Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a draft letter detailing their opposition to a proposal by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to close the Preston Youth Correctional Facility.

Drafted by staff with the expectation that it will be signed by Board Chairman Brian Oneto, the letter “requests that all factors surrounding any closure of CDCR-DJJ facilities in Amador County be fully investigated before a decision is made.”

The closure would affect 400 staff and 218 juvenile wards. If it goes forward, it will take place June 30, 2011.

The board’s consideration of such opposition was added to the agenda even though no formal announcement has been made. Supervisor Richard Forster recused himself because he is also an employee of CDCR.

“Any decision to shut the doors at Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione will have a tremendous negative impact on the community of Ione and the County,” reads the letter. “Preston is considered a generational institution because it was constructed and opened in 1894. Because of this, many generations within families in our community have made their profession in the field of corrections.”

The letter says, “The CDCR should not ignore the fiscal savings in millions of dollars to the State of California and the department from the young men that go through this transition in their life, successfully parole, and do not return to the system.”

It says the closure will effect the “synergistic relationship” between Preston and the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, which has also been threatened with closure in recent years. It says “Preston has maintained a higher training and compliance rate than any other institution in the State.”

The letter also lists a number of services provided for the youth of Preston. These include Drug program services, Behavior Treatment programs and a Culinary Arts program.

In conclusion, it says,“The Amador County Board of Supervisors are dismayed at the lack of transparency from the CDCR and the method of doing business that does not make an ‘apples to apples’ comparison of facilities to allow a business decision that benefits all taxpayers in the State of California” and asks that a more complete analysis be made.

“This is something that concerns the Board of Supervisors greatly,” said Oneto on Tuesday. “If it closes down it will have a pretty big impact.”

A revised draft will be submitted shortly to CDCR Secretary Mathew Cate, including a request that CDCR hold local community hearings to discuss the impacts the closure would have.

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Amador County – The Ione City Council on Tuesday approved a letter of support for Preston Youth Correctional Facility as rumors came out this week that it could be among facilities consider for closing.

Preston Board Member Bob Conrad told the council “it’s just a rumor at this point.” City Manager Kim Kerr said the rumors say the facility is “on the chopping block to be closed,” and they expect to “have an official announcement” this week or next week.

Councilman Lee Ard said rumors say that layoffs are coming and Preston could “shut down towards the end of the fiscal year.” Conrad asked for support for Preston, which also gives to the community. He said it gave $18,000 to Howard Park and raised close to $50,000 just from its golf tournament.

One counselor said Preston has close to 400 employees now. Kerr said that is down from 530 employees last year.

Dominic Atlan of Castle Oaks expressed support, and Gary Thomas said Preston is probably 80 percent along in meeting new court mandates, which “might be an interesting point of view” in comparing it with other facilities.

Kerr said a support letter signed by Mayor Skip Schaufel will be sent to the governor and state candidates. Schaufel said Supervisors approved a letter Tuesday “requesting public hearings before it happens.”

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors approved $42,000 in tourism spending for three local organizations on Tuesday, with the stipulation that the groups will have to come back to the board to report how funds are being spent.

The board approved a $25,000 request for funds by the Amador Council of Tourism, a request for $15,000 by the Amador County Chamber of Commerce, and a request for $2,200 by the Amador County Film Commission.

Supervisor Richard Forster moved that whatever was not funded in the budget be taken out of the contingency fund. The board discussed the original budget of about $50,000, which was reduced by former Chief Administrative Officer Terry Daly.

The supervisors passed the requests unanimously. Supervisor John Plasse noted that the funds were coming from the county Transient Occupancy Tax, with totaled $86,000 in the unincorporated areas of the county. He said cities in the county generated $600,000 in their TOT taxes.

Plasse said the county is putting 50 percent of its TOT funds into promoting tourism, and “maybe the cities should do that too?”

Forster said he wanted to see the money used in the best way possible for the “promotion of tourism and bringing people to the county.”

He said the $25,000 was budgeted by Daly, but he wanted to “keep the business of tourism rolling in Amador County,” because tourist dollars are spent on lodging and retail. He said they should use some of that tax money to fund ACT, the Chamber and the Film Commission.

Forster said if supervisors “wanted to split it five ways,” they could all put in some of their district discretionary funds. He said it “should pay dividends by bringing tax dollars back into the county.”

He also requested a “full accounting of the use of the funds.” Plasse said he thought the requests for funding in the future should come with a list of proposed uses of funds.

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Amador County – Amador County Supervisors discussed the Wild & Scenic designation proposed for the Mokelumne River on Tuesday, hearing from both sides before deciding not to support the designation.

Executive Director Chris Wright said the Foothill Conservancy added a portion to the designation land area, to stretch it from just below the Salt Springs Reservoir to the upper pool of Pardee Lake. He said the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management also added to the footprint in their respective land plans.

Wright said it would not include lower tributaries or power plants, and would only affect public land, and “stop any new dams or diversions on that river.”

Supervisors John Plasse and Chairman Brian Oneto said the designation would put the land under National Park Service control, but Wright said it would not have that affect.

Supervisor Richard Forster said he has worked with the Conservancy on the designation, but issues such as that showed the need for third party involvement in discussions. He said he would like to get county consultant John Hofmann involved in future discussions.

Forster said right now, he did not support Wild & Scenic designation. Supervisor Louis Boitano said he has been on the Conservancy’s board, and said he would not support the designation until the Conservancy won the support of Elton Rodman and Roaring Camp mine. Boitano said that was still true.

Dennis Rodman said the designation bill “sounds really great unless you read the document, then it scares you,” and “gives away your rights.” He said a quarter-mile easement is taken in the designation. It allows landowners to “do what you do now, but if you change, you have to go get permission.”

Plasse agreed, saying all mining activities are subject to approval by the Secretary of the Interior, or the National Parks.

Rodman said: “It’s the beginning of the end for Roaring Camp. It may take a few years, but we’re done.”

He said “Dan Lungren called my father and said: ‘Elton, we thought you all liked this?’ So somebody out there is telling people we like this, and believe me, we don’t.”

Rodman said: “This feels like poison to me.” About six property owners along the river spoke against the designation, including Carol Cuneo and Mike Boitano, and a woman who would lose property under the East Bay Municipal Utility District 2040 Plan.

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Amador County - Effective 8:00 AM, Friday, October 22, 2010, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) announces burn hours will not be restricted on permissive burn days on private lands within the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit. This includes the counties of Calaveras, Tuolumne, and those eastern portions of San Joaquin and Stanislaus that are within the State Responsibility Area. Lifting the burn hour restrictions also applies to lands within the Direct Protection Area (DPA) of the Stanislaus National Forest.

Burn permits are required. Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit Chief Mike Noonan adds “Conditions will continue to be monitored and restrictions or suspension will go back into place if conditions warrant. Open hours burning on permissive burn days allows home owners to burn debris created by working on 100 feet of defensible space.”

Even with the cooler weather and forecasted rain a fire can still escape. It is critical that the person conducting the burn keep close watch on the fire at all times. If the fire gets away, that person can be held liable for the damage and suppression costs.

It is the landowner’s responsibility to check with the local Air Pollution Control District for permissive days by calling the local APCD office.

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday one of four design alternatives for the Ridge Road Signal & Merge Lane project at New York Ranch Road, and directed staff to draft plans for the selected alternative in order to seek bids on the project.

The project provides for a widening of Ridge Road lanes in both directions including a left turn lane onto New York Ranch Road with a flashing beacon safety light system.

In 2006, the Public Works Department constructed the original phase of the improvements based on a design by Stantec. They were then directed by the board to consult with Stantec to create more than one design alternative in order to consider cost, construction and safety concerns.

Barbara Belvoir, Senior Project Engineer for the Public Works Department, said her department recommends “the Alternative 2 design with no vertical curve modification” - a safety feature she called “quite expensive.”

The vertical curve was previously agreed upon as the best option, but other alternatives were sought because of the additional expenditure required. According to a summary of preliminary estimates, construction of a vertical curve would add $562,194 to the estimated cost of $2,779,824.

The project’s budget is based on two $900,000 grants from Caltrans and a local share of $434,000.

Board Chairman Brian Oneto said they could speak with the Jackson Rancheria to see if it could provide additional funding.

Belvoir said her department is “looking for final authorization to move forward with the design.”

Supervisor Louis Boitano said his “big concern” was neighbors living in the surrounding area. He said area residents complained in the past and “I don’t want them to come in at the last minute and blow this plan out of the water.”

Supervisor Plasse said he had talked with people in that location, including Charlene Buckley, who spoke during public comment. Buckley, whose driveway exits onto Ridge Road, said she trusts in the county’s decision but is concerned about whether an extra merge lane will be added because “the only place (vehicles) can merge to stop hitting each other is us.”

A motion was approved 5-0 to select Alternative 2 and complete the steps necessary in order to put the project out to bid.

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Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council on Monday approved a contract for its new city manager for up to $98,000 plus benefits.

City Attorney Derek Cole told the council he looked over the document, mostly written by his predecessor Dennis Crabb, and found it to be “very well written.” It included the terms as agreed upon by the council and City Manager Sean Rabe. The document listed his salary range as $81,000 to $98,000.

In public comment, Planning Commission Chairman Mike Kirkley said he thought the city manager should get the same cuts as other employees. He said they should give him the same retirement benefits as the employees agreed to in recent negotiations.

Kirkley also worried about Rabe spreading himself too thin in pursuing a higher educational degree, while leading the city administration. He said former City Manager and Police Chief Rob Duke was pursuing higher education as well when running the city, and had to hire an assistant city manager for a city of 2,600 people, which Kirkley said was “embarrassing.”

Kirkely said he assumed Rabe’s salary was $81,000, plus benefits that are greater than the city employees, which puts the city manager in a tough situation when entering into negotiations with city employees. Ed Swift agreed, saying they should treat everyone alike.

Mayor Gary Wooten said Rabe is doing the city a favor by working for a salary that is a “much lower rate than we were paying Rob Duke.”

Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy said the council was trying to separate the salary from the benefits, so they did not have another $125,000 manager’s salary, about which citizens complained.

Lindsay Way said as an employer, it was hard for her to hear that having someone accept a job was doing an employer a favor.

Wooten said Rabe “did the city a favor by coming to work for the city.” Councilman Pat Crosby agreed, saying the city manager is an at-will employee working on contract.

Wooten said the city manager is “not represented by a union, and if three of five council members decide next week that they don’t want him, he would be looking for a job.”

The council approved the contract on a 5-0 vote.

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Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to adopt a resolution expressing board opposition to a proposal by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to close the Preston Youth Correctional Facility.

Preston is only the latest in a string of correctional facilities proposed for closure in response to budget cutback and scarce resources. As some state reports suggest, Preston is being considered because the number of employees at the facility far exceeds the number of wards assigned under their care.

Supervisor Richard Forster, who requested the item be added to the agenda, recused himself from the discussion because he is also an employee of CDCR. Before leaving, Forster did emphasize that this in a “potential closure” with no formal announcement yet made.

Board Chairman Brian Oneto said a complete closure would be “devastating” for Amador County. “This is something that concerns the Board of Supervisors greatly,” he said. “If it closes down it will have a pretty big impact.”

He added that Amador County has “enough problems without losing another major employer,” referring to the recent loss of two major auto sales businesses in Martell.

Supervisor John Plasse said “the untimely passing” of State Senator Dave Cox, a longtime defender of Preston, leaves the facility undefended on a state level. “His influence on keeping the facility open may be presenting a great reality…that it is a little easier to target Preston at this time.”

The board voted 4-0-1 to send a letter to CDCR Secretary Mathew Cate requesting “that all factors surrounding any closure of CDCR-DJJ facilities in Amador County be fully investigated before a decision is made.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli recalled the board’s ultimately successful campaign to keep the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp operational. He said “Amador County wanted to keep that camp open” and “we should do the same for Preston.”

Plasse asked to include a request in the letter that CDCR hold community hearings to discuss the local impacts of a potential closure.

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 5-0 not to support a “Wild & Scenic” designation for the Mokelumne River, but agreed to discuss legislative options with all stakeholders involved.

Board Chairman Brian Oneto said he asked for the item to be considered for either support or rejection, based on the Foothill Conservancy drafting federal legislation seeking a law to create Wild & Scenic designation on the Mokelumne River, which separates Amador and Calaveras counties.

Supervisor Ted Novelli asked the board clerk to read a letter from Katherine Evatt of the Conservancy. Evatt, who was unable to attend the meeting, said in the letter she knew Novelli supported landowners’ rights along the river, but did not know why he would not support the designation.

Novelli said he “thought people on both sides of the river should have a say” in the designation, and when Foothill Conservancy first approached the board, it was “a smaller portion than they are speaking of now.”

He said if the federal government makes the designation, “what happens three administrations later?” He worried about eminent domain, whether the government can change riparian easements, and fighting fire after a federal designation, saying: “Can local, state and federal people go down there and fight a fire?”

Novelli said he wanted to get the landowners and everybody else in the decision room, and he always told Evatt the same. Novelli said Dan Lungren knew his feelings on the matter and “would do what our board wants.”

Supervisor John Plasse said the Foothill Conservancy has “already sought legislation in Washington, D.C.” to designate the Moke River as Wild & Scenic, and “repeatedly advocated without the cooperation of the board of supervisors, and we need to take action today in response to that, and set a date to talk.”

Plasse said: “I don’t think we can do nothing today.”

Boitano said he didn’t mind taking a collaborative approach with the Foothill Conservancy, but he wants “to be true partners” and if anyone writes legislation on the matter, it should be Supervisors. He said Amador County should “sponsor” the legislation.

Executive Director Chris Wright in a presentation said the designation may not fit, and it could be discussed. He said the efforts were made to protect the Moke River from the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which has a plan to raise Pardee Dam and inundate the Middle Bar Bridge.

Wright said the Conservancy is suing East Bay MUD, and could have used the county’s help with that.

Supervisors’ motion included sitting “down to discuss legislative options with all of the stakeholders.”

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