LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This month we will discuss telescopes: The kind that ordinary people, you and I, might use to explore the night skies.
First, why use a telescope?
The answer is, it dramatically increases what you can see.
There are some key features to consider when selecting telescope. They are aperture, mounting, power and automation.
Aperture refers to the size (diameter) of the telescope’s lens or mirror. Apertures ranging from 3 inches to 10 inches are typical.
In astronomy, bigger is better, so the larger the telescope, the more you will see. Bigger also means heavier, so take care not to choose a telescope you can’t easily carry outdoors.
Mounting refers to the mechanical structure that supports the telescope. It must be sturdy enough to prevent the telescope from vibrating and shaking when observing.
Power is the degree to which a telescope enlarges an object. A common misconception is that the more power the better.
In reality, the maximum power a telescope can handle is 50 power (50x) for each inch of aperture. A 6-inch telescope would, at best, handle a maximum of 300x under ideal viewing conditions.
Automation refers to whether or not a telescope is controlled by a computer. Finding your way around the night sky to locate objects can be time consuming and frustrating. Computerized telescopes do the hard work for you.
How much do telescopes cost? A 5-inch noncomputerized telescope may cost $260. A computerized telescope of the same size might sell for $400.
There are a number of online retailers you can investigate to learn more. Type “telescopes for sale” in your search engine and be prepared to see a wide variety of offerings.
Happy shopping!
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County 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 .
By the time you finish reading this story, you'll be about 1,000 kilometers closer to the planet Mars.
Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter. The distance between the two planets is shrinking by about 300 kilometers every minute.
When the convergence ends in mid-April, the gulf between Earth and Mars will have narrowed to only 92 million kilometers – a small number on the vast scale of the solar system.
Astronomers call this event an “opposition of Mars” because Mars and the Sun are on opposite sides of the sky. Mars rises in the east at sunset, and soars almost overhead at midnight, shining burnt-orange almost 10 times brighter than a 1st magnitude star.
Oppositions of Mars happen every 26 months. Of a similar encounter in the 19th century, astronomer Percival Lowell wrote that “[Mars] blazes forth against the dark background of space with a splendor that outshines Sirius and rivals the giant Jupiter himself.”
In other words, it's really easy to see.
There are two dates of special significance.
April 8 is the date of opposition, when Mars, Earth, and the sun are arranged in a nearly-straight line.
If the orbits of Mars and Earth were perfectly circular, April 8 would also be the date of closest approach.
However, planetary orbits are elliptical – that is, slightly egg-shaped – so the actual date of closest approach doesn't come until almost a week later.
On April 14, Earth and Mars are at their minimum distance: 92 million kilometers, a 6-plus month flight for NASA's speediest rockets.
You won't have any trouble finding Mars on this night. The full Moon will be gliding by the Red Planet in the constellation Virgo, providing a can't-miss “landmark” in the midnight sky.
Remarkably, on the same night that Mars is closest to Earth, there will be a total lunar eclipse. The full moon of April 14-15 will turn as red as the Red Planet itself. See this video for details: http://youtu.be/5gzgSuJM5O8 .
Although these dates are special, any clear night in April is a good time to look at Mars. It will be easy to see with the unaided eye even from brightly-lit cities.
With a modest backyard telescope, you can view the rusty disk of Mars as well as the planet's evaporating north polar cap, which has been tipped toward the sun since Martian summer began in February.
Experienced astro-photographers using state-of-the-art digital cameras can tease out even more – for example, dust storms, orographic clouds over Martian volcanoes, and icy fogs in the great Hellas impact basin. The view has been described by some observers as “Hubblesque.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft and Deep Space Network have uncovered evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus harbors a large underground ocean, furthering scientific interest in the moon as a potential home to extraterrestrial microbes.
Researchers theorized the presence of an interior reservoir of liquid water in 2005 when Cassini discovered water vapor and ice spewing from vents near the moon's south pole. New data on the moon's gravity field reported in the April 4 edition of the journal Science strengthen the case for an ocean hidden inside Enceladus.
The gravity measurements suggest a large, possibly regional, ocean about 6 miles deep, beneath an ice shell about 19 to 25 miles thick.
The subsurface ocean evidence supports the inclusion of Enceladus among the most likely places in our solar system to host microbial life.
Before Cassini reached Saturn in July 2004, no version of that short list included this icy moon, barely 300 miles in diameter.
“The way we deduce gravity variations is a concept in physics called the Doppler Effect, the same principle used with a speed-measuring radar gun,” said Sami Asmar of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., a coauthor of the paper. “As the spacecraft flies by Enceladus, its velocity is perturbed by an amount that depends on variations in the gravity field that we're trying to measure. We see the change in velocity as a change in radio frequency, received at our ground stations here all the way across the solar system.”
“This provides one possible story to explain why water is gushing out of these fractures we see at the south pole,” added David Stevenson of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, one of the paper's co-authors.
Cassini has flown near Enceladus 19 times. Three flybys, from 2010 to 2012, yielded precise trajectory measurements.
The gravitational tug of a planetary body, such as Enceladus, alters a spacecraft's flight path. Variations in the gravity field, such as those caused by mountains on the surface or differences in underground composition, can be detected as changes in the spacecraft's velocity, measured from Earth.
The technique of analyzing a radio signal between Cassini and the Deep Space Network can detect changes in velocity as small as less than one foot per hour (90 microns per second). With this precision, the flyby data yielded evidence of a zone inside the southern end of the moon with higher density than other portions of the interior.
The south pole area has a surface depression that causes a dip in the local tug of gravity. However, the magnitude of the dip is less than expected given the size of the depression, leading researchers to conclude the depression's effect is partially offset by a high-density feature in the region, beneath the surface.
“The Cassini gravity measurements show a negative gravity anomaly at the south pole that however is not as large as expected from the deep depression detected by the onboard camera,” says the paper's lead author, Luciano Iess of Sapienza University of Rome. “Hence the conclusion that there must be a denser material at depth that compensates the missing mass: very likely liquid water, which is seven percent denser than ice. The magnitude of the anomaly gave us the size of the water reservoir.”
There is no certainty the subsurface ocean supplies the water plume spraying out of surface fractures near the south pole of Enceladus, however, scientists reason it is a real possibility.
The fractures may lead down to a part of the moon that is tidally heated by the moon's repeated flexing, as it follows an eccentric orbit around Saturn.
Much of the excitement about the Cassini mission's discovery of the Enceladus water plume stems from the possibility that it originates from a wet environment that could be a favorable environment for microbial life.
“Material from Enceladus’ south polar jets contains salty water and organic molecules, the basic chemical ingredients for life,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini's project scientist at JPL. “Their discovery expanded our view of the 'habitable zone' within our solar system and in planetary systems of other stars. This new validation that an ocean of water underlies the jets furthers understanding about this intriguing environment.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a new group of canines needing homes this week.
The dogs range in age from 7 months to 8 years, and include mixes of chow chow, Chihuahua and pit bull.
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”).
'Monches'
“Monches” is a 2-year-old male Chihuahua mix.
He has a short white and tan spotted coat, and has not yet been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 39309.
Male Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix is 3 years old.
He has a short black coat and weighs 10 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if he had been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 7a, ID No. ID: 39318.
Female Chihuahua mix
This female Chihuahua mix is 8 years old.
She has a short tan coat and weighs 12 pounds. It was not reported if she has been spayed.
Find her in kennel No. 7b, ID No. 39319.
Male chow chow mix
This male chow chow mix is 6 years old.
He has a medium-length black coat and weighs 68 pounds. It was not reported if he has been altered.
Shelter staff said he is very mellow, and has been on his own, traveling the streets for some time. He may have been abandoned.
He is good with other dogs, and is very sweet, not shy or skittish.
Find him in kennel No. 17, ID No. 39308.
Male pit bull terrier mix
This male pit bull terrier mix is 8 months old.
He has green eyes, a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs 38 pounds and has not been neutered.
Shelter staff said he is good with other dogs, is well-mannered for a pup and eager to learn.
He's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 39269.
'Piro'
“Piro” is a 7-month-old male pit bull terrier mix.
He has a short red coat and weighs 30 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if he has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 29, ID No. 39291.
'Kara'
“Kara” is a 2-year-old pit bull terrier mix.
She has a short blue brindle coat and weighs 45 pounds. It was not reported if she has been altered.
Shelter staff said she is good with other dogs and is not a barker. She's very mellow, and it's believed she would be good with children.
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.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – One of Lake County's oldest resorts passed into new ownership this week.
Hoberg’s Resort & Spa was purchased from Cobb Mountain Partners by Lake County Partners LLC, with the sale closing on Wednesday, Lake County Partners spokesman Roger Salazar told Lake County News on Friday.
Terms of sale – including the sale price – for the 55-acre resort on Cobb Mountain were not disclosed.
“Hopefully this is a new day for that project,” said Salazar.
New owners Silvester Rabic and Frank Sasselli anticipate putting $7.5 million into renovating and operating the resort, where Cobb Mountain Partners had invested about $2 million since purchasing the property, Salazar said.
Cobb Mountain Partners – led by Dan Kottke, an early Apple employee – purchased the resort, located at 15205 Highway 175 on Cobb Mountain, in July 2010 from the Maharishi Global Administration Through Natural Law, as Lake County News has reported: http://bit.ly/1sjRFW3 .
Hoberg’s Resort was founded in 1885 by Gustav and Mathilda Hoberg. It began as a lodge with a few cottages, and grew to be one of the largest privately owned resorts in California.
At its peak in the 1950s, Hoberg’s hosted more than 1,000 guests a night and was home to celebrities and politicians.
In January 1974, the Hoberg family sold it to Maharishi International University, with the property later recorded under different organizations under the ownership of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement.
From the time of the 1974 sale by the Hobergs up until Cobb Mountain Partners purchased the resort 36 years later, it had not been open for public use.
Since the 2010 purchase, “There was substantial money put into the property,” said Dan Nelson, who acted as resort manager for Cobb Mountain Partners.
He said expenditures totaled about $2 million. That total covered renovation costs and many “soft” expenses, including architectural drawings of the entire resort, as well as roof work and infrastructure.
Nelson said that the group ran into financing issues, and so Kottke began looking for a prospective buyer.
Rabic has extensive real estate and software industry experience, and has financed and developed several spec buildings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, according to his biography at http://lakecountypartnersllc.com . Details about Sasselli's business experience was not available on the site.
Lake County Partners intends to bring in American Resort Management to accelerate the opening and operation of Hoberg’s Resort & Spa, Salazar said.
Nelson is temporarily acting in an advisory capacity as the resort transitions to its new owners.
He has set up a meeting with the new owners and Community Development Director Rick Coel for April 14, Coel told Lake County News.
Coel said that the resort has no active permits now. “I need to determine what their timeline is for the rehabilitation show and advise on the use permit and building permit processes,” he said.
Salazar said the resort's new owners have a plan for moving forward that consists of a number of phases. They intend to announce their plans in the coming weeks. In the mean time, they will meet with the county, and work on permits and requirements.
“They want to make sure that they have everything lined up before they announce any hard dates,” Salazar said.
One part of the plan that has been announced is that Lake County Partners has reached an agreement to lease a self-contained structure that will be converted into The Spa at Hoberg’s Club Resort.
The spa will serve as the centerpiece of the revival of Hoberg’s and will be operated by Lake County Partners under the direction of American Resort Management.
Drawn to the project
Salazar said Lake County Partners was drawn to the Hoberg's property, and felt that it would work with the right backing and financing.
They consider it an opportunity to take a really unique property with a strong historical mooring and bring it into a new era, Salazar said.
He said there was no question that Cobb Mountain Partners wanted the project to succeed. “Nobody gets into a project to fail.”
However, he added, the downturn in the economy has waylaid a lot of projects like Hoberg's. He pointed to the efforts to sell Konocti Harbor as evidence.
Those financing issues had led to back property taxes and late vendor payments for Cobb Mountain Partners, according to local officials.
However, with Wednesday's closure of escrow, the county of Lake received a payment of $102,647.95 from the title company, which covered current and delinquent property tax on the resort's five parcels, according to Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
Ringen said the resort's property taxes had been delinquent since the 2010-11 tax year.
In addition, both Salazar and Nelson reported that payments owed to vendors by Cobb Mountain Partners had been made by the resort's new buyers.
Salazar said there is tremendous potential for hospitality in the region.
In a written statement, Rabic said getting the project back on track “is a great thing for Lake County and Northern California.”
He said plans at Hoberg's include “recreating a premier multi-faceted entertainment and activity destination in Lake County. With a new management structure in place, we can get down to finishing the next phases of renovation and finally reopen to the public.”
The new owners' vision is that the renovated Hoberg’s Club Resort will present a variety of film festivals, concerts, entertainment events and special themed weekends as part of its offerings.
It's hoped that the resort will not only offer lodging and one-of-a-kind club resort amenities, but that it also will “be a tremendous economic driver and job creator for Lake County,” Rabic stated.
The resort's new owners also introduced a new celebrity advisory board consisting of Lorenzo Lamas, Olivia d’Abo, Jose Canseco, Ernie Hudson and Glen Morshower, who will assist with marketing the resort when it opens and will attend grand opening events.
Hoberg's also is taking part in a reality television show called “Extreme Resort Makeover,” Lake County Partners reported.
Nelson said 22 promotional spots for the resort featuring the advisory board members already have been shot.
“We are so happy this project is once again moving ahead,” Sandra Hoberg, whose grandparents were the original owners of Hoberg’s, said in a written statement. “My entire family has been looking forward to seeing the resort renovated and restored. All of Lake County is going to benefit and I think the entire community is behind this important project.”
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.
On Jan. 1, 2014, California amended its statutory definition of “undue influence” in section 15610.70 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
This new definition of “undue influence” applies both to “financial elder abuse” that affects the victim while alive and also to undue influence that affect the victim’s “testamentary dispositions” after death.
Until 2014, proving undue influence often entailed proving the abuse of a “confidential relationship,” i.e., a relationship in which the victim trusted and confided in the perpetrator, “for the purpose of obtaining an unfair advantage.”
Now, “'undue influence’ means excessive persuasion that causes another person to act or refrain from acting by overcoming that person's free will and results in inequity.”
“Excessive persuasion” does not require the existence of any relationship whatsoever between the perpetrator and the victim, although that is one of the specific factors to be considered.
The old focus on a confidential relationship was sometimes preventing enforcement of elder abuse cases where the perpetrator had no real relationship, certainly not a confidential relationship, with the elderly victim.
It is not always the case that a confidential relationship exists between the victim and the perpetrator.
Now what is necessary is to show that an “inequitable result” was obtained through excessive persuasion.
That is a facts and circumstances analysis that requires consideration of each one the following factors: (1) victim’s vulnerability; (2) the influencer’s apparent authority; (3) the actions or tactics used; and (4) the fairness of the results. Each factor is elaborated upon in the statute.
The new definition’s initial focus is on “excessive persuasion that overcomes a person’s free will.”
This derives from a long line of California decisions involving “will contests” where abnormal or excessive pressure either subverted or overcame the free will of the testator and resulted in a disposition contrary to what the testator would otherwise have done freely.
The definition’s back end focus is on “inequity” as the end result. However, “evidence of an inequitable result, without more, is not sufficient to prove undue influence.”
Otherwise, without that language, whenever one beneficiary inherited more than someone else who arguablely should have inherited as much it might be argued that such an uneven result is unfair, even if it was freely intended by the testator.
For example, take a father who leaves most of his trust estate to a favored child and less to other not as favored children.
The new definition applies both to abusive transactions that take effect during a victim’s lifetime and those that take effect at death.
These are very different spheres of abuse.
The former includes the scenario where the perpetrator, “[t]akes, secretes, appropriates, obtains, or retains real or personal property of an elder or dependent adult for a wrongful use or with intent to defraud, or both.”
The second includes the scenario where the perpetrator coerces the elderly person into devising an estate plan that gift assets in a way that is not consistent with his free wishes.
Much remains to be seen as to how the statute will be applied by the courts. This is especially true in regards to what is considered to be an “inequitable result.”
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 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham 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 .
In an effort to save lives and eliminate dangerous behind-the-wheel distractions like talking, texting, or browsing on a cell phone, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), California Highway Patrol and more than 200 law enforcement agencies across the state today announced high visibility enforcement operations during April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
“Catastrophic crashes can happen in a split second,” said Brian Kelly, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency. “No text or phone call is worth that risk.”
April 8, 17 and 22, have been earmarked for special statewide enforcement for all the allied law enforcement agencies.
Individual agencies will be looking for mobile device offenders in their areas on additional days throughout the month.
The increased enforcement aims to persuade drivers to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and reduce the number of people impacted by this perilous behavior.
The “It’s Not Worth It!” theme emphasizes that a phone call or text isn’t worth a hefty fine or a collision.
“Distracted driving has become a dangerous epidemic nationwide and we want to do everything we can to stop it here and now,” said OTS Acting Director Russia Chavis. “Law enforcement agencies will be out in full force to help remind drivers to put down their cell phones and maintain their focus on the roads. By working together, we can eliminate crashes and the senseless loss of lives of that can result from distracted driving.”
In recent years, hundreds have been killed and thousands seriously injured in California as a result of collisions that involved at least one driver who was distracted.
Nationally, an estimated 3,328 people died and 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2012.
Any activity that diverts the driver’s attention away from the primary task of driving is distracting, but the recent dramatic rise in cell phone use has greatly increased the number of collisions.
“Any nondriving activity a driver engages in behind the wheel is a potential distraction and increases their risk of being involved in a collision,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Through education and enforcement, law enforcement is working to change this dangerous and potentially life-threatening behavior.”
According to research, sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.
Even a three-second glance at freeway speeds means a driver has traveled the distance of a football field.
In 2013, the California Department of Motor Vehicles reported over 426,000 handheld cell phone and texting convictions, with more than 57,000 tickets issued in April alone.
The CHP and statewide law enforcement agencies are committed to ensuring our streets are safe by ticketing anyone found driving while distracted.
The ticket cost for a first time texting or hand-held cell phone violation is about $162, with subsequent tickets costing about $282.
To avoid falling victim to distracted driving behaviors, OTS and the CHP are providing drivers with the following tips that can be implemented by any motorist:
Turn off your phone or put it on silent mode, then put it out of reach while driving;
Record an outgoing message on your phone that tells callers you’re driving and will get back to them when you’re off the road;
Adjust controls and set your song playlist before you set out on the road;
If it’s urgent, pull over in a safe place to place a call;
Focus on driving, and avoid eating, drinking, reading, grooming, smoking, and any other activity that takes your mind and eyes off the road.
The California Office of Traffic Safety, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and Department of Motor Vehicles remind you to drive safely not only during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month, but every day throughout the year.
On Friday the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released a full status review of the Northeast Pacific population of white shark in which the agency concluded that the shark should not be granted endangered species protection under California law.
The review document can be seen below.
Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity and Shark Stewards submitted the state listing petition – as well as a federal one – in August 2012.
In February 2013, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to move the great white shark into candidacy for a state Endangered Species Act listing, which began a yearlong review.
Then, last June, the National Marine Fisheries Service declined to protect great white sharks off the coast of California under the Endangered Species Act.
In completing the review, California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff determined that the best scientific information available indicates the petitioned action is not warranted.
The listing petition included information that as few as 339 of the sharks live along the California coast.
However, the state review says there are a number of shark population estimates, ranging from as few as 339 up to more than 3,000.
“All current estimates involve some degree of uncertainty as there are significant gaps in the knowledge of white shark movements, reproductive biology and mating behaviors,” the review stated.
“Based on our thorough review of the best available scientific information, the Department believes the estimated abundance of 339 individuals stated in the Petition underestimates the true size of the population,” the document goes on to say, noting that the 3,000-shark population estimate was based on an “expanded data sets and more robust assumptions.”
As such, the agency is recommending that the California Fish and Game Commission not list the Northeast Pacific population of white shark as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.
The final listing decision will be up to the commission, which is expected to take up the matter at a future meeting.
Updates will be posted on the commission's Web site, www.fgc.ca.gov .
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.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A case the Medical Board of California and the California Attorney General’s Office brought two years ago alleging that a longtime Upper Lake doctor violated professional codes while prescribing medical marijuana has been settled.
Barbara Yaroslavsky, chair of the Medical Board of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, signed a stipulated settlement and disciplinary order in the case of Dr. Milan Hopkins on March 12.
The settlement goes into effect on April 11, according to the case documents.
The case was filed against Hopkins in March 2012, as Lake County News has reported: http://bit.ly/IJkS2c .
The disciplinary action calls for revocation of Hopkins' medical license; however, it also stays the revocation in favor of five years' probation.
The order requires that Hopkins take continuing education coursework on prescribing practices, medical records keeping, and professionalism and ethics; that he make quarterly declarations; be immediately available for monitoring interviews; and cover his probation monitoring costs.
He also is required to notify all hospitals where he practices of the Medical Board decision, and during his probation he is prohibited from supervising physicians assistants.
Throughout the proceedings, Hopkins has been allowed to continue his medical practice.
“It doesn’t affect his status at all, or the status of his practice or his medical marijuana recommendations,” Hopkins' San Francisco-based attorney, Laurence J. Lichter, said of the Medical Board decision in a Thursday interview with Lake County News.
Both Hopkins and Lichter signed onto the settlement and order last spring, as did the Attorney General's Office. However, it took until last month for the Medical Board of California to finalize it.
“This took a little longer than it should,” Medical Board spokesperson Cassandra Hockenson told Lake County News on Thursday.
The approval process can take time, and in this case she attributed the delay to a “glitch,” adding, “It's not the norm.” She said the Medical Board is working on a new decision streamlining process.
The original 2012 complaint accused Hopkins of three counts of gross negligence for allegedly prescribing marijuana use to three separate patients without the required exams. The complaint said that he ignored serious health issues without making contact or coordinating with primary care physicians.
The fourth charge in the case was for repeated acts of negligence for not appropriately diagnosing a case, ignoring potential health issues and not following up on health issues.
In the case of one female patient – who, as it turned out, was an undercover investigator who visited Hopkins in October 2010 – Hopkins was accused of “searching for a reason for the medical marijuana recommendation to enable the patient to avoid legal issues with her recreational weekend marijuana use.”
The two male patients in the case, both aged 19 at the time, had reportedly driven from Los Angeles to Upper Lake in February 2011 to get medical marijuana recommendations, case documents state.
Lichter told Lake County News that Hopkins already has modified medical record-keeping procedures to address the Medical Board's concerns.
The Medical Board also wants Hopkins to take classes, and Lichter pointed out that all doctors must take continuing education coursework.
Lichter maintained that Hopkins was pulled into the case “accidentally” as the Medical Board was investigating another doctor in another county.
The agency's interest had nothing to do with medical marijuana, added Lichter, whose practice includes marijuana-related cases. He also acts as an advisor to the founders of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, where he originated the law curriculum and serves as the law faculty's dean.
Hopkins was faulted for not having complete medical records of some up the patients he saw. Lichter said Hopkins wants to make sure he has such records, but sometimes the people who come to him don't have a regular physician and so any medical records they may have are not readily available.
He said Hopkins serves a valuable function in the Lake County community. “A lot of people who go to see him up there would not ordinarily see a doctor,” said Lichter.
In such cases, Hopkins tries to steer them toward other specialists, with Lichter adding, “Unfortunately, cannabis doesn’t cure everything.”
Hopkins, who received his medical license in July 1972, had two previous cases which landed him before the Medical Board of California, and has so far spent almost 15 of his nearly 42 years of practice on probation, according to Medical Board records.
The first case was in 1979, when he was accused of gross negligence, incompetence and repeated acts of negligence for overprescribing controlled substances such as Quaaludes, Percodan, Dilaudid and other prescription drugs, receiving 10 years' probation, the Medical Board reported.
In 1998, Hopkins was charged with Business and Professions Codes violations for breaking federal or state statute regarding controlled substances, gross negligence, incompetence and repeated negligent acts, and received five years' probation, according to Medical Board records.
Hockenson said she couldn't comment on why the Medical Board decided on probation in this third case, as she was not privy to the decision.
The board takes many factors into account when making a decision, including the physician's age and past performance, Hockenson said.
The new five-year probation term “will be very strict,” with the Medical Board intending to keep “a close eye” on Hopkins, according to Hockenson.
If Hopkins fails to meet the requirements, his license will be revoked, Hockenson said.
Hopkins has been an outspoken advocate of medical marijuana for many years, and some of his public statements in support of the drug – particularly in the form of newspaper and radio advertising for his medical practice – have raised issues with regional law enforcement.
In 2012, Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster challenged Hopkins on what Eyster said was “misleading” advertising in which he claimed that his medical marijuana recommendations would protect people in any county from prosecution under state law for 99 plants and 19 pounds of processed cannabis.
Eyster said Hopkins' assertions amounted to “risky exaggeration” and “nothing more than bad legal advice.”
Medical Board records show that Hopkins’ medical license remains valid through June 30.
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.
Assembly Bills 1519 and 1954, two pieces of legislation relating to the state fire prevention fee, will have their first committee hearings Monday.
AB 1519, authored by Assemblyman Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), would eliminate the penalty placed on taxpayers who appeal their fire prevention fee bill and are denied.
Under current law, taxpayers who unsuccessfully appeal their fire prevention fee bills are charged a 20-percent monthly penalty if they fail to pay within 30 days, even if the taxpayer has agreed to an installment payment arrangement.
AB 1954, authored by Assemblywoman Harkey (R-Dana Point), would give taxpayers an additional, unbiased, level of protection by allowing them to appeal their fire prevention fee bills to the Board of Equalization if they are denied by Cal Fire.
State Board of Equalization member George Runner sponsored both bills.
“The confusing and controversial fire fee is tax policy at its worst,” said George Runner. “It should be eliminated entirely, but until then AB 1519 and AB 1954 are helpful steps to provide some relief from this burdensome tax.”
AB 1519 will be heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, while AB 1954 will be heard in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Both hearings begin at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Sacramento.
George Runner represents more than nine million Californians as a taxpayer advocate and elected member of the State Board of Equalization.
On Friday U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-5), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), vice chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, led the call against legislative language known as “riders,” in appropriations bills that would block efforts to reduce and prevent gun violence.
One hundred and six of their colleagues joined Thompson and Esty in sending a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on March 25 urging them to oppose the inclusion of gun-related riders in appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2015.
“The only people these riders benefit are criminals,” said Thompson. “They prevent the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health from conducting research on the causes of gun violence. They restrict law enforcement’s ability to track and combat the spread of illegal guns. And they harm efforts to reduce and prevent gun violence. The American people deserve an open debate on these backdoor legislative tactics that do nothing but make our communities less safe."
“It’s unacceptable for members of Congress to slip into must-pass bills controversial provisions that block efforts to reduce gun violence," said Esty. "The fact that gun-riders have prohibited federally-funded public health research on the causes and impact of gun violence and have limited efforts to track illegal guns underscores how harmful these under-the-table provisions can be. The American people deserve an open, public debate on issues that so deeply affect the health and safety of our families."
In previous years, members of Congress included gun-related riders without any public debate.
The riders include provisions known as the Rehberg restrictions that prohibit research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on gun violence prevention, the Tiahrt Amendments that hinder the ability of law enforcement to track and combat the spread of illegal guns, and the Dickey restrictions that have led Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to effectively halt all research into the causes and prevention of gun violence.
In their policy principles released in February, 2013, the U.S. House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force recommended that Congress repeal these riders and restore funding for public safety and law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence.
The task force also urged Congress to fund law enforcement's efforts to reduce gun violence, while supporting federal research into the causes of gun violence.
In policy principle number nine found here, the task force recommended that Congress remove the Dickey, Rehberg and Tiahrt restrictions.
A full copy of the letter is below.
The Honorable John Boehner The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House Democratic Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi:
As the House Committee on Appropriations develops each of the twelve fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bills, we urge that you ensure the committee’s legislation not include harmful legislative language, or “riders,” that impact the enforcement of gun laws, the operations of Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL), or research into the causes of gun violence and how to prevent it. Gun violence reduction and prevention is an important and sensitive issue. Given the renewed national focus on gun violence prevention, now is not the time to include controversial appropriations riders that negatively impact gun laws.
Instead, such changes to gun policy must be seriously and properly considered by Congress through the regular order. This must be done in an open and transparent process where a full range of options can be frankly discussed and debated by the proper committees of authorizing jurisdiction and the entire House of Representatives. Over the past several years, various appropriations riders related to gun policy have had unintended consequences that could have been prevented had these issues been properly and more thoroughly debated in Congress.
For example, the Tiahrt and Rehberg amendments, among others, have prevented law enforcement from requiring FFLs to keep an inventory of their firearms, prevented law enforcement and academic institutions from using gun trace data to better understand the pattern of crime gun transfers, and chilled unbiased scientific research into the causes of gun violence and the means of preventing it.
As the FY 2015 appropriations process begins through the respective Appropriations subcommittees, we urge you to support the development of legislation that is free of harmful gun-related riders. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The organizers of Middletown Days are seeking young local women interested in being candidates for the event's rodeo queen and princess titles.
Queens must be in grades ninth through 12th, with princesses in the eighth grade and below.
The contest will be held June 14 and 15, with Middletown Days taking place June 20 through 22.
Those young women interested in taking part in the annual event should come to the first meeting for the queen and princess candidates at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, the Central Park Arena in Middletown.
Candidates must own or borrow a horse, and be present for all Middletown Days functions.
To qualify, prospective contestants must compete in Steam Country Equestrians, Middletown Rodeo Association or be approved by the Middletown Central Park Association board.
Queen contestants must sell $900 in beef raffle tickets and princess contestants must sell $600 in beef raffle tickets.
For more information, contact Krissy Tighe at 707-355-2275 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
