LUCERNE, Calif. – A Lucerne man suffered major injuries on Sunday night when he crossed Highway 20 in a wheelchair and traveled into the path of a car, which struck him.
David Collins, 55, had trauma to his head and left leg following the crash, which occurred just after 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 at Second Avenue, in front of Lucerne Alpine Park, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said Consuelo Rocha, 46, of Ukiah was the driver involved in the crash.
This reporter, who was walking nearby, attempted to stop traffic after witnessing Collins travel in his wheelchair from Alpine Park across Highway 20, outside of the crosswalk.
Drivers traveling eastbound saw this reporter waving and slowed down, with Collins reaching the center turn lane.
He then paused briefly in the turn lane before turning into the path of Rocha, who the CHP said was driving her 1998 Saturn accompanied by her children, 15-year-old Genesis Hernandez and 12-year-old Brian Hernandez.
Rocha did not see Collins, and her Saturn struck his wheelchair, which caused him to cartwheel out of the chair and land on the pavement. After the crash Rocha immediately pulled her vehicle over.
Several bystanders and witnesses responded to help Collins and call 911 while directing traffic around the scene.
Northshore Fire Protection District responded within minutes, transporting Collins to Lucerne Harbor Park, where an air ambulance responded to transport him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.
The CHP said Rocha and the children all appeared to have been wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, and driving under the influence was not a factor.
CHP Officer Joel Skeen is investigating the crash.
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.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday formally challenged the Trump Administration over its plan to begin construction of border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial counties.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, on behalf of the people of the State of California and the California Coastal Commission, Attorney General Becerra charges that the Trump Administration violated the U.S. Constitution, failed to comply with federal and state environmental laws, and relied on a federal statute that does not authorize the proposed projects.
“The Trump Administration has once again ignored laws it doesn’t like in order to resuscitate a campaign talking point to build a wall on our southern border,” said Attorney General Becerra. “President Trump has yet to pivot from candidate Trump to leader of a nation built on the rule of law. That's dangerous. When you respect the law, you instill confidence and certainty in your people, so critical for success. That's why California, while only one of 50 states, has become the sixth-largest economy in the world. And that's why, if you plan to do business in California, and that includes the President, then be prepared to follow the law.”
“The California Coastal Commission is charged with upholding one of the strongest environmental laws in the country: the California Coastal Act,” said Coastal Commission Chair Dayna Bochco. "We must be allowed to do our job, which is to make sure this wall and its construction impacts don’t destroy this environmentally rich area.”
On Jan. 25, President Trump issued an executive order that directed the secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, to identify and “allocate all sources of Federal funds for the planning, designing and construction of a physical wall along the southern border.”
Pursuant to the executive order, DHS announced on Aug. 2 that it intended to carry out various border wall projects in San Diego County, including the construction of prototype walls and fences and the replacement of 14 miles of existing primary fencing with new fencing.
DHS also has announced that it intends to replace 14 miles of existing secondary fencing, in this same area, with a solid wall or other barrier.
Former DHS Secretary (now White House Chief of Staff) John Kelly moved to expedite these construction projects using a federal statute that pertained to border projects proposed and constructed before 2009.
And just last week, DHS announced it also intended to carry out a border wall project in Imperial County. Like former Secretary Kelly, Acting Secretary Elaine Duke proposed unlawfully expediting the construction of this project.
In the complaint filed today, Attorney General Becerra describes the ways in which the border wall projects are unlawful:
DHS failed to prepare an environmental impact statement with respect to the border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial Counties in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. DHS also failed to comply with the Coastal Zone Management Act with respect to wall construction in San Diego County.
To expedite construction of the border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial Counties, DHS relied on Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). Section 102 allows the DHS Secretary to waive any law he or she deems necessary to “install additional physical barriers and roads...in the vicinity of the United States border to deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States.” Congress required DHS to identify “priority areas” for construction and to complete that construction on an expedited basis by no later than December 31, 2008 – almost ten years ago. The Secretary’s authority to waive laws under Section 102 expired in 2008, and DHS did not identify the San Diego or Imperial project areas as “priority areas” before this deadline.
DHS’ improper application of the waiver provision under Section 102 violates several provisions of the U.S. Constitution, including the Separation of Powers doctrine and the 10th Amendment. The Constitution does not permit government officials to unilaterally and arbitrarily waive any law of their choosing, including criminal laws and laws enacted by the States.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The USGS has recorded a 2.7 magnitude micro earthquake approximately 3 miles from Cobb at a depth of approximately one mile. According to the USGS the quake occurred 7:33:54 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Distance from nearby areas include: The Geysers, CA - 5 km (3 miles) NNW (339 degrees) Cobb, CA - 5 km (3 miles) W (270 degrees) Middletown, CA - 16 km (10 miles) WNW (299 degrees) Kelseyville, CA - 18 km (11 miles) SSE (163 degrees) Lower Lake, CA - 18 km (11 miles) SW (236 degrees)
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Rain on Wednesday morning aided firefighters as they continued to work to contain a wildland fire near Hopland.
The Grape fire began on Tuesday afternoon on Highway 101 near Crawford Ranch Road, according to Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit.
On Wednesday morning, the fire’s total size was raised slightly, to 142 acres, with 80-percent containment, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire is being assisted on the incident by Hopland Fire, Redwood Valley Fire and Ukiah Fire, as well as the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans.
Fire units will remain at the scene throughout Wednesday to strengthen containment lines and extinguish interior hot spots, Cal Fire said.
Officials also reported that Wednesday’s scattered showers are assisting firefighters in their efforts.
The agency said that there have been three injuries for firefighters on the incident so far. Those injuries included one heat-related illness, with the firefighter treated and returned to duty; one knee injury that’s being evaluated; and one bruised arm, with that firefighter treated at the scene and returning to work.
No structures have been reported destroyed or damaged, according to Cal Fire’s report.
Wednesday’s resource assignment on the incident includes 123 firefighters, eight overhead personnel, four chief officers, 10 engine companies, four fire crews, two water tenders and one bulldozer, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said the cause of the Grape fire remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission will hold a special meeting devoted to taking input on new rules for commercial marijuana operations in the city.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
City officials said the meeting will focus on a review of possible amendments to the Lakeport Zoning Ordinance in order to develop procedures for the allowance of commercial marijuana, or cannabis, uses within the city of Lakeport.
The city’s goal is to reflect the changes in state law that have come about through the voter-approved Proposition 64, which legalized the personal use of marijuana, as well as laws passed by the State Legislature.
The commission’s meeting also will include a discussion on that recent legislation; potential use permit standards for uses including cultivation, manufacturing, testing and retail delivery; and appropriate zoning districts for those various uses, which staff is recommending should include service commercial and industrial zoning.
Also on the agenda will be a report from staff on projects pending Lakeport Planning Department approval.
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. – Firefighters on Tuesday night increased the containment on a fire burning near Hopland.
The Grape fire is burning on Highway 101 near Crawford Ranch Road, according to Cal Fire’s Mendocino Unit.
Cal Fire said the blaze began at 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday. The cause is under investigation.
By Tuesday night, Cal Fire said the fire had burned 135 acres and was 60-percent contained.
No structures have been damaged and there have been no injuries, Cal Fire said.
Resources on scene include 220 firefighters, 18 overhead personnel, two chief officers, three water tenders, six fire crews, three helicopters, three bulldozers, four air tankers, two air attacks and more than a dozen engines, Cal Fire said.
Cooperating agencies include Hopland Fire, Redwood Valley Fire and Ukiah Fire, according to Cal Fire’s report.
Cal Fire said units were to remain at the scene overnight to continue working to contain and suppress the fire.
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.
“Bojangles,” Lino-cut by John Jennings. MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Join the Middletown Art Center on Saturday, Sept. 23, as its Resilience Project features printmaking and block printing with artist and musician John Jennings.
The session will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at the center, 21456 Highway 175.
“In my journeys through the various modes of printmaking, I’ve found none quite as dynamic as woodcuts or block printing,” said Jennings. “The range of possibilities runs from the exquisitely delicate lines and gradient colors of the Japanese landscape artists to the almost primitive strokes of the European Expressionists.”
He added, “In our class I hope to introduce the participant to the magic of block printing: from the drawing stage, to the transfer of the drawing to the linoleum block, to the carving of the block and finally the printing of the image. The thrill of pulling the rice paper off the block and seeing your work in ink on the page is like no other.”
Middletown Art Center, or MAC, is now in its fourth month of the Resilience Project: low cost, high quality art classes in photography, creative writing, painting and printmaking.
Resilience will culminate in countywide exhibits and a chapbook of writings and images created by participants during the project.
Funded through a Local Impact Grant from the California Arts Council, with support from Adventist Health and other local organizations, the purpose of the grant is to increase access to the arts in underserved communities like ours.
“The Resilience Project was born of witnessing nature’s rebound as an inspiration and mirror for our own resilience and recovery after the fires of 2015 and 2016,” said Lisa Kaplan, executive director at MAC. “At MAC, we encourage everyone to engage in art making for self expression, healing, fun, creative problem solving, and perceiving the world around us in new ways.”
Resilience consists of four monthly five-hour classes that are offered every first through fourth Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., until May 2018. The cost is just $5 per class.
Adults of all ages and teens 12 and up of all levels of art experience, from professionals to newbies, are invited to attend one or many classes. The schedule is coordinated with Lake County Transit and there is a break for lunch.
To reserve a spot in “Resilience: Printmaking – Block Printing” this Saturday or any other of the upcoming Resilience classes, visit www.middletownartcenter.org/resilience.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State Sen. Mike McGuire’s bill that automatically qualifies low-income students for free meals at school has passed both houses of the California Legislature and has been sent to the governor’s desk.
SB 138 – the “Feed the Kids Act” will address childhood hunger by removing a massive layer of bureaucratic red tape from the State school meal program enrollment process and by serving all students in very high poverty schools for free.
SB 138 will develop a universal enrollment process by ensuring that all school districts utilize Medi-Cal data to seamlessly enroll income-eligible students in free and reduced-price school meals.
California has more kids in poverty than any other state in the nation, with nearly one in four kids going hungry each day.
There are more California kids in poverty now than there were prior to the recession. As such, McGuire said the time is right for California to broaden the reach of school meals.
Each year, more than two million low-income California children who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals miss out on them, also missing out on the academic and health benefits the meals provide, McGuire’s office reported.
“A child’s access to nutritious food during the school day is linked to their overall success in the classroom,” McGuire said. “We know that when a child goes to school hungry, their ability to learn, grow and thrive is compromised. School meals are extremely effective at fighting the devastating effects of child hunger and improving outcomes in our public schools.”
Should SB 138 be signed into law, there are 41 additional schools on the North Coast that would likely qualify for a 100 percent federal reimbursement for school meals for all of their students.
Those schools include 13 small schools in Sonoma County, nine in Humboldt County, four in Marin County, eight in Lake County, two in Trinity County, one in Del Norte County and four in Mendocino County.
Currently, most districts do not use Medi-Cal data to automatically enroll students. This bill will automatically enroll income-eligible students who are on Medi-Cal onto the free and reduced lunch program at their school, therefore increasing the number of kids receiving free and reduced lunch.
The California Department of Education believes an additional 650,000 elementary, middle school and high school students would start receiving school meals under this new and efficient certification process.
This bill is modeled after a successful pilot program where 14 school districts enrolled low-income students who receive Medi-Cal into a free school meal statewide.
Building upon these successful local programs, SB 138 would automatically enroll eligible Medi-Cal students into reduced price and free meals as a way to address hunger among our state’s hungriest kids.
In addition, the bill would allow for very high poverty schools to serve meals to all students for free because increased enrollment of low-income students in the free meal program will result in schools qualifying for a federal meal reimbursement program as well.
SB 138 would more effectively identify low-income students and significantly increase access to school meals. Participating districts in the pilot program saw an increase of more than 60,000 students enrolled in their free and reduced lunch programs, which brought in over $33 million in additional federal meal reimbursements.
Two years ago, Senator McGuire made significant progress by cutting through bureaucratic red tape by enrolling over 326,000 students on free lunches.
The process was made easier by streamlining the free lunch system and ensuring students who were on CalFresh were also being enrolled in the free lunch program at their school.
This was a 30-percent increase from the year before and was one of the largest enrollment increases the Golden State has seen in decades.
“California is the sixth largest economy in the world and we produce more food than any other state in America. We have to step up and declare war on childhood poverty and ensure California’s kids get the resources they need to thrive,” McGuire said.
The Web site now includes 2016 self-reported data from special districts – a total of 157,150 positions across the state and $8.28 billion in wages.
The newly published data are from 3,017 special government districts that focus on air quality, fire, health care, transportation, water and more.
The list of special districts includes 45 from Lake County, among them, Lake County Vector Control, the fire districts, Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District, cemetery, water and conservation districts.
Users of the site can:
· View compensation levels on maps and search for compensation by region; · Narrow results by name of entity or by job title; · Build charts; and · Export custom reports or raw data.
For example, the available data show nine of the top 10 highest-paid special district employees in 2016 worked for health care districts, topping out with a salary of $1,235,939.
California law requires cities, counties, and special districts to annually report compensation data to the state controller.
The state controller also maintains and publishes state government and CSU salary data.
No such statutory requirement exists for superior courts, UC, community college districts, fairs and expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers; their reporting is voluntary.
A list of entities that did not file or filed incomplete reports is available here.
All Lake County special districts reported as required this year.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Firefighters are battling a wildland fire along Highway 101.
The Grape fire was first reported just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 101 at mile post marker 14 near Hopland, according to reports from Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol.
Cal Fire’s latest report late Tuesday afternoon put the fire at 100 acres with no containment.
The agency said eight aircraft, 12 engines, four crews, four water tenders, eight chief officers and two dozers are assigned.
The CHP reported that one lane of the highway was closed north of mile post marker 14 due to the fire and was expected to be closed until close to midnight.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall on Thursday hosted an update from Six Sigma Ranch and Winery on plans to host an upscale camping site at its Lower Lake property, and also heard an update on plans for a large housing and resort development near Middletown.
Christian Ahlmann, whose family owns Six Sigma Ranch, made the presentation on “Huttopia” at the MATH meeting, held at the Middletown Community Center on Thursday evening. Ahlmann’s presentation begins at the 22-minute mark in the video above.
The Ahlmanns purchased the 4,300-acre property now known as Six Sigma Ranch in 2000, and have since built a respected winery, vineyard and cattle operation at the site, where they also host tours and events.
Ahlmann said his family has discussed for a long time the idea of offering accommodations at the ranch. It’s an expensive proposition, and while they have had a number of different companies propose various ideas, before now they’ve ultimately said no.
“It’s serious business,” he said.
Ahlmann explained, “We're very careful with the brand. We want to do it right,” and not have something “hokey” on the property.
Recently they were approached by a representative of Huttopia, a French company that specializes in offering “nature campsites” in 43 locations across France.
According to its Web site, Huttopia’s sites are located “in unspoilt natural environments, beautiful pitches for tents, caravans and campers, wood and canvas lodges that blend in harmoniously with the site, swimming pools, and a whole range of activities for you to enjoy a wonderful holiday.”
Ahlmann termed Huttopia’s offerings as “glamping” – the term to describe glamorous or luxury camping – with everything from small tents to more upscale, deluxe tents.
Huttopia opened its first North American site in 2015 in Sutton, Canada and followed up this June by opening in the first Huttopia in the United States in the White Mountains near Albany, New Hampshire. Ahlmann and his wife visited the Sutton location and he recounted his visit in a blog post here.
Ahlmann said the company purchases or leases land for its projects. In this case, it will lease land from Six Sigma Ranch for a small fee.
After visiting Huttopia himself, Ahlmann said he thought it would work well in Lake County.
He said his family has signed a letter of intent with Huttopia, but added, “We haven’t made a contract yet.”
Ahlmann said Six Sigma representatives have met with the county and, at first glance, a review of the basic project doesn’t appear to show big environmental impacts and is in line with the county’s interests.
He said they would love to have people from the Bay Area come up to stay at the ranch. “People who stay in nice tents like nice wine.”
In Ahlmann’s opinion, Huttopia fits with Lake County better than a Marriott.
If all goes well with the planning process, Huttopia would start building next year and have the site in place by the end of 2018, Ahlmann said.
Unlike other Huttopia sites, the one at Six Sigma Ranch would be able to operate year-round, which Ahlmann said is one reason why the company likes the site so much, although Huttopia officials have voiced concerns about California’s planning processes.
Ahlmann said the Huttopia at Six Sixma will have a range of offerings from simple tents to more upscale tents and cabins featuring bathrooms and camp stoves, a setup that he said will be similar to camping facilities in national parks. All of the tents will have decks.
He said Huttopia wants to build 150 tents in phases that will be spread out across an area of between 100 and 150 acres on the property. The tents will be accessed through the same entrance as the winery.
“When you drive into the property you won’t really see them,” Ahlmann said.
Community Development Director Bob Massarelli, who was on hand at the meeting to also give an update on the Guenoc Valley project, confirmed that his staff met with Six Sigma for a preapplication meeting.
He said an application for the project had yet to be submitted at that point, but that he didn’t see any issues.
During the discussion, Ahlmann also reported that the project will generate transient occupancy tax, also known as bed tax, which is an important tourism-related revenue stream for county government.
In response to a question, he also confirmed that fire safety and an evacuation plan will be part of the review process for the project.
In other south county project news, Massarelli gave the group a brief update on the latest regarding the Guenoc Valley project, located at Langtry Farms.
Chinese developer Yiming Xu and his firm, Lotusland Investment Holdings Inc. of San Francisco, are proposing to build the project on an area that encompasses 16,000 acres, with 1,200 residential units, 1,200 hotel units and as many as nine different resorts with their own themes and architecture. He said 14,000 acres will be preserved in a natural state.
He said his staff is still in the process of getting proposals from consultants to perform the project’s environmental impact report.
The request for proposals was sent out to 15 consulting firms around the state, with an original deadline of Sept. 11, Massarelli explained.
However, Massarelli said some of the consultants have asked for more time, so the deadline was extended to Sept. 25. He said he expects to get proposals from five to six consultants, which will be a good-sized pool from which to choose.
A consultant selection committee has been formed of department heads and outside individuals, and Massarelli said he would report back to MATH at its October meeting about that selection process.
Massarelli said the county has not yet received an application for the project or much new information on the developer’s plans.
“The design team is really focused on incorporating it into the environment,” he said.
Massarelli said the Aman resort chain is involved with the project. He referred to Aman’s Utah resort – Amangiri, located at Canyon Point, where rooms range from $2,000 to $4,600 a night – for how it blends into the environment.
He said Guenoc Valley’s project will have equestrian and outdoor facilities, with some of those amenities to be open to the community at large.
A village center proposal has been removed from the plans in order to show support for the community and not detract from downtown Middletown, he said.
He’s hired one staffer to handle the project’s environmental studies and is recruiting a senior planner to handle permitting.
Lotusland has given the county a $65,000 deposit to cover planning expenses, which will be raised to $100,000 once an application is submitted, Massarelli said.
The developer will have to deposit $250,000 with the county when the contract is signed with the consulting firm that will conduct the environmental impact report, according to Massarelli.
Massarelli said the amount of planning work on the project involved is expected to run into the high six figures and possibly the seven figures.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Napa man was seriously injured on Saturday afternoon in a solo-vehicle crash near Middletown.
Stephen Mann Jeffries, 61, was injured in the wreck, which the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said occurred at 12:50 p.m. Saturday on Butts Canyon Road.
The CHP said Jeffries was driving his 2007 Nissan Pathfinder westbound on Butts Canyon Road, west of Oat Hill Road, when he lost control of his vehicle.
Jeffries’ Nissan veered across the eastbound lane of Butts Canyon Road and left the roadway, traveling onto the dirt shoulder before the front of it hit a tree, the CHP said.
The CHP said Jeffries suffered major injuries and was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The report stated that Jeffries was using his seat belt at the time of the wreck.
The CHP said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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