In a statement issued yesterday, County Administrative Officer Terri Daly announced that the Board of Supervisors did not submit a last-and-best final offer to the tribe by the deadline of March 18th at midnight. As a result, the Board will not participate in any arbitration proceedings. The Board’s deadlocked vote on March 11th resulted in the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians issuing the seven-day notice to terminate negotiations. Because of the Board’s continued stalemate, they could not come to a decision by Tuesday night’s deadline. “At this time, the Tribe has indicated it will proceed with the binding arbitration process. A decision by an arbitrator assigned by the American Arbitration Association could be made within 30-90 days from today,” said Daly.

A discovery by a CalTrans worker on the side of the road near Kirkwood resort resulted in a call to the Calaveras County Bomb Squad. According to Craig Harmon, the CHP’s Public Information Officer, the worker reported finding a device that may have been a functional pipe bomb late Tuesday morning. The Calaveras Bomb Squad, based in San Andreas, shut down Highway 88 in both directions for approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. The Bomb Squad used additional explosives to detonate the device. The Amador and Calaveras County Sheriff Departments are investigating the supposed bomb and how it got there.

 

Amador County prosecutors are taking the reigns in a rare criminal case that involves both a Stockton City Council Candidate and a Stockton employee. The Stockton Record reports that the people vs. Leonardi, an Amador County case, involves a death, a seriously injured council candidate, and Dino Leonardi, the community and cultural services superintendent with Stockton Parks and Recreation. Leonardi is charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for his alleged role in a fatal 2007 accident on Highway 88 near Jackson, killing a man named Alston. He publicly disputes the charges against him. Leonardi allegedly caused a fatal two-vehicle accident by passing and in turn cutting off another vehicle, resulting in that vehicle’s driver losing control.

Leonardi disputes the charge. Besides a city supervisor's involvement, what gives the case a public profile are the other occupants of the car in which Alston died: Mark and Jennet Stebbins. Mark Stebbins, a Stockton councilman in the 1980s, recently declared candidacy for the District 6 council seat. Jennet Stebbins is challenging Davis Assemblywoman Lois Wolk for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Senate District seat. After the accident, Leonardi reportedly drove on. Leonardi said he was unaware of the accident. He dialed 911, remaining until interviewed and allowed to go. Leonardi, whose license is suspended, has continued at his job, overseeing special events, the Children's Museum and Pixie Woods. He carpools to work. "My attorney has advised me not to comment on anything as regards to the accident," said Leonardi. He added, correctly: "You're innocent until proven guilty."

The state assembly tried to send some relief to local governments reeling from higher interest costs Monday with approval of a bill that allows cities, counties and other bond issuers to buy back their own bonds. The Assembly approved Senate Bill 344 by Senator Mike Machado, a Democrat from Linden, on a vote of 67 to 1.  The bill affects Amador County and will now go to the Senate. Markets for two types of municipal bonds have been hit with turmoil in recent weeks as a side effect of the meltdown in subprime mortgages. The bonds are sold at short intervals, from weekly to monthly, to investors looking for short-term returns.

But when the companies  that insure the bonds were shaken by losses in mortgage-based securities, the municipal market was also rattled, leading to higher interest rates. Senate Bill 344 makes it clear that local entities, including governments, hospitals, utilities and universities – can shelter themselves from the interest rate volatility by buying back their own bonds without “extinguishing” the debt. The agencies can then resell the bonds if the market is down, or switch to more traditional forms of debt. Without that clarification, bond issuers have lost their bond insurance or been forced to go back to voters to reauthorize the debt.

The bonds could have been stripped of their tax exempt status. Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who sponsored the legislation, said that taxpayer’s don’t create the financial turmoil, “Yet they are the ones who pay the price.” In the local area, public agencies have been scrambling to get out of the “auction rate” and “variable rate demand” markets as interest rates have spiked. Officials say that for years, the little-known markets allowed them to borrow at unusually low interest rates.

The U.S. Forest Service will be hosting a workshop on reducing fuels in the El Dorado National Forest using Stewardship Contracting. The target audience for the workshop is prospective contractors in Amador and El Dorado counties who wish to learn more about how stewardship contracts work and how to bid.  Stewardship contracts were authorized by Congress in the 2003 Appropriations Bill and allow the Forest Service to exchange goods for services. For the past four years, the Forest Service has been using the value of commercial timber from forest thinning projects in the El Dorado National Forest to offset the cost of reducing fuels on the ground and removing small trees growing under taller trees that create “fire ladders.” “Stewardship contracts reduce the Forest Service’s reliance on tax dollars to accomplish vital fuels reduction in the National Forests,” said El dorado National Forest Contracting Officer Patricia Ferrell.

Ferrell says fuels reduction isn’t the only work that can be accomplished in the National Forest using stewardship contracts.  Many kinds of projects can be undertaken with this contracting authority including watershed restoration, wildlife habitat and forest health improvement, and noxious weed control. “Like anything new, there is apprehension in potential contractors.  We plan to help educate our prospective contractors so they can effectively bid on these projects,” said Ferrell. For more information about the workshop, contact El Dorado National Forest Contracting Officer Patricia Ferrell at (530) 642-5146.

Four Chefs from Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel won the prestigious People’s Choice award at the recent Taste of Elegance Pork Competition. The competition, held March 10 in Sacramento, featured tops chefs from throughout the area offering dishes designed to use pork in innovative ways. The Jackson Rancheria team won for their Pork Indian Tacos, similar to the dishes served in the casino’s Miwuk Indian Taco restaurant.

Members of the award winning team are Executive Chef Michael Golsie, James McGrath, Raymond Jursnich, and Julie Munson. Of those in attendance, Jackson Rancheria’s team was voted the People’s Choice winner. The event is produced by the National Pork Board and the California Pork Producers and is one of more than 20 regional competitions held each year. Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, Jackson, CA 95642. For more information, call 800-822-WINN or visit jacksoncasino.com.

In a breaking news statement issued just hours ago, County Administrative Officer Terri Daly announced that the Board of Supervisors did not submit a last-and-best final offer to the tribe by the deadline of March 18th at midnight. As a result, the Board will not participate in any arbitration proceedings. The Board’s deadlocked vote on March 11th resulted in the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians issuing the seven-day notice to terminate negotiations. Because of the Board’s continued stalemate, they could not come to a decision by last night’s deadline. “At this time, the Tribe has indicated it will proceed with the binding arbitration process. A decision by an arbitrator assigned by the American Arbitration Association could be made within 30-90 days from today,” said Daly.

County Administrative Officer Terri Daly attempted to resign following last week’s pivotal ISA decision at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting, but was blocked from doing so in a vote by the Board. “During the past week, impassioned discussions suggested possible conflicts for me in the implementation of my responsibilities. I submitted my resignation to clarify those conflicts. My resignation was not accepted by the Board,” said Daly. Supervisors Escamilla and Novelli have both spoken out saying they don’t want to lose Daly and think of her as a valuable asset. Indeed, Daly’s resignation attempt has come at a difficult time for the county. The deadline for submission of the county and tribe’s arbitration proposals is Wednesday. Daly tendered her resignation in a closed session following last week’s meeting, which supervisor’s quashed in a 4-0 vote.

The Annual St. Patrick's Day Dandelion Days Celebration went off without a hitch this past weekend. The family-oriented event included an outdoor bazaar and flea market featuring antiques, relics and collectibles, arts and crafts, and much more. There was lots of fun, food, street entertainers and even a 5K run. But Dandelion Days is also known for its rich local community flavor, one thing that makes it so popular. In fact, a great many attendees come from outside the county to join the celebration. Not least of all, Dandelion days is the Jackson Lions Club's largest fundraising effort and benefits student scholarships and community events.