The COVID-19 pandemic has generated mind-numbing statistics over the past two years: half a billion cases, 6 million deaths, 1 million in the U.S. alone. But another, less-publicized global scourge preceded it and is likely to outlast it: traffic deaths and injuries.
Around 1.35 million people die each year on the world’s roads, and another 20 million to 50 million are seriously injured. Half of these deaths and many of the injuries involve pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists – the most vulnerable users of roads and streets.
Around the world, someone dies from a road accident every 25 seconds. The head of the United Nations Road Safety Fund has called road deaths and injuries a “silent epidemic on wheels”.
It may seem like hyperbole to talk about road deaths as equivalent to pandemic diseases, but the numbers make the case. Road fatalities are now the top cause of death for children and young adults worldwide between the ages of 5 and 29, and the seventh-leading cause of death overall in low-income countries.
Crashes cause serious economic harm to victims and their families, as well as to the broader society. A 2019 study estimated that between 2015 and 2030, road injuries will cost the global economy almost $1.8 trillion.
Richer nations have had mass automobile traffic longer than lower-income countries, so they have had more time to develop strategies and tactics to reduce accidents and fatalities. For example, in 1937 – in an era when traffic death in the streets of cities like New York was considered a routine part of metropolitan life – the U.S. road death rate was 31 per 100,000. That’s about the same as today’s rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lower-income countries tend to have vehicles that are less safe; poorer roads; more vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, sharing urban space with vehicles; and poorer medical care, which means injury can more easily lead to death. These nations also have less ability to introduce or enforce traffic laws.
Traffic in Manila, Philippines.John Rennie Short, CC BY-ND
Traffic incidents in higher-income counties often only involve one or two people. In lower-income countries, incidents tend to involve multiple passengers.
For example, in 2021 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a fuel truck collided with a crowded bus 110 miles outside the capital of Kinshasa, killing 33 people. Deadly road incidents are frequent in the DRC, where the roads are poor, there are many unsafe older vehicles, many drivers are not properly trained and drinking and driving is common.
For many middle-income countries, the challenge is a very rapid increase in vehicular traffic as the population becomes more urban and more people earn enough money to buy motorcycles and cars. This quick rise can overwhelm the carrying capacity of urban roads.
In the US, less regulation and more deaths
There also are differences among richer countries. In 1994, Europe and the United States had the same traffic death rates, but by 2020 Americans were over three times more likely to die on the road than Europeans.
Traffic deaths in the U.S. rose by more than 10% from 2020 to 2021.
Today, 12 people are killed in traffic per 100,000 annually in the U.S., compared to 4 per 100,000 in the Netherlands and Germany, and only 2 per 100,000 in Norway. The difference reflects more aggressive programs across Europe to reduce speeds, greater investment in mass transit and stricter drunk driving enforcement.
The U.S. doesn’t just lag behind other rich countries in promoting road safety. In recent years, traffic deaths in the U.S. have increased. After a gradual reduction over 50 years, fatalities soared to a 16-year high in 2021 when almost 43,000 people died. Pedestrian deaths hit a 40-year high at 7,500.
Cyclist and pedestrian traffic deaths were rising even before the pandemic, as cities encouraged walking and biking without providing adequate infrastructure. Painting a white line on a busy street is not a substitute for providing a fully protected, designated bicycle lane.
Two harmful narratives about traffic safety
Two narratives often cloud discussions of traffic fatalities. First, calling these events “accidents” normalizes what I view as a slaughter of innocents. It is part of the cult of automobility and the primacy that the U.S. affords to fast-moving vehicular traffic.
Automobility has created a special form of space – roads and highways – where deaths and injuries are considered “accidents.” In my view, this is an extreme form of environmental injustice. Historically disadvantaged groups and poorer communities are overrepresented in traffic deaths and injuries.
The second misleading narrative holds that nearly all road deaths and injuries are caused by human error. Public officials regularly blame poor drivers, distracted pedestrians and aggressive bicyclists for street deaths.
People do take too many risks. In recent years, AAA’s annual traffic safety culture survey has found that a majority of drivers view unsafe driving behaviors, such as texting while driving or speeding on highways, as extremely or very dangerous. But significant numbers of drivers report engaging in those behaviors anyway.
But as urban studies expert David Zipper has pointed out, a persistent myth often cited by government agencies and the media asserts that 94% of accidents in the U.S. are caused by individual drivers. This bloated figure has successfully shifted responsibility away from other factors such as car design, traffic infrastructure and the need for more effective public policies.
Former New York City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan visits a street in Queens that was closed to cars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates are campaigning to make the closure permanent.
Governments have the tools
As I see it, road traffic deaths and injuries are not accidents. They are incidents that can be prevented and reduced. Doing that will require governments and urban planners to reimagine transportation systems not just for speed and efficiency, but also for safety and livability.
That will mean protecting motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians from vehicular traffic and reducing traffic speed on urban roads. It also will require better road design, enforcement of traffic laws that make the roads safer, and more effective and enforceable measures that promote safety devices like seat belts, child restraints, and helmets for bikers and motorcyclists.
Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, making streets safer doesn’t require designing new solutions in laboratories. What’s needed is the will to apply tools that have been shown to work.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Redwood Credit Union Branch Experience Manager Becky Perez and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg with the Advocate of the Year Award at the 14th annual Early Educator Awards Dinner on Friday, May 13, 2022, at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Office of Education’s Lake County Quality Counts held its 14th annual Early Educator Awards Dinner on May 13 at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
It was a night of celebration, highlighting the hard work and dedication of the early educators in Lake County.
This includes family child care providers, preschool teachers, Head Start, Early Head Start, Migrant Head Start teachers, North Coast Opportunities Rural Communities Child Care and First 5 Lake County.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg were on hand to acknowledge the good work of all 39 nominees.
“Research shows that quality early childhood education is associated with higher measures of early language and math development,” Falkenberg said. “Congratulations to all of the nominees who work so hard to provide that quality experience to the youngest members of Lake County.”
The Early Educator Award recipients for 2022 are:
• Preschool Teacher Award: Denise Villalobos, NCO Head Start.
• Infant/Toddler Teacher Award: Audrey Edlow, Early Head Start.
• Outstanding Program Support Award: Paige Braun, Early Head Start.
• Home Visitor Award: Brook Diggs, Early Head Start.
• Inclusion Award: Aldo Rodriguez, NCO Head Start.
• Leading the Field Award: Jamie Castaldo, NCO Rural Communities Child Care.
• Advocate Award: Soledad Aguayo, Easter Seals.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Joy Swartz, NCO Head Start.
Angela Cuellar-Marroquin, Lake County Child Care Planning Council director, explained the importance of these awards. “Early education is the foundation of a successful academic career. It’s a time that we recognize the hard work that the early educators do each and every day.”
This event was made possible through the sponsorship of Redwood Credit Union, Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, First 5 Lake County, NCO Rural Communities Child Care, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Middletown Rancheria Twin Pine Casino, Lake County Department of Social Services, Mary Prather, Learning Genie and That Ranch.
To learn more about the LCOE LCQC program, visit our website at www.lakecoe.org/LCQC.
House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (NY-10) and House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairwoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) have introduced H.R. 7910, Protecting Our Kids Act.
The authors said this legislation includes common sense measures supported by the American people that will help end gun violence and save lives.
“We are all heartbroken by the senseless shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the hate inspired grocery store shooting in Buffalo, as well as the countless lives lost every day to gun violence that are not covered by the media,” said Thompson. “I am proud to join Chairman Nadler and Chairwoman Jackson Lee in introducing the Protect our Kids Act. This live-saving legislation offers families more than thoughts and prayers. It provides common sense measures to help us end gun violence by raising the age to purchase certain firearms, cracking down on gun trafficking, ghost guns and bump stocks, supporting safer storage of firearms, and banning large capacity magazines often used in mass shootings.
“As a lifelong hunter and gun owner, I believe in a law-abiding individual’s right to own a firearm. We also have a responsibility to help keep our schools, streets and communities safe. The Protect our Kids Act respects the Second Amendment while also taking steps necessary to help combat gun violence and help save lives.
“The House, under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, has taken action to pass multiple common sense gun violence prevention measures that would save lives including my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. And we will take further action to pass red flag legislation and the Protect our Kids Act upon our return to Washington next week.
“Despite the overwhelming support of the American people, Senate Republicans have failed to show the courage needed to face the gun lobby and help save lives. The time to act is now.”
The House Judiciary Committee Democrats will markup H.R. 7910, the Protecting Our Kids Act, on Thursday.
H.R. 7910 would:
• Raise the lawful age to purchase a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years old. • Establish a new federal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large capacity magazine, with exceptions for certain law enforcement uses and the possession (but not sale) of grandfathered magazines; allow state and local governments to use the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to compensate individuals who surrender large capacity magazines through a buyback program. • Establish new federal offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchasers and authorize seizure of the property and proceeds of the offense. • Establish voluntary best practices for safe firearm storage and award grants for Safe Firearm Storage Assistance Programs. • Establish requirements to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises; create criminal penalties for violation of the requirements. • Build on ATF’s regulatory bump stock ban by listing bump stocks under the National Firearms Act and statutorily banning the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump stocks for civilian use. • Build on ATF’s regulatory ban of ghost guns by ensuring that ghost guns are subject to existing federal firearm regulation by amending the definition of “firearm” to include gun kits and partial receivers and changing the definition of “manufacturing firearms” to include assembling firearms using 3D printing.
Following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, then-Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed Rep. Mike Thompson Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
This group, consisting of more than 185 Members of Congress, said it is devoted to finding common sense solutions to our nation’s ongoing gun violence epidemic.
The Lincoln Leavitt Insurance All Star Team enjoys the 2021 Hike for Hospice, including from left to right Jill Jensen, Roman Arroyo and Kristy Weiss. Courtesy Photo. LAKEPORT, Calif. — Hospice Services of Lake County will present the seventh annual Hike for Hospice, a fundraising and friend-raising event, on Saturday, June 11, starting at 9 a.m., at Highland Springs Park.
Hikers and walkers who want to participate in the hike are encouraged to pre-register at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hsolcp2p, call 707-263.6222, or register on the day of the hike.
Each hiker 12 years and older is asked to donate $10 for registration, and a $25 donation qualifies hikers for an event T-shirt.
Hikers or teams of hikers are encouraged to have family and friends sponsor their hikes by donating to Hospice Services of Lake County.
Participants may invite their supporters to go online and donate on their behalf, or they may collect donations and bring them to the event as they check in to hike.
Hikers will start their trek after checking in by 9 a.m. at Highland Springs Park, 3600 E. Highland Springs Road, with an anticipated end time of 10:30 a.m.
Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the picnic area near the reservoir. Hikers may choose one of four expertly marked hiking trails by trailblazer Kim Riley. Trails are one, two, three or 4.5 miles long. Hikes range from very gentle to a bit more challenging.
As hikers return, the fun continues with refreshments, lively music and awards given in categories such as “most money raised by an individual and team” and “most creatively dressed individual/team.” Creative apparel is highly encouraged.
This event is supported by many generous sponsors committed to the compassionate care provided by Hospice Services including Calpine, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lake County Tribal Health, VanDerWall Engineering, Strong Financial Network, Jonas Energy Solutions, Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary and Crematory, California Exterminators Alliance, Shelly Reed/Century 21 Epic, Adventist Health Clear Lake, Lincoln Leavitt Insurance Agency Inc, Michaels Insurance Services, Sterling Mortgage, The UPS Store, Carlton Tire, Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, Lucerne Roofing Corp., Community First Credit Union, Lake Parts Inc. and Aponte Barrel Works.
Highland Springs Park is off Highway 29 past the Lampson Field Airport. Donations from this event will support the Wings of Hope children’s programs and serve the special needs of Hospice patients.
For more information, to register to hike or to sponsor a hiker, go to www.lakecountyhospice.org, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-6222.
Janine Smith-Citron is director of development for Hospice Services of Lake County.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Kelseyville Presbyterian Church is inviting the community to come and join in the celebration of its 150th anniversary.
The church was founded in 1872, just 11 years after the county of Lake was formed.
It serves the community in a variety of ways, from hosting a regular food pantry that has continued during the pandemic to being an important meeting space for groups and organizations.
The church will host a preview of its celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, June 3.
Stop in and see the storyboards that reflect the rich history of the church within the Kelseyville community.
All are welcome to join the congregation on Friday evening for the preview or on Sunday, June 5, for their special worship service beginning at 9:30 a.m. with an old hymn sing-along.
Kelseyville Presbyterian is located at 5340 Third St.
For more information call the church at 707-279-1104.
From left, Paul Flores and Patrick Sullivan. Courtesy photos.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — This June, Lake County voters will find themselves deciding on a key financial position in the county’s government, but one that they will not have seen on the ballot as part of a contested election in some time.
After nearly 10 years in the office, Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen will retire at the end of this year.
Ringen has worked for the county of Lake for more than 30 years. The Board of Supervisors appointed her to the treasurer-tax collector job in 2013 after the departure of Sandra Kacharos — who was elected in 2006 and again in 2010, without a contest — for an out-of-county position. Before Kacharos, Kay Litton held the job for 15 years.
Since her appointment, Ringen has been elected twice, both in uncontested elections.
Her last term has been a rocky one, with the Board of Supervisors at one point trying to force her to resign, which she initially agreed to do before pushing back. The board also had considered a no confidence action against her in the summer of August 2020 but ultimately didn’t take it.
Her office failed for several years to hold tax defaulted property sales and after the sales resumed, the city of Clearlake’s dissatisfaction with the number of properties from its jurisdiction that made it into the sales led to a lawsuit against the county and Ringen filed in August 2020 that is still in play.
With Ringen retiring, and with no one from her office running — the assistant treasurer has only been in that job for three years — it left an open seat and has led to the first contested election for the treasurer-tax collector’s job in decades.
First to throw his hat into the ring was Patrick Sullivan, Lake County’s tax administrator, a position he accepted in 2018. He announced his candidacy in December.
Sullivan, who also is a licensed attorney, has extensive experience in key projects that have brought additional revenue to the county, from cannabis tax to transient occupancy tax collection from vacation home rentals, to helping better manage the county’s investments.
Those projects have required him to work across departments, which helped him become knowledgeable about the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office and other fiscal agencies.
Sullivan sees improving the county’s financial resources as being a path to improving the quality of life for Lake County residents.
Locally, no other candidates came forward to succeed Ringen. “There's not a clear line of succession and in most counties there is,” said Sullivan.
But when the filings closed for the office on March 11, there was another name to go before voters — Paul Flores.
Flores moved to the county earlier this year but he said his family has had a vacation home in Lakeport for decades.
“It’s been a really strange campaign,” said Sullivan, who said he’s run it “full steam ahead,” with more than 150 endorsements from county leaders and residents on his website.
Part of that strangeness came from Flores’ sudden appearance in the race. He worked in the Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office 20 years ago but left for Southern California, a move he said was necessitated because his wife, a Southern California native, felt too isolated here.
However, when Flores heard about Ringen’s retirement, he said he set his sights on the job. In February Flores registered as a voter in Lake County, a step necessary to run for office.
Flores said he has been living in Lake County on and off for six months but he says allegations that he’s a carpetbagger” aren’t fair. He said he has long standing roots in the county, spends time every summer here, his children were born here, his daughter works for a local doctor and his sister lives in Lucerne.
In a recent forum held by the Middletown Area Town Hall, Flores said he’s “coming in as an outsider” and feels he doesn’t need endorsements initially nor does he want to get entangled with them. Instead, he said he’s interested in policy, process and procedure.
At that same forum, Flores said the choice comes down to being between “insider versus an outsider” — meaning Sullivan and himself, respectively.
Part of the criticism of Flores has arisen from the resume he has circulated to prospective voters that shows him with a Long Beach address. He acknowledged during an interview with Lake County News that handing out that resume with an out-of-county address was a mistake.
During the interview for this story he also displayed several significant gaps in his knowledge about Lake County’s government, including the $21 million in raises the Board of Supervisors approved during the pandemic, local sales tax measures and the status of the county’s investment pool, something he said he’s particularly interested in improving.
Sullivan’s background and history
Patrick Sullivan grew up in Sonoma County, completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego and then came back to Northern California.
Sullivan, 37, attended law school at Golden Gate University and during law school served as a law clerk for two years in the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. Today he is a licensed attorney and is a member of the Lake County Bar Association.
His experience in government includes working for six and a half years for the Mendocino County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office, where he was an elected trustee of that county’s pension’s investment pool and benefits system.
He and his wife, Anakalia “Andrea” Kaluna Sullivan, have been married for eight years and have three young children. Andrea Sullivan also heads up the county’s indigent defense contract.
It was while Patrick Sullivan was working for the county of Mendocino that Lake County’s new tax administrator’s job opened in 2018. It felt tailored to him and “seemed like a good opportunity for us.”
At the time they were living in Ukiah and his wife was commuting to Lake County. In 2019 they first moved to Upper Lake where they lived until a few months ago, when they moved to Lakeport.
As tax administrator, a job located in the County Administrative Office, Sullivan has been key to completing some complex projects that have benefited the county’s finances, including bringing vacation rental owners into compliance with paying transient occupancy tax, or bed tax, like hotels, motels and resorts do.
He’s also played an important role in developing and improving the county’s cannabis tax program, and monitoring the county’s cannabis tax revenues.
Sullivan helped bring $15.7 million in state grants to the county to support at-risk students, fund code enforcement, combat illegal cannabis cultivation and state investment in the community.
He also assisted with making tax-defaulted property data publicly available and played a role in the tax sharing agreement reached between the county of Lake and the city of Lakeport for the South Main Street annexation area.
One of the accomplishments he’s most proud of is helping the county to bring on a licensed and credentialed financial adviser to handle its investments. Sullivan took the lead on that collaborative effort between the Board of Supervisors, the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office and the firm the county hired, Chandler Asset Management.
Sullivan said counties normally delegate the investment authority to the treasurer-tax collector, but they’re not usually well equipped to do it. Last year the board took that responsibility back from Ringen’s office and went out for a request for proposals, ultimately hiring Chandler.
With that adviser in place, Sullivan said the county is making investments and purchasing safe, stable instruments, and Chandler is helping the county revamp its investment policy.
Chandlers’ target is just under two years to develop a normalized portfolio like would be seen in a peer county, he said.
Sullivan said he decided to run because he’s worked with the treasurer-tax collector extensively in his current job. Because he’s familiar with the office’s duties and since he’s worked on initiatives that plug into it, he said it made sense that the only way for him to see some of his projects to their completion is to become treasurer-tax collector.
Since all of his goals and ideas rely on having competent employees in place, “Staffing is one of my biggest concerns,” he said.
He explained that it’s been difficult to recruit and retain staff in the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office, with experienced people transferring to other departments or leaving altogether. As a result, the level of experience in the office is declining, which Sullivan finds scary.
However, he’s hopeful due to recent hires, which he believes are helped by the millions of dollars in raises the Board of Supervisors approved. Sullivan said those raises make Lake County more competitive.
Sullivan said he would be more active in recruitment and plans outreach efforts involving the community colleges. The goal is to create opportunities within the office so staff doesn’t leave for another department. “That’s so important, to give people a path forward, within the office.”
As he’s looking at the improvements he wants to make, Sullivan is mindful of a larger shift taking place at the county due to retirements.
Sullivan, as part of a younger generation of government leaders, said he’s concerned about the amount of institutional knowledge the county is losing not just with Ringen but with Auditor-Controller/County Clerk Cathy Saderlund, who is retiring in January and whose deputy Jenavive Herrington is running unopposed; and with the April departure of county administrative officer and his former boss, Carol Huchingson.
Flores’ background and history
“My family’s been coming up here since the 1950s,” and has owned property here since the 1960s, Flores said.
The property the family owns now includes a home on Esplanade in Lakeport. Flores said he met his wife on the home’s opposing dock.
In 1997, after he had been held up in four separate armed robberies — two of them involving a gun being held to his head — Flores said his wife wanted to leave Southern California. So they came to Lake County and lived in Point Lakeview near Lower Lake.
Flores, 54, worked for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians for a short time before joining the county of Lake in January 1998. He worked first as an IT analyst until March 2000, when he moved over to the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office which he said he did at the request of then-Treasurer-Tax Collector Kay Litton.
During his time at the county, Flores said he turned on the Megabyte property tax tracking software for the county 20 years ago and built its accompanying modules.
He remained in the job of deputy treasurer-tax collector until October 2002, when he said he returned to Long Beach because his wife was unhappy living in Lake County.
His resume shows he was a financial and administrative analyst for California State University, Long Beach, from July 2004 to July 2015. Flores said he doubled the efficiencies and was moved around to other units; he made eight moves in 11 years, which he said was a matter of his being successful in making improvements in various departments.
Flores said he ran into health issues and decided to purchase and remodel his dream home. He then took off two years to work under his own property management company.
He said he realized he still had plenty of work in him, and that he needed an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. work routine because self-employment wasn’t for him and he loves public service.
In July 2017, he went to work for Volt Information Sciences in Orange for a year and a half before he was hired by the county of Orange’s Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office in July 2019 as a cash analyst and assistant cash manager, where he remained until June 2020, managing $10 billion in cash and improving operational and forecasting efficiencies.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic began and Flores left after finishing a contract with Orange County. That’s when he said he went off to do his own thing.
Regarding career accomplishments, Flores said he brought on the Megabyte system in Lake County in 2000. He said he also introduced the bulletproof glass at the Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office based on his experience being robbed at gunpoint in Southern California.
In Lake County, he put the fiber internet connection into place for several departments — Victim Witness, the Veterans Service and Special Districts — and started the project that placed wireless internet equipment on Mount Konocti to get the sheriff’s office and library online before he was transferred to the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office.
He said one of his finest projects was rolling out the average daily balance calculation and program that helped Cal State, Long Beach and 23 other campuses. He also improved cash forecasts and fixed issues in various units, and recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars by introducing better processes.
“I’m a troubleshooter and I hunt for problems,” Flores said.
He said the pandemic shrank the needs and wants of the government. He had a goal of getting another government job and went in for several interviews but a new opportunity didn’t materialize.
Once he realized Ringen was retiring, he said he focused on getting her job, believing he’s a good candidate with his treasury and finance background. Flores said he did not apply to Lake County for any of the many job openings here but just kept his eye on the prize of the treasurer-tax collector’s job.
Flores said he feels that he has so much experience in repair, analysis and fixing systems that it makes sense to come back to the office he was in 20 years ago with new skills.
He said he has his wife’s “tentative” support to come back to Lake County. “She felt so isolated 25 years ago when we were living up here,” he said.
She’s been a teacher for 30 years and he’s hoping she’ll move to Lake County after retiring. He’s also hoping his other adult children will follow.
He doesn’t categorize himself as the better candidate. “I think I offer different skills,” he said, including system engineering, IT, automation and knowledge of the use of data. “I have a stronger set of IT skills than Patrick will offer,” and a deeper tool chest based on his time in public service.
He said he wants to slow down a bit and enjoy public service, noting that whether he or Sullivan is elected, the county will be in good shape.
Flores said he hopes to work for the next five to 10 years. “I just feel that Lake County is a really good fit for me.”
He then hopes to retire and live in Lake County permanently. “Whether I win or not, I love Lake County.”
The forum for treasurer-tax collector's candidates begins at 1:35:40.
What they are hearing from the community
Flores, who has been walking neighborhoods in Lake County’s different communities, said the biggest complaint that he’s heard from the community, particularly in Lakeport and Clearlake, is the roads.
He said he hasn’t dug into the issue with roads, adding that he hasn’t heard about crime being the main issue.
For Sullivan, “The biggest question I get is about payment processing,” he said, explaining the frustration people experience when their checks sit uncashed for months.
In small rural counties like Lake, where a treasurer-tax collector’s office has less than 10 staffers, Sullivan said they can get overwhelmed with tens of thousands of pieces of mail all at once.
However, Sullivan said he thinks there are some things the county can do, including using a service which can more quickly process checks. He said he doesn’t yet know which solution is best, but they need to be explored due to the limited number of employees.
First things first for the new treasurer-tax collector
When asked about his first priority if elected, Flores said it was straightening out the county’s investment and earnings, and making sure the quarterly reports are made as required.
At that point in the interview, he was asked if he knew that the county had hired an investment firm last year that is now handling those responsibilities, and which had submitted the latest quarterly report to the Board of Supervisors on May 10. Flores said he wasn’t aware of that.
Other priorities would be streamlining treasury operations and looking at issues associated with tax defaulted land sales, which he said “was a problem 20 years ago but it has grown in magnitude because of the fires.” He suggested a coalition of public and private concerns could be formed to take a look at the problem.
Flores said there was little turnover at the county when he worked there 20 years ago and he doesn’t know what happened. “I’m here to help,’ he said. “I’m not here to point fingers.”
He suggests there’s a morale problem causing turnover, that there needs to be outreach to find out how other small counties handle it. He also is considering bringing in high school students with accounting backgrounds and collaboration with junior colleges to fill jobs.
Flores said he would also put out a regular community newsletter reporting on financial matters. He’s also considering forming an advisory committee to advise the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office on best practices.
For Sullivan, “This is probably going to be a pretty action packed term,” he said.
He said he’s at the point where he believes he knows enough to know that he doesn’t know enough, and that he wants to have a very clear grasp of who is doing what.
“I’d like to understand what projects everyone has, what they feel is going well, if there is something they foresee as being a problem,” and what changes in practice they suggest. He said he wants to hear all of that from staff.
In addition to recruitment, training and retention, Sullivan wants to modernize the county’s payment options, improve online access, and streamline tax collections and hold timely tax sales, an effort meant to address the concerns that have arisen during Ringen’s tenure.
January will not just be the first month for the new treasurer-tax collector, but that’s when the next installment of cannabis taxes will be due.
Due to the challenges the industry has been experiencing, the supervisors agreed to push back the payments. Sullivan said the January payment will be for the cultivation done this year.
This article has been updated to clarify the uses of $15.7 million in state grants and revenues Sullivan helped bring to the county.
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.
Mendocino College held its first in-person graduation since 2019 on Friday, May 20, 2022, in Ukiah, California. Photo courtesy of Mendocino College. NORTH COAST, Calif. — A day marked by ritual and ceremony, Mendocino College bid a fond farewell to graduating students at its 49th Commencement on Friday, May 20.
It was the first in-person ceremony since 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore graduates from 2020, 2021 and 2022 were all invited to participate.
In his opening remarks, Superintendent/President Tim Karas reminded the graduates, “Education is the great equalizer in this country. You can contribute to that goal. Use all your knowledge, skills, and experience to build communities, shine a light on inequities, and encourage others to join us. Embrace your journey. You can do anything.”
During the ceremony, two students spoke to their fellow graduates.
Graduate Rachel Nichole Klena, who received an Associate's Degree in human services paraprofessional, spoke about her success despite the multiple challenges and obstacles throughout her educational journey.
“Up until I walked onto this path of higher education, I lived a life of “somedays,” “used to’s” and “what-ifs,”” said Klena in her speech. “Yes, I had survived, and yes, my children (woohoo, I love and thank you guys, I thank my wonderful family, [my kids, grandkids, partner, and dear friends] for their support) and they also are finding their paths now, but before school, I never had a journey to adhere to, a mission of my own. I had ... just only ... survived.”
Student-athlete Josue Ismael Jaquez Cigarroa, a Mexican immigrant in DACA, delivered his speech in both English and Spanish.
Cigarroa received an Associate’s Degree in business and hopes to begin working and helping those who require translation in the court system.
In addition to thanking the Mendocino College staff, faculty and programs, Cigarroa said, “My greatest appreciation goes to the baseball program and the athletic department. Thanks to my coaches Brett Ringer, Matt Gordon, Connor Franz, Jeff Truett and Sonny Garza, I was able to play the sport I love for a few years after high school was over. To my baseball teammates that I have been with in these past years. You are not just teammates, you are family.”
Before conferring degrees and certificates to the 219 students in attendance, guest speaker, Lake County's Poet Laureate for 2020-2024, a Fellow with the Academy of American Poets, and Mendocino College alumni, Georgina Marie Guardado wished the graduates with a final farewell. Guardado also read one of her award-winning poems, “Poem for Learning.”
“As a graduate of Mendocino College in 2009, it was an incredible experience to return to the college as the 2022 Commencement guest speaker,” said Guardado. “It was an honor to walk with the Board of Trustees as we led the large graduating class onto the ceremony field. The experience allowed me to reflect on how far I have come in my own journey as an individual and as a learner. I was especially moved by student speeches during the ceremony, in which students shared their stories and how they overcame adversity to obtain an education. I was proud to be able to witness each student walk across the stage as they celebrated their accomplishments and begin their own journeys.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council will discuss assessments for code enforcement cases, approving a resolution to call a November election and a police equipment contract.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 2, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, June 2.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
The council on Thursday will get presentations from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services on the Cache fire recovery and on the Lake County Clean Water Program and stormwater management.
The council also will present a proclamation declaring June 2022 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
Under business, staff is asking the council to confirm assessments totaling $76,959.16 for city funded abatements.
The council also will hear an appeal of an order to abate for 16036 14th Ave. and discuss authorizing the police chief to enter into a contract with Tyler Technologies, Inc. for the purchase of an electronic citation program in the amount of $55,144.
In other business, the council will consider a resolution calling for and giving notice of a general municipal election in November.
Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson’s report on the item said there are two council seats on the Nov. 8 ballot — which currently are held by Mayor Dirk Slooten and Councilman Russell Cremer — and the city treasurer job, which is vacant.
The filing period for nomination papers and candidate’s statements is July 18 through Aug. 12. If any incumbent chooses not to file nomination papers, the filing period for candidates is then automatically extended through Aug. 17, Swanson said.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; the April 21 council meeting minutes; the second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 262-2022; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 23, 2021 and ratified by council action on Sept. 16, 2021; adoption of seventh amendment to the FY 2021-22 Budget to appropriate funds for design and planning services; second reading of Ordinance No. 262-2022 adding Chapter 11-6 of the Clearlake Municipal Code establishing edible food recovery regulations in accordance with SB 1383; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; authorization of execution of the Clean California restricted grant agreement; authorization of amendment to the Operating Engineers Public Trust Agreement; and amendment to California Engineering Co. Inc. engineering consultant contract.
The council also will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with the Clearlake Municipal Employee Association and Clearlake Police Officers Association.
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.
Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to extend the gaming compacts of 29 California tribes, including three tribes in Lake County, has been approved by the Legislature.
“This extension allows tribes to continue along the path toward self-sufficiency and economic development,” Sen. Dodd said. “Also, it gives the state more time to negotiate long-term agreements that will benefit the state, employees and patrons.”
Many California tribes entered 20-year gaming compacts with the state that were briefly extended and set to expire on June 30.
However, Sen. Dodd’s legislation, Senate Bill 898, grants an additional 18-month extension to 26 tribes and a one-year extension to three tribes.
The bill was approved by the Senate with bipartisan support Monday after passing the Assembly on Friday. The bill heads to Gov. Newsom for his signature.
The following tribes are affected by this legislation:
Alturas Indian Rancheria Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California Bishop Paiute Tribe Blue Lake Rancheria Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria Cahuilla Band of Indians Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation Cher-ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians Hopland Band of Pomo Indians Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California Pit River Tribe Redding Rancheria Resighini Rancheria Robinson Rancheria Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Table Mountain Rancheria
Bill Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Kelseyville man who authorities said was driving under the influence of alcohol has been arrested following a crash in which his passenger was killed early Sunday morning.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said its officers placed Adryan J. Segura, 27, under arrest after the wreck.
Segura’s passenger who died was identified as 28-year-old Amy Maurie Walker-Allen, said Lauren Berlinn of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The CHP’s report on the crash said Segura was driving his 2017 Honda northbound on Westlake Road from the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff at 12:50 a.m. on Sunday.
Based on the investigation so far, the CHP said that as Segura was driving, he made an unsafe turn which caused his vehicle to go off the road and down a grassy embankment.
The Honda hit a driveway and wire fence at the bottom of the embankment, the CHP said.
Walker-Allen, who was riding in the front passenger seat and wearing a seat belt, died of her injuries at the scene, the CHP said.
Segura, who also was wearing his seat belt, suffered major injuries, according to the CHP report.
After a DUI investigation, the CHP said Segura was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol before being transported to the hospital for treatment.
Radio reports indicated he was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s landing zone and then taken by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Editor’s note: The CHP issued a corrected report after the initial publication of this article stating that Walker-Allen was, in fact, wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. This article has been updated with that new information.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A letter to the editor from one of the two candidates in the race for district attorney has prompted the Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association to endorse the other candidate.
In the June primary, Anthony Farrington, a former county supervisor, is challenging incumbent District Attorney Susan Krones, who is seeking a second term.
The Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association had decided earlier this month to remain neutral in the race after interviewing both Farrington and Krones, said association President Gary Frace.
The Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association did not interview the candidates and hadn’t intended to offer an endorsement, said President Rachel Abelson.
On Saturday, Lake County News published a letter to the editor from Farrington.
Frace and Abelson told Lake County News over the Memorial Day weekend that a specific statement made by Farrington in his letter was untrue and that, as a result, it was a tipping point for them, resulting in both associations formally endorsing Krones.
In the letter, Farrington wrote of Krones’ performance, “Another red flag for voters is the fact that despite her 29 years of experience as a prosecutor she has not received one formal endorsement from law enforcement. For these reasons, I could no longer remain idle and decided that I wanted to do something to effect change.”
“The reality of it is, she has the support of our law enforcement. she always has. We just tried to stay neutral,” said Frace.
Frace said his response to Farrington’s statement was, “Come on, man, really? Just don’t play dirty,” and to run a good campaign and let the best person win.
The deputies’ association board, representing close to 65 members, discussed the matter on Saturday and decided to endorse Krones. “It wasn't a hard decision” based on what was said in the letter, Frace said.
Frace cited Krones’ service in the military and nearly 30 years of service to Lake County, and the hard work she puts into her job as reasons the association supports her. He said her dedication to the District Attorney’s Office and Lake County “is pretty amazing.”
He added, “I know Susan. She loves this county. She loves being a prosecutor.”
He said he has no desire to bad-mouth Farrington. “We just feel that Susan would be the better choice for the county.”
Abelson said in a response letter that Krones has her association’s support as well as that of former members and other law enforcement.
She said she’s concerned about Farrington’s lack of knowledge about the office, adding that he has no idea how the criminal justice system works.
Abelson said Farrington’s letter published on Saturday “has particularly aggravated the attorneys in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office,” because it suggests law enforcement doesn’t support Krones.
“The real issue is that many in law enforcement are afraid to support anyone out of fear of retaliation,” Abelson said.
In a Monday interview with Lake County News, Abelson said Farrington’s letter had caused extreme irritation for many people in local law enforcement.
“You don't want retribution,” she said, but she felt something needed to be done.
She said Farrington has not done any outreach to her association. “I don’t think anybody would have supported him.”
Abelson said the public defenders don’t want to get involved but they don’t support him either. “They understand that what he says is absolutely ridiculous.”
She is critical of former District Attorney Don Anderson, who four years ago decided to make a run for Superior Court judge, ultimately losing to Shanda Harry.
“When Don was elected it was kind of shocking to me and we dealt with it because we had Rich,” she said of Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who also has written two highly critical letters about Farrington.
“I just can’t imagine doing this again,” Abelson said of adjusting to a new district attorney without the needed experience.
Frace said he called to tell both Krones and Farrington of the deputies association’s decision.
Krones “was almost speechless. She was very excited and very grateful,” Frace said.
In an email, Krones told Lake County News, “I am thrilled and humbled by the DSA endorsement. I work closely with the LCSO Deputies and Investigators every day. I know how dedicated they are to their jobs and I greatly appreciate their support.”
Frace said Farrington said he understood and was respectful. Frace said he explained to Farrington why the association took the action in response to the statements in the letter.
In response to a request for comment from Lake County News, Farrington asked if the association had said what part of his letter caused them to endorse Krones, to which this reporter responded that it was regarding the statement about no law enforcement endorsing Krones.
“I stand by my factual comments as contained in my letter to the editor; and I make no apologies to the Lake County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for providing factual information to the public,” Farrington wrote. “After interviewing both candidates on April 20, 2022, the DSA formally announced that their organization would be remaining neutral for this election. If the DSA leadership now wants to publicly support Ms. Krones one week before the election for me speaking the truth, then that’s their prerogative.”
He also sent a screenshot of a May 4 Facebook post made by the association which states:
“The Lake County DSA would like to thank Susan Krones and Anthony W. Farrington for their time and participation in our interview process.
“It was a difficult decision, but we have elected to neither endorse or oppose either candidate. As we also represent the District Attorney Investigators, we have opted to remain neutral in this instance.
“We encourage citizens to make an effort to educate themselves and vote for the candidate they feel will best serve our community. DA Krones has served this country and our county with distinction for decades, and will continue to do so if re-elected. On the same note, Mr. Farrington has a great deal of legal and political experience and has a fantastic vision for the future of the District Attorney’s Office if elected.
“On behalf of the Lake County DSA membership, we would like to wish DA Krones and Mr. Farrington the best of luck with their campaigns,” the statement concluded.
The race between Farrington and Krones has been one of the most hotly contested of this campaign season.
Lake County News has published numerous letters to the editor about the campaign, many of them faulting Farrington for, among other things, a lack of prosecutorial experience and for targeting people who have been given temporary housing in local motels through state housing grants made available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In turn, Farrington and his supporters have said they want change because they don’t believe Krones and her staff have done a good enough job of prosecuting criminal cases and seeking harsher sentencing for crimes.
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.
Dr. Stephanie Rasmussen. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lake County native and graduate of Clear Lake High School has graduated from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine with honors.
Stephanie Rasmussen, 29, formerly of Lakeport, received the school’s highest academic and leadership medal at its commencement ceremonies on May 13.
The School of Medicine Medal is presented to the student who best displays the qualities of leadership, scholarship and respect for human life necessary to fulfill a physician’s pledge to be of service to humanity.
Rasmussen was a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, received the AMWA Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement, and was selected as the outstanding student in both gastroenterology and pharmacology.
She was among the 126 candidates in the class of 2022 receiving the Doctor of Medicine degree.
The 51st commencement ceremony took place at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for Performing Arts in Davis, the first in-person commencement since 2019.
The daughter of Lakeport Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen and Karyn Rasmussen, Stephanie Rasmussen graduated from Clear Lake High School in 2011 as the valedictorian of her class, where she served as student body president and a member of the Interact Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakeport.
Her extracurricular activities included 15 years of studies and performances with Antoinette’s School of Dance.
“The educational support from teachers and the programs in the Lakeport schools, particularly Clear Lake High School, helped set me up for success in both college and graduate school,” she noted in attributing her academic success.
Rasmussen’s higher education began with a scholarship to Dominican University of California where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2014. Her Master of Science degree in biology from Dominican was awarded in 2017.
With a focus on malaria research during her six years at Dominican, Rasmussen spent three summers in Uganda studying mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance. She continued her work until entering medical school in 2018.
Rasmussen will begin her residency program at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in June.
Her primary work will occur at Bellevue Hospital, the oldest hospital in the United States, founded in 1736. The hospital provides health care for individuals regardless of their ability to pay, handling over one million visits per year.
The commencement ceremony can be watched here. Rasmussen’s award is given at the 1:01:45 mark in the video.
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