CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At its Tuesday meeting the Clearlake Planning Commission will take up a proposed ordinance that would ban commercial grows on vacant properties and enact plant limits in other areas of the city.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

In her report to the commission, City Manager Joan Phillipe said the proposed ordinance used the county’s ordinance as a template.

Cultivation would be banned on vacant parcels. On residential properties there can be no more than six marijuana plants on less than half an acre; 12 plants on half an acre or larger with a 75-foot setback from any off-site residence; 18 plants on parcels between one and five acres, with 150-foot setbacks from any off-site residence; 36 plants on parcels between five and 40 acres, also with 150-foot setbacks; and 48 plants on parcels 40 acres or larger with the 150-foot setback from residences off the property.

Phillipe said the city attorney will be evaluating the California Supreme Court decision handed down on Monday regarding Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients’ Health and Wellness Center, and Phillipe will give the commission an update on Tuesday night’s meeting about the attorney’s findings.

In that decision, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that local governments can ban medical marijuana dispensaries, and that laws pertaining to medical marijuana don’t supersede local zoning rules.

Other items on the agenda for the Tuesday meeting include selection of the commission’s chair and vice chair, and an update on the general plan and environmental impact report.

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.

050713 Clearlake Planning Commission - Cultivation Ordinance Staff Report

050713 Clearlake Planning Commission - Draft Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance

NICE, Calif. – Drivers passing through the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff in recent weeks likely were detoured due to work crews making improvements at the roundabout in Nice.

The roundabout, located at the intersection of Highway 20 and the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, has been functional since last September. It was put in place as a traffic calming measure at the busy Northshore intersection.

However, recently it was the site of some additional work, which Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said included sealing the concrete pavement with a polyester based sealer which stops water from penetrating the surface and extends the life of the concrete.

It’s the same sealer used on all concrete bridge decks, Frisbie said.

Frisbie said the the center of the roundabout is being enhanced because water-soaked soils put too much pressure on the decorative concrete wall – which features drawings of fish – and caused some cracking.

He said the cracked sections are being replaced, and the entire surface will be treated with an anti-graffiti coating because it already has been tagged once.

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.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – During a visit to Middletown last Wednesday, Congressman Mike Thompson stopped by to see the new Middletown Senior Center and Library.

The new facility had its grand opening last month. It’s located at 21256 Washington St.

Thompson said it’s a beautiful building.

He also suggested that bringing the library and senior center together pays special dividends because seniors can interact with children and children can interact with seniors.

Thompson also presented a US flag for the building to Supervisor Jim Comstock and Voris Brumfield.

California has already experienced an increase in fire activity, and to ensure Californians are ready, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has declared May 5-11, 2013 as “Wildfire Awareness Week.”

During Wildfire Awareness Week Cal Fire is reminding residents of the dangers from wildfires and the simple steps that should be followed to prepare and prevent them.

“The conditions right now are what we should be experiencing in June,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “This year’s dry winter has resulted in a significant increase in fire activity, in fact Cal Fire firefighters have responded to nearly 1,100 wildfires this year, which is over 500 more than average.”

According to the state’s final snow survey on May 2, the statewide snowpack water content is only 17 percent of normal.

From January through May 2, nearly 23,000 acres have burned in California, which is significantly more than the 1,250 acres that had burned for the same time period last year.

During Wildfire Awareness Week, Cal Fire is reminding Californians that when it comes to wildfires, remember “Ready, Set, Go!”

Being ready for a wildfire starts by maintaining 100 feet of defensible space and hardening homes with fire resistant building materials.

“It’s critical that residents prepare for wildfires by maintaining 100 feet of defensible space around all homes,” said Chief Pimlott. “Most wildfires are preventable and we need residents and vacationers to be extra cautious outdoors so we can prevent wildfires from occurring in the first place.”

Homeowners looking for additional information on how to prepare themselves, their families and their homes for wildfire can visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

The site offers tips for residents to make their homes more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that their families are ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes.

For more information visit www.fire.ca.gov or www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has four cats waiting for adoption this week.

Two tuxedo cats, a brown tabby and and a domestic medium hair with gray and white markings are set to go to new homes, with all having been altered.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

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

Female brown tabby

This female brown tabby is 3 years old.

She has a long, luxurious coat with white markings and gold eyes, and she has been spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 29, ID No. 36214.

Male tuxedo cat

This male tuxedo cat is 1 year old.

He has a short black and white coat, and is missing an eye due to an injury. He weighs 9 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 37, ID No. 36164.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 8 years old.

She has a gray and white coat, green eyes, weighs nearly 8 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 105, ID No. 36162.

‘Susie Q’

“Susie Q” is an 8 year old domestic medium hair mix.

She has green eyes, a gray and white coat, weighs 14 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 106, ID No. 36161.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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. – A new group of dogs of various breeds and sizes is available for adoption this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Big dogs, little dogs, medium-sized dogs, most spayed or neutered, are ready to join your family.

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

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

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

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

Chihuahua-wirehaired terrier mix

This Chihuahua-wirehaired terrier mix is 7 months old.

He weighs nearly 10 pounds, has a long wirey coat and floppy ears, and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 3a, ID No. 36211.

Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.

He has a long black and tan coat, weighs nearly 5 pounds and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 3b, ID No. 36212.

Chihuahua-terrier mix

This male Chihuahua-terrier mix is 1 year old.

He weighs almost 14 pounds, has a short tricolor coat and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 4, ID No. 36213.

‘Percy’

“Percy” is a 9-month-old female Pomeranian-dachshund mix.

She has a short tan and white coat, weighs 11 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 4, ID No. 36229.

Basset hound-pit bull terrier mix

This male basset hound-pit bull terrier mix is 4 years old.

He has a short brown brindle coat and weighs 40 pounds. It was not reported if he had been neutered.

Visit with him in kennel No. 10, ID No. 36262.

Pit bull terrier-hound

This male pit bull terrier-hound is 2 years old.

He has a short tricolor coat, weighs 45 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

Visit with him in kennel No. 11, ID No. 36261.

Labrador Retriever-border collie mix

This male Labrador Retriever-border collie mix is 9 months old.

He has a short black coat and weighs nearly 54 pounds. It was not reported if he had been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 12a, ID No. 36259.

Labrador Retriever-border collie mix

This female Labrador Retriever-border collie mix is 9 months old.

She has a short black and white coat and weighs almost 37 pounds. It was not reported if she had been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 12b, ID No. 36260.

Female Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.

She has a short tan and brown coat, weighs 7 pounds, and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 35907.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is 7 years old.

He has a short tan coat, weighs 10 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 18, ID No. 36150.

Pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix is 6 months old.

She has a short brown and white coat, has gold eyes, weighs 25 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 35880.

Beagle-Australian Shepherd mix

This male beagle-Australian Shepherd mix is 7 years old.

He has a short brown and white coat, weighs 47 pounds, has a docked tail and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 36111.

Labrador Retriever mix

This male Labrador Retriever is 9 months old.

He weighs 86 pounds, has a short yellow coat and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 36131.

Please note: Dogs listed at the county shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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. – A man wanted in connection to a 2000 murder in the city of Ukiah has been arrested.

The Ukiah Police Department reported that Jerred Raymond Hernandez was arrested in Ensenada, Mexico on Sunday and booked into the San Diego County Jail for the August 2000 murder of 44-year-old Michael Williamson.

“We are extremely fortunate to have located and arrested Hernandez,” said Ukiah Police Chief Chris Dewey. “This was one of our department’s most lengthy and complex investigations and I am glad to bring into custody; a person we suspect of committing such horrific crimes.”

Ukiah Police reported that on Monday morning Det. Rick Pintane and Det. Sgt. David McQueary interviewed Hernandez in the San Diego County Jail, and arranged for his transportation back to Ukiah in connection with no-bail warrant charges of murder, arson of an inhabited structure, first-degree robbery and first degree burglary.

Williamson, who had been staying at his parents’ Carolyn Drive home while they were out of state on vacation, was found dead after firefighters responded to a reported fire within the home just after 7 a.m. Aug. 2, 2000, according to police.

Police said the fire, which started in the home’s hallway, was believed to be started in an attempt to disguise the murder of Williamson.

Based on the investigation conducted by the Ukiah Police Department, a federal arrest warrant was issued in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California on Aug. 9, 2000, after investigators determined that Hernandez fled Ukiah, and a no-bail felony arrest warrant issued in Mendocino County for his arrest on Aug. 11, 2000, the agency reported.

The Mendocino County no-bail warrant was issued while working with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, charging Hernandez with suspicion of murder, arson of an inhabited structure, first-degree robbery and first degree burglary, police said.

Williamson, who was in recovery for drug addition, was trying to mentor other addicts including Jerred Hernandez. Investigators determined that Williamson died from severe blunt trauma to his head. Police said jewelry, credit cards and personal checks belonging to his parents were also stolen from the home.

Since August of 2000 the Ukiah Police Department has been attempting to locate and arrest Hernandez for these crimes. In 2010, Pintane, who helped with the initial investigation, was assigned as the lead detective in this case, the agency reported.

In 2012, Pintane obtained the assistance of the television show “America’s Most Wanted” to highlight the investigation and help seek leads from the public to help find Hernandez and bring him into custody.

Ukiah Police Department investigators have worked extensively with the Santa Rosa FBI Field Office, Sonoma County District Attorney Investigators, Mendocino County District Attorney Investigators, FBI San Francisco, Toronto Police Department, Michigan State Police Department, Burbank Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department in our attempt to locate Hernandez.

Hernandez’s arrest is the result of a joint collaboration by the Ukiah Police Department; FBI San Francisco; FBI San Diego and the Border Liaison Program; FBI Legal Attaché Mexico City; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California; and Policia Estatal Preventiva, Baja California State Police.

The Ukiah Police Department thanked all of the agencies who offered their assistance and resources to the investigation, giving special thanks to Santa Rosa FBI Supervisor Dale Dutton and Sonoma County District Attorney Investigator John McCutcheon for their tireless assistance in this investigation.

“We are extremely grateful of our partner agencies, especially the FBI and Mexico authorities that shared their information and limited resources to assist our department,” said Chief Dewey. “Our department is extremely lucky to have so many experienced and dedicated personnel. The department’s lead investigator, Rick Pintane, and the other detectives worked tirelessly on this investigation to bring Hernandez into custody to face these serious charges. As a police chief, I can’t be prouder of our department’s personnel and their commitment to make Ukiah safe.”

Anyone who observed, or has information about this investigation is asked to contact the Ukiah Police Department Detective Bureau at 707-463-6262.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – State and local firefighters responded to a small wildland fire reported along the Hopland Grade late Saturday night.

The fire was dispatched before 10 p.m., and was accessed from the 6100 block of Highway 175, near the top of the Hopland Grade on the Lake County side, according to radio traffic.

Cal Fire and Lakeport Fire personnel arriving at the scene found a fire that at that point was between an acre and an acre and a half in size, burning up a slope in heavy fuel and bumping up against the roadway, radio reports indicated.

The terrain was reported to be too steep for dozers, so two hand crews, along with four engines and a water tender handled the incident, according to reports from the scene. They were able to build line and put down hose around the fire’s perimeter.

All but one engine was released by 12:45 a.m., with that remaining Cal Fire engine patroling the fire area through the night, based on scanner reports.

A final size and cause were not immediately available.

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.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has provided scientists the first close-up, visible-light views of a behemoth hurricane swirling around Saturn’s north pole.

In high-resolution pictures and video, scientists see the hurricane’s eye is about 1,250 miles wide, 20 times larger than the average hurricane eye on Earth.

Thin, bright clouds at the outer edge of the hurricane are traveling 330 miles per hour. The hurricane swirls inside a large, mysterious, six-sided weather pattern known as the hexagon.

“We did a double take when we saw this vortex because it looks so much like a hurricane on Earth,” said Andrew Ingersoll, a Cassini imaging team member at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “But there it is at Saturn, on a much larger scale, and it is somehow getting by on the small amounts of water vapor in Saturn’s hydrogen atmosphere.”

Scientists will be studying the hurricane to gain insight into hurricanes on Earth, which feed off warm ocean water.

Although there is no body of water close to these clouds high in Saturn’s atmosphere, learning how these Saturnian storms use water vapor could tell scientists more about how terrestrial hurricanes are generated and sustained.

Both a terrestrial hurricane and Saturn’s north polar vortex have a central eye with no clouds or very low clouds. Other similar features include high clouds forming an eye wall, other high clouds spiraling around the eye, and a counter-clockwise spin in the northern hemisphere.

A major difference between the hurricanes is that the one on Saturn is much bigger than its counterparts on Earth and spins surprisingly fast.

At Saturn, the wind in the eye wall blows more than four times faster than hurricane-force winds on Earth. Unlike terrestrial hurricanes, which tend to move, the Saturnian hurricane is locked onto the planet’s north pole.

On Earth, hurricanes tend to drift northward because of the forces acting on the fast swirls of wind as the planet rotates. The one on Saturn does not drift and is already as far north as it can be.

“The polar hurricane has nowhere else to go, and that’s likely why it’s stuck at the pole,” said Kunio Sayanagi, a Cassini imaging team associate at Hampton University in Hampton, Va.

Scientists believe the massive storm has been churning for years. When Cassini arrived in the Saturn system in 2004, Saturn’s north pole was dark because the planet was in the middle of its north polar winter.

During that time, the Cassini spacecraft’s composite infrared spectrometer and visual and infrared mapping spectrometer detected a great vortex, but a visible-light view had to wait for the passing of the equinox in August 2009. Only then did sunlight begin flooding Saturn’s northern hemisphere.

The view required a change in the angle of Cassini’s orbits around Saturn so the spacecraft could see the poles.

“Such a stunning and mesmerizing view of the hurricane-like storm at the north pole is only possible because Cassini is on a sportier course, with orbits tilted to loop the spacecraft above and below Saturn’s equatorial plane,” said Scott Edgington, Cassini deputy project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “You cannot see the polar regions very well from an equatorial orbit. Observing the planet from different vantage points reveals more about the cloud layers that cover the entirety of the planet.”

Cassini changes its orbital inclination for such an observing campaign only once every few years. Because the spacecraft uses flybys of Saturn’s moon Titan to change the angle of its orbit, the inclined trajectories require attentive oversight from navigators.

The path requires careful planning years in advance and sticking very precisely to the planned itinerary to ensure enough propellant is available for the spacecraft to reach future planned orbits and encounters.

For more information about Cassini and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

A California Department of Public Health investigation has found that a reel containing images of 2,000 State of California Birth Records for 1974 was found in an unsecure location.

These birth certificates contain names, addresses, Social Security numbers and some medical information.

CDPH has no evidence that this incident has resulted in any unauthorized use of this information. CDPH continues to collaborate with the California Highway Patrol in this investigation.

You may be impacted if:

• You were born or are a parent of a child born in 1974, in May, June, July, August or September; and
• You were born or your child was born in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter or Tehama counties.

If you were not born or the parent of a child born during those five months in 1974 in one of the nine counties listed, your information was not on the film that was found.

“We regret that this information has been compromised,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH director and state health officer. “We take the breach of any personal information very seriously and are committed to improving our security systems.”

The CDPH Vital Records Issuance and Preservation Branch (VRIPB) maintains a permanent central registry of all birth, death, fetal death, stillbirth, marriage and dissolution records for vital events that occur in California.

If you were born in May, June, July, August or September of 1974 or were the parent of a child born during that time in any of the nine counties listed and have questions, please call 855-737-1796, between 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

CDPH is recommending those who believe their information may be contained on the film place a fraud alert on their accounts with the three major U.S. credit reporting agencies, get copies of their credit reports, and take other appropriate steps to monitor and protect their identities.

To obtain a free credit report, please go to www.annualcreditreport.com . Complete the annual credit report request form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. The toll free number is 877-322-8228.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Phil Myers, a Lakeport resident, carried the recommendation of Dr. Jay Nutt, a world-leading neurologist in Parkinson’s disease research, into his membership in the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

Based on what can be immediately surmised it was because Myers has an upbeat personality, excellent communications skills, a good comprehension of the disease … and Parkinson’s.

The recommendation by Dr. Nutt, who is associated with the Oregon Health and Science University, was proffered two years ago in the wake of the death of Myers’ wife, Jackie.

Jackie Myers was the victim of a very rare Parkinson’s-like condition referred to as PSP – progressive supranuclear palsy.

“We went to Oregon because other neurologists – including the Mayo Clinic – could not diagnose it,” said Phil Myers. “It’s like Parkinson’s, but it’s not. It usually takes people within six to eight years. Dr. Nutt diagnosed it in five minutes.”

The Oregon doctor apparently also saw something in Phil Myers that could turn the man’s tragedy into something far more positive.

“He felt that I was the kind of person who could work with individuals with Parkinson’s,” recalled Myers, who, at age 70, is a retired electrical engineer. “He put the recommendation in (to the PDF) and I was accepted and went to Chicago for a few days of training.”

Among Myers’ most important functions is to encourage people with Parkinson’s to participate in research.

“To do that well you have to know a lot about Parkinson’s,” he said.

Myers obviously does. Last month in Oregon he addressed the issue of clinical trials and why people with Parkinson’s should participate in a 20-minute turn at the rostrum of a Oregon Health and Science University symposium attended by 126 people.

Presently Myers is partnered with two other men, Bill Biggs and Charlie Lunt, in an effort to establish a Parkinson’s support group in Lake County.

“My job,” said Myers, “is to make sure that the patients and people with Parkinson’s hear about the research. So I think there is plenty of need for us to have a Parkinson’s support group, let whoever wants to come to it come and we’ll talk about the issues and what the different treatments are when you have Parkinson’s you feel a bit alone.”

One of the functions of the group sessions would be to help Parkinson’s victims get over the feeling of being so alone.

To ensure that Myers’ message is interpreted the way he intends, herewith is the text of an email he created.

“If you have Parkinson’s disease and would like to talk with others with the disease you may want to participate in a Parkinson’s Support Group. We would discuss symptoms, current treatments, ongoing research and helpful hints. If you are interested please contact either Bill Biggs at 707-279-8183 ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ); Phil Myers at 707-263-4624 ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or Charlie Lunt at 263-4939 ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). ‘Neurology Now’ says that every 10 minutes a new American is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”

Nationwide, it is estimated that a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease.

If anyone wants to dig deeper into research about Parkinson’s, Myers recommends contacting UCSF “which has a very good Parkinson’s center.”

To get more Parkinson’s patients to participate in clinical trials what needs to be done, he said, is to educate them to what the trials are all about and why they should be involved.

“ … And I think I participate better with people as opposed to have a doctor telling them this,” he said.

“The reasons people are reluctant to get involved in clinical trials are multiple,” Myers added. “One reason is that half of them are going to get the placebo and half are going to get the real drug. ‘What if I get the placebo? It will be a waste of time,’ they’ll say.

“Another reason is maybe they don’t even hear about the research because the doctor who has been treating them doesn’t want to get them involved with other doctors and maybe take them away as a patient. It’s the money angle. I hate it that they’re correct and a lot of that is happening,” he said.

If group sessions for people with Parkinson’s come to pass in Lake County, there is indeed much to talk about. One topic, the mortality rate.

“Very few people die from Parkinson’s,” said Myers. “They catch pneumonia or they fall and hit their heads. The disease causes a slowness in you but doesn’t (directly) cause death.”

The abiding concern of research into what causes Parkinson’s will continue to be talked about. Most often mentioned are the preponderance of head injuries, with Muhammad Ali as a prototype, but no clear-cut relationship exists.

A chemical cause also is being seriously studied. Extensive use of insecticides, defoliants and other sprays and a higher incidence of Parkinson’s has caused the agricultural Central California area to come under the microscope. But again, so far there’s nothing substantial to clearly make that link.

“There are several questions that are unanswered,” said Myers. “What is the best treatment? How do I evaluate the different treatments and decide which one to deal with? We need to get together once a month to talk about all this.”

Myers is optimistic that within the next decade a treatment for Parkinson’s will emerge that will stop the advancement of the disease, although not one to prevent its occurrence.

As to symptoms of his own Parkinson’s, he raises a slightly trembling right hand. Come what may, Myers is committed to a positive disposition.

Will his symptoms increase?

“Probably,” he replied without changing expression. “I may lose my ability to walk. That’s why I’m going out and talking to people now.”

So how can he remain so outwardly calm?

“Why not?” he asked. “Life is precious. It’s a gift. Enjoy it. There are bumps in the road, but a positive attitude can do a lot for you.”

Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

A significant portion of wealth transfers are lifetime transfers from parents to their children (or grandchildren) while the parents are still alive.

Let us examine why and how such transfers take place and what it means for those involved.

Often due to their immediate life circumstances adult children ask for a portion of their anticipated inheritance from their parents while they are still alive.

The children may need money to make a down payment on a home, to start a business, or to pay off their existing creditors.

Sometimes, parents agree and decide to help their children. Such help will either come as a loan or as a gift to the child. Each approach entails different income tax, estate planning, and future Medi-Cal eligibility outcomes.

For a loan to be respected for income tax purposes commercially reasonable interest must be paid. Otherwise, especially with intra family loans, the IRS may impose a reasonable interest rate or else find that a gift was made of the foregone interest not charged.

The interest paid (or imputed) is ordinary income to the parent/lender for income tax reporting purposes.

Depending on the purpose of the loan, the interest may or may not be a deductible expense on the child's income tax return.  

Other issues raised by parental loans are whether they are secured by deeds of trusts against real property owned by the children (in case of default) and whether any unpaid balance will be forgiven at the parent's death or else be deducted from the recipient's share of the parent's estate.

Any assets, including money, transferred as a gift will be considered should the parents later-on apply for Medi-Cal within Medi-Cal's look period.

Medi-Cal's present 30-month look back period will soon double to 60 months. Parents may not realize that their gifts to their children can later result in a period of denial of eligibility for Medi-Cal benefits down the road, such as when the parents go into a skilled nursing home.

Next, lifetime gifts and unpaid loans are factors to consider when doing one's estate planning.

For those parents who wish to treat all children equally, as is often the case, it will only make sense that any substantial lifetime gifts later count as advance distributions of inheritances when dividing the parent's estate. Otherwise, an equal division of what remains at death means that those children who received more gifts during life are favored in end.

This unevenness is entirely appropriate if that is what the parents choose. What is unfortunate is if ambiguity over the parent’s intentions exists because then the children may quarrel amongst themselves over whether or not the lifetime gifts should count as advances towards the gift recipient's share of the parent's estate.

To be sure, any existing divisions (faults) amongst the surviving children will get played out in such disputes after the parents die.

To resolve the outcome of such disputes, it may be helpful if the parents' estate plan expressly addresses the issue of whether lifetime gifts count as advances of inheritance.

The foregoing discussion shows why estate planning must consider the whole picture of the parents' lifetime relationship with each child.

What is not expressly addressed by the parents in life may later create problems amongst the surviving children who see things from their own vantage points. All the more reason to tie up any loose ends.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .