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BySylvieCorbet and Angela Charlton The Associated Press PARIS As France's unpre- dictable presidential cam- paign nears its finish with no clear front-runner, cen- trist candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen hope to rally bigcrowdsinPariswiththeir rival visions for Europe's fu- ture. Meanwhile, far-left can- didate Jean-Luc Melenchon, enjoying a late poll surge, is campaigning on a barge Mondayfloatingthroughthe canals of Paris. And conser- vative candidate Francois Fillon is taking his tough- on-security campaign to the southern French city of Nice,whichwasscarredbya deadly truck attack last year that killed 86 people. The race is being watched internationally as an impor- tant gauge of populist sen- timent, and the outcome is increasingly uncertain just six days before Sunday's first round vote. Le Pen's nationalist rhet- oric and Melenchon's anti- globalization campaign have resonated with French vot- erssickofthestatusquo.Ma- cron, meanwhile, is painting himself as an anti-establish- ment figure seeking to bury the traditional left-right spectrum that has governed France for decades. The top two vote-getters Sunday of the 11 candidates on the ballot advance to the May 7 presidential runoff. The latest polls suggest that Le Pen, Macron, Melenchon and Fillon all have a chance ofreachingtherunoff—and as many as a third of voters remain undecided. Macron, a former invest- ment banker well connected in the business world, held a rally in Paris on Monday at- tended by 20,000 people, ac- cording to organizers. Advocating for strong pro-European views, he has pledged to represent an "open, confident, winning France" in contrast with far- right and far-left rivals. Without naming them, he said Le Pen and Melenchon want to isolate France form the rest of the world. "We feel everywhere the temptation of barba- rism ready to surge in other guises ... No, we will not let them do it," he said. He also made an implicit reference to Fillon by sug- gestingsomeareseekingthe presidencytogetjudicialim- munity. Fillon's austerity-focused campaign has been dam- aged by accusations that he misused taxpayer money to pay his wife and children for government jobs that they allegedly did not per- form. French investigators are probing the case. Fillon denies wrongdo- ing and is focusing instead on security issues that reso- nate with many voters after two years of deadly attacks across the country. French voters will cast their ballots under a state of emergency that's been repeatedly ex- tended as new violence has hit. After Macron, Le Pen is holding her last big rally in the Paris region later Mon- day. Meanwhile, Melenchon, speaking on a river boat in Pantin, in the Paris sub- urbs, said he doesn't want France to exit the European Union but would be ready to do it if other member states don't accept negotiations to reform the 28-nation bloc. "European treaties are destroying Europe. I am not destroying Europe, I am not putting it in danger, I'm not the one who made (Britain) go out, I'm not the one who is making troubles in all (European) countries, I'm not provoking nationalist feeling everywhere. It is the European way of organiza- tion that is pushing people toward that," he said. Socialist candidate Ben- oit Hamon insisted Monday that he, too, remains a con- tender. "Things are evolving," he said on Europe-1 radio. The Socialists' campaign has suffered from internal divisions and Socialist Pres- ident Francois Hollande's dismal image — he's so un- popular that he declined to seek a second term. POLITICS France'swould-bepresidents rally in Paris days before vote KAMILZIHNIOGLU—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A man walks past electoral posters displaying the presidential candidates, Benoit Hamon, le , Emmanuel Macron, center, and Marine Le Pen in Paris, France, on Monday. French centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen are hoping to bring in big crowds at competing rallies in Paris as the unpredictable race nears its finish. By Mstyslav Chernov and Felipe Dana The Associated Press MOSUL,IRAQ On the west- ern side of Mosul, much of the fighting against Islamic State militants takes place between houses so close that they almost touch. Snipers fire from roofs and through holes blasted into outer walls. Seenthroughtheseholes, this part of Iraq's second- largest city is a landscape of half-collapsed buildings, burned-out cars and rub- bish-strewn streets. Heli- copters hover and barri- cades of sandbags block the streets. This front line near the old city is where police of- ficer Mayser Suleyman Karim marked his 33rd birthday with the rest of his unit. The Islamic State ex- tremists who took over the city in 2014 were driven out of eastern Mosul by Iraq's elite counterterror- ism force in January. Much of the fighting in the city's western districts, however, has been done by the heav- ily militarized federal po- lice force. During a momentary pause in the battle, Mayser recalled that he had joined the force in the aftermath of the mosque bombing in Samarra on Feb. 22, 2006. That's when suspected al-Qaida militants blew up the al-Askari shrine, one of the holiest in Shi- ite Islam, starting a wave of sectarian violence in which thousands died. "It has been a long time now—10years.No,11years actually. I'm tired," Mayser said apologetically. "For how long can you keep doing this?" he asked. "Your joints start to hurt, movement is difficult, can- not run. ... It's not about being scared, I'm just get- ting tired. My body is get- ting tired." Part of the police unit's work in western Mosul in- volves manning check- points and interacting with civilians, some of whom re- mainintheareadespitethe fighting. Many police are instinc- tively wary: They come from distant parts of Iraq, know little of Mosul and suspect that militants or theirsupportersmighthave blended into the popula- tion. Security forces have been hit by suicide attacks from the militants. Maysersaidhewantedto quit his job but didn't have any options at the moment. "It's good that I'm not married. But there are guys here who are married and have kids. Their situation is more difficult than mine," he added. The police unit some- times harasses militants by firing mortars at them over the buildings. That's onereasonthecityhasbeen wrecked so badly. According to a ter- rain analysis done by the United Nations, there is about 2½ times more de- struction in western Mo- sul than in the eastern half, and the extremists have not been fully driven out of the west yet. Government artil- lery units also pour vast amounts of fire into the parts of the city under IS control. Airstrikes target snipers, sometimes bring- ing down several buildings in the hunt for a single mil- itant. It is hard to be sure how many civilians have been killed or wounded since the battleforwesternMosulbe- gan nearly two months ago. The U.N. said at least 300 people have been killed, while the Nineveh provincial health depart- ment reckons that the real number could be closer to 1,000. At least 1,600 cases of trauma have been ad- mitted to Iraqi and Kurd- ish hospitals since Feb. 18. After a day's work, the unit returned to its base, and the men collapsed onto broken chairs and sofas. Mayser said the brutality of the war — seeing friends get killed or wounded — had made him stronger. But it has also made him less sensitive to suffering. "Now I'm ignoring ev- erything that happens, no matter how small or big. Your mother or your father getting ill, things like that, I've seen worse than this," he said. OFFENSIVE Patrolling western Mosul is a weary grind for Iraqi police The Associated Press OAKLAND Two years into a term in which Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has faced sharp criticism for her handling of a police department sex scandal, the departure of three po- lice chiefs and two deadly fires, the city's top leader on Monday announced she will seek another term. Schaaf, 51, became Oak- land's 50th mayor in 2015 after serving one term as a city council member and working as an aide to then- Mayor Jerry Brown before his return as governor. Schaaf has faced re- peated criticism about her handling of city and police department issues. The Oakland Police De- partment was embroiled in a sex scandal involving an 18-year-old, self-described sex worker who said she had sexual relationships with Oakland officers, in- cluding some when she was underage. Some offi- cers were also investigated for sending racist text mes- sages. As critics called for her to step down, Schaaf de- nounced the department's "toxic, macho culture" and vowed to root out bad of- ficers. Thedepartmentthenlost three police chiefs in nine days as Schaaf tried to fix problems in the long-trou- bled agency that has been monitored by a federal judge since a 2003 settle- ment in a civil rights case. Schaaf took the blame for not sufficiently vetting her choices to lead the depart- ment through the turmoil. Most recently, Schaaf has faced fallout from two fires that together killed 40 people. POLITICS Oakland mayor, facing sharp criticism, to seek 2nd term By John Antczak The Associated Press LOS ANGELES A Southern California offshore oil plat- form will be decommis- sioned and its operator is seeking bankruptcy pro- tection, nearly two years af- ter the platform was idled when an onshore pipeline ruptured and spilled a mas- sive amount of oil into the ocean, the state and com- pany said Monday. The State Lands Com- mission said it received documents from Venoco LLC relinquishing rights to the South Ellwood oil field leases in the Santa Barbara Channel northwest of Los Angeles, including Platform Holly and a pier in the city of Goleta. Platform Holly has not producedsinceMay19,2015, when an onshore, under- ground line owned by Plains AllAmericanPipelinespilled more than 120,000 gallons of crude into the ocean. The line, which transported oil produced by Holly, remains shutdownandthereisnoes- timate for when it might re- open. Denver-based Venoco, which acquired the leases in 1997 from ExxonMobil, simultaneously announced it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and expects its assets to be sold. Most are in Southern Cal- ifornia, except for an on- shore field in Texas. "Today's filing is the re- sult of unfortunate circum- stances impacting the com- pany's financial strength, including the ongoing clo- sure of Plains All American Pipeline's Line 901," Mike Wracher, Venoco's chief operating officer, said in a statement. He added: "We have pur- sued a number of market- based and regulatory solu- tions to address these chal- lenges during the last year. Despite these considerable efforts, our financial posi- tion now compels us to take this action." Venoco had been seeking to restructure as recently as last summer to eliminate $1 billion of debt, but said at the time that low price oil prices and the Line 901 shutdown were serious problems. The State Lands Com- mission said the relin- quishment of claims to the leases effectively ends com- mercial oil and gas produc- tion in state waters at that location in the Santa Bar- bara Channel and leaves about 85 million barrels of oil in the ground. New off- shore oil and gas leases are prohibited by California's Coastal Sanctuary Act. The decommissioning of Platform Holly is a "land- mark in the evolution of California's energy portfo- lio," Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the commission's chairman, said in a statement. "As President Trump voices his determination to expand oil drilling and twentieth-century energy policies, California is pio- neering the sustainable al- ternative that protects our coastlines and environment while gaining a strong foot- hold in the future energy and global economy," it said. Platform Holly stands a few miles off the south Santa Barbara County's coast, part of a series of oil platforms in waters be- tween the mainland and the Channel Islands. The commission said it will develop a plan for the costly process of plugging 32 wells in the South Ell- wood Field, removing Plat- form Holly and decommis- sioning the Goleta Beach Pier, a process expected to take three years. Venoco will remain re- sponsible for securing and maintaining the facilities at its own cost until May 1, when the company will be temporarily reimbursed by the commission until a third party is hired. The commission said it will in- volve itself in the bank- ruptcy process and submit claims for costs against Venoco. The commission noted that Venoco generated about $160 million in state revenue from royalties and rent without any significant spills on state property dur- ing the past 20 years. SEEKING BANKRUPTCY California offshore oil platform to be decommissioned STATE LANDS COMMISSION An oil drilling rig in the Santa Barbara Channel offshore of the city of Goleta will be decommissioned and its operator is seeking bankruptcy protection. LEGALNOTICE Request for Proposal for Profes- sional Engineering Services The City of Red Bluff solicits qualified professionals to sub- mit proposals for Professional Engineering Services for the City of Red Bluff South Main Sewer Replacement Project – Phase 2. The proposed project would re- place approximately 1,120 ft. of 8 in. sewer pipe located within South Main Street between the intersections of Sister Mary Columba Drive and Liberty Drive at South Main Street. The exist- ing sewer line must remain op- erable during the installation of the new sewer line and it is an- ticipated that the existing sewer pipe will be abandoned in place. Scope of engineering services would include but not limited to utility coordination, civil design, bidding assistance and con- struction support. A copy of the Request for Proposals may be downloaded at no charge from www.cityofredbluff.org where instructions are provided to ac- cess CIPLIST.com, a website the Cit y uses for the bidding proc- l d l ill b y g p ess. Sealed proposals will be re- ceived at the City of Red Bluff of- fice, 555 Washington St., Red Bluff until 3:00 PM Tuesday May 9, 2017. Publish: 4/11/17 & 4/18/17 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 2017 Unmet Transit Needs Do you have transit needs? NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing for Unmet Transit Needs will be held Monday, April 24, 2017 at 8:30 am, in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 727 Oak Street, Red Bluff, California. The Tehama County Transporta- tion Commission is inviting com- ments on the Unmet Transit Needs (a transportation need; that is currently not being met) that may exist within Tehama County. For a free ride to the public meeting call 385-2877 by Wed- nesday, April 19, 2017. If unable to attend the public h i il p h earing on April 24, 2017, you can email written comments by Thursday, April 20, 2017 to bokee ffe@tcpw.ca.gov or mail com- ments to Barbara O'Keeffe, 9380 San Benito Avenue, Gerber, CA 96035. There is currently a pilot pro- gram offering free bus service to Rancho Tehama and a direct Shuttle Service from Red Bluff Bus and Ride to Shasta College Other Unmet Transit Needs that have been identified that are in the process of being implement- ed include: • Tehama County Connection to Chico via Glenn Ride Current transit information and schedules can be found at http:/ /www.taketrax.com/ By: Barbara O'Keeffe, Deputy Di- rector Transportation Publish: March 21 & 23, 2017 and April 14 & 18, 2017 AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA 2017 Necesidades de trans porte bi p no cubiertas ¿Tiene necesidades de tránsito? ¿? AVISO ESTA DADO que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública para Necesidades de Transporte No Cumplidas el lunes, 24 de abril de 2017 a las 8:30 am, en la Sala de Supervisores de las Cámaras, 727 Oak Street, Red Bluff, California. La Comisión de Transporte del Condado de Tehama solicita comentarios sobre la insatisfechas Necesidades de Tránsito (una necesidad de transporte, es decir que actualmente no se cumplen) que pueden existir dentro del Condado de Tehama. Para un paseo gratis a la reunión pública, llame al 385- 2877 para el miércoles 19 de abril de 2017. Si no puede asistir a la audiencia pública el 24 de abril de 2017, puede enviar sus comentarios por escrito el jueves 20 de abril de 2017 a boke effe @tcpw.ca.gov o enviar i @ p g comentarios por correo a Bar- bara O'Keeffe, 9380 San Benito Avenue, Gerber, CA 96035. Actualmente hay un programa piloto que ofrece servicio de autobús gratuito a Rancho Tehama y un servicio de transporte directo desde Red Bluff Bus y Ride hasta Shasta College. Otras necesidades de transporte no satisfechas que han sido identificados que están en el proceso de implementación incluyen: • Condado de Tehama conexión a Chico a través de Glenn Ride información de tránsito actual y horarios se pueden encontrar en http://www.taketrax.com/ Por: Barbara O'Keeffe, Director Adjunto de Transporte Publicación: 21 y 23 de marzo de 2017 y 14 y 18 de abril de 2017 Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 6 B ★