Ripped right from the Sentinel's front page, here's "What's Happening" ... (other events are listed on Stepping Out on page A2 and the Community Calendar on A3).
Flying frogs, magnetic fields to be explored
Paul Doherty, Ph.D., of San Francisco’s famed Exploratorium, will visit Auburn on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Placer Nature Center’s “Brain Food” 4th Friday Lecture Series that is held at Unity of Auburn, 1212 High Street. His talk will be titled “Flying Frogs and Magnetic Fields.” Tickets range in price from $8 for students to $12 for non-members. For more information, call 530-878-6053 or visit Placer Nature Center’s website at www.placernaturecenter.org.
Community wellness panel meets Friday
The Campaign for Community Wellness Steering Committee will meet Friday, January 25, starting at 10 a.m. in the Cypress Room of the CDRA Building at 3091 County Center Drive in North Auburn’s DeWitt Center. The committee will review the progress of the Prevention and Early Intervention Workgroups (involving children, depression/suicide, Latino leadership, Native American Council and Disparities in Access) and will discuss the greatest needs for preventing the occurrence of mental illness. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, contact Michele Zavoras at 530-889-7244.
Crab feed in Auburn
The Auburn Masonic Preservation Association’s 4th Annual Crab Feed Dinner will be held Saturday, Jan. 26 in the Sierra Building at the Gold Country Fairgrounds. The menu will include crabs, prawns, shrimp, chowder, salad and garlic bread. The dinner raises funds for the maintenance and preservation of the John H. Robinson Memorial Masonic Center. Tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased by calling George Williams at 530-885-6652.
The Auburn City Council has given final approval to an ordinance specifying how the city’s future police and fire chiefs will be chosen.
The ordinance, drafted by Councilman Kevin Hanley, gives the city manager the authority to make the appointments. In the past, the city municipal code called for the council to make the appointments that then become “subject to the administrative direction of the city manager.”
The new statute states that the police chief “shall be appointed by the city manager with the consent of the city council.” Commented Hanley: “The very sensitive role the police chief plays — and his or her need for the support of the city council to be effective — justifies some role for the council in this selection process.”
There is no reference in the ordinance to a council role in the fire chief selection process, but veteran observers of City Hall politics are of the opinion that a city manager would be nuts not to consult with the council before announcing his choice.
The current occupants of those positions, Police Chief Valerie Harris and Fire Chief Mark D’Ambrogi, are relatively young — in their 40s — and, barring unforeseen circumstances, are expected to remain on the job until they hit retirement age.
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The housing downturn and the bleak state budget situation are giving Placer County government officials the willies and they indeed will be sweating out myriad fiscal uncertainties for the next several months.
The board of supervisors was given a mid-year budget review this week and, like the overall situation, it was filled with uncertainties, largely because of the state’s $14.5 billion deficit and Governor Schwarzenegger’s call for a 10 percent “across the board” reduction in state spending.
Placer County officials and those in California’s 57 other counties and the hundreds of cities and special districts therein are hoping the Legislature will reach a compromise with the governor and ease much of the pain.
If the Schwarzenegger plan were to go unchallenged, it would see Placer’s health and human services’ programs take a $7.5 million hit. Numerous other programs, including those involving public safety, would also be clobbered. And keep in mind that as of last June 30 the state still owed the county at least $10 million in deferred reimbursements.
Rep. John T. Doolittle announced his retirement from Congress at a press conference last Thursday surrounded by supporters.
Placer County voters and those in the other northeastern California counties comprising the 4th Congressional District were busy this week trying to figure who will be Democrat Charlie Brown’s Republican opponent in the November general election. The guessing game started last Thursday when incumbent Congressman John T. Doolittle, R-Rocklin, made the not-too-surprising announcement that he won’t be seeking a 10th term this year.
Doolittle, who turned 57 three months ago, said he and his wife Julie “made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. We are at peace with the choice, and I am actually quite happy with it and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives.”
He made no reference to the U.S. Department of Justice’s ongoing corruption investigation of his dealings with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The probe hit scandalous proportions last spring when FBI agents, armed with a search warrant from a federal court, visited the Doolittle’s modest home in Virginia and departed with several items.
Doolittle was flanked by several cronies when he made his announcement in Roseville’s Maidu Center. They included Placer County Supervisors Bruce Kranz and Kirk Uhler, State Senator Sam Aanestad, Rocklin Councilwoman Kathy Lund and Tim Leslie, a retired state lawmaker.
Assemblyman Ted Gaines, a product of the Doolittle political machine, was conspicuous by his absence. He incurred the wrath of Doolittle supporters a few months ago when he opined that the corruption investigation was hindering the congressman’s effectiveness and that he — Ted Gaines — was considering running for the office himself. Earlier this week, Gaines backed down and announced he will seek re-election to the 4th Assembly District seat. Aanestad also said he is not running for the congressional seat.
Ken Campbell, a longtime Doolittle backer and celebrated Placer County GOP leader who had a public falling out with the congressman over the latter’s support of “irresponsible and wasteful government spending,” blogged that he was denied entrance to the Maidu Center for the farewell speech in Roseville because Doolittle’s chief of staff, Ron Rogers, “turned me away.”
Jan. 9 After Midnight: A 47-year-old male in Loomis reported that he scared away a burglar he spotted entering his unlocked vehicle at midnight. The suspect managed to get away with the victim’s wallet.
Jan. 8 Jewelry Heist: An 83-year-old female in Auburn reported that unknown suspects entered her home and lifted jewelry sometime between Nov. 25, 2007 and Jan. 2.
Jan. 6 Nothing Stolen: A 48-year-old male in Loomis reported that someone entered his vehicle, removed the contents of the glove compartment and placed them on the seat. The victim’s wallet and cell phone were in plain view, but nothing was stolen.
Jan. 5 Shop Lifting: A 45-year-old male transient entered a grocery store on Grass Valley Highway in Auburn, placed numerous items into produce bags, and concealed them under his clothing. The man then attempted to leave the store without paying.
CHP should be concerned about locals during road closures
Dear Editor,
Sierra storms bring in broken limbs, broken power lines and broken “assurances.” Again, Applegate is blessed with the honor of hosting traveling communities as a haven for freeway closures. Again, we are privileged to accommodate idling diesel trucks, littering skiers and recreation seekers believing they should be allowed to pass to the winter wonderland, as if immune to the invisible “I-80 closed” signs they were sure to see along their route.
CalTrans, California Highway Patrol and various county/state agencies add insult to injury to locals who have accepted this role and strive to accommodate the invasive inconveniences associated with traffic controls and un-regulated parking. My simple requests last year to the WACMAC (Weimar-Applegate-Colfax Municipal Advisory Council) and CHP to enforce the Air Pollution Ordinance and allow unrestricted passage to the locals across the Applegate overpass have fallen on deaf ears. CHP Capt. Rick Ward’s officers made my pregnant daughter go 6 miles out of her way to reach her destination that was only 1/4 mile away, “on the other side” of the barrier. Last year you assured me this was not CHP policy and your officers, by your instructions, were to be sensitive to locals and their families.
Should she have parked and walked to avoid wasting fuel? Bruce Kranz, your staff assured me they were working on implementation of the Air Pollution Ordinance, at least in Applegate. Perhaps it’s time the county gives a report to your Applegate constituents (along with the diesel fume inhaling children at Acres of Hope) regarding its progress.
Yes, I am irritated, and most certainly will hold my breath while keeping my speed at 64 mph or less.
Still stung by allegations that she has violated the state’s Subdivision Act, former Placer County Planning Commissioner Michelle Ollar-Burris is firing back with some charges of her own.
In a cross-complaint to the county’s civil lawsuit against her, Ollar-Burris sued the county and dozens of its unnamed officials and employees for casting “a cloud of doubt upon (her) activities as a licensed real estate broker and a lawful subdivider of land,” for loss of goodwill connected with her business, and for inverse condemnation.
Baltimore Ravine, the last large chunk of developable land in Auburn, will be the subject of two important meetings in Auburn City Hall next week.
On Tuesday at 6 p.m., the city council and planning commission will conduct a joint session to review the specific plan and environmental review processes necessary for the major development proposed for the 392-acre area. It will be an informational meeting conducted in large part by city staff and consultants and no testimony or action will be taken.
Gregg M. Pistochini, 41, an Auburn area resident and prominent harness racehorse owner, pleaded guilty last week to a misdemeanor charge involving receiving stolen property — thousands of dollars worth of premium golf balls.
Pistochini, who was arrested by Placer County sheriff’s investigators last September, was placed on probation for three years and ordered to perform 120 days of community service. Part of his probation is a 60-day county jail sentence, which possibly could be served alternatively under house arrest or being monitored.
Investigators said Pistochini bought stolen golf balls from a shoplifter in Sacramento and then sold them by the dozen on eBay.
Retired Placer County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Kovacich is due back in superior court in Auburn next Wednesday morning for more motions in connection with the charges that he shot his wife Janet to death in 1982 and dumped her body in Rollins Reservoir northeast of Colfax.
The motions are expected to include a request by Kovacich’s deputy public defender that the date for his trial, now set for early March, be postponed. They also might include a request for a change of venue for the trial.
Kovacich, 58, remains free on $1.5 million bail. He was arrested on a grand jury murder indictment in September of 2006.
