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Supervisors agree to discuss sanitation district operations with city of Clearlake
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors has agreed to begin discussions this summer with the city of Clearlake regarding the governance of the Lake County Sanitation District as it relates to its operations in the city.Supervisors Bruno Sabatier and Helen Owen took the city’s request for the discussions to their colleagues at the Feb. 25 meeting.
The city’s request for dialogue about the Lake County Special Districts, or LACOSAN, Southeast System initially was made in April 2024.
Their report said the city requested that the Board of Supervisors — sitting also in its capacity as the LACOSAN Board of Directors — “engage in discussions with City officials on a governance model that would provide greater involvement from the City in maintenance and operations of the District.”
LACOSAN is part of Lake County Special Districts.
Sabatier and Owen said in their written report that they’ve met and discussed the request with Special Districts, the Lake County administration and the city of Clearlake about this request. “We are requesting that the Board of Supervisors approve initiating discussions with the City of Clearlake delegation to seek various options on how future engagements will be handled between both jurisdictions.”
They requested that the county delegation for the discussions include themselves, one administration team member and Special Districts Director Robin Borre.
During the meeting, Sabatier noted there have been ongoing issues with LACOSAN’s operations, especially in the Highlands area of Clearlake. He said there has been a million gallons of raw sewage that has leaked out of the system, some of it going into the lake.
Sabatier said there is now a different relationship between the county and city, which he hopes is positive. He pointed out that LACOSAN is controlled by the county but operating within the city.
City Manager Alan Flora said he appreciated Sabatier and Owen for bringing the matter forward and he is looking forward to working together.
There was no public comment before the board began its deliberations, with Supervisor Brad Rasmussen leading off by saying he was in favor of approving the request.
Supervisor Jessica Pyska didn’t support the proposal, saying she didn’t see how it benefitted the county.
“We are in partnership and there have been some historical problems,” said Sabatier, adding that by approving the proposal, the board is saying they are coming to the table with the city to work together.
“We do need to look into this,” said Owen, noting there have been major spills, one of them in her district. “This is something that we do need to resolve.”
Borre said discussions with Clearlake could open it up for other groups to want to enter into similar discussions.
Pyska said that was her concern, and that it could result in unfair representation with LACOSAN. She said the county has a good relationship with the city, adding that she didn’t see it as benefiting the rest of the county, including her constituency.
Sabatier said the very first conversation should be the definition of the district, and he believes there are opportunities if they open up a dialog.
Borre said she would have to carve out time to have discussions, explaining she and her staff already spend a significant amount of time dealing with Clearlake issues.
Pyska said the county was in the midst of other work, including negotiations involving The Geysers pipeline, and she didn’t support diverting staff time. “I am not in favor of going down this road.”
Owen said they needed to take action and that she didn’t want to see any more overflows.
Borre said that, since she has worked for the county — she was hired in May of 2024 — there haven’t been significant overflows. She said there were a few minor spills in Clearlake in September but there were no spills during major storms, which she credited to her staff’s ingenuity and being proactive.
Board Chair EJ Crandell said that he also didn’t support the discussions because of staff’s work and deadlines on other matters.
Rasmussen made two motions, the first to approve initiating discussions with Clearlake, with Owen seconded and the board approved 3-2, with Crandell and Pyska voting no.
His second motion was to approve placing Owen, Sabatier, Borre and a member of the county administrative officer’s staff on the delegation to meet with Clearlake.
Pyska said she was concerned about the impact on the rest of the county and she wanted a different composition for the discussion group. She asked Rasmussen if he would be willing to sit on the delegation and he said he was open to it.
Sabatier, however, said he wanted to keep it to supervisors within that jurisdiction area.
County Administrative Officer Susan Parker told the board that her office is greatly involved in The Geysers discussions and the county budget until June 30, as well as working on issues related to the Potter Valley Project. As a result, she asked that the discussions begin after July 1.
Rasmussen, Owen and Sabatier were all OK with it. With Rasmussen’s motion amended to include that timeline, the board voted 3-2, again with Crandell and Pyska voting no.
Clearlake City Council gets update on action
At the March 6 Clearlake City Council meeting, Flora recounted how the council had adopted a resolution in April 2024 relating to the Southeast System, which is an independent system in which the supervisors serve as the board.
He said the city has had a number of issues and frustrations over operation of the system over the last few years.
When the city was incorporated, it should have been given seats as part of the governing board and that did not happen, Flora said.
Flora said those concerns led to the council’s approval of the April resolution seeking to discuss the Southeast System’s governance with the Board of Supervisors.
He said there was more discussion than he expected at the board meeting, and said it was “quite disappointing to see,” regarding the narrow votes to approve the city’s request.
However, the good news is that there will be a discussion starting after July 1, Flora said.
Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten said it was time the city gets involved, noting numerous spills and odor issues. He said the city needs to be proactive, and that the system is antiquated and needs to be brought up to standards.
Mayor Russell Cremer agreed with Slooten. He said he also was disappointed by the narrow vote in support. “This is affecting our city.”
Sabatier, who attended the council meeting, said he appreciated the request from the city and was glad the board gave approval to move forward. Cremer said he appreciated Sabatier advocating for the city.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lucerne women arrested for string of Ukiah vehicle burglaries
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Authorities arrested two Lucerne women this week who they said were responsible for a series of vehicle burglaries in Ukiah.Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Elizabeth Arnold, 39, and Sarah Simon, 48, early Tuesday morning.
The agency said that at 12:42 a.m. Tuesday, deputies were dispatched to investigate two suspicious subjects entering people's vehicles in the 3000 block of Estrella Court in Ukiah.
Upon arrival at the scene, deputies immediately observed a female who was driving a vehicle at a slow speed with all of the lights turned off. The female was stopped by deputies and identified as Sarah Simon.
Deputies also observed another female hiding behind a nearby vehicle in the driveway of a residence, who was identified as Elizabeth Arnold.
Both Simon and Arnold were detained, and deputies began their investigation by canvassing the neighborhood.
The deputies located multiple vehicles in the area with the doors open. Deputies contacted the homeowners where the vehicles were parked and learned several items had been stolen from the vehicles.
A search of Arnold, Simon and their vehicle revealed numerous items that had just been stolen, the sheriff’s office said.
Simon was also in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and had an active warrant for her arrest out of Lake County for petty theft with two priors.
During their investigation, the deputies learned both Arnold and Simon were also suspects in similar thefts of numerous items taken from vehicles in the nearby neighborhoods of West Fork Estates and Lake Mendocino Estates, which occurred in the early morning hours of Feb. 18.
Sheriff’s detectives assisted with this investigation and gathered additional evidence and statements which led to the execution of search warrants for additional stolen property.
In all, authorities said investigators determined there were five victims of the Tuesday burglaries.
During the investigation, Simon was placed under arrest for her felony arrest warrant out of Lake County, along with charges of felony conspiracy, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
Arnold was placed under arrest for felonies of conspiracy and grand theft.
Simon was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where she was to be held in lieu of $10,000 bail for the Lake County warrant and $15,000 bail for the current open charges.
Arnold was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where she was to be held in lieu of $15,000.00 bail.
Anyone with information related to this investigation and thefts is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086 (option 1).
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
CHP reports on fatal Lakeport wreck
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol has issued a report on a wreck earlier this week that claimed the life of a Lakeport man.The crash, which took place just before noon on Sunday, led to the death of 88-year-old Edmund Joseph Slevin.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said that at 11:50 a.m. Sunday, Slevin was driving his Hyundai southbound on Lakeshore Boulevard south of Rainbow Drive at an unknown speed.
Amely Ballesteros, 21, of Lakeport was driving a Jeep at a stated speed of 30 to 35 miles per hour, traveling northbound on Lakeshore Boulevard north of Beach Lane, approaching Slevin’s vehicle.
She saw Slevin’s Hyundai drift across the roadway centerline towards oncoming traffic, narrowly missing the vehicle in front of her, the CHP said.
The left front corner of Slevin’s Hyundai struck the left side of Amely Ballesteros’ Jeep, causing the Jeep to spin about where it came to rest, on its wheels, facing a southwesterly direction in front of a residence, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said Slevin’s vehicle continued further onto the northbound shoulder towards a residence, where it came to rest against a water main, facing in a south-easterly direction.
Slevin was unresponsive at the scene and did not regain consciousness, the CHP reported.
The report said Slevin was transported to Sutter Lakeside for medical treatment. Emergency room staff at Sutter Lakeside ultimately exhausted efforts to revive him and pronounced him deceased just after 1 p.m., the CHP said.
The CHP report said Ballesteros was uninjured.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Thousands join the conversation on California’s new deliberative democracy platform
This week, California completed its first phase of the new deliberative democracy platform, Engaged California.Those who subscribed to participate in the first use case, focusing on Los Angeles fire recovery efforts, received invites to join the discussion.
Officials called this is a significant milestone in a brand-new program for the state of California.
Visitors to engaged.ca.gov will also find a new section of the website that informs survivors of the different phases in this process and where they can be involved. It sets a visual detail of the timeline and expectations for the outcome.
“The initial response from Californians has shown us that we need to create different options for how people interact with us. We’re now moving forward into a listening mode and bringing people together for a conversation that can help us change how we normally do things — which is exactly what Engaged California is supposed to do,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This marks a major achievement in creating a new option for Californians to have their voices heard. People who opted into the conversation are now engaging with each other and starting to set the priorities for the deliberation. Invitations take participants into the space where they answer questions, can vote in favor of comments left by others, and respond to other comments. Participation in the space is anonymous and open for a limited time.
“Fire survivors are now actively communicating with us. And California is actively listening,” said California Government Operations Secretary Nick Maduros. “What we are seeing is the shaping of the conversation around recovery efforts from the people who are closest to the need.”
What is Engaged California?
Engaged California is a new platform that gives Californians a unique opportunity to share their thoughts and connect with other people on topics that are important to them.
It creates new opportunities for Californians to connect with their government to inform and shape policy through honest, respectful discussions.
The program was launched In February with the first use case focusing on the impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Ongoing conversations help keep policies useful and up to date by reflecting the ideas and needs of the community, rather than solely relying on one round of feedback.
Engaged California represents a deep collaboration between California and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"Carnegie California is grateful to be on the ground floor, providing our expertise to inform the development of California's deliberative democracy program,” said Ian Klaus, founding director of Carnegie California. "It is wonderful that California is committed to grounding this work in best practices from knowledge partners in the state and around the globe to improve public engagement and strengthen democracy with digital tools."
This program was modeled after the successful efforts led by Audrey Tang, Taiwan's first Minister of Digital Affairs.
Speaking on a panel at SXSW 2025, Tang highlighted how technology can enhance civic engagement. She pointed to California’s role in leading this shift in the United States.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, Governor Newsom of California announced Engaged California with the same idea about plural listening on a very urgent topic—of how to recover from the wildfire in Eaton and Palisades in LA, and more topics afterwards,” Tang said. “So, we're now seeing a new wave grounded in individual ideas that people have, and resonance people have with each other, without AI stepping in to replace a human's role in decision making."
The long-term goal is to create a sustainable model for deliberative democracy that can be used to discuss other significant issues in California.
Want to join?
Getting involved is simple, and your voice can make a real impact. And remember, this isn’t just a one-time input.
Engaged California is a platform for ongoing dialogue where your ideas are heard and shared.
Stay tuned and get ready to participate. Sign up now at engaged.ca.gov to join the conversation.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS