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Lakeport Police, Alcoholic Beverage Control conduct 'shoulder tap' operation
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An operation the Lakeport Police Department and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control conducted last week found that a minor was unable to convince adults to purchase alcohol for them at several locations around the city.
The “shoulder tap” operation using a minor decoy took place on the evening of Friday, June 8, according to a Lakeport Police report.
The Shoulder Tap Program is an enforcement program that ABC and local law enforcement agencies use to detect and deter shoulder tap activity.
During this program, a minor decoy – under the direct supervision of law enforcement officers – solicits adults outside ABC licensed stores to buy the minor decoy alcohol.
The Minor Decoy Program uses individuals, who are under the age of 20, to attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages at ABC licensed premises.
The minor – or minors, as police did not specify how many they used – contacted seven adult individuals at three different locations and solicited those adults to purchase them alcohol, according to Lakeport Police. No adults contacted purchased the alcohol.
Police said there also was an attempt by a minor decoy to purchase alcohol in six locations within the city of Lakeport and all locations refused service.
The Lakeport Police Department thanked the seven citizens who were contacted and refused to purchase the minor decoy alcohol. The agency also thanked the businesses for following proper procedures and not selling minors alcohol.
This project is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Lake County Superior Court plans calendar changes; all criminal cases to move to Lakeport
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The state judicial branch’s fiscal situation has resulted in the Lake County Superior Court making significant changes to its calendar, including moving all criminal matters to Lakeport, with traffic and small claims going to Clearlake.
Presiding Lake County Superior Court Judge David Herrick said the court calendar needed to be restructured in order to cope with continuing budget cuts.
The changes will go into effect Aug. 6, Herrick said.
Herrick told Lake County News that the local court has been planning changes for some time.
“The May revise has just made things more definite and gave us a specific number to work with,” he said.
Last month, the Judicial Council of California held an emergency session in the wake of Gov. Jerry Brown’s new budget proposal, which called for a $544 million reduction to the judicial branch in fiscal year 2012-13, as Lake County News has reported.
This most recent reduction follows four consecutive years of cuts totaling $653 million, according to the Judicial Council.
For context, the Lake County Superior Court budget for the current fiscal year totals just over $3.6 million, excluding grants and reimbursements, according to court officials.
“We have felt the cuts mightily here,” said Herrick. “It’s been very difficult to absorb.”
The new cuts on the horizon are going to be even worse, Herrick said.
The state judicial branch has dealt with the cuts that have occurred to date with a series of one-time fixes, but Herrick said there is an ongoing debate about how effective those fixes have been, and what the ultimate impact has been on the courts and the justice system.
So far, the Lake County Superior Court hasn’t been given a precise number for the budget reduction it can expect in the coming fiscal year, said Herrick.
However, he added, “It’s going to be a pretty huge number,” and to prepare the court is looking at different scenarios to address that bottom line number.
As part of the changes going into effect in August, Judge Stephen Hedstrom – who presides over Department 4 at the Clearlake courthouse at 7000 A South Center Drive – will move, along with the criminal calendar he oversees, to the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport, said Herrick. The courts take up the fourth floor of that building.
“That’s the main logistical component to the change,” Herrick said.
By moving Hedstrom and his caseload to Lakeport, Herrick said the court anticipates certain operational efficiencies will result, including no longer having to transfer inmates or criminal files to the south county court.
“The downside, of course, will be the terrible overcrowding we experience on the fourth floor will be enhanced,” Herrick said.
Herrick said Hedstrom will hear cases in of one of the four courtrooms in Lakeport, and may take over Herrick’s chambers at year’s end, after Herrick retires. Once Herrick has retired, Hedstrom will be the most senior judge in terms of years on the bench.
None of the other Lake County Superior Court judges – including Herrick in Department 1, Judge Richard Martin in Department 2 or Judge Andrew Blum in Department 3 – will be affected by the court calendar changes, Herrick said.
While Hedstrom moves to Lakeport and brings the remainder of criminal cases with him, all small claims, unlawful detainers and traffic matters – for the entire county – will be transferred to the Clearlake division, Herrick explained.
The new Clearlake court calendar will include child support cases on Mondays and traffic and unlawful detainers on Tuesdays. On the remaining three business days of the week, Herrick said the Clearlake court facility will be used on an as-needed basis.
Herrick said there are no layoffs planned among court employees. However, he said eight vacant positions won’t be backfilled.
The Judicial Council’s report last month on the state budget situation said the cuts it is facing in the coming fiscal year would force the courts to pull $300 million from trial court reserves and delay some court construction projects to realize another $240 million.
Lakeport’s new courthouse project – which the State Public Works Board approved on Friday – is among the projects being delayed.
Construction originally was to have begun in early 2014, with completion anticipated in fall 2015. However, Court Executive Officer Mary Smith said the Lakeport Courthouse project is being pushed back a year.
The project – currently estimated to cost nearly $56 million – also must reduce hard construction costs by at least 3 percent, based on the latest state requirements for the project.
Smith told Lake County News in a recent interview that the court already is working on making those reductions.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
New Lakeport Courthouse preliminary plans approved
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The State Public Works Board on Friday approved preliminary plans for the new Lakeport Courthouse for the Lake County Superior Court.
The new 50,000-square-foot courthouse is planned for a site at 675 Lakeport Blvd.
Designed by Mark Cavagnero and Associates, the new courthouse will replace the court’s current location on the fourth floor of the Lake County Courthouse, which is located on N. Forbes Street in Lakeport.
Friday's SPWB approval marks completion of the preliminary plans phase, which typically authorizes the project to proceed into working drawings, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
However, because of significant cuts to the California judicial branch budget proposed by the governor and currently under consideration by the Legislature for fiscal year 2012-13, the working drawings phase of this project may be delayed at least a year.
Court Executive Officer Mary Smith also told Lake County News in a recent interview that the superior court is working to make a 3 percent cut in hard construction costs ordered by the state. The project's current price tag is just under $56 million.
The new two-story, four-courtroom Lakeport Courthouse will feature the exterior use of stone veneer and architecturally exposed concrete, and will be built into the hillside so as not to obstruct the scenic view of the lake from the nearby visitors’ center.
Sustainability features will include natural day-lighting in courtrooms and public areas, on-site stormwater management, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system.
The design of the new courthouse will reduce energy consumption by at least 15 percent and water use by at least 30 percent and will qualify the project for a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Construction was originally scheduled to begin in early 2014 and be completed in fall 2015, but that timeline is now subject to change depending on the outcome of the coming year’s state budget.
When construction proceeds, the project is expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs and thousands of dollars in indirect benefit to the local economy.
Before the project goes to bid, the construction manager at risk, Gilbane Building Co., will perform outreach to ensure that local subcontractors and suppliers have the opportunity to participate in prequalification and bidding. All qualified subcontractors, lower-tier subcontractors and suppliers will be considered.
Construction will be conducted with mitigation measures in place for air quality, noise, erosion and stormwater control, and other environmental considerations, as specified in the project’s environmental report under the California Environmental Quality Act.
The new courthouse will replace the current Lake County Courthouse, constructed in 1968. This overcrowded, shared-use building has substantial structural problems and significant security issues.
The new courthouse will provide safe and efficient services for visitors and staff, a jury deliberation room, a secure sallyport for the transport of in-custody defendants between the jail and the courthouse, and adequate space for court administration.
The project was ranked as an “immediate need” in the judicial branch’s capital-outlay plan, making it among the branch’s highest-priority infrastructure projects.
It is funded by Senate Bill 1407, enacted in 2008 to provide up to $5 billion in funding for new and renovated courthouses using court fees, penalties, and assessments rather than taxpayer revenues from the state’s General Fund.
As previously noted, the timing of the next phase of this project is unknown until the state Legislature resolves the budget for the coming fiscal year.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPDATE: Sheriff's office releases details of alleged bank robbery; suspect reportedly took cash
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office said late Friday afternoon that its staff was continuing to investigate an alleged bank robbery that occurred in Kelseyville earlier in the day, with no suspect yet in custody.
Sgt. Steve Brooks said the incident occurred at approximately 12:39 p.m. Friday at the Kelseyville branch of Westamerica Bank.
Brooks said a male subject entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding money.
The suspect subsequently took just over $1,000 and left the bank, Brooks said.
The suspect claimed to have a firearm, however Brooks said no weapon was seen.
The suspect is described as a white male adult, approximately 45 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches tall and175 pounds, according to Brooks' report.
Brooks said the suspect had a medium build, dark hair and a smooth complexion. The suspect was wearing a dark-colored baseball hat, wraparound-style sunglasses, a dark-colored t-shirt with an olive green vest and blue jeans.
He also was carrying a maroon zippered bank bag when he left, Brooks said.
Numerous Lake County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies, detectives and command staff responded to the scene. Brooks said crime scene investigators also responded to the scene to collect evidence.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports