Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11479
Obituary FUNDS Continued from page 1A excess of revenue over expenditures. In the last 5 years, the fund has decreased by $1,425,056. At the end of this fiscal year the estimat- ed amount left in the fund will be $85,000. While the decrease is RICHARD MARSHALL "RICH" DOPKINS Richard Marshall "Rich" Dopkins, born April 20, 1969 left us on May 30, 2010. Richard was born and raised in Red Bluff, the third of four children. He became the youngest own- er of a Subway Shop in California, at 18 years of age. He was responsible for every phase of building and management of the stores, choosing locations in Modesto, handling con- struction, and management, (eventually enlisting the help and support of brother Greg the last few years of the 17 year ownership) Ri- chard then attended and graduated in the top three of his class from a bay area finance school before relo- cating to Sacramento, where he spent the remain- der of his life.. He was a brilliant, witty, complex, deeply sensitive, creative and mischievous guy. He lived life to the fullest: motorcycling, finding new and unusual eating places, and camping and exploring the great outdoors. He was a computer junkie. He loved all kinds of music, and created many extraor- dinary pieces in his home studio. He was a gourmet cook (who takes with him many recipe secrets). His great love was wife Mary Kate Finnegan Dopkins-his best friend and partner in crime. Together they shared their joy of life. He leaves behind son Richard Michael (mother Jody Padilla) who he raised as a (single pa- rent), and who he adored. He was deeply loved, and will always be in the hearts of his mother Susie Aronson of Sacramento, fa- ther and stepmother, Ri- chard and Jocylene Dopkins of Redding, and great grandmother Betty Aronson of Davis. Also sur- viving him are his loving brothers and their families: Douglas Marshall Dopkins (Christine) and nephew Theo Aaron of West Sacra- mento; Greg (Nichole) Dopkins, niece Corina, and nephew John Aaron; and Eric (Tricia) and nieces Claire and Emily of New- port Coast. He is also sur- vived by stepsister Jocel of Redding, and step children Paul (Wenda), Alex and Aileen all of Stockton. He also leaves behind lifelong friend Brian Fredson of Chico; dear friends Steve Walker and Mike Bauer of Modesto, and many other friends whose lives he touched. He was blessed with aunts, uncles, and cousins throughout Califor- nia, who he visited with of- ten at family gatherings. He was preceded in death by: grandparents: Aronson (former mayor of Davis); Warren and Helen Strang; Youngmark; and aunt, and uncle Sharon Young, and Aaron Aronson. A graveside service will be held at the Davis Cemetery, 820 Pole Line Road, Davis, on Mon- day, June 7, at 11 a.m. Richard, you are deeply and dearly loved and we will forever cherish your spirit. Remembrances may be made to American Dia- betes Foundation. Those who wish to sign a guestbook online may do so www.wiscombefuneral.com . Gertrude Ralph 29, expected because of diffi- cult economic times, an $85,000 cushion is not sufficient, Greer said. The city must make changes in its spending. “I do not intend to be an alarmist, but something has to change,” she said. WILD Continued from page 1A experience with humans. “(The 10-year-old mustang) didn’t have the misgivings this horse had,” Spangler said of Ben. “All his handling has been nega- tive and he really got a bad taste for humans.” Despite his distrust for humans at first, Spangler said Ben really is a good horse. “He gets jealous when we han- dle other horses, but he’s never offered to kick or be malicious,” Spangler said. “He’s just wild.” Ben has gone from being fright- ened by all noises and new people to being able to handle things like having dogs, chickens, kids and balls come through his area. “He’s very willing (to train) now that he’s not scared,” Span- gler said. “He’s been in the har- ness, he can round pen and he’ll make a wonderful carriage horse.” Spangler said she has seen Ben change in the time she’s been working with him. “It’s like peeling an onion,” Spangler said. “Now we’re down to the softness of this horse.” In the beginning, when a new person came around, Ben was very guarded, but now it’s easier for him, Spangler said. Spangler’s daughter, Page, said Ben is the type of horse you can throw a rope behind and he won’t startle. While chances are not the greatest that Ben will be adopted, Spangler said she hopes that if he is, the person will continue to let her train him. In the event that Ben doesn’t get adopted after the challenge, Spangler said she will bring him back and work with him some Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Trainers Stacey Spangler, right, and Tina Sizemore work with Elli, a rescue horse entered in the Help Rescue Me Trainers Challenge. more. “The transformation between then (March) and now is amaz- ing,” Spangler said. “In six months it will be tremendous.” Elli, who will be in the Ground Me challenge for horses under three, was found abandoned with her mother in December 2009 in the Rio Linda area. Elli loves to please and is able to go up a ramp or around a bar- rel, can round pen and wear a har- ness or saddle and has been hooked to a cart a few times. She is the first horse Sizemore has trained, though her grandfa- SACRAMENTO (AP) — California ther was a trainer and she grew up around horses. “From riding a horse to train- ing one has been quite an experi- ence,” Sizemore said. “I had to throw away 90 percent of what I thought I knew about horses. There are things you can do with a gentler, older horse that you can’t do with Elli or Ben.” The experience of working with Spangler has really made Sizemore appreciate the job horse trainers do to get a horse ready for people, she said. Information on the challenge is available at www.thegracefoun- lawmakers on Wednesday approved two measures that would apply prac- tices from the business world to the state’s dysfunctional budget process. The state Senate passed the bills with only one dissenting vote. They are part of a larger reform package proposed in March by Democratic lawmakers and the independent group California For- ward. One measure that passed, SB1426, would require the governor to submit a two-year spending plan and a five-year fiscal forecast to the Legislature in every odd-numbered year, starting in 2011. The other, SB1020, would mandate performance-based reviews of every state program at least once every 10 years in an effort to improve outcomes and control costs, said its author, Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. Supporters called the actions a good first step toward improving the state’s budget process. ‘‘This isn’t everything all of us want- at ed, but it will start to correct the dys- functional aspects of how we operate our budget system,’’ said Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, the author of SB1426. dationofnorcal.org. Pictures and videos of Ben and Elli are avail- able at www.snsranch.com. Adoptions, if the minimum bid of $750 is met and paperwork filled out, can be done prior to or at the show. Spangler has two complimentary tickets to the Cal Expo for anyone interested in adopting either of the horses. Those interested in seeing Elli and Ben in action can call Span- gler at 527-6003 or 366-1664. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Bills seek to improve state budget process CLEAN Continued from page 1A Republicans also backed the bills, saying they would help lawmakers be better stewards of the public’s tax dol- lars. ‘‘These bills are not perfect by any means, but they do focus the energy of this house on trying to see if we are per- forming for the money we’re spend- ing,’’ said Republican Sen. Bob Huff, of Diamond Bar. SB1426 and SB1020 now move to the Assembly. Republicans have been slower to embrace other aspects of the reform package, including a plan to change the requirement to pass a state budget from a two-thirds legislative majority to a simple majority. Taxes and fees would still require a two-thirds vote, but some Republicans fear loopholes would allow Democrats to push through tax hikes on a majority vote. Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmen- tal Studies, said Wednesday’s actions in the Senate showed a bipartisan willing- ness to start pushing for meaningful reform. CAPITOL CLIPS Feds protect sturgeon SACRAMENTO (AP) — New federal regulations will soon prohibit catching, killing or harming the rare caviar-producing North American green sturgeon. The sturgeon are listed as threatened under the fed- eral Endangered Species Act. They are found from Alaska to California, but they reproduce only in the Sacramento River. The new protections were published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The National Marine Fisheries Service says the species has survived nearly unchanged for 200 million years. But its population has dwindled the last 25 years largely because of loss of spawning habitat. Sturgeon are prized by poachers who sell caviar on the black market. The bony fish can grow to eight feet long and live 70 years. The new rules will take effect in 30 days. Senate OKs release of sick inmates SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s sickest inmates would be released on medical parole to shave millions of dollars from the spiraling prison budget under a bill approved Wednesday by the state Senate. The measure would let the parole board send severely disabled inmates to outside facilities without posting guards around the clock. Kindergarten age to 5 SACRAMENTO (AP) — California may soon close its kindergartens to 4-year-olds. The state Senate on Wednesday approved a bill requiring children to have turned 5 by Sept. 1 to begin kindergarten during Now Available Organic & Heirloom Spring Vegetable Plants 1 1/2 miles South of Red Bluff 12645 Hwy 99E (530) 529-2546 that school year. The cur- rent cut-off date is Dec. 2, one of the latest in the country. The Legislative Ana- lyst’s Office estimates SB1381 could save the state $700 million per year by reducing enroll- ment. owns and operates the only on-site crematory in Tehama County. • Your loved one NEVER leaves our care. • For your peace of mind, we personally perform cremations on site. • No hidden charges. If cremation is your choice, there really is no other choice for you than the cremation experts at Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Contact us today so we may answer your questions. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements 816 Walnut Street | Red Bluff (530) 527-1174 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Volunteers are asked to bring their own sack lunches, gloves, water and gardening tools, though the last could be as simple as a flat-head screwdriver, said Chamber of Com- merce member Bill Moule. For their services, volun- teers will be rewarded with drinks during the lunch break, at the Cone & Kim- ball Plaza. At Red Bluff Union Is cremation your choice? High School, teacher Geoff Barrow said he will be reaching out to high school students to join the event. “I think it has the potential to be a great community event, that could happen year after year,” he said. More information is available by calling Moule at 529-0260. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailyn ews.com. “The reserve is gone.” Councilman Jim Byrne was upset to hear about the dismal fund outlook, saying he has no idea where the money is going, and it is probably going out the back door to who knows where. “The council is expect- ing our revenue and expenses were balanced and this is not the case if this is true,” he said. At the end of the 2008/2009 fiscal year the fund was at $850,000. Since then, the council has approved spending some of that money in the 2009/2010 fiscal year to balance the general fund, Finance Director Margaret Van Warmerdam said Wednesday. The money was mainly spent on salaries and benefits. In response to Byrne’s comments that he did not know where the money was going, Van Warmer- dam said the council approved the spending. “When they approve something, I hope they understand what they’re approving,” she said. The councilmen are welcome to come by her office and discuss the bud- get, as at least one has done, Van Warmerdam said. To bolster the fund, Greer suggested four changes that should be Thursday, June 3, 2010 – Daily News – 7A made. • No further spending should be made from the fund and, ideally, future budgeting should include plans to rebuild the fund. • Economic recovery should not be anticipated or budgeted for in future budgets until it occurs. • Revenues and expen- ditures should continue to be conservatively budget- ed, and expenditures must be reduced. • Monthly or quarterly reports of the budget ver- sus actual amounts should be reviewed by the council to keep them apprised of financial status and enable timely adjustments. The suggestions are doable and some of them are already being done, Van Warmerdam said. In other budget news, the city will receive an additional $478,448 in motor vehicle fee rev- enues that were made available after an audit readjustment in the coun- ty’s Auditor’s Office. That money will go toward the General Fund to offset short falls in the 2009/2010 fiscal year. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.co m.