LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Monday afternoon, Scott Spivey looked on as an excavator tore through the walls of the Tudor-style home he and wife Robin had shared in the Lakeside Heights subdivision.

The home, located on Lancaster Road, was perched on a hillside over Hill Road with a view of Clear Lake. Built in 1985, it had been the couple's home for 11 years when cracks in the structure began to appear last spring.

The home eventually would be split in half and fall into a hole that resulted from a landslide, the cause of which is still a source of debate between subdivision residents and county officials.

The Spiveys had to leave after the county red-tagged the home on the weekend of March 23, forcing them to move out within 48 hours.

Eventually, seven structures would be red-tagged and other residents would leave based on voluntary evacuation notices the county issued, with about half of the residents in the 29-home subdivision moving out.

Late this summer, the county Community Development Department moved forward with abatements of the most severely damaged homes, including the Spivey home.

At the Sept. 17 Board of Supervisors meeting, Community Development Department Director Rick Coel told the board that he was pursuing the abatement of two structures – the Spivey home and a nearby duplex.

Having the structures out of the way, Coel said, would make recontouring the soil – part of the process to winterize the landslide area – an easier task.

On Monday, Coleman Construction – which received the county contract for demolishing the two structures – got to work taking the homes down.

Company owner Tracy Coleman said he had until Oct. 15 to remove the structures, do the soil contouring and cover the slide area above Hill Road with plastic.

The county's goal is to keep the landslide area dry and prevent the ground movement from starting again.

Randall Fitzgerald, the president of the subdivision's homeowners association, said the county sent him an abatement notice last week for the association's property above Hill Road.

The notice gave the association 48 hours to mitigate the slide area, and Fitzgerald said they let the deadline lapse, which means the county now will move forward with the abatement.

Fitzgerald told the supervisors at their Sept. 17 meeting that the association had limited funds and was doing what it could to deal with the slide.

However, he pointed out, “Every single homeowner feels that we are not responsible for the damage that has been inflicted on our neighborhood.”

It's unclear who ultimately will pay for the abatements. When the county takes over an abatement process, the property owner usually is billed.

However, the property owners maintain that the county's water system was responsible for causing the landslide, and that's what they alleged in 45 tort claims filed against the county in July.

The county's third party liability administrator denied those claims, which opens the door for the property owners to file a lawsuit within a six-month window.

Michael Green, an attorney with the Santa Rosa law firm Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery, represents the property owners.

He told Lake County News that the property owners intend to file a single lawsuit against the county in order to recoup their losses – from destruction of homes to lost property value.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will consider delaying its sewer rate increases when it meets this week.

The council meeting, which also is a joint meeting with the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District, will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The main item of business for the council is a proposed resolution to delay the increase in monthly service charge increases for sewer rates from Jan. 1, 2014, to July 1, 2014.

Last October, the city council, sitting jointly as the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District Board, adopted a resolution to establish new sewer rates, fees and charges, as Lake County News has reported.

Public Works Director Mark Brannigan's report for the meeting explains that the council directed staff to postpone the implementation date for the rate increase to July 1 and look into ways to assist the commercial customer classification for the required volume charge.

At the July 16 council meeting, the council passed Resolution No. 2478 was passed to provide the commercial customer with 10 units of usage before a volume charge was applied, Brannigan said.

Brannigan said that although the council directed the initial sewer rate increase to occur on July 1, “its direction to staff regarding the future annual increases was ambiguous” and Resolution No. 2463 (2012) and Resolution No. 2478 (2013) included Jan. 1, 2014 as the next scheduled increase.

The proposed resolution provides a full 12 months between the July 1 implementation of the sewer rate increases by amending Resolution No. 2463 (2012) and Resolution No. 2478 (2013), Brannigan said.

He said the proposed resolution would provide an additional six months and have the proposed rate increase on July 1, 2014, and continuing on July 1 thereafter through 2017.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted on one vote – are ordinances; the warrant register for Sept. 18; minutes of the Sept. 17 meeting; review and approve the city’s response to the 2012-13 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Oversight report regarding the Lakeport Police Department; approve Application 2013-017 for the Clear Lake High School Homecoming parade on Oct. 11; approve Application 2013-018 for the Harvest Revelation Block Party on Mellor Drive, sponsored by the Eternally Wired Youth Ministry on Oct. 31.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a relatively short agenda this week, the Board of Supervisors will designate October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and host a series of assessment appeal hearings.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. It will be broadcast live on TV8.

At 9:10 a.m., the board will present the proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

At 9:15 a.m., assessment appeal hearings will be held on properties owned by Tuleyome Inc., Jerome and Linda Mundel, James Trudell, WeiQi Lin and Colleen Pope.

The full agenda follows.

TIMED ITEMS

9 a.m., A-1 to A-4: 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).

9:10 a.m., A-5: Presentation of proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

9:15 a.m., A-6: Assessment appeal hearings: Tuleyome Inc. - Application No. 123-2011 - 14067 24 N 02 Road, Lucerne, CA (APN 002-038-010-000/990-063-536); Jerome and Linda Mundel - Application No. 72-2011 - 19725 Donkey Hill Road, Hidden Valley Lake, CA (APN 142-453-070-000); James Trudell - Application No. 121-2011 - 8336 Paradise Valley Road, Lucerne (APN 060-321-050-000); WeiQi Lin - Application No. 122-2011 - 7302 East State Highway 20, Lucerne (APN 060-121-020-000); Colleen Pope - Application No. 124-2011 - 7595 Al Drive, Lucerne (APN 060-071-090-000).

NONTIMED ITEMS

A-7: Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports

CLOSED SESSION

A-8: 1.Conference with Labor Negotiator: (a) County Negotiators: A. Grant, L. Guintivano, S. Harry, M. Perry, A. Flora and C. Shaver; and (b) employee organizations: Deputy District Attorney's Association, Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association, Lake County Correctional Officers Association, Lake County Employees Association and Lake County Safety Employees Association.

A-8: 2. Conference with real property negotiator, (a) property located at: 3980 Gard St., Kelseyville (APN 024-081-01); (b) negotiating parties for county: Supervisor Rob Brown, Child Support Services Director Gail Woodworth, County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora; for seller, Kelseyville Unified School District representatives; (c) under negotiation, lease terms.

CONSENT AGENDA

C-1: (a) Carried over from Sept. 24; approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held on Sept. 10 and 17, 2013; and (b) approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Sept. 24, 2013.

C-2: Adopt proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

C-3: Approve lease agreement between the county of Lake and Albert Moretti and Theresa Moretti for office space located at 525 N. Main St., Lakeport (APN 025-372-020) for use by the Child Support
Services Department, through July 14, 2014, at a monthly rate of $7,888, and authorize the chair to sign.

C-4: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Redwood Children’s Services Inc., for FY 2013-14 Alcohol and Other Drug Perinatal Program services, total amount $299,655, and authorize the
chair to sign.

C-5: (a) Adopt resolution approving final parcel map and the signing of the final parcel map and ordering the summary vacation of a portion of public roadway, Elk Mountain Road, County Road No. 301, in the County of Lake (Zabel PM 12-03); and (b) approve deferred improvement agreement between the county of Lake and Harry Zabel and Nancy Zabel, and authorize the chair to sign the agreement.

C-6: (a) Waive the formal bidding process and make a determination that competitive bidding is not appropriate due to acquisition of equipment from a sole source vendor; and (b) approve purchase of 10 C-IV scanners from the county of San Bernardino and authorize the Social Services Director/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order to the county of San Bernardino, in the amount of $27,293, for 10 C-IV scanners.

C-7: Approve addendum to agreement between the county of Lake and SafeMeasures to extend agreement through Sept. 30, 2015, an increase of $400 to annual rate, for Internet access to SafeMeasures tools, and authorize the chair to sign.

C-8: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Refined Technologies Inc., for Public Authority Registry software through June 30, 2016, amount not to exceed $500 per month, and authorize the chair to sign.

C-9: Approve first amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Fierce Inc. for trainer travel expenses, amount not to exceed $1,668.61, and authorize the chair to sign.

WATERSHED PROTECTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

C-10: Approve purchase agreement for property located at 8920, 8922 and 8930 Bridge Arbor North and 8219 Reclamation Road, Upper Lake (APNs 003-041-10, 004-013-10, 003-042-10 & a portion of 004-014-11- Weger Interests Ltd.) for the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, and authorize the chair to sign.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A local task force is working to reduce the county's high suicide rate through education, support and a public awareness campaign.

The effort has been highlighted in September, which is “Suicide Prevention Month.”

Linda Aldridge, Lake County Behavioral Health prevention specialist, said a suicide prevention task force is working with a representative from Family Service Agency of Marin as part of the North Bay Suicide Prevention Project.

The issue of suicide is a serious one for Lake County.

The county's health data shows that the death rate attributed to suicide in 2009 was 34.5 per 100,000 – nearly four times the state rate.

The Clearlake City Council at its Sept. 12 meeting commended the efforts of the group with a proclamation and extended its support in raising awareness to help prevent the pain of suicide.

A needs assessment is currently being conducted to better understand suicide in Lake County, said Aldridge.

“We have been implementing the survey that we created as well as conducting focus groups,” she said, adding some materials have been developed including a crisis hotline, 1-800-900-2075.

In addition, Aldridge said a representative from the statewide suicide prevention campaign, “Know the Signs,” is working with the task force to develop for the helpers of those who are at risk.

“There are already some posters and brochures that have been developed for use statewide that encourage those helpers to pay attention to warning signs and discuss how to ask the hard question and connect people with additional resources,” she said.

Aldridge said the task force currently is working specifically on materials for participants at an upcoming youth leadership summit that is being planned by Lake County Behavioral Health in partnership with Lake County Office of Education and Redwood Children Service.

The task force also is working on materials geared toward the American Indian population, she said.

Aldridge credited Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Executive Council members Aimee Jackson and Ida Morrison, and American Indian youth representative Amelia Rodriguez for doing “a wonderful job outreaching to the community for participation in the tribal suicide prevention efforts.”

She added, “They recently collaborated with the Sonoma County Indian Health Project to provide a Gathering of Native Americans for youth where suicide prevention was a major component.”

Aldridge said the task force is collaborating with the Bay Area Suicide and Crisis Prevention Alliance and Mendocino County to hold a suicide prevention network meeting.

The meeting will present current and best practices in suicide prevention and provide the most recent information for reducing suicide and connecting with resources, Aldridge said.

Email Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control is planning another of its special adoption events.

The event, which will take place from Monday, Sept. 30, through Saturday, Oct. 5, will allow those who want to add a new friend to their home to do so at reduced rates.

This is the second of the special adoption events held this year. The previous one took place in April.

The Board of Supervisors approved the creation of an amnesty program in February 2012 that allows Animal Care and Control to hold up to four such events a year in an effort to increase adoption rates. The adoption events include a county adoption fee waiver.

Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said the county adoption fee waiver will result in a $20 cost reduction in cats and $30 cost reduction for dogs.

He said the cost to adopt cats – which includes a health exam, altering, vaccinations and microchip – will cost $76 for males and $86 for females.

For dogs, males will cost $121 to adopt, with females under 60 pounds costing $131 and $146 for those over 60 pounds. He said the total cost for dogs includes health exam, altering, vaccinations, heartworm test, microchip and license.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm and see the animals available for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Members of what Supervisor Denise Rushing called the “little community that could” gathered on Friday morning to celebrate another important new project in Clearlake Oaks.

The ceremony – complete with golden shovels – marked the official groundbreaking of the Live Oak Senior Center, a project that has been several years in the making.

Rushing lauded the community for its involvement, and retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox – under whose administration the new center's planning initially was launched – said the project exemplified what is possible when communities and governments partner for a common goal, even in the toughest of times.

Work on the new $1.5 million center actually began with grading early last week on the vacant lot next to the current senior center.

The foundation for the new 4,000-square-foot building already is down and workers with Chico-based Randy Hill Construction – to which the board awarded the construction contract at its Sept. 10 meeting – were busy at the site as the Friday event took place.

The new building is going up on a lot that had belonged to the neighboring Clearlake Oaks Community United Methodist Church, which agreed to sell it for use as the new senior center location.

The current center, located at 12502 Foothill Blvd., will continue to offer services – including its popular meals and a place for community meetings – while construction is under way, according to Eric Seely, deputy county administrative officer for special projects.

Once construction on the new center is complete – it's expected to be done by next June – the current building will be demolished to make way for a new parking lot, Seely said.

Before its incarnation as a senior center in 1984, the building – estimated to be more than 70 years old – had housed a social club and Moose Lodge.

But the aging building has reached the end of its useful life, Seely said, which led the county to setting the groundwork for building a new center beginning in 2008.

The plan has weathered the lean years of the recession, failure to land a grant and the end of redevelopment. However, thanks to the Board of Supervisors putting away money each year, Seely said the new center is becoming a reality.

“This is all exclusively county general fund money that the board has been setting aside,” said Seely.

He added that the county's former redevelopment agency was going to play a role before it was dismantled due to state legislation and a California Supreme Court ruling. Before the agency was dissolved, it funded the development of the new center's blueprints.

Also on hand for the Friday ceremony were Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka, owner of Ruzicka Associates in Lakeport.

The county's original architect went out of business during the process of planning the new center, and Ruzicka Associates stepped in to make sure the plans complied with the 2010 building codes, Seely said.

He credited Ruzicka Associates for fulfilling a “critical role” in the project. The firm will continue to be involved as the work moves forward, providing special inspection and testing during construction.

The new center will be about 1,600 square feet larger than the current facility, offering a bigger kitchen, level floors and better access as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the county reported.

Live Oak Senior Center Executive Director Pat Grabham – excited to see the new building taking shape – said the center currently serves about 80 to 90 seniors lunch five days a week.

In 2009, they started a bus service to bring seniors to the center in order to enjoy social interaction, which Grabham said is important to keep seniors healthy and connected.

Grabham envisions an expansion of services in the new facility, which will be able to accommodate more people and may even enable them to offer meals seven days a week.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.