Emergency declarations for five counties ringing Lake Tahoe were signed late Tuesday by California and Nevada governors to help speed fire-protection efforts in the scenic mountain resort area hit by a catastrophic blaze last summer. The declarations were among more than 70 recommendations by a special panel formed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons after the Angora Fire destroyed 254 homes and caused $140 million in property damage in South Lake Tahoe. "We will not rest until this natural crown jewel is as safe as it is beautiful," Schwarzenegger said prior to the signings that affect California's El Dorado and Placer counties and Nevada's Carson City, Douglas and Washoe counties. "Many of these recommendations can be implemented swiftly, and I hope that everyone with the power to make these changes does so quickly," Gibbons said, referring to the California-Nevada Basin Fire Commission's report. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who joined the governors, commission members and firefighters at the conference, said that saving Lake Tahoe "is going to be a continuing work in progress. One thing is clear, it's not going to be done in 10 years, it will be ongoing." The fire commission wants the state and federal governments to free up money quickly, primarily to cut thick stands of trees. Many of its recommendations are intended to resolve the bureaucratic infighting among overlapping agencies that has hampered fire-prevention efforts for years. The commission said thinning overgrown forests around communities should be completed within five years and within a decade throughout the entire Tahoe basin.

After multiple readings, postponements, and questions concerning test validity, the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees has approved the much-talked about drug testing policy for Amador’s high schools. The approval is contingent upon the district obtaining funding to support the policy, which will require random drug testing for students involved in sports and other school activities. Also, parents will be able to request drug testing for their child, if under the age of 18. The purpose of the drug testing policy is to help prevent student athletes from using drugs, to help protect students’ health and safety, to provide drug abusers with the appropriate assistance, and to preserve and maintain a positive learning environment. The issue was brought to the district’s attention a few years ago by high school coaches who felt drugs were becoming a problem. The main concern was that a student under the influence while involved in a sports activity was a safety issue. As part of the policy, each student involved in sports or other school activities, and their parents, will be required to sign a consent form before any testing can be done. Selection for testing will be conducted using a lottery system, and the test will screen for seven families of drugs, including amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and alcohol. All tests will be sent to an outside testing facility, and a positive result will not be forwarded to law enforcement, nor will the student’s record be affected. The policy outlines specific actions to be taken for first, second, and third offenses. Consequences include restriction from the student’s sport and drug education classes. Superintendent Mike Carey is satisfied with the outcome of the policy, and feels that “even if it makes it safer for just a few kids, it’s worth it.”

The Amador Water Agency is looking at alternative uses for their recently-acquired 44 acres adjacent to the existing Tanner Water Treatment Facility on Ridge Road. The L-shaped parcel is immediately south and to the west of the existing facility and borders the runway of Westover Field Airport. The agency has proposed four different alternatives for the property. The agency originally considered building a new office and water treatment facility to the west, but due to the fact that 13 acres bordering Ridge Road are zoned commercial, most of the alternatives feature improvements farther south of the road. The alternative that was most well-received by agency staff and the board features building a treatment plant to the southwest of the existing site, replacing the “raw bowl,” or water storage pool, with two four-million gallon treated water storage tanks, and expanding the current office structure westward. Jim Abercrombie, General Manager for the agency, indicated that the raw bowl will no longer be needed, as water from their new pipeline will flow directly to the treatment plant, and then from there, pumped up to the proposed two water storage tanks. This alternative “keeps things in tight,” says Abercrombie, “leaving more land for (future uses).” In regards to the 13 commercial acres on Ridge Road, the agency looked at possible future uses, including allowing commercial development and leasing the land, a suggestion recommended by Debbie Dunn. The agency also discussed reserving pieces of the new parcel in order to sell it in the future to recoup some of the purchase expense. Board member Paul Scott brought up concerns about selling the property for commercial use and what impacts that would have on water plant operations. For now, the alternatives are still being looked at, and future building is “several years away,” says Abercrombie.

An attempt to freeze state elected officials' salaries when California is battling budget deficits got a frosty reception last Wednesday from a Senate committee. The Rules Committee voted 3-1 to reject a constitutional amendment that would bar the Citizens Compensation Commission from handing out raises to the governor, legislators and other state elected officers in any year in which the legislative analyst determines there is a deficit. The measure would also stipulate that the commission has the power to reduce officials' salaries as well as grant raises or impose pay freezes. The author, Senator Abel Maldonado, a Santa Maria Republican, said the amendment was a common sense measure that basically says if the state doesn't have money then we in the Legislature shouldn't take a pay raise. "It's really tying our salaries to the financial health of the state," he said. "Every other business has to evaluate finances before granting raises. I'm asking the same thing for the California Legislature." But Republican Senator Jim Battin said the threat of a pay freeze or pay cut could give legislators the "perverse incentive" to support tax increases to balance the budget. "That is when you get bad action on an incentive that shouldn't be there," he said. Another opponent, Democratic Senator Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles, said the commission considers the state's financial picture in determining whether to grant raises. Not all legislators have outside income to supplement their state salaries, and they can't look forward to getting a state pension when they retire, he said. That benefit was eliminated when California voters approved term limits in 1990.

Senate Republicans broke from President Bush over the weekend to aid Democrats in support for veterans and the unemployed in the form of a bill which will go to pay for another year of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The 75-22 vote also added billions of dollars in other domestic funds such as heating subsidies for the poor and money for fighting wildfires to funding for military operations overseas. Shortly afterward, the Senate voted 70-26 to approve $165 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring, when Bush's successor will set war policy. All told, the measure contains $212 billion over the coming two years, plus about $50 billion more through 2017 for veteran’s education benefits. The vote on the domestic add-ons was a rebuke to Bush, who has promised to veto the measure if it contains the domestic measures. However, the president still has enough GOP support in the House to sustain a veto. Some of those House Republicans who voted “present” on Iraq war funding may find themselves on the hot seat over the next week, if Democratic strategists have their way. Last week, the House for the first time ever rejected funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as Republicans held back support as a protest against domestic-spending items Democrats added to the legislation. The war funding failed 149-141, after 132 lawmakers—all Republicans—voted present. Now strategists at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of House Democrats, are readying radio ads that will air in battleground districts around the country. The goal of the ads is to hold Republicans accountable for not taking a stand – for or against – the war. "I hope President Bush watches closely what happened here today," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat. "And I hope he heeds the call of a bipartisan, veto-proof majority of Congress and the thousands of veterans who know we owe our veterans the support they deserve."

Do you own a home in Jackson built before 1940? The Jackson Planning Commission will recommend an emergency moratorium on the demolition or remodeling of historic structures until a historic preservation ordinance can be implemented. Planning Commission Vice Chairman David Butow requested the moratorium in order to prohibit any uses or construction that may be in conflict with the contemplated General Plan for the City of Jackson. Within the last year, the city received several applications for demolition activities related to historic properties, and due to the existing and outdated General Plan, which was adopted in 1981, the city has little control over protecting these historic structures. The Planning Department drafted an interim ordinance and presented it to the Planning Commission at their meeting Monday night. The ordinance applies to the exterior remodeling of or complete demolition of any structure constructed prior to January 1, 1940. The proposed ordinance does not apply to interior renovations, and any request for exterior remodeling will need to be approved by the Planning Director and go before the Planning Commission. The interim ordinance states that the “provisions of this ordinance shall not apply…(if) the proposed addition/alteration will not adversely affect any significant historical, cultural, architectural, or aesthetic feature of the historical structure…(and if it) has been designed in a manner that is sensitive to and consistent with the original architectural style of the historical structure.” Commissioner Terri Works was opposed to the emergency ordinance, stating “I have a home built before 1940… What if I want to remodel the outside?” Works thought that the moratorium would place too great of a restriction on property owners. Planning Director Susan Peters noted that the ordinance is “only temporary.” The commission agreed 4-0, with Terri Works abstaining, to forward it to the Jackson City Council for approval.

With gas prices pushing 4 dollars a gallon, a discount of .25 cents per gallon is welcome news to anyone out on the roads. That’s what Jon’s Pit Stop in Jackson offered to anyone who filled up their vehicles there Wednesday, beginning at 12 noon. Drivers lined up in the mid-day heat to take advantage of a rare discount on a precious commodity. The sale lasted the rest of the day until the fuel supply of 4000 gallons was gone. Each driver was limited to a 20-gallon maximum per vehicle, with no gas cans allowed. The discount was not given at the pump, but once customers finished pumping, they immediately received a discount at the register. According to shop owners Polly and Jon Luy, the discount is their token of gratitude to all of those customers who shop at Jon’s and buy locally. The event was also made possibly through the efforts of the Short Circuit Electric Company.

The Department of Toxic Substance Control has been awarded a 200,000 dollar Community Wide Assessment Grant from the California Environmental Protection Agency for the inventory of mine waste on public and private lands in and around Jackson and Sutter Creek. At the Sutter Creek City Council meeting Monday evening, Jim Tjosvold, project manager for DTSC, presented the council with an overview of the US EPA Brownfields Grant. The Grant will provide money for the DTSC to determine the probability of mine waste and associated hazardous substances on lands with high development potential between the two towns. The analysis will be conducted using the DTSC’s “Abandoned Mine Lands Site Discovery Process,” which involves scrutinizing databases containing historical information, as well as public agency files, to determine the location of historical mine properties. In addition to the review of the files, public properties such as roadways, schools, parks and waterways will be inspected for the presence of mine wastes and mining features. Representative samples of mine wastes will be collected and analyzed for ‘chemicals of concern,’ including arsenic, mercury, and lead. Additionally, DTSC will provide some assistance on cleanup planning for selected properties including the identification of potential mitigation measures, suggested remedial actions and possible institutional controls. “The idea is to get a general overview of mining waste issues within the community in order to create a needs assessment,” said Tjosvold. “It is not intended, by any means, for enforcement.” The grant money will be distributed over a three year period, and the DTSC will begin the process in July of this year.

The Ione City Council met Tuesday evening to a full agenda, which included the review of an application for CalHome Grants, scheduling a public hearing for the determination of the annual cost per gallon increase for sewer treatment, and a report and update regarding the County-wide ½ cent Special Sales Tax. City Manager Kim Kerr began her presentation on the CalHome Grant process by reminding the council that they are “entering into a new funding cycle” and that the process has changed a bit from last year because monies will be separated into 2 phases with one going specifically to first time homebuyers for mortgage assistance and the other going to local owner occupied rehabilitation, to assist in selling homes. The approximate value of the grant is 900-thousand dollars which would allow for 15 separate 60-thousand dollar loans to be apportioned to local residents. The council approved the authorization to apply for this program unanimously. Next on the agenda was a discussion regarding the scheduling of a public hearing to set and define a new sewer rate for ‘other institutions’ in Ione. The definition given at the meeting for other institutions was “schools, laundry mats, basically everything except for residences.” This rate increase process is an annual requirement for the city, and includes holding a public hearing in May, the notification for the increase going out in June and rates becoming effective July 1st. During the discussion, Councilman Ulm stated that the increase proposed “a lot of issues (in the city),” to which City Manager Kim Kerr responded, “that is why we’re holding a public hearing.” The proposed increase, as stated at the meeting, is currently less than 3 thousandths of a cent. One concern that was continuously stated was the fact that if the rate increase for some businesses proves to be significant, it may contribute to an economic disincentive to conduct business in the City of Ione. The public hearing is scheduled for June 3rd, 2008 at the regularly scheduled council meeting.