Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/130886
Friday, May 17, 2013 – Daily News Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Jacqueline M. Lawson Jacqueline M. Lawson, of Gerber, died Thursday, May 15, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center. She was 84. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, May 17, 2013, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Gregory Paul McGreal Gregory Paul McGreal died Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at his residence in Red Bluff. He was 57. Red Bluff Simple Cremations and Burial Service is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, May 17, 2013, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Bill would limit local immigrant detentions SACRAMENTO (AP) — People living in the country illegally could not be detained for deportation if they are arrested for a minor crime, under a bill passed Thursday by the California Assembly. The measure from Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, would create a statewide standard for how local agencies should comply with a federal program requiring immigration status checks of anyone arrested. The federal Secure Communities program requires people found to be in the U.S. illegally to be held for immigration officials. But Ammiano said the majority of the 95,000 people in California who have been detained and deported did not have criminal records, including some who were victims of domestic violence. Under AB4, known as the Trust Act, local law enforcement would be able to detain only people who were previously convicted of a serious or violent felony. ''California cannot afford to expend vital resources on the prolonged detention of people who pose no threat to public safety,'' Ammiano said. Supporters say the change would rebuild trust of law enforcement in immigrant communities, increasing public safety by encouraging cooperation with police. Opponents said it would remove a tool of law enforcement. They also questioned whether federal funding could be jeopardized by not following national immigration policy. ''It is an important safety net to make sure that we are able to capture people who might have fallen through the cracks who are serious criminals,'' Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, RTwin Peaks, said about the federal program. The Assembly passed the bill with a 42-20 vote, sending it to the state Senate. Two Democrats, Assemblymen Ken Cooley of Rancho Cordova and Tom Daly of Anaheim, joined Republicans in opposing the bill. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed similar legislation last year, saying the bill did not allow officials to detain those convicted of crimes such as child abuse and drug trafficking. Ammiano's revised bill also does not allow for detainment on those crimes, but the lawmaker said he is willing to work with the governor on changes. Several supporters noted ongoing efforts in Congress to craft an immigration reform plan, saying California shouldn't wait for work in Washington to be completed before updating local procedures. STUDY (Continued from page 1A) The more recent parolees also had more arrests per person, largely because some offenders were rearrested three times or more. Nearly 59 percent of the offenders were arrested again in the first year after their release from prison. But that was down from 62 percent of parolees who were arrested again during a similar period before the new law was enacted. More than 22 percent were convicted again in the first year, up about 1 percentage point from a similar group before the realignment law took effect. Under realignment, criminals convicted of what are considered non-violent, nonsexual and non-serious felonies are sentenced to county jails instead of state prisons. Most offenders released from both state prisons and county jails are supervised by local probation officers instead of state parole agents, and if they violate parole they go to jail instead of back to prison. The law was pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown as one of his main answers to a federal court order requiring the state to reduce the population in its 33 adult prisons by tens of thousands of inmates. In its report, the corrections department did not address issues that have AIR (Continued from page 1A) about 50 percent of the price of a new purchase. District staff said most of the timber trucks registered in Tehama County are utilized elsewhere. The Tehama County Public Works Department hopes to tap into another portion of Carl Moyer arisen at the county level since the realignment law took effect, including overcrowding in local jails that is leading many offenders to be released within days or weeks of being convicted. Local probation officers also are having a difficult time tracking sex offenders who disable or remove their electronic monitoring ankle bracelets, allowing many of them to operate without detection for days at a time. Critics of the law have said the early releases from county jails leave offenders with little fear that they will face significant punishment for committing new crimes. That appeared to be reflected in the report, which found that offenders now are much more likely to be re-arrested multiple times. Nearly 5 percent of the parolees had six or more arrests in their first year, more than three times the previous rate. The department's researchers tracked nearly 37,500 offenders who were released from state prison in the six months after the realignment law took effect. They compared their arrests and convictions to those of nearly 52,000 parolees released from prison prior to the new law. Both the arrests and convictions declined as time went on under the new law, they found, but they cautioned that it is too soon to know if that trend will continue. funding to help offset the total purchase price of a pair of 1989 patch trucks with more than 200,00 miles on each. The board approved specifications for two new trucks with 33,000-pound GVWR Diesel Powered Cab and chassis with mounted pavement patching unit. The purchasing department will solicit bids through the end of the month. 7A Council adopts delta management plan FRESNO (AP) — A California agency has unanimously adopted a broad, long-range plan to manage the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta Stewardship Council voted 7-0 on Thursday to approve the final version of the Delta Plan, a blueprint for restoring the delta's ecosystem and improving water supply reliability. The plan does not call for specific construction projects, but contains policies and recommendations for managing growth in the delta, reducing reliance on delta water and habitat restoration, among others. The $14 billion twin tunnel project, which is being developed through a separate initiative, will be incorporated into the plan if the tunnels are approved and permitted. The delta supplies drinking water for two-thirds of California residents and irrigates about 4 million acres of crops. Critics say the Delta Plan is too vague when it comes to restoring and protecting the delta — and could negatively impact delta communities. The plan comes after years of concerns over an increase in water demand and the degradation of habitat in the delta, which supplies drinking water for two-thirds of California residents and irrigates about 4 million acres of crops. The ecosystem's rapid deterioration has spurred regulations that limit delta pumping. Farmers and other water users whose water was curtailed have clamored for a stable water supply. In 2009, the Legislature created the seven-member council to come up with a plan to manage the estuary. The plan could have a profound impact on the delta's landscape. Local and state agencies with projects in the delta would be required to keep them consistent with the plan. Another policy mandates that new urban development be located only within those areas of a city or county already designated for growth. A third asks water users to reduce reliance on the delta through measures such as water recycling, storm water capture, or storage. The plan also mandates expanding floodplains by moving levees back and restoring wetlands habitat. It requires flood-proofing homes for residential developments in rural areas. And it prohibits developments from encroaching on several specific flood- plains, including the Yolo Bypass and parts of Paradise Cut in San Joaquin County. ''The plan tells us how to get through the next 100 years,'' said the council's Chairman Phil Isenberg, a former Sacramento mayor. ''Everybody has to conserve water all the time, everyone has to decrease reliance on the delta, and everyone has to help with the environmental needs of the delta. We're running out of easy solutions, so everybody has to kick in.'' Critics say the plan — three years in the making, at a cost of $14.5 million in taxpayer funds — is light on details. ''The plan has a huge hole in its center,'' said Jonas Minton, water policy adviser for the Sacramento-based Planning and Conservation League. ''It does not deal with reversing the environmental collapse of the ecosystem.'' Most troubling, Minton said, is the lack of standards for how much water the delta needs to be a healthy estuary. Another problem is the reliance on the unfinished twin tunnel project for both restoring water supply reliability and habitat. Flow standards are currently being updated by the State Water Resources Control Board, Isenberg said. STATE BRIEFING Judge to hear lawsuit over high-speed rail bonds SACRAMENTO (AP) — State officials on Thursday agreed to drop a request to consolidate all lawsuits challenging California's use of voter-approved highspeed rail bonds, allowing a trial seeking to prevent the state from spending bond money to begin later this month. Opponents of the $68 billion bullet train project and attorneys for the California High-Speed Rail Authority submitted their agreement to a Sacramento County Superior Court judge. That allows Judge Michael P. Kenny to begin hearing arguments May 31 in a lawsuit filed in 2011 by Kings County. The county claims the current highspeed rail plans do not comply with the requirements voters approved in 2008, when they passed Proposition 1A to sell nearly $10 billion in bonds for the project. ''It's really in the best interests of justice that we get it resolved before construction starts,'' said attorney Stuart Flashman, who represents Kings County and other plaintiffs. Opponents of the project argue that it violates many facets of the ballot initiative, including requirements that the state have all the money in place and all environmental approvals secured for the first phase of construction before work begins. They want a judge to prevent the authority from spending any of the bond proceeds on the current project. The state attorney general's office, representing the California High-Speed Rail Authority, was seeking to consolidate all lawsuits and potential future lawsuits challenging the state's ability to sell and spend the voter-approved bonds. Its request could have delayed the trial. To get a resolution about whether it is legally entitled to sell more bonds, the state this spring made a highly unusual filing called a ''validation action,'' which essentially invites anyone with a claim against the bullet train to sue the state. It's that action that high-speed rail officials had previously hoped to merge with the Kings County lawsuit. Rail officials hope to begin construction this summer on the first 30-mile segment of track from Madera to Fresno, using $3.3 billion in federal money, but the state has said it will not tap more bond money while the legal action is pending. California previously sold $705 million in project-related bonds. The federal money requires state matching funds. Federal officials have indicated that if the state spends any of the money, it would be expected to match it dollar-for-dollar or repay it, according to the state Department of Finance. The rail authority has been buying land along the proposed route and performing site surveys, engineering design work and geological testing. The board overseeing the authority is scheduled to vote next month on a bid by a joint venture of nearly $1 billion to do the initial work. The project eventually is supposed to link Northern and Southern California with trains traveling up to 220 mph. 2 police officers shot, injured in Visalia VISALIA (AP) — Two police officers were shot and injured Thursday in the Central Valley city of Visalia while chasing a suspect, Visalia Police Chief Colleen Mestas said. One officer was in serious but stable condition at Kaweah Delta Medical Center, where he was undergoing surgery after being shot in the upper torso, according to The Fresno Bee (http://bit.ly/10BwIEQ ). The other officer was hit in the shoulder, Mestas said. The shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. after the two officers chased a man who might have been breaking into cars through several homes. Inside one home, the suspect turned and fired at the officers, who returned fire, hitting him. The suspect also was taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center, but officials did not release his condition. No one else was inside the home when the officers and suspect exchanged gunfire, Mestas said. Assembly advances bill to ban lead ammo SACRAMENTO (AP) — Legislation that would make California the first state to ban the use of lead ammunition in hunting has cleared the state Assembly. The bill from Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Rendon of Lakewood would require hunters to use nonlead ammunition. Advocates have sought the ban because of health risks associated with lead left in the environment. Hunting with lead bullets already is prohibited in eight counties that are home to the endangered California condor, which has been susceptible to lead poisoning. Republicans say AB711 would create a de facto ban on hunting. Some alternatives to lead bullets may not be available because of federal restrictions on armor- piercing ammunition. The Assembly passed the bill Thursday on a largely party-line vote of 44-21. It now heads to the state Senate. by increasing the difficulty of what often appears to be an impulse decision. The Assembly passed the bill Thursday 57-10, sending it to the Senate. Bill would add responsibility for some gun owners Bill promotes violenceawareness in Calif. schools SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Senate has approved legislation requiring gun owners to lock up their weapons if they live with a person who is legally prohibited from owning a firearm. Democratic Sen. Rod Wright of Inglewood said the requirement is similar to an existing law requiring that guns be locked up if children are in the home. SB363 includes increased penalties if a person prohibited from owning a weapon finds an unsecured gun and uses it to injure or kill someone. The state's list of people who cannot legally own weapons includes those who have a felony conviction, a violent misdemeanor, a determination that they are mentally unstable or a domestic violence restraining order. The Senate approved the bill 36-0 without debate Thursday, sending it to the Assembly. Bill calls for considering bridge suicide barriers SACRAMENTO (AP) — Suicide barriers could be included on more California bridges as a result of a bill advancing through the Legislature. AB755 by Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco would require planners to consider whether a suicide barrier is needed when designing or refurbishing bridges. If barriers are not considered, a bridge project would be ineligible for state or federal money. Ammiano led the effort to install a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge, which was approved in 2008. The bridge has been the site of more than 1,400 confirmed deaths since it opened in 1937. Ammiano says barriers would help prevent suicides SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would require education officials to create lesson plans about violence in American culture — the Legislature's latest reaction to mass shootings last year elsewhere in the nation. Under SB552, individual schools could decide whether to include the lessons in curriculum. The bill's author, Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, hopes to counter the mass marketing of violence through video games, television and movies. Calderon said many children also are exposed to real violence every day in their neighborhoods or through media reports. ''Schools can provide a counterbalance to the flood of violence that our children are exposed to daily,'' Calderon said. The Senate sent the bill to the Assembly with a 29-7 vote. Four Republican senators joined Democrats in supporting the measure. All seven no votes came from Republicans. The Department of Education would develop the anti-violence programs the next time it updates the state's social science curriculum in 2015. The bill would allow school districts to include violence-awareness and prevention lessons as part of social science classes for students in grades 7 through 12. Calderon likened his proposal to current classes designed to help students make wise decisions about sex, drugs, tobacco and, more recently, bullying. He said the bill ''takes a complementary approach to many of the violence-prevention measures moving through the Legislature this year,'' including numerous bills seeking to place greater restrictions on gun ownership and ammunition. Legislators are hoping to deter attacks such as the ones last year in Aurora, Colo., and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.