Red Bluff Daily News

May 16, 2015

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JAEC.HONG—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Rain drops fall on a car parked outside a building on Friday in Buena Park. ByElliotSpagatand Christopher Weber TheAssociatedPress SANDIEGO Asecondround of rain from a rare spring storm swept into drought- stricken Southern Califor- nia on Friday, along with heavy winds and snow in the mountains before head- ing inland, where other states were also feeling weird late-season weather. In San Diego, rain poured steadily a day after the re- gional water authority de- cided residents can water lawns no more than twice a week — a measure aimed at achieving sweeping state- mandated cuts to water con- sumption during drought. Mariana Dominguez, 41, said she wasn't bothered that her morning commute to a dry cleaning business in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood doubled to 40 minutes. "It's nice because we need the rain with the drought and everything. It cleans up the air. In San Di- ego, you don't see this very often," she said. A small but determined number of surfers, swim- mers and strollers went in the water at San Diego's Ocean Beach, including Erin Lale, 46, who was on vacation from Las Vegas. "The ocean is the ocean," she said after submerging her feet under water. "It's big, cold and full of sand and wildlife. That's going to be true if it's rainy or sunny." Drivers were urged to use caution on roads in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, where between 3 to 6 inches of snow was possible above 6,000 feet. Temperatures hovered around freezing at higher elevations. In northern Arizona, a rare springtime snowstorm hit a small town just west of Flagstaff, dumping more than seven inches of snow. The area has seen more than three inches of snow on May 15 or later only a handful of times. "It'salwaysgoodtoseerain and snow this late in the sea- son,"saidBrianKlimowskiof theNationalWeatherService. "Every storm we get like this helps push back the onset of our fire season." Firefighters rescued six motorists and a dog who became trapped in 3 feet of water on a San Diego street, and they pulled a man from the rushing water of a flood control channel in North- ridge, about 25 miles north of Los Angeles, authorities said. Rare spring storm sweeps into Southern California, Arizona WEATHER By Judy Lin The Associated Press SACRAMENTO As Califor- nia lawmakers begin drill- ing into Gov. Jerry Brown's $115 billion budget pro- posal, Democrats and so- cial welfare advocates say they see many areas that need even more funding to make up for deep cuts during the recession. Democratic leaders in the Legislature say expand- ing affordable child care is their top priority. And ad- vocates for children, se- niors and disabled people have a long list of requests that includes increasing spending on health care for immigrants who are in the country illegally and restoring cash assistance to low-income seniors and people with disabilities. They also want to raise Medi-Cal payments to doc- tors, dentists and other pro- viders, and boost funds for people with developmental disabilities. The California Bud- get & Policy Center, a lib- eral think tank, said state support for child care and preschool is $1.1 billion less than before the recession, resulting in 20 percent fewer slots. "When (parents) get a child care slot, it's like they won the lottery," said Mary Ignatius, an organizer with Parent Voices, a child care advocacy group. Prying more money from Brown will be difficult, even though his spend- ing plan reflects a $6.7 bil- lion increase in tax collec- tions over his initial pro- jection. By law, most of the surplus must go to public schools and filling Califor- nia's rainy day account, so there's much less discre- tionary spending than law- makers would like. "I don't think the gov- ernor is in a handing-out- money sort of mood," said Jessica Levinson, who has written about state budgets and teaches at Loyola Law School. "It's a normal hu- man response to say let's spend the money. And I think time and time again, he's hit the brakes on that impulse." Brown defended his cau- tious approach, explain- ing that he wants to avoid the kind of fiscal turmoil that came with the reces- sion and forced the state to make deep cuts to edu- cation and social services. He heeded Democrats' call to fight poverty by propos- ing a targeted $380 million earned income tax credit that his administration said would help as many as 2 million Californians. "I don't want to get caught in the jaws of the persistent fiscal instabil- ity of the state government of California," Brown said in announcing his revised spending plan on Thurs- day. "There it is." Republicans applauded Brown's fiscal restraint and said more savings will be needed as the state faces bil- lions in unfunded pension and retiree health benefits. Social advocates are seeking a more sympa- thetic ear from the Dem- ocrats who control both houses of the Legislature and don't need GOP votes to pass a budget. "We're looking for the Legislature to do more to help address deep pov- erty and the people who are still being left behind," said Mike Herald, a lobby- ist with the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Lawmakers have until midnight on June 15 to en- act a balanced budget and send it to the Democratic governor for his signature. The California Budget & Policy Center said a state supplemental grant for se- niors and people with dis- abilities is down $1.4 bil- lion, more than a third less than its pre-recession level in 2007. Meanwhile, participants in the state's welfare to work program have not re- ceived an increase in eight years. The maximum grant for a family of three in a high-cost county is $704 a month. Civil rights icon Dolo- res Huerta, who has two grandchildren with special needs, joined a coalition of disability rights advocates in urging a 10 percent in- crease in state funding for people with developmental disabilities. "Disability rights are civil rights," Huerta said in a video recording. CALIFORNIA Advocates push lawmakers to help social programs in budget RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Saryah Mitchell, 4, sits with her mother, Teisa Gay, le , at a rally calling for increased child care subsidies at the Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday. 3770Hwy45•Colusa,CA•530.458.8844•ColusaCasino.com CountryMusicBand Friday,may22 nd Doors at 7pm • Show at 8pm Tickets start at $ 20 Tickets available at ColusaCasino.com Must be 21+ to attend. SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 5 A

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