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SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers will have to find more ways to trim spending after an appeals court on Wednesday shot down two budget cuts made in recent years. In separate cases before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, two judges ruled against the state's plans to cut spending in certain social and health care pro- grams. One was to reduce the state's contribution to the wages of home care work- ers by $2 an hour, from a maximum of $12.10 an hour to $10.10. The other was to cut Medicaid pay- ments by 5 percent to phar- macists, hospitals and adult day care providers. Finance Department officials estimated the state could be saving $79 million in the current fiscal year through June from reduced home care worker wages. At the same time, the state could be saving another $117 million from reduced Medicaid provider pay- ments. California calls its Medicaid program, Medi- Cal. Union representatives and home care workers said Wednesday's rulings help protect the state's most vul- nerable. The groups argued that the state made cuts without studying the impact on the quality of care. ''This is a good decision for a cost-effective pro- gram,'' said Mary Harms, a Contra Costa County home care worker. The governor's office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on a sim- ilar case. Last month, the administration asked the court to decide if private parties can sue the state over Medicaid funding. The administration argues that states need flexibility to make health care and ser- vice cuts to balance their budgets. ''We strongly disagree with the court's decision, which interferes with the state's ability to manage its finances and reduce its spending to match its rev- enue,'' Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola said. ''We are con- fident that the U.S. Supreme Court will overrule the 9th circuit's ruling.'' Thursday, March 4, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Death Notices Obituary RAE L. MCGREGOR Rae L. McGregor was born on July 27, 1935 in Edam, Saskatchewan, Canada. He came to California when he was 14 years old and later became a citizen of the Unit- ed States. Rae passed away unexpectedly on March 1, 2010 at his home. He had many professions throughout his lifetime but was most known for his work in Law Enforcement. He was a Policemen for the City of Red Bluff and also worked as an Investigator for Tehama Coun- ty Distr ict Attor neys office serving a combined 24 years. Rae was an avid loyal Green Bay Packer fan. He also enjoyed many years of golf- ing, fishing and hunting. A very special Elk Hunting trip was made to Canada in 2003 when Rae got his first Elk. Many other trips were made to Canada for visiting rela- tives. Rae was a member of the Elks and the Moose Lodges in Red Bluff. He enjoyed the many fr iendships that he made there. Rae is survived by his wife of 51 years, Thelia McGregor, daughters Lauri McGregor of Sacramento, Maureen Stringfellow of Rio Vista, Son in law, Kevin Bassett of Red Bluff, Granddaughters Kelsi Bassett of Placer ville, and Katie Bassett of Shingle Springs, and the Apples of his eye, Great Grandsons Jordan, Connor and Mason. Rae was preceded in death by Great Grandson Devon J. Medina. Rae's life will be celebrated at a Memor ial Ser vice at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge on Sat- urday, March 6, 2010 at 2:00 pm. In Lieu of flowers, please make contr ibutions to The American Diabetes Associa- tion, The Amer ican Hear t Fund, or the Elks National Foundation. Rae McGregor Rae McGregor died Monday, March 1, 2010, in Red Bluff. He was 74. Red Bluff Simple Cre- mations & Burial Services is handling the arrange- ments. Published Thursday, March 4, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Hattie Mae Nelson Hattie Mae Nelson died Monday, March 1, 2010, in Redding. She was 81. Private services will be held at a later date. Hoyt- Cole Chapel of the Flow- ers is handling the arrangements. Published Thursday, March 4, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Elizabeth Kaylene Stamp Elizabeth Kaylene Stamp died Wednesday, December 9, 2009, in Red Bluff. She was 49. A graveside service was held on Monday, Jan- uary 25, 2010 at Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo. Arrange- ments were handled by Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Published Thursday, March 4, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. states and communities based on census data. The data is used to determine each state's number of seats in the House of Rep- resentatives, community planning for roads, hospi- tals, schools and other infrastructure, job creation and language and health services. People should not be surprised if they find their questionnaires are shorter this year. The hope is that with a shorter question- naire, more people will respond, Ames said. It's designed to be 10 ques- tions in 10 minutes. The census itself is a huge undertaking. About 1.4 million temporary workers are hired to per- form various census tasks. It's the largest peace time mobilization in the US, Ames said. Despite the efforts of census workers to get everyone counted, there are people who fail to par- ticipate. Tehama County has a score of 69 on the scale of hard-to-count populations. Compared to the rest of the state, Lake County has the highest score at 79 and Amador County has the lowest at 14. The higher the score, the less partici- pation there is. Scores are based on the rate of participation in the 2000 Census, which is determined by the number of questionnaires mailed out and returned. "If you don't respond, you lose money," Ames said. "If you're neighbor doesn't respond, you lose money. Everyone should respond." ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdai- lynews.com. Continued from page 1A CENSUS can only be raised so much, though. "Cost of managing universal waste is extraordinary," Low said. "We propose to (take care of the cost) through extended stewardship. It's a time-tested system in Europe, Japan and Slovakia. It's not a new concept." Miller and Low said making pro- ducers responsible for the end of life for products will take a burden off of local governments and give compa- nies incentives to make greener, more environmentally friendly prod- ucts. Creating extended producer responsibility system legislation will level the playing field for all produc- ers, allowing the free market to work for recycling instead of against it, the council staff report said. While there is no direct fiscal impact of signing the pledge of sup- port, there could be a benefit if the widespread support prompts legisla- tion that reduces costs for the city. Corning joined 25 counties, 46 cities and 22 local government asso- ciations that are a part of the CPSC. The Corning City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at City Hall, 794 Third St. Meeting 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 WASTE Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Bonnie Low, California Product Stewardship Council Outreach and Development Manager, asks the Corning City Council Feb. 23 to sign a pledge of support. to the figurines, she had a some gold and coins. Betty Morales of Los Molinos brought some gold leaf wine goblets smuggled out of Germany by Ada Alberts during World War II, when it was forbidden for anything with goldleaf on it to leave the country. According to the story written by her Grandpa Zink, Alberts smug- gled the four goblets out on her lap in a wheelchair, pretending to be disabled, Morales said. The goblets are to be passed down to Morales' niece after the niece gets married, but the family was curious about their worth, she said. The buyer Morales talked to told her it was an insult to sell them in today's market. Marty Compton of Red Bluff planned to sell her items once she found out their worth. But she decided to come back another day after being told it would be a two- hour wait. "I brought antique dolls and sil- ver," Compton said. "It's stuff that's been in the family but no one wants it." Debra Willis of Corning brought a cart of items, but only sold one, she said. "I was very disappointed because all they did was hand me tags (refer- ring me to other sellers)," Willis said. "A whole day was wasted. Thank God I got gas to get home." Items Willis brought included a 30-year collection of buttons, gems, stones, gold pocket watches and a painting she found out was an origi- nal. Wayne Gipson of Red Bluff brought a few coins he collected, including one German coin with a swastika, and knives he had gath- ered from garage sales. He left due to the long wait. Wayne and Barbara Tuttle and their granddaughter Mistie Stone, all of Red Bluff, brought a wide assortment of coins, a first edition collection of miniature coins and a Robinson Crusoe In Words Of One Syllable book of unknown age. "We sell on ebay," said Barbara Tuttle. "(Buyer Joe Rivera's) been very helpful and informative. He's told us what to look for in items and what items to wait on selling." Barbara Tuttle said the majority of 200-300 coins they brought came from her husband's parents. The show continues 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 520 Adobe Road, in Red Bluff. Items can be brought to sell or just to be evaluated, which is free, Ensor said. The wait can be anywhere from 90 minutes to more than two hours. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Continued from page 1A HOARDS Infant found dead Tuesday Police are awaiting autopsy results on a five-month- old girl who had stopped breathing by Tuesday morn- ing. Officers and firefighters responding around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday on Thistle Avenue determined the infant had passed away sometime during the night. No evidence of foul play had been discovered as of Wednesday, according to a Red Bluff Police Depart- ment press release. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday in Yolo County. No further information was made available. —Staff Report Court rules against cuts Salamander protection could affect farming SACRAMENTO (AP) — State wildlife officials Wednesday ruled that the California tiger salamander deserves protection as a threatened species, subjecting landowners to more scrutiny if they want to build or farm in the amphibian's habitat. The California Fish and Game Commission made the decision after finding roughly 400,000 acres of the amphib- ian's habitat is threatened by future development and the expansion of farming, mostly in the Central Valley. The tiger salamander lives in nearly half the state's counties, in a region that stretches from Yolo County north of Sacra- mento to Santa Barbara County. ''We have learned over the years, at our peril, that remoteness is no guarantee of conservation,'' commission- er Michael Sutton said. ''What is remote today may well be suburban sprawl tomorrow.'' The 3-2 vote came over the objections of the wine indus- try, business groups and homebuilders, which complained scientists were unable to show accurate population counts for the salamander and had exaggerated how much rural land might be developed in the future. ''This recommendation relies principally on anticipated loss of habitat,'' Tim Schmelzer, who oversees regulatory affairs at the Wine Institute, told the commission. ''That projected loss is considerably overstated.'' For example, similar federal protections and local city and county plans that guide future development were not consulted, Schmelzer said. At least one commissioner agreed with the industry, questioning state scientists who predicted at least a third of the salamander habitat would be developed over the next 10 years without any protection. ''It's insanity. It will never happen,'' said commissioner Daniel Richards, who voted against the listing. The tiger salamander breeds in seasonal pools and ponds, but spends most of its 10-year life underground pri- marily in the Central Valley. Those key spawning habitats have severely diminished over the years. In 1997, only 12 percent of the Central Valley's 5 million acres of historical seasonal pools remained, said Sonke Mastrup, chief deputy director at the Department of Fish and Game. The remaining habitat is also at risk for being broken up and isolating the species, Mastrup said. The tiger salamander was listed as a federally protected species in 2004 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The state commission, which met in Ontario east of Los Angeles, had twice previously denied listing the salaman- der, and was sued in 2004 by the Center for Biological Diversity. A state appellate court ordered the Department of Fish and Game to reconsider the issue. ''I think we are beholden to the law, beholden to the biol- ogy and I think we have no choice,'' said commissioner Richard Rogers. State law is typically more protective of vulnerable species than federal law, leading to worries that farmers, developers and vintners might have to do more to protect the salamander if they want to build or move into sensitive habitat. Farmers and developers in Santa Barbara, where the salamander is considered an endangered species under fed- eral law, already have been required to set aside land for the species. While it's unclear how the state intends to implement its regulation, Schmelzer, who also spoke on behalf of the building industry, said the commission's action will create ''more hoops'' for businesses. ''Suddenly projects that are within the habitat that will be protected are going to be subject to two layers of approvals,'' Schmelzer said in an interview after the vote. ''It's a waste of time and money.'' NorCal man gets nearly 8 years in cheese theft WOODLAND (AP) — A North- ern California man convicted of walking out of a store with a bag of shredded cheese hidden in his pants has been sentenced to nearly eight years in prison. A jury in January convicted Woodland resident Robert Ferguson of two counts of petty theft for steal- ing the cheese and snatching a woman's wallet off a 7-Eleven counter. A Yolo County judge on Monday sentenced Ferguson to seven years and eight months in prison. Prosecu- tors had originally sought a life sen- tence under California's three-strikes law but dropped that bid last month.