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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity is still seeking wildfire survivors to be homeowner applicants.
As rebuilding in Lake County continues, funding is still available.
If you are a low-income family who lost your home in one of Lake County’s wildfires or if you were a renter displaced by the fires and still in need of housing, Habitat for Humanity Lake County might be able to assist you.
The Homeownership Program of Habitat for Humanity Lake County is actively seeking qualified candidates.
Applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis and must be income qualified.
Military veterans and other low-income applicants are encouraged to contact us, and family need is always the top consideration.
For a pre-qualification application visit Habitat for Humanity’s Web site at www.lakehabitat.org , call the office at 707-994-1100, or come by 15312 Lakeshore Dr. Clearlake.
Once the pre-application is received, candidates will be contacted by a Habitat for Humanity representative for a family interview and provided with a complete application.
With his mother and five of his 11 siblings by his side, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley was sworn in on Monday morning by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Stanley, 56, of Sacramento is the 15th CHP commissioner.
He was appointed commissioner by Gov. Brown on Feb. 9 after serving as acting commissioner since 2017.
Commissioner Stanley has been employed with the CHP since 1982 and is one of the distinguished few to have held every position from officer to commissioner.
Commissioner Stanley is the first black American in the history of the CHP to hold the rank of commissioner and oversees the largest state law enforcement agency in the nation, a department with more than 11,000 employees.
The California Senate has passed a resolution by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), proclaiming the week of Feb. 26 to March 4 as Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
In the United States, 30 million individuals suffer from clinically significant eating disorders at some time in their life.
“I’ve seen firsthand how painful and difficult these disorders can be,” said Sen. Dodd. “I’ve had a loved one who suffered from an eating disorder. I’ve also seen that recovery is possible. And I can attest to the importance of awareness, understanding and a strong support network for those on the journey towards recovery.”
The resolution was sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association, Cielo House and State Board of Equalization Member Fiona Ma.
The resolution passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support and is coauthored by nearly one dozen senators and members of the Assembly.
“The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders and put life-saving resources into the hands of those in need,” said Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association. “It is estimated that over 1.6 million California residents are currently struggling with an eating disorder, which are serious and potentially life-threatening mental illnesses. We are grateful to California Senators Dodd and Wiener for their support in bringing attention to this campaign.”
“Having a healthy body image can be challenging with the images assumed to be ‘normal’ or ‘ideal’ in the media and entertainment industry,” said Ma, who serves on the Board of Equalization. “During Eating Disorders Awareness Week, start the conversation with the individuals in your life about living a healthy lifestyle. Since this is a disease that often hides in plain sight, it’s important to learn the warning signs and know where to go to get help. We need to teach our kids how to have a positive relationship with food, exercise, and their body image.”
“Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are misunderstood, stigmatized, and undertreated, and impact both women and men, and people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who jointly authored the resolution. “Especially as we see increasing rates of eating disorders among our young people, now is the time for the government to step up and take a more proactive role in prevention and treatment of this critical public health issue.”
"Awareness is the first step towards recovery,” said Sofia E. Keck, co-founder of Cielo House. “As a leader in eating disorder treatment, Cielo House is honored to co-sponsor this resolution to continue our mission of healing together."
The National Eating Disorders Association has resources available on its Web site – https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ – for those wishing to learn more, get support or help raise awareness.
In the United States, 30 million individuals suffer from clinically significant eating disorders at some time in their life.
“I’ve seen firsthand how painful and difficult these disorders can be,” said Sen. Dodd. “I’ve had a loved one who suffered from an eating disorder. I’ve also seen that recovery is possible. And I can attest to the importance of awareness, understanding and a strong support network for those on the journey towards recovery.”
The resolution was sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association, Cielo House and State Board of Equalization Member Fiona Ma.
The resolution passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support and is coauthored by nearly one dozen senators and members of the Assembly.
“The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders and put life-saving resources into the hands of those in need,” said Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association. “It is estimated that over 1.6 million California residents are currently struggling with an eating disorder, which are serious and potentially life-threatening mental illnesses. We are grateful to California Senators Dodd and Wiener for their support in bringing attention to this campaign.”
“Having a healthy body image can be challenging with the images assumed to be ‘normal’ or ‘ideal’ in the media and entertainment industry,” said Ma, who serves on the Board of Equalization. “During Eating Disorders Awareness Week, start the conversation with the individuals in your life about living a healthy lifestyle. Since this is a disease that often hides in plain sight, it’s important to learn the warning signs and know where to go to get help. We need to teach our kids how to have a positive relationship with food, exercise, and their body image.”
“Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are misunderstood, stigmatized, and undertreated, and impact both women and men, and people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who jointly authored the resolution. “Especially as we see increasing rates of eating disorders among our young people, now is the time for the government to step up and take a more proactive role in prevention and treatment of this critical public health issue.”
"Awareness is the first step towards recovery,” said Sofia E. Keck, co-founder of Cielo House. “As a leader in eating disorder treatment, Cielo House is honored to co-sponsor this resolution to continue our mission of healing together."
The National Eating Disorders Association has resources available on its Web site – https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ – for those wishing to learn more, get support or help raise awareness.
On Monday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, introduced a discharge petition that would force a vote on the bipartisan Thompson-King Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act.
This bill provides resources to help states strengthen and expand the background checks system and closes a number of gun sale loopholes.
Text of the discharge petition can be found by clicking here: http://clerk.house.gov/115/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0006.xml.
“Every member of Congress knows that we must take action to prevent gun violence. Though we may not all agree on everything, we agree that we must expand background checks,” said Thompson. “Today, I filed a discharge petition on the bipartisan background checks bill that would strengthen background checks systems in states across our nation. This bill is bipartisan and should have a vote immediately. Each day 30 people die are killed by someone using a gun and we cannot let another day pass without action.”
A discharge petition is procedure that helps to force widely supported pieces of legislation to the floor.
If a majority of members of Congress sign the petition, it is brought to the floor without the approval of the Speaker.
This procedure allows the House to take up bills that are supported by the majority of the country but blocked by Republican leaders.
This bill provides resources to help states strengthen and expand the background checks system and closes a number of gun sale loopholes.
Text of the discharge petition can be found by clicking here: http://clerk.house.gov/115/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0006.xml.
“Every member of Congress knows that we must take action to prevent gun violence. Though we may not all agree on everything, we agree that we must expand background checks,” said Thompson. “Today, I filed a discharge petition on the bipartisan background checks bill that would strengthen background checks systems in states across our nation. This bill is bipartisan and should have a vote immediately. Each day 30 people die are killed by someone using a gun and we cannot let another day pass without action.”
A discharge petition is procedure that helps to force widely supported pieces of legislation to the floor.
If a majority of members of Congress sign the petition, it is brought to the floor without the approval of the Speaker.
This procedure allows the House to take up bills that are supported by the majority of the country but blocked by Republican leaders.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The family of a woman who was set on fire in 2001 by her then-boyfriend is gearing up to argue to the state Board of Parole Hearings on Tuesday that the convicted attacker should not be released from prison.
The parole hearing for Gregory Patrick Beck of Mendocino County will take place on Tuesday morning at Soledad Correctional Training Facility, according to Phyllis Kline, whose daughter, Sherry Carlton, was left disabled and disfigured after Beck brutally attacked her in August 2001.
The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Norman will attend and argue that agency’s opposition to Beck’s parole.
This will be the third hearing Kline has attended to speak against her daughter’s attacker. Both she and her ex-husband, Jeffrey Carlton, Sherry Carlton’s father, plan to speak to the board.
Kline called Beck “absolutely evil.”
Beck and Sherry Carlton had been together 12 years when Carlton decided to end the relationship and move out of the home they shared.
“She had so much going for her,” Kline said of her daughter, who she recalled as a loving, beautiful young woman. Carlton was Kline’s only child.
After moving out, Carlton went back to the home where Beck lived to retrieve personal belongings. It was then that Beck attacked Carlton, soaking her with lighter fluid and setting her on fire, and then later trying to stage the scene to make it appear that she had been injured by a barbecue, according to a case history.
At the time of the attack Carlton was 32 years old and had a 12-year-old child with Beck.
Beck was convicted in 2002 of gravely injuring Carlton by means of torture, assault with caustic chemicals and corporal injury on a cohabitant.
The attack left Carlton disfigured, unable to walk, speak or care for herself. “She was trapped inside her uncooperative body. She couldn't talk, she couldn’t move, but she could understand what you were saying,” Kline said.
Carlton spent the years following the disfiguring attack in a Lake County care facility. She had a close relationship with her stepmother, Michelle Carlton, who quit her job as a registered nurse and went to work for the trust that oversaw Sherry Carlton’s care, Kline said.
“I’m just so indebted to her and Jeff,” Kline said of the Carltons.
Kline credited Michelle Carlton with exceptional, loving and compassionate care of her daughter, and also lauded the work of Alicia Lopez for helping keep her daughter as comfortable as she could be.
In March 2011, the Board of Parole Hearings found Beck unsuitable for parole, concluding he had failed to take responsibility for the attack and had shown failures in rehabilitation. At that time the board ordered that he not be eligible for another parole hearing until the passing of 10 years, as Lake County News has reported: http://bit.ly/2ETRqft.
Only seven years have passed, and Beck is making a return to the board.
In the intervening years, Sherry Carlton’s family continued to care for her and try to give her as much quality of life as possible.
On March 18, 2016, the day after her birthday and nearly 15 years after the attack that changed her life, Sherry Carlton died, Kline said.
“I think he should be charged with murder. He basically murdered my daughter, it just took 14 and a half years,” Kline said of Beck.
“What a monster,” she added.
One thing that hasn’t changed since Beck’s last parole hearing is the opposition being shown to his release.
The last time he faced the board, commissioners had noted that they were impressed with the 100 letters and hundreds of signatures on petitions opposing his release.
Carlton’s family is ready again, and this time they have even greater support.
Kline, who lives in Southern California, said she has not only received hundreds of signatures on paper petitions but also, as of Sunday night, her online petition against Beck’s parole had collected 50,399 signatures.
The petition can be found here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/328/208/588/refuse-parole-to-convicted-torturer-gregory-patrick-beck-cdc-t61119/.
Kline intends to argue that Beck is a dangerous, mentally disturbed, egotistical person who has made threats against other people and hasn’t told the truth about the case in which he attacked Carlton.
“I won’t take it for granted but I think it’s going to be pretty obvious how devious he is,” she said, noting that she thinks he believes he is fooling everyone.
Despite the emotional toll of the hearings, Kline said she’s ready.
“Sherry deserves justice,” she said.
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.
The parole hearing for Gregory Patrick Beck of Mendocino County will take place on Tuesday morning at Soledad Correctional Training Facility, according to Phyllis Kline, whose daughter, Sherry Carlton, was left disabled and disfigured after Beck brutally attacked her in August 2001.
The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Norman will attend and argue that agency’s opposition to Beck’s parole.
This will be the third hearing Kline has attended to speak against her daughter’s attacker. Both she and her ex-husband, Jeffrey Carlton, Sherry Carlton’s father, plan to speak to the board.
Kline called Beck “absolutely evil.”
Beck and Sherry Carlton had been together 12 years when Carlton decided to end the relationship and move out of the home they shared.
“She had so much going for her,” Kline said of her daughter, who she recalled as a loving, beautiful young woman. Carlton was Kline’s only child.
After moving out, Carlton went back to the home where Beck lived to retrieve personal belongings. It was then that Beck attacked Carlton, soaking her with lighter fluid and setting her on fire, and then later trying to stage the scene to make it appear that she had been injured by a barbecue, according to a case history.
At the time of the attack Carlton was 32 years old and had a 12-year-old child with Beck.
Beck was convicted in 2002 of gravely injuring Carlton by means of torture, assault with caustic chemicals and corporal injury on a cohabitant.
The attack left Carlton disfigured, unable to walk, speak or care for herself. “She was trapped inside her uncooperative body. She couldn't talk, she couldn’t move, but she could understand what you were saying,” Kline said.
Carlton spent the years following the disfiguring attack in a Lake County care facility. She had a close relationship with her stepmother, Michelle Carlton, who quit her job as a registered nurse and went to work for the trust that oversaw Sherry Carlton’s care, Kline said.
“I’m just so indebted to her and Jeff,” Kline said of the Carltons.
Kline credited Michelle Carlton with exceptional, loving and compassionate care of her daughter, and also lauded the work of Alicia Lopez for helping keep her daughter as comfortable as she could be.
In March 2011, the Board of Parole Hearings found Beck unsuitable for parole, concluding he had failed to take responsibility for the attack and had shown failures in rehabilitation. At that time the board ordered that he not be eligible for another parole hearing until the passing of 10 years, as Lake County News has reported: http://bit.ly/2ETRqft.
Only seven years have passed, and Beck is making a return to the board.
In the intervening years, Sherry Carlton’s family continued to care for her and try to give her as much quality of life as possible.
On March 18, 2016, the day after her birthday and nearly 15 years after the attack that changed her life, Sherry Carlton died, Kline said.
“I think he should be charged with murder. He basically murdered my daughter, it just took 14 and a half years,” Kline said of Beck.
“What a monster,” she added.
One thing that hasn’t changed since Beck’s last parole hearing is the opposition being shown to his release.
The last time he faced the board, commissioners had noted that they were impressed with the 100 letters and hundreds of signatures on petitions opposing his release.
Carlton’s family is ready again, and this time they have even greater support.
Kline, who lives in Southern California, said she has not only received hundreds of signatures on paper petitions but also, as of Sunday night, her online petition against Beck’s parole had collected 50,399 signatures.
The petition can be found here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/328/208/588/refuse-parole-to-convicted-torturer-gregory-patrick-beck-cdc-t61119/.
Kline intends to argue that Beck is a dangerous, mentally disturbed, egotistical person who has made threats against other people and hasn’t told the truth about the case in which he attacked Carlton.
“I won’t take it for granted but I think it’s going to be pretty obvious how devious he is,” she said, noting that she thinks he believes he is fooling everyone.
Despite the emotional toll of the hearings, Kline said she’s ready.
“Sherry deserves justice,” she said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Middletown man has reached a plea agreement in a case involving his fatal shooting last year of a black bear.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Matthew Charles Outen was sentenced on Feb. 13 for the April 2017 incident.
Hinchcliff, who oversees prosecution for fish and wildlife violations in Lake County, originally charged Outen with negligent discharge of a firearm, threatening a witness, discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, killing a bear out of season and not having a hunting license or bear tag.
On Jan. 8, Outen pleaded guilty to a felony violation of negligent discharge of a firearm and a misdemeanor violation of illegally killing a bear when the hunting season for bear was not open, Hinchcliff said.
Outen’s attorney, Angela Carter, said the case’s outcome was the result of a negotiated settlement with the District Attorney’s Office.
“If we had proceeded to trial, Mr. Outen was risking five years in prison,” said Carter. “In light of that significant risk, he decided to enter into a plea bargain.”
On April 3, 2017, California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens Ryan Stephenson, Timothy Little and Mike Pascoe received a report that a bear was in the creek near Wardlaw Street bridge in Middletown, and that someone had shot and killed it, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said the wardens responded and found the bear lying dead in the creek.
According to investigation reports, when the wardens interviewed Outen, he claimed he heard there was a bear in the creek and rushed home to find the bear behind his house in the creek.
Outen then grabbed a .380 semi-automatic handgun and began trying to “shoo” the bear away, Hinchcliff said.
In speaking to the wardens Outen claimed that he fired four shots at the bear as it was coming toward him, three of which missed and one that killed the bear. When asked why he shot the bear, Outen claimed “instinct kicked in,” Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said Outen stated his interaction with the bear lasted approximately 30 minutes. However, when wardens interviewed another individual who was with Outen when the bear was shot, that witness advised the bear had not attempted to charge Outen.
Wardens determined that the bear was shot in the back of the neck while facing away from Outen, contradicting Outen’s claim that the bear was coming toward him when he shot it. Hinchcliff said the wardens also determined Outen had fired shots in the direction of houses, roads and several people who were watching the bear.
One witness stated they yelled at Outen not to shoot because the bear was in between the witnesses and Outen, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said the witness also reported the bear was not acting aggressive at any time, and appeared to be attempting to hide in some brush and was facing away from Outen when Outen began shooting at it.
The witness also reported that Outen made threats to beat anyone who said anything to the cops, according to Hinchcliff’s report.
Hinchcliff said several other witnesses stated that they had been watching the bear play in the creek and did not believe the bear was being a nuisance or presented any danger.
Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson prosecuted the case, Hinchcliff said.
On Feb. 13 Judge Andrew Blum sentenced Outen, placing him three years’ formal felony probation, sentencing him to 90 days jail and ordering him to pay a fine of $1,940, Hinchcliff said.
Hinchcliff said the handgun Outen used to kill the bear was ordered forfeited, he is subject to search and seizure, and he is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearm as a result of the felony conviction.
Carter said Outen actually will only serve half of the 90 days in jail because he will receive credit for good behavior and work time. She said serving half time is common for defendants in criminal cases.
She added that Outen will serve his time in the Lake County Jail where his family can visit him.