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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The city of Clearlake this week temporarily closed its Andy Johnson Memorial Skate Park in order to repair damage caused by vandalism, which the city manager said has become an ongoing problem.

City Manager Alan Flora said the Lakeshore Lions Club generously donated a brand-new gazebo to the park last month.

Since then, vandals have repeatedly damaged the gazebo, which Flora said has necessitated continual repairs.

Flora said the community and the city have invested heavily in Austin Park and the Public Works crew has been working hard to make Austin Park and the Andy Johnson Memorial Skate Park a destination our community can be proud of, “so it is extremely disappointing when things like this happen.”

He said repairing the damage from vandalism takes parks funds and the parks crew’s time away from other improvements they are working on.

“We need the community to respect our public facilities so all can enjoy them. We know it’s likely that one or two bad actors are spoiling the use of the skate park for the majority, and that’s disappointing, so please share any available information on those responsible,” he said.

Flora updated the Clearlake City Council about the situation at the Thursday night council meeting.

He said the Lions had to make repairs within the first week of the gazebo being in place.

Due to the repeated vandalism, Flora said the skate park has been closed for two weeks while repairs to the gazebo take place.

He called the situation “very frustrating.”

The park is public property, paid for by everyone. “It’s something that we should respect and pick up after ourselves and treat nicely,” he said.

Also frustrating for the city is that, while generally the community has been understanding of the situation, he said a number of adults associated with the park have shown “some extremely disturbing behavior.”

He said he’s received “a fair amount of correspondence” via fax and other methods – which he didn’t want to show at the meeting – threatening a number of things unless the skate park is opened again.

“This is extremely disappointing,” Flora said. “The city will not be bullied into opening the skate park so that it can be vandalized again.”

Flora said the park will remain closed for two weeks. “After that, we will open it again to see how it’s treated.”

If there is more vandalism, the city will close the skate park again, probably for a longer period of time, Flora said.

“We are working on some camera solutions for that area as well as other areas of the park,” said Flora, referring to the greater Austin Park facility.

Because of being a government agency, he said the city has requirements about using cameras and retaining the footage. He said Police Chief Andrew White is working on the camera matter.

Following the meeting, Flora shared with Lake County News some of the messages he’s received, which included disturbing images of pornography and racist language, a Donald Trump cartoon showing the former president making hand gestures associated with white supremacy and a picture of Adolf Hitler giving the Nazi salute.

Anyone who sees vandalism occurring in the city parks is asked to contact the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week took the next step in the process of acquiring a new headquarters for the sheriff’s office.

In January, the board had given staff approval to finalize plans to swap a 15.5-acre county-owned property at 15837 18th Ave. in Clearlake for the Lakeport National Guard Armory at 1431 Hoyt Ave., which is being vacated after the guard unit consolidated with another one, as Lake County News has reported.

The state would have the Clearlake property developed with 100 new affordable housing units while the county plans to use the former armory as the new headquarters for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which currently is headquartered in an aging facility at 1220 Martin St. in Lakeport.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Deputy County Administrative Officer Susan Parker reviewed the board’s previous actions and updated the supervisors on the actions taken by the planning commissions for the county and the city of Clearlake to find the plan to be in conformance with the county and city general plans, respectively.

Parker said the board first needed to declare the Clearlake property surplus and its intent to exchange the property with the state by adopting two proposed resolutions.

The second action was to authorize County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson to negotiate, execute and implement the property exchange agreement with the state of California, Parker said.

“This looks very straightforward,” said Board Chair Bruno Sabatier.

Sabatier asked if it was the final step or if there would be other potential steps in the near future for the swap.

Parker said the county was waiting for a draft exchange agreement from the state to review and negotiate.

Sabatier followed up by asking if Parker had a timeline for when those things would happen. Parker said they didn’t know.

Sheriff Brian Martin thanked everyone for their efforts.

“It’s a long project. We’re not done with it yet,” he said, noting that there are a lot of moving parts.

Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora echoed Martin’s sentiments, adding that he appreciated the collaboration with the county on the project. Sabatier, in turn, thanked Flora for his efforts and those of the city planning commission.

The board unanimously approved the necessary resolutions.

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.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has three new dogs joining those available to new homes this week.

The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.

‘Bear’

“Bear” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short brown coat.

He is dog No. 3476.

‘Dorito’

“Dorito” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short white and gray coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 4576.

‘Hector’

“Hector” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short brindle coat.

He is dog No. 4697.

‘Inky’

“Inky” is a male German Shepherd mix with a long black coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 4324.

‘Lumpy’

“Lumpy” is a male American Bulldog with a white and brindle coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 4715.

'Nandor'

“Nandor” is a male American Bulldog mix with a short gray and white coat.

He is dog No. 4725.

‘Ranger’

“Ranger” is a 5-year-old male husky mix with a long red and white coat.

He has been neutered.

Ranger is dog No. 4443.

‘Tia’

“Tia” is a female American Bully with a short black with white markings.

She is dog No. 4602.

‘Toby’

“Toby” is a friendly senior male boxer mix.

He has a short tan and white coat.

He is dog No. 4389.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

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.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Thursday stepped down as attorney general.

Prior to confirmation by the United States Senate as the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Becerra selected Matthew “Matt” Rodriquez to serve as chief deputy attorney general.

In that role, Chief Deputy Rodriquez will lead the California Department of Justice as acting attorney general until Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nominee is confirmed by the California Legislature and takes the oath of office.

"As I begin my service as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I leave the California Department of Justice with deep gratitude,” said Becerra. “When I first started as a deputy attorney general in the Civil Division back in the 80s, I never imagined that one day I would come back to the Department of Justice as Attorney General. It has been an honor to serve the people and to represent the state as California Attorney General. Alongside the hardworking men and women of the Department of Justice, we rose to meet historic challenges and upheld the vital mission of serving the people of California. I could not be prouder of the work we have accomplished together, in pursuit of the interests and values of our state."

Chief Deputy Rodriquez joined the California Department of Justice in 1987 as a deputy attorney general in the Land Law Section where he represented the California Coastal Commission, the State Lands Commission, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

He was promoted to senior assistant attorney general for the Land Law Section in 1999 and was named chief assistant attorney general for the Public Rights Division in 2008.

He also served as an interim chief deputy attorney general for former Attorney General Kamala Harris until his appointment as secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2011 through 2018.

In 2019 he returned to the Department of Justice where he again served as the chief assistant attorney general for the Public Rights Division.

Prior to joining the California Department of Justice, Chief Deputy Rodriquez worked in the city attorney offices in the cities of Hayward and Livermore and also served as an Associate Program Analyst for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

He obtained his law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law and worked as a Graduate Student Assistant for the California Coastal Commission during his final year in school.

A copy of Attorney General Becerra's letter of resignation is published below.

AG Becerra Resignation Lett... by LakeCoNews

On Thursday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted to pass H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 and H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021.

These bills help provide a path to citizenship for our nation’s Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, holders and establishes a program for agricultural workers to earn legal Certified Agricultural Workers status.

These critical bills work to make our nation’s immigration system fairer and more humane.

“Our nation was built on immigration, families coming in search of a better life for their children and achieving the American Dream. But our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. Today, I was proud to vote to pass two bills to help ensure that promise remains open to people who are already integral parts of the fabric of our communities. These bills reflect our values as a nation, helping to make our immigration system more just and humane for people who are critical to our nation’s success,” Thompson said.

“The American Dream and Promise Act provides a path to citizenship for our nation’s Dreamers, young people who embody our nation’s finest values of hard work, patriotism and dedication. They are our neighbors, colleagues, service members, doctors and teachers, and they deserve to become citizens and live out their full potential here in the only nation many have ever known as home. I also was proud to vote to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, legislation to help authorized agricultural workers get legal status and streamline the process for employers and employees. I urge the Senate to take action on these critical bills without delay,” Thompson said.

The American Dream and Promise Act offers a path to legal status for Dreamers and those people with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure Status. You can click here to read more about that bill.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act establishes a program for agricultural workers to earn legal status through continued employment in their field. It also reforms the H-2A program to ensure it is more responsive and user-friendly for both employers and employees. This bill also establishes a mandatory, nation-wide E-Verify system for all agricultural employment. You can click here to read more.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Northshore woman for a Wednesday afternoon assault and is continuing to try to locate the second suspect who was responsible for stabbing the victim.

Jerrica Marie Reeves, 31, of Nice was arrested on Wednesday night, with deputies still seeking Moses Filburn James Reeves, 34, also of Nice, said Lt. Corey Paulich.

At 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Pomo Pump Gas Station in Upper Lake for a reported stabbing that had just occurred, Paulich said.

When deputies arrived they found a victim with a stab wound. Paulich said the male victim was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and later was flown to an out-of-county hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

During the investigation, Paulich said deputies learned that the victim was an employee at the gas station. The suspects were identified as Jerrica and Moses Reeves.

Paulich said the pair came to the gas station and started a verbal argument with the victim. The argument turned physical and Jerrica Reeves began assaulting the victim. Moses Reeves exited his vehicle and also began physically assaulting the victim.

The victim attempted to retreat into the gas station and when he did he felt a pain in his back. Paulich said the victim was able to enter the gas station while the suspects fled the area in their vehicle.

Major Crimes detectives responded to assist with the investigation. Paulich said detectives were able to determine that Moses Reeves was responsible for stabbing the victim.

Deputies were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle at a residence on East Robinson Road in Upper Lake. Paulich said deputies were able to contact the owners of the residence who were not home.

He said the owners gave deputies permission to search the residence and surrounding area for the suspects, but they were not able to locate them.

At this time the motive for the assault is still under investigation, Paulich said.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies patrolling in the Upper Lake area stopped a vehicle for a mechanical violation. During the stop the deputies recognized Jerrica Reeves as a passenger in the vehicle and she was taken into custody without incident, Paulich said.

Paulich said Reeves was later booked at the Lake County Jail on charges of accessory to a crime and battery. Due to $0 bail rules that are in effect she was released after booking.

As of Thursday evening, Moses Reeves has not been located and anyone with information related to his location is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.

Anyone who may have witnessed the assault or who has additional information related to the investigation is asked to contact Det. Dean Preader at 707-262-4231 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..