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Monday, 13 September 2010 07:22

Plymouth approves AFPD fire services contract

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week approved a fire protection services agreement contract with the Amador Fire Protection District, pending some minor adjustments. The council voted Thursday to authorize City Manager Dixon Flynn to negotiate a few minor details and then sign the contract with AFPD. The contract will be for 10 years, and replaces a three-month contract extension that expires at the end of September. City Clerk Gloria Stoddard said AFPD Chief Jim McCart was told to get a contract over to Plymouth as soon as he can, and Flynn was given the authority to negotiate and sign it. Among the items, Plymouth City Council asked for McCart to find out if the AFPD board of directors would allow Plymouth to have the option whether to be part of a fire Community Facilities District, rather than being required to be a member. Flynn said during a break at Thursday’s meeting that the city needed to get a contract finalized with AFPD, and they had been talking about it for two years. Flynn said he was going to recommend the council ask for a five-year contract term that would be renewable every five years, over a 20-year period. The council instead went with AFPD’s request for a 10-year contract term. Flynn also said he would also want AFPD to work with Plymouth toward getting its own fire department. In council member reports, Vice Mayor Greg, chairman of the Amador County Transportation Commission, said he and staff and a selection committee next week will be looking at 15 applications they had received for people seeking to be the new Amador Regional Transportation System manager. Baldwin said once the new ARTS manager is selected and hired, the new manager will help hire a Mobility Management manager. Flynn reported that the Lodge Hill community center had some windows shot out. They were replaced at a cost of $233. Mayor Pat Fordyce led Amador County Recreation Agency board members on a tour of the newly remodeled ground floor of Lodge Hill. She said they were impressed with the project, which used Proposition 40 funds. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 13 September 2010 07:20

AWA seeks $1.2M in Prop 84 funding for Camanche tank repair

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday agreed to reduce the number of projects it will seek Proposition 84 funding, but planned to seek the same amount, totaling $1.2 million. Acting on the recommendation of General Manager Gene Mancebo, the board decided to increase the amount of funding sought to expand a leak testing and repair project in the Amador Water System, and a “tank rehabilitation and lateral replacement” project at Lake Camanche Water District. The board unanimously made the change, and removed a grant request for $350,000 for the Gravity Supply Line project. The grants are sought through the regional Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, whose Executive Officer Rob Alcott told Mancebo that larger projects were preferred because they reduce the amount of application work spent on smaller projects. Alcott suggested reducing the number of projects and keeping funding the same. The board authorized Mancebo to write a letter saying AWA planned to fund the matching grants, seeking $394,000 for leak testing and repair; and $790,000 for a project at Camanche. Mancebo said “for that kind of money you could almost get a brand new tank up there.” He said the leak testing could be done anywhere, not just AWS, and at Camanche, almost every tank in that system leaks because they are made of redwood. The board decided not to seek a grant for the GSL, freeing up $350,000. They divided that, to seek $100,000 for leak testing, and $250,000 for Camanche. Director Gary Thomas said “that is more than generous.” Mancebo said they are conducting an income survey in the Camanche district to try to get the area to qualify as a “disadvantaged community,” requiring no match. President Bill Condrashoff said the “hope on Camanche is that it will be 100 percent funded.” He said the 25 percent match on leak testing funds was too good to pass up, urging they keep the project. Director Terence Moore agreed, saying they started the Upper Moke authority, the “focus was on leak detection.” He said he would like to see it expanded and get even more money, taking funds from the GSL application. Moore said: “I don’t think a $350,000 grant for the GSL is going to make or break it.” The AWA estimates the Gravity Supply Line project would cost $13.9 million, and is working to get a USDA grant of $5.1 million, and a long-term USDA loan for $8.5 million to fund the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Friday, 10 September 2010 07:29

CA property values drop 1.8 percent

California – Property values declined by 1.8 percent statewide for the current fiscal year, marking only the second drop since the state began collecting data in 1933. As announced by Board of Equalization Chairwoman Betty T. Yee last week, the total value of state-assessed and county-assessed property declined to $4.371 trillion for 2010-11, a drop of $78.2 billion from the previous year. This also marks the second straight year-to-year decline in the statewide total. County-assessed property fell by $81.1 billion to $4.292 trillion, while state-assessed property consisting mostly of private public utilities equaled $79 billion, an increase of $2.9 billion. In total, 48 of California’s 58 counties posted year-to-year declines, with nine of them declining by five percent or more. Most of the decline centered in the Central Valley. The biggest decrease in the state was 11.9 percent in Calaveras County. Despite the news, Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney says our county is doing well compared to figures from most other counties in the state. “Typically we do quite well and show increases of up to 15 percent, and now when things are really down we are starting to show slight decreases,” he said. Amador County’s property values decreased by 3.75 percent over the current fiscal year. Rooney said his office is committed to assessing property at the lower of either fair market value or Proposition 13, a 1978 referendum that capped property-tax increases. The last time there was a downward adjustment to property values was after Prop 13’s passage. Rooney urges property owners to read their assessments carefully and to call his office if they believe their property is being overassessed. “Some people also have concerns over how this will affect county revenues, but I don’t think there should be huge concerns over this slight decrease,” said Rooney. Only two counties – Kern and San Francisco- saw values increase because of oil production. The five-member California State Board of Equalization is a publicly elected entity that collects more than $48 billion annually in taxes and fees supporting state and local government services. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Friday, 10 September 2010 07:36

Ione boy arrested after bombs explode on Main Street

Amador County – A 14-year-old Ione boy is facing charges for multiple felony infractions for setting off improvised explosive devices on Main Street in Ione last week. He admitted to learning how to make the bombs from the popular website, YouTube. The Ione Policed Department investigated the detonation of home-made bombs on August 31st, after getting a report the next day. Chief Michael Johnson reported the incident, investigation, and arrest in a news release Thursday ( September 9th). Johnson said on Tuesday (August 31st) “the city of Ione was rocked by explosions at the intersection of East Main and South Ione Streets.” The Ione Police Officer on duty at the time was dealing with an unrelated case. The officer was booking a suspect into the Amador County Jail in Jackson, when the reported explosions occurred. Johnson said the “blasts were heard and even partially witnessed by various citizens” at about 5:15 p.m., but the incident was not reported to the police or fire departments until about 10:15 a.m. the following day. Upon responding to the scene on September 1st, IPD “located evidence of homemade bomb materials,” Johnson said. Some of the materials at the scene were classified as hazardous materials, and the scene was secured and contained. Cal Fire was summoned to the scene to assist with evidence collection and handling of the dangerous materials. The investigation soon identified a 14-year-old male juvenile suspect. The suspect admitted that he learned of the bomb-making procedure from the website “YouTube.com.” Johnson said: “It appears that the incident was not an act intending harm, destruction, or intimidation to anyone, but more an exhibition to impress another teenager.” He said the “homemade bombs are characteristic of a recent trend in explosive devices utilizing basic, easy to obtain ingredients: cleaning agent liquids, aluminum foil, and plastic bottles.” Ione Police Department was able to identify the materials at the scene with the help of recent officer training and shared law enforcement intelligence. Johnson said the juvenile is facing three felony charges of California penal code violations. Johnson said the Ione Police Department intends to distribute more information on the trend as a public safety and awareness effort in the upcoming city news letter later this month. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 13 September 2010 07:23

Man arrested for taking pot, weapons onto Mule Creek property

Amador County – The Ione Police Department reported teaming with the Mule Creek State Prison personnel to arrest a man for taking drugs and weapons onto state prison property Sunday in Ione. Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson said the Ione Police Department in cooperation with Mule Creek State Prison “identified, investigated, and arrested 48-year-old Richard Bezemer for bringing drugs and weapons onto state grounds” Sunday, September 5th. Johnson said Mule Creek officers were first alerted to Bezemer as he attempted to enter the visitor facility. Marijuana was subsequently discovered in Bezemer’s possession. Further investigation led officers to Bezemer’s vehicle which was parked on the state grounds. Johnson said “additional containers of marijuana, several knives, and other suspicious prescription medications were removed from (Bezemer’s) vehicle.” Bezemer was placed in custody and booked into the Amador County Jail on felony drug and weapon possession charges. Bezemer’s vehicle was towed and stored after his arrest. Johnson said the incident is an “example of mutual aid enforcement techniques used to combat crime within the city of Ione.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 13 September 2010 07:25

2 arrested at Bottle Shop in Jackson on marijuana charges

Amador County – Two employees of the Bottle Shop in downtown Jackson were arrested Thursday for sales and possession of marijuana. The arrests were the result of a two-month joint investigation between the Amador County Combined Narcotic Enforcement Team (ACCNET), Jackson Police Department and California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). According to a release from ABC, these three agencies “initiated the investigation due to heightened concern about this location in the community.” John Carr, ABC’s Public Information Officer, says ABC investigators from the Sacramento District and ABC's Grant Assistance Program “went undercover multiple times and were able to purchase marijuana from an employee of the Bottle Shop.” Marijuana purchases were successfully completed on several occasions. As a result, authorities arrested Mandpreet Singh Ghuane and Geoffrey Scott Maciel for sales of a controlled substance. Both individuals are currently being held at the Amador County Jail. The Bottle Shop will also face an accusation from ABC which will result in a penalty ranging from a fine to a revocation of the license. “There is a license offense and a criminal offense,” says Carr. “We are still determining what penalty will be assessed, and the business owners have the right to challenge those findings.” This is not the first time that the Bottle Shop, located at 45 Main Street, or its owners have been the subject of controversy. Ghuane, along with co-owners of the business, was denied a permit in March that would have allowed the Bottle Shop to move from its current location to the former location of the Biggest Little Kitchen Store at the three-way intersection on North Main Street. The Jackson Planning Commission determined the proposed new location as incompatible with the neighborhood and public safety. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Friday, 10 September 2010 06:46

Supes deny claim by former Assessor candidate

Amador County - The Board of Supervisors last week denied a claim for more than $10,000 filed by former Assessor candidate Jay Elias, who says county officials erred by keeping her on involuntary leave after medical evaluations found her medically and psychiatrically fit to perform her duties. The denial was made during closed session discussion on “potential litigation” facing Amador County. Elias was placed on unpaid leave on December 21st, 2009 and wasn’t allowed to return to work until March of this year. In a copy of the claim obtained by TSPN, Elias says the county placed her “medical fitness-for-duty at issue” and “relied upon and apparently adopted in its entirety the fitness-for-duty report” of a psychiatrist who considered her “totally disabled from work for medical reasons.” She says county officials refused subsequent evaluations from two other doctors who determined her medically and physically fit to perform her job, including an opinion from her family doctor. She calls the original psychiatric examination “critically flawed” for a number of reasons, and says those findings “are not supportable by clinical testing and evaluation.” She names county officials who were the alleged decision makers in determining her inability to return to work, including County Assessor Jim Rooney, former County Administrative Officer Terri Daly and Undersheriff James Wegner. The amount claimed exceeds $10,000 and would be an unlimited civil case. Her claim says the amount is based on past lost wages, various benefits, attorney’s fees and “emotional distress damages. The county’s decision to deny the claim may lead to future litigation. Elias declined to comment when contacted by phone. County officials also declined to comment because of the claim’s status as “potential litigation.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Friday, 10 September 2010 07:26

BLM conducts cleanup of upcountry illegal dump sites

Amador County - In response to citizen complaints of illegal dumping, staff of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) – Mother Lode Field Office conducted a cleanup of several upcountry illegal dump sites on federal lands. The cleanup which took place on August 10th to 13th, 2010, involved sites off Tiger Creek Rd., Belden Mine Rd., Defender Grade and the north side of PG&E Road 8047 along the Mokelumne River canyon. Approximately 200 cubic yards of municipal solid waste, 100 waste tires, an RV trailer and 2 vehicles were removed from the areas. “The Amador County Environmental Health Department would like to extend its appreciation to Mr. Peter Graves, Environmental Protection Specialist for BLM, and the clean up contractors for their work performing this important public service,” said Michael Israel, Director of Environmental Health. In addition to BLM staff and contractors, local towing and waste disposal services were used in performing the cleanup. Amador County’s Solid Waste Ordinance prohibits roadside dumping and provides for fines of up to $500 per violation. Citizens in the eastern part of the county are encouraged to take trash to the Pine Grove Solid Waste Transfer Station at 19801 Berry Street, Pine Grove. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Monday, 13 September 2010 07:17

Dr. Jorge Santana to speak at Amador library

Amador County - Dr. Jorge Santana, a former professor at California State University in Sacramento, will give a lecture on the history and art of Mexico at the Amador County library next weekend. Santana is an acclaimed author of several books on the subject, and will be sharing excerpts from his books as well as signing copies at the end of the roughly hour long presentation. Santana told TSPN he will begin by talking about the Bicentennial Celebration of the Mexican Independence (September 16th) as well as the November 20th Centennial of the Mexican Revolution. In order to highlight this topic, Santana said he will refer to a series of prints currently hanging in the library which document the revolution and some of its icons, including Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. He said the lecture “will also focus on some of the artists that have portrayed Mexican cultural aspects, foremost being Octavio Ocampo a contemporary artist.” Finally, he will introduce a number of acclaimed books he has written on various related topics, including “El Folklore Hispano,” a book on intermediate level Spanish language acquisition, and “La adivinanza a través de 500 años,” an anthology of the Hispanic riddle across 500 years. A reception is planned, perhaps appropriately, at the authentic, Latin-themed Cafe De Coco on Main Street in Jackson. Santana’s own history is perhaps as interesting as the subjects he teaches. Born in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico of parents from the state of Jalisco, he is the third oldest of nine children and moved with his family to California at the age of four. He eventually received his B.A. and M.A. at San Diego State University. He is a recipient of a Fulbright-Hayes and a Del Amo Foundation Grant which allowed him to complete his Ph. D. at the Universidad de Madrid, Spain. He was a professor at CSUS for 37 years. He taught Spanish for the Professions, Mexican Civilization and Culture, Hispanic Folklore, and Seminars on the Civilization and Culture of Mexico and the Civilization and Culture of Hispanic America. During his tenure he led 45 groups on tours of places such as Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru as well as many European countries. Professor Emeritus Jorge Santana will speak next Saturday, September 18th at 2:30 pm in the Amador County library. The public is encouraged to attend. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Friday, 10 September 2010 07:41