LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Beginning Monday, March 11, the Lake County Community Development Department is reducing the amount of time that planners will be available for public inquires at the counter or over the phone.

Planners will be available to the public between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

All other Community Development Department functions, including Building Division and Code Enforcement activities, will remain available to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The reduction in availability of Planning Division staff to the public is being initiated in order to integrate part of the Code Enforcement program work into the Planning Division, and also to allow the existing staff to be able to expedite projects that will contribute to job creation and economic development.

Availability will be regularly evaluated based on staffing resources and increasing demand for services.

The department is located on the third floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

For additional information please visit www.co.lake.ca.us/cdd or contact the Lake County Community Development Department at 707-263-2221.

COBB, Calif. – A 3.3-magnitude quake was reported in the Cobb area late Thursday night.

In a preliminary report the US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 11:59 p.m.

It was centered four miles south of Cobb, 14 miles south southwest of Clearlake and 12 miles northeast of Healdsburg, and was recorded at a depth of 1.2 miles, the survey said.

Initial shake report were submitted to the US Geological Survey from residents in Middletown, Calistoga and Healdsburg.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Members, partners, guests and supporters of the Lake County Winery Association were treated to an evening of gratitude and celebration at the elegant Brassfield Estate Winery in the High Valley AVA of Lake County on Thursday, Feb. 21.

Permeated by a sense of excitement, the evening began in the tasting room with the newly-elected board members who thanked and greeted the one hundred-plus members, partners, and supporters of the Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) as they arrived for the event.

“This is the time for Lake County. Right now,” said newly-elected board member and board secretary Jonathan Walters, manager and winemaker for Glamazon Wines/Robinson Lake Vineyards, who also serves on the board for the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

Event-goers were greeted with a glass of Serenity – Brassfields's award-winning white blend – and treated to sumptuous appetizers artfully prepared by Bellissimo! Wine County Catering, a LCWA associate member, whose owner Barbara Flynn also serves as the chair of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development committee.

Lining the reception room adjoining the wine tasting bar were displays and give-aways from the many LCWA associate members and supporters including Featherbed Railroad Co. B&B, Middletown Florist, NovaVine, M.A. Silva Corks and 2 Women Traders.

Explaining what membership in the LCWA can mean for members, LCWA board member Dustin Fults, consumer direct and hospitality manager at Langtry Estate & Vineyards, said the purpose of LCWA was to get brand awareness out to the public on Lake County as a destination, it's businesses, and wines.

“With the importance of wines to this region from both agricultural and tourism standpoints, we're glad to finally be a part of this organization and to have the opportunity to spend time with such a respected group of professionals,” said Tony Barthel, LCWA associate member and owner of the award-winning Featherbed Railroad Company B&B in Nice, which also holds a monthly artist reception featuring local wines and paired appetizers on the last Sunday of each month that is open to the public.

Guests then adjourned upstairs for more hearty appetizers with wines generously provided by LCWA winery members, and Simon Whetzel, general manager at Brassfield Estate Winery, welcomed the honored guests to the third-floor event room and presented the history of Brassfield Estate Winery and the LCWA.

Whetzel noted that in 2013 there were close to 100 LCWA members – with over 30 wineries – demonstrating not only the importance of membership in LCWA, but the growing wine and hospitality business in Lake County when as recently as 2007, there were only 17 LCWA members.

“Our sales here at Brassfield have grown 20 percent each and every year,” Whetzel said, reminding the assembled guests that their tasting room had only opened to the public in May 2011, less than three years ago, and he foresees current wine sales throughout the LCWA membership will continue to grow.

LCWA board chair and owner of Rosa d'Oro Vineyards, Nick Buttitta, introduced the incoming LCWA board members and then invited associate LCWA members in attendance to speak about upcoming events at LCWS.

New LCWA board member Megan Hoberg, tasting room manager at Wildhurst Vineyards, presented information from a recent hospitality training seminar and will be making more in-depth information available to all LCWA members.

Serving as the only tasting room in Lake County for many of the smaller wineries and as an introductory “taste of” for wineries with established tasting rooms, Susan Feiler, owner of the Lake County Wine Studio (LCWS) in Upper Lake and LCWA associate member, was invited by Buttitta to give an overview of events at the LCWS.

In addition to the monthly Local Cuisine Scene, which features wines offered for tasting at LCWS expertly paired with a small plate three-course meal utilizing locally grown ingredients, LCWS also hosts a monthly artists reception featuring one of the wineries, paired appetizers, and the winemaker or winery owner.

Guests can now enjoy a progressive and more in-depth wine experience as LCWS has partnered with the Tallman Hotel. After enjoying appetizers and tastes of the featured wines, guests then join the winemaker across the street at the Tallman Hotel for a three-course meal, with each course expertly paired with the featured wines.

“We all see the great potential here,” said Jacquelyn St. Martin, treasurer of the LCWA board and direct-to-consumer sales and hospitality manager at Six Sigma Ranch & Winery. “Lake County is like Napa was 30 years ago. We have outstanding natural beauty here combined with a commitment to sustainable agricultural practices,” a sure recipe for continued success.

Membership in the Lake County Winery Association is open to all – wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants, hotels, motels, bed & breakfast inns, resorts, art galleries, gift shops, olive oil producers, individuals, associations, and more – with many membership levels.

For more information on becoming a member of the the LCWA or other LCWA-sponsored events such as the annual Lake County Wine Adventure visit www.lakecountywineries.org .

It’s among the most ancient of questions: What are the origins of life on Earth?

A new experiment simulating conditions in deep space reveals that the complex building blocks of life could have been created on icy interplanetary dust and then carried to Earth, jump-starting life.

Chemists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa, showed that conditions in space are capable of creating complex dipeptides – linked pairs of amino acids – that are essential building blocks shared by all living things.

The discovery opens the door to the possibility that these molecules were brought to Earth aboard a comet or possibly meteorites, catalyzing the formation of proteins (polypeptides), enzymes and even more complex molecules, such as sugars, that are necessary for life.

“It is fascinating to consider that the most basic biochemical building blocks that led to life on Earth may well have had an extraterrestrial origin,” said UC Berkeley chemist Richard Mathies, coauthor of a paper published online last week and scheduled for the March 10 print issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

While scientists have discovered basic organic molecules, such as amino acids, in numerous meteorites that have fallen to Earth, they have been unable to find the more complex molecular structures that are prerequisites for our planet’s biology.

As a result, scientists have always assumed that the really complicated chemistry of life must have originated in Earth’s early oceans.

In an ultra-high vacuum chamber chilled to 10 degrees above absolute zero (10 Kelvin), Seol Kim and Ralf Kaiser of the Hawaiian team simulated an icy snowball in space including carbon dioxide, ammonia and various hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane and propane.

When zapped with high-energy electrons to simulate the cosmic rays in space, the chemicals reacted to form complex, organic compounds, specifically dipeptides, essential to life.

At UC Berkeley, Mathies and Amanda Stockton then analyzed the organic residues through the Mars Organic Analyzer, an instrument that Mathies designed for ultrasensitive detection and identification of small organic molecules in the solar system.

The analysis revealed the presence of complex molecules – nine different amino acids and at least two dipeptides – capable of catalyzing biological evolution on earth.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Mathies Royalty Fund at UC Berkeley.

Robert Sanders writes for the University of California, Berkeley News Center.

Just as trees across the state are beginning to blossom for spring, California’s Arbor Week is highlighting the importance trees have on communities and their residents.

On Thursday, Gov. Edmund G. Brown proclaimed the start of California Arbor Week, and to kick off the celebration, officials from Cal Fire and California ReLeaf, an organization working to preserve, protect and enhance California’s urban forests, announced the winners of the statewide Arbor Week poster contest.

“Arbor Week is a time when we encourage tree planting in our neighborhoods and teach our children the value trees have on life,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “We were so excited to see so many school children show their understanding of the value of trees through their creative artwork.”

Students from across California in grades third, fourth and fifth were asked to create original artwork based on the theme “The Trees in my Community Are an Urban Forest.” More than 800 posters were summited.

This year’s poster contest winners were third grader Priscilla Shi from La Rosa Elementary School in Temple City; fourth grader Maria Estrada from Jackson Elementary School in Jackson; and fifth grader Cady Ngo from Live Oak Park Elementary School in Temple City.

One of the third grade entries was so unique and artful that a new award category was added – the Imagination Award.

Bella Lynch, a third grader at West Side School in Healdsburg was given the special recognition award to recognize the talent and creativity of this young artist.

During an event unveiling this year’s Arbor Week Poster contest winners at the California State Capitol, Pimlott, who also acts as the state’s forester, stressed why Arbor Week is so significant, “Trees are an essential part of California’s climate and are vital to improving air quality and conserving water, and we must take every step possible to protect our state’s valuable natural resources.”

“Trees make California’s cities and towns great. It’s that simple,” said Joe Liszewski, executive director for California ReLeaf, the organization spearheading California Arbor Week activities. “Everyone can do their part to plant and care for trees ensuring that they are a resource long into the future.”

California Arbor Week runs March 7-14 every year. To view this year’s Arbor Week poster contest winners as well as photos from the Thursday event visit www.fire.ca.gov .

For more on Arbor Week visit www.arborweek.org .

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Congressman John Garamendi will host his first town hall in Lake County this coming weekend.

Garamendi, who represents the Third Congressional District – which includes the northern half of Lake County – will hold the event from 10 a.m. to noon at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 E. Highway 20.

District residents are invited to attend.

It will be an opportunity to discuss issues important to the community. There also will be a question and answer session and the opportunity to connect with district office staff.

Visit Garamendi’s Web site at http://garamendi.house.gov/ .

Most people are aware of general conservatorships. These take away the conservatee’s (conserved person’s) power to make decisions affecting their assets, finances and/or health care and living arrangements.

A general conservatorship protects those unable to make such decisions, or to protect someone who is generally unable to resist fraud or undue influence.

For example, a person suffering from severe dementia who cannot take care of everyday living needs might need to be conserved.

A limited conservatorship, however, applies only to developmentally disabled persons. People who in many ways may be able to take care of themselves, but who in other ways need assistance, “to promote and protect [their] well-being … .”

Normally the parents (or siblings) petition to become the limited conservator.  Parents typically want to continue to make decisions affecting their child’s health care, living arrangements and education even after their child becomes an adult.

Where no one steps forward, the regional center may itself be appointed as the limited conservator. In an emergency, if a conservatorship were not in place, the director of the local regional center has the authority to make health care and living arrangement decisions for their developmentally disabled client.

What does “developmentally disabled” mean? “Developmental disability means a disability that originates before an individual attains 18 years of age, continues, or can be expected to continue, indefinitely, and constitutes a substantial handicap for the individual.”

It specifically includes intellectual disability, autism, cerebral paulsy, and epilepsy which occurred before age 18.  

Also included are handicaps which either are similar to intellectual disability or are similarly treated. However, mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety etc.) and handicaps which are solely physical in nature (e.g., brain trauma) are excluded.

Developmentally disabled persons, who are diagnosed prior to age 18, qualify for assistance at their community’s regional center.

Regional centers are non-profit community organizations which contract with public and private service providers.

Collectively these services and supports are supposed to be, “sufficiently complete to meet the needs and choices of each person with developmental disabilities, regardless of age or degree of disability, and at each stage of life and to support their integration into the mainstream life of the community.”

Similarly, a limited conservatorship serves to assist, “the development of maximum self-reliance and independence of the [developmentally disabled] individual.” Thus, unlike a general conservatorship where the conservatee loses substantially all rights, the limited conservatee retains, “all legal and civil rights except those which by court order have been designated as legal disabilities and have been specifically granted to the limited conservator.”

Thus, only those rights affected by the developmentally disabled person’s own particular inabilities are transferred to the conservator.

Identifying those areas where a limited conservatorship is appropriate becomes the focus of the court proceedings.

Generally speaking, the local regional center is involved with every petition. The regional center assesses the specific areas, nature, and degree of the person’s disability and reports its assessment to the court. The court is not bound by the assessment, but usually gives it great deference.

The powers which may, as necessary, be transferred to the limited conservator fall into seven categories: (1) determining where the conservatee resides; (2) accessing confidential records; (3) consenting or refusing permission to marry; (4) entering into contracts on behalf of the conservatee; (5) making medical decisions; (6) controlling the persons social and sexual relationships; and (7) making decisions regarding education.

A limited conservatorship can only take effect once the person turns age 18. Accordingly, it is desirable to petition the court around 3 months prior to the person’s 18th birthday. That way the conservatorship can take effect once the person turns 18.

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

California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Thursday applauded the California State Senate’s bipartisan approval of a bill to increase funding for a Department of Justice program that takes firearms out of the hands of individuals who are prohibited from owning them.

“Taking guns away from dangerous, violent individuals who are prohibited by law from owning them is smart and efficient law enforcement,” said Attorney General Harris. “I commend the state Senate for strongly supporting this critical investment in public safety. Senate Bill 140 will allow us to double law enforcement’s efforts to take guns off the street.”

California is the only state to have an Armed and Prohibited Persons program (APPS), which identifies people who have a legally registered gun, but are later prohibited from owning it.

A person becomes prohibited if he or she is convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, is placed under a domestic violence restraining order or is determined to be mentally unstable.

Senate Bill 140, by Senator Mark Leno, passed the Senate on a 31 to 0 vote. The bill would appropriate $24 million to the Department of Justice from the Dealer Record of Sale account to allow for 36 additional agents to be hired for the APPS program.

In 2012, DOJ agents investigated 2,148 cases and seized 1,963 weapons, including 261 assault weapons, and 117,887 rounds of ammunition.

“As we continue to debate how to best curb gun violence, this part of the solution is a no-brainer,” said Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg. “When we know thousands of guns are in the wrong hands, and we know who those people are, we need to eliminate as much of that danger as quickly as possible. This is a small but vital investment to protect our communities.”

“When it comes to preventing gun violence in California, we are at a distinct advantage because we are the only state in the nation that utilizes a unique system to identify persons who are barred from possessing firearms,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “However, we have only been able to confiscate a small number of these illegally possessed weapons due to lack of resources. Our reinvestment in this statewide identification program will help eliminate a troubling backlog and growing mountain of illegal weapons, which threatens public safety in our communities and prevents us from enforcing existing firearms laws.”

Upon taking office in 2011, Attorney General Harris added 10 agents, making a total of 33, to the program in order to increase the number of guns confiscated from prohibited persons.

Over the last two years, DOJ agents have investigated nearly 4,000 people and seized nearly 4,000 weapons, including nearly 2,000 handguns and more than 300 assault weapons.

The APPS database cross-references five databases to identify those who legally purchased handguns and registered assault weapons since 1996 with people who are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

The database was completed in November 2006, and the first statewide sweep was conducted in 2007.

When Attorney General Harris took office, she directed Department of Justice agents to conduct daily enforcement activities with the support of local law enforcement.

In January, Attorney General Harris sent a letter to Vice President Biden urging the APPS program to be considered as a national model.

Last week, she announced her support for U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson’s legislation to create a national grant program that will allow other states to start their own APPS programs.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters are now predicting more rain and cooler weather for Lake County – with the possibility of snow – over the next few days and into the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning overnight for areas of Lake County.

Rain and cooler weather moved into Lake County on Tuesday as predicted, but during the day yesterday forecasters increased probably rain amounts with this storm system and also issued a winter storm warning.

According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, rain amounts are now forecast to total one to two inches countywide by the time the storm moves out on Friday, with snow levels predicted to fall once again to around the 2,000 foot elevation overnight tonight.

During the day Tuesday, chances for thunderstorms, rain and intermittent hail are all possible in isolated locations as the rains taper off and cooler weather returns in the evening, forecasters said.

Snow is likely at higher elevations overnight as temperatures drop to the mid- to low- 30s, according to the forecast.

Showers are likely throughout Thursday, with forecasters predicting daytime highs in the low 50s and increasingly clear skies into the evening, which may bring cold overnight temperatures and frost and below-freezing temperatures in protected areas.

Current models forecast a sunny and cool day on Friday, with highs in the mid-50s and daytime temperatures increasing throughout the weekend, with Sunday sunny and near 70 degrees.

Email Terre Logsdon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter, @LakeCoNews.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on a Middletown bank robbery on Thursday, and officials believe the same suspect was responsible for robbing another bank in the town last week as well as targeting North Bay banks.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to Tri Counties Bank, located at 21097 Calistoga Road, shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday on the report of a robbery, according to sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks.

Brooks said bank employees reported that a male subject walked into the bank and asked the teller to make change for a $10 bill. When the teller turned to make change the suspect handed a note to the teller that demanded the teller give him all of the large bills.  

There was no mention of a firearm by the suspect, nor was one displayed, Brooks said.

The suspect obtained an undisclosed amount of money from the teller and then walked out of the bank. Brooks said the suspect was last seen getting into a gold- or champagne-colored four door sedan and driving toward Highway 175.  

The suspect was described by bank employees as being a white male adult, heavy set, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black framed glasses with clear lenses, according to Brooks.

Brooks said numerous sheriff’s deputies, detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene. They conducted an extensive search of the area but did not locate the suspect.

Based on the investigation so far, Brooks said it’s believed that the Tri Counties robbery suspect is the same man who entered the same bank on Thursday, Feb. 27, to obtain change for a $100 bill before robbing the nearby Westamerica Bank less than an hour later.

During the Westamerica Bank robbery, the suspect also asked the teller to make change for a $100 bill before giving the teller a note demanding money and indicating that he had a firearm, although Brooks said no firearm was seen at that time either.

Brooks said detectives were able to obtain additional photographs of the suspect as well as the vehicle he was driving on Feb. 27.  

The same suspect also is believed to have been responsible for several bank robberies around the North Bay area, according to Brooks.

Brook said the investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Another bank robbery was reported in Middletown on Thursday.

Tri Counties Bank, located 21097 Calistoga Road in Middletown, was the target of the afternoon robbery, according to reports from the scene.

The suspect was described as a heavyset white male adult wearing a black hoodie and black glasses with clear lenses.

A gold two-door sedan believed to have been linked to the suspect was last seen near the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 175.

The incident occurred just over a week after Middletown’s Westamerica Bank, also on Calistoga Road, was robbed by a male suspect wearing a black hoodie and other dark clothing, as Lake County News has reported.

More details will be posted as they become available.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – EcoArts of Lake County invites artists to apply for a space in the 11th Annual, EcoArts: Lake County Sculpture Walk.

The Sculpture Walk has a large audience and beautiful venue within the 107-acre Middletown County Trailside Park.

Each year temporary works with strong artistic merit made from and/or relating to nature will be chosen.

The sculptures are sited along both sides of a central trail which stretches three-eighths of a mile through meadows and woodland.

Submission applications must be received by March 30.

Approved works will be installed from Saturday, May 19, through Sunday, May 27, and be removed Saturday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 20.

Close to 300 sculptures by local, national and international artists have been installed over the past ten years. Public attendance is approximately 3,000 viewers per exhibit season.

EcoArts encourages local schools and community groups to apply and waives fees for participating nonprofits.

Submission applications are available at www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org . You can also get an application by emailing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For questions, feel free to call EcoArts at 707-809-5398.

If you are an art aficionado and would like to get involved or be a docent guide at this wonderful local exhibit, please contact EcoArts, which is expanding its community outreach and involvement.

Each year a free public reception is held to meet the artists, enjoy a great exhibit, make music and of course, make art.

This year the reception is Sunday, June 9, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Middletown County Trailside Park.

Visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org for information on the submission process and installation criteria.

There is a $25 submission fee for each entry. Submission paperwork and fees are due by March 30 and will be acknowledged upon receipt. Contact EcoArts directly for late submission information.

EcoArts of Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to providing visual art opportunities for artists, residents and visitors to Lake County through its annual Sculpture Walk and other art focused activities.