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LAKEPORT, Calif. – In an effort to increase parental involvement and build relationships with organizations and members in the community, the Lakeport Unified School District has established a new community/school partnership coordinator.
District officials reported Tuesday that they were pleased to welcome Cheryle Trammell-George as the new coordinator.
Trammell-George has extensive experience in project management, volunteer coordination and is an active volunteer in the Lake County community, according to the Tuesday report.
“She brings enthusiasm and an unwavering spirit of working together toward success, both for our students and for our community,” said Lakeport Unified School District Superintendent Erin Smith Hagberg, Lakeport Unified School District Superintendent.
Developing the community/schools partnership project will involve conducting an extensive assessment of district needs followed by engaging volunteers and other resources to meet those needs, according to Hagberg.
In the new position Trammell-George will encourage parents to seek out ways that they can help in their child’s classroom and also ways community members and organizations can be more involved contributing to those needs critical to the education of district students.
Trammel-George is a firm believer that “it takes a village.”
“Once we have a concise idea of what our schools need, and those needs are communicated, I am certain community members will fill many of these needs,” said Trammell-George.
The district said the position was made possible through fund development efforts of LUSD's Parent Teacher Organizations, Booster Club and the Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation.
The Lakeport Unified School District is currently looking for volunteers to mentor, read to children, serve as classroom guest speakers, participate in fundraisers and much more.
“Community members are encouraged to think about what portion of their time and expertise can be offered to our students,” said Trammell-George. “Enhancing our childrens’ education by contributing time and resources to schools is the best investment that one can make in our future.”
For more information regarding these opportunities and possibilities contact Cheryle Trammell-George at 707-262-3009 or
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Seven people were arrested Sunday for various charges after police responded to the report of a burglary, which turned out to be unfounded.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph said several suspects were arrested, including Clearlake residents Georgia Walker, 23, Austin Johnson, 19, Johnny Arizmendez, 28, and 27-year-old Justin Thomas Cordero; Nicholas Troy Brooks, 32, of Clearlake Oaks; Ashley Buller, 21, of Roseville; and Abran Chavez, 24, of Granada Hills.
Joseph said that at 4:30 p.m. Sunday Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of a residential burglary in progress at a home located at the corner of Lasky and Davis avenues.
When officers arrived, they spoke to a witness who stated the suspects were last seen going into a home located in the 4000 block of Frye Avenue, Joseph said.
Officers went to the Frye Avenue address and contacted several subjects inside the home. Joseph said three of the subjects were either on parole or probation.
He said Clearlake Police officers conducted a parole/probation search of the home. During contact with the subjects several were exhibiting symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Walker, Buller, Johnson, Chavez and Arizmendez were arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Chavez, who also allegedly was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia, was additionally charged, Joseph said.
Following a probation search of a parked vehicle, Arizmendez was found to be in possession of almost 7 grams of suspected methamphetamine, more than 90 dosage units of Hydrocodone without a prescription and a scale, according to Joseph.
Joseph said Arizmendez additionally was charged with possession of controlled substances for sale and transportation of a controlled substance. He is alleged to be an active “Norteno” criminal street gang member and was additionally charged with participating in a criminal street gang and probation violation.
Cordero was found in possession of almost 7 grams of suspected methamphetamine and was charged with possession of a controlled substance for sales. He also was charged with a probation violation and is an active “MS13” “Sureño” criminal street gang member, Joseph said.
Brooks was found to be in possession of approximately 2 grams of suspected methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Joseph said Brooks also was charged with a parole violation.
The original residential burglary call was determined to be unfounded as the home is a vacant abandoned residence, Joseph said.
The Clearlake Police Department thanked the witnesses who came forward and provided the necessary information which led to these arrests.
Anyone with information about a crime occurring in the City of Clearlake is urged to call police at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – In its first meeting, the newly formed board tasked with overseeing the phaseout of the Lake County Redevelopment Agency voted to transfer several agency-held properties to the ownership of the county, which helped fund many of the purposes either all or in part.
The oversight board for the successor agency to the former Lake County Redevelopment Agency met Monday morning at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport and decided to transfer the properties, including the Lucerne Hotel, Holiday Harbor in Nice and Clarks Island in Clearlake Oaks.
The state Department of Finance now has three days to review the decisions before they can become final. County staff intended to notify the agency of the actions on Monday afternoon.
Oversight board members include Eric Seely, the redevelopment agency’s deputy director; Supervisor Denise Rushing, who was elected the board chair; Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook, elected the board’s vice chair; Michelle Buell, director of business services for the Lake County Office of Education; Holly Harris, member of the public; and Jay Beristianos, Northshore Fire Protection District chief. Kathy Lehner, president/superintendent of Mendocino College, also is a member but was unable to attend.
Also at the meeting were County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox and members of his staff, including Debra Sommerfield, Matt Perry, Jeff Rein, Kathy Barnwell and Alan Flora; County Counsel Anita Grant and one of her deputies, Lloyd Guintivano; and County Clerk/Auditor-Controller Cathy Saderlund.
Cox told the group that the county took “the high road” and didn’t move properties and funds around in an effort to shield them from the redevelopment phaseout, which he expects will save the board some work in having to make the kinds of reversals other oversight boards may face.
He said the county is fully prepared to comply both with the spirit and the letter of the law to end redevelopment, noting it’s in the county’s best interest to make sure the dissolution is done quickly and properly.
Perry said the state is ordering redevelopment agencies to be dissolved “expeditiously” and in a manner that maximizes the value of properties.
Properties acquired through the use of tax increment revenue – the increase in property tax valuation seen in redevelopment areas – are to be sold, according to the new guidelines, he said.
In the absence of redevelopment, the county and other taxing agencies will see an increase in the tax revenues they receive, according to county staff.
Current projections are for the county general fund to receive $563,253 annually; $37,202 for the county roads department; $22,834 to the county’s library system; $189,394 to Northshore Fire Protection District; and $708,984 to schools in the redevelopment agency area.
Once it established its leadership, reviewed enforceable obligations, and approved its budget and the use of county administrative staff, the board discussed action to take on the redevelopment agency’s main assets, chief among them the Lucerne Hotel – known as “The Castle” – and Holiday Harbor.
Marymount College is in talks with the county about locating a college campus at The Castle, and is sending a delegation to visit the county later this month, Flora said.
The Castle is considered one of the agency’s most important assets due to the amount of money and effort put into its remodel, he said.
The county loaned the agency $1.35 million to purchase the building from a group of churches in 2010. Administrative office staff said a Sept. 10, 2010, loan agreement between the county and agency makes the funding source an “extremely straightforward” matter.
“The county bought this,” Cox said of the building.
While state legislation involving redevelopment dissolution does not allow the agency to pay back the $5 million it was loaned from the county general fund, Flora said staff believes the county can take The Castle since county funds – and not tax increment revenue – purchased the building.
Cox explained that the county’s ultimate goal – to see the property used for a purpose like a college campus – will benefit all of the taxing entities far more than if it were merely sold.
County staff said Holiday Harbor – purchased to be Nice’s town center – also was purchased with about $1.9 million in county loans.
The group voted separately to transfer the Lucerne Hotel, Holiday Harbor as well as several other assets – parcels for parking at the Lucerne Hotel, beachfront parcels next to Holiday Harbor, Clarks Island in Clearlake Oaks, parcels for the Clearlake Oaks Senior Center, the Lake County Sheriff’s Lucerne substation, Nylander Park in Clearlake Oaks, Harbor Village, Alpine Park and the Third Avenue Plaza and the Lucerne Promenade – to county ownership.
Only the Lucerne Hotel transfer didn’t get a unanimous vote. Beristianos voted against it citing “public safety” issues if the county had to remain responsible for its maintenance.
The board also voted to direct the successor agency to pursue the appropriate method of disposing of paper subdivision lots donated to the agency.
The lots, which cover the hillsides above Nice and Lucerne, were used to help finance the Lucerne Hotel’s construction in the 1920s, Rushing said.
However, in the decades since, the lots – many of which are not suitable for building due to steep terrain, lack of roads and utilities – have been sold and resold, and have become a target of squatting and illegal dumping.
Rushing said she would like to see the county continue to work to get the parcels off the market and use them to create open space.
The board also voted to sell a parcel on Boggs Street and to provide $80,000 to match a grant for a sidewalk project in Clearlake Oaks.
Additionally, the group voted unanimously to terminate an agreement with Rural Communities Housing Development Corp. for a multifamily low-income housing project in Nice.
The county entered into a contract for the project in 2005 and committed $1,248,000 to it, with nearly $627,000 spent, according to county staff.
With the county having no further obligations to build low-income housing as part of redevelopment, the oversight board thought that taking the more than $621,000 that remains and distributing it elsewhere was the better choice.
The board’s meetings and activities will be reported on the county’s Web site at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Redevelopment/Successor_Agency/Oversight_Board.htm.
The oversight board will next meet March 5.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair has agreed to provide management services to the Dixon May Fair for the period of February through May of 2012.
Dixon May Fair, which is located in the Solano County town of Dixon, is scheduled for May 10-13.
Dixon May Fair has been without a chief executive officer since September of 2011, when the previous CEO left to pursue other opportunities.
Reacting to state budget issues has caused many operational changes at fairgrounds throughout California.
The Dixon May Fair’s board of directors decided not to immediately fill the CEO position, and instead requested an agreement with the Lake County Fair for CEO Richard Persons to provide managerial leadership through Dixon's annual event, Persons reported Monday.
Persons, who has been the CEO at the Lake County Fair since November of 1996, is expected to spend two days per week in Dixon, along with the entire week of the Dixon May Fair.
The agreement specifies a maximum of forty-two days of work between February and the end of May. The total agreement has a value of $27,300 if all 42 days are used.
Dixon May Fair will reimburse the Lake County Fair for 100 percent of Persons’ salary, benefits and retirement for each day he spends in Dixon, and also will pay all travel and other costs associated with the arrangement.
If the arrangement is successful, a longer-term agreement may be possible, which would result in a cost savings to both fairgrounds.
“The timing with Dixon is perfect,” said Persons. “They are hitting the really busy time before the annual fair now, then just as they return to normal after the May Fair, we hit that really busy time in Lakeport starting in June.”
He added, “Besides the obvious financial benefits for each fair, this arrangement also allows me to see how things are done at another fairgrounds, and to help them with my knowledge of what works well here. The two operations are very similar, with nearly identical size fairgrounds and similar sized staffs. Unless the State finds a way to fund the fairground facilities it owns, I think there probably will be more cost sharing arrangements like this in the future.”
Fairgrounds throughout California have made many operational changes to deal with the loss of all state funding.
Payroll is the largest single expense at most fairgrounds, and Lake County Fair issued layoff notices to 50 percent of its full-time staff in February 2011, Persons said. The affected individuals eventually opted to retire, and the fair has left the positions vacant.
Dixon May Fair also has reduced staff at a similar rate, he said.
The Dixon May Fair board of directors approved the agreement on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and the Lake County Fair board of directors gave its approval on Monday, Feb. 13, Persons reported.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Lake County will return once more in May, with the ninth annual event offering the community the chance to take part in the fight against cancer while allowing family and friends an important venue for remembrance and healing.
Teams will gather at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport on Saturday, May 19, at 10 a.m. for the overnight relay against cancer, with walkers going around the clock.
Relay For Life is a family-oriented team event where participants walk relay-style around the track and take part in fun activities off the track.
Teams can include coworkers, club members, family and friends and have gathered donations prior to the event.
“Relay For Life is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Marshele Bennett.
“Many of the participants are cancer survivors – anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer – which serves as a reminder that our community is not immune to this disease and we can actually help our friends, families and neighbors that have been touched by cancer,” she added.
The public also is invited to attend the luminaria ceremony, which will take place after sundown.
To honor the community’s cancer survivors and to remember those lost to the disease, survivors will circle the track rimmed with glowing luminaria while the names of survivors and those lost to the disease are read aloud. Luminaria can be purchased for any donation amount at the event.
Funds raised at Relay For Life will enable the American Cancer Society to support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families.
Funds also support critical cancer research and community education programs designed to teach people how to reduce their risk of developing cancer.
Relay For Life events will be held in more than 300 communities throughout California, raising $36 million for the fight against cancer.
To locate a Relay For Life event and find out how you can get involved, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.RelayForLife.org.
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.
For more information, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rolled through a remote area of far Northern California Monday afternoon.
The quake occurred at 1:07 p.m., with its epicenter located five miles southwest of Weitchpec and 31 miles northeast of Eureka at a depth of 17.5 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
By 9 p.m. Monday the survey had received nearly 2,900 shake reports from 140 zip codes from around California, with reports also coming from Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Shake report records showed that Kelseyville, Lakeport and Middletown residents were among those who experienced the quake.
The quake occurred the day after Lake County experienced a moderate-sized 4.3-magnitude quake near The Geysers geothermal steamfield, as Lake County News has reported.
U.S. Geological Records showed that the Weitchpec quake was the largest to hit California sine a 5.9-magnitude quake was recorded off the coast of Northern California – approximately 45 miles west southwest of Fortuna – on Feb. 4, 2010.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at