1. Labor shortage leaves pears to rot
Aura Thomas — Record-Bee news editor
LAKE COUNTY — Nothing was more “Lake County news” than the labor shortage in the pear sheds during the 2006 pear harvest.
Despite a bountiful crop, piles of pears were left on the ground to rot, instead of being packed in time to be distributed nationwide.
A variety of reasons were cited for the pear problems — a late harvest, a labor shortage and increased competition for workers from county grape growers.
“We have never seen a year like this,” said Scully Packing owner Toni Scully. “The lateness of the season combined with the lack of labor and the early squeeze placed upon us by the grape harvest has created the perfect storm.”
This pear packing season, local sheds experienced 40 to 50 percent less workers than normal.
Local sheds put out the word that more workers were needed, although the need for workers still exceeded the response. As a result, the sheds faced losing up to 30 percent of the almost-perfect crop of pears that could have been hauled in this year.
2. Dist. 3 supervisor race heats up Northshore
Aura Thomas — Record-Bee news editor
NORTHSHORE One of the most hotly contested supervisor races ever took place in 2006 the battle was waged in Dist. 3.
When Denise Rushing challenged and defeated incumbent Gary Lewis in the June 6 primary election, it was clear who the majority of the public wanted. Lewis took 34.2 percent of the votes cast, while Rushing claimed 46.6 percent.
From then, the scramble to win the seat was on.
To date, there has not been a race in Lake County where the candidates fought harder, spent more money or divided the community more evenly. This could be visualized through a trip down Highway 20, where every other sign was for Lewis or Rushing, and they were virtually everywhere.
Issues surrounding the race pertained to agriculture, farming, redevelopment increases in water rates for Lucerne and the possibility of a casino in downtown Upper Lake.
Rushing came through in the end, defeating Lewis in the November election with 58.2 percent of the votes cast in the district.
3. Lucerne Water rate proposal sparks rage
Aura Thomas — Record-Bee news editor
LUCERNE — One of the stories of 2006 that hit where it really hurts — the pocketbook — was the controversial increase in water rates for the town of Lucerne.
California Water Service Company (Cal Water) eventually asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for an interim increase in water rates until a pending case that will determine rates for customers is determined.
This request came after previously suggesting that rates be increased drmatically — to the tune of 273-percent more — despite failing infrastructure throughout Lucerne.
Given Lucerne”s large senior population and large low-income census, this issue was quite a hot topic in the Northshore area, and was one of the contributing forces behind the heated Dist. 3 supervisorial race.
4. Former firefighter named in shootings
Tiffany Revelle — Record-Bee staff
CLEARLAKE A shooting spree in the early morning hours of Sept. 10 that killed one and injured three was enough to make the front page. The fact that the man accused of the shooting is a disabled former south county firefighter injured several years ago while fighting a fire catapulted the story into the Record-Bee”s top 10 for the year.
Clearlake resident Wilbur H. Cope, 36, is being charged with one count of murder with the use of a firearm for the shooting death of Kristin Lori Raviotta. He additionally faces three counts of attempted murder with the use of a firearm in the shooting of Terry Cain, ex-wife Michele Cain and Sharon England. One of the counts includes an allegation for assault resulting in great bodily injury.
Cope is due back in court Jan. 5 to hear the results of a mental evaluation by court appointed psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Rosoff to determine whether or not Cope is competent to assist his attorney in his defense.
Since being taken to UC Davis Medical Center, 47-year-old Terry Cain underwent an 11-hour surgery to repair a carotid artery reportedly severed by one of the gunshot blasts, according to Cain”s sister Francesca Mulas. He also suffered wounds to his right forearm, right shoulder, left clavicle and his upper chest.
Cain”s wife, Michele, told the Record-Bee Friday that Terry Cain is now back to the couple”s Clearlake home and attends physical therapy five days a week. A nerve severed by one of the gunshot blasts remains unrepairable. He is starting to get around a little bit with a cane, said Michele.
Although most of the several hundred-thousand dollar medical expenses are covered by Michele”s medical insurance, she reported that the biggest financial hardship has been Terry”s loss of wages. He was a heavy equipment operator who dealt with hazardous materials for several years with ERRG, a Concord-based environmental cleanup company, and had traveled home from Los Angeles for the weekends for the year prior to the shooting.
Michele said anyone wishing to help may contribute to the Terry Cain Recovery Fund set up at Westamerica Bank. Donations may be made at any Westamerica Bank in the county; checks can be mailed to the fund at P.O. Box 2080, Clearlake, CA 95422 or to Westamerica”s Clearlake branch, 15342 Lakeshore Drive. Well wishers also may send messages to the family at terrycainrecovery@yahoo.com.
5. Smiraglia convicted in murder, torture
From staff reports
CLEARLAKE — The gruesome details of the murder of Diedre Coleman made the trial of Paul James Smiraglia stand out as one of the top 10 stories of 2006.
After just two hours of deliberation, a jury returned a guily verdict in Smiraglia”s trial. The jury found Smiraglia guilty of first-degree murder with a special allegation of torture in the 2002 killing of 43-year-old Coleman.
Coleman was originally reported missing in mid-2002. Her body was discovered July 23, 2003 off State Route 20 past the road that leads to Spring Valley.
Smiraglia was taken into custody in November 2004. At the time of his arrest, he was being held in custody by Reno, Nev. police.
Smiraglia was accused of killing Coleman in July 2002 at the Clearlake home of Sharmon Hawley. Prosecutor Richard Hinchcliff alleged that during an argument with Coleman, Smiraglia held her down and injected muriatic (or hydorchloric) acid into her ear in an attempt to kill her.
A forensic pathologist testified during the trail that muriatic acid used in that way could have caused intense physical pain, but would not necessarily have resulted in death.
When Smiraglia saw that the injection didn”t kill Coleman, he took a hammer and struck her in the head several times until she died. He then wrapped her body in garbage bags and a blue tarp, which he tied with rope, and placed her body inside a plastic toy box.
A few days later, according to Hawley”s testimony, he forced Hawley to drive with him out to a remote location along Cache Creek and State Route 20, where he dumped Coleman”s body.
The trail encompassed 10 days of testimony and included 28 witnesses. Smiraglia was convicted of the allegations against him on June 29. In November Judge Arthur Mann sentenced Smiraglia to life in prison.
6. New Year”s 2006 brings floods to UL
Aura Thomas — Record-Bee news editor
LAKE COUNTY — One of the top ten stories for the year includes one that began at the very beginning of 2006.
New Year”s Day brought more than the promise of a brand-new year in 2006 — it also brought flooding throughout many parts of the Northshore area.
Torrential rains that fell over the New Year”s Day Holiday caused floodwaters to rise in parts of Upper Lake and Lucerne.
Widely talked about, but unsubstantiated, were reports of a levee break in the northshore, since the flooding was so dramatic. County officials rushed to hold public meetings, where the perceived threat of levee breaks were allayed.
Residents turned out to bail out Main Street businesses in Upper Lake — many with pails, bailing water in a hurried but orderly fashion.
Some came out just to navigate the newfound means of transportation, mainly boating through town.
Nonetheless, many people — especially those with homes in downtown Upper Lake and those near Victoria Creek in Lucerne — felt Mother Nature”s power when they discovered floodwaters had surrounded them.
7. 80 allegedly neglected M”town horses seized
Elizabeth Wilson — Record-Bee staff
LAKE COUNTY — After the Lake County Record-Bee printed two stories in August and September on the case involving 80 allegedly neglected Arabian horses, owner Teresa Sanders of Middletown was arraigned on two counts of animal abuse in Department 4 of Lake County Superior Court in Clearlake in early October, according to the county s District Attorney Jon Hopkins. The horses were taken away and adopted out to homes where they could recuperate after Lake County Animal Care & Control submitted a 500 page report on the neglect of the horses to the District Attorney s Office. The charges Sanders faced included a felony charge for some of the horses and foals believed to have been severely underfed and uncared for, as well as a misdemeanor charge for animal neglect for some of the horses, how many horses for each charge could not be confirmed by Hopkins by press time on Friday. Hopkins said that in October, the attorney handling the case appeared and asked for a date for a setting, which is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 1:30 in Department 4 at the court in Clearlake. A setting is a standard procedure in order for attorneys to have more time to review the case, according to Hopkins. At the setting, sometimes people plead guilty, sometimes the attorney s ask for more time to review the case, and sometimes a preliminary hearing is set, said Hopkins.
8. Former Lakeport PD officer Erickson faces felony charges
Aura Thomas — Record-Bee news editor
LAKEPORT — Law enforcement officers are the ultimate guardians of public safety. So when Lakeport Police officer Richard Erickson was arrested in September, it warranted a top-10 listing for the year.
Richard Edward Erickson, 53, was arrested and charged with felony charges of misappropriating government funds, making terrorist threats and stalking, two misdemeanors, domestic battery and violating a restraining order.
Erickson was arrested following an investigation by the Lakeport Police Department and the District Attorney”s office. He has since been released from his employment at the Lakeport Police Department. He was an 11-year veteran of the force.
According to court documents, the charges stem largely from an investigation that revealed the officer carried on a sexual affair with an 18-year-old woman while on duty.
Erickson s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Wednesday in Dept. 2 of the Lake County Courthouse.
9. Troubled Lake County Red Cross chapter closes down
Elizabeth Wilson — Record-Bee staff
LAKE COUNTY — Recent national disasters put an even more harsh light on an already troubled Lake County disaster agency in 2006 — the Red Cross.
A two-part series in the Lake County Record-Bee scrutinized national and local Lake County American Red Cross.
The issue at heart was over preparedness in the wake of Katrina and the largest blood donation-related fine issued by the FCA after the American Red Cross failed to reject blood donors who had traveled to malarial areas. This blood was eventually allowed to be distributed without proper testing.
The local Red Cross chapter closed for reasons unrelated to the national controversy. The Executive Director of Yolo County Red Cross Donna Neu told the Record-Bee that the Lake County Red Cross chapter lost its charter because it was having difficulty meeting chapter performance standards, including raising enough money for its budget. Volunteers for the Red Cross in Lake County, located at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport are now under supervision of the Yolo County chapter.
For the September story, County Administrator Kelly Cox said that the county has a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which allows emergency personnel to call upon the local Red Cross in disaster situations, after the firefighters, police officers and other officials have departed the emergency, but that it needed to be amended due to the local chapter closing. Social Services Director Carol Huchingson, who administers the MOU for the Red Cross, told the Record-Bee Friday that it has since been completely amended to include updates regarding the new administration by the chapter in Yolo County.
The series printed by the Record-Bee highlighted two incidents where Lake County citizens reported having problems getting the local Red Cross to respond to their needs.
While waiting for the Red Cross to respond to provide him housing after his home burned in Clearlake on Aug. 11, Fred Bospiech, 75, was fatally struck by a vehicle as he walked nearby the Best Western Inn along Lakeshore Drive. Staff at the Inn had assisted Bospiech by calling Red Cross seven times, but each time got an answering machine message listing a pager number to call. Additionally, Lake County Fire Protection (LCFPD) District Chief Jim McMurray told reporters they had requested Red Cross assistance for Bospiech that day by leaving a message on the office answering machine.
Emergency services director Diana Gustafson for Red Cross of Yolo County, said in the September story, None of the volunteers received any communication, regarding the Bospiech case. She noted that their chapter at the time had been in the process of switching from the pager system to cell phones in order to improve communication. Since September, the office answering machine has listed an 800 number to call for after hour emergencies. This number goes to a call center in San Diego, which passes information on to the Red Cross volunteers in Lake County. This number was cause for confusion for the Wilsong s, a Lucerne family needing assistance after their home caught fire Sept. 4. Danielle Wilsong said she called the 800 number and was given the number for the office in Lakeport. Upon calling the local office, she was told to call the 800 number. The Red Cross could not be reached for comment on Friday after repeated attempts.
10. Talks of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa sale draw interest
Tiffany Revelle — Record-Bee staff
KELSEYVILLE — Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa is the largest resort in Lake County, and by the county Board of Supervisors” admissions, generates more Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT tax) than all of the others combined. So when San Francisco developer and Washington DC lobbyist Darius Anderson”s firm Kenwood Investments showed serious interest in purchasing the resort, it was noteworthy to the county”s residents.
Originally, Anderson said plans included refurbishing the resort and expanding its popular outdoor concert venue, and that he had been in communications with local tribes regarding the possibility of getting the land into trust and putting in a casino.
Concurrently, the county”s plans to amend the General Plan designations and zoning for the Rivieras Area in Kelseyville which includes the resort land have been of interest to both Kenwood Investments and the UA Local 38 Convalescent Trust Fund, which currently owns the resort.
Both parties sent representatives to a series of county planning commission meetings in October and November to advocate for commercial resort zoning for two parcels adjoining the resort property in order to allow for future expansion.
Anderson”s partner Jay Wallace of Kenwood Investments outlined plans to the commission for not more than a couple of hundred homes to go in around the resort to fund year-round activities. A reply from the county”s newly appointed Community Development Director Rick Coel stated that medium and high density zoning were not appropriate for the area.
Opposition also arose from local citizenry living in the Riviera West housing development across Soda Bay Road from Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, citing encroaching noise, light road congestion as risks they were not willing to take.
Peter Windrem, the Local UA”s attorney, attended several of the planning commission meetings to argue in favor of commercial resort zoning for two adjoining parcels. One is a walnut orchard to the south owned by the Mazzola family; the other is a thin, steep parcel across Soda Bay Road from the resort and abutting Riviera West.
Most recently, the draft Rivieras Area Plan went before the Board of Supervisors Dec. 19. Windrem argued there for the second time that the parcel abutting Riviera West across Soda Bay Road from the resort is one legal parcel with the resort property, and should share its commercial resort zoning.
The Board of Supervisors tabled the issue for further review and public input until Jan. 9, also the same day District Supervisor elect Denise Rushing will be sworn in.
