LAKEPORT, Calif. – At the sheriff's request the Board of Supervisors will consider alternatives to the courthouse's current security plan when the board meets this week.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV8 will broadcast the meeting live.
At 10:45 a.m. Sheriff Frank Rivero will ask the board to review the Lake County Courthouse's existing security procedures.
Currently, when visitors enter the building on N. Forbes Street they pass through a screening station located just inside the main entrance. Visitors to the Clearlake courthouse also pass through screening equipment to enter the building.
That practice was implemented in the spring of 2008 after state Administrative Office of the Courts and county officials discussed and agreed upon a plan, as Lake County News has reported. The security measures arose out of concerns by the state that courthouse facilities were not secure enough.
However, Rivero's memorandum to the board asks for a review of the plan because, “The Sheriff's Office believes this plan is ineffective and provides a false sense of security. These concerns were discussed at the recent Department Head meeting.”
Rivero's memo notes that it's the sheriff's responsibility to protect the safety of the judges and those who use the courts, and he is suggesting two options.
The first is to keep the screening equipment at the main entrance and screen everyone entering. County staffers and other individuals with special clearance are allowed to skip the screening station currently, but under Rivero's first option there would be no unscreened entry to the facility.
The other option is to move the screening equipment to the fourth floor, the location of the courtrooms, and require screening on that floor only, which would be accessed by only one elevator, Rivero said in his memo.
He added that the second option received a unanimous vote of support from the county's department heads in a recent meeting.
Court Chief Executive Officer Mary Smith said that, while the sheriff is statutorily responsible for court security, in a “hybrid” facility like the Lakeport courthouse – which is a mix of state and county offices – the state Administrative Office of the Courts will need to weigh in on the final decision.
The state, in fact, holds the responsibility for the building's fourth floor. The fourth floor was transferred to the state in September 2008 – the same month as the Southlake Division was transferred – in accordance with the 2002 Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002, which the Administrative Office of the Courts said shifted the governance of California's courthouses from counties to the state.
Smith said she and Malcolm Franklin, senior manager for the Administrative Office of the Court's Emergency Response and Security Unit – who played a role in establishing the current security arrangement – are set to meet with Rivero later this week. Smith said she was surprised to find out that Rivero was taking the security discussion to the supervisors ahead of that meeting with her and Franklin.
Smith said he believes that Rivero sees weaknesses in the system and wants to solve them. She said she also feels there are some weaknesses.
“I am optimistic that we will see improvements, but at this stage I am not sure what those improvements will look like,” she said.
She said the county could ask the courts to move the screening equipment to the fourth floor.
“The whole reason it's downstairs is there wasn't enough room,” said Smith.
She said she isn't aware of any serious security issues that have arisen.
Smith added that she appreciates that Rivero wants to improve security, but added that she didn't think moving screening equipment to the building's fourth floor is the way to accomplish that goal.
The board also will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with the Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association; conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation, including Sidetracked Associates Inc. - dba Featherbed Railroad v. LACOSAN and County of Lake v. Bouchey; and a performance evaluation of Agricultural Commissioner Steve Hajik.
Other items on the agenda are as follows.
Timed items
9 a.m.: Approval of consent agenda, which includes items that are expected to be routine and noncontroversial, and will be acted upon by the board at one time without discussion; presentation of animals available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control; consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda, and contract change orders for current construction projects.
9:05 a.m.: Citizen's input. Any person may speak for three minutes about any subject of concern, provided that it is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors and is not already on the agenda. Prior to this time, speakers must fill out a slip giving name, address and subject (available in the clerk of the board’s office, first floor, courthouse).
9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of request for rezone from “A” Planning Agriculture to “SR-B3" Suburban Reserve – 3 acre minimum parcel size (RZ 10-05) and the adoption of a negative declaration for said rezone (IS 10-22); project applicant is Shirley Brooks; located at 3575 Hill Road, Lakeport, CA (APN 005-017-76).
9:30 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending Tim Prather for his years of service to the county of Lake.
9:40 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $2769.47 – 5360 Scotts Valley Road, Lakeport, CA (APN 030-045-63 - Rudolph Ortega).
9:50 a.m.: Update regarding proposed construction of a new public road connecting Wildcat Road and Highway 175; and consideration of staff recommendation to conduct a biological study (estimated cost of $10,000, to be drawn from Budget Unit 3011 – Roads). Continued from Jan. 25.
10:15 a.m.: Public hearing, discussion/consideration of proposed ordinance amending Chapter 4 of the Lake County Code establishing fees for dog and cat licensing, redemptions and other services provided by Lake County Animal Care and Control (reflecting an increase in cat licensing and special cremation fees).
10:30 a.m.: Public hearing, discussion/consideration of proposed ordinance adding Subsection 14.8 to Section 4-14 of Chapter 4 of the Lake County Code providing for modifications/removal of existing vicious animal orders (enabling the owner/possessor of a vicious animal to petition for a hearing before the Board of Supervisors in order to request a modification or removal of their existing vicious animal
order after three years).
11:30 a.m.: Assessment appeal hearing, Melvin and Lynn Goos – Application No. 78-2010 - 4425 Emilee Court, Lakeport, CA (APN 026-342-090-000).
11:35 a.m.: Reconsideration of Jan. 4 appointment to the Lower Lake Cemetery Board of Trustees.
Nontimed items
Consideration of proposed letter to the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District in support of the Calpine Buckeye and Wild Horse Power Plant Project.
Discussion/consideration of request to hire a veterinary consultant to perform study on most efficient way to create a departmental medical program.
Consent agenda
Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Feb. 1, 2011.
Adopt proclamation commending Tim Prather for his many years of service to the county of Lake.
Approve plans and specifications for Middletown Senior Center and Library project, and authorize the purchasing agent to advertise for bids.
Adopt resolution approving the standard agreement (sa) between the county of Lake and the state of California Department of Public Health for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), for fiscal year 2010-11, and authorizing the director of Health Services to sign.
Approve waiver of 900-hour limit for extra-help courthouse janitorial employee Maria Perez, as per the staff memorandum, dated Jan. 21, 2011.
Adopt resolution authorizing the Public Services Department to submit an application to California Department of Resources and Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) for a local government waste tire cleanup and amnesty event grant for fiscal year 2010-11.
Approve the annual delegation of investment authority to Treasurer-Tax Collector Sandra Shaul, pursuant to Government Code 53607.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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