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Methamphetamine and a replica firearm found in the possession of Ivan Magallon Escalera, 24, of Clearlake, Calif., on Friday, February 22, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Clearlake Police Department.


CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested after a police officer found him in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine during a traffic stop.

Ivan Magallon Escalera, 24, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 22, for a number of drug charges, according to Sgt. Elvis Cook of the Clearlake Police Department.

At 10:40 p.m. that day Officer Mauricio Barreto conducted a traffic stop in the 5600 block of Old Highway 53, pulling over a vehicle driven by Escalera, Cook said.

Cook said that during the incident, Officer Barreto located a significant quantity of methamphetamine in Escalera's vehicle, which was later determined to be approximately 30.3 grams.

Escalera also was in possession of a replica firearm that was modified to look real, Cook said.

Escalera was arrested for possession of methamphetamine for sales, transportation of methamphetamine for sales, false compartment in a vehicle, altering a imitation firearm and a probation violation, according to Cook.

Escalera was later booked into the Lake County Jail. He remained in custody on Friday on a no-bail hold.

Ivan Magallon Escalera, 24, of Clearlake, Calif. Lake County Jail photo.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council voted on Thursday night to buy several new pieces of equipment to bolster its road repair and building program.

Four of the pieces of equipment – an asphalt recycler, asphalt hot box, asphalt crack sealer and vactor trailer – are expected to total approximately $283,821.40, with the council adding some additional funds to purchase a fifth piece of equipment, an infrared pavement heater.

The funds for the purchases will come from the city’s Measure V one-cent sales tax, which is giving the city about $2 million annually for road work, according to City Manager Greg Folsom. The equipment is anticipated to save the city employee time and money.

The it begins at 1:32:14 in the video above.

Folsom took the proposed purchases to the council. “I’m very excited about it,” he said of the equipment.

Folsom explained that the city uses “cold patch” asphalt repair for patching potholes. The problem is that it only lasts a couple of weeks, less if the weather is bad. As a result, it’s not very cost-effective or a good use of staff time.

Because there isn’t an asphalt factory closer than an hour and a half away, Folsom said city road crews can’t haul in hot asphalt before it gets cold.

A few weeks ago, city staff, as well as council members Dirk Slooten and Russ Cremer, saw a demo of the equipment, Folsom said.

Folsom said the asphalt recycler takes scrap asphalt – such as the 20,000 yards of asphalt grindings the city already has, as well as the scrap asphalt it has a contract to get from future roadwork projects – and adds an emulsifier, puts it in the recycler and creates brand new, hot asphalt.

That asphalt is then put in a hot box, which keeps it hot all day. “This hot asphalt is going to make a much better patch. It’s going to last much longer,” possibly for several years, Folsom said.

The asphalt crack sealer is a very high pressure air nozzle that cleans out the cracks in asphalt. A substance which Folsom described as a polymer asphalt is used to seal the cracks in the road.

When cracks develop in roads, moisture gets in and can deteriorate the surface. Folsom said sealing the asphalt helps get more life out of the roads.

The vactor trailer uses high pressure water to clean out inlets, creating mud that it can then be sucked out with a high suction tool. He said it saves employees from having to dig out inlets.

Folsom also asked the council to waive the competitive bidding process, explaining that they couldn’t get three bids for each piece of equipment.

“This is not a commodity. These are specialized types of products,” he said, explaining that staff researched them and found what they believed fit the bill best.

Cremer brought up an infrared pavement heater that had been mentioned at the demo. That wasn’t part of the proposed equipment purchase as initially put forward at the meeting Thursday.

Public Works Superintendent Mike Baker, who put the quotes for the equipment together, said the infrared pavement heater was priced at under $20,000. Cremer said he wanted it added to the purchase.

Slooten asked if the city can lease the equipment. Assistant City Manager Alan Flora said there is a government lease program but staff felt the best way forward was to purchase the equipment. That answer satisfied Slooten.

Flora added that he recalled the infrared unit being priced at about $10,000.

“I think this is going to be a real solution,” said Councilman Phil Harris.

Harris asked about the equipment emissions. Baker said all of the pieces of the equipment are tier four diesel engines, which have the strictest Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards for off-highway diesel engines.

Slooten moved to authorize Folsom signing the purchase order for the equipment, with authorization for up to an additional 10 percent to cover the infrared unit, and waiving of the competitive bidding. Cremer seconded and the council approved the motion unanimously.

“Thank you, council, we’re all very excited about this,” said Folsom, leading a round of applause.

“You’ve got all the tools, all the goodies,” said Slooten.

Baker said the city has a great crew. “We are going to get out there and we are going to take care of business and make you guys proud,” he told the council.

Then, turning to the audience, and referring to the larger Clearlake community, Baker said, “We’re going to be doing this for all of you guys as well.”

Also on Thursday, the council presented a proclamation honoring the Lower Lake High School Cheerleading Team for its win last week at the JAMZ nationwide competition, honored Neickol Cook for her efforts at city cleanup, heard the annual Clear Lake Chamber report and received an update on Adventist Health’s Safe Rx and Leave It Behind Program.

The council also approved assessments totaling $52,327 for five CalRecycle-funded abatements, heard a presentation from the Lake Economic Development Corp. on the Path to Prosperity Economic Strategy and expressed initial support for a $10,000 contribution to the organization in the coming fiscal year.

Following an extended discussion, council members also expressed interest in working with another organization – should one come forward – through a memorandum of understanding for the future use for the homeless of a shower trailer that is being donated to the city by the Lake Area Rotary Club.

The trailer was purchased with funds that were donated to make the city’s senior and community center an evacuation center. The majority of the council members only supported using it for the homeless under strict guidelines to be established under an agreement.

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, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) introduced the Sites Reservoir Project Act, H.R.1453, to provide federal support for the construction of Sites Reservoir and related water infrastructure in Colusa and Glenn counties.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) is the bill’s original cosponsor.

“Construction of Sites Reservoir would bring California closer to achieving a drought-resilient water system. Our state needs to make forward-looking investments to meet its future water supply needs, and Sites will benefit farmers, precious ecosystems, and our communities.” said Congressman Garamendi (D-CA). “I am proud to sponsor the bipartisan Sites Reservoir Project Act, building upon the nearly $1.2 billion in public funding for the project secured to date.”

Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) said: “Water storage projects, such as Sites Reservoir, are absolutely critical to securing the future of our state’s water supply. It’s important that we have the infrastructure to save more water during wet years so we can prepare for the dry ones California sees all too often. Sites is the most effective project in the state, providing more storage per dollar invested than any other proposed project. I’m proud of this bipartisan effort and will continue to fight to ensure this much-needed project moves forward.”

“Congressmen Garamendi and LaMalfa have been tireless champions of Sites Reservoir and today's introduction of the Sites Reservoir Project Act brings us one step closer to realizing our shared goal of building the reservoir. Sites would provide critically needed water supply reliability for the environment, farms and cities and its importance for the future of California cannot be understated," said Sites Joint Powers Authority Chairman Fritz Durst.

The Sites Reservoir Project Act would direct the Bureau of Reclamation to complete a necessary feasibility study for the project and, if deemed feasible, authorize additional funding and technical support.

Sites Reservoir would provide 1.8 million acre-feet of off-stream water storage capacity for California and help local communities prepare for droughts.

The reservoir would be owned and operated by the Sites Joint Powers Authority, a regional consortium of local water agencies and counties formed in 2010.

To date, more than $1.2 billion in public funding has been committed to the Sites Reservoir Project, including $816 million from the State Water Bond (2014 Proposition 1), $449 million low-interest financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in November 2018, and federal funding from the Bureau of Reclamation for the feasibility study and related work.

The text of H.R. 1453 is available here.

A map of the Sites Reservoir Project is available here.
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Two immediate questions that trust beneficiaries want answered are what do I receive, and when do I receive it.

For answers we look first to the trust.

Trusts typically provide that most, if not all, of the trust estate – i.e., all the trust assets – shall be divided into separate shares for each of the beneficiaries.

The shares may be equal or unequal. Other distributions may involve monetary bequests and specific gifts of real and/or personal property.

For example a trust may say, “Upon my death, the trust estate shall be divided into equal shares: one share for each surviving child of mine and one share for each deceased child of mine with issue who survive me.”

Applied to a deceased settlor with two surviving children and one deceased child who leaves three surviving children, the trust estate is divided into three equal shares; the three grandchildren share their deceased parent’s share.

Next, when is each share to be distributed?

If the Trust says that distributions “shall be made upon the settlor’s death” then the trustee must distribute the shares in the normal course of the trust administration – the word “shall” means “must.”

Distribution of the trust estate only occurs after the trustee has paid – or has kept a reserve to pay – all trust administration expenses and all the decedent’s reasonably foreseeable legal debts and taxes, both owed and anticipated.

The trustee must wait until such foreseeable expenses, debts and taxes are ascertained to avoid personal liability due to premature or excessive distributions.

Distributions do not always occur after the settlor’s death. Sometimes a trust provides that some or all distributions shall not occur until a certain time, requirement, or a condition, is satisfied.

For example, the trust may say that distributions shall occur in stages, such as, one-half once the beneficiary reaches 30 years of age, and the balance when the beneficiary reaches 40 years of age.

Sometimes the trust gives the trustee discretion to withhold distribution of either part or all of a beneficiary’s share.

For example, the frust may provide that if compelling circumstances exist that would justify withholding the beneficiary’s inheritance – e.g., the beneficiary has judgement debts, a pending divorce, or suffers from drug addiction – then the trustee may withhold the beneficiary’s inheritance while such circumstances exist.

During the withholding period the trust may allows the trustee utilize the withheld assets to make certain payments on the beneficiary’s behalf, like paying for drug rehabilitation.

Next, how is the distribution made? Trust instruments may provide that assets must be sold, must be distributed in-kind, or may either be sold or distributed in-kind as the Trustee sees fit.

Recently, in the Trolan v. Trolan appellate court decision, California’s Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District, held that where the trust allows the trustee discretion on whether to liquidate or to distribute assets in-kind, the trustee’s decision must be respected by the court.

With in-kind distributions a beneficiary may either receive an undivided partial ownership or an exclusive ownership of an asset. Unless beneficiaries receive the same percentage each distributed asset – a pro rata distribution – as their percentage share in the trust estate the trustee will have to value assets for distribution purposes.

For example, consider a trust estate with a residence worth $300,000, stocks worth $200,000 and $100,000 on deposit to be divided equally between two children.

If non pro rata distributions are allowed, usually the case, the trustee may distribute the residence to one child and the other assets to the other child; each receives $300,000 in value.

The foregoing simplified example ignores the income tax effect of distributing assets on a non-pro rata basis.

When the trust does not answer these, or other, trust administration questions the trustee, or beneficiary, often petitions the court for instructions, and significant legal expenses are incurred. Having a well drafted trust that addresses the important issue helps to prevent going to court.

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. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A single-vehicle crash on Thursday evening resulted in a reported fatality and an extended closure of Highway 20.

The wreck involved a pickup that went over the stone wall on Highway 20 west of Island Drive outside of Clearlake Oaks just before 5:30 p.m.

The vehicle was reported to have hit the embankment and lost control before going into Clear Lake, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Firefighters arriving on the scene found the pickup upside down in the water with one person trapped inside and several people trying to help rescue the crash victim. A firefighter was reported to have gone into the vehicle to attempt to locate the occupant.

At 5:40 p.m., Northshore Fire reported that they had located a victim but were having trouble pulling the person from the vehicle, and an air ambulance was requested. CalStar 4 accepted and was set to arrive after 6 p.m.

However, at about 5:50 p.m., the air ambulance was canceled and work to recover the victim continued.

Just before 7:30 p.m., the victim’s body was reported to have been extricated from the pickup, according to radio reports.

Meantime, the crash and the emergency response closed down Highway 20. Traffic was reported to have been backed up for miles in both directions, with drivers trying to find ways around the closure on nearby roads, including Lake Street and Widgeon Way.

The CHP reported that Highway 20 was completely reopened at 10 p.m.

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. – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued an emergency proclamation for Lake and several other counties due to the severe winter storm conditions that are continuing across the region.

The emergency proclamation coming from the Governor’s Office on Thursday applies to Lake and neighboring counties of Glenn, Mendocino and Sonoma, as well as Amador.

The proclamation covering Lake County came less than a day after Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin issued a declaration of a local emergency in response to the storms and flooding and the resulting widespread damage, as Lake County News has reported.

The storms also prompted Gov. Newsom on Feb. 21 to declare an emergency for 21 counties across the state due to storms.

The Governor’s Office said the emergency proclamations direct Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program and the Office of Emergency Services to provide assistance to local governments.

The latest proclamation also orders state agencies to “enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly assist with the response to and recovery from the impacts of the storms, including those referenced in my February 21, 2019, State of Emergency Proclamation.”

The full text of today’s proclamation is below.

PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY


WHEREAS on February 21, 2019, I proclaimed a state of emergency to exist within 21 counties due to atmospheric river storm systems, which caused widespread damage and flooding; and

WHEREAS beginning February 25, 2019, another significant atmospheric river storm system swept across California, bringing additional substantial precipitation, snowfall, high winds, mud and debris flows, and dangerous flooding; and

WHEREAS as a result of these storms, multiple rivers are at or expected to exceed flood stages, including the Russian River in Sonoma County, which has threatened homes and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents; and

WHEREAS the effects of these repetitive atmospheric river storm systems continue to cause widespread impacts throughout California; and

WHEREAS these conditions require continual emergency response, including significant flood fight, repair, reconstruction work, and debris removal; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist due to the winter storms in Amador, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by these storm systems, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8625(c), I find that local authority is inadequate to cope with the magnitude of the damage caused by the storm systems; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8571, I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the winter storms, including those referenced in my February 21, 2019, State of Emergency Proclamation and those beginning on February 25, 2019.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, Government Code section 8625, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Amador, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

The provisions of my February 21, 2019, State of Emergency Proclamation also apply to Amador, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties.

As necessary to assist local governments and for the protection of public health and the environment, state agencies shall enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly assist with the response to and recovery from the impacts of the storms, including those referenced in my February 21, 2019, State of Emergency Proclamation. Applicable provisions of the Government Code and the Public Contract Code, including but not limited to travel, advertising, and competitive bidding requirements, are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of the storms.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 28th day of February 2019.

_____________________________
GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:



_____________________________
ALEX PADILLA
Secretary of State


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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This artist’s impression shows the outermost planet of the Solar System, Neptune, and its small moon Hippocamp. Hippocamp was discovered in images taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Whilst the images taken with Hubble allowed astronomers to discover the moon and also to measure its diameter, about 34 kilometres, these images do not allow us to see surface structures. Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Calçada.

Astronomers using the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope, along with older data from the Voyager 2 probe, have revealed more about the origin of Neptune’s smallest moon.

The moon, which was discovered in 2013 and has now received the official name Hippocamp, is believed to be a fragment of its larger neighbour Proteus.

A team of astronomers, led by Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute, have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study the origin of the smallest known moon orbiting the planet Neptune, discovered in 2013.

“The first thing we realised was that you wouldn’t expect to find such a tiny moon right next to Neptune’s biggest inner moon,” said Mark Showalter.

The tiny moon, with an estimated diameter of only about 34 km, was named Hippocamp and is likely to be a fragment from Proteus, Neptune’s second-largest moon and the outermost of the inner moons.

Hippocamp, formerly known as S/2004 N 1, is named after the sea creatures of the same name from Greek and Roman mythology.

The orbits of Proteus and its tiny neighbour are incredibly close, at only 12 000 km apart. Ordinarily, if two satellites of such different sizes coexisted in such close proximity, either the larger would have kicked the smaller out of orbit or the smaller would crash into the larger one.

Instead, it appears that billions of years ago a comet collision chipped off a chunk of Proteus. Images from the Voyager 2 probe from 1989 show a large impact crater on Proteus, almost large enough to have shattered the moon.

“In 1989, we thought the crater was the end of the story,” said Showalter. “With Hubble, now we know that a little piece of Proteus got left behind and we see it today as Hippocamp.”

Hippocamp is only the most recent result of the turbulent and violent history of Neptune’s satellite system. Proteus itself formed billions of years ago after a cataclysmic event involving Neptune’s satellites.

The planet captured an enormous body from the Kuiper belt, now known to be Neptune’s largest moon, Triton.

The sudden presence of such a massive object in orbit tore apart all the other satellites in orbit at that time. The debris from shattered moons re-coalesced into the second generation of natural satellites that we see today.

Later bombardment by comets led to the birth of Hippocamp, which can therefore be considered a third-generation satellite.

“Based on estimates of comet populations, we know that other moons in the outer Solar System have been hit by comets, smashed apart, and re-accreted multiple times,” noted Jack Lissauer of NASA’s Ames Research Center, California, USA, a coauthor of the new research. “This pair of satellites provides a dramatic illustration that moons are sometimes broken apart by comets.”
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From right to left, John King, water resource engineer with the California Department of Water Resources, prepares to insert the long aluminum snow depth survey pole into the snow for the third media snow survey of the 2019 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dr. Michael Anderson, state climatologist, and Andrew Reising, water resource engineer, helped with the survey held approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County, Calif. Photo taken Thursday, February 28, 2019, by Ken James/California Department of Water Resources.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Thursday the Department of Water Resources conducted the third Phillips Station snow survey of 2019.

The manual survey recorded 113 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent, or SWE, of 43.5 inches, which is more than double what was recorded last month at this location.

Statewide, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is 153 percent of average for this date, thanks to several atmospheric rivers during February.

Snow water equivalent is the depth of water that theoretically would result if the entire snowpack melted instantaneously. It is an important tool used by water managers across the state to estimate anticipated spring runoff.

The results show a notable improvement since the last Phillips survey on January 31, when measurements at Phillips Station revealed a SWE of 18 inches compared to today’s 43.5 inches. Current conditions stand in stark contrast to this time last year when the snow depth was only 13.5 inches and the SWE was just 1.5 inches.

“This winter’s snowpack gets better each month and it looks like California storms aren’t done giving yet,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “This is shaping up to be an excellent water year.”

In related data, the most recent snow readings for Anthony Peak in the Mendocino National Forest, reported earlier this month, show 43-percent snowpack density, an improvement over 2018. No data has been reported so far for the Plaskett Meadows area.

On Feb. 14, the National Weather Service officially confirmed that the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing weak El Niño conditions. As a result of these above-average sea surface temperatures, there is likely to be more precipitation in the next two months.

“Along with the water supply benefits of the heavy rain and snow, there is also increased flood risk,” said John Paasch, DWR chief of Flood Operations. “We’ve activated the Flood Operations Center, a joint effort between DWR and the National Weather Service, to closely monitor weather, reservoir, river, and flood conditions. Our goal is to share timely and accurate information about changing conditions to help people and communities respond to flood events and stay safe.”

The state’s largest six reservoirs currently hold between 84 percent (Oroville) and 137 percent (Melones) of their historical averages for this date. Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, is 112 percent of its historical average.

Snowpack is an important factor in determining how DWR manages California’s water resources. On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer to meet water demands in the summer and fall.

DWR conducts up to five snow surveys each winter – near the first of January, February, March, April and, if necessary, May – at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada just off Highway 50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The Phillips snow course is one of hundreds that will be surveyed manually throughout the winter. Manual measurements augment the electronic readings from about 100 snow pillows in the Sierra Nevada that provide a current snapshot of the water content in the snowpack.

Heavy snow from the latest atmospheric river storm hit the Sierra Nevada Mountains and covered the evergreen trees near the Phillips Station meadow where the California Department of Water Resources conducted its third snow survey of the 2019 season. The survey site is approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County, Calif. Photo taken February 28, 2019. Photo taken Thursday, February 28, 2019, by Ken James/California Department of Water Resources.
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UPDATED: 2:45 P.M.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As Clear Lake’s level continues to rise, a flood-related closure on Highway 20 has been reopened, however, several local roadways remain closed due to damage and continued flooding.

The California Highway Patrol and Caltrans reopened Highway 20 early Thursday morning, about 18 hours after it had been closed due to being covered by floodwaters.

There are several more inches of rain in the forecast for this week, but on Thursday there was a break in the weather and much-needed sunshine to begin drying up the saturated ground.

Clear Lake’s level nonetheless continued to rise on Thursday. By 1:30 p.m., the lake was reported to be at 9.72 feet Rumsey; flood stage is at 9 feet Rumsey.

The following is a list of special road conditions, closures and advisories from the Lake County Public Works Department, the CHP, Caltrans, and the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, which is being updated on a rolling basis throughout Thursday.

CLEARLAKE

13451 Lower Lakeshore Drive to 13544 Lower Lakeshore: Closed due to flooding.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE

Spruce Grove Road Extension: Closed near USS Liberty Lane (Quarry Road) due to road slipout.

KELSEYVILLE

Bell Hill Road: Closed from Main Street to Highway 29. Reopened at Adobe Creek low water crossing.

Clark Drive: Closed from Soda Bay Road to Gaddy Lane due to flooding.

Konocti Bay Road: Mudslide blocking one lane near Richmond Park.

LAKEPORT

Third, Fourth and Fifth streets: Closed due to flooding. Please do not go around any barricade on these streets near the lake.

Highland Springs Road: Mudslide at mile post marker 5.5, however, road still open.

Hill Road: Single-lane traffic from Lakeshore to Sutter Hospital. Traffic will not be able to drive from Sutter Hospital to Lakeshore Boulevard due to slide movement.

Lakeshore Boulevard: Closed southbound from Lange Street to Giselman Street due to flooding. Northbound remains open. A detour is provided at Lange Street; it is through the school zone, so drivers are asked to be extra cautious and watch for school children in this area.

Scotts Valley Road: Closed from Highway 20 to packing sheds due to flooding.

Soda Bay Road: Open from Stone Drive to Cal Packing Road.

LOWER LAKE

Anderson Road: Reopened.

Candy Lane: Closed to all traffic between Joseph Trail and May Hollow Road due to a culvert failure. This will be an extended closure as work to fix cannot commence until the water stops flowing.

MIDDLETOWN

Big Canyon Road: Closed to all traffic at mile post marker 7 due to a mudslide. The closure will run from Ettawa Springs road to Harbin Springs. Affected property owners will be allowed access to and from their property.

Dry Creek Cutoff: Closed at the low water crossing.

Rose Anderson Road: Closed to all traffic at Van Dorn Reservoir Road due to road slipout.

NICE

Lakeshore Drive: Closed from Stokes Avenue to Hammond Avenue due to flooding.

Stokes Avenue: Closed at Nice-Lucerne Cutoff due to flooding.

UPPER LAKE

Laurel Dell Road: Closed from Scotts Valley Road to Mid Lake Road due to flooding.

Mendenhall Road: Reopened from Highway 20 to Main Street.

Scotts Valley Road: Closed from Highway 20 to packing sheds due to flooding.

Witter Springs Road: Closed from Highway 20 to East Road due to flooding.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Woodside man died on Thursday evening when his pickup crashed and went into Clear Lake.

David James Killilea, 64, died in the wreck near Clearlake Oaks, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office issued a Friday report on the crash that explained that at approximately 5:28 p.m. Thursday Killilea was driving his 2006 Chevrolet pickup westbound on Highway 20, west of Island Drive, when the pickup veered onto the highway’s north shoulder and up an embankment.

The CHP said the pickup continued out of control and traveled back onto Highway 20, hitting a stone wall on the south side of the roadway.

The pickup broke through the stone wall and overturned into Clear Lake, according to the CHP.

The CHP said Killilea died at the scene.

Reports from the scene stated that passersby had attempted to help pull Killilea from the vehicle.

Killilea, who was wearing a seat belt, was trapped in the upside down vehicle. It took firefighters more than two hours to extricate him, based on radio reports.

The CHP said on Friday that it was unknown if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

The cause of this crash is under investigation, the CHP 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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A stolen weapon found in a vehicle driven by Ryan Marshall Swim, 39, of Clearlake, Calif., on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Clearlake Police Department.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested last week on numerous charges after police found him in possession of a stolen weapon.

Ryan Marshall Swim, 39, was arrested shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, according to Sgt. Elvis Cook of the Clearlake Police Department.

Cook said that Officer Chris Kelleher conducted a traffic stop in the 14900 block of Burns Valley Road.

During the vehicle stop, Officer Kelleher located a concealed loaded firearm in Swim's vehicle, Cook said.

Swim is a prohibited person and illegally possessed the firearm, which was also discovered to be a stolen firearm, according to Cook.

Cook said Swim was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, carrying a loaded firearm by a prohibited person, carrying a loaded stolen firearm, carrying a firearm and not being the registered owner, carrying a concealed firearm while in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of stolen property, violation of Post Release Community Supervision – which is a parole violation – and driving without a valid driver’s license.

Swim was later booked into the Lake County Jail, and remained in custody on Friday, on a no-bail hold.

Ryan Marshall Swim, 39, of Clearlake, Calif. Lake County Jail photo.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – In its shortest session so far, the preliminary hearing of a Clearlake man charged with setting the Clayton fire and more than a dozen other blazes looked at the cost of the Clayton fire and the damage estimates, and testing about items that could have caused the fires.

Wednesday was day five of the preliminary hearing for 43-year-old Damin Anthony Pashilk, facing 23 charges for setting the Clayton fire in August 2016 and 15 other fires between July of 2015 and August of 2016. He also is charged with the attempted start of a 17th that self-extinguished.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff called three witnesses to the stand on Wednesday. They gave a total of just over an hour of testimony.

Marnie Patchett, a Cal Fire cost recovery analyst, described how she does billing and cost recovery calculations on wildland fires. She was assigned to calculate the suppression costs of Clayton fire which she went over on the stand.

The report, which she completed in January 2018, includes overall totals for fire suppression as well as subreports on personnel and equipment, aircraft and operating expenses.

For ground resources alone, the fire cost $19,743,079.79. Air resources cost another $2,961,839.83, for a grand total in suppression costs of $22,704,919.73.

Defense attorney Mitch Hauptman asked if any costs were recovered on the incident. Patchett said no, they weren’t.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Donald Watt, who also is a law enforcement officer, said that during the summer of 2016 he was among the officers involved in surveillance of Pashilk.

On Aug. 9, 2016, the day the Canyon fire was set on Seigler Canyon Road, Watt photographed Pashilk and the vehicle he was known to drive at that time, a Chrysler Sebring parked on Dam Road in Clearlake, where Pashilk was watching the fire.

On Aug. 17, 2016, four days after the Clayton fire began and two days after Pashilk’s arrest, Watt assisted another officer with the inspection of the Sebring at Cal Fire’s Davis mobile facility.

He said the inspection was to verify that the Chrysler was functional and in running order, and didn’t have any issues that could cause a fire.

Watt testified that on Aug. 20, 2016, at the Middletown fire training facility he, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Michael Thompson and another officer conducted 10 tests with various paper materials to see if they could be used to ignite dry grass.

In testimony last week, Thompson testified to finding the burned remnants of a twisted paper napkin at the scene of the Canyon fire and collected it for evidence.

In the testing, Watt said they used heavy paper towels and lighter paper napkin, twisted either tightly or loosely, sometimes with a match head inside of them, and then dropped from vehicle height onto dry grass that was set on concrete.

He said the testing confirmed that a flaming napkin could start a fire if placed on vegetation or tossed from a vehicle window. Five of the tests used dry grass, and in three of those tests the napkin ignited the grass.

Fire Captain Nick Wallingford was the last witness of the day. He was assigned as the damage inspector leading the structure damage calculations work for the Clayton fire.

He said he and about five two-person teams completed a systematic search of the fire footprint as well as areas just outside of the perimeter. “We don't attempt to place monetary value on anything.”

Wallingford said field collection was completed on Aug. 19, 2016. At that point the fire was still active. The final report would be done after additional tabulations and map creation.

Explaining the process, Wallingford said each team member carried with them a GPS device which draws a line in the areas where they conduct the inspections, helping him to track the progress.

He said they categorize three main categories of buildings: commercial, outbuilding/accessory and residential. Within each of those are subcategories, such as single family and multifamily homes, and mobile homes in the residential category. To be counted, the structures must be at least 120 square feet and permanent, not mobile.

Wallingford said 320 structures were identified as damaged or destroyed; anything with damage totaling more than 75 percent is considered destroyed. He said 188 residences were destroyed and 14 others were damaged.

He said the report included a damage inspection detail for each structure, but had nothing to do with the Clayton fire’s origin and cause.

Testimony will continue on Wednesday. Hinchcliff said he expects testimony and closing arguments to continue through next Friday.

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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