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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Another local attorney has joined the race to succeed a Lake County Superior Court judge who isn’t seeking reelection, while so far no new candidates have joined the other county races.
Late last year, Judge Stephen Hedstrom said he wouldn’t seek a fourth term, which opened up the race for his Department 4 seat.
Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said that attorney Andre Ross has filed a declaration of intention – an extra step required in judicial races – and paid the filing fee to run for Hedstrom’s seat, and also has taken out nomination papers. He must also file a Form 501 with the state in order to raise funds.
Ross made an unsuccessful bid for district attorney in 2014.
He now joins a field in the race for judge that includes District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry, Valadez said.
Valadez said the judicial candidates must all submit a declaration of candidacy by March 14 to be on the ballot.
In other races, incumbents Judge Andrew Blum, Judge Michael Lunas and Sheriff Brian Martin have all submitted their declarations of candidacy and fulfilled their signature requirements, and are now official candidates, Valadez said.
Bruno Sabatier, Clearlake’s mayor and so far the only candidate to succeed District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, also has submitted the needed signatures and declaration of candidacy and is a confirmed candidate, according to Valadez.
In addition to Martin, four other elected county officials have taken out the Form 501 paperwork with no challengers yet appearing in their races, but still have paperwork pending before their candidacy is official, Valadez said.
They include Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
For district attorney, the field includes local attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones.
In the District 3 supervisorial race, Valadez said three candidates so far have filed the form 501 paperwork: incumbent Jim Steele; Eddie J. Crandell, the tribal chair of Robinson Rancheria and the District 3 county planning commissioner; and businesswoman and former Clearlake Mayor Denise Loustalot.
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.
Late last year, Judge Stephen Hedstrom said he wouldn’t seek a fourth term, which opened up the race for his Department 4 seat.
Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said that attorney Andre Ross has filed a declaration of intention – an extra step required in judicial races – and paid the filing fee to run for Hedstrom’s seat, and also has taken out nomination papers. He must also file a Form 501 with the state in order to raise funds.
Ross made an unsuccessful bid for district attorney in 2014.
He now joins a field in the race for judge that includes District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy County Counsel Shanda Harry, Valadez said.
Valadez said the judicial candidates must all submit a declaration of candidacy by March 14 to be on the ballot.
In other races, incumbents Judge Andrew Blum, Judge Michael Lunas and Sheriff Brian Martin have all submitted their declarations of candidacy and fulfilled their signature requirements, and are now official candidates, Valadez said.
Bruno Sabatier, Clearlake’s mayor and so far the only candidate to succeed District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, also has submitted the needed signatures and declaration of candidacy and is a confirmed candidate, according to Valadez.
In addition to Martin, four other elected county officials have taken out the Form 501 paperwork with no challengers yet appearing in their races, but still have paperwork pending before their candidacy is official, Valadez said.
They include Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford, County Clerk-Auditor Cathy Saderlund, Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
For district attorney, the field includes local attorney Steven Brown and Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones.
In the District 3 supervisorial race, Valadez said three candidates so far have filed the form 501 paperwork: incumbent Jim Steele; Eddie J. Crandell, the tribal chair of Robinson Rancheria and the District 3 county planning commissioner; and businesswoman and former Clearlake Mayor Denise Loustalot.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Parts of the Clear Lake Riviera lost power on Wednesday night after a vehicle hit a power pole.
The crash occurred at around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the area of 11270 Point Lakeview Road near Kelseyville, according to radio reports and the California Highway Patrol.
Just after 8 p.m. firefighters from Kelseyville and Lake County Fire protection districts were dispatched to a report of lines down in the roadway near the Westwind Mobile Home Park.
Units arriving at the scene they found a snapped power pole and lines in the road, with firefighters closing down the roadway for a short time, according to the CHP.
About a half hour later it was reported that a vehicle had hit the pole, with a sedan found 20 feet down an embankment. The driver was said to have fled.
Just after 8 p.m., power went out to approximately 1,027 Pacific Gas and Electric customers, the company said.
PG&E later confirmed the outage was caused by the crash and that a crew was making repairs at the scene.
All but two of the customers were reported to have had their power restored later in the night, with the rest projected to be restored by 7 a.m. Thursday.
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 crash occurred at around 8 p.m. Wednesday in the area of 11270 Point Lakeview Road near Kelseyville, according to radio reports and the California Highway Patrol.
Just after 8 p.m. firefighters from Kelseyville and Lake County Fire protection districts were dispatched to a report of lines down in the roadway near the Westwind Mobile Home Park.
Units arriving at the scene they found a snapped power pole and lines in the road, with firefighters closing down the roadway for a short time, according to the CHP.
About a half hour later it was reported that a vehicle had hit the pole, with a sedan found 20 feet down an embankment. The driver was said to have fled.
Just after 8 p.m., power went out to approximately 1,027 Pacific Gas and Electric customers, the company said.
PG&E later confirmed the outage was caused by the crash and that a crew was making repairs at the scene.
All but two of the customers were reported to have had their power restored later in the night, with the rest projected to be restored by 7 a.m. Thursday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A new report said the new year is seeing higher real estate sales prices in Lake County with the overall pace of sales slowing.
The Lake County Association of Realtors reported that the number of single family residential sales in January decreased by over 32 percent when compared to December 2017 sales.
Fifty-two sales were reported in January with 77 selling in December. In January 2017, 58 sales were reported.
Despite the decrease in sales the $271,450 median price in January bested the December median of $269,000 by 0.9 percent. On a year-over-year basis the January 2018 median exceeded the January 2017 median of $215,000 by over 26%.
“It is not uncommon to see sales slow in the winter months,” stated Melissa Chapman, 2018 LCAOR president. “The percentage increase in sales price over last January was somewhat unexpected but indicative of how the market has performed as a whole on the statewide level.”
Both cash only purchases and distressed sales decreased when compared to December and January 2017 sales.
Cash financing was used in 15.4 percent of the sales and 5.8 percent of the sales were distressed. In January 2017 cash only purchases accounted for nearly 26 percent of the transactions and distressed sales made up 13.8 percent of the deals.
The California Association of Realtors, or CAR, reported existing, single-family home sales in California totaled 388,000 in January on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 7.6 percent from December and down 2.9 percent from January 2017.
January’s statewide median home price was $527,800, down 4 percent from December and up 7.3 percent from January 2017.
Mortgage rates broke the 4.0 percent barrier in January as 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 4.03 percent in January, up from 3.95 percent in December but down from 4.15 percent in January 2017, according to Freddie Mac.
The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate also edged higher in January to an average of 3.47 percent from 3.39 percent in December and from 3.24 percent in January 2017.
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
January 2018
Median price: $271,450
Units sold: 52
Median days to sell: 58
December 2017
Median price: $269,000
Units sold: 77
Median days to sell: 56
January 2017
Median price: $215,000
Units sold: 58
Median days to sell: 56
The Lake County Association of Realtors reported that the number of single family residential sales in January decreased by over 32 percent when compared to December 2017 sales.
Fifty-two sales were reported in January with 77 selling in December. In January 2017, 58 sales were reported.
Despite the decrease in sales the $271,450 median price in January bested the December median of $269,000 by 0.9 percent. On a year-over-year basis the January 2018 median exceeded the January 2017 median of $215,000 by over 26%.
“It is not uncommon to see sales slow in the winter months,” stated Melissa Chapman, 2018 LCAOR president. “The percentage increase in sales price over last January was somewhat unexpected but indicative of how the market has performed as a whole on the statewide level.”
Both cash only purchases and distressed sales decreased when compared to December and January 2017 sales.
Cash financing was used in 15.4 percent of the sales and 5.8 percent of the sales were distressed. In January 2017 cash only purchases accounted for nearly 26 percent of the transactions and distressed sales made up 13.8 percent of the deals.
The California Association of Realtors, or CAR, reported existing, single-family home sales in California totaled 388,000 in January on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 7.6 percent from December and down 2.9 percent from January 2017.
January’s statewide median home price was $527,800, down 4 percent from December and up 7.3 percent from January 2017.
Mortgage rates broke the 4.0 percent barrier in January as 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 4.03 percent in January, up from 3.95 percent in December but down from 4.15 percent in January 2017, according to Freddie Mac.
The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate also edged higher in January to an average of 3.47 percent from 3.39 percent in December and from 3.24 percent in January 2017.
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
January 2018
Median price: $271,450
Units sold: 52
Median days to sell: 58
December 2017
Median price: $269,000
Units sold: 77
Median days to sell: 56
January 2017
Median price: $215,000
Units sold: 58
Median days to sell: 56
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service said that an unsettled weather pattern moving over Northern California this week is responsible for continuing low temperatures, and is bringing with it chances of snow in the mountains and in some lower elevations.
The forecast called for low-elevation snow – down to about 1,000 feet – and rain overnight and into Thursday morning before 10 a.m., with the Lake County forecast noting slight chances of snow even in the lakeside communities.
Snowfall amounts are expected to top out at half an inch. There also are chances for snowfall in the evening, based on the forecast.
Forecasters are predicting daytime temperatures this week ranging up into the low 50s, with nighttime temperatures into the low 20s. The lowest temperatures are forecast for Thursday night.
Chances of showers also are forecast beginning Sunday night and continuing through Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
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 forecast called for low-elevation snow – down to about 1,000 feet – and rain overnight and into Thursday morning before 10 a.m., with the Lake County forecast noting slight chances of snow even in the lakeside communities.
Snowfall amounts are expected to top out at half an inch. There also are chances for snowfall in the evening, based on the forecast.
Forecasters are predicting daytime temperatures this week ranging up into the low 50s, with nighttime temperatures into the low 20s. The lowest temperatures are forecast for Thursday night.
Chances of showers also are forecast beginning Sunday night and continuing through Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday awarded a contract to a Middletown company to complete accessibility upgrades to the city’s historic Carnegie Library.
The council voted unanimously to award the contract for the Carnegie Library Accessibility Upgrade Project to R&C Construction, which was the low bidder at $385,381, well below the city engineer’s estimate for the project was $425,000. The second bidder, FRC Inc., came in at $479,000.
The Carnegie Library opened its doors on Feb. 18, 1918. Built in Classical Revival style, it served as the city’s library until 1985. Since then it has served at various times as a city and academic facility. For several years it has sat empty.
The city has had plans and studies completed for the building, including a feasibility plan finished in 2015 by Garavaglia Architects of San Francisco, the firm which also designed the building’s accessibility improvements.
The contract bid the council awarded on Tuesday will provide Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access to the building, including an elevator to provide access to the second floor, remodeling of both bathrooms on the first floor, making one ADA compliant, and installing new water and sewer lines.
Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said this is the third construction bid the city had sent out on the project.
The first was released in June, at which time the city received one bid totaling nearly $500,000, more than twice the city engineer’s estimate at that time, Ingram said.
With staff believing that the elevator portion of the project was dissuading bidders, they sent out a second request for proposals just for the elevator and received no bids, he said.
He said the city engineer and design consultant spent significant hours reaching out to contractors to rework and send out the latest request for proposals, which drew the two bids, including the winning bid from R&C Construction.
“The costs are escalating,” Ingram said, an issue which he attributed to the improving economy and the region’s wildland fires.
Ingram said that rebuilding in Santa Rosa has hurt the city’s ability to get contractors.
The project will be covered in part by a Community Development Block Grant that the city received and was able to get an extension on due the project not being completed by the initial deadline, he said.
The Community Development Block Grant is funded by money that comes in from payments made from previous loans – primarily business loans – made by the city, Ingram said.
City Manager Margaret Silveira said the item is budgeted, and there is about $250,000 that can be used toward the remodel, putting the city about $140,000 short.
She said the city has applied for another grant but they don’t know if they have it. “So there is a decision to be made by the council,” she said.
Silveira said the bottom floor under where the elevator will be placed has been dug out. However, when the city had trenches dug for the bathroom remodel, they discovered that all of the 100-year-old concrete has to be jackhammered out.
She said the city had more than $2 million in reserves if the council was OK with dipping into them. The project also can be added to the list of Measure Z sales tax expenses for the coming year.
Councilman George Spurr asked when the work would be done. Ingram said the contractor would aim to have it complete prior to October.
Because of last year’s flood, which put the city behind, the state granted the city more time to complete the library upgrade project, Silveira said.
Ingram said the elevator will result in most of the construction, noting the overall project isn’t that large.
As it stands now, Silveira said the building is unusable to the public, and after a number of public meetings community members made it clear they wanted to be able to use the building again.
Councilman Kenny Parlet was concerned about cost overruns by the contractor, having noted a number of them on the project history provided in the bid document. Silveira said the contractor and its subcontractors are all local.
“I just want to feel comfortable that the number is the number,” said Parlet.
Ingram said he could vouch for City Engineer Paul Curren’s work on the request for proposal, which he believed would make cost overruns very unlikely.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina said the library is an important community project that the city has to see completed. She supported using reserve funds, noting costs are going up.
Community member Suzanne Lyons said she likes old buildings but thinks the library is unusable, and that the council needed to look at what the building will be used for when it’s done.
Wilda Shock, chair of the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee, or LEDAC, also addressed the council.
LEDAC worked on the library’s feasibility study, the lakefront revitalization plan which calls attention to the building’s use, and the city’s economic development strategic plan, with Shock noting that the latter plan has the library as a central building.
“All of those plans and the work in developing them were part of a public process with public input along the way,” she said. “And I think the overwhelming feeling that came out of those public meetings was the desire of the community to save, preserve and use the Carnegie Library building and make it a point of interest and a point of public use in the city of Lakeport.”
She said the city doesn’t have many historic buildings that they can point to with pride, and while the library has problems, Shock said they’ve been made known and there are ways to address them. She believed there would be community support, adding that fundraising can help address upgrading the building.
Shock said the building offers a sense of place, and the upgrade should be completed.
“If we're ever going to move, we need to move now,” said Parlet, noting that the building is an important part of Lakeport.
Parlet moved to award the construction project bid to R&C Construction, with Mattina seconding and the council approving the motion 5-0.
The council also held a public hearing and voted to approve changes to the city’s ordinance regarding the Park and Recreation Commission in order to establish a monthly meeting schedule and allow for one at-large, non-city member from the 95453 zip code.
Commissioners told the council at its Feb. 6 meeting that they wanted to meet monthly, not quarterly, and the majority of council members were willing to go that direction.
Parlet said he felt it would give committee members an opportunity to meet often, and the council can revisit it if it doesn’t work out.
“I think that they will go the extra mile to prove that it is necessary,” Parlet said.
City Clerk Kelly Buendia said the city has received five applications for open seats on the commission. Silveira said there are plans to interview all five.
The council’s vote was 4-1, with Mayor Mireya Turner concerned that the changes were not necessary after reviewing a year’s worth of commission meeting minutes.
At Tuesday’s meeting the council also met Bonnie Sharp, the new permit technician.
No reportable action came out of the council’s closed session regarding negotiations with Lake County Tribal Health for property at 902 Bevins Court.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
022018 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission is set to hold a special meeting to honor an outgoing commission, welcome a new one and go over reports and goals.
The commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
At Wednesday’s meeting the oath of office will be administered to Kipp Knorr, who was appointed to the commission earlier this month by the Lakeport City Council.
The commission also will offer its presentation of appreciation and dedication of service to the man who Knorr is succeeding, Harold Taylor.
Other items on the agenda include the city planning department’s 2016-17 year-end report, which will give a summary of land use applications and other planning division activities for that yea.
The commission also will discuss and review the planning goals and activities for 2018 and get the list of projects pending Planning Department approval as of Feb. 15.
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 commission will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
At Wednesday’s meeting the oath of office will be administered to Kipp Knorr, who was appointed to the commission earlier this month by the Lakeport City Council.
The commission also will offer its presentation of appreciation and dedication of service to the man who Knorr is succeeding, Harold Taylor.
Other items on the agenda include the city planning department’s 2016-17 year-end report, which will give a summary of land use applications and other planning division activities for that yea.
The commission also will discuss and review the planning goals and activities for 2018 and get the list of projects pending Planning Department approval as of Feb. 15.
Email Elizabeth Larson at