Amador County - The Amador County Public Health Department is reporting at least one new case of whooping cough, or pertussis, among students at Ione Junior High School. The student who was diagnosed positive is home recovering from the infection. Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease marked by severe coughing. Whooping cough is caused by bacteria that is found in the mouth, nose and throat of an infected person, and is spread through close contact with an infected person when they talk, sneeze, or cough. It is most contagious during the first 2 to 3 weeks of the infection, often before the severe coughing starts. Whooping cough begins with a cold, or flu-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, possible fever and a cough. These symptoms can last up to 2 weeks and are followed by increasingly severe coughing spells. The infection can be treated with oral antibiotics. Whooping cough is usually a mild disease in teenagers and adults, but can be very severe in infants. “We are especially concerned about unvaccinated infants and young children, who are at highest risk for pertussis related complications,” said Dr. Robert Hartmann, Amador County Health Officer. Even though small children are vaccinated against whooping cough, vaccine protection does not last forever, and decreases over time, typically by adolescence. There is a vaccine approved in 2005 for use, called Tdap which is available for teens and adults. Amador County healthcare providers have been notified about this current case of pertussis. Please consult with your healthcare provider if you or your children are currently experiencing a prolonged cough or flu-like illness. The Tdap vaccine is available at your health care provider or Amador County Public Health. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - On Friday, May 1, 2009, at 8AM, the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CALFIRE, will require burning permits within State Responsibility Areas of Amador County, Tuolumne County, Calaveras County, Eastern Stanislaus County and Eastern San Joaquin County. Burn permit terms include: restricted burn hours to between 7PM and 8AM (evening/night burning), limiting pile size to a maximum of 4 foot by 4 foot in diameter, and maintaining the area within 10 feet of the outer edge of a debris pile free and clear of all flammable material and vegetation. Chief Noonan reminds citizens conducting outdoor burning to remain in attendance of their burning project, have the tools and water necessary to suppress any escape from their burning operation. It is your responsibility to check burn day status by calling your local Air Pollution Control District with jurisdiction over your area. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County sent a string of opposition toward the proposed expansion of Pardee Reservoir last week. East Bay Municipal Utility officials reportedly asked the Amador Water Agency to rewrite a letter to the East Bay MUD. “They declined,” Katherine Evatt of the Foothill Conservancy said. “They stuck with their original letter,” opposing Pardee expansion. The Sutter Creek City Council last Monday passed a resolution opposing the expansion, and urging more conservation. East Bay MUD board member Bill Patterson spoke at an informational workshop before Amador Supervisors Friday, saying the utility does not want to “go back to the dark ages” of fighting between agencies. He said East Bay MUD “used less water in 2009 than we used in 1970.” Customers already conserve and asking them to go beyond the 2040 plan’s 10 percent conservation, his customers “can’t make their households run.” Peterson said East Bay MUD must determine needs, examine impacts, and make changed if impacts are too bad, “and we all get to decide that.” Dennis Diemer, General Manager of East Bay, said by California environmental law, the 2040 plan “must identify all worst case scenarios.” Pardee expansion is that scenario. He said a Buckhorn Reservoir in Amador County was removed from the East Bay “portfolio” 15 years ago, and again last spring. Supervisor Ted Novelli asked if East Bay would be willing to help western Amador and Calaveras “as far as water supply.” Diemer said that would mean “either physically storing water in Pardee or giving rights to that water.” Novelli said “if East Bay MUD wants to work with Amador or Calaveras counties,” then maybe they should speak with them, and maybe the “counties might want to help out by putting some new reservoirs in our area.” Amador supervisors on Tuesday will consider a resolution opposing Pardee expansion. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Amador County School Board surveyed an elaborate $5 million addition to Ione Junior High School during a special tour preceding Wednesday night’s School Board meeting. Led by Principal Bill Murray, the tour was designed to give an idea of the scope of construction and renovations that have taken place on the school’s grounds. In total, $5 million was spent to build a two-story classroom addition and a quad area with a clock tower. Additional funding will go towards the future home of the library. “I’ve overseen a fair number of projects in my career and this was a fairly easy one,” said Murray in reference to the speed of construction. The building of the basic structure for the two-wing addition took only two days. Original site work for the facilities began in June, construction began in August and the school moved into the facilities in November. The new buildings are designed to resist a 10.0 earthquake. They include six classrooms, four of which are science labs. All classrooms are equipped with state-of –the-art LCD projection systems designed to cut down on paperwork and enhance the interactive learning experience using ready access to technology and the internet. Murray said the new elevators are used for emergencies or for students who “break their legs, which happens quite often.” Bathrooms are equipped with energy-saving motion sensors. Out of the total cost, $3 million came from local developer fees and $2 million came from matching funds given to districts through the state. The new clock tower and its handsome brickwork accounted for $1.4 million of the total cost, while the classrooms were closer to $2.94 million, Murray said. The School Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting in the future home of the library, which is a replica of one of the original school house buildings on campus. According to Terri Crain, Superintendent’s Assistant, the local booster club bought the carpeting and the library is scheduled to be moved into this summer. Terry Porray, School Board representative for the Ione district, called the new classrooms and structures “a great investment for our community, our teachers and our students.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - On May 19th, Amador County voters will have the opportunity to vote on six budget-related propositions in a statewide special election. In a special series here on TSPN, we’ll bring you information on each ballot measure, what it means for California, and more specifically, how it affects Amador County. Today we discuss Proposition 1B, which “requires the state to make supplemental payments to local school districts and community colleges to address recent budget cuts.” Although the initial fiscal impact analysis says the state could potentially save up to several billion dollars in the 2009-2011 fiscal years, the state could see potential costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter. According to David Sanchez, President of California’s Teacher’s Association, Prop 1B would provide $9.3 billion for California’s schools, but voters must also agree to extend recent tax increases for up to two additional years. The budget crisis has cut over $12 million from California schools. According to supporter Andrea Landis of Kaufman Campaign Consultants, “Prop 1B starts the process of paying our schools and community colleges back as economic conditions improve. Our future depends on the investment we make in educating our children.” Opposition to the measure comes from special interest groups like the California Nurses Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees who benefit from state spending in other non-education areas. They oppose the measure because it would potentially divert their preferred government spending to education. On May 19th, you’ll have the opportunity to vote on this and other contentious issues. Stay tuned for more information on the propositions in upcoming newscasts. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento - Legislation by Assemblymember Alyson Huber moved one step closer to becoming law today when it was passed out of the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting with bipartisan support. “AB 1181 and AB 1274 would make campaign contributions and lobbying activity details more accessible to and understandable for the public, not just insiders,” said Assemblymember Huber, adding: “We should be doing everything we can to make government as open as possible and these bills move us in that direction.” AB 1181 would lower the threshold for which state candidate committees, ballot measure committees and slate mail organizations to file contributors online with the Secretary of State’s office. The current threshold is $50,000 and the new threshold would be $25,000. AB 1274 would address the need to easily identify who is lobbying on a specific issue by requiring the Secretary of State to display online a breakdown of all lobbying interests seeking to influence each proposed law. This list would be updated quarterly. The bills will next be heard in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – The state assembly committee on Public Safety this week was slated to discuss an assembly bill that would regulate the sale of handgun ammunition. AB 962 was written by Assemblyman Kevin De Leon (District 45, Los Angeles), who held a news conference Tuesday on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. Later Tuesday, AB962, was to be discussed in the committee. AB962 requires that by July 1st, 2010, anyone that “sells or transfers more than 50 rounds of handgun ammunition in any month to register as a handgun ammunition vendor.” The seller must be “licensed by the Department of Justice.” At the time of the purchase, the bill would require the vendor to record the buyer’s driver’s license number; the brand, type and amount of ammo; the right thumbprint of the purchaser; the buyer’s full residential address and telephone number; and date of birth. Exemptions include manufacturers, wholesalers, law enforcement, state, federal and local agencies, and transfer “between immediate family members, spouses, or registered domestic partners.” Assembly Chief Counsel Gregory Pagan said fiscal effects of the bill were unknown. De Leon said AB 962 “seeks to safeguard California communities by combating the easy accessibility to handgun ammunition that fuels gun violence and criminal activity." He said a similar ordinance helped Sacramento Police make 156 prohibited purchase arrests, leading to 109 felony charges, with 36 convicted and dozens pending. Resulting investigations led to 48 search warrants, and seizure of 84 illegal firearms, along with illegal drugs, stolen property and cash. The National Rifle Association registered opposition to the bill, saying “proponents of AB962 claim that new legislation is needed to stop the transfer of handgun ammunition to criminals. In California, the transfer of ammunition to a prohibited person is a crime and the possession of ammunition by a prohibited person is a crime.” NRA argues that a “provision of AB962 would resurrect a federal program of ammunition sales registration … that was repealed due to the lack of effectiveness.” The NRA also argues that the “purchaser registration requirement would expose consumers to possible identity theft problems with sensitive personal information being required to be given to retail businesses.” NRA also said the bill “could expose citizens into committing crimes for simply sharing ammunition with their friends at competitions and students in training classes,” it “would ban the sale of ammunition at gun shows and expositions” and “would ban all Internet and mail order handgun ammunition sales." Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council on Monday tabled changes to an agreement with the Amador Water Agency on wastewater capacity expansion, pending review by staff. City Manager Rob Duke talked about the history of the agreement, which came about when increased solids and greases in the wastewater stream combined to cause a lack in capacity. He said was determined that the causes for the lack were equally due to new customers in AWA’s Martell Service Area 4 and also due to Sutter Creek. Upgrades in Sutter Creek’s aeration system led to a $1.5 million dollar project, which the city and the agency agreed to split, at a cost of $750,000 dollars each, and increase the wastewater capacity for each by 60,000 gallons per day. Duke said the expansion is not yet done and has not been approved, but the result will be “found capacity,” which Sutter Creek will be sharing with the AWA. A letter from AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie, with the AWA board’s signed agreement, asked the city or consultant Bob Reed to tally the cost per “Equivalent Dwelling Unit” to upgrade the sewer system from secondary to tertiary level treatment. Duke said the “AWA heard rumors that if Gold Rush (Ranch & Golf Resort) was approved,” it will require upgrading of the city plant to tertiary level. Duke said if Gold Rush is approved, “it doesn’t change anything about what we need to do to go to tertiary” treatment level. In public comment, Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley said “it seems like they are getting a hell of a deal for 60,000 gallons a day capacity, and they could turn around and sell it for $1.5 Million Dollars.” Kirkley said the AWA board also indicated that Sutter Creek “can only charge them what it costs because of an old agreement” between the two. Bart Weatherly asked what the AWA would have to pay for tertiary level treatment. Duke said the city did “not know yet, because we have not chosen the technology yet.” City Attorney Dennis Crabb said he had a couple of questions about the contract on some procedural items, and Mayor Gary Wooten tabled the item to have it brought back to the next meeting, after review by staff. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council feted retired Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Hepworth with a resolution Monday and also selected his successor, picking former Mayor and Councilman Tim Murphy as Mayor Pro Tempore. Hepworth attended the meeting and was gifted with the resolution and a plaque for his 10 years service to the city council. He agreed to remain a member of the city Beautification Committee, as a member of the public. The council agreed to that when later appointing new committee assignments. The council first declared an emergency agenda addition to select a new Mayor Pro Tempore, after Mayor Gary Wooten said he would be absent from the next council meeting, along with new Councilwoman Linda Rianda. Councilwoman Sandy Anderson nominated Murphy’s appointment to Mayor Pro Tem, Rianda seconded the nomination, and his appointment passed 4-0, with Murphy abstaining. Wooten appointed Rianda to Hepworth’s committees for the Amador County Recreation Agency and the Kennedy Mine Foundation, and also tabbed her for the Administration committee, the Finance Committee and the personnel committee. Councilman Pat Crosby took new assignments on the trash rate increase board, and Murphy took Wooten’s spot on the Personnel Committee, while Wooten took his spot on the Sewer and Public Works Standing Committee. In matters not on the agenda, Sharyn Brown asked about the new roadside kiosk booth that “just appeared” on south Main Street. Brown said “that is a historic district” and the kiosk’s white paint is an eyesore and should blend with surroundings. She asked why it had not gone to the Architectural Review Committee for review, saying “it needed to start looking a little bit more historic.” City Manager Rob Duke said the white paint is primer. Bart Weatherly talked about the local newspaper’s online poll question that asked “are you for or against Gold Rush Ranch.” Weatherly said the poll was less about Gold Rush and more about promoting the website, “which is the direction the paper is going.” He said 4,600 voters split 55 percent for, 45 percent against Gold Rush, and “emotions are running high on both sides.” Wooten said Jack Mitchell, the local publisher, told him that 2,000 of those votes against Gold Rush “were made by 2 people, one male and one female.” Weatherly said “I don’t know anything about that.” The Sutter Creek Planning Commission hosts a meeting 7 p.m. Monday as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Review revision, to look at a revised traffic impact study and take public comment. The city council meeting set for May 4th has been cancelled. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Joint Water Committee heard staff reports from the Amador Water Agency Monday about local and regional water issues. Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said the Plymouth Pipeline project has been dealing with arsenic in soils, and the AWA is working closely with the environmental health department on solutions. Mancebo said it was because of the makeup of a road base that was used on one of the roads along the alignment. He said the finding came during country road right-of-way work and it could hold up the Plymouth Pipeline project. The committee, made up of AWA President Terence Moore and Vice President Bill Condrashoff, and Amador Supervisor Chairman Ted Novelli and Supervisor John Plasse, also discussed the status of the Mokelumne River Water Forum. The East Bay Municipal Utility District board created the forum with a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2005. It includes AWA as a member, as well as 15 other entities including Alpine and Amador Counties, the Calaveras County Water District, the Jackson Valley Irrigation District and the Mokelumne River Water and Power Authority. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the forum has looked at ways to increase water to Oakland, including increasing flows on Lower Bear River, and building the “Duck Creek Project, which started as a project that would dam up the Middle Bar of the Mokelumne River.” He said the Foothill Conservancy, AWA and the CCWD protested it, “so it was modified for an off-stream reservoir project.” Abercrombie said the size of a dam for a Duck Creek Reservoir is unknown and he said the forum should “start doing some water modeling for this so we can optimize storage for future Amador County needs.” Condrashoff said the aquifer, which San Joaquin County wants to use to inject surplus water flows, is “very large and (basically) can hold every drop of the Mokelumne River.” He said he saw problems, including adding of too much water to the groundwater supply, which would create Delta saltwater to back up into freshwater aquifer areas. Mancebo said “it would be impractical to build it large enough to capture the wettest of springs.” Moore said the groundwater extends into Calaveras County’s western end, and Calaveras would benefit from an aquifer injection. Abercrombie said some southern Delta water purveyors were interested in the project as well, as “we have been talking about this for a while, but they will wait until it gets more legs.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.