Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-9-11

·       AWA approved a tentative reorganization, with three layoffs, looking for eventual reductions of $750,000.

·       California for the seventh year in a row ranked last among U.S. states for its business climate, according to a recent survey of company CEOs.

·       AWA employees commented on and criticized a draft employee reorganization plan.

·       Officials honored retiring Communications Officer and volunteer George Cusack for establishing an exemplary Auxiliary Communications Service Plan in Amador.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-10-11

·       A judge granted an appeal last week to send Amador v. Salzar back to District Court to determine whether the Buena Vista Me-Wuk Band has “Indian Land” under federal law.

·       Amador Water Agency signed a one-year contract with its general manager May 1, and also received a petition from its department heads to form a bargaining unit.

·       Jackson Police, Fire departments report call volume for April.

·       Kirkwood Resort founder Bud Klein passed away last week at age 83, Resort pledges to carry on his legacy.

·       Amador Planning Commission will consider a permit request for the Cooper Vineyards Barbera Festival.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-10-11

·       A judge granted an appeal last week to send Amador v. Salzar back to District Court to determine whether the Buena Vista Me-Wuk Band has “Indian Land” under federal law.

·       Amador Water Agency signed a one-year contract with its general manager May 1, and also received a petition from its department heads to form a bargaining unit.

·       Jackson Police, Fire departments report call volume for April.

·       Kirkwood Resort founder Bud Klein passed away last week at age 83, Resort pledges to carry on his legacy.

·       Amador Planning Commission will consider a permit request for the Cooper Vineyards Barbera Festival.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-10-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Tracey Towner-Yep, executive director of the Amador County Recreation Agency, to discuss Proposition 40 building projects around Amador County.

Amador County – A U.S. Court of Appeals Judge in the District of Columbia ruled Friday that the District Court must make a decision on whether the Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians really has “Indian Land” on which they plan to place a gambling casino.

Amador County argued that the Buena Vista Rancheria’s compact with the state of California received a “no action” approval by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar, but that it must also be consistent with the provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, relative to the tribe’s land qualifying as “Indian land.” The District Court had ruled that the “no action” approval of the Secretary of the Interior also approved the land as properly qualified. Amador County argued that the land was not “Indian land” because it was not used as a reservation.

Jude David S. Tatel, writing an opinion of the three-judge panel’s decision issued Friday, May 6, said that “although the District Court rejected the Secretary’s argument that Amador County lacked standing, it dismissed the suit, finding the Secretary’s inaction unreviewable under several provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.” Amador County appealed. Tatel said: “We agree with the District Court that the County has standing, but because we conclude that the Secretary’s inaction is in fact reviewable, we reverse and remand for the District Court to consider the merits in the first instance.”

Dennis J. Whittlesey argued the appeal for Amador County, which argued that the Buena Vista Me-Wuks’ land was not a reservation because Amador County taxes the property.

Tatel said the “parties agree both that the sole question at issue is whether the Rancheria qualifies as ‘Indian land’ and that if it does, the Secretary had authority to approve the compact.” He said the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act defines “Indian land” as “all lands within the limits of any Indian reservation” and land held in U.S. trust or land “over which an Indian tribe exercises governmental power.” Tatel noted that the land is “owned in fee by the Tribe rather than held in trust by the United States,” and “it appears that the land can qualify as ‘Indian land’ only if it is an ‘Indian Reservation’.”

The Secretary argued that Amador County agreed in a 1987 case, Amador v. Hardwick, that Rancheria lands “were never, and are not now, lawfully terminated under the California Rancheria Act” and that the “original boundaries” of Rancherias were restored.” Amador County “contends that these sweeping provisions” must be “interpreted in light of the issue being litigated,” that being the “County’s ability to assess property taxes on the former Rancheria lands.”

The decision, “at the parties request,” remands “to give the District Court an opportunity to assess the merits in the first instance.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors on May 1 signed a one-year contract with its general manager, and also was petitioned by its department heads to form a bargaining unit. The agency also called a special meeting Friday to discuss an employee reorganization plan.

The Agency Board on April 28th signed a one-year contract with General Manager Gene Mancebo after Mancebo accepted the permanent position of General Manager. The Board appointed Mancebo interim General Manager in September 2009, following the resignation of former G.M. Jim Abercrombie.

Mancebo in a statement Tuesday said his salary and benefits “reflects current efforts” by himself and AWA Directors to reduce costs. Mancebo signed a contract that started May 1, with a salary and benefits package that is $6,300 less than his compensation through April 30. The $137,000 salary (plus benefits) is more than $17,000 less than Abercrombie received as G.M. in 2008.

Mancebo said the “Water Agency Board and staff are facing significant financial challenges and the current economic downturn is testing the resourcefulness of employees and straining resources.” He said the “public depends on us to provide safe, reliable water and wastewater services,” and “failure isn’t an option.” He said he appreciated the “Board’s confidence in my abilities and the opportunity to continue at the helm of the Water Agency as general manager.” Mancebo has been with AWA since1988 and led the Agency’s engineering department for 17 years before becoming interim G.M.

In late March, the AWA Board of Directors received a petition from its four department heads, who are seeking to form an employee bargaining unit. Mancebo said the “Engineering, Administration, Construction and Operations department heads have not been part of an employee bargaining unit for three years.”

Members of the public at the meeting encouraged the Board to not recognize the new bargaining unit, so as to “maintain current control over department head salary and benefit costs,” Mancebo said. “Directors discussed whether the Board has legal standing to prevent a properly filed petition by the employees.” The matter was tabled pending clarification for the Board by the Agency’s labor attorney.

Last week, AWA in a special meeting approved a draft employee reorganization plan, and will reconsider that plan, with comments taken, in a special meeting 9 a.m. Friday, May 13. Board President Don Cooper participated in the meeting last week via telephone from Waltham, Massachusetts.

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Amador County – The Jackson City Council received a report last week on police activity in the city for April, which included more than 600 calls for services and 72 crime reports.

Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison in a report to the City Council dated Friday, May 6, noted 646 calls for service to the Jackson Police Department in April. Stemming from that included 72 crime reports, 19 reports of disturbing the peace, and nine reports of violence, including one report of domestic violence. All nine reports of violence were “cleared by arrest.” There were also three traffic collisions reported in April, which were responded to by Jackson Police.

Morrison said JPD records showed one vehicle theft and four reports of grand theft, with two reports of petty theft. There were also four fire or ambulance assists, and 116 traffic stops, with 28 traffic citations issued, not including parking violations.

JPD made 20 security checks and 19 arrests in April. Of the arrestees, 17 were adults, with seven of those on felony charges, and 10 for misdemeanors. Two of the arrests were of juveniles involved in fighting.

Jackson Fire Chief Mark Morton reported on Jackson Fire Department activity for April, in a report submitted to the City Council for its Monday meeting. Morton in the report said there were 122 total calls in April, of which seven were fire-related; 12 were traffic collisions; 21 were for public assistance; and 82 were medical calls.

Morton reported that Jackson Fire averaged 4 calls a day, and as of April 30th had answered 409 calls for service for the year. On average, 31 calls a month come from outside Jackson city limits.

Jackson Fire had 107 total service runs in January of this year, 84 in February, 96 in March, and 122 in April. That number was up 54 calls compared to April 2010, where there were 68 total calls. Annual total to date on April 30, 2011, were a total of 275 calls for Jackson Fire.

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Amador County – Kirkwood Mountain Resort owners and management mourned the loss last week of their founder and visionary, Bud Klein, who lost his battle with cancer and passed away May 5 at age 83.

Kirkwood Resort management and owners said they were “deeply saddened” by the passing of Kirkwood’s “founder, patriarch and visionary.” To the management “Klein represented all things Kirkwood and he will be deeply missed.”

Klein’s “pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial vigor and tireless energy in the early 1970s” converted “a remote wilderness outpost at the pinnacle of the Sierra into one of North America’s most legendary ski mountains,” Kirkwood management said. Klein “saw opportunity where others saw challenges,” and he developed “not only the resort, but all the roads and infrastructure that would become our community.”

The book “Mountain Dreamers: Visionaries of Sierra Nevada Skiing,” chronicles Klein’s efforts and accomplishments, and the “incredible story will be further memorialized in the Kirkwood Inn, the spot where Klein first put together what became Kirkwood. He loved his views of the Kirkwood Meadow from his Sun Meadows unit and in his honor, that meadow will be renamed in a conservation trust bearing his name.”

While Kirkwood was only one of Klein’s many investments, resort owners and management “know it held a special place in his heart.” They said Klein’s “passion for Kirkwood cannot be replaced and his support for this community will be missed.”

They said: “Over the past several years Bud has encouraged us all to ‘finish the painting’ that he started and we intend to do everything we can to support his legacy.”

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Amador County – The Amador County Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday with several items to consider, including a request by Dick Cooper for a permit for a Barbera Festival. Cooper seeks a user “permit to allow for a one-day, annual outdoor event, including wine tasting, food, vendors, live music and displays for approximately 1,800 attendees the first year with the possibility of growing to 2,500 attendees in future years, at Cooper Vineyards.”

Brian Miller is the organizer of the District 5 Barbera Festival, which would be held on the west side of Shenandoah School Road, about a mile south of the intersection of Shenandoah Road, in the Shenandoah Valley.

The Commission also will consider an application by the Mace Family Trust to divide a 160 acres into two parcels of 40 acres each, and one parcel of 80 acres. The land is in District 2, “west of Carbondale Road, extending north to Lambert Road, approximately ¼ mile west of the most northerly Carbondale Road and Lambert Road junction.”

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Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-9-11

·       AWA approved a tentative reorganization, with three layoffs, looking for eventual reductions of $750,000.

·       California for the seventh year in a row ranked last among U.S. states for its business climate, according to a recent survey of company CEOs.

·       AWA employees commented on and criticized a draft employee reorganization plan.

·       Officials honored retiring Communications Officer and volunteer George Cusack for establishing an exemplary Auxiliary Communications Service Plan in Amador.