LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The road to the future for Mark Rawitsch is not yet charted. But the path to his past can be easily traced from the “The House on Lemon Street” in Riverside to the community college on Parallel Drive in Lakeport, where Rawitsch is the retiring dean of instruction.

“The House on Lemon Street” is the title of a book he authored and is a national landmark; the latter a $15 million institution opened in January as the first-ever standalone college campus to grace the Lakeport landscape.

Give Rawitsch credit for his long-enduring tenacity.

He took 35 years to write the book, a story of a Japanese-American family and their house in Riverside.

“I took a break in the middle,” he quipped.

As a member of the original design team he became a leading advocate for what is officially the Mendocino College Lake Center 25 years ago.

In its 15,000 square feet, the college houses 10 classrooms in two buildings and a central administration building.

Its construction was made possible by a bond measure, Measure W, approved by Lake and Mendocino voters in 2006.

Equipped to serve a student body of 700, classes at the campus began in January.

Rawitsch also was a proponent of the construction of a smaller college center in Willits, which is not yet open.

“I really believe in community colleges and the idea of having not just the main campus but campus centers,” he said. “The idea has been to have smaller campuses in rural areas. That meant something to me.”

In exiting something in which he has been so intrinsically involved in building, his parting thoughts are not of a sentimental nature.

“The words I like to use sound like George Bush ... 'mission accomplished,'” he said. “What I wanted to do is build these centers and they're done. But I didn't know it was going to take 25 years. Now it's time for somebody younger to come in and make it work.”

Rawitsch's book, like the family and the house he wrote about, seems destined to be of historic significance. He would like to see it in the classroom.

The first printing – 1,000 hardback copies – were sold out and a second printing in pocketbook form is planned.

“It's been very popular,” Rawitsch said. “It got a nice review from young Japanese-Americans.”

The book traces the Haradas, a Japanese-American family, from the time they came to California and became the first Japanese-Americans to challenge the California Land Act of 1913. The prejudicial legislation forbade Asians from owning property.

“The story begins with the family buying this house and having their neighbors in that neighborhood not liking them,” Rawitsch explained.

“During World War II they were removed from the house and had to go to a camp,” he said.

That was true for more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry – primarily U.S. citizens – who were incarcerated in 10 internment camps established under the terms of Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in February 1942.

Rawitsch probes deep into the memories of Sumi Harada, a daughter who was born in the U.S. in 1909 and was sent to a camp while in her early 30s.

“There is a whole part about this particular family. When they went to the camp her brother was serving as a medic in the U.S. 442nd Infantry (an all-Japanese regiment) during World War II,” he said. “Sumi's parents were both invalids; they spent all their time in the hospital.”

Sumi Harada returned to the house in Riverside at the end of the war in 1945 and lived there until 2000, Rawitsch said.

He added that he may write a sequel to his book based on the voluminous documents and letters that became a part of an exhibit when the house was designated a California landmark; that was after Sumi Harada donated it to the city of Riverside.

Rawitsich said he wrote the book “because a lot of people think that Japanese-American history began during World War II. I want people to understand that 25 years before World War II there were challenges for them. Anti-alien landmark legislation was passed with the intent to not have them stay in California and that long before Pearl Harbor people thought they shouldn't be here.”

What's next for the effervescent 62-year-old Rawitsch?

“Something,” he replied. “But I'm not sure what it is yet. I've known a few people a little bit older than I am who retired and actually didn't survive.”

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

Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have released a new and improved movie clip of near-Earth asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon.

The 55 individual images used in the movie were generated from data collected at Goldstone on June 1.

The asteroid's satellite, or moon, is approximately 2,000 feet wide, has an elongated appearance, and completes a revolution around its host body about once every 32 hours.

At any point during its orbit, the maximum distance between the primary body and moon is about 4 miles.

Similar to our moon, which always points the same "face" at Earth, the asteroid's satellite appears to always show the same portion of its surface to the primary asteroid. This is called "synchronous rotation."

The radar data indicate the main, or primary body, is approximately 1.9 miles in diameter and has a rotation period of about five hours. This makes 1998 QE2 one of the slowest (with respect to its rotation) and largest binaries that have been observed by planetary radar.

In the near-Earth population, about 16 percent of asteroids that are about 655 feet (200 meters) or larger are binary or triple systems.

Each of the individual images obtained on June 1, 2013, required about five minutes of data collection by the Goldstone radar.

At the time of the observations that day, asteroid 1998 QE2 was about 3.75 million miles from Earth. The resolution is about 125 feet per pixel.

The trajectory of asteroid 1998 QE2 is well understood. The closest approach of the asteroid occurred on May 31 at 1:59 p.m. PDT, when the asteroid got no closer than about 3.6 million miles, or about 15 times the distance between Earth and the moon.

This was the closest approach the asteroid will make to Earth for at least the next two centuries.

Asteroid 1998 QE2 was discovered on Aug. 19, 1998, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program near Socorro, N.M.

NASA places a high priority on tracking asteroids and protecting our home planet from them. In fact, the United States has the most robust and productive survey and detection program for discovering near-Earth objects. To date, U.S. assets have discovered more than 98 percent of the known Near-Earth Objects.

In 2012, the Near-Earth Object budget was increased from $6 million to $20 million. Literally dozens of people are involved with some aspect of near-Earth object research across NASA and its centers.

Moreover, there are many more people involved in researching and understanding the nature of asteroids and comets, including those objects that come close to Earth, plus those who are trying to find and track them in the first place.

In addition to the resources NASA puts into understanding asteroids, it also partners with other U.S. government agencies, university-based astronomers, and space science institutes across the country that are working to track and better understand these objects, often with grants, interagency transfers and other contracts from NASA.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington, manages and funds the search, study, and monitoring of asteroids and comets whose orbits periodically bring them close to Earth. JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The victim of a solo-vehicle crash near Hidden Valley Lake on Friday evening was flown to an out-of-county hospital.

The crash occurred on Highway 29 near Spruce Grove Road just before 7:30 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said the male driver and lone occupant of the vehicle – described by witnesses as a gray full-sized sedan – reported that he swerved to avoid hitting a deer that had run out in front of his vehicle.

The car went off the road, flipped over and went about 30 feet down an embankment, coming to rest on its roof, the CHP said.  

The driver reported hitting his head during the crash, and a REACH air ambulance was called to the scene to transport him, according to radio reports.
 
REACH lifted off just after 8:30 p.m., en route to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The wreck followed a number of other crashes around the south county Friday afternoon and evening, including a crash near the Bar X Ranch and a motorcycle crash in Middletown. No serious injuries were reported in those incidents.

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. – After record-breaking temperatures across Northern California on Saturday, Sunday's weather forecast includes a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms and – more troublesome – the chance for dry lightning strikes which could erupt into wildfires throughout the North State.

The intense early June heat experienced over the past two days throughout Northern California and Lake County, coupled with a low-pressure system approaching the West Coast on Sunday, caused the National Weather Service in Sacramento to issue an urgent fire weather message for the area.

Saturday was as hot as expected. Lake County News readers reported varying temperatures around the county – 113 degrees at Highland Springs, 115 degrees in Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake, 116 degrees in Lakeport, with the highest local temperature reported to be 119 degrees in Middletown.

As this low pressure system moves in to displace the strong high pressure system throughout the day Sunday, forecasters expect the initially dry storms with gusty winds to increase in both moisture and chances for lightning strikes.

According to Western Weather Group Lake County, as the day progresses into evening, the chances for isolated thunderstorms with minimal amounts of rain will increase.

Because of this new low pressure system, daytime cooling will occur by drawing the airflow from offshore to onshore, and bringing with it closer-to-normal temperatures.

Daytime highs are expected to drop well back into the 90s for most areas on Sunday. Overnight lows are forecast to be near 50 degrees with even more cooling and clouds as Monday dawns and the low pressure system moves through, causing daytime highs to dip back into the low 80s.

After Monday, temperatures will warm again slightly, but forecasters predict that it will be mid- to late-June before hot weather above the mid-90s returns.

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

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities on Saturday were involved in a search for an elderly woman who was reported missing from the Highland Springs area near Kelseyville.

A be on the lookout was issued Saturday evening for the missing 84-year-old woman, who was said to have wandered away from her residence on Highland Springs Road.

According to the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office, the Lake County Sheriff's Office was overseeing the search.

On Saturday evening, the sheriff's office had not issued any community alerts regarding the missing woman.

The woman was reportedly last seen around 2:30 p.m., according to sources close to the investigation.

Witnesses said they saw Search and Rescue and K-CORPS members out in the Highland Springs area looking for the woman during the late afternoon and into the evening.

The woman is described as having gray hair and blue eyes; is 5 feet, 7 inches tall; weighs 180 pounds; and was last seen wearing a white shirt, dark pants and carrying a large red bag or purse.

Reports from the scene indicated that she may have a history of wandering away.

As of 10:30 p.m., sources close to the search said the woman had not yet been located.

Anyone who sees her should immediately call local law enforcement.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force and California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens seized 653 marijuana plants during one of two search warrant services in Clearlake Oaks that occurred this past Tuesday.

No arrests were made in the operation, which occurred the same day as another property in Clearlake Oaks was searched, with nine arrested and large amounts of marijuana seized, according to sheriff's Lt. Steve Brooks.

On Tuesday the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force assisted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with the service of a search warrant located in the 18000 block of E. Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, Brooks said. The search warrant was written by California Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel.

Brooks said authorities decided before the service of the search warrant that the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force would conduct the marijuana investigation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife would investigate any environmental violations.

During the search detectives located a large scale outdoor marijuana cultivation operation involving two large green houses and two large outdoor marijuana plots. Brooks said two vehicles were located on scene along with camping gear and an outdoor kitchen.

While searching the area, detectives observed a Hispanic male running away from law enforcement, several ridges away, according to Brooks.

Brooks said 181 marijuana plants were located inside the two green houses, with an additional 472 marijuana plants located within the two outdoor plots. The marijuana grow was located on an undeveloped parcel.

Detectives are still following leads and the Hispanic male who fled on foot was not located, Brooks said.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife assisted with any environmental and water diversion crimes, he added.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – When you look up into Lake County's beautiful dark skies this month, be on the lookout for a number of constellations with fascinating roots in ancient mythology.

The June night skies continue to be dominated by Bootes, whom we discussed in last month’s column.

To the east of Bootes is the comparatively faint constellation Hercules. The graphic below shows the outline of the constellation and an image of Hercules.

Hercules is named for the superman of Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus, king of the Greek gods. He possessed tremendous strength.

In true soap opera fashion, Hercules got into a bit of trouble, and had to redeem himself by performing 12 labors.

One of those tasks was to get rid of Leo the Lion, who was terrorizing the Peloponnesian villages. Recall our reference to Leo in our April column.

In the artist’s rendition in the figure below, he is battling the hydra, another of his labors.

In spite of his strength and accomplishments, the constellation Hercules has no bright stars, and is not easy to locate.

Hercules contains two remarkable telescope objects, M13 and M92. No, these are not named after military hardware. They are designations in the Messier Catalog of Deep Sky Objects.

Messier was a French astronomer who lived in the 1700s. He cataloged more than 100 objects, giving them such imaginative names as M1, M2 and so on.

M13 is known as The Great Cluster in Hercules. A picture of it can be seen below. It contains approximately 1 million stars that are relatively close together. M92 is similar, but smaller.

Through even a small telescope M13 is a beautiful object. It looks like a fuzzy ball, but if you look slightly away from it – an observing technique known as averted vision which make faint objects look brighter – you will see tiny stars around the outer edge.

Immediately to the west of Hercules is Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. In Greek mythology, this represents the crown given to Ariadne, the daughter of the king of Crete, for her wedding.

Finally, if you look to the north of Hercules and Corona Borealis, a large but faint constellation can be visible under dark skies – Draco the Dragon. The word “Draco” means dragon in Latin.

In 3000 BC, Draco held the North Star, which at the time was named Thuban. The location of the North Star changes slowly over time due to a bit of wobble when the Earth rotates on its axis.

Draco represents the 11th labor of Hercules, another beast he had to subdue.

The figure below shows an artist’s rendition of the dragon. Within Draco lies the Cat’s Eye Nebula. A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas. An image from the Hubble Space Telescope is shown alongside the image of Draco.

This concludes our tour of the June night skies, dominated by Hercules, the superman of Greek mythology.

John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County, Calif., and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two Saturday afternoon crashes in different parts of the county resulted in injuries, with two children flown to an out-of-county regional trauma center.

The wrecks occurred just after 12:30 p.m. near Clearlake Oaks and at about 2:10 p.m. in Lower Lake.

The first crash involved a single vehicle that overturned on Highway 20 near Swanson just east of Clearlake Oaks.

Firefighters arriving at the scene found all of the occupants out of the vehicle and one lane of traffic blocked, according to radio reports.

There were three patients with minor to moderate injuries, reports from the scene indicated. The three injured subjects all were juveniles.

The Northshore Fire battalion chief at the scene requested two air ambulances, with REACH 6 and CalStar 4 responding, landing at the nearby Clearlake Oaks Cal Fire station, according to scanner reports.

Both air ambulances would later lift off en route to UC Davis Medical Center in order to keep the two children together, according to fire officials at the scene.

Just as firefighters were clearing the scene of that wreck shortly after 2 p.m., a three-vehicle crash was reported at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 53 in Lower Lake.

Witnesses reported that a silver SUV, a black SUV and a silver sedan were involved, with one person trapped in a vehicle.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene said the northbound lane was blocked with emergency vehicles.

One medic unit was requested to transport a patient who was reported to have major injuries, according to radio traffic and an initial California Highway Patrol report.

The chief on scene also requested an air ambulance because a male patient had cardiac trauma.

However, radio reports indicated that a REACH air ambulance was not available to fly due to heat conditions.

A CalStar helicopter responded but was canceled, with a Lake County Fire Protection ambulance transporting the patient to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake.

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Expected triple digit temperatures, low humidity and breezy winds have elevated the fire danger over the next several days, prompting Cal Fire to increase its staffing across many parts of Northern California.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning due to the heightened fire danger that began Friday afternoon and is expected to last through Saturday evening for parts of Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Lake and Colusa counties.

On Sunday in the higher country, dry thunderstorms and lightning are possible in the Northern, Central and Eastern Sierra Nevadas.

With the increased potential for new fires, Cal Fire has brought on additional firefighters to staff extra equipment during the high risk days.

“While we are hoping we can make it through the next couple of days with minimal fire activity, we are prepared to respond if Mother Nature doesn’t agree,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “With approximately 94 percent of our wildfires being human caused, we are strongly urging the public to be extra careful and to take the proper steps to prevent wildfires.”

Since Jan. 1, Cal Fire has responded to more than 2,100 wildfires across California that have charred over 50,000 acres.

Fire activity remains significantly higher than average; typically by this time of year Cal Fire would have responded to only about 1,100 wildfires with 8,000 acres burned.

During the red flag warning, Cal Fire urges all Californians to exercise extreme caution outdoors in order to prevent wildfires. A few helpful reminders and fire prevention tips include:

• Don’t mow or weed eat dry grass on windy days;
• Ensure campfires are allowed, and if so, be sure to extinguish them completely;
• Never pull your vehicle over in dry grass;
• Never burn landscape debris like leaves or branches on NO Burn Days or when it’s windy;
• Make sure all portable gasoline-powered equipment have spark arresters.

For more ways to help prevent and prepare for wildfires visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Looking for a really big dog for outdoor fun? Or a small dog to hang around on the couch?

Lake County Animal Care and Control has a dog to fit your lifestyle.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license 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 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 dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is 10 months old.

He has a short tan coat, weighs 7 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 18b, ID No. 36420.

Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix is 10 months old.

She has a short tan coat, weighs 7 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 18a, ID No. 36421.

Mastiff-hound mix

This mastiff-hound mix is 9 months old.

She has a short brown brindle and black coat, weighs 60 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 36411.

Labrador Retriever mix

This male Labrador Retriever mix is 2 years old.

He has a short brown coat and weighs 112 pounds. He has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 10, ID No. 36407.

Male boxer mix

This male boxer mix is 2 years old.

He has a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs 47 pounds and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 36409.

Female pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix is 8 months old.

She weighs nearly 26 pounds, has a short brown and white coat, and has been spayed.

She is currently in foster, ID No. 35880.

Chihuahua-wirehaired terrier

This male Chihuahua-wirehaired terrier is 8 months old.

He weighs nearly 10 pounds, has a long tan coat and has been altered.

He’s currently in foster, ID No. 36211.

Please note: Dogs listed at the county 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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Saturday morning Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies shot to death a stabbing suspect who allegedly charged them with the knife he had used to assault a woman a short time earlier.

The deadly confrontation occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office report.

The suspect who was shot to death was not immediately identified by law enforcement.

Windsor Police – which is staffed by Sonoma County Sheriff's Office personnel – dispatched officers at approximately 7:29 a.m. to a stabbing in front of Starbucks, located at 1001 McClellan Drive on the Windsor Town Green, the report said.

Officials said the responding deputies were on scene in less than two minutes and attended the 60-year-old female stabbing victim.

Witnesses reported the male suspect ran north from the Town Green toward the Windsor Police Department parking lot.

There, two deputies confronted the suspect, who was armed with a knife. The report said the suspect refused the deputies' orders to drop the weapon and instead began stabbing himself.

Sheriff's officials said one deputy deployed a Taser on the suspect, but it had no effect.

The suspect then charged the deputies with the knife, at which point the two deputies shot the man, the sheriff's office said.

The man was given medical aid, however, he was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 7:38 a.m., according to the report.

Both of the deputies involved in this incident have more than 15 years of law enforcement experience, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported.

The Santa Rosa Police Department and the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office are investigating the officer-involved shooting under Sonoma County's officer-involved shooting protocol, sheriff's officials said.

California has enacted a new statutory exclusion from change in ownership for local tax assessments that protects certain cotenants (co-owners) from reassessment at the death of a cotenant.

Real property that has been held for a long time is often taxed at a lower value than it would be if its value was reassessed to its current value.  

Let us examine the new exclusion, how it fits in with other exclusions, and what it all means
    
The new exclusion – applicable at the death of a cotenant – protects two cotenants who together own 100 percent of the property, either as tenants in common or as joint tenants provided all the following additional conditions also apply:

• both cotenants must be owners of record for the one year period preceding the death;
• the property must have been the principal residence of both cotenants for the same 1 year period;
• the surviving tenant must obtain 100 percent ownership at the death of the other cotenant; and
• the surviving cotenant must sign an affidavit that he/she continuously resided at the residence as his/her principal residence for the 1 year period preceding the other cotenant’s death.

The foregoing exclusion is clearly most relevant to unmarried persons living together who are not registered domestic partners. It also has some application to some siblings who live at home together.

The new co-tenancy exclusion has overlap with the existing joint tenancy exclusion rules that apply at the death of a joint tenant in the following situations:

• where the joint tenancy was created by transferring ownership from the same persons as tenants in common to themselves as joint tenants; and
• where a spouse or registered domestic partner of an existing joint tenant was added to the joint tenancy; provided that the original joint tenant (whose spouse or partner was added) also remained on title as a joint tenant.

The foregoing joint tenancy exclusions are useful for a wider variety of transfers than the new exclusion (although there is overlap) to which the frequently used interspousal exclusion, the parent to child exclusion or the narrower grand-parent to grand-child exclusion do not apply.

Both rules have application to certain real property transfers between siblings, between aunts & uncles and nieces & nephews, between co-habiting unmarried persons (who are not registered domestic partners), and between other co-owners who are not married to each other.

Let us illustrate each of the foregoing exclusions from reassessment using hypothetical examples.

First, consider two siblings who inherit their parents’ home as tenants in common of record and who each continue to reside together at the home.

The new cotenancy exclusion would apply when the first sibling dies provided they had each lived at the residence for the 1 year period immediately preceding the first sibling’s death.

Then, if the surviving sibling was married or had child and later dies leaving the residence to these persons, the interspousal or parent-child exclusions apply, as relevant.

Second, take the same hypothetical but now say that one sibling does not reside there for the required period. In that case, if the siblings transfer title from themselves as cotenants in common to themselves as joint tenants – perhaps adding their respective spouses and/or registered domestic partners as joint tenants – then the death of the first joint tenant will not trigger a reassessment.

That however, also means that the surviving joint tenant(s) inherit(s) complete ownership of the residence.

Clearly that is not the typical result desired by most persons involved that type of co-ownership situation who usually want to leave their share to their children.

The foregoing rules each have their own nuances that are beyond the scope of this article. Before proceeding to rely on any exclusion consult with a qualified advisor.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .