News

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Walmart has announced that it will not move forward with the long-planned expansion of its Clearlake store.

Clearlake’s Walmart store, built in 1994, is located at 15960 Dam Road.

For nearly a decade there have been talks between Walmart and city officials – with separate planning applications filed – regarding an expansion of the 109,517-square-foot store, with the most recent plans aiming to increase the footprint to 148,258 square feet.

However, on Tuesday the company reported that it withdrew its latest application for the expansion project as of Friday, Oct. 20.

“After recent review and consideration of various business factors, we have decided not to pursue a physical expansion of our Clearlake store at this time. We remain committed to serving our Clearlake customers with our existing store, which has been part of the community for over 20 years,” the company explained in a written statement provided to Lake County News and attributed to Walmart spokeswoman Tiffany Wilson.

In response to followup questions from Lake County News, Wilson said the recent wildland fires that have impacted the county since 2015 “were not a factor in this decision.”

The expansion plans had appeared to be on track after the city released the draft environmental impact report, or EIR, for the project in March, as Lake County News has reported.
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“We were moving forward with processing the expansion application and were preparing the final EIR for review at the Planning Commission,” said Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom. “The decision to not go forward with the expansion plans at this point was unexpected and unfortunate from my perspective as the expansion project would have created additional jobs, which are greatly needed in this community.”

Walmart had first submitted an application for the expansion in December 2008. At that time a company official told Lake County News that the plans to expand the store – considered to be “average-sized” – resulted from it surpassing the original customer demand.

In 2011, city officials reported that the plan had been put on hold at Walmart’s request, but in June 2015 plans for a remodel and expansion were again submitted by Walmart.

The company’s 2015 announcement of its updated plans had estimated 85 additional jobs at the store would be added because of the expansion.

Those most recent expansion plans had called for the addition of 38,741 square foot of space to the store by expanding to the store’s north and west sides..

That 35-percent increase in store size was to include additional food and general merchandise sales floor area, food sales support area, stockroom/receiving area, ancillary space, food tenant space, a new grocery/merchandise pickup service, an additional entry and vestibule, and a four-bay truck dock with one additional striped loading berth, according to city documents.

The plans also would have reduced the size of the existing garden center and removing the Tire and Lube Express.

With the expansion now off the table, Wilson said Walmart plans to maintain both the garden center and tire/lube center as they currently function in the existing newly remodeled store.

She said the store will continue to introduce new services to local customers, such as Pickup and Pickup Today, and new innovations including Walmart Pay, Mobile Express Returns, Mobile Pharmacy and free two-day pickup.

“We appreciate the support of city leadership, staff and many others as we worked through the potential development of this store expansion,” Wilson said.

Walmart did move forward with the remodel portion of its plans, which included an expanded deli, more bakery options and touch-screen self-checkout registers. Those store upgrades were celebrated in a September 2016 grand reopening.

Folsom said he didn’t believe the potential redevelopment of the former Ray’s Food Place store, located just across the parking lot from Walmart, had anything to do with Walmart’s decision not to expand the Clearlake store.

The Ray’s store was purchased earlier this year by the Carrington Co., which indicated it is working to bring in several national retailers to fill the space, as Lake County News has reported.

“Walmart has strongly supported this community during my tenure as city manager and we look forward to their continuing to be a great community partner,” said Folsom.

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. – This week the Clearlake City Council will consider a second reading of updated rules for commercial marijuana and dispensaries, and hold public hearings on abatement cases.

A Sulphur fire recovery meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, to be immediately followed by the regular council meeting at 6 p.m.

On the council agenda is a presentation of certificates of recognition to the Sulphur fire responders.

In council business, council members will consider the second reading of two ordinances, one relating to commercial marijuana, or cannabis, and the second to update the city’s existing marijuana dispensary ordinance. The first reading was approved earlier this month.

The council also will review the city’s Code Enforcement Division for the period from June 1 to Oct. 20, and consider a resolution approving a temporary street closure for the fifth annual Trunk or Treat event at the Lake County Youth Center and Redbud Park.

Other matters for Thursday including a public hearing for confirmation of assessments totaling $32,000 in administrative penalties for failing to abate public nuisances, and public hearings on abatement orders for properties located at 15602 30th Ave. and 15902 39th Ave.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers, minutes of the Sept. 13 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting, a resolution to reaffirm the appointment of the Lake County health officer to act as the city’s public health officer, consideration of a continuation of a local emergency issued on Oct. 9 and ratified by the council on Oct. 12, consideration of a continuation of a declaration of a local health emergency issued on Oct. 12 and ratified by the council on Oct. 18, and consideration of an agreement with the county of Lake for Sulphur fire site debris cleanup of impacted properties within city limits.

The council also will hold a closed session regarding a potential case of litigation.

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.

A new year-long joint effort to reduce impaired driving in California is under way.

The California Highway Patrol and the California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, are working together to reduce impaired driving with a new Statewide Impairment Reduction campaign, from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018.

The Statewide Impairment Reduction grant provides the CHP with funding to conduct additional saturation patrols for driving under the influence, DUI checkpoints, and traffic safety education efforts throughout California.

The primary goal of these efforts is to apprehend DUI drivers and educate the public about the dangers of impaired driving.

In 2015, California experienced 663 deaths and 11,061 injuries as a result of alcohol-involved driving collisions in CHP jurisdiction, according to data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

Each injury and death represents a preventable tragedy, and a continued need to focus efforts on reducing impaired driving.

“Law enforcement throughout the state continues to do their part by removing impaired drivers from the roadway,” CHP Acting Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “With this grant funding we can continue an aggressive education and enforcement campaign to deter drivers from making the poor decision to drive impaired.”

The public is encouraged to call 9-1-1 if they see a suspected DUI driver. They should be prepared to provide a location, direction of travel, and vehicle description.

Additionally, drivers should plan ahead before getting on the road. There is always a better option than getting behind the wheel while impaired.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

While alcohol remains a primary factor for a number of impaired driving collisions, the presence of drugs in fatal and injury collisions continues to increase.

As such, OTS and the CHP recognize that, “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.”

As a reminder, you can be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, prescription or illicit drugs, or any impairing combination of alcohol and drugs. Please don’t drive impaired.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released additional information plus a detailed outline of the Monday shooting spree in Clearlake Oaks that resulted in the deaths of two men, the wounding of a woman and a California Highway Patrol officer, and left community members shaken.

Authorities have taken Alan Leroy Ashmore, 61, of Clearlake Oaks into custody for the shooting.

He was apprehended on High Valley Road in Clearlake Oaks at around noon on Monday after leading law enforcement on a four-mile chase that ended when he came upon a roadblock and surrendered, according to Sheriff Brian Martin.

Ashmore was captured only about a half hour after the first reports of a shooting came into Lake County Central Dispatch just before 11:30 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

On Tuesday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the two men who died in the shooting as Ashmore’s 85-year-old father, Douglas Ashmore, and Alan Ashmore’s longtime friend, 64-year-old Richard Eugene Braden.

Sheriff Martin confirmed to Lake County News that Richard Braden was the father of Paul Braden, who along with Orlando Lopez was sentenced to life in state prison for the June 2011 shooting in Clearlake that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and wounded five others. Paul Braden currently is serving a 248-year sentence.

The sheriff’s office has not released the name of a 22-year-old Middletown woman wounded by Ashmore in the Monday shooting.

The California Highway Patrol identified the injured officer as Steven Patrick from the Clear Lake Area CHP office. Patrick is an 11-year veteran of the CHP.

The agency said Patrick was struck in the abdomen by a shotgun slug, but he sustained non-life threatening injuries because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

The Clear Lake Area office originally had told Lake County News on Monday that Patrick had been shot in the leg.

On Tuesday, Officer Kory Reynolds explained the Patrick had reported over the radio being hit in the leg. Reynolds said the slug struck in the lower abdomen above the hip, where a small portion of the vest sits.

Reynolds said he wasn’t sure Patrick even looked that closely at where he was struck, as even after he was shot, Patrick – along with a sheriff’s deputy – continued following Ashmore.

The CHP said Patrick, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment, was released and is recovering at home.

Ashmore is being held on charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery and arson, based on his booking sheet. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Ashmore is charged with arson because, in the midst of the shootings on Monday, he is said to have set two small wildland fires on High Valley Road to assist with his escape.

Firefighters were dispatched to those fire incidents just before 11:45 a.m. Monday. Radio reports indicated that Cal Fire’s air resources originally were held back from responding due to concern about an active shooter in the area.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Sean O’Hara told Lake County News that one of the fires burned an acre, with the second burning just over 1.3 acres. He said the causes for both remain under investigation.

Sheriff’s officials said investigators are still trying to put together the information needed to determine Ashmore’s motivation in the crime spree.

On Tuesday, Lt. Norm Taylor of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was still in its initial phases.

He said the agency was not releasing any information about Ashmore’s criminal history, which already has been the source of extensive speculation on social media and newly created Web pages.

Taylor also did not have information about ongoing or past problems at the residence Ashmore shared with his father.

In addition, Taylor said the agency could not confirm possible military service for Ashmore.

When Ashmore was apprehended, he was in possession of a Remington 1200 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, a Raven Arms .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol and numerous rounds of ammunition, the sheriff’s office said.

On Tuesday, Taylor could not answer questions about the guns Ashmore used during the shooting, and whether they were legally registered to or possessed by him.

As for the progress regarding the processing of crime scenes, “In Clearlake Oaks, we’re done,” said Taylor.

On Monday, most of Anchor Village in the Clearlake Keys had been cordoned off, with Martin reporting that four homes on the street were among the seven to eight crime scenes around Clearlake Oaks that were being processed by investigators.

Two vehicles – Ashmore’s white Chevrolet Tahoe that he drove during the incident and a green Saturn sedan in which Braden’s body was located – have been collected as evidence, Taylor said.

“Both vehicles were transported to secure facilities to be processed by evidence techs in the coming days,” Taylor said.

The timeline of the shootings

On Tuesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office released a timeline of the shootings the previous day.

The timeline is shown below in its entirety.

– An Anchor Village resident and neighbor of Ashmore saw Ashmore leave the house mid-morning on Monday, Oct. 23, 2017.

– Richard Braden, a longtime friend of Ashmore, showed up at the Ashmore residence and was seen knocking on the front door and windows. No one came to the door and he left a short time later. He parked nearby on Anchor Village and sat in his vehicle, a green Saturn sedan.

– Ashmore returned to his residence and a neighbor heard a woman screaming. Ashmore engaged in an argument with a 22-year-old Middletown woman inside of the home. The argument escalated and Ashmore threatened the woman while he held her at knifepoint. The woman resisted Ashmore and he shot her once in the foot as she fled the residence. The woman ran to the neighbor’s house and was let inside.

– Ashmore went outside and asked a neighbor where the woman went. In order to help protect the woman, the neighbor told Ashmore that she had left the area.

– Douglas Ashmore, the father of Alan Ashmore, came out of the Ashmore residence. Alan approached his father with a handgun and shot him. Douglas Ashmore was later found dead at the scene. Alan Ashmore then pointed the gun at the neighbor and pulled the trigger. Ashmore’s weapon, a small caliber semi-automatic handgun, misfired and the witness was uninjured.

– Ashmore retrieved a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun from his residence and got into his white Chevrolet Tahoe. Ashmore drove a short distance to a neighbor’s house on Anchor Village. Ashmore fired at the house with the shotgun, entered the residence and again fired the shotgun at the occupants. While the occupants fled, one woman suffered non-life threatening injuries as she jumped from a window.

– Ashmore went back to his vehicle and drove further west on Anchor Village while he fired from his vehicle at one other occupied home. He stopped at the residence of a former employer and fired one shotgun round through the back of the house. At the time of this shooting, the homeowners were not at home.

– Ashmore located Braden in his vehicle parked on Anchor Village. While Braden was sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, Ashmore shot him with the shotgun. Braden was later found dead at the scene.

– Ashmore encountered CHP Officer Steven Patrick, who was responding to the initial call of a shooting. Ashmore fired an unknown number of shotgun rounds at Officer Patrick, striking both the patrol vehicle and the officer. The officer sustained non-life threatening injuries, as he was struck in his ballistic vest. The officer later responded with a sheriff’s deputy, in an attempt to locate Ashmore and provide security at a local elementary school. The officer eventually sought medical aid, and he was released later that day after being treated at an area hospital.

– Ashmore fled in the white Chevrolet Tahoe and drove to a Chevron station located near the intersection of Highway 20 and Keys Boulevard. Ashmore went into the Chevron store armed with the shotgun and confronted a vendor. After seeing the shotgun, the vendor fled the store and Ashmore fired one shotgun round at him. The round missed the vendor who then retreated to his vehicle and retrieved a handgun, as he was licensed to carry a concealed firearm. Ashmore took a soda from the store and went back out to his vehicle. Ashmore, still armed with the shotgun, was confronted by the vendor who fired several times at Ashmore in an attempt to stop him. Ashmore was not struck by any of those shots. Several rounds impacted Ashmore’s vehicle.

– Ashmore left driving west on Highway 20. He then pulled into the parking lot of the Power Mart, located on Highway 20 near Foothill Boulevard in Clearlake Oaks. Ashmore entered the store, again armed with a firearm. He robbed the store of merchandise, including cigarettes and a lighter. Ashmore engaged in another altercation with an unknown citizen prior to leaving.

– Ashmore left driving east on Highway 20 before turning on High Valley Road. In an attempt to aid in his escape, Ashmore lit wildfires fires as he drove up High Valley Road. Those fires were later controlled by Northshore and Cal Fire firefighters.

– Ashmore drove to the Brassfield Winery where he brandished a firearm at a person at that location. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies caught up to him as he continued on High Valley Road. Ashmore fled from the deputies, and the pursuit continued west on High Valley Road. Sheriff’s deputies, CHP officers and a Lakeport Police Officer positioned themselves at the intersection of Bartlett Springs Road and High Valley Road, in order to prevent Ashmore from escaping. When Ashmore arrived at the roadblock, he surrendered to sheriff’s deputies without further incident. He was in possession of a Remington 1200 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, a Raven Arms .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

Members of the public who witnessed the shooting or have other pertinent information should contact Det. Sgt. John Gregore at 707-262-4238.

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. – Due to continued demand, the opening of the Sulphur Fire Local Assistance Center in Clearlake is being extended through the end of the week.

In coordination with the city of Clearlake, the county of Lake, and community, state, and national service and relief organizations, the one-stop local assistance center was opened on Oct. 18 to provide information and assistance to the community.

Since the center has proven to be very helpful to the community and has been heavily utilized by impacted individuals, the local assistance center will remain open until Friday, Oct. 27, rather than closing on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

The local assistance center’s hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Clearlake Community Center (senior center), located at 3245 Bowers Ave.

In addition, a Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile registration vehicle has been located in Austin Park to assist with registering people into the disaster recovery system.

The FEMA mobile center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be located at the park until this Friday.

As of Monday, Oct. 23, the Department of Toxic Substances Control is in the area of the Sulphur fire completing a household hazardous waste cleanup in advance of the heavy debris cleanup.

Teams will be clearing homes of any remaining household hazardous waste, such as propane tanks, compressed gas cylinders, solvents, etc.

Property owners are responsible for the heavy debris cleanup on their property and to complete this work as quickly as possible before the rainy season sets in, all are encouraged to
participate in the clean up program managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

To participate in the program, a “right of entry” form will be required to be signed by the property owner allowing the state to clean the property. Right of entry forms can be picked up at the local assistance center.

“The city of Clearlake will be sponsoring another community recovery meeting on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall with representatives from Lake County, FEMA, CalOES, Lake County Fire, the city of Clearlake and others to give an update on the recovery process to date and answer questions about the process going forward,” said City Manager Greg Folsom.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The work to contain the region’s wildland fires continues in the midst of warm fall temperatures and breezy conditions.

On Monday evening Cal Fire reported that the 2,207-acre Sulphur fire had edged up to 98 percent containment, as firefighters continue extinguishing hotspots and doing fire suppression repair.

The Redwood fire, which along with the Sulphur fire is being managed as part of the Mendocino Lake Complex, also reached 98-percent containment as of Monday, Cal Fire said.

The Mendocino Lake Complex has burned 545 structures, of which 168 were in Lake County, primarily Clearlake, officials reported.

Cal Fire said the Redwood fire has burned 36,523 acres and claimed eight lives. Approximately 228 firefighters remain assigned to the incident.

The Central LNU Complex in Napa and Sonoma counties was 90-percent contained Monday night, Cal Fire said. It has burned 110,720 acres and destroyed 6,768 structures.

The complex includes the Tubbs fire, 36,807 acres, 94-percent contained; the Pocket fire, 17,357 acres, 89-percent containment; and the Nuns fire, 56,556 acres, 90-percent containment, according to Cal Fire’s latest numbers.

In Napa and Solano counties, firefighters had pushed the Southern LNU Complex to 95-percent containment on Monday, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said that complex has burned 51,624 acres, destroyed 481 structures and damaged another 90 buildings.

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.