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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....
MATH discusses road safety issues, Dollar General store proposal
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Road concerns and discussion of a proposed Dollar General store were among the topics at this month's gathering of the Middletown Area Town Hall.
The group held its regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 13, in the community room at the Middletown Senior Center.
MATH Board Chair Fletcher Thornton added what he called an emergency item to the agenda regarding traffic issues on Big Canyon Road.
The road runs along the Middletown Unified School District grounds where Middletown High School is located, along with the old Minnie Cannon Elementary School and a newly constructed elementary school.
Thornton said the roads in the area need improvement, but added that his fear is that improved roads also will lead to increased speeds.
“We can't afford to have them going any faster than they go now,” he said.
Thornton estimated that 90 percent of the traffic is headed to nearby Harbin Hot Springs.
He said he has reached out to Lake County Public Works about the issue, and was told that the county would put up a warning sign if the Middletown Unified School District bought it. Thornton said District Superintendent Korby Olson had said the district could purchase the sign, but that didn't happen before Olson's recent retirement.
Referring to the county, Thornton said, “If they don't do something before our next meeting then we're going to do something.”
MATH Board member Ken Gonzales, who is associated with Harbin – and who had a letter giving him approval to speak to MATH on the retreat's behalf – said Harbin is aware of the issue and wants additional signage.
“We don't want to see anything happen there,” he said, noting Harbin's managing directors are concerned. “An improved road is a safer road.”
County Supervisor Jim Comstock, who was on hand for the meeting, said he had talked to California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Norton, who talked to his boss and would be patrolling the area. For those who don't reduce their speed, “There will be tickets,” Comstock guaranteed.
Another road of concern the group discussed at the meeting was Santa Clara Road, which Thornton said has become a shortcut from Highway 29 to Highway 175.
“They come blasting around those corners at 50 miles per hour,” Thornton said.
Margaret Greenley, who lives on Santa Clara Road, said she wanted a monthly survey of that corridor, voicing her many concerns about safety for the pedestrians – including children – as well as the equestrians who ride through the area.
She said she's lost four pet cats due to the traffic, and there have been close calls with children playing along the road nearly being hit by speeding traffic.
MATH Vice Chair Claude Brown said the street is considered a thoroughfare by county officials, and that the county has suggested posting radar speed signs. However, the county wants the community to buy the first sign, at a cost of $3,500.
Other suggestions Brown mentioned included putting a barrier along the edge of the road near Middletown Central Park Association's arena to cause traffic to slow traffic down, and moving speed signs and making them more visible.
Greenley said there have been issues on the road for years. “There is going to be a horrific accident at one point.”
Brown asked Comstock if he can assist the group with the road issue. Comstock suggested it needed to go to the county's traffic safety committee.
In other business, Jesse Robertson of the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, who is working with MATH and the county of Lake to submit a grant application for a multiuse trail from Rancheria Road to Central Park, updated the group on the application process.
He said the applications were due June 1. “I haven't heard any news about it yet,” he said, noting he's expecting to hear back by the end of September and may attend MATH's October meeting with an update.
Robertson said he's received indications that the project is being viewed by state officials as a good one.
He said 616 applications were submitted statewide for $120 million in funds. “We're pretty optimistic about it,” he said, explaining that the MATH project was seeking $1.4 million.
Group gets update from Dollar General committee
At its June meeting, MATH voted to form a committee to review a proposal from Texas-based Cross Development to build a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store at 20900 Highway 29. County officials told Lake County News that the company still has not submitted a complete application for the store.
Thornton said at the Aug. 13 meeting that MATH will take a vote on whether to support the proposal for the store at its September meeting.
Monica Rosenthal, who is chairing the committee, gave a report on the group's most recent activities, which included a hurried review of the plans submitted so far. Rosenthal said the county requested input from the group by Aug. 14, so they met for several hours prior to the meeting in order to respond.
Thornton at that point noted that he had contacted the county to tell them that the notice was too short, and he was given a 30-day extension of time to submit comments.
Rosenthal said the Community Development Department had written to Cross Development, asking for the plans to come into better compliance with the Middletown Area Plan. Cross Development replied, and that's what initiated the request for comments sent out by the county to groups like MATH.
With Cross Development's application still not complete, no date has been set for it to go before the Lake County Planning Commission. Once it is scheduled, Rosenthal said, the committee will present a larger report.
Rosenthal said the committee recommended making a general statement that MATH should support the design guidelines for commercial business development as presented in the Middletown Area Plan, and should support the Lake County Community Development Department's request that Cross Development make modifications to its plans including parking, design of the building and trash enclosures.
The committee also recommended that MATH support proper signage for this and other developments that complies with county ordinances and the Middletown Area Plan along Calistoga Road and Highway 29, Rosenthal said.
She said the committee was further concerned about a safe and accessible environment around the store, its proposed location near a school, and said it should not have a strip mall look.
The committee is encouraging economic growth and employment opportunities that offer healthy choices for the community while maintaining the character and charm of Middletown, Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal said the recommendation is that the Community Development Department, the Lake County Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and Cross Development uphold the guidelines established in the Middletown Area Plan.
She added that the committee, through its discussions and review of the Middletown Area Plan, also noticed that there is room for improvement, such as a consideration of not allowing chain stores in the area, extending the downtown corridor, and respecting and recognizing the scenic corridor.
Thornton said it was not time to panic about the store proposal, and it's still not known if the developer will want to comply with the many changes that the county, fire officials and Caltrans want made to the project.
“It's not time to really panic,” he said, suggesting that MATH taking a vote in September also might be premature.
He also asked to keep the Dollar General committee intact in order to keep MATH informed of the issue as it continues.
At the suggestion of members, MATH voted to have Thornton send Community Development Department staff an email asking for a written confirmation that he had received an additional 30 days to offer comment on the proposal.
Also on Aug. 13, MATH voted to sign onto a letter from the Middletown Area Merchants Association about seeking a crosswalk on the south end of town, on the north side of the Callayomi-Calistoga Road intersection due to safety concerns; approved sending a letter of thanks to Cal Fire and all agencies associated with the recent wildland fire efforts; and discussed the new – and very successful – monthly showing of movies in the new Middletown Square Park.
In other business, Thornton also got the group's approval to look at the bylaws regarding representation of the various areas within MATH's scope of coverage, which includes Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley – including Hidden Valley Lake – Long Valley and Middletown.
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Clearlake City Council to consider appointing members to marijuana, garbage service, road revenue committees
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council this week will consider appointments to three ad hoc committees to look at issues related to the city's marijuana cultivation rules, universal garbage services and possible revenues for improving city streets.
The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, to discuss litigation and negotiations for the city's 26-acre airport property and a property at 14265 Lakeshore adjacent to the Highlands Visitor Center before convening in public session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The meeting will begin with Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen introducing new police department employees and a presentation of a proclamation of gratitude to the Rocky fire first responders.
The council will host a public hearing to consider a zoning ordinance amendment that would regulate telecommunications towers, antennae and related systems, which the Clearlake Planning Commission has recommended the council approve.
Under council business, City Manager Greg Folsom will take to the council a proposal to appoint members to an ad hoc committee to explore possible changes to the current ordinance that established rules for medical marijuana cultivation in the city.
Folsom noted that when the current marijuana cultivation ordinance was adopted – which took place June 11 – the council reached consensus to create the ad hoc committee to review the ordinance and suggest possible changes for a future amendment.
During the June 11 meeting, staff and council members had noted that the current ordinance was put in place to deal with this summer's grow season, with the goal being to update the ordinance for the future.
Folsom's report said it was suggested that the council appoint 10 to 15 members, with each council member appointing two to three members each.
Council members also plan to look at appointments to two other ad hoc committees – one to consider universal garbage service and another to explore possible sources of revenue for road improvements.
Other agenda items Thursday include considering the addition of another road maintenance worker to the staff and Mayor Denise Loustalot's appointment of Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson to the Lake County/City Area Planning Council.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers and the minutes of the July 8 Lake County Vector Control District meeting.
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Archaeological looting case illustrates threat to native culture; new collaboration tackles problem
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new partnership to protect Lake County's rich American Indian heritage yielded results over the weekend, when a Lake County Sheriff's deputy arrested a man whose vehicle was filled with what officials say are artifacts looted from county archaeological sites.
Brian Gene Smith, 41, a transient from Santa Rosa who most recently has been in the Lower Lake area, was arrested on Saturday, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said Smith was booked on felony counts of possession of American Indian artifacts and vandalism, and misdemeanors including removing or injuring any object of archaeological or historical interest, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.
Jail records indicate that Smith has since been released from jail.
Brooks said the sheriff's office hasn't dealt with a case like this in recent years, although it has responded to reports that involved the discovery of very old human remains.
However, the case illustrates what officials say is a type of crime that has huge national and international implications and is worth billions worldwide.
Smith's arrest by Deputy Richard Kreutzer also is notable for its timing: It came just two days after the conclusion of a law enforcement training on archaeological crimes that the Lake County Sheriff's Office and local tribes had collaborated to offer.
The archaeological violation investigation class, led by Missoula, Mont.-based Archaeological Damage Investigation and Assessment ( http://www.archaeologicaldamageinvestigation.com ), took place Aug. 18 to 20, with Habematolel Pomo Chair Sherry Treppa offering Running Creek Casino as the host venue.
Kreutzer was among a group of law enforcement officials that included other members of the Lake County Sheriff's Office and Clearlake Police Department, State Parks law enforcement officers – including one who traveled from San Diego County – along with an investigator from Humboldt County, according to Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin.
Martin McAllister of Archaeological Damage Investigation & Assessment led the class. McAllister is an archaeologist whose team also includes two retired federal criminal investigators.
He said his firm specializes not just in trainings but in archaeological damage assessment and assists law enforcement agencies across the United States with documenting and collecting evidence.
“It’s a really serious problem,” McAllister told Lake County News about the crime of archaeological looting. “It's much more serious than the American public realizes.”
In the United States alone, stolen artifacts form the basis of a multimillion dollar industry, and the most recent figure he's heard from Interpol is that it is a $7 billion annual industry worldwide.
It's in the top five crimes in terms of money made, he said, adding, “It’s a big money maker.”
The Koi Nation, Upper Lake Habematolel Pomo and the Lake County Sheriff's Office partnered to sponsor the training, with an invitation issued to law enforcement across Northern California, Martin said.
“It's giving us another tool for keeping our community safe,” Martin said.
Dino Beltran, tribal administrator and treasurer for the Koi Nation, responded to word of Smith's case with praise for local law enforcement, including the sheriff's office and the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
“This is the beginning of expanding collaborative efforts to make our community a safer place,” Beltran said.
Raising awareness for law enforcement
Beltran said about two years ago Bill Salata, superintendent for the California State Parks' Clear Lake Sector, presented a class on archaeological crimes and damage. Beltran attended the class, noting all of the other attendees were State Parks peace officers.
About six months afterward, Beltran founded Ancestors 1, a consortium of local tribal members that seeks to protect the cultural resources that go back some 21,000 years to the Clear Lake Basin's aboriginal peoples, while also promoting development.
He said his tribe helps monitor Anderson Marsh State Park, and one of the tribal members one day spotted some people out in the park disturbing an archaeological site. A State Park ranger responded and cited the individuals.
Beltran said he wanted to know if they would actually be prosecuted, and so he met with District Attorney Don Anderson, who pledged to pursue a case.
Separately, Beltran wanted the training to be presented for local law enforcement.
Martin said Beltran brought the training proposal to him at a meeting of local law enforcement officials held in Clearlake earlier this year.
The training was appealing because it recognized the importance of Lake County's American Indian history, Martin said.
He said his other interest in it was that, because of Proposition 47 – which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors – as well as California's criminal realignment, law enforcement has been unable to take criminals off the streets due to some crimes.
Archaeological crimes, he said, often are wrapped up with a variety of other criminal activity. Understanding how to investigate and pursue such cases, he said, is “giving us another tool for keeping our community safe.”
McAllister said the training was the first his firm has offered that was co-hosted by a sheriff’s office and tribal groups. Usually, such trainings are hosted by big federal or state agencies.
The training tries to raise the consciousness of law enforcement officers about the seriousness of the crimes, he said.
He said he interacted with Kreutzer during the class. “It was obvious that he was getting the message and really taking it seriously.”
Through the training, the attendees learned that Lake County contains several hundred archaeological sites associated with local tribes, according to Brooks.
Martin said that everyone who took the class came to realize the importance of dealing with archaeological crimes, and some of the officers wondered if if they had been seeing such items throughout their careers but not recognizing them.
An unexpected case
Just before noon on Saturday, two days after the training ended, Kreutzer contacted Smith behind a business in the 16000 block of Main Street in Lower Lake, Brooks said.
Brooks explained that Kreutzer's original contact with Smith had nothing to do with looted artifacts, but rather an inappropriate letter Smith had allegedly left for a 14-year-old girl.
When Kreutzer found Smith, he was standing behind his white van, with the double doors open. As Kreutzer exited his patrol vehicle, Smith walked toward him and said he could explain the note, stating the individual he intended to receive the note was older than 14, but admitted he had only seen her from a distance, Brooks said.
Brooks said that during Kreutzer's contact with Smith, he noticed Smith was exhibiting the signs and symptoms of being under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant. He asked for Smith’s cooperation in a series of tests to determine whether or not he was under the influence of illicit drugs, but Smith refused to comply and became increasingly agitated.
Smith told Kreutzer at that point that he only smoked marijuana and if he was going to be arrested, then just do it, Brooks said.
Kreutzer approached the rear of Smith’s van and immediately detected the strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle. He looked inside the van and noticed a clear plastic baggie containing marijuana, which he seized, Brooks said.
Brooks said Kreutzer searched the vehicle, locating inside the pocket of a pair of pants a glass pipe stained with a white residue in the stem and a brown substance in the bowl. Kreutzer recognized it as the type of pipe used to ingest methamphetamine. The residue was consistent in color to that of methamphetamine and the pipe appeared to contain a usable amount.
It was when Kreutzer continued searching the vehicle that he began to find the artifacts, Brooks said.
The artifacts included various pieces of obsidian and other rocks which were shaped into points and clay pottery bowls, Brooks said.
Some of the artifacts had index cards attached to them describing the item and the date it was located. Brooks said some of the index cards also described the location the items were taken and the depth of the soil where they were found.
Kreutzer also located a flash drive which contained images of Smith holding a rifle, with another male subject holding obsidian points taken from an unknown location, Brooks said.
Several of the archaeological sites identified on the index cards are located around Clear Lake and have been exposed by recent drought conditions, Brooks said.
Brooks said Kreutzer's recent training led him to immediately recognize the items as being historically significant artifacts, likely associated with burial sites.
The removal of such items is a public offense, Brooks said, and desecration of an American Indian burial site is a felony under the California Health and Safety Code.
After Kreutzer completed the vehicle search, he went to talk to Smith, who spontaneously said he was going to return the items to the tribes and that he was writing a book on the subject, Brooks said.
Kreutzer compared the letter Smith had written to the 14-year-old girl with the index cards describing the artifacts and where they were found, noticing that the writing appeared to be similar, said Brooks.
Brooks said Kreutzer also contacted an archaeologist who is going to review the seized items and make a determination as to where they may have originated and confirm their cultural significance.
Before this case, Brooks said the sheriff's office had minimal contacts with Smith. His only previous arrest locally was in June of 2013 for a warrant.
Brooks said there also is the possibility of widening the investigation to try to identify a possible accomplice – the man shown holding artifacts in pictures on the flash drive found in the van.
The locations from which the items were taken are not being disclosed in order to protect the sites, Brooks said.
McAllister said his firm was happy to hear of the arrest, and Beltran was pleased with how quickly the training yielded results.
“The class ends on Thursday, Deputy Rick makes the arrest on Saturday,” Beltran said.
Added Martin, “What are the odds?”
A crime that's been occurring for many years
McAllister said that crimes involving artifacts usually are connected to other types of crime – from child pornography to illegal weapons and drugs.
“The real serious looters are basically outlaws,” and are looking for ways to make money, he said.
He said the artifact market has seen many prehistoric items coming into it from hundreds of thousands of sites across the continent.
As in Smith's case, looters typically like to take photos of the items they take and themselves at the scene, McAllister said. “This is pretty common with these guys, they kind of have a trophy mentality.”
He said the drought as well as recent wildland fires have led to many archaeological sites now being exposed, which makes them more visible – and more vulnerable – to looting.
To illustrate the impact of wildland fire, Brooks said that during the recent Rocky fire, fire crews found bones in the fire area.
The sheriff's office called in Dr. John Parker, a local archaeologist who has studied Lake County's tribes since he was a Sonoma State student in the 1970s.
“It turned out to be a young bear,” said Parker, noting there was a leg and rib bone. “But you never know.”
Parker began identifying archaeological sites at Anderson Marsh while a student, and remembered sitting out doing his homework with his camera by his side, and using it to photograph looters who casually went through the area retrieving items.
One day after seeing looters at work, he walked over to what was a village site and found human bones strewn all over the ground. Looters, he added, go after burials to find artifacts.
“Everybody in Lake County has got an arrowhead they've picked up somewhere or another,” he said, adding that they often don't know it's against the law.
He added that many people often think they have arrowheads, when what they really have 99 percent of the time are spear or dart points. The difference is that an arrowhead is no longer than three-quarters of an inch, and is only as wide as an arrow shaft.
Parker said there is 14,000 years of spear points documented in Lake County – used for the 7-foot spears commonly used by tribes in the area – versus the arrowheads that began showing up 500 years before the Europeans arrived. Why bows and arrows suddenly appeared isn't known.
He said some people have huge collections of arrowheads or points, many of which in recent years have been donated to the local museums.
Every time someone picks up one of those items, “They're removing a piece of the puzzle,” Parker said.
“Most artifacts that come out of the ground are not associated with burials,” said Parker.
The law requires that any human remains and any objects identified as grave goods that have been looted be repatriated, while other artifacts have to be curated at a museum or another curation facility. Some tribes have their own such facilities, although Parker doesn't believe there are any in Lake County now.
When repatriation is necessary, Parker said there is a process that involves law enforcement, notification to state officials and, ultimately, to the likely tribal descendants of the individuals whose remains have been found.
When prosecutions are involved, the case has to be fully adjudicated before materials can be returned because the items are evidence, he said.
Once the case is over, they can be turned over to a tribe or to a group like the Lake County Historical Society, for which Parker is this year's vice president and also the group's curation/collections manager.
Beltran said each tribe approaches the process of repatriating items and remains in their own way, according to their own traditions, keeping records of such issues confidential.
As for how the prosecution in this case could play out, McAllister said in this case there appeared to have been clear violations of state archaeological protection laws.
However, he said such cases can be pursued under either state or federal law, depending on the jurisdiction overseeing the looted sites. Tribal lands, he added, would be protected by federal law.
Beltran said the tribes – which have “boots on the ground” to alert law enforcement in such looting cases – are looking forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, District Attorney's Office, Lake County Planning and the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
He said those individuals who have been selling artifacts for years “should know their easy street’s over.”
Beltran said tribal members lovingly care for their children, respect and love their elders and also have the utmost respect for their ancestors and where they came from.
While the legacy of those men and women from long ago has been threatened by looting and acts of desecration for many years, now – thanks to the new partnership to protect Lake County's native heritage – Beltran said, “The ancestors are not alone any longer.”
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Board of Supervisors denies Kelseyville Dollar General store appeal
LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a 3-1 vote, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday upheld the Lake County Planning Commission's denial of a major use permit for a Dollar General store in Kelseyville.
Supervisors Anthony Farrington, Jeff Smith and Jim Steele voted to deny the appeal, with Jim Comstock voting in favor of it.
Supervisor Rob Brown had recused himself from the discussion because he owns property close to the proposed store location.
On May 28, the Lake County Planning Commission unanimously denied the major use permit and mitigated negative declaration for the 9,100-square-foot store, proposed to be located at 5505 Main St. and 4315 Douglas St. in Kelseyville.
In July, the Board of Supervisors voted to rename Douglas Street Forrest's Road, for Forrest Seagrave, who was fatally shot during a robbery at his job at Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart in January 2013. The previous Douglas Road address, however, continues to be listed on the appeal documents.
In denying the project the commission cited concerns including traffic volumes on the street, which separates the store location from Kelseyville High School, as well as the store's fit with the community character, as Lake County News has reported.
The May vote by the commission came a year to the month after it had unanimously approved plans for Dollar General's first two Lake County stores, which opened earlier this year in Nice and Clearlake Oaks, and which company representatives told Lake County News are performing above expectations.
However, the performance of those stores in other ways proved to be concerns for planning commissioners, who said they were not pleased with the impacts on those communities.
Community Development Director Rick Coel and Senior Planner Michalyn DelValle, who processed the Kelseyville store application, went before the board to present the appeal matter Tuesday.
Texas-based Cross Development, which builds the stores and then leases them to the Tennessee-based small box retailer, appealed the commission's decision, asserting that the commission hadn't considered all the facts and that the store actually would be a good fit for the community.
However, the three board members who voted to uphold the commission's decision voiced the same concerns as commissioners had when it came to traffic, proximity to schools and community character.
Joe Dell, who is representing Cross Development on the project, was accompanied to the meeting by Amy Herman of ALH Urban & Regional Economics, who did a market study on the proposed store location.
Herman estimated that the store would generate $1.6 million in sales annually from a three-mile radius that included 2,000 households. She said those households have an annual retail potential of $40 million. Based on those sales estimates, Herman said the county could expect $12,600 annually in sales tax revenue.
Farrington questioned Herman about how she conducted the study. Herman explained that she visited local stores but didn't talk to anyone, and that she did not do a traditional retail sales leak analysis due to lack of reliable sources.
Dell said Cross Development had looked at two other locations in Kelseyville – neither of which worked out – before settling on the Main Street location.
He said that both Caltrans and Lake County Public Works determined that a traffic study was not needed for the store proposal. However, he said Cross Development has studied traffic and even parking for projects elsewhere in California.
Dell said the project would increase pedestrian facilities – including sidewalks and crosswalks – as well as Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, with the addition of a bus stop a condition of approval.
He said the company was willing to work with the county and community to meet a majority of the community design standards that are sticking points, like parking and landscaping, adding that the store could become a vibrant part of Kelseyville.
Asked by Farrington about employee numbers and wages, Dell said stores typically have been six and 10 employees, of which about 40 percent are full-time. He said he didn't have salary and wage range information.
Farrington also questioned why Dollar General didn't show up to the meeting.
During public comment approximately 21 people spoke – some of them more than once – all in opposition to the store proposal.
The biggest issues voiced by community members also focused on community character and their belief that Dollar General didn't fit with it, as well as traffic – especially when schools are in session.
Mark Borghesani, whose family owns Kelseyville Lumber, told the board that Kelseyville is pro business, but they want businesses to fit, and they want the town to keep its look.
He said there has been no contact from the project's developer with either the school district or the Kelseyville Business Association.
Community member Mike Adams said Kelseyville has a fragile economy that could be impacted by a conglomerate like Dollar General, of which he said, “They will be fine without Kelseyville in their list of communities to siphon resources from.”
Kelseyville Unified School District Superintendent Dave McQueen said his focus was on the safety of his students. “That is my main concern – always has been, always will be.”
As he did before the planning commission, McQueen raised issues with traffic in the area, noting the heavy volume in the area of the schools.
There also are illegal activities and loitering that take place in that area off campus that affect students. “I need to have an assurance that my kids are going to be safe,” McQueen said.
Sharron Zoller spoke against the project, showing a stack of petitions with the signatures of 800 community members opposing the project – a copy of which she said was submitted to the Board of Supervisors along with a second group of 130 signatures.
Richard Smith, a business professor who lives in Kelseyville, told the board that big stores like Dollar General take money that would have been spent at other stores and send it out of small communities like Kelseyville.
“I know it's a difficult decision for a Board of Supervisors because we want economic growth, we want competition,” but it's important to look at how much money will stay in the county, said Smith.
Dell said there were six Dollar Generals in the small Texas town where he grew up.
While he said no one wants a child to get hit by a vehicle, “The traffic problems already exist.”
Coel reiterated to the board that the traffic counts hadn't met the threshold to require a traffic study.
Supervisor Jim Comstock supported sending the project back to the planning commission to have the traffic issue reconsidered.
Supervisor Jim Steele, recalling when the Northshore stores were proposed last year, said, “Basically, no one knew what to expect.”
Pointing out that Lake County is a very unique place, Steele said, “The destination economy is very, very important.”
He said he preferred to keep the county's unique look, and pointed out that had Dollar General proposed to be located in another part of the county with a distinct look – like Upper Lake in his district – it would have faced complete opposition.
“There's a place for everything,” said Steele, adding that he wouldn't support the store unless there was an outcry in its favor.
Farrington recounted bringing up concerns last year when businessmen in Nice had appealed the planning commission's approval of the Dollar General store in that town.
“I was hesitant to support allowing a Dollar General in Nice,” said Farrington.
The appeal of the Nice store ultimately failed in June 2014. Only then-Supervisor Denise Rushing voted against it, with Farrington and the rest of the board voting to uphold the commission's decision.
Farrington said he was concerned that Dollar General had no representative at the meeting, adding he believed the analysis of the store location was lacking full data, with the corridor “very unsafe.”
Dell told the board that he believed that, if they were given good information, they would find the store would be a good fit, and asked them to send it back to the commission for more detailed traffic and economic studies.
Farrington said he didn't want to put off a decision, adding that at its current proposed location, he had no desire to send the project back for more study.
“I publicly signaled my concerns about this coming to Kelseyville back in the Nice appeal,” said Farrington.
He added, “There's no right or wrong, it's just a different perspective,” and suggested that maybe Cross Development would look at different sites.
Steele moved to deny the appeal, with Farrington seconding, and the 3-1 vote resulting.
Earlier this year, at about the same time as it began to submit documents for the Kelseyville store, Cross Development began the application process for another store location at 20900 S. Highway 29 in Middletown, a proposal that has raised concerns in that community for similar reasons as it did in Kelseyville.
DelValle told Lake County News after Tuesday's board meeting that Cross Development still hasn't completed that application for the Middletown location.
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