Amador County – The Amador Air District Board of Directors last week heard an upbeat update from Rene Chapman of Foothill Rideshare, who said due to increased interest, the program needs a van for its Vanpools. The program operates on a $10,000-dollar DMV Fee Grant it received through the Air District last August, to establish the Vanpools, or carpools with vans, to serve Amador County commuters. Chapman said “Foothill Rideshare is going strong, and it had a real jump when gas prices skyrocketed.” She said the program has had 2 or 3 people sign up per month since the beginning of the year. The Rideshare database had 230 people in it this time last year, she said, and it now has 500 individuals signed up. She said Rideshare sign-ups takes names, leaving points and destinations, which go into the database and “cluster people to form van pools.” She said the program is structured to cover 5 vanpools. If the budget warrants it, it can be cut down to 2 vanpools. She said the program does not yet have an operating vanpool, but is nearing the number of sign-ups to have a “cluster” of riders big enough to create a vanpool route. She said the county has a “need to reduce our vehicle miles traveled as a county, as an area,” due to air quality. She said Rideshare does not own a van for its vanpool. Board Chairman, Supervisor Ted Novelli asked what type of van Rideshare sought: a 12-, 15-, or 18- seater. Chapman said it needed to carry at least 6 riders, the number needed to get a vanpool going. She said Rideshare matches usually have 5 or 6 people in a “cluster,” up from 2 or 3 people in the clusters last year. The vanpool groups contain only people interested in riding in a vanpool, and she said there is enough people to get a van for the program. But she said, after talking to Enterprise Rent-a-Car, “it’s not going to be cost-effective to lease a van.” Novelli asked her to come back with some costs on the purchase of a used van, in 2 months. The Air District Board next meets 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28th, in the supervisor chambers, as its March meeting was canceled. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - An argument between two brothers-in-law in Pioneer last Saturday led to one of the brothers being stabbed, according the reports by the Amador County Sheriff’s Department. Amador County Undersheriff James Wegner reported Monday that Sheriff’s Officers responded to a call at approximately 5:11pm from the Ok Corral Hotel & Lounge in Pioneer. The caller reported that a man had just been stabbed. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found a 45-year-old man suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen. The victim reported that the would was the result of an altercation between himself and his brother-in-law over employment. He said that his brother-in-law pulled a knife from his back pocket and stabbed him in the stomach. The victim and witnesses reported that the assailant, who was identified as Richard Anthony Bogdanowicz, 57, of Pioneer, fled the scene in a blue pickup truck. Sheriff Deputies immediately visited Bogdanowicz’s residence where he was arrested on the spot and the knife used for the stabbing was recovered. Bogdanowicz was booked into the Amador County Jail charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set pursuant to schedule at $20,000.00. American Legion Ambulance, Amador Fire Protection District and Cal Fire personnel provided medical care for the victim who was subsequently flown by Air Med 42 to Sutter Roseville Hospital for treatment. The victim’s name was not released. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calaveras County – Three Mountain Ranch residents were killed and two others were injured in a 2-vehicle crash on Mountain Ranch Road in Calaveras County Sunday. The San Andreas Unit of the California Highway Patrol said Kallie Montgomery, 22, was driving a 2002 Chevrolet east on Mountain Ranch Road, west of Michel Road, in a light rain when the vehicle began to hydroplane, allowing her car to spin out of control. CHP said “Montgomery’s car slid into the opposing lane of traffic, directly” into the path of a 2001 Toyota truck, driven by Shenandoah Roberts, 26, also of Mountain Ranch. The front of Roberts’ truck collided with the passenger side of the Chevy. CHP said “3 of the Chevrolet’s occupants subsequently succumbed to their injuries while at the scene.” Dead at the scene were Montgomery, and her passengers, Jeremy Peters, 34, and Skye Montgomery, 17, all of Mountain Ranch. Another of her passengers, Trenton Montgomery, 16, was taken to Mark Twain Hospital, then by helicopter ambulance to Doctor’s Hospital in Modesto, where he was in critical condition early Monday. Roberts was transported to Mark Twain Hospital and treated for injuries ranging from minor to moderate. CHP said Montgomery’s vehicle speed was undetermined at the time o a Monday afternoon report. Roberts was driving at approximately 40 miles per hour. Both vehicles sustained major damage. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione City Council today will review a report on the reformation of the Amador County Transportation Commission into a Joint Powers Authority, or some other entity. City Manager Kim Kerr in a report for today’s meeting said possible reformation of ACTC into a JPA, a transportation authority, or something else, could not happen unless “numerous things” occurred, “including a report from ACTC to the City Council.” And any “organization structure … will require approval by the City Council to join.” She said “staff wanted to share the information regarding the discussions and get direction.” Kerr said Executive Director Charles Field reported the “reasons why ACTC believes it needs to reform the agency powers.” Field in a February 13th report to ACTC Commissioners explained the workshop and meetings with ACTC members, represented by their 5 city managers and Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Teri Daly. Field said from the meetings, the Daly and the city managers agreed that ACTC staff “present a summary report to each city council and the Board of Supervisors concerning the traditional roles and the increasing new roles that ACTC has been implementing on their behalf.” That includes ACTC’s current work as a local transportation commission and transportation planning authority, along with developing and implementing area-wide plans and action programs for transporation; and obtaining and securing public and private funds. Field said the county CAO and city managers also “agreed they will support ACTC staff’s recommendation that the ACTC become a JPA for the expressed purpose of carrying out these responsibilities on behalf of the cities and county.” Those express responsibilities included: owning property, administering traffic mitigation fee programs; and assuming the “lead role in developing transportation improvement projects,” (including environmental clearance and design.) Field said The ACTC’s study group of city managers and CAO also “agreed that the JPA should not include ACTC’s ability to implement a ½-cent sales tax program, sell bonds, or carry out other roles or authority beyond that which it exercises at the present time.” The latter includes items administering tax bond measures; issuing bonds to finance, if included in the ballot; exercising eminent domain; overseeing construction of transportation projects; administering special assessment or tax districts; and changing the makeup of the ACTC’s membership. Today will be Ione City Council’s chance to review the matter before it is submitted to the city councils and Board of Supervisors in April or May. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Sales and use taxes throughout California will increase in range from 8.25 percent to 10.25 percent, according to information from the California State Board of Equalization. The statewide 1 percent sales and use tax increase is effective April 1st and a provision of the newly signed budget agreement. In addition, there are also a number of local measures designed to provide revenue for local causes. In Amador County, Measure M, or the half percent sales tax increase to support Amador Fire Protection and emergency response, passed on the November Ballot 69.30 percent over 30.70 percent. Amador County sales tax will see an increase of .50 percent, up to 8.75 percent. It is estimated that the 1 percent statewide sales tax increase will generate $1.187 billion in new General Fund revenues for the remainder of the 2008-09 fiscal year, and approximately $4.632 billion in 2009-10. Information offered to retailers by the Board of Equalization specifies how the taxes should be collected and remitted. The state and local sales and use tax rate will break down to 8.25 percent for the state and 1 percent for local purposes. The largest increase in the State comes in Pico Rivera, a city with a population of 63,000 located in southeastern Los Angeles County. City officials there have raised fees for public services 1 percent to total 10.25 percent in hopes of collecting another $650,000 for Pico Rivera's coffers. The Board of Equalization is mailing a special Notice, Sales and Use Tax Rate Increases on April 1st to nearly 850,000 California retailers and out of state businesses with transactions in California. The five-member California State Board of Equalization is collects more than $53 billion annually in taxes and fees supporting state and local government services. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek Planning Commission last week wanted an access road to be built in the Gold Rush Ranch & Gold Resort. Commissioner Frank Cunha said “an access road must be built before building permits are issued,” in Phases 3 or 4 of the project. He said “originally, it was not required until occupancy permits were issued.” Commission Chairman Robin Peters agreed, said that Gold Rush “could have 200 homes on the west side of town 90 percent completed,” in two months, and “you’d have an awful lot of emotional leverage to hold over the city.” He said he had “seen it before, before this commission.” Cunha said it was important to have the access road built before Phase 3 or 4, because past projects had asked to do phases out of sequence, to avoid paying for things like the access road, “and the city council approved it.” Other items of discussion included the number of single-family homes by lot sizes. Gold Rush’s Greg Bardini said the developers had “no crystal ball,” but the plan said that the “majority of the lots are not less than 7,000 square feet.” But he did not have a specific number. Cunha said Sutter Creek’s General Plan does not allow “mass grading, but if you put in all 5,000-square-foot lots, the only way to do it is with mass grading.” Consultant Anders Hauge suggested the commission use a unique designation for the Gold Rush specific plan, then work with the applicant on single-family lots and percentages thereof. Commissioner Cort Strandberg said: “The economy constantly pushes everyone to produce cheap crap.” He said in spite of that, he found himself nodding in agreement with the developer’s proposals, then later thinking: “Hmm, well what’s going to happen?” Commissioner Mike Kirkley said he agreed with Cunha that he was “most worried about getting mass grading,” especially if another developer came in later with “crap – cookie-cutter” housing. Hauge said they should work with the applicant, who is offering to meet the commission’s goals to give “affordable housing by design” and to preserve oak trees, among other things. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Ione Band of Miwok Indians joined dozens of national Indian tribes in a legal limbo this week when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tribes recognized after 1934 cannot have land taken into federal trust. The 6-3 ruling was released Tuesday on a case heard by the high court in November. The Boston Globe reported Wednesday that “the court decided that land-trust status should have been granted only to tribes that were federally recognized before 1934.” The Ione Band of Miwok Indians is currently in the application stage of having land in and around Plymouth taken into trust, for the purpose of a 2,000-slot machine casino. Tribal spokesman Matthew Franklin did not return a call before air time to comment on how he thought the ruling might affect the Ione Miwok’s casino project. The tribe lists on its Website that it was federally recognized on March 22nd, 1994. In the Supreme Court case: Carcieri v. Salazar, the governor of Rhode Island sued the Narragansett tribe, which argued that 31 acres of land it owned in Charlestown, R.I., should be placed in federal trust. The Globe reported that: “State officials, concerned that the tribe would create a tax-free zone or build a casino, argued that federal law prevents the U.S. government from taking land into trust for tribes recognized after the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The Narragansett Tribe was federally recognized in 1983. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston rejected the state's claim in July 2007, but the Supreme Court reversed that decision (Tuesday)… Debate hinged on the phrase ‘now under federal jurisdiction,’ wording in the 1934 law. Rhode Island officials argued it meant the law would apply only to tribes that were recognized when the law was passed, while the tribe argued it was ambiguous.” The Globe quotes Justice Clarence Thomas’ majority opinion, which stated that: "Because the record in this case establishes that the Narragansett Tribe was not under federal jurisdiction when the (Indian Reorganization Act) was enacted, the secretary does not have the authority to take the parcel at issue into trust." The Ione Band of Miwok Indians proposes 120,000-square feet of facilities for its casino and “world class hotel,” with 2,000 gaming machines and 40 table games in a 65,000-square foot of gaming area. The 700-member tribe also proposes facilities for entertainment, Bingo, conventions, meetings, childcare, offices and a lounge and bar area. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - A new program designed to better inform the public of sex offenders in their area has been adopted by the Amador County Sheriff. Ryan touted the new site as a “proactive notification form” that regularly updates subscribes with changes in sex offender status in their area. “The value of it, as opposed to Megan’s Law…is that you don’t have to do anything but go in and sign up,” said Ryan. Megan’s Law, enacted in 1994, is an informal name for laws in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. The details of what is provided as part of sex offender registration and how community notification is handled vary from state to state, and in some states the required registration information and community notification protocols have changed many times since Megan's Law was passed. In total there are 100 offenders in Amador County. 15 are within the incorporated city limits of Jackson, Sutter Creek and Ione, 22 are in Mule Creek State Prison, and 63 live in the unincorporated areas of the county monitored by the Sheriff’s department. None of the offenders in Amador County are classified as sexually violent, but 18 in the unincorporated jurisdiction are considered “serious.” Only 39 sex offenders are disclosed to the public through Megan’s Law in Amador County. “Certain violations are not on the disclosable list to the general public,” said Ryan. Offender Watch is a private company specializing in private service to law enforcement like the Amador County Sheriff. Ryan said the subscription cost is approximately $3,500 a year. The service began locally in April of 2008. To access the site or for more information, visit the Amador County Sheriff on the web. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council rejected a water rate study because of its cost last week, and asked staff to try to get a lower price on the work. Staff proposed Bob Reed of the Reed Group Incorporated do a water rate study, at a cost of $19,000. Consultant Richard Prima said Reed would look at establishing a tiered rate structure. Mayor Jon Colburn said he was “fearful that we might spend $19,000 and then decide that this might not be feasible.” Councilwoman Patricia Fordyce said a $15 dollar service charge should be dropped to $1 dollar. Prima said he didn’t “see the service charge being reduced to a dollar; maybe 2 or 3 dollars. Councilman Mike O’Meara said he would like to see lower water costs and Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said she would like to see the service charge and the rates both lowered, so all users can save money. Mayor Jon Colburn said the price of the study would equate to spending $38 dollars per Plymouth customer. He said the previous rate study should be used, and they could plug in new numbers. Prima said the last rate study by Reed used 2006 numbers, and this would use 2007 and 2008 data. Fordyce asked if financial officer Jeff Gardner could do the study. Gardner said Reed is a water engineer. Prima said he had not done such a study before but could probably do it, but he was not sure how quickly he could finish. Colburn said “we don’t care how fast you are, it’s how cheap you are” that matters. Councilman Greg Baldwin said he thought they should look at what other cities are doing. He said “it’s not rocket science; some of our staff can probably do that.” City Manager Dixon Flynn said he or Prima could likely do the study, but not in time to have it before the summer. Baldwin said he thought Reed’s talk of the new study meant “plugging in some numbers, not $19,000 dollars. If that’s the case, then we need to fire him too.” The council sent Flynn to talk to Reed about the work and lowering the cost. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last Thursday rejected a request for more expenses for its Planning consultant, and sent staff to study its agreement with the city planners. City Planner Darcy Goulart said the amendment to the planning department’s budget for General Plan work, including answering public comments, would total $25,000, instead of the original $32,000 listed in the agenda packet. She said the “comment letters are taking more time to answer” than they thought. Councilman Greg Baldwin asked if the letters were from people who lived out-of-town. City Manager Dixon Flynn said “city staff has expressed a concern to me that this (General Plan) probably could have been scaled down.” But he said “at this point, we can’t back up and start over.” Councilman Mike O’meara asked if it was “going to become a bottomless pit.” Baldwin said “it’s time to fire somebody. This is the people’s money.” Flynn said the Environmental Impact Report of the General Plan would include public comment that must be answered and will cost even more money. The council rejected the request for the $25,000 budget change, and asked Flynn to read the contract with Goulart and Development Impact Incorporated of Elk Grove. They also told Flynn to “talk with the city attorney if needed,” and put the issue on the agenda for the next meeting. O’Meara also asked to see how much money the city has spent with the company. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.