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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man hunting in the remote Bartlett Springs area on Thursday died after falling into a ravine.
Cal Fire personnel found the man's body Thursday evening about 60 feet down an embankment off of Bartlett Springs Road, three miles east of Bartlett Springs, according to Northshore Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Pat Brown.
Originally, Northshore and Cal Fire firefighters were dispatched at around 6:30 p.m. on the report of a vehicle down a cliff.
Brown said they had received confusing information, some of it resulting from the language barrier they encountered in communicating with the family of the man, who was Vietnamese.
The family had been in the area hunting squirrels when the man fell down into the ravine, according to Brown.
Cal Fire's Copter 104 and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's “Henry 1” helicopter searched for the man from the air, flying from Pinnacle Rock to Indian Valley, Brown said.
Radio reports had indicated the pilots were becoming concerned because of the fast-approaching darkness and were trying to locate an aircraft with forward looking infrared technology to look for the man in the darkness.
It was the crew of a Cal Fire engine from the Leesville station that found the man's body just off the road near the Bartlett Creek area, not far from the location of the old Bartlett Springs Resort and bottling facility, Brown said.
Shortly after the man was found at about 7:15 p.m., medic units were dismissed and the coroner was advised, based on reports from the scene.
Brown and some Cal Fire units remained on location until last Thursday night as they waited for the coroner to arrive, with a mortuary summoned to the scene just before 10 p.m., according to radio reports.
Additional details about the incident were not immediately available late Thursday.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A woman was flown to a regional trauma center early Friday after she sustained injuries in a single-vehicle collision.
The crash occurred on Siegler Springs Road North, five miles from Red Hills Road near Kelseyville, at around 1 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
The woman's Geo Tracker-type vehicle hit a tree and was reported to be hanging over the edge of a drop off. Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire responded to the scene, radio reports indicated.
Incident command requested an air ambulance, with REACH 6 responding to a landing zone set up at Kit's Corner, according to reports from the scene.
The helicopter's crew reported that it lifted off for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital shortly after 2 a.m.
Additional details were not immediately available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A member of the Novato City Council says he will run for the State Senate seat representing the North Coast, including Lake County.
Novato Mayor Pro Tem Eric Lucan announced he is running for State Senate District 2, pledging to build on his success as a local elected leader, commitment to community service and background in business to provide strong representation for the North Bay and the North Coast.
Senate District 2 stretches along the California coast from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border.
The district currently is represented by Sen. Noreen Evans, who announced in August that she was retiring from public office when her first term expires next year, as Lake County News has reported.
He joins a field that so far includes Arcata resident Chris Lehman, a Democrat, according to campaign filings with the California Secretary of State's Office.
Lucan called District 2 a “diverse and beautiful district.”
He added, “I look forward to a conversation about our shared values and about creative ideas to help our workers, schools, communities, small businesses, and the environment. On this campaign, I will seek to listen, learn and have a real dialogue with the voters I meet along the way.”
In 2010, Lucan, a Democrat, was the top vote earner in Novato, a major population center in the district.
Lucan also has been a leader on regional transportation issues, serving on the board of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit and the Transportation Authority of Marin.
He announced early endorsements from Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold and Novato Councilmember Denise Athas.
“Eric Lucan has established himself as a regional leader through his hard work, collaborative approach and innovative ideas. He will be a strong representative for all the communities in this district. I am proud to endorse him for State Senate,” said Supervisor Arnold.
“I have served side-by-side with Eric and can tell you that no one will work harder, or do a better job incorporating local input into policy decisions. His experience outside politics is also an asset, and makes him more effective. The State Senate could use more people like Eric,” said Novato Councilmember Athas.
During his time on the Novato City Council, Lucan was instrumental in erasing a multimillion dollar budget deficit, passing a measure to phase out Styrofoam and protecting open space and parks.
Born and raised in Novato, Lucan has an MBA from Georgia State University and has served in management positions in hospitality and digital marketing.
Lucan's community involvement includes volunteering as a youth director to middle school and high school students and with the Novato Police Department, and serving as a board member for the Marin School of the Arts and the Novato Financing Authority.
More information about Lucan and his State Senate campaign can be found at www.ericlucan.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ericlucan .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Firefighters quickly contained a small wildland fire outside of Lakeport on Thursday afternoon.
The fire, dispatched at 11:50 a.m., was at the Cow Mountain access road near Scotts Creek and Pine Ridge roads, according to dispatch.
Lakeport Fire, Kelseyville Fire, US Forest Service and Cal Fire were among the agencies responding, radio traffic indicated.
Cal Fire air tankers placed a line of retardant around the fire and helped keep it contained to a small amount of acreage, with a Cal Fire helicopter also working the incident.
Within about an hour of dispatch, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli told Lake County News that the fire was contained to a quarter-acre. It had burned mostly brush.
“Things are looking really good,” he said.
Remaining on scene to continue working on mop up were two Cal Fire engines and two hand crews, a Lakeport Fire engine and a helitack crew, for a total of 50 fire personnel, Bertelli said.
He expected firefighters to remain on scene for a few hours for mop up and patrol.
Bertelli said a Cal Fire prevention officer was in the area to investigate the fire's cause.
The fire was in a remote area and nobody was seen near it, Bertelli said, noting there also are no power lines in the area.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Tatonka Land Mini Golf partnered with a few to help bring smiles to more than 40 children Saturday in Clearlake.
Miniature golf, a bouncy house, pizza, cupcakes, prizes and demonstrations by a couple of four-legged K9 police officers completed their special day.
“The kids are excited and we are excited to have them here. The parking lot is full and the kids are golfing, talking to the officers and the jump house has been going like crazy,” Tatonka Land owner Bunnie Carter said.
Carter said the community support and collaboration she received in hosting the free event for the children is appreciated.
Clearlake Walmart donated two bicycles that were awarded in a raffle to a boy and to a girl. Two additional raffle winners received a gift certificate for Happy Yogurt Bar.
Pizzas were donated by Paradise Pizza and bright, colorful specialty cupcakes were contributed by Cheryl Horner-Christensen.
Lake County and Clear Lake chambers of commerce teamed up to help sponsor the children's adventure and Clearlake Police Officers Association donated bicycle helmets.
“We are just happy that we could come together to do this for the kids,” Carter said.
Clearlake Police Department's K-9 Unit also assisted at the event as well as with its planning.
Officer Mike Carpenter, who was in attendance with his canine partner, “Dex,” said that principals at each elementary school site in the Konocti Unified School District were asked to select from eight to 10 children in third and fourth grades for participation.
“We are just trying to give back to the community and trying to give theses kids a day of fun and a chance to meet us and the (K-9 unit) dogs,” Officer Elvis Cook said.
Children gathered around the officers with inquiries about the dogs.
One little girl, who had a heap of questions, asked if Dex could come to her birthday party.
“Is he going to be nice to me? He's only mean to bad guys. He bites them,” she concluded.
Cook, who was joined by his canine partner “Max,” and Carpenter and Dex put on a demonstration that resulted in a flurry of questions from the children.
“The dogs definitely help us. Once a department actually gets a K-9 unit and a dog they realize how helpful they are,” Cook said. “I think that is why we've got three now.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission extended a use permit during its regular meeting Tuesday and provided direction for scheduling a workshop to address concerns related to design guidelines submitted by the Clearlake Vision Task Force.
The commission granted a five-year extension of a use permit for Serenity Cove LLC, which plans a resort-type development in the area of Clearlake Resort at 6035 Old Highway 53 in Clearlake.
The permit, which originally was approved unanimously in 2007, approves building 138 residential/vacation units, a restaurant, clubhouse, swimming pool and a pier/dock on 8.1 acres.
Owners Leo Cassidy and John McMahon said more than $1 million is invested in the planning process and they do not intend to abandon the project.
Cassidy said project delays are relative to the economy and, while he does not foresee immediate progress, the project is intended to resume when “banks start to loan again.”
The project was lauded by members of the commission. City Manager Joan Phillipe said it would be an asset to the community and that she has received many positive inquiries regarding the project from the public.
“I am fully behind this. It's a great project for the city,” Commissioner Albert Bernal said. “We've been waiting a long time and waiting a little longer is beneficial to us.”
Commission Carl Webb, who served on the commission in 2007, said the project was reviewed extensively prior to receiving its first use permit approval.
He said the project has “good planning” that includes saving trees.
“I'm disappointed it's not under way yet, but that's the way it goes,” he said.
McMahon said there are about 120 trees on the property and development will result in a loss of about 3 percent of those trees.
He said most of the trees to be removed are in poor health, according to the arborist on the project. He said trees are an asset to the project and more are expected to be planted.
An extension of the permit was administratively granted in 2012 as authorized by municipal code.
Phillipe said the request was before the commission because the city's zoning ordinance does not specify the number of times an extension may be granted.
The commission hit a road bump in moving forward with a recommendation to the city council to adopt the Vision Task Force Lakeshore Drive Design Guidelines.
A workshop was directed to be scheduled to address inconsistencies, implementation factors and other issues related to permitted and conditional uses in zoning districts commercial-2 and commercial-3 that have a design district overlay.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at