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Joseph Denson, 32, was the victim of the wreck, which occurred at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday on Highway 20 at Road A, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office.
The CHP said Denson was driving a 2014 Mercedes C250 sedan eastbound, approaching Road A, at approximately 55 miles per hour.
Traveling westbound at the same time was 48-year-old Christian Hunt of Lakeport, driving a 2019 Jeep Cherokee 55 miles per hour, the CHP said.
Conditions were rainy and cloudy at the time of the wreck, the CHP reported.
The CHP said that, for unknown reasons, the Mercedes’ wheels lost traction on the roadway surface, causing the car to begin rotating in a counter-clockwise direction before entering the westbound lane, directly in the path of Hunt’s Jeep.
Hunt attempted to brake and steer the Jeep to the right but was unable to avoid a collision with Denson’s Mercedes. The CHP said the front end of the Jeep collided with the right side of the Mercedes.
The Mercedes came to rest on its wheels, facing in an easterly direction, partially blocking both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 20. The CHP said the Jeep came to rest on its wheels on the highway’s north shoulder, facing in a westerly direction.
The CHP said Denson died of his injuries at the scene. Hunt suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment.
Both men were wearing their seat belts at the time of the wreck, the CHP reported.
The highway was closed for nearly two hours, with the CHP reporting that it reopened just before 9:45 a.m.
In addition to the CHP, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Medstar Ambulance, Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department and Caltrans responded to the scene.
The CHP said the cause of the collision remains under investigation. So far, neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the crash.
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The meeting will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Scotts Valley Women’s Club, 2298 Hendricks Road, Lakeport.
Registration opens at 8 a.m., with coffee and a continental breakfast, with Rachel Elkins of the UC Cooperative Extension for Lake and Mendocino counties to welcome attendees at 8:30 p.m.
They invite growers and the larger community to join them to hear and discuss current pear research including insect and disease control, cover crops, mechanization-friendly orchard systems, and breeding.
At 8:40 a.m., the Lake County Agriculture Department will give an update on paraquat, closed systems and bee registration.
Dr. Jim Adaskeveg the University of California, Riverside’s Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology will offer an evaluation of new bactericides for control of fire blight of pear at 9:10 a.m.
At 9:40 a.m., Elkins and Alan Knight, a researcher based in Yakima, Wash., will give an update on new lure, trap placement and mass trapping trials for codling moth.
That will be followed at 10 a.m. by Elkins’ presentations on brown marmorated stink bug and the screening for potential antagonists for fire blight control.
At 10:40 a.m., Carolina Elena Tweedy of UC Davis’ Department of Plant Sciences, will give an update on UC pear breeding program activities, the development of rooting protocols on non-P. communis pears and promising wild pear germplasm and the Pear Genomics Research Network website.
At 11:10 a.m., Juliana Wu of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences will discuss cover crop effects on soil organic matter, rooting and nutrition in organic pear orchards.
Elkins will close the event with a presentation at 11:30 a.m. on rootstocks and orchard systems for pears.
Continuing education credits are available.
For more information, call the UC Cooperative Extension at 707-263-6838.
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The state said Lake County’s December unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, up from 4.5 percent in November and 5.6 percent in December 2018.
The report said California’s unemployment rate held steadfast at its record low of 3.9 percent, maintaining a record low in a data series going back to the 1970s. The number of unemployed Californians is the lowest since 1989, despite large gains in statewide population since.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nation’s December jobless rate remained at 3.5 percent for the second month in a row. The December 2018 rate was 3.9 percent.
The state’s employers added 12,600 nonfarm payroll jobs in December, based on information from two surveys.
California’s job gains in December contributed to a record job expansion in California of 118 months, surpassing the long expansion of the 1960s, state officials said.
California has gained 3,422,900 jobs since the current expansion began in February 2010, accounting for more than 15 percent of the nation’s 22,688,000 job gain over the same timeframe, the Employment Development Department reported.
The report said the number of Californians holding jobs in December was 18,786,800, an increase of 56,400 from November and up 81,800 from the employment total in December of last year.
At the same time, the state said the number of unemployed Californians was 757,700 in December, a decrease of 4,100 over the month and down by 44,900 compared with December of last year.
December’s 12,600 nonfarm payroll jobs gain was driven by growth in six of California’s 11 industry sectors:
– Professional and business services, up by 6,500 jobs, posted the biggest jobs gain, fueled mostly by scientific research and development and advertising and related services.
– Educational and health services, up by 5,200 jobs, also did well with job gains in dental offices and in-home supportive services leading the way.
– Other services, 4,200 jobs.
– Government, 3,400 jobs.
– Construction, 900 jobs.
– Mining and logging, 200 jobs.
Information, one of November’s top job-gaining sectors, posted December’s biggest jobs loss (-3,900) mainly due to weakness last month in the motion picture and sound recording subsector. It was followed by leisure and hospitality (-2,400).
In Lake County, the civilian workforce totaled 29,120 in December, down from 29,390 in November and up from the 28,770 recorded in December 2018.
Total farm categories were down by 16.2 percent and nonfarm dropped by 1.1 percent, but in a year-over comparison, total farm was up by 87.9 percent and total nonfarm was up by 2.6 percent.
Lake County’s December jobless rate ranks it No. 39 of California’s 58 counties for December
Neighboring county jobless rates and ranks for December are: Colusa, 14.2 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 5.5 percent, No. 41; Mendocino, 3.7 percent, No. 24; Napa, 2.9 percent, No. 12; Sonoma, 2.4 percent, No. 5; and Yolo, 3.9 percent, No. 28, the report said.
In related data that figures into the state’s unemployment rate, the Employment Development Department said there were 327,751 people receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits during the survey week in December compared to 293,595 in November and 338,747 people in December 2018.
Concurrently, 50,116 people filed new claims in December which was a month-over increase of 680 people, the state said.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake Local Agency Formation Commission has approved a proposal to annex Middletown Rancheria land into the Callayomi County Water District in order to ensure a safe, reliable source of water for the tribe’s homes and casino.
LAFCo approved the annexation of approximately 109.38 acres into the water district at its meeting on Jan. 15 in Clearlake.
The discussion of the annexation begins at the 2:20 minute mark in the video above. The staff report for the discussion is posted at the end of this article.
The commission, which oversees development and protects natural resources, includes members of local government such as the Board of Supervisors, the city councils for Clearlake and Lakeport, special districts representatives and public members.
LAFCo this year is chaired by Bruno Sabatier, the District 2 representative on the Board of Supervisors, with District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon acting as vice chair.
Simon, who also chairs Middletown Rancheria’s tribal council, recused himself from the Jan. 15 discussion and vote.
LAFCo Executive Officer John Benoit’s report to the commission explained that the tribe was seeking the annexation “to receive domestic water services.”
The water district’s board adopted a resolution of application on June 13 requesting LAFCo to take the annexation proceedings, Benoit’s report explained.
The rancheria property includes Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, a government administration complex, tribal members’ homes and a commercial property for future development, according to Benoit’s report.
Benoit’s report explained that 30 homes on the rancheria are being served by an out-of-agency service agreement with the district, with another 15 homes receiving water service under a separate out-of-agency service agreement recently approved by LAFCo, Benoit’s report said.
In addition to providing safe, adequate and reliable domestic water service for the structures, the annexation to the water district also will provide water for fire protection for the site, the report noted.
The report also explained that the district has an excess of 243,057 gallons per day, with 366 active accounts and 84 inactive accounts. Much of the district’s infrastructure was destroyed during the Valley fire but has since been rebuilt.
Benoit told the commission that there is a housing shortage at the rancheria.
He said the effort to get the land annexed has been under way for several years, with a previous application filed in 2015 that didn’t work out.
“This has been long in coming for the tribe,” said Benoit, who recommended the approval.
Commissioner Ed Robey agreed that it was a long time in coming and was noncontroversial.
Sabatier asked about the district’s excess water and whether it’s enough to deal with a large scale fire. He added that it appeared to be enough for homes, with the typical household using 40,000 gallons a year.
Explaining that the Valley fire had damaged a lot of infrastructure that has required rebuilding, Benoit said he’s concerned about other projects – like the Maha Guenoc Valley development at Langtry Estates – as well as another potential rancheria parcel which will need service. At that point, they will need to address capacity issues; Benoit said the district has an additional well.
With wildfires, Benoit added, you can have almost any amount of water and it won’t be enough.
Commissioner Dirk Slooten moved to approve the annexation, which Robey seconded and the commission approved 6-0.
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011520 Lake LAFCo discussion on Middletown Rancheria annexation by LakeCoNews on Scribd