Tom

Friday, 05 February 2010 01:07

Lodi Man’s Arrest Leads to a Meth Lab

Amador County - The Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team (ACCNET) announced Thursday the arrest of a Lodi man for possession of a controlled substance and multiple charges stemming from a methamphetamine laboratory in San Joaquin County. Shawn Tegen, 48, was arrested after a joint investigation with the Amador County Sheriff’s Department. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Amador County Sheriff’s patrol deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle parked on private property in the unincorporated area of Ione. ACCNET personnel arrived to assist in the surveillance of the vehicle. A short time later the vehicle drove away from the scene and was stopped with the assistance of Ione Police. Tegen, a resident of Lodi, was found to be in possession of .4 grams of methamphetamine and a methamphetamine smoking pipe. Further investigation led ACCNET agents to Tegen’s residence in Lodi where they discovered a fully functioning methamphetamine laboratory in the detached garage. Two manufacturing processes were discovered at the scene: the common red phosphorous/iodine process, and the Nazi, or lithium/ammonia process. The lab had the capability of producing up to two ounces of finished product per manufacturing cycle. ACCNET personnel where assisted at the lab site by the Lodi Police Department, San Joaquin County Metro Narcotics Task Force, and the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Forensic Services. Tegen was arrested and booked into the Amador County Jail for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Transportation of a Controlled Substance. He is facing multiple charges stemming from the methamphetamine laboratory in San Joaquin County. ACCNET is one of the 48 regional narcotic task forces that is operated by the Attorney General’s, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. The Amador County Combined Narcotic Enforcement Team is a cooperative effort between the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Amador County Sheriff’s Office, Amador County District Attorney’s Office, Amador County Probation Department, Amador County Child Protective Services, Jackson Police Department, Sutter Creek Police Department, Ione Police Department, Mule Creek State Prison, and the Amador Area Office of the California Highway Patrol. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Law Enforcement

Friday, 05 February 2010 01:05

Amador Progressives Host Congressional Candidate Bera

Amador County – Ami Bera asked people in Jackson Thursday what he could do to win his first-time run for office in the California’s Third Congressional District, looking to unseat Dan Lungren in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bera, speaking to the Progressive Women’s Club in Jackson, thanked Amador County Democrats “for creating space” for him to talk about the race, and asked what the group can do to help. He said his backers “have to own” the race. He plans to talk, listen and engage people, the way Alyson Huber and Scott Brown were elected. Huber won the 10th California Assembly seat in 2008, and Brown this year took Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts. Bera also pointed to Bill Durston for showing him that Lungren was vulnerable, when Durston took 44.5 percent of the vote in 2008. Bera said Brown went directly to the voters, unlike his opponent. Huber did the same thing, “outworked her opponent and her message reflected what she was hearing.” Bera said: “I don’t know all the answers to all the issues,” but no one really does. He did not think “floating bonds is the answer” to the state’s nearly last-place ranking in education. He was not sure about increased parent participation in schools, either. Bera said “parents and neighborhoods need to take back schools,” and politicians should look at where the money is going. “No Child Left Behind” program “put money into testing.” Bera said “education is dear” to him, and he would also try to create “real jobs that pay real wages,” probably though trying to “recreate the manufacturing sector” in the district. Asked how he would reform the health care system, he said, again, you must follow the money. He said in the health care industry, people “pay more and get less,” and 50 million Americans are uninsured. He said the United States annually spends $2.4 trillion on health care, or about $4,000 per person. He said that money could be pooled to set up an insurance system: It could be done through an “external agency appointed by the president,” which could “design a policy that got everyone covered.” Bera said riders on bills were the reality of Congress, which he likely would use, but he would “not just vote the party line.” Bera asked for donations (or hosts for “house party” fundraisers) but said he has outgained Lungren in fundraising the last 3 quarters, and Bera has “$740,000 cash on hand” in his campaign. Bera criticized Lungren for not letting people speak at his “town hall” meetings, and said the Congressman “thinks he is a delegate,” and works too much on the national level. Bera said he would listen to District residents, find out what they want and go out and fight for them. He said Lungren’s “signature piece of legislation is the Three Strikes Law.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local

Friday, 05 February 2010 01:01

Supes Discuss Air Ambulance Services Bill

Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors discussed the merits of a bill Tuesday that would reimburse air ambulance companies like CALSTAR for their services, ultimately tabling the discussion until certain questions can be answered. Assembly Bill 1153, as proposed by Democratic Assemblymember Jim Beall, would enhance Medi-Cal reimbursement for air medical transportation services by attaching additional fines to traffic offenses. Providers of care to Medi-Cal enrollees like CALSTAR are compensated for their services by the state. Supervisor Richard Forster, local delegate to the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC), said that organization is in support of the measure, assuming some new language is included to clarify administrative duties. “Medi-Cal is what’s not being covered the way it should be anymore by the federal government,” said Forster. Supervisor Louis Boitano agreed, saying it is getting increasingly difficult for EMS agencies throughout the sate to survive. In a letter to the board, RCRC representatives said “California’s provider rates are woefully inadequate, ranking at the bottom of the fifty states.” Christian Giller, Chief Operations Officer speaking on behalf of CALSTAR, said the bill has unanimous support from air ambulance services statewide. “This bill as introduced will offset the deficit from underinsured and uninsured patients,” he said. Giller said Medi-Cal currently subsidizes about 40 percent of his company’s actual costs for air services. Supervisors expressed some skepticism over a requirement in the bill that each county establish an emergency air medical fund to deposit the levy imposed by this bill, thus creating a state-mandated local program. Giller said Medi-Cal subsidies would be collected into one fund by the state and then divvied out accordingly. Forster said a little trust in the state is needed, and “if it is built into the legislation, the money will (eventually) transfer” to the service companies. He said it’s important to remember that the “people impacting the system the most are those who can’t afford the insurance.” Board Chairman Brian Oneto said he is leery about the additional traffic fines, saying “it’s a tax and we have enough taxes already.” The Board approved a motion by Forster to send a letter expressing their concerns to Assemblymember Beall and legislative representatives including Assemblymember Alyson Huber and Senator Dave Cox. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local

Friday, 05 February 2010 00:59

AWA Could See Gravity Supply Line Environmental Comments by Feb. 25

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency discussed upgrading the Central Amador Water Project on Monday, and in about 3 weeks will look at public comments on a proposed Gravity Supply Line project’s environmental impacts. District 4 Director Debbie Dunn said she had “not made a decision yet” on what to do in the Central Amador Water Project. She said only 2 board members represent Upcountry residents, including herself and District 3 Director Don Cooper, but all 5 directors must vote on the issue. Any action on the Gravity Supply Line must wait until environmental work is completed. Acting Engineering Manager Erik Christeson said the agency received 7 comments regarding the California Environmental Quality Act in relation to the AWA’s negative declaration of environmental impact on the Gravity Line’s. They received no comments on national EPA law. The comments will not be ready for the AWA board until possibly February 25th, said Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo. Discussion Monday included rebuilding the CAWP pipeline, which would cost $4 million, Christeson said, not including the need to build 75 percent of it under roads. He said that must be done because the project would have to be built parallel to the existing line, to keep it operational and serving customers during construction. Upgrading the pumps would cost $4.6 million, for a $9.6 million total cost. The Gravity Supply Line was estimated to cost $13.4 million, and AWA has applied for a $5 million grant and an $8.3 million loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Finance Manager Mike Lee said the grant will be available once the environmental work is finalized, probably later this month. He said funding will come available as soon as AWA accepts it. Lee said the agency must meet conditions, such as showing adequate money to repay the loan and acquire easements. He said they usually get 6 months to meet terms. Dunn asked if it would take a year-and-a-half to get the grant funding, and Mancebo said it would “probably take 6 months or less, if we had a green light.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Water

Friday, 05 February 2010 00:50

Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department released a draft Wednesday of the updated Housing Element, which provides a “road map” for the county’s housing policy. The document states that “the County is committed to a vision of a sustainable, rural community that increases housing choice for all current and future residents.” Consistent with the General Plan, the 168-page document says the county is committed to State Housing Element laws, including the development of low income housing, complying with zoning and development standards, promoting equal opportunities and “preserving assisted housing developments for lower income households.” It includes a list of goals and policies of the draft General Plan that are closely related to the Housing Element. These goals are to attain a “diverse and integrated mix” of different classifications of development, including open land space uses; enhancing and maintaining “separate and distinct community areas” in the county; and guiding “future residential and local commercial uses into established cities and unincorporated Town Centers. Planning officials previously held two workshops to discuss housing policies and the Housing Element, both open to the public. A Stakeholder’s Workshop held last June brought together 12 groups from throughout the county and highlighted the importance of workforce housing, services for elderly residents, low income services, and the high sewer costs in the upcountry area. A Public Workshop last July gathered ideas on farm labor housing, constructing higher density housing in urban areas and zoning regulations. Many of these ideas are incorporated into this latest Housing Element update. A joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will be held on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. to review and comment on the proposed update to the Housing Element. A copy of the element is also available on the Planning Department General Plan Update page of the County website. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive