Drivers in Ione, be forewarned- police are on the lookout for seatbelt law violators. The Ione Police Department has just announced it will be aggressively enforcing the state’s occupant protection laws as part of California’s 2008 Click It or Ticket mobilization, May 12 through June 1. California’s primary seat belt law requires that every passenger in the car, including the driver, must wear a seat belt at all times. Motor vehicle injuries are the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, killing 40,000 Americans and disabling 1,800,000 each year. A wide range of study evidence has concluded that wearing a seat belt decreases the fatality rate. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, Click It or Ticket is the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign ever, helping create the highest national seat belt usage rate of 82 percent. The fine for a seat belt violation costs between 80 and 91 dollars, and over 350 dollars for failing to properly restrain a child under 16. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket. According to Ione Police Chief Michael Johnson, officers will be on the lookout for those who are not buckled up and for teens and children not wearing proper belts and restraints. This will be a zero tolerance policy and may mean extra hours for officers. “Click It or Ticket” is a cooperative effort among the State’s traffic safety-related departments. Funding for officer overtime to support California's Click It or Ticket campaign was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Driven by a statewide deficit and cuts in school funding, local schools look to benefit from some creative recycling efforts. Over 261,000 dollars were distributed to Ione Schools and the Amador Unified School District for reusing and recycling old rubber tires in new ways. A total of 51,766 tires were used for school materials, from mulch to playground chips. “Rubber bark” is being used at Sutter Creek primary schools, Pine Grove Elementary and Pioneer Elementary. Funding for the project was provided through the Tire-derived product grant, a program through the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Neither the good news nor the conservative thinking matched the enthusiasm of the children in the We Are For Kids program when asked to install the rubber tires in their play areas. There is some discussion that the new funds will be used for playground equipment. How the funds will be used specifically has yet to be announced.

A local preschool service has introduced a new program aimed at fighting rising child obesity rates. Head Start, a preschool designed for 3 and 4 year olds, has set in motion the “I’m Moving, I’m Learning” program, which has been adopted locally through the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency’s, or ATCAA’s, Early Childhood Services division which runs six Head Start programs in Tuolumne County and two in Amador County – serving more than 250 children a year. “There are so many benefits to having children moving and using their bodies as they are learning,” said Susan Bowe, health services manager for ATCAA. “Although the foothills childhood obesity rate is lower than the national average, the number of overweight children entering the program has more than doubled in the past five years and we think this program will help our children move toward better health.” The new anti-obesity program pairs physical activity with music. According the Head Start, muscle development is an essential part of a child’s early development and stresses the importance of physical activity. Head Start is accepting applications for the 2008 and 2009 school year for children 3 and 4 years of age. For more information, call 586-7178.

The Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team, or ACCNET, has just released the details of two major drug and weapons busts in the local area. On Friday April 4, 2008, as part of an on-going investigation, members of ACCNET, assisted by the Calaveras Narcotics Enforcement Unit, were conducting surveillance of a confirmed Mexican Drug Trafficking Organization methamphetamine laboratory site located in a rural ranch east of San Andreas in Calaveras County. Surveillance units identified two vehicles suspected to be associated with the lab. That afternoon, one of the vehicles was detained at the intersection of Sadie Lane and Doster Road as it attempted to leave the area. Four suspects, one of whom was only 17-years old, were detained and then arrested. A search of the lab site revealed evidence of the on-going manufacture of methamphetamine, miscellaneous chemicals necessary for the manufacture of methamphetamine and 1.2 pounds of processed marijuana. Also seized from the site was a dismantled clandestine laboratory with the production capability of 10 to 20 pounds per cook process. This site had been active for approximately 3 years and connected to several dump sites that were found in the vicinity of the lab. The site also contained a make-shift green house containing fifteen marijuana plants. While processing the lab site, the owner of the property was contacted, interviewed and subsequently arrested. In addition, on Friday, April 25, ACCNET agents assisted by Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Deputies, Calaveras Narcotics Enforcement Unit and the Amador County Probation Department served search warrant and arrest warrants at 6578 Jackson Valley Rd in Ione. At the main residence, two suspects were detained, interviewed and subsequently arrested. Documents supporting their involvement in a conspiracy to purchase precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun, a French military rifle and two shotguns were located. What was most bizarre was a tree house located on the property that had been converted into a one bedroom studio. Two more suspects were found and arrested in the tree house. The Calaveras Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Materials Response Unit and the California Department of Justice processed the laboratory evidence. Amador County Environmental Health Department responded to access the site for chemical contamination and remediation of the property. 

The Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of CAL FIRE has suspended all burning permits within State Responsibility Areas of Tuolumne County, Calaveras County, Eastern Stanislaus County and Eastern San Joaquin County as of 8AM, Tuesday May 6, 2008. “(We) have had numerous burn pile escapes occurring on a daily basis,” said CAL FIRE TCU Unit Chief Mike Noonan. “The weather and dry condition of the forest fuels are quickly approaching a critical point. Experience has shown that suspending debris burns is an effective way of preventing wildfire escapes, especially as California enters a period of hotter and drier weather. Although all fires cannot be prevented through a burning suspension, their numbers can be significantly reduced.” Chief Noonan thanked residents who have been burning in a responsible manner. This declaration rescinds all previously approved Dooryard Burn Permits and large-scale Project Burn Permits. Property owners wishing to burn debris on their property are now prohibited from doing so unless they can prove that their project burn must be completed for health or safety reasons. Any planned burning site must be inspected and approved before a permit may be reissued. Camp fires will be allowed in designated campgrounds with permission of the jurisdictional authority. Anyone with questions about this declaration may contact their nearest CAL FIRE facility.

Retailers from Safeway to RadioShack are offering special discounts to lure consumers in and persuade them to spend some or all of their economic stimulus checks, the first wave of which were deposited into bank accounts this past week. The retailers are all hoping to persuade Americans, worn out by high gas and food prices and the weak housing market, to spend the money rather than save it or pay down debt. Polls have indicated that most recipients plan to use the rebates mainly to buy gas, food and other essentials that have become far more expensive in the past year- if they spend the money at all. That makes convincing shoppers to buy a new dress, flat-screen TV or living room sofa a much harder sell. With sales declining, some clothing and specialty retailers have been cutting prices for months. But this week, a few big names stepped up their efforts to try to turn the stimulus cash into extra sales. Wal-Mart Stores, for example, announced price cuts on everything from cereal to shampoo on Tuesday to coincide with the first round of payments. "The traffic is certainly busier these days in our stores," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien, although she couldn't be certain the most recent price cuts were the source of the traffic increase. She declined to say whether sales had grown since Monday or whether the marked-down items saw significant gains in the past week. Safeway has announced its own plan to give a 10 percent discount on groceries to Club Card customers who cash their paper checks at the store. That program begins May 14. Other retailers are mailing special discounts to their most loyal customers. Lowe's mailed an offer Wednesday to its most active shoppers offering 10 dollars off their next 50 dollar purchase or 25 dollars off their next 200 dollar purchase when they turn their checks into its "project starter" cards.

At the Ione City Council’s special meeting last week, it was requested that the agenda item regarding loan financing options for the new fire station be brought back when a comprehensive comparison of the loan options was available. At the April 29^th meeting however, with recommendation from staff, the four pending proposals were narrowed down to the two that were deemed best for the city. Those two proposals were from Bar Capital and the Bank of Amador, whose terms were not completed by the April 29^th meeting.  Finance Director Mark Smith continued to recommend the Bar Capital loan for the city, stating that “given the conservative nature of some of you, this makes the most sense.” The Bank of Amador’s proposed loan does have a more favorable short term interest rate and no prepayment penalties, although the rate is adjustable, unlike Bar Capital's, which is a fixed rate term. The estimated annual repayments for the loan with Bar Capital are approximately 44-thousand dollars, with out of pocket expenses totaling 55-hundred to 10-thousand dollars. Council voted 3-2, with Councilmen Ulm and Sherman dissenting, to approve the selection of the loan with Bar Capital and also to authorize City Manager Kim Kerr to sign the loan documents on behalf of the city.

The Ione City Council, in participation with the Police, Finance, and Fire Chiefs, held a strategic planning workshop on Monday. The group focused on developing a community vision, a mission statement, and enhancing the City’s core values. These items were all brought to council at Tuesday evening’s regularly scheduled meeting, where they continued to review the strategic plan and make any necessary corrections. The proposed Community Vision statement currently reads “The vision of the City of Ione is to preserve and enhance our Sierra Foothill community feeling and thereby remain a desirable and unique place in which to live, work, recreate, visit, and invest”. After the presentation of the proposed plan, Councilman Lee Ard stated that this document is “the key necessary to have a solid infrastructure” and that the “document delegates accountability, ensuring things really will happen.”

At the Jackson City Council meeting this week, discussion continued regarding the validity of a controversial EIR referendum concerning the City’s Land Use, Circulation, and Zoning Code Project Environmental Impact Report. The referendum was filed by the group Friends of Jackson, and was certified by the Amador County Registrar of Voters on April 22. At the meeting Monday, the council primarily discussed the question of whether the referendum is legally valid. City Attorney Andrew Morris stated that, as the decision certifying the EIR was not a legislative decision, it is not legally subject to the referendum process. If the council chooses to repeal the referendum in court, however, then it will automatically hold up the General Plan process for 12 months while the court makes a decision. The council’s other options are to decertify their March 10th decision to approve the EIR, call a special election to vote on the referendum, or let the decision go to the voters in November. During the public comment period, Chris Wright, Executive Director of the Foothill Conservancy, stood up and stated that he believed the referendum was valid, as did his attorney. He also said that he would be more than willing to send over his attorney’s comments, to which Morris responded that he would “be genuinely interested to view.” Friend’s of Jackson Spokesperson Ken Berry then took the stand and stated that he believes “the best course for the city is to rescind, as the people will uphold the referendum.” Council then directed staff to agendize this item for a future meeting. They also made requests for City Planner Susan Peters to calculate the approximate cost scenarios of repealing or redoing certain portions of the EIR, and for City Attorney Andrew Morris to receive the information from the Foothill Conservancy and determine the validity of legal action regarding the referendum.  

Also heard at the Ione Special Meeting were updates on the City’s General Plan process, as well as the Fire Station Construction Project. The General Plan Update is being prepared by PMC Planning Services and should cost the city approximately 782-thousand dollars, with the bulk of the cost incurred in the 2009/20010 fiscal year. The project will take about a year and a half to complete. After hearing the update, the Council authorized the signage of the First Amendment to the agreement with PMC. Discussion then turned to the Fire Station Construction Project.

City Manager Kim Kerr presented two different requests for loan information that had been sent out to the Organization of California Communities and to the Bank of Amador. Three proposals were received from the OCC in response, each setting a loan at 655-thousand dollars with interest rates ranging from 5.1% - 6.09% and 10-25 years for repayment. A proposal received from the bank was preliminary and only stated the loan amount, which would be awarded at 560-thousand dollars.

After the presentation, Councilman Ulm voiced his opinion that he “does not support the city getting a loan,” and that “we are probably putting in the firehouse before it is necessary.” To this, Councilman Ard responded “that the protection of the public is the number one priority of the city,” and that “you can’t put a price on public safety.” The Council then approved a motion in a 3-2 vote to direct staff to wait for the terms on the bank loan, compare it side by side with the other 3 proposals, and come back with a recommendation on which is the best for the city. In addition, Kerr was authorized to sign a construction contract with D.G. Granade.  Councilmembers Ulm and Sherman dissented.