Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6835
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A group pushing for a constitutional convention to reform California's government said Friday it was sus- pending the campaign due to a lack of funding. Repair California said it would restart the effort if it raised more than $3 million by March 1 — an amount acknowledged as a long shot by Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a regional business group that started Repair California. ''You don't get to put an initiative on the ballot in California without real money,'' Wunderman said. ''The money really never showed up ... We're going out of business.'' Critics said the proposal could open the constitution to a wide array of changes that have nothing to do with governance issues. Repair California officials coun- tered that the convention would be limited to government reform. Wunderman said voters supported a constitutional convention but were reluctant to donate in the weak econ- omy. He said the group had spent about $1 million and was on track to gath- er the signatures needed to get its two initiatives on the November bal- lot. One proposed measure would allow citizens to call for a constitu- tional convention. The legislature currently holds that authority. The other sought to stage a convention on budget reform and other matters such as the balance of power between state and local governments. Repair California said state gov- ernment had become dysfunctional, and the convention was needed to reduce the influence of special inter- est groups and end gridlock in Sacra- mento. ''We're taking one step back today,'' said Lenny Mendonca, chair- man of Repair California. ''But the movement is not going to die. The need for repair in California is too important.'' Democratic Assemblyman Hector De La Torre agreed that California needs to address how it handles bud- gets and ballot measures. But the best route to reform is through the Legislature, he said. ''The schizophrenia that we have in the Legislature is reflective of the population at large,'' said De La Torre, who represents southeastern Los Angeles County. ''If that's hap- pening out there, we're going to reflect it in here. I think a constitu- tional convention would do exactly the same.'' De La Torre said a bipartisan committee that met recently to iden- tify possible avenues to reform was the right first step toward making changes. Saturday, February 13, 2010 – Daily News – 9A • Your loved one NEVER leaves our care. • For your peace of mind, we personally perform cremations on site. • No hidden charges. If cremation is your choice, there really is no other choice for you than the cremation experts at Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Contact us today so we may answer your questions. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements 816 Walnut Street | Red Bluff (530) 527-1174 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers owns and operates the only on-site crematory in Tehama County. Is cremation your choice? Obituary 2498 South Main St • Red Bluff www.tehamafamilyfitness.com Tehama Family Fitness Center presents Winning With Losses Weight Loss Competition Join this highly successful program! Benefit from weekly weigh-ins, specialty classes, nutritional consultations, cash prizes and more! Program starting early February 15 th Call Aubrie or Kim for more details at 530-528-8656 The winner of our last competition lost over 50lbs and the group lost a combined 282.5 lbs. in 10 weeks! DARRELL RALPH OGIER Darrell Ralph Ogier, age 32, passed away on February 9, 2010, born August 17, 1977, was a Mechanic by trade. Survivors include his pa- rents Sandy and Teddy L. Pearce of Red Bluff, CA., his father Raymond Ogier of Gold Hill, OR., his son Aus- tin Ogier of Red Bluff, CA., his daughter Taylor Ogier of Red Bluff, CA., his brothers Michael Ogier of Red Bluff, CA, Daniel Ogier of Dairy- ville, CA., Ryan Pearce of Red Bluff, CA., his sister Bo- biejo Ogier of OR, grand- mothers Barbara Ogier of Medford, OR, and Shirley Manning of Potts, OK. Visitation will be Monday, February 15, 2010 from 5 - 8pm at the Chapel of the Flowers. Services will be Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 10am at the Chapel of the Flow- ers. union's local representa- tive, could probably pro- vide the numbers. Tucker, director of the Bay Area-based group California Healthy Com- munities Network, has worked with the local group but not with Kopper and has not provided any financial support to him or the group, Tucker said in a telephone interview. "I have not spoken with William Kopper," he said. "By reputation I know him, but I've never worked with him. I've had a few meetings with the group, but I can't know what legal counsel is doing. I initially did some work with the group, and I worked with them on and off to provide studies and research, but I have not given any financial sup- port." Tucker's network is a non-profit organization made up of members who "share common concerns regarding poorly planned, environmentally unsus- tainable, economically discriminatory and socially unjust land use and development prac- tices in California," according to its Web site. The network's members include local, environ- mental and social ser- vices organizations, as well as churches and labor unions. The union's anti-Wal- mart stance is well-known. It's Wakeup Walmart Web site campaigns against Walmart. An e-mail attempt to contact the union received an automated reply acknowledging the e-mail had been received. No reply was received as of Friday afternoon. Kopper declined to comment on what he called money issues between him and his clients, citing attorney- client privilege, during a phone interview. Following a Red Bluff City Council meeting on Jan. 5, Kopper had said he represents the citizen groups, who are footing the bill. At that time, he could not recall whether he made the initial contact with the citizens group or if the group contacted him. Kopper has been involved in a number of lawsuits against Walmart in cities all over the state including Redding, Anderson, Yuba City, Linda, Stockton, Gilroy and Santa Rosa. In all these cases he represented citizen groups with names such as Stockton Citizens for Sensible Planning, Yuba County Citizens for a Quality Environment or (Gilroy) Citizens for Responsible Develop- ment. All these cities now have Walmart Super- centers except Santa Rosa. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdai- lynews.com. Continued from page 1A SUITS country to see who is the most effective at using the Iditarod, an Alaskan dog-sled race, as a teaching tool. She'll explain her methods to other educators and if a panel of judges chooses her, she'll be back in March, to fol- low the race. Froke has been using this method for three years now, ever since her class read Gary Paulsen's Woodsong, a non-fic- tion account of the author's entry into the Iditarod. "It's as much of a challenge for a musher getting through the Iditarod as it is getting through high school for these guys," she said. The Iditarod, in all its com- plexities, is more than just a motivator for students. From geography to math, the wintry land and its race is the source of endless insight. Say you have several feet of snow, light snow, snow not thick enough to support your weight. It gives way, and soon you are up to your waist in snow. The lesson, for the average person, might be to wear snow- shoes. For Froke, the situation can yield much more. "You can take that all the way through weather and physics," she said. "Snow is different at different temperatures. Has it been packed? What's the density of it? What's it mean for the speed of a sled?" Because it would be her first time on the trail, winning still comes with restrictions. If she wins, Froke will be flown from checkpoint to checkpoint, instead of going by dog sled, and will likely not go very far from Anchorage. More than 3,000 miles away, her students would still be able to follow her online, where she would impart the same lessons for which she is known. If teaching-by-blog is not as effective as teaching in person, it does intersect with two of the things that seem to have made Froke's class successful. Only a week into the program, 16-year-old Bobby Segtal, a longtime football player, said the lesson plan hooked him by tying schoolwork and sport together. The other key is, with around 2,000 people, Los Molinos can feel restrictive for some students. "Los Molinos is very small sometimes," Froke said. But there is a larger world, and a reminder is posted on the rear of Froke's classroom. It's a poster of Jeff King, a Shasta College graduate who moved to Alaska and won the Iditarod four times — something only four other racers can claim going back to 1973. King also holds the fifth fastest time over- all in the race's history. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.co m. Continued from page 1A SLED The center, which is a non-profit incorporated in 1977, had about 10 seniors on a good day when Linda Lima took over management, Vandy- griff said. It now hosts between 36 and 40 on a good day and sometimes more for events such as monthly birthday parties, she said. The center's only fund- ing is the money from the city and $800 a year from the Senior Nutrition Pro- gram. All money collected from the $2.50 per person donation for lunches goes to the program in Red Bluff that provides the lunches. While the center is rented out nearly every weekend for $175 a week- end, even if it was rented every weekend it is not enough to cover Lima's wages, which are mini- mum wage with no bene- fits, Vandygriff said. Rental fees were raised last year, but even if raised again this year it would not be enough, she said. The original capital, which came from three gifts totaling about $200,000, has had to be used for operating expens- es over the years. "All things considered, the center will exhaust all of the capital in 10 to 12 years and cease to exist," Vandygriff said. "If the senior center is to contin- ue, we need help. Dona- tions are tax deductible." Mayor Gary Strack asked for time to consider the matter, noting that the mid-year budget is almost up for review. "At this point, we real- ly have to look at it," Strack said. "We're strapped." John Richards of the Corning Skateboard and Bike Association asked the council what kind of commitment the associa- tion could expect of the city. "It's too early for the council to commit, but the consensus of the council is to work with your board," Strack said. Strack said the concep- tual plan for the Prop. 84 grant the city is applying for, which would allow the city to build a new park, does have a skate- board park in it. At this point, the coun- cil would like to wait until the Prop. 84 grants are given out in September and go from there, Strack said. Richards said he was worried the $220,000 given to the Corning Community Foundation for renovations on Rodgers Theatre would run out before it could be used. He was assured by City Manager Steve Kim- brough that the money has until 2011 to be spent and there is about $350,000 in two park funds available specifically for develop- ing parks. The association has ideas for upcoming fundraisers and will be working with the Corning Community Foundation, Richards said. The association meets at 6 p.m. on the third Monday of the month at City Hall, 794 Third St. The council meets the second and fourth Tues- days of the month at City Hall, 794 Third St. Meet- ing minutes and agendas are available at www.corning.org. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews. com. Continued from page 1A FUNDS A federal suit filed Thursday by the canal authority against the bureau over water alloca- tion will not effect the progress of the Fish Pas- sage project, the canal authority's General Man- ager Jeff Sutton said. The progress of the project can be followed at www.recovery.gov. Continued from page 1A PUMP Episcopal diocese sues breakaway parish TURLOCK (AP) — Episcopal leaders in central California are launching a new round of legal action to gain control of property used by congregations that split from the national church in a dispute over the Bible and homosexuality. The Diocese of San Joaquin said the congrega- tions that left to align with more conservative Angli- can parishes in 2007 had no right to take control of church property. Former Bishop John-David Schofield led about 40 San Joaquin parishes in the secession after the Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Breakaway Episcopal conservatives have since formed the rival Anglican Church in North America. The Modesto-based diocese previously filed a lawsuit against Schofield in an effort recover most of the church properties. But 10 of the breakaway parishes are incorporat- ed — meaning that they own their own property — so the diocese must deal with those cases individual- ly. On Monday, the diocese sued one of those parish- es, St. Francis Anglican Church in Turlock, ''to return control of the parish premises and other parish assets to the plaintiffs in the matter.'' The lawsuit also names the Rev. Gerald Grossman and nine members of the church's ruling body. ''The (Modesto) diocese has never given us money,'' Grossman said. ''The national church has never given us anything. Why do they think they have a right to this property?'' Group suspends push for constitution reform Schwarzenegger revives his failed lt. gov. pick SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will re-nominate his failed pick for lieutenant governor rather than face a costly legal battle against the Legisla- ture. Schwarzenegger is asking the Legislature to vote again on the nomination of Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria. He made the request in a statement Friday. The Senate approved Maldonado's nomina- tion this week, but the Assembly rejected it. Schwarzenegger initially had vowed to put Maldonado into the lieutenant governor's spot because the Assembly failed to garner an absolute majority of 41 votes against him. He was voted down Thursday 37-35. The Assembly Speaker's office saw it differ- ently, threatening a legal battle between the Legislature and the governor.