COBB >> Adding more public pressure to the controversial Hoberg’s Resort clean up, the Lake County District Attorney’s office recently informed the public on that it has begun a civil and criminal investigation into possible environmental shortcomings.
District Attorney Don Anderson made the announcement during the Board of Supervisors’ discussion at its regular meeting on Tuesday, drawing applause and cheers from Cobb Mountain residents in attendance.
To help aid the independent investigation, which began last week, Anderson enlisted the legal services of the California District Attorneys Association. A circuit prosecutor from the organization, Rachel Monten, also spoke briefly during the long conversation about the property.
The DA called her an “expert in environmental law.”
“We have a big hammer, not only criminally, but through civil litigation, which we can do through the DA’s Association,” he added.
However, the two require a coordinated effort and information sharing from the county’s departments that have done tests and investigations on the resort. According to Anderson they have not received full cooperation.
“Other county officials we cannot get return phone calls from,” he said. “We would like to partner up with you guys and not just be an independent investigation.”
In response, District 4 Supervisor Rob Brown ensured Anderson that he would help get more staff to respond.
Turning up the pressure
This investigation comes at a time when many of the nearby residents have lost patience with resort, which has had two formal abatements since the Valley Fire Recovery began. One was for traffic generated by wood collection and the most recent notice was about the overflowing rainwater through a critically damaged septic system.
According to Brown, the county is preparing final 30-day abatement notices for the rest of the debris on the property and plans to have them served by next month’s BOS meeting. This includes the removal logs, ash, and potentially dangerous asbestos, which one resident claimed was 200 feet from her property.
Yet before any formal demands can be made, the county has to spend time developing strategies for the cleanup. The main issue it faces is money.
Simply, it cannot afford to do it as it would take multiple specialty contractors, especially hazmat experts, to work on the enormous property.
Exacerbating the problem is CalOES’s unwillingness to assist in any way financially — despite its initial intention to do so. As previously reported, State Senator Mike McGuire said that due to prior contamination conditions the department won’t even front the money for the abatement costs. The senator said the state will front the money for the county’s cleanup of six other commercial properties in the burn area.
Still, Brown and Anderson are still determined to get the state to change its mind and said they hope this investigation in addition to Cobb Area Water District’s heavy metal test results on the property’s runoff will build a stronger argument.
“We can’t afford to pay this money,” Brown said. “We have to work towards the cleanup and do it in a way that doesn’t use taxpayer dollars.”
The best solution is for the owners, Lake County Partners LLC, to do their own cleanup, which may be cheaper than a property lien because they wouldn’t have to pay the contractors the prevailing wage.
Regardless of what happens though, the DA’s office will continue its investigation with the help of the DA’s Association.
“They have other resources available to make this cleanup occur,” Anderson said assuredly. “We’ve dealt with Hoberg’s before the fire… and we know the ins and outs of the current corporation. “
