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SACRAMENTO – Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown hosted the 87th annual Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Thursday evening on the West Steps of the State Capitol.

“During this very special and holy season, we remember our friends and our blessings but we also take into account those who have suffered losses, particularly those who have lost so many loved ones in the fires in California, our firefighters and the other first responders,” said Gov. Brown.

This year, the governor and first lady lit the Capitol Christmas tree with 7-year-old Kiran Dong of Valencia, who was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome and receives services from the North Los Angeles County Regional Center.

The tree is illuminated by approximately 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights and is decorated with more than 900 hand-crafted ornaments made by children and adults with developmental disabilities who receive services and support from the state’s developmental centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers.

This year’s tree is a 65-foot-tall white fir from the Latour Demonstration State Forest located near Redding in Shasta County, the seventh Capitol Christmas tree to come from a state forest managed by Cal Fire.

Kitty O’Neal of KFBK Radio emceed the ceremony, which included feature performances by the California Army National Guard’s DET 1, 40th Infantry Division Band, Brass Quintet, the Governor’s Own; students from the Oakland Military Institute and Oakland School for the Arts; Harley White Jr. Trio; and St. Paul’s Baptist Church Choir.

More information about Kiran Dong can be found here.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is now using the WeTip program to fight crime in Mendocino County.

WeTip provides a hotline number which anyone can call if they have information about any crime or potentially hazardous condition in our communities, according to Lt. Greg Stefani.

Stefani said all callers to WeTip remain anonymous. The program also offers rewards of up to $1,000.00 for tips that ultimately result in a conviction.

If you have information that could help law enforcement agencies bring criminals to justice, please call WeTip at 1-800-732-7463.

Additionally, tips can be submitted online at http://www.wetip.com .

WeTip hotlines are answered by bilingual tip operators 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls are anonymous, not just confidential. No one will ever know who made the call. The operator will then ask a series of questions, designed by law enforcement, to obtain the maximum amount of information about the reported crime.

After the information is taken, a code name and number are assigned to the informant. The caller always remains absolutely anonymous.

The WeTip operator will take the information and pass it on to appropriate law officers who then conduct their own investigation. Only calls made directly to WeTip will be eligible for reward.

If your information results in an arrest and conviction, you will be given up to $1,000 cash, depending upon the importance of the crime solved. Your identity will never be known to anyone.

The reward drop is made at a secret postal location, using the assigned code names and case numbers. No personal contact is ever made with the informant.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week gave the go-ahead to city staff to apply for a federal grant that would fund most of a revamped and reestablished police K-9 program and accepted a new protocol for seating Lake County Fire Protection District Board members.

On Tuesday, the council held a public hearing to consider adopting a resolution supporting an application to the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Communities Facilities Loan and Grant Program for the Lakeport Police K-9 program.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said his department wants to reestablish its police dog program, which has been inactive since its last dog, Max, retired in 2009.

In August, Rasmussen had gone to the council to ask for a council member to be appointed, at the appropriate time, to the board of directors of a newly forming nonprofit, “Friends of Lakeport PD,” which David Brown, owner of Susie Q’s Donuts in Lakeport, is founding to support the department’s K-9 program, as Lake County News has reported.

At about the same time as the Lakeport Police Department began working with Brown, they were contacted by a representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who advised them about a new opportunity for funds for a police K-9 program.

“As you’re aware, we've been working on this for several months now,” Rasmussen said.

He said all the work has been done to submit the grant to the USDA. What remained to be done on Tuesday was to get the council's approval to direct the city manager to sign off on getting the final submission done.

Rasmussen said the department could receive about $68,500, which he said would be “a very good start” to getting the program under way. He said the funds can be used for any part of the program, including vehicles, which can be very expensive, as well as the costs of the dog and its training, and training and lodging for the handler.

“We do have plenty of time if it gets approved to make sure that our nonprofit is also able to provide some of the other needed funding for the program,” Rasmussen said.

Councilman George Spurr asked if Rasmussen was going to have an existing car retrofitted or if they would get a new one.

Rasmussen said the plan is to get a specially outfitted Chevy Tahoe for the K-9. The department has been in the process of getting new vehicles.

All told, Rasmussen said the grant funding would cover about 75 percent of the program, with the nonprofit to supply the rest.

“So we’re looking really good if this goes through,” said Councilman Kenny Parlet.

Spurr followed up by asking if the program has to be kept in existence for a specific number of years. Not necessarily, said Rasmussen, but the department couldn’t simply stop the program and sell the K-9.

He said he has up to five years to use the money. “I don't expect it to take that long.”

There was no public comment and Councilwoman Stacey Mattina moved the resolution, which the council approved unanimously.

New protocol for filling fire district board seats

The evening’s other main item of action was the consideration of a resolution to establish a protocol for appointing directors to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board.

The document that City Attorney David Ruderman presented to the council mirrored a resolution accepted by the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 20.

Ruderman, County Counsel Anita Grant and the general counsel for the fire district had worked together to craft the protocol, which Ruderman said is meant to allow them to move forward in logical way to make sure the district has the representation it needs.

He explained that the fire district board is appointed, not elected, and that to become elected the fire district board would have to decide to make that change.

Absent that, he said the Fire Protection District Act – which formed the basis of the resolution – allows for appointment of board members from cities and counties based on proportionate share of population.

Looking at the current fire district population, Ruderman said there is a slight majority residing in the unincorporated county.

Ruderman said that, previously, in the agreement the city had with the district when it was annexed, the city council was to recommend two fire district board members and the county approved them.

He said that doesn’t quite jive with what the Fire Protection Board Act says, and so in the resolution that was specifically amended.

The result, said Ruderman, is that the city will have two appointees and the county will have three.

He said they also decided that the best way to move forward was to slightly stagger the seats, so the resolution has a provision that says two vacancies are coming up for 2019 and the rest in 2020.

So for the coming year, the county and the city would each have one appointment, and for 2020 the county will have two more appointments and the city one, Ruderman said.

The original agreement called for the county and city to appoint four of the board members and for those four to appoint the fifth. That’s changed now in the new protocol, but Ruderman said the board can always make recommendations.

He said fire district board appointees must live in the district. He said the city can appoint members who don’t live within city limits, but it also can limit itself to only appointing city residents.

If the 2020 Census or other data shows that the population apportionment has changed, the city and county can revisit how many members they would appoint, he said.

Ruderman noted that the supervisors had already approved a resolution that’s similar to the city’s, and that the fire district board is set to consider its own version of the resolution in the next week or so.

Spurr asked if anyone has shown interest in the seats yet. City Manager Margaret Silveira said at least two people have submitted applications. The application period is open through 5 p.m. Dec. 12.

John Whitehead, chair of the fire district board, said he had reviewed the draft resolution. “It all looked fine to me. I didn't see any issues with it.”

He said he would like to see a two-year stagger, with the next appointments in 2021, not 2020.

He said they have another vacancy, in addition to the seat that Gerry Mills retired from in September; Bill Whipple, the fire district board’s vice chair, has just turned in his resignation.

Ruderman said that it had been the county’s position that all of the fire board trustee seats were coming available in 2018. There had been interest from the fire district counsel in having two-year staggered terms, and the compromise was the one-year stagger. He said either was fine from his perspective.

“I would recommend that we be consistent with the county, because that’s the entire purpose of this,” said Ruderman, noting that a two-year stagger between the seats is “certainly rational.”

He said one option was for the council to adopt the resolution as is and then reopen it later. They also could amend the year for the next appointments, moving it from 2020 to 2021, but that would lead to a conflict with the county’s rules.

The other option, and the one the council ultimately accepted, was to adopt the resolution and direct Ruderman and Silveira to reopen the discussion about a two-year stagger with the county’s representatives.

“That makes more sense, keep it moving forward that way,” said Mattina.

Dan Kane, president of the Lakeport Professional Firefighters Association, thanked the council for it hard work on the resolution, saying he understands the challenges.

Kane asked if there be a protocol for an interview and testing process for prospective board members. Silveira said there will be an interview process.

Mayor Mireya Turner, who formerly worked in the Board of Supervisors office, said that based on her experience it’s best to have commissions and boards standardized and agreed with the two-year stagger, noting it’s better for the public.

Councilman Tim Barnes moved to approve the resolution, which Spurr seconded and the council approved 5-0.

The council also reached unanimous consensus to direct staff to look into extending appointments from 2020 to 2021 in order to have the two-year stagger.

Turner then offered a heartfelt thank you to the fire board members for their work.

In other business on Tuesday, Turner presented the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to Finance Director Nick Walker.

An introduction of new employees was rescheduled to the next meeting.

When the council emerged from closed session, Mayor Mireya Turner said the council voted 5-0 in closed session to extend for six months – or until July 1, 2019 – an agreement with Verizon Wireless that would lengthen the window in which the company could file suit over the denial of its appeal for a wireless tower.

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.

120418 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKEPORT, Calif. – As Lake County’s registrar of voters prepared to retire at month’s end, the Board of Supervisors has appointed her longtime deputy to fill the job on an interim basis.

The Board of Supervisors emerged from closed session on Tuesday to announce that it had appointed Maria Valadez as interim registrar of voters, upon the retirement of Registrar Diane Fridley.

Valadez’s appointment is effective on Dec. 29.

Fridley, whose retirement becomes official on Dec. 28, has worked for the Registrar of Voters Office since December 1977, serving as registrar since 2002, when the office became its own separate department.

During an October discussion, the Board of Supervisors considered how to fill the registrar’s job permanently going forward, with options including changing the job’s requirements and possibly consolidating it with another department, as it had been previously.

At that time, the supervisors directed staff to interview interim candidates while they decide what path to take moving forward.

Interviews and discussions about the job were conducted in closed sessions beginning last month, leading up to Valadez’s selection on Tuesday.

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.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Lodging operators in Lake County are coming together to form a new assessment district solely devoted to marketing the county as one of Northern California’s newest tourist destinations for wine, recreation and natural beauty.

The new entity will be known as the Lake County Tourism Improvement District, or LCTID, and will join 105 other Tourism Improvement Districts – also known as TIDs – in California, and 172 nationwide, which provide dedicated funds for the promotion of the destination and expanding tourism efforts.

Lodging establishments in the unincorporated area of Lake County and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake will pay an assessment of 1.5 percent of gross room rental revenues to fund the new district.

“Lake County is within a few hours drive from all the major cities in Northern California,” said Lake County Administrator Officer Carol J. Huchingson. “As a community we are making great strides to enhance our tourism offerings, recreational activities and festivals. We see great potential in growing Lake County as a tourist destination through the marketing efforts the LCTID will fund.”

A TID Board of Directors was appointed at an organizational meeting held at Twin Pines Casino on Nov. 20.

The LCTID by-laws require that the board be comprised of representatives of businesses paying the assessment, Indian gaming entities, other tourism related businesses and local government officials.

The new directors include the following individuals:

· Brian Fisher (Suite on Main, Kelseyville);
· Michelle Scully (County of Lake);
· Greg Folsom (City of Clearlake);
· Lynne Butcher (Tallman Hotel, Upper Lake);
· Jitu Ishwar (Anchorage Inn, Lakeport);
· Maryann Schmid (The Lodge at Blue Lakes, Upper Lake);
· Larry Galupe (Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, Middleton);
· Havi W. (Skylark Shores Resort, Lakeport);
· Arnna Egan (Saratoga Springs Retreat Center, Upper Lake).

More than 100 tourist destinations have formed tourism improvement districts in California.

As the newest TID in the state, LCTID is expected to have a budget of about $170,000 in the first year to supplement existing county funding for tourism promotion.

“The LCTID Board of Directors is a talented group of tourism professionals,” said Board Chair Larry Galupe. “As we join together to market Lake County as the next 'must visit destination' in California, all of our businesses and communities will benefit.”

The next meeting of the LCTID Board of Directors is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Dec. 13, upstairs in the Courthouse Museum.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council is planning a special meeting to discuss several items of business.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

On the agenda is consideration of a contract for the OpenGov cloud software and services, at a cost of $160,000 over five years.

City Manager Greg Folsom said the software will help with budgeting and planning, performance management and strategic planning, and citizen engagement.

The council also will consider a letter of appreciation to Adventist Health.

Folsom’s report to the council on the proposed letter said that Adventist Health recently held its 50th anniversary and raised $100,000 that it intends to donate to the city for a children’s park.

In other business, the council will consider offering a letter in support of a proposal to the United States Department of Agriculture to relocate the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Economic Research Service to Lake County.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – is consideration of continuation of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017.

After the open portion of the meeting the council will hold a closed session to discuss an evaluation of Folsom and property negotiations for 14130 Tuli Lane.

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.