News

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport is pursuing funding through the recently approved 2018 Proposition 68 Parks Bond for the development of a new community open space along the city’s lakefront.

Community members are encouraged to attend the first in a series of community meetings to aid in the design of this new open space recreational area on Monday, March 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 225 Park St.

Food, child care and Spanish translation services will be provided.

Other meetings also will take place on Thursday, April 18, and Monday, May 13, also at Lakeport City Hall.

In 2019, the California Department of Parks will be giving grant funding to a number of local park agencies.

The city of Lakeport will be applying to build a new lakefront park at 810 North Main St.

In 2017, the city completed extensive community engagement regarding this project and is now seeking further input from residents through a series of workshops.

Even if you are unable to attend please provide your thoughts on recreational opportunities you would like to see made a part of this new lakefront community open space area by completing a quick survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLZVLWL.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the Community Development Department at 707-263-5615, Extension 204, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


En 2019, el Departamento de Parques y Recreación de California estará otorgando becas a agencias locales de parques.

La Ciudad de Lakeport está solicitando fondos del Departamento de Parques y Recreación de California para diseñar un parque nuevo sobre la orilla de la laguna localizado en 810 N. Main St. En 2017, la Ciudad completó un plan para este proyecto el cual incluyó involucramiento extenso de la comunidad.

Ahora está buscando comentarios de los residentes adicionales sobre el diseño del parque a través de una serie de talleres.

¡Únete a nosotros para compartir tus ideas!

Nuestros talleres se realizarán en la Sala del Consejo Municipal localizada en 225 Park St. Lakeport de 5:30 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en las siguientes fechas:

– Lunes, 18 de Marzo;
– Jueves, 18 de Abril;
– Lunes, 13 de Mayo.

Se proveerá comida y cuidado de niños en todos los talleres y también habrán rifas! Todos los Talleres serán facilitados en Español e Ingles.

¡Tu opinión es esencial para diseñar el parque! Favor de completar la Encuesta por internet en https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLZVLWL.

También puedes completar la encuesta en las Oficinas de la Ciudad.

Para mas información sobre como involucrarte favor de comunicarte con Vileana De La Rosa por correo electrónico This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. o por teléfono al 562-879-2201.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Vector Control District reported that, due to weather, it has rescheduled an aerial mosquito larvicide treatment that had been set to begin last week.

District Manager Dr. Jamie Scott said the date for aerial application of VectoBac G larvicide for larval control of Aedes increpitus – or snowmelt mosquito – has been postponed due to the weather and rise in lake level.

Scott said the application is now scheduled on Monday, March 11, or Tuesday, March 12, but the application date may be adjusted based on mosquito surveillance data, lake level and the weather.

The treatment will take place at the marshlands adjacent to the lake between Clear Lake State Park and Lakeport, parts of Anderson Marsh State Park, a small section east of the Clearlake Keys, and a small area near Bridge Arbor South in North Lakeport.

The application is being made because the district’s winter mosquito surveillance program has detected large numbers of mosquito larvae in the marshlands along the perimeter of the lake that flooded as the lake rose due to the abundant rains.

These mosquito larvae are an early-season floodwater species (Aedes increpitus) that hatch from eggs laid in the mud in previous years as the lake receded.

When winter rains flooded the eggs, the larvae hatched and began developing in the still, shallow water. As temperatures and day length increase in early spring, the Ae. increpitus mosquito larvae will pupate and then emerge as biting adults.

These mosquitoes are the aggressive biters experienced every spring by people living and recreating near this area.

The application will be made by a yellow, bi-winged crop duster flying at a low altitude over these marshy areas.

Some of the marshy areas are near homes, and people may experience a brief noise nuisance from the plane.

The product applied will be VectoBac G, a biological larvicide used to control mosquito larvae in aquatic habitats. VectoBac is manufactured by Valent BioSciences, and is based on the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).

The district said it’s a highly effective and economical microbial insecticide is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for the control of larval mosquitoes in nearly all aquatic habitats.

Bti is highly selective for the control of mosquito larvae in water and does not affect plants, animals, or beneficial insects that live in or drink the water. The formulation is a biodegradable solid corncob granule coated with Bti.

The Bti breaks down rapidly in nature so there is no persistence of the active ingredient. The use of a solid formulation reduces the possibility of drift onto adjacent property.

The VectoBac G label and the Safety Data Sheet are available from the Lake County Vector Control District’s Web site at http://www.lcvcd.org/, where the new application date and any subsequent changes also will be posted.

For more information, call the district at 707-263-4770.

A man convicted of killing 25 farm workers in the early 1970s has died in prison.

California State Prison-Corcoran inmate Juan Vallejo Corona, 85, died of natural causes at 8:15 a.m. on Monday at an outside hospital, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Corona was serving 25 concurrent life sentences for 25 counts of first-degree murder. His victims were all farm workers.

In 1971, 25 bodies buried in orchards along the Feather River in Sutter County were found. All the victims were men who had been seen with Corona or had been hired through Corona’s Sutter County labor contracting business. The number of murders set a record in the United States at the time.

Corona was tried in Colusa County and found guilty in January 1973. He was sent to state prison on Feb. 17, 1973.

He barely survived a stabbing attack in 1973 while at California Medical Facility in Vacaville that cost him the sight in his left eye.

In 1978, Corona’s conviction was overturned by an appellate court and he won a new trial. In 1981, he was admitted to Correctional Training Facility in Soledad as a safe-keeper commitment until the proceedings were moved to Alameda County.

In 1982, Corona was again convicted of all 25 murders and sentenced to 25 concurrent life sentences. Corona began serving time for the Sutter County commitment on Dec. 23, 1982.

Corona was transferred from Correctional Training Facility to the Protective Housing Unit at CSP-Corcoran in 1992. The unit houses inmates whose safety would be endangered by general population housing.

Corona was denied parole eight times after hearings in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2011 and 2016. He was not eligible to have another parole hearing until 2021.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department said the cause of a Monday morning fire at Terrace Middle School appears to have been arson, with authorities offering a reward to identify who set the fire.

The fire in the bathroom at the middle school, located on the Lakeport Unified School District’s campus at 250 Lange St., occurred at 10 a.m., police said.

Police said the school staff and students followed safety protocols and safely evacuated away from buildings and smoke after the fire caused the alarm to sound.

The Lakeport Fire Protection District reported that firefighters arrived to find a well-established fire in the school bathroom with students evacuated.

Interim Lakeport Fire Chief Rick Bergem said that his agency, along with Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire responded to the incident.

He said the fire was quickly knocked down. He did not have a damage estimate.

Bergem said there were no injuries to either civilians or firefighters.

Police said students later were returned to their classrooms and resumed their normal bell schedule.

The fire only impacted the bathroom, with no classrooms affected, police said.

Police said firefighters began a cause and origin investigation and determined that the fire was intentionally set.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Unified School District initially combined resources to offer a $300 reward, which a short time later on Monday afternoon was increased to $600 thanks to a contribution from Lakeport area Supervisor Tina Scott. The reward is for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the responsible subject.

The Lakeport Police Department and Lakeport Fire Protection District are continuing to investigate the fire.

Witnesses are encouraged to come forward and report information to the Terrace Middle School’s administration, School Resource Officer Victor Rico or share information anonymously using the district’s Report It App.

Information also can be provided by texting the words TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777 or by private message to the Lakeport Police Department Facebook page.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Over the past two months, through a retirement and working conditions that caused one veteran employee to decide to leave, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office has lost its two main employees, whose departure has resulted in the loss of seven decades of institutional memory.

It’s a situation that is all the more serious considering that the special election for the Lakeport Fire parcel tax is coming up this spring, the process to elect three county supervisors and a judge will begin later this year and the department is in need of new voting equipment after years of staff working with obsolete machinery prone to breaking down.

Longtime Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley retired Dec. 28, after 41 years on the job with the county of Lake, where she was hired in 1977, as Lake County News has reported.

Following closed session interviews with candidates on Nov. 20 and a separate closed session on the appointment on Dec. 4, the Board of Supervisors appointed Maria Valadez – the county’s longtime deputy registrar of voters – to fill the county’s registrar of voters job on an interim basis, effective Dec. 29, the day after Fridley retired.

However, Valadez has since been hired by the county of Mendocino, where she said she will serve as the assistant county clerk-recorder-registrar of voters.

When Valadez left her office at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport for the last time on Feb. 22, she took with her nearly 30 years of experience in local elections. She started her new job in Ukiah last Monday.

Valadez worked as an extra help employee from 1990 to 1992, and was hired permanently with the County Clerk-Auditor-Controller’s Office in November 1994. She was transferred to the Registrar of Voters Office the following June.

With Lake County’s propensity to hire from within – as well as its longstanding recruitment and retention challenges – Valadez was the obvious choice to succeed Fridley, who had made known her plans to retire well before her departure. In addition to her decades of expertise, Valadez also had the support of staff.

But late last year, there was a move by the County Administrative Office to change the basic educational requirements for the job that promised to disqualify the entire registrar’s staff.

Fridley warned the board of that during the October meeting in which County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson proposed making a political science bachelor’s degree a requirement, without the ability to substitute on-the-job experience for education.

The proposed changes were couched in Huchingson’s request to research how to fill the job and to consider whether to return the elections office to the umbrella of the county clerk-auditor’s office, from which it was separated nearly two decades ago. Huchingson said the county’s fiscal challenges make it necessary to consider such restructuring.

Huchingson also had told the board that the proposed changes in educational requirements were meant to make the registrar of voters job consistent with other county department head positions.

By that time, Huchingson had taken to the board a proposal to change the qualifications of the elected office of tax collector as part of a proposal to consolidate that office with the Auditor-Controller’s Office. That effort will require state legislation, which the board, during a September discussion, agreed by consensus to pursue.

Regarding Huchingson’s statement about making department head jobs consistent, a review of the job descriptions on the county’s Web site reveals a hodge-podge of requirements, with no consistency among either department head or other key supervisory positions, some of them overseeing far more employees than the registrar’s job.

The Animal Care and Control director spot – which will be vacated this week by longtime Director Bill Davidson – has no bachelor’s degree requirement, and many other jobs continue to allow for a combination of education and experience.

Notable examples that emphasize experience include the central dispatch manager, which prefers – but does not require – a bachelor’s degree. The chief deputy district attorney’s job, key to running the District Attorney’s Office, has no bachelor’s or even juris doctor requirement, although it states a requirement to be a member of the State Bar, and that’s also the case with the county counsel’s job. In California, lawyers can take the bar exam without a degree if they participate in an apprenticeship.

The air pollution control officer requires experience plus graduation from an accredited four-year college, while the Community Development director’s job combines experience and “education equivalent to graduation from a four year college or university” with a major in planning, or a closely related field.

Fridley told the board in October that the registrar’s office had been separated from the county clerk’s office for the reasons of transparency and giving the board control over the department head. That structural change was ultimately made possible by state legislation that went into effect in 2002, when the Registrar of Voters Office became its own separate department.

Before her retirement, Fridley told Lake County News that having the elections office as a freestanding department had worked quite well, and added that she was uncertain as to whether a reconsolidation would ultimately save the county any money.

Interim appointment and a vacancy

Fridley’s input at the October meeting led to the board deferring plans to change the job classification. That cleared the way for Valadez to be appointed in December.

However, at the same time, the board decided to do a six-month best practices study before recruiting a full-time registrar, Valadez said.

After Valadez’s interim appointment, she said the county didn’t ask her to stay on in the job in a permanent capacity.

It wasn’t until after she turned in her resignation in February that anyone with the county asked her to stay. Supervisor Rob Brown, who said he felt the county didn’t do right by Valadez, spoke to her. However, Valadez didn’t change her mind to go to Mendocino County.

“She was very helpful and always very professional with me,” District 3 Supervisor E.J. Crandell told Lake County News of Valadez.

Crandell said he didn’t get a chance to talk with Valadez about the situation.

While there are no major elections coming up immediately, Valadez said the mail ballot voting for the Lakeport Fire Protection District’s Measure M parcel tax will take place on May 7.

Then, starting in September, there will be the first steps for filing signatures-in-lieu paperwork to run for supervisorial seats for districts 1, 4 and 5, the judge’s seat held by Judge J. David Markham, dates which have been pushed months earlier because of the March 2020 primary election.

With Valadez’s departure, there are two part-time employees left, neither of which even has the five years of required experience to take her deputy registrar job, much less the department head position.

At the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Feb. 12, Huchingson reported Valadez’s intended departure and asked for a closed session discussion to be added as an extra item. By that point, she had reportedly sent board members an email critical of Valadez for her plans to leave so soon after being named interim registrar.

The board came out of closed session that day to vote 3-1 – with Supervisor Rob Brown voting no and Supervisor Crandell absent – to appoint Huchingson the interim registrar of voters, an appointment which she said did not include additional pay. The appointment was effective at the close of business on Feb. 22, Valadez’s last day on the job.

Asked if there was any attempt made to keep Valadez, Huchingson said she couldn’t disclose the specifics of the board’s discussion in closed session, only the action coming out of it.

She said the registrar’s job cannot be left vacant while the county seeks a new candidate.

Huchingson also said she had no concern about the appearance of being appointed interim registrar eight months after the county unsuccessfully put a 1.5-percent sales tax – known as Measure G – before voters as “the interim appointment is intended to be very short-term only.”

She said her interim appointment is in effect until a new registrar of voters is appointed.

Matthew Rothstein, one of Huchingson’s deputy county administrative officers, has been assigned to ensure solid support for the office, “and is in very close contact with me. I am very grateful to Matthew for taking on this unique temporary assignment,” Huchingson said.

The county of Mendocino’s Web site shows that the assistant clerk-recorder/registrar pay range is $76,918.40 to $93,475.20 annually, compared to $67,164 to $81,636 for the Lake County registrar of voters job. Mendocino County’s job application period closed on Jan. 1.

Valadez, however, said it wasn’t about the money, a sentiment other county employees who have left for jobs elsewhere that offer better pay and work conditions have shared with Lake County News.

Moving forward on recruitment

After being unwilling to offer Valadez the job on a permanent basis, the county moved forward with an immediate recruitment for a permanent – not an interim – registrar.

The Lake County Human Resources Department reported that the registrar of voters job was opened to other county employees until Feb. 12, and then was open to the public at-large until Feb. 21. The department confirmed that it was advertised as a permanent, not an interim, position.

The county’s Human Resources Web site includes a job description for the registrar of voters that says it is directly reportable to the Board of Supervisors and that the pay range is $5,597 to $6,803 monthly.

Chief requirements are “five years of work experience performing a variety of election administrative and support functions; or five years of current high-level management experience in voter registration and election organization with responsibility for election planning, budget administration, and personnel management; or five years of full-time administrative or managerial experience in a position which requires the application of laws and processes.”

Last week, Huchingson told the board that the county has received 13 applications for the job, of which three were promotional candidates. Only three individuals met the minimum requirements.

Huchingson, who called the candidate pool “encouraging,” asked for board members to meet with staff after the meeting to talk about next steps for the registrar and Animal Care and Control recruitments and interview plans. Board Chair Tina Scott and Vice Chair Moke Simon agreed to meet with staff for that purpose.

Huchingson told Lake County News late last week that there will be no extension of time in the recruitment.

“We acted quickly to open the recruitment. The period in which the recruitment is open is the standard minimum recruitment done by our HR Department. The hope is to quickly secure a candidate pool for the board’s consideration,” she said.

Huchingson said the county is moving forward with a panel interview with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday – it’s scheduled for closed session – in the hope of having finalist interviews ready to go for the board on March 5.

At the same time, the board will be interviewing candidates for the Animal Care and Control director, which also received applications for three qualified candidates, Huchingson said.

“We want to move as quickly as possible to provide the board with options for selection. However, if more time is needed, we’ll take it in order to be sure the board considers the top apps,” Huchingson said, adding it’s possible the interview process will continue to the March 12 agenda.

Also on Tuesday, ahead of those closed-door interviews the board will offer a proclamation for service to Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson, who is leaving after close to 12 years on March 8. It’s a gesture not uncommon for longtime county employees, not just department heads.

Valadez, with nearly 30 years of service to the county, received no such honor on her departure.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will get a presentation on a new statue honoring local Pomo tribes and consider a resolution to grant the new Dollar General store a liquor license.

The council will meet in closed session at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, for a performance evaluation of City Manager Margaret Silveira before the open portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a presentation on the commission and installation of a proposed Lake Pomo
family bronze statue proposed for the Historic Courthouse Museum Park.

Under council business, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will take to the council a proposed resolution making a determination that public convenience or necessity would be served by the issuance a Type-20 Off Sales Beer and Wine Liquor sales license to Dolgen
California LLC for the Dollar General at 1450 South Main St.

The council discussed the request at its last meeting and had directed staff to return with the resolution after Rasmussen said he did not anticipate an increase of crime in the area.

In other business, the city’s Utilities Superintendent Paul Harris will give the council an update on the Wastewater Intrusion and Infiltration Project and Public Works Director Doug Grider will seek the council’s approval and authorization for Silveira to execute a professional services
agreement with the chosen engineering firm for the Hartley St Pedestrian Improvement Project.

Also on the Tuesday agenda is the Lakeport Main Street Association’s Business of the Quarter award and introduction of the new Public Works employees Michelle Humphrey and Ron Harpster, and new Lakeport Police Department volunteer Luke Steely.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; the Feb. 28 warrant register; confirmation of the continued existence of a local emergency in the city of Lakeport in response to the Mendocino Complex fires; adoption of a resolution confirming the existence of a local emergency for the February storms; approval of event application 2019-005, with staff recommendations, for the St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl; approval of event application 2019-006, with staff recommendations, for the July
Fourth Arts & Crafts Fair; approval of event application 2019-007, with staff recommendations, for the Taste of Lake County event; approval of event application 2019-008, with staff recommendations, for the Trick or Treat Main Street Event; approval of event application 2019-009, with staff recommendations, for the Dickens’ Faire; adoption of the resolution accepting construction of the HSIP Pavement Markings Project by Chrisp Co. and authorize the filing of the notice of completion; adoption of a resolution amending and adopting an updated conflict of interest code.

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.

030519 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd