Harris sued Philip Kramer, the Law Offices of Kramer & Kaslow, two other law firms, three other lawyers and 14 other defendants who are accused of working together to defraud homeowners across the country through the deceptive marketing of “mass joinder” lawsuits.

“Mass joinder” lawsuits are lawsuits with hundreds, or more, individually named plaintiffs. This is the first consumer action by the Attorney General's Mortgage Fraud Strike Force.

Kramer's firm and other defendants were placed into receivership on Monday, Aug. 15.

The legal actions were designed to shut down a scheme operated by attorneys and their marketing partners, in which defendants used false and misleading representations to induce thousands of homeowners into joining the mass joinder lawsuits against their mortgage lenders.

Defendants also had their assets seized and were enjoined from continuing their operations.

Nineteen Department of Justice special agents participated as the firms were taken over Wednesday, Aug. 17, along with 42 agents and other personnel from Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General, the California State Bar and the Office of Receiver Thomas McNamara at 14 locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Sixteen bank accounts were seized, the Attorney General's Office said.

“The defendants in this case fraudulently promised to win prompt mortgage relief for millions of vulnerable homeowners across the country,” said Harris. “Innocent people, already battered by the housing crisis, were targeted for fraud in their moment of distress.”

"The number of lawyers who have tried to take advantage of distressed homeowners in these tough economic times is nothing short of shocking," said State Bar President William Hebert. “By taking over the practices of four attorneys accused of fraudulent marketing practices, the State Bar can put a stop to their deplorable conduct as part of our ongoing effort to protect the public.”

It is believed that at least two million pieces of mail were sent out by defendants to victims in at least 17 states. Defendants' revenue from this scam is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.

As alleged in the lawsuit, defendants preyed on desperate homeowners facing foreclosure by selling them participation as plaintiffs in mass joinder lawsuits against mortgage lenders.

Defendants are alleged to have deceptively led homeowners to believe that by joining these lawsuits, they would stop pending foreclosures, reduce their loan balances or interest rates, obtain money damages, and even receive title to their homes free and clear of their existing mortgage.

The defendants also allegedly charged homeowners retainer fees of up to $10,000 to join as plaintiffs to a mass joinder lawsuit against their lender or loan servicer.

Consumers who paid to join the mass joinder lawsuits were frequently unable to receive answers to simple questions, such as whether they had been added to the lawsuit, or even to establish contact with defendants. Some consumers lost their homes shortly after paying the retainer fees demanded by defendants.

This mass joinder scam began with deceptive mass mailers, the lawsuit alleges. Some mailers, designed to appear as official settlement notices or government documents, informed homeowners that they were potential plaintiffs in a “national litigation settlement” against their lender. No settlements existed and in many cases no lawsuit had even been filed. Defendants also advertised through their Web sites.

When consumers contacted the defendants, they were given legal advice by sales agents, not attorneys, who made additional deceptive statements and provided (often inaccurate) legal advice about the supposedly "likely" results of joining the lawsuits. Defendants unlawfully paid commissions to their sales representatives on a per client sign-up basis, a practice known as "running and capping."

Defendants' alleged misconduct violates the following laws:

• False advertising, in violation of section 17500 of the Business and Professions Code;

• Unfair, fraudulent and unlawful business practices, in violation of section 17200 of the Business and Professions Code;

• Unlawful running and capping, in violation of section 6152, subdivision (a) of the Business and Professions Code (i.e., a lawyer unlawfully paying a non-lawyer to solicit or procure business);

• Improper fee splitting (defendants unlawfully splitting legal fees with non-attorneys);

• Failing to register with the Department of Justice as a telephonic seller.

Homeowners who have paid to be added to one of the lawsuits should contact the State Bar if they feel they may be victims of this scam. They can also contact a HUD-certified housing counselor for general mortgage related assistance.

The Department of Justice has seized the practices of the following non-attorney defendants:

Attorneys Processing Center LLC; Data Management LLC; Gary DiGirolamo; Bill Stephenson; Mitigation Professionals LLC; Glen Reneau; Pate Marier & Associates Inc.; James Pate; Ryan Marier; Home Retention Division; Michael Tapia; Lewis Marketing Corp.; Clarence Butt; and Thomas Phanco.

The State Bar has seized the practices and attorney accounts of the attorney defendants: The Law Offices of Kramer & Kaslow; Philip Kramer, Esq; Mitchell J. Stein & Associates; Mitchell Stein, Esq.; Christopher Van Son, Esq.; Mesa Law Group Corp.; and Paul Petersen, Esq.

Attorney General Harris is challenging the defendants' alleged misconduct in marketing their mass joinder lawsuits; her office takes no position as to the legal merits of any claims asserted in the mass joinder lawsuits filed by defendants.

Victims in the following states are known to have received these mailers, or signed on to join the case. This is a preliminary list that may be updated: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington.

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Access to health care for these two groups of beneficiaries could become an even bigger challenge thanks to the convoluted deficit-reduction deal hammered out last weekend between the Obama administration and leaders in Congress.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (S. 365), which President Obama signed into law Aug. 2, establishes a two-step process toward reducing deficit spending by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.

Step one directs Congress to cut discretionary spending by $917 billion to include $350 billion from defense budgets base on priorities set by a roles and missions study.

Step two has Hill leaders establishing a 12-member committee of lawmakers, to be divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, an arrangement that appears designed to produce gridlock. They are to identify an additional $1.5 trillion in reductions from entitlements and tax reforms.

This bipartisan committee is to report out legislation agreed to by at least seven of its members by Nov. 23, 2011, to produce the required cuts. The full Congress then must vote on the recommendations by Dec. 23.

With Republican leaders already vowing to assign to the committee only lawmakers rigidly opposed to revenue increases of any sort, including any tax bump for the wealthy or loophole closing for corporations, and Democrats vowing to protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the likelihood of stalemate seems quite high.

That’s where the risk surfaces regarding access to health care for beneficiaries who rely on TRICARE Standard or Extra.

If the committee of 12 can’t agree or the full Congress votes down their plan, the Budget Control Act inflicts its own formula: automatic cuts of $1.2 billion, half to come out of future defense budgets and the other half from entitlement programs.

“The deal includes an automatic sequester on certain spending programs to ensure that—between the Committee and the trigger – we at least put in place an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction by 2013,” a White House fact sheet on the arrangement explains.

The arbitrary cut “would be divided equally between defense and non-defense programs, and it would exempt Social Security, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, programs for low-income families, and civilian and military retirement. Likewise, any cuts to Medicare would be capped and limited to the provider side.”

This last sentence, underlined and made bold in the White House fact sheet, ignores the likelihood beneficiaries still would be hurt as more doctors, feeling underpaid, turn away Medicare and TRICARE patients.

Any cut in Medicare provider fees would tighten access to care for TRICARE beneficiaries too because, for the past 20 years, TRICARE physician fees, by law, have been linked to fees allowed under Medicare. If Medicare reimbursements are slashed, doctors who accept TRICARE Standard and Extra patients feel the same financial pain.

Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden, deputy director of government relations for Military Officers Association of American, said TRICARE users clearly have reason worry if the 12-member committee fails to reach a deal.

“Anything that lowers payments to providers will negatively impact beneficiary access to both TRICARE and Medicare,” Hayden said.

Spending-cut mandates in the new budget control law also could thwart efforts to correct a long-standing flaw in the Medicare fee formula, which has threatened access to care for TRICARE patients for many years.

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 attempted to get Medicare costs under control by adopting a mechanism called Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) for setting spending targets for physician services. When annual targets are met, doctor rates are to be adjusted by medical inflation. When SGR targets are exceeded, doctor reimbursements are to be lowered.

The problem, critics charge, is that Congress set SGR targets too low from the start, failing to take account of cost growth factors such as additional physician services caused by advances in medical technology.

It won’t surprise observers of the debt-ceiling fiasco to learn that Congress has lacked the political will either to impose fee cuts called for under the SGR formula or to replace the formula with one more realistic. Instead, at least once a year, physicians who treat Medicare and TRICARE patients face the threat of an enormous cut to reimbursements.

The last temporary relief bill from SGR, passed in December 2010, avoided a whopping 25 percent cut in Medicare and TRICARE doctor payments set to take effect Jan. 1, 2011. In 2010, Congress passed multiple month-to-month stopgap measures rather than a permanent fix.

If Congress fails to correct the SGR formula again this year, the threatened fee cut hanging over Medicare and TRICARE physicians will climb near to 30 percent by the new deadline of Jan. 1, 2012.

Now a different automatic trigger mechanism, aimed at Medicare and TRICARE physicians by the new budget control law, Hayden said, “places the bigger problem – the looming SGR fix – definitely at risk.”

The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that a one-year SGR fix costs the government $22 billion. A permanent fix would cost $280 billion over 10 years. Meanwhile, that hole in Medicare’s budget grows ever deeper, and physicians who treat Medicare and TRICARE patients face the growing threat of a deep fee cut.

So 14 years ago, an attempt to control Medicare costs produced an automatic and ineffective doctor fee formula. Today, another automatic solution to curb spending, designed for lawmakers who won’t make tough decisions on their own, threatens more mischief for patients and providers.

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Firefighters conducted backfiring operations on the eastern and northern aspects of the Knoxville fire near Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif., on Saturday, August 13, 2011. The backfires helped stop the fire's progress and shortened the campaign by an estimated two to three days. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Fire officials reported Monday that a wildland fire burning in rugged terrain near Lake Berryessa in Napa County had been contained, but mop up work on the area was continuing.

The Knoxville fire, which began Saturday afternoon, burned a total of 508 acres two miles north of Lake Berryessa, according to a Monday report from Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship.

Blankenship's report noted that the fire was contained at 10 a.m. Monday. No evacuations were required and no structures were lost.

The cause remains under investigation, she said.

Throughout the weekend hundreds of firefighters from around the region – including from county fire protection districts including South Lake County Fire, Northshore Fire and Lake County Fire – participated in the effort, as Lake County News has reported.

Cal Fire said there were no injuries as a result of the blaze.

While the blaze is now under control, firefighters are continuing to clean up the fire area, located in steep and rugged terrain, according to Cal Fire.

The agency reported that three helicopters, 14 fire engines, six fire crews and 190 personnel remained on scene Monday.

Officials have stressed that the fire and the operations surrounding it have not impacted Lake Berryessa, which remains open to visitors.

Cooperating agencies on the fire included Cal Fire, Bureau of Land Management, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Fish and Game, Napa County Fire, South Lake Fire, Lake County Fire, Northshore Fire, Napa County Road Department and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation crews leave the scene of the Knoxville fire in rural Napa County, Calif., on Saturday, August 13, 2011. The fire was contained on Monday, August 15, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Aircraft, such as this plane pictured on Saturday, August 13, 2011, played a key part in battling the Knoxville fire near Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif., due to the rugged and steep terrain. The fire was contained on Monday, August 15, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Backfiring

Two homes burned in the fire on Bridge Arbor North outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

THE NAME OF A MAN WHO ASSISTED FIRE OFFICIALS, BUZZ MEWBORN, HAS BEEN CORRECTED.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Thursday afternoon fire near Upper Lake that destroyed two homes – along with outbuildings and vehicles – is being attributed to a lamp in one of the residences.

The fire burned homes at 9160 and 9180 Bridge Arbor North off of Highway 20, according to Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Steve Hart, who was the incident commander.

“We've got approximately eight people displaced,” he said Thursday afternoon after the fire was contained and fire crews were mopping up the scene.

Also destroyed were two outbuildings and two vehicles, Hart said, estimating total damages at about $300,000.

Hart said investigators have traced the cause of the fire to a lamp in the family room at 9160 Bridge Arbor North, which – like the other home destroyed – was a singlewide mobile home with added on living and family rooms.

There were no injuries, with the residents of both homes successfully evacuated, Hart said.

He said California Highway Patrol Officer Greg Buchholz and a group of people on scene rescued a 42-year-old woman who is bedridden from the home at 9180 Bridge Arbor North.

Albertine Vandine, 92, who lived at 9160 Bridge Arbor North, first reported the fire, with the call coming in shortly before 2 p.m. Hart said Vandine was evacuated from her home by her 70-year-old son.

Radio traffic indicated that the home at 9180 Bridge Arbor North was fully engulfed in flame when firefighters arrived on scene minutes later.

Pat Lynch, a Northshore Fire Protection District volunteer firefighter and owner of Hi-Way Grocery, douses the flames at the fire on Bridge Arbor North outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

The fire went into nearby vegetation, endangering several nearby structures, according to reports from the scene.

Hart said the fire ended up jumping Middle Creek and burning about a half-acre there. Altogether he estimated the fire on both sides of the creek burned as much as an acre and a half of vegetation.

Firefighters had several challenges, including numerous downed power lines, exploding oxygen tanks, several propane tanks around the homes, and ammunition and gunpowder in one of the residences, Hart said.

“With the power lines down and the explosions, it was hard getting into it,” Hart said.

The Lake County Public Works Roads Division reported that it closed Bridge Arbor North for several hours to allow firefighters to work the scene. Hart said the division also sent a backhoe to assist firefighters.

He said it took firefighters about an hour to contain the fire, but extensive mop up was expected to continue until about 6 p.m.

Mop up included the use of between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons of water from the Upper Lake County Water District, according to radio traffic.

Hart gave special recognition to two local men – John Noble and Buzz Mewborn – who volunteered their own water tenders to assist in fighting the fire.

Their assistance on the blaze helped firefighters a great deal, Hart said.

Multiple resources from several agencies responded to the Bridge Arbor North incident, Hart said.

Northshore Fire sent a total of six engines, a water tender and three chief officers; Cal Fire sent two engines and Battalion Chief Linda Green; Lakeport Fire sent a water tender; US Forest Service sent an engine; Lake County Public Works Roads Division sent a backhoe; CHP was on scene to assist with traffic control; and Pacific Gas & Electric responded to deal with the downed power lines, Hart reported.

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Fire crews douse smoldering debris with concentration of water and foam at the fire on Bridge Arbor North outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

A Cal Fire crew monitors and keeps cool several propane tanks exposed to flames at the fire on Bridge Arbor North outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Two homes, two outbuildings and two vehicles were claimed at the fire on Bridge Arbor North outside of Upper Lake, Calif., on Thursday, August 18, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Traffic control was in effect on Highway 29 on Monday, August 15, 2011, due to work on power lines impacted by a dump truck's collision with a power pole. Photo by Sheila Pell.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A downed telephone pole by the Shell gas station on Highway 29 stopped traffic and resulted in a darkened Hidden Valley Lake on Monday evening.

Officials said a large dump truck hit a power pole and sheared it to the ground at about 7 p.m. on private property near Putah Lane, just south of the gas station.

California Highway Patrol Office Kory Reynolds said that William Lahue, 67, of Central Valley, Calif., was backing a 1995 International dump truck when he failed to observe a power pole behind him. Reynolds said Lahue struck the pole and dislodged it.

Lahue was not injured in the collision and no power was lost to Pacific Gas & Electric customers, said Reynolds.

Charlie Laird, a fire apparatus engineer paramedic with South Lake County Fire, said the call came in at about 7:15 p.m.

While the crash didn't cause the outage, Laird said PG&E had to cut the power “for safety reasons” due to tension on the line.

“We requested they evacuate the (gas) station” for safety reasons, said South Lake County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Upton.

While there were no injuries, the incident drew a stream of emergency vehicles – two fire engines, one from Hidden Valley Lake and one from Middletown, along with an ambulance and CHP.

Construction workers who were working on the road when the incident took place slowed and directed traffic on Highway 29, which backed up for hours in both directions.

Power was restored at 3 a.m. Tuesday, Upton said.

Reynolds said CHP Officer Dan Frederick is investigating the collision.

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California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds reported that the collision took place on Sunday, Aug. 14, at 11:40 a.m. on Morgan Valley Road.

Jeired Andrew Nedrow, 21, of Bellevue, Wash., was arrested following the crash on numerous drug charges, Reynolds said.

Nora Shipley, 19, of Bellevue, Wash, was driving a 1988 Hyundai westbound on Morgan Valley Road at an unknown speed when the crash occurred, Reynolds said.

Reynolds said that, for unknown reasons, Shipley turned her vehicle to the right causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and strike an embankment.

The vehicle overturned and caused major injuries to Shipley and moderate injuries to one of her passengers, Jed Irish, 21, also of Bellevue.

Shipley was flown by REACH to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Irish was taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Reynolds said.

Nedrow, the third passenger, was not injured in the collision. However, Reynolds said Nedrow was contacted at the scene of the collision and was found to be in possession of a large quantity of ecstasy and a small amount of hashish.

Nedrow was arrested at the scene and booked into the Hill Road Correctional Facility on numerous felony charges, including possession charges for concentrated cannabis, marijuana for sale and a possible controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, transporting a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of destroying or concealing evidence, according to jail records.

His booking sheet indicated bail was set at $50,000 and that he remained in custody on Monday.

The incident is still under investigation by officers Mark Crutcher and Erica Coddington.

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Approximately 50 seaplanes are expected to attend the 2011 Clear Lake Splash-In, making for an interesting day of flight and ground displays. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Marketing Program.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 32nd-annual Clear Lake Splash-In, the largest gathering of seaplanes west of the Mississippi, will be held in Lakeport Friday, Sept. 23, through Sunday, Sept. 25.

The public can get a closeup look at float planes on Saturday, talk with pilots, and witness a spectacle of aerial events including water-bombing contests, a parade of seaplanes, fly-bys and more.

Seaplanes and amphibians at the Splash-In will include Grummans, Republics, Lakes, Cessnas, Pipers, deHavillands and a variety of experimental aircraft modified with floats.

For pilots, registration is from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Skylark Shores Resort, 1120 N. Main St.

The Skylark Shores Resort docks will serve fixed-float planes and the ramp at the Natural High School field is available for amphibious seaplanes.

Land planes or aircraft unable to land on water more than once will be welcomed at Lampson Field, a few miles away.

Shuttle service will be available Saturday and Sunday from Lampson Field to the seaplane venues.

For more information, call 702-580-0193 or visit www.clearlakesplashin.com.

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Congressman Mike Thompson says he'll seek reelection in 2012 in the newly remapped Fifth Congressional District, which encompasses his home county of Napa. Thompson currently represents First Congressional District, which has been shifted to the coast due to the new redistricting process. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson announced Monday that he will seek reelection in 2012.

However, due to the California redistricting process, Thompson (D-St. Helena) will not be seeking the First Congressional District seat he was first elected to represent in 1998, as that district has been shifted away to encompass the North Coast minus Lake and Napa counties.

Rather, he will run for the reshaped Fifth Congressional District seat, which now will include Napa County and the southern portion of Lake County. The rest of Lake County will be placed in the Third Congressional District, which will include parts of the Sacramento Valley, including Glenn and Yuba counties.

Thompson's announcement came on the same day that the new California Congressional district maps, drawn by a voter approved independent commission, were certified as final and formally presented to the California Secretary of State.

The maps could be challenged in court or by voters, but most observers believe these will be the new districts, according to Thompson's office.

If these are the final Congressional district maps, Thompson said he will run from his home in the new Fifth Congressional District.

“I have had the honor and great pleasure to represent Lake County for the entire time I have served in public office,” Thompson said in a written statement. “Both the county and the people are fantastic and we've worked well together and enjoyed many successes.”

He added, “While I am sad the redistricting commission choose to split Lake County between two congressional districts, I am thankful that half of Lake County will remain in my district. I don't believe you can work for half a county, so I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of all of Lake County.”

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COBB, Calif. – A 3.5-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers geothermal steamfield early Wednesday morning.

The US Geological Survey reported that the quake occurred at 2:02 a.m. at a depth of 1.6 miles, with its epicenter located three miles east of The Geysers, three miles south southwest of Cobb and three miles west northwest of Anderson Springs.

Nine shake reports from six zip codes – Middletown, Cloverdale, Larkspur, Santa Rosa, El Cerrito and Sacramento – were submitted to the USGS by 11 p.m. Wednesday.

A 3.4-magnitude quake was reported near Anderson Springs on June 29, as Lake County News has reported.

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CHP Officer Kory Reynolds said officers responded to six collisions, made an arrest during a traffic stop, and later arrested two drivers for driving under the influence after one crashed and went into Clear Lake and another hit the fountain at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa.

The first arrest occurred after Officer Erich Paarsch made a traffic stop at 9:30 a.m. Monday for a registration violation on a motorcycle being ridden by Joseph Thomas, 27, of Clearlake, Reynolds said.

He said Thomas was detained as an investigation revealed that he was not licensed and a false registration tab was on the license plate.

During a search of Thomas a large sum of money was located as well as other evidence of drug trafficking. Thomas was booked into the Hill Road Correctional Facility for falsely displaying registration and was released on $5,000 bail, according to Reynolds.

In the first crash of the day, which Reynolds said occurred at 12:10 p.m., Scott Ekstrand of Kelseyville was driving his 1990 Buick La Sabre and attempting to turn right onto Highway 29 from C Street in Lower Lake when he failed to see an approaching 2006 Ford F-150 driven by Colleen Posey, 49, of Middletown, who also was heading northbound.

Ekstrand attempted his turn and collided with Posey. Reynolds said Posey was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake with complaints of pain, but Ekstrand was not injured. Officer Randy Forslund is investigating the collision.

The day's next incident, at 1:35 p.m., involved Kenneth Dossey, 61, of Eureka, who was driving his 1994 Geo Tracker northbound on Highway 29 north of Diener Drive near Lower Lake at approximately 55 miles per hour, Reynolds said.

For unknown reasons Dossey allowed his vehicle to drift off the west shoulder. Reynolds said Dossey overcorrected and traveled across both lanes and exited the east shoulder, and the vehicle traveled down an embankment and struck two trees.

Reynolds said Dossey was taken by REACH to Santa Rosa Memorial hospital with a complaint of pain and lacerations to his head and face. Officer Mark Crutcher is investigating the collision.

At 3:20 p.m. Santiago Ricci, 53, of Lucerne was driving his vehicle, a 1980 Ford F-150, eastbound on Highway 20 west of Foothill Drive in Lucerne at approximately 55 miles per hour when he allowed his vehicle to drift off the south shoulder. Reynolds said the vehicle traveled through some brush and into Clear Lake.

Ricci was not injured in the collision and was located at the scene. Reynolds said Ricci was arrested for driving under the influence. Officer Brendan Bach is investigating the incident.

At 4:50 p.m., Lura Rockhold, 40, of Kelseyville was driving her vehicle, a 1997 Toyota 4Runner northbound on Wildcat Road in Kelseyville at approximately 10 miles per hour when she turned her vehicle to the right, causing her to collide with a bridge guardrail and overturn, Reynolds said.

He said Rockhold suffered a minor injury in the collision, which is being investigated by Officer Crutcher.

At 7 p.m. hours William Lahue, 67, of Central Valley, Calif., was backing a 1995 International dump truck on private property near Putah Lane in Hidden Valley Lake when he failed to observe a power

pole behind him and struck the pole, dislodging it, Reynolds said.

Lahue was not injured in the collision and no power was lost to Pacific Gas & Electric customers, Reynolds said. South Lake County Fire officials said a power outage that affected Hidden Valle Lake for several hours resulted from PG&E cutting the power for safety reasons. Officer Frederick is investigating the collision.

In the last incident of the day, which took place at 9:40 p.m., Raymond Casillias, 21, of Lakeport was driving a 1995 Saturn northbound on Soda Bay Road when he lost control of the vehicle and struck the rock fountain at the entrance to Konocti Harbor Resort in Kelseyville, Reynolds said.

Casillias and his three passengers were not injured in the collision, but Casillias was contacted at the scene and arrested for driving under the influence, Reynolds said. Officer Frederick is investigating the collision.

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California health officials have confirmed the first equine case of West Nile Virus in the state this year.

The horse that tested positive for the disease was reported earlier this month in Los Angeles County, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California West Nile Virus Web site, www.westnile.ca.gov.

By this time in 2010, four horses had been reported statewide, the Web site reported.

West Nile Virus so far this year has been reported in 19 of California's 58 counties, down from 28 at this time last year, the state reported.

Lake County so far this year has had no West Nile Virus activity, according to state data.

In the 19 counties where the virus has been found this year, there have 10 human cases, 151 dead birds, 609 mosquito samples, 47 sentinel chickens and one squirrel that tested positive for the disease, based on the West Nile Virus Web site's information.

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