Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/763026
The Red Bluff Kiwanis Club will once again host Telephone Santa starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14. The event allows chil- dren to call 527-8062 to speak with Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph or a va- riety of spunky elves 6-8 p.m. The call is free for local children and all are en- couraged to call in. REDBLUFFKIWANIS Telephone Santa event set for tonight Stakes: Marijuana in the Workplace," explains what employers can expect go- ing forward. The article can be found at callaw- yer.com. Because evidence of marijuana stays in your system after the effects wear off, it's possible em- ployers could penalize workers for using a legal substance even if it didn't affect their job perfor- mance, the article says. Employers are encouraged to develop a specific mar- ijuana testing policy that ensures a safe workplace. The policy should be con- sistent with polices for amphetamines or sleep- ing pills. "In other words, just because a drug comes with a prescription does not make it acceptable to consume at work," the ar- ticle states. "Conversely, the more appropriate ap- proach may be to con- struct a policy that per- mits medical marijuana usage for low risk jobs, but bans the substance for positions involving high- risk employees, such as transit drivers and pilots, heavy machinery opera- tors and chemical work- ers, to name a few exam- ples." Safety should always be a primary concern, and a drug testing policy must reflect that mentality, the article states. Prop. 64 FROM PAGE 1 By Michael Liedtke TheAssociatedPress SAN FRANCISCO Tech- nology leaders are about to come face-to-face with President-elect Donald Trump after fiercely op- posing his candidacy, fear- ful that he would stifle in- novation, curb the hiring of computer-savvy immi- grants and infringe on con- sumers' digital privacy. On Wednesday, Sili- con Valley luminaries and other technology lead- ers are headed to Trump Tower in New York to make their peace — or press their case — with Trump and his advisers. The CEOs plan- ning to attend include Ap- ple's Tim Cook, Alphabet's Larry Page, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Intel's Brian Krzanich, IBM's Ginni Rometty, Oracle's Safra Catz and Cisco Systems' Chuck Robbins. Facebook's chief oper- ating officer, Sheryl Sand- berg, will be on hand in- stead of its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who was one of many tech executives to express misgivings about Trump's pledge to deport millions of immigrants. Techvs.Trump It could be a prickly meeting. No other industry was more open in its contempt for Trump during the cam- paign. In an open letter published in July, more than 140 technology exec- utives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists skew- ered Trump as a "disaster for innovation." And Trump's deni- gration of Mexicans, his pledge to deport millions of immigrants now living in the U.S. illegally, and his crude remarks about women were widely viewed as racist, authoritarian and sexist by an industry that prides itself on its toler- ance. Trump, in turn, some- times lashed out at the in- dustry and its leaders. He lambasted Bezos for the campaign coverage of his newspaper, The Wash- ington Post, and suggested that Amazon could face an- titrust scrutiny if he was elected. Trump also rebuked Cook for fighting a govern- ment order requiring Ap- ple to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a shooter in last year's terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Cali- fornia. And Trump's repeated screeds against immi- grants raised fears that he might dismantle programs that have enabled tech companies to hire tens of thousands of foreign work- ers with the skills to write computer programs, de- sign web pages and build mobile apps. The industry is also wor- ried that Trump might try to undermine "net neutral- ity," a regulation requiring internet service providers to offer equal access to all online services. Trump's harsh characterization of the media as dishonest and unfair has raised other fears that he might even try to restrict free speech on- line. Out of strife, peace? Some in Silicon Valley think the industry's best move would be to keep its distance until Trump changes his tone. Former Google executive Chris Sacca, now a tech investor, argues that industry lead- ers should steer clear of the meeting altogether. Sitting down with the president-elect "would only make sense after Trump has given public assur- ances he won't encourage censorship, will stop ex- ploiting fake news, will promote net neutrality, de- nounce hate crimes, and embrace science," Sacca said. "If and until then, tech figures who visit are being used to whitewash an authoritarian bully who threatens not just our in- dustry, but our entire de- mocracy." TECHNOLOGY Te ch l ea de rs co ul dn 't b ea t Tr um p; t he y' ll me et h im i ns te ad By Mead Gruver The Associated Press CHEYENNE, WYO. Two power line projects that won federalapprovalTuesdaywill give a big capacity boost to the Western energy grid, in- cludingpowerforupto1mil- lion homes from what's on track to become the biggest wind farm in the U.S. The TransWest Express project will help Califor- nia meet its goal of getting half its electricity from re- newable sources by 2030 by carrying up to 3,000 mega- wattsfromtheChokecherry- Sierra Madre wind farm in southernWyoming.Thenew power lines would span 728 miles from the wind farm to southern Nevada, crossing northwest Colorado and all of Utah along the way. Denver-based The An- schutz Corp., which is be- hind the wind farm and 3,000-megawatt TransWest Express,couldbeginworkon both within a couple years if remaining approvals and right-of-way acquisition for the power lines go smoothly. Portland, Oregon-based PacifiCorp, meanwhile, plans to increase reliability and capacity with its 416- mile, 1,500-megawatt Gate- way South project along a roughly similar route end- ing in central Utah. Con- struction would begin in the early 2020s. Gateway South will join the utility's already-com- pleted Gateway Central and planned Gateway West ex- pansions crisscrossing the region. "There's still a lot of work lefttobedone.Thecompany will be evaluating the tim- ing of the next steps of these projects," PacifiCorp spokes- woman Margaret Oler said. TheapprovalstocrossU.S. BureauofLandManagement land cap almost a decade of federal planning. About 60 percent of TransWest Ex- pressand55percentofGate- way South cross BLM lands; thepowerlinesalsowillneed to span a patchwork of pri- vate, state and other federal lands. The Interior Depart- ment also announced an agreement with California to cooperate on expanded, streamlined efforts to en- couragerenewablepowerde- velopment.Theagencyhigh- lighted renewable energy growth during President Barack Obama's two terms in office including proposals for 36 solar, 11 wind and 13 geothermal energy projects. Interior under Obama has approved 4,000 miles of powerlines,accordingtothe agency. "These efforts strengthen our commitment to work with state and local commu- nities to unlock the West's abundant renewable energy resources, create jobs and support development that makes sense for both the economy and the environ- ment," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a release. Not all were pleased with the latest two power lines moving ahead. They will destroy wilderness-quality lands in northwestern Col- orado and eastern Nevada and disrupt habitat for the greatersagegrouse,TheWil- derness Society said in a re- lease. "Readilyavailablealterna- tive routes could have min- imized or eliminated these impacts by following high- ways and designated utility corridors," said Alex Daue with the group. Follow Mead Gru- ver at https://twitter.com/ meadgruver BIG ZAP Huge new power lines in West get federal OK MICHAELSMITH–THEWYOMINGTRIBUNEEAGLE Two power line projects that won federal approval will give a big capacity boost to the Western energy grid, including voltage from potentially the biggest wind farm in the U.S— Anschutz Corporation's Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind farm in southern Wyoming. MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an announcement of new products, in Cupertino. Technology leaders are about to come face-to-face with President-elect Donald Trump a er fiercely opposing his candidacy, fearful that he would stifle innovation, curb the hiring of computer-savvy immigrants and infringe on consumers' digital privacy. proved $3.2 billion in funding Tuesday for two segments: $2.6 billion for a 119-mile connector leg from Fresno to Madera and $600 million to elec- trify a 55-mile stretch of existing Caltrain tracks in the San Jose Peninsula that will eventually con- nect with high-speed rail. The money is needed so the state meets its obli- gation to "match" federal funding. At the public board meeting, though, attor- ney Stuart Flashman an- nounced he had submit- ted a new lawsuit challeng- ing the legality of AB1889, a bill rushed through the Legislature last year that changed previous laws to allow high-speed rail bonds to be spent on elec- trification. That funding use fell outside the scope of what voters approved in Proposition 1A in 2008, Flashman said, and only voters can change it. The lawsuit submitted Tuesday in Sacramento County Court on behalf of Kings County, the Town of Atherton and several res- idents, alleges the legisla- tion was unconstitutional, Flashman said. The constitution says "that when voters ap- prove a bond, if you mate- rially change it, you've got to go back to the voters," Flashman told the board. "We think you should have done that. If you weren't going to go back to the vot- ers, we have." The legislation by As- semblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, al- lows rail money to be spent on electrification of a 55- mile corridor of track from south of San Jose to San Francisco. Mullin's policy director, Andrew Zingale, said Tuesday that the leg- islation was vetted by the Legislature's attorneys and thus was constitutional. "We do understand that the opponents continue to look for ways to continue to challenge the expen- diture of these funds but they've consistently failed in that and the direction of the Legislature has contin- ually been upheld and we feel confident that this will still be upheld," Zingale said. Mullin's office had pre- viously characterized AB1889 as clarifying leg- islation that authorized $1.1 billion for transit im- provements at both ends of the high-speed rail project to ensure that the money could be spent before high- speed rail was up and run- ning. Voters approved nearly $10 billion in high-speed rail funding in 2008 but support for the project has since softened. The state treasurer's office initially sold about $1.1 billion in high-speed rail bonds but the bonds were encum- bered for years as the proj- ect was tied up in court. The plaintiffs in the big- gest case lost their chal- lenge and opted earlier this year not to appeal, fi- nally freeing up financing for the project. Lawsuit FROM PAGE 1 RICH PEDRONCELLI – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Dan Richard, second from right, chairman of the California High Speed Rail Board discusses a proposal that will allow the first major sale of construction bonds during a meeting in Sacramento. 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant 744MainSt.,RedBluff FineQualityGifts& Accessories (across from the clock tower) HOLIDAY SALE FREE Earrings ~NEWARRIVALS~ ❉ BOXED CHEESE STRAWS ❉ CHOCOLATE CHERRIES ❉ CRYSTAL BRACELETS ❉ HIGH QUALITY HANDBAGS ❉ WAX-POTTERY CANDLES ❉ GLASS ART ORNAMENTS ComeandShopwithUs (withpurchase of $25) Patrick's Pumping SepticPumpingServices Red Bluff, CA Garet Patrick Owner/Operator 530-366-6899 4patricks@att.net Available 24/7 LaCorona Garden Center & Feed Store 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos 530-576-3118 LaCoronaHydoponic@gmail.com Home&GardenSupplies AdvancedNutrient•RootsOrganic Humboldt Counties Own • Humboldt Nutrients General Hydroponic Supplies & Fertilizers Scratch • Wild Bird Feeds Is the place for all your Garden Supplies & Livestock Feeds Open8-6pmMonday-Sunday ThePassingParadeisbroughttoyoubyMinchPropertyManagement, 760 Main Street specializing in commercial leasing and sales. 530 527-5514 THEPASSINGPARADE (FrommyISaycolumnofSeptember1972) The Kraft Playground caper has all of Rio Street up in arms. It appears to the locals that "outsiders" want to remove the half century land mark and have it serve a more useful purpose I.e. produce revenue for the City. My mother wrote an impassioned Letter to The Editor in favor of retaining the playground and improving it for children, seniors or both. I second the motion mostly because I grew up just across the street from the place. I progressed from sandbox to cloth bottom swings to the big swings with board seat that you could stand up and pump yourself higher and higher until you were al- most parallel to the ground. It was rumored that one kid had, years ago, actually gone full circle over the top. How- ever, I never got a chance to try it because Ms. Lingshied, who managed the playground for the City, was very strict about daredevil stunts. She sat on a nearby bench along with a shoe box full of liniments, iodine and bandages for the careless. At 635 Rio, our house was across the street and she knew she could use our telephone in the front yard if a child was ever seriously injured. Mostly grammar school boys inhabited the playground in my day, and we were an energetic group. If the giant slide was ridden without incident by a girl in long pants, we would get several waxed bread wrappers and rub the slide until the next unsuspecting rider would go zooming down and shoot out the end about 3 feet off the ground in a crying heap. We also had the giant rings along the south side of the playground where, after a Saturday afternoon Tarzan movie at the State Theatre, we would attempt to swing all the way down (perhaps 10 or 12 rings) and back with- out touching the ground…because we weren't over bare ground. We were over a moat �illed with crocodiles! The same stunt could be tried on the string of equip- ment along the west side which were of metal and consisted of a variety of bars and poles and the dreaded "monkey bars" which were two metal poles set on a 45 degree angle on which the rider would straddle and hopefully make it all the way to the ground without a spill. All I ever got from that playground was hours of fun in exchange for a broken collarbone and many blisters. Ah, those were days! * *Today, nearly 50 years later, the old PGE yard next door to the playground is undergoing remediation after years of contamination. The playground has long been closed and all the equipment removed in preparation for the day when the present owner hopes to acquire the block and entice a major motel to occupy same. That will be good for the community…but the few re- maining old-timers will be left with only their memories. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 5 A