Amador County – The Amador County Chamber of Commerce hosted dozens of local business people at its monthly mixer dinner party last week in the conference room of Thomi’s Café & Eatery in Jackson.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Board President Mark Borchin said the Chamber is growing and changing, including making new programs and revamping its website.

Executive Vice President Tom Blackman said the Chamber is adding new members daily, with new members and former members joining daily.

Blackman said the new website is about 45 days out and it will be “super useful.” Blackman said the new look of the website will be at the same web address of AmadorCountyChamber.com.

Borchin introduced Chamber member Ray Perry, who told the group that he is working on a new Amador Chamber Ambassador Program. He said it will be a good way to network with other businesses in the county, while also helping to recruit new Chamber members.

Perry said ambassadors will receive training and “will have a whole month to make these calls.” He said he “did this about 30 years ago in Modesto.”

Borchin said “there are so many folks that want to host a chamber mixer,” they may have to set up a lottery or some selection method. He said they want to take the Chamber Mixer all over the county, to the upcountry and the cities, so that all members can see all aspects of the county, and get out and support each other.

He said they will make some “e-mail blasts” when the mixer locations are determined.

Borchin announced during the meeting that Wednesday’s host, Thomi’s owner Frank Manzano, was giving attendees half off the cost of meals that evening.

Blackman said Amador Chamber of Commerce has 400 members right now, which makes it an influential group when it makes requests of the Board of Supervisors. He said the Chamber once had 700 members, and it is growing again.

“The Chamber is still the first portal to Amador County,” Blackman said, as people call the office daily. Members in good standing can benefit from business references from the Chamber office, which is staffed five days a week by volunteer Diane Lundgren.

Membership is open to businesses and individuals, with different levels of dues.

Visit the Amador County Chamber of Commerce at 571 S. Highway 49, behind Jose’s, or call (209) 223-0350.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ACRA Blue Moon

New Year's Eve Bash

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency’s new board of directors selected its officers Thursday, and saluted outgoing President Bill Condrashoff and Vice President Debbie Dunn with resolutions.

The board selected its new leaders on recommendation of staff, naming District 3 Director Don Cooper as president and District 2 Director Gary Thomas as vice president.

The board also heard a brief update on its finances, which Finance Manager Mike Lee said is ahead of forecasts, of $730,000 to end October.

They voted 4-1 to not hire an outside consultant for an efficiency and agency organizational study, instead opting to have General Manager Gene Mancebo continue an internal study he had started. Mancebo said he was about one third of the way through interviewing employees about their tasks and time spent on work.

Several people spoke in support of keeping the reorganization and efficiency study in-house, including former Director Paul Scott, who said the board has expertise and a legal counsel, so “why send it out to sugar coat it?”

The board agreed to form an ad hoc committee, with new Directors Paul Molinelli Senior and Robert Manassero to work with Mancebo on revamping the internal organization agency. Thomas said he wanted to emphasize that the work was a high priority, noting that consultants had agreed to finish by February 1st.

Mancebo told the board they could reorganize the agency without a study, and enact layoffs, negotiate with workers, and make structural changes. He said that was not staff’s recommendation. His first recommendation was the external study, and his second recommendation was to do the study internally.

The external study was estimated to cost $18,300, with about 200 hours of work in a “transparent, open evaluation of the agency management,” Mancebo said, and it “shows the willingness of the agency to be reviewed.”

Manassero said he had an outside efficiency expert look at his company and it didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. Scott said he had seen 100 efficiency studies and never agreed with any of them.

Manassero said the agency by June 2011 expects to have a $387,000 cash problem, and spending $18,000 on a study kind of bothered him since they don’t have the money. He said with Mancebo’s 20 years’ experience at the AWA, the management knows best, and “each agency is its own animal.” He said the ad hoc committee also might be able to help with the efficiency study.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – An Amador City man was arrested Saturday, December 4th in Plymouth on six charges, including grand theft of a pistol and possession of stolen property.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan announced the arrest in a release Thursday. At about 1 pm last Saturday, a Sheriff’s deputy patrolling Plymouth stopped at the Shenandoah Village Mini Mart in the 17000 block of Village Drive.

The release said: “While pulling into the parking area, the deputy observed a person known to him as Trevor William Popovich, 38, of Amador City entering the business.” The deputy knew Popovich as a convicted felon currently on probation and subject to search and seizure by authorities.

The deputy entered the store and contacted Popovich, and a search of Popovich revealed that he had .22 caliber bullets in his front pocket.

As deputies began searching Popovich’s vehicle, they were contacted by a citizen. The citizen said that Popovich “observed the arrival of the patrol unit to the business and immediately went into the restroom.” The citizen said he “suspected Popovich may have attempted to conceal drugs in the restroom, so he checked the restroom after Popovich exited the business. The citizen reported finding a firearm concealed in the garbage can.

Upon checking the restroom, a .22 caliber revolver was located and recovered. The search of Popovich’s vehicle revealed a methamphetamine smoking pipe and marijuana.

Upon further investigation it was determined that Popovich had stolen the firearm from a family member. Popovich was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, grand theft of a firearm, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of probation.

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Amador County - Amador County Supervisors delayed approval Tuesday of an amended agreement with Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Hartmann, pending further specifications on grant funding and a comparison to the PHO contract for Calaveras County.

Chairman Brian Oneto, who signed and approved the third amendment to an original agreement with Hartmann from July 2009 during closed session, said he had “second thoughts” and asked to add the item to the regular agenda for full board discussion and approval.

The contract states Hartmann’s hours as PHO would change to 20 hours a week at $103 an hour for a total compensation of $8,240 a month.

Supervisors questioned the need for an increase from 7.5 hours per week as stated in the previous amended contract. They asked about on-call hours, which Hartmann said make up a large part of his duties.

Hartmann said a number of factors, most notably the current whooping cough epidemic, have increased his hours significantly.

Kristin Bengyel, Amador County Health Services Director, said California currently has the most whooping cough cases “in 60 years,” and the county also dealt with three times the average number of rattlesnake victims last summer.

Hartmann said part of the on-call issue is because “some of the other people who could potentially take calls here are union members.”

He said what changed his job the most were the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. “Before then we didn’t have concerns about communicable diseases, bioterrorism, or small pox,” he said. “Now there is significant instruction from (the government) to be prepared locally.”

Hartmann said he also spends “a significant amount of time” dealing with issues and cases at Mule Creek State Prison. He said there have been a number of “disease breakouts” there, and “if (the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) reimbursed us, it would be for a significant amount.”

Finally he said more work is necessary on his part because his department is “down on positions.”

Oneto asked if there was a “guarantee as far as getting emergency preparedness funds,” which pay for a large portion of health related services in the county. Bengyel said “there is no guarantee in any of the budget pictures occurring at the state level.”

Supervisors Richard Forster and Louis Boitano both questioned why Calaveras County’s PHO can manage with only 12 on-call hours a week. Hartmann was unsure.

Oneto said “we’re not questioning your integrity or ability – just the price.”

Forster motioned to continue approval of the contract to a later agenda and asked staff to acquire a copy of Calaveras County’s PHO contract and more specifics on state emergency funding. The motion was approved 5-0. Story by

Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – During a special Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, many questions were raised about the plan for the 445 employees who will ultimately lose their jobs or be transferred as a result of the planned closure of Preston Youth Correctional Facility.

CDCR Undersecretary Scott Kernan said the closure is “a population and money issue” stemming from $39 million in cuts to the DJJ and a total of $1.4 billion in cuts to the CDCR by the state. He said “we only get resources for the (ward) population we have.” He said the area of layoff will be limited to Amador County, and the “details of reemployment won’t be realized until we sit down with the labor organizations.”

Chairman Brian Oneto asked about bumping rights, and if they will hold open positions specific to the surrounding area. Kernan said “employees will be able to take any vacancies throughout the department” and the “entire state system is currently on limited term.”

Hellan Roth Dowden, a representative of SEIU Local 1000, stood up in the audience to say “we want to let Kernan know that we want to increase the area of layoff to beyond Amador County.” Kernan said they will discuss this later.

Assemblymember Alyson Huber pushed for firm dates on employee layoffs, ward transfers and other closure procedures. She also asked: “What is the plan for all the staff if you just keep transferring wards to other academies?”

Kernan said they are balancing staff among the facilities and DJJ Chief Deputy Secretary Rachel Rios said “the timeframes we give you are fluid because there are certain notifications over time that staff are entitled to.” Neither official could provide definite dates for layoff procedures. Rios said the number of staff relates to ward population figures, and “all new commitants have stopped going into Preston.”

During public comment, Jerry Cassesi said Amador is “a much more depressed, small county” and this is “not the way to treat a community that has supported these facilities for many, many years and (generations).” He pointed out that Preston is on the Ione city seal. He said you could close a facility in Stockton “with essentially zero impact.”

Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.