Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6382
State wine sales down in 2009 FRESNO, (AP) — The wine industry received sobering news this week: California shipments dropped in 2009 for the first time in 16 years. Sales figures show that wine consumption is up 2.1 per- cent nationally, but consumers are turning to cheaper imports from Chile, Argentina and Australia to tantalize their palates as global production exceeds demand. ''The good news is that people are still drinking wine,'' said Gladys Horiuchi of the Wine Institute, which repre- sents more than 1,000 of the state's wineries and related businesses. The numbers announced this week by longtime analyst Jon Fredrikson at the western hemisphere's largest sympo- sium in Sacramento were not unexpected. They follow a two-year trend of slumping sales for premium wines as strapped consumers eat out less and make more frugal pur- chases. The biggest drop in wine sales is for bottles that retail for more than $20. Sales were off between 20 and 30 percent in 2009, according to Steve Rannekleiv, an analyst for Rabobank. During the same time, sales for wines that cost less than $6 a bottle rose 5 percent. Gunman kills victim in Sacramento restaurant SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A masked gunman walked into a Sacramento County Vietnamese restaurant and shot to death a 22-year-old man. Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran says no words were exchanged before the assailant fired several shots at close range. The victim was eating with three friends when the attack occurred. Curran says detectives suspect the killing to be gang- related because the victim had been validated as a gang member by law enforcement and because the area near Stockton Boulevard and the 65th Street Expressway is known for gang activity. Pot backers submit petitions SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Backers of a California ini- tiative to legalize marijuana said they would submit far more signatures Thursday than needed to qualify the mea- sure for the November ballot. Volunteers intended to submit about 700,000 signatures collected across all 58 California counties, campaign spokesman Dan Newman said. The initiative needs about 434,000 signatures from reg- istered voters to make the ballot. Campaigners typically try to collect far more to build a cushion in case some signa- tures are invalidated. The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. It also would allow limited growing on private property and permit local governments to decide whether to legalize and tax pot sales. ''Our current laws aren't working. We should have learned from alcohol prohibition,'' said Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee, the measure's main backer. Lee has marshaled manpower and financial support for the initiative through Oaksterdam University, an Oakland- based school he founded to train growers and distributors of medical marijuana. Under current state law, Californians can legally grow and possess pot for medical purposes. Friday, January 29, 2010 – Daily News – 9A Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service Family owned to provide you the best service & pricing in the area. It's what you can expect from family. 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-1732 • FD Lic. 1931 The family of Richard McDonald would like to thank the many family & friends who helped us through the eleven months of cancer Richard endured. Your visits, calls and cards were all so encouraging. Thank you so very much to all of you who attended the service for Richard, for the many, many cards, flowers and the wonderful food that was brought to the family before the service and then for the potluck after. Thank you to the school friends who shared stories with me. Thanks to Dennis Garton for getting the hall, Cindy & Bill Roberson for setting it up and attending the food, for the many people who helped in serving the food. It is everyone's kindness and thoughtfulness that is helping me, the children and all of Richard's family through this most difficult time. If you have a message you might like to share of knowing Richard go the Red Bluff Daily News obit guest book that is online. This will be kept for his grandchildren. Thank you and God Bless Pat McDonald, Children, Grandchildren, Brothers & sisters Death Notice Obituary DOLORES "DEE" DARLENE MCDORMAN Dolores Darlene McDorman, 68, of Red Bluff, CA passed away on January 24, 2010. She was a Health Care Pro- vider. Survivors include daughter Holly Beaven of Red Bluff, CA, son Ryk McDorman of Denver, CO, son Terry Hunt of Corning, CA, daughter Angel Powell of Red Bluff, CA, daughter Sonya Ridgeway of Prosser, WA, brother Kenneth Davis of Corning, CA, sister Con- nie Cassano of Yoncalla, OR, sister Sharon Espinosa of Corning, CA, eight grand- children and one great grandchild. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements by Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers, Red Bluff, CA 96080, 527-1174 Claire Frances Lindsay Claire Frances Lindsay of Palo Cedro died Thurs- day, Jan. 28, 2010, in Red- ding. She was 85. Neptune Society FD- 1440 in Chico is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, Jan. 29, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. the NLCS than to not be in the NLCS," he said. "But it's nice to know that this could move forward either way." In his Jan. 15 letter, Herger said he fears the NLCS could be subverted by environmental groups. He cites language in the act that calls for "signifi- cant landscape" to be pro- tected. "Time and time again, activist groups have used federal language such as this to force federal agen- cies into restricting man- agement and use of feder- al lands as well as actions on adjoining private lands," Herger wrote. According to Herger, it remains unclear whether the bill creating the recre- ation area would trump NLCS language, or vice versa. Historically, the 17,600 acres that make up the Sacramento River Bend Area have been acquired through consensual agree- ments with neighboring landowners — and the bill makes specific mention that any future acquisi- tions must come through voluntary sales. Grazing guard Herger's objections extend to grazing rights. About two-thirds of the Bend area is leased to pri- vate ranchers for grazing, and both Herger and coun- ty officials have been push- ing for language in the bill that would protect existing and future grazing. According to Good- win, Boxer's office has been open to addressing grazing concerns. The existing grazing language was implemented at the county's request, and the way the county reads it, the bill will allow for con- tinued grazing, as long as it is consistent with feder- al policy and the bill itself. But Herger takes issue with language in the bill that says land use must be consistent with a larger goal to "conserve, protect, and enhance the landscape (of the area)." The language could be used to undermine grazing policies, he said. Power shift Barring the kind of judi- cial interference that Herger suggests, the bill could trans- fer more power over the land to the county, through the form of an Advisory Council. Of 11 council members, three would be chosen by the Board of Supervisors, one would be chosen by Shasta County. The remaining eight, while chosen by Interi- or Secretary Ken Salazar, would all be local, including four people representing the recreation community. While Salazar would maintain final say over land use, the council would be required to draft a management plan, and Salazar would be required to consult with the coun- cil on a "periodic" basis. Public input Whether the Board of Supervisors asks Herger to support this version of the bill depends on public input, Goodwin said. A public meeting on the bill is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, at Bend School, 22270 Bend Ferry Road. The board is likely to con- sider sending a letter of sup- port, or disapproval, of the latest bill at its 10 a.m. meet- ing Feb. 9. More information is avail- able by calling 527-4655. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailyn ews.com. Continued from page 1A BOXER possession of deer, one count of unlawful possession of dove, and one count of unlawful possession of waterfowl. He was sentenced to pay $4,195 in fines, forfeit the firearms he used in the crime and three years of probation, during which time he may not hunt. Gibson pleaded no contest to two counts of unlawfully taking deer and was sentenced to pay $2,675 and forfeit his firearms. Smith pleaded guilty to the unlawful take of dove in an unre- lated unlawful take of dove that occurred in August 2009 and was ordered to pay $785 in fines. The vast majority of hunters abide by fish and game laws, but protecting California wildlife remains a serious problem, according to the release. Anyone witnessing illegal hunting or the illegal killing of wildlife is asked to call the DFG's toll-free hotline at 1-888-334- 2284 (DFG-CALTip). Additional hunting informa- tion is available at dfg.ca.gov. —Staff report Continued from page 1A HUNTING tion, however. Accord- ing to EPA maps, Cali- fornia counties by far represented the single largest collective area to be found in violation of ozone standards, with about three-quarters of the state not meeting EPA standards. Abbs previously appealed to the Board of Supervisors to adopt development fees that could be used to pay for air improvement pro- jects. The idea was to shift the burden of miti- gation costs to new development, which indirectly contributes to transportation pollution. The alternative may be stricter regulations on agricultural sources. The proposal was met with thorough resis- tance, with members of the public and business owners skeptical that anything could be done to improve air quality due to outside influ- ences. With the county examining the prospect of a separate "develop- ment impact fee" policy to pay for fire and police services, the idea was put on hold until the county could deal with both at once. As air quality wors- ens, so do the health risks for Tehama County residents. Increased rates in both asthma and lung disease have been tied to higher ozone rates, as have reduced crop yields. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdaily news.com. Continued from page 1A FEES Dean Cofer addressed the council. "My comments should not be construed as ques- tioning the competency of the city attorney," Bowen said. "My comments are directed at what I see as a lack of financial prudence in granting a part-time employee a significant salary increase when the salaried and hourly rated employees are having their pay reduced by 10 percent." Strack said Fitzpatrick's new contract has the same base salary and annual increase as the previ- ous one and that Fitzpatrick had already taken a 10 percent furlough cut along with the other city employees. Strack said Fitzpatrick deserved the increases because of his education the fact he had saved the city a considerable amount of money by being a part-time employee. "We had two personnel matters that, if charged by the hour, the city's cost that year would have been $10,000 or $20,000 more," Strack said. "I can and would be able to prove that to you." Bowen asked the council if it had made an effort to seek a qualified employee who would work for a more modest salary. Cofer questioned whether Fitzpatrick can do jus- tice to his many clients, as he also is the city attor- ney for Anderson, assistant city attorney for Orland and represents seven other public agencies and two corporate clients. The contract will be renewed automatically each fiscal year unless either Fitzpatrick or the city gives a 60-day termination notice. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Continued from page 1A CORNING At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. CARE TO COMMENT? State seeks to end loophole on tax havens SACRAMENTO (AP) — Cali- fornia lawmakers seeking to give college students a break took aim Thursday at corporations that dodge taxes by stashing their profits in foreign banks. The Assembly passed a bill that would temporarily close a loophole allowing companies to create tax havens in other coun- tries. Money generated by the move would not produce additional rev- enue for the state. Instead, it would allow California to reduce the state sales tax on college text- books and supplies, giving a small break to students whose fees have skyrocketed. ''If you raise your revenues in California, you can't get away with not paying taxes simply by setting up a shell corporation tax structure in a tax haven,'' Assem- blyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, said during the floor debate. The 80-member Assembly nar- rowly approved the bill by Assemblyman Marty Block, D- San Diego, with a 41-28 vote. It now goes to the state Senate. The loophole has long been targeted by Democrats. Because the bill does not technically add revenue to the state, it required only a majority vote to pass. Tax bills usually require a two-thirds vote. Republicans characterized the bill as a tax increase that would encourage businesses to leave California. ''You're killing companies, you're discouraging everybody from coming to California, you're hurting the future of our children that we're trying to educate,'' said Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point. Corporations would pay taxes on offshore accounts only if the money was made in California, said Christopher Ward, Block's chief of staff. The accounts would be reported on a company's income tax return with the state Franchise Tax Board. If signed into law, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2011. It would reduce the state sales tax college students pay on books and supplies by 2 percent between that date and June 30, 2012. After that, the state tax would be eliminated altogether for college students, leaving them to pay only local sales taxes. The California Franchise Tax Board estimated that corporations would pay a total of $70 million in additional taxes during the year following the bill's implementa- tion. They would pay $120 mil- lion each fiscal year after that through mid-2014, and $50 mil- lion in the final year until the law expires in mid-2015. Lawmakers would have to reauthorize the law if they wanted to continue closing the offshore loophole. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has pledged not to raise taxes, has not taken a position on the bill, spokesman Aaron McLear said. 'You're killing companies, you're discouraging everybody from coming to California, you're hurting the future of our children that we're trying to educate' Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point STATE BRIEFING