KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Church Women United's “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” fundraiser will take place this Sunday, May 10.

The fundraiser for the group's Kids Shoes Program will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kelseyville United Methodist Church, First and Main streets.

The event will feature music by My Divas, toys for sale, games for children and a bake sale.

Join them to help provide shoes for Northlake children and youth.

Contact Ceva Giumelli at 707-264-9372 for further information.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity Lake County is providing wheelchair ramps and lifts to in-need military veterans, thanks to local donations to the Habitat Wheelchair Ramps and Lifts Initiative, in addition to funds received from the Home Depot Foundation’s Veterans Repair grant.

To date, wheelchair ramps and lifts as well as critical home repairs have been provided for 10 Lake County veterans and more are scheduled in the coming weeks.

Mona Allen served in the US Navy as a licensed vocational nurse stationed in San Diego, tending wounded American servicemen returning home from Vietnam.

Vibrant and outgoing, Allen came to Habitat for Humanity seeking a wheelchair ramp to accommodate her disabilities. She had no idea how much help was available to her.

With the $150,000 Home Depot Foundation Grant Habitat for Humanity Lake County received earlier this year, Habitat was able to repair plumbing issues in her bathroom, install a more efficient heating system, and provide other repairs in addition to the wheelchair ramp she initially requested.

“I’m very grateful to Habitat for everything they’ve given me and my family,” said Allen. “Getting in and out will be so much easier now.”

Give the gift of freedom by providing a military veteran with a wheelchair ramp or a lift, by donating $3,000 to the Wheelchair Ramp and Lift Initiative.

To help a veteran or for more information, contact Habitat for Humanity Lake County by phone at 707-994-1100 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit their office at 16285A Main St., Lower Lake. Any donation is appreciated. The veterans of Lake County appreciate your support.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two young cats are ready for adoption early this week.

The male cats range in age from 7 months to 3 years. Both have short coats and have been neutered so they're ready to go to new homes immediately.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

Gray and white tabby

This male gray and white tabby is 3 years old.

He has a short coat and gold eyes, weighs 8 pounds and has been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 64, ID No. 39568.

Domestic short hair mix

This fellow with the cool, all-black coat is 7 months old.

He has a short coat and green eyes, weighs 5 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 77, ID No. 39575.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

THE GEYSERS, Calif. – A 3.3-magnitude earthquake occurred near The Geysers geothermal steamfield on Tuesday afternoon.

The quake was reported at 2:39 p.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter was located three miles northwest of The Geysers, 13 miles southwest of Clearlake and 14 miles north northeast of Healdsburg, the survey reported.

The survey said the quake was recorded at a depth of 1.6 miles.

Shake reports were submitted to the US Geological Survey from Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville and Middletown, and from out-of-county areas including Healdsburg, Saint Helena and Windsor.

A Cobb resident reported on Lake County News' Facebook page that many residents of that area also felt the quake.

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.

Drought conditions have led to a significant increase in wildfire activity and to ensure Californians are ready, Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has declared May 4 to10 as “Wildfire Awareness Week.”

Cal Fire is reminding residents during Wildfire Awareness Week of the dangers posed by wildfires and the simple steps that should be followed to prepare for and prevent them.

 “Fire season really never ended last year in many parts of California,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “We continue to have very dry conditions and experience unusually early fire behavior that is extreme for this time of year.”

According to the state’s final snow survey on May 1, the statewide snowpack water content is only 18 percent of normal.

Between January 1 and May 3, Cal Fire has responded to over 1,200 wildfires that have charred nearly 2,700 acres.

In an average year for the same time period, Cal Fire would typically respond to fewer than 600 wildfires.

During Wildfire Awareness Week, Cal Fire is reminding Californians that when it comes to wildfires, remember “Ready, Set, Go!”

Being Ready for a wildfire starts by maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space and hardening homes with fire resistant building materials.

“With this year’s drought it is absolutely critical that residents be prepared for wildfires by ensuring they have 100 feet of Defensible Space around their homes,” said Chief Pimlott. “Most wildfires are preventable and we need residents and vacationers to be extra cautious outdoors because one less spark means one less wildfire.”

Homeowners looking for additional information on how to prepare themselves, their families and their homes for wildfire can visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

The site offers tips for residents to make their homes more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that their families are ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes.

Gov. Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent and prevent water waste – visit www.SaveOurH2O.org to find out how everyone can do their part, and visit www.Drought.CA.Gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – With the cutting of a ribbon on Saturday, the doorway to the past for Middletown, Cobb and south Lake County was opened at the Gibson Museum and Cultural Center in Middletown.

The refurbished and converted facility, which previously housed the Middletown Library, is as much a tribute to volunteerism and industriousness as it is to history.

Indeed, the work by the many citizens who contributed to the transformation was in itself historic.

The museum is named for Chauncey W. Gibson, the man who in 1929 contributed funds to build the town a library.

His great-great-nephew, Harry, was on hand to help officially usher in the building's new era.

The May 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony date matched the same date the building first opened in 1930 as did the post-flapper era attire worn by many of those present for the occasion.

Those people most directly involved with the task were in a celebratory mood. But they were also relieved to have the conversion completed on schedule.

Nina Bouska, one of the new museum's dedicated volunteers, said she was “tired,” but in the same sense happy to see the work completed.

“I am mind-blown (over) how much our volunteers have done,” Bouska. “I was here Thursday afternoon about 5 o’clock and I thought we won’t make it this week. It was a miracle.”

Voris Brumfield, who oversaw the conversion, was equally delighted.

“It is like I’ve been in labor for 11 months and finally the baby is delivered,” she said with a laugh. “We are thrilled by what our future holds here for Middletown, Cobb, south county and the Hidden Valley community and thrilled by, one, maintaining this building and then, two, preserving the history in this community.”

Just about every era of the Middletown area is represented in the museum, including American Indian.

“I’ve always been excited to see it,” said Molly Pragni, who spent time exploring the museum’s prehistoric display. “I always knew that we were geologically diverse.”

Terry Hoberg, being a member of a family that once was famous for its resort and health spa, was most interested in more recent history.

“The property for the resort was homesteaded in 1895,” she said. “It was a very famous resort and the open dance pavilion got top name bands, such as Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. People came from down the Peninsula, some all the way from Southern California.”

She added, “During Prohibition there were these big pillars out front. The story goes that they were all hollow and that’s where they hid the booze.”

Bouska said plans for the operation of the museum, located at 21267 Calistoga, call for hours to be 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit the museum's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CGibsonMuseumCulturalCenter or its Web site at http://www.cgibsonmuseum.com/ .

Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local businessman seeking the assessor-recorder’s job in the upcoming election won’t answer questions about his qualifications to hold the office in light of several misdemeanor drunk driving convictions, including one for which he is serving home detention until just before the primary.

Logan Weiper, 30, also has claimed as a qualification in the race that he has a real estate license, which state officials have confirmed was suspended five years ago.

Weiper, a fifth-generation Lake County resident, threw his hat into the ring for the assessor-recorder’s job in January, before longtime county Assessor-Recorder Doug Wacker announced he was not going to seek reelection, as Lake County News has reported.

The race to succeed Wacker has since grown, with Richard Ford, the county’s assistant auditor-controller, and Sorhna Li Jordan, an attorney and county staff services analyst, announcing their candidacy and making it a three-way contest.

During a Lake County News review of the backgrounds of the three candidates, Weiper’s issues with drunk driving arrests and convictions over the past 10 years surfaced. To date, no issues have arisen with respect to the backgrounds of Ford or Jordan.

Weiper’s four DUI convictions go back to 2003, with Weiper having been sentenced for the most recent case just this past February, according to District Attorney Don Anderson and a review of local court records.

Lake County News attempted to contact Weiper in a variety of ways to speak with him about the DUIs and his suspended real estate license but was unsuccessful before this reporter walked into his downtown Lakeport bar, Logan’s, to request an interview last Thursday.

Weiper granted the interview request for the afternoon of the following day – Friday, May 2 – but just a few hours before the interview was to have taken place, Weiper sent Lake County News a Facebook message in which he said he was canceling the meeting.

“I don't see the point of going over public information. The mistakes that I've made in my personal life has no effect on the position of Assessor-Recorder,” he wrote.

Asked to reconsider, Weiper responded, “I knew my personal mistakes would come up, I'm not hiding from them. The questions you have are only about the negative.”

Latest conviction stems from fall 2013 arrest

Just this past Feb. 18, after he had joined the assessor-recorder race, Weiper entered a nolo plea to a misdemeanor “wet reckless” charge before a preliminary hearing in a case stemming from his most recent DUI arrest last fall, Anderson said.

Weiper was driving from the Kelseyville Pear Festival to work at his bar at about 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, according to Anderson.

Anderson said a California Highway Patrol officer spotted Weiper near Lakeport Cinema on Soda Bay Road. While driving Weiper was using his cell phone and texting.

After Weiper was stopped by the CHP officer, it was discovered that he had expired vehicle registration and was driving on a suspended license due to a previous DUI.

A preliminary alcohol screening test – known more commonly as a “breathalyzer” – conducted on Weiper revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.10; the legal limit in California is 0.08. A blood test taken later gave a 0.09 level, which Anderson said can be explained due to the time difference between the two tests.

At the time of that September arrest, Weiper was still on five years’ probation for a 2010 DUI, according to court records.

On Feb. 18, Weiper was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail for the DUI and driving on a suspended license charges. He’s being allowed to serve his time on home detention, Anderson said.

Weiper’s home detention and accompanying electronic monitoring began on March 4, and is due to continue until June 1 – two days before the primary – according to the terms of his sentence.

His home detention terms allow Weiper to work at his bar – he must go from his home, to the bar and then back to home again – and to leave his home twice a day, for a maximum of 20 minutes at each interval, to do farm maintenance and feed animals. Once a week he is allowed a three-hour interval to run business and personal errands.

In addition, Weiper was given another five-year probation term, an order not to drink alcohol, two fines totaling just under $3,400 and the requirement that he attend an 18-month program for repeat DUI offenders, Anderson said.

In Weiper’s recent DUI case, a Department of Motor Vehicles documents filed with the court on April 24 indicated he has failed to submit verification of an ignition interlock device, or an exemption for the device, with the DMV.

Failing to comply with the ignition interlock installation could expose him to another misdemeanor allegation, with up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Anderson said his office is looking into that new alleged violation. However, because Weiper’s license is suspended, Anderson does not expect the ignition interlock device to become an issue – unless Weiper is found once again driving on a suspended license.

Weiper’s strict home detention terms do not appear to permit him to attend events, including those related to the assessor-recorder campaign. However, Anderson said he was willing to grant Weiper a waiver to attend a forum planned this Thursday evening. Weiper has so far not confirmed that he planned to attend.

Previous convictions occurred over 10-year period

Weiper previously was convicted of misdemeanor DUI in cases stemming from arrests in Lake County in June 2003 and February 2010, and in Butte County in 2004, according to court records.

Butte County Superior Court records showed that Weiper was arrested for two counts of driving under the influence and one count of driving on a suspended or revoked license in September 2004.

He was convicted on a guilty plea in November 2004 of one count of misdemeanor DUI, with the other charges dropped. He was sentenced to level one DUI school, had his license revoked, did 48 hours in the Butte County Jail, and received probation and nearly $1,800 in fines, the Butte County records showed.

In February 2008 Weiper had another case for driving while unlicensed, for which he was fined, according to Lake County court records.

A fourth DUI within a 10-year period would be charged as a felony, as would any that came after it, according to Anderson.

However, after 10 years, DUIs cannot be counted toward charging a defendant with a felony, he explained.

In Weiper’s case, his most recent DUI arrest was three months outside of that 10-year limit, which is why it couldn’t be charged as a felony, according to Anderson.

Weiper’s DUI issues also raise concerns about county liability should he be elected.

Deputy County Administrator Alan Flora said that the assessor-recorder does not get a dedicated county car, but that the assessor-recorder’s office does have pool vehicles available for shared used in the field.

Flora said the assessor-recorder and all county management employees are eligible to receive a $75-per-month cell phone stipend upon approval by the county administrative officer.

Real estate license suspended; judgment in civil case entered

Weiper’s statements about his qualifications for the office also have accuracy issues.

In the candidate statement Weiper submitted for the voter information booklet going out to Lake County’s registered voters, he stated that he has a real estate license. He’s also claiming to have a real estate license on his campaign Facebook page.

However, that license has been suspended for five years, according to state records.

An online search of California Bureau of Real Estate records showed that a conditional salesperson real estate license was issued to Weiper in July 2007, but it was suspended a year and a half later, in January 2009, because he did not meet the educational requirements.

Lisa Stratton, a spokesperson for the California Department of Consumer Affairs – which oversees the Bureau of Real Estate – ran an additional check of the agency’s records and confirmed to Lake County News that Weiper’s license was conditionally suspended in 2009 for failing to meet educational requirements.

She said the agency’s records showed Weiper had not met the requirements since that time, and that beside the conditional suspension, the license’s expiration date passed in July 2011.

In the brief Facebook message exchange on Friday, Weiper acknowledged, “My real estate license is expired and has been for years. I do not use it.”

However, he would not answer questions about why he is campaigning on having a qualification he admits is not valid, and he continues to claim the real estate license on his campaign Facebook page.

Interim Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said that, according to the elections calendar, materials in the voter information booklet could only have been removed as the result of a writ of mandate or injunction, which would have had to have been filed during a public review period that took place from March 10 to 17.

In addition to his issues over DUI, Weiper is facing legal action from another corner as well.

Last Nov. 18, a judgment was entered against him in a lawsuit filed by Janice Stokes, owner of the building on 357 N. Main St. in Lakeport that formerly housed the Buckhorn Club, according to Stokes’ attorney, Peter Windrem.

Windrem said Weiper had leased the property from Stokes and defaulted on the lease, failing to pay the rent.

The judgment against Weiper orders him to pay Stokes $7,614.21 plus interest for unpaid rent and necessary repairs to the property, Windrem said.

“We’re starting procedures now to enforce payment,” Windrem said Monday.

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.

As drought-parched California moves into another long, hot summer, the Department of Water Resources and other agencies are observing May as “Save Our Water Month” as proclaimed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Save Our Water – a campaign of the Department of Water Resources and the Association of California Water Agencies – has launched a statewide media campaign utilizing Public Service Announcements, radio, billboards and social media urging Californians to save water every day.

Details and conservation tips may be found on the campaign’s Web site at www.saveourh2O.org .

“As California approaches the summer fire season in the throes of a drought, I call on all Californians to take a thoughtful approach to water usage and conservation,” wrote Gov. Brown in announcing May as Save Our Water Month.

On May 3, the Department of Water Resources took the water conservation message to the Great Russian River Race in Healdsburg and on May 3-4 to the Elk Grove Western Festival.

DWR also will take the message to the following events:

– May 6-9: Association of California Water Agencies and Department of Water Resources will staff the Save Our Water booth at the Association of California Water Agencies’ 2014 Spring Conference & Exhibition in Monterey.

– May 10: Feather Fiesta Days in Oroville. This event also promotes State Water Project recreational opportunities, water safety, and invasive species awareness.

– May 16-18: 12th annual Solar Cup presented by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at Lake Skinner. This is an educational program in which high school students build and race solar power boats, learning about conservation of natural resources.

– May 17: City of Corona’s Garden Festival to celebrate the installation of a California-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall to show residents, business owners and visitors how being water wise can be beautiful.

– May 17: Walk on the Wild Side in Freeport.

– May 17: Jack Splash/Oroville, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Kids Fit-N-Fun day.

– May 17: 25th annual Kids’ Fish, Swim, & Play Day at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County. Day includes free fishing for children ages 3-15 and is hosted by Department of Water Resources and California State Parks staff and volunteers.

– May 17: City of Corona’s Water Awareness Event.

– May 22: Silver Dollar Fair, Chico.

With more people choosing a bicycle for transportation, the California Highway Patrol and Office of Traffic Safety are embarking on a month-long endeavor to encourage all motorists to safely share the road.

“The goal of the ‘Roll Model’ campaign is to educate motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians about the rules of the road and encourage everyone to act responsibly,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It is especially important for bicyclists to be visible when riding with traffic and for motorists to use extra caution when approaching driveways and making turns at intersections.”

This month’s traffic safety campaign by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a significant increase in the number of people killed in bicycle-involved collisions in California.

According to Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System data, in 2011 there were 142 bicyclists killed in California. Those deaths accounted for 5 percent of the total collision fatalities in California.

Beginning Sept. 16, 2014, California drivers must give bicyclists 3 feet of clearance or slow down and pass when it would not endanger a bicyclist’s safety.

“More Californians are walking and biking and it is everyone’s responsibility to save lives by avoiding distracted driving,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “When all travelers pay attention and share the road, it helps curb collisions and improve transportation safety.”

In March, Caltrans released the California Household Travel Survey, which found the percentage of California residents walking, biking or using public transportation on a typical day has more than doubled since 2000.

Being a “Roll Model” means:

• Riding and driving focused – never distracted.
• Riding and driving prepared – always expect the unexpected.
• Putting safety first – we never know when a crash will occur, regardless of skill level or age; always wear a bicycle helmet when on a bicycle and a seat belt when in a car.
• Sharing the road – both vehicle drivers (motorist and bicyclist) should look out for one another and show mutual respect.

For more information on pedestrian and bicycle safety, visit the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center at http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/index.cfm .

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of safety, service, and security to the people of California.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – For a second year, the Lake County Wine Alliance will hold its annual auction at the Cole Creek Equestrian Center in Kelseyville and local artist John Clark celebrates the occasion in his 2014 poster painting.

“What we see is a woman guiding her horse onto a hillside,” said Clarke, “Her head is turned so that she looks down on a valley with grapes and orchards. It's a typical Lake County landscape.”

Clarke's art has been featured on Lake County Wine Auction posters for 15 years now.

He calls his work for the Wine Alliance a labor of love.

“I really like doing this even through it gets more and more challenging to think of something new. Still, every year something comes to me,” he said.

Over the years, Clarke has captured the essence of the event's various auction venues and the color of the local wine industry with his unique style of water color on silk painting.

People seem to respond to the brightness of his work, which often brings in the highest bids.

Last year, for example, his painting of grape pickers in a vineyard brought in $6,000. Clarke, a former anesthesiologist, has been painting on water color on silk since 1994.

In the coming months, copies of this year's poster, featuring Clarke's new painting, will go on sale at winery tasting rooms, other venues around the county and John will sign copies of the poster at the auction.

This year's poster may be purchased for $20, with proceeds going to the beneficiary organizations and programs associated with The Lake County Wine Alliance. The painting itself may be viewed at the Saw Shop Bistro in Kelseyville.

This is the 15th year that the Lake County Wine Alliance has sponsored this major fundraising event in support of the arts, health and community in Lake County.

In that time, $1,081,302 has been raised for local programs.

The Wine Auction's success over the years would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors.

So far, sponsors for this year's event include Beckstoffer Vineyards, Mendo-Lake Credit Union, St. Helena Hospital, Shannon Ridge Winery, Cal Pine, Trinchero Family Estates, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet and Kelseyville Pharmacy. General Electric Corp. and Deutche Bank have provided $10,000 in matching grants.

Tickets for the Wine Auction, at $150 per person, are available by calling the Wine Alliance at 866-279-WINE or online at www.winealliance.org . See the Web site for more details and reservations.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – What everyone knows is that for 40 years Hidden Valley Lake has been a fenced community, protecting its 7,500 or so member-residents from outside elements.

What they may not know about is a more recent fence – a barrier composed of disunity – that has sprung up between the HVL Association and its seven-member Board of Directors.

They are divided by the issue of building a new Hartmann Complex/Community Center and a new clubhouse, including a restaurant, bar and golf pro shop and improvement of existing amenities.

Most notably, the HVL golf course, which stands as the only regulation 18-hole course in Lake County, is a bone of contention.

At the center of this dissension is the price tag for the proposed community facility and related improvements estimated at $8 million.

A number of HVL residents are up in arms over the board’s alleged position that it can go ahead with this project without their approval.

The issue has been addressed from the podium by several residents at recent board meetings.

Most recently several individuals in a group of about 70 residents attending a Facilities and Design forum at the HVL Community Center on Sunday, April 27, reiterated their position that the board cannot move forward absent a vote by the HVL community.

To support their claim they cite a section of the HVLA Property Owner and Tenant Information Manual which states that association debts of more than 5 percent of regular member assessments cannot be entered into without the prior vote or written consent of two-thirds of members who have voting rights.

Some residents claim that the directors have already usurped their authority just by contracting with facility design professionals. By not going through a request for proposal process, they say the board “has put the cart ahead of the horse.”

“By proceeding without the votes (the directors) are wasting money because they have no idea of what the members will approve,” said Ted Helminski, a resident. “I personally don’t believe the members will approve the amount of money they’re looking for.”

There have been numerous other charges by the residents – the most frequent one being that the proposed project favors the golfers because more than one director is a member of the HVL Men’s Golf Club.

“That’s one of the things that was understood when I got here,” said Dr. Will Tuttle, a HVL resident for a little over a year. “They just sort of discovered early on that they could get what they wanted if they got onto the board of directors, then hire a general manager. They literally run the place through the general manager. It’s a dictatorship.”

For the most part, Tuttle’s view is shared by many HVL members and possibly a majority.

Their position, a document presented to directors reads, “If this board has respect for the community and the rules established for its governance then it must submit their eventual plan for the construction of the Hartman Complex/community Center to the required vote for approval.”

Just where progress on the proposed project stands is anybody’s guess.

Bill Chapman, who recently stepped down as HVL’s general manager, asserted that the opinion of legal counsel for the board is that no vote by the general membership is required.

But Tuttle fired back, “An opinion by a lawyer is simply that – an opinion.”

Bill Waite, president of the board, meanwhile, said, “We want a legal opinion. It all depends on where we are and what we’re doing and how much it’s going to cost.”

Regarding the question of a need for a membership-at-large referendum, he responded, “To give you a direct answer to that isn’t possible at this time because we’re still in the central design phase. We are into a phase of the project which is conceptual design of what might work for the community and what it might cost.

“We want it to be built right for the community and the board members are members of the community,” he added. “We don’t want increased fees or a special assessment either.”

To the question of golfers dictating the proposed construction project when they comprise only 5 percent of the total residents, Waite said: “That’s what they say, but that's just a barrier that somebody has put up. I’m not a golfer, although I do have clubs, I do play golf and I’m a member of the golf club.”

But, parenthetically he added, “I would say that a number of the people who addressed the community today are not golfers.”

Opinion is divided on the issue of sediment in the HVL lake, which is critical to its maintenance. Tuttle and Waite seem to be in agreement that a study has been done. But by who and to what effect?

Tuttle advances the opinion that the buildup of sediment in the lake is a concern that has not been properly addressed while the golf course has been scrupulously maintained.

“At an April 3 meeting one of the board members said there hasn’t been a study,” Tuttle said. “That is absolutely incorrect. There has been a study done and we do know the sediment is serious.”

Waite: “We did get a study done on the sediment in the lake. That was all addressed.”

The split between the HVL residents and the board is more than vaguely familiar. It’s been going on for at least a decade even if the principals in it have changed. At one point the issue was whether there should be a pool table in Mulligan’s, the HVL bar.

“Whether we build the facility or not, it has to be done at some point in time,” said Waite. “Can we do it without a (member) assessment? The answer is yes. If we don’t do it now we still have to put the money away so that we can pay cash some time in the future.

“I think some members disagree with the board and a number of members agree with the board,” Waite said. “The board’s job is to function in the way their constituents want them to function.”

But that seems to be what this whole disagreement is about.

John Lindblom is a Lake County News correspondent, Hidden Valley Lake resident and a golfer. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Following the recent warmer temperatures and drying conditions, Cal Fire will increase its staffing in Northern California in continued preparation for fire season.

Starting Monday, May 5, Cal Fire will be transitioning into fire season across the Bay Area and Sacramento region, including the counties of Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Yuba, Placer, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Yolo, Colusa, and parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin.

Since late January, Cal Fire has been hiring and training seasonal firefighters well ahead of schedule in order to augment its full-time firefighting force .

“The drought has set the stage for an already busy fire season,” said Kelley Gouette, operations chief for Cal Fire’s Northern Region. “We’ve been ramping up to meet the elevated threat of wildfire since January and this transition into fire season in the northern region is more than a month ahead of schedule.”

This year, Cal Fire has already responded to more than twice as many fires as average with nearly 1,200 wildfires igniting to date.

With fire season now officially under way in these areas, Cal Fire is asking homeowners to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires and that every home has 100 feet of defensible space.

Here are some tips to help prepare your home:

• Maintain 100 feet of defensible space.
• Clear all pine needles and leaves from your yard, roof and rain gutters.
• Trim branches six feet from the ground.
• Landscape with fire resistant/drought tolerant plants.

Residents and visitors are also warned to take steps to prevent wildfires by remembering that one less spark, means one less wildfire.

• Use trimming, mowing and powered equipment outdoors before 10 a.m.
• Check to ensure burning outdoors is allowed in your area. Cal Fire has banned outdoor burning in many areas or has required a burn permit.
• Completely extinguish all campfires.
• Make sure trailer chains and other parts of your vehicle are not dragging on the road.

For more information on preparing for wildfires and Defensible Space www.ReadyForWldfire.org .

Visit www.Drought.ca.gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought, and for more water conservation ideas, visit www.SaveOurH2O.org .