FEDERAL LEGISLATORS (CA)
CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATORS,
AMADOR COUNTY
Opinions & Issues
Sent via Citizen Report:
Ken Berry submits comprehensive comments to county regarding Water Supply Assessments of Wicklow Way and Gold Rush projects.
The attached letter (pdf) is a formal comment for the CEQA process that Amador County is following for the Wicklow Subdivision and the City of Sutter Creek is following for the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort projects.
The gist of the comment is that approval of the EIRs associated with each project would be unlawful because the Water Supply Assessment is inaccurate and erroneous. The comment also alleges that neither agency can lawfully make the findings necessary to approve their respective projects.
If you do not care to read the entire letter, which is somewhat dry because its purpose is to document for the court that the respective agencies were fully informed that their WSAs were inadequate prior to
their making a final decision, please take a look at page 8.
The number of existing EDUs given as 9,389 (October 2007), 8,396 (January 2008), and 7,740 (May 2008). The later number is based on the Participation Fee Study prepared in October 2007, which erroneously includes Plymouth hookups which have not been made, so apparently the correct number, 7,140, is not included in any official document.
President Moore has accused citizens of "practicing engineering without a license" when they question the obviously inconsistent information presented by AWA staff. I have a question for President Moore: "Do you bother to read the reports you vote to approve? If you do, why didn't you notice the discrepancy between 7,140 and 9,389 (as well as the many other changing assumptions and obfuscations that so typically accompany AWA staff reports)?" I think AWA Directors should be more than robots automatically approving whatever is presented to them.
I do not know if the AWA has any liability to the County or City for the WSAs. My sole concern is that the approval process in the land use agencies comes to a halt until it is done lawfully, and that will
require new WSAs, among other things.
I will say this about moral liability: If the AWA has any legal liability, it is way too late to avoid it by holding closed session meetings. All you can do in closed session is take ownership of the mess that your staff and the prior Board has given you. If you can explain why 7,140 became 8,396 in the same month and then became 9,389 three months later, please let the community know. If you cannot
explain that, you owe the community an explanation of more than I addressed in my letter.
I will include a CD with the documents listed in Appendix A with a printed copy that I will send to the Agency's offices. If you have any questions, I will do my best to explain or present the
documents on which I based my assertions.
-Ken Berry
www.schoolabuse.org A site dedicated to all the students who have been abused, harassed, retaliated against, or treated unfairly by your school's administration. Sometimes there is nowhere to turn to when you have been a victim of abuse in the school system. I hope this website will inspire you to tell your story. Maybe together we can find some answers, and at the very least some comfort knowing we are not alone.
AMADOR COMMISSION ON AGING meets every third Wednesday at 10AM at the Amador Senior Center on New York Ranch Road, Jackson. Public is invited, and there is always a public sector item on agenda for anyone who wishes to address commission.
Amador Citizens for Smart Growth (ACSG) Meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays from 3-5PM at 235 New York Ranch Rd, Suite D. Quail Hollow Center, Jackson. For more info, e-mail amadorsmartgrowth@gmail.com, or go to www.amadorsmartgrowth.org
The Amador Democratic Club, Meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7PM at the Amador Senior Center, 229 New York Ranch Road, Jackson. For info call President Liz Mc Culloch at 296-5131. www.amadordemocrats.org. The Democratic Central Committee Meeting, Meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at 40 N. Highway 49/88, Jackson (Crosswalk from Mel's Diner/Busi Municipal Parking Lot)
Amador County Republican Central Committee, Meets the third Thursday of every month at 7PM, Amador Senior Center, 229 New York Ranch Road, Jackson www.amadorgop.org
Amador Progressive Women's Committee (APWC), Meets the 1st Thursday of the month at 11:30AM Jackson Elks Club. For more information go to: www.apwc.us
Amador County Citizens Against Global Warming Citizens for Stabilzing & Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions is an organization of volunteers is forming with the intent to help stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Amador County. The organization will work with all stake holders including, but not limited to, concerned citizens, business organizations, agricultural organizations, faith based organizations and cities of Sutter Creek, Jackson, Ione, Plymouth, Amador City and the County Board of Supervisors.
The national program that will be implemented is called Cool Cities and Cool Counties, a program that is successful in over 500 cities and several counties throughout the U.S. For more information, contact Jerry Scott, Director, at 296-1775 or jersusan@volcano.net
Amador Dry Creek Watershed Council, Meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7PM
Amador County Administration Building, Conference Room 3, 810 Court Street, Jackson. The Amador Dry Creek Watershed Council will assess, protect and enhance the Dry Creek basin through collaboration, advocacy and education.
Upcountry Communities Council: Concerned Citizens in an Unincorporated Area, Meets the 3rd Thursday of every month from 6-8PM, Veterans Memorial Hall at Pioneer Park. Buckhorn Ridge Rd., Pioneer. The Upcountry Communities Council is a working group acknowledged by the County, which provides assistance to the County and residents in governmental affairs affecting the area known as Upcountry in Amador County. The areas within the Council are the Communities of Amador Pines, Buckhorn, Pine Grove, Mace Meadows, Pioneer, RabbPark, Silver Lakes Pines/Sierra Highlands and Volcano. For more information, call Bob Currall at 295-7630 or Debbie Dunn at 296-5435 or ddunn@volcano.net
BLM Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program. The Folsom office of the Bureau of Land Management announces a new variance program. If a homeowner lives adjacent to a BLM property, they may be eligible for this variance. Basically, if the homeowner has done everything they can to meet PRC 4291, the 100 foot defensible space law, but are up against the mutual property line with BLM, they can apply for this variance and get permission to work on BLM's property to enhance their defensible space. All work on BLM property must be within 100' of the mutual property line. The homeowner would be responsible for any costs. There would be no restrictions on using federal or state funds if, for instance, a homeowner qualified for the Amador Fire Safe Council's low income senior/disabled grant and already had their 4291 compliance around the house. AFSC would then be able to work on the BLM lands within 100' of that mutual property line. The AFSC office has the application form to request the variance, or the homeowner can call BLM directly at 916-985-4474. AFSC will not help the homeowner get the variance, but we can supply the homeowner with the application and contact information. Cathy Koos Breazeal, Executive Director, Amador Fire Safe Council, 209-296-6220
Foothill Conservancy: Home-grown conservation since 1989
Foothill Conservancy works to protect, restore, and sustain the natural and human environment in Amador and Calaveras counties for the benefit of current and future generations. We hold informative public meetings, testify before local governments, participate in regional coalitions, publish an informative newsletter on local issues, and post news and events information on our website, www.foothillconservancy.org. Visit our site for information and to sign on to protect the Mokelumne River for future generations. Contact: Executive Director Chris Wright, fhc@foothillconservancy.org
209-295-4900, www.foothillconservancy.org
Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club & Council, Meets the 1st Wednesday. Council at 5:30PM / Club at 6:30PM. Town Hall (across from park in Pine Grove). Meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. We generally have at least one supervisor present. For more information call 296-7626.
“Take-It-Back Amador!” Battery & Fluorescent Tube/Bulb Disposal. Locations: Meeks, Ione; ACE Hardware, Pine Grove. County residents now have more options for disposing used batteries and fluorescent tubes & bulbs “Take-It-Back Amador!” is a partnership that promotes the proper recycling and disposal of used household batteries and fluorescent tubes & bulbs. In response to New Universal Waste Regulations, Meeks Lumber & Hardware, and ACE Hardware and Lumber stores located in Pine Grove and Ione are accepting these items, free of charge, from county residents. Universal Waste, meaning widely used, can pose a threat to public health and the environment if not properly handled. California regulations prohibit universal wastes from landfill disposal. Amador County residents can continue to bring these items to the County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Facility every other Saturday at the Buena Vista Landfill Transfer Station. This program is for residential use only. Business and commercial materials will not be accepted. For more information on HHW collection dates or materials, Amador County Water Management Department at (209) 223-6429 or visit: www.co.amador.ca.us/depts/waste/
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Council. The mission of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Council is "to establish a collaborative decision-making body and a forum composed of all parties with a vested interest, including local residents, agricultural, timber and other commercial entities, recreational users, and public agencies. We shall work to restore and maintain the Upper Mokelumne River watershed in a manner that ensures sustainable environmental, economic, educational, cultural, recreational, and water quality benefits for present and future generations." Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative Group in the following counties are involved: Amador, Calaveras, & Alpine; Sub-Region: East & South Central Contact: Terry Strange, 235 New York Ranch Road, Suite D, Jackson CA 95642 , Phone: 209.257.1851 ext 105 Fax: 209.257.0910 Email: strangeaqua@volcano.net or Susan Snoke at 257-1851 x107
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