News

Details

Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 15 September 2007

Seat belt usage by California motorists is at a new record high, 94.6 percent, according to an annual survey commissioned by the state Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

That's an improvement of more than 2 percent during the past two years, according to the study. In 2005, the figure was 92.5 percent; in 2006 it rose to 93.4 percent.

"These numbers are literally the difference between life and death. The increase this year means an estimated 372,000 more Californians are buckling up," said Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Dale Bonner, who announced the new last week at the annual California law Enforcement Challenge Awards in San Diego.

The California Highway Patrol and local police departments have increased public awareness of the life-saving benefits of wearing a seat belt during the past year.

OTS, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has provided funding for officer overtime for enforcement efforts and for educational outreach programs to encourage people to always wear their seat belts.

"These aren't just numbers. They are real lives saved and real tragedies averted," sad CHP Commissioner Mike Brown.

"These numbers are great, but we won't rest until we've convinced everyone that wearing their seat belt is the smart thing to do," stated OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy. "It takes just two seconds to save

a life."

In 2006, the CHP issued 254,328 citations for people not wearing their seat belts. Fines have been significantly increased the past two years.

The combination of enforcement and education is the key to changing behavior. Commissioner Brown warns that CHP officers will continue to aggressively seek out those holdouts who still don't get the message.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 14 September 2007

CLEARLAKE – A man shot Thursday night remained in critical condition on Friday, officials reported.

Daniel Williamson, 25, of Clearlake was shot multiple times Thursday evening, according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Brett Rhodes.

Rhodes said that Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where Williamson was life-flighted Thursday, reported Williamson's condition had not changed.

The shooting occurred near the Mormon Church on Bay Street, Rhodes said.

Williamson originally was driven to the Redbud Hospital emergency room by an individual, not emergency personnel; Rhodes said police are still investigating who drove him there.

Rhodes said they could not yet comment on the number of times Williamson was shot or the type of gun that was used. He said Williamson appeared to have suffered other, unspecified injuries as well.

While conducting interviews for the investigation, police contacted a man named John Smith who they took into custody on a parole hold, said Rhodes.

Williamson's home was targeted for a parole search on Aug. 28 according to police records. That was the same day as a multi-agency task force was conducting similar searches of parolees with gang contacts around the county.

However, Rhodes could not confirm if Williamson had actually been a target of the sweep or if the timing was a coincidence. He said police have not yet been able to determine if the shooting is gang-related.

Det. Martin Snyder is leading the investigation, said Rhodes.

“We have several leads that we're pursuing and persons of interest that we're looking at, but there's no definitive time as to when the investigation will be concluded,” Rhodes said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Snyder or Officer Michael Ray at 994-8251.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:2}

Details

Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 14 September 2007

SACRAMENTO – The office of North Coast Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) reports that 11 of her bills were approved by the legislature and sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his consideration. Three others already have been signed into law.

“I thank my colleagues in both houses for their support on my bills, which cover a range of topics that are important to the people of the 2nd Senate District,” Wiggins said. “I also appreciate the fact that the Governor has already signed three of my bills into law, which gives me hope that he will sign the others as well.”

In numerical order, the Wiggins bills awaiting a decision by Schwarzenegger are as follows:

• SB 108, which modifies an existing provision of law allowing wine orders to be taken at wine tasting events held by specified non-profit organizations to include three additional types of non-profit: civic leagues, social organizations, and voluntary employees' beneficiary associations;

• SB 319, extending an existing exemption to state labor law allowing 16- and 17-year-olds in Lake County to work up to 10 hours a day and up to 60 hours a week in agricultural packing plants during harvest season (when school is not in session);

• SB 557, designating Doctors of Audiology as professionals eligible to serve as qualified medical examiners for the evaluation of medical-legal issues in worker’s compensation claims;

• SB 565, providing for the position of “hospital administrator” at the Yountville Veterans Home;

• SB 568, authorizing counties to allow, following a required court hearing, the involuntarily medication of inmates who are diagnosed as mentally ill and are found incompetent to stand trial (the bill requires involuntary medications be administered utilizing a medically approved protocol administered at a county jail facility, in the same manner as an in-patient unit or state hospital);

• SB 581, allowing the Volunteer Firefighter Length of Service Award fund (an employee-funded program that provides a very small monthly stipend to people who perform long service to their communities as volunteer firefighters) to be removed from administration by CalPERS and placed with a stand-alone board of administration composed of members of the program);

• SB 678, enabling Napa County to purchase Skyline Park, which is currently state surplus property, from the state at fair market value;

• SB 701, which would reinstate the previously-expired California Forest Legacy Program, which is designed to protect forest land, including working forests, from conversion to other purposes (the California Forest Legacy Program is necessary for the state to receive federal funds for forest conservation);

 

• SB 735, requiring the state Department of Transportation, or CalTrans, to track the use of recycled aggregate materials;

• SB 773, allowing 43-foot cattle trailers to be used in transporting livestock over certain parts of Hwy 101;

• SB 861, enabling the North Coast Railroad Authority to divert $5.5 million, previously designed for repayment of a federal loan which has since been forgiven, for other purposes;

The three Wiggins bills already signed into law by the governor are SB 106 (ratifying the gaming compact between the Yurok Tribe and the state), SB 556 (establishing the Light Brown Apple Moth Act of 2007 and establishing a program to fund eradication activities), and SB 813 (clarifying portions of the state election code).

In addition, Wiggins has a number of bills that are still alive and will be carried over into 2008, among them:

• SB 562, focusing on salmon restoration funding;

• SB 695, focusing on recruitment and retention of wardens at the state Department of Fish & Game;

• SB 992, focusing on adult recovery maintenance facilities.

 

Visit Wiggins' Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.

{mos_sb_discuss:3}