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Francisco Morales-Gomez, 31, of Clearlake, California, was arrested on the evening of Friday, November 8, 2019, after a day-and-a-half-long standoff with law enforcement in which he held his child hostage in his home. He was taken into custody without incident shortly after surrendering his child to authorities. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake’s police chief offered new information Friday night about what led to a day-and-a-half-long standoff between a man and authorities and what it took to resolve the situation safely.

On Friday evening, authorities took Francisco Morales-Gomez, 31, of Clearlake into custody without incident shortly after he safely surrendered his 6-year-old child, who he had held with him in his house on 29th Avenue since Thursday morning.

The incident would draw in resources from other parts of Lake County and the North Coast. Agencies assisting the Clearlake Police Department included the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Lake County Fire Protection District, according to the Clearlake Police Department.

Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White told Lake County News that the original call that developed into a hostage situation came in on Thursday morning, when Morales-Gomez’s wife called to report that he had brandished a firearm at her.

White said officers responded to the residence at 29th and Boyles avenues, surrounded it and called out to everyone inside the house to leave.

Morales-Gomez’s brother came out of the house, White said, while Morales-Gomez came to the door with his child – carrying what was believed to be a rifle – before taking the child and going back inside the house.

At that point, negotiations began, said White.

At about 9 a.m. Thursday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team was asked to respond and when they arrived they took over negotiations, White said.

White said they also evacuated about six homes in the immediate vicinity and closed down some nearby streets, including portions of 28th, 29th and Boyles avenues.

On Thursday night, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office sent its SWAT Team, which White said brought a helicopter, a robot and a drone. All of that technology was used to monitor the situation while the Sonoma County team took over negotiations overnight.

White said the robot was used to deliver a phone into the home in order to communicate with Morales-Gomez.

On Friday morning, the Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT Team resumed leading the negotiations, White said.

During the standoff, Morales-Gomez and the child primarily remained in a back bedroom in the house, White said.

Morales-Gomez had not made any specific demands during the negotiations. However, “He had made threats to shoot the law enforcement officers,” White said. “He said that multiple times.”

Then, on Friday evening, Morales-Gomez called negotiators about food, so White said they ordered a pizza. One of the SWAT team members placed the pizza inside the front room, while Morales-Gomez remained at the back of the house.

White said Morales-Gomez didn’t go for the pizza. However, while still in the back bedroom, he agreed to pass his child out of a window to law enforcement.

Then, Morales-Gomez attempted to go out of another window. That’s when the SWAT team captured him, White said. That occurred shortly after 6 p.m.

The child, who White said appeared to be in good health after the ordeal, got the pizza.

Officers took Morales-Gomez to the hospital to be cleared and to get a blood sample as part of the search warrant law enforcement has for the case, White said.

At 7:15 p.m. Friday, the Clearlake Police Department sent out a Nixle text alert stating that residences on 29th Avenue that had been evacuated were safe and people were clear to return home.

White said they understood and recognized the impact on the neighbors who had to be away from their homes while the situation unfolded. He added that safety – for the public and the victim – is paramount.

Prior to Thursday’s call that began the standoff, White said the Clearlake Police Department had not had any contacts with Morales-Gomez.

Asked about potential costs to the department for the complex and lengthy operation, White said the assistance from Mendocino and Sonoma counties was through mutual aid and therefore will not result in a cost to his agency.

White noted that in recent weeks his officers had responded to Sonoma County to assist with patrols in the Kincade fire evacuation area.

Besides the basic benefit of the mutual assistance, he said the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office also responded with far more units and equipment thanks to its size.

White said there will be a significant cost to the city for its own personnel. Volunteers were used when possible, such as enforcing road blocks. However, officers and staff from all of the Clearlake Police Department’s divisions were part of the response, staying on scene around the clock.

They also had to deal with their own regular call volume, which White said didn’t stop and included multiple other calls involving guns at the same time that the Morales-Gomez incident was under way.

Morales-Gomez, whose booking sheet lists his occupation as laborer, was booked early Saturday morning into the Lake County Jail.

Initial charges listed against him are felony counts of false imprisonment of a hostage, false imprisonment with violence, obstructing or resisting an executive officer and willful cruelty to a child, and misdemeanors of brandishing a firearm replica and battery of a spouse.

White said he expected Morales-Gomez to appear in Lake County Superior Court for arraignment on Wednesday.

White said his agency is requesting a bail enhancement so Morales-Gomez is held without bail, and when Morales-Gomez’s booking sheet was posted it showed he is on a no-bail hold.

“We have significant concerns with the threats he could pose to the community if he were to bail out prior to arraignment,” White said.

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.
Authorities at the scene of a standoff in Clearlake, California, that led to the arrest of Francisco Morales-Gomez, 31, of Clearlake, on Friday, November 8, 2019, following a day-and-a-half-long standoff. Photo courtesy of the Clearlake Police Department.
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What's up for November? Mercury transits across the sun, and the dimming of the "Demon star," Algol.

On Nov. 11 we're in for a rare treat, as the innermost planet, Mercury, passes directly in front of the sun for a few hours.

This event is called a transit, and for Mercury they happen only about 13 times in a century (transits of Venus are even more rare.)

The event will last about five and a half hours, during which Mercury's path will take it right across the middle of the sun's disk.

For observers in the Eastern U.S., the transit begins after sunrise, meaning you'll be able to view the entire thing. For the central and western U.S., the transit begins before sunrise, but there's enough time left as the sun climbs up the sky for you to catch a glimpse before Mercury makes its exit.

Now remember, you should never look directly at the sun without proper protection, as it can permanently damage your eyes.

If you have a pair eclipse shades, those are OK for viewing the sun, but Mercury is so small in comparison that it can be next to impossible to see a transit without magnification.

Your best bet is a telescope with a certified sun filter, but other options include solar projection boxes and sun funnels. Plus, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft will be sharing near-real time images during the transit. Whatever method you choose, be safe when observing the sun!

The next Mercury transit that will be visible in the U.S. isn't until 2049! So if you're in the States, you might want to make the effort to catch this special celestial event.

A much more frequent type of transit you might want to check out is the regular dimming and brightening of the "Demon Star," Algol.

Found in the constellation Perseus, Algol is actually two stars orbiting around each other, and they're oriented nearly edge-on such that, from our perspective, the smaller star regularly passes in front of the larger, brighter one, causing it to dim for about 10 hours at a time.

This happens like clockwork, every 2 days, 20 hours, 49 minutes. You can find tables of these "minima," as they're called, in lots of astronomy magazines and websites.

To observe Algol's eclipses, find the date and time of a predicted minimum and start observing maybe an hour or two before that time.

Take a look about every half hour (binoculars are really useful for this). Over a few hours following the minimum, Algol will slowly brighten back to its normal state.

At its normal brightness, Algol appears about as bright as the nearby star Almach, while at its minimum, it dims to around the brightness of its neighbor Gorgonea Tertia. So these two stars provide a helpful way to compare Algol's brightness throughout the night as you observe.

You can catch up on all of NASA's current and future missions at www.nasa.gov.

Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Lake County 4-H youth participating in the 2018 Veterans Day ceremony at Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, California. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m., all are invited to join local 4-Hers, veteran organizations, and the public in the annual Veterans Day ceremony honoring Lake County's veterans at Konocti Vista Casino.

The county’s 4-H clubs have prepared handmade cards for the local veterans as a way to show their appreciation.

Each year 4-H youth join with the community thanking the many service men and women for all their hard work and self sacrifice.

Participation by 4-H members at this event has been a tradition for more than 30 years.

Cards are distributed to those attending with extras designated for the nearest veteran hospital.

In addition to honoring armed forces veterans, Blue Heron 4-H members have been joining in Operation Tango Mike monthly packing parties as part of their community service. They help create the packages going to our active service men and women.

More information about the 4-H organization is available online at http://celake.ucanr.edu/4-H_Program/ or at the county 4-H office 707-263-6838.

Robin Adams is a 4-H All Star candidate.


Blue Heron 4-H members make Veterans Day cards at the monthly club meeting. Courtesy photo.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office on Friday said it still has a small number of ballots yet to count as part of finalizing the election results for Northshore Fire’s Measure N tax.

At the same time, the Northshore Fire Protection District’s board chair said they have received messages from community members who reported they didn’t receive ballots or only got them in the mail this week.

The fire district put the parcel tax before more than 6,300 registered voters on the Northshore on Tuesday. Four precincts were open in Clearlake Oaks, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake.

Measure N needs a supermajority of 66.7 percent to pass.

An updated preliminary count released Friday shows that 1,971 ballots have been counted – 1,634 absentee, 337 percent.

Of those, 1,242 ballots, or 63.01 percent, were cast in favor of the measure, while 729 ballots, or 36.99, voted no.

The overall participation rate for the special election is estimated at 30.92 percent, according to the Friday report.

The Registrar of Voters Office must complete the official canvass – which began on Thursday and will continue until Dec. 5 – in order to certify the election, according to Registrar of Voters Catherine McMullen.

McMullen gave the following breakdown of the 48 ballots that remain to be counted during the official canvass:

· Ballots voted at the polling places on Election Day: 6.

· Vote-by-mail ballots dropped off at the polls on Election Day: 0.

· Vote-by-mail ballots returned via mail postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov. 5, and received by the Registrar of Voters Office by Friday, Nov. 8: 1

· Vote-by-mail ballots that require further review: 41.

· Provisional ballots: 0.

McMullen said provisional ballots and vote-by-mail ballots requiring further review may be entirely counted, partially counted or not counted.

At the same time, this week Northshore Fire Protection District Chair Jim Burton said he has been receiving calls from community members who said they did not receive ballots for the measure or only received them this week.

He said the committee that supported and campaigned for Measure N plans to report these concerns to the Registrar of Voters Office.

McMullen said the results released on Friday will be the last update until the final certified results of the election are released when the official canvass ends on Dec. 5.

There are many checks and balances when certifying election results as part of the official canvass, which McMullen is mandated by state law to ensure that the public can have confidence in the integrity of the final results.

Anyone with questions about the elections process can contact the Registrar of Voters Office at 707-263-2372, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or stop by the office on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

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.
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A SWAT unit at the scene of a standoff in Clearlake, California, on Friday, November 8, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Clearlake Police Department.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A standoff that began in Clearlake on Thursday morning ended early Friday evening as authorities took a man into custody and were able to safely retrieve a child the man had held hostage.

Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White said shortly after 6 p.m. Friday that the Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT Team had taken 31-year-old Francisco Morales-Gomez of Clearlake into custody without incident after he surrendered the child.

A 6-year-old child who had been kept in the house since Thursday morning is safe and in medical custody, White said.

“The child appears healthy,” White said.

Authorities had been in negotiations with Morales-Gomez since Thursday morning, after they responded to a residence at 29th and Boyles avenues on the report of a male subject at the home who had displayed a firearm.

White told Lake County News that Morales-Gomez had let his brother leave the home but, after appearing briefly at the door of the residence armed with a rifle, Morales-Gomez disappeared back into the house, keeping the child with him.

Police subsequently evacuated some homes in the immediate area and closed nearby streets while the situation unfolded, White said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team as well as the SWAT Team from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office took turns negotiating with Morales-Gomez over a 33-hour-long period before the situation ended, White said.

White said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team was able to continue negotiations with Morales-Gomez, who passed the child to out to them Friday evening before trying to go out a window.

The SWAT Team took Morales-Gomez into custody at that point, White said.

The Clearlake Police Department thanked the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner, California Highway Patrol, Fish and Wildlife and Lake County Fire for their assistance in peacefully resolving the situation.

Additional details will be published 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.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport has opportunities for the general public to become involved in local government by serving on local commissions and committees.

If you have an interest in serving your community, applying for a position on a city commission or committee is a great place to start.

The city invites applications for the following committees and commissions:

– The Lakeport Planning Commission;
– Parks and Recreation Commission;
– the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board;
– and the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC.

These appointments would be effective as of Jan. 1, 2020.

Membership on these commissions and committees is voluntary.

If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, applications are available on the city’s website under the Community News Topic, “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee
Openings” , or under the “Government” tab (Committees & Commissions).

For additional information, please contact Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton at 707-263-5615, Extension 102, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Applications will be accepted until Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol is renewing its efforts to ensure children are safely secured while traveling California’s roadways.

The CHP has partnered with the California Office of Traffic Safety to implement the California Restraint Safety Education and Training – or CARSEAT – III campaign.

The CARSEAT III campaign will run for one year and focus on reducing the number of unrestrained and improperly restrained children killed in traffic collisions throughout California.

To accomplish this goal, the CHP will host educational seminars, classes and child safety seat inspections.

These efforts will highlight the importance of child passenger restraint and seat belt usage, and provide education related to the proper installation of child passenger safety seats.

California law requires a child be properly restrained in an appropriate child safety seat in the rear seat of a vehicle until they are at least eight years of age.

Children age 8 and older, who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall, may ride in the rear seat of a vehicle in a properly fitted seat belt.

Children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until they reach 40 pounds or 40 inches in height.

For the best protection, all children should ride rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the upper weight and height limits of their car seat.

“Making sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up in an appropriate car seat for their age and size is the easiest way to prevent serious injury or even death in the event of a crash,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley.

Commissioner Stanley also encourages drivers to set an example by buckling up for every trip, no matter how short.

“The goal of this campaign is to educate parents and caregivers to ensure all children and adults in California are using car seats and seat belts for every trip,” he said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child passenger safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

In addition to educational efforts, the CHP will be conducting enforcement operations concentrating on occupant restraint violations throughout the year with a special emphasis during the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign in May and national Child Passenger Safety Week in September.

For more information regarding seat belt regulations, child passenger safety, child safety seats – including free inspections and installations by appointment – please contact your local CHP Area office.

The Clear Lake Area CHP office can be reached at 707-279-0103.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities are negotiating with an armed man who they say has been holding a family member hostage at a Clearlake home since Thursday morning.

Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White said that on Thursday morning police received a call for service regarding a person who had displayed a firearm at a home on 29th Avenue.

White said units responded and surrounded the house, and were able to get a brother of the suspect – a male adult whom police have so far not identified publicly – to come out of the house.

However, the armed male remained in the house with another family member. White said the man appeared briefly at the door, armed with a rifle, before disappearing back inside the house, keeping the family member there with him.

“He’s been noncompliant since that time and will not let the other person out of the house,” White said.

White said due to the circumstances of negotiations, they also are not identifying the person being kept inside by the armed man, and not saying if it is an adult or child.

Authorities have had a lot of communication with the man, who is so far not complying with their requests, including allowing them to execute a search warrant for the house, White said.

Police began negotiating with the man, and on Thursday morning the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team responded and took over, continuing negotiations throughout Thursday, White said.

White said officers went door to door to nearby homes and evacuated residents there. However, he said they didn’t find it necessary to do a larger evacuation.

With the focus on negotiations, and with the situation being highly dynamic, White said the police department did not send out a Nixle alert or make a Facebook post.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office sent a SWAT team that handled the scene overnight and continued negotiations. White said at one point a helicopter also was over the scene.

During the night, White said they lost communications with the armed subject, but reestablished contact with him on Friday morning.

On Friday morning, White said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office resumed negotiations with the man. Lake County Behavioral Health has also assisted with negotiations.

White said authorities have spoken with other family members not directly involved in the situation and have no reason to believe anyone has been injured.

He said the primary focus remains negotiations and trying to diffuse the quickly changing situation.

In addition to the large law enforcement presence, White said the Lake County Fire Protection District is at the scene and on standby.

He said there are some road closures in the immediate area that they have condensed down so as to have less impact on the community.

The closures are on 29th Avenue from Boyles to Irving, Boyles between 28th and 29th avenues, and on a portion of 28th Avenue, White said.

“We do need people to stay out of those lines” and plan alternate travel routes, he said.

White said police were in contact with the Konocti Unified School District in order to reroute school buses around the area.

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.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has many dogs ready to be adopted this week.

The kennels also have many dogs that need to be reunited with their owners. To find the lost/found pet section, click here.

The following dogs are ready for adoption. They include mixes of American Staffordshire Terrier, husky and shepherd.

“Bentley.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bentley’

“Bentley” is a senior male Shih Tzu with a medium-length coat.

He is dog No. 3163.

“Blue.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Blue’

“Blue” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

He has a short blue and white coat and has been neutered.

He is dog No. 2420.

“Bones.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bones’

“Bones” is a male hound mix.

He is dog No. 3038.

“Charlotte.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Charlotte’

“Charlotte” is a female Akita mix.

She is dog No. 3040.

“King.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘King’

“King” is a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a short brindle coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 3034.

“Ollie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Ollie’

“Ollie” is a male terrier puppy with a tricolor coat.

He is dog No. 2951.

“Spice.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Spice’

“Spice” is a female pug mix with a short tan and black coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 3033.

“Teena.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Teena’

“Teena” is a female terrier.

She is dog No. 3025.

“Tyson.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Tyson’

“Tyson” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix.

He has a short gray and white coat.

He has been neutered.

Tyson is dog No. 1863.

Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.

Hours of operation area noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays; the shelter offers appointments on the days it’s closed to accommodate people.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at the city’s Web site.

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.
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Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.

A tenant in common owns an undivided, fractional interest in a property – real or personal – with one or more additional tenants in common, who may be related or unrelated persons.

Let’s consider issues related to some scenarios.

Consider two friends who buy real property as equal tenants in common to turn into a rental property.

As equal co-owners they each are responsible to pay their own half of all maintenance, repair and real property tax costs.

What happens if one of the equal co tenants becomes unable to pay his share of such expenses?

That happened to a client of mine. In her case, she paid all the expenses associated with ownership and with repairing the rental property in order to re-sell the once rental property.

My client did so with an oral agreement with her business partner that she would be reimbursed from the partner’s half of the future sale proceeds.

However, the partner died prior to the property being sold. The deceased partner’s son – and sole heir – stepped in.

Disagreement arose over the son’s right to use the rental property, as to my client’s creditor claims against the deceased partner’s estate, and as to how to settle the mother’s estate, probate versus small estate administration.

These issues and how the property would be sold needed to be resolved. Disagreement led to litigation which led to a settlement.

Next, consider two siblings who together, as equal tenants in common, inherit their parent’s ranch, which has multiple dwelling units.

The siblings decide to live in separate dwellings on the ranch and to separate their use of the large estate where possible. A tenants in common agreement allows co-tenants to specify their rights and responsibilities associated with their agreement.

Although tenants in common each own an undivided interest in the entire property they can agree to allocate separate use of certain parts of the property to one tenant and to allow both tenants shared use of the other parts. They can allocate their rights and responsibilities accordingly.

The drafting of a tenants in common agreement will vary depending on the circumstances and objectives.

In our example, the agreement concerns in which dwelling each sibling resides and their individual rights and responsibilities for their separate dwellings and environs and for their shared environs and responsibilities.

Next, the siblings may each want to gift their undivided fractional ownership to their own children when they die.

A tenant in common can transfer his undivided interest into a trust with future beneficiaries, or can name such future beneficiaries in a will. Wills require probate when the value of the decedent’s probate estate exceeds one-hundred, fifty thousand dollars.

If, however, tenants in common cannot cooperate then each tenant in common has a right to bring a petition to partition action in civil court.

A partition action will result either in the division of the property, if possible, or in the sale of the property. Either way the tenants in common are set free of one another.

If parents wish to leave real property for the common enjoyment of their children they may wish to leave such property in a further on-going trust.

The trust will name a trustee and the terms under which the children and their families share the benefits and burdens associated with the property.

The trust prevents any of the children from selling, or partitioning, the real property and says what happens when all of the children are deceased, no longer want to use the property, or the real property becomes uneconomical to maintain.

The foregoing discussion illustrates why the tenants in common form of ownership needs to be thought through and addressed before entering into such an arrangement. If you are confronting the issue, consult a qualified attorney to discuss your planning options.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week supported continuing work with the Lakeport Fire Protection District to reestablish controlled burns on larger properties in the city limits, an effort kicked off thanks to a community member’s advocacy.

The discussion begins at the 4:45 minute mark in the video of the meeting shown above. The staff report begins on page 31 of the staff report published below.

Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said that in 2018 the council voted to revise the Lakeport Municipal Code so that property owners are required to abate hazardous weeds and dry vegetation by June 1 rather than the first week of July, as Lake County News has reported.

It was during the discussion about those changes that the council gave staff direction about exploring other possible ordinance revisions to reduce wildland fire risks, he said.

Ingram said the city has been working with the Lakeport Fire Protection District and Lake County Air Quality Management as well as interested citizens on possible amendments to the city code, which currently completely prohibits outdoor burning.

City Municipal Code Chapter 8.11, “Outside Burning,” prohibits all outside burning of any kind within the incorporated city with the exception of barbecue and “fire department/district training exercises that include burning of a building or other structure when under the supervision of fire chief or his/her designee, and in compliance with applicable air pollution regulations.”

That portion of the city code was approved by Ordinance 817 in 2002.

City council minutes, provided at Lake County News’ request on Thursday by Deputy City Clerk Hilary Britton, show that at the council’s meeting on Aug. 14, 2002, then-Lake County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds spoke to the council in support of an ordinance to prohibit outdoor burning.

At that point, the council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance banning outdoor burning at the Aug. 28, 2002, meeting.

The council followed up with a half-hour-long public hearing on Aug. 28, 2002, taking public input from Reynolds and four other community members; the meeting minutes do not detail the content of those comments.

At the end of that hearing, the council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance banning outdoor burning within the city limits “with the understanding that exceptions can be created where needed.”

On Tuesday, Ingram said they’ve been looking at allowing controlled burns on parcels one acre and larger in size. They’ve been looking at the rules for what is allowed in the unincorporated county, with more protections since the city is more densely crowded.

In the meetings between the city, the fire district, the Air Quality Management District and community members, Ingram said they have been discussing the possibility of conducting test burns overseen by Lakeport Fire this winter to explore possible impacts to the community before going ahead and make a formal amendment to the municipal code.

When the city conducts controlled burns on its dam structure at the wastewater treatment plant, it does a lot of public outreach, he said.

Ingram said potential areas for the proposed test burns are a Lakeport Fire parcel on Larrecou Lane near the Vista Point Shopping Center, a 15-acre property at 1842 Todd Road adjacent to KFC, as well as a group of larger properties on the north side of 11th Street, represented at the meeting by Frank Dollosso, a property owner whose advocacy brought the matter forward and who has spoken to the council previously.

“We wanted to kind of get the pulse of the council” on that approach before making a more formal proposal, said Ingram.

Lakeport Fire Chief Rick Bergem said Ingram and Dollosso have done a good job of bringing the matter forward, calling it “long overdue.”

Noting that the ban had been in effect for a long time, Bergem said it has made it difficult for property owners to keep properties clean.

“In that timeframe the fuel loads have just greatly expanded in the city limits,” he said.

Bergem said controlled burning will give the city a much greater chance if a fire comes close to it again.

Dollosso thanked everyone for working on the proposal.

He lives on a five-and-a-half-acre property on 11th street. He has two neighbors who have another 10 acres between them.

When he bought his property, the previous owner had done little clearing due to the burn ban. Dollosso said the result was that he had to cut dump truck loads of green waste from his property, which has numerous oaks and other trees. He said he can’t get enough green waste bins to keep it cleared.

Dollosso said that, if done properly, controlled burning shouldn’t have a big impact on neighboring properties thanks to the requirements for a smoke management plan and the fire chief being able to determine if burning should not happen on certain days because of community events.

Ingram said Dollosso’s comments echo what the city has heard from other community members about how cost prohibitive it can be to clear properties without the ability for controlled burning.

He said people want to do the right thing but have been hamstrung with the tools available to them.

Councilman George Spurr asked if the city would do public outreach for the test burns. Ingram said that’s what they do when the control burns at the dam, but he said he was not sure how far they would go with notifications on each individual burn.

Spurr said people are gun shy after having fires every year, and Ingram said that was the reasoning for doing the training burns this winter.

Mayor Tim Barnes said he liked the idea of stripping out the vegetation that serves as fuel, so if a fire doesn’t break out it isn’t sitting in the middle of a powder keg.

Ingram said most of the properties where the burns could take place are an acre or more in size and are on the city’s boundaries, particularly the western side. He said approval won’t be automatic, and must be granted by both the fire district and Air Quality Management District.

Councilman Kenny Parlet pointed out that even Bergem thinks it’s a good idea to change the city rule, and he said the old ways of doing things were good, and they were burning all the time.

Now, they have gotten away from burning and Parlet said they have seen the consequences of not taking care of business. He commended staff for working on the matter, which he said will be a lot better for everyone.

Barnes congratulated Dollosso, recognizing that he did a lot of the footwork.

Dollosso had talked to Barnes about controlled burns a long time ago, and Barnes said he had encouraged Dollosso to come to the council.

“The point of all of this, is coming and making it work, so good on you, man,” Barnes said, also thanking staff.

Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to direct staff to continue to work with the Lakeport Fire Protection District and Lake County Air Quality Management on efforts including supervised controlled burns this winter by Lakeport Fire.

Parlet seconded Turner’s motion and the council voted to approve it 5-0.

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.

110519 Lakeport City Council Agenda Packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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A batch of 100 pills that appeared to be oxycodone which the Lakeport Police Department seized during a May 2019 traffic stop in Lakeport, Calif., have tested positive for fentanyl. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Police Department.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The presence of a deadly synthetic opioid that’s the focus of a federal alert has been confirmed in illicitly manufactured pills seized earlier this year by the Lakeport Police Department.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said this week that recent lab results confirmed that the pills, seized in the spring, contained fentanyl, which the Drug Enforcement Administration says is a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses.

Federal authorities also warned this week that cartels are distributing the deadly substance throughout North America in the form of counterfeit pills.

On May 29, Lakeport Police Officer Casey Debolt conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Leopoldo Bravo of Kelseyville due to an equipment violation, as Lake County News has reported.

Bravo, who was on searchable probation out of Los Angeles County for selling heroin, was found to be in possession of more than an ounce of cocaine, 100 opioid tablets and approximately $1,968 in cash, police said.

Rasmussen said this week that the pills seized from Bravo were marked as – and appeared to be – pharmaceutical oxycodone tablets.

As part of Lakeport Police’s followup investigation, the pills were sent to the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services for analysis, Rasmussen said.

A sample from the batch was chemically analyzed and found to contain fentanyl. Rasmussen, who got the test results on Monday night, said no oxycodone was detected.

He said the pills were marked with the letter “M” and the number “30” which is consistent with a legitimately manufactured oxycodone pill.

Based on all of the information the police department has so far, Rasmussen said they believe the pills were possessed and transported for sale in the community.

Rasmussen said they also believe the pills were probably manufactured with a larger batch somewhere outside of the community and possibly outside of the United States.

On Monday, the DEA issued an alert stating that Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl for distribution throughout North America.

Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, the DEA found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.

“Capitalizing on the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse in the United States, drug trafficking organizations are now sending counterfeit pills made with fentanyl in bulk to the United States for distribution,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each year.”

Fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids remain the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, with fentanyl involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug, the DEA reported.

Federal officials said a lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors.

Rasmussen said his agency doesn’t currently know how much fentanyl might be contained in each of the seized pills.

The Lakeport Police Department, which has issued warnings about fentanyl in the past, is once again alerting the community due to the lab results and the danger such pills pose, Rasmussen said.

He said they also have alerted their partners at Lake County Prevention and SafeRx Lake County and asked them to share the information.

“I had been worried about fentanyl pills showing up here and now they have,” Rasmussen said.

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.

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