LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to terminate a lease agreement for the Probation Department’s Lower Lake satellite office in response to a negative community response.

Facing a growing caseload due to the state’s correctional realignment, Lake County Probation has need of a south county satellite office and check-in center, as Lake County News has reported.

The department was moving into county-owned office space at 16195 Main St. in Lower Lake, which formerly was used jointly by the county’s building department and Environmental Health until the drop in building permit revenues necessitated a closure.

District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock, whose constituency includes Lower Lake, brought the lease termination issue to the board on Tuesday.

Comstock said a “fairly large contingent” of about 50 Lower Lake residents expressed their opposition to the Probation Department being located in the downtown, presenting the county with a petition with 75 signatures.

He said acting Chief Probation Officer Steve Buchholz originally had wanted to be located in Clearlake but couldn’t find a site.

In light of the concerns of Lower Lake’s citizens, Buchholz went out and procured a new location, this time in Clearlake, thus the request to terminate the Lower Lake lease, said Comstock.

Although the board did not specify the location at the Tuesday meeting, the board agenda for next Tuesday, March 27, has the new lease agreement listed as being up for approval. The new address is reported as 4477 Moss Ave., Unit B, owned by Gary Weiser and Shelley Weiser.

“The reality is, we’re going to have the same problem wherever we go,” said Board Chair Rob Brown.

Supervisor Jeff Smith, whose district includes Clearlake, said the newly chosen location is a very good one.

Smith said he had wanted the Probation Department to locate in Clearlake from the beginning, pointing out it’s a more convenient location for the department’s officers.

Supervisor Anthony Farrington agreed about the new location. “I think it’s the appropriate place,” he said, noting that Clearlake has the county’s largest population.

“To me,” said Smith, “it’s jobs in the city of Clearlake.”

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