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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake is urging property owners to clear overgrown weeds and vegetation because of fire season.
Each year from May 15 to Nov. 1 there is an increased fire danger throughout Northern California due to excessive weeds and brush.
As the citizens of Lake County know all too well, dry, overgrown vegetation is excellent fuel for fires and can be a threat to people, structures and animals.
Last year’s Sulphur fire, and before that the Clayton, Valley, Jerusalem and Rocky fires have increased awareness of the danger of overgrown weeds and vegetation.
More than 150 structures were lost in the Sulphur fire due to high winds that drove the fire to spread very quickly through brush and vegetation and onto homes.
Last year, the Clearlake City Council adopted a strategic plan for improving the city of Clearlake. One of the primary adopted goals was to “Make Clearlake a visibly cleaner city” and one of the identified objectives was to eliminate weeds citywide.
As summer approaches and weeds and vegetation grow and dry out, Code Enforcement staff are out notifying property owners to remove the overgrown weeds and vegetation.
City officials said it is the responsibility of property owners to keep their properties free of overgrown weeds and vegetation. Not only is it unsightly and contributing to neighborhood blight, but it also can be a fire hazard.
The city of Clearlake is teaming up with the Lake County Fire Protection District to enforce ordinances designed to reduce blight and reduce fire hazards.
Failure to remove overgrown weeds and vegetation after notification by the city’s Code Enforcement staff can lead to significant fines.
“We are going into the tourism season and the city of Clearlake is working on a number of programs to reduce visual blight and make Clearlake a visibly cleaner city,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “Keeping your property free of weeds and overgrown vegetation will not only improve the image of Clearlake as a wonderful vacation spot, but it will also improve the image of your neighborhood and improve your property value.”
Code Enforcement Supervisor Lee Lambert added, “The city is expending tremendous efforts in code enforcement to clean up garbage throughout the city and eliminate abandoned vehicles. Property owners need to help by cutting down the overgrown vegetation on their property. So avoid fines and do your part. But more importantly, make Clearlake a nice-looking place for all of us and our visitors by cutting down your weeds.”
Clearlake Waste Solutions is the city of Clearlake’s franchise waste hauler. CWS provides containers for landscape green waste, as well as normal trash and recycling.
South Lake Refuse and Recycling operates the Quackenbush Mountain Compost Facility for larger loads needing disposal. Quackenbush Mountain is located at 16520 Davis St., Clearlake.
Each year from May 15 to Nov. 1 there is an increased fire danger throughout Northern California due to excessive weeds and brush.
As the citizens of Lake County know all too well, dry, overgrown vegetation is excellent fuel for fires and can be a threat to people, structures and animals.
Last year’s Sulphur fire, and before that the Clayton, Valley, Jerusalem and Rocky fires have increased awareness of the danger of overgrown weeds and vegetation.
More than 150 structures were lost in the Sulphur fire due to high winds that drove the fire to spread very quickly through brush and vegetation and onto homes.
Last year, the Clearlake City Council adopted a strategic plan for improving the city of Clearlake. One of the primary adopted goals was to “Make Clearlake a visibly cleaner city” and one of the identified objectives was to eliminate weeds citywide.
As summer approaches and weeds and vegetation grow and dry out, Code Enforcement staff are out notifying property owners to remove the overgrown weeds and vegetation.
City officials said it is the responsibility of property owners to keep their properties free of overgrown weeds and vegetation. Not only is it unsightly and contributing to neighborhood blight, but it also can be a fire hazard.
The city of Clearlake is teaming up with the Lake County Fire Protection District to enforce ordinances designed to reduce blight and reduce fire hazards.
Failure to remove overgrown weeds and vegetation after notification by the city’s Code Enforcement staff can lead to significant fines.
“We are going into the tourism season and the city of Clearlake is working on a number of programs to reduce visual blight and make Clearlake a visibly cleaner city,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “Keeping your property free of weeds and overgrown vegetation will not only improve the image of Clearlake as a wonderful vacation spot, but it will also improve the image of your neighborhood and improve your property value.”
Code Enforcement Supervisor Lee Lambert added, “The city is expending tremendous efforts in code enforcement to clean up garbage throughout the city and eliminate abandoned vehicles. Property owners need to help by cutting down the overgrown vegetation on their property. So avoid fines and do your part. But more importantly, make Clearlake a nice-looking place for all of us and our visitors by cutting down your weeds.”
Clearlake Waste Solutions is the city of Clearlake’s franchise waste hauler. CWS provides containers for landscape green waste, as well as normal trash and recycling.
South Lake Refuse and Recycling operates the Quackenbush Mountain Compost Facility for larger loads needing disposal. Quackenbush Mountain is located at 16520 Davis St., Clearlake.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A judge has ruled that a Hidden Valley Lake man charged with killing his daughter last May is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The decision regarding Steven Russell Miller’s mental status came at the end of a competency bench trial on Tuesday, Miller’s 40th birthday.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom declared Miller incompetent after he was evaluated by three separate doctors, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Trang Jensen.
Miller is charged with the murder of his 20-year-old daughter, Hannah Welch, on the night of May 30, 2017, as Lake County News has reported.
Authorities said Miller shot Welch at their home on Spyglass Road before he fled the scene. He was arrested later that night in Hidden Valley Lake.
The District Attorney’s Office has charged Miller with homicide, with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm which caused great bodily injury and death to his daughter, and with brandishing a gun at his mother, who called law enforcement.
As for what led to the shooting, “He was unhappy that the daughter was living with him,” Jensen said. Despite the brandishing incident, “He was very protective of his mother.”
She said Miller hadn’t liked other family members living with them, noting there also had been issues with a cousin who stayed at the home previously.
Jensen said there were two doctors ordered to initially evaluate Miller. “One found that he could be competent if medicated. The other found him to be incompetent.”
So a third doctor was brought in to evaluate Miller, and that doctor found him incompetent, Jensen said.
She said those reports were submitted as part of the Tuesday morning bench trial before Judge Hedstrom to determine Miller’s competence.
Defense attorney Andrea Sullivan said that, altogether, a total of seven doctors have evaluated Miller’s mental state, which included private evaluations and not guilty by reason by insanity evaluations.
“What the doctors overwhelmingly say is he is schizophrenic,” said Sullivan, explaining that Miller was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia as part of this case.
While Sullivan believes that psychiatric condition is the driving force of the case, she said there is more to it, describing it as a “very, very complicated situation” regarding ongoing health problems and previously undiagnosed schizophrenia.
She said Miller has had 5150 holds for mental health issues as long ago as 10 years ago. He also has a very minimal previous criminal history, with a misdemeanor battery conviction against his father.
With Hedstrom finding Miller incompetent at the Tuesday trial, the criminal proceedings now come to a halt, Jensen said.
“Criminal proceedings were suspended until his mental competence is restored,” she said.
She said a June 12 hearing has been set for further proceedings. By that date she said it’s expected that it will be determined where Miller will be placed.
Jensen said he likely will be sent to the Napa State Hospital, where the county continues to have challenges getting placements for individuals with mental health issues.
Sullivan said a report will need to be prepared on placement, and Miller could end up being sent to any state hospital.
“There has to be a placement and then he has to be given a chance to regain competency,” she said.
She said the maximum time allowed is three years. “If he can’t be restored to competency, he can't be prosecuted but there could be a conservatorship.”
Sullivan added, “If he does regain competence, we’re ready to go to trial.”
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – As the June primary approaches, the two candidates in this year’s district attorney race discussed policy and answered questions during a Monday night campaign forum.
Steven Brown and Susan Krones took part in the hour-and-a-half-long event at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
The full video of the forum is published above.
The event was the fifth and final campaign forum of the primary season hosted by Lake County News, the Lake County Bar Association and the Lake County Economic Development Corp.
The other forums hosted the candidates for District 2 and District 3 supervisor, Lake County superintendent of schools and the Lake County Superior Court.
Those videos can be found on this Web site or by visiting Lake County News’ YouTube page.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A crowd gathered on Tuesday morning in Clearlake’s Austin Park for the annual tradition of raising the large American flag donated by the Park Study Club.
Burns Valley School second graders joined members of the Park Study Club, Lake County Fire Protection District, Clearlake Police Department, Clearlake Public Works Department, as well as Clearlake City Council members and planning commissioners, and members of the public in keeping the oversized flag from touching the ground.
Once the flag was raised, in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day, the flag was lowered to half-staff for the day.
“The raising of the flag in Austin Park is really a fun tradition that we have every year,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “The kids from Burns Valley School come out and do a great job of holding up the flag and learning flag etiquette and respect. Big thank you to the Park Study Club for once again donating the flag.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At its meeting on May 10, the Clearlake City Council voted unanimously to rescind the Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, Program, previously authorized by the city.
PACE programs allow an owner to finance energy efficiency and water conservation improvements to their property.
The cost of installation is paid over time by the owner as a property tax assessment lien. These improvements can range from a high efficiency furnace to solar panels. The city authorized two providers to offer the program within the city limits in 2015.
The city recently discovered that program participation has been very low, with only one property owner having completed improvements under PACE.
As the property owner discovered, one of the limitations to PACE is that a property cannot be sold or refinanced with the PACE lien in place.
Further complicating the program implementation, the program administrators do not currently have required agreements with the county auditor-controller to place the liens on the property tax roll. This requires the PACE administrators to invoice property owners independently.
The way PACE is structured, the city does not have oversight authority on the program, and participation can result in high financing costs for owners.
Based on both the local issues and the overall program complications, after careful deliberation, the council elected to rescind the authorized PACE programs.
While only one property owner has completed improvements under the program, there are seven other property owners that have received financing approvals from a PACE provider, and are under construction.
The council authorized those owners to continue with their approved projects, but no additional project applications will be accepted or approved by the PACE providers.
“While we value and encourage property owners to achieve energy efficiency and water conservation measures where possible, the current complications with PACE place Clearlake residents at risk of paying too much for these improvements. We encourage property owners to fully research their financing options when installing these types of upgrades," said City Manager Greg Folsom.
PACE programs allow an owner to finance energy efficiency and water conservation improvements to their property.
The cost of installation is paid over time by the owner as a property tax assessment lien. These improvements can range from a high efficiency furnace to solar panels. The city authorized two providers to offer the program within the city limits in 2015.
The city recently discovered that program participation has been very low, with only one property owner having completed improvements under PACE.
As the property owner discovered, one of the limitations to PACE is that a property cannot be sold or refinanced with the PACE lien in place.
Further complicating the program implementation, the program administrators do not currently have required agreements with the county auditor-controller to place the liens on the property tax roll. This requires the PACE administrators to invoice property owners independently.
The way PACE is structured, the city does not have oversight authority on the program, and participation can result in high financing costs for owners.
Based on both the local issues and the overall program complications, after careful deliberation, the council elected to rescind the authorized PACE programs.
While only one property owner has completed improvements under the program, there are seven other property owners that have received financing approvals from a PACE provider, and are under construction.
The council authorized those owners to continue with their approved projects, but no additional project applications will be accepted or approved by the PACE providers.
“While we value and encourage property owners to achieve energy efficiency and water conservation measures where possible, the current complications with PACE place Clearlake residents at risk of paying too much for these improvements. We encourage property owners to fully research their financing options when installing these types of upgrades," said City Manager Greg Folsom.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The University of California-Merced team of Herbie LeBlanc of Gilroy and Tshu Xiong of Merced won the YETI FLW College Fishing event at Clear Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops on Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces.
The victory earned the Bobcats bass club $2,250 and a spot in the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“In our pre-fishing we had found that the water was very clear on the north end and a bunch of shad were up shallow, so we decided to start our tournament there,” said LeBlanc, a junior majoring in earth systems science. “When we got to our first spot, we realized that everything had been blown out from the wind. The lake went from 3-foot of visibility down to about 5 inches, so our pattern was toast.
“So, we decided to stay in the north end of the lake and look for areas that were secluded and weren’t affected by the wind,” LeBlanc continued. “We found a lagoon with a bunch of docks, and when we went in I got a bite in the first 30 feet of entering the area. We ended up staying there all day and fishing the whole thing.”
The duo estimated that they caught around 15 keepers and said that they caught their fish on two baits – LeBlanc fished a Texas-rigged Okeechobee Craw-colored Zoom Brush Hog, while Xiong fished a weightless Texas-rigged black and blue Yamamoto Senko.
“We flipped our baits into the tules and grass, and fishing slowly and methodically was very important,” said Xiong, a senior majoring in human biology who was fishing his very first College Fishing tournament. “The bite was a lot better in the morning, from 7 to 11 (a.m.)”
“I think the key was ignoring the bed fish and the southern end of the lake completely,” LeBlanc went on to say. “I could see the bed fish and I could just tell that all of those fish had been fished for and beat up, so we disregarded those fish completely. During practice we found that the bite was much better up north, so we spent our entire tournament there.”
The top 10 teams on Clear Lake that advanced to the 2019 College Fishing National Championship are:
First: University of California-Merced – Herbie LeBlanc, Gilroy, Calif., and Tshu Xiong, Merced, Calif., five bass, 19-10, $2,250.
Second: California State University-Chico – Cole Lauchland, Chico, Calif., and Logan Schwab, Davis, Calif., five bass, 16-12, $1,410.
Third: California State University-Chico – Chad Sweitzer, Chico, Calif., and Matthew Pusateri, Grand Terrace, Calif., five bass, 15-2, $710.
Fourth: California State University-Chico – Carson Leber, Dixon, Calif., and Tyler Bounds, Chico, Calif., five bass, 14-10, $500.
Fifth: California State University-Chico – Michael Klemm and Nick Klein, both of Oroville, Calif., five bass, 14-7, $500.
Sixth: New Mexico State University – Ty Faulconer and Daylon Smith, both of Las Cruces, N.M., five bass, 12-14.
Seventh: Sonoma State University – Trenton Wells, Windsor, Calif., and Brock Trudeau, Lancaster, Calif., five bass, 12-6.
Eighth: California State University-Chico – Austin Crane and David Griswold, both of Oroville, Calif., five bass, 12-2.
Ninth: Sonoma State University – Tyler Owens, Santa Rosa, Calif., and B.J. Kendrick, Morgan Hill, Calif., five bass, 11-13.
Tenth: California Polytechnic State University – Hugh Cosculluela, The Woodlands, Texas, and Patrick Ellis, San Diego, Calif., five bass, 11-9.
Complete results for the entire field can be found at www.FLWFishing.com .
The YETI FLW College Fishing event at Clear Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, and was the second of three regular-season qualifying tournaments for Western Conference anglers in 2018.
The next YETI event for FLW College Fishing anglers will be the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
The event will take place May 30 to June 1 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission & Red River Waterway Commission.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2019 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
YETI FLW College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For complete details and updated information visit www.FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.