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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Wednesday, California Highway Patrol Assistant Commissioner Warren Stanley presented the CHP Ukiah Area Communications Center with the Commissioner’s Unit Citation award.
This award was presented on behalf of California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow.
The commissioner recognized, and commended the Ukiah Communication Center for exceptional and sustained performance from 2009 through the first quarter of 2011, by consistently exceeding the established departmental and National Emergency Number Association 911 call answering standards.
The Ukiah Communications Center, through teamwork and dedication, has excelled in providing emergency services and enhancing the safety of the public.
The center serves areas of the North Coast including Lake County.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With holiday celebrations in full swing, the California Highway Patrol is preparing for increased enforcement throughout the heavy travel period to help ensure safety on the road.
The CHP is reminding travelers to play by the rules behind the wheel: buckle up, adhere to the posted speed limit, avoid distractions behind the wheel and never drive while impaired.
The CHP’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” holiday enforcement effort begins Friday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. and continues through Tuesday, Dec. 25, at 11:59 p.m.
During this Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP), all available officers will be out on the roadways for enhanced enforcement efforts and assisting motorists wherever needed.
“The winter holidays can pose some of the toughest challenges for our officers,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Inclement weather, holiday celebrations, and drivers in a hurry to get to their destination can make for a deadly combination. We want you to enjoy the season and remember that safety is a crucial element.”
The holiday season can be particularly dangerous for drivers. Young adults, males and those driving at night, are among those who have the greatest risk of being involved in a collision with an alcohol-impaired driver or worse yet, losing their lives. Local law enforcement will be out in force, cracking down on impaired driving.
Last year during the Christmas holiday weekend, 14 people were killed in collisions in California; half of the people killed in CHP jurisdiction were not wearing a seat belt.
In addition, the CHP made 980 arrests for driving under the influence during the 78-hour Christmas MEP.
“Now is the time of year when celebrations increase, as well as the chance of encountering an impaired driver,” added Commissioner Farrow. “One way to keep everyone safe, and reduce the odds of spending the holidays in jail, is to designate a non-drinking driver in advance. Your life may depend on it.”
There are three simple ways you can help prevent a tragedy:
- Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver beforehand, or make arrangements for a safe way home. If you drink, do not drive.
- If you are impaired, instead of getting behind the wheel, find another way home. Call a taxi, a sober friend or family member or use public transportation.
- If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person drive. If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. You may save someone’s life.
- Along with the increased enforcement effort, the CHP is asking motorists to help keep the state’s
- roadways safe by calling 911 to report a suspected drunk driver. Callers should be prepared to provide dispatchers a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.
The CHP will conduct a similar MEP effort over the New Year’s holiday weekend from Friday, Dec. 28, at 6:01 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in California’s coastal waters, from the California/Oregon state line to Mexico, is now complete.
Nineteen MPAs became effective Wednesday in the Northern California coastal region between the California/Oregon state line and Alder Creek, near Point Arena in Mendocino County.
“We have completed the nation’s first statewide coastal system of marine protected areas,” said Cat Kuhlman, deputy secretary for oceans and coastal matters at the California Natural Resources Agency. “What this means for the future of California’s oceans and the coming generations that will enjoy them, is thrilling.”
California encompasses approximately 5,285 square miles of coastal state waters. The coastal portion of the statewide network of MPAs now includes 119 MPAs of varying designations, five recreational management areas and 15 special closures, that combined cover approximately 16 percent of all open coast state waters.
Approximately half of California’s new or modified MPAs are multiple use areas, with the remaining in no-take areas. The MPAs were developed to be consistent with California’s landmark Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), the first statutory mandate of its kind in the nation.
The MLPA required that California’s MPAs be redesigned based on the best available science, with identified goals and objectives, and with the advice and input of stakeholders and experts to create a statewide network.
“The Department of Fish and Game is incredibly proud of the work that we did, along with the Fish and Game Commission and the stakeholders in each region to create these designated areas,” said Department Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Nowhere more so than in Northern California where the MPAs balance the needs of the future with the history of ancestral fishing practices among North Coast tribes.”
The North Coast regulations include a provision for federally recognized tribal members to continue harvesting and gathering fish, kelp and shellfish as they have for countless generations.
The provision will allow non-commercial take to continue where there is a record of ancestral take by a specific tribe, consistent with existing regulations, in MPAs other than State Marine Reserves.
“This is a story of what went right. Thanks to an extraordinary collaboration, the final plan ensures the MLPA goal of sustainable marine ecosystems can be achieved while tribal traditional gathering and fishing continue in marine conservation areas,” said Priscilla Hunter, chairwoman of the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council. “We thank the Creator, and are very pleased that North Coast residents stood in solidarity with the tribes.”
The North Coast region covers approximately 1,027 square miles of state waters from the California/Oregon state line south to Alder Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County.
Developed pursuant to the MLPA, the North Coast network that goes into effect today includes 19 MPAs, one State Marine Recreational Management Area, and seven special closures, covering approximately 137 square miles of state waters and 13 percent of the region.
The new MPAs include four of the five pre-existing MPAs on the North Coast. The MPA at Punta Gorda (Punta Gorda State Marine Reserve) was removed from the network.
A complete listing of all North Coast MPAs, including detailed regulations and maps, can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ncmpas_list.asp .
The Department of Fish and Game’s MPA mobile Web site, located at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/m/MPA , was updated Wednesday to reflect the new MPAs going into effect.
The mobile Web site allows the public to locate any current MPA boundaries and regulations by using an interactive map or searching by name, county or general area. A mobile device’s GPS can also be used to find and track a person’s current location relative to any MPA.
In addition to the mobile Web site, boaters can view MPAs on nautical charts or other background maps by visiting MarineBIOS at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/gis/viewer.asp , DFG’s interactive online marine and coastal map viewer.
For more information on the North Coast MPAs or the MLPA, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa .
California North Coast Marine Protected Areas Map- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Two men were arrested on drug charges Wednesday at a Clearlake residence where police found what appeared to be a evidence of methamphetamine manufacturing.
The Clearlake Police Department said in a Wednesday night report that Robert Scott Yingling, 32, of Pope Valley and Dax Christopher Sanchez, 27, of Clearlake, were taken into custody earlier in the day.
At 8 a.m. Clearlake Police officers responded to the 3600 block of Kakul Street for an investigation, making contact with Yingling and Sanchez upon their arrival at the scene, according to police.
Police said the men were arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, and transported to the Lake County Jail.
Items commonly associated with the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine were located inside and around the property, police reported.
The residence was secured in preparation of issuance of a search warrant, which Clearlake Police detectives prepared and was issued by Judge Andrew Blum, according to the report.
Members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Fire, Lake County Air Quality Control, Lake County Environmental Health and Clearlake Police Department conducted the investigation, the report stated.
Items of evidence were secured and prepared to be transported to California Department of Justice to be analyzed, police said. All hazardous chemicals where made safe and removed by a cleanup company. The house was red-tagged.
Sanchez’s bail was set at $2,000, while Yingling’s was $3,000. Both remained in custody on Wednesday evening, according to jail records.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Det. Ryan Peterson of the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251.