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WEEKEND FEBRUARY 19-20, 2011 Breaking news at: Can NASCAR Roar Back USA Weekend www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF Senior Night SPORTS 1B showers Weather forecast 10B Few 51/34 By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Tehama District Fair Board raised the fair admission price a dollar at Tuesday’s meeting following lengthy dis- cussions and a decision not to set a second gate fee. “The price was raised to pay for grandstand events including the rock cross, destruction derby and the tractor pull in DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Fair price hiked to cover special events order to avoid a second gate fee and all the expenses associated with it,” said Fair CEO Mark Eidman. Discussions centered around whether or not fairboard direc- tors and members of the audi- ence felt people would be will- ing to pay a second gate fee. Several people said fair goers would not be willing to pay a second fee. Others point- ed out that, in addition to the ‘It’s very important that we get input from the people in the community to help base our decisions on’ Board President Bob Kerstiens uncertainty surrounding a sec- ond fee, there are extra costs such as paying ticket takers to consider. Admission will be $8 for adults, $3 for children 6-12 and free for those 5 and younger. Carnival wristbands will be $20 Flex flips, blocks tracks presale or $28 at the carnival. The family special, which includes four general admission and three carnival coupons was raised from $76 to $80 to include the additional dollar added to the admission price. While Thursday has been free admission for the past few years, the board voted to make a change, setting the price at $1 See FAIR, page 9A Fairground truck turns up in Chico By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A pickup truck stolen three months ago from the Tehama District Fairground was found in Chico by the California Highway Patrol last week and has been returned. “The ignition was in pieces and parts and the pickup spent a half day with a mechanic who got it up and run- ning,” Fair CEO Mark Eidman said. “It’s safe to run, but I wish it could tell us where it’s been for the last three months. It’s missing the rack, the toolbox is empty and where it was full of tools, it was full of junk.” The pickup was sold to a car dealership on Highway 32 in Chico and CHP was alerted when the business ran the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). “Gary’s Towing went and picked it up for us for a very reasonable price,” Eidman said. The 1993 Dodge pickup was stolen along with hand tools, chainsaws, weed eaters and power tools during an Oct. 27, 2010 break-in. A maintenance worker showing up for work 6:45 a.m. Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Red Bluff Police Officer Sean Baxter spray paints the location of a Ford Flex that landed on the railroad tracks about 2:30 p.m. Friday on Walton Avenue near Main Street. The driver, Heather King, was driving east on Walton when she hit a metal post next to the track and flipped, Baxter said. King was taken to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital with minor to moderate injuries. Police were checking Friday afternoon into the possibility that King may have hit a second vehicle, Baxter said. Law enforcement contacted Union Pacific to warn that the tracks were blocked and no trains arrived before they were cleared. Nothing further was available. Democrats push modified version of Brown’s budget SACRAMENTO (AP) — Serious budget negoti- ations are expected to begin in the weeks ahead as the two houses of the Legislature wrapped up their preliminary versions of California’s spending plan Friday. Assembly Democrats passed a modified version of Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget by majority vote without Republican sup- port. Democrats in the Senate did the same later in the day. From there, the two plans will be consoli- dated into a single pack- age, leading to more detailed negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders. “It is an extremely painful budget, but we’re ready to adopt these very tough cuts and ask voters to extend tough taxes to solve California’s deficit once and for all,” Democ- ratic Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield of Van Nuys, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said ahead of that committee’s vote. Brown, a Democrat, has proposed a combina- tion of spending cuts and temporary tax extensions to close a $26.6 billion deficit. He called for $12.5 billion in spending cuts, including reductions in welfare, social services and higher education, as well as $12 billion in funding shifts and new revenue if voters agree to extend temporary taxes. Increases to the sales, income and vehicle taxes approved two years ago are set to expire this year, but Brown wants them extended for five years. He told reporters Fri- day afternoon that he wanted Republicans to detail cuts that are accept- able to them if they don’t support putting the tax question before voters. “The only plan B is dou- ble the cuts,” Brown said, adding that he remains fairly confident he can gain enough support for his plan. He also wants to shift more responsibility for public safety and child welfare services to county and city governments, while eliminating local redevelopment agencies that have been established to combat blight and pro- mote local development projects. Brown said the additional property tax revenue generated by redevelopment projects should go to local schools, courts and other services. He has argued that local governments are better positioned to oper- ate programs that directly 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See BUDGET, page 9A discovered the shop had been broken into. Locks were missing at the front gate and shop gate and front and back of the shop, Eidman said. Red Bluff resident Venita Philbrick donated some of her father’s old tools, a local church donated some and the Westside 4-H collected some tools, but it was still a hit, Eid- man said. The break-in, the second in recent years, prompted the board to check into costs for various security systems. It approved at the Dec. 14 meeting installing an alarm system. The new system, installed in the shop that was broken into and the office, cost about $1,000 and will have a $25 monthly fee for operation. City looks into tax holiday By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Building in Red Bluff could become more appealing if the City Council pulls through with an idea to suspend development impact fees. The City Council Tuesday asked staff to create a resolution that would suspend or defer development impact fees for 365 days in an effort to promote economic activity and create jobs. City Attorney Rick Crabtree should have the resolution available for council consideration and possible adoption at its March 1 meeting. Though the policy is still in the works, it will most likely include the recommendations from the Budget Committee, which the council sup- ported Tuesday. Under those recom- mendations, three pro- grams would be created for suspending or defer- ring the fees. The size of the property and the zone in which it lies will be the main factors determining what program the devel- opment project will fall under. Fees would be sus- pended for projects in the freeway commercial and the general apartment- professional zones for one year. In all other zones, for properties smaller than 3 acres, fees would be sus- pended for one year. For those more than 3 acres, fees will be deferred until the project is complete. Daily News photo by Tang Lor This project on Walnut Street of 60 single family homes would qualify for a development impact fee suspension if the council implements a fee holiday. The fee would have to be paid in full before occu- pancy. Development impact fees are levied on new projects to help pay for costs that result from growth and are not on the site of the project. The funds are used by the city to provide facilities and equipment that are needed to accommodate growth. If a one-year suspen- sion is adopted, the city would stand to lose an estimated $1 million on projects that have already been identified, such as the Holiday Inn, a 56-unit apartment complex near Vista Way and 60 single family homes on Walnut Street. More money would be lost on other projects that get approved during the holiday. The Walmart Super Center project is expected to pay about $1.2 million in development impact fees. That project is delayed in court, but if it does get approved during the holiday, it would qual- ify for deferral. See TAX, page 9A MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 FOR PRESIDENTS DAY. THE DAILY NEWS OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED Retail advertising deadline for Monday’s edi- tion is Friday, Feb. 18 @ 2PM. Classified deadline is Friday, Feb. 18 @ Noon D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 527-2151 • FAX 527-3719 545 DIAMOND AVE., RED BLUFF