A man from Clearlake Oaks says he’s not responsible for the death of a woman in a hit and run last June. At William Len’s arraignment, the 48-year-old pleaded not guilty for the hit and run that killed Amanda Arney of Nice. He also pleaded not guilty to special allegations related to the Highway 20 crash into the woman walking along the highway late at night, ending up alone down an embankment. Len will go to trial for involuntary manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit and run with permanent injury or death in February. The CHP arrested Len after an investigation. He was booked into Lake County Jail but released on bail.
There’s still one Congressional race up in the air, but a couple others were called. There were still two races from the mid-terms that were too close to call. There were still hundreds of thousands of unprocessed ballots for the race between Republican farmer John Duarte and Democratic Assemblymember Adam Gray. There were less than 1,000 votes between the two in a new 13th District in the middle of the Central Valley. Another two House seats went to Republicans, Assemblymember Kevin Kiley won over Democrat Kermit Jones for the new 3rd district, and Republican Rep. David Valadao, who voted to impeach Trump, won over Democratic Assemblymember Rudy Salas in Bakersfield.
Money divvied out with Measure B funds has been made public. The total budget for the new mental health center was just under $937,500 and of the money there’s still about $285,000 or so unspent. The money for Measure B goes to help those who have not been able to afford crisis after care. Also over at the Phoenix House for those referred by Redwood Community Crisis Services, they have six people residing there. And in case you didn’t hear, there’s also a mobile crisis response team now, seven days a week, 2 full time staffers respond to calls.
After an independent investigation into personal data being released on folks buying firearms, the Dept. of Justice released information. The agency says the investigation into the Firearms Dashboard release by independent legal and forensic cyber experts showed indeed confidential information on about 192,000 people who applied for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits was unintentionally released. It happened last June. Atty. General Rob Bonta says the “unauthorized release of personal information was unacceptable” calling it a breach of trust. Bonta says the state had hired a law firm to investigate with an outside cyber expert.
You may have visited, but you cannot any longer… the old Sunflower Chinese Restaurant, and the Lakeshore Inn before that, a historic building in Clearlake, has been torn down. The restaurant on Lakeshore Dr. was blasted away last month, leaving a plot of dirt behind. Lake County News reports the building went from an Inn to a restaurant but closed in 2018. The city deemed it a public nuisance and a public health and safety hazard back then. And the owner didn’t fix the issues, so the city sent them an abatement order last year and hired a contractor to demolish the old eyesore. The next owner said she’d abate the building in July, but that never happened, so down the building went.
No comment from the Mendocino County District Attorney about the case against the former police chief yet. DA David Eyster asked the state attorney general’s office to say he needed to recuse himself in the case against former Chief Noble Waidelich who’s accused of sexual assault while on duty and in uniform. Mendo Fever reports the case has continued for practically half of a year, but not much has been released to the public. Eyster has not released any details on the refusal for the recusal by the Justice Dept. either. They turned him down so he has to oversee the Waidelich case. He also hasn’t commented on the light sentence for a former cop accused of burglary, rape and sexual harassment.
A big turnout this year for the free Thanksgiving feast at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg. For the 26th year in a row, Mendocino coast residents were invited to the event, which this year, served a history-making 1,065 free meals. 65 more meals than the year before, and 265 more than in 2020, during the height of the COVID outbreak. All of the meals were not for the needy but included folks who may not have otherwise had a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The meals had to be picked up or delivered, there was no in house dining. Also, the Fort Bragg Food Bank had distribution sites across the coast.
Two inmates have been shot and killed by correctional officers at a Northern California prison. Two officers took out the inmates who they say were trying to stab another inmate to death. Frank Nanez and Raul Cuen died Tuesday morning at High Desert State Prison in Susanville after they attacked Anthony Aguilera with homemade weapons. Prison officials say the pair wouldn’t listen to orders to stop, so they used chemical agents and a warning shot, to no avail, so they shot them. Each were pronounced dead at the prison, just after they were shot. The stabbing victim was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. The officers were placed on administrative leave. The two who died were in for murder.
A plan has been approved by the Fort Bragg City Council to buy a large plot of land from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District. 3 reservoirs will be built on 30 acres as part of the deal, which was approved unanimously, for a price tag of $2,420,579. The city will also put together a community forest on another 550 acres of land, so habitat can be preserved as part of a deed restriction or conservation easement. The trio of reservoirs would store as much as 44 million gallons of water, near the treatment plant and high-power PG&E transmission lines. Waterfall Gulch, Newman Gulch, and the Noyo River will be used to fill the tanks.
