News

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Fire Protection District is preparing to put a fire tax measure before voters next month, a step officials have said is necessary to put the district on a solid financial footing.

Measure M ballots are going out to thousands of voters next week. The all-mail ballot election is set for May 7, but ballots postmarked by that date will be accepted up until May 10, according to interim Lakeport Fire Chief Rick Bergem.

The measure requires a two-thirds supermajority – or 66.7 percent – yes vote to pass. If it does pass, it will go into effect on July 1.

The need for more district revenue came into sharp relief in September when the district board voted to approve a budget that called for laying off three full-time firefighters, less than two months after the city had been completely evacuated due to the River fire portion of the Mendocino Complex, as Lake County News has reported.

District officials said Measure M will allow them to restore the positions eliminated last year and improve response times to a growing call volume. In 2018, Lakeport Fire responded to more than 3,000 emergency calls; that’s compared to the 938 calls it had in 1997, the year that voters last approved a district parcel tax.

Should the measure not pass, the district said staffing levels will remain low and homeowners and business owners could face increased insurance rates or denial of coverage. That’s because the Insurance Services Office is due to assess Lakeport Fire in 2020. That agency creates ratings for fire departments and their surrounding communities, with the ratings calculated based on how well-equipped fire departments are to suppress fires in the community.

Bergem said the district serves about 10,000 residents in an area covering nearly 45 square miles – extending from the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff to the top of the Hopland Grade and Cow Mountain, and then down to Argonaut Road.

Since the board approved the budget cuts last year, two new members have taken their seats – Alan Flora and Bill Gabe – and the district submitted an application for a federal grant that would help restore the laid-off positions.

In response to its budget shortfall, the district also crafted Measure M. In February, the district board held a public hearing and approved Resolution 1819-13, calling for the all-mail ballot on May 7.

The abbreviated statement of the measure to appear on the ballot says: “To decrease response times and increase fire protection/emergency medical services by increasing staffing at fire stations; and to maintain/replace outdated firefighting equipment, shall the Lakeport Fire Protection District Measure repealing existing fire protection services taxes and levying a tax of $6.14 per benefit unit annually on each parcel of property in the District be adopted, estimated to raise about $1,206,000 annually; until ended by voters, with independent community oversight and all money staying local?”

The effort now is centered on getting the word out about the measure, which no one filed an argument against for the ballot.

For their part, members of the firefighters’ union along with volunteers have been rolling out a public outreach campaign that includes campaign signs, t-shirts and information pamphlets.

They also are going door to door to speak to voters and answer their questions, with mailers also set to go out to district residents.

“They’re taking care of all of that now right because the district can’t campaign, basically,” said Bergem.

Bergem said that, so far, the response has been very positive. They’ve had some community members come in to ask questions, including one man who came to query the board at its March meeting about how the properties are assessed.

In an effort to answer questions that community members have brought up so far, Flora created a draft five-year revenue projection and expenditure plan, which can be seen below.

It’s meant to offer both transparency and accountability, with the additional intention of giving the community an idea of what the district would likely be focusing on if the measure passes, he said.

The measure allows for a consumer price index adjustment not to exceed 3 percent annually. Flora’s projection includes a 2-percent annual CPI increase, which he said he thinks is realistic over time.

That expenditure plan forecasts $1,206,000 in the first year, rising slightly each year to total $1,304,413 in year five.

Among the key items covered by the new funding source would be six additional personnel, adding two people to each shift. There also will be equipment upgrades, an engine replacement in year three – budgeted at $200,000 but likely to cost more.

It also will address deferred maintenance at the district’s stations, including the main station, Station 50 in downtown Lakeport. The building is owned by the city of Lakeport but the district is responsible for maintenance, and it needs a new roof.

Station 52, located in north Lakeport, could be operational with some upgrades. Flora said it’s just being used for equipment storage currently.

Under the expenditure plan, $148,760 would be added to district reserves in year one, $228,913 in year two, $58,979 in year three, $213,951 in year four and $68,821 in year five.

If passed, Measure M wouldn’t begin to bring in new revenue for the district until next year. Until then, the district is still facing major budget challenges, including a projected $300,000 shortfall in the current fiscal year and the anticipation of a lot of work to balance the budget by the time the fiscal year ends in June, according to Flora’s tabulation at the March board meeting.

As a result, the board is holding monthly budget discussions as part of its regular meetings and directed Bergem not to make any expenditures that aren’t critical through the fiscal’s year end.

Whether the district receives approval for Measure M also will likely impact the board’s decision on whether or not it should sell its Finley station – which is currently being used by the Clearlake Gleaners food bank.

The district board discussed the possibility of selling the station – as well as a lot of surplus equipment – during its March meeting. Bergem also has suggested the station could be retained, renovated, reopened and staffed by volunteers, which could benefit insurance rates for residents of that part of the district.

How the parcel tax works

If passed, Bergem said Measure M would supersede two previous, separate parcel taxes – one for properties in Lakeport’s city limits, one for those in the unincorporated county – passed in 1997. “Everyone will be paying the same.

Measure M will be levied up to a maximum rate of $6.14 per “benefit unit, which Flora explained is based on the use of the property.

He said a single family residence is classified as 30 benefit units. “So the vast majority of residents would pay $184.20.”

Flora explained that if you have a house on a quarter acre lot or a house with three barns on five acres the payment would still be $184.20. He said it doesn’t change for a 1,000 square foot house or a 5,000 square foot house.

Commercial property owners pay per square foot and vacant land – or ag land pay – per on a sliding scale based on acreage, he said.

“There are some critics to this type of calculation but it’s what most districts use as far as I know,” Flora said.

Residential units including single family dwellings, mobile homes, mobile homes in parks, duplexes would be billed at 30 units, or $184.20 per year, while multifamily units or apartments would be 15 units, or $92.10 per year. Convalescent and rest homes would be 70 units, or $429.80.

For commercial and industrial or institutional properties, units would be as follows:

– 0 to 999 square foot buildings: 50 units, $307 per year.
– 1,000 to 4,999 square foot buildings: 70 units, $429.80 per year.
– 5,000 to 9,999 square foot buildings: 100 units, $614 per year.
– 10,000-plus square foot buildings: 150 units, $921 per year.
– More than one business in a building: 75 units per additional unit, $460.50 per year.
– Hotels and motels: 0 to 10 rooms, 25 units, or $153.50; more than 10 rooms, one unit, or $6.14, per room over 10.

Vacant properties billing rates are:

– Up to 5 acres: 10 units, $61.40 per year.
– 5.01 to 10 acres: 15 units, $92.10 per year.
– 10.01 and above: 20 units, $122.80 per year.

How the election will be handled

Fire district officials have had concerns about the mechanics of the upcoming election, which will be overseen by the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office.

That agency currently is being overseen on an interim basis by County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson as the second recruitment for a new registrar just ended.

In December longtime Registrar Diane Fridley retired and her expected successor, Deputy Registrar Maria Valadez, was appointed by the supervisors on an interim basis. Huchingson had attempted in October to keep Valadez from being appointed on a permanent basis by a proposed change to educational requirements that the board didn’t accept. Valadez then took a better job offer in Mendocino County in February.

Flora, who last month became Clearlake’s new city manager and who has worked for the county of Lake, raised issue with the county’s ability to conduct the election in the midst of the registrar’s issues.

“It's just very concerning that they're going to be able to handle this measure successfully,” he said at the March district board meeting.

He said he has expressed his concerns and frustrations to the County Administrative Office.

“Obviously it’s a big problem if they can’t uphold their responsibility and make sure it gets administered correctly,” he said.

In March, another concern arose – a change in voting equipment.

The county of Lake has used DFM Mark-A-Vote, an optical scan paper ballot voting system, since 1983.

In February, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla began the process of withdrawing certification or conditional approval of voting systems that were not tested or certified under the most recent state security standards, which included Mark-A-Vote, effective Aug. 27.

Ahead of that deadline, on March 19, the Board of Supervisors approved purchase of Hart InterCivic’s Verity Voting 3.0.1 Voting System, as Lake County News has reported.

At that meeting, Karen Clakeley, Hart InterCivic’s director of sales and strategic accounts, said the company would have a team of three people on site in the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office for the first local election.

Both Bergem and Flora told Lake County News that they had not had clarification from the county on whether or not it was in fact planning to go forward with using the new equipment or would use the Mark-A-Vote system for one final time for the Measure M election.

“It seems crazy to me to rush into using the new equipment on this tight of timeline, but I don’t know the plan,” Flora said.

Huchingson confirmed to Lake County News this week that the Hart InterCivic equipment will be used for the May 7 election, with Hart staff to be on site to assist.

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.

Measure M expenditure plan by LakeCoNews on Scribd

Lakeport Fire ordinance - Measure M by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKEPORT, Calif. – This month the candidates for Lakeport Unified School District superintendent are set to be interviewed, with district officials expecting to announce an appointment by month’s end.

Interim Superintendent Patrick Iaccino was appointed in January shortly after the district board released Superintendent April Leiferman from her contract without cause.

He’s led the recruitment for a permanent district superintendent, and reported that the effort has drawn a good field.

“We have 10 applicants,” he said.

“I paper screened all of them,” he added, and the 10 – all of whom he called “very good” – have been forwarded to the first round of interviews, expected to begin by the end of the week of April 8.

“Nobody knows who they are except me,” said Iaccino.

Iaccino, who retired for the Upper Lake Unified School District’s superintendent job, said he has relied on the same process that he used to hire his successor, Dr. Giovanni Annous.

The process includes a committee of 19 people – composed of community members including parents, teachers, classified staff and student board members – who Iaccino said will conduct the first round of interviews.

Iaccino said he will meet with the panel on April 10 to go over procedures for selecting finalists.

That 19-member panel will pass the finalists on to the board of trustees, which in turn will conduct the final interviews, expected to take place around April 16 or 17, Iaccino said.

The board will make the final decision, with the board to name its selection at its regular meeting on April 24.

“Everything’s right on schedule,” said Iaccino.

The new superintendent will come into a district where Iaccino has been able to resolve some key personnel issues, including hiring a new chief business officer.

He said he’s hired Jacque Eischens to fill that critical role.

Eischens was working at the Lake County Office of Education, which had a booth next to Lakeport Unified’s booth at a job fair. Both were conducting recruitments, Iaccino said.

During the fair, “We got to talking,” and Iaccino found out she had been an interim chief business officer a number of years ago for Middletown Unified. She also completed the chief business officer certification program with the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.

She also has worked with Escape Technology, a Roseville-based company that produces an integrated business system for educational organizations, he said.

To help Eischens settle in, Iaccino said he is keeping on a business officer consultant until late December or early January. That will allow them to work together and accomplish a number of business-related items.

Iaccino said he also has settled contract negotiations with both the certificated and classified union groups for both this year and next, and has approval from the board.

He said they are waiting for the unions to ratify the agreements, after which they will make a formal announcement.

“I was pretty happy with that,” Iaccino said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Behavioral Health Services said April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and it’s reaching out to let community members know that help is available for those struggling with addiction.

Alcohol is an extremely powerful, highly-addicting drug. Excessive alcohol consumption increases people’s risk of injuries, violence, liver disease and cancer.

An alcoholic will continue to drink ignoring potential negative consequences such as relationship problems, job loss and/or legal issues.

Knowing there is a stigma attached to being labeled an alcoholic prohibits many individuals from seeking the help they truly need in order to recover.

This month, Alcohol Awareness Month, spotlights the reduction of stigma so often associated with alcohol addiction.

Alcohol addiction is a progressive and chronic disease, and can be fatal if left untreated. However, people can and do recover. It is estimated that nearly 20 million individuals are living successful lives in recovery from alcohol use.

Todd Metcalf, administrator of Lake County Behavioral Health Services, said Alcohol Awareness Month affords the opportunity to heighten understanding and awareness of alcohol addiction, its causes, effective treatment, and above all, recovery.

He said April is the opportunity to reduce stigma and misconceptions of the disease in order to break down the barriers to treatment and recovery.

At Lake County Behavioral Health Services, help is readily available in the form of counseling and therapy for those suffering from this disease, Metcalf said.

For more information, please contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services at either of our two locations:

– 7000B South Center Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707-994-7090;
– 6302 13th Ave., Lucerne, telephone 707-274-9101.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police arrested a Clearlake man on Tuesday during a traffic stop after he was found to have active arrest warrants and a gun with its serial number removed.

Daniel Douglas Wamback, 31, was taken into custody at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Clearlake Police Department.

Officer Chris Kelleher was on patrol and observed a white Ford sedan traveling south on Old Highway 53, police said.

Officer Kelleher observed two mechanical California Vehicle Code violations and conducted a traffic enforcement stop of the vehicle, according to the report.

During the stop, authorities said Wamback, who was the front seat passenger, provided a false name to Kelleher. Once his true identity was discovered, he was determined to have three active arrest warrants and also found to be a convicted felon.

Police said Wamback was in possession of a Ruger .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, which had its serial number scratched off.

Wamback was arrested on probable cause for multiple charges, including felony firearms charges, along with the arrest warrants. Wamback was later booked into the Lake County Jail, where he remained in custody on Thursday, with bail set at $90,000.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday evening honored its volunteers, commissioners and committee members, and accepted a staff proposal to approve an urgency ordinance related to the city's efforts to establish regulations for wireless communications facilities.

The Tuesday meeting focused on honoring those who volunteer their time for the city, with a reception held before the meeting started to say thank you to those numerous individuals.

With Mayor Tim Barnes absent, Mayor Pro Tem George Spurr led the meeting.

Lakeport Police Lt. Jason Ferguson introduced several of the agency's volunteers, who “do an enormous amount of stuff for us.”

Sgt. Greg Scott, the police department's longest serving volunteer at 10 years, is a retired Cal Fire captain and a fire expert whose experience helped the city during last year's Mendocino Complex, Ferguson said.

Jean Patti has volunteered with the city for eight years. She works on pet licensing and data entry, and sends out arrest logs to the media, Ferguson said.

Arland Souza, who also has served nearly eight years, works regularly on parade and traffic control and is instrumental in helping police on the July 4 holiday, Ferguson said.

Luke Steely, who has been with the department a few months, is a great builder, creating a trophy case and shelving units for them, according to Ferguson.

“They’re irreplaceable,” Ferguson said of the group.

He also acknowledged volunteers who weren't in attendance, including Jerry Gonzalez, Trevor Storey, John Wiskirchen and Pastor Mike Suski.

Ferguson said that, altogether, Lakeport Police's eight volunteers did 700 hours of work for the agency, with an estimated cost of $19,170.

“We really couldn't do it without them,” Ferguson said.

Spurr then presented the group with a proclamation declaring April to 13 as Volunteer Week in Lakeport.

He also presented a proclamation honoring members of the Lakeport Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, the Measure Z Oversight Committee and the Traffic and Safety Advisory Committee as part of National Volunteer Week.

In other business on Tuesday, Community Development Director Kevin Ingram presented to the council the proposed urgency ordinance establishing regulations for wireless communication facilities.

The urgency ordinance is to put in place a comprehensive telecommunications ordinance for the city of Lakeport, he said.

Ingram said the catalyst for the action is a recent Federal Communications Commission regulation concerning local regulation of small cell wireless communication facilities coming into use with the installation of the upcoming 5G network system.

His written report further explained that the FCC has said the rule is part of a national strategy to promote timely buildout of the 5G small cell infrastructure across the United States by eliminating regulatory impediments.

The new rule also creates national standards for 5G small cell siting by limiting local authority in several ways, stipulating that cities may require only objective information to review an application for a small wireless facility, and requiring the city to publish all applicable aesthetic and appearance requirements, according to Ingram’s memo.

On Tuesday, Ingram said the regulation outlines a deadline for jurisdictions like Lakeport to have criteria in place prior to April 15 in order to maintain some local control.

Currently the city’s zoning ordinance only requires a use permit for wireless communication facilities that exceed the maximum height, generally about 35 feet in most zoning districts. But other than that, there’s not much in the current municipal code that regulates the facilities, and doesn’t address anything related to small cell facilities installation or location within the public right of way.

The urgency ordinance would address those issues, as well as pieces, including design, placement, and establishes detailed design criteria and application procedures, stealth design, alternative location analysis and other criteria.

However, Ingram said that if the council adopted it, staff still planned on going through the standard procedure in creating a nonurgency ordinance, including going to the planning commission before bringing it back to the council.

He said that, due to the upcoming deadline, staff was looking to the council to take the action in order to establish placeholder rules.

Councilwoman Stacey Mattina said the city has been in the place before where it didn’t have the property ordinance in place and Verizon showed up. “So it’s important that we get our house in order before anything else happens.”

The council approved the urgency ordinance 4-0.

In other news on Tuesday, City Manager Margaret Silveira said the city has received the keys to the former Bank of America building at 500 N. Main St. The bank has donated the building to the city.

She said a celebration is expected toward the end of April when company officials can visit the city.

“We’re excited,” she said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

040219 Lakeport City Counci... by on Scribd

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved placing a County Administrative Office staffer in the role of deputy registrar of voters on an interim basis.

Marcy Harrison, an administrative analyst who has been assigned to working with the Registrar of Voters Office since last month, will fill the role.

Harrison’s appointment originally was placed on the consent agenda, where it was to have been accepted without discussion with a slate of other items. At Supervisor Rob Brown’s request, the item was pulled so it could be discussed.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said that after the initial unsuccessful recruitment for a permanent registrar last month, Harrison was assigned effective March 6 to work in the Registrar of Voters Office. Her interim appointment is retroactive to that date.

Huchingson said Harrison has had more than two years of experience in her office. “One of her specialties is special, complex projects.”

Harrison also has experience relevant to the deputy registrar’s assignment, Huchingson said. She worked for six years for Special Districts, where she was involved in processes related to Proposition 218, which requires an election process when new taxes or assessments are levied.

Before that, Harrison worked for the Auditor-Controller’s office and staffed some of the county clerk’s functions. “And as you know, in many counties, the elections office is handled by the county clerk, which is an elected position,” Huchingson said.

“So she has stepped up. She has been a quick study,” said Huchingson.

Huchingson said Harrison’s interim appointment was taken to the board based on past practice. “Typically when an employee is moved from a nonmanagement class to a management class on a temporary basis, we come to your board for approval of that,” she said, giving examples of previous such appointments.

“It’s temporary in nature, and we would expect that the next registrar of voters hired by your board will make decisions about staffing on a permanent basis,” Huchingson said.

In response to followup questions from Lake County News at the meeting, Huchingson said there has been no formal recruitment held for the deputy registrar position so far. “It’s assumed that if the board has success with appointment of a registrar, though, that we would move quickly on that.”

She said Harrison also has the required supervisorial experience for the deputy registrar – which the job description says is five years of previous work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions comparable to an elections assistant position – having been a lead worker.

The board then voted to approve the interim appointment 5-0.

The future leadership of the Registrar of Voters Office has been in question for months.

Diane Fridley, the county’s longtime registrar, retired in December, with the board appointing Maria Valadez, her deputy registrar, as interim on an extended basis.

That followed Huchingson’s unsuccessful request to the board in October to require a bachelor’s degree for the registrar’s job, which would have excluded Valadez from being considered.

Valadez then got a new permanent job opportunity in Mendocino County, leaving in February. Together, she and Fridley had nearly seven decades of experience in elections, and when they left, there were only part-time elections office staffers without the necessary experience to succeed them.

The board appointed Huchingson interim registrar in February, upon Valadez’s departure.

An initial recruitment for the registrar’s job didn’t lead to a hire, so the board directed that the job be reopened in March.

The second recruitment closed on Sunday. When asked at Tuesday’s board meeting for the number of applicants, Huchingson said she didn’t have the number off the top of her head.

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.