Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/44078
THURSDAY OCTOBER 6, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4B RED BLUFF Reader Photos Red Bluff Paradise SPORTS 1B Partly cloudy 62/45 Weather forecast 8B 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 An equal voice 11,000 homes lose power A power outage left much of Red Bluff without elec- tricity Wednesday evening. The outage, which started at 4:51 p.m. affected about 11,300 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers, a company spokeswoman said. A downed transmission line caused the outage, but as of 5:30 p.m., PG&E was still trying to identify what caused the line to fail. Residents on the north side of the city, those in the Dairyville area to the east and those in the Red Bank area to the west reported having lost power. Reports are that a storm cell with lightning passed through the northern part of Red Bluff around the time of the outage. No further information was available Wednesday evening. City waits on cutting hours By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Hours will be reduced for some employees in the miscellaneous bargaining unit pending any new offers from the union and accep- tance of that offer by the Red Bluff City Council. Both parties have 10 business days to come to a consensus on any new offers before the cuts, approved by the City Coun- cil Tuesday, become effec- tive. Courtesy photo Linda Durrer and Cathy Streight of the Tehama County Democratic Central Committee are holding photos of women suffragists in honor of the 100th Anniversary of women's right to vote in California, which falls on Monday. Groups set to commemorate centennial of vote By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer More than 60 years of campaign- ing happened before California became the sixth state to give women the right to vote. In a victory won by an average of a little more than one man's vote per precinct, women were awarded the right to vote on Oct. 10, 1911. Two local events are planned to commemorate the milestone. The Red Bluff-Tehama County branch of the American Association Push fails to repeal firefighting fee SACRAMENTO (AP) — An effort to repeal Cali- fornia's annual fire-protec- tion fee on rural property owners has fallen short of the signatures it needs to go before voters next year, the effort's organizer said Wednesday. State Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville had been lead- ing an effort to overturn the maximum $150 annual fee. The deadline for collect- ing the 505,000 signatures needed to force a ballot ref- erendum is Thursday. But Gaines told The Associated Press on Wednesday that organizers won't have near- ly enough to qualify. ''Unfortunately, we're not gathering enough to put a referendum on the ballot, but we have clearly influ- enced the debate,'' Gaines said in a telephone inter- view. He cited the decision by the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection in August to charge home- owners $90 next year instead of the full $150. Moreover, a bill proposed last month by Gov. Jerry Brown to raise the fee failed in a Senate committee amid bipartisan opposition. Brown, a Democrat, was trying to fix what he says are flaws in the bill he signed in July as part of the budget package. The governor proposed to increase the fee from a maximum of $150 to a min- imum of $175, plus another $25 for each additional structure on the property. He also wanted to change the law to ensure the revenue can be used by the Depart- ment of Forestry and Fire Protection. The AP reported in August that unless it is changed, the law could end up draining $50 million from the state's firefighting budget this year, and as much as $200 million in future years. The fee would apply to about 850,000 properties statewide. About 94 percent are also within a fire protec- tion district, so Brown pro- posed to reduce their annual fee by $25 to help offset what they already pay for fire protection. Janet Upton, spokes- woman for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protec- tion, said the agency is talk- ing with the administration on how to proceed since the bill failed. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power of University Women will host a centennial luncheon at noon Mon- day at the Tremont Cafe and Creamery, 731 Main St. At the event, Linda Lucas will trace the bumpy road for California women getting the vote. Lucas is legislation chairwoman of the California Federation of See VOTE, page 7A The 10 employees in the unit that are paid through the general fund will be laid off by five hours per week, roughly 12 percent of hours, according to a Budget Com- mittee proposal. The remaining union members who are paid through the enterprise fund will not be affected. While there were ques- tions about the legality of the city calling the reduced hours a layoff rather than a furlough, members also brought up what they called moral or ethical concerns. Fire Department Admin- istrative Assistant Sherryl Arend, the union's co-shop steward, said the cuts were outrageous and an uncalled for action. "We are deeply hurt that the city and the council members would put us in the position of losing our livelihoods," Arend said. "This proposed action of reducing our hours to a 35- hour workweek cuts our take-home pay an average of $500 per month per employee; which may not seem like a lot to you, but is a monumental loss for those of us with the lowest paid salaries here at City Hall." The layoffs would create a savings of about $45,000 in the general fund for the remainder of the fiscal year, according to the proposal. The saving is less than the expected $60,000 the Bud- get Committee had antici- pated, but asking for the 10 See CITY, page 7A Officers, office earn commendations By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Red Bluff Area Cal- ifornia Highway Patrol Office had a special visit Wednesday from Assistant Commissioner Warren Stanley and Northern Divi- sion Assistant Chief Ruben Leal to present awards and do an inspection. "Everybody looks sharp," Stanley said. "That was the quickest and one of the best I've ever seen. You take pride in it. I appreciate it and the commissioner appreciates it." Officer Phillip Mackin- tosh received a Certificate of Commendation from Com- missioner Joe Farrow, which was presented by Stanley, who read it out loud in front of his fellow offi- cers. "Your dedication to the department's Persons with Disabilities Program and associated disability issues are examples of your devot- ed commitment to your community," Stanley said. "Your understanding the characteristics of autism and diabetes has been noted by the public during car seat inspections and at public information events." Mackintosh's interaction with children and his ability to discuss disability issues with parents were among the things mentioned by Stanley. "Your community Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb California Highway Patrol Lt. Todd Garr, Officer Phillip Mackintosh, Assistant Commissioner Warren Stanley and Assistant Chief Ruben Leal of Northern Divi- sion CHP pose for a picture after it was announced Mackintosh had been given a certificate of commendation by Commissioner Joe Farrow. Mackintosh was nominated for an award presented by the Disabled Awareness Committee. involvement with the Spe- cial Olympics Tip-A-Cop fundraising events shows that you are a true advocate for disability awareness," Stanley said. "Your actions bring great credit to you and the CHP family. With this recognition, the department commends your unselfish devotion to individuals with disabilities." See OFFICE, page 7A Celebrate Customer Service Week: October 3-7 CS Bootcamp - Season V: Refresh, Recharge, Reconnect A one hour, fast paced training to revisit key skills with staff. $35 per group – at your site – dates available throughout October. Call the Job Training Center at 529-7000