LAKEPORT, Calif. – After having a presence in Lakeport for decades, the Kmart store is slated for closure at the end of this year.

The closure announcement comes amidst news that dozens of other stores across the nation are being shuttered, weeks after another closure list had been released.

“After careful review, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close the Kmart store in Lakeport, Calif. The liquidation sale is expected to begin in mid-September and the store is planned to close by mid-December. We encourage customers to continue shopping on Kmart.com for all their product needs,” said a statement released to Lake County News by Larry Costello, public relations director for Sears Holdings Corp., Kmart’s parent company.

He confirmed that all employees had been informed of the plan but would not comment on how many employees work at the store, which city of Lakeport officials indicate is close to 100.

Costello would not offer further comment on a range of questions – from the reason for closing what is reputed to be one of the company’s best-performing stores to whether a smaller format “Home & Life” storefront might be placed in the building.

City officials said the 86,000 square foot building was built specifically for Kmart in the early 1990s. Previous to that, the store had been located in the building that now houses Bruno’s Shop Smart on Lakeport Boulevard.

On Aug. 6, Sears Holdings released a statement on its Web site that listed 26 large-format Sears and Kmart stores it planned to close across the nation in late October through mid-November. That list didn’t include Lakeport’s store.

That statement bore the name of “Transform Co.,” the company owned by Eddie Lampert, who formerly was majority owner of Sears Holdings. In February, a Lampert-owned hedge company, ESL Investments, closed the purchase of Sears Holdings, which at that time was reported to have just over 220 Sears stores and about 200 Kmart stores.

That number of Kmart stores is now expected to drop to just over 110; that’s compared to the company’s peak in 1994 of 2,486 stores – 2,323 in the United States, 127 in Canada and 36 in other areas – according to the company’s 1997 report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Transform Co.’s Aug. 6 store closure announcement states: “Over the past several months, we have worked hard to strengthen our vendor relationships, return our inventory levels to normal, and improve customer satisfaction and operations; however, we have faced a number of challenges returning our stores to sustainable levels of productivity, including differences with Sears Holdings over our purchase agreement and a generally weak retail environment. These challenges have unfortunately affected our performance and limited our strategic choices.

“After careful review of where we are today, we believe the right course for the company is to accelerate the expansion of our smaller store formats which includes opening additional Home & Life stores and adding several hundred Sears Hometown stores after the Sears Hometown and Outlet transaction closes. We have made the difficult but necessary decision to close 26 large-format Sears and Kmart stores in late October through mid-November. The Sears Auto Centers at any of these stores will close in late August. Liquidation sales at these stores are expected to begin around August 15. As we promised, all eligible associates will be offered the same number of weeks of severance as offered to employees of Sears Holdings Corporation prior to that company’s Chapter 11 filing in October 2018,” the statement read.

The company said it would “continue to evaluate our network of Sears and Kmart stores and cannot rule out additional store closures in the near term. Our goal remains to return the company to profitability and preserve as many jobs as possible in the communities we serve.”

Sometime in the weeks since that statement came out, Lakeport’s store – located at 2019 S. Main St. – came into the crosshairs after having survived numerous previous rounds of closures.

Recent hearings and documents in the voluminous bankruptcy filings in federal court also haven’t given a clear idea as to why it was decided to close the store.

Over the holiday weekend, the store appeared relatively busy. On the front glass doors are taped three pieces of paper, two of them informing customers – in English and Spanish – that effective immediately the store no longer offered Western Union, California Lottery tickets or Scratchers, new layaway orders, Coinstar, Bill Pay, purchase orders or 30-day orders.

A third notice stated, “Due to the store closing, this store will not be participating in the TV promotions, circulars, coupons, or mailers. Thank you.”

Inside, however, there are so far no signs that the store will close, with “blue light” specials listed and some back to school sales offered, but no liquidation announcements posted.

There already has been a contraction in what the store offers.

Over the past year, much of the store’s garden section offerings have been diminished, with the garden area on the side of the building now storing kayaks, tents and other recreational gear, with some plants on stands outside.

The amount of stock has been reduced and often there are long lines with few checkers.

The store has had other issues over the years as well.

In October 2017, the Lakeport Kmart pharmacy closed. The company did not report the reasons.

In January 2018, then-California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced a $1 million settlement with Kmart Corp. for alleged insurance fraud in California through prescription overbilling practices at Kmart pharmacies, which was part of a multimillion dollar national settlement alleging public and commercial insurance fraud through prescription over-billing practices.

That was followed in March 2018 by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District reporting that Kmart Corp. had paid $525,000 to settle False Claims Act allegations of improper Medi-cal billings that were not supported by applicable diagnosis.

That federal case was brought in 2015 in a whistleblower lawsuit by a former pharmacist in charge at the Lakeport Kmart pharmacy, Loyd Schmuckley Jr.

A top sales generator

Despite the Lakeport Kmart store’s woes, it has remained a critical sales tax generator for the city of Lakeport.

While sales tax numbers for companies are confidential information, Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said Kmart is in the top 10 sales tax generating businesses in the city.

Ingram said the city received no formal notification from Kmart or its parent company about the plans to close the store.

“We’ve heard these rumors forever,” he said, so it came as a surprise when it was confirmed.

Both Ingram and Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, whose department has been headquartered next to Kmart since late 2016, have interacted with Kmart management and said they were told that the Lakeport store was among the top 25 performing stores in the country.

Rasmussen said the city has had a good relationship with the store and its manager who had taken over within the last year. He said the manager has done a lot of community outreach, including sponsoring the city’s August National Night Out event, donating prizes and 80 pizzas from the Little Caesar’s restaurant inside the store.

In addition, Rasmussen said the Lakeport Police Department has also had a great relationship with Kmart’s loss prevention staff in dealing with shoplifting issues.

While big box stores have been the source of large amounts of crime in some areas, Rasmussen said that Kmart – which is in the top three businesses in the city for shoplifting calls – hasn’t presented a major crime problem for the city of Lakeport.

His staff ran statistics from Jan. 1, 2014, through Friday, and Rasmussen said the store was the focus of approximately 926 calls – ranging from shoplifting to general services, medical aids, suspicious circumstances, case followup and traffic stops – during that time period.

That breaks down to 248 in 2014, 160 in 2015, 179 in 2016, 139 in 2017, 135 in 2018 and 93 calls year to date. For context, the Lakeport Police Department averages about 9,000 incidents per year.

“It’s disappointing to see it or any business close because it’s going to have an economic impact on the city,” said Rasmussen.

The significant amount of sales tax revenue the store generates goes into the city’s general fund, and Rasmussen said the general fund is the source of 99 percent of the police department budget.

Rasmussen said that it was his understanding that the manager herself had no idea the store was to be closed until a short time ago.

Next steps

“I would like to see something significant go into that location so we don't have it sitting vacant,” Rasmussen said of the Kmart storefront.

That’s the overall goal of the city, said Ingram, noting Kmart already was a priority concern for the city and now it’s a bigger one.

Company officials so far have not made any statements about plans for the Kmart building itself. Ingram said said the company owns the building, which is held by Lany Lakeport LP, a California limited partnership which filed its registration with the California Secretary of State’s Office in June 2004.

Richard Ridloff, who signed the registration paperwork, is owner of The Richardson Co. Ingram said the city’s correspondence with Lany Lakeport LP has been directed to a New York address, in care of the Richardson Co.

County records show that the Board of Supervisors, at Lany Lakeport’s request in late 2012, approved reducing the tax assessment for the building and property from $6,979,976 to $5,890,000 for the 2010 tax year and from $7,032,534 to $5,890,000, for the 2011 tax year.

The city already is poised to address the situation with the store’s closing, having hired The Retail Coach in July to work on recruiting new retailers to the city in an effort to address the retail “leakage” – in which residents travel to other communities or out of county to shop – impacting local revenues, as Lake County News has reported.

“This was one of the reasons we brought Retail Coach on in the first place, we were concerned it was a possibility,” Ingram said of the Kmart closure.

In addition to retail attraction, Ingram said one of the reasons the city went with The Retail Coach was because of its experiencing strengthening existing businesses.

He said Austin Farmer, the project manager with The Retail Coach who is working with the city, already is taking the initiative to look at how to address the loss of Kmart.

Ingram said that, later this month, Farmer is attending the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Western Conference in Los Angeles, a smaller regional version of a national retailers conference, to do outreach for the city.

Ingram said he thinks the city has the pieces in place to quickly bring in new retailers.

However, anticipating the loss of sales tax to the city in the short-term, Ingram added, “It’s going to probably hurt for a little bit.”

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.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Be sure to put Saturday, Sept. 14 on your calendar to attend “Music at the Marsh,” an afternoon of acoustic music and fun planned at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, located on Highway 53 between Lower Lake and Clearlake, with music starting at noon and lasting until 5 p.m.

The event is a benefit for Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, or AMIA, the all-volunteer nonprofit organization that helps support the State Park.

Featured will be local musicians who are all donating their time and talent to support the Park, and all proceeds from the event will benefit AMIA.

Before the music starts, there will also be a Guided Nature Walk beginning at 8:30 a.m., followed by a tour of the historic Anderson Ranch House.

Both the walk and tour are free of charge and will be led by a State Park volunteer. Everyone is encouraged to come and enjoy the guided walk and tour, and then to stay to hear some wonderful music which starts at noon.

Admission to the afternoon of music is $20, and children under 10 are free.

Beer, wine, food and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Seating is very limited, so attendees are asked to please bring their own folding chairs. No dogs or other pets please.

The music and entertainment lineup includes Summit Singers, the Konocti Fiddle Club, Dave Hooper, Angle of Repose, Ely Fiddlers, Sheridan Malone, Clear Lake Clikkers and Uncorked. The popular Burt Hutt will lend his talents as master of ceremonies.

Advance tickets are available online at www.andersonmarsh.org , and are also available at Watershed Books in Lakeport and Catfish Coffeehouse in Clearlake. Tickets will also be available the day of the event at the gate.

For information about the event, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., go to www.andersonmarsh.org and watch for frequent Facebook updates. Come out and support your local State Park and enjoy a fun morning and afternoon at “Music at the Marsh!”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has two kittens cleared this week for new homes.

The following kittens at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a buff coat and gold eyes.

He is in cat room kennel No. 39a, ID No. 12669.

Domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has an orange tabby coat.

He is in cat room kennel No. 39e, ID No. 12680.

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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.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.

 

Although Jeffrey Epstein, who died on Aug. 10, may be the current face of sex trafficking, buying and selling youth and adults for sex is a more common practice for everyday people in the U.S., mostly men.

Experts have a term for what Epstein is accused of doing: sex trafficking.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, passed in 2000, defined a sex trafficking victim as any adult involved in a commercial sex act that was induced by force, fraud or coercion or in which the person induced has not yet reached the age of 18.

The federal government and advocates refer to human trafficking generally as modern-day slavery.

I have spent the last 25 years studying sex trafficking. Because the idea of “freedom” is deeply rooted in the American dream, I believe that this population deserves more of the public’s attention.

Who purchases sex?

Human trafficking is a business with supply and demand: The supply is the victims, and the demand is the customers.

But who are the customers?

When it comes to youth, it’s a myth that the creepy pervert living under the bridge is buying our youth for sex. “John” is employed and living next door to you.

The most common procurers of sexual services are employed men with enough disposable income to engage in these activities, which typically cost from US$15 to over $1,000.

In 2014, the Urban Institute, a D.C. think tank, studied the underground illegal commercial sex trade across seven cities. They estimated that, in 2007, customers in these cities spent between $39.9 million and $290 million on sexual activities. In those cities, customers handed each trafficker between $12,000 and $32,833 per week.

One review of 21 studies estimated that 15% to 20% of American men had purchased sex at least once. It’s difficult to ascertain the number of victims customers purchased for sex or how many knew they purchased sex trafficking victims.

Comparing men arrested for buying sex with a nationally representative sample of men, one study found that men who purchased sex were more likely to be educated. They were also slightly more likely not to be married.

More specifically, my team conducted a study of 115 women in Ohio that had previously been child sex trafficking victims and 43 who were current adult sex trafficking victims.

We identified their customers as being male drug dealers, members of law enforcement, lawyers, construction workers, truckers, businessmen, social workers, pastors, city employees and more.

Purchasing sex online has also become big business. In a study across 15 metropolitan cities, on average, 1 out of every 20 males over the age of 18 found a sex ad and engaged by texting or calling to arrange an encounter.

Reframing sex traffickers and customers

In movies like the blockbuster “Taken,” family man and retired CIA agent Liam Neeson reluctantly allows his daughter to take a trip out of the country, where she is ultimately trafficked into the sex trade.

The movie perpetuates the idea that the biggest risk for the trafficking of our daughters is in sending them abroad, like Neeson’s character did in the movie.

In reality, because of U.S. purchasing power and demand for sexual services, the risk is right here. Many U.S. victims of sex trafficking are trafficking right here in the U.S.

American youth who are successfully trafficked often come from a history of abuse or have run away from home.

Since the passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, the U.S. has made progress in fighting sex trafficking. Both the federal government and states have passed laws that shift the blame away from vulnerable youth and adults onto traffickers and customers and attach stiff penalties for sex trafficking crimes.

As part of that progress, the language surrounding these crimes has changed. Anti-trafficking advocates no longer call victims “juvenile prostitutes,” but victims of commercial sexual exploitation or sex trafficking victims. Social services organizations treat them like children in need of care, as dictated by safe harbor laws passed across states. Anti-trafficking advocates and law enforcement no longer call the men that sell children “pimps,” but “traffickers.”

But I think that the public view on sex trafficking, particularly of youth, has yet to catch up. Many Americans still call men that purchase sex with youth “johns.” In reality, they are “child molesters” or “sexual predators.”

At the moment, the public has fixated its hatred of sex trafficking onto one man, Epstein, who purchased and used minors for sex.

In my view, focusing on Epstein is a disservice to the countless victims of sex trafficking. There are many more men in U.S. cities and towns whose victims are still waiting for justice.

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Celia Williamson, Executive Director of Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute, University of Toledo

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 2019 Lake County winegrape harvest is under way and growers in the high-elevation winegrowing region are once again pleased with this year’s growing conditions and optimistic about the grape quality.

Many of the region’s growers and vineyard managers are anticipating an earlier-than-normal harvest, which was unexpected given the region’s wet spring and relatively cool early season temperatures. However, by midseason, more normal temperatures prevailed, making for consistent, and in some cases, even early ripening.

“It’s been a really beautiful growing season,” said Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission. “After a cool start, Lake County has had moderately warm, clear days throughout the summer along with its typical elevation-induced nighttime cooling. Growers couldn’t have been more pleased.”

While a few vineyard owners started picking late week before last, harvest is steadily getting under way this week with the region’s flagship white varietal – Sauvignon Blanc – being picked in many growing areas.

In the region’s Big Valley District AVA in Kelseyville, Dancing Crow Vineyard was one of the first to harvest its Sauvignon Blanc on Monday night.

“The late season rains have produced excellent vine growth with fairly loose clusters that have sized nicely,” said David DeSante, winemaker for Dancing Crow Vineyards. “The whites are coming on fast due to this hot snap. Flavors are superb.”

After having walked vineyards throughout Big Valley and Kelsey Bench with their viticulturist David Weiss, owner of Bella Vista Farming Co., DeSante said, “We are convinced that this may be our best vintage yet.”

DeSante said they measured sugars at 21.5 Brix and pH around 3.25, which is “perfect for the crisp, aromatic style of white wine that we love.”

“Up until recently, it’s been a pretty cool season, which has promoted earlier fruit maturation,” said Clay Shannon, owner of Shannon Ridge Family of Wines. Shannon Ridge started picking Sauvignon Blanc grapes on Sunday in the High Valley AVA and in Long Valley, both located in the northeastern portion of Lake County.

“Bud break was late, and we had late rains,” Shannon said. “We had a good rain season. Our wells are recharged, our springs are running strong.”

He indicated the vines look good, with low pest pressure and no mildew issues.

The late start in the spring had many Lake County growers anticipating a later-than-normal harvest, but the consistent warmer midsummer temperatures have encouraged steady ripening and the fruit is now near average maturity, and in some locations, even a bit early.

“Several growers have noted that it could be a somewhat compressed harvest with different varieties coming on at the same time,” Sommerfield said. “This could present a challenge, but at this point, they seem confident they have the necessary labor.”

In terms of yield, some growers have reported a lower-than-average Sauvignon Blanc crop with a few estimating approximately 55 to 60 percent of normal, according to Sommerfield. Yield estimates for reds range from normal to slightly lower than normal, she said.

Brassfield Estate Winery, also in the High Valley AVA, started picking their rosé varietals – Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Pinot Noir – on Tuesday.

“We will get into Sauvignon Blanc at the end of the week,” said Jonathan Walters, Brassfield’s director of farming. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we are into early hillside reds by next week.”

This estimate for kicking off harvest for the region’s bold reds was echoed by other Cabernet Sauvignon producers across the region who are gauging harvest to be anywhere from one to two weeks early.

“Budbreak was two weeks later than historical average, bloom was 10 days later than average, fruit-set was on average, and veraison was one week early in most blocks,” said Clint Nelson, vineyard manager at Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills. “This is abnormal to say the least, to have an early harvest after experiencing such a cold and wet winter, which significantly delayed budburst. Now it appears sugars are escalating quickly, potentially driven by a lighter than average crop-load.”

Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills was set to begin its first pick of the year on Wednesday night with Sauvignon Blanc at approximately 22.5 Brix.

As for reds, Nelson said the condensed growing season has caused most of their blocks to be pegged at the same rate of maturation, and for a farming operation that has 97 percent of its crop dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, that can lead to a “hectic harvest.”

Nelson said the turbulent weather seen in parts of the Red Hills at bloom significantly impacted yields, which are estimated to be lower than average, but the mild summer and strong diurnal shifts have created ideal conditions for ultra-premium cabernet.

“This may be one of the greatest ‘quality’ years in recent memory,” Nelson said.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will consider an updated contract for the City Hall upgrades when it meets this week.

The council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

At the start of the meeting, a proclamation will be read declaring September 2019 to be Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the city of Lakeport.

The main item on the agenda is a proposed amendment to the construction contract with Bridges Construction for the City Hall Remodel Project.

City Manager Margaret Silveira’s report to the council explains that the amended construction contract will include mandatory federal language and a contract change order for $3,900 to cover the additional administrative time relating to the federal requirements.

Silveira said the project is to provide Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access to the City Hall Administration and Finance Department payment counter, remodeled office space for the planning department and additional storage for the council chambers.

Bridges Construction amended its original bid from $235,610 to $187,860, largely relating to changing the construction work from night work to daytime work, Silveira said.

Silveira said the project is now funded partially by federal Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, monies, which include additional administrative requirements from the contractor. “The funding came through after the contract was awarded. Therefore, a contract amendment is needed to include the mandatory federal language. A contract change order is warranted to compensate the contractor for additional administrative requirements that come with the CDBG
Funding.”

She said the construction is expected to start this month.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Aug. 20; the Aug. 23 warrant register; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; approval of event application 2019-025, with staff recommendations, for the 2019 Clear Lake High School Homecoming Parade.

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.

090319 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd