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Saturday, June 19, 2010 – Daily News – 9A BASS Continued from page 1A vast orchards in Kern County that depend on delta water. A water-users coalition run by Resnick’s business interests and a handful of water districts have sued state regulators for foster- ing striped bass popula- tions. Because striped bass eat endangered juvenile fish, the lawsuit claims, the state is violating the endangered species law and cutting into the water supplies of Kern County farmers. A hearing is set for July 2 at which lawyers will pose two questions: Are striped bass eating endan- gered fish? And is a two- fish limit for striped bass anglers enabling more stripers to eat more juve- nile salmon and smelt? If so, then anglers should be free to catch all the stripers they want, lawyers will argue. “It’s boneheaded to protect striped bass at the expense of salmon,” said Michael Boccadoro, a spokesman for the Kern County farmers. “The state has the duty to pro- tect endangered species.” State officials declined to comment. Federal regulators responsible for protecting endangered salmon recently recommended the California Fish and Game Commission lift the lim- its. “It means the farmers are going to get what they want, and that’s to deci- mate the striped bass,” said Roger Mammon, an Oakley fisherman. “They’re trying to deflect attention from the (delta water) pumps and blame the fish in the delta.” “The fishing is worth millions to the local econ- omy, from the boat deal- ers, to the tackle shops, bait shops and marinas,” Mammon said. He predicted that sub- sistence anglers would keep all the fish they could catch and eat them, despite the danger of eat- ing striped bass contami- nated with mercury, PCBs and other poisons. Boccadoro said he was unaware of the standing health advisories against eating more than small amounts of the fish. Though Boccadoro said the legal issues are clear, the science is not. “It’s trying to treat symptoms instead of prob- lems,” said Peter Moyle, a fisheries biologist at UC Davis who is widely con- sidered to be one of the top fish biologists in Cali- fornia. Moyle criticized the National Marine Fisheries Service recommendation. “From a biological point of view it doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Politically, it might be a good idea.” Striped bass thrived until the 1960s or 1970s, about the time delta water pumps started sending large amounts of water south. Today, adult striped bass that once numbered an estimated 3 million fish have declined to near, or below, their previous record low population of 600,000, set in the mid- 1990s. The long, slow decline of striped bass is probably related to the decline of the delta’s ecosystem, biologists say. The growing volume of water shipped out of the delta changed its charac- ter. It became less of an estuary that could support salmon, smelt and striped bass and more of a fresh- water system that favors largemouth bass, toxic blue-green algae, Brazil- ian water weed and exotic clams. The change is largely due, indirectly, to the pumps that divert water to Kern County and else- where, Moyle said. “The whole system has had a major shift,” Moyle said. “The ones that depend on the estuary — none of them are doing well.” Federal regulators said they see striped bass as an “embedded” contributor to the delta’s decline and that eradication might be pursued even after lifting the catch limit. “We kind of see this (eliminating striped bass fishing regulations) as a first step,” said Howard Brown, acting Central Valley office supervisor for the National Marine Fisheries Service. “It’s sensitive because they are a popular fish. We’re going to be taking a hard look at reducing their numbers.... The threat of striped bass in the system is greater than ever.” Mike Taugher is a reporter for the Contra Costa Times. CAMP Continued from page 1A neighborhood now, except for harvest season when we have shouting and loud music from 6:30 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. in the adjacent orchards,” reads one letter from Delma Darling. Project Engineer Steve Judson asked the commis- sion to postpone the pro- ject because the meeting, which shared a bill with a hearing on a countywide nexus study on fees, ran so long his supporters had to leave. One woman went so far as to compare the potential GERBER Continued from page 1A has accepted the offer and the matter is now closed and behind us,” Long said. BOND Continued from page 1A owned by the state but now controlled by Paramont Farms, which is owned by Hollywood billionaire Stu- art Resnick. Defenders of the provi- sion argue that private companies, which would for disaster at the camp to BP’s oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico, arguing the camp needed stricter restrictions. Even with the promise of nightly trash cleanup and on-site parking, neighbors of the property feared crowds from the orchard would spill out onto nearby roadways, either leading to packed roadways, casually dis- carded garbage or both. “It is almost habitual for these guys to get off work, go the grocery store, get their own beer, get their own chicken,” said Corning Realtor Teresa Smith. Smith, however, said she recognized the need for migrant housing, as low-income housing is difficult to find in the city, and the weight of her objection was the project’s location. Henderson argued the problems raised were already present with har- vest season. By giving seasonal workers who travel to Corning even without a migrant camp the chance to stay on-site, the manager argued the camp could ease some of the problems. But that assumes the camp is affordable. The project only survived a As a part of a settlement negoti- ated by the District Attorney, John- son has given the Community Ser- vices District a $4,800 check and a letter of apology, which was posted in the district’s office window. The Gerber Community Services District meets the third Thursday of be called upon to match state bond dollars on water projects, are essential to ensuring dams ultimately get built in California. ‘‘If private entities can’t be a part of the JPA manag- ing the reservoir, they are a lot less inclined to invest in the storage project,’’ Assemblyman Bill Berry- hill, R-Ceres, said in a statement. ‘‘That’s like a Technical Advisory Com- mittee meeting by taking on a list of 17 conditions, which include water tests if workers stay longer than 60 days and fire-protec- tion measures. “At best, with a project like this, we can break even,” Henderson said. At worst, the project may simply collapse under the weight of its cost. More information is available by calling 527- 2200. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, exten- sion 114 or gjohnson@red- bluffdailynews.com. the month at the district’s office on San Benito Avenue next to the for- mer fire hall. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. company asking investors to give them money for a start-up but not allowing them to be shareholders.’’ Berryhill, who opposed the bond, urged lawmakers to instead revamp the mea- sure and eliminate billions of dollars of pork that they inserted in the final days to win the needed support in the Legislature. Jim Metropulos, an advocate at Sierra Club California, said the pro- posed joint powers authori- ty fix would not buy his organization’s support of such a costly bond as the state struggles with its finances. ‘‘The $11.1 billion bond is the largest bond ever going before voters at a time of budget deficits,’’ Metropulos said. Friday final furlough for state workers SACRAMENTO (AP) — State employees who were forced to take unpaid days off because of a budget crisis had what they hoped would be their final furlough day on Friday, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger indicat- ed he might consider layoffs and more furloughs in the future. ‘‘The longer we go without a bud- get, the more likely it is that the gover- nor will be forced to look at furloughs and layoffs to achieve savings,’’ said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger. The workers have been furloughed a total of 46 days since Schwarzeneg- ger issued the order in February 2009. The administration said the fur- loughs have achieved about $1 billion in general fund savings and $2.2 bil- lion in overall savings during the state budget crisis. The furloughs translated into a pay cut of about 14 percent for workers. ‘‘It’s been a huge hardship for many people in our bargaining unit,’’ said Pam Manwiller, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 5,000 work- ers and reached a tentative contract agreement with Schwarzenegger this week. Initially, Schwarzenegger imposed two furlough days a month but added a third day in 2009. Those furloughs have been challenged in court. Jacob Roper, spokesman for the state controller’s office, said the law- suits could result in the state being ordered to pay millions of dollars in back wages. Schwarzenegger previously said he didn’t plan to extend the furloughs into the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Instead, he was asking unions to support salary cuts and increase the amount employees contribute to pen- sion benefits. Earlier this week, four unions rep- resenting about 23,000 employees agreed to such changes. But unions representing the remaining 170,000 state workers were still in negotiations with the governor. Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents about half of state workers, will return to the negotiating table June 28, spokesman Jim Zamora said. Calif. university will allow media at Palin event SACRAMENTO (AP) — After months of requests from reporters, a California university has agreed to allow members of the media to attend a fundraiser next week featuring Sarah Palin. Officials with California State University, Stanislaus said Friday that the June 25 gala at its Turlock campus would be open to the press. The Associated Press has been requesting access to the event since mid-April. Cal State to increase fees by 5 percent SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cali- fornia State University officials voted Friday to raise student fees this fall by 5 percent in response to deep cuts in state funding for the 23-campus system. The CSU Board of Trustees voted 10-2 to increase tuition for in-state undergraduate and graduate students at a special meeting in Long Beach. The increases mean a $204 jump to $4,230 a year for resident under- graduates. Teacher credential stu- dents will see their fees increase $234 to $4,908 annually, while grad- uate student fees will go up $252 to $5,214. In a separate vote, trustees decid- ed to raise fees on education doctor- ate students 10 percent, or $870, to $9,546 a year. The board also voted to eliminate an annual cap on tuition that benefit- ed a small number of out-of-state stu- dents who take a large number of classes each year. State funding for the university system remained uncertain. A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to restore more than $300 million in state support assumed there would be a fee increase of 10 percent — twice as high as the hike passed Friday. A similar state Senate proposal assumed a higher increase as well, said Robert Turnage, CSU’s assistant vice chancellor for budget. An Assembly proposal also reflected a 5 percent increase and would provide more state revenue for the CSU budget. ‘‘None of these three plans, I think, if they were put to a vote tomorrow in the Legislature, could secure the two-thirds vote that is nec- essary to pass a budget act,’’ Turnage said. If funding is not restored, enroll- ment could decline by an estimated 9.5 percent. Even the larger 10 per- cent fee increase would not be enough to balance the budget, according to a report by senior CSU administrators. About 433,000 students were enrolled in the CSU system in 2010. The California State Student Association supported the 5 percent fee hike as a reasonable increase given the dismal budget situation. Still, some students were disappoint- ed by the trustees’ decision. ‘‘They really aren’t working hard enough to find a different solution,’’ said Claudia Ramirez, a 23-year-old Cal State Long Beach student. ‘‘What this means is that they’ll be doing more fee increases for the upcoming semester in January.’’ Lillian Taiz, president of the Cali- fornia Faculty Association, said the trustees were unwilling to fight erod- ing state support of higher education. ‘‘People seem to be pulling back from that commitment,’’ said Taiz, a history professor at Cal State Los Angeles. Officials with the university sys- tem said they have been left no choice. ‘‘We’re facing an unprecedented budget crisis,’’ CSU spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp said. Last year, trustees increased fees by 32 percent from the prior year fol- lowing cuts in state funding. Those cuts contributed to reduc- tions in enrollment and courses, and to furloughs for faculty members at CSU and the University of Califor- nia, the state’s other university sys- tem. Butte prosecutor pleads not guilty to DUI OROVILLE (AP) — A Butte County prosecu- tor has pleaded not guilty to charges that he drove under the influence with his children in the car. Deputy District Attorney Brent Redelsperger entered the plea Thursday to a felony charge of child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. According to the California Highway Patrol, officers found Redelsperger passed out at the wheel after hitting a brick wall on Feb. 28. They found his children, ages 7 and 9, uninjured in the back seat. Authorities say Redelsperger’s blood-alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit for driving at the time. He is on administrative leave from his the dis- trict attorney’s office. Palin’s appearance has generated widespread cover- age and criticism since it was announced in March. Uni- versity officials have refused to divulge the terms of the former Alaska governor’s contract or her speaking fee. CSU Stanislaus says its foundation handled the negotiations and is legally exempt from public records requirements. Palin has commanded fees as high as $100,000. Death Notice William Walter Taylor William Walter Taylor died Friday, June 18, 2010, in Red Bluff. He was 84. Red Bluff Simple Cremations and Burial Service is handling the arrangements. Published Saturday, June 19, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Is cremation your choice? 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. 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