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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The department is the first accredited state crime lab in North America to begin fully sequencing mitochondrial DNA, which makes it easier to test degraded evidence samples that have been subjected to harsh environmental conditions.
This advancement is particularly important for being able to process DNA involving unknown human remains and help families find closure regarding loved ones who have gone missing.
“Anything we can do to help families find closure is critical,” said Attorney General Becerra. “We’re proud of the work our scientists and technicians do every day at our Bureau of Forensic Services to help protect Californians, including our work with local law enforcement to help families locate their missing loved ones. This breakthrough will help make a direct difference in people’s lives.”
When biological evidence has been exposed to harsh environmental conditions, DNA may be broken down into small pieces. This makes it more difficult to successfully obtain information about the DNA that can be used to identify an unknown person.
Given the high prevalence of degradation of DNA in human remains that have been outdoors for extended periods of time, scientists at crime laboratories often turn to mitochondrial DNA since it is generally present in far greater quantities than standard nuclear DNA.
While nuclear DNA is typically more informative, sometimes mitochondrial DNA is all that is available. Mitochondrial DNA is found in mitochondria, which are organelles inside human cells.
Organelles have various functions; mitochondria are involved in biochemical processes used for respiration and energy production in the body. Organelles exist outside of the cell’s nucleus, where human DNA is packaged, and are found in every human cell. Mitochondrial DNA only contains DNA information that is passed along maternally.
Taking advantage of massive parallel sequencing technology, the Department’s Bureau of Forensic Services has now validated a process for sequencing the entirety of mitochondrial DNA.
Previously, only a portion of the control region of mitochondrial DNA, approximately 5 percent of the genome, was analyzed in cases involving unknown persons.
By sequencing the entire genome, the department is able to significantly increase the proportion of unique results known as haplotypes.
This, in turn, increases the ability to successfully identify unknown persons by allowing scientists to eliminate results that have some shared characteristics with greater certainty.
As with all areas of science, advances are constantly made through discoveries and technological developments. Rapidly evolving technology has helped make sequencing entire genomes more feasible.
Officials said the advancement announced Monday will be used to compare mitochondrial DNA provided by families to biological evidence found in cases involving unknown human remains.
General information on the Department’s Bureau of Forensic Services is available here.
Last year, 42,454 adults and 76,696 children were reported missing by California law enforcement.
More information on missing persons is available here.
If you think you know the whereabouts of any missing person, before taking any action, please contact the law enforcement agency listed in the missing person record, your local law enforcement agency, or the California Department of Justice at 1-800-222-FIND (24-hour nationwide toll-free hotline) or (916) 210-3119 or email the Department of Justice at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
On Thursday, the council discussed a possible relocation of the corporation yard – currently located on the city-owned Pearce Field airport property, which the city is considering selling for commercial development – to another city-owned property on Ogulin Canyon Road.
David Swartz, the city’s consulting engineer, presented an analysis of two sites on the 21-acre property on Thursday night. His report is on 40 of the agenda packet published below.
However, Swartz’s conclusion on both sites – one on top of a hill, the other at the base of a hill – was that they are too small to be usable on a long term basis.
For the hilltop location, Swartz said there would need to be a lot of earthmoving, which would be made more difficult by his assessment that the hilltop is rock.
There also was the matter of a 12-foot-wide access road that has a 12- to 15-percent grade, which Swartz said could be a “recipe for disaster” when trying to move large equipment to the site.
At the bottom of the hill, Swartz said there is a flat-enough area to develop a yard, but some of that flat area is on an adjacent parcel not owned by the city. He said it’s possible that the adjacent site could be purchased.
“The usability of the site, I think, presents some challenges,” Swartz said.
The city’s current Public Works corporation yard is being shared with the city’s Animal Control department, with a lot of workspace being taken up by kennels, he said.
Swartz said Public Works’ staff and needs are expanding. He said the city could relocate the yard to the Ogulin Canyon Road site and it would be sufficient for the current staff, but he didn’t think it would suffice for the future.
“And I’m just being honest,” he said, explaining that in a dozen years, the city will probably have a larger Public Works staff “by quite a bit.”
Swartz said that in the next decade, the city will be presented with another dilemma, open a second corporation yard or move the current one.
In response to questions from Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten, Swartz said the property has no setback issues, isn’t in the flood zone, and has no water or sewer service.
During the ensuing discussion, council members agreed with Swartz’s assessment and didn’t like the idea of moving to a new site that wouldn’t be adequate long term.
Councilman Phil Harris noted his concerns with the prospect of city staff having to cross Highway 53 with equipment every time they left the site. He said he’d prefer a location within the city.
“It’s not an ideal location,” said Mayor Russ Cremer, adding he would like to look for a more suitable location, which may require buying new property and selling the Ogulin Canyon Road site.
Councilman Russ Perdock said the city has other properties including one 30-acre site acquired through redevelopment that can be accessed off of Old Highway 53. He said the city had considered putting a park there.
City Manager Alan Flora said staff had looked at city-owned sites and the Ogulin Canyon Road location was the only one other than the airport with size.
“The frustration here is, the city’s been talking about doing this for several years. We've made very little, if any, progress,” Flora said.
He said the city needs a solution as soon as possible, as he anticipates significant pressure and interest in developing at the airport property in the next few years.
Flora said it may be feasible to sell the Ogulin Canyon Road site. He said he’s not sure of what it could be used for, noting it’s in a cannabis combining district and also would make a nice home site.
The $600,000 budgeted for the new corporation yard is probably not enough to build at the Ogulin Canyon Road site, with Flora noting that it puts the city in a bind, both timing-wise and financially.
Perdock asked Swartz how big of a site the city needs for a new corporation yard. Swartz said four to five acres.
During public comment, District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier offered a brand new option.
Sabatier said he texted Lake County Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger about the matter and said she is open to a conversation about locating the corporation yard at the county-owned sewer pond facility on Pond Road. The site also has a solar installation.
Flora said the city and county had previously talked about locating Clearlake Animal Control there.
Council members liked the idea and said they wanted to explore it further. Cremer thanked Sabatier for suggesting the Pond Road site.
The council reached a consensus to consider the Pond Road site further.
During the meeting, Flora showed the council a map of a 490-acre parcel within the city limit owned by the Lake County Sanitation District.
Sabatier later confirmed to Lake County News that the city and county plan to move forward with discussing the site.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
022020 Clearlake City Council meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
On the agenda Tuesday the board will get an update from Tax Administrator Patrick Sullivan on cannabis tax collected to date as well as staff’s future projections for this revenue stream.
County Counsel Anita Grant also will weigh in on allowable uses of the cannabis tax money.
The board also will consider a resolution directing the Tax Collector’s Office to hold a public auction of tax-defaulted property. That item also is untimed.
In other untimed items of note, County Auditor-Controller/County Clerk Cathy Saderlund will give the board a report on the Teeter Fund, which helps the county cover unpaid property tax.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve long-distance travel from March 16 to March 20, 2020, for Accountant-Auditor, Technology Anthony Valdez to attend the CentralSquare 2020 Customer Event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
5.2: Adopt Resolution authorizing Lake County Behavioral Health Services to approve Funding Allocations for the Whole Person Care Pilot Program.
5.3: Approve addendum to the commercial lease agreement between the county of Lake and Tri-Star Properties L.P. for the lease of property located at 845 and 849 Bevins St., Lakeport, CA 95453 in the amount of $1,964.07 per month and authorize the chair to sign.
5.4: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held Nov. 26, 2019; Dec. 10, 2019; Dec. 17, 2019; Jan. 14, 2020; and Feb. 11, 2020.
5.5: Adopt resolution setting rate of pay for election officers for the March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election.
5.6: Approve a letter of support to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.7: Adopt proclamation recognizing the retirement of Health Programs Support Specialist II Denise Rosann Doukas and honoring her many years of outstanding service to the county of Lake.
5.8: Adopt resolution approving an agreement between the county of Lake and county of Santa Cruz for Medi-Cal Administrative Activities and Targeted Case Management, and authorize the director of Health Services to sign the agreement.
5.9: Adopt resolution approving the Health Services Department’s application to the California Department of Public Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch Grant Program for Fiscal Years 2020/2021 Through 2022/2023 and authorizing the director of Health Services to sign said application and grant in the amount of $74,112.
5.10: Approve amendment one to equipment repair and service contract between the county of Lake and Peterson Tractor Co. in the increased amount of $75,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.11: Approve telecommunications site agreement between ComSites West and the Lake County Sheriff's Office for space in their repeater vault on St. Helena.
5.12: Approve the Everbridge mass notification user agreement in the amount of $18,207.95 from March 20, 2020, to March 19, 2021, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.13: Approve revised amendment one between the county of Lake and Bennet Omalu Pathology for a five-year cost plan and fee schedule for pathology services and authorize the chairman to sign.
5.14: Approve long-distance travel on April 20 to 23, 2020, for Sherri DeLaTorre, ICPC coordinator, and Mary Pagan, program manager to attend the Interstate Compact on Placement of Children in Denver, Colorado. The Title IV-E Chabot training contract will provide funding for the costs of travel and training.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Presentation of a proclamation recognizing the retirement of Health Programs Support Specialist II Denise Rosann Doukas and honoring her many years of outstanding service to the county of Lake.
6.3, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of resolution authorizing the Public Works director to sign the notice of completion for Three SB1 Rehabilitation Improvement Projects, Bid No. 19-10.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of (a) resolution amending Resolution No. 2019-126 to Amend the FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget by adjusting reserves, fund balance carryover, revenues, and appropriations; and (b) resolution amending Resolution 2019-127 to amend the position allocations for FY 2019-20 to Conform to the mid-year budget adjustments.
7.3: (a) Consideration of report on cannabis tax revenue collected and future projections for this revenue stream; and (b) consideration of report on allowable uses of cannabis monies.
7.4: Consideration of report on the Teeter Fund.
7.5: Consideration of proposed findings of fact and decision in the appeal of Judson Hodges (AB 19-06).
7.6: Consideration of resolution authorizing the chairman of the board to approve and direct the tax collector to sell, at public auction via internet, tax-defaulted property which is subject to power to sell in accordance with Chapter 7 of Part 6 Division 1, of the California Revenue and Taxation Code and approving sales below minimum price in specified cases.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with labor negotiator: (a) chief negotiator: M. Long; county negotiators: C. Huchingson and P. Samac; and (b) employee organizations: LCDDAA, LCDSA, LCCOA, LCEA, LCSEA and LCSMA.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 5456.9(d)(4) – One potential case.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): EEOC Complaint of Cari McCormick.
8.4: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): Heart Consciousness Church v. County of Lake.
8.5: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): County of Lake, et al. v. PG&E.
8.6: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(2)(e)(3): One potential claim.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The council will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The single item on the meeting agenda is the proposed award of the sidewalk project to Granite Construction, which was the low bidder at $399,495, according to the staff report from Public Works Director Doug Grider.
The city engineer’s estimate for this project was $435,811.25, Grider said.
The sidewalk was damaged as the result of severe storms in early 2017 and 2019, which destroyed the Library Park seawall, as Lake County News has reported.
West Coast Contractors, a firm based in Coos Bay, Oregon, currently is building a new steel sheet pile retaining wall, a project that began earlier this month.
Grider’s report explains that the sidewalk project includes removing and replacing the existing sidewalk and the aggregate base; coloring and stamping some portions of the sidewalk; installing trench drain and features, and pipe sleeves; modification of existing light pole bases and relocation of existing light poles.
Because the damage resulted from storms that were covered by a federal disaster declaration, the project is being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance funds, according to Grider’s report.
Grider said construction is estimated to start on March 16.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
022420 Lakeport City Council special meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd