| S.B. COUNTY: Part-time supervisors ballot measure criticized |
| A proposal to reduce San Bernardino County supervisors’ positions to part-time status would leave little time for them to meet and respond to constituents’ needs, board Chairwoman Josie Gonzales said Thursday.
“They would probably never see us because the obligations that are mandated of us would take priority,” she said. [Article] |
| by Imran Ghori, Riverside Press-Enterprise. 2012-01-27 |
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| SAN BERNARDINO: County residents can participate in discount Rx program |
| San Bernardino County is among several counties statewide to offer a free discount prescription drug card to residents.
On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors agreed to join the Coast2Coast Rx program. Residents can immediately participate in the program by printing a card at sbc. Cards soon will be available at most pharmacies, libraries and many county facilities. [Article] |
| by LORA HINES, Riverside Press-Enterprise. 2012-01-27 |
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| Transportation spending plan for Alameda County sales tax approved |
| OAKLAND -- Preparing to ask Alameda County voters for a higher sales tax for transportation, a county commission on Thursday approved 7.8 bn in road and transit projects to be funded by the measure.
Among them is 400 mn to extend BART to Livermore -- a project sharply debated because some critics say it shows the plan favors expansion at the expense of maintaining existing bus systems reeling from service cuts. [Article] |
| by STAFF REPORT, Oakland Tribune. 2012-01-27 |
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| Alameda County approves mandatory recycling, plastic bag ban |
| On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority voted for two ordinances that will require mandatory recycling for businesses and multi-family properties and prohibit stores that sell packaged food from giving out single-use bags. Both ordinances are supposed to help reduce waste in Alameda County. [Article] |
| by BLOG, Oakland Tribune. 2012-01-27 |
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| County stalls idea of car tax for parks |
| County officials opted yesterday against definitively asking voters to approve an 25 vehicle license tax that could raise more than 600K for parks already struggling to stay open and maintained with bare-bones staffing and minimal upkeep.
Voters aren’t fans of vehicle license fees and it is doubtful the county could pass one, said Supervisor Don Horsley. [Article] |
| by Michelle Durand, San Mateo Daily Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| OP-ED: A pension tsunami in San Mateo County |
| Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing deep cuts in health and welfare programs and warning of cuts to schools, universities and courts if voters refuse to pass tax hikes in November. Taxpayers might find that odd, given that this year’s projected tax revenue is flat or even slightly higher than last year.
Same or higher tax revenue, but draconian cuts in the budget. What are we missing? [Article] |
| by Chuck McDougald, San Mateo Daily Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| County cries foul over $123,000 air quality fine |
| Mendocino County officials on Thursday responded to claims that the county violated federal and local air quality laws, saying the local officials didn't work with them to fix the problem before levying a 123K penalty and handing the case over to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). [Article] |
| by TIFFANY REVELLE, Ukiah Daily Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| Tehama County's jobless rate ticks up, but down over year |
| Preliminary numbers for unemployment released by the Employment Development Department show Tehama County's rate at 14.6 percent in December 2011.
While this is a 0.7 percent increase, it is lower than the December 2010 rate of 15.6 percent.
State unemployment stayed at 10.9 percent for the second month in a row, down from 11.2 percent in October and 12.3 percent in December 2010. [Article] |
| by JULIE ZEEB, Red Bluff Daily News. 2012-01-27 |
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| Marin supervisors: community planning trumps affordable housing |
| Allegiance to neighborhood planning trumped a bid to boost affordable housing in a rare split vote of the Board of Supervisors this week as officials agreed to give housing for the poor a break from a bit of red tape — as long as local "community plans" allow it. [Article] |
| by NELS JOHNSON, Marin Independent Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| Little movement in Fresno County labor impasse |
| Both Fresno County management and representatives from the county's largest employee union expressed a willingness to restart labor talks Thursday after meeting privately with a state moderator.
But the parties remained in disagreement about what it will take to go back to the bargaining table. [Article] |
| by KURTIS ALEXANDER, Fresno Bee. 2012-01-27 |
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| FEMA to detail flood control concerns to Sutter supervisors |
| Sutter County supervisors will get a full accounting of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's issues with the county's flood control regulations at a hearing next month.
On Feb. 21, both FEMA and county staff will have a study session for the board laying out what the agency found in a visit last year and detailed in a subsequent letter dated Dec. 23. [Article] |
| by BEN VAN DER MEER, Marysville Appeal-Democrat. 2012-01-27 |
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| Sacramento County jail expansion postponed as sheriff finds more cell space |
| Four months after winning a contentious battle over a 6 mn plan to expand the jail, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones still hasn't moved forward with the plan, raising questions about how the money should be spent. [Article] |
| by BRAD BRANAN, Sacramento Bee. 2012-01-27 |
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| Across-the-board 2 percent raise for Placer County Water workers |
| AUBURN CA - Placer County Water Agency’s 180 employees – with one notable exception – are getting a 2 percent pay hike across the board.
The Auburn based water supplier’s board approved the increase for management and rank-and-file workers earlier this month.
But the decision wasn’t unanimous. [Article] |
| by Gus Thomson, Auburn Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| Two-county summit demonstrates ag's economic engine |
| Telling you that agriculture is important in Solano and Yolo counties is not news to any of us. But if we told you that agriculture is the engine behind a 2.5 bn sector of our economies, you might be interested. When we add that agriculture is our region's brightest promise to increase jobs and prosperity, we know that we now have your full attention.
That's exactly what happened when a study on this subject came out last year. It got the attention of farmers, processors, bankers, government and academia. They all wanted to know how they could be a part of growing this broad, yet integrated sector known as the food chain industry cluster, which makes up 10 percent of our shared economy. That interest resulted in a tremendous turnout for the Solano and Yolo Counties Joint Economic Summit in December. [Article] |
| by MIKE REAGAN, DUANE CHAMBERLAIN, /JOHN VASQUEZ and DON SAYLOR, Woodland Daily Democrat. 2012-01-27 |
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| SF Supes Consider Local Oversight of FBI Terrorism Investigations |
| San Francisco supervisors are considering legislation that will require local control and civilian oversight of terrorism investigations the San Francisco Police Department undertakes with the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Calling it ‘The Portland Solution’ because it mirrors a similar ordinance enacted in Oregon, Supervisor Jane Kim said Tuesday her legislation does nothing more than restore transparency to intelligence gathering by police officers working with FBI agents. [Article] |
| by MINA KIM, KQED (Public Radio SF). 2012-01-27 |
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| Santa Clara County gets set to seek bids for Children’s Shelter |
| The 8.1-acre parcel that once housed the Santa Clara County Children’s Shelter is going up for sale, with a minimum purchase price of 19 mn.
Located on 4525 Union Ave. near Highway 85, real estate professionals are calling it a “prime” location because of its proximity to desirable neighborhoods and potential for a variety of land uses. [Article] |
| by Mary Ann Azevedo, San Jose Business Journal. 2012-01-27 |
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| Naomi Kelly — mayor’s pick for city administrator — clears first hurdle |
| Naomi Kelly, Mayor Ed Lee’s pick to serve in one of the top City Hall posts as city administrator, sailed through her confirmation hearing at the Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee this afternoon.
If, as expected, the mayor’s nomination of Kelly is approved by the full Board of Supervisors for a five-year term, she will become the first African American to hold the post. The distinction was not lost on the dozens of people — many of them leaders in the city’s black community – who packed the confirmation hearing to show their support. Labor leaders also turned out for her. [Article] |
| by Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle. 2012-01-27 |
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| Dufty will oversee homeless |
| Mayor Ed Lee has hired former mayoral candidate and Supervisor Bevan Dufty to oversee San Francisco's homeless policy efforts and some housing issues, sources told The Chronicle Thursday.
Lee had been set to announce the hiring today, but the mayor's spokeswoman confirmed the move late Thursday after being called by The Chronicle. [Article] |
| by JOHN COTÉ, RACHEL GORDON, San Francisco Chronicle. 2012-01-27 |
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| Clearlake City Council votes to relinquish redevelopment housing functions, assets |
| CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Deciding that the risks outweighed the benefits, the Clearlake City Council voted unanimously at its Thursday evening meeting to release the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency’s affordable housing assets and functions.
The action is yet another result of a California Supreme Court decision last month that upheld legislation to dismantle redevelopment agencies but struck down a companion bill that would have allowed the agencies to continue operating if they made yearly payments to the state. [Article] |
| by Elizabeth Larson, Lake County News. 2012-01-27 |
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| Editorial, other views: SmartMeters: The ban that isn't |
| Maybe they just don't want to listen to the complaints anymore.
Searching for a reason why the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors continues to give in to a smallish, but vocal, group protesting the installation of wireless utility meters is like trying to figure out why highway drivers keep switching lanes even in gridlock. They just want to do something. But continuing an unenforced moratorium against PG&E's installation of SmartMeters also seems like tilting at wireless windmills. [Article] |
| by EDITORIAL, Salinas Californian. 2012-01-27 |
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