LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – USDA Rural Development California State Director Kim Dolbow Vann on Thursday announced a new Web page featuring resources to help rural communities respond to the opioid crisis.
“The opioid crisis has had a significant impact particularly on our rural communities, and California has seen firsthand the effects of this deadly epidemic,” Vann said. “As I continue engaging with California’s rural leaders on strategies to combat opioid abuse and improve rural prosperity, this new webpage will be another great resource in our mission.”
The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that more than 63,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin.
USDA is playing an important role to help rural communities address this national problem at the local level through program investment, strategic partnerships and best practice implementation.
In April, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities.
In January, Secretary Perdue presented the task force’s findings to President Trump, which included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America.
In the area of quality of life, the task force included a recommendation to modernize health care access. The report highlighted the importance of telemedicine in enhancing access to primary care and specialty providers.
The task force also found that improved access to mental and behavioral health care, particularly prevention, treatment and recovery resources, is vital to addressing the opioid crisis and other substance misuse in rural communities.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Thursday announced that he is establishing a Bureau of Environmental Justice within the Environment Section at the California Department of Justice.
The bureau’s mission will be to protect people and communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution and public health hazards. This will be accomplished through oversight, investigation, and enforcement of the law.
The bureau’s attorneys will work primarily with attorneys in the Environment Section handling environmental enforcement matters on behalf of Attorney General Becerra. They will also coordinate with and utilize the expertise of other sections within the Attorney General’s Office, as needed.
“Today is a special day. The harsh reality is that some communities in California – particularly low-income communities and communities of color – continue to bear the brunt of pollution from industrial development, poor land use decisions, transportation, and trade corridors. Meeting the needs of these communities requires our focused attention. That’s why I’m establishing the Bureau of Environmental Justice,” said Becerra. “To all who advocate for environmental justice, the California Department of Justice will work with you and fight for a clean, safe and healthy environment. We have a moral and legal responsibility to do so.”
“Far too many disadvantaged Californian communities, like those in my district, have been rendered vulnerable due to disproportionate impacts of pollution, contamination, and other egregious environmental violations. I commend the Attorney General’s leadership and I am proud to put forward legislation to extend resources into this critical new Environmental Justice Bureau,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. “Justice should not be reserved for communities who can afford to investigate and litigate parties that break the law. The launch of this bureau along with the introduction of AB 2636 is the first step of empowering environmentally disenfranchised areas with tools to take charge of their own destiny with the means to significantly improve their public health and overall prosperity.”
"We commend Attorney General Becerra for this unprecedented commitment and effort to prioritize enforcement actions and legal protections for communities that have borne unconscionable health and safety impacts from polluting industries and sources,” said Gladys Limón, executive director of California Environmental Justice Alliance. “The establishment of the new Bureau of Environmental Justice is a significant step in providing the necessary level of protection for those communities at greatest risk from those impacts and that have for too long been neglected. We look forward to working with the Bureau to ensure that its promise for these communities is realized.”
"Far too many families in California suffer from both poverty and pollution – in fact, they usually go hand in hand. That’s why the Dream Corps and Green For All applaud Attorney General Becerra for his leadership in fighting for families and creating the Environmental Justice Bureau,” said Vien Truong, CEO of Dream Corps and director of Green For All. “Families across the state will breathe a sigh of relief with the promise of justice and accountability for polluters.”
The bureau will use the law enforcement powers of the Attorney General’s Office to identify and pursue matters affecting communities on the frontlines of the pollution battle.
In addition, the bureau will work with stakeholders from all sides, along with local and state agencies, to address enforcement objectives.
The bureau’s oversight and enforcement work will focus on:
– Ensuring compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and land use planning laws; – Remediating contaminated drinking water; – Eliminating or reducing exposure to lead and other toxins in the environment and consumer products; – Challenging the federal government’s actions that repeal or reduce public health and environmental protections; and – Penalizing and preventing illegal discharges to air and water from facilities located in communities already burdened disproportionately with pollution.
Since taking office, Attorney General Becerra has made protecting the environment a top priority. Of the nearly 30 lawsuits he has filed at the federal level, almost half have been aimed at ensuring that children can breathe clean air and drink clean water. Attorney General Becerra has not lost an environmental lawsuit to date.
Among his many efforts, he has joined, through an amicus brief, the City of Oakland’s efforts to prohibit for health and safety reasons the storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke at one of its port terminals; filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its decision to repeal regulations governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and gas wells drilled on federal and Native American tribal lands; challenged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ove! r its decision to suspend the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which would protect California’s lakes, rivers, and streams from pollutants; submitted a 30-page comment letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on due process violations, lack of fairness, and ethical lapses that arise from Administrator Scott Pruitt’s involvement in the proposed rulemaking to repeal the Clean Power Plan; and called on the Administration to immediately withdraw its proposal to open California’s coast to new offshore drilling.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Another local attorney has joined the race to succeed a Lake County Superior Court judge who isn’t seeking reelection, while so far no new candidates have joined the other county races.
Late last year, Judge Stephen Hedstrom said he wouldn’t seek a fourth term, which opened up the race for his Department 4 seat.
Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said that attorney Andre Ross has filed a declaration of intention – an extra step required in judicial races – and paid the filing fee to run for Hedstrom’s seat, and also has taken out nomination papers. He must also file a Form 501 with the state in order to raise funds.
Ross made an unsuccessful bid for district attorney in 2014.
He now joins a field in the race for judge that includes District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry, Valadez said.
Valadez said the judicial candidates must all submit a declaration of candidacy by March 14 to be on the ballot.
In other races, incumbents Judge Andrew Blum, Judge Michael Lunas and Sheriff Brian Martin have all submitted their declarations of candidacy and fulfilled their signature requirements, and are now official candidates, Valadez said.
Bruno Sabatier, Clearlake’s mayor and so far the only candidate to succeed District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, also has submitted the needed signatures and declaration of candidacy and is a confirmed candidate, according to Valadez.
In addition to Martin, four other elected county officials have taken out the Form 501 paperwork with no challengers yet appearing in their races, but still have paperwork pending before their candidacy is official, Valadez said.
They include Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
For district attorney, the field includes local attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones.
In the District 3 supervisorial race, Valadez said three candidates so far have filed the form 501 paperwork: incumbent Jim Steele; Eddie J. Crandell, the tribal chair of Robinson Rancheria and the District 3 county planning commissioner; and businesswoman and former Clearlake Mayor Denise Loustalot.
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. – Parts of the Clear Lake Riviera lost power on Wednesday night after a vehicle hit a power pole.
The crash occurred at around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the area of 11270 Point Lakeview Road near Kelseyville, according to radio reports and the California Highway Patrol.
Just after 8 p.m. firefighters from Kelseyville and Lake County Fire protection districts were dispatched to a report of lines down in the roadway near the Westwind Mobile Home Park.
Units arriving at the scene they found a snapped power pole and lines in the road, with firefighters closing down the roadway for a short time, according to the CHP.
About a half hour later it was reported that a vehicle had hit the pole, with a sedan found 20 feet down an embankment. The driver was said to have fled.
Just after 8 p.m., power went out to approximately 1,027 Pacific Gas and Electric customers, the company said.
PG&E later confirmed the outage was caused by the crash and that a crew was making repairs at the scene.
All but two of the customers were reported to have had their power restored later in the night, with the rest projected to be restored by 7 a.m. Thursday.
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. – A new report said the new year is seeing higher real estate sales prices in Lake County with the overall pace of sales slowing.
The Lake County Association of Realtors reported that the number of single family residential sales in January decreased by over 32 percent when compared to December 2017 sales.
Fifty-two sales were reported in January with 77 selling in December. In January 2017, 58 sales were reported.
Despite the decrease in sales the $271,450 median price in January bested the December median of $269,000 by 0.9 percent. On a year-over-year basis the January 2018 median exceeded the January 2017 median of $215,000 by over 26%.
“It is not uncommon to see sales slow in the winter months,” stated Melissa Chapman, 2018 LCAOR president. “The percentage increase in sales price over last January was somewhat unexpected but indicative of how the market has performed as a whole on the statewide level.”
Both cash only purchases and distressed sales decreased when compared to December and January 2017 sales.
Cash financing was used in 15.4 percent of the sales and 5.8 percent of the sales were distressed. In January 2017 cash only purchases accounted for nearly 26 percent of the transactions and distressed sales made up 13.8 percent of the deals.
The California Association of Realtors, or CAR, reported existing, single-family home sales in California totaled 388,000 in January on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 7.6 percent from December and down 2.9 percent from January 2017.
January’s statewide median home price was $527,800, down 4 percent from December and up 7.3 percent from January 2017.
Mortgage rates broke the 4.0 percent barrier in January as 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 4.03 percent in January, up from 3.95 percent in December but down from 4.15 percent in January 2017, according to Freddie Mac.
The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate also edged higher in January to an average of 3.47 percent from 3.39 percent in December and from 3.24 percent in January 2017.
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
January 2018 Median price: $271,450 Units sold: 52 Median days to sell: 58
December 2017 Median price: $269,000 Units sold: 77 Median days to sell: 56
January 2017 Median price: $215,000 Units sold: 58 Median days to sell: 56
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service said that an unsettled weather pattern moving over Northern California this week is responsible for continuing low temperatures, and is bringing with it chances of snow in the mountains and in some lower elevations.
The forecast called for low-elevation snow – down to about 1,000 feet – and rain overnight and into Thursday morning before 10 a.m., with the Lake County forecast noting slight chances of snow even in the lakeside communities.
Snowfall amounts are expected to top out at half an inch. There also are chances for snowfall in the evening, based on the forecast.
Forecasters are predicting daytime temperatures this week ranging up into the low 50s, with nighttime temperatures into the low 20s. The lowest temperatures are forecast for Thursday night.
Chances of showers also are forecast beginning Sunday night and continuing through Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday awarded a contract to a Middletown company to complete accessibility upgrades to the city’s historic Carnegie Library.
The council voted unanimously to award the contract for the Carnegie Library Accessibility Upgrade Project to R&C Construction, which was the low bidder at $385,381, well below the city engineer’s estimate for the project was $425,000. The second bidder, FRC Inc., came in at $479,000.
The Carnegie Library opened its doors on Feb. 18, 1918. Built in Classical Revival style, it served as the city’s library until 1985. Since then it has served at various times as a city and academic facility. For several years it has sat empty.
The city has had plans and studies completed for the building, including a feasibility plan finished in 2015 by Garavaglia Architects of San Francisco, the firm which also designed the building’s accessibility improvements.
The contract bid the council awarded on Tuesday will provide Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access to the building, including an elevator to provide access to the second floor, remodeling of both bathrooms on the first floor, making one ADA compliant, and installing new water and sewer lines.
Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said this is the third construction bid the city had sent out on the project.
The first was released in June, at which time the city received one bid totaling nearly $500,000, more than twice the city engineer’s estimate at that time, Ingram said.
With staff believing that the elevator portion of the project was dissuading bidders, they sent out a second request for proposals just for the elevator and received no bids, he said.
He said the city engineer and design consultant spent significant hours reaching out to contractors to rework and send out the latest request for proposals, which drew the two bids, including the winning bid from R&C Construction.
“The costs are escalating,” Ingram said, an issue which he attributed to the improving economy and the region’s wildland fires.
Ingram said that rebuilding in Santa Rosa has hurt the city’s ability to get contractors.
The project will be covered in part by a Community Development Block Grant that the city received and was able to get an extension on due the project not being completed by the initial deadline, he said.
The Community Development Block Grant is funded by money that comes in from payments made from previous loans – primarily business loans – made by the city, Ingram said.
City Manager Margaret Silveira said the item is budgeted, and there is about $250,000 that can be used toward the remodel, putting the city about $140,000 short.
She said the city has applied for another grant but they don’t know if they have it. “So there is a decision to be made by the council,” she said.
Silveira said the bottom floor under where the elevator will be placed has been dug out. However, when the city had trenches dug for the bathroom remodel, they discovered that all of the 100-year-old concrete has to be jackhammered out.
She said the city had more than $2 million in reserves if the council was OK with dipping into them. The project also can be added to the list of Measure Z sales tax expenses for the coming year.
Councilman George Spurr asked when the work would be done. Ingram said the contractor would aim to have it complete prior to October.
Because of last year’s flood, which put the city behind, the state granted the city more time to complete the library upgrade project, Silveira said.
Ingram said the elevator will result in most of the construction, noting the overall project isn’t that large.
As it stands now, Silveira said the building is unusable to the public, and after a number of public meetings community members made it clear they wanted to be able to use the building again.
Councilman Kenny Parlet was concerned about cost overruns by the contractor, having noted a number of them on the project history provided in the bid document. Silveira said the contractor and its subcontractors are all local.
“I just want to feel comfortable that the number is the number,” said Parlet.
Ingram said he could vouch for City Engineer Paul Curren’s work on the request for proposal, which he believed would make cost overruns very unlikely.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina said the library is an important community project that the city has to see completed. She supported using reserve funds, noting costs are going up.
Community member Suzanne Lyons said she likes old buildings but thinks the library is unusable, and that the council needed to look at what the building will be used for when it’s done.
Wilda Shock, chair of the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, also addressed the council.
LEDAC worked on the library’s feasibility study, the lakefront revitalization plan which calls attention to the building’s use, and the city’s economic development strategic plan, with Shock noting that the latter plan has the library as a central building.
“All of those plans and the work in developing them were part of a public process with public input along the way,” she said. “And I think the overwhelming feeling that came out of those public meetings was the desire of the community to save, preserve and use the Carnegie Library building and make it a point of interest and a point of public use in the city of Lakeport.”
She said the city doesn’t have many historic buildings that they can point to with pride, and while the library has problems, Shock said they’ve been made known and there are ways to address them. She believed there would be community support, adding that fundraising can help address upgrading the building.
Shock said the building offers a sense of place, and the upgrade should be completed.
“If we're ever going to move, we need to move now,” said Parlet, noting that the building is an important part of Lakeport.
Parlet moved to award the construction project bid to R&C Construction, with Mattina seconding and the council approving the motion 5-0.
The council also held a public hearing and voted to approve changes to the city’s ordinance regarding the Park and Recreation Commission in order to establish a monthly meeting schedule and allow for one at-large, non-city member from the 95453 zip code.
Commissioners told the council at its Feb. 6 meeting that they wanted to meet monthly, not quarterly, and the majority of council members were willing to go that direction.
Parlet said he felt it would give committee members an opportunity to meet often, and the council can revisit it if it doesn’t work out.
“I think that they will go the extra mile to prove that it is necessary,” Parlet said.
City Clerk Kelly Buendia said the city has received five applications for open seats on the commission. Silveira said there are plans to interview all five.
The council’s vote was 4-1, with Mayor Mireya Turner concerned that the changes were not necessary after reviewing a year’s worth of commission meeting minutes.
At Tuesday’s meeting the council also met Bonnie Sharp, the new permit technician.
No reportable action came out of the council’s closed session regarding negotiations with Lake County Tribal Health for property at 902 Bevins Court.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission is set to hold a special meeting to honor an outgoing commission, welcome a new one and go over reports and goals.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
At Wednesday’s meeting the oath of office will be administered to Kipp Knorr, who was appointed to the commission earlier this month by the Lakeport City Council.
The commission also will offer its presentation of appreciation and dedication of service to the man who Knorr is succeeding, Harold Taylor.
Other items on the agenda include the city planning department’s 2016-17 year-end report, which will give a summary of land use applications and other planning division activities for that yea.
The commission also will discuss and review the planning goals and activities for 2018 and get the list of projects pending Planning Department approval as of Feb. 15.
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.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol will offer a free “Start Smart” traffic safety class for soon to-be-licensed, newly licensed, and teenage drivers and their parents or guardians on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
The class will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Clear Lake Area CHP office, located at 5700 Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville.
The CHP said a teenager is killed in a traffic collision every four hours nationwide. That equates to more than 1,870 teenagers killed each year. Another 184,000 teenagers are injured in traffic collisions.
These deaths and injuries can be substantially reduced or prevented by eliminating high-risk driving behaviors through education, and the CHP said its “Start Smart” program can help prevent these tragedies.
The Start Smart program focuses on providing comprehensive traffic safety education classes for teenagers and their parents.
Start Smart employs innovative techniques to capture the attention of teenagers and parents, providing a lasting experience.
The curriculum includes information on collision statistics, teen driver and passenger behaviors, graduated driver’s license laws, cultural changes in today’s society and the need for stronger parental involvement in a teenager’s driving experience.
Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP office, 707-279-0103, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Child Care Planning Council, a program of the Lake County Office of Education, invites you to nominate an Early Childhood Educator that has made a positive impact in Lake County.
Nominations will be accepted through March 9.
Winners will be announced at the 11th annual Early Childhood Educator Awards Night on May 4 at Konocti Growers in Kelseyville.
“Early Childhood Educators contribute significantly to our communities. Quality early childhood education dramatically impacts high school graduation rates, keeps our communities working, and helps Lake County develop productive, effective citizens of the future,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
“Many of these educators have devoted decades to their profession. The goal of the Early Childhood Educator award program is to recognize them for their quality work,” said Local Planning Council Coordinator Angela Cueller-Marroquin.
Nominations are being accepted in the following categories:
– Preschool teacher; – Infant/toddler teacher; – Leaders in the field; – Child advocate; – Any other notable person who works in early education.
Nominations can be made online at www.LakeCountyChildCarePlanning.com or www.LakeCoe.org. You can also email any nomination to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Please call Local Planning Council Coordinator Angela Cuellar-Marroquin at 707-262-4162 for more information.
Ceuller-Marroquin reminds people to be as detailed as possible in their nomination form. “Incomplete nomination forms will not be considered for award recognition.”
Awards will be based on nomination forms and detailed interviews with the nominees.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake is now seeking community members interested in serving on a number of advisory boards and commission.
The following is a list of vacancies. Memberships on all of the listed boards and commissions are voluntary.
If you have questions regarding a vacancy on one of these advisory boards, please contact the clerk of the Board of Supervisors at 707-263-2368.
Applications are available at the Lake County Courthouse, Clerk of the Board Office, Room 109, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, or online at www.co.lake.ca.gov on the Board of Supervisors page.
Vacancies:
Animal Control Advisory Board: Four vacancies – one representative from supervisorial Districts 2, District 3, District 5 and members-at-large.
Big Valley Groundwater Management Zone Commission: Seven vacancies – one member-at-large, four agriculture users category and two water district category.
Building Board of Appeals: Five vacancies – one representative from supervisorial Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Child Care Planning and Development Council: Seven vacancies – two consumer, one public agency, one community representative, two discretionary appointee and one child care provider.
Countywide Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: Five vacancies – one representative from supervisorial Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Emergency Medical Care Committee: Nine vacancies – one community college district, one California Highway Patrol representative, two EMT representatives, one private ambulance company, one fire department and three consumer interest group.
Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee: One vacancy – Supervisorial District 2.
Heritage Commission: Seven vacancies – one representative from supervisorial Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and two members-at-large.
In Home Support Services Public Authority Advisory Committee: Eight vacancies – four senior consumer, one disabled community representative, two provider and one senior community representative.
Kelseyville Cemetery District: Two vacancies – general membership (must live within the district boundaries and be registered to vote in Lake County).
Library Advisory Board: Two vacancies – supervisorial District 2 and District 3.
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board: Two vacancies – general membership.
Mental Health Board: Three vacancies – one member-at-large, one family member of a present/past consumer and one consumer member.
North Bay Cooperative Library Advisory Board: One Lake County representative.
Public Defender Oversight Committee: One vacancy – one member of the general public.
Solid Waste Appeals Panel: Two vacancies – one public member and one technical expert.
Solid Waste Task Force: Two vacancies – one public representative and one other.
Upper Lake Cemetery District: One vacancy – general membership (must live within the district boundaries and be registered to vote in Lake County).
Western Region Town Hall: One vacancy – member-at-large.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A former community college dean who was convicted in a local elder abuse case in 2005 and in September was sentenced to jail in Sacramento for identity theft cases involving his grown children is now facing a new criminal case for embezzling from a Lake County company.
Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson said a case was filed on Feb. 7 and an arrest warrant issued by the Lake County Superior Court the following day for George Tanner McQueen II, 61, who formerly lived in Lake County and now lives in the Sacramento area.
Documents included in the filing show that the sheriff’s office forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office a complaint of embezzlement against McQueen in September after investigating a case involving a local couple and their construction company.
In a declaration, the couple said they had hired McQueen’s company, McQueen and Associates, to do their bookkeeping, payroll and tax returns, with payments made to McQueen for his service by check, not wire or other kinds of automated bank transfers.
Altogether, McQueen transferred more than $103,000 from their accounts – $60,000 from personal accounts and $43,000 from a business account, according to case documents.
One of the victims said he had known McQueen for 45 years and McQueen had been their accountant for 25 years.
In an August interview with detectives, the couple said they found McQueen had been wiring money from their business and personal accounts into his own account. When they confronted McQueen, he claimed it was a mistake. However, bank statements showed that the funds were transferred over the course of several days and different transactions that occurred in August.
When a sheriff’s detective called McQueen to ask how the couple’s money got into his accounts, he also claimed it was a “glitch.”
Although McQueen had promised the couple that he would return the money, it wasn’t returned to their accounts, according to the investigation’s findings.
The couple discovered the missing funds just weeks before McQueen was sentenced in Placer and Sacramento counties for separate cases of felony identity theft involving his adult children.
On Sept. 6 in Sacramento County he was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of formal probation for one count of felony identity theft in a case involving the use of his son Nathan McQueen’s personal information.
Then, on Sept. 7 in Placer County he pleaded no contest and was sentenced for one felony count of identity theft for using the personal information of his daughter, Sarah Cunningham.
In the Placer County case George McQueen received four years of formal probation, was ordered to pay $10,891.06 in restitution to the victims and received 120 days in county jail to run concurrently with the one-year sentence he received in Sacramento County, officials said.
Lake County News published a full account of the cases involving his children in September: http://bit.ly/2CxrYKN .
In 2005 McQueen – who at one time had served locally as a Yuba College dean and had worked for the Lake County Office of Education – was arrested in Lake County for forgery, elder abuse and grand theft after it was discovered that he had stolen funds from the trust of a friend who had named him executor that were intended for the man’s elderly mother. The funds were used by McQueen for personal uses, including expensive family vacations.
He later would reach a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office in which he was convicted of elder abuse. He was sentenced to a year in jail and required to to pay $185,000 in restitution.
Abelson, who prosecuted McQueen’s original case in Lake County, had confirmed to Lake County News in September that, because of McQueen’s ongoing business ties to Lake County and the potential for local identity theft and fraud victims, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County District Attorney’s Office had begun an investigation.
So far, she said just the two victims included in the complaint filed this month have been identified in Lake County.
“I suspect that there’s more in the Sacramento area,” she said.
Since publishing a story about McQueen’s sentencing in September, Lake County News has received inquiries from other potential victims and former clients from outside of Lake County who reported issues including getting fines from the Internal Revenue Service after McQueen filed their taxes.
McQueen has been serving his most recent jail sentence in Sacramento County’s Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center since September. Jail records show that he is due to be released on March 3.
Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that before the Sacramento County jail releases McQueen next month, they’ll check his records.
At that time, the newly filed Lake County warrant should pop up and instead of being released McQueen will be transported to Lake County to face this latest case, Paulich 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.
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