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The Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association is a group of the law enforcement department heads within Lake County who, among other priorities, work together to share information, improve the training and safety for our local peace officers and improve law enforcement service to the people of our communities.
We are urging the public to be aware of the fine details of Proposition 57 and vote no on it because we don’t believe it will lead to safer communities here or anywhere else in California.
Proposition 57 would lead to the early release of dangerous offenders and reduce the incarceration time of career criminals including drug dealers and gang members.
We understand the intent of Proposition 57 is to reduce prison overcrowding; however this proposition includes drastic changes to our parole system that will release thousands of dangerous felons into California communities while our state is already experiencing a spike in crime. This will only further erode public safety.
Measures have already been taken to drastically reduce the number of state prison inmates per a federal court mandate.
These measures started back in 2011 with Assembly Bill 109 – Criminal Justice Realignment which placed persons convicted and sentenced to prison terms, for many felony crimes in California, in county jails rather than in state prisons.
Then in 2014, with the voter passed Proposition 47, numerous felony crimes were reduced to misdemeanors which have contributed to career criminals continuing to commit crimes in our communities with few consequences.
Proposition 57 claims to apply only to non-violent offenders and we believe its definition of non-violent is in contrast to the public’s idea of non-violent.
The term “Non-violent felony offense” is not defined in the proposition or elsewhere in California law. Penal Code Section 667.5(C) defines “Violent felonies” and includes about 23 crimes. Crimes defined as “Serious felonies” are covered under Penal Code section 1192.7(c). Crimes covered here are not referred to as violent under California law, but they are in fact violent in nature.
These crimes, to name a few, include participation in a criminal street gang and various felonies committed for gang purposes, battery with infliction of serious bodily injury, throwing acid or flammable substances, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, discharging a firearm at an occupied dwelling, rape where the victim is legally incapable of giving consent, by intoxicating substance, or where the victim is unconscious, arson of a structure or forest land, grand theft of a firearm, exploding a destructive device with intent to injure, taking a hostage, soliciting another to commit murder, corporal punishment or injury on a child resulting in a traumatic condition, domestic violence and false imprisonment of an elder or dependent adult by violence, menace, fraud or deceit.
Persons serving prison time for these types of crimes are the ones who will benefit from this proposition if it passes.
We believe victims' rights and other previous public safety initiatives would be weakened by Proposition 57 including Marsy’s Law and the Three Strikes law.
Before voting we ask that you consider the thoughts of your local law enforcement leaders as well as many other law enforcement and prosecutor groups in California.
Brad Rasmussen is chairman of the Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association and the police chief for Lakeport, Calif.
Findings from a 2015 California Department of Public Health (CDPH) report on sexually transmitted diseases indicate that the number of reportable STDs in California is rising at a faster pace compared to the rest of the country and is at a 20-year high.
“Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are going up in California at a concerning rate,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “This is the second year in a row that we have seen increases in all three diseases.”
The report found a total of 249,224 reportable cases of STDs in California for 2015, with the following breakdown:
· 189,937 cases of chlamydia;
· 54,255 cases of gonorrhea;
· 4,890 cases of primary and secondary syphilis (the most infectious stages of this disease) and 142 cases of congenital syphilis.
These numbers indicate an 11.6 percent increase in reportable STDs in California since 2014, when the total number was 223,269.
A number of factors, including changes in sexual behavior (e.g., declines in condom use, increased partners), barriers to access to care and testing, and improved public health reporting may be contributing to the increase in the number of STDs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released national STD data earlier this week, reporting that cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia have reached a record high level in the U.S., with the largest increase being in cases (19 percent) of syphilis.
California’s STD rates continue to be highest in young people 15-24 years of age and especially females.
More than 63 percent of the state’s female chlamydia cases and more than 51 percent of female gonorrhea cases are in this age range.
These young women are the most vulnerable to infertility and other serious long-term reproductive health problems caused by STDs.
Gay and bisexual men in California are also at high risk. Men who have sex with men account for more than 62 percent of the state’s gonorrhea cases in males and 84 percent of primary and secondary syphilis cases in males.
“Using condoms regularly and correctly, reducing the number of sexual partners and being in a monogamous relationship can dramatically reduce risk of contracting an STD,” said Dr. Smith. “In addition, I urge sexually active individuals to get tested regularly. With these measures, we can stem the rising tide of STDs in California.”
To help reduce the STD rate in California, CDPH is in the process of distributing $5 million in grants to local health departments for expansion of STD prevention, testing and treatment programs.
In January of this year, California also enacted the California Healthy Youth Act, requiring comprehensive sexual health education to help young people make informed choices about how to protect themselves and their partners.
For more information on STDs and how to prevent them, go to the CDPH Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Branch Web site, http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/std/Pages/default.aspx .
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, co-chair of the House Military Veterans Caucus, led his bipartisan co-chairs in sending a letter to Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning asking him to grant an exception to the requirement that current and former service members who enlisted in the National Guard between 2006 and 2008 repay unauthorized bonuses.
“It’s wrong to require service members and veterans to repay enlistment bonuses that were issued in error,” said Thompson. “The brave men and women who serve our country in uniform shouldn’t be the ones paying the price for others’ mistakes. Given that the Secretary of the Army has the authority to grant an exception to these repayment requirements, he should do so without further delay. As a veteran myself, I won’t stop fighting until this egregious situation is resolved and these debts are forgiven.”
The Secretary of the Army has the authority under law to grant an exception to repayment requirements if the repayment is determined to be “against equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the best interest of the United States.”
The letter asks the secretary to grant an exception on these grounds given the length of time since the bonuses were awarded and the misleading tactics used by the California National Guard, and others, during this period.
Thompson, himself a veteran, was appalled to learn that thousands of current and former soldiers in the Army National Guard, including 9,700 in California alone, are being asked to repay enlistment bonuses they were awarded eight to ten years ago.
Upon learning of this unacceptable situation, Thompson immediately took action to help his fellow veterans find relief from this unfair financial burden.
In addition to Thompson, the letter was signed by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Thomas J. Rooney (R-FL) and Collin Peterson (D-MN).
The full text of the letter is copied below.
Dear Secretary Fanning,
As co-chairs of the House Military Veterans Caucus, we were appalled to learn that thousands of current and former soldiers in the Army National Guard are being asked to repay bonuses they were awarded when they enlisted eight to ten years ago. We understand that these unauthorized bonuses were particularly common within the California National Guard, which is in the process of attempting to recoup bonuses from 9,700 current and former members of the Guard.
The men and women who bravely signed up to serve their country should not be punished because recruiting and retention officials and their supervisors made mistakes and used misleading language in their contracts. Many individuals chose to enlist because the bonuses they were offered provided much-needed financial relief to their families. Many also went on to serve multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is egregious to ask for these bonuses to be paid back a decade after they were awarded when these funds are unlikely to be readily available.
We understand that Sections 303a and 373 of Title 37 of U.S. Code require the Secretary of the Army to recoup bonuses when service members do not fulfill all the requirements laid out in their enlistment contracts. However, the law also authorizes the Secretary to provide exceptions to these repayment requirements “if the Secretary concerned determines that the imposition of the repayment and termination requirements with regard to a member of the uniformed services would be contrary to the personnel policy or management objective, would be against equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the best interest of the United States.” Given the well-documented unethical and unlawful practices by the California National Guard during the period in which these soldiers enlisted and the amount of time that has passed since these bonuses were awarded, we believe asking for recoupment is clearly against equity and good conscience and is not in the best interest of the United States. We understand that the California National Guard has set up a task force to help service members file for financial hardship waivers and have inaccuracies corrected through the Board for the Correction of Military Records. However, it is disrespectful to these individuals’ service and sacrifice to subject them to these onerous and bureaucratic processes because of actions that were, again, no fault of their own.
We ask that you use the authority currently available to you to grant an exception to the repayment requirements for the impacted current and former service members that have been identified for bonus recoupment. Thank you for commitment to the men and women who help keep our nation safe.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clearlake man who authorities say started the Clayton fire and 15 other blazes around Lake County was in court on Tuesday for the setting of his preliminary hearing, which will take place next year.
Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, made the brief appearance in Lake County Superior Court.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who is handling the case, said Pashilk's preliminary hearing has been set for April 26.
Hinchcliff said the hearing was scheduled that far out for reasons including the need for the District Attorney's Office to continue working on the followup investigation that's part of building the case against Pashilk.
Pashilk was arrested Aug. 15 for setting a total of 16 fires in and around Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Lower Lake and Middletown beginning in July of 2015 and continuing through August, when authorities say he started the Clayton fire two days before his arrest.
The Clayton fire burned approximately 3,929 acres and destroyed nearly 300 structures, of which about 200 were homes. The impact on the Lower Lake community included $1 million in damage to the Konocti Unified School District's facilities.
Pashilk also is accused of attempting to set a 17th fire that self-extinguished Aug. 9 near Lower Lake, not far from where the Clayton fire began.
Altogether, he's facing 23 charges, including 19 felony arson counts with special allegations of causing multiple structures to burn and committing a crime in a disaster area, as well as misdemeanors of methamphetamine possession at the time of his arrest, attempting to conceal the evidence of the methamphetamine, and two counts of driving on a suspended license with three prior convictions for that charge.
He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at a court appearance in early September, as Lake County News has reported.
Pashilk remains in the Lake County Jail, with his bail set at $5 million.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Despite the tapering off of the annual agricultural harvest, Lake County's September unemployment showed improvement over the previous month, according to new state data.
The Employment Development Department said Lake County had a September unemployment rate of 6 percent, down from a revised 6.3 percent in August and the 6.5 percent estimate of September 2015.
Across California, in September the unemployment rate remained at 5.5 percent for the third straight month, compared with 6 percent the previous September, according to the state data.
On the national level, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment in September was 5 percent, up slightly from 4.9 percent, but down from the 5.1 percent reported in September 2015.
Lake County's September unemployment ranked it No. 35 of California's 58 counties, according to the report. San Mateo County, with a 3.1-percent unemployment rate, continued its hold on the No. 1 spot, while Imperial County remained at No. 58 with 22.7 percent.
While Lake County's “total farm” category dropped 25.3 percent of its jobs – or about 490 positions – in September, the county's overall number of unemployed people was 1,820, down 80 from the previous month, according to the Employment Development Department.
A number of other categories like wholesale trade (-6.1 percent), leisure and hospitality (-5.1 percent), financial activities (-2.4 percent) and other services (-1.9 percent) also were down, while categories showing upward trends included service providing (0.8 percent), goods producing (1.7 percent) and government (3.6 percent).
The Employment Development Department said California added 30,000 jobs in September, bringing the number of nonfarm payroll jobs in the state to 16,549,600, according to a survey of 58,000 California businesses. Employers in the state added 379,800 jobs from September 2015 to September 2016, a 2.3 percent increase.
The federal survey of 5,500 households used to determine the unemployment rate showed that 18,279,000 people were employed in California in September, up 109,000 from August, and up 444,000 from September 2015.
That survey showed that 1,070,000 people were unemployed in the state last month, up 9,000 from August, but down 65,000 from September 2015.
Statewide, seven sectors added jobs in September: leisure and hospitality; government; educational and health services; construction; information; professional and business services; and other services, the Employment Development Department said.
The state report said four industries lost jobs statewide last month: manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; and mining and logging.
In year-over gains, nine sectors added jobs across California: professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; government; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; and other services. Year-over losses were reported in two sectors: manufacturing, and mining and logging.
The Employment Development Department said that 362,253 people received regular
Unemployment Insurance benefits during the September survey week, compared with 352,085 in August and 343,419 in September of last year.
At the same time, the state said new claims for Unemployment Insurance totaled 38,277 in September, compared with 39,095 in August and 40,821 in September 2015.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A 7-month-old baby who was the focus of an Amber Alert issued earlier this week has been found safe and his mother arrested for his abduction.
Baby Henry Massey was found in Downieville in Sierra County on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The child was taken from the Guerneville home of his grandmother, who has legal custody of him, on Sunday by his noncustodial mother, Hannah Ashley, as Lake County News has reported.
On Monday, authorities issued an Amber Alert in the case.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said an alert citizen who saw the Amber Alert saw Ashley's Subaru on Monday night, with authorities locating the car on Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ashley walked into a Downieville grocery store, where a store clerk recognized her. Authorities said she had the baby hidden in a duffel bag.
The store clerk flagged down a passing California Highway Patrol officer who was able to take Ashley into custody after a struggle, the sheriff's office said.
The CHP's Grass Valley office reported that Ashley was booked into the main jail in Nevada County pending extradition back to Sonoma County on an arrest warrant. Her bail was reportedly set at $140,000.
Baby Henry was taken to a local hospital to be checked out and appeared to be in good health. The CHP said he was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services and was to be reunited with other family.