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ByFenitNirappil TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO Califor- nia's largest cities said wa- ter conservation goals or- dered by Gov. Jerry Brown were met or exceeded in June — the first month of mandatory cutbacks dur- ing the drought. The Los Angeles Depart- ment of Water and Power, the state's largest agency serving 4 million people, said it met its 16 percent savings target. Utilities serving San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco said savings far exceeded their goals from the state. Communities have been given nine months starting in June to cut use between 8 and 36 percent compared to 2013 levels, the year be- fore Brown declared a drought emergency. Many agencies reported savings ahead of a statewide con- servation report due later this week. Some communities op- posed the targets assigned by the State Water Re- sources Control Board, calling the goals unfair and unrealistic. Agencies that don't meet targets face fines and state-ordered conser- vation measures such as a limit on how many days a week residents can water lawns. San Diego was among the cities that said the state should give it credit for past drought-prepara- tion efforts that included paying for desalinated wa- ter. The city said water use plunged 24 percent in June, well past its 16 per- cent target. Robyn Bullard, a spokes- woman for the public util- ities department, credited a campaign that included television commercials and an e-mail blast to custom- ers. "All through May we were saying this is com- ing, this is coming," Bull- ard said. Some large communi- ties in the San Francisco Bay Area reported savings were nearly double what the state ordered. San Francisco reported saving 20 percent after it was given just an 8 per- cent conservation target because it has one of Cal- ifornia's lowest per-capita water use rates. The East Bay Municipal Utility District, serving more than a million cus- tomers east of San Fran- cisco, said it saved 31 per- cent in June, almost double its target. San Jose Water Co. re- ported that its customers reduced consumption by 35 percent in June, com- pared to the 20 percent goal. Regulators told resi- dents that letting lawns go brown is the best way to save water. July is expected to be another strong month for conservation because un- expected record rainfall in Southern California likely led to idle sprinklers. Follow Fenit Nirappil on Twitter at www.twitter. com/FenitN. DROUGHT DEANFOSDICK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Shrubs and trees along the periphery of a Langley, Washington, yard, have different water needs, and need to be irrigated occasionally since they're not as resilient. California's big cities say June wa te r- sa vi ng g oa ls w er e met By Janie Har and Martha Mendoza The Associated Press SANTA CRUZ Prosecu- tors charged a 15-year-old boy with murder, kidnap- ping and sexual assault Wednesday in the death of an 8-year-old girl in an art- ists complex in a California beach town. Police say Adrian Jerry Gonzalez lured Madyson Middleton into his family's apartment from a court- yard where she had been riding her scooter over the weekend. Gonzalez remains in custody at the Santa Cruz County juvenile detention center, where he has been held since the girl's body was found in a recycling bin Monday evening. "Unfortunately, the search for Maddy ended in the worst way possible," Santa Cruz District Attor- ney Jeffrey Rosell said. He said Gonzalez will be charged as an adult and added that in his two de- cades in Santa Cruz, he's never seen a 15-year-old charged with murder. The charges could send Gonzalez to prison for the rest of his life. A call to the Santa Cruz County public defender's office seeking comment on the case wasn't immediately returned. Gonzalez could be assigned a lawyer at his ar- raignment Thursday. Authorities haven't been able to establish a motive in the killing. "People do things for lots of reasons, sometimes we understand it, sometimes we don't," Rosell said. Neighbors at the Tan- nery Arts Center where both the suspect and Ma- dyson lived said they were stunned by the death. The center is a public-private nonprofit that includes 100 affordable loft apartments for artists and their fami- lies. About 250 people live in the complex, including about 50 children. "It's a great community because it's a bit unusual," Geoffrey Nelson, a photog- rapher and Tannery resi- dent, said. "You share the joys of people, their chil- dren growing up. Their art shows, their recitals. But you also share the sorrows." Nelson said he's known Gonzalez for several years and described him as shy, though they often chatted. "He was a yo-yo-expert, so he was oftentimes show- ing you tricks," Nelson said. Residents have been heartbroken to learn he's suspected in the death, he said. "It wasn't somebody from the outside," Nelson said. "It was somebody we all knew. It was someone we all knew and liked." Setorro Garcia, a Tan- nery resident who knew both the victim and sus- pect, said Gonzalez had been curious about the in- vestigation. "He kept asking, 'Any up- dates?'" Garcia said. A memorial has been set up in Madyson's honor, overflowing with dozens of bouquets, stuffed animals, balloons, candles and notes. A group of young girls, about Madyson's age, cried there Wednesday. SANTA CRUZ Pr os ec ut or s cha rg e tee n wi th murder in death of 8-year-old TERRY CHEA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Neighbors look at the growing memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and notes le in memory of Madyson Middleton in Santa Cruz on Wednesday. The close-knit community of artists in Northern California are grieving the death of the 8-year-old girl whose body was found in a trash bin at their housing complex and expressed shock that one of their own, a teenage boy, has been arrested in her death. COURTESY OF SANTA CRUZ POLICE DEPARTMENT Madyson "Maddy" Middleton By Sue Manning The Associated Press LOS ANGELES For years, Bill Berloni has taught his dogs to play make believe. Now, he's making it real. The trainer teaches rescue dogs to beg, bark and bow or sit, stand and shake for movies, TV and the Broadway stage. Once the animal actors retire, he brings them home to join his 30 dogs, one cat, farm animals and singing macaw that swears like a sailor. He is bringing the mot- ley crew to reality TV in "From Wags to Riches with Bill Berloni," the Discovery Family Channel's first orig- inal series, debuting next week. Berloni's stable of stars — all found from shelters — have appeared in Broad- way shows, touring com- panies, special events, the New York City Ballet, mov- ies, television and commer- cials. He estimates he's res- cued 150 dogs since 1977. Berloni, 58, who was rec- ognized by the Tony Awards for excellence in the theater, has been approached about a reality series before. He says he gave this one the green light because "there aren't many shows about good people doing good things." Some animal-welfare groups denounce animals in entertainment, but Ber- loni believes dogs were made for show business. He says he would never train a wild animal, but he does transform rough-and-tum- ble pooches into top actors. He rescued a Chihuahua named Chico, who went on to play Bruiser in "Legally Blonde: The Musical," when he was prone to biting and about to be euthanized at the pound. Berloni worked with Chico until he could bark on cue and run into his carrier whenever an ac- tress says, "White shoes af- ter Labor Day." Now, the tiny pooch that sleeps in the crook of his arm. "Chico lives for me, and you can't help but respond to that. It is a huge respon- sibility," the self-taught trainer said. Dogs are hardest to train for the stage, Berloni said. Unlike TV and film, there is no editing button, and it's impossible to mask dis- tractions from audiences and actors. The dog he trained to play Sandy in the original stage production of "Annie" in 1977 eyeballed the audi- ence as theatergoers in the front row were munching on fried chicken. But Sandy didn't leave the stage, Ber- loni said. "Annie" was a huge hit, and Sandy became the lon- gest-running dog actor on Broadway — she didn't miss a performance in seven years. Sandy gave Berloni his start training celebrity dogs. He was working at an opera house in Connecti- cut, where he and his fam- ily live on a farm in Hig- ganum, when a producer asked him to find and train the dog for "Annie." Things are a bit less glamorous on the reality show, which is wrapping up its first four episodes. At home, Berloni's salty macaw rules the roost. The bird named Kevin turns the kitchen sink into his stage, belting out tunes such as "Tomorrow" and "It's Rain- ing Men." Despite his out- rageous personality, Kevin has never acted, unlike his fellow pets. "He is only a star in our living room," Berloni said. Co-executive producer Sarah T. Davies says the show stands out for its sim- ple moments: A group of dogs playing in the snow; a massive St. Bernard getting a bath; his wife and daugh- ter competing to bake the best dog biscuits. "I do regard him as a real-life Dr. Doolittle," Da- vies said. 'WAGS TO RICHES' Re al it y TV s ho w un ve il s lif e as a trainer of animal actors DAVID JOHNSON — DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS Veteran animal trainer Bill Berloni poses with Taran, who was trained to play Winn Dixie in the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie." Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. •DR.ASATO&DR.MARTIN • FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE CO. • DOLLING INSURANCE • GUMM'S OPTICAL SHOPPE • OLIVE CITY QUICK LUBE • QRC • WALMART • TEHAMA CO. DEPT. OF ED. • JOHN WHEELER LOGGING, INC. • DUDLEY'S EXCAVATING, INC. • ETZLER FINANCIAL & INSURANCE • OLIVE CITY TAX PROFESSIONALS • PLACER TITLE COMPANY • AIRPORT AUTO REPAIR • GREENWASTE OF TEHAMA • NORTH MAIN AUTOMOTIVE • RED BLUFF VISION CENTER • STEVE'S BACKHOE SERVICE • SCHOOL HOUSE MARKET THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING N EWS D AILY REDBLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N TY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 NEWSPAPERS NIE • WING SOLAR & WOOD ENERGY | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015 10 A