News 8/31/2021

All California National Forests are closed due to forest fires. The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has announced a temporary closure starting today until September 17^th. The Forest Service says it was a difficult decision with Labor Day this weekend, but they hope to minimize visitors getting trapped in an emergency. They also say it will decrease the potential for new fire starts, and if a fire did start, it will reduce the potential for a large and fast moving fire to spread. Forecasts show conditions look to be continuing the same or could get worse as we get into late summer and fall. There have already been almost 7,000 wildfires across the state that have burned 1.7 million acres.

Public comment is open on the Mendocino County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services three year plan. The plan has a 30-day public comment period now until September 27^th. You can view the plan online or call and get an appointment at Behavioral Health and Recovery in Ukiah for a peak. They plan to have a public hearing too, that’s September 22^nd. Comments and questions will be added to the final draft of the three year plan and will get responses in the document itself.

https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/health-and-human-services-agency/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-act

To request a copy of the plan or to submit questions and comments, contact Rena Ford, the MHSA Program Coordinator, at FordRe@mendocinocounty.org, or 707-472-2724, or by sending them to 1120 South Dora Street, Ukiah, CA 95482 Attn: Mental Health Services Act.

The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office announced they’re having an Election Observer Panel to watch over the September 14^th Recall. It will include representatives of the Lake County Civil Grand Jury, Political Party County Central Committees, local clubs, media and other groups or individuals who’ve expressed interest to watch Election Day activities. The Election Observer Panel can report back to the public what’s happening and also make suggestions on ways to improve the election process; assist in ensuring the integrity of the election process; encourage participation and build voter confidence in the election process; and remove some of the mystery associated with the election process in an effort to encourage more people to take part in an election.

The Mendocino County Public Health Office has reported 3 more deaths and 100 more COVID cases. A 51 year old Willits woman was confirmed as the county’s 62nd death. She was unvaccinated. The 63^rd death in the county was a 68 year old woman from Covelo, also not vaccinated. And the third was also in an unvaccinated person, the 64^th death was an 85 year old man from Willits. Public health is urging people to get vaccinated, stay vigilant when putting yourself in situations where you might be exposed and to follow all CDC and CDPH guidance’s at this time. Vaccination, masking and social distancing remain the best options for combating the Covid-19 Virus.  

While Sheriff’s Deputies were out over the weekend looking for a man wanted on a warrant, they say him walking a dog. Wesley Silva had an outstanding felony arrest warrant and when he saw Deputies, they say he ran behind a home. They found him fast though and detained him. He was arrested, then booked into jail on $35,000.00 bail.

A dire warning from local doctors and medical workers. In a letter addressed to the public at large, the public health officer did not sign, but endorsed, it asks residents to get vaccinated. The letter published on Medium signed by 66 health care professionals, who are all vaccinated and report the “data and the science are clear: the vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 illness and COVID-related deaths.” Dr. Andy Coren says he supports the idea behind it just a few days after he reported 100 new cases and 3 deaths. The letter says the virus surge we’re currently in is “unrelenting” and “difficult to control” and most patients in a hospital have not been vaccinated and they say hospitals don’t have much more space for non-pandemic patients. Mendocino County has been averaging about 46 new daily cases per 100,000 residents. They say they’ve never before seen a surge of such sick, young patients with the virus and never before has the medical system faced such a challenge, but they say, “we can all do our part in this dire situation by getting vaccinated.”

A couple of forest fires found at Otis Johnson Park have been determined to be arson related. Fort Bragg Fire at the park last Wednesday putting out two fires in different areas of the park. Mendo Fever reports speaking to the fire dept. and getting confirmation an arson investigator found the fires were both “intentionally set”. One was 15×15′ in a group of redwood trees near the parking area and the other was further into the park and 50’x50′. The fire dept. says each were started with a lighter or matchers, but there were no combustible liquids identified. They found some evidence to point to the fires being arson with surveillance cameras at the park, but they didn’t see any one on the video. The fire dept. adds it is an area where there’s an active homeless encampment, but they haven’t connected any transients to the fires.

Trying to get a lower incidence of accidents, the California Highway Patrol’s Northern Division carried out an enforcement in an area where there are a lot of accidents. The division covers Humboldt, Garberville, and Ukiah. The campaign took place last Thursday where officers handed out 77 citations, 71 for unsafe speed, and one for reckless driving. The rest for distracted driving, unsafe lane changes, unsafe turning, and seatbelt violations. Officers also reported 33 written or verbal warnings, impounding or storing five vehicles, and three arrests for DUI, drug possession, and a felony warrant. 

The historical drought is having quite the effect on Lake Mendocino. The reservoir has dropped below 20,000 acre-feet, which the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation District said they had hoped wouldn’t happen until October 1^st.  The Sonoma County Water Agency was looking at the benchmark for October for carryover as we head into the fall-winter rainy season, but it happened last Thursday, over a month before the goal. It comes as the state has already curtailed water rights for hundreds of rights holders in both the upper and lower Russian River regions.

The Governor has sent specialized crews to Louisiana after FEMA asked for help due to Hurricane Ida. Urban search and rescue are on the way to help with lifesaving disaster response. Gov. Newsom says we’re working on wildfires here and supporting the communities in the state who need it, but that we can balance resources to answer the call as we’ve received support in recent years too. The California/FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-4 from Oakland headed to Baton Rouge last week with 35 members and 10 ground support personnel trained in water rescues and technical and canine search, rescue, medical and other specialized capabilities.

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer says hospitals are at their breaking point due to the pandemic. Last Friday during his COVID update for the public, Dr. Coren said the average daily case rate has been in the 40’s and 50’s/100,000 people. We also had 3 people die in four days of each other, and last week we had 5 people die in 5 days. Dr. Coren says there has not been a noticeable decline in the amount of cases week over week. As of Friday there were over 30 people in the hospital, including 11 in the ICU, calling hospitals “nearly overwhelmed”. He says the vaccine efficacy rate here in the county is 99.56%, but there have been 210 breakthrough cases. He says we won’t reach herd immunity at the rate we’re going until next February, and urged folks to go now and get the vaccine.

News 8/30/2021

Stimulus payments that were tacked on to debit cards have reportedly been stolen from Lake County Social Services. The Economic Impact Payments were for people who were under conservatorship with Social Services and worth about $600 each. There were 21 reported missing. Now a former employee of Social Services, with access to the cards is being investigated for their possible theft.  Susan Marlowe was the Deputy Public Guardian/ Deputy Public Administrator for Lake County Adult Protective Services. Other staffers reportedly found suspicious activity in one bank account and Marlowe was connected to it. So the Sheriff’s office started to investigate and found nearly $6,000 missing and when they questioned Marlowe, she admitted using them for her personal use. She was arrested last Tuesday and is due back in court October 8^th.  

A young man accused of killing his wife last year has admitted the crime. 23 year old Tavion Jamel James Johnson, formerly of Willits admitted last week that indeed he killed 49 year old Elenah Louise Elston in March of 2020. He’s now pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and for inflicting traumatic injuries on a domestic partner after having a prior conviction for domestic violence. He disregarded orders to stay away from the woman from a few years ago. He will be sentenced to 15 years behind bars. He’ll be formally sentenced on Sept. 28^th. He will have to serve at least 12 years, 9 months before any consideration of release.

A woman seen hosing her house down at the scene of the Cache Fire several weeks ago is in trouble with the law for supposedly stealing a hose from firefighters during another fire. Rebecca Moresi was arrested in July, then free until her arraignment tomorrow. Firefighters were missing 4,000 feet of hose after a fire June 21^st near where the Cache fire broke out. The fire was only 25 acres but triggered evacuations. Part of the hose was returned but more hose was missing along with brass fixtures. Moresi admitted she went into the fire zone and ripped off the equipment and was arrested on suspicion of theft.

A van has gone down a 300 foot embankment along the 101 near Hopland. One person had minor injuries and another with “moderate-to-major injuries.” Mendo Fever reports hearing on the police scanner that a vehicle not visible from the road, had crashed, but you could see the tail-lights so an air ambulance reported to the area. It landed in Cloverdale, then the patients were brought to the chopper. The crash was near Frog Woman Rock Saturday and the driver had minor injuries.

A special Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting is being held to extend the urgency ordinance for a moratorium on early activation permits on land use projects. The board also gets an update on the COVID-19 pandemic, local schools and there will be a public hearing on the supervisorial redistricting process. The board will hear from the Superintendent of Schools just after the meeting starts tomorrow morning. Then they’ll take on the redistricting process and consider responding to the latest Grand Jury Final Report.

Six people ended up in the hospital after a three car crash on Highway 20. The crash Saturday night east of Clearlake Oaks, near mile post marker 39.5. The CHP reports the vehicles involved were a silver SUV and a white sedan with a third vehicle 30 feet down an embankment. Of the six involved, two had serious injuries. Firefighters and deputies went down the embankment to find more victims, but there were none. Two air ambulances came to the scene, the other victims were transferred by ground ambulance.

Another shot in the arm for those still impacted by lockdowns by the state last year during the first days of the pandemic. There’s a $12 billion state tax rebate program in play after Gov. Gavin Newsom was looking to provide direct relief to those hit the hardest.  Governor Gavin Newsom’s Immediate Action package was enacted this past January to offset the worst economic effects of the pandemic. There’s another $4 billion for the lowest income Californians,  including undocumented workers who file taxes, but they were not eligible for the federal stimulus.

A state Assembly committee has passed a bill regarding police using excessive force. Last week the Appropriations Committee passed the bill on party lines, so it has to go to the full Assembly, then the Senate next month. It’s to expand another police transparency law passed 3 years ago that would make police records public when serious injuries are inflicted on an arrestee. Many groups who support criminal justice reform, free speech, along with media groups, organized labor and grassroots organizations support the bill, along with some cities and counties, including Oakland and Los Angeles County.

The pandemic is creating COVID burnout amongst healthcare workers. A new report says four ER nurses quit one hospital in Eureka this month alone. Nurses are leaving their jobs nationwide as the stress of the pandemic is leading to career changes, early retirement or desk jobs. And healthcare providers are suffering along with hospitals. Besides burnout, the report by Cal Matters also says California’s vaccine mandate for health care workers has left some hospitals severely understaffed. And traveling nurses are passing up jobs in California so they don’t have to get the vaccine.

The lawsuit against the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors by Sheriff Matt Kendall’s on the board agenda. Tomorrow they’ll discuss the Sheriff getting a lawyer on the county’s dime who doesn’t work for the county, which in the county code could mean it would not be a county liability, but something the Sheriff may have to incur. The supes are also looking funding for mental health care services, mental health crisis responses and how the county handles that with various agencies. They will also talk further about the work of the drought task force ad-hoc committee and hauling water from Ukiah to the town of Mendocino. And Fort Bragg is talking about that at their city council meeting tonight. There will be another special meeting on water issues Wednesday too.

Mendocino County has put out the word it needs water hauling services. The formal bidding process could start as soon as tomorrow from Certified Water Haulers for a per gallon and per hour estimate to haul water. They need estimates for as much as 47,500 gallons a day transferred for September, October, and November, assuming 20 working days in the month. The water will be picked up in the City of Ukiah and hauled to Mendocino.

A woman from Covelo’s been arrested after a call to a home that two people were fighting with another person. Deputies say when they got to the home 2 Sundays ago they found Jessica Oliver who other folks said was throwing rocks at them. One car on the scene had a broken rear window reportedly caused by Oliver. So she was arrested for felony vandalism, and committing a crime while out on bail and held in jail on $40,000.00 bail.

A man facing robbery charges earlier this year has admitted the crime. Dean Michael Stevens entered a no contest plea Friday ahead of his jury trial for the Chase Bank ripoff in Ukiah.  Stevens also admitted a Strike sentencing enhancement for another robbery he was convicted of in Sonoma County Superior Court in 2015.  He had to agree to spend 10 years in prison as part of his deal, he cannot get out of prison until nearly 8 years are spent behind bars. He will be formally sentenced next week.

A young man from Redwood Valley has been arrested after police find a bunch of weed in his car. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Dept reports during a traffic stop the Deputy contacted Kody Idica. After the Deputy saw weed on the floorboard he searched Idica and the car, and found a bunch of cocaine in the guy’s pants pocket and evidence he was probably selling drugs. He was arrested and held on $25,000.00 bail.

A man from Ukiah’s been arrested after a call to the Sheriff’s office about a disturbance. They identified Mark Ray as the offender and found he had a Felony Warrant out for his arrest. He was taken into custody and booked on $50,000.00 bail.

Two men from Ukiah have been arrested after a call to a motel two weekends ago for causing trouble. The motel said they wanted Leartis Caradine and Rocky Duman to leave. Deputies found meth and a pipe in a car they believed Duman was driving. The two men had a bunch of personal items at the motel and asked to get that so they were escorted back into the motel where Deputies found a commercial quantity of methamphetamine among the items. They say they believe Caradine was selling meth and he was on active parole, so he was arrested. They also confirmed Duman was driving the car with the meth piped and drug so he was arrested. Each for possession of a controlled substance. Caradine was held without bail since he was on felony parole.

News 8/27/2021

The water in Clear Lake is getting lower and lower. The US Geological Survey says the level has fallen well below daily mean values recorded from 1913 to this year, below levels from 2014, during the last major drought. Some experts predict an all-time low unless conditions change. Several boat ramps around the lake are now closed. That means the Marine Patrol is facing challenges getting its boats in the water. The head of the Marine Patrol, Sgt. Andy Davidson, tells Lake Co News his craft will stay on the lake, no matter what. As the water drops, county officials are counting on boaters to provide information on lake hazards. There have also been more reports of boats tearing up their props on rocks that were well underwater until this year.

The Mendocino Health Department has confirmed a positive Covid-19 case at the Home Depot on Orchard Avenue in Ukiah. Officials are urging anyone who was at the store and exposed between Tuesday, August 17th and Friday, August 20th to get a test if not vaccinated—or get a test if vaccinated and showing symptoms. The department says it is only naming the business because it can not identify everyone who might have been exposed.

The Lake Area Planning Council wants to hear from residents about transportation priorities for the county.. The council is working on its Regional Transportation Plan, which covers topics such as future needs, current deficiencies, and barriers. It is a 20-year plan promoting safe and efficient transportation in line with other regional goals. The LPC plans to adopt it in December. If you would like to weigh in, there is an interactive survey you can fill out. You can find it at lakeapc.mysocialpinpoint.com

Vice President Kamala Harris has called off a planned campaign stop in the state on behalf of Governor Gavin Newsom as the recall campaign enters its final days. The Vice-President’s office says it is due to the situation in Afghanistan. President Biden is NOT likely to visit on the governor’s behalf either. Political experts think a presidential trip could do more harm than good for Newsom, given the volatile situation overseas.

For the fifth day in a row, someone in Mendo County who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus has died. The Public Health Dept says a 43 year old Ukiah man was confirmed as the county’s 61st death. Every day this week we’ve reported the public health department was informed of another death. The agency keeps saying to avoid situations that may expose you to COVID-19, especially now with the highly infectious Delta variant.  

A fire reported off the 101 at the Mendocino/Sonoma county line has been controlled. Mendo Fever reports hearing on the scanner traffic that a fire was burning in the area and had so far blackened three acres with the potential to spread to 10 acres. Soon after the news site reported the fire was named, the Clover Fire and the highway was closed on the southbound side. The fire ended up burning three to five acres in the area of Geysers Rd and the 101 in Hopland. Both fire and police personnel were on the scene. No word how it started or if there were any injuries.

A high speed chase ends up in detaining a teenager and their teen passenger. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports trying to stop the 17 year old driver Tuesday night in a black Dodge ram which sped up to as fast as 100 miles per hour at times. The CHP Garberville Office reports trying to stop the truck for its “oversized tires” which is a safety concern. They took over the chase from deputies, who continued to help. At some point Round Valley Tribal Police also jumped into the chase and the driver was finally detained. The 17-year-old from Round Valley was arrested for felony evading, violation of probation terms, and delaying/obstructing/resisting a police officer. The passenger, 19 year old Bryan Sanchez-Montiel was also arrested for delaying/obstructing/resisting a police officer and violation of probation, but was released at the scene. Both had records including drug possession and burglary.

One person has died after a head-on crash near Kelseyville. The CHP reported it happened yesterday morning on Highway 29, about 3 miles northwest of Kelseyville. The female driver went into the wrong lane and was hit by another vehicle driven by a 66 year old woman from Kelseyville. That driver had broken ribs and a broken foot. The woman who died had her name withheld while her family was being notified.

A German Shepherd named Chloe is being hailed a hero for rescuing a lamb that almost drowned in a creek bed in Lake County. The Press Democrat reports Luke Melo of Hidden Valley Lake took his three dogs to Putah Creek Tuesday and lost sight of Chloe. He found her in the creek bed with the lamb in her mouth. The lamb had stopped breathing. He says the dog was locking her and the lamb, coughed up water and started to breathe. The man took the lamb home and others in the community helped bring supplies over and took custody of the animal. They found out it escaped a nearby property, but since so many humans handled it. It was best not to take it back to its mom.

The Mendocino County Registrar of Voters reports about 10% of ballots sent out for the recall election have been returned. 2,400 ballots returned on Wednesday, plus several in a Drop Box in front of the county administration building. The county mailed over 55,000 ballots out for the Sept. 14^th election. The Registrar says they’re coming back as fast as they did for the November 2020 Presidential Election. She says even if you vote no on the Recall question, you can still vote for a replacement candidate, as they are two separate questions. If you don’t get your ballot by Monday, you should call the elections dept.

The amount of people filing for unemployment is back up again. 67,200 initial claims were filed last week, which ended Saturday, the 21^st. It was up 2,500 claims from the week before. It’s also the most filings for a single week in over two months. Across the country, there were 353,000 initial claims for the same week, up 4,000 from the week before. California is reportedly lagging behind much of the country. The state’s recovered only about 58% of the jobs lost during business shutdowns. But apparently, nationwide, 75% of lost jobs have been recovered.

The Coastal Cleanup Day is coming, and residents and visitors are encouraged to join Mendocino Land Trust and other organizations for the cleanup Saturday, September 18^th. Those joining can pick one of over a dozen sites where organizers will give you the required supplies and directions about what to do. It’s a cleanup across the state which is organized by the California Coastal Commission and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized.

Visit mendocinolandtrust.org for details about each of the Mendocino County sites or visit coastalcleanupday.org to view an interactive map of sites all over California.

A man accused of burglarizing a home in Lakeport had his case continued. Michael Anthony Dore is not in custody at this time, but did appear in court for a settlement or readiness conference. His lawyer, a public defender requested the continuance to review a plea deal offer and the court okay’d it. The case has been continued before due to the pandemic. He was arraigned last year and pleaded not guilty. He was charged with carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, carrying a firearm that is capable of being concealed, permitting other person to carry a firearm in vehicle and assault with firearm on person after a September 2020 incident where deputies say he was blamed for a burglary of several firearms and for a shooting at the Highland Springs Reservoir.

News 8/26/2021

Grand Jury Report findings on homelessness in Mendocino County:

The Mendocino County COC website is outdated and there is no single point of contact, such as an 800 number, for those in need of homeless services. The COC is limited to coordinating funds to locally available services which can result in service gaps for the homeless. The breadth of locally available services does not have or require written policies and procedures to monitor the level of service being provided for the homeless results in service outcomes for the homeless not being measured. Gaps in the Homeless Services System of Care, such as coordinated, collaborative response teams of service providers and law enforcement, are filled by law enforcement agencies that are resource-limited and have unfilled liaison positions for effective Community Policing. The COC has a quantitative rating system to grade service provider applicants. The rating tool does not evaluate prior objectives of an applicant to determine a history of successful outcomes. There is no rating system for similar services funded separately through County Health and Human Services. Law Enforcement agencies are represented on the COC by the UPD. With the absence of Federal guidance on how to coordinate police with program services, there is a collaboration gap between providers and government agencies that requires creative local solutions to establish protocols, and define clear roles for service providers and agencies, to foster working relationships. The majority of members on the COC are employees of other agencies and struggle to address the level of service needed locally without policy guidance from the Board of Supervisors, City elected officials, or other assigned staff.

For the 4^th day in a row, Mendocino County Public Health has reported another death from COVID19 in the county. This time it was a 52 year old man from Willits. He was the county’s 60th death. Same story from the public health department. They say to use caution when you place yourself in a situation that may expose you to the virus, especially due to the highly transmissible delta variant. Mendocino County Public Health asks that you follow all CDC and CDPH guidance’s at this time. Vaccination, masking and social distancing remain the best options for combating the Covid-19 Virus. The individual in question was not vaccinated.

Construction is starting on a new soccer and sports field in the Ukiah Unified School District. The district announced they’ll start working on the new field next month on the north side of the Ukiah High School campus. They report, if all goes as planned, the field could be done by the winter. And since it’s an all-weather field, it should be good for soccer, depending on how much rain there is. The school superintendent says it’s a proud moment for the district, something they’ve been dreaming about for years. The nearly 8-million-dollar all-weather field was made possible through the March 2020 Measure A. The project will include the soccer field, LED lighting upgrades for the High School football stadium and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements near the new soccer field and football stadium.

Incentive to get the vaccine in Lake County. If you want to go to the county fair for free, get the vaccine. The Lake County Board of Supervisors and the Health Services Department are offering free admission to the Lake County Fair if you get your jab starting today. You can go to Lake County Health Services this morning, Lower Lake Town Hall all day tomorrow and Lake County Health Services next Monday and Wednesday. The mobile shots are made possible through the County and OPTUM. There will also be a Vaccination Van set up near the front of the Fairgrounds gate during Labor Day weekend.

A warning to those who have been impacted by the Cache Fire to be careful of debris left behind which could contain toxins. The City of Clearlake and county Environmental Health Dept. want you to get help for the proper disposal of the debris and ash from the fire. They say it could contain asbestos, and older buildings often contain lead.  There may be gasoline, cleaning products, pesticides, and other chemicals that were stored in homes, garages, or sheds that could have burned in the fire, then became concentrated in ash and soil.  The county’s also working with state agencies to collect and dispose of the materials. They also warn not to take any of this debris or ash to the landfill, they won’t accept it.

If you lost your home during the Cache fire or you’re temporarily displaced, you can still vote in the recall election. That’s the word from the Lake County Registrar of Voters. You can go to their office any weekday to vote and the Saturday before the election. You can also email them to get a replacement ballot mailed to you or call them for the same. You can also call or email to change your address or re-register online to get the ballot mailed to you. It has to be postmarked on or before August 30^th though, that’s Monday.

A scathing report’s come out about a former Ukiah female police officer and a former superior who she claimed sexually assaulted her. The woman is now suing the police dept., City of Ukiah and former Sergeant Kevin Murray. She reportedly told her superiors and was told to quiet her emotions as she cried during an exit interview. Court papers say the female officer worked in the dept. since August of 2013, and the sex assault and harassment started two months later during a gathering at a hotel. The woman says Murray forced himself on her after claiming he needed to speak with her as her superior officer and he had looked through a peep hole into the women’s locker room. She also claims she was assigned duties based on her gender and discriminated against and is seeking $25,000 in damages.

Hospitalizations have been up in Sonoma County due to coronavirus, but local health reports say the cases could be plateauing. The Press Democrat reports cases almost doubled over the last month, putting a strain on hospitals due to the vicious delta variant mainly amongst, the unvaccinated. The newspaper reports the amount of people in the hospital has stopped going up for about a week and a half. And the state’s latest predictions show hospitalizations should be about ½ what they were the middle of the month, by this week. But the modeling shows deaths are up, which generally follows a surge in hospitalizations. The county’s health officer says 80% of those hospitalized with COVID-19, including those in intensive care, are not vaccinated.

He’s helping again. Famous chef extraordinaire Guy Fieri is cooking for first responders working on the Dixie Fire. The San Jose Fire Dept. tweeted a photo with the celebrity chef who hails from Sonoma County. Murietta Fire and Rescue posted a photo on Facebook with him. He made over 1,000 pounds of pulled pork sandwiches on Tuesday for first responders on the front lines. The San Jose Fire Department also tweeted photos of Fieri at the fire’s base camp at the Lassen County Fairgrounds in Susanville. He helped before during the Kincade and Glass fires in 2019 and 2020, and the Camp Fire in Butte County in 2018.

A mom in Guerneville who was accused with her boyfriend and another man of sexually abusing her children, and videotaping it, is staying in prison. 60 year old Kelly McLaughlin-Cross who got 162 years in prison back in 1998. She admitted 74 counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with three of her own children in 1991 and 1992 when she was 30 and the kids were 4,6 & 7. The children were abused for almost a year and were videotaped being victimized. The woman in prison in Corona was trying to get “elder parole” after serving 20 years. She was told to undergo sex offender treatment and look inside herself to see why she did it and work on accountability.

Several fires reported in Fort Bragg all put out. Mendo Fever reports the Fort Bragg Fire Department was on the scene at Otis Johnson Park for two separate vegetation fires, one near a group of redwood trees, the other further into the park. They called Cal Fire for help and the fires were under control pretty soon after.

The Lake County Jail is dealing with a surge in COVID19 cases. Last week we told you about the Mendocino County jail outbreak, there they had 7 inmates and 4 staffers infected. Lake Co News reports 10 inmates and six staff members in the Lake County Jail have tested positive and 63 inmates are quarantining because of close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. The news site reports in the spring of 2020, the jail had another COVID outbreak. The Sheriff’s office reports cases started to head back up the curve last month again.

North Coast Opportunities has restarted the wildfire relief fund and has gifted direct money to those impacted by the Cache Fire. They’re only taking online applications because of the pandemic. You can also download an app and deliver it to their office. The organization says they’ve delivered 27 checks worth over $30,000 for those suffering a total loss. The amount a fire survivor gets depends on what’s been donated to North Coast. They’re also going to be present at the Local Assistance Center at Highlands Senior Center today and tomorrow with applications.

Donations and applications can both be accessed at www.ncoinc.org; look for Cache fire on the homepage.

For those unable to access NCO’s online portals, or visit NCO at the LAC, please call 707-994-2910. Paper applications and NCO staff are also available at NCO Clearlake office. Please call to make an appointment.

Community college students may be able to get some of the $1.6 billion in emergency Covid relief the state has in the offing. Several colleges have been distributing direct checks to the lowest income students and will continue to do so in the fall semester. Ed Source reports California community colleges have received around $4 billion in federal Covid relief, and another $9.5 billion has been donated to colleges and universities. The Department of Education previously said the money should go to those with “exceptional need”, but colleges decide who qualifies.

It’s over, finally… lethal wildlife management techniques are done with in Mendo County. Seven years in the making, groups have been fighting for decades for non-lethal methods of culling coyotes, raccoons and other local wildlife. This sort of work has been done for years in Marin and Sonoma counties. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Biological Diversity, Project Coyote, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Animal Welfare Institute sued Mendocino County because they said the county didn’t consider environmental impacts of killing wildlife. Three of the county supervisors voted last week to cancel a contract with Wildlife Services. Since the contract was signed there were over 261 bears, 181 lions, 112 bobcats, 235 gray foxes and nearly 4,120 coyotes killed in Mendocino County.

A woman accused of setting fires last month in Lower Lake will undergo a mental health evaluation to see if she’s competent to stand trial. Kayla Renee Main had her preliminary hearing earlier this month where her lawyer motioned for her to seek treatment because he wasn’t sure she understood what was going on. So the court has ordered an evaluation by two doctors and the reports are due September 14^th. She also had bail set at $5,000 for a trio of fires. She was caught by deputies with a lighter in her hand around the fires. She said it was an accident. She was charged with arson and a probation violation.

News 8/25/2021

If you live in Lake County and you want to observe part of the recall election ballot count, you’re in luck. The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office says observers and members of the public can watch a public manual tally of a minimum of 1% of randomly selected precincts from the September 14^th recall 2 weeks after. On Tuesday, September 28^th, you can head to the office at 9:00 a.m.  The selection of the precinct(s) in the manual tally will be randomly chosen on the same day before the tally.

Another death has been reported in Mendocino County due to coronavirus. The Public Health Dept. reports being notified of the elderly woman who is the 59^th death in the county. The 88 year old Covelo woman’s death was confirmed by Public Health who reports she was also not vaccinated.

In Sonoma County, they’re reporting three more deaths from the virus. Their Public Health Dept reports the deaths are part of the summer surge of infections and hospitalizations which may be mostly to blame on the highly transmissible delta strain. The Public Health Officer, Dr. Sundari Mase reports there are more young people getting ill and most of them are unvaccinated. She also says she’s very concerned about the deaths, because they too, are predominantly in the unvaccinated, and, she says, they are tragic preventable deaths. The latest deaths were in people with serious underlying medical conditions, two of them were unvaccinated. One was a man between 18 and 49, the other was a woman between 50 and 64, who both died at a hospital. The third was in a 64 year old vaccinated man who also died at a local hospital.

The Calif. state epidemiologist says she sees signs the virus is waning again. Dr. Erica Pan, says they’re hopeful with the latest overview of the virus in the state looking like it’s either peaking, or plateauing. She says it looks a lot like last summer. But serious cases are on the upswing with over 8,200 people hospitalized and almost 2,000 in intensive care across California. Dr. Pan says the state saw one of the highest daily surges in new hospital admissions last week. The state is also predicting as many as 2,000 people could die in the next three weeks. The rate of hospitalizations is leveling off though and ICU admissions should follow.

The Clearlake City Council gave the greenlight to bringing in more taxes… they voted unanimously to buy the city’s old water park so they can erect a giant commercial development instead. They’re working with Burbank Housing and Development in Sonoma County, paying $1 million for 11.28 acres on Old Highway 53 where the Outrageous Waters water park has sat dormant since 2005. The land was gifted to the development company 4 years ago. The company develops affordable housing but wasn’t planning anything in Lake County so the city, which is developing land nearby, will now have 40 acres to work with.

After the devastating Cache Fire burned over 50 homes last week, the city of Clearlake and local agencies and the state are opening a Local Assistance Center. The center is a central location where those impacted by the fire can go get help, food and water. It’s located at the Clearlake Senior/Community Center on Bowers Ave. in Clearlake. They’re open this afternoon and again tomorrow and Friday, odd hours, so check with them.  Anyone who lost their home or had it severely damaged will be able to get help with debris removal, hazardous materials cleanup, utility assistance, driver’s license and car registration/title replacement, and emotional support programs.

PG&E is adding some weather stations in Lake County. The utility company is adding 13 more stations as part of its work to position the stations in areas of potential fire danger, so they can continue to work on their public safety power shutoff events and prepare for severe weather. So far they’ve put up a couple hundred stations in 2021. In Lake County, there will now be 43 and Pacific Gas & Electric plans to have 1,300 weather stations up and running by the end of this year.

Since the town of Mendocino has been long suffering with very low water, the Board of Supervisors has given the greenlight to truck water into town. The board approved a resolution yesterday for a water hauling assistance program to bring in water from Ukiah to the Summer Lane reservoir in Fort Bragg that will then be treated, then trucked to Mendocino. It comes after stories went viral about the tiny tourism hamlet impacted by the drought. The board says they’ll apply for a state grant to cover most of the cost for residential uses, but they haven’t quite figured out the business piece yet. The trucking of 50,000 to 75,000 gallons of water from Fort Bragg to Mendocino each day stopped as Fort Bragg’s water was too low to supply to Mendocino. There were no other water sources available until now.

The Governor sent a letter to the president for a Major Disaster Declaration due to massive fires burning in the state this summer, and it’s already been approved. The Presidential Major Disaster Declaration was sent Monday to respond to the wildfires and send more support to Lassen, Nevada, Placer and Plumas counties. The Governor commented yesterday the state’s grateful for the President’s “swift approval” of the request and the continued work of “our heroic firefighters and emergency responders to protect communities across Northern California”.  So the declaration can free up resources like housing assistance, counseling, medical services and legal services.

UPPER LAKE, Calif., August 23, 2021— The Mendocino National Forest Upper Lake Ranger District office will be closed Aug. 25 and Sept. 2 and 3 to support wildfire response and management throughout the western United States.

“We regret limiting our public service at the Upper Lake District office,” Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson said. “But as the state and greater region continue to have critical fire support needs, we’re committed to assisting in any way we can.”

In July, former Forest Service Chief Victoria Christiansen issued a memorandum requesting all Forest Service units prioritize personnel and resources to support wildfire response.

Due to the extreme conditions across the nation and the dynamic nature of mobilizing support resources, the public is encouraged to check the Mendocino National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino for the latest updates on office and forest closures.

For more information or immediate service needs, please contact the Mendocino National Forest’s headquarters in Willows at 530-934-3316.  

The Fort Bragg Telstar Charter boat somehow got loose and was found adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Apparently the vessel’s steering capabilities failed so the Coast Guard Station Noyo River responded, sending help to bring the boat back to shore. Mendo Fever reports the station got news of the boat adrift about three miles south of Noyo Harbor after losing its steering. The Coast Guard sent a 47-foot motor lifeboat to help those aboard. The boat was side-towed in and moored by the Sea Pals restaurant. 

The now temporary, and former public health officer in Lake County, Dr. Gary Pace, says it seems like the coronavirus is stabilizing. Dr. Pace at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting helping out as they try to find a new health officer. He reported there have been a total of 72 deaths in the county so far and just under 5,100 confirmed cases since the pandemic first surfaced in 2020. The positivity rate is at 42 cases per 100,000 people, 11th in the state.  But Pace says there have been several outbreaks in schools and at the county jail where 52 inmates and seven staffers caught the virus. There was pushback from public participants after the doc said to wear masks and get vaccinated, at which time the Board Chair reminded the last three people who died of COVID were unvaccinated.

In the face of the pandemic continuing in Lake County, the fair will go on. The Lake County Fair is happening Labor Day weekend, opening on Thursday, Sept. 2^nd. It starts with a grand opening Blue-Ribbon Dinner and then the grandstand event “Guns N Hoses”. The headline act on Friday is Mud Boggs and on Saturday, it’s the Destruction Derby and Sunday is Fiesta Day.

Ukiah is considering a developing in the Western Hills. The Planning Commission will hear a plan tonight at their meeting for the city to annex approx. 700 acres for which they are looking to develop about 50 acres. Staff reports say the city is looking to hold some of the area for open space preservation, the rest would be for low density residential development on the easternmost acres. There had been a hearing set on the plan in May, but staff asked for more time for public comment review and response.

The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 25. To join the virtual meeting go to: https:// global.gotomeeting.com/ join/678443853 Or call +1 (408) 6503123; Access Code: 67844385

The numbers are in… money made from the recreational marijuana market. The state Department of Tax and Fee Administration says for the second quarter of the year, the state made just over $172 million and the state cultivation tax brought in $40.4 million. The total sales tax revenue was $120.5 million for the same period for the sales of cannabis, cannabis products, and other tangible personal property. Since the law passed in 2016 and the market was set up a couple years later, the state has raked in $2.8 billion, $1.4 billion in cannabis excise tax, $347.4 million in cultivation tax, and $1.0 billion in sales tax.

The local Economic Development & Financing Corporation reports getting over a million dollars in pandemic stimulus money. The Ukiah based agency says it got $1.3 million in Covid relief from the federal government from the Community Development Financing Institutions Rapid Response Program. There were 68 agencies who received the money in Calif., and the EDFC was one of 41 Community Development Financial Institutions to get money. The agencies lend money to small businesses. The agencies mission is to “connect money and ideas with entrepreneurs to create sustainable prosperity in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties.”

For more information, visit edfc.org/loan-programs or call 707-234-5705 for more information.

News 8/24/2021

Another death has been reported in Mendocino County associated with the pandemic. The Public Health Dept. reports being notified of a county resident lost to the COVID-19 virus, a 41 year old Willits woman who was unvaccinated. This is now the 58th death in Mendocino County. Once again Public Health is reminding residents to use caution when placing themselves in situations that may expose them to COVID-19, especially considering the new more infectious Delta variant. And to follow all CDC and CDPH guidance. Vaccination, masking and social distancing remain the best options for combating the Covid-19 Virus.

Reports of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office engaging in a high speed chase near Willits with a suspect known to carry guns, who they believed might be under the influence. Mendo Fever reports scanner traffic said deputies took chase after the black Dodge Charger with oversized tires because the driver was going faster than 100 miles/hour at times and driving erratically. The driver was spotted on the 101 and Highway 162 driving faster than 80 mph at times and driving in opposite lanes of traffic. The driver was also seen tossing stuff out of the car and they lost sight of him for a time. Then the guy stopped and ran and deputies took off on foot after him. There was one other person with the driver and the pair were caught before midnight.

A fire has gutted a beloved resale shop in Guerneville. Gypsy Sisters was owned by Cherie Sexton for 15 years. It was destroyed with two other buildings downtown Sunday night. Apparently the fire started in the crawl space under the old Flavors Unlimited ice cream shop. The Sonoma County Fire Protection District reports that shop, the former DeeDees Graphics and Printing and the Gypsy Sisters building were heavily damaged. The buildings will be torn down now. The fire is under investigation.

Folks have been allowed back into the area where the Cache fire burned in Lake County. Some of the homeowners who lost all of their belongings have started GoFundMe accounts so they can pay to replace their personal items, including clothes, furniture and the rest.

The Sonoma County Public Health Officer is moving up the deadline for when public school staff have to get their COVID19 vaccine in accordance with the guidelines from the California Department of Public Health. Teachers, administrators, and other staff have to show proof they’ve been vaccinated by Sept. 24^th, three weeks sooner than the state deadline of Oct. 15^th. If they don’t get the vaccine, then they will be tested every week. Dr. Sundari Mase put out a statement that after she spoke to local school and community leaders, she found it would be necessary and appropriate for all schools to comply sooner. A spokesperson for the county says “they know the vaccine is the best tool to fight the pandemic.”

Residents told to leave their homes as the Cache fire broke out have been allowed to go home. Some came back Sunday night to survey the damage, but yesterday they were able to sift through what was left behind in the ash. The city manager, who’s also the Clearlake director of emergency services, also notified that those who are not property owners or their representatives, were restricted from entry. Most of the fire’s destruction was limited to the Creekside Mobile Home Park. A few other mobile homes were destroyed or damaged at the nearby Cache Creek Mobile Home Park, and its water system was destroyed. The fire burned 83 acres last week. A local assistance center for fire survivors is being set up to help.

There are dozens of fires burning in the state and thousands of firefighters working overtime. That spurred Gov. Newsom to request a presidential major disaster declaration for eight counties. That would cover the Dixie, Antelope, McFarland, Monument and River fires and open up the ability for the federal government to help pay for housing, food, unemployment and governmental emergency costs. The state reported tens of thousands of Californians are currently under mandatory evacuation orders and over 500 households were in shelters. And now the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County is creeping closer to Lake Tahoe. The fire is only 5% contained and has burned 447 buildings already.  The Dixie Fire is now 40% contained, but it’s getting closer and closer to that Gigafire status. It’s burned nearly 700 homes.

Smaller school districts are reportedly struggling even though the state promised they wouldn’t be harmed as attendance dropped due to the pandemic. Ed Source reports the so-called hold-harmless policy didn’t necessarily cover all districts. The Small School Districts Association sent a letter this spring to the Senate and Assembly budget committees but say they have yet to get a response. And say there’s been no action as the legislature is about to end its work for the year. The state policy is such that districts need to prove they had budgeted for growth in enrollment, and then the state would pay above the year before enrollment.

A man from Redwood Valley has been found guilty of a first degree murder in Covelo last year. Joel Mendoza-Gonzalez was killed a year ago in a drive by shooting and Jameson Wolfgang Jackson is the shooter. He was also convicted for a 2001 murder of Brooktrails store-owner Joan LeFeat, when he was only 15.  He’s now 36 years old, but since he was tried as a juvenile before, he was released from lockup in 2008, and was paroled until 2010. He’s had various other arrests since then including one for domestic violence a couple of years ago. He was held in jail the last year on $2 million bail. He will be sentenced Sept. 16^th and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Some complaints have been pouring into the Secretary of State’s office after a video on Instagram went viral, showing you can see someone’s yes vote on the recall election ballot. The video apparently shows, if you hold the ballot return envelope a certain way, the yes votes are easily seen outside the return envelope. At the same time the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office said the design allows two small holes on each side of the envelope, where a voter signs were designed that way on purpose, and they’ve been used for several elections. And they say voters can control how they place their ballot in the envelope to ensure secure and appropriate handling, including by mail, ballot drop box or at an official vote center. The recall election against Governor Gavin Newsom is set for Sept. 14^th. You are asked two questions, should Newsom be removed, yes or no? And then find your replacement candidate, from which there are dozens of candidates. Since there are so many, if Newsom loses, a potential winner may only get 25% of the vote, or less.

News 8/23/2021

Another two local businesses have some cases of COVID to report. Denny’s on Pomeroy St. in Ukiah is reporting from Sunday, August 15th to Thursday, August 19^th, if you were there you could have been exposed. The other business was Taco Bell on N. State St. between Wednesday, August 11th and Thursday, August 12^th. The Public Health Dept says it’s identifying businesses as its notified due to the rapidly spreading mother virus variant, Delta. They’re saying again, if you feel sick or think you may be getting ill not to go to work. That if you may have been exposed and are unvaccinated, you should get tested and if you’re exhibiting symptoms while vaccinated, you should be tested. Neither of the two businesses have put out a statement. Another death has been reported too, a 66 year old unvaccinated woman from Redwood Valley. She is the 57^th death in the county.

A woman from Talmage has been arrested for domestic violence after deputies say two people walking down the street got in an argument that turned physical. Deputies say Danielle Bloyd and a man were walking in the 1300 block of Old River Road when they got into a physical altercation, with Bloyd biting the man, who tried to hug her, in the jaw. They say he had visible injuries reflecting the man’s story, so Bloyd was arrested for domestic violence battery and booked into Mendocino County Jail on $35,000.00 bail.

Some residents in Clearlake evacuated for nearly a week due to the destructive Cache fire have been allowed to go home. The evacuation orders were supposed to be lifted this morning, but there’s a restriction still of who can go into certain areas due to the amount of damage. The Clearlake City Manager put out a notice on the repopulation. He says last night some residents were able to go home to inspect the destruction, for “emotional closure.” The fire burned 83 acres and destroyed 56 homes and 81 other structures. There were 1,600 people evacuated at one time. The destruction was contained to two mobile home parks. City leaders are reportedly working with county and state officials for hazard cleanup. There’s been no cause released yet.

The Caldor fire in El Dorado County has grown as it ravages dry fuels in its wake. It’s burned over 104,000 acres. At the same time the Dixie Fire, which has been burning well over a month and is the largest single fire to ever burn in the state, triggered more evacuations. All national forests in Northern Calif. are closed through Labor Day now because of fire danger.  The Caldor Fire is 5% contained and the Dixie is 38% contained. That massive blaze has burned over 724,000 acres. Another fire in Trinity County, the Monument, has burned over 148,000 with 20% containment and the McFarland Fire in Shasta, Trinity and Tehama counties has burned almost 118,000 acres and is 66% contained.

A man in Taylorsville has been arrested for allegedly setting a bunch of small fires near the massive Dixie Fire. Highway Patrol from the Quincy area reported David Heland Hyde was arrested after fires were seen on his property. He’s also accused of refusing to leave during mandatory evacuation orders. A fire division chief reportedly working with the California National Guard at an evacuation checkpoint was informed of the fires. They reportedly told the man to leave, but he wouldn’t let them near his property or to extinguish the fires. He sprayed firefighters with a hose. But they arrested him and charged him with entering or remaining in an evacuation zone.

A new report says there are currently no ICU beds available in the entire state. Cal Matters reports hospitals in six rural counties are dealing with the most hospital patients ever who are infected with the virus.  The surges due to the unvaccinated in Mendocino, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Lake, Humboldt and Nevada counties. The report by CalMatters after they analyzed state data, goes on to say the six counties have record high hospitalizations. And three others, Amador, Placer and Shasta — have a similar situation. The report says sparsely populated counties are the ones without many beds left. In  Del Norte and Lake counties, there were no ICU beds last week. Hospital officials reported it was due to unvaccinated people and the Delta variant.

The Mendocino County Grand Jury has put out a finding on homelessness calling the City of Ukiah the epicenter of County services for the homeless and transient populations. It says the pandemic has laid bare disparities and gaps in service for the Homeless Services Continuum of Care and in local community policing strategies. The outcome, they jury says is that local governments and agencies should look within and need to improve. The report says since there’s nowhere to live for many, homeless encampments have grown. It says food, clothing and shelter, basic essentials are a challenge and that vulnerable or addicted people don’t have a lot of choice to have their needs met, so theft, loitering and pandering may be how some survive.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is warning about the latest telephone scam. Friday deputies say they were informed by Willits Police about someone getting a call from someone posing as a sergeant from the Sheriff’s office, but it is in no way connected to the department and had no legitimate law enforcement purpose. They pretended the receiver of the call had a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty so they needed to confirm some personal identifying information for identity theft purposes. They may also demand payment. The department says to hang up on this person, not give info and call police.

More information released about a woman in Lake County who reportedly shot a man she says sexually assaulted her. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office got the report earlier this month about the shooting in Clearlake Oaks and a dead man at a home. The Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation, finding it wasn’t quite what it seemed. They’ve identified the victim of the shooting as Charles Vernon McClelland of Rohnert Park, who was the woman’s on and off boyfriend for a time. She reportedly got ahold of a gun and says when the man tried assaulting her again, she shot him multiple times. The Major Crimes detectives have identified the woman as Tammy Sue Grogan Robinson of Clearlake Oaks and found she was lying and the shooting was not justified. She was found and arrested in Missouri and booked on murder charges and held on $2,000,000 bail and awaits extradition to Lake County.

A report of a body behind Ross Dress for Less in Ukiah has triggered an investigation, but police say they knew the man from previous contacts. Police found the man’s body behind the clothing store in the Pear Tree Shopping Center and a coroner was called to the scene too. They say the man had been homeless and had a history of drug use but there were no obvious signs of that at the scene of his death. Another homeless person reported the death. The police dept. says there was nothing suspicious so far about the death and an autopsy has been ordered for Wednesday.

A fire’s been reported behind a Burger King in Willits. Willits Police, Little Lake & Brooktrails Fire Departments were at the fire and a Willits arson investigator was working with police on the incident. They have fingered Jennifer Smith of Fort Bragg as a primary suspect saying it appeared she had walked up to the fast food spot from a nearby creek bed, lit some dry grass by the drive thru on fire and walked away. Police detained her nearby and arrested her for arson and a drug related charge. The fire was put out before spreading.

Cases of COVID19 at schools in Sonoma County has complicated the return back to in person learning. The Press Democrat reports there were more than three dozen confirmed COVID cases the first week of school. That meant the schools had to do contact tracing and put the safety guidelines established, into play. The county’s epidemiologists said there were 38 cases at 24 schools since the time school restarted. Six of those were staffers and 32 were students.  Mandatory quarantine for those testing positive per state requirements and kids and staff can only come back after they have no symptoms.

A set back for the gig economy. A state Superior Court judge said the 2020 ballot proposition allowing Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other independent contractor type businesses to call workers that is no good. The Service Employees International Union sued and the judge in Alameda County said indeed parts of Proposition 22 were unconstitutional because the workers couldn’t be included under the state’s workers’ compensation law. Companies spent millions on the ballot initiative which required the gig workers to be classified as employees who get benefits. Now Uber is indicating they might continue the court case. The ballot measure won 58% of the vote in last November’s election.

The FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine which some say will mean more people will get the shots. It also comes at a time of a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to the ferocious delta variant. The vaccine is fully approved for those 16 and over and has new branding too, they’re now calling it “Comirnaty”.     

News 8/20/2021

Most evacuations for the Cache Fire in Lake County have been lifted as the fire reaches 50 percent containment with no active flames. Dam Road in that area is still closed and likely will remain closed through the weekend. Cal Fire will do a damage assessment, but as of now, it looks like 58 residences and more than 100 structures were destroyed in an 83-acre burn zone. There have been no reports of anyone seriously hurt or missing. Schools in Clearlake that were closed today are expected to be reopened on Monday.

The city wants to hear from residents of the Creekside or the Cache Creek Mobile Home Parks, even if after hours.

Lost pets can be reported to the City Animal Control Office

The city has set up a webpage with resources for those affected by the Cache Fire. You can find the link on the Local News tab of our website. (https://www.clearlake.ca.us/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=Cache-Fire-Resource-Page-35)

The Lake County fire is tiny compared to the dozens of others raging across the state. So far, they have burned over 1,000,000 acres or 2,000 square miles. The biggest, the Dixie fire, is still only 35 percent contained.

The US Forest Service is CLOSING several national forests because of the risk of more fires. Among them—the Mendocino National Forest. The closure starts at 11:59 PM on Sunday, though at least September 6th. In addition to Mendocino, the Tahoe, Plumas, Lassen, Six Rivers, Klamath, Shasta Trinity, and Modoc National Forests will all be off-limits.

It’s slowed on the Monument Fire in the Shasta Trinity Forest, as pillars of smoke hovered above. But the fire grew some. It’s now 136,379 acres, an increase over the last day of just under 700 acres. The northwest area of the fire triggered a new evacuation warning for the hamlets of Denny and Hawkins Bar. Crews used helicopters to flyover and dump water and ground crews were on spot fires, one was six acres, the other only one acre near Bell Bar. There was also a drone with infrared technology watching over a couple more spot fires east of the North Fork Trinity River, one is about 15 acres and another was one acre.

Hundreds of people had to leave Lake County due to the fast moving Cache Fire which has stopped all forward movement. Clearlake and Lower Lake have been devasted by the fire which gutted a mobile home park and burned trees, cars and buildings. 56 homes and 81 outbuildings along with 158 vehicles and 30 telephone and power poles were fried by the fire. Lake Co News reports a state of emergency was declared yesterday due to the environmental dangers left behind. That means the state and federal government can pitch in to help. The news site reports the Lake County Fire Protection District Chief said there was a lot of dust particles that are contaminants so people need to stay away. The fire charred 83 acres and is said to be between 35% and 40% contained. No word how it may have started.  

Hundreds of students and a couple hundred staffers at five schools in Clearlake and Lower Lake had to be evacuated due to the Cache Fire. Since the area is still inundated with smoke and dust, the schools are closed for deep cleanings today. They do plan to reopen Monday.

2 mobile home parks were hit hard by the fire, one worse than the other. Creekside Mobile Home Park is gone, and 3 homes in the neighboring Cache Creek Mobile Home Park were also destroyed. One other building also burned.  Over 700 people are still evacuated as neighborhoods are cleared of debris, downed power lines and hazardous materials. There were two evacuation centers this week, first at Kelseyville High on Wednesday, then yesterday it was the Twin Pines Casino, where about 70 people stayed.  The Cache Fire broke out Wednesday in windy conditions, during a red flag warning.

There’s been a second death at a homeless shelter in Santa Rosa due to complications of COVID-19. The largest homeless shelter in Sonoma County, the Santa Rosa’s Samuel L. Jones shelter has been devastated by the virus this year. The latest death was someone who had been vaccinated, but was in the hospital and had other medical conditions. The Sonoma County Department of Public Health has confirmed the death of the man who died over a week ago. They reported he was between 55 and 64 years old. Two residents first tested positive in early July so the shelter was closed to new residents, then an outbreak occurred less than a week later, infecting nearly 50 residents.  Of the 153 people who regularly live there, 83 were fully vaccinated. They had a total of 114 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 66 of them were fully vaccinated. Fifty-two were the delta variant strain.

Another outbreak at the Mendocino County Jail of COVID. Apparently four cases popped up during the booking process so those inmates were immediately quarantined. Then on Wednesday, jail medical staff and the Mendocino County Public Health Dept. tested all inmates and found six male inmates and one female inmate tested positive for the virus. So there are now 11 positive cases at the jail. And correctional officers are testing daily due to an increase in community spread, so they detected three Corrections Deputies who tested positive; two detected by the jail and the other from off-site testing. All arrestees who are going to jail are tested, then if they test positive, they are quarantined. All new entrees are also quarantined for ten days before mixing in general population.

A special meeting’s being held by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors due to the drought. The special meeting is Tuesday and called for because of the critical water shortage emergency in the town of Mendocino. Water experts will be there to help the Board and attendees understand the extreme water shortage in the 5^th District which was heightened by the severe, historic drought. The agenda will have discussion and possible action with direction for staff to set aside money for drought assistance and other immediate funding opportunities. 5^th District Supervisor and Board Vice-Chair Ted Williams says water is scarce there and citizens are scrambling for solutions.  The meeting is at 1:00 pm and will be live streamed on the county’s YouTube page.   

Thousands of firefighters working in dire conditions throughout Calif as fires continue eating away land mass, homes, cars, trees and power lines. The massive Dixie fire, the largest of the mix, has been burning since July 13^th and keeps jumping in size. It’s burned just under 700,000 acres and remains only 35% contained. The Caldor Fire, the latest to blow up in size, has no containment. It’s burning in El Dorado County and ravaged the Sierra town of Grizzly Flats this week. The fire has blackened 68,630 acres. The Cache fire took down an entire mobile home park in Lake County, and three units in another nearly mobile home park. At least 50 homes burned in total. The Sheriff and local fire chief gathered for a hasty meeting last night saying the fire moved “quickly and severely.”

Pacific Gas and Electric reports turning power back on to everyone in Lake County. There were people in the dark in 18 counties. Nearby they had their power back on Thursday, but there were about 1,400 Lake residents still in the dark, who were restored last night. 50,000 Northern California customers had to deal with the public safety power shutoff. The utility company reported clocking wind gusts of more than 50 mph. They recorded at least 10 incidents of weather-related damage and hazards to their equipment. They say four could have caused fires if they didn’t power down.

The Mayor of Clearlake says he wants to reward employees who get the COVID19 vaccine, but the mayor of Lakeport, not so much. The Record Bee newspaper reports the two mayors on opposite sides of the lake are also on opposite sides of the fence. Clearlake Mayor Dick Slooten said he wants to reward every employee with $100 of his own money if they get the jab by Sept. 15^th. The Lakeport Mayor Kenny Parlet, on the other hand says he used to be a pre-med student, doesn’t trust the media, and knows science. He says masks don’t work and they’re harmful. He also says the vaccine is lethal and kills.

At a town hall regarding the pandemic, State Senator Mike McGuire hosted some scientists. Online on Wednesday, the senator updated community members about the state’s response and the Delta variant. There were two doctors on the virtual meeting with him, an infectious disease physician at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health and Geffen School of Medicine and as kids are getting ravaged by the virus ahead of back to school time, McGuire also hosted a pediatrician and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco. McGuire says 64% more Californians are getting infected, and that the surge is mostly in the unvaccinated. The doctors noting half the US population who are eligible have been vaccinated and we need it to be 80 to 90%. They say the way to stop the variants are through vaccinations globally, not just in the US. And they discussed children who are experiencing, not only illness, but stress, depression and anxiety.

News 8/19/2021

After calls about a domestic disturbance in Ukiah a man is arrested. Deputies reported to a white SUV on Hwy 20. And when the driver saw them he took off. Deputies went after the Jeep which was going up to 110 mph in the Blue Lakes area of Lake County. It passed several other cars in the other lane of traffic so deputies backed off. The Jeep took off, and deputies caught up again, identifying the driver as Adam McBride who they finally caught and arrested. The woman in the car had visible injuries to her face and arms. The pair had a flat tire and were arguing when McBride apparently hit the woman. He also had an active no bail Felony arrest from Utah for credit card fraud so he’s charged with various crimes and held without bail.

It was quick. A new fire in Lake County has destroyed several dozen homes and killed or injured multiple animals in one day. The Cache Fire quickly blew up triggering evacuations southeast of Clearlake, taking an entire mobile home park down. 1,600 people were evacuated yesterday including students at two Lower Lake schools. The Sheriff went live on Facebook calling it a serious event asking for community members to comply with evacuation orders. There was at least one person who lived in the mobile home park injured and flown to an out of area hospital.  40 homes were lost at the Creekside Mobile Home Park where mostly low income or seniors live. The fire’s forward progress stopped about 12 hours after the fire broke out and no cause has been determined.

A fire in El Dorado County has also exploded in size. The Caldor has been growing rapidly since it broke out last weekend and it continues to get too close for comfort to well-populated communities along Highway 50 and other areas. There are many evacuation orders in the area, too many to report here… (Pollock Pines, Cedar Grove and Kyburz; most of Camino; eastern portions of Pleasant Valley and Somerset; a large stretch between Mormon Emigrant Trail and Highway 88; and areas near the Union Valley, Ice House and Loon Lake reservoirs.) The fire plowed through one area of about 1,200 people and two people had to be airlifted to hospitals. Homes burned along with a post office, an elementary school and church in the area of Grizzly Flats. The fire exploded by 1,000% in one day and has burned almost 62,600 acres growing by 10,000 acres in 12 hours yesterday and 30,000 acres the night before.  7,000 residents have reportedly evacuated from El Dorado County. The Governor has declared a state of emergency for the Caldor fire.

At a debate between the three Republican candidates looking to unseat Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, they all agreed, no need for school employees or healthcare workers to have a vaccine mandate. But apparently the three are vaccinated themselves. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Businessman John Cox agreed it should be up too individual institutions, local municipalities and businesses. At the debate Cox was served court papers because he reportedly owes tens of thousands of dollars to a company who helped launch a previous failed Gubernatorial bid. The election is in a month, but ballots have already gone out in the mail. If Newsom loses, the new Governor would be sworn in immediately after the vote is certified. Front runner and former radio talk show host Larry Elder and reality TV personality and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner did not attend.

Lassen Community College in Susanville had to be evacuated due to the Dixie Fire. The fire’s been burning over a month and is already the single largest fire to ever burn in the state. The containment has been slow, only 35%, and it’s now burned nearly 663,000 acres and burned hundreds of homes and buildings. 106 students were evacuated from the college yesterday and taken along with staff members to Humboldt State University. They’re lodging them there in residence halls, away from HSU students. Most of the evacuees were reportedly vaccinated, but were also being tested for COVID out of an abundance of caution. Everyone has to wear masks on campus and do daily wellness self-checks. There are also isolation beds separated for any potentially positive cases.

A man from Covelo’s been arrested for soliciting sex while having a 4 year old child with him. Deputies reported to a motel in Covelo, finding Paulino Calihua with the toddler. They say they were informed the man was trying to pay women to have sex with him and/or to babysit the child for him. Deputies say he seemed pretty drunk when they met him, having trouble standing. They also found he was on active probation for an alcohol related offense, plus there was a bunch of booze containers around the room where the child was. Deputies also found the 4 year old girl had not eaten for around 24 hours so others at the motel were giving her food and water. So Calihua was arrested for willful cruelty to a child and violation of probation and booked on $27,500.00 bail. The child was taken by Child Protective Services and reunited with a family member.

A man from Willits has been arrested for waving a gun around in public. Deputies say they got a call to a man walking with a dog along the railroad tracks in the 2500 block of Highway 20 who was confronted by Michael McCallion who said the other man was trespassing and he needed to leave. The two started to argue, and that’s when the reporting party said McCallion waved a gun at him, then shot it. The other guy ran and called the Sheriff’s office. McCallion was found nearby and arrested. They found a 9mm semi-auto pistol and ammunition inside a tent McCallion was living in.  He’s charged with discharging a firearm in a gross negligent manner and booked into jail on $15,000.00 bail.

More cases of COVID have popped up at Mendocino County businesses. The Public Health Dept. reported a new high of cases too, 113, yesterday. Employees of the Broiler Steak House in Redwood Valley, and Club Calpella in Ukiah tested positive. Then two other businesses reported cases too, Cosmo Prof., a beauty supply store and Hector’s Snow Cones. All of the cases were the first two weeks of the month. The Broiler manager said it was a fully vaccinated staff member who tested positive and that they take it very seriously and are closing. There were no statements from the other businesses. The health dept. keeps reminding not to go to work if you feel sick or feel you may have symptoms.

For more information about Covid-19 vaccines, testing and masking, contact the Mendocino County Public Health Covid-19 Call Center at (707) 472-2759 or visit: http://www.mendocinocounty.org/covid19

A man in Redwood Valley has been arrested after a Sheriff’s Deputy on routine patrol saw Jesse Connolly, who he knew from previous contacts. He knew he had a couple of active felony warrants, one for not appearing in court. So he was pulled over and arrested for the warrants and booked into jail on $230,000.00 bail.

A man from Ukiah has been arrested for among other things, threatening a Sheriff’s Deputy. The Deputy on regular patrol and saw a car on the 101 in Redwood Valley get off the highway and violate a traffic code so they were pulled over. There was a woman driving with Maric Arriaga who was found to be on probation so he was searched. The woman was also searched and found with a bunch of counterfeit oxycodone pills. Then backup Deputies arrived. They figured the pills were Arriaga’s. And that he had a bunch of meth on him so they went to arrest and handcuff him. They say he took a fighting stance and began physically resisting.  They got control of him and took him to the ground. He wasn’t injured but was arrested for a laundry list of crimes and booked on $50,000.00 bail. The woman was released.

Groups who want high-speed internet in all areas of the country are pressing the U-S House to pass the President’s 1-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, which already passed the Senate. The proposal includes 65 billion dollars to expand broadband. Stan Santos, a broadband technician and part of the Communication Workers of America’s “broadband brigade” says the state of California is also kicking in 6 billion for high-speed internet for more rural, low-income communities of color over the next three years.

:10  “The United States is in such a poor position competitively speaking in relation to so many countries in the world in relation to access to high-speed broadband.”

Tag:  The U-S is 27th for access to high- speed internet, according to allconnect.com. And we rank 14th in the world for the speed of our mobile and broadband internet connections, according to speedtest.net.

Second Cut: Santos says he’s watching two cases before the California Public Utilities Commission – one that could force service providers to give data on their networks to the agency for planning purposes, and a second that would force them to stop redlining – and extend service to smaller, less-profitable communities.

:07  “It has to be regulated, there has to be requirements, and there have to be consequences if they continue to be bad actors, especially with public funds. “

Tag:  People can check the broadband maps on the C-P-U-C and the F-C-C websites to see which communities are burdened with slow internet and would be prioritized during the build-out.

The Cache Fire in Lake County still has people evacuated, others, not so lucky, they’re out of their homes permanently as the fire burned 40 homes in the Creekside Mobile Home Park. The fire has blackened 80 acres and is 35% contained. There are still 800 people under an evacuation order in Clearlake and Lower Lake. The fire’s forward movement has been stopped, but firefighters are there stomping out possible flareups. It started Wednesday and only burned 2 acres, but blew up in dry, hot, windy conditions. It also burned a few other mobile homes at a park down the street from Creekside, at Cache Creek. At one time 1,600 people were evacuated with a shelter set up at Kelseyville High School Wednesday and the Twin Pines Casino and Hotel in Middletown on Thursday.

Most of the customers who had to deal with intentional power downs have their electricity back on. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported turning the power back on for all customers in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. 1,400 or so are still without power in Lake County. The Public Safety Power Shutoff started Tuesday night to try to stop the company’s equipment from being whipped down by wind onto brush. The utility’s meteorologists predicted serious wind gusts and low humidity earlier this week, prompting the power downs. The National Weather Service ended up issuing a red flag warning for extreme fire danger. There was no power for 1,800 customers in Sonoma County, 154 in Mendocino County and 6,849 in Napa County. And another 4,760 homes and businesses in Lake County were shut off, but most, except for the 1,400 had their electricity back on.

News 8/18/2021

Yet another death in Mendocino County from the coronavirus. The County Public Health Dept. reports being informed of the death yesterday and that it was a 49 year old unvaccinated man from Ukiah who died after contracting the virus. This means there have been 56 deaths. Once again Public Health reminds you to try to keep yourself out of situations that may expose you to the virus, especially because of the much more infectious Delta variant. And another reminder to please follow all CDC and CDPH guidance. And the agency says vaccination, masking and social distancing are still the best options for combating the Covid-19 Virus.

Just like they promised, Pacific, Gas & Electric has shut off the electricity for thousands in the North Bay due to fire weather. Last night over 14,000 PG&E customers had their energy turned off to minimize the threat of wildfires due to gusty winds. Customers in Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties lost power at 6 p.m. last night. There were thousands more across Northern California who were supposed to lose their power across 18 counties. About 11,000 in Lake and Mendocino combined. But the utility company’s outage map showed the outages were in mostly mountainous, rural areas.  As you know the Public Safety Power Shutoffs are used in red flag warning conditions when there is hot temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

More hot water for the former Mayor of Windsor who already resigned in shame after several women accused him of either sexual assault or harassment. Dominic Foppoli is now accused of possible conflicts of interest when he voted on a proposed development. Foppoli is being investigated by police in Sonoma County and Palm Beach, Florida. This latest investigation is by the Fair Political Practices Commission after an anonymous complaint was filed last month regarding the former mayor’s involvement in council discussions about a project proposed at the civic center. Apparently he’s part owner of a building and business the new development would be connected to.

County workers in Sonoma County added to the long list of places where you must be fully vaccinated to work, or get a weekly test. The Public Health Officer, Dr. Sundari Mase recommended it to the Board of Supervisors and they agreed that over 4,000 county workers need to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or be tested weekly due to the surge of cases anew amidst the highly contagious delta variant. This comes after the county already agreed that all area first responders — law enforcement, fire and emergency medical employees also need to be vaccinated by Sept. 1^st or be tested weekly.

The Mendocino County Public Health Officer at the latest board meeting saying the amount of cases and deaths in the county right now is “quite alarming”. As of yesterday, Dr. Andy Coren noted 27 people in the hospital, and six are in an Intensive Care Unit. He says that’s a lot more hospitalizations than last winter or spring, and six times higher than last month. Coren told Supervisors hospital workers were “burned out” and they weren’t taking on extra shifts as they did at the beginning of the pandemic, putting area hospitals in crisis mode.  Likewise, the head of Adventist Health in Ukiah, Willits and Fort Bragg says there is brewing fatigue amongst staff, but says they are safely staffed. He also said 85 percent of their admissions are in non-vaccinated individuals.

Governor Gavin Newsom says since there are so many more infections and hospitalizations in California, he’s making sure hospitals have enough staff and resources. So the Governor has signed an executive order to that effect. It will allow health care workers from out of the state to come to work in California. It also allows some health care workers and emergency medical technicians to continue working in the state. It allows health care facilities flexibility to figure out ways to change around their spaces so they can fit more patients. It also talks about teachers and school staff who are retired, so they can come back short term to help out, without waiting a certain amount of lag time usual, in non-pandemic times.

State Sen. Mike McGuire’s hosting a virtual town hall on the coronavirus. It’s tonight at 6:30 p.m. live on Facebook or on McGuire’s website. You can also dial in or check out the webinar where McGuire is hosting a pediatrician from Kaiser Permanente and an infectious disease doctor from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. They’ll talk about the latest spike in cases and school this fall.

Mendocino Deputies along with other law enforcement at it again, breaking up marijuana grows, pulling and destroying weed and detaining many. No arrests were made as all of the cases are headed to the DA for possible charges. The teams went out last week with Border Protection agents first in Willits they found 29 people there and almost a quarter million in cash and almost 9,500 pounds of processed marijuana which was mostly destroyed, but kept some as evidence. Then it was off to another grow in Willits where they eradicated over 2,300 plants and found more in Willits along with 5 people amongst hoop houses. Nearly 5,900 plants were found at that location along with 1,376 pounds of processed pot, much of it destroyed on scene. There was also a ghost gun. Then they headed to Laytonville and found weed growing on private property that was clear cut with hoop houses on the property, over 2,000 illegal plants and almost 107 pounds of processed marijuana. In the same area, on BLM property, was 4,000 more plants that were destroyed on scene. Then back to Willits where 3 people were found, and 913 plants and almost 1,757 pounds of hanging/drying marijuana, which was also destroyed.

More homes in Mendocino County than anticipated are in the dark. PG&E increased the amount of homes in the Public Safety Power Shutoff after the National Weather Service in Eureka issued a Red Flag Warning.  The power was turned out in Laytonville, some homes in the Brooktrails area, several along the Mendocino/Humboldt County line, and added on last minute were homes in and around Covelo, Redwood Valley, and Potter Valley along with others along the Willits Grade on the 101. And more in the South County, on Highway 128 through Yorkville and a section near the Mendocino/Sonoma County line east of the 101. There’s a charging center in Covelo at Keith’s Market and one in Laytonville at Harwood Hall. Gusty winds are expected thru tonight.

Lake Sonoma is at record low levels and the water is so warm that coho salmon are threatened at a state hatchery. The hatchery is at the base of a dam near Healdsburg. The Press Democrat reports there’s signs of disease in the juvenile fish which is already endangered in the Russian River. The newspaper reports federal biologists made an unusual move by bringing in 2,000 fish to a student-operated hatchery in Petaluma where high schoolers are watching over the fish with their science teacher. Casa Grande High School has a nearly 4 decade old United Anglers program which will care for the tiny salmon during the statewide drought. It comes as Chinook and coho salmon died off on the Klamath River due to record low precipitation.

A lawsuit’s been filed in federal court in Calif. to get the recall election stopped. The lawsuit alleges the recall is unconstitutional since it doesn’t allow the Governor’s constituents equal protection under the law which is guaranteed under the 14^th amendment of the US constitution. The recall is set for Sept. 14^th. The lawsuit was filed by two voters, R.J. Beaber and A.W. Clark with their argument by the Berkeley Law School Dean. The Dean Erwin Chemerinsky also penned an op-ed in the NY Times last week saying Newsom can get a lot more votes than other candidates and still lose his job and that violates a “core constitutional principle” that “every voter should have an equal ability to influence the outcome of the election.”