Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-13-12 - TSPN's Tom Slivick talks with Mark Borchin of the Amador County Chamber of Commerce about county Transient Occupancy Tax. 

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-14-12 - TSPN's Tom Slivick talks with Superintendent of School Dick Glock about Amador Unified School District’s search for a new legal firm.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-13-12

• Amador County Supervisors directed staff to prepare a hotel-motel tax measure that would exclude camping.

• Supervisors approved a preliminary 2012-2013 budget.

• First 5 Amador to take over operation of Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council effective July 1.

• Amador Business Council said it will back efforts to raise tourist taxes on hotel and motel stays.

• Amador County Supervisors approved a preliminary budget with comments on the economic climate.  

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-14-12

• Huber’s AB1191 Triple-Flip, ERAF repair bill passed a Senate Committee unanimously, and heads to a full Senate vote.

• Raley’s ended labor mediation Friday with no new agreement, and no new talks scheduled.

• Jackson City Council OKs partial demolition at 215 Court Street.

• Missing swimmer’s body located in North Shore Lake Camanche

• Amador Technical Advisory Committee will consider bed & breakfast wedding facilities on Sutter-Ione Road  

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-14-12

• Huber’s AB1191 Triple-Flip, ERAF repair bill passed a Senate Committee unanimously, and heads to a full Senate vote.

• Raley’s ended labor mediation Friday with no new agreement, and no new talks scheduled.

• Jackson City Council OKs partial demolition at 215 Court Street.

• Missing swimmer’s body located in North Shore Lake Camanche

• Amador Technical Advisory Committee will consider bed & breakfast wedding facilities on Sutter-Ione Road  

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 6-14-12 - TSPN's Tom Slivick talks with Superintendent of School Dick Glock about Amador Unified School District’s search for a new legal firm.

Amador County – Assemblywoman Alyson Huber’s AB-1191 to restore funding to Amador County made it through the Senate Governance and Finance Committee Wednesday, and next will go before the full Senate for a vote.

Jackson City Manager Mike Daly attended the hearing at the state capital in Sacramento and was encouraged by the unanimous vote. He said he believes the next step is a full Senate vote, and “given the unanimous vote of the committee, I expect that that should go well.”

Daly said the funding was the most significant variable still unknown for the city’s budget, and AB 1191 is a “potential fix to the unanticipated loss in the General Fund due to a quirk in the ‘triple flip,’ vehicle license fee (VLF) swap and Education Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF), a process established to satisfy the state deficit bonds issued in 2005 and meet funding requirements of Proposition 98.”

Daly, in a report to the Jackson City Council Monday, said that “due to the decline in property tax and the recently determined ‘basic aid’ status of the Amador County Unified School District, a portion of the VLF swap amount due to the cities and county was redirected to ACUSD. This resulted in a loss of approximately $100,000 in property tax revenue the past two years.”

He said “two potential fixes in the form of a State budget supplement and Assembly Bill 1191 introduced by Alyson Huber could remedy this problem. The budget amendment has cleared the early hurdles and AB1191” had a critical hearing in the Senate committee Wednesday, June 13, passing unanimously.

Daly said the budget language would reimburse the county and cities for losses in fiscal year 2010-2011, and AB 1191 moves forward with the start of fiscal year 2013. He said 1191 would require legislative reauthorization to reimburse the losses, and it provides a mechanism for that to occur.

Daly said it goes about as far as it needs to fix the losses. Jackson would get about $100,000, Ione about $200,000, and Amador County about $1.1 million. Sutter Creek and Plymouth would also get funds.

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Amador County – A mediated negotiation session between the United Food & Commercial Workers and Raley’s ended Friday, June 8, and no new talks were scheduled, with the contract extended on a day-by-day basis.

The Union offered a proposal which Raley’s management rejected, saying it would increase the company’s operating costs. Raley’s spokesman John Segale, released details of the mediation Friday, saying the union also is “demanding that we provide the union with the full authority to develop a new contract agreement with no input from Raley’s while guaranteeing it would win approval from its members.”

Segale said Raley’s was “stunned and disappointed to receive such an outrageous contract offer from the union leadership.” He said it would “increase our operating costs an additional $20 million in just the first year of the contract including requiring us to pay signing bonuses, provide wage increases and increase the cost of our health and welfare plan.”

He said “union leaders demanded that we give them complete authority to develop a final agreement without any input” on what our company would be required to pay. “It is very frustrating to attempt to negotiate with a union leadership that seems so out of touch with the realities of today’s economy.”

He said Raley’s faces “tremendous competitive pressures and we must lower our operating expenses immediately. Clearly, the union leadership is ignoring these facts and seems intent on destroying Raley’s while eliminating the jobs of 3,400 of its members.”

UFCW’s Local 8 President Jacques Loveall made a statement Friday saying the union’s “goal is to avoid a labor dispute, to stabilize morale, to regain harmonious labor relations and to protect the Raley’s brand. Our intention is to structure an agreement to address the legitimate competitive challenges of the employer while maintaining the security and dignity of the Union membership.”

Local 8 proposed that the parties agree to an “audit to justify the company’s claims of need for financial relief.” They also proposed “instruction of the Union and Employer accountants and actuaries to establish a budget for labor costs based on the audit findings.”

The proposal also sought “empowering of the Union bargaining committee to structure an overall settlement for membership recommendation.”

Loveall in the statement said the Union bargaining committee “has an unparalleled depth of experience in designing benefits packages, administering and negotiating contracts, understanding the expectations of the membership and creating sensible solutions.”

He said “with the cooperation of the employer in this efficient process, the Union will design a settlement within the agreed-upon budget, in an expedited fashion with the assurance of an unconditional recommendation of ratification to the membership.”

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Amador County – Jackson City Council denied an appeal of a demolition permit Monday for part of a structure on Court Street, on a 3-2 vote.

Planning Commissioner Dave Butow appealed the demolition permit of part of a building at 215 Court Street. City Manager Mike Daly said the Council held two hours of discussion of the appeal, with testimony by Butow, but mostly by two main speakers in support of the appeal, Gary Reinoehl and Bill Orescan.

Orescan is a neighbor of the home, whose owners, Jim Carter and Linda Cantando, want to tear down part of one structure for parking.

Daly said the demolition permit was approved and one of the requirements is that the owners have to acquire a performance bond, so if they start the project, that it is guaranteed to be finished. Dave Butow, who recused himself when the Planning Commission heard and approved the demolition permit on Jan. 30, filed a $200 appeal of the permit award on Feb. 9.

Butow, Orescan and Reinoehl argued that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daly said they were concerned that a portion of the building to be removed was historically significant to the appearance of the building. Daly said the section to be demolished was originally built as a covered porch, then later enclosed.

The National Register said the home, the Grace Blair DePue House was built in 1872, and the porches were enclosed in 1950. It was restored in 1980 to the 1900 appearance, “short of reopening the side porches.”

A Planning Staff report said “on Jan. 17, the Jackson Design Review Committee met and concluded that the addition is not a historic resource and that removal would improve the historic value of the main structure.” The “Committee voted unanimously to recommend Planning Commission approval of the demolition and directed the applicant to have the new exterior look ‘seamless’ with the remaining structure.”

Jackson Mayor Pat Crew and Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis voted against approval. Daly said the other three Council members felt it was not a significant portion of the building, and that it is in a dilapidated condition, and its non-consistency with the rest of the building permitted it to be demolished.

The owners are working with the city Building Department to get the performance bond. Daly said part of the discussion was the owners’ ultimate plan for the property. They would like to convert the building into a duplex. In order to do that, he said they need to go through a conditional use hearing before the Planning Commission, in part to assess whether it would have enough parking. Daly said it would probably start with the city Site Plan Review Committee, made up of staff, and the appointed group, the Design Review Committee.

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Amador County – The body of a San Francisco man who went missing at Lake Camanche on Sunday was recovered from the lake on Wednesday.

Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner released details of the incident, saying that the body of Remigio Munoz Jr., 31, of San Francisco was recovered from the water on Wednesday, after four days of searching. An autopsy to determine the cause and manner of Munoz’s death is scheduled for Thursday, June 14.

On Sunday June 10, the Amador County Sheriff’s Department began a search at North Shore Lake Camanche for a swimmer that had been reported missing, and who was last seen swimming in the lake. A ground, aerial and underwater search was conducted that day, with the underwater search continuing on Monday, June 11.

On Tuesday June 12, the Amador County Sheriff’s Dive Team utilized two California Rescue Dog Association Golden Retrievers, certified in locating submerged decedents. The canines identified one area of interest. An underwater search determined the subject was not in the area alerted upon.

On Wednesday June 13, the Sacramento Dive Accident Recovery Team responded to assist with a specialized vessel-mounted Search and Rescue sonar system. The Team identified two areas of interest, and an underwater search by Amador Sheriff’s Divers resulted in the recovery of the decedent.

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