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Excessive illegal and deceptive ads on popular Internet bulletin board sites like Craigslist have prompted the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) – joined by contracting boards from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, as well as the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) – to issue a nationwide consumer alert.
The agencies are warning consumers that if they use Craigslist or other similar Web sites to find a contractor, they face a real risk of hiring someone whose only goal is to rip them off.
This unusual step is being taken because of the growing problem around the country that Craigslist has not adequately addressed.
“Craigslist serves as a valuable tool to legitimately licensed and insured contractors, offering them a free advertising vehicle to connect with consumers,” said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. “Unfortunately, hundreds, if not thousands, of unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors are breaking the law every day by posting deceptive or illegal ads, and Craigslist has done little to address the issue.”
In addition, allowing these illegal and deceptive ads to be posted unfettered creates an unleveled playing field, where legitimately licensed and insured contractors cannot compete and consumers are led to believe they’re hiring licensed professionals.
To illustrate the seriousness of the problem, simultaneous enforcement operations were conducted last week in California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, using Craigslist ads as a basis to identify suspects.
In California, undercover sting operations conducted in eight different cities led to the arrest of 100 suspects. Three-quarters were identified from Craigslist ads. One suspect is a convicted murderer; two others are registered sex offenders.
All suspects now face a variety of misdemeanor charges, including contracting without a license and illegal advertising.
In Arizona, a sting operation conducted by the Registrar of Contractors resulted in 15 investigations into unlicensed contracting.
The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) conducted three undercover sting operations, with 23 citations issued to Craigslist advertisers for advertising in trades without the appropriate state license.
Oregon’s Construction Contractors Board (CCB) staged two sting houses that resulted in 16 individuals being citing for bidding and advertising violations.
The issue of illegal online advertising isn’t new. CSLB addressed the problem with Craigslist in 2006 and 2007.
As a result, Craigslist has a link at the top of its “Skilled Trade Services” page to license information and to the California Department of Consumer Affairs Web site. The company also added an additional step into the ad posting process that requires the user to indicate whether they are licensed.
Regrettably, unlicensed operators quickly found a way around the requirement and now the process is virtually useless. CSLB said it has been unsuccessful in getting Craigslist to address these concerns.
“We have two goals with this consumer alert,” added Sands. “First, we want consumers be aware of potential pitfalls with these bulletin board ads and to know the questions they need to ask before hiring any type of contractor. Second, we want to work with Craigslist and any other Web site that offers online ads, to make sure the ads are legal and don’t mislead or deceive consumers.”
CSLB’s enforcement operations combine forces with other state agencies, and have bipartisan support from the state legislature. “It is important that consumers who hire unlicensed contractors truly understand their own liability,” said Assemblymember Bill Berryhill, R-Stockton.
“I applaud the work of CSLB to protect California consumers and to crack down on the underground economy,” said Assemblymember Bill Monning, D-Carmel. “These citations and arrests protect not only consumers, but also law-abiding contractors who cannot compete and are going out of business.”
“Joining with three other western states in conducting this unlicensed contractor sting was an historic event,” said Arizona Registrar of Contractors Director William Mundell. “This combined effort demonstrates our shared commitment to protecting honest people from the harm caused by unlicensed contractors.”
“Contracting without a contractor’s license is a serious offense, which ultimately increases a homeowner’s risk and liability when having work performed on their home,” said Nevada State Contractors Board Executive Officer Margi A. Grein. “The opportunity to team up with other states to educate consumers on ways to protect themselves and demonstrate a unified zero-tolerance stance on the issue is invaluable and one that we hope to initiate again in the future.”
“Oregon’s commitment to protect consumers and level the playing field for legitimate contractors is a critical agency mission,” said Oregon CCB Administrator Craig P. Smith. “Being united with other states helps build public confidence and trust.”
The alert is being expanded nationwide by NASCLA, an association of state and local contractor licensing agencies, construction firms, construction trade associations and others associated with the construction industry.
“Non-licensed contractors are a danger to consumers across the nation and give the construction industry a black eye,” said Craig P. Smith, 2011-2012 NASCLA President. “NASCLA congratulates the fine work of the state investigators that participated in this enforcement effort.”
CSLB urges California consumers to follow these tips before hiring anyone to work in or around their home or business:
- Look for the contractor’s state license number. California law requires it to be in all forms of advertising.
- If the contractor doesn’t have a state license, the ad must state that fact.
- In California, unlicensed people cannot take jobs valued at $500 or more (combined labor and materials).
- Don’t be misled by unlicensed contractors who give you a business or “handyman” license number.
- Before you call anyone for a bid, check the license number on CSLB’s Web site at www.cslb.ca.gov or www.CheckTheLicenseFirst.com to make sure the license is in good standing, and that there is workers’ compensation insurance coverage for employees.
- Contractors are required to have their plastic pocket license or Home Improvement Salesperson registration card with them. Ask to see it when getting your bid.
- Ask to see a photo ID to verify the person’s identity.
- Get at least three bids, check references and previous work, and get a detailed written contract.
- Don’t pay more than 10 percent or $1,000, whichever is less, as a down payment.
- Don’t pay in cash, and don’t let payments get ahead of the work.
More information and publications about hiring contractors are available on the CSLB Web site or by calling 800-321-CSLB (2752). You can also sign up for CSLB email alerts.
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE DAY’S EVENTS.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Wednesday a jury found a Clearlake Oaks man guilty of murder and numerous other charges for a deadly late night shooting in June 2011 that killed a little boy.
Paul William Braden, 22, sat beside his attorney, Doug Rhoades, as the verdicts were read Wednesday afternoon before a packed courtroom.
After about seven hours of deliberations, the five-woman, seven-man jury – who had begun hearing testimony at the end of February – found Braden guilty of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of mayhem, six counts of assault with a firearm and discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling.
The jury also found true 55 special allegations involving use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury to the victims.
Braden's jury came to the same conclusion as the jury chosen for his codefendant, Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr., 24, also of Clearlake Oaks. Lopez's jury returned a verdict last Friday after only four hours of deliberations.
Both men now face the time equivalent of multiple life sentences when they are sentenced by visiting Yolo County Judge Doris Shockley later this summer.
Braden and Lopez were tried for shooting to death 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and wounding his mother, Desiree Kirby, and her boyfriend, Ross Sparks, along with his brother Andrew Sparks, and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo on Saturday, June 18, 2011.
“It’s just a relief,” Kirby said after the verdicts were handed down.
District Attorney Don Anderson alleged that an adult graduation fight in early June 2011 led to tensions between factions connected to Braden and Lopez and to Sparks and his family.
In his case, Anderson presented evidence showing that Braden and Lopez, who had been at a party at another Clearlake home on the night of the shooting, left briefly and returned, with Braden having a shotgun.
Witnesses said Braden sawed the butt off his shotgun, turning it into a pistol grip and wrapping it with duct tape. He then allegedly sat and racked the weapon repeatedly and made comments about being bored and wanting to go and shoot someone.
The prosecution's case against the two men said they were driven by former codefendant Kevin Stone to Ross Sparks' and Kirby's Lakeshore Drive home, where they shot into the crowd of friends and family just before before 11 p.m.
The little boy, who was roasting marshmallows at a barbecue in the yard, was hit in the gunfire and died at the scene. Kirby suffered permanent, disabling injuries.
Shotgun blasts also had hit penetrated the wall of the couple's apartment, according to testimony at trial. There was evidence that shotgun pellets hit the wall above where Kirby's and Sparks' baby daughter was sleeping in a playpen.
Stone, who reached an agreement with Don Anderson last fall to plead to lesser charges, testified at trial that both Braden and Lopez had shotguns, but that only Braden had actively been shooting at the scene.
However, witnesses at the Sparks and Kirby home testified to seeing muzzle blasts coming from two areas along a fence that separated the yard from the home of a neighbor, Curtis Eeds.
Stone said Lopez convinced him to drive them to Eeds' home on the pretext of committing a robbery, but once in Eeds' backyard Stone said Braden began shooting into the group.
The three men then fled the scene in a borrowed car, crashed it nearby, and according to Stone threw their guns into some bushes before running away on foot.
Braden and Lopez would both be picked up within days, but Stone would evade law enforcement until the end of June 2011, when he was arrested in Santa Rosa.
Anderson said Wednesday that Stone, 30, is set to be sentenced Aug. 14. He's facing a maximum time in state prison of 10 years, four months, for his no contest plea to conspiracy to commit robbery, accessory to murder and possession of a .22-caliber rifle by a prohibited person.
Braden's jury started deliberations on Tuesday morning, worked throughout the day and returned to continue deliberations on Wednesday morning.
By mid-morning they had reached their united conclusion in the case, with the reading scheduled for the afternoon.
Kirby, and Ross and Andrew Sparks were among the victims in the courtroom. They and their family and friends filled one side of the courtroom, where three correctional officers and three bailiffs were staged for security.
Also in the courtroom were Clearlake Police detectives, District Attorney's Office staff and Undersheriff Pat Turturici.
Unlike the Lopez verdict session – during which the victims and their families had shouted with joy when the murder verdict was read – the courtroom was silent as Braden's verdicts were handed down. The jurors looked grave; one of the male jurors seated in the front row had his hands folded in a way reminiscent of prayer.
Braden, dressed in a dark suit, mostly looked down at the table in front of him as the court clerk read the 15 guilty verdicts.
Afterward, Shockley thanked the jurors for their long service and excused them. As they made their way out, some of them nodded at Anderson.
After the jurors were released, Braden admitted to the court that he had a 2008 conviction for first-degree burglary. Shockley accepted the admission.
Braden's sentencing was set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9.
After sentencing was set, Braden was placed in handcuffs and removed from the courtroom.
Rhoades did not offer comment following the verdict.
Anderson was pleased with the verdict. He congratulated the Clearlake Police Department on its investigation, which supported the case’s successful prosecution.
“They did an outstanding job,” Anderson said.
Anderson, who had been called to the scene of the shooting that night, gave particular credit to Officer Andrew Jones, one of Clearlake Police’s newer officers, who testified during the trial to being one of the first on scene following the shooting.
Jones helped control the scene, and was calm and collected in the midst of a bad situation, Anderson said. “I was very impressed with his actions at the scene.”
Anderson said the entire police department worked on the case, which he said was a team effort. It also was the last case for Det. Tom Clements, who has since retired but who was present for both the preliminary hearing and the trial.
The Braden and Lopez trial was Anderson’s first criminal prosecution. He said he isn’t planning to take on any other cases immediately, but wanted to focus on administrative duties in his office.
As involved as he’s been in the case, he said a motive for the shooting of the child and the five adults never came out.
Anderson said of Braden, “I wish I knew what motivated a person like him to do this. It was just senseless.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Tuesday fire on Lakeport Fire Protection District property is believed to have been a case of arson.
The fire was reported at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday on Larrecou Lane just down the street from the Lakeport Senior Center.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells responded along with three of his department's engines. Kelseyville Fire Chief Mike Stone and one engine from his agency responded on mutual aid, Wells said.
Lakeport Police Sgt. Jason Ferguson also was at the scene, blocking Larrecou so motorists didn’t stray into the area where the fire was burning.
Radio reports indicated the fire was contained just after 5:30 p.m.
Wells told Lake County News that the fire burned up to half an acre on the four and a half acre property, which the district owns and uses as a training area.
A burn box, a structure used for fire training, is located there, he said.
Wells said that the burn box recently had been tagged with graffiti, and earlier on Tuesday Lakeport Fire staff went out to paint over the tagging.
There was nothing on the property that could independently start a fire, Wells said. He thinks the fire was intentionally set by whoever was responsible for the graffiti as retaliation for it being painted over.
“I honestly think it was a malicious act,” said Wells.
He said pallets on the property were set on fire, which then ignited the grass.
There was no injuries and no serious damage to the property.
“Now we've just got a really big mess to clean up,” Wells said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The jury in the trial of a Clearlake Oaks man accused of a child's murder last summer completed its first day of deliberations on Tuesday.
The jury for Paul William Braden, 22, heard the last of its instructions from visiting Yolo County Judge Doris Shockley at 10 a.m. before beginning deliberations.
The five-woman, seven-man jury must decide whether Braden is guilty of 15 counts – including first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of mayhem, six counts of assault with a firearm and discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling – plus dozens of special allegations for a shooting in the city of Clearlake on the night of June 18, 2011.
The shooting killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp, wounded his mother, Desiree Kirby and her boyfriend, Ross Sparks, and also left three others – Andrew Sparks, Joseph Armijo and Ian Griffith – wounded.
Last Friday, after about four hours of deliberations, a separate jury found Braden's codefendant, 24-year-old Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr. of Clearlake Oaks – guilty of all charges, with all special allegations being found true.
Braden's jury left the Department 2 court, where they've been deliberating, at about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.
They are set to return at 9 a.m. Wednesday to continue their deliberations.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Napa-Lake Workforce Investment Board has announced a new name for one-stop employment services in Lake County.
The one-stop will now be called the WorkforceLake Business and Career Center.
WorkforceLake in Lakeport provides assistance to adult and youth job seekers and local businesses.
Many services can be accessed online at www.workforcelake.org or by visiting the comprehensive WorkforceLake Business and Career Center located at 55 First St., Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Services include but are not limited to:
- Online computers, fax machines, phones and other office equipment to assist job seekers with their job search;
- Computerized career exploration workshops;
- Business center with resources for employers;
- Labor market information, employment and training provider information;
- Orientations and referrals to appropriate partner agencies for such services as filing claims for unemployment insurance; assistance in establishing eligibility for financial aid for training and education; training and job placement services and more;
- Workshops and seminars for job seekers for resume preparation, mock interviews, social networking, etc.;
- Work readiness workshops for youth to prepare them for the workforce;
- Entrepreneurial seminars for those interested in starting a business or work from home;
- Seminars for employers for tips to identify qualified applicants, interviewing, legal hiring and dismissal, social networking tips for marketing;
- Rapid response services for businesses and workers in transition due to the economy and other factors that force lay offs and business closures;
- Veterans receive priority of service.
WorkforceLake partner agencies include California State Employment Development Department, Department of Rehabilitation, California Human Development Corp., Goodwill Industries, Experience Works, County of Lake Department of Health and Human Services, NCO/Community Action Agency, Clearlake Youth Center, Mendocino College, Yuba College and Yuba College Small Business Development Center.
Through partner agreements, satellite sites providing access to online job search tools, career counseling and workshops will soon be available in several locations including Clearlake, Middletown and Cobb.
On July 9, WorkforceLake will host a free four-day Job Seekers Network. This workshop series will provide job seekers with the tools necessary to improve their success by learning to apply the latest job search strategies.
For more information about WorkforceLake, WIA programs and services or the Job Seekers Network call 707-467-5903 or 1-800-616-1196, Extension 5903.
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell on Tuesday announced the agency is adding four heavy helicopters to the aviation firefighting fleet.
“The addition of these helicopters to our aviation fleet will increase our ability to respond quickly and aggressively to fight wildfires and protect lives and property,” said Tidwell. “We will continue to mobilize our firefighting assets when and where they are needed as we respond to a very challenging wildfire season.”
The helicopters will be available this summer for large fire support and initial attack to any location in the United States.
The U.S. Forest Service successfully suppresses about 98 percent of the approximately 10,000 wildfires that occur each year on National Forest System lands.
Two of the heavy helicopters are S-61s owned by Siller Helicopters of Yuba City, Calif.; one is an S-64 Skycrane owned by Erickson Air Crane of Central Point, Ore.; and one is an S-70 owned by Firehawk Helicopters of Leesburg, Fla.
Helicopters are used primarily for dropping retardant or water during wildland fires, supporting the actions of firefighters on the ground.
The additional helicopter assets will strengthen the agency’s capability to respond effectively to fire activity during the summer wildfire season.
The Forest Service can respond vigorously to wildfire with an array of assets that includes more than 15,000 USDA and Department of the Interior firefighters (about 70 percent from the Forest Service) and up to 950 engines, 14 large airtankers, eight Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, one very large (DC-10) airtanker, 300 call-when-needed helicopters, and a mix of type 1, 2 and 3 helicopters.
On June 13, the agency awarded exclusive use contracts for seven "Next Generation" airtankers. Three will be operational in 2012 and four in 2013. This is the first step in implementing the Large Airtanker Modernization Strategy, which was submitted to Congress in February and recommends 18 to 28 large airtankers.
The Forest Service uses many tools for wildland fire suppression including accelerated restoration efforts that include thinning and other fuels treatments. Restoration of National Forest System lands are critically needed to address a number of threats to the health of forest ecosystems, watersheds, and forest dependent communities.
This year, as in the past, firefighting experts will continuously monitor conditions and move assets as necessary to be best positioned and increase initial attack capabilities.