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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Robert Ed Taylor, 60, of Lakeport, was arrested after Officer Kaylene Strugnell found him driving the stolen van, police said.
At about 10 p.m. Tuesday Strugnell was on patrol when she located an occupied suspicious box van in the parking lot of Savings Bank of Mendocino County on Main Street, police said.
Police said Strugnell identified the van’s driver as Taylor and found that the van was registered to the Lakeport Senior Center.
With the assistance of Officer Tyler Trouette, Strugnell conducted further investigation and determined that the van was an unreported stolen vehicle, taken from the senior center without anyone’s knowledge. Senior center staff responded to recover the vehicle, the department reported.
Police said Taylor was arrested for felony vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.
Due to current Judicial Council of California rules that are remaining in effect during the COVID-19 emergency, these charges would not trigger a booking and custody hold with bail. As such, police said Taylor was given a notice to appear in court at a later date and released.
Last week, police arrested Taylor at the same location for violating the Public Health shelter in place orders after he repeatedly harassed employees and customers and had no lawful business at the location.
The Lakeport Police Department reported that its officers have conducted thousands of miles of patrol and hundreds of business and neighborhood checks to keep the community safe during the shelter in place order.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
From March 19 when the state’s stay-at-home order began to April 19, the CHP reports issuing 2,493 citations statewide for speeding more than 100 miles per hour, as compared to 1,335 during the same period last year.
This increase in citations occurred as Caltrans has measured an average decline in traffic volume on state roads of approximately 35 percent as compared to this time last year.
“Excessive speed and unsafe driving threaten everyone using our highway system,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Viewing less congested roads as an invitation to drive dangerously jeopardizes the safety of construction and maintenance crews who are working to maintain reliable access to our highways when people need it most.”
“It is alarming to see the number of citations officers are writing for excessive speeds on California roadways,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Higher speeds can lead to much more serious injuries and significantly increase the chance of death should a crash occur. Keep yourself and those on the road around you safe. Slow down and drive at a safe, legal speed.”
California’s “Move Over” law continues to be in effect and requires all drivers to move over a lane or, if unable to do so safely, slow down when they see amber flashing lights on Caltrans vehicles, law enforcement and emergency vehicles, and tow trucks.
“Fewer cars on the road doesn’t give drivers the green light to travel over the speed limit,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Driving at a safe speed when you must go out is one way to keep you and your family safe during this pandemic.”
California’s more than 700 electronic highway signs will also soon display the following types of safety-related messages: “If you must travel, do not speed,” and, “Keep essential workers safe, do not speed.”
During the COVID-19 emergency, Caltrans said it continues to provide the general public with a safe and reliable transportation system.
The department is maintaining all critical functions during this crisis, including ensuring roadway access to medical facilities and the convenient transport of essential goods and services throughout the state.
Some non-essential work has been deferred to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but maintenance and construction crews are still addressing hazards, safety concerns and other critical functions on the highways.
Please slow down and "Be Work Zone Alert."
For more information about COVID-19 https://covid19.ca.gov/ .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
This is the second in a series of virtual town halls where Thompson and experts from across the district are answering questions on the response to the fallout from novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.
All constituents of California’s Fifth Congressional District – which includes southern Lake County – and members of the press are invited to join.
For this week’s virtual town hall, Thompson will be joined by Sonoma County Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase and Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Gorin.
This event will be held over Zoom and interested participants must email Thompson’s office in order to join, as the platform has a capacity of 500 people.
Interested participants will be notified via email with instructions on how to join.
The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live via Thompson’s page, https://www.facebook.com/RepMikeThompson/ .
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority has received a major grant award that will allow it to build a new transit hub and modernize its fleet with the purchase of new hydrogen buses.
Lake Transit received $13 million in grant funding through the state of California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, or TIRCP, to fund the construction of a new transit center and supporting infrastructure in the city of Clearlake.
“The grant program is extremely competitive and, historically, rural applicants have seen little success,” said Lake Transit Executive Director Lisa Davey-Bates.
The California State Transportation Agency said Tuesday it awarded $500 million to 17 recipients in TIRCP grants for transformative transit and rail projects.
“The $500 million in grant awards made today will increase transit service on new and existing routes, provide for a more integrated transit system, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support jobs,” California State Transportation Agency Secretary David S. Kim said Tuesday. “Although the current COVID-19 pandemic is putting tremendous stress on transit agencies, these funds support long-term capital projects to be completed in the years to come, and will help support the economic recovery in the years ahead.”
The TIRCP was created by Senate Bill 862 to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s transit systems and significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, vehicle miles traveled and congestion, Lake Transit reported.
The transit hub is proposed to be built on a portion of county-owned property at 7175 South Center Drive in Clearlake, near the Clearlake courthouse and the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College. Its current bus depot is located in the parking lot between Big 5 and Walmart.
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring its South Center Drive property as surplus and authorizing the sale of a portion of the land to Lake Transit for its new hub, as Lake County News has reported.
The board passed the resolution to help Lake Transit access the TIRCP grant funding, and also sent a letter in support of Lake Transit’s grant application. Lake Transit applied for the grant that same week.
Lake Transit was among 45 other transit agencies across the state that applied for a total of $2.45 billion in TIRCP funding, according to a February list of applications published online by the California State Transportation Agency.
In its application for the funding, Lake Transit sought approximately $12,994,264 for the project and received the entire amount.
The grant will fund the new transit center’s construction, along with four zero-emission buses, and fueling and maintenance infrastructure at its Lower Lake operations facility. It also will provide funding for workforce development in coordination with local community colleges, Lake Transit said.
The buses will use hydrogen fuel cell technology in order to allow extended range services to be operated, contributing to increased ridership, according to the award announcement.
Lake Transit said the project will expand service to out-of-county destinations and provide a new connection to the North State Intercity Bus System, which received a 2018 TIRCP award for $8.6 million, according to state records.
The North State Intercity Bus System’s 2018 grant was submitted by the Shasta Regional Transportation Agency in cooperation with the North State Super Region, an alliance of 16 northern California counties that includes Lake County.
That system is meant to provide transportation between Redding and Sacramento, and will create more efficient bus routes, improve safety and security for riders, and increase ridership.
Through the North State Intercity Bus System, Lake Transit will travel to out-of-county destinations, including the Sonoma County Airport and the Santa Rosa Bus Terminal in downtown Santa Rosa, as well as to locations in the north, including Shasta County.
Lake Transit said its transit hub project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2020 – once the grant funds become available – and is anticipated to take several years to complete. Project updates will be available on the Lake Transit Authority website.
Lakeport City Councilwoman Stacey Mattina, also a member of the Lake Area Planning Council Board of Directors, reported the grant award during the city council’s Tuesday evening meeting.
Mattina congratulated Davey-Bates and her staff.
“It’s going to be a big deal for the county,” Mattina said of the transit project.
Email Elizabeth Larson at