LAKEPORT
Lakeport Police Department swears in new officers
The Lakeport Police Department has sworn in one new sergeant and two new officers, bringing the total of sworn officers on the force to 14, including two reserve officers. Two recruits are attending the police academy.
Sarah Hardisty, a 16-year veteran of local law enforcement, is the newest sergeant, joining sergeants Ryan Cooley and Andrew Welter.
She previously worked as a deputy sheriff in Lake County and as an officer in Clearlake. Hardisty is the first woman to hold the rank of sergeant or above in the 135-year history of the Lakeport Police Department.
Jonatan Moreno and Austin Eldred have been sworn in as officers. Eldred attended the police academy and had prior experience with the Ukiah Police Department.
Moreno also attended the police academy and had previously served as a correctional deputy in Lake County.
All three new hires are residents of Lake County. “We are proud they have chosen to work for our agency,” said Chief Brad Rasmussen in making the announcement.
Please contact the Lakeport Police Department at (707) 263-5491 for more information.
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CLEARLAKE
Police increase community engagement during Summer
The Clearlake Police Department’s summer community engagement officers provide extra education and enforcement and increase visibility at shopping areas and parks. They also conduct additional traffic enforcement on high-visibility roadways.
“We are lucky to have someone like Officer Nathan Williams serving as a summer community engagement officer,” city officials noted, adding that Williams was hired three years ago and has worked hard to make a positive difference in the community and expand his knowledge in the law enforcement field.
Officer Williams was raised in Lakeport and joined the US Navy, where he proudly served for five years. After leaving the Navy, he remained in Southern California for a few years before returning to Lake County where he joined the Clearlake police force. In his free time, Officer Williams enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.
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SACRAMENTO
California voters could force more sunlight on public records
Californians have a legal right to “information concerning the conduct of the people’s business,” but actually getting those public records is easier said than done.
In the past few months alone, a former employee of the San Jose mayor’s office sued the city for “perpetually extending its own deadline” for responding to records requests, while Mendocino County, facing the threat of litigation, repealed an ordinance to charge as much as $150 per hour to locate, review and redact documents.
These “loopholes” have prompted a new initiative that proponents say would give the law much-needed teeth and dramatically overhaul access to public information in California. It was filed Wednesday by Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group heavily involved in legislative and political fights over issues such as insurance rates, medical malpractice and oil drilling.
“The initiative is essential to make sure that the promise under the constitution to access public records means something,” said Jerry Flanagan, the organization’s litigation director.
Flanagan said endless delays and overly broad exemptions have made California’s public records laws “largely an empty promise” and the Legislature is uninterested in fixing that. A bill last year that would have established a standard two-year retention period for records across state government passed the Assembly unanimously — then was quietly killed in the Senate.
The proposed initiative would require agencies to hold onto records for a minimum of five years and fulfill requests within 30 days, unless there are extraordinary circumstances. It would also extend public access to records from private contractors who do government work, limit the use of attorney-client privilege and deliberative process exemptions to deny the release of documents and communications, and make public investigations into alleged misconduct by legislators.
New disclosures would extend beyond public records. The measure would require lawmakers to publish on their websites a schedule of meetings with lobbyists, fundraisers and public events they attend.
As first reported by Politico, Consumer Watchdog said it is setting aside $5 million to qualify the initiative for the November 2024 ballot, which the organization expects will be far more challenging and expensive than passing it. Once the attorney general prepares a title and summary, proponents will have six months to collect at least 546,651 valid signatures from California voters.
Flanagan said they do not anticipate a well-funded and organized opposition to the measure, even though it would demand greater transparency not just from state government and elected officials but also those who do business with them.
“If we don’t take on the pieces that we’re taking on, it would be a Pyrrhic victory,” Flanagan said.
—Lynn La, CALMatters
CLEARLAKE
Check out DC ‘League of Super Pets’ at Movie in the Park
Bring your family and join us on August 19 at Austin Park to see this fun movie. Start time is 15 minutes after sunset. The Movie in the Park program wouldn’t be possible without our partnership with Lakeside Herbal Solutions. Find more info here.
Shakespeare at the Lake
Don’t miss Shakespeare at the Lake this weekend at Austin Park. The free event starts at 7pm and runs August 4, 5 and 6. The production is “Measure for Measure.” See you there!
Two final summer concerts:
Join us at Austin Park on:
August 12 – Red Voodoo and Dead Love
August 26 – DJ Kofawn Jones, Tone Loc and Color Me Badd
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