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Community Food Drive Project volunteers responded to make sure community members had the necessary food resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lake County, California. Photo courtesy of North Coast Opportunities.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Community Food Drive Project, or CFDP, a collaboration between several different organizations, made more than 500 deliveries during 11 weeks of operation, delivering to about 60 households each week.

As Lake County works toward reopening, the CFDP is suspending operations until further notice, with the final delivery slated for July 2.

The CFDP delivered food directly to the homes of Lake County residents, focusing on those who experienced lost wages, were without transportation, were medically fragile, symptomatic or COVID positive.

The goal of the project was to fill a gap, serving those who were not currently accessing other community food resources. Food bags were packed by staff and volunteers and delivered directly to people’s homes by drivers and vehicles provided by Lake Transit Authority.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from partners and our community during this time,” says Valerie Cox, disaster case manager for North Coast Opportunities. “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve during a time of crisis. Since Lake County is beginning to reopen and people are slowly returning to work, the CFDP has decided to suspend operations.”

The CFDP is committed to restoring an appropriate version of the project if the pandemic worsens or if another crisis arises in the future.

Other food resources continue to be available to the community. Individuals who need food assistance are encouraged to visit Partnership Health Plan’s website for an updated list and schedule of local food pantries.

Community Resource Lists and CalFresh applications are available at the Lake County Department of Social Services.

The Covid19 Senior Resource Hotline continues to connect senior citizens to active senior centers. Any individual over the age of 60 is encouraged to call 888-861-8622 to get the resources they need to stay home and safe.

“The CFDP was successful due to the outpouring of community donations received,” said Robyn Bera, director of Community Projects for North Coast Opportunities. “Any remaining funds will be reserved to support community food security during a future crisis.”

Agency partners in this collaboration include Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Hope Crisis Response Network, Hope Rising Lake County, Lake County Department of Social Services, Lake County Office of Education, Lake County Tribal Health, Lakeport Senior Center, Lake Transit Authority, North Coast Opportunities and Partnership Health Plan.

More information is available at www.hoperisinglc.org/CommunityFoodDriveProject .

For a full list of food resources visit https://bit.ly/2YpmgJ6 or the Lake County Department of Social Services, located at 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway in Lower Lake.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council has given the go-ahead to proceed with the proposed sale of a city-owned property on Ogulin Canyon Road.

The council voted unanimously at its Thursday night meeting to sell the 21.25-acre property parcel at 2185 Ogulin Canyon Road to Kim Gardner.

The city listed the property for $398,000 and Gardner made a full-price offer, City Manager Alan Flora said.

Flora said the city had purchased the property in 2016 for a new Public Works corporation yard and animal shelter facility.

But a staff report in February showed that the site had a number of issues. David Swartz, the city’s consulting engineer, analyzed the site and concluded that there were issues with size, topography, the need for significant earthmoving and the access road.

Since then, the city has moved forward with a new animal shelter facility at the current Public Works yard and is working with the county to locate the Public Works Yard near the Lake County Sanitation District’s Southeast Treatment Plant, Flora said.

Flora said Gardner asked for a 90-day escrow period to perform due diligence.

Realtor Dave Hughes, who is handling the sale for the city and listed the property, said the 90-day escrow will give the buyer 60 days to conduct the due diligence.

Hughes said he believes Gardner plans to use the property for some kind of cannabis processing operation, not for growing.

“The 60 days is just to give her time to do whatever investigations she wants to do before she proceeds with the purchase,” he said.

Hughes said he has received a lot of interest regarding the property from people wanting to grow cannabis – even getting inquiries that morning.

The biggest hangup, he said, has come when he tells prospective buyers that the city is more restrictive on commercial grows than the county, at which point most of those individuals seem to go by the wayside.

He said the cannabis growers he’s getting interest from prefer to have outdoors grows rather than go to the expense of building indoor ones.

Councilman Russ Perdock asked if the buyer could provide proof of funds within the 60-day due diligence period. Hughes said yes.

City Attorney Ryan Jones said the 90-day escrow period should give the buyer the opportunity to get her funding in order and he didn’t believe the council needed to put any special conditions on the sale.

The council went on to approve the sale 5-0.

Flora’s written report to the council explained that if the council approved the agreement, he would take the proposed sale to the Clearlake Planning Commission, which will review it for general plan consistency. Close of escrow would be contingent on that determination from the commission.

In addition to the Ogulin Canyon Road property, the city currently is in the process of selling the two parcels that make up the former Austin Resort to Bailey Building and Loans LLC, a development firm that wants to build a resort and marina project at the site.

The city is expected to receive $350,407 for the parcel it owns at 14071 Lakeshore Drive and $88,815 from its share in the portion of the property at 14061 Lakeshore Drive, held by the city’s redevelopment successor agency, with proceeds, therefore, to be broken up among several taxing agencies.

Flora told Lake County News that the county’s redevelopment oversight board met on June 8 and approved the Austin Resort property sale.

The city is facing a tight 2020-21 fiscal year budget – revenues are $5 million lower than the 2019-20 budget year appropriations – so the pending property sales are expected to help the city’s financial situation.

The funds the city would receive if the Austin Resort and Ogulin Canyon Road sales are finalized total approximately $837,222.

“None of the potential proceeds from the sales are currently budgeted,” Flora 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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Superior Court announced that it will continue to hold remote proceedings in July, the same month that jury trials will begin again after being placed on hold for nearly four months.

The court, like the rest of Lake County, was impacted when on March 18 Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace issued a countywide shelter in place order that went into effect the following day due to COVID-19. On March 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order ordering all Californians to stay at home.

While those two orders remain in place, the court and other sectors of the community have begun to slowly reopen, implementing social distancing, limiting the size of gatherings while Pace and the governor have issued separate orders requiring face masks.

Court officials said significant steps have been taken to comply with Dr. Pace’s orders and to protect court users and staff from the spread of COVID-19.

As part of its reopening plan, officials said the court has limited the number of cases on calendar, will require social distancing in court facilities, will require face coverings and will continue to handle matters via remote means whenever possible.

Remote court hearings

The court will continue to hold the following hearings by remote appearance for the month of July.

All attorneys and parties must appear by phone/video as directed by the court. The court will provide instructions for the remote appearance.

Hearing dates for the following calendars will remain as presently set:

– Daily in-custody criminal arraignments.
– Juvenile detention hearings.
– Felony law and motion, Department 3, Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m.
– Sentencings, Department 3, Mondays at 1:30 p.m.
– Misdemeanor disposition/setting and motions, Department 1, Mondays at 8:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
– Misdemeanor settlement conferences, Department 1, Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m.
– Civil law and motion, Department 2, Mondays at 9 a.m.
– Civil case management, Department 2, Mondays at 10:30 a.m.
– Conservatorships, Department 2, Mondays at 1:30 p.m.
– Probate, Department 2, Mondays at 2 p.m.
– Department of Child Support Services Family Support, Clearlake Branch Tuesdays at 9 a.m.
– Domestic violence restraining orders, Department 2, Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m.
– Family law and motion, Department 2, Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
– Juvenile delinquency and dependency calendars, Mondays, 8:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Department 4.
– Civil harassment restraining order calendar, Tuesdays, 8:15 a.m., Department 4.
– Civil settlement calendar, Tuesdays, 9 a.m., Department 4.

Trials and contested hearings

The court will continue conducting in-person trials or contested hearings which will be direct set for Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The number of cases set on a given date/time have been limited to allow for appropriate social distancing.

Felony law and motion, preliminary hearings

The felony law and motion calendar will be held by remote appearance. However, out-of-custody defendants ordered to appear will be required to attend in person.

Preliminary hearings will continue to be held in person.

Misdemeanor arraignment calendar

The misdemeanor arraignment calendar will continue to be held in person. The number of cases set on a given date/time have been limited to allow for appropriate social distancing.

Jury trials

The court will begin conducting jury trials July 8, 2020, as necessary. If you receive a jury summons for a date after July 8, you are required to appear.

Steps have been taken to minimize the risk to jurors, including reducing the number of jurors who are summoned to appear at one time.

Jurors who are unable to serve because they are high-risk for COVID-19 related complications will be excused prior to coming to the courthouse. Additional details about the excusal process and precautions will be provided with the jury summons.

Clearlake Branch Operations: Small claims/traffic/unlawful detainer

The Clearlake Branch will continue to hold court calendars in-person. The number of cases set on calendar have been limited and staff will limit the number of people who enter the building to ensure proper social distancing.

Self-Help Center

The Self-Help Center will continue to provide service by remote means only. Litigants can contact the Self-Help Center by phone at 707-994-4612, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance.

Court clerk’s offices

The court clerk’s offices continue to be open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The public is encouraged to continue to make use of the drop-box whenever possible, to avoid a person-to-person interaction.

The court will continue to issue updates at its website at www.lake.courts.ca.gov .

All Judicial Council forms may be found at https://www.courts.ca.gov/forms.htm .
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Most of Northern California – including Lake County – remains under a heat advisory that the National Weather Service has issued.

The advisory is in effect through 10 p.m. Friday in response to what forecasters said are “dangerously hot conditions.”

Temperatures through Friday are expected to top the 100-degree mark during the day, dipping into the low 60s at night. Winds of up to 9 miles per hour are forecast during that same timeframe.

Over the weekend, the National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures that will trend downward due to a substantial trough – an elongated area of relatively low pressure – expected to drop in over the region.

The extended forecast said that trough will end the recent run of hot weather over interior northwest California, causing temperatures to return to closer-to-normal seasonal temperatures.

On Saturday, Lake County’s temperatures are anticipated to be sunny and clear, topping out in the mid-90s, before dropping into the 80s through Tuesday, rising again into the 90s on Wednesday.

Nighttime temperatures will be in the 50s during that period, the forecast 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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Public Health officials on Tuesday confirmed Lake County’s 41st case of COVID-19.

It’s the seventh case of the virus identified in the past week; all but one of those cases were confirmed on Monday and Tuesday.

Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard said there are seven active cases, 34 recovered and none currently hospitalized.

Approximately 4,085 tests of Lake County residents have been conducted, with 277 results pending, Public Health reported.

The California Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported that 3.4 million tests have been conducted statewide.

The state also said local health departments have reported 13,546 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 85 deaths statewide.

A survey of Public Health departments statewide showed more than 190,000 COVID-19 cases in California and more than 5,620 deaths as of Tuesday night.

Case totals for neighboring counties are Colusa, 11; Glenn’s numbers jumped from 42 to 66 in the course of a day; Mendocino, 72; Napa, 245; Sonoma, 956; and Yolo, 366.

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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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Thursday, June 25, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) will hold a virtual town hall to discuss education.

The town hall will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Pacific Time.

Thompson will be joined by special guest, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond for a discussion about education and what is being done to support students and help them succeed virtually in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is the ninth in a series of virtual town halls. All constituents of California’s Fifth Congressional District and members of the press are invited to join.

This event will be held over Zoom and interested participants must email Thompson’s office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in order to join, as the platform has a capacity of 500 people. Interested participants will be notified via email with instructions on how to join.

The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live via Thompson’s page, https://www.facebook.com/RepMikeThompson/ .

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A moderate earthquake on Wednesday evening was felt in Lake and several other counties.

The 3.4-magnitude quake occurred at 9:09 p.m. Wednesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

USGS said the quake’s epicenter was located just inside the Sonoma County line, 3.4 miles south-southwest of Cobb, with the depth of the quake recorded at the earth’s surface, the US Geological Survey reported.

The USGS received 19 shake reports from Kelseyville and Middletown in Lake County; Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and Windsor in Sonoma County; Hopland in Mendocino County; and Roseville in Placer County.

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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After registering unusually high temperatures across the globe, May 2020 tied with 2016 as the world’s warmest May on record, according to scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

The heat wasn’t just limited to May. The three-month season (March through May) and the year to date (January through May) ranked second-warmest in the 141-year global record.

Here’s a closer look into NOAA’s latest monthly global climate report.

Climate by the numbers

May 2020

The average global temperature in May was 1.71 degrees F (0.95 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average, tying with May 2016 as the hottest May on record. For the Northern Hemisphere, it was the hottest May recorded, with a temperature of 2.14 degrees F (1.19 degrees C) above average.

March through May 2020

The average global temperature for the season spanning March through May was 1.91 degrees F (1.06 degrees C) above average, making it the 2nd hottest such period on record behind 2016. The Northern Hemisphere had its 2nd-warmest spring, and the Southern Hemisphere had its 3rd-warmest autumn on record.

Year to date: January through May

The period from January through May (YTD) was also the 2nd hottest on record after 2016, with a global temperature of 1.98 degrees F (1.10 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 55.5 degrees F (13.1 degrees C).

South America, Europe, Asia and the Gulf of Mexico region had their warmest YTD on record.

More notable climate stats and facts

– Arctic sea ice was low, again: The May average Arctic sea ice coverage was the fourth smallest in the 42-year record, 7.0 percent below the 1981–2010 average, according to analysis by the National Snow and Ice Data Centeroffsite link.

– Some places chilled out a bit: Cooler-than-average temperatures were seen during May across much of Canada, the eastern contiguous United States, eastern Europe and Australia, where temperatures ran at least 1.8 degrees F (1.0 degree C) below average.
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Applications for unemployment benefits ticked down slightly as total benefits paid since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic soar past $30 billion, according to the most recent statistics released by the California Employment Development Department.

The EDD processed another 312,791 claims last week alone between regular Unemployment Insurance, or UI, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, programs totaling now more than 6.3 million claims since the sudden surge of the pandemic began in the week ending March 14, 2020.

Guidance for workers and employers as businesses start to reopen

As businesses start to reopen in California under the state government guidelines, the EDD has developed a series of FAQs on its COVID-19 webpages to assist workers and employers in understanding impacts on the eligibility for UI benefits.

If individuals collecting UI benefits are offered the chance to return to their jobs and refuse that opportunity, they will need to report this information on their biweekly certification form in answer to question #4, “Did you refuse any work?”

A refusal to work legally requires an EDD representative to review the case and follow up for more information from the claimant as well as the employer before determining whether the claimant can continue to receive unemployment benefits.

• Good cause provisions for UI eligibility: The EDD will need to make a case-by-case determination on whether or not the information provided by claimants about refusing work meets what are called “good cause” reasons for UI eligibility. Such reasons include the higher risk factors identified by the California Department of Public Health such as the worker being over the age of 65, immunocompromised, or having certain serious health conditions.

• Reduced work hours and UI eligibility: Workers may still be eligible for partial UI benefits if they are only able to work reduced hours due to the impacts of the pandemic. But they must report that income earned in response to question No. 6 on their biweekly certification form for ongoing benefit payments. The first $25 or 25 percent of wages, whichever is the greater amount, is not counted as wages earned and will not be deducted from the UI weekly benefit amount.

For example, if you earned $100 in a week, the Department would not count $25 as wages and would only deduct $75 from your weekly benefit amount.

For someone who has a weekly benefit amount of $450, they would be paid a reduced amount of $375.

If someone with the same weekly benefit amount of $450 but earned at least $600 in the week, the full $450 would be deducted leaving $0 left for any unemployment benefits that week.

An individual has a year-long benefit period on their claim to collect the up to 26 weeks of benefits available. Claimants can start collecting benefits, stop for a while when they return to work, and then re-open their claim later if they once again find themselves unemployed or working reduced hours.

• School employees and UI eligibility: Federal and state law do not permit school employees to be eligible for regular UI benefits during a school recess period, including the summer break. That’s as long as these employees base their claim on their school wages and they are scheduled or likely to return to their usual or similar job when the break is over. Despite schools closing early this year due to the pandemic, the US Department of Labor is requiring all states to treat this year as any other. Therefore, the EDD must determine on a case-by-case basis whether employees have reasonable assurance that they will be returning to work in the
fall and if so, deny eligibility for benefits this summer.

An exception to this is if workers have enough wages during their base period that were earned from non-school employment to support an alternate weekly benefit amount they can be paid on their UI claim.

• Video tutorials to help workers in certifying for benefits: Many workers may not realize that once it is determined that they have enough in earnings over the last 12 to 18 months to initiate a UI claim or a PUA claim, they must answer basic questions every two weeks on their continued claim certification form online or via mail in order to receive the next biweekly benefit payment.

The EDD provides video tutorials in four different languages to assist workers with this legally required step to determine ongoing eligibility for benefits.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police chief offered an update to the city council on his department’s efforts to reexamine policy and implement the rules for police operations.

Chief Brad Rasmussen gave the overview to the Lakeport City Council at its meeting last week and in a followup interview this week with Lake County News further explained the policies and recent development in use of force legislation advocacy at the state level.

Rasmussen said he wanted to offer a report in response to what occurred with the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May.

In a report the council titled, “Equal Justice for All,” Rasmussen wrote, “Over the past few weeks since the tragic incident resulting in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, law enforcement, community and elected leaders are seeing many questions regarding police policies and procedures relating to use of force. The actions and inactions we saw from police during their contact with Mr. Floyd are not consistent with how law enforcement should operate, or the manner in which the Lakeport Police Department provides service to our community.”

He said his department continues to receive questions locally and remains “fully transparent” in how it operates.

Rasmussen told the council that many of the questions his department is receiving are focused on the Campaign Zero #8CantWait project, which relates to eight areas of concern which he said Lakeport Police has compared to its policies.

The eight #8CantWait project areas are banning chokeholds and strangleholds, requiring de-escalation, requiring a warning before shooting, exhausting all alternatives before shooting, duty to intervene, banning shooting at moving vehicles, requiring use of force continuum and requiring comprehensive reporting.

Rasmussen said the majority of the Lakeport Police Department policies are consistent with the suggestions of the #8CantWait project.

He said his department has a long history of community policing and working with community members to ensure equal justice, and, protecting and respecting the rights of all people.

The department’s previous efforts have included aligning with the six pillars from President Barack Obama’s 2015 President’s Task Force on Community Policing, which are building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and officer wellness and safety, Rasmussen said.

In January, Rasmussen said Lakeport Police’s supervisory and management team began focusing efforts on the eight critical areas in modern policing as identified by the 2019 report “Law Enforcement Best Practices” by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Those eight areas are community policing, de-escalation, crisis intervention, first line supervisors, early intervention systems, internal affairs, recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention and data systems.

He said his department is continuing to weave those efforts into all aspects of its daily policing, and he’s proud of the efforts of the men and women of his department who for decades have created and maintained positive relationships, continue to believe in transparency, remain open to interaction with the community as the agency continues to evolve and adapt in order to move into the future.

Councilman Kenny Parlet told the council during the meeting that Rasmussen has been well ahead of the curve in adopting proper policies, and that the council can be proud of the job he’s doing.

Comparing Lakeport Police policies to #8CantWait

Rasmussen’s written report to the council included the following comparisons between current Lakeport Police police and the #8CantWait policy priorities.

Chokeholds and strangleholds: The Lakeport Police Department does not authorize its officers to use chokeholds or strangleholds. Rasmussen said carotid control holds were deauthorized for use by Lakeport Police officers in a new policy that went into effect in January.

De-escalation: SB 230, passed in 2019, includes a requirement that officers utilize de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention tactics, and other alternatives to force when feasible. Rasmussen said Lakeport Police’s officers have been trained in crisis intervention tactics and department policy directs officers to consider a number of factors towards offering deescalation alternatives, including taking no action or passively monitoring a situation. Officers also are required to complete additional training regularly on de-escalation and communication training, biased based policing and crisis intervention training.

Require warning before shooting: Rasmussen said that requirement already is followed by Lakeport Police officers and is clearly stated in department policy 300.4 which states, “Where feasible, the officer shall, prior to the use of force, make reasonable efforts to identify themselves as a peace officer and to warn that deadly force may be used, unless the officer has objectively reasonable grounds to believe the person is aware of those facts.” He said his officers are required to provide a warning prior to the use of a conducted energy device such as a Taser, a baton, Oleoresin Capsicum or a kinetic energy projectile.

Ban shooting at moving vehicles: Lakeport Police policy does not ban shooting at moving vehicles, but the practice is discouraged. LPD policy 300.4.1 states, “Shots fired at or from a moving vehicle are rarely effective. Officers should move out of the path of an approaching vehicle instead of discharging their firearm at the vehicle or any of its occupants. An officer should only discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle or its occupants when the officer reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available to avert the threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed at the officer or others. Officers should not shoot at any part of a vehicle in an attempt to disable the vehicle.”

Duty to intercede: Rasmussen said Lakeport Police officers already have a duty to intercede under existing LPD Policy 300.2.1, which states “Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable
force. An officer who observes another employee use force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law should promptly report these observations to a supervisor.”

Requirement to exhaust all alternatives before shooting: Rasmussen said the Lakeport Police Department “recognizes and respects the value of all human life and dignity without prejudice to anyone.” He said department Policy 300.4 states, “If an objectively reasonable officer would consider it safe and feasible to do so under the totality of the circumstances, officers should evaluate the use of other reasonably available resources and techniques when determining whether to use deadly force.”

Require use of force continuum: Rasmussen said department Policy 300.3 states, “Officers shall use only that amount of force that reasonably appears necessary given the facts and totality of the circumstances known to or perceived by the officer at the time of the event to accomplish a legitimate law enforcement purpose.” He said officers “respond to every situation, which at times can be rapidly evolving, utilizing their training and critical thinking skills to determine the appropriate level of force, be it their physical presence, use of verbal communication, simple hand control holds, electronic control device such as a Taser, baton, Oleoresin Capsicum, less-lethal weapons and firearms.”

Require comprehensive reporting: Rasmussen said department policy requires use of force reporting under Policy 300.5, which states, “Any use of force by a member of this department shall be documented promptly, completely and accurately in an appropriate report, depending on the nature of the incident. The officer should articulate the factors perceived and why he/she believed the use of force was reasonable under the circumstances.” Rasmussen said all uses of force incidents are reviewed by a supervisor and command staff and incidents resulting in great bodily injury or death are reviewed by a review board as required by department Policy 302.

Policy differences and latest developments

Rasmussen told Lake County News that there are slight differences between his department’s policies and three of the #8CantWait priorities.

They include the ban on shooting at moving vehicles, exhausting all alternatives before shooting and the use of force continuum.

Regarding shooting at moving vehicles, “We discourage it but we don’t say never because there may be a situation where there is no other alternative,” he said.

On the use of force continuum, Rasmussen noted, “Use of force continuums were gotten rid of a long time ago in law enforcement policies.”

If an officer is at risk of getting shot, it’s not reasonable to expect them to try a less lethal method first, he said. “Officers in our policy have all these different levels of force that can be used if they’re reasonably necessary in the totality of the circumstances.”

Similar to the use of force continuum, Rasmussen said the proposed requirement to exhaust all alternatives before shooting is again a concern for officer safety. He said he shouldn’t have to try a less lethal method first if someone is pointing a firearm at him and saying they will kill him.

While such requirements might work in a case when there are multiple officers at a scene, Rasmussen said an officer on their own would need to be able to use the available tools based, again, on the totality of circumstances.

Rasmussen said Lakeport Police’s policies regarding the use of force are in line with California law that is both the most advanced and the most restrictive in the nation, following landmark Supreme Court rulings.

“California is pretty far ahead on this stuff,” he said.

The Lakeport Police Department, like many other law enforcement agencies, already has banned the use of the carotid hold, Rasmussen said.

On June 4, in response to Floyd’s death, California Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson) introduced AB 1196, making it illegal to use a carotid artery restraint tactic to forcibly detain a suspect. The bill is co-authored by members of the CA Black Caucus, Latino Caucus, API and LGBTQ Caucus.

Two weeks ago, Rasmussen said the Commission on Peace Officer and Standards Training, or POST, decertified the carotid hold from all of their training programs. If any agency continued to use it, they wouldn’t have POST’s backing and would be on their own for training.

A carjacking suspect’s death due to a carotid hold while in the custody of Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies in November led to the filing of a federal lawsuit in May. Earlier this month, officials announced the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office had banned the use of the carotid hold.

Rasmussen said that he’s received a lot of inquiries from the public about the Lakeport POlice Department’s policies, noting those questions have slowed down quite a bit after his presentation to the council and his public information releases explaining department policy.

Since he gave his presentation to the council, Rasmussen said the California Police Chiefs Association has come out with a new platform with which he agrees 100 percent.

Released on June 18, the document condemns use of excessive force; supports new use of force policies that require de-escalation, require officers to intercede against excessive use, supports comprehensive and specific guidelines on application of force, including use of less lethal force, and preventing the; supports the development of policies to facilitate free and lawful expression, de-escalate violence and resolve conflict peacefully “with the overall goal of ensuring public safety and protecting First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly”; new accountability and disciplinary actions; transparency, peace officers’ mental health and wellness; and training.

The California Police Chiefs Association also is recommending reforms outside policing, such as increasing resources to areas historically disadvantaged; increasing access to vocational training and job opportunities, including careers in public safety; improving responses to crisis; supporting access to fair housing; and support for rehabilitative and re-entry programs.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, the Lake County Public Health Department reported that ongoing testing has confirmed five new COVID-19 cases in Lake County.

The new cases bring the county’s total to 40, Public Health reported.

Six of those cases are active, 34 are recovered and Public Health said there are no hospitalizations currently.

“We definitely had a bump in cases this weekend,” Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told Lake County News.

“Most were related to previously identified cases, so are part of two different clusters and connected through contact tracing. All are at home and stable at this point. One was a possible community transmission, we are getting more information,” Pace said.

As of Monday, approximately 4,047 tests of Lake County residents have been conducted, with the results of 250 of those tests pending, according to the Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.

Pace said he plans to start posting demographics once Lake County hits the threshold of 50 confirmed cases.

He said that information will include general location, age and gender, and there also may be information included about where they contracted the virus.

By Monday night, Public Health departments statewide were reporting more than 184,000 COVID-19 cases in California and approximately 5,565 deaths.

Case totals for neighboring counties are Colusa, seven; Glenn, 42; Mendocino, 62; Napa, 239; Sonoma, 935; and Yolo, 347.

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has issued an update on the arrest of a Madera man on Saturday afternoon at the scene of a wildland fire along Highway 20.

Lt. Corey Paulich said that at approximately 2:12 p.m. Saturday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies along with Cal Fire firefighting personnel responded to the area of Highway 20 and Mule Skinner Road in Clearlake Oaks for a report of a vegetation fire.

When the first deputy arrived, Paulich said he saw a man who was later identified as Jose Medina Jimenez, 27, standing in the middle of Highway 20 waving his arms in the air. Several bystanders who had stopped in the area were watching the fire and told the arriving deputy that Jimenez was responsible for starting the fire.

As the deputy approached Jimenez, Jimenez removed a knife with a 6-inch blade from his pants pocket and started pacing around, Paulich said.

Paulich said the deputy told Jimenez repeatedly to drop the knife, but Jimenez instead walked towards the deputy. Jimenez also sat on the ground appearing to cut himself before attempting to enter an unoccupied vehicle that was parked in the area.

A bystander who spoke Spanish assisted the deputy in giving commands to Jimenez. After several minutes, Jimenez disarmed himself and was taken into custody, Paulich said.

While in custody, Jimenez became combative. Paulich said the deputy maintained control of Jimenez until additional deputy sheriffs arrived to place Jimenez in a patrol vehicle.

Once inside the vehicle, Jimenez began kicking the door. When deputies opened the patrol vehicle door, Jimenez charged them and had to again be restrained with a leg restraint, Paulich said.

Paulich said Jimenez appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was transported to the Lake County Jail.

During the altercation, one deputy sustained a minor injury that did not require any medical treatment. Paulich said Jimenez remains in custody at the Lake County Jail and is expected to appear in court later this week.

An investigation is being conducted by Cal Fire Fire prevention officers into the cause and origin of the “Mule” fire, which Paulich said burned approximately six acres of vegetation on a property that contained an unpermitted, illegal marijuana cultivation site. He said Jimenez is suspected of working at the site.

The investigation will be a cooperative effort between Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Paulich said.

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