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Thursday, May 9, 2013 – Daily News Obituaries 7A Band concert tonight at high school Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Red Bluff Union High School students practice for the band concert, which will be at 7 tonight in the Performing Arts Center. Cost is $3. JOHN-NATHAN ERICKSON January 7, 1980 - May 4, 2013 John- Nathan Erickson of Red Bluff passed away on May 4, 2013 after battling colorectal cancer. Born January 7, 1980 in Red Bluff. John attended local schools including Lassen View Elementary and Red Bluff and Corning High Schools. John worked for Petro Truck Stop in Corning for 9 years before being employed by Wal-Mart DC in the Truck Shop since 2008. John enjoyed camping, cars, music and spending time with family and friends. He will be missed by many. John is survived by wife Sarah Griggs-Erickson; sons Ethan and Leif, daughter Ava, mother Donna Wallan, sisters, Stephanie Carsner and Shannon Stone, grandmothers Frances Gordon and Doris Erickson, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of John's life will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 5:00 pm, at 8452 Buena Vista Ave., Los Molinos. Casual attire, bring a chair. NASA Continued from page 1A with Lassen Park Ranger and Education Specialist Steve Zachary in their explorations. "This program was started five years ago and it's a very unique partnership," Michael said. "Its truly one of a kind program here where the students work hand in hand on the research." It gives them a better understanding of the park and a better appreciation for science by giving them experience and a connection between the real world and the science they are studying in school, he said. It's also a chance for students to see the world outside of and after high school by giving them role models at NASA who teach them not everyone who works at NASA is a rocket scientist while showing them what job opportunities are available, Michael said. Zachary gave a brief overview of the program from Lassen's point of view, which started out of the park educators/interpreters program that is now in its 18th year, he said. Like the astrobiology, the park educational and outreach programs were started initially with students just from Red Bluff High and, while some people in Washington balked at the idea of volunteers younger than 18, it has grown to include schools from all over the local area, he said. Volunteering at the park or working in an internship gives the students federal work experience they can put on their resumes, Zachary said. NASA Space Scientist Dave Des Marais, who works at the Ames Research Center with whom the students partnered, gave a talk on Mars exploration through the years and of Lassen in preparation for the students' talk. Both Earth and Mars have similarities that extend beyond the landscape and when the Spirit Rover found hydrothermal activity on Mars it led to looking for similar environments on Earth, Des Marais said. That search led to Lassen. The human desire for life on Mars is longstanding — going back at least to 1908 when Percival Lowell made a drawing of the planet, all the way to the Mariner 4 fly by in 1965 that put humans close enough to get a more realistic idea of Mars, Des Marais said. "It was close enough where we knew enough to be dangerous to come to the conclusion that Mars is like the Moon," Des Marais said. "When you look back (100 years) you realize how far we have come in such a short time." Studies through the years have shown the early environment on Mars was much more like Earth in many ways, Des Marais said. "I think it's why Mars has captured us," Des Marais said. The ancient hydrothermal system, which shows volcanic activity interacting with water, leads to the question of whether the ancient environment was habitable, he said. During their presentation, students started with explaining what requirements are for an environment to be habitable. They included a solvent, such as water; raw materials, energy, such as light and chemicals; and favorable conditions including pH levels and salinity. Students were split into three groups to look at acids, alkalies and neutrals in the environment. Taking samples from two places, Sulphur Works and Warner Valley, which was a new site this year, they explored volcanism water and life interactions and looked to see whether their area had what it took to sustain microbial ecosystems. Students tested rock dissolution in various pH levels over a three-month period and put them into different media cultures and solutions, watching to see the trends of what happened. Following the presentation, each student was given a certificate for their participation and an International Space Station pin. Orlando Santos of the NASA Ames Research Center gave a brief talk on college options including the Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses for college students such as those at Santa Clara University, who had the chance to research how chemicals are altered in space. For more information on that program or other NASA internships students were encouraged to visit intern.nasa.gove/ossi. Santos recommended the site mentornet.net, which gives students a virtual relationship with a mentor in their chosen field during their time in college. The evening ended with the seniors giving a demonstration of CheMin, a machine used to help identify chemicals and minerals found in space, Parenteau said. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews .com. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb. CITY Continued from page 1A Mayor Wayne Brown said it was no secret the city needed more police officers, but it was also no secret the city had budgetary woes. Police Chief Paul Nanfito said his staff was reduced from 26 officers to 21 during the 2009 budget cuts. During that time they have used similar grants to bring two more officers back on staff. One of those positions will require the city's 1year commitment beginning Aug. 31. Nanfito said the slow phase-in of salary and benefits was the best methodology the city could use to increase its police force. He said the position would be hired as a School Resources Officer. The department's one officer in that position is responsible for three high schools, two charter schools and three elementary schools. The council granted unanimous approval for Nanfito to seek the grant, but noted they were not committing to anything and acceptance of the grant would still have to come before the council. Two more police matters received 4-1 approval votes, with Councilwoman Daniele Jackson dissent- ing on both. The first was to approve an increase in 2-year user fees from $600 to $2,000 to outside agencies utilizing the department's firing range. Nanfito said with the closing of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Redding branch there would be more training done in Red Bluff. Nanfito also requested funds paid to the city for the range's use be deposited to an account for range improvements. Since 2003 those funds instead have been deposited to a Waste Water account. Nanfito said the idea at the time was for public failure and pneumonia. Smith said the hospital isn't about to take its annual place on the list for granted. Continued from page 1A "No way, there's too much going readmission rates for acute myocar- on in health care to take anything for dial infraction (heart attack), heart granted anymore," Smith said. HONOREE BLOOM Slow Food Shasta Cascade. Lucero Olive Oil is Continued from page 1A open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week at 2120 Garden, sponsored by Loleta Ave, just off High- SHOOTS Jackson asked whether public works had yet been repaid in full. No city employee present knew the answer. Public Works Director Bruce Henz said he did not object to future funds being used for range improvements. The council also approved filling a vacant Records Manager position within the department and combining it with the position of Communications Manager. According to a staff report the move's cost will be neutral. Smith said the hospital is striving to increase the new era of health care, in which people in the community get care that prevents them from ending up in the hospital to begin with. way 99W between the two Corning Exits. Free event parking will be available off-site at the Love's Travel Stop at 2120 South Ave. and Linnet's about the search. Shingletown, which lies near the Lassen National Forest, has a popuContinued from page 1A lation of about 2,000 people. The two-story house that authoriCounty sheriff's officials, but he ties were called to is nestled among declined to provide any details pine trees with a barn and green- works to be repaid for their work rehabilitating the range a decade ago. Tire Shop at 1090 99W, with shuttle bus service to and from Lucero, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m. house in the back, The Record Searchlight reported. Horses and llamas graze on the property. Kent said deputies were called there last month regarding a domestic dispute. Perez seeks revision of 'rainy day' ballot measure SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Assembly speaker on Wednesday proposed changing a rainy day fund measure on the November 2014 ballot that had been negotiated by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican lawmakers three years ago to decrease budget volatility. Speaker John Perez, DLos Angeles, announced his plan for a replacement ballot measure that potentially makes it more favorable for the public employee unions that support Democratic lawmakers. His proposal calls for the rainy day fund to be built with extra capital gains taxes from the wealthy rather than from the state's general fund, which could take money away from state programs. Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, said Perez's plan would give Democrats ''political cover'' for increasing spending. Republicans criticized Democrats last year for moving the rainy day fund ballot measure from the June 2012 primary to the November 2014 general election. They called it a power grab pushed by union interests seeking to postpone the measure. ''All the Democrats have done is kick it down the road and now they're trying to walk away from it,'' Huff said. With two-thirds majori- Have a news tip? Call 527-2151, Ext. 112 ties in both houses of the Legislature, Democrats could change the ballot measure without Republican support. Perez defended his plan, saying that altering the previously agreedupon measure will better protect the state budget from future economic downturns. ''The idea is to fill our new rainy day fund with spikes in capital gains revenues,'' Perez said during a luncheon address before the Sacramento Press Club on Wednesday. ''We all talk about the volatility of revenues for the state of California and the area of greatest volatility is tax revenues derived from high-wealth individuals.'' The current measure would require the Legislature to set aside money in years when California has a budget surplus, a constraint opposed by public employee unions and most Democratic lawmakers. It would require the state to put 3 percent of general fund money into the reserve fund and gradually increase the reserve to equal 10 percent of the general fund. Under Perez's plan, the rainy day fund would be filled using any capital gains taxes — mainly paid by the wealthy — that exceed 6.5 percent of general fund revenue. His staff said the state would have made deposits under that formula in about 10 of the last 20 years. Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo, vice chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said he saw an opportunity to work on a new bipartisan proposal. It would signal to voters that lawmakers are serious about dealing with peaks and troughs of the budget. ''I am offering myself to engage and be a part of shaping the speaker's proposal once that comes out to try to work to make that a bipartisan policy proposal as well,'' Gorell said Wednesday. Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters Tuesday during a memorial service for California Highway Patrol officers that reserves are a good idea, but he didn't want to commit to any single plan. He previously said he wants to build a reserve to cushion against future downturns and make strides toward paying down the state's bond obligations. ''We need reserves,'' said the Democratic governor. Peter Schaafsma, who served as fiscal staff director in the Assembly Republican Caucus and helped draft the current measure, said the Legislature has a history of spending everything it receives, rather than exercising fiscal discipline. He said the first sign that the current rainy day fund proposal would be dismantled was when Democrats delayed the ballot measure. ''I didn't expect that what we had negotiated would see the light of day on the ballot,'' Schaafsma said. California is on track to collect $4.5 billion more in personal income taxes than expected, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. Democratic lawmakers are pushing to restore adult dental care for the poor, expand mental health care and other safety-net programs. Health advocates are pushing to expand health care coverage to all Californians. And Perez's own plan calls for increasing spending for child care and college assistance. Brown included additional revenue from Proposition 30, the tax initiative approved by voters last fall, in his proposed $97.6 billion general fund budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The governor will update his spending plan next week.