News 3/31/17 PM News

California lawmakers still working on healthcare for state residents. Two state legislators have released details on their bill for universal health coverage. Senate Bill 562 would be similar to a single-payer system like Medicare, one plan for all. Sens. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens and Toni G. Atkins of San Diego are the sponsors of the legislation to cover everyone including undocumented residents. They’re calling it the Healthy California Act and it’s sponsored by the California Nurses Association and a group of Californians and health care providers. Those supporting it say it would be more efficient and less expensive, those against say it could break the state budget. Even the Governor said he was skeptical on the plan. For more details on the plan, visit OnePlanMy-Choice.com.

Money’s being collected to help flood victims in Lake County. North Coast Opportunities with Mendo Lake Credit Union are collecting money, much the same way they have in fire disasters. The Lake County Flood Relief fund will disburse money to residents severely impacted by recent rain and flooding. You can visit either of their website’s and find a funding application, if you were personally affected. Those who want to donate can go into a Credit Union Branch or send a check to the bank made out to NCO with “Lake County Flood” in the notes field. You can find branches in Lakeport, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and Ukiah.

A brawl with a bunch of gang members ends up in the arrest of two juveniles. The Fort Bragg Police Department gets a call last Sunday to the report of about 10-15 male juveniles in a fight in a parking lot where they detain some and interview many. Cops say two of the young men were mostly to blame. They say after multiple witness statements, and statements from those involved, they determined the altercation between rival gangs, the Norteño and Sureños. They say they had info that one showed a knife, but nobody was hit with it and no serious injuries were reported. The two kids arrested were sent to the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall.

News 3/31/17

Construction for the first part of improving Bainbridge Park is starting with a fast track date announced. The first set of improvements for the park in Fort Bragg to be done by Halloween. The work includes putting up a perimeter fence, signage, new landscaping, improving the Wiggly Giggly playground, expanding the basketball courts and adding petanque courts, that’s a French ball game, if you were wondering. City staff say there will be trees that have to be taken out too, because they’re dying or old. The money for the upgrades comes from Community Development Block Grants and money from the sale of city property.

The Lake County DA’s Perjury Dept. has another arrest on the board. The DA’s office says it’s a woman who lied about an assault. Police arrested 23 year old Danee Patterson on two felony counts of perjury, one of filing a false affidavit and a misdemeanor count of making a false police report. The DA says they got wind of the case by the Clearlake Police Dept. He says Patterson reported her employer assaulted her. But police say she was involved in a romantic relationship with this person and there was no assault. She later admitted she lied so she’d get the upper hand in a pending custody fight over a child the two had together.

Firewood permits are going to be available Monday. The Mendocino National Forest is selling the permits for $5 a cord, and the minimum purchase of four cords at $20. The permits that are being distributed are good thru the end of the year, with trees needing to be dead or down to be taken as firewood. Anyone can get a permit in person or by mail from one of the local forest offices. You’ll also be required to get a third party authorization form so someone can cut the wood down for you once you have your permit. You may not cut the wood yourself. For more information, visit the Mendocino Forest website, their Facebook Page or Twitter Account which are both @MendocinoNF.

Some of the areas that had been closed around Clear Lake due to extreme flooding are slowly reopening. Flood waters have receded so almost all of the boat ramps have been opened. The County Water Resources Dept. reports damage still exists at a few locations around the lake, but the lake level is back to normal. That means recreationalists and anglers are free to hit the lake again and other water users too. The County warns anglers though that there’s mercury in the water so normal fish consumption advisories are in place. They also warn women 18-45 and children under 17 years old shouldn’t eat more than a serving a week and no bass should eaten at all. And women 46 or older and men 18 and older should be limited to 3 servings a week, and only one serving of black bass per week.

With the dry weather, comes racing… so the Ukiah Speedway is opening at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds for the season. The Speedway’s promoter along with a work crew at the fairgrounds preparing for opening day of Saturday, April 15th. They’re painting lanes and are about to reconfigure exit ramps at the racetrack for improved safety. The Super 6 late models are including in this season’s races, but the high performance racecars that had been set to start will have to wait for totally dry weather.

Water rights a topic of discussion for the Ukiah City Council. The Director of Water and Sewer in the city spoke to the council Wednesday saying they should focus on water as an investment that can be diversified. He says though they have a lot of water to draw from, the city should also keep its right to take water out of the Russian River, at the same time building a system to allow extensive use of recycled water. He suggested the city permanently give up the right to purchase 800 acre-feet of Lake Mendocino water from the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District which he says doesn’t make that big of a dent.

A 10 year old girl from Ukiah is recovering after being hit by a car. Police say she was hit by a Toyota SUV around 7:35 a.m. Tuesday as she crossed North State Street at Low Gap Road. The SUV hit the girl as she stepped into the crosswalk in front of it, which she said she never saw. Police say they don’t know if she was on her way to school and say the driver hit their brakes but couldn’t stop in time. The girl had abrasions and was taken to the hospital.

The City of Lakeport is reaching out to the residents of a mobile home park cleared out during severe flooding. Willow Point Mobile Home Park Resort is still closed after mass flooding in February. So the Lakeport’s City Council is helping the displaced residents with some code tweaks and care packages. The code changes include extending the 30 day maximum stay at local hotels and waiving deposit fees for sewer and water services. They’ve also put $33,000 up with money from the state of about $50,000 so they can help displaced residents with deposits and rental assistance. 175 residents were living at Willow Point before the mandatory evacuation.

Some more acreage for the John Muir National Historic Site is being considered by Congress. The site in Martinez is 330 acres, which includes the Muir house. Democratic Congressman Mark DeSaulnier of Concord and Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris have jointly introduced the bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein as a co-sponsor. They say it will give nature explorers more access in the East Bay. The John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act would be the acquisition of the additional land that’s already been donated but needs Congressional approval.

Regular hours have been announced by the Lake County Sheriff in Lakeport. The office was short staffed, but the Sheriff Brian Martin says they will be there all day Monday as opposed to previous Mondays which were just half days. The Sheriff says the staff shortage in their Records Division was until they found new staffers and trained them up. That had been causing extra work for others in the department so they couldn’t work with the public during that work. He says Mondays were busy due to the workload over the weekend.

You may be in luck with that old traffic ticket. The Calif Courts website notes a traffic ticket amnesty program which started about 18 months ago. That’s for folks to reduce their qualifying traffic and nontraffic citations by 50 or 80 percent. Especially those who lost their driver’s licenses, they may be reinstated. Hurry though as the program’s set to end on Monday. There would normally be an extra penalty to the original fine, but this program waives some fees. The program has been used by hundreds of thousands of people. More than 200,000 delinquent accounts were set straight bringing in more than $35 million in revenue with nearly 200,000 licenses reinstated since Oct. of 2015.

News 3/30/17 Afternoon

Ukiah City Council member Maureen Mulheren is inviting you to talk about pedestrian safety at her monthly walking event Saturday morning, especially in the wake of a 10-year-old Ukiah girl being hit by a car Tuesday. Ukiah Police say the girl was hit around 7:30am while crossing North State Street at Low Gap Road. Police say the girl was in a crosswalk but the driver didn’t see her until she stepped in front of her SUV and could not avoid hitting her. The girl suffered abrasions and complained of pain and was taken to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment. The incident remains under investigation. Mulheren hosts a walk on the first Saturday of each month at the Rail Trail where the group walks the paved path. She tells the Daily Journal anyone who wants to join is welcome to meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Clara and Mason.

A couple armed-and-ready to resist eviction at a home in Albion has been arrested after a brief standoff with Mendocino County deputies. Kenneth Morris and Wendy Kennedy were served an eviction notice months ago with Morris allegedly telling the Sheriff’s Office he would never submit to a court-ordered eviction and would use force if deputies trespassed on his property to evict him. On Wednesday deputies went to enforce the eviction but both Morris and Kennedy barricaded themselves in the home and made statements that they would “bear arms”. After 30 minutes of unsuccessful negotiations, deputies forced their way in to find Morris had armed himself with a 3-foot long sword. They tased him and arrested them both. Deputies say inside were several loaded firearms staged for immediate use.

The Lake County District Attorney’s Perjury Investigation Unit has made an arrest. Danee Kristine Patterson is charged with felony perjury, filing a false affidavit to the court and making a false police report for telling Clearlake Police in May 2016 she’d been assaulted by her employer, when she hadn’t, and not admitting that she’d been in a romantic relationship with him. The DA’s Office says she admitted to making up the story to get an advantage in a custody battle over their child by getting a restraining against the man. But even though she’d already told police she’d made it up, she repeated the assault claim in a civil proceeding earlier this month, and an investigator with the Perjury Unit was in court monitoring the testimony.

News 3/30/17

Ukiah residents about to pay more in taxes. Starting this Saturday, the tax increase approved by voters as Measure Y starts. The tax will bring in money for road repair and maintenance. The tax for city residents hits 8.375 percent, but the money’s first going into an escrow account because of a lawsuit filed in January saying the measure needed a super-majority not just a simple majority. The money will stay in the account until the courts decide whether Measure Y was really a special tax needing at least 66 percent, not 51. The Howard Jarvis Tax Association filed the suit.

A woman in Calpella off to jail in connection to a domestic violence situation. Deputies get a call to a home where a man says his partner, Deanna Lynn Madrid attacked him on Highway 20 in Willits. The man says while they argued, Madrid punched him in the face while he drove. He says after they got home, he went to another house and called cops, they went to their home and arrested Madrid. She was held on suspicion of domestic violence battery.

A man charged with an assault at a bar in Willits last summer in court for a hearing. Charles Reynolds accused of the assault on Kenneth Fisher who died after an attack at Boomers last August. Reynold’s was originally charged with murder but then the D-A found insufficient evidence for the charge. Reynolds in court for a Motion in Limine (Lim-in-nay) Hearing, kind of like a preliminary hearing to see if there’s evidence to proceed and what can be used at trial. The judge asking both sides if they were prepared for a jury trial, which was supposed to start Monday, for which they both said yes. Reynolds has been charged with Assault With Means Likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury and a Special Allegation.

A man from Mendocino County wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office posted Derrick Heater’s picture and description of what he looks like on their Facebook page with the charge against him. He’s wanted on a No Bail Warrant. They ask if you know or recognize Heater, or have any info on where he may be, to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Legislators along with Governor Brown’s office reaching a deal for road repairs across the state, dealing with potholes using gas taxes and car registration fees. The agreement to raise $5 billion a year by a 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase and new vehicle registration fees. The agreement to repair roads after cost estimates hit $59 billion for state highways and $78 billion for local roads. The Record Bee reports the agreement, which has not been made public yet, would include accountability measures and an oversight office to make sure the money only goes to roads. The agreement to be formally voted on next week.

Lower monthly bills for some PG& E customers after a settlement’s agreed to in the San Bruno pipeline explosion. The $86.5 million settlement was agreed to Tuesday in relation to corruption allegations. State regulators need to give their approval, then the settlement would include multiple financial remedies and penalties. The settlement after improper communications and back-channel deals came to light that were apparently linked to the San Bruno disaster that killed 8 and injured dozens more. Now a typical monthly gas bill would go down about 22 cents a month during 2018 and 2019.

State Sen. Bill Monning out of Carmel says hospitals need competition, not consolidation so there’s “fairness, access and affordable healthcare”. Monning’s SB 538 to stop certain anticompetitive practices, like gag clauses in health plans, so that employer groups can start to share pricing data so their employees have more affordable coverage. He says a couple of economists out of USC showed costs grew at a faster rate at the two biggest hospital chains in Calif. as opposed to all other state hospitals.

The rain and massive amount of snow puts the Calif. snowpack way above average. The Tuesday measurements of the Sierra Nevada snowpack pegs it at 164 percent of its historic average. That means there’s a huge amount of new water to the state, the most since 2011, when it was 171 percent of normal on April 1st. During the peak of the drought a couple years ago, the snowpack was only at 5 percent of its historic average.

Lake County near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the healthiest counties in California. The yearly County Health Rankings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released this week have Lake with 4 other counties with the poorest health, ranking it at 56th. San Mateo County was healthiest and Modoc County the least healthy. The bottom five were Lake, Trinity, Siskiyou and Kern. The most healthy besides San Mateo, were Marin, Santa Clara, Placer and Sonoma. Mendocino County was 43rd overall.

A fundraiser for Lake County Safe House sells out and brings bucks for the teen shelter. Last Saturday, Lake Community Pride Foundation hosted the first ever Spring Equinox Dinner/Dance. The event at the Highlands Community Center in Clearlake had about 100 in attendance to bring money to the shelter the foundation manages. There was a dinner, music, silent auction and prize drawings. The organizers say it costs about $24,000 a year to run the home, which is a nonprofit.

More animal related insurance claims, including bedbugs in hotel rooms and aggressive peacocks… That according to a new study released today by insurance company Allianz SE. The claims for bedbugs alone were up 50 percent between 2014 and 2015. The company releasing their data on more than 100,000 corporate liability claims between 2011 and 2016 for their company and others. Claims were more than $9 billion dollars. Animal claims were up 28 percent. Bedbugs were 21 percent of liability claims and others, weirder, like one hotel guest saying they had a flying squirrel in their room or hearing aids and slippers chowed by rodents. And two claims of folks attacked by aggressive peacocks.

News 3/29/17 Afternoon

The sales tax goes up this Saturday in Ukiah. The half-cent sales tax increase, which takes effect April 1, was approved by voters last November as Measure Y for the city to raise money for road repair and maintenance. The new sales tax rate will be 8.375 percent. But the city can’t spend the money yet. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports a lawsuit brought by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is still pending that challenges whether the measure should have needed a super-majority to pass rather than a simple majority. They claim the way it was presented on the ballot made it a special tax rather than a general tax. The city says the revenue collected starting Saturday will be placed into an escrow account until the lawsuit runs its course.

A Ukiah woman is facing a Felony Domestic Violence Battery charge. On Sunday night Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a home on North State Street where the victim said he’d just been driving with the suspect, Deanna Lynn Madrid, as a passenger on Highway 20 from Fort Bragg to Willits when they got into a fight and she allegedly punched him in the face while he was behind the wheel. When they got home he went somewhere else and called police. She was being held in the jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Madelene Lyon of Kelseyville has been named this year’s Woman of the Year in Lake County. Congressman Mike Thompson presented the honor at the third annual Woman of the Year Awards last Saturday. Thompson created the award for Women’s History Month and each year, chooses one woman from each county in his District. Lake County News reports Thompson’s staff called for nominations last month from the community and Lyon was selected for her long resume of community work including with the Kelseyville Food Pantry, Redbud Audubon Society, Hospice Services of Lake County, March of Dimes Lake County, the Lake County Board of Education and the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association. She also grows wine grapes on a 50-acre farm.

News 3/29/17

A demand for a ride home brings a new taxi service to Willits. A flyer posted on Facebook shows Redwood Taxi Service, which has also used the name Hey Taxi in Ukiah, is now in Willits. The flyer says they’re operating 24/7 for about $8 for an average fare to downtown, Brooktrails and East Valley. They will also travel outside city limits.

A couple of North Coast lawmakers are appointed to head the Senate Select Committee for the Wine Industry. Senator Mike McGuire of Healdsburg and Senator Bill Dodd of Napa will co-chair the committee that includes lawmakers of both parties to will oversee issues of concern to California’s wine industry. Apparently 90 percent of all wine produced in the United States comes from California which has a yearly economic impact of over $57 billion for Calif. plus it creates 325,000 jobs.

Cleanup after the Valley Fire is still happening at Hoberg’s. The resort was burned to the ground during the Sept. 2015 fire. The Record Bee reports the Hoberg’s Historical Association agreed to a Gate Fee Charge Account with the county for the debris and waste that needed to be taken from the property in Cobb. The agreement with the Eastlake Sanitary landfill (ESL) for about 5,000 tons of waste left after the fire. About a fifth of that has been taken out. Apparently there’s still quite a bit of wood waste and tree debris along with building debris removal still happening. There had been asbestos in some of the burned buildings too.

A school bus from the Ukiah Unified School District has been in a crash. The bus accident Monday afternoon as the school bus was at a complete stop Tomki Road at Fisher Lake Road. Police say the driver Franklin Elder was stopped when James Gowan of Redwood Valley, pulled behind. Police say the bus started to back up and Gowan went around the bus and the two vehicles crashed. They then stopped, blocking one lane. The CHP says neither the two drivers or the students were injured.

Fast chargers coming to the North Coast into the Oregon border for electric vehicles. Grants from the California Energy Commission are paying for the new charging sites off Highway 101. A partnership between ChargePoint and the Mendocino Council of Governments and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority makes the chargers a reality. ChargePoint will put in chargers at six locations in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, three in Mendocino County and two in northern Sonoma County. The longest distance between chargers would be 57 miles.

Lake County staff working on the new public defender partnership. The Board of Supervisors changed the company staff had recommended though. Instead of working with Ahart out of Shasta County, as we reported, staff will start negotiating instead with Lake Indigent Defense. Ahart had the lowest bid at $1.3 million, $20,000 less than Lake Indigent. Lake Indigent is also offering twice as many attorneys to work for the County. There was another bid of more than $1.4 million which was turned down. The last day of the contract for the last public defender service provider is May 6th.

Senators Mike McGuire and Scott Wiener’s Presidential Tax Transparency & Accountability Act has been approved…

The bill means a Presidential candidate must share basic tax information with the public. It also requires they put up the last five years of their returns so they can even be put on the California ballot. McGuire says transparency is a nonpartisan issue.

A man in Forestville accused of the murder of his younger brother has been formally charged. Shaun Gallon in court yesterday, arraigned on murder and weapons charges for the murder of bother Shamus. Their mother, apparently there at the time of the shooting, but in another room of her home, called it in. Police say the elder Gallon had done time for shooting an arrow at two men and a list of other crimes too. He was arrested after the automatic rifle shooting death of his brother last weekend. He’s charged with the murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Fort Bragg Grange or Guild is closed. Apparently members of the guild showed up Monday night to find the locks on the building changed and the doors bolted closed from inside. Some broke in saying the property was theirs, but the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office sent deputies out. No arrests happened and the ownership may have to be hashed out in court. The larger organization across the country, The National Grange lobbies for agricultural interests and rural families. The guild was a spin off or breakaway of the National group.

The Oakland Raiders are moving to Vegas and the owner of the team says he’s got another business venture up his sleeve. Dennis Hof says he’s planning a Raiders themed brothel. As you may know, brothels are legal in many parts of Nevada. Hof apparently already owns six there. The new venture to be called Pirate’s Booty, with a grand opening set in 2020. That’s about the same time the Raiders move to Vegas and into their new stadium.

News 3/28/17 Afternoon

A busy first day on the job for Ukiah Valley Fire Authority’s New Chief. Jeff Adair and his crew were called to a fire at a house on North State Street around 10pm Monday night. Adair says the building was fully involved and spreading when they arrived. The fire was contained with help from Redwood Valley Fire and CalFire but not before damaging a nearby barn and a neighboring house. Chief Adair tells the Daily Journal they determined it was an accidental electrical fire but they are continuing to investigate. The house was used to grow marijuana. It’s not yet clear whether anyone lives on the property but no one was there when the fire started.

The clock is ticking on the California DMV’s traffic ticket amnesty program. Signed into law in 2015 by Governor Jerry Brown, the program allows those with unpaid traffic or non-traffic infractions, to have fines potentially reduced by up to 80 percent. Legislators came up with the amnesty plan to try to recoup as must past debt as possible. It does not cover parking tickets, reckless driving, or DUI. And some courts will actually collect an amnesty program fee. To see if you are eligible check the state DMV Website. The amnesty program expires Monday April 3.

News 3/28/17

Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op is giving out thousands in grants to local nonprofits. The Daily Journal reports, as part of the mission of supporting local farmers and increasing access to healthy food the Co-op is giving out more than $24,300 out of profit so the nonprofits can help improve nutrition in some way for county residents with education, agricultural investment or to help the needy. Every year the Co-op donates to nonprofits. This year those benefitting include a couple of homeless shelters, the Ukiah Unified School District, the Kiwanis Club and the Anderson Valley Senior Center among others.

Final approval is set for the Mendocino County Medical Cannabis Cultivation Regulation. The county’s Department of Agriculture is trying to hire people to help with the new program. They still have two openings for biologists for the cultivation permitting program after six months of trying to find people. Apparently finding housing is the holdup there. Once the ordinance gets final approval it should take effect in May. The Dept. says it’s struggling to fill key positions due to a low level of interest and the housing problem in Ukiah.

More info released on the murder of a man in Forestville. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Dept. arrested Shaun Gallon, the victim, Shamus Gallon’s older brother, after a call by their mom that one was armed and the other shot. The Sheriff’s Dept. says Shaun shot at Shamus during a confrontation, but there had been no obvious conflict leading up to the shooting. They say the mom was home at the time but not in the same room with the men. She called for help as one son lay shot and the other took off, armed with a rifle. The elder brother was arrested in Guerneville, as we reported. Cops say they also found an AR‑15-style rifle with him. He’s in the Sonoma County Jail, with no bail. Deputies say Shaun had a long criminal history dating back to 2003.

An old empty rail car has been burned by fire near the Willits train depot. A security company that monitors the train tracks reported the fire over the weekend. Apparently the owner of the security company was patrolling the tracks, and he saw smoke near the depot. Firefighters were on the scene, but the rail car was gutted. The Press Democrat reports a Skunk Train employee told police she saw a group of boys who looked about high school age near the former Amtrak train Sunday morning, then she heard a loud bang.

Several fire code violations found in a building in Oakland that burned and killed three people. Apparently the building had just been inspected Friday and officials found three infractions, one, no fire extinguishers. There were also no smoke detectors in apartments or a working fire sprinkler system. This according to documents the city of Oakland released. Fire inspectors had ordered the owner to immediately take care of the violations. Then Monday, the fire broke out, three lower income residents died there. The building apparently shelter to about 80 recovering drug addicts and former homeless people. Four other people were injured.

A small dip in unemployment for Lake County. Lake Co News reports there was also strong job growth in some categories last month. The California Employment Development Department’s latest report shows Lake’s unemployment rate for February at 6.6%, a significant jump after 7.3 percent in January and a point lower than a year ago. The news site reports based on old data from the Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate was the lowest for February in more than a quarter century. San Mateo County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state again. And Colusa County was last on the list with a rate of 22.8 percent.

Clearlake is going to start dumping abandoned vehicles. It’s been an issue for some time and the Acting Police Chief says their officers and Code Enforcement officers are tagging then towing vehicles they believe to be abandoned. Their removal costs money which is made possible thru the state from DMV car registration fees. The Abandoned Vehicle Authority is part of the Lake County Board of Supervisors and city council members from the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport. The issue finally gets heat after fees from the state come in after a misinterpretation of the law regarding abandoned vehicle fees.

A community town hall is set with Congressman Mike Thompson in Kelseyville. The town hall this Saturday, April 1st, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Kelseyville High School’s Tom Aiken Student Center on Main St. Anyone with questions for the Congressman or if those who want to hear about the happenings in D-C, are invited. Thompson to cover a variety of issues which may include health care, national security and tax reform. Thompson will also host his annual ravioli dinner later in the day… for those interested in the town hall, call Thompson’s office or visit his website to RSVP.

Low interest federal disaster loans now available after the winter storms but, due to drought. The loans for small nonfarm businesses in 26 California counties. The Small Business Administration loans approved after the approval of a disaster declaration last week. The SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center Director says the loans are meant to offset economic loss due to reduced revenue caused by the drought in counties including Colusa, Contra Costa, Lake, Mendocino, Sacramento, and Yolo. This is for those who’ve suffered agricultural production losses due to the disaster or those directly impacted by the drought. The deadline to apply is Nov. 22nd.

News 3/27/17 Afternoon

Richard Bean has been sworn in as the newest member of the Clearlake Planning Commission. Lake County News reports the retired pastor and former auditor-secretary of the Clearlake Oaks County Water District was sworn in last week and went right to work on his first night with two public hearings on marijuana, both related to amending the existing marijuana cultivation ordinance and existing marijuana dispensary ordinance comply with Proposition 64. As we reported last week both ordinances were reviewed and the planning commission voted 5-0 to recommend that the city council approve them with some minor adjustments.

Detectives say a Forestville man accused of killing his brother Friday shot him multiple times at close range with a .223‑caliber rifle. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office says Shaun Gallon shot Shamus Gallon in the living room of their home on River Road. A spokesman says their mother was home at the time but not in the room and it was she who called for help. The Press Democrat reports Shaun Gallon was arrested in Guerneville not long after the shooting. Deputies found in his van an AR‑15-style rifle they think he assembled from various individually purchased parts. He was being held without bail and under watch in a mental health cell. The Sheriff’sOffice says they have had 13 contacts with Shaun Gallon in the last 13 years including a 2009 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon for shooting a homemade arrow at two men.

The landlord of an Oakland building that burned in a fatal four-alarm fire this morning had reportedly been trying to evict some tenants since December’s deadly Ghost Ship warehouse fire shed like on the issue of derelict properties with too many people living in them. The San Jose Mercury News reports the 4am fire at the three-story building has left at one person dead and three hospitalized. Several non-profits reportedly leased the building with a drug rehab center on the first floor and several apartments for recovering addicts and transitioning homeless with as many as 80 people there. The landlord claims he didn’t know until after the Ghost Shop fire there were so many agencies and people there and had started trying to get them out. Over the last decade, the city has received 20 complaints about pest infestation, electrical issues, mold, caved-in floors and other issues. No word yet on how the fire started.

News 3/27/17

A dozen inmates from a prison camp near Willits fixing and maintaining the grounds at the Ukiah Youth Baseball League’s field. The Parlin Fork Conservation Camp working with the league to get prisoners to take up some work the board’s volunteers didn’t have time for. The inmates also help firefighters on the fire lines and do environmental conservation work. The crew is managed in a partnership between Cal Fire and the Department of Corrections. It means prisoners get contracted out to help government agencies and non-profits like the Little League. So the inmates were at the field, cleaning up after years of regular wear and tear and transients staying on the field leaving behind trash and making a mess of things.

A man from Forestville has been arrested for the shooting death of his brother. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Dept. reports Shaun Gallon was arrested Friday night after his younger brother, Shamus was found after a shooting at a gas station outside Guerneville. The older brother busted soon after the shooting and booked on suspicion of murder. Police say he has a criminal history and has served time for shooting an arrow at others, having weapons and for assault. Apparently the men’s mother reported that the older son had left with a rifle and said the younger one was hit. No word on the motive for the murder, but Shaun Gallon is held without bail.

Parents and community members are invited to the next Lakeport Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting to help in the search for a new leader. The district says you can also take an online survey to assist in the search for a new district superintendent. The meetings, if you can make it, are tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., and Thursday at 6. For more info check with the school district about where you can get that online survey. We’ve linked it to our website and Facebook page too.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LakeportParentSurvey .

A new poll shows most California residents don’t support the Trump Administration’s new travel ban. The survey by the Public Policy Institute of Calif also says residents overwhelmingly disapprove of the proposed border wall and think illegal immigrants living in the state should be allowed to stay. The poll of residents earlier this month asking Californians for views on government under President Trump. The President and CEO of the institute says the responses are mostly liberal leaning, showing Californians have open mindsets about U.S. borders, national security, globalism and immigration.

As part of the city’s beautification project, the Lakeport City Council says yes to planting more trees. The council approved a contract with a landscaping company for nearly 130-thousand dollars worth of work between First and Fourth Streets. The city’s Public Works Director says planting trees is a big part of the beautification project which also includes improving roadways, pedestrian access on sidewalks and making downtown more enticing for local businesses. The Mayor saying they also listened to what citizens said about the project, and trees were a big part of it.

Too much daytime electricity is clogging up California’s power-grid. The Calif. Independent System Operator or Cal ISO says the amount of daytime energy being used by homes, the government, businesses and industrial solar installations is having the opposite effect so power plant operators are having to shut down the grid during the day to catch up with supply later in the day. The state’s power-grid operators say the prices of electricity drop dramatically on the real-time marketplace. So the increased amount of wind and solar are wasted or “curtailed” because nobody is using it.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors taking up proposals for a new public defender’s contract. Lake Co News reports at the meeting tomorrow, the board will consider a request from staff to negotiate the public defender contract proposals they’ve received. The County Administrative Officer says the current contractor, Lake Defense gave notice and will be done with the County as of May 6th. So the County has to come up with a solution and has put a Request for Proposals. So far they’ve received three and have interviewed all of them. The County likes one and wants the board to start negotiations. Ahart has offered the lowest bid at $1.3 million. The company currently represents Shasta County.

New criminal sentencing rules have been announced for Calif. Prisons. Last Friday, corrections officials announced the new rules which should also help cut some of the prison population by as many as 9,500 inmates over four years. The rules include ideas like reducing inmates’ sentences for getting a college degree or by participating in self-help programs like alcohol and substance abuse support groups and counseling, anger management, life skills, victim awareness, restorative justice and parenting classes. But those on death row or serving life-without-parole sentences could also be eligible to earn credits and lower their sentences too.

Hundreds turn out to plant trees as part of the recovery after the Valley Fire in Lake County. Lake Co News reports about 350 volunteers showed up Saturday to the Middletown Trailside Park for the Middletown Tree Planting Project, organized by the Lake Area Rotary Club Fire Relief Fund. The Rotary says the volunteers were not only from Lake County, but as far as the Oregon Border to Marin County and out to the Sacramento Valley.

A woman from northern Idaho says the reason she crashed into a deer was because she got distracted by a Sasquatch in her rearview mirror. The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reports the woman was driving on Highway 95 last Wednesday and plowed into a deer near Potlatch. She told Deputies she saw a Sasquatch chasing a deer on the side of the road and as she checked her mirrors to see Big Foot again, she hit the deer that ran in front of her. Cops jotted it down as a hit to the deer without a mention of the Sasquatch.