Amador County – The grassroots group, No Casino In Plymouth announced it was pleased with federal level developments that could impact proposed Indian gaming in Amador County. Elida Malick, a founding member of No Casino In Plymouth, and a former city councilwoman for Plymouth, said the Matthew “Franklin-led Ione Band” was not restored according to the Department of the Interior Solicitor General. Malick also said the recent Supreme Court ruling that the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, in effect, was a decision that the “Secretary of Interior does not have the authority to take land into trust.” Malick said: “No Casino In Plymouth is encouraged by the action of the Solicitor and the Court as both present significant problems for the Franklin-led Ione Band in their attempt to build a casino in Plymouth.” On January 16th, lead Interior Department attorney David Bernhardt reversed the “2006 restored lands opinion,” for the Ione Band. In a memo to Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development George Skibine, Solicitor Bernhardt said after review of the opinion, he concluded it was wrong and no longer represented the legal position of the Office of the Solicitor. The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision followed on February 24th, saying that the Secretary of the Interior does not have authority to take land into trust for tribes not under federal jurisdiction in 1934. Malick said: “Exactly what these actions mean for the proposed casino in Plymouth is not entirely clear but” the “reversal of the restored lands opinion means the Franklin-led Ione Band is not restored and the lands in Plymouth are not restored lands and are not eligible for a casino.” She thanked the community for 6 years of support and said “No Casino In Plymouth is “proceeding with caution.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - Opponents to wording in Proposition 1E, a ballot measure to temporarily take money from a 2004 health initiative, settled the lawsuit March 5th in Sacramento Superior Court. The Proposition is scheduled to appear on the May 19 ballot measure. “This is a good and fair resolution,” said Rusty Selix, who sued to change the language. “The new language discloses to voters that they are being asked to approve changes to an initiative they passed in 2004.” Selix was the legal proponent of that measure, Proposition 63, which funded new mental health programs with a 1 percent tax surcharge on personal income above $1 million. Opponents called the new measure “false and misleading.” Selix does not hide his opposition to the proposed health cuts or using money once designated for other programs to help balance the state budget. Under the ruling read by Judge Michael Kenney, new language for both the short “ballot label” and for the title and summary for the measure were agreed upon between parties prior to entering the court hearing. The original ballot title, “Ensures Funding For Children's Mental Health Services. Helps Balance State Budget” was changed to read “Mental Health Funding. Temporary Reallocation. Helps Balance State Budget.” The language within the original ballot label was altered as well. Prop 1E cuts up to $460 million from voter-mandated Proposition 63 mental health programs over the next two fiscal years. Prop. 1E opponents had objected to the parts of the ballot descriptions suggesting that the measure would "preserve funding for children's mental health services," and that Prop 1E "guarantees and protects" funding for a specific program that is provided through Medi-Cal. That program is a federal mandate and will be provided at the same funding level whether Prop. 1E passes or fails. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - A spending bill making its way through the U.S. Senate could authorize nearly $240,000 in funds to bolster Amador County’s fledgling Community College program. “This appropriation would provide a significant shot-in-the¬ arm to the ongoing and long term process of establishing a community college presence in Amador County,” said Amador County Administrative Officer Terri Daly. She has been working closely with the Amador Community College Foundation throughout the two-year effort on public outreach and encouraging local and regional support. “Senator Dianne Feinstein spearheaded this effort, and we owe her many thanks,” said Daly. The Democratic Senator has made it a priority of her office to secure federal funds through the College Preparation Initiative to provide local educational programming. The request was also strongly supported by Senator Barbara Boxer, who has previously assisted with efforts to enhance the community college presence in Amador County. Last July, College Foundation president and former Supervisor Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Richard Vinson stated, “Senator Feinstein recognizes the importance of higher education opportunities for California's rural communities and has long been supportive of Amador County's educational initiative. We are grateful for the leadership and involvement of Senators Feinstein and Boxer and their professional staff on this issue of great importance to our region.” Progress so far has resulted in a cooperative effort with Consumnes River College, which currently supplies instructors to teach in classrooms belonging to the Amador Unified School District and supplied to the Amador Learning Center. The ultimate goal is to rectify the fact that Amador is the only county in the state not to be associated with any community college district. Learning Center officials say this denies higher education opportunities and provides little incentive for young adults to remain in the area. "Outward migration of students to colleges and workers to jobs outside the county economically drains resources in, and shifts tax-based income away from Amador County,” said center officials through their website. The Amador Community College Foundation and Amador County urge residents to enroll in the currently offered classes to demonstrate local interest and a need for a formal community college presence. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission delivered its Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee Annual Report last month and discussed it last week with the Ione City Council. Executive Director Charles Field said the report was for fiscal year 2007-2008, with the ACTC oversight committee’s recommendations for program funding for this fiscal year, including $530,000 in spending for 4 projects. “Regional traffic mitigation fees collected by all cities and the County per the 2006 MOU was $283 per “trip end.” In 2007 and 2008, Field said, ACTC members “approved resolutions increasing the amount for inflation to $304 dollars per trip end.” Program revenues, including interest, totaled $5.8 Million Dollars through June 30, 2008. The report showed the total fees collected by each ACTC member since 2002-2003. Amador County contributed $3.22 Million Dollars to the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee Program. Jackson put in a total of $715,000 dollars over those 6 years. Sutter Creek contributed $702,000 dollars and Ione put in $662,000 dollars. The Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel & Conference Center gave $112,000 dollars in fiscal year 2003-2004 and none the other 5 years. The report showed 11 roadway projects with the program’s funding obligated for work. That included $1.3 Million dollars for the Sutter Street extension in Jackson and $1.2 Million dollars for Sutter-Ione Road in Sutter Creek. Another $950,000 was marked for Mission Boulevard in Jackson and $757,000 dollars was marked for Highway 49 and Main Street in Jackson. Phase 2 of the Ione Bypass – now called the Western Ione Roadway System – was $289,000. Argonaut Lane at Highways 49 & 88 was listed for $208,000 in work; Prospect Drive and Highway 104 in Sutter Creek had an earmark for $162,000; Highway 88 at Ridge Road in Pine Grove had $100,000 dollars; Highway 49 at Main Street in Plymouth was listed for $100,000 dollars; and Court Street in Jackson was tabbed for $78,000 dollars in work. The ACTC oversight committee recommended $531,000 for 4 projects this fiscal year, including $211,000 dollars for Prospect Drive; $205,000 for Mission Boulevard; $205,000 dollars for the Western Ione Roadway System; and $90,000 dollars for Argonaut Lane. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Hundreds of rodeo riders will mosey into Plymouth next Friday for the 2009 Challenge of Champions Rodeo. The 3-day California High School Rodeo Association is the statewide high school championships and is set for March 20th to 22nd, next Friday through Sunday at the Amador County Fairgrounds. Committee Chairman and Plymouth local, Craig Williams said the Challenge of Champions marks its 12th year in Pokerville and 36th year overall. It spent its first quarter-century at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Williams said the championship caliber of the contestants shows in their “exceptional athleticism and talent” with a “unique sense of spirit and sportsmanship.” The Challenges features the “top 3 contestants in each event from the 9 high school districts of the association in California.” Williams said the “association’s commitments encourage character building and team involvement, but also place emphasis on education with a required scholastic standing to compete. The event encourages a healthy, competitive spirit while bringing families closer together.” The Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel & Conference Center is also marking its 12th year as the Challenge of Champions major sponsor. Williams said much community support, including from the Amador County Fair Board, “has made the Challenge a success.” Performances will be announced by nationally know announcers Chad Nicholson and Steve Goddard, along with performances all tree days by famous rodeo clown, Clint Sylvester, also known as “Wolfie.” On Saturday the “trick riding and roping group, Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls, will perform. The Riata Girls’ mission is “Empowering young people by building positive life skills, provide a safe and effective environment in which to learn and change lives by making good kids great citizens.” On Sunday, the award winning California Cowgirls Drill Team will appear. Cargill Incorporated and its six division, including Nutrena, has become a statewide sponsor for the Special Rodeo program, which allows the Challenge to share the sport of rodeo with young people with special needs. Friday’s cutting competition starts at 7 a.m. with the “final go” to follow. The rodeo performance is 6 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the Special Rodeo is at 11 a.m. and the rodeo begins at 1 p.m. Sunday starts with Cowboy Church at 10 a.m., followed by rodeo finals at noon, with award presentations to follow. Admission is $8, with kids under age 6 free. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - A Historic Preservation Workshop detailing the advantages of Historic Preservation and a Certified Local Government, or CLG Program, is scheduled for April. Presented by the Office of Historic Preservation, the workshop will focus on preservation, certified governments, heritage and cultural tourism, and how these work well together. The CLG program is a preservation partnership among local governments, the State of California, and the National Park Service. Focused on promoting historic preservation at the grass roots level, the program is jointly administered in each state, with each local community working through a certification process to become recognized as a CLG. CLGs then become an active partner in the Federal Historic Preservation Program and are also eligible to apply for grant funding. The workshop is designed to promote the advantages of CLG membership. The key reason is that access certification provides to the expert technical advice of the State Offices as well as partnerships with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, Preserve America, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Access to Federal funding is another promoted benefit. Certified communities are able to access the portion of Federal funds that are set aside annually by each State Historic Preservation Office, which distributes at least 10% of its annual federal Fund allocation to CLGs through a competitive grant program.The Historic Preservation Office awarded $143,000 to eight CLGs. The workshop is 6pm, April 7th in the Board of Supervisors Chambers in Jackson. Staff Report, Alex Lane Contributed This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Amador County Democratic Central Committee unanimously endorsed a resolution at its monthly meeting declaring support for the Employee Free Choice Act, currently being debated before Congress. The resolution will go before the State Democratic Party Convention in April to be approved for state party support. "In this time of financial upheaval for so many Americans, it just makes sense to take down the walls that prevent so many workers from being able to enjoy the benefits of union membership and make a decent living," said Randy Bayne, Chair of the Amador Democratic Party. The Employee Free Choice Act contains three proposals designed to “level the playing field for employees and employers.” These include strengthening penalties against companies that illegally coerce or intimidate employees in an effort to prevent them from forming a union; using a neutral third party to settle a contract; and letting employees decide how to express their choice to organize. "This resolution says that we support a sensible approach to allowing workers to join a union by putting that choice in to the hands of workers, where it belongs,” said Bayne. Amador County will have seven people at the State Democratic Convention. In addition to Bayne, Vice-Chair Caryl Callsen, Secretary Sally Trestrail, Judy Hotchkiss, Kathy Trenam, Marcie Bayne and Democratic Club of Amador County President Liz McCulloch are all delegates. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A 16-year-old girl was injured Thursday morning at Amador High School when a pickup truck driven by a parent ran into her. Amador High School Principal Al Van Velzen said it happened at about 8 a.m., before school started. Megan Gregorius, 16, of Pine Grove, a junior at Amador, was hit by a truck and was Transported to Sutter Amador Hospital by ambulance. Van Velzen said “it wasn’t’ an emergency situation.” He said “A parent was driving a car at just low speeds out of our drop-off area and hit her.” He said the pickup truck bumped her. “I don’t think she even fell down.” Van Velzen said she was recovering; and “From what we hear, she has a bruised shoulder and ribs.” He did not want to release the name of the parent and he was not aware of any charges filed. Officer T. Delrio of the Sutter Creek Police Department said “Charges are not going to be filed against the driver. Per witness accounts, he was going at a very, very low speed,” and the girl ran out of the bushes and ran out in front of the truck, which then hit her. Delrio said “she did suffer a couple of broken ribs.” Gregorius “claimed she was run over” by the truck but witnesses at the scene said otherwise. He said it looked like she was coming out of the bushes, running to class, then got hit. She got up to run on to class, Delrio said. The driver, Jason Zysman, 32, of Amador County, told her to stop and lay down because she was just hit by his truck. He told her he is a firefighter or some type of trained first responder, and she said, “help me,” then he helped her, Delrio reported. “She was in quite a bit of pain.” Story by Jim Reece.

Amador County – The front lawn of Castle Oaks Golf Course on Highway 104 in Ione could be the new home to 70,000- square feet of retail, and 153 single-family homes, the Ione City Council learned Wednesday. A special joint session of the council and Planning Commission heard a very preliminary plan from JTS Communities and new partners, Studio 81. Rob Aragon of JTS said this is the 20th year of the incarnation of the development that is Castle Oaks, which was started as a 10-year build-out project. The hotel or motel is removed from that site, near the existing office building, and may be placed elsewhere. He said the market climate has changed drastically since 2005, and it is a bad market. He said he was at the special workshop Wednesday to find out city leaders’ reaction to the new project, with 153 single-family homes, 70,000 square feet of retail space, and 7 buildings to house 9 units each, for a total of 63 multi-family housing units. He was there, he said, to see if the city council and the planning commission of Ione “would be offended” by those proposals. Aragon said JTS got involved with the Castle Oaks project in 2004, and “millions of dollars have been invested to fix that (Community Facilities District) bond drama.” In 2 years, they have sold more than 100 homes in Castle Oaks, or about 50 a year. This year they have “pulled about 30 building permits,” and now he was before them, with Studio 81’s Bill Crump and Karen West. He said “we are very much at the conceptual stage of this project.” He was there to get input from city leaders, in order to “deliver the best project for the city.” He said the project would likely begin with buildings for potential medical offices, next to the existing building at the corner of Castle Oaks Drive and Fairway Drive. The 70,000 square feet of retail could house such things as outdoor dining, a deli, dry cleaning, and retail, “depending on what demand is for each of those services.” About 24,000 square feet would be for medical offices, and he had spoken with Mule Creek Prison medical staff, who do not have office space of their own. Story by Jim Reece.

Amador County – Rob Aragon of JTS Communities fielded questions about a new phase proposed Wednesday for Castle Oaks, for 153 new single-family homes, 63 multi-family units, and 70,000 square feet of retail and medical offices. Mayor Lee Ard asked if he had spoken with Kaiser Permanente, which had become a local presence, when “HMOs left town 4 or 5 years ago.” Aragon said a “first step is getting with the Kaisers of the world,” and Mule Creek might need medical office space. The multi-family units might be condominiums or townhomes, and Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel said he would prefer that location, to the right of Castle Oaks Drive, might be better used if they swap a hotel with the multi-family units. Schaufel said “personally, I feel many people are looking forward to a motel coming here in Ione.” Aragon said he has met with developers, who have rejected the hotel concept. He said to invest millions for a motel, the amount of traffic needed for it to be viable was not going to happen. If it was going to happen, he said it would have happened already. Ard and City Manager Kim Kerr said CDF was planning to build dormitories to house its trainees, cutting traffic from Ione to Sutter Creek’s motel. Aragon said the economic climate had “gotten worse” since 2005, and selling retail space, “even 10,000 square feet of this is going to be a very long discussion.” Commissioner Mike McDermed said the medical offices are “very viable.” Dominic Atlan of Castle Oaks, said he would like to see townhouses other than rentals. On the hotel, he was “pretty much waiting for it to be eliminated from the project.” He would rather they look for a new location for a hotel. Atlan said anyone going forward with building now is “very brave,” and he agreed retail dollars would be good for the city, adding that “there will be other retail. It doesn’t all have to be at Castle Oaks.” Jack Brotherton said he did not want a gas station there, but Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said a gas station there might draw Mule Creek workers to buy gas before leaving the county. Aragon said Ione has a “very viable, very well-managed company that is presenting a concept. And the only thing set is stone is the ability to move forward.” He said the next step is to “make the decision internally to proceed with an entitlement application.” Story by Jim Reece.