Amador County – On Monday, the Ione City Council became the third local city to pass a resolution opposing a state raid on city property taxes. Last week, Plymouth passed a similar resolution “finding a severe fiscal hardship will exist if the state seizes additional city property tax funds.” On Tuesday, the Ione City Council also approved the resolution, encouraged and circulated to city governments by the California League of Cities. League representative for Northern California, Charles Anderson said Wednesday that the governor’s “May Budget Revise” would take funding from the cities’ property taxes to the tune of $2 billion dollars. Anderson said the state has taken about $600 million dollars a year – about $8 billion dollars total – from city property tax revenue, beginning in the 1990s. But he said the law requires that in times of financial crisis, those seized finances must be repaid as a loan, or what the League of Cities calls a “shotgun loan.” Anderson said the city of Jackson could lose $107,000 dollars in the state plan to take property taxes. Sutter Creek Finance Director Jeff Gardner on Monday told the Sutter Creek City Council that the shotgun loan “would mean a $53,000-dollar loss of cashflow next year.” The council voted 5-0 to pass a resolution opposing the program. Last Thursday, Gardner, also Plymouth’s finance director, told the Plymouth City Council that the state loan grab “translated into about $23,000-dollar being left out of our general fund.” City Manager Dixon Flynn said “Plymouth doesn’t have a lot of money to begin with. We don’t have a lot to lose.” Ione’s resolution noted “cumulative property tax losses of cities statewide” was $8.6 billion. Kerr said Ione has lost $25,524 dollars since the 1990s, and next year the city could lose $119,174. Last Monday, May 11, the League of California Cities said “the first of many cities across California declared a state of severe fiscal hardship and opposed” the proposal to “take local property tax funds to finance the state budget.” By Friday, more than 100 cities had passed or were scheduled to pass a resolution declaring a state of severe fiscal hardship. The League said the “actions reflect the impacts that the stagnating economy has had on California cities due to serious declines in local tax revenues.” Statewide budget reductions are causing public safety reduction, employee layoffs, hiring freezes, project delays and program reductions. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A polls previously predicted, voters across the state rejected five of the six budget-related propositions in Tuesday’s Special Election. Only Proposition 1F, which prevents many top elected officials from receiving pay raises in years when the state is running a deficit, passed. Most of the propositions received more than a 65 percent “no” vote. Had all the measures passed, the state's deficit would have been slightly reduced to $15 billion. As the Golden State’s financial woes grew ever deeper, indecision and partisan divides within the state legislature led to a $42 billion budget package proposal three months ago that included the budget provisions voted on yesterday. A Field poll released earlier this month suggested that nearly 75 percent of registered voters disapproved of the state legislature’s job – the poorest rating ever recorded by the survey. The legislature now faces tough decisions over how to pay the state’s debts, and Schwarzenegger may now recommend severe cuts in education and social services. And in a move that has drawn some criticism, Schwarzenegger's budget also calls for selling off state properties, including San Quentin State Prison and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In Amador County, voter turnout was low at around 9,000. Amador County citizens were consistent with statewide voters in voting against Propositions 1A through 1E, and overwhelmingly voted “yes” for 1F. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Ione City Council and Planning Commission opened the Q Ranch land designation to an additional 350 housing units on Tuesday, to be included in the city’s new General Plan. Any project on the 432-acre site is still forthcoming, but its developers said the project would only be feasible with a designation allowing 850 units, instead of the 500 discussed in January, under a “Rural Residential” designation, with 1/2-acre lots. Kevin Walker of Q Ranch said an engineer did an exhaustive study of the site’s 80 square miles, finding that its watershed and “flow of water could be contained in a much smaller area.” He said the project would try to preserve the “viewshed” with “treescaping,” and with a 3-2 vote, the council included that wording in the land designation. Walker said project would include trails for bicycles, horseback riding and pedestrians. Housing would be “Medium Density” (7 to 15 units per acre) and “Low Density” (7 units and under, per acre). City Planner Christopher Jordan said that density would resemble Castle Oaks. Walker said 850 homes in “clustering” designs would allow preservation of more open space than the previous designation. The rough map included 23 acres for parks, 202 acres of “open space,” and 26.5 acres of agriculture land. Walker said they would “restore Dry Creek to its natural state.” One man said it was a “huge change” late in the process of the General Plan update. Commission Vice Chair Joe Wylie said “it is unfortunate and difficult to have something thrown at you in the last minute,” but it was a good idea. He said he would like to see publicly accessible trails connect Highways 104 and 124. Commissioner Stewart Wilkerson asked if the wastewater treatment plant would accommodate the 850 units. City Planner Christopher Jordan said it would, and the “open space” designation in the General Plan policy is defined as public areas. Mayor Lee Ard said the map and density resembled what he was told was in the future for Q Ranch, when he first moved to town. Ard said the designation gives the developers “the opportunity to come forward with a proposal on what they want to do with their land.” Attorney Kristen Castanos said changing the land designation density would only change the map in the city General Plan. It would allow for zoning overlays without a General Plan amendment. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The 2009 Amador County Unified School District Sober Graduation party on graduation night will continue as scheduled, despite a conflict with the annual Italian Picnic. The Sutter Creek City Council heard the good news Monday during public comment period. Debbie Dunn, Amador Water Agency director for District 4, said she was chairwoman of Sober Grad this year, taking over for last year’s co-chairs. She said the first bump in the road was that graduation night this year falls “on the same night as the opening day of the Italian Picnic.” She said thanks to Ed Swift, the Sober Grad event will be held again this year at Gold Country Lanes Bowling Alley and at the Amador County Transportation Commission bussing hub center on Sutter Hill. The areas will be fenced off for the annual graduation party and casino night. She said thanks to a donation from the Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel & Conference Center, the event will have a drawing to give away a car for graduating seniors. The car was purchased for a low rate from Jeff Holman Automotive in Martell, and the Sober Grad partiers will get a car key from Ron Oliviero and the Jackson Rancheria. Each senior will get a chance to see if their key starts the car, a Dodge Neon. Sutter Creek Mayor Gary Wooten stunned Dunn when he told her that the California Highway Patrol held its public auction and would be donating $1,600 dollars for the 2009 Amador County Sober Graduation party. The party, part of a CHP program around California, emphasizes a safe and sober graduation atmosphere for the celebrating graduating classes of both Amador and Argonaut high schools. School Board Trustee Karl Knobelauch reported in February that on Sober Graduation plans for this year included Dunn taking over as the new chairwoman, replacing last year’s chairwoman, Toni Fancher. Knobelauch thanked “Fancher for her many, many years of service for Sober Graduation.” Sober Graduation 2009 is slated for June 5th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calaveras County – Calaveras District 2 Supervisor Steve Wilensky is in Washington D.C. today to testify before the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in an Oversight Hearing on "The Future of the Forest Economy.” The hearing takes place at 10 am EDT, and will be webcast live on the resource committee website. Wilensky will join California representatives of forestry, carpentry and renewable energy services as part of the 4-panel discussion. Wilensky will be joined in Panel 3 by Keith Balter, Senior Economist with Oregon’s Forest Capital Partners; Glenn Zane of Renewable Energy Providers Incorporation in Redding, CA; and Mark Pawlicki of Sierra Pacific Industries in Redding, CA. The hearing will be webcast live at resourcescommittee.house.gov. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council looked at the city treasurer’s report Monday that showed what at least one council member said could be a record slump in city sales tax, compared to its Transient Occupancy Tax income. But the same report also showed a probable 5-year high in city sewer revenue. City Finance Officer Jeff Gardner went over the details of the treasurer’s report and also read through his own audit report for fiscal year 2007-2008. Councilman Pat Crosby said he thought it was “the first time that the TOT tax has been greater than the sales tax for three quarters of the year.” Sales tax collections in January, February and March totaled $37,554 dollars, not including a “semi annual sales triple flip” of $2,673 dollars. Sales tax third quarter totals were $117,262 dollars by the end of April, compared to $262,069 dollars by April of 2007-2008. In comparison, Transient Occupancy Tax revenue for the third quarter total was $123,416 dollars through April. That was down from $140,142 dollars through last April. Sutter Creek city sewer revenue was on par for a five-year high, and totaled $967,359 dollars through April, up $100,000 from the previous year. Mayor Gary Wooten asked about a $125,000 dollar line item in the 2007-2008 budget audit for “golf expenses.” Gardner said it was a “reimbursement” from developers of Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. Wooten said “we need to change it, so in 10 years, people don’t look back and see golf expenses. Gardner said the council can approve the audit with changes to be made, and he can make the appropriate changes. Gardner also pointed out the “Noble Ranch Golf Course” budget line item, saying it is actually a sewer-related expense, but not necessary to change. City Manager Rob Duke said he could “change the name to the Noble Ranch Spray Field,” and be more clear that the expenses are not just golf course-related. The council voted 5-0 to approve and accept the 2007-2008 audit with changes to be made. Gardner said he did not bring the 2006-2007 audit report as planned because he “found a significant typographical error and that’s got to be fixed.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Former Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Hepworth smiled at the crowd and his former council members as the Sutter Creek City Council passed a resolution in honor of the recently retire long-time city leader on Monday. Mayor Gary Wooten read the resolution as the two stood before the audience. Wooten said “this resolution was enacted May 18th, 2009, by a very positive vote.” The resolution noted that Hepworth moved to Sutter Creek in 1977 and was elected to the city council in 1998, then “promptly created a Beautification Committee for municipal improvements.” That committee funded and completed many projects, including the auditorium mural project. Wooten said Hepworth “served tirelessly on many committees and boards, including the Amador County Recreation Agency, the Kennedy Mine Foundation and the Amador Disposal Rate Increase Committee.” The resolution said “the city of Sutter Creek recognizes Councilman Hepworth and expresses its gratitude for the many contributions to Sutter Creek projects and interests that have benefitted the city and residents.” Hepworth, who retired due to health recommendations, said no words after the resolution reading, but received a standing ovation from those in attendance. Those in attendance included members of Boy Scout Troop 63. City Planner Bruce Baracco said troop members were “working on their citizenship in community badges,” and he asked the council to give them a good example of politics at work. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Public meetings on the Amador County General Plan Update continue in another meeting scheduled for early June. The meeting will be held in the Board Chambers, at the County Administration Center, 810 Court Street, Jackson, CA, on Wednesday June 3, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. The series – called “The Path to 2030” – is a continuation of the comprehensive March/April meetings of the Amador County Joint Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. County Planner Susan Grijalva in the announcement said: “Because the General Plan is the basis for all regulations – such as zoning, subdivision improvements – and decisions made regarding the use of property and when considering development projects, it is vitally important to be informed of this Update.” Grijalva said maps that have been developed to this point may be viewed and printed from the County’s Website, www.co.amador.ca.us. She said the Update process is on-going and the public can “continue to monitor the Website and watch for notices of future public hearings,” because “changes to the proposed General Plan can, and will, be made up until the last meeting.” The Meetings will be held in the Board Chambers, 810 Court Street in Jackson. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State – Recent concerns about swine flu in California prompted state representatives to assess the strength of its health departments when dealing with future influenza outbreaks. Members of the California Association of Public Health Laboratory Directors, or PHL Directors, testified before a California Senate Select Committee on Disaster and Emergency Response and the Senate Committee on Health on April 30th. Based on survey responses from counties that represent a total of 78 percent of the state's population, 722 local public health personnel who were available to deal with this outbreak will not be available after July 1. 60 PHL positions have either been eliminated or are scheduled to be eliminated from local government budgets. According to Dennis Ferrero, the organizations Executive Director, this is “solely due to lack of resources, versus a lack of need.” These health departments will lose $70 million in funding. If those numbers are extrapolated for the whole state, the state would expect to lose a total of 920 positions and $90 million. The hearing, headed by Senators Dean Flores and Elaine Alquist and Assemblymember Dave Jones, was designed to assess the financial needs of Public Health Laboratory Directors and the state of public health response as a whole. Ferrero says capacity needs to sustain current PHL efforts and respond to the escalating influenza outbreak require an estimated $14.6 million for equipment, supplies, personnel reinstatement and increased capacity. “We respectfully request any additional funding allocated for the purposes of local PHL capacity be clearly identified as for local PHL use only,” he said. The figures presented were independent of the needs for other local public health capacity. The committee will consider these figures when making budget recommendations. CAPHLD represents 38 local public health laboratory directors who provide services to the citizens of California, including Amador County. Independent of the California Department of Public Health, the group provides 95 percent of the state’s PHL capacity to respond to communicable diseases of public health significance. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Region - UC Davis researchers have received $1 million from Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment for an ambitious two-year study that will yield recommendations for boosting the region's vitality by investing in its youth. The "Healthy Youth, Healthy Regions" study will focus on disparities in four areas that affect the well-being of children, adolescents and young adults in our region: education, health, employment and civic engagement. The center will coordinate the efforts of more than 20 UC Davis researchers in sociology, medicine, education, environmental design, human and community development, and other disciplines. The research will be guided by a 13-member advisory committee. “With this study, we look beyond the current economic downturn to more rigorously determine where investment in the development of young people is required to ensure that the region has the human capital needed to prosper in a global economy,” said Chet Hewitt, president and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation, adding: “We believe the region’s long-term economic, social and cultural health may well depend on the investments we make in our youth today.” The study was commissioned by Sierra Health Foundation, which contributed $700,000 in funding. The California Endowment contributed $300,000. The UC Davis Center for Regional Change addresses the social, economic, cultural and political changes occurring in California’s Central Valley and foothills. “How well the children and youth of a community are faring is a fairly accurate barometer for assessing the health of that community,” said Will Nicholas, director of research for The California Endowment. He said “Low-income communities tend to have much fewer of the social, economic and systems supports critical to healthy youth development than wealthier communities. Through the action research of Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions, we can form an agenda to create a more equitable distribution of those supports at both the community and regional levels.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.