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CLEARLAKE OAKS – A Clearlake Oaks woman died as the result of a single-vehicle collision Saturday afternoon.
The California Highway Patrol reported Monday that the 49-year-old woman, whose name has not yet been released pending family notification, was the driver in the crash. Two passengers traveling with her also were injured.
A report from CHP Officer Adam Garcia stated the woman was driving her 2004 Pontiac westbound along Highway 20 just east of Beryl Way at approximately 12:39 p.m. Saturday when the accident occurred.
For reasons that aren't known, the driver was unable to negotiate a curve to the left, Garcia's report stated.
Garcia reported the car went off the highway's north edge and collided with a rock retaining wall, which caused major inward crush to the vehicle's passenger compartment.
Passenger Michelle Reidle, 45, of Clearlake Oaks sustained minor injuries, according to CHP Officer Josh Dye. A third person in the vehicle, a 16-year-old girl, received major injuries, Dye reported.
All three of the vehicle's occupants were wearing their safety belts, according to Garcia's report.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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SPRING VALLEY – Fire protection, water, emergency preparedness and community identity proved to be the top issues at a Saturday town hall meeting held for the Spring Valley community.
About 50 people gathered for the afternoon meeting, hosted by District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, at the Spring Valley Community Center on Wolf Creek Road.
It was the fourth town hall meeting that Rushing has organized so far this year for the communities she represents throughout District 3.
During Saturday's meeting, the valley's residents made it very clear to officials that they view themselves as a unique and separate community, and not part of Clearlake Oaks.
Rushing was once again joined at the town hall meeting by county officials including county Administrative Officer Kelly Cox and Deputy Redevelopment Director Eric Seely, who gave updates on county projects. Also on hand was Northshore Fire Protection District Chief Jim Robbins.
Much like some other Northshore communities, Spring Valley is concerned about water.
Mark Dellinger, who heads up the county's Special Districts – which includes Spring Valley's Community Service Area 2 water district – couldn't attend Saturday's meeting.
However, Karen Hanson, Special Districts' administrative manager, attended and was available to answer questions about water bills and the district's budget.
Hanson said she has already compiled Special Districts' preliminary budget for the coming year. Included it in, she said, will be a way to track the money spent on special projects, such as improving the water system.
Special Districts is currently exploring several funding sources – from state to federal loans and grants – in order to improve Spring Valley's treatment plant, she said. Along with that, she said, Dellinger is looking at different treatment plant options.
In addition, Hanson reported that Special Districts has so far installed 182 new water meters in Spring Valley, with 117 more to go. She said a test of the old water meters showed inaccuracy levels of as much as 27 percent, with the meters actually underreporting usage.
Hanson reported that since 1997 the district's unbilled water costs due to those inaccuracies amounted to $350,205.
Fire and emergency preparedness were major discussion topics, with Monte Winters, the District 3 volunteer coordinator for the local Office of Emergency Services, discussing how to be prepared for emergencies in the valley.
That theme was echoed by Rushing and Robbins. In particular, concerns for fire were noted several times, with Roberts saying that fire is the valley's No. 1 expected disaster.
Preparation in dealing with fire should always be a No. 1 issue in Lake County as a whole, said Robbins.
Area residents were concerned about use of the fire rings at the Spring Valley campground during the dry summer season. Robbins explained that while burn bans are managed by the county, campfire permits are managed by a state agency, and the two aren't connected.
During his five years leading the Northshore Fire District, Robbins said he hasn't seen actual problems with actual campfires at the campground, although there have been separate issues with teens and bonfires.
When Rushing asked whether the community wanted to have the campground shut down for the summer to prevent fire issues, there was little support. The room also was split on banning campfires altogether.
In other fire-related news, Robbins said that Northshore Fire recently completed a weed abatement ordinance requiring that weeds be kept down to no more than 4 inches in height on vacant parcels and land during the summer.
The district is starting a database to track owners of vacant lots, Robbins said. If the owners don't keep down the weeds, Robbins said the district will have the weeds mowed and the owners will be billed.
Robbins also addressed the issue of how to evacuate the valley's 300 families in case of an emergency.
Citing the example of a large fire in the valley a few years ago, Robbins said New Long Valley Road -- the main path into the valley – would likely only be shut down for a few hours in such an instance. However, he said, creating an evacuation plan is still critical to the valley's residents.
Old Long Valley Road may offer another route out of the valley, said Robbins, an issue that he said needs to be further explored.
"I feel a little unsafe with you really having only one way out of here," said Robbins.
Rushing said she had Public Works Director Gerald Shaul conduct an assessment regarding access routes out of Spring Valley, as well as likely emergencies.
The two most likely emergencies, said Rushing, are fire and landslides. She said Shaul also said the bridges in the valley need to be evaluated, because some of them may not be able to hold fire trucks responding to emergencies.
A fire-related emergency, said Rushing, "may well be the most important issue in this valley, and it can happen at any time."
During an open forum for questions, residents asked Rushing about a variety of issues, including use of Lake Transit and ways to deal with ATVs.
Rushing said Lake Transit hasn't yet found a cost-effective way to offer public transportation to valley residents. She said she would pass along a suggestion from the meeting that Lake Transit provide service to the valley a few days a week so that residents can make shopping trips to nearby towns.
At Rushing's request, Spring Valley resident Helen Mitchell gave an update on a community plan to set up a Neighborhood Watch-type group called Rapid Responders to address security issues at the campground.
Mitchell said she also is working with Sheriff Rod Mitchell to deal with ATV riders who are destructive at the campground, and would like to set up a special permit process for ATV riders who obey rules.
Another town hall meeting is planned for Blue Lakes, but Rushing said no date has yet been set.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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ANDERSON SPRINGS – The Anderson Springs area has had another sizable earthquake in a week's time, with a 3.4 magnitude earthquake hitting the area Sunday.
The quake was recorded at 6:06 a.m. at a depth of 1.3 miles, according to the US Geological Survey. It was centered two miles northwest of Anderson Springs, three miles south of Cobb and four miles east of The Geysers.
The quake was immediately preceded by a 2.0 magnitude quake centered three miles west northwest of Anderson Springs.
A 4.4 magnitude quake hit near The Geysers last Tuesday.
In recent weeks, seismic activity has increased around the county, with larger quakes seen in the areas around The Geysers, as well as across the county near Lake Pillsbury.
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NORTHSHORE – Nearly 5,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers were out of power Saturday evening due to conditions connected with a controlled burn.
Susan Simon, a spokesperson for PG&E, said heavy smoke from a controlled burn on the northwest side of Bachelor Valley affected electrical transmission lines, causing the outage at approximately 5:11 p.m.
Simon said 4,891 PG&E customers in Nice, Lucerne and the west side of Upper Lake were affected.
Power was restored to all affected customers by 8:56 p.m., said Simon.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS – A single-vehicle accident Saturday resulted in one person's death.
A small red sedan went off the road and into a retaining wall below a residence located along Highway 20 outside of Clearlake Oaks early Saturday afternoon.
Fire and California Highway Patrol officials at the scene of the accident reported that three people had been in the vehicle, with one of them seriously injured and another one pronounced dead at the scene.
Traffic was being directed around the accident scene as CHP investigated the scene and rescue crews finished with cleanup.
A final CHP report detailing the cause of the accident and the victims has not yet been released.
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THIS STORYHAS BEEN UPDATED.
BARTLETT SPRINGS – An accident Saturday on the main road to Bartlett Springs resulted in major injuries for occupants in both cars.
California Highway Patrol incident logs reported that that a two-vehicle head-on collision – a pickup versus an SUV – took place at 5 p.m. on Bartlett Springs Road.
Ryan Lapp of Lodi, driving a 2000 Kia Sportage, collided head-on with a 1994 Ford Explorer driven by Caleb Sehnert of Williams, according to CHP Officer Josh Dye.
Both victims suffered serious facial injuries, according to the CHP incident logs.
Dye said Lapp was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Dye said, while Sehnert was taken to UC Davis Medical Center.
According to the incident logs, CHP requested a blood draw because a driver was suspected of driving under the influence.
Dye confirmed that alcohol was a factor for both drivers.
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