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Lakeport Police logs: Saturday, Jan. 10
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
00:00 EXTRA PATROL 2601100001
Occurred at Lake County Law Library on 3D....
City of Clearlake begins Highlands Park master plan creation process
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake has initiated the process to create a master plan for the development of Highlands Park.
Members of the city staff recently met with representatives of Foothill Associates to begin the process, which includes multiple opportunities for public input.
City Manager Greg Folsom said the process to develop the master plan is expected to take about six months, first requiring the approval of the planning commission and then the city council.
Prior to that, the public will also have opportunity to comment during an open house discussion tentatively scheduled to take place in October.
“We want the participation of the community. We want to know what the citizens want to put here,” Folsom said. “We want a usable park and we want to see people out here.”
Foothill Associates is utilizing details from the Lakeshore Corridor Plan and Clearlake Vision Task Force to begin the process.
The project will include redesign of the parking lot and added amenities such as horseshoe pits, bocce ball courts, beach access, shade structures, walking paths, picnic areas and other details such as restroom facilities, lighting, fencing, safety and security.
Irrigation-friendly options for ground coverings will be explored as well. “We can do other kinds of ground covering (rather than grass) that doesn't need water, with low maintenance,” Kate Kirsh, PLA, Foothill Associates president said.
Construction of the park will include archaeological consideration and cooperation with representatives of the tribal community.
Requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act will be addressed, as well, during the proper phases of the project and as necessary.
Highlands Park is located on Lakeshore Drive at the center of the city's main thoroughfare, adjacent to the future home of the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce/Lake County Visitors' Center.
Rehabilitation of the office building is a separate community project reliant primarily on the efforts of volunteers. Folsom said the project is coming along. Windows have been installed as has the electricity supply, which involved trenching.
“Representatives from the Koi Nation were there to monitor the trenching because of the proximity to the lake,” Folsom said. “They did find a few artifacts.”
According to project leader Mike Vandiver, volunteers are in place to complete the sheet rock installation, taping and texturing.
Volunteers to help paint will be needed in about two weeks, he said.
Volunteers of all skill levels are encouraged to participate; construction professionals are particularly sought.
For more information, contact the Clearlake Public Works Department at 707-994-8201.
Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at
Board of Supervisors to hold hearings on 2015-16 budget
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will hold its annual budget hearings in order to finalize the 2015-16 final recommended budget.
The board will meet in a special session at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
Documents for the meeting can be found at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/calendar.htm .
The board will hold a public hearing on the recommended budget, discuss resolutions adopting the budget and establishing position allocations for the fiscal year 2015-16 to conform to the adopted budget, and consider continuing a general hiring freeze and delegate authority to County Administrative Officer Matt Perry to waive the hiring freeze as appropriate.
Perry's report to the board said recommended appropriations for all funds in this year's final recommended budget total $203,854,537, up from the 2014-15 final budget's appropriations totaling $184,767,583.
The reason for the increase in this year's budget, Perry explained, is construction projects – including water systems in Spring Valley, Paradise Valley, North Lakeport and South Lakeport/Soda Bay Road, road projects and bridges.
The 2015-16 budget includes a general fund appropriation totaling $60,125,643, compared to last year’s general fund appropriations amount of $54,765,776, Perry reported.
He said that about 66 percent – or $3.5 million – of the increase in the general fund is due to the money appropriated for response and recovery costs to this summer's wildland fires.
On the revenue side, Perry said the final property tax roll from the assessor’s office and property tax allocation information from the auditor’s office indicate about a 2-percent increase in property tax
revenue compared to last year, with estimated sales tax “approximately equal the average of the last four years.”
Transient occupancy tax – or bed tax – also has recovered slightly, and is anticipated to be about $564,800 down slightly from last year, Perry said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Supervisors approve plans, rezone for Valley Oaks project
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors gave unanimous approval to a general plan amendment, rezone, general plan of development and final environmental impact report for the proposed Valley Oaks development in the south county.
Ken Porter of Santa Rosa-based Kimco Development has had Valley Oaks on the drawing board for more than a decade, with the recession causing him to sideline the project for a few years while the economic picture improved.
Valley Oaks is envisioned as a gated development for people ages 55 and above; in its earliest inception, it had been open to all age groups, a concept that later was changed.
It is proposed to include 380 single-story homes, a 31-acre commercial area fronting Highway 29, a senior housing/assisted living facility, 29 acres of public open space, trails and park facilities, which will be built in six phases at 18196 and 18426 South State Highway 29, Middletown.
In June, the Lake County Planning Commission approved the development's final environmental impact report, as Lake County News has reported.
Jean Kapolchok, the project's land use planner, said the updated plans address a number of “big picture” concerns, and noted that the adoption of the Middletown Area Plan places Valley Oaks within the Coyote Valley community growth boundary.
“The project embraces components of smart growth,” she said, explaining that it integrates nearby Hidden Valley Lake into its considerations and puts commercial opportunities within walking distance.
She said it also is environmentally friendly. It will rechannel Coyote Creek to reduce flooding and will keep all homes to a single-story height.
Architect Dave Colombo said they plan on saving many of the oak trees in the project area. “The intent is to keep the feeling of the open space and the nature that occurs around these oak trees.”
In response to concerns raised at past community meetings, Colombo said the plans have incorporated dark sky lighting and building mass was changed.
He said the biggest change since the project began is the signal light that was planned at Arabian Lane. That has since given way to a Caltrans plan to place a roundabout at Hartmann Road.
During public comment, some concerns were voiced by Hidden Valley Lake residents, including Larry Chandler, who has spoken against the project at planning commission meetings.
Chandler said he didn't want negative impacts on Hidden Valley Lake, and suggested that Valley Oaks “has all the signs of being a low-cost bedroom community of renters,” raising issues with the project being built over numerous phases.
Middletown resident Fletcher Thornton noted of the building phase concern, “The market dictates how fast you can build,” pointing out that Hidden Valley Lake isn't built out, either.
He said Porter has a good reputation, and he is in favor of the project.
Thornton also said that Valley Oaks would cater to a population that wouldn't be commuting, and will stay locally and spend its money.
Hidden Valley Lake residents Cheryl Trammel-George and Paulette Jasmin both raised issues about ensuring that the community would be for ages 55 and up.
Jasmin said Hidden Valley Lake is dealing with a large volume of renters. “That high rental issue is causing us many issues with security,” she said.
“How are you going to guarantee that people will not rent out their property to people who are not 55 and older?” Jasmin asked.
“This project has been in the works for a long, long time,” said south county resident Monica Rosenthal, pointing out that there have been many community meetings throughout the plan's development, with many of the issues being raised at the board meeting already addressed.
Kapolchok said the issue of guaranteeing homeowners are age 55 or above would be dealt with in the escrow process. As for construction phases, she said each would be a standalone project.
Community Development Director Rick Coel said large development projects typically require bonding, and he said that, in all likelihood, there would be a bond mechanism for the completion of each of Valley Oaks' six phases.
Supervisor Jim Steele asked how many vacant lots there are in Hidden Valley Lake. Coel said that, based on information from a few years ago, those vacant lots numbered about 800, but he said he wasn't sure that all of them are buildable.
Steele questioned if Valley Oaks was an example of sprawl. Coel said his department didn't look at it that way, pointing out that the project has been part of the community planning process for 10 years.
Valley Oaks is a different housing commodity than Hidden Valley Lake, Coel said. “They're targeting a different market.”
Supervisor Jim Comstock, in whose district the project would be built, said Valley Oaks is a different model than Hidden Valley Lake, and shouldn't be contingent on Hidden Valley Lake being built out.
Comstock said he felt Valley Oaks is located in a logical area for growth. “I look at this as infill more than sprawl.”
Porter estimated the project will be built over seven to eight years, with the infrastructure – water and sewer, roads and an underground propane distribution system – completed on a phase-by-phase basis.
He said he anticipated that new jobs – home care, cleaning and yard maintenance – would be created as a result of the development.
“I've always thought it was a great project,” said Supervisor Jeff Smith, adding it looked like it would be done correctly.
“We'll do our best,” said Porter.
Supervisor Rob Brown said he also supported the project, but had mixed emotions about the age limit, as he wasn't sure that it would attract enough retired people to fill it up.
Board Chair Anthony Farrington said he had similar concerns, asking Porter about the market analysis on the project.
Porter said his market analysis only addressed the project being for ages 55 and up. He said home prices would be from the high $200,000s to low $300,000s range, which is on par with Hidden Valley Lake's housing prices.
He said his market study showed there to exist a huge demand in Lake County for this type of housing. Porter did acknowledge a concern of Brown's about there being adequate health care coverage for retirees who are in certain health insurance systems.
Smith said he felt Porter was “definitely on the right track” with an age-restricted community, adding he believed the homes will sell for more. Porter agreed, saying homes in such communities have sales prices that are 15 percent higher.
Coel said the project also will expand the south county's commercial offerings, which now are very limited.
In four separate motions, each offered by Comstock, the board certified Valley Oaks' final environmental impact report, and approved its general plan amendment, rezone and general plan of development unanimously.
Planning staff told Lake County News in previous interviews that Porter's next steps in the project will include application for a use permit for a specific plan of development and submitting tentative maps, which will go to the planning commission for approval.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport City Council to continue appeal hearing on North High Street cell tower
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Lakeport City Council will continue its discussion of the appeal of a cell tower project in the city.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
Under council business, Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will present an update and findings on the cell tower project proposed for 1875 N. High St.
Complete Wireless Consulting Inc., on behalf of Verizon Wireless, is seeking the use permit and architectural design and review for the installation of a 72-foot-tall “monopine” cell phone tower, designed to look like a pine tree.
According to statements from Complete Wireless Consulting Inc. and Verizon Wireless, the project is meant to address a coverage gap identified in the area.
The Lakeport Planning Commission approved the project's use permit application in May, but Nancy Ruzicka, whose family owns the High Street Village shopping center, appealed the decision.
Ruzicka rallied community members who came forward at a June council meeting to speak against the tower's location in an area surrounded by residential neighborhoods, as Lake County News has reported.
While the council appeared ready to grant the appeal, at Complete Wireless Consulting Inc.'s request council members on July 7 granted a 60-day extension in order for the company to explore other sites and designs.
As the council directed him to do, Ingram is bringing back to the council findings to support granting Ruzicka's appeal, with height, appearance and location being considered as key issues that cause the project not to adequately comply with the city's municipal code and general plan.
Ingram's report also include a copy of a letter to the council from Verizon Wireless' legal counsel, which asserts that granting the appeal would violate the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 because the city is denying the “least intrusive feasible location” for the corporation to install a facility to address the coverage gap.
Verizon Wireless also reported to the city that a text message was set to customers on Aug. 10 asking if they supported the facility. In a one-week period, 281 people responded in the affirmative, with 10 people voicing their opposition.
Also on Tuesday, the council will consider proposed resolutions and give direction to the city’s voting delegate regarding the resolutions that will be voted on at the 2015 League of California Cities Conference, which takes place Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in San Jose.
City staff also will introduce a new employee to the council at Tuesday's meeting.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular Lakeport City Council meeting of Aug. 18; warrant register from Aug. 24; and the approval of a designated temporary disabled parking in the 200 block of C Street, between South Forbes Street and the C street gate to the Fairgrounds, from 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, to midnight on Sunday, Sept. 6.
Email Elizabeth Larson at