Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/14774
Saturday, August 14, 2010 – Daily News – 9A LOCAL Continued from page 1A Bluff having an open statement that tells people exactly what the city is doing is a good thing. Kimbrough said in some ways the legislation is unneces- sary because most cities already make the information available to the public. But at the same time, people are upset over what happened in Bell and they want to know it is not going to happen again. If putting a law into the books makes everyone aware and let them know that the problem has been taken care of, then he supports the legislation. In the small city of Tehama, where there are about 430 peo- ple, wide-sweeping legislation can be a problem, though this one seems pretty straight for- ward, city clerk Carolyn Stef- fan said. “I always feel bad when a city has trouble and everyone else has to deal with it too,” she said. “For a small city like Tehama it creates a real bur- den.” Steffan, short of being called the city administrator, does most the tasks to keep the city running. She also does all the grant writing, and when the city does receive the grants she gets some pay as an unofficial grant consultant. All employees work part time and receive no benefits, Steffan said. In the case of Bell, the city manager, who made about $1.5 million a year in pay and bene- fits for governing a city of 40,000 people, has resigned along with two other top offi- cials. The mayor and three council members have agreed to slash their salaries of nearly $100,000 a year by 90 percent. State Controller John Chiang has said his office is launching an audit of city spending. Attorney General Jerry Brown subpoenaed nine present and past city officials Monday, ordering them to turn over their financial records and undergo questioning under oath in a widening investigation into the scandal. What happened in Bell is unfortunate, but it’s not a major problem that happens every- where, Kimbrough said. “That situation was pathetic because the people themselves were asleep,” he said. He takes heart in knowing that in Tehama County, it would be a lot tougher for something like Bell to happen. There are quite a number of individual citizens and the media that serve as watchdogs of the local government, and for that he is appreciative, Kimbrough said. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.com. The Associated Press con- tributed to this story. City of Tehama compensation Tehama County compensation City of Red Bluff compensation City of Corning compensation Appeals court allows logging Oregon old growth GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A federal appeals court Friday cleared the way for logging to resume in an old growth forest reserve at a national forest in Ore- gon to protect northern spotted owl habitat from being lost to wildfire. In a 2-to-1 decision by a three- judge panel, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling that had stopped the JUDGE Continued from page 1A They argued the appeals court should grant a stay of Walker’s order requiring state officials to cease enforcing Proposition 8 ‘‘to avoid the confusion and irreparable injury that would flow from the creation of a class of purported same-sex marriages.’’ The appeals court ordered the plaintiffs to file their responses to the request by 11 p.m. PDT Friday. Depending on how the 9th Circuit rules, same-sex couples could begin tying the knot in California as early as next week or be put off while the appeal works its way through the court and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court as well. California voters passed Proposition 8 as a state con- stitutional amendment in November 2008, five months after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions and an esti- mated 18,000 same-sex cou- ples already had married. In refusing to suspend his ruling for more than a few days, Walker agreed with the lawyers who sued to strike SCHOOL • Ensure your children’s Continued from page 1A (such as an I-pod). bicycles have the required equipment such as brakes, reflectors and lights (during darkness). Make sure the bicycle is the appropriate size. The child should be Five Buttes project on the Deschutes National Forest. The appeals court found the project was within the limits of the Northwest Forest Plan, which set up a system of old growth forest reserves in 1994 in Oregon, Wash- ington and Northern California, where logging was strictly limited to protect habitat for threatened species such as spotted owls and salmon. The ruling also found that down the ban that it’s unclear if Proposition 8’s sponsors have legal standing to appeal. Although he allowed the coalition of religious and conservative groups that sponsored the measure to defend the lawsuit during the 13-day trial over which he presided, the judge said appellate courts have differ- ent rules for deciding when a party is eligible to challenge a lower court. Based on his interpreta- tion of those rules, it appears the ban’s sponsors can only appeal his decision with the backing of either Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger or Attorney General Jerry Brown, Walker said. But that seems unlikely as both offi- cials refused to defend Proposition 8 in Walker’s court and said last week they see no reason why gay cou- ples should not be able to tie the knot now. Walker also turned aside arguments that marriages performed now could be thrown into legal chaos if Proposition 8 is later upheld by an appeals court. He pointed to the 18,000 same- sex couples who married legally in the five months that gay marriage was legal able to reach the ground flat- footed while sitting on the seat. The Red Bluff Police Department will be actively patrolling the schools throughout the school year. Citizens are encouraged to call the police department at 527-3131 to report any con- cerns or criminal/suspicious activity. the Forest Service analysis of the environmental impacts of the log- ging was sufficient. Building on a 2008 Idaho case in which the full appeals court decided it was time to stop sec- ond-guessing the Forest Service on scientific issues, the ruling rep- resents a victory for timber indus- try efforts to press for more log- ging in old growth forests in the name of reducing the threat of in California as proof. San Francisco Chief Deputy City Attorney Therese Stewart, who during the trial helped argue that Proposition 8 should be overturned, said that while it will not be up to Walker to decide the eligibility issue, ‘‘it’s very realistic’’ that the 9th Circuit could reach the same conclusion. ‘‘We allocate the deci- sion-making authority over how to enforce and defend and prosecute the laws to the executive branch,’’ Stewart said. ‘‘Do you want every Tom, Dick and Harry sec- ond-guessing what the attor- ney general does and chal- lenging every ruling the attorney general chooses not to?’’ The ban’s backers addressed the potential for such a roadblock in their emergency stay request, say- ing California’s strong citi- zen initiative law permits ballot measure proponents to defend their interests when state officials refuse to. ‘‘We are confident we do have standing to seek the appellate review here, and we realize this case has just begun and we will get the decision overturned on appeal,’’ said Jim Campbell, wildfire. ‘‘This is a step-by-step process that we are enhancing the agen- cies’ ability to do their land man- agement,’’ said Tom Partin, presi- dent of the American Forest Resource Council, a timber indus- try group that intervened in the case. He said the victory was partic- ularly encouraging as a sign of a new direction for national forests, an Alliance Defense Fund lawyer who is part of the legal team defending Propo- sition 8. Other legal analysts think the appeals court will allow the group that raised $40 million to pass Proposition 8 to formally challenge Walk- er’s ruling. ‘‘What Judge Walker’s ruling means is you can sponsor a proposition, direct it, research it, work for it, raise $40 million for it, get it on a ballot, successfully campaign for it and then have no ability to defend it independently in court,’’ said Dale Carpenter, a University of Minnesota constitutional law professor who supports same-sex marriage. ‘‘And then a judge maybe let you be the sole defender in a full- blown trial and then says, ’by the way, you never can defend this.’ It just seems very unlikely to me the high- er courts will buy that.’’ Walker’s order clearing the way for same-sex mar- riages to resume in Califor- nia for the first time since 52 percent of the state’s voters approved Proposition 8 nonetheless raised hopes among gay couples who flocked to government offices to await word that because it reversed one of the few rulings by U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan in Eugene to go against the Forest Service. The ruling was a blow to con- servation groups that have long depended on the 9th Circuit dur- ing the past 20 years of frequent and bitter legal battles over log- ging in old growth forests, during which timber output has dropped by more than 90 percent. they soon will be able to exchange vows. ‘‘We just want equal rights. We’re tired of being second-class citizens,’’ said Amber Fox, 35, who went to the Beverly Hills Municipal Courthouse on Thursday morning in hopes of marry- ing her partner. The couple wed in Massachusetts in June but wanted to make it official in their home state. Is cremation your choice? Teresa Rowe, 31, and her partner, Kristin Orbin, 31, said they were still happy with the decision even though the ceremony didn’t happen. The couple went to San Francisco City Hall early Thursday morning to fill out a marriage license application. ‘‘It’s sad that we have to wait a little longer, but it’s been six years,’’ Rowe said. 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