Lake County Covid-19 positive test and daily case rates have started to increase after an all-time low just a couple of weeks ago. The County Health Services Department calls that a disturbing trend because two new cases of that more dangerous Delta variant have shown up. The department says the vaccination is essential to keep Covid from returning. If you have not received a shot, the recommendation is to wear a mask in most indoor and group settings. The Public Health Division has recently made vaccines available for students in local schools and their families in partnership with School Districts and the Office of Education. There are several more clinics next week. You can find out where at the Health Department Website. Officials say the facts do not back up misinformation going around about the vaccine, so they hope to spread the word that the shots are safe and effective.
An inmate at the Lake County Jail is back behind bars after he tried to make a run for it. The sheriff’s office says 63-year-old Gary Gard of Kelseyville ran off from a work assignment on Thursday morning, but he didn’t get far. Surveillance video caught him tossing off his jail uniform and heading up an embankment on the outside. An officer driving in that area of Hill Road quickly spotted Gard and ordered him to stop. The prisoner complied and was taken in without incident. Gard was doing time for misdemeanor meth possession, but now he has likely delayed his eventual release. Getting INTO the county jail is easy if you do something wrong but getting OUT is not. Nobody has successfully escaped from the Lake County lockup since 2013.
If that inmate had actually gone free, he might have run into the newest member of the County Sherrif’s Department. Law Enforcement K-9 Rex is now on duty, ready to take a bite out of crime. Rex is well qualified. He is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, who, along with his human partner Deputy Joe Lyons, just finished six weeks of training. Together, they will be assigned to the Enforcement Division and do a variety of jobs like tracking, searching, apprehending bad guys, and providing public safety demonstrations. Money for Rex’s K-9 pay, kibble, and treats come from several sources, including asset forfeiture, fundraising events, and donations from the community. You can donate through the Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association K-9 Fund on the sheriff’s department website.
Felony charges against three men Ukiah Police say were involved in a shooting on Elm Street last month. Detectives started the investigation after shots were fired into a residential neighborhood near the 1900 block of Elm late on June 18th. Nobody was hurt, but there was property damage. Surveillance video led investigators to three suspects. Officers say they spotted two of them two days later on South State Street. Those men, identified as Ernesto Gomez-Silva and Christian Hernandez, were arrested after a struggle. The third man, identified as Esteban Camarillo, was picked up in the same area last week. All three are now facing a long list of charges, including attempted murder, gun and drug possession, and resisting arrest. Cops say Gomez-Silva, Hernandez, and Camarillo are known, gang members. The investigation is ongoing.
The Ukiah Valley Fire Authority calls a vegetation fire on Gobbi Street earlier this week suspicious. That fire along the tracks near the Summercreek Village Apartments on Village Circle briefly threatened the complex on Wednesday afternoon. Battalion Chief Eric Singleton tells the Ukiah Daily Journal that two sheds were destroyed and that his crew had to work fast to keep the fire from spreading further. Singleton says there is no obvious natural cause, so for now, he is calling it suspicious. The chief says that vegetation is burning like August instead of July.
Mendocino County Inland Jewish Community says some graffiti painted on at least two pieces of artwork is a hate crime. Swastikas were found last week on a mosaic piece in the Alex R Thomas Plaza and on a small mural on Church Street. Community Program Administrator Neil Davis tells the Ukiah Daily Journal that he has reported that defacement to the Ukiah Police and wants it handled as a hate crime. Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley says she is appealed by the anti-semitic graffiti and that whoever did it will be held accountable. You can contact Ukiah Police through their non-emergency number if you know anything about this case or others like it.
The wheels are turning in Lake and Mendocino County election offices now that there is a date for California’s gubernatorial recall vote. Voters will decide on September 14th if Governor Gavin Newsom stays or goes, and who would replace him if he is booted out. The State finance department says that vote will cost around $95,000 in Lake County and $87,000 in Mendocino County. Lake County Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez tells Lake County News her office will have additional information on its website as soon as it is available. Here is how the vote will work. Question One will ask if Newsom should be recalled — 50 percent or more say YES, he is out. Question TWO lists the candidates who would then replace him. The want-to-be Governors have until July 16, two weeks from today, to file their papers. 70 candidates have already done that.
You may not notice it, but your fill-up for your Fourth of July get-away will cost just a bit more. California’s gas tax has gone up as of July 1st by six-tenths of a cent a gallon to 51.6 cents. It goes up every year based on the California consumer price index. The money goes to road and bridge repairs. According to the website Gas Buddy dot com, gas prices in Ukiah range anywhere from $3.99 a gallon to $4.63 a gallon for regular this morning, depending on where you go. In Lakeport, that range is $4.09 to $4.55. Overall, California is home to the most expensive gas anywhere in the US with an average price of $4.28 a gallon. If you were in Mississippi, that same gallon would cost on average, $2.75 which is the cheapest in the country.
You won’t have to burn a lot of that expensive gas to get to a holiday parade. The 64th annual Redbud Parade and Festival in Clearlake starts at 11 AM tomorrow at Redbud Park and makes its way down Lakeshore Drive to Austin Park. The parade theme is, appropriately, “Stars and Stripes”. It will feature local marchers, a marching band, decorated floats, vintage cars, parade and show horses, fire and police vehicles, and more. The celebration continues all day at Austin Park, capped off by fireworks at dusk. The Lakeshore Lions Club of Clearlake sponsors the event. It is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
State Representative Mike Thompson wants money for a preliminary design report on the Lake County Full Circle Effluent Pipeline included in California’s next Budget. That $320,000 pays for a study about which wastewater treatment facilities are best for the effluent pipeline. That water could then be used for geothermal energy production or irrigation. A Legislative committee will look over the funding request. Lake County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson tells Lake County News that improved water and wastewater infrastructure is vital to future growth. The idea of a Lake County effluent pipeline has been around since at least 2004.
Your PG&E bill could very likely go up in the next couple of years to pay for the utility’s 7.4 billion dollar upgrade plan. PG&E has filed papers with the Public Utilities Commission, outlining improvements it says will strengthen its system against wildfire and other risks, enhance safety and provide more renewable energy. If the PUC says yes, average bills could go up about 36 dollars a month by 2023. PG&E acknowledges that would be a big hit for its customers, but the upgrades can’t wait. The PUC says it will thoroughly review the rate increase request and allow plenty of opportunity for public comment.
