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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors last week offered honors to a longtime county planning commissioner as he retires from his position.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier presented a proclamation of commendation to Lake County Planning Commissioner Bob Malley at Clearlake City Hall on Tuesday morning, appearing via Zoom as part of the board’s meeting.
Joining Sabatier and Malley in the Clearlake City Council chambers were Mayor Russ Cremer and Sabatier’s predecessor on the board, retired District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith.
Sabatier said Malley retired effective Sept. 24.
The Board of Supervisors voted to confirm Malley as Smith’s pick for the planning commission on Feb. 23, 2010.
In his time on the commission, Malley has considered key – and sometimes controversial – development projects around the county, including Dollar General’s various store proposals around Lake County, Valley Oaks and the Guenoc Valley Project in the south county, as well as cell towers and numerous cannabis projects.
The board commendation also credited him with helping to make decisions on important land use ordinances that will change Lake County’s future.
By the time he joined the commission, Malley already had a lengthy record of public service, from his time as a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy to serving on the Clearlake City Council, including holding the mayor’s job.
The proclamation credited Malley for bringing “intelligence, integrity, understanding, hard work, and a passion for community to the Planning Commission,” thus setting the bar for all other commissioners to meet.
Sabatier said Malley has done a lot for the city of Clearlake and the county as a whole. “He is part of Lake County.”
Smith said Malley has served the community in outstanding ways, including the sometimes thankless task of being a planning commissioner.
“I don’t know how to thank him enough,” other than to take him golfing, Smith said.
Smith told Malley, “You retired once, you need to retire again.”
Cremer said he’s known Malley going back to the time when he wore a badge.
“You’ve done a fantastic job in helping to make Lake County and the city of Clearlake a clearer and a safer place,” said Cremer.
He added in jest, “Did I mention that we have an opening on our planning commission?”
Supervisor Rob Brown said he was a teenager when he met Malley, then a sheriff’s deputy, known for treating people fairly.
Brown said Malley has been a great planning commissioner and wondered if in his retirement Malley will stop sending him text messages during the board meetings, suggesting how to vote on topics.
He also recognized Malley’s wife, Debi, for her support. “It’s a team effort on your part,” said Brown. “I appreciate both of you very much.”
Supervisor EJ Crandell served on the planning commission with Malley, and at Tuesday’s meeting recalled how Malley encouraged him to take on the vice chair job after his first year.
He said Malley may not have agreed with some projects, but he went by the book.
“We leaned on him a lot for his experience and he did a great job as a planning commissioner,” Crandell said.
“It’s been fun. It’s been a labor of love,” Malley said, adding, “This county has been very close to my heart.”
He said his parents moved him – kicking and screaming – to Lake County from San Francisco in 1966 when he was 16 years old. It wasn’t easy transitioning from his big high school in the city to the smaller school at Lower Lake.
He said his job with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was the one he enjoyed the most, but he had to leave it early after being injured.
“We found other ways to help out,” he said, referring to his service on the Clearlake City Council and then the planning commission.
He said that as a commissioner he made his choices based on the laws laid out in front of him.
Malley thanked the board for the recognition. He said his wife retires on Oct. 1 – she works as Konocti Unified School District’s manager of student and family services – and they’re looking forward to camping trips in the near future and a cross-country trip next year.
“Bob is a shining example of what we’re always looking for in our community,” Sabatier said. “The best thing you could ever do for yourself and your community is to give back.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, authorities said a Cal Fire law enforcement prevention officer on Highway 162 approximately half a mile from the intersection of Highway 101 contacted an adult male who reported being the victim of an armed robbery which had occurred approximately 20 minutes prior.
The adult male told the officer that three to four subjects armed with assault weapon-style rifles and dressed in body armor had fled, possibly southbound, on Highway 101 in a black Chevrolet Tahoe and gray Toyota Tacoma, officials said.
This information was broadcast by radio to on-duty personnel with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and Ukiah Police Department.
A Mendocino County Sheriff's Office sergeant was on routine patrol on Highway 20 east of Potter Valley when he saw two vehicles matching the suspect vehicle descriptions, the sheriff’s office said.
He attempted a traffic stop on the black Chevrolet Tahoe, which failed to stop and instead accelerated to speeds over 100 miles per hour. Authorities said a vehicle pursuit was initiated with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued several miles eastbound on Highway 20 before making a U-turn and heading westbound on Highway 20 for a short time before turning onto a rural parcel of property near Mile Post Marker 41, which was on the east side of the highway, officials said.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued along a dirt road in poor condition which led up into the wooded hillside. Fearing an ambush, the patrol sergeant discontinued the pursuit and began to establish a search perimeter, the sheriff’s office said.
During the Chevrolet Tahoe pursuit, officials said a deputy responding to assist the sergeant was able to conduct a traffic stop on the Toyota Tacoma.
Authorities said the deputy identified the driver as Jesus Estevan Vargas Jr., 41, of Moreno Valley, and a subsequent investigation resulted in his arrest in connection with the reported armed robbery.
During the establishment of the search perimeter, authorities said the sergeant learned of a possible exit point to the east along Highway 101. The sergeant took a position at this eastern location to intercept the Chevrolet Tahoe.
A short time later a few gunshots were heard and then a person was heard screaming. Sometime thereafter, law enforcement personnel on the search perimeter were contacted by two adult males. The sheriff’s office said the deputies learned the adult males had been kidnapped during the armed robbery and had been bound by zip-ties and their heads covered by some type of material.
They reported the Chevrolet Tahoe had become disabled on the dirt road and one of the adult male victims was shot in the back while trying to escape. The sheriff’s office said the adult victims reported the two subjects fled on foot, were armed with assault-style rifles and clothed in body armor.
The adult male victim with the gunshot wound to the back of his shoulder was transported by air ambulance to an ouT-of-county hospital for medical treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
Based upon the circumstances of the situation, officials said a request was made for the Mendocino County Multi-Agency SWAT team who later arrived on the scene.
The SWAT team utilized the armored citizen rescue vehicle and drove to the area of the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. At the same time, H-14, a CHP Helicopter, began providing aerial assistance to the SWAT team.
As H-14 conducted overflight operations its crew was able to locate one of the armed subjects in the wooden terrain uphill from the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. The sheriff’s office said this subject disarmed himself and surrendered to the SWAT team by walking downhill to their position.
The sheriff’s office said H-14 continued overflight operations and located the second subject nearby to where the first subject initially was observed. H-14 was able to see that the second subject was armed with a handgun and rifle.
Sometime thereafter, several gunshots were heard which were attributed to the second subject and H-14 continued to observe his location, officials said.
During this time H-14 radioed to the SWAT team that the suspect had possibly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound but was still making body movements which showed he was alive and still a potential danger as he was still armed, the sheriff’s office said.
As H-14 began to exhaust its fuel, a mutual aid request was sent to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for its helicopter Henry-1, which subsequently arrived on the scene. The sheriff’s office said that when H-14 left for refueling, Henry-1 assumed overflight operations and assisted SWAT team members in safely approaching the second subject.
At this time, H-14 was able to return to the scene to provide further assistance as Henry-1 was exhausting its fuel, officials said.
The sheriff’s office said the SWAT team was able to take the second subject into custody and noticed he needed immediate medical treatment due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
A SWAT team medic began life-saving treatment and the second subject was immediately transported by sheriff's office vehicle to the staging area near Highway 101 where an ambulance and H-14 were waiting. Authorities said the second subject was prepped for flight and H-14 transported him to an out-of-county hospital for medical treatment.
Sheriff's detectives are conducting ongoing investigations at this time into the reported robbery and kidnapping, the sheriff’s office said.
At the time of the sheriff’s office’s Sunday report, it appeared that the robbery and kidnapping were connected to a marijuana sale/purchase transaction between the involved individuals.
One law enforcement member experienced a heat-related emergency at the conclusion of the several-hour-long event and had to be transported to Adventist Health-Ukiah Valley by ambulance where he was treated/released, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said there were no other law enforcement injuries and no shots were fired by law enforcement personnel during the incident/operation.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked Cal Fire, CHP, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Ukiah Police Department, MedStar Ambulance and Potter Valley Fire Department for their assistance during this incident/operation.
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- Written by: BETSY LADYZHETS
This past week, the United States passed 200,000 deaths due to COVID-19. When Dr. Deborah Birx predicted this death toll back in March, the high number was called alarmist; now, it is a sad reality for thousands of families who have lost their loved ones in this pandemic.
The novel coronavirus continues to rage across the country. K-12 schools in many states are open for in-person learning and college students have returned to campus – but schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have already sent students back home due to rampant outbreaks.
Cases are rising in the Midwest, specifically in South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic.
Though testing is trending up in some regions, the increasing use of antigen tests makes it difficult to determine accurate counts.
As has been true throughout America’s COVID-19 history, every state – and even every county – has its own COVID-19 story, driven by local policies and behaviors.
To help you see how your region compares, Stacker has developed two national data visualizations which present the state of COVID-19 infection rates in America right now.
The state-level visualization uses data from the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, a volunteer project, which compiles COVID-19 case, testing, and outcomes figures from state public health agencies.
The county-level visualization uses data from The New York Times’ COVID-19 data repository, which includes case and death values compiled from state and local health agencies.
Both visualizations rank geographic regions according to their current infection rates, calculated by summing the region’s case count for the past week (Sept. 15 to 21), then dividing by the region’s population (using population data from the U.S. Census’ 2018 American Community Survey).
The visualizations also include data on current death rates, positivity rates, and hospitalizations at the state level.
County-level test positivity data are taken from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ county testing dataset, and are as of Sept. 9, the most recent date available.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A longtime Lake County resident who has for decades been a devoted mom to an ever-increasing number of children through foster care and adoption is being honored for her work.
Congressman Mike Thompson announced that his nominee, Denice Solgat of Cobb, has been chosen as the 2020 “Angel in Adoption” for California’s Fifth Congressional District.
The Angels in Adoption Program is run by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and honors people and organizations that promote strong adoption, permanency and child welfare programs across the county.
Each year they recognize individuals who are dedicated to these issues and make a deep national impact.
“Denice represents the very best in foster parents, having fostered more than 300 children over the past 25 years and adopting 11. She is particularly adept at helping medically fragile and special needs children who can get otherwise passed over by foster parents,” said Thompson. “She’s made a measurable difference in the lives of so many and I am proud that she has been selected as this year’s Angel in Adoption for our district.”
Solgat said the award is “an amazing honor.”
She calls her work with foster children “a grand adventure.”
Solgat said she’s always been a “kid person,” beginning to babysit when she was just 10 years old. “I’ve always been somebody kids migrate to.”
She spent part of her childhood in Marin County before her family moved to Lake County in 1978. She attended Kelseyville schools and Mendocino College.
When Solgat was a child, she said her aunt was a foster mom. Doing such work provided her aunt with a way to stay home yet bring in a second income.
So like her aunt, when Solgat first started into foster care 28 years ago, it also was a way for her to earn some extra income while she and husband, Dave, raised their three biological children.
“It just evolved into a passion, a very great passion, and something our family is very good at,” she said.
As a result of years of experience and a team of care providers who support her family, they are now able to accept with open arms and open hearts whatever child needs them.
Over the past 25 years, she’s seldom had an empty bed in her home, where she takes a maximum of six foster children at any given time. She’s quick to point out that doesn’t mean there are only six children around at once, as she still has grandchildren and extended relations coming over to hang out on a regular basis.
Between placements, she said she takes a break to refuel and recharge her family, as she acknowledges that it takes a lot of energy from everyone to incorporate a new member.
Most of the children she fosters are reunited with their families, Solgat said. “That’s the nature of the business.”
Typically, the county tries to reunify families within 18 months, preferably 12 months. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Solgat said.
“Going to foster care is a timeout for your whole family,” she said, explaining that her family is a safety net and a time out for other families to reset priorities and to heal.
Solgat said the majority of times it works thanks to lots of good social workers and families working hard to make positive things happen.
The Solgat family specializes in serving children that are medically fragile with sometimes health complexities.
They’ve been known to travel across the country to find medical solutions for children with serious health issues.
The intricate care network Solgat has developed to support the medically vulnerable and special needs children she fosters includes relationships with agencies from the California Children’s Services, to UCSF, to the Children’s Hospital Oakland.
Solgat also credits a team of local health care providers – including Marlene Quilala, a pediatrician at Lake County Tribal Health, and Ruby Carlson at Riviera Dental – for providing a key part of her family’s foster parenting structure.
When you have long-term relationships with medical providers you’re able to communicate at a different level, Solgat said.
The Solgats have also had to face the challenges that come with wildland fires, including days-long evacuations such as the one they faced when leaving their Cobb home during the 2015 Valley fire.
“We have quite the contingency evacuation plan,” she said.
“We tend to just go calmly and with grace, and put it all in the God box and play lots of Uno,” she added.
Solgat said they treat evacuations like camping adventures. “Retreating means that we’re just going camping and we don’t know when we’re coming back and it’s a grand adventure,” she said. “It certainly adds another dimension of challenge.”
When word gets out that her family has an opening, she said she’ll get calls not just from Lake County but from Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
“The counties are really trying to do the right fit placement, and that’s a luxury,” she said, explaining that a home like hers that specializes with an established team for medically fragile kids is unique.
“Finding the right fit is so important for everybody involved,” she said, adding that it prevents foster parent and social worker burnout.
She said her husband Dave is “full-time Mr. Mom.”
About 23 years ago, she started work at Mendocino College’s Lake Center. “He came home to stay home with the kids. We traded places for health insurance.”
She serves as the center assistant at the college’s Lake Center in Lakeport. “It’s just another mom role,” in which she said she nurtures students and helps them navigate the complexities of the system.
The Solgats’ oldest daughter, Jacqueline Solgat, is now a foster provider in Lake County; her special niche is working with newborn babies.
“I can’t do babies anymore, I need my sleep at night,” Denice Solgat said.
In addition to the children they’ve adopted, Solgat said they regularly hear from about 20 others who have been reunified with their families but still like to keep in touch because they appreciated her family’s efforts on their behalf.
One thing she hears a lot from them is, “I wish I would have listened to you.”
“I have to believe that the kids are going to take from you what they can,” and apply it in their own time, she said.
For people who have an interest in helping children and the capacity to do it, Solgat encourages them to consider being foster parents.
“There’s a desperate need for foster homes, continually,” not just locally but statewide, she said.
Solgat said the county of Lake is now certifying its own foster homes.
Interested individuals can contact Lake County Social Services, 707-262-0235, for more information.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
