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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol arrested an unlicensed Clearlake teenager who led an officer on a high speed chase, hit another driver head-on and rammed the officer’s patrol car with his vehicle.
Dain Matthew Beck, 19, was taken into custody following the pursuit on Monday evening, according to a report from the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.
On Monday at 6:28 p.m., CHP Officer Brian Hanson stopped his patrol vehicle at the intersection of Olympic Drive at Old Highway 53, next to a teal blue Scion TC, driven by Beck, the CHP said.
The CHP report said Beck rapidly accelerated as he turned to the left onto Old Highway 53 toward Austin Drive.
Officer Hanson pursued the vehicle for a suspected violation of exhibition of speed. The CHP said Hanson activated his patrol vehicle’s code three lights in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop.
It became immediately apparent to Hanson that Beck did not intend to yield to the patrol vehicle lights and so the CHP said Hanson activated his patrol vehicle's siren.
Beck attempted to turn right onto Austin Drive but due to his excessive speed he went wide into the eastbound lane of Austin Drive and collided head-on with another vehicle, the CHP said.
Officer Hanson stopped his patrol vehicle to the rear of the Scion and began to exit his patrol vehicle. The CHP said Beck reversed his vehicle, ramming Officer Hanson's patrol vehicle, then fled back southbound on Old Highway 53.
The CHP said Officer Hanson pursued Beck onto Old Highway 53 where, seconds later, Beck mis-negotiated the curve in the roadway, just west of Davis Avenue. The Scion ran off the road, traveled up the embankment and overturned onto its side.
Officer Hanson ordered Beck out of the vehicle and placed him under arrest without further incident, the CHP said.
Beck was booked into the Lake County Jail on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and evading a peace officer with disregard for public safety, and misdemeanors of hit and run causing property damage and driving without a license. His bail was set at $50,000, according to his booking sheet.
Jail records showed he remained in custody early Wednesday, and is due to be arraigned later in the day.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Clearlake man prosecuted by the federal government for a 2013 human trafficking case in which he and a co-defendant kept a runaway teenage girl in a box and sexually assaulted her has been sentenced to prison.
US District Court Judge Charles Breyer sentenced 30-year-old Patrick Steven Pearmain to 150 months – or 12 and a half years – in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years’ supervised release. He’s also to pay $6,778.28 in restitution.
Pearmain pleaded guilty in October to charges of conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute and distribute marijuana and employment of a minor to violate drug laws. His sentencing took place on April 19, according to court records.
The government motion to dismiss a remaining count against Pearmain of manufacturing marijuana was dismissed.
On the same day as he was sentenced, Pearmain was remanded to the custody of the US Marshal, with the court recommending he be housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, a low-security prison for male offenders.
His co-defendant, Ryan Alan Balletto, 36, of Lakeport is set to be sentenced on July 10 in San Francisco, based on his case records.
In a change of plea hearing held before Judge Breyer Dec. 7, Balletto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute and distribute marijuana, possession of firearms in furtherance of narcotics trafficking and employment of a minor to violate drug laws.
The case against them began in May 2013, when the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Narcotics Task Force and Major Crimes Unit served a search warrant at a 681-acre property owned by Balletto in Clearlake Oaks.
The warrant service led to the seizure of nearly 1,500 marijuana plants, $4,000 in cash and what authorities called a “sophisticated bulk of weapons” totaling 22 firearms including high powered military grade sniper and assault rifles, automatic assault rifles and pistols.
In the following weeks, the investigation led authorities from a number of agencies to determine that the men had kept a 15-year-old runaway girl from Southern California at a remote grow location for about a month before their arrests, sexually assaulting her and keeping her in a metal box as punishment.
By June 2013, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office had charged the pair with human trafficking and a host of sex-related crimes – statutory rape, oral copulation on a person under age 16, sodomy, false imprisonment, and annoying or molesting a child. Balletto also was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child under age 14 or 15.
However, the following month, the District Attorney’s Office dropped its charges as the US Attorney’s Office secured indictments of Balletto and Pearmain and took over the case.
Then-District Attorney Don Anderson said the two men were facing much more severe penalties in the federal prosecution than they would have locally.
Balletto and Pearmain subsequently were transported from the Lake County Jail to federal custody in the Bay Area, where they have remained over the past six years.
In the years since the federal government has taken over the case, the prosecution of the two men has followed a complex process that has included repeated status hearings, attorney appointments, time waivers filings due to the length of the proceedings and the need for attorney preparation, and change of plea hearings, based on the docket history.
A jury trial had been scheduled for May 2016 but later was vacated. Reasons cited at the time in court filings included “significant progress in settlement discussions” which, however, didn’t appear to have yielded the anticipated results in the coming months, based on court documents.
At the same time, it was noted in a May 2016 document, “counsel for the government and counsel for Mr. Balletto have discussed a recent incident which raises the possibility that Mr. Balletto’s mental condition may need to be evaluated prior to proceeding further with this matter.” The issue was not disclosed in the public documents and it appeared that, after further requests for time for research, it was resolved, as it was not raised again by 2017.
Numerous documents relating to the two men’s plea agreements with the federal government remain under seal.
Those documents include the April sentencing memorandum, which Pearmain’s attorney asked be filed under seal because the plea agreement was also sealed, “and in order to protect the privacy interests of the defendant.”
In Balletto’s case, since his December change of plea hearing, his sentencing date has been reset four times, including dates in April, this week and next month before being reset to July 10.
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.
US District Court Judge Charles Breyer sentenced 30-year-old Patrick Steven Pearmain to 150 months – or 12 and a half years – in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years’ supervised release. He’s also to pay $6,778.28 in restitution.
Pearmain pleaded guilty in October to charges of conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute and distribute marijuana and employment of a minor to violate drug laws. His sentencing took place on April 19, according to court records.
The government motion to dismiss a remaining count against Pearmain of manufacturing marijuana was dismissed.
On the same day as he was sentenced, Pearmain was remanded to the custody of the US Marshal, with the court recommending he be housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, a low-security prison for male offenders.
His co-defendant, Ryan Alan Balletto, 36, of Lakeport is set to be sentenced on July 10 in San Francisco, based on his case records.
In a change of plea hearing held before Judge Breyer Dec. 7, Balletto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, possess with intent to distribute and distribute marijuana, possession of firearms in furtherance of narcotics trafficking and employment of a minor to violate drug laws.
The case against them began in May 2013, when the Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Narcotics Task Force and Major Crimes Unit served a search warrant at a 681-acre property owned by Balletto in Clearlake Oaks.
The warrant service led to the seizure of nearly 1,500 marijuana plants, $4,000 in cash and what authorities called a “sophisticated bulk of weapons” totaling 22 firearms including high powered military grade sniper and assault rifles, automatic assault rifles and pistols.
In the following weeks, the investigation led authorities from a number of agencies to determine that the men had kept a 15-year-old runaway girl from Southern California at a remote grow location for about a month before their arrests, sexually assaulting her and keeping her in a metal box as punishment.
By June 2013, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office had charged the pair with human trafficking and a host of sex-related crimes – statutory rape, oral copulation on a person under age 16, sodomy, false imprisonment, and annoying or molesting a child. Balletto also was charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child under age 14 or 15.
However, the following month, the District Attorney’s Office dropped its charges as the US Attorney’s Office secured indictments of Balletto and Pearmain and took over the case.
Then-District Attorney Don Anderson said the two men were facing much more severe penalties in the federal prosecution than they would have locally.
Balletto and Pearmain subsequently were transported from the Lake County Jail to federal custody in the Bay Area, where they have remained over the past six years.
In the years since the federal government has taken over the case, the prosecution of the two men has followed a complex process that has included repeated status hearings, attorney appointments, time waivers filings due to the length of the proceedings and the need for attorney preparation, and change of plea hearings, based on the docket history.
A jury trial had been scheduled for May 2016 but later was vacated. Reasons cited at the time in court filings included “significant progress in settlement discussions” which, however, didn’t appear to have yielded the anticipated results in the coming months, based on court documents.
At the same time, it was noted in a May 2016 document, “counsel for the government and counsel for Mr. Balletto have discussed a recent incident which raises the possibility that Mr. Balletto’s mental condition may need to be evaluated prior to proceeding further with this matter.” The issue was not disclosed in the public documents and it appeared that, after further requests for time for research, it was resolved, as it was not raised again by 2017.
Numerous documents relating to the two men’s plea agreements with the federal government remain under seal.
Those documents include the April sentencing memorandum, which Pearmain’s attorney asked be filed under seal because the plea agreement was also sealed, “and in order to protect the privacy interests of the defendant.”
In Balletto’s case, since his December change of plea hearing, his sentencing date has been reset four times, including dates in April, this week and next month before being reset to July 10.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved California’s request for presidential major disaster declarations submitted in April to bolster ongoing state and local recovery efforts following severe winter storms that caused widespread flooding, mudslides and damage to critical infrastructure across California.
The governor previously declared a state of emergency for 33 counties across the state due to the storms. Lake was among those counties.
Other counties included in the declarations are Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Shasta, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Ventura, and Yolo counties.
“I want to thank the president and FEMA for moving quickly to approve our requests,” said Governor Newsom. “This federal aid will get money and resources where they are needed and help communities recover.”
The presidential major disaster declarations will help state, tribal and local governments with recovery projects including the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and utilities.
The declarations include hazard mitigation, which helps state and local governments reduce the risks and impacts of future disasters.
More information on the federal disaster declaration process can be found here.
The governor previously declared a state of emergency for 33 counties across the state due to the storms. Lake was among those counties.
Other counties included in the declarations are Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Shasta, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Ventura, and Yolo counties.
“I want to thank the president and FEMA for moving quickly to approve our requests,” said Governor Newsom. “This federal aid will get money and resources where they are needed and help communities recover.”
The presidential major disaster declarations will help state, tribal and local governments with recovery projects including the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and utilities.
The declarations include hazard mitigation, which helps state and local governments reduce the risks and impacts of future disasters.
More information on the federal disaster declaration process can be found here.
Just days after Bay Area counties released their homeless point-in-time figures showing significant increases in their homeless populations, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced the formation of the Homeless and Supportive Housing Advisory Task Force and its co-chairs Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
Earlier this month, the governor released his May budget revision which included an unprecedented $1 billion to fight California’s homelessness crisis.
The budget would increase emergency aid for local jurisdictions, make money available to cities and counties directly and fund permanent supportive housing or innovative approaches like motel and hotel conversions.
“No Californian can say homelessness is someone else’s problem – it affects us all,” said Governor Newsom. “Homelessness is a matter of statewide concern, but solutions will come from the local level. Mayors, county supervisors and city councils around the state are working hard to reduce homelessness and its underlying causes. We’ll be watching these local and regional solutions closely, to lend a hand and help them scale.”
The governor announced the new Task Force after touring a hotel conversion site in downtown Oakland that is now the Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center transitional housing facility.
Standing alongside Mayor Steinberg, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly, the Governor met with formerly homeless individuals and underscored the importance of state-local partnerships to combat homelessness.
“The growing problem of homelessness is nothing less than a humanitarian, public health, safety and economic crisis facing California,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Supervisor Ridley-Thomas and the administration of Gov. Newsom to develop comprehensive recommendations for how we can get thousands of people off the streets and into housing, and also help prevent thousands more from slipping into homelessness.”
The Homeless and Supportive Housing Advisory Task Force will meet a number of times throughout the year in cities and counties around the state to observe best practices firsthand and receive input from governments and constituents statewide to propose solutions to address the homelessness epidemic.
The governor will announce additional members of the Task Force and future meeting dates and locations in the coming weeks.
“I look forward to partnering with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and other members of this Task Force to ensure that the State of California steps up its efforts in confronting the defining civic and moral crises of our time,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It is time for all levels of government to intensify our efforts, and take urgent and swift action to combat homelessness."
The governor also named psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Tom Insel as a key advisor providing insight in developing strategies to address mental health issues. Dr. Insel is a nationally recognized leader in the science of mental health and evidence-based practices to assist people suffering from various conditions.
Working with Secretary Ghaly, Dr. Insel will inform the state's work as California builds the mental health system of tomorrow, serving people whether they are living in the community, on the streets or if they are in jails, schools or shelters.
Dr. Insel served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, the component of the National Institutes of Health committed to research on mental disorders. Prior to serving as NIMH director, Dr. Insel was a professor of psychiatry at Emory University, where he was founding director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience in Atlanta.
Dr. Insel led the Mental Health Team at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) in South San Francisco and, most recently, has served as co-founder and president of Mindstrong Health. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Homelessness is a matter of statewide concern most efficiently and effectively addressed at the local level through deep regional collaboration. The Task Force will consult with local and regional governments around the state to assess best practices and strategies to increase the production of Navigation Centers, positive housing exits and information sharing. The Task Force should guide local governments as they develop joint regional plans to address homelessness.
The Task Force will deliver at least one annual report to the governor on the work it performed to guide the creation of joint regional plans to address homelessness, including highlighting best practices and model programs at the local level.
Earlier this month, the governor released his May budget revision which included an unprecedented $1 billion to fight California’s homelessness crisis.
The budget would increase emergency aid for local jurisdictions, make money available to cities and counties directly and fund permanent supportive housing or innovative approaches like motel and hotel conversions.
“No Californian can say homelessness is someone else’s problem – it affects us all,” said Governor Newsom. “Homelessness is a matter of statewide concern, but solutions will come from the local level. Mayors, county supervisors and city councils around the state are working hard to reduce homelessness and its underlying causes. We’ll be watching these local and regional solutions closely, to lend a hand and help them scale.”
The governor announced the new Task Force after touring a hotel conversion site in downtown Oakland that is now the Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center transitional housing facility.
Standing alongside Mayor Steinberg, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly, the Governor met with formerly homeless individuals and underscored the importance of state-local partnerships to combat homelessness.
“The growing problem of homelessness is nothing less than a humanitarian, public health, safety and economic crisis facing California,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Supervisor Ridley-Thomas and the administration of Gov. Newsom to develop comprehensive recommendations for how we can get thousands of people off the streets and into housing, and also help prevent thousands more from slipping into homelessness.”
The Homeless and Supportive Housing Advisory Task Force will meet a number of times throughout the year in cities and counties around the state to observe best practices firsthand and receive input from governments and constituents statewide to propose solutions to address the homelessness epidemic.
The governor will announce additional members of the Task Force and future meeting dates and locations in the coming weeks.
“I look forward to partnering with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and other members of this Task Force to ensure that the State of California steps up its efforts in confronting the defining civic and moral crises of our time,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It is time for all levels of government to intensify our efforts, and take urgent and swift action to combat homelessness."
The governor also named psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Tom Insel as a key advisor providing insight in developing strategies to address mental health issues. Dr. Insel is a nationally recognized leader in the science of mental health and evidence-based practices to assist people suffering from various conditions.
Working with Secretary Ghaly, Dr. Insel will inform the state's work as California builds the mental health system of tomorrow, serving people whether they are living in the community, on the streets or if they are in jails, schools or shelters.
Dr. Insel served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, the component of the National Institutes of Health committed to research on mental disorders. Prior to serving as NIMH director, Dr. Insel was a professor of psychiatry at Emory University, where he was founding director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience in Atlanta.
Dr. Insel led the Mental Health Team at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) in South San Francisco and, most recently, has served as co-founder and president of Mindstrong Health. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Homelessness is a matter of statewide concern most efficiently and effectively addressed at the local level through deep regional collaboration. The Task Force will consult with local and regional governments around the state to assess best practices and strategies to increase the production of Navigation Centers, positive housing exits and information sharing. The Task Force should guide local governments as they develop joint regional plans to address homelessness.
The Task Force will deliver at least one annual report to the governor on the work it performed to guide the creation of joint regional plans to address homelessness, including highlighting best practices and model programs at the local level.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – From as far away as Michigan, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington and all over California, this year’s 36th annual Catfish Derby brought in hundreds of people who registered to fish for the biggest Clear Lake catfish.
This year the top prize, a cash award of $4,000, went to Ricardo Pelayo of San Jose who brought in a 27.29-pound fish.
Registration for the three-day fishing derby began on Thursday. By Friday morning, most, including Pelayo, had registered and were on the lake.
Pelayo encountered some car problems on the drive in from San Jose and when he launched his boat, things went from bad to worse.
“My boat engine started giving me trouble right away,” Pelayo said. “After launching, the motor stalled. I kept working on it. It would travel short distances then stall. It sputtered along until it finally quit.”
He added, “I’d come a long way to fish so I decided to start fishing at the spot where the engine finally gave out. After such a fitful start, I wasn’t expecting much.”
To his surprise, Pelayo soon caught a big fish. Rather than continue fishing, he decided to start working on the engine again, hoping to get it going. “I got lucky, managing somehow to get the engine started for the trip back,” Pelayo said.
“It was Friday, the first day of the Derby and all I could think is that this might be the extent of my fishing,” Pelayo said. “I was disappointed, thinking I might not be able to fish again. I knew I had a pretty good-sized fish but had no idea it would place first. Besides, you always want to nab a bigger fish.”
At derby headquarters, Pelayo’s name took the top placement on the adult division leaderboard. The derby volunteers speculated, some said it would be a hard number to top; others said it was just too early to know.
Asked if he would continue to fish, Pelayo said, “Yes, I sure want to.” At that point he didn’t know if he could get his boat engine fixed.
On Saturday it rained. Pelayo couldn’t get his boat engine running so he and his young cousin did a little fishing on a friend’s boat. “I was pretty disappointed and kept calling in to see if anyone had brought in a bigger fish,” he said.
On Sunday, the last day of fishing, Pelayo drove to derby headquarters in Clearlake Oaks after receiving a call from organizer Dennis Locke.
“When Dennis said it was unlikely anyone was going to top my catch, I began thinking about what I might do with that $4,000 cash prize,” Pelayo said. “I had my doubts, there was still an hour of fishing left.”
At noon, when it was clear Pelayo’s fish was the top catch, he said, “I was thinking I’d buy a new engine for my boat but maybe I’ll just buy a new boat.”
Pelayo has been fishing the derby five years. “I’ll be back next year,” he said. “Rain or shine, I’ll be back.”
In the 10 years and under children’s division, 7-year-old Blake Re of Nice won $100 for his 22.82-pound catfish.
Rowdy Addington, a 12-year-old from Patterson, also won $100 for his 16.21-pound fish in the 11- to 15-year-old division.
This year, a new award, the Spirit of Lake County, was given to “Team Hood Cats” from Hood River Oregon – three generations of cat fishing enthusiasts who have been attending the derby for about 15 years. Decked out in matching t-shirts, the group plans on returning next year with four generations.
“As always, we had a great time putting on the Catfish Derby this year. The rain kept some away, but we still had a good crowd. Just under 800 registered this year, 67 percent of the entries were from outside Lake County,” said Locke.
“On Saturday, we had our first “celebrity weigh in,” he said.
There were a total of 694 adult entries bringing in 134 fish. For the children, 83 entered and brought in 39 fish.
Organizers said there were 254 entries, or 33 percent, from Lake COunty, and 523, or 67 percent, from outside of the county.
District Attorney Susan Krones, Sheriff Brain Martin and District 3 Supervisor E.J. Crandell worked in heavy rain, weighing fish as they came in.
“You get the sense the entire community is invested in the event,” Locke said. “This year we had the youngest booster in memory, 4-month-old Henry St. Clair. Along with his mom and dad, Henry was on hand every day, braving the rain and cheering us on. Now that’s what community is all about,” he said.
Volunteers from all around the lake stopped in to help, including students from Lower Lake High School.
Natalia Schofield, a third-year volunteer, leads the other volunteers and this year was the derby photographer. “When anyone needs a break, she steps in. She also helps to announce the winners at the awards ceremony. She knows as much about the derby as anyone,” Locke said.
“Of course, the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association members were here in big numbers. We couldn’t ask for better sponsors,” Locke said.
Hailed as the biggest Catfish Derby west of the Mississippi and arguably the best-attended event of its kind in North America, the derby attracts anglers, their families and friends as well as hundreds more spectators who enjoy the family oriented sport.
More than $10,000 in prize money was awarded to the winners. First place prize is $4,000; second place is $1,000 and third is $800. A total of 20 anglers placed in the adult category with prizes scaling down to $40. In the kid divisions, prizes start at $100 and scale down to $10.
The full standings are shown below.
For more information visit www.clearlakeoaks.org/derby, find them on Facebook, Catfish Derby in the Oaks or on Twitter, CLOGBA.
Catfish Derby Adult Standings
1. Ricardo Pelayo, San Jose, 27.29 pounds.
2. Tim Bybee, Meridian, 26.91 pounds.
3. Edward Puente, Saugus, 26.73 pounds.
4. Brian Fehrn, Clearlake Oaks, 23.51 pounds.
5. William Wong, Rocklin, 22.89 pounds.
6. Keith Prutt, Sacramento, 22.79 pounds.
7. Dan Sansome, Kelseyville, 22.42 pounds.
8. Ryan Redmond, Brown's Valley, 21.89 pounds.
9. Christopher Lane, Hood River, Oregon, 21.86 pounds.
10. Phillip Quiqley, Gerber, 21.82 pounds.
11. Jason Benzel, Yuba City, 21.52 pounds.
12. Jason Skrock, Grants Pass, Oregon, 21.47 pounds.
13. Mark Dietrick, San Jose, 21.43 pounds.
14. Mark Adams, San Jose, 21.32 pounds.
15. Dustin Davidson, Gold Beach, Oregon, 21.31 pounds.
16. James Hickson, Sacramento, 21.16 pounds.
17. Henry Griffin, Clearlake, 21.09 pounds.
18. Phillip Kester, Clearlake, 21.03 pounds.
19. Mike Weston, Kelseyville, 20.90 pounds.
20. Tanner Castillo, Sutter, 20.80 pounds.
Catfish Derby Kids Standings
Up to 10 Years
1. Blake Re, Nice, 22.82 pounds.
2. Allyssa Adams, Milpitas, 16.83 pounds.
3. Omar Garibay, Maxwell, 16.19 pounds.
4. Olivia Hansard, Brownsville, 15.66 pounds.
5. Alexander Biondini, American Canyon, 13.20 pounds.
11 to 15 Years
1. Rowdy Addington, Patterson, 16.21 pounds
2. Matthew Castillo, Placerville, 15.00 pounds.
3. Ivy Bain, Gerber, 13.52 pounds.
4. Hayden Ramirez, Clearlake Oaks, 12.85 pounds.
5. Kaylee Anderson, Lucerne, 12.5 pounds.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – “The best little parade around” is returning to Lower Lake this weekend as part of the Memorial Day weekend.
The Lower Lake Community Action Group will host its annual Lower Lake Daze Parade and Barbecue on Sunday, May 26, along Main Street in the downtown.
The parade starts at 11 a.m, with the old time barbecue, live music, craft fair, horses and vintage cars featured beginning at noon.
This year’s parade theme is “Lake County Roots,” with Lonne Sloan acting as coordinator.
The community is invited to participate in this old-fashioned parade.
“Adults – decorate or costume yourselves, your children, your pets, bicycles, wagons or whatever and join us. It’s a good way to start getting your children involved in community affairs. We invite you to join us in the park to enjoy our Old Time Barbecue, live music, vendors selling their wares and your community,” said Sloan.
Don’t miss the grand finale in the parade – the fire department and volunteers put on a full-fledged show.
This year’s grand marshals are Russ and Joan Cremer, whose roots are firmly planted in Lake County.
Russ Cremer’s family ties to the Lower Lake area go back to 1879 when his great-grandfather settled in Lower Lake after a teaching career, and he and his wife began cattle ranching, acquiring multiple properties.
The home place south of Lower Lake and the range land off Dam Road in Clearlake were both in continuous operation as a cow-calf operation into the 1960s. Although the cattle are gone the properties are still in use for farming and rangeland.
Joan Cremer’s family ties go back to the mid 1800s in Mattole Valley and Ferndale in Humboldt County. She and her mother moved to Clearlake in the mid 1960s, Joan and Russ met in 1969 and the rest is history.
If you’re interested in participating in the parade or need more information, contact Mike Dean of the Lower Lake Community Action Group at 707-994-9174.
