The United States Geological Survey says it was a 4.7-magnitude quake that shook Lake County last night. The quake hit at 6:34 pm about two-and-a-half miles north northwest of Cobb, along Bottle Rock Road, at a depth of about six tenths of a mile. There have been dozens of smaller quakes since as well as a swarm in Sonoma County. While there have been no reports of major damage, several thousand people have filed Shake Reports with USGS with many reporting items failing of shelves and furniture moving.
Some commercial Dungeness crab fishermen are getting some work going today after several weeks of delays to the commercial season. The presoak period begins today for the Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the Mexico border with the actual fishing allowed beginning Sunday January 5. This area does have a 50 percent trap reduction due to continued risk of entanglement for humpback whales. The fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Oreon will open on January 15 with pre-soak starting January 12. Last year the fisheries opened about a week later.
We’re learning more about a deputy-involved shooting in Nice last week. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says just before 3am Friday deputies responded to a business on Highway 20 for an alarm call. They say one deputy was approached by a man they say was wielding several knives. He was said to be erratic and showing aggressive actions and after the deputy made several tries to de-escalate the situation, the guy refused to comply and moved in to attack the deputy and the deputy shot him. The suspect is still in a hospital and the deputy is on administrative leave while the Lake County District Attorney’s Office continues investigating.
California’s Insurance Commissioner has announced the final step in his strategy to bolster California’s insurance market amid the growing threat of wildfires and other disasters. On Monday Ricardo Lara announced the last piece of his Sustainable Insurance Strategy called the Net Cost of Reinsurance in Ratemaking Regulation which requires insurance companies to increase coverage in wildfire-prone regions, ensuring they write policies for at least 85% of their statewide market share and increasing that by 5% every two years. And the new regulation caps the amount of the reinsurance costs that can be passed on to policyholders. Lara says it also limits the insurance companies’ calculation of their expenses to California-only, so California customers don’t pay for the cost of Gulf Coast hurricanes or Midwest windstorms.
If you’re concerned about the safety of your gas appliances, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is offering free in-home gas safety checks. PG&E says free safety checks help ensure that gas appliances, including water heaters, furnaces and ovens, are operating safely and efficiently, reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. They say in 2024, they responded to more than 6,000 incidents where the presence of carbon monoxide was suspected. All California single-family homes are required to have carbon monoxide detectors which should be installed on every floor, near sleeping areas and common areas and tested twice a year.
Fort Bragg Police say they have been getting a lot of questions about their duty in enforcing immigration law. In a post on social media, they say as a local police agency, their primary goal is to ensure the safety of the entire community. They say California laws restrict them from complying with any enforcement activity of federal immigration laws and they say their officers are “committed to building trust and maintaining cooperation with all members of our community regardless of their immigration status.” They say for more information visit the California Attorney General’s website.
A Fort Bragg dance company has begun offering free dance classes to people living with Parkinson’s disease. The Mendocino Dance Project ran a pilot program last month after getting a mini grant from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District. Lead Instructor Kara Starkweather, who has a specific certification to teach it, tells the Ukiah Daily Journal there was a lot of interest in the 6-week run and they are looking for more funding to do it again. She says the dance classes have the students doing modified versions of movements, sometimes sitting in chairs and focused on building balance and coordination which are important for those struggling with a disease or disability.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a new protocol for local law enforcement to get to the bottom of some domestic violence cases. Bonta is asking counties to develop review teams of criminal justice, health, advocacy and judicial groups to fight for domestic violence survivors and their families by breaking down what he called the silos between all those agencies and having them work together. California already requires review teams for domestic violence deaths and near-deaths, but Bonta says he wants review teams to help before it gets to that point.
