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MONDAY JUNE 21, 2010 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See 9A RED BLUFF Sports 1B Sunny 94/63 Weather forecast 8B 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 Born on the Bayou Supes start budget talk By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Tehama County Supervi- sors are scheduled Tuesday to set the preliminary budget for 2010-2011, to vote on applications for grants that could expand the District Attorney’s online, underage sex-sting operations and help local residents purchase or rehabilitate homes and on whether to finalize a deal with a new emergency ser- vices provider. Budget beginnings Supervisors are first scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. before the normal meeting to discuss the 2010-2011 budget and requests from other departments. Supervisors previously called for cuts in the 2008- 2009 and 2009-2010 fiscal years, including cuts to pub- lic safety services. The regular supervisors’ meeting is still scheduled for 10 a.m. Supervisors have tentatively scheduled a sec- ond budget meeting on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in case talks on the preliminary bud- get continue beyond the allotted time. Grant decisions • Supervisors are sched- uled to hold a vote on whether to use the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to pay for an almost $24,000 boost to the District Attor- ney’s “Safe Sam” program and local gang investiga- tions. Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Kenny Clark, right, Red Bluff, won Saturday’s Crawdad Eating Contest at the R Wild Horse Ranch Crawdad Festival. Clark ate seven scoops of crawdads, each about 2.5 pounds. By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Kenny Clark was surrounded by applause as he climbed a picnic table, Saturday lifting his arms in victory. His chin was red, orange and juicy, a tasty tes- tament to his accomplishment. He opened a bot- tle of water and poured it down his head. Below him were mounds of cracked crawfish piled above and out of styrofoam boxes, the rem- nants of the roughly 17 pounds he had just con- sumed to win Saturday’s eating contest at the R Wild Horse Ranch Crawdad Festival. What festival organizers had hoped to bring to the Tehama District Fairgrounds over the week- end hit home with Clark, who is formerly from Ponchatoula, La. Zydeco, Blues and a marching brass band imported the sounds of Louisiana. Everywhere, the scent of Cajun spices floated through the air. It was home cooking for Clark. “I’ve eaten crawfish all my life,” he said. But while organizers attempted to turn Tehama into the Bayou for three days, plenty of attractions familiar to past fairground events were brought on board as well — from ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds to a classic car show to ani- mitronic bull-riding, rock-climbing and deep-fry- ing booths. Even vendors from the Shasta- Tehama Home and Garden Show found a place on the pavement. But all this may just be the beginning. Crawdads are a versatile food, both in terms of how you can cook them and where they live, said Charli Hand, one of the event’s founders. They live in the Sacramento River and in rice paddies and are so plentiful that they annoy rice growers, who ignore the cooking possibilities the creature brings to the table. “Anything you can do with shrimp, you can do with crawfish,” she said. It took a stranger to suggest to Hand to sell crawdads at the Isleton Summer Festival, which was short on food booths. Soon, Isleton was host to a crawdad festival. But the festival outgrew the tiny town of Isle- ton and has now landed in Red Bluff. “This whole little thing (the fairgrounds) is bigger than the whole town of Isleton,” she said. When Hand put the festival out to bid, the R Wild Horse Ranch snatched it up and reeled it into Tehama County. She did not have estimates on attendance of the three-day festival, but the food made an impression on some visitors. Within an hour of walking in, Oroville resident Dave Jones tasted alligator for the first time and half-jokingly considered raising his own on his rural, mountain property. He would have to keep them from getting out, he said. The cold winter months could also require some heating. If that proves too expensive, there is always next year’s festival. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.com. If the board applies for the grant and the US Depart- ment of Justice awards the grant, it would pay for a series of online sting opera- tions in which District Attor- ney Investigators pose as children of varying ages online in the hopes of catch- ing would-be lawbreakers. District Attorney Gregg Cohen has previously stated the program was inspired by television’s “To Catch a Predator.” Since its inception about a year ago, the pro- gram has resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people. In addition to footing the bill for a digital camera, a digital camcorder and inter- viewing equipment, the money could also cover overtime pay during Safe Sam and gang-related inves- See SUPES, page 7A California license plates might go electronic SACRAMENTO (AP) — As electronic highway billboards flashing neon advertisements become more prevalent, the next frontier in distracted dri- ving is already approach- ing — ad-blaring license plates. The California Legisla- ture is considering a bill that would allow the state to begin researching the use of electronic license plates for vehicles. The move is intended as a moneymaker for a state facing a $19 billion deficit. The device would mimic a standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The license plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen. In emergencies, the plates could be used to broadcast Amber Alerts or traffic information. The bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Curren Price of Los Angeles, said California would be the first state to implement such technology if the state Department of Motor Vehicles ultimately rec- ommends the widespread use of the plates. He said other states are exploring something similar. Interested advertisers would contract directly with the DMV, thus open- ing a new revenue stream for the state, Price said. ‘‘We’re just trying to 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 find creative ways of gen- erating additional rev- enues,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s an exciting marriage of tech- nology with need, and an opportunity to keep Cali- fornia in the forefront.’’ ‘‘The idea is not to turn a motorist’s vehicle into a mobile billboard, but rather to create a platform for motorists to show their support for existing good working organizations.’’ M. Conrad Jordan, CEO, Smart Plate Price said the devices also would cut costs by streamlining the distribu- tion, activation and regis- tration of license plates. The legislative analysis of SB1453 does not include estimates of how much revenue could be saved or gained from license plate advertising. At least one company, San Francisco-based Smart Plate, is developing a digital electronic license plate but has not yet reached the production stage. Reached by e-mail Fri- day, the company’s chief executive, M. Conrad Jor- dan, said the legislation provides an opportunity for the state to harness some of the creativity and technical expertise of its private sector. Jordan said he envi- sioned the license plates as not just another adver- tising venue, but as a way to display personalized messages — broadcasting the driver’s allegiance to a sports team or an alma mater, for example. ‘‘The idea is not to turn a motorist’s vehicle into a mobile billboard, but rather to create a platform for motorists to show their support for existing good working organizations,’’ he said. The bill would autho- rize the DMV to work with Smart Plate or anoth- er company to explore the use and safety of electron- ic license plates — a process that would include consultations with the California Highway Patrol, Price said. CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader said the agency has not take a position on the legislation. A spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he also will remain neutral until the bill reach- es his desk. Any cost associated with the initial research would be borne by the company, not the state, Price said. The DMV would be required to submit its find- ings and recommenda- tions to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2013. The bill has received no formal opposition. It passed unanimously through the Senate last month and is scheduled to be heard Monday by the Assembly Transportation Committee. Other measures sched- uled to be heard in the Legislature this week: — Bicyclists would be the latest group prohibited from using hand-held communications devices on the go, under SB1475 by Sen. Joe Simitian, D- Palo Alto. The bill would extend the state’s hands- free requirements for dri- vers to bicyclists and strengthen the penalties for violators. In addition, driver’s license exams would have to include a section on the dangers of See PLATES, page 7A California Elk return U.S. Open