Orange Cove News

~~~~~
If at first you don't
succeed ... doo itt
over and over and over ..
(file photo)
~~~~~

Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2009
By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON San Joaquin Valley lawmakers have failed again in their effort to block the environmental rules steering irrigation water toward the protection of endangered species.

On Tuesday night, the House Appropriations Committee rejected Nunes' recurring water amendment by a 33-25 vote. If it had passed, the amendment would have blocked federal spending on decisions that divert irrigation water to protect salmon, the Delta smelt and other species.

"People and communities have been replaced by a parade of extreme environmental activists and their misguided causes," Nunes said Wednesday in a statement.

The committee voting on the proposed amendment for the fiscal 2010 energy and water spending bill fell largely along party lines, with all Republicans supporting Nunes and all but three Democrats opposing him.

In recent weeks, Nunes has brought similar amendments to the House floor and to the House Rules Committee. In each case, the amendments lost. Nunes has threatened to keep offering similar amendments wherever possible.

The Fresno Bee
The reporter can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or (202) 383-0006.

Canal plan upsets delta farmers

Capitol rally protests delta canal plan

GEORGE RADANOVICH: Two Gates project can help agriculture survive water wars

~~~~~
David J. Hayes, deputy secretary
of the Interior, is Washington's
point man on California's
tangled water issues.
~~~~~

Lawyer again plumbs depths of state water issues

Monday, Jul. 06, 2009
By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — David J. Hayes is once again No. 2 at the Interior Department and No. 1 for California water.

Call it political déjà vu.

After an eight-year absence, the Stanford-trained environmental lawyer has reclaimed both the California water portfolio and the title as deputy secretary of the Interior. The high-profile, high-risk assignment puts him back in the middle of the Central Valley’s interminable fish-vs.-farm water disputes.

“I expect I’ll have to pay taxes in California, I’ll be spending so much time out there,” Hayes said, half-jokingly.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar introduced Hayes as his department’s go-to California water guy at a Fresno town hall meeting a week ago. Beyond serving as what he calls the “chief operating officer” of the $10 billion-a-year Interior Department, Hayes will coordinate the Obama administration’s role in California water use.

When Valley congressmen are unhappy, they’ll call Hayes. When irrigation district officials want their concerns really heard, Hayes is their man. When decisions get made on protecting species or approving projects, Hayes will be in the middle of things.

MORE .. The Fresno Bee
THE REPORTER CAN BE REACHED AT MDOYLE@MCCLATCHYDC.COM OR (202) 383-0006.

MORE Resources;

Salazar Lauds President's Nomination of David J. Hayes as Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior

Secretary Salazar, Senior Administration and Congressional Officials Hold Town Hall Meeting on California Water Shortage
(scroll down the main page to the story)

PHOTOS for Town Hall Meeting on Water

VIDEO for Town Hall Meeting on Water

Thousands of people braved triple digit heat on Wednesday to attend a water march in Fresno.

~~~~~
American History
Declaration of
Independence
The Reason for the Holiday
~~~~~



Today is Saturday, July 4, the 185th day of 2009. There are 180 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History:

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

On this date:

In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, N.Y.

In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.

In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City.

In 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, was born in Plymouth, Vt.

In 1919, Jack Dempsey won the world heavyweight boxing title by defeating Jess Willard in Toledo, Ohio.

In 1939, baseball's "Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, said farewell to his fans at New York's Yankee Stadium.

In 1959, America's 49-star flag, honoring Alaskan statehood, was officially unfurled.

In 1960, America's 50-star flag, honoring Hawaiian statehood, was officially unfurled.

More ... Associated Press

More Info - 4th of July - Indendence Day

Fun 4th of July Facts from CBS News

The Real Meaning of the 4th of July

The 4th of July - The Arizona Star

~~~~~
Governor Declares
Fiscal Emergency ...
Legislative Stalemate
(file photo)
~~~~~


(07-01-2009) 12:22 PDT Sacramento, CA (AP)

With the threat of IOUs just days away, Democratic and Republican lawmakers show no sign of compromise in their efforts to close California's $24.3 billion deficit.

The Legislature will have 45 days to send him a plan to balance the state's budget, which ended the fiscal year with a $24.3 billion deficit. The shortfall is expected to grow by $7 billion because the Legislature did not enact several stopgap measures on Tuesday.

If lawmakers fail to act within the 45 days, they cannot adjourn or act on other bills until they solve the crisis.

The government shutdown will lead to a third furlough day 235,000 state employees, bringing their total pay cut to about 14 percent.

California began its new budget year Wednesday without a balanced spending plan, which will force the controller to issue IOUs.

More - San Francisco Chronicle

More Resources;

11th Hour Votes - Los Angeles Times

Governor and Lawmakers Blow Deadline - Sacramento Bee

Senate Fails To Bridge Budget Gap - Capitol Weekly

~~~~~
INNOVATION
Creativity
Thinking Outside the Box
~~~~~

June 30, 2009

Innovation will bring about sustained prosperity in our region. Tough times such as these should push both business and government to seek new ways of operating and new opportunities for revenue.

We were reminded of this again by the report that the city of Dinuba is entering a business partnership with Chevron to develop a solar wind farm on seven acres of city land.

The city expects to receive assistance from the federal government to build the solar farm. Chevron would design and operate it, offering a chance for experimentation and innovation by its alternative-energy division.

Part of the energy produced would be used by the city of Dinuba to cut its electric bill by $250,000. It could also sell any excess back to Pacific Gas and Electric. That’s a whole list of winners for one project, including the taxpayers of Dinuba.

That kind of out-of-the-box thinking is taking place more and more in the Valley, and it needs to take place even more frequently. We’re seeing partnerships between public and private sectors, between educational institutions and other branches of government, between technology companies and the public sector.

Whether in business or government, if entities would look beyond their immediate boundaries and commit to collaboration with others, exciting innovations can take place.

The city of Lindsay has made a living on this kind of thinking over the past couple of decades, converting what were useless or derelict properties into valuable entities. Its latest venture, McDermont Field House, leveraged federal grant money to create a unique, state-of-the art recreation center that in turn has made partnerships with professional sports leagues and other organizations to bring the best of those activities to the area.

More ... Visalia Times-Delta

The Fresno sheriff's office said on Sunday that one person died and three others were injured in two separate shootings in Orange Cove late Saturday night.

Three people, including one student, were wounded in a shooting that happened within a block of a San Francisco high school.

One person died and three others were injured in two separate shootings in Orange Cove late Saturday night, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department said.

NO!
He would rather
issue IOU's than
compromise
(file photo)
~~~~~

A $5-billion package that could allow the state to avoid issuing IOUs gets unexpected GOP support. Governor says measures don't go far enough, and he also rejects deal over prison medical facilities.

By Evan Halper and Shane Goldmacher
June 26, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento -- The state Assembly on Thursday approved $5 billion in budget revisions intended to keep California from having to issue IOUs next week, but Gov.

Republicans blocked the measures soon afterward on the Senate floor. But Democrats said they would not abandon the effort to pass the package, which would cut billions from education, push some education costs into the future and defer other state expenses.

The Assembly's action came despite earlier declarations by GOP lawmakers that they would block any proposals that did not close the entire $24-billion deficit. With the prospects of IOUs going to local governments, welfare recipients and college students as early as next Thursday, Assembly Republicans joined the majority Democrats to pass the measures.

As lawmakers debated, the controller and the state treasurer issued a joint statement warning that IOUs -- if made necessary by California's cash crunch and the continuing lack of a balanced budget -- would cause "substantial, long term damage" to the state's standing on Wall Street. Assembly GOP leader Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo said that approving Thursday's budget bills was "the responsible and prudent thing to do."

More from Los Angeles Times

MORE Resources;

Lawmakers Reject Budget Fix ...

Without Budget State IOU's loom ... San Jose Mercury News

Sweat and Tears, But NO Budget ... San Francisco Chronicle

State IOU's Loom as Republicans Split ... Inland Empire Daily Bulletin

~~~~~
Gov. and Legislators
BUDGET Stalemate
(AP Photo
Rich Pedroncelli)
~~~~~

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses the state budget deficit outside his Capitol office ...

By JUDY LIN – Wednesday, June 24, 1 hour ago (1:30 p.m.)
SACRAMENTO CA

To hear Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state finance officials tell it, July 28 is California's last stand before fiscal Armageddon.

Top financial officers say that's when the state will run out of cash to pay its daily expenses unless lawmakers pass a balanced budget.

Schwarzenegger has warned that government will come to a "grinding halt." The state controller describes "a meltdown."

But what exactly will happen just five weeks from now is less clear-cut than the dire pronouncements suggest.

California government will not come to a dead stop: Police will still patrol the highways. Prisoners will still be guarded, and state firefighters will stand ready to put out wildfires.

Still, many services normally funded by the state, such as road projects and community health clinics, would either stop or get cut back.

Counties may not have money to run a wide array of social programs. College students who rely on state assistance might have to pay their own fees or consider leaving school.

More - Associated Press story ..

MORE RESOURCES;

The Los Angeles Times

BizJournals.com

The Wall Street Journal

Central Valley Business Times

Topix.com - POLL - CA Budget - Higher taxes?

~~~~~
Go GREEN
Home and Business
Save $$'s
~~~~~

Businesses and residents wishing to use the latest automation technologies to heat and cool their commercial buildings and homes more efficiently are invited to a seminar 'on the subject at 5:30 p.m., 'July 1 at Provost & Pritchard, 130 N. Garden St., Visalia, organizers reported.

The Tulare-Kings branch of the U.S. Green Building Council is sponsoring the program, said volunteer spokeswoman Erin Andersen of BMI Mechanical Inc. in Tulare.

The local branch of the U.S. Green Building Council was established in February 2008 with the mission of "accelerating the education and implementation of sustainable development practices," Andersen said.

Melissa Hobbs, an engineer for Controlco, will be the main presenter on July 1.

Controlco offers solutions for to help businesses control their energy costs through more efficient energy use.

The Visalia Times-Delta

RESOURCES;

Controlco

U.S. Green Building Council

BMI Mechanical, Inc., Tulare

MORE ... about being GREEN;

organic community-building sustainability

~~~~~
Michelle Obama
Supporting
Commuity Service
Volunteerism
~~~~~

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama plans to kick off a summer of community service Monday by helping refurbish a school playground, while a number of cabinet officials plan to fan across the country to promote the campaign.

The initiative, known as United We Serve, was announced by President Obama in a video message last week.

The president is urging people to help in the nation's economic recovery by volunteering at schools and hospitals and pitching in on community needs ranging from tutoring to trash pickup.

Michelle Obama is putting the idea into action by joining California first lady Maria Shriver and local volunteers at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco, where the playground is being refurbished to include an edible garden with a farmers market stand where kids and seniors can sell vegetables to raise money for the school.

Later, the first lady is scheduled to speak at the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

More .. from USA Today

More RESOURCES;

"2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service" .. June 22-24, San Francisco CA

"United We Serve" is a faith-based organization whose mission is to adopt troops and their families during their entire deployment and to provide peace of ...

" Corporation for National and Community Service" .. Created in 1993, the Corporation for National Service is a public-private partnership that engages Americans of all ages in service through three national ...

~~~~~
3 to 2 Vote
to Delay
Budget Vote
~~~~~

A majority of Fresno County supervisors hesitated Friday on the verge of approving a $1.7 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

After voting 3-2 against approving the budget in the face of lingering questions about whether it was really in balance, the board put off its decision until Wednesday.

With time running short, two big questions remain. One is what effect the ongoing state budget debate will have on revenues for the county.

The other: Whether county employees are willing to consider taking a pay freeze to save some jobs.

"If you think we're going to resolve that issue between now and next Wednesday, we're not," said Supervisor Henry R. Perea, who joined Supervisor Phil Larson in a failed attempt to pass the budget Friday. Supervisors Judy Case, Debbie Poochigian and chairwoman Susan Anderson voted against the budget approval.

More from The Fresno Bee

~~~~~
Governor in Fresno
Newz Conference at
Tower Theater
(file photo)
~~~~~


By Steve Wiegand .. Sacramento Bee .. swiegand@sacbee.com
Thursday, Jun. 18, 2009

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took his balance-the budget stump speech to Fresno today - and got an earful of water.

LOPEZ statement at newz conference;

"OK, so you did mean it," Schwarzenegger replied. The governor then called Victor Lopez, the mayor of the nearby town of Orange Cove, up on stage to bolster Schwarzenegger's water credentials.

"If there's been anybody that has stood with us, the farm workers, the farmers and the business people of the whole state of California (on building a better water delivery system) it's been this governor from Day One," Lopez shouted. "There is going to be victory, because we have the best governor that any state in this whole nation has ever had!"

LOPEZ GETS “panned” BY READERS from THROUGHOUT the STATE;

• michaelam wrote on 06/18/2009 10:36:38 AM:

"because we have the best governor that any state in this whole nation has ever had!"

Ok.......what is Mr. Lopez smoking?!

I just love when the common folk speak up to this clown! Someone should ask Arnie about how much money he is spending for his magnanimous plan for future water deliveries.......the rebirth of the peripheral canal or dual conveyance.

People: please quit voting for B-rated actors turned politicians......they bite!

• skriptures17 wrote on 06/18/2009 01:22:58 PM:

OMG I am soo loving the comments on here. This is thee funiest article in a long time. Victor Lopez is a MONKEY. Good grief get off the GOv's sack already. He is trash and everybody knows it.

• buggsy2 wrote on 06/18/2009 01:13:37 PM:

"...because we have the best governor that any state in this whole nation has ever had!" Welcome to the 3rd world, slogans and all.

• greenneck wrote on 06/18/2009 01:03:45 PM: Victor Lopez is a bumpkin idiot...nuff said.

The complete Sacramento Bee story here

And YES this is fair and balanced reporting ... there were NO positive comments about LOPEZ.
Editor - Topix.com, Orange Cove

PRESS RELEASE .. June 15, 2009
David J. Hall .. (202) 205-6697
~~~~~

Small Business can Apply for ARC Loans Beginning Today

WASHINGTON – Starting today, June 15, SBA will begin accepting loans for a temporary new program called America’s Recovery Capital (ARC). ARC loans of up to $35,000 are designed to provide a “bridge” for viable small businesses with immediate financial hardship – to keep their doors open until they get back on track.

“These ARC loans are another tool in the SBA toolkit which will provide critical support to small businesses struggling to make it through these tough economic times,” said Administrator Karen G. Mills.

ARC loans are deferred-payment loans of up to $35,000, available to established, viable, for-profit small businesses that need short-term help to make their principal and interest payments on existing and qualifying business debt. ARC loans are 100 percent guaranteed by the SBA and have no SBA fees associated with them.

ARC loans will be disbursed over a period of up to six months and will provide funds to be used for payments of principal and interest for existing, qualifying small business debt including mortgages, term and revolving lines of credit, capital leases, credit card obligations and notes payable to vendors, suppliers and utilities. SBA will pay the interest on ARC loans to the lenders at the variable rate of Prime plus two percent.

Repayment will not begin until 12 months after the final disbursement. After the 12-month deferral period, borrowers will pay back the loan principal over a period of five years.

ARC loans will be made by commercial lenders, not SBA directly. For more information on ARC loans, visit Info - SBA Loans

For more information about all of the SBA’s programs for small businesses, call the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800 U ASK SBA or TDD 704-344-6640, or visit the SBA’s Web site at SBA Web Site

~~~~~
Robert Silva
Mayor
Mendota
~~~~~


Financially plagued town thinks it can pay for its own force.

Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
By Chris Collins / The Fresno Bee

MENDOTA -- This struggling westside town is pursuing an ambitious dream. Officials here want to cut sky-high crime rates and improve the quality of life by reviving their long-dormant police department.

But with a shoestring city budget and an economy battered by water shortages, can the town afford it?

Mendota disbanded its police department in 1991 to save money, Mayor Robert Silva said. Since then, it has paid the Fresno County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement. But the cost of that service rose by about 25% last year and is expected to rise again next month. City officials say they can run their own department for about what they are paying the Sheriff's Office now.

Public safety officials, however, say that starting a police department in the midst of tough economic times will be a daunting task. Both the city's budget and its tax base, the agricultural industry, face uncertain futures.

Officials have tentatively set aside $627,000 to cover the nine-person department's first-year budget. They say that will pay for salaries and benefits for eight officers and a secretary, a building lease, vehicle maintenance, utility bills, gas, legal fees and dispatch services.

Some wonder if those numbers add up.

"There's not another city in the Valley that runs a police department for that cheap," said Bryant Jolley, a Fresno-based certified public accountant who audits many local government agencies. "They've got an uphill battle if they want to do that."

~~~~~

They say they've been in the planning stages for the last two years. Those plans were fast-tracked after the city found out that the Sheriff's Office will increase its rates again by about 25% starting next month. It will charge the city more than $500,000 a year -- almost one-third of its general fund.

A Sheriff's Office spokesman referred questions about the escalating costs to Assistant Sheriff Tom Gattie, who did not return calls.

~~~~~

More of The Fresno Bee story here

~~~~~
Governor in
Escondido
re: State BUDGET
~~~~~

A proposal to borrow $1.9 billion from city and county governments to help cut the state's deficit draws heavy fire from municipal leaders and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

By Shane Goldmacher
June 13, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday backed away from his plan to raid local governments for $1.9 billion to help balance the state's books -- a proposal that has drawn heavy fire from municipal leaders and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

"If both parties don't like to borrow from local government, then of course we won't borrow from local government," Schwarzenegger said, answering an audience question after a budget speech in Escondido.

His spokesman later said the governor would drop his proposal only if state lawmakers agreed to other spending cuts to bridge the budget gap.

Members of the Legislature's bipartisan budget committee Friday criticized the idea of borrowing from local governments, saying it would exacerbate the state's long-term financial problems. The $1.9 billion would have to be repaid with interest within three years.

"I'm not stuck with any of those ideas," Schwarzenegger said later. "What's important for us is that we solve . . . the $24-billion deficit."

More - Los Angeles Times

Schwarzenegger threatens to shut down state government

Interactive: California budget balancer

Schwarzenegger takes step toward carrying out budget threat

Green Jobs;
Wind
Sun
Renewables
~~~~~


By Chris Kahn And Sandy Shore
Associated Press
06/10/2009

The fledgling renewable-energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — The fledgling renewable-energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Wednesday.

Solar- and wind-power companies, energy-efficient light bulb makers, environmental engineering firms and others expanded their work force by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007, the latest year available, according to Pew.

The average job growth in all industries was 3.7 percent during the same period.

The entire energy sector has experienced growth in recent years as well, according to the Bureau of Labor. Bureau data shows coal mining jobs jumped 16 percent from 2003 to 2009. Oil and gas extraction jobs jumped 28 percent.

The Pew study does not include employment data from the past 18 months, a volatile period for the energy industry.

States like California, Texas, Florida, and New York continue to employ the most people in the industry.

Green Jobs Sector 'Poised for Explosive Growth,' Study Says

~~~~~
Watching The
Budget Crisis
Deteriorate
~~~~~


UPDATE - June 9 .. 12:04 p.m. .. Los Angeles Times

State budget: Democrats' plan would ease cuts, tap 'rainy day' funds

The Story - Los Aneles Times

~~~~~

2010 governor hopefuls tread carefully in budget crisis

By Peter Hecht .. phecht@sacbee.com .. Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2009

Past and potential future Gov. Jerry Brown may have played it safest when he passed on a question from a San Diego radio host recently on how he would solve California's historic budget crisis.

The Story - Sacramento Bee


Taxes still the way in California budget crisis, some insist

By Steve Wiegand .. swiegand@sacbee.com .. Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2009

The governor and Republican legislators say they're dead on arrival.

But labor and education groups, health care and social service advocates and (a bit more quietly) some Democratic lawmakers continue to insist that tax hikes should be part of California's solution to its $24.3 billion budget deficit.

"The solution to this budget problem is not to slash and burn education but to re-evaluate our revenue policy," Jeff Freitas, a lobbyist for the California Federation of Teachers, told a legislative budget committee last week.

The Story - Sacramento Bee


Budget knife threatens popular state programs

Eliminating mandates for absentee ballots, aid to police and firefighters killed on duty and animal shelter rules could save $100 million. Local governments would have to pay to save them.

By Michael Rothfeld .. Los Angeles Times
June 9, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento -- Linda Soubirous understood what it meant to the families of police officers and firefighters when state lawmakers ensured that they would receive health insurance for life if their loved ones were killed in the line of duty.

The Story - Los Angeles Times