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Monday, June 13, 2011 – Daily News 5A GOP attacks bill that would ease local tax votes SACRAMENTO (AP) — Now that Republican law- makers have voted against a renewal of expiring tax hikes, Democrats are turning to another, more complex way to gen- erate revenue. A bill proposed by state Senate President Pro Tem Dar- rell Steinberg and narrowly approved last week would dra- matically expand the taxing powers of local governments, school boards and other jurisdictions. But the bill, SB23-1X, would lead to such a complicated latticework of taxes that opponents say Steinberg is merely pulling a stunt to ramp up pressure against Republican law- makers. The Sacramento Democrat said his legislation would give public schools and law enforcement agencies a firmer source of funding if lawmakers don't come up with one directly. It would grant sweeping authority to local governments to raise money, with voter approval, through taxes on income, vehicles, alcohol, tobacco, medical marijuana, soda and companies that pump oil in California. Steinberg introduced his local tax proposal on Friday, soon after the defeat in the Senate of the main bill to renew temporary increases in the statewide sales and vehicle taxes that will expire June 30. It passed, but with only the bare 21- vote majority needed. One Democrat voted against it and three others abstained. The bill applies to counties, school districts, community college districts and county offices of education. Critics said it would create a logistical nightmare of inconsistent tax poli- cies that likely would be challenged in court and with a bal- lot referendum seeking to repeal it. Those obstacles, in addition to its uncertain prospects in the Assembly and with Gov. Jerry Brown, make it clear that Steinberg's bill is more than a funding tool. Steinberg acknowledged to reporters that he was using the legislation to pressure Republicans, who are the minority in both hous- es but whose consent is needed to pass tax increases. "I felt it was important to pass this early because it does show that if the minority party, which holds some of the cards here, does not provide bridge funding for schools and for public safety agencies, that the majority party will fulfill its responsibilities," Steinberg said. The governor has asked lawmakers to extend the 2009 sales and vehicle tax hikes through September, when he wants a special election to ask voters to renew them for five years and reinstate a personal income tax increase for four years. Extending the tax hikes and calling a special election require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature, but so far the Republican votes needed to reach that have been non-exis- tent. Californians have been paying an extra 1 percent in sales tax, a half-percent more for vehicle licenses and a quarter- percent higher income tax rate for two years. Some tax filers also have received a lower tax exemption for dependents. All the tax hikes end by June 30, although the income tax increase is already expired. Several Republicans in the Assembly and the Senate have been negotiating with Brown to let Californians decide on tax renewals in a special election. In exchange for their votes, the GOP lawmakers want a spending cap and pension and regulatory reforms. As for local taxation, Steinberg has not sent his latest bill to the Assembly in the hope that he can strike a deal with Republicans. GOP senators said Steinberg's bill would put the state at further disadvantage in attracting and keeping businesses. "If this bill is implemented, you better buy some U-Haul stock," said Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks, "because what's going to happen is, jobs are going to escape in droves." He said the bill, which passed 21-16, violates the voter- approved requirement that tax measures receive two-thirds support in the Legislature. Strickland predicted a voter refer- endum if Steinberg's bill becomes law, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said it would gather petition signatures if the time came. Association president Jon Coupal acknowledged it might be hard to dispute the legality of the bill in court because it does not increase taxes directly. He said Democrats were using it primarily to threaten Republicans into signing on to a legislative tax extension. "Steinberg is waving a gun around, but everyone knows it's unloaded," Coupal said. Even if the bill makes it out of both houses, Brown's approval is not certain. When Brown served as governor the first time, voters approved Proposition 13 in 1978, a landmark initiative that rolled back property taxes, capped their annual increases and changed California's political calculus by shifting much of the state's power to the electorate. Signing Steinberg's bill could set the stage for an ugly round of lawsuits and anti-tax ballot initiatives at the state and local levels, adding yet more uncertainty in an era when municipal budgets are strained and local services facing deep cuts. Brown is not entirely on the same page as his fellow Democrats in the Legislature, which must pass a balanced budget by Wednesday or give up salary and per-diem pay- ments under a recent voter-approved initiative. The governor wants to close the state's remaining budget gap of $9.6 billion by renewing the 2009 tax hikes for at least three months, not a full year. The extension would last until a special election on taxes, which he hopes will be called for September. But Democratic legislators want the extension of the sales and vehicle tax increases to last a year so schools can plan their budgets before classes resume. New domestic violence support groups in Corning Alternatives to Violence is now offering a Domestic Vio- lence Information and Support Group for women who have experienced domestic violence, are concerned about their current relationship or are interested in learning more about healthy relationships. These groups are available in both English and Spanish. Individual counseling is also available. The Spanish language group will be held Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and the English language group will be held Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. The meetings will be held in the Olive Room at the Corn- ing Healthcare District, 275 Solano St. in Corning. Check in at the Department of Social Services window. For more information call 528-0226. Daily News photo by Chip Thompson The Overflow performs Friday evening during the first day of the three-day Illumination Festival Christian music gathering at the Tehama District Fairground. ANNAPOLIS (AP) — The ocean fog and cool climate of California's rugged northern coast allow redwood trees to thrive and help give wine grapes a distinctive fla- vor. But in the village of Annapolis in Sonoma County's coastal moun- tains, a quiet battle is pit- ting trees against vine- yards. Here, where many homes are found off dirt roads that snake through dense foliage that has regrown after the clear- cut logging of a half-cen- tury ago, the usually mellow residents are riled up over plans to raze hundreds of acres of redwoods and firs to make room for grapes. At issue are two pro- posed "timberland-to- vineyard" conversion projects, the first such applications that Califor- nia Department of Forestry and Fire Protec- tion, or CalFire, officials can remember in which large areas of redwoods and firs would be removed for vineyards. Even with a three-year drop in the price of high- end wines like those grown in Sonoma Coun- ty, and a glut of wine grape production on the more than 62,000 acres of vineyard already planted in the valley below Annapolis, two large wine companies want to remove nearly 2,000 acres of trees. The companies say they simply want to make great wines. Oppo- nents argue the projects are unnecessary in a county already produc- ing more pinot and other grapes than the market can bear, and that the vineyards will hurt endangered fish strug- gling to rebound in the Gualala River by siphon- ing off water and intro- ducing pesticides. At least one of the proposed sites contains sacred trib- al artifacts. Annapolis residents say the county has enough wine grapes, and that the tribal artifacts and environmental con- cerns are being thrust upon the community because just so two large winemakers can grow "vanity vineyards" that yield small amounts of expensive wines. "The watershed's on its heels as far as fish goes, which is why it's important to keep the flow. If you put all these straws in the watershed drawing water out, you might as well kiss it goodbye," said Chris Poehlmann, a museum exhibit designer who lives in Annapolis and heads a local conserva- tion group. Plan to cut forest for vineyards faces opposition The interest by wine- The grape growers argue these lands will be developed one way or another as the county grows, and that it is bet- ter to have vineyards than housing develop- ments. Napa's Artesa Vine- yards, owned by a Barcelona, Spain-based wine heavyweight Grupo Cordoniu known for making sparkling wine, wants to develop 151 acres of pinot noir and chardonnay vineyard on a site containing artifacts from ancient Kashaya Pomo villages. Premier Pacific Vineyards is seeking to put rows of grapes on about 1,800 acres of 20,000 it owns nearby in a project that will also include residen- tial housing called "Preservation Ranch." Decisions on both projects are expected by county and state officials within the next year or two. Both winemakers argue the projects are undergoing detailed environmental review, and that in some cases the developments will help, not hurt, the envi- ronment by providing better management of the land and repairing decades-old damage by logging companies. "The vineyard has been designed as a state- of-the art operation with environmental and other resources in mind," Arte- sa's attorney Andrea Matarazzo said in an e- mail. "The project main- tains substantial buffers from all sensitive resources and has been designed to avoid, pro- tect and preserve many of those resources in their natural state." But over the past half- century the once-logged area has seen regrowth, and now is host to a dense tangle of 50-to-60- year-old tanoaks, red- woods, Douglas firs and Manzanita bushes. The vineyard sites surround the Gualala River water- shed, which is host to endangered coho and threatened steelhead. Both winemakers will have to prove their pro- jects will not hurt the recovery of these feder- ally protected fish. The Artesa project, which is closer to a per- mit decision by CalFire than Preservation Ranch, would clear 151 acres next to two existing small vineyards. The acreage was scaled down from 171 after the com- pany discovered that the site was home to archae- ological resources from a former Kashaya band of Pomo Indians village. The tribe also opposes the project. makers in converting timberland also spurred Sonoma County to pass their own regulations in 2006, a job previously governed solely by state forestry officials. The county has yet to approve a single large project, but has issued 31 approvals for minor conversions of three acres or less each, said Pete Parkinson, Sonoma County's direc- tor of permits and resource management. "Our objective is to provide an extremely thorough review of the potential environmental impacts that could arise," he said. "We're looking at everything, from the impact on timber resources to watershed concerns." While it may sound counter-intuitive, Pre- mier Pacific argues that the project would end up improving, not hurting, the environment. In documents filed for the project, the company said it would repair old logging roads that cur- rently send sediment into the Gualala River. Removal of this sediment would improve water quality and fish habitat, it argues. But the Preservation Ranch project goes beyond just the creation of new vineyards: It would also allow what it calls "sustainable timber management" 18,000 acres, meaning the cut- ting and sale of trees. "The premise that the vineyards serve as the economic engine for restoration is pure mar- keting and production forestry, with no a trace of scientific analysis to support it," said Peter Baye, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists who lives in the area and opposes the projects. "Natural eco- logical succession is cleaning up the old dam- age by loggers very nice- ly, thanks. The vast majority of the land was- n't damaged beyond self- repair at all." Baye and the projects' opponents question the motive for taking such extreme measures to make vineyards when the market for high-end wines has seen years of contraction during the recession. In Sonoma County, the grape crush fell 10.7 percent in 2010, leaving growers with too many, prices. driving down But the allure of high- caliber pinot noir contin- ues inspiring vintners to find land here that can produce it, even at a very high cost. And both wine companies have deep pockets and the desire to create excellent wines. In the end, it's the long-term environmental costs that concern the Annapolis residents, who claim the lasting damage will not create profits for these companies, only the vanity vineyards they want to make high-end wines. "All of those who are concerned about the future of Sonoma County need to ask how we are allowing the destruction of redwood forests and Native American her- itage to emerge as 'busi- ness as usual,'" said Peter Schmidt, an anthropolo- gy and archaeology pro- fessor at the University of Florida who hails from the area, in an essay. Over 50 years of serving Tehama County Independently owned Telephone: (530) 824-3792