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LAKE COUNTY – Another race is forming as the 2010 election season nears, this time for Lake County superintendent of schools.
Dr. Judy Luchsinger told a group of about 75 people at the Lake Court Courthouse in Lakeport on Friday afternoon that she intends to challenge incumbent Dave Geck in next year's election.
Luchsinger, 64, previously held the job for 16 years. She was defeated by Dr. Bill Cornelison in the 1994 election and left office in January of 1995.
Geck, who came up through the ranks of Cornelison's office, succeeded him after being elected in 2006.
Hearing of Luchsinger's intent to run, the 61-year-old Geck said Friday that he believes his office has been providing excellent services to the school districts around the county.
“I'm sure we'll have interesting conversations,” he said of the election challenge.
The election next year will determine who will oversee the district, which has 120 employees and a $16 million annual budget.
The superintendent's job has a five-step salary schedule, with a superintendent's pay determined by his Board of Trustees. Geck currently makes $122,000 a year, about two and a half times the salary of a county supervisor.
Luchsinger said she's running on a platform of fiscal accountability and developing quality management systems to improve the district's performance.
She said she's been asked by many people to please run again. “I thought long and hard about it,” before finally deciding to take it on, she said.
The recent grand jury report, which among other things faulted Geck for signing a form that allowed a former administrator to apply for a credential program for which she wasn't qualified, was a basis for many people asking her to run, said Luchsinger.
However, Luchsinger said she preferred to focus on what she can offer the educational office.
Thanks to her previous experience, “there will be no learning curve,” Luchsinger said.
Luchsinger received her doctorate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, before moving to Lake County 42 years ago.
She taught high school English and math classes in Lakeport, and her four children went through the local schools. Luchsinger now has a young grandson attending local schools, and she lives in Lakeport with her fiance.
While she was county superintendent, she started collaborative efforts to purchase insurance for all districts jointly and brought the Academic Decathlon program to local schools. During that time there also was a collaborative district purchasing program for all the schools.
After leaving elected office, Luchsinger started her own consulting firms. Today, she works with corporations on three continents on quality and environmental management systems.
She'd like to bring those same systems to local education.
Addressing the recent community discussion about school district consolidation, Luchsinger explained, “You have to know that a school district is sort of a center of a community.”
She said the county office of education allows districts to remain small by taking on some duties. “That's what a county office can do for a district,” she said.
Luchsinger said countywide consolidation “probably doesn't make sense,” although very small districts that are in close proximity might consider it because that's a scenario where it might work best.
Among Luchsinger's goals are reestablishing fiscal accountability in the Lake County Office of Education.
She said she's been concerned that the cost of running the office has exploded since she left office in 1995.
That's what she told her audience on the courthouse steps Friday.
While teachers are working harder than ever with larger class sizes, “the quality of education has been compromised,” she said.
Responding to Luchsinger's criticisms, Geck said, “When you look at the cost of the office you have to measure it against the service and programs provided.”
Luchsinger said she thoroughly enjoys working with teachers, and appreciates what can be accomplished when organizations develop a culture of performance.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT – It's been 10 years since a dilapidated former hospital was given new life as a renovated health clinic, and on Friday a gathering commemorated that transformation and a decade of health services offered to those in need.
Lakeside Health Center, located at 5335 Lakeshore Blvd., inhabits a building that once housed Lakeside Hospital.
Since 1999 the clinic – one of three run by Mendocino Community Health Clinic Inc., which also has facilities in Willits and Ukiah – has offered a variety of health services to low-income families.
Clinic and organization employees and community members gathered Friday to celebrate its decade of service at an anniversary luncheon.
John Pavoni, chair of the Mendocino Community Health Clinic Inc. Board of Directors, said the old hospital was built in 1949 and had 33 beds.
In the late 1970s the hospital moved next door to the current Sutter Lakeside Hospital location, and the building then housed a convalescent home before sitting vacant for a time, Pavoni said.
When the clinic organization began looking for a location in Lake County, they found the empty building, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, with broken out windows.
Thanks to a $1 million loan from US Department of Agriculture's Rural Development, they renovated the building and opened for business.
Today it offers dental, medical services and psychiatric services to both children and adults. They also have obstetrics, which Chief Executive Officer Lin Hunter wants to expand.
Services are available in both English and Spanish.
Pavoni said Lakeside Health Center is a major local treatment center for HIV and hepatitis C, and it participates in national collaborations to track the most effective treatments for those diseases as well as diabetes and heart disease.
They've voluntarily pursued accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO), said Pavoni. “It's quite a bit of work to do.”
The Lakeport clinic sees hundreds of people a day. Numbers for Thursday showed close to 60 regular doctor's visits, 52 pediatric patients and 47 dental visits, according to Chief Operating Officer Carole Press.
“The regular medical community is afraid of us,” because they perceive the clinic as taking patients, said Pavoni.
But Press added, “We're really a safety net provider.”
As a federally qualified health center, Lakeside Health Center offers a sliding payment scale for patients, and also takes Medicare and Medi-Cal, Health Families and some private insurance, Press said.
Hunter estimated that the Lakeside Health Center has between 6,000 and 7,000 patients that it serves, with a total of 24,000 patients in the organization's entire Lake and Mendocino County service area.
Hunter said Mendocino Community Health Clinic Inc. recently lost $2 million in Medi-Cal reimbursements for 15,000 visits. The organization's total budget is about $21 million.
The clinic's main facility has 10 to 15 exam rooms and a 10-chair dental facility.
“They're always full,” Hunter said of the dental department. “It's a huge need in this community.”
They're especially proud of their pediatric care facility. Located behind the main building in a newly renovated and expanded facility, the pediatrics center opened in February.
There, Dr. Marlene Quilala sees children in exam rooms decorated with colorful floor tiles and exam tables shaped like dinosaurs, hippos and school buses.
At the luncheon on Friday Heidi Dickerson of Congressman Mike Thompson's office presented the clinic with a plaque commemorating its service to the community in its first decade.
For more information about the center visit www.mchcinc.org/centers/lakeside-center.php or call 707-263-7725.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The latest report from the Employment Development Department showed that Lake County's September unemployment rate was 14.7 percent, down from 15.3 percent in August but up from the 10.2-percent rate recorded in September 2008.
Last month, approximately 3,800 Lake County residents were reported to be unemployed out of a total labor force of 25,890 people, compared to 2,590 people out of work a year ago in a workforce that then measured 25,340 residents.
Statewide, the unemployment rate measured 12.2 percent, with just over 2.2 million people unemployed, according to the Employment Development Department. That's down slightly from the 12.3-percent rate measured in August, when 2.25 million people were out of work.
California's September 2008 unemployment rate was 7.8 percent, at which time almost 1.4 million people were unemployed, according to state records.
The number of people unemployed in California last month was 2,247,000 – down by 13,000
over the month, but up by 799,000 compared with September of last year, according to the Friday report.
The US unemployment rate increased in September, rising to 9.8 percent from 9.7 in August, and up from 6.2 percent in September 2008, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In September, Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates: Colusa, 14.5 percent; Glenn, 13.8 percent; Mendocino, 10.1 percent; Napa, 8.7 percent; Sonoma, 9.9 percent; and Yolo, 10.9 percent.
Counties with the lowest and highest unemployment rates, respectively, were Marin, with 8 percent, and Imperial, with 30.1 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that in September California's nonfarm jobs totaled 14,200,400, a decrease of 39,300 over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 California businesses. The year-over-year change – from September 2008 to September 2009 – showed a decrease of 732,700 jobs or a 4.9 percent reduction.
A federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed a decrease in the number of employed people, the agency reported.
That survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in September was 16,137,000, a decrease of 6,000 from August, and down 896,000 from the employment total in September of last year.
EDD’s report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the state's nonfarm industries totaled 14,200,400 in September, a net loss of 39,300 jobs since the August survey. This followed a loss of 7,200 jobs in August.
The Employment Development Department reported that two categories – natural resources and mining, and trade, transportation and utilities – added jobs over the month, gaining 4,100 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest increase over the month, adding 3,900 jobs.
At the same time, nine categories reported job declines this month, down 43,400 jobs, according to the report. Those categories included construction; manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government. Construction posted the largest decline over the month, down by 14,100 jobs.
From September 2008 to September 2009, nonfarm payroll employment in California dropped by 4.9 percent or 732,700 jobs, according to the Employment Development Department. One industry division, educational and health services, posted job gains over the year, adding 11,800 jobs, a growth of 0.7 percent.
The report also noted that 10 categories had job declines totaling 744,500 over the year. The categories included natural resources and mining; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government.
Trade, transportation and utilities employment had the largest decline on a numerical basis, down by 172,400 jobs or 6.1 percent, according to the report. Construction posted the largest decline on a percentage basis, down by 19.0 percent, a decrease of 144,000 jobs.
Approximately 744,924 people received regular unemployment insurance benefits during the September survey week, the report noted, compared with 790,099 in August and 500,962 last year.
The Employment Development Department reported that new claims for unemployment insurance were 69,160 in September 2009, compared with 69,488 in August and 53,418 in September of last year.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The taxes potentially involved are federal estate taxes, federal and state personal income taxes, federal and state fiduciary income taxes, and local real property taxes. Let’s examine them separately.
Federal estate taxes now only affect persons transferring more than $3.5 million at death to their surviving family, excluding gifts left to the surviving spouse – there is an unlimited marital deduction for transfers to surviving spouses.
The $3.5 million is the net worth of the decedent considering all assets, including life insurance. Also, a generation skipping transfer tax may apply when more than $3.5 million is left to related persons more than one generation younger than the decedent (e.g., grandchildren), unless the intervening generation has predeceased the decedent, or is left to unrelated persons who are more than 37.5 years younger.
What about personal income tax? Personal income tax only applies to transfers of items of income in respect of a decedent (IRD).
What is IRD? IRD is anything that would have been included as ordinary income on the decedent’s annual tax return, if received while alive.
Examples include unpaid retirement monies (such as IRAs, annuities, and 401(k)s) and earned but unpaid compensation. Not included as IRD is life insurance. The proceeds are not subject to income tax unless an exception to the “no taxation” of life insurance proceeds applies.
The receipt of property – other than IRD – is not income taxable; there is, however, often an income tax opportunity for the beneficiary who receives property from a decedent. Specifically, any appreciation in value that occurred while the decedent owned the property is eliminated at death and will not be subject to capital gains income tax. That is, the beneficiary receives a so-called “step up in basis” based on date of death appraisal.
For example, if the decedent bought his house in 1970 for $75,000, the decedent had a purchase cost basis of $75,000. If he dies on June 25, 2009, when it is worth $250,000 and leaves it all to his son, then the son’s basis for income tax purposes is stepped up to $250,000, thus eliminating all $175,000 of appreciation when the son sells.
If a deceased person’s estate is held within a trust or probate estate, then a so-called fiduciary income tax return is usually required, and taxes may be due at the estate level. Because trusts pay taxes at the highest graduated rate once their taxable income reaches around $11,000, it is prudent to distribute the taxable income out to the beneficiaries prior to the trust’s own tax year end to avoid paying higher trust tax rates. Taxation of trusts is a very complex, so rely on a qualified tax expert here.
Next, death can trigger a reassessment in value for local (county) real property taxes. With the exceptions of the interspousal transfer exclusion and parent child transfer exclusion for transfers of one’s primary residence and up to one million dollars in other additional real property to surviving children (and sometimes grandchildren), all other transfers trigger a reassessment in tax value to the recipient at time of transfer.
Accordingly, when a decedent’s estate consists of real property and other substantial assets and one child wants to receive a particular real property asset, there is a planning opportunity if the real property in question is left directly by the parent to that child.
Otherwise, if that child buys out his or her siblings, then the portion that is purchased from the other siblings will be reassessed, as there is no exclusion for transfers between siblings.
In conclusion, there are numerous tax opportunities and pitfalls to be considered carefully when planning and subsequently administering a person’s estate.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 1st St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at
The issues were included in the latest grand jury report, released in July, and addressed in the Lake County Office of Education's formal response to the grand jury, released last month.
In that response to the grand jury, Dave Geck admits mistakes and misunderstandings, but also points to what he said are inaccuracies in the grand jury's report.
District Attorney Jon Hopkins confirmed that the grand jury contacted him about the case, which he investigated. Hopkins said he found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The grand jury asked Geck and his office to explain why he signed the document and provided inaccurate information in last year's response, and why he allowed Allison Hillix, the former director of career technical education, to remain in her job without immediately terminating her when it was discovered she didn't hold the appropriate qualifications.
Hillix, who no longer works for the Lake County Office of Education, would not comment when contacted by Lake County News.
The Lake County Office of Education's responses to the report included an admission that Geck showed “poor judgment” in not checking the accuracy of dates on an application Hillix made for a credentialing program.
The grand jury also recommended that all expenses reimbursed to both Hillix and Geck be audited. The report stated that Hillix was reimbursed $10,000 in expenses in an eight-month period.
Geck said he discussed the report with his board of trustees, who participated in the formal response.
“This reflects on the whole Office of Education,” said Geck.
The agency – which has an annual budget of about $16 million, $2 million of which is for supporting districts in business and human resources – has 120 employees, include 25 full-time staffers in the main office. It also has many part-time staffers.
It's been the focus of two years of grand jury investigative efforts and was mentioned in the last two grand jury reports.
“The initial complaint received by the Grand Jury suggested that a high-ranking administrative position was given to an individual that received administrative credentials under false pretenses,” the grand jury stated in its recent report.
In that report, the grand jury faulted Geck for signing a document attesting to the required teaching experience for Hillix, who was applying for a certification program. In her position she oversaw ROP courses, programs and services in the agency.
The certification would allow Hillix to be at an administrator level, said Geck. Without it, she could still be a manager, which would be at a lower step and pay level.
“I never denied that I messed up and made a mistake” on the certification of experience, Geck said.
Geck said Hillix had filled out the form and then had him sign it. “I didn't do a good job of checking that.”
Geck gets plenty of documents to sign, but said that's no excuse.
“When you make a mistake you have to pay the price,” Geck said.
As a result, Geck said his office now has a new administrative policy in which two administrators must verify such a form before it's signed. “That should not happen again,” said Geck.
The investigation by the grand jury's Public Services Committee also revealed that Geck authorized the $10,000 in expense reimbursements to Hillix.
The grand jury report further stated that Hillix had been reimbursed for alcohol purchases while at a conference, but the district's director of business services reported that no such alcohol purchase were reimbursed based on her review of the documentation, according to the district's response to the report.
Geck said the Lake County Office of Education has added a per diem limit. He said the change wasn't necessarily due to the grand jury's investigation, but rather was part of an effort to reduce expenses.
The grand jury report also faulted Geck for saying he didn't have the form in question, which the office's human resources director, Ed Skeen, later produced.
Geck said the issue was due to a misunderstanding, because he thought they were talking about another document. The formal response to the grand jury also maintains that the issue came down to a misunderstanding.
Last year, Geck's office had sent the grand jury a brochure on the Sacramento State program to clear up the misunderstanding. He said they plan to share the document with the grand jury again this year.
The grand jury also stated that Hillix was allowed to resign two months after the credential was invalidated, but Geck said that's incorrect. He said the grand jury had Hillix's personnel files and the resignation dates, along with the district's personnel policies, which his office sent them.
On Aug. 28, 2008, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing notified Geck's office via e-mail that the state university was requesting the credential be denied, according to the response to the grand jury's finding.
At the same time, Hillix discovered her credential was no longer listed on Sacramento State's credentialing Web site. Geck said she investigated appealing it at the start of September. The grand jury's findings held that Hillix should have been immediately terminated.
Skeen then sent the grand jury a notice on Sept. 10, 2008, saying that the credential was invalidated, Geck said.
Hillix wasn't able to file an appeal due to a statute of limitations issues. “Once she wasn't able to appeal she resigned,” said Geck.
It was 36 days between the time Geck's office received notice that the credential was being invalidated to Hillix's resignation, not two months as the grand jury said, according to the Lake County Office of Education's response to the findings.
Based on the Lake County Office of Education's attorney's opinion, “our delay in terminating the employee was based on providing the employee with sufficient time to pursue an appeal, and to not compromise any 'due process' rights that the employee might have,” the response stated.
A document provided by Skeen showed that the career technical education director position, which was paid $82,325 annually, became vacant upon Hillix's resignation on Oct. 6, 2008, after she was in the position for 217 days.
Geck said she continued nonadministrative employment “on a very limited, temporary, timesheet basis to complete some projects for the ROP office,” and is no longer employed in any capacity within the office.
During the investigation, the grand jury drew on its rarely used subpoena power to call in Geck and several others. He said he doesn't know how many subpoenas were issued, but became aware that some people in his office were called to testify more than once. In all, the grand jury report noted it drew from 42 hours of testimony in its final report.
Geck's testimony, which was the basis of this year's grand jury report, actually was given in the first half of 2008 under subpoena, he said.
Based on the grand jury's report 2007-08 report, the District Attorney's Office subpoenaed district documents and said they would follow up. Geck said if the document signing had been fraudulent, he would have heard from the District Attorney's Office.
Hopkins said his office, along with county counsel and the presiding judge, act as advisors to the grand jury.
The grand jury, Hopkins said, “did come to us and ask us to investigate potential criminal charges.”
He continued, “We did a lot of extra investigation beyond what they had done in regard to that and determined there was no basis for filing criminal charges.”
Geck said he doesn't believe further grand jury investigations are in the offing. “As far as we know this is a final report.”
He said he felt the structure of the investigation created an adversarial process, and said he would have preferred it if people who had issues with the agency came to him directly.
“I'm just looking for a way to make this a positive process,” said Geck.
He added, “Our goal is to get better and improve at all times.”
Geck said he doesn't want the mistake he made to denigrate the entire Lake County Office of Education, and he's concerned about the community's perception. “We have great people doing great programs.”
He continued, “I did make a mistake but I don't want to make that an excuse.”
The Lake County Office of Education also is implementing grand jury recommendations, including explaining the issues with the credential program and undertaking an audit of the expenses reimbursed to both Geck and Hillix, according to its response document.
In September 2008 the Lake County Office of Education initiated an audit on their own, Geck said. That audit was included in the agency's regular annual audit.
That audit, by Robertson & Associates, was expected to be done by this past Sept. 4. However, Geck said that the auditing firm is backlogged and the document hasn't yet been delivered, although he's expecting it soon.
Geck asserted that, overall, this latest grand jury report was “positive by omission,” since many issues mentioned in last year's report didn't arise in this latest report.
Brock Falkenberg now holds Hillix's old job.
“I think things are going well,” said Geck.
All of the ROP programs got a 15 percent cut in 2008-09 and are looking at another 5 percent cut for 2009-10. Geck said he hopes the programs aren't further reduced.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Lake County’s joint fire and Air Quality Management District’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987.
Air Quality Management District officials reported that the program has greatly contributed to the community’s superior fire safety and air quality.
Burn permits are required for all burning in the Lake County Air Basin. Contact your local fire protection agency for a burn permit or the Lake County Air Quality Management District to obtain a smoke management plan.
A smoke management plan is required for all burns over 20 acres in size, multi-day burns, standing vegetation burns, and whole tree or vine removals over an acre.
A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued. Agricultural and residential burn permits, as well as smoke management plans, are $22 and land development/lot clearing burn permits are $68.
Only clean, dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot, a burn location that is located at least 100 feet from all neighbors and 30 feet from any structure.
Lot clearing burns require special permits available at your local fire agency. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during the allowed burning hours. Read your “burn permit” carefully and follow all the conditions.
Each day of the burning season is designated as a “no burn day,” a “limited burn day,” or a “permissive burn day.”
On “no burn days” all open burning is prohibited, unless an exemption has been given for a specific burn. Burning is generally allowed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only on permissive burn days. Read your permit for allowed hours of burning.
To determine the daily “burn day” status, use the contact information found on your issued burn permit. Consider using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services or composting as an alternative to burning leaves.
Contact your local fire safe council for chipping information. For south county go to www.southlakefiresafecouncil.org or your local fire station, for all other areas of the county call 707-279-2968.
The law requires that an able-bodied adult supervise all fires. Burning even a small amount of illegal material can result in toxic ash and smoke that contain cancer-causing substances and contribute to other health problems. Burning prohibited materials can also result in significant fines. Some people have smoke allergies and/or respiratory problems and their health is degraded by even small amounts of smoke.
Please be considerate of your neighbors. A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others and you can be liable for fines and other costs associated with your burning.
Lake County Air Quality Management District thanks the community for its cooperation this fire season.