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• Preston supporters plan a shuttle bus to a Capitol oversight committee meeting this Thursday.
Amador County – The planned closure of Preston Youth Correctional Facility had a sobering affect across Amador County last week.
It also mobilized support, including Plymouth City Council as the latest to send a letter urging the “continued operation” of the 105-year-old facility, calling it “an important member of our community.”
Ione resident Dusty Stahl said an oversight committee meeting will discuss Preston Thursday, November 4th, and a shuttle busses will give free rides that morning from Ione to Sacramento for the meeting at the Capitol. The busses will have space for 100 people.
Stahl said “not only will Amador County suffer the effects of placing over 400 people in the unemployment line, but our small businesses and cities will suffer.”
Mayor Pat Fordyce said last week that she attended a public discussion of the closure hosted by California Department of Corrections in Ione City Hall. It drew a lot of emotional testimony, but she said facts should have been more prevalent. That was part of the letter she sent to CDC Secretary Mathew Cate.
In the letter dated October 28th, Fordyce said closing the facility will affect 450 jobs in the county and “have a significant economic impact on the city of Ione and the many residents of Amador County. But of greater importance, is the successful record of the staff and employees who have devoted their lives to the training and rehabilitation of the many young offenders who have successfully passed through” Preston.
Assemblywoman Alyson Huber requested last week’s meeting and Ione city staff offered the city hall, with a capacity for 70 people, or Evalyn Bishop Hall, which seats 600. Fordyce said CDC chose city hall, which was loud, hot and overflowing with people.
Fordyce said she stood in the hallway, could not see speakers, and had to go by their voice to determine who was talking. She later asked City Manager Kim Kerr what Plymouth can do to help, and Kerr urged her to send a support letter.
Fordyce told Plymouth City Manager Dixon Flynn, who on short notice did not have the letter agendized, but last Thursday gave copies to the Plymouth City Council.
Fordyce said people can speak publicly about Preston Thursday but time limits will be in place.
Stahl said those seeking rides should meet in Howard Park at 6:45 a.m. Thursday, November 4th. The busses must leave by 7 a.m. The oversight committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 4202 of the State Capitol.
For information call 267-5257.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• A concerned public seeks the reasoning behind the Preston Youth Facility closure.
Amador County - A public meeting last week on the announced closure of the Preston Youth Correctional Facility drew an outraged and emotional crowd to voice their concerns and seek details behind the process that led to putting it on the chopping block.
Community members, prison employees and elected officials stood or sat shoulder-to-shoulder in Ione City Hall as representatives of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) explained their reasoning behind the announced closure, which they blamed on budget cuts and a declining ward population.
Many who spoke called for a more thorough analysis of regional impacts. Supervisor John Plasse said “we’d have a lot more trust if we had those impact studies in front of us.”
CDCR Undersecretary Scott Kernan said “I don’t have the luxury of an impact statement that’s going to take several months” because his department must make a decision within a set time frame.
Dana Jorgensen, an aide to the late Senator Dave Cox, said he felt compelled to speak because “this hasn’t been a good process.”
Kernan countered that “Senator (Cox) passed the legislation” that required spending cuts and forced his department into this position.
Roger Niello, 5th District Assemblyman and candidate for the seat vacated by Cox, said he didn’t think it appropriate for Kernan to “draw conclusions that the legislators that authorized…spending cuts would authorize the closure you came up with.”
Jorgenson also asked if Kernan and staff could make a commitment to keep Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp open in the upcountry. Kernan said he “could never make such a commitment.”
Others questioned the CDCR’s recidivism data, and two Preston employees claimed their facility had lower recidivism rates than others in the state. Kernan said “recidivism data does not allow us to break it down by facility.”
Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalvez read a letter from her council that reiterated the most commonly expressed fear. “At a time when (the) local unemployment rate is 12.7 percent, higher than the statewide average, closure of this facility would further hamper the region’s recovery efforts,” she said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Amador Water Agency vote to look at the cost to hire a reorganization consultant
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board voted last week to have its general manager look at the cost of having a consultant analyze the agency’s reorganization.
Retiring Director Terence Moore said they should let the general manager handle any staff reduction.
Moore said he was glad Director Debbie Dunn “in her 2 years’ experience on the board knows what the agency should look like because I’ve been on the board for 12 years and I don’t know what it should look like.”
He said “it’s all good and well to grandstand before an election,” but they should give the power of reorganization to General Manager Gene Mancebo, who can bring back recommendations in January, and “hopefully Debbie won’t be here to vote on it.”
Moore said “this has been the most dysfunctional board that I’ve ever sat on,” and he was glad he wouldn’t be coming back.
Dunn asked staff to put a date on the reorganization, and said staff should “bring information to justify” having an engineering department head presiding over three staff members. She suggested having no department head, and they all report to Mancebo.
President Bill Condrashoff suggested setting a number to meet with staff cuts, and Director Don Cooper said “that’s way too ambiguous.” Cooper said he would like to see direction coming from Mancebo on how to reorganize.
Cooper said “that is why the ad hoc committee was formed, to study the reorganization and make recommendations.” He said Dunn is “indicating that the board is to act like chief executive officers,” and she wants to build the agency “from the top down, instead of from the bottom up.”
Dunn asked: “Do we need the agency dictated by the general manager and we are here to give the rubber stamp?”
Mancebo said he took “offense to that,” and it was “important to not make decisions in a vacuum.” He said they can’t “eliminate positions without knowing the specific requirements of those positions,” and whether other employees can absorb that work.
He said “these managers are working managers,” and such changes might result in the need for contract labor at higher costs.
Condrashoff asked why there was a “big hoo-ha” about upper management.
Mancebo said engineering staff was lower than it was 15 years ago, and they can cut without concern of organizational structure, but if they want to look at services and bare bones necessities, they need to look at tasks.
The board voted 4-0 to have Mancebo look at the cost of having a consultant analyze agency structure, with Dunn not voting. Dunn said: “It makes no sense to me what we just did.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• CAL FIRE announces it will lay off some staff in preparation for the winter season.
Burn restrictions have been lifted and CAL FIRE residential burn permits are no longer required for four by four foot debris piles (vegetation only).
The local Air Quality Management Districts (AQMD) govern burn/no burn day status so make sure you call the burn information line immediately prior to burning. In addition, your local AQMD may still require a permit for burning.
For additional information on burning safely, defensible space and other fire and life safety topics, please visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Amador Air District conducts a pine needle collection project to help reduce the volume of smoke g
Amador County - A pine needle collection project is being conducted by the Amador Air District to help reduce the volume of smoke generated by smoldering residential fires. Smoke from such fires is harmful to public health and creates a nuisance for residents trying to enjoy the outdoors or let fresh air into their homes.
Instead of burning Pine Needles, Pine Cones, Grass Clippings, Weeds and Leaves, area residents may bring these materials to a central collection point and place them into a dumpster. The Air District will provide the dumpster and monitor the projects.
The project takes place November 2nd through Sunday November 28th from dawn until Dusk Daily until the dumpster is full. It is located at Pine Acres Community Services Building, 12990 Tabeau Road in Pine Grove and Mace Meadow Golf Course, 26570 Fairway Drive in Pioneer.
Only natural vegetation falling into the categories listed above will be accepted. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Caltrans community workshop to gather input on long range Hwy. 49 plan
Amador County - Caltrans announced Thursday it will hold a community workshop to gather local input on a long range plan it is developing for Highway 49.
Also known as the “Golden Chain Highway,” Highway 49 originates in Oakhurst in Madera County and ends near Vinton in Plumas County, passing through Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties on the way. It is considered the primary roadway connecting the communities of the central Sierra Nevada foothills.
According to Caltrans, they will hold community outreach meetings to gather input for a Transportation Concept Report (TCR), a “long range planning document that identifies concepts for how the corridor will be developed and managed over a 20-year period.”
The TCR is developed to review current and future traffic conditions and land use; consider transportation alternatives such as transit services, bicycle and pedestrian; identify planned projects and recommend future improvements; and determine a route concept.
The agency says “safety, mobility and capacity” are currently major issues on the corridor. These concerns include congestion in local communities, encroachment on state highways, a lack of cost-effective transit services, and a lack of a consistent network of pedestrian and bike paths that link communities and visitor attractions.
The development of the TCR is linked to a number of recently approved planning efforts or efforts in progress both in Amador and neighboring counties, including the Amador County 2004 RTP Update, the Amador County Blueprint, and the Amador County General Plan Update.
The local TCR community workshop takes place November 3rd from 6-8 pm at the American Legion Hall, 12134 Airport Road in Martell. For more information, contact Lynn O’Connor, Chief of the Office of System and Advanced Planning at (209) 948-3975.
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
D.A. hopes Zimmerman guilty verdict brings “some measure of justice” to O’Sullivan family
Amador County – Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe complimented his staff on a tough job done well this week after a jury returned a guilty verdict Wednesday in the murder trial of Kenneth John Zimmerman of Fiddletown.
A 12-person jury issued a verdict finding Zimmerman guilty of second degree murder and found it true under a special allegation that Zimmerman “personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing the death of John Michael O’Sullivan,” according to statement released Thursday by Riebe.
In the statement, Riebe said “after 14 hours of deliberation beginning Friday morning, the jury informed (Superior Court) Judge James E. Cadle that they had reached a verdict.”
The verdict came just after 1 pm Wednesday, indicating the guilty finding, and also saying “the jury found Zimmerman not guilty of first degree murder and criminal threats, but could not reach a verdict on false imprisonment, resulting in a mistrial on that charge.”
Riebe said he was “very pleased with the verdict,” and “the jury listened carefully to all the evidence and worked hard to uncover the truth of what transpired.” He said they “dispatched their duties in a thoughtful and professional manner under difficult circumstances.”
“Most importantly,” Riebe said, “this verdict holds Mr. Zimmerman accountable for what he did by taking away the life of a husband and father.” Riebe said “hopefully,” the decision “provides some measure of justice for his family.”
Riebe said he had “high praise” for his prosecution team, led by Steve Hermanson. He said Hermanson, co-counsel Joe Gasperetti, investigators Noel Dunne and Gary Stevens, paralegal Kim Holland, and Victim-Witness advocate Harla Ward “lived this case for more than a year and put in hundreds of hours of preparation.” He said “this result is a testament towards their work ethic, professionalism and compassion.”
Riebe also complimented Sheriff Martin Ryan’s office for its work in the initial investigation. He said “it demonstrates, yet again, what fine work our local law enforcement team accomplishes by working together.”
Zimmerman returns to court 2 pm Monday, November 29th for sentencing, Riebe said, and the Fiddletown resident “faces a likely sentence of 40 years to life in state prison.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione to resume sewer talk in 30 days
Amador County – The Ione City Council discussed the city’s proposed wastewater treatment plant bidding process last week, and asked staff to try to reconnect with two bidders who had dropped out of the process.
Mayor Skip Schaufel asked if the other companies that submitted early in the bidding process, during the request for qualifications, had come forward, in the city’s effort to get a company to design, build, operate and finance a new tertiary wastewater treatment plant.
City Manager Kim Kerr said two companies had “withdrawn from the process,” but could choose to come back. City Attorney Kristen Castanos said all three companies were qualified to do the project.
The three early interested companies were Teichert Construction of Stockton, Auburn Constructors Incorporated of Sacramento and PERC Water Corporation of Costa Mesa. Of those, only PERC was still trying to pursue the project, while the other two have said they would not.
Councilman Jim Ulm asked that they try to send Teichert to a Hilmar pond plant, “so we can honestly say we looked at it.” Councilman Lee Ard said the problem was that Teichert’s original bid “danced around the tertiary” issue, which the city wants for its project.
The Hilmar plant was described in public comment by Lloyd Oneto as a “pretty green” pond plant, with new technology designed by Berkeley professors.
Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said “cutting edge technology” is new but it still means that “these are new plants that are working,” and are “not getting into something people have never seen before.”
Vice Mayor David Plank said the original criteria were given all firms in the bidding process, including the preference of the closed system, and the tertiary level of treatment.
Ulm suggested that the city could get rid of city engineer Bob Godwin of Lee & Ro, because “we have enough engineers” on the city council.
Ard said: “We have a council that understands.”
Kerr said she would send letters to the other two bidders and come back with further information in 30 days. She said “they could come back in,” but it was up to the companies.
Kerr told the council that if they are not satisfied at the end of the bidding process, they can go to the individual bidders and try to negotiate. The council could also go out for requests for proposals.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Supervisors look to take advantage of planned Hwy. 50 closure
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors discussed Tuesday how to best take advantage of increased vehicle traffic stemming from the planned two-week closure of Highway 50 next summer.
Caltrans recently announced they will close the heavily-trafficked highway for construction from May 2nd to 14th, 2011, and redirect traffic along state routes through Amador County.
Maureen Funk of the Amador Council of Tourism said the detour is from Missouri Flat Road south to Highway 49, then up Highways 88 and 89 to South Lake Tahoe. Other motorists may be diverted up Highway 16 from Sacramento. She said alternative routes are limited because Caltrans is only allowed to detour traffic onto state highways.
“This is a real opportunity for us to make it a good experience for people to take our two-lane highways through the county,” she said.
She said the county can post “up to six signs on county land” along each route notifying motorists of places to stop for gas, food, lodging or other amenities. “My vision is…signs that welcome folks to the county by saying ‘services so many miles ahead’,” she said.
Posting signs for such a purpose falls under strict regulations. Amador County Planner Susan Grijalva previously informed Funk that signs “must not be advertisements” and should be “strictly informative.” Signs must be removed within 48 hours after the detour is closed.
Funk said the closure also happens to coincide with the AMGEN Tour of California, a Tour de France-style cycling road race considered by its promoters to be the largest cycling event in America.
“When considering the draw for this event, this is a prime opportunity for people to rediscover us,” said Funk.
Supervisor John Plasse asked if Funk had concerns about tourism entities in Placerville and Pollock Pines competing for the added business. Funk said she collaborates regularly with these entities and “we see ourselves as partners in this process.”
Speaking on behalf of the California Highway Patrol, Lieutenant Bruce Kynaston said his department anticipates an increase in traffic accidents and traffic related citations. He said it will cost more money for the CHP to bring in more officers. He said it “will be challenging but will hopefully go smoothly.”
The supervisors made no motion for action concerning the presentation, but said they approved of Funk’s efforts and plans so far.
Funk said they will eventually need to gain approval from each city council within the county. She said she will take the results of the discussion back to her board of directors and marketing committee and return later in the year with something “more formal.”
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
