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“This extension allows tribes to continue along the path toward self-sufficiency and economic development,” Sen. Dodd said. “Also, it gives the state more time to negotiate long-term agreements that will benefit the state, employees and patrons.”
Many California tribes entered 20-year gaming compacts with the state that were briefly extended and set to expire on June 30.
However, Sen. Dodd’s legislation, Senate Bill 898, grants an additional 18-month extension to 26 tribes and a one-year extension to three tribes.
The bill was approved by the Senate with bipartisan support Monday after passing the Assembly on Friday. The bill heads to Gov. Newsom for his signature.
The following tribes are affected by this legislation:
Alturas Indian Rancheria
Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California
Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California
Bishop Paiute Tribe
Blue Lake Rancheria
Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria
Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria
Cahuilla Band of Indians
Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation
Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation
Cher-ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria
Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk
Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria
Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
Hopland Band of Pomo Indians
Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria
Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma & Yuima Reservation
Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California
Pit River Tribe
Redding Rancheria
Resighini Rancheria
Robinson Rancheria
Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria
Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
Table Mountain Rancheria
Bill Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said its officers placed Adryan J. Segura, 27, under arrest after the wreck.
Segura’s passenger who died was identified as 28-year-old Amy Maurie Walker-Allen, said Lauren Berlinn of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The CHP’s report on the crash said Segura was driving his 2017 Honda northbound on Westlake Road from the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff at 12:50 a.m. on Sunday.
Based on the investigation so far, the CHP said that as Segura was driving, he made an unsafe turn which caused his vehicle to go off the road and down a grassy embankment.
The Honda hit a driveway and wire fence at the bottom of the embankment, the CHP said.
Walker-Allen, who was riding in the front passenger seat and wearing a seat belt, died of her injuries at the scene, the CHP said.
Segura, who also was wearing his seat belt, suffered major injuries, according to the CHP report.
After a DUI investigation, the CHP said Segura was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol before being transported to the hospital for treatment.
Radio reports indicated he was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s landing zone and then taken by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Editor’s note: The CHP issued a corrected report after the initial publication of this article stating that Walker-Allen was, in fact, wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. This article has been updated with that new information.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
In the June primary, Anthony Farrington, a former county supervisor, is challenging incumbent District Attorney Susan Krones, who is seeking a second term.
The Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association had decided earlier this month to remain neutral in the race after interviewing both Farrington and Krones, said association President Gary Frace.
The Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association did not interview the candidates and hadn’t intended to offer an endorsement, said President Rachel Abelson.
On Saturday, Lake County News published a letter to the editor from Farrington.
Frace and Abelson told Lake County News over the Memorial Day weekend that a specific statement made by Farrington in his letter was untrue and that, as a result, it was a tipping point for them, resulting in both associations formally endorsing Krones.
In the letter, Farrington wrote of Krones’ performance, “Another red flag for voters is the fact that despite her 29 years of experience as a prosecutor she has not received one formal endorsement from law enforcement. For these reasons, I could no longer remain idle and decided that I wanted to do something to effect change.”
“The reality of it is, she has the support of our law enforcement. she always has. We just tried to stay neutral,” said Frace.
Frace said his response to Farrington’s statement was, “Come on, man, really? Just don’t play dirty,” and to run a good campaign and let the best person win.
The deputies’ association board, representing close to 65 members, discussed the matter on Saturday and decided to endorse Krones. “It wasn't a hard decision” based on what was said in the letter, Frace said.
Frace cited Krones’ service in the military and nearly 30 years of service to Lake County, and the hard work she puts into her job as reasons the association supports her. He said her dedication to the District Attorney’s Office and Lake County “is pretty amazing.”
He added, “I know Susan. She loves this county. She loves being a prosecutor.”
He said he has no desire to bad-mouth Farrington. “We just feel that Susan would be the better choice for the county.”
Abelson said in a response letter that Krones has her association’s support as well as that of former members and other law enforcement.
She said she’s concerned about Farrington’s lack of knowledge about the office, adding that he has no idea how the criminal justice system works.
Abelson said Farrington’s letter published on Saturday “has particularly aggravated the attorneys in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office,” because it suggests law enforcement doesn’t support Krones.
“The real issue is that many in law enforcement are afraid to support anyone out of fear of retaliation,” Abelson said.
In a Monday interview with Lake County News, Abelson said Farrington’s letter had caused extreme irritation for many people in local law enforcement.
“You don't want retribution,” she said, but she felt something needed to be done.
She said Farrington has not done any outreach to her association. “I don’t think anybody would have supported him.”
Abelson said the public defenders don’t want to get involved but they don’t support him either. “They understand that what he says is absolutely ridiculous.”
She is critical of former District Attorney Don Anderson, who four years ago decided to make a run for Superior Court judge, ultimately losing to Shanda Harry.
“When Don was elected it was kind of shocking to me and we dealt with it because we had Rich,” she said of Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who also has written two highly critical letters about Farrington.
“I just can’t imagine doing this again,” Abelson said of adjusting to a new district attorney without the needed experience.
Frace said he called to tell both Krones and Farrington of the deputies association’s decision.
Krones “was almost speechless. She was very excited and very grateful,” Frace said.
In an email, Krones told Lake County News, “I am thrilled and humbled by the DSA endorsement. I work closely with the LCSO Deputies and Investigators every day. I know how dedicated they are to their jobs and I greatly appreciate their support.”
Frace said Farrington said he understood and was respectful. Frace said he explained to Farrington why the association took the action in response to the statements in the letter.
In response to a request for comment from Lake County News, Farrington asked if the association had said what part of his letter caused them to endorse Krones, to which this reporter responded that it was regarding the statement about no law enforcement endorsing Krones.
“I stand by my factual comments as contained in my letter to the editor; and I make no apologies to the Lake County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for providing factual information to the public,” Farrington wrote. “After interviewing both candidates on April 20, 2022, the DSA formally announced that their organization would be remaining neutral for this election. If the DSA leadership now wants to publicly support Ms. Krones one week before the election for me speaking the truth, then that’s their prerogative.”
He also sent a screenshot of a May 4 Facebook post made by the association which states:
“The Lake County DSA would like to thank Susan Krones and Anthony W. Farrington for their time and participation in our interview process.
“It was a difficult decision, but we have elected to neither endorse or oppose either candidate. As we also represent the District Attorney Investigators, we have opted to remain neutral in this instance.
“We encourage citizens to make an effort to educate themselves and vote for the candidate they feel will best serve our community. DA Krones has served this country and our county with distinction for decades, and will continue to do so if re-elected. On the same note, Mr. Farrington has a great deal of legal and political experience and has a fantastic vision for the future of the District Attorney’s Office if elected.
“On behalf of the Lake County DSA membership, we would like to wish DA Krones and Mr. Farrington the best of luck with their campaigns,” the statement concluded.
The race between Farrington and Krones has been one of the most hotly contested of this campaign season.
Lake County News has published numerous letters to the editor about the campaign, many of them faulting Farrington for, among other things, a lack of prosecutorial experience and for targeting people who have been given temporary housing in local motels through state housing grants made available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In turn, Farrington and his supporters have said they want change because they don’t believe Krones and her staff have done a good enough job of prosecuting criminal cases and seeking harsher sentencing for crimes.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lake County native and graduate of Clear Lake High School has graduated from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine with honors.
Stephanie Rasmussen, 29, formerly of Lakeport, received the school’s highest academic and leadership medal at its commencement ceremonies on May 13.
The School of Medicine Medal is presented to the student who best displays the qualities of leadership, scholarship and respect for human life necessary to fulfill a physician’s pledge to be of service to humanity.
Rasmussen was a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, received the AMWA Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement, and was selected as the outstanding student in both gastroenterology and pharmacology.
She was among the 126 candidates in the class of 2022 receiving the Doctor of Medicine degree.
The 51st commencement ceremony took place at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for Performing Arts in Davis, the first in-person commencement since 2019.
The daughter of Lakeport Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen and Karyn Rasmussen, Stephanie Rasmussen graduated from Clear Lake High School in 2011 as the valedictorian of her class, where she served as student body president and a member of the Interact Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakeport.
Her extracurricular activities included 15 years of studies and performances with Antoinette’s School of Dance.
“The educational support from teachers and the programs in the Lakeport schools, particularly Clear Lake High School, helped set me up for success in both college and graduate school,” she noted in attributing her academic success.
Rasmussen’s higher education began with a scholarship to Dominican University of California where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2014. Her Master of Science degree in biology from Dominican was awarded in 2017.
With a focus on malaria research during her six years at Dominican, Rasmussen spent three summers in Uganda studying mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance. She continued her work until entering medical school in 2018.
Rasmussen will begin her residency program at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in June.
Her primary work will occur at Bellevue Hospital, the oldest hospital in the United States, founded in 1736. The hospital provides health care for individuals regardless of their ability to pay, handling over one million visits per year.
The commencement ceremony can be watched here. Rasmussen’s award is given at the 1:01:45 mark in the video.
The council will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 2, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom or can attend in person.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 1 p.m. Thursday, June 2.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of
staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
The council will hold a public hearing to consider an appeal of the city’s hearing officer’s order, who denied an appeal of an order to abate for the property located at 14525 Lakeshore Drive.
At its April 7 meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve a contract with Chernoh Excavating to demolish and abate the structures at 14525 Lakeshore Drive, the former Sunflower restaurant.
The building previously had been known as the Lakeshore Inn, and was once a popular night spot.
The city deemed it a health and safety hazard and a public nuisance in December 2018 and issued an abatement order on April 29, 2021.
In May 2021 the city opened bids to demolish the structures and the council was prepared to award the contract on staff’s recommendation in July when Roopa Shekar, who purchased the property in June, contacted the city and asked for the chance to renovate the property.
The council took no action on the demolition contract in July in order to give Shekar a chance to comply with the abatement orders.
In April, the council approved the latest version of the demolition contract and, later that month, the city held a hearing to consider Shekar’s appeal. The city’s hearing officer decided on May 9 to uphold the abatement order and to deny the appeal.
That led to Shekar appealing to the city council.
The city has faulted Shekar for not meeting the requirements in a timely fashion, including failing to submit engineered plans to work on the building before seeking permits, as she recently did in attempting to reroof the building.
Shekar, in turn, told Lake County News that she has tried to meet the requirements but has struggled to find architects and contractors who could do the work in the tight timeline the city has established.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Although government spending on the child welfare system totaled US$33 billion in 2018, the most recent year for which an estimate is available, it’s still failing to meet all children’s needs because of overwhelming demand.
Abuse and neglect investigations, foster care and the other activities and services that comprise the child welfare system can harm children and the rest of their families. Communities of color are the most susceptible to this damage: 37% of all children – including 53% of African American children – experience a child protective services investigation by the time they turn 18.
We have conducted extensive research, including policy analysis, program evaluations and interviews with child welfare staff, parents and youths. It has left us alarmed that a series of federal measures aiming to solve the system’s deep problems has failed to do so.
More progress, in our view, will require a more robust safety net and the authorities taking a more constructive approach to supporting parents of children deemed to be experiencing neglect or abuse.
Making life harder
Many child welfare policies actually make life harder for the parents and children swept up in the system.
One egregious example is authorities’ placing children in foster care and billing parents for its cost. This practice, which happens in every state, can obstruct and delay family reunification.
State systems also have taken the Social Security survivors benefits of some children in foster care not to support those kids but to finance the child welfare system’s operations. This is reportedly happening in 36 states and the District of Columbia.
And there are accounts of deeply engaged parents who say they were essentially forced to surrender custody to the state so their child could get mental health care services they could not afford.
Neglect can reflect poverty
The authorities receive reports on more than 3 million of the nation’s 74 million children under 18 every year for suspected child abuse or neglect, with the government determining about 620,000 to be victims.
Child neglect, which accounts for 76% of these victims, is far more prevalent than child physical or sexual abuse. Its prevalence is often a direct reflection of poverty in cases in which parents cannot afford to maintain a home, buy food or pay for essential utilities like power and water.
Although homelessness is not an official rationale for authorities to remove children from their parents, in practice it is very hard to provide for children’s needs when homeless.
There are also times when the burdens of chronic poverty exacerbate other parental risk factors, like mental health conditions, substance use, domestic violence and criminal justice involvement – all of which can contribute to the maltreatment of children in complex ways.
Government support falls short
Only about 1 in 5 U.S. families with children below the poverty line receive benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the main social welfare program designed to alleviate poverty in that demographic.
Spending on this program has declined by at least 40% since its establishment in 1996, and the benefits range widely from state to state. The maximum monthly amount of support for a family of three runs as low as $215 in Alabama and as high as $1,098 in New Hampshire.
Lower-income families, as well as those in the middle class, got as much or more money from the government to assist with the economic upheaval that accompanied the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning with a series of economic stimulus payments.
Child tax credit expansion
The Biden administration also expanded the child tax credit to give most U.S. families $3,000 for each child from age 6 to 17, and $3,600 for those under 6. Families obtained half the money in six monthly payments from July to December 2021, with the rest of the money delivered as a lump sum at tax time in 2022.
There are many signs that the child tax credit expansion sharply and quickly reduced child poverty in 2021. But Congress let the program lapse, even as a surge in inflation has taken an especially large toll on the lowest-income Americans. An estimated 17% of U.S. children lived in poverty in February 2022, according to Columbia University researchers.
Millions of the lowest-income American parents are no longer eligible to get all or even any of the child tax credit. That was also the case before this brief expansion, because of the way it was originally structured.
Restoring a monthly payment approach that benefits all families in poverty, as the Biden administration proposes, would improve the circumstances of most of the families whose children are in foster care or otherwise receiving child welfare services.
Another helpful approach would be boosting federal funding for child care, as Jacob Lew and Robert Rubin, two former Treasury secretaries, have proposed.
Constructive ways to engage parents
We’ve found that nearly all parents, including those facing allegations of abuse and neglect, can protect their children and wish to do so.
Parents who are dealing with the child welfare system often need more money than they are getting from low-wage jobs, TANF and other government benefits. What’s more, many have stressful relationships with friends and relatives whose support in the form of child care and other resources can be inconsistent.
We’ve also observed that it helps when authorities engage parents as partners committed to the well-being of their own kids.
For example, there are peer mentoring programs for parents that are building trusting and supportive relationships. One such example is Minnesota One-Stop for Communities Parent Mentor Program, a grassroots nonprofit developed by African American mothers.
In addition, child welfare agencies have established parental advisory boards in 26 states. These are panels of parents who have had their own children put into foster care or experienced child welfare investigations, who relay feedback informed by their lived experiences to the authorities.
New policies encourage family unity
To be sure, Congress has taken steps to improve the child welfare system over the course of several decades, including measures it has passed since 2008.
Most recently, lawmakers passed the Family First Prevention Services Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in 2018. The measure mandates that federal funds can be used for only the first two weeks of group care placements, with few exceptions, and authorities must try harder to see if children can safely remain with their own families.
That legislation built on earlier measures that have incrementally aimed to make child welfare more family-focused.
By 1980 state authorities had to make “reasonable efforts” to prevent children from entering foster care unnecessarily, and to reunite them with their families if they should end up with a foster family anyway.
Another law Congress passed in 2011 emphasized family reunification services, including peer-to-peer mentoring and support groups for parents.
All this legislation has prompted states and localities to try new strategies that support families better. But until the government significantly steps up benefits for low-income families with children, we believe it’s likely that the prevalence of child abuse and neglect will remain unacceptably high.
Astraea Augsberger, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Boston University and Mary Elizabeth Collins, Professor of Social Welfare Policy, Boston University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.