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- Written by: LINGZI CHEN
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — “Would you please put your hand over your heart? Those military may give a hand salute.”
With these words from Veteran Chaplain Dennis Alexander and a room standing solemnly, the special memorial event to honor Lake County veterans began with a pledge and a prayer during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.
Rick Mayo, vice president of We Serve Veterans Inc., presented the board with two plaques: one expressing appreciation for veterans, and another listing the names of 30 Lake County veterans killed in action since World War I.
“This was a very special presentation — local members and veterans of the community that died in action, especially Joy Medeiros, who was the first KIA, killed in action, from Lake County,” Mayo said before presenting the plaques. “There's 29 other names of veterans, citizens, veterans in the community.”
Madeiros, the first name on the plaque, was recorded to have died in France in 1918 during World War I. He is buried in Hartley Cemetery.
“So we're here to honor them,” Mayo said. “Regardless of what names are affixed to this plaque or not, we're going to honor all our veterans.”
Board of Supervisors Chair Eddie Crandell, himself a veteran, then took the plaque and read aloud every name, along with the place and year of the death, and the war in which it occurred.
The board chamber was nearly full, with veterans, families, friends, and county and city officials gathered in a moment of memory and honor. Occasionally, soft groans could be heard from the audiences as Crandell continued reading the names.
“This is powerful — these are people who lost their lives for all of us. Some of them are a little bit more personal to me,” Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said. “As many of you know, I was born in France, and to hear of those who from Lake County were in France and lost their lives for my family, that means a lot.”
The veterans list
The list of names on the plaque, however, did not include all the Lake County veterans who died in wars.
In 2013, longtime Lake County resident and researcher Jan Cook, who worked for Lake County Library, wrote an article on Lake County soldiers who died in World War II. At that time, she found 28 names from the National Archive and Records Administration who were from Lake County and died of the second world war only.
Among those 28 names, only six were listed in the plaque presented to the Board of Supervisors.
She then found another eight names that were not listed in the national archives, but appeared in the Clear Lake Union High School’s Cardinal and Black memorial sections. None of them were on the plaque either.
When asked how the list of the 30 names on the plaque was determined, Mayo told Lake County News that they were drawn from the records at the Joy Madeiros Veterans Museum.
On Monday, Lake County News was contacted by the widow of a service member killed abroad in 1976. When asked about that service member, who also was not on the list, Mayo said that his widow may report it to the museum and provide the service member’s credentials.
“If he's got a DD 214 — it's just a form that says I was there, I was involved — that's half the battle,” said Dave Waldschmitt, president of We Serve Veterans Inc.
Waldschmitt also added that all the 30 names they drew from the museum were confirmed “killed in action, in combat,” he said.
“There's lots of people killed in the military by accidents — planes fell down, ships sank,” Waldschmitt added. “These were killed in a combat environment.”
Veterans speak of local work
After the plaque presentation, representatives from multiple organizations spoke about their work to support Lake County veterans.
The Joy Madeiros Veterans Museum — named after the first killed-in-action Lake County soldier — has discovered and displayed “Lake County moments in history” from records and artifacts; the nonprofit Vet Connect has been helping homeless veterans in finding housing and acclimating to society, among other regional and local support efforts.
Various American Legion posts have shared how they contributed to both the veteran and broader communities, including the military funeral honors team of Lake County that would soon serve at the special ceremony outside the courthouse.
Additionally, Vietnam Veterans of America has been focusing on and known for its “strict advocacy in legislation in support of veterans,” said Dean Gotham, past president and current treasurer of the organization.
Gotham reflected on the group’s beginnings in the late 1970s, when “Vietnam veterans were not getting their needs met at all.” He also spoke about the challenges that aging veterans have faced in recent years, compounded by the effects of the pandemic.
“We have an unusually high population of veterans in our county. It's something really special, it's something to be proud of,” said Supervisor Jessica Pyska. “I appreciate the services that you all show up and provide for them.”
“My son and my father both did serve overseas as well, which is the Afghanistan War and World War II,” said Supervisor Helen Owen. “So you have no idea how much you mean to us, to America, when I say us, we would not have the freedom that we have today.
“And for those that were not treated properly by coming home from, say, Vietnam, that is such a huge black eye,” she added.
Supervisor Crandell also drew from his family and personal history of military service, and his friendship with veterans in the chamber.
“So once you get back home and you start talking to everybody, you start realizing that you cross paths — or cross deserts, or cross jungles, or whatever the case may be — and so you immediately know that you can joke a specific way, you can say specific things that you all understand,” Crandell said. “The camaraderie is already understood.”
Military funeral honors offered
The event concluded with a Department of Defense-authorized ceremony, carried out by the Lake County military funeral honors team.
Four veterans in white uniforms performed the ceremonial rifle volleys, firing into the sky in memory of those killed in action.
Then came the sound of “Taps,” played through a 360-watt stereo built into a .50-caliber ammunition box, handcrafted by Mayo. As the sound filled the silent air, veterans raised their hands in salute.
Lake County military members killed in action listed on plaque
Jacinto Joy Madeiros, U.S. Army, France, 1918, World War I
Freddie W. Myers, U.S. Army, Washington, 1918, World War I
George W. Vanoni, U.S. Army, 1918, World War I
Archie M. Hendricks, U.S. Army, Philippines, 1942, World War II
Kenneth L. Steadman, United States Air Force, POW Japan, 1942, World War II
Herbert M. Wilson, U.S. Army, Africa, 1943, World War II
Miles Schnitzer, U.S. Army, Italy, 1943, World War II
Harmon O. Tredway, U.S. Army, Iceland, 1943, World War II
Eric C. Patterson, U.S. Marine Corps, Guadalcanal, 1943, World War II
Henry F. Wolfram, U.S. Army, England, 1944, World War II
Marion L. Parker, United States Air Force, France, 1944, World War II
Richard L. Marston, U.S. Army, 1945, World War II
Donald Simpson, U.S. Army, Italy, 1945, World War II
Harvey R. Mosher, United States Air Force, 1945, World War II
Merrill C. Rannells, U.S. Marine Corps, Okinawa, 1945, World War II
Issac J. Smith, U.S. Army, Korea, 1953
William Moore, U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam, 1965
Neal Rasmussen, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1966
Louis Grothe, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1967
William S. Robertson, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1967
Paul W. Hill, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, 1967
David C. Lindberg, United States Air Force, Vietnam, 1967
William E. Adams, U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam, 1968
Darryl W. Schuster, U.S. Army, Vietnam, 1969
George L. Silva, U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam, 1969
Robert Mills, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, 1972
Michael R. Conner, U.S. Army, Persian Gulf, 1991
Ivan I. Wilson, U.S. Marine Corps, Afghanistan, 2008
David J. Hartman, U.S. Army, Pakistan, 2010
Richard Essex, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, 2012
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 22, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The agenda is here.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The webinar ID is 994 1760 2765, the pass code is 155982.
Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,99417602765#,,,,*155982# or dial in at 669-900-6833.
The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.
At 9:05 a.m., the commission will hold a public hearing to consider a lakebed encroachment permit and variance request for the Disney Boat Rental Facility, which will be located on a six-acre parcel at 2200 Lakeshore Blvd. in Lakeport.
The applicant is Brandon Disney, owner of Disney’s Boat Rentals.
The staff report notes that, “Although the planning entitlements and building permits for the Disney Development Project are within the City of Lakeport’s jurisdiction, the installation of two floating docks and buoys require a Lakebed Encroachment Permit from the Lake County Water Resources Department, in accordance with Chapter 23, Clear Lake Shoreline, of the Lake County Municipal Code.”
The hearing documents explain that Disney’s Boat Rentals intends to relocate its existing operations from downtown Lakeport to this Lakeshore Boulevard site, where the business plans to build a two story, 4,778-square-foot building that would serve as a rental office, shop and boat storage facility, including space for the repair of fleet boats, as well as installation of two
floating docks.
Staff is recommending approval of the project’s permits.
The other main item of business on Thursday’s agenda is a public hearing, scheduled for 9:20 a.m., to consider a major use permit for commercial cannabis cultivation for up to 5.69 acres and a draft Initial study/mitigated negative declaration for Poverty Flats Ranch, with applicants Kurt and Bobby Barthel. The project is located at 10535 High Valley Road, Clearlake Oaks.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Space is limited and registration is required at www.sscra.org.
The program, produced by the Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association, or SSCRA, will kick off the development of a Cobb Mountain Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or CWPP.
Cobb was the epicenter of the 2015 Valley Fire and the community has been active continuously since then, working diligently to reduce hazardous fire fuels while re-creating a local culture of fire-adaptation based on the recognition that fire is an important part of the local natural environment.
Event co-organizer Magdalena Valderrama encouraged local residents to attend the Summit saying that, "In recent years, Cobb has been at the forefront in our county when it comes to community-based wildfire readiness. But careful planning and consistent application of best practices in adapting to a fire ecology, including cultural approaches, can make living in this area much, much safer."
The CWPP kickoff Summit will feature presentations on the Cobb area forest ecology, traditional tribal practices that kept people safe for thousands of years, building a local business sector that can do the work necessary to keep the community fire safe, organizing local "Firewise Community" groups, and the state of fire insurance in California. Booths staffed by local fire and forest groups will offer additional information.
The event is free to the public. Registered attendees will be served lunch and also receive a free black oak seedling donated by Lawrence Ray.
Lake County approved a countywide CWPP in 2023, which qualified any organization in the county to apply for significant federal grants to clear hazardous fuel buildups throughout local forestlands.
The new Cobb Mountain CWPP will dive deeper into specific challenges in the Cobb Area, including a complex mountainous landscape, a patchwork of medium sized land holdings, many out-of-area land owners, subdivisions nestled deep in the forest landscape, and the need to support local businesses to do the work needed to fully adapt the area to its natural fire ecology.
Community involvement in creating the new Cobb Mt. CWPP will also cultivate active relationships with local tribes whose ancestral territories included the Cobb Area and whose traditional indigenous knowledge systems hold important lessons for the challenges we face today.
The project to complete a Cobb Area CWPP is expected to take two years and involve extensive data gathering, local outreach and further coalition building.
The complete CWPP will then qualify the area to apply for additional federal funding to do the work outlined in the plan.
The event is made possible with support from the Cobb Area Council, North Coast Opportunities, the Sierra Club Lake Group, Cal Fire and the Cobb Mountain Lions Club.
For more information visit the SSCRA website at www.sscra.org.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The Lake Area Planning Council, or Lake APC, is updating the Regional Transportation Plan/Active Transportation Plan for the Lake County region and would like to hear from members of the community about transportation needs, deficiencies, and mobility barriers.
The purpose of the long-range planning document is to guide local decision-makers on transportation needs, improvements and investments over the next 20 years.
It will identify needs and priority projects for all modes of transportation including streets and roads, highways, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and public transit.
Lake APC wants the community’s input on the plan.
Fill out a brief survey to let them know your transportation needs and priorities in the region, and become eligible to win a $25 Amazon gift card.
In addition, feel free to use the Lake APC’s interactive mapping tool in which you can provide specific details and comments on a map of the region by zooming into specific locations within your community or area of interest.
Click the link to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LakeRTP2026.
Click the link to add your priorities to the map: https://greendotmaps.com/lake-county-rtp-atp-2026.
For additional questions or comments, email Senior Transportation Planner John Speka at
For information on previous and current Regional Transportation Plans and Active Transportation Plans, click here.