Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/311292
TheAssociatedPress LOSANGELES Immigrants in the country illegally would be able to get professional li- censes in California under a bill moving forward in the statehouse. A measure by Sen. Ri- cardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, would ease the licensing process for more than two dozen occupations, includ- ing real estate agents, secu- rity guards, and health care professionals like psycholo- gists and pharmacists, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. The bill passed the state Senate on Thursday. SB 1159 would allow about 40 state boards to accept a federal taxpayer identification number as proof of identification in lieu of a Social Security number. Lara, whose parents were at one time in the country illegally, said his proposal is simply an exten- sion of other measures en- acted in recent years that provide such immigrants with driver's licenses, lower college tuition and ac- cess to public financial aid and private funds held by the state universities. His measure would en- sure that "more Califor- nians have an effective means of economic mobil- ity and self-sufficiency," Lara told the Times. Lara's bill passed with support from seven Repub- licans. Five GOP members abstained. Peter DeMarco, a spokesman for the Repub- lican caucus, told the news- paper there was concern in the GOP that tax authori- ties would "not always be able to correctly identify licensees to ensure proper collection of taxes." The proposal has divided Republican lawmakers in California and sparked op- position from national con- servative groups that want tougher enforcement of ex- isting immigration laws, ac- cording to the Times. "By granting licenses to illegal immigrants you both aid and abet illegal immigration, which is a vi- olation of federal law, and you are sending a message to the rest of planet Earth that says, 'Come on!'" said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Im- migration Political Action Committee. The state's workforce in- cludes 1.85 million people in the country illegally, ac- cording to an estimate by the Public Policy Institute of California. SACRAMENTO Bi ll w ou ld e as e li ce ns in g ru le s fo r im mi gr an ts The Associated Press FRESNO A school bus and a big rig have crashed in Central California, caus- ing six injuries. The California Highway Patrol said the collision oc- curred at 2 p.m. Monday at SouthElmandEastCentral Avenues in Fresno County. The CHP said the 3,000-gallon gasoline truck was overturned in the crash, and that the in- tersection was blocked. LindaDominguez,abusi- ness manager at Orange Center Elementary School District, told the Fresno Bee that the bus was bring- ing the students home. Fresno County Emer- gency Medical Services Di- rectorDanielLynchsaidthe bus was carrying 29 chil- dren, ranging in age from 6 to 14, according to the Bee. The Bee reported that six people were taken to local hospitals, two with moderate injuries and four with minor ones. FRESNO School bus crashes with big rig By Scott Smith The Associated Press SACRAMENTO An attor- ney for the largest city in California to seek bank- ruptcy protection told a judge Monday that he has tried to reach a deal with Stockton's last major cred- itor, but the company is not budging. Marc Levinson, an attor- ney for the city, made the comments during his open- ing statement in a trial over Stockton's plan to emerge from bankruptcy. The city is asking a judge to ap- prove the plan for reorga- nizing more than $900 mil- lion in long-term debt, while Franklin Templeton Invest- ments wants U.S. Bank- ruptcy Judge Christopher Klein to reject it. The city has reached deals with all of its ma- jor creditors, except for Franklin, which took Stockton to trial. The investment firm's attorney, James John- ston, says it is being of- fered 1 cent on the dol- lar for a $35 million loan given to Stockton in 2009 to build firehouses, parks and to move its police dis- patch center, amounting to $350,000. Johnston told the judge that Stockton struck much more favorable deals with other creditors. The attor- ney said the city is making a meager comeback, allow- ing it to pay its debts to the firm. "The city is recovering," Johnston said. "It is not a strong recovery, but it is undeniably recovering." Levinson said Franklin is a billion-dollar invest- ment firm and its potential loss in Stockton amounts to a "rounding error." "For the city, this week is a fight for its life," he said. Stockton, California's 13th largest city that is 80 miles east of San Fran- cisco, filed for Chapter 9 protection in 2012, mak- ing it the nation's largest bankrupt city before De- troit filed for bankruptcy last year. Vallejo went through bankruptcy be- fore Stockton. San Ber- nardino filed shortly after Stockton, but it has yet to present an exit plan. Stockton's leaders say the city fell victim to an unforgiving boom-and- bust economic cycle. Before the recession, leaders spent millions of dollars revitalizing the downtown by buying a new City Hall and build- ing a marina, a sports arena and a ballpark. The city issued about 3,000 permits annually to build new homes, and it paid po- lice premium wages and health benefits. With the recession, building dried up, and Stockton became ground zero for home foreclosures. Like many residents, City Hall couldn't pay its bills. The city slashed millions of dollars from its budget and laid off 25 percent of its po- lice officers. Crime soared. Franklin argues that Stockton agreed to pay its other creditors 52 percent or more of what they owe over the next 40 years. At trial, the judge has the power to approve or reject Stockton's plan. City Man- ager Kurt Wilson has said the bankruptcy could be over as soon as June 30. But if the judge rejects this plan, it could take another six months, he said. Commenting on the bankruptcy trial, San Fran- cisco attorney Michael Sweet noted that the judge has questioned whether the California Public Employ- ees' Retirement System, which manages the city's pensions plan, should be brought into the reorgani- zation plan. "If that pops up again, it's huge," Sweet said. The city says cutting pensions would make it hard to hire workers, such as police. CITY BANKRUPTCY Stockton says final creditor won't budge The Associated Press SACRAMENTO San Di- ego Democrat Toni Atkins, whose Appalachian roots have given her a powerful affinity for the plight of the working poor, was sworn in Monday as the 69th speaker of the state Assembly. Atkins assumes the reins of the 80-member cham- ber amid negotiations over a nearly $107 billion state budget and an $11 billion wa- ter bond that all sides want to change before it goes to a statewide vote in Novem- ber. She praised the state's efforts to retain businesses and a recent deal brokered by the governor and legis- lative leaders to revamp a rainy day fund to save money and pay down debt. At the same time, the na- tive of Virginia's poor moun- tainregionalsoimploredlaw- makers to invest in education and opportunity for poor and lower-income Californians. "We cannot forget that too many Californians have not made it out of the recession," Atkins said in remarks after her swearing-in. "They've been holding on with white knuckles, with so much at stake. Their dreams have been put at hold." She identified affordable housing and ending home- lessness as top personal pri- orities. Atkins, 51, becomes the first open lesbian to lead a California legislative cham- ber and succeeds Los An- geles Democrat John Perez, who was the first openly gay lawmaker in the role. She was sworn in by U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, the first Dem- ocratic woman to lead the California Assembly, dur- ing a ceremony that was at- tended by Gov. Jerry Brown and Atkins' wife, Jennifer LeSar. In remarks on the floor before the swearing-in, As- semblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, said Atkins' rise to one of the most pow- erful positions in state gov- ernment would be an inspi- ration. "There are many in the state today who are strug- gling to come to grip with their sexual orientations," he said. "They will see in you hope and possibility." Atkins was elected to the Assembly in 2010 after serv- ing on San Diego's city coun- cil and will be termed out in two years. Her swearing-in marks the first time that ei- ther of California's legisla- tive houses has had women leading both party caucuses. The Assembly minor- ity leader is Republican Con- nie Conway of Tulare, whose termendsthisyear.Inastate- ment congratulating Atkins, Conway noted the milestone andsoughtbipartisancooper- ation. Democrats hold a two- thirdssupermajorityintheAs- sembly and thus do not need to work with Republicans, but they do not have that advan- tageinthe40-memberSenate. Conway said she stands "ready to work across party lines to ensure that the voices of all Californians are well represented in the Peo- ple's House." SACRAMENTO Toni Atkins sworn in as Assembly speaker THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, is hugged by Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez, D-Coachella, before she is sworn-in as Assembly Speaker at the Capitol in Sacramento Monday. The Associated Press LOSANGELES The trial roll- out of California's new stan- dardized exams, adminis- tered for the first time on computers,hasbeenplagued by technical glitches, ac- cording to a newspaper in- vestigation. Students taking the tests this spring experienced slow connections, frozen screens, and mysterious log-offs — and in some cases their work disappeared completely, the Los Ange- les Times reported Monday. Because it was a trial run, the results will not be used to evaluate students, teach- ers or schools. "I think the results would be horrible if the tests had been counted this year," said Elizabeth Topkis, the testing coordinator at the Los Angeles Center for En- riched Studies. This was considered a year to allow school dis- tricts to work out problems and get used to the new ex- ams, which will be covered by $51 million set aside in the state budget. The California Assess- ment of Student Perfor- mance and Progress exam replaces multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble exams, taken with pencil and paper. For years, those test scores defined the progress of schools and districts, de- termining awards and sanc- tions, even real estate prices, the Times said. In some places, including Los Ange- les, the scores were linked to teacher evaluations. Students complained that the tests were harder — both in terms of content and in using computers. For the first time, some questions have more than one correct answer; many are open-ended. Others in- clude listening to audio. To answer some questions, stu- dents must create a graph or a geometric shape. Also included is a "performance task" that follows a 30-min- ute scripted lesson from the teacher and culminates in an essay, the newspaper said. The questions themselves are based on new state learning standards, called the Common Core, adopted by 44 states, which are sup- posed to focus on deeper learning skills rather than rote memorization. As of last week, more than 2.7 million students had completed the new standardized tests; a total of 3.2 million are scheduled to take the new exam before June 6. EDUCATION California's new standardized exam being plagued by technical glitches Thank you! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. 22777AntelopeBlvd., RedBluff 30 Lb. Pork Pack 5lbs.PorkChops 5 lbs. Country Ribs 6 lbs. Pork Steaks 4 lbs. Shoulder Roast 4 lbs. Boneless Ham 6 lbs. Breakfast Sausage $3.79 per lb. Approx. $114.00 40 Lb. Variety Pack 6 lbs. Chuck Roast 4 lbs. Top Sirloin 5 lbs. Pork Chops 5 lbs. Country Ribs 9 lbs. Whole Chicken 6 lbs. Ground Beef 5 lbs. Bacon $3.89 per lb. Approx. $156.00 20 Lb. Variety Pack 3 lbs. Chuck Roast 3 lbs. Whole Chicken 3 lbs. Pork Chops 4 lbs. Meatloaf 3 lbs. Breakfast Sausage 4 lbs. Ground Beef $3.69 per lb. Approx. $74.00 30 Lb. Beef Pack 5 lbs. T-Bone 5 lbs. Top Sirloin 5 lbs. Rib Eye 4 lbs. Tri-Tip Roast 6 lbs. Ground Beef 5 lbs. Beef Ribs $7.49 per lb. Approx. $225.00 (530) 527-6483 Hrs:9am-6pmMonday-Saturday NowAcceptingE.B.T.,Debit,CreditCards Servicingyourdisposalneedsin Tehama County, and the City of Red Bluff including Residential, Commercial, and Temporary bin services. GREENWASTEOFTEHAMA A WASTE CONNECTIONS COMPANY 530-528-8500 1805 AIRPORT BLVD. RED BLUFF, CA GreenWasteisaproud supporter of local events. EXPERIENCE INTEGRITY COMMUNITY PaidPoliticalAdvertisement www.allenforschools.com LicenseOH89548 LOWCOST INSURANCE 530-527-5151 • Low Down Payment • No License OK! • Suspended License OK! • SR-22 CHEAP • Si HABLA ESPANOL 327WalnutSt.,RedBluff (530) 529-4004 Voted Best Carpet / Floor Covering Store in Tehama County. DALE'S CARPET& DESIGN RUNNINGS ROOFING SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Ownerisonsiteoneveryjob ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014 8 A