KUKI News

Legislation designed to streamline residential insurance claims for victims of disasters, like wildfires, was introduced yesterday. Senate Bill 872, written by State Senators Bill Dodd and Mike McGuire, and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, expands the definition of additional living expenses that must be paid to homeowners for losses incurred in a state of emergency. Dodd says the bill is needed because when someone has lost their home or suffered serious damage in a disaster, they shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get coverage they are entitled to.

Mendocino County District Attorney’s office reports that a coastal gang defendant has been convicted of multiple felonies. On Tuesday, 26-year-old Gabriel Diego, of Fort Bragg, waived his right to trial on two separate felony cases that were ready to go before a jury, and waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a third newly-filed felony case. In the first case, Diego was convicted of attempted witness intimidation. In the second case, he was convicted of inflicting traumatic injury on the mother of his children. In the third case, Diego was convicted of witness tampering. Sentencing is scheduled for February 19th.

The 2020 United States Census kicks off April 1, and Mendocino County now has a website to help make sure everyone gets counted. At: mendocinocounts.org you can find information about the census, where kiosks will be placed around the county to fill out your census online, learn about upcoming census events and more.

Lake County officials report that after recent testing in Blue Lakes, there is no further detection of anatoxin from algae. Caution signs were posted after a December test came back positive for anatoxin, but subsequent tests have been negative.

Clearlake Police officers will be patrolling the streets of Lakeport today. LPD officers are taking part in a daylong mandadtory training today, so the Clearlake Police Department will cover the city’s policing needs for the day. Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen says his department will do the same for Clear Lake when their department has similar trainings.

The construction of a new seawall at Library Park has been rescheduled to start at the end of this month. It was originally supposed to start at the end of last month, but the sheet pile manufacturer had a breakdown which prevented the work from starting. The seawall was destroyed in the February 2017 storms. The Public Works Department worked to get funding from FEMA, which will pay for most of the cost of the wall.

Changes to a section of West Stephenson Street in downtown Ukiah have been postponed. The change was suggested to allow access to parking on the east side of School Street when the ice rink is downtown. But a business owner suggested the proposed change could be a pedestrian safety issue the rest of the year, so the City Council is reconsidering. The change would remove a parking space and loading zone along the north side of the street between S. Oak Street and S. School streets, to allow Stephenson Street, in that area, to be permanently two-way.

Pacific Gas and Electric is being fined another 45-million dollars for lying on safety records. The utility company is supposed to locate and mark underground gas and power lines before construction crews begin digging, and it must be done within two days of a request. PG&E admitted that, from 2012 to 2016, it misled state safety officials by providing false information when its locate and mark work was repeatedly late. PG&E has 20 days to accept the new punishment or appeal.

A semi truck with a load of milk went into Clear Lake near Lucerne on Sunday, January 19, 2020. Northshore Fire units and the Northshore Dive Team helped to remove the driver from his cab, and get him pulled up the steep embankment to safety. The semi was fully loaded with milk, which was spilling into the lake. The amount spilled is not yet known. Lake County Environmental Health, Lake County Water Resources and the Lake County Office of Emergency Services were contacted about the incident.

The California Highway Patrol reports that a man was killed Sunday after being struck by a pick-up truck while he was walking on Highway 101 just south of Ukiah. The driver told police he was going northbound near Burke Hill when he said a man walking in the northbound lanes of the highway suddenly went westbound, directly the path of the pick-up.