11-5-08

 11-5-08Merced Sun-StarCrookham's Merced Theatre donation not supported...Scott Jasonhttp://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/532334.htmlMerced County Supervisor Kathleen Crookham's plan to give $150,000 in county funds to the Merced Theatre Foundation failed Monday.Each supervisor is given a pot of cash at the start of the year to spend on projects that otherwise may be overlooked. Crookham saved her money up with plans to give it to the downtown theater restoration. Her first attempt to give $250,000 earlier this summer failed, as the gifts need board approval. Her second attempt Monday also failed. She was set to give $150,000 to the theater, $50,000 to the Snelling Courthouse Historical Foundation and $25,000 to the Merced County Fair. When the agenda item came up, the board was silent. "Did you want me to say something about it?" Crookham asked.If no one was going to second the motion to approve it, she said she'd pull it. She then explained that she reduced the amount of the donation and that she's supporting two other projects. They'll create jobs and have a positive influence on the county, she insisted. Silence again. She pulled it. CommentsThe other supervisors are idiots. That money is to be spent at her discretion, just like the other supervisors get to do. If my tax dollars are going to be spent, I would rather them actually fix something like a historic theatre rather than the other stupid things that they spend on. Have you ever seen what Deidre Kelsey and John Pedrozo spend money on? Sometimes it's laughable. :: 11/05/08 10:15am – cawindfinder-------------Ms. Crookham, HAVE YOU NO SHAME??? :: 11/05/08 8:34am - Jik_the_Mahe-------------Get a clue Kathleen, the theater restoration is as dead as Merced's economy. You might as well set up a projector inside one of the many empty big box retailers and show home movies. :: 11/05/08 8:09am – LUCKYHORSE-------------At the very same meeting the Board voted on the layoffs for Merced County Human Services Agency. What nerve CROOKham has. People should come before bricks. I'm glad to see her go. :: 11/05/08 7:42am - asweetnessDozens will lose Merced County jobsBoard axes 39 filled and 58 empty positions to save money...SCOTT JASONhttp://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/532347.htmlNearly 40 Merced County workers will find themselves unemployed May 31 as the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday dealt with state-revenue shortfalls. After appeals from county workers, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved cutting 39 filled positions within the Human Services Agency and the Department of Workforce Investment. It also axed 58 empty positions that had been frozen.It brings the department back to 523 workers, close to its 2003 levels. It peaked last year with 616 employed.The county projects a $1.65 million shortfall in funding this fiscal year and another $4.85 million for fiscal year 2009-2010...Supervisor Jerry O'Banion implored the workers to consider taking unpaid days off as a way to save money and ultimately jobs. "The staff's willing to listen (to ideas)," O'Banion said.About a fifth of Sacramento city workers will take an unpaid day off every month, saving the city about $2 million during the coming six months...Despite Central Valley's and Merced County's opposition, farm animal measure passes in state...CAROL REITERhttp://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/532342.htmlDespite being defeated soundly in Merced and Stanislaus counties, Proposition 2, the fair treatment of farm animals, passed resoundingly in the state.Both Merced and Stanislaus counties are home to large egg producers who will be affected by the passing of the proposition.Proposition 2 requires that egg-laying chickens in cages be able to stand up, turn around, lie down and extend their wings.In Merced County in 2007, eggs were the seventh-most valuable commodity, worth almost $125 million. About 60 percent of voters in the county had voted no on the proposition with, about 40 percent of the precincts reporting Tuesday evening.In Stanislaus County, about 56 percent of voters voted no on the proposition."I'm so very disappointed," said Diana Westmoreland-Pedrozo, the executive director of the Merced County Farm Bureau, of the statewide result.Westmoreland-Pedrozo said that she believed that Californians allowed their emotions to get in the way of common sense."The egg producers are going to be moving out of California," she said. Currently, California produces about 66 percent of the nation's demand for eggs, and that will drop sharply, Westmoreland-Pedrozo said."We are going to be relying on others to furnish us with food," she said. "Our food safety standards are some of the highest in the world."The Humane Society of the United States, the prominent supporter of Proposition 2, couldn't be reached for comment at deadline.Westmoreland-Pedrozo said that one of the charges that the supporters of the proposition used in their ad campaign was that Californians would never treat their pets the way that egg-laying chickens are treated."I don't eat my pets. I never have and I never will. These aren't pets," Westmoreland-Pedrozo said.She added that she believes that California farmers and ranchers always treat their animals the best they can."It's too bad that people who have never raised an animal can dictate to those that do how to raise those animals," she said."California farmers and ranchers must take care of the people who work with them, the land that sustains them, and the animals that provide them with food," she said. "Because if they don't, they aren't able to make a living for their families."Modesto BeeRegional planning: Resistance is worse than futileBy Suppose for the sake of argument the anti-science rant about the causes of global warming is correct. Let's agree that the consumption of carbon-based fuels has nothing to do with the recent worldwide rise in temperatures.And lest we think...Eric Caine http://www.modbee.com/opinion/community/story/488013.htmlInstant communication, jet-speed transportation and the global economy have shrunk the world in ways unimaginable only a few years ago. Nations are now connected the way counties and states used to be, and counties can no longer be thought of as fiefdoms where planning decisions have only short-range effects. More than 20 years ago a few valley citizens, including Modesto's own Carol Whiteside, began realizing the valley is a region. They acknowledged our eminence in agriculture and also began to recognize the value of our grasslands, rivers, wetlands and riparian forests. Together, they began promoting a vision of the valley that planned for growth while preserving the world's best farmland and protecting our rivers and delta.Knee-jerk reactions to government control of planning ignore our need to face 21st century realities about growth and urban development. Stanislaus County needs to join other valley counties in acknowledging the value of regional planning. The question is no longer whether we need a regional blueprint but rather how to design and follow it.Fresno BeeLandowners wary of change to ag tax break...Kerri Ginishttp://www.fresnobee.com/local/v-printerfriendly/story/988671.htmlFresno County landowners on Tuesday discouraged county supervisors from making changes to a 1965 law that gives them property tax breaks for keeping their land in agricultural production. Dozens of residents packed the board chambers as the supervisors discussed increasing the minimum parcel size for land to qualify for tax breaks under the Williamson Act. The change would affect nonprime agricultural land in the county, which is primarily used for cattle grazing. Supervisors listened for nearly two hours as farmers and ranchers asked for the current rules for grazing acreage to remain intact. Supervisors agreed to delay a decision until January to give them more time to study the proposal. The proposed change would increase the minimum parcel size of 40 acres to 160 acres on the east side of the county and 320 acres on the west side. Supervisors said some property owners who are receiving property tax discounts through the Williamson Act are not using their land for grazing operations. If the change is approved, property owners of the smaller parcels who currently receive discounts would see their taxes increase gradually over the next nine years. Supervisors said the change will help ensure that everyone who receives a tax break is abiding by the rules. One of those property owners not abiding by the rules is Carl Shepley, who admitted to the board on Tuesday that the 59 acres he owns in Tollhouse is not being farmed or used for grazing. Shepley said that if his property is taken out of the Williamson Act, his property taxes would increase from $400 to $1,400 a year. Shepley acknowledges he isn't abiding by the rules, but said he's living on a fixed income and can't afford to have his taxes increase. But supervisors said they are trying to stop landowners like him from abusing the program. "You are enjoying the same privileges as someone whose family does farm their land and that, sir, we have a problem with," Supervisor Phil Larson said. But the majority of landowners who attended Tuesday's meeting are abiding by the Williamson Act rules and said the proposed changes threaten open space in the county and put more land at risk for development. Many asked that if the change is made, the supervisors consider grandfathering in the parcels that are already under the Williamson Act. Tom Williams said he's a third-generation cattle rancher and his family has owned land in Squaw Valley since 1920. He said the tax breaks his family has received over the years have been "a great advantage." "I don't think we could survive now without it," he said. Helene Ringer, who owns 40 acres in the Clovis foothills, leases her land for cattle grazing. She said she's on a fixed income and can't afford to pay more in property taxes. She estimates she could owe as much as $600 more a year if her land no longer qualifies for the Williamson Act. Said Ringer: "I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money, but it is when you're on Social Security." Sacramento BeePlacer supervisors back Drexel University campus...Bob Walterhttp://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1371343.htmlPlacer County supervisors Tuesday unanimously endorsed a plan that could spawn the capital region's first major private university on 1,157 acres of farmland just west of Roseville.The board voted to support a series of agreements and environmental documents that would allow a group led by developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos to give the land to Drexel University of Philadelphia.Drexel has five years to accept the offer and begin a process that could result in a university with 6,000 students, 800 professors and staff members and potential economic impact of more than $105 million a year. "We welcome you to Placer County and look forward to having a great university here," board Chairman Jim Holmes said after a nearly three-hour hearing and vote that appeared to settle a question that has been debated in Placer for more than five years.Final action on the measures must wait until Dec. 9 because of new information, mostly related to transportation, that was presented Tuesday, County Counsel Anthony La Bouff said."I don't think it likely will change anything, but I can't say for sure," he said after the meeting.The board's endorsement came after a long line of speakers spoke in support of the project and despite opposition from Sierra Club officials Terry Davis and Marilyn Jasper.They argued that the deal would convert valuable farmland into an urban island that is far from existing population and transit centers. Davis and Jasper also said the deal would lead to development of nearby agricultural land and enrich Tsakopoulos and his partners, who own much of the adjacent land.Supervisors, however, enthusiastically voted to support the plan and vowed that it would not weaken the county's conservation or transportation strategy."To see that kind of support, from the audience and the supervisors, is remarkable," Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, Drexel's executive vice president and second-ranking official, said after a parade of supporters spoke to the board.Oxholm has been working to establish the Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in downtown Sacramento. The center will open in January, offering five master's degree programs, and a taste of Drexel for the capital region.Approval of the university plan will spur a "humongously long and complicated" process of determining whether Drexel can pull off an expansion that is "three time zones and 3,000 miles from Philadelphia," he said.It also would involve an investment of more than $200 million, he said.Aside from the five-year deadline, Oxholm said, there is no timeline for a decision.Under the plan endorsed Tuesday, the 1,157 acres – south of Pleasant Grove Creek and north of Baseline Road – would be an irrevocable gift from the Tsakopoulos family, Bill and Claudia Cummings and the Wayne L. Prim family.About 600 acres to the west would become the university campus, including faculty housing, sports facilities and open space. The rest of the land would be sold for development of 3,232 residences, 1,155 university dwellings, 22 acres of commercial space and 220 acres of park, open space and public land.All proceeds from that sale would go to the university – Drexel or another institution – to finance the university.Julie Hanson, project manager, said the plan represents "a unique opportunity for Placer County and one that is unprecedented. Hanson, a third-generation Placer resident, said "the donors hope we all will look back on this day as a historic one." Contra Costa TimesContra Costa supervisors talk strategy on canal around Delta...Mike Taugherhttp://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_10897932?nclick_check=1MARTINEZ — With 2009 shaping up as a pivotal one for the Delta, the Contra Costa County supervisors on Tuesday took steps toward developing a political strategy to influence decisions affecting the West Coast's largest estuary and a key source of water.Contra Costa has a lot at stake because the way water is delivered through, or around, the Delta could affect fisheries, recreation and drinking-water quality in the county. The Delta, which forms a triangle with corners at Antioch, Tracy and Sacramento, is a source of water for two-thirds of Californians and the sole source of tap water for 550,000 county residents. Perhaps the biggest decision that might be made next year is how to continue delivering Northern California water to regions south of the Delta, including parts of the East Bay, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.An aqueduct proposed to carry that water is under serious consideration. An earlier version of such an aqueduct, known as a peripheral canal, was defeated by voters statewide in 1982 with political opposition centered in Contra Costa."There's an objective — a canal — that has been identified as a solution," said Supervisor Mary Nejedly Piepho, whose father, the late state Sen. John Nejedly, was a key leader in the earlier fight against the canal.The plan approved by supervisors Tuesday is evolving, but so far involves lobbying, communications and analysis of studies to advance the county's interests in the Delta. "This is our way of getting more organized to address the challenges that are yet to come," said Roberta Goulart, executive officer of the county's water agency.Those "challenges" revolve mainly around two state-level planning processes.A "Delta Vision" plan has been sent to a committee that is advising Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on plans for the Delta's future. That includes a canal but also calls for tough environmental restrictions that may address water quality and environmental concerns. Meanwhile, big water agencies and environmental regulators are negotiating a plan to build a canal and secure environmental approval for continued water deliveries out of the Delta.California is facing a water crisis...MediaNews editorialhttp://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_10896592?nclick_check=1THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT of Water Resources sent out a danger signal recently and we Californians had better heed the warnings. The state plans on cutting water deliveries to their second lowest level in history. Agency officials announced only 15 percent of the water that local agencies have requested will be delivered this season. The warning is quite clear — barring a miracle, get ready for water rationing and fewer crops from farmers.Even though we have had some early rain, the situation remains bleak. Regional water officials have urged Californians to immediately reduce their water use to stretch whatever thin supply remains.One farmer in Kern County called the water projections disastrous. The signs are abundant that the recent drought is beginning to rear its ugly head.Lake Oroville is the state's second largest reservoir. Normally it would be half full at the start of November; currently it stands at only 30 percent. The San Luis Reservoir, south of San Jose, is barely over 10 percent of capacity. In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District has used more than a third of its reserves. Low snowpack levels in the Sierra last winter and the deteriorating ecosystem in the Delta that led a federal court to limit water pumping have brought us to what must be considered a crisis.We have long called for the state to find ways to deliver more dependable water supplies in the state under drought conditions, but lawmakers have stalled any proposals. That is why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has created the Delta Vision Project, which has been studying alternatives for more than a year. The governor believes we should build more dams and design new ways to draw help from the Delta without further risking its fragile environment. We agree and it is time to get moving on both.The situation was more dire in 1993 when the state promised contractors just 10 percent of their requests, the lowest initial projection on record. Not soon after that, however, California was doused with heavy precipitation and water officials revised the allotment to 100 percent.We cannot, and should not, count on a repeat of 1993. The water situation can potentially be an economic bomb during rough times, particularly to our precious agriculture industry. This situation is a clarion call for Californians to conserve now and build responsibly for the future.Washington PostUp in the AirEconomy's Downdraft Is Blowing Through Commercial Real Estate...Dana Hedgpethhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110402590_pf.htmlBenjamin B. Lacy and his wife Debra sipped beer and munched on beef carpaccio a few weeks ago in Munich at a commercial real estate gathering. In recent years, the Lacys have advised Germans to invest about $1 billion in office buildings, helping pump up the regional market.But not this time."Everybody showed up and we had nice dinners and drank lots of good beer," he said. "But underneath was a fear of doom and gloom. We were talking up deals but the undercurrent was, 'What is going on in the U.S.?' "For the Lacys, who run a real estate investment and advisory firm, it was another stark signal that the global financial crisis is hitting the commercial market.With few lenders doling out money these days, commercial real estate sales -- including office, mall and warehouse properties -- are expected to be less than half of last year's record-setting $514 billion, according to Real Capital Analytics of New York. More than $14.5 billion in deals have been canceled or pulled away from this year, including about $1 billion in the Washington region, according to Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers.In addition, growing layoffs and falling profits mean companies are giving up office space at rapid rates. Nationwide, more than 19 million square feet of space -- enough to fill more than 300 football fields -- has been emptied by office users this year, the most since the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Locally, about 1 million square feet of office space is dark and empty, according to Reis Inc., a New York-based real estate research firm.PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute concluded in a recently released report that "U.S. commercial real estate faces its worst year since the wrenching 1991-1992 industry depression."Analysts say that nationwide, rents are stagnant and will probably drop. Vacancy rates at offices, shopping malls and hotels are expected to rise, and billions of dollars of loans are coming due next year."This is a record-setter because it transcends real estate," said John Germano, managing director of the mid-Atlantic region for CB Richard Ellis, one of the country's largest commercial real estate firms. "You've seen companies that real estate depends on like Merrill Lynch, Lehman either be retrenched, sold or go under."Things will get worse if unemployment rises nationwide and consumers continue to cut back on spending, according to analysts. Stores and businesses would lease less space, probably resulting in a glut of office space and lower rents."We haven't had the second shoe drop," said Dan Fasulo, a managing director at Real Capital Analytics, the real estate research company. "You're going to see more tenants closing up shop.""If we get pushed into a recession, all bets are off. This is affecting everybody," he said. There are a few large, blue-chip projects around the country that are having troubles -- a sign that has brokers, developers and lenders in the industry worried that even deals in good, solid locations with established developers behind them are at risk...CNN MoneyJobs take a beatingReport by outplacement firm Challenger shows job cuts announced by U.S. employers in October rose by highest amount since January 2004. ADP report: 157,000 jobs lost...David Goldmanhttp://money.cnn.com/2008/11/05/news/economy/challenger_adp/index.htm?postversion=2008110509NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- October was another awful month for jobs. Two key employment reports released Wednesday showed the largest number of planned job cuts in nearly five years, with private sector jobs falling by the largest amount in nearly seven years. Job cut announcements by U.S. employers soared to 112,884 in October, up 19% from September's 95,094 cuts, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That was the highest number of pink slips handed out since January 2004. Layoffs last month were up 79% from October 2007, when 63,114 job cuts were announced.Separately, payroll manager ADP said Wednesday that the private sector lost a seasonally adjusted 157,000 jobs last month - more than six times September's decrease and the largest drop since December 2001.The dour reports were ominous signs for the jobs market ahead of the Department of Labor's monthly unemployment report on Friday. That report is expected to show that 200,000 jobs were lost in October and that the unemployment rate grew to 6.3% from 6.1% a month earlier."The economy has taken a marked turn for the worse, so it's hard to envision a scenario where we don't see steep job losses in the next few months," said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "In the best-case scenario, jobs will stabilize by the middle of 2009."October's numbers bring the total number of planned job cuts to 875,974 in 2008, 14% higher than all of 2007 and the largest 10-month total since 2003.The embattled financial and automaking industries were hit the hardest, as they have been all year. The struggling industries have seen a combined 239,760 layoffs so far this year, representing 27% of all layoffs in 2008.With a Wall Street credit crisis leading the economy into a likely recession, 17,949 financial sector jobs were lost in October. The automotive industry cut 15,692 jobs last month. Low consumer confidence and high gas prices during the spring and summer have led to historically low sales of automobiles around the globe, especially for trucks and SUVs. On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index fell to its lowest reading since October 2001. Tuesday, auto sales tracker Autodata reported that the seasonally-adjusted annual auto sales rate plunged to its worst reading since February 1983."The weakness in this week's manufacturing and auto sales reports was amazing," said Baker. "That could push Friday's unemployment number as high as 250,000 [lost jobs]."Of the 25 industry categories that the Challenger report tracks, 18 reported higher job cuts in October. The manufacturing, consumer products, pharmaceutical, food and electronics industries all reported that October yielded the highest level of job cuts so far in 2008."The fact that nearly three out of four industry categories are cutting more jobs is proof of how widely the impact of this downturn has spread," said John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, in a statement. "Even if the economy begins to rebound in the spring or summer, it could be months before we start to see net gains in employment and a decline in the unemployment rate."Private sector jobs tumbleThe ADP report showed that private sector jobs fell by the largest number in nearly seven years, dragged down by the weak manufacturing and goods-producing sectors.The decline of 157,000 jobs was worse than the consensus view of economists, surveyed by Briefing.com, who had expected a loss of 100,000 jobs. Unemployment has been trending higher since January, and ADP reported the lowest total nonfarm private payroll level since October 2007. The company said it does not expect job losses to let up anytime soon."It would not surprise me at all to see many more declines in employment in the near-future," said ADP spokesman Joel Prakken in a conference call with reporters. Prakken said he didn't anticipate a turnaround for these numbers until the second half of next year, and added that it was "highly likely" that unemployment numbers will be in excess of 200,000 job losses per month for the next several months.Last month's decline was led by a drop of 126,000 goods-producing jobs, 85,000 fewer manufacturing jobs and 45,000 fewer construction jobs. Service sector jobs declined by 31,000, the first reported drop in the traditionally strong industry since November 2002.Companies with 500 or more workers shed 41,000 jobs in October, and companies with between 50 and 499 employees reported a net loss of 91,000 jobs. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees lost 25,000 positions, marking the first reported decline in small business employment since November 2002.The data used in the ADP National Employment Report was taken from ADP payroll data which averaged 500,000 payrolls for 24 million U.S. employees