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Tuesday, December 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. 7A Fire burns near shuttered restaurant Esperanza Camacho Esperanza Camacho died Monday, Dec. 16, at her Corning home. She was 73. Arrangements are under the direction of Hall Brothers Corning Mortuary. Published Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Brown says Calif. on right track, bright future MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) — California's Gov. Jerry Brown says the state could be a model for a national economic growth after cutting public programs, raising taxes on the wealthy and continuing to invest in infrastructure. Brown said just a few years ago people were calling California a failed state, but the fact is, from a $27 billion deficit the state now has a very significant surplus that can continue for many years to come. Brown spoke to about 100 technology business leaders Monday at a Silicon Valley Summit focusing on innovation. Brown was elected for his third term as governor in 2010; since then, the state budget deficit dropped, while credit ratings improved. Billionaire to lobby Calif. lawmakers for oil tax SACRAMENTO (AP) — Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer said Monday that he will launch a campaign next year urging California lawmakers to approve taxes on companies that extract oil in the state. Steyer, a major Democratic donor who also bankrolled last year's Proposition 39 campaign, said he thinks is it ridiculous that California is the only oil-producing state that does not levy such a fee on oil pumped from private land, which could generate billions of dollars a year for the state budget. Proposals for an oil tax have stalled repeatedly amid pressure from oil companies, which are major donors to lawmakers' campaigns. But Steyer said he believes the current Legislature is more progressive and collaborative than in the past. ''I don't understand why the politics are hard here,'' he said in a telephone interview. ''Who is going to stand up in the town square and say that we shouldn't have a tax on this?'' Tupper Hall, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, which represents oil companies, said Steyer is wrong to compare California with other states that have such a tax. He said oil companies generate a lot of revenue through other fees, including $500 million a year in state royalties and billions of dollars annually in royalties paid to private landowners for oil extracted on their property. Hall said an extraction tax would mean more imported oil, decreased investment in the state's oil infrastructure and job losses. ''After understanding the implications of raising taxes on energy production, Californians have rejected all of those proposals and they will reject this one,'' Hall said. State Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, already has pending legislation that would impose a 9.5 percent perbarrel tax on oil, but it stalled in a legislative committee this year. Her spokeswoman, Teala Schaff, said Evans hopes to find more support for the bill in 2014. But she noted that the current makeup of the Legislature includes more moderate Democrats who are loathe to oppose the business community, which has opposed such efforts. ''We're giving away our natural resources for free to companies that make billions of dollars a day in profits,'' she said. ''If the Legislature can't get it done, then hopefully the people will.'' Steyer says he will seek to persuade lawmakers through public polling that he believes will show voters support increasing taxes on major oil producers, but it could be a hard sell in 2014, an election year. The hedge fund founder from San Francisco said he has ''no idea'' of Gov. Jerry Brown's position on such legislation but cannot imagine the governor opposing it. ''It's very hard for me to understand how the governor couldn't be in favor of this,'' Steyer said. ''But having said this, he's never said to me 'Don't worry, I'm behind this,''' he said. Brown's press office did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment. The governor has been dogged at events lately by protesters who oppose his signing of a law that sets rules for the method of extracting oil and natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Opponents had sought a ban or stringent regulations on the practice. But of eight bills introduced on the issue this year, only one was signed into law, and opponents say that one was watered-down. Steyer had a high-profile win in 2012, when voters approved his Proposition 39 by a 60-40 margin. The initiative closed a provision in the tax code that had allowed multistate corporations to choose between two tax formulas, which had cost the state about $1 billion a year in lost tax revenue. His effort was supported by many Californiabased businesses. Setting it straight –––––––– It is the policy of the Daily News to correct as quickly as possible all errors in fact that have been published in the newspaper. If you feel a factual error has been made in a news story, call the news department at 527-2153. Simple Cremations starting at $ .00 929 5530 Mountain View Drive, Redding CA 96033. Call 530-241-3400 to prearrange your wishes • www.BlairsCremation.com FD2153 Photo by Ross Palubeski Red Bluff Fire and CalFire were dispatched around 8:45 p.m. Saturday to a reported vegetation fire at the Riverside Grill on Rio Street in Red Bluff. The first unit at scene reported a spot fire in dense brush. The fire was contained in about 10 minutes. TAX Continued from page 1A outlay items/expenses (repair and/or replacement of equipment); as well as increases to operational costs that occur due to inflation and/or increases in staffing." Police Chief Paul Nan- fito said in his staff report that $800,000 of the $1.2 million in cuts the city made to its budget four years ago came out his department. That led to a 25 percent reduction in staff. Nanfito said the state's prison realignment program has added another factor to a yearly increase in service calls. RODEO Continued from page 1A figures compiled by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau. That was up from about 45,000 in 2011. More than 175,000 tickets were sold in 2012 for 10-day event at the Thomas & Mack Center, and the overall economic impact on hotel rooms, restaurants and other expenses was estimated at nearly $93 million, authority spokeswoman Dawn Christensen said. Figures for the 2013 event, CHILD Continued from page 1A of the FBI, the California State Parole Board, the Butte County District Attorney's office. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case. A grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Bret Allan Nichols, 29 of Paradise, charging him with production of child pornography. According to court documents, between Aug. 20, 2012, and Aug. 23, 2012, Nichols used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recorded it. In addition, Nichols downloaded child pornography through the Internet. This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case. If convicted of producing child pornography, Nichols faces a statutory penalty of 15 years to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of receiving or distributing child pornography, Rea, Davenport and Nichols face a statutory penalty of five to 20 years in munity-Senior Center. That will all be preceded by the City Council hearing the comprehensive annual financial report for the July 2013 fiscal ending year. The City Council is also scheduled to hear a request from Public Works to raise a series of rental fees at the Red Bluff Com- Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109 or rgreene@redbluffdailyne ws.com. which ended Saturday, weren't immediately available. The event is a big draw for locals and out-of-towners alike, with country music concerts and rodeo-watching parties held at casinos all over town. Ads on taxis welcome the NFR, while hundreds of vendors pack the Las Vegas Convention Center for a giant Cowboy Fanfest and the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show. ''Extremely disappointed that the #WranglerNFR is leaving the @CityOfLasVegas,'' tweeted Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada. ''Without question, the economy prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Thursday charging Michael Rea, 24, of Winters, with receiving images of child pornography between June and September. According to court documents, Rea is a registered sex offender with a history of failing to update his registration information. This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Taskforce and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Created with grant funding from the California State Office of Emergency Services, it is composed of members from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Sacramento County Probation Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant United Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service Now Offering Eco-Friendly urns at economy friendly prices. 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, FD Lic. 1931 527-1732 The report says the fire department is dealing with decreases to its overtime budget and will require an estimated $800,000 to $1 million over the next 15 years in order to sustain its vehicle fleet. and Vegas workers will feel the negative impact of losing thousands of Rodeo tourists,'' said Yvanna Cancela, spokeswoman for the large Culinary Union. Rodeo officials emphasized the decision is not yet final. ''The PRCA Board did not vote to leave Las Vegas; the vote was made strictly on the content of the current offer,'' association commissioner Karl Stressman said in a statement, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. ''The PRCA continues to carefully consider offers from all potential WNFR hosts.'' States Attorney Matthew G. Morris is prosecuting the case. Guilty plea Gerald J. Ratulowski, 68, of Antelope, pleaded guilty today to receiving child pornography. According to court documents, on Oct. 9, 2012, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Ratulowski's house and located several thousand images and videos of child pornography on his computer and on three DVDs that Ratulowski had burned files of child pornography from his previous computer. Some were scenes of sadistic and masochistic conduct, as well as depictions of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. During a statement to law enforcement, the defendant admitted to downloading and viewing the images. He also admitted to having previously molested a nineyear old girl in the late 1990s. Ratulowski is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Troy Nunley on March 6, 2014. Ratulowski faces a maximum statutory penalty of no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Chil- dren Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case. Sentencing Daniel Ratner, 45, of Folsom, was sentenced on Wednesday by United States District Judge Kimberly Mueller to seven years and three months in prison for possession of child pornography. Added to a recent five-year sentence in Sacramento Superior Court for related charges, the combined total sentence is more than 12 years. According to court documents, Ratner took hidden camera videos with a spy camera located in the bathroom. During a search of the defendant's computers and other digital devices, 37 movie files and about 100 images of child pornography were located. Also found on the computer were a video that Ratner had taken of himself committing sexual battery on an adult female under his care in the intensive care unit of a hospital where he worked. This case was the product of an investigation by the Folsom Police Department and the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon prosecuted each of these cases.