LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Behavioral Health Services was recently awarded a $75,000 technical assistance grant to prepare for the upcoming “No Place Like Home” grant opportunity that is going to California voters this November.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services is contracting with local agency Paragons LLC, which will guide the project.
Funding for No Place Like Home comes from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and is to provide permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness along with mental health and/or substance use disorders.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services already has funds available to initiate a permanent supportive housing project in the County.
“We are prepared to strategically utilize approximately $965,000 in Mental Health Services Act housing monies, along with a recently established $500,000 housing reserve account to be approved by the Board of Supervisors this fiscal year,” said Lake County Behavioral Health Services Administrator Todd Metcalf. “The timing couldn’t be better for these funds to leverage additional future housing dollars slated to be coming soon to Lake County, in particular, the No Place Like Home grant.”
The agency already is working closely with the housing Continuum of Care coalition facilitated by Adventist Health Clear Lake, along with having a seat on the Hope Rising Governing Board.
The Hope Rising Governing Board is currently working on a transitional housing project focusing on the County’s chronic homeless population.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services’ permanent supportive housing plan would be the next step for those moving through the transitional housing process.
A $2 billion dollar bond, to be repaid by Mental Health Services Act funds, will fund the No Place Like Home grant. The initiative will be put to California voters this fall.
“It is critical that Californians, especially Lake County voters, understand the high importance and value of what this can do for our homeless population suffering from substance use or mental health problems. Getting folks into stable housing has proven to be the key first step in their path to recovery,” Metcalf explained.
“This is an exciting time of opportunity in Lake County,” says Shelly Mascari, director of Community Wellness at Adventist Health and Executive Director of Hope Rising. “As our agencies, organizations and community members align behind common goals and shared initiatives we create synergy that is driving transformation throughout Lake County. The No Place Like Home grant and Lake County Behavioral Health Services’ leadership in this work is evidence of our alignment and potential.”
For more information, contact Todd Metcalf at Lake County Behavioral Health Services at 707-274-9101.
The funeral for Cal Fire Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney will be broadcast online live on Monday morning.
The livestream, which can be seen above or at https://vimeo.com/calfire, will begin at 11 a.m.
The funeral is taking place in Modesto.
Varney, 36, a 10-year Cal Fire veteran, died July 14 as he was battling the Ferguson fire near El Portal in Mariposa County, as Lake County News has reported.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Work is continuing to fully contain a wildland fire that began Saturday afternoon near Kelseyville and one that began a short time later near Redwood Valley in Mendocino County.
The Carder fire began just before 2:40 p.m. Saturday in the area of Adobe Creek Road and Peterson Lane near Carder Road, as Lake County News has reported.
By nightfall, the fire had been held to 60 acres with 20-percent containment, and one structure reported damaged.
Fire crews stopped the forward spread of the fire Saturday evening, according to Cal Fire.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said mandatory evacuations were implemented in the area of Kelsey Creek Drive to Carder Way and Adobe Creek Road to Peterson Lane.
Officials said the evacuations remained in place overnight, as did road closures in the fire area.
Incident command ordered more resources to assist on the fire on Sunday, according to radio reports.
So far there has been no report on the fire’s cause.
Also on Saturday, in neighboring Mendocino County the Heart fire began within an hour of the Carder fire. Cal Fire said the incident start time was just before 3:20 p.m.
The Heart fire is located at mile marker 35 on Highway 101, west of Redwood Valley.
On Saturday night Cal Fire said the Heart fire had burned 65 acres and was 50-percent contained, with forward progress stopped.
Officials said the fire threatened one structure but had not damaged or destroyed any. Likewise, its threat to electric infrastructure had been mitigated.
The Heart fire is expected to be fully contained on Sunday.
The causes of the Heart fire remains under investigation.
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.
President Ulysses Grant working on his memoirs on June 27, 2885, at a cottage in Mt. McGregor near Saratoga Springs, New York. Image from the United States Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs division.
“‘Man proposes and God disposes.’ There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice.”
So begins the personal memoirs of an American president. The short preface of this two-volume magnum opus is alone worth reading.
In two paragraphs, the author speaks unabashedly about the circumstances that led to his writing an autobiography.
He never intended to write anything for publication, let alone a memoir, but, as he says in the opening line, “Man proposes and God disposes.” Circumstances determined that he should write after all.
Born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April, 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio, he was the son of a businessman and tanner – a life path he never wanted for himself.
As a young man, Hiram took more after his reserved mother than his gregarious father, and by the time he turned 17 he didn’t seem to have amounted to much.
Recognizing that his son never intended to continue in the family tanning business, Hiram’s father arranged for his boy to enter West Point and pursue a military career instead.
A clerical error in his entry papers listed his name as Ulysses S. Grant. Not wanting to be turned down for any reason, Hiram changed his name on the spot.
He continued his unremarkable path through life at West Point, making average grades and receiving several demerits for slovenly dress – a habit he never quite kicked.
He enjoyed mathematics and geometry, and showed a knack for horsemanship, but that was all. By the time he graduated (21st in his class of 39 cadets), Ulysses vowed to leave the military after his mandatory four year service.
During his first posting, in St. Louis Missouri, he met the woman who would become his wife. At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, he was made a quartermaster, a position that gave him the opportunity to learn the difficult art of military logistics – a skill that would come in handy in future campaigns.
Over the next several years, he was stationed at different camps on the west coast, postings that kept him from his wife and growing family. Desiring to be nearer his family, the young captain tried his hand at several business ventures to make enough money to send for them.
Whatever talents he might have had as a military officer, Ulysses S. Grant was absolutely helpless when it came to making money. Frustrated, he began drinking heavily – kicking off a reputation that dogged him the rest of his career.
Finally, in 1854, while stationed at Fort Humboldt on the California coast, he had a run-in with his commanding officer and, amid allegations of drunkenness, he resigned his commission, having stayed in the army nearly six years longer than the four years he had vowed to see through.
The next six years saw the retired captain start and fail at several ventures – from a farm in rural Missouri to a real estate scheme in St. Louis. He was eventually forced to sell firewood on the streets to make ends meet. Finally, in 1860, he humbled himself and went to work at his father’s tannery, serving as a clerk under his two younger brothers.
He was ultimately saved from this ignominious life when the Confederate States opened fire on Fort Sumter in 1861. With the help of a local congressman, Ulysses was able to get a commission leading the 21st Illinois Volunteer Regiment, and he entered the fray as a lowly captain. He would leave the war as a lieutenant general.
His time as lieutenant general and commander of the Union armies left Grant with a mixed reputation. For some, he was considered a “butcher,” for his seemingly blithe willingness to expend the lives of his soldiers in the effort to break apart General Lee’s army. For others, he was the savior of the Union.
Regardless of what some thought of him, enough Americans believed in his capabilities that he was elected president of the United States in 1868, beginning the first of his two terms in office.
Eventually, however, his public service came to an end, and in 1877, President Grant found himself simply Ulysses Grant once more.
Although General Grant had always known what he was doing, and President Grant was able to plug along with the aid of advisers, civilian Ulysses S. Grant was always somewhat clueless and completely luckless.
The same lack of business sense that had led him back to his father’s business, now led the former president down the path of one failed business venture after another. In no time at all, he was penniless.
In 1884, after complaining of a sore throat to a doctor, Ulysses S. Grant was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer.
When it became known that he was not only completely broke but dying as well, his friend Mark Twain offered him a deal. If Grant would write them, Twain would publish his memoirs. Getting down to business, Ulysses S. Grant wrote six or more hours each day for months on end.
Finally, on July 18, 1885, his manuscript was complete. Five days later, on July 23, Ulysses S. Grant died.
Writing his memoirs proved to be the only successful financial venture he experienced in his life – and he wasn’t even around to reap the rewards. Grant’s widow received $450,000 in royalties, or roughly $10 million today.
In the end, the frankness and unadorned prose of his memoirs stand as a testament to a life lived equally straightforward and unprepossessing.
Antone Pierucci is curator of history at the Riverside County Park and Open Space District and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has four dogs ready for adoption.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Basenji, German Shepherd, Maltese and shepherd.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
“Spaz” is a female shepherd mix in kennel No. 12, ID No. 10437. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Spaz’
“Spaz” is a female shepherd mix with a short tan coat.
She’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 10437.
This young male Basenji is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 10490. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Basenji
This young male Basenji has a short brindle coat.
He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 10490.
This male Maltese is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 10475. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Maltese
This male Maltese has a curly black coat.
He’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 10475.
“Lala” is a female German Shepherd in kennel No. 32, ID No. 10420. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Lala’
“Lala” is a female German Shepherd with a brown and black coat.
She’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 10420.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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.
Robert L. Fischer, Case Western Reserve University
I am a researcher who has studied poverty for nearly 20 years in Cleveland, a city with one of the country’s highest rates of poverty. While the council’s conclusion makes for a dramatic headline, it simply does not align with the reality of poverty in the U.S. today.
What is poverty?
The U.S. federal poverty line is set annually by the federal government, based on algorithms developed in the 1960s and adjusted for inflation.
In 2018, the federal poverty line for a family of four in the contiguous U.S. is $25,100. It’s somewhat higher in Hawaii ($28,870) and Alaska ($31,380).
However, the technical weaknesses of the federal poverty line are well known to researchers and those who work with populations in poverty. This measure considers only earned income, ignoring the costs of living for different family types, receipt of public benefits, as well as the value of assets, such as a home or car, held by families.
Most references to poverty refer to either the poverty rate or the number of people in poverty. The poverty rate is essentially the percentage of all people or a subcategory who have income below the poverty line. This allows researchers to compare over time even as the U.S. population increases. For example, 12.7 percent of the U.S. population was in poverty in 2016. The rate has hovered around 12 to 15 percent since 1980.
Other discussions reference the raw number of people in poverty. In 2016, 40.6 million people lived in poverty, up from approximately 25 million in 1980. The number of people in poverty gives a sense of the scale of the concern and helps to inform the design of relevant policies.
Both of these indicators fluctuate with the economy. For example, the poverty population grew by 10 million during the 2007 to 2009 recession, equating to an increase of approximately 4 percent in the rate.
The rates of poverty over time by age show that, while poverty among seniors has declined, child poverty and poverty among adults have changed little over the last 40 years. Today, the poverty rate among children is nearly double the rate experienced by seniors.
The July report by the Council of Economic Advisers uses an alternate way of measuring poverty, based on households’ consumption of goods, to conclude that poverty has dramatically declined. Though this method may be useful for underpinning an argument for broader work requirements for the poor, the much more favorable picture it paints simply does not reconcile with the observed reality in the U.S. today.
Deserving versus undeserving poor
Political discussions about poverty often include underlying assumptions about whether those living in poverty are responsible for their own circumstances.
One perspective identifies certain categories of poor as more deserving of assistance because they are victims of circumstance. These include children, widows, the disabled and workers who have lost a job. Other individuals who are perceived to have made bad choices – such as school dropouts, people with criminal backgrounds or drug users – may be less likely to receive sympathetic treatment in these discussions. The path to poverty is important, but likely shows that most individuals suffered earlier circumstances that contributed to the outcome.
Among the working-age poor in the U.S. (ages 18 to 64), approximately 35 percent are not eligible to work, meaning they are disabled, a student or retired. Among the poor who are eligible to work, fully 63 percent do so.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in the House proposed new work requirements for recipients of SNAP and Medicaid. But this ignores the reality that a large number of the poor who are eligible for benefits are children and would not be expected to work. Sixty-three percent of adults who are eligible for benefits can work and already do. The issue here is more so that these individuals cannot secure and retain full-time employment of a wage sufficient to lift their family from poverty.
A culture of poverty?
The circumstances of poverty limit the odds that someone can escape poverty. Individuals living in poverty or belonging to families in poverty often work but still have limited resources – in regard to employment, housing, health care, education and child care, just to name a few domains.
If a family is surrounded by other households also struggling with poverty, this further exacerbates their circumstances. It’s akin to being a weak swimmer in a pool surrounded by other weak swimmers. The potential for assistance and benefit from those around you further limits your chances of success.
Even the basic reality of family structure feeds into the consideration of poverty. Twenty-seven percent of female-headed households with no other adult live in poverty, dramatically higher than the 5 percent poverty rate of married couple families.
Poverty exists in all areas of the country, but the population living in high-poverty neighborhoods has increased over time. Following the Great Recession, some 14 million people lived in extremely poor neighborhoods, more than twice as many as had done so in 2000. Some areas saw some dramatic growth in their poor populations living in high-poverty areas.
Given the complexity of poverty as a civic issue, decision makers should understand the full range of evidence about the circumstances of the poor. This is especially important before undertaking a major change to the social safety net such as broad-based work requirements for those receiving non-cash assistance.
Oceans cover over 70 percent of Earth’s surface and profoundly influence our planet’s atmosphere, weather, and climate.
However, uncovering the many secrets hidden beneath the ocean’s waves presents unique challenges for researchers, and requires specific technology to observe what humans can’t see.
NASA technologists are developing sensors that can improve measurements of Earth’s oceans, creating new instruments to study aspects of our home planet we haven’t before been able to research.
Imaging what’s below the ocean surface requires the development a new instrument capable of improving the information available to scientists. Ved Chirayath, a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center said, “Images of objects under the surface are distorted in several ways, making it difficult to gather reliable data about them.”
Chirayath has a technology solution. It’s called fluid lensing.
“Refraction of light by waves distorts the appearance of undersea objects in a number of ways. When a wave passes over, the objects seem bigger due to the magnifying effect of the wave. When the trough passes over, the objects look smaller. Fluid lensing is the first technique to correct for these effects,” he explained.
Without correcting for refraction, it’s impossible to determine the exact size or extent of objects under the water’s surface, how they’re changing over time, or even precisely where they are.
Chirayath developed a special camera called FluidCam that uses fluid lensing to see beneath the waves and capture terabytes worth of 3D images at ½ centimeter resolution, snapping imagery from aboard an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAV.
The key to fluid lensing lies in the unique software Chirayath developed to analyze the imagery collected by FluidCam.
He explained that, “This software turns what would otherwise be a big problem into an advantage – not only eliminating distortions caused by waves but using their magnification to improve image resolution.”
He is focusing FluidCam on coral reefs, the health of which have been significantly degraded due to pollution, over-harvesting, increasing ocean temperatures and acidification, among other stressors.
To understand how the reefs are affected by environmental and human pressures, and to work with resource managers to help identify how to sustain reef ecosystems, researchers need to determine how much healthy reef area exists now.
Fluid lensing could help researchers establish a high resolution baseline of global reef area worldwide by augmenting datasets from multiple NASA satellites and airborne instruments. This effort will help identify the effects of environmental changes on these intricate, life-filled ecosystems.
Chirayath and his team designed special software to teach supercomputers how different conditions – such as different sizes of waves – affect the images captured.
The computers combine data from multiple airborne and satellite datasets and identify objects in the images accordingly, distinguishing between what is and is not coral and mapping it with 95 percent greater accuracy than any previous efforts.
“We created an observation and training network called NeMO-Net through which scientists and members of the public can analyze imagery captured by FluidCam and other instruments to help classify and map coral in 3D. This is the database we use to train our supercomputer to perform global classifications,” he said.
Chirayath is working toward a space-based FluidCam. From orbit the camera could map coral reef ecosystems globally and help researchers better understand the overall health of coral reefs.
To learn more about the amazing technologies NASA uses to explore our planet, visit http://science.nasa.gov.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Firefighters from multiple agencies are responding to a wildland fire near Kelseyville that has prompted a call for evacuations in the immediate fire area.
The Carder fire was first reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
It’s located in the area of 9925 Adobe Creek Road, near Carder Road and Peterson Lane.
The initial reports stated the fire was 20 feet by 20 feet in size.
However, when Cal Fire air attack arrived about 15 minutes later, the fire was reported to be about 15 acres, with a potential size of 200 acres, according to radio reports.
A south wind is pushing the fire, which is burning in heavy brush, scanner reports indicated.
Incident command has requested additional water tenders, crews and dozers to help with containing the fire.
Reports from the scene also indicated power lines are down in the Adobe Creek Road area.
Just after 3 p.m., incident command called for mandatory evacuations in the area of Adobe Creek and Peterson Lane, with Lake County Sheriff’s deputies dispatched to assist.
Minutes later, the fire was reported to be up to 40 acres, with a moderate to dangerous rate of spread, and one structure damaged.
Incident command said 15 engines were en route or already at scene.
Shortly before 4 p.m., the Wight Way area also was being evacuated, according to radio reports.
At 4:30 p.m., Cal Fire reported that the fire was up to 60 acres.
The sheriff’s office reported shortly before 5 p.m. that an evacuation shelter is being established at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lakeport, 111 Park Way, at the intersection of Park Way and Hill Road East.
Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection, or LEAP, is staged at Wight Way and Adobe Creek for those who need assistance evacuating animals from the fire area, the sheriff’s office said.
Just before 6:10 p.m., reports from the scene indicated that the fire’s forward progress had been stopped.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
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.
The fire can be seen in the upper lefthand area of the screen in the livestream above.
The red arrows denotes a site in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., and at Richmond Park in Kelseyville, Calif., where the county of Lake has issued a danger warning due to a cyanobacteria bloom, while the yellow arrows show Keeling Park in Nice, Calif., Elem Indian Colony in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., and Redbud Park in Clearlake, Calif., where warnings have been posted. Green markers are below California trigger levels and the blue markers are regular sites not tested during the last sampling event. Image courtesy of the county of Lake and Big Valley Rancheria.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Late Friday, Lake County Public Health issued an updated advisory with warnings about potential health risks due to a seasonal cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, bloom on Clear Lake.
The bloom is taking place in all three arms – Lower, Oaks and Upper – of Clear Lake, the county reported.
Bloom conditions can change rapidly and wind and waves may move or concentrate the bloom into different regions of Clear Lake.
Officials said testing of sites in Clearlake Oaks and Richmond Park had been confirmed at “danger” levels.
At the same time, they urged boaters and recreational users of Clear Lake to use caution in coming in contact with the water at the Elem Indian Colony shoreline in Clearlake Oaks, at Redbud Park in Clearlake and Keeling Park in Nice.
Lakewide sampling on July 13 indicated that blooms were present in several locations on Clear Lake, officials reported.
The county said the lab results for the Clearlake Oaks site showed a level of 480 micrograms per liter, or ug/L, which is at the danger level. The Richmond Park site lab result showed a level of 25 ug/L, which is also at the danger level.
The Elem site showed a level of 4.9 ug/L, the Redbud Park site had a lab result of 4.1 ug/L and the Keeling Park site showed a lab result of 4 ug/L. The county said all of these results are at the caution level.
The Clearlake Oaks location is close to a drinking water supply. Drinking water at that site was tested last on July 10 and was below the Environmental Protection Agency recommended guideline of 0.3 µg/L and was safe to drink. Sampling of drinking water at the the site will next occur on Monday, July 23.
Blue-green algae can pose health risks, particularly to children and pets. The county urges people to choose safe activities when visiting the Oaks arm and parts of the lower arm of Clear Lake and wherever blooms are visible.
It is strongly recommend that people and their pets avoid contact with water, and avoid swallowing lake water in an algae bloom area.
The algae bloom can appear as cut grass in the water or blue-green, white or brown foam, scum or mats that can float on the water’s surface and accumulate along the shoreline and boat ramp area.
Recreational exposure to toxic blue-green algae can cause eye irritation, allergic skin rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea, and cold and flu-like symptoms.
Pets can be especially susceptible because they tend to drink while in the water and lick their fur after.
Get medical treatment immediately if you think that you, your pet, or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to alert the medical professional to the possible contact with blue-green algae.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two of the city of Lakeport’s main arterial streets will be getting some improvements in the coming weeks.
The city reported that a chip seal project will take place on 11th Street between Highway 29 and Main Street and on South Main from Peckham Court to Lakeport Boulevard.
The contractor VSS International of West Sacramento will conduct the chip seal work from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 24. The city said there will be no road closures but traffic control will be in place.
Chip sealing is a rubberized asphalt applied to the existing road surface, which is then covered with aggregate rock, or “chip.” Chip sealing takes a few hours to completely cure.
No parking signs have already been placed along 11th Street in anticipation of the work.
On Monday, July 30, crews will return to put down the micro seal. The city said that work will be completed at night and will require a road closure.
Alexandrea Raven Scott, 23, of Trinidad, Calif., has reached a plea agreement for a 10-year prison term in the June 2018 death of her son. Mendocino County Jail photo.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Humboldt County woman this week reached a plea agreement that will see her spend up to 10 years in prison for the death of her young son in June.
On Thursday Alexandrea Raven Scott, 23, of Trinidad entered a guilty plea to felony child endangerment and also admitted a special sentencing enhancement alleging that abuse of her 18-month old son, Chergery Teywoh Lew Mays, was a proximate cause of the child's death.
The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said Scott accepted what it called a “one-time, take-it-or-leave-it offer” in the case.
The agency said a no contest plea to a felony charge is the same for all purposes as a guilty plea under current state law.
To accept this disposition and avoid a possible murder conviction, Scott also was required to stipulate to an aggravated sentence of 10 years in state prison and to waive all local jail credits, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Scott was arrested in June in Willits following the death of her son, who investigators determined she had left in her vehicle with the windows rolled up for about 10 hours.
He died at Howard Memorial Hospital, where his mother had taken him and where sheriff’s deputies responded to begin the investigation.
Because felony child endangerment – even abuse causing death – has not been characterized by the Legislature as crimes of violence, the District Attorney’s Office said Scott is eligible to earn time credits in prison of up to 50 percent of her overall sentence.
Moreover, it is expected that voter-approved Proposition 57 will further shorten the time the defendant must serve in prison, mandating her release on community supervision after she has served only three years, officials said.
"This was a death that should not have happened; I expect that it has left an unfillable hole in the lives of the child's father, as well as the paternal and maternal sides of the extended families," said Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster, the prosecutor handling the case.
"If nothing else, I hope the stipulated prison time will send a message that those who abuse children should expect to be treated like the serious criminals that they are. In this case, it remains difficult to believe that a parent would leave her child alone for hours on end strapped into a car seat in a closed vehicle – all night into the following afternoon. How is it possible that the child's mother did not safeguard her infant, failed to provide him necessary food and hydration for double digit hours, and allowed him to die a lonely, excruciating death in a hot car while she was literally yards away "partying" in a house with strangers? This sort of abuse is well-deserving of hard time in state prison," said Eyster.
Following the court's acceptance of her change of plea, Scott's matter was referred to the Adult Probation Department for a social study and the preparation of a prison packet.
The information developed by probation travels with the defendant to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to help the prison authorities perform intake, classification, and facility assignment.
The 10-year prison sentence will be formally imposed by Superior Court Judge John Behnke at 9 a.m. Aug. 15 in Department H of the Mendocino County Superior Court in Ukiah.
The law enforcement agency that handled the underlying criminal investigation of the child's death and submitted the crime reports and findings that allowed the DA to pursue the conviction was the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
On Friday Gov. Jerry Brown announced the appointment of six new Court of Appeal justices.
Appointees included Judge Alison M. Tucher as associate justice, Division Four of the First District Court of Appeal; Judge Halim Dhanidina as associate justice, Division Three; Justice Nora M. Manella as presiding justice, Division Four; Judge Dorothy C. Kim as associate justice, Division Five; Judge Maria E. Stratton as associate justice, Division Eight of the Second District Court of Appeal; and the appointment of Judge Michael J. Raphael as associate justice, Division Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
First District Court of Appeal
Alison M. Tucher. Courtesy photo. Alison M. Tucher
Alison M. Tucher, 55, of Berkeley, has been appointed associate justice, Division Four of the First District Court of Appeal.
Tucher has served as a judge at the Alameda County Superior Court since 2014.
She was a partner at Morrison and Foerster from 2004 to 2014, where she was a litigator from 1998 to 2004.
She served as a deputy district attorney at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office from 1995 to 1998 and was assistant director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s White House Security Review Team from 1994 to 1995.
Tucher served as a law clerk for the Honorable David H. Souter at the U.S. Supreme Court and for the Honorable William A. Norris at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College.
Tucher fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Maria P. Rivera.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline.
Tucher is a Democrat.
Second District Court of Appeal
Halim Dhanidina. Courtesy photo. Halim Dhanidina
Halim Dhanidina, 45, of Irvine, has been appointed associate justice, Division Three of the Second District Court of Appeal.
Dhanidina has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2012.
He served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2012.
Dhanidina earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College.
He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Richard D. Aldrich.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.
He will be the first American-Muslim justice and the first South Asian American justice in the history of the California Courts of Appeal, if confirmed. Dhanidina is a Democrat.
Nora M. Manella. Courtesy photo. Nora M. Manella
Nora M. Manella, 67, of Los Angeles, has been appointed presiding justice, Division Four of the Second District Court of Appeal.
Manella has served as an associate justice in Division Four of the Second District Court of Appeal since 2006.
She was appointed by President Clinton to serve as a judge of the U.S. District Court, Central District of California from 1998 to 2006 and appointed by President Clinton to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California from 1994 to 1998.
Manella served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1992 to 1994 and of the Los Angeles Municipal Court from 1990 to 1992.
She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 1982 to 1990.
She was an associate at O’Melveny and Myers in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles from 1978 to 1982. Manella was counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution from 1976 to 1978.
She served as a law clerk for the Honorable John Minor Wisdom on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit from 1975 to 1976.
She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California School of Law, Order of the Coif and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College, Phi Beta Kappa.
Effective Aug. 22, she will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice Norman L. Epstein.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.
Manella is a Democrat.
Dorothy C. Kim. Courtesy photo. Dorothy C. Kim
Dorothy C. Kim, 45, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate justice, Division Five of the Second District Court of Appeal.
Kim has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2014.
She served in several positions at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California Criminal Division from 2001 to 2014, including deputy chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Kim was a litigation associate at Irell and Manella LLP from 2000 to 2001 and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Norman H. Stahl at the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit from 1998 to 1999.
Kim earned a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sandy R. Kriegler.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.
She will be the first Korean American justice in the history of the California Courts of Appeal, if confirmed.
Kim is a Democrat.
Maria E. Stratton. Courtesy photo. Maria E. Stratton
Maria E. Stratton, 65, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate justice, Division Eight of the Second District Court of Appeal.
Stratton has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2006.
She served as Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 1993 to 2006 and held several positions at Talcott, Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Woehrle and Sadowsky from 1985 to 1993, including managing partner, partner and associate.
She was an associate at Overland, Berke, Wesley, Gits, Randolph and Levanas from 1984 to 1985. S
tratton served as a deputy federal public defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Central District of California from 1981 to 1984 and as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California and at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1979 to 1981.
She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California.
She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Madeleine I. Flier.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert.
Stratton is a Democrat.
Fourth District Court of Appeal
Michael J. Raphael. Courtesy photo. Michael J. Raphael
Michael J. Raphael, 50, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate justice, Division Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Raphael has served as a judge at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2012.
He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 1999 to 2012.
Raphael served as investigative counsel in the Office of U.S. Representative Henry Waxman from 1997 to 1999 and was associate counsel at Sidley and Austin from 1994 to 1997.
He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit from 1993 to 1994.
Raphael earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University.
He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Thomas E. Hollenhorst.
This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senior Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez.
Raphael is a Democrat.
The compensation for each of these positions is $228,918.
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Given the complexity of poverty as a civic issue, decision makers should understand the full range of evidence about the circumstances of the poor. This is especially important before undertaking a major change to the social safety net such as broad-based work requirements for those receiving non-cash assistance.
