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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — On Monday, Clearlake Police Department staff served four marijuana related search warrants at various locations within the city.
During the service of the warrants, 955 marijuana plants and 1,240 pounds of processed marijuana were seized, police said. Additionally, 10 firearms and ammunition were seized.
Some of the locations had portions of the houses set up inside for growing marijuana. However, police said most of the marijuana was growing outdoors in hoop houses.
Based on the size of the growing operations and other factors, they were all determined to be unlawful, according to the police department.
Police said three people were arrested for multiple charges related to the illegal growing operations.
The Clearlake Police Department and Code Enforcement continually investigate illegal commercial growing operations and unpermitted grows within the city of Clearlake.
Police said some of the dangers commonly associated with illegal marijuana growing operations in Clearlake are:
• Fire and electrical hazards due to improper wiring and overloaded circuits;
• Toxic mold due to high humidity and improper ventilation;
• Structural Damage due to improper ventilation and poor drainage;
• Chemical exposure from the use of illegal and hazardous pesticides and fertilizers;
• Pollution from approved chemicals not being stored and/or being disposed of properly;
• Illegal marijuana grows are attractive targets for thieves;
• Legal and illegal weapons are often found at illegal grows;
• Use of contaminated marijuana products by consumers that may contain mold, pesticides, or other contaminants.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control is featuring more new dogs needing homes this week.
The shelter has 47 adoptable dogs listed on its website.
This week’s dogs include “Spaghetti,” a 4-year-old dog that shelter staff said is known for his sweet temperament.
“He enjoys snuggling and has great leash manners, making walks enjoyable. He has a friendly disposition, making him a good companion for those looking for a loving pet,” shelter staff said.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The unanimous vote to approve the agreement with the Middletown Teachers Association, or MTA, came near the end of the board’s hour and a half long meeting.
“This is the agreement we’ve been working toward,” District Superintendent Jeff Crane told the board.
In April, it had looked like negotiations had broken down after the union voted to authorize a potential strike, as Lake County News has reported.
However, a few weeks later, a bargaining session that took place May 2 between the district and union resulted in a tentative agreement that the union ratified on Tuesday.
That left it up to the Middletown Unified board to give final approval on Wednesday evening.
Crane said he was really glad the two sides were able to reach the agreement in a manner that allows them to do things including approving new stipends for the current 2024-25 school year.
He said the agreement calls for increasing the stipends for peer induction and mentor support for new teachers, as well as providing stipends for leadership teachers and soccer coaches. For some staff who have gone “above and beyond,” it’s a chance to recognize their efforts.
The agreement also includes contingency language about a potential 1% salary increase which will be dependent on “unaudited actuals,” which make up the district’s financial statement at the end of the fiscal year. That financial information will be available in September, Crane said.
That increase would start in the 2025-26 school year and be retroactive to July 1. It would only take place if the district’s unaudited actuals for the 2024-25 school year reflect an increase in the end balance for unrestricted funds that equals more than $6.1 million.
“If our unrestricted general fund balance grows, then we’ll be able to share some of that growth with our employees,” Crane explained.
What he’s most excited about is what may sound weird to those outside the negotiation process, Crane said.
“I’m happy about the relationships that we’re able to build between MUSD administration and MTA leadership,” Crane said.
“I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anybody that there has been some unsettled leadership at the district level in MUSD for the last several years and, as I said before, my plan is to be here for awhile,” he added.
Offering a metaphor, Crane said, “Relationships are like a tree. The wind is what causes the tree to grow roots, and so it’s going through difficult times together that is what causes your relationship to grow roots and grow strength. And so I’m very optimistic about where we are moving forward.”
He added, “That’s not all included in the resolution.”
Board member Chris Ochs moved to approve the agreement, which was seconded by Board member Patricia Pachie.
During the brief discussion that followed the motion, Board President Zoi Bracisco asked for clarification about the proposed pay raise, which would be made in retroactive payments of $850 to staff.
Crane said retroactive checks cause a lot of logistical challenges for district business staff, in that they have to go back and undo what has been done. By the time they get the financial information in the fall, they would be looking at having to redo numbers for nearly a year.
Instead, the district is proposing an average payment of $850, which is a 1% raise based on 2024-25 numbers. Crane said that, rather than trying to calculate that 1% for everybody, they used an average to simplify the process.
The district’s current employees will get that payment, while employees who start work with the district in the new school year won’t, Crane explained.
In order to get that salary increase, the district’s financial statements must show an end balance for the 2024-25 fiscal year of $6,064,021 plus $150,000. Crane said that $150,000 is the district’s calculation — based on the recommendation of the mediator in the negotiations with MTA — of what it would cost to give a 1% raise to all employees.
That also could impact the district’s agreement with its classified employees, who are represented by the California School Employees Union, or CSEA.
Crane said part of the district’s agreement with CSEA is that anything that goes to MTA for a salary increase also would go to CSEA.
It would then be up to the board of trustees to decide if the district administration also is included, Crane said.
Following the brief discussion, Bracisco called for the board’s vote, which was unanimous in favor of approving the agreement.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Tribes, legislators gather to commemorate Missing and Murdered people in day’s activities at Capitol
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The day will culminate in an evening vigil at the State Capitol with hundreds in attendance, remarks from victims and their families and a video message from First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), chair of the California Legislative Native American Caucus, said California ranks among the highest in the nation in unresolved and uninvestigated cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP.
The National Congress of American Indians and the National Institute of Justice report that more than four in five — 84.3% — of Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetime.
“This level of violence and trauma is unacceptable,” Ramos said.
In recent years two tribes have declared states of emergency because of the numbers of missing persons on their reservations: the Yurok Tribe and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
The Yurok Tribe took action in December 2021, and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians issued their declaration on April 25, 2024.
The National Institute of Justice reports that 56% of Native American women have experienced sexual violence.
In 2016, the National Crime Information Center reported 5,712 missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls in the United States, but only 116 of the cases were logged by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Following a news briefing, Ramos led a hearing of the Select Committee on Native American Affairs to hear about the issues tribes are facing while working to keep their reservations safe.
Ramos and others stated that a significant factor contributing to the disproportionate violence was passage of a 1953 federal law — Public Law 280 — that turned most criminal justice responsibility and funding for that responsibility over to six states, including California.
“That law resulted in fewer resources for tribal safety and great jurisdictional confusion among federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement. It also undermined public safety in communities neighboring reservations because cities and counties have fewer partners to rely upon when mutual assistance is needed,” Ramos said.
He added that the six states also had among the highest numbers of unresolved MMIP cases.
Scheduled to join Ramos at the hearing were California Valley of Miwok Indians Chairperson Antoinette Del Rio, Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Chairperson Cheyenne Stone, Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairperson Charles Martin and Yurok Chairman Joe James, and Carole Goldberg, UCLA Distinguished Research Professor and Jonathan D. Varat Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita.
Also participating were Acting Director Isaac Borjorquez, Kakoon Ta Ruk Band of Ohlone-Costanoan Indians of Big Sur Rancheria; Office of Attorney General Rob Bonta; Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal; Sheriff Shannon Dicus, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; Program Director Cahuilla Councilwoman Samantha Thornsberry of the Cahuilla Consortium; and April McGill of the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco.
Hundreds were expected at an evening candlelight vigil featuring victims and their families, with the Capitol Dome illuminated in red and cultural songs.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified April McGill as being director of California Consortium for Urban Indian Health.