Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/20510
Obituaries CAMP Continued from page 1A providing an on-site place at the orchard for the workers would reduce traf- fic because they would not have to commute to work. Opponents, including GOP Continued from page 1A DONALD WAYNE KUSS II Donald Wayne Kuss II, affectionately known to all as Donnie, entered into the arms of Jesus on Thursday, No- vember 18, 2010. Donnie was born on December 28, 1967 in Upland, Cal- ifornia to Donald and Jannie Kuss and moved to Red Bluff in 1977. Upon moving to Red Bluff he was a mem- ber of Community Baptist Church and attended Commun- ity Christian School and graduated from Red Bluff Union High School in 1986. Donnie then attended Shasta Com- munity College where he studied Auto Mechanics and Business Management. After college he entered into the Automotive Industry where he was self-employed most of his life owning and operating Kusstum Auto Repair. Auto repair was not just a career but Donnie’s passion and way of life. He also enjoyed spending time with his family and grandchildren. Donnie’s hobbies included hunting, RC cars and he loved NASCAR. Donnie is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Lee Ann, who he called Sunshine because she was just that, the sunshine of his life. He also leaves behind sons Ri- chard and Steven Kuss and Kenneth Ryan and Corey McManus; daughters Krista Staton and husband Mike, Megan Toppeto, Rachelle Kuss and Miranda Toppeto; 6 grandchildren; Parents Donald and Jannie Kuss; brothers Douglas Kuss and wife Carol and Matthew Kuss; Sister Danielle Kuss and husband Jeff Hipsher and numerous extended family. A Funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 11:00 am at Chapel of the Flowers with a Cel- ebration of Life following at Kusstum Auto Repair. A viewing will be held on Monday, November 29th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. In Lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Bank of America, 955 Main Street, Red Bluff, CA 96080 in care of Donald Kuss. in California,’’ said former state lawmaker Jim Brulte, an influential GOP party fixture. The plight of California Republi- cans has loosely tracked demo- graphic and economic changes that have reshaped the nation’s most populous state and its electorate. In 1978, 83 percent of the state’s registered voters were white. As of last year, that percentage dropped to 65 percent, according to the Field Poll. During that time, Latino regis- tration jumped from 8 percent to 21 percent, while Asian registration increased from 3 percent to 8 per- cent. The California dream, myth or not, has lured residents since the days of the Gold Rush. But in today’s diversifying California ‘‘there is a strong sense with a sig- nificant percentage of the popula- tion that we don’t understand that dream for them,’’ Sundheim says. Most of the state’s governors in the 20th century were Republicans, and state voters helped elevate a string of GOP presidential candi- dates to the White House — Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the first Bush. But recent history isn’t encouraging. The GOP’s last serious effort to carry the state in a presidential campaign was in 2000, neighbors, have raised a wide range of concerns. Among their concerns is fear the project would cre- ate more traffic, noise pol- lution and crime. They questioned whether living conditions at the camp would be safe and sanitary. The project was Monday, November 29, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Board Chairman Ron approved by the county’s Technical Advisory Com- mittee after several stipu- lations were added to the original proposal. The Planning Commission deadlocked in 2-2 vote to issue a use permit, which brought the matter to the supervisors. when George W. Bush spent more than $15 million in California and lost to Democrat Al Gore by 12 points. Part of the problem is simple math. Both major parties have been losing registration as more voters choose to align with no party at all, but Republican registration has withered to about 31 percent, giving Democrats, at 44 percent, a 2.2 mil- lion-voter advantage. Independents — about one in five voters — also lean Democratic in the state. For a Republican ‘‘the crossover vote that you need is almost unreachable,’’ says Allan Hoffen- blum, publisher of the California Target Book, an analysis of legisla- tive and congressional races. Hof- fenblum says the GOP maintains strongholds in inland regions, but Democrats dominate the populous coast. It leaves candidates such as Whitman with little, if any, room for error. The disclosure in the run-up to Election Day that Whitman employed an illegal immigrant for years as a housekeeper, then fired her after learning of her citizenship status, made her a target of ridicule in Spanish-language media. Brown carried the Hispanic vote 2-1, according to an Associated Press survey of voters leaving polling places. Former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson says the clout of Sacramen- to unions has changed the political BETTY ANN HUNTER Betty Ann Hunter of Liver- more, California, died Octo- ber 16, 2010 in Pleasanton at Valley Care Medical Cen- ter after a short illness. She was born on July 31, 1922 in Red Bluff, California, the only child of Patrick Owen Hunter and Cleona Weatherholt Hunter. Betty graduated from Uni- versity of California at Ber- keley in 1943 during WWII, and went immediately to work at Sherwin-Williams Paint Company to support the war effort. After the war ended, she married Frank Russell Parks in 1946 and they settled on the Parks Family ranch near Corning, California. In 1962 they moved with their children to Red Bluff to be closer to her aging mother. She was a member of Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Red Bluff, and Beta Sigma Phi Service Sorority. A life-long artist, Betty worked mostly in watercol- ors and acrylics, but also enjoyed sculpture and jew- elry making. She played a mean jazz piano, greatly admired oriental art, and loved her opportunities to travel throughout the world. Betty loved cats and was an avid reader. Her keen sense of humor got her through many trying times, and she never turned her back on her responsi- bilities. During her life, she donated her time and re- sources to many charities. She was loved by all who knew her and will be sore- ly missed by family and friends, new and old. A long time resident of Red Bluff, California, she relo- cated in 2003 to Livermore to be closer to her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Frank Parks, their daughter, Candace Su- zanne Parks, her son-in- law, Christopher John Wil- son, and her second hus- band, Glen Dale Perrine. She is survived by her daughter, Shelley Parks WIlson Covey, her son-in- law Curtis C. Covey, and her granddaughter Lauren Hunter Covey, all of Liver- more. Interment and graveside services will take place at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Corning, California on De- cember 4, 2010 at 2:00 pm. Donations in celebration WASHINGTON (AP) — Hers was the face on the grainy negative TV ads that helped defeat scores of Democrats. His agenda, re- election chances and legacy are on the line. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, chosen after a messy family feud among Democrats to remain as their leader in the new Con- gress, and President Barack Obama share a keen interest in repairing their injured party after this month’s staggering losses. But Pelosi’s mandate is diverging from the presi- dent’s at a critical time, with potentially damaging con- sequences for Obama’s ability to cut deals with Republicans in the new Congress. Their partnership is strained after an election in which Pelosi and many Democrats feel the White House failed them by mud- dling the party’s message and being too slow to pro- vide cover for incumbents who cast tough votes for Obama’s marquee initia- tives. Pelosi will lead Democ- of her life can be made to the Valley Humane Society or to Smile Train. CHP: Arrests up this weekend SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says the number of drunken driving arrests CHP offi- cers have made so far during the holiday weekend is up, but fatalities are down. The CHP says since the start of its stepped-up holiday enforcement Wednesday evening, 1,419 drivers have been arrested on suspicion of DUI across the state through 6 a.m. Sunday. That’s up from the 1,314 arrests made for the same peri- od in 2009. In the nine counties that make up the San Francisco Bay area, 249 people have been arrested. That’s up from the 207 arrests in 2009. The CHP says there have been no fatalities on Bay Area roadways the CHP patrols so far this weekend, but there have been eight fatalities statewide. App allows tracking tortoise VICTORVILLE (AP) — An endangered species of desert tortoise is now a little easier to track, thanks to a new phone application. The Victorville Daily Press reported Saturday that two Mojave Desert agencies have developed an iPhone app to log sightings of the rare creature. Called ‘‘Mojave Desert Tortoise,’’ the app provides gen- eral information about the tortoises, including a warning that it is against the law to touch them. Photographs taken through the app will include GPS data, so researchers can learn each tortoise’s approximate whereabouts. Researchers plan to start a website where people can look at the mapped data. rats ‘‘in pulling on the pres- ident’s shirttails to make sure that he doesn’t move from center-right to far- right,’’ said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., a co- chair of the liberal Progres- sive Caucus in the House. ‘‘We think if he’d done less compromising in the last two years, there’s a good chance we’d have had a jobs bill that would have created real jobs, and then we wouldn’t even be worrying about having lost elec- tions.’’ Behind Democrats’ decision to keep Pelosi as their leader after historic losses lies intense concern among liberals who domi- nate the party’s ranks on Capitol Hill: They fear Obama will go too far in accommodating the GOP in the new era of divided gov- ernment, and they see Pelosi as a counterweight. She’s played that role before. When Democrats panicked after losing their Senate supermajority last winter, Pelosi rebuffed feel- ers by then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and others to settle for a smaller health care bill. She derided the approach as ‘‘kiddie care’’ and pushed forward with the sweeping overhaul she painstakingly steered through the House by a razor-thin margin. A more recent example is Pelosi’s stated refusal to consider extending Bush- era income tax cuts for the highest brackets past their January expiration. Obama’s aides recently sig- naled he might be open to doing so temporarily if that were the only way of pre- serving the tax cuts for the middle class — a bargain the president had steadfastly resisted before the election. Such a deal wouldn’t be acceptable to her or House Democrats, Pelosi told the president last week. Pelosi ‘‘can provide that balance with the White House,’’ said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. House Democrats ‘‘want to make sure that they’ve got some- body at the table with the president, looking him eye- to-eye and saying basically, ’You’ve got some people who have been very, very loyal to you — not just pro- gressives but moderates, too — and they truly believe that that’s not the right thing to do.’ ‘‘ The White House says Obama and Pelosi have uni- form goals and a proven Warner said he still has a lot of questions about the proposed project before a decision can be made. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdai- lynews.com. calculus. Unions spent roughly $30 million supporting Brown’s candi- dacy, helping him survive Whit- man’s record spending. After this year’s losses, Wilson, said Republi- cans must develop a clear message and deliver it persuasively. Some analysts say state Republi- cans have been scalded by focusing too much on social issues, including strong opposition to abortion and gay rights, leaving swing voters cringing. Two upcoming changes will remake California elections, but it’s not clear if either major party will benefit. The state is using an independent citizen’s commission to redraw the boundaries of legislative and con- gressional districts, after voters stripped that power from the Legis- lature. California also is moving to open primary contests for congres- sional, legislative and statewide offices. Voters will be able to choose candidates from any party, with the top two vote-getters heading to the general election. Schwarzenegger told California Republicans two years ago that they were in for a future of disappoint- ment unless they shifted to the polit- ical center, seizing issues usually associated with the Democrats, including climate change and health care reform. ‘‘We are dying at the box office,’’ he warned. Pelosi’s new mission: Limit Obama deals with GOP track record of working together, and insists they’re on the same page on impor- tant issues, particularly pre- serving the health care and financial regulation laws enacted this year against Republicans’ promised attempts to roll them back. ‘‘The president and Speaker Pelosi have enjoyed a remarkably pro- ductive working relation- ship over the last two years, and he looks forward to continuing to work with her on an agenda to strengthen the economy, create jobs and move America for- ward,’’ said Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman. The president isn’t going to be in a position during the next two years to work exclusively with either Democrats or Republicans, his aides argue. His chal- lenge will be determining — with input from Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Neva- da, among others — what concessions he needs from the GOP to forge a good compromise, the aides say. People close to Pelosi say she trusts the president — perhaps moreso than some of her allies in Con- gress do — to defend core Democratic principles in his dealings with the GOP. Some Democrats argue that Pelosi’s liberal streak might help the president in that context — a bad cop to Obama’s good cop. ‘‘In his negotiations with the Republicans, (Obama) needs to be able to say, ’Look, you say you’re not going to compromise, but I’ve got Nancy Pelosi over here who is very passionate about these issues, and I have to listen to what she’s saying,’’’ Cummings said. It’s not likely to be a tidy process. officials have given dozens of Califor- nia hospitals until Tuesday to verify reports they have had not a single sig- nificant medical error involving a patient in the last three years, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Eighty-seven California hospitals have reported no such errors since a law took effect three years ago requir- ing that any mistake that puts a patient at risk of death or serious injury be reported. That’s more than 20 percent of the state’s 418 hospitals. ‘‘What are the chances that nearly a quarter of California’s hospitals didn’t have a single medication, surgical or safety error since the reporting requirement became law?’’ asked state Sen. Elaine Alquist, D- Santa Clara, who wrote the law. A band of centrist Democrats who last week failed to oust Pelosi in favor of a fresh, more moderate face for the party is ready to side with Republicans on key issues next year. They say they’re eager to work with Obama and the GOP on middle-of-the-road ini- tiatives that are unlikely to be embraced by Pelosi or her liberal allies. ‘‘I’d like to think there’s an opportunity to do that,’’ said Rep. Jim Matheson, D- Utah, a leader of the conser- vative ‘‘Blue Dog’’ Democ- rats. The coalition, comprised mostly of Southerners who were once known as ‘‘Yel- low Dog’’ Democrats, was born after the Republican takeover of 1994, when it was said they felt ‘‘choked blue’’ by their colleagues on the left. In those days, Matheson noted, they worked with then-President Bill Clinton on welfare reform and bal- ancing the budget — things that enraged liberals and led to angry accusations that the president was betraying his own party. Welfare is ‘‘an example of being honest brokers, working together to get things done, and that’s what Blue Dogs want to do.’’ It’s not what Pelosi or many other Democrats have in mind. Rep. Brian Higgins, D- N.Y., said Democrats learned from the last two years and their shellacking at the polls that ‘‘we need to be more aggressive with the White House. They were looking for what was acceptable and then moving toward that, instead of what was important, and moving toward that,’’ Higgins said. ‘‘We need to be true to our principles.’’ Officials question low hospital error figures LOS ANGELES (AP) — State A report released earlier this month by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said one in seven Medicare patients admitted to a U.S. hospital is harmed during their stay. California’s law requires that state health officials be notified within five days if any of 28 errors that could put a patient at serious risk is committed. The state can fine the hospital $50,000 for the first error, $75,000 for the second and $10,000 for the third. Failing to report the error within five days can result in fines of $100 for every day late. More than 1,000 medical errors have been substantiated since the law took effect and 112 hospitals have been fined. Karen White, risk manager for one of the hospitals reporting a clean record, said her facility, Temple Com- munity Hospital of Los Angeles, is less likely to have serious errors because it has no emergency room or obstetrics department. Some other hospitals said the same. Still, some were skeptical. ‘‘This is a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil problem. If you’re not looking, you’re not going to find any,’’ said Jamie Court, president of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. ‘‘But if you are looking, you’re more than likely to find some, regardless of the size.’’