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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 16, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, for a budget workshop before the regular meeting begins at 6 p.m.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel or the Lake County PEGTV YouTube Channel. Community members also can participate via Zoom or can attend in person.
The agenda can be found here.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, June 16.
At the start of Thursday’s meeting, the council will meet an adoptable dog, and hear presentations from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services on the 2021 Cache fire recovery, Water Resources on the Cache fire post-fire monitoring results and the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association on the planting of valley oak trees at Anderson Marsh.
One of the meeting’s main items of business will be a public hearing on the adoption of the city’s fiscal year 2022-23 budget and the appropriations limit. More details will be available at the meeting.
There also will be a public hearing to consider an 18-month closure of multiple dirt roads in the area of the Cache fire, and Park Street from Sonoma to Oregon.
Under business, staff will ask the council to consider a 10-year contract with North Bay Animal Services for animal care and control services. The annual cost will be $375,000.
In other business, the council will consider a memorandum of understanding between the city of Clearlake and the Clearlake Miscellaneous Employees Association for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025, and a memorandum of understanding between the city of Clearlake and the Clearlake Police Officers Association for the period of July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024.
They also will discuss a lease with Dell Financial Services for Computer workstations for the police department, and ordinance amending the Clearlake Municipal Code relating to traffic and parking regulations and authorization of job descriptions and/or placement into salary schedule for certain administrative positions.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 23, 2021, and ratified by council action on Sept. 16, 2021; consideration of Resolution No. 2022-36 approving a temporary street closure for the annual Fourth of July Parade and festivities on July 2; amendment to the contract with BPR Consulting Group for building inspection services; authorization of an amendment of contract with Green Valley for a not-to-exceed amount of $135,000 for construction administrative services for the Sulphur Fire Roadway Improvement Project; award of contract for demolition of structure(s) and abatement of property located at 14101 Villa Way; award of contract for demolition of structure(s) and abatement of property located at 14095 Villa Way; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on Aug. 18, 2021, and ratified by
council action on Aug. 19, 2021; minutes of the May 11 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; review of conflict of interest code; authorization of an amendment of budget for the 2021 Measure V Improvement Project in the amount of $104,000.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Cobb man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday morning to charges including attempted murder for a shooting that he said was a matter of self-defense in the midst of an early morning fight last week.
Hunter Christian Toles, 23, entered the not guilty plea to charges of attempted murder, assault with a firearm — specifically a shotgun — along with battery causing serious bodily injury, felony child endangerment and numerous special allegations including personally and intentionally discharging a firearm, personal use of a shotgun and inflicting great bodily injury.
He was arrested early June 7 in Cobb following the shooting, which injured a woman, authorities said.
Toles told authorities that he was being beaten up by a larger man and that he used the gun in self-defense. In his booking photo, Toles’ lips appear swollen, cut and bloody.
The District Attorney’s Office complaint names three victims: the woman who was shot, her fiance — the same man who Toles said was assaulting him — and a child who also was in the house where the fight occurred.
Toles is facing separate attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges for both of the adults, with a charge of battery causing serious bodily injury for the woman.
His defense attorney, Tom Quinn, said Toles believes he was acting in self-defense against the man who was “beating the daylights out of him and had choked him out.”
Pellets from one shotgun round that was fired in the heat of the moment hit the woman, who was behind a wall and out of Toles’ view. The fact she was hit is “a circumstance he deeply regrets,” Quinn said of Toles.
In a court appearance last week, Judge Andrew Blum set Toles’ bail at $3,025,000. As a result, Toles remains in custody at the Lake County Jail.
On Tuesday, Toles’ preliminary hearing was set for July 20, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
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The committees passed legislation creating a private right of action to limit the spread of illegal assault weapons and ghost guns (SB 1327), as well as a bill restricting advertising of firearms to minors (AB 2571).
The passage of the bills in committee comes at the urging of Newsom and legislative leaders following the May 24 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“California has led the nation in reforming our laws to protect communities from gun violence,” Newsom said in a Tuesday statement. “This year is no different as we take decisive action to fast-track vital gun safety policies, even as recent federal court decisions threaten to make it more difficult to protect Californians from gun violence. Since the 1990s, our laws have prevented countless shootings and saved hundreds of lives. California isn’t waiting for Congress to act to protect our kids from needless gun violence.”
In February, Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) introduced Senate Bill 1327.
Modeled after Texas’ SB 8, SB 1327 creates a first-in-the-nation private right of action for citizens to use against those who manufacture, distribute, transport, import into California, or sell assault weapons, .50 BMG rifles, ghost guns, or ghost gun kits.
Also in February, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) introduced AB 2571.
The bill seeks to restrict firearms marketing geared towards children and youth.
SB 1327 and AB 2571 are part of a package of bills that Newsom committed last month to signing.
Another bill, AB 1621, introduced by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), would restrict ghost guns and the parts and kits used to build them. It has cleared several initial readings but a June 9 committee meeting that was to have considered that bill was postponed.
Also part of the package is AB 1594, introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).
The bill, which would allow governments and victims of gun violence to sue manufacturers and sellers of firearms, also is awaiting another committee hearing, according to the California Legislative Information portal.
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In a unanimous vote, at its June 7 meeting, the council approved a resolution calling for a special municipal election to be held on the annexation Nov. 8. The election will be consolidated with the general election that day.
The city is seeking to annex 50 parcels totaling 137 acres in the area adjacent to South Main Street and Soda Bay Road and east of Highway 29.
On May 18, the Lake Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCo, approved a resolution outlining the results of the protest proceeding against the city’s proposed annexation.
Owners of 16 of the 50 parcels protested the annexation, triggering an election. Those protests accounted for 36% of the land valuation; at least a 25% protest total is required.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said that, based on the latest list from the Registrar of Voters Office, there are 17 registered voters living in the annexation area.
He said it was staff’s recommendation to place the annexation on the Nov. 8 municipal ballot, which is the most cost effective and timely option. They also asked for the council to designate Mayor Stacey Mattina to work with staff to develop the argument in favor of the measure for the voter guide.
“This is a little bit of an interesting process,” said Ingram, explaining the work needed to get the election code to work with the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, which governs annexations.
He said the city will need to notify LAFCo, which will have some additional tasks in the process, including conducting an impartial analysis of the ballot measure.
City Clerk Kelly Buendia recommended that any arguments in favor of or against the measure be due by July 25, with rebuttals due by Aug. 4, the same date the impartial analysis will be due back from LAFCo.
Buendia said the election is estimated to cost between $10,000 and $12,000.
The ballot question will be as follows: “Shall the order adopted on March 30, 2022 by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Lake County ordering the annexation to the City of Lakeport of the territory described in that order and designated "City of Lakeport Annexation to the City of Lakeport (LAFCo file 2019-0006) (South Lakeport Annexation)" be confirmed?”
Justin Ratcliffe, a property owner in the annexation area who has opposed being added to the city, asked how the election outcome would be determined.
City staff said it will be a matter of a majority of votes cast for or against.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said the annexation has been talked about for decades. He called the LAFCo process “a joke” and was exasperated that after years of work and $50,000 in consultants, the decision would come down to 17 voters.
“The system stinks,” he said.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve calling the special municipal election, which the council approved 5-0.
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