Wednesday, 05 March 2025

Register

News

Posted On

Rachael Diane Seivertson, 29, of Hopland, Calif., was arrested on Sunday, January 14, 2018, for vandalizing a Hopland Fire station and several fire vehicles. Mendocino County Jail photo.


NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Hopland woman who formerly was a volunteer firefighter was arrested over the weekend for vandalizing a Hopland Fire Department station and several fire vehicles, with authorities reporting that the motive appeared to be revenge.

Rachael Diane Seivertson, 29, was taken into custody on Sunday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

On Sunday at 7:30 a.m. the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to the Hopland Fire Department regarding a vandalism in which one of their fire trucks which was following the vehicle of the responsible subject on Feliz Creek Road, according to Sgt. Scott Poma.

Poma said responding deputies arrived in the 4600 block of Feliz Creek Road and observed a responsible subject run out from the back of the residence and into the surrounding hills. Deputies observed a baseball bat in the front seat of the vehicle left at location. The bat was covered in glass particles.

Once back at Hopland Fire Department further investigation revealed that windows had been broken in the firehouse and that two emergency vehicles parked outside had their tires slashed and numerous windows of both vehicles broken out, Poma said.

An estimated $10,000 in damage had been sustained to the firehouse and the emergency response vehicles, according to Poma’s report.

Poma said deputies learned during the scene investigation that the Hopland Cal Fire Station on US Highway 101 in Hopland had vehicles damaged in excess of $8,000 on Jan. 10. That investigation is being handled by the California Highway Patrol.

A short time later deputies were advised the suspect, identified as being Rachael Seivertson, was back at the residence where she had fled from earlier in the day, Poma said.

Deputies along with the Deputy Jeremy Mason's K-9 partner Leo arrived at the residence, where Poma said Seivertson was subsequently placed under arrest after being located hiding in the loft of the residence.  

While at the residence, deputies located a bat and knife inside of the vehicle Seivertson had been driving earlier in the day, Poma said.

Poma said Seivertson was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where she kicked a corrections deputy during the intake process.

Seivertson was booked into the jail and was to be held in lieu of $30,000 bail, Poma said.

During the investigation, Poma said deputies established probable cause to connect Seivertson to the vandalism at the Hopland Fire Department and the Hopland Cal Fire Station.  

The motive for the acts of vandalism appeared to be acts of revenge for no justified reason, Poma said.
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Measure Z Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting to discuss oversight of sales tax funds on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The committee will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

Measure Z is the one-cent sales tax that city residents approved last November

On the agenda is the midyear budget review – which the Lakeport City Council will hear the night before – as it pertains to Measure Z funds.

The committee’s citizen members include Annette Hopkins, Susan King, Dennis Rollins, Nathan Speed and Tim Wynacht, and staffers, City Manager Margaret Silveira, Finance Director Nick Walker and City Clerk/Secretary Kelly Buendia.

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.

  011718 Measure Z Advisory Committee agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss fees for processing commercial marijuana applications and hold the midyear budget review.

The council will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, for a closed session to discuss negotiations related to properties located at 800 N. Main St. and 810 N. Main St. before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On Tuesday, an item at the top of the meeting is a proclamation honoring Robert Ray’s 45 years of service to the fire service in Lake County. He just retired from the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

The council on Tuesday will consider a proposed resolution establishing fees for the processing of
commercial marijuana, or cannabis, permit applications consistent with processes outlined in the city’s municipal code.

Finance Director Nick Walker also will take to the council the midyear budget review and seek the council’s approval of an amendment to the 2017-18 city budget.

On Tuesday the council, sitting as the successor agency to the former Lakeport Redevelopment Agency, will consider approving the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule 18-19 for the period of July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, for presentation and adoption by the Lakeport Redevelopment Oversight Board.

In other business, the council will consider a purchase of a Weco Industries multi-conductor main line TV van for $242,672.04, which will be used to monitor the sewer collection system.

Council members also will take up a proposed resolution creating and affirming the city’s master pay schedule for all represented employee classifications and all unrepresented employees covered by a compensation plan so that the city is in compliance with California Public Employees’ Retirement System requirements.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the council’s regular meeting on Jan. 2; the Jan. 5 warrant register; retention schedule revisions; and a professional services agreement with Paul Curren dba Curren Consulting.

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.

  011618 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Blog Left ad
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it has located an Upper Lake teen reported missing by her family last week.

Avril Wright, 15, was found and is safe, authorities said.

The teen was reported to have run away on Thursday. She also was reported to have run away in December before she was returned home.

The sheriff’s office thanked the community for its assistance in the case.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service’s updated forecast for Lake County says that there could be rain every day through Monday.

The forecast says two winter storms are bringing the potential for steady rain all through the week.

Possible breaks in the rain are expected on Tuesday night, and during the day on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Nighttime temperatures this week are expected to dip into the high 30s and range into the low 40s, with daytime temperatures from the low 40s into the high 50s.

Rainfall on Monday night through early Tuesday proved heavier than originally forecast in some parts of the county

Rainfall totals at National Weather Service stations reported the following totals, in inches, through 2 a.m. Tuesday:

– Cache Creek near Lower Lake: 0.01.
– High Glade Lookout: 0.32.
– High Valley Road alert station: 0.18.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.15.
– Kelseyville: 0.25.
– Lakeport: 0.24.
– Mira Vista Road in the Sulphur fire area: 0.15.
– Soda Creek: 0.19.
– Upper Lake: 0.20.

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.
Posted On

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission will meet this week to hold a study session on a proposed motel expansion project.

The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

On the agenda is a study session on the architecture and design for a future proposal to expand the motel at Clearlake Cottages, 13885 Lakeshore Drive.

The staff report for the discussion explains that the proposal is to construct three new two-story cottage buildings within an existing motel development that currently has 16 single-story building units for a total of 18 motel units.

The three new buildings – which would feature new, modern architecture – would total 3,000 square feet for an additional six motel units, the report said.

No action is to be taken as the meeting’s purpose is to study and review the design concepts for a future project application, according to staff.

Commission members are Chair Dirk Slooten and Vice Chair Russ Cremer, and commissioners Nathalie Antus, Richard Bean and Carl Webb.

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.
Posted On

LAKEPORT, Calif. – With numerous local offices coming up for election this year, candidates are filing the required paperwork and fields are forming across several races.

As of Friday, candidates or incumbents had filed paperwork in the races for assessor-recorder, county clerk-auditor, district attorney, sheriff-coroner, superintendent of schools, District 2 and 3 county supervisor, and treasurer-tax collector, as well as for the three Lake County Superior Court judicial seats that are up for election, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.

The registrar’s office said that so far five county incumbents have filed and are unopposed: Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Sheriff-Coroner Brian Martin, Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.

For the office of district attorney, local attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones have joined the race so far, according to campaign documents. Current District Attorney Don Anderson intends to run for a judge’s seat rather than seek a third term.

For the District 2 supervisorial race, incumbent Jeff Smith has announced his plans not to seek reelection. So far, the only candidate to file paperwork is Bruno Sabatier, the city of Clearlake’s mayor.

In the District 3 supervisorial race, one-term incumbent Jim Steele has filed paperwork, and has two challengers: Eddie J. Crandell, the tribal chair of Robinson Rancheria and the District 3 county planning commissioner, and businesswoman and former Clearlake Mayor Denise Loustalot.

All of the candidates have filed Form 501 paperwork, which allows them to begin to take contributions. As of Friday, with the exception of Loustalot, all of them also had taken out in-lieu petitions to collect signatures to reduce filing fees.

In the judicial races, Judge Michael Lunas and Judge Andrew Blum have both signaled their intentions to seek reelection by taking out papers.

Judge Stephen Hedstrom will not seek reelection, and so the race for his seat is forming. District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry have both joined the race to succeed him, the Registrar of Voters Office reported.

In addition to filing in-lieu petitions and Form 501s, judicial races require an extra step of filing a declaration of intention from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7, unless no incumbent has filed, in which case the filing period is extended to between Feb. 8 and 12, according to the local election calendar.

The fourth seat on the Lake County Superior Court bench will not be back on the ballot until 2020; last month, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed J. David Markham to succeed Judge Richard Martin, who retired in May, as Lake County News has reported.

The Registrar of Voters Office reported that it’s still early in the season for candidates.

The period to submit an in-lieu filing fee petition began Dec. 14 and ends Feb. 7.

The nomination period for all candidates, in which they must file their declaration of candidacy forms and nomination papers is from Feb. 12 to March 9, unless no incumbent files in a race, in which case the period is extended from March 10 to March 14.

All of the winning candidates in this year’s races will take office on Jan. 7, 2019, and be sworn the following day, the Registrar of Voters Office reported.

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.
Posted On



LAKEPORT, Calif. – The last of Lake County’s Pearl Harbor survivors was remembered in a heartfelt Sunday ceremony in Lakeport.

Wilbur Kenneth “Bill” Slater, 93, died on New Year’s Eve at his Lakeport home.

He was the last of a fascinating group of men who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and later made Lake County their home.

At the time of the attack, Slater was a 17-year-old aboard the USS Pennsylvania. He had joined the Navy months earlier, as soon as he was able to leave the orphanage where his family had sent him due to not being able to care for him during the Great Depression.

About 100 community members, friends and family members attended the short ceremony for Slater, held at noon Sunday at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Memorial Mast in Library Park.

The memorial service was led by Ronnie Bogner, who along with wife Janeane has helped organize the Pearl Harbor-related commemorations and events for many years.

Also in attendance were members of the Military Funeral Honors Team, who performed a gun volley, and whose bugler performed the “church call” and the playing of “Taps.”

Chaplain Charles Schreiber gave the invocation and benediction, and the Patriot Guard Riders traveled to the event and stood throughout, holding American flags alongside the honors team.

Sheriff Brian Martin and Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen raised the United States flag on the mast, which also was festooned with the flags of the state, armed services and the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

Next to the mast was a small table with a picture of Slater and his late wife, Helen, his Pearl Harbor hat and the golden memorial bell on which the names of Pearl Harbor Survivors who have died are engraved.

As the service began, Clear Lake – which had appeared still and had no wind to speak of on it – began to lap steadily against the shore. Small waves continued to ripple against the shore, sounding very much like an ocean tide.

And as retired District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock was invited forward to lead the flag salute, three Canada geese flew by low and in a tight formation, honking loudly.

Bogner said the event was a mix of a memorial for Slater as well as for the Pearl Harbor survivors who had gone before him.

“He never considered himself a hero,” Bogner said of Slater, who nonetheless enjoyed his membership in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

While all of Lake County’s resident Pearl Harbor survivors have now died, Bogner said there are still three “sweethearts,” the fond name for widows of the men in the group.

They include Alice Darrow of Kelseyville, whose husband Dean Darrow was aboard the USS West Virginia and died in 1991; Charlotte Bower of Clearlake Oaks, whose husband Chuck was at the US Sub Base and died in 2011; and Vanya Leighton, whose husband Fred was aboard the USS Ramsay and died in 2008. Alice Darrow and Vanya Leighton, who now lives in Napa, were on hand for the event, while Charlotte Bower was unable to attend.

Bogner said Slater was a firm believer in luck, telling of how Slater had gone below decks on the Pennsylvania to bring up ammunition because the hoist was broken. While he was down retrieving the ammunition, a bomb hit where he had been standing, killing about two dozen men.

Later in the war, Slater would travel to Australia, and while on leave in San Francisco would meet his future wife, said Bogner. Slater was coming home and set for discharge aboard the USS Salt Lake City when it nearly capsized near Astoria, Oregon, in October 1945 after it was hit by huge waves at the mouth of the Columbia River. Slater called it the “worst day I ever had at sea.”

Bogner said Slater was a truck driver and a union member who lobbied long and hard to get rid of corruption in the union.

Jim Harris of Lucerne, a Pearl Harbor survivor who died in January 2011, had asked Slater to be the association president after he was gone. As it turned out, Slater would be “the last guy standing,” Bogner said.

Slater loved to talk to people and was a regular customer at Renee’s Cafe in Lakeport, where he often had total strangers buy him breakfast, Bogner said.

Slater’s daughter Leslie attended along with several other family members. Bogner noted that Slater also had a son who died in Hawaii on the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Leslie Slater thanked everyone for attending. “I am in awe of all of you being here.”

She said of her father, “He was a very generous and honest person and he would have loved to see you all.”

Leslie Slater recalled her father coming to the Pearl Harbor events, and how he loved to talk to people. “He never lacked for something to say.”

The event’s other featured speaker was Chris Smith, a longtime Press Democrat columnist who has covered the Pearl Harbor survivors since 1991 and was given honorary membership in the association.

Smith said he was given the assignment in 1991 to interview Pearl Harbor survivors for the 50th anniversary of the attack. “I can truly say that assignment changed my life.”

That December, he traveled with about 30 survivor to Hawaii to return to Pearl Harbor. “I walked with them as they paraded down the main street of Waikiki.” He later made a second trip with them.

He recalled the Pearl Harbor survivors he came to know as some of the finest, most fun-loving and gracious men he had ever met.

Smith said he met Slater years later, and found him to be among the most joyful of the group.

He said the survivors didn’t just meet once a month for breakfast. “These guys loved each other. They were each others’ best friends.”

Smith said he often had to remind himself of who the men truly were. “They were boys on Dec. 7, 1941,” he said, and many had never seen the ocean until they joined the Navy.

“They witnessed the horror of that day, which I can’t even imagine,” and saw things they didn’t want to talk about, Smith said.

And yet, after the attack, they didn’t go home, but went off to four years of war. They won that war and came back to the United States, where they witnessed and took part in what Smith called one of the most momentous periods of American history, when the United States transformed itself following World War II.

“As members of the greatest generation they created the United States that we all know and that we all benefit from,” he said.

Smith concluded of the men who survived the attack, “They were a treasure beyond value to us.”

As the ceremony drew to a close, it was time to toll the memorial bell. “Bill was trying his damnedest to keep his name off this bell,” said Bogner, noting the engraving hadn’t yet been done.

The group heard a final prayer and sang one of Slater’s favorite songs, “God Bless America,” before Janeane Bogner tolled the bell in Slater’s memorial.

Ronnie Bogner said Pearl Harbor commemorations will continue. The Military Funeral Honors Team will participate in the brief ceremonies, which will be held each Dec. 7 at the memorial mast.

Bogner recalled how Slater often had a bloody Mary in hand at the Pearl Harbor commemorations.

And so he left them with Slater’s favorite toast: “Here’s looking up your old address.”

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.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – National Weather Service forecasters are predicting two winter storms will bring rain and mountain snow to Northern California this week.

The forecast calls for the first storm to arrive and continue through Tuesday, with the second to follow from Wednesday evening to Friday.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for sunny and warmer conditions on Sunday before a small amount of rain – totaling about a tenth of an inch – falls throughout the day on Monday and Monday night. Rain is expected to continue into Tuesday.

The weather is forecast to clear on Tuesday night, with partly sunny conditions on Wednesday.

Rain is forecast to return on Wednesday night. Forecasters say the rain will continue through Friday night and will clear on Saturday, when partly sunny conditions are anticipated.

Daytime temperatures this week will range from the low 60s during the day on Sunday down to the high 40s later in the week, forecasters said.

Nighttime temperatures will range from the high 40s to the low 50s, based on the forecast.

The forecast also calls for light winds in the single digits on Sunday and Monday.

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.
Posted On

Veterinarian Debi Sally provides services at the 2017 PIT Count. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Tuesday, Jan. 23, the Lake County Continuum of Care will hold a point-in-time count to count the sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families in Lake County.

The point-in-time, or PIT, count will help the Continuum of Care obtain a better understanding of homelessness in our community and needed services and resources. It will also make Lake County eligible for funding for homeless services.

In addition to mobile teams canvassing the county, survey sites will be open on Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in locations throughout the county:

– Clearlake: Youth Center in Redbud Park, 4750 Golf Ave.
– Clearlake Oaks: Methodist Church Youth Center, 12487 The Plaza.
– Kelseyville: Presbyterian Church, 5340 Third St.
– Lakeport: Veterans Service Office, 285 N. Main St.
– Lucerne: Community Church, 5870 Highway 20.
– Middletown: Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, corner of Washington and Armstrong streets.

The sites will offer flu shots, HIV/Hepatitis C testing, dog food and supplies, sandwiches and water.

Each person who is homeless and completes the confidential survey will be given a first aid kit, solar-powered flashlight/phone charger and other items.

“The point-in-time survey is an essential element in our ability to serve our local homeless individuals with appropriate resources and programs,” said Marylin Wakefield, PhD, MSW, PIT Committee chair. “If you know someone who is homeless, please encourage them to visit with a member of our survey team at one of the many locations.”

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, requires all homeless continuums to conduct a point-in-time count of homeless individuals/families on a single date in January.

These counts provide an overview of the state of homelessness in the region and offer the information needed to direct services, funding and resources provided by the Continuum of Care.

The 2017 PIT Count identified 401 people who met HUD’s description of homeless. These results enabled Lake County to be competitive in applying for grant funding to provide rapid-rehousing and permanent housing for those who are homeless in Lake County. With the monies obtained from HUD, 26 people who were homeless have been housed since February of 2017.

Local private and public agencies partner through the Continuum of Care to improve services for those in the community who are homeless or are at risk of losing their housing.

HUD describes a Continuum of Care as “a community plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximize self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.”
Posted On

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of a Kelseyville man and the assault of a second individual on Saturday night.

Sheriff Brian Martin confirmed to Lake County News that his detectives are investigating the death of 37-year-old Jeremy Mullings.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday Kelseyville Fire personnel were dispatched to a medical aid with “unknown circumstances” in the 5000 block of Tenino Way in the Clear Lake Riviera. At that time, sheriff’s deputies also were reported to be en route, according to radio reports.

“Deputies were called there for a report of an assault,” said Martin, noting that it was a “chaotic” scene. He said he was not sure if the residence was Mullings’.

Dispatch told firefighters that there were two injured parties, one down in the house – who Martin said was Mullings – and a second individual who was reported to be down in the driveway with head injuries.

A short time later, units were asked to close down the roadway at the corner of Tenino Way to Zuni Court and Zuni to Soda Bay, with additional units also requested from Lake County Fire, based on radio reports.

Martin said that Mullings died at the scene.

The sheriff said that, based on the investigation so far, there is nothing to indicate that a homicide took place.

He said it does not appear that Mullings was assaulted, and there was no evidence to indicate he was the victim of a crime.

The indications are that Mullings had several significant previous health conditions. “Those will be taken into consideration during the investigation,” Martin said.

The sheriff said an autopsy of Mullings is pending.

The second male, who was found outside the home on the ground – and whose name has so far not been released – appeared to have been assaulted with a frying pan or some other kitchen item, Martin said.

The firefighters at scene requested an air ambulance for the second man, but the air ambulance could not accept the flight because of weather, dispatch stated over the air.

Martin said that second man was taken to the hospital, treated and released.

He said April Renee Scobee, 38, of Kelseyville was arrested for assaulting the second man.

Martin said Scobee identified herself as Mullings’ wife, but they were not legally married.

Scobee was arrested shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday and booked into the Lake County Jail on Sunday evening, according to her booking sheet.

Her arrest record showed she was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious injury, with her bail set at $30,000. She is tentatively scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

She remained in custody early Monday, based on jail booking records.

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.
April Renee Scobee, 38, of Kelseyville, Calif., was arrested on Sunday, January 14, 2018, for the assault of a man on the previous night. Her boyfriend, Jeremy Mullings, was found dead at the same location but authorities said he did not appear to have been the victim of an assault. Lake County Jail photo.
Posted On

Judge J. David Markham. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Superior Court will formally welcome its newest member of the bench in a ceremony next month.

The swearing-in ceremony of Judge J. David Markham will take place beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in his Department 3 courtroom at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

Markham, 48, was appointed as Lake County’s newest judge by Gov. Jerry Brown in December, as Lake County News has reported.

He was appointed to succeed Judge Richard Martin, who retired in May.

Markham is a former deputy district attorney who has maintained a private practice for many years.

Last year he and fellow attorney Andrea Sullivan formed Lake Indigent Defense LLP and won the contract to administer the Lake County indigent defense contract.

The public is invited to attend Markham’s Feb. 9 swearing-in.

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.

LCNews

Responsible local journalism on the shores of Clear Lake.

 

Memberships:

 

Search