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THURSDAY Dog Days of Corning Visitor, New Resident Guide Inside Bull Sale JANUARY 30, 2014 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Pages 1B-4B Corning 2014 DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Few showers 58/36 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 Weather forecast 6C Calif. bans fishing in drought-stricken streams SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California on Wednesday banned fishing in some of the state's drought-stricken streams in an effort to protect imperiled salmon and steelhead, which rely on coastal waterways to grow and spawn. The closures are aimed at protecting as many fish as possible as stream flows dwindle because of the severe drought, said Charlton Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. ''We fully understand the impact these closures will have on California anglers and the businesses related to fishing in California, and we really feel for them,'' Bonham said in a statement. ''However the science is clear. Two-thirds of the wettest part of winter is now behind us, and conditions are looking increasingly grim.'' Among the closures are the San Lorenzo River and its tributaries in Santa Cruz County; the Big Sur River and area streams; the Eel River in Humboldt County; and others. Some anglers took the news in stride, saying the long-term health of the environment will benefit fishermen in the future. ''There will certainly be an impact this year on anglers and the businesses that supply them. But anglers would be ill-served in the long run by further stressing the present populations in coastal streams,'' Marc Gorelnik, of the Coastside Fishing Club, said. ''First and foremost, we must be responsible stewards of our state's natural resources.'' Most of California is in extreme drought, which led Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a drought emergency. The state this week also released a list of 17 rural communities in danger of running out of water within four months. The sheer number of cloSee STREAMS, page 5A Drought prompts Calfire to increase staffing Pre p talk With unseasonably high temperatures, limited rainfall and moisture levels resembling the state's peak fire season, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Calfire, announced Tuesday that it has hired 125 supplemental firefighters in Northern California and extended seasonal firefighting forces in Southern California due to dry winter conditions. In Tehama County, 12 firefighters have been added to the Tehama-Glenn unit The announcement follows Gov. Jerry Brown's drought State of Emergency earlier this month. "In order to maintain a sufficient depth of resources to address the prolonged, elevated threat of wildfire due to drought, we have staffed 25 additional fire engines and have retained aerial firefighting assets at five air attack bases that would normally be closed this time of year," said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of Calfire. "We have a well exercised mechanism for addressing short See CALFIRE, page 5A Filing period for county offices Daily News photo by Rich Greene Red Bluff Spartans Michelle Mitchell and Adrienne Hinkston speak with students Monday at a Vista Preparatory Academy Safe Education & Recreation for Rural Families class. Student athletes promote sports By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Vista Preparatory Academy students were visited by some of their elder peers Monday as Red Bluff Union High School athletes stopped by their after school program to encourage participation in sports. The visit was one of several scheduled this month at Safe Education & Recreation for Rural Families Tehama County programs in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Week. Monday's Vista visit included Spartan and Lady Spartan athletes who encouraged the middle school students to take advantage of athletic opportunities when they enter high school. The Red Bluff athletes included Nick Villarreal, Matthew Fox, Michelle Mitchell and Adrienne Hinkston. While the Spartans spoke about the fun and health benefits of athletics, they also hyped how sports have helped them become better students through lessons in responsibility and time management. "It makes you have to have an involvement with school," said Villarreal, who has participated in swimming, football and track and field. Hinkston spoke about the friends she's met through sports and the excitement of competing in three state championship track and field meets. She said through athletics she was receiving offers from colleges to help her get to the next level. "It can open up so many doors," she said. Fox said one of his favorite parts about being involved with athletics See PREP, page 5A Tehama County Clerk & Recorder Bev Ross announced in a recent press release that Petitions-in-Lieu Filing Period for the June 3 election run through Feb. 20. Filing must be done at the Tehama County Election Department, 444 Oak St., Room C, in Red Bluff. The following county positions are up for election: Member of the Board of Supervisors, District 2 – Short Term, Member of the Board of Supervisors, District 3 and 4, Assessor, AuditorController, Clerk & Recorder, County Super- intendent of Schools, District Attorney, Sheriff/Coroner and Treasurer/Tax Collector. The Declaration of Candidacy filing period is open from Feb. 10 through March 7 for anyone interested in filing as a Candidate for the upcoming Primary Election, Tuesday, June 3. All interested parties are urged to contact the Tehama County Elections Department to obtain further information on the positions available, filing costs and appropriate forms. Call (530) 5278190 or toll free (866) 289-5307. Assembly to tackle County earns straight 'F's' on tobacco teacher pension fund shortfall SACRAMENTO (AP) — Assembly Speaker John Perez said Wednesday that the Legislature will try this year to find a way to start paying down California's massive unfunded liability for teacher pensions, which makes up the largest portion of the state's deficit and is estimated as high as $80 billion. ''Further delays only mean further costs and further exposures for the state's general fund,'' said Perez, D-Los Angeles. The solution should include payments from the state, school districts and individual teachers, he said. Perez and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, a fellow Democrat from Alameda who is chairman of the 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security, announced that the committee would hold hearings starting in February. But they provided few details about a proposal, saying they would be determined according to what the committee hears. Gov. Jerry Brown did not include any additional funding for the California State Teachers Retirement System liability in his recent budget proposal but said he hoped to start conversations about the problem, which he called ''daunting.'' Brown's budget said that ''the state's long-term role as a direct contributor to the plan should be evaluated,'' and Brown told reporters he doubted a legislative solution was likely this year. ''We're ready to go to work with the Legislature, See FUND, page 5A DN Staff Report The American Lung Association burned Tehama County, giving it straight "F's" for tobacco control in a recent report. "Despite making great strides in reducing smoking rates in America, there is still much work to be done here in Northern California," said Anita Lee, interim CEO of the American Lung Association in California, in a press release. "Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and illness in the U.S. We must renew our commitment to stopping tobacco from robbing another generation of their health." The report, which can be viewed at www.lung.org/california and comes on the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General's report that linked smoking to cancer and other ailments, assigned grades to California's 482 cities and 58 counties on their smoking policies. The association evaluated smokefree outdoor air policies, smokefree housing and reducing sales of tobacco products. Corning, Tehama and the unincorporated areas of the county failed to earn any points in the three categories, according to the report. Red Bluff earned two out of four points for its policies See COUNTY, page 5A QuickBooks 2014 Classes 6 Wednesday Evenings • 5:15pm - 7:15pm th Starts Wednesday, February 5 $99.00 per person Job Training Center Computer Lab Just 10 slots available/Each person at a computer Job Training Center • 718 Main St., Red Bluff Call 529-7000 Pre-Registration Required