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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The group met at the Lake County Courthouse on Jan. 18.
Commissioner Steve Buchholz discussed state budget reductions possibly affecting Lake County's Juvenile Hall finances.
Buchholz, the county's retired chief probation officer who is still working on an interim basis, indicated that any cuts to the county's programs would not be determined until August.
He added that the state has already budgeted a significant amount of funds available statewide to counties in need of upgrades of juvenile facilities. Buchholz said Lake County will continue to pursue funds to improve or replace the crowded north Lakeport facility.
Guest speaker Joan Moore updated the board on the Lake County Youth Center in Clearlake.
The center, open five days a week between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., offers a safe setting for after school activities for students 7 to 17 years of age. The center is a place to do homework, read books or play pool, Moore reported.
During regular hours 25 to 40 students per day utilize the facility located at the site of old Redbud Park Senior Center, Moore said. Persons seeking more information or wanting to offer donations can call Moore at 994-7281.
Valerie LaBonte, a regular guest of the commission, informed the board of the progress being made within the private sector to provide tattoo removal services to young men and women transitioning from gang-related lifestyles. Commission members expressed their willingness to participate and advance the effort by exploring funding assistance.
Also on the agenda and addressed at the meeting was the upcoming Gang Awareness Town Hall meeting, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 6 at the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church.
The general public is invited to attend the March 6 meeting. All those that share concern for or simply want to learn about local gang related problems are encouraged to attend. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission and the California Highway Patrol. Contact Kathleen Sheckells at 262-1611, Extension 111, for more details.
The commission invites the public to attend its next meeting, planned for 12:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at the courthouse, in Conference Room B on the first floor.
E-mail Harold LaBonte at
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Carlos Gaona, 34, of Clearlake and Rodger Branch, 48, of Willits were arrested just before 10 p.m. Feb. 5 after a traffic stop on Highway 1 in Fort Bragg, according to a Monday report from Lt. Rusty Noe of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Branch was driving, with Gaona riding as a passenger, when Mendocino deputies stopped the vehicle, Noe reported.
Noe said Branch allegedly was displaying signs of being under the influence of a controlled substance, and was asked to step out of the vehicle. He ultimately admitted to having used methamphetamine earlier in the day.
During the stop deputies were advised that Gaona had an active $10,000 arrest warrant for his arrest out of Napa County, Noe said.
Gaona was subsequently arrested for the warrant and deputies searched the vehicle, according to Noe's report.
During the vehicle search deputies found approximately 39 grams of methamphetamine and a scale used to weigh the drug, Noe said.
Noe said the 39 grams of meth was a “good-sized” find. The drug is valued at about $100 per gram, which in this case totals $3,900.
Branch and Gaona were arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance for sale, Noe said. Branch additionally was charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Both men were taken to the Mendocino County Jail where they were booked and bail was set at $35,000 each.
Noe said the case is still under investigation.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The fire broke out at about 7 p.m. in a home on Lemon Circle in the Orchard Shores subdivision, said Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins.
The home, said Robbins, is shared by a mother and daughter. One of the women was cooking and left some grease on the stove top while she walked into the living room. While she was out of the room the kitchen caught fire.
Two engines, a utility vehicle and a Northshore Fire battalion chief quickly responded to the scene, assisted by a Cal Fire unit, said Robbins.
Firefighters contained the fire within minutes, said Robbins.
“They made a really good save on it,” Robbins said.
The home's kitchen was extensively damaged, Robbins reported, with smoke damage in the rest of the home.
The home's two residents will be displaced for a few days, but Robbins said that, with some clean up, they should be able to move back into the home soon.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Deputy Redevelopment Director Eric Seely said the county plans to use $20,000 in redevelopment funds to install six gates in areas of the “paper” subdivisions – the hill areas that stretch behind Nice and Lucerne – in order to prevent illegal dumpers from accessing potential dump sites.
The county is partnering with Northshore Fire and Cal Fire to secure the areas, said Seely.
Seely said the funds will pay for concrete, heavy equipment and building materials for the gates, which will be built and installed by Cal Fire.
Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins introduced the idea to Cal Fire, said Seely, which in turn is donating staff time for the project.
The gates, said Seely, will be located on Foothill Drive behind Jim Fetzer's Ceago Vinegarden property; on Minor Road off Bartlett Springs Road; on Bishop Extension, which is located on the top of the ridge on U.S. Forest Service Property; on Utopia Extension near where Cal Water is building a new water tank; on Arden Drive; and on Dunstan Road off of Robinson Road near Morrison Creek.
The Dunstan Road area, where it curves around near Morrison Creek, is “the big trouble spot,” said Seely.
Driving the gate project, said Seely, was a big cleanup of Morrison Creek that Code Enforcement conducted last March.
Supervisor Denise Rushing, speaking at a town hall meeting in Lucerne on Saturday, said that during that cleanup county staff removed cars, refrigerators and about six years' worth of garbage out of Morrison Creek, which is a local water supply source.
However, Rushing reported the area has already been dumped in again.
It's a vexing problem, especially considering that local garbage haulers will pick up the large, bulky items often deposited in area creeks and ravines, and county garbage rates are among the state's lowest, according to Rushing.
Seely said Code Enforcement Manager Voris Brumfield took the idea of installing gates in the subdivisions to County Counsel Anita Grant, who issued a legal opinion supporting the idea.
The Morrison Creek area used for illegal dumping is enough of a concern that the California Integrated Waste Management Board has included it in an inventory of dump sites requiring monitoring, said Ray Ruminksi, director of Lake County Environmental Health.
Morrison Creek was never a legal dump site, said Ruminski.
Environmental Health is the local enforcement agency representing the California Integrated Waste Management Board on matters involving waste management.
The state wants Environmental Health to be involved with inspecting and reporting on the site, Ruminski said, which would be in addition to Code Enforcement's efforts.
Robbins said he has agreed to have Northshore Fire be the gate keeper for the areas once the gates are installed.
“If someone has proof that they own property in there, we will allow them to borrow a key to visit the property,” said Robbins.
In cases where people build homes behind the gates, they will be issued a key of their own, Robbins added.
Robbins said there was an effort several years ago to install gates to reduce access to the subdivisions, in large part because of the bad condition of the roads. Now, however, the primary issue has shifted.
“We're just trying to figure out a way to stop all this garbage dumping,” Robbins said. “We don't know that this is the trick yet but we're certainly going to try.”
Robbins said the gates will be surrounded by bollards, to allow walkers and bikers through to enjoy the public roads.
The fire chief himself has caught illegal dumpers in action in the areas which will now be protected by gates.
Several months ago he watched as employees of a Willits tree service company drove onto a dirt road behind the Fetzer property, where they began dumping tree trimmings and mulch. Robbins said he kept the men there and summoned a deputy, who cited them and ordered them take the greenwaste to a proper facility.
“That's what we have to put up with,” said Robbins, who added that a lot of dumping takes place at night.
Seely said the county hopes the gates will be installed by late spring, in time for the beginning of fire season.
The participating agencies will monitor the dumping situation and the effectiveness of the gates, said Seely. If additional gates are needed, they'll be added in the future.
As access to more secluded areas is limited, Seely said it's hoped illegal dumpers will lose their opportunity. If they do try to dump in other areas, they could risk being more easily seen and prosecuted.
To further enhance the effort against illegal dumping, Rushing said that Code Enforcement has named Beverly Westphal as its illegal dumping contact.
Anyone who has witnessed illegal dumping is urged to call Westphal at 263-2309 during business hours, or leave a message 24 hours a day at 263-2308.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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