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NICE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol is investigating a Monday night crash that resulted in a motorcyclist’s death, and officers are seeking information on a vehicle that was reported to have left the scene.
The crash occurred at 11:35 p.m. Monday on Highway 20 east of Pomo Way near Nice, according to the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.
Josh Anthony Calderon, 29, of Santa Paula, who also recently was living in Nice, died in the wreck, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The CHP said Calderon was riding a black 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Highway 20 at an unknown speed.
According to the report, the motorcycle laid down on its left side and began to slide in a westerly direction, ejecting Calderon, who came to a stop in the center of the roadway, straddling the double yellow lines.
The motorcycle continued to slide to its place of rest, partially on the north shoulder of Highway 20 with its headlights still on, the CHP said.
The CHP said 28-year-old Cynthia Pacheco of Nice was driving a gold 2002 Chrysler Sebring eastbound on Highway 20, east of Pomo Way, at approximately 45 miles per hour.
Pacheco saw the Harley Davidson on the shoulder and then, at the last moment, saw Calderon lying partially in the eastbound lane, directly in her vehicle’s path of travel. The CHP said Pacheco was unable to react in time and the left front of her vehicle drove over Calderon.
The CHP said Pacheco stopped on the shoulder and then returned to the scene. While Pacheco was turning around, a second vehicle was traveling westbound on Highway 20 and also ran over Calderon. The second vehicle continued to drive westbound on Highway 20 and did not return to the scene.
Calderon died of his injuries at the scene and was transported to Chapel of Lakes Mortuary, the CHP said.
The CHP said it’s so far unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor for Calderon.
Anyone with information related to the second unknown vehicle that ran over Calderon is asked to contact Officer Wade at the Kelseyville CHP Office at 707-279-0103.
The crash occurred at 11:35 p.m. Monday on Highway 20 east of Pomo Way near Nice, according to the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.
Josh Anthony Calderon, 29, of Santa Paula, who also recently was living in Nice, died in the wreck, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The CHP said Calderon was riding a black 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Highway 20 at an unknown speed.
According to the report, the motorcycle laid down on its left side and began to slide in a westerly direction, ejecting Calderon, who came to a stop in the center of the roadway, straddling the double yellow lines.
The motorcycle continued to slide to its place of rest, partially on the north shoulder of Highway 20 with its headlights still on, the CHP said.
The CHP said 28-year-old Cynthia Pacheco of Nice was driving a gold 2002 Chrysler Sebring eastbound on Highway 20, east of Pomo Way, at approximately 45 miles per hour.
Pacheco saw the Harley Davidson on the shoulder and then, at the last moment, saw Calderon lying partially in the eastbound lane, directly in her vehicle’s path of travel. The CHP said Pacheco was unable to react in time and the left front of her vehicle drove over Calderon.
The CHP said Pacheco stopped on the shoulder and then returned to the scene. While Pacheco was turning around, a second vehicle was traveling westbound on Highway 20 and also ran over Calderon. The second vehicle continued to drive westbound on Highway 20 and did not return to the scene.
Calderon died of his injuries at the scene and was transported to Chapel of Lakes Mortuary, the CHP said.
The CHP said it’s so far unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor for Calderon.
Anyone with information related to the second unknown vehicle that ran over Calderon is asked to contact Officer Wade at the Kelseyville CHP Office at 707-279-0103.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Two Kelseyville men believed to be associated with a criminal street gang are the suspects in a Sunday night shooting in Kelseyville, authorities said Tuesday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking Sergio Alberto Fuentes, 23, who is believed to have committed the shooting, along with Juan Manuel Renteria, 29, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday at 6:15 p.m., Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 6300 block of Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville for a reported shooting, Paulich said.
When deputies arrived they located a male victim who had an apparent gunshot wound to his leg. Paulich said the victim was receiving treatment from bystanders.
Deputies spoke to the victim and witnesses in the area. They learned that the victim and two of his friends were confronted by two other male subjects who were associated with two dark-colored sedans, Paulich said.
The suspects began to physically assault the victim, with one of the suspects eventually shooting the victim in the upper thigh area of his leg. The suspects then fled the area in the dark sedans, according to Paulich.
Paulich said the victim was treated and later flown to an out-of-county hospital, where he remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit responded to assist with the investigation and identified the shooting suspect as Fuentes, with Renteria as the second suspect who accompanied him. Both are believed to be associated with a criminal street gang, Paulich said.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation or the whereabouts of Fuentes or Renteria are asked to contact Detective Jerry Pfann at 707-262-4236 or the Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A black bear that had made its way into a Lakeport neighborhood on Monday morning was safely tranquilized and moved out of the city later in the day.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said his department began receiving calls just before 11 a.m. Monday about the bear, which had appeared in the area of N. Main Street and Rose Avenue, prompting police to urge residents to stay indoors.
Lakeport resident Judy Conard posted a video on Facebook of the bear walking by her yard. The animal looked around then ambled into some bushes, not coming near any people.
Rasmussen said his police officers and Fish and Wildlife responded right away.
“He was not aggressive or any kind of a danger. He was not acting that way at all,” Rasmussen said of the bear.
The bear headed into some brush near a beach area on the lake, “and we were hoping that he would stay there,” said Rasmussen.
Police subsequently expanded the advisory for residents to stay indoors in the area of N. Main Street between Clearlake Avenue and 16th Street and Rose and Clearlake Avenues between N. Main Street and the lake, where streets also were closed down.
Rasmussen, who was at the scene throughout the day, said officers watched the area and called out Lakeport Public Works to help with closing the streets and setting up a perimeter in case the bear ran. The Lakeport Fire Protection District also was on the scene at one point.
A number of people showed up trying to see the bear after the Nixle alert went out about it, Rasmussen said.
The goal was to tranquilize the bear and relocate it. “The tranquilizer gun had to come from Mendocino County because that’s where the warden was that had it,” Rasmussen said.
Responding to offer assistance were veterinarians Dr. Chris Holmes and Dr. Susan Cannon from Wasson Memorial Veterinary Clinic, bringing with them extra tranquilizer medication, Rasmussen said.
While they waited for the warden and tranquilizer gun, Rasmussen said they tried not to spook the bear.
He said the bear then went up a tree. “He moved around a little bit up there.”
That led to the officers having to figure out how to get the bear down safely after he was tranquilized, Rasmussen said.
Wildlife Officer Brenden Bullard said the proper term for the operation was “chemical immobilization.”
He said they used Telazol – described as a fast-acting anesthetic – which Bullard said is commonly used both by veterinarians and Fish and Wildlife officers.
Bullard said it’s safe and temporary, and puts the animal under while still breathing on its own.
Rasmussen said the bear was shot with a chemical dart and ended up backing down the tree most of the way after he was hit, clawing his way down the last portion of the way.
Police issued an all-clear advisory that the bear had been captured and streets were reopened shortly after 4 p.m.
The male black bear – which has a light brown coat – is believed to be a younger bear, although Rasmussen said it was hard to conclude on an exact age. Rasmussen estimated the bear weighed about 200 pounds.
“He appeared to be a very healthy bear,” Rasmussen said.
He added, “Nobody knows at all why or how he wandered into town. It’s really hard to say.”
Rasmussen guessed that the bear came from across the freeway where there is more wildland area.
While much of that area was burned in last year’s Mendocino Complex, Rasmussen said there is still habitat where the bear could have been living.
Once the officers had immobilized the bear, Bullard said they had a 45-minute to one-hour window to relocate it.
“We ended up relocating it out to South Cow Mountain,” Bullard said.
“Everything went well,” Bullard said, explaining that all of the bear’s vitals – including temperature and heart rate – were well within the healthy range for release.
“It went off on its own,” he said.
Bullard said that, hopefully, the bear won’t make its way back into the city.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that the state’s black bear population has increased by about 100 percent since the early 1980s, with the statewide population now estimated to be as high as 40,000 animals.
Wildlife officials report there are two subspecies of black bear in California – the northwestern black bear and the California black bear, which “are thought to be geographically distinguished by the crest of the Klamath Mountains.”
Biologists also differentiate three regional black bear subpopulations in California, which the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identified as North Coast/Cascade, Sierra and Central Western/Southwestern.
The North Coast/Cascade area includes Lake County, covering the area north and west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
“Roughly half of the statewide black bear population resides in this portion of the state,” according to the state’s black bear management plan.
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NICE, Calif. – A crash involving a motorcycle and at least one other vehicle on Highway 20 late Monday resulted in a fatality.
The crash was reported just before 11:40 p.m. Monday on Highway 20 near the Pomo Pumps gas station just west of Nice, according to the fire dispatch and initial California Highway Patrol reports.
Radio reports originally stated that the wreck involved a motorcycle and a pedestrian, with followup reports from the scene stating that it involved a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Chrysler vehicle. A later update indicated a third vehicle may have been involved.
A Northshore Fire battalion chief who arrived on scene a short time after dispatch reported that one person was down in the roadway and appeared to be deceased, which the CHP confirmed a short time later.
Both lanes of the highway were temporarily closed while first responders were at the scene and in order for the CHP to conduct its crash investigation, according to radio reports. The roadway was reported to be reopened shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Separate tow trucks were requested for both the vehicle and the motorcycle.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The crash was reported just before 11:40 p.m. Monday on Highway 20 near the Pomo Pumps gas station just west of Nice, according to the fire dispatch and initial California Highway Patrol reports.
Radio reports originally stated that the wreck involved a motorcycle and a pedestrian, with followup reports from the scene stating that it involved a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Chrysler vehicle. A later update indicated a third vehicle may have been involved.
A Northshore Fire battalion chief who arrived on scene a short time after dispatch reported that one person was down in the roadway and appeared to be deceased, which the CHP confirmed a short time later.
Both lanes of the highway were temporarily closed while first responders were at the scene and in order for the CHP to conduct its crash investigation, according to radio reports. The roadway was reported to be reopened shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Separate tow trucks were requested for both the vehicle and the motorcycle.
Additional information will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Sunday night shooting in the Kelseyville area that left a male subject critically injured.
Kelseyville Fire Protection District personnel were dispatched to the 6300 block of Soda Bay Road at around 6:20 p.m. Sunday on the report of a gunshot wound, according to scanner traffic.
Due to concerns that the assailant was still in the area, firefighters staged at Clear Lake State Park for more than 10 minutes while law enforcement cleared the scene for them to go in.
Lt. Corey Paulich said the male victim was walking on Soda Bay Road near the Soda Bay Market with a couple of friends when they were confronted by two other males.
Paulich said the victim was shot in the leg by one of the other males.
Radio reports stated that an air ambulance responded to a landing zone at Clear Lake State Park to transport the shooting victim to an out-of-county trauma center.
Paulich said the victim is in critical condition.
Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Division detectives responded, and the investigation is continuing, Paulich said.
Paulich said that the male subject responsible for committing the shooting has so far not been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Jerry Pfann at 707-262-4236.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Kelseyville Fire Protection District personnel were dispatched to the 6300 block of Soda Bay Road at around 6:20 p.m. Sunday on the report of a gunshot wound, according to scanner traffic.
Due to concerns that the assailant was still in the area, firefighters staged at Clear Lake State Park for more than 10 minutes while law enforcement cleared the scene for them to go in.
Lt. Corey Paulich said the male victim was walking on Soda Bay Road near the Soda Bay Market with a couple of friends when they were confronted by two other males.
Paulich said the victim was shot in the leg by one of the other males.
Radio reports stated that an air ambulance responded to a landing zone at Clear Lake State Park to transport the shooting victim to an out-of-county trauma center.
Paulich said the victim is in critical condition.
Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Division detectives responded, and the investigation is continuing, Paulich said.
Paulich said that the male subject responsible for committing the shooting has so far not been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Jerry Pfann at 707-262-4236.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County had a significant improvement in its unemployment rate in April, with the nationwide jobless rate also improving and the state rate remaining flat.
The California Employment Development Department said that Lake County’s April unemployment was 5.1 percent, down from 6.2 percent in March and an improvement on the year-ago rate, which was 5.3 percent
California’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent for the second month in a row. The state’s April 2018 rate also was 4.3 percent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nationwide unemployment dropped to 3.6 percent in April from 3.8 percent in March, and 3.9 percent in April 2018. The nation’s employers added 263,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April.
Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, the April nationwide jobless rate is the lowest since December 1969.
In looking at Lake County’s labor market statistics for April, data from the Employment Development Department shows that the civilian labor force totaled 28,880 individuals in that month, down from 29,500 in March and 28,970 in April 2018.
There were 1,460 unemployed county residents in April, compared to 1,840 in March and 1,540 the previous April, the data shows.
In industries and subcategories showing growth, state government showed an increase 11.8 percent, followed by mining, logging and construction at 3.8 percent, total farm at 3.1 percent and goods producing at 2.6 percent.
Losses were shown in local government, -0.7 percent; educational and health services, -0.4 percent; and state government, -0.2 percent.
In April, Lake County’s unemployment rate earned it a statewide ranking of No. 34.
Neighboring county jobless rates and rankings in April are as follows: Colusa, 15.7 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 6.6 percent, No. 44; Mendocino, 4.1 percent, No. 29; Napa, 2.7 percent, No. 8; Sonoma, 2.6 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 4.0 percent, No. 26, the report said.
California’s job picture
The Employment Development Department said the state’s employers added 46,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, with California having gained a total of 3,213,900 jobs since the economic
expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,403,500 in April, according to a survey of 80,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change from April 2018 to April 2019 shows an increase of 271,600 jobs, up 1.6 percent.
A federal household survey of 5,100 California households shows a decrease in the number of employed Californians over the month. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 18,692,000, a decrease of 50,000 from March and up 195,000 from the employment total in April of last year.
The state said the number of unemployed Californians was 835,000 in April – a decrease of 3,000 over the month and up by 8,000 compared with April of last year.
The Employment Development Department’s employment report – which covers wage and salary jobs in the nonfarm industries of California – said jobs totaled 17,403,500 in April, a net gain of 46,000 jobs from March. That followed a revised gain of 28,500 jobs in March.
Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 46,800 jobs in April. The Employment Development Department said educational and health services reported the largest increase with a gain of 17,300 jobs followed by leisure and hospitality which had a gain of 12,100 jobs.
Other sectors adding jobs over the month were professional and business services, government, construction, other services, financial activities, manufacturing, and the trade, transportation and utilities industry sector, the state said.
As for month-over job losses, two of California industries reported job losses over the month. Information reported the largest decrease with a loss of 600 jobs while mining and logging had
a loss of 200 jobs.
In the case of job gains, in a year-over-year comparison – April 2018 to April 2019 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 271,600 jobs, a 1.6 percent increase, the Employment Development Department reported.
The agency said 10 of California’s eleven industry sectors added a total of 274,300 jobs over the year.
The largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 78,800, or 2.9 percent, and professional and business services, up 66,900 jobs, a 2.5-percent increase, the state said.
Other sectors adding jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality, government, construction, information, manufacturing, other services, trade, transportation and utilities, and mining and logging, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said year-over job losses were recorded in just one industry – financial activities, with a job loss of 2,700.
The Employment Development Department said there were 364,431 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the April survey week. That’s compared with 387,767 in March and 390,362 in April of last year.
The report said new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 44,031 in April, compared with 39,965 in March and 40,848 in April of last year.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The California Employment Development Department said that Lake County’s April unemployment was 5.1 percent, down from 6.2 percent in March and an improvement on the year-ago rate, which was 5.3 percent
California’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent for the second month in a row. The state’s April 2018 rate also was 4.3 percent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nationwide unemployment dropped to 3.6 percent in April from 3.8 percent in March, and 3.9 percent in April 2018. The nation’s employers added 263,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April.
Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, the April nationwide jobless rate is the lowest since December 1969.
In looking at Lake County’s labor market statistics for April, data from the Employment Development Department shows that the civilian labor force totaled 28,880 individuals in that month, down from 29,500 in March and 28,970 in April 2018.
There were 1,460 unemployed county residents in April, compared to 1,840 in March and 1,540 the previous April, the data shows.
In industries and subcategories showing growth, state government showed an increase 11.8 percent, followed by mining, logging and construction at 3.8 percent, total farm at 3.1 percent and goods producing at 2.6 percent.
Losses were shown in local government, -0.7 percent; educational and health services, -0.4 percent; and state government, -0.2 percent.
In April, Lake County’s unemployment rate earned it a statewide ranking of No. 34.
Neighboring county jobless rates and rankings in April are as follows: Colusa, 15.7 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 6.6 percent, No. 44; Mendocino, 4.1 percent, No. 29; Napa, 2.7 percent, No. 8; Sonoma, 2.6 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 4.0 percent, No. 26, the report said.
California’s job picture
The Employment Development Department said the state’s employers added 46,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, with California having gained a total of 3,213,900 jobs since the economic
expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 17,403,500 in April, according to a survey of 80,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change from April 2018 to April 2019 shows an increase of 271,600 jobs, up 1.6 percent.
A federal household survey of 5,100 California households shows a decrease in the number of employed Californians over the month. It estimates the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 18,692,000, a decrease of 50,000 from March and up 195,000 from the employment total in April of last year.
The state said the number of unemployed Californians was 835,000 in April – a decrease of 3,000 over the month and up by 8,000 compared with April of last year.
The Employment Development Department’s employment report – which covers wage and salary jobs in the nonfarm industries of California – said jobs totaled 17,403,500 in April, a net gain of 46,000 jobs from March. That followed a revised gain of 28,500 jobs in March.
Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 46,800 jobs in April. The Employment Development Department said educational and health services reported the largest increase with a gain of 17,300 jobs followed by leisure and hospitality which had a gain of 12,100 jobs.
Other sectors adding jobs over the month were professional and business services, government, construction, other services, financial activities, manufacturing, and the trade, transportation and utilities industry sector, the state said.
As for month-over job losses, two of California industries reported job losses over the month. Information reported the largest decrease with a loss of 600 jobs while mining and logging had
a loss of 200 jobs.
In the case of job gains, in a year-over-year comparison – April 2018 to April 2019 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 271,600 jobs, a 1.6 percent increase, the Employment Development Department reported.
The agency said 10 of California’s eleven industry sectors added a total of 274,300 jobs over the year.
The largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 78,800, or 2.9 percent, and professional and business services, up 66,900 jobs, a 2.5-percent increase, the state said.
Other sectors adding jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality, government, construction, information, manufacturing, other services, trade, transportation and utilities, and mining and logging, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department said year-over job losses were recorded in just one industry – financial activities, with a job loss of 2,700.
The Employment Development Department said there were 364,431 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the April survey week. That’s compared with 387,767 in March and 390,362 in April of last year.
The report said new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 44,031 in April, compared with 39,965 in March and 40,848 in April of last year.
Email Elizabeth Larson at