A fire broke out around noon today, on Bowers Avenue in Clearlake. In KymKemp, the incident commander had begun to control the blaze, but winds are causing spotting concerns. The blaze, dubbed the Bowers Fire is only a half acre and forward progress has been halted.
As of about 7:30 this morning, Cal Fire reports the blaze west of Clearlake Oaks is now 80 percent contained and is about 21 acres in size. Firefighters are still working on hot spots with work anticipated to continue today, with an update after 7pm tonight.
Nova Maye Deperno was sentenced to 35 years to life for the murder of his employer Ronald Meluso of Lucerne. Yesterday morning during the delayed sentencing Deperno again claimed it was the victims fault and that he had a difficult childhood. The prosecutor told Lake County News that Deperno was manipulative and a dangerous psychopath. Meluso met Deperno when he offered him a place to stay and a job. Deperno was allegedly part of a 7-month crime spree from the summer of 2020 to early 2021. Deperno had been charged with assault with a firearm, vandalism and shooting into a home. He was arrested in Occidental over a year ago after a manhunt. A person with the Lake County Victim Witness read impact statements, remembering Ronald Meluso as a compassionate and kind man.
Thursday was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In California, the State Attorney General teamed up with AARP California to warn people about the rising numbers of scams. In 2022, an FBI report says California topped the list of states with older residents who were fraud victims. Each year, older adults lose nearly $3 billion in financial fraud, call-centered fraud, investment and romance scams, identity theft and more.
According to the F-B-I, just last year more than 11,500 Californians over age 60 were victims of fraud, losing a total of almost 625-million dollars. Some scammers develop friendships with an older person, over the phone or online, for weeks or months before claiming an emergency and pressuring them for money. Others impersonate a family member or government representative according to the California News Service.
Representative Jared Huffman and others sent a letter to the US EPA urging tightened air quality standards. Early this year, the EPA proposed strengthening an ambient air quality standard for fine particle pollution. Huffman with members of the California delegation want stronger public health protections, especially for communities in the state who are more significantly affected by air pollution from catastrophic wildfires. In KymKemp, the group also urged allowance for prescribed fires. Despite laws and acts to clear up California’s air, wildfires have negatively affected the state’s clear air progress. The last five years in California saw some of the largest fires in history.
Pride month decorations were stolen from the Ukiah branch of the Mendocino County Library this week. In MendoVoice, the librarian reported the theft Tuesday. Dozens of books about gender identity and same sex parents were found hidden throughout the library. The burglar also focused on removing anti-racism titles and left a very disturbing note behind. The Ukiah Police Department is investigating the crime. The branch librarian said that libraries were built on the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, saying they stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. In a Facebook post, the Mendocino County Library said that their goal is to facility freedom of access to information.
There was a ceremonial groundbreaking for a billion dollar expansion of the Graton Casino. The project would make it one of the state’s three largest gaming facilities. The casino is owned by the Graton Rancheria and would build on the decade old casino, nearly doubling the gaming floor and add over 200 additional hotel rooms. The tribe has been expanding the casino since it’s beginning in 2013. According to the Press Democrat, the plans include a six story hotel wing that would make it the largest hotel in Sonoma County. Also a 3,500 seat theatre and five story parking lot are in the works. The casino resort officials say promises were made to the community like environmental stewardship, job creation and cooperation with other tribes. The Graton Tribe has given more than $200 million to Sonoma County for impacts on public services.
There will be fireworks tonight after the Kelseyville High School graduation ceremony. The class of 2023 will celebrate with fireworks ad the end of the ceremony tonight. You can see the display as it begins around 9:20pm from the high school stadium. The sunset fireworks show has been a tradition in the community since 2000, according to Lake County News. The show will be over five minutes long and will be monitored by local police and fire agencies. Area residents are urged to make sure pets are in a safe spot incase the fireworks spook them.
Several bills that reduce property rights for water owners have passed the house in California. The Record Bee reports one bill would make water diversion a trespassing violation. Another would give the State Water Board greater authority to enforce water law. And the third bill would give the State Water Board more weight in water policy. The bills will increase California residents’ water bills. According to the Southern California News Group California’s messy water laws largely protect property rights, preserve local control. The news group is urging the senate to reject the bills, or if they do pass, for the governor to veto them.
A law that shields California renters from double digit rent hikes was passed four years ago. According to the Press Democrat, the governor has announced its first enforcement against a landlord under the California rent control law. Attorney General Bonta yesterday announced Green Valley Corporation increased rent be over 151 percent. In a settlement, the AG said the company also unlawfully evicted six tenants without just cause. The company will be fined nearly $400,000, over two-thirds of which will be given back to renters who overpaid. The 2019 law was co-authored by then-Assemblymember Bonta and capped rent hikes to 5 percent plus inflation allowing landlords to increase rent by 10 percent in recent years. It also requires landlords to have a just cause fore eviction. Now AG Bonta is enforcing the law after over a year of investigation in the Bay Area.
There’s a call out for people to teach poetry in Lake County. The Lake County Arts Council is looking for experienced poet teachers for 10 on-hour sessions for 11th graders. In Lake County News, they are looking to inspire students to participate in the County’
S Arts Council that programs Poetry Out Loud and Youth Poet Laureate events. Teachers of poetry should have historical lessons as well as composition theory to help kids add to their portfolio. The Lake County Arts Council will have guidance and payment for a future poetry teacher who must also pass a background check. They are looking to fill the position soon, with applications due by the end of this month.
And Clear Lake is hosting another bass tournament this weekend. The Best Bass Tournament is set to host at least 60 boats Saturday and Sunday, according to the Record Bee. The Department of Fish and Wildlife announced a new regulation now in effect through September. All bass tournaments must not go over six hours in duration. The regulation aims to protect fish in hot weather. When temperatures hit 95 degrees, bass can die in waters of livewells.
The Oakland A’s are headed to Vegas. Nevada’s Governor Joe Lombardo signed into law a financing package to build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics. Yesterday, Lombardo approved a $380 million package to build the stadium on the Vegas strip. The Associated Press is reporting the $1.5 billion stadium will have a retractable roof and more and will be located near the Vegas Raiders who also left Oakland three years ago. On the heels of the NHL Stanly Cup win from the Golden Knights the governor says Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is growing.
Lake County Behavioral Health has released the new Three-year Mental Health Services Act for this fiscal year through 2026. The Lake County News is reporting the department worked months on community engagement and planning and has the act available for the public to see. There will be a 30-day posting followed by a public hearing on the plan hosted by the Mental Health Advisory board next month. Physical copies are available at mental health service centers throughout the county.
There is a new state hotline and online portal called the California vs Hate network. The Bay Area News group is reporting that the program has received 180 incident calls in it’s first month of operation. State officials say the most reported motivations during the month of May were race and ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. The confidential program started in the beginning of May and was created in response to the recent surge in hate crimes. In 2021 reported hate crimes rocketed up about 33 percent that year, reaching the highest recorded levels of hate crimes in twenty years. The free, non-emergency program also has a phone number, manned from 9a to 6pm weekdays at 833-8-No-Hate.
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council announced awards of their micro-grants with 16 local organizations. The current round of grants totals over $100,000 with PG&E matching $50,000. Fire departments, Fire Safe Councils are some of the organizations receiving the money. Each organization will get between $2,000 and $8,000 to continue prioritizing risks and solutions to improve community fire safety, according to MendoVoice. The Hopland Fire Prevention District and Navarro Fire Safe Councils will install water tanks. Other fire prevention organizations will use award funds to rehab and upgrade equipment, campaign for public awareness, work on defensible spaces and more.
California’s governor and lawmakers are working on the budget for the fiscal year beginning in just over two weeks. The Record Bee is reporting that because of the unprecedented six month delay for filing taxes, legislators don’t know exactly how much money they have. Governor Newsom said last month that California as a $31.5 billion deficit to close. A legislative budget analyst said revenues will fall short and raise the deficit several billion dollars more. This week legislators published a joint version of the budget to move the process forward, but won’t adopt a final budget for months. Still on the table is funding for local transit systems and homelessness programs. Analysts say there will be budget deficits for years with no agreement on billions projected to be spent.
