Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/505233
TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO California'SDem- ocratic state senators are push- ing Gov. Jerry Brown to speed up water spending and calling for farmers to step up conser- vation in the face of a relentless drought. In a joint letter released Thurs- day, senators urged the gover- nor's administration to get wa- ter savings projects started in months instead of years. Cal- ifornia is in its fourth year of drought and the Sierra Nevada snowpack that supplies a third of the state's water is nearly de- pleted. The letter said climate change means such droughts "are likely to become much more the norm rather than the extreme." "We must respond by aggres- sively developing and implement- ing policies that will make Cal- ifornia more drought and cli- mate resilient in the future," they wrote. The problem isn't a lack of money, the senators say, but us- ing existing funds wisely. Vot- ers in November approved a $7.5 billion bond measure for water infrastructure, habitat restora- tion and storage projects negoti- ated by the Legislature. Lawmak- ers also authorized more than $1.7 billion in emergency water spending in the last two years. Brown's administration de- cides how to spend that money, and the senators are urging his deputies to act more quickly. They call it unacceptable that the administration will not have guidelines for how to award money for water recycling proj- ects until later this year or next, and call for one water czar to coordinate drought relief efforts among a patchwork of state agen- cies. Brown has defended shield- ing farmers from additional wa- ter cuts, but the senators said agriculture should do more to conserve. They recommend in- centives for planting fewer wa- ter-guzzling crops and installing more efficient irrigation systems. The letter was sent Tuesday af- ter Brown called for legislation beefing up enforcement of water restrictions, including $10,000 fines for the worst water wasters. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, has not commented on that legislation, and the letter does not address that proposal. Jim Evans, a spokesman for the governor, did not respond to the specifics of the letter but said the administration values ideas from the Legislature. SACRAMENTO De mo cr at s push Brown for faster drought spending Staff reports RED BLUFF Water conservation targets set earlier this month will stay unchanged, the state Water Resources Control Board decided late Tuesday. The system sets up a series of nine tiers of conservation tar- gets separated by 4 percent each, ranging from 4 percent to 36 per- cent reductions. Water agencies with the heaviest per capita wa- ter use face the biggest reductions while those that use less are asked to conserve less. The Water Board reported getting numerous comments on the system designed to hit Gov. Jerry Brown's order for a 25 percent reduction in wa- ter use, claiming it was unfair based on past conservation, cli- mate, lot size, density and in- come. But the board decided to let the rules stand as is for now. The Water Board is still taking comments until 10 a.m. Monday, specifically asking on whether the number of tiers should be doubled, separated by 2 percent. Final approval of the rules is ex- pected during the board's meet- ing Tuesday and Wednesday. In the Sacramento Valley, re- duction targets range from 24 percent for Marysville to 36 per- cent for Red Bluff, Paradise, the South Feather Water and Power Agency and Redding. Oroville, Willows and the Del Oro Water Co. face a 28 percent target; Chico and Yuba City are at 32 percent. Smaller water agencies haven't been required to report usage and have targets set, but that is supposed to change. Specifics on water use and conservation targets in the north valley are: RedBluff:Percapitadailyus- age 294.3gallons; reduction tar- get 36percent or 109.5gallons per person per day. Redding: Per capita daily usage 253.8gallons; reduction target 36percent or 91.4gallons per person per day. Chico District, California Wa- ter Service Co.: Per capita daily usage 210.4gallons; reduction target 32percent or 67.3gallons per person per day. Paradise Irrigation District: Per capita daily usage 240.8gal- lons; reduction target 36percent or 86.7gallons per person per day. Oroville District, California Water Service Co.: Per capita daily usage 131.6gallons; reduc- tion target 28percent or 36.8 gallons per person per day. DROUGHT Co ns er va ti on targets, goals un cha ng ed b y water board Staff reports RED BLUFF The Tehama County Sheriff's Office continued its search Thursday for a man who was said to be last seen swim- ming in the Sacramento River near the Antelope Boulevard bridge Wednesday. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the Sheriff's Office had not reported that it had located the swimmer. The man, described as white, around 30 years old with several tattoos on his arms and wear- ing dark-colored denim shorts, was swimming near the bridge supports and struggled to keep his head above water, according to a Sheriff's Office press release Thursday morning. Witnesses said that just be- fore 6 p.m. Wednesday, the man's head went under water and he did not emerge, accord- ing to the release. The identity of the man had not been confirmed as of Thurs- day, and the Sheriff's Office had activated search and rescue ef- forts, which included a Califor- nia Highway Patrol helicopter and a dive team. While the search was sus- pended Wednesday night due to darkness, officials said a dive team would assess the area Thursday. About 4 p.m. Thursday, the area where the man reportedly went under did not appear to have a law enforcement pres- ence. RED BLUFF Searchcontinuesforman Noreportofmissingswimmerbeinglocated Community...A3 Lifestyles .....A6 Education .....A5 Autos.............A7 Opinion......... A4 Sports...........B1 INDEX The Tehama County Fire Department's Bowman Station will have a barbecue Saturday. PAGE A3 COMMUNITY Bowmanstationtohold barbecue fundraiser The SERRF a erschool program will host its third annual GOFAR — Go Out For A Run event on Saturday. PAGE A3 COMMUNITY Fun run to support youth fitness Improbable saving of 2from the rubble an upli ing mo- ment in a nation wracked by death and destruction. PAGE B8 NEPAL Woman, teen rescued 5 days a er earthquake COURTESY PHOTO Students from Bend School pose with their float at the Red Bluff Round-Up Parade April 18. By Julie Zeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter RED BLUFF Bend Elemen- tary School is thinking out of the box this weekend with its first ever Eco Fair Saturday as a fundraiser for various projects around the campus at 22270 Bend Ferry Road. Admission is free. "It started with a cleanup in 2014 that Driscoll's put on from the boat ramp to the school," said teacher and Eco Fair committee member Jenny Walker. "We decided we wanted to make it a much bigger community event and that evolved into the Eco Fair. We hope to make it an annual event." Proceeds from the event will go toward sending fifth and sixth grade stu- dents to an environmental studies camp at Whiskey- town National Recreation Area. Any money remain- ing will go to various proj- ects that are not normally funded by the school, such as a hand washing station by the lunch area. The day begins with a 5K race combined with the Strawberry Stroll, a one- mile fun run for children or those who are not com- petitive runners. Registra- tion starts at 8:30 a.m. with the race beginning at 9 a.m. Those who pre-register will receive a shirt and a water bottle with their reg- istration. A limited num- ber of shirts, hats and wa- ter bottles will be available for purchase at the event on a first come, first served ba- sis. Cost is $20 for the 5K or $15 for the Strawberry stroll. Various vendors and craft booths will be avail- able along with an area of stations with children's ac- tivities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stations include face painting, a drumming sta- tion with the Bend Elemen- tary music teacher, para- chutes and a seed planting station. Driscoll's, one of the many sponsors of the event, is hosting a booth where participants can make re- cycled art. "From a local business standpoint, I've been very impressed with how much they've done and how proactive they are," said Driscoll's Strawberry Foun- dation Nursery Supervisor Jenny Webster. "It's a tes- tament to how much they love their student body. It's a beautiful thing and really it's a collective effort." The company will be do- nating to the school $10 per hour for every hour employ- ees have volunteered after work toward the recycled art booth as well as time spent at the event, includ- ing participation in the 5K race, Webster said. Walker said she is grate- ful for the community sup- port the first-time event has received from Driscoll's, Creekside Construction, One Stop Tack Shop, Vital- ity Health, Logo USA, Phys- ical Therapy and Wellness Center, The Copy Center, Dignity Health, Red Bluff Dodge, Dr. Tony Carbon- nell, Growney Motors and Rolling Hills Casino. Cal Fire will be on hand with a booth hoping to re- cruit volunteers toward re-opening the Bend Fire Station and the California Highway Patrol will be do- ing car seat checks. Participants are en- couraged to donate a new stuffed toy to CHP to be given out to children who have been involved in traf- fic collisions, Walker said. Local businesses can still get a booth for $20. Interested parties can call Walker at 527-4648 or send an email to jwalker@ever- greenusd.org. The event will include a large clean-up of the sur- rounding area 10:30-11:30 a.m. and everyone is wel- come to participate. Elementary school to hold Eco Fair BEND "We decided we wanted to make it a much bigger community event and that evolved into the Eco Fair." — Jenny Walker, Eco Fair committee member DROUGHT PAGE 9 New detail revealed; prosecu- tor pleads for patience while mulling charges against of- ficers involved. PAGE B5 FREDDIE GRAY Baltimore police turn in report on death » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, May 1, 2015 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume130,issue116 Good morning, thanks for subscribing Cathy Van Rooyen OUTDOORS Bird walk expects lots of avian activity Community A3 ENVIRONMENT Students enjoy visit from bus of fun Education A5 FORECAST High: 94 Low: 58 A10 LiketheDailyNews on Facebook and stay in the loop on local news, sports and more. VISITFACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS LIKEUSON FACEBOOK