The California Department of Water Resources on Tuesday announced a statewide increase in State Water Project allocations for 2018.

SWP contractors can now expect to receive 30 percent of their requests, up from the initial 15 percent allocation in December and the 20 percent announced in January.

“Late precipitation and snow in March has brought us closer to an average year, however, this year has been anything but normal,” said Karla Nemeth, DWR director. “While our storage is in good shape, our snowpack is low. California’s highly variable weather reminds us that prudent planning and water conservation is a necessity and is the new norm.”

A 30 percent allocation amounts to 1,268,724 acre-feet of water, distributed among the 29 SWP contractors who serve more than 27 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of farmland.

A 100 percent allocation is rare even in wet years due to Delta pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish species. The last 100 percent allocation was in 2006.

One of the leading factors in determining allocations is snow water content. The statewide snow water content is currently 37 percent of average.

Despite the above-normal precipitation received in March and April, warm temperatures increased runoff and snowmelt in the Northern Sierra, resulting in diminished snowpack for this time of year.

The state’s major reservoirs continue to be well above their historical averages. San Luis Reservoir, the largest off-stream reservoir in the United States where water is stored for the SWP and Central Valley Project, or CVP), is at 89 percent of capacity.

Shasta Lake, the CVP’s largest reservoir, is at 92 percent of capacity. Lake Oroville is at 67 percent of capacity. New Melones Lake is at 86 percent of capacity.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are investigating the cause of an early morning fire in Clearlake that burned several structures, destroying two of them.

Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta said the fire was dispatched just after 7 a.m.

The fire originated in a vacant structure at 14537 Palmer Ave. where police officers recently had been chasing out squatters, Sapeta said.

He said the fire originally was reported as a fully involved structure. As fire personnel were on the way, they heard police radio traffic that indicated there also were other buildings on fire.

Sapeta said the fire destroyed the structure of origin. It spread to a house on the east side, doing minimal damage there, and then to a converted studio off of Emory to the south, which he said was 75-percent damaged.

To the west of the main structure was a small structure that was destroyed. In that building firefighters found an illegal marijuana grow, Sapeta said.

Lake County Fire was joined by Northshore Fire in working the incident, with a total of five engines, a water tender, three medic units and two company officers committed to the incident, according to Sapeta.

Sometime between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. the fire was fully contained, but Sapeta said several hours of overhaul were required.

There were no injuries, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon Sapeta said the fire’s cause remained under investigation.

“We’re not sure how that got so well involved without anybody seeing it,” he 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) formally announced Ginny Craven as this year’s Woman of the Year in Lake County.

Thompson accepted nominations in February from across the Fifth Congressional District for his annual awards honoring women who make exceptional impacts in our community.

“Ginny has truly improved the lives of thousands, working hard to serve our men and women in uniform when they are deployed and when they come home,” said Thompson. “A member of numerous organizations that serve military members, veterans, and their families, she is also the founder of Operation Tango Mike, which has provided more than 20,000 care packages to men and women in uniform overseas. Ginny is a true testament to the difference one person in public service can make and I am honored to present her with this award.”

This is the fourth annual Woman of the Year Awards, started in honor of Women’s History Month.

Each year, Thompson selects one woman from each of the counties in our district to be recognized for her service to our community.

A complete list of the 2018 winners includes:

– Tamara Jones, Napa County;
– Detective Connie Van Putten, Contra Costa County;
– Ginny Craven, Lake County;
– Sharon McGriff Payne, Solano County;
– Susan Moore, Sonoma County;
– Dr. Jennifer Gonzalez, special posthumous award presented to her family;
– Dr. Jennifer Golick, special posthumous award presented to her family;
– Christine M. Loeber, special posthumous award presented to her family.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Authorities are investigating a Friday fire that may have been the result of a butane honey oil lab that injured a local man.

On Saturday afternoon, just after 4:10 p.m., Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters were dispatched to a fire in the 10500 block of E. Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks on the report of a structure fire.

Arriving firefighters found a fire in a small cabin and quickly contained it. They reported over the radio that a male victim had severe second-degree burns to his arms and face and he later was flown by air ambulance to UC Davis for treatment.

Michael James Hoisington, 34, of Clearlake Oaks was identified as the man injured due to the explosion and fire, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said that at 4:40 p.m. fire personnel requested Lake County Sheriff’s deputies respond to the scene to assist with the fire investigation.

He said fire personnel believed the fire at the location may have been caused from a butane concentrated cannabis extraction lab – commonly known as butane honey oil lab – that was being used inside the residence.

When deputies arrived they were directed to the kitchen area where Paulich said they observed that a fire and small explosion had occurred.

The deputies found a plastic bottle with marijuana inside, a can of butane and a shattered glass dish with sticky substance that appeared to be concentrated cannabis, Paulich said.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit responded to assist with the investigation. Paulich said that, based on the items located, it was determined that butane was being used to extract concentrated cannabis from marijuana inside the residence.

Paulich said detectives are submitting a case to the District Attorney’s Office requesting a felony charge of chemical extraction of a controlled substance against hoisington.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is planning a strategic plan review this week before its regular meeting, in which it will consider selecting a new planning commission.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 26, for a strategic plan review before the regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The regular meeting will feature a presentation on the Sulphur fire update.

Under business, the council will consider appointing a new planning commissioner.

The seat, the term of which doesn’t expire until March 2021, was left vacant last month when Russell Cremer was selected to fill the council seat vacated by Russ Perdock in February, as Lake County News has reported.

Applicants for the commission seat are Courtney Beyer, Robert Coker, Kathryn Fitts, Janie Ultsch-Frizell and Michael Vandiver.

The council also will consider a resolution to adopt a list of approved projects for submission to the California Transportation Committee for funding pursuant to SB 1.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers; and minutes of the meetings on Feb. 8, 22 and 26, and March 8, 22 and 27.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County Sheriff’s detectives are sharing new information and are asking for the public’s assistance with a homicide case that occurred in Sebastopol on Saturday.

The victim in the case is 19-year-old Cory Alan Vaughn, the sheriff’s office reported.

At about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Vaughn was with friends at a house party near the intersection of Bodega Ave and Pleasant Hill Rd in Sebastopol.

Authorities said the suspect, 18-year-old Anthony William Ibach, arrived in his 2001 burgundy colored BMW and parked in the nearby business parking lot of the Gravenstein Grill. Ibach and Vaughn had some issues that detectives are still sorting out. Witness accounts have varied about their unresolved issues.

Vaughn’s friends told Vaughn that Ibach was in the parking lot next door wanting to talk to him, the sheriff’s office said. Vaughn left the party and met with Ibach, which ultimately resulted in a fight.

During the fight, authorities said Ibach pulled out a cutting instrument and hit Vaughn several times with it. One deep slashing wound was delivered to Vaughn’s upper chest which ended the fight.

There were many witnesses to this fight and several friends rendered first aid but Vaughn succumbed to his injuries, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said Ibach fled the scene in his burgundy BMW. A law enforcement poster was sent to agencies and Ibach was spotted by San Rafael Police and detained as he was walking in the 500 block of Francisco Boulevard. Ibach originally gave a false name but his identity was later confirmed.

Ibach has been arrested and was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on one count of murder and is being held without bail, according to the report.

Detectives are still looking for Ibach’s vehicle which is described as a 2001 burgundy BMW 325i with custom rims. The vehicle has a California License Plate of 4SVW467. The front license plate was not attached to the car, but was placed on the dashboard.

If anyone spots this vehicle they are being asked to immediately notify Sonoma County Sheriff’s detectives at 707-565-2121.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s March unemployment rate showed a slight improvement over February’s, while the rates for California and the nation held steady.

The California Employment Development Department said Lake County’s March unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.

That’s down from a revised 5.7 percent in February and below the year-ago estimate of 6.4 percent, the agency reported.

At the same time, California’s unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3 percent in March – tying the record low set in February in a series dating back to the beginning of 1976 – although the state’s employers lost 7,200 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to the Employment Development Department report, which was based on two surveys.

In March 2017, the state’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent. The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,100 California households.

The report showed that California has also now gained a total of 2,856,200 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.

The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged in March. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nationwide unemployment in March was 4.1 percent for the sixth month in a row; at the same time, the nation’s employers added 103,000 nonfarm payroll jobs.

The report showed that nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,045,800 in March, based on a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically.

The survey of 71,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change, March 2017 to March 2018, shows an increase of 321,000 jobs, up 1.9 percent.

The federal household survey, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed Californians over the month and the year.

That survey estimated that the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 18,552,000, an increase of 2,000 from February, and up 290,000 from the employment total in March of last year.

The number of unemployed Californians was 827,000 in March – down by 16,000 over the month, and down by 142,000 compared with March of last year, the report said.

Lake County’s total farm employment category in March was up 1.2 percent from February and total nonfarm rose by 0.1 percent.

The top five total nonfarm subcategories that showed growth in March included state government, 5.9 percent; nondurable goods, 5 percent; mining, logging and construction, 4.3 percent; other services, 3.8 percent; and financial activities, 2.8 percent, according to Employment Development Department data.

Areas where jobs were lost included durable goods, -6.7 percent; leisure and hospitality, -4.2 percent; educational and health services, -1 percent; private service producing, -0.5 percent; and total private, -0.3 percent, the report said.

Lake County’s March unemployment rate earned it a No. 32 rating out of the state’s 58 counties.

The latest report said March unemployment rankings for neighboring counties are as follows: Colusa, 18.9 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 7.5 percent, No. 45; Mendocino, 4.3 percent, No. 25; Napa, 3.2 percent, No. 10; Sonoma, 2.8 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 4.8 percent, No. 29.

In related data, the EDD reported that there were 403,184 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 396,030 in February and 420,505 in March of last year.

At the same time, the EDD said new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 39,330 in March, compared with 31,291 in February and 42,939 in March of 2017.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man who police said assaulted his wife was taken into custody last week with the aid of a police K9.

Carmelo Zepeda Hernandez, 36, was arrested on the night of April 15, according to a report from Sgt. Elvis Cook of the Clearlake Police Department.

Just after 10 p.m. on that date Officer Mark Harden responded to a report of a domestic violence in the 3900 block of Vista Robles Way, in the city of Clearlake, Cook said.

Once on scene, Officer Harden conducted his investigation and concluded a male, later identified as Zepeda Hernandez, had physically assaulted and injured his wife, according to Cook.

Cook said that, prior to officers arriving on scene, Zepeda Hernandez fled the area.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. April 16, Zepeda Hernandez was reported to be back at the residence, attempting to break the front door down, Cook said.

Cook said Officer Harden along with additional Clearlake Police officers arrived on scene and established a perimeter around the residence. When officers arrived, Zepeda Hernandez went to flee the scene again.

Zepeda Hernandez was reported to be violent, and was possibly armed with a knife, Cook said.

Officer Harden gave several police canine announcements to Zepeda Hernandez to provide him the opportunity to surrender without incident. However, Cook said Zepeda Hernandez would not comply as ordered by Officer Harden.

Due to the inherent officer safety risk of this type of crime, Cook said Harden deployed his Police K9 Partner “Zip” to apprehend Zepeda Hernandez.

After being apprehended by Zip, Zepeda Hernandez continued to resist and was taken into custody with the assistance of several officers, Cook said.

After being medically cleared at Adventist Health Hospital Clear Lake, Carmelo was transported to the Lake County Jail, where Cook said he was booked on charges of felony domestic violence and resisting arrest.

Jail records showed that Zepeda Hernandez’s bail was set at $25,000. He later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.

Anyone with information in regard to this investigation is asked to contact Officer Harden at the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251, or through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKEPORT, Calif. – An update from the county’s cannabis consultant and the approval of members of a new blue ribbon panel on the lake’s health are on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda this week.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

In an item timed for 9:40 a.m., the board will consider the county cannabis consultant’s updated report on the status of state and local cannabis implementation.

As part of that item, the board will continue its discussion on the expansion of fines and penalties for failure to comply with our local cannabis cultivation ordinance.

The board also will hold three public hearings from 9:30 a.m. to 9:34 a.m. to consider resolutions approving the election date change for governing body members of community services districts, fire protection districts and water districts from odd-numbered years to the same day as the statewide general election held in even-numbered years.

In a consent agenda item, the board will consider appointing members to the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake. The group has been formed as a result of the efforts of Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for the purposes of discussion, reviewing research, planning and providing oversight regarding the lake’s health.

Board Chair Jim Steele is proposing he be the board’s delegate, with Wilda Shock, president of the Lake County Economic Development Corp., as local economic development representative; Brenna Sullivan, executive director of the Lake County Farm Bureau, as agriculture representative; Dr. Harry Lyons, Yuba College professor emeritus, as environment representative; and Jan Coppinger, Lake County Special Districts administrator, as public water supply representative.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

7.1: Appoint Blue Ribbon Committee members for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake for the purposes of discussion, reviewing research, planning and providing oversight regarding the health of Clear Lake.

7.2: (a) Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2017-05 Establishing the Middle Region Town Hall for the Lucerne Area to effect a Name Change; and (b) approve by-laws for the Lucerne Area Town Hall (LATH) formally known as Middle Region Town Hall (MRTH).

7.3: Approve Minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held April 10, 2018.

7.4: Adopt resolution approving a cooperative service agreement and financial plan with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services to provide an animal damage control program for the county of Lake; and (b) Approve the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services cooperative services agreement and financial plan, and authorize the chair to sign.

7.5: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2017-125 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2017-2018, Budget Unit No. 2703, Animal Control.

7.6: Approve the purchase of two 2018 Chevrolet Impalas and authorize the Behavioral Health administrator to issue a purchase order to local Lake County vendor Mazzei Chevrolet in the amount not to exceed $48,770.34.

7.7: Adopt resolution establishing county-maintained mileage for 2017.

7.8: Adopt resolution delegating to the county Public Works Director/ assistant purchasing agent authority to negotiate and acquire certain real estate transactions under $10,000.

7.9: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the Elem Indian Colony for Native American monitoring services for the Eastlake Elementary Safe Routes to School and Community Development Block Grant Project in the amount of $40,000 and authorize the chair to sign.

7.10: Approve the submission of an electronic grant application to the State of California Department of Boating and Waterways in the amount of $37,000 for the purchase of a repower unit and the refurbishing of a 2000 Jetcraft patrol boat.

7.11: Adopt resolution authorizing the designation of subrecipient’s agent for hazard mitigation grant program and pre-disaster mitigation program on behalf of CSA #20, Soda Bay Water System.

TIMED ITEMS

8.2, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving the election date change for governing body members of community services districts from odd-numbered years to the same day as the statewide general election held in even-numbered years.

8.3, 9:32 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving the election date change for governing body members of fire protection districts from odd-numbered years to the same day as the statewide general election held in even-numbered years.

8.4, 9:34 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving the election date change for governing body members of water districts from odd-numbered years to the same day as the statewide general election held in even-numbered years.

8.5, 9:40 a.m.: a) Consideration of cannabis consultant’s updated report on the status of state and local cannabis implementation and, b) continuing discussion on the expansion of fines and penalties for failure to comply with our local cannabis cultivation ordinance.

UNTIMED ITEM

9.2: Consideration of county employee assistance program renewal from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2023.

CLOSED SESSION

10.1, 10:30 a.m.: Employee Grievance Complaint Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54957.

10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): Casaucau v. County of Lake, et al.

10.3: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to Initiate Litigation Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(4): Two potential cases.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a big group of big dogs needing homes this week.

The available dogs are Lucky, Apollo, Dingo, Evander, Robbie, Sam, Tory and Trudy.

To meet the animals, call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8201 and speak to Marcia at Extension 103 Monday through Thursday, or leave a message at any other time.

‘Lucky’

“Lucky” is a 7-year-old male Labrador Retriever. He has a short black coat and weighs 60 pounds.

Shelter staff said he was found tied to a fence.

He is good with both adults and children, selective about other dogs and not good with cts.

He’s non-reactive with other nice dogs and prefers his friends be mellow like him.

Lucky is slow moving and has some advanced arthritis in his joints. He looks like he's been outside his whole life and prefers it, staff said.

‘Apollo’

“Apollo” is a 1-year-old male who shelter staff said was rescued from a heartbreaking case of neglect.

He was severely underweight at 31 pounds – described as just skin and bones, and starving for attention – but since then he’s gained 12 pounds and “has come a long way in every way,” said staff, who added he holds a special place in the hearts of the officers who saved him.

Apollo is very friendly with people and would make a great dog for an active family. He has moments of low confidence and pushy, assertive behavior so Innovative Dog Training & Education is donating some free training to his adopters as well as some free playgroup sessions to his adopters to help nurture a confident social dog.

He is recommended as the perfect dog for a dominant female or stable male dogs who will take him under their wing and teach him a few things. Apollo also is good with both adults and older, respectful children.

‘Dingo’

“Dingo” is described by shelter staff as a happy, friendly boy who is a true people dog.

He is 2 years old, weighs about 45 pounds, and is good with both adults and children.

Dingo likes to be by your side, has nice manners and sits for treats like a true gentleman. He also loves to play ball and probably Frisbee, too.

Shelter staff said he is great with other nice dogs, but has low confidence and prefers people. He will benefit from more socialization.

‘Evander’

“Evander” is a 1-year-old male Labrador Retriever mix who has an all-black coat and weighs about 45 pounds.

He is good with both children and adults, and shelter staff said they are currently working on his socializing skills.

‘Robbie’

“Robbie” is a young and happy-go-lucky mix – possibly Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler.

Shelter staff said is he around a year and a half old and weighs 50 pounds.

He walks well on a leash, makes friends with other dogs, and is playful but not super active.

Robbie is vaccinated, was neutered and had a full dental cleaning.

He recently was diagnosed with heartworm, so he is undergoing treatment. If adopted or taken to rescue, he will need a quiet place to recover.

'Sam'

Sam, also known as Big Bird, is a 1-year-old male Labrador Retriever mix, weighing 70 pounds with a medium-length black coat.

Shelter staff said he loves to play; he has extremely high energy and can be unruly, and so he needs obedience training.

However, he also loves everyone he meets and has an exuberant personality. Staff suggested he will need an active family to make sure he has an outlet for all that energy.

He’s selective with other dogs, good with adults and recommended for children over age 10 due to his size.

‘Tory’

“Tory” is a 2-year-old female Lab mix. She weighs 50 pounds and has a short fawn coat.

Shelter staff said she is good with both children and adults, is nonreactive with cats and is “selective and assertive” with other dogs, meaning, she would do best with a social male or submissive female.

She’s reported to be calm and sweet, loves to take walks and is amazing on leash.

‘Trudy’

“Trudy” is a cute 1- to 2-year-old female Labrador Retriever mix who weighs about 45 pounds.

Shelter staff said she loves to play in water, is social but selective with other dogs, and is good with adults and older, respectful children.

She is active and would be a great companion for adventure or a working sidekick on a ranch.

Trudy needs more socialization and would benefit from additional training and playgroups.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – North Coast Opportunities’ mobile Friday Produce Pantry provides food to Lake County communities during the first four Friday’s of each month, moving to two different locations each Friday and serving a total of eight communities monthly.

NCO, in partnership with the Redwood Empire Food Bank, established the program during the summer of 2016 to serve Valley fire survivors.

The program continues to gain popularity and expand operations, now serving approximately 500 people each week.

Separate from the Friday Produce Pantry or FPP, the Clearlake Food Pantry has been another popular staple for several years, serving residents on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week.

Due to the increased popularity of the FPP, the Clearlake Food Pantry is closing operations on April 26.

“We’re closing the Clearlake Food Pantry for two reasons,” says NCO Executive Director Patty Bruder. “Since 2018, we have seen a 40-percent decrease at the Clearlake Food Pantry whereas the numbers at the FPP have increased tremendously. We are devoted to NCO’s ongoing mission of meeting the needs within our community and focusing our resources on making the greatest impact. In addition, our building located at 14832 Lakeshore Avenue has sold. We’re in the process of finding a new location to house all our Lake County NCO programs.”

Food is dispensed per household. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are available with a variety of goods from multiple suppliers like Amy’s Kitchen and Petaluma Poultry.

Approximately six to 25 volunteers aid the distribution each Friday, many of which are also clients.

The program is funded by NCO and the Redwood Empire Food Bank, who is the recipient of a Walmart Foundation Grant for Lake County. Clients are encouraged to arrive early and bring their own grocery bags, wagons and carts. Food is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The first distribution each Friday is from 9:30 to 11 a.m., with the second distribution from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The location schedule is as follows:

First Friday each month: Distribution 1 – Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge; Distribution 2 – Upper Lake Park.

Second Friday each month: Distribution 1 – Lucerne Northshore Community Center; Distribution 2 – Lakeport Fairgrounds.

Third Friday each month: Distribution 1 – Kelseyville Presbyterian Church; Distribution 2 – Calvary Chapel of Clearlake.

Fourth Friday each month: Distribution 1 – Lower Lake Community Center; Distribution 2 – Middletown Lions Club.

There is no distribution if there is a fifth Friday in the month.

“While NCO has not been able to secure a new building yet,” said Bruder, “we continue our work with the city of Clearlake to secure a permanent location. We remain committed to continuing the Community Wellness programs that support Lake County. The Food Programs, the Gardens Project, and the Housing Programs have secured temporary spaces. Disaster Case Management, Rural Communities Childcare, and NCO Head Start programs are not impacted by this change.”

NCO is the Community Action Agency that serves Lake and Mendocino Counties, as well as parts of Humboldt, Sonoma, Del Norte and Solano counties.

NCO has the mission of assisting low-income and disadvantaged people to become self-reliant, providing a safety net of emergency assistance, employment, and training services for individuals and families.This year NCO celebrates 50 years of community action.

For more information about the Friday Produce Pantry and for a detailed listing of all the distribution times and sites, please visit “Our Programs” at www.ncoinc.org . To volunteer or learn more contact Tammy Alakszay at 707-994-4647 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Robyn Bera is administrative manager at North Coast Opportunities.

If you think politics is a brutal business today, you would blanch at some of the op-eds written by our founding fathers.

In an age before television and radio, politicians had very few arenas in which to sway public opinion.

What they did have were newspapers and pamphlets (small booklets that were printed separately). With so few options available, they had to know how to use what weapons they did have with deadly efficiency.

Some of our most revered founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton were ruthless pamphleteers, having no qualms about hitting below the belt when it suited their needs.

John Adams alluded to Alexander Hamilton’s illegitimate birth in one article, and in another a goon of Jefferson’s all but accused Hamilton of having an extra-marital affair.

To be fair, Hamilton was a bastard and had had such an affair. Still, it doesn’t quite feel right that the same illuminated minds that birthed the notion that “all men are created equal,” also traded in “yo’ mamma” insults.

It’s partially because they were published amid such mud-slinging attacks that the Federalist Papers stand out like beacons of clear light. That, and they were utterly brilliant.

Theodore Roosevelt declared that the Federalist Papers were “on the whole the greatest book dealing with applied politics that there has ever been.”

Decades before Roosevelt, the famed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall went so far as to say that the essays in the Federalist Papers could be used like ciphers – helping to interpret the very constitution.

So what were these papers, and why are they still required reading for high school students?

To start, the Federalist Papers represent the clearest enunciation of the principles of the U.S. Constitution that has ever been written. They were forged from the minds of the very brightest of our founding fathers.

And they went a long way in helping to create America as we know it.

Revolutionary War: Part 2

It all started with a fight.

The bloody battles of the revolution were more than five years behind us when Americans geared up for another row – this one over the very character of the nation they had fought to create.

In early 1787, the Constitutional Convention had gathered together a group of delegates from each colony (except Rhode Island, which was early America’s version of that friend who flips the board game over when he’s about to lose).

After months of debate and polishing, the convention presented to the nation a new operating document, to replace the faulty Articles of Confederation, which had been scraped together in the early days of the Revolutionary War. In order for the new document to go into effect, 9 states had to ratify it.

For the supporters and detractors of the Constitution both, now was the time to prepare for the final push.

Each state needed to elect delegates to their own ratifying conventions.

Alexander Hamilton, a young foreign-born bastard with a sharp tongue and sharper quill pen, led the charge in favor of ratifying.

By early October 1787, Hamilton had conceived an ambitious writing project to help the Constitution’s cause. He had devised the project as a team effort.

Seeking out his long-time friend, John Jay, and his newfound ally James Madison, Hamilton gathered together the sharpest minds of the day.

Each team member was to write essays on topics they were specifically qualified to talk about. Jay would write about foreign relations as it related to the constitution and James Madison would write on the history of republics and confederations.

Turning once more to his most powerful of assets, the pen, Hamilton would write about the branches of government and matters of taxation.

The first installment of what would become known collectively as the Federalist Papers appeared in newspapers in New York. The authors had to camouflage their identities, partly so their arguments would stand on their own merit and not become victims of the authors’ personal reputations.

Also, delegates to the Constitutional Convention had sworn an oath of secrecy – nothing said at the convention was to be repeated outside of it.

Since they were planning on doing just that in their attempts to defend the document, Hamilton and his team hid behind the pseudonym of Publius – the name of an ancient Roman hero who assassinated the last Roman King.

Over the course of seven months, the trio wrote some 175,000 words organized in 85 essays. Soon after starting the project, John Jay had to drop out due to illness. That left Hamilton and Madison to write one essay each week for months.

Within no time, three of the four New York newspapers were printing their installments. Eventually, the essays were collected into bound volumes and distributed to delegates to the New York Ratifying Convention.

Among the many topics discussed, the Federalist Papers highlighted the weakness of a loose confederation (what the Constitution’s detractors preferred) and pointed out all the benefits of having a strong central government.

They argued that under the Constitution, they would have a central government that could prevent states from squabbling and speak with a single voice on the international stage. After all, a country of 13 states under one leader has more authority in foreign negotiations than 13 separate leaders under one confederation (can you imagine trying to negotiate with 13 different people at once?).

As a sort of revolutionary-style chain mail, Hamilton and Madison sent copies of the Federalist Papers to as many state delegates as possible, maximizing the reach of their ideas and helping to sway opinions from South Carolina to New York.

In the end, it was still a close-fought thing. On April 28, Maryland ratified the Constitution, becoming the seventh state to do so.

By late May of 1788, South Carolina gave its blessing, bringing the total ratifying states to eight – just one shy of the number needed. But looking over the remaining states, supporters weren’t certain of victory. North Carolina and Rhode Island both scorned the Constitution outright, while New Hampshire was unsure.

That left just New York and Virginia. Even with the potent support of Alexander Hamilton, the Constitutional cause rested on shaky ground in New York. For several weeks, it looked like the battle could go either way.

Fortunately for supporters of the constitution, New Hampshire made up its mind and together with Virginia voted to ratify, becoming the ninth and 10th states to do so.

Now if the remaining holdout states didn’t ratify, they’d be removed from the new United States of America, becoming separate islands of sovereignty unto themselves. Rhode Island, as pernicious as ever, waited until 1790 to finally ratify. With that, the United States of America became a reality.

It didn’t take long, however, for squabbling to recommence and within a year or so, one-time allies Hamilton and Madison became the staunchest of enemies.

Politics really hasn’t changed much after all.

Antone Pierucci is curator of history at the Riverside County Park and Open Space District and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.