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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested Tuesday morning after he allegedly shot at a housemate during an argument.
Jimmy Evans, 63, was arrested following the incident, which occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday and involved his housemate, Joshua Seltzer, 28, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Dominic Ramirez.
Ramirez said that at approximately 8:16 a.m. Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to 14750 Highlands Way after numerous callers contacted law enforcement to report hearing what they described as a firearm being discharged and an argument at the home.
Officers arrived at the residence and six individuals were located and detained without incident. In addition there was information that a seventh subject may have been at the home but that individual was not located, Ramirez said.
A Clearlake Police K9 unit was requested to assist with clearing the residence and surrounding property. Ramirez said officers conducted a protective sweep of the residence to find anyone who was injured or any outstanding suspects, with none being located.
He said the investigation revealed a verbal dispute took place between Seltzer and Evans. During the confrontation, Evans was in possession of a firearm and allegedly discharged it in Seltzer's direction.
Ramirez said police also received information that Evans allegedly threatened Seltzer while shooting at him.
A search warrant was obtained for the residence. As a result, two loaded firearms were seized along with ammunition, Ramirez said. Police also found evidence that a the firearm had been discharged.
He said Evans was arrested for negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, terrorist threats, and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
Joshua Seltzer was discovered to have a felony warrant out of San Francisco and subsequently was arrested for the warrant, Ramirez said.
The other four individuals contacted at the residence were identified and later released at the scene after it was determined they had not committed any crimes and were not associated with the shooting incident, Ramirez said.
The alleged seventh subject was not identified as being a part of the shooting and has not been identified, Ramirez said. It is believed the individual fled the property prior to police arrival.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call Officer Crandall at the Clearlake Police Department, 707-994-8251.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After months of federal, state and local campaigns, it’s time to wrap up the 2012 election.
Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 21 polling places around Lake County.
In addition to the focal point presidential race between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, there are 154 legislative and congressional seats up for election across California on Tuesday, with 320 certified federal and state candidates on the ballot, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is running for reelection against Republican Elizabeth Emken. Democratic Congressman John Garamendi and Republican challenger Kim Vann, a Colusa County supervisor, are battling for the new Third District Congressional seat, which would represent the northern half of Lake County.
Congressman Mike Thompson is seeking reelection in the new Fifth District – which covers the rest of Lake County – against Republican Randy Loftin.
For California Assembly, the race for the redrawn Fourth Assembly District is between Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) and John Munn, also of Davis, a Republican and retired scientist.
Here at home, there are a number of local and statewide measures to consider.
On this fall’s ballot, three seats are open on each of the city councils for Lakeport and Clearlake. There also are a number of school board trustees appearing on local ballots.
The spotlight race for Lake County this fall is the race for the Lake County Superior Court Department 1 bench. Lakeport attorneys Judy Conard and Michael Lunas are each hoping to become the county’s next judge, succeeding retiring Judge David Herrick.
Local measures include Measure E, a half-cent sales tax that would be dedicated to projects to improve Clear Lake; Measure F, which does not impose new taxes, but which would allow South Lake County Fire Protection District to increase its limits on spending; and Measure G, a one-cent sales tax limited to the city of Clearlake, where it would be used for roads and code enforcement.
Both Measure E and Measure G must pass by super majorities of 66 percent or more in order that the funds may be dedicated to the specific proposed uses.
On the statewide level, there are 10 initiatives and a referendum on the ballot, with all of the initiatives requiring a simple majority to win, unless the measure’s language specifies otherwise, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
Perhaps the most hotly contested of the propositions is Proposition 37, which would require genetically engineered food to be labeled, and Proposition 30 and Proposition 38, which are vying with each other as alternatives to addressing California’s school funding needs. Proposition 34 proposes to abolish California’s death penalty, and Proposition 36 would revise the state’s “Three Strikes” law to only impose life sentences when the new felony is violent or serious.
The California Secretary of State’s Office reported last week that a record number of Californians – 18,245,970, or 76.7 percent of those who are eligible – are registered to vote.
Lake County has 34,938 residents registered to vote this year, slightly under its 2008 presidential election registration total.
In Lake County, 53 percent of the individuals registered to vote for Tuesday – or 18,647 – are registered to vote by mail.
Absentee ballot can be dropped off throughout the day at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, located on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, telephone 707-263-2372.
All vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the county elections official by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
If absentee voters wish to vote at a polling place, they can take their unused ballot to a precinct and turn it over to a poll worker to receive a new one. For those without their ballots, a provisional ballot will be provided.
For those voters who did not receive a ballot by mail, they can go to any polling place or the county elections office and cast a provisional ballot.
For the 16,068 Lake County voters who plan to cast their ballots at a precinct, Lake County News has mapped the precincts based on the Registrar of Voters’ final precinct list, obtained this week. It can be seen above.
Once the voting is done, county election officials such as Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley will have 28 days to complete vote tallying and auditing in order to certify the final results for the California Secretary of State.
The California Secretary of State’s Office offers a toll-free voter hotline, 800-345-VOTE (8683) for those with questions on Election Day.
The service can give a voter the address of their polling place and other election-related information. Voters may also confidentially report voter intimidation or potential election fraud by calling the line.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The next in a series of community meetings on the new Clearlake General Plan will take place this weekend.
The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 10., in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The first community meeting was held on Oct. 27, as Lake County News has reported. It focused on what community members like and dislike about Clearlake, and how to improve the city.
A general plan is a blueprint for the city’s future development and planning.
The Nov. 10 meeting will focus on the 11 different elements of the general plan and the community’s preference on different future directions, according to representatives with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s City and Regional Planning Department.
The city of Clearlake is working with the college and a team of 14 graduate students under the direction of Cornelius Nuworsoo, who has experience working on over 20 different city general plans.
Team members began visiting Clearlake early last month in order to begin the extensive research needed to complete the document.
City Manager Joan Phillipe told Lake County News in a previous interview that the city’s general plan is about 30 years old, and has long needed updating.
She said the new plan is expected to be completed by the end of June 2013. Additional meetings are planned at each step of the plan development process over the next several months.
More information about the plan and the process to create it can be found at www.planclearlake.weebly.com .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Blue Ridge-Berryessa Natural Area Conservation Partnership, a group of regional stakeholders working together to conserve the Blue Ridge-Berryessa Natural Area (BRBNA), will hold a meet and greet event to be held on Friday, Nov. 9.
The gathering will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pope Valley Farm Center, 5700 Chiles Pope Valley Road, St. Helena.
According to UC Davis, “The BRBNA focuses on Blue Ridge and the lands to the east and west of the ridge, down to the Capay Valley on the east side and over towards Coyote, Long, and Pope valleys on the west. It stretches from Monticello Dam in the south to the area north of Highway 20 between Williams and Clear Lake.”
This is an opportunity to meet the new program Director Mary Adelzadeh and learn about initiatives to conserve the natural and working landscape of the region.
At the meeting, partners and members of the public will be invited to introduce themselves and their conservation work/interests in the BRBNA.
Appetizers and drinks will be served. Please R.S.V.P. by Nov. 7 by calling Mary at 530-402-5404, or e-mail
Founded in 1997, the partnership provides a forum for public and private land managers to meet and discuss conservation activities and interests.
The group has since grown to more than 100 members, including federal and state agencies, counties and other public entities, local businesses, nonprofit organizations and conservation-minded landowners – all with the common goal of promoting collaborative conservation of the natural and working landscape of the BRBNA.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Sacramento man was arrested Friday following a two-vehicle crash that closed down a portion of Highway 20 east of the Lake and Colusa County line.
Robert Towns, 21, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs after the wreck, which occurred just after 8 p.m. Nov. 2 on Highway 20 east of Mitchell Flat, several miles inside Colusa County, as Lake County has News reported.
The California Highway Patrol’s Williams office reported that Towns was driving eastbound on Highway 20, with a 17-year-old male driver – who was not identified – approaching in the westbound lane.
The CHP said Towns lost control of his vehicle, a 1992 Jeep Cherokee, and crossed the solid double-yellow lines, hitting the teenage driver, who was driving a van, according to reports from the scene.
Both of the vehicles came to rest blocking the eastbound lane and partially blocking the highway’s westbound lane, the CHP said.
Towns had a 16-month-old female toddler in his vehicle. The CHP said the toddler was in a car seat, however, it was not properly restrained in the Jeep.
A CalStar air ambulance flew Towns to Enloe Hospital in Chico. There, Towns was placed under arrest for driving under the influence and then released due to his injuries, the CHP said.
Initial CHP reports had stated that a large amount of drugs had been found in Towns’ vehicle in a diaper bag.
The teenage driver and his passenger complained of pain but refused treatment at the scene. The CHP said Enloe paramedics took the toddler and her mother to Colusa Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released.
The CHP and a Colusa County Sheriff’s deputy opened the westbound lane and performed one-way traffic control. The eastbound lane was closed for approximately one hour.
During the roadway closure, a separate arrest for driving under the influence took place, according to the CHP.
That driver was traveling eastbound on Highway 20 and entered the collision scene, where a CHP sergeant conducting traffic control stopped him and subsequently arrested the man for being under the influence of drugs, the CHP reported.
The majority of collisions in California that end in death or injury begin with a speeding or aggressive driver. To address this issue, the California Highway Patrol is embarking on a yearlong, lifesaving endeavor to reduce the frequency of these collisions throughout the state.
To assist the CHP in this traffic safety effort, the department has received a federally-funded grant titled, “Reduce Aggressive Driving Incidents and Tactically Enforce Speed (RADIATES).”
The CHP’s anti-speed campaign will continue through Sept. 30, 2013.
“Despite our strenuous educational efforts, excessive speed, coupled with aggressive driving, consistently cause a high percentage of fatal and injury collisions,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “These drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but to every single driver whose path they cross.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines aggressive driving as “when individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.”
Aggressive drivers often commit multiple moving violations in addition to speeding, such as following too closely, passing without sufficient clearance, improper lane change, driving on the wrong side of the road, improper turning movements and driving in violation of cell phone and testing laws.
Statistical data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System for 2010 – the most recent year for which final figures are available – indicates there were more than 132,000 collisions where speed was the primary cause, resulting in the deaths of 435 people and injury to nearly 72,000 others.
“Speed limits are not merely a suggestion, they exist for the public’s safety,” added Commissioner Farrow. “If motorist will drive within the speed limit, fewer injuries will occur on the road and more importantly, lives will be saved.”
The primary goal with the RADIATES grant is to reduce the number of fatal and injury traffic collisions attributed to speed and the number of people killed and injured in those collisions by at least five percent.
To achieve this, the CHP will deploy enhanced enforcement and public awareness campaigns statewide.
Speeding motorists may also be receiving an additional “wake up call” with an increase in the use of radar trailer deployments throughout the state.
The grant also seeks to reduce the number of fatal and injury collisions caused by improper turning and driving on the wrong side of the road, as well as the number of people killed and injured in those collisions, by at least 5 percent.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.