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By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Rick Keene, who is running against Doug LaMalfa for the 4th Dis- trict State Senate seat, spoke to Tehama County Republican Women Fed- erated Wednesday about the need for a vision and ideas. A former UPS driver for 10 years and a Chico city councilman for eight years, including one term as mayor, Keene said it was important for Repub- licans to focus on ideas they can be for rather than just being against whatev- er Democrats propose. "If we really want to assume the mantel of leadership, we have to have ideas for what we're for," Keene said. "We have to have vision. We need to return to the old vision of being a limited government, fiscal responsibility and pro- family party." The ideas Keene pro- posed dealt with educa- tion, energy, natural resources, water and political reform. The Senate seat is being vacated by Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, who has served the maximum number of terms. Keene's opponent is former Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa. Keene also spoke about what a candidate should have to represent the Republican party. A candidate should believe the right thing that is in line with the party they wish to represent, have a record of doing something in other offices served, a vision for what Red Bluff Outdoor Power Weather forecast 8B Partly Cloudy 60/39 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ THURSDAY JANUARY 14, 2010 Yamas named Artist of the Month Spartans Wrestling Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 See Page 4A SPORTS 1B Pastimes 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 CALL TODAY (530) 529-1222 237 South Main Street As Local As.... Are you tired of being Nickel and Dimed by your current bank? It's time to move around the corner to Cornerstone Community Bank. • With our Better Than Free Checking • No Fees • No Monthly Service Charges • No ATM fees • No Minimum balances required Jack the Ribber 1150 Monroe St. 527-6108 NEW HOURS: Mon.-Fri 11am-8pm Sat. 4-9pm Ribs, Tri-tips Dinners Sandwich, Specials Corning cites marijuana collective By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — The city issued its first citation Wednes- day to Tehama Herbal Collec- tive, months after a written warning of being in violation of the city's zoning code was delivered. "We issued the first today and we will cite them every day that they remain open," said Planning Director John Stoufer. "It's a zoning violation as it is not described as permitted use in a C-2 Zone in the city of Corning." While the warning was given out in August, shortly after the temporary ordinance banning marijuana collectives in Corn- ing was passed on Aug. 11, 2009, the city will not be citing retroactively, Stoufer said. The decision to cite collec- tives and dispensaries was announced by Mayor Gary Strack at Tuesday's City Coun- cil meeting after a closed ses- sion following the normal meet- ing. "We have instructed the planning and police depart- ments to start code enforcement on collectives and dispensaries (Wednesday)," Strack said. Citations will be issued to Tehama Herbal Collective in the amount of $50 for the first violation, $100 for the second and $250 each day thereafter, Stoufer said. One of the things the City Council was waiting for was the decision of the court case Qual- ified Patients Association v. the City of Anaheim, Strack said. The case, which Strack said may last two more months, is a decision about whether Ana- heim's ordinance banning med- ical marijuana dispensaries was valid. "We've never recognized them as a legal business," Strack said. Calls to Ken and Kathy Prather of THC were not returned, but in previous inter- views the couple said the ordi- nance did not apply to THC because the collective had been open on Aug. 7, 2009, before the ordinance was passed. "The city can't close us unless we voluntarily closed," Ken Prather said. The ordinance banning col- lectives was extended Sept. 22, 2009, and a draft of a more per- manent ordinance regarding 'We've never recognized them as a legal business' Mayor Gary Strack County reviews marketing plan By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Months after the Red Bluff-Tehama County Cham- ber of Commerce funding was slashed and the duties of the Tehama Economic Development Corporation were passed to the Job Training Center, the county has received the results of a federally-funded economic analysis. Some of its points refer strictly to internal reorgani- zation — a name-change to Tehama Economic Devel- opment and a new charter may be in order for the cor- poration — but the three biggest legs of the plan may rely on state and federal help. Attracting Outsiders What does Tehama County look like to the rest of the state? To the rest of the country? According to the study from the Chapin Corpora- tion, bringing dollars back to Tehama County will require an organized marketing strategy that paints a clear picture. Tourism may not be everyone's ideal economic fix, but it may be one of the county's biggest strengths. Making Tehama County stand out means marketing what makes it different, according to the report. Three out of five of the county's top assets, as rated by the company, relate directly to tourism, including Lassen Volcanic National Park, natural and recreational resources — including the Sacramento River and open space — and agricultural tourism. According to a May 2009 Strategic Marketing Plan, tourism rates in Red Bluff were outpacing both Shasta County and California. Tourist advertising is typically handled by the cham- ber of commerce, said Job Training Center CEO Kathy Schmitz. But in 2009, both Red Bluff and Corning reduced their funding. In the meantime, county officials are keeping their fingers crossed for the Sacramento River Bend Nation- al Recreation Area. The Sacramento River Bend Area, as it is presently known, offers some 17,600 acres of public land with few restrictions on camping or hunting. But if Sen. Bar- Daily News photo by Tang Lor Students at Antelope Elementary School enjoy their lunchtime on the playground away from the traffic on Antelope Boulevard. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer School zones are 25 mph and the rule is in effect one hour before school starts and one hour after students leave campus. Some drivers have been confused about the rule since the installation of flashing lights atop the speed limit signs on Antelope Boulevard near Antelope Ele- mentary School. The speed limit posting specifically states "speed limit 25 when children are present," but the addition of the lights, which only flash at specified times, have made some drivers think they only have to slow down when the lights are flashing. That's not true, said CHP Officer Phil Mackintosh. In the zone Flashing lights confuse drivers Senate hopeful speaks to Republican women First female judge candidate in county By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Attorney Lisa Muto, a third generation Red Bluff resident, has announced her candidacy for Tehama County Superior Court, office one. She will be seeking election to the bench as the first woman judge in Tehama County. "If you look at history there has been no female judge or can- didate for judge in the county," she said. "All the surrounding counties have female judges so I think it's about time." Muto has been in court with presiding female judges and they tend to be very calm, she said. That's the kind of tone she would bring to the courthouse. "I pride myself in being a calm and level- headed individual," she said. Muto's campaign manager, law partner and husband, Frank Muto, said there has been an "outcry from the community" for a female judge, and at least one sitting county judge has wanted his wife to take the bench for a long time, so it's been in the back of her head for a while. Lisa Muto has been a practic- ing attorney for 20 years in all areas of law, including litigating cases in state and federal courts. If elected, she will bring to the bench her knowledge and experi- ence as one of the most highly regarded and successful attor- neys in the communi- ty, her husband said. "Very few attorneys operate at the level she does," he said. Lisa Muto will be running against Assis- tant District Attorney Jonathan Skillman for the seat being vacated by retiring Judge Edward King. In 1979, Lisa Muto graduated from Red Bluff High School in the top 10 percent of her class. She graduated from the Universi- ty of California at Davis in 1984, Lisa Muto See CORNING, page 7A See ZONE, page 7A See PLAN, page 7A See SENATE, page 7A See JUDGE, page 7A