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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Thursday enforcement sweep conducted by state and local officials to look for unlicensed contractors operating in the Valley fire area resulted in the arrest of a Hidden Valley Lake man.
Matthew Jonathan George, 28, was arrested on a felony charge of contracting without a license in a disaster area and received a citation for a misdemeanor charge of illegal advertising, according to the Contractors State License Board.
George was booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $15,000. Jail records showed he later posted the required portion of bail and was released.
His booking sheet showed he is tentatively scheduled to appear in Lake County Superior Court on Jan. 18.
Contracting without a license in a disaster area is a felony and has a potential penalty of up to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the report from the Contractors State License Board on the enforcement action.
“It is unfortunate when unscrupulous people show up in disaster areas to try and take advantage of people when they are vulnerable,” said Contractors State License Board Registrar Cindi Christenson. “We are doing whatever we can to help protect these victims, so unlicensed contractors should know we will be looking for them.”
The Contractors State License Board said three teams targeted different parts of the disaster area, including Cobb Mountain, Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown.
The teams consisted of members of the board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team, or SWIFT, along with investigators from the Lake County District Attorney's Office investigative unit and California Department of Insurance. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office provided support for investigators during the operation.
The three teams collectively visited more than 100 sites looking for illegal activity, the Contractors State License Board said.
District Attorney Don Anderson said the sweep began at 9 a.m. Thursday, winding up by mid-afternoon. He said several people were contacted during the operation.
Officials said a licensed contractor reported George’s alleged illegal activity to the Contractors State License Board several days before the sweep took place.
Evidence confiscated during George’s arrest suggested he had 10 pending contracts from Valley fire victims worth a total of $100,000, officials reported.
Investigators also saw several yard signs posted in the area advertising George’s services illegally. State law requires unlicensed contractors to state in all advertising that they are not licensed, according to the state's report.
As a condition of licensure, state officials said contractors must carry workers' compensation for all employees except for themselves if they certify they have none. This coverage insures that if a worker is injured on the homeowner's property, the consumer is not held liable.
Contractors State License Board spokeswoman Ashley Caldwell told Lake County News that the agency conducts an average of one sting operation or construction site sweep each week throughout the state, and conducts at least three statewide blitzes each year with efforts to protect consumers and tackle the underground economy.
“We are aware that some unscrupulous contractors may try to take advantage of consumers during times of desperation, so we make it a priority to conduct outreach and enforcement activity in disaster areas,” she said.
In addition to this week's enforcement activity, Anderson said his office is continuing to follow up on reports of price gouging impacting fire victims, although so far no cases have developed.
State officials said the unlicensed contractor sweep also is being used as an opportunity to educate homeowners about the importance of checking out contractors before hiring them, and to let licensees know where they can report suspected unlicensed activity if they see it.
The Contractors State License Board's free publication “After a Disaster, Don't Get Scammed!” includes tips on rebuilding such as:
– Don't rush into repairs, no matter how badly they are needed.
– Get at least three bids. Don’t hire the first contractor who comes along.
– Be cautious about door-to-door offers of repair services and fliers or business cards that are left at your property.
– Ask friends, family, and associates for recommendations about contractors they have hired.
– Never pay in cash.
– Even for the smallest job, get proof that the person you are dealing with has a contractor license for the type of work that needs to be done.
– Get a written contract that details every aspect of the work plan.
Visit the Contractors State License Board's Disaster Help Center for more tips on rebuilding after a natural disaster.
The agency encourages consumers to always “Check the License First” by visiting www.cslb.ca.gov or calling the Contractors State License Board’s toll-free automated line 800-321-CSLB (2752). Also, visit the Contractors State License Board Web site for tips about how to hire a contractor.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Authorities are investigating the cause of an early morning fire that damaged a residence in Clearlake Oaks on Friday.
The fire was first reported at approximately 5:30 a.m. Friday on Lakeview Drive, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
When firefighters arrived, Beristianos said they found heavy fire coming from the rear of the two-story, wood-framed home, with involvement in the attic.
Northshore Fire responded with four engines, two ambulances, one water tender, nine firefighters and three overhead personnel, Beristianos said.
Beristianos said Cal Fire sent two engines and six personnel on mutual aid, and the Northshore Fire Incident support Team responded with four personnel.
He said it took crews about 30 minutes to control the fire, with several hours of mop up and overhaul.
The home sustained major fire and smoke damage throughout, Beristianos said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and considered suspicious, according to Beristianos.
He said the residence is a summer home that has been in the owner's family for many years. The house was not occupied at the time of the fire.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As the deadline nears for Valley fire survivors to register for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, that agency and the Small Business Administration offered updates on the help given to impacted community members so far.
The deadline to sign up for FEMA assistance is Monday, Nov. 23, which is 60 days after President Barack Obama issued his presidential major disaster declaration for the 76,067-acre fire, which burned more than 1,300 homes.
So far, for Valley fire survivors FEMA has approved $3.28 million for housing and $2.79 million for other needs, according to agency spokesman Steve Solomon.
Solomon said 2,546 Valley fire survivors have registered for FEMA assistance, there have been 2,756 visits to the two county Disaster Recovery Centers – one in Clearlake, the other in Middletown – and 806 eligible applicants have received rental assistance for 60 days.
Susheel Kumar, spokesman for the Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance, told Lake County News that so far the agency has approved a total of $9,045,000 in loans as a result of the fire.
That total breaks down to $7,680,000 for homeowners and renters, and $1,365,000 for business loans.
The county's Disaster Recovery Centers are located at 14860 Olympic Drive in Clearlake and at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St.
They will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, closed on Sunday and then open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, FEMA reported.
FEMA said the Clearlake Disaster Recovery Center will close permanently at 6 p.m. Nov. 23.
On Tuesday, Nov. 24, the Middletown Disaster Recovery Center will open at 9 a.m. and transition to the SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center. Officials said hours will be Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Survivors can still register for FEMA assistance online at www.disasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362; TTY 800-462-7585; 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.
After online and telephone registration ends at midnight Monday, Nov. 23, the same contact numbers can be used to ask FEMA about pending applications or other issues.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office will conduct a driving under the influence and driver license safety checkpoint on Sunday, Nov. 22, somewhere within the unincorporated area of Lake County.
The CHP said its goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of intoxicated or unlicensed drivers.
The sobriety/driver license checkpoint is a proven effective tool for achieving this goal and is designed to augment existing patrol operations, the agency said.
Vehicles will be checked for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving unlicensed, the CHP said.
The CHP said it wants to send a clear message to those individuals who consider driving and mixing alcohol or drugs, or driving when unlicensed, that they will be caught and their vehicle will be towed away.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Caltrans has completed construction of the new Highway 29 Troutdale Creek bridge.
The project is done one year ahead of the original late 2016 completion date and Caltrans is now anticipating opening the new bridge to traffic at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23.
The bridge is in northwest Napa County between Calistoga and Middletown.
Motorists on Highway 29 should drive with caution as crews switch traffic lanes and remove temporary traffic signal lights approaching the new bridge.
Drivers may also encounter intermittent closures and one-way traffic controls prior to the traffic switch and opening of the new bridge. Please #BeWorkZoneAlert.
Caltrans started construction of the new Troutdale Creek bridge in May.
The new bridge replaces the existing Troutdale Creek bridge with wider northbound and southbound Highway 29 bridge approaches.
The existing bridge was replaced because of years of wear at its base from the Troutdale Creek.
The new bridge approaches have also been realigned to conform to the new bridge, and improve sight-lines for motorists.
For additional information visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/29troutdalecreek/ .
The human body is incredibly complex. Every part of us – from our bones to our blood cells – is subject to a host of chemical reactions and molecular interactions that, without our conscious effort, keep us alive.
But what happens to these processes when we leave the planet?
In Earth orbit and beyond, where gravity is counteracted by a constant state of freefall and cosmic radiation intensifies, the molecular inner-workings of the human body may change.
To find out how, NASA has entered a realm of bio-research known as “-omics.”
During an unprecedented one-year mission to the International Space Station, scientists are studying how astronauts' bodies respond to long-duration space travel.
“Omics” refers to the collection of data on the medley of microcosms that regulate our bodies at a molecular level. Things that work with the metabolism are grouped underneath the term “metabolome.” All of the lipids in the body are called the “lipidome.” All of the proteins? You guessed it – “proteome.”
“We have launched a one-year study to understand the omics of space travel,” said Craig Kundrot, Ph.D. in the Office of the Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters. “Astronauts are spending a year on the International Space Station, and we are looking at what happens to them on the molecular level.”
This project is really two projects:
First, there is the “Twins Study.”
NASA has twin astronauts: One of them, Mark Kelly (retired), is staying on Earth while his brother, Scott Kelly, orbits Earth.
For one year, Mark and Scott will be poked, prodded and questioned to learn if the omics of identical twins show more significant differences than normal aging would cause after one of them spends a year in space.
At the same time, Scott Kelly is involved in a separate project called the “One Year Mission.” Unlike previous expeditions to the space station, which lasted only six months, Scott Kelly is spending a full year onboard the station alongside Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
The One Year Mission has its own battery of tests designed to reveal the physiological effects of long-term space flight.
Why one year?
“NASA knows a lot about what happens to astronauts after 6 months in orbit,” said Kundrot. “Deep space missions are going to take much longer than that. A round trip to Mars, for instance, might take thirty months or more. This one-year experiment is the next, natural step in that direction.”
Kundrot also notes the intangible significance of one year to humans.
“When we leave home for 6 months, it’s like a long business trip,” Kundrot said. “Leaving home for a year is a different thing. We are going to miss every birthday, anniversary, graduation and many other milestones. It feels like a big chunk of life – and this could affect the mood or behavior of the space travelers.”
Indeed, some of the studies focus the astronauts’ psychological state. At the same time that blood is drawn and other samples are taken, the astronauts will be filling out questionnaires about their mood, thoughts and dreams. This approach could reveal links between the astronaut’s mental state and their molecular state.
In total, more than 30 research proposals have been approved for the Twin Study and the One Year Mission – and they are well under way. The experiments began on March 27, 2015, when Kelly and Kornienko blasted off onboard a Russian rocket for their year in space.
For more on studies on the international space station, go to www.nasa.gov/station .