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WEDNESDAY JUNE 29, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Chamber update See 6A Commerce RED BLUFF Little League Sports 1B Few showers 78/57 Weather forecast 6B By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Medical marijuana dispen- saries got a stamp of disap- proval from the Tehama Coun- ty Board of Supervisors Tues- day. After more than a year of discussion and deliberation through several study sessions and planning commission meetings, the board decided to adopt a resolution to ban zon- 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 County bans marijuana dispensary zoning ing for medical marijuana dis- pensaries. Planning commissioners recommended June 9 to adopt the ban ordinance and to reject one that would heavily regu- late dispensaries. Supervisors had sent two ordinances to the commission for review when they were undecided on whether to ban or regulate the zoning of mar- ijuana dispensaries. The planners’ recommen- “The law and the courts have let us down.” dations were heard before a public hearing Tuesday. Several people spoke about the issue, mostly in support of a ban. The one exception was resident Richard Clapp who argued that the only thing a pot overdose does is cause sleep while other prescription drugs can kill. — Supervisor George Russell Supervisor George Russell Clapp also addressed issues of proximity of dispensaries to Shasta College, that pot moni- toring might be easier with dispensaries, that those with recommendations shouldn’t be forced to get their medicine illegally. Education eruption was the first on the board to speak before they voted. “The law and the courts have let us down,” said Rus- sell, who voted against the ban. See BANS, page 5A County passes budget despite uncertainties By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Eeking it by before a June 30 deadline, Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved a preliminary budget Tues- day that aims to “stay the course” until state budget decisions are made. Areas of uncertainty involve law enforcement which will be most directly affected by state vehicle license fee funding and realignment proposals. However, the county budget is “fiscally sound,” said Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin. “The bottom line is we’re doing the right things,” he said. The preliminary budget remains fairly static, calling for no new “countywide departmental reductions, retirement incentives, or other unanticipated actions.” Since 2008, the county has been reducing general fund contributions to departments, dropping 13 percent for non- public safety and 9.5 percent for public safety, Goodwin said. Daily News photo by Tang Lor Campers at the Sacramento River Discovery Center watch as a volcano erupts. Special to the DN Through its Summer Camps Program the Sacramento River Discovery Center continues to help youth six to 12 years old learn through hands-on activities that are done indoors and outdoors. Camps are 8 a.m. until noon at the Discovery Center, 1000 Sale Lane, and make use of the 488 acre Mendocino National Forest’s Red Bluff Recreation Area as the class- room. There are a variety of activ- ities both indoors and outdoors for the youth to have fun and learn at the same time. During the second week, campers learned about geology and were able to make their own volcanoes that erupted. The erup- tion was caused by a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, which was red from food dye. Campers will explore the past with Weeks 3 and 4 of the Summer Camps Program. July 5 through July 8 “Traveling Through Time” will present an See CAMP, page 5A The cuts have reduced essential services and diminished departments’ abilities to plan for the future. “Almost all nonessential functions not mandated directly or indirectly by state or federal regulations were previously eliminated in Tehama County during the economic down- turns of the 1990s and early 2000s and they have not been restored in subsequent years,” Goodwin stated. For now, in the preliminary base budget, expenses are projected to exceed revenue by $8.8 million, he said. Trying to avoid dipping into reserve funds, the county will have to use fund balance carry-over to compensate for the shortfall. This carry-over is brought about by departments getting more income than expected and spending less than they had budgeted for during the previous fiscal year. However, the fund balance carry-over amount is unknown until the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year. The budget uncertainty is amplified by the assumption that the state will backfill $1.3 million in Vehicle License Fee funds for public safety, Goodwin said. The likelihood of that happening is decreasing and the Sheriff’s and Probation departments will have to adjust their budgets accordingly. The supervisors were willing to accept the uncertainty as the way it is. See BUDGET, page 5A Homelessness: Empathy meets responsibility Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series on homelessness leading up to the July 5 Red Bluff City Council meeting on a pro- posed ordinance to rezone an area on Breckenridge Street that will allow for a permanent, year-round homeless shelter. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer It was a freezing cold night when Paul Nanfito, then a rookie cop beating the streets, came upon a homeless man in an alley. Nanfito was shivering and his hands felt as though they were frozen. He could tell the homeless man was not faring any better. “It was very, very, cold. It must have been only 20 degrees, or lower,” Nanfito said. “At that point, human compassion dictates that you should have something for that homeless person.” There were no tempo- rary shelter in Red Bluff at the time, so he called the National Guard and asked if it could provide shelter for the man. The National Guard said no. “I could do nothing for this guy,” Nanfito said. Some 27 years later, Nanfito, now the police chief, can still remember the empathy he felt that night. As homelessness has become a hot topic along with a proposed year-round shelter, Nanfito finds him- self in a struggle. “I’m in between a rock and a hard spot,” Nanfito said. “I empathize, but I have a responsibility.” Neither the Red Bluff Police Department or the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office keep statistics on how often they deal with homeless people either as victims or suspects. But Nanfito and Sheriff Dave Hencratt estimate the num- ber is low. For the Tehama County Probation Department that number is as low as 6 per- cent. Only 33 out of 527 pro- bationers are homeless, Chief Probation Officer Richard Minch said. By law, every probation- er is required to have an address on file. Some pro- bationers may not have a permanent home, but they are still in compliance if they can provide evidence they are staying at the address provided to proba- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power tion, Minch said. “We call them couch travelers,” Minch said. “They go from one house to another.” Three probationers are receiving some form of sup- port from The Poor and the Homeless, the non-profit seeking to build the shelter. While the primary role of the probation office is to hold people accountable for the crimes they committed, its second role is to provide services that promote change. Probation works closely with mental health and other social services to do so. Having a permanent shelter will allow for those services to be provided more efficiently and effec- tively, Minch said. “If we do nothing about homelessness, nothing will change,” Minch said. “There is an element that we can affect change. That’s the ones who have mental disabilities. You have to sta- bilize them and provide them with job opportunities. As for the criminals, we just have to hold them account- able.” While it’s only a small percentage, there is a seg- ment of the homeless popu- lation that carries a criminal element, Minch said. Nanfito said crimes asso- ciated with homeless people usually include public intoxication for being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, trespassing, vandal- ism, littering and creating other environmental or health and safety concerns. In comparison to other more serious crimes, none of these crimes are a high priority for the police and See MEETS, page 5A PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 CHW North State Region