El Dorado County - Repair of the outlet works at the Caples Lake main dam drew to a close at the end of October, according to El Dorado Irrigation District senior engineer Jake Eymann, who managed the project for the District over the past several months. Eymann reported that with repair successfully concluded, it is time to look forward to the fish restocking program that will start in spring 2009. The District will fund the restocking program that includes releasing 31,200 pounds of trophy rainbow and brown trout—approximately 12,400 fish—into the lake along with 9,000 pounds of catchable rainbows, or about 18,700 fish. By autumn 2009, some 175,000 fingerling and sub-catchable rainbows and 50,000 fingerling mackinaw will join the larger fish. Nine years of additional stocking will begin in 2010. Details of the long-term program are being worked out by District staff, the state Department of Fish and Game, the El Dorado Irrigation District invites you to review all of the updates included on the District’s website at www.eid.org or call Deanne Kloepfer at 530-622-4513. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Eldorado National Forest is planning to continue with the Cat Anderson Prescribed Burn north of Highway 88 this week in the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River area. The burn caused some alarm recently when unexpected wind patterns shifted huge billows of smoke into the Plymouth area, creating a hazy fog. Approximately 300 acres were scheduled to be control burned on Wednesday and another 200 acres on Thursday. “Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem,” said Jennifer Boyd, Fuels Specialist. “Prescribed burning allows us to reintroduce it back into the forest under carefully controlled conditions after 100 years of fire suppression resulting in a healthier and safer forest,” she added. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas. Be advised that Sierra Pacific Industries is also conducting prescribed fire operations on their private timber lands during this period. For more information on the Fuels Projects on national forest land planned for this fall and winter visit our website at www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado. To be added to the smoke notification list contact Jennifer Boyd, Forest Fuels Specialist, at 530- 622-5061. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – Sutter Creek on Monday discussed a widening budget deficit and a possibility of layoffs. City Manager Rob Duke said a 400,000-dollar city revenue shortfall a couple of months ago had further widened. Recent projections showed the fiscal year closing July 2009 with a 157,000-dollar deficit. With 7 months until then, he said that means almost 25,000 dollars in spending cuts per month to break even. He said options included layoffs, based on seniority and spread across police, administration and public works departments. Another would be mandatory employee furloughs. He said the options would be voted on by the city’s employee unions. Finance director Jeffry Gardner said the deficit came from a significant decrease in sales tax revenue, which was over-projected by two-thirds. Earlier in the meeting, the council approved a 56-acre annexation application, with housing, commercial and residential zoning. If that project, “Sutter Hill East,” gets approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission, Duke said the city “will realize some sales tax this year.” He said the city up to this point has never had layoffs during economic downturns, noting that “this would be the first.” Duke recommended furloughs. Councilman Tim Murphy said a mandatory furlough would be difficult to account for the 15 or 20 percent in budget cuts needed. He said furloughs bring loss in productivity and can lead to overtime pay, negating the intended savings. Murphy said he would rather vote for some kind of longer-term solution. Mayor Gary Wooten said he would rather the council give up its stipends to help with the cuts, noting that the 7 months of salary would amount to 9,400 dollars. Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Hepworth agreed, saying he would give up his stipend before seeing the loss of a city police officer. Councilman Brent Parsons suggested a reduction in pay. Murphy said the city is “not required to do binding arbitration on salaries when it’s an emergency.” Duke said that is true, when pay cuts are made across the board. The council advised Duke to return with recommendations after talks with unions. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - Concerns about classifying parts of Jackson as blighted were among the topics discussed at last week’s Jackson Revitalization Committee. At the committee’s second meeting, Sherry Curtis, who has been involved in redevelopment efforts in the past, informed the committee that once certain areas are identified as “blighted,” and redevelopment funds are appropriated, it gives the state too much control. Also, the funds used for revitalization in the selected areas come from property tax dollars, which ultimately reduces the city’s General Fund. Another issue raised was the blocking of North Main Street at the Home and Farm Store during downtown functions. Alicia Miller from Teresa’s Place brought up the issue, which she initially voiced at the October 27th Jackson City Council Meeting. Committee members heard her complaint, but due to the inclusion of the Home and Farm Store in the city’s Business Improvement District, or BID, the street must be blocked off up to and including that establishment. The committee members also formed a variety of subcommittees to work on specific tasks. All together, six subcommittees were formed, including Finance, Public Relations, Business Development, Strategic Planning, Parking, and Design. The committee, which was formed in September, includes city councilmembers Connie Gonsalves and Wayne Garibaldi, Jackson city merchants Jane Wilkerson and Craig Murphy, local property owners, Lana Vukovich and Stan Lukowicz, HJBA member Aaron May, Jackson resident Rich Hoffman, members at large Shelley Scott, Gary Little, and Sally Bligh, city clerk Karon Knuist, and as a county liaison, District 1 Supervisor Elect John Plasse. Meetings are held at 6 pm on the second Thursday of the month at City Hall, 33 Broadway in Jackson. Their next meeting will be December 11th, and anyone can attend. Information about the committee’s strategic plan can be obtained on the city’s website at ci.jackson.ca.us. Story by Jen Wilson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The City of Jackson is considering amending its sphere of influence, or SOI, to include certain areas surrounding the Jackson city limits that will or may soon be developed. City staff presented the proposed changes at the Jackson Planning Commission meeting Monday night. Several factors contributed to the decision to expand, including the recent adoption of a Municipal Services Review, or MSR, by the Amador County Local Area Formation Commission, or LAFCO. Also, the upcoming Wicklow Way Subdivision, and the county’s in-progress update of its General Plan have created a need to look at projected growth outside the city. The primary factor in determining a jurisdiction’s SOI is where municipal services are and will be provided. City staff have proposed a new SOI map that takes into account future water and sewer needs, as well as emergency response areas. The map, which has not been updated since 1996, proposes “a considerable larger area than (the current map)”, according to City Planner Susan Peters. The new map expands the SOI into the Martell and Wicklow area, the northeast area beyond the Jackson city limits, and areas south of Clinton Road and east of Scottsville Road. Commissioner Kathryn Devlin asked if the expanded sphere of influence would have any tax influence. City Manager Mike Daly responded that the SOI doesn’t change any of that, but if and when those areas are annexed into the city, the city and county would “come up with a tax sharing agreement” to address any tax issues. Commissioner Dave Butow commented on the expanded area south of Clinton Road that contains much of Butte Mountain. “I’m glad to see Butte Mountain included in there… there’s a lot of flat land out there that I could see developers looking at.” The Planning Commission unanimously agreed to recommend the proposed SOI to the City Council. If approved by the council, it will be forwarded to LAFCO for a public hearing. Story by Jen Wilson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County – A two truck collision Monday afternoon temporarily caused a traffic jam in the Martell area. Around 4 pm Monday, a green pickup truck turning left at Martell Road onto Eastbound Highway 88 collided with a blue pickup headed in the west bound direction. The driver of the blue truck claimed that the green truck did not stop at the stop sign and entered in front of her, causing her to collide with the truck and then slide off the road on the eastbound side. The collision caused considerable damage to both vehicles and shredded the front end of the green truck to pieces. California Highway Patrol were still investigating the accident at the time of this report. The driver of the green truck was taken into custody at the scene. Whether intoxicants were involved is still under investigation. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Amador County Fair Board of Directors decided on a slight revision of dates for next year’s Amador County Fair, which has made some regular attendees upset. The new fair dates will take place July 30th through August 2nd, 2009. “I book time a year in advance for next year so I have a spot for my RV,” said Auburn resident Belinda Murray. “This just screws it all up for me and my friends who I look forward to seeing each year at the same time.” Fair officials are assuring dedicated guests that any change in fair dates will not affect their reservations, but the same assurances can not be made about coordinating with guests’ personal schedules. This is why the announcement was made almost nine months in advance, said one fair official. The Fair board also recently announced “A Grape Time to Hukilau” as the theme for next year’s fair. Amador County Fair Board President Janice Howard said that flower leis, hula skirts and fun will set the mood, as well as recognize local Amador grape growers and wine makers. “We are all very excited about this year's theme. I can’t wait to see the decorations and fantastic fun ideas that our exhibitors, staff and community will come up with,” said Howard. “We always look for a fun theme that our staff can decorate around, we can create contests for, and can include in our entertainment so that we can keep things fresh for fair visitors to enjoy,” explained Sherrie Elliot, Amador County Fair office manager. In choosing the theme, the board appreciated the meaning of a Hukilau as the gathering of the ancient Hawaiian community for a common purpose. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team, or ACCNET, is celebrating its first successful year of operation in Amador County, and Sheriff’s office statistics show they’ve been keeping busy. “Taking into consideration the operational and administrative needs to bring the team into full operation, ACCNET has had (a number of) successes during its first year of operations,” said Undersheriff James Wegner in a press release. Most notable of these accomplishments are 100 felony arrests, 4 major methamphetamine laboratory seizures and the infiltration of 21 illicit marijuana growing operations. More than 10,400 marijuana plants were confiscated and destroyed during these busts. Another staggering statistic is the volume of drugs and weapons confiscated here in Amador County. Just over 105 pounds of marijuana, a half-pound of methamphetamine, a half gallon of hash oil and approximately 5, 315 different types of pills were among the drugs confiscated. A total of 42 weapons were seized and 90 searches conducted. ACCNET is a multi-agency narcotics enforcement team dedicated to fighting what has become one of the largest law enforcement issues throughout the foothill region in the past decade. ACCNET’s team is comprised of members from a nine separate Amador County and statewide law enforcement agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office, Amador County Child Protective Services, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Justice, the Highway Patrol and the Ione, Jackson and Sutter Creek Police Departments. The agency was the brainchild of Sheriff Martin Ryan and receives operational funding through the Anti-Drug Abuse and California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team grants. ACCNET completed its first year on November 1st. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - John Linley Frazier, a mass murderer sentenced to death and imprisoned at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, is up for parole against the protests of lawyers and those affected by his crimes. While working as an auto mechanic in October 1970, Frazier murdered Santa Cruz eye surgeon Victor Ohta, along with Ohta’s wife, two teenage sons and secretary. The victims were left floating in the Ohtas' pool. “It is difficult to comprehend that a man who murdered five innocent people in cold blood would ever be considered for release back into society,” wrote prosecutor Adriane Symons in a letter to the state Board of Prison Terms in anticipation of Wednesday's parole hearing. Officials are preparing for possible protests at the courthouse and outside the gates of Mule Creek prison. Frazier was convicted by a San Mateo County jury and sentenced to death, but was commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole after capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional in 1975. Frazier has repeatedly tried for parole and failed in the years since. The Ohta family was bound and killed execution style for what Frazier eventually called, “vengeance on those who rape the environment.” Frazier told a psychiatrist that “voices from God” had told him to declare “World War 3”, but was considered sane to stand trial. Frazier singled out the Ohta’s because they had cut down trees on their property to build their uniquely designed house. Frazier, now 62, has refused all mental health services offered in prison, according to a 2003. Also, he has been stabbed by other inmates, caught with prison-made knives and been held in a secured housing unit for inmates who violate prison rules. In the words of Symons, “I can't imagine that there would be a combination of factors that would allow this man to get out.” Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Amador County - The Amador Fire Protection District has released its latest batch of incident response statistics. A total of 121 incidents were responded to in October. As is common in fire district response patterns, the majority, or 69 of these were medical aid related and 14 were vehicle accidents. These numbers accounted for 68 percent of the total incidents. 11 of the incidents were fire related: 3 were structure fires, 1 was a chimney fire, 2 were vehicle fires and 5 were wildland fires. 51 percent of the total calls occurred between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).