Tom
Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:28
Prop. 8 Ruled Unconstitutional by Federal Judge
California - Opponents of Proposition 8 were celebrating in the streets after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the voter-approved ban on same sex marriage in California is unconstitutional. Judge Vaughn R. Walker,Chief U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of California, said in his ruling that Proposition 8 “fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license.” “Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same-sex couples,” wrote Walker. “Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.” The decision effectively overturns Proposition 8 with a temporary stay to allow suspension of the ruling pending appeal. “Justice is advancing thanks to today's ruling affirming Californians' constitutional right to marriage in faithful, same-gender relationships," said Bishop J. Jon Bruno, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, which has recently become one of the Christian denominations most supportive of gay rights. Gay marriage foes have already vowed to appeal the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, saying it subverts the actions of California voters. In court papers filed Tuesday, lawyers defending Proposition 8 asked for a stay if the ruling is to declare the law unconstitutional. “A stay is essential to averting the harms that would flow from another purported window of same-sex marriage in California," wrote the lawyers. The motion indicates that the Proposition 8 defense team will immediately ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the ruling if it is not in their favor. Same-sex marriages will not be allowed to go forward until after the appeals process concludes. Wednesday’s ruling will not impact the roughly 18,000 same-sex nuptials that took place before Proposition 8 went into effect after a past state supreme court ruling that briefly legalized gay marriages in California. Proposition 8, also known as the California Marriage Protection Act, was passed by California voters with 52.24 percent approval in the November 2008 election. It added a new provision to the California Constitution which provides that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Following the passage of the amendment, mass protests took place across the state, eventually leading to several lawsuits being filed in State Supreme Court and Federal District Court, including the suit which led to Wednesday’s decision. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:16
Ione Withdraws from Participation in Regional Planning Commission
Amador County - The Ione City Council Tuesday evening discussed whether or not they would be continuing to participate in the Regional Planning Commission. The Regional Planning Commission was created in 2007 for the purpose of providing a forum for the review, discussion, and coordination of ideas, issues, and projects that are of regional interest. Members of the Regional Planning Commission include the Amador County Board of Supervisors and the cities of Ione, Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Plymouth. On July 27th, the Amador County Board of Supervisors met and voted unanimously to discontinue their participation with the committee. The question before the Ione City Council Tuesday night was whether or not they wanted to do the same. After a short discussion by the Council on benefits versus burden, it was voted unanimously to withdraw the city’s participation in the Regional Planning Commission. The council also approved a solid waste franchise agreement with ACES at the meeting. The City Council previously adopted a new Solid Waste Franchise Agreement at the July 6th City Council meeting that is scheduled to take effect on Thursday, August 5th, 2010. The franchise agreement approved at the meeting is a 5 year non-exclusive agreement with the potential for two 5 year extensions. Per the agreement, ACES will be taking over the responsibility of emptying the trash cans on Main Street, with no cost to the City, from Ione street to the bus stop at Sacramento Street. The agreement, however, does not make pick up mandatory for the residents of Ione by ACES or any other solid waste provider. One issue not discussed during the meeting was a proposed rate increase identified by ACES. Due to time constraints, a public hearing on the proposed increases could not be noticed for the August 3rd meeting and is expected to be scheduled for the next regularly scheduled Ione City Council meeting on August 17th, with new rates potentially taking effect in September. Story by Judee Schmidt This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:19
AC Fair Experienced Slight Decline in Attendance
Amador County – While still as popular as ever, initial figures indicate the Amador County Fair saw a slight decline overall in the number of visitors to this year’s fair. The total amount of attending customers reported as paying at the gates was 16,048. Amador County Fair CEO Troy Bowers said that overall, the fair saw a decrease of about 2 percent in gate customers. He stressed that this “is not quite 50 percent of the story” because gate figures do not include presales or sponsors and media representatives the fair provides with free passes. But, said Bowers, the overall figures “indicate a slight decline” in the number of attendees. “What our numbers are showing is that families are still struggling out there in this economy,” he said. Adult and child attendance was down 5 percent, while senior attendance was up 7 percent. Bowers said the slight dip in attendance was anticipated considering the economic climate and the numbers from last year. The 2009 Amador County Fair saw paid attendance drop by a 7/100ths of a percent decrease, and gate attendance that year was also down 466 tickets, or 2.8 percent compared to 2008. “People are coming to the fair, but these are still hard times,” said Bowers. In related news, the results are in from one of the fair’s biggest money makers: the Junior Livestock Auction. Every year, young farmhands, agriculturalists and 4H members proudly display an animal they have helped raise at an auction designed to raise money for the kids as a reward for all their hard work. Bowers said that although fewer animals were offered this year, the money made was still very high. $275,223 was grossed from the event. Bowers said that money will all go to the kids. When asked what his favorite part of this year’s fair was, Bowers said he really enjoyed the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival. “They are really doing something special with that,” he said. “It’s a great fit for the community and I hope to see it grow.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:24
Sutter Creek Ends Knight Foundry Property Negotiations
Amador County - The Sutter Creek City Council has announced an end to the ongoing negotiations for property acquisition of the historic Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek. Irreconcilable differences during negotiations with the property owner and the City have caused the City Council to halt any potential purchase at this time. “Several untenable demands made by the property owner and a difficult economy have created a situation where the City Council cannot continue with the purchase of the Foundry,” Sutter Creek Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy said. “While it saddens me that the purchase of the Foundry cannot happen at this time, the City Council felt the City had no choice in this matter. The structure of the purchase simply put the City at too great a risk.” The City had been negotiating with the Foundry’s property owner for more than eight years and recently was awarded several state and federal grants that were to be used for the purchase of the Foundry. The California Cultural Historical Endowment (CCHE) granted the City $870,000 in May 2008 for a partial purchase of the Foundry. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) also granted the City $600,000 in environmental clean-up grants to clean the site. The City successfully negotiated a quit-claim deed to take ownership of the property last year and has been in ongoing negotiations over the terms of the purchase since that time. The City Council felt it could not place the City in a potentially risky situation regarding indemnification for ongoing environmental contamination. The Council also felt it could not create the financial obligation that the property owner was seeking given this economic climate. “Although the City cannot consummate the purchase of the Foundry at this time, the City looks forward to continuing to work with the property owner to preserve this important piece of Sutter Creek’s history,” City Manager Sean Rabé said. “The format of that preservation is still undetermined.” The Knight Foundry is a historic, water-powered, cast iron foundry and machine shop that was established by Samuel Knight in 1872 in Sutter Creek. In uninterrupted operation until it last poured iron in 1996, it is the last American workplace where traditional cast iron foundry production processes and skills have been handed down almost unchanged. Please contact City Manager Sean Rabé with any questions at 209-267-5647. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:32
Dave Bellerive - New AFPD Battalion Chief 8-5-10
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:37
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 8-5-10
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