How to resolve AdBlock issue? Official canvass of June 3 election released; Martin wins sheriff's office, Measure N passes
LAKEPORT, Calif. – It's official – Lake County has a new sheriff and a new measure to enforce rules on medical marijuana cultivation based on the final results of the June 3 primary election.
Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley released the completed numbers to Lake County News at around 6 p.m. Monday.
In the sheriff's race – arguably the chief contest of the election – challenger Brian Martin held onto his lead and expanded it to win the race outright against incumbent Frank Rivero and Bob Chalk, the city of Clearlake's retired police chief.
In the initial count completed on election night, Martin – who needed 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff – had 51.4 percent of the vote, which rose to 52.1 percent, or 7,773 votes, in the final tally, followed by Rivero with 3,824 votes or 25.6 percent and Chalk with 3,335 votes or 22.3 percent, Fridley said.
Measure N, a county ordinance to institute medical marijuana cultivation rules that was forced to a referendum, needed a simple majority to pass, and received 51.6 percent, or 7,835 votes. No votes totaled 7,352, or 48.4 percent of the vote, according to Fridley.
One race that will change is that for assessor-recorder, which Richard Ford had appeared to have won outright on election night with 50.1 percent.
Fridley said that in the final count, Ford's vote tally dropped to 49 percent, or 6,712 votes, which means he will face a runoff with Sorhna Li Jordan in November.
Jordan had 27.3 percent, or 3,743 ballots cast in her favor. Logan Weiper finished third and out of the running with 23.7 percent, or 3,240 ballots, Fridley's final count showed.
In the race for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, incumbent Jeff Smith received 43.5 percent of the vote, or 841 votes, and will go to a November runoff with Clearlake City Councilwoman Jeri Spittler, who received 29.3 percent or 566 votes, Fridley reported. Clearlake City Councilwoman Joyce Overton finished third with 527 votes, or 27.2 percent.
For District 3 supervisor, Jim Steele continues to lead with 31.7 percent, or 977 votes, and will face John Brosnan – who received 19.3 percent, or 593 votes – in the November runoff. Other candidates included Marv Butler, 17 percent, 524 votes; Herb Gura, 14.9 percent, 460 votes; James Brown, 11.8 percent, 363 votes; and Mark Currier, 5.3 percent or 162 votes, according to Fridley's final tally.
Measure L, a sales tax measure that would have benefited Clear Lake and water quality projects, needed a supermajority of 66.7 percent to pass, and actually inched closer to winning, according to Fridley's final canvass.
The final results for Measure L showed that it finished with 65.2 percent, or 9,873 votes, a better showing than a similar measure had in November 2012. Votes against Measure L totaled 34.8 percent, or 5,259 ballots, according to Fridley's count.
In the district attorney's race, incumbent Don Anderson continued a substantial lead over challenger Andre Ross. Anderson finished with 59.1 percent, or 8,301 ballots cast, to Ross' 40.9 percent, or 5,735 votes, Fridley said.
The county's final vote count also has a bearing on the tight race for state controller.
As of Monday afternoon, Secretary of State Debra Bowen's office had John Pérez and Betty Yee in a statistical dead heat for the Democratic Party's representation in the November election – both at 21.7 percent – while Republican Ashley Swearengin held a comfortable lead with 24.8 percent.
In Lake County's results, Pérez led with 3,631 votes or 25.6 percent, followed by David Evans, 3,583 votes or 25.2 percent; Yee, 2,590 votes, 18.2 percent; Swearengin, 1,985 votes, 14 percent; Laura Wells, 1,440 votes, 10.1 percent; and Tammy Blair, 965 votes, 6.8 percent.
The initial count Fridley's office released following the election night tally had Pérez leading Yee in Lake County, 26 percent – or 2,326 votes – to 18.6 percent, or 1,662 votes.
Based on the vote count, the additional 1,305 votes Pérez gained in Lake County in the final count – when added to the 876,402 votes the Secretary of State said he's received statewide – gives him an overall total of 877,707 votes.
Yee has a total of 878,191 votes when the additional 928 Lake County votes are added to the 877,263 votes the Secretary of State's Office said she had received across the other 57 counties.
Overall, Lake County's voter turnout was 45.7 percent in the June 3 election, which Fridley called “pretty good.”
Precinct ballots totaled 15.2 percent while absentees came in at 30.6 percent, she said.
“Absentees seems to be always higher these days,” Fridley said said.
Fridley will present the final canvass for certification to the Board of Supervisors at a special meeting set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the board chambers, located on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes, in Lakeport. The canvass is timed for 6:05 p.m.
Fridley said she also expects to have the full results posted online at the county Web site, www.co.lake.ca.us , later Monday night.
Editor's note: The controller's race tallies have been corrected.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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Police identify man accused of taking inappropriate photos of woman; case forwarded for prosecution
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police said Monday they have identified a Kelseyville man who earlier this month is alleged to have taken photos under a woman's skirt in a local store.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph said that 28-year-old Christopher Edwards is the man they were seeking in the case.
On June 19 the agency had put out a call to the community asking for assistance in identifying a male subject involved in a disorderly conduct incident at Walmart, located at 15960 Dam Road, in Clearlake on June 12.
In the incident, the male subject had taken photos under a woman’s skirt while she was shopping in the store, as Lake County News has reported. The original story is here: http://bit.ly/1rdz8c2 .
As a result of the media coverage on the incident and the numerous calls and messages received, Joseph said police identified Edwards as the suspect.
Joseph said officers interviewed Edwards at the Clearlake Police Department on Monday.
During the interview Edwards admitted to committing the crime, Joseph said.
Edwards could not be arrested on Monday due to the “staleness” – or length of time – since the misdemeanor crime. Instead, Joseph said the case against Edwards will be forwarded to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Joseph said the Clearlake Police Department thanked the public for its assistance in identifying Edwards.
Any person with additional information on this case is asked to contact Joseph at 707-994-8251, Extension 338.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
STATE: Gov. Brown appoints two justices to the First District Court of Appeal
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Saturday announced the appointment of Associate Justice James M. Humes as presiding justice, Division One and Therese M. Stewart to Division Two of the First District Court of Appeal.
The First District Court of Appeal reported that it serves the residents of 12 Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma.
The district reported that each year its 20 justices review more than 2,000 criminal, civil and juvenile appeals, and more than 1,300 original proceedings.
Humes, 54, of San Francisco, has served as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four since 2012.
He was executive secretary for legal affairs, administration and policy Gov. Brown's office from 2011 to 2012 and chief deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2007 to 2011.
Humes served in multiple positions at the California Department of Justice from 1993 to 2007, including chief assistant of the Civil Division and senior assistant attorney general of the Health, Education and Welfare Section.
He was an associate at Banta Hoyt Banta Greene Hannen and Everall PC from 1986 to 1987, served as senior assistant attorney general at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office from 1984 to 1993 and was an associate at Jay Stuart Radetsky PC from 1983 to 1984.
He earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Denver, a master of social science degree from the University of Colorado and a bachelor of arts degree from Illinois State University.
Humes fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice James J. Marchiano. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline.
Humes is the first openly gay justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal. He is a Democrat.
Stewart, 57, of San Francisco, has served as chief deputy city attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office since 2002.
She was a director at Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk and Rabkin PC from 1988 to 2002, where she was an associate from 1982 to 1988. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch at the U.S. Court of Appeal, Eleventh Circuit from 1981 to 1982.
Stewart argued on behalf of the city and county of San Francisco in the trilogy of cases advocating for marriage equality for LGBT Californians in the California Supreme Court. She also led the team of San Francisco deputy city attorneys intervening as plaintiffs in the federal case challenging Proposition 8.
Stewart earned a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.
Stewart fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice James R. Lambden. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline.
Stewart will be the first openly lesbian justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal, if confirmed. Stewart is a Democrat.
The compensation for each of these positions is $207,463 annually.
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Clearlake Police K9 helps apprehend man wanted on felony warrants
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake resident was taken into custody on Saturday with the help of a police K9 after he attempted to flee from police.
Lance Leland Scarborough, 38, was arrested Saturday evening, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs.
At 5 p.m. Clearlake Police officers went to a residence in the 3600 Block of Mountain View Street in Clearlake to locate Scarborough, who had two outstanding felony warrants for his arrest out of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for robbery, Hobbs said.
Scarborough, along with an accomplice, allegedly attempted to steal marijuana at gunpoint from a Lower Lake home in October 2013, as Lake County News has reported
In addition, Scarborough has been on active felony probation with a search term, according to Hobbs.
Scarborough immediately locked the doors to the residence and refused to come outside. After approximately 30 minutes of talking to Scarborough he still refused to come outside and used his body and a couch he had pushed up against the front door to hold it closed, Hobbs said.
As officers were attempting to force the door open, Officer Travis Lenz deployed his recently acquired K9 partner Dex into the residence through a window. Hobbs said Dex quickly apprehended Scarborough.
While Dex was apprehending Scarborough, Hobbs said Scarborough was not able to continue to use his body to hold the door closed and officers were able to open the door enough to get inside the residence.
Hobbs said that once inside the house, officers were able to safely arrest Scarborough for the outstanding warrants and resisting arrest.
Scarborough sustained injuries to both his lower legs as a result of the K9 apprehension, Hobbs said.
Hobbs said Scarborough was treated at the scene for the injuries and then transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for further treatment and to be medically cleared for incarceration.
Once medically cleared for incarceration, Scarborough was transported to the Lake County Jail, Hobbs said.
Scarborough is being held without bail on one of the felony warrants, according to jail records.
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Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force eradicates more than 38,000 marijuana plants from south county
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force this week located and eradicated approximately 38,695 marijuana plants from multiple south county locations.
On Tuesday narcotics detectives eradicated 35,155 marijuana plants, which were growing in two large corn fields. The corn fields were located off of Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.
Brooks said detectives also located five marijuana grow sites in the Jerusalem Valley area, where they eradicated 325 marijuana plants. The grow sites were on vacant land parcels which were absent dwellings or structures. Detectives searched the grow sites and were unable to locate any suspects, witnesses or additional evidence.
On Wednesday, narcotics detectives eradicated 3,215 marijuana plants from 25 separate grow sites. The majority of the grow sites were vacant land parcels, which were located in the Rocky Creek and Morgan Valley area of Lower Lake, Brooks said.
One of the marijuana grow sites was located in the 10000 block of Sky High Ridge in Lower Lake. Brooks said the site had an unpermitted structure on the parcel.
He said detectives noticed that the front half of the structure was being used as a honey oil lab, which was in plain view. The back half of the structure which appeared to be used as sleeping quarters contained an SKS rifle and a .22 caliber rifle, which were seized as evidence. Detectives also located two handguns which were also seized as evidence.
During the investigation, 45-year-old Paul Mozal of Boulder, Colo., arrived at the grow site. Mozal denied being involved with the honey oil lab, but admitted to growing marijuana plants on the property, according to Brooks.
Brooks said detectives are submitting the report for complaint against Mozal.
The majority of the grow sites were identified during prior overflight missions. The purpose of the overflights is to seek out probable illicit marijuana growing operations, Brooks said.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
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