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FRIDAY Call of Duty: New features AUGUST 16, 2013 Giants Win Features Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See 5A Sports 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 96/64 Weather forecast 8A TEHAMA COUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Mental health spending not properly tracked SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state has failed to properly monitor more than $7 billion in voter-approved money for mental health programs from California's extra tax on millionaires and cannot reassure the public that it is going to help those most in need, the state auditor reported Thursday. California can offer ''little assurance that the counties have effectively and appropriately used the almost $7.4 billion,'' Auditor Elaine Howle reported. Howle's review came in response to an investigation last year by The Associated Press that found tens of millions of dollars raised under Proposition 63 have gone to programs designed to help those who have not been diagnosed with any mental illness. Those socalled innovation programs include yoga, gardening, art classes and horseback riding. ''Media reports have reflected skepticism about counties' Innovation programs, some of which include acupuncture and yoga,'' the audit said. ''Assessing and reporting on program effectiveness is therefore critical to ensure that only effective programs are continued and that "(The state can offer) little assurance that the counties have effectively and appropriately used the almost $7.4 billion." — Auditor Elaine Howle's report the taxpayers and the public are assured that MHSA funds are put to the best use.'' Voters approved Proposition 63 in 2004, creating a 1 percent tax on incomes of more than $1 million to fund mental health programs. The money raised through the Mental Health Services Act has created some 1,500 programs so far. Nearly $1.2 billion went to prevention and early intervention programs. They were being created at the same time that mental health spending from the state's traditional sources was falling dramatically during the recession. Assemblymen Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, and Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, requested the audit last summer after the AP's report. Senate Presi- Hello, I'm Tehama dent Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat who co-authored Proposition 63, also later signed the request. Howle found that the state Department of Mental Health failed to conduct any broad evaluation of how counties spent the money or ask counties to report on the effectiveness of See HEALTH, page 9A Air Pollution District needs more consistency jury finds By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Tehama County Air Pollution Control District and CalFire need to better communicate and the district needs to be more consistent with its fine schedule, the 2012-13 Grand Jury recommends in its report. The Grand Jury reviewed the Air Pollution Control District focusing on the issuance of burn permits, reports and complaints, investigations, enforcement and documentation of illegal burns. The review included how CalFire responded to reported burns and how its department documents and reports incidents to the Air Pollution Control District. The Grand Jury found the latter to be an informal process where CalFire personnel who have responded to illegal burns may complete an agency report with violations for the Air Pollution Control District. This typically happens with illegal residential burns, where the Grand Jury found the Air Pollution Control District is often reliant upon citizen complaints or notification from fire departments to learn about burn violations. Howe v e r there is no established procedure for t h e prompt delivery of reports. The Grand Jury found while verbal explanations of violations and warnings form CalFire may be sufficient in some instances, the Air Pollution Control District is often delayed from hearing about more serious violations because of the lack of an established procedure. The Grand Jury recommends the two agencies meet to agree on a set of communication procedures and action plans to Grand Jury Daily News photo by Andre Byik The Tehama Country Visitor Center, which opened in July, will hold its grand opening from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at 750 Antelope Blvd. The center features interactive and informational exhibits about recreational destinations throughout Tehama County. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Step into the Tehama Country Visitor Center on Antelope Boulevard and one is met with flat screen TVs, information about county destinations and interactive exhibits. Tucked near a corner of the approximately 5,000 square-foot center that opened in July is a multiple choice trivia exhibit about agriculture on the Tehama Trail. "Tehama County is home to California's largest single orchard of what?" the exhibit asks, giving possible answers of walnuts, pistachios, figs and olives. Press a button beside the question and the correct answer is signaled by an accompanying green light: figs. "Who knew?" manager Linda Bullock said, adding, "We want to See CENTER, page 9A See JURY, page 9A Classroom's computers stolen at Vista Prep Academy Daily News photo by Andre Byik The Tehama Country Visitor Center's Sacred Stone exhibit. The new year at Vista Preparatory Academy got off to a rough start Wednesday when the school reported 30 Google laptop computers had recently been stolen. The Red Bluff Police were dispatched to the school Wednesday morning for a report of a theft in Classroom 22, according to a department press release The theft of 30 Google laptop computers occurred sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday morning. Each computer was valued at $240, putting the total value of the theft at $7,200. Officers are following up on leads and anyone with information is asked to telephone the Red Bluff Police Department at 527-3131. Changes proposed to twin tunnel water project FRESNO (AP) — California water officials are proposing changes to a multibillion-dollar plan for two water diversion tunnels for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, according to documents released Thursday. The planned changes come in response to criticism voiced by local elected officials, farmers and landowners in the delta and are meant to reduce the tunnels' impacts on them, officials said. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 ''Clearly the people in the delta would be impacted by the project, but we'll take every legally available step to mitigate the impacts,'' said California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird. ''We're trying to be true to the science and respond to the concerns of people in the delta.'' The proposals include moving the tunnel forebay farther east, away from the towns of Courtland and Walnut Grove, and reducing the size of a water storage reservoir from 750 acres to 40 acres. More of the dirt and chemicals removed while drilling the tunnels would also be deposited on state-owned land as opposed to private land. The new tunnel route and muck disposal plan means the project would eliminate fewer homes in the delta and have a lesser impact on roads and bridges, officials said. Officials said they would also replace a proposed surface pipeline in the town of Hood with a tunnel to reduce impacts on the town. The height of pumping plants would also be reduced and the tunnels' length would be shortened from 35 miles to 30 miles. The changes would incorporate the existing Clifton Forebay into the project, expanding it by 600 acres. The tunnels would carry water south from the delta to vast farmlands and thirsty cities. Proponents say the project would provide a reliable water supply while reducing the mortality of threatened fish, because water would mostly be diverted from the north portion of the delta, where fish would not be sucked into deadly pumps. The plan also calls for creation of more than 100,000 acres of new habitat — floodplains, tidal marshes and grasslands — that proponents say will help recover dwindling fish populations and other wildlife species. The total cost of the tunnel-conservation plan is estimated at $25 billion. Officials said the proposed changes would not impact the cost of the project or the amount of water it would pump. Critics are raising concerns that under the new alignment, the tunnels will now run under Staten Island, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy and intended to preserve wildlife habitat. The island is a refuge for greater sandhill cranes, a threatened species under state law. California taxpayers spent $32 million from two bond measures in 2001 to preserve the island as wildlife habitat through the purchase of conservation easements. Three large vertical shafts are proposed on the island to ''launch'' and service the tunneling machines, each with a surface work area of up to 90 acres. Two large disposal areas for tunnel muck are also proposed on the island. Water officials said they could use tunnel muck to strengthen levees, raise the subsiding island, and restore naturSee WATER, page 9A