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LUCERNE, Calif. – Marymount College is set to launch its newest campus and a new opportunity for upper division and graduate students to advance or complete their college degrees.
The new campus will be located at the historic Lucerne Hotel, located on Country Club Drive.
The college and the county signed the lease for the 1920s-era building last fall, as Lake County News has reported.
Marymount College reported this week that students will originate from both Northern and Southern California when the college is fully operational in gall 2014, but opportunities exist sooner for students currently enrolled with Marymount in Southern California.
This fall, a limited number of well-qualified upper division and graduate students will have an opportunity to be pioneers at this new site, living at the Clear Lake Campus in Lucerne and earning degree credits through experiential learning, such as internships, service, and research, as well as online course work.
This will be a particularly valuable opportunity for students in search of meaningful Capstone or Master's research projects.
Students at Marymount's Clear Lake Campus will be able to launch projects working with social service agencies; interning with individual businesses or community business associations; conducting research for public agencies or UC Cooperative Extension; or pursuing independent research projects suited to the Lake County location and to their majors.
This opportunity is available only to students who are enrolled with Marymount in Southern California and who have attained upper division or graduate standing prior to the beginning of the 2013 fall semester.
Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher; no significant judicial or integrity violations; and completion prior to fall 2013 of a sufficient proportion of applicable course and degree requirements so that qualifying students can stay on track for degree completion while engaged in experiential learning and online coursework.
Students will be able to apply for federal, state or private financial aid and scholarships toward enrollment costs.
As pioneers at a new campus, students will be expected to be mature, self-motivated and adaptable.
The campus will provide basic dorm rooms, study space, Wi-Fi connectivity and some student support services.
For more information visit http://www.marymountpv.edu/lake-county .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Child Care Planning Council has announced the release of the 2013-2018 Countywide Master Plan for Child Care and Development Services.
The 20-member council consists of representatives from family child care, Easter Seals, Head Start, NCO Resource and Referral, Lake Family Resource Center, Yuba College and more.
The master plan, which is mandated by legislation, outlines a definition of quality child care, and research that supports a countywide effort to ensure high quality care and education for all children.
“Investment in early childhood education is critical to the future of our county,” said Shelly Mascari, the council's director.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, children who receive high quality child care score higher on measures of academic and cognitive achievement when they are 15 years old.
Children who receive quality child care also demonstrate greater mathematical ability, stronger thinking and attention skills, and fewer behavioral problems.
Quality child care also leads to higher reading scores and a greater likelihood of completing high school and going to college.
“Child care is a significant industry in Lake County that keeps parents working and strengthens the economy. Encouraging, a countywide emphasis and investment in ensuring our children have access to quality care is the purpose for this Master Plan,” said Mascari.
The master plan outlines four desired results with specific actions listed to achieve those results:
- A wide variety of quality child care, early education, and support services are available and accessible throughout Lake County.
- Support and resources for improving the quality of child care and early education are available in Lake County.
- The child care community is committed to advocating for and supporting the availability and affordability of child care and early education services for all families.
- The importance of the child care industry is promoted throughout Lake County.
To view the plan, visit www.lakecoe.org .
If your organization would like a presentation on the components of the plan, please contact Shelly Mascari at
The Lake County Child Care Planning Council meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. On alternating sides of Lake County.
For a complete schedule and for more information, visit www.lakecountychildcareplanning.com or call 707-995-9523.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A three-vehicle wreck near Hidden Valley Lake late Thursday afternoon temporarily closed down Highway 29 and resulted in minor injuries.
The head-on crash was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Highway 29 north of Spruce Grove Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A car that was on the wrong side of the road hit a pickup head on, with the car rear-ended by another car, according to reports from the scene. The pickup went off the road and the other two vehicles blocked the roadway.
Minor injuries were reported and none of the five people involved in the crash were transported to the hospital, according to reports from the scene.
Highway 29 was reopened shortly after 6:15 p.m., the CHP reported.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Ukiah man wanted for allegedly shooting at a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy in a Monday night incident has been arrested.
Walter Kristopher Miller, 42, was arrested following two and a half hours of negotiations with a law enforcement team after he was located at a Ukiah hotel on Wednesday, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office reported.
Miller and 30-year-old Christopher Skaggs of Redwood Valley had allegedly been in a vehicle on Monday night that a deputy had attempted to stop, as Lake County News has reported.
Officials said the men led the deputy on a vehicle pursuit and, at one point, Miller – riding as the passenger – allegedly leaned out the window and shot several times at a distance of about 35 yards at the deputy's vehicle, causing the patrol vehicle to become inoperable.
Sheriff Tom Allman had said in a Tuesday news conference that the handgun used in the shooting was believed to have been stolen – along with two other handguns, a rifle and a shotgun – from a Potter Valley residence earlier that evening.
That night, the vehicle was found abandoned in the 6000 block of Highway 253. None of the guns were found at that time, officials said.
Skaggs was taken into custody on Tuesday morning after he was found on foot in the Ukiah area, Allman had reported.
At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives received information that Miller was possibly occupying a room at the Best Western Orchard Inn in Ukiah, according to a Thursday report from Lt. Greg Van Patten.
Van Patten said sheriff's detectives conducted investigations into the information while members of the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force and County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team established surveillance on the hotel.
Approximately two hours later sheriff's detectives uncovered substantial information that showed Miller was currently occupying a room at the hotel, Van Patten reported.
A perimeter was established around the hotel with the assistance of personnel from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Ukiah Police Department, California Highway Patrol – officers and an agency helicopter – and Mendocino County District Attorney's Office, he said.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, comprised of personnel from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office and Willits Police Department, were summoned to the scene, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said the SWAT team was deployed to the inside of the hotel where the team then confined Miller to the room he was solely occupying on the second story.
Customers inside the hotel were evacuated to a safe location away from the hotel and nearby businesses were instructed to shelter in place, he said.
The city of Ukiah Fire Department in addition to the city of Ukiah Ambulance service and Ukiah Ambulance service were summoned to the area to stand by in the event of a medical emergency, Van Patten reported.
Personnel from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Crisis Negotiation Team were summoned to the hotel in an attempt to contact Miller, Van Patten said. Prior to their arrival a sheriff's detective established telephone communications with Miller and began to negotiate his peaceful surrender.
During the approximately two-and-a-half-hour negotiation process Miller expressed a desire to surrender to his parole agent from the Division of Adult Parole Operations with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Van Patten said.
As the parole agent was arriving at the hotel Miller exited the room and surrendered himself to members of the SWAT team, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said sheriff's detectives conducted a search of the hotel room pursuant to a search warrant and seized an AP 9 millimeter machine pistol with two loaded high capacity magazines – one with a 20 round magazine, the other with a 30 round magazine.
Sheriff's detectives determined this was one of the firearms stolen from the Van Arsdale Road residence in Potter Valley on Monday and was the firearm believed to be used during the attempted murder of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputy on that same day, Van Patten said.
Miller was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked on charges of attempted murder, illegally possessing a firearm, burglary, possessing stolen property, conspiracy and parole violation, Van Patten said. Miller is currently being held on a no bail status.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s sheriff took the stand on Wednesday to testify to his part in an investigation regarding an alleged fight between three Hells Angels and rival motorcycle gang members in June 2011.
Sheriff Frank Rivero testified on Wednesday morning as part of pretrial motions in the cases of Josh Johnson, Nicolas Carrillo and Timothy Bianchi.
The men are facing trial in May for allegedly fighting with Michael Burns, a validated Vagos motorcycle gang member, and Kristopher Perkin on June 4, 2011, at a tattoo convention at Konocti Vista Casino outside of Lakeport.
David Dabbs, a fourth Hells Angel member who was alleged to have been involved, remains at large in the case.
All three defendants in the case are charged with felony participation in a criminal street gang, and misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace and battery; Bianchi is charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm; and Johnson and Carrillo each face a second misdemeanor battery count.
Carrillo’s attorney, Michael Clough, subpoenaed Rivero, along with District Attorney Don Anderson – who was in court but did not testify – as well as Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe, who is prosecuting the case and also didn’t testify; Jorge Gil-Blanco, a Hells Angels expert who didn’t testify due to time constraints; Sgt. Gary Frace; and Lt. Chris Chwialkowski.
Clough said the subpoenas resulted from the District Attorney’s Office’s “sudden” assertion that Rivero – who spoke to tribal leaders in order to get casino surveillance video of the fight – wasn’t going to be a material witness in the case after having testified at last year’s preliminary hearing.
The legal definition of a material witness is someone who has information that is significant enough to affect the case’s outcome.
Because Clough believes Rivero to be a material witness, he’s also seeking access to Rivero’s personnel records and disclosure of information that the prosecution is required to release under the auspices of the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case, Brady v. Maryland.
Brady v. Maryland requires the government release to criminal defendants any information that could help clear them – including issues relating to the credibility of peace officers involved in their cases.
Rivero has been under investigation by the District Attorney’s Office for allegedly lying about his actions during a nonfatal 2008 shooting in which Rivero, while working as a sheriff’s deputy, shot at a man holding pepper spray.
Anderson told Lake County News last week that the matter had been concluded and he had sent his determination to Rivero’s attorney, but that he and Rivero’s counsel had agreed to a 10-day embargo on his findings. That embargo runs out at the end of this week.
Grothe acknowledged the Brady issue proceeding to the court, and emphasized, “We do not feel that Sheriff Rivero is a material witness,” and so any Brady materials would not have to be disclosed.
Rivero recounts involvement
Retired Judge David Herrick, who heard the case, asked if it was possible in the cases of some of those who were subpoenaed to read their previous testimony from the preliminary hearing. Clough agreed in the case of Frace, who was excused, but wanted Rivero to take the stand.
County Counsel Anita Grant, who appeared on behalf of both Rivero and Anderson, said Rivero was prepared to testify.
She made a point of saying that Rivero was not served at his place of business, but was served with a subpoena at his home over the weekend. his 10 year old son was present, and she said the subpoena service was scary for the child.
Clough said he personally had delivered a subpoena to the sheriff’s office previously but it evidently was not given to Rivero, thus the service at his home Saturday.
Rivero, who was on the stand for about 20 minutes, said he found out about the fight “shortly after it happened” from his watch commander. Within a day or two of the incident he said he reviewed the initial report and met with Det. Sgt. John Gregore.
Under Clough’s questioning, Rivero acknowledged that at his direction Frace – who was one of the investigating officers – was ordered not to talk to anyone about the investigation.
While discussing the case with Gregore, Rivero said he was informed that a deputy “had met with some resistance” when trying to get surveillance footage from Konocti Vista Casino. Rivero said he contacted the tribal chair, who referred him to the gaming commission, which in turn decided to give Rivero the recordings.
Rivero said he met with a casino employee who had bookmarked the videos and made Rivero a DVD with the recordings. Rivero asked for any video showing any Hells Angels members at the casino from their arrival to the time they left.
On a separate trip, Rivero said he picked up another DVD of additional footage, and he and Gregore also went to Sonoma County to discuss the case with a gang unit there.
Jai Gohel, Bianchi's defense attorney, asked Rivero if it was his understanding that sheriff’s employees had viewed some of the video recordings prior to him calling the tribal chair. Rivero said no, he did not know of anyone viewing them previously.
Gohel also asked if Rivero had requested the casino preserve any video of the Vagos. “I don’t recall,” said Rivero.
During brief questioning, Grothe asked Rivero if he had interviewed any of the assault witnesses. Rivero said no. He also testified that he transported the digital media back to the sheriff’s office and turned it over to Gregore.
Rivero gave order to silence deputy
Chwialkowski, who at the time of the incident was a sergeant on the evening shift, said he was briefed about the fight when he came on duty by Sgt. Andy Davidson. Rivero also called Chwialkowski on his cell phone to ask questions about the fight.
Chwialkowski followed up with Frace to get answers to Rivero’s questions. He said Frace briefed him about the events at the casino. At one point, Frace indicated that his report was completed and the incident was closed.
In another discussion with Rivero, Chwialkowski said Rivero told him to order Frace not to discuss the case with anyone else. When asked what the order was about, Chwialkowski said he believed it was related to the fact that Frace did not investigate the case fully and that it had to be looked into.
Clough asked Chwialkowski if that order was based on Rivero’s belief that the case had not been adequately investigated. Chwialkowski said that also was his conclusion, as there were a lot of unanswered questions.
When Frace testified during the case’s March 2012 preliminary hearing, he was still under orders not to speak about the case until Capt. Chris Macedo arrived to release him from that admonition, as Lake County News has reported. Grothe stated in court at the time that the sheriff's department had initiated and held open an internal affairs investigation on Frace following the June 2011 incident.
Frace had testified that he told Chwialkowski about seeing the surveillance video, only to have Chwialkowski come back later to inform him that Rivero was immediately ordering him not to talk to other deputies about the case.
During motion arguments Wednesday morning, Clough told the court, “Our argument is simple. At trial we are going to argue obviously that there were videos that weren't collected, that there was a faulty investigation.”
He said the testimony showed that Rivero played a major role in the investigation.
“There's no dispute that the videos are going to be the heart of much of the trial,” said Clough, who signaled he will file a motion to suppress the videotapes, which had “a number of gaps” in what they showed.
Also on Wednesday, Herrick granted a motion to quash Clough’s subpoena for information about the Hells Angels from the Western States Information Network, which was represented by the California Attorney General’s Office. WSIN is a regional information sharing system that provides criminal intelligence information and case and event de-confliction to law enforcement investigations.
Herrick did not issue a ruling on Rivero’s testimony and the Brady issues on Wednesday. Motion hearings are set to continue on Thursday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
New legislation was introduced Wednesday that lawmakers say is meant to keep firearms out of the wrong hands.
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and task force vice-chair Jackie Speier (CA-14) have introduced H.R. 848, the Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013.
This legislation will help states launch initiatives to remove guns from the hands of convicted criminals and the dangerously mentally ill.
The legislation will establish a competitive grant program within the Department of Justice for states that voluntarily develop a system that removes firearms from people who bought them legally but later lost their right to own those firearms by committing a crime or being deemed dangerously mentally ill.
This legislation is modeled after a 2001 California state law that established the state’s Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS). California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris endorsed the legislation.
“No matter which side of this debate you are on, no one wants criminals or people with a history of dangerous mental illness to have guns,” said Thompson. “This bill does nothing to limit a law abiding citizen’s Second Amendment Rights. It simply gives states an incentive to develop successful programs that will keep guns out of the hands of people we all agree shouldn’t have them. It will help prevent gun violence, and it will make our schools, streets and communities safer.”
"California's armed and prohibited persons program is a proactive, smart, efficient tool that is taking firearms out of the hands of people who are prohibited from possessing them,” said Attorney General Harris. “I applaud Rep. Thompson for introducing this bill that will expand efforts nationwide to take dangerous weapons from those who are prohibited by law from possessing them."
“The NRA is the first to say that we need to get the guns out of the hands of criminals. This bill does just that. We anxiously await their support,” said Speier.
California’s APPS helps make sure those convicted of certain crimes or deemed to be dangerously mentally ill relinquish or sell any firearms they own.
Since 2007, under California’s APPS, law enforcement has collected more than 10,000 guns from people who after legally purchasing them, became prohibited from owning them. More than 11,000 assault magazines have also been seized.
Last year alone, more than 1,800 firearms where taken out of the hands of convicted criminals and the dangerously mentally ill.
Other states, including Iowa, have systems to ensure persons who have domestic violence protective orders issued against them dispose of their firearms for the duration of the protective order. Most recently, the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act included provisions to remove firearms from armed prohibited persons and the state will be developing a system to facilitate this.
Specifically, the Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013 would make grants available to States who:
- Develop programs with the goal of removing firearms from armed prohibited persons;
- Provide assurances that an armed prohibited person will have a reasonable opportunity to lawfully dispose of their firearms before the State takes action to retrieve them;
- Will contribute pertinent information to the National Criminal Instant Background Checks System (NICS); and
- Can sustain the operation of the proposed program.
H.R. 848 has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Thompson represents California’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.