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TUESDAY Safer, Skis or Snowboard? DECEMBER 31, 2013 High Honors Vitality Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Mostly sunny 65/36 Weather forecast 4D 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 California universities move to ban campus smoking SAN DIEGO (AP) — Schools in California's public university systems are stamping out smoking in hopes that it will help improve the health of students, faculty and employees. Both the University of California and California State systems have taken measures to ensure smoking will no longer be allowed on campuses. Some schools already enforce notobacco policies, while others plan to do so beginning next year, joining more than 1,100 colleges and universities around the nation that have gone smoke-free. At San Diego State University, workers will remove ashtrays from the remaining 12 designated smoking areas on campus for its new rule that officially takes effect Wednesday. SDSU officials say they have created an informational 'I'm not doing drugs. I'm not drinking. If that's the only thing I have to relieve my stress, leave me be' — Susan Chevrie, UC Riverside website, smokefree.sdsu.edu, about its new directive. Officials have said that if they see people lighting up, they'll offer a friendly reminder. SDSU spokesman Greg Block said police aren't going to be walking around campus handing out tickets. ''I'm not sure it will work,'' Jin Salamack, a junior studying graphic design, told U-T San Diego. ''I feel like the students Some students question how the policy will be enforced. See BAN, page 7A Man pulls a gun in home robbery DN Staff Report Red Bluff police said a man on Sunday entered a home on the 900 block of Hickory Street and pulled a gun on a person before getting away with a purse. A 35-year-old Red Bluff woman who was visiting her father at the residence reported she noticed a man she didn't know was in her father's bedroom about 8:59 p.m., according to a department press release. Her See GUN, page 7A Church-goers bilked by 'divine' advice They make how much? By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Want to know how a government employee in California was compensated in 2012? In a survey recently released by California State Controller John Chiang's office, people can easily browse the compensation of state, county and city workers. The survey, which can be found at publicpay.ca.gov, includes the compensation of government employees statewide. The website doesn't list names, just positions and departments. Red Bluff and Corning police and fire personnel rank among the cities' highest paid government employees. In Corning, a police sergeant takes the top spot, earning about $106,000 in total wages. That's about $30,000 more than the police chief's total 2012 wages of about $75,800. Corning police and fire person- nel take nine of the 10 top spots in Chiang's survey. Corning's city manager is No. 3 with $91,835 in total wages. Employees in charge of public safety heavily populated Red Bluff's top 10 earners, as police personnel take seven of the top 10 spots. The city manager position is Red Bluff's highest paid government job at $124,897 in total wages, according to the website. The website also allows people to browse such things as retirement and health costs, overtime pay, and "other pay" for employees. Red Bluff's 177 employees averaged about $28,600 in total wages in 2012, according to the data. That's a slight increase from 2011's $28,000 average. Corning's 72 city employees average about $35,200, a decrease from 2011's $36,760 average. Tehama County's 941 employees averaged about $39,100 in DUI enforcement planned this week Officers from the Red Bluff Police Department's DUI Enforcement Team will be deploying this week to stop and arrest alcohol and drugimpaired drivers in the department's ongoing traffic safety campaign. DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy 7 p.m. today through 3 a.m. Wednesday in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests. In California, driving under the influence led to 774 deaths in 2011. Over the course of the past three years in Tehama County, DUI collisions have claimed two lives and resulted in 227 injury crashes harming 258 people. DUI can impact the economy in addition to the pain and suffering of those immediately affected. Conservatively, a fatality has a $1.4 million impact, an injury $70,000 and a crash that only damages property averages nearly $9,000. Funding for this program is through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ha ve a ne ws tip? Call 527-2151, Ext. 112 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 total wages in 2012. A decrease of about $700 from 2011. Shasta County's 2,444 employees averaged about $35,000, and Butte County's 3,268 employees averaged about $33,904, according to 2012 data. A duo classified as "physician/surgeon" are Tehama County's two most highly compensated people, with wages listed at $165,724 and $158,590. Statewide, medical personnel top Kern County's top government earners, and an "orthopedic surgeon" there is the top wage getter across the state, taking in $1,040,651 in 2012. The website allows people to compare wages between cities, counties and more, and also shows trends in compensation through the years. The survey, while fairly comprehensive, does list cities and special districts that have failed to file compensation data, or filed "noncompliant" information for 2012. A 58-year-old man was convicted Monday for stealing more than $600,000 from Bethel Church members in Redding as part of a scheme where he claimed his investment decisions were divinely guided. David Arnold Souza was convicted of 21 felony counts and four related enhancements for committing theft by false pretenses by a Shasta County jury. Souza traveled to Redding in mid 2007 to attend the Bethel Church, according to a Shasta District Attorney Office press release. There he met several members of the church community and claimed to have past experience in investing in the stock market and earning substantial returns. Souza told potential investors he could earn substantial returns on their money be investing in the stock market and other real estate projects. In reality, Souza had no prior investing experience and had never successfully earned returns from investing. After obtaining $648,401 from the victims Souza spent the money on his own expenses, including a $1,800 per month rental Cadillac, more than $15,000 in dental work, meals, travel and gym memberships. Souza never invested any of the money in the stock market or any real estate development. Souza also paid various investors alleged returns on their investments by using other investors money. He created marketing materials claiming he was guided by God in making investment decisions and used the slogan "Where business is moral and the miraculous is routine." Many of his victims were first year students and their relatives at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Fraud was suspected See CHURCH, page 7A Nielsen named to hall of fame At a jubilant ceremony recently held in Fresno, Senator Jim Nielsen and his Track and Field teammates from Fresno State were inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Nielsen, along with his teammates, brought much pride to the then rural community by winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships for Track & Field. "It has been such an honor to be a part of this amazing team," said Nielsen, R-Gerber. "We practiced and pushed our athletic abilities to their limits to be able to bring victory to our university; it is a principle that has since become a part of our daily routines." Established to recognize "stellar athletes and coaches who have left their mark on Fresno," the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame kicked-off the celebration with a parade of past inductees, followed by a formal dinner to honor this year's recipients. The tribute attracted about 700 guests. As part of its mission to support youth, the Hall of Fame will make a financial contribution to the local Boys & Girls Clubs. "Being active and involved in sports is so important particularly among young people," Nielsen said. "Athletics is not only healthy for the body and mind; it teaches them that perse- verance and team work often leads to productivity and success." Nielsen represents the Fourth Senate District, which includes the counties of Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Trinity and Yuba. The Daily News office will CLOSE AT NOON Tuesday, Dec. 24 & Tuesday, Dec. 31 CLOSED: Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25 CLOSED: New Years Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1 Retail advertising deadline for these editions is Monday, 10AM Classified deadline Tuesday, 11AM DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 527-2151 • FAX 527-3719 545 DIAMOND AVE., RED BLUFF