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The Measure Z Advisory Committee will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 31, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The committee includes citizen members Annette Hopkins, Susan King, Dennis Rollins, Nathan Speed and Tim Wynacht. The city’s staff representatives are City Manager Margaret Silveira, FInance Director Nick Walker and City Clerk/Committee Secretary Kelly Buendia.
Discussion and action items include an overview of the Ralph M. Brown Act as it relates to the committee.
The committee’s citizen members also will receive introductory instruction on government budgeting and see highlights of the city of Lakeport’s approved 2017-18 budget.
The group also will approve its 2017-18 calendar of meetings.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The fire was first dispatched at around 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of the 4200 block of Foothill Drive.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded, with Cal Fire bringing in a full contingent of air resources.
Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol shut down Foothill Drive at Victoria to traffic as authorities ordered residents in the area north of Foothill in the Sunset Ridge area to evacuate immediately.
Residents along Foothill Drive began preparing to evacuate and were loading down homes and wetting down buildings and yards with garden hoses as tankers and helicopters dropped retardant and water on the fire.
Shortly after 7 p.m., incident command reported that forward progress on the fire had been stopped, with line all around the fire.
At that point, it was estimated that all resources would be committed for six hours.
The latest estimate on the fire’s size was 3.5 acres and three structures burned, according to radio reports just before 7 p.m.
Authorities also partially lifted the evacuation order for the fire area in Lucerne, but have ordered residents with homes on Foothill between Bond Court and Windsor Way to remain evacuated.
Additional updates will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released surveillance video of two subjects believed to be involved in the murder of a Kelseyville man last week.
David Sheldon Shalett, 34, of Kelseyville was shot early on the morning of Wednesday, July 19, during a home invasion robbery at his residence on State Street, according to authorities.
Sgt. Corey Paulich said that sheriff’s detectives, in their continuing work to investigate the case, have developed two persons of interest.
Paulich said one of the subjects shot Shalett in front of his two young children and then stole a small amount of marijuana before fleeing the home.
The two subjects were captured on home surveillance video, Paulich said. The clips are posted on this page.
The sheriff’s office is asking the public to watch the videos in an attempt to identify the subjects.
Anyone with information related to the identity of these subjects or that could assist with the investigation is asked to contact Det. Jerry Pfann at 707-262-4236 or
“Much Ado About Nothing will be performed on Saturday, July 29, and Sunday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Save the dates and join them for this fanciful story of love, intrigue and betrayal.
The 2016 production of Shakespeare at the Lake was by all accounts a huge success for cast, crew, sponsors and audience.
The inaugural performance at Library Park in Lakeport was a collaborative effort for Mendocino College Lake Center, the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College and the Lake County Theatre Co.
The city of Lakeport supported this community effort by making its stunning Library Park available for the program.
Several hundred audience members enjoyed breathtaking views of Clear Lake as the background for the production of “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”
As a result of these efforts, Shakespeare at the Lake was awarded “Best New Idea” at the 2016 Stars of Lake County program. Also, its creative inspiration, Director John Tomlinson, was awarded a Lake County Star as the driving force behind this community effort.
For 2017, the cast is set, the electricity is in the air.
Tomlinson steps up again and has assembled his troupe for Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing.”
Mendocino College Lake Center, the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, the Lake County Theatre Co. and the city of Lakeport are presenting this year’s free production scheduled for Library Park, Lakeport.
Guests should bring their own blankets, chairs and coolers. All seating is outdoors and first-come, first-served.
There will be vendors selling food and soft drinks. There will also be beer and wine for purchase. Proceeds benefit scholarships for Mendocino College students.
Shakespeare at the Lake is presented free of charge to the public. This effort is made possible through the generous sponsorship of many individuals, businesses and organizations.
The following businesses have generously donated time, material and services to support this community theater production: Ed Olson’s Clearlake Vista Resort and Café, Kelseyville, and Pine Dell Resorts, Clearlake; Kelseyville Lumber, Kelseyville; Lakeport Disposal, Lakeport;
Lake Event and Design Center, Lakeport; Richard Neils Construction; and Rosa d’Oro Winery.
This production would not be possible without the generous contributions of its sponsors.
They include Gentry sponsors: California Retired Teachers Association, Lake County Division 35; Peggy Campbell, CPA, Lakeport; K. Nikka Deacon, Kelseyville; Dennis and Jo Fay, Kelseyville; Valerie Jensen, Kelseyville; Donald and Lorene McGuire, Lakeport; Jim and Wilda Shock, Lakeport; SHN Engineers, Willits; Cindy Ustrud and Dennis Rollins, Lakeport.
The Lakeport Main Street Association is a Courtier sponsor.
Royal sponsors include Education Leadership Solutions, LLC, Kelseyville; Lakeport Rotary Club, Lakeport; Community First Credit Union, Ukiah; Smith Family Trust, Kelseyville; Strong Financial Network-Jennifer Strong, Lakeport; Tomkins Tax Consultants, Lucerne; Judy Conard, Law Office of Judy F. Conard, Lakeport.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – After 19 months of work, the city of Lakeport has a new plan to bolster economic development in its borders.
Last week the Lakeport City Council unanimously approved the Lakeport Economic Development Strategic Plan for the years 2017 to 2022, which starts on page 82 of the staff report below.
Community Development Director Kevin Ingram presented the plan to the council, lauding the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee – several members of which were on hand for the presentation – for leading the effort to develop the document.
Ingram said there are key plan goals on which the city already has made significant progress, including the lakefront plan and the downtown improvement project. “So it hasn’t been wasted time.”
He explained that the plan was created as part of the city’s response to the end of redevelopment.
Without redevelopment and its implementation plan, he said the city was “sort of floundering” in some of its efforts.
In crafting the plan, Ingram said it became apparent that there already are amazing organizations in the city working toward the same goals.
He said they also determined that the city already had a number of existing plan studies at its fingertips that would be useful resources, including the city’s 2009 general plan, the redevelopment agency five-year implementation plan for 2009-14, the ongoing Lakeport Lakefront Revitalization Plan, as well as the Lake County Comprehensive Economic Development Plan, completed last year, and Lakeport’s 2003 Business Retention and Recruitment Plan.
The effort included a SWOT analysis to tie together all of the city’s resources, as well as an economic and statistical analysis that looked at labor pool information, he said.
That analysis found that nearly half of all city residents make less than $35,000, compared to one-third statewide who make less than that amount, while the median household income level are $25,000 less in Lakeport than the state average.
He said Lakeport’s 2015 unemployment was 5.2 percent, lower than the county and state numbers.
The study also showed the steep drop in transient occupancy tax, also known as bed tax, experienced by both the cities and county, tracking the numbers from 2000 to 2015.
The numbers began dropping beginning in 2008 due to the recession and continued from 2009 on, the year Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa closed, according to the report.
Ingram’s presentation showed that Lakeport’s TOT numbers in 2015 were $57,700, a 15-year low; its highest bed tax during that decade and a half that was tracked was in 2001, when it brought in $172,300.
For comparison, the city of Clearlake had its lowest TOT amount in 2000, $148,200, built steadily and topped out in 2007 at $248,700 before dropping close to $100,000 annually for several years. In 2015 its numbers had recovered to more than $206,000.
The county’s TOT numbers were the best in 2008, at $1,355,900. It hit its lowest point in the 15 years tracked in 2013, when it bottomed out at $694,300. In 2015, it was at $856,500.
While TOT is recovering, it is a slow process, Ingram said.
The study looked at the primary retail market area, finding that general merchandise stores and nonstore retailers are lacking, he said.
Ingram said goals of the plan included promoting and participating in regional economic development initiatives, expanding and supporting business retention and attraction efforts, striving to enhance the historic downtown and lakefront area. He added that the city already was making progress on many of those goals.
Some of the efforts the city wants to undertake is pursuing more wine-related businesses, as the city has only one tasting room, Ingram said. They also want to expand out further with business outreach.
Mayor Stacey Mattina called the document “impressive.”
Councilman Kenny Parlet pointed to the plan’s analysis of retail and its saturation. Pointing to the effort of Dollar General to come into the city, Parlet asked, “If we have four times what we need, why do we need another one.”
He asked if the plan could be a tool for looking at future projects.
“It’s a tool,” said Ingram, noting that if the city wanted to go in the direction Parlet suggested, it would need to make fundamental changes to its existing ordinances.
Parlet said that when driving through St. Helena and Calistoga, there are small businesses, not chain stores, which he said was a result of those community doing purposeful planning. He suggested the city’s new plan could lead to a similar outcome for Lakeport.
Ingram said the city also is dealing with a perception that it isn’t easy to do business in Lakeport. Most of the ordinance changes or recommended positions coming out of the study is aimed at making doing business in Lakeport easier.
Silveira noted that the city currently doesn’t have any tools that allow it to look at saturation of the market when allowing in new businesses and projects.
Parlet said the plan is to retain local businesses, the flavor of the community and vision, but added that there is a missing piece about control.
Mattina said the government doesn’t decide what people want to buy or where they want to shop, and owners have the right to do what is allowed on their property.
Parlet pointed out that commercial property is cheaper in Lakeport but there are more vacancies. “Is this a consequence of the can't do business in Lakeport kind of thing?”
Ingram acknowledged those pricing differences and high vacancies, noting that some vacant buildings aren’t move-in ready for businesses.
Parlet said he would love to see more restaurants and asked if there is a way to help entrepreneurs deal with the high setup costs. Ingram said Community Development Services issues business loans and helps with plans, and the city is now finding business owners who want loans, when a few years ago they couldn’t give the money away.
He cited Twisted Sisters restaurant as a good example of a new business coming into the downtown and revitalizing a block that had been dead two years ago.
“That's really changed over the past year,” he said, adding that now they would like to see the former TNT’s Restaurant site on the lake and Bigg’s restaurant across from Library Park revitalized in order to change downtown’s dynamic further.
Ingram also told the council that LEDAC is looking into ways to easily update the plan in the future, and Silveira said they want to revise it as projects are completed.
“We are definitely seeing things happen. Maybe we are on a roll,” said Mayor Stacey Mattina.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve the plan, with Councilman Tim Barnes seconding and the rest of the council joining in the unanimous vote.
At the July 18 meeting the council also accepted a donation from the Lakeport Main Street Association for the the city’s annual July 4 fireworks and approved an agreement with JJACPA for independent auditing services.
The council also adopted a resolution to have $34,000 in delinquent utility charges – up from about $4,000 at this time last year – collected on the tax roll for fiscal year 2016-17, and fixing the time and place of a hearing on the charges.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Sheriff Brian Martin said his agency will participate in the “Pink Patch Project,” a nationwide collaborative effort between law enforcement and public safety agencies to bring attention to the fight against breast cancer.
The Deputy Sheriff’s Association has purchased a limited number of pink sheriff’s office patches with breast cancer awareness ribbons. Since these patches were purchased by the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, there is no cost to the taxpayers for this program.
The patches are available for purchase by members of the public for $10 on Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the National Night Out in Middletown.
Proceeds from the sales of these patches will be donated to the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Foundation to support the funding of a new breast cancer navigator position that the hospital is implementing.
The breast cancer navigator will contact patients who receive an abnormal mammogram as quickly as possible to explain in easy to understand terms what lies ahead as far as further testing and treatment options.
The breast cancer navigator is a cancer survivor herself and has a true understanding and appreciation for what the patients are experiencing.
The services she provides are assistance in scheduling appointments, discussing treatment options, and continuing to help, even if the patient seeks treatment outside the Sutter Health Care System.
This position is not one that is covered by insurance, and its funding will come from other sources including donations through the Pink Patch Project.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Across the country, there are numerous efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer, as well as numerous fundraisers to support cancer research and treatment.
For the month of October, uniformed Lake County Sheriff’s Office personnel are authorized to wear this patch while on duty.
Martin said this effort is designed to raise awareness about breast cancer and to promote interaction between our deputies and the public.
To purchase a pink patch and support this worthy cause, stop in at the National Night Out at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1.