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- Written by: Lake County News reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The man killed in a Tuesday afternoon crash on Highway 53 in Clearlake has been identified, and a Wednesday report explained the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.
Ricardo Perez, 46, of Nice died after he was struck by a tow truck driven by 45-year-old Joseph L. Brown of Yuba City at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP conducted the fatal crash investigation at the request of the Clearlake Police Department.
According to the report, Rosa M. Reyes, 23, of Clearlake was stopped in her Lexus sedan northbound on Highway 53 waiting to turn left on Polk Avenue.
Perez was standing at the rear of his parked 1997 Ford Ranger pickup on the shoulder of northbound Highway 53 facing north and south of Polk Avenue, the report said. Police had said Perez was doing landscaping work.
At the same time, Brown was driving his International flatbed tow truck northbound on Highway 53 at approximately 45 to 55 miles per hour.
The CHP said Brown saw Reyes' sedan stopped in the northbound lane with its left turn signal activated. He began to decelerate and apply the tow truck's brakes, but realized he would be unable to stop before hitting the Lexus.
Brown turned his vehicle to the right and continued braking, with the left of his vehicle hitting the right rear of the Lexus, causing minor damage, the CHP said.
After hitting Reyes' Lexus, Brown continued past that vehicle and went into the dirt shoulder toward Perez and the Ford pickup, according to the CHP.
The CHP report said the front of the tow truck hit Perez and then the rear of the tow truck hit the parked Ford pickup.
Perez was picked up by a REACH air ambulance to be flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, but Clearlake Police said he died en route.
Reyes sustained minor injuries and was taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for treatment, the CHP said. Brown was uninjured. Both Reyes and Brown were wearing seat belts.
Alcohol was not a factor in the Tuesday collision, according to the CHP.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle that was being towed along Highway 20 on Tuesday afternoon was the cause of three small spot fires.
The fires, located between Blue Lakes and the Lake and Mendocino County line, were first reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said a wheel fell off the car that was being towed, which sparked the fires. He said the man towing the car couldn't see the missing tire.
Cal Fire and Northshore Fire sent engines to the incident, with firefighters quickly knocking down the fires before they got far, according to radio traffic.
One of the fires was near The Lodge at Blue Lakes. Beristianos said several local people extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Cal Fire is reporting that the number of fires it's responded to so far this year across California is nearly twice the number it responded to in the same timeframe in 2011.
In the agency's latest situation report, which can be viewed above, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said winter's overall rainfall was well below average, despite a rainy March.
The dry winter is considered a factor in the increase in wildfires. Berlant said that from Jan. 1 through May 29, Cal Fire had responded to 1,375 fires, compared to approximately 700 fires for the same period in 2011.
This year's number of wildfires also is well above the five-year average, Berlant said.
Warmer temperatures are expected throughout the coming week, bringing with them increased fire danger.
Drier conditions also are expected to continue in June, and Berlant said Cal Fire already has begun transitioning its operations for fire season, which usually begins July 1.
Homeowners are urged to protect themselves and their homes by having 100 feet of defensible space around their residences.
For more information on how to be fire safe visit www.readyforwildfire.org .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Tuesday announced that a bill she is sponsoring to ensure that those convicted of human trafficking crimes involving minors will not be able to keep the financial benefits reaped from those crimes unanimously passed out of the state Senate.
"The trafficking of human beings is an unseen problem in California and throughout the country," said Harris. "I am proud to sponsor legislation that will undercut the trafficking of human beings throughout our state."
Senate Bill 1133, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), ensures that those convicted of human trafficking crimes involving minors will not be able to keep the financial benefits reaped from those crimes.
This bill expands on the current list of assets that the perpetrator must forfeit and provides a formula to redirect those resources to community groups that aid victims of human trafficking. It passed the Senate floor 36 to 0.
"Sex trafficking of minors is a horrendous crime that is driven by the prospect of lucrative profits," said Leno. "This legislation aims to deprive convicted criminals of the financial resources and assets that would allow them to continue luring young people into the sex trade. In turn, proceeds from those forfeitures would rightfully be used to help victims begin to repair their lives."
Human trafficking in California first became a felony in 2005 with the California Human Trafficking Victims Protection Act that Harris co-sponsored when she served as the district attorney of San Francisco.
Harris also has served on the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force and the Department of Justice is currently updating the report "Human Trafficking in California," which was released by the task force in 2007. The updated report is expected to be issued this summer.
The Attorney General is sponsoring a second human trafficking bill this session. Assembly Bill 2466 (Preservation of Assets for Victims of Human Trafficking), by Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley) will require that more victims of human trafficking receive restitution.
Under California law, victims are entitled to mandatory restitution; however there are no laws to help prevent human trafficking defendants from liquidating and hiding their assets before conviction.
Assembly Bill 2466 would allow a court to order the preservation of the assets and property by persons charged with human trafficking.
The bill passed the Assembly unanimously earlier this month and is pending in the Senate.
Human trafficking is estimated to be a $32 billion industry, the world's third most profitable criminal enterprise behind drugs and arms trafficking.
Human trafficking involves the recruitment, smuggling, transporting, harboring, buying, or selling of a person for purposes of exploitation, prostitution, domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, migrant work, agricultural labor, peonage, bondage, or involuntary servitude.
While human trafficking often involves the smuggling of human beings across international borders, numerous Americans are trafficked around the United States ever year.
Human trafficking strips people, especially women and children, of their freedom and violates our nation's promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights.
For more information, go to the Attorney General's human trafficking Web site at www.oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking .