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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service is reporting chances of early April rain beginning this weekend.
The forecast calls for warm and dry weather across the region Wednesday afternoon through at least Saturday.
Temperatures for the remainder of the week are expected to range into the high 70s during the day and the high 40s at night, with light winds of up to 9 miles per hour.
Beginning on Sunday, the forecast calls for chances of showers, continuing into Tuesday.
Over the weekend and into early next week, temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler, topping out in the low 60s in the day and low 40s at night, the National Weather Service reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The forecast calls for warm and dry weather across the region Wednesday afternoon through at least Saturday.
Temperatures for the remainder of the week are expected to range into the high 70s during the day and the high 40s at night, with light winds of up to 9 miles per hour.
Beginning on Sunday, the forecast calls for chances of showers, continuing into Tuesday.
Over the weekend and into early next week, temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler, topping out in the low 60s in the day and low 40s at night, the National Weather Service reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are investigating a fatal early morning house fire in Clearlake Oaks that claimed the lives of three people.
Lt. Rich Ward of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that at 8:14 a.m. Monday deputies were dispatched to the 700th block of Bass Lane in Clearlake Oaks for a reported structure fire.
Deputies arrived and spoke with personnel from the Northshore Fire Protection District and learned that fire personnel responded to the structure fire at approximately 7:30 a.m., Ward said.
Upon firefighters’ arrival, the structure was fully engulfed in flames. Once the fire was contained, fire personnel suspected there may have been victims trapped within the residence, Ward said.
Ward said deputies canvassed the area and spoke with several residents. They learned a family of three lived within the home where the structure fire had occurred and the family’s vehicles were still present.
Deputies remained on scene until the remains of the structure were safe to search. Ward said the deputies recovered the remains of two suspected male adults and one female adult.
He said potential next of kin have been notified, however, the victims’ identities are pending a forensic examination.
The autopsies are anticipated to be performed later this week, but the positive identification of the victims could take several weeks, Ward said.
The Northshore Fire Protection District remains the primary investigating agency to determine the cause and origin of the fire, Ward said.
He said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office or the North Shore Fire Protection District.
Lt. Rich Ward of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that at 8:14 a.m. Monday deputies were dispatched to the 700th block of Bass Lane in Clearlake Oaks for a reported structure fire.
Deputies arrived and spoke with personnel from the Northshore Fire Protection District and learned that fire personnel responded to the structure fire at approximately 7:30 a.m., Ward said.
Upon firefighters’ arrival, the structure was fully engulfed in flames. Once the fire was contained, fire personnel suspected there may have been victims trapped within the residence, Ward said.
Ward said deputies canvassed the area and spoke with several residents. They learned a family of three lived within the home where the structure fire had occurred and the family’s vehicles were still present.
Deputies remained on scene until the remains of the structure were safe to search. Ward said the deputies recovered the remains of two suspected male adults and one female adult.
He said potential next of kin have been notified, however, the victims’ identities are pending a forensic examination.
The autopsies are anticipated to be performed later this week, but the positive identification of the victims could take several weeks, Ward said.
The Northshore Fire Protection District remains the primary investigating agency to determine the cause and origin of the fire, Ward said.
He said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office or the North Shore Fire Protection District.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County tribes are set to receive Indian Housing Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
On Thursday, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced $450 million in Indian Housing Block Grants is being distributed to Indian tribes across the country to respond to COVID-19.
Of that total amount, $31 million will go to California tribes, HUD said.
“With the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, President Biden is making a clear statement that the Federal Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to communities hardest hit by the pandemic,” Secretary Fudge said in the announcement. “HUD understands the significance of our responsibility to serve American Indian and Alaska Native families, and the Department is dedicated to working in a government-to-government manner with Tribes to quickly bring much-needed relief to Tribal communities.”
This funding will be used to help tribes carry out affordable housing activities to protect the safety and health of their tribal members and communities, the agency said.
Indian Housing Block Grants primarily benefit low-income American Indian and Alaska Native families. HUD said the amount of each grant is based on a formula that considers local needs and housing units managed.
Eligible activities for the funds include housing development, operation and maintenance, modernization of existing housing, housing services to eligible families and individuals, housing management services, crime prevention and safety activities, and model activities that provide creative approaches to solving affordable housing problems in Indian Country, according to the HUD announcement.
All seven of Lake County’s tribes are receiving funding in this round of allocations.
Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians will receive the largest funding amount, $352,499.
“The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians will be utilizing the funds from HUD to address housing needs, housing-related issues, and issues directly related to the pandemic,” the tribe said in a statement issued to Lake County News.
Robinson Rancheria will receive $255,128; the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, $120,302; Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, $106,222; Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians, $91,299; Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians, $48,302; and Koi Nation of Northern California (Lower Lake), $35,007.
Sherry Treppa, Habematolel’s tribal chair, said the tribe has developed programs around utilities assistance and home repairs and she believes the new round of funds likely will be used that way, but a formal decision hasn’t been made.
While this latest federal funding has specific requirements, the tribe last year was able to reach out into the community to offer assistance from the federal CARES Act.
Treppa said the tribe created its own CARES Act to assist first responders and educators to address costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Habematolel gave $10,000 to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, $25,000 to the Northshore Fire Protection District and $30,000 to the Upper Lake Unified School District, Treppa reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council has approved new five-year employment services agreements with both the city manager and police chief.
The council unanimously approved the new contracts for City Manager Alan Flora and Police Chief Andrew White at its March 18 meeting.
The contracts can be found from page 51 to 72 in the agenda packet below.
Flora, who previously worked in the Lake County Administrative Office and as the county of Mendocino’s assistant chief executive officer, was hired as Clearlake’s assistant city manager and finance director in the spring of 2018. The council hired him as the city manager in March 2019.
White joined the city in July 2018, coming from the city of Suisun. He has an extensive background in both policing and technology.
City Attorney Ryan Jones went before the council to propose the new contract with Flora.
Jones said Flora had one more year on his original contract, and so the proposal was to replace that old contract with a new five-year contract, “which is a good length.”
The new contract increases Flora’s monthly pay by 7.5 percent to $13,785.63, or a total annual salary of $165,427.56.
Flora would receive a 3 percent raise each July 1 beginning in 2022 based on a favorable evaluation from the city council and the Local Economic Benchmark exceeding audited revenues from fiscal year 2019-20, Jones said.
There was no public comment before Councilman Russ Cremer moved to approve Flora’s new contract, with Councilwoman Joyce Overton seconding and the council approving it 5-0.
Flora, in turn, presented White’s proposed new contract to the council.
White has “served admirably” as police chief and made a number of improvements in the police department, Flora said.
White’s original contract was set to expire in July. Flora said he had discussed with White his interest in staying on with the city longer, and he agreed to the new contract’s terms.
The new contract for White also is for five years. It would also give White a 7.5-percent increase, bringing his monthly salary to $12,647.37 or $151,768.44 annually.
Like the city manager contract, White’s new contract also would give him an annual 3-percent salary increase starting on July 1, 2022, based on a good review from the city manager and the city meeting the Local Economic Benchmark.
There was no public comment. Cremer moved to approve the contract, with Overton seconding and the council voting unanimously.
Mayor Dirk Slooten said he’s so happy the city has a good team, joking that the city has Flora and White tied down for five years so they can’t leave.
Both of the new contracts go into effect immediately.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The council unanimously approved the new contracts for City Manager Alan Flora and Police Chief Andrew White at its March 18 meeting.
The contracts can be found from page 51 to 72 in the agenda packet below.
Flora, who previously worked in the Lake County Administrative Office and as the county of Mendocino’s assistant chief executive officer, was hired as Clearlake’s assistant city manager and finance director in the spring of 2018. The council hired him as the city manager in March 2019.
White joined the city in July 2018, coming from the city of Suisun. He has an extensive background in both policing and technology.
City Attorney Ryan Jones went before the council to propose the new contract with Flora.
Jones said Flora had one more year on his original contract, and so the proposal was to replace that old contract with a new five-year contract, “which is a good length.”
The new contract increases Flora’s monthly pay by 7.5 percent to $13,785.63, or a total annual salary of $165,427.56.
Flora would receive a 3 percent raise each July 1 beginning in 2022 based on a favorable evaluation from the city council and the Local Economic Benchmark exceeding audited revenues from fiscal year 2019-20, Jones said.
There was no public comment before Councilman Russ Cremer moved to approve Flora’s new contract, with Councilwoman Joyce Overton seconding and the council approving it 5-0.
Flora, in turn, presented White’s proposed new contract to the council.
White has “served admirably” as police chief and made a number of improvements in the police department, Flora said.
White’s original contract was set to expire in July. Flora said he had discussed with White his interest in staying on with the city longer, and he agreed to the new contract’s terms.
The new contract for White also is for five years. It would also give White a 7.5-percent increase, bringing his monthly salary to $12,647.37 or $151,768.44 annually.
Like the city manager contract, White’s new contract also would give him an annual 3-percent salary increase starting on July 1, 2022, based on a good review from the city manager and the city meeting the Local Economic Benchmark.
There was no public comment. Cremer moved to approve the contract, with Overton seconding and the council voting unanimously.
Mayor Dirk Slooten said he’s so happy the city has a good team, joking that the city has Flora and White tied down for five years so they can’t leave.
Both of the new contracts go into effect immediately.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
City Council Regular Meeting Packet 03-18-21 by LakeCoNews on Scribd
In honor of the men and women who served during the Vietnam War, the state of California will commemorate “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” on Tuesday, March 30.
The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, claimed the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. service members, including 5,822 Californians.
In Lake County, there are 2,268 Vietnam, said County Veteran Service Officer Saul Sanabria.
In a proclamation issued on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the commemoration pays tribute to the brave men and women who selflessly answered our nation’s call.
“Despite their harrowing sacrifices – many suffering for the rest of their lives from the physical and mental wounds of war – our veterans did not receive the support and gratitude owed them upon returning home, a shameful reality we vow to never repeat. California is proud to stand by our veterans and is steadfastly committed to connecting them and their families with the benefits they have earned many times over, through education, advocacy and direct services,” the proclamation said.
It concluded, “Today, we reaffirm one of our most fundamental obligations as citizens of this great country: to honor those who have served and those who continue to serve with the respect, care and gratitude they profoundly deserve.”
The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, claimed the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. service members, including 5,822 Californians.
In Lake County, there are 2,268 Vietnam, said County Veteran Service Officer Saul Sanabria.
In a proclamation issued on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the commemoration pays tribute to the brave men and women who selflessly answered our nation’s call.
“Despite their harrowing sacrifices – many suffering for the rest of their lives from the physical and mental wounds of war – our veterans did not receive the support and gratitude owed them upon returning home, a shameful reality we vow to never repeat. California is proud to stand by our veterans and is steadfastly committed to connecting them and their families with the benefits they have earned many times over, through education, advocacy and direct services,” the proclamation said.
It concluded, “Today, we reaffirm one of our most fundamental obligations as citizens of this great country: to honor those who have served and those who continue to serve with the respect, care and gratitude they profoundly deserve.”
Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders’ likelihood of landing back behind bars.
On a more hopeful note, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-ordered supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and, arguably, better able to deter them from criminal backsliding.
The findings, published March 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show, on average, a 13% decrease in recidivism among the clients of parole and probation officers who participated in the UC Berkeley empathy training experiment.
“If an officer received this empathic training, real-world behavioral outcomes changed for the people they supervised, who, in turn, were less likely to go back to jail,” said study lead and senior author Jason Okonofua, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley.
The results are particularly salient in the face of nationwide efforts to reduce prison and jail populations amid a deadly pandemic and other adversities. The U.S. criminal justice system has among the highest rates of recidivism, with approximately two-thirds of incarcerated people rearrested within three years of their release and one-half sent back behind bars.
“The combination of COVID-19 and ongoing criminal justice reforms are diverting more people away from incarceration and toward probation or parole, which is why we need to develop scalable ways to keep pace with this change,” said Okonofua, who has led similar interventions for school teachers to check their biases before disciplining students.
How they conducted the study
At the invitation of a correctional department in a large East Coast city, Okonofua and graduate students in his lab at UC Berkeley sought to find out if a more caring approach on the part of court-appointed supervision officers would reverse trends in recidivism.
Among other duties, parole and probation officers keep track of their clients’ whereabouts, make sure they don’t miss a drug test or court hearing, or otherwise violate the terms of their release, and provide resources to help them stay out of trouble and out of jail.
For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 200 parole and probation officers who oversee more than 20,000 people convicted of crimes ranging from violent crimes to petty theft. Research protocols bar identifying the agency and its location.
Using their own and other scholars’ methodologies, the researchers designed and administered a 30-minute online empathy survey that focused on the officers’ job motivation, biases and views on relationships and responsibilities.
To trigger their sense of purpose and values, and tap into their empathy, the UC Berkeley survey asked what parts of the work they found fulfilling. One respondent talked about how, “When I run across those guys, and they’re doing well, I’m like, ‘Awesome!’” Others reported that being an advocate for people in need was most important to them.
As for addressing biases — including assumptions that certain people are predisposed to a life of crime — the survey cited egregious cases in which probation and parole officers abused their power over those under their supervision.
Survey takers were also asked to rate how much responsibility they bear, as individuals and members of a profession, for their peers’ transgressions. Most answered that they bore no responsibility.
Ten months after administering the training, researchers found a 13% decrease in recidivism among the offenders whose parole and probation officers had completed the empathy survey.
While the study yielded no specifics on what prevented the parolees and people on probation for reoffending in the period following the officers’ empathy training, the results suggest that a change in relationship dynamics played a key role.
“The officer is in a position of power to influence if it’s going to be an empathic or punitive relationship in ways that the person on parole or probation is not,” Okonofua said. “As our study shows, the relationship between probation and parole officers and the people they supervise plays a pivotal role and can lead to positive outcomes, if efforts to be more understanding are taken into consideration.
Co-authors of the study are Kimia Saadatian, Joseph Ocampo, Michael Ruiz and Perfecta Delgado Oxholm, all at UC Berkeley.
Yasmin Anwar writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
On a more hopeful note, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-ordered supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and, arguably, better able to deter them from criminal backsliding.
The findings, published March 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show, on average, a 13% decrease in recidivism among the clients of parole and probation officers who participated in the UC Berkeley empathy training experiment.
“If an officer received this empathic training, real-world behavioral outcomes changed for the people they supervised, who, in turn, were less likely to go back to jail,” said study lead and senior author Jason Okonofua, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley.
The results are particularly salient in the face of nationwide efforts to reduce prison and jail populations amid a deadly pandemic and other adversities. The U.S. criminal justice system has among the highest rates of recidivism, with approximately two-thirds of incarcerated people rearrested within three years of their release and one-half sent back behind bars.
“The combination of COVID-19 and ongoing criminal justice reforms are diverting more people away from incarceration and toward probation or parole, which is why we need to develop scalable ways to keep pace with this change,” said Okonofua, who has led similar interventions for school teachers to check their biases before disciplining students.
How they conducted the study
At the invitation of a correctional department in a large East Coast city, Okonofua and graduate students in his lab at UC Berkeley sought to find out if a more caring approach on the part of court-appointed supervision officers would reverse trends in recidivism.
Among other duties, parole and probation officers keep track of their clients’ whereabouts, make sure they don’t miss a drug test or court hearing, or otherwise violate the terms of their release, and provide resources to help them stay out of trouble and out of jail.
For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 200 parole and probation officers who oversee more than 20,000 people convicted of crimes ranging from violent crimes to petty theft. Research protocols bar identifying the agency and its location.
Using their own and other scholars’ methodologies, the researchers designed and administered a 30-minute online empathy survey that focused on the officers’ job motivation, biases and views on relationships and responsibilities.
To trigger their sense of purpose and values, and tap into their empathy, the UC Berkeley survey asked what parts of the work they found fulfilling. One respondent talked about how, “When I run across those guys, and they’re doing well, I’m like, ‘Awesome!’” Others reported that being an advocate for people in need was most important to them.
As for addressing biases — including assumptions that certain people are predisposed to a life of crime — the survey cited egregious cases in which probation and parole officers abused their power over those under their supervision.
Survey takers were also asked to rate how much responsibility they bear, as individuals and members of a profession, for their peers’ transgressions. Most answered that they bore no responsibility.
Ten months after administering the training, researchers found a 13% decrease in recidivism among the offenders whose parole and probation officers had completed the empathy survey.
While the study yielded no specifics on what prevented the parolees and people on probation for reoffending in the period following the officers’ empathy training, the results suggest that a change in relationship dynamics played a key role.
“The officer is in a position of power to influence if it’s going to be an empathic or punitive relationship in ways that the person on parole or probation is not,” Okonofua said. “As our study shows, the relationship between probation and parole officers and the people they supervise plays a pivotal role and can lead to positive outcomes, if efforts to be more understanding are taken into consideration.
Co-authors of the study are Kimia Saadatian, Joseph Ocampo, Michael Ruiz and Perfecta Delgado Oxholm, all at UC Berkeley.
Yasmin Anwar writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.