Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/27050
PRIMER Continued from page 1A As lunch was finishing, Corning area youth dancers, a group called New Generation led by Nancy Diaz, performed three Mexican-style dances for parents. Following the dancers, was keynote speaker Nancy Veatch, a teacher of sixth grade at Ever- green Middle School in Cottonwood. Veatch, a co-author of “Literacy in Context (LinC): Choosing Instruc- tional Strategies to Teach Reading in Content Areas for Students Grades 5- 12,” has taught for 19 years, including as a part- time instructor at Califor- nia State University, Chico. Her presentation, called “Raising Literate Children,” discussed in part how important it is to teach literacy skills to children at home and before school starts to ensure their success in the future. The conference wrapped up at 2 p.m. after baskets themed “Tools for Life” that contained an assortment of items such as sidewalk chalk, office supplies and planting materials, were raffled off. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagn- er@redbluffdailynews.com. BUDGET Continued from page 1A Harman of Huntington Beach — are negotiating with Brown. “We continue to work, and we hope that the governor continues to work with his stakeholders to bring them to a position where we can find some common ground,” said Joe Justin, a spokesman for the five senators. Both the Assembly and Senate were placed on call throughout the weekend, requiring lawmakers to stay within a few hours of the Capi- tol. As negotiations progress, Demo- cratic lawmakers are feeling pres- sure from supporters who cautioned them not to give away too much to the minority party. Environmental groups last week warned against weakening the Cali- fornia Environmental Quality Act, which requires state and local agen- cies to identify significant environ- mental impacts on projects. “We are most concerned that the state’s dire fiscal condition will encourage detractors of our environ- mental programs to propose conces- sions to weaken CEQA and other environmental protections during the budget process,” wrote Warner Chabot, chief executive of the Cali- fornia League of Conservation Vot- ers. “We urge you to insist that any proposals that reform regulations or undermine our cornerstone environ- mental protections be assigned to the appropriate policy or budget subcommittees for full and open discussion and action.” State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, a Charlene Hernandez, 5, center, dances with New Generation for parents during a lunch break at the Parents Choice Conference at Woodson Elementary School in Corning Saturday. ‘This would be a disaster for taxpayers because Brown’s government employee union allies are prepared to spend tens of millions of dollars on a campaign to fool voters into approving the largest tax increase in state history’ Email from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association fellow Democrat, also criticized a recent state auditing agency report that proposed freezing pension ben- efits for current state workers, one of the reforms being sought by the five Senate Republicans. The Little Hoover Commission recommended a hybrid pension system that would include something similar to the 401(k) plans offered to most private- sector employees. Lockyer said the commission’s report ignored reforms adopted by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System as part of the previous budget negotiated under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger, a Republican. “The reforms increased all work- ers’ contributions, and lowered ben- efits and raised retirement ages for new workers,” the treasurer wrote. “Those reforms will save the state an estimated $10.7 billion to $13.5 billion through 2040, according to a CalPERS analysis.” On the other side, Republican senators who are talking with the governor were being pressured not to negotiate. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an anti-tax advocacy group, urged its support- ers to contact the five senators to “hold the line against more taxes.” “This would be a disaster for tax- payers because Brown’s govern- ment employee union allies are pre- pared to spend tens of millions of dollars on a campaign to fool voters into approving the largest tax increase in state history,” the associ- ation wrote in an e-mail to support- ers. Meanwhile, Brown continues his coalition building. He announced on Friday conditional support from two dozen California agricultural groups, who indicated they would like to see a budget compromise. He added them to a growing list of groups that generally support his plan, including those representing businesses and law enforcement. “This budget situation is such a wreck; no one can afford to sit on the sidelines,” said Frank Rehermann of the California Rice Industry Association in a statement released by the governor’s office. Man swept to sea sought new beginning KLAMATH (AP) — Leaving his teenage drug abuse behind in Oregon, Dustin Weber was seeking a new beginning along Cali- fornia’s rugged far northern coast, happy to be in the land of his mother’s her- itage, the Yurok Tribe. Yet before Weber could get a proper start, the 25- year-old was swept out to sea at the mouth of the Kla- math River by a tsunami surge generated thousands of miles away by the earth- quake off Japan’s coast. Rescuers were unable to reach him Friday and called off their efforts; he is pre- sumed dead, though his body has not been found. His would be the first death of a person on the West Coast by a tsunami since 1964, when 11 people in nearby Crescent City died from the surge created by an earthquake in Alaska. “His life was always challenged with drug issues and being Indian,” said his mother, Lori Davis, of Bend, Ore., after searching miles of beach with family members and friends for her son’s body. “One of the things we fight most is drugs and alco- hol. He’s been clean and sober for a long time. I just feel like, you know, finally he was so happy. He has never been this happy in a long time,” she said. “There have been so many times he was so close to death from other issues in his life. You know, it just doesn’t make sense to me.” Dustin was born in Bend, and his parents sepa- rated when he was 5. He lived with his father, who works for a grocery chain. His mother remarried, then divorced again. Blaise Butcher and Shawn Wilcox were friends with Dustin since they were little kids, building forts, fishing, snowboarding, and riding dirt bikes. “He liked music, sports cars, motorcy- cles, car shows,” said Butcher. “He liked every- thing from hip hop and rap to a little bit of classical music.” Bend was hit hard by the Great Recession. Home to a ski resort, dozens of golf courses, fly fishing in the Deschutes River and spec- tacular views of the snow- capped Cascade Range, it grew from a little timber town to a four-season resort area when people had money to buy second homes. The wood products mill that once sustained it with blue-collar jobs became a shopping center catering to people with money to burn. When the mortgage money dried up, so did the Bend economy. But Dustin was a hard worker, and when other people lost their jobs, he kept his on a landscaping crew, said Wilcox. Over the years, there were car wrecks that should have taken Dustin’s life. But he survived them all. “I think there were three where he just completely cheated death,” said Butch- er. After a bad crash in 2008, Dustin started clean- ing up his life, attending meetings and staying sober, said Butcher. Last Christmas, Davis told her son that his grand- mother wanted to give him her old house in Klamath, a rural community about 20 miles south of Crescent City. The house is high on the bluff called Requa, with a view of the Pacific and the mouth of the Klamath River. “I sort of feel it’s my fault,” she said of her son’s death. “I just wish I’d never told him about (the house) in the beginning.” But Dustin was thrilled. “He was so happy to come down here to start a new life,” his mother said. “He got clean and sober. He finished all his community service. Everything he had to do. He had a chance to have his own house. His grandmother — my mother — was going to give him her sister’s house. He just beamed when he found out he could have that opportu- nity.” Monday, March 14, 2011 – Daily News – 7A PG&E will have sever- PUC Continued from page 1A safe, PG&E takes its cus- tomers’ concerns serious- ly, Moreno said. “We want to alleviate the concerns of our cus- tomers but still be able to upgrade to SmartMeters,” he said. For Tehama County residents, the opportunity to discuss SmartMeters could come Thursday, as PG&E plans to host an open house session in Corning. SmartMeter experts will be there to discuss the science behind the meters and talk to individual cus- tomers about billing, Moreno said. The event will be 6-9 p.m. in the council cham- bers of Corning City Hall, 794 Third St. DODD Continued from page 1A with the sheriff’s office in 1979, the year Hencratt graduated high school. As a new sheriff, Hen- cratt said, whenever any- one would talk about the jail, Dodd’s name would come up. As a testament to Dodd’s longevity, former Sheriff Clay Parker was there, Hencratt said. In a later interview, Hencratt said Dodd devel- oped and improved the jail during his time there. Dodd worked for his first 10 years as a deputy at the jail. He was later promoted to jail sergeant and appointed as com- mander in 1995. The jail is almost an entity unto itself, Hencratt said. It’s a patrol beat enclosed by walls. With the huge mix of personali- ties and varying levels of al staff tables to assist cus- tomers with questions on SmartMeters as well as programs for businesses and programs for residen- tial customers, such as the CARE and REACH pro- grams, which offer dis- counts and grants for income-qualified cus- tomers. A Spanish-speaking representative will be on hand. To date, 7,700 electric SmartMeters and 4,400 gas SmartMeters have been installed in Tehama County, mostly in the Red Bluff, Corning and Los Molinos area. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdai- lynews.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story. crimes committed, it becomes very complicat- ed. Hencratt worked close- ly alongside Dodd at the jail for more than a year. At times they were the only ones on duty, he said. Dodd is a graduate of California State Universi- ty, Sacramento, and the FBI National Academy. He has lived in Tehama County since he was a toddler, he said. For Dodd, it is hard to let go, and having to let go while training his replace- ment, Hencratt said. Captain Danny Rabal- ais is the new jail com- mander. Dodd will continue on as a reserve officer. He has passed his wisdom onto Rabalais, Hencratt said. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Calif. pension fund may reduce investment target SACRAMENTO (AP) — The nation’s largest public pension fund could make a small accounting change that would carry a large price tag for taxpayers when board members meet this week. Staff of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System have recommended that the board reduce its esti- mate about how much money the fund’s investments will make in future years, dropping the so-called “discount rate assumption” from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent. While it’s a relatively small change, the reduction could force the state and other employers with workers covered by CalPERS to increase the amount they pay into the pension fund, probably by $200 million or more. The pension fund could take all or part of that from Califor- nia’s general fund, the part of the state budget that pays for day-to-day operations but is facing a $26.6 billion deficit. Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal, now pending in the Legislature, was based on the assumption that the giant pension fund would lower the rate. A committee of the pension fund’s board is scheduled to consider the change on Tuesday. “If the assumed rate of investment return is lowered, it has the effect of increasing contributions by employers,” said Edd Fong, a spokesman for the pension fund. In this case, the employers are government agencies that typically pay their bills with tax dollars. That puts the CalPERS accounting decision in the middle of a national debate about public pension reform. As of February, the pension fund estimated a shortfall of about $75 billion between its accrued liabilities and the market value of its assets. The state’s second largest pub- lic pension fund, the California State Teachers’ Retire- ment System, had an estimated shortfall of $40.5 billion as of June 2009 and is expected to update that figure this spring. Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, R-Costa Mesa, wel- comed the recommendation to lower CalPERS’ expected rate of investment return. “It brings us closer to reality in what we’re facing,” said Mansoor, who has introduced a bill to ban collective bargaining over pension benefits by public employees. “Any time there’s a shortfall, the taxpayers have to make up the difference because there is a guaranteed benefit. What we have is not sustainable.” Some economists say pension funds should adopt even more conservative assumptions about their annual rates of return — in the range of 4 percent to 5 percent. CalPERS, which serves 1.6 million current and former government employees and their families, says it has averaged a 7.9 percent return on its investments over the past 20 years. The fund had assets valued at $230 billion in February. It was valued at $251 billion in mid-2007, before the recession hit, and fell as low as $165 billion in early 2009. The defined benefit plans enjoyed by many govern- ment employees across the nation, where retirees are guaranteed a benefit for the rest of their lives, are rapidly disappearing from the private sector. Republican law- makers, taxpayer groups and certain business interests say the current public pension systems provide an unsus- tainable level of benefits and are pushing for reforms. A recent report by an independent state auditing agency, the Little Hoover Commission, estimated a $240 billion shortfall for the 10 largest public employee pen- sion plans in California. The report said some cities will have to devote from one-third to one half of their budgets to support retiree benefits in the near future.