Amador County – The planned closure of Preston Youth Correctional Facility had a sobering affect across Amador County last week.

It also mobilized support, including Plymouth City Council as the latest to send a letter urging the “continued operation” of the 105-year-old facility, calling it “an important member of our community.”

Ione resident Dusty Stahl said an oversight committee meeting will discuss Preston Thursday, November 4th, and a shuttle busses will give free rides that morning from Ione to Sacramento for the meeting at the Capitol. The busses will have space for 100 people.

Stahl said “not only will Amador County suffer the effects of placing over 400 people in the unemployment line, but our small businesses and cities will suffer.”

Mayor Pat Fordyce said last week that she attended a public discussion of the closure hosted by California Department of Corrections in Ione City Hall. It drew a lot of emotional testimony, but she said facts should have been more prevalent. That was part of the letter she sent to CDC Secretary Mathew Cate.

In the letter dated October 28th, Fordyce said closing the facility will affect 450 jobs in the county and “have a significant economic impact on the city of Ione and the many residents of Amador County. But of greater importance, is the successful record of the staff and employees who have devoted their lives to the training and rehabilitation of the many young offenders who have successfully passed through” Preston.

Assemblywoman Alyson Huber requested last week’s meeting and Ione city staff offered the city hall, with a capacity for 70 people, or Evalyn Bishop Hall, which seats 600. Fordyce said CDC chose city hall, which was loud, hot and overflowing with people.

Fordyce said she stood in the hallway, could not see speakers, and had to go by their voice to determine who was talking. She later asked City Manager Kim Kerr what Plymouth can do to help, and Kerr urged her to send a support letter.

Fordyce told Plymouth City Manager Dixon Flynn, who on short notice did not have the letter agendized, but last Thursday gave copies to the Plymouth City Council.

Fordyce said people can speak publicly about Preston Thursday but time limits will be in place.

Stahl said those seeking rides should meet in Howard Park at 6:45 a.m. Thursday, November 4th. The busses must leave by 7 a.m. The oversight committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 4202 of the State Capitol.

For information call 267-5257.

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

Amador County - A public meeting last week on the announced closure of the Preston Youth Correctional Facility drew an outraged and emotional crowd to voice their concerns and seek details behind the process that led to putting it on the chopping block.

Community members, prison employees and elected officials stood or sat shoulder-to-shoulder in Ione City Hall as representatives of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) explained their reasoning behind the announced closure, which they blamed on budget cuts and a declining ward population.

Many who spoke called for a more thorough analysis of regional impacts. Supervisor John Plasse said “we’d have a lot more trust if we had those impact studies in front of us.”

CDCR Undersecretary Scott Kernan said “I don’t have the luxury of an impact statement that’s going to take several months” because his department must make a decision within a set time frame.

Dana Jorgensen, an aide to the late Senator Dave Cox, said he felt compelled to speak because “this hasn’t been a good process.”

Kernan countered that “Senator (Cox) passed the legislation” that required spending cuts and forced his department into this position.

Roger Niello, 5th District Assemblyman and candidate for the seat vacated by Cox, said he didn’t think it appropriate for Kernan to “draw conclusions that the legislators that authorized…spending cuts would authorize the closure you came up with.”

Jorgenson also asked if Kernan and staff could make a commitment to keep Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp open in the upcountry. Kernan said he “could never make such a commitment.”

Others questioned the CDCR’s recidivism data, and two Preston employees claimed their facility had lower recidivism rates than others in the state. Kernan said “recidivism data does not allow us to break it down by facility.”

Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalvez read a letter from her council that reiterated the most commonly expressed fear. “At a time when (the) local unemployment rate is 12.7 percent, higher than the statewide average, closure of this facility would further hamper the region’s recovery efforts,” she said.

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board voted last week to have its general manager look at the cost of having a consultant analyze the agency’s reorganization.

Retiring Director Terence Moore said they should let the general manager handle any staff reduction.

Moore said he was glad Director Debbie Dunn “in her 2 years’ experience on the board knows what the agency should look like because I’ve been on the board for 12 years and I don’t know what it should look like.”

He said “it’s all good and well to grandstand before an election,” but they should give the power of reorganization to General Manager Gene Mancebo, who can bring back recommendations in January, and “hopefully Debbie won’t be here to vote on it.”

Moore said “this has been the most dysfunctional board that I’ve ever sat on,” and he was glad he wouldn’t be coming back.

Dunn asked staff to put a date on the reorganization, and said staff should “bring information to justify” having an engineering department head presiding over three staff members. She suggested having no department head, and they all report to Mancebo.

President Bill Condrashoff suggested setting a number to meet with staff cuts, and Director Don Cooper said “that’s way too ambiguous.” Cooper said he would like to see direction coming from Mancebo on how to reorganize.

Cooper said “that is why the ad hoc committee was formed, to study the reorganization and make recommendations.” He said Dunn is “indicating that the board is to act like chief executive officers,” and she wants to build the agency “from the top down, instead of from the bottom up.”

Dunn asked: “Do we need the agency dictated by the general manager and we are here to give the rubber stamp?”

Mancebo said he took “offense to that,” and it was “important to not make decisions in a vacuum.” He said they can’t “eliminate positions without knowing the specific requirements of those positions,” and whether other employees can absorb that work.

He said “these managers are working managers,” and such changes might result in the need for contract labor at higher costs.

Condrashoff asked why there was a “big hoo-ha” about upper management.

Mancebo said engineering staff was lower than it was 15 years ago, and they can cut without concern of organizational structure, but if they want to look at services and bare bones necessities, they need to look at tasks.

The board voted 4-0 to have Mancebo look at the cost of having a consultant analyze agency structure, with Dunn not voting. Dunn said: “It makes no sense to me what we just did.”

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Amador County – On Monday, November 1st, at 8 am,, the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit (AEU) of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will transition into their “winter preparedness” level of staffing. This means most seasonal fire fighting personnel will be laid off and some outlying fire stations will be closed. Keep in mind AEU’s staffing levels are sufficient to respond to local emergencies and CAL FIRE is always prepared to call back additional resources if fire weather conditions change.

AEU’s Chief Bill Holmes says that “in this challenging economic period, down staffing is prudent based on the current and forecasted weather conditions. We need to manage our resources to the best of our ability and administer our budget responsibly.”

Chief Holmes adds “this is an excellent opportunity to work on your defensible space. Establishing the 100 foot barrier around your home and outbuildings on your property is the best defense against a wildfire and since the weather is cool and you can pile and burn the vegetation, the time is now.”

Burn restrictions have been lifted and CAL FIRE residential burn permits are no longer required for four by four foot debris piles (vegetation only).

The local Air Quality Management Districts (AQMD) govern burn/no burn day status so make sure you call the burn information line immediately prior to burning. In addition, your local AQMD may still require a permit for burning.

For additional information on burning safely, defensible space and other fire and life safety topics, please visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov.

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Amador County - A pine needle collection project is being conducted by the Amador Air District to help reduce the volume of smoke generated by smoldering residential fires. Smoke from such fires is harmful to public health and creates a nuisance for residents trying to enjoy the outdoors or let fresh air into their homes.

Instead of burning Pine Needles, Pine Cones, Grass Clippings, Weeds and Leaves, area residents may bring these materials to a central collection point and place them into a dumpster. The Air District will provide the dumpster and monitor the projects.

The project takes place November 2nd through Sunday November 28th from dawn until Dusk Daily until the dumpster is full. It is located at Pine Acres Community Services Building, 12990 Tabeau Road in Pine Grove and Mace Meadow Golf Course, 26570 Fairway Drive in Pioneer.

Only natural vegetation falling into the categories listed above will be accepted. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Several hundred people of all ages lined both sides downtown Main Street in Jackson Thursday to help salute the U.S. military on Veterans Day.

About 30 parade floats rode down sunny Main Street in the second annual American Legion Post 108 Veterans Day Parade, under Grand Marshal Tony Mathos, whose wife and assistant in running the parade also walked down the parade route thanking attendees for coming to the mid-morning event.

School children filled the parking lot of the Jackson Firehouse at the corner of Main and California Streets, where they watched the parade start.

Before the parade, Poncho Villa, president of the American Legion Riders Chapter 108, said he was happy to hear and thankful that TSPN would be “taking the time to cover and report on such a special day to honor our veterans.” Villa said: “It makes me feel that my time serving in the Vietnam War will not be forgotten.”

Several local media outlets covered the parade, including TSPN’s co-founder Tom Slivick, who is also a veteran.

Mathos is Past President of the Riders, and is also a member of the Sons of the American Legion, who were some of the parade marchers and riders.

Mathos said the parade was the second annual Veterans Day Parade, with a kind of a footnote. It was the second in a row after about a 24-year hiatus of the parade here in Amador County.

This is his second year as grand marshal of the parade, after helping get it back in action last year with help from American Legion Post 108, main sponsor, whose membership totals about 1,800, including Legionnaires, the Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, and the American Legion Riders.

Mathos said they had double the floats and groups over last year’s parade.

Leading the parade was the American Legion Honor Guard, followed by the Legion float, which had high-ranking officials on board, and veterans from World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Desert Storm wars.

Also participating were American Legion Ambulances, and fire engines from every brigade in the county.

Parade entrants included the Jackson and Ione police departments, California Highway Patrol, Jackson Fire, Cal Fire, and the Lockwood and Amador fire protection districts.

Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts also marched, as did the Civil Air Patrol, and several car club members, driving old military vehicles. There was an antique fire truck carrying Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalves and Councilman Keith Sweet; and Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison drove his old squad car in the parade.

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Amador County – A long-awaited new business, the Big 5 Sporting Goods opened Thursday to a line of customers eager to shop the new branch of the big chain store in Martell.

Big 5 opened its doors to a line of people waiting, said the store’s manager, Amanda Stowell. She said the store had received phone calls and drop-ins from passersby all week asking when the store would open, as workers made a mad dash to prepare for the opening.

That happened 4 p.m. Thursday, followed by the “official ribbon cutting,” hosted by the Amador County Chamber of Commerce.

Stowell said the store plans a grand opening celebration November 18th at the store, located next to Mountain Mike’s Pizza and Save Mart, in Martell.

The manager said the store carries everything from firearms to recreation, and snow gear. She said footwear is probably their largest department. Several dozen people were still in the store by 5 p.m., shopping, with other visitors constantly flowing into the store.

Stowell said the store has about 25 employees and will be open seven days a week. She said the store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 to 9 on Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, during normal season hours. She said the store will have special extended hours for the holidays.

Big 5 District Manager Pat Reddell said the store in Martell will have one of his two best managers in his district, in Stowell. He said the other is Lisa Wilson, who is the manager of the Big 5 store in Sonora. Reddell said his district now includes 11 stores, from Sonora to Sacramento.

Stowell said the Amador Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony was a word-of-mouth event, and the store gave away raffle tickets for prizes. They also gave away goodie bags to the first 50 customers who came, and had refreshments, including sandwiches from Subway.

Big 5 plans to give away more raffle tickets at its Thursday, November 18th grand opening, Reddell said, and the drawings will be made for the raffles on Sunday, December 5th.

Amador County Chamber of Commerce Executive Board President Mark Borchin spread the word about the Chamber’s ribbon cutting this week, and had planned to attend Thursday.

Big 5’s new store is located at 11974 Highway 88, in Martell. For information, call (209) 257-1304. Online, see Big5SportingGoods.com.

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Sacramento – 10th District Assemblymember Alyson Huber said last week she will continue to fight a decision by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation CDCR) to close the historic Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione.

Fresh off her successful bid for a second term in office, Huber chaired a Joint Legislative Audit Committee last Thursday in which she looked to compel the CDCR to answer questions about how this decision was made and how they will mitigate impacts of the closure.

Over 100 Amador County citizens traveled to the hearing in buses jointly commissioned by CDCR employee Richard Forster and the Jackson Rancheria.

Should the closure go forward, hundreds of Amador County citizens would be forced to look for work in other areas of the state.

Huber said in an announcement after the hearing that it “provided a narrow glimpse into the Department’s process, but we still have a lot more to uncover.”

“I will continue to ask questions of the Department and look for opportunities for the public to voice their concerns since they weren’t allowed that chance prior to the closure announcement,” she said.

Huber said there were no economic impact reports or other evidence provided to justify the closure. She focused on the high standard of care and low recidivism rates Preston has long been known for, and compared its closure to a school district closing its best school without justification.

Witnesses at the hearing included Drew Soderborg, Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst in the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Scott Kernan, Undersecretary at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Rachael Rios, Chief Deputy Secretary of the Division of Juvenile Justice.

“I want Preston to stay open to help protect the public and keep badly needed jobs in the community, but even if the facility is one day to be slated for closure it has to be after a process that fully involves the community and prevents economic harm to the community,” said Huber.

In an interview last week with the Lodi News –Sentinel about her goals for her second term, Huber said she will “continue to focus on issues that affect the district.” She said she looks forward to discussing solutions with Governor-elect Jerry Brown and the new legislature.

Another community meeting on the planned closure will be annoucned shortly for December.

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Amador County - The Amador County Public Health Department announced this week that they will hold one more comprehensive flu clinic designed in part to prevent rising rates of whooping cough throughout the state.

Diane Evensen, the department’s health educator, said Tuesday there are currently over 5,900 reported cases of the virus in California, up drastically from 3,834 cases in late September. California is on track to have more cases of whooping cough this year than any other year since 1958.

Also known as pertussis, the last major wave of infections was in 2005 with 25,000 cases reported nationwide and approximately 3,000 cases in California. ¶ There are currently no cases in Amador County.

“Vaccinations are so important for the prevention piece of the puzzle,” said Evensen. “Pertussis is tragically lethal to infants, and the sad thing is it’s completely preventable.”

She said rates are highest in infants under six years of age because their young systems have yet to develop a natural immunity to the virus. Infants typically get three doses of the vaccine but are not fully protected until after 5 months.

Known medically as pertussis, the disease is considered incredibly contagious, affecting close to 90 percent of those exposed to it, says the CDC. Close to 70 percent of infants under age 1 are hospitalized.

The clinic will offer the “Tdap” vaccine booster for tetanus and pertussis. The Tdap is for people 11 years old and older.

Other vaccines available include the FluMist nasal vaccine, intended for healthy people ages 2 through 49 years old. Also available is the flu vaccine for individuals over 6 months of age who are not eligible for a nasal vaccine.

Pneumonia vaccine shots are available for people 50 years old and older with chronic lung disease.

The clinic takes place November 30th at the Health and Human Services Building, 10877 Conductor Boulevard in Sutter Creek. Flu vaccines can also be received at regular immunization clincs held every first, third and fourth Tuesdays. Call 223-6407 for more information.

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