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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As the nation continues to respond to the killing of George Floyd, members of Congress are presenting legislation meant to help dismantle racism, racial inequality and systemic injustice.

Bay Area Congresswoman Barbara Lee is helping lead the charge on a package of bills meant to address racial inequality and its broader social impacts.

One of the key efforts is Lee’s legislation to establish the first United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation.

It’s an approach that Lee said 40 other countries – including Rwanda – have taken to transform their countries by effecting social change and addressing racial disparities.

Lee’s announcement on the legislation said the commission’s purpose is to properly acknowledge, memorialize and “be a catalyst for progress toward jettisoning the belief in a hierarchy of human value based on race, embracing our common humanity and permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities.”

She said the commission will examine the effects of slavery, institutional racism, and discrimination against people of color, and how history impacts laws and policies today.

Members of Congress included in the coalition signing on to support the legislation include Rep. John Lewis (GA-05), a legendary Civil Rights leader; Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01), co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus; as well as Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), who represents the southern portion of Lake County.

Lee discussed the proposal and answered questions from North Coast residents during a virtual June 4 town hall meeting hosted by Thompson, her colleague and longtime friend, and a co-author of the legislation.

Lee and Thompson have served in government beginning with their time in the California Legislature. Both were elected to Congress in 1998.

Thompson’s virtual town hall on June 4, one in a series that has been used to discuss current issues, focused on Floyd’s killing, which he said “has rocked the nation, from one corner of the country to another.”

He said it’s a reminder about the discrimination that some people in the community face every day and, for the rest, a reminder that we need to do a better job.

During the discussion, he recounted how a member of his own staff, who is Asian American, told him recently about an encounter with an individual who acted in a bigoted and threatening way toward her in a store.

Bigotry and prejudice, he said, are "alive and well in every corner of my district, in your district, in this country and people are real quick to point out that that it's not them but it's there. It is absolutely there. We see it all the time."

Thompson said he and his colleagues have been discussing providing legislative responses to fix some of these systemic problems that have been plaguing the United States.

“I’m heartened that our colleagues are focused on this and they want to do something,” he said.

He added, “Congressional action is going to happen and it’s going to happen quick.”

In addition to working on legislation to collect data on bad cops, Thompson said they will also focus on areas including education, justice and civil rights, health care, labor and employment, and housing.”

On Monday, the Justice in Policing Act was introduced, with Thompson an original coauthor. The bill includes four main categories to allow for structural change that will begin the process of reforming policing nationwide. Thompson’s office said the bill includes accountability for police through the judiciary; improved transparency, widespread changes to the training programs that will address bias, ban practices such as chokeholds, and change the use of force standards; and making lynching a federal crime.

On Thursday Lee also reintroduced a bill to remove Confederate statues from the US Capitol.

A convergence of injustices

During the June 4 town hall – the same day that Lee’s legislation to create the Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation was formally introduced, with 114 cosponsors – Lee recounted how that when she and Thompson were in the California Legislature, they started the California Commission on the Status of African American Males, the first commission of its kind in the United States.

They worked on that effort for seven years, studying gaps and disparities in health care, and coming up with specific policy recommendations on what to do in California, which has one of the biggest prison populations.

“I hope people resurrect that here in California because we did quite a bit of work on that,” said Lee.

Despite this being a moment when people are sad and angry, “I see a lot of hope with our young people,” said Lee, describing protesters of different backgrounds and races coming together to call for change, not a return to the old ways.

“The old ways for some of us have been deadly,” she said.

At the same time, Lee said the black community is in a counter pandemic, with blacks dying at higher rates of COVID-19. She said the health system has been discriminatory and blacks have higher rates of underlying conditions.

African Americans and Latinx people also tend to be essential frontline workers and so more exposed to the virus, she said.

“We’re at that moment, that moment where we see a convergence of all of these injustices coming together,” she said.

In response, she and her colleagues are putting forward a package of bills that include her commission, as well as legislation to promote accountability and transparency for police departments, and a bill to establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

“Forty countries have done it, we’ve never done it,” she said of her proposed commission, explaining that most people don’t understand what has taken place when it comes to slavery and a wide range of other human rights violations against groups including Native Americans and Chinese immigrations.

She said many people also don’t see the connection between the past and historical context and George Floyd’s murder.

Lee was asked by a member of the virtual audience about how she would measure progress in reducing racism and discrimination in the United States.

She said that first it would be measured in a reduction of deaths involving police and health disparities, expunging records of African Americans and Latinx young people disproportionately impacted by marijuana arrests and offering them restorative justice, and seeing more of the tech industry include African Americans.

“The measurements would be clear. We would see more racial equity everywhere in the country and we would see less discrimination,” she said.

Lee also noted the huge wealth gap, with measures of success to include seeing more of the country’s low-wage workers making a living wage that allows them to take care of their families.

“So there are clear measures that we could see and it wouldn't take long if in fact we have the political will to do this,” Lee said.

In her final comments, Lee noted that the essence of patriotism is “liberty and justice for all.”

“I think we’re witnessing the birth of a new nation,” she 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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NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.

The water-seeking mobile VIPER robot will help pave the way for astronaut missions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024 and will bring NASA a step closer to developing a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

“The VIPER rover and the commercial partnership that will deliver it to the Moon are a prime example of how the scientific community and U.S. industry are making NASA’s lunar exploration vision a reality,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Commercial partners are changing the landscape of space exploration, and VIPER is going to be a big boost to our efforts to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 through the Artemis program.”

VIPER’s flight to the Moon is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which leverages the capabilities of industry partners to quickly deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon.

As part of its award, Astrobotic is responsible for end-to-end services for delivery of VIPER, including integration with its Griffin lander, launch from Earth, and landing on the Moon.

During its 100-Earth-day mission, the approximately 1,000-pound VIPER rover will roam several miles and use its four science instruments to sample various soil environments. Versions of its three water-hunting instruments are flying to the Moon on earlier CLPS lander deliveries in 2021 and 2022 to help test their performance on the lunar surface prior to VIPER’s mission. The rover also will have a drill to bore approximately 3 feet into the lunar surface.

“CLPS is a totally creative way to advance lunar exploration,” said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen. “We’re doing something that’s never been done before – testing the instruments on the Moon as the rover is being developed. VIPER and the many payloads we will send to the lunar surface in the next few years are going to help us realize the Moon’s vast scientific potential.”

VIPER will collect data – including the location and concentration of ice – that will be used to inform the first global water resource maps of the Moon. Scientific data gathered by VIPER also will inform the selection of future landing sites for astronaut Artemis missions by helping to determine locations where water and other resources can be harvested to sustain humans during extended expeditions. Its science investigations will provide insights into the evolution of the Moon and the Earth-Moon system.

NASA has previously contracted with three companies to make CLPS deliveries to the Moon beginning in 2021. Astrobotic is scheduled to make its first delivery of other instruments to the lunar surface next year.

In April, the agency released a call for potential future lunar surface investigations and received more than 200 responses. CLPS is planned to provide a steady cadence of two delivery opportunities to the lunar surface each year.

“It is an enormous honor and responsibility to be chosen by NASA to deliver this mission of national importance,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. “Astrobotic’s lunar logistics services were created to open a new era on the Moon. Delivering VIPER to look for water, and setting the stage for the first human crew since Apollo, embodies our mission as a company.”

VIPER is a collaboration between various NASA entities and agency partners. The spacecraft, lander and launch vehicle that will deliver VIPER to the surface of the Moon will be provided through NASA’s CLPS initiative as a partnership with industry for delivering science and technology payloads to and near the lunar surface.

CLPS is part of the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program managed by the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The VIPER mission is part of SMDs Planetary Science Division. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley is managing the VIPER mission, as well as leading the mission’s science, systems engineering, real-time rover surface operations and flight software.

The rover hardware is being designed and built by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the instruments are provided by Ames, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and commercial partner Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California.

For more information about VIPER, visit http://www.nasa.gov/viper .
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Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.

California’s Medi-Cal program requires beneficiaries to pay a monthly share of cost towards meeting their healthcare expenses.

Share of Cost is computed based on the beneficiary’s monthly income less deductions, such as for the personal allowance and for any monthly maintenance needs allowance (to keep the beneficiary’s well spouse from impoverishment).

Share of Cost, however, may be used to pay for necessary medical or remedial drugs or services that Medi-Cal otherwise does not pay-for itself. The foregoing applies both in the skilled nursing home and at home settings.

In a skilled nursing home, the share of cost can be used to pay for “necessary medical or remedial care, supplies and/or equipment” provided these items are “included as part of the physician’s plan of care, and have the physician’s prescription or order in his or her medical records at the facility” (All County Wide Director’s Letter (“ACWD”) No. 89-54 (July 24, 1989)).

Federal law requires skilled nursing facilities to have a written “Plan of Care” for each resident (42 USC 1396r(b)(2)).

The plan discusses the kind of services the patient needs; what type of health care professional should provide the services; how often the patient needs the services; what kind of equipment or supplies the patient needs; if the patient needs a special diet; the patient’s goals; and how the care plan will help the patient to reach such goal.

The resident’s family and advocates can give their input as to treatment.

Input into the written care plan is an opportunity for families to use the Medi-Cal beneficiary’s share of cost that would otherwise go to the skilled nursing facility to pay for necessary medical or remedial care, supplies and/or equipment. Medi-Cal makes up the difference to the nursing home.

If a resident at a nursing home has unpaid prior medical bills, including any unpaid nursing home bills incurred prior to beginning Medi-Cal, the resident may seek to use his or her monthly Share of Cost to gradually pay off these unpaid medical bills (Department of Health Care’s “Medi-Cal Procedures Manual”, Article 10, Subsection 10R).

Next, a Medi-Cal beneficiary who receives In-Home Health Care Services, or IHSS, may also use their Medi-Cal Share of Cost to pay out of pocket expenses paid for personal care.

“Out-of-pocket personal care services must, however, be prescribed by a physician, nurse case manager, assessed as part of the IHSS Assessment of Need (but not provided under the IHSS program), or included in the beneficiary’s plan of care as necessary to prevent him/her from being moved to a long term care facility for essential treatment”. “Personal care services are services which are required to accomplish the activities of daily living and are defined in Title 22, CCR, Section 51183(a).” (ACWDL No. 15-02, page 2 (January 12, 2015).

There are specific rules detailing how to use the share of cost to pay for expenses. Documentation of all expenses are required to be provided. The rules as to what is allowed to be claimed and what documentation is needed is provided for beneficiaries in a long term skilled nursing home is in ACWDL 89-54, and for beneficiaries receiving IHSS in ACWDL 15-02.

Families wishing to amend a beneficiary’s care plan to include additional medicine or services may consider hiring a “geriatric care manager” or “ageing life care specialist” as an advocate to discuss the patient’s medical and remedial care needs with the physician.

Anyone wishing to read ACWDL 89-54 or ACWDL 15-02 can read them online at www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/ACWDLbyyear.aspx .

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.



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Bees in salvia. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Like so many others sheltering at home lately, I find myself looking more closely at flowering plants whether they grow in the garden or are found in the wild.

Each flower is like a cup of light, illuminating miniature worlds occurring on the asterisks of honeysuckle or within the nectary of a bright blue Ithuriel's spear inflorescence.

I've been taking a number of classes online, via Zoom, such as the free webinars offered by Sonoma State University's Center for Environmental Inquiry, California Native Plant Society and also by Pepperwood Preserve, etc.

In the webinar, "A Match Made in Evolution: Plants and Pollinators" presented by professional botanist and instructor of botany at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College, Caprice Disbrow discussed the diversity and evolution of California native plants.

The up-close-and-personal relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators happen all around us during this time of profuse flowering, and presents a free show entailing both active and passive pollination.

Then, as Darwin outlined in his publications, the special coevolution between flowering plants and pollinators continues with the transfer of pollen grains from an anther to the stigma of each flower.

We all know that the great Central Valley is the fruit basket of the country, and without plant pollination, a significant portion of which occurs by honey bees, we would not eat as well as we do.

Our own gardens' zucchinis, tomatoes and peppers profit from the most critical events of their flowering lives with the help of a variety of native bees, honey bees, butterflies, wasps, beetles and birds' assistance.

Moths and bats also get in on the action of pollination, but they visit during the night hours when they scope out flowers that contain long corolla tubes and are, usually, white in color.

Mother nature did not waste energy providing night-blooming flowers with color, however, when they open during the night their scents attract many pollinators.

The California native soap plant is one such plant. Although plenty of passive pollination in plants occurs via wind or water, over time plants evolved from simple structures to those that encouraged pollination by insects. The pollen transfers in those cases proved to be more efficient and less pollen was needed.

Several differing methods of pollination evolved over time with generalist pollinator plants developing which encouraged a variety of insects to visit such as the aforementioned bees, butterflies, wasps, beetles, etc.

The generalist pollinators developed strategies for proliferating with colorations such as yellow, white, green-tinted and scented flowers.

Along with generalist pollinators there are those that specialize in order to invite hummingbirds and other visitors to sip their nectar and which, while the bird is imbibing on a treat, they also provide a pollen transfer service.

Now botanists know that bees can see ultraviolet along with yellow and blue pigments, and butterflies are also endowed with photoreceptors that allow them to see in ultraviolet.

This specialized behavior encouraged floral traits to occur over time as they were driven by natural selection between pollinator and plant.

To encourage native pollinators, Bay Nature Magazine recommends planting a garden incorporating wildflowers that are native to our area.

It's important to select flowers with differing sizes and shapes and those with staggered bloom times. Bees are especially attracted to the colors yellow, white, blue and purple.

You may want to think of leaving a portion of the garden bare to encourage beneficial ground-nesting bees, and of course, steer clear of pesticides and herbicides.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”

A bumblebee in penstemon. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department said it has located a teenage girl who had been reported missing after last being seen on Friday evening.

Police said Saturday that Yessinia Michelle Rodriguez, 16, was found safe.

The agency had put out a Nixle alert shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday asking for the community’s help locating the girl.

The agency said several hours later that she was safely located.
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Larger than the planet Mercury, huge moon Titan is seen here as it orbits Saturn. Below Titan are the shadows cast by Saturn's rings. This natural color view was created by combining six images captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on May 6, 2012. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.

Just as our own moon floats away from Earth a tiny bit more each year, other moons are doing the same with their host planets.

As a moon orbits, its gravity pulls on the planet, causing a temporary bulge in the planet as it passes.

Over time, the energy created by the bulging and subsiding transfers from the planet to the moon, nudging it farther and farther out. Our Moon drifts 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) from Earth each year.

Scientists thought they knew the rate at which the giant moon Titan is moving away from Saturn, but they recently made a surprising discovery: Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, they found Titan drifting a hundred times faster than previously understood — about 4 inches (11 centimeters) per year.

The findings may help address an age-old question. While scientists know that Saturn formed 4.6 billion years ago in the early days of the solar system, there's more uncertainty about when the planet's rings and its system of more than 80 moons formed.

Titan is currently 759,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Saturn. The revised rate of its drift suggests that the moon started out much closer to Saturn, which would mean the whole system expanded more quickly than previously believed.

"This result brings an important new piece of the puzzle for the highly debated question of the age of the Saturn system and how its moons formed," said Valery Lainey, lead author of the work published June 8 in Nature Astronomy. He conducted the research as a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California before joining the Paris Observatory at PSL University.

Making sense of moon migration

The findings on Titan's rate of drift also provide important confirmation of a new theory that explains and predicts how planets affect their moons' orbits.

For the last 50 years, scientists have applied the same formulas to estimate how fast a moon drifts from its planet, a rate that can also be used to determine a moon's age.

Those formulas and the classical theories on which they're based were applied to moons large and small all over the solar system.

The theories assumed that in systems such as Saturn's, with dozens of moons, the outer moons like Titan migrated outward more slowly than moons closer in because they are farther from their host planet's gravity.

Four years ago, theoretical astrophysicist Jim Fuller, now of Caltech, published research that upended those theories.

Fuller's theory predicted that outer moons can migrate outward at a similar rate to inner moons because they become locked in a different kind of orbit pattern that links to the particular wobble of a planet and slings them outward.

"The new measurements imply that these kind of planet-moon interactions can be more prominent than prior expectations and that they can apply to many systems, such as other planetary moon systems, exoplanets — those outside our solar system — and even binary star systems, where stars orbit each other," said Fuller, a coauthor of the new paper.

To reach their results, the authors mapped stars in the background of Cassini images and tracked Titan's position.

To confirm their findings, they compared them with an independent dataset: radio science data collected by Cassini.

During 10 close flybys between 2006 and 2016, the spacecraft sent radio waves to Earth. Scientists studied how the signal's frequency was changed by their interactions with their surroundings to estimate how Titan's orbit evolved.

"By using two completely different datasets, we obtained results that are in full agreement, and also in agreement with Jim Fuller's theory, which predicted a much faster migration of Titan," said coauthor Paolo Tortora, of Italy's University of Bologna. Tortora is a member of the Cassini Radio Science team and worked on the research with the support of the Italian Space Agency.

Managed by JPL, Cassini was an orbiter that observed Saturn for more than 13 years before exhausting its fuel supply. The mission plunged it into the planet's atmosphere in September 2017, in part to protect its moon Enceladus, which Cassini discovered might hold conditions suitable for life.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.

More information about Cassini can be found here.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has more new dogs of different ages and breeds ready to go to new homes

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of cattle dog Catahoula Leopard Dog, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Lhasa Apso, pit bull and West Highland White Terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

This female Chihuahua is in kennel No. Q1, ID No. 13659. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Chihuahua

This female Chihuahua has a short tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. Q1, ID No. 13659.

“Lady” is a female pit bull mix in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13703. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Lady’

“Lady” is a female pit bull mix with a short tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13703.

This senior female West Highland White Terrier is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13744. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

West Highland White Terrier

This senior female West Highland White Terrier has a medium-length white and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13744.

This young female Catahoula Leopard Dog is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13752. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

This young female Catahoula Leopard Dog has a short white coat with black spots.

She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13752.

This young male Catahoula Leopard Dog in kennel No. 28a, ID No. 13751. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

This young male Catahoula Leopard Dog has a short white coat with black spots.

He is in kennel No. 28a, ID No. 13751.

This young male Catahoula Leopard Dog is in kennel No. 28c, ID No. 13753. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

This young male Catahoula Leopard Dog has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 28c, ID No. 13753.

This female Lhasa Apso is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13747. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Lhasa Apso

This female Lhasa Apso has a long tan and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13747.

This young male German Shepherd is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 13706. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male German Shepherd

This young male German Shepherd has a fully brown and black coat.

He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 13706.

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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Yessinia Michelle Rodriguez. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is asking for the community’s help in locating an at-risk teenager last seen on Friday evening.

Police are trying to locate Yessinia Michelle Rodriguez, 16.

Rodriguez was last seen at her residence in the 3600 block of Vista Street in Clearlake at 6 p.m. Friday, the department said.

She is described as a Hispanic female, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and 140 pounds.

If you have information that can assist in helping safely locate Rodriguez, please call 911 or contact Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two members of the same household have become the latest confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lake County.

Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said the 31st case was identified on Thursday and on Friday an individual living in the same household also tested positive, bringing Lake County’s case total to 32.

Pace said both individuals were exposed to a person visiting from out of the county who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

“Early contact tracing has not revealed any concerns for additional Lake County cases, but investigations are ongoing,” Pace said.

As of Friday, there are four active confirmed cases in Lake County, and all are stable and on home isolation. The other 28 patients have recovered, Pace said.

So far, approximately 3,302 people have been tested for COVID-19, with the results of 214 tests still pending, according to the Lake County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.

Information on local testing is available here.

Pace said there remains no evidence of widespread community transmission in Lake County.

“We are now outside of the 14-day period following the Memorial Day holiday, and it is very encouraging that we did not see a surge in cases as a result of increased activity that weekend,” said Pace.

He added, “That is very probably a testimony to people taking individual precautions, including practicing good hygiene and wearing face coverings.”

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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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities in Sonoma County on Saturday made an arrest for a hate crime, taking into custody a Ukiah man with a violent criminal history who also is under investigation for similar incidents in Mendocino County.

Sgt. Juan Valencia of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Anthony James Pelfrey, 43, was arrested in the case.

Valencia said Sonoma County deputies, working together with the Ukiah Police Department, arrested Pelfrey for a hate crime, felon in possession of pepper spray and illegal use of pepper spray.

The incident unfolded at approximately 10:18 a.m. Saturday when deputies were dispatched to Pinnacle Gulch Trail in Bodega Bay for a male intentionally pepper-spraying people, Valencia said.

Valencia said the first victim, an Asian male, was sprayed in the face with bear deterrent spray by Pelfrey for no apparent reason in the parking lot. The second victim, a Hispanic male, was walking out of the restroom and was sprayed as well.

Pelfrey walked to his car, a white Honda Civic, as witnesses took photos of him and his car, Valencia said.

Witnesses at the scene recognized the male as Pelfrey from their yoga class. Pelfrey was at the location, attending an outdoor yoga session. Pelfrey left the scene in his car, Valencia reported.

A records check revealed the car belonged to Pelfrey with an address in Ukiah. Valencia said the Ukiah Police Department was notified and conducted surveillance at Pelfrey's home, where. Pelfrey subsequently was arrested.

Ukiah Police Department and Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were both investigating two similar incidents involving Pelfrey last week in which he used bear deterrent spray on people, Valencia said.

Valencia said Pelfrey was convicted of attempted murder in Mendocino County in 2009 after attacking two men with a machete.

Pelfrey was arrested and later transported to the Sonoma County Jail and booked for a hate crime, felon in possession of pepper spray and illegal use of pepper spray. Pelfrey is currently in custody and being held on $50,000 bail after a judge approved a bail enhancement, Valencia said.

Jail records show Pelfrey is due to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon.

“We want to thank the community members who called us with information. This case is another example of how we can better protect our community when we all work together,” Valencia said.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Additional testing for cyanobacteria at sites around Clear Lake has found levels in the “danger threshold” at two locations.

Earlier this week, officials reported that testing conducted by the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Elem Indian Colony had found microcystin cyanotoxin at the “elevated” level at Austin Park Beach in Clearlake, as Lake County News has reported.

On Friday, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said lab testing has now confirmed that Austin Park in Clearlake and Jago Bay near Lower Lake, have demonstrated significantly elevated levels, both sites testing above the “danger” threshold level.

Public Health urges boaters and recreational users to avoid direct contact with or use of waters containing cyanobacteria. Wading, swimming and other contact with the water, scum, foam or algae at these locations may present serious health risks.

At the level of toxicity currently evident in Jago Bay and Austin Park, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people and animals should stay out of the water until further notice.

Officials asked that people also avoid contact with the scum in the water or near the shore.

If you or a family member becomes ill after exposure to potentially-affected water, seek medical attention. Adverse health effects can include upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, liver and kidney damage may result.

Pet owners should not allow their animals to drink the water or go near the scum, and they are encouraged to contact a veterinarian if your animal shows signs of illness.

Fish and shellfish that have been in contact with “danger” level algal blooms are not safe to eat, and affected water should not be used for drinking or cooking.

Large, biologically rich natural bodies of water, like Clear Lake, are dynamic in water quality. Understanding what signs to look for when recreating can help ensure residents and visitors safely enjoy Lake County’s defining feature.

For more information, visit the county’s online resources on cyanobacteria and health effects and precautions.

For current cyanotoxin lab results, please visit the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians cyanotoxin monitoring website and Clear Lake Water Quality Facebook page.
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A large, unpermitted marijuana grow near Lakeport, California, shown on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Photo courtesy the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities have eradicated a large and unpermitted marijuana grow near Lakeport.

Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said that on June 5, Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics detectives received information regarding an unpermitted marijuana growing operation located on Dessie Drive in Lakeport from the Lake County Community Development Department.

Detectives were told there were approximately 20,000 marijuana plants currently being cultivated as well as illegal grading that had been performed on the property, Paulich said.

Community Development explained that the property owner had obtained an early activation permit which allowed for planting of the plants while completing the permit process. Paulich said the early activation permit had expired in January 2020.

Paulich said Community Development further explained that no permits would be issued for the operation due to the environmental damage caused by the illegal grading.

Facilities at an unpermitted marijuana grow near Lakeport, California, shown on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Photo courtesy the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives conducted surveillance of the growing operation and observed several hoop-style greenhouses on the property. Paulich said they also observed a recently installed irrigation well with a large trench leading to the grow site. The trench spanned approximately 500 yards and crossed two drainages.

On Tuesday, detectives served a search warrant at the Dessie Drive location. Paulich said detectives contacted seven adults and one minor at the grow site.

Paulich said they observed seven hoop-style greenhouses and two conex storage containers that were being used for cultivation. There was a large graded area that was also being used to cultivate marijuana.

The graded area crossed two natural drainages. There was loose soil and trash in the drainages. These drainages met at the bottom of the grow site and ultimately drain into Scotts Creek, Paulich said.

Detectives interviewed Kieron Julian Riley, 32, of Lakeport who told detectives he was the lead grower for the operation. Paulich said Riley admitted that he did not have a permit from the county to work on the grow site. Riley believed there were 20,000 to 25,000 marijuana plants on the property.

Hoop-style greenhouses and two conex storage containers found at an unpermitted marijuana grow near Lakeport, California, shown on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Photo courtesy the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said detectives searched Riley finding he was in possession of suspected Ketamine, LSD and Ecstasy pills. Riley also had text messages on his cell phone related to mailing marijuana out of state, which he confirmed he was doing.

All of the other subjects were interviewed including the minor. They all admitted to working on the property helping cultivate the marijuana. None of the subjects had permits from the county allowing them to work at the grow site, Paulich said.

Detectives eradicated approximately 48,000 marijuana plants. Paulich said they also located two 9-millimeter handguns on the property and 1,000 rounds for the handguns.

Paulich said all subjects were released from the property. Detectives will be forwarding the case to the District Attorney’s Office for review of charges for cultivation of marijuana with environmental crimes, possession of marijuana for sale, maintaining a location for the purpose of storing and distributing a controlled substance for sale, and possession of a controlled substance.

“The sheriff’s office recognizes that there are numerous growers who follow and abide by the state and local permitting regulations related to marijuana growing in Lake County,” Paulich said. “The sheriff’s office will continue to investigate and take action on growers who fail to comply with these regulations and operate illegal growing operations that damage our county and the environment.”


Authorities discovered environmental damage from illegal grading at an unpermitted marijuana grow near Lakeport, California, shown on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Photo courtesy the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

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