Amador County – Pacific Gas & Electric will fund $9,000 in grants for regional economic development in the four-county area of Amador, Tuolumne, Calaveras, and Mariposa Counties.

Beth Hartline of the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority in Sonora said PG&E contributed funding to the Central Sierra Economic Partnership, as a whole, and to each of the four counties. The contributions have helped more than 155 retail and manufacturing businesses in the four-county region save more than $280,000 during 2010.

Larry Cope, Chairman of Central Sierra Economic Partnership, said PG&E is “continuing its long-standing commitment to support the economic vitality of the communities it serves.” PG&E again awarded grants, funded by its shareholders, to the Partnership.

Cope said the partnership “focuses on the economic development of Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties and works to bring together public and private resources to ensure the success of businesses in the Central Sierra Region.”

In 2011, PG&E has granted $9,000 to support regional economic development in the four counties. PG&E presented $5,000 to the CSEP, as well as $1,000 to each county. Over the past two years, PG&E has contributed a total of $18,000 to the organizations “for the purpose of holding local energy summits, promoting the use of PG&E’s energy conservation programs to our small and large retail businesses and manufacturers, recruitment of businesses, and toward increased economic viability of our rural communities.”

PG&E generated $200,000 in income to local contractors and provided jobs for 13 people in Tuolumne, Calaveras, and Mariposa counties.

Plans for 2011 include energy summits in Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, to reach more business owners with cost- and energy-saving programs, including lighting and refrigeration replacement.

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Amador County – A recent arrest of a suspect in a burglary in progress at Fred’s Mini Mart in Ione had the Amador County Sheriff and business owners commenting on the success of local law enforcement agencies.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan said the case showed how sharing information between law enforcement agencies can lead to the interruption of a crime in progress. Ryan has often stated that “law enforcement in Amador County is a team sport” and he said “this case demonstrates how our local law enforcement agencies depend on each other and work together to apprehend offenders.”

The mini storage owners, Deb and Fred Van Anda, in a letter to Ione City Manager Kim Kerr commended the Ione Police Officer and K9 officer involved in the arrest, saying “Fred’s Mini Storage has had a rash of break-ins and it was so rewarding to finally catch the bad guys.”

Deb Van Anda said she “watched the interaction of the Amador County Sheriff Deputies, Sutter Creek Police and the Ione Police and saw how well they work together. It was very clear to me, even at 4 a.m., that there was mutual respect for each other and their departments.”

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Amador County – The Amador Sheriff's deputies and Ione Police collaborated recently to catch a suspect in the act of burglarizing Fred’s Mini Storage in Ione, and the suspect was implicated in multiple regional burglaries.

According to a sheriff’s office release, at about 3 a.m. on May 4, an Ione Police Officer responding to assist an Amador County Sheriff’s Deputy with a traffic detention on Highway 88 observed a vehicle stopped near Fred’s Mini Storage at 7300 Martin Lane in Ione. The vehicle, a tan 1997 Ford Probe, matched the description of a vehicle wanted by Sheriff’s Detectives as possibly involved in a previous burglary at the business.

The Ione officer notified the Deputy of his observation and then made contact with the vehicle’s two occupants. The deputy sheriff arrived seconds later as a third subject was observed fleeing through the mini storage. Nearby, a section of fence had been cut, and miscellaneous property from one of the storage lockers was strewn about the area.

Upon arrival of a Sheriff’s sergeant, a search of the premise was conducted utilizing the Ione Police K9 patrol officer. Dwayne Allen Hickingbottom, 49, of Stockton was subsequently found hiding in the nearby brush. The Sergeant found Hickingbottom in possession of two baggies of suspected methamphetamine and burglary tools.

A search of Hickingbottom’s vehicle revealed additional burglary tools and drug use paraphernalia. A California Highway Patrol Officer and a Sutter Creek Police Officer also assisted at the scene.

Hickingbottom was arrested and charged with burglary and possession of a controlled substance, burglary tools and drug paraphernalia. Hickingbottom was also determined to be wanted on four separate San Joaquin County Superior Court felony arrest warrants for burglary, possession of a controlled substance and receiving stolen property.

On May 5, 2011 Amador County Sheriff’s Detectives, who have been working on the burglaries which have occurred at the mini storage, conducted searches of multiple residences in both San Joaquin and Sacramento County. Through the supplemental investigation it was determined that Hickingbottom is responsible for multiple burglaries within the region.

Detectives determined Hickingbottom paid associates $30 to transport him to his crime locations and then return a short period later to pick him up with whatever stolen property he had obtained. Based on additional investigation, Amador County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted another search of Hickingbottom’s vehicle and located previously unreported stolen property.

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Amador County – U.S. Congressman Dan Lungren will host a Congressional Field Hearing on the Child Human Trafficking Problem in Sacramento and Northern California Tuesday in Rancho Cordova.

Lungren announced Friday that he “has been working on the issue over the past two years because the Sacramento area has the dubious distinction of being among the top offenders when the FBI surveys the level of occurrence.”

Joining Lungren will be Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Lungren said “members of local, state and federal law enforcement will testify about the problem and community organizations will outline their efforts to rescue young girls, the most common victims who are trafficked for sex.”

The hearing will be a “rare collection of experts collaborating on an issue that victimizes young girls locally – and all over the world,” Lungren said.

The Congressional Field Briefing on the Trafficking of Children in the Sacramento Region is set for 1-4 p.m. Tuesday at Rancho Cordova City Hall.

The briefing will include presentations by U.S. Attorney Ben Wagner; Herbert Brown, the Special Agent in Charge of the Sacramento FBI; Commander Timothy Johnstone of the Sacramento Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center; Chief Nicholas Sensley, who is the Human Trafficking Task Force Specialist of the Truckee Police Department; Jenny Williamson, Founder of Courage To Be You and Courage House; and Vicki Zito, the parent of a trafficking victim. The briefing will also feature a video interview with Ashley Judd.

Lungren said the Congressional Field Briefing addresses “efforts to combat domestic sex trafficking of children. As you may be aware, Sacramento has the unfortunate distinction of being a hub of human trafficking. It is our hope that as we continue to bring together leaders in anti-trafficking work, we can stop the exploitation of children in this region and across the nation.”

Lungren, (R-Gold River) has two other meetings set for the next month around District 3. He plans a Town Hall meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17th at Rancho Cordova City Hall in the American River Room. Lungren also has a Town Hall meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21st in the West Room of the Folsom Community Center.

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Amador County – The Amador County Chamber of Commerce earlier this month filed an appeal of a Small Claims Court ruling against the Chamber that in April awarded more than $5,000 to former Chamber executive director Jacqueline Lucido.

Stephen Zalkind, attorney for the Amador Chamber, said he filed the appeal May 2nd, and the affect of the appeal is to suspend the small claims judgment, and set a new trial to take place June 2.

After a Small Claims Court hearing on April 4, Superior Court Judge Angus Saint-Evens awarded $5,579 plus $75 in costs to Lucido in an April 5 ruling. Zalkind said the filing of the appeal automatically suspended the ruling in the small claims case, and set the new trial date.

Details of the Small Claims Court ruling were described by Saint-Evens in the ruling, after Lucido sued in the court for expenses she said she paid while heading the Chamber. The Chamber, as defendant, was represented in the hearing by its Board of Directors President Mark Borchin. The judge wrote that Borchin asked for a “stay of the proceeding for an uspecified period of time while an audit/criminal investigation was being completed,” but noted that the “defendant provides no support for this.”

The judge noted that it “appears that defendant has some concerns about the financial management skills of Plaintiff.” Saint-Evens noted that Borchin suggested “there may be some Fifth Amendment reason on behalf of plaintiff not to proceed,” although the “defendant does not have standing to raise the issue and in any event Plaintiff declined this suggestion and the matter proceeded to trial.”

The judge wrote that it appeared that for a long time, Lucido as Chamber executive director “was and has been funding cash shortfalls and business expenses from her own resources.” He wrote: “Apparently no individual ever questioned why an organization with an annual budget of between $150,000 (per plaintiff) and $100,000 (per defendant) was frequently in financial shortfalls. Nor is it explained why in light of the frequency of these circumstances that the Board of Directors did not address the issue.”

The judge noted that the Chamber reimbursed Lucido for $1,300, of the original request for more than $6,500 in the suit, and that the “payment was relevant to Plaintiffs claims.” Saint-Evens wrote that Borchin notably “does not deny owning the amount” and “refused to give or state an opinion on the validity of the plaintiffs’ claims,” and the “trial essentially proceeded by way of default.”

The new trial is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2nd in Department 2 of Amador County Superior Court.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-13-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Carla Meyer, Transit Manager of Amador Transit, to discuss the kids summer bus passes and other transit programs on the horizon.

mador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-13-11

·       Nine Amador American Legion riders will take a cross-country “Run For The Wall” to honor U.S. military on Memorial Day.

·       Amador Sheriff’s Deputies arrested an Elk Grove man for last week for theft of a TV, and a shirt in Martell.

·       The Tour of California Bicycle Road Race will ride a leg through Ione next week.

·       Plymouth city officials pore through Reeder residential project documents.

·       Mormon Emigrant Trail remains closed due to snow, and could be closed until mid-June.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-13-11

·       Amador Chamber appeals Lucido’s small claims court victory, establishing new trial date.

·       Amador Sheriff's deputies and Ione Police collaborated last week to catch a suspect in multiple regional burglaries.

·       Congressman Dan Lungren will host a field hearing Tuesday on the child trafficking problem in Northern California and Sacramento.

·       A recent arrest of a burglar an Ione business had both the Sheriff and business owners praising local law enforcement.

·       PG&E is funding $9,000 in grants for regional economic development in Amador, Tuolumne, Calaveras and Mariposa counties

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-13-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Carla Meyer, Transit Manager of Amador Transit, to discuss the kids summer bus passes and other transit programs on the horizon.

Amador County – The Amador County Chamber of Commerce earlier this month filed an appeal of a Small Claims Court ruling against the Chamber that in April awarded more than $5,000 to former Chamber executive director Jacqueline Lucido.

Stephen Zalkind, attorney for the Amador Chamber, said he filed the appeal May 2nd, and the affect of the appeal is to suspend the small claims judgment, and set a new trial to take place June 2.

After a Small Claims Court hearing on April 4, Superior Court Judge Angus Saint-Evens awarded $5,579 plus $75 in costs to Lucido in an April 5 ruling. Zalkind said the filing of the appeal automatically suspended the ruling in the small claims case, and set the new trial date.

Details of the Small Claims Court ruling were described by Saint-Evens in the ruling, after Lucido sued in the court for expenses she said she paid while heading the Chamber. The Chamber, as defendant, was represented in the hearing by its Board of Directors President Mark Borchin. The judge wrote that Borchin asked for a “stay of the proceeding for an uspecified period of time while an audit/criminal investigation was being completed,” but noted that the “defendant provides no support for this.”

The judge noted that it “appears that defendant has some concerns about the financial management skills of Plaintiff.” Saint-Evens noted that Borchin suggested “there may be some Fifth Amendment reason on behalf of plaintiff not to proceed,” although the “defendant does not have standing to raise the issue and in any event Plaintiff declined this suggestion and the matter proceeded to trial.”

The judge wrote that it appeared that for a long time, Lucido as Chamber executive director “was and has been funding cash shortfalls and business expenses from her own resources.” He wrote: “Apparently no individual ever questioned why an organization with an annual budget of between $150,000 (per plaintiff) and $100,000 (per defendant) was frequently in financial shortfalls. Nor is it explained why in light of the frequency of these circumstances that the Board of Directors did not address the issue.”

The judge noted that the Chamber reimbursed Lucido for $1,300, of the original request for more than $6,500 in the suit, and that the “payment was relevant to Plaintiffs claims.” Saint-Evens wrote that Borchin notably “does not deny owning the amount” and “refused to give or state an opinion on the validity of the plaintiffs’ claims,” and the “trial essentially proceeded by way of default.”

The new trial is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2nd in Department 2 of Amador County Superior Court.

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