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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
KELSEYVILLE – As he prepares to return to Washington, DC this week, North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson visited Lake County on Monday and toured the county's new domestic violence shelter.
Thompson, accompanied by district representative Brad Onorato, met with several groups on Monday during one of his regular stops in the county.
Late in the afternoon, he met with the Lake Family Resource Center Board of Directors at the new domestic violence shelter and administrative offices, located at 5350 Main St. in Kelseyville.
The group closed escrow on the $1.1million property in July, as Lake County News has reported. It will include 35 beds contained throughout several small cottages, as well as housing Lake Family Resource Center's administrative offices, and community meeting rooms and classrooms.
Executive Director Gloria Flaherty and board members including Dr. Bill Cornelison, Kathy Fowler, Barbara Breunig, Joanne Van Eck and Barry Parkinson, showed Thompson around the facility, which currently is undergoing renovation.
Flaherty explained how that families will have separate space but also will share common areas for meals and laundry.
Those communal situations, said Flaherty, are meant to instill a sense of stability in families escaping violence. They also hope to help families recreate bonds.
Flaherty said the people who stay at the shelter can stay anywhere from overnight to as long as a year. The average stay is six to nine months, during which clients are working on becoming independent, including saving for deposits on new places to live.
Originally, Lake Family Resource Center had planned to build a new facility, but they then became aware of the former motel property in Kelseyville, which Flaherty previously said was much less expensive than what it would have cost to build a shelter from scratch.
On Monday she credited Thompson with urging she and her board to look first at purchasing an existing motel or resort property.
As he listened to Flaherty explain the plans, Thompson appeared impressed.
“I see the vision,” he said.
On Tuesday, Thompson is due to return to Washington, DC, where he'll get back to work on issues including the health care bill.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Since 2006 Lake County has led the state in the number of plants eradicated within its borders, with increasing amounts found on state and federally owned lands, as Lake County News has reported.
It appears no different this year.
So far this season, with another month to go, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and agents with the state's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) have pulled 517,942 illegally grown plants from both public and private lands, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
In addition, officials have seized 272 pounds of processed marijuana and 14 firearms, and made 34 arrests, Bauman said.
In 2008, there were 498,174 plants eradicated, 220 pounds of processed marijuana and seven firearms seized, and three arrests made, according to Bauman.
Total plants eradicated for 2007 totaled 507,000 and 344,241 for 2006, based on previous state reports.
Bauman said the sheriff's office has one detective assigned full-time to marijuana suppression.
Depending on the operation, as many as 10 to 15 CAMP members assist with an eradication during the season and another two to four local police officers assist with an operation, he said. That means a typical eradication operation can involve anywhere from one to 20 people, including CAMP.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
On Monday Darnell James Mitchell, 46, of Nice was sentenced to state prison by Judge Arthur H. Mann for a sexual assault that took place last November.
Mitchell pleaded guilty on Aug. 24 to one count of assault with intent to commit rape, which is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four or six years, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Police reports indicate that on Nov. 2, 2008, the victim was at Mitchell’s residence with several other people.
The victim, who was 14 years old, consumed an unknown amount of alcohol and then she, Mitchell and another 18 year-old female left the residence and went to a nearby playground and continued to drink.
The investigation found that Mitchell attempted to grope the 18-year-old. She was able to escape but was forced to leave the victim, who was at that time passed out from the effects of the alcohol.
The 18-year-old shortly returned to the park with another young woman to help her get the victim home. There they saw Mitchell lying on top of the victim.
Mitchell reportedly fled when he saw the two young women approaching. The two young women then took the victim home.
Judge Mann elected to impose the upper term of six years, which was doubled to 12 years because Mitchell admitted that he had been convicted of a prior strike in Alameda County in 1997.
Mitchell’s sentence was further enhanced by two years because he admitted that he had served two prior prison terms. He previously was sentenced to a term in state prison for failure to maintain registration as a sex offender and one prior prison term, so another one year and eight months was added to his sentence.
The District Attorney's Office said the total aggregate term is 15 years and eight months. Because assault with intent to commit rape is a violent felony, Mitchell must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
The lead investigator on the case was Det. Mike Curran of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Mitchell was represented by Jeremy Dzubay.
The victim received services through the District Attorney’s Victim Witness program. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The comprehensive surveys will be used to assess the county’s food supply and demand status, as well as help assure a larger vision for the Lake County Food Policy Council – the county’s food security, sustainability and emergency preparedness citizen group.
With a grant award to Sutter Lakeside Hospital from the California Endowment on behalf of the Health Leadership Network (HLN), the HLN is able to fund this project with administrative support provided by the Lake County Marketing and Economic Development Program.
Two surveys are under way to help discern what food items are currently being grown and produced locally, as well as the potential demand for those products at retail and institutional outlets locally.
The information collected will be used to inform a local food guide and an effort towards a coordinated online ordering and distribution system for local food producers and buyers.
Having the surveys completed by all Lake County producers and buyers is critically important for the success of this project.
Food producers, such as farmers, ranchers and producers of value-added products like jams, cheeses, pickles and nut butters, are encouraged to take the brief producer survey. The information gathered will be used to create a database of food types and quantities available
Retail outlets, such as grocery and convenience stores, restaurants and farmers’ markets are encouraged to take the short buyer survey. This survey is also intended to include larger purchasers and institutions such as hospitals, schools, correction facilities and senior centers.
Community food assessments are a tool to assist communities in addressing such issues as food security and hunger, the availability of adequate nutritious foods, the capacity of communities to sustain themselves with locally grown or processed products while maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and to evaluate emergency preparedness in the event of unforeseen disruption in the food supply.
They are part of a growing movement across the nation to more effectively serve the food needs of
local communities.
The brief surveys can be taken online at http://lccfa.wikispaces.com .
Those without Internet access may take the survey or request a copy by contacting Lake County Community Food Assessment information line at (707) 995-9060.
Copies of the producer survey also is available at the Agricultural Commissioner’s office at the Lake County Agricultural Center in Lakeport and both surveys are available in the Lake County Administration office at the Courthouse in Lakeport, or downloaded from the Web site.
For more information about the Lake County Community Food Assessment, contact JoAnn Saccato at 707-350-1719, or Terre Logsdon at 707-263-2580.
For more information about the Lake County Food Policy Council, contact Denise Rushing at 707-275-8892.
To take the producer or buyer survey online or download a PDF version, visit http://lccfa.wikispaces.com .
The Health Leadership Network is a consortium of organizations working together to improve population health. The consortium includes: St. Helena-Clearlake Hospital, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lakeside Health Center, County Public Health Services, County Marketing and Economic Development, County Office of Education, County Dept of Social Services, First 5, Easter Seals, Lake Family Resource Center and Lake County Tribal Health.
The food assessment is paid for by a grant from the California Endowment to Sutter Lakeside Hospital on behalf of the Health Leadership Network.