Amador County – The Sutter Creek Planning Commission heard a report on traffic impacts and mitigations for the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort Monday, with a report from Charles Field and public comments. The commission then advised staff to continue working on traffic mitigations in the city’s “conditions of approval” agreement with Gold Rush. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field said he thought the numbers could be low for Gold Rush, and an ideal method of looking at its impacts would be the unfinished Community Mapping Exercise tool, or CMX. He said Gold Rush’s Greg Bardini “used the new CMX cost estimates where needed,” in his study, and Field “commented that he thought the numbers were low.” Gold Rush’s portion came out as a 6 percent share of the estimated $3 million upgrade project needed at the Highway 49 and Ridge Road intersection. Field said the impacts were seen as low because traffic at the location was already at its highest due to other projects already approved that would impact the intersection. Field said Sutter Creek’s “fair share” methodology with Gold Rush could be better served with the CMX. But he said the ACTC board has “wasted time” on the “fair share” issue, in spending time on it without approving it. City Environmental Impact Specialist Bob Delk said the “mitigation measures in the EIR are intended to identify the impacts,” and the “city must argue that the mitigation projects are not feasible.” Commission Chairman Robin Peters asked Field what he thought they should do. Field said they should “use language to have the CMX program approved, or a better program approved than the fair-share program.” Commissioner Robert Olson said the Gold Rush project will add 10,000 people to the city population. Field said ACTC’s Neil Peacock studied the fair-share impacts and found it to be $700 to $800 for the Martell area, while based on what that area actually pays, the “state and region are subsidizing the Martell area.” Peters told consultant Anders Haugue that when they talk about fair-share with Gold Rush, they need to talk about an index of costs and a nexus. The commission asked Hauge to work with City Attorney Dennis Crabb and the developers on the conditions of approval and traffic mitigations. Crabb said he knows what needs to be done to get those issues worked out. The commission next work on Gold Rush August 19th, and again August 24th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Plymouth – The Plymouth City Council last week took comments from several large-property landowners whose ranches touch on the outskirts of the city, then took planners’ advice to approve its General Plan and Final EIR. They approved both, ending a 3-year job of updating the General Plan, which will guide the city for the next 16 years. Amador County Agriculture Commissioner Mike Boitano spoke in the public hearing on ag buffers around developments. He said what caught his eye was developers saying a “single, 6-foot, non-climb fence was adequate buffer for agriculture.” His biggest concern was that the city did not tie itself “to any one method” for buffers, because they need the flexibility to create buffers on a case-by-case basis. Boitano said as ag commissioner, it was his job to regulate pesticide laws. He said: “Placement of schools and parks up against range land or production ag land will affect the ranch or farm,” and his “hands are tied.” He said he would like to see a lot of space, such as a 300-foot buffer, but “at least you have them talking to each other.” Rancher William Greer told the council he owns a 1,100-acre ranch in Plymouth’s “planning area,” and he said he doesn’t believe the language in the General Plan and EIR is specific enough. He was concerned about residential impact on ag land, including dogs chasing his 340 steers, trash, and fire. He also dispelled rumors. He said he is a board member of JTS Communities, but is not planning to put a golf course on his ranch. He said: “I am never going to develop my ranch, and I have applied for a rangeland trust agreement.” He said he spoke with Reeder, whose development is next to Greer’s ranch. He said “Bob’s a great guy, but what if he goes away?” Reeder is planning to annex his developments into Plymouth. Greer said he is looking for a buffer and a fence.” Greer and others requested a buffer ordinance. Planner Paula Daneluk said “what we’re hearing tonight is project-specific issues.” She said the “planning area” designation in the General Plan gave the city no power over the land in it. Greer and others asked for better notification of city business that might affect their property. Daneluk said Greer could ask City Clerk Gloria Stoddard notify him whenever his land is subject to potential impact. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Plymouth – The Plymouth City Council voted 4-1 Thursday to approve the long-awaited update to it General Plan, and voted 3-2 to approve an accompanying Final Environmental Impact Report. Councilwoman Pat Fordyce and others lauded the work of planners Paula Daneluk and D’Arcy Goulart over the past 3 years. Mayor Jon Colburn said the General Plan sets the city’s path until 2025, or 16 years, but he voted against both items, saying that corrections he wanted should have been made. City Manager Dixon Flynn said the General Plan has cost the city $312,000, with all of the work combined costing nearly $500,000. Flynn said it would never be perfect, but there is an amendment process, which can change the General Plan up to 4 times a year. He said that could be as extensive as replacing the entire General Plan. Flynn said he recognized there are “people in this room and the community that have concerns about it.” He said they should “always pay close attention to the naysayers. A lot of times they have something important to say.” Councilwoman Pat Shackleton also voted against the FEIR, saying she did not think everyone got a chance to comment on it. Colburn said he thought they should have surveyed the city, and the General Plan update has “nothing in there to benefit the current residents of the city.” He said they would be better served by the then existing General Plan. Fordyce said she “put a lot of faith in the Planning Commission,” and the city has the best commission it has had in years. Councilman Mike O’Meara said they “did a good job of trying to protect the land around us.” O’Meara disagreed with Colburn, saying: “I think this is a wonderful document. I want to be a consultant in my next life.” Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin said the “planning area” in the General Plan “tells the county that we want to know if something goes on.” City Attorney Steven Rudolph told the council that the documents were legally defensible, and the minor changes did not justify the need for a continuance of a public hearing because none of the mitigation remedies were changed. Thursday’s meeting was a continuance of a public hearing on the 2 documents, and about a dozen people commented before close of the hearing at about 8 p.m. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors added to its string of 5-0 votes Thursday by unanimously selecting Engineering & Planning Manager Gene Mancebo to be the agency’s interim general manager. The board of directors discussed the appointment in closed and open session, then motioned to select Mancebo and took the vote. Mancebo said he was excited about the appointment, which makes him interim general manager at 5 p.m. Friday, September 5th, “which is kind of the official end of Jim’s term.” He said there was no time frame was specified to the appointment, but it would be something the directors look at as they decide on a full-time general manager. Mancebo said he likely will be a candidate for the full-time position, and stated “at least that’s what I plan to do.” Mancebo said he is approaching his 22nd year at the Amador Water Agency, where he started in 1988 as an assistant engineer. In 1989, he took the job of supervising engineer, and in 1992, he took over as department manager of engineering and planning, the position he has held ever since. He called the $20 million Amador Transmission Pipeline his lifelong work. He has presided over the Plymouth Pipeline project, which on Thursday was placing in its last segment of pipe. Mancebo said: “I’m really looking forward to the agency moving forward on a number of fronts.” He said: “There’s a tremendous amount of things that they want to work on, and I’m excited to be in that mix.” AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie, who is taking over as G.M. for the El Dorado Irrigation District, recommended Mancebo’s appointment, saying: “Gene is extremely competent and capable.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Plymouth Pipeline reportedly was nearing a connection to the Tanner Water Treatment Plant last week, among a handful of local projects that defy the dog days of the recession. Interim General Manager of the Amador Water Agency, Gene Mancebo, who takes over the post September 4th, said that contractors and AWA workers on Thursday were preparing to bury the final length of pipe on the Plymouth Pipeline. AWA Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said they were “all but 100 percent done with the pipeline itself.” It would connect to the Tanner plant. More work remains, but this week, the crews could be pouring concrete footings for the Sutter Creek bridge, over which the Plymouth Pipeline crosses the creek. Paul Johnston of the Pine Grove Community Service District reported that the CSD was looking at an $80,000 to $85,000 project to increase fire fighting flows in the district. He told the AWA board last Thursday that they were looking at getting 4,000 fleet of 12-inch pipeline form their storage and out to Irishtown. They were doing “pre-bid” work. Johnston its purpose was also to “bring more water to developing areas.” He told the AWA board that they were looking at USDA grants and loans, and were “looking for AWA help with it.” He said they already have right-of-ways. Johnston said: “It’s ambitious for a small district like us, but we think we can handle it.” Mancebo said the Central Amador Water Project line goes to the district’s area. General Manager Jim Abercrombie said there “could be a small benefit to the Toma Lane customers.” He said staff would “get a little more meat on the bones,” bring it as a full item for the board, and see if they “want to participate financially.” The AWA Information Technology staff reported that it was changing its website domain name, to AmadorWater.org, which “more aligns with our infrastructure and business.” The agency still owns the old name, AmadorWA.com, but will be notifying all e-mail contacts of the new site name. Staff suggested the AWA board e-mail all its contacts with the new address. The change was made to provide a lot more security to the agency. Anyone who had been e-mailed by the AWA board would be notified automatically of the new websites and e-mail addresses. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – Three judges ordered Tuesday the release of nearly 43,000 prisoners in California over the next two years, citing a violation of inmates’ constitutional rights. The 185-page opinion handed down by a federal court panel followed up on a tentative ruling that found overcrowded prisons to be the primary cause of health care issues in California prisons. The ruling comes on the heels of multiple legislative proposals in order to help close the state’s 26.3 billion budget deficit. Governor Schwarzenegger has been a leading advocate for a reduction. In late July, California lawmakers passed $1.2 billion in cuts to the state prison system that envisioned some early releases of inmates. The judges also accused the state of fostering “criminogenic” conditions and feeding a cycle of recidivism. The panel gave state officials 45 days to submit a plan that would lower the population of the state’s 33 prisons from 150,000 to 110,000 within the next two years. The court said this could be achieved by increasing reductions for good behavior and ending the process of automatically returning parolees to prison for minor parole violations. California’s prisons are designed to hold up to 84,000 inmates, now house 158,000. Many prisons have been forced to construct makeshift facilities in gymnasiums and cafeterias in order to house the extra inmates. California Attorney General Jerry Brown has spoken out against the latest ruling as a federal intrusion into state affairs, and is expected to appeal Tuesday’s ruling. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fiddletown, California – The Amador County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday afternoon that Fiddletown resident John Michael O’Sullivan was shot and killed Sunday during a dispute with his neighbor. The sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call at 7:45 p.m. Sunday from O’Sullivan’s neighbor, Kenneth John Zimmerman, 56, who said that O’Sullivan, 47, had driven a tractor through his locked gate. The sheriff’s office said the two men had “a longstanding neighbor dispute.” Zimmerman, who faces a charge of murder, said that O’Sullivan struck him in the face with his open hand, and tried to run over him with the tractor. Zimmerman told the dispatcher that the sheriff’s office better hurry up and get there “before I shoot him”. Amador County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched immediately. Dispatch received a second call at 7:58 p.m. from O’Sullivan’s wife, Krista Darlene Clem, stating that she heard several gunshots and was unable to locate her husband. Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Zimmerman property, located at 18000 Jura Lane in Fiddletown, at approximately 8:08 p.m., wherein they found Zimmerman blocking the roadway with a vehicle. In a release, Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner said: “Zimmerman reported O’Sullivan was near the gate he had damaged and the firearm in question was within the residence. Upon checking the area, deputies subsequently located O’Sullivan, deceased on his tractor, off the roadway, in the brush near Zimmerman’s residence.” Preliminary investigation indicates O’Sullivan was the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. Wegner said the sheriff’s department acquired a search warrant for the Zimmerman property and had been processing the crime scene since Sunday night. Zimmerman was arrested and booked in the Amador County Jail on one count of murder. Zimmerman is being held without bail. Wegner said “no further details will be released at this time in order to protect the integrity of this investigation.” John Michael O'Sullivan, a citizen of Ireland, was an Amador County housing developer, working with his wife and business partner, Krista Clem, on the Golden Vale housing development. The project proposed a “mixed use” of single- and multi-family units on 383 acres of property, located on the north side of Highway 88, just west of Sunset West, in Amador County. O’Sullivan is survived by his wife, Krista, and their four children: Tessie, age 2; Michael, age 3; Lydia, age 6; and Jacob, age 14. The family lived in Fiddletown, an unincorporated town in Amador County. O’Sullivan’s parents are Hanora Teresa O'Sullivan and Michael Frances O'Sullivan of Valentia Island, Ireland; and his grandparents are John William O'Sullivan of Valentia Island, Ireland, and Una O'Sullivan of Cardiff, Wales. (end) am Www.TSPNTV.com. Alex Lane and Jim Reece, TSPN TV News. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – As of Wednesday, three major fires are wreaking havoc in northern California - a sure sign that fire season is in full swing. The Knight Fire in Stanislaus County is now 50 percent under control. 926 personnel are currently committed to battling the 5,078 acre blaze near Twain Harte that has been ravaging mountain canyons since it began on Sunday, July 26. CAL FIRE estimates that is has so far cost $9,755,000 to fight that fire. The cause of the Knight Fire is still under investigation. CAL FIRE Public Information Officer Debbie Santiago said in a press release that steep, rock and inaccessible terrain combined with extreme fire behavior have made combating the blaze difficult. Two fires continue to burn in Shasta and Lassen counties. Both fires are believed to have been started by lightning strikes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection today. The Hat Creek Complex fire has burned 8,558 acres and is 15 percent contained. Hundreds of firefighters, 54 engines and four bulldozers are fighting the fire in the Hat Creek and Old Station area of Shasta County. So far the effort has cost $2.2 million. That complex of fires has been burning since Sunday. The Cassel Fire near the Burney region in Shasta County had burned 7,634 acres as of Wednesday and was about 18 percent contained. Another fire, the Backbone fire in Trinity County, is about 90 percent contained after burning more than 6,300 acres in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.