Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/376789
tionthatifIwasgoingto get caught ... I was done. That's it. Life in prison. But I asked God to help me one time — if there is a God — and I got out of that situation." After a few months of doing more drugs, Alex said he realized he needed to change his life. He said he learned of the center here through a fam- ily friend after ending up in an emergency room. "I came to the center to just quit drugs, and I found God," he said, add- ing, "Now I want to dedi- cate my life to serving God. I'm going to finish this pro- gram and I'm going to go to Bible school. Whatever God wants from me then, I'm going to do." The center's rehabilita- tion program allows stu- dents to tend to farm an- imals such as goats, chick- ens and pigs, as well as a vegetable garden, Soly- anik said as he walked his property. The responsibil- ities, he said, help students through the process. The center also works closely with area churches, ac- cording to its website, chil- drenofthestreets.org. But why open the center in Gerber? Good question, said Solyanik, who emi- grated from Russia and was more familiar with the city life. Solyanik said he was working in Sacramento with a friend, and had an idea of opening his own center. His friend, he said, became busy with such things as traveling on mis- sions, but said he could lend some monetary sup- port for Solyanik's "crazy project." "We got on the Internet, we looked for four different locations ... I didn't know at all where Gerber was," Solyanik said. "But all that I saw was nine acres of land." Solyanik, who strug- gled with drug addiction himself, said the doors of the center are open to anyone. He added: "I think that God brought us here. To change not only the peo- ple here in the program, but ... also this whole city." Rehab FROMPAGE1 in the same field with the goal of becoming a profes- sor of Sustainable Beef Cat- tle Systems. Bailey Brownfield be- gins her second year at Shasta Community College in the fall of 2014. Her ma- jor is Agricultural Business. She plans to attend Chico State and obtain a Bache- lor of Science degree to be- come a banking/loan of- ficer. She graduated from Red Bluff High School and is the daughter of Robert and Marianne Brownfield. Corey Carpenter, from Red Bluff, is the son of Da- vid and Mary Carpenter. He graduated from Red Bluff High School and will grad- uate from Oklahoma State in the spring of 2015 with a Master's of Science De- gree in Animal Science. He is working toward his PhD to become a professor of an- imal nutrition. Margo Dawley is the daughter of Frank and Vicky Dawley. She is in the final year of a four year graduate school program at the Pacific College of Orien- tal Medicine in San Diego and plans to become a li- censed acupuncturist. She is originally from Red Bluff and graduated from Red Bluff High School. Wyatt Houghtby, in his second year at the College of the Siskyous, is a con- struction management ma- jor with the goal of working in the construction man- agement field. He is the son of Les and Cathy Houghtby and is a graduate of Red Bluff High School. Jessica Macdonald, the daughter of Shelley and Rob Macdonald, is a graduate of Red Bluff High School. She is a sophomore at the Uni- versity of Nevada, Reno and is majoring in nursing which is also her chosen ca- reer. Zak Stroing is a gradu- ate of Red Bluff High and is the son of David and Cindy Stroing. He attends Chico State where he is major- ing in mechatronics engi- neering. He plans to work in the field of robotics and automation with the goal of eventually owning his own business. The students often send notes of appreciation to the Cattlewomen after re- ceiving their awards that inspire them to continue the tradition of this annual scholarship. This year sev- eral of the students who were awarded the scholar- ship money were students that had received support several times from the group. Corey Carpenter thanked the Cattlewomen for the time and effort. "They are truly a sincere group of in- dividuals that possess a great passion for young people, and agriculture," he said. Zak Stroing thanked the group for awarding the scholarship and said, "it means a lot knowing there are still people out there who care about ed- ucation." Margo Dawley's note of thanks to the group said, "I have been honored and touched by the commit- tee's continuing support of my education. Each year that I have applied for the scholarship it has helped me to reflect on where I came from and where I'm going. Each year I am sup- ported by the committee I have realized how lucky I am to have come from Te- hama County and that I have come from an agricul- ture background." The students were ranked based on their in- terview, financial need, un- derstanding of and contri- bution to agriculture, un- derstanding of the cattle industry and their grade point average. Scholarship FROM PAGE 1 Thank you! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Brown promoted his re- cord in turning around the California economy dur- ing a debate with his long- shot Republican challenger Thursday night, in which the two sparred over the state's business climate, a contentious teacher ten- ure law and whether Neel Kashkari's business experi- ence makes him qualified to lead the state. Kashkari has made in- come inequality a central theme of his campaign and he accused the governor of oversellingCalifornia'scome- back, saying millions of Cal- ifornians are still trapped in low-paying or part-time jobs and too many poor children attend failing schools. Brown noted that since re- taking office in 2011, he has turned years of multibillion dollar budget deficits into a surplus and restored nearly all of the 1.4 million jobs lost during the recession. "Our state was in a sham- bles, they were calling it a failed state," Brown said. "Well, it's back. It's not all the way back, and he likes to cre- ate the false construct that if we're not perfect, we're not making progress. We are making incremental prog- ress." Kashkari accused the Democratic governor of fo- cusing on frivolous issues, noting bills that passed the Democratic-controlled Leg- islature this year include a statewide ban on plastic bags, regulating school foot- ball practices and allowing dogs on restaurant patios. "But what they're not working on is rebuilding the middle class," Kashkari said. "The governor said we're makingincrementalchanges. We're46thineducation,we're 44th for jobs, we're number one in poverty. The time for incrementalism is long since passed, governor." In drawing on his de- cades of political experi- ence, including two previ- ous terms as governor from 1975-83 and serving as state attorney general and mayor of Oakland, the 76-year-old governor contrasted his re- cord with that of the nov- ice Kashkari, 41. The former U.S. Treasury official is best known for helping lead the federal bank bailout and has never before run for office. "I've been in government a fairly long time. Things don't get done with a press release or a glib statement, they take many, many years. We've made major progress," Brown said during an ex- change over public employee pensions. The debate came the same day that Tesla and Nevada's governor announced the California-born electric car- maker would build its fac- tory near Reno. California was one of five states trying toluretheplantandits6,500 manufacturing jobs. Kashkari cited it as an ex- ample of the Brown admin- istration's failure to improve California's business climate, which is routinely cited as amongtheworstinthenation. "I don't think Governor Brown did nearly enough on Tesla or any number of busi- nesses," Kashkari said. Brown responded by say- ing that Tesla wanted a huge cash payment up front that would have been unfair to California taxpayers. Ne- vada's price for apparently winning the Tesla lottery was indeed steep — up to $1.3 billion in tax breaks over 20 years that includes waiv- ing sales and use taxes, prop- erty and payroll taxes. Thursday's debate was the only time the two are sched- uled to meet during the fall campaign and provided the best chance for the little known and under-funded Kashkari to introduce him- self toa famously nonchalant California electorate. The de- bate in a cramped television studio across from the state Capitol took place on the opening night of the NFL season, a scheduling con- flict that likely did not work in Kashkari's favor. Kashkari made the most of the opportunity, though, hitting the Democratic in- cumbent on a variety of is- sues, including a Los An- geles County judge's ruling this summer that Califor- nia's teacher tenure laws unfairly hurt poor and mi- nority students. Brown ap- pealed the decision last week. GOVERNOR DEBATE Brown, GOP rival clash over issues RICHPEDRONCELLI,POOL—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Gov. Jerry Brown, le , listens as Republican challenger Neel Kashkari speaks during a gubernatorial debate in Sacramento on Thursday. By Fenit Nirappil The Associated Press SACRAMENTO City coun- cil and school board mem- bers gathering for dinners, parties or other social af- fairs must guard their words or notify the public beforehand if a majority will attend and talk policy. The same rules do not apply for state lawmak- ers, who have long ex- empted themselves from the transparency rules that apply to other elected bodies in California. The vagueness of the special open meetings law for the state Legislature was highlighted last week when Gov. Jerry Brown invited all 120 lawmak- ers to a luncheon honor- ing Mexican President En- rique Pena Nieto. Officers from the Cal- ifornia Highway Pa- trol and Sacramento Po- lice Department barred the public and protest- ers from approaching the luncheon at the historic Stanford Mansion, a few blocks from the state Cap- itol. Reporters were ush- ered out the door after a photo opportunity and brief opening remarks, even though it was clear that majorities of the As- sembly and Senate were attending. Brown's spokesman, Evan Westrup, said: "This isn't a policy meeting; it's a lunch." Experts on California's ethics laws say there is no clear exemption in legis- lative open meeting laws for a social or ceremonial event. "If a majority of the Legislature gets together and talks about issues that could come before them, it doesn't matter if it's a birthday party or a wed- ding," said Peter Scheer, director of the nonprofit First Amendment Coali- tion in San Rafael. Such occasions fea- turing legislative quo- rums outside the Capitol are rare but not unprec- edented. In 2010, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger invited all lawmakers to a private lunch at the Sutter Club to share his policy and budget plans, and CHP officers blocked an Associated Press re- porter who demanded ac- cess. By comparison, Gov. Pete Wilson invited all lawmakers to his 1991 in- augural luncheon but also gave access to reporters, said his former spokes- man, Dan Schnur. During last week's lunch hosted by Brown, Pena Nieto praised Cali- fornia's friendly environ- ment for immigrants and plans to streamline bor- der crossings. The lun- cheon was held in the fi- nal week of the legislative session as lawmakers con- sidered hundreds of bills, including one to provide legal aid to children de- tained at the border. Meetings occur even when majorities of law- makers are just passively hearing facts and opin- ions relevant to their work, said Terry Francke, legislative counsel for the nonprofit First Amend- ment group Californians Aware. SACRAMENTO Lawmakers' lunch shows vagueness of meetings By Michael R. Blood The Associated Press LOS ANGELES The big- gest beneficiary of the re- cord $1.4 billion fine levied against Pacific Gas & Elec- tric Co. for a gas line explo- sion that killed eight peo- ple and destroyed dozens of homes in suburban San Francisco is the state of California, which stands to gain $950 million to spend any way it wants. That reality has set up a tussle over how the state punishes corporate wrong- doing and who should ben- efit from fines like the one Public Utilities Commis- sion judges imposed on PG&E earlier this week for the 2010 blast. The judges wrote that "a fine of this magnitude is necessary to deter future violations" and said they were follow- ing established policy by earmarking the large fine for the state treasury. The proposed judg- ment is the largest safety- related penalty ever im- posed against a pub- lic utility in California. PG&E, which plans to ap- peal, has argued that the penalty should be "reason- able" and directed to ben- efit public safety. The concern with pipe- line safety was echoed by city officials in San Bruno, where the blast occurred, and consumer groups that want to see miles of aging gas lines tested, replaced or repaired. "The Legislature can always find a need for an extra $950 million," said state Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat whose district includes San Bruno. He introduced a bill several years ago in the Assembly to steer such penalties to pipeline fixes, which failed to pass. "We are the one that should benefit from that, either in reduced rates or upgrading the safety of our pipeline system," Hill said. "It should go to the people who were affected by it." Industry consultant Brigham McCown, a for- mer acting administrator for the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, said it seems incongru- ous that the ruling faults the company for failing to spend enough on pipe- line improvements and safety yet diverts most of the money to state coffers, with no strings attached. "The money needs to go back into the system, ver- sus the black hole of Sac- ramento," he said. It's routine for the state treasury to collect PUC fines. Agency records from 1999 until early 2012 show the state was desig- nated to receive $228 mil- lion from violations in dozens of cases. In some cases the agency orders a fine for the state, some- times restitution for cus- tomers or other steps, and sometimes a combination of those penalties, the re- cords showed. According to the judges' decision, PG&E disagreed with agency staff that fines "must" be paid to the state's general fund, its main checkbook. The com- pany, in an argument that could figure in its appeal, said the agency had the au- thority to designate those funds for pipeline safety. PIPELINE EXPLOSION Where should the money go in record utility fine? who was wearing a seat belt, was killed. Stangl, who also was wearing a seat belt, was reportedly unhurt. Stangl was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of al- cohol or drugs causing in- jury and the special alle- gations of causing great bodily injury and having been convicted of prior serious felonies, accord- ing to online court re- cords. Stangl entered his plea at Tehama County Super ior C our t on Thursday, and he is due back in court for a pretrial conference and bail hearing at 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to court records. Stangl remains in cus- tody with bail set at $225,000. Wreck FROM PAGE 1 R ed Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service NowOffering Eco-Friendly urns at economy friendly prices. 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, FD Lic. 1931 527-1732 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 9 A