Jackson - Teams and committees are forming for the 6th Annual Amador County Camp Out For Cancer, the main fundraiser for Amador Support, Transportation & Resource Services. The Camp Out for Cancer, a 24-hour team walk-a-thon, takes place September 12th & 13th at Argonaut High School Stadium. Organizers said people don't have to camp out to participate. People can form a team, or join a team and then enjoy local musicians who donate their time to entertain volunteers. Teams take turns manning campsites and walking the track, all to support those whose lives have been touched by cancer. 2 ceremonies, the Survivor Celebration and the Illumination Ceremony, honor those who have taken the cancer journey. Organizers said: “Together, we can make a difference in the lives of cancer patients.” Proceeds go to Amador STARS, a local non profit organization that offers Support, Transportation and Resource Services to local cancer patients and families. Each year, organizers lead their teams on an overall goal of raising $100,000 at the event. Cancer survivors, teams of campers, and community volunteers, including many high school students, participate in the 24-hour event that includes spending the night in tents on the football field. Volunteer workers of all ages fill luminary bags with sand and candles, prepare meals for the hungry crowd, play games, and have their heads shaved in support of cancer victims. The Camp Out culminates in Saturday night’s moving Illumination Ceremony. Last year, more than 2,600 lighted luminaries honored cancer victims and survivors, ringing the entire football field, while names of those honored were read aloud as campers circled the track in silence. Funds stay in the local community except for a small percentage dedicated to cancer research. Call the STARS at (209) 223-1246 for info. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackson – Traffic was the victim in a bomb scare Monday afternoon that ended with no problems in downtown Jackson. More than one bystander said it was “like watching the news,” as pedestrians waited outside the Wells Fargo Bar and other businesses. Jackson Street Department workers directed traffic around the staging area on Broadway, between City Hall and Bank of America. In the middle of the street, authorities placed an abandoned backpack suspected to be a bomb. Bomb squad and city street department workers piled sandbags and a steel plate around the backpack, and a bomb squad member placed a small explosive charge next to the suspected bomb, then ran the wire to a safe distance for detonation. About 10 minutes later, authorities ordered traffic controllers and pedestrians away from plain sight of the object, and the fired the charge. The bomb expert then dug through the sandbags and emptied the contents of the backpack. Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison was at the scene, and when the all-clear was given, Councilman Keith Sweet rounded the corner of Broadway and Water Street to look at the backpack and sandbags up close. Natural gas to the area had been turned off as a precaution before the charge was detonated. Jackson Police Department Captain Christy Stidger said “actually, it turned out to be nothing. It was a backpack with clothing and miscellaneous items” in it. She said it was detonated with a charge containing water, which “opened up the backpack” so they could see the contents. The backpack was found at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, when 2 Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a male dressed in black stuff an item in the bushes beside City Hall. Stidger said: “We’ve had threats in the past, so we had to follow procedures.” She said a robot was used to remove the backpack from the bushes. It was placed on Broadway Street, then the bomb squad and city crew set up a blast guard. Traffic, closed on Highway 88, was then stopped on the reroute roads of Main and Water Street, in the perimeter JPD and authorities had set up, until the detonation was done. After the small explosion, at about 3:30 p.m., Stidger said there were “negative devices” in the backpack. Traffic then started to flow through Main Street, bumper-to-bumper, including a large fuel tanker truck and several logging trucks. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – The Ione City Council meets twice this week, including a regular session today and a special meeting Wednesday to consider approval of the Wastewater Master Plan. The council will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Draft Wastewater Master Plan and Environmental Impact Report. The special meeting will include a staff presentation, public comment and possible direction to staff. The Draft Wastewater Master Plan was produced by Lee & Ro and released July 29th, to the city. The plan states that the city “is currently near or at capacity for the treatment and disposal of wastewater. An expansion would be necessary to accommodate future planned growth and wastewater flows.” Lee & Ro wrote that the purpose of the “Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan is to provide the city with a document that addresses the city’s wastewater needs and identifies activities and guidelines necessary to meet future wastewater treatment and disposal
requirements through (the year) 2030, the planning horizon of the city’s general plan.” The plan listed its primary objectives, to include the projection of future wastewater flows through 2030; and to summarize the existing wastewater treatment and disposal system and known deficiencies. The plan would also “establish wastewater treatment and disposal design criteria”; and “evaluate and propose improvements that will meet future wastewater flows, while increasing treatment and disposal system reliability.” The plan would also “provide a plan which accommodates the city’s future wastewater flows and meets the city’s goal of tertiary treatment of all municipal and Amador Regional Sanitation Authority effluent.” The Ione City Council regular meeting at 6 p.m. today includes consideration of agreements with Amador County and Jackson for Field Officer Training. Staff recommends the approval, and authorizing City Manager Kim Kerr to sign the final agreement, upon review by the city attorney. The council will also hold a public hearing on the Heather Broussard Tentative Parcel Map Amendment to Improvement Plans and Tentative Map Extension
Recommendation. City Planner Christopher Jordan in a report to the council recommends denying an Amendment to Improvement Plans for the Broussard’s Tentative Parcel Map. He also recommends denying the applicant’s request to waive the costs of processing the request for the
amendment to the improvement. The council will also discuss the city’s costs in carrying out its General Plan Update Costs, and will receive a staff report regarding approximate costs for the process. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento – Legislation that would protect airplanes from bird strikes went to the Governor’s desk this week. The measure gives airport officials the legal authority to remove birds in the flight path of airplanes. Aviation officials at California public airports may soon have legal backing to protect the traveling public from bird strikes, the state senate announced Monday. The proposal, Senate Bil 481, was supported by Amador County Senator Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) and passed the State Senate on a 38-0 vote, sending it to the governor. Schwarzenegger has 12 days to act on the measure after it gets to his desk. The law would affirm airport officials’ responsibility to keep birds away from airplanes. Senator Cox in a Senate release said: “The safety of airplane passengers must be a priority,” and “airport officials have the responsibility to safeguard millions of Californians who travel by air each day.” He said the “measure gives them the legal authority to protect human lives.” Co-authored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assemblyman Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), SB 481 gives all public-use airports with federal depredation permits assurances that they have a legal right to remove birds they believe may endanger planes. The release said SB 481 further states that the taking of birds at public airports to protect public safety does not violate state law. It further amends the Fish and Game Code to codify existing practice based on compliance with federal law. A total of 1,471 bird strikes were recorded at Sacramento International Airport from 1990 to 2008, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration. The senate release said “For years, Sacramento Airport officials have followed federal law which requires them to protect travelers from ‘bird strikes.’” Under federal depredation permit, every effort is made to divert wildlife from an airplane’s flight path through harassment, trapping or relocation. As a last resort, airport personnel have the authority and responsibility to remove birds to protect human lives. Officials at the state Department of Fish and Game claimed that state law is silent on whether airport personnel have the approval to remove wildlife that threaten passenger safety. This bill would resolve the concern raised by state officials. From a Senate news release. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – Less than a week after the Ione City Council approved its new General Plan Update, the council will discuss today which direction to go on several fee studies. And it could also discuss whether to keep working with its planning consultation firm, or open the nearly $200,000 in estimated work to requests for proposals, and a bidding process. The council may discuss “whether to contract directly with Pacific Management Consulting (of Rancho Cordova) or release a Request for Qualifications” for fee and funding studies. The city council discussed the item previously at its August 18th regular meeting. The council voted 3-1, with Jim Ulm against, to conduct the studies. The council then voted 2-2 to release a “Request For Proposals,” with Mayor Lee Ard and Councilman David Plank dissenting. It also voted 2-2 to contract directly with PMC, with Ulm and Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel dissenting. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham was absent from the meeting. The council will discuss the 7 different studies to conduct, look at PMC’s estimated costs for those, and weigh that against putting the studies out for bid. City Manager Kim Kerr reported that “if the city council approves the contracting with PMC, the cost for all studies would be $195,000.” But “if the city elects to go out to RFPs, then there will be costs associated with preparing the Request for Proposal, advertising the Request for Proposal, and the likelihood that the costs for these studies will be more than the cost quoted by PMC.” Kerr listed estimated costs of studies, as estimated by PMC, and their funding source in the city’s budget. A “Cost of Service and Fee Study” would be $35,000, paid through the General Plan. A Sewer Rate Study would be $29,500, from the Sewer Fund. A Development Impact Fee Nexus Study would be $48,500, from the Impact Fee Fund. A study on the formation of a Community Facilities District for city services would cost $29,500, to be paid by the CFD after it is funded with bond sales. An Affordable Housing Fee Process study would cost $30,500 from the General Fund; a Business License Tax Update would be $11,500 from the General Fund; and an Advanced Planning Fee study would be $11,500 from the General Fund. Kerr recommended 3 studies be done this fiscal year, to update the city’s Cost of Service Fees, Sewer Rates and a nexus for Development Impact Fees. She recommended the remaining studies be done in 2010-2011. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sutter Creek – Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan and Jackson Supervisor John Plasse and others urged the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors last week to consider lowering proposed participation fees for the county’s future jail in Martell, in light of a pressing need for a larger jail. Plasse said AWA calculations show that “water and wastewater costs for the jail would be equal to or greater than the cost of the land.” The 8.2-acre property, owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, is near the new Amador Health Services building. Staff recommended issuing “letters to the county regarding participation fees, conditional will-serve and will-serve for water and wastewater services for the proposed jail site in the Amador Central Office Park,” and was prepared to offer capacity guarantees for up to 5 years, as the county raises funds for construction. Engineering & Planning Manager Gene Mancebo in a report said the Tanner water treatment plant serves water and the Martell wastewater system provides wastewater service to the Amador Central park, which “received a final map and will-serve commitment” from AWA. That commitment has a remainder of 3 Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) per parcel for water and wastewater. Mancebo said the jail will need an estimated 55 EDUs of water (about 22,000 gallons a day) and 97 EDUs capacity for wastewater (about 19,400 gallons a day). The county has applied for additional capacity through a conditional will-serve. Mancebo said staff believes a new Tanner peak demand study indicates the plant has the capacity to serve the new jail. The county could pay to assure water service capacity in 5 years, he said, and staff escalated current participation fees out five years as a “guaranteed not-to-exceed fee for the next 5 years.” That fee would be $12,323 per EDU” per year. For the estimated 55 EDUs needed, the jail would cost $678,000 a year in fees. The Martell wastewater system contracts with Sutter Creek, which has fully allocated all sewer capacity and look to build a new sewer plant. Mancebo said the new jail’s escalated fees for 97 EDUs in wastewater capacity – at $13,593 per EDU – would be $1.3 million annually. Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley supported the new jail but urged AWA “to mitigate rates so that current ratepayers don’t pick up the cost.” AWA directors noted that only about a third of Amador County residents are also AWA ratepayers, while the cost of supplying water and wastewater services to the jail is a county-wide obligation. Agency staff will negotiate with county representatives a will serve letter for board consideration September 10th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – The Ione City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to approve its General Plan Update, ending 18 months of work on time and under budget. City Planner Christopher Jordan said the update began in March of 2008 and he and his team and city staff, plus public officials, finished before its August 31st deadline, today’s date. He said it was “on time and on budget,” with consultant fees of about $580,000. City Manager Kim Kerr was asked by the council to determine the total cost of the General Plan Update, and she will try to report that at the council’s next meeting. Jordan said last week’s approval included some work on the General Plan maps, and discussion and work on “property concerns, with regard to the area downtown, where the commercial designations weren’t quite what everybody expected.” Corrections and clarifications were made, including changes to the General Plan and text amendments to go with it. The update began last year with public meetings and scoping, with a well-attended series of meetings at the Evalynn Bishop Hall in Howard Park. Community questionnaires included public comments by about 250 people, hosted by Pacific Municipal Consultants. Up next for the Planning Commission is zoning, which will be the subject at the Commission’s next meeting, September 8th. Jordan said if everything goes well, staff will try to get zoning decisions to the city council for consideration by the first of October. Zoning will be based on the general plan land usage elements, but will be working in a lot more detail. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pine Grove – Upcountry residents this week could get a Pine Grove Corridor Improvement project report, and the project manager hopes to discuss the first big public “kick-off” meeting, tentatively slated for November. Amador County Transportation Commission’s Neil Peacock, planner and program manager for the project, is scheduled to speak Wednesday at Pine Grove Town Hall. John Carlson, staff member for the Pine Grove Council and Civic Improvement Club, said last week that Peacock “will be discussing the Pine Grove Corridor.” He said: “ACTC has received funding approval for the first phase of the project.” Carlson said Peacock will be placed as the first item of business on the agenda after approval of minutes, and should be giving his update just after 5:30 p.m. Peacock on Friday said “I don't have much more to add at this point, other than that we have our kick-off (staff-level Project Development Team) meeting with Caltrans staff and ACTC consultants on Sept 9th in Stockton.” He said he asked the Caltrans staffer to make sure Carlson was invited. Peacock said “Due to the time-lines involved with their oversight requirements, we likely won't be able to have our kick-off community meeting until the first of November.” He asked to have the kick-off meeting as the only agenda item in the November meeting, since the hall will be pre-booked, and interested council and club members already have that date on their calendars. Peacock said besides the basic update, “the main thing (he would) like to talk about with the group on Wednesday” is “coordinating the first big community meeting.” Peacock has held outreach meetings with 2 Upcountry grassroots quasi-political groups. He told the Upcountry Community Council in February that the project will get $356,000, earmarked for Highway 88 by Congressman Dan Lungren, for planning. And Peacock said any project will take years and years of planning, including many meetings. In March, the ACTC board of directors approved a study on Highway 88 in Pine Grove. Peacock told the ACTC board in March the study process would include stakeholder and public participation; data collection and analysis; problem definition and evaluation; and “opportunities and constraints analysis.” The process would develop and screen Highway 88 improvement recommendations and alternatives; then determine final alternatives and ultimately make an “adoption of the final preferred alternative.” At the time, staff estimated a widening of Highway 88 would cost $2.27 million. Last week, Peacock suggested Wednesday’s agenda list him as giving a project status report, followed by a group discussion on the community kick-off meeting. Carlson said he expects to prepare the meeting’s agenda today. The PGCC meets at 5:30 p.m. today 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.
Sacramento - Amador County’s self-proclaimed “Tea Party Patriots” conducted a march on Sacramento last Friday to protest what they feel is an increasing trend toward “big government eco-regulation.” According to a release issued by National Coordinator Mark Meckler last week, protesters gathered on the steps of California’s Capitol “to protest legislative decisions that they believe have adversely affected their lives and businesses.” The group was expected to include “farmers, ranchers, miners, loggers, truckers and builders.” The specific focus of the rally will be Assembly Bill 32, which requires the California Air Resources Board to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and further reduce emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. In signing the bill, Governor Schwarzenegger called it “something we owe our children and our grandchildren.” Last December, more than 200 business executives took out a full-page ad in the Sacramento Bee urging the Air Resources Board to move ahead with the bill, haling it as a great investment that will create jobs and make California firms more competitive. Among the speakers expected Friday was first-term Assemblyman Dan Logue, who represents many rural counties in northeastern California’s 3rd District. He called the bill an “experiment in feel good environmentalism” that will have “devastating effects on the already crippled California economy.” His first action was to propose AB 118, which seeks to suspend AB 32. For more information on the bill, visit www.sac828.org. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento - Another Democratic candidate has entered the race for the 3rd Congressional District in 2010. SMUD Director Bill Slaton is up against fellow Democrats Amerish Bera and Gary Davis for the seat currently held by Republican Dan Lungren. Director Bill Slaton is a Sacramento-area resident since 1974 and was first elected to the SMUD Board of Directors in November 2002 to represent Ward 7, which includes North Highlands, Carmichael, Antelope, Foothill Farms and a small part of Placer County. He is the former chairman of the board for KVIE Channel 6, Sacramento’s public television station. Slaton is a strong advocate for green energy and, according to his campaign flyer, “embodies the spirit of the new energy economy.” Under Slaton’s leadership, SMUD expanded the Rio Vista Wind Farm outside Sacramento, which now produces over 100 megawatts of clean, renewable power. He is leading efforts to ensure the dams on the American River keep generating hydropower and is utilizing hydroelectric systems to expand renewable energy sources. He also helped create the Solar Shares program, where consumers who can’t install solar panels buy into a large SMUD-owner solar system. His flyer references recent polls that indicate 52 percent of district voters would like someone new in office compared to 32 percent who want to re-elect Dan Lungren. The polls also indicate that Republican registration in our district is declining rapidly, from 7.65 percent in 2004 t0 2.19 percent in 2008. The district's democratic minority population has risen dramatically since 2000. As of early August, Slaton has raised over $228,000 for his campaign, nearly as much as Lungren’s $233,000. If you’d like to know more about Bill Slaton, visit www.slatonforcongress.com. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackson - Teams and committees are forming for the 6th Annual Amador County Camp Out For Cancer, the main fundraiser for Amador Support, Transportation & Resource Services. The Camp Out for Cancer, a 24-hour team walk-a-thon, takes place September 12th & 13th at Argonaut High School Stadium. Organizers said people don't have to camp out to participate. People can form a team, or join a team and then enjoy local musicians who donate their time to entertain volunteers. Teams take turns manning campsites and walking the track, all to support those whose lives have been touched by cancer. 2 ceremonies, the Survivor Celebration and the Illumination Ceremony, honor those who have taken the cancer journey. Organizers said: “Together, we can make a difference in the lives of cancer patients.” Proceeds go to Amador STARS, a local non profit organization that offers Support, Transportation and Resource Services to local cancer patients and families. Each year, organizers lead their teams on an overall goal of raising $100,000 at the event. Cancer survivors, teams of campers, and community volunteers, including many high school students, participate in the 24-hour event that includes spending the night in tents on the football field. Volunteer workers of all ages fill luminary bags with sand and candles, prepare meals for the hungry crowd, play games, and have their heads shaved in support of cancer victims. The Camp Out culminates in Saturday night’s moving Illumination Ceremony. Last year, more than 2,600 lighted luminaries honored cancer victims and survivors, ringing the entire football field, while names of those honored were read aloud as campers circled the track in silence. Funds stay in the local community except for a small percentage dedicated to cancer research. Call the STARS at (209) 223-1246 for info. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackson – Traffic was the victim in a bomb scare Monday afternoon that ended with no problems in downtown Jackson. More than one bystander said it was “like watching the news,” as pedestrians waited outside the Wells Fargo Bar and other businesses. Jackson Street Department workers directed traffic around the staging area on Broadway, between City Hall and Bank of America. In the middle of the street, authorities placed an abandoned backpack suspected to be a bomb. Bomb squad and city street department workers piled sandbags and a steel plate around the backpack, and a bomb squad member placed a small explosive charge next to the suspected bomb, then ran the wire to a safe distance for detonation. About 10 minutes later, authorities ordered traffic controllers and pedestrians away from plain sight of the object, and the fired the charge. The bomb expert then dug through the sandbags and emptied the contents of the backpack. Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison was at the scene, and when the all-clear was given, Councilman Keith Sweet rounded the corner of Broadway and Water Street to look at the backpack and sandbags up close. Natural gas to the area had been turned off as a precaution before the charge was detonated. Jackson Police Department Captain Christy Stidger said “actually, it turned out to be nothing. It was a backpack with clothing and miscellaneous items” in it. She said it was detonated with a charge containing water, which “opened up the backpack” so they could see the contents. The backpack was found at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, when 2 Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a male dressed in black stuff an item in the bushes beside City Hall. Stidger said: “We’ve had threats in the past, so we had to follow procedures.” She said a robot was used to remove the backpack from the bushes. It was placed on Broadway Street, then the bomb squad and city crew set up a blast guard. Traffic, closed on Highway 88, was then stopped on the reroute roads of Main and Water Street, in the perimeter JPD and authorities had set up, until the detonation was done. After the small explosion, at about 3:30 p.m., Stidger said there were “negative devices” in the backpack. Traffic then started to flow through Main Street, bumper-to-bumper, including a large fuel tanker truck and several logging trucks. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – The Ione City Council meets twice this week, including a regular session today and a special meeting Wednesday to consider approval of the Wastewater Master Plan. The council will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Draft Wastewater Master Plan and Environmental Impact Report. The special meeting will include a staff presentation, public comment and possible direction to staff. The Draft Wastewater Master Plan was produced by Lee & Ro and released July 29th, to the city. The plan states that the city “is currently near or at capacity for the treatment and disposal of wastewater. An expansion would be necessary to accommodate future planned growth and wastewater flows.” Lee & Ro wrote that the purpose of the “Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan is to provide the city with a document that addresses the city’s wastewater needs and identifies activities and guidelines necessary to meet future wastewater treatment and disposal requirements through (the year) 2030, the planning horizon of the city’s general plan.” The plan listed its primary objectives, to include the projection of future wastewater flows through 2030; and to summarize the existing wastewater treatment and disposal system and known deficiencies. The plan would also “establish wastewater treatment and disposal design criteria”; and “evaluate and propose improvements that will meet future wastewater flows, while increasing treatment and disposal system reliability.” The plan would also “provide a plan which accommodates the city’s future wastewater flows and meets the city’s goal of tertiary treatment of all municipal and Amador Regional Sanitation Authority effluent.” The Ione City Council regular meeting at 6 p.m. today includes consideration of agreements with Amador County and Jackson for Field Officer Training. Staff recommends the approval, and authorizing City Manager Kim Kerr to sign the final agreement, upon review by the city attorney. The council will also hold a public hearing on the Heather Broussard Tentative Parcel Map Amendment to Improvement Plans and Tentative Map Extension Recommendation. City Planner Christopher Jordan in a report to the council recommends denying an Amendment to Improvement Plans for the Broussard’s Tentative Parcel Map. He also recommends denying the applicant’s request to waive the costs of processing the request for the amendment to the improvement. The council will also discuss the city’s costs in carrying out its General Plan Update Costs, and will receive a staff report regarding approximate costs for the process. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento – Legislation that would protect airplanes from bird strikes went to the Governor’s desk this week. The measure gives airport officials the legal authority to remove birds in the flight path of airplanes. Aviation officials at California public airports may soon have legal backing to protect the traveling public from bird strikes, the state senate announced Monday. The proposal, Senate Bil 481, was supported by Amador County Senator Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) and passed the State Senate on a 38-0 vote, sending it to the governor. Schwarzenegger has 12 days to act on the measure after it gets to his desk. The law would affirm airport officials’ responsibility to keep birds away from airplanes. Senator Cox in a Senate release said: “The safety of airplane passengers must be a priority,” and “airport officials have the responsibility to safeguard millions of Californians who travel by air each day.” He said the “measure gives them the legal authority to protect human lives.” Co-authored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assemblyman Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), SB 481 gives all public-use airports with federal depredation permits assurances that they have a legal right to remove birds they believe may endanger planes. The release said SB 481 further states that the taking of birds at public airports to protect public safety does not violate state law. It further amends the Fish and Game Code to codify existing practice based on compliance with federal law. A total of 1,471 bird strikes were recorded at Sacramento International Airport from 1990 to 2008, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration. The senate release said “For years, Sacramento Airport officials have followed federal law which requires them to protect travelers from ‘bird strikes.’” Under federal depredation permit, every effort is made to divert wildlife from an airplane’s flight path through harassment, trapping or relocation. As a last resort, airport personnel have the authority and responsibility to remove birds to protect human lives. Officials at the state Department of Fish and Game claimed that state law is silent on whether airport personnel have the approval to remove wildlife that threaten passenger safety. This bill would resolve the concern raised by state officials. From a Senate news release. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – Less than a week after the Ione City Council approved its new General Plan Update, the council will discuss today which direction to go on several fee studies. And it could also discuss whether to keep working with its planning consultation firm, or open the nearly $200,000 in estimated work to requests for proposals, and a bidding process. The council may discuss “whether to contract directly with Pacific Management Consulting (of Rancho Cordova) or release a Request for Qualifications” for fee and funding studies. The city council discussed the item previously at its August 18th regular meeting. The council voted 3-1, with Jim Ulm against, to conduct the studies. The council then voted 2-2 to release a “Request For Proposals,” with Mayor Lee Ard and Councilman David Plank dissenting. It also voted 2-2 to contract directly with PMC, with Ulm and Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel dissenting. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham was absent from the meeting. The council will discuss the 7 different studies to conduct, look at PMC’s estimated costs for those, and weigh that against putting the studies out for bid. City Manager Kim Kerr reported that “if the city council approves the contracting with PMC, the cost for all studies would be $195,000.” But “if the city elects to go out to RFPs, then there will be costs associated with preparing the Request for Proposal, advertising the Request for Proposal, and the likelihood that the costs for these studies will be more than the cost quoted by PMC.” Kerr listed estimated costs of studies, as estimated by PMC, and their funding source in the city’s budget. A “Cost of Service and Fee Study” would be $35,000, paid through the General Plan. A Sewer Rate Study would be $29,500, from the Sewer Fund. A Development Impact Fee Nexus Study would be $48,500, from the Impact Fee Fund. A study on the formation of a Community Facilities District for city services would cost $29,500, to be paid by the CFD after it is funded with bond sales. An Affordable Housing Fee Process study would cost $30,500 from the General Fund; a Business License Tax Update would be $11,500 from the General Fund; and an Advanced Planning Fee study would be $11,500 from the General Fund. Kerr recommended 3 studies be done this fiscal year, to update the city’s Cost of Service Fees, Sewer Rates and a nexus for Development Impact Fees. She recommended the remaining studies be done in 2010-2011. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sutter Creek – Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan and Jackson Supervisor John Plasse and others urged the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors last week to consider lowering proposed participation fees for the county’s future jail in Martell, in light of a pressing need for a larger jail. Plasse said AWA calculations show that “water and wastewater costs for the jail would be equal to or greater than the cost of the land.” The 8.2-acre property, owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, is near the new Amador Health Services building. Staff recommended issuing “letters to the county regarding participation fees, conditional will-serve and will-serve for water and wastewater services for the proposed jail site in the Amador Central Office Park,” and was prepared to offer capacity guarantees for up to 5 years, as the county raises funds for construction. Engineering & Planning Manager Gene Mancebo in a report said the Tanner water treatment plant serves water and the Martell wastewater system provides wastewater service to the Amador Central park, which “received a final map and will-serve commitment” from AWA. That commitment has a remainder of 3 Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) per parcel for water and wastewater. Mancebo said the jail will need an estimated 55 EDUs of water (about 22,000 gallons a day) and 97 EDUs capacity for wastewater (about 19,400 gallons a day). The county has applied for additional capacity through a conditional will-serve. Mancebo said staff believes a new Tanner peak demand study indicates the plant has the capacity to serve the new jail. The county could pay to assure water service capacity in 5 years, he said, and staff escalated current participation fees out five years as a “guaranteed not-to-exceed fee for the next 5 years.” That fee would be $12,323 per EDU” per year. For the estimated 55 EDUs needed, the jail would cost $678,000 a year in fees. The Martell wastewater system contracts with Sutter Creek, which has fully allocated all sewer capacity and look to build a new sewer plant. Mancebo said the new jail’s escalated fees for 97 EDUs in wastewater capacity – at $13,593 per EDU – would be $1.3 million annually. Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley supported the new jail but urged AWA “to mitigate rates so that current ratepayers don’t pick up the cost.” AWA directors noted that only about a third of Amador County residents are also AWA ratepayers, while the cost of supplying water and wastewater services to the jail is a county-wide obligation. Agency staff will negotiate with county representatives a will serve letter for board consideration September 10th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ione – The Ione City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to approve its General Plan Update, ending 18 months of work on time and under budget. City Planner Christopher Jordan said the update began in March of 2008 and he and his team and city staff, plus public officials, finished before its August 31st deadline, today’s date. He said it was “on time and on budget,” with consultant fees of about $580,000. City Manager Kim Kerr was asked by the council to determine the total cost of the General Plan Update, and she will try to report that at the council’s next meeting. Jordan said last week’s approval included some work on the General Plan maps, and discussion and work on “property concerns, with regard to the area downtown, where the commercial designations weren’t quite what everybody expected.” Corrections and clarifications were made, including changes to the General Plan and text amendments to go with it. The update began last year with public meetings and scoping, with a well-attended series of meetings at the Evalynn Bishop Hall in Howard Park. Community questionnaires included public comments by about 250 people, hosted by Pacific Municipal Consultants. Up next for the Planning Commission is zoning, which will be the subject at the Commission’s next meeting, September 8th. Jordan said if everything goes well, staff will try to get zoning decisions to the city council for consideration by the first of October. Zoning will be based on the general plan land usage elements, but will be working in a lot more detail. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pine Grove – Upcountry residents this week could get a Pine Grove Corridor Improvement project report, and the project manager hopes to discuss the first big public “kick-off” meeting, tentatively slated for November. Amador County Transportation Commission’s Neil Peacock, planner and program manager for the project, is scheduled to speak Wednesday at Pine Grove Town Hall. John Carlson, staff member for the Pine Grove Council and Civic Improvement Club, said last week that Peacock “will be discussing the Pine Grove Corridor.” He said: “ACTC has received funding approval for the first phase of the project.” Carlson said Peacock will be placed as the first item of business on the agenda after approval of minutes, and should be giving his update just after 5:30 p.m. Peacock on Friday said “I don't have much more to add at this point, other than that we have our kick-off (staff-level Project Development Team) meeting with Caltrans staff and ACTC consultants on Sept 9th in Stockton.” He said he asked the Caltrans staffer to make sure Carlson was invited. Peacock said “Due to the time-lines involved with their oversight requirements, we likely won't be able to have our kick-off community meeting until the first of November.” He asked to have the kick-off meeting as the only agenda item in the November meeting, since the hall will be pre-booked, and interested council and club members already have that date on their calendars. Peacock said besides the basic update, “the main thing (he would) like to talk about with the group on Wednesday” is “coordinating the first big community meeting.” Peacock has held outreach meetings with 2 Upcountry grassroots quasi-political groups. He told the Upcountry Community Council in February that the project will get $356,000, earmarked for Highway 88 by Congressman Dan Lungren, for planning. And Peacock said any project will take years and years of planning, including many meetings. In March, the ACTC board of directors approved a study on Highway 88 in Pine Grove. Peacock told the ACTC board in March the study process would include stakeholder and public participation; data collection and analysis; problem definition and evaluation; and “opportunities and constraints analysis.” The process would develop and screen Highway 88 improvement recommendations and alternatives; then determine final alternatives and ultimately make an “adoption of the final preferred alternative.” At the time, staff estimated a widening of Highway 88 would cost $2.27 million. Last week, Peacock suggested Wednesday’s agenda list him as giving a project status report, followed by a group discussion on the community kick-off meeting. Carlson said he expects to prepare the meeting’s agenda today. The PGCC meets at 5:30 p.m. today 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.
Sacramento - Amador County’s self-proclaimed “Tea Party Patriots” conducted a march on Sacramento last Friday to protest what they feel is an increasing trend toward “big government eco-regulation.” According to a release issued by National Coordinator Mark Meckler last week, protesters gathered on the steps of California’s Capitol “to protest legislative decisions that they believe have adversely affected their lives and businesses.” The group was expected to include “farmers, ranchers, miners, loggers, truckers and builders.” The specific focus of the rally will be Assembly Bill 32, which requires the California Air Resources Board to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and further reduce emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. In signing the bill, Governor Schwarzenegger called it “something we owe our children and our grandchildren.” Last December, more than 200 business executives took out a full-page ad in the Sacramento Bee urging the Air Resources Board to move ahead with the bill, haling it as a great investment that will create jobs and make California firms more competitive. Among the speakers expected Friday was first-term Assemblyman Dan Logue, who represents many rural counties in northeastern California’s 3rd District. He called the bill an “experiment in feel good environmentalism” that will have “devastating effects on the already crippled California economy.” His first action was to propose AB 118, which seeks to suspend AB 32. For more information on the bill, visit www.sac828.org. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento - Another Democratic candidate has entered the race for the 3rd Congressional District in 2010. SMUD Director Bill Slaton is up against fellow Democrats Amerish Bera and Gary Davis for the seat currently held by Republican Dan Lungren. Director Bill Slaton is a Sacramento-area resident since 1974 and was first elected to the SMUD Board of Directors in November 2002 to represent Ward 7, which includes North Highlands, Carmichael, Antelope, Foothill Farms and a small part of Placer County. He is the former chairman of the board for KVIE Channel 6, Sacramento’s public television station. Slaton is a strong advocate for green energy and, according to his campaign flyer, “embodies the spirit of the new energy economy.” Under Slaton’s leadership, SMUD expanded the Rio Vista Wind Farm outside Sacramento, which now produces over 100 megawatts of clean, renewable power. He is leading efforts to ensure the dams on the American River keep generating hydropower and is utilizing hydroelectric systems to expand renewable energy sources. He also helped create the Solar Shares program, where consumers who can’t install solar panels buy into a large SMUD-owner solar system. His flyer references recent polls that indicate 52 percent of district voters would like someone new in office compared to 32 percent who want to re-elect Dan Lungren. The polls also indicate that Republican registration in our district is declining rapidly, from 7.65 percent in 2004 t0 2.19 percent in 2008. The district's democratic minority population has risen dramatically since 2000. As of early August, Slaton has raised over $228,000 for his campaign, nearly as much as Lungren’s $233,000. If you’d like to know more about Bill Slaton, visit www.slatonforcongress.com. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
