ACCUWEATHER GLOBAL WEATHER CENTER – AccuWeather reports residents of California are being put on alert for a renewed risk of flooding, mudslides and travel disruptions through the first part of the weekend.

A plume of moisture from the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, also known as an atmospheric river, will take aim at Northern and central California through Saturday.

"This atmospheric river will bring periods of heavy rain to Northern and central California through the first half of the weekend," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun.

The first round of rain began Thursday night into Friday, with another heavier wave of wet weather to follow Friday night into Saturday.

A total of 1 to 3 inches of rain may pour down on the communities of Redding, San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Rosa, heightening the risk of urban and flash flooding.

Airline passengers with flights through San Francisco International Airport should anticipate delays, while drivers along Interstate 5 can expect times of reduced visibility and slow travel.

Motorists should turn around and find an alternate route if standing water is encountered on the roadways. Some roads may be closed due to high water or debris.

Even higher rainfall totals, on the order of 3 to 6 inches or more, are expected for the west-facing slopes of the coastal ranges and northern and central Sierra.

Snowfall will be limited to the highest peaks of the Sierra for the duration of the event. However, enough cold air may be pulled in at the tail end of the storm for precipitation to end as snow over Donner Pass.

At intermediate elevations, the combination of rainfall and melting snow may trigger rises on small streams and rivers that can lead to flooding.

Around recent burn areas, including the Tubbs fire, mudslides and debris flows will be a concern.

People who live downhill of burn scars should heed all evacuation notices that are issued. Having an emergency go bag ready is vital in the event of a quick evacuation.

"Despite the threat for flash flooding and mudslides, this rain will help to further fill area reservoirs prior to the dry season this summer," Rathbun said.

Gusty winds may kick up along the coast and over the ridges during the second wave of moisture on Friday night and Saturday. The risk of fallen trees and power lines will be heightened due to the saturated ground.

The risk of flooding will lessen heading into Southern California, where the heaviest rainfall will miss to the north. At most, Los Angeles and San Diego may be dampened by a few showers on Saturday.

"While rain is not uncommon across California during April, a storm of this magnitude is a bit unusual," Rathbun said.

January and February are typically the wettest months of the year in California, with average rainfall rapidly declining from March to April and May.

Fortunately for those hoping to get outside this weekend, Sunday will feature much nicer weather conditions.

Should Game 1 and/or 2 of the MLB series between the Giants and Dodgers at AT&T Park be rained out, Sunday will offer great weather for a potential double-header with sunshine and temperatures in the middle 60s Fahrenheit.

Renee Duff is a meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office said a San Rafael man shot by police officers in Petaluma on Tuesday has died.

Luis Alberto Garcia-Vara, 24, died shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday from his injuries, the agency said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said Petaluma Police responded to a 911 call in the 100 block of Lakeville Circle at around noon on Tuesday after a caller reported that Garcia-Vara was making suicidal threats and possibly had a gun.

Garcia-Vara was found standing in front of the apartment. The agency said officers tried to use deescalation with Garcia-Vara, who pulled a handgun from his pants pocket and pointed it at his head.

When Garcia-Vara pointed the gun toward officers shortly before 2 p.m., five of the officers fired a total of 16 rounds at him. At least one round hit him in the stomach.

Officials said Garcia-Vara was taken to a hospital for treatment but later died.

Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office continue to lead the investigation into this incident with assistance of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office in accordance with the County-Wide Fatal Incident Protocol. The coroner’s office said evidence collection and its processing as well as interviews are still being conducted.

An independent forensic pathologist will perform an autopsy to determine Garcia-Vara’s cause of death, the coroner’s office said.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The ongoing effort to locate three children whose five family members died in a crash last week is continuing, but authorities said incoming storms have halted searches along the Mendocino coast.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it has yet to locate Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12, of Woodland, Wash., despite an ongoing search operation that on Wednesday enlisted multiple agencies, including Lake County Search and Rescue, to scour a stretch of coast in the Fort Bragg area.

The children’s parents, Jennifer Jean Hart and Sarah Margaret Hart, both age 38, died along with the family’s other three children, Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14, when their GMC Yukon LX SUV went off a 100-foot cliff from a dirt turnout along Highway 1 at County Road 430, just south of Juan Creek in Westport last week, as Lake County News has reported.

Authorities said they still don’t know when the crash took place; the vehicle, spotted by a passerby, was found upside down on a large rock in the ocean on the afternoon of Monday, March 26.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol are leading parallel investigations into the crash, with authorities saying they believe the wreck was intentional.

A Thursday update on the search efforts from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the sheriff’s office corrected a previous statement from officials that said Jennifer and Sarah Hart were wearing their seat belts.

Investigators from the California Highway Patrol Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team have since determined, based on an inspection of the SUV, that the two women were not wearing seat-belts during the crash, Van Patten said.

Similarly, it had previously been concluded that the three children whose bodies were found on the crash scene – two on the rocky shoreline, one in the water – also had not been wearing seat belts and had been ejected from the vehicle.

Authorities continue to believe that the entire Hart family was traveling together, with the three missing children thought to have been inside of the SUV at the time of the crash, Van Patten said.

“Information obtained through interviews with family and friends indicated it was rare for the family to be apart, especially while traveling,” he said.

Van Patten said that information coupled with the other children being recovered outside of the vehicle on March 26, “supports the possibility that the missing children were swept away from the crash scene by the Pacific Ocean.”

He added, “The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office will continue to focus a majority of our resources searching with this theory in mind until other information or leads suggestion otherwise.”

On Wednesday, numerous agencies from Mendocino, Lake, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin and other Bay Area counties, along with 74 volunteer searchers and 10 law enforcement personnel participated in shoreline and aerial searches of the Mendocino County coastline, but the three missing children were not found, Van Patten reported.

He said the Wednesday search focused on the area from Noyo Harbor to MacKerricher State Park based upon ocean current and drift pattern analysis conducted by the US Coast Guard. A further search was conducted at the crash site and also focused to the south of that location.

Further large scale search and rescue operations are being postponed due to a pending weather event expected to bring heavy rain and winds to the Mendocino County coast for the next few days, Van Patten said.

However, he said searches of the Mendocino County coastline will continue with on-duty patrol deputies as calls for service allow until search and rescue operations can be safely resumed following the storms.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office also issued a missing persons flier highlighting the missing children in an effort to generate leads about their whereabouts or to find people who had seen them sometime around March 26. The flier is posted below.

Any information related to the investigation can be emailed to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office email account at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 707-234-2100.

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.

040518 Hart children missing persons flier by LakeCoNews on Scribd

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office invites the community to join it for its next “Coffee with a Cop” on Friday, April 13.

The event will take place from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Adventist Health Clear Lake Medical Center's coffee kiosk, located at 15630 18th Ave., Clearlake.

Members of the sheriff’s office and the California Highway Patrol will be on hand to meet with the public.

There is no agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, and get to know the men and women who protect and serve you every day.

Coffee with a Cop is an event where police and community members come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships and drink coffee.

It is a national initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and has been implemented by many cities and towns across the country.

The goal of the program is to increase community trust, police legitimacy and partnership building. Coffee with a Cop removes the physical barriers and crisis situations that routinely define interactions between law enforcement officials and community members. Instead it allows for relaxed, informal one-on-one interactions in a friendly atmosphere.

This informal contact increases trust in police officers as individuals which is foundation to building partnerships and engaging in community problem solving.

The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and the community, one cup at a time.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport and Lakeport Disposal Co. Inc. announce that a Community Cleanup Day for city residents will take place on Saturday, April 28.

The cleanup will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the public parking lot north of the Fifth Street boat ramp in downtown Lakeport.

This event is limited to city of Lakeport residents and those dropping off trash and waste will be required to provide photo identification and copy of a City of Lakeport utility bill.

Household trash, televisions, electronic waste, mattresses, household furniture, unusable clothes/blankets/towels and similar materials will be accepted.

Refrigerators, hot tubs/spas, construction debris and Household Hazardous Waste will not be accepted.

For more details please see the city’s Web site at www.cityoflakeport.com, its Facebook page or contact Lakeport Disposal at 707-263-6080.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department K-9 Unit is planning its sixth annual fundraiser for Saturday, June 23.

The event will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Clearlake Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.

The evening will include a barbecue dinner as well as a live auction, silent auction and raffles.

Tickets are $30 per person and are only available in advance.

The K-9 program is solely funded by donations and our fundraising efforts. The K-9 unit is a nonprofit organization.

The costs associated with acquiring a K-9 are considerable. A dog costs $10,000 to 12,000, initial training is $6,000 to $9,000, and a K-9 equipped car is $25,000 to $35,000 or, if the agency has an available car, the retrofit is approximately $6,000.00. The special handling equipment for the dogs is approximately $2,000 to $6,000.

After these initial costs, there are ongoing costs, including monthly training, recertification and upkeep costs.

The goal is to raise enough funds to maintain the high standard of training, cover the equipment needed and keep our K-9s at work in the city of Clearlake seven days a week.

The K-9 program is involved with activities including locating narcotics, assisting in the apprehension of dangerous criminals/offenders, searching for evidence and locating firearms.

It has assisted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol whenever called upon.

The current K-9 unit has successfully apprehended several violent offenders and wanted fugitives. Its members have searched residences and businesses for possible subjects committing crimes and narcotics. The K-9 unit has also tracked violent offenders and saved countless man-hours by its ability to search areas faster.

A donation to our silent or live auctions would be greatly appreciated; all donations are tax-deductible.

To find out how to support the K-9 Program please contact Sgt. Elvis Cook at 707-349-0394, K-9 Officer Mark Harden at 707-533-7721 or K-9 Officer Chris Kelleher at 707-533-7413.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – USDA Rural Development said it is working to address opioid misuse in rural communities.

The agency’s California State Director Kim Dolbow Vann highlighted the key efforts under way to take on the crisis.

“Opioid misuse has led to a dramatic decrease in quality of life, especially in rural areas where access to resources may be more limited,” said Vann. “We are working hard to bring all of our assets to the table in partnership with local efforts to help combat this epidemic where it is needed most.”

USDA is reserving $5 million in the Community Facilities Grant Program for innovative projects such as mobile treatment clinics.

Rural communities, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized tribes can apply for grants up to $150,000.

Applications for Community Facilities grants funded with this National Office reserve should be submitted on or before June 4, 2018.

Priority is also available in the Distance Learning and Telemedicine, or DLT, Grant Program for applications proposing innovative projects with the primary purpose of providing opioid prevention, treatment or recovery services. Eligible proposals can receive 10 priority points on their applications.

The Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus spending bill included $20 million available in the DLT Grant Program for projects that will help rural communities fight the opioid epidemic. This funding is in addition to $29 million Congress provided for the program in the annual budget.

The application deadline for DLT Grants is June 4, 2018. Applications can be submitted electronically at Grants.gov or in hardcopy to: USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Programs, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 2844, STOP 1597, Washington, DC 20250-1597. Complete details are available on page 14245 in the April 3 Federal Register.

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that nearly 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin.

In early 2018 the Institute for Telehealth was awarded a $325,665 DLT grant to purchase video conferencing equipment to provide interactive telemedicine services. The hub site is based in Placer County and impacts 32 rural sites throughout the Pacific Northwest.

This technology will allow hospital, medical clinics and nursing homes to communicate with specialists they may not have had available through traditional avenues.

USDA is an important partner to rural communities addressing the national opioid epidemic. The Department is investing in treatment facilities and services, e-Connectivity and telemedicine, and public education efforts. In addition to program investment, USDA is helping communities share information about best practices to address the crisis. Visit USDA’s Rural Opioid Misuse webpage for more information.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Petaluma on Tuesday.

At noon on Tuesday Petaluma Police responded to a 911 call in the 100 block of Lakeville Circle. The caller stated there was a man making suicidal threats and possibly had a gun, according to a report from Misti D. Harris, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office community engagement liaison.

Harris said police officers arrived and found the suspect standing in front of the apartment. Officers used deescalation techniques to try to calm him down while other officers evacuated nearby apartments. Medical personnel were parked near the scene.

At one point the suspect pulled a handgun from his pants pocket and pointed it at his head. Officers continuously talked to him for approximately an hour and 50 minutes, trying to resolve the situation, Harris said.

At approximately 1:51 p.m., the suspect pointed the gun toward the officers. Fearing for their lives and the lives of others around them, five officers fired their guns at the suspect, according to Harris.

Harris said the officers fired approximately 16 rounds; at least one round hit the suspect in the abdomen.

The officers immediately provided emergency medical treatment and Petaluma Fire Department paramedics joined officers in providing medical aid, Harris said.

The suspect was transported to a local hospital and is still there. Harris said no officers were injured during the incident.

Detectives interviewed a witness from the apartment complex, who stated the suspect raised a gun towards the officers, at which time the officers fired their guns at him, according to Harris.

All five officers had activated their body-worn cameras during the incident; Harris said that footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation.

In addition, Harris said the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has obtained several search warrants to gather evidence as part of the investigation.

Harris said the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this incident per the County’s Fatal Incident Protocol.

If you have information about this incident, please contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit at 707-565-2185.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday approved a new weed abatement ordinance, received a report on police activity during the first three months of the year and presented three proclamations.

One of the main items of the evening was the public hearing on a new hazardous weed abatement ordinance, which changes the date by which dry vegetation on private properties must be abated from early July to June 1.

It’s a measure that officials said is being taken to bolster community fire safety.

Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said the city and Lakeport Fire have been working together on a more aggressive approach to vegetation abatement in light of the wildland fires that have hit the county over the last several years. He said the Lakeport area also had major fire incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

During a brief public hearing only one person spoke – Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.

While he had nothing to add about the ordinance itself, Hutchison offered another lesson about fire history, similar to what he gave at the council’s meeting last month when it introduced the ordinance.

He recalled the date Oct. 8, which this past year was the day the devastating Tubbs fire – reported to be the most destructive in California history – started near Calistoga and burned to Santa Rosa, within hours of the beginning of the Sulphur fire, which burned in Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake.

Hutchison said Oct. 8 is an important date in fire history for another destructive incident; it was on that date in 1871 that the Great Chicago Fire began, killing 300 people and leaving more than 300,000 people homeless. He said it’s because of that fire that Fire Prevention Week is marked in October.

On the same day that the Great Chicago Fire began, a fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Hutchison said that, to this day, it’s not known how many people actually died in that fire, with estimates ranging between 1,200 and 1,500. He said the whole town was wiped out, and it wasn’t initially known because the telegraph lines burned. It also got little news coverage because of the Chicago fire.

“This isn’t a new problem. It’s an old problem,” said Hutchison. “Any little thing we can do to take on that enemy, we should.”

Councilman Kenny Parlet recalled a calendar that a local bank had used to put out featuring pictures of Lake County’s historic hot springs resorts. “They all burned to the ground,” he said.

Councilman George Spurr moved to approve the ordinance, with Mayor Pro Tem Tim Barnes seconding and the council voting 5-0.

Tuesday’s meeting also featured an update on police activity in the first quarter of this year, presented by Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, who commended his staff for the good work they’re doing on the streets.

From Jan. 1 to March 31, there were 2,533 total incidents, which Rasmussen said broke down to 1,004 community calls for service and 1,529 incident that were the result of police-initiated activity, including vehicle stops, foot patrols and arrests.

Among the nine crimes that the police department must report as part of the uniform crime report requirements, Rasmussen gave the following statistics for 2018’s first three months: homicides, 0; rapes, 0; robberies, 3; aggravated assaults, 5; simple assaults, 15; burglaries; 5; larcenies, 32; stolen vehicles, 2; and arsons, 0.

He said there were 193 total arrests, with 164 of those being misdemeanors and 29 for felonies.

A significant statistic for Rasmussen is the number of drunk driving arrests, as his department is on a traffic enforcement and safety campaign. He said that in the previous 90 days there had been 45 drunk driving arrests.

In addition, police officers in that time period issued 147 traffic citations, of which 66 were for moving violations that are primary contributing factors to collisions, such as speed, turning and right-of-way violations, and using electronic devices while driving, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said Lakeport Police’s detective also was assigned or completed 15 serious criminal investigations, including the writing of eight search warrants.

Regarding response times, Rasmussen said that for priority one – or emergency – calls, it was three minutes; for priority two, which is not an emergency but someone needs officer assistance in a timely manner, the response time was 10 minutes; and for priority three, in which there is some kind of cold crime, the response was 20 minutes.

“I plan to try to review these every 90 days and come back with a report, and also release it to the public as well,” Rasmussen said.

Lt. Jason Ferguson, who Rasmussen said has been supervising the night shift until the department hires a new sergeant, was on hand to support the chief in making his report.

Ferguson pointed out that this year’s first quarter statistics are well above last year’s numbers. He attributed that to the work of the city’s police officers, who he said are all dedicated to the community’s safety.

“They definitely deserve to be recognized,” he said, explaining that the increased statistics reflected their proactive efforts. Ferguson said he’s proud of them and pleased to work with them.

Rasmussen said during the first three months of this year his officers also have take at least three firearms off of the street.

In one case, they encountered a man in a vehicle who had a gun in his pocket and was trying to hide it when officers were walking up on the car. That incident “could easily have turned very violent,” but because of the officers’ work and alertness, they were able to take the man into custody, Rasmussen said.

Council members noted they had seen officers at work around the city and were pleased with their efforts.

Also on Tuesday, Mayor Mireya Turner presented proclamations designating April as Sexual Assault Awareness Day and Child Abuse Prevention Month to Lake Family Resource Center staff, and a proclamation designating April 14 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day to the Soroptimist International of Clear Lake.

The council approved the updated Sewer System Management Plan as well as a resolution adopting an email retention policy, and appointed Turner as the Lakeport representative to the Public, Educational and Governmental Channel Board of Directors with a term expiring in January 2020.

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.

040318 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement due to a forecast calling for heavy rain to return to Northern California this week.

The agency’s special weather statement said a surge of subtropical moisture from Hawaii will bring a return of wet weather to Northern California beginning Thursday and continuing into the weekend.

The storm is the result of another “atmospheric river.”

The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office described atmospheric rivers as “long, narrow corridors in the atmosphere that transport large amounts of water vapor from the tropics.”

Much of California’s rain comes from atmospheric rivers, which are steered by high and low pressure, the agency said.

Forecasters anticipate this storm will bring periods of heavy rain coupled with strong, gusty south winds, are possible Friday night and Saturday.

Estimated rainfall amounts in the mountains range from 2 to 7 inches, and between 1 to 3 inches in lower-lying areas. At the same time, the warm subtropical air is forecast to result in high snow levels, generally above the mountain passes until Sunday.

Rain is expected to decrease on Sunday, with conditions clearing into Monday before chances of showers are again predicted beginning on Tuesday.

Daytime temperatures over the next several days are forecast to range into the low 70s, dropping into the low 50s during the rainy periods. Nighttime lows will range into the high 30s.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Tuesday the California Highway Patrol and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office shared new information gained in their parallel investigations into a fatal wreck that killed five Washington family members, with three of the family’s children still listed as missing and search efforts to find them set to continue Wednesday.

Jennifer Jean Hart and Sarah Margaret Hart, both age 38, and three of their children, Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14, all of Woodland, Wash., died when their GMC SUV went off a 100-foot cliff at the edge of a dirt turnout along Highway 1 at County Road 430, just south of Juan Creek in Westport.

On Sunday, the CHP and Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said that they believe that the crash may have been intentional. That’s based primarily on the evidence developed in the crash investigation so far, which has shown that there were not skid marks or signs of braking in the turnout.

While the crash was reported on the afternoon of March 26 – after a passerby spotted the overturned vehicle sitting on a rock in the ocean – but authorities aren’t certain when the wreck actually took place.

Authorities said they believe that the family’s three other children – Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12 – were also on the trip.

However, the children remain missing, and Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday that it’s still unclear if the missing children were inside the vehicle during the incident.

Van Patten said the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is focused on search efforts as if they were inside the vehicle while the CHP is focused on search efforts as if they were not inside the vehicle. “At this point there in no obvious information to suggest either possibility.”

On Tuesday, the CHP’s Ukiah Area office said that, based on the investigation to date, it is believed the Hart family was in or around the Newport, Oregon, area around 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 24, and that they continued south along US 101 until they reached Highway 1 in Leggett.

From there, authorities said the Harts traveled south along Highway 1 until they reached the Fort Bragg area in Mendocino County around 8 p.m. on March 24.

The CHP said the family remained in the Fort Bragg and Cleone areas until approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, March 25.

They were traveling in a 2003 GMC Yukon LX with black rims, authorities said.

In putting together the timeline, officials were aided by information they received on Monday that Jennifer Hart may have been seen on March 25 in a Fort Bragg business, Van Patten said.

He said sheriff's office investigators obtained video footage from the business and noted it was of a poor quality resolution. The footage was provided to CHP investigators who are working with FBI agents in an attempt to enhance the viewing quality.

Meanwhile, authorities have been conducting ongoing searches by aircraft and watercraft, and on land in the area of the crash site and the shoreline in Mendocino County and Sonoma County. Search and rescue divers have been unable to dive in the area of the crash site due to unsafe ocean conditions, Van Patten said.

He said a large scale search and rescue operation with approximately 71 searchers is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday during low tide conditions, with the base of the operation being located at MacKerricher State Park in Fort Bragg, according to Van Patten.

The search area will focus from the Noyo Harbor to the MacKerricher State Park based upon ocean current and drift pattern analysis conducted by the US Coast Guard, he said.

Van Patten said a further search will be conducted from the crash site with focus to the south of that location. This search is anticipated to include aircraft, boat and land searchers.

Agencies set to participate in the Wednesday search operation include CAL ESAR, Contra Costa County Search and Rescue, Bay Area Mountain Rescue, Lake County Search and Rescue, Marin County Search and Rescue, Mendocino County Search and Rescue, San Mateo County Search and Rescue and Sonoma County Search and Rescue, Van Patten said.

Anyone with information pertaining to the Hart family’s route of travel or places where they stopped, who may have come into contact with them or who has any other information about them are asked to call the CHP’s Ukiah Area office at 707-467-4000 or the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Drivers are using their cell phones less often while driving, but distracted driving remains a serious safety challenge in California.

Observing April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the first week in April as California Teen Safe Driving Week, traffic safety advocates will focus on education and enforcement efforts statewide as California marks 10 years of the hands-free laws.

In an effort to address the issue, the California Highway Patrol, California Office of Traffic Safety and Impact Teen Drivers have planned events throughout the state during the month of April to educate people on the dangers of distracted driving.

"California’s distracted driving laws have been saving lives for a decade now,” said former State Senator Joe Simitian, who authored the state’s hands-free and no-texting laws. “Every day, somewhere in California, someone is sitting down to dinner with their family who wouldn't have made it through the day without these laws on the books. That’s tremendously gratifying.”

Simitian added, “However, there’s more work to be done. Public education, meaningful penalties, and rigorous enforcement are all essential. Most importantly, all of us who are out on the road have to remember: it can wait.”

Senate Bill 1613, the hands-free cell phone law, and Senate Bill 28, the no-texting law, were enacted in July 2008.

Data collected by the CHP shows decreases in the number of citations issued for distracted driving and in the number of inattention collisions since that time, but the problem persists.

Last year, the CHP issued more than 97,000 citations for violations of the handheld cell phone laws.

In 2009, the first full year of the hands-free law, the CHP issued more than 148,000 comparable citations.

Preliminary 2017 data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System indicates nearly 22,000 drivers were involved in distracted driving collisions in California, a decline from the more than 33,000 drivers involved in distracted driving collisions in 2007, before the hands-free law went into effect.

“Cell phones are everywhere in our lives. Tweeting, texting, and posting on social media are hard habits to break,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “However, they have potentially deadly consequences if you are driving. Any use of a cell phone or other distraction while operating a vehicle significantly impairs your driving ability. Changing those dangerous habits will help make our roadways safer for everyone.”

Since 2011, the Office of Traffic Safety has conducted an observational study of handheld cell phone use every year. “This year’s study on the use of handheld cell phones and texting shows a decrease over past years; however, more work needs to be done to target those who were observed to still be breaking the law,” said Office of Traffic Safety Director Rhonda Craft. “The best way to put an end to distracted driving is to educate all Californians about the danger it poses. We will do this through enforcement and education efforts like our new advertising campaign ‘Just Drive,’ reminding drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road.”

In an attempt to drive the message home with the state’s newest motorists, Impact Teen Drivers partners with California’s traffic safety organizations to deliver an educational program that confronts the dangers and consequences of reckless and distracted driving.

“We lose 11 teens every day to preventable car crashes in the U.S. In California alone, we lose the equivalent of eight large yellow school buses each year to this deadly epidemic,” said Dr. Kelly Browning, executive director of Impact Teen Drivers. “It’s time to stop the number one killer of teens in California. It’s time we put two hands on the wheel, two eyes on the road, and most important, keep our minds focused on our driving. It will take a strong combination of education and enforcement to prevent distracted driving.”

Although the traffic safety campaign will continue throughout the month, April 5 and 13 have been designated as statewide enforcement dates. On these two dates, the CHP and other law enforcement agencies throughout California will conduct education and zero-tolerance enforcement efforts to discourage distracted driving.

The California Highway Patrol and Office of Traffic Safety would like to remind drivers in California that the law prohibits them from having a cell phone in their hands while operating a motor vehicle.