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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Before the board of directors for the Hidden Valley Lake Association and residents in the south county gated community arrive at some common ground on a number of issues they are certain to have a few earthquakes.
A case in point occurred last week when a group of about 15 members of the Laborers International Union of North America Local 324 and their associates rallied in the Hidden Valley Hardester’s Market Plaza parking lot.
HVLA management labeled it an “informational blitzkrieg of orange-shirted union supporters.”
The gathering supported the need for a new collective bargaining agreement between HVLA and 15 union greenskeepers and about 10 union maintenance workers.
This was not the first instance of name-calling.
The union is opposing what Local 324 Vice President George Griffin described as a 30-percent pay cut, from $14 to $9 an hour.
The association, he said, “wants them to pay 30 percent on medical and retirement and take a reduction in their wages. Some of our people won’t be able to make it and wind up on welfare. That comes out of everybody’s pocket.”
Both sides accuse the other of derailing the negotiations.
“They (the HVLA directors) stalled negotiations,” Griffin charged. “They would not agree to talk to us. We gave them what was a fair proposal. They came to the table. They had penciled in some notes but it was not bargaining.”
Allegedly, when the HVLA management legal counsel, surprised by Griffin’s abrupt departure from a bargaining session, asked “You’re leaving?” the union official asserted “Yeah, you’re a ---- bird,” then added “You’re all ----birds.”
Griffin acknowledged that he did say the area where Hidden Valley Lake employees lived and worked is a “God-forsaken place.”
The most critical remarks of the picketers were aimed new HVLA General Manager Cindy Spears, who came on the board earlier this year during a pivotal time when a group of residents was circulating a petition to recall president Bill Waite and another group was campaigning to recall director Steve Greenberg.
Waite survived the recall effort; Greenberg didn’t.
The newest feud between the management and HVLA residents comes at a time when some residents support replacement of Hidden Valley Lake’s bar, restaurant and pro shop building and a new country club, while others do not.
Griffin said that labor charges have been filed against Spears and complained that “she’s done everything possible not to negotiate – or even listen.”
Griffin further chided Spears for reportedly seeking a confidentiality agreement, essentially a gag order that would go so far as to make it unlawful for members of the HVLA staff to talk to each other.
Spears did not talk about these charges.
Instead, she issued a two-paragraph statement to Lake County News that read, in part, that HVLA “is attempting to bring balance to the golf course’s expenses while continuing to respect all our dedicated employees. We have suggested a way to do that without wage deductions. However, the union is still refusing to negotiate. HVLA continues to be ready and willing to negotiate with the union. We request everyone respect the process in attempting to negotiate with the union.”
Email John Lindblom at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several Lake County tribes have received funds through the US Environmental Protection Agency for environmental programs, water infrastructure development, community education and capacity building.
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced at the 22nd annual Regional Tribal Conference in Sacramento that a total of $5.4 million in funding has been made available to invest in Northern California tribal projects, with $18.8 million awarded to tribes statewide.
“The federal government is committed to protecting human health and the environment in Indian Country,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This funding will help conserve precious water resources, create jobs, and improve the quality of life on tribal lands.”
US EPA spokeswoman Suzanne Skadowski told Lake County News that five Lake County tribes received funding awards totaling $945,429.
They include:
– Robinson Rancheria: $352,005.
– Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians: $243,676.
– Middletown Rancheria: $153,548.
– Habematolel Pomo: $122,000.
– Elem Indian Colony: $74,200.
This year Northern California tribes will use about $2.8 million to continue tribal environmental programs, cleanup open dumps, conduct small construction projects, targeted community outreach, drought mitigation and community education – the cornerstone of tribal environmental programs, according to the US EPA.
The tribes will use the additional $2.6 million for a wide variety of water quality projects including watershed protection and restoration, water and energy efficiency, wastewater reclamation and treatment systems, officials said.
The agency said the funds also support drinking water infrastructure, plant operator training and technical assistance.
For example, this year, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, in partnership with the California Indian Health Service, will install a graywater system to serve two homes as part of a wastewater project that also connects the homes to the sewer collection system.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe and 15 other Northern California tribes also are engaged in planning to mitigate the effects of severe drought, as part of a collaborative effort with EPA, the Indian Health Service and other agencies.
These funds are critical in building the capacity of tribes to carry out environmental work, the US EPA said.
Because most tribes in the Pacific Southwest have small governments, one goal of the funding is to assist tribes in developing their ability to establish environmental protection programs and make informed decisions about issues that impact the health of their people and the quality of their environment.
The funds are used to develop environmental and public health ordinances, and coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions.
The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region is home to 148 tribal nations with half of Indian Country nationwide concentrated in three states; Indian Country in California, Arizona and Nevada is about equal to the area of the six New England states combined.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Thanks to a generous donation by the Sunrise Rotary Club of Kelseyville, the California Highway Patrol will distribute free bicycle safety helmets at the Heroes of Health & Safety Fair on Saturday, Oct. 18.
The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport. Admission is free.
CHP's senior volunteers will facilitate a youth bicycle rodeo as well as a bicycle equipment safety inspection.
The CHP Explorer Post will have a booth and will be able to answer any questions for young people from 15 to 21 years old that are interested in a future in law enforcement.
Additionally the CHP will be assisting in the car seat safety inspections – unsafe seats will be replaced free of charge as long as the supply of new seats lasts – and also will have a motorcycle safety booth staffed by a CHP motorcycle officer out of the Santa Rosa Area office.
“This event will be amazing,” said CHP Sgt. Mike Humble. “In all my years in law enforcement, never have I seen so many organizations come together at one time to improve the overall health and safety in the community which they serve. To top it all off, it's free. There won't be any to charge to park or get into the event. The only thing that will cost you anything is for the food If you get hungry.”
There will fundraisers for the 4H club, offering barbecue with all the fixings, and the CHP Explorers will be selling homemade tamales, rice and beans.
“We are very excited about participating in the inaugural Heroes of Health & Safety Fair, and hope that everyone from our community can attend,” Humble said.
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune has announced she will be leaving for a new job on the East Coast.
Tune has accepted the position as forest supervisor of the Allegheny National Forest in Warren, Penn.
Tune has served as the Mendocino National Forest supervisor for nearly three years, arriving in February 2012.
She has the distinction of being the first woman to serve as forest supervisor for the Mendocino National Forest.
“I have truly enjoyed my time on the Mendocino National Forest, working with the exceptional employees here and meeting so many of the partners, local officials and neighbors with an interest in their National Forest,” Tune said. “I will miss California and the unique experiences that made every day here rewarding.”
During her tenure on the Mendocino National Forest, Tune initiated FireScape Mendocino, a collaborative endeavor in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.
The project is intended to guide ecological restoration, including hazardous fuels reduction, at a landscape scale and across boundaries.
Recently FireScape Mendocino completed their fourth public workshop and the fifth is anticipated to be held in January.
Tune will be moving to Pennsylvania with her husband and cats, reporting to her new assignment Monday, Nov. 17.
“I am looking forward to joining the Allegheny National Forest and engaging in great dialogue and connecting with the employees, communities and partners who enjoy the many benefits from this remarkable forest,” Tune said. “While my background is in western forests – from Saguaros to redwoods and coastal mixed conifer, I am excited for this new challenge and experiencing a different environment, ecosystem and climate.”
Prior to arriving on the Mendocino, Tune served as district ranger on the Monterey District of the Los Padres National Forest, following service as a deputy district ranger for the Coronado National Forest in Arizona.
Her career started as a clerk-typist in 1978 before transitioning to fire where she has extensive experience, including working on hotshot crews, leading a handcrew, serving as assistant forest fire management officer, an emergency center manager, fire planner, fuels program manager and fire ecologist.
Tune’s Forest Service experience also includes work as a certified timber cruiser, law enforcement officer, national training coordinator and union steward.
Her educational background includes studying landscape ecology at the University of Arizona.
A preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board said that an airtanker fighting a fire last week near Yosemite National Park may have hit a tree before crashing into a hillside, killing the pilot.
San Jose resident Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt, 62, of San Jose died in the crash, which occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 7 while he was working on the Dog Rock Fire and flying Tanker 81, a Grumman S-2T tanker.
The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the California crash site on Oct. 9 to lead the investigation, officials said.
On Wednesday, the agency released a preliminary report, which it noted is subject to change as the investigation continues.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board narrative, Hunt's plane arrived on scene and made one drop on the fire before going to the Columbia Airport to be reloaded with fire retardant.
In addition to Hunt's airtanker, two other aircraft were involved in the firefighting effort that day – an orbiting aerial controller that coordinated aerial operations with ground units and a “lead plane” that tracked ahead of the tanker to define the route and the drop initiation point, according to the report.
After Hunt returned to the fire scene, he coordinated his next drop with the orbiting aerial coordinator, and was following the lead airplane, the preliminary report said.
“The crew of the lead airplane did not see the accident,” the narrative explained. “The crew of the controller airplane reported that the accident airplane may have struck a tree with its wing, which separated from the airplane. Both aircrews reported that there was smoke in the area, but visibility was good.”
The report stated that the crash occurred at around 4:30 p.m. that day, with the tanker “destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire.”
In response to the preliminary report's release, Chief Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire, issued a statement in which he pointed out, “Aerial firefighting is not simply flying from one airport to another.”
Pimlott continued, “The wildland firefighting environment is a challenging one, both on the ground and in the air.”
He said Cal Fire looks forward to the final National Transportation Safety Board report to see if they can use the findings to help mitigate the inherent dangers of the job.
“We owe that to Craig, who traded his life in an effort to protect the lives of others,” Pimlott said.
Hunt had worked for 13 years for DynCorp International, which is under contract with Cal Fire. He had been working out of Cal Fire's Hollister Air Attack Base.
The crash led Cal Fire to calling for a short-term safety stand down of its remaining 22 Grumman S-2T airtankers, which was lifted a few days later.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services said it's going to begin weekly tests of the coastal tsunami sirens starting next month.
The agency said that, beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and continuing on the Wednesday of each month thereafter, it will test the tsunami sirens that have been placed in the Fort Bragg and Point Arena areas.
Officials said those who live in or near the city of Fort Bragg or the city of Point Arena may hear the siren emitting a full “wail” for five seconds. It will then wind down for about 20 seconds until it comes to a stop.
In the event of a real tsunami event the siren will wail, ramping up for five seconds, then down for five seconds, with the pattern continue for three minutes.
The Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services will conduct the monthly testing of the tsunami sirens system to help ensure the sirens functionality and reliability.
When the sirens are not used for long periods of time they can corrode, increasing the possibility of malfunction. Monthly testing lessens the likelihood that corrosion will take place, the agency said.
If there is a real earthquake in the Pacific Ocean that has the potential to generate a tsunami for the coastline, officials said the test will be canceled.
For more information on how to survive an earthquake or prepare for a tsunami visit http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/ .
For questions contact the Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services at 707-463-5667 or e-mail at