LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County's longtime Community Development Department director has resigned in the midst of investigations by federal and local authorities regarding possession of child pornography.
Richard Coel tendered his resignation on Tuesday, which was accepted by the county, according to Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown.
Brown said the Board of Supervisors came out of closed session on Tuesday and voted to appoint Public Works Director Scott De Leon as interim Community Development Department director in light of Coel's resignation.
Coel has turned in all of his county-issued equipment, Brown said.
At the same time, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin confirmed to Lake County News that his agency has launched an investigation to determine if Coel has child pornography in his possession.
Martin said the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted the sheriff's office to report that it was conducting an investigation into Coel possessing the illicit materials.
He said the FBI provided his office with information about the case, and sheriff's personnel began a separate investigation.
The sheriff's office went to Coel's residence, where the activities related to the materials are believed to have taken place, Martin said.
“He's presumed innocent until proven guilty but we are conducting concurrent and parallel criminal investigations with the federal authorities,” Martin said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the investigation was still under way and no arrest had been made, Martin said.
Martin would not discuss specifics of the investigation, including whether or not his detectives had served a search warrant and seized any of Coel's home computer equipment.
Martin said it is hard to estimate how long such an investigation could take to complete.
“We'll take as long as it takes to find evidence of a crime or find evidence that there isn't a crime,” he said.
Coel has been Community Development Department director since November 2006, having served before that time in roles including assistant department director and principal planner, according to county records.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall last week heard an update on the condition of trees at Middletown Trailside Park from a local forestry expert.
Greg Giusti, the University of California Cooperative Extension's director and advisor for forests and wildland ecology in Lake and Mendocino counties, spoke to the group at its Thursday meeting.
Trailside Park was the only county park significantly damaged by the Valley fire last year, according to county officials.
Giusti said he has spent the last six months looking at a lot of trees for people as a result of the fire. He agreed to evaluate conditions at the 107-acre park in response to concerns from the community and MATH.
He said he has called the Valley fire “an anomaly,” adding, “It truly is an incredibly unusual event that we've all lived through.”
The fire hit on a day with triple-digit temperatures, single-digit humidity and 40-mile-per-hour tornadic winds. “It was a perfect storm in terms of how you can optimize a wildland fire,” he said. “We've seen things on this fire that very few people have witnessed in terms of the devastation brought on the natural landscape.”
On the positive side, with concerns now focusing on the rains and the potential for flooding and erosion, Giusti said it is amazing how the mountain has held together despite rains.
He said the streams are running clear, the volcanic soils are sucking up water and aquifers are recharging.
“We as humans look at a fire as a catastrophic event,” said Giusti, explaining that, for many native California plants, fire is an act of rejuvenation, with some species unable to germinate without it.
“I can tell you, the forest will come back,” he said.
However, there are concerns. “The fire seems to have hit in a very bad cone year. I'm just not finding a lot of cones on ponderosa pines. That's the source of seeds,” he said, adding he hopes there are seeds in the soil that didn't burn up.
Other kinds of pines, like knobcone, require fire to open their cones, and Giusti said they were sitting there waiting for fire to germinate.
As a result, a tree type conversion may take place in the burn area, with the pine forest possibly giving way to an oak forest or something else, said Giusti, cautioning that the forest's regeneration will take many decades.
“The forest is going to take time, and time is on our side,” he said.
Giusti said that on March 4 he took a walk through Trailside Park, conducting a count of trees in a portion of the park by running transects of areas a tenth of an acre in size. He said he stayed away from the area of the park where trees have been cut.
He estimated 420 trees per acre – which he said was a high per-acre number – ranging in trunk size from 2 to 42 inches around, with a mix of 250 pine trees and 170 oak trees.
The reason there is such a large per-acre tree count is that, under periodic natural fires, the smaller trees would be cleaned out, Giusti said.
In a drought year, Giusti said all of those trees are like 400 straws in a glass. In a fire-resistant community, there needs to be control over the number of trees, which in this case is crowded and overstocked.
At the same time, a lot of the pine trees on Cobb Mountain were infected by western gall rust, a fungus that, along with insect damage, the drought and the fire, has dealt a serious blow to the area's trees, he said.
“That's what these trees out at that little park and the whole mountain have dealt with,” he said.
He said the pine mortality is high – possibly as high as 99 percent – while the oak trees burned in the fire are now sprouting. Giusti said that while the tops of the oaks may be dead, the sprouts have the adult tree's root mass from which to draw. He estimated 90 percent of the park's oaks are sprouting.
Giusti said he is concerned that there won't be a lot of regeneration of ponderosa pine, and that there might need to be an artificial planting in the future.
Out at the park he said there is a carpet of Indian warrior flowers, which he said are hemiparasitic and feed off the manzanita.
Giusti said he saw a lot of like shrubs like coyote bush coming back as well as small wildlife – chipmunks, ground squirrels and blue belly lizards – that were able to get underground and escape the fire, as well as larger wildlife like deer.
He also saw pockets of gray squirrels in the Summit Mountain area, and robins, towhees and acorn woodpeckers at the park.
If people want ponderosa pines to regrow in the area, he said they will need to get seedlings going, and he suggested getting local clubs to lead the replanting effort.
Giusti also talked about tree health. Even if pine trees have green needles, it doesn't necessarily mean they are alive, he explained.
In addition to signs of fire damage, he looks for disease and beetle damage when evaluating tree health. When those three issues are present, trees may survive but they won't thrive.
He also discussed the liability aspect when it comes to dead trees that are still standing in the park or near homes. Trees that are alive but not thriving pose a risk.
“The only thing a dead tree has left to do is fall over,” he said.
Giusti said dead trees have incredible ecological value, depending on where they are, and what or who might come in contact with the tree.
MATH Board Chair Fletcher Thornton asked if there is a possibility of taking out the park's dead trees and replanting fewer trees per acre in order to have a park that would better serve the community but still have a natural feeling.
Giusti said yes. “What a fire does, it sets the plant community on a new pathway. So if you let nature take its course, it will.”
He added, “We always have the opportunity to help that plant community to move on a pathway of our choosing,” suggesting thinning trees to help pines grows better in the required full-sun conditions.
He also explained the difficulty of finding a home for all of the burned and damaged trees. Giusti explained that there are no pine mills on the North Coast, just redwood mills. The nearest pine mills on the other side of the Sacramento Valley, and they are taking burned trees from the Sierras and beetle-killed trees from Southern California.
“There's just a glut right now,” he said.
Giusti said there will be the skeletons of dead trees in the forest for decades, and eventually they'll just fall over.
While he said he is not seeing a lot of ponderosa pine cones, he's seeing cones from knobcone and Douglas fir.
Even if they began replanting ponderosa pine seedlings right away, it would take 20 years for them to get only a little taller than the ceiling of the meeting room, he said. It's going to take time for to regrow the forest. In the meantime, he suggested the community needs to come up with a plan for the park.
MATH Board Secretary Margaret Greenley suggested, “It's basically a blank slate.”
Giusti replied it's not for the oaks and shrubby species, but it is a blank slate for conifers.
He said he plans to go out and take another look after the rains pass.
Also on Thursday, Interim Deputy Public Services Director Kati Galvani discussed repairs at the park, including re-fencing it.
She said the county definitely wants to reforest the park, which will be expensive to do. They're looking at planting ponderosa pines and want to speak to Giusti more about it.
They're also looking at redefining trails and have 32 workers coming from the California Human Development Department to help with that work, she said.
Other improvements include new doggies waste stations, kiosks and trail markers. “We're limited on what we can do,” she said, explaining that the park was acquired with grant funds for preservation, which limits development.
At the meeting, Supervisor Rob Brown also briefly discussed a plan the Board of Supervisors will discuss at its Tuesday meeting to locate a large dormitory at the park for volunteer work crews coming from around the United States and Canada to help Hope City with rebuilding homes on Cobb.
The building eventually will be turned back over the county, which could use it for community groups and events, he said.
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. – Operation Tango Mike (Operation Thanks Much) will mark 13 years of shipping care packages and supporting military personnel and their families on March 17.
The Board of Supervisors will honor the group with a proclamation for its service on Tuesday morning.
The all-volunteer nonprofit group began in 2003, when founder Ginny Craven was sending care packages to friends deployed to Afghanistan.
Since then, the group has grown and is now headquartered at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport and holds packing parties on the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.
Every month, 60 to 70 care packages are packed by volunteers. After the boxes are stuffed, taped and addressed, children decorate each one.
A recent message on Facebook from Randall Weldon read, “The care packages we received definitely made an impact in our morale. Knowing that so many people supported us and knowing my family back in the states was somehow contributing to that was amazing. At work, we still often reflect on what a cool aspect these care packages were whenever we talk about about deployment. Thanks for all that you do. I know that other soldiers, of all rank, currently deployed appreciate it without a doubt.”
A handwritten note from Lt. Col. Julie Elenbausm read, “Thank you again for sending packages full of snacks, personal care items and so much else. The time you and your organization spend preparing these items to send to us is so amazing. You make our time away so much better because we enjoy and appreciate it all.”
And a handwritten note, accompanied by a unit photo, came from Captain Brian Calcagno and read, “Thank you so much for your packages. Every one of them provide our soldiers joy. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless.”
Currently, Operation Tango Mike care packages are shipped to personnel in nine countries.
Volunteers have also hosted many welcome home celebrations over the years, as well as assisting local families of fallen military personnel.
Operation Tango Mike relies on donations and fundraising to pay the monthly shipping fee of $17.75 per care package, and to purchase the needed food and hygiene supplies. Monthly costs for shipping and supplies exceed $3,000.
In commemoration of 13 years of community support, Operation Tango Mike will host an open house from 5 to 6 p.m. March 17. The regular monthly packing party will follow.
To add someone to the care package recipient list, you may call 707-349-2838 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Other inquiries may be directed there as well.
Donations may be made by mailing checks to 5216 Piner Court, Kelseyville, CA 95451. You may also make electronic donations via PayPal at www.operationtangomike.org or via www.gofundme.com/operationtangomike . Donations may also be made at Umpqua Bank.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal to locate a dormitory for Valley fire workers on county property and honor a local organization that helps veterans serving overseas.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 15, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
In an untimed item, the board will discuss a proposal to use county property at Trailside Park for a dormitory for work crews engaged in rebuilding homes for Valley fire survivors.
At the Middletown Area Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Supervisor Rob Brown gave an update on the plan to place the building – for workers brought in by Hope City to help with the Valley fire rebuild effort – at the 107-acre park.
Separately, Brown told Lake County News that the county got the go-ahead from the state – which provided the grant funding for the park – for the building, which is slated to be located close to Highway 175.
Hope City, a member of Team Lake County, is a ministry of the Hope Crisis Response Network. According to its Web site at http://www.hcrn.info/hope-city.html , Hope City is in partnership with Middletown Bible Church, The Bridge, Santa Rosa Bible Church, Community Baptist Church and Redwood Covenant Church.
The organization's goal is to assist in the rebuilding process with volunteer labor teams from all over the United States and Canada that come and stay for a week at a time.
Brown told the MATH group that the large dormitory building will look like a barn, and will have a kitchen and bathrooms, and will house about 60 workers at a time.
Over the next several years, Hope City intends to build a total of 140 homes on Cobb for about $50,000 each, Brown said.
When Hope City is finished with the building, it will be turned back over to the county, Brown said.
Once the building is back in county hands, Brown said he'd like to see it used for community groups, with some of the uses he suggested being a 4-H camp and Boy Scouts events.
In other business on Tuesday, at 9:10 a.m. the board will present a proclamation commending Operation Tango Mike for 13 years of support for military personnel and their families.
At 9:15 a.m., the board will consider continuing the proclamation of a local health emergency by Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.
In an untimed item, the board will get a fire recovery update from staff.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
7.1: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held March 1, Jan. 26, Jan. 5, Aug. 4 and Aug. 18.
7.2: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2015-119 to Amend the FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget by adjusting revenues and appropriations and amending Resolution 2015-120 to amend the position allocation for FY 2015-16.
7.3: Authorize destruction of old documents within the Purchasing Division and Administrative Office (including minutes of board of supervisors closed session meetings).
7.4: Adopt resolution approving the appointment of a new designated official authorized to act on the county’s behalf in matters involving the State Community Development Block Grant Program’s Open Grant No. 12-CDBG-8395 and Program Income Activities.
7.5: Adopt proclamation designating the week of March 13 to 19 as Pulmonary Rehabilitation Awareness Week in Lake County.
7.6: Approve first amendment to the agreement between county of Lake and Center Point DAAC for fiscal year 2015-16 detoxification and residential services for a contract maximum of $60,000 and authorize chair to sign.
7.7: Approve resolution of the board of trustees of the Kelseyville Unified School District ordering an election to authorize the issuance of school bonds, establishing specifications of the election order, and requesting consolidation with other elections occurring on June 7, 2016.
7.8: Adopt resolution expressing support for Lower Lake Parade and Barbecue (May 29, 2016).
7.9: Adopt resolution approving right of way certification for Mathews Road/Manning Creek - Bridge Replacement Project - State Agreement No. BRLO-5914 (072).
7.10: Adopt resolution approving right-of-way certification for Dry Creek Road/Dry Creek Creek - Bridge Replacement Project State Agreement No. BRLO-5914 (080).
7.11: Adopt resolution approving right of way certification for Foard Road/Anderson Creek - Bridge Replacement Project - State Agreement No. BRLO-5914 (068).
7.12: Adopt resolution approving right-of-way certification for Konocti Road Safe Routes to School Project - State Agreement No. SR2SL-5914 (084).
7.13: Approve the submission of the 2014/15 annual report of the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund and Commissary Account.
7.14: Adopt resolution to appropriate unanticipated revenue in the amount of $13,000 to the OES Budget Unit 2704.
7.15: Adopt resolution temporarily prohibiting parking and authorizing removal of illegally parked vehicles on Hartmann Road from Hidden Valley Road to Bowcher Lane and authorize the chair to sign.
7.16: Approve Permit for Jones Flying Service to conduct aeronautical activities at Lampson Field Airport between October 2015 and September 2016, and authorize the chair to sign.
7.17: Adopt resolution authorizing the Public Works director to sign the notice of completion for Highland Springs Road at Highland Creek Bridge Replacement Project; Bid no. 15-02
7.20: Adopt proclamation commending Operation Tango Mike for 13 years of support for military personnel and their families.
7.18: Approve advanced step hiring of an OES Manager, at the fifth step, due to his extraordinary qualifications in emergency management.
7.19: (a) Waive the normal sealed bid process under Ordinance No. 2406, Section 38.2; and (b) award bid to Ukiah Ford in the amount of $24,085 for the purchase of a 2017 Ford Escape SE AWD, and authorize the sheriff/coroner or his designee to issue a purchase order.
TIMED ITEMS
8.2, 9:10 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation designating the week of March 13 - 19, 2016 as Pulmonary Rehabilitation Awareness Week in Lake County; (b) presentation of proclamation commending Operation Tango Mike for 13 Years of support for military personnel and their families.
8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of continuing the proclamation of a local health emergency by the Lake County health officer.
8.4, 9:20 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $4,813.23, for 6301 Welsh Court, Lakeport, CA (APN 034-831-11 - Kenneth Bonaccorso).
8.5, 9:25 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $3,903.64, for 3154 Buckingham Way, Lucerne, CA (APN 031-192-63 - Yvonne Cox).
8.6, 9:30 a.m.: Hearing, nuisance abatement assessment confirmation and proposed recordation of notice of lien in the amount of $4,494.63, for 4333 Nice Rd, Nice CA (APN 032-191-27 - Bank Of America/Altisource: Asset Resolution).
8.7, 9:35 a.m.: Presentation by Lake County Hunger Task Force.
8.8, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, sitting as the Lake County Housing Commission, consideration of Section 8 Administrative Plan changes.
UNTIMED ITEMS
9.2: Recovery update from staff, assisting agencies and/or community groups, consequent to 2015 wildland fires.
9.3: Continued from March 1, consideration of use of county property for a dormitory for work crews engaged in rebuilding homes for Valley fire survivors.
9.4: Consideration of agreement between the county of Lake and the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce for Support of Lake County destination marketing, in the amount of $10,000.
9.5: Consideration of proposed ordinance amending specified sections of Article I of Chapter 2 of the Lake County Code relating to meetings of the board of supervisors.
9.6: Consideration of the following appointments: Lake County IHSS Public Authority Advisory Committee and Law Library Board of Trustees.
9.7: Continued from March 1, Feb. 23, Feb. 16, Feb. 2, Jan. 19 and Dec. 1, consideration of (a) pole attachment agreement between the county of Lake and Pacific Bell Telephone Co.; and (b) amendment to tower and ground space license agreement between U.S. Cellular Corp., New Cingular Wireless PCS LLC, and the county of Lake.
9.8: Consideration of (a) authorization to waive requirement to solicit formal sealed bids for the purchase of permit software system as the public's interest would not be served due to the unique nature of such goods and services pursuant to County Code Section 2-38.2; and (b) services agreement between the Lake County Community Development Department and Accela, Inc. for development and installation of a new permit system to replace the antiquated permits plus software.
9.9: Consideration of time extension to agreement between the county of Lake and AshBritt Inc. for the Valley Fire Hazard Tree Mitigation Project (no change to compensation).
9.10: Consideration of amendments to current uniform and clothing policy and direction to staff to initiate meet and confer.
9.11: Consideration of irrevocable offer of dedication for roadway and public utility purposes and public access and recreational purposes over a portion of Lakeshore Boulevard and the Inner Harbor Circle.
9.12: Consideration of direction to staff to initiate negotiations for a food services agreement with Trinity Services Group Inc., for a period of three years, with two one-year extensions to be effective April 1, at an anticipated cost of $1.731 per meal including milk.
CLOSED SESSION
10.2: Public employee evaluations title: Animal Care & Control Director Bill Davidson.
10.3, 11 a.m.: Employee Disciplinary Appeal (EDA-16-01), Pursuant to Gov. Code Sec. 54957.
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. – One of the members of the Clearlake City Council said Thursday that she intends to leave the council later this month.
Councilwoman Denise Loustalot made the announcement at the end of Thursday's lengthy city council meeting.
“I have to announce some saddening news,” said an emotional Loustalot.
Loustalot said her family has purchased a home just outside the city limits and so she must relinquish her seat.
She said her resignation will take effect on March 25.
The council reached consensus to discuss at its March 24 meeting how Loustalot's successor will be chosen – either with a council appointment or special election.
Loustalot is nearing the end of her first term on the council.
She was elected in November 2012 and took her seat the following month.
During her tenure she has served one term as vice mayor in 2013 and back-to-back terms as mayor, in 2014 and 2015.
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. – The Clearlake City Council this week will take up a request for much-needed police equipment, and honor new and existing employees.
The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The meeting will begin with a presentation by Clearlake Police Lt. Tim Celli of the agency's annual report, new officers, the new traffic enforcement officer, and the employees and volunteer of the year.
The council also will present a proclamation honoring the Lower Lake High School cheerleading team for its first place national championship win in Varsity Co-Ed Division 1 at the Jamz National Cheerleading and Dance Competition in Las Vegas on Feb. 29.
One of the main items of business on Thursday will be a request from the Clearlake Police Department to approve a contract for a new communications radio processor, hardware and installation.
Det. Sgt. Martin Snyder's report to the council included an estimate from Advanced Communication Systems of Lakeport for the equipment totaling $46,897.32.
At its midyear budget review during the Feb. 4 meeting, the city council approved funding to replace a dispatch/communication panel and accompanying hardware that is well past its 20-year lifespan.
Snyder's report explains that the equipment is “a vital function of the inner workings of the Clearlake Police Department,” allowing dispatchers and officers to communicate, and also allowing dispatchers to open various locations in the department and complete other functions from a central location.
If the equipment were to fail, it would create an emergency situation for the department, according to the report.
Staff is requesting the council exempt the purchase from the competitive bidding process due to the immediacy of the need.
Also on Thursday, the council will honor city employees who have served five, 10, 15 and 20 years.
In other business, the council will hold a public hearing to confirm assessments totaling $90,000 in administrative penalties for failure to abate public nuisances, and will consider adopting a policy for appointing boards, commissions and committee members.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the regular Feb. 25 Clearlake City Council meeting; minutes of the Feb. 16 Lake County Vector Control District meeting; and consideration of the second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 184-2016 amending Chapter V, Section 10.9 “Skate Park Rules and Regulations” of the “Police Code” of the Clearlake Municipal Code.
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. – Operation Tango Mike (Operation Thanks Much) will mark 13 years of shipping care packages and supporting military personnel and their families on March 17.
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