Amador County – The specter of the Mello Roos default may have returned to Ione. About 200 parcels are on a list of Castle Oaks property parcels that are in default of the second payment of a Mello Roos/Community Facilities District special tax payment. Amador County Tax Collector Michael Ryan said he reported to the city of Ione that about 200 parcels were in default of the 2006 Mello Roos special tax. The Ione City Council tomorrow will discuss a staff report that focuses on properties owned by the developer, JTS Communities Incorporated, and other defaulted parcels in the Castle Oaks Subdivision. City Planner Christopher Jordan said staff prepared a letter to JTS partners to notify them of possible impending action against them. That included 99 parcels owned by JTS. Jordan said other letters would be sent out to individual parcel owners and homeowners. He said the defaults have occurred in all areas of Castle Oaks housing development’s Improvement Areas 1, 2 and 3. Jordan said the staff report in tomorrow’s meeting highlights JTS’s portion of the default areas, but focus on involved private homeowners will not be highlighted that way. A report prepared last Thursday by City Manager Kim Kerr detailed the notification of JTS and its partners and delineated the steps toward foreclosure. The report included information from consultants on Improvement Areas 1 and 2, which Kerr said “have reached the applicable foreclosure threshold.” Kerr said the “next step for these improvement areas is for the city to send letters to delinquent property owners notifying of their delinquency and of the commencement of foreclosure proceedings if special taxes are not paid.” She said the city will need to hire foreclosure attorneys before October 1st, in order to commence proceedings prior to that date. The city also sent a letter to JTS and its partners requesting payment and telling of possible repercussions. The Ione City Council will also be faced with the possibility of conflicts of interest affecting a quorum on the council, as three city council members, Mayor Lee Ard, Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel and Councilman David Plank all live in the Castle Oaks Subdivision. An issue regarding a parcel adjustment request in Castle Oaks came up at the last meeting, with all three potential having to excuse themselves due to a conflict of interest. Staff resolved the matter, to maintain a quorum of at least 3 of the council members to hear the issue, by drawing straws. Plank won the draw, but the issue was tabled. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Region - Republican Jack Sieglock has announced he’ll make another bid in 2010 for the 10th District Assembly seat won by Democrat Alyson Huber last November. Described as one of the harder fought campaigns of 2008, Huber narrowly beat out Sieglock by 474 votes. Sieglock’s lead was anywhere from 9 percentage points to 25 percentage points in San Joaquin, El Dorado and Amador counties, but Huber held a healthy 12-point lead in the more populated areas of Sacramento County. Amador County voted predominantly for Sieglock, 54.55 percent over 37.50 percent. “Maybe six months ago, people didn't think it would be this close. They thought it would be a safe Republican seat,” said Huber, days before her victory was announced. If he were voted in, Sieglock would have become the second consecutive Lodian to gain the seat after Republican Alan Nakanishi termed out. Sieglock — a former Lodi city councilman — said the district remains mostly conservative and he's looking to capitalize on that in the next election. Sieglock claims Huber’s agenda proposes even larger government programs that will take money from taxpayers. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador and Calaveras County Sheriff’s Departments are seeking any leads as to the possible whereabouts of a Stockton man who went missing June 7 at the Moore Creek Campground in Calaveras County. Steve Leslie Sid, a 52-year-old Asian male, was last seen wearing dark denim jeans a white t-shirt and tennis shoes. He is 5’ 10”, approximately 180 pounds. Since the initial missing person report on June 7, “there have been possible sightings by individuals who were in the area of the Moore Creek Campground,’ according to a release from the Amador Sheriff’s Department. The most recent was by a Pacific Gas & Electric employee conducting maintenance work on campgrounds and residences in the area of the Moore Creek and Mokelumne River Campgrounds on Sunday June 8. The employee reported June 10 a possible sighting of Sid near the Moore Creek Tributary. The witness reported that Sid “did not appear to be in distress” and the Stockton Police Department has since deemed that Sid’s disappearance is suspicious in nature. On June 9 and 10, a cooperative search was conducted by foot and helicopter with the assistance of K-9 units. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said it has suspended its search at this time, but the Amador Office says it is still looking. At the present time the Amador County Sheriff's Office is treating Sid’s disappearance as a missing person and is requesting the public’s assistance. On June 7, Sid left Stockton to go camping with friends at the Moore Creek Campground. Just before dark, he took a walk and did not return to the campsite. His companions returned to Stockton and reported him missing. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Steve Sid, contact the Amador County Sheriff’s Department at (209) 223-6500 or the Calaveras Sheriff’s Department at (209) 754-6500. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – An 80-foot bridge drew dozens of onlookers Thursday morning in Sutter Creek. A crew of workers from the Amador Water Agency and the Mountain Cascade Incorporated used a large crane to lift the steel, one-piece bridge from the bank of Sutter Creek, and slowly swing it into place. The bridge was to be fastened to pilings mounted in concrete at either side of the creek, and the full installation was expected to be finished by the afternoon. The AWA said the bridge will open to foot traffic “later this year.” The bridge arrived by truck from southeast Los Angeles County sometime Wednesday and spent Wednesday night parked on Old Highway 49 on the south end of town, next to the Sutter Creek welcome sign. The 8-foot wide, 80-foot long steel bridge was manufactured in one piece, and its unpainted surfaces showed the orange of oxidation, except for its silver galvanized steel footings. It drew professional and amateur photographers to chronicle the installation from different angles. The bridge was placed between Sutter Creek’s riparian civic lots, on Eureka Street, behind City Hall, and on Eureka Street, across from Gallery 10 and Susan’s Place Wine Bar & Eatery. The walking bridge will later be part of the Plymouth potable water pipeline, which will link the town with the AWA’s Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road. The 8-and-a-half mile pipeline will use existing and new piping to connect the town to Amador Water Agency services, and will help lift a 3-decade building moratorium in Plymouth. Mountain Cascade is also contracted to build the $5.6 million dollar pipeline, and reportedly is a month ahead of schedule on the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The city of Ione Wednesday afternoon released its Draft Environmental Impact Report for its city General Plan Update, and announced a public hearing August 5th by the Ione Planning Commission. City Planner Christopher Jordan told the commission Tuesday that the Draft EIR would be available Wednesday afternoon, and he would e-mail it to commissioners. He asked that they take the time between the document’s release and the August 5th public hearing to read the EIR and prepare for the meeting. The city staff announced the availability of the document in an e-mail, saying the “DEIR is required by state law and analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the General Plan.” The release of the document Tuesday started a 45-day comment period during which comments can be made on the Draft EIR, before a public hearing. The public hearing will be the last opportunity for commissioners to look at the draft General Plan and EIR. Jordan “we want the commission to study up until then. We will be asking you to make a recommendation.” The public hearing will take comments. Jordan said after that, the City Council would take up the city General Plan EIR, at a meeting tentatively set for August 26th. The announcement Tuesday said “once the document is certified, it will become the primary environmental document to evaluate planning and permitting actions associated with projects in the city.” Jordan, and his firm, Pacific Municipal Consultants, is on a schedule to complete the General Plan and EIR in a year. He said the meeting August 5th would be the last time the commission sees the EIR, as part of keeping on schedule to complete the document. The project began last September with several public meetings to gather information on the wishes of city residents for the future of Ione. 230 different responses were received by PMC during the meetings. Copies of the Draft EIR were to be available for the public to review at City Hall. The Draft EIR and the current draft of the Ione General Plan are available online at the city’s website, www.ionegeneralplan.com. There are several options for the public to comment, including by e-mail (to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.); by postal mail (to P.O. Box 398, Ione, CA 95640); or in person at the Planning Commission regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday, July 14 in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The public comment period closed 5 p.m. Monday, July 27th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – David Evitt asked the Amador Water Agency board Thursday to send water “surges” down New York Ranch Reservoir Gulch to water his “alder forest.” Drought and dewatering the Amador Canal have killed 22 trees in a year. He cited a settlement agreement between “Protect the Historic Amador Waterways” in which AWA committed to water the alder forest on his father, Russell’s property, about 1,000 feet from the canal, down New York Ranch Gulch. An option included building a well. The water surges, he said, entailed opening a gate a fraction of an inch for 48 hours, once a week, to soak the earth under the trees. On board questioning, he said he did not know how much water the trees needed, but was “trying to fast-pace the well agreement.” AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said the $25,000-dollar agreement paid for studies, and building the well; and the agency spent $29,739 dollars on studies, “and we have not gotten to the well.” Jim Robbins managed the well and study funds, and AWA Chairman Terence Moore said it seemed Robbins “didn’t manage his money very well.” Per the agreement, AWA doesn’t have to give water for the white alders from the canal or Amador Pipeline unless paid a meter rate. Moore asked if Evitt was willing to pay for water. Evitt said there was nothing in the agreement preventing AWA from acting in the spirit of cooperation. And he said Protect Historic Amador Waterways “no longer exists,” having disbanded a year ago. Abercrombie said a 2-inch raw water service connection made by AWA staff at Evitt ranch had a 12-gallon-a-minute flow adequate to fulfill the agreement to water the alders. Evitt said it was inadequate to water the house, and “takes about 20 minutes before the sprinkler system cuts out.” Abercrombie said not the flow but the old, cast-iron delivery system was at fault. A new raw-water connection would cost $2,000 dollars; and Evitt estimated a well would cost $8,000 to $10,000. Moore suggested Evitt seek part of the $100,000 dollar settlement managed by Amador Community Foundation, “for watershed management practices in the Jackson Creek Watershed.” AWA attorney Steve Kronick said Evitt should “try to get a handle on the amount of water necessary to sustain this forest,” and he should check with Robbins to see if the 2-inch connection would provide that amount. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State – The California Transportation Commission announced yesterday that it will allocate $128 million to 75 transportation projects statewide, including $36 million in economic stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Caltrans reported that $25 million of these funds are savings due to lower than expected contractor bids on several California Recovery Act projects earlier this year. “In its ongoing effort to maximize all Recovery Act dollars coming to California, Caltrans will use the savings from these projects to fund other projects that would not have otherwise received funding,” said David Anderson, Information Officer with Caltrans. Amador County has no projects funded through this latest disbursement of funds. Two Recovery Act have been funded locally to date: the application of sealant on Highway 88 totaling $292,510, and “Cold plane AC pavement and rubberized application” on Highway 88 totaling $791,115. Highlights of today’s allocations include $11 million for the installation of roadside fencing at various locations statewide, $11 million to install signs in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to warn vehicles of height restrictions, $14 million to reduce traffic congestion and freeway noise on I-8 in El Cajon in San Diego County, and $29 million to make safety improvements on I-110 in Los Angeles. Calaveras County will receive $1,045,000 for tree planting over an area of approximately 28 acres on Route 4 east of Rolleri Bypass Road. “This is a great example of how effectively we are getting transportation dollars out on the street to create jobs and invest in our state’s future,” said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Early this morning, Thursday June 11th, the Amador Water Agency and contractors were scheduled to haul an 80-foot long steel footbridge into town and lower it into place across the namesake creek in Sutter Creek with a giant crane. AWA requested that the public avoid the creekside construction areas, for safety and to minimize traffic. AWA Construction Manager Ken Hunt said the steel bridge, which will carry foot traffic and also the Plymouth Pipeline across Sutter Creek, was to be delivered sometime Wednesday. It will be hauled toward downtown Sutter Creek and anchored into place today. Engineering and Planning Manager Gene Mancebo said the bridge was so long and the destination roadway so narrow that the crane would be used to carry it around the corner of Main and Church Streets, then place it across Sutter Creek, where it will join city parking lots off of Church and Eureka Streets. Mancebo originally thought the bridge would arrive in pieces and require assembly, but then he found out it would come in one, 8-foot wide, 80-foot long, complete unit, hence the need for the crane. Hunt said the installation of the bridge would take place between 9 and 10 a.m. today. Contractor Mountain Cascade Incorporated and AWA crew members will thread the bridge through town and anchor it in place over Sutter Creek, to connect the lot on Eureka Street, across from Susan’s Place Wine Bar & Eatery, with the lot behind Sutter Creek City Hall, the auditorium and the community center. The one-piece bridge was manufactured by Excel Bridge Manufacturing Company in Santa Fe Springs, in southeast Los Angeles County. It was to be parked on Old Highway 49 in Sutter Hill after delivery. Crews will begin moving it to downtown Sutter Creek beginning at 6 a.m. today and will set it in place on foundations already constructed by Mountain Cascade. For safety and to avoid unnecessary street congestion, the agency it requested that the public avoid the construction areas on both sides of the creek. The Sutter Creek Police Department will coordinate traffic control during construction. Work is expected to be finished by this afternoon, and the bridge will be open to foot traffic later this year. The 8-5-mile Plymouth potable water pipeline project began construction in March and is a month ahead of schedule, working this week along Bunker Hill Road, in the hills north of Amador City. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Ione Planning Commission Tuesday deferred action on request to amend property improvement plans, adjourning the meeting for 2 months. The action was to let owner Heather Broussard consider her plans and revisions. The commission voted 4-0 to adjourn the meeting until August 11th. Broussard was seeking to have the city pay for a 70-foot underground drainage culvert on her property because, she said, the city’s new fire station was built next door and it drains onto her property. She argued that the city was liable for the drainage work on her property because the firehouse drains onto her property. Vanessa Apodaca of city engineer Roark Weber’s office, said the firehouse was redesigned so that its flow did not affect the “prescriptive easement” drainage ditch that runs on Broussard’s property. City Attorney Tim Taylor said Broussard has no case because “prescriptive easement” code says if the scope of the easement is “not exceeding historical peak flows, then the easement hasn’t changed and then there is no inherent right for the property owner to seek” relief. Kerr said rain during construction of the firehouse caused flooding on Broussard’s neighboring property because sandbags diverted flow to holding sections. Apodaca said the firehouse site was designed to hold water on-site, to keep it from flowing higher than “peak flows.” She said water may flow at the peak for a longer period of time, but it will not surpass the peak limit. After the flood, Kerr said a redesign and rebuild at the firehouse site was undertaken, and engineers signed off on the work as suitable for the solution. Broussard disagreed, saying she could produce witnesses who saw flooding on her property after the rebuild. Taylor said if another engineer says the firehouse landscaping has changed historic peak flows, it could open a legal question in the matter. The commission approved an extension of the approved tentative map for Broussard, and voted 3-1 to waive her extension fees, up to $1,300 dollars. Commissioner Mark Hopkins voted against it. Commissioner Joe Wylie said he did “not like any part of this,” and wanted to defer the issue to give Broussard more time. A public hearing at the meeting was opened and closed, and Taylor said the commission could reopen the public hearing at the next meeting, but the issue would start from square one. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Officials from Amador county’s five incorporated cities are seeking ways to retain law enforcement funding now being considered for cuts by the state legislature. Each city currently receives a per capita allocation of $100,000 through the Citizens' Option for Public Safety program, or COPS. This is a program that officials say is vital funding for the small police departments. The COPS program offers cities and counties funding for law enforcement ranging from police officers to district attorney funding to jail construction. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office has recommended funding be cut in half, but the details of that proposal are still vague. Ione City Manager Kim Merr says COPS funding pays for 98 percent of an officer’s costs. “We are estimating that the Police Department’s costs for personnel only next year will be approximately $840,000. We have four police officers positions, one sergeant, records clerk and chief included in the personnel costs,” she said. Ione has not received the full amount of COPS funding for the current year and is concerned that the State will continue to slow pay these payments next year. According to Jeff Gardner, part-time contract Finance Director for the cities of Sutter Creek and Plymouth, these cities are able to fund approximately three-quarters of the cost of one full-time officer position through the program. Gardner said “Plymouth was forced to abandon its law enforcement services approximately 25 years ago and went a long time without its own force.” A police presence hasn’t exactly been necessary as Plymouth’s population has decreased by 10 percent since that time, said Gardner. Sutter Creek, which has approximately 2 and a half times the population of Plymouth, greater growth and greater turnover in population, has kept a strong commitment to retaining its own police force. Gardner said COPS funding accounts for 10 percent of Sutter Creek’s $1 million yearly police budget. The rest of the police budget comes from the city’s general fund, currently in a deficit balance. The City of Jackson has frozen 1 division and hasn’t purchased any new equipment or vehicles. In the face of budget cutbacks and shortages, Jackson City Manager Mike Daly and staff remains proactive. Jackson has applied for federal COPS program assistance made available through stimulus funding. “Part of this application was that if you didn’t get this funding, you’ll have to lay an officer off,” said Daly. He said they should hear whether they qualify by September 30. Jackson has benefited from $81,000 made available through the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Funds, which are received by the state from Indian tribes pursuant to the terms of tribal-state gaming compacts. The League of California Cities, an organization that lobbies for local government, is also working to help save the funds. The league recently brought city officials from across the state to a budget subcommittee hearing to speak and advocate for the program, said Dave Mullinax, a public affairs manager for the league. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.