News Archive (6192)
Sutter Amador Hospital Dr. Geraldine O’Shea honored with a lifetime achievement award
Written by Tom
Amador County – A longtime doctor at Sutter Amador Hospital, Dr. Geraldine O’Shea, was presented with the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California recently.
O’Shea received the award Feb. 11 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego during the President’s Banquet held in conjunction with OPSC’s 51st Annual Convention.
SAH announced the award, saying the “Lifetime Achievement Award” goes to an osteopathic physician who has demonstrated a true “pioneering spirit,” and whose diligence and efforts have enabled the “profession to not only survive, but thrive,” and said O’Shea is a well deserving recipient who “readily fulfills these criteria.”
O’Shea has served as Medical Director and as a practicing Internal Medicine physician for Foothill Women’s Medical Center in Jackson since 1998. She is joined in the practice by husband Dr. Mark Eastman. O’Shea was previously Chief of Staff with Talbert Medical Group in Chandler, Arizona.
O’Shea received her medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, Calif. and a BA in Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara. She also has a degree in Acupuncture and Herbology from the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco.
She has maintained staff privileges with Sutter Amador Hospital since 1998, serving as Medical Director of the Diabetes Education Program since 2005 and as a member of the Medical Executive Committee in 2004.
Sutter Amador Hospital CEO Anne Platt said: “Dr. O’Shea is very dedicated to her patients and our community. It’s no surprise that she is the recipient of this very prestigious award.” She said SAH and its foundation are “very proud of her amazing achievement and are fortunate that she is part of our medical staff.”
In addition to running a busy practice, O’Shea volunteers a significant amount of time to professional and community activities and has served in numerous influential positions, including as member of Amador County Hospice Board.
O’Shea held and holds several state and national positions in her profession, including current President of the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.
In presenting the award, OPSC Executive Director Kathleen Creason said “although Dr. O’Shea is being presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, we know that she is still a rising star” and “has many great achievements ahead of her.”
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – Joseph Charles Gasperetti, 67, a Deputy District Attorney IV with the Amador County District Attorney’s Office passed away Tuesday, March 20 at his home in Pioneer.
District Attorney Todd Riebe released details about his passing Wednesday. Gasperetti was a longtime fixture in the Amador Superior Courts, serving both as a prosecutor and as a public defender. He was respected by both the bench and bar for his experience and his calm and easy-going disposition.
In his long legal career, Gasperetti operated his own law practice for 14 years before transitioning to a Deputy District Attorney position with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, where he served for 15 years.
He served as a public defender in Amador County, working for Richard Ciummo & Associates for almost four years before being hired by the Amador District Attorney’s Office in 2007.
Riebe said: “I’ve known Joe since I first started my legal career in Madera. He was intelligent, witty and had a gift for making people laugh. He was a very good prosecutor, who made lifelong friends, wherever he worked.” ¶ Riebe said: “Joe was a character, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
Gasperetti was born Dec. 1, 1944 to Joseph and Edna Gasperetti in Oxnard, Calif. At the family’s request, there will be no service, and inurnment will be private.
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AEDC says Calif. business climate is ‘nauseating’ compared to Texas
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County has a “lousy” business climate and the state business climate is “nauseating,” compared to the Texas, according to a report last week from the Amador Economic Development Corporation.
AEDC’s Ron Mittelbrunn and Kay Reynolds gave a report to Supervisors and revealed a new website, Amador dot Tools For Business dot-info, which shows how state regulations compare between California and Amador County and with that of the city of Longview, in Johnson County, Texas. Reynolds said: “It’s kind of nauseating.”
Supervisor John Plasse agreed, saying California has been “abysmal” in creating a climate that would retain businesses. Reynolds said “Amador County has a lousy record” as well.
Supervisor Richard Forster pointed at a Fish & Game notice in last week’s Consent Agenda, which notified counties of new animals added to the endangered species list. Forster said radical environmentalists seem to try to get more and more animals added to the list just to try to kill all businesses.
Mittlebrunn said “as we all know, these are tough economic hard times.” He said “I have always said that we here in Amador County must support our existing businesses and build from within,” and “local business retention and expansion are a key element in economic development.”
Mittelbrunn said to validate AEDC’s commitment to local business, the Corporation has added to its website with a link to the website, “Tools For Business Success.” He said the relatively new addition includes links to some free services, such as one-on-one business counseling with Northeastern California Small Business Development Center at San Joaquin Delta College, and Sacramento SCORE. It also offers free, non-commercial sources of business how-to information.
Mittlebrun said the “Tools” site was designed to meet business needs and it has more than 600 links to business resources, and the information is continuously updated to give visitors relevant information, whether it is for people just starting up, or for those who have been operating a business for decades.
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AWA gets preliminary report on consolidation of system-wide water service accounts
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador Water Agency board of directors received a preliminary report on a system-wide water rate consolidation study Thursday which recommended a 5 percent increase overall, if consolidation occurs.
Agency Counsel Stephen Kronick said the report was preliminary, and would be brought back after work is completed on two proposed Community Facilities Districts, in Amador Water System and Central Amador Water Project.
AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the study was a continuation of 2002 Grand Jury recommendation to consolidate Agency rates. The study included costs with and without a Central Amador Gravity Supply Line.
Consultant Bob Reed of The Reed Group said the study estimated just under $8 million dollars in water system costs for fiscal year 2012-2013. Offsetting “non-rate revenue” totaled $1.18 million dollars. Operation and maintenance constituted 71 percent of costs, and debt service payments made up 24 percent, making total revenue requirement $6.8 million dollars.
The study broke down agency costs to get shared costs, and individual system costs, and proposed an overall rate increase of 5 percent to meet revenue requirements. The breakdown showed $5 million in system-wide costs, and debt service of $1.6 million, the bulk being Amador Water System, plus debts in Camanche, La Mel Heights and CAWP Wholesale.
For consolidated costs, Reed recommended dividing rates with 50 percent based on water usage, and 50 percent as fixed service charges. He said a “best management practice” would recommend 70 percent based on usage, to encourage conservation, but he did not believe AWA should go above 50 percent because of its lack of operating reserve and “you need to have the income.”
He proposed a 3-tiered rated structure for all residential customers, a uniform rate for all customer classes, and different rates for treated, and untreated, resale customers, and Mule Creek State Prison. He recommended monthly service charges based on the size of the meter.
Director Robert Manassero said the board last year reached the bottom line for reductions, and “nobody in this room wants a rate increase.” It was a conservative study, but “it will help in the survival of the water agency as we see it today. Should it be more aggressive? We’ll leave that to the taxpayers.” Director Paul Molinelli Senior said the agency is headed in the right direction, and it has taken 10 years to follow the Grand Jury.
Cooper asked about the 70-30 state recommendation for volumetric uses. Reed said customers do have more control of their bill, but the economy can affect overall demands.
He said the agency doesn’t have the buffer of reserves “to lean back on,” and he would not suggest having a usage rate higher than 50 percent of total customer bills.
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Sutter Creek seeks Indian Gaming Special Distribution Funds
Written by Tom
Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council on Tuesday authorized submission of grant applications for Indian Gaming Special Distribution Funds, to partly fund a patrol officer, and to purchase an outfitted patrol vehicle.
City Manager Sean Rabe said “the amounts are specified by statute per a specific funding formula.” The City is automatically eligible for $32,000, or about half of last year’s allocation, under nexus requirements. The City is also entitled to apply for and may be awarded “non-nexus” funding.
Rabe proposed an application similar to last year’s nexus application, applying for the full $32,463 to cover the salary and benefits, of a “mid-range police officer for two hours of patrol per day for a full year, a total of 730 hours.”
Rabe said the funds “would reimburse the City for one hour of patrol per shift in the impacted area,” and the “request will mitigate the law enforcement impacts by providing for reimbursement of direct salary and benefit costs associated with the time spent by Sutter Creek Police Officers enforcing laws in the impacted area, including along the Highway 49 and Ridge Road corridor.”
Rabe also proposed to apply for $22,000 in non-nexus funding to purchase a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria police vehicle, including outfitting and needed equipment. He said the “vehicle will mitigate law enforcement impacts by providing officers with the traffic control and law enforcement vehicle.”
Because the application is under the non-nexus category the City will compete for the funding with other local governments in Amador County. A total of $123,000 in non-nexus funds are available this year.
Non-nexus grants have normally gone to the County to offset its impacts, Rabe said. Grant applications are submitted for consideration by the Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee, comprised of two members of the Board of Supervisors, two members of the Jackson City Council, a member of the Sutter Creek City Council, Mayor Linda Rianda, and two members of the Tribe. Upon approval, the Committee forwards the applications to the State for funding.
Rabe said the Special Distribution Fund grant proposals were approved by the Council. The applications will be submitted to the Local Benefit Committee on Friday, the due date.
Grant funding from California’s Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund is available to counties, cities and special districts impacted by tribal gaming. Rabe said grant applications must meet stringent nexus requirements to the impacts of Indian gaming on the City. The Special Distribution Fund was established for the receipt and deposit of money received by the State of California from Indian tribes pursuant to terms of their gaming compacts.
In Amador County, the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwok Indians operates the Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel and pays into the SDF.
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AWA consolidation study says a central Amador Gravity Supply Line would reduce rates
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday heard a report on a study of its water system consolidation, which in part said the Gravity Supply Line would reduce rates for all water customers.
Bob Reed of The Reed Group recommended that overall rates be raised 5 percent if the agency consolidated its water systems, but the activation of a Gravity Supply Line would reduce costs by a quarter-million dollars a year in electrical costs. In shared costs, he recommended a water-system-wide pumping surcharge per 1,000 gallons. Reed said it could be removed with the activation of the GSL, to reduce all water rates, an average of $5 a month, based on median uses of 7,000 gallons a month. He said “all customers would have lower water bills with this system.”
Reed said a USDA approved grant of $5 million dollars and $8 million dollar, low interest loan for 40 years at 3.25 percent, for the GSL, were part of the rate study. He said the GSL project would cost less than replacing the existing pumps and pipeline in the Central Amador Water Project service area, which would cost an estimated $9.7 million dollars, and probably have higher interest and a shorter term, with no grant.
Without the GSL, monthly bills would be about $20 more per month, and costs would also be lower with a Community Facilities District in CAWP. His recommendation would have debt service charges differ in the service areas.
Single family home rates in CAWP without the CFD would be $64 in the proposal, or with the CFD would be $38. User charges in all single family homes would be $13 and service charges would be $12, with debt services making the difference. Camanche’s total single family home bill would be $31, CAWP (with a CFD) would be $38, La Mel Heighs would be $57 and AWS would be $38.
The benefits of consolidation include a simpler rate structure, and they would support and lead to a more efficient accounting process.
Director Art Toy asked about peak-period, which he thought affected smaller customers more. Reed said single family customers and smaller systems only had about a 1 percent increase in peaking. The peak was based on increased summer irrigation.
Director Robert Manassero asked if the study included PG&E’s plan to add higher peaking rates next year. He said he understood it would impact AWA because “you can’t stop the pumps in July.” Reed said the study did not consider PG&E’s future peak rates.
Director Don Cooper said it is “extremely conservative and I compliment the idea of coming in with only a portion of those reserves. We need to get the public’s confidence back.” Reed recommended $220,000 in reserves until it built to $880,000, and also $160,000 a year for rehab/replacement.
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Common Ground Senior Services plans its “Ms. Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant”
Written by Tom
Amador County – Common Ground Senior Services is now taking applications for its upcoming Ms. Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant, and has issued a call for all “beautiful seniors of Amador & Calaveras Counties.”
Anne Boyce said: “If you are a woman 60 years of age and older and would like to showcase your inner beauty, talent and elegance, you are invited to participate in a unique new beauty pageant. This event will be a benefit for the Meals on Wheels program in Amador and Calaveras counties.”
The event will be held on May 12th, 2012 at the Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel in Jackson. For more information and an application for information about sponsorship, please contact Common Ground Senior Services at (209) 223-3015 and ask for Anne Boyce.
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Authorities say arson burned the Jack-in-the-Box in Martell early this month
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County and state authorities on Wednesday announced that the March 6 early morning fire at Jack-in-the-Box restaurant in Martell was caused by arson and that several people of interest have been identified.
A release provided collaboratively by the Amador County Sheriff’s Department, Amador Fire Protection District and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection gave details on the investigation, saying at 5:41 a.m. on March 6, “the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call reporting that Jack-in-the-Box in Martell was on fire. The 9-1-1 call was transferred to Cal-Fire Camino, which dispatched fire personnel and apparatus.”
At about 1 p.m. on March 6, “fire investigators from Amador Fire Protection District and Cal-Fire began the scene investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Based upon the initial investigation, the investigators determined the cause of the fire to be arson.”
Authorities said the “fire investigators collected evidence samples which were provided to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office and transported to the California Department of Justice for analysis. The Amador County Sheriff’s Office, Amador Fire Protection District and Cal Fire are conducting a joint investigation into this arson.”
The joint report said “thus far, numerous interviews have been conducted and several people of interest have been identified. Video surveillance from area businesses has been obtained, reviewed and evaluated. Law Enforcement reports documenting prior incidents at Jack-in-the-Box are being examined and a number of search warrants and court orders have been executed.”
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Ione retaines a State Revolving Fund expert for wastewater funding and other services
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ione City Council retained a firm to take on wastewater project tasks Tuesday, including a state funding program, and authorized part of the tasks to begin.
The Council unanimously hired Winzler & Kelly, a State Revolving Fund expert that has prepared 38 successful grant and loan applications through the California State Revolving Fund that collectively funded $180 million dollars in projects for various California entities.
City Attorney James Maynard said if the city has a firm retained and working on a Report of Waste Discharge, it will look better for the Regional Water Quality Control Board as it considers extending the city’s request for a deadline extension.
Maynard in a report said the Regional Board’s “Prosecution Team has recommended the Board refuse to extend the current deadline.”
He said: “If the Board refuses to extend the deadline for the Report of Waste Discharge, the City will face Administrative Civil Liability proceedings at a future” Regional Board meeting.
“Even if the Board elects not to pursue fines for Ione’s 10-year history of non-compliance but only imposes fines prospectively, those fines could be either $5,000 per day (for discharges to groundwater) or $10,000 per day (for discharges to Sutter Creek) or both,” Maynard said.
“If the City misses the (Report of Waste Discharge) deadline by 90 days, it faces potential liability of between $450,000 dollars and $1.35 million dollars.” He said the Regional Board “could elect to impose additional fines of up to $11 million dollars based on the City’s history of non-compliance.”
The Council will have step-by-step control and approval of the tasks as the project continues. Councilman David Plank asked that contracted sampling of Ponds 5 & 6 to test for wastewater contamination also include Pond 7, “so we get 100 percent assurance there.”
Mayor Ron Smylie said he wanted a test of the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority pipeline that goes into the city percolation pond, to see if it is contributing to the sludge. Plank said “we have to do that on a monthly basis to catch the seasonality.”
Winzler & Kelly’s Mary Grace Pawson said monthly sampling would be more than enough. She said ARSA permits require sampling, and they may already have that data for the water entering the percolation pond.
Regarding the timeline, she said the analysis will lead to a draft technical memorandum which should have enough detail to initiate the Report of Waste Discharge, so they can stay on schedule to meet the May 30 deadline for the Report, while the memo is finalized.
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Amador County – Mud literally helped stop a burglar in his tracks last week on Lower Jackson Valley Road.
A Stockton man was arrested for burglary last week after getting his vehicle stuck in the mud while allegedly burglarizing a barn in Amador County.
The Amador County Sheriff’s Department reported that Darly Jhun Dumpit Bringas, 24, of Stockton, was arrested and charged with burglary. Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner released details of the incident Wednesday.
Wegner said at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Highway 88 and Lower Jackson Valley Road, where a suspicious man was reportedly yelling at vehicles traveling on Highway 88.
Upon arrival, the deputy located Darly Jhun Dumpit Bringas, 24, of Stockton standing on the side of the highway, soaking wet and covered in mud. Bringas told the deputy that he was driving home to Stockton when he stopped to relieve himself. Bringas said his vehicle became stuck in the mud and ultimately ran out of fuel.
A second deputy began checking the surrounding area and found Bringas’ vehicle parked at the side of a barn on a parcel of property on Lower Jackson Valley Road. The deputy confirmed the vehicle was stuck in the mud. The deputy also noted that entry had been forced into the barn adjacent to the vehicle.
Upon contacting the owner of the property, the owner checked the barn and confirmed that someone had broken in and made entry into two travel trailers stored inside. Wegner said numerous items had been taken from the travel trailers and staged at the barn door in preparation of being stolen.
A search of Bringas’ vehicle revealed items identified as being stolen from one of the trailers within the barn. A search of Bringas revealed he was in possession of a methamphetamine smoking pipe. Bringas was booked into the Amador County Jail with bail set at $25,000.
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