Amador County - 10th District Assemblywoman and Amador County Representative Alyson Huber introduced two bills as part of her pledge for more transparency and accountability in government. Assembly Bills 1181 and 1274, introduced in February, are designed to give voters more information about campaign finance and lobbying efforts. Huber, who was recently appointed to chair the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, said “we need to find fast and effective ways to help save taxpayer money and ensure strong oversight of public services during these difficult times.” During her special ½ hour television interview on TSPN, Huber said state lobbying groups are only required to file statements detailing contributions to political causes if those expenses exceed $5000. Assembly Bill 1181 would require all state candidates committees and slate mail organizations to list their contributions online with the Secretary of State’s office. “Government shouldn’t be done in the dark,” Huber said. Assembly Bill 1274 requires a publicly accessible online directory of all lobbying interests seeking to influence proposed laws. Huber believes this “one-click system is the best way for the public to access information on contributions.” One of the primary duties of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee is to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding revenues and expenditures of the State. Huber is also a member of the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, which oversees the management of state government and works to the effectiveness and operation of state programs and agencies. Huber’s other committee memberships include Veteran’s Affairs; Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy; Water, Parks and Wildlife; and Education. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – About 30 people attended the Community Preservation Workshop last week in Ione, dampening spirits of the Ione City Council. City Manager Kim Kerr said the meeting was advertised and “this is the turnout.” Councilman David Plank said he could count 22 people who were Ione residents. Mayor Lee Ard said they were there for the $285,000 in unused CDBG funds. Ard said he “came from a city that lost its Main Street because it didn’t act fast enough and it moved away.” He said a developer has proposed 60,000 square feet of retail and business space fronting Highway 124 on Castle Oaks Drive. That space, he said, equals the “square footage of downtown.” Another developer is proposing a hotel. Ard said he would like to see the economic survey done, which, through credit card data would tell how local dollars are spent in the region. Ard said the Main Street program “would get people involved in the restoration of downtown.” He said: “We have a credibility issue,” and people are asking why the council is trying to rehab downtown, saying “it’s been done before and failed.” Ard said: “This is not your old Ione,” and there are things the city can do to “have a new, economically viable downtown. But he thought the “credibility problem” directly impacted turnout. Ard said: “I would love to see 200 or 300 people here tonight. I don’t want to be doom and gloom … it’s just a reality.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said she loves her town, and the new town it has become. She said “the best thing we can do is to start small,” with the Main Street and Façade Programs, and economic study. Councilman Skip Schaufel agreed, saying the council “should start all of these programs.” Plank said they really needed downtown property and business owners at the meeting. He asked those in the audience who was a downtown business owner. 2 people raised their hands, one of whom was Bonham. Plank said the “Magic Triangle,” Highways 124, 104 and 88, would be big issue in the next 10 years, and protecting downtown was the top priority. The council postponed action on the project for 2 weeks, until it can host another workshop, at city hall. 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 today will consider making an appointment from 7 applicants to fill the vacated seat of Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Hepworth. The council will interview each candidate in the open session today, and staff expects them to make an appointment in the meeting today as well. Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe said the council has 30 days to fill the vacant seat by appointment, after acceptance of the resignation letter. Hepworth left in his 11th year on advice of doctors and submitted the letter of resignation March 8th. 7 people filed letters of application by noon last Friday seeking appointment to the 2-year term. The applicants are Mimi Arata, Dennis E. Griffin, Mike Kirkley, Jack Mitchell, Linda Rianda, Reed Shugart and Bart Weatherly. They seek appointment to fill the position for 2 years, after which the city council last month voted to hold an election to fill the position, with the vote to take place at the next regular election day. 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 today will consider appointing one of 7 applicants seeking to fill Bill Hepworth’s vacancy. The applicants, alphabetically, include Mimi Arata, who in her letter of interest said she meets all qualifications in the notice of vacancy, and “over the last several months” attended “both city council and planning commission meetings.” Dennis Griffin, owner of The Griffin Company, Bellotti’s and Caffe Via Di Oro, and a developer in the city of Sutter Creek, said he has “worked with dozens of cities and counties” and has seen “out of control growth” and no growth, and “we have to establish a middle ground.” He said if appointed, he “will commit 100 percent of the time needed to be a successful” city councilman. Mike Kirkley is a member of the Sutter Creek Planning Commission. He is also a former council member, (1992-1996), a former County Planning Commissioner and is retired from CALFIRE. Jack Mitchell in his letter said he did not see a conflict between his publishing the local newspaper while having a job in politics. He wrote that: “Certainly, some that are unaccustomed or familiar with the workings of a newspaper might view my sitting on the Council as a conflict of interest.” He challenged the council to “review past editorials and articles to see if you can find conflicts from opinions or coverage that have occurred with regards to my interest in serving” on the council. He also said “I in no way dictate or demand coverage” while overseeing the operations of the newspaper. Linda Rianda, retired Corrections warden and peace officer, and former junior high and high school teacher, said she participated in the city’s visioning process, attended council meetings, and volunteers at the Sutter Creek Visitor’s Center. Reed Shugart is a board member of the Sutter Creek Fire Protection District and past director of AFPD. He said he is “a Gold Rush supporter and wish it was already under construction.” He said “I look forward to relaying my views to Gold Rush opponents.” Weathersly said he was “well aware of the dedication and time commitments necessary to fulfill the obligations to this position.” Weathersly is a member of Protect Historic Sutter Creek, which has been “actively participating in the planning commission proceedings and meeting with other community residents in an attempt to reduce the negative effects of the Gold Rush subdivision on the city,” according to a Foothill Conservancy website posting. The group produced “No On Gold Rush” signs and distributed them around Sutter Creek. The city council will interview each candidate in the open session today, and staff expects them to make an appointment in the meeting today as well. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The public comment last week at Alyson Huber’s Town Hall Meeting in Jackson had some good reviews and a few complaints. A man said he sent an e-mail 2 weeks before but had not heard back from Huber. The District 10 Assemblywoman said her office just became fully staffed the week before, and her policy is a 7-day minimum response to all constituents’ queries. Amador Supervisors Chairman Ted Novelli said he received phone calls from Huber, who gave him information about both the septic tank issue (AB885) and East Bay MUD’s proposed expansion of Pardee Lake. Steve Cannon said he also received a quick response from Huber, by phone, on AB885. Ken Deaver of Deaver Vineyards said she should educate her “comrades in the Senate” that “one size does not fit all in rural communities.” Deaver urged that the legislature “look at the unintended consequences of our rules and regulations.” Huber agreed, saying a court ruling in Los Angeles Unified means all state school districts must test for certain chemicals “because they did not do it.” She “gut-checks” her own proposals for state-wide problems, asking: “Where did this problem happen and where is the evidence that it is happening everywhere else?” One man asked about the “temporary tax” taking effect. Huber said: “Look, it’s got to stop. This is the worst possible time to be raising revenue.” She said she did not want to defend the state budget, but she did not know “which school to close,” whether to close prisons, or to close the state colleges and universities. Huber said: “I am listening to the people who are saying: Don’t cut education, don’t let prisoners out, keep funding those.” She said everyone says do not cut certain programs, but no one tells here “which programs to cut.” Supervisor Richard Forster asked about AB32 Air Resources regulations, which caused his brother-in-law to implement layoffs to fund $1 Million dollars in changes in his company. Huber said she supported “giving businesses time to reach the goals” that the government wants them to reach. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – California Shock Trauma Air Rescue, or the CALSTAR helicopter ambulance service, opened its doors in Amador County at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Amador County Airport. The 3-person crew includes a pilot and two flight nurses who can get in the air in 5 minutes and fly up to 180 miles to assist with medical trauma suffered in Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras counties. The crew moved the CALSTAR 10 unit into a house on Airport Road in Martell, off the site of the airport, but close enough to get in the company Subaru, drive to the launch pad, and fly away to service. The crew late Wednesday afternoon was still awaiting its first call, though a trauma victim had been air-lifted from Amador County sometime after 2 a.m. by another unit Wednesday, from China Graveyard Road. The CALSTAR 10 crew on Wednesday included pilot Rod Jamieson, a former ABC pilot and reporter and also a past air firefighter. The flight nurses were Mike Clifford and Doug Probst. Jamieson said the helicopter is a BO-105, with Rolls Royce C30 engines. The craft carries the crew of 3, plus 2 patients and equipment, totaling 1,200 kilos of payload. CALSTAR is built for the speed to act in the “Golden Hour,” the crucial time frame in which severe trauma is in need of medical attention. Clifford said the craft carries ventilators, cardio monitors and defribulators. It cruises at 130 knots, and the primary nurse sits in the front, caring for the patient. The secondary nurse sits in the back and works the radio. CALSTAR 10 will primarily serve Amador County but can respond in a 150 to 180 mile radius. It will deliver to the nearest trauma hospital, Probst said, as its service is mainly called for trauma because of the “Golden Hour.” Jamieson said CALSTAR also provides one hour of free searching in incidents of search & rescue. CALSTAR sells membership to its organization because of the “financial ramifications of an air ambulance transport, which can cost $25,000 or more,” according to its website, and “Few families are prepared for large medical bills.” To see the organization’s Membership Program, see www.calstar.org. CALSTAR memberships are available to anyone, even people who are uninsured. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador residents and officials turned out in droves for the Child Abuse Prevention Council’s first Bowl-a-Thon Fundraiser to raise awareness during April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. More that 120 bowlers filled the 24 lanes at the Gold Country Bowling Center on March 28th to “strike out” an all too prevalent problem in our country. In total, nearly $9000 was raised in support of the council’s free education and prevention programs. Each bowler was also given a blue ribbon pin to recognize and celebrate April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. Amador County Supervisors Richard Forster, Ted Novelli, Brian Oneto and John Plasse were also on hand to bowl their support. “I cut my fingers from bowling so much, but it was great fun and supports a good cause,” said Supervisor Richard Forster. That following Tuesday, March 31, the Supervisors showed their unanimous support for the council by presenting a resolution proclaiming April as Amador County Child Abuse Prevention Month. The resolution proclaims “that as a society, we have a responsibility to nurture and protect our children and help ensure they become healthy and productive adults. The resolution recognizes that parenting is the toughest job any of us will undertake and that as a community we must ensure that all parents and families have access to the support, information, and resources they need to succeed.” Other supporters and attendees of the event included students, local businesses, community organizations, bikers from as far away as Woodland, and two teams of wards from the Pine Grove Youth Correctional Camp. Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council is a non-profit organization providing free prevention education and training in our community. For more information please call 223-5921. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A near capacity crowd filled the County Supervisors’ chambers Wednesday in Jackson as State Assemblywoman Alyson Huber hosted her first “Town Hall” meeting in Amador County, since taking office in December. The freshman Assembly member for the 10th District told of her selection to committees and also her disdain for the state budget, saying she voted for a negotiated budget that had enough votes to pass, “but it’s still a bad budget.” She called the state deficit horrible at $8 Billion Dollars, but if upcoming “ballot measures don’t pass,” it will be $14 Billion Dollars. She said “unless we undo the hand-tying we have done,” the state is in for trouble. She then said she wanted to “talk to you about building a Constitutional Convention.” As the crowd went completely quiet, she said: “Nothing quiets a room like that idea.” Huber said some states have Constitutional Conventions every 20 years, but she said California’s 165-page constitution has come to represent special interests, such as out-of-state companies that put initiatives on the ballot, such as a “green technology” that only their own company makes, and the initiative requires the use of that technology. She said she would rather have state legislators arrange the Constitutional Convention and call the shots, than have special interests dictate the forum. Huber said she knows “it’s radical” and “scares a lot of people,” but she was “not advocating for any particular changes.” She said she and Ted Gaines spoke with state water board on the individual septic system legislation, and the board is “pulling back and starting over.” She said she was still gathering information about the proposed Pardee Lake expansion, but she felt that East Bay MUD had “not taken into account local comment and feelings on the issue.” She urged more meetings on the 2040 Plan. She said the project seeks 92 million gallons a day, and they must pick between a dozen different proposed projects, “but they won’t even vote on whether that will happen until 2012 or 2015.” She said she thought underground water storage in the San Joaquin Valley would be a better solution that expanding Pardee. Huber said East Bay MUD “needs to get more vigilant and make sure they hear what we think locally.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed and subsequently drafted a letter in opposition to EBMUD’s proposed Pardee Reservoir expansion on the ground that there has been insufficient time for public review. Within a day of submitting that letter, East Bay Municipal Utility District General Manager Dennis Diemer announced they will be extending the comment period another month beyond its original expiration date on April 6. “We have rights too, and they need to let us give our speal and see what happens,” said Board Chairman Ted Novelli. The letter was addressed to Thomas B. Francis of the Water Supply Improvements Division. The letter states that “due to time constraints and insufficient opportunities,” the public in Amador and Calaveras Counties have not been able to review the hefty 1,500 page Environmental Impact Report. EBMUD supplied only two copies of the 3-inch thick document for public viewing within the two counties, and these only became available on March 28. “In order for our comments to be meaningful, it is important for us to consider each of the elements,” states the letter. Novelli said he is also working to involve Alpine County in the process. The proposed Pardee Reservoir expansion included in EBMUD’s 2040 Water Plan would raise the dam by at least 33 feet and flood miles of the Mokelumne River. The comment period is now extended to May 6. No announcements have yet been made about future public meetings in our area with EBMUD officials. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors is inviting the public to attend a reception in honor of Congressman Dan Lungren. On Wednesday, April 8 at 4pm, the Board will present Lungren with a Resolution recognizing his role in securing a federal grant in the amount of $180,500 for the Pine Grove Corridor Project and for his continued support to County priorities. The allocated funding results from an earmark Lungren included in the recent Federal Stimulus Bill. The reception will take place in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 810 Court Street in Jackson. TSPN will also be airing an exclusive ½ hour interview with Lungren soon to follow that date. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.