museum. If any reader knows of photos of any suffrage events, please contact Jan Cook at Lakeport Library, 707-263-8817.

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