LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors has approved beginning lease negotiations on two locations in Clearlake Oaks in order to open a sheriff’s substation in that community.
The Tuesday vote unanimously supported the recommendation from the County Space Committee to negotiate for a lease at a location on Shady Lane that the sheriff has advocated for purchasing as well as the Big Oak Shopping Center.
Deputy Administrative Officer Alan Flora presented the board with the committee’s recommendations.
The sheriff’s office currently has a substation in the Clearlake courthouse on South Center Drive, but the state Administrative Office of the Courts has indicated a desire to take over the entire building.
Flora said the county still needs to move forward on getting out of the building, but they’re not currently sure of the state’s deadline for moving out.
He said the committee still felt that a county-owned property on Acorn Street was a viable substation location. Late last year the board had directed that the sheriff’s office use that building, which the sheriff’s office rejected, claiming it was too small.
Board Chair Jeff Smith said the Big Oak Shopping Center has line of sight to Mt. Konocti, where county communications towers are located. In order to have optimal communications capacity, both the Shady Lane and Acorn Street locations would require upgrades.
Supervisor Rob Brown said events have happened nationally and locally – referring, respectively, to the deadly Connecticut shooting and the murder of Kelseyville man during a gas station robbery – that have changed priorities.
In addition to the possibility of the county property on Acorn Street in Clearlake Oaks, Brown suggested that the sheriff’s office needed to keep a location in Lower Lake, where another county owned building was available.
When the sheriff’s office gets calls in the Kelseyville area, often they’re responding from Lower Lake, said Brown.
Kelseyville is the county’s largest population center, he said, and the largest school district is Konocti Unified in Lower Lake, and he felt staying close to both areas was important.
“That's significant exposure to move away from,” he said.
Smith suggested that they should look at having offices for deputies in all of the fire departments, pointing out the fire station in the Clear Lake Riviera would be ideal. He said Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta has said he is willing to make space in his stations in the Clearlake and Lower Lake areas.
Supervisors Jim Comstock and Anthony Farrington both indicated support for having a Clearlake Oaks substation. Farrington said he was open to looking at the numbers on Shady Lane, but he wanted to stick with looking at Acorn Street or the Big Oak Shopping Center.
“On behalf of the sheriff’s office, we’re open to anything,” said Capt. Chris Macedo, who along with Undersheriff Pat Turturici was present for the discussion.
Macedo said they only had so many patrol deputies allotted and didn’t have enough staff to have them both in Lower Lake and in Clearlake Oaks. He said he wanted to work with the board to increase staffing levels.
Macedo said he wanted to take a look at all of the buildings, noting the Lower Lake bank building which the county owns has been a viable option. In Clearlake Oaks, Shady Lane, the Big Oak Shopping Center and the Acorn Street location were preferable in that order.
“I totally agree, we need to do something,” said Turturici.
The board appointed a negotiation team on the leases that includes Flora, Comstock, Supervisor Denise Rushing, a County Counsel’s Office representative and Macedo. The team will operate under the oversight of the County Space Committee.
Also on Tuesday, the board approved increasing the appropriation of the sheriff’s undercover fund from $5,000 to $25,000. The funds are used in operations such as narcotics investigations.
Farrington was concerned about increasing the allocation, noting that it’s tax dollars with little transparency.
Macedo said the $5,000 limit was “somewhat archaic” and set some time ago. He acknowledged that information about the money’s use was sensitive.
Brown said $5,000 could no longer accomplish much in such investigations.
Farrington asked about using asset forfeiture funds for such uses. Macedo said sometimes they can, sometimes they can’t.
“I’m struggling with this,” said Farrington, adding that he had issues with Sheriff Frank Rivero’s actions regarding medical marijuana dispensaries. He did not explain further what he meant, only that he had received information of concern over the last week.
Brown said that after speaking with deputies and others in the agency, he was convinced of the propriety of the request, which the board approved.
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