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Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection (LEAP) is the result of meetings over the past year between members of the Lake County Horse Council and county animal control officials, according to Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson.
The group has been invited to participate in a monthly wildland fire training exercise in Clearlake at the sewer ponds between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Davidson said when local fire agencies found out about the group, they invited them to attend and participate by staging a scenario that would involve the evacuation of animals. He said LEAP plans on having at least one horse and dog available for the evacuation drill.
Currently LEAP has 12 members but they know they need more in order to be able to respond effectively to a local disaster, Davidson said.
Davidson said the horse council members approached him last year with the idea of creating a joint disaster response group to aid animals in need during times of disaster.
He said the group's volunteers are authorized by his department to work side by side with animal control officials in an evacuation zone or area to help transport animals that may be in danger.
The recognized volunteers have been through extensive training in animal disaster preparedness, wildland fire safety, Incident Command System modules, radio communication and procedures, and animal handling, Davidson said.
Davidson said the general public won't be able to call LEAP for assistance, because the group will only be activated in the event of an official disaster as declared by Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire or the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and their response will be to deal with those animals in immediate danger first.
Once activated to respond to a disaster where the need to evacuate people and animals might occur, the group – upon arriving at the staging area – will divide up into two-person teams and be escorted by a Cal Fire member to any residence or property where the need to evacuate animals exists, he explained.
Once the team returns to the staging area, Davidson said the animals will be unloaded and transported to temporary housing by other members. Multiple teams may be entering the evacuation area at a time, or it could be on a rational basis, depending on the circumstances. This process will continue until all animals are removed or we are ordered to stop.
Any team member who responds in an evacuation zone will be outfitted with personal protection equipment, including a Nomex fire retardant suit, helmet, goggles, gloves and a personal fire safety tent in the event the fire should take over, Davidson said.
“We have some of this equipment now, but a federal grant has been submitted on our group’s behalf by other members and Cal Fire to obtain the rest of what we need,” he said.
Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Davidson at 707-263-0278.
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Chico Police arrested 20-year-old Jorge Ceja Aguilar on Saturday for attempted murder, according to a Sunday report from Sgt. Scott Franssen.
Aguilar is alleged to have attacked Associated Students President Joseph Igbineweka on April 18, 2010, in an early morning incident on Warner Street near the university, Franssen said.
According to media reports at the time of the attack, the Nigerian-born Igbineweka was confronted by two men who made racial slurs, with one of them then attacking him and stabbing him four times. Police later concluded the incident was a hate crime.
Franssen said that in April 2010 Chico Police submitted the knife used in the attack to the California Department of Justice Crime Lab. The knife was examined and DNA evidence was located.
Last December Chico Police detectives were notified that the DNA belonged to Aguilar, Franssen said.
Det. Mark Hoffman, the case's lead investigator, obtained an arrest warrant for Aguilar, but Franssen said detectives searched for Aguilar and were not able to locate him, even though he was featured
in Butte County's “most wanted.”
Then, shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, Aguilar – who had been staying out of the area for most of the time since April 2010 – turned himself in at the Chico Police Department, Franssen said.
Franssen said Aguilar was booked into the Butte County Jail on the warrant charging him with attempted murder.
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The quake was located in the Pacific Ocean, 63 miles west northwest of Eureka at a depth of 1.6 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.
Despite its distance away from land, the US Geological Survey received 13 shake reports from eight zip codes, including areas around Humboldt County as well as Pleasanton and Stockton.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The Knoxville fire was reported at 2:30 p.m. in the 15000 block of Berryessa-Knoxville Road north of Lake Berryessa in Pope Valley, according to Cal Fire.
Reports from the scene indicated it was burning in grass and oak woodland with a moderate rate of spread. No structures were said to be endangered.
By Saturday night the fire had grown to 400 acres, with 5 percent containment, Cal Fire said.
The number of personnel on scene quickly rose to 330, with Cal Fire, Napa County Fire and the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation on scene, along with California Highway Patrol officers, Cal Fire reported.
The CHP reported that its officers and Napa County road crews were on scene to help with a road closure nearby.
Local fire districts – including South Lake County Fire, Lake County Fire and Northshore Fire – also sent firefighters according to reports from the scene.
Resources dedicated to the fire by late Saturday afternoon included 22 engines, 11 fire crews, five air tankers, five helicopters, five dozers and five water tenders.
Officials were reporting over the radio that they were having significant access problems to the rugged area, with wind recorded at 6 miles per hour, and gusts from the south southeast measured at up to 15 miles per hour.
Aircraft worked the fire aggressively throughout the afternoon. At one point the fire was reported to have shifted in the direction of Homestake Mine in Lower Lake.
The cost for the firefighting effort thus far has been estimated at $100,000, according to Cal Fire.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Sometimes life lessons come in the strangest of ways, and my father taught one to my youngest son via juicy summertime plums. Though he was only six or seven at the time, it’s something he remembers still.
We lived in rural Petaluma during the first half of raising our young family. One of the bonuses of our rented property was a prolific Santa Rosa plum tree, one that had been there for decades. Each June, a myriad of reddish-purple orbs appeared on this tree, and it was a race to beat the birds to the succulent fruit.
As my father and older son stood near the tree one summer with stained lips from their hand-picked fare, my younger son watching nearby without indulging. When Dad inquired as to whether he wanted any, Billy replied that he didn’t know if he liked them and wasn’t interested in finding out.
My father said, “Billy, one day you’ll try a plum and then you’ll understand how much time was wasted not eating them.” A short time later Billy became our family’s biggest fan of those Santa Rosa plums.
Plums, not surprisingly, are related to peaches, apricots, cherries, and other “drupes,” i.e., fruits that have a hard stone surrounding their seeds. Dried plums are known as prunes, perhaps harkening back to the scientific name for plum, prunus domestica.
There are six general categories for plums (Japanese, American, Damson, Ornamental, Wild and European/Garden), and their size, shape and color is varied. Plum skin can be as dark as deep blue-black or as light as pale yellow, with a multitude of hues in between, such as red, purple, green and amber.
Most plums are round; however, some are oval or heart-shaped. In addition to the variance in skin coloration, the flesh comes in a rainbow of colors, including yellow, green, pink and orange.
It is thought that plums originated in various parts of the world.
For example, the European plum, discovered more than 2,000 years ago, is thought to have originated near the Caspian Sea and brought to the Mediterranean region by Alexander the Great.
In contrast, the Japanese plum originated in China. The Japanese did much of the cultivation and development of this plum, hence the name.
Early American colonists found wild plums growing along the east coast of the U.S. The Pilgrims introduced European plums to America, which soon replaced native wild plums in popularity and as a commercial crop.
Plums are interwoven throughout human history. The earliest written reference to plums dates back to the time of Confucius, where they were popular in his writings and songs, including a listing of foods popular in China at the time. In ancient Rome, there were already 300 varieties of plums grown in their orchards.
It’s difficult to talk of plums without mentioning plant breeder extraordinaire Luther Burbank, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Burbank is responsible for many of the exquisite hybrid plums we now enjoy, including the aforementioned Santa Rosa plum.
He lived in Santa Rosa, Calif., and did most of his work on an 11-acre experimental farm in nearby Sebastopol. There he cross-bred Japanese, American and European plums in the hopes of creating delicious new varieties. He made more than 30,000 crosses of plums, an amazing number, and by the 1920s had released 113 new varieties, some of which are in production today.
Speaking of cross breeding produce, some interesting plum-like fruits have made appearances of late at local farmers’ markets.
Pluots, a cross between plums and apricots, may be found on Saturday mornings at Steele Winery in Kelseyville, Calif., and plurines, the spawn of a marriage between plums and nectarines, at Library Park in Lakeport, Calif. on Wednesday evenings.
The small, blue Damson plum is of ancient origins, hailing from Damascus, Syria. It has a close French relative, the yellow Mirabelle plum. These plums are sour and not good for eating out of hand, but are wonderful when made into preserves, jams and jellies, making them worth seeking out for home canners.
In Victorian times, they were popular when candied, and these were the “visions of sugarplums” that danced in the children’s heads in the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Plums are generally available from May through October, and most are delicious eaten as is. When ripe and ready to eat, they should yield to gentle pressure and be slightly soft at the tip.
If firm when purchased or picked, they’ll ripen at home at room temperature. Avoid plums that are excessively hard, however, as they’ll be immature and will likely not develop a good taste and texture.
Once ripe, store plums in the fridge. Be sure to bring them to room temperature before eating to attain maximum juiciness and sweetness. Plums may be frozen, but pits should be removed before freezing to ensure maximum taste.
To remove the skin for cooking applications, cut a small cross in the bottom of each plum and immerse them in boiling water for 30 seconds or so. Remove them from the water and plunge them into an ice water bath or run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, they should peel easily from the cross on the bottom.
Plums and prunes have wonderfully high stores of antioxidants, and are a very good source of vitamin C. They’re also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin B2, potassium and fiber.
They’re wonderful when paired with wine, as evidenced by the pinot noir-soaked prunes I enjoyed during the Lake County Wine Adventure at Six Sigma Winery in Lower Lake, Calif.
Try poaching plums in red wine or port with a bit of lemon zest for an interesting dessert, make a sauce for ice cream or bread pudding by simmering diced plums in simple syrup, stew plums for a wonderful yogurt topping, or add fresh slices to cereal.
Sliced plums make an interesting topping for pizza when combined with goat cheese and toasted walnuts and flavored with a bit of fresh sage.
If you’re enamored with Chinese plum sauce as I am, you may enjoy today’s recipe for a homemade version of this traditional condiment, compliments of food blog “Dianasaur Dishes” at www.dianasaurdishes.com. I’m a fan of plum sauce on the vegetarian version of mu shu, a Chinese stir-fry served with thin pancakes for wrapping.
Bon appetit! And don’t forget to indulge in beautiful fresh plums while they abound.
Chinese plum sauce from scratch
10-12 small plums
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red chili sauce
Slice plums in half and discard pits; cut each half into about six chunks.
Mix plums with remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat on medium low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whirl sauce in a blender and add water to thin if desired (usually around 1/2 cup).
Chill to serve.
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to six weeks.
Makes about one cup of sauce.
Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at
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In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week's feature is about the historic Lucerne Hotel. Most of this week's piece was written in March 1963 by Ellory Moorehead, with updates added regarding recent developments.
In the 1920s, when the Clear Lake Beach Co. purchased land to start Lucerne, they purchased the small western portion from Frank Henry. The portion between George Morrison’s and the George Pierce place was bought from Will Jones.
The Lucerne Hotel Corp. was started by Richard Palmer and Louis Becker, both heavy investors in the Clear Lake Beach Co.
They started selling stock for the hotel corporation in 1925. Construction of the hotel started in 1926, with Frank R. Phillips of Lakeport as contractor.
Work stopped on the hotel in 1929 due to the Great Depression.
The Cruickshank Co. filed a lien of $87,000 against the hotel for the cost of construction supplies. Mr. West of the Cruickshank Co. took over ownership of the hotel for the amount of the debt.
In 1934 the Clear Lake Beach Co. went into bankruptcy. West purchased the adjoining golf course property from the bankruptcy in 1936.
In the spring of 1938 Mr. West finished the hotel. He opened the hotel the same year and ran it until 1939, when it was closed. About that time West sold out.
The new owners opened it for a short time and then closed.
Dr. Hamer and others bought it in about 1944. The others withdrew until Dr. Hamer owned it alone.
They never opened the hotel. It was their intention to open it up as an Adventist hospital at one point but the doors were too small to accommodate a gurney.
In the early 1950s an organization, Northern California Baptist Association, bought the hotel from Dr. Hamer, but not the golf course. The golf course was sold to others by Dr. Hamer in about 1960. They opened the hotel until about 1955.
The hotel was then sold and resold, and opened and closed for short periods but always went back to the Baptists for the debt.
It was owned by the Federation of Baptist Churches until 2010. In 2010 the county of Lake purchased the hotel for $1.35 million. The building currently is undergoing renovation.
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