News Archive (6192)
Supervisors and FAA salute Dave Richards' safely flying for 55 years
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Board of Supervisors awarded a resolution of recognition Tuesday for Tilden David “Dave” Richards, an Amador County native, pilot and local flying instructor for “his outstanding accomplishments in the field of aviation and his exemplary record of 55 consecutive years of safe flight operations.”
Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said Richards is a long-time family friend and a long-time camper at his family’s Plasse’s Resort. Plasse said it was an honor to read the resolution, and also to present a Federal Aviation Administration award to Richards, the “Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award,” which “recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years.”
Recipients are awarded a certificate and a lapel pin and are recognized in the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Roll of Honor. Plasse presented the pins, to Richards, and his wife, and said Richards won the award for “50 years of flying without a single reportable offense,” in a career that included three U.S. Navy flying combat tours. Richards flew for two combat tours assigned with Carrier Early Warning Squadron 11, logging 2,000 hours of flight time from 1961-1965. Richards flew his third combat tour from “March 1969 to August 1970 flying A6 jet aircraft for Attack Squadron 85, Oceana, Virginia, and commanded a fleet support squadron based in the Philippines from October 1972 to May 1975.”
Plasse said Richards treated every takeoff and landing like it was his first. Richards thanked the people in attendance, including friends and FAA members. A majority of those in attendance, nearly filling supervisors’ chambers, were there for the resolution and FAA award. Supervisor Richard Forster said Monday that Richards was the local Chuck Yeager.
The resolution, in part, said Tilden David “Dave” Richards was born in Jackson in 1936, graduated Amador High School in 1954, and received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics from San Jose State University. At age 20, Richards received his student pilot certificate, and trained to fly at Westover Field in Martell, in Amador County.
Richards completed his first solo flight on Dec. 29, 1956, flying a Luscombe 8E at Lincoln Airport, and entered the Navy Aviation Officer Training Program in July 1959. He completed the U.S. Navy Advanced Training Program in 1961 with “eight carrier landings in a S2F aircraft on the USS Antietam, and was subsequently appointed a Naval Aviator.
Richards retired from the Navy and went to work for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Company on the Tomahawk Program, while pursuing a flight instructor’s certificate, which he attained in 1980. The resolution said since then, he returned “home” to Amador County managed Amador County Airport at Westover Field, and own and run Classic Aircraft Service. He is also a commercial pilot, mechanic and flight instructor.
He still flies his Bonanza P-35 out of Westover and is active in the community, serving as secretary of the Jackson Lions Club, and on the Amador County Transportation Commission.
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Supervisors hear support from businesses for an easing of banner regulations
Written by Tom
Amador County – Amador County Supervisors last week discussed some business owners needs as they considered expanding the used of banners, as allowed by county code.
Amador County Planning Department Planner Cara Augustin said 17 people attended a workshop with the Supervisors’ Land Use Committee on Nov. 2, and discussion included banner quantity and quality, and having fines for not keeping banners in good condition. They also discussed square footage requirements.
In a report of the meeting, she said discussion looked at the size and number of banners depending on the building or road frontage. They also discussed exempting non-profit banners, to be allowed all the time and not be considered part of the frontage percentage.
Augustin said quality and quantity are important to businesses, and they discussed having more flexibility for the time in which banners can be displayed. Current code says a business can only use a banner for 90 days total in a year.
Discussion also focused on limits for requiring only professionally created banners. There was also talk of the “need to maximize exposure,” and having banners not just for advertising but for permanent display, such as for hours of operation. Augustin said there is also the issue of having Christmas season needs, versus the year-round needs to have signs all the time.
In discussing potential changes to the county sign ordinance regarding banners, Supervisor Richard Forster said some businesses double or triple their business with banners.
A Roundtable Pizza representative said “right now our sales are so low that we are in danger of closing.” He said it was a “$1 million-plus restaurant when we opened” and now it makes about $900,000. He said “banners are very important” and they see about a 10 percent increase when banners are used.
Susan Manning of The Feed Barn said she needs three banners. One is permanent, for Tri-County Wildcare. Others are periodic, for cat & kitten adoptions, and dog adoptions. She said they change banners on PVC pipes regularly, and also put small signs on their fence.
Manning asked Supervisors to not enforce the current code, because “only allowing one banner for 90 days is not enough.”
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Amador County – Calaveras County officials made last-ditch pitches to persuade Amador County Transportation Commission to go back to negotiations for a Tri-County Memorandum of Understanding, to no avail Wednesday.
Melissa Eades, executive director of Calaveras Council of Governments said “Calaveras is not ready to push away from the table” and California Transportation Commission’s deadline for Regional Transportation Improvement Plan applications should not be the deadline for the Tri-County “MOU 2.” She said the application developed over the last three months by Tri-County staff was identical to the one ACTC staff would apply with. She said “Tri-County MOU 1” was legendary throughout the state after brining $100 million in projects over 10 years.
Tom Garcia, Calaveras director of public works, said “unwinding the MOU is not an easy as you think.” He asked how they would reimburse agencies that did not get their share of a $1.7 million STIP allocation to ACTC. He said ending the MOU would have definite regional repercussions.
Paul Stein, a public member of Calaveras COG, a former Calaveras Supervisor, said he knew what MOU 1 accomplished and could accomplish, and he thought the agreement was “implicit that Calaveras County would go first in MOU 2.” He said “being the most outspoken about Calaveras going first, I would be willing to amend that, and argue that to our board.” He said “with that, I wish you well” and “there is no ill will.”
Commissioner Richard Forster said it was not about Calaveras going first. He wished that in the previous two weeks, Calaveras County had approached them to resume discussion. He also asked about the $1.7 million. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said the funds were for Project Approval & Environmental Determination on the Pine Grove Corridor Improvement project. He said the MOU was in place when money was spent, but even if they had to pay it back, it would only be up to $1 million. He said it would also be better to separate now, before having to pay back future funds.
Commissioner Michael Vasquez said they wanted “to do everything they can to keep the MOU active” and asked: “Is the whole mechanism broken?”
Plasse said it was not just about who went first on a project. ACTC’s limited staff was working on an out-of-area project that is “much more costly than the one we have limited ourselves to in Pine Grove,” at $30 million, vs. $80 million there. Plasse said they also wanted it shelf ready, including right-of-way acquisition and phasing that may be more competitive and more likely to get CTC funding.
Field said “we would want something similar and they have not come close.”
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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week put a delay on enforcement of the county sign ordinance to pursue possible expansion for the use of banners by businesses, in particular for many in the Martell area.
Planner Susan Grijalva said the push is to allow banners more liberally. Several business representatives have been found in violation of the current ordinance, which limits banner use by one business to 90 days in calendar year total for any banner. She said that means that one banner used for a spring sale for three weeks, would leave the business with 69 days of banner usage.
Businesses say it limits their ability to do business, and the restriction is hurting them economically and they need to advertise.
The Supervisor Land Use Committee of Richard Forster and Louis Boitano recommended “discussion as to whether the board wants to authorize relief for business banners onsite until the sign ordinance is reviewed and modifications made.”
Forster said they had a lot of input from their last meeting and heard good reasons to change it, not just economic reasons, but because some of it just does not make sense. Supervisor Chairman John Plasse agreed and said they need to make a comprehensive review of the ordinance relative to banners.
Supervisor Brian Oneto said the direction should include that if there is a health or safety issue, they should go ahead and enforce the ordinance, but if there is no harm, they should just go ahead and leave the banners.
Boitano said some people are against signs. He said a resolution sending the issue to the Planning Commission for public hearings should let the commission be aware that some people are against signs and banners.
Forster said with a business using a banner like Feed Barn, for adopting pets, it directly helps the county, because they can place more kittens than Animal Control can place.
Grijalva said the Land Use Committee gets feedback on needs and opinions and exchanged views. She said they are expecting to have more public workshops to get the opinions of people, then they will go to the planning commission for a public hearing, and it will probably take 4-6 months to go through that process. The Planning Department needs to prepare a draft ordinance amendment, and they expect to have a couple of workshops, but with holidays, it may be pushed back.
Grijalva said hopefully they will have something by the end of the year to take to the Planning Commission.
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ACTC ends Tri-County MOU after ten years and $10 million in highway funds
Written by Tom
Amador County – A tri-county agreement that has brought $100 million in highway project money to Amador, Alpine and Calaveras Counties ended Wednesday when the Amador County Transportation Commission voted unanimously to pull out of negotiations for a new Tri-county Memorandum of Understanding, to pursue funding on its own.
Commissioners approved applying for separate funding that had been pooled between the counties since signing an MOU 10 years ago to share funding for projects from the State Transportation Improvement Program. Negotiations of an “MOU 2” led to frustrations for Supervisor Chairman John Plasse and Supervisor Richard Forster, who negotiated on behalf of ACTC for about 5 hours over two meetings. Plasse and Forster recommended ending the MOU 2 talks, and ACTC Executive Director Charles Field agreed.
Field said ACTC will apply for Transportation Enhancement funds of $445,000 for the Kennedy Mine Tailing Wheel access enhancement project, and by April 2012 may have the environmental clearance to apply for $3.3 million for Plans, Specifications and Estimates for the Highway 88 Pine Grove Corridor Improvement project.
He recommended ending the MOU 2 but said transportation officials in both Alpine and Calaveras county felt “no ill will” about the separation. He said the recommendation was based on diminishing funding availability, due to the economy, and a failure to get a fair offer from Calaveras County, which was “adamant that a phase of their project (the Wagon Trail) should go to construction first, and that the right-of-way for this entire $60 million to $80 million highway project should be made shelf-ready for construction with Caltrans Interregional funds or other outside funding.” Field said this came even as ACTC limited itself in its Pine Grove Corridor project to $30 million to $40 million.
Commissioner Plasse said “after five hours of meetings and proposals and counter-proposals, the way our partners wanted to go about it was far more beneficial to Calaveras County.” He said they benefit from ACTC staff expertise and relationships, with much more benefit to them than to Amador County, and “if this is a courtship then the wedding is doomed.”
Commission Keith Sweet asked if there was no chance for a future partnership. Plasse said: “I’d say that opportunity exists always.” Forster said the opportunity to make MOU 2 work was there for the last two-and-a-half weeks, since the last conference call, and “I’m going to separate with no ill will.”
The commission voted 5-0 to advise Alpine and Calaveras counties, Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission that “Amador will no longer participate in the Tri-County MOU 2 concerning use of current and future STIP funding,” and authorized staff to prepare applications for the funding, which are due Dec. 15. The commission also moved up its next regular meeting by a week to Dec. 14.
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USDA proposes rule changes to help designate disasters and deliver assistance more quickly
Written by Tom
Amador County – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency announced recently that it is accepting comments on a proposed rule change to streamline the process for its Secretarial Disaster Designation, allowing farmers and ranchers affected by natural disaster to obtain assistance faster.
FSA’s Isabel Benemelis released details of the plan Nov. 10, saying “improvements outlined in the proposed rule aim to cut the time to make a disaster designation by as much as 70 percent.”
She said “designating disaster counties is a key step to authorizing disaster assistance for some of the programs administered by USDA. Disaster assistance provides support to American producers as part of the farm safety net,” which USDA believes “is important to the vitality of American agriculture.”
FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson said “America’s farmers and rural communities are vitally important” to the economy, “producing the food, feed, fiber and fuel that continues to help us grow.” He said “it’s crucial that we help farmers remain productive through difficult times. When disaster strikes, this proposal will help us provide assistance more quickly, streamlining processes from six steps to two.”
Benemelis said a “natural disaster designation makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for a variety of assistance from USDA, including low interest emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program.” Amador County has been designated for 2010 as a county contiguous with disaster counties, making certain farm losses in 2010 eligible for the programs. “The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to designate disaster counties to make disaster assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers, she said.
Streamlining the process “will enable USDA to help those in need in an expedited manner, allowing farmers and ranchers” affected by “natural disaster to obtain emergency loans faster than before.” USDA believes the proposed rule can help to ensure all eligible disaster counties receive a designation.
The rule change would expedite and simplify the disaster designation process for severe drought occurrences by using the U.S. Drought Monitor as a tool to automatically trigger disaster areas with no further documentation.
It would also remove the requirement that a request for a disaster designation be initiated by a state governor or Indian tribal council. But the rule would still allow a governor or tribal council to request a Secretarial Disaster Designation.
The proposed rule is contained in the Nov. 14 Federal Register and has a 60-day comment period. Comments can be submitted no later than Jan. 13, 2012.
For more information on programs, contact the FSA Elk Grove regional office, at (916) 714-1104.
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Man arrested for sexual assault of 14-year-old girl three years ago
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man last week for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl approximately three years ago.
Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner released details of the investigation Monday, saying ACSO detectives last week arrested Raymond Joseph Chase, now 56, on charges of “lewd acts with a child victim 14 or 15 years old with the suspect being at least 10 years older” and charges of “oral copulation of a victim under 16 years old with the suspect over the age of 21.”
On Wednesday Nov. 16, Wegner said, “Amador County Child Protection Services reported to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office that a 17-year-old female disclosed she had been sexually assaulted by an adult male associated with her family.”
Wegner said an “Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy and Detectives responded to Amador High School to contact the victim. An investigation was conducted, which determined that approximately three years prior, when the victim was 14 years old, she had been orally copulated multiple times by an approximately 53-year-old male at the family home.”
Wegner said “detectives contacted and interviewed the suspect, who subsequently confessed to the crimes.” Chase was arrested and booked into the Amador County Jail with bail set by Superior Court Schedule at $40,000.
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Ione city manager said that becoming a basic-aid county has meant a $400,000 loss in tax revenue
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ione City Council last week heard that part of its near $600,000 budget deficit has come from Amador County being designated a “basic aid” county, removing some $400,000 in “triple flip” fund from the General Fund budget in less than a year.
Ione City Manager Jeff Butzlaff gave an update on one of the causes of its financial problems last Tuesday as the Council prepares to work on internal fund transfers to be able to operate until its next tax allotment comes from the state.
Butzlaff said the city wants to lay out its “more specific and succinct” transfers for an “open, transparent approach to that inter-fund transfer process,” which they need to do to survive the droughts between tax allotments. He said a lot of cities do it informally, but he wants to structure it more out front.
The city’s General Fund budget crisis has led to trying to find ways to sustain the city better in the future. He said with the transfers, they will try to finalize the 2011-2012 budget and hope to be “setting the stage for future solvency,” and they will show how it fits in with internal borrowing process.
He said the Basic Aid fiasco for the Amador County Unified School District has meant nearly $400,000 in losses for the city of Ione, including $190,000 lost last year, and $173,000 lost this year. He said “we were hit the worst” because the formula used to be population-based, including the prison population. Now it’s based on assessed valuation, which for Ione is “going down fast.”
He said Ione officials have met with Senator Ted Gaines and Assemblywoman Alyson Huber last week, about loss of the “triple flip” vehicle license fees, and the basic aid money. He said Gaines’ office commented that there was no way in heck that it was intended to take Ione’s funds in that manner.
Butzlaff said the Triple Flip has denied $400,000 so far for Ione in less than a year, which translated to two positions, “close to 10 percent of our General Fund.”
He said the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund shifted property taxes from the cities to the counties, to make up for vehicle license fee. But that breaks down when a basic aid school district is designated, as it was for ACUSD.
Butzlaff said having only one school district in the county, they have no other district to rely on.
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Amador County – About 20 people from “Occupy Amador County” occupied two sidewalks at the corners of Highway 49 and 88 in Jackson on Thursday in a combination national tribute to the “Occupy Wall Street” protest and also a peace vigil to end American wars.
The group held signs, heard some passing cars honk and yell, and promptly exited the area at 6 p.m., on schedule.
One participant, Andy Fahrenwald, had urged media to cover the event, the fourth in successive weeks held locally by the group that also has a Facebook page, “Occupy Amador.” It began Oct. 28 with a call from local organizers to “protest in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement that has swept across the country and world,” according to an organizer’s e-mail, circulated on the Loraine Davis e-mail blast Oct. 28.
Some Occupiers at the 88/49 intersection on Thursday yelled back at vehicle occupants, who hollered in support, though some were heard to say snide remarks. Signs included some that said “we are the 99 percent,” on one side, and “so are you” on the other side.
Others signs said “End corporate greed,” and had “to big to fail,” with a circle and line through it. Another said “the beginning is near,” and another, said “no more war.”
Occupy Amador has met at Minnie Provis Park in Sutter Creek since Oct. 28, with one organizer, Steve Christensen urging before the Nov. 4 occupation, saying “before or after the protest, maybe it might be nice to shop Sutter Creek, buy a gift certificate for a friend or enjoy a fine dining experience.”
Christensen said: “Let’s show our friends, the local, small business owners that we care about them. They too are part of the 99 percent.”
For Thursday’s request, the e-mail said “Occupy Wall Street has asked that this Thursday (Nov. 17) be a day of action around the country. We had already planned on having our ‘Occupy Amador’ demonstration that day so we’re right on target!”
The e-mail said “as usual we will combine our demonstration with our peace vigil. Let’s show this county that there are more than just a handful of people who care what’s happening in the nation and the world!”
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Ione waived concessions for three early retirees to get closer to needed budget cut levels
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ione City Council on Tuesday waived concession for three long-time employees who have agreed to retire early in efforts to help the city cut its General Fund budget.
Ione Interim City Manager Jeff Butzlaff said Friday the three employees accepted early retirement and the Council agreed to concessions the employees had made as part of bargaining units. The employees will now get all of their benefits and pay they had relinquished, until the early retirements begin at the end of January.
Butzlaff said it was a reasonable tradeoff. It will save the budget $256,000. Taking early, full retirements, effective Jan. 30, 2012, are City Clerk Janice Traverso, Building Inspector Don Myshrall and Maintenance Supervisor Steve Younger.
The city “will have do some backfill” with part-time employees, he said, but “we can no longer afford to do those on a full-time basis.” Butzlaff said he looked at the cities of Woodland and Roseville, which had “already cut about 25 percent of their staff.”
The affects of the recession have “caught up with us,” Butzlaff said. What really hurt was the “basic aid” designation given the county. He said it “cut about a third of our General Fund revenue.”
He said employees and unions “did all we could to reduce the General Fund budget” in an attempt to avoid layoffs. They needed to reduce it by about $600,000, and “we’re getting closer” to what will be stabilizing.
There still might be layoffs, he said, saying: “I can’t say no to that,” but they will try to avoid layoffs, if possible or minimize the number. He said the city still has “a few weeks for this to unwind and unfold.” Staff will try to come up with the final budget of the year by December, along with a final plan for inter-fund transfers.
Also Tuesday, Ione City Council looked at a chart showing the typical pattern of General Fund revenue flows to the city, in particular showing big chunks of property tax revenue coming in December and January, and again not until May and June. He said the city must weather the “drought months” the first five months of the fiscal year and either draw from reserves or make internal fund transfers.
Expenditures are kind of even, he said, and the property tax intervals are kind of like having a job and getting paid twice a year. Staff reported on external and internal options. Butzlaff said a typical means of purchasing bonds, based on Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes, was “a little too exotic for a city like Ione, especially with our financial situation.” He said the city is “only about a month away from receiving those large property tax funds.”
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