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Marco Antonio Meza, 17, is facing a murder charge for the April 6 shooting death of 18-year-old Luis Suarez of Santa Rosa, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Brady of the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.
It's alleged that Meza shot Suarez in a driveby shooting, Brady said.
Meza was arrested by the Santa Rosa Police Department April 8 after being taken in for questioning with another man, 20-year-old Santa Rosa resident Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza was arrested on a parole violation.
A suspected Sureno gang member, Meza entered no plea during an appearance in Sonoma County Superior Court on Friday, Brady said.
The teenager, who Brady said will continue to be housed at Sonoma County's juvenile detention center despite being tried as an adult, is scheduled to return to court on Friday, April 17.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN – The South Lake County Fire Protection District has a new piece of equipment in its arsenal.
On April 8, the district took delivery of a new Office of Emergency Services engine identified as OES-359.
This new engine was provided to the South Lake County Fire Protection District to utilize in response to California’s ever-increasing threat of fire and earthquake related emergencies.
The Office of Emergency Services provides the engine free of charge with the agreed upon understanding that should a catastrophic emergency arise within the State of California the South Lake County Fire Protection District will provide the staffing needed to respond.
The fire district can use the engine to augment its existing apparatus inventory in an effort to quell the threat of fire and other related emergencies locally.
“Our Fire District has been providing this needed staffing since 1971 upon signing our first agreement with Office of Emergency Services,” said Fire Marshal Dave Miinch. “Much appreciation goes out to our paid call fire staff who answer the call of duty when an emergency arises in the state of California. Several times each year this engine will be called upon to respond to emergencies and without the help of our Paid Call Fire Staff that wouldn’t be possible.”
This most recent delivery provided what is known as a Type I Fire Engine and a Type III Urban Search and Rescue Unit.
The new unit has the capability of delivering 1,250 gallons a minute with a tank capacity of 850 gallons of water. It carries specialized equipment, which can be utilized in the search and rescue of victims during earthquake emergencies and other related disasters.
“It’s one of the finest pieces of rescue apparatus I’ve seen in my fire service career of 22 years,” said Miinch. “The California Office of Emergency Services should be commended for providing such a quality piece of fire apparatus to protect the people of California from the threat of fire and other related disasters.”
Earlier this year the Water Board proposed new regulations under AB 885 (2000) that, among several new requirements, would have made regular inspections of septic systems mandatory.
After encountering severe opposition from septic system owners at a dozen workshops across the state, the Water Board decided to withdraw its proposals and start over. New proposed regulations are expected to be announced later this year.
The Committee will also take action on three proposed bills related to AB 885 at Tuesday’s hearing.
The Committee hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Room 444 at the Capitol Building.
LAKE COUNTY – Travel around Clear Lake and one towering view commands center of attention – Mt. Konocti.
While visible to so many people, few have actually experienced the spectacular views from the top – wide panoramas of Clear Lake and the Mayacamas, distant glimpses of Lake Berryessa and the Sutter Buttes. On a clear day, one can even see Mt. Lassen.
Lake County now has the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire 1,520 acres, putting much of the mountain top into public hands for perpetuity.
The ultimate goal – to link the County and Bureau of Land Management-owned land with Clear Lake State Park, making it possible to develop access from Clear Lake to the top of Mt. Konocti. Public donations through September will benefit the acquisition and allow the future purchase of additional properties.
Efforts to raise funds to assist with the purchase of Mt. Konocti are gaining momentum.
To assist in the fundraising effort, the Konocti Project Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to the “preservation, exploration and protection of Mt. Konocti,” is sponsoring a raffle drawing to be held at the upcoming Heron Festival at Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville
Kevin Kealey, currently managing the Konocti Project, and a group of volunteers have assembled a wonderful collection of prizes from local businesses and organizations.
“A number of people and businesses really stepped forward to help in our fundraising efforts,” said Kealey. “The prizes donated truly showcase the unique qualities that make Lake County special, from local award-winning wines to mini-ecotours and a winemaker’s dinner.”
Prize drawings will be held during the annual Heron Festival on April 26, 3 p.m. at the Mt. Konocti Acquisition Booth. Raffle tickets will be available for sale both days of the festival, with a donation of $10 for a book of five tickets.
Prizes include:
– Top of Mt. Konocti vehicle-guided tour with brown-bag lunch for four, sponsored by Lake County Department of Public Services.
– Winemaker dinner for eight people at the Rolling Knolls Vineyard in Lower Lake, from Shannon Ridge Vineyards.
– Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) Wine Cellar Collection of fine wines from Six Sigma, Gregory Graham, Tulip Hill, Wildhurst, Brassfield, Rosa d'Oro, Jeff Smith of Dusinberre Cellars and Langtry Estates.
– Lake County wine picnic basket with an assorted collection of Lake County wines provided by the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
– Tasting sampler of fine Lake County wines for four persons at Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake.
– Free one-day rental of a pontoon boat that holds eight people from the General Store at Clear Lake State Park.
– Guided kayak trip for two persons into either Anderson Marsh or down to Cache Creek Dam, provided by Herb Gura.
– Top-of-Mt. St. Helena vehicle-guided tour with brown-bag deli lunch for two person, sponsored by Pete McGee.
– Guided bird-watching eco-hike in Clear Lake State Park or Rodman Slough with Brad Barnwell.
– Inflatable Advanced Elements two-person kayak system from AirKayaks.
The public is encouraged to support the fundraising effort. Raffle tickets are available at the following locations:
Wild About Books, 14290 Olympic Drive, Suite A, Clearlake.
PennySaver, 14913 Lakeshore Blvd., Clearlake.
Shannon Ridge Tasting Room, 12599 East Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks.
Wildhurst Tasting Room, 3855 Main St., Kelseyville.
Watershed Books, 305 N. Main St., Lakeport.
Six Sigma Winery, 13372 Spruce Grove Road, Lower Lake.
Lake County Visitor's Center, 6110 E. Highway 20, Lucerne.
Lake County Wine Studio, 9505 Main St., No. 1, Upper Lake.
Raffle tickets can also be purchased online at www.PreserveKonocti.org/KonoctiProject or mail a check to Konocti Project, Inc. P.O. Box 3369, Clearlake, CA 95422. Please include your name, mailing address and phone number and $10 for each raffle book of 5. The tickets will be mailed to you. Deadline for tickets to be sent out by mail is 4/20. Details on the prizes can also be seen on the website.
All proceeds benefit the Mt. Konocti Acquisition Fund. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win, but must be 21 years or older to participate. The raffle drawing is sponsored by The Konocti Project, Inc. a 501c-3 nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and protection of Mt. Konocti.
For more info on the organization or raffle, contact Kevin Kealey at 707-994-1967 or email
Details on the Heron Festival and weekend events can be found at www.heronfestival.org/.
Researching this week’s column has given me a change of heart about the direction of my life, and I would like to announce my turn to a life of crime.
After all, my entire life has been spent as a law-abiding citizen, with the occasional speeding ticket being my biggest peek into the dark side of the law. Throughout my short existence I have saved more lives than I can even remember, and worked with many charities and community organizations in any way I can.
Why do I bring this up? Because evidently a life of crime will make you more infamous and, in a way immortal, than being an altruistic person.
Benmore Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) is named after Benjamin Logan Moore, a resident of Lake County in the mid-1800s. His claim to fame was being a cattle rustler and horse thief, but he also was so cruel to his wife that she finally ran away from him in the middle of winter with their infant son and reached her destination with bloody frostbitten bare feet. His wife was from one of the Lake County tribes, and to this day the Moore name continues down to their tribal ancestors here in the county.
Moore spent the better part of his life as a criminal and eventually left the US for South America to escape prosecution. He allegedly died down there but the details are sketchy as to how or when.
He used what is now the Benmore AVA as a hideout and grazing land for his ill-gotten herd, which was an ideal location. Due to its remoteness and altitude, he could see anyone approaching the land long before they were a danger and he could slip away.
This lifestyle has benefited him to the score of nine Lake County landmarks that are or were once named after him, not including places that were named in conjunction with him. For example, Ben Moore was one of the three bachelors that lived in Bachelor Valley for a time.
The Benmore Valley AVA was established in 1991 by Vinmark Inc. The only vineyard in the valley was owned by the Trione family of Geyser Peak Winery. They grew Chardonnay vines on the valley floor and sides.
The Benmore Valley AVA is a small valley in western Lake County just north of Highway 175. The entire valley itself is only 1,440 acres in size. Many descriptions state that it lies on the southwestern corner of Lake County, but as most local people can confirm it is the western edge but more in the center of the county. With the unusual way our county is laid out both descriptions could be considered accurate.
It is not only a unique micro-climate from the rest of the county, it sits at 2,400 feet elevation with the mountains surrounding it averaging 2,800 feet.
Some descriptions represent it as being more of a depression in the mountains than as an actual valley. The valley is unique from other valleys of Lake County by having ample water from run off, groundwater, a creek and three manmade lakes. The valley floor was once a lake itself and contains alluvial soils.
This ample water and deeper soil is good for commercial agriculture, which seems to be an exact opposite environment of the other Lake County official AVAs, which sit on top of dryer, thinner soils that are the home to most vineyards. However the sides of the valley need to be irrigated and a massive irrigation system was installed at one time.
The unique environment of Benmore Valley is compounded by fact that the growing season starts later than the rest of the region. For instance, while the average last frost date in Napa is in March, the Benmore Valley’s is late May. I spoke to several people about the valley and growing grapes there, but listening to them talk was like listening to a veteran talk about being in a war.
Growing grapes in the Benmore AVA is very much like a war, and turning the valley into a vineyard would be like turning Clear Lake into a prime shark fishing destination. Sure, it could be done, but it shouldn’t be done.
Frost is such a problem in Benmore Valley that there have been years when it has occurred on the forth of July. Just in case it needs to be said, grapes absolutely hate frost and need to be protected from it. If you are a winery or vineyard that has to worry about frost year round, you can understand why a farmer in that situation would sound like he’s suffering from shell-shock.
The growing season in Benmore is so short that sometimes harvests would have to take place as late as November, and the grapes sometimes wouldn’t reach their peak in flavor. Only Chardonnay grapes were grown there and they didn’t like the climate at all. It’s thought that there may be some European grape varietals that might like the climate and do well in the AVA, but California varietals don’t. It may be possible to grow Sauvignon Blanc grapes on the hillsides, but results would be iffy at best.
The soil is described as “fair to good, at best,” so although the property is beautiful it isn’t good vineyard land. My personal opinion about putting a vineyard in the Benmore Valley is that it was a case of falling love with the idea of having a vineyard on a property before putting in the necessary research to see if it could work as a vineyard. Ah! How many of us have tried to change something that couldn’t be changed? I know my wife is still trying!
Geyser Peak used the grapes from the Benmore AVA for a while, and some even went to Korbel and Kendall Jackson, but in the end the work to raise the vines in the valley was too difficult. The valley floor is just too cold and the soil doesn’t have anything remarkable for the vines to survive in it.
The Triones sold the property a few years ago, most of the vines have been pulled out, and though there are some recreational facilities in the valley for vacation rental and hunting facilities, the purpose that Benjamin Moore originally used the area for is its purpose now: cattle grazing land; and according to some of the people I spoke to, that is all that it is really good for.
There are only about 10 acres of chardonnay vines still left on the property, and those are used by individuals for personal winemaking. While grapes are still growing in the valley, they are slowly but surely being removed or dying off and won’t be replanted. Essentially, Benmore Valley AVA as a commercial grape growing region is effectively dead.
I have high hopes for the cattle grown there and would love to see the Benmore Valley supply prime cattle from a cattle rustler’s infamous valley. Excuse the obsequiousness but I’m just trying to promote the cattle from the valley of my compatriot in crime. We criminals have to stick together.
So I am off on my life as a womanizing, drunken, sinful criminal, and hopefully if I have the follow-though to become the new Snidely Whiplash your grandchildren will be going to Ross A. Christensen High School, or your wine will made in the Ross AVA. Maybe I could take a short cut and not actually live a life of crime, but instead run for senator …
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community.
Don’t drive drunk …”
Stevie Wonder, circa 1984
A few season’s ago when my son was a senior in high school, his school partnered with local law enforcement and emergency agencies and presented a great public awareness program around the hazards of drunk driving.
We simulated (I say we because I was a parent volunteer) a fatal drunk driving accident complete with a wrecked car, student actors and real props including a Medvac helicopter, fire trucks, California Highway Patrol and Lake County Sheriff's personnel. It was a quite impressive dramatic presentation – so powerful that real tears were shed in its wake.
Later during graduation week, great pains were taken by the school and booster club to insure that Sober Grad night was indeed a sober affair. Again, I was a parent volunteer, and stayed up all night long chaperoning and supervising as our senior teens frolicked in ritual celebration without the social lubrication of alcohol and drugs at a local business that was equipped to handle the affair.
Nonetheless, since that class has graduated there have been at least a couple of alcohol- or drug-related real fatalities involving teenaged peers of that same class. Again, real tears were shed. Memorial flowers are still left at the scene of one of the fatalities that occurred at least three years ago.
Thrust into the role of investigative journalist through simple dialogue with students and parents alike, I was astounded and perplexed to learn of some incongruous allegations involving students, parents and, dare I say, law enforcement as well.
The first thing I learned was that the teens of today are pretty hip when it comes to circumventing the law around intoxication. They know how to use the designated driver concept to the max.
The second thing I learned was that there seemed to be private parties every weekend that were chaperoned by parents who allowed underage drinking at these events. Frequently the revelers would simply crash all night long at the party site which diminished the probability that these young’uns would be out behind the wheels of automobiles.
The third piece of information that was laid upon me was the assertion of the unwritten, look-the-other-way code by law enforcement. My sources implied that if an officer made a stop of a vehicle that contained inebriated minors, they would be cut loose as long as the driver was not under the influence. Hmm … These are deep allegations that permeate the very social order or lack thereof in the county of Lake. Part of the problem is the lack of activities for young folks here.
There certainly is talk and money being bandied about for the revitalization of Lake County. Catchphrases like county plan and redevelopment corridor of Lucerne and other neighborhood projects costing millions of dollars. Strange that it seems with all these monied, revitalization talks, there is not much evidence of jobs for young people here. There has been heavy resistance to drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education in this county. The old NIMBY routine. You know, not in my backyard!
Meanwhile, the crank that has been cooked here through generations continues to be cooked. Ganja farms possibly legal and hugely illegal proliferate. Seems like our priorities are pretty skewed.
This piece kinda started out as a dialogue about the hazards of underage drunkenness. Seems as though the issue(s) are much larger and more interrelated than just that. Where have all the Mothers Against Drunk Driving gone? Or the parents against drunken societal decisions? Or the connected societal big ol’ boys who skirt the law and laugh all the way to the … can I say bank? They shoot banks, don’t they? With apologies to Elvis and Otis Blackwell, we are all shook up here.
Goin’ out with a little Curtis Mayfield. Why don’t you check out your mind? Been with you all the time
Have a blessed Easter.
Keep prayin’, Keep thinkin’ those kind thoughts!
*******
Upcoming cool event:
Tallman Hotel/Blue Wing Saloon “Concert with Conversation” Boogie Woogie Queen Wendy DeWitt, Friday April 24, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 9520 Main St., Upper Lake. 707-275-2233.
T. Watts is a writer, radio host and music critic. Visit his Web site at www.teewatts.biz.