Amador County – In related news, Congressman and 3rd District Representative Dan Lungren announced today his endorsement of Republican candidate Meg Whitman for Governor. “Meg Whitman possesses both the leadership experience and innovative spirit needed to lead California back to prosperity,” Lungren said. Whitman, a 30-year California resident, has developed a reputation as “one of the world’s most respected business leaders,” according to her campaign website. She has been involved with the strengthening and rebranding of a number of companies, including Ebay, Proctor & Gamble and FTD. Whitman became a billionaire while helping eBay grow to 346 million users. Her past political experience includes working as National Finance Co-chair during Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and as National Co-Chair for McCain-Palin 2008. She has called for sharply shrinking California's work force by laying off more than 30,000 state employees, far more than the 5,000 proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger. “As badly as I feel about the 30,000 or 40,000 people that will lose their jobs, I feel even more badly for the millions of Californians who are paying higher taxes, who are looking at a state that is not working,” Whitman said. Whitman and State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner are against Proposition 1A, which sets state spending limits but trigger $16 billion in extended tax hikes, and Prop 1C, which allows $5 billion in borrowing against future lottery proceeds. Whitman said she is honored to have Lungren’s endorsement. “For three decades, Dan Lungren has served Californians with distinction in Congress and as our attorney general. His commitment to public service is unparalleled as is his integrity and staunch support of conservative ideals,’’ Whitman said. “Her strong values and her vision for creating jobs and curing our state’s out-of-control spending give me great confidence in her ability to fix our broken state government and grow our party,” said Lungren. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Jackson City Council on Monday approved a resolution authorizing the City Attorney to support litigation challenging the constitutionality of proposed state seizures of the city’s street maintenance funds. The litigation is championed by the League of California Cities, an association of city officials working to combine resources that may influence policy decisions that affect cities. Formally titled “Resolution Number 2009-26”, the resolution states that the “current economic crisis has placed cities under incredible financial pressure and caused them to make painful budget cuts,” among a number of other negative results of those impacts. Jackson received the league’s request last Friday and is the first city in Amador County to formally profess its support. “They want to help create an awareness with the public that the state is up to no good…and we chose to support that,” said Jackson City Manager Mike Daly. In his Fiscal Year 2009-10 budget, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed transferring $1 billion in local gas taxes and weight fees to the state general fund in order to help balance the budget, and another $700 million in future years. Daly said the Governor’s proposals would effectively violate restrictions on the state supported in Proposition 5 in 1974 and Proposition 2 in 1998. The resolution states that the estimated $78,335 in local gas taxes proposed to be taken from Jackson “will seriously compromise the City’s ability to perform critical traffic safety related street maintenance.” The resolution directs City Attorney Andy Morris to “take all necessary steps to cooperate with the League of California Cities” and other parties involved if the governor’s proposal becomes law and “unconstitutionally diverts the City’s share of funding from the Highway Users Tax Account, also known as the ‘gas tax’.” Morris is also directed to send the resolution and a letter to the Governor and each legislator in order to express the “City’s adamant resolve to oppose any effort to frustrate the will of the electorate.” Furthermore, a copy of the letter will be sent to all other appropriate parties involved. The resolution was approved by council members Pat Crew, Wayne Garibaldi, Keith Sweet and Mayor Connie Gonsalves. Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis was absent. “We know that the states in a bind but local governments are in a bind as well,” said Daly. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

El Dorado County – Sierra Pacific Industries’ sawmill in Camino closed its doors last Thursday, once again raising debate over the future of forest-based industries in our region and across the country. Sierra Pacific estimates 160 mill workers and 450 workers whose jobs depend on the Camino mill will lose their jobs. After recent closures in Quincy and Sonora, this becomes the third shutdown in the region, bringing the total direct and indirect job loss to almost 1200 jobs, according to Mark Luster, Community Relations Manager for Sierra Pacific Industries. As many as 25 mills have shut down through the last half-century in the Mother Lode region. “Today is a sad day for El Dorado County. The closing of Sierra Pacific’s mill is a great loss to the entire community,” said Senator Dave Cox, who represents this region. Sierra Pacific officials said the “difficult lumber market combined with reduced timber harvests on nearby national forest lands and state regulatory burdens were the primary drivers behind the decision to close the plants.” Luster said about 40 percent of the lumber needed to supply Sierra Pacific’s sawmills comes from the United States Forest Service and other private landowners. “The Forest Service has been under litigation for the last two decades or so, and their supply of timber has dropped about 90 percent in the last 20 or 30 years. That means that we don’t have the log supply to run our sawmills with,” said Luster. Some local officials, like Calaveras District 2 Supervisor Steve Wilensky are pushing for fundamental changes that will allow forest based industries to survive in the future. “It’s a boom-bust cycle that we’ve learned about in the foothills from the Gold Rush to timber to housing. We’ve really hitched our wagon to ponies that tended to go off a cliff,” said Wilensky in an exclusive TSPN interview. Wilensky traveled to Washington, DC, on May 21 to testify before a Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in an Oversight Hearing. Wilensky is pushing for a sustainable forest economy partly based on restoration, watershed protection, and carbon sequestration. “Those things can be wrapped into an economy and could put a lot of people back to work,” he said. Senator Cox is taking a different approach to dealing with these closures. He met with the Governor and legislative leaders earlier this year to ask that the state revise its timber harvest laws with a Timber Harvest Plan/Forest Conservation Plan to allow professional foresters to manage California’s forests. “Had the Governor and Legislative leaders adopted Cox’s request, jobs in the timber industry would have been saved,” wrote one Cox spokesperson in a press release. Cox has also introduced Assembly Bill 1066, which would extend the effective period of a timber harvest plan from three years to five years. Wilenksy says that “every time we have a housing market drop we have a big argument about environmental regulations, but overall, statistically, housing starts dictate the number of board feet in this country, and the housing starts are down to nothing.” He added that “occasionally there will be places where environmental regulations keep people out of certain areas…but we’re looking to treat the Sierra as a whole so those distortions need to be balanced out.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - Legislation to increase government transparency by Assemblymember Alyson Huber passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support late last month. The bills have now passed all necessary Assembly committees and will move to the Assembly floor. “AB 1181 and AB 1274 are good reforms that will help make campaign contributions and lobbying activity details more accessible to the public, not just insiders,” said Assemblymember Huber. “Both Democratic and Republican legislators recognize the need for these reforms and more transparency, and I look forward to moving these bills closer to the Governor’s desk.” AB 1181 would require all state candidate committees, ballot measure committees and slate mail organizations to file contributors online with the Secretary of State’s office. 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. Huber's bills are a long way from becoming law. Both were introduced late last month and have not yet been considered in legislative committees, their next step. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – During Tuesday’s meeting, the Jackson City Council discussed its preliminary budget review and a proposed resolution finding a severe fiscal hardship if additional city property tax funds are seized by the state. In a memo to the council, City Manager Mike Daly wrote, “most indicators point to continued economic struggles and an unlikely increase in total general Fund revenues anytime soon.” He attached a resolution declaring “severe fiscal hardship” and wrote its purpose was to “send a message to the Governor and legislators to keep their hands out of local governments’ pockets and to create a responsible state budget that does not harm local taxpayers receiving local government services.” City of Jackson finances are segregated by three primary fund categories: General Fund, Enterprise Fund, and Special Revenue Funds. According to Daly, the focus of the Fiscal Year 2009-2010 budget process is the wide-reaching General Fund, the primary source of funding for Police and Fire services, as well as streets, parks and facilities maintenance. Much of the General Fund includes Jackson’s most vulnerable source of revenue: sales taxes. “Over the past two years, the City’s sales tax revenues have dropped from a high of $1,344,108 to this year’s estimate of $590,000,” wrote Daly. Considering declining sales tax revenues, he said a “conservative projection of $550,000 (for the General Fund reserve balance) is projected for Fiscal Year 2009-2010.” This reduction has the greatest impact on salaries and benefits, which represents approximately 73 percent of General Fund expenditures. “Clearly, this is all going to have a direct impact on the services we’re providing,” said Daly. The city has reduced spending in most areas and is taking other steps to retain levels of service, such as applying for a Federal COPS grant that would fund approximately of the salary and benefits for one police officer position. Faced with a State Department of Finance recommendation to borrow property tax from local governments in order to “help bail itself out of trouble,” Daly recommended Jackson support a movement by the League of California Cities to reject this proposal. Daly wrote that “continuing the cycle of borrowing to patch holes in a current year budget is not an acceptable budget solution and only delays the inevitable.” Councilman Keith Sweet noted that since June of 2008, Jackson has spent $2 million more than it’s taken in. “We’ve been borrowing from our reserves, and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions before going any further,” he said. The council unanimously approved the resolution. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan joined a panel of law enforcement officers who testified in Sacramento last week in support of legislation to crack down on methamphetamine dealers. Assembly Bill 640, written by 10th District Assemblywoman and Amador County representative Alyson Huber, passed its first major hurdle when it was subsequently approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee after the hearing last Thursday. “There is no mandatory jail time for sellers of methamphetamines under current law,” said Huber. Huber says meth is the largest drug problem in California and putting meth dealers behind bars is a top priority. Under current law, there are mandatory minimum sentences for the sellers of cocaine, heroine and PCP but not methamphetamine. “We’ve got 60,007 treatment admissions in California and less than 700 in the state of New York. That tells you that we’re not doing enough in California to fight this methamphetamine use,” said Huber. More than 40 percent of methamphetamine abusers nationwide come from California. Ryan said that “in 2008, out of 118 investigations conducted by our Narcotics Task Force, 46 of those involved methamphetamine- 39 percent. By contrast we had 8 heroin cases, 1 cocaine case.” Assembly Bill 640 would increase current sentences by imposing a minimum jail time of 120 days as a condition of probation. The Assembly Bill was approved by the committee and goes on to seek final approval through the Legislature. (end) am Story by Alex Lane

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.

State – Today, May 19th, Amador County voters 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 1F, which encourages a balanced state budget “by preventing elected members of the Legislature and statewide constitutional officers, including the Governor, from receiving pay raises in years when the state is running a deficit.” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has warned voters that if all six propositions – 1A through 1F- don’t pass, he will recommend severe cuts in education and social services, as well as the release of nearly 20,000 incarcerated illegal immigrants to federal authorities for immediate deportation. The latest polls show 1F as the only proposition likely to pass. Supporters of 1F say that “by stopping Legislative pay raises during State budget deficits, we can save our state millions of dollars when they’re needed most and bring accountability to the Legislature.” Since 2005, legislators have had their pay increased three separate times. Currently, California legislators are paid $116,208 annually, which is the highest among state legislators in the U.S. Opponents are few, but include Pete Stahl, author of “Pete Rates the Propositions,” who submitted a ballot argument against Proposition 1F. Stahl says that compared to the salary earned by executives at large companies, state legislator salaries are a “terrific bargain.” He believes it’s false to believe that legislators are influenced by how much money they make rather than their underlying political beliefs. Be sure to vote today on this and other highly contentious propositions that will decide the immediate future of California’s fiscal situation. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Pine Grove Council last week talked about various sources of frozen funding, including an earmark by Congressman Dan Lungren that would study the Pine Grove Corridor. Funds are stalled from distribution because proper forms have not been submitted, according to council member John Carlson. He and Lynda Burman spoke with Neal Peacock of the Amador County Transportation Commission. Burman reported that “Neal said he felt like a bride jilted at the altar.” Carlson said Peacock is working to process the request for federal funding through the California Department of Transportation. One man asked about the possibility of a public outcry putting a stop to a 5-line expansion on Highway 88, through Pine Grove. Council member Andy Byrne said the “community cannot say no until we know the options,” and the community, and ACTC, “must explore what the project would be.” Carlson said they will try to set up town hall meetings to tell people what is going on and what the funding will do for what studies. He said a total of $640,000 dollars was coming to study the Pine Grove Corridor project, of which Peacock will spend about $360,000 dollars for consultants. He said Peacock “has been very adamant about public involvement.” Byrne said the process will ask the people what they want, and the “community might say, ‘Well, go screw yourselves, we don’t want it.’ ” One man asked again if that would kill a 5-lane expansion on Highway 88. He also asked if the community wanted to “spend $360,000 dollars to study this?” Byrne said after past community meetings, “the consensus was: There is a problem. And the next step is to study it and come up with potential solutions.” The Pine Grove Council meets 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, at the Pine Grove Town Hall. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione City Council next week will consider adopting a resolution opposing the state government’s taking a loan from municipal property tax funding. The resolution is patterned on one sent recently in a memo from Chris McKenzie, Executive Director, of the League of California Cities. The city council will consider passing the resolution that says “a severe fiscal hardship will exist if additional city property tax funds are seized and additional unfunded mandates are adopted by the state of California.” Ione City Manager Kim Kerr in a report to the council Tuesday said the California Department of Finance on May 5th “announced it had proposed to the governor that the state “borrow” more than $2 billion dollars in “local property taxes from cities, counties and special districts to balance the state budget, causing deeper cuts in local public safety and other vital service.” Kerr said in order to start that process, the governor would have to issue a proclamation declaring the existence of a “severe fiscal hardship.” The Legislature would then have to implement the “borrowing” program by passing urgency legislation, with a 2/3rds majority vote, which identifies how the “loan” will be repaid with interest. The Ione resolution notes “cumulative property tax losses of cities statewide” is $8.6 billion. Kerr said Ione has lost $25,524 dollars due to the shift, since the early borrowing began statewide, in the 1990s. If the state “borrows” these funds from Ione, the city will lose approximately 8 percent of its property taxes for fiscal year 2009-2010. In 2007-2008, Ione received $1.49 Million Dollars in property taxes and vehicle license fees. Kerr said if Ione gets the same amount next year and the State “borrows” 8 percent, the city would lose $119,174 for the year. The property tax loss would impact the city’s budget and require reductions to ensure a balanced budget. Kerr recommended the council pass the resolution, which states that Ione “cannot sustain the loss of any more property tax funds or to be saddled with any more state mandates as they will only deepen the financial challenge facing our city.” If passed, copies of the resolution would be sent to the governor, state senators and assembly members and the League of California Cities. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.