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THURSDAY Celtic Harps Carolina Options to Ashland JANUARY 9, 2014 Pastimes Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Partly cloudy 58/37 Weather forecast 6B 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 County angles for jail funding boost By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Tehama County officials are about to sit down to a game of poker with a state board overseeing the dispersal of $500 million in state funds to upgrade law enforcement facilities across California. The county is seeking a $20 million grant from the Board of State and Community Correc- tions (BSCC) to pay for a permanent Probation Department Adult Day Reporting Center and expansion to the Tehama County Jail. The state is making $500 million available to counties for upgrades to meet Gov. Jerry Brown's public safety realignment program. On Dec. 12 the BSCC's executive steering committee recommended 15 of the 36 sub- mitted projects receive funding. Tehama County's project was the sixth and last to qualify under the small county designation and was recommended to receive a partial award of $6,526,000. That amount is remaining because Napa County did not ask for the full $20 million cap. Tehama County Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin said the county's project scored high, but lost out to Shasta County due to Shasta's project being more shovel-ready. Goodwin told the Board of Supervisors that he plans to attend a Jan. 16 meeting, during which the BSCC will give final approval of where the $500 million should be spent. On Tuesday he asked the board how he should play the county's hand at the meeting. Goodwin said county offi- cials and their grant consultants have concerns that Tehama could be penalized in the future if it accepts or defers the partial $6 million grant. Those concerns include not receiving additional funding and being forced to continue with a scaled-down project. Another factor Goodwin said is a strong belief is that Brown See JAIL, page 5A Legacy of generosity Probation center meeting set today Special to the DN For more than 40 years, the Oropeza name has been known equally in the community of Red Bluff and beyond for two things: generosity and food. Owners of several ventures starting with Franciscos's Mexican Restaurant, the family has always been very active in Tehama County from fundraisers that popped up for members of the community to regular activities such as feeding the homeless. It was a legacy spanning more than 50 years in California alone, almost 40 of them in Red Bluff where the family moved to in 1975, and all influenced heavily by family matriarch Paula Oropeza, who passed away in November. Born in Santa Barbara to Genaro and Petra Estrada de Ramirez, Paula was raised in Del Palmito Durango, Mexico, moving eventually to Gridley where she and her husband along with their children spent about 20 years, working the fruit fields in the area. In 1976 Paula and her husband, Francisco, moved to Red Bluff to join Frank, and her children open the first Francisco's at 914 Walnut St. Frank at the time had a milk route for McColl's Dairy and his wife Yolanda along with six brothers, Cosme, Andy, Felipe, By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Tehama County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday to discuss another possible location for a temporary Probation Department Adult Day Reporting Center. The county has already researched a site at 778 Antelope Blvd. in preparation for the existing facility at Wetter Hall being forced to move by June 30. That's the date the Administrative Office of the Courts has given Tehama County to vacate the premises in preparation for the construction of the new See TODAY, page 5A Courtesy photo by Ralph Ehorn The Oropeza family is pictured in 1980 at Ide Adobe State Historical Park. Memo, Cuco and Manuel opened their restaurant at the old Dutch Treat Donut shop on Walnut. "This was headquarters," Frank said of his house in the Antelope area. "There were seven brothers and they slept on floor. Our first menu was your choice of one item: taco, tamale or enchilada with rice and beans for only 99 cents." Frank remembers how it all started with fondness, recalling the first day of business with customers line up around the block. It all started after a local doctor asked about having Frank's wife, Yolanda provide an authentic Mexican cuisine for a dinner. Afterward he told the family they really ought to think about having a restaurant, Frank said. "My parents came up and Dad helped a lot with the business, so we named the business after him, 'Francisco's.' What a better way to represent the seven brothers and the Oropeza family. It was all family and we got ambitious so the building next door was available, The Potpourri craft store closed and we were able to lease it." After a few years 'Francisco's Too' opened in the Antelope area where the old Sprouse Ritz business was in the Holiday Market shopping center. "It was Mama's delicious recipes we shared with those who came to the restaurant," Memo Oropeza said. In addition to her recipes and culinary skills, Paula's children, of which there were 14, Bertha, Cosme, Andy, Felipe, Olga, Memo, Cuco, Manuel, Susana George, Emma, Lupe and David all worked and helped in the business, Frank said. "She was raised a GodSee LEGACY, page 5A Logue moves ahead with a storage-only water bond By HEATHER HACKING MediaNews Group SACRAMENTO — "The other water bond" has moved a step closer to a vote, with the introduction of legislation by Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica. Logue said his $5.8 billion bond focuses solely on new surface and groundwater storage projects, "without the pork" of the water bond people have been hearing about for years. Assembly Bill 1445 needs approval from the Legislature, and later the governor, before it moves along. As the author of the bill, Logue said he could also pull the bill if his colleagues in Sacramento tried to "pork it out." Logue also said he is prepared to gather signatures to place the item on the November ballot if other elected officials don't vote to place the bond before voters. "We have been pushing for water storage ever since I've been in Sacramento," Logue said. With no progress, "the best I can do is to do it on my own." A larger water bond, at $11.14 billion was originally intended for the 2010 ballot, but has been pushed back several times. Recent discussion has been that bond could See WATER, page 5A Campbell Fire 80 Police say man tried to blow up rectory percent contained DN Staff Report The Campbell fire, burning since around 8 p.m. Thursday, has burned about 770 acres and was 80 percent contained as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. Burning in the Ishi Wilderness Area on the Lassen National Forest, north of the community of Campbellville in Tehama County, the fire has been held about two miles from Campbellville. Crews have completed construction of handline around the perimeter of the fire and are continuing mopup operations. Crews continue to monitor the handline for spot fires and to ensure the fire does not cross the drainage. Some 306 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, CalFire, Bureau of 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Land Management and local fire departments are assigned to the fire. Significant downsizing of resources was scheduled Wednesday due to the progress crews have made. Command will be turned back over to the Lassen National Forest at 6 a.m. Thursday. Full containment is expected Friday. The cost to battle the blaze is estimated at $1,450,000 as of Wednesday morning. Extremely dry conditions have led to a high fire danger situation throughout the state. Previous years have seen few to no fires burning this early in January. Yet this first week of 2014 has already seen 79 wildland fires burning more than 1,000 acres of state and federal land. Check with your local fire agency for any possible burning restrictions that may be in place before doing any burning. EUREKA (AP) — A man charged in the beating death of a priest in the Northern California city of Eureka tried to blow up the church rectory by turning on gas from a stove and leaving behind a lit cigar, police said in court documents obtained Wednesday. However, the affidavit obtained by The Associated Press said the cigar went out. The affidavit was filed in support of a warrant to arrest 44-year-old Gary Lee Bullock last week on a murder charge with special allegations of torture, arson and other crimes. It was signed by Eureka police Detective Ron Harpham. The affidavit said church surveillance video captured images of Bullock trying to open doors to the rectory, breaking a side window and crawling in. Bullock was carrying the same wooden stake and rusty white-painted metal pipe found inside that police believe were MediaNews Group photo by Nick Adams In this file photo from Jan. 2, Gary Lee Bullock is led by law enforcement officers into a car in Eureka. used to beat the Rev. Eric Freed, the document states. ''There was a large amount of blood about his upper body, his legs were badly beaten and his nose appeared to be misshapen,'' the affidavit said. ''The suspect rolled the father into blankets, poured several bottles of 80 proof alcohol over the father and attempted to light the bedding on fire. A fire did light, but then extinguished itself.'' In general, liquor has to be 100 proof or stronger to burn well. ''The suspect also lit a cigar, placed it on the gas stove, and opened up the burners so natural gas flooded the building,'' the affidavit added. ''The cigar extinguished itself foiling the attempt to destroy the building by blast and fire.'' Another priest found Freed dead in the rectory on New Year's Day after he failed to appear for morning Mass at St. Bernard Catholic Church. Bullock has pleaded not guilty and was being held on $1.2 million bail. Telephone calls and emails to prosecutors and See PRIEST, page 5A