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The California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday took action to modify abalone fishery regulations along the Northern California coast.
Specifically, the Commission voted to reduce the annual limit to 18 abalone (previously 24), with no more than nine taken from Sonoma and Marin counties.
Other changes to abalone regulations included a coast-wide start time for the fishing day of 8 a.m. and a closure at Ft. Ross in Sonoma County.
“The new management measures we’ve adopted today will help ensure that the red abalone remains abundant on the North Coast and the popular recreational fishery there continues to thrive,” said Commission President Michael Sutton. “Our job is to keep wildlife populations in California healthy and not wait for a crisis to take action.”
Northern California red abalone are managed adaptively by the commission, using traditional management measures coupled with fishery independent surveys to maintain the catch at sustainable levels, as prescribed by the Abalone Recovery and Management Plan (ARMP).
Ongoing data surveys by the Department of Fish and Wildlife detected the effects of a recent abalone die-off along the Sonoma coast.
The declines in abalone density triggered the changes to management measures, because the densities dropped below levels that are prescribed in the ARMP for management action.
The new regulations are intended to provide an opportunity for abalone populations in Sonoma and Marin to increase, and to help Mendocino County maintain a productive fishery.
The set start time for the fishing day also will aid enforcement.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office on Thursday evening issued an update on the investigation into a violent home invasion robbery that occurred the previous day in Clearlake Oaks, reporting that four suspects were in custody in the case.
Jenaya Drevelyn Jelinek, 22, and 26-year-old Dion Andre Davis II, both of San Francisco, and Clearlake residents Tyler Christopher Gallon, 18, and Sean Douglas Foss, 20, were taken into custody in connection to the case on Wednesday, according to sheriff's Lt. Steve Brooks.
The four are alleged to have forced their way into the High Valley home of Ronnie and Janeane Bogner shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, shooting the couple's adult son in the leg, stealing two guns and the family's 2002 Escalade, as Lake County News has reported.
Brooks said patrol deputies were dispatched to the home at approximately 8:48 a.m. on a report that four male subjects had forced their way into the residence and demanded firearms and money.
Ronnie Bogner told Lake County News he was not home at the time of the robbery, but his wife Janeane, their two young grandchildren and their son Jacob were in the home.
Janeane Bogner had shut and locked the door on the four suspects before they kicked down the door, her husband said. She and the grandchildren retreated to a bedroom, based on the report.
When Jacob Bogner tried to keep the men out of his bedroom, they allegedly shot through the door and forced they way into the room, pistol whipping him, according to the family's account.
He called 911, advising he had been shot and beaten, Brooks reported.
Brooks said that as the patrol deputies were responding to the residence, additional information was provided indicating the suspects had left the residence in a Chevy Malibu with paper plates and a 2002 Cadillac Escalade belonging to the victims.
He said deputies secured the residence and arranged for Jacob Bogner to receive medical treatment for his injuries. A description of the suspects and the vehicles was immediately broadcast to all of the surrounding law enforcement agencies.
It was at approximately 9:11 a.m. that Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen and Lt. Tim Celli – who were out looking for the vehicles – observed a Chevy Malibu matching the description in the area of Country Club Drive in Clearlake Park, according to law enforcement accounts.
Celli and Clausen attempted to conduct an enforcement stop on the vehicle, but the suspects refused to stop. Brooks said the pursuit continued until the Malibu came to a stop in the area of 16th Street and Bush Street in Clearlake Park.
It was there that Jelinek, the driver, was taken into custody at the vehicle, said Brooks, while Davis, Gallon and Foss fled, running towards 15th Street.
As the suspects were running away from the vehicle, they shot multiple times at the officers. Brooks said one of the bullets was found to have struck a nearby residence. Neither Celli nor Clausen were injured by the gunfire.
After an extensive manhunt and house to house search by members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Clearlake Police Department, California Highway Patrol and California State Parks, the suspects were found to be hiding inside a residence located in the 3000 block of 15th Street, Brooks said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics Team were called out along with the other local law enforcement agencies to secure a perimeter around the residence, he said.
Two of the suspects, Gallon and Foss, were taken into custody after a brief standoff. Brooks said a Lake County Sheriff’s hostage negotiator was able to convince them to step outside peacefully.
The remaining suspect, Davis, refused to comply with orders to exit and barricaded himself inside the residence. He eventually surrendered to authorities at approximately 8:50 p.m. without further incident, Brooks said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit processed the scene in Clearlake Oaks and the residence on 15th Street, and worked into the early morning hours to bring the case to a close.
The Bogners' Cadillac Escalade was recovered from an embankment off of Sulphur Bank Drive on Thursday morning, Brooks said. Ronnie Bogner reported that the vehicle was totaled.
Brooks said items taken from the Bogners' residence, including firearms, were recovered from the Chevy Malibu. Clothing worn by the suspects during the robbery, weapons and other items were recovered from the residence on 15th Street by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Jelinek, Foss, Gallon and Davis were arrested for attempted murder, robbery, assault with a firearm, assault with a firearm on a peace officer, conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary. They were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.
Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Thursday signed a balanced, on-time budget that he said directs additional resources to California’s neediest students and continues the implementation of federal health care reform, while continuing to pay down debt and build a significant reserve to prepare for future uncertainties.
The budget is projected to provide long-term fiscal balance with operating surpluses.
“California’s finances are in very solid shape for the first time in a decade,” said Gov. Brown. “We’re making significant investments in the things Californians care most about – the education of our children and adequate health care.”
The budget had hit a roadblock in recent weeks after legislators added in provisions that opponents said would have made the California Public Records Act unenforceable, as Lake County News has reported.
Last week the Assembly took action to vote on an amended rider that removed those provisions, with the Senate following suit on Monday.
The budget Brown signed on Thursday builds on significant progress in chipping away at the state’s “Wall of Debt.”
This year’s budget commits $2.6 billion to continue to pay down budgetary borrowing of prior years. From its peak of $34.7 billion at the end of 2010-11, the outstanding debt is $26.9 billion at the end of 2012-13; under the budget signed today that will be paid down to $4.7 billion over the next four fiscal years.
Brown's office touted his reduction of the deficit, noting that when he was elected in 2010, the state budget deficit was $26.6 billion. Today, California has a budget surplus and general fund spending stands at $96.3 billion. The budget act signed today also establishes a budget reserve of $1.1 billion.
Significant details of the 2013-14 State Budget:
School funding reform
The budget adds $2.1 billion for first-year implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula – which replaces today’s overly complex, inefficient and inequitable finance system for California’s K-12 schools.
Districts will receive a per-pupil base grant, a supplemental grant based upon the number of students who are English learners, students from low-income families and foster youth and a concentration grant for districts with over 55 percent of this targeted population.
Implementing health care reform
Building on California’s early establishment of a health benefit exchange and the early coverage expansion through the “Bridge to Reform” waiver, the budget aligns with the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a prudent way while maintaining a strong public safety net.
The budget enacts a state-based approach to the optional expansion of care allowed under federal law. Over time, as the ACA becomes fully operative, funding previously provided to counties for indigent health will be shifted to fund human services programs.
Multi-year funding plan for higher education
The budget establishes the first-year investment in a multiyear stable funding plan for the University of California and the California State University systems.
Each system will receive a 5 percent increase of $125.1 million – the first stage of a four-year funding schedule that will result in a 20 percent general fund increase for the systems. The systems will also receive $125 million in 2013-14 for not increasing student tuition and fees in 2012-13.
The budget also provides a year-over-year increase of $228.6 million in general fund dollars and local property taxes for California Community Colleges.
Investing in energy efficiency
The budget invests significantly in improving energy efficiency at California’s K-12 schools and community colleges by directing $381 million in Proposition 39 funds to K-12 schools and $47 million for community colleges.
Additional details on the 2013-14 budget, including line-item vetoes, can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Assemblymember Yamada (D- Davis) honored Lake County United Veterans Council President and Lucerne resident Private First Class Frank Parker as the 2013 Veteran of the Year for the 4th Assembly District at a ceremony on the Assembly Floor Wednesday.
Yamada, who in her fifth year is now the senior member of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, joined her assembly colleagues in recognizing California veterans at the sixth annual Veterans Recognition Luncheon at the Sacramento Convention Center.
“All of our military service members and their families deserve to be recognized, but California is blessed to have veterans who serve their community throughout their working lives and long into retirement,” said Yamada. “That is why I am proud to honor Frank Parker for his unwavering commitment to assisting his fellow veterans for more than 50 years after he left active duty.”
Parker served in the United States Army from September 1959 to August 1962, and advanced to the rank of Private First Class. Throughout his service, he was posted at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Following his military service, Parker flourished in the business arena, working as service manager for the industrial products division of Allis-Chalmers Corp. from 1970 to 1985, national service manager of Kubota Corp. from 1985 to 1995, and president of All-Terrain Backhoe Service, Inc., from 1995 to 2005.
Since moving to Lake County in 2004, Parker has been an active volunteer and advocate for veterans.
He has served as president of the Lake County United Veterans Council since 2006, and helped establish Lake County Vet Connect in 2011, which assists veterans in accessing the services and programs they need.
In addition to his service to veterans, Parker currently serves on the steering committee for the Lake County Continuum of Care and the Lake County Social Services Transportation Advisory Council, and is a past president of the Upper Lake Cemetery Board.
The Veterans Recognition Luncheon is an opportunity for members of the state Assembly to honor a veteran residing in his or her district who has significantly contributed to their community.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino College said that a bond measure voters passed several years ago has helped the educational institution pursue a number of cost-saving energy projects on its campuses.
Since voters in Lake and Mendocino counties passed the Measure W Bond in 2006, Mendocino College has decreased its energy consumption, officials said.
Planning for upgrading existing electrical and gas heating and cooling systems to minimize the electrical and gas use on campus began upon passage of this measure.
The first project was the development of a 927 kilowatt solar field, which was projected to provide approximately 80 percent of the college’s electrical power.
Since its completion in 2009, the actual output of the system has exceeded those projections and during the late spring and summer months, the college's Ukiah campus is off the grid completely and sending power back to Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The meter actually runs backwards and develops a credit, which can be used in subsequent fall and winter months when the campus is using more electricity than the system produces.
The college was able to take advantage of incentives provided from PG&E for this project and received $2.8 million that was used to partially offset the cost of the solar field installation.
The college has participated in several incentive programs totaling over $750,000. These funds have been used to replace older boilers and chillers with state of the art high-efficiency systems and to upgrade the campus energy management system which will allow greater control of electrical utilization.
The solar system alone will result in a net savings to the college of $8.7 million over the next 25 years. The boiler and chiller replacement along with the energy management system will result in a similar savings in energy costs.
The college is currently looking at implementing this program using funds from another PG&E incentive program matched from Prop 39 funds that have been approved by the State for additional energy saving projects.
An energy saving lighting retrofit was completed in 1994, but additional savings can be attained with another upgrade to more current energy efficient lighting technology.
Mendocino College continues its role as one of the leaders in the state among community colleges in the implementation of energy saving projects. These savings both decrease the college’s carbon footprint and also increase the funds available for college programs and services.
CLEARLAKE PARK, Calif. – On Wednesday evening authorities remained at the scene of a Clearlake Park residence where one of several suspects allegedly involved in a Clearlake Oaks home invasion robbery was said to be hiding.
Following the morning robbery, the suspects also allegedly were involved in a pursuit with Clearlake Police, shooting at officers before fleeing on foot and ending up in a 15th Street residence.
Sgt. Nick Bennett of the Clearlake Police Department said a SWAT team was standing by, waiting for police to get a search warrant to enter the home.
He said four suspects were in custody – three males and one female – with an additional male subject believed to still be in the home hiding.
Once the search warrant is in hand, the SWAT team will go in, Bennett said.
Shortly before 9 a.m. four male suspects were reported to have kicked down the door of a Clearlake Oaks home, according to law enforcement and reports from the scene.
The suspects allegedly shot a young man in the leg and pistol whipped him before taking two handguns and a Cadillac Escalade and fleeing the scene, the homeowners told Lake County News.
One of the suspects was said to be a former employee of the homeowners, who are local business owners. The man was fired last summer.
The shooting victim later was flown out of county for medical treatment, but his family said he was doing well and expected to return home soon.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol responded to the home and law enforcement around the county were put on alert, according to reports from the scene.
Bennett said Police Chief Craig Clausen and Lt. Tim Celli heard the call about the home invasion and were on the lookout for the suspects when they came across a second vehicle said to have been involved in the home invasion in Clearlake Park.
Celli and Clausen pursued and stopped the vehicle at the dead-end on 16th Street, at which point the suspects allegedly shot three or four rounds at them, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
Celli and Clausen did not discharge any rounds in return, said Anderson, whose department is conducting a critical incident protocol investigation into the incident at Clearlake Police's request.
The suspects fled the area, later ending up at the nearby residence, according to reports from the scene.
Earlier in the day, police sent a reverse 911 to area residents, who reported they were told to stay in their homes.
The ivory-colored 2002 Escalade has not yet been recovered, Bennett said.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at