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Monday, June 20, 2011 – Daily News 5A Death Notice Isabel P. McDonald Isabel P. McDonald died Friday, June 17, 2011, at Lassen House in Red Bluff. She was 93. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers is handling arrangements. Published Saturday, June 18, 2011, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. BUDGET Continued from page 1A Under the proposal, maintenance for parks and the Red Bluff Community and Senior Center would be transferred from Parks and Recreation to Public Works. A new position with the title Maintenance Supervi- sor will be created. That person will be responsible for maintenance of parks, the community center and roads. Parks Maintenance Supervisor Mike Skelton is expected to fill that role. His salary should stay the same, but his pay will be split between the road fund and the parks fund. While the title may be new, the position is one that already exists in Parks and Recreation and will be shared with Public Works, so the city is not required to open the position for recruitment, City Manager Martin Nichols said. “We’re transferring a function with a body,” he said. Skelton is qualified for the position, as he has worked in the Public Works Department before, Nichols said. “Parks” will be dropped from the Parks and Recre- ation Department, and the department will be renamed Recreation Department. Parks and Recreation Director Debbie Carlisi’s new title will be Recreation Director. Her salary will be reduced, and she will be responsible for recreation ser- vices, community center rentals and the Senior Nutri- tion Program. Chamber funding The city will continue to share 16 percent of the transient occupancy tax with the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce but will set a $70,000 annual cap. This year, the city expects to pay the chamber about $76,600, which means, with the cap, the chamber will be losing about $6,600 next year. The loss could be greater, as the city expects an overall decline in TOT revenue next year. “TOT taxes are up (this year) because of construc- tion, but we don’t expect to get the same next year,” Nichols said. Other recommendations • No additional salary and benefits cuts are planned, but the 12 percent cuts that were agreed upon this fis- cal year will continue. • McGlynn Pool will again receive no fund alloca- tion. • The Police Department overtime costs will be reduced by $10,000. Impacts from State budget The proposal assumes the city will continue to receive $100,000 from the state COPS grant and will not have to pay $45,000 in booking fees. While it’s a big gamble to make, there are indica- tions that the funding may come through, Nichols said. The Democratic state budget proposal that was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supported the fund- ing. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office indi- cates the governor and Republicans are in favor of it, too. “We’re really taking a role of the dice, but at this point we want to be optimistic,” Nichols said. If the funding does not materialize, the city’s budget will have to be revisited, but the city can’t wait for the state budget. “The longer we wait, the less time we’ll have to make up for it,” Nichols said. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e- mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.com. Legislature leaves in limbo redevelopment agencies SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown has been pushing since January to abolish California’s redevelopment agencies, and last week’s flurry of bud- get activity pushed them one step closer to the brink. What’s beyond that brink? Progress, unemploy- ment or a lawsuit against the state, depending on whom you ask. In the meantime, the uncertainty is disrupting work on development projects throughout the state. The Legislature on Wednesday approved a state budget backed by Democrats. While the main bills were vetoed swiftly by Brown, two bills that would eliminate some 400 redevelopment agencies and allow creation of new agencies were passed but not trans- mitted to the governor. Supporters said the overhaul of the state’s redevel- opment agencies would bring in $1.7 billion, money that would be directed primarily to schools, law enforcement and other local services. The legislation also would tighten the rules for agencies that often are seen as providing easy money to private developers for projects that may do little to fight blight. ‘‘This bill is not an assault on redevelopment,’’ said Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Sherman Oaks, who presented the budget bills. ‘‘It fixes a flawed funding method.’’ Opponents used words like ‘‘ransom’’ and ‘‘extor- tion’’ to describe the bills because they would allow community redevelopment agencies to exist in a new form only if local governments agreed to make sub- stantial payments to the state. They said many agencies would not be able to come up with the cash and would have to shut down, killing a source of financing for public improvements and the construction jobs they create. ‘‘The only purpose of this legislation is to save the state from having to cut its spending by the amount it forces the cities to pay. Not one penny of this money is returned to taxpayers,’’ said San Diego City Attor- ney Jan Goldsmith in a prepared statement Thursday. Even critics of the agencies blasted the ‘‘volun- tary’’ payments. Redevelopment agencies ‘‘do need substantial reform if not elimination,’’ said Assembly- man Don Wagner, an Irvine Republican, but he com- pared the payments to the extortion schemes portrayed on the cable television crime drama ‘‘The Sopranos.’’ Amid the tensions of the day, a call for Wagner to apologize to Italian-Americans escalated to the brink of a shoving match on the Assembly floor. Pipe bomb suspect arrested after standoff FAIRFIELD (AP) — A Fairfield man suspected of setting off an explosive device under a car last month is in custody after a standoff at his home. In a standoff that began around noon Saturday, police say Daniel Garcia surrendered to a SWAT team around 8:30 p.m. after tear gas was fired into this home. Fairfield police Sgt. Randy Boggs told KCRA- TV that police and federal agents found a pipe bomb and bomb-making materials during a search of Garcia’s home on Thursday. Garcia was not at the time, but police returned Saturday with a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of using an explosive device. Authorities say Garcia is suspected of detonating an explosive device under a parked car on May 27. Coast Guard rescues family after boat flips SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A father and his two children have been res- cued after their boat cap- sized in San Francisco Bay. Coast Guard spokesman Levi Read says a Coast Guard crew rescued the three after their 19-foot alu- minum boat tipped over near Alameda. Read says the three fam- ily members were in the water for at least 20 minutes before rescuers arrived. It’s not known if they were wearing life vests. After being brought ashore, the father and two children were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Wildfire burns 2,000 acres SAN LUIS OBISPO (AP) — A wildfire that started in a Central Califor- CAJUN Continued from page 1A was Kenny Clark, last year’s contest winner. He reportedly ate 17.5 pounds of crawdads in 20 minutes. After 20 minutes of eating while listening to the music of the band Skeauxsha behind them, Thomas Buxton of Chico was declared the winner. He received cheers and a propane barbecue after consuming 12.5 pounds of crawdads. Buxton decided to enter the con- test with his father, he said. The two had come to the festival last year and watched. They planned to com- pete this year together. Families came from many areas to enjoy all the aspects of the Craw- dad Festival. Mark and Brandi Ayres of Ran- cho Cucamonga brought their 7- year-old son Elijah to the event. They were visiting with relatives in the Red Bluff area. “Eli enjoyed his alligator on a stick and a funnel cake and that was his day,” Brandi Ayres said. Elijah also got to crank one of the engines at the car show, Mark Ayres said. The family experienced many aspects of the festival. “We had some crawdads, saw some cars and listened to some music,” Mark Ayres said. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagn- er@redbluffdailynews.com. HIGH Continued from page 1A The program will con- tinue next year at Rancho Tehama. Belaura Emery, Luis BILL Continued from page 1A efforts in other states generated Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Winning eater, Thomas Buxton of Chico, beat the competition by consuming 12 1/2 pounds of crawdads during the 20-minute craw- dad eating contest Saturday at the R Wild Horse Ranch Crawdad Festival at the Tehama District Fairground. Jimenez and Allison Smith took advantage of the school’s motto, “Anytime. Any place. Any pace.” The three graduated at the end of their junior year. The school’s online cur- riculum allows students to complete courses 24/7 all year long. Smith, who was a stu- dent of David Span, will spend a month with Span’s friends in the Osaka, Japan area. She also com- pleted a Japanese course at Shasta College before graduation. opposition because online retailers responded by severing relationships with in-state affiliates, often small businesses. Amazon has said it would do the same in California. In a more novel approach, the bill nia oil field has surged to 2,000 acres. Cal Fire spokeswoman Jane Schmitz says the blaze began Sunday morning at the McDonald/Anticline Oil Field in Kern County, and by afternoon had moved west into San Luis Obispo County, burning more than three square miles as it moved along the Temblor Range of mountains. Schmitz says firefighters from the two counties and Cal Fire and at least four water-dropping aircraft are taking on the blaze. eScholar Academy is a charter school and is a division of Mineral School District. It provides online courses for grades K-12 and adult education. More information is available at www.eschol- aracademy.net. requires an online retailer to collect the tax if it has sister companies in California, such as a marketing arm or product developer. Even backers of that approach expect it will be challenged in court if approved. STATE BRIEFING The fire is burning in grasslands and there are no people or structures in dan- ger. Number of children in SF declines SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Despite efforts by officials to keep families in San Francisco, the percent- age of children that make up the city’s population contin- ues to decline. U.S. Census Bureau fig- ures show that just over 13 percent of the city’s resi- dents are younger than 18. That’s not only a drop from 1970 when 22 percent of San Francisco’s popula- tion was younger than 18, but it’s also one of the smallest percentages of children in the country. An official who tracks population trends said a declining number of chil- dren in the city indicates that middle-class families are being squeezed out of the city. OH, Beautiful, For Spacious Skies …. A Tehama County Celebration of Independence Day Weekend, 2011 Advertising Reservations Deadline: Wednesday, June 22 Published with the full run of the Daily News on Friday, July 1 Plus 1,000 extra copies for local freestanding distribution! A compendium of events across the region honoring the birth of our nation and the freedoms we enjoy, which make us the greatest nation in the world. Fireworks Displays when and where, from Butte and Glenn Counties, Tehama and Shasta Counties Parades Public Events and Festivals Everything 4th of July happening July 1 through 4 in the North State, all in one publication. Full Page Size American Flag/Poster to Display In Your Window All Weekend! Winning Essays from the Daily News’ patriotic Essay Contest This year’s theme: “What Makes America Unique as a Nation?” Call your Daily News Advertising Representative TODAY! D NEWSAILY (530) 527-2151 RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY