LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new bill signed by the governor will help communities across California – including Lake County – address the needs of the homeless by providing funds for housing and other services.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the “No Place Like Home Initiative” on July 1.

It's being hailed as a landmark bipartisan legislative initiative that will provide housing and services for homeless Californians.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes Lake County, was part of the State Senate team who brought forward and drafted the initiative.

McGuire said the bill will provide communities – big and small – resources for desperately needed permanent supportive housing, and mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services.

McGuire praised the governor for signing the legislation, noting that homelessness is a growing crisis across California, in cities and rural areas alike, with communities lacking the funding to implement the necessary programs.

“This investment is the largest in a generation and it will give communities up and down the North Coast the ability to create and fund local housing programs that meet their unique needs,” he said.

The initiative re-purposes bond money from Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, and will leverage billions of additional dollars from other local, state and federal agencies according to the initiative's Web site, http://focus.senate.ca.gov/homelessness .

No Place Like Home will offer a $2 billion bond to construct permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with mental illness.

In addition, $45 million – already included in the recently enacted state budget – will provide supportive housing in the shorter-term as well as rent subsidies while permanent housing is constructed or rehabilitated.

Another $22 million, also included in the new 2016-17 state budget, will provide specific support for two special housing programs targeting families: The “Bringing Families Home” pilot project, a county matching grant program to reduce homelessness among families that are part of the child welfare system, and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program, which provides housing and support services for CalWORKs families in danger of homelessness.  

The legislative package also will provide for additional work to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place, with $75 million in the new budget to go toward that homelessness prevention effort.

Another $45 million in the budget to be used for a one-time investment to incentivize local governments to boost outreach efforts and advocacy to get more eligible poor people enrolled in the SSI/SSP program.

The legislation's Web site notes that the federal government covers 72 percent of the total costs of the SSI/SSP program, so state and local benefits are multiplied significantly for each newly eligible recipient.

McGuire said the No Place Like Home Initiative has been among his top priorities this year.

Earlier this year, McGuire hosted a first-of-its-kind homeless services roundtable with leaders from throughout the North Bay and North Coast as well as representatives from the state to discuss their unique challenges, ideas and programs to tackle homelessness.

He told Lake County News that communities across the state will be able to apply for assistance from the initiative.

Rural areas like Lake, that over the last several decades have had to compete with larger metropolitan areas for funding, won't under this initiative, McGuire said.

“From the beginning we have been advocating that rural counties have their separate pot of funds,” he said.

The initiative will be one of the first bonds to have separate funds for rural areas, and separate funds for suburban and large communities, he explained.

“Lake County will be able to apply for these funds with like-sized counties and they will not have to go against large counties – San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Clara or Los Angeles,” McGuire said.

That's critical because, he added, “We're seeing a growing number of individuals who are homeless and small counties don't have the resources to be able to invest, whether it's in services or housing.”

In Lake County in recent years the homeless problem has become more visible, and appears to be growing.

The situation led to the Lake Ministerial Association hosting a warming shelter at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church from January through the start of April, as Lake County News has reported.

McGuire said there is “a lot of freedom” for communities in how they choose to pursue the funds, but one critical part is that the county will have to develop a homeless service plan as a basis for applying.

“That's the really important part of this,” he said, adding that Lake County already has been doing a lot of legwork on such needs, which will mean state funding can be implemented more quickly.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development will run the program on behalf of the state. McGuire noted that the agency “is very involved in Lake County already because of the Valley fire recovery and rebuilding efforts.”

McGuire said he will host a workshop/town hall in the fall in Ukiah that will focus on the No Place Like Home initiative. All the specifics related to the application processes in the various funds will be explained.

All community members, elected officials, nonprofit and local government leaders from throughout the district will be invited to participate, McGuire said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Flame retardant chemicals linked to cancer and hormone disruption have been detected in a group of California children at higher levels than found in an earlier study of kids in New Jersey, Environmental Working Group researchers said in a report released Monday.
 
California mothers who participated in the study along with their children also had higher exposures to the carcinogenic flame retardant TDCIPP than their New Jersey counterparts, but the differences were not as extreme as in their children.
 
The study by researchers at Duke University and EWG, published in the peer-reviewed journal Environment International, also found that the youngest California children were the most highly exposed. The findings were based on laboratory analysis of urine samples from 33 children and 28 mothers.
 
The testing showed that, on average, the California children had been exposed to TDCIPP in amounts more than double those detected in a 2014 study of New Jersey children of the same age. The California mothers’ exposure levels were nearly twice those of their New Jersey peers.
 
“We need regulations that reduce exposures to potentially harmful chemicals, not ones that can increase them,” said Johanna Congleton, EWG senior scientist and co-author of the new study. “As the government considers a national furniture flammability standard and moves to overhaul the federal chemical regulatory system, this should be taken as a lesson.”
 
In California, levels of a metabolite of the flame retardant TDCIPP detected in 1-to-5-year olds were on average 15 times higher than those in their mothers.

The California mothers and children also had higher levels of a metabolite of a second flame retardant – ip-PDPP, a suspected endocrine disruptor – than those in the New Jersey study. The metabolite, ip-PPP, forms as the body processes the original chemical. 
 
“These organophosphate flame retardant chemicals (i.e. TDCIPP) are found in higher concentrations in the air and dust particles in these homes than PBDEs, a class of flame retardants that was phased out due to its potential toxicity. Moving from PBDEs to organophosphate flame retardants may not have reduced the health risks to children,” said Heather M. Stapleton, associate professor at Duke University and co-author of the study. 
 
Flame retardants can build up more in the bodies of younger children than in older kids or adults because they breathe in more air and are exposed to more dust particles relative to their body weight than adults.

The chemicals, widely used to treat upholstered furniture and even cushioning in baby products, can escape and accumulate in household air, and in dust on floors where toddlers and babies play. Children’s frequent hand-to-mouth activity can also increase their exposure.
 
The dramatic difference in exposure levels between the two studies was likely the result of a 1975 California law that required that all polyurethane foam used in furniture sold in the state be able to withstand ignition for 12 seconds when exposed to an open flame.

The cheapest and easiest way for furniture manufacturers to comply was to add flame retardant chemicals to the foam. The law was recently changed to allow furniture manufacturers to avoid the use of the chemicals, but items containing them remain in many homes.

Although New Jersey had no such requirement, the California law led companies to sell furniture laced with flame retardants across the country.
 
The study authors noted that higher levels of PBDE exposure have also been reported in California than in other states, supporting evidence that the misguided law led to excessive and potentially unsafe use of flame retardant chemicals.

071116 Environmental Working Group - Flame retardant exposure in children by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission will meet this week to review two applications and get an update on pending projects.

The meeting will take place beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is James and Cindy Shuell's application for a shoreline development permit, use permit and fence permit for a single family dwelling in the R-5 or Resort High Density Residential area along the shoreline on a half-acre vacant parcel located at 2468 Lakeshore Blvd.

The commission also will discuss and consider Lake County Tribal Health's application for a minor minor architectural and design review for a temporary trailer to be located in the rear of the Lake County Tribal Health building at 925 Bevins Court.

Also on Wednesday, staff will give the commission an update on the current projects pending planning department approval as of July 7.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Napa County Sheriff's Office said a second man wanted in connection to a Tuesday afternoon bank robbery and shooting in Sonoma County has been taken into custody.

Two men were reported to have robbed the Chase Bank in Windsor shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, shooting an armored car guard in the process and then fleeing the scene, as Lake County News has reported.

A Calistoga Police officer later spotted a vehicle matching the description of the dark-colored SUV witnesses saw leaving the scene, which resulted in one of the men being taken into custody.

Authorities had ordered community members to shelter in place while the manhunt for the second individual took place in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road.

Shortly before 7:45 p.m., the Napa County Sheriff's Office said the second man was taken into place and lifted the shelter in place order.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Witnesses can remain anonymous.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – It's a mix of dogs and cats available for adoption at Clearlake Animal Control this week.

This week's featured animals include American Staffordshire mix dogs and two friendly cats.

To meet the animals, contact Marcia Taylor, the animal control outreach technician, at 707-994-8201, Extension 103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or contact Animal Control Officer Jenna Tuller at Extension 115 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. those same days or leave a message on Fridays or weekends.

Also follow Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook for the latest updates.

Below are this week's available dogs and cats.

'Eunice'

“Eunice” is a female medium-sized adult American Staffordshire Terrier.

She has a short brown and white coat.

Shelter staff said she has contracted mange and will need treatment.

She is spayed, up-to-date on all of her shots and microchipped.

Staff said she gets along with other dogs. She needs time, attention and training.

'Kikie'

“Kikie” is a female domestic short hair mix with a gray coat.

Shelter staff said Kikie was rescued from a very bad situation.

Despite that, she loves everyone, and would make a great addition to any family, staff said.

She also is house trained.

'Little Man'

“Little Man” is a male domestic short hair mix with a tabby coat.

“Little Man has a truly sad story. He deserves to know what it's like to have a real home with food and water available at all times,” according to shelter staff.

He is house trained and ready for a new family.

'Nala'

“Nala” is a young American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short white coat and brown markings.

“Nala is just a sweet little girl that her owner didn't want anymore. She doesn't understand why. What she needs is someone to just love her,” shelter staff reported.

Her new family will find that she's already spayed and microchipped, and ready for her new life.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities have taken one suspect into custody and are searching for the second individual wanted in connection to a bank robbery and the shooting of an armored car guard that took place early Tuesday afternoon in Windsor.

Sgt. Cecile Focha of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said that at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday a 911 call came into the agency's dispatch center reporting that the Chase Bank in the town of Windsor had been robbed by masked gunmen. 

Another person called and said the guard from the armored car company had been shot, and a dark-colored SUV was seen speeding away, Focha said.

Deputies arrived within two minutes. They found one adult male, an armored car employee, who had suffered a gunshot wound, according to Focha's report.

Focha said the deputies quickly learned that a car came toward the armored truck when it stopped at the bank. Two men got out of it, confronted the guards and started shooting, and then fled with an undetermined amount of money. They then got into another car and made their getaway. 

“We immediately contacted neighboring law enforcement agencies to ‘Be On The Lookout’ for the car containing the armed and dangerous suspects. We issued an alert to the residents of Windsor to avoid the area of the Lakewood Shopping Center and locked-down the businesses,” Focha said in the report.

As people learned of the crime, the sheriff's office received many tips from people in the area, Focha said. Detectives from the agency's Violent Crimes, CSI, Narcotics, Property Crimes and other investigations units responded and began interviewing witnesses and processing evidence. 

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation also came to the scene, as is protocol in bank robberies, Focha said.

Meanwhile, Focha said an observant officer from the Calistoga Police Department saw a car that matched the description containing the men who robbed the bank.

After a pursuit one of the men was in custody and another remained at large early Tuesday evening. Focha's report, issued shortly before 7 p.m., said at that point that a manhunt was under way in the Calistoga area for the outstanding armed and dangerous individual. 

“We cannot comment on the details regarding an activity in Napa County. We do have members of our SWAT team and other resources dedicated to that scene to assist their agencies,” Focha said.

Separately, the Napa County Sheriff's Office reported that it was involved in the manhunt in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road near Calistoga.

Napa officials said they were looking for a Hispanic male adult who is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with long dark hair and wearing a black shirt.  Any witnesses with information about his whereabouts were asked to call the Napa County Sheriff's Investigations Unit at 707-253-4591.

Focha said the case is open and continuing to unfold, adding that detectives are hard at work piecing together the evidence at the scene and interviewing countless witnesses. 

No photos of the two men are available, Focha said, adding that it was reported that the men were armed with long guns. Whether not this meant a shotgun or rifle is not known as of yet. 

Focha said authorities are not releasing information about the caliber or type of weapon at this time.

The armored car guard was conscious when he was rushed to the hospital. There is no information about his current medical status, Focha said.

She said the agency appreciates the public’s patience and understanding as serious crimes and scenes of this magnitude take considerable personnel many hours to complete. “We cannot release details that might interfere with the investigation of the case.”

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Those with information can remain anonymous if they wish, Focha said.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol will offer a free “Start Smart” traffic safety class for soon to-be-licensed, newly licensed, and teenage drivers and their parents or guardians on Wednesday, July 20.

The class will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Clear Lake Area CHP office, located at 5700 Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville.

The leading cause of death for Americans 15 to 19 years old is motor vehicle collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The CHP's goal is to reduce the death rate among young drivers as the result of these collisions.

“The CHP is committed to mitigating traffic collisions involving young, inexperienced drivers, because they are preventable,” said Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office. “Start Smart is an excellent program that promotes safe driving for young new drivers.”

The “Start Smart” program is aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers understand the critical responsibilities of driving and to understand that accidents happen, but collisions are 100-percent preventable. 

The program is designed to provide an interactive safe driving awareness class which will illustrate how poor choices behind the wheel of a car can affect the lives of numerous people.

“Start Smart” also focuses on responsibilities of newly licensed drivers, responsibilities of parents or guardians and collision avoidance techniques.

Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP office, 707-279-0103.