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Supervisors appoint new Animal Care and Control director
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Tuesday, the Lake County Board of Supervisors appointed a new director for Animal Care and Control.
Gregory Wilkins was hired for the position after final closed session interviews during the board’s regular meeting.
The county reported that Wilkins’ hire was the result of a nationwide recruiting effort.
His appointment is retroactive to Monday, Oct. 21.
Wilkins succeeds Jonathan Armas, who held the Animal Care and Control director job beginning in March 2019.
Armas’ tenure ended in the summer, without a public explanation from the county.
On June 11, the board voted unanimously to appoint County Administrative Officer Susan Parker as the interim Animal Care and Control director.
The board began holding interviews for the director’s job in closed session on Aug. 6, according to meeting records.
Animal Care and Control has had other issues over the past year, including staffing shortages that caused a cutback on services and mounting complaints over neglect and abuse cases involving horses.
Since 2012, Wilkins has served in a variety of animal care-focused capacities across six states, working his way from veterinary and kennel technician roles to high responsibility shelter and program management positions.
Wilkins most recently served as shelter manager for Animal Services in Dallas, Texas. He joined that agency in August 2023, leading the major metropolitan city government’s animal care and behavior efforts while supervising a 45-employee team, the county reported.
During the seven years before his time in Dallas, Wilkins held leadership positions including four years as shelter manager for Escambia County, Florida; manager and shelter operation manager of Hillsborough County, Florida, Pet Resources; and manager of lifesaving programs for Best Friends Animal Society in Northwest Arkansas.
“These progressively responsible assignments brought significant opportunity to build knowledge and experience supportive of Wilkins’ goal to lead an animal welfare organization,” the county of Lake reported in Wilkins’ hiring announcement.
“"This important appointment provides our Animal Care and Control department the foundation to move forward in serving our communities,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier. “Our Board is confident Gregory Wilkins has the skills and experience to effectively manage the full breadth of Animal Care and Control’s services, including our veterinary clinic. His strong passion for animal welfare is well demonstrated, and we look forward to his leadership in the department. We are very pleased Director Wilkins has chosen Lake County to continue his career; he is joining a developing team that mirrors his dedication to continual growth and providing the best possible services."
“The Board of Supervisors’ trust means a lot,” said Wilkins. “Lake County is a beautiful place, and it has already become clear to me residents care deeply about the well-being of their animals. I am really excited to get to know everyone, and help build on the strengths that are already here in Lake County’s communities. I am very happy to be here!”
State attorney general reports on illegal cannabis seizures; Lake County in top 10 for largest amounts seized
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, together with local and federal law enforcement partners, on Tuesday announced the eradication of 774,829 illegally cultivated cannabis plants and 106,141 pounds of processed cannabis, as well as 282 arrests in 36 different counties across California as part of Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis, or EPIC, program.The total underground market price for these seizures is valued at approximately $353 million.
EPIC is an interagency task force focused on combating the illegal cannabis market, cannabis enforcement work, and investigating and prosecuting civil and criminal cases with a focus on environmental, economic and labor impacts from illegal cultivation.
“California has the largest safe, legal, and regulated cannabis market in the world, but unfortunately illegal and unlicensed grows continue to proliferate,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The EPIC program was forged out of our recognition of the need for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the broader implications of the underground cannabis market. This includes tackling the environmental damage caused by these illicit activities, as well as the economic ramifications that arise from unregulated cultivation. Furthermore, there is a growing concern about labor exploitation within this underground market, where workers may face unsafe conditions and unfair treatment. I want to express my gratitude to the various partners involved in this effort, including local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Together, we are working toward a solution that not only curtails illegal activities but also promotes a sustainable and equitable cannabis industry in the state.”
“California has the largest state park system in the country with 1.59 million acres of park land to protect," said California State Parks Law Enforcement Assistant Chief Jeremy Stinson. "Unfortunately, illegal cannabis cultivation is a serious threat to that land with more than 400 sites documented. California State Parks appreciates being a partner agency within EPIC to help address this issue. Protecting our state’s natural resources for all Californians and future generations is an important part of our mission. We look forward to continuing this valuable partnership to preserve and protect California’s state parks system.”
“California cannabis enforcement has a long way to go to ensure that the illicit cannabis doesn’t make it into the legal market," said San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus. "Partnerships like EPIC are a major step forward in tackling this problem.”
Over the course of the 2024 season, EPIC teams operating in Northern, Central, and Southern California, conducted 665 operations, recovered 201 weapons, and removed infrastructure, including dams, water lines, and containers of toxic chemicals, such as carbofuran, methyl parathion, aluminum phosphate, zinc phosphide, and illegal fertilizers. Carbofuran, in particular, poses untold risks to public health. A lethal insecticide that is effectively banned in the United States, carbofuran remains on plants after application and seeps into soil and nearby water sources.
In 2024, EPIC operations were conducted in the following 36 counties:
Alameda: 1 site, 751 plants eradicated
Butte: 5 sites, 4,397 plants eradicated
Colusa: 3 sites, 10 plants eradicated
Contra Costa: 2 sites, 5,010 plants eradicated
El Dorado: 8 sites, 2,174 plants eradicated
Fresno: 31 sites, 52,796 plants eradicated
Glenn: 1 site, 747 plants eradicated
Kern: 60 sites, 89,819 plants eradicated
Kings: 1 site, 539 plants eradicated
Lake: 48 sites, 42,776 plants eradicated
Lassen: 1 site, 7,359 plants eradicated
Los Angeles: 3 sites, 3,684 plants eradicated
Madera: 3 sites, 1,230 plants eradicated
Mariposa: 2 sites, 1,368 plants eradicated
Mendocino: 116 sites, 133,702 plants eradicated
Nevada: 33 sites, 28,428 plants eradicated
Riverside: 79 sites, 136,601 plants eradicated
Sacramento: 13 sites, 46,042 plants eradicated
San Bernardino: 23 sites, 27,845 plants eradicated
San Diego: 7 sites, 9,301 plants eradicated
Santa Barbara: 1 site, 362 plants eradicated
Santa Clara: 2 sites, 1,012 plants eradicated
Shasta: 67 sites, 51,289 plants eradicated
Siskiyou: 98 sites, 67,943 plants eradicated
Stanislaus: 6 sites, 5,103 plants eradicated
Trinity: 38 sites, 32,381 plants eradicated
Tulare: 7 sites, 5,468 plants eradicated
Tuolumne: 2 sites, 7,637 plants eradicated
Ventura: 3 sites, 7,891 plants eradicated
Yuba: 2 sites, 1,164 plants eradicated
Monterey: reconnaissance only
Napa: reconnaissance only
San Benito: reconnaissance only
San Luis Obispo: reconnaissance only
Santa Cruz: reconnaissance only
Solano: reconnaissance only
The EPIC program focuses on the investigation and prosecution of civil and criminal cases relating to illicit cannabis cultivation with a focus on environmental and economic harms and labor exploitation.
EPIC is a multi-agency collaboration led by DOJ in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service; the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration; the California National Guard, Counter Drug Task Force; the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program; California State Parks; California Environmental Protection Agency; and other local law enforcement departments.
ABC observes National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct. 20 to 26
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminds all young drivers to focus on the road to help increase safety for everyone.Oct. 20 to 26 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and it is a great time for California parents to talk to their teenagers about safe driving, including the importance of driving sober.
The greatest dangers for teen drivers are alcohol consumption, not wearing a seat belt, distracted driving, speeding, and driving with passengers in the vehicle.
For National Teen Driver Safety Week, parents are encouraged to talk with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe.
According to the California Highway Patrol:
• Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among teens 16-19 years old.
• A teen driver was determined to be at fault in approximately 66 percent of those crashes.
“ABC encourages parents to talk to their children about the dangers of consuming alcohol and driving,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “Underage drinking causes a disproportionate amount of preventable deaths every year.”
Parents can be the biggest influencers on teens’ driving habits if they take the time to talk with their teens about some of the biggest driving risks.
To help reduce risks for teen drivers, follow these basic rules:
• Impaired driving: All teens are too young to legally buy, possess, or consume alcohol. However, nationally in 2022, 22 percent of young drivers involved in fatal crashes had alcohol in their system, and 84 percent of those involved exceeded a .08 percent blood alcohol content or BAC. The number of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes with alcohol in their system has nearly doubled since 2017, according to figures from NHTSA.
• Seat belt safety: Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest ways for teens to stay safe in a vehicle. Yet too many teens aren’t buckling up — 50 percent of teen passenger vehicle drivers who died in 2022 were unbuckled.
• Distracted driving: Cell phone use while driving is not only dangerous, but it is also illegal. Distracted driving accounted for eight percent of all teen motor vehicle crashes in 2021. Drivers under 18 are not allowed to use a phone for any reason, including hands-free.
• Speed limits: Speeding is a critical safety issue for all drivers, especially for teens. In 2022, fatal crashes involving teens 15 to 18 were speeding more than any other demographic.
• Passengers: The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior triples when traveling with multiple passengers.
OTS funds multiple ABC programs designed to help keep California youth safe including Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies, or TRACE, Minor decoy, and shoulder tap decoy operations that are used to reduce youth access to alcohol.
TRACE involves in-depth ABC investigations of serious incidents involving alcohol-related car crashes.
The minor decoy and shoulder tap programs reduce youth access to alcohol by performing compliance checks on licensees and the public to ensure they don’t furnish alcohol to underage youth.
For more information about National Teen Driver Safety Week and to learn safe driving tips to share with teens, visit the NHTSA Website.
California tribes, performers, lawmakers prepare for first-ever parade to celebrate Native American Heritage Month at State Capitol
An inaugural Native American Parade running down Capitol Mall to the state Capitol’s West Steps is being sponsored by tribes and the California Native American Legislative Caucus from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m on Saturday, Nov. 9.Eighty entries are confirmed with participants represented by floats, vehicles, walkers, performers and others taking part in this first Sacramento cavalcade celebrating California Native Americans during National Native American Month.
Also planned as part of the November festivities is a Friday, Nov. 8, cultural exchange for 150 third and fourth grade students with classes in traditional crafts and performances such as dancing or bird singing. The student program is scheduled from 9:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Capitol grounds.
Tribal artisans and performers will teach the classes in Capitol Park in the Native American monument area or in Capitol hearing rooms, depending on the weather.
This program is modeled after a successful project more than 20 years old held for elementary students in the Inland Empire at California State University, San Bernardino.
That student gathering is coordinated annually in September during California Native American Month and was founded and organized by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), the first and only California Native American elected to the state Legislature, along with area tribes and the university.
More than 5,000 native and nonnative young students have participated in the San Bernardino event.
