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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission approved a use permit for construction of a duplex project in its first action of the new year on Tuesday.
Applicant Steve Holmstrom proposes development of six duplexes – for a total of 12 residential units – on six parcels located at 3642 Old Highway 53, 3710 and 3720 Park Road, and 3715, 3717 and 3719 Hill Road.
Five of the parcels range in size from 5,700 to 6,000 square feet. The remaining parcel is about eight-tenths of an acre and includes an existing dwelling, which is expected to remain.
According to city staff, the project is consistent with the city's zoning ordinance and general plan.
The commission received written correspondence from the owner of properties at 3625 and 3635 Old Highway 53 requesting an easement agreement to ensure his properties do not get landlocked as a result of the new development.
Although City Manager Joan Phillipe could not find the item included in the resolution, she said a condition of the permit prohibits land locking. Ultimately, the language was added into the final action.
The property owner also requested a rock wall or solid fencing be installed to prevent trespassing and other nuisances. Holmstrom said he intends to build a fence around the entire project, resulting in a gated community.
Concern for additional drainage resulting from construction also was expressed in the property owner's letter. Phillipe said the project is to include a drainage plan and all site improvements are subject to the approval of the city's engineer.
The commission requested a street maintenance agreement be included in the project. Holmstrom said he would be willing to address such an agreement to be contingent upon sale of the property, as recommended by the commission.
The single action by the commission included approval of a mitigated negative declaration associated with the project.
Before adjourning, the commission heard a brief report by Phillipe regarding the ongoing process to update the city's general plan.
She said the document is complete; however, she requested that any final comments or concerns be submitted to her prior to the printing of the extensive document.
She said the proposed plan is available for review on the city's Web site, www.clearlake.ca.us .
Phillipe said notice for preparation of an environmental impact report in relation to the plan has been issued and the 30-day public comment period is open.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Mendocino County resident has died of the flu, according to health officials.
Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency Public Health was notified that an adult in northern Mendocino County died on Dec. 30 from chronic conditions which were complicated by the flu.
Public Health also received notification that eight patients have been admitted to local hospitals with confirmed cases of H1N1 flu.
Many California counties and other states are reporting patients who are critically ill with influenza, including healthy young adults.
The H1N1 strain appears to be the predominant strain circulating in California and the rest of the United States this flu season.
The H1N1 virus, which emerged during the 2009 pandemic, causes more illness in children and young adults, compared to older adults. It causes severe illness in all age groups, including those younger than 65 years of age.
Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults. If you think you have the flu, please contact your physician or clinic.
This year’s influenza vaccine protects against the strains circulating in the state, including H1N1.
Mendocino County health officials ordered additional flu vaccine doses on Monday, with the hopes that the doses will be available within a week.
Once vaccinated, it takes approximately two weeks before you are fully protected against the flu. An influenza vaccination is especially important for pregnant women and other people at higher risk for the flu, according to health officials.
In Lake County, for information on available flu vaccinations, contact Lake County Public Health, http://health.co.lake.ca.us/ , 800-794-9291 or 707-263-1090.
It’s especially important to practice good health habits during flu season.
If you become ill, you should take actions to stop the spread of germs, including staying home when you are sick; covering your coughs and sneezes; washing your hands with soap and water; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth; and not returning to work or school until you have been without a fever for 24 hours.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An Upper Lake couple on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges stemming from an investigation into a fatal shooting at their home.
James Michael Jean, 50, and his wife Nora Katherine Jean, 49, accompanied by their Arcata-based attorneys, entered the not guilty pleas in Lake County Superior Court, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
Both James and Nora Jean are charged with cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale at their business, Lake County Car Audio and Security, located at 325 W. Highway 20, Upper Lake; cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale at another property at 6841 Broadway in Nice; and a special allegation of possession of multiple firearms in the commission of a felony.
James Jean is facing two charges of a felon in possession of ammunition, one charge of a felon in possession of weapons, and a special allegation of previous violent felony convictions stemming from six second-degree robbery cases for which he was convicted in Southern California in the early 1990s.
The investigation that led to the discovery of large amounts of marijuana and weapons began on Christmas morning, when sheriff's deputies responded to the Jeans' property at 1475 Hunter Point Road on the report of an alleged intruder who had been shot.
Deputies found the body of 30-year-old Maurice Oliver Watts III in an area of the 19-acre property that appeared to have been a former marijuana grow, with a fake gun near him, according to the original sheriff's report.
No further details have been released by the sheriff's office about the cause of death for Watts, whose autopsy was conducted last week.
Between all three of the Jeans' properties, Sheriff's Narcotics Unit detectives found and seized 980 pounds of marijuana, three handguns, 13 rifles, and restricted armor piercing and tracer ammunition.
The case for which the Jeans currently are being prosecuted has to do only with the properties at 325 W. Highway 20 in Upper Lake and 6841 Broadway in Nice, according to Grothe.
He would not comment on any matter related to the Hunter Point Road property or the continuing investigation into who was responsible for shooting Watts.
Grothe said the original bail amounts for the Jeans – $500,000 for each of them – have been reduced since their Dec. 26 arrests, with James Jean's bail now at $300,000 and Nora Jean's at $150,000.
On Tuesday afternoon Grothe received a motion for a source of bail hearing that's scheduled to be heard at 8:15 a.m. Friday.
Grothe said the Jeans did not waive time – the process by which a defendant in a criminal case can allow trial courts to take longer in prosecuting the case – so the case is moving forward quickly.
The Jeans are set to return to court for their preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 15, Grothe said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Tuesday the US Senate voted 60 to 37 to consider extending emergency unemployment insurance to more than one million Americans for three months, a step lauded by the two congressmen representing Lake County.
US Reps. John Garamendi (D-Fairfield) and Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) also urged their colleagues in the House of Representatives to take up the legislation.
“The unemployment insurance extension is one of the only things preventing many American families from homelessness, hunger and absolute destitution. The House must act to restore these benefits and must do so immediately,” said Garamendi.
“Even though our economy continues to improve, there is still just one job for every three unemployed workers,” Thompson added. “People want to work, but they’re out of a job through no fault of their own. The House Majority should follow the Senate’s lead and end their refusal to take up legislation that boosts our economy, and helps make sure millions of American families are able to heat their homes and put food on the table as they look for a job.”
At the end of December, 1.3 million Americans – including 214,000 Californians – lost emergency unemployment insurance when the extension program expired, officials reported.
An additional 325,800 people in California will lose their coverage in the first six months of 2014 if no action is taken, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
In California, more than 12,500 people will lose their benefits each week going forward if no action is taken, Thompson reported.
Garamendi's office said 454 Lake County residents were impacted by the loss of the unemployment benefits at the end of December.
Throughout the rest of Garamendi's district, 244 people were impacted in Colusa County, 184 in Glenn, 8,599 in Sacramento, 2,640 in Solano, 687 in Sutter, 864 in Yolo and 545 in Yuba.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that a one-year extension of unemployment insurance would create 200,000 jobs because these funds are quickly spent by recipients just to get by.
Six Republicans joined a unanimous Democratic delegation in preventing a filibuster of the needed legislation in the Senate.
Speaker John Boehner and House Republican leadership, who control the House floor schedule, have thus far refused to allow the House to vote for an extension, Garamendi reported.
The federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program took effect in 2008 when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush, and has been reauthorized several times since as the economy continues to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.
Despite the economic progress made since 2008, there are still more than 1 million fewer jobs than there were before the recession began, and more than 4 million Americans have been out of work for six months or longer, the congressmen reported.
Failure to extend federal emergency unemployment insurance will cost the economy 240,000 jobs, including 46,000 jobs in California, over the next year – hurting economic growth and making it harder for the unemployed to find work, based on figures provided by Thompson.
Critics of the extension argue that it discourages workers from seeking jobs, but there’s little to no evidence to support this claim, according to Garamendi's office. In America today, there are about 2.9 unemployed workers for every job opening.
Thompson is a co-author of H.R. 3546, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2013. H.R. 3546 would extend emergency unemployment insurance for one year and has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County Sheriff's officials are investigating the discovery of a dead body in the Russian River on Monday.
The agency reported that deputies were dispatched to the 16000 block of Highway 116 at 10:40 a.m. Monday to assist the fire department with a possible dead body in the river.
Deputies arrived on scene and contacted two fishermen who had reported finding the body, according to the report.
The fishermen said they were floating down the river and discovered the body tangled in the brush on the north side of the river, the report said.
The victim appears to be a male adult of an unknown race. It is unknown at this time how long the victim had been in the river or the cause of death, Sonoma County Sheriff's officials said.
The sheriff's office said deputies will be continuing the investigation to determine the identity of the victim and the cause of death.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The service of a search warrant by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force and continued investigation has resulted in one arrest and the seizure of 49.2 grams of methamphetamine and $21,500 cash.
Ralph Vincent Johns, 60, of Clearlake Park was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 2, in the case, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said that on Oct. 1 narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for Johns' person, home and vehicle, serving the warrant at 7 p.m. that day at Johns' home, located in the 3000 block of 12th Street in Clearlake Park.
Detectives entered the residence and were unable to locate Johns or anyone else on the property, Brooks said.
During a search of the residence, detectives located numerous articles of indicia belonging to Johns, according to Brooks.
In the master bedroom detectives located a camouflage bag under the bed. Inside the bag was $21,500 in US currency, a digital gram scale and two plastic bags containing a large amount of a white crystalline substance, determined to be methamphetamine. Brooks said the two bags of methamphetamine had a gross weight of 45.2 grams.
Brooks said that during a search of the dining room, detectives located a 9 millimeter Beretta pistol which contained 17 cartridges. Johns is a convicted felon who is not allowed to possess or have access to any firearms or ammunition.
The methamphetamine was seized as evidence and the US currency was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings, Brooks said.
Narcotic detectives were unable to locate Johns and submitted the report to the Lake County District Attorney's Office for complaint, according to Brooks.
Brooks said detectives learned that Johns moved from the residence soon after they served the search warrant. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Johns, with the amount of bail set at $120,000.
On Jan. 2 at approximately 4 p.m., a narcotics detective noticed Johns driving a black Chevy pickup. Brooks said the detective conducted an enforcement stop of the vehicle on Sulphur Bank Road between Clearlake Park and Clearlake Oaks.
During a search of the vehicle the detective located 4.10 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe, Brooks said.
Johns was taken into custody for the arrest warrant, Brooks said. He also was arrested for the possession of a controlled substance for sale and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.
Brooks said Johns was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. Johns is currently still in custody and his bail is set at $135,000.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
