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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport this week reported on two community improvement projects it conducted in April.

The city and its contracted waste hauler and service provider, Lakeport Disposal Inc., partnered to present the Spring 2021 Community Cleanup Day on April 24.

“We are grateful to Lakeport Disposal Inc., and their staff for coordinating a safe and well-organized event that collected many tons of trash and unusable materials,” City Manager Kevin Ingram said.

Ingram said Lakeport Disposal reported this was likely the most popular Community Cleanup Day since the event began in the spring of 2017.

Collected this year was a total of 21,000 pounds of household trash and junk, 478 pounds of appliances and 286 pounds of electronics, Ingram said.

“The Lakeport Community Cleanup Day is a semiannual event intended to help keep our community clean and beautiful,” said Ingram.

Ingram also reported on the Lakeport Police Department’s participation in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which also was held on April 24.

Ingram said the event brought in 72 pounds of pills delivered to the police station by 49 people in the drive-thru event.

Over-the-counter or prescription medication in pill, tablet or capsule form were accepted along with vape pens and other e-cigarette devices from which the batteries were removed, he said.

Ingram said volunteers from SafeRX Lake County assisted at the event and distributed Narcan kits.

Community members from Lakeport and throughout Lake County took advantage of the event, conducted in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Ingram reported.

Since the Lakeport Police Department began participating with this program in January 2019, Ingram said more than 700 pounds of prescription drugs have been collected and kept out of the environment.
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From left, Brandon Gene Maxfield and Avril Wright were arrested on Saturday, May 1, 2021, following a vehicle stop in Redwood Valley, California. Mendocino County Jail photos.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office arrested two Lake County residents last week following a vehicle stop, with one found in possession of a stolen handgun and the other found with drugs.

Brandon Gene Maxfield, 28, and Avril Wright, 18, both of Nice, were taken into custody on Saturday, May 1, according to a report from Sgt. Jay Vanoven.

Shortly after 10 p.m. May 1, a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Highway 20 and Marina Drive in Redwood Valley, Vanoven said.

Vanoven said the deputy contacted the driver, identified as Maxfield, and a female passenger, identified as Wright.

The deputy learned that Maxfield was on probation out of Mendocino County and was subject to search, Vanoven said.

Before the pair submitted to the search, Vanoven said the deputy was told a firearm and Percocet pills were located inside the vehicle.

Believing she had an outstanding warrant for her arrest, Wright identified herself as someone else in an attempt to elude arrest. Vanoven said Wright's identification card was found during the search, revealing her true identity.

Vanoven said the deputy recovered a loaded Glock 10 millimeter caliber pistol from the glove box of the vehicle.

A records check on the firearm was conducted and Vanoven said the firearm was listed as stolen out of the Bay Area.

The deputy also recovered several Percocet pills from within the passenger area of the vehicle, Vanoven said.

Based on the totality of the investigation, Maxfield and Wright were arrested and transported to the Mendocino County Jail.

At the jail, Wright was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine and unknown pills, and a methamphetamine smoking pipe, all of which she had concealed on her person, Vanoven said.

Vanoven said Maxfield was booked for possession of a controlled substance with an armed firearm, carrying a loaded firearm not registered as the owner, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, possession of stolen property and violation of probation, with bail set at $25,000.

Wright was booked for false impersonation of another, bringing a controlled substance into a county jail, possession of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, with bail set at $15,000, Vanoven said.
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A NOAA employee in Asheville, North Carolina resets the index on a pair of minimum/maximum thermometers in a NOAA weather station. The index in the fluid marks the high and low of the day. Photo credit: NOAA/Bryant Korzeniewski.

Every 10 years, NOAA releases an analysis of U.S. weather of the past three decades that calculates average values for temperature, rainfall and other conditions.

That time has come again.

Known as the U.S. Climate Normals, these 30-year averages — now spanning 1991-2020 — represent the new “normals” of our changing climate.

They are calculated using climate observations collected at local weather stations across the country and are corrected for bad or missing values and any changes to the weather station over time before becoming part of the climate record.

Simply stated: The Normals are the basis for judging how daily, monthly and annual climate conditions compare to what’s normal for a specific location in today’s climate.

For the past decade, the Normals have been based on weather observations from 1981 to 2010. In early May, climate experts at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, or NCEI, issued an updated collection based on the weather occurring from 1991 to 2020.

The data set reflects a “new normal” that takes the most recent 30 years of climate change-influenced weather and climate conditions into account.

A warmer normal

The U.S. Climate Normals collection has 10 versions: 1901-1930, 1911-1940 and so on through 1991-2020.

In the image below, we’ve compared the U.S. annual average temperature during each Normals period to the 20th-century average (1901-2000).

The influence of long-term global warming is obvious: The earliest map in the series has the most widespread and darkest blues, indicating colder temperatures, and the most recent map has the most widespread and darkest reds, denoting warmer temperatures.

Annual U.S. temperature compared to the 20th-century average for each U.S. Climate Normals period from 1901-1930 (upper left) to 1991-2020 (lower right). Places where the normal annual temperature was 1.25 degrees or more colder than the 20th-century average are darkest blue; places where normal annual temperature was 1.25 degrees or more warmer than the 20th-century average are darkest red. Maps by NOAA Climate.gov, based on analysis by Jared Rennie, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies/NCEI. Photo credit: NOAA Climate.gov.

A wetter normal?

In the collection of precipitation maps, few places exhibit a precipitation trend that is either steadily wetter or steadily drier than the 20th-century average. Instead, drier areas and wetter areas shift back and forth without an obvious pattern.

And yet, it’s probably not a coincidence that the last four maps in the series — the 1961-1990, 1971-2000, 1981-2010 and 1991-2020 Normals — are nationally the four wettest-looking maps in the collection.

At least some of that wetness relative to the 20th-century average is linked to the overall climate warming and “wetting” of the atmosphere that’s occurred as rising temperatures cause more water to evaporate from the ocean and land surface.

Normal annual U.S. precipitation as a percent of the 20th-century average for each U.S. Climate Normals period from 1901-1930 (upper left) to 1991-2020 (lower right). Places where the normal annual precipitation was 12.5 percent or more below the 20th-century average are darkest brown; places where normal annual precipitation was 12.5 percent or more wetter than the 20th-century average are darkest green. Maps by NOAA Climate.gov, based on analysis by Jared Rennie, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies/NCEI. Photo credit: NOAA Climate.gov.

What used to be normal

The 1991-2020 Normals tell us what is normal in today’s climate. NOAA scientists conduct other analyses that tell us about what used to be normal.

For example, In NOAA’s monthly and annual climate monitoring reports, temperature averages and precipitation totals are ranked in the climate record dating to 1895; U.S. and global climate conditions are compared to the 20th-century average.

Visualizing climate is easier now than ever

NCEI has a collection of maps showing both recent and long-term trends in temperature and precipitation. You can also create a custom graph showing monthly, seasonal or yearly climate conditions for any region, state and many cities that shows the long-term trend.

The Normals might be shifting, but NOAA scientists and forecasters aren’t losing track of climate change.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a group of dogs ranging in age and breeds needing new homes.

The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.

“Toby.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Toby’

“Toby” is a friendly senior male boxer mix.

He has a short tan and white coat.

Toby is house trained and neutered.

He is dog No. 4389.

“Sassy.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Sassy’

“Sassy” is a female Labrador Retriever and pit bull mix with a short black with white markings.

She is house-trained.

She is dog No. 4602.

“Inky.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Inky’

“Inky” is a male corgi and collie mix with a long black coat.

He has been neutered and is house-trained.

He is dog No. 4324.

“Hector.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Hector’

“Hector” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short brindle coat.

He is dog No. 4697.

“Dusty.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Dusty’

“Dusty” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier with a tan and white coat.

He is dog No. 4750.

“Dorito.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Dorito’

“Dorito” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short white and gray coat.

He has been neutered and is house trained.

He is dog No. 4576.

“Chiquita.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Chiquita’

“Chiquita” is a female shepherd and Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short brindle and white coat.

Chiquita is house-trained.

“Bear.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bear’

“Bear” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier and Labrador Retriever mix with a short brown coat.

He is dog No. 3476.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

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 warming weather and increasing number of vehicles traveling on California’s roadways offer a timely reminder of the importance of motorcycle safety awareness for motorcyclists and motorists alike.

By recognizing May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, the California Highway Patrol emphasizes safe riding and driving practices for everyone.

“Motorcyclists who are responsible, informed and properly equipped can help reduce rider deaths and injuries,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Motorists are also key to reducing crashes by being aware of the dangers and challenges of motorcycle riding. Taking the time to look twice for motorcyclists can save a life.”

“Motorcycle riders are more vulnerable out in the elements, which is why it is important for drivers to always be mindful of riders,” California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said.

With more than 1.4 million licensed riders, motorcycles are a popular mode of transportation for Californians, another reason motorcycle safety awareness is paramount.

Preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System show more than 500 people were killed in motorcycle-involved crashes in California in 2020 and more than 11,500 people were injured.

As part of its continual motorcycle safety program, the CHP strongly encourages all riders, new and experienced, to enroll in the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, or CMSP.

The CMSP has 98 training sites throughout the state and trains approximately 55,000 motorcyclists each year. For more information or to find a training site near you, visit californiamotorcyclist.com or motorcyclesafetyca.com.

Motorcyclists can help protect themselves by always wearing the proper safety gear, including a U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmet, observing the speed limit, riding defensively, and always riding sober.

Drivers should always look at their mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes and always keep a safe distance.

The CHP promotes motorcycle safety with the Get Educated and Ride Safe, or GEARS, program, funded by a $750,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

All eight CHP field divisions will hold outreach events to promote motorcycle safety throughout 2021 under the GEARS grant.
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On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a series of initiatives building on the state’s work to vaccinate California’s hard-to-reach communities against COVID-19, address vaccine hesitancy and drive innovative efforts in the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

New efforts focus on direct appointment assistance; community outreach including neighborhood canvassing, phone banking and text banking; at-home vaccinations and transportation services; and an additional $33 million in funding, bringing the total to $85.7 million, to support community-based organizations.

“We’re at a pivotal moment in our COVID-19 vaccine rollout – more than 30 million doses have been administered in California to date, and it’s going to take some new approaches to reach those who haven’t been vaccinated yet,” said Governor Newsom. “These enhanced initiatives build on the community-based approach the state has taken throughout this crisis, in order to ensure vaccines are easily within reach of more people.”

In addition, building on the bipartisan work done during the “Wear A Mask” campaign, California Governors Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson have come together to encourage all Californians to get vaccinated. The PSA was created and produced by ATTN and can be viewed above.

About 60 percent of eligible Californians have received at least one dose and as of April 15, anyone age 16 and up is eligible to receive the vaccine. As the number of unvaccinated Californians narrows, the state’s robust vaccine performance management system has helped determine where to focus efforts.

To bolster vaccine access in hard-to-reach communities, the state is moving away from mass vaccination sites and toward more targeted outreach with small clinics in communities with the highest disease burden. Officials said this move will make it easier for people to access vaccines.

Mobile sites will continue to operate in partnership with places of worship throughout the state, as well as in coordination with businesses, school districts and local health departments where vaccination efforts are already underway.

These new initiatives build on the state’s Vaccine Equity Metric, or VEM, that started in early March to send double the amount of doses to those communities facing the highest disease burden, defined as those ZIP codes in the lowest quartile in the Healthy Places Index, or HPI.

Since the VEM went into effect, California has dedicated 40 percent of the state’s supply of doses to the lowest HPI quartile to improve equity in vaccinations.

An estimated 53 percent of individuals in the lowest quartile still need COVID-19 vaccinations, while just 28 percent of individuals in the highest quartile remain unvaccinated. Since January, California has accelerated its pace of vaccination and now exceeds the national average.

"One of the most important responsibilities of government is to make sure that the most vulnerable receive equal protection, especially during a crisis,” said California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. “These enhanced efforts aim to meet people where they are while building upon California’s ongoing commitments to ensure that equity is guiding our overall strategy."

The governor announced seven new and enhanced equity strategies in the state’s vaccine rollout, including the following.

More transparency on vaccination progress

The state’s www.covid19.ca.gov website now displays data on California’s progress in vaccinating groups and communities with the most urgent need.

Dashboards include statewide and county progress by the VEM, race and ethnicity or age.

A map displays ZIP-code-level data on vaccination progress within each VEM quartile. These dashboards will be updated weekly, on Wednesdays.

“Get Out the Vaccine” phone bank and door-knocking campaign

Modeled after successful ground-level campaigns, a new state “Get Out the Vaccine” effort coordinates with 70 community-based organizations to employ callers and door-knockers to help Californians make a plan to get vaccinated.

The program is in partnership with Healthy Future California and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s STOP COVID CA initiative.

About 2,000 individuals from targeted communities will be employed to make peer-to-peer appeals and provide support to help overcome barriers to vaccinations. The program, now underway, has already resulted in more than 4,900 appointments scheduled.

Partnering with philanthropic organizations to enhance support for community organizations

Trusted messengers play a vital role in supporting the state’s equitable administration of vaccines. California is expanding its public-private partnerships to support community-based organizations, or CBOs, bringing the total amount of funding to $85.7 million and aiding a total of 480 organizations to date.

The state is expanding its partnership with the Public Health Institute Together Toward Health initiative, created and funded through 18 major philanthropic organizations led by the California Endowment to stop the spread of COVID-19 and strengthen health and resilience in the state’s most impacted communities.

This fund now totals $33.4 million and supports more than 323 organizations. Additional CBOs will be awarded grants on a rolling basis in the months to come.

The state is also partnering with Sierra Health Foundation on a new $29 million “Vaccine Equity Campaign” fund that will invest in CBOs and faith-based organizations across the state.

This new funding builds on $23.3 million awarded by the California Department of Social Services and Labor & Workforce Development Agency to support 157 organizations on multilingual outreach and public health education in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

A subset of these organizations have helped facilitate approximately 111,000 vaccine appointments and 236,000 referrals to appointment platforms or providers. FAQs on the statewide network of community-based organizations can be found here.

Grants to support vaccination equity

Building off the previously announced awards for Los Angeles County and Bay Area counties, the state is now making available an additional $34.2 million in funding for underserved and high-risk communities throughout California’s other counties.

This funding will be directed by local health jurisdictions to support back-end operations and expand vaccine distribution to enhance targeted outreach in communities and ZIP codes most impacted by COVID-19.

Counties with a population over one million will receive $1.5 million for every one million people; those with populations between 500,000 and one million will be eligible for $650,000 in grant funding; and counties with populations under 500,000 will be eligible for $350,000 in funding to expand vaccination programs and achieve equity goals.

In total, $56.8 million is now being provided to, or at the direction of, local health jurisdictions throughout all of California to support the state’s equity goals.

Localized plans for promoting equity in vaccination

Along with statewide strategies, leaders of each of California’s 61 local health jurisdictions working in partnership with the state’s third-party administrator, Blue Shield of California, created and submitted plans to the state to promote vaccination equity in their communities.

This includes a wide range of approaches, from small mobile vaccine clinics located in remote areas; to engaging micro-influencers to impact specific groups or populations; to partnering with schools and faith-based partners for outreach, education and selection of trusted clinic sites.

At-home vaccination program

Homebound residents can currently contact their health care providers for in-home vaccinations.

These services are expanding statewide and individuals unable to leave their home to get vaccinated may also indicate as such via www.myturn.ca.gov or contact the state’s CA COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255 to be connected with their local health jurisdiction to arrange for in-home vaccination services.

Free transportation to vaccine appointments

Individuals who do not have a means of transportation can receive free transportation through www.myturn.ca.gov or by contacting the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255.

Transportation includes automobile transportation for ambulatory patients and non-emergency medical transportation for non-ambulatory patients including wheelchair vans, gurney transportation and other options.

Medi-Cal managed care and fee-for-service beneficiaries will be connected with their health plan or service provider to access this service as an existing health benefit.

Californians needing a vaccination can schedule an appointment at www.MyTurn.ca.gov or by calling the CA COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for assistance.


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UPPER LAKE, Calif. — On Wednesday afternoon, a group of young Pomo dancers performed in the bright early afternoon sunlight in Upper Lake’s downtown as singers chanted and burned sage.

As the young men performed in their beaded and feathered regalia, the young women, some of them crowned with headdresses of tall feathers, spun in circles, their long colorful skirts twirling around their ankles.

They danced barefooted with pieces of carpet put down to protect them from the hot pavement between the Habematolel tribal offices and tribal hall.

Over their heads, gazing past them and up into the sky, toward the mountains, was the portrait of Vanessa Niko, a young woman of Pomo and Samoan descent who, for many, is the face of the nationwide crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women — known as MMIW — in Lake County.

Niko, 35, a mother of six and member of the Habematolel Pomo tribe, was killed on June 30, 2017. The father of three of her children, Willy Tujays Timmons, has been charged with murder in the case.

A mural of Niko was completed by muralist Shane Grammer and a group of a dozen young artists over the course of six days on the side of the Habematolel tribal hall, with the work completed earlier this week.

The project was a partnership with the tribe, the artists and Grammer’s Hope Through Art Foundation, which is dedicated to broadening public awareness and education of social issues such as missing and murdered Indigenous women through art.

The foundation on Wednesday honored Niko’s cousin Ida Morrison as the “heartbeat” of the project for her support and advocacy.

The mural dedication took place on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.

The ceremonial dancers and many community and tribal members from Lake County, the North Coast and beyond came to celebrate Niko’s life, cut short by what Morrison said is a “generational curse” for native people — domestic violence.

Kumu Hula Mikilani Young, a representative of United Pillars of Aloha, sang and offered chants of honor and healing for Niko and her family as a tribute to her Samoan heritage.

Also on hand were Sheriff Brian Martin and Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.

The mural is based on a real-life portrait of Niko, looking back at the camera over her right shoulder, her long black hair flowing loose down her back. The outlines of six daffodils flow throughout the mural, symbolizing her six children — three boys and three girls — who used to pick the flowers with their mother on walks through the rancheria.

There also are handprints in red paint featured throughout the mural, which is the symbol associated with the effort to bring awareness to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Friends and family remember Niko as hardworking, diligent, devoted to her children and her family. She also worked hard to help the Habematolel tribe build its Running Creek Casino, where she later worked as a supervisor.

Morrison said Niko just wanted to be the best mother she could be, and she put her children first.

Niko was a great spirit and a beautiful soul. “We all have a path,” said Morrison, and her cousin’s path suddenly ended in the summer of 2017.

Morrison said Niko and Timmons had a difficult relationship that required them to often stay away from each other for periods of time. But Morrison said that on that summer day nearly four years ago, Timmons came and picked Niko up. With the knowledge that comes from hindsight, Morrison said her cousin couldn’t have realized it would be her last day of life.

Later that day, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a physical altercation at a home on Bridge Arbor Road in Upper Lake. There, the deputy found Timmons assaulting Niko, hitting her in the head with a rock. She died at the scene a short time later.

Timmons has remained in the Lake County Jail since his arrest. He was indicted on a charge of killing Niko by a criminal grand jury in December 2017. At one point he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The District Attorney’s Office told Lake County News that Timmons is set for trial on Aug. 11.

Niko’s mother is raising her youngest children. The youngest of the children was just 11 months old when Niko died, Morrison said.

“This needs to stop,” said Morrison.

Dancers perform at the mural dedication honoring Vanessa Niko in Upper Lake, California, on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.

A nationwide crisis

The tragedy that took Niko’s life — and which speakers on Wednesday said has had broad impacts on tribal members and the greater community — is just one story in what many individuals and organizations are calling a nationwide crisis.

One speaker at Wednesday’s event in Upper Lake said that a lot of Indian women “grew up pretty rough.”

Morrison said Indigenous people don’t want to report domestic violence because the perpetrators are sometimes family members or someone they know personally.

She said native women are supposed to be strong, and so they think reporting abuse makes them weak.

There is another such tragedy in neighboring Mendocino County, where authorities and family members continue to seek answers in the February 2018 disappearance of Khadijah Britton of Covelo.

Britton, 23 at the time of her disappearance, is believed to have been abducted by gunpoint by her boyfriend, Negie Fallis.

He arrived at a Covelo residence, demanded she come outside, then had a physical altercation with her before witnesses said the two of them got into a black Mercedes sedan and left. She has not been seen since.

In a February online event, Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall said his agency is continuing to try to find out what happened to Britton.

The Urban Indian Health Institute, a division of the Seattle Indian Health Board, issued a report in which it explained that while awareness of the crisis is growing, data on the violence has remained scarce.

In a 2018 report, the group discussed statistics from 2016. In that year, the National Crime Information Center reported there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. However, the US Department of Justice’s federal missing persons database, NamUs, only logged 116 cases.

The Urban Indian Health Institute also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that murder is the third-leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women “and that rates of violence on reservations can be up to 10 times higher than the national average.”

However, the institute’s report also noted that no research has been done on rates of such violence among American Indian and Alaska Native women living in urban areas “despite the fact that approximately 71% of American Indian and Alaska Natives live in urban areas.”

In April, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland — the first Native American woman to hold a cabinet position — announced the formation of a new Missing & Murdered Unit, or MMU, within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services to provide leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The new unit is meant to put “the full weight of the federal government into investigating these cases and marshal law enforcement resources across federal agencies and throughout Indian country,” the Department of Interior said.

Haaland said the new unit will be an “all hands-on deck” approach. “The new MMU unit will provide the resources and leadership to prioritize these cases and coordinate resources to hold people accountable, keep our communities safe, and provide closure for families.”

This week, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation naming Wednesday, May 5, as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, and said helping solve the issues surrounding Native Americans who go missing and are murdered is a priority for his administration.

“My Administration is fully committed to working with Tribal Nations to address the disproportionately high number of missing or murdered Indigenous people, as well as increasing coordination to investigate and resolve these cases and ensure accountability,” Biden said in a Tuesday statement. “I am further committed to addressing the underlying causes behind those numbers, including — among others — sexual violence, human trafficking, domestic violence, violent crime, systemic racism, economic disparities, and substance use and addiction.”

The president said the federal partnerships to address the number of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples will be governed by “the Nation-to-Nation foundation of our relationship with Tribal governments and respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”

On Thursday, state Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) will present House Resolution 40, marking May 2021 as California’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Month.

He will also lead fellow Assembly members in Native American song and prayer before the start of Thursday’s floor session commemorating Native women who have been victims of violence.

The event will be live-streamed here at 9 a.m.

“The numbers of Murdered Missing Indigenous Women and Girls tell us that Native women face a pandemic of violence,” Ramos said. “The crimes against them go unresolved for a number of reasons, from confusion over law enforcement jurisdiction to misclassification of ethnic identity to lack of data and law enforcement collaboration. The bottom line is that victims and their families do not get justice.”

Ramos, the first California Native American elected to the Legislature in its 170-year history, successfully introduced AB 3099 last year.

The bill authorized funding for the state Department of Justice to assist local and tribal law enforcement, improve collaboration among tribes and sponsor a study to increase protective and investigative resources for reporting and identifying missing Native Americans in California, particularly women and girls.

The mural portraying Vanessa Niko in Upper Lake, California, on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.

Ending the silence

The mural project, with its very public aspects and the community support it received, is part of a shift toward ending the silence that has enabled violence against Indigenous men, women and children to continue.

Grammer has used his art to take on difficult topics before, beginning 12 years ago when a missionary friend working in Cambodia told him about child trafficking. “That project branded my soul.”

Then, three years ago another friend told him about the “lost flowers,” referring to missing and murdered Indigenous people.

“I’m just an artist who said I need to step up and do something,” he said.

Grammer, founder of the Hope Through Art Foundation, is a Chico native who has focused on trying to bring beauty out of tragedy. Some of his work in that vein has included creating murals in the midst of the devastation of the Paradise Camp fire.

In March, he worked on a mural project in Chico in collaboration with Mechoopda and Pomo tribal members to raise awareness of the MMIW issue.

Morrison’s niece was used as a model for the woman portrayed in the Chico mural. During a conversation Morrison had with Grammer, he told her he wanted to paint Niko. He subsequently put together a proposal for the project, and Niko’s mother gave her approval.

“Things fell into place,” said Morrison, who had been praying for something to bring attention to this case and the larger issues of violence and cultural taboo surrounding it.

The Habematolel tribe, with about 280 enrolled members, had stepped up to help raise funds for Niko’s children after her murder.

Tribal Chair Sherry Treppa said they had contributed to Grammer’s Chico mural project and then were approached to support the Niko project, which they did. That support included permission to place the mural on the tribal hall wall.

“It’s important to us,” said Treppa, adding, “Maybe some good gets passed on the community.”

Treppa, like Morrison, notes the silence that has enabled such violence to continue for too long in tribal communities.

“People don’t talk about it,” said Treppa. “Tribal people talk about it even less.”

Grammer said community members have been incredibly generous, donating everything from the lift needed to paint the wall to food for the mural painters.

Community members also were asked to be part of the artistic and advocate process by adding their handprints in red to the mural.

When it comes to Grammer’s goal of bringing beauty from tragedy, Morrison, looking up at her cousin’s portrait, said, “He’s done it.”

Morrison said she feels like she didn’t speak out enough against Timmons, and now she wants to save others. “If I couldn’t do it for her, I’m going to do it for every woman.”

She said if there is even one person who is saved by awareness of the MMIW crisis, she will feel accomplished.

“It’s an epidemic that needs attention,” she said.

Besides her work to advocate for public awareness, Morrison is doing her part to teach the lessons to her children.

With her on Wednesday was her little son, Raymond.

Asked what we need to do, Raymond — who was eating lunch, stopped to say, “Protect the women.”

“Why?” his mother asked.

“Because they’re sacred,” he said.

To learn more about missing and murdered Indigenous people, visit Native Womens Wilderness, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.

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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Christopher McDonald, 44, of Potter Valley, California, has been arrested on suspicion of murder for the death of John Turner Dickerson, 48, of Nice, California, in 2020. Mendocino County Jail photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that its detectives have arrested a Potter Valley man who they believe is responsible for the 2020 murder of a Lake County resident whose remains were found in the Mendocino National Forest.

Christopher Jon McDonald, 44, of Potter Valley has been arrested in connection to the killing of 48-year-old John Turner Dickerson, 48, of Nice, said Lt. Corey Paulich.

Paulich said Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an area in the Mendocino National Forest on Aug. 9 on a report of possible human remains being discovered.

Detectives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit also responded to the location and determined the remains were human, badly decomposed and were believed to have been in the forest for several weeks, Paulich said.

The remains were recovered and an autopsy was conducted later that week. Paulich said the autopsy revealed that the remains belonged to a male and the death was a homicide due to a gunshot wound.

Paulich said the detectives also were able to positively identify the victim as Dickerson, who reportedly came to Lake County from the East Coast.

On Aug. 19, 2020, detectives served a search warrant at a property in Potter Valley associated with McDonald, Paulich said.

Through the investigation, Paulich said detectives determined McDonald was one of the last people seen with Dickerson before his death.

During the search of McDonald’s property, evidence was located and later tested that linked McDonald to the murder of Dickerson, Paulich reported.

In the months since, detectives have continued investigating several leads related to Dickerson’s death, Paulich said.

Paulich said that work led on Tuesday to detectives obtaining an arrest warrant for McDonald.

He was arrested for a charge of murder and is currently being held in the Mendocino County Jail where he is in custody for unrelated charges. Paulich said McDonald is awaiting extradition to Lake County.

So far, authorities have not said what they believe McDonald’s motive was in the killing.

Paulich said the sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have more information regarding this case to contact Detective Jeff Mora at 707-262-4224 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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On Tuesday, Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Leadership of the Task Force wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to prevent the publication of the online files that allow people to 3-D print firearms at home.

They urged him to maintain the controls that have previously prevented a release of these files, citing the urgent need to prevent further printing of these untraceable firearms.

A copy of the letter is below.

President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden:

As members of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, we write to urge you to take swift action to prevent the online publication of dangerous files that enable at-home 3D printing of firearms. This issue has become very time sensitive following the April 27 decision by two members of a Ninth Circuit panel which lifted a district court injunction on the finalization of dangerous Trump-era regulations. If that decision is allowed to take effect as written, which could happen within a few weeks of this writing, strong State Department protections against the publication of those files will be lifted, and we could immediately see widespread at-home production of firearms. We urge you to act swiftly to retain the strong State Department controls to avert this potential public safety disaster.

The publication of those 3D-printing files qualifies as exports of “technical data” associated with small arms and are currently on the U.S. Munitions List (“USML”) and subject to strong State Department regulations. The Trump State Department recklessly sought to remove most small arms exports from the USML and finalized regulations in January 2020 to transfer responsibility over those exports to the Commerce Department, which does not have the experience or regulations in place to supervise the export or prevent publication of 3D-printing files.

Attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, DC have been in court working to prevent the finalization of those rules as they apply to 3D-printing files, and a district court injunction has been in place since March of last year. Absent further litigation, the new Ninth Circuit decision will lift that injunction within a matter of weeks and technical data will be removed from the USML and supervision of the State Department, allowing the files to be immediately published, downloaded, and used to produce illegal guns.

The best and most effective action would be to reverse the Trump State Department’s regulations and keep the technical data on the USML. The State Department should issue a new interim final rule that retains this technical data. All small arms exports belong under the State Department’s jurisdiction and should be subject to the Congressional oversight required under the USML, which can properly supervise controls protecting human rights and national security. If your Administration chooses not to reverse those State Department regulations, we urge you to strengthen the Commerce Department regulation’s with a new interim final rule that prevents the spread of the dangerous technical data for 3D printed firearms.

The urgency of this issue can hardly be overstated. Unlike many regulatory changes, the effect of allowing this publication cannot be reversed. Once these files are widely available online, they can be downloaded by millions of users. We applaud your April 8, 2021 executive actions on ghost guns, and urge you to also move quickly to prevent the release of 3D-printed firearm information that could be used by criminals to make untraceable firearms. Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — California is entering its second consecutive dry year and braces for what could be another devastating wildfire season.

While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, the fire season in California and across the West is starting earlier and ending later each year.

Cal Fire said climate change is considered a key driver of this trend. Warmer spring and summer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier spring snowmelt create longer and more intense dry seasons that increase moisture stress on vegetation and make forests more susceptible to severe wildfire.

The increasing fire danger posed by dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting Cal Fire to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas of Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties.

This suspension takes effect Monday, May 10, and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves.

“Last year, California experienced its most destructive fire season in the state's known history. Together, we must continue to adapt and evolve to be able to withstand the intensity of these fires, keeping in mind, that the only way to minimize the damage they cause is through education, prevention and mitigation efforts,” said Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire director. “We are relying on the public to be ready.”

Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Napa Unit Chief Shana Jones reminds residents, whether working to
create defensible space around your home or just mowing the lawn, if you live in a wildland area you need to use all equipment responsibly.

Lawnmowers, weed-eaters, chain saws, grinders, welders, tractors and trimmers can all spark a wildland fire. Do your part, the right way, to keep your community fire safe.

Since January 1, 2021, Cal Fire and firefighters across the state have already responded to over 1,788 wildfires.

While outdoor burning of landscape debris by homeowners is no longer allowed, Cal Fire is asking residents to take that extra time to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires by maintaining a minimum of 100 feet of defensible space around every home and buildings on their property and being prepared to evacuate if the time comes.

The department may issue restricted temporary burning permits if there is an essential reason due to public health and safety.

Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning may proceed if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit.

The suspension of burn permits for residential landscape debris does not apply to campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property.

Campfires may be permitted if the campfire is maintained in such a manner as to prevent its spread to the wildland. A campfire permit can be obtained at local fire stations or online at www.PreventWildfireCA.org.

For additional information on how you can prepare and prevent wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a step toward hiring a new Community Development director by reestablishing the job in a separate budget category.

The board voted unanimously to approve a resolution to establish position allocations for the planning budget unit, which once again will include the Community Development director classification.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said that in February 2020 the board combined the Community Development Department with the departments of Public Works and Water Resources.

The board in February of last year appointed Scott De Leon director of Community Development. At that point, Public Works and Water Resources already were under his direction; those two departments had been reconsolidated in August 2019.

As a result, in the next fiscal year budget cycle, the Community Development director budget classification was eliminated from the planning budget unit, Huchingson said.

Huchingson noted the proposed change would mean that the county would return to the longtime model of having a director focused 100-percent of the time on Community Development, which is vital to the economy and deals with a high volume of complex work.

“Community Development is very vital to our economic well-being,” said Board Chair Bruno Sabatier, adding it’s one of the most difficult departments to manage.

He said he believed that the action will help ensure that the department has the greatest level of support.

Sabatier said he appreciated the work that De Leon has done and that he hoped the board was correct that the change will create the better solution they’re looking for.

There were no comments by other board members during the discussion and only one member of the public, Bart Levenson of Kelseyville, spoke.

Levenson queried the board on how many planners the county needs to handle the planning department’s large workload.

Sabatier said it was a good question but there isn’t an easy answer to it.

Levenson followed up by asking if the county would consider pausing large development projects until a new director is in place and they can determine how many staff they need.

Sabatier replied that he wanted as seamless a transition as possible in order to have the least impact on applicants and that he didn’t support pausing projects.

Supervisor Moke Simon moved to approve the resolution, which passed with a board vote of 5-0.

This is the latest in changes to the department’s staffing.

Last month, in the run-up to the board’s action, it was reported that Toccarra Thomas, De Leon’s deputy Community Development director, had submitted her resignation letter, effective May 19. She joined the department in April 2020.

Also in April, the board held two closed session evaluations of De Leon in his role as director of Public Works, Water Resources and Community Development.

Sabatier told Lake County News earlier this week that the county intended to begin recruiting immediately for a new Community Development director.

The resolution to reallocate the Community Development director job as a separate position did not include a pay rate.

So far, the job has not been posted on the county’s Human Resources Department webpage, but a job description posted on the county website lists the annual pay range as $102,668.80 to $124,779.20.

When De Leon was Public Works director, he said his annual salary was $120,600. He received a 25-percent increase, bringing him to more than $150,000 annually when he was assigned Water Resources permanently in 2019.

When the board passed pay raises for county employees last year, the Public Works director job classification received a nearly 43-percent increase, the largest of any employee, due to the combined responsibility of De Leon leading three county departments.

At the time of the pay raises, the county would not give specifics about how much De Leon was being paid, but gave a pay range for the combined Water Resources, Public Works and Community Development director job as $127,449.60 annually for the first step to a fifth-step salary of $154,924.80.

Officials did not indicate on Tuesday if the board will have to take additional action to update its resolution from last fall establishing salaries and benefits for management employees in order to restructure De Leon’s position and pay once Community Development is handed off.

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 cities of Clearlake and Lakeport are gearing up for a summer in which officials are planning for more of Lake County’s traditional events while also adhering to health and safety standards developed over the past year.

Leaders from both cities said planning is now underway.

There are still some unknowns about what many events in the coming summer and fall months may look like.

That’s because rules could change more once California fully reopens — which is still on track to take place on June 15 — at which time the state’s COVID-19 Blueprint for a Safer Economy is expected to end.

In the city of Clearlake, city leaders said they’re now putting together plans for the Independence Day celebration.

Last year, Clearlake conducted a drive-in July 4 celebration last year, but without the parade and the festival.

This year, however, the city’s festivities, which will be held on Saturday, July 3, will once again include the parade, a classic car show at Austin Park and a Carnival, along with the evening fireworks.

They’re also planning a Saturday evening concert at the new Austin Park bandshell, ahead of the fireworks display. The bands to perform are still being determined, said Deputy City Clerk Tina Viramontes.

On the other side of the lake, the city of Lakeport is preparing for the summer events that the pandemic caused to be canceled in 2020.

The Lakeport City Council last month directed staff to process summer event applications in collaboration with Lake County Public Health.

City Manager Kevin Ingram said that means that summer events canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic may be back on the calendar for 2021.

However, he said some of the events may look a little different with COVID-19 prevention measures in place, including masking, social distancing and using available hand-washing stations.

In addition to giving staff the go-ahead to process events, the Lakeport City Council at its April 20 meeting approved the Lake County Farmers’ Finest downtown farmers markets on Tuesdays, which start this week in Library Park, and the city’s July 4 celebration, which was canceled in 2020.

Ingram said that staff believes that many of the summer events that Lakeport has been known for can still be held if additional changes are adhered to and that they’re confident they can appropriately review event applications.

At the same time, Ingram said the state’s guidance doesn’t always address the kinds of events the city has, specifically, large events that are unticketed and held in open spaces.

Ingram said when it comes down to enforcing safety measures, the city will be heavily dependent on event organizers and people doing the right thing.

“It’s really nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel and think about some of these events happening for us,” said Councilwoman Stacey Mattina.

Lakeport’s July 4 celebration will return with the big fireworks display, which didn’t take place last year. Pyro Spectaculars North Inc. of McClellan will provide the show for $21,500, up by about $1,000 from the cost of the last show in 2019, the city reported.

In order to ensure enough space in the downtown — which in years past had been crowded with several thousand people — Ingram said they are considering having the fireworks barge move toward Fifth Street, north of its usual spot, to broaden the viewing area.

This year they’re also prohibiting alcohol sales as a measure of making sure people adhere to social distancing and masking, and as an effort to keep down the number of fights that police often have to respond to during the event.

Ingram cautioned that, “It’s not going to be the same as it has been in the past,” but that it’s the start to getting back to normal.

At its meeting Tuesday, the council is expected to approve event applications for the Memorial Day Parade on May 29 and the Home Amateur Winemakers WineFest on Sept. 18.

Community groups make decisions about events

While California is moving toward reopening, the timing of planning and organizing events has challenged a return to a more recognizable schedule for some county groups.

Last week, the Lake County Fair Board voted to hold the fair this year over Labor Day weekend, as Lake County News has reported. Details of the fair are being developed over the coming months but anticipated modifications could include smaller crowd size.

However, for other groups, events have had to once again be postponed or canceled for the year because of either lack of time to plan or the necessary funding.

At the start of April, the Kelseyville Business Association announced it would not hold the June Beer, Wine and Swine Festival or the Kelseyville Pear Festival in September, but they’re hoping to hold their summer street dances and Christmas in the Country.

For the association, fundraising — the Pear Festival costs tens of thousands of dollars — and planning for the event would have had to be underway months earlier, while the pandemic was still surging and the situation was unclear of when events could again go forward.

Last year, the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Business Association was one of the first groups in Lake County to have to cancel a major event when it at first postponed and then canceled its famed May Catfish Derby.

However, with the Catfish Derby being the association’s one and only annual fundraiser, last year’s cancellation is impacting this year’s event plans, said association President Camille Gouldberg.

Goldberg said they are planning for the Catfish Derby this month — and they are expecting a nice turnout — but they don’t have sufficient funds to sponsor the Maxine Sherman fireworks display, which will be canceled for a second year.

Dennis Locke, a stalwart member of the Catfish Derby team, said they’re working hard to get the derby together. It’s scheduled to take place from May 14 to 16.

He said they’ve scaled things back to just fishing and won’t be doing some of the other aspects that usually bring a lot of people together.

“We were expecting a light turnout because of that. But advance sign-ups have actually been higher than usual so maybe we’ll see something near normal. People are ready to get out, I guess,” Locke 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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