The board's last meeting took place on Dec. 15, and it was shortly before that that Clearlake's shopping center plan – to be anchored by a Lowe's home improvement center on the site of the old Pearce Airport property off of Highway 53 – was made public.

A short public comment period on the plan's mitigated negative declaration environmental document was held from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31.

The Clearlake City Council and Clearlake Redevelopment Agency will hold a special joint meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, to discuss the plan and consider moving forward without an environmental impact report (EIR).

Board members Denise Rushing and Rob Brown both sent letters to the city of Clearlake to voice their concerns about the project and the proposal not to do an EIR, as Lake County News has reported.

During the Tuesday meeting's public comment period, Mark Borghesani, whose family built the new Kelseyville Lumber home center which opened last year, spoke to the board about his concerns regarding the Lowe's plan, which he estimated will have broad impacts across the county.

Borghesani, who noted he would be against any “big box” corporate chain development like Lowe's, said the $9.5 million put into Kelseyville Lumber was money he had to pay, not redevelopment money used to support the project. He was referring to the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency's proposal to spend at least $6 million to help improve the site and facilitate the development.

Rushing asked to take up a special discussion regarding the Lowe's development, citing the Thursday Clearlake meeting and the desire to have the full Board of Supervisors weigh in on the project. The board voted unanimously to hold the discussion.

“We as a body haven't had a conversation about that project, but in my view it does affect the county greatly” – especially in terms of the potential for closed business and blight, Rushing said.

She estimated that Kelseyville Lumber, Kelseyville Appliance and other similar businesses in other areas of Lake County would be most impacted by Clearlake's plan.

“I'm not sure what options this board has,” said Rushing – other than to suggest a full EIR be conducted.

Brown urged the board to take a position regarding the EIR.

Noting that he's opposed to big box intrusions, Brown said there's a process anyone proposing a project should go through, and that the city of Clearlake needs to be consistent.

Late last year, the county's Mental Health Department wanted to purchase the now-closed Lake Escape Resort in Clearlake and use it for to offer mental health services. Brown noted that the city demanded a “very significant environmental report” be done to convert the resort into the mental health facility. The county backed out of the project in the spirit of cooperation after the city's planning commission voted it down.

Supervisor Jim Comstock, who said he wouldn't take a position on big box stores, nevertheless pointed to restrictions in the general plan on the stores.

Newly appointed Board Chair Anthony Farrington said the general plan places a major restriction on big boxes and requires them to go through a planned development process that includes an analysis of the impact on existing businesses.

Comstock agreed with Brown that everyone should follow the process, which he was concerned the city of Clearlake is trying to circumvent. He suggested the board “respectfully request” the city follow it and monitor the impact, which will be beyond the city's limits.

“I understand and appreciate Clearlake's desire to develop a regional shopping center,” said Comstock, who added that he believes they've been open about it.

But Brown quickly replied, “I don't think they have been that open about it,” suggesting Clearlake's leaders have used “methods of deception” and refused to respond to direct questions about the project from county representatives.

“We have not been privy to very open information from them at this point,” Brown said.

Supervisor Jeff Smith, whose District 2 area includes Clearlake, said he also wouldn't come out for or against the plan at this point.

However, Smith – a former Clearlake City Council member – said when the city purchased the property from the county in the 1990s, the plan was to put some type of development there. A use study concluded that a home improvement store like a Lowe's was the best use, he said.

He said he's asked city officials for information and was turned down, as it was a confidential negotiations process. Smith said he thought the plan was released as soon as the city could do it.

“Do I wish there would have been more public meetings other than this one on the seventh? Definitely,” Smith said.

Smith said he wasn't surprised about the plan. Brown said others on the board weren't so much surprised by the plan as the proposal to move forward with it without an EIR.

He also complained about the short public comment period and its scheduling. “They're giving 30 days over the holidays, between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Brown said. “It's nonsense.”

Smith said an EIR was required for the Clearlake Wal-Mart because it was proposed for a place that didn't have the right zoning, but the Pearce Airport property is properly zoned.

Brown contended that the city's basic environmental report is flawed. While he's not a fan of EIRs – which he said he believes often are used to try to shut down projects – in this situation he feels it's necessary.

“In this case there's so much to consider,” he said. “This is the biggest development any of us will ever see in Lake County.”

Brown moved to request the city do an EIR that looks at the project's economic impacts.

Rushing seconded his motion, but asked for further discussion, and wanted to have other impacts considered as well, including traffic.

Farrington, who felt all of his fellow board members had hit on important concerns, said that, for him, the issue isn't about being against Lowe's or big boxes.

He explained that there had been “posturing and holding out” when it came to reaching a countywide agreement against big boxes, with both Lakeport and Clearlake not signing on.

For him, the major concern was one of impact. “It bleeds through the jurisdictional boundaries in terms of the impacts on the economy,” he said.

For that reason alone, through either an EIR or a basic economic impact, Farrington said the city should be able to answer questions about the economic impact.

Smith said he didn't know that a full EIR should be required as much as a focused document. The land, he said, has a lot of fill that needs to be replaced in order to make the site usable. The city essentially owns a worthless piece of dirt that will cost as much to fix as to develop.

Brown noted that the county had been working with the city on a plan to improve the Lake County Sanitation District (LACOSAN) sewer system in that area, which would be needed to help the project go through.

“We don't have a commitment that we have to honor,” said Brown.

He added, “We don't have to accommodate them to slit our own wrists.”

Comstock said he felt an EIR focused on economic impact and traffic was appropriate.

Rushing said she disagreed with the idea that EIRs are meant to stop projects; rather, she said, they're a way to mitigate issues that come up with projects.

She said she felt they didn't have enough time to call for a focused EIR, because the short time frame hadn't allowed them to fully review the project.

“I'd like to suggest they stop and consider an EIR,” she said, noting it should be a full EIR, not a focused one.

Brown suggested they can could request a focused EIR on main concerns – economic impacts and traffic – and any other concerns arising from public review. He altered his motion accordingly.

Farrington suggested that an analysis with LACOSAN also is necessary.

Smith said the airport development likely only will take about 10 percent of the estimated 3,000 new hookups that upgrades to the Clearlake sewer system will provide.

“This sewer project just doesn't help this development project,” Smith said. “It helps the rest of the buildout up in the Avenues and Lower Lake, too.”

Rushing said some of the issues that will come up in an EIR would be trips caused by the store and resulting sprawl. Brown said the city's current report makes the claim that the city will reduce its carbon footprint by having Lowe's at the airport.

Brown's motion to request Clearlake do a focused EIR on the specific issues the board outlined passed 5-0.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Last month, the city began to release documents on the Pearce Airport property shopping center plan, which is reported to include a Lowe's home improvement center, as Lake County News has reported.

The 15-acre site would be anchored by the Lowe's store, estimated to have more than 137,000 square feet between its indoor and outdoor space, as well as four additional commercial tenants which Mike Raphel of KK Raphel Properties, the proposed developer, said haven't yet been determined. The goal is to break ground by February 2011.

City officials estimate that the development will bring more than a quarter million dollars' worth of new sales tax revenue into the city annually, plus more than $150,000 in tax increment revenue for the redevelopment agency and 320 jobs.

The plan includes the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency selling the development site to KK Raphel Properties for $2,683,599, less $1,210,000 needed to grade the site, for a net of $1,473,599. Another $500,000 would be set aside to deal with the possibility of hazardous materials which, if they were found, would reduce the city's proceeds to $973,599.

In addition, the redevelopment agency would spent at least $6 million in bond proceeds to assist in making site upgrades, according to officials.

The city is proposing to do the project without a full environmental impact report.

At its Thursday meeting, the council and agency – whose members are the same – will hold a public hearing to consider whether to certify the draft mitigated negative declaration and initial study.

They'll also consider authorizing City Administrator Dale Neiman – also the redevelopment agency's executive director – to execute the draft disposition and development agreement, and authorize him to execute a land exchange for an easement with Superior Acquisitions, which owns property to the south.

Also on the agenda are public hearings to consider approving the disposition and development agreement between the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency and KK Raphel Properties before authorizing Neiman and City Clerk Melissa Swanson to sign them; and a hearing to consider the abandonment of a part of the Airport Road right-of-way.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

Carl Larson, pictured during his final term on the Lake County Board of Supervisors. Larson died Sunday, January 3, 2010, at age 81. Photo courtesy of Kelly Cox.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – On Monday, as friends and colleagues remembered former District 2 Supervisors Carl Larson, the word that kept coming up was “gentleman.”

Larson, a three-term supervisor, died Sunday. He was 81 years old.

County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox called Larson “one of the finest people I have ever known,” and someone who wanted to be a supervisor for all the right reasons.

Larson didn't take on the job for personal gain or to satisfy his ego. “He just wanted to do something good for Lake County and he worked very hard at it,” said Cox.

Former District 4 Supervisor Karan Mackey called Larson a “spectacular board member” whose quiet, reserved exterior belied a man who did his homework, knew the issues and, above all, always was a gentleman, even in the face of disagreements with colleagues.

“He never lost his temper like I would once in a while,” Mackey said.

In February 1981 then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Larson to the District 2 supervisorial seat that became vacant upon the death of Supervisor Bill Whalen.

The following year Larson ran unopposed and was elected to a full term, at the end of which he decided not to seek reelection, retiring in 1987.

However, whether he knew it or not, Larson was far from done with public service.

Several years later, friends and supports talked him into leaving retirement and running for supervisor once more. He was elected to his final term in 1994 and took office again in January 1995. He would leave office for the final time four years later when the current District 2 supervisor, Jeff Smith, succeeded him.

Born in the Midwest in 1928 and raised in Oklahoma, Larson served his career in the US Air Force. While stationed in England he met his future wife, Mavis. Not long before his death he and his wife had celebrated their 57^th anniversary.

The couple came to Lake County after he retired from the Air Force in 1974. They had built a home in Clearlake Park, but later moved to Clearlake Oaks, where they've lived since 1982.

Voris Brumfield, who today works as the county's code compliance manager, served on the Board of Supervisors, representing District 1, during Larson's tenure. She first arrived on the board in 1984.

Larson represented his constituents well, and was supportive of his colleagues on the board, as well as being caring and sincere, said Brumfield.

She said he was first a gentleman. And, she added, “he knew his stuff.”

He was also sensitive and sensible, Brumfield said. “He wasn't very showy. He didn't do a lot of grandstanding.”

Retired District 1 Supervisor Ed Robey said he considered Larson a friend and respected colleague.

They worked together closely on many issues, and shared a fiscally conservative outlook. Robey remembered that at one point they were the only two board members who voted against the state's marijuana eradication program, “because we both felt that it was not solving the problem.”

They then came up with the idea of sending a letter to state representatives, asking them for permission to spend the program's money more effectively, a practice the board has continued in recent years.

Larson said about that issue that they couldn't wait for change to come from the top, but needed to be willing to push for change from the local level, said Robey.

“He said, 'If we had waited for change to come from the top we would still be part of the British Empire,'” Robey recalled.

Larson had a quiet strength, said Robey, and was serious, but not somber.

“He did a good job representing his district and he wasn't afraid to take a strong position on things he believed in,” said Robey. “In other words, he wasn't a politician in the negative sense. He was a community leader.”

Mackey, who joined the board in 1985, said Larson was a very private person, so for him to give so much of his time to community service was a sign of his commitment. She said she was especially impressed that he was willing to come out of retirement to run again.

Mavis was very supportive of her husband's effort, said Mackey, who is an Anglophile who recalled that her first English scone was a recipe Mavis and her husband shared.

There was much about Larson that people didn't realize, such as his people-oriented nature, said Mackey.

“It was a real joy to work with Carl,” she said. “And we didn't always get along, mind you.”

Cox said he believed everyone respected Larson, who spent a lot of time in the courthouse working with county staff. Larson was “solid as a rock and told it like it was, even if that might upset certain individuals.”

They used to have great debates, but Cox said Larson never lost his cool or showed any indication of disrespect toward others, whose opinions he valued.

“He gave me a lot of good advice during the early years of my career in Lake County and I learned lessons from him that are still helping me today,” Cox said.

There also was a fun side to Larson, who everyone remembered as being a major fan of Fleetwood Mac and singer Stevie Nicks.

Mackey said he would turn his radio up and blast it when Nicks came on the radio.

“That was the part that really just cracked you up, that he was in love with Stevie Nicks,” said Brumfield, adding, “Still waters run deep.”

Mackey said Brumfield was very much a gentleman, “except for that Stevie Nicks thing,” she joked.

In addition to his service on the Board of Supervisors – which he also chaired – Larson was a member of the Lake County Planning Commission along with other committees, commissions and joint powers authority governing boards.

After his second try at retirement, Larson was a volunteer board member for the SPCA of Clear Lake and the SPCA Endowment Fund Board, and served as a director of the Redbud Health Care District.

Larson, true to his private nature, requested that no services be held. Instead, his family has requested that donations in his memory be made to the SPCA of Clear Lake or to the local charity of one's choice.

To see Larson's obituary, click here: Carl M. Larson, 1928-2010 .

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The matter is set to be discussed during the Board of Supervisors' meeting this Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 1:30 p.m. in the board chambers, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

In October, the Board of Supervisors voted to assign the County Administrative Office the task of conducting an initial investigation into the use of federal Drug Enforcement Administration grant funds for pilot training for Sgt. Dave Garzoli.

Garzoli was involved in a hard landing on Cow Mountain on June 25, 2009, after which it came to light that he had been training as a pilot while on duty, as Lake County News has reported.

A National Transportation Safety Board report on the hard landing said it occurred seven miles west northwest of Lakeport at 3 p.m. in clear conditions, with the main rotor blades impacting the tail boom and the helicopter being “substantially damaged” as a result.

Garzoli was attempting a 180-degree autorotation with a power recovery – a maneuver in which the aircraft enters a glide and turns, but the helicopter's power failed. Tests on the helicopter later showed that the engine appeared to be working normally.

However, the Robinson Helicopter Co. had issued a safety notice titled “Practice Autorotations Cause Many Training Accidents,” which stated, “There have been instances where the engine has quit during practice autorotation,” and urged specific throttle usage to avoid the problem, the NTSB reported.

The situation concerned the Board of Supervisors, especially after County Counsel Anita Grant informed the board that the county's liability insurance doesn't cover county employees flying aircraft. Garzoli's flights had therefore exposed the county and its holdings to major liability concerns.

As a result, the board made it clear that county employees were not to fly aircraft.

Documents Lake County News inspected that were part of the county's investigation into the pilot activities also indicated that Garzoli was working on a proposal to create a sheriff's aviation unit, including a $457,000 quote for a used Robinson R44 helicopter that was included in a Dec. 2, 2008, memorandum to Sheriff Rod Mitchell that detailed the proposal.

Garzoli also had been seeking financial support for the plan outside of the sheriff's office.

Lake County News obtained a copy a copy of a letter written by Big Valley Rancheria Tribal Secretary Charmaine Mankiller, dated March 1, 2009, and addressed to Mitchell, offering support for a sheriff's office application to the local Indian gaming funds committee for the “Sheriff's Aviation Program.”

“The Tribe feels that having the aerial capabilities of a helicopter would offer much needed law enforcement services, whether it be an attempted robbery, vehicle pursuits, search and rescue or other emergency calls,” Mankiller wrote.

County focuses on specific questions

The county needed to explore whether or not the DEA marijuana eradication funds – under which Garzoli was flying – covered his pilot training. The funds do cover the rented helicopters the sheriff's office uses to do marijuana surveillance during the marijuana season.

That was the task for county Chief Deputy Administrative Officer Matt Perry, who began going through the voluminous amount of paperwork which came from a number of sources, including Grant, who earlier had begun looking into the grant funds' usage.

Perry's report to the board for Tuesday's meeting said he focused his research on six key questions:

• Did the DEA authorize pilot training?

• To what extent were county funds (i.e., the DEA grant funds) used to pay for pilot training?

• Did the helicopter contracts include pilot instruction as well as marijuana reconnaissance?

• Did Garzoli fly a helicopter for reasons other than for official county business (e.g., marijuana detection)?

• Did the county (i.e., DEA) pay for helicopter costs not associated with marijuana reconnaissance?

• Can the equipment be located?

Regarding the first question, Perry noted that the sheriff submits an operational plan to the DEA which, in 2009, included a request to use grant funds for pilot training and certification. That operational plan – which Garzoli negotiated and submitted to the DEA – wasn't presented to the Board of Supervisors, as it hadn't been the sheriff's practice to do so, as Mitchell told the board last year.

That plan, a copy of which Lake County News obtained, stated that the sheriff's office planned to train “one or more” deputies as pilots, with the estimate that within two years they could reduce helicopter operating costs from $480 an hour to under $300 an hour “by simply leasing and operating the aircraft ourselves.”

The document stated, “Once we reach that point, we will reach out to our neighboring counties and offer assistance to them in their marijuana eradication efforts.”

Another section of that plan stated, “We will publicly oppose any legislation that is brought forth that aims to decriminalize or reduce penalties for marijuana and other drug offenses.”

Perry's report explained that it appeared that the DEA approved the pilot training and certification request. However, when Perry called to speak with the office of DEA Deputy Chief of Operations David Dongilli, he was told that DEA staff had overlooked the flight training mentioned in the operational plan and that they likely would not have approved it.

According to what the DEA told Perry, “flight training is not usually covered because it is questionable whether its primary benefit is for marijuana eradication,” Perry's report explained.

However, since the training in 2009 was approved, Perry said the DEA stated that it considers the matter closed.

Perry therefore focused on pilot training that took place before Jan. 1, 2009.

What he found was that Garzoli received flight training from 1995 to 1997, 2000 to 2004, and in 2008, years in which the flight training component wasn't included in the operational plan submitted to the DEA.

“Most of this training appears to have been received on county time and presumably paid for by the DEA grant and perhaps other grants received by the county for marijuana eradications,” Perry explained.

However, he said a careful review of the associated documents raised questions, particularly in instances where there were no invoices found and no hours reported when flights were noted in Garzoli's log book.

As to the issue of whether pilot training was received during marijuana reconnaissance or if helicopter costs were incurred specifically to provide the training, Perry found that, beginning last August, Garzoli's pilot log book began noting activities that appeared for the purpose of flight practice, such as repeated landings. Most of Garzoli's training flights also occurred on days he submitted time records to the sheriff's office.

All told, Perry stated that the total cost of the helicopter time during which Garzoli received training cost $98,898.

That amount included $41,293 which was paid prior to 2008 and appeared to have included training during the course of marijuana reconnaissance. Another $8,500 in flight training didn't involve marijuana overflights.

That leaves another $49,105 that requires further review to determine what portions may have been incurred solely for pilot training, Perry said. That investigation should include speaking with the pilot-instructors and Garzoli, which Perry didn't do.

Perry explores missing invoices

Perry also said that the fact that invoices for 14 of the 65 days Garzoli received flight instruction prior to 2009 can't be found raises further questions. An estimate of the value of those missing invoices totals just over $16,000.

He explored whether Garzoli could have personally paid for the costs of the helicopter covered by those invoices. While Garzoli's log book noted the flights' purpose was marijuana reconnaissance, Perry questioned why those flights' dates didn't appear on invoices submitted to the county.

Perry spoke to Gary Meredith, the former owner of one of the companies who has rented helicopters to the county, Cutting Edge Helicopters – whose Robinson R44 helicopter also was damaged in the hard landing Garzoli had last June.

Meredith – whose helicopters were in Lake County on the days for which invoices are missing – told Perry that Garzoli paid for none of that company's time himself, and that everything was billed to the county.

Meredith and one of the company's current co-owners, Joe Ryan – the company changed ownership after last June's incident, Perry noted – both told Perry that it was their understanding that their contract with the county included flight training.

In reviewing Garzoli's flight book, Perry found 13 entries – accounting for 21 flight hours at a cost of $8,500 – that did not mention law enforcement or marijuana reconnaissance.

Those entries include a two-hour night flight from McClellan Airport in Sacramento to Colusa Airport and then to Lampson Airport outside of Lakeport on Sept. 27, 2008. Other night flights were recorded on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29, 2008, Perry reported. Several supervised solo flights were recorded in October of 2008.

Perry said Garzoli's log books included frequent reference to night flights, which Ryan said would be too dangerous to do as part of marijuana reconnaissance unless one had night vision binoculars.

The county had purchased night vision monoculars, which Det. Steve Brooks said were only used on the ground.

Brooks, Perry's report noted, had been in charge of the marijuana eradication program for five years until Garzoli took it over in the middle of 2008. Brooks is now in charge of the program again.

Brooks showed Perry Garzoli's Nomex flight suit, which was similar to the suits worn by other deputies except his included Lake County Sheriff's Office patches sewn on the sleeves and a patch with Garzoli's name and the word “pilot” that could be attached by Velcro to the suit. Perry stated that he didn't see that patch when inspecting the suit, which cost between $189.00 and $259.99.

Conclusions include possible repayment of some grant funds

Perry's report concluded that from September 1995 through November 2008, Garzoli spent 219.3 hours receiving pilot instruction and taking the pilot test, at a cost of $98,898 for the helicopter and instruction and $7,421 in salary and benefit costs.

“A closer review of the activities conducted during the training indicates that some training hours may have been received during the normal course of conducting marijuana reconnaissance, while other hours and costs may have been spent for the sole purpose of pilot training,” Perry stated in his report.

Training costs range from the $8,500 in the missing 14 invoices up to $57,605 for all of the training done before the DEA gave approval for flight training, he explained.

Because the DEA hadn't approved the training, Perry suggested, “the county may have to return some or all of the money to the DEA.”

Perry cautioned the board that the report's research was limited in scope and research.

He said county staff wants the board's direction on whether they should contact the DEA and advise them that the grant funds may have been misspent.

Perry also questioned if – before staff contacts the DEA – the board wants to consider further review to arrive at a refined estimate on how much was spent on pilot training only versus training provided during the course of marijuana reconnaissance.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The agenda and accompanying staff reports can be downloaded at www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/docs.aspx?deptID=88&catID=124 .

At its last meeting on Dec. 15, the council received an update from city staff about the negotiations with Rau and Associates for engineering services on the Lakeport Downtown Improvement Project's phase two, as Lake County News has reported.

At that time, local business people had raised concerns with the city's consultant selection process and the prospect of sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to out-of-county firms.

City Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll told the council Dec. 15 that Rau and Associates estimated the total project – which will improve streets, sidewalks, lighting and other features along several blocks of the city's downtown – would run between $4.3 million and $4.7 million.

That number is far more than the “rough estimate” City Engineer Scott Harter said city staff originally had given to the project costs.

Rau and Associates' proposed fee is about 7.5 percent of the project cost, which Knoll said last time is below the 10 percent range that firms normally charge. City staff proposed having the entire project designed at that rate.

Knoll's report for the Jan. 4 meeting notes that Rau's proposed fee is $316,634, an amount that's about $5,000 higher than was noted Dec. 15.

Knoll's report to the council explained that the proposed fee is “based on a detailed, probable cost analysis of the proposed project, which was not available when staff developed the original construction cost and engineering cost estimates.”

Redevelopment business on Tuesday also will include a request for funding sidewalk ramp that's compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the northwest corner of S. Forbes Street and Lakeport Boulevard.

The redevelopment agency's budget includes $30,000 for such projects, with no other expenditures so far, according to a staff report from Knoll.

The council also will hold a closed session to discuss property negotiations related to the Green Ranch and a case of public employee discipline.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV 8 will broadcast the meeting live.

The agenda can be downloaded at www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Boards/Board_of_Supervisors/BOS_Agendas.htm .

At 9 a.m. the board will elect its new chair and vice chair. Supervisor Denise Rushing has chaired the board over the past year, with Supervisor Anthony Farrington acting as vice chair. In an untimed item, the board will consider approving the chair's recommended committee assignments.

At 1:30 p.m., the board will receive the County Administrative Office’s audit of financial records related to the Lake County Sheriff’s federal Drug Enforcement Administration grants for marijuana eradication and use of funds for helicopter pilot training.

Last summer, after Sgt. Dave Garzoli was involved in a forced landing on Cow Mountain, his training with the use of the federal dollars came to light. Late last night, the board assigned the County Administrative Office the task of investigating the funding's use.

County officials are advising the board that the county may need to repay tens of thousands of dollars in grant funding because it may not have been properly expended.

In other news, the board also is expected to approve the second reading of an ordinance amending Article IX of Chapter 15 of the Lake County Code establishing a fee based inspection program for water vessels. The ordinance was advanced from the Dec. 15 meeting.

Other items on the agenda include the following.

Timed items

9 a.m.: Consideration of items not appearing on the posted agenda; presentation of animals that are available for adoption at the Lake County Animal Care and Control Shelter.

9:10 a.m.: Citizens 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 today's 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.: Consideration of applications for appointments to fill vacancies on the Lake County Vector Control District Board of Trustees.

9:30 a.m.: Public hearing – discussion/consideration of Lake County Planning Commission's recommendations for approval of a modification to use permit for specific plan of development and modifications to General Plan of Development to allow the food service facility located within Kelseyville Lumber to extend operating hours from the currently allowed 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., proposed for project applicant Jon Woodard; and reconsideration of the previously approved adopted mitigated negative declaration based on the initial study 05-36; project is located at 3555 N. Main Street, Kelseyville.

9:45 a.m.: Discussion/consideration of proposed contract between the county of Lake and Susan Jen for the administration of grant in the amount of $314,988 for creating a local food distribution system that revolves around the use of locally grown crops. Continued from Dec. 15, 2009.

10:30 a.m.: Discussion/consideration of proposed changes to the Lake County Rule LCR 1-195 on Aerobic Systems.

11:20 a.m.: Hearing – nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $4,894.56; 6948 Junipero Ave., Kelseyville (APN 044-372-08 - Benjamin

Espinoza III).

11:25 a.m.: Hearing – nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $10,470.85; 11753 Widgeon Way, Clearlake Oaks (APN 035-272-05 -

Deborah Keys).

11:30 a.m.: Assessment appeal hearings: Michael Raffanelli – Application No. 2009-08, APN 042-336-270, located at 16144 13th Ave., Clearlake.

Nontimed items

– Supervisors’ weekly calendar, travel and reports.

– Discussion/consideration of request for approval of out-of-state travel for Animal Control Officer Nehemiah White to Reno, Nev., from March 15 to 19 to attend the National Cruelty Investigators School Level II (the tuition fee is $650, a partial scholarship for the tuition fee in the amount of $400 was received and the remaining county cost will be $250).

– Discussion/consideration of proposed second amendment to agreement between the county of Lake and Lake County Community Action Agency for provision of perinatal treatment for pregnant or parenting women experiencing alcohol or drug related problems for Lake County residents, fiscal year 2009-10 (increasing the funding amount to $40 per day not to exceed $7,200).

– Discussion/consideration of proposed resolution approving county match from the county general fund with the allocation from the state of California General Fund for the offender treatment program for fiscal year 2009-10 (county general fund contribution not to exceed $6,025).

– Discussion/consideration of proposed agreement between the county of Lake and Sonoma Ecology Center for Arundo Donax Eradication for monitoring of Arundo sites within the Upper Cache Creek Basin in the amount of $144,190.

– Consideration of request to approve of out-of-state travel for Public Works Director Brent Siemer to Fort Worth, Texas, from April 25 to 29 to attend the National Association of County Engineers Annual Conference (for cost of lodging only, funding for registration fee to be paid by County Engineers Association of California and travel and meal costs to be paid by Public Works Director Brent Siemer).

– Consideration of proposed resolution authorizing cancellation of designated reserves for Middle Creek Marsh and appropriating unanticipated revenue (transfer of $264,100 from Flood Fight Reserve

Fund, Fund 200 to Fund 200, Revenue Account 79.90, Budget Unit No. 8109 - Flood Control and Water Conservation District), to be used to purchase property (APN 004-021-30), located at 1305 Reclamation Cutoff, Upper Lake.

– Consideration of request to approve out-of-state travel for Social Services Director Carol Huchingson and Deputy Social Services Director Kathy Maes to Arlington, Virginia, from Feb. 3 to 7 to attend the United States Department of Health and Human Services Regional Partnership Grant Special Topics Conference (cost to be paid for by the Federal Administration for Children grant funds).

– Approve escrow agreement between the county of Lake and Terra Con Pipelines Inc. for security deposits in lieu of retention on Kelseyville Wastewater Improvements Construction Contract in the

amount of $2,564,910, and authorize the chair to sign.

Consent agenda

– Approve Minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Dec. 15, 2009.

– Appoint Anna Blair and Eric Freed to the Emergency Medical Care Committee (private ambulance category representatives), for terms expiring on Jan. 1, 2011.

– (a) Appoint Joann Matz and Laurie Daly to the Lake County Child Care Planning and Development Council (Community category representatives), for terms expiring on Jan. 1, 2013; and (b) authorize the chair to sign the California Department of Education Certification Statement regarding the composition of the Lake County Child Care Planning and Development Council membership.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ approving application for funding and the execution of a grant agreement and any amendments thereto from the California Energy Commission under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program for cost-effective energy efficiency in the amount of $258,978.

– Approve Late Travel Expense Claim submitted by Deputy District Attorney Sharon Lerman-Hubert after the 60-day claiming period in the amount of $223.08, due to extraordinary circumstances.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ approving a cafeteria plan with flexible spending arrangement.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ amending Personnel Rule 906 to establish the at risk appointment type (clarifying the county’s intent not to force an at risk employee to accept an alternate assignment or

to continue in an alternate assignment and when an at risk employee declines to accept or continue an alternate assignment, the employee will be subject to lay-off with two weeks notice).

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ amending Resolution No. 2009-145 establishing position allocations to conform to the Fiscal Year 2009/2010 Final Budget, Budget Unit No. 4015, Alcohol and Other Drug Services (deleting one prevention specialist I/II allocation and one substance abuse treatment coordinator allocation and adding one substance abuse programs coordinator allocation).

– (a) Approve dedication and maintenance agreement between the county of Lake and Eskaton Clearlake Oaks Manor for dedication of the easement area from Eskaton to the county in order to include the easement area in the county maintained road system; and (b) accept irrevocable offers of dedication for roadway and public utility purposes (a portion of APN 035-231-49 - Eskaton Clearlake Oaks Manor, Fidelity Title and HUD), located at Lake Street, Clearlake Oaks, and direct clerk to certify for recordation.

– Authorize the destruction of closed civil records from Jan. 1, 2003, through Dec. 31, 2005, pursuant to Government Code Section 26202.

– Waive the 900 hour limit for extra-help Social Services Aide Loree Lewis.

– Approve advanced step hiring of Social Services Worker Supervisor II-CPS Patti Powell, due to applicant’s extraordinary qualifications (5^th step salary range).

– Approve update plan for Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (CAPIT); Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Services (CBCAP); and Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF),

for the term of July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011.

– Approve contract between the county of Lake and Lake Family Resource Center for Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (CAPIT) services in the amount of $70,000, and authorize

the chair to sign.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ amending Resolution No. 2009-139 authorizing submittal of an application to the California State Department of Housing and Community Development for funding

under the 2009 Home Investment Partnerships Program; and if selected, the execution of a standard agreement, any amendments thereto and any related documents necessary to participate in the

Home Investment Partnerships Program.

– Authorize the auditor-controller to reissue checks for a total of $1,846.33, that were never cashed to Fidelity National Title in the amount of $1035.23; Ocwen Federal Bank FSB in the amount of $132;

Home Ranch in the amount of $199.57; New Century Title in the amount of $115.94; Katherine Huot in the amount of $131.89; Luella Phelps in the amount of $101.44; Ralph R. Black in the amount of

$33.46; Christopher Stems in the amount of $36.54; and First America Title in the amount of $61.26.

– Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Bid4Asset Inc. for public action services (not to exceed $15,000), and authorize the chair to sign.

– Approve agreement between the county of Lake and state Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Conservation Board for conveyance and acceptance of a conservation easement (APN 004-022-24), for the Clear Lake Wildlife Area Rodman Slough Project and authorize the chair to sign.

– Adopt Resolution No. _____ determining that planning and administrative expenses are necessary for the production, improvement or preservation of low and moderate income housing.

The board also will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations and conduct a performance evaluation of County Librarian Susan Clayton.

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