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WEEKEND APRIL 3-4, 2010 Breaking news at: Breakfast Bracket Down to two www.redbluffdailynews.com See Below RED BLUFF Everyday Spirituality See Inside Mostly cloudy 58/39 Weather forecast 8A DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 County cuts No census poll? No problem, yet Looming cuts to hit sheriff, library hard; others less so By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer The summer bodes bad news for budgets, as Tehama County prepares for the harshest cuts to public services yet. Adopting budget goals Tuesday for the next fiscal year, the Board of Super- visors is asking its public safety departments to pre- pare for a third year of cuts, including a 3.5 per- cent budget reduction to its public safety services and another 5 percent to non-public safety ser- vices. If made final, the cuts would bring the county public safety budget down 9.5 percent from 2008-09 levels, and non-public safety services will have been cut 13 percent. Even under those con- ditions, the county would be left with a $3.7 million deficit, one that would grow in the following years, according to coun- ty documents. Negotiations between Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin and county departments are in the early stages, but it is already clear that it may take greater measures than last year’s furloughs to meet a $450,000 reduc- tion in employee pay and benefits. “What may have been a furlough that was good enough to get us through last year, may not be enough this year,” Good- win said. Furloughs, applied to By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Haven’t received your census questionnaire? Don’t worry just yet. Those who live in conventional homes and believe they should have received a form but did not get one should receive their forms shortly. In Red Bluff, another mailing is on its way out, said Martha Dubke, a census representative. For an unknown reason only a handful of forms were sent out in the first mailing. There are some households to which the Census Bureau will not mail forms. Those who live in unconventional housing such as See CENSUS, page 7A Race to highlight local growers By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Ralph Hinton, a Tehama County Public Library volunteer, organizes the card catalog Friday afternoon. Since the county began cuts in the 2008-09 Fiscal Year, it has made numerous cuts to the library’s services, and additional reductions may be looming. his own department, left the administration “scrambling” as it worked because they are paid for through state or federal dollars. Others, like the ‘If the public feels the same way we do, they need to make their voices heard’ Sheriff Clay Parker on the budget process last year, he said. An additional $450,000 cut is recom- mended for the 2011-12 Fiscal Year. Several major county services, including the Health Services Agency, Social Services Depart- ment, Tehama County Department of Education and the Fire Department are exempt from cuts Building Department, are funded entirely by the fees they charge. But numerous services, ranging from law enforce- ment to the public library, stand to shrink. Public Safety Sheriff Clay Parker will be trying to meet the latest request for cuts, but made no promises Friday. “Obviously, I’m going to try to make that goal,” Parker said. “ I don’t want to commit too much.” The cuts coincide with the planned retirement of Undersheriff Dennis Gar- ton, who is scheduled to step down in January. By not filling the position immediately, Parker will be able to fund a correc- tional officer, he said. But the department has run out of things it can cut. “We’ll reevaluate it and look at it, but I think the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and I will be working very hard to keep what we have,” Parker said. Since cuts began, the department has lost four positions through retire- ment or other means, See CUTS, page 7A Two move on, two move out Mill Creek vs Countryside With just four restau- rants remaining I knew Mill Creek Restaurant in Los Molinos and Country- side Cafe across from the Tehama County Court- house would both have to bring their A-games – and both still found a way to wow me. At Mill Creek it started as soon as I was seated. I had read about the friendly service in a previous review and I witnessed it first-hand as I was greeted with a smile and, better yet, the offering of a daily special. Mill Creek had called an audible. My waitress offered me a couple of blueberry pan- cakes along with the meat of my choice and eggs anyway I liked them. Game on. Most blueberry pan- cakes I have encountered are only recognized by a few royal blue specs of color here and there, but not these babies. Full blueberries were popping out of the pan- cake with every sweet bite. Tremont Cafe and Creamery omelet The last-minute change to the game-plan was pay- ing off nicely for Mill Creek. The Countryside Cafe countered with its home court advantage. It was hard not to enjoy myself stepping into the restaurant trimmed up with French cafe décor. It just feels like someplace special. It's a place I could see bringing a loved one for a special breakfast date. I ordered the ham and eggs, which came with some country potatoes and my choice of toast. I've never been a big fan of ham, but the swine stole the show. It made me question why I had thought so little of ham in the past. When a meal can get you to reconsider your FREE WORKSHOP FIRE FORESIGHT 9 AM ~ 1 PM APRIL 10, 2010 at Tehama District Fairground Topic: Landscaping to Create Defensible Space, and Carbon Sequestration RSVP Tehama County Resource Conservation District 527-3013 ext. 3 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Funded by: DWR, USFWS, SNA, & PG&E As Local As.... CALL TODAY (530) 529-1222 237 South Main Street Cozy Diner vs Tremont Two newcomers no one ever expected to see reach the Final Four produced one of the tightest match- ups we’ve seen in the Munch Madness tourna- ment. One a giant killer — knocking out the hugely popular returning champi- on M&M Ranch House in a Round 1 shocker. The other may look like a reg- ular favorite, but it made the dance with a whole new roster and has dealt some stinging defeats as an underdog. I chose omelets for this round. I’m not a regular See TWO, page 7A • “Main Street or Wall Street” banking, which do you want • Still offering better than free checking • Now offering Health Savings Accounts • Local decision making • Community Support •ATM - FREE anywhere CORNING — Lucero Olive Oil is helping spon- sor an inau- gural event, the Black Butte Triathlon Series, which takes place Sunday, April 11 at Black Butte Lake. Owner De we y Lucero said his company will be giving the overall winner of the race the win- ner’s weight in olive oil to take home, which will be part of the race expo that highlights local agriculture. “Tehama County has a tremendous wealth of natur- al resources, both in its landscape and the goods from the surrounding agri- culture,” said Brandon Drew, race director. “I’m ‘I’m excited to bring the first race of its kind to Black Butte Lake, showing both local and out of town athletes everything the area has to offer’ Brandon Drew, race director excited to bring the first race of its kind to Black Butte Lake, showing both local and out of town athletes everything the area has to offer.” The expo will include local farmers and their pro- duce mixed with all the latest racing gear and accessories. The event will feature two dis- tances, sprint and olympic. The olympic race, which kicks off at Buck- horn Campground Dock at 8 a.m., includes a 6.2-mile run, 24.8-mile bicycle ride and a .9-mile swim. The sprint race will start at 8:30 a.m. and has an 800- meter swim, 15-mile bicy- cle ride and 3.1-mile trail run. It will start at the same See RACE, page 7A SPORTS 1B food choices, you know it's a winner. Mill Creek came ready to play, but the Country- side Cafe advances to Monday's Chompionship. Finals Monday Finals Monday