Friday, 29 March 2024

News

MENDOCINO COUNTY – On Friday a Southern California man was sentenced to more htan 30 years in prison for a home invasion robbery and assault case that authorities allege was motivated by plans to steal marijuana.


Thirty-three-year-old Long Beach resident Juan Octavio Fernandez, also known as Angel Morales-Orellana, was sentenced to 30 years and eight months to life by Judge Richard Henderson, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.


He was charged with home invasion robbery, aggravated kidnapping for robbery and 11 other felonies and 13 special allegations.


Fernandez was convicted after a week and a half trial by a seven-woman, five-man jury, which reached its verdict at the end of the second day of deliberations, officials reported. Deputy District Attorney Brian Newman, with attorney Paul Lozada representing Fernandez.


In early January of 2008, Fernandez and six other men allegedly invaded a Branscomb home. The men, some of whom were wearing masks tied up the homeowner and imprisoned his wife and two small children in a bedroom while they ransacked the house.


When there were unable to find any money or marijuana they began to torture the man using an electronic stun gun, blows to the head, and even stabbed him with a fork.


It was only when he was threatened with a gun that the homeowner agreed to show them where the money was hidden. Three of the men, including Fernandez took the homeowner to a location about a half-mile away where the money was found hidden in a stump. On the way they had to cross a rain swollen creek via a makeshift bridge.


Once they had the money the robbers took virtually everything of value from the house and fled in two vehicles. Before fleeing they gagged the homeowner and his wife and duct-taped them to two chairs. They locked the children, ages 2 and 6, in the bathroom. The homeowner was able to free himself and alert law enforcement.


Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies located Fernandez driving one of the getaway vehicles just north of Ukiah and began to the chase. After stopping initially at the West Road overcrossing, Fernandez and the other men fled south on highway 101 at speeds of over 90 miles per hour.


California Highway Patrol officers joined the chase and deployed a spike strip on the freeway at Gobbi street. Fernandez avoided the spike strip and then took the Talmage exit.


During the chase the firearm, stun gun and other evidence were thrown out of the vehicle. The chase continued on the back roads to Hopland where Fernandez ran over a second spike strip. The chase did not end until reaching the Mendocino-Sonoma county line. Fernandez was the driver and the vehicle was full of property taken from the home, and more than $37,000 in cash.


Seven men are known to have participated in the robbery. Johan Espinosa, age 26 of Long Beach, has entered a guilty plea to seven felonies and admitted one special allegation. He is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 15 years in state prison.


Ruben Salazar, age 42 of Long Beach, also entered a guilty plea to seven felonies and admitted one special allegation. He has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison.


Ryan Whitman, age 35 of Fort Bragg, entered guilty pleas to two felonies and has been sentenced to 11 years in State Prison.


Anthony Melendez, age 44 of Los Angeles, has his case set for trial to begin May 3. Law enforcement is still seeking the remaining two men.


District Attorney Meredith Lintott said this kind of violent crime stems from marijuana production – five of the seven men involved traveled here for no other reason than to commit a violent robbery of a person they believed to be a marijuana grower.


Lintott said she intends that every person who comes to this county and commits a violent crime will face the full punishment allowed by law.


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KELSEYVILLE – Faced with another year of budget challenges, local school district representatives gathered on Tuesday to hear about ways to work together to achieve cost-savings and improved services to schools and students.


More than 40 people – including representatives from all seven Lake County school districts and members of the public – gathered at Kelseyville High School for the “Shared Services Workshop.”


The school districts in Lake County are facing devastating cuts in funding from the state and are looking at all options for capturing cost savings that can be used to support school programs, according to a report from the Lake County Office of Education.


As part of the effort, the Lake County Superintendent of Schools Dave Geck and the Lake County Board of Education hosted the workshop for board members, administrators and members of the public.


Geck shared that the focus of the evening was “to listen and learn about strategies that may have potential for our county.”


A panel of representatives from districts outside of Lake County described their success in implementing shared services strategies.


“Shared Services” were described as strategies where school districts collaborate to take advantage of individual district resources, create economies of scale and reduce redundancies.


The panel presentation was a part of a special board meeting that began with dinner provided by the Kelseyville food services program.


After the dinner, Superintendent Geck opened the panel presentation by explaining that the evening was the result of the Lake County Board of Education’s desire to seek ways to enhance efficiencies and effectiveness in services to schools and students in order to help districts use the cost savings to support student learning.


He described the ongoing work being done by school districts to create savings by utilizing county-wide opportunities for joint purchasing of custodial supplies, diesel, gas, oil and propane.


Geck also mentioned the shared transportation services model being used in the Upper Lake and Lucerne districts, where they share a transportation director, buses, bus drivers and bus maintenance staff.


He then introduced the panel members and they shared their experience with shared services.


They included Suzanne Grass, director of child nutrition services for the Grass Valley School District, who explained how she and her staff provided food services to the elementary school districts in Nevada County.


Her program provides breakfast and lunch meals to the districts that then warm the meals and serve them to their students.


She shared that the Grass Valley School District had been providing this service for over 30 years.


During the question and answer period, when asked about maintaining nutritional standards with the prepackaged meals, Grass responded that she must meet the same standards that individual districts are required to meet.


The next panel member, Keller McDonald Superintendent of the West Sonoma County High School District, described the shared transportation services provided by the West County Transportation Agency.


The agency was established in 1988 by seven elementary school districts and one high school district. The goal of the agency is “to provide safe and student centered services at the most reasonable cost.”


He listed as benefits to the districts optimal bus routes, optimal use and management of the bus fleet, cost savings on fuel purchasing and access to regional bus replacement grants for conversion to compressed natural gas. McDonald also said centralized employee training and retention was a plus.


When asked about the impact on employees when the agency began, he stated that all employees were ensured full employment for a set period of time and that employee salary schedules were tied to salaries for school transportation employees in the region.


The final panel member was Dr. Sue Field, superintendent of the Bennett Valley Union School District. She shared a variety of areas where her district was participating in shared services with neighboring districts.


Field explained that the opportunity for collaboration can be as simple as sharing a staff member between two small districts that were individually unable to offer a full time assignment, but together could do so together.


She discussed the potential for collaboration in the area of business services, like human resources support and payroll. Her district was pleased with the food services they were receiving from the Santa Rosa City Schools and transportation services from the West County Transportation Agency.


After questions and answers, Geck wrapped up the workshop by listing next steps that will be facilitated by his office.


He said he would invite stakeholders from all the school districts to participate in a work group that would be charged with addressing four questions:


  • Do additional shared services make sense considering our local circumstances in Lake County?

  • What services, if any, are the best candidates for additional shared services?

  • What legal structures best match our needs for supporting shared services in Lake County?

  • What is the realistic time frame for implementing any identified shared services?


He thanked the panel members for their presentations and the audience for their participation. County Board Vice President, George Ryder thanked everyone as well and closed the meeting.


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SACRAMENTO – On Wednesday California Secretary of State Debra Bowen certified an initiative that would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana, which is scheduled to appear on the Nov. 2 General Election ballot.


It's the second ballot measure for November that Bowen has certified, the first being related to the state water supply.


The last day to qualify any measure for the November General Election ballot is June 24.


In order to qualify for the ballot, the marijuana initiative needed 433,971 valid petition signatures, which is equal to 5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2006 General Election.


The initiative proponents submitted 694,248 signatures in an attempt to qualify the measure, and it qualified through the random sample signature check.


County elections officials have 30 working days to verify the validity of the signatures filed with

their offices using a random sampling method. The state Elections Code requires county elections officials to verify 500 signatures, or 3 percent of the number of signatures filed in their county, whichever is greater.


Counties receiving fewer than 500 petition signatures are required to verify all the signatures filed in their elections offices.


An initiative can qualify via random sampling, without further verification, if the sampling projects a number of valid signatures greater than 110 percent of the required number. This initiative needed at least 477,369 projected valid signatures to qualify by random sampling, and it exceeded that threshold today.


The Attorney General’s official title and summary of the initiative is as follows:


CHANGES CALIFORNIA LAW TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND ALLOW IT TO BE REGULATED AND TAXED. INITIATIVE STATUTE.


Allows people 21 years old or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. Permits local governments to regulate and tax commercial production and sale of marijuana to people 21 years old or older. Prohibits people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or providing it to anyone under 21 years old. Maintains current prohibitions against driving while impaired. Summary of estimate by governments: Savings of up to several tens of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments on the costs of incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders. Unknown but potentially major tax, fee, and benefit

assessment revenues to state and local government related to the production and sale of marijuana products. (09-0024.)


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Kelsey Creek has seen an especially large run of the Clear Lake Hitch this year. Here they're pictured on Thursday, March 18, 2010. Photo by Philip Murphy.

 

 

 

 

 

 


LAKE COUNTY – The annual spawning migration of the Clear Lake hitch seems to be at its peak, with indications that this remarkable spectacle may be particularly spectacular this year.


The hitch (lavinia exilicauda chi) is a fish found only in Clear Lake and a California listed Species of Special Concern; they live deep in the lake most of the year, but during a brief breeding season every spring move up into the surrounding creeks.


Once present in unimaginable abundance, hitch were a valuable food source for wildlife and of great importance to the native people of the region, but their population has declined substantially over the past 50 years, for reasons that are not completely understood.


Recently they have been found in reliably large numbers only in Kelsey and Adobe creeks.


This year might just be different.


The Chi Council, an organization dedicated to the long-term survival of the hitch and which has recruited dozens of volunteers to observe the spawning migration, has as usual recorded large schools in both Kelsey and Adobe creeks.


Numbers were especially high in Kelsey Creek, where one grouping below the detention structure off Finley East Road was described as being 20 yards long and containing perhaps 10,000 fish, “more fish than water.”


Also, for the first time in several years, the group has received observations from Robinson, Pool, Hendricks, Manning and Clover creeks.


The most exciting news of all was a report of a school consisting of a few hundred hitch in Middle Creek, where the county has constructed a series of rock weirs to facilitate fish passage.


This the first significant sighting in Middle Creek since 2006, which also happens to be the last year of “normal” rainfall in the Clear Lake basin.


Details about the hitch run are available at the Chi Council website, http://lakelive.info/chicouncil, where still photographs and a video of spawning in progress have also been posted.


The council is also hoping to schedule a field trip to see the 2010 migration in person. This event has tentatively been planned for Saturday, March 27.


For confirmation and meetup details, check the Web site or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


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Clear Lake Hitch pictured in Clover Creek in Lake County Calif., on Thursday, March 18, 2010. Photo by Tom Smythe.
 

LAKEPORT – Lakeport Speedway will host its inaugural car show, the “Show and Shine,” at Kelseyville Lumber on Sunday, March 28.


The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m.


KXBX 98.3 FM radio will broadcast live from the show for its duration.


The first 200 people to show up will receive a free Lakeport Speedway Scratcher.


Come see the new Coors Light Modifieds, and the always entertaining Clover Hydro Jammers.


Also at the car show will be the NCRA Mini Stock and Street Stocks. There will be the Champion from the Airport Auto Brokers Late Models as well as cars from The Snake Pit Development Bombers.


On Display will be the No. 3 car that Dale Earnhardt drove, presented by Andy Scopazzi.


There will be a custom tricked out Milk Van on display from Lake County Car Audio & Security with a bumping sound system cranked up.


We will have the biggest hand-built rock crawlers in the county put together by Lake County Off Road.


Come on out with the family and see all the fun people, cars, and get some signed autographs from the drivers of all these crazy machines.


The speedway is getting pumped for its action-packed season with five Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino Boat Races and back again this season the Lake County Off Road Destruction derbies.


The Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino Boat Racers will be running for the first time for the McAtee Marine Repair Points Fund.


The Lake County Off Road Destruction Derbies will go into their second points season at Lakeport Speedway. It is crazy, it is insane, it is the best entertainment one can buy for the money at Lakeport Speedway.


Also back on the Fourth of July Weekend will be the 22nd annual Deake Lyndall Memorial.


Come out to the speedway this year and be part of the record breaking attendance at the largest entertainment venue in Lake County – the Lakeport Speedway, your community-based not-for-profit speedway and the place for family entertainment.


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Carl Stuckey Jr. of Paradise, Calif., crashed his 1995 Kit Fox model XL single engine aircraft at the Willows Aircraft in Willows, Calif., on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Photo by Glenn County Sheriff's Det. Greg Felton.






WILLOWS – A Paradise man escaped injury Wednesday when the small airplane he was flying crashed at the Willows Airport in Glenn County.


Carl Donald Stuckey Jr., 62, was flying an experimental class Kit Fox model XL single engine aircraft and approaching the landing strip at the Willows Airport when the plane's engine stalled, according to a report from Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones.


A motorist traveling along Interstate 5, Dane Entze of Oregon City, Ore., saw the crash and called 911. Sheriff’s Community Service Officer Barry Corbin was at the Sheriff’s Animal Control Office at the airport and responded immediately, confirming Stuckey was uninjured, Jones reported.


Stuckey told Det. Greg Felton, who was assigned to conduct a preliminary investigation, that he had departed the Paradise Airport at approximately 9:15 a.m. using visual flight rules and was en route to the Willows Airport to eat breakfast at the Airport Café.


As Stuckey was above the runway making his approach to land, the engine stalled, and when the tires impacted with the pavement, the aircraft bounced off the runway, Jones reported.


Stuckey said he added full power in order to level the aircraft and continue the landing process, however the plane bounced again upon contact with pavement. He then reportedly added power and attempted to correct but the craft ground looped, taking him off the runway impacting the grassy area between the runway and the southbound lanes of Interstate 5, Jones said.


The aircraft came to rest some distance from the interstate. The report said the smell of fuel was heavy in the air, however there was no fire.


The aircraft, manufactured in 1995, sustained major damage to the propeller, engine cowling and tail section. Jones said that Stuckey insisted, even though experiencing a crash landing, he sustained no injuries and declined medical examination.


Federal Aviation Administration Investigator Jim Hinson was contacted and requested the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office forward its report and photographs to the FAA, Jones said.


Glenn County Airport Manager Randy Murphy responded to the scene and inspected the runway for any possible damage; which he did not find. The airport was at no point closed to normal operations.


Jones said the Kit Fox was removed from the impact site by airport staff and will be temporarily stored in a hanger until the pilot can make arrangements for its removal.


The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office made arrangements for Stuckey’s transportation back to the Paradise Airport, Jones said.


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LAKE COUNTY – After highs in the upper 60s and 70s for the previous week, Thursday's return to cooler weather is reminiscent of recent winter weather.


In recent days there have been reports of hail and snow flurries around Lake County, with more rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast and a hazardous weather outlook issued for Lake County Friday through Wednesday.


According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, Friday and Saturday skies will clear again and spring-like temperatures will return, with highs in the low 60 to mid 60s as high pressure builds over the county.


However, a series of storms will take aim at the area for much of next week beginning Saturday evening.


Clouds and rain return on Sunday, increasing throughout the day, with rainfall totals expected near three-quarters of an inch, according to the National Weather Service.


On Monday, the precipitation is forecast to increase, and the National Weather Service expects 2 inches of rainfall over areas of Lake County, with snow levels dropping below 3,500 feet overnight.


Rain showers are likely through the end of next week with a break on Friday, the National Weather Service reported.


Throughout these series of storms, temperatures are forecast to be mild in Lake County with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s, with rain totals nearing 3 inches.


The Sierra Nevada Mountains may accumulate several more feet of snow – ideal for springtime skiing, forecasters said.

 

For the latest weather information, please visit the link on the home page.


E-mail Terre Logsdon 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 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

LAKE COUNTY – The first major campaign finance filing for candidates in local races shows that nearly $49,000 has been raised over the last two months.

The statements cover the period from Jan. 1 through March 17.


Contributions include cash, nonmonetary gifts and loans.


The race that's raised the most money so far is for Lake County superintendent of schools, with more than $25,000 raised.


Candidate Wally Holbrook brought in just over $20,005 in contributions – the largest amount of any candidate in any race so far. That includes $4,000 in loans, nearly $8,500 in nonmonetary contributions and about $7,500 in cash.


His opponent in the race, Judy Luchsinger, raised just over $5,400 – all in cash contributions – in the same period.


Nearly $7,500 was raised in the two-month reporting period by district attorney candidates, with incumbent Jon Hopkins bringing in just over $5,300 compared to challengers Doug Rhoades, with $1,450, and Don Anderson, with $665.


The three sheriff's candidates brought in, combined, just under $4,000 during the reporting period. Challenger Jack Baxter raised $1,650, incumbent Rod Mitchell had $1,649 and challenger Francisco Rivero reported $680 in contributions.


In the race for District 2 supervisor, Joyce Overton raised just over $1,700, with incumbent Jeff Smith reporting no contributions during that period.


For the District 3 supervisorial race, incumbent Denise Rushing reported just over $9,500, while challenger Bob Hesterberg reported $900 in contributions, which he made to himself in the form of a loan. The other challenger in the race, Gary Lewis, filed a special form in which he stated he intends to raise less than $1,000.


Breakdowns for the financial reports follow.


DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Don Anderson

Beginning cash balance: $1,000
Total contributions received this period: $665
Itemized contributions: $600
Unitemized contributions: $65
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Expenditures: $0
Total cash ending balance: $1,665
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Richard Allen, Clearlake Oaks, retired, $100
L.R. Russ Addiss, Kelseyville, Self-employed accountant, $500


Jon Hopkins

Beginning cash balance: $200
Total contributions received this period: $5,319
Itemized contributions: $3,650
Unitemized contributions: $669
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans: $1,000 (made to self)
Expenditures: $1,882.83 ($1,566.06 itemized, $316.77 unitemized)
Total cash ending balance: $3,636.17
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Frederick Lambert, Half Moon Bay, professor, Hastings College of the Law, $500
Gerri Brown, Kelseyville, victim advocate, county of Lake, $100
John Candido, Lakeport, retired, $100
James Hagan, Lakeport, podiatrist, $500
Dana Kearney, Kelseyville, pharmacy technician, Northlake Medical Pharmacy, $100
Gary Cambra, Lakeport, auto sales, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet, $100
Patricia Novatny, Clearlake, landscape design, Highlands Landscaping, $100
Milo Hoovler, Clearlake, auto parts sales, Clearlake Auto Parts, $100
Brad Onorato, Napa, district representative for Congressman Mike Thompson, $250
Christian L. Hansen, Kelseyville, retired, $100
Toni M. Scully, Lakeport, pear grower, Scully Packing Co., $100
Richard Hinchcliff, Lakeport, chief deputy district attorney, county of Lake, $300
James Rothberg, Cobb, mortgage broker, Mountain Mortgage, $100
Kathleen Serano, Carlsbad, retired, $100
Jack Williams, Oceanside, retired, $100
Carol Germenis, Cobb, retired, $100
Tom Cushing, Santa Rosa, psychologist, $250
Donna Thomas, Lakeport, real estate, TFI LLC, $200
Susan J. Martin, Kelseyville, retired, $100
Pamela Maes, Kelseyville, nurse practitioner, Maes Family Practice, $100
Jim Fetzer, Lucerne, winery owner, Ceago Vinegarden, $250

Itemized expenditures

Lake County Registrar of Voters, filing fees, $550.50
Lake County Registrar of Voters, filing fees, $1,015.56


Douglas Rhoades

Beginning cash balance: $0
Total contributions received this period: $1,450
Itemized contributions: $1,250
Unitemized contributions: $200
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans: $0
Expenditures: $135.83 ($125 itemized, $10.83 unitemized)
Total cash ending balance: $1,314.17
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Laurel Groshong, Lakeport, retired state administrator, $250
Nancy Rhoades, Kelseyville, educator, Lake County Office of Education, $500
Ron Green, Lower Lake, attorney, $100
Mitchell Hauptman, Lakeport, attorney, $200
Bill Wolfe, Kelseyville, retired tire salesman, $100
Quinn Law Offices, Lower Lake, attorney, $100

Itemized expenditures:

Staples, printing materials for campaign literature, $125


SHERIFF

Jack Baxter

Beginning cash balance: $0
Total contributions received this period: $1,650
Itemized contributions: $1,650
Unitemized contributions: $0
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans: $0
Expenditures: $74.21 (all unitemized)
Total cash ending balance: $1,650
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

John Cassotta, Valencia, retired, $100
Richard T. Long, Mission Viejo, vice president and director of law enforcement, 3SI Security Systems, $500
Amy Glazer, Lakeport, retired, $1,050


Rodney Mitchell

Beginning cash balance: $4,375.43
Total contributions received this reporting period: $1,649
Itemized contributions: $1,100
Unitemized contributions: $199
Nonmonetary contributions: $350
Loans: $0
Expenditures: $2,507.26 ($1,763.38 itemized, $393.88 unitemized)
Total cash ending balance: $3,517.17
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Morton Levine, Clearlake, self-employed physician, $100
Terry Fries, Kelseyville, self-employed, Fries & Fries Consulting, $500
Phil Garner, Clearlake Oaks, lineman, Pacific Gas & Electric, $100
Mike Browning, Middletown, self-employed, The Cowpoke Cafe, $200
Gil Vanattenhoven, Folsom, self-employed, Van & Associates, $100
James Walker, Kelseyville, master electrician, Sonoma County, $100

Nonmonetary contributions:

Becky Mitchell, Lakeport, disabled, Web site development, $350

Itemized expenditures:

Robert Pierce, photography, $143.15
Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate filing fee, $1,069.73
Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate's statement for ballot, $550.50


Francisco Rivero

Beginning cash balance: $1,705.91
Total contributions received this reporting period: $680
Total contributions received calendar year to date: $3,229.22
Itemized contributions: $250
Unitemized contributions: $430
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans received year-to-date: $2,499
Expenditures this reporting period: $1,376.98
Expenditures for this calendar year: $2,220.29
Total cash ending balance: $1,009.91
Outstanding debts: $2,499

Itemized contributions:

Randall Aiman-Smith, Oakland, self-employed attorney, $250

Itemized expenditures:

Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate's statement publishing fee, $550
Lake County Registrar of Voters, filing fee, $794


LAKE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

Wally Holbrook

Beginning cash balance: $579.52
Total contributions received this reporting period: $20,005.75
Total contributions received calendar year to date: $21,005.75
Itemized contributions: $5,094
Unitemized contributions: $2,412
Nonmonetary contributions: $8,499.75
Loans received year-to-date: $4,000
Expenditures this reporting period: $18,770.37
Expenditures for this calendar year: $18,770.37
Total cash ending balance: $5,035.13
Outstanding debt: $7,109.75

Itemized contributions:

James Hermann, Kelseyville, retired, $100
Amy Wind, Lakeport, esthetician, Lakewind Skincare, $200
Dennis Rollins, Lakeport, retired, $160
Cathy Brennan, Lakeport, retired, $500
Robert R. Riggs, Kelseyville, attorney, Katzoff & Riggs, $200
A.K. Holbrook, Tucson, Ariz., retired, $1,000
Carol Bettencourt, Lucerne, retired, $100
Pam and Gary Maes, Kelseyville, nurse practitioner and doctor, $100
Mark A. Cooper, Clearlake, dentist, Clearlake Dental, $100
Marsha Thibodeaux, Kelseyville, counselor, Safe Schools Lake County Office of Education, $100
Korby Olson, Hidden Valley, district superintendent, Middletown Unified School District, $175
Flora Krasnovsky, Oakland, retired, $100
Walter Lyon, Kelseyville, farmer, $100
Dan McAdams, Lafayette, retired, $250
Michael Casey, Lakeport, retired, $200
Cameron Reeves, Lakeport, retired, $200
Tom Jordan, Lakeport, management consulting, Cerenio Management Group, $100
John Berry, Kelseyville, Kelseyville Unified School District principal and Lake County Record-Bee golf columnist, $150
Carleton Stewart, Kelseyville, school principal, Konocti Unified School District, $150
Dorothy Christiansen, Walnut Creek, retired, $100
Robert Groves, Fairfield, retired, $499
Thomas Nixon, Kelseyville, retired, $200
James Robert Hilton, Kelseyville, retired, $100
James Knox, Lakeport, retired, $100
April Leiferman, Kelseyville, principal, Konocti Unified School District, $110

Loans:

Wally Holbrook, $1,000
Linda Holbrook, $3,000

Nonmonetary contributions:

Marc and Brenda Hooper, Kelseyville, consultant, Ag Unlimited and Lyman Group Inc., creation and maintenance of Web site and database, $8,499.75

Itemized expenditures:

Clearlake Rotary, Clearlake, civic donations, $500
Gary Olsen, Kelseyville, campaign consultant, $1,000
Ireland Agency Inc., Windsor, meetings and appearances, $475
Lake County News, Lucerne, advertising, $150
Lakeport Yacht Club, Lakeport, meetings and appearances, $150
Linda Holbrook, Kelseyville, $273.57 (subvendor, Uline, Waukegan, Ill., campaign literature and mailings; subvendor, Badge-A-Mini, Oglesby, IL, campaign paraphernalia
Linnell Printing, Kelseyville, campaign literature and mailings, $1,447.31
PayPal, San Jose, bank transaction fees, $106.66
RA Hamilton Co., Hidden Valley Lake, campaign paraphernalia, $389.70
Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate filing and statement fees, $2,153.59
Rob Roy Golf Course, Cobb, meetings and appearances, $180
Soper-Reese Community Theatre, meetings and appearances, $100

Accrued expenditures:

Linda Holbrook, Kelseyville, $2,109.75 (subvendor, Econoline Signs Inc., Santa Rosa, campaign paraphernalia)


Judy Luchsinger

Beginning cash balance: $0
Total contributions received this reporting period: $5,438
Itemized contributions: $1,300
Unitemized contributions: $4,138
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans received year to date: $0
Expenditures this reporting period: $6,624.20
Total cash ending balance: $3,013.80
Outstanding debts: $4,200

Itemized contributions:

David and Loraine James, Clearlake Oaks, retired, $500
Tom and Ruth Lincoln, Lakeport, owners, Lincoln-Leavitt Insurance Agency, $200
William C. and Victoria N. Myer, Kelseyville, owners, Piedmont Lumber, $500
William H. H. Wolfe, Kelseyville, retired, $100

Itemized expenditures:

Andrew Luchsinger, Tucson, Ariz., Web design, $400
Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation, Lakeport, meetings and appearances, $500
Lake County Registrar of Voters, Lakeport, candidate filing and statement fees, $1,524.20


DISTRICT 2 SUPERVISOR

Joyce Overton

Beginning cash balance: $0
Total contributions received this reporting period: $1,708.58
Itemized contributions: $1,200
Unitemized contributions: $508.58
Nonmonetary contributions: $380
Loans received year to date: $500 (to self)
Expenditures this reporting period: $1,528.05
Total cash ending balance: $680.53
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Piedad Treadway, Clearlake, retired, $1,000
Friends of Pat Wiggins 2010, Santa Rosa, state senator, $100
Joan Moore, Clearlake, In-Home Supportive Services, $100

Nonmonetary contributions:

Dian Gibson, Clearlake, owner, Sunset Resort, printing, $200

Itemized expenditures:

Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate statement, $268.06
Lake County Registrar of Voters, pro-rated filing fee, $475.52
Register.com, Web site domain registration, $109
Voteahost.com, Web site hosting, $105.35


Jeff Smith

Beginning cash balance: $2,683.68
Total contributions received this reporting period: $0
Itemized contributions: $0
Unitemized contributions: $0
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans received year to date: $0
Expenditures this reporting period: $826.98
Total cash ending balance: $1,864.85
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized expenditures:

Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate's statement, $268.06
Lake County Registrar of Voters, candidate's filing fee, $550.77


DISTRICT 3 SUPERVISOR

Gary Lewis

Lewis filed a Form 470, which means he does not anticipate raising or spending more than $1,000 this calendar year.


Robert Hesterberg

Beginning cash balance: $0
Total contributions received this reporting period: $900
Itemized contributions: $900
Unitemized contributions: $0
Nonmonetary contributions: $0
Loans received year to date: $900 (to self)
Expenditures this reporting period: $282.23
Total cash ending balance: $617.77
Outstanding debts: $900

Itemized expenditures:

Lake County Registrar of Voters, filing fee, $282.23


Denise Rushing

Beginning cash balance: $467.77
Total contributions received this reporting period: $9,506
Itemized contributions: $7,475
Unitemized contributions: $579
Nonmonetary contributions: 1,452
Loans received year to date: $0
Expenditures this reporting period: $2,635.75
Total cash ending balance: $8,234.02
Outstanding debts: $0

Itemized contributions:

Harris and Lamb LLC, Clearlake Oaks, Internet business sales, $1,000 ($1,409 year-to-date)
Mike Thompson for Congress, Sacramento, $1,000
Howard Friel, Kelseyville, retired, $100
Victoria Brandon, Lower Lake, retired, $500
Paul Bradford Onorato, Napa, field aide for Congressman Mike Thompson, $500
Lars Crail, Kelseyville, farmer, $500
Paul Marchand and Juliana Vidich, physician at Sutter Lakeside Hospital and rancher, $2,500
Roberto Lozano, Kelseyville, retired, $100
Steve DeVoto, Kelseyville, farmer, $500
Susanne La Faver, Hidden Valley Lake, retired, $100
Tyler Lee, Lucerne, retired, $250
Blaine Wishart, Kelseyville, retired, $200
Carol Bettencourt, Lucerne, retired, $100 ($160 year-to-date)
Irenia Quitiquit, Nice, environmental director, Scotts Valley Pomo, $25 ($380 year-to-date)
Ed Robey, Lower Lake, retired, $100

Nonmonetary contributions:

Loretta McCarthy, Upper Lake, retired, silent auction – jewelry and jar, $115
Denise Rushing, Upper Lake, District 3 supervisor, silent auction – beverage cases and eggs, $308
Grant Murray Jr., Upper Lake, retired, silent auction – wine barrel, $150
Clarke's Collectibles, business, silent auction – collectible, hall rental from Sons of Italy, $270
Harris and Lamb LLC, Clearlake Oaks, Internet sales, silent auction – kayak, $409

Itemized expenditures:

PayPal Inc., San Jose, bank service fees, $132.73
Lake County Registrar of Voters, Lakeport, filing fees, $483.12
Harbor House Restaurant, Nice, fundraising events, $230.05
Cafepress.com, Foster City, campaign paraphernalia, $146.12

Miscellaneous increases to cash:

Luisa Acosta, Finley, silent auction items – teapot, photo, egg plate, collectibles, $110
Lona Jeppeson, Lucerne, silent auction items – earrings, jewelry, statues, $100
Irenia Quitiquit, Nice, silent auction item – inflatable kayak, $355

The next deadline for candidates' campaign finance filing will be May 27, according to the Lake County Registrar of Voters' election calendar.


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 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Image
Equipment placed on a barge on the lake in Lucerne, Calif., is being used to construct a new 180-foot-long pier as part of the Third Avenue Plaza project. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.



 

LUCERNE – Work on a new pier for the town of Lucerne is under way, with park expansion to follow.


The Third Avenue Plaza project, the planning and grant work which has been under way since early 2005, will include a new pier and land improvements at Third Avenue and Highway 20, according to county Deputy Redevelopment Director Eric Seely.


Seely said the project's first phase is the 180-foot-long pier and a seawall, scheduled to be completed by May 1.


The pier will have a 40 foot by 60 foot deck at the end, with a 15 foot by 30 foot shade structure, Seely said. A pump for the irrigation system on land also will be installed on the pier to upgrade the system at Alpine Park and the area next to the pier.


Seely said the pier project has several funding streams, including the Wildlife Conservation Board, a state funding source, and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, for a total of $472,000.


Because of the competitiveness of the bidding market right now, the money is also being used to cover a portion of the seawall, which Seely said the county didn't initially anticipate.


Once the pier project is done, work on the landward improvements will start around June 1, with completion slated for around September, he said. The land improvements will include new landscaping, picnic tables, new sidewalks and other amenities.


Several sources also are funding the improvements on land, he said, including the state's Roberti-Z'Berg-Harris grant fund, which is supplying $500,000 toward the park improvements, plus $300,000 from the redevelopment agency and a match of between $100,000 and $150,000 from the county general fund for the state grant.


A feasibility study on the project was done in June of 2005 and the permitting process started in 2007. Seely said county funds were used to buy the land on both sides of a home on the lakeshore known locally as “the blue monster.” That house later was purchased by the county and torn down, and will be part of the park area.


The overall project has had delays as the county has worked with a number of state and federal agencies, which Seely said included the Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Fish and Game and Caltrans.


Seely said the project has had to undergo revisions, mostly to do with requirements from Caltrans. That's because the project includes new sidewalks in the Highway 20 right-of-way.


“It's been a long process working with Caltrans,” he said, with some fine tuning still under way.


Seely said the project was broken into two parks for reasons including the hope that a local marine contractor would bid on the pier. However, the lowest responsible bid came from a Redding firm, Stewart Engineering.


They also had time limits to the grant funding, which he said necessitated moving forward with the project's most critical parts – the pier and seawall – first, in order to avoid losing the money.


He added that the state also was having problems issuing bonds to cover its grant obligations. “We weren't sure that was going to happen.”


In recent years the county's redevelopment agency has made significant investments in Lucerne.


Those include park and restroom improvements, purchases of land as part of the promenade, bank stabilization and tree planting along Lucerne Creek, sidewalk projects, the Harbor Village Artists colony, and new playground equipment at Lucerne Harbor Park, to name a few.


Seely didn't have a figure readily available for the overall investment in the community, but noted, “It's a substantial amount.”


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 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

THE ADDRESS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE HAS BEEN CORRECTED.

 

LAKE COUNTY – Several years ago a US Housing and Urban Development report estimated that 1 to 1.5 percent of people living in Lake County are homeless. In 2007 this translated to somewhere between 639 to 959 homeless persons in Lake County.


Who are the homeless?


  • 85 percent of homeless families are headed by single mothers with an annual income of less than $8,000;

  • 40 percent needing transitional housing are women, mostly fleeing domestic violence;

  • 25 to 40 percent of the homeless in Lake County are children;

  • There are more homeless children now than in the Great Depression;

  • Of all homeless men, 33 percent are veterans.


With the rapid rise of unemployment in Lake County these numbers are not likely to go down soon, but we can end homelessness if we as a community have a will to do so.


A more complete picture is needed if we are going to end homelessness in Lake County, but how do we get the better picture?


One tool in our arsenal is the US Census and the dozens of community agencies and churches that are already attempting to meet the needs of people presently experiencing homelessness.


On Monday and Wednesday of next week these groups have banded together to create a place where homeless people can come to be counted for the census and receive benefits.


The US Census count is safe and confidential. No information will be collected except the 10 questions on the census form and that information with not be shared with anyone outside of the census.


Even the Patriot Act does not have the power to require a release of information (despite what some You Tube videos are saying).


At two of the sites (Clearlake and Upper Lake) people coming to be counted will receive a backpack, one day’s worth of food, a flashlight and a hygiene kit. At the third site (Middletown) they will be provided with hot coffee, a continental breakfast and a hygiene kit.


The problem? We have to get the word out!


If you are part of a service agency that receives requests for help from people who are homeless (think couch surfers and people living out of their cars, as well), please refer them to one of these three sites.


If you see someone asking for money or carrying a sign saying they are homeless and will work for food – don’t pass them by without looking them in the eye. Ask if they heard that free food is available if they will just show up and be counted.


The sites are as follows:


  • Monday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lighthouse in Clearlake, located at 14147 Lakeshore Drive;

  • Wednesday, March 31, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Middletown, located at 15833 Armstrong St.;

  • Wednesday, March 31, from noon to 4 p.m. at Northshore Christian Fellowship, located at 9456 Main St., Upper Lake.


How will a more accurate count help us to end homelessness in Lake County?


First and foremost it will give us a more accurate picture of the problem, but the US Census data also controls the disbursement of millions of dollars of aid that will go to programs like those addressing food insecurity and homelessness. Please, help Lake County be counted!


Rev. Shannon Kimbell-Auth leads the congregation at United Christian Parish in Lakeport and is a member of the Lake County Complete Count Committee for this year's US Census effort.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

LAKE COUNTY – Communities, colleges and whole states are trying to woo Google into bringing its fiber project to their areas, and now Lake County has jumped into the competition.


The Lake County Information Technology Department is completing a response to the company's request for information, which is due by 5 p.m. Friday.


In conjunction with that effort, a Facebook page titled “Lake County for Google Fiber” went live Wednesday evening.


The page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lake-County-for-Google-Fiber/112982728711959?ref=tsf .


Community members also can separately nominate Lake County to strengthen its selection chances by visiting www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options .


The Google Fiber experiment is an effort that the company hopes “will make Internet access better and faster for everyone.”


It will include testing ultra-high speed broadband networks with fiber-to-the-home connections in one or more trial locations across the country, with a plan to offer the service at a competitive price at least 50,000 people – and possibly as many as 500,000 people.


Internet speeds used in the trials are expected to be more than one gigabit per second, which Google reported is 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.


For comparison, Lake County News' Internet connection, when tested by Speedtest.net Wednesday evening, averaged between 6 and 18 megabites per second for download and about 1.4 megabites per second for upload.


The company said it also wants to see how the higher Internet speeds benefit application developers and support fiber networks in other areas.


The Google Fiber project is expected to be similar to the company's citywide WiFi network in Mountain View.


For more information about the project and to view a video about it, visit www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/ .


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 and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Image
Sean Carney performs during Blue Monday at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, March 22, 2010. Photo by Bernard Butcher.

 

 

 


In a bit of CyberSoulMan sleight of hand and push button technology time manipulation, I was able to broadcast live the interview I did with great Sean Carney even as he cruised at 30,000 plus feet, California-bound for his Monday night Blue Monday gig at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake. The interview was broadcast on my Monday morning Blues radio show at 8 a.m. on 88.1 FM.

 

In truth, the interview was taped the prior Friday for broadcast Monday morning. We just set it up to sound live for effect, before admitting toward the end of the segment that it was actually a few days old.

 

If you missed it or would like another crack at it and are up early enough on Wednesday morning, it will be rebroadcast at 6 a.m. on KPF Zed.

 

That’s what I said.

 

The celebrated Sean Carney Band did indeed bring their brand of Columbus, Ohio Blues to the Blue Wing Saloon for this week’s Blue Monday session.

 

After a minimum of tuning up, three fourths of the quartet disappeared. Guitarist Sean Carney stood at the mic, almost unnoticed by the dinner crowed until he strummed the first chord to Robert Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman Blues.”

 

Carney got our attention by changing the first line to, “I’ve got an evil hearted woman …” The set got better and better from there.

 

The West Coast Edition of the Sean Carney Band includes his stalwart Columbus, Ohio drummer Eric Blume, San Francisco-based Phil Berkowitz and Tom Bowers on harmonica and bass, respectively. Carney brought them up one by one.

 

On the second number Berkowitz stepped onstage for a duet with Carney which included the delectable hook thus stated, “I’ve got those Oreo cream sandwich chocolate covered cream filled cookie blues.” Umm, umm, slow groove established, the Blue Wing patrons dined on and started to get into it.

 

The band did another Robert Johnson song, “Ramblin’ On My Mind” and the slow belly rubbin’ groove continued. No dancers yet, I thought. It was just the lull before the storm.

 

Punctuatin’ Papa, Eric Blume was holding the keys to the dance kingdom. He clicked it up a notch during the next instrumental. Between Sean Carney's vocal exclamations of “yeah” and stinging, jazz-inflected guitar riffs it was starting to heat up.

 

On the next tune, the Willie Dixon penned, “Too Many Cooks,” the front door of the Blue Wing opened and the setting sun streamed in light, along with Dancin’ Karen and a cadre of dancers who did kind of a Soul Train line straight to the dance floor. Suddenly the dance floor was filled. Another magic moment at the Blue Wing.

 

And so it went. The Sean Carney Band smoked for two sets in between a short break.

 

The sure fire formula was the Blue Monday remedy. Start slowly, warm it up gradually and break out the up-tempo dance tunes so the dancers can keep in shape.

 

Excuse me, but we needed to break a sweat. Winter is officially over.

 

Carney did some no-look-behind-the-head fancy guitar work. Everyone in the band soloed admirably.

 

When the show finally ended, one encore past the designated stop time of 9 p.m., the whole joint was aglow.

 

The Sean Carney Band appears Wednesday night in San Francisco at Rassella’s. Then it’s on to Mexico and beyond.

 

Sooner or later they will be back at the Blue Wing. Yes, you yet have another chance.

 

For more information on the Sean Carney Band go to www.seancarneyband.com .

 

Keep prayin’, keep thinking those kind thoughts!

 

T. Watts is a writer, radio host and music critic. 

 

 

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

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