News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County showed strong November home sales, according to the Lake County Association of Realtors.

LCAOR said that the number of sales in November increased 10 percent over October and 8.5 percent over November 2016.

Seventy-six single family residences sold in November with 69 selling in October. In November 2016 there were 70 sales.

The November median sales price was virtually unchanged from the October median. In November the median was $249,950 compared to October’s median of $250,000. The November 2016 median was $255,000.

“The market has continued to be active,” said Melissa Chapman, 2018 LCAOR president. “At 5.3 months the unsold inventory index has remained higher than the statewide inventories and that is a good sign for the Lake County real estate market.”

Cash only purchases made up 27.6 percent of the transactions compared to 28.6 percent in November 2016.

Conventional loans accounted for 35.5 percent of the deals with FHA loans being used for 21 percent of the purchases.

The California Association of Realtors, or CAR, reported existing, single-family home sales totaled 440,340 in November on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 2.1 percent from October and down 0.8 percent from November 2016.

November’s statewide median home price was $546,820, up 0.1 percent from October and up 8.8 percent from November 2016, CAR reported.

With housing inventory remaining at stubbornly low levels, CAR said the statewide unsold inventory index dropped to 2.9 months in November.

Mortgage rates edged higher in November as 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 3.92 percent in November, up from 3.90 percent in October and from 3.77 percent in November 2016, according to Freddie Mac.

The five-year, adjustable-rate mortgage interest rate also ticked higher in November to an average of 3.24 percent from 3.18 percent in October and from 2.74 percent in November 2016, Freddie Mac reported.

LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

November 2017
Median price: $249,950
Median days to sell: 54
Units sold: 76

October 2017
Median price: $250,000
Median days to sell: 36
Units sold: 69

November 2016
Median price: $255,000
Median days to sell: 82
Units sold: 70

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With 2018 just around the corner, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reported that the paperwork that begins the process of running for a number of local offices is now available.

Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley reported her office has released the in-lieu-of-filing fee petitions for the upcoming campaign season.

Fridley said a statewide direct primary election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, to elect federal, state, legislative and county officials.

Listed below are the county offices in which candidates are to be nominated and voted on solely within Lake County:

– Judge, Lake County Superior Court, Department 1;
– Judge, Lake County Superior Court, Department 3;
– Judge, Lake County Superior Court, Department 4;
– Lake County superintendent of schools;
– Supervisor, District 2;
– Supervisor, District 3;
– Assessor-recorder;
– County clerk-auditor;
– District attorney;
– Sheriff-coroner.
– Treasurer-tax collector.

A candidate for the elective offices listed above may submit in-lieu-of-filing fee petitions, which contain signatures of registered voters in the jurisdiction in which he/she seeks nomination, to offset all or part of the cost of his/her filing fee.

The in-lieu-of-filing fee petitions are available to candidates during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; the office is closed on county holidays and weekends.

The deadline to file the in-lieu-of-filing fee petitions with Fridley’s office is the close of business on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

All candidates for elective office must also file within the nomination period of Feb. 12 through March 9, a declaration of candidacy form and nomination papers in order for their name to be printed on the June 5 Statewide Direct Primary Election ballot.

In addition to filing nomination documents from Feb. 12 through March 9, candidates for
Superior Court judge also are required to file a declaration of intention between the dates
of Jan. 29 through Feb. 7.

Besides the local offices that will appear on the June 5 primary ballot, Fridley said the following federal, state and legislative offices will be up for election at that time:

– State and district offices: Governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, Board of Equalization member District 2.

– Congressional offices: United States representatives, District 3 and District 5.

– Legislative offices: State Senate, District 2; State Assembly Member, District 4.

– Nonpartisan statewide office: Superintendent of public instruction.

For more information contact the Registrar of Voters Office in person at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N Forbes St., Room 209, in Lakeport or call 707-263-2372.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A man who was ruled insane in a case involving an attack on his grandmother and treated at a state mental hospital was back in custody on Christmas night after police said he drove his pickup into a downtown Lakeport store.

The Lakeport Police Department arrested Jason Kaluna Fugit, 46, of Nice for intentionally driving his Chevy Silverado pickup through the front of Campos Casuals, located on North Main Street between Third and Fourth streets.

Police said Fugit was taken into custody for felony burglary, vandalism and reckless driving. Damage to the building is estimated to be at least $100,000.

The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Lakeport Fire Protection District firefighters were dispatched to the scene at that time, but cleared the scene a short time later due to there being no injuries.

Lakeport Police Officer Tyler Trouette told Lake County News that he arrived on scene to find Fugit in front of the store and the pickup still inside.

Trouette took Fugit into custody. Fugit sat in the back of a patrol car while the initial investigation was under way and when his disabled pickup – with major front end damage – was pulled backward out of the store with a tow truck cable.

At that time, Fugit hadn’t been interviewed. Trouette said Fugit didn’t appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol but hadn’t yet been tested for intoxication.

More charges could be added as the investigation progresses, Trouette said.

Troutte said it appeared that Fugit had lined up his pickup and then accelerated, driving through the front of the store and continuing all the way to the back, smashing merchandise and displays, and scattering glass everywhere.

“I don’t know what his motives are at this point,” said Trouette.

A support post in the store was knocked down, there was a crack in the ceiling and a wall was pushed in, but Trouette said he hadn’t identified structure damage.

The main damage, Trouette said, was to the glass front entry, counters and the store’s inventory; the merchandise is primarily clothing, shoes and accessories.

Lakeport Public Works staff was called to the scene to clean the smashed glass and debris from the sidewalk and street. One of the store’s owners was on scene to secure the smashed glass storefront.

Fugit has a criminal history that includes drug arrests and, most notably, the attempted killing of his grandmother in Lucerne in 2005.

At the time, Fugit was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery for the attack on his grandmother, who authorities said he tried to kill because he thought she was involved in treasonous acts along with the government, which he believed was persecuting him, as Lake County News reported: http://bit.ly/2lamQWh.

Fugit later pleaded guilty to elder abuse and in May 2008 was sentenced to eight years. At that time he was sent to the Napa State Hospital for treatment after he was found at trial to have been insane at the time of the attack on his grandmother.

More recently, Fugit has become a familiar figure in downtown Lakeport.

For several months he has regularly parked his pickup in the downtown – including on Main Street near the Courthouse Museum, just a block over from Campos Casuals – with large cardboard signs mounted on his vehicle complaining of a conspiracy involving the FBI and the government to persecute him.

He also has walked around the park and stood at the street corner with similar signs, the messages written in dark marker, attempting to get the attention of motorists and passersby.

Early Tuesday morning Fugit was booked into the Lake County Jail. His bail is set at $500,000 for the first-degree burglary charge.

He’s tentatively set to appear in Lake County Superior Court for arraignment on Wednesday, according to his booking sheet.

John Jensen contributed to this report.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A family that lost its house in the August 2016 Clayton fire got to go home for Christmas.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, Habitat for Humanity celebrated with the Callison-Evans family as they were welcomed back into their home for the first time since the Clayton fire destroyed their house.

Since the fire, Glenda Callison and and Ron Evans have been living in a small travel trailer on their property in Lower Lake.

The trail’s heat, cooking appliances and space were inadequate. Ron’s disability and need for a wheelchair made the cramped quarters especially challenging, and the pair are grateful for the opportunity to get into a house once again.

“Everyone’s worked so hard,” said Callison. “We thank everyone so much for everything they’ve given us, to make this happen.”

“We look forward to the chance to give back. We’re givers, not takers,” said Evans. “If we can help Habitat as much as they’ve helped us, that’ll be something.”

The Clearlake Grocery Outlet once again provided a generous donation of pantry and household items as well as a gift certificate to help the family stock their new home.

If you or someone you know lost their housing in any of Lake County’s fires, or is living in unsafe, unhealthy or crowded conditions, please contact Habitat for Humanity Lake County at 707-994-1100, Extension 106, for a preapplication and to see if you qualify for the Homeownership Program.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education State Preschools recently received strong ratings on the Quality Counts California matrix, which measures the quality of preschools in California.

All eight LCOE State Preschools were rated, and all eight preschools were given a Tier 4 rating, with a Tier 5 rating being the highest achievable.

According to the State of California’s Web site, a Tier 4 rating means that each preschool is demonstrating quality across almost all elements of their programs.

Those LCOE State preschools receiving a score of Tier 4 include:

– Burns Valley Early Connection Preschool;
– East Lake Early Connection Preschool;
– Kelseyville Early Connection Preschool;
– Lakeport Early Connection Preschool;
– Lower Lake Early Connection Preschool;
– Lucerne Early Connection Preschool;
– Middletown Early Connection Preschool;
– Pomo Early Connection Preschool.

“I am so proud of all our Site Coordinators who worked incredibly hard over the last year,”
Megan McDonald, interim director of the LCOE State Preschools said. “We aimed for a challenging goal of having all sites reach a Tier 4 and we did it!”

The Quality Counts California matrix is used to measure the effects of the Quality Rating and Improvement System, or QRIS, a voluntary statewide program which was introduced into Lake County in 2015 through the Lake County Office of Education.

The primary focus of QRIS is to enhance program quality for all children involved in participating preschool programs, and focuses on providing information, resources, and support to early care and education programs, in a consistent, state-wide manner.

The ratings of the preschools were performed by Angela Cuellar-Marroquin, coordinator of the Lake County QRIS and the Child Care Planning Council, and her staff.

“Outside assessors from Sonoma County also participated in the ratings to ensure objectivity and to make sure that California standards were being met,” explained Cuellar-Marroquin.

She added, “When preschool sites choose to participate, they go through a process of coaching, improving, and rating.”

Each preschool participating in the QRIS program is rated on child development and school readiness, social and emotional development, effective teacher-child interactions, classroom environments, professional development and family engagement.

Other sites that recently joined the program include Pine Summit Seedlings, The Learning House, Yuba College Child Development Center, Bundle of Joy Nature Preschool, Alphabet Soup Children’s Learning Center, Early Learning Centers in both Clearlake and Lakeport, and Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Education Center.

These sites will receive their ratings within the next two to eight months. That timeframe is based on when they joined the program.

“This is just a small sample of the quality that we have in early care here in Lake County,” said Cuellar-Marroquin.

“I think we are truly helping to set a precedent in this county for what high quality early education should look like,” McDonald said. “The leadership and staff at LCP and QRIS inspire me on a daily basis.”

Cuellar-Marroquin was thrilled with the rating results of the initial preschools. “If you have a child at any of these sites please join us in congratulating the hard working teachers who are providing the high quality care to your children.”

“I am pleased that our LCOE State Preschools earned such a strong rating, and are providing quality early childhood education (ECE) to Lake County preschoolers,” Lake County Superintendents of Schools Brock Falkenberg said. “Research shows that quality ECE is associated with higher measures of early language and math development, preparing our youngest members of Lake County for kindergarten.”

If you would like more information about the Quality Rating and Improvement System or about joining the Child Care Planning Council, please contact Angela Cuellar-Marroquin, LPC/QRIS coordinator, at 707-262-4162 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown honored a California Highway Patrol officer who died in the line of duty on Christmas Eve.

CHP Officer Andrew J. Camilleri Sr., 33, of Tracy, died Sunday night, officials reported.

The CHP said that just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday Camilleri and Officer Jonathan Velasquez were stopped in their patrol vehicle when the rear of the vehicle was struck by a suspected impaired driver on the Winton Avenue on-ramp to southbound Interstate 880 in Hayward.

Both officers were injured in the crash. The CHP said Officer Camilleri was transported to St. Rose Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

“Anne and I are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Officer Camilleri, who died yesterday while working to keep our communities safe. We join his family, friends and the entire California Highway Patrol in mourning his death and in honoring his sacrifice,” Gov. Brown said in his Christmas Day statement on Camilleri’s death.

Officer Camilleri graduated from the CHP Academy in March and was assigned to the Hayward Area Office.

He is survived by his wife, Rosanna; a daughter and two sons, ages 12, 6 and 2; and his parents, brother and sister.

In honor of Officer Camilleri, the governor said State Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.