11-13-08

 11-13-08Merced Sun-StarPollution costing Valley billionsPoor air quality also causes hundreds of deaths annually...MARK GROSSI, The Fresno Beehttp://www.mercedsunstar.com/268/story/544510.htmlThere's a new annual price tag for breathing dirty air in the San Joaquin Valley: $6.3 billion, mostly because more than 800 people die years earlier than they should.That's more fatalities due to bad air than car accidents, said nationally known economist Jane V. Hall, who Wednesday released her latest analysis of poor air quality in this region.The dollar and death figures are nearly twice as high as Hall found in her first study two years ago, partly because stricter federal standards are in force. The new standards assume more people are harmed by bad air.But she also said new research indicates microscopic specks of soot and chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought."There is a clearer consensus that lives are being shortened," she said.The study, funded with a $90,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, is intended to jolt residents, regulators and political leaders.Hall, a California State University, Fullerton, scientist, worked with researchers Victor Brajer and Frederick W. Lurmann on the study, which also covered the South Coast Air Basin.The study points out the continuing need to battle air pollution, said Seyed Sadredin, executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. But he also said people still should understand air quality has improved."Things are not getting worse. These bigger numbers are the result of a new standard," said Sadredin. "But this study does give the Valley good justification to advocate for more support in fighting air pollution."The premature deaths and mounting costs are unacceptable, said Liza Bolaños, coordinator for the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, a nonprofit group representing public health and environmental organizations."We have the capacity to clean this up," she said. "This is a wakeup call."Hall and the other researchers said more than half the state's residents -- 20 million people in the Valley and South Coast -- are exposed regularly to unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution.The researchers combined the cost of breathing dirty air in both basins, arriving at a total of $28 billion. Health care costs and time lost at work are included in the total, but more than 80 percent of the cost is related to the value of the estimated 3,800 lives lost prematurely each year.Microscopic specks called PM-2.5, which are more prevalent in colder weather, are the biggest worry. Most of the region's $6.3 billion cost is the value of people who die prematurely from exposure to PM-2.5.Fresno last year had 75 bad days for PM-2.5, Bakersfield had 68 and Visalia 64. In the north Valley, Modesto had 39 bad days. This region is considered one of the worst in the state for such pollution."In the San Joaquin Valley, 100 percent of the residents are exposed to fine particle pollution at some time during the year," said Hall.The PM-2.5 comes from many sources, such as diesel engines and fireplaces. But it also forms in the moist winter air when ammonia from dairy waste combines with vehicle exhaust.Fresno County residents suffer the Valley's biggest effects, with the loss of 212 people each year, valued at $1.4 billion, according to the report. The county also has the Valley's highest yearly total of non-fatal heart attacks related to air quality -- 156. PM-2.5 pollution has been linked to heart disease.Hall and Brajer said the Valley's 823 annual air-related deaths occur about 14 years sooner than they should.The cost of each premature death is set about $6.7 million, a figure based on mainstream economic and federal studies of social value. Such figures have been used in economic analysis of social problems for decades, researchers said."We're not trying to value a single person," said Brajer. "This is a social value on reducing the risk of early death." Our View: Tough pill to swallowCongressional OK of river settlement would be hard for ag, but it's necessary.http://www.mercedsunstar.com/177/v-print/story/544505.htmlThe 20-year struggle to resolve the question of San Joaquin River restoration may be nearing the finish line.Federal legislation essential to the effort appears headed for a vote, either in the lame-duck session of Congress now under way, or by the new Congress early next year.It's not a solution that pleases everyone, but it is in everyone's best interests to settle this issue and move on.The legislation grew out of a settlement of a case brought by environmentalists in 1988. The suit charged that construction of Friant Dam illegally diverted water needed to maintain historic salmon runs in the river.Farmers and water agencies in the Valley reached a settlement in the case that will reduce water for farming as it restores the flow of the river in an effort to bring the salmon back. But they feared they might lose even more if the case ended up being decided by a judge.The settlement requires federal approval and funding. The money was the hang-up over the past two years, as many in Congress balked over the $250 million price tag.Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who sponsored the Senate version of the legislation and worked to sort out the knotty details, rewrote the bill to provide $88 million in guaranteed river restoration funding. That helped break the logjam, but it means the balance of restoration funds must be sought in future years.This has been a difficult two-decade passage. It might have saved everyone a great deal of costly litigation if Friant Dam hadn't been built and water diverted from the river.But then a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy wouldn't have grown up and down the east side of the Valley. Dozens of small communities rely on the farms that are supplied by water from behind Friant Dam, and there are plenty of anxieties about what will happen if that water is restored to the river.In this case the law was clearly on the side of the environmentalists, and there was every indication that the courts would have ordered even more water restored to the river if the case had proceeded. It is galling to many in agriculture, but the settlement is almost certainly the best deal they could get.The restoration bill has bipartisan support in Congress, in addition to Feinstein, from Reps. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa; Jim Costa, D-Fresno; and Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, although Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, who represents much of the Valley's east side, has been a persistent foe.It may not feel that good, but it's better than the alternative. Merced County CEO Tatum's try at pay raise may have broken the lawBrown Act, in place 55 years, governs public meetings...JONAH OWEN LAMBhttp://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/544518.htmlMerced County's CEO may have violated state open-meeting laws by not publicly disclosing his wife's potential raise last week, despite claiming now that it was a mistake that won't happen again.After revelations surfaced about how a possible raise for Dee Tatum's wife was missing from public disclosure and the Board of Supervisors' knowledge, the chief executive began issuing his explanations. Dee Tatum and his wife claim that nothing underhanded happened. Not only was the missing information about Iris Tatum's raise a mistake, he insisted, but now no raise will be given or taken."There was no attempt to do anything underhanded." said Tatum in an interview at the Merced Sun-Star with Executive Editor Mike Tharp."We just didn't have our stuff together on that particular day. I should have checked it. I should have seen that the (salary) resolution wasn't there. With multiple mental health items [a section of the budget amendment] with salaries, I typically don't see them, so it avoids any conflict." But what Tatum failed to mention was whether the raise's non-disclosure violated the specific law, called the Brown Act, which governs public meetings and governmental openness. James Fincher, the county counsel, said that since the supervisors didn't see the item about Iris Tatum, the raise's passage didn't count, according to the Brown Act. However, he didn't cite a specific section to which he was referring. But whether the "mistake" by the CEO's office violated the law is another question. "It sounds as though they realized they violated the Brown Act," said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition. "Nothing is annulled automatically. It's just that it would be against the law to try to put it into effect."Tatum's wife has also been doing some explaining -- to her colleagues.The Sun-Star has obtained an internal Mental Health Department memo she circulated where she works. In the e-mail, Iris Tatum addresses what was written about her by the Sun-Star and then distributed at her workplace.She wrote: "The Board did not authorize the proposed change to the rules and regs. I did not solicit nor [sic] had any knowledge of the proposed action...I am not now nor will I accept a 10% differential for lead duties. I would gladly carry out any lead duties without compensation."Calls to all five county supervisors on Veterans Day to ask about the issue weren't returned.While Tatum and his wife say there is no raise and there won't be one, the Sun-Star was told by county spokesman Mark Hendrikson that the issue would be put before the Board of Supervisors' next agenda.Meanwhile, the county's free-standing, glass-enclosed public notice board outside the building is still missing the item about Tatum's wife.Read more COMMENTS http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/544518.htmlIris Mojica Tatum Memo to Merced County Healh Department employees http://media.mercedsunstar.com/smedia/2008/11/12/17/tatum111308.source.prod_affiliate.111.pdfJim Sanders and Wal Mart...Habeeb, The Sunspothttp://sunspot.mercedsunstar.com/?q=node/5556From the Stop Wal Mart Action Comittee:When a sitting City Council member takes tens of thousands of dollars in donations from wealthy developer interests, things can get pretty messy! I'm sure there's more dots to connect; see attached for Sanders' campaign filings if you want to find some yourself. Here are two examples.Doug Fluetsch and EDAC1. Doug Fluetsch's group, the Citizens for the Betterment of Merced County, donated at least $3,500 to Sanders' campaign for Supervisor.2. Fluetsch was one of three people to apply for an open seat on the city's Economic Development Advisory Committee (attached). Fluetsch writes under "communityrelated activities" that he is "involved in supporting the Wal-Mart D.C." and acts as chair of something called the Merced County Jobs Coalition, which, according to theCounty Chamber's newsletter, is a "committee.. .supporting such projects as the Wal-Mart Distribution Center."3. Sanders nominates Fluetsch for EDAC and is the only Councilmember to vote for Fluetsch in the final 6-1 vote for Paul Lundberg of Atwater Baptist Church.Brookfield CastleIn Sanders' campaign filings, you'll see a $500 donation from Brookfield Castle, LLC.Brookfield Castle, LLC wants to develop Castle Farms into a giant residential development between Merced and Atwater (Brookfield is part of an international real estate conglomerate based partly in Roseville and Del Mar). Brookfield previously donated tens of thousands of dollars to Measures A and G, which would have raised taxpayer money to pay for the Atwater-Merced Expressway, which would service Castle Farms at build-out. Brookfield also gave a $1.5 million loan to MCAG to pay for Expressway expenses, which MCAG paid back in April '07 after paying interest at the rate of $10,000/month.As part of its General Plan update, the City is considering whether to include Castle Farms in the City's sphere of influence, and eventually negotiate things like sewer and water hook-ups. When the City discusses its updated General Plan and finalizes its Sphere of Influence, will Sanders disclose the donation from Brookfield he received in his campaign for Supervisor?So much for being unbiased huh? lolRead Morehttp://sunspot.mercedsunstar.com/?q=node/5556Merced County TimesCounty intensifies call for help in foreclosure crisis...John Whitakerhttp://www.mercedcountytimes.net/content/2008-11-13/00276Merced County leaders were left shaking their heads when they heard the region would be left out of the first round of federal government aid to alleviate the housing market collapse."We are the foreclosure capital of America," said Merced Mayor Ellie Wooten, "and yet we didn't measure up to their formula?"Last Friday, the state answered this frustration with a local workshop by the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The program is set up to distribute the federal money to California's hardest hit areas. It is hoped that the state representatives — not the feds — will work out a way to direct some $30 million in foreclosure aid to help restore county neighborhoods."We are up to 12 percent of our homes in foreclosure," Mayor Wooten said at the public meeting in an attempt to convince members of the California Department of Housing and Community Development to award funds after a regional application process. "Our property values have dropped to more than 4 percent. We are expecting at least 300 more foreclosures. We are the poster child for Housing and Community Development funded programs. The problem is, we are also the poster child for the foreclosure crisis ... If we could put both on the same page, we can begin to fix our challenge."Wooten and others are seeking close to $7 million — or more — of state directed aid for the city of Merced. Frank Luera, of the California Development, urged those at the gathering not to think of their program as a competitive process. "We emphasize readiness and capacity," Luera said. "We need to be able to use those funds as soon as possible. If yours is a community that can do that quickly, then you might be able to come back to the table, and request additional funding. We do anticipate that there will be additional funding."Luera reassured residents and local leaders that his department will be looking at greatest need and not only the sheer numbers that would give heavily populated areas like Southern California more relief. "We will be looking very closely at the percentage of foreclosures that was left out of the Housing and Urban Development methodology," he said. "We need to look at that very seriously, and if possible, factor that in."The packed Civic Center auditorium was filled with concerned residents."Our community has been ravished by this whole foreclosure crisis," said Dorothy Kielty, president of the Merced County Association of Realtors. "My concern is that you use local people and entities as much as you can. When you look at the resources of the county, please don't overlook the volunteers."Atwater Realtor Andy Krotik painted a more severe picture than Mayor Wooten:"In 2006, Merced County was getting one foreclosure every three days. In 2007, the county on average got three per day. So far this year, through the end of December, we are averaging 15 foreclosures per day. In fact, if you look at the numbers at the end of September, we had more foreclosures in the county than we did home sales. That's staggering."For an example, Krotik said he is considering putting an Atwater property on the market for somewhere between $90,000 and $100,000. He said it sold in May of 2005 for $290,000. "That's the kind of staggering losses," he said, "and the banks are not making out on this."Merced County Supervisor Deidre Kelsey summed up the meeting with a concern which seemed to be on the minds of everybody at the workshop. "As you develop you plan, are there any parts of the formula that you anticipate would disqualify Merced County from receiving its fair share?" she asked. Her question drew more than a few chuckles. But Luera, of the state Community Development board, remained serious. "We are looking at numbers and foreclosure rates." he said, " and certainly when you look at Merced County, the city of Merced and surrounding jurisdictions, those numbers are going to be significant. We have to seriously consider the small jurisdictions that were overlooked by HUD — that is certainly playing a significant role in whatever decision we make.Bob Carpenter: The UC Merced story goes back 20 years...John Derbyhttp://www.mercedcountytimes.net/content/2008-11-13/00277Nobody knows the history of UC Merced like Bob Carpenter, considered by many as the founding father of the concept.Speaking to a group of Sunrise Rotary members recently, he gave credit to many in town who were responsible for the University coming to Merced. However, in the start, there was just a germ of an idea shared by a very few. He recalls discussing the concept with Dub Davenport, a real estate developer, when the idea came to light. Then Congressman Tony Coelho had mentioned there was talk of creating a 10th campus for the University of California and asked if Merced might be interested. It was, at best, a very long shot. There were 85 communities from Redding to Palm Springs who felt they were qualified at being the site of the new University if one were to be built. There was some opposition to having one built in the legislature. The cost would be major and there was not money set aside for such a venture. First there was the question of land. The Virginia Trust controlled by the County Schools Board was up for sale and part had already been turned into a golf course. The trust was made up of 7,000 acres, of which the planned University would only need 2,000. The board decided to offer any portion of that land for the University site. Now it was necessary to draw together the three agencies which would have to work together to make a presentation; The Merced Irrigation District, The City of Merced and The County of Merced. “These agencies were not known for working together,” recalled Carpenter, “however, somehow they put all other matters aside and saw that this University would be a tremendous asset to the area if it could be built in Merced County.” “Remember Castle Air Force Base had just been shut down and the financial impact of the loss of that income was of considerable concern,” he said. It took 7 years to trim the site selection down from 85 communities to 15, however Merced was still in the running. The critical features of such a site were transportation, water and the environment. Carpenter said that had the Fairy Shrimp raised their heads at that time, the University the Merced site would never have been considered. The City of Merced and the Merced Irrigation District teamed up to do a water study which clearly showed the necessary water for such a project. As the site list narrowed the central valley was chosen, but still Merced was facing some major players like Fresno with two sites one at Friant and the other in Madera just across the county line. The date was set for the final vote by the Board of Regents in 1995 and Merced had asked for a hearing before the Board of Regents. By then the UC Merced committee was large and had raised enough money to hire a PR firm to assist it in convincing the board members. Larry Morse II, then a deputy district attorney for the county, was one of the main spokesmen, and Roger Wood rounded up every post card in the area to have local school children write the Board of Regents on why they felt the University was important to be located in Merced. Tim O’Neil was credited with having done almost all the public relations writing for the UC Merced committee. To top that off, Willie Brown was flown in a private plane from Sacramento to San Francisco to attend the meeting. All he said was “Merced should be the site” but all helped sway the Regents. In the end, Merced won out In bold headlines Carpenter held up the paper with the headline “We Won!” The win was short lived because while Merced won in concept, there was no plans to go forward and no money to do so. Now the new University was in the hands of the state legislature. The UC Merced committee had been very effective in raising local support. Still, there needed to be a stronger hand involved if the 10th University was ever to get off the ground. The UC Merced committee decided to hire a lobbiest in Sacramento; someone who knew all the players. Such a man was Ralph Ochoa. He had the capacity to work with legislators on both sides of the isle. Dennis Cardoza and Dick Montieth were both in the legislature at the time and added their weight to push the fledging university forward. It was rare time in the state of California when the money from the technology boom hit and Silicon Valley was at its peak. Carol Tomlinson-Keasey was hired as the first Chancellor. She was a driving force in keeping the legislature focused on the need for another unversity now. All the rest is old history by now. The university did get its funding and at a jubilant ceremony the ground was broken for the 10th campus. After that the need for the UC Merced committee diminished and finally the committee disbanded completely. Carpenter said it was a great chapter in the history of Merced and Merced County and he was glad to be a part of it.Modesto BeeRequest for road-tax recount unlikely...Garth Stapleyhttp://www.modbee.com/local/v-print/story/497256.htmlTransportation officials Wednesday said they probably will not ask for a recount of ballots cast for the failing Measure S half-cent road tax when election workers finish counting the last few thousand votes.Stanislaus Council of Governments members also approved a countywide growth document, historic for its breadth, though it essentially reflects what each community had already planned for itself.As of the last count late Friday, Measure S was falling short of the two-thirds threshold required to increase sales tax, by a mere 0.71 percentage point. But that represents 1,000 votes, give or take -- too many to demand and pay for a recount, which can be costly, some StanCOG members said...County Supervisor Jeff Grover called Measure S "historic in its effort and cohesiveness." But, he said, "It's not likely worth the effort to go through a recount. The margin would need to be much smaller than it is now."Measure S might have raised $700 million over 20 years, with half going to neighborhood road repair, 49 percent to regional thoroughfares and 1 percent reserved for administration.StanCOG members spent much more time Wednesday discussing the San Joaquin Valleywide Blueprint process before casting a unanimous vote favoring the status quo for growth already listed in each community's general plan.An advisory committee Friday moved ahead with its recommendation for a valleywide plan, without the benefit of formally adopted scenarios from Stanislaus or San Joaquin counties. The valleywide recommendation would aggressively change housing densities, favoring more multifamily units such as apartments and duplexes, especially along transportation corridors, to reduce long commutes and improve air quality.The blueprint process is linked to the region's responses to state law on reducing climate change by altering historic urban sprawl patterns. The advisory committee recommends an average of 31 people per acre in new developments, up from 13 per acre now.Though Stanislaus County is late to the party, its average growth density is about in the middle of the valleywide pack, said a University of California at Davis consultant.But StanCOG members Wednesday eliminated any mention of a countywide average from its plan, fearing that state officials might withhold transportation funding from a city approving a subdivision with a density higher than the county average.StanCOG's Vince Harris said the blueprint could provoke officials throughout the county to ponder regional goals when confronted with growth requests."We're not going to have a choice," said Patterson Mayor Becky Campo.Votes on a final valleywide scenario would occur after a summit scheduled for late January.Home loan woes ease...J.N. Sbrantihttp://www.modbee.com/local/v-print/story/497265.htmlForeclosure filings dropped dramatically throughout the Northern San Joaquin Valley in October, as lenders reportedly have become more willing to give homeowners breaks on their mortgage payments.Far fewer homeowners were sent notices of default or had their homes repossessed during October, compared with July, August and September.October foreclosure statistics from ForeclosureRadar, RealtyTrac and ForeclosureS.com agree the housing crisis eased last month.In Stanislaus County, for instance, ForeclosureRadar reported only 423 properties repossessed by lenders in October, compared with 1,053 in July. Eduardo Morales, a foreclosure prevention counselor for El Concilio in Modesto, said he's thrilled the situation is improving."A lot of progress has been made," said Morales, who helps homeowners renegotiate their mortgages so they can keep their homes. He said one of his clients Monday was able to get Wachovia Bank to significantly lower her loan payments. "Banks used to be hard to work with, but (this negotiation) was like cutting butter with a knife."Increasingly, homeowners delinquent in paying their mortgages are discovering their lenders are willing to deal with them rather than foreclose. Part of that is because of an emergency California law passed this summer, Senate Bill 1137, which requires lenders to assess borrowers' financial situations before initiating foreclosure proceedings. But that's not the only reason for the decline in foreclosures, according to Sean O'Toole, founder of ForeclosureRadar."There were nearly 60,000 (California) properties scheduled for sale at the beginning of October over which the law had no affect," O'Toole said. "The drop in foreclosure sales, therefore, can only be reasonably attributed to changes introduced by the lenders themselves and not in response to SB 1137."O'Toole noted that Countrywide, particularly, postponed many of the foreclosures it had scheduled for October. Statewide, lenders called off 20 percent of the foreclosure sales scheduled for October."It would be a mistake to conclude that the declines in foreclosure activity indicate the foreclosure crisis is over," O'Toole warned. "While lenders now appear to be embracing the concept of foreclosure moratoriums and loan modifications, neither typically address the core issue of negative equity. "Most loan modifications focus on lowering payments to affordable levels by using unsustainably low interest rates, not unlike the 'teaser rates' that many have blamed for the current crisis."RealtyTrac, however, recorded a sharp decline in the number of notices of default filed. That's the first step in the foreclosure process. California default filings this October were 44 percent below October 2007, according to James Saccacio, RealtyTrac's chief executive officer."While the intention behind (SB 1137) -- to prevent more foreclosures -- is admirable, without a more integrated approach that includes significant loan modifications, the net effect may be merely delaying inevitable foreclosures," Saccacio said. "In the meantime, the apparent slowing of foreclosure activity understates the severity of the foreclosure problem."Alexis McGee, president of ForeclosureS.com, was more optimistic. "The nation's foreclosure free-fall may be subsiding," McGee said. "We still have a long way to go, and some of the recent numbers are skewed by lender programs for homeowners that delay rather than eliminate foreclosures."But gains as measured by drops in foreclosure numbers in the past two months reflect that efforts by lenders, banks, organizations and government entities to work with strapped homeowners to avoid foreclosure are beginning to pay off," she said.Some key banks and lenders recognize that keeping homeowners out of foreclosure is good business, McGee said.She pointed out that banks like the now FDIC-operated IndyMac, Bank of America (which acquired Countrywide) and JPMorgan Chase (which acquired Washington Mutual) have pledged to cut monthly payments for many strapped borrowers by lowering interest rates and temporarily reducing home loan balances.Fresno BeeBusiness briefs...11/12/08 22:17:21http://www.fresnobee.com/business/story/1008972.htmlCalifornia regions top national foreclosure listMetropolitan regions in California were among the foreclosure capitals of the nation in October, with Stockton, Merced, Riverside-San Bernardino and Modesto ranking among the top 10.Stockton was fourth in the nation, with 1 of every 100 houses receiving a foreclosure filing. Merced was fifth, Riverside-San Bernardino seventh and Modesto ninth, according to RealtyTrac, which monitors defaults. Fresno was 28th. Officials with RealtyTrac said filings fell after legislation mandating delays in the foreclosure process became law. James J. Saccacio, chief executive, said an integrated effort to reduce defaults is crucial. "Without a more integrated approach that includes significant loan modifications, the net effect may be merely delaying inevitable foreclosures," he said.Pact unveiled that would remove Klamath River dams...JEFF BARNARDhttp://www.fresnobee.com/641/v-printerfriendly/story/1009183.htmlThe Bush administration has announced a nonbinding agreement for removing four dams along the Klamath River, a key to resolving the basin's long-standing trouble balancing the water needs of farms and fish. While not a final answer, the deal represents a milestone toward what would become the biggest dam removal project in U.S. history. It also would help resolve issues at the root of the 2001 shut-off of irrigation to thousands of acres of farmland under enforcement by U.S. marshals and the 2002 deaths of 70,000 adult salmon in the river after irrigation water was restored. The agreement in principle reached in Sacramento, Calif., was to be signed Thursday by the U.S. Department of Interior, the utility PacifiCorp and the governors of Oregon and California. According to a copy obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, the agreement is a roadmap for turning the dams over to a nonfederal entity and starting to remove them by 2020. Though the Bush administration has opposed removing hydroelectric dams elsewhere, Interior Department Counselor Michael Bogert said it recognized that removing the four dams could help create "a comprehensive approach to deal with the issues and images we saw in the Klamath Basin." Pressure has been building for years on the dam's owner, PacifiCorp, to make a deal. California and Oregon's governors pressed for dam removal after commercial salmon fisheries collapsed in 2006. Federal biologists mandated that fish ladders and other improvements costing $300 million be added to the dams before a federal operating license could be renewed. California water authorities have been taking a hard look at the dams' role in toxic algae plaguing the river, and river advocates have sued PacifiCorp to fix the algae problem. The deal embraces a $1 billion environmental restoration blueprint for the Klamath Basin that has been endorsed by farmers, Indian tribes, salmon fishermen and conservation groups. Besides restoring fish habitat, it guarantees water and cheap electricity for farmers, as well as continued access to federal wildlife refuges for farming. Dean Brockbank, vice president and general council for PacifiCorp, said though the agreement was nonbinding, the utility was committed to seeing it through to removal of the dams. He added the company's four key concerns were all met: PacifiCorp is protected from liability, there is a $200 million cap on removal costs to be born by ratepayers, dam removal is far enough in the future to avoid a scramble for replacement power, and PacifiCorp's capital expenditures were held to a minimum. Deadline for a binding agreement is June 30, 2009, and farmers, Indian tribes and other parties that endorse the agreement in principle get a place at the table. Then the federal government undertakes studies to be sure dam removal is feasible and cost-effective. Besides the $200 million in removal costs to be born by ratepayers, the state of California will ask voters to approve a $250 million bond. Surcharges would be about $15 to $20 a year to PacifiCorp's 500,000 customers in Oregon and 45,000 customers in California. Any dam removal costs over $450 million must be worked out later. PacifiCorp also committed to paying California $500,000 a year for fish habitat improvements until the dams are removed. "The health of the Klamath River is critical to the livelihood of numerous Northern California communities, and with this groundbreaking agreement we have established a framework for restoring an important natural resource for future generations," Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. The Karuk Tribe had led demonstrations at PacifiCorp stockholder meetings demanding dam removal, but spokesman Craig Tucker said the agreement represented a new working relationship with the utility, "and we are looking forward to working with them as partners in the future." Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents California commercial salmon fishermen, also voiced support. "It is a break out of gridlock into a dam removal pathway that shows great promise." But Oregon Wild, a Portland-based conservation group kicked out of basin restoration talks, blasted the deal, saying the Bush administration was imposing a lot of conditions favorable to PacifiCorp and punting a problem it had failed to resolve in eight years. Built between 1908 and 1962, the four dams block salmon from 300 miles of spawning habitat while producing enough electricity to power about 70,000 homes. Stockton RecordForclosure rates increaseStockton's ranking falls, but change in notification cited...Staff and wire reportshttp://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081113/A_BIZ/811130322IRVINE - The number of homeowners caught in the wave of foreclosures in October grew 25 percent nationally over the same month in 2007, data released Thursday showed.More than 279,500 U.S. homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice in October, an increase of 5 percent over September, according to RealtyTrac Inc. One in every 452 housing units received a foreclosure filing, such as a default notice, auction sale notice or bank repossession.More than 84,000 properties were repossessed in October, RealtyTrac said.The Stockton metro area - basically San Joaquin County - actually saw some improvement in numbers. Usually, the area is ranked either first or second in the nation for foreclosure activity. For October, Stockton ranked fourth among four California metro areas listed in the top 10 busiest communities. Merced was ranked fifth, Riverside-San Bernardino seventh and Modesto ninth.Among cities, Las Vegas had the highest October foreclosure rate among the 230 metro areas tracked in the report, with one in every 62 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing. Four Florida metro areas ranked in top 10 - Cape Coral-Fort Myers was second, Miami third, Fort Lauderdale eighth and Orlando 10th. The remaining member of the top 10 was Phoenix, which came in sixth.Jerry Abbott, president and co-owner of Grupe Real Estate, Stockton, said foreclosure activity may appear to be easing off in California when it's really just lagging because of a state law that took effect in mid-September.That measure caused some lenders and loan servicers to pull back from filing defaults by requiring lenders to contact a borrower 30 days before filing a notice of default in order to attempt a mortgage workout - and many families have already vacated their homes, he said."It's taken lenders time to get used to the bill," Abbott said.A nasty brew of strict lending standards, falling home values and a tough economy is filtering through the housing market. By the end of the year, the company expects more than a million bank-owned properties to have piled up on the market, representing around a third of all properties for sale in the U.S.In RealtyTrac's report, three states - Nevada, Arizona, Florida - had the nation's top foreclosure rates. Nevada posted the nation's highest rate for the 22nd consecutive month in October.In Nevada, one in every 74 homes received a foreclosure filing last month. Arizona saw one in every 149 housing units receive a foreclosure filing, and in Florida, it was one in every 157 homes.Other states in the top 10 were California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.However, RealtyTrac noted that, while California had the highest total number of foreclosures in October, the rate in the state was down 18 percent from the previous month.James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said new laws requiring delays in the foreclosure process have reduced the volume of foreclosure filings in several states, including California, as well as North Carolina, which has a new law that gives borrowers an extra 45 days."While the intention behind this legislation - to prevent more foreclosures - is admirable, without a more integrated approach that includes significant loan modifications, the net effect may be merely delaying inevitable foreclosures," Saccacio said. "And in the meantime, the apparent slowing of foreclosure activity understates the severity of the foreclosure problem in these states."Also Wednesday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston said the government may let more borrowers qualify for a $300 billion program designed to let troubled homeowners swap risky loans for more affordable ones. The program was launched Oct. 1, but there are concerns that lenders won't participate because they have to voluntarily reduce the value of a loan and take a loss.The collateral damage in the financial markets forced the government to pass a $700 billion financial rescue package last month. The plan was initially to buy bad assets from banks, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday that the rescue package won't purchase those troubled assets.That plan would have taken too much time, he said, so instead the Treasury will rely on buying stakes in banks and encouraging them to resume more normal lending.Tracy PressNot on the same pageSan Joaquin Delta College admits its trustees overreached their authority — but that's about it...Jennifer Wadsworth     http://tracypress.com/content/view/16445/2268/ San Joaquin Delta College disagreed with four of five findings of a recent audit by the state controller’s office into how the school managed — and whether it mismanaged — $250 million of voter-approved debt.The school admitted that trustees did indeed overreach their authority by extending term limits for members of the Measure L bond citizen’s oversight committee, which violates the state education code.The college had a hard time finding people to replace outgoing committee members, who are limited to two two-year terms. So trustees amended the bylaws, in apparent violation of state law, to keep the same members onboard.That was the only finding the college agreed with after a 7½-week audit, which started in early September after Sen. Michael Machado, D-Linden, asked the state agency to investigate the school’s bond money oversight.State investigators concluded that the college misspent a portion of the 2004-approved Measure L bond money on “state-of-the-art” electronic marquees, athletic tracks, fields and buildings. Delta justified its $10.9 million of spent bond money as “prudent and appropriate uses of Measure L funds” for needed renovations to the aging college.The school struggled to keep up uneven sports fields, which pooled up with water and became unsafe to athletes, wrote Vice President of Business Services Jon Stephens in the 10-page response released today.“There were significant safety concerns” that the bond money fixed, he wrote. And it was unfair that the women’s locker rooms and athletic facilities were worse off than the men’s, he continued.The sports buildings and fields were also built up to par with American with Disabilities Act standards.In all, the college spent 3.8 percent of the bond money on sports facility remodeling that the state found frivolous.Delta rebutted the state’s statement that the school illegally used bond money to pay for operating expenses by paying for open-source software shared with other colleges and universities. The allegation was false because no bond money was used to pay for that, and even if it was, it would have been legal, the college replied.Additionally, the college defended its Measure L citizen’s oversight committee from charges that members were “passive, perfunctory and ineffective.”“These members worked diligently at a professional level that protected the interests of taxpayers,” Stephens wrote in the reply, ceding that volunteer members have daily careers “that do not permit exhaustive hours of research on campus.”Delta also found that state auditors were mistaken in their assessment that the college’s own audits of bond money were insufficient and did nothing to better transparency of how the money was spent.Conversely, Stephens wrote, the college has “complete faith” in its accounting practices and goes above and beyond what’s required by law.The bond money has been reviewed by the college itself, an external accountant-auditor, the Delta bond team, the San Joaquin civil grand jury and now the state controller’s office.And “not one discrepancy, adjustment or error was noted by any of these reviewing authorities,” the college argued.On Monday, the head of the accreditation team that this summer placed the college on warning status will return for a follow-up visit. At the end of Brian King’s visit, he will conduct a public meeting at 3 p.m. in the Tillie Lewis Theatre at Delta College, 5151 Pacific Ave., in Stockton.Capital PressCalifornia crisis signals warning for all farmers...Frank Priestley, president of the Idaho Farm Bureau...Guest Commenthttp://capitalpress.com/Main.asp?SectionID=75&ArticleID=46097A drought that's lasted only two years is creating serious problems in this nation's most populous state. And other Western states, including Idaho, had better take notice of the simple fact that if we don't increase water storage we are putting our food supply and our economy in jeopardy.If the drought in California continues until spring, water officials there are planning to ration municipal water deliveries and dry up as much as 200,000 acres of farmland. Compounding California's problem is a recent federal court ruling that limits pumping of water out of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta in order to protect an endangered fish, the smelt. Sound familiar? To sum up California's problem, the state ranks No. 1 in population with over 37 million people and No. 1 in value of agricultural output at $36.6 billion in 2007. At the present time, there's not enough water to supply both of those demands. So water managers' options include first, pray for rain and make plans to dry up farmland, and second, ration water to cities and encourage people to conserve, by limiting lawn watering and other activities.Idaho citizens, lawmakers and water managers should have a clear understanding of this situation and what it means. In times of severe shortages, the municipalities will get their water first. Even though farmers may own the rights to use that water, the cities won't get shorted in order to irrigate crops. While Idaho isn't dealing with drought at the present time, we do live in a desert and should be making proactive plans to deal with it.From Idaho agriculture's perspective, we like the idea of building more dams and increasing the size of existing dams to help accommodate future growth much better than drying up farmland. Taking farms out of production stifles economic activity and puts a lot of people out of work. It also increases the cost of food and increases the amount of imported food, which can compromise food safety. Our easiest fix is to do a much better job of recharging a massive aquifer that stretches along the Snake River Plain roughly from Ashton to Mountain Home. In high water years, thousands of acre feet of excess water flows down the Snake River and out to the Pacific. Much of this water could be channeled into canals and allowed to percolate down into the aquifer.It seems like a simple, proactive solution to a problem Idaho is sure to face sooner or later. However, finding solutions to Idaho water issues is anything but simple.In 2006 several state legislators and agriculture groups got behind an aquifer recharge proposal. But the legislation was devoured by an Idaho Power public relations campaign. The utility claimed if excess spring flows were diverted from the river there wouldn't be enough water to generate power and rates would increase. Although it lacked logic - the water in question was excess and would have flown over spillways and not through turbines anyway - Idaho Power's lobbying machine convinced 21 state senators to vote against the measure and it died.California has grown to the point where only two years of drought can put the state in a rationing situation. That's a strong indication that California waited too long before addressing its lack of water storage capacity. Idaho has the opportunity to solve this problem before it becomes a crisis. Let's not follow California's example.Capitol WeeklyEnvironmental rules face budget woes...John Howardhttp://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php_adctlid=v|jq2q43wvsl855o|xjqsqji5n59ral&issueId=xjptu9p7nq5i7a&xid=xjpucg6z18lj33Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hard-times budget proposal to balance the state’s books hinders California’s efforts to curb global warming and weakens the state’s principal environmental law, environmentalists contend. Fears of an economic meltdown appear to be driving the shift, which conflicts with the governor’s public image as a warrior to curb greenhouse gases. “He seems to be panicked. Instead of moving ahead calmly and deliberately, he is throwing possible solutions out there, giving a sense that he is spooked by the economy. There is a sense of panic, and I think it’s out of character,” said Gary Patton, general counsel of the Planning and Conservation League. “The governor’s immediate instincts are usually right, so I think he’s just spooked.” The administration, while acknowledging that hundreds of millions of dollars worth of publicly funded construction would be exempt from some environmental rules, says it strongly favors environmental protection and supports the California Environmental Quality Act, the state’s principal environmental protection law. But it notes that the economy is a top priority. “The governor is not proposing that CEQA be suspended. He remains 100 percent committed to protecting the environment. But during the economic crisis we have to be creative to get people back to work. This (budget proposal) will speed up construction time as much as a year, stimulate the economy and create new construction jobs – without compromising CEQA,” said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for the governor. Environmentalists are skeptical. In a letter to the governor and legislative leaders, the Environmental Defense Fund said it was concerned that the governor's plan emphasized speed at the expense of project quality, reduced the ability of the public to comment on the projects and weakened CEQA. "One of the most important values of CEQA, especially where publicly funded projects are concerned, is that it provides the public most affected by the projects time to review and comment," said EDF Regional Director Laura Harnish, who urged the administration "to take CEQA exemptions off the table during the budget and job-stimulation conversations." The budget reflects the dilemma facing the governor, forcing him to choose between the hard realities of the economy and his desire to protect the environment. Environmentalists note that more than a third of California’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation related projects, and many of those would be exempted from environmental rules under the budget plan. “We don’t think you revive the economy by rolling back our standards that protect air and water and land,” said Bill Magavern of the Sierra Club.Schwarzenegger, facing an immediate $11.2 billion budget hole and a potential $28 billion shortage over two years, has called the Legislature into special session to approve an array of changes in state laws to help erase red ink. The big-ticket proposals, such as a 1.5-cent increase in the sales tax and cuts in public education funding, have captured the public’s attention. But the governor’s other proposals, contained in a 41-page draft of legislation reviewed by Capitol Weekly, target a series of additional issues, including public-private infrastructure plans, workplace rules and overtime laws, hospital construction, speeded-up sales of surplus state property and the expedited construction of transportation projects. Generally, the goal of the construction proposals is to streamline government regulation and, in the case of the transportation projects, expedite massive public works projects as a shot in the arm to the ailing economy. Some $821.5 milllion worth of projects are targeted for exemptions under the governor’s proposal, including $384 million worth of projects funded by the voter-approved Proposition 1B.  The projects are part of the administration’s plan to speed up some $2.3 billion in construction and procurement projects, including $800 million for transit systems to pay for construction and buy equipment. But the downside is the potential weakening of CEQA and the injection of a new group of political appointees do decide which projects get approved. One bill, which the governor and even the media described as “historic” and a “landmark,” could be weakened by governor’s own proposal, critics contend. Among other things, that bill, SB 375 by Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, seeks to cut pollution by curbing suburban sprawl. The bill, which won’t be in full effect for years, sets targets for regional planning organizations, cuts sprawl through “infill” developments to limit commutes and  carbon emissions, and requires the state Air Resources Board to oversee the process. Developers, originally opposed, supported the final version of the bill after it included a number of exemptions to CEQA. Environmentalists, too, supported the measure. The governor’s special-session proposal includes the creation of a top-level panel -- composed of his appointees heading the state Environmental Protection Agency, the Resources Agency and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency-- who could override decisions by local, regional or state agencies in connection with SB 375, or other laws, according to critics, if the decisions involved some bond-funded projects.  “The administration has quietly proposed waiving all GHG (greenhouse gas) pollution reduction requirements, and other environmental requirements, for large transportation and flood projects as part of its “economic stimulus” proposals in the budget,” one Capitol expert’s private analysis said. In addition, agencies must act on permit applications for transportation or flood control projects within 15 days, or the project is automatically approved. If the agency rejects the permit, the tribunal can override the decision. The result is that projects will get a green light, regardless of their environmental impact, according to environmentalists. For example, the disputed widening of U.S. Highway 50, a busy east-west highway that runs from Sacramento into the Sierra and beyond, was halted by the courts because, in part, it did not include greenhouse gas emissions in its environmental planning. That project could be approved by the high-level panel under the governor’s plan. “They (the administration) is going through the back door,” Magavern said. “It really is making policy. In the Highway 50 case, local environmentalists won a decision in court preventing the project from going ahead, without a CEQA review. This proposal would overturn that decision.” The proposals were disclosed in the Capitol even as an international conference called by the governor on global warming was scheduled to convene in Los Angeles – the latest in a long series of events in which the governor seeks to depict himself as a committed fighter against greenhouse gas emissions. Any weakening of CEQA carries an additional problem. The ARB is scheduled to adopt the state’s blueprint to fight carbon emissions by the end of the year. The board’s approval means work will begin on writing the pivotal carbon emissions regulations that will actually put the program into effect, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020.  But those regulations will not take effect until 2012. For the three-year period until the new regulations take effect, the state’s main environmental safeguard will be CEQA. Some of the AB 32-related provisions already are in effect, but a big piece of the law -- the creation of a cap-and-trade system to control pollution credits -- won't be in place until 2012. But if CEQA is weakened now, the state’s environmental protections will be weakened during the next three years, critics contend. What happens then? “That’s the problem,” Patton said. “Currently, CEQA is the main environmental tool. For three years, until we get the protections of AB 32, the only mechanism that can be used is CEQA.” Another problem, fiscal as well as environmental, is the governor’s special-session proposal to suspend the Williamson Act, a state-backed plan that compensates farmers for hanging on to their land instead of turning it over to developers. Suspending the law saves the state an estimated $34.7 million in reimbursements. But the agreements with the farmers include 10-year and 20-year agreements. Suspending the state’s promise of reimbursements leaves the counties on the hook for the money. “Virtually every environmental organization that lobbies in Sacramento has noted this fundamental disconnect between the governor’s stated commitment on greenhouse gas emissions and this budget proposal. We are going to fight that,” Patton said. “And it’s retroactive. We can’t be cutting what’s already there if we are going to deal with the global warming crisis.” But the administration, defending the governor’s role as an environmental advocate, believes the governor is striking a proper balance between environmental safeguards and environmental necessity. “We have drastic problems that require drastic and immediate action,” Schwarzenegger said when he announced his budget plan. A key piece of that is “pushing out and expediting infrastructure bond monies to create jobs and help unemployed residential construction workers in the hardest hit areas of the state get trained in a new type of construction.” San Francisco ChronicleUC's endowment plunged $1 billion...Tanya Scheitzhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/13/BA781436M4.DTL&type=printableThe University of California endowment lost $1 billion in the first nine months of 2008, with $700 million of the loss coming in the latest quarter. The general endowment pool managed by the UC Board of Regents stood at $5.7 billion as of Sept. 30 - down from the $6.7 billion as of Dec. 31, according to reports presented to the regents Wednesday."Everything went wrong in the quarter," UC Treasurer Marie Berggren told the regents' Investment Committee during a conference call among members. "It is going to get worse."The impact won't be felt immediately because the endowment's pay-out is based on a long-term average of the funds' performance, UC officials said. However, returns from the endowment are used to support specific programs such as research, faculty chairs and scholarships and fellowships, and if losses continue, students and faculty could suffer, according to UC spokesman Trey Davis.For example, an endowed scholarship fund that provides $5,000 to a student today would normally be adjusted to meet increases in living expenses. But if the investment returns continue to decline, the fund would not generate enough income to increase the scholarship.Over the previous five years, the endowment's average return was 7.89 percent, Davis said.Regent George Marcus was critical of the losses and said the treasurer's office needs to look carefully at its investments."In these uncharted waters, in these uncertain times, we ought to have a healthy discussion about what to do with asset allocation in this market," he said. "We need to admit to ourselves that this is a new world."UC Berkeley's $1.8 billion campus endowment is part of the endowment managed by the regents. UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said that if the financial markets continue their downward slide in coming years, there could be future reduction in endowment support for scholarships, research and funding to recruit and retain faculty, among other things. "As part of our conservative approach to financial planning we are, however, preparing for the possibility of significant reductions in endowment payouts in years to come with the awareness that any decline will be cushioned by the averaging," Mogulof said. So What About The Whales?...Cameron Scott, The Thin Green Linehttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=49&entry_id=32619The battle over the Navy's use of sonar pits the neocons against the environmentalists, and it turns out they're more similar than you might think. It's worth noting that the Supreme Court decision did not in fact weigh the Navy's needs against the risk to whales. It rather deferred to the military, saying its claims should be taken at face value. Strangely, conservative head justice Roberts did question the Navy's own acknowledgment that its exercises would kill 170,000 marine mammals, suggesting that there was no evidence that sonar harmed the animals. Roberts' decision is not unlike U.S. courts' acceptance at face value of the Bush administration's favorite court maneuver: the state secrets privilege, which they take to mean that judges are not even allowed to consider the evidence for fear of revealing state secrets and thereby harming national security. (I've written about use of this claim here.) The privilege was established by the case United States v. Reynolds, which serves as reminder enough for why it shouldn't be used: The military was sued by widows of victims of a plane crash who wanted to know what their husbands were doing aboard the aircraft. The government successfully avoided revealing anything about the crash. When the information relating to it—the so-called state secrets—was declassified 50 years later, it became clear that the military was simply trying to cover up the aircraft's shoddy maintenance record. In the comments on the Chronicle's and L.A. Times' articles on the decision you see similar absolutism at work. AJ Watts wrote on the Times site: I ask all of the naysayers which is more important and which would you choose in a life or death situation....a whale or or child or a grand-child (or another close relative)?Many environmentalist commenters were just as absolutist. Permeant wrote on SFGate: The pervasive destruction of wildlife is truly a human sickness. Some day soon there may be no wild animals, nor sustainable wild habitat. We may find at that point that the Earth is rather sad and unlivable. I'm guessing many already do.Both types of comment are frequently echoed. But shouldn't the Supreme Court be able to go beyond these absolutes? After all, the choice really isn't between one whale or one child. The decision is how to regulate the Navy's use of sonar low-frequency sonar, which it claims to need to track silent submarines. Here's Susan on the Times site:It would seem that the Navy could train elsewhere during a season when a lot of whales are present. Would the data not be the same? Some sort of compromise could be reached that would benefit both whales and humans...We don't have to always kill our wildlife to carry on with our lives.And then there are a few souls who ask what seems like an important question that got no attention that I know of in the Supreme Court decision: Which of our "enemies" has silent subs?Here's Nigel, on the Times site, who claims to be Navy personnel: What people don't understand is that America is the only country that has nuclear subs that run silently these days. All other countries have subs we can hear with conventional sonar. The public isn't being told the truth - that these exercises are unnecessary. This is a Neo-Con give-a-way just like the "missile defense shield". The tragedy is that the marine mammals are going to suffer needlessly.Sign me,Navy personnelCandi, on SFGate, says that the Russians have silent subs which they could sell to "Iran, China Venezuela, Indonesia." I don't know who's right (I'm looking into it and will post an update if I get an answer), but it's fascinating that just a few commenters thought to address this issue. We've become so locked into our fixed positions: national security at all costs, or environmental protections at all costs. But, as Heehau wrote on SFGate:who is going to attack america using submarines? it's that likelihood that needs to get weighed against the likelihood of hurting whales and dolphins.Some "national security" respondents seemed determined to invent unnamed enemies. Here's Whale Hatter [sic?]: FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD STOP THE NAVY FROM USING SONAR. PACK YOUR BAGS NOW, BECAUSE YOU WILL BE LIVING WITH THE FISHES WHEN WE GET HIT FROM A TERRIOST ATTACK.WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST IS NOT OUR ONLY THREAT.No Terrorists wrote: Since we don't eat whales or use their oil anymore what do we need them for? What we DO need is the Navy protecting our children from the terrorists. Thank God the supreme court can see through the tree huggers BS and keeps us safe!Now, China or Russia might have nuclear subs, but I can assure you that terrorists do not. Like many under-40 environmentalists, I think that the movement has failed thus far because the prospect of a planetary meltdown is just too scary for people to believe, and too overwhelming for them to act upon if they do. Yet, the very conservatives who call environmentalists whiners and fear-mongers are drawn to the same emotional notes. The difference seems to be that their call to action involves anger instead of compassion, which has seemingly made it more successful.What do you think? Los Angeles TimesCalifornia official reportedly a candidate for top EPA postDemocrat Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state's Air Resources Board, held a high-level position in the federal agency in the Clinton administration...Margot Roosevelthttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nichols13-2008nov13,0,6540001,print.storyMary Nichols, the savvy negotiator who is leading California's complex effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, is reportedly a candidate to head President-elect Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agency.Nichols, 63, is chairwoman of the state's powerful Air Resources Board. She was a high-level EPA official under President Clinton, serving as the agency's assistant administrator for air and radiation.Appointed to head the state air board by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year, the Los Angeles Democrat and former environmental attorney has energetically mediated between business and environmental advocates in designing the nation’s first regulatory program to control global warming pollution.She has been sharply critical of the EPA under President Bush for declining to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and for refusing to allow California and other states to enact curbs on such gases from automobile tailpipes.Other candidates for the federal job, according to green groups, include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer who has garnered praise for his efforts to combat river pollution, as well as criticism for his opposition to an offshore wind project near his family's compound on Cape Cod, Mass.Also said to be under consideration for the position, which oversees a $7.2-billion budget, are Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; Kathleen McGinty, former head of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection; Ian Bowles, head of Massachusetts' Energy and Environmental Affairs agency; and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson.Nichols said she has not lobbied for the job but is "honored and pleased to be considered."Obama transition spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment on "speculation," adding, "People are playing Washington guessing games."California economy loses $28 billion yearly to health effects of pollutionMost of the losses are attributable to 3,000 annual deaths, a Cal State Fullerton study says. The study underscores the economic benefits of meeting federal air quality standards...Louis Sahagunhttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pollute13-2008nov13,0,6521618,print.storyThe California economy loses about $28 billion annually due to premature deaths and illnesses linked to ozone and particulates spewed from hundreds of locations in the South Coast and San Joaquin air basins, according to findings released Wednesday by a Cal State Fullerton research team.Most of those costs, about $25 billion, are connected to roughly 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, but additional factors include work and school absences, emergency room visits, and asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses, said team leader Jane Hall, a professor of economics and co-director of the university's Institute for Economics and Environment Studies.The study underscores the economic benefits of meeting federal air quality standards at a time when lawmakers and regulators are struggling with California's commitment to protecting public health in a weak economy.The $90,000 study does not propose any particular action. But in an interview, Hall said, "We are going to pay for it one way or the other. Either we pay to fix the problem or we pay in loss of life and poor health. . . . This study adds another piece to the puzzle as the public and policy-makers try to understand where do we go from here."The California Air Resources Board is scheduled to vote Dec. 11 on whether to adopt broader rules that would force more than 1 million heavy-duty diesel truckers to install filters or upgrade their engines. Truckers and agribusiness have argued against stricter regulation, saying it is too expensive for them to invest in clean vehicles at a time of economic uncertainty.Mary Nichols, chairman of the air resources board, said the findings will "be useful to all of us. Our board members hear on a regular basis from constituents who are concerned about the costs of regulations, and seldom hear from people concerned about their health because they are collectively and individually not as well organized."In the meantime, the two regions continue to pay a steep price for generating air pollution ranked among the worst in the country. In the South Coast basin, that cost is about $1,250 per person per year, which translates into a total of about $22 billion in savings if emissions came into compliance with federal standards, Hall said. In the San Joaquin air basin, the cost is about $1,600 per person per year, or about $6 billion in savings if the standards were met.The savings would come from about 3,800 fewer premature deaths among those age 30 and older; 1.2 million fewer days of school absences; 2 million fewer days of respiratory problems in children; 467,000 fewer lost days of work and 2,700 fewer hospital admissions, according to the study.The study noted that attaining the federal standard for exposure to particulates would save more lives than lowering the number of motor vehicle fatalities to zero in most of the regions examined.The hardest hit were fast-growing communities in Kern and Fresno counties, where 100% of the population was exposed to particulate concentrations above the average federal standard from 2005 to 2007. High rates of exposure were also found in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, where diesel soot is blown by prevailing winds and then trapped by four mountain ranges.Considered the most lethal form of air pollution, microscopic particulates expelled from tailpipes, factory smoke stacks, diesel trucks and equipment can penetrate through the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Exposure to these fine particles has been linked to severe asthma, cancer and premature deaths from heart and lung disease."In the South Coast basin, an average 64% of the population is exposed to health-endangering annual averages of particulates," Hall said, "and in the most populated county -- Los Angeles -- it is 75%."In most years, the South Coast and San Joaquin basins vie with the Houston, Texas, area for the worst air pollution trophy, but this year we took it back," she said. "That's not a prize you want to be handed. Essentially, imported T-shirts and tennis shoes are being hauled to Omaha and the big-rig diesel pollution stays here."Nidia Bautista, community engagement director for the Coalition for Clean Air, described the findings as "staggering, and a reminder that health is too often the trade-off when it comes to cleaning the air."Angelo Logan, spokesman for the East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, put it another way: "At a time when government is handing out economic stimulus packages, we could use an economic relief package to help us deal with environmental impacts on our health, families and pocketbooks."Hall agreed. "This is a drain that could be spent in far better ways," she said.Washington PostDrilling in UtahOne last gift to the oil and gas industry...Editorialhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/12/AR2008111202533_pf.htmlUSING THE WANING days of power to ram through rules and regulations to burnish a legacy or preempt a successor is a time-honored tradition of outgoing administrations. That President Bush's White House is no exception was demonstrated by last week's announcement by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that it would authorize the sale of oil and gas leases on 360,000 acres of public land in Utah. Many of the tracts are disturbingly close to national parks and some of the nation's most beautiful vistas.The 241 parcels are clustered around or near Dinosaur National Monument, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park and will be auctioned on Dec. 19. While energy exploration is not prohibited on lands under the jurisdiction of the BLM, a mix of public pressure and political considerations pushed previous administrations to resist industrial development around national parks. In another departure from past practice, the National Park Service, which usually is given up to three months to comment on proposed sales of leases near parks, was not consulted. According to published reports, the agency found out about the sale from an environmental group. A request before the sale announcement to pull the parcels near parks until further study of drilling's impact on wildlife, air and water was initially rejected. Since then, the BLM and the National Park Service have come to an agreement that allows the Park Service to conduct a parcel-by-parcel review of the tracts in question that will be completed by Nov. 24. What happens after that is up in the air.The lands put up for leasing were proposed by the oil and gas industry. The BLM then conducted a series of environmental reviews under various laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. That the National Park Service was cut out of the consultation loop only amplifies the administration's reputation for holding the interests of industry above all others. The 30-day "public protest period" ends Dec. 4. If the leases are sold and handed over before Jan. 20, the administration of President-elect Barack Obama will have trouble reversing them.The United States has an abiding appetite for fossil fuels -- a dangerous affliction that will continue until alternative energy sources can be exploited on a much larger scale. For some time to come, it will be imperative that the country increase domestic oil production to reduce its dependence on imports. That will mean balancing environmental concerns. After all, oil production in Venezuela, Nigeria and Russia also causes environmental damage. That doesn't mean, however, that important environmental factors should be given short shrift or that the views of potentially critical players ought to be ignored. That is what the Bush administration has done in the case of the Utah leases.CNN MoneyJobless claims highest since Sept. 11 attacksUnemployment filings surge to 516,000, number of Americans continuing on benefits at 25-year high...Lara Moscriphttp://money.cnn.com/2008/11/13/news/economy/jobless_claims/index.htm?postversion=2008111311NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment insurance last week surged to the highest levels since the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the number of people continuing to collect benefits rose to a 25-year high, the government said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial filings for state jobless benefits reached 516,000 for the week ended Nov. 8. That's the highest total since the week ended Sept. 29, 2001, two weeks after the attacks against New York and Washington, when 517,000 initial claims were filed. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected 479,000 claims. This week, jobless filings increased by 32,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 484,000. Last year, the figure stood at 338,000.The report is troubling because many economists expected jobless claims to hold from the week prior, according to Andrew Gledhill, economist at Moody's Economy.com."The labor market is deteriorating more rapidly than previously thought," he said.He expects weekly claims to remain above 500,000 for at least six months, due to the breadth of job losses that are being reported.The high number of Americans continuing to collect unemployment shows that hiring conditions are poor, according to Andrew Gledhill, economist at Moody's Economy.com.The number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for one week or more surged by 65,000 to 3,897,000, the highest level since January 1983. The data comes from the week ended Nov. 1, the most recent available. At this time last year, the figure was 2,587,000. The Bush administration weighed in on the jobless claim numbers."We know this is a tough time for many people and that's why this administration is focused on dealing with the financial situation across the board ... To get the economy moving and create jobs," according to Gordon Johndroe, a deputy press secretary.The four-week moving average of unemployment claims, used to smooth fluctuations in the data, increased by 13,250 to 491,000 from the previous week's average of 477,750. A reading above 400,000 has been present during the past two recessions.Ohio and Michigan, suffering from job losses related to the troubled U.S. automobile industry, reported the largest increases in initial claims. The layoffs in those states are not likely to be reversed in coming months, Gledhill said. "Vehicle sales have been falling off a cliff, and that's not going to be reversed anytime soon."Extended benefits were available in North Carolina and Rhode Island during the week ended Oct. 25, according to the report.U.S. job losses have been mounting for months. Last week, the Labor Department reported the economy lost 240,000 jobs in October, bringing the total number of jobs shed in 2008 to nearly 1.2 million. The unemployment rate rose to 6.5%, a 14-year high, last month. President-elect Barack Obama has put forth a few economic stimulus proposals, which may gain bipartisan support.Some of his ideas include temporarily exempting the unemployed from having to pay income tax on their unemployment benefits, extending unemployment benefits, spending more on infrastructure to create jobs, and temporary tax credits for businesses that create jobs in the United States.In the past week, Ford (F, Fortune 500) said it would cut salaried employment costs by 10%, global delivery company DHL said it was cutting 9,500 jobs and financial service provider Fidelity Investment announced 1,300 job cuts85,000 homes lost in OctoberAs government and industry scramble to reverse the tide of foreclosures, filings jumped 25% in October...Catherine Cliffordhttp://money.cnn.com/2008/11/13/real_estate/foreclosures_october/index.htm?postversion=2008111315NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As government and industry scrambled to stem the housing crisis, another 84,868 homes were lost to foreclosure in October, according to a report released Thursday. Last month 279,561 struggling borrowers received foreclosure filings, including default notices, notices of auction sales and bank repossessions, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosures. That's a 5% increase from September, and up 25% from October 2007. "October marks the 34th consecutive month where U.S. foreclosure activity has increased compared to the prior year," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, in a statement.A total of 936,439 homes have been lost to foreclosure since the housing crisis hit in August, 2007.Foreclosures hit a record high in August when 304,000 homes were in default and 91,000 families lost their houses. Since then, a number of states have adopted legislation to freeze foreclosures and give homeowners a chance to modify their mortgages. These laws have helped slowed the rate of foreclosures."The really sobering reality for us is that despite these various state programs that are artificially keeping the numbers down, we are still up 25% from a year ago," said Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac.Making matters worse is the rapidly deteriorating economy, says Global Insight economist Pat Newport. "It seems almost every day you hear about another company planning further layoffs," said Newport. When people lose their jobs, they can't make mortgage payments. And while some homeowners are defaulting because they've fallen on hard times, Newport says that others have simply stopped paying their mortgages. "Falling home prices are providing an incentive for them to walk away from their homes simply because it just isn't worth it," he said. Home prices have been on a steep decline, with 20 major markets plunging a record 16.6% year-over-year in August according to the most recent data from Case-Shiller. That index has recorded declines for 25 consecutive months. State laws slow foreclosuresA new law in California, one of the hardest-hit states in the housing crisis, requires banks to contact struggling homeowners 30 days before delivering a notice of default in order to give them time to restructure their plans. Thanks to that legislation, foreclosures in the state fell 18% from September. But California still had the highest number of foreclosures in the country for October, logging 56,954 filings. That total was down from a peak of more than 100,000 filings in August, but up 13% from October 2007. Clearly the housing crisis is not relenting. "While the intention behind this legislation - to prevent more foreclosures - is admirable," said Saccacio, "without a more integrated approach that includes significant loan modifications, the net effect may be merely delaying inevitable foreclosures." The delays may also be masking the problem, said Saccacio. "The apparent slowing of foreclosure activity understates the severity of the foreclosure problem in these states," he said.Nevada had the highest rate of foreclosures of any state for the 22nd consecutive month in October, with one in every 74 housing homes receiving a foreclosure filing. Arizona had the second highest rate in October, with one in every 149 housing units in default. Florida was third, with one in every 157 homes there in default. Banks and government step upBoth government agencies and a handful of major lenders have recently introduced new foreclosure prevention programs, but it will take a while before they have an impact."It took us the first half of the decade to get into this problem," said Sharga, "so it is probably going to take a couple of years to get out."On Tuesday the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500), unveiled a new program to help eligible borrowers stay in their homes by lowering their monthly payments to 38% of gross household income. And on Monday Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) announced the Citi Homeownership Assistance Program, which it says will modify $20 billion worth of loans for 130,000 borrowers. Similar housing rescue initiatives were unveiled recently by FDIC-controlled IndyMac Bank, which says it will help as many as 40,000 homeowners, as well as Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), which estimates it can rescue 630,000 homes and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), which expects to help another 400,000 families. The moves are promising. "This is finally a step in the right direction," said Sharga. "Those are the kind of programs we need to see executed to see the number of foreclosures slow down."Hurdles remain, including home loans that will be much harder to modify because they've been packaged and securitized into investments. And Sharga notes that fixing existing loans is only part of the equation; banks must resume lending to new borrowers. "Just freeing up some funds for qualified home buyers would make a huge difference in getting the housing market back on its feet," he said. Mike Larson, a real estate analyst with Weiss Research, added that falling home prices and the slowing economy will also create strong headwinds for any government relief program. "You can certainly fix some of these mortgages, you can certainly try to slow the foreclosures," said Larson, "but until home prices stabilize and the economy gets back on its feet, it is going to be a tough slog." 11-13-08 Meetings11-17-08 Merced County Hearing Officer meeting...8:30 a.m.http://www.co.merced.ca.us/planning/pdf/hearing/2008/111708ka.pdfRegular Meeting Has Been Cancelled 11-17-08 Merced City Council Redevelopment Agency agenda...7:00 p.m.http://www.cityofmerced.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6822CALENDAR OF MEETINGS AND EVENTSNov.  19 PLANNING COMMISSION, 7:00 PM         20 MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS,              3:00 P.M.         27 HOLIDAY – (CITY OFFICES CLOSED)Dec.   01 CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, 7:00 PM         03 PLANNING COMMISSION, 7:00 PM         04 LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION, 10:00 AM         15 CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, 7:00 PM         18 MERCED COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS,              3:00 P.M.         25 HOLIDAY – (CITY OFFICES CLOSED) 11-18-08 Merced County Board of Supervisor meeting...10:00 a.m.http://www.co.merced.ca.us/boardagenda/webagenda/Posted 72 Hours Prior To Meeting 11-19-08 Merced County Planning Commission Agenda...9:00 a.m.http://www.co.merced.ca.us/planning/pdf/commissionarchive/2008/agendas/PC%20AGENDA%20111908.pdf 11-19-08 Merced City Planning Commission meeting..7:00 p.m.http://www.cityofmerced.org/depts/cityclerk/boards_n_commissions/planning_commission/2008_planning_commission/2008_planning_commission_agendas.aspAgendas are posted the Monday before a Wednesday Planning Commission Meeting 11-20-08 MCAG Governing Board...3:00 p.m.http://www.mcagov.org/govbrd.htmlDec. 04 - Technical Planning Committee Meeting         05 - Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting         10 - Technical Review Board Meeting         18 - Governing Board Meeting 11-20-08 Merced County General Plan Updatehttp://www.co.merced.ca.us/gpu/Community Workshop Final Round November 17 Through November 20, 2008Community Workshopshttp://www.co.merced.ca.us/gpu/focusgroup/update.htmMerced County will be hosting the final set of 15 community workshops throughout the county to gain community feedback on growth alternatives presented in the Alternatives Report.By 2030, Merced County is expected to grow to approximately 440,000 people, a net increase of 196,000 people (or 45 percent). The County must now select the overall growth philosophy and course of action for guiding the physical development within the county. The challenge for the County will be to determine where and how growth should occur in order to protect valuable farmland and natural resources while still meeting the needs of its growing population. The Alternatives Report identifies three potential growth alternatives that will enable the decision makers and the community to weigh possible futures. The Alternatives Report can be downloaded from the General Plan Update website at www.co.merced.ca.us/gpu/documents.html.After the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission thoroughly review the growth alternatives and receive community feedback from the workshops, the Board will select a preferred alternative. Since the growth alternatives need not be mutually exclusive, the Board may select elements of two or more alternatives. The preferred alternative, which will also include a set of preferred policy options, will then become the basis for the General Plan Policy Document.All workshops will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The dates and locations for the workshops are as follows:UC Merced/North Merced Kolligian Library, Room 2325200 N. Lake Road, Merced Nov. 17Santa Nella Ramada Inn, Balboa Room  13070 State Hwy. 33 Nov. 17Snelling Snelling School Cafeteria16099 State Hwy. 59 Nov. 17Ballico/CresseyBallico Veterans Hall 11305 Ballico Ave.Nov. 18Planada Planada Community Center 9167 E. Stanford Ave.Nov. 18Midway/Dos Palos George Washington Carver Center21476 Reynolds Ave. Dos Palos Nov. 18Franklin/Beachwood Franklin School Cafeteria 2736 N. Franklin Rd.Nov. 19Winton Winton Community Hall 7091 Walnut Ave.Nov. 19Los Banos Los Banos Fairgrounds, Germino Building 403 F Street Nov. 20McSwain McSwain School Cafeteria (West Campus) 926 N. Scott RoadNov. 20South MercedAlicia Reyes Elementary School 123 South N Street, MercedNov. 20If you have any questions about the workshops, please contact Bill Nicholson, Assistant Development Services Director, at 209.385.7654 or email bnicholson@co.merced.ca.us.