CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Code enforcement complaints and concerns about water use led to police identifying and eradicating a large illegal marijuana grow this week.

The Clearlake Police Department said its officers served a search warrant on Tuesday at a residence in the 2800 block of Pamela Lane.

After the service of the warrant, approximately 921 marijuana plants in four separate “hoop houses” were seized, police said.

No one was located at the residence at the time of the search warrant service, however, police said investigators have identified a potential suspect and the investigation is ongoing.

The department said complaints were received about this property from citizens and Code Enforcement was alerted.

One of the major concerns of the citizens was the amount of water being used to irrigate the marijuana as the main source of water in the area supplied by ground wells.

Based on the size of the grow it was determined that the operation was possibly a large-scale illegal commercial growing operation, and the investigation was turned over to detectives with the Clearlake Police Department’s Investigations Bureau.

There are no signs that anyone lived on the property, police said.

Police discovered that the subjects were stealing power from the utility company. The stolen power was used to power numerous pumps, lights and fans inside the growing operation.

There were unprotected power lines and outlets with large amounts of brush around the grow which was an additional fire hazard. The power was disconnected from the property, police said.

There were additional signs that the property had been used for marijuana production for several months before the execution of the warrant. Police said there were no indications that this marijuana grow was for medical purposes.

Anyone with information regarding this marijuana grow is encouraged to call Det. Leonardo Flores at 707-994-8251, Extension 315.

 

Summer means cookouts, picnics and backyard barbecues. But a generous spread of food eaten outside raises some serious health questions. Nobody wants food poisoning – or to make their guests sick. But how do you know when you’ve kept the potato salad or fruit medley out too long?

As a professor and chair of the Food Science and Human Nutrition program at Iowa State University, I’ll answer those questions by starting with the basics of food safety.

Two general classes of food-related microorganisms exist. Pathogenic organisms make you sick. Other types of organisms make food look, smell and taste bad – in other words, they make food spoil.

It’s usually pretty easy to tell if spoilage microorganisms have invaded your food. Molds and fuzzy growth appear on solid foods. Liquids look cloudy or clumpy and often smell bad. Eating spoiled foods is never a good idea, and you’re smart to err on the side of caution. When in doubt, throw it out.

Cutting boards and kitchen thermometers

Pathogenic microorganisms in foods are much more stealthy. These microorganisms are the ones that cause cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and chills – symptoms that people associate with the “stomach flu.” Viruses also cause food-borne illness. Typically, detecting pathogens in foods by smell or sight isn’t possible. So proper handling and storage, and knowing when to toss leftovers, is critical.

The first rule of food safety is to keep preparation areas clean. Developing a routine helps. Always wash your hands before handling food. Make sure you thaw meats in the refrigerator, not on the countertop. Otherwise, as the frozen meat sits at room temperature, its outer surfaces warm faster than the interior. This allows pathogens to multiply.

Don’t use the same cutting board for meat, fruits and vegetables. In my kitchen, a red cutting board is for meat; the green one for fruits and vegetables. Use different knives, plates and utensils for the raw meats, and always put cooked meats on a clean plate.

Never rinse off raw meat or chicken in the sink, because that practice spreads bacteria on kitchen surfaces. Actually, there’s no need to rinse meat and chicken before cooking. But, if you insist, sanitize the sink with an antibacterial cleaning after moving the food away. That’s “after” – be sure not to contaminate any foods with the cleaner.

Any pathogens will be destroyed by fully cooking the meat to the recommended temperatures. Invest in a good kitchen thermometer. Although recommendations can vary slightly, you basically want an internal temperature of 160 F (71 C) for beef and pork, 165 F (74 C) for poultry, and 145 F (63 C) for fish and ham. Once food is cooked, keep hot foods at 140 F (60 C) or higher. When transporting or serving foods over a period of time, keep cold foods on ice or in a cooler, especially during the hot summer months.

Dealing with leftovers

After the meal is over, don’t let the leftovers linger. Move them into the refrigerator quickly.

As a newlywed, I spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws’ home in northern Minnesota. After dinner, they took all the serving dishes – turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes – and put them on the screened porch for storage. It was probably less than 20 F (-6 C) degrees outside – but still, that’s not a great idea because weather changes quickly and temperatures will fluctuate, leading to risk of pathogen growth.

My husband also believed foods should cool down on the counter before putting them in the fridge; he said it reduced stress on the refrigerator. This is not necessary and increases the risk for food pathogens. Modern refrigerators are fully capable of cooling warm foods quickly while maintaining their internal temperatures, so don’t hesitate to put away those leftovers as soon as possible.

Now, with the fridge full of leftovers, how long are they good to eat? Most cooked foods are safe to consume within three to four days. After that, contamination risk increases. If you have more leftovers than you can eat in that time frame, put them in the freezer. Be sure to cook leftovers to 165 F (74 C) before eating.

Baked goods like breads, cakes, pies and cookies made in your kitchen will have a shorter shelf life than store-purchased items because yours are without preservatives. They will become stale, lose their texture sooner and grow mold. Once you see that, toss the whole thing out rather than try to cut away the contaminated spots. While it’s unlikely to cause severe illness, some bread molds produce toxins that might cause problems, particularly for children or the elderly.

Foods with higher moisture content spoil faster because water gives bacteria a chance to grow. So carrot cakes or zucchini bread spoil within about five days. Refrigerate these items, and you’ll increase their shelf life. Pies should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within three to four days. Cookies are typically low in moisture, except those containing fruit, jam or icing. Keep these types of cookies in the refrigerator and discard if they start to grow mold.

As you get ready for your summer get-togethers, keep in mind that reducing food waste is good for both the environment and your budget, so consider portion sizes and the quantity you’re making to better manage leftovers. And remember that proper handling as you prepare and then store your meals will make sure you and your family enjoy your cookouts, parties and reunions without a food-related illness.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter.]

Ruth S. MacDonald, Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it has arrested a Clearlake woman for setting small fires in the Lower Lake area.

Kayla Renee Main, 32, was arrested on Sunday night, said Lt. Rich Ward.

Ward said that deputies responded to the 9000 block of Lake Street in Lower Lake at 9:25 p.m. Sunday for a report of an unknown female setting fires in the area.

Radio reports from Sunday night indicated the fires were being set in the area of the Lower Lake Cemetery.

When the deputies arrived at the scene, Ward said they contacted witnesses in the area who directed them to the north of their location where they found three partially extinguished fires.

The fires were approximately 50 feet from each other and approximately 12 square feet in size with a large amount of embers, Ward said.

Personnel from Lake County Fire Protection District soon responded and assisted in extinguishing the fires. Ward said no structures or outbuildings were damaged by the fires.

Deputies remained in the area and contacted a female adult, later identified as Kayla Main. Ward said deputies noticed Main was holding a butane lighter in her hand.

Suspecting Main may be responsible for setting the fires, deputies asked if she had any involvement with the fires being started, Ward said.

Ward said Main initially told deputies she did not, but later admitted to starting the fires by accident.

Main stated she was attempting to locate her cellphone and while doing so, she dropped her cigarette which caused the fire. Ward said Main admitted knowing the grassy area was extremely dry and would potentially catch fire due her dropping a lit cigarette.

Main was taken into custody for felony arson of property, Ward said.

Deputies learned Main was on formal felony probation out of Lake County and added a felony probation violation charge, Ward said.

Ward said Main was transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked on the charges.

An investigator from the Lake County Fire Protection District assisted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office with the arson investigation, Ward said.

Booking records showed that Main, whose occupation is listed as In-Home Supportive Services worker, remained in custody on Wednesday, the same day that she was due to make a court appearance.

Anyone with additional information pertaining to this case is encouraged to contact Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Detective Richard Kreutzer at 707-262-4200 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have arrested a Clearlake Oaks woman who they said is responsible for a Sunday evening fire that destroyed numerous structures.

Tori Elizabeth Brannon, 49, was taken into custody on Monday morning, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Lt. Richard Ward said that at approximately 5:52 p.m. Sunday, deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist the members of the Northshore Fire Protection District with evacuations related to a structure fire in the 60th block of Hoover Street in Clearlake Oaks.

Deputies remained in the area while fire personnel extinguished the fires, Ward said.

Five structures and six outbuildings were damaged or destroyed as a result of the fire, he said.

On Monday at approximately 9:54 a.m., Ward said deputies were dispatched to the 60th block of Hoover Street for a report of a woman walking up and down the street shouting at neighbors in regards to the fire that occurred the previous night.

Deputies contacted a neighbor in the area that reported their neighbor, Tori Brannon, was shouting she did not owe anyone an apology for starting the fire the previous night, Ward said.

Ward said Brannon also made statements she would burn down all of the neighbors’ homes before leaving the area.

Deputies searched the area and contacted Brannon at a nearby business. Ward said Brannon told deputies she was attempting to dispose of old gasoline by pouring it on the ground and soaking it up with an old blanket.

Brannon said she attempted to put the gas-soaked blanket into a trash bag when a Bic lighter she was holding in her hand spontaneously sparked and ignited the blanket, causing the fire to get out of her control, Ward said.

Ward said Brannon said the flames blew up in her face and she began shouting for someone to call 911.

Deputies and an investigator from the Northshore Fire Protection District continued to receive voluntary statements from Brannon and consent to search and collect evidence, Ward reported.

He said deputies established probable cause to arrest Brannon on felony charges of unlawful starting of a fire resulting in destruction of an inhabited structure, and unlawful starting of a fire during a state of emergency.

The value of the combined property loss and damage was estimated at approximately $613,500, Ward said.

Ward said Brannon was transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked on the charges.

Booking records said Brannon, whose occupation is listed as counselor, made her first court appearance on Monday.

A bail enhancement was requested from a Lake County Superior Court judge and granted in the amount of $500,000, Ward said.

Anyone with additional information pertaining to this case is encouraged to contact Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Det. Richard Kreutzer at 707-262-4200 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With Lake County’s COVID-19 case rate surpassing every other California county and continuing to climb, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution urging community members to take extra precautions by continuing to wear masks while indoors at public places.

The action puts Lake in the company of several Bay Area counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma — as well as the city of Berkeley, who are recommending that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places as an extra precautionary measure.

Last week, Los Angeles County reinstituted its mask mandate, requiring masking indoors for everyone, as cases there began to rise.

These actions come more than a month after California fully reopened following 15 months of shelter in place orders, lockdowns and business closures.

On June 15, the same day as the state's official reopening, the California Department of Public Health issued guidance that says face masks are not required for fully vaccinated individuals except under narrowly prescribed circumstances.

However, in recent weeks COVID-19 cases have begun to rise again across the state, with the highly transmissible Delta variant quickly spreading and making its way into more communities, including Lake County.

Last week, Sarah Marikos, Lake County’s epidemiologist, told the board that testing positivity and the case rate were rising. At that time, Lake County’s daily case rate, over a seven-day average, was 10.3 cases per 100,000, the highest daily case rate in the state.

District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska brought the resolution urging the public to continue masking in indoor settings to the board as an extra item on Tuesday morning.

She explained in her memo to her fellow supervisors the worsening COVID-19 conditions. “After the posting of our agenda, I learned that our case rate per 100,000 is the highest of all California counties at 17. The state average is 6.9. In addition, at 11.8%, our testing positivity rate is more than twice the state average of 4.9%.”

By late Tuesday, that daily case rate had climbed higher still, to 20 per 100,000, far surpassing other counties in the state, according to data posted on the California Department of Public Health’s COVID-19: California Case Statistics website.

Lake County’s confirmed cases totaled 3,820 on Tuesday, with 135 cases active and 64 deaths, the Lake County Public Health Department reported.

Public Health also reported that Lake County’s weekly cases are at the highest numbers since the end of January.

At the same time, county health statistics show only 51% of residents are fully vaccinated.



Board supports action

The board voted unanimously to add Pyska’s resolution to the agenda and then brought it back for discussion about an hour after the start of the meeting.

“In the last week we’ve watched our case rate and our positivity rate go up quite significantly in our county,” Pyska said.

She said it’s time to go the extra mile to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

“All we’re asking is that you consider wearing a mask when you’re indoors in a public setting. And that is just the simplicity of this resolution. It is not a mandate. We’re not taking this conversation any further,” she said.

Pyska added, “This is a time when we need to have our guard up and this is a real situation our country is dealing with.”

There was public comment that began to be a back and forth more about the COVID-19 vaccine than masking as a precautionary measure.

When some speakers invoked words such as “genocide” and censorship,” Supervisor EJ Crandell indicated his frustration, as his Pomo ancestors in Lake County actually survived genocide attempts.

He took issue with people throwing around those words, similar to how Supervisor Moke Simon — a member of Middletown Rancheria — had voiced his offense at COVID-19 vaccine being compared to a method of genocide last week by a member of the public.

Supervisor Tina Scott thanked Pyska for bringing the proposal forward. “It’s been a really rough year and a half,” said Scott.

Scott said now is the time for people to protect those around them, and questioned how people can be so selfish.

Simon said we’re still in the pandemic. He urged those who aren’t going to get the vaccine to please wear face masks.

Pyska offered the resolution after a discussion that ran a little more than 20 minutes, with the board voting 5-0.

The resolution can be viewed below.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Resolution Urging the Public to Continue to Wear Masks in Indoor Public ... by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — For the first time in 16 months, the Lakeport City Council returned to its chambers on Tuesday evening for an in-person meeting.

About half a dozen people, other than staff and council members, were in the mostly empty chambers on Tuesday evening.

It was the first time that freshmen council members Michael Green and Michael Froio took their place on the dais alongside their colleagues.

Green and Froio were elected in November and took office in December, being sworn in virtually and meeting via Zoom since then.

Tuesday night’s meeting did not see the entire council in attendance, however. While Froio, Green, and council members Stacey Mattina and Mireya Turner were back in their seats — all of them unmasked, as were city staff — Mayor Kenny Parlet attended by Zoom.

After the meeting was called to order and the Pledge of Allegiance took place, Parlet launched into a statement decrying the larger COVID-19 response and how he is unable to travel and do other things because he refuses to wear a mask and has not taken the vaccine.

Parlet’s comments were apparently in response to the city’s requirement that those who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 were required to wear a face covering at the meeting, in accordance with state guidance — particularly revised Cal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards.

“My liberty has been taken away,” said Parlet, who made a passing comment that suggested he had COVID-19 last year.

He said he would attend the meetings on Zoom rather than coming into the chambers and having to wear a mask. “I remain brave enough to go without a shot and a mask,” even if he has to go it alone, Parlet said.

Supervisor Tina Scott gave the council a short update during public comment about the Board of Supervisors’ unanimous passage earlier in the day of a resolution to urge community members to mask while at indoor events. It’s an action other counties and cities across the state also are taking.

“Our numbers are skyrocketing here in Lake County,” said Scott, who was herself wearing a mask. She added that it’s up to each person to do the right thing.

In addition to Parlet not being present on Tuesday night, the meeting also was missing the presence of the Lakeport Police Department’s new K-9, Olin, who along with handler, Officer Kaylene Strugnell, had been scheduled to meet the council.

The young German shepherd is Lakeport Police’s first K-9 since 2009, when K-9 Max retired. He and Strugnell started working together last month.

Chief Brad Rasmussen told Lake County News before the meeting that Strugnell and Olin were unable to make it and their appearance will be rescheduled to another meeting.

Closing out grant funding, discussing police use of force

The council’s return to the chambers was an otherwise short meeting that ran just over 40 minutes, during which council members voted to close out a grant, addressed general plan-related issues and discussed police use of force.

On the agenda was a public hearing on closing out Community Development Block Grant funding under grant contract 14-CDBG-9883.

Finance Director Nick Walker presented the item to the council, explaining the funding had been used for completing the Lakefront Revitalization Study, issuing five loans totaling nearly $400,000 and contributing $153,593 toward the nearly $300,000 Carnegie Library Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility projects. Walker said all projects are now complete.

The council voted unanimously to approve closing out the grant, which has been underway for several years, and direct staff to submit the final close out documents to the state.

Community Development Director Jenni Byers presented a resolution to approve an amendment to the safety element of the general plan, which she said can be found on the city website. The council also unanimously approved that item.

In police business, Chief Rasmussen discussed with the council the Lakeport Police Department’s 2021 Use of Force Analysis Report, which is on page 83 of the agenda packet.

Like all California police agencies, the Lakeport Police Department must report to the state Department of Justice all incidents where the use of force by an officer resulted in serious bodily injury to a subject, Rasmussen reported.

He said they transmit that data as it happens, and what he presented to the council was his department’s internal analysis of the incidents it reports to the Department of Justice.

The information doesn’t have to be released publicly but Rasmussen said he thinks it’s important for the community and the council to know what the police department is using to reduce such incidents.

From 2018 to 2020, the incidents have steadily declined, by 50% each year. Rasmussen said there were four in 2018, two in 2019 and one in 2020.

As a result of the analysis, Rasmussen said they had identified future internal training recommendations relating to firearms and de-escalation, among other topics. He doesn’t believe the department has critical equipment needs.

Rasmussen said he doesn’t believe law changes reduce use of force incidents. “It takes constant training and the right policy.”

He explained during the discussion that he established a department policy requiring staff to conduct this analysis for the use and betterment of its personnel.

Mattina said that when she’s talked to Rasmussen in the past about such incidents, he’s said it came down to a lack of training. She commended him for going above and beyond to address the matter. “Well done.”

Parlet said Rasmussen always seems to be ahead of the curve and lauded him for “exemplary action.”

“I could not be happier with you as our chief,” Parlet said.

Turner moved to receive and file the report, which Mattina seconded and the council approved 5-0.

In the last item of business for the night, the council appointed Turner to act as the voting delegate at the League of California Cities annual conference, which will be held Sept. 22 to 24. Mattina will be the first alternate and Froio the second.

During wrap up comments at the meeting’s end, City Manager Kevin Ingram said the situation with meetings remains dynamic, with Walker having handled the hybrid meeting operation on the computer. Ingram said he would keep everyone informed if changes to the format are needed.

“So happy to be back in this room,” he said.

Mattina said she was happy to see everyone’s face.

Green, responding to Parlet’s comments at the top of the meeting, took the opposite view about the pandemic’s impacts.

“When people make choices to not vaccinate, there are consequences,” said Green.

Part of the consequences now, he suggested, are that masking up is necessary and the city needs to amend its policies, noting that the emerging Delta variant is very transmissible.

While Green said he was grateful the community is past the worst of the first wave, there are plenty of warning signs about second and third waves.

“So buckle up,” he said, adding he appreciates those who did get vaccinated.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

072021 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd