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THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2011 Breaking news at: Mr. Spartan Pageant Pastimes www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A RED BLUFF County Clash SPORTS 1B likely Weather forecast 6B Rain 61/42 By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer 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 Residents balk at flood plain change ‘The study has nothing to do with risk flood zone. Antelope area property own- ers were invited to two informa- tional sessions Wednesday to discuss the impacts of new Fed- eral Emergency Management Agency flood maps that would place part of the area in a high Maps that were made about 30 years ago treated Highway 36 as a levee that somehow magically would stop floodwa- ters from Salt Creek from flow- ing west, but the new maps will no longer recognize the road as a levee, FEMA representative Kathy Schaefer said. reality’ Red Bluff Mayor Bob Carrel “Roads are designed to hold cars up, not water back,” Schae- fer said. “By FEMA regulation I have to treat it like the road Fire knocks out power doesn’t exist.” On the new maps, the area west of Highway 36 will be classified as a high-risk flood zone. Areas to the east have long been in the flood zone. The map has been in the works for at least 2 years and other dates for implementation See FLOOD, page 5A Three arrested in Corning meth bust By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Three men were arrested Wednesday by the Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement Task Force in the 4000 block of Columbia Avenue in Corning after a search warrant was served. Among those arrested were Charles Pineda Balles- teros, 30, of San Bernadino, Alejandro Beltran, 25, and Manuel Rodriguez-Ruis, 27, both of Mexico. All three were booked into Tehama County Jail. During a search of a cab-over camper on the proper- ty, agents located 45.6 grams of methamphetamine, scales, packaging material and a firearm. Agents seized $5,235 in cash, which they suspect may be proceeds from the sales of narcotics, a TIDE See METH, page 5A Brown seeks delay as groups press for tax vote Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb A PG&E employee cuts power to several business just after 5 p.m.Wednesday. Reports came in about 4:15 p.m. of steam billowing from a PG&E underground transformer in the alley between Rio and Main streets at Elm Street in Red Bluff, seen on the left. Red Bluff fire and police responded to shut down access to the alley. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Power was shut off to downtown Red Bluff businesses and other areas of town Wednes- day afternoon when an underground transformer began pouring steam into the air in an alley between Rio and Main streets at Elm Street. Calls came in around 4:15 p.m. of steam bil- lowing from a Pacific Gas and Electricity transformer and Red Norquist: Eager to debate Brown in open forum SACRAMENTO (AP) — California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring on Wednesday invited national anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to debate the governor’s budget propos- al during the party’s upcoming convention. Brown wants to bal- ance the state’s $26.6 bil- lion deficit with $12.5 bil- lion in spending cuts and a special election ballot measure that would ask voters to extend higher taxes on income, sales and vehicles. GOP lawmakers so far have refused to support his plan. Brown says many of them are behold- en to the no-tax pledge they signed from Norquist’s Washington, D.C.-based group, Ameri- cans for Tax Reform. Nehring sent his invita- tion to the governor on Wednesday, noting that Brown enjoys a good debate and a challenge. “As governor we appreciate that you’ve regularly engaged Repub- lican leaders — a phe- nomenon some of our Republican legislators are not used to from the gov- ernor’s office. In that spir- it I hope you accept this offer,” Nehring wrote. A spokesman for Brown, Gil Duran, said the governor is too busy working on the budget to attend the convention, but his corgi, Sutter, might be available for the debate. “That would be more of a fair fight for Mr. Norquist,” he said. “It doesn’t really merit the governor’s attention See DEBATE, page 5A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Patricia Perreira of Red Bluff talks with Arco AM/PM employee David Williams Tuesday at the newly opened gas station at 2800 Main St., just up the road from Home Depot, in Red Bluff. The station, owned by David Dhugga of Redding opened Monday afternoon and will be open 24-7.Dhugga plans to open a Holiday Inn Express behind the gas station as soon as he gets the financing. Bluff police and fire per- sonnel responded to shut access to the alley. PG&E workers cut power to lines in the area just after 5 p.m., causing reports of outages as far north as Bank of Ameri- ca on Main Street and all of Gilmore Road. After three short bursts of electricity shortly after the power was disconnected, the steam dissipated. No further informa- tion was available Wednesday evening. SACRAMENTO (AP) — On the eve of his self- imposed deadline, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednes- day asked lawmakers to delay planned votes on his budget proposal to give him more time to negoti- ate with reluctant Repub- licans. The delay, for an unspecified length of time, did not stop parent groups, teachers, law enforcement officials and other interests from lob- bying lawmakers to call a special election to extend temporary tax increases. The Democratic gover- nor said schools and pub- lic safety stand to benefit the most if voters support his request to extend high- er sales, vehicle and income taxes for five years to raise $9.2 billion annually, as well as con- tinue lower dependent tax credits. The taxes were enacted two years ago but are scheduled to expire this year. Brown needs a two- thirds vote in the Assem- bly and Senate to place the tax question before voters in a June special election, but so far Repub- lican lawmakers have refused to go along. He also has called for $12.5 billion in spending cuts. “Parents from across the state are all standing up together — in unity — in saying ’We want the right to vote in June,’” said Crystal Brown, a San Francisco mother of three who helped launch the See VOTE, page 5A New station, mini-mart open for business