Amador County – A Sacramento nonprofit organization said the governor’s budget proposal to eliminate 100 percent of annual funding for California fairs puts 29 California fairs at risk of closure, and could threaten $126 million in annual tax revenue to the state general fund.

Stephen Chambers of the California Fairs Alliance said the governor’s plan was expected to cost the General Fund $57.4 million in lost annual income: “The fair network generates more than $126 million in direct tax income for the state every year. That represents nearly a four-to-one return on the state’s overall $32 million investment.” He said “the budget plan actually dries up an income stream that flows to the state from California fairs.”

The proposal “could drive 29 fairs completely out of business, including dozens of primarily rural fairs,” Chambers said: “This would result in a major economic ripple effect by killing jobs and related economic activities.”

The CFA anticipates “the state’s direct return on its investment to fairs to top $150 million in 2011 plus the added benefit of more than 30,000 full-time job equivalents. That income, those jobs and the future of 29 fairgrounds will be in serious jeopardy in 2012 unless we find alternatives to the Governor’s proposal.”

Chambers said California fair officials have contacted Governor Brown’s office and legislators, to explore ways to trim fair funding and provide alternative funding mechanisms that won’t compromise the ability of fairgrounds to generate revenue for state and local governments.

“We are hopeful that with a more strategic combination of budget reductions, as well as greater local control and flexibility, we will be able to protect the fair network and increase income to state and local governments,” Chambers said. He said a “more thoughtful plan will ensure the survival of the thousands of small businesses and nonprofits that rely on fairs and fairgrounds in California.”

The California Fairs Alliance will be presenting its concerns and proposing alternative solutions during the legislative budget hearings this week.

CFA noted that the financial impact of California fairgrounds is well documented by the state, in a recent report, “California Fairs: Statewide Economic Impacts.” The report found economic contributions of fairs in the state to be significant, including: $2.8 billion in consumer spending, $855 million in income, 25,000 full-time jobs and $126 million in state and local taxes.

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Amador County – The Sierra Nevada Conservancy in January announced a series of workshops for its new “Strategic Plan,” and also to take input on how it will give out its grants in the future.

In a letter to “stakeholders,” Sierra Nevada Conservancy asked for input as it develops its new “Strategic Plan.” Joan Keegan, Assistant Executive Officer said Sierra Nevada Conservancy is “in the process of developing a new Strategic Plan to guide our work over the next three years.”

She said: “With input from many stakeholders, we have refined our future direction into four main areas of focus that cut across our existing programs.” The areas of focus are healthy forests; watershed protection and restoration; agricultural lands; and tourism and recreation.

Keegan said the Conservancy needs stakeholder help to develop the goals and “determine the specific actions we’ll undertake for each area of focus.”

She said it was “extremely important to us that we get as much stakeholder input as possible to our new Strategic Plan,” so they planned a series of regional workshops to hear stakeholder thoughts and ideas. She said the Conservancy will also “be sharing ideas we are considering for how to structure our future grant program.”

The meetings will be held Monday, Feb. 7 in Auburn, Susanville and Sonora; and Thursday, Feb. 10 in Oroville, Bishop and Visalia.

If people cannot attend the meetings, the Conservancy will be broadcasting the 30-minute workshop over the Internet, on both Feb. 7 and Feb. 10. She said interested parties will be able to submit suggestions and ideas electronically, by registering at the SNC website.

Keegan said the public’s “views and ideas will help shape the future direction of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. ¶ For information, call Janet Cohen at (877) 257-1212.

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Amador County – The Stockton Ports are “calling all singing Ports fans” to audition for the chance to sing the National Anthem at the baseball team’s games.

The Stockton Ports Professional Baseball Club announced that it would be holding auditions from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Sherwood Mall in Stockton. The farm team of Oakland Athletics will have representatives at Center Court of the Sherwood Mall, and “singing hopefuls should come prepared to sing the National Anthem.”

Ports community relations manager Margaret Sacchet said the club was excited to be holding its own “American Iodol-like” auditions this year. She said: “Last year we had a lot of great performers and we would love to add to that this season. We are also looking for people who play instruments.”

Ports Media Relations Manager Allison Mandel said “fans that cannot make the Feb. 15 audition date need not worry.” She said the Ports will be holding a second audition in March, about which more information will be made available at a later date.

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Amador County – Upcountry Community Council’s subcommittee on fire safety discussed fire issues for what is considered the most hazardous area of the county, the Pioneer, Volcano and Buckhorn areas.

Fire Safe Council Executive Director Cathy Koos-Breazeal and consultant Jim Simmons discussed the newly released draft of a Pioneer and Volcano Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan, primarily written by Simmons.

Co-chair of the UCC committee, Rich Farrington said an executive summary of a 1991 Bartholomew Engineering study of the Upcountry water system where he found “the system cannot maintain a 20 (pounds per square inch pressure) residual in all areas during high flow periods and cannot meet the fire flow criteria in most areas.”

Farrington said: “I believe that Gene Mancebo,” general manager of the Amador Water Agency “said that none of the recommended improvements have been made to this Upcountry system.”

Farrington said he thought it was “important to address this as an issue in the Pioneer-Volcano Wildfire Protection Plan, and should “be addressed by the appropriate government agencies” such as the Amador County Board of Supervisors, AFPA, AFPD, AWA, Mace Meadow Water Agency, Rabb Park CSD, Pine Grove CSD, and the public.

He said: “The goal should be to develop a plan to bring the fire hydrants in CAWP up to current standards. I realize this will be expensive and it could take 50 years to make it affordable, but a plan is needed.”

He said Jackson Valley Fire District had found a number of hydrants where when a valve is turned, “nothing comes out.” He said he has heard two or three have been found, but even as many as 13.

He said Upcountry has a lot of old “standpipes put in 30 years ago,” with 2-inch diameter, as compared to the 4-inch hoses used by fire departments. Some are also situated within existing roadways. Farrington said during the meeting, Ray Blankenheim, chief of fire volunteers, said it was “possible that some of the valves in the roads have been paved over and are not accessible.”

Farrington said there is a “need for better coordination over hydrant maintenance inspections, and if a1991 study said virtually none of AWA’s hydrants met standards, with nothing done, the problems are compounded.

He hoped to have some kind of written policy within a month which would allow “fire staff to turn on and check to see that water comes out of the hydrants, and check the threads.” Mancebo said he was working closely on the issue and expected to have guidelines soon, and possibly in writing.

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Amador County – California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection last week issued a reminder to people to burn safely.

Katrina Blumer, fire prevention bureau chief of the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit in a release last week reminded “foothill residents and property owners that wildfires occur year-round, even in the Mother Lode.”

“Within hours after the sun comes out following a storm, the top layer of needles, leaves, or dead grass and weeds can become dry enough to burn,” Blumer said. During the last week of January, her unit responded to several escaped debris burns, which “quickly threatened surrounding properties, and subjected the people who started the fires to fines, and the cost of damages and suppression.”

She said it is “essential that you make your property fire safe with 100 feet of defensible space around all structures.” Winter and early spring is a good time to do the work, when people can dispose of the brush, limbs, and other trimmings in burn piles.

Simple rules to remember include obtaining any permits required. “Some homeowner associations and incorporated cities require, and issue their own permits year-round,” she said. Cal Fire burn permits will be required on May 1, but the safety precautions outlined on the permit will help people burn safely year-round.

People are responsible for their fire at all times, and “if the fire escapes your control, you will be responsible for the costs involved in putting it out, as well as for any damage it causes.”

Before burning each day, you must check burn day status by calling the Air Pollution Control District with jurisdiction over your area. Permissive burn days are determined on the basis of air quality, not whether it’s actually safe to burn. Burn days are frequently windy days. The wind helps smoke disperse rather than allowing it to stagnate over neighborhoods, but it also carries sparks or embers to nearby dead leaves, needles and grass that have dried out surprisingly fast after rain or snow. Blumer said if materials “crunch underfoot, they will burn.”

Another rule is to “clear flammable material 10 feet from all burn piles, and keep a shovel, rake, and charged water hose near your burn pile,” and “having a cell phone handy will allow you to quickly call 911 if your fire does escape your control.”

Blumer said people should “be a good neighbor: Burn safely, and legally, and make sure your defensible space is ready to face a wildfire.”

For more information about defensible space requirements, and safe burning practices, contact your local CAL FIRE station.

For Amador “burn day” or “no burn day” status info, and burn permit requirements call (209)223-6246.

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Amador County – Rep. Dan Lungren received a nod from the President last week for his health care amending bill, which has been referred to a committee in the early going of the 112th Congress.

Dan Lungren, representative of California’s District 3, including Amador County, was “surprised, but pleased” that Obama gave support to his effort to change a portion of the healthcare bill, according to a Sacramento Bee report Thursday. ¶ Obama in his State of the Union address Jan. 25 referred to Lungren’s bill, “The Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act.”

In a Wall Street Journal transcription, Obama said in part: “I have heard rumors that a few of you still have concerns about our new health care law. So let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I am eager to work with you. We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses.”

The bill was initially introduced after last year’s approval of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” but it fell short of the 218 signatures needed to force a vote. Lungren re-introduced the legislation in January, saying it was a “repeal of a government-run health care system,” and an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. Lungren said: “Last year the American people and small business spoke and I listened,” and the Affordable Care Act “includes a number of provisions that are of concern to the American people.”

Lungren’s bill would repeal a 1099 tax reporting requirement from the law that would require businesses to report to the IRS any purchases of goods or services from one company that total more than $600 in one year.

The Republican Party last September issued a “Pledge to America” to “repeal this job-killing small business mandate.” The pledge said: “This 1099 reporting mandate is so overbearing that the IRS ombudsman has determined that the agency is ill-equipped to handle all the resulting paperwork.”

In mid-January, Lungren’s bill had 245 co-sponsors, including 12 Democrats. By Thursday it had 263 co-sponsors, including 27 Democrats. On Jan. 12, Lungren’s H.R. 4 was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, where it could be deliberated, investigated and revised before potential general debate.

The website GovTrack listed 29 organizations supporting Lungren’s legislation, including the National Small Business Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Amador County – Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Dist. 3) has recently accepted a position as co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus and will be holding a “listening session” in March in Calaveras County.

Lungren joined the caucus to help educate his colleagues on wine industry matters. Robert Ehlert, Senior Field Representative for Lungren said in a release Thursday that the District 3 Congressman has “accepted an invitation to join and serve as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Wine Caucus.” ¶ Ehlert said it is “a bipartisan group of legislators whose mission is to educate and engage colleagues in legislative and regulatory matters pertaining to the wine community.”

Rep. Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, extended the invitation to Lungren to join the caucus late last year because, like Thompson – who represents wine country constituents in Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties – Lungren represents vintners and growers in Amador, Calaveras, Sacramento and Solano counties.

Thompson founded the group along with Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA, retired) in 2000.

Elhert said “according to the California Wine Institute, wine grapes are the largest fruit crop in the nation and the sixth largest crop overall.” The industry has an annual impact of $51.8 billion on the California economy, and an economic impact of $125.3 billion on the U.S. economy. California wine creates 875,000 jobs in California and the United States, with a total $25.2 billion payroll.

“Though we have some very large wineries in the Third District,” Lungren said, “the majority are small businesses with unique challenges and needs.” Lungren said “I visited with Amador County vintners last year and am planning a listening session with wineries and growers in Calaveras County next month and will plan future meetings with other groups in the District.”

Lungren said: “I think some people might be surprised to know that virtually half of the $31 million Amador County ag economy is a result of growing wine grapes.”

The listening session in Calaveras is set for March 23 at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys. It was set to “hear from constituents about the wine industry.” The session is open to the public.

Lungren serves as Chairman of the House Administration Committee in addition to serving on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.

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Amador County – Two regional scholarship contests have been announced recently, and seniors from Amador County are eligible to enter.

Graduating seniors in Caltrans District 10, including Amador County, could get a $1,000 scholarship from the California Department of Transportation if they chose a transportation-related career.

Caltrans District 10 said seniors who are about to graduate from high schools in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties may be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship.

The student must have a minimum grade point average of 2.6 or better, as verified by their school counselors. They must also plan to pursue a college degree on any discipline that could be applied to transportation.

Interested students must submit an application and an essay of 500 to 750 words, writing about the applicant and why he or she is interested in transportation as a career. Applications must be postmarked by March 31. For more information, visit the websites for Caltrans, or the non-profit Transportation Foundation.

The Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility also is offering a scholarship essay contest, based on a quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Dr. Harry Wang, President of the PSR, and Dr. Bill Durston, Contest Chairman announced the contest in a release at the end of January. The Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility scholarship essay contest is open to high school seniors in Sacramento and surrounding counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

The contest offers $10,250 in total scholarship money to be awarded to the top ten winners. To enter, high school seniors should submit an original essay of 500 words or fewer describing their thoughts about a statement by Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and World War II Supreme Allied Commander.

The essay contest is based on a statement by Eisenhower, who declared: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”

Wang said high school seniors should “submit an essay describing their thoughts about the relevance of President Eisenhower’s words to the current state of our nation and our planet.”

Deadline for the Physicians for Social Responsibility essay contest submission is March 9. For contest details, see the group’s website, or call 916-955-6333.

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Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council today will hear about its potential new bridge on Main Street, and also get information about county property taxes and a developing regional traffic planning model.

The council is scheduled to get a presentation by Dokken Engineering on the type of bridge the city council has been discussing for its bridge replacement project on the Main Street bridge. The council will also hear about county property taxes from Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney. The city treasurer will have a report on finances up to December 2010, and City Manager Sean Rabe also will report.

The council will also consider Amador County Transportation Commission issues, including a resolution to approve the city’s Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee progream’s annual report for the fiscal year ending in 2010. ACTC is also scheduled to give a presentation on its Regional UPlan model.

The Amador County Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, and could elect its new officers for the year, and appoint and select committee members and alternates for the year. Committees include the RTP and the Agricultural Advisory Committee.

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