News

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee is set to discuss plans and goals when it meets this week.

The committee, or LEDAC, will meet via Zoom from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The meeting also will be available via Zoom.

The meeting ID is 842 2886 1335, pass code is 594383 or join by phone, 1 669 900 6833.

The meeting is open to the public.

On the agenda are economic development updates, the city’s economic development strategic plan and its Business Walk presentation to the Lakeport City Council, and review of progress on the fiscal year 2024-25 city goals along with consideration of the 2025/26 goals.

LEDAC’s next meeting will be April 9.

LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.

Members are Chair Wilda Shock, Bonnie Darling, Candy De Los Santos, Pam Harpster, Lissette Hayes, Amanda Martin, Euline Olinger, JoAnn Saccato, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Bob Santana, Marie Schrader and Tim Stephens. City staff who are members include City Manager Kevin Ingram and Community Development Department Director Joey Hejnowicz, Associate Planner Victor Fernandez and Chief Building Officer Bethany Moss Childers.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County General Plan Advisory Committee will meet this week to review the draft general plan land use map.

This hybrid, in-person/online meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Attend in-person at the Lake County Board Chambers, on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, or join via Zoom using this link.

At this meeting, the General Plan Advisory Committee will receive project updates since its last meeting and then review and provide comments on the draft general plan land use map.

There will be an opportunity for questions and comments from the public.

The meeting agenda is available at this link.

The draft General Plan Land Use map that will be discussed during the meeting is available to review here.

For more information and to share your ideas online, visit LakeCounty2050.org.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — Friends, family, community members and local leaders came out on Saturday night to remember a young Lakeport man whose life was cut short by violence at the end of January.

Vicente Zeta Colacion was a friend, brother, grandson, nephew, boyfriend, uncle and much more to those who shared his story at the candlelight vigil at the gazebo in Library Park, about 50 yards away from where the 32-year-old was shot to death on the night of Friday, Jan. 31.

Along with those roles in life, one of his passions was poetry, an art form that many practiced in his memory, sharing their own work and his.

The nighttime event, with about 300 people in attendance, was illuminated by brightly burning candles cupped in the hands of those who knew him and those who didn’t but wanted to remember him. The gathering also served to honor his identity and secure his memory outside of the confines of being a murder victim.

Each of the speakers — whether friends or family members — helped paint a portrait of his life, helping to put the memory of him into sharper focus.

They described him variously as enthusiastic, energetic, fun, generous, sometimes maddening, big, clumsy, a traveler who shared pictures of his many travels, and a complicated human being who, most of all, was brimming with love, talent and whimsy.

The portrait that they painted was of a young man whose life looked a lot like the nighttime sky overhead — as plentiful with promise as the sky was richly hung with stars, and a life growing larger, more prominent, and more accomplished, like the waxing winter moon.

That a life of much given to poetry could be cut short so violently was part of the disbelief and heartache shared at the event. One of his friends, sitting near the gazebo, said it was hard to believe that such a thing could have happened to Colacion.

The investigation so far has revealed that Colacion’s murder was the result of an argument that had begun in the nearby Clearlake Club bar and escalated into a deadly shooting at the park.

Since then, Joshua Jacob Tovar, 33, of Lakeport has been arrested and charged with the killing. He was arraigned last week and is due to return to court to enter a plea on Feb. 11.

Another man, Parker John Coggins, 27, of Lakeport, was in an argument with Colacion at the bar and assaulted him before he was charged. Originally, Coggins was arrested and booked on a murder charge, but he has since been released from custody.

A criminal complaint against Coggins hasn’t yet been filed by the District Attorney’s Office pending further investigation, said District Attorney Susan Krones, who attended the Saturday night vigil.

Police and first responders were thanked for their efforts during the event. “I think we all know you did your best,” one of the speakers noted.

Along with Krones, in attendance at the vigil were several other local leaders, including supervisors Brad Rasmussen and Bruno Sabatier, City Manager Kevin Ingram and Police Chief Dale Stoebe, and several police staffers who worked the case, including Det. Juan Altamirano and Sgt. Andrew Welter.

Ingram said he was glad to see the turnout in Colacion’s honor.

Asked about what concerns community members have shared with him about the killing, Ingram said there were worries at first when the suspect hadn’t yet been arrested.

The city has a police officer dedicated to patrolling the downtown, a program which Ingram said they want to keep going.

He didn’t see the incident as an indication of a larger issue with crime downtown.

Colacion’s murder is the first within the city since October 2002, when Barbara La Forge was shot to death in her downtown frame shop, just blocks away from where Colacion died. Her murder remains unsolved.

‘It didn’t feel real’

One of the key speakers on Saturday night was Georgina Marie Guardado, a two-time Lake County poet laureate and friend of Colacion’s who traced the beginning of their friendship to a poetry event in 2017 at the Middletown Art Center.

She recounted following news of the shooting on Jan. 31, then finding out the next morning, a week to the day before the vigil, that Colacion was the victim.

Guardado, who said she usually visits Library Park for solace and comfort, said of Colacion’s death, “It didn’t feel real,” that is, until she was standing before the crowd that night.

In the week since Colacion’s death, she said she’s gone through all of the messages that she sent, played a playlist he made for her and cried.

“He was larger than life,” she said.

She added, “I don’t know if he ever realized the impact he had on others.”

Vicente Colacion’s younger sisters, Maya and Paloma Colacion, both spoke about their brother, remembering his passions, his complications, his love and dedication to others.

Maya Colacion said her daughter called him “Uncle Stinky.” He checked on his sister every day, was always glad to see her and trusted her.

“I just miss my brother a lot,” she said.

She remembered him fixing sandwiches for hungry people he had met in Library Park, a gesture that illustrated his concern for others.

“They took away my best friend and it’s not fair,” she said. “My family will never be the same.”

He could make those he loved mad, but his sister remembered that he always said he was sorry afterward. “I can’t wait to see him again someday.”

Family members who shared their memories said Colacion’s mother was too distraught to attend.

His grandmother, Brenda Pistek, said Colacion’s mother, her daughter, was “wailing like a wounded animal” in her grief.

Contemplating the idea of a life without her grandson, Pistek said, “I don’t know how to do this ... these are things that should never happen.”

His aunt recalled her sister, Colacion’s mother, as saying, “Vicente tells the truth,” and that he flew away “in a murder of crows.”

His sister, Paloma Colacion, said he loved people, that he didn’t have a hierarchical view of love that limited him to just his family. She said losing him was like losing a part of herself.

“He was love,” she said.

A cousin of his is now putting together a book of his poetry. Colacion was known to write little poems and send them to people, and his family is asking them to reach out and share them for the book.

She read from one of his poems in which he wrote,

“I will whisper,
“I love you,
“I love you,
“I love you.”

Paloma Colacion in turn thanked people for loving her brother.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With lake levels increasing in Clear Lake due to recent storm activity, motorboat users are reminded of local recreation Ordinance 3065, which requires idle speed when boating within one-quarter mile or less from the shore of Clear Lake.

“Idle speed” means operating a motorboat at a speed that does not produce a wake, protecting shoreline property and infrastructure from harmful wave action.

This ordinance goes into effect when the lake reaches 8.0 feet or higher on the Rumsey scale — the special measure for Clear Lake — for a 24 hour period.

The requirements are lifted when Clear Lake drops to 7.9 feet Rumsey, or lower, for a 24-hour period.

Clear Lake has retained over the 8.0 foot Rumsey mark since 8:45 a.m. Saturday and remained there early Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey’s gauge on the lake.

Clear Lake is considered “full” at the 7.56 foot Rumsey mark.

Boaters are responsible for checking the lake level before boating on Clear Lake. Violating this ordinance constitutes a misdemeanor and may result in a fine not to exceed $500, or up to six months imprisonment in the County Jail.

Additionally, all boaters are advised to use extra caution when operating motorboats throughout Clear Lake due to floating and submerged debris hazards resulting from recent storm events.

Floating and submerged debris such as trees, branches, full or partial floating docks, abandoned or detached boats, trash, and other objects can cause significant damage, particularly when coming into contact with boats operating at normal to significant speed.

Boaters should remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings and maintain a safe, slower speed when boating throughout all of Clear Lake this time of year.

For questions regarding this topic, or to report in-lake hazards such as debris, floating docks, or missing or found hazard buoys, contact the Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The legislative leaders of the North Bay will conduct in-person meetings with campus and community stakeholders and a legislative hearing on the proposed severe budgetary reductions and program eliminations announced by the California State University system at Sonoma State University.

Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), Senator Christopher Cabaldon (D-Yolo), Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Assemblymember Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa), and Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) will be seeking the community’s input on the CSU’s proposed budgetary reductions and the future of Sonoma State University.

Committed to strengthening SSU and disappointed in the university’s inadequate consultation, transparency and vision, the legislative leaders are moving quickly to convene public forums and bring all sides together, including the community, to focus on the future of Sonoma State. The hearing will include top leaders from the Assembly and Senate.

The public hearing will be held on Friday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. and will feature a wide variety of panelists, with an overarching goal of holding the CSU system accountable. Additional details will be released in the coming weeks.

The legislative leaders said in a statement that “Too many bright futures depend on a thriving Sonoma State, and the North Bay legislative delegation will be working with the campus community leaders from throughout the region and the CSU system on developing a long-term success plan to ensure the university’s longevity for decades to come.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control is filled with a variety of dogs, many of them young, needing new homes.

The dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of border collie, Chihuahua, German shepherd, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull terrier, Rottweiler and terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

Those dogs and the others shown on this page at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.