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What happens to all those old cellular phones and movie players that get tossed in the garbage? They can end up adding to the already overwhelming waste in landfills.
The nonprofit Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire invites the community to bring all old electronic equipment to their new e-waste drive in the parking lot of Bruno’s Shop Smart, 355 Lakeport Blvd., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 7, and the first Saturday of every month thereafter.
E-waste is defined as electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life like computers, televisions and cellular phones.
Hazardous materials are used in producing electronic equipment such as computers and their monitors, which can contain lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. The monitor can contain up to 5 pounds of lead alone.
Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire is licensed as an electronic waste collector by the state of California and only works with state-licensed recyclers that dismantle and recycle materials in the United States. All material is recycled according to the industry standards.
“I had five computers in my attic. They’ll take it all apart and recycle what needs to be recycled,”
said Valerie LaBonte, an e-waste drive coordinator and Goodwill Industries employment specialist.
Goodwill Industries reported that it has kept more than 1.5 million pounds of e-waste out of local landfills thus far. The computers are not resold to maintain the integrity of personal information and they receive certification that all computer hard-drives are shredded.
Other donations that are in good condition also are accepted. Donations are sold in Goodwill Industries stores and the funds raised go toward programs like workforce development, said LaBonte, who helps with job training for people with disabilities or other barriers to employment.
The nearest Goodwill store is in Ukiah at 1005 N. State St. A long-term goal for Goodwill Industries is opening a Lake County store, which will depend on donations alone, said LaBonte.
Donations are accepted year-round at any Goodwill stores or attended donation centers.
Locations are listed in the telephone directory at www.gire.org or can be located by calling 707-523-0550.
For general questions contact Jeff Lambdin at 707-462-9660 or Mary Turner at 707-523-0550, Extension 216.
E-mail Tera deVroede at
Lake County Public Services Director Kim Clymire reported that the Office of Grants and Local Services has completed its application review process for the very competitive Habitat Conservation Grant Fund Program.
He said the application submitted by Lake County staff for improvements to the more than 1,500 acres recently acquired on Mt. Konocti has been selected for funding in the amount of $80,000.
The funds will be used to purchase and install benches, signs, trash and recycling receptacles, tables, and restrooms, Clymire said. Funding should become available in the fall of this year and improvements will be made over the winter and spring months.
Mt. Konocti County Park is tentatively scheduled to officially open to hikers only in October of 2010 as a day use park only after initial, pre-opening, work is completed, Public Services reported.
A committee is working on the master management plan to determine what other types of uses will be allowed and may include, licensed dogs on leash under the owners control, non-motorized mountain bikes and horse back riding. Clymire said those types of uses will continue to be studied, with public input, and the master management plan should be adopted by the spring of 2011 for implementation at that time.
In addition, being brought back by popular demand, a beacon will be reinstalled in the next month or two, on the Buckingham Peak communication tower, that will operate from dusk to dawn, Clymire reported.
The beacon will not be designed for aeronautical purposes, and therefore will be exempt from Federal Aviation Administration rules, but is instead being installed for nostalgia reasons, he said.
The old beacon was on the tower for years for aeronautical purposes and also used by the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Division to determine when water skiing was to stop for the day.
Clymire thanked everyone who has been so supportive of what he called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to acquire a major portion of the mountain for current and future generations' use and enjoyment as open space park property.
For more information about the park project contact the Public Services Department at 707-262-1618.
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to provide public notices whenever a paroled sex offender removes his or her GPS unit and absconds from parole.
“Paroled sex offenders that take action to remove their GPS pose a threat to public safety, and the department must take every necessary step to eliminate that threat, including making sure the public is aware of these individuals,” said Schwarzenegger.
“My greatest priority is to protect the safety of all Californians, and a better informed public will help make our communities safer from sex offenders trying to run from parole supervision,” he added.
CDCR currently notifies local law enforcement immediately when a parolee removes their GPS and absconds from parole through the parole Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS), a Web-based system that provides local law enforcement with photos and information about parolees, the governor's office reported.
“CDCR’s top priority is public safety,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate. “We will immediately begin the development of a system that notifies the media and the public when a sex offender attempts to abscond from parole supervision.”
The need for a broader notification of the public came to light from recent incidents involving sex offenders removing their GPS units, according to Schwarzenegger's office.
In just such a case, a parolee from Lake County recently was arrested out of county after removing his GPS device.
Curtis Dewayne Dodge, a convicted sex offender with an extensive violent criminal background, was arrested in Redding in June, as Lake County News has reported.
Dodge had been on the run for months after he had removed his GPS monitoring anklet, which officials reported was a condition of his parole.
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The Cow Fire, sparked Sunday afternoon in Mendocino County, had burned 293 acres and was 95-percent contained Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Full containment on the fire, located in remote terrain, is expected on Wednesday, Cal Fire reported.
State and federal officials are continuing firefighting efforts elsewhere around the state.
On Tuesday two new fires were reported – in Monterey County, the 35-acre Green Fire was at 50-percent containment, while in Shasta County another fire, the Buzzard, had burned 20 acres but was completely contained by day's end.
The Dutch Fire in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County was at 60-percent containment Tuesday after burning 371 acres, the Bar Fire in the Plumas National Forest had burned 900 acres and was 40-percent contained and the Bull Fire in the Sequoia National Forest in Kern County was 96-percent contained with 16,442 acres burned, Cal Fire reported.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
On Tuesday State Controller John Chiang announced new reporting requirements for all California cities and counties, directing them to clearly identify elected officials and public employees’ compensation.
The information will be posted on the Controller’s Web site, www.sco.ca.gov, starting in November, Chiang said.
“The absence of transparency is a breeding ground for waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Chiang. “A single Web site with accessible information will make sure that excessive pay is no longer able to escape public scrutiny and accountability.”
The new reporting requirements come after the city of Bell reportedly spent $1.6 million annually on just three city employees, and nearly $100,000 for each part-time city council member.
At the request of the city of Bell’s interim city administrative officer, the controller ordered an audit of Bell’s finances last week.
Under current law, local governments are required to transmit summary information about their revenues and expenditures to the State Controller’s Office. Payroll information is included in the total amount listed for each category of program, such as public protection, health and welfare, and governing body.
The data is compiled and used to produce annual reports for the Legislature, Chiang reported.
The controller’s new rules require cities and counties to provide the salaries for each classification of elected official, such as mayor and supervisor, and public employee, such as city manager and county administrator.
City and counties generally are required to provide the information to the controller by mid-October of each year, according to Chiang.
The controller’s Web site will be updated annually to reflect the most recent data received, Chiang said. Local governments who fail to report timely could face a penalty of up to $5,000.
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CLEARLAKE – Firefighters remained on the scene of a small wildland fire in Clearlake throughout Monday night and were expected to be on scene Tuesday to continue mopping up.
The fire, dispatched at around 6:30 p.m., was located in brush with grassy oak woodland on two flanks and a moderate rate of spread, according to reports from the scene. Initially there were concerns that the fire had the potential to double in size.
Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta said the fire's final size ranged between four and seven acres.
Full containment was reached around 8 p.m., about an hour and a half after the fire was dispatched, he said.
“We haven't totally walked the fire but there's line all around it,” he said in an interview around 9:30 p.m.
Sapeta said Lake County Fire and Cal Fire had joint command of the fire, which initially had been dispatched as being located at 12th Avenue and Boyles.
When they arrived at the scene firefighters discovered it was on Wilkinson Avenue, where incident command eventually was located, he said.
No structures were lost, Sapeta said.
He credited Cal Fire aircraft with being “phenomenal” in their response.
“We had two tankers here within minutes,” he said.
Sapeta said there were 12 to 13 engines, four aircraft, two helicopters and five crews between his district and Cal Fire.
He said Cal Fire is handling the investigation, noting the fire is “suspicious in nature.”
“We're going to be here all night,” Sapeta said, explaining that firefighters also would be on scene Tuesday to continue mopping up the area, which was marked by heavy brush and chemise.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
