LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An early Monday morning fire that began in Clearlake Oaks has burned into the city limits of Clearlake, triggering evacuations in both communities.
The Sulphur fire was first reported in the area of Sulphur Bank Road near the Elem Indian Colony in Clearlake Oaks at around 1:15 a.m.
First units to arrive on scene estimated it was about 10 acres, before revising that estimate to 75 acres and then to between 500 and 1,000 acres within the first 20 minutes of dispatch, based on radio reports.
By 3:30 a.m., the fire was reported to have burned 1,200 acres, according to radio reports.
With the fire headed toward the Elem Colony, evacuations were ordered there not long after dispatch as well as at nearby Orchard Shores. In Lake Village Estates, transformers were reported to be blowing.
The fire continued rapid progress toward Clearlake, cresting the top of Mount Baldy just after 2 a.m. and heading for the city.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for Second Street to 17th Street, San Joaquin to Windflower Point, the Burns Valley area to Smith Lane and North Drive in Clearlake and Sulphur Bank Road, officials said.
The Lake County Office of Emergency Services said Twin Pine Casino in Middletown has been opened as an evacuation shelter.
The fire came during the midst of a hellish night of wildland fires around the North Coast, with Cal Fire and local agencies stretched thin as they worked to respond to fires in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties.
The region is under a red flag warning due to high winds and extreme fire dangers, with officials confirming overnight that the winds were contributing to the chaotic conditions.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Strike teams of firefighters from Lake County and elsewhere around the region are battling a number of major wildland fires that began burning Sunday night and early Monday morning in Sonoma and Napa counties, prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.
The Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Napa Unit put out the call for at least 10 strike teams Sunday night to respond to a growing number of late-night fires in Napa County in Sonoma County being fanned by high winds.
Reports from the scenes of the fires indicated the high winds on Sunday night and Monday morning were playing a part in the fires, resulting in “extreme fire behavior.”
Shortly before midnight, incident command ordered increasing numbers of evacuations from Calistoga to Santa Rosa, with evacuation centers opening up both in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Dispatch also repeatedly informed responding units that rescue is a priority, with structure defense and suppression where possible.
A call went out to all Lake County fire stations shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday for an immediate need strike team.
At least three engines and two water tenders from arounds around Lake County responded to the Tubbs incident in Napa County, with Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta as strike team leader, according to radio reports.
The Tubbs incident is burning in the area of Highway 128 and Tubbs Lane. Late Sunday, there was no size estimate available, but structures were reported to be threatened.
Also burning in Napa County is the Atlas fire, located off of Atlas Peak Road, south of Lake Berryessa. Cal Fire estimated the Atlas to be about 200 acres.
Another fire in the 3000 block of Partrick Road in Napa County was reported shortly before 11:45 p.m. Sunday. At that point it was moving at a rapid rate, was 20 acres and threatening structures, with authorities looking for any available resources to respond.
In Sonoma County, dispatchers were overwhelmed with 911 calls in response to fires burning at Mark West Springs and Riebli Road in Santa Rosa, Shiloh and Conde in Windsor and Highway 116 at Fredericks Road in Sebastopol, Lawndale Road in Kenwood and Mark West and Ursuline Drive in Larkfield, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Evacuations have been ordered along Porter Creek, Petrified Forest, Franz Valley and Mountain Home Ranch Road, and in Larkfield, where the fire was on the east side of Highway 101, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.
The agency said “mass evacuations” were taking place.
In the city of Santa Rosa, several neighborhoods were under mandatory evacuation early Monday morning.
The city said evacuation orders have issued for residents of Cross Creek Road, Sky Farm Drive, Saint Andrews Drive, all residences north of Fountaingrove Parkway, and Montecito Heights
The fire expanded to west of Highway 101 in the northeast Santa Rosa neighborhood near the Kohl’s Store at Coffey Lane and Hopper Avenue, where there were several structural fires, the city reported.
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said Silverado Trail is closed at Yountville Cross Road, with all Soda Canyon residents ordered to evacuate.
A hard closure is in effect on Highway 128 at Tubbs Lane, with a mandatory evacuation of Highway 128 west to the city of Santa Rosa.
The county of Napa reported that a local emergency had been declared as of 10:15 p.m. Sunday, and that it had opened its emergency operations center and emergency shelters in response to the series of wildfires burning there.
Areas evaluated included Atlas Peak Road, including Silverado Country Club, Knights Valley to Tubbs Lane in Calistoga, Monticello Road to Circle Oaks Subdivision and Soda Canyon Road.
Emergency shelters are open at Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, 1435 N. Oak St.; Crosswalk Community Church in Napa, 2590 First St.
The Napa County Animal Shelter at 942 Hartle Court will shelter dogs, cats, rabbits and other household animals.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thanks to the tireless dedication and hard work of a small Lake County rescue organization, thousands of dogs have found new lives with loving families across Northern California.
Orphan Dog began as Lake County Animal Services in 2004, founded by Karen Schaver, a high school teacher and the organization’s director.
Schaver and her husband Mike held three jobs each to make their dream of rescuing dogs happen.
They didn’t wait for the lottery, they worked hard to buy their 80-acre ranch in Lakeport.
The engine behind Orphan Dog, Karen Schaver travels more than 3,000 miles per month for vet care, to and from shelters, picking up and delivering dogs as well as putting on adoption events each Saturday around Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties.
On Sept. 16 and 17, Schaver took dozens of dogs to the Bay Area Pet Fair in Pleasanton.
At right, Karen Shaver, director and founder of Orphan Dog, talking to an adopter at the Orphan Dog adoption event in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Photo by Lucy Llewellyn Byard. In addition to taking dogs from her own rescue, the city of Clearlake reported that she took eight from its shelter. Lake County Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said one dog from the county shelter went, as that was all there was available after 13 other dogs went to rescue.
Schaver is highly regarded by local and regional shelters, who often seek her help to cure dogs affected by parvovirus.
Since founding her organization, she has rescued and adopted out 4,000 dogs; all done on a teacher’s salary.
Orphan Dog held one of its Lake County adoption events on Sept. 30 at Lakeport Cinema 5, where there was plenty of shade for the dogs to stay safe and cool.
Orphan Dog’s van arrived piled high with crated dogs and puppies along with metal pens, water, blankets, towels and boxes filled with paperwork and vaccinations; all quickly assembled in military fashion.
The Star Wars puppies litter and two pit bull puppies at the Orphan Dog adoption event in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Photo by Lucy Llewellyn Byard. Volunteers and prospective adopters helped unload the puppies and adult dogs.
“All animals are spayed, neutered, vet checked, vaccinated, microchipped and have 30-day pet insurance,” explained Schaver as she lined each pen with towels.
“Hands need to be cleaned before touching the puppies,” she explained to the crowd as she passed around towelettes.
Potential “parents” milled around the puppy pen, where the puppies were croodling – or nestling – in a big pile.
Schaver gives group names for identification purposes. This litter she dubbed the Star Wars puppies; their breed unknown.
Second shots were administered to the puppies without a whimper. Foster parents brought their foster dogs, hoping for them to be adopted. Several dogs were taken for walks.
Max, a 2-year-old black pointer mix and perfect ball hound, ran himself ragged playing fetch to impress his new forever mom.
Adam Black, a potential adopter, called home to his wife to get the OK to adopt another puppy, his second from Orphan Dog.
Gary, the gentle pit bull, is ready for his forever home. Photo by Lucy Llewellyn Byard. She gave him the thumbs up. Then it was decision time; does he adopt the brindle pit puppy or the brown one?
Moose, the lucky brown pit puppy selected and adopted by Black, fell fast asleep in the arms of his new human sister, oblivious that he was about to journey to his new home filled with dogs, horses, miniature donkeys and assorted other animals. Farm life – a great forever home.
Gary, a white and black pit bull, was a favorite for this writer. During his walk, two dogs in one of the pens tried to fight with him. Gary was nonplussed and walked calmly away.
One Star Wars puppy was adopted, along with Moose the pit puppy, Max the pointer mix and Skylar the camera-shy German Shepard. Four total – four that found their new forever families, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Karen Schaver’s Orphan Dog.
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is a freelance writer and photographer. She lives in Lucerne with her dog, Toby.
Adam Black and his new best friend, Moose, who was adopted at the Orphan Dog adoption event in Lakeport, Calif., on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Photo by Lucy Llewellyn Byard.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Did you know that only one-third of Americans have created and practiced a home fire escape plan?
Almost three-quarters of Americans have an escape plan; however, less than half ever practice it?
With these statistics, it’s time to stop being complacent and get the ball rolling in creating a home escape plan for you and your family and more importantly practicing it.
Oct. 8 to 14 marks Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme is “Every Second Counts – Plan 2 Ways Out!”
Take time now to create an escape plan with your family and practice that plan twice a year. Knowing what to do and where to go can save precious seconds, helping you and your family escape safely without tragedy.
“Our goal is to make sure our residents are safe from fires, whether inside the home or outside,” said Lynne Tolmachoff, Cal Fire chief of public education. “Fire Prevention Week is one opportunity to initiate awareness of how to protect you and your family from harm’s way and to give you the tools you need to maintain a safe home and yard.”
Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which Oct. 9 falls, in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began Oct. 8, 1871.
The horrific fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.
Each year’s theme is to reinforce the importance of fire prevention.
Crafting your plan for escaping a home fire is easy to do:
Draw a map of your home. With all the members of your household, visit each room and identify two ways out.
Show all doors and windows on your drawing and mark the path to the outside from each exit.
Practice your plan during the day and at night to ensure that you and your family can get out safely at any time.
Make sure to teach your children how to escape on their own, in case you can’t help them.
Have a plan for the elderly as it may take more time to get them out safely.
Let everyone know to close the doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside for anything.
Call 911 from outside and make sure your address is easy to see from the road.
If you happen to be caught in a wildfire, knowing two ways out is critical to getting out safely.
Create a wildfire evacuation plan that includes:
A designated emergency meeting location outside the fire or hazard area. This is essential to determine who has safely evacuated from the affected area.
Several different escape routes from your home and community. Practice these often so everyone in your family is familiar in case of emergency.
Have an evacuation plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock.
Designate an out-of-area friend or relative as a point of contact to act as a single source of communication among family members in case of separation (cell and internet systems can be overloaded or limited during a disaster).
‘Fall- A leaf drops into the mirror-like stillness of the clear creek- concentric circles delicately disturb the surface' – Kathleen Scavone
'Autumn wins you best by this- its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.’ – Robert Browning
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The fall season is upon us once again, bringing solace and perspective.
Our autumnal equinox of Sept. 22 and the ensuing change of season have a certain feel to it.
At summer's end a particular slant to the light and a discerning scent on the wind reminds you that, yes, summer's long and languorous days are behind us, and the cooler clime is the new norm.
Cooler weather brings to mind comfy sweaters, cocoa and fall cleanup chores such as tidying up the garden.
Now is the time for scouting out the last of the local farmer's markets and finding fat melons, the last of the blackberries and a vibrant pumpkin patch.
The clowns of the woods, squirrel and woodpecker, dash and scuttle about the newly fallen acorns. Here come cooler days- and soon, a descent into darkness.
Autumn's etymology, or word-origins makes it way from old Etruscan roots, “autu” meaning “the passing year.” Next, the Romans turned the word into “autumnus,” giving us our “autumn.”
As fall transitions from the summer season, a kaleidoscope of color presents itself.
The hills light up with signature scarlet, burgundy and a pop of yellow- the original “eye candy.”
Take a walk and treat all of your senses. A heady and spicy tang of rot and decay that signifies the fall cycle is emitted now.
Nature's spent foliage drifts down like perfect poetry in action, while summer's lush undergrowth gives way.
At the creek a leaf is a delicate rowboat making its way downstream. It dips and nods on riffles before it is carried away.
Nature never takes a day off – even when it looks like she's done and there is not a leaf on a tree, she is not sleeping.
Instead, the seeds she has dropped are being consumed by birds and mammals – spreading the wealth for a later date. Down below her surface mycelium is colonizing and spreading out like underground webs.
The scientific reasons for fall's color palette involves an intricate choreography of weather, carotenoids and chlorophyll.
The warmth of fall's days and their brisk evenings create a domino effect of activity within the leaves.
Sugars which are made at daylight and then trapped in leaf veins and not permitted to move out, and cause the purples and reds that we love. These are known as anthocyanin pigments.
Also contained in leaves are carotenoids which create the showy golden yellows which we have come to enjoy so much.
There is so much to enjoy about alluring autumn!
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also formerly wrote for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
Fall brings with it beautiful, deep colors. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has adult dogs and puppies waiting for homes this week.
This week’s available dogs include mixes of cattle dog, Chihuahua, husky, Labrador Retriever, mastiff, pit bull and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
This young male pit bull mix has is in kennel No. 2, ID No. 8617. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull mix
This young male pit bull mix has a short brown brindle coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 2, ID No. 8617.
This male mastiff puppy is in kennel No. 4b, ID No. 8614. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Mastiff puppy
This male mastiff puppy has a short tricolor coat.
He’s in kennel No. 4b, ID No. 8614.
This male Chihuahua is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 8558. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Chihuahua
This male Chihuahua has a short tricolor coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 5, ID No. 8558.
This young female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 7, ID No. 8607. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Pit bull terrier
This young female pit bull terrier has a short white coat with brown markings.
Shelter staff said she gets along with other dogs.
She’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 8607.
This male Labrador Retriever mix is in kennel No. 13, ID No. 8626. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Labrador Retriever
This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.
He’s in kennel No. 13, ID No. 8626.
This young male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 8623. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Pit bull terrier
This young male pit bull terrier has a short tan and black coat.
He already has been neutered.
Shelter staff said he gets along with other dogs.
He’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 8623.
This male husky is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 8577. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male husky
This male husky has a long gray and white coat and blue eyes.
He already has been altered.
He’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 8577.
This male cattle dog-hound mix is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 8462. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Cattle dog-hound mix
This male cattle dog-hound mix has a short gray coat.
He’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 8462.
This female cattle dog is in kennel No. 32, ID No. 8476. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female cattle dog
This female cattle dog has a short red coat.
She’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 8476.
This female Labrador Retriever in kennel No. 33, ID No. 8477. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female Labrador Retriever
This female Labrador Retriever has a short black coat.
She’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 8477.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
College students working with NASA are helping devise solutions that may make living on other worlds possible.
Short for eXploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innovation Challenge, the X-Hab Challenge represents one of several platforms NASA leverages to crowdsource solutions to complex challenges in order to keep humans healthy and productive in deep space.
Universities submit their ideas and NASA's technical experts review and select the proposals. NASA surveys the agency for issues that need solutions to enable exploration.
“There are key issues needing solutions for food production in microgravity during exploration missions. These issues are water and nutrient delivery to the root zone and the recycling of nutrients from inedible plant materials and waste," said Charlie Quincy, Kennedy Space Center’s Life Science maturation manager. "This year, two projects tackled both watering plants in space and nutrient and material recovery."
Ohio State University in Wooster, Ohio, recently finished its project, entitled “Passive Watering and Plant Biomass Recycling Systems for eXploration Habitat.”
This project was two projects in one – while one team focused on designing a reliable, low-energy, low-maintenance water delivery system using wicking and capillary forces, a second team examined how to incorporate recycled inedible plant matter, including root and stems, into a rooting structure for the next plant growing cycle.
The passive water delivery portion examined alternate water delivery methods for the Veggie experiment on the International Space Station.
The addition this year was to use a collapsible reservoir and a device to aid fluid flow in microgravity.
The recycling team designed a bioreactor and a process of shredding and dehydrating plant matter to transform plant waste into plant-growth substrate that could be used to grow plants for food.
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor tackled turning urine into plant nutrition. Its project, entitled “Space Life and Physical Sciences: Wastewater to Plant Nutrient Solution,” extracts water and plant nutrients along with edible sodium from the wastewater and urine generated by a human space habitat.
The student team members presented the design process, construction and testing of the subcomponents of their hardware and software, and demonstrated how the hardware works.
The system involves a multistage setup of pretreatment ultrafiltration to separate materials, electrodialysis to remove inorganic salts, and finally ultraviolet light to remove bacteria and viruses. The resulting water and nutrients could then be recycled to grow plants for food.
The students were able to demonstrate that water and plant nutrient output from their system could be used to grow plants that are safe for human consumption.
X-Hab is sponsored by Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, a division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.
AES develops strategic partnerships and collaborations with universities to help bridge gaps and increase knowledge in architectural design trades, capabilities and technology risk reduction related to AES activities.
NASA Space Life and Physical Science Research and Applications Division provided food production research topics and funding for materials, parts and services for selected projects to address real spaceflight issues and inspire the future NASA workforce.
Amanda Griffin works for NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center.
An artist's illustration of a Mars greenhouse. Image credit: NASA.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Lake County and other parts of Northern California due to concerns for strong winds forecast to arrive on Sunday.
The agency said the red flag warning is in effect from 11 a.m. Sunday to 5 p.m. Tuesday.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly, according to the National Weather Service, which also reported that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
In the case of this latest warning, the National Weather Service said the highest threat across Northern California is in southern Lake County, the northern and western Sacramento Valley, and the adjacent foothills.
A combination of wind, low afternoon humidity and poor overnight recovery may create a period of increased fire starts or rapid spread through early Tuesday morning, according to the forecast.
The regional forecast calls for a gusty north to northeasterly wind to begin across the Coastal Range, northern and western Central Valley Sunday and spread across the Sierra Nevada Sunday night.
The wind is expected to range between 15 and 30 miles per hours, with gusts of up to 40 miles per hour in some parts of Northern California.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for light winds to actually begin on Saturday, with speeds ranging from the mid-teens in Lucerne and Lakeport into the mid-20s in the south county and Clearlake.
On Sunday night, wind gusts could range up close to 30 miles per hour on the Northshore and nearly 40 miles per hour in Middletown before tapering off on Monday, according to the forecast.
Temperatures in the coming week are forecast to range into the low 80s during the day and the low 40s at night.
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.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters on Friday afternoon extinguished a small fire along Highway 20 caused by a vehicle.
The fire near the Mendocino County line was first reported at 2:10 p.m., according to radio reports.
Radio reports indicated a motorhome on the side of the road had caught fire and spread to vegetation, with people at the scene trying to put out the fire with shoves.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire, US Forest Service and Lakeport Fire responded to the incident, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said the fire involved a large motorhome whose driver said the vehicle started sputtering and then she saw what she thought was dust coming from the back of it. It turned out to be the start of the vehicle catching fire.
“It burned all the way down to the ground,” Beristianos said of the vehicle.
The fire spread to the nearby vegetation, burning about a quarter of an acre from the top of the hill down, Beristianos said.
He said the woman had two cats in the vehicle with her. She was able to rescue one but the other perished in the fire.
The driver was reported to be uninjured, according to radio reports.
The motorhome fire began at about the same time as the Ridge fire was reported northeast of Clearlake Oaks. Beristianos said Northshore Fire wasn’t initially able to send any units to the Ridge fire because of the vehicle fire.
Reports from the scene said the fire was contained at about 3 p.m., and by 4 p.m. had been fully extinguished, with firefighters waiting on scene to have the vehicle’s frame removed.
The incident was terminated just before 4:30 p.m., with firefighters clearing the scene, according to scene reports.
At the same time, incident command reported that the highway was reopening.
The California Highway Patrol had reported that the highway had briefly been closed in both directions due to the fire, and that westbound traffic had been diverted around the scene while the firefighting effort was taking place.
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. – On Sept. 27, 21 Lake County residents completed the 19th session of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Academy.
The academy consisted of 14 three-hour classes offering classroom and hands-on instruction by deputy sheriffs, custody staff, supervisors, civilian employees and command staff members whose assignments were specific to the subjects of training.
The next academy is set to begin in the summer of 2018.
Anyone interested in learning about the services provided by the sheriff’s office and becoming a more informed member of the community is encouraged to participate in this worthwhile program.
Those wishing to enroll can do so by visiting the Sheriff’s Office Web site at www.lakesheriff.com.
Applications will be accepted starting in the spring of 2018.
There is no cost to those attending the academy. However, applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:
Powers of attorney allow one as principal to authorize and empower an agent – or attorney-in-fact – to act on their behalf within the scope of authority provided in the power of attorney, and the law.
A person who executes a power of attorney does well to anticipate the foreseeable obstacles which their agent may encounter when the agent later tries to act on the principal’s behalf using the power of attorney.
The relevant obstacles vary depending on the assets and affairs involved. Let us discuss some issues that impact the acceptance of powers of attorney by third parties.
Is the power of attorney properly executed on its own face?
Under California Law to be properly executed a power of attorney must be signed by the principal (person delegating their authority) either before a notary public or before two disinterested adult witnesses – persons with no personal stake in the power of attorney.
How old is the power of attorney?
Banks, title companies, and brokerages often refuse to honor powers of attorney more than five years after execution.
Some title companies even insist on no more than six months. The older a power of attorney is the more likely it is that it is replaced by a more recent power of attorney.
Third parties seek to satisfy themselves that the power of attorney is both genuine and is still in force.
Accordingly, they may require an affidavit by the agent affirming that the agent is unaware of any notice of termination of either the power of attorney or of the agent’s own authority.
Furthermore, a third party, “… may require the attorney-in-fact to provide identification, specimens of the signatures of the principal and the attorney-in-fact, and any other information reasonably necessary or appropriate to identify the principal and the attorney-in-fact and to facilitate the actions of the third person in transacting business with the attorney-in-fact.”
What type of power of attorney is involved?
Banks, brokerages and title companies are known to insist on their own in-house power of attorney forms and can be very reluctant to accept statutory or attorney drafted powers of attorney.
To avoid such difficulties the principal may choose to execute additional in-house powers of attorney at each the financial institutions where they have accounts.
What type of transaction is involved?
Where real property is concerned, title companies require that the power of attorney specifically reference the real property involved, and provide the property’s legal description and assessor’s parcel number, as on a deed of conveyance.
Title companies will also require that the power of attorney expressly provide the agent with the necessary powers relevant to completing the transaction. In fact, title companies are reluctant to accept broadly worded general powers of attorney.
Managing one’s real property, brokerage and bank accounts by transferring title to such assets into one’s living trust can avoid the foregoing and other obstacles associated with a power of attorney. The trustee as legal owner manages the trust assets using the powers and authorities granted under the trust.
Powers of attorney are still often the best approach to allowing another person or entity to manage one’s legal, property and financial affairs that exist outside of the trust.
Retirement accounts, Social Security issues, Medicare and other personal legal affairs simply cannot be transferred into one’s trust.
Lastly, if necessary, an agent can always petition the California Superior Court to compel a third party to honor the power of attorney.
With a uniform statutory power of attorney form, if the court finds that the third party acted unreasonably in refusing to accept such power of attorney then the court may require the third party to pay the agent’s attorney fees.
With all other power of attorney documents, fees are only awarded if the third party’s refusal was not done in “good faith.”
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com.
When it lands on Mars in November of 2018, NASA's InSight lander will be carrying several science instruments – along with hundreds of thousands of names from members of the public.
In 2015, nearly 827,000 people signed up to add their names to a silicon microchip onboard the robotic spacecraft. NASA is now adding a second microchip, giving the public another chance to send their names to Mars.
"Mars continues to excite space enthusiasts of all ages," said Bruce Banerdt, the InSight mission's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "This opportunity lets them become a part of the spacecraft that will study the inside of the Red Planet."
This fly-your-name opportunity comes with "frequent flier" points reflecting an individual's personal participation in NASA's exploration of Mars.
These points span multiple missions and multiple decades. Participants who sent their names on the previous InSight opportunity in 2015 can download a "boarding pass" and see their "frequent flier" miles.
As part of this frequent flier program, a chip carrying the names of 1.38 million people also flew aboard the first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft in 2014.
NASA is building Orion to carry astronauts to deep space destinations that will enable future missions to Mars.
After InSight, the next opportunity to earn frequent flier points will be NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first flight bringing together the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars and beyond.
InSight will be the first mission to explore Mars' deep interior. The spacecraft will set down a seismometer to detect marsquakes and meteor strikes, using the seismic energy of these phenomena to study material far below the Martian surface.
It also will deploy a self-hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet.
These and other InSight investigations will improve our understanding about the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth.
InSight is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in May of 2018.
An example of a "boarding pass" that members of the public can download by participating in NASA's Frequent Fliers program. With each NASA mission that flies their names, individuals can accumulate "miles" on their boarding pass. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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