Monday, 10 March 2025

Register

News

Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will hold a special meeting this week to discuss a grant funding application and closed session property negotiations.

The council will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 27, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The meeting will begin with the council going into closed session at 5:15 p.m. to discuss property negotiations with George Hotaling over a property at 810 N. Main St.

In open session, the council will review and direct staff to prepare the 2017 Community
Development Block Grant, or CDBG, application with the proposed projects and programs.

The report from City Manager Margaret Silveira for the meeting said that staff is recommending applying for a total of $2.1 million in the 2017 CDBG funding cycling.

That $2.1 million breaks down as follows, according to Silveira:
  • Public infrastructure: Martin Street apartments, $1,395,349;
  • Enterprise fund: Business Assistance Loan Program, $465,116;
  • Planning technical assistance: Forbes Creek Neighborhood, $93,023;
  • General administration: $146,512.
Silveira said a final, updated total that the city will seek in the grant funding cycle will be presented at the council’s Nov. 7 meeting.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

092717 Lakeport City Council special meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This Saturday, community members and officials will be on hand to celebrate a significant milestone in Lake County’s recovery from the devastating Valley and Clayton fires.

During a ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Anderson Springs Recreation Center, ground will officially be broken on the $10.5 million Anderson Springs wastewater collection system.

The community also will celebrate homes that will be rebuilt in the area and remember the two-year anniversary of the Valley fire.

Refreshments will be provided and the community is invited to attend.

Congressman Mike Thompson, Sen. Mike McGuire, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Lake County officials and state agency representatives will all be on hand to participate in the event.

“I cannot say thank you enough for the amazing work by so many at the local, state and federal levels of government who have made these projects a reality,” Sen. McGuire said. “Sept. 30 will be a true milestone in the recovery process from these devastating fires. We all know there is a lot more work in front of us, but we wanted to take a moment to celebrate these important investments that will help make South Lake County stronger in the years to come.”

The event on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 30, will be emceed by Sen. McGuire and will kick off with Congressman Thompson, acting as emcee.

Aguiar-Curry, Lake County Supervisors Rob Brown and Moke Simon, as well as representatives from Cal Fire, the State Water Board and the California Department of Emergency Services also will be on hand to speak at the event.

The officials will then ceremonially “break ground” on the Anderson Springs Wastewater Collection System.

“Two years ago, the Valley fire tore through our community, taking homes, livelihoods and equity from thousands in our community,” said Thompson. “Today, while we still have a long way to go, I’m so proud of how we’ve been able to rally together and make significant progress in rebuilding. The Anderson Springs wastewater project is another big step towards getting our county back on its feet. Between this and the rest of the ongoing recovery efforts under way in south Lake County, I have no doubt that we will rebuild our community stronger and better than ever.”

“The residents of Lake County are some of the most resilient people I’ve met throughout Assembly District 4,” Aguiar-Curry said. “I am honored to work alongside Congressman Thompson, Sen. McGuire and the local community to help rebuild, revitalize and support economic development in Lake County.”
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will present awards to employees for service to the county and will consider the second reading of an ordinance regarding outdoor marijuana cultivation.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

At 9:30 a.m., the board will present the annual employee service awards.

In an untimed item, the board will hold a second reading of an ordinance amending Article 72 of the Lake County Code to allow the outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana, or cannabis, in "RL" Rural Lands and to create a certification of compliance process for cannabis cultivation. The first reading was approved at last week’s meeting.

The full agenda is below.

CONSENT AGENDA

7.1: Approve advisory board appointment of Margaret Sanders for the Western Regional Town Hall or WRTH.

7.2: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held June 27, 2017, and July 11, 2017.

7.3: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and St. Helena Hospital for the fiscal year 2017-18 for a contract maximum of $100,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.

7.4: Adopt a resolution to approve Lake County's application for No Place Like Home Technical Assistance Funds, authorize the Lake County Behavioral Health Administrator to sign and submit the funding application and authorize the Lake County Behavioral Health administrator to sign the resulting funding agreement with the state of California.

7.5: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Softfile Business Services for records management services in an amount not to exceed $50,000 and authorize the chair to sign.

7.6: Approve waiver of Anti-Nepotism Policy Section 2203.1 for Celia Hoberg.

7.7: Approve amendment two to agreement between the county of Lake and Quincy Engineering Inc. for final design and right-of-way services for the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road Corridor Improvement Project in Lake County for an increase of $162,843.73; and authorize the chair to sign.

7.8: Authorize blanket approval for long-distance travel by Child Welfare Services social workers to conduct case related activities on behalf of juvenile and non-minor dependents in court-ordered placement through juvenile court within and/or outside the state of California.

TIMED ITEMS

8.2, 9:15 a.m.: Hearing, consideration of appeal of nuisance abatement; located at 2765 Larches Way, Clearlake Oaks (APN 062-511-15 - John Laughridge and Brenda Allen Nance).

8.3, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of Employee Service Awards.

8.4, 9:44 a.m.: Consideration of projects for community development block grant applications under the 2016 Butte and Valley Wildfire Recovery Disaster Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and direction to staff.

8.5, 9:45 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration and discussion of community development block grant notice of funding availability.

8.6, 10 a.m.: Hearing, consideration of appeal of nuisance abatement, located at 6825 Virginia, Lucerne (APN 006-342-16 - Dennis Cowels, property owner; Ernest Jones, tenant).

UNTIMED ITEMS

9.2: Consideration of subordination agreement with the city of Clearlake Redevelopment Agency.

9.3: Second reading, consideration of ordinance amending Article 72 of the Lake County Code to allow the outdoor cultivation of medical cannabis in "RL" Rural Lands and to create a certification of compliance process for cannabis cultivation.

CLOSED SESSION

10.2: Public employee evaluations: Child Support Services director.

10.3: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(2), (e)(3) – Claim of PG&E.

10.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1) – Loberg v. County of Lake, et al.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Blog Left ad
Posted On

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest visitors may notice more Forest Service and contract employees working in developed and dispersed recreation sites and along forest roads soon.

They will be wearing bright orange vests and standing near a sign that says “Traffic Survey Ahead.” These well-trained interviewers want to know about your visit to the National Forest.

The National Visitor Use Monitoring survey has already been conducted once on every National Forest in the country.

The Mendocino National Forest is working to update the information previously gathered as well as to look at recreation trends over time.

The information provides National Forest managers with an estimate of how many people actually recreate on federal lands and what activities they engage in while there.

Other important information is how satisfied people were with their visit and the economic impact of your recreation visit on the local economy.

So many small towns are struggling and they hope that tourism may help strengthen their communities. This is one way to estimate the effects, forest officials said.

This recreation visitor program gathers basic visitor information. All responses are totally confidential, in fact a person’s name is never written anywhere on the survey.

The interview lasts about eight minutes. Every other visitor is asked a few additional questions which may take an extra five minutes.

The questions visitors are asked include: where they recreated on the forest, how many people they traveled with, how long they were on the forest, what other recreation sites they visited while on the forest, and how satisfied they were with the facilities and services provided.

About a third of the visitors will be asked to complete a confidential survey on recreation spending during their trip.

Information collected in this national study will be used in local forest planning, at the state level and even by Congress.

The more they know about the visitors, especially their satisfaction and desires, the better managers can provide for their needs.

Although the survey is entirely voluntary, forest officials appreciate it if visitors pull up and answer a few questions.

Forest officials said it’s important to gather information from local people using the forest as well as out-of-area visitors so all types of visitors are represented in the study.

Please contact Katy Rich at 530-934-1199 for additional information or visit http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum/.
Posted On

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – To keep his constituents informed about the latest on the Cassidy-Graham health bill, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis, Yuba City) is hosting two tele-town halls on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The town halls will take place at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with a telephone callout to be made to thousands of District Three residents.

In addition, all residents can listen live on the Facebook stream at http://www.facebook.com/repgaramendi. It will be the topmost link all day tomorrow and questions can be asked through the online platform.

Garamendi’s office said the Cassidy-Graham health bill is more harmful to Third Congressional District residents than any health bill considered this year

Health care experts will be on both calls to answer questions from constituents and address specific impacts on the Third District.
Posted On

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake Family Resource Center will once again present events and activities in October as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Organizers say it takes a coordinated effort from all corners of the community – individuals, advocates, community groups, law enforcement, faith-based organizations and schools – to combat the scourge of domestic violence with intervention and prevention, and to declare that it will no longer be tolerated in the community.

The center encourages the community to help break the silence by participating in the following events.

Three domestic violence proclamations will be presented in October.

The Lakeport City Council will present its proclamation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.; the Clearlake City Council’s proclamation is planned for Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive; and the Board of Supervisors will offer its proclamation at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The community is urged to attend and support the efforts of the agencies assisting victims of domestic violence and to increase their involvement in efforts to prevent further violence.

On Wednesday, Oct. 11, “Health Cares about Domestic Violence Day” takes place.

Health care providers and community members are encouraged to wear the color purple, the symbolic hue for domestic violence awareness.

Purple represents the courage, survival, honor and dedication needed to end domestic violence, and also serves to remember victims and honor survivors. It also has a long history of being used as a symbol by those seeking justice.

This day aims to reach members of the health care community with education about the critical importance of screening for domestic violence.

Then join them for the fourth annual “Power of the Purple Walk” at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, rain or shine, at Lake Family Resource Center, located at 5350 Main St., Kelseyville.

Participants are encouraged to raise awareness of the issue by embracing the color purple, with the town of Kelseyville to be decorated with the color.

The walk is an untimed and free event, however, donations are gratefully accepted. Once the walk is completed, cake and souvenirs will be offered.

The "Dyeing to End Domestic Violence" fundraiser also will take place in October.

This will be an eye-catching, month-long awareness event where individuals are encouraged to color their hair purple for domestic violence awareness. Challenge someone to dye their hair purple and make a pledge at a dollar a day for each day their hair goes purple.

Collect as many sponsors as possible. Sponsorship forms are available www.facebook.com/DyeingToEndDV or at 5350 Main St. Kelseyville.

All pledges/donations will benefit Lake Family Resource Center’s domestic violence prevention program.
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In a special meeting last week, the Lakeport Planning Commission sat down to consider for the first time proposed regulations that would guide the development of commercial marijuana operations in the city limits.

The Wednesday meeting ran nearly three and a half hours as the commission reviewed a series of rules that had been created by a working group of city staff formed at the direction of the Lakeport City Council, which staff said has indicated it wants rules in place by year’s end.

City Associate Planner Dan Chance said the regulations were based on the voter-approved Proposition 64 and SB 94, the latter adopted by the State Legislature in June.

He said staff has developed marijuana, or cannabis, regulations, into two tracks – personal and commercial.

For personal, the city is amending the marijuana ordinance already in place. Those updates were reviewed in February, and Chance said staff will be bringing them back to the commission for further review.

On the separate commercial track, Chance said staff has been working on developing performance standards and doing the appropriate zoning classifications and definitions, including commercial, industrial and heavy commercial.

He said planning staff has met several times with the working group – composed of Mayor Stacey Mattina and Councilwoman Mireya Turner, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, City Attorney David Ruderman, City Manager Margaret Silveira and a Community Development Department staffer – to go over the recommendations.

The staff report said that the working group aimed “to balance the demand for commercial cannabis operations while at the same time limiting their visibility within the community and reducing potential negative impacts.”

As part of that effort, the working group recommended prohibiting outdoor cultivation activities, including keeping nursery activities indoors; limiting commercial cannabis activities to the service commercial and industrial zoning districts; requiring review and approval of an operations plan by the Lakeport Police Department prior to issuance of a development permit; controlling for potential odor impacts; and limiting retail sales to delivery only, prohibiting storefront retail, based on the staff report and staff comments at the meeting.

Chance emphasized that the commission was just looking at recommendations – nothing was written in stone – and the commission’s input would be used to craft a final document.

“The whole purpose of this evening is an open discussion on this topic,” said Community Development Director Kevin Ingram.

He said the recommendations weren’t yet in full ordinance form, and that it was a starting point.

A joint meeting of the city council and planning commission is set for Oct. 3; afterward, the staff will produce a full ordinance for the commission’s Oct. 11 meeting, Ingram said.

He said the state wants local governments to come up with their own rules by the end of this year. Many communities are like Lakeport and trying to get the rules in place by that deadline, Ingram added.

Commissioner Michael Green said he didn’t believe that the end-of-year time frame is a hard deadline, and suggested the city could put a placeholder ordinance on the books while it works on a more long-term document.

While he said he liked a lot of what he saw in the document, Green voiced concern about the process that produced it, which relied on a working group of city officials and staff. He said the best ordinances in the state have come from a more open and inclusive process, and suggested that some of the errors in the work could have been prevented by having members of industry and the general public involved.

Silveira said the city could have more workshops if the council and commission thought it necessary, adding it would be difficult to come up with a different committee due to time constraints.

“Ordinances can be changed. It's not an easy process but they can be changed,” she said.

Commissioner Michael Froio asked why the city was looking at the topic in the first place, and questioned what the city has to gain or lose. He wanted to know if they are looking at tax revenue or to stay out of trouble with the state.

Silveira said they are looking at what’s in the best interest of the community, as well as abiding by the state’s rules. It’s not necessarily a matter of revenue generation, she added.

While Silveira indicated revenue wasn’t the chief consideration, Green said that the city needed to have a cannabis tax on the table to go with its proposed regulations.

He said he wanted to see such a tax measure on the 2018 city ballot. “I do see it as a revenue generator. Maybe not a huge one.”

During the discussion, Green acknowledged that dispensaries and outdoor cultivation can be contentious when considering such rules. He said he didn’t think cultivation would work in such a small city, but on the other hand said he believed the city is an ideal location for industrial activities.

Green said there is a fairly limited window of time for the city to attract the best of the best in the cannabis industry. Overall, he said Lake County is falling behind to some extent.

Cities are ideal places to local services, he said. “If we want the best of the best, it would behoove us to act sooner than later.”

Being able to attract top-quality companies would put Lakeport on the map, Green suggested.

In response to Green’s concern about a cannabis tax, Silveira said there is still time to put such a measure on the November 2018 ballot.

Commissioner Ken Wicks Jr. said he wanted the commission to look at the broader picture, and how the impacts could play out 10 years down the line.

He said Lakeport has been looking for opportunities to partner with businesses. “This is not likely to go away.”

While the marijuana industry now appears mostly centered in edibles and smoking, Wicks said he expected pharmaceutical uses to be involved in the future.

“You're going to have a whole different animal happening in commercial cannabis distribution,” he said, with a broader range of businesses deciding they can come and do business in Lakeport.

Green said the topic of pharmaceuticals is a whole different discussion and it’s years out. Meanwhile, he said there already is a lot of manufacturing going on.

Wicks said cannabis is going to generate taxes, and he pointed to the 39 possible licenses for the product under the new state laws. “Which means there's a whole lot of things happening,” he said, adding that he believes everything will straighten itself out.

One of the concerns for commissioners during the meeting was public outreach. Only about half a dozen community members were in the audience for the discussion, despite the city’s attempt at outreach and articles in local media ahead of the meeting.

However, compared to other meetings the city has held regarding marijuana, the turnout appeared normal. Unlike the city of Clearlake and the county of Lake, Lakeport hasn’t had large turnouts of growers and industry members for meetings on its rules.

Of the small group present for the Wednesday meeting, only one person, businessman Ron Rose, spoke during public comment.

Rose said he was there because he wanted to open a dispensary in downtown Lakeport.

However, based on the state-required buffers from parks and schools, Ingram said having a dispensary in the downtown may be difficult.

Other points made during the commission’s discussion included Green’s concerns about not having storefront dispensaries and the need to capture taxes. He said they shouldn’t exclude any license type, including the possibility of allowing for vapor lounges.

He said he also wanted to be friendly to testing labs, as landing one could be a coup for the city.

Key points of consensus the commission reached during the meeting included agreeing with the working group on not allowing any form of outdoor commercial cultivation and asking staff to investigate the timelines to put a commercial cannabis tax on the ballot next year.

The commission also voted unanimously to have the city initiate a text amendment to the zoning ordinance to develop commercial cannabis regulations.

In addition to the Oct. 3 joint meeting of the commission and council, other key dates on the ordinance implementation schedule include the Oct. 11 Lakeport Planning Commission, when the commission will review the draft ordinance staff will put together; a first reading by the city council on Nov. 7; and a potential second and final reading of the ordinance at the city council’s Nov. 21 or Dec. 5 meeting.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

092017 Lakeport Planning Commission meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sacramento man died on Saturday after his dirt bike collided with an off-road vehicle in a remote area on the Northshore.

The California Highway Patrol on Monday did not release the name of the 24-year-old crash victim pending notification of next of kin.

The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said the crash occurred at 2:55 p.m. Saturday on Bartlett Springs Road west of Walker Ridge Road.

The Sacramento man was riding a 2002 Yamaha dirt bike eastbound on Bartlett Springs Road while Adam Anderson, 44, of Martinez was traveling westbound in a 2017 Can-Am Maverick, the CHP said.

The CHP said the drivers were approaching each other and negotiating a curve in the road when, for reasons still under investigation, they collided head-on.

Following the wreck, the dirt bike’s rider succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

The CHP said Anderson was determined to not be under the influence. Due to the Yamaha driver’s injuries, officials don’t yet know his sobriety status.

Neither Anderson nor his passenger, 38-year-old Artem Martinov of Lafayette, were injured, the CHP said.

All three individuals were using their safety equipment at the time of the crash, according to the CHP report.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the return of cooler weather and reduced wildfire dangers, the Bureau of Land Management has rescinded fire restrictions on public lands managed by the Ukiah and Arcata field offices in Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Yolo, Colusa, Glenn and Solano counties.

The BLM is also lifting restrictions on target shooting that have been in effect since midsummer on public lands managed by the Ukiah Field Office.

Easing of restrictions means that public land visitors can again use campfires outside of developed campgrounds and posted recreation sites.

Campfire permits are required. Permits are available at the BLM Ukiah Field Office, 2550 N. State St.in Ukiah or the Arcata Field Office, 1695 Heindon Road, Arcata.

“Even though we’ve had rain, people still need to be careful with fire,” said Tim Jones, fire management officer for the BLM. “Fires should never be used on windy days, and it is imperative that campers fully extinguish campfires before leaving a campsite.”

The BLM is committed to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive.

More information is available by telephoning the Ukiah Field Office, 707-468-4000, or the Arcata Field Office, 707-825-2300.
Posted On

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Local and state firefighters contained a fire that occurred late Monday night along Highway 29 near Lower Lake.

The fire off Highway 29 and Hofacker Lane was first reported at about 10:20 p.m., with units dispatched from Cal Fire, Lake County Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire’s Clearlake Oaks station, according to radio reports.

The first units on scene reported over the radio that two small fires had burned together up the hill on the side of northbound Highway 29, just north of Hofacker. No structures were threatened.

Just after 11:15 p.m. the fire’s forward progress was reported to be stopped, and just after 11:35 p.m. it was reported to be contained at three acres, according to reports from the scene.

Cal Fire’s incident commander at the scene reported at that point that resources were expected to remain on scene for five hours.

Units at the scene had asked the California Highway Patrol to close the northbound lane of traffic while the firefighting effort was under way.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday the CHP reported that traffic was still being diverted around the fire area, with Caltrans putting a closure in place at Highway 29 at Spruce Grove Road South and directing traffic onto Spruce Grove Road.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Posted On


MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Rotary International has been instrumental in collective efforts around the world to put an end to the dreaded disease that once crippled 35,000 children a year, in the US alone. The Rotary Club of Middletown has long been active in raising funds toward that end.

That goal is in sight: The United State has experienced no active polio cases since 1979 and there have been none in the western hemisphere in 1991.

Although a minimal 75 cases were recorded the spread of polio continues in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

The live virus has been reintroduced in Chad and Republic of the Congo, proving that the disease could gain a foothold again if not totally eradicated.

Next Sunday, Oct. 1, proceeds of a pasta feed at Middletown Mansion, offered by local Rotarians, will go toward fighting polio.

The feed begins at 4 p.m. at 20650 Highway 29 less than a mile north of Middletown.

The fight against polio is but one of the commendable efforts of local Rotarians. Among others, Middletown members have for many years traveled to small towns in Jalisco, Mexico, where their personal labor results in considerable improvement to essential infrastructure in those communities.

Efforts by individual Rotarians also are noteworthy.

In August, Rotarian Monica Rosenthal participated in a six-day Pedal 4 Polio bike ride and garnered an appreciable amount of donations from south Lake County residents for the local chapter to send to the anti-polio effort.

In November, local runner Brien Crothers will join the fight against polio with his entry in the famed six-day Marathon des Sables, which this year will stretch for 155 miles across the scorching sands of the Ica Desert, Peru.

When the goal is so close, at a time when we all live among people and products transported from every corner of the world, putting an end to polio is unquestionably a worthy cause.

You can help, without making all that much of a commitment. Simply enjoy a fun evening with good food, good music and good companionship.

Tickets to the pasta feed can be purchased, for $20 each, at www.middletowncarotary.org, by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling Kathey at 707-355-0393.
Posted On

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department has a new piece of equipment to use during investigations and critical incidents thanks to the generosity of the Lake County Fire Protection District.

Acting Clearlake Police Department Chief Tim Celli said the agency recently received a surplus ambulance from Lake County Fire, with the ambulance to serve as a police incident command vehicle.

Celli said it will be useful to police officers and staff in a variety of functions, including crime scene investigation as well as at other scenes or incidents where it might be necessary to form a unified command or have bulk equipment on hand.

He said investigations staff had expressed the need for a crime scene or evidence vehicle for some time.

Staff could also have used such a vehicle on several occasions, including large-scale search operations during missing persons cases for planning and information gathering, various crime scenes where it was necessary to have specialized equipment for evidence gathering and as an incident command during the evacuations for the Clayton fire last year, Celli said.

Celli said staff realized that having certain equipment readily available and on hand would make responses more efficient and save time for employees who would otherwise have to shuttle equipment back and forth to on-scene personnel as needed.

Command staff recognized the usefulness and efficiency that a vehicle like this could bring to emergency efforts and reached out to the Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta to find out if he or his staff could help them find such a vehicle on a limited budget, Celli said.

It was at that time that Chief Sapeta told the police department that his district would soon be able to surplus one of the ambulances from its emergency fleet. Celli said police staff thought this vehicle would be the right fit to suit the needs of the department.

When the Lake County Fire Protection Board heard of the police department’s need, intended use and the efficiency it would bring for various operations, it voted unanimously to surplus the vehicle to the police department, Celli said.

Celli said the vehicle has received a fresh coat of paint and was marked with the police department logos. The vehicle also will be outfitted with equipment funded through leftover funds from AB 109 grant and asset forfeiture.

“I believe this vehicle will help staff operate at a more efficient level when timing is critical,” Celli said.

“The Clearlake Police Department and Lake County Fire Protection District have built a good working relationship together, especially on emergency operations,” he added. “I want to thank the Lake County Fire Protection District for their generosity and all the help they have given us throughout the years. I look forward to the continued partnership.”

LCNews

Responsible local journalism on the shores of Clear Lake.

 

Memberships:

 

Search