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The report also showed that Lake County was once again in the top five counties for eradications – with billions of dollars in marijuana seized locally – but for the first time in three years Lake fell from the top spot.
The California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement's (BNE) Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) netted more than 4.4 million illegally grown marijuana plants this year, up from the 2.9 million eradicated in 2008, according the agency's report.
During the 102-day season, officials conducted 665 raids across 41 of California's 58 counties, CAMP reported.
Officials found more than 3.3 million plants on public lands, just over one million plants on private lands, made 111 arrests and seized 89 weapons.
The plants eradicated this year across the state had a street value of $17.8 billion, officials reported.
“We've seen a huge increase in the number of locations” for grows, said Sheriff Rod Mitchell, who added that he's proud of his staff's efforts in addressing illegal marijuana grows.
From 2006 to 2008, Lake County was ranked as the California county with the most eradications of illegally grown marijuana plants.
However, this year Shasta County jumped to the front, with a total of 557,862 plants, according to CAMP.
CAMP reported Lake's final numbers at 506,506, but Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported final season numbers of 517,942 plants.
The estimated value of plants and processed marijuana combined in Lake County was $3.5 billion, said Bauman.
Other counties in the top five included Mendocino, 440,689 plants; Fresno, 368,691; and Los Angeles, 340,187. Marijuana seizures increased in all five of the top counties, CAMP reported.
CAMP statistics showed the number of plants found on public lands was close to twice last year's total, while the plants found on private lands grew only slightly.
The grows on public lands are giving rise to concerns over deforestation, as well as damage to the environment and wildlife due to heavy fertilizers and other chemicals, CAMP reported.
Bauman said in Lake County law enforcement seized 272 pounds of processed marijuana and 14 firearms, and made 34 arrests, a number that accounts for a third of the total arrests made statewide and is 11 times the number of arrests made locally in 2008.
Lake County's eradication for 2008 netted 498,174 plants 220 pounds of processed marijuana, seven firearms seized and three arrests, as Lake County News has reported. In 2007, the officials seized 507,000 plants and eradicated 344,241 plants for 2006.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has one detective assigned full-time to marijuana suppression, Bauman said, plus assistance from local law enforcement and as many as 15 CAMP members during operations, which means up to 20 people can be involved in a raid.
Special Agent Michelle Gregory of the Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement said she didn't have an exact figure for the state's CAMP budget, which comes through federal monies and grants.
However, Gregory added that it's not as much money as people think – estimating it was under $1 million.
The funds to cover Lake County's eradication operations are found in the sheriff's marijuana suppression budget fund 2203, which Bauman said is entirely funded by money from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Forest Service.
For the 2009-10 fiscal year, the marijuana suppression funds totaled $310,000, up from $305,000 in 2008-09, according to the county's final budget.
Bauman said $69,000 is left in that account; of that, $27,500 is currently encumbered for equipment purchases pending DEA approval, leaving about $42,000.
Mitchell said he believes the increased number of plants seized represents a number of factors – from continued efforts by the Mexican drug cartels held responsible for the grows to a greater amount of his department's staff time dedicated to surveillance, eradication and developing criminal cases against suspects.
He said the number of locations has grown as growers become more brazen.
Mitchell pointed to areas of the south county – traditionally not seen as good grow locations – which saw more illegal marijuana growing this year.
“We're seeing south county exposure perhaps for people coming up out of the Bay Area,” he said.
Still, criminal cultivation is increasing everywhere, Mitchell said.
Gregory reported that CAMP has been operating for 26 years as a multi-agency task force comprised of local, state and federal agencies.
The participating agencies in CAMP – created to help counties eradicate illegal marijuana growing and trafficking – include the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Emergency Management Agency, California Highway Patrol, California National Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, National Parks Service, Office of National Drug Control Policy–National Marijuana Initiative and U.S. Forest Service.
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Boaters should exercise caution when navigating in the areas of Clearlake Oaks, Cache Creek and in the general area of the entrance to the Rodman Slough, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Bauman said that during the past week, the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit has received approximately five requests for assistance from boaters that have run aground and become stuck in the shallow water near the Rodman Slough.
In each case the sheriff’s office could not provide the assistance requested, as the shallow water extends over a quarter of a mile out into the lake in this area, Bauman said.
Stranded boaters were forced to get out of their boats and push or pull their boat out into deeper water. Bauman said that on two such calls, the sheriff’s patrol boat could only get within about 600 yards of the stranded boater before it, too, was hitting the bottom.
The sheriff's office recommend that all boaters be aware of the shallow water in the general vicinity of the Rodman Slough and stay clear of that area.
Boaters who fail to stay clear of this area and consequently get stranded aground may not rely on the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol to assist with a courtesy tow, Bauman said.
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We have had record turnouts for our last two shows and the ones coming up are going to be as popular. The community has really gotten behind this wonderful venue and we really thank you for keeping the arts alive in Lake County especially in these challenging times.
It is also important to have big numbers at the venue because it is so nice to see about 200 people walking out on the sidewalk in downtown Lakeport at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. on a Saturday. It helps our local businesses, too.
The newest shows we put on stage were completely different from any other shows we have presented before. Instead of a play or musical concert, we worked with Operation Tango Mike and the Redbud Audubon Society to bring in Brian Shul and Paul Bannick.
These two experts in their field of photography entertained their audiences with beautiful photographs and compelling stories very well told. You could tell that they are passionate about their lives and enjoy sharing their activities with everyone.
There will be many more of these pictorial spectaculars to come. We were able to stage these events by way of a borrowed projector from CPS Country Air Real Estate. Thank you very much, Phil Smoley!
We are now searching for a permanent projector for the theater in order to have more slide shows and to run movies. Yes think of it, classic and independent art films in Lakeport!
We have taken our Web site live as of last month. At www.SoperReeseTheatre.com you now can keep up-to-date about shows that are scheduled for the theater, see pictures of past events and sign up for our emails. You can leave us comments and feedback about how we are doing. We would like to get more information about the types of shows you would like to see presented on our stage.
There is always excitement around an upcoming production. Rehearsals for "The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux" are going strong and the players, led by director Carol Dobusch, have been working hard twice a week getting everything perfect for the December opening. This musical melodrama will be a great hit for the holiday season. You will be able to cheer on the hero and boo the villain. A wonderful time is guaranteed for all ages.
I am going to be directing our second production of "A Christmas Carol" on Dec. 19 this year. We will be broadcasting live from the stage on community sponsored radio station KPFZ.
For those of you who did not share this unique show with us last year, we read the story live with an announcer, a narrator, seven voice artists and three sound effects artists doing everything live.
Last year's production was very popular and lots of fun to perform. Be sure to set aside the date, Dec. 19 and, by the way, it will be FREE for everybody. This is a little holiday present from our sponsors, KPFZ and the Soper-Reese to thank you all for your support of the arts in our community.
We have posted times for everything online for you to stay connected with us at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com .
Thanks from the Soper-Reese, your community theater.
Bert Hutt is artistic director of the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport.
PG&E currently has two power purchase agreements with Geysers totaling about 375 megawatts (MW) per year, with enough renewable energy to meet the needs of more than 450,000 average homes.
Those agreements expire between the end of 2012 and the end of 2014.
The new deal, if approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, would extend the term for Geysers energy through 2021.
Total capacity is expected to increase about 50 MW to a total of 425 MW from 2010 through 2017, dropping to a total of about 250 MW from 2018 through 2021.
Fong Wan, senior vice president for energy procurement at PG&E, said the company is committed to making geothermal energy an important part of its growing renewables portfolio for many years to come.
PG&E officials said geothermal power is a particularly valuable renewable resource because it is highly dependable. Available around the clock, it is less affected by weather, seasons or other factors that create technical challenges for managing some other kinds of renewable power.
The Geysers steamfield runs across a portion of southern Lake County and into Sonoma County.
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Deborah Ann James, 46, was arrested just after midnight Thursday at her boyfriend's home in Santa Rosa, where authorities found her hiding in a closet, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
James was identified early on as a person of interest in the case involving 49-year-old Ronald Greiner of Lakeport, who was found shot, beaten and hogtied outside of his S. Main Street home on Oct. 20, as Lake County News has reported.
On Wednesday, Lake County Sheriff's detectives were working to locate additional suspects and conduct further witness interviews in Sonoma County with the assistance of authorities there, Bauman said,
At around midnight Thursday the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department contacted an unidentified man, believed to be James’ boyfriend, at his home in Santa Rosa, and subsequently found James hiding in a closet there, Bauman said.
She's being held in the Lake County Jail on a charge of attempted murder, with bail set at $100,000.
James' arrest follows Tuesday's arrest of another suspect in the case, 35-year-old Joshua Wandry of Rohnert Park. Wandry is being held on $750,000 bail in the Sonoma County Jail, also charged with attempted murder.
The first person to be arrested for Greiner's shooting was 59-year-old Thomas Dudney of Fulton, who was taken into custody on Oct. 21.
Dudney's preliminary hearing in the case was held on Tuesday, at which time a judge ruled he would be held to answer on 10 charges – premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, simple mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first degree burglary with a person at home, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to cause great bodily injury and serious battery. He's also facing special allegations against Dudney for allegedly inflicting great bodily injury and using a firearm.
District Attorney Jon Hopkins said Wednesday he anticipated filing the same charges against Wandry.
Bauman said the Lake County Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit is continuing its investigation, and still more arrests are anticipated.
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Lake County International Charter School (LCICS) will host its third annual Live & Give Celebration and Auction from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 7, at Moore Family Winery, 11990 Bottle Rock Road on Cobb Mountain.
This year's theme is “1970s Flashback” – attendees are invited to wear their funkiest 70s clothing or cocktail attire.
Tickets are $25 per person. Although most of the school's fundraisers are for families, organizers said the Live & Give event is only for those 21 and over.
“This is definitely our main event,” said Valerie Moberg, secretary of the school's charter council or board.
She said the event isn't just for parents. “We really want to share who we are with the community.”
LCICS was founded five years ago, said Moberg. Today it has about 100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and five teachers.
The school's goal, said Moberg, is to create lifelong learners through the International Baccalaureate methodology, which isn't book-based. Rather, it teaches children to love learning so they're productive citizens of the world.
“There's a very international aspect to it,” Moberg said.
LCICS is a public school, and the only site-based charter school in Lake County, Moberg said.
“We are completely tuition-free, just like any other public school,” she said.
This year the school marked some important milestones, including posting a 19-point Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) score improvement, raising it to 739, and a 100-point jump in its Academic Performance Index, bringing it to 839 points. That 100-point leap was second only to Konocti Unified's Blue Heron school countywide.
In addition, the Western Association of Schools has accredited the school, which also received authorization from the International Baccalaureate World School, the school reported.
Since LCICS was founded, the number of charter schools across California has nearly tripled.
Approximately 809 charter schools with 341,000 students now operate around the state, according to the California Charter Schools Association.
In the 2003-04 fiscal year, there were 382 charter schools, according to the office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is seeking to lift a cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state as part of a legislation package that would make the state eligible for $4.35 billion in competitive federal Race to the Top funds.
This fall alone, 88 new charter schools – with 56,000 students – have opened, accounting for the largest single-year enrollment increase in history, the California Charter Schools Association reported.
One in every six charter schools across the nation operates in California. There are 4,900 charter schools educating 1.5 million children across 39 states and the District of Columbia, according to figures provided by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Moberg said LCICS gets funding from the state based on attendance and enrollment, similar to how other public schools are funded.
“We've definitely been hit by the budget cuts just like all the other schools,” she said.
What's different for charters schools, however, is that facilities present a large cost, since they can't float bonds to buy or build schools. “So we have to rely on what the state gives us and donations from the community,” shes said.
The school conducts several fundraisers already – spaghetti feeds and booths at events – and is adding more. The drawing for one of them, a raffle for a side of beef, will be held at the Live & Give event. Individual classes also hold car washes and other fundraisers, she added.
Tickets to the Live & Give fundraiser can be purchased at the LCICS Office at 15872 Armstrong St., or by contacting the school at 707-963-3063 or by emailing
Tickets also will be available at the door, Moberg said.
The ticket price a complimentary cup of micro-brewed ale donated by the Mount St. Helena Brewing Co., 1970s-themed finger foods created by Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, music by local DJ Kevi Kev of KMH Productions, dancing, and both silent and live auctions. Moore Family wines will be available for purchase by the glass or the bottle.
For more information, or to donate to the live or silent auctions, call the school at 707-987-3063 or visit its Web site at www.lcics.org .
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