Lake County News,California

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: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Wednesday, 02 August 2023 02:17; 02 August 2023

Attorney General Bonta to investigate Butte County redistricting process

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday launched an independent investigation into the redistricting process of Butte County.

The investigation by the California Department of Justice, or DOJ, will seek to determine whether Butte County violated the California FAIR MAPS Act and other voting rights laws during the county's 2021 redistricting process to redraw election district boundaries.

"In a democracy, every eligible voter deserves fair and equal representation,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The allegations raised regarding the redistricting process in Butte County are serious and warrant a thorough investigation. We must ensure that the voting rights of all communities are protected and upheld. Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the redistricting process, and promote a fair and inclusive electoral system for all Californians."

Under the California Constitution and Government Code, the attorney general has broad authority to investigate any potential violations of the law, and ensure the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced.

At this stage, the investigation will be conducted by California DOJ’s Racial Justice Bureau within the Civil Rights Enforcement Section.

During the course of the investigation, state attorneys will work diligently to consider all relevant information related to Butte County’s 2021 redistricting process and adopted map.

However, it is important to note that the Office of the Attorney General has made no determination at this time with regard to specific complaints or allegations related to the conduct of those involved in the county’s redistricting process. California DOJ is committed to conducting a thorough and independent investigation.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Friday, 28 July 2023 01:14; 28 July 2023

Thompson announces $40 million for Northern California water infrastructure

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — On Thursday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that two water storage and conveyance projects in Northern California, Sites Reservoir and Los Vaqueros Reservoir, are receiving $30 million and $10 million respectively in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Reliable sources of water are vital to our communities as we face extreme drought and weather events,” said Thompson. “The funding for Sites and Los Vaqueros announced as part of the Investing in America agenda will help provide our families, farmers, and communities with the water resources we need to combat drought and live healthy lives. When I was in the State Senate, I appropriated the first funds for the Sites Reservoir, and this funding will help move the project forward. Proud to have voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is part of the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation’s history.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing:

• $30 million for the Sites Reservoir Project to pursue off stream storage capable for up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water in the Sacramento River system located in the Coast range mountains west of Maxwell, California. The reservoir would utilize new and existing facilities to move water in and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain.
• $10 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Phase to efficiently integrate approximately 115,000 acre-feet of additional water storage through new conveyance facilities with existing facilities. This will allow Delta water supplies to be safely diverted, stored and delivered to beneficiaries.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including water purification and reuse, water storage and conveyance, desalination and dam safety.

The Inflation Reduction Act is investing an additional $4.6 billion to address the historic drought.

Thompson representS California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS; Posted On Wednesday, 12 July 2023 00:14; 12 July 2023

Skeletal remains located near Ettersburg

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of human remains over the weekend.

On Saturday, July 8, at 7:53 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call regarding skeletal remains found by California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists in the Mattole River near the Ettersburg bridge.

A Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the scene and took custody of the remains, which were identified as a human jawbone or mandible. No additional remains were located.

On Tuesday, sheriff’s deputies are conducting a ground search of the surrounding area in an attempt to locate additional remains.

Identification of the remains has not been made at this time.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Tuesday, 01 August 2023 01:27; 01 August 2023

Governor signs bill to allow drought-stricken farmers to participate in Rice Commission governance

SACRAMENTO — Assembly Bill (AB) 454 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), which provides greater flexibility to the California Rice Commission to maintain district representation of all rice farmers, has been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The California Rice Commission, established in 1999, functions as a quasi-governmental entity within the Department of Food and Agriculture, providing for the orderly production, milling, and marketing of California rice and the associated environmental benefits.

The commission’s board is made up of rice producers and handlers. Previously, each board member had to actively produce or handle rice to maintain board eligibility.

Extreme drought and water shortages have severely constrained rice production in the Sacramento Valley.

As California farmers confronted a third year of catastrophic drought impacts in 2022, less than half the state’s typical 500,000 acres of rice were planted.

Due to the massive drop in rice production, many producers and handlers were no longer eligible to serve on the Rice Commission’s board.

Likewise, because of reduced acreage in production, the allocation of commission board seats by district was poised to be dramatically impacted.

AB 454 allows the Rice Commission to annually review and evaluate state drought conditions and, if warranted, issue a drought declaration.

Under a drought declaration, a commission member who is a rice producer or handler would be allowed to continue serving on the commission and vote to issue a declaration if they historically produced or handled rice or if they participated in the Prevented Planting Program at USDA.

“Year-after-year, our rural family farms, agricultural communities, and businesses face mounting pressure from unprecedented climate events,” said Aguiar-Curry (D- Winters). “It’s imperative that we not lose the input of our farmers and handlers because of catastrophic droughts that they can’t control. I want to thank the Rice Commission for continuing to be a close partner on public policy that affects our agriculture and rice industry communities. Their leadership is incredibly valuable to our State Department of Food and Agriculture, and to me as I continue to serve my farming constituents. The governor’s support will help us maintain the rural voices that are so important to instructing decisions made by our state government.”

“We greatly appreciate Asm. Aguiar-Curry’s support of the rice industry. We are still feeling the impacts of last year’s drought and this bill will help us include growers on our board who were not able to plant last year due to the lack of water,” said Tim Johnson, president and CEO of the CA Rice Commission.

Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Yolo, Napa, Colusa, Lake Counties, and parts of Sonoma County.

: California Department of Insurance; Posted On Friday, 14 July 2023 02:01; 14 July 2023

Former Santa Rosa agent sentenced to prison after stealing from consumers

Christopher Ramos, 45, of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison after an investigation by the California Department of Insurance found he stole over $189,000 from consumers and left them uninsured.

Ramos was convicted of multiple felony counts of grand theft, theft of fiduciary funds and additional enhancements for theft over $100,000.

Ramos was also sentenced to five years of mandatory supervision and ordered to pay $189,526 in restitution to his victims.

Ramos worked as an insurance broker from 1999 until 2015 under the business names See Solutions Insurance Brokerage LLC and CDR Insurance Agency LLC.

The department’s investigation found between 2014 and 2016, Ramos collected money from his victims that was intended to be premiums to pay their respective insurance carriers, but Ramos failed to remit the money to the insurance carrier and kept it for his personal use.

Ramos also created fraudulent certificates of insurance so his victims would be unaware that policies were not placed with insurance carriers. His actions resulted in the victims’ policies being canceled, which they did not discover until the investigation began.

Ramos’ insurance license was suspended and eventually revoked in 2019. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case.

: Caltrans; Posted On Monday, 10 July 2023 22:27; 10 July 2023

Pudding Creek bridge night time closures reduced

**The Pudding Creek bridge in Mendocino County. Photo courtesy of Caltrans.**

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The full closures on Route 1 at the north end of Fort Bragg at the Pudding Creek bridge has been reduced from 10 to four overnight closures.

Originally scheduled to begin this week, the first full nighttime closure will occur next Tuesday, July 18, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Construction will escort emergency responders over the bridge for the following full nighttime closures.

• Two nights: July 18 to 19 (10 p.m. to 4 a.m.).
• Two nights: Sept. 13 to 14 (10 p.m. to 4 a.m.).

Around-the-clock one-way traffic control will continue at the Pudding Creek bridge until Aug. 29. Traffic will be controlled with a temporary signal system.

Motorists from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. can expect up to 20-minute delays Monday through Friday and 30-minute delays are anticipated on the weekends.

The safety project includes widening the Pudding Creek bridge to accommodate two 12-foot wide lanes, two 8-foot wide shoulders, two 6-foot walkways and new bridge railings.

The project also includes “Complete Streets” improvements by constructing sidewalks on both sides of SR 1 from Pudding Creek bridge south to Elm Street and north to Pudding Creek Drive and drainage improvements and relocation of the city of Fort Bragg’s waterline from the Pudding Creek Dam to Route 1.

We appreciate your patience during construction of this safety project along the Mendocino Coast.

For more information, visit https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-1/d1-projects/puddingcreekbridge.

Regional

Attorney General Bonta to investigate Butte County redistricting process

Thompson announces $40 million for Northern California water infrastructure

Skeletal remains located near Ettersburg

Governor signs bill to allow drought-stricken farmers to participate in Rice Commission governance

Former Santa Rosa agent sentenced to prison after stealing from consumers

Pudding Creek bridge night time closures reduced

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