LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It has now been 101 days since the devastating October wildfires in Northern California and Orange County.
As of close of business Jan. 16 the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state have provided the following to survivors:
– 4,349 households have been deemed eligible for FEMA individual assistance. – FEMA has approved more than $14.3 million in Individuals and Households Program grants. – $8.8 million for Housing Assistance. – $5.5 million in Other Needs Assistance. – 184 applicants (360 individuals) are living in a direct housing options: manufactured housing units, recreational vehicles or in directly leased units. – Eight joint Local Assistance Centers and the Disaster Recovery Centers were set up to provide face-to-face disaster assistance for 16,653 disaster survivors.
The collection of household hazardous waste has been completed in seven Northern California counties.
Removal of fire and ash debris is complete in Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties and near completion in Lake County.
Efforts are ongoing in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties and the mission is expected to be complete by early March.
So far, more than 915,000 tons of debris has been removed, which is more than half of all expected fire debris.
Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, are available for businesses of all sizes, certain nonprofits, homeowners and renters.
As of close of business Jan. 16, SBA:
– Approved 927 loan applications from homeowners and 110 applications for business owners. – Approved loans total more than $132.5 million.
Survivors are advised to stay in touch via the FEMA Helpline at www.DisasterAssistance.gov , or by phone at 800-621-3362. TTY users should call 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362. These toll-free numbers operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., local time, seven days a week, and are staffed by operators ready to assist survivors in their languages.
Registrants whose information changes are strongly urged to report the changes to FEMA.
Voluntary agency liaisons are working in each county assisting local jurisdictions, nonprofits and community stakeholders to develop and support long term recovery groups.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) has introduced a bill to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by downed power lines.
The bill requires electric utilities to adopt comprehensive policies and procedures for proactively de-energizing power lines during extreme weather.
“This last fire season underscored the need to think innovatively and proactively about fire prevention,” said Sen. Dodd. “We know downed power lines have caused devastating fires in the past, and we need electric utilities and the Public Utilities Commission to plan ahead and implement best practices.”
He added, “This isn’t a panacea, but it’s an important part of the holistic improvements needed for fire prevention and preparedness. As we adjust to a changing climate, ensuring electricity providers have concrete, well researched wildfire prevention plans in place is absolutely critical. Taking initiative now will minimize disruption and, most importantly, save lives and property.”
Wildfires caused by power lines are not uncommon, and examples span the state from the 2007 Witch fire in San Diego County to the 2015 Butte fire in Amador and Calaveras counties.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is currently investigating the causes of the wildfires that swept across the North Bay in October. Wildfires across the state cost lives, homes, and cause billions of dollars in losses and taxpayer costs.
“This bill addresses what we can do proactively when circumstances, like the speed of wind or other natural factors, are beyond our control,” said Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon, who represents portions of Napa County hit by the Tubbs Fire, which was the most destructive fire in state history. “Although the causes of these unprecedented wildfires remain under investigation, this experience highlights a need to think differently about our approach to emergency preparedness statewide. This legislation underscores our focus on planning for a time of crisis, and I applaud the authors for their leadership on this issue.”
Dodd’s bill would require investor and municipal electric utilities to update their wildfire mitigation plans to include policies and procedures for determining if, when and where to temporarily de-energize a power line during extreme weather events for the purpose of preventing a wildfire.
The utilities would have to assess meteorological conditions, mapping of fire risk zones, observations of vegetation conditions around and near power lines, and establish a protocol for notifying impacted customers.
Current law requires all electric utilities to construct, maintain and operate its electric lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of wildfire.
Utilities are required to prepare a wildfire mitigation plan, detailing the steps it will take to mitigate wildfire risk.
Investor-owned utilities must submit the plan to the California Public Utilities Commission for review and comment. However, the plans are not currently required to contemplate de-energizing lines.
In recognition of the wildfire threat a downed power line may present, at least one utility has taken steps to address the issue. SDG&E has developed a set of policies and procedures to determine if, when and where it may need to temporarily de-energize a power line to prevent the possibility of triggering a wildfire, and has done so at least 17 times.
The bill, SB 901, is co-authored by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Assemblymembers Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), and should receive its first committee hearing in March.
Dodd formerly served in the state Assembly and represented Lake County. In the Senate he now represents California’s Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
Darwin Crabtree, center, with his two adult sons. Photo courtesy of the Northern California Innocence Project. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Thanks to new evidence and a California law enacted in January 2017, a man’s 1991 conviction has been vacated by the Butte County Superior Court.
Attorney Paige Kaneb of the Northern California Innocence Project, or NCIP, made the motion to vacate Darwin Crabtree’s child molestation conviction.
Kaneb was able to do so based on the newly enacted California law, Penal Code section 1473.7, which allows one who is no longer incarcerated or restrained to pursue a motion to vacate when that person provides “newly discovered evidence of actual innocence … that requires vacation of the conviction or sentence as a matter of law or in the interest of justice.”
The District Attorney’s Office conducted its own investigation of the case, agreed that the conviction be reversed and issued an apology to Crabtree for its role in his conviction.
Crabtree served nine years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
In 1991, he was convicted of sexually molesting his two sons who were 12 and 8 at the time of the trial.
False statements made by the boys during their parents’ tumultuous divorce were the only direct evidence against Crabtree. Both sons, now adults, have maintained for more than nine years that their father is innocent and he never molested them.
In the care of an unlicensed therapist in training, the young boys “remembered” several incidents under what we now know was suggestive and improper questioning.
In 2008, the sons reunited with their father and apologized for what they had done when they were too young to understand the consequences.
By that time, Crabtree had been tried, convicted, served his sentence and completed his parole. He remained a lifetime sex offender registrant subject to the stigma associated with that status.
After their reunion and in an effort to correct the injustice, the sons contacted NCIP and submitted written statements explaining Crabtree’s innocence. But it wasn’t until PC section 1473.7 became law that NCIP was able to bring this case forward.
According to Crabtree, “The new law gave my boys the opportunity to right the wrong, to alleviate the burden they’ve carried for all these years. This allows them to be good with the world.”
“With the adoption of Penal Code section 1473.7, California has recognized that innocent people are entitled to have their names – and records – cleared regardless of when new evidence is discovered.” said Linda Starr, NCIP executive director and co-founder.
It’s been 27 years since his conviction and Crabtree has experienced many struggles associated with the stigma of registering as a sex offender.
But, he’s also prevailed. For the last 10 years, he has worked as a contractor. He has a wife and grandchildren and he continues to rebuild his relationship with his sons.
“These 27 years have made me who I am. I have a voice that can be heard now,” he said.
“We have struggled with this case for years,” said Starr. “Somehow, Darwin and his sons each found a way to heal enough to live productive lives and redevelop a loving and close relationship even though we couldn’t do anything to clear Darwin’s name. They are amazing people who have lived with this trauma for 27 years. They deserve to have this day, where the court and the state finally validate the truth.”
The Northern California Innocence Project is a nonprofit clinical program of Santa Clara University School of Law whose mission is to promote a fair, effective, and compassionate criminal justice system and protect the rights of the innocent.
Since its inception in 2001, NCIP – www.ncip.scu.edu – has processed more than 10,000 requests for inmate assistance, investigated hundreds of cases, pursued litigation or collaborative resolution in dozens, and obtained the freedom of 20 wrongfully convicted individuals.
Darwin Crabtree, left, and Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Wednesday night quake centered in southern Lake County rattled parts of Northern California and resulted in hundreds of shake reports to the US Geological Survey.
The survey reported that the 4.2-magnitude quake occurred at 9:5 p.m. Wednesday.
Its epicenter was just inside the Lake County line, about a mile northeast of The Geysers geothermal steamfield and 13 miles south southwest of Clearlake, at a depth of a tenth of a mile, the US Geological Survey reported.
Survey records showed that it was followed about 40 minutes later by a 2.5-magnitude quake a short distance away.
By 11 p.m., the survey had received more than 330 shake reports from 63 zip codes regarding the 4.2-magnitude quake from around Lake County, the North Bay and Bay Area. Reports came in from as far away as Soquel.
Local residents called it a “good shaker” and “intense.”
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 Board of Supervisors on Thursday will host a workshop on the draft commercial cannabis cultivation ordinance.
The workshop will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
The staff report to the board from County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said that Thursday’s meeting will be the first in a series of workshops that are part of the board’s approved work plan to finalize recreational cannabis provisions in the county’s Article 72 “in a manner which is consistent with but not duplicative of state regulations.”
Huchingson said Thursday’s workshop will be divided into two one-hour blocks.
The first hour will include a report by county consultant Mark Lovelace. Huchingson said Lovelace will give an overview of state law and emergency regulations; approaches taken in other areas including California counties, cities and other states; and cannabis market projections.
During the second hour, Community Development Director Bob Massarelli will give a report on the draft local commercial cultivation ordinance “with a particular focus on certain decision points where Board direction is needed,” Huchingson said.
Huchingson said that at the close of the workshop’s second hour, the board will consider directing staff to return at the next regular supervisors’ meeting with a resolution of intent to send the commercial cultivation ordinance to the Lake County Planning Commission.
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.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Tuesday state legislators from wildfire-damaged communities joined California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones in introducing a legislative package meant to increase protections for the state’s disaster victims.
Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, whose districts include Lake County, along with Sen. Bill Dodd, and members of the Assembly Jim Wood, Monique Limón and Marc Levin joined Jones to announce the Wildfire Survivors Insurance Recovery bills.
Altogether, the group unveiled a package that includes a total of 13 bills to be introduced this legislative session to strengthen consumer protections for wildfire survivors making insurance claims who struggle to recover, rebuild and move forward. Several of the pieces of legislation already have been introduced.
Jones said the Wildfire Survivors Insurance Recovery legislative package strengthens the laws protecting wildfire survivors in the insurance claims process and will improve their chances for recovery.
Lake County already had been through four devastating fires – the Rocky, Jerusalem, Valley and Clayton fires – by the time the Sulphur fire occurred in October, at the same time that devastating fires tore through neighboring Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa counties.
“Four of my counties – Lake, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma – were on fire in October,” said Aguiar-Curry. “It will take years for our communities to recover.”
State officials said the North Bay fires claimed 44 lives, with more than 14,700 homes and 728 businesses damaged or destroyed, totaling more than $9 billion worth of insurable damage.
This disaster struck while Lake and Calaveras counties were still in process of rebuilding from the Valley and Butte fires, respectively, of 2015, which destroyed more than 3,000 structures and 1,700 homes; in Lake County alone, about 1,300 homes were destroyed in the Valley fire.
Officials said the latest devastating fires have underscored the challenges homeowners face when trying to navigate the insurance claims process.
McGuire said the North Bay firestorm was the most deadly and destructive in American history.
He said it also has resulted in the largest debris cleanup since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
McGuire said fire survivors are struggling to provide detailed home inventories for insurance companies while dealing with the aftermath of the fires, managing debris cleanup, finding new homes and jobs, and caring for their families while living in 200-square-foot hotel rooms.
From Jan. 1 to Jan. 10, his office received 111 complaints – some of them horror stories – from fire survivors who feel overwhelmed about what is being required of them by their insurance companies. They’ve reported experiencing post traumatic stress disorder in having to relive the fires while cataloging their lost possessions.
“It’s simply too much to ask,” and that’s why people pay insurance each month to cover what their homes and valuables are worth, McGuire said.
He’s introducing SB 897 to allow homeowners to forgo itemized lists during a declared state of emergency by the governor and in turn automatically receive 80 percent of the policy limit. Without itemized lists, insurers have provided as little as a 30-percent payoff.
In recent weeks, some of the major insurance companies have begun to advance nonitemized policy payouts. “We are absolutely grateful for that,” said McGuire.
He said the bill would standardize that itemization process so families can fast-track the process of putting their lives back together.
Wood thanked Jones for his hard work, and being a partner throughout the effort with legislators.
The recent massive wildfires and mudslides “exposed significant gaps and deficiencies in our laws and how we protect our residents,” said Assemblyman Jim Wood.
Many of those impacted by the disasters would later find out that their insurance policies weren’t enough, with rebuilding much higher than expected.
He said one of the bills introduced, AB 1875, will require all insurance companies to offer as an option coverage for no less than 50 percent of the extended replacement cost for residential properties.
“Sadly, we know this is not the end of disasters in California and this bill, like others, will be able to provide an ability to start again,” he said.
Dodd, who formerly served in the Assembly and represented an area that included Lake County, said, “I really do believe that the state has a moral authority to act on this.”
He said they need to do everything they can to help victims of wildfires and other natural disasters to recover, and be proactive and ensure that those benefits are there for future disaster victims.
“When a major disaster strikes, we need our insurance companies to have our back,” Dodd said.
Dodd introduced SB 894 to reform insurance coverage by guaranteeing up to three years of living expenses after major disasters. It also requires insurance companies to provide victims with policy renewals for up to two years after a disaster. In addition, it would require companies to report to the insurance commissioner if they pull out of an area.
“Helping victims and communities recover quicker and more completely after disaster strikes – that’s what this is all about,” said Dodd.
Insurance commissioner addresses fire insurance availability issues
In some parts of rural California, getting fire insurance in the first place is becoming more of a challenge.
The introduction of the legislative package comes less than two weeks after Jones released a report addressing the growing problem of fire insurance availability and recommending legislative changes aimed at making fire insurance available in the wildland-urban interface.
Jones said nearly half of California counties have housing rated at high or very high fire risk.
"Californians are facing more severe, more unpredictable and more frequent wildfires," said Jones. "Add to the equation, increasing development in areas more vulnerable to fire and you can see why wildfires are now an everyday threat to life and property for Californians."
Over the past two decades, Jones said wildfires have caused significant insured damage in what is called the wildland-urban interface, where an estimated 3.6 million California homes are located and more than one million are identified as being at high or very high fire risk.
Jones said the California Department of Insurance is seeing an increasing number of complaints, feedback and other evidence from policyholders, consumer groups, public officials and other stakeholders that homeowners' insurance coverage in the wildland-urban interface is increasingly difficult to obtain and, if available, is unaffordable for many.
He said the inability to obtain affordable homeowners' insurance coverage creates great risk to the financial security of individual homeowners and the economy.
"Insurers are increasingly using computer models to assess the risk of fires for individual homes and deciding that homes in some areas face too high a risk," said Jones. "In the wake of last year's wildfires, we may see more areas of the state where insurers decline to write. The Legislature has given insurers broad latitude to decide whether and where to write fire insurance, therefore we are recommending new laws to improve fire insurance availability."
Jones has directed his department to undertake an in-depth analysis of the scope of the availability and affordability issue and develop proposed solutions to mitigate or solve these problems.
This analysis includes an extensive review of consumer complaints and feedback from stakeholders, and also included an in-depth analysis of the two major wildfire-risk models.
According to Jones’ report, just over 50 percent of Lake County’s 34,110 dwelling units are in the high or very high risk categories.
In Lake County, there has been increased concern about people losing fire insurance – both within the fire areas and outside of it – and facing huge rate increases.
Since the Valley fire, Lake County News has received a number of reports from longtime policyholders of various insurance companies suddenly having their policies canceled even when they never missed a payment or didn’t live within the fire area, or who had their rates raised dramatically. In one case, an insurance company canceled a policy on a longtime customer after an inspector said a stack of firewood 25 feet from the house was too close.
Jones’ report shows a wide range of insurance-related activity in Lake County for the years 2015 and 2016.
Based on Jones’ report, in 2015, the following insurance statistics were reported: new policies, 2,942; renewed policies, 22,134; nonrenewed (insured-initiated), 1,481; nonrenewed (insurer-initiated), 313.
That’s compared to 2016: new policies, 3,021; renewed, 21,652; nonrenewed (insured-initiated), 1,657; nonrenewed (insurer-initiated), 428.
Not yet available is data for 2017.
Nancy Kincaid, spokeswoman for the Department of Insurance, said she couldn’t provide statistics for complaints from Lake County regarding insurance policies.
So far, she said insurance companies haven’t indicated that they are pulling out of Lake County.
The new legislation
Synopses of the bills discussed by legislators on Tuesday are below.
AB 1772: Introduced by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). The bill will give wildfire victims an additional year to rebuild their homes and businesses after a catastrophic wildfire and collect the full amount of insurance dollars to which they are entitled. It extends the amount of time a home or business owner has to rebuild an insured property from two to three years and receive the full replacement costs they are entitled to after a declared emergency. AB 1772 is expected to be heard in the Assembly Committee on Insurance in early spring.
AB 1797: Introduced by Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-Marin County). The bill will require insurers to provide updated replacement costs to consumers when policies are renewed.
AB 1799: Introduced by Levine. The bill requires insurers to provide a full certified copy of the insurance plan to policyholders so they know exactly what is covered.
AB 1800: Introduced by Levine. The bill makes insurance companies responsible for the full replacement value of the insurance plan regardless of where a family wants to purchase or rebuild a home. Levine said the bill grew out of some insurance companies saying that customers were not qualified for a full replacement value of their home if they decided to purchase or build in another location.
AB 1875: Introduced by Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg). The bill will require all insurance companies to offer as an option coverage for no less than 50 percent of the extended replacement cost for residential properties. In addition, it will require insurance companies to advise customers of this option and its cost before policies are issued or renewed.
SB 894: Introduced by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa). The bill will require insurers to renew policies for disaster victims for a minimum of two years following the loss of a home, and it requires companies to report to the insurance commissioner if they subsequently non-renew or pull out of a market. It would also allow disaster victims to recover living expenses from their insurance company over 36 months, helping families make ends meet while they work to rebuild and recover. Lastly, Dodd’s bill would require an insurer to allow disaster victims to combine their policy limits for primary dwelling, other structures, contents, and additional living expenses, to pay for any of the covered purposes. The bill is expected to be heard in the Senate Committee on Insurance, Banking and Financial Institutions in March.
SB 897: Introduced by Sen. Mike McGuire (D-North Bay). The bill waives inventory claim form requirements during a declared state of emergency by the governor. It would allow homeowners the option of forgoing the itemization list and instead automatically providing 80 percent of the policy limit.
Assemblywoman Monique Limón intends to author a bill to require insurers to participate in a consolidated debris removal program authorized by a local government when there is a declared disaster. The bill would better organize and expedite the debris removal process.
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.
Timothy Cofer, 32, of Seagoville, Texas, was arrested on Friday, January 12, 2018, for arson to an inhabited structure after authorities said he set fire to a motel room in Lakeport, Calif. Lake County Jail photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Texas man for setting fire to a room at a Lakeport motel last week.
Timothy Cofer, 32, of Seagoville was arrested Friday evening shortly after the fire in a room at the Rodeway Inn & Suites Skylark Shores Resort at 1120 N. Main St.
Firefighters, police and sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the scene shortly before 5:30 p.m. on the report of a disturbance and a fire.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison told Lake County News that within five minutes his firefighters were able to knock down the fire, which was contained to one room and didn’t stop the motel from continuing to operate. There were no injuries.
The Lakeport Police Department said in a report on the fire that the initial investigation by officers indicated that Cofer deliberately set the fire. He was subsequently arrested.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Hinchcliff told Lake County News on Tuesday that he has charged Cofer with arson of an inhabited structure, a felony, which has a maximum sentence of six years if he’s convicted.
“When he was arrested he was acting very strangely,” said Hinchcliff.
Hinchcliff said Cofer was muttering about people trying to kidnap him.
It was discovered that Cofer was high on ecstasy, which led to the second charge against Cofer, possession of that drug, which Hinchcliff said is a misdemeanor.
Hinchcliff added that he didn’t yet have information about Cofer’s possible motive for setting the fire.
He said Cofer – whose profession is listed as truck driver on his booking sheet – had been dropped off at the motel and was staying there.
Cofer will make his first court appearance on Wednesday, Hinchcliff said.
Since his arrest, Cofer has remained in the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $100,000, according to booking records.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Rachael Diane Seivertson, 29, of Hopland, Calif., was arrested on Sunday, January 14, 2018, for vandalizing a Hopland Fire station and several fire vehicles. Mendocino County Jail photo.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Hopland woman who formerly was a volunteer firefighter was arrested over the weekend for vandalizing a Hopland Fire Department station and several fire vehicles, with authorities reporting that the motive appeared to be revenge.
Rachael Diane Seivertson, 29, was taken into custody on Sunday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday at 7:30 a.m. the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to the Hopland Fire Department regarding a vandalism in which one of their fire trucks which was following the vehicle of the responsible subject on Feliz Creek Road, according to Sgt. Scott Poma.
Poma said responding deputies arrived in the 4600 block of Feliz Creek Road and observed a responsible subject run out from the back of the residence and into the surrounding hills. Deputies observed a baseball bat in the front seat of the vehicle left at location. The bat was covered in glass particles.
Once back at Hopland Fire Department further investigation revealed that windows had been broken in the firehouse and that two emergency vehicles parked outside had their tires slashed and numerous windows of both vehicles broken out, Poma said.
An estimated $10,000 in damage had been sustained to the firehouse and the emergency response vehicles, according to Poma’s report.
Poma said deputies learned during the scene investigation that the Hopland Cal Fire Station on US Highway 101 in Hopland had vehicles damaged in excess of $8,000 on Jan. 10. That investigation is being handled by the California Highway Patrol.
A short time later deputies were advised the suspect, identified as being Rachael Seivertson, was back at the residence where she had fled from earlier in the day, Poma said.
Deputies along with the Deputy Jeremy Mason's K-9 partner Leo arrived at the residence, where Poma said Seivertson was subsequently placed under arrest after being located hiding in the loft of the residence.
While at the residence, deputies located a bat and knife inside of the vehicle Seivertson had been driving earlier in the day, Poma said.
Poma said Seivertson was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where she kicked a corrections deputy during the intake process.
Seivertson was booked into the jail and was to be held in lieu of $30,000 bail, Poma said.
During the investigation, Poma said deputies established probable cause to connect Seivertson to the vandalism at the Hopland Fire Department and the Hopland Cal Fire Station.
The motive for the acts of vandalism appeared to be acts of revenge for no justified reason, Poma said.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – With numerous local offices coming up for election this year, candidates are filing the required paperwork and fields are forming across several races.
As of Friday, candidates or incumbents had filed paperwork in the races for assessor-recorder, county clerk-auditor, district attorney, sheriff-coroner, superintendent of schools, District 2 and 3 county supervisor, and treasurer-tax collector, as well as for the three Lake County Superior Court judicial seats that are up for election, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.
The registrar’s office said that so far five county incumbents have filed and are unopposed: Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Sheriff-Coroner Brian Martin, Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
For the office of district attorney, local attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones have joined the race so far, according to campaign documents. Current District Attorney Don Anderson intends to run for a judge’s seat rather than seek a third term.
For the District 2 supervisorial race, incumbent Jeff Smith has announced his plans not to seek reelection. So far, the only candidate to file paperwork is Bruno Sabatier, the city of Clearlake’s mayor.
In the District 3 supervisorial race, one-term incumbent Jim Steele has filed paperwork, and has two challengers: Eddie J. Crandell, the tribal chair of Robinson Rancheria and the District 3 county planning commissioner, and businesswoman and former Clearlake Mayor Denise Loustalot.
All of the candidates have filed Form 501 paperwork, which allows them to begin to take contributions. As of Friday, with the exception of Loustalot, all of them also had taken out in-lieu petitions to collect signatures to reduce filing fees.
In the judicial races, Judge Michael Lunas and Judge Andrew Blum have both signaled their intentions to seek reelection by taking out papers.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom will not seek reelection, and so the race for his seat is forming. District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry have both joined the race to succeed him, the Registrar of Voters Office reported.
In addition to filing in-lieu petitions and Form 501s, judicial races require an extra step of filing a declaration of intention from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7, unless no incumbent has filed, in which case the filing period is extended to between Feb. 8 and 12, according to the local election calendar.
The fourth seat on the Lake County Superior Court bench will not be back on the ballot until 2020; last month, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed J. David Markham to succeed Judge Richard Martin, who retired in May, as Lake County News has reported.
The Registrar of Voters Office reported that it’s still early in the season for candidates.
The period to submit an in-lieu filing fee petition began Dec. 14 and ends Feb. 7.
The nomination period for all candidates, in which they must file their declaration of candidacy forms and nomination papers is from Feb. 12 to March 9, unless no incumbent files in a race, in which case the period is extended from March 10 to March 14.
All of the winning candidates in this year’s races will take office on Jan. 7, 2019, and be sworn the following day, the Registrar of Voters Office reported.
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.
Veterinarian Debi Sally provides services at the 2017 PIT Count. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Tuesday, Jan. 23, the Lake County Continuum of Care will hold a point-in-time count to count the sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families in Lake County.
The point-in-time, or PIT, count will help the Continuum of Care obtain a better understanding of homelessness in our community and needed services and resources. It will also make Lake County eligible for funding for homeless services.
In addition to mobile teams canvassing the county, survey sites will be open on Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in locations throughout the county:
– Clearlake: Youth Center in Redbud Park, 4750 Golf Ave. – Clearlake Oaks: Methodist Church Youth Center, 12487 The Plaza. – Kelseyville: Presbyterian Church, 5340 Third St. – Lakeport: Veterans Service Office, 285 N. Main St. – Lucerne: Community Church, 5870 Highway 20. – Middletown: Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, corner of Washington and Armstrong streets.
The sites will offer flu shots, HIV/Hepatitis C testing, dog food and supplies, sandwiches and water.
Each person who is homeless and completes the confidential survey will be given a first aid kit, solar-powered flashlight/phone charger and other items.
“The point-in-time survey is an essential element in our ability to serve our local homeless individuals with appropriate resources and programs,” said Marylin Wakefield, PhD, MSW, PIT Committee chair. “If you know someone who is homeless, please encourage them to visit with a member of our survey team at one of the many locations.”
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, requires all homeless continuums to conduct a point-in-time count of homeless individuals/families on a single date in January.
These counts provide an overview of the state of homelessness in the region and offer the information needed to direct services, funding and resources provided by the Continuum of Care.
The 2017 PIT Count identified 401 people who met HUD’s description of homeless. These results enabled Lake County to be competitive in applying for grant funding to provide rapid-rehousing and permanent housing for those who are homeless in Lake County. With the monies obtained from HUD, 26 people who were homeless have been housed since February of 2017.
Local private and public agencies partner through the Continuum of Care to improve services for those in the community who are homeless or are at risk of losing their housing.
HUD describes a Continuum of Care as “a community plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximize self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.”
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Measure Z Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting to discuss oversight of sales tax funds on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
The committee will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
Measure Z is the one-cent sales tax that city residents approved last November
On the agenda is the midyear budget review – which the Lakeport City Council will hear the night before – as it pertains to Measure Z funds.
The committee’s citizen members include Annette Hopkins, Susan King, Dennis Rollins, Nathan Speed and Tim Wynacht, and staffers, City Manager Margaret Silveira, Finance Director Nick Walker and City Clerk/Secretary Kelly Buendia.
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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