Tom
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:20
Former Assessor candidate Elias files claim against County for more than $10K
Amador County – Former County Assessor candidate Jay Irene Elias has filed a claim against Amador County for more than $10,000, saying county officials erred by keeping her on involuntary leave after medical evaluations found her medically and psychiatrically fit to perform her duties. In a governmental tort claim received by Amador County on August 10, Elias says the County placed her “medical fitness-for-duty at issue” and “relied upon and apparently adopted in its entirety the fitness-for-duty report” of a psychiatrist who considered her “totally disabled from work for medical reasons.” She says County officials refused subsequent evaluations from two other doctors who determined her medically and physically fit to perform her job, including an opinion from her family doctor. She calls the original psychiatric examination “critically flawed” for a number of reasons, and says those findings “are not supportable by clinical testing and evaluation.” She names County officials who were the alleged decision makers in determining her inability to return to work, including County Assessor Jim Rooney, former County Administrative Officer Terri Daly and Undersheriff James Wegner. The amount claimed exceeds $10,000 and would be an unlimited civil case. Her claim says the amount is based on past lost wages, various benefits, attorney’s fees and “emotional distress damages.” When asked for comment, Elias refused. County officials were also unable to comment because of the claim’s status as “potential litigation,” but Deputy County Counsel Greg Gillott explained that a tort claim is “a prerequisite that’s been put in place before people can sue a public entity for most causes of action.” He said the County is in the process of addressing the claim, and that decision may or may not lead to litigation. Elias currently work’s in the County Assessor’s office. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
News Archive
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:22
Community meeting at Ione Elementary to address mountain lion concerns
Amador County – California Department of Fish and Game officials will hold a community outreach meeting next Monday to address concerns over alleged mountain lion sightings near Ione Elementary School. According to Ione Police Sergeant Rocky Harpham, two or three mountain lion sightings were reported earlier this month in the area is where the train tracks run immediately adjacent to Ione Junior High School. Last week, another sighting was reported in the park adjacent to Ione Elementary and again during back-to-school night. Principal Sylvia Leblanc said a lion “was allegedly seen lying in the grass on the hill in the park.” Fish and Game has sent out trappers twice but was unable to locate any lions. They are also considering eliminating brush around the school in order to uncover potential hiding places. After the first sighting, Leblanc said she sent out an emergency 9-1-1 call to parents of students at the school to make them aware and warn them of the potential dangers of a mountain lion in the area. Leblanc said she is very confident in Fish and Game official’s ability to keep the children safe during school hours. She said yard duty supervisors are aware of the situation and are constantly walking the perimeter of the playground. “Our concern has always been at dusk and dawn when children come and play without supervision and when we can’t protect them,” said Leblanc. The community outreach meeting will take place Monday, August 30th in the cafeteria at Ione Elementary. All are welcome to attend. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
News Archive
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:28
Art Toy - AWA Dist. 5 Candidate 8-27-10
Published in
News Interview Videos
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:35
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 8-27-10
Published in
News Broadcast Videos
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:22
Community meeting at Ione Elementary to address mountain lion concerns
Amador County – California Department of Fish and Game officials will hold a community outreach meeting next Monday to address concerns over alleged mountain lion sightings near Ione Elementary School. According to Ione Police Sergeant Rocky Harpham, two or three mountain lion sightings were reported earlier this month in the area is where the train tracks run immediately adjacent to Ione Junior High School. Last week, another sighting was reported in the park adjacent to Ione Elementary and again during back-to-school night. Principal Sylvia Leblanc said a lion “was allegedly seen lying in the grass on the hill in the park.” Fish and Game has sent out trappers twice but was unable to locate any lions. They are also considering eliminating brush around the school in order to uncover potential hiding places. After the first sighting, Leblanc said she sent out an emergency 9-1-1 call to parents of students at the school to make them aware and warn them of the potential dangers of a mountain lion in the area. Leblanc said she is very confident in Fish and Game official’s ability to keep the children safe during school hours. She said yard duty supervisors are aware of the situation and are constantly walking the perimeter of the playground. “Our concern has always been at dusk and dawn when children come and play without supervision and when we can’t protect them,” said Leblanc. The community outreach meeting will take place Monday, August 30th in the cafeteria at Ione Elementary. All are welcome to attend. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Local
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:20
Former Assessor candidate Elias files claim against County for more than $10K
Amador County – Former County Assessor candidate Jay Irene Elias has filed a claim against Amador County for more than $10,000, saying county officials erred by keeping her on involuntary leave after medical evaluations found her medically and psychiatrically fit to perform her duties. In a governmental tort claim received by Amador County on August 10, Elias says the County placed her “medical fitness-for-duty at issue” and “relied upon and apparently adopted in its entirety the fitness-for-duty report” of a psychiatrist who considered her “totally disabled from work for medical reasons.” She says County officials refused subsequent evaluations from two other doctors who determined her medically and physically fit to perform her job, including an opinion from her family doctor. She calls the original psychiatric examination “critically flawed” for a number of reasons, and says those findings “are not supportable by clinical testing and evaluation.” She names County officials who were the alleged decision makers in determining her inability to return to work, including County Assessor Jim Rooney, former County Administrative Officer Terri Daly and Undersheriff James Wegner. The amount claimed exceeds $10,000 and would be an unlimited civil case. Her claim says the amount is based on past lost wages, various benefits, attorney’s fees and “emotional distress damages.” When asked for comment, Elias refused. County officials were also unable to comment because of the claim’s status as “potential litigation,” but Deputy County Counsel Greg Gillott explained that a tort claim is “a prerequisite that’s been put in place before people can sue a public entity for most causes of action.” He said the County is in the process of addressing the claim, and that decision may or may not lead to litigation. Elias currently work’s in the County Assessor’s office. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Local
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:17
Ione Police initiative proponent says complaints include 2008 incident
Amador County – A long-time critic of the Ione City Council and the Ione Police Department said this week that he is trying to save the city money by doing away with the IPD. Jim Scully, who lives in unincorporated Amador County, led a signature drive to place on the ballot a “petition for an initiative that proposes to transfer law enforcement services from the city of Ione Police Department to the Amador County Sheriff’s Department.” Scully told a Sacramento TV news station that it was about trimming the city’s spending. It was also about three complaints he had with Ione Police’s handling of three separate cases. Scully said in one incident, a family he knows went to Ione Police Department three times to get additional information logged about a case. Scully said if the family did not have a law enforcement background, it would not have been logged. He said it “shows the council cannot properly supervise the chief, and he cannot properly supervise his men.” Scully said the first case was from 2003 and took three years, and a grand jury investigation before the IPD called the victim and made a report of a crime. He said it was called a “non-commercial trespassing” case, while five attorneys he has consulted told him they would call the crime “1st degree burglary.” Scully said another of his complaints stemmed from a vehicle accident report. His friend’s van was parked outside a house when it was damaged by a driver who said he fell asleep, a passenger tried to wake him, and he hit the van. Scully said the Ione police report did not identify the passenger, and no statement was taken. Also, the driver’s information included an old address and an old phone number, making the man unreachable, and no insurance information was taken. He said there was $7,500 worth of damage done to the van. Scully said the third of his complaints centered on a case in which a parolee broke into a house and roughed up a man. He said the report had errors in victim statements. Scully said the third case happened in 2008. He said: “March of 2009 was when I submitted the complaint that they have ignored.” He said the same police officer “turns around and does the same thing to friends of mine.” Scully said the police chief even named a crime victim in a memorandum on one of the issues. Ione City Council will discuss its options on Scully’s initiative at its September 7th meeting. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Local
Friday, 27 August 2010 06:15
AWA looks into extension, fee credit transfers from Wildflower owners group
Amador County – New owners of the Wildflower Subdivision in Ione have asked the Amador Water Agency board of directors for an extension on will-serves, and to look at the possibility of fee credit transfers from the previous ownership group. The AWA board directed its legal counsel to investigate the agreement and determine what the board and the owner can and cannot do with the fee credits, which were awarded to the past owners’ group for building a two million-gallon storage tank that would serve the Wildflower Subdivision. Wildflower Investments LLC (the new owner) requested that it be able to apply the credits for building the storage tank to debts of that new company. AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the transfer of credits required that the AWA board “must approve and acknowledge that assignment of credits to the new owner.” Mancebo said the AWA previously has extended conditional will-serves for a certain period, but they would have to pay $1,000 per “Equivalent Dwelling Unit” to make those extensions. He said Wildflower Investments LLC would like to have that extension for the Wildflower Subdivision, and the company wants to use the fee credits to pay for those extensions. Mancebo said that apparently was not allowed in the agreement with AWA for fee credits earned by building the storage tank. He said the agreement with original property owner, Ryland Homes, “has this assign-ability clause,” and the agency does not see that as unreasonable, but “wants to make sure that the paper trail is all correct,” as “part of our due diligence, and our assignment to the attorney.” He said the AWA “board is concerned about money,” and how it “can get more cash flowing.” The extension fee was not anticipated when the agreement was struck with Ryland, he said: “It was kind of a one-time extension, and the fee that our board had come up with if someone wanted to extend it was not in the agreement.” The Ryland agreement, in part, made a provision for extending conditional will-serve commitment for 201 lots in the Ryland property, if final maps for the lots were recorded by 2009. Mancebo said staff recommendations on the issue would likely be back to the board for its September 9th meeting, but it could be pushed back to October. In an engineering staff report, John Griffin recommended that the “board authorize use of fee credits in the amount of $201,000 for extension of the (conditional will-serves).” Griffin said that authorization would “reduce the fee credits to $1,971,563.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Water
