Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/480625
ByFenitNirappil TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO » California resi- dents have to turn off their sprin- klers, and restaurants won't give customers water unless they ask under new drought regulations approved Tuesday. The State Water Resources Control Board has extended and expanded restrictions on water use with California entering its fourth year of drought as winter ends without significant storms or snowfall to replenish dwin- dling reservoirs. The drought's effects are rip- pling across the state, hurting wildlife and forcing farmers to leave fields unplanted. So far this winter, wildfires are burn- ing through nearly four times as many acres as usual. The state firefighting agency reports that the dry conditions are forcing it to maintain its highest-ever DWINDLING RESERVOIRS Drought- stricken state ramps up water restrictions Staff reports ORLAND » The Tehama County Sheriff's Office has opened an in- vestigation into the reported theft of more than $20,000 in farmland equipment. Sheriff's deputies on Monday responded to a report of a theft at an orchard on Watkins Road, north of Malton Switch Road in the Orland area, according to a press release issued Tuesday. The site manager reported that sometime between Sunday after- noon and Monday morning a trac- tor was stolen from the property while other items were stolen from a locked storage container, according to the release. The manager reported that a blue New Holland tractor was sto- len along with an orange Kubota utility vehicle, a green Honda all- terrain vehicle, a chainsaw and an air compressor. The total loss was estimated at about $20,850. TEHAMA COUNTY Deputies probe the of farmland equipment Morethan$20,000in equipment reported stolen By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF » The Tehama County Planning Commission will dis- cuss the possibility of creating an ordinance that would set stan- dards for the establishment of wind and solar facilities. The commission will consider a Resolution of Intention to com- mence the process to amend the county's zoning ordinance at its 9 a.m. Thursday meeting. A staff report says the county has received applications for solar projects on Williamson Act con- tracted lands and other types of zoned properties since 2011. However the county has not es- tablished a set of standards or cri- teria for the placement or design of wind or solar systems within any particular zoning district. "Whether these systems are small ground/roof residen- tial systems or large wind/so- lar farms, it has become appar- ent that these products have grown in popularity causing many county jurisdictions to struggle with the proper loca- tion and/or design in which to place these facilities condition- ally, by right or at all," the staff report says. The Tehama County General Plan states the county should pro- mote "improved air quality bene- fits through energy conservation measures for new and existing de- velopment." If the Planning Commission starts the process of amending the zoning ordinance, county staff would develop a draft ordinance an d pr es en t it t o th e Bo ar d of Su - pervisors. If the board approves the di- rection, public hearings would be scheduled with both the Planning Commission and Board of Super- visors before the ordinance is ad- opted. ZONING Countytoconsidersolar,windstandards By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF » A Tehama District Fair Board of Directors com- mittee has recommended that the annual September fair be moved to the third week of July. The fair board heard the recommendation at its regu- lar meeting Tuesday, and will vote on the proposal at its next meeting April 21. Fair board Director Andrew Meredith, referencing a recent online survey conducted by the fair, said out of 137 responses from the community, 101 an- swered that the fair should move to July. "I think all things consid- ered — from our standpoint from the ad hoc committee — I think this survey kind of ce- ments the fact that we really need to move the fair back to July," Meredith said. The fair was last moved to September in 2000. Any change to the current fair dates would not go into effect until 2017 at the earliest. Since last fall, fair board di- rectors have taken the temper- ature of community members and other fair stakeholders through face-to-face outreach, fair board meetings, mailers and online polling. Those in favor of a change have said a July fair could boost attendance and better accommodate those who par- ticipate in the Tehama Junior Livestock Auction. The annual auction facilitates hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales. Opponents, such as resident and fair-goer John Sidwell, who on Tuesday presented a letter he wrote to the board on the topic, say a move to July would place the fair in the warmest time of the year. "Here we are again, spend- ing time and resources rehash- ing the same old story," Sidwell said. "From the temperature to attendance, everything has im- proved by moving the fair to September. The Education Day is a success. The Junior Live- stock Auction has set records for the last three years." Sidwell questioned why the subject of the fair date seems to come up every few years. "I don't want you to walk away thinking that we haven't (thought) this stuff out," Mer- edith told Sidwell. Meredith said the feed- back the ad hoc committee has heard from the livestock groups has been that parents of Junior Livestock Auction exhibitors are frustrated by having their summers tied to raising animals in addition to other concerns regarding rais- ing livestock in the summer. "The livestock people that we've talked to have been pretty adamant that it was a lot easier when it was in July," Meredith said. "We want to make this event for the entire community — don't get me wrong — but this is an agri- cultural association, and we're promoting Tehama County ag- riculture. We're trying to give the youth in this community a pathway to generate money for college scholarships and things like that." In recent months, advocates for moving the fair have said the September event competes with local youth and high school sporting events for at- tendance, and that Junior Live- stock Auction exhibitors have missed school days because of their commitments. Meredith said potentially losing the Education Day pro- vided to area students dur- ing the fair would be the most disappointing aspect of the move. But he added that the fair board could think of ways to resurrect the event in some way. TEHAMA DISTRICT FAIR BOARD COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS MOVING FAIR TO JULY DAILYNEWSFILE A Tehama District Fair Board of Directors committee recommended Tuesday that the annual September fair be moved to the third week of July, starting as soon as 2017. Community.....A3 Business .........A4 Lifestyles........A5 Opinion............A6 Sports.............. B1 Food.................B4 INDEX California State University, Chico will hold a sustainability conference March 26-27. PAGEA5 LIFESTYLES CSUconferenceto discuss sustainability Column discusses what characteristics a great business leader uses to communicate. PAGE A4 BUSINESS Communication secrets of great leaders A severe solar storm smacked Earth on Tuesday, potentially affecting power grids and GPS tracking. PAGE B6 GEOMAGNETIC JOLT Solarstormhits,maypull northernlightssouth Humble toast doesn't have to be so humble. Here are 10 ways to mix up your toast routine. PAGE B4 FOOD 10 fresh ideas to make toast exciting WATER » PAGE 7 "I think all things considered — from our standpoint from the ad hoc committee — I think this survey kind of cements the fact that we really need to move the fair back to July." — Fair board Director Andrew Meredith » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 18, 2015 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume130,issue84 Good morning, thanks for subscribing » Donald Crane CATTLEWOMEN The very best Salisbury steak recipe Community » A3 SOROPTIMISTS Ragsdale honored by Chico group Lifestyles » A5 FORECAST High: 80 Low: 48 » B8 Grow?Ranchorride? Readaboutlocalandnational Ag, rural, ranch and rodeo news and commentary. VISIT REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM/ RODEO DOYOU RODEO?