LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's March employment numbers showed improvement over the previous month, as did those for the rest of California.

The California Employment Development Department released its latest unemployment report on Friday.

Lake County's unemployment rate in March was 7.8 percent, down from a revised 8.3 percent in February and 10.3 percent in March 2014, according to the report.

The report said that California’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.5 percent in March, down slightly from 6.7 percent in February and 7.9 percent in March 2014.

The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

Nationally, unemployment remained flat in March, at 5.5 percent, the same rate reported in February. The nationwide unemployment rate the previous March was 6.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lake County's March unemployment rate – the same as was registered in October – is the lowest jobless rate since September 2007, according to historical data.

Its March rate earned it a statewide ranking of No. 32 out of California's 58 counties.

Neighboring counties ranked as follows: Colusa, 20.6 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 9.5 percent, No. 40; Mendocino, 6.3 percent, No. 20; Napa and Sonoma were tied at 4.6 percent for a No. 6 ranking; and Yolo, 7 percent, No. 27.

San Mateo County had the lowest unemployment in the state in March, 3.4 percent.

Lake County's March labor force totaled 29,990 people, with 2,300 unemployed. That's compared to 30,140 people and 2,500 unemployed in February, and 30,000 people and 3,080 unemployed in March 2014.

Unemployment rates for March were as follows in Lake County's communities, from lowest to highest: Nice, 1.9 percent; Cobb, 3.7 percent; north Lakeport, 4.8 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 5.2 percent; city of Lakeport, 5.3 percent; Middletown, 6.1 percent; Upper Lake, 6.3 percent; Clearlake Oaks, 7.5 percent; Kelseyville, 7.7 percent; city of Clearlake, 11.5 percent; Lucerne, 13.4 percent; and Lower Lake, 14.9 percent.

Amongst Lake County industries that showed changes in March, durable goods manufacturing had an 11-percent increase, while total farm showed a change of -5.3 percent.

The statewide picture

California’s nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 39,800 during the month – following a gain of 22,400 jobs in February – for a total gain of 1,860,700 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010, according to the report.

Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 15,982,000 in March, an increase of 39,800 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 58,000 California businesses.

The year-over-year change, March 2014 to March 2015, showed an increase of 481,900 jobs, a 3.1-percent increase.

The federal survey of 5,500 households that is used as the basis for the unemployment rate also showed an increase in the number of employed people.

That survey estimated that the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 17,713,000, an increase of 45,000 from February, and up 457,000 from the employment total in March of last year.

The number of people unemployed in California was 1,223,000 – down by 53,000 over the month, and down by 250,000 compared with March of last year.

Seven categories – construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; educational and health services; other services; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 48,800 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 16,900 jobs, according to the report.

The state said four categories – mining and logging; information; financial activities; and leisure and hospitality – reported job declines over the month, down 9,000 jobs. Information posted the largest decrease over the month, down 3,200 jobs.

Ten categories – construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – posted job gains over the year, adding 482,800 jobs, the report said.

Professional and business services posted the largest gains on a numerical basis, adding 123,900 jobs, or a 5.2-percent increase, the Employment Development Department said.

Construction posted the largest gains on a percentage basis, up 6.9 percent, adding 46,300 jobs, based on the report.

One category, mining and logging, posted job declines over the year and was down by 900 jobs, a 2.9-percent decrease, the state said.

In other employment news, the Employment Development Department reported that there were 464,530 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 426,874 in February and 510,919 in March of last year.

New claims for Unemployment Insurance were 44,502 in March, compared with 43,302 in February and 52,755 in March of last year, according to the report.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake Police officer's followup this week on a report of illegal dumping in the city ultimately led to the service of a search warrant and seizure of a number of weapons from the home of a convicted felon.

Just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday the Clearlake Police Department began an illegal dumping investigation, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Joseph said a witness reported seeing a vehicle illegally dumping trash in Clearlake Park on Tuesday. The witness was able to obtain a license plate of the vehicle, described as Ford Explorer.

On Wednesday the witness spotted the same Ford Explorer vehicle parked in a driveway located in the 2900 block of Fifth Street in Clearlake Park, and again notified police, Joseph said.

The investigation was assigned to Clearlake Police Officer Elvis Cook, who made contact with two persons – a male and a female – at the front door of the Fifth Street residence, according to Joseph.

Joseph said the male subject contacted was identified as 26-year-old Clearlake resident David Randell Russell.

From outside of the residence on the porch, Cook could clearly see a short-barreled shotgun inside the home. Joseph said Cook believed the shotgun to be an illegal weapon due to its short length and detained the two persons contacted.

During the investigation, it was determined that the illegal shotgun actually belonged to 30-year-old Clearlake resident Edward Dallas Gutierrez, who also is the resident of the home, Joseph said.

Gutierrez is a convicted felon and may not possess firearms. Joseph said evidence located at the scene showed that Gutierrez may have fled the home out a back door upon Officer Cook’s initial arrival.

Russell was found to have an outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrant out of the Clearlake Police Department and was arrested without incident, Joseph said. The female subject later was released without charges.

Due to the fact that neither Russell nor the other female lived at the home, Joseph said officers decided to seek a search warrant to enter the home and seize the illegal firearm.

Clearlake Police Investigator Mark Barnes obtained a search warrant authorized by a Lake County Superior Court judge for the residence. Joseph said the search warrant was served and the firearm was seized.

In addition to the illegal firearm, several other illegal items were located and ultimately seized from inside the home during the service of the search warrant, which Joseph said included ammunition, an illegal “billy club,” an illegal “brass knuckle” knife combination and drug paraphernalia.

Due to the fact that Gutierrez has not yet been located, Joseph said the case will be referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office in the hopes that an arrest warrant will be issued for Gutierrez with charges to include possession of an illegal short-barreled shotgun, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of brass knuckles, possession of a billy club and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The initial illegal dumping complaint appears to be unfounded as the investigation indicated that the vehicle was used to rummage through already dumped trash, looking for items of use, Joseph said.

The Clearlake Police Department welcomes and regularly follows up on crime tips, Joseph said. These crime tips often lead to more in-depth investigations, such as this incident illustrates.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Officer Elvis Cook at 707-994-8251, Extension 508.

Though the Clearlake Police Department prefers named witnesses as it makes cases earlier to investigate and prosecute, witnesses may remain anonymous.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The owner of a Lakeport automotive repair shop and one of his employees have been charged with several felony counts of grand theft and insurance fraud after a state investigation found that they had billed for repairs they hadn't made and overcharged for replacement parts.

Jeff James Havrilla, 63, and Scott Allen DeWeese, 49, both of Lakeport, were arraigned on Friday in Lake County Superior Court before being booked into the Lake County Jail and released.

Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson said a visiting judge heard the case, as all local judges have disqualified themselves.

Both Havrilla and DeWeese are set to return to court on April 24 for further arraignment, which Abelson said will give them the chance to hire attorneys.

Havrilla is owner of Coach Craft Auto Body Repair and Towing Inc., located at 440 N. Main St. DeWeese works as an auto body technician at the shop.

Havrilla and DeWeese each have been charged with five counts of felony grand theft and three counts of felony insurance fraud, according to court records.

Lake County News reached out to Havrilla at Coach Craft on Wednesday to offer him the chance to comment on the case. He did not respond to the request.

Online Bureau of Automotive Repairs records show no disciplinary actions against Coach Craft, which has a valid automobile repair dealer license with the agency through Aug. 31.

Abelson said the case began when Farmers Insurance launched an investigation into allegations that Coach Craft had billed for work it didn't do.

That investigation eventually was submitted to both the Lake County District Attorney's Office and the California Department of Insurance, Abelson said.

California Department of Insurance spokeswoman Madison Voss confirmed to Lake County News that the case initially was brought to them by an insurer.

While Daniel Breitbach of the Bureau of Automotive Repair acknowledged that the agency forwarded a case to the District Attorney's Office, he declined to offer specifics because the case hasn’t been adjudicated.

“The Bureau of Automotive Repair regulates automotive repair and investigates consumer complaints,” said Breitbach. “We enforce the Automotive Repair Act.”

Representatives from both the California Department of Insurance and the Bureau of Automotive Repairs sat down with Abelson at the onset to discuss the case, even before the investigation had been put together. As such, “This was a very unusual case for me,” she said.

Between March 2011 and July 2013, it's alleged that Havrilla and DeWeese billed for work they didn't do and charged for specific auto parts but instead would use cheaper, inferior aftermarket parts, Abelson said.

In one case, the shop was to have replaced a metal bar needed as a safety feature in a vehicle's bumper. When investigators checked the vehicle, the metal bar hadn't been replaced, according to Abelson.

The five felony grand theft charges for each man are based on instances where the alleged theft totaled more than $950, Abelson said.

Abelson said that $950 amount – or above – for a felony is a result of last November's passage of Proposition 47, which reduced some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors if they fell below that monetary threshold.

Overall, the thefts totaled just over $7,500, Abelson said.

The victims in the case are listed as Farmers Insurance, for false billings submitted between March 2011 and July 2013; Larry Fredricksen, August 2012; Vivian George, June 2012; Juan and Priscilla Ballentene, October 2012; and Diana Mongi, October 2012.

Voss explained that one of the main ways the California Department of Insurance finds out about fraud is the way it happened in this case – from an insurer.

Reports from consumers also are key, Voss said.

“We do receive a lot of referrals from insurers and consumers letting us know they suspect that some fraud is going on,” Voss said. “At that point we will open an investigation.”

Abelson said that, if convicted, Havrilla and DeWeese could face a maximum of five years in local jail, along with fines and probation.

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.

Martian weather and soil conditions that NASA's Curiosity rover has measured, together with a type of salt found in Martian soil, could put liquid brine in the soil at night.

Perchlorate identified in Martian soil by the Curiosity mission, and previously by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission, has properties of absorbing water vapor from the atmosphere and lowering the freezing temperature of water.

This has been proposed for years as a mechanism for possible existence of transient liquid brines at higher latitudes on modern Mars, despite the Red Planet's cold and dry conditions.

New calculations were based on more than a full Mars year of temperature and humidity measurements by Curiosity.

They indicate that conditions at the rover's near-equatorial location were favorable for small quantities of brine to form during some nights throughout the year, drying out again after sunrise.

Conditions should be even more favorable at higher latitudes, where colder temperatures and more water vapor can result in higher relative humidity more often.

“Liquid water is a requirement for life as we know it, and a target for Mars exploration missions,” said the report's lead author, Javier Martin-Torres of the Spanish Research Council, Spain, and Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, and a member of Curiosity's science team. “Conditions near the surface of present-day Mars are hardly favorable for microbial life as we know it, but the possibility for liquid brines on Mars has wider implications for habitability and geological water-related processes.”

The weather data in the report published Monday in Nature Geosciences come from the Cuirosity's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, or REMS, which was provided by Spain and includes a relative-humidity sensor and a ground-temperature sensor.

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to investigate both ancient and modern environmental conditions in Mars' Gale Crater region. The report also draws on measurements of hydrogen in the ground by the rover's Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument, from Russia.

“We have not detected brines, but calculating the possibility that they might exist in Gale Crater during some nights testifies to the value of the round-the-clock and year-round measurements REMS is providing,” said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, one of the new report's co-authors.

Curiosity is the first mission to measure relative humidity in the Martian atmosphere close to the surface and ground temperature through all times of day and all seasons of the Martian year.

Relative humidity depends on the temperature of the air, as well as the amount of water vapor in it. Curiosity's measurements of relative humidity range from about five percent on summer afternoons to 100 percent on autumn and winter nights.

Air filling pores in the soil interacts with air just above the ground. When its relative humidity gets above a threshold level, salts can absorb enough water molecules to become dissolved in liquid, a process called deliquescence.

Perchlorate salts are especially good at this. Since perchlorate has been identified both at near-polar and near-equatorial sites, it may be present in soils all over the planet.

Researchers using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have in recent years documented numerous sites on Mars where dark flows appear and extend on slopes during warm seasons.

These features are called recurring slope lineae, or RSL. A leading hypothesis for how they occur involves brines formed by deliquesence.

“Gale Crater is one of the least likely places on Mars to have conditions for brines to form, compared to sites at higher latitudes or with more shading. So if brines can exist there, that strengthens the case they could form and persist even longer at many other locations, perhaps enough to explain RSL activity,” said HiRISE Principal Investigator Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson, also a co-author of the new report.

In the 12 months following its August 2012 landing, Curiosity found evidence for ancient streambeds and a lakebed environment more than 3 billion years ago that offered conditions favorable for microbial life.

Now, the rover is examining a layered mountain inside Gale Crater for evidence about how ancient environmental conditions evolved.

For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

A new study quantifying the amount of carbon stored and released through California forests and wildlands finds that wildfires and deforestation are contributing more than expected to the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The findings, published online on Wednesday in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, came from a collaborative project led by the National Park Service and UC Berkeley.

The results could have implications for California’s efforts to meet goals mandated by the state Global Warming Solutions Act, or AB 32, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020.

The bill, which passed in 2006, assumed no net emissions for wildland ecosystems by 2020.

The researchers noted that the information available at the time the bill was passed may have underestimated the release of carbon through landmass conversions and wildfires, which are projected to increase in intensity in the western United States due to climate change.

The authors pointed out that California is one of the few jurisdictions in the world to set mandatory greenhouse gas emissions targets.

“Determining the balance between carbon storage and emissions is essential for tracking the role of ecosystems in climate change. Growing vegetation naturally removes carbon from the atmosphere, reducing the magnitude of climate change,” said study lead author Patrick Gonzalez, the National Park Service climate change scientist. “Conversely, burned or dead vegetation releases carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change.”

Gonzalez worked with forest ecologist John Battles, a professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the principal investigator on the project to quantify carbon storage and emissions in the state’s wildlands.

The study, funded by the California Air Resources Board, used 2001 to 2010 data from multiple public sources, including plot-level carbon stocks from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Inventory and Assessment Program and U.S. Landfire remote sensing data of vegetation at a 30-meter spatial resolution.

The analysis confirmed that California’s forests are huge carbon reservoirs for the state.

Previous research has found that redwood forests near Redwood National Park contain the most carbon per hectare on the ground of any ecosystem in the world.

One hectare of redwood forest can store an amount of carbon equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 500 Americans.

The giant sequoia forests of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National parks come in second.

Altogether, the forests and vegetation of state wildlands stored an estimated 850 million tons of carbon in 2010. However, those areas also accounted for approximately 69 million tons of carbon emitted between 2001 and 2010.

Two-thirds of the carbon loss came from fires that burned just 6 percent of the area of wildlands in nine years.

Annual carbon losses from forests and wildlands in California represent as much as 5 to 7 percent of state carbon emissions from all sectors between 2001 and 2010, according to the study.

“National parks and other protected areas clearly provide an important function in removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it,” said Battles. “But we also know from previous research that a century of fire suppression has contributed to a potentially unsustainable buildup of vegetation. This buildup provides abundant fuel for fires that contribute to carbon emissions. Projections of more wildfires in the West mean that we need to account for this source of carbon emissions. Meeting the state greenhouse gas targets for 2020 might require a reconsideration of wildland management policies.”

This research is among the latest examples of the long, productive partnership between UC Berkeley and the National Park Service, highlighted in the recent “Science for Parks, Parks for Science” summit commemorating the centennial of the National Park Service.

Other co-authors of the study include researchers from the U.S. Forest Service, the Spatial Informatics Group in Pleasanton, Calif., and the University of San Francisco.

Sarah Yang writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Legislation that would bring money to Lake County for the purpose of restoring Clear Lake has passed a committee in the state Assembly.

On Tuesday morning, the California State Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife heard testimony regarding AB 367.

Freshman Assemblyman Bill Dodd (D-Napa), whose six-county Fourth District includes Lake, introduced the bill in February.

AB 367 would allocate $2.4 million for the purposes of restoring Clear Lake’s wetlands, maintaining its water quality and preserving its ecosystem.

At the Middletown Area Town Hall meeting on Friday, Dodd said he arrived at the $2.4 million figure based on the annual amount that three consecutive failed county sales tax measures would have raised for lake restoration projects.

He said he didn't believe that Lake County's residents could be expected to take on Clear Lake's restoration all on their own.

“What I'm really trying to build is a sense of responsibility for this lake,” he said.

On Tuesday, District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele and Lake County Director of Public Works Scott De Leon were both on hand in Sacramento at Dodd's invitation to provide expert testimony to the committee.

De Leon and Steele addressed two main areas – the concerns regarding Clear Lake and why the state of California should help the county with those concerns.

“Clear Lake is the heartbeat of Lake County, and it is time for the state to step up its investment in protecting this incredible environmental and economic resource,” said Dodd.

AB 367 passed through the committee with only two dissenting votes.

There were a handful of audience members who voiced their support of the bill including Lake County residents, the Sierra Club and California Water Service Co. No opposition was voiced regarding the bill.

De Leon said he was pleased to participate in the committee hearing. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for Lake County. The community should be very thankful that Assemblymember Dodd has taken the time to introduce this legislation.”

The bill’s principal co-author is District 2 Sen. Mike McGuire, who represents Lake County in the California Senate.

“A healthy lake means a healthy economy in Lake County,” said McGuire. “I’m grateful for Assemblymember Dodd’s hard work on this important legislation, and look forward to getting this bill passed in the Senate.”

The bill will now be heard in the California State Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

A date for that hearing has not yet been set.

Complications arise when administering the estate of a deceased California resident who was once a citizen of a foreign nation or the estate of a deceased non-resident of California who owns real property in California.

Consider a deceased California resident whose last will was validly executed outside California, be it in another state or nation.

California law recognizes a will executed in another state or nation to be valid (enforceable here) if it was executed in accordance with the laws of the place of its execution, California law or the Uniform International Wills Act.

Thus, a validly executed foreign will can be probated in California. If the will is not written in English it needs to be translated to be admitted in court.

A California court probate order can distribute all real property within California and all personal property anywhere within the United States.

However, any real property located outside California and all property located outside of the United States is controlled by the laws of the state or foreign nation where it is located.

Consider, for example, a German citizen who moves to California, establishes a new permanent residence, i.e., becomes a U.S. citizen or resident alien, acquires real and personal property in California but still retains some real and personal property back in Germany.

What are the possibilities when he or she dies?

If the decedent’s last will was the one he or she validly executed in Germany then that German will may be probated both in California and in Germany.

If the decedent, however, executed a new will in California and revoked the prior German will, then the California will controls the transfer of all real property located in California and all personal property located anywhere within the United States.

The laws of Germany, however, would still apply to the disposition of property located in Germany and to the admissibility of any California will in German courts. Therefore, a court proceeding in Germany is required to transfer title to property over there.

Moreover, German laws regarding inheritance rights of family members will override any gifts made in the decedent’s California will that may violate such German laws.

Specifically, the German law requires that a certain percentage of a decedent’s estate go to the decedent’s issue whereas California has no such requirement; a person can leave all of his or her property to whomever he or she pleases.

Thus, German law would override the California will and redirect some property inside Germany if necessary.

Now consider a deceased person who was not a California resident but who owned some real property in California.

That person’s foreign will can be admitted to probate in California if an authenticated copy of the foreign will and, if relevant, the foreign court’s probate order are properly introduced in the California Superior Court.

Furthermore, a nonresident of the U.S. cannot serve as the administrator of a deceased person’s estate in California, where the decedent did not leave a will or did leave a will but no one nominated under the will as executor is willing to serve.

However, a nonresident of the U.S. may serve as executor if they were named as executor in the decedent’s will.

Thus, where an administrator is needed, because there is no executor, a California licensed private fiduciary is typically appointed by the court to administer the decedent’s estate.

Most people, of course, wish to avoid probate. A California resident with real property located elsewhere in the U.S. can usually avoid probate issues anywhere in the United States by transferring title to all real properties into a trust.

A trust created under California laws will be respected in all states.

In sum, a California resident with real property in outside the U.S. needs attorneys in both California and in that foreign country to assist them with their estate planning.

The same applies to a California resident who is also a foreign national who has real and/or personal property outside the U.S.

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 .

Faced with potentially insufficient water supplies to repel salinity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in consultation with federal and state water and wildlife agencies, is moving to install an emergency, temporary rock barrier across a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta channel.

DWR seeks to install a single emergency salinity barrier across West False River in May, to be removed six months later in November. State and federal water and wildlife officials, working as a Real-Time Drought Operations Management Team, have determined that the barrier would help deter the tidal push of saltwater from San Francisco Bay into the central Delta.

The barrier would be essentially a pile of basketball-size rocks across the 750-foot-wide channel that still allows limited water flow upstream and downstream, depending upon tides.

DWR, operator of the State Water Project, is seeking multiple permits from various agencies to accelerate installation.

Keeping saltwater from the central Delta is a priority, as a large portion of the state’s freshwater supplies travel through this part of the Delta.

The barrier would help prevent saltwater contamination of water supplies used by people who live in the Delta; Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties; and the 25 million people who rely on the Delta-based federal and state water projects for at least some of their supplies.

Typically when saltwater threatens to encroach deeper into the Delta, water project operators try to repel it either by slowing the pumping of water from the Delta or increasing the amount of water flowing into the Delta from upstream reservoirs.

In this fourth year of drought, Delta pumping by the state and federal water projects is already negligible. It takes three to five days for fresh water released from Lake Oroville or Shasta Lake to reach the Delta. An emergency barrier would provide an additional tool to help limit salinity intrusion prior to arrival of fresh water from upstream reservoirs.

“We had hoped not to have to install any temporary emergency barriers in the Delta this year,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin. “But conditions stayed dry through March and April. The West False River emergency barrier would provide a buffer that otherwise would have come from reduced Delta pumping. This summer, there is no Delta pumping to reduce. The barrier would help afford us time to move water from Oroville and Shasta should we need to push back saltwater intruding into the Delta.”

The emergency barrier also would help mitigate a worst-case circumstance this summer in which upstream reservoirs lack sufficient water to meet the minimum outflow requirements to limit Delta salinity intrusion.

Emergency barrier removal would finish no later than November 1 to avoid flood season and potential harm to migratory fish. Removal is expected to take 45 days to 60 days.

Multiple permits needed

For the past year, DWR has worked closely on the issue of emergency salinity barriers with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, operator of the Central Valley Project. DWR must obtain permits and a Temporary Urgency Change Permit renewal from the State Water Resources Control Board, a permit for levee modification from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a California Endangered Species Act permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In addition, DWR must consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service on protections for Delta smelt, Chinook salmon and other listed species. All of these agencies have worked cooperatively on the Real-Time Drought Operations Management Team for the past year.

The permit application process is underway, and DWR hopes to begin installation of the emergency barrier on May 8.

It would be erected across West False River about 0.4 miles east of its confluence with the San Joaquin River, between Jersey and Bradford Islands in Contra Costa County. The location is about 4.8 miles northeast of Oakley.

Construction, monitoring, mitigation and removal are estimated to cost roughly $28 million, to be paid for with a mix of funding from Proposition 50, a $3.4 billion water bond approved by voters in November 2002, and general fund dollars.

The trapezoid-shaped barrier, about 12 feet wide at the top, will temporarily block boat passage on West False River and be marked by warning signs, lights, and buoys. Alternative routes between the San Joaquin River and interior Delta, including Bethel Island marinas, are available (see attached map). The West False River site raises fewer concerns for threatened and endangered fish than other potential barrier sites considered by DWR.

Earlier consideration of emergency barriers

Last year DWR studied the potential impacts of potential temporary barriers at three locations: Steamboat Slough, Sutter Slough, and West False River.

The analysis found anticipated impacts could be mitigated to a less-than-significant level. DWR received and reviewed considerable public comments on the Initial Study and Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration, available at http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/docs/Emergency_Drought_Barriers_Initial_Study_and_Proposed_Mitigated_Negative_Declaration.pdf .

At this time, DWR is not pursuing installation of temporary emergency barriers at Sutter Slough or Steamboat Slough.

Although DWR is seeking permits from various agencies, the April 1 Executive Order by Governor Brown helps expedite installation of the West False River barrier in time to address emergency drought conditions.

The governor’s executive order declared existence of conditions of extreme peril to public safety and directed DWR to implement emergency drought barriers if necessary.

The executive order suspends some California Environmental Quality Act requirements for certain drought relief actions, including installation of emergency drought barriers.

DWR last used emergency drought barriers to reduce salinity intrusion in 1976-77. DWR considered the installation of emergency drought barriers in 2014 but determined in late May of last year that they would not be needed, in part because February and March storms improved water supply conditions. Planning for future emergency drought barriers continued after last year’s decision, with a focus on West False River, Steamboat Slough, and Sutter Slough.

Earlier this year, based on the input of Delta residents, the Department also considered the feasibility and effectiveness of barriers on Miner Slough in the western Delta and on Steamboat Slough downstream of its confluence with Sutter Slough.

Emergency drought barriers on Miner Slough and Steamboat Sloughs were eliminated from consideration because of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concerns about potential effects on threatened Delta smelt.

Current drought emergency

The three-year period from 2012 through 2014 was the driest three-year period on record in California, and 2015 opened with the driest January in the state’s weather record history.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack typically peaks by April 1; this year, the snowpack was measured at five percent of historic average, the lowest measurement in recorded history.

Gov. Brown declared a drought State of Emergency on Jan. 17, 2014, and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages.

The State Water Resources Control Board on March 17, 2015, announced new restrictions on water use, including limiting outdoor watering to two days per week and prohibiting lawn watering during rainfall and during the next two days.

Earlier this month, the governor directed the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water usage by 25 percent.

Conservation – the wise, sparing use of water – remains California’s most reliable drought management tool. Each individual act of conservation – such as letting the lawn go brown or replacing a washer in a faucet to stop a leak – makes a difference over time.

Visit www.SaveOurWater.com to find out how everyone can do their part, and visit www.drought.ca.gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought.

More drought information is available at DWR’s Drought Web site, http://water.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/waterconditions.cfm .

Information about emergency drought barriers is available at http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/emergencybarriers.cfm .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has identified all three of the men who died while diving for abalone near Caspar on Sunday.

The victims are Tae Won Oh, 49, of Dublin; Hyun Kook Shin, 49, of Suwanee, Ga.; and Aaron Kim, 53, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, according to Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

The men were in a group of five abalone divers in the southern portion of Caspar Anchorage Bay on Sunday afternoon when they became trapped in the surf of a narrow channel between two rock outcroppings where they had entered the ocean, Van Patten said.

Van Patten said witnesses described the surf as being rough and dangerous for diving conditions with swells as high as 7 and 8 feet. Seeing the men in distress, a nearby fisherman called 911.

Just after 3 p.m. Sunday, Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to assist California State Parks Rangers in Caspar on the report of multiple drowning victims, Van Patten said.

Personnel from the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department, California State Parks, United States Coast Guard and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office took part in a joint rescue operation, according to Van Patten.

Van Patten said two of the men were recovered from the water by boat and helicopter and brought to shore at Caspar Beach. First responders attempted to resuscitate them but were unsuccessful, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The third diver initially could not be located and a search continued throughout the day. Van Patten said the man's body was found at about 7 p.m. that day in a small cove in the same general area. Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department launched a technical rope rescue and recovered the deceased man.

The two surviving divers in the group were uninjured and treated and released at the scene, Van Patten said.

Van Patten said a coroner’s investigation into the three deaths is ongoing. Autopsies were conducted on Tuesday, with the official results pending blood alcohol and toxicology analysis.

The California measles outbreak that began in December has ended, according to Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer.

No new outbreak-related measles cases have been reported to the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, for two 21-day incubation periods, allowing public health officials to declare the outbreak that infected 131 Californians to be over.

“We are pleased this outbreak is over, but caution that measles can be reintroduced in California at any time when an infected person brings it to the state,” said Dr. Smith. “The best defense for protection against the highly infectious measles is vaccination.”

Since December, 131 measles cases have been reported to CDPH that are likely linked to this outbreak.

No cases were in Lake County, according to county Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.

There also were no cases in neighboring counties, based on CDPH surveillance reports.

The California measles patients in this outbreak reside in 14 local health jurisdictions: Alameda, Los Angeles, Marin, Merced, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Ventura counties and the cities of Long Beach and Pasadena.

Patients ranged in age from six weeks to 70 years.

Vaccination status is documented for 81 of the 131 cases. Of these 81, 56 – or 70 percent – were unvaccinated, and 25 had received one or more doses of MMR vaccine.

In addition to the 131 measles cases in the outbreak, there were an additional five unrelated measles cases reported during the same time period.

Measles is not endemic in California, but can circulate when a contagious, infected person enters the state and exposes others.

Forty-two cases were directly linked to an initial exposure in December at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim. Additional cases were secondary to those.

Forty-four other cases have an unknown exposure source. It is possible, but unlikely, that some of the cases with unknown exposure sources are unrelated importations of the B3 strain into the state, CDPH said.

Because of their epidemiologic and genotyping links, CDPH considers them part of the same outbreak, although the B3 strain is also known to circulate in a number of other countries and additional importations during the outbreak were possible.

While this outbreak is over, CDPH said it does not mean that there will not be future measles cases reported in California.

People can be infectious for four days prior to developing the rash associated with measles and may feel well enough to be out and about, potentially exposing others.

Because measles is a highly infectious, airborne disease, public health officials are pleased to have contained the spread of this outbreak to a relatively few individuals, and that no related deaths occurred.

“Government at all levels – federal, state and local – worked together to educate health care providers and the public about potential exposures and the risks of the disease. Prompt investigation of cases, interviewing hundreds of contacts of infected people, vaccinating hundreds of at risk people, and increasing awareness among health care providers about measles, helped to control this outbreak,” said Dr. Smith.

The public health investigation into this measles outbreak was significant. Thousands of measles contacts in California were identified. Exposures occurred in public places including health care settings, schools, malls, and airports.

Babies and preschool children, pregnant women, schoolchildren of all ages, health care workers, teachers, and other adults were exposed to measles during this outbreak. Lab tests in state and local laboratories were conducted for over 1,000 patients.

Measles symptoms typically begin with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, and within a few days a red rash appears, usually first on the face and then spreading downward to the rest of the body.

Two doses of measles-containing vaccine (MMR vaccine) are more than 97 percent effective in preventing measles. If you are unsure of your vaccination status, check with your doctor to have a test to check for measles immunity or to receive vaccination.

More information about measles can be found at www.cdph.ca.gov .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – State officials said Wednesday that they have finalized an agreement with Westamerica Bank to postpone the bank's proposed closure of its Upper Lake branch.

The California Department of Business Oversight, which oversees state-chartered banks, announced the agreement with Westamerica Bank that will keep its Upper Lake branch – located at 9470 Main St. – open for up to six additional months.

During that additional six-month “breathing space,” the Department of Business Oversight said it will work with local elected officials, banks and credit unions to bring another financial institution to the town to replace Westamerica.

“At least we have six months” to see if anything else can be done, said Upper Lake businesswoman Debbie Hablutzel, who also serves as president of the Upper Lake Community Council, which has rallied grassroots support for the bank.

Department of Business Oversight Commissioner Jan Lynn Owen and Westamerica Chief Executive Officer David Payne signed the agreement on Wednesday.

Under the terms of the agreement, Westamerica’s Upper Lake branch will remain open through Oct. 15 at the latest.

If another financial institution decides to open in Upper Lake, Westamerica's branch could close earlier than Oct. 15, according to the agreement.

However, regardless of whether or not a replacement financial institution comes to Upper Lake, the agreement allows the branch to close in October.

“This agreement properly balances the bank’s interests with the community’s interests,” said Owen. “Local residents and business owners expressed legitimate, serious concerns about the harm a closure would inflict on Upper Lake and nearby towns. Now, we have a real opportunity to find another financial institution to step in and ensure the community doesn’t lose the banking services it needs for its families and businesses.”

State Financial Code Section 1078 requires banks to notify the Department of Business Oversight commissioner when they want to close a branch, and bars them from implementing a closure if the commissioner objects.

Westamerica first notified the Department of Business Oversight on Dec. 31 that it intended to close the branch.

In a letter to Westamerica on Feb. 13, Owen initially indicated to the bank that she did not object to the closure.

However, she subsequently became aware of substantial opposition to the closure among local residents, business owners and elected officials.

Community members and leaders have argued that the closure would seriously harm not just Upper Lake but neighboring communities as well, as the Westamerica branch is the only bank on the entire Northshore, and the only bank on the 85-mile stretch of Highway 20 between Williams and Ukiah.

Lake County officials– including County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and Supervisor Jim Steele – said the closure would undermine the area’s economic recovery and development.

As a result of that opposition and the potential harm to the community, Owen on March 6 withdrew her nonobjection and placed the matter under further review.

Assemblyman Bill Dodd and state Sen. Mike McGuire also added their voices to the issue, writing to Owen after she reopened the review to urge her to consider the wide-ranging ramifications of the bank closure to the community.

On March 12, Westamerica granted Owen’s request for 30 additional days to consider the closure. That 30-day period expired on Wednesday.

As a result of the agreement, Owen will issue a nonobjection letter to the bank that becomes effective on the date another financial institution establishes services in Upper Lake but no later than Oct. 15.

Hablutzel said community members are looking for ways to keep a bank in town.

“We've been romancing Mendo Lake Credit Union a little bit,” she said.

Mendo Lake Credit Union representatives, including Richard Cooper – the credit union's president and chief executive officer – were at a March 4 Upper Lake town hall, where the bank closure was a main topic of discussion.

At that point, Cooper indicated that the credit union – which has branches in Clearlake and Lakeport – was interested in offering services to the community, but cautioned that such decisions ultimately are up to his board of directors.

“MLCU is interested in providing the highest level of service we can to our members in Lake County,” Cooper told Lake County News on Wednesday. “We are investigating options and looking for feedback from members and potential members from the community on this subject. We continue to monitor the situation with interest.”

Meanwhile, there came word that Westamerica has offered to donate its Upper Lake building to Hospice Services of Lake County.

Hospice Services Executive Director Corrigan Gommenginger confirmed to Lake County News that the local bank managers approached his organization about donating the property.

“Hospice Services of Lake County has a long and terrific relationship with Westamerica Bank, they are tremendous supporters, and we have been fortunate to take care of some of their loved ones, which we are truly honored to do,” Gommenginger said.

“There are a lot of steps, on both sides that need to take place before a large contribution like this can take place, and we are in the process of completing those steps. In order to make an informed decision, Hospice staff is working with the bank’s staff to gather all pertinent information necessary,” he continued.

Gommenginger added, “Hospice realizes the occupants of the building have always been a positive and integral part of community events and if Hospice is successful in accepting the donated building, it will continue in the tradition to support the community. Between now and October, Hospice will be exploring the best usage of the building to support its mission and its programs and serve the local community.”

Also between now and the fall closure, Dodd and McGuire said they plan to hold a community meeting in Upper Lake to receive input from residents and businesses about the closure. That meeting is scheduled for the summer.

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.

041515 Westamerica Bank and Department of Business Oversight agreement

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week the Lake County Board of Education will discuss a proposal to help fill the gap in career and technical education funding over the next three years while the new state funding formula to districts catches up.

The county board will meet beginning at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at the Lake County Office of Education administrative office, 1152 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

The discussion, which does not include board action, is untimed during the meeting.

Career technical education includes training in skills needed in the trades – welding, automotive, agriculture and even health care.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said teacher Dan Renninger of Middletown Unified will give the board a report highlighting the various career technical education programs still operating throughout the county to show what the funding will mean to local programs before the board discussion on the funding proposal.

Funding for career technical education – formerly known as Regional Occupational Programs, or ROP – was eliminated by the state more than two years ago, Falkenberg explained.

“The county office has continued to support career technical education out of our general fund,” he said.

This week's agenda item – which is a prelude to budgeting discussions later this spring – is a discussion about how the Lake County Office of Education can continue to support career technical education in the future, according to Falkenberg.

The county office's budget projections haven't included continued funding for career technical education past this fiscal year. However, Falkenberg – who took office last fall after the current budget had been accepted – wants to change that.

“What I'm trying to do at this point in time is assure that there is a transitionary plan for career technical education funding into the future,” he said.

The proposal, said Falkenberg, is that over the coming three fiscal years, the Lake County Office of Education would fund the difference between what the state is funding districts through the new local control funding formula – which he said isn't yet fully funded – and the amount the districts received historically under the ROP program.

“Our goal is to fill that gap,” he said.

Formerly, the $400 million statewide for ROP programs went to agencies like the Lake County Office of Education for distribution. Now, the local control funding formula sends the money directly to the districts, which Falkenberg said aren't required to use it for career technical education – as offices of education were.

Falkenberg said that the former ROP funding was never enough money to support all of the career technical functions in education, with districts always providing a level of support. ROP, he explained, sought to fund the “capstone” – or more advanced – courses.

In order to cover the existing funding gap, “Our plan is that it would be a one-time deficit spending model so we could get through this transition period,” Falkenberg said.

“The dilemma for us,” Falkenberg continued, “is that this will lead the county office into deficit spending. We can’t sustain ourselves in a deficit spending model.”

However, Falkenberg said planned deficit spending on a temporary basis – in this case, for a one-time expense – is an acceptable budget practice.

According to the proposal, approximately $837,430 would be allocated for the three-year period. Of that, 45 percent – or $376,844 – would be spent in the first year; 33 percent, or $276,352 in the second year; and 22 percent, or $184,234, in the third year.

Decisions on that funding proposal aren't expected to take place until June, when the Lake County Board of Education meets to finalize its 2015-16 budget, Falkenberg said.

The board budget workshop is tentatively scheduled for June 17, he said.

He said the county office is trying to be transparent and pull this particular item out of the larger budget document in order to have a detailed discussion about the agency continuing to be a leader in this educational area.

At the state level, there could be help on the way in the form of much-needed funding.

In January, state Sen. Mike McGuire – who represents Lake County in the State Senate – introduced SB 148, the Career and Job Skills Education Act.

Lake County's State Assembly member, Bill Dodd, is among the bill's co-authors.

Dodd, who visited the Middletown Area Town Hall meeting on Friday, explained, “Not everybody's going to go to college.”

He said the investment in career technical education is important. With high schools getting away from that type of training, “We're starting to see that when these kids get out of high school, they don't have the basics and training.”

The bill would appropriate $600 million of Proposition 98 funds and create a career technical incentive grant for local educational agencies, joint power authorities, and regional occupational centers and programs.

McGuire's office said the bill closely mirrors the $250 million career technical education incentive matching grant program that Gov. Jerry Brown outlined in his 2015-16 budget proposal and expands on it, while preserving the local control funding formula.

The legislation also establishes performance standards and accountability measures based on student outcomes, according to McGuire's office, which also reported that career technical education has been shown to decrease dropout rates.

In a statement on the bill, McGuire said the bipartisan legislation would ensure that the 70 percent of California's students who will not go on to obtain a four-year university degree will have a greater opportunity to receive career and job skills training.

On March 25, SB 148 unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee with a 7-0 vote. It's now with the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Falkenberg said he's spoken with McGuire about SB 148. “Certainly, I think it is a positive indicator of what could be ahead in terms of career technical education funding,” he said.

“SB 148 would be more aligned to the concept of local control,” said Falkenberg, with districts needing to produce matching funds, meaning the total value to career technical education programs statewide would be twice the proposed $600 million, or $1.2 billion.

In the case that SB 148 passes, Falkenberg said the Lake County Office of Education's contribution to cover the gap in the coming three years could serve as that necessary local match.

For community members who want to get involved in the discussion, Falkenberg invited them to attend the Lake County Board of Education meetings and send letters to the Legislature supporting SB 148 .

“There does need to be some sort of focused categorical support for career technical education throughout California going forward,” Falkenberg said.

He added, “Certainly, I think we're going to move ahead in a very positive direction here.”

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.