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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Guns originating in the United States power human- and drug-trafficking efforts and other illicit activities by cartels and other transnational criminal organizations in Mexico and beyond.
The "Disarming Cartels Act" has also been co-sponsored by Representatives Dina Titus (NV-01), Danny Davis (IL-07), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL).
“Firearms purchased in the United States are being illegally trafficked to Mexico, arming the cartels and fueling the fentanyl epidemic,” said Thompson. “Going after the bad actors that facilitate the exchange of guns for fentanyl will help us crack down on illegal drug trade while preventing firearms from getting into the hands of cartels and other criminal organizations. The Disarming Cartels Act will help us secure our border, reduce the flow of fentanyl in our country, and disrupt the illegal flow of firearms into Mexico. As Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I’m proud to support this important bill with Reps. Goldman, Castro, Titus, Danny Davis, and Eleanor Holmes Norton.”
“Democrats and Republicans alike recognize the devastating threat posed by the fentanyl trade and human smuggling and trafficking, all of which are predominantly controlled by Mexican drug cartels at our southern border,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “But Republicans simply ignore that the source of the cartels’ power is the hundreds of thousands of American-manufactured weapons of war that flow out of the United States and into the hands of the cartels. If we want to address crime across our southern border, then we must address the exportation of American guns across the border. The Disarming Cartels Act will do just that.”
“For years, American guns have fueled violence, instability, and forced migration across the Western Hemisphere,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “The United States can — and must — do more to stop the weapons we manufacture from landing in the hands of criminal organizations that smuggle fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the United States. The Disarming Cartels Act will disrupt cross-border trafficking through greater interagency collaboration at home and enhanced coordination with our partners in Mexico — protecting innocent people on both sides of the border.”
Mexico has one gun store in the entire country and restrictive firearm regulations. Yet, on an annual basis, there are nearly 30,000 annual firearm deaths in Mexico.
More than 500,000 American-made guns are trafficked to Mexico every year, and seventy percent of firearms recovered from crime scenes in Mexico can be traced to the United States. Criminal organizations operating in Mexico purchase firearms and ammunition from U.S.-based retailers to target law enforcement and military personnel, harm citizens, and enforce cartel control of territory.
To disrupt the trafficking of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico, the ‘Disarming Cartels Act’ directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to:
• Increase interagency collaboration to identify, target, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations responsible for exporting firearms and related munitions from the United States to Mexico.
• Instruct Homeland Security Investigations within U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement to establish a mechanism for sharing aggregated information about interdictions of southbound firearms and U.S.-sourced firearms in Mexico with Federal partners.
• Expand the collection and analysis of information concerning firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico to identify U.S.-based gun traffickers.
• Enhance coordination with Mexican agencies to increase outbound inspections by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the southwest land border.
• Establish performance measures for efforts to disrupt the smuggling of U.S.-sourced firearms to Mexico.
• Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide annual reports on the Department’s actions to disrupt the smuggling of U.S.-sourced firearms and munition to Mexico.
Transnational criminal organizations are known to exchange drugs like fentanyl to U.S. buyers for firearms. Cartels have orchestrated sophisticated attacks on Mexican security forces, with increasing use of .50 caliber rifles, modified fully automatic rifles, and belt-fed machine guns to counter Mexican security forces.
Mexico has one gun store in the entire country and restrictive firearm regulations. Yet, on an annual basis, there are nearly 30,000 annual firearm deaths in Mexico.
The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force is committed to protecting communities across the country from the dangers of gun violence. In October, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force condemned the Republican failure to respond to the gun violence epidemic and sent a letter urging Speaker Johnson to use his new authority to bring bipartisan, common sense gun safety legislation to the floor for a vote.
Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
It is important that all drivers on California’s roadways be well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to help them safely operate their vehicle.
With the help of the $225,000 Keeping Everyone Safe, or KEYS, grant, the California Highway Patrol will continue to empower the state’s senior community with a free specialized driving course designed with them in mind.
The CHP’s Age Well, Drive Smart course was developed in 2008 to assist and educate drivers, age 65 and older, as well as promote safe travel for all.
Every year, thousands of the state’s seniors attend the course with the goal of improving their driving skills, refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road and learning how age-related physical changes may affect one’s driving ability.
“Roadway safety and mobility for California’s seniors remains a high priority for the CHP,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The Age Well, Drive Smart course is not just a class; it's a crucial initiative that equips our senior drivers with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe and confident behind the wheel.”
The CHP invites all of California’s senior drivers aged 65 and older to attend an Age Well, Drive Smart class to learn the tools to drive safer and drive longer.
The class is approximately two hours in length and is offered at local CHP Area offices as well as many senior centers throughout the state.
The class is a way for seniors to educate themselves, evaluate their driving abilities, and improve their driving skills.
More information about this free class is available from any local CHP office. The Clear Lake Area Office can be reached at 707-279-0103.
The Age Well, Drive Smart course is made possible by a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday it has identified a body that washed ashore on Friday as that of 58-year-old Charles Case.
A second Lake County resident, Kenneth Silva, 61, remains missing, the agency said.
At 3:41 p.m. Friday Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies responded to the report of a deceased adult male washed ashore near the Ten Mile Dunes, north of MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg.
Authorities said that man later was identified as Case.
Deputies arrived and determined that Case had been aboard a small pleasure craft that had capsized and also washed ashore, approximately one-half mile north of where Case was located.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies developed information that Silva also was aboard the vessel when it was launched from Noyo Harbor less than two hours prior.
Over the next 24 hours, the ocean area was searched by the US Coast Guard and the shoreline was checked by California State Park Rangers and Mendocino Sheriff's Search and Rescue volunteers, which was unsuccessful in locating Silva.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies are continuing daily searches with limited in-county resources when they are available.
Friends of the two men posted memorials to them on Facebook, where Case’s account lists him as a self-employed commercial fisherman.
Both men reportedly grew up in the Richmond area.
Thompson presents $750,000 check to Lake County officials for Middle Creek Flood Restoration Project
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The long-running effort to improve Clear Lake’s water quality and reduce flood risk in the Middle Creek area has taken another step forward.
The county of Lake has received $750,000 in federal funding to support the Middle Creek Flood Restoration Project.
Congressman Mike Thompson visited with Lake County officials on Oct. 30, when he formally presented the check.
“Cleaning up the environment and protection from flooding is crucial to the health and safety of our community,” said Thompson. “This restoration is critical to preserving Clear Lake, reducing the cost of treating our drinking water, and preventing severe flooding. Proud to have secured this funding for Lake County.”
Thompson had announced receiving the funds for the Middle Creek project — as well as the city of Clearlake’s Burns Valley Sports Complex and Recreation Center Project and the Lakeport Armory Facility Repurposing Project — in December as part of the final 2023 appropriations government funding bill.
That explains the Dec. 29, 2022 date on the check that Thompson handed over to the county.
“There is no project more critical to sustainable Clear Lake water quality and a strong outdoor-recreation based Lake County economy than the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project,” District 3 Supervisor Eddie Crandell said in a written statement. “Congressman Thompson understood completing final Feasibility Stage steps with the United States Army Corps of Engineers was highly urgent and essential to moving this project forward, and we were grateful he fought hard to ensure this work was funded.”
The Middle Creek project will restore 1,650 acres near Upper Lake in the confluence of Middle and Scotts creeks to wetlands.
It’s meant to improve water quality in Clear Lake by removing up to 40% of phosphorus that comes from Middle and Scotts Creeks, the lake’s two largest tributaries, and reduce by 33% the concentration of chlorophyll.
Another critical outcome of the project will be flood reduction to protect nearby residents from catastrophic losses.
The funding that Thompson secured will help facilitate the removal of three miles of substandard levees, one pumping station and one weir structure.
Removal of the structures will carry tremendous ecological benefits by improving Clear Lake water quality and storage capacity, Thompson’s office said.
“Clear Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America, and it needs more wetland area to thrive,” said Marina Deligiannis, deputy Lake County Water Resources director. “Current sediment and phosphorus loads are estimated to be twice the pre-European levels, and about 71% of the sediment and phosphorus entering Clear Lake comes from Scotts and Middle Creek watersheds. This project could reduce Clear Lake phosphorus levels by 40%, helping to preserve a national treasure. Thank you to Congressman Thompson for recognizing this as a matter of high federal priority.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at