LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Cobb man died and his wife was seriously injured in a head-on crash Tuesday near Lakeport.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified Darryl Patrick Prather, 64, as the man who died in the wreck.

His wife, Lela L. Prather, 63, suffered major injuries in the wreck, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred just after 1 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 29 north of 11th Street.

The CHP said Daniel O’Neil Long, 30, of Ukiah, was driving a 2013 Ford pickup southbound on Highway 29 with 3-year-old Madison Long, also of Ukiah, in the pickup with him.

The report noted that roadway conditions at the time were wet, but on Wednesday the CHP did not yet have speed estimates for the vehicles.

For reasons that the CHP said remain under investigation, Long lost control of his pickup. He allowed the pickup to cross over the center median into the opposing lanes of traffic, where Darryl Prather was driving a 2011 Subaru northbound with his wife as his passenger.

When Long came into the northbound lane, Prather attempted to avoid colliding with the pickup by swerving to the right but was unable to avoid a head-on crash, the CHP said.

The fire department’s radio reports from the scene said the two vehicles were found down an embankment after the wreck.

Prather died of his injuries at the scene, while his wife had major injuries to her chest and head and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, the CHP said.

Neither Long nor the young girl in the pickup with him sustained injuries in the wreck, according to the report.

The CHP said no alcohol or drugs are suspected as factors in the crash.

Editor’s note: The family has provided a different spelling of Darryl Prather’s first name than that which originally was provided by the sheriff’s office. The article has been updated to reflect the spelling reported by the family.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Preliminary results from a special Tuesday election showed that a parcel tax the Lake County Fire Protection District placed on the ballot in an effort to increase revenues and maintain services failed to pass by 10 votes.

Measure D, the reason for the special Tuesday election, needed to pass by a supermajority of 66.7 percent.

The measure received 66.3 percent in favor, or 1,113 yes votes, versus a 33.7 percent no vote, amounting to 565 votes in opposition.

Lake County Fire is the most populous of the county’s five fire districts. Its boundaries encompass 165 square miles in and around Clearlake and Lower Lake, and between 20,000 and 21,000 residents, according to district officials.

The measure was intended to bring in between $300,000 and $400,000 in additional annual revenues for the Lake County Fire Protection District, as Lake County News has reported.

Measure D proposed to increase the district’s existing special tax on properties from $60 a year to $120 a year for per single family dwelling.
                                                
The preliminary results, released by the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office late Tuesday, showed that there was a 19.6 percent turnout, with approximately 1,684 ballots cast.

Of the overall ballot count, there were 1,391 absentee ballots, or 16.2 percent, and 293 precinct ballots, or 3.4 percent, according to county elections office.

As a special tax, Measure D needed to pass with a 66.7 percent yes vote. That means that of the 1,684 total ballots tallied in the preliminary count, the measure needed to have 1,123 cast in its favor.

The elections office’s initial results said the measure received 1,113 yes votes, just 10 short of what was required.

The Registrar of Voters Office must still finalize and certify the results, which includes counting any absentees that weren’t received on or before Tuesday. Some absentee ballots could yet come in via mail.

Lake County Fire Protection District Board member Russ Perdock called the outcome “very disappointing,” noting a lot was riding on Measure D’s passage.

He said it will mean a very lean 2017-18 fiscal year, adding that the board will be tasked with service reductions to Clearlake and Lower Lake, “which after the past two fire seasons is harder to fathom.”

After months of effort and a lot of work to communicate the need for the measure – including recent town halls, community meetings, going door to door and even holding a barbecue as part of outreach – Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta said late Tuesday he was really surprised and taken aback by the preliminary results.

Sapeta said the district will have to look at realignment and service cuts, but won’t take any action until the Registrar of Voters Office certifies the election.

“I’m praying there’s a miscount somewhere and that it passes,” he said.

If it doesn’t, Sapeta said the district will have to start planning for hard decisions.

By April or May, he will have a general idea about the coming fiscal year’s revenues, which he anticipates will be down due to the Clayton fire, which destroyed about 200 homes and an additional 100 structures in August.

“There will be reorganization and realignment until we’re able to secure additional revenues,” he said, explaining that the district has looked at every other option to generate more income. “There’s not another option.”

Sapeta said the district likely will have to take a similar measure back to voters.

“We’re far from giving up. That’s not an option,” he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – New research shows that in Lake County the availability of e-cigarettes has grown 14 percent since 2013.

This finding is part of research released Wednesday on the availability and marketing of tobacco products, alcohol, condoms and healthy and unhealthy food options in California stores that sell tobacco.

Throughout California, health advocates held 13 press events to release results of the scientific survey, which is the largest its kind.

It builds upon an initial research released three years ago in March 2014 and provides insights into changes in the availability and marketing of the studied products during this time. 

Information was collected in the summer of 2016 from more than 7,100 stores in all 58 California counties including pharmacies, supermarkets, delis, convenience and liquor stores as well as tobacco-only stores.

The survey found the following for Lake County:

– Tobacco chew is sold at 87.2 percent of stores in Lake County;
– 86.4 percent of stores sell a popular sweet ‘little cigar’ in a single pack for under $1;
– 74.5 percent of stores sold non- or low-fat milk, but nearly 97.9 percent sell alcohol;
– 85.1 percent of surveyed stores sell condoms, but only 40.4 percent sell them on unlocked shelves.

“The expanded availability of e-cigarettes are of particular concern and reflect the spike in use by teens and young adults in the last three years,” said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.

The University of California, San Diego 2016 California Student Tobacco Survey shows that 22.7 percent of youth in Lake County use tobacco products.

Another goal was to examine the accessibility and marketing of healthy and unhealthy products to youth.

“This survey found that our community’s youth are inundated with unhealthy messages and choices.  We need to change what information and options our kids are exposed to and work to surround them with healthy choices and messaging instead,” said Tait.

The survey found the following for Lake County:

– Only 19.1 percent of stores advertised healthy products on their storefronts, but 72.3 percent of storefronts advertised unhealthy products, and 66.7 percent of stores near schools have storefront advertising for unhealthy products;

– More than 29 percent of stores place tobacco products or ads in kid-friendly locations, such as tobacco ads at “kid-level” (three feet or below) or tobacco products near candy or toys;

– More than 23.9 percent of stores placed alcohol ads at “kid-level” or near kid-friendly items such as candy or toys;

– 95.7 percent of stores sell flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, which often have kid-appealing flavors, such as grape, watermelon, chocolate, gummy candies and even breakfast cereals. Similarly, 100 percent of stores near schools also sell flavored tobacco products;

– Alcopops are sold at 89.1 percent of stores in Lake County.

“Lake County Public Health is committed to continuing to work with local health advocates and partners to provide accurate information and help make the healthy choice the easy choice for Californians,” said Tait.

Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community is a statewide campaign formed by tobacco prevention, nutrition, alcohol abuse prevention and STD prevention partners collaborating to improve the health of Californians by informing them about the impact of unhealthy product availability and marketing in the retail environment.

For state and county-specific data and more information on Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community, visit www.healthystoreshealthycommunity.com .

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday requested a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster state and local recovery efforts following late January storms that caused major flooding, mudslides, power outages and damage to critical infrastructure across California.

On Tuesday Gov. Brown also issued two emergency proclamations due to storms in late January and February for the counties of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba, Contra Costa, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco and Solano.

The proclamations direct Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief Program, and direct the Office of Emergency Services to provide assistance to specified counties as a result of the late January storms.

Damage assessments for the February storms and for the damaged spillway at Oroville Dam are ongoing, the Governor’s Office reported.

Brown’s Tuesday request follows two other separate presidential major disaster declaration requests – granted last month – to support the response and recovery efforts for the situation at Oroville Dam and the impacts of the early January storm system.

In addition to Tuesday’s action, Gov. Brown has issued emergency declarations connected to storms in December and early January and Oroville Dam.

Last month, Gov. Brown announced a four-point plan to bolster dam safety and flood protection statewide.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department has issued an advisory that mandatory evacuation order for the Lucky 4 Trailer Resort (1060 North Main Street) and Aqua Village Mobile Home Park (1350 South Main Street) have been lifted.  Evacuation orders for the Esplanade Neighborhood and Will-O-Point Resort & Mobile Home Park remains in effect.

To ensure returning to a healthy indoor environment precautionary measures are suggested.

Consider your personal safety and be cautious by taking the following steps:

Wear protective clothing. Rubber gloves and boots will help protect you from bacteria and possible infections.

Avoid putting your hands near your face or mouth when working.

Be sure the main power source to your home or business is turned off.

Check for shifts in the house or building and cracks in the foundation.

Open doors and windows to help dry out the rooms.

Remove any standing water. Water soaked grounds can cause a collapse of basement walls.

Hose down walls as quickly as possible and follow up with a second hosing using one cup of household bleach to five gallons of water. Disinfect surfaces, like shelves.

Appliances that contain insulation cannot be easily cleaned. Have them checked by a service person before attempting to use.

Remove all soaked materials and furnishings. Fully upholstered furnishings and mattresses cannot be cleaned and should be destroyed to avoid health problems.

Carpets and rugs may be cleaned. Permanently attached carpeting should be removed before attempting to clean. Clean items out of doors or have them done professionally.

Items like sheets, bedspreads, curtains and draperies should be washed with very hot water and detergents, or professionally dry-cleaned.

Any flooded food items should be discarded unless they are in undamaged cans or commercially sealed glass jars. Sanitize the container before opening it.

Sanitize pots, pans, utensils, dishes, glassware and other items you intend to keep.

If you have individual well water system please be reminded to get it tested for contamination. 

For more information, residents may call the Environmental Health Division at 707-263-1164

Lucky-4 y Aqua pueblo evacuación obligatoria orden lifted

La orden de evacuación obligatoria para el afortunado de 4 Trailer Resort (1060 North Main Street) y Aqua Villa Mobile Home Park (1350 South Main Street) se han levantado. Las órdenes de evacuación para la explanada Barrio y Will-O-Point Resort & Mobile Home Park sigue en vigor.

Al limpiar después de una inundación por favor tome las precauciones necesarias para asegurar que usted y su familia están regresando a un ambiente interior saludable.

Tenga en cuenta su seguridad personal y tener cuidado al tomar las siguientes medidas:

Use ropa protectora. guantes y botas de goma le ayudará a protegerse de las bacterias y posibles infecciones.

Evitar poner las manos cerca de la cara o en la boca cuando se trabaja.

Asegúrese de que la fuente de energía principal para su hogar o negocio está apagado.

Compruebe si hay cambios en la casa o edificio y grietas en los cimientos.

puertas y ventanas abiertas para ayudar a secar las habitaciones.

Eliminar el agua estancada. motivos empapadas de agua pueden causar un colapso de las paredes del sótano.

Manguera hacia abajo las paredes lo más rápido posible y hacer un seguimiento con una segunda manguera usando una taza de cloro de uso doméstico a cinco galones de agua. Desinfectar las superficies, como los estantes.

Electrodomésticos que contienen aislamiento no se pueden limpiar fácilmente. Que sean revisados por una persona de servicio antes de utilizar.

Retire todos los materiales y muebles empapados. Totalmente muebles tapizados y colchones no se pueden limpiar y deben ser destruidos para evitar problemas de salud.

Las alfombras y tapetes se pueden limpiar. Permanentemente alfombras adjunta debe ser removido antes de limpiarla. artículos de limpieza fuera de las puertas o los han hecho profesionalmente.

Los artículos como sábanas, colchas, cortinas y cortinas deben lavarse con agua y detergentes muy caliente, o profesionalmente limpiar en seco.

Cualquier alimento inundadas deben desecharse menos que estén en buen estado latas o frascos de vidrio sellados comercialmente. Desinfectar el envase antes de abrirlo.

Desinfecte ollas, sartenes, utensilios de cocina, vajilla, cristalería y otros artículos que desea conservar.

Si tiene sistema de agua de pozo individual por favor avisen a conseguir a pruebas para detectar contaminación.

Para obtener más información, los residentes pueden llamar a la División de Salud Ambiental al 707-263-1164